I suck. Damnit, I know I suck. But real life happened aaand guess what friends!? I got married! :)
On another note, thank you to those that followed me on Twitter and got me motivated. I am forever in love with wrestling and I love to "tweet-meet" so to speak those who have supported me. So, if you'd like to add me on Twitter, my handle is ashrainboww. So here we go, another installment of YTH.
Being the first match of the night wasn't so bad.
It was kind of nice, actually. It meant that people would be focused, not still caught on the prior match. It meant it wouldn't be deemed as "go-to-the-bathroom" match of the evening. For AJ fans, they expected her to squash the Queen of Red without a problem. Man, were they going to be disappointed.
After Eva Marie had made her grand entrance, AJ's music began to play. Taking a deep breath and looking forward for this feud to be over, she began her traditional skip down the ramp. And, as expected, the amount of cheers that filled the arena were heartwarming. There was even a sign in the crowd that read 'PUNK WHO?' that made her giggle a little. How in the world had the security guards for WWE not been able to confiscate that one? No matter, it was nice to see there was still plenty of support from her fans out there.
As planned, AJ went to shake Eva Marie's hand, despite the back-and-forth segments they had been involved in during the prior weeks. Eva, who actually was a very good actress, turned to the crowd and made a disgusted face before flipping her brilliant hair over her shoulder as if to walk away, making a point that she was above the veteran diva. She was prettier, smarter, and...not paying attention.
That was the opening of the match; AJ grabbed her shoulder to whip her around, catching her off-guard with a swift forearm. Eva's hands instantly flew up to her nose, saying something to the referee to make him distance AJ to go for another hit. AJ turned to the crowd with her hands in the air as if to say "fucking really?!" which caused more cheers and jeers.
Finally, Eva tore across the ring, ready to begin trading blows with the smaller woman. They did just that, AJ gaining momentum quickly. She went ahead and pinned Eva prematurely, which resulted in a solid two-count, but she still plead with the referee anyways before picking the redhead up from the mat.
"Off the hair, AJ!" warned the referee, but AJ just ignored him as she tossed her opponent quickly into the turnbuckle before throwing a forearm once again straight into her chest.
Eva got into a perfect position for a bulldog, which AJ executed without a hitch. As much heat as Eva gets, AJ thought to herself, she sure has improved.
Once again, Eva kicked out at two. This time, AJ pounded her fists on the mat in frustration, yelling at the woman to "just stay down!"
Eventually, Eva was able to throw a few hits, which seemingly only pissed off the Black Widow. She gave an angry yell before plowing into Eva, clotheslining her dead-center in the middle of the ring. She focused on the groggy redhead as she prepared for her special move, the Shining Wizard. Once again, AJ ran straight into Eva, colliding beautifully with her shoulder blade.
Unfortunately, that was where the match would switch gear.
The referee was standing too closely to Eva, and AJ collided with him, too. She made an awkward hop over Eva's body, managing to catch him with the final force of her signature move. He now was laying outside of the ring, facedown, as she had Eva Marie pinned for probably a 42-count.
When she feigned realizing that there was no referee in the ring, she stood on the apron yelling at him to get back in, to call the match. She clapped loudly in his general direction, pulling her hair out as she grew more annoyed that he wasn't mobile. After jumping back into the ring and stomping on Eva just to keep her on the canvas, the referee finally began to stir.
But, lo and behold, Paige was making her way down to the ring wearing one of her 'Scream For Me' t-shirts and black jeans. She slid into the ring, giving Eva Marie a small push when she did so. This garnered more cheers, and a small crowd of people began the "Paige is gonna get you' chant, everyone prepared for the raven-haired diva to completely decimate the Total Divas star.
Except that isn't what was going to happen. Paige gave AJ a small hug, asking her if she was okay. AJ said yes, then pointed at the ref and said something regarding him being immobile. Then, as if completely out of the blue, Paige took her friend and quickly performed the PaigeTurn, the move that she had supposedly retired a few years ago due to the strain it was putting on her spine. It was a quick swinging leg hook into a fireman's carry slam, something that was so dangerous and powerful that it was the perfect move to put AJ out of the match. Eva, at this point, was looking like a scared reindeer, her mouth open and questioning what just happened. Paige extended her hand to the redhead, who grasped it and scrambled to her feet before pinning AJ. Naturally, the referee who was playing possum outside the ring was suddenly able to move, and this resulted in a three-count.
