Chapter 31
Raw came way too fast for Jecina's liking, though Jon was ecstatic for what was about to happen. Didn't he realize Dean would probably try to take him out of commission for good? Jecina was legitimately scared for Jon's wellbeing in this upcoming segment tonight. It would be a tag match against the New Day to try to reclaim their titles, but in the end, Dean would turn on Jon to start their feud.
Dean planned on busting his brother open and breaking script, though Stephanie wouldn't know anything about it. She was relying on them to come up with how the beatdown would commence, as long as Dean was the one to get the upper hand. What a mistake that was on her part. This was his chance to get his hands on Moxley and gain an ounce of revenge for what he'd taken away from Dean. He would make sure his twin would need the full week off to recuperate, while Jecina was stuck without him.
In a way, they were both being punished, which is what Dean wanted.
All day, Jecina was on pins and needles, barely eating because of how nauseous she was. Jon insisted on her taking a pregnancy test, or several, and all of them were negative. She was not pregnant; she was nauseated from her world coming undone around her. He didn't understand due to the fact she STILL hadn't told him about her trust issues. Now tonight, he would step in the ring and wind up being wheeled out on a gurney; hopefully, he wouldn't need to actually go to the hospital.
"Precious, you gotta relax. Everything is gonna be fine." Jon lost count how many times he said those exact words to her over the past 5 days. "You have to trust we know what we're doing."
"I don't trust HIM, Jon. That's the problem. I'm afraid he's going to really hurt you and you'll end up in the hospital because of this beatdown." Jecina had reiterated the same thing, her same fear, repeatedly and all Jon ever did was smirk and wave her off dismissively. "I don't…I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"Jina, we're not in ballet. This sport isn't for the weakened heart, babe. We bruise, we get cut open and bleed, we tear tendons and ligaments and break bones, we sacrifice our bodies for the masses and we LIKE it. That's the price we pay for what we do." Jon placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently and hated seeing all the worry and concern flooding her beautiful forest green orbs. "I'm gonna talk to Dean prior to the match to make sure we both know what goes down and we're on the same page. I promise." Fibbing to her a little wouldn't harm anything.
Why didn't Jecina believe him? Jon and Dean barely spoke to each other during their time as a tag team, so why would they converse now that they were feuding? She wasn't born yesterday and she wasn't a dumb blonde either. Granted, she understood what Jon was saying and where he was coming from, but it still didn't ease her mind any.
"Okay."
Nobody was prepared for what would happen that night.
"You gonna fuck him up?"
Dean smirked, wrapping his hands like normal for the upcoming match and beatdown. "What do you think, big man?"
Roman chuckled in response, reading over the script for tonight's match. It was a six-man elimination tag team match pitting him and his cousins, the USO's, against AJ Styles and The Club, with Lilianna at ringside. What the hell? Why did she have to be out there? All she did was distract him and Roman didn't appreciate the company basically tossing his ex-fiancée in his face. The wound in his heart she caused was still wide open and he could feel the vengeance flooding through him.
"Just…don't do anything to get yourself arrested or suspended, man." Roman advised, sitting down on the bench with his elbows resting on his cargo pant covered knees. "I'm serious, Dean. I see that look in your eye. You wanna hurt him and send him packing permanently and I get that, but you also got a huge push coming up. Don't blow it because of him."
"The script calls for him to be taken out on a gurney. I'm gonna make sure that's an actual hospital stay for him, that's all." Dean rubbed his hands together and rose from the chair, not caring what the consequences were. "Trust me, bro, I got this covered and, besides, Vince loves me. He'll sweep it under the rug and I'll still get my push."
Roman sincerely hoped Dean was right.
The tag match kicked off the show with A&M against the New Day for the Tag Team championships.
Jecina was in the back, in front of a monitor with her hands clasped in front of her. Everything in catering was done, so she had some time to burn before it was time to cleanup. Jon had told her his match was first, so she made sure to have everything done in order to watch. She had texted Lilianna, who wouldn't go out until over halfway through the show and Gabriella, who were both on either side of her also watching. They were just as nervous as she was because this would end with Jon being wheeled to the back on a gurney.
