The first segment of the show produced by Jay was the third of the show. When Raw returned from a commercial break, a video package of highlights from the Clementine – Gonzalez match at Summerslam played. Set to music and featuring excerpts from commentary, it made Jay feel quite emotional as he relived what those two incredible ladies had gone through the previous night. The package ended with a shot of Clem, her face bloody, holding up her newly-won championship belt in celebration. Christopher Herrmann's commentary summed it up perfectly.
"Never before have I seen a woman's match as vicious, as brutal, as intense as what we've just witnessed here tonight."
Jay totally agreed, and he felt a little emotional again as he looked at Raquel and Clem standing near the curtain that separated backstage from the arena. They had just watched the package side by side, with Raquel resting an arm on Clem's shoulder. No doubt it was an emotional moment for them as well.
Now wasn't a time to be emotional though. Jay had to help Erin direct the segment that was about to start.
Next, the backstage video segment that had been filmed the previous night where Raquel approached Clem in her locker room and they ended up sharing a hug to show their respect was aired. Jay had seen it before of course, but the audience had not. After it finished, there was heartfelt applause from the crowd in the arena. Whether that was for the show of respect or the match, or both, Jay wasn't sure.
Clem's music hit then, and as usual she received a loud ovation. This one was warmer than most. The fan favourite had 'her' championship back, at long last, and they loved it. It was a moment for them to treasure.
Obviously in pain from the previous night's war, Clem's walk to the ring was a bit slower than usual. She still moved like a legit badass though, and looked like she owned the arena. When she got into the ring and took a microphone, she launched straight into her promo, speaking with the typical Clementine stridence in her voice. Jay greatly admired here promo ability, even more than her wrestling. Her character was simply believable on every level. There was greater compliment to pay a wrestler than that.
"Even though I still hate Raquel Gonzalez's ass, and she probably still hates mine, I have no problem standing out in here in this ring and saying that I respect that woman."
There was a notable cheer from some the fans, likely people who had guessed that the creative direction would be to move towards Clem and Raquel teaming up.
"That's why what you just saw happened last night," Clem went on. "Raquel came into my locker room after I spent an hour beating her ass, and she offered me her hand. That was a sign of respect. And the respect is mutual. God knows Raquel has beat my ass like no one else over the past year. But, when it was all said and done last night, it was Clementine who walked out as the WWE Women's Champion."
Clem held her championship belt up triumphantly, while the fans cheered and applauded.
But then Sylvie Brett's music hit, turning the cheers to boos immediately. The newly-heel Dr Brett walked out into the arena along with Hailey Upton and Stella Kidd, the current Women's Tag Team Champions. They made quite a formidable trio that Clem was looking down the barrel of, alone in the ring. Sylvie looked a lot different, wearing red leather pants and a black leather jacket. She looked hotter than she had in her previous character, and more like a bitch too. Not least because of the nasty look on her face.
Halfway to the ring, Sylvie shouted over the top of her music, which soon faded out. "Clementine! Will you please shut the hell up! You forced us all to sit through an hour of you and the sasquatch last night, and now you're out here again, running your mouth and boring everyone to sleep!"
"Get it, Sylvie," Jay said quietly to himself. He was delighted and impressed by her first few lines as a heel, and he had to admit that calling Raquel the sasquatch was funny. That hadn't even been scripted.
Sylvie and co were now in the ring, still being booed and shouted at by some of the fans. Sylvie singled out a woman in the front row. "What are you shouting at, bitch? Keep going, I'll come out there and slap the lip fillers out of your ugly face."
More boos rained down. Clem looked like she was about to blow up and attack the three intruders in the ring regardless of the odds being against her. The odds never stopped Clementine. Everyone knew that.
Sylvie's attention went back to Clem. "You can stand out here waving that piece of tin around all you like. The fact is, right now you're not in charge of crap. Now that I have aligned myself with Stella and Hailey, we're the ones who are going to run Monday Night Raw."
