#I wish I was there for this moment but I had a WrestleMania week show to attend

[dtan0914]

Getting Alex Shelley and Chris Brookes to finally meet in person was SO important after seeing Alex Shelley’s “The Life Of…” on IWTV (please watch it if you haven’t already) where he gushed about Brookes.

[famousstatesmanbearroad]

DISTRACTION PART 2 (WWE CODY RHODES)

•Summary: He’s allowed you in his head, allowed you to play mind games, allowed you to make him vulnerable, causing his match against your cousin at WrestleMania 39. Months later and he finally earns another match, just for you to start the distraction all over again, dwelling on the pass

• Parings: Cody Rhodes X Samoan fem reader

Warnings - mentions of sex, praise kink, choking kink, moaning kink, fingering, grinding of some sorts (over the clothes), Dirty Talk, 18+ only (Minors DNI), (READ AT YOUR OWN RISK)

Word count: 5k

The day before the WrestleMania kickoff show was declared a pre-kickoff for everyone in WWE as Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon hosted their first annual pre-kickoff dinner party to celebrate the road to WrestleMania. You sat in your hotel room, applying the pieces of jewelry that you placed out to put on.

Roman asked you to accompany him to this dinner party. Though you were surprised, he even asked you. After last week with your interaction with Cody, Roman made it clear how pissed he was with you.

Cody, that man has not left your mind. You haven't seen him since, other than watching him on TV when he appeared on Monday's show.

You would be crazy if some of you thought about seeing him, but you did. You had no idea why, however.

There wasn't any point in being near the man; he wasn't completing this WrestleMania with Roman anymore. You won't have to worry about being a distraction.

But you couldn't help but think about the past. You wished you could forget what happened between the two of you.

But the way he touched you, the way you moaned for him, the way he made you feel, how could you not forget that!?

You've had sex before, but never in the way you did with Cody. You held in for so long just to focus on your plan, give in, and throw yourself at him the minute he became vulnerable. You, too, were vulnerable.

And you couldn't help but bite your lip as you thought about that night. The way he talked to you, it made you realize how much of a praise kink you have, how much you get turned on by how dirty he can speak to you, all while fucking you.

"We're on a tight schedule. Are you almost ready?" Roman asked as he exited your hotel bathroom, adjusting his tie.

You cleared your throat, looking down as you hid the flustered from your face. "Yeah, I'm ready."

You took tiny breaths before sitting up, turning to Roman as he grabbed his keys before looking at you. "How do I look?" Roman asked, adjusting his top suit. You nodded in approval. "Like you just got inducted into the hall of fame."

Roman smirks, nodding at your comment. He then got serious. "Listen, a lot of our family will be there, some we haven't spoken to in a while, that we haven't been on good terms with."

You knew who Roman was talking about, Jey. The last time you saw Jey in person was when he and Cody were undisputed tag champs. You didn't even see him at the Royal Rumble. But you miss Jey. He was someone who allowed you to express your feelings whenever you were upset. And despite how malicious Jimmy acted towards him, they were twins; they missed each other.

"Just say Jey's name, Roman; you're talking about him."

Roman sighed. "Look, I can't stop you from talking to him; that's your brother, " he said. But promise me he's not going to get into your head."

You scoffed. "How would Jey get in my head?" You asked him. Roman was quiet for a moment.

Roman knew that Jey was the number one person who stood with you when you left Bloodline. Jey thinks you deserve better than doing what Roman tells you to do. The last thing he needs is someone convincing you to do such a thing. Because despite the plans he makes, you plot, despite him telling you what to do, you're his family. He's been betrayed by his family before. He doesn't want to happen, let alone from you.

"Just remember what I said," he said. It was now your turn to remain quiet as he turned to your side, pulling his arm out for you to wrap around. You took it in silence as you walked out of your room.

-

The dinner party was elegant. Silent music played in the background as chatters filled the room. The moment you and Roman walked into the room, you were greeted by many people—a hall of framers and workers who worked alongside Paul in the headquarters. Whenever Roman enters a room, heads turn, and people from every corner greet people. All you can do is say hi and smile as people approach him.

However, you notice his smile, which he had as people greeted him, disappear as he stared into the distance. You looked in the direction he was staring at, and all two of you saw two figures, one you hoped you wouldn't see, although you knew you would.

Jey. He stood from afar with a drink in his hand, laughing at whatever joke he had told himself. His eyes drifted into your and Roman's direction, matching the same faded-off smile as Roman's. Although he was looking at you and you only. All Jey wanted, although his big brother, was his little sister. You looked beautiful, he thought. All he wanted was to talk to you, ask how things were, and tell you he's still your brother.

Then they were Cody, who you sucked the air out of the minute his eyes laid on you. You looked absolutely stunning, he thought. Your dress fits perfectly on your body. It made him frustrated with how beautiful you look. A part of him wanted to come up to you and tell you how beautiful you looked. The other part wanted to take you to one of the bathrooms and undress you out of that incredibly sexy dress.

Roman eyes narrowed at the two men. He feared Jey's words, but he also feared Cody's actions. He had no clue what was going on between you and Cody; after seeing how close he was to you a couple of days ago, it absolutely made Roman boil. Yes, Roman's is your cousin. But the two of you were more siblings than cousins. And seeing a man that he truly despises be incredibly close to you was something he never wanted to happen again. And he knew a part of it was his fault.

Roman was the one who told you to distract Cody and do whatever it takes. Now he questions what exactly happened to you. It was like he accidentally set you up as bait.

You let out a shaky sigh as you looked at Roman. "I'm going to go grab me a drink, " you said as you walked off, not allowing Roman to speak.

You knew that tonight was going to be a long night. And you knew that avoiding Cody as much as possible would probably help. But it is impossible, especially when you are in the same room.

You finally grabbed a drink, sipped it, and breathed to calm down. You looked back to see Roman conversing with Dwayne and other people you did not know their names.

From a distance, Jey was debating whether he should approach you. He wasn't sure if you would want to talk to him. But he gained the strength anyway, looking over at Cody, who watched you. "Aye uce, let me go to my sis real quick."

Cody looked at him. A hint of surprise formed in his face, but he nodded anyway. He wasn't sure how your conversation with Jey would turn out.

Jey hesitated for a moment, then walked towards you. Your back was turned as you were unaware of Jey's presence getting closer. That wasn't until you heard his voice.

"Y/N."

You turned around, seeing your brother in front of you. You glanced over at Roman, who hadn't seen you two. You then looked back at him.

You wanted nothing more than to hug your Jey and tell him how much you missed him, but you kept your distance, giving him a small smile. "Hi."

Jey smiled back. "How have you been, little sis?" he asked. He was glad you were talking to him.

"I've been better, big bro." You replied as your smile grew. "I miss you."

Hearing you say that made Jey happy. He would be lying if a small part of him thought you hated him for leaving the bloodline. If only he knew that was far from the truth. Deep down, you admire him for doing that.

"I miss you too." He said. Your eyes showed a hint of happiness hearing that from him. Your eyes then drifted to the tie that lay on his chest, causing you to suck your teeth as you placed your drink down. "I see things haven't changed." You say fixing his tie correctly. Jey couldn't help but laugh. "I've been trying to fix it; you know I hate ties."

"Well, you could have worn a bow." You tell him. Jey shakes his head. "I look ridiculous in those."

"No, you do not, Jey," you said, remaining silent momentarily. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Wow!" Jey was taken aback as he looked down at you. You couldn't help but laugh at his reaction, which caused him to laugh back.

However, your eyes wander towards Roman, whose eyes are now on you two, causing you to stop laughing. Jey realizes this, looking over at Roman before looking at you. "He's controlling you, Y/N."

"Jey-"

"Y/N, he uses you. The only reason he still has you around is because you've helped keep that championship belt he got." Jey tells her. You shook your head. "That's not true." You tell him and yourself.

Jey frowns as you deny his words. You now knew what Roman meant by Jey getting in your head. Deep down, you question whether Jey was right.

However, you still deny it. "Look, I've been there for Roman through everything. He's family. And Families don't betray each other."

Jey scrunch his eyebrows together as you said that. "What's that supposed to mean?" You looked at him as you realized what you had said, seeing the effect that it had on him. "Jey- it's not like that,"

"Nah, I get it," Jey spoke, shaking his head. "I betrayed Roman. I turned my back on my own family; I decided to be selfish. It's not like Roman selfishly treated all of us like crap whenever our job isn't done."

"Jey-"

"He would have done the same if he knew about you and Cody,"

You immediately froze as you looked at your brother. Jey still had no clue what had happened between the two of you, but he knew something had happened; otherwise, Cody's reactions to what he had seen wouldn't have been how they had been.

"I don't know what you're talking about," You choked out as you looked away from Jey.

"Yes, I do," Jey said. "I don't know what it is, nor is it none of my business, but Roman is gonna find out what it is, and he's gonna be furious."

"There's nothing going on between Cody and me, okay?" You snapped at your brother out of frustration. "For once, can't you understand that Roman isn't doing any using and isn't controlling me!?"

Jey noticed your body language and tone of voice; it was your reaction to him mentioning Cody. And as much as you really wanted to talk to your brother right now, you tried to get away and calm down.

"Aye, sis? " a voice said, bringing your and Jey's attention to Jimmy, the eldest sibling.

Yours and Jimmy's relationship was different from yours and Jey's. You and Jimmy were close despite what happened with your other brothers. But you couldn't talk to him about how you were feeling occasionally. You couldn't even do that with Jey because of how distant you had gotten.

You didn't want to mean it, but you couldn't help but think that Jimmy had his head up Roman's ass so far that everything you did felt, and you did want to tell Jimmy, but you couldn't because of Roman.

"Everything's good?" Jimmy asked you as his eyes heavily narrowed at Jey. Jey and Jimmy made eye contact as Jimmy got closer to the two of you. More Jey than you.

You took a step back. "I'm fine," you said, feeling overwhelmed by what was happening. I'm going to go use the bathroom."

You didn't even give Jey a chance to react before you were off into the bathroom. He looked over in your direction, watching you walk as he sighed. All he wanted was a civil conversation with his sister.

And that couldn't happen.

-

The index finger of Cody's hand gently slipped across the rim of his glass cup as he stared down at his drink. He sat down by the bar by himself, examining his surroundings and the party that was currently going on.

A few people have approached him, making small talk, but most of the time, he was thinking.

He was thinking about a lot of things. His head was clouded. From his decision about WrestleMania to seeing you walking in, Cody knew that his time was limited from exploding.

He noticed the glances from Roman the moment he walked in. Though, Roman kept his distance. Cody wasn't stupid; he knew Roman was more cautious towards him after seeing how incredibly close he was with you. And as much as he needed to stay away from you, a part of him didn't mind pissing Roman off.

But it's you. It wasn't any random woman. He needed to stay far away from you for his sanity. You were all he could think about. It was affecting him badly.

Cody glances at you and Jey as you are in his head again. Fuck, you looked breathtaking in that dress. He knew you knew you looked good, but my god, Cody felt himself wanting to undress you with his own eyes.

He couldn't help but notice your expression—you looked overwhelmed. Your brothers were now standing in front of each other.

Cody knew everything that went down between Jimmy and Jey. The whole world knew what happened between the two. But Cody was the one who took Jey when Jey needed someone the most. And he knew you and Jey's relationship was a bit rocky, which allowed Cody to know precisely what you were feeling.

His eyes followed you as you walked into the bathroom, leaving the two brothers to themselves. His eyes stared at that door. He had a crazy debate about going into it, though it was a girl's bathroom, and he knew how stupid that would be for himself.

"Hey, Cody." Cody turned his head as he saw a figure standing in front of him, causing him to be taken aback a bit.

Dwayne was the last person Cody expected to approach him. His smile indicated that he meant no harm, allowing Cody to smile back.

"Hey, Dwayne," Cody said as Dwayne sat beside him. Dwayne grabbed the bartender's attention as he ordered a drink. Once receiving it, he looked back at Cody. "How you doing."

"Well," Cody said, forcing a small smile. "Just taking one step at a time." He said.

"Well, that's something," Dwayne said, chuckling a bit as he took a sip. Cody let one out, too, and he drank from his cup.

The conversation had already been 20 seconds, and it was already awkward. It wasn't like Cody hated Dwayne. Despite being related to someone he despised, Dwayne was one of his few role models.

But family is family. Deep down, Cody knew that Dwayne would rather defend his cousin than someone who looked up to him. That's how their whole family works.

"Listen, I just want to talk to you about WrestleMania," Dwayne started the conversation. Cody held his hand up. There's nothing really to talk about; I made my decision."

Dwayne nodded. However, the two of them knew that this was not true. Cody didn't want to talk about it, especially to the man who was facing Roman instead of him. "I just want to know if we're good," Dwayne said. "You hear the fans all over social media saying they want you, and I don't want anyone coming in the way and confusing your decision."

Cody took in what Dwayne said. Yes, in less than 24 hours, Cody has been trending all over social media. #wewantcody even took him by surprise. His entire career, he's been in the mid-card. He's never gotten this much notice.

But Dwayne's mention made Cody think a certain way. If Dwayne had only said so, his decision would have stayed the same.

"I made the decision; I can't go back on my word, can I?" Cody said, looking at Dwayne. Dwayne stared at Cody back before nodding, forming a smile on his face. "It wouldn't make sense if you did," Dwayne said. He then got up from his seat. "I'm glad you and I are on the same page."

Cody nodded, taking a sip from his drink. "Yeah, me too."

Dwayne patted Cody on the shoulder as it looked like he was going to walk off and finally end this dreadful conversation. But suddenly, Dwayne stopped and turned back to him. "Oh, there's something else,"

Dwayne took a step closer to Cody as he leaned in to whisper in his ears. "I need you to stay away from Y/N. Or there will be consequences."

Something in Cody infuriated him as he looked at Dwayne. Dwayne patted his back once again before walking off.

Dwayne walking up to Cody and him mentioning WrestleMania didn't get under his skin. But you?

