Between Ropes and Real
RAW February 5, 2001
The crowd buzzed with anticipation as the lights in the arena dim, casting shadows over the sea of fans. Slowly, the arena was drenched in the glow of red and white lights pulsing from the massive entrance stage, where the familiar "Monday Night RAW" logo appeared on a colossal Titantron screen. This screen would soon bring the audience face-to-face with their favorite wrestlers, showcasing intense graphics, replays, and larger-than-life entrance videos.
Smoke and pyro erupted as the first wrestler's music blared through the speakers, each beat resonating in the chests of every fan. The entrance ramp stretched from the stage to the ring, where the ring itself—a square battleground with signature red ropes—awaited the action. The mat, stamped with WWF and RAW logos, looked pristine, a canvas for the chaos about to unfold.
Surrounding the ring were metal barricades, just inches away from the coveted ringside seats, where fans leaned forward, eyes wide, hoping to catch a close-up moment with the wrestlers. Higher up, more fans fill the tiers of seats, signs raised, some donning replica championship belts or dressing like their favorite superstars. The air was hot with cheers, chants, and that distinct hum of excitement unique to WWF RAW. And with the ring announcer's booming voice kicking off the night, the arena roared as the show began, transforming into a high-energy coliseum, where every cheer, boo, and chant intensifies the thrill of the spectacle.
Even after four years in the industry, the harmonious sight always took her breath away, warmth spread in her heart.
Lou Smith watched the ongoing match from the backstage TV, just nearby the gorilla position where wrestlers went into hiding before the entrance.
Lou, in fact, did not yet have a match tonight. Instead, she would appear in an in-ring segment, interrupting an argument between The Kat and Ivory with RTC stables. Following the new Championship storyline, the writers were going to put an end to the Kat v Ivory feud by bringing Lou Smith into the mix. Rumors said Kat didn't renew her contract and expected to leave WWF in due time. That said, it was not going to be an instant change, as she would find a few weeks' worth of segments to draw the feud from Kat to her.
From the TV, Lou could see the arena was once again dimmed for a commercial break. From the Gorilla, she could see the wrestlers walking in the room, meaning her segment was up next.
"Alright girls, let's rock 'n roll!" Kat clapped and soon took her stand by the curtain.
Ivory, Lisa, smiled and patted Lou's arm. "Don't hit me too hard."
The younger woman smiled. "No promises."
Kat had gone out first, making speeches about self-expression and public freedom, until it was considered too obscene for the RTC that Ivory and Stevens had to censor her. Not long, Ivory and Stevens walked out to interrupt her.
Lou Smith took a deep breath and checked herself out one last time for any ruffle on her t-shirt or an unblended makeup. She heard the crew talking. "Smith's song in three, two, one…the stage is yours. Good luck!"
She grabbed the curtain and flung it open.
The idea of tonight's segment went like this:
Just as Ivory was about to execute the Poison Ivory on The Kat, a sudden burst of music shook the arena, triggering explosive cheers from the crowd eager for someone to put Ivory and Stevie Richards in their place. The two antagonists turned, visibly rattled, preparing for the worst. They knew that with Lou Smith, anything was possible.
"Leave, Kat, leave!" The commentator's voice broke through. "Just in time before Kat's pretty face got crushed into the mat. Finally! Someone's here to stop them!"
"King, look! She's here! SHE IS HERE!"
Lou Smith appeared at the top of the ramp and sprinted down, sliding into the ring. Richards tried to block her path, but she swiftly ducked under his arm, eyes locked on Ivory. Smith launched herself forward, delivering a powerful spear that sent the Women's Champion crashing to the mat.
"A spear to the Women's Champ! Look out, Lou!" JR shouted.
Stevie, momentarily stunned, recovered and lunged at Smith again, but she was ready. Grabbing his arm, she yanked the top rope down, sending him tumbling out of the ring.