They just didn't realize how bad it was about to get.
Halfway through the match, Dean was on the ring apron with his hand outstretched and Jon crawling toward him for the tag. He was bouncing, trying to hype up the crowd and Jon held his side from a spinebuster Big E. delivered to him. That big bastard received a DDT for his troubles and now it was a race to see who would tag in their fresh partner. Kofi Kingston or Dean Ambrose. The crowd was buzzing, chanting 'this is awesome' repeatedly as it thundered throughout the arena. Just as Jon was a fingertip away from tagging Dean in, the unthinkable happened.
Dean pulled his hand away and dropped from the apron to the mats below, the camera panning in on the shocked expression written on Jon Moxley's face. The crowd didn't know what to think and neither did the New Day, their faces full of perplexity. Even the referee was confused with wide eyes while looking back and forth between the teams.
"What the fuck are you doing, man?!" Jon shouted angrily, gritting his teeth because his side really was killing him. "TAG ME!"
Snorting, Dean merely stood there and watched as Kofi and Big E. took advantage of the situation, setting up Moxley for their finisher. It was called The Midnight Hour. Big E. swung Jon up on his broad shoulder while Kofi went to the top rope and hammered down on him, driving Jon's face into the mat. The victory went to the New Day and the crowd booed heavily since A&M was considered faces. The New Day was slowly gaining ground as far as faces go, but some of the crowds simply didn't like them yet. Xavier Woods went out of his mind on the outside, running around the ring like an idiot and even screamed in Dean's face, but the man didn't flinch.
Once the New Day was out of the ring and left Jon Moxley in the center of it, Dean moved around the ring to where the announcers, commentators and other staff sat. The original plan was Dean would go in the ring, deliver his move 'Dirty Deeds' and be done with it. No, Jon wasn't getting off that easily and this was the perfect time to send a clear-cut message. Grabbing a steel chair, the same weapon that split up the Shield 2 years prior, Dean slid into the ring under the bottom rope and stood over Jon Moxley, taking in the moment.
Two years, this man made his life miserable and stole the love of his life right from beneath him. Why couldn't Moxley have stayed in the Indy's and left Dean alone? His teeth were gnashing by now, his eyes glazing over and the crowd winced at the first chair shot against Jon's back. Jon grunted, still trying to get his bearings in order and suddenly, it felt like a gunshot went through his back with countless chair shots. Every shot counted and people could FEEL the anger and intensity behind them.
"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING?!" Jecina shrieked, covering her mouth with her hand at the horrific beating Jon was taking in the center of the ring. "SOMEONE STOP THIS!"
"Jeci, calm down, maybe it's part of the script…" Lilianna highly doubted it, sharing a worried look with Gabriella and both women knew that wasn't the case.
This was unscripted.
"SECURITY, GET OUT THERE NOW!" Stephanie bellowed at the top of her lungs, stalking past everyone standing at gorilla position with blazing blues. She was pissed!
"Goddamn it, Dean!" Roman groaned, watching from his own dressing room with the USO's, who were both shaking their heads.
"Fuck, Jon doesn't look good…" Baron grumbled from his own place within the arena, eyes full of apprehension for his friend.
"Jesus, how many times is he gonna hit the man?!" AJ exclaimed, wincing at every chair shot and was pretty sure Jon's back was broken, the welts already beginning to raise and form on his skin. "Oh shit, Steph's out there…"
Even with security, Dean wasn't stopping and it took 6 security guards to pry him away from Jon, the chair bent almost in half from how many shots he gave his twin. Breathing heavily, his body coated in sweat, Dean ripped his shirt off and tossed it in the crowd, letting out a ferocious roar that echoed throughout the arena. It was louder than when Roman did it. Stephanie was bent over Jon with EMT's and the WWE doctors, not at all surprised Jon Moxley was unconscious.
