Monday 12th August
RAW
''In what other line of work, can you be lazy and unproductive and still be brought back every day, to do a job you're not good at anymore?'' Dean asked, looking around at his team-mates incredulously.
Seth gave a wry chuckle, before responding. ''You know what, I don't know. But this old guard running around here thinking they own the place, they've got to go! These complacent, hollowed-out icons, living off their reputations... they gotta go! It is time for a new generation to rise up... and we are the emergent leaders of that generation, look at us! Look at us! We're younger, we're hungrier, we're just better.''
Roman turned the camera to face him. ''The challenge has been set. But I don't think anyone's going to accept. We've delivered justice all around the world and one thing we've noticed is nobody compares, nobody can compete with us, nobody is on our level. I'm not going to beg, but I will ask nicely. If there's two men out there that want to step up and take these tag team championships away at Summerslam, make your move.''
''Take this Battle Royal tonight for instance, for a shot at my US Championship... who's in this Battle Royal?'' Dean shrugged, looking expectantly into the camera. ''Anybody who's going to beat me? No? You know why? Because I am the unbeatable champion in this industry. CM Punk is a catchphrase, I'm the best in the world. John Cena has a trophy but as far as I'm concerned, I'm the WWE Champion because this is the championship everybody runs from. If Andre the Giant's ghost isn't in the Battle Royal tonight, then I ain't losing at Summerslam. Believe that- oh... you've got something you want to say, sweetcheeks?''
''Damn right, I do.'' Sierra stepped out from the shadows, moving to stand in front of him to glare into the camera. ''AJ... I just thought I'd let you know that I had a little chat with Stephanie McMahon earlier tonight and she's agreed to let me have my long overdue re-match... Since I'm unable to get that rematch at Summerslam, I've decided I want it now. So, get ready AJ. Because Friday night on Smackdown, that title's coming home... believe that. And believe in the Shield!''
''I can't believe you guys are actually going to be moving in together.''
''I know... who'd have thought we'd ever get here.''
''Is Saraya cool with it?''
''I mean, she's a little sad, we both are.'' Alexa replied, absent mindedly picking at the salad in front of her. ''We've been living together since she came to the States, it's going to be weird for her in a new place but she'll be fine.''
Danielle nodded, taking a sip of her water. ''How did that even come about, anyway?''
''The office were meant to arrange a place for her to stay after she got signed but they screwed up somewhere along the line, and she ended up with no place to go. Saraya was just sat there, looking scared to death as everyone panicked. I took pity on her, offered her a place to stay for a while and she never left.''
''Kind of like a bad rash.'' The blonde mused, laughing as the other woman hurled a piece of lettuce at her head.
''Well, if anyone knows about bad rashes, it would be you.''
''Hey!''
''Speaking of bad rashes, where's Renee today?''
Danielle shook her head in disapproval. ''Lex!''
''What?'' She shrugged. ''She's been hanging around you like one for weeks.''
''She's over there, sitting with Cody... and she's not so bad, you should get to know her, you two would hit it off, I think.''
Glancing around, Alexa's eyes fell on Renee who, sure enough, was sitting over in the corner with the WWE's social media manager Cody Barbierri.
''I'll pass, thanks... you should probably tell her to pick her friends more carefully, though.''
The blonde followed her gaze, and furrowed her eyebrows. ''Who, Cody?''
''He's an ass.'' She told her, contempt clear on her face. ''So, I kind of had a meeting with him last week, he just wanted to talk about my Twitter account and told me how to better 'hand myself' on social media. Then, he tried to lighten the mood by telling me this completely inappropriate joke that-''
''What inappropriate joke?'' April asked as she slid into the spare seat beside Danielle, overhearing the tail-end of their conversation.
''So, he goes, 'Why cant mexicans play Uno?' and I was like, 'Why?' Then he said, 'Because they always steal the green card.'...''
Danielle gasped, her eyes widening as April's mouth dropped open in mild horror. ''What did you say?''
''Nothing! I didn't know what to say so I just got out of there as fast as I could.''
''What an asshole.'' April hissed, sending the man a glare. ''If anything like that happens again, you need to tell someone.''
''Yeah, I will.'' She promised before changing the subject. ''So, are you ready for our match tomorrow?''
The smaller woman nodded eagerly. ''Born ready.''
''Are you going to win the title?''
''Nope.'' Alexa turned to face the blonde. ''But the 'loss' is going to be the beginning of the end of my run with The Shield.''
Another gasp left Danielle's lips and she pouted. ''No! I love you guys together!''
''All good things come to an end, Dan... besides, I'm not very good at being a heel.''
April snorted out a laugh at her friends forlorn expression. ''You're fine at playing the bad guy, Lex. It's just that you've got a lot of fans, they're going to cheer you no matter what. Plus, it doesn't help that a lot of the time, you're voicing what people really think... of course they're going to like you for it.''
She just gave a non-committal shrug. ''I'm just worried about what they're going to do with me now, you know?''