"What quick reflexes from Lou Smith! She'd be a force to reckon with in a Royal Rumble Match." JR exclaimed.
Ivory, desperate, threw a weak clothesline at Smith, but she ducked with ease. Bouncing off the ropes, Smith delivered a thunderous big boot to Ivory's chest, knocking her flat on her back. The crowd erupted as Smith stood tall, a sly smile crossing her face as she took in the chants for more.
"Yes, JR! Girl fight in progress!" King cheered.
"I don't think this is what you meant by 'girl fight,' King. This is an all-out beatdown!" JR replied.
"And they deserve every bit of it, JR, for treating Kat like that!"
"Oh boy, Lou Smith isn't stopping, is she?"
JR was right. Smith grabbed Ivory by the hair, positioning her for her signature finisher, the Loullaby. Just before she could execute the move, Stevie scrambled back into the ring, grabbing Ivory and dragging her out of Smith's reach, both of them stumbling back toward the entrance, too stunned to process the attack. Ivory's championship belt was left behind in the chaos, gleaming in the center of the ring.
And in true Lou Smith fashion, she seized it.
"My belt!" Ivory screamed, frantic as she and Steven tried to rush back. "She took my belt! NO!"
But Smith was already weaving through the cheering crowd, vanishing into the sea of fans chanting her name, leaving Ivory and Richards in disarray.
It was a straightforward promotion, light on words and action—at least for Lou. But it was more than enough to spark a fresh rivalry between her and Ivory, marking the beginning of Lou Smith's quest to claim the Championship for herself. Or perhaps, it would be Ivory's desperate attempt to wrest it back.
Steve Austin sat quietly in the corner of the locker room, stripping off his ring gear and loosening his knee braces. By his side was The Rock, doing the same. The two had just wrapped up their main event match with Triple H and Kurt. Everything had gone as expected.
Hell, even his Stone Cold antics at the end of the match had gotten a solid reaction from the crowd.
It still amazed him, though, that people were still so damn fired up for him. Whether he was fighting, cursing, or just giving a good ol' flip of the bird—hell, even when he barely did anything—they were always loud as hell. It was crazy.
But his knees were acting up again. The match had gone off without a hitch, but he could still feel the pop during one of the moves. Nothing painful, but just damn annoying.
He could surely use a warm compress.
One by one, the other wrestlers trickled out, doing their best to keep things on the down-low. The locker room? A shared space, but they'd do their best to keep the illusion alive for the fans. Steve gave a quick nod to some of the crew as he headed out. He didn't have any post-event briefings, so it was either a quick trip to the hotel or maybe even a late-night swim.
Yeah, that didn't sound half-bad.
He walked past the back hall, nodding to a few crew members on his way out. As the Anti-Hero of the company, he was used to being greeted with a nod or two. Vince had told him that 'Stone Cold' had stolen the hearts of the fans, but Steve never really bought into that. After all, he'd been one hell of a Heel for so long—he didn't expect the fans to react the way they did. But here he was, both a terrible Face and a beloved Heel. And honestly? He was starting to dig it.
As he passed through a hallway, a door swung open just a few feet away. Steve noticed the crutch immediately and stopped dead in his tracks.
He raised an eyebrow. "What the hell happened to you, Smith?"
He looked down at the bandaged ankle.
She shrugged nonchalantly. "Rolled my damn ankle. Bruised it. Doc patched me up."
"During your match?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. "Wait... You didn't even have a match tonight, did ya?"
"Yeah, no match." Lou answered, grinning a little. "Just did something real stupid. Twisted it when I was walking out through the crowd. It was dark, and I misstepped. Real smooth, right?"
Steve snickered and shook his head. "Yep, real smooth. You're a damn mess."
Lou rolled her eyes, but Steve could see she wasn't in too much pain. Still, he couldn't help but offer help. "You need a hand with that, Smith?"
She snorted. "I'm good."
"You're limping, lil' missy," Steve said, grabbing her bag without waiting for a response. "Let me help ya."