The fans booed. They booed hard.
And AJ felt badly for them. It was all backstage politics! she wanted to scream; but of course even then, it would do no good. She stayed still in the ring, her hair everywhere and her hand draped against her stomach. Her eyes remained closed until the lights dimmed for the commercial break, where she slowly got to her feet with very pretended help by the referee.
She made her way backstage, where Eva already stood, wiping the bit of sweat that had formed in her hairline. She quickly enveloped AJ in a hug, much to her surprise, congratulating her on making her "look like she actually belonged in the ring."
Well, let's not get carried away, AJ thought, but she knew she was being unfair. Despite Eva being only cast for the Total Divas reality show and not an actual wrestler, she had tried really hard to improve in the ring. They had put on a truly solid match together, and while AJ didn't know the full extent of her feud with Paige, she was still genuinely proud of the redhead's overall performance tonight.
"Well, look-it here, it's the great Seth Rollins," came a very distinct accent.
Seth had been sitting at a table in catering, his earphones plugged into his phone as he listened to Killswitch Engage while thumbing through some of the tweets for the night.
Queen AJ falls to the Queen of Red? I don't get it. WHY?!
Something messy between AJ and Paige happened...that wasn't acting.
Heard Paige slithered her way into Rollin's bed. Makes sense.
I can hear CM Punk laughing at AJ for losing all the way in Chicago.
Man, fans were assholes.
Regardless, the words came from Finn Balor right in the silence when the track changed, so he couldn't even pretend he hadn't heard his name. His body failed him anyways, his eyes flicking upward to the lanky, well-groomed man. He wore a goofy smile, a very clean, crisp black suit, and the very same shiny gold NXT championship belt that Seth had been the first recipient of.
He whipped a headphone from his ear, trying hard to remain calm. He hated that he was being such a jealous fool over this guy, but yet he couldn't help but feel inferior to him.
"Sorry?"
Finn misread Seth's question as an invitation, slipping in to the chair across from him as if they were old pals. His stature was still looming, and Seth felt tiny compared to him. His mind got the best of him, and he had to chase away the wondering thought of what it had been like for AJ to be with him.
"It's been awhile. Glad to see you've finally accomplished a big dream," Finn motioned towards Seth's belt. "Best watch it for when I come to the main roster, though. Keep it warm for me."
"Is that why you're here?" Seth wondered, his eyes watching the man carefully. "Are you being called up, or what?"
Finn took a swig from the bottle of water Seth hadn't realized he'd been carrying. "Can't be entirely sure, to be honest. Creative here needs me for something. Wanted to talk about something with the writing. It doesn't make near the same amount of sense as it does back in NXT," Finn commented, and Seth found himself growing bored of the smalltalk. It wasn't Finn's fault, he just...wasn't the type that really held a good, back and forth conversation.
"Listen, I'd love to stay and chat but I-"
"Oh, aside from the belt, congratulations on your other little trophy," Finn gave a small sneer, something that was pretty unusual for the normally happy, friendly guy.
"I'm not sure I'm following," Seth muttered.
"...and I'm sure that you are. I'm happy for your new relationship. Really. But-" he stood up, pushing his chair in-"I know that you had this belt before I did. But just note that when it comes to April, I had her before you did." Finn gave him a ridiculously insulting wink before straightening the lapels on his jacket, a smug look on his face as he exited the room.
Normally, Seth would have gotten up and gotten angry, ready to fight. But it took him a moment to catch exactly what the Demon King was insinuating here.
Getting to his feet and nearly knocking the chair he was sitting on over, he was ready to go knock Balor's front teeth out once realization had struck him. But for some reason, he halted; his jealousy overwhelming him. This feeling was something he wasn't used to.
