28th June 2011
Alexa wandered into the building the following day feeling better than she had in a long time. She still had a long way to go until she was ready to move back up to the main roster, knowing she needed to work on her in-ring work to build her confidence up again. Paul wasn't due to come in for their meeting for a few hours so she thought she would try to make a start and get some training done beforehand.
She changed into her black yoga shorts and matching sports bra, pulled on her wrestling boots and made her way to the ring. She frowned on her arrival, hoping to find someone to spar with but instead finding it completely deserted. Shrugging, she slipped into the ring anyway and started to run the ropes to warm herself up.
After her muscles had sufficiently warmed up she came to a halt and eyed the corner, wondering if the previous evening had just been a fluke. She walked over and carefully climbed to the top; it still felt uncomfortable to be up there and she was still extremely conscious of falling, but it was progress. She kicked off the ropes, backflipped and landed expertly on her feet before allowing herself a small smile.
''You got up there!"
Alexa turned to find Colby walking over to the ring with a silly grin on his face. ''Yeah, finally! What are you doing here so early?''
''I was meant to meeting Eric to go over our match for Thursday, but he's not here yet.''
''Well, since you're here... I need a sparring partner?''
An hour later, Alexa had worked off most of her ring rust and the pair were having a pretty competitive match.
As the developmental guys started to arrive at the building ready for the day's work, they had steadily grown an audience. At first they just sat at ringside, chatting while they waited for their turn in the ring. But as they continued, more and more people had wandered over just to watch the pair work.
Colby and Alexa were both breathing heavily, exhausted from their unplanned match. They were working effortlessly, calling everything on the fly and surprising everyone watching with their similar, daring styles.
Currently, he was painfully wrenching her arm in a standing wrist lock. She heard a few claps as she did a front forward roll followed by a headspring kip-up, maneuvering herself out of the hold. He ran towards her, one arm outstretched as he went to plough her over with a clothesline. Alexa bent over backwards into a bridging position, a move reminiscent of Trish Stratus. She rose to her feet and span around to floor him with a discus clothesline.
"I keep forgetting I'm not wrestling one of the guys.'' Colby commented as he stood, swiping his hair out of his eyes. ''You're quick."
''No, you're just slow.'' She shot him a teasing grin as they locked up again.
He swung her towards the ropes and as she ran back towards him he pushed her up into the air, palms pressing into her stomach as he attempted a gorilla press drop. She countered, wrapping her legs around his neck and hitting him with a hurricanrana.
While he was down, Alexa cautiously climbed to the top rope and waited for him to stand. When he did, she performed a moonsault, only for him to catch her over his shoulder. She swung herself around and executed a tornado DDT, prompting more cheers from the small audience.
''DeltaWave.'' He muttered to her as they both lay on the mat, trying to catch their breath.
Alexa moved over to the ropes, stepping through them as Colby shuffled closer to the corner.
Glancing across the room, her eyes landed on Jon who was observing her with an intense look on his face. She gave him a small smile before her eyes flickered over to find Darren stood in the doorway, watching on proudly. Next to him, she was surprised to see Paul looking on in interest.
Feeling slightly under pressure, she slowly climbed to the top and steadied herself before hitting a perfect corkscrew shooting star press. She slammed her hand on the mat three times and declared herself the winner before rolling away from Colby. ''Fuck, I'm so unfit...''
He laughed and gave her a pat on the arm. ''You're not, you're just not used to it.''
She pushed herself up and slowly got to her feet. ''Thanks for letting me kick your ass.''
He smiled, giving her a high-five. ''Happy to help.''
Alexa stepped over him and walked over to the ropes, climbing out of the ring before heading over to Paul and Darren.
The latter beamed at her and gave her a one-armed hug. ''That was brilliant, well done!"
''It's a start.'' She told him with a contented smile.
Paul looked her up and down before meeting her eyes with a smirk. "When the fuck did you get abs?"
Alexa walked out of her meeting with Paul a couple of hours later, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
She had first met Paul during the whole Evolution storyline in 2004, where she had played a small part trying to make Randy leave the group. They worked together again two years later when she briefly 'joined' D-Generation X in their feud against Rated RKO and Lita. She had learned a lot from him, he was such a great guy and she had a lot of respect for him. Which was good, because he was sort of her boss now.
They had negotiated another contract and she had signed on the spot, much to Paul's relief. Obviously after all the trouble with Phil's contract recently, they were expecting more of a fight from her. But that wasn't her style, she just wanted to wrestle.
''Meeting go well?''
Alexa stepped backwards and popped her head around the doorway where the voice had originated. She found Jon and Colby sitting in front of a television set. ''Really well.'' She beamed at them. ''What are you guys watching?''