''You'll go back to being the sassy, badass, rebellious, funny Sierra that everyone fell in love with.'' April told her with a grin. ''And then we can finally have that amazing feud we've been craving.''
Tuesday 13th August
''Asshole.''
Muttering curses under her breath, Alexa stormed through the backstage area of the SAP Center after having a meeting with Mark Carrano. Some of the higher-ups had been less than pleased with some of her comments at her panel over the weekend, especially her mention of he-who-shall-not-be-named, Chris Benoit. Mark had been asked to drag her into his office to have an informal talk with her about what was, and wasn't, appropriate to talk about in the future. Of course, Alexa being Alexa, didn't really believe she had said anything that warranted such a talk and had argued back, which had just made everything worse.
She made her way into the catering area and as she slumped into the seat beside April, let out a groan so loud that made almost everyone in catering turn their heads in her direction.
''What's wrong?'' Nick asked from across the table.
''I totally just got chewed out by Carrano.'' She replied, a sour look on her face.
The man snorted. ''Let me guess, you didn't just keep your mouth shut and take it like a good girl?''
''Where's the fun in that?'' She smirked, the innuendo not lost on the group. ''Besides, I don't think I said anything that bad.''
April cocked a brow. ''You mentioned Benoit, which is a big no-no. You practically accused the WWE of being sexist and you probably managed to piss off all the religious viewers.''
''Not to mention breaking the hearts of all your male fans who were delusional enough to think they had a shot with you.'' Nick added with a grin. ''And all Jon's fangirls, of course.''
Alexa shrugged, scowling as she crossed her arms over her chest. ''Phil's said much worse and got away with it, why is it such a big deal when I speak my mind.''
April didn't miss a beat. ''Because you're a woman.''
''Case in point.''
SMACKDOWN
''Looks like we'll be joined by Dean Ambrose for this match, JBL!''
Sierra was just entering the ring as the United States Champion took up a seat beside the Texan and slipped on a spare headset.
''Welcome, Dean!'' JBL cried happily.
''Thank you, JBL.''
''What are you doing out here?'' Michael questioned suspiciously.
Dean placed his hand over his heart, a hurt look appearing on his face. ''Am I not welcome out here?''
''He's obviously out here in case Big E tries anything!'' JBL responded for him. ''Use your brain, Michael!''
''Exactly.'' The man confirmed, shifting in his seat as the bell sounded and focusing his attention on the ring as AJ and Sierra locked up. ''I'm just out here to even the odds.''
''Of course, you only care about odds when it's one of your own...'' Michael began to mutter under his breath.
With a ferocious glint in her eye, Sierra charged across the ring towards AJ; the smaller woman becoming the recipient of a flurry of harsh blows and kicks. The savage beating was enough for the referee to forcefully insert himself between the two women and giving Sierra a stern talking to.
''Sierra almost getting disqualified during the opening minute of this match!'' Michael cried in disbelief before he turned to Dean. ''Since joining The Shield, we've seen a more... intense Sierra, wouldn't you say?''
''That's just who she is, Michael... she's extremely passionate about everything she does and what she believes in. We have that in common.''
''We've heard Sierra's take on how The Shield was formed... let's hear yours.''
''Or, you know, we could actually talk about the Championship match that's going on in the ring right now?'' Dean quipped, glancing between the pair. ''I mean, isn't that what you guys are paid to do?''
''Man's got a point.'' JBL laughed.
''So, how do you think this match is going to play out, Dean?''
Sierra and AJ slowly walked towards each other, meeting each other in the middle of the ring. The Shield member sneered down at the shorter woman, the height difference not doing much to deter AJ from opening her mouth.
''Are you stupid, Michael?'' Dean laughed. ''Yeah, AJ's good but Sierra's been in this business a long time. She's tough as nails and is the best there is... of course she's going to win.''
Sierra didn't make a move, letting her opponent finish her angry tirade before a dangerous smirk appeared on her lips. Before AJ could react, Sierra reached up and palmed her face, shoving her back with all her might; the younger woman landing unceremoniously on her backside before turning her fierce gaze to Sierra.
''Oh no, AJ's got the crazy eyes going on right now...'' JBL commented.
The Champion quickly scrambled to her feet and knocked Sierra down with a Lou Thesz press, high-pitched shrieks and screams escaping her as she smacked her repeatedly. The referee was quick to intervene when she grabbed Sierra by the hair and started to smash her head against the canvas, the man physically prying her away from the other woman.
Sierra scooted back into the corner and used the ropes to pull herself up; the woman laughing at the enraged expression adorning AJ's face.
''I think AJ's letting Sierra get under her skin-''
The Champion let out a feral growl and Sierra quickly dodged out-of-the-way as she charged towards her, dropping down and quickly rolling her up in a schoolgirl pin.
1-2-
''And AJ manages to kick out!''
The two women rose to their feet in unison before locking up; Sierra easily gaining the upper hand and wrapping the smaller woman in a headlock. AJ fought out of it and shoved her towards the ropes, the challenger coming back with a vicious clothesline; the impact so powerful that AJ did a full flip in the air before landing face-down on the mat, the fans gasping as they watched the replay.