Cody rubbed his temple as you were now back in your head. Roman was the person who sent you to him. And now he's being told to stay away from you.

He couldn't help but laugh. He knew a thousand times that he should stay away from you. But now, just to piss Roman and Dwayne off, and because he knew eventually that he was going to fail at staying away, it made him not want to at the moment.

Cody's eyes scanned the party, then drifted back towards the bathroom door. You haven't left the bathroom since talking to Jey. And Cody fought with his intrusive thoughts, telling him to stay where he was, but wanting to go into that bathroom so badly.

Suddenly, he stood up from his seat, adjusting his suit as his eyes wandered, ensuring no one was looking in his direction. He cautiously made his way toward the bathroom door, making sure no one was watching. Once making it to the door, his eyes looked around one more time before stepping in.

-

You walked into an empty bathroom stall, straight towards the mirror, and started steadying your breathing. Your conversation with Jey went the way you didn't want it to.

You looked at yourself in the mirror as you replayed your conversation with Jey. From Roman to Cody, all you wanted was a peaceful talk with your brother without the outside drama getting in between, but that couldn't happen.

You stayed in the bathroom for a good minute, standing as you continued to take breaths, not trying to get everything under your skin.

All you wanted to do was leave the party, go back to your hotel, and sleep away the problems in your life. However, you couldn't do that, and reality kicked in when you jumped from getting scared of the door opening.

Unfortunately, your face immediately dropped as you looked at the person who had walked in. Cody.

He stared at you, watching your expression. Followed by a click, indicating that he had locked the bathroom door, you involuntarily gulped, followed by silence. His stares imitated you for some reason. You two were known for having intense eye contact, especially when you were around him to distract him. But for some reason, he made you feel small. You can feel him undressing you with his eyes. If only you knew that was exactly what he wanted to do to you that night.

"What are you doing here?" you asked, your voice soft, almost whispered. Cody watched how you reacted to him. This wasn't the first time he'd seen you like this. But it felt different because there wasn't any distraction, no mind games, and just you two.

Cody walked up to you. You're back leaning against the bathroom table as you look up at him. You were trying to read his facial expression, but it was more of curiosity that you could see. "Are you okay?" He asked, not answering your original question.

However, you nodded, watching Cody, then looked down at your lip. You were unaware that you were biting your lip. He had his hands in his pocket right now, but at the moment, he felt himself clenching his hands hard, desperately stopping himself from bending you over and fucking you so severely.

"You shouldn't be in here, Cody," you tell him. Once again, Cody ignored what you said and asked a question about your statement. "You ever thought about that night, Y/N?"

Your heart dropped hearing what he had said. The night the two of you had sex for the first and only time. You thought about that night a little from time to time. The thought of you touching yourself to Cody crossed your mind, causing you to turn away and have your back facing him.

Cody caught a glimpse of your facial expression before you turned. At that moment, you were probably thinking about that night, something dirty. Cody's head was screaming at him to run to that bathroom stall, forget what came out of his mouth, and never speak about it again.

However, it suddenly got hot in the bathroom as you felt him very close to you, breathing down your neck. His hands secretly hesitated before pulling themselves out of his pocket and onto your waist.

"I thought about that night too many times; it's starting to torture me," Cody whispered in your ear. Your hand grabbed onto the table, clenching on it so hard. It took everything in your power not to lean your head back.

"The thought of touching you, making you moan, you'll be such a good girl."

Cody knew that you had a praise kink; it was something that he found incredibly attractive about. He had a kink to females who had a praise kink.

And because of that, he noticed your head shifted a bit, your eyes fluttered closed, and your lips parted open. Fuck those lips. God blessed you with beautiful lips. If it wasn't your skin or your moans that turned Cody on, it was your lips.

"We can't speak about this, Cody," you spoke. Cody felt himself sighing as he laid his head on your shoulders. Not because you were right, but because he was getting hard knowing they shouldn't be doing this.

And you felt it. It poked, causing you to think nothing but yourself throbbing for him. "Fuck," you let out as you couldn't help yourself from grinding against his clothed hard-on.

Why, all of a sudden, the two of you were folding so quickly? You wondered why Cody made you so needy so quickly.

But it didn't matter because he was the same way as he gripped your waist, pulling you closer to him. He watched you through the mirror that you had forgotten was the. Those pretty faces you were making as you bit your lip, stopping yourself from moaning. God, you looked so beautiful.

Cody couldn't help but grunt, seeing how you were reacting to grinding on him. His pants were highly uncomfortable, and he wanted more to fuck you in this bathroom. But he knew he couldn't. And he wasn't, not tonight in this bathroom, at least.

He turned around, however. Your eyes shot open as you stepped so close to the man, his chest almost touching. You now notice him staring down your lips. "Let me taste them, just this once?" he spoke. You remained quiet as his large hands were placed on your chest. They slowly crept up to your neck as he wrapped them around you.

You let out a small moan, causing his grip to be tighter. "Do not moan. Otherwise, I'm going to cum on myself."

Fuck. Why did he say that? It immediately made you do the opposite as another moan slipped out unintentionally. You didn't care that the man had just walked into the women's bathroom; you wanted him badly.

And hearing you moan once again caused Cody's hard-on to joint, tightening his grip. But his grip around your neck wasn't helping him either. You were getting turned by it. Fuck, praise kink, and now a choking kink, has had he remained himself from fucking you.

Cody leans in and lightly places his lips onto yours. He just wanted to touch your lips, that's all. And you didn't stop him; once you felt his kissing, you immediately kissed him back.

The hand that was around your neck was now wrapped around the back of your neck, as his other hand was on your chest. The kiss was slow, and both of you took in how you two felt.

It wasn't until you and your actions nearly made Cody explode as he groaned in between your kisses that caused the two of you to fight with each other using your tongues.

Your hand tugged on his hair as your other hand pulled him close, and you leaned against the bathroom sink again. His hands now went straight down to your ass, squeezing it as your mouth opened while kissing him. Cody rolled his tongue, swallowing your moan.

Your mind couldn't process the fact Cody put his tongue down your mouth. It wasn't processing because of how good the kiss was. You couldn't help but push him away; however, the two of you couldn't even stare at each other, and you were both out of breath.

But Cody wasn't finished. You felt his hands slightly lifting your dress a bit before he reached the side of your underwear.

You watched him, lips slightly swollen, as his eyes darted down at your dress, pulling your underwear down till you kicked it off your ankles.

It was now in Cody's hand as he stared down at it—a black lace thong. Despite walking into the bathroom, he felt you were doing this on purpose. Oh, to see your legs spread open, having nothing but a lace thong covering your pretty clit of yours. He would have tasted you over the thong. The last time he ate you out, he had to reframe himself from making you cum so quickly. He's given head before to other females. You, the taste of your wet clit was too fucking good.

His breathing was what you notice. His chest was rising heavily as you held your thong in his hand. You bite your lip as you take it from him and shove it in his pocket to give him a souvenir. Then, with risk, a substantial fucking risk, you took his hand and placed it in between your thighs.

He didn't pull his hand back. Instead, he moved his hand upwards, allowing your legs to spread again. Your eyes fluttered shut as your hand immediately held onto Cody's hand. You could feel his fingers playing with your folds, feeling how wet you were.

Oh, my fucking gosh, Cody felt absolutely ruined. The pretty sounds coming out your mouth, the fact you were so wet for him you could hear it. He knew that after tonight, there were going to be consequences for his actions. But right now, he rather sees you cum on his fingers.

"You're so fucking dirty," Cody whispered in your ear. "You like that I'm playing with your pretty pussy in this bathroom where there are so many people out there."

Cody bit down on your ear lobe as you let out a whimper. You then looked up at him as he moaned and grew louder, trying your hardest not to have someone hear. But both you and Cody were making that difficult.

"I love it when you play with my pussy, Cody." You moaned out. "Fuck, I missed this, I missed the way you made me feel."

Cody was going feral right now. His fingers were now inside you as he felt you grinding down on them. What has he gotten himself into?

Your mouth was filthy, and you didn't care. Significantly when Cody sped his pace with his fingers, thrusting them in you faster. You threw your head back as he immediately started kissing your neck.

You can feel Cody grinding on your thigh, trying to find some release. You wanted to return the favor as your hand found his erection, cupping it.

However, you frowned as Cody pulled your hand back as he looked at you. "Not today, baby. Right now, it's about you."

You didn't argue. You couldn't argue as Cody added another finger, finger fucking your clit. You felt your orgasm coming.

All you wanted to do was moan loudly as you felt yourself about cum. But you couldn't. Despite being a party, you knew someone would hear you two.

Cody moaned, however, as you brought your lips to his ears and moaned in them. He felt your legs clenching, your clit clenching around his finger. "Ohhh, I'm close, fuck!"

Cody's finger didn't stop thrusting into you as you reached your climax, cumming on his finger. He watched as your face washed over with bliss, your knuckles turning white as you held on to the table and his shoulders. It was such a beautiful sight to see.

You felt him move his fingers out your clit and watch him look down his finger before raising it to his mouth and getting a taste of your wetness. Cody couldn't help but moan. You taste so sweet, so fucking good. It was impossible that you tasted that so fucking good

Your mouth slightly parted as you let out a small gasp, watching him do something unholy. It turned you on all over again, watching him taste you on his finger.

The two of you tried your hardest to avoid each other. After tonight, you knew it was going to be impossible now.

Last Part | Next Part: TBA

TAGGED LIST

@yolobloggers @reebs-luvs-rhodes-and-wrestling @rickastleybaby

@princessesareforsuckers

[damiansgoodgirll]

Hi love 💕 can you please write reader x damian where she has like a chronic illness \ pain and she has some of those days where all she wants is to be taken care of? thank you 💗💗💗

wrote this with high fever so probably not the best :(

damian priest x reader

one of those days

being in that car accident when you were seven really fucked up your life. you were lucky to even be still alive, only getting out of it with bad injuries but nothing worse. expect your dream of being a wrestler fading away.

you grew up watching wrestling with your family. your dad was a fan. your mom was a fan too and you grew being a fan too. you remember asking wrestlemania tickets every year for christmas, nothing more.

but you knew that after being stuck in bed for over a year did nothing but more damage to your body.

it was a really bad accident, leaving you with the worst back pain you’ve ever felt. you thought it was going to go away but it never did. growing up the pain became stronger to the point you had to stay weeks away from school because you couldn’t even move. your dream of being a wrestler completely faded away but your lucky star made your wish come true anyway.

you were a sport journalist and even if you worked for hockey, baseball, football and basketball somehow you ended up hosting a wwe post game show. and that was everything you ever dreamed of.

you had the chance to meet amazing people, new friends and even the love of your life.

at first it was scary having to host interviews with the judgment day but in the end you found out they were the most caring and loving people you’ve ever met. you and rhea bonded immediately. she was the first to know about your pain and about the accident that happened and she made you promise to always call her in case you needed anything. same thing happened with finn and dom. with damian things were a little different. he fell in love with you the moment he saw you and he wanted everyone to know that he was in love. he started from giving you coffee in the morning to offering you lunches and dinners. he loved picking you up in the morning and taking you back home at night. he just loved being in your presence.

and you ended up falling for him too.

he always took care of you in a way no one ever did. not only about the physical pain. he knew you. he knew how to listen to you. he knew how to read you and that was all that mattered to you.

it was one of those morning where you were lucky you didn’t have to leave the house for work that day because you just spent the worst sleepless night ever.

your back was hurting once again and you couldn’t even move your legs to go to the bathroom.

“is everything okay princesa?” damian asked when he saw you trying to move your position in bed.

“just one of those days…”

“here let me help you” he smiled at you, moving his arms under your back, making sure to not hit the spot that hurts you. he helped you sitting more comfortably in bed, positioning some pillows under your back and under your head.

“thank you” you smiled at him.

“it’s my pleasure, do you need anything else? water? something to eat?” he asked softly, making sure he wasn’t overwhelming you.

“i’m okay, thanks” you whispered “can you just hug me?” you shyly asked him.

his heart melted at the sound of your soft and sweet voice “of course love” he said, helping you moving towards his body so now you were laying on his chest while his hands went to your back, gently massaging it.

“does it hurt?” he asked.

“today more than yesterday…it’s normal tho…i just have bad days too”

“i know…i just wish you didn’t have those days…whatever you need i’m here, food, water, a hot bath, just say it and i’ll make everything possible” he smiled at you.

“can we just stay like this forever?”

“as you wish my queen” he laughed making you laugh too.

“i just love you so much damian…thank you for always being here for me”

“te amo mi amor…so much” he whispered when he saw you relaxing against his chest and closing your eyes once again.

he never thought he would find love but you came and proved him wrong.

[thesupreme316]

I was meant to send this earlier but I’m just now getting to it.

AEW stars of your choice reacting to the fem!reader having her/a wrestlermaiea moment, like winning a title or ended a rivalry.

AEW Stars React to: Your Wrestlemania Moment

Pairings: Eddie Kingston X Fem!Reader (Platonic?), Ricky Starks X Fem!Reader, Daniel Garcia X Fem! Reader, Mark Briscoe X Fem!Reader (Platonic), Jeff Hardy x Fem!Reader (Platonic?), Hook X Fem!Reader, Dante Martin X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1.1K

Supreme Speaks: Thank you to @hookerforhook for requesting and supporting me. I apologize for being off the radar as shit as been hitting the fan in my life. I will upload more posts this week. But as always, my inbox and requests is open for everyone. P.S you are loved and greatly appreciated.