The two men shared a nervous glance before Jon looked up at her. ''Nothing, just some old wrestling tapes.''
Her eyes narrowed and she stepped further into the room, moving around the back of their chairs so she could see the screen. ''Why are you watching one of my matches?''
Jon jerked his finger towards the other man with a smirk. ''He's obsessed with you.''
''Dude, I am not!" Colby sent a sharp punch to his friend's arm. ''I was just curious after our sparring match earlier, I didn't remember you being that good before.''
''I'm not sure if I should be flattered or offended?'' She told him, raising her eyebrow slightly.
''Uh...''
Alexa and Jon laughed as the other man stuttered, trying to find the right words to placate her. ''It's alright, I know what you mean. They make us tone down the stuff we do in the ring, I never really got to do a lot of the stuff that I wanted to.''
''Why would they do that?'' Jon asked.
''Probably so we didn't make the men look bad.'' She shrugged, memories flooding through her mind as her eyes returned to the paused image on the screen.
''The following contest is scheduled for one fall and is for the WWE Women's Championship!'' Lillian announced as Sierra appeared at the top of the ramp. ''Making her way to the ring first, the challenger, from Toronto, Canada... Sierra!"
The crowd went crazy for her and she grinned as she walked down the ramp and slid into the ring. She posed on all four turnbuckles before standing in the middle of the ring, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she waited for Victoria to arrive.
''And from San Bernardino, California, she is the WWE Women's Champion... Victoria!"
Victoria lunged at her opponent as soon as the bell was rang, shoving her roughly to the mat. She kicked her in the back several times before Sierra reached out and caught her boot. She gave it a hard pull and Victoria went slamming down onto the mat.
Both women got to their feet and Sierra turned to find Victoria running towards her, arm outstretched. She quickly ducked and caught Victoria in a neckbreaker before going for the cover.
Victoria easily kicked out after a one count and rose to her feet, charging towards Sierra for a second time. Sierra dropped down and kicked her leg out as she neared her, dropping her with a sharp leg sweep.
Sierra yanked Victoria to her feet and swung her into the corner. She ran towards her and jumped up, planting her feet on the top of the other women's thighs before leaning back and pulling her, sending her flying.
''Beautiful monkey flip there, by the challenger!" JR commented.
She quickly covered the champion but Victoria raised her arm just after the two count. Sierra heaved the woman to her feet and whipped her into the ropes, catching her with a Samoan drop on her return. Giving her a swift kick to make sure she was staying down, she ran at the ropes and hit her with a Lionsault.
1-2-
Victoria kicked out just as the referee was moving his hand down for the three count, creating loud boos that echoed throughout the arena. Sierra huffed in frustration and got to her feet, moving over to the corner of the ring. She crouched down slightly as she waiting for the other women to rise to her feet.
Victoria stood and slowly turned as Sierra ran towards her, planning to hit her with a spear. The older woman dodged and grabbed the back of Sierra's neck as she passed, using her momentum against her and sending her flying through the ropes.
Sierra landed on the ground with a thud as Victoria jumped out of the ring behind her. She leaned down and roughly took a hold of her hair, dragging her up to her feet.
She took a hold of Sierra's head and bounced it against the announcer's table as the referee started the count out.
Victoria paid him no attention as she hit her opponent with a few punches before Sierra managed to block one and gained the upper-hand. She delivered a swift kick to Victoria's stomach, sending the women to her knees. Sierra leaned down pulled her up so her head was between her thighs, setting her up for a powerbomb.
Just as Sierra went to lift her up, Victoria raised her shoulders and flipped her over her shoulder. The crowd went silent as they watched Sierra sail through the air and crash through the announcer's table.
''Oh my god!" JR yelled.
The crowd started up a 'Holy Shit' chant which echoed through the arena as the referee abandoned his count out and rolled out of the ring. He rushed over and crouched down beside the woman who was writhing in agony over the remains of the table.
After assessing her, he signalled for the bell, ending the match.
''Sierra's obviously too injured to continue on with the match.'' JR commented.
King snorted as he looked down at the carnage. ''I'm not surprised! Let's take another look at that.''
A replay of what had just transpired played over the titantron, the crowd unanimously chanting 'oooh' as they watched her crash through the table for a second time.
Victoria grabbed her title belt and departed up the ramp with it held high above her head while Sierra was being seen to by the referee and a ringside doctor.
''We worked our asses off in that match, I broke three ribs... it was awesome.''
''I repeat what I said before, you are one weird chick.'' Jon told her with a fond smile.