Had Balor actually slept with AJ? he found himself wondering. He hated that Finn was able to make him doubt their whole relationship like this; make him feel like it was based off from a lie. He'd been told numerous times that AJ had been seeing the NXT champion during her time in Florida, and while she told him the extent of it wasn't anything extraordinary, it was quite possible that she was hiding the entire truth from him.
After all, he hadn't been a completely open book with her...and he had just seen Balor leaving AJ's dressing room just a few hours ago.
Why was he feeling like this!?
His head snapped up from his thoughts when he'd heard his name called, a stagehand waving a clipboard in his direction. Checking his phone, he had approximately a half-hour to finish getting ready-ah, shit!
AJ watched in shock as Finn Balor's music played, Seth Rollins' face in complete shock as he stood too close to the ropes. Ambrose was starting to stir, and if Rollins kept paying attention to the wrong man, it was certainly going to end in a roll-up. Seth seemed surprised. Almost as though he didn't know this was going to happen...
With a sick, overwhelming feeling in her stomach, AJ realized that Seth looked surprised because he was surprised; he didn't expect this at all. This was not good.
Finn just stood at the top of the ramp, his eyes shining wildly as the match continued. Seth became suddenly aware that he needed to focus on Ambrose, his mentality shifting back to where it ought to be. Before performing the Pedigree, Rollins pointed at Balor, as if to say that he was next. The last bit went smoothly, and AJ breathed an enormous sigh of relief when the referee held up his hand in victory.
But, of course, Balor wasn't done. He now stood toe-to-toe in the center with Rollins, looking down his nose at AJ's boyfriend. Seth wrinkled his nose in response, giving the NXT championship belt a knock before laughing, mocking the holder and playing his heel character at high volumes. The fans booed as he turned away, holding his own belt high in the air.
Sliding out of the ring, Seth clutched his ribcage as he continued to hold the shiny gold belt high in the air, ignoring the fans that were chanting "NXT! NXT! NXT!"
The WWE logo appeared in the corner of the screen, and AJ knew that it meant the production was over. Standing slowly as she folded up the metal chair she'd been sitting on, she propped it up against the cement wall before heading back towards the curtain, anxious to see her boyfriend and even more anxious to get back to the hotel with him. It'd been a long night, after all.
She smiled when she saw him, still clutching his ribcage as she headed towards him, her arms stretched to give him the hug that he clearly needed.
"You okay?" she whispered as he wrapped his muscular upper body around her shoulders, trying her hardest to ignore the standoffish vibe he was giving her.
"I landed bad," he admitted, talking quietly into her hair so that none of the officials heard him and panicked. "I don't know how bad, exactly..."
"Don't worry," she replied in a hushed voice. "You'll be okay."
"Maybe, but will we?"
She broke away from him, unsure if she'd heard him correctly. Her eyes searched his face, his expression frustratingly emotionless. He was stone.
"Why...why wouldn't we be?" her voice was still quiet and shaky, but she followed his gaze to where Finn stood, being surrounded by Stephanie, Vince, and Hunter while he proudly held his championship belt over his shoulder.
"Obviously, we need to talk," he muttered, squeezing her hand before dropping it. "I'll meet you back at the hotel, AJ. I'll text you."
With that, AJ stood in the wake of the storm, unsure what the problem was and even more unsure of why, so suddenly, Seth was losing his shit over the sudden appearance of the NXT rookie.
She watched as Finn spoke to Stephanie, a large, toothy smile and grandeur gestures completing his whole physical being. He caught her gaze momentarily, and held it as he raised an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes in reply, flipping her hair over her shoulder before walking to catch a ride with Paige back to the hotel.
AJ stood in front of Seth's door, wearing the very same Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle top that she wore earlier as she crossed her arm. She felt she'd been waiting for him to open the door for fifteen minutes. In fact, the only reason she hadn't given up and gone back to the bed she hadn't planned on sleeping in that night was the fact that she could hear him shuffling around the room.
Finally, the door swung open, revealing a black pajama-bottomed Seth Rollins, a glorious sight if she ever saw one. He had a toothbrush stuck in the side of his mouth and his phone in his hand.
"Sorry," he apologized, his eyes full of sorrow. "It was my mom. Just had to catch up."
"Your mom, or your ex-girlfriend?" AJ knew she was being petty, but after the way he had reacted to her earlier, it was hard to keep a level-head.
