Sunday 17th February
''... so I'll come find you guys after my meeting with Mark, and then we can go over the entrance for tonight?''
The three men nodded in agreement as they approached catering, Joe stepping forward to hold the door open for Alexa to step through first, the woman shooting him a smile of thanks as she walked past him. As soon as she stepped foot into the room, someone started blasting 'Super Bass' from their phone, the music echoing through the small room.
The trio behind her started laughing and Alexa turned to face Ettore, raising her eyebrows in disapproval as April and Celeste started to sing in unison.
''Can't you hear that boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom, boom, bass? You got that super bass. Boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom, boom, bass. Yeah, that's the super bass.''
''I hate you both.'' She told them, trying to suppress a smile as their singing continued and she turned to Colby. ''But not as much as I hate you.''
The man chuckled, raising his hands defensively. ''Not my fault you channel your inner rapper when you're drunk.''
She pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans, a mischievous smirk on her lips. ''Hey, you remember when we went out to karaoke?''
Colby's eyes furrowed in confusion for a moment before widening in trepidation. ''You haven't?''
''Oh my God, Becky, look at her butt!''
Joe and Jon laughed harder as their stable mate's high-pitched, valley girl imitation came through the speakers of her phone.
''Turn it off!'' Colby hissed, darting forward to try to grab it.
Laughing, she ducked out of his way and hid behind the two men. ''I think you two need to Shield me from injustice.''
Joe snorted, shaking his head as he stepped aside. ''That was lame, baby girl.''
Alexa didn't have time to respond, spotting Colby about to lunge towards her again. She sprinted across the room to the door, only to find herself thrown back when she ran into a hard chest, leaving her sprawling on the floor.
''What the hell?!''
She looked up to see the angry face of the man she had bumped into, finding Phil glowering down at her, his Pepsi all over his shirt.
''Shit.'' She quickly clambered to her feet. ''Sorry, I-''
''Save it.'' He spat, taking a step back as he ran a hand over his drenched shirt. ''This isn't a fucking playground, stop running around like children.''
Alexa watched open-mouthed as her old friend stormed from the room, turning when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
''You alright?'' Colby asked.
''Yeah.'' She mumbled softly. ''Yeah, I'm fine.''
''Alright, so let's get to it. The first thing I wanted to talk to you about, was your new t-shirt.'' Mark Carrano reached down to grab two packages from the floor under the table, handing them both over to the woman in front of him. ''Now, the art department have drawn up two designs...''
Alexa zoned out as she ripped open the plastic wrapping, pulling out one of the shirts and holding it out in front of her.
It was black and the back had a similar version of the design on the guys new shirt; but instead of 'The Shield' written across the large shield, it had SIERRA printed in the same font that was used in the group's entrance video.
Smiling, she turned it around to see the front and was greeted by a black and white image of herself in her Shield gear. She was staring straight ahead with a smirk and her hands on her hips; a poster edge effect had been added to her photo during editing, giving it a comic book kind of feel. Outlined behind her were the imposing silhouettes of Roman, Seth and Dean.
''This is awesome!'' Alexa gushed, grinning across at the man in front of her.
Mark laughed. ''Look at the other one.''
Doing as he said, she quickly unwrapped the other shirt and opened it up, letting out a soft snort when her eyes saw the image on the front. ''Is this what you meant a few weeks ago, after that radio interview, when you said they had some ideas for a t-shirt?''
''It was.''
Someone had taken her 'goddess' comment to heart and had come up with the most ridiculous t-shirt design she had ever seen. On the front of the shirt there was an image of her standing in the middle of the ring in a pose identical to the one depicted in the painting by Sandro Botticelli, 'The Birth of Venus'. The only difference was that 'Sierra' was wearing clothes.
''I think I'll go with The Shield one.'' She decided, folding them both up and putting them in her lap. ''The other one's just weird.''
''Noted.'' He smirked, leaning his forearms on the table. ''Okay, so, as you know a few days ago we started a month-long training program for some women that we think could be good assets here in the WWE.''
''Like the Diva Search?''
