There are always some shifts in wrestling. But this, this is change at a ridiculous rate. Truth and Carmella win Mixed Match Challenge season 2, Asuka wins the Smackdown womens' title, and Mike... Mike sits backstage and watches it all conspire, his eyes wide. He swallows and thinks about his lack of a match, not even having the chance to gain some sort of success this evening. It stings and he wonders if it's because he seems to have gotten on Shane's nerves. Not to mention Paige isn't his biggest fan. He vows to go to his Co-Best in the World and sort things out, but the biggest change of the week hasn't happened yet.
With Corbin losing at TLC and thus his job, the McMahons appear en masse on Raw to declare that from now on, they would be making some massive changes. Which, with time proves that not only has Corbin lost his job, but both Alexa Bliss and Paige have been removed from their positions. Mike applauds sincerely when Paige is publicly congratulated for her help the past few months in running Smackdown since her forced retirement, but this also means that Shane will be in sole control of Smackdown, and he wonders what this means for them. He feels nervous and shocked when he goes to confront Shane, just to realize he'd been knocking rapidly like that with Vince inside. He stutters and struggles to explain himself, feeling strangely like someone trying to prove themselves on a first date.
It's almost a relief when Vince puts him in a match to 'show that he deserves Shane', Mike quickly getting out of there before he makes things even worse for himself. Partnering with Mandy Rose against Truth and Carmella isn't how he'd expected his night to go, but it is what it is, his eyes almost rolling out of his head when Truth calls Mandy Maryse. Sometimes he's glad he and AJ are kind of kept on the downlow, because he could only imagine how people like truth would handle that reality.
Things with Mandy work out better than he expects and then he gets his Christmas present early when he stumbles backstage- Shane has agreed to be his guest on next week's MizTV! He grins widely and almost spins Mandy around until he realizes Sonya Deville is glowering at him as she walks closer so he quickly leaves Mandy alone. "Thanks for the help tonight!" he calls out before rushing away, grinning happily as he goes to call his wife and daughter.
AJ listens patiently and then sighs with a small smile. "So you're working Christmas Day," she says sadly and he swallows. "It's ok, at least we get Christmas Eve, huh?" She kisses Sara's little hand as she flails her arms around, happy to see her daddy on the screen.
Mike immediately deflates, feeling awful. "I'm sorry, AJ. I can't do much about it... but it's better than last year, huh?" Travel on Christmas Eve, show on Christmas Day, immediately moving into hte holiday tour that kept him gone up to the New Year.
She nods. "That's true, husband." She does grant him a small smile then and he rests his hand on the side of the device, wishing he could really touch her, sooth her. "I'll see you soon, right?"
"Yeah," he says softly. "I'll be home first thing tomorrow."
"Great. Say see you then, Daddy," she coaxes Sara, laughing when Sara blinks a few times.
"See then, Daddy," she chirps and AJ claps their hands together happily.
"That's my girl," Mike tells her with a soft smile. "I love you both. I'll be home soon." He kisses his fingers and presses them to the screen, watching as AJ blows kisses at him before the screen goes black, Mike dropping back against the hotel mattress and staring up at the ceiling, closing his eyes grimly as he wonders how old Sara will get before she starts to resent him for missing so much of her life. Until AJ grows exhausted with having to always be the current parent while he's the sometimes parent who gets to bring gifts and do all of the fun things.
"Damn," he breathes, aching inside for his girls, for himself. For the life he's chosen that brought him here. Not sure what to do, he rolls over and buries his face in his pillow, desperate to leave it behind and let sleep claim him.