Seth groaned. "Come on, April. Why do you have to do that?"
"Why do we need to talk so badly? What's going on, Seth?"
Seth took her hand, motioning for her to come into the hotel room. Falling on his bed, she sat beside him, trying hard to keep a safe enough distance. The last thing she wanted was to seem too clingy if he was seriously upset over something that she did.
"What's going on with you and Balor?" he grumbled.
"What?! Nothing!" she sounded like an angry chihuahua, her voice raising a couple octaves as the blind-siding question struck her. "Did he say something to you?"
Seth's eyes were cold. "Well, what else was he really doing there tonight? He wasn't scheduled to be there, and it was probably just convenient for the WWE officials to throw him into the main event tonight as a distraction since he was already lurking backstage anyways."
"How am I supposed to know?" AJ questioned him, her eyes narrowing. "WWE changes their minds on plans all the time. I don't understand their thought processes one bit regarding the choices they make."
"And how do you explain him coming from the same exact locker room you were in before the show? Swaggering out of it like he owned the damn place," Seth began to grit his teeth, and AJ could sense that he was starting to lose his cool. She was also kind of embarrassed that Seth had seen him come from that door, because if the roles were reversed, it was likely she'd jump to the same conclusion.
"Finn came by to say hello before my match because we got along during my time hanging around NXT."
"I'm just saying how bad it looks. To me, it looks like he came to see you."
AJ scoffed. "Yeah, right. With how bland our dinner date was, I highly doubt that. Seriously, you're being such a baby right now. Did you ever thing that he was there to...I don't know, maybe...wrestle?" The last bit was said with a sharp bite to it, AJ hoping her point stuck. Her boyfriend was being so freaking stupid about nothing.
Seth had considered that, actually; but he had somehow hoped that Balor was only there to socialize. If Finn came up to the main roster anytime soon, it was going to be a given that he'd be the next chosen one. In fact, it seemed that he already was. This was bad news for the WWE champion.
His thoughts were interrupted when AJ grabbed his warm hands in her ice-cold ones, the sudden shock from the temperature making him jump. "Seth, I love you," she told him once more, her eyes holding his. "I don't know why you're worrying yourself over something so silly. I know just as much as you do. He was there, he caused trouble during your match, and it looked like he'll eventually want to challenge you. But that's where it ends."
Seth cleared his throat. "Not that it would concern me or anything, but he might've mentioned...he implied that.." Seth had a hard time making the words flow together, and he realized that maybe he didn't want to know the truth. His mind was going crazy.
Maybe he should have some more trust in AJ. But why would Finn lie to him?
AJ quirked her eyebrow, her hands still holding his. Hers had warmed considerably since, her eyes still locked on his, longing for him to tell her what was bothering him.
"You and Finn never...you know."
"Oh my god, no. I wasn't even ready for a relationship at that point, let alone let someone I only just met bang me in the NXT shower room," her expression looked shocked, surprised that was even brought up. "Did he say that we did?"
Seth bit his lip. "I mean, in more words than that."
"Do you believe him?"
He studied AJ's face for a long time. Did he believe that more had happened? And if so, again, why would it really concern him?
But the more he searched her face for any falter, the more he realized that it was highly probable that she was telling the truth. When he thought of how she'd first reacted to him when they'd initially met, she was still so very broken-hearted over her ex-husband that she made it perfectly clear that she'd rather keep to herself. And while some women would just chomp through dudes after a divorce just to feel happy and loved, AJ wasn't like most women.
"No, I don't. I guess I just wanted to hear you say it," he admitted.
Leaning down, she kissed his scratchy face, slowly making her kisses trace their way to his lips.
"You need to trust me," she whispered, before deepening the kiss. He pulled her on top of him, allowing her to straddle his fully clothed body, running his hands along her sides, each of the Ninja Turtles on her shirt staring down on him. He kissed her back, feeling himself get more aroused as she pressed down into him. He was needing and wanting already, eager to push the evening's events out of his mind for awhile.
"You need to trust me, too," he said finally.
In response, she whipped her shirt off, tossing it on the floor.