''Sort of. We hope to potentially sign a few new Divas, depending on their performance over the coming month. Following that, we're going to start filming a new reality show. Total Divas. It's going to give fans the opportunity to get an inside look of the lives of WWE Divas, from their work within WWE to their personal lives.''
Her eyebrows shot up but she kept her mouth shut, deciding to let the man continue.
''So, the cast for the show is pretty much set. Nikki and Brie are coming back soon, this whole thing was actually their idea, we just ran with it. Arianne, Trinity and Nattie are taking part too, and we're thinking of using two of the new developmental Divas.''
''Okay... what does this have to do with me?''
''Well, you've been with the company a long time and you're one of the most popular Divas on the roster. The people at corporate and the producers over at E! have expressed their interest in having you appear on the show too.''
''Are you serious?'' She asked incredulously.
''They think it'll boost ratings and generate more of a buzz if someone more... well-known, was involved in the project.''
Alexa chewed her lip thoughtfully for a few moments, thinking of the best way to phrase her response. ''Uh... look, I appreciate the offer and all and it's really flattering that people want me on it, but I'm going to have to say no. Sorry.''
''Any particular reason why?''
''I don't want people to know every aspect of my personal life and doing this would just take what little privacy I do have, and completely destroy it. And besides, I don't think I can think of anything worse than being followed around by cameras all day. I'd be constantly watching what I say, you know I struggle sometimes with that brain to mouth filter.''
Mark let out a small chuckle. ''Okay, that's fine. We're not going to force you to do something you don't want to.''
''That's it?''
"That's it.'' He confirmed with a nod. ''You're free to go... you can keep the shirts, if you like?"
Smiling, Alexa rose to her feet, tucking them under her arm and stepping towards the door. She was just about to turn the handle, when the man spoke again, his voice laced with amusement.
''Oh, and Alexa?''
''Hmm?''
''Loved your karaoke... I didn't know you could rap.''
''I really can't imagine you on a reality show.''
''Why not?'' Alexa asked, indignantly crossing her arms over her chest.
Jon arched an eyebrow. ''You literally spew profanities... they'd have to censor everything you say.''
''I do not spew profanities. I enunciate them clearly, like a fucking lady.''
The three men chuckled as they led her up through the stands, making their way up to where they usually made their entrance from.
''So, you just said no?'' Colby asked, glancing back at her. ''You're not even going to think about it?''
''Nope. There is no way I'm letting them follow me around with their cameras, making me cause petty drama for fucking ratings. It's funny, back in 2007, Maria pitched the idea of a Diva's reality show to Stephanie but got shot down.''
''Would you have done it back then?'' Joe questioned as they reached the top-tier. ''You know, if it had got the go ahead?''
''Maybe...'' Alexa shrugged, smirking up at them. ''Though, I don't think half of the stuff me and Mickie got up to would be fit for broadcast.''
''That sounds like a story for another time.'' Jon smirked before clapping his hands together in enthusiasm. ''You ready to go over the entrance?''
She bit her lip, eyes nervous as she glanced down the steps she had to descend to get to the ring. It didn't look that bad now, but she knew it would be a lot different when there were hordes of fans either side of the aisle.
''Yeah, I guess... I don't know how you guys do it, being so close to the fans with hardly any security...''
It was one thing for the three of them to go down through the crowd; there were people who reached out and gave them a pat on the back as they passed, but it was a whole different story now she was with them. She was a little worried that there would be some assholes that wouldn't be able to pass up an opportunity to try to cop a feel.
Jon cocked his head to the side, studying her for a few moments. ''Usually we split up; two down one side and one on the other. We spoke to the security guys earlier and they said that tonight we should all go down together, as a group. We figured it's probably better, you know, just in case some drunk asshole tries to grab you or something.''
Joe dropped down a step so he was on her level, wrapping a burly arm around her shoulder. ''God help anyone that tries to touch you.''
''Me and Jon will go first.'' Colby told her. ''You stick close to us and Joe will be right behind you. We've got you back.''
All her worries vanished instantly and she smiled, feeling a sudden surge of warmth at their protectiveness.
They quartet started to make their way down the steps, Colby moving off to the side to start frantically patting her arm. ''This is what happens all the time.''