Warnings: None really....i think, gifs are not mine, I repeat: gifs are NOT mine

Taglist: @triscillal @wwenhlimagines @hooks-martin @hookerforhook @sheinthatfandom @eddie-kingstons-wifey

Backstory

Winning the Title:

You won the Royal Rumble and had a first-class ticket to Wrestlemania

Where, also, you had the opportunity to the main event with Becky (Or Charlotte or whoever else you want)

After a feud that has been brewing for a couple of months, it all came down to this

You were gonna walk in as the challenger and walk out as the champion

And you did exactly that

All while giving the crowd and fans around the world memorable moments and five-star moves

After 15 minutes, the bell rung and all was said and done as you held the championship over your head

You celebrated with those at ringside (family, friends, fans) before blowing a kiss to the camera

But most importantly to the person who has always supported you, no matter where he is

Ending a Rivalry:

You have been in a rivalry with Liv Morgan (or someone else)

At first, you two were running the division as a tag team before being split up due to comparisons and underlying tensions

After months and months of scathing promos, vicious attacks, and iconic moments

You two were set to wrestle in a No Holds Barred match at Wrestlemania

Even though y’all weren’t the main event, ya’ll stole the show

With moments that involved blood (if you wish), ladders, kendo sticks, and breaking tables

In the end, you were the only one standing with your hand raised as the winner

You helped Liv up before hugging in the middle of the ring

Eddie Kingston

This man would be screaming “I told you so” to everyone and their mommas

Blows up your phone with spam of “You did good! I guess” “Drag her!” “Dawg you suck lol jk” “I’m proud”

You know how Eddie just randomly posts stuff? He’ll just post a pic of you at Wrestlemania followed by memes or old Japanese Wrestling

Eddie would try his best to promote your win to everyone in his line of sight

Cuts a promo and ends with “Also, congrats to Y/N! Hella proud of you skunk”

I also have a feeling that because Eddie is close with you, he would take this win for you a little more personally than how people would expect

He’s happy that you’re experiencing something that he has yet to have

Ricky Starks

MANS IS HELLA PROUD

Wishes he was there ringside, but Ricky sends his support from afar

Make three separate Instagram posts and five tweets about you, all talking about how you’re amazing (and how you’ll meet stroke daddy later)

“LOOK AT MY BABY WITH THE W”

Makes all of his friends congratulate you with posts and comments (will literally take their phones and do it for them if they don’t)

Refers to you in promos to make his opponents (especially ex-WWE) jealous

“Well, unlike you, my girlfriend was actually able to have her Mania moment”

Spoils with presents (wink wink) you as soon as you guys are reunited

Daniel Garcia

THIS MAN IS A MENACE WITH YOUR WIN

“Your win is my win right? So technically I won at Wrestlemania too?” “No.”

Makes your win his Twitter header (don’t matter if you’re together or not)

Will brag on Isiah’s vlogs and to the JAS

Will taunt people like “Did your girlfriend win at Wrestlemania? No, didn’t think so”

Like Ricky, he will post you on his Instagram and Twitter with simple or funny captions

Would genuinely be proud of you and all of your accomplishments;

And would definitely make your Wrestlemania picture/outfit his Home Screen

Mark Briscoe (My twin flame)

HOMEBOY FUNNY AS FUCK

Would definitely tell you that he saw it coming “I CALLED IT!”

Would send you some flowers that remind him of you and tells you that you did a good job

Mark will ramble on and on about your match to Penta and Fenix

Will turn a promo into being about your win

Will compare your victory to an animated movie where the hero wins all the time

“You know like that one film?” “Cars?” “No…Up! That’s what it called”

Although he hasn’t made it to WWE yet, he is extremely proud of you and will defend your victory till the very end

Jeff Hardy

THIS MAN IS BEYOND EXCITED

As a man who has had his Wrestlemania moment; he’s happy that he had yours sooner rather than later

Will recount his own Wrestlemania moments and reminisce as he looks at your bright smile

Jeff would be the one who dedicates his next gear and facepaint to your Wrestlemania gear

Gives you a spill (speech) about living up to standards and upstaging yourself on future occasions

“And if you don’t feel confident…just jump off the ladder, the floor will catch you”

I want to say that in future matches he would use your signature move or like a common move that you use

Jeff is so damn sweet and will continuously support your accomplishments

Dante Martin

This man is a cutie patootie

Darius would definitely post Dante’s reaction (involves him jumping up and down and screaming at the screen)

Would FaceTime you and just listen to you talk about the entire thing from your perspective

Would call/text you “I’m so proud of you baby”

Cites you (and this specific moment) as his inspiration for future interviews

Would have flowers delivered to you with a little note attached

Hook:

His silent celebrations speak volumes

Would definitely take you out to show how proud he is

I feel like that Hook would be the type to like a post about your victory/moment

But what would really solidify your relationship would be that he posted you on his story with a black heart

That’s also how he confirms your relationship

The wrestling world goes wild as he also wears a hoodie of your merch or posts a picture of ya’ll kissing

Like Dante would also have flowers delivered to you, idc what you say

"I love you and I'm so proud of you"

[shawnflowers]

noooo i totally didnt post this earlier whattttt … anywho this has been in my head for a while now i think it’s so sweet. this is gonna take place after wm12 bc emo 🤌🏼 anyway enjoy have fun *nose boops*

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ content: fluff <3

it was 1am by the time the show was over. you were tired, you had a long day the next day, but sleep was absolutely the last thing on your mind.

you watched wrestlemania by yourself, saving yourself the embarrassment of screaming in glee when your boyfriend won his match.

shawn is now the wwf champion, an achievement that was once a dream. how could you not be excited for him? you only wish you could be there for him in person but it just couldn’t work out with your schedule.

so, no, you weren’t in the same time zone and your anxiety festered on for the little sleep you would be getting but it just didn’t matter. what mattered was when he would eventually call you. he’ll probably be on his way to an afterparty very soon, which is fine, you just hope he hasn’t forgotten about you. you just want to hear his voice.

time kept ticking away without the shrill of your phone filling your ears. you got changed into more comfortable clothing, slipping on one of his t-shirts that landed just below your butt. after fifteen minutes of no calls, you made sure to sit right next to the phone as you continued to watch tv. however, your eyes began to droop shut and your body started it’s descent into heaviness as your brain traveled to dreamland.

but then your phone rang.

you sprang up, reaching for the receiver and nearly knocking over your lamp in the process.

“hello?”

there was a beat of silence. “hi, baby.”

“congratulations! i’m so proud of you.” you tried your best not to scream as to not wake your brother up, but it was damn hard. “you’ve always been the champ in my eyes.”

you could hear him chuckle through the line. he probably had his best shit-eating grin on, which, normally you couldn’t stand because it always came with him being cocky, but right now you couldn’t care. who cares about a grin when he’s the new champion?

“thank you. what time is it, are you tired?”

“oh, me? no don’t worry about me i’m fine. so, tell me about it, tell me how you felt.”

“it was incredible, exhilarating, unbelievable, and so many other words i can’t even think of right now. i always thought i looked good wrapped up in gold, but this… this is something else.”

you smiled at that. “that’s good, honey. do you think i can wear it one time?”

“sure, next time i see you. when… is that again?”

“next week. friday to be exact and i won’t be leaving your side for a while,” you hummed, twisting the phone cord around your finger.

“i’m counting on it.”

“are you, though? i don’t think you’re prepared for what i have in store for you.”

“oh? and what’s that, baby?”

you giggled, feeling your cheeks begin to heat. you’re never this brash on the phone but you’ve missed him and all pent up energy is finally coming out. “well, first-”

you heard some rustling on his end of the phone, followed by muffled voices. you heard the voices come a bit closer, determining one of them to be hunter. “shawn?”

after a brief moment of silence, you could hear shawn groan before he eventually spoke again. “shit, sorry. i’ve gotta go, we’ll continue this conversation tomorrow, okay? i’ll make it up to you.”

you faked a sigh, almost as if you were disappointed. but in reality, you knew this moment would be coming. “okay. just one last thing you should know, i’m not wearing any underwear beneath your shirt. have fun!”

“what—” and then you hung up, giggling to yourself, imagining his jaw being slack in disbelief. you’re sure you’ll have to hear about this tomorrow, but for now you sleep, dreaming of him.

[lovingthereign25]

The Chase

Part 9

The morning light beamed through the curtains of yours and Roman's shared bedroom. You turn over seeing your husband already staring at you.

"Good morning Beautiful" he says in his raspy morning voice

"Good morning my love'' you whisper 

Roman pulled your body close to his giving you a good morning kiss, which is usually innocent but today Roman had other things on his mind. As his hands start you slide up your night shirt knowing all too well you were only in panties underneath, you stop him at your hips 

"Roman the girls could wake up any minute." You whisper

"Not today baby,Your parents took them last night and they won't be home until later our moms were taking them out for a shopping day"he says grinding his hardened member into you.

''Shit I completely forgot" you remember

"It's fine baby, now come here and let me make love to my gorgeous wife" he smiles sliding your shirt over your head.

*November 2017* 

In late October rumors the shield reunited. Kicking ass like they always did, taking care of the Miz and his lackeys then ending the night taking down Braun Stroman. Unfortunately seeing Roman in his Shield gear would have to wait he was diagnosed with mumps and out into isolation for three weeks, which he hated but what killed him the most was the fact that he couldn't be around his children .

Raw had been under siege two weeks ago  by Smackdown live.And last week the New day cost Seth and Dean their tag titles. So this week Roman was back and baby was playing no games Stephanie was in the ring yelling at Kurt about how he does his job when the music hits. And Seth, Dean and Roman walked through the crowd into the ring confronting Stephanie and telling her they want a piece of the New Day.

Survivor Series is finally here. The shield vs the New Day was here. Roman fully dressed in his shield gear was here. 

"Hey, Ro just checking to see if your ready Seth and Dean are waiting for you" you say entering his locker room

"Yeah just adjusting my vest" he says

You look him up and down, licking your lips, you don't know what it was but something about Roman in that gear just sent you over the edge. 

"Your staring" he say with a smirk on his face

"Can't help it, I forgot how good you looked in that gear" you say walking up to him 

"Down girl, my match is first" he laughs

"Well I don't have a match tonight so whatta say after your match we head to the hotel and break the gear in again" you say kissing his neck.

"Y/n, Please I can't go to the ring hard" he sighs 

"Sorry, I've just been having such dirty thoughts about you in this gear... you're bringing out the naughty girl in me Daddy" 

You tease

"Fuck, stop I need to head to the ring, you coming?'' he asks

"Hopefully I will be later" you wink slapping his ass

"Let's go'' he laughs shaking his head

As soon as Roman and you were alone in his locker room after the match your lips were on Roman. Anywhere and everywhere his lips,cheeks, jaw, neck, even the little but of exposed chest.

"Y/n, let me change" he moans

" No, no I want you to fuck me while you're in your gear" you pant

"Okay okay but not here baby, I'm not trying to pay a fine for fucking my wife" he laughs.

Once in the hotel room Roman had you undressed in seconds. Leaving you in just your panties just the way he liked it. Roman carried you to the bed throwing you down and sliding your panties to the slide feeling just how ready you were for him.

"You ready baby?"he asks, removing your underwear completely leaving you exposed to him.

"Yes, Roman have your way with me" you say pulling him by his vest to your  lips for a kiss.

"I was planning to, Jesus I love you" he says pushing himself into you making your eyes roll back at how good it felt you be full of him 

"Shit Ro, it feels so good" you say trying to grab onto anything on him to bring him closer to you knowing it wasn't really possible to be any closer then you two were in this moment 

"Yeah, that's it baby girl take it, take it all'' he grunts pulling out of you completely flipping you on to your stomach. He runs his fingers down your spine giving your ass a quick snack before entering again thrusts getting harder and deeper each and every time.

"Fuck, Roman ahhh shit…. damn " you moan 

"Shit Y/n always so freakin tight,I'm not gonna last much longer"he groans

'' I'm close Roman, so close" you moan out

After a few more thrusts you hit your climax screaming Roman's name loud enough for the entire rest of the 5th floor of the hotel to hear. Roman hitting his slightly after you spilling into the condom you agreed on. He laid on the bed patting the spot next to him for you to join him.

"Come on let's rest up before round two" he smiles

"Actually I'm gonna head out, I'm flying to Hawaii for Dakota and Reagan's wedding" you say, finding the rest of your clothes.

"Didn't know his wedding was this week, why didn't you say anything?" He asks

"I don't know, just figured you had a lot on your plate with the match and big reunion"

"He's our nephew Y/n, I would have made a change in my schedule" he says

"Technically he's my nephew, we're separated...until the divorce is finalized" you say

Roman had enough. He was pissed not only at the fact that you didn't tell him about your nephew's wedding but also because you were still gonna go through with the divorce after a few months of this jumping into his bed and vice versa.

"So the divorce is happening,  is that what you're telling me?' he asks

"Well once both sets of papers are signed yeah that's how it usually works babe" you say 

"Then what the hell are we doing Y/n?" He snaps

"What do you mean?" You ask

"This" he says pointing between the two of you "all the kissing ,rubbing on me , dirty talk calling me "Daddy" , all the sex we been having since September, I'm confused" he snaps again

"I don't know, it's just sex I guess, I love you I just can't forgive you Roman"

"You can't forgive me but you can fuck me" he hisses.

*March 2018*

 If it was one thing you hated most in the world it was Roman fighting Brock Lesnar, not because he couldn't beat Brock cause he probably could it was because Brock played dirty and didn't follow WWE rules he did whatever the hell he wanted without any care for his opponent. But here you are weeks away from seeing the match you never wanted to see again. Roman and Brock's issues go further than the ring. It's about the passion and respect for the business that Roman and the other superstars have and Brock doesn't. It's about how Brock has had his eyes on you since you could remember and he always takes a shot to make sexual and inappropriate comments towards you. Brock hasn't shown up for Raw in weeks which left Roman pissed, leading him to express his opinion and landing him "suspended" . Anyway Roman was supposed to show up on Raw breaking suspension and be "arrested" and then Brock would make a move come down F5 Roman and that's it but of course that's not went down Brock attacked Roman while handcuff not once but twice leaving you no choice but to then get involved shoving the beast, slapping , punching , screaming at him to leave Roman alone.

 Brock stops.

"That's nothing Big Dog, wait til Mania" he says laughing. You go with Roman to a medical center.