Clem had heard enough. "There's one thing you three idiots should know. Clementine don't back down from anyone, least of all you three."
With that she dropped her title belt and went in swinging. Initially, she set about kicking all three of their asses, but the numbers game soon caught up to her and Sylvie got a nasty kick in on her previously injured knee. The cruel kick dropped Clem and allowed the three heels to spend a couple of minutes giving her a thorough beatdown, ending with Sylvie ordering Hailey and Stella to smash her through the commentator's table, which they proceeded to do. The segment ended with the new champion lying among the wreckage, being attended to by several EMTs who had quickly appeared on the scene.
"Sylvie killed that," Raquel said to Jay. She had come to join him for a moment. The short part she was waiting to play would come after the commercial break.
"Killed it," he agreed.
After the break, in a rare on-screen showing of the backstage production area, Clem was shown coming through the curtain with the EMTs, who she was angrily shrugging off.
The camera angle was carefully chosen so that neither Erin nor the production staff including Jay could be seen in the shot. But Raquel was shown, standing there waiting. It was notable that Raquel Victoria Gonzalez wasn't wearing a cowboy hat or a business suit. Instead, she had jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt on, signalling a change in character.
"You're going to go after those three pendejas." It was a statement, not a question.
"Of course I'm going to go after them!" Clem snapped. "I'm going to go find Erin Voight and demand a match tonight – me against all three of them. Before I leave this building tonight, I'm going to wring Brett's scrawny neck."
"You don't have to do it alone," Raquel said.
The scene ended with Clem and Raquel locked in another stare down.
Later in the show, Clementine was shown backstage, speaking with Erin. The short segment had been pre-taped before the show, however it was shown as if it was live. The boss looked immaculate as ever, in a clearly very expensive suit, and with her Rolex on show.
"Clem, what can I do for you? I have a suspicion I know the answer after what happened earlier tonight."
Clem looked pissed off, understandably. "I want Upton, I want Kidd, and most of all I want Brett. Tonight. Make it three on one, make it three on two and Gonzalez can come out there and watch from the ring apron, I don't give a damn what you do. Just make a damn match."
"Hmmm," Erin said thoughtfully. "I can't give you Brett tonight. But how about this: Hailey Upton and Stella Kidd defending the Women's Tag Team Championships against Raquel Victoria Gonzalez and Clementine, right here tonight. That match is now official."
Clementine looked angrier after hearing the decision than she had before it. "Fine," she snarled, barely containing herself. "But you'd better give me Brett next week, or it'll be your ass."
Clementine stormed off, leaving Erin standing there. The look on her face showed that it might not be advisable to speak to the boss that way.
What had surprised Jay the most when he had received the approved creative for the evening from Erin was that she had booked Clementine and Raquel to win the Women's Tag Team Championships. That was certainly not what he would have done, but it wasn't his company, and he wasn't the one who consistently put together excellent shows. Erin was cooking, as Clem called it. No doubt there was going to be a lot more to the story than Clem winning two titles in the space of twenty four hours and Sylvie's group looking like they were buried already. For a start, there was now something of an alliance in of the offing between Clem and Raquel. That had many intriguing possibilities in itself.
Jay had ended up watching the tag team match with Adam Ruzek. They often got together to watch parts of the show that they weren't performing in.
"Have to admit, can't see where Erin's going with this," Ruzek said as they watched Raquel and Clem celebrate, individually rather than as a team. It was clear that there was a long way to go before they might actually consider each other partners, even though they were now the champions. "Kind of sucks for Sylvie, and putting the belts straight on Raquel and Clem before we're even sure they can get along? It's odd."
"Right," Jay had to agree. "But I know Erin's got to have big plans here. What they are, you know as much as I do."
But I might be able to find out, he didn't add.
A/N: What did you make of what Erin 'cooked' for the ladies on this episode?
I know this was a chapter entirely about the wrestling side of things when most of you are here for the Linstead content, but this on-screen storyline is going to be an important part of what's going to happen in this book. That's all I can say without spoiling anything.