''And there's, like, no cool way to walk down the steps.'' Jon informed her, making small, clipped movements downwards. ''It's like, this kind of shit.''
''Yeah, and it's usually easier if there's a rail.'' Joe added.
''Noted.''
They reached the barricade; Colby did his usual ninja roll over the top, Jon eased himself over as gracefully as he usually did and Alexa snorted when she saw Joe push himself over with the help of a crate that had been set-up ready for the show.
''Need help, sweetheart?''
''Leave her alone, man.'' Joe admonished lightly.
Alexa just rolled her eyes as she stepped closer to the barricade, which reached just above her hips, firmly planted her hands onto the soft material and effortlessly pushed myself up, swinging her legs to the side before landing on the other side in front of the trio.
Jon laughed, nudging the Samoan beside him with his shoulder. ''See, man, even she doesn't need to use the crate.''
Elimination Chamber
''Get ready New Orleans!'' JBL cried from ringside. ''Get ready for this!''
''And John Cena looking around...'' King pointed out. ''You've got to realize, that you never knew where these guys are going to come from.''
SIERRA. HOTEL. INDIA. ECHO. LIMA. DELTA.
SHIELD.
The unique sound of the Shield's music came blasting out of the sound system, replacing that of Ryback, who was already standing in the ring with his partners for the evening; John Cena and Sheamus.
''Here they come!''
''Look, is that... it is!'' Michael Cole called. ''Sierra's with them.''
''And making their way to the ring, being accompanied by Sierra, at a combined weight of seven hundred and seventy pounds; Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns... The Shield.''
Seth and Dean led the way down the steps and Sierra was careful to stay close to the pair, Roman right behind her; the stern look on the man's face alone was enough to ensure she received no unwanted attention.
The pair in front hopped over the barricade quickly before coming to a halt, eyeing waiting as Sierra and Roman hopped over behind them. The group eyed the men in the ring as they moved around the ring, escorting Sierra over to the announce table, where there was a seat waiting for her beside JBL.
He watched as the woman dropped wordlessly into the chair before passing her a spare headset. ''Looks like we're going to have a guest joining us for this match.''
The Shield nodded at Sierra before turning to glare at the three men behind the table, Dean pointing a finger at them warningly before they moved back around the ring.
''Now, this is only the second time that The Shield will step into the ring for an actual match here in WWE.'' Michael informed the audience at home. ''Back in December, they had a table, ladders and chairs match-''
''Whoa!'' Jerry cried in shock.
Sheamus, Ryback and John had obviously had enough of waiting; the three men quickly jumping from the ring and launching an attack on The Shield.
''Here we go! Cena, Sheamus and Ryback going after The Shield before they even start this match!''
Sierra shook her head, wincing as Seth's head was slammed into the top of the Spanish announce table, courtesy of John Cena. ''Cheating, that's what they're doing.''
''Cheating?'' Jerry scoffed from the other end of the table. ''Just looks like The Shield can't cope now that the odds are finally even!''
''The odds are irrelevant. The Shield is the most unstoppable force here in the WWE, they can take those three goons, no problem.''
''Can we focus on the match, please?'' Michael Cole let of an exasperated sigh.
''Yeah, King.'' Sierra mocked. ''Why don't you do your job and actually call the match?''
''Well, technically the match hasn't even started yet...'' JBL piped up, earning himself another sigh from the man beside him.
''Whoa! Triple, triple verticals!''
The brawl had finally moved into the ring, The Shield having just been laid out by their opponents. Roman and Seth rolled out of the ring with their faces etched in pain, while John and Ryback headed into their corner; leaving Dean to officially start of the match against the Irishman.
''And now the match-up is underway. As Sheamus goes right to work on Dean Ambrose.''
The latter had been forced into the corner, the ginger man delivering a flurry of hard hits before being pulled away by the referee. Dean used the distraction to his advantage, grabbing the other man and switching their positions so he was the one pummeling him in the corner.
''Ambrose goes six-foot four, he's two hundred and twenty-five pounds, from Cincinnati, Ohio.''