Jecina was beside herself, sobbing violently while Gabriella held her. Lilianna had to leave to get ready for her own segment and match of the night with the Club and AJ, but promised she would check in. What they all just witnessed was NOT PG-rated and Gabriella could only imagine what the repercussions would be from this. She watched on the monitor, tears in her own eyes, as Jon was carefully slid under the bottom rope and set on the gurney, strapped to it. The EMTs even put a breathing mask over Jon's face since he wasn't breathing very well and quickly but carefully wheeled him to the backstage area.
Flashbacks of the night Dean destroyed Jon in his dressing room, after catching her in the act with Jon, flew through Jecina's mind. His breathing mask had been full of blood and he barely had a pulse. She broke away from Gabriella as soon as the gurney came through the curtains and began following it, grabbing Jon's hand. Stephanie could say nothing, busy talking with the EMTs about his back. Nobody would know anything until tests and scans were performed at the hospital.
"I-I'm going with him…" Jecina announced, daring Stephanie to argue with her and didn't give a damn if all the food went to waste she had cooked. Jon was more important than her job right now.
Stephanie nodded, still not believing what Dean had done and knew she had to stay because the show was live. The next match was already underway. "Dean will receive the maximum punishment for this, Jecina…" She was contemplating firing the man, but at the same time, this would only add fuel to the fire for their upcoming match at Extreme Rules. Sometimes, being a boss was not the easiest job in the world.
"Whatever."
That meant he'd either be fined or suspended when, honestly, he should've been fired. This beating was uncalled for! Jon's life was once again at risk as the EMTs kept a close eye on his vitals. The doors closed and the ambulance roared out of the arena, speeding to the nearest hospital as fast as they could. Dean watched the whole thing with a sick smile on his face, ignoring Stephanie's glare and wasn't surprised when she ordered him to follow her.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE! I SHOULD FIRE YOU, AMBROSE!" Stephanie exploded as soon as the door to her office was closed, her face going red and threw her hands up in frustration. "I really should." She calmed down, refusing to let her blood pressure heighten more than it already was. "I should just cut ties with you and be done with it. I NEVER should've left this to your own devices, that was my fault."
Not an ounce of regret or compassion came from Dean while he stared at her evenly, his arms folded in front of his chest. This was HIS company, not Moxley's. He hoped he broke the asshole's back and sent him packing for good. Stephanie threatening his job wasn't a surprise and Dean expected it, but he also knew she would let cooler heads prevail. This feud between him and Moxley would be one for the ages and he could see the dollar signs flashing in her eyes during their meeting last week. Money would always trump conscience, especially when it came to a company.
"So what now?"
"You're going home for a week. I'm suspending you until next Monday. And you're being fined $50,000 for jumping script and breaking the rules. You really need to go home and think about what you've done, Ambrose. And thank your fucking lucky stars you're as big a star as you've become or else I would be firing you." Stephanie wanted to make it clear to him just how tempted she was to pull that trigger, her eyes nothing more than oceans of ice. "Your suspension starts now. Get the fuck out of my office and arena."
Dean knew better than to respond and walked out of the office, ignoring the dirty looks he received from his fellow colleagues. Whether he liked it or not, Jon Moxley had grown in the company and had developed friends and relationships with these people. He ignored them all, heading to the locker room he shared with Roman and walked inside to grab his belongings, stopping when Roman grabbed his arm.
"Are you…?" Roman couldn't bring himself to ask the question boiling on his tongue, his voice full of sadness and uncertainty.
"No. Just suspended and fined."
"Uce, what the fuck were you thinking pulling some shit like that?" Jimmy demanded, unable to keep his mouth shut and shook his head at Roman's stern look, ignoring him. "I don't care how much you hate the guy…"
"You don't fuck up someone's career like that, man." Jey finished his twin's thought, their eyes wide and both couldn't believe how cold Dean currently was.
"He had it coming." That was all Dean could really say, once again not showing any remorse for what he did. "I gotta go…I'll call you later when I make it home, bro." He directed that last part to Roman, bumping their fists together and exited the locker room, swinging his bag over his shoulder.
Baron and AJ were talking quietly in the hallway as Dean bypassed them and AJ stopped Baron from saying something, shaking his head. They would do their segments and matches for the night, then go to the hospital to check on how Jon was doing.