She shrugged and grinned down at him. ''You love it.''
Colby looked between them, hiding a smile at the flirtatious looks they were giving each other. He opened his mouth, ready to make a snarky comment but was interrupted as a wild April dashed into the room.
''Hey! I've been looking for you, have you got anything going on tonight?''
Alexa tilted her head to the side as she pretended to think. ''Well, my apartment's a mess so I was planning on cleaning... and by cleaning, I mean drinking booze and spraying everything with Febreze.''
The two men let out loud laughs at her comment as April snorted. ''Well, me and the girls are going to this new karaoke bar, we wondered if you wanted to come?''
''Sounds like fun, do you mind if I invite a friend along?''
''Sure, the more the merrier.''
''Hey! Do we get an invite?'' Colby chipped in as he looked at them expectantly.
''I thought you were having a 'guys' night over at Jon's?'' April asked.
''We can always come meet you guys after?'' Colby suggested.
Jon nodded. ''There won't be many of us. Curtis is in Phoenix, filming Smackdown and Darren's there too doing the commentary for NXT.''
''You guys can come, on one condition...''
''What?'' Colby asked, a wary look on his face.
''You all have to sing.'' April stated with a smirk.
''A song that we choose.'' Alexa added before they could respond.
The two woman left the room after getting them to agree to their conditions, leaving the men alone once again. Seth turned to his friend, giving him a disappointed look as he shook his head.
''What?''
''Dude, April asked Lex out before you did... you need to get your head out of your ass.''
"And what makes you think I want to ask her out?" Jon demanded, raising a brow.
"It's obvious, man. Every time we see her, you can't take your eyes off of her."
"She's got a nice ass." Jon shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant.
Alexa had invited Chris to join them at the karaoke bar, knowing that he had a few days off and he loved karaoke. As and as soon as he had arrived, Trinity, April and Celeste had been glued to their seats, hanging off his every word as Alexa watched in amusement.
''Tell us some stories from when you were on the road."
Chris chuckled and set down his drink. ''You'll have to give me a minute to think, there's so many...''
''I've got a pretty good one.'' Alexa piped up from beside him, waiting until everyone was listening before she continued. ''So, I like to drive fast. Like, really fast. This one time, I-''
''The party can start, we're here!" Colby announced dramatically as he appeared in front of them, closely followed by Jon and Joe.
They all greeted each other and Chris introduced himself to the guys, not that he really needed to.
Trinity waved her hand impatiently. ''Sit down and shut up, we're trying to listen.''
They all slipped in to the empty seats around the table and Alexa carried on her tale.
''So, I was driving by myself, I think I was in the middle of Ohio or something, there's nobody around for miles and I'm doing, like, eighty-five to ninety in a sixty mile an hour zone. I get pulled over. So this cop goes through everything and eventually tells me that he can't let me drive, because my licence was invalid. I was like, what the fuck? Turns out, I had this other speeding ticket from months before, that I'd forgotten to take care of. So they ended up towing my car and I was stuck on the side of the road with all of my suitcases, waiting for a cab to come pick me up. A little while later, this car comes zooming past me and my phone starts ringing. It's Jeff Hardy, and he's like, are you on the side of the road? I tell him what happened and he turns around to come and pick me up and we head over to the next town.''
''Girl, maybe you should just not speed in future.'' Trinity suggested with a grin.
''But I don't have any "driving the speed limit" music.''
Everyone let out bursts of laughter at forlorn expression on her face.
Chris snorted. ''I never knew about that one.''
''There's more?'' Colby asked, shooting her an amused look.
''Lex and cars are not a good combination.'' The Canadian told him seriously. ''I've never known anybody like it... Tell them about the ditch!"
''Oh my God.'' Alexa groaned, holding her face in her hands.
''Go on.'' April encouraged.
''Okay, um, we'd just finished Raw in Sioux Falls and I was driving back to Omaha because that's where we were flying out from the next morning. There had been this huge blizzard and the roads had been closed because they didn't want anyone driving. I was riding with Mickie and as soon as they re-opened the roads, off we went. She was telling me to be really careful, because even though the roads had been cleared, there was still a lot of black ice out there. I'm like, pfft, I grew up in Canada, I'm sure I'll be fine.''
Celeste let out a giggle, obviously seeing where this was headed.
''The next thing I know, I'd hit a patch of black ice. We fish-tailed a little but, luckily, I managed to steer the car straight. I was like, fuck, that was a close one. As soon as I said that, the whole back end spun out and we started doing 360 after 360 after 360... We were in the middle of the highway with cars flying by us from both sides. It was like a fucking snow globe, there was all this snow spinning around us... Mickie was hanging on for dear life and we were both screaming...