''Have you been Googling him, Michael?'' Sierra teased.
JBL laughed. ''I'm pretty sure Michael uses the internet for other things.''
''Well, it's certainly not for tie shopping.'' She commented, eyeing him in distaste. ''Where did you get that thing? It's hideous.''
''Speaking of shopping, looks like you went out and got yourself some new stuff.'' JBL pointed out, the camera panning to show the woman in her full, tactical get-up. ''Looks good on you.''
King chuckled. ''I agree, you definitely pull it off a lot better than those guys.''
''I- oh no...''
Her attention returned to the ring where Sheamus had Dean tied up in the ropes as he started to deliver the Beats of the Bodhrán. He managed to get to three before Seth ran across the apron to make the save, only to be knocked down to the outside by Sheamus.
The man turned back to Dean, deciding to unzip the man's tactical best and yank up his shirt before re-starting the clubbing.
''There goes the protection!'' Michael cried.
The harsh smacks against the man's skin echoed through the arena, the crowd counting to ten as his fists landed. As soon as he was released from the ropes, Dean collapsed from the apron, trying to gather his bearings on the outside of the ring.
Sheamus jumped out after him, giving Seth a hard shoulder barge as he approached, moving over to grab Dean and toss him back in the ring. Just as he was about to roll in himself, Roman dropped down from the apron, staring him down menacingly.
Laughing, Sheamus just waved his hand in the universal, 'bring it', motion.
When Roman did nothing, the Irishman jumped up onto the apron, only to be sent flying to the floor after being hit in the temple by Dean's boot; the man taking advantage of his teammates distracting presence and delivering a high kick.
''That's what I'm talking about.'' JBL commented as Dean made the tag to the Samoan. ''The cohesion of a team.''
''And here's the tag to the six foot three, two hundred and sixty-five pounder from Pensacola, Florida!''
''He nearly took Sheamus' head off with that clothesline!'' Jerry squawked.
''Unstoppable. Force.'' Sierra repeated her statement from before. ''When are you going to start believing?''
The pair re-entered the ring, Roman putting the boots into Sheamus before yanking him up and shoving him into their corner; The Shield holding him defenseless.
''Guys, I've wrestled the Freebirds, I've seen the Four Horesemen, and I'm not sure this isn't the most destructive team in the history of sports entertainment.'' JBL told them.
Roman tagged in Dean, who let Seth tag himself in off his back before hitting Sheamus with a dropkick against the ropes. The man was hit by another one a moment later, this time by the legal man, Seth Rollins.
''Look at this!'' Sierra cried haughtily. ''Have you ever seen a team work so seamlessly together.''
''You know, I didn't even realize that there were so many problems or injustices here in the WWE until The Shield showed up.''
''There's a lot of things you don't realize, King.'' Sierra responded. ''Like, for instance, how to properly call a match.''
Seth dropped down into the cover but the Celtic Warrior kicked out after the two count. The two-toned man quickly wrangled him into a chokehold.
''Seth Rollins is six-foot one, two hundred and nine pounds. He's known for his chaotic style, very calculated and frantic.''
''And he's from Davenport, Iowa... the largest of the Quad Cities.'' Sierra added nonchalantly.
JBL snorted. ''You two better watch out, she's doing a better job than both of you!''
Using his strength to his advantage, Sheamus managed to power up to his feet, just about to break the hold when Seth rammed a shoulder into his midsection, shoving him back into The Shield's corner.
''Sheamus is where he does not want to be, and that is in the wrong corner.'' Michael stated as the group made another tag. ''Dean Ambrose back in now.''
The man pulled Sheamus out of the corner, shoving him into the adjacent one before delivering a series of hard elbows to his opponent's head.
''Very eccentric style of Dean Ambrose.''
''Sheamus, I'm sure, would love to fight back but these guys, they just smother you and you don't get a chance to-''
Jerry never got the chance to finish his sentence when Sheamus exploded from the corner and hit Dean with a powerful Brogue Kick, sending the man flopping to the mat.
''And can Sheamus capitalize on this?!''
Dean managed to stagger, dazed, over to his corner to tag in Roman just as Sheamus made it to his, tagging in John.