"You sure you're okay? You ask him

"Yea, I'm good, but Y/n you really shouldn't have got involved, Brock is unpredictable" he says

" Ro, if I hadn't there's no telling what he would have done to you" you say 

" I'd rather me get hurt than you" he snaps

" You were handcuffed, I had to do something, I mean look at your freaking wrist they're bruised" you say rubbing your fingers softly across his bruises.

"I couldn't just stand there and watch him hurt you" you finish

*Wrestlemania 2018*

Your stomach was in knots, your nerves were completely shot. Roman's match was about to start, you were waiting for his music to hit.

" Y/n, I don't want you out here tonight, it's too dangerous" Roman says 

"No way Roman, incase anything happens I will ant to be right there" you say

"Y/n, it's not a conversation,I already told Hunter and Steph I want you banned from ringside" he says

"Roman, are you serious?" You snap

 "Yes, believe it or not I still love you and I care about your well being" he says turning to face Steve who controls the music giving him a countdown on his fingers 

" Fine. Have a good match, please be careful" you say as Roman goes to walk towards the curtain you grab his hand pulling him into a hug and kissing his cheek

"Believe it or not I still love you too, I'll be front row sitting next to your mom" you whispered.

You took your seat next to Patricia,she was just as nervous as you she took your hand in hers.

"He'll be okay, he was born to do this it's in his blood" she smiles

The match started off back and forth, then Brock had the upper hand for a while tossing Roman around like a ragdoll. You say there helplessly watching , next thing you know your husband was put through the announcement table right in front of you with Brock snarling a little " that was for you" you jump to your feet looking over the barrier at Roman, Sika pulling you back to your chair.

"He's got this" he smiles

Brock took Roman back in the ring and delivered another F5 went for the pin but Roman kicked out. You secretly wished he hadn't but he did.

That's was it , Brock was pissed. Your stomach clenching knowing it was a matter of seconds before WWE rules went out the window, and they did Brock takes his protective gloves off punching Roman and hitting him with his elbow at the end ... instantly blood was pouring from Roman's head. You've never seen so much blood in your life your husband was covered in it.

Brock pins Roman. Thank goodness it was over. 

" I got to check on him, that's too much blood" you say with tears in your eyes.

"Y/n?", Is Daddy okay?" You hear Jojo ask

You look at Roman then to your step daughter.

" Yeah, baby he's okay" you fake smile bringing her in for tight hug

Roman makes it to his feet walking to where you and his family are seated, you two make eye contact Roman lowers his head you reach your hand out for him, he grabs your giving it a little squeeze.

" I'll meet you in the back" you say

He just nods.

In the back you see the medics checking on Roman getting him ready for staples, the one tells you he's all done and ready for you to go in and you nearly run to Roman.

" Easy there…..I'm really sore" he laughs holding you tight

You don't say anything instead you kiss him.

" No more, promise me no more matches with Brock" you say

" Y/n, I want that title" he says

"Roman, at what costs him ending your career one wrong suplex and it could snap your neck, I want you happy but I need you healthy, here , our children need you." You say

"Fine, no more matches against Brock" he sighs.

" Thank you" you say

Roman pulls you in between his legs kissing.

" I love you" you say pulling away

"Say it again" he says

" I love you" you smile

" I've missed hearing you say that" he smiles

"Come on let's go home to our kids….all five of them" you smile.

[purplesurveys]

1013

surveys by -thoughtlessdork

Have you ever had the chicken pox? No. I’m constantly in a place of waiting for it to pass by, because everyone tells me all people are bound to have it at one point in their lives (idk how true that is, though). I am also told it gets a lot suckier as one gets older, so...not too thrilled about it at all.

how often do you do laundry? I don’t handle that chore myself, but it’s done 1–2 times a week in our house.

Have you ever been evicted? Nopes.

would you grow your own garden? I don’t see that happening. I’m a magnet for killing plants.

do you know anyone who snores? I do.

Trigger warning kinda, by the end.

what is your favorite font? Proxima Nova. It’s the default font that my org used for all documents and works-in-progress, and it ended up becoming my actual real-life favorite. I’ve always picked out that font even outside of org matters.

do you know what a wombat is? Sure.

would you make a good movie critic? Not at all. I don’t know enough about different filmmaking elements to make a reliable critic. I’ve criticized things like acting, plots, and dialogues in the past, of course; but there’s still so many things that go into films that aren’t overtly projected like lighting, symbolism, hidden meanings, etc. I don’t have a very good nose for those.

what goal are you aiming for this year? In the last 8 weeks of the year? Hmm...avoiding corona would be at the top of that list, lmao.

are you currently reading any books at the moment? No. I’ve stopped opening the book I used to constantly mention on here.

when i say foxy lady what comes to mind? Beyoncé’s character in the Austin Powers movie she was in lol; her name was Foxxy.

would you have liked to have lived during the Victorian times? Wasn’t this era like a golden age of sorts for the UK? I’d love to visit for that purpose; but given the still-horrible hygiene and living conditions for most people of the time, I wouldn’t choose to live there.

would you own a Siamese cat? No.

have you ever had an ultimate adrenaline rush? I don’t think so. I’ve had bursts of energy in the past, but I wouldn’t call any of them an ultimate adrenaline rush.

do you like deviled eggs? I’ve never had them; it’s not a common dish here. But they always look so good in the American shows I watch??? I really hope they taste as good as they look.

what tends to upset you? Hearing anything about animal abuse.

what's the farthest you've walked? I can’t give you a distance, but my parents opted for us to walk the whole time we were in Bali (except if we had a tour day which included transportation). Walking in an unfamiliar - and very humid - country and not knowing where anything is (this was before food and travel apps got as detailed as they are today) and ending up walking long stretches because you can’t locate any good local spots is a very easy way to run out of patience, apparently.

what is your favorite horror movie? Carrie was pretty fun.

what does your favorite shirt look like? It’s a twist on the Chicago flag, made black and red and with a raised fist in the middle. At the back it says “CM Punk: Best in the World.” Been my favorite and most overused shirt for the past 9 years. My friends tease me about it sometimes, but I don’t care lol, the shirt is very significant to me.

is your life like a daily routine? It is, but I prefer that it is. I like when things are in my control and, for the most part, predictable. I enjoy spontaneity in short bursts.

were you ever told as a child if you eat carrots you'll have pretty eyes? So many times.

what career are you most interested in? Communications and media, so it’s great that I’m headed there so far.

have you ever seen a rooster? Sure.

what time do you usually wake up? I wake up wake up by 7:30 or 8 AM, but I usually also wake up for a bit any time between 4–6 AM. Sometimes I choose to stay up from then, and sometimes I’d want to go back to sleep.

what do you think about religion? It’s good when people use it for good, or if it has helped save a person’s life. In my own personal experience, though, it’s beenhard to find Christians who aren’t hypocritical. So even though I see religion’s potential, I don’t have a lot of trust in believers themselves.

what made you feel most accomplished in your life so far? Graduating college.

have you ever seen a lunar eclipse? I saw the super blue blood moon two years ago, which according to a quick Google search is a lunar eclipse! So yeah, I’ve seen one.

what are you allergic to? No allergies.

do you ever feel like people hold things you do or say against you? Only my mom does this.

what can't you afford but wish you could? Front-row Wrestlemania tickets. My childhood (and now adulthood) dream is to go to Mania 50 which is only 14 years from now, but at least I still have more than enough time to save up for it. 

--

what is one word that sums up this year so far? Revelatory. ever felt like you were putting your life in danger? [trigger warning] Yes, it’s called suicidal tendencies. what do you like with your eggs? If scrambled, with cheese. If omelette...stuff that crap up with everything lol. Tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, cheese, ham, bacon, and onions are all good in my book. what remedy do you partake when experiencing the common cold? The good ol’ wait-for-it-to-go-away life hack. would you ever spend a weekend in the mountains in a log cabin? That sounds amazing. I sure would. have you ever been called a psycho? No. have you ever taken martial arts? would you? No but I was always a little envious of my cousin who was taken to taekwondo class every weekend when we were kids. Sure, I’d take classes if I had the chance. who is someone you look up to? Nacho, but he’s gone now. is there something you're anxious about? I have work jitters for tomorrow, but they’re manageable for now. Otherwise I’m feeling pretty good. what is the longest you've gone without sleep? A little above 24. what is the longest you've been on the phone? This makes me cringe now, but it was like 8 hours long or something like that. It was still the ~honeymoon phase of that relationship and we were still clingy. We never did it again after that. do you care about calories? No. do you know someone with a really annoying laugh? Nah, can’t think of anyone. what band do you mostly always listen to no matter what mood? Paramore.  have you ever been to Indianapolis? Nope.

--

what type of bread do you like to eat? I eat white bread all the time, but my favorite kind is brioche. do you have any great great grandparents still living? Two greats is a bit too much don’t you think? Lmao. Anyway, my last great-grandparent died in 2010. I never knew my dad’s grandparents, and my great-grandfather on my mom’s side had died all the way back in the 70s. what is one country that you really want to visit someday? India. who usually cooks or what do you usually crave the most? Those are two different questions haha. My parents take turn cooking; and as for my craving, I find myself seeking sushi most of the time. ever been associated in a program that was a complete waste of time? Yep, like that one time I had to attend this 5-hour mandatory program/seminar before my driver’s license could be issued to me; it taught me nothing I didn’t already know about driving, and it used driving tutorials that I’m pretty sure were recorded in the 90s. This seminar took place in 2016. do weird numbers call your phone? Not regularly. Occasionally an unknown number will come in, but I reject all those. where are you right now? Sitting up on my bed. do you tend to care about other people's feelings more than your own? Yes. I really shouldn’t. what type of lifestyle do you want to obtain? if you haven't obtained it [trigger warning] I haven’t even figured out yet if I love life enough to want to stay in it. A type of lifestyle isn’t much of a priority for now. what was something that use to frighten you as a child? Getting lost at the mall. have you ever been on a train? Just once. who's been in your life the longest? did you expect this person to still be around? Apart from family, Angela. Yes, she’s here for the long haul. how do you feel about anatomy? Fascinating. I’d take a class on it. Insert interesting fact here: Read this on Reddit a few days ago, so I’ll just copy-paste the whole thing: “When Jadwiga, the King of Poland (medieval Poland referred to every ruler as King regardless of gender), was considering a marriage proposal from the Grand Duke of Lithuania, a chief concern among her court was that said Duke was rumored to have massive genitals to the point that they would kill his wife on their wedding night. Two of her councilors volunteered to travel to Lithuania to try and discover the truth of these rumors, which naturally meant they would watch the Duke as he bathed. They returned and happily reported that not only weren’t the Duke’s genitals fatally large, they were in fact a tad smaller than average, so nothing to worry about. Thus Poland and Lithuania were united, and the rest is history.” Got a chuckle out of that one when I read it that I just had to scroll through the entire thread again just to be able to share it here lmao.

[andymull]

WWE Elimination Chamber 2020 - Preview & Predictions

Nattie vs Liv Morgan vs Shayna Baszler vs Asuka vs Ruby Riott vs Sarah Morgan - Elimination Chamber Match - Winner Faces Becky Lynch At Wrestlemania

This is the main event?? Really? No offense to the girls but there’s only one winner in the match, the others haven't had feuds for months/ arent anywhere near a world title match at Mania quality/ have only recently returned from injury and isnt ready for the title feud just yet/ or should be in the middle of the build for a women’s tag title feud for Mania. This is bleak

They really have ONLY included Sarah Logan in the match just to solely have the Riott Squad former members face off for one spot, that’s it..... to even suggest she deserves this spot instead of Kairi is laughable. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that the IIconics haven't been on tv for what? 110 days is it now?

This is all Shayna build for the Becky match, any other winner results in a less heated match at Mania and isnt required. I still say that Shayna should have won the Rumble to really get her push started, and that Charlotte going to NXT didnt need her to win the Rumble to cause a big impact. Baszler dominates here for me, eliminates at least 4 of the others on way to victory with Becky Lynch stood cage side with a face of confidence slightly slipping after seeing the dominance - BASZLER

Unless Ronda takes out Nattie and enters the Chamber.......

Braun Strowman (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro and Sami Zayn - 3 on 1 Handicap Match

Four guys I like in a match I couldn't care less about sadly.

Will Braun go over clean and destroy any of the oppositions chances of getting another title match anytime soon, or will others come to his aid to support him?

Will any of this matter tomorrow?

Will they just have a multi man match on this weeks Smackdown regardless to find the challenger for Braun at Mania? I guess so - STROWMAN 

Bobby Roode + Dolph Ziggler vs Heavy Machinery vs Lucha House Party vs The Uso’s vs John Morrison + The Miz (c) vs The New Day - Smackdown Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber Match 

I imagine the guys involved here will have a number of spots planned for this to make the match memorable, as really the biggest spot of the match wont be the winners it will be Otis getting his hands on Ziggler............and the biggest cheer at Mania will be for Otis kissing Mandy as well.

So for this match I think we can obviously rule out the Lucha House Party, late substitutions for The Revival, as well as Roode/Ziggler and H Machinery as I see them fighting without the belts at Mania. So we are down to the front row of the image, for me I see the champs retain and we move to a three way for the belts at Mania between those teams - MORRISON/MIZ

Aleister Black vs AJ Styles - No DQ Match

I really wish this was on to put over Black as a massive threat and one of the next challengers for the title on Raw, sadly I think this ends with them building the Styles/Undertaker feud with Taker costing Styles the match and Black winning like an after thought.

I hope that puts Black in a position to go against Andrade down the road to take the title and elevate higher than its at currently (if he keeps the title that is)

But yeah this is all about the final moments of the match, the bout will see some great action but none of it will matter here as other things are more important for them.............unless they plan on Black/Taker vs The Club at Mania - BLACK

The Street Profits (c) vs Seth Rollins & Murphy - Raw Tag Team Championship Match 

So happy for the Profits to win the titles and hope they can retain tonight and keep them awhile longer facing great wrestlers to impress more.