We eventually stop spinning and we wound up in this ditch, which was in the median in the middle of the road, packed in by about three feet of snow. We manage to get out of the car and I called the tow company, who said they can't come out until morning because of the roads. So, I get Mickie to get behind the wheel and told her we were going to try and rock it. I pushed the car while she gunned it, thinking we'd be able to get it up the hill.''
Alexa glanced around at the rapt faces of her friends while she took a quick swig of her drink.
''It was fucking freezing. I was in three and a half feet of snow and all I was wearing was my gear from the show; booty shorts and a crop top with my little leather jacket over the top. So, I have the car rocking but all that's happening is the tires are spinning and spitting dirty snow all over me. I was frozen to the bone by this point so I grab my phone and text John Cena, telling him that I'm stuck in a ditch and I don't know what to do. Half hour John shows up, along with Chris, Mike Mizanin and John Hennigan and one of our security guys.''
Chris leaned forward with a chuckle. ''And I'll tell you how crazy John is, he was in his sneakers and shorts, the stuff he wears in the ring, and a t-shirt. While the rest of us, minus Lex, were trying to get bundled and wrapped up with as much as we could find, he was out there in a freaking blizzard, in his shorts.''
Alexa snorted and shook her head. ''He was an idiot... anyway, we managed to push the car out of the ditch and back on to the road. We ended up following each other the rest of the way to the hotel, doing thirty miles per hour down the highway.''
Joe let out a whistle after she had finished. ''You were really lucky.''
''I know... you wait until you guys are on the road, you'll soon have some crazy stories to tell.'' Alexa said as she scanned the table, noticing for the first time that none of the late arrivals had drinks. ''I'm heading to the bar, what do you guys want?''
It took her two trips to carry all the drinks back to the table and on her return trip, she looked over to find the table half empty. She plopped down in her seat after handing the drinks out and turned to Jon, who had moved to the seat beside her. ''Where is everyone?''
A slow smirk formed on his lips as he gestured to the stage area. ''April's picking a song for Colby and Chris to sing.''
''You chicken out?''
''I don't sing, sweetheart.'' He declared.
''Why not? It's not like you've got a terrible voice.''
''How do you know?'' Jon raised an eyebrow. ''Has someone been looking me up on the internet?''
Alexa spluttered for words, before pouting. "Bite me."
"Where and how hard?" He quipped, his lips twitching into a smile when a light blush crept over her face.
Luckily, April chose that exact moment to re-appear at the table, saving her from coming up with a response. Instead, she downed the remaining liquid in her glass and let her gaze drift to April.
''Lex, you need to get your phone out to film this, it's going to be awesome!''
Alexa did as she asked, quickly pulling out her iPhone and getting the video recorder ready. ''What-''
''Oh my God, Becky, look at her butt!" Colby enunciated the words in a perfect, snobby valley girl voice.
''Holy shit.'' Jon deadpanned.
Alexa help up her phone, zooming in on the two drunken men on the stage as everyone around the table watched in amused disbelief. She miraculously managed to keep the phone still during Chris and Colby's entire performance of Baby Got Back, saving it to her phone to use as future blackmail material.
The pair made their way back to the table to a round of applause for their efforts. Joe raised his hand to high-five his friend, only for Colby to miss completely and smack him in the face.
Alexa snorted and tilted her head towards Jon. ''How many has he had?''
''I'm guessing too many.'' He chuckled before pushing his chair back and standing. ''I'm going to take a piss.''
She crunched up her nose. ''TMI, dude.''
Ten minutes and some liquid confidence later, Alexa stepped up on to the stage to a massive cheer, mainly coming from their small group in the corner. A couple of them had placed bets with each other over whether she would actually go through with singing their chosen song. The alcohol had served it's purpose and helped lower her inhibitions, and she had never been one to back down from a bet. The opening beat of Rihanna's 'S&M' started to play and she started to sing.
Na na na
Come on
Na na na
Come on
Na na na na na
Come on
''Ha! She's actually doing it, pay up Tyler!" Celeste shrieked happily, thrusting her hand towards the man.
Tyler grumbled as he pulled some notes out of his wallet and handed them to her as the others laughed.
Joe frowned when he glanced over at Jon, seeing him holding his phone in front of him. ''Dude, are you filming this?''
''Yep.'' He smirked.
Feels so good being bad,
There's no way I'm turning back.
Now the pain is my pleasure,
Cause nothing could measure.
Love is great, love is fine,
Out the box, out of line.
The affliction of the feeling,
Leaves me wanting more.
Cause I may be bad,
But I'm perfectly good at it.