''There it is!'' King cried.
The crowd's response was mixed as the Boston native stepped into the ring; the man ducking Roman's clothesline and rebounding off the ropes with a flying shoulder block. He repeated the action before hoisting the big man up and hitting him with a spinout slam, raising his right hand high above him as he stood over Roman's prone form.
''Cena on a roll!''
Sierra's lip curled. ''Urgh.''
John turned to face the other two members of The Shield, waving his hand in front of his face in his signature, 'you can't see me', gesture before bouncing off the ropes and hitting the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Roman.
''Oh, come on!'' Sierra cried. ''Seriously, 'Five Knuckle Shuffle', how is that even PG? That man is everything that is wrong with the WWE!''
John started to lift the other man up onto his shoulders, intending to hit him with the Attitude Adjustment but was forced to drop him when he spotted Seth diving into the ring to make the save. He was rewarded with a swift kick to the gut for his efforts before being tossed from the ring; John tripping Roman was he rushed him, quickly locking on the STF.
''And Cena has it lock- and there's Ambrose again! They're like a swarm of hornets!''
Dean had ducked into the ring, effectively breaking the hold before being reprimanded by the referee.
King agreed. ''You've got to be ready for anything with The-''
''And look at this!'' Michael shouted, interrupting the other man.
While his teammate was distracting the referee, Seth had time to climb to the top rope and hit John with a flying knee to the temple; leaving the man knocked out in the middle of the ring.
''Seth Rollins from the top rope! It's like a frenzy out there!''
''Let me tell you, this is the greatest three-man team this business has ever seen.'' JBL proclaimed as Roman went for the cover, the other man kicking out after two.
''Well, the thing is-''
JBL spoke again. ''Ever.''
''Well, I'm glad one of you three has the brains to see that.'' Sierra told them with a smirk.
King scoffed loudly. ''Wait a minute, I would not go that far.''
Roman blocked John from getting to his corner and making the tag, dragging him up and hitting him with a hard headbutt.
''Who in the world can you name more destructive than these three?'' The Texan returned.
''Exactly.'' The woman nodded. ''Nobody in the history of this company has been more destructive, more dominant, more cohesive or more justified than The Shield.''
''They haven't even won this match yet!''
''Yet.''
''Yeah, I think you two are getting a little ahead of yourselves.'' Michael commented as a replay of Seth's attack on John was replayed on the big screen.
JBL was having none of it. ''They've dominated everything they've touched.''
''If they win this match, then we'll talk.''
The crowd were going wild as Roman tossed John around the ring; half of them cheering 'Let's go Cena!' while the other half countered with, 'Cena sucks!'
''I don't think that's necessary.'' JBL declined. ''They've dominated the entire wrestling scene since they've been here.''
''The problem with The Shield is that they're frenzied, they're chaotic. Once you've got one down, another one comes at you. Like I said before, they're like a group of hornets coming at you.''
''And what's the problem with that?'' Sierra questioned. ''That's what you do. These guys have the ability to turn numbers on their side when it's three on three, and it should be even... that's how good they are.''
''It's crazy, the synergy these guys have.'' JBL added as Roman made the tag to Dean, the man continuing to beat down John.
Michael started to speak again. ''Dean Ambrose said that he believes Cena, Sheamus and Ryback are three morally empty individuals. He called Cena a failure. That he fails to set an example every day. He said in Cena's world there are no consequences—wait a minute, cover by Ambrose. And Cena's hand was underneath the rope, good call by the referee there.''
''He may be the dumbest smart guy I've ever seen.'' King replied as Seth Rollins tagged into the match. ''That's a dumb statement.''
''No, what's dumb is your t-shirt.'' Sierra fired back at him. ''His statement was valid and John Cena is a problem. A problem that The Shield is going to take care of.''
The next ten minutes of the match continued with The Shield dominating John, while Sierra and JBL argued with King and Michael at the announce table. Finally, after dumping Dean over the top rope and creating some space for himself, John started to crawl to his corner.
The entire arena was passionately chanting, 'Feed me more!', badly wanting Ryback in the match.