She grumbled something under her breath, but he wasn't listening, already taking her bag in hand. Lou let out an exasperated sigh but didn't argue further.
As they made their way toward the entrance of the private parking lot, Lou slumped onto a nearby bench, clearly relieved to sit down.
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Who you ridin' with, Smith? You're not drivin' with that ankle, are ya?"
"Nope." Lou answered quickly. "I'll grab a taxi."
Steve smirked, knowing she was bullshitting a little. "The Hardys already split, huh?"
"Yeah. I'll be fine. I'll figure something out."
Steve looked her over for a second. She wasn't going anywhere in that state. "You know what, Smith? Lemme drive ya."
"No," Lou shot back, shaking her head. "I'm fine. I'll manage."
"Stop talkin'.we're stayin' at the same damn hotel. So quit bein' stubborn and let's roll." Steve didn't give her a chance to argue and grabbed her bag again.
She mumbled under her breath but reluctantly stood up to follow him.
The ride to the hotel was quiet. The only sound was the faint hum of the radio. Steve didn't say much, only asked if she wanted any takeout before they hit the hotel. She declined and said she'd just get room service, which Steve figured was a given.
He stole a glance at her through the rearview mirror. Lou had her head against the window, eyes closed, humming lightly along with the music. He figured she was probably asleep, but then she yawned.
"You might as well get some sleep. We've still got a bit of a drive." Steve said, glancing at her briefly.
"Nah, I'll be fine. I don't sleep in cars." Lou yawned again. "Never have."
"That so?" Steve asked, eyebrows raised. "You got SmackDown tapin' tomorrow?"
"Yeah, booked me a flight for nine." Lou answered, then paused. "You?"
"Same, but later flight." Steve replied. "How you gonna handle matches with that ankle of yours?"
Lou stretched her neck to look at him. "I've got an in-ring segment tomorrow, but nothing too physical. I'll be good to go. No real match till the next RAW, so I've got time to heal."
Steve nodded, absorbing the info. Then, as if the quiet was getting to him, he glanced at his phone as it rang.
"You gonna take that?" Lou asked.
Steve muted it, keeping his eyes on the road. "Not while I'm drivin', no."
"Okay."
About ten minutes later, they pulled into the hotel's private basement parking lot. A security guy came over to help them unload their stuff, and another staff member Steve didn't recognize walked up to them.
"Hey, Jarret." Lou greeted. "What's up?"
Jarret looked between the two of them, then spoke to Lou. "I was just waiting for you, Miss Smith. Gotta keep an eye on you after that ankle injury." Then he nodded at Steve. "Mr. Austin."
Steve just gave him a quick nod and moved to grab his own bag.
As they stepped off the elevator, Lou turned toward him. "Thanks for the ride, Steve. See you on SmackDown."
Steve gave a casual wave. "No problem, lil missy. Take care now."
And with that, he walked away.
A/N:
This is prolly the best time to say that the work of this WWF (yes, I'm still calling it WWF) fiction will follow the real life of Lou Smith (My OC) and Steve Austin, as well as other wrestlers, instead of their actual in-ring character and story, meaning I will explore the world of backstage and breaking kayfabe.
A LOT. If you're not into that well, you're welcome to read nonetheless.
I mean I still incorporate the professional wrestling part here and there, it's part of their job anyway, but it's something I won't press on in depth. Maybe some narrative for the segments and in-ring action but it'll be more about their perspectives of the matches. I mean I'm still trying to figure out what Smith's theme song fits my vision of her in ring personality. I had reference from the old draft but now I'm not entirely sure.
By the way just an info, Smith's finisher move, The Loullaby, was exactly AJ Style's Style Clash or Mimi McCool's Faithbreaker, whichever you remember. I'm aware this move has been banned now but well I decided to use it since it was not banned then (ha!).
Anyway, thanks for reading this far. Cheerios!