''She turned AJ inside-out with that clothesline!'' Michael cried.
JBL laughed. ''That was almost as good as mine.''
''She's something, huh?'' Dean mumbled.
Instead of going to the pin, Sierra slowly stalked towards AJ's prone form and dropped to the mat beside her. Grabbing her left arm, Sierra roughly yanked it up so it was bent behind her back, making the woman cry out in pain.
''Looks like a- a grounded Crossface Chickenwing.'' Michael noted. ''I don't think we've ever seen Sierra do that before!''
''Just goes to show, an old dog can learn new tricks.'' JBL added with a chuckle.
''Did you just call her a dog?'' Dean asked, a steely tone to his voice.
''Uh, I-''
''Look at this!''
Realizing that AJ wasn't going to tap, Sierra flipped forward into a bridge to apply more pressure to her wrist and elbow; the Champion's wails becoming louder.
''Bridging Crossface Chickenwing!'' Michael cried. ''We may have a new champion here!''
''She's very flexible...'' JBL observed casually.
''She is.'' Dean gave a low chuckle. ''And, you know, I'd love to tell you just how flexible she is but this is a PG show...''
AJ's hand started banging down on the mat as the pressure finally became too much to bear and Sierra released the hold with a smirk, getting to her feet and waiting for the referee to hand her the belt. She frowned as she spun around; finding Big E up on the ring apron and the referee facing him, yelling at him to get down.
''Sierra had that championship won!'' JBL yelled angrily before turning to the man beside him. ''Aren't you out here to stop that kind of thing from happening?!''
Dean growled as he yanked off his headset and rose from his seat, storming around the ring towards the other man. Grabbing his feet, he pulled as hard as he could; Big E hitting his head on the ring apron before falling to the ground.
''That's more like it!''
Hopping up to take Big E's place, Dean started to argue with the referee about him doing his job properly before Sierra appeared, shoving the man in the striped shirt out-of-the-way.
''Uh-oh... looks like trouble in paradise.'' JBL commented, watching the two go at it.
Michael snorted. ''Sierra's obviously angry that Dean let Big E distract the referee like that.''
''Understandably so, she had the match won!''
AJ staggered to her feet as the pair argued and saw her opportunity. Bouncing herself off the ropes, she ran towards Sierra and hit her in the back with a dropkick, the woman slamming into Dean and sending him flying off the apron. AJ wasted no time in rolling Sierra up in a schoolgirl, her hands hooked in the other woman's pants as the referee counted to three.
The crowd exploded in heavy boos as the bell rung.
''Your winner, and still Diva's Champion... AJ Lee!''
AJ scrambled to get out of the ring, Big E meeting her at the bottom of the ramp and handing her the belt as a wide grin spread over her lips.
''I won!'' She mocked, holding her championship up in the air and pointing to the woman in the ring. ''I beat you!''
Dean rolled into the ring, a wince on his face as he held his back, coming to a halt in front of where Sierra sat in the middle of the ring and placing a hand on her shoulder.
''Sierra does not look happy...''
Angrily shrugging his hand off, she rose to her feet and levelled him with a fierce glare before exiting the ring; Dean watching her retreat up the ramp with a look of concern.
''Looks like we're all losers tonight, huh?''
The three men turned to face Sierra with unimpressed looks as they made their way backstage after their match against RVD, Mark Henry and The Big Show.
''None of us are losers.'' Dean told her.
''Well, I wouldn't be if it weren't for you.'' She shot back angrily. ''You-''
''Enough!'' Roman bellowed, before repeating it softly. ''Enough. You lost, big deal. Just because someone wins a title, it doesn't mean they deserve it. A title doesn't make you a Champion, your attitude does.''
Sierra's mouth just tightened into a thin line, not replying to the Samoan as Seth stormed over to Dean.
''Did you see what just happened?! That's not going to happen again! Those guys-''
''Hey, hey, hey... it's fine.'' Dean smirked, putting a hand on Seth's arm to try to placate him after their loss. ''It's fine.''
''It ain't fine!'' The man responded angrily, moving off to pace around the darkly lit room.
''It's fine.'' Dean repeated calmly, staring into the camera. ''Although, I am a little disappointed at Rob Van Dam. Rob, letting the Big Show do your dirty work, letting the big man fight your battles for you? Summerslam kick-off... Big Show's not going to be there in LA, your five-star frogsplash ain't going to be there in LA. And the United States Championship, that sure ain't going to be there in LA for you either. Because now you're going one-on-one with Dean Ambrose with the championship on the line. You're playing chess with Bobby Fischer, there's just no way to win, dude... and the world is slowly finding out that fact. Dean Ambrose, The Shield and the United States Championship are the whole damn show!''
A/N - Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I've kind of his a block with the story, which is really frustrating. I know where I want to go with it but it's just getting it there... so, thank you for sticking with me. :)