The challengers dont need the titles, well Seth doesn't but Murphy could do with a belt to elevate his-self more but there are other options for that down the road - STREET PROFITS 

Andrade (c) vs Humberto Carrillo - United States Championship Match

These two always bring a great match when facing each other, id love for Andrade to keep the belt and move up to bigger challengers but it does feel like its time for Humberto to win the belt - CARRILLO

Daniel Bryan vs Drew Gulak

Im so happy that Bryan is getting to work with the guys he wants and help out others in getting better footing in the company.

Does he decide to try and put over Gulak to make him a serious threat, or just have a super competitive bout but ultimately take the win?

Whoever wins I hope Bryan carries this on and helps out others - BRYAN 

War Raiders vs The Boy Toyz

A late addition to the show on the kick off segment before the PPV, an easy one sided squash - RAIDERS 

-----------------

What a weird, strange looking card this is. Neither Lesnar or Goldberg are booked in a match, usually one of them has to defend in the chamber to make a massive men’s match but none of that’s happening tonight. So many great names are off this card with no sniff at being involved in the Mania build even slightly, straight to the battle royal for most I guess.

Hopefully afew of the matches should be great quality wise to enjoy and take in, and hell if not spend alittle money and join The Lapsed Fan’s Patreon and listen to their takes on the show and cry in laughter 

Everyone have fun and get your sleep in as the Wrestlemania card will probably start in afew days with how many matches they’ll have

Bye for now

Andy

[daleisgreat]

WrestleMania 35

As of this writing, WrestleMania 36 is set to air in two days, and due to the fallout from the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, will be airing taped from an empty arena a couple weeks prior, and over two nights. I have been advocating for two night ‘Manias since the WWE Network era of PPVs have caused WrestleManias having bloated cards and lasting nearly SEVEN hours when factoring in the pre-show matches. Since it is WrestleMania week, I am here to continue my annual tradition of watching the previous year’s installment on BluRay and break it all down here. I broke up watching the nine-ish hours of BluRay content over a few days, which lead for a more non-overkill experience, and I ended up enjoying the overall show exponentially more this way as you will soon read on. Now even though the BluRay has around nine hours of content on the disc, the cumulative total of content the BluRay unlocked for me was about 12 hours by including a digital copy of not only the PPV, but also a digital only copy of the Hall of Fame ceremony that preceded WrestleMania a couple days prior. For the second straight WrestleMania BluRay, the Hall of Fame is not included on the disc, and is instead replaced with the following night’s RAW in its entirety, which here is just over two hours when taking out all the ad breaks.

The Hall of Fame ceremony this year saw Jerry Lawler replaced as the host with Corey Graves & Renee Young, complete with grimace-caliber jokes of the stereotypical award show variety. The 2019 ceremony also saw a different setup with a ring in the center of the arena where all the speeches were delivered, and while it provided a nice visual, it also made it easier for an overzealous fan to run in and attack cancer and stroke survivor, Bret Hart during his speech. I recall getting the faintest look at the guy before cameras cut away and at first thinking because of the goofy hair that it was Enzo again up to shenanigans a few months after dancing in the front rows of the crowd at Survivor Series, but was then further perplexed to find out minutes later that Enzo and Cass did a worked shoot run-in at the G1 Supercard concurrently taking place. It turned out it was a fan with mental health issues, and obviously WWE cut out the run-in on the final Hall of Fame video cut, and the only thing apparent of something happening is that after a cut to the crowd, Bret Hart’s hair is suddenly tangled up. If you have not witnessed that brazen fan run-in, click or press here for fan-phone footage of proceeding to get pounced by countless wrestlers almost instantly. Bizarre fan attack aside, it was a much brisker ceremony (only three and a half hours!) thanks in part to no Hillbilly Jim speech this year (which was deservingly poked at this year), and a couple inductees not having inductions either, and the ones that did must have had strict time limits because I do not recall an inductor going longer than five minutes. Honkey Tonk Man set the stage with the fun-gimmick from the Rock ‘n Wrestling years, with a groovy entrance and exit, complete by singing his song on the way out and doing a noticeably better performance than Double J the year prior. Torrie Wilson’s speech felt more of a Ted Talk, but still heartwarming and inspirational and I will give her all the benefit of the doubt considering her father and former on-screen talent and Dawn Marie love interest, Al Wilson passed away two days prior. Also pleasant was seeing Stacy Kiebler break her 13-year WWE absence by inducting her.

The legacy class of 2019 had another ten inductees with brief 20-30 second video pieces on each. Most of them are more classic pre-cable TV era wrestlers, but some are more recently noteworthy and remembered like SD Jones, Bruiser Brody and Luna Vachon and in my opinion more deserving of traditional inductions. I hope if WWE keeps this up they will at least have a family member do a separate video induction and include it on their website for a more proper way to remember these legacy stars. The Hart Foundation was the next inductee, with Natalya accepting for her father, The Anvil. Bret and Naddie gave the successful Rock ‘n Wrestling era tag team a fitting induction, filled with classic stories from their days in one of the most successful periods of tag teams in WWE history. Brutus Beefcake gave a surprisingly good speech for his induction, as did the Hulkster for inducting him as he laid out how he broke Brutus into the business. Kind of surprising it happened considering the recent disparaging comments between the two with Brutus’s tell-all biography from a couple years earlier, but maybe it ‘was all a work brother!’ Props to Brutus for giving the Doctors who saved him from his terrible parasailing accident their kudos, and for calling out Shawn Michaels for still owing him for his barbershop window! The Warrior Award went to Sue Ajtheson, a backstage WWE official who is largely responsible for their Make-a-Wish efforts. Dana Warrior and John Cena gave heartfelt, genuine inductions for her, and Sue was a gem enlightening us about her philanthropic accomplishments.

Harlem Heat got inducted next, and after Booker T gave his brother Stevie Ray an outstanding tribute, it was then time for Stevie Ray sharing several stories of the trials of Harlem Heat breaking in before they finally found success in WCW. D-Generation X headlined the Hall of Fame, and as expected it was lengthy with X-Pac, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, Shawn Michaels and Triple H all giving speeches. They unleashed some vintage DX humor to start off with. Other highlights include giving Chyna her proper acknowledgement, Billy Gunn getting razzed for being with the new competition in AEW, X-Pac getting super jittery in his sea of notes and all of them busting out Super Soakers and dousing their colleagues in the crowd, especially Baron Corbin. Now onto the 16 match WrestleMania 35 card (guys….I am sorry, thank you so much for sticking with me!). If you have yet to watch WrestleMania 35 then before reading this recap, I recommend breaking it up into a two part watch, and give this strong recommendation of preferred matches for each night to make for a better experience that I guarantee you will not struggle to stay awake through: WrestleMania 35 – Day 1 Watch Order: Tony Nese vs Buddy Murphy, WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar, SmackDown Tag Titles Fatal Four Way, Miz vs. Shane McMahon, Triple H vs. Batista, Elias/John Cena ‘Concert’, Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley, Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan WrestleMania 35 – Day 2 Watch Order: Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins vs. Revival, Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton, Women’s Tag Titles Fatal Four Way, Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre, Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin, Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch Four of those matches were on the pre-show and are included on the BluRay as extras. In a rare move, WWE had the local have a feel good moment with Tony Nese winning the Cruiserweight Title from Buddy Murphy in a nice hybrid of strong style and high-flying that got the crowd hot by the end. In the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, Carmella played the surprise last second sneak-in card to eliminate Sarah Logan and win the ‘prestigious’ hip/leg trophy. In a surprising second feel good hometown hero story, Curt Hawkins snapped his 269 match losing streak when him and his fellow bro-ski, Zack Ryder won the RAW tag titles from The Revival when Hawkins got the surprise inside cradle for the electric pop! In the final pre-show match, Braun Strowman won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal by eliminating celebrity entrants, SNL’s Colin Jost & Michael Che. A lot of hype on RAW built up the SNL stars, but the two hid under the ring until the end of the match in their failed efforts to surprise eliminate Braun.

In the official WrestleMania opener, Seth Rollins won the Universal Title from Brock Lesnar. Their follow-up match at SummerSlam is leagues better, because all there is to this is Brock getting an early attack on Seth and brutalizing him outside the ring for a few minutes, and then only a couple minutes into the actual match Seth low blows Brock and hits a few stomps for the victory. Last few years something about Randy Orton has made his stock rise higher for me. I appreciate his ring IQ and psychology that allows matches to breathe, and Orton’s skills blended perfectly with AJ Styles with some convincing sequences before Styles hit a Phenomenal Forearm for the win. The first of two four way tag title matches occurred next with the Usos, The Bar, Rusev & Shinske Nakamura and Aleistar Black & Ricochet vying for the SmackDown straps. All four teams brought it, and did not appear they were there for an easy payday with the creative spots they unleashed with an innovative tower of doom spot and Cesaro’s countless swings to the crowd’s approval until the Usos hit their double top turnbuckle splash on Sheamus for the W. I loved the buildup for The Miz and Shane McMahon’s Falls Count Anywhere match. Miz gradually won over Shane’s trust all in the name to win his dad’s precious approval, only to then see Shane turn on Miz and attack Miz’s dad! I was not disappointed with how they got Miz’s dad involved in the match with Shane shaming Miz’s dad’s ability to fight. The two had a pretty solid brawl all over the arena that ultimately saw Miz deliver a suplex from the tech area scaffolding onto a crash pad, but saw Shane conveniently laid out barely over Miz to nudge out a three count for the fluke upset. The newly established Women’s tag titles were on the line with Sasha Banks & Bayley defending against the Iconics, Nia Jax & Tamina and Natalya & Beth Phoenix. A lot of controversy was reported on the champs throwing a tantrum backstage hearing they were losing the titles, which happened when Billie Kay stole a pin with a blind tag on Beth Phoenix after she hit a top rope Glam Slam. Minus a handful of moments, Sasha and Bayley’s main roster runs have been beyond disastrous compared to their rise up the ranks in NXT.

‘KofiMania’ emerged when Kofi Kingston vanquished that vile do-gooder, Daniel Bryan to become the first full blooded African American to win the WWE title in its near 60 year history. There were a couple of extended hold sequences in the front half that overstayed their welcome, but the back half amped up big time with some creative reversals, near-falls and clever use of the New Day and Erik Rowan on the outside. I was just as happy as the WWE locker room shown celebrating for Kofi after he hit the Trouble in Paradise to win the championship. He had a killer half year run as champ….until Brock Lesnar waffled him in seven seconds for the gold and Kofi immediately went right back to the midcard in his happy-go-lucky pancake thrower days of yore and acted like his championship run never happened. Samoa Joe finally got his overdue WrestleMania debut match against a recently returned Rey Mysterio. I presumed the two had an epic match lined up, but Rey got hurt the RAW before and was only capable of performing for about a minute before Joe locked in his trademark Kokina Clutch for the submission victory. Roman Reigns was up next in his first singles match coming back after overcoming a second bout of Leukemia for the heartwarming win against Drew McIntyre. I recall dreading the buildup for this because Drew had a variety of ‘you may have conquered cancer…’ type promos and hyped himself up as deadlier than cancer, when naturally everyone knew Roman was going to win, and that is exactly what we got in a formula Roman match. The read in the ardent fan crowd throughout the match was readily apparent, they were no longer booing Roman out of the building like they normally would, because what kind of person can boo a cancer survivor (please do not answer that)? However, there was no overwhelming crowd going wild reaction either, but more of a tempered, altruistic applause instead. That has primarily been Roman’s reception for coming back since, and that is kind of how I feel too.

Elias performed a one man ‘concert’ next complete with other hologram Elias projections playing in conjunction with him until John Cena interrupted. John came out in throwback Dr. Thugganomics form and laid down some rhymes before hitting a F-U to the crowd’s approval. The presumption going in by most was that Undertaker would make his requisite WrestleMania appearance here, but 2019 marked the first time since 2000 that Undertaker did not appear or wrestle in any form on a WrestleMania. Strangely enough, Undertaker did interrupt another Elias performance the next day on RAW. Triple H and Batista squared off in a No Holds Barred brawl next, and I recall being burnt out by this point in the card and nodding off throughout it. Match held up incredibly better on second viewing with the two busting out a wide variety of weaponry in too many gruesome spots to dissect, other than that grotesque nose ring spot that reverberated throughout everyone in the crowd. The finish saw Triple H hitting probably the slickest looking sledgehammer shot ever with some added trajectory by leaping off the stairs, and following it up with the Pedigree for the pin. Kurt Angle hit the end of the line in a few months of ‘farewell tour’ matches against Baron Corbin here. I was worried for Angle as his previous few matches saw him struggling to go through the motions, but a few weeks of added rest benefitted him here with him looking remarkably better and capable of several of his vintage suplexes and throws, and even busting out an impressive moonsault….that missed and lead him walking into an End of Days that netted Corbin the pinfall. Finn Balor faced Bobby Lashley in the penultimate match of the night, and the two delivered a short, but high energy match to help inject some energy into the understandably deflated crown by this point. Balor hit his Coup de Gras for the pin.

The 16th and final match of the night saw the women headline WrestleMania for the first time ever with the Women’s titles for both RAW and SmackDown on the line in a triple threat between Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. All three laid it in strong style in easily one of the hardest hitting women matches I have ever seen. All three were decorated with battle scars, especially Ronda’s leg! However, one significant botch tarnished the match, and unfortunately it happened right at the finish when Lynch countered Rousey’s Piper’s Pit slam with a crucifix for the pin. Rousey inadvertently popped her shoulder up during the pin, and the ref did not restart his count and continued with the controversial three count. Even the announcers did not turn a blind eye to it and questioned the ref’s call, and it turned out the ref was later fined for blowing the call. I am not going to recap the following night’s RAW, but I did watch it and will give a couple key takeaways since the RAW after WrestleManias are notorious for returns, and unpredictable fan reactions suffering from wrestling burnout. Rollins and Kofi teased a winner takes all title match, but it quickly morphed into a tag match after The Bar interfered to the crowd’s rightful disgust! The controversial Lars Sullivan debuted on the main roster, Sami Zayn returned and turned heel after nearly a year away from double rotator cuff surgery. Dana Brooke and Mojo Rawley both deliver bizarre backstage promos. There was the aforementioned Undertaker attack on Elias and finally Dean Ambrose’s final televised WWE match that did not officially get started because he brawled outside the ring with Bobby Lashley before getting sent through a table. There is one last BluRay bonus that has footage from after RAW went off the air, where Rollins called out Roman and Dean and brought them to the ring for one last curtain call from The Shield.