Sex in the air,
I don't care,
I love the smell of it.
Sticks and stones,
May break my bones,
But chains and whips,
Excite me.
''She's actually got a really good voice.'' April pointed out.
Chris, meanwhile, had laid his head face down on the table and was muttering to himself. ''I so don't need to see this...''
Cause I may be bad,
But I'm perfectly good at it.
Sex in the air,
I don't care,
I love the smell of it.
Sticks and stones,
May break my bones,
But chains and whips,
Excite me.
Na na na na,
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
I like it,
Like it.
Love is great, love is fine,
Out the box, out of line.
The affliction of the feeling,
Leaves me wanting more.
Cause I may be bad,
But I'm perfectly good at it.
Sex in the air,
I don't care,
I love the smell of it.
Sticks and stones,
May break my bones,
But chains and whips,
Excite me.
As she sang, her eyes locked on the familiar pair of dark blue ones. Jon was still seated at the table, reclining back in his chair as he watched her every move. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she noticed that the cheeky fucker was filming her on his phone. Deciding to give him something worth re-watching, she added in some provocative hip action and sang the rest of the song directly to him.
Cause I may be bad,
But I'm perfectly good at it.
Sex in the air,
I don't care,
I love the smell of it.
Sticks and stones,
May break my bones,
But chains and whips,
Excite me.
Na na na na,
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
I like it.
Like it.
Oh,
I love the feeling,
You bring to me.
Oh, you turn me on,
It's exactly what,
I've been yearning for.
Give it to me strong,
And meet me in my boudoir.
Make my body say ah, ah, ah,
I like it,
Like it.
Cause I may be bad,
But I'm perfectly good at it.
Sex in the air,
I don't care,
I love the smell of it.
Sticks and stones,
May break my bones,
But chains and whips,
Excite me.
A loud cheer went up after Alexa had finished and she laughed, taking a small bow at the edge of the stage before looking over to the table. Jon was clapping slowly as he appraised her, his tongue running over his lower lip.
Trinity, who had been front and centre during her performance, rushed over to her. ''Girl, that was hot! You and Jon were totally undressing each other with your eyes."
"Trin! We were not!" She insisted, a less than innocent look on her face.
The other woman just raised an eyebrow before hooking her arm around hers. ''Let's go dance.''
Three hours later, Alexa was feeling the happiest that she had in a long time. She had danced her way through the initial mellow, bubbly phase of drinking, and was now quickly heading toward being full on drunk. She had an impromptu dance-off with Celeste and Trinity earlier in the evening. She deservingly won by performing her own unique version of Booker T's Spinaroonie, much to everyone's amusement. She was having a riot.
Alexa slowly made her way over to where the bathrooms were located after the realization that her bladder was close to bursting. Quickly taking care of her business, she was making her way back out when she caught her reflection in one of the mirrors, causing her to stop in her tracks. Her hair was a complete mess, cascading down her back in a sea of tangles. Her eyeliner was smudged and her lipstick had faded, leaving just a slight tint on her lips. Grabbing a paper towel and wetting it slightly under a tap, she used it to get rid of the mess from around her eyes. Running her hands through her hair to get rid of some of the tangles, she hummed to herself as she made her way back to her friends. As soon as she stepped out into the hallway, she ran into what felt like a brick wall. She felt herself stumbling backwards before she felt a pair of strong arms around her waist, keeping her from crashing to the floor.
She blinked a few times, trying to re-focus her gaze, before grinning up at her savior. ''Heeey Jon.''
He bit back a laugh at her inebriated state, gently steadying her. ''Had a little bit to drink this evening?''
''I beat Colby at a drinking game.'' She told him proudly, swaying slightly as she spoke.
''I know, I was there, very impressive.'' He assured as he reached out to steady her again. ''Sweetheart, we better get you out of here and back to your bed."
"That sounds like an excellent plan..." She whispered suggestively, placing her hands on his shoulders to try to balance herself.
Jon gulped, trying to remind himself that it was just the alcohol talking. Before he could say anything in response, she let out a quiet sigh, letting all of her weight fall against him. He laughed softly, cradling her to him and slowly guiding her into the main bar area towards what was left of their group.
April was slumped against Celeste at the table and Chris and Tyler were seated opposite them, having an animated conversation about some TV show he had never heard of. Joe had left a little while ago, having to get up early the following day.
Chris glanced up as they approached and chortled. ''I think it's time she went home.''
Jon nodded in agreement, adjusting his grip on the woman in his arms. His gaze drifted towards April, who was fast asleep and drooling Celeste's shoulder. ''I think it's time we all called it a night.''