The week drags after Monday Night Raw. There's media event after media event, an interview here, photo shoot there. Mike gets a slight reprieve in the form of distraction when he hears a familiar name mentioned on Friday Night Smackdown, media schedules and paperwork slipping out of his fingers as he looks up to find Alex Riley sharing a ring with Brodus Clay and trying to dance. "What the...?" He slaps a hand against his face, peeking through his fingers. The mortification only grows when A-Ri's attempts at dancing lasts longer than the actual match, which ends mercifully quickly, Brodus defeating Alex in nearly record time. "Lord, Alex," he mumbles, almost relieved that their allegiance ended before this time. Though what's worse, that or being involved in that horrid rap with Truth week in and week out? I guess I can't judge... too much.
Finally it's Sunday morning and he and Alex are pulling into the parking lot of the arena. He takes a deep breath, looking up at the tall building as Alex parks nearby. They sit in silence for awhile, both lost in their own thoughts.
Finally Alex turns and smiles slightly at Mike. "You ready?"
"Yeah," he says slowly. "Are you?"
He nods and they both take another minute to stare up at the walls. "Ok, let's go then," Mike finally urges, pushing the car door open.
"Right behind you." They get their things and enter the building, immediately sweeped up in the excitement. No matter how disenchanted people may get, there are some pay per views and events that bring along a certain energy, the Royal Rumble being one. Wrestlemania is the only thing that can beat it; Mike sighs as he absorbs the sensations infused in the air, realizing with a slight pang just how he had missed this feeling, something that had been missing since around his firing and had only disappeared even more with Morrison's release.
It gets him through the rest of the day, until it's time to enter the ring as the #1 entrant for the Rumble. He's shifting around, rotating his wrists and stretching as time ticks by, the blank titantron teasing everyone in attendance about who the second person will be. A breath later and Say it to my face vibrates through the arena. His expression doesn't change even though his breath catches slightly, his chest tightening as Alex heads down the ramp, a determined look on his face.
Former pro/rookie team examine each other for a moment before Mike glances at the titantron, the clock that flashes on there. Ninety seconds between opponents isn't a lot of time to work with, so he peers uncertainly at his former partner. Alex nods subtly, quickly grabbing at him. Do what you have to, Mike. The power struggle between the two of them go back and forth for only a few seconds before Mike gains the upper hand. A blink later and he's throwing Alex over the top rope, taking a deep breath as the younger man hits the mat outside.
He glances from Alex to the titantron, tracking as the seconds tick down to zero. They're still frozen in these positions when R-Truth's music hits, A-Ri hesitating until Miz nods discreetly at him. He looks from the top of the ramp, where Truth is mumbling to thin air, back to Mike before nodding back, his lips twisting into a grimace as he heads back up the way he came from. I almost wouldn't be surprised if Morrison heads down fourth, just to continue throwing former tag partners in my face. More schenanigans from Laurinaitis? This almost seems more like the Anon GM's style... He's ready, though, and by the time Truth enters the ring, it only takes a few minutes before Mike tosses him back out similar to how he had gotten rid of Alex. The ring's already begun to fill up by then, four other men surrounding him. He's about to figure out who to go after next when something snags his ankle, sends him down to the mat roughly.
Truth doesn't go down without a fight, not completely. He grips Mike's ankle tightly and drags him out of the ring under the bottom rope, laying him out face first on the floor roughly. His smirk is the last thing Miz sees for a bit, drifting away in a haze of pain and exhaustion from a week's worth of sleep deprivation and promoting this event. When he comes to, the rumble is thankfully still going on overhead and he awkwardly props himself up on the side of the ring, peering blankly inside. Is that... is that Ricardo Rodriguez? he grimaces, thinking he's seeing things. Blink, and blink again, but the dark haired man is still in there, struggling with Santino. I have seen it all now, he thinks, as Ricardo is eliminated, Socko and the Cobra then meeting in the middle of the ring. Time to get things back on track.
He does hold his own for awhile, but manages no other eliminations. He is eventually caught by, ironically enough, another former tag partner, the Big Show, and sent harshly over the top rope with Cody Rhodes. "Dammit," he grimaces, making his way slowly up the ramp.
Alex is waiting for him in the locker room, a slightly sympathetic smile on his face. "You alright?" He steps back, letting Mike through to his duffel bag to find a towel to wipe the sweat still trickling down his face away.
"Yeah," he says simply. He had hoped to maybe get up to where he belongs with this match, but with the way things had been going lately, the fact that the stats were against him from the minute he lost that match to Truth the week before, he's not exactly surprised. His biggest comfort is that, no matter what, he had lasted the longest in the match over everyone, and had eliminated R-Truth after weeks of being on the losing end against him. "I'm fine." For once, it's the truth.
Apparently his showing in the Rumble had also caught other eyes and he's given another chance, getting placed in the Elimination Chamber with Kofi Kingston, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, R-Truth (Of course) and Dolph Ziggler. I'm far from done, he thinks even after his match against Kofi leads to yet another losing effort. I'm not about to give up... not now, no way. I've done too much... too much has been done for me... I will be champion again.