That puts a wrap on the yearly monstrous WrestleMania recap. Once again I give my heartfelt gratitude for sticking with me the whole way through this. It was a chore to get through the whole show live in one shot, but it definitely helped spacing it over a few days this second time around. Again, if there is any upside with WWE having to switch up their WrestleMania plans with the global pandemic currently happening, it is that them having WrestleMania transpire over two days will make it vastly more watchable, and decrease the burnout of trying to watch wrestling for seven hours straight. Throw in the wild cards of the empty arena and undisclosed filming locations for the gimmick matches, and well….check back with me here next year to see how it all played out.

Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 Eric Bishoff: Wrestlings Most Controversial Figure Fight Owens Fight: The Kevin Owens Story For All Mankind Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Hulk Hogans Unreleased Collectors Series Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT: From Secret to Sensation NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Scott Hall: Living on a Razors Edge Shawn Michaels: My Journey Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder Then Now Forever – The Evolution of WWEs Womens Division TLC 2017 TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania III: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017

[kdtheghostwriter]

SNK 116: V Has Come To

Alexa: play “Roundabout”

When I first saw the Kanji that represents “rumbling,” my first two thoughts, in immediate succession where as follows: “Oh, shit, is it already happening” and “Oh, no, wait it’s just like JoJo.” (Fun fact about that ED, since Ded Memes live here. The little To Be Continued arrow always flies in before the drums hit. Like everything it gets adjusted for the purposes I suppose. Anyway!) Honestly, every chapter in this volume has ended like the episode of an anime, including this one with its hero/villain stare down and triumphant proclamation from the narrator. More on how those tables have turned later.

 I want to spend most of this essay talking about Eren, since I spent most of the last one talking about his older brother. I’m not so much surprised at the direction his character has taken after so many years of pain and abuse. What does take me aback is how so many people are apparently sympathetic to Zeke while hating Eren, especially considering how Eren had a comparatively awful upbringing while spending a lot less time being shitty to people.

But maybe I shouldn’t be too shocked. Even as the main character, he’s always been controversial. Whether by people who want him to be paired with one character or another, or those who just plain don’t like him. Even in-story, good will has been hard to come by. One minute they’re honoring you and your friends in front of the Queen. A few years later, you’re locked underground as a fugitive of the military-controlled government.

It was the Chapter 112 recap where I broke down the nuance of a pro wrestling storyline – specifically in regards to their character-driven nature. I used performers like Shawn Michaels and Brett “The Hitman” Hart to outline the natural progression of a character from fan favorite to hated ne’er-do-well. Now, I’ll be using an example much more relevant to the story. The Rise then Fall then Return then “Turn” of Daniel Bryan.

Most important thing to note about Daniel Bryan is that he’s not supposed to be in the ring at all. A series of concussions and other injuries forced him to retire from active in-ring competition. This was directly after a year-long saga of him trying to prove himself as a main event player. After what seemed like endless waves of red tape and front office hurdles, he achieved the absolute pinnacle of the business. Winning in the main event of the year’s biggest show, WrestleMania, and becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. It was always going to be downhill from that point. What couldn’t have been predicted was the suddenness of it.

Three years pass and Daniel Bryan announces his imminent return to active competition. His first match back is yet again at the Showcase of the Immortals. He receives a hero’s welcome and for several months is riding a familiar high as the most popular superstar in all of wrestling. And then, he fights AJ Styles and something changes.

I must note here briefly that at this point in the latter part of 2018, AJ Styles himself is enjoying a year-long run as champion of the world’s largest federation. He and Daniel Bryan were scheduled to have a match at the Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Yes, the same Saudi Arabia that allegedly orchestrated the murder of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi. Daniel Bryan, along with other members of the roster, refused to make the trip. As such, his WWE Championship match was pushed up a week to be contested on TV. Bryan lost this match, but that would not be the last time they faced. In fact, the very next time the two squared off, Bryan captured the title, albeit via some nefarious means. It was after this match (followed by a match with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar) that something broke within Daniel Bryan.

The WWE’s relentless media schedules as well as the punishment of months of fighting on the road finally broke him down mentally as well as physically, and he decided that enough was too much. Daniel Bryan utilized his newfound platform as champion and killed the movement that catapulted him to worldwide fame. In its place, a message of repentance. He replaced the leather strap of his title belt with one made of hemp and naturally fallen oak. He railed against the paying fans for their unchecked consumerism and even admonished his boss, billionaire Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment Vince McMahon, for exploiting their more reductive tendencies.

This is going to sound weird because, honestly, these things change month-to-month but, yes, Daniel Bryan is supposed to be the bad guy here. And for a segment of the audience he absolutely is. Live crowds across the country (excluding his home state of Washington) hate Bryan with a fiery passion. Meanwhile, all of Twitter asked all at once, “Wait, you want us to…boo him?” It’s the most famous Heel Turn in recent memory due in part to the circumstances and the performer involved. This was the most popular wrestler in the world not six months prior. But even though the crowd still loved him, they were not clamoring for him like they had been. The magic of the Yes Movement was largely gone.

In Shingeki no Kyojin, I’ve witnessed this cycle ad nauseum. It’s the ebb and flow of fandom. I’ve been reading this series long enough to recall a time when Eren was seen as a useless, whiny geek as opposed to the badass world-beater he is now. There was a time, believe it or not, where Reiner was as polarized and hated as Eren is now. Before that even! Reiner was little more than the cute, air-headed jock before he and Bertholt revealed themselves as spies. Isayama reveals him as his favorite character and he’s been the darling of the fandom ever since. Second perhaps only to Commander Handsome himself who is even more popular in death. Annie still has her fans, despite only being in maybe fifteen percent of this manga.

My point is the same that Isayama has been getting at for the past three volumes or so. (Maybe more than that if we accept Kruger’s monologue as the first example.) Your notion of how the world works has been fucked from the start. Good and evil; right and wrong; Marley and Paradis. Reality is only as good as your perspective. The author was not content with just stating this, though. To prove his point, he deconstructed his own carefully planned narrative, rebuilt it backwards, then flipped it upside down so that now, we’ve come back ‘round to this.

Funny thing, life is. When your idols become your rivals. Eren once confided in Reiner for support in his darkest moments. Now, it’s very likely he’s going to try and kill him. Simply for getting in his way. This is more of the framing I’ve talked about before from Isayama. This looks like any other match card from an actual title bout. To show you what I mean, I’m going to line up several examples.

Seeing it now? Classic promoter tactics. Building up the hype. People rib on the Dragon Ball series for doing this sometimes – in the case of Z – to a comical extent. But really, this method can be seen elsewhere in stuff like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, One Piece, Yu Yu Hakusho, Lupin the Third; I really could just name twelve more titles.

This is a rematch four years in the making. Yes, they met in Liberio but I don’t count that as a fight, considering Eren won long before anyone even transformed and Reiner was literally begging for his death. In present day, the Warriors have caught The Usurper off guard and they have much needed backup. This conflict has been set up like the apex of any Marvel movie. The mismatched group of heroes converging on one point, because the only hope they have of defeating the super villain is if they do it together.

This is why Pieck didn’t pull the trigger when she had the chance and also why Eren didn’t transform and splatter her and Gabi against the dungeon walls. Pieck is part of a team. A team with a plan. Part of that plan involved getting Eren Jaeger out in the open where he would be exposed to an all-out attack. Eren had prior knowledge of the Warrior Unit’s arrival and knew his best option was to track their location and cut them off. Pieck was likely dead whether she cooperated or not. What Eren didn’t account for was Porco, who was actually in plain sight amongst the other Jaegerists, but in a world where photography has just recently been introduced, one could not expect them to recognize him out of his Titan.

 Pieck trusted her friends, and now they are all dropping in to Shiganshina to aid in her rescue. Eren did not trust his friends, and now they are all dead, mutilated or locked in a cell and they won’t be coming to his rescue. In another manga, this would be the turning point of the story where the Big Bad got his comeuppance and learned the ultimate lesson about the Power of Friendship and the series would end with the two brothers embracing in a pile of rubble. This is not any manga. Eren has three Titan powers at his disposal. (Four if he can get his hands on Porco again.) Unless there is a legit airstrike of some sort or some other secondary offensive, Reiner has no chance of winning this. Maybe he doesn’t have to, depending on what the plan is.

We still don’t know what Eren’s plan is either! That’s probably the biggest difference between him and Daniel Bryan. The Daniel Bryan character was developed weekly on television over many months and his motivations up to this point have been fully fleshed out. Eren’s motivations are a mystery to everyone except Eren. Even his brother Zeke doesn’t know what he’s up to. Zeke who, by the way, can magically appear in this upcoming battle as well. No, I don’t think Eren is the final “bad guy” of this story. I just wish he was, because he’s damn good at doing it.

I do not know how this ends. I am, however, sure of one thing.

  Stray Thoughts

- I wouldn’t say either Eren or Pieck had the other fooled at any point. They were at an impasse and Eren decided to move the plot along.

- Eren isn’t the classic mwahaha villain (yet) but wow is he angry. And not the violent, explosive anger we know him for. Cold, cunning, calculated. I genuinely feared for Pieck’s life despite her holding the gun.

- I know we’ve been conditioned by this story to search for subtext, even when it’s not there, but I wouldn’t read too much into certain…stuff that happened with the 104th. The point here was to re-establish what we already know about the crew. Jean is a very perceptive lad and almost certainly the next Commander if anyone survives this story. Armin is…having a moment.

- I have to wonder how good Magath’s intel is for this op. Does he know that Shiganshina is deserted? Has he accounted for Zeke’s appearance? Does he know the God of Destruction is nearby?

- Yelena has been a favorite of mine since her debut, when everyone thought Connie grew three times his size. I won’t call it a Heel Turn because it doesn’t count if you weren’t wearing the White Hat to begin with.

[let-me-love-you-loki]

Waking Up in Vegas--Ch. 14

Chapter 14: Send Out an S.O.S.

The Following Monday Night

Mera, Evening, 7:45 PM

           The trainer’s room was where it always was, and my things were spread out exactly as I preferred them. All my necessary tools were within arm’s reach, easy to access should any of the superstars need my help. I was never part of the scripted trainer visits—they kept me in reserve for those who were really injured. For the most part, even the fans knew that when I came to the ring, something was really wrong.

           I spent a lot of time alone in that room most nights. Sure, there were the times when someone got a little overzealous and either hurt themselves or someone else. But for the most part, I was just there to deal with general sports injuries and required stretching from their physical therapists. Right before matches, there was a steady trickle of superstars. Sometimes right after if someone just needed help with a locked-up muscle.

           Otherwise… it was just me and four walls. I kept books with me, so sometimes I would read. Sometimes I had notes or medical records to update for some of the superstars who I saw on a regular basis. Most of the time, thought, it was just my thoughts and me.

           With a major pay-per-view coming up, the higher ups were being more careful about the health of their superstars who were set to be big draws. Seth was on the books as going after the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania, so everyone was being particularly careful about his knee and his back.

           Which meant he was required to see me before and after his matches from now until Wrestlemania was over. Great, I thought, looking at the note in his medical chart. Just great.

           I thought back to the Seth I knew as a kid—back when everyone called him Colby or Brandon’s little brother. He had been so sweet and kind. In high school, he was charming and smart. He’d loved wrestling, putting on shows in his front yard with his friends, covering his basement bedroom in a thousand different names and slogans. But there had been a time—when he was Tyler Black in the ring and Colby everywhere else—when we’d been inseparable. When he’d wanted nothing more than to have me at his side, chasing that dream with him.

           We graduated high school. I went to college, fast-tracking through an athletic training program—doing homework by flashlight driving from town to town on the weekends to watch him compete. Forty-thousand dollars of debt to get a degree and a certification to do a job that guaranteed I could be with him wherever he went. Independent wrestling companies didn’t always have fantastic care for their athletes, and I was an added bonus that came along when someone signed Tyler Black. And those hadn’t been bad days.

           Crappy apartments, cheap hotels, food that was never that good and half the time cold, long drives and late nights. That had been my life from 18 to 29—eleven years of following him across the world with one company after the other. WWE had made it a little easier with better pay, a nicer apartment, more stability. But it had also created Seth Rollins. He was cocky, self-assured, and selfish. Even though he wore the same face as my childhood Colby, it had been Seth who had ripped my heart into pieces.

           Someone knocked on the door. I glanced at my watch, realized that it must have been him. His match started in forty-five minutes. Plenty of time for me to give him a decent once over to ensure that nothing was of concern before he got in the ring. And, hopefully, it could be quick enough that we didn’t have to talk much.

           I crossed the room, opened the door. Seth stood there with that annoyingly cocky look on his face, already dressed out in his gear. I fought down the pounding of my heart, the nausea that burned in my throat. “You know the drill,” I said, emotionless as he passed close by.

           He hopped up on the table, flopping on to his stomach. I sighed and rubbed my hands together to warm them. It was best to just get this over with as fast as possible.

           “Any pain today?” The words came out flat. For just about everyone else, I had a pretty good bedside manner. For Seth, it was all about getting him in and out without too many insults and tears.

           “Tight on the left. You know how it gets sometimes,” he said with a knowing something in his voice. He turned his head toward me, pillowing his cheek on his crossed forearms. “Too much strain, you know.”

           I forced my thoughts away from memories of the things throughout the years had triggered his aching back. “Tell me when it hurts.”