''And this is the chance that Cena needs!''
''This place will erupt if Ryback gets tagged in!'' JBL laughed.
He was right, the crowd's cheers thundered through the arena as John reached the corner and tagged the big man in, Dean tagging in Seth at the same time.
''Here he comes!''
Ryback effortlessly plowed through Seth, hitting the man with a huge forearm to the face and doing the same to Dean when he tried to run interference. The next few minutes saw him systematically tear through the pair one after the other before pumping his arm, the crowd starting up another chant.
''Ryback, dismantling The Shield, here!''
Before he could execute his famous lariat, Ryback was ambushed from behind by Roman, causing all hell to break loose inside the ring.
Sheamus was quick to jump in, going after Roman before Dean went after him; the Irishman hitting him with a hard clothesline that sent them both falling over the top rope. He continued his beat down of Dean at ringside, but it didn't last long.
The crowd let out a roar as Roman ran towards him, hitting him with a massive spear, sending both men crashing through the barricade into the timekeeper's area and nearly landing on Lilian Garcia.
''Roman Reigns, oh my God!''
''Good grief!'' JBL cried.
The crowd were still going crazy as Roman rolled over the top of Sheamus with a wince, trying to get himself back to ringside.
''Roman Reigns just speared Sheamus into the timekeeper's area! Unbelievable spear by Roman Reigns! Sheamus may be down and out! Meanwhile, Rollins and Ryback back in the ring!''
Seth climbed to the top rope, waiting for Ryback to get to his feet before launching himself at him. Instead of landing a crossbody as planned, the man found himself caught by the big man, who then used his brute strength to his advantage and lifted him above his head.
''Seth Rollins caught in mid-air by Ryback!'' Michael shouted, shocked. ''Incedible!''
Dean slid into the ring and ran over to the pair, delivering a swift punch to the man's gut which forced him to drop Seth as he fell to the mat himself.
''It's three on one again!'' JBL noted excitedly. ''These guys are amazing!''
Roman had dragged himself into the ring, joining Seth and Dean as they carried out a vicious assault on Ryback.
''Yes, JBL, yes they are!'' Sierra agreed happily.
Seth and Dean pulled Ryback up as Roman let out a gutteral cry, the trio preparing for their patented triple powerbomb.
''Oh no, not this.'' King sighed. ''Not th- oh! Look, it's Cena!''
The man had appeared out of nowhere, reaching under the bottom rope to grab Roman by the ankles and pull him from the ring, laying him out on the outside with a punch to the face.
Ryback managed to turn the tables inside the ring, taking out Seth and Dean with clotheslines as John rolled back into the ring.
''Hey, look at this, Attitude Adjustment!''
Dean had just been hit with the AA as Ryback lifted Seth, preparing to hit him with the Shell Shocked. What he hadn't taken into account, was Roman Reigns.
The Samoan had recovered from John's attack and slid into the ring, flying towards Ryback before he could hit his finisher.
''A spear! A spear!'' Cole bellowed.
Seth had fallen right on top of Ryback and quickly hooked his leg, the pair still being the two legal men.
''Cover!''
The referee dropped to the mat and counted the 1-2-3.
Sierra whooped. ''Yes!''
'And The Shield has done it!''
John sat up in the ring, an expression of pure shock on his face as he turned around, finding Ryback unmoving. He had obviously assumed that Seth had been hit with the Shell Shocked and that Ryback had the match won.
''I think it's time you start believing.'' A smug Sierra turned to face the three men beside her as The Shield were announced the winners of the match, giving them a shit-eating grin as she rose to her feet. ''Nice chatting to you guys, well, JBL, at least.''
She pulled off the headset and dropped it back onto the desk before making her way around the ring to join her team. She gave Rollins a pat on the back before accepting Dean's hand to help her over the barricade. Once she was on the other side, she turned to meet the gaze of John, who was still looking confused in the middle of the ring.
Smirking, Sierra waved her hand in front of her face, mocking his gesture from earlier. ''You can't see me.''
So, this chapter ended up being a lot longer than I intended... The next few are going to get interesting, look out for some drama! Keep the reviews coming :)