 Dean, Evening, 7:55 PM

           I cracked my knuckles, swung my arms to warm up my shoulders. I wasn’t scheduled until the second hour of the show, and I wanted to sit with Mera for a while. It was amazing to me that she had become so perfectly integrated into my life that her presence made me feel calm in a way that nothing did.

           As I came down the hallway, I could hear her voice from the trainer’s room. Her tone was even, yet something seemed off. She sounded carefully controlled, clipped. I knew the rules—don’t go into the trainer’s room when someone else was already there—privacy and all that. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t wait outside just in case.

           “Use the heat before and after on the back. Rest it twenty-four hours between every exertion. That means matches or workouts. You need to spread it out so that you can even make it to Wrestlemania.”

           It took a moment for the response to come. When it did, my blood ran cold. The beast in my chest roared, desperate to get into the room, to keep her safe, to protect her heart.

           “What was that treatment you used to do?” The words themselves were innocent, but I knew there was something more to his intent. “It used to work so well.”

           “Call a masseuse,” she snapped back. “That’s not part of my job.”

           Breathe, I told that primal thing inside me. It writhed in anger and sheer protective instinct. It was like it could sense her discomfort. I watched the door, wishing I could see through it. She was capable, intelligent, and stronger than any woman I’d ever met, and yet all I could think to do was to do everything I could to protect her from even the simplest pain.

           The room went quiet. I paced, the worst possible scenarios playing through my mind.

           “They never know how to do it. It’s either too much or not enough pressure. You’ve always been able to fix it,” Seth said in a tone that sounded both pouting and deceiving. “This is my big shot, Mera. Help me out here.”

           Her visage floated into my mind. I could see the way her liquid gold eyes blurred with guilt, how she might look at him with her lips pressed into a line, her face a mask of discomfort and unhappiness. I’d watched her long enough to know how her emotions played over her features, how her sadness, pain, and shame could bend her into someone that gave away her best self to cater to another.

           I knew there were tears in her eyes when she spoke. Just as I knew the answer before she even gave it. “Okay.”  

           The primal thing in my chest surprised me with the ferocity of its jealousy. It dug in, tried to drive me to bust through the door, to drag her away and remind her that she was mine and I was hers.

           It took nearly every ounce of my will to keep myself in control. My feet picked up their pacing, taking me further away from the trainer’s room. It was as much for my peace of mind as it was for her privacy. Mera was my wife, regardless of how long it had been. There was nothing within me that could distrust her.

           Seth Rollins was another story. In the last week, I’d seen my tag partner and brother in a new light—as a man who was self-centered, self-absorbed, and selfish. While I didn’t know the details of their relationship, I had pieced together enough to know that Seth had broken her heart completely. The fact that he seemed to be using their history to get what he wanted made my blood run cold.

 Mera, Evening, 8:14 PM

           I washed my hands in the sink, making sure to scrub the Icy-Hot from my fingers. The tremble that ran through them made me feel sick, stomach turning over as I tried to get myself under control. I hated the way that old feelings came rushing back with the memories of caring for Seth back when he had been Colby and Tyler. Some part of me—a traitorous corner of my heart that reveled in masochism it seemed—still thought there was some good in him, a piece of the old version of the man that I’d known.

           My back was turned to Seth as he pulled his shirt back on. The rustle of cloth and the creaking of the padded table let me know that he was up and moving. I grabbed a handful of paper towels and dried my hands aggressively, hoping to hide their shaking. As I tossed them in the trash can, I stepped over to the WWE-issued laptop with the superstar’s medical records on it.

           “Knee looks good. Heat on the back twice a day, 20 minutes each time. Strenuous activity only every other day, Monday through Saturday. Full rest on every off day until the match,” I said over my shoulder, already pulling up his medical chart. Once those directions were in his record, booking would have no choice but to go easy on him—perhaps easier than they already were.

           Footsteps scuffed across the floor. Flesh met metal, then a heavy sigh. “You know Vegas weddings aren’t binding after 30 days, don’t you? Didn’t Dean tell you?”

           The door whined on its hinges. The sound of it thudding back against the frame echoed the weight that slammed against my heart. Every fiber of my being suddenly yearned for Dean, to confess everything that I felt—the confusion and fear. I tried desperately to push away the seed that Seth had tried to plant. After all, Dean and I had already talked about having a real ceremony of some fashion.

           I felt my throat close with tears as I realized there was a ticking clock on our marriage.

 Dean, Evening, 8:20 PM

           I watched from down the hall as Seth walked away from the trainer’s room. There was a smirk on his face that made me wonder what I’d missed while I’d let my feet carry me around the backstage area. That beast inside me roared, sent adrenaline flooding my veins, screaming commands to find and protect what was mine.

           Reaching for the door, I heard her sobs. The door banged against the wall as I swept her into my arms. My fingers tangled in her hair. Silently, I swore. I’m going to slaughter him.

Tag List

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[jonmoxleygivesmelife]

I have decided to write out and publish my personal predictions for Wrestlemania 35 this Sunday. Feel free to comment and discuss with me cuz I’m fuckin PUMPED FOR THIS SHIT! But like also don’t be an ass about it, these are my personal predictions and opinions for Sunday. (All this is subject to change)

Wrestlemania 35 Predictions:

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (Kickoff Show): Confirmed entrants -- Braun Strowman, Michael Che, Colin Jost, Andrade, Apollo Crews, Titus O'Neil, Tyler Breeze, Jinder Mahal, No Way Jose, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, Lucha House Party, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Viktor, Konnor, Mustafa Ali, Shelton Benjamin, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Otis, Tucker, EC3:

I honestly have no pony in this race. I’m still very bitter that the Hardy Boyz are being wasted in this match and not doing a singles tag match with The Usos. If I had to pick a winner, I’d say Jeff Hardy or Mustafa Ali, tho it will most likely be Braun Strowman. Winner: Braun Strowman (Personal Choice: Jeff Hardy)

Women's Battle Royal (Kickoff Show): Confirmed entrants -- Asuka, Carmella, Naomi, Lana, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Mickie James, Zelina Vega, TBA

This battle royal is such a waste of talent ohmygod. Every single one of these women has the potential to win, although I believe it will go to Asuka as sort of a payback (if such a thing even exists in this business) for the bullshit title run she was given as well as being dicked out of a Wrestlemania match. I would love to see Ruby Riott or Sonya DeVille win as well.                           Winner: Asuka

Cruiserweight Championship -- Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Tony Nese (Kickoff Show): I honestly have no idea who’s going to win since this is so underhyped and I haven’t been paying attention to the cruiserweights at all lately. I think there were much better options that creative could have gone with here, and I don’t see them stopping a long reigning title run for just anyone.                       Winner: Buddy Murphy

Raw Tag Team Championship -- The Revival (c) vs. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins: When the fuck did this match become a thing??? I promise you all that if the Revival lose their titles, I will fucking riot. I will burn the establishment down to the ground. We’ve had to watch the Revival lose how many weeks in a row to Ricochet and Aleister Black? And then THIS is what we get for Mania??? I don’t think so. This is a filler to have on the card. Revival will win. Next.        Winner: The Revival  

SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- The Usos (c) vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. The Bar vs. Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura: Once again, what the fuck?? This is a horrible lineup. We could have had The Usos vs. The Hardy Boyz, but no, we get this piece of garbage match instead. WWE creative clearly has no idea what to do with their tag divisions at this current time. I’d prefer the Usos to retain their titles, but I still haven’t seen much about whether they have signed a new contract with WWE since their current one is up in May. I honestly believe the outcome of the match will depend on that. If they have signed a new contract, I would say the Usos will retain. However, if they haven’t, it will go to Ricochet & Aleister Black since they have been dominating both Raw and Smackdown since they were called up from NXT. Maybe a unification of the tag titles in all three divisions, like with the womens titles, if they do?? Food for thought.      Winner: The Usos

Women's Tag Team Championship -- Sasha Banks & Bayley (c) vs. Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. Nia Jax & Tamina Snuka vs. The IIconics: I hate that this is another fatal 4 way for tag titles. As it stands, I wish they never involved Nia Jax & Tamina. They had their shot at Fastlane, they lost, let’s move along now please. I feel that Nia Jax & Tamina vs. Divas of Doom in their own singles match would have been a much better use of story and talent. The IIconics, on the other hand, are a natural tag team. They have the potential to have a great rivalry with Boss n’ Hug Connection, especially with both teams’ promo and in ring skills. I wish they had been focusing more on this part of the storyline without the added mud of the other two teams going into WM35. However, I believe Sasha & Bayley will retain and go on to have a feud with the IIconics post-Mania, and perhaps an NXT tag team will get involved.                           Winner: Sasha Banks & Bayley (Personal choice: The IIconics)

Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin (Farewell Match): Kurt Angle is about to whoop Baron Corbin’s ass and we all know it. Maybe WWE will swerve us with Cena and have him vs. Kurt but who fucking knows at this point? This whole damn show is a hot mess. Kurt wins no matter what though. Let the man retire with some goddamn dignity.                                                                          Winner: Kurt Angle

The Miz vs. Shane McMahon (Falls Count Anywhere): I’m really excited for this match simply because it’s going to be mayhem. Shane McMahon will jump off lots of stuff, Miz will take some good spots, it’ll be great. With The Miz dominating the way he has been the past few weeks and becoming a beloved babyface, he has to win. I think with Shane attacking his father and the return of Miz’s reality show, they won't do Miz dirty here and his father may even intervene. Winner: The Miz

Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre: I’m so excited for this match ohmygoodness. I love both of them so much and they will give us a great match. After Drew McIntyre brutalizing all of The Shield continuously for the past month, it naturally makes sense that Roman’s first single match since returning from hiatus will be McIntyre. This is going to be the beginning of a beautiful feud, but I don’t think Roman is going to win just yet. They’re introducing a new version of Roman that isn’t invincible like he’s always been in the past. He has a layer of humanity to him now and it would develop his new storyline much more to lose. I think Drew winning will rocket him to being the top heel of the company and it will spark great storylines for the future.                            Winner: Drew McIntyre

Triple H vs. Batista (No Holds Barred; Triple H's career on the line): I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want, and that’s for Batista to win this match. However, with Triple H’s career on the line (once again) I don’t see him having much of a chance. Triple H will take this one, but at least we’re getting a blast to the past of ruthless aggression, yeah!                                         Winner: Triple H (Personal Choice: Batista)

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton: So, I originally HATED the idea of this match. Like, I fucking hate Randall with every fiber of my being. I have my whole life and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. However, the latest episode of smackdown left me excited to see what these two will do in a ring together. What I really mean is that AJ Styles is about to make Randall look the best he has in almost a decade. This one goes to the good ole Georgia boy.                    Winner: AJ Styles

United States Championship -- Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio: This match is still up for debate on whether it’s going to happen or not. On the go-home SmackDown, it was announced that Mysterio had suffered an ankle injury during his match on Raw against Baron Corbin. He's set to be evaluated up until Sunday so who the fuck knows? I certainly don’t. However, Joe will retain. He deserves to win his first Mania match. ily Joe bby.                     Winner: Samoa Joe

Intercontinental Championship -- Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Finn Balor: The Demon King is showing up. There’s no question that Bobby will get the shit kicked out of him and Balor will take the title and move on from Buff Wayne Brady to bigger and better things.                                          Winner: Finn Balor

WWE Championship -- Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kofi Kingston: KOFIMANIA BABY! It’s time! I think this will be match of the night and we deserve it. So does Kofi. It’s going to be an amazing moment for everyone when our new WWE Champion is crowned. I think I might cry y’all.                             Winner: Kofi Kingston

Universal Championship -- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins: At least someone actually gets their promised Royal Rumble match (I’m bitter about a lot of things but that’s another matter). I think this will be the biggest disappointment of the night. Everyone hates Brock. We’re tired of him. We want him to go away. Fuck Brock Lesner. Although, I don’t think Seth will win this match. Not after him standing tall over Brock on the latest episode of Raw. I think this is going to be a major let down, but we can’t always get what we want right? Vince’s obsession with Brock will never end until he fucking dies and we’re stuck with him until then. Unfortunately, Seth will be the sacrificial lamb for Kofi and Becky to win.      Winner: Brock Lesnar (Personal Choice: Seth Rollins)

Winner Take All -- Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Becky Lynch: God, what a fucking mess. I just want Becky to win dammit. Fuck Ronda. Fuck Charlotte. GIVE US BECKY. It’s what we deserve. It’s what she deserves. It’s what the world deserves. I know it’s going to be one hell of a match and I think if they pick anyone else to win they will have a riot from the fans and crowd so bad that people will throw drinks and shit into the ring. I wouldn’t be surprised if Charlotte wins, however, since Vince is obsessed with her, but the smart business move is Becky. If Ronda wins, I give up on everything and this show. Thank God we’re finally getting this match over with.                        Winner: Becky Lynch

See y’all Sunday ✌️

[randombydesign]

Royal Rumble 2019 Predictions

I’m doing this again, since this actually looks like a very stacked show. I’ll just jump right into it.

Rusev(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (United States Championship) 

As much as I like Nakamura, his reigns as US Champ left a lot to be desired. Rusev’s recent title victory on Christmas day was hopefully a rise back to relevancy for him. It’s allowed for a bit of a resurgence to his gimmick, and going into Wrestlemania as champion could ensure a good spot for him on the card. Taking the title off of him so soon seems foolish. 

Winner: Rusev

Buddy Murphy(c) vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Kalisto vs. Hideo Itami (Cruiserweight Championship) 

Murphy is on the role of his career right now, and I’m confident him being champion through Wrestlemania season could give 205 Live the push it needs to be a factor in the big show. I could see a Hideo victory, but no one else really seems like a solid enough of a champion going into the biggest time of year for WWE.

Winner: Buddy Murphy

The Bar(c) vs. The Miz and Shane McMahon (Smackdown Live Tag Team Championships)

It’s hard to believe any lasting storylines came out of Crown Jewel, given the backlash the show received. The recent change of the McMahons running both shows further makes this story a little odd. Miz is entertaining enough to make this work, but it seems hard to imagine that this is all WWE has planned for Miz going into Wrestlemania, seeing as how he is one of the company’s most consistently performing stars. The Bar have lost to too many thrown together tag teams in the past (Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan, Braun Strowman and a 10 year old) and they really can’t afford to do it again. I forsee the “Best Tag Team in the World” in Shane and Miz coming up short, and that leads to Miz turning on Shane, setting up a Mania match between them, which is what everyone expects to happen. Whether the betrayal happens on Sunday, or a few weeks after, it seems almost certain that is the clear direction. A little disappointing that Miz isn’t in a more high profile story going into Wrestlemania, but a Shane-Miz match makes more sense than an odd tag team that was shoehorned together for a weak reason.

Winners: The Bar

Asuka(c) vs. Becky Lynch (Smackdown Live Women’s Championship)

A lot of people forsee Lynch reclaiming her title to give her the most momentum and draw possible going into Wrestlemania. But she’s so over at the moment that she doesn’t need the title to be in the one of the biggest matches on the show. A loss for Asuka does her a great disservice, as it would essentially nullify her championship victory at TLC and prove the claims that she only won with Ronda Rousey’s help. With all the talk about the Becky/Ronda/Charlotte love triangle, Asuka seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle. But her going into Wrestlemania as champion could force people to notice her. The Empress as champion looks to finally be a promising way to rectify a lot of the horrid booking that Asuka has had since last year’s Mania, and taking the title away from her a month after winning it puts her right back in the hole she was in before TLC. I have a different theory for Becky which I’ll cover later. I personally hope for an Asuka-Charlotte rematch at this year’s Wrestlemania, as the story tells itself and could fully complete Asuka’s redemption. But we’ll have to see what WWE’s plans are for the blue brand women.

Winner: Asuka

Ronda Rousey(c) vs. Sasha Banks (RAW Women’s Championship)

A match that has the potential to steal the show and be match of the night, and that is said on a card that consists of Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles. If the two have the chemistry, they could have a match that we’ll be talking about for years. A loss for Banks wouldn’t hurt her at all, as month ago no one even imagined her in this position. A strong performance against someone who has looked unbeatable in Ronda reminds people of her individual merit going forward, and helps elevate her tag team with Bayley. It’s always possible there could be some foul play with Becky and/or Charlotte getting involved and costing Ronda the title, which jump starts their feud. However Sasha’s title victory being used to further a different feud in which she’s not even a part of isn’t exactly the kind of title win she needs. Given the poor booking of her first 4 title reigns, the next time she wins the championship, it needs to be the main focus point and the center of attention. A Banks victory would unnecessarily complicate things going into Elimination Chamber, where the first ever Women’s Tag Team Champions will be crowned. Seeing as how Bayley and Banks have been teased as Women’s Tag Champs for the better part of 6 months, not even having them in the match to crown the inaugural champions seems very odd. Banks has plenty of things to focus on following the Rumble, so she isn’t in need of a victory here at all. Having Ronda Rousey go into the biggest show of the year as champion is also a smart business move. And I simply can’t imagine Ronda’s first one on one loss not happening at a stage as big as Wrestlemania.

Winner: Ronda Rousey

Daniel Bryan(c) vs. AJ Styles (WWE Championship) 

A match that I wish had gotten more time to tell a story, as it’s one of the less built matches going into this Sunday. Styles and Bryan have delivered solid matches for a few months now, but have yet to deliver that A+ match everyone knows they’re capable of. Styles is coming off of a historic WWE Championship reign, while Bryan is coming off of a historic heel turn. Styles has had his time with the title for well over a year, and does not to be champion again anytime soon to be a big player year round for WWE. Bryan, being in the middle of a monster heel run, could go into Wrestlemania with the biggest chip on his shoulder. And the direction WWE could have for Bryan in the coming months should be very interesting, as there doesn’t seem to be a clear direction for him after his issues with Styles are over. 

Winner: Daniel Bryan

Brock Lesnar(c) vs. Finn Bálor (Universal Championship)

A pleasant change from another installment of Strowman/Lesnar, as none of their matches were particularly exciting and Strowman really couldn't afford another loss to the Beast. Lesnar has also proven to work really well with smaller competitors, as his matches with Styles and Bryan have showcased. That being said, it seems obvious that Lesnar retains, as his dethroning happening at the biggest stage of them all could make more headlines, as well as more time to build up whoever Lesnar’s successor is. I can’t see a last minute replacement winning in this scenario. The push for Finn lately has been well received. And like with Banks, Finn doesn’t hurt too much from a loss. A good outing gives Finn a lot of momentum he can ride into Wrestlemania while Lesnar looking unstoppable makes his (hopefully) downfall at Mania look much more impactful. 

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Women’s Royal Rumble Match

Royal Rumble matches are always difficult to predict, given the sheer number of factors involved. If the decision to have Ronda screwed of the title comes to fruition, then Bayley winning the Rumble becomes a lot more clear so she can challenge Banks on the Grandest Stage of Them All. However as I stated earlier, I don’t forsee a Ronda Rousey loss, and as such I don’t see a RAW woman winning the Rumble. Given the momentum she has had, Becky Lynch is the clear pick to win the Women’s Royal Rumble. She has unfinished business with Rousey, as well as a promised match with her that never happened. Capitalizing on her momentum with a Royal Rumble victory would be the best possible decision in my mind. The idea of having Lynch and Banks pull double duty in one night is definitely appealing, showing their workhorse attitude. The issue arises in that we won’t even be sure Lynch is in the Rumble until she actually makes her entrance, as she would indeed have to lose to Asuka for that to be possible. If Lynch isn’t in the match, then Charlotte Flair winning is the next logical decision. A victory for her could set up her rematch with Asuka, or the showdown with Rousey that everyone has been waiting for, which could see Lynch inserted into the fray. However I believe given her popularity and clear direction for her, Becky Lynch is the most obvious choice for the winner of the Rumble. She also doesn’t exactly have the means to challenge someone on the opposite brand otherwise. It’s possible this entire theory could go to hell if they decide to have Banks and Lynch walk out as champions, but I’ve mentioned earlier why I don’t think that is a good idea. Sometimes the obvious route is the correct one, and this is one of those situations. 

Winner: Becky Lynch (if she’s in) or Charlotte Flair (if Becky’s not in)

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

There are immediate choices here: Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins. While I think it’s pretty much a lock that a Smackdown star wins the Women’s Rumble, I think a RAW star winning the Men’s Rumble is also pretty much a guarantee. McIntyre vs Brock is a dream match, as the two men’s physical styles could play off of each other nicely. But the biggest issue there is it’d be a heel vs. heel match in one of the biggest matches of Wrestlemania. Heel vs heel never particularity works, especially on a night with as much build up as Wrestlemania, as fans have no one to get behind. McIntyre has been in the middle of a tremendous heel run, so having him work as a face doesn’t make a lot of sense. And while Lesnar has worked as a face, he’s never been particularly good at it. And given all the recent criticisms about Brock Lesnar’s reign and schedule, he’s not someone fans would realistically cheer. Rollins is a much better choice for the Rumble. He’s been parallel to Brock since Lesnar has won the Universal Championship. During his stints as IC Champ, Rollins was easily considered THE champion on RAW, and is considered by many to be the workhorse, the exact opposite of Lesnar’s perceived laziness. A Rollins victory over Lesnar would finally crown him as the man on Monday nights, and would be the best possible successor to the Beast Incarnate. It’s also the perfect David-Goliath underdog story, and has the potential to be the biggest feel good moment coming out of WrestleMania. The only thing that could be better is Seth Rollins entering at #1 or #2 and winning the whole thing. He wrestled in a gauntlet match for an hour on RAW about a year ago, so we know he can go the distance. And besides, it’s been 13 years since someone won from one of the first 2 positions, I think we’re about due. 

Winner: Seth Rollins     

[deepdisireslonging]

Family Found Part 49: Wrapped Up

After WrestleMania, a lot of things need to be addressed. Most importantly, Dean has a big decision to make now that his brotherhood his saved.

Warnings/Promises: wrestling violence

Word Count: 3410

Note: The things in this chapter wrap up the pretty much all of the title storylines I had to keep up with. Next week will be a super short chapter because it will focus on the main cousin!Ambrose storyline. And you guys are going to hate me. So, enjoy this one, while you can! Comments and reblogs are appreciated.

Part 1: Welcome to the Team

Part 48: WrestleMania  

Monday Night Raw – April 8, 2019

“Burn it down!”

Seth walked out onto the stage triumphantly. The defended title bright and bold on his shoulder, he smiled brighter than ever before. Down in the ring, he picked up a mic. But he wasn’t able to talk for some time. Between the continued ‘burn it down’ chants and ‘slayed the beast’ and ‘you deserve it,’ Seth couldn’t do anything but bask in the moment. The gems bit into his hand as he did his best to ground his flying emotions. Finally, he raised the mic to his lips.

“Thank you.” He bit his lip. “All of last night, all everything it took to get here, and the only words I can find… are thank you.” Taking a deep breath, he continued. “Thank you, for watching my back, for watching my story, and for sticking around through all the highs and lows. Last night could have been a big low. I could have lost everything. My career… my brother.” He choked back before he could say ‘Dean.’ Then it would be too real. Seth slapped on a smile. “But we slayed the beast. And the best part about last night? He is never coming back.”

That earned a big cheer, as it should.

Taking a few steps around the ring, Seth worried his fingers through his beard. “Now, that was last night. And tonight, like with any night, any time, any place, I am going to continue to show that I am a fighting champion. After all… I am the reigning, defending, beast-slaying, Universal Champion. Nobody back there has enough aces on me to even consider taking this from me, much less the skill to do so. Unless there’s someone back there who wants to prove me wrong.”

He didn’t have to wait long. Another smile, soft and knowing, spread across his face as Finn Balor made his entrance.

“Seth, Seth, Seth. First of all, congratulations.” That much needed to be said and briefly applauded. “But you’re wrong about a few t’ings.”

“Really?” Seth leaned forward on the ropes. “Enlighten me.”

Finn stepped to the top edge of the ramp. “There is someone who has the skill to beat you, and someone who ‘as the aces. There is no ring, no accolade of yours that can protect the Universal from me. Clash of Champions was a fluke. An’ it was weighed down with the Intercontinental championship. I tried chasin’ after that, tryin’ to see what the fuss was about. But nothing is goin’ to be like holding that title there,” he pointed at the Universal on Seth’s shoulder. “I will give you tonight. Slaying the beast was a lot. But I will ‘ave my Universal back. And then I’ll have it fer keeps.”

“Is that so?” Seth nodded, curling down the sides of his mouth. “I will accept your gracious gift of not having to defend against you tonight. Thank you.” He encouraged the applause. “But when do you want it back? Might I suggest… Backlash?”

Now it was Finn’s turn to nod. “Backlash sounds great. What about being a defending champion?”

“Oh, I’m still going to defend it. But I’m not going to deny others a chance. No, no, no, no, no. After I beat you at Backlash, I’m going to need a number one contender. Or several, but I doubt there’s even going to be one.”

“So be it.” Finn bowed, then turned on his heel and left.

***

“Nia, Tamina,” Charly caught up with the two women just outside Gorilla. “Last night you two were taken out fairly early in the preshow. You didn’t even make it to the arena for the challenge-“

Knocking the mic away from her face, Nia took a second to compose herself. “Look, our moment wasn’t in WrestleMania. That’s fine. Last night wasn’t the last one ever.”

“If anything,” Tamina added, “it means that Sasha and Bayley are weakened. They’ve been saying since they got those titles that they’ve been friends for life despite their tiffs. But those “tiffs” always seem to hit when gold is on the line. It’s about time for one of them to turn on the other again.” She was cut off by the sound of Sasha Bank’s music.

In the arena, Bayley’s followed, and they walked down to the ring together. They both took a mic, circling back to the center.

Tapping her fingers on her thigh, Bayley talked first. “We did it. The Boss n’ hug Connection had their WrestleMania moment.” She bent with a smile. “How awesome is that?”

“But we know some people,” Sasha popped the ‘p’ and smiled, “are upset that they missed theirs. We don’t need the Universal champion’s well-earned week off. We can and will face anyone who missed their moment. And you ladies might want to catch it quick. Because next week is the shake-up, and who knows where these titles might go.”

Dropping their mics to techies, Bayley and Sasha waited to see who would answer, though they had a good idea. Fulfilling that guess, Tamina and Nia Jax came to the stage, and then to the ring to answer the challenge. The match that followed was worthy of the inaugural WrestleMania weekend. The women put it all out in the ring, sparing nothing. Not their bodies, their voices, or their lungs. By the time it came down to the wire, they were all panting and heaving to suck in enough oxygen to continue.

Tamina came around the corner and clotheslined Sasha. She flipped through the air, landing hard enough for Bayley to hear it. The Hug part of the Connection turned away to check on her friend. Nia took advantage, ripcording Bayley and nearly felling her. But the lithe form was quick, and Bayley reversed the hold into a pin, kicking off the floor until the count of three. Even though they’d lost, Nia and Tamina left the arena smiling. They were smiling because Sasha and Bayley were not. And Sasha was not letting Bayley comfort her. All according to plan.

***

Another tag match followed. Last Monday, the team of Tyler Breeze and Dana Brook won the tag battle royal. They earned their match as the number one contenders and they weren’t going to wait another week to use it.

The new champions met them in the ring, happily handing their titles to the referee to hold up. The victory made them blissfully proud. And blind. Dana’s first offense caught them by surprise. Sami was on his back and Kevin was out of the ring before they could blink. Throughout the match, they didn’t know what to do about here. Breeze, they had fought at one time or another. And beaten. Dana? Did they treat her like a woman, with softer hits and gentler moves? She wasn’t giving them the same charity.

By the end, after several close calls, they made their decision. Dana was a wrestler. She was fighting in this division because she could handle it, receiving and dishing it out. After the bell rang with Kevin’s pin on Breeze, they circled back to where Dana was helping him stand back up.

“This isn’t over,” Sami said, holding out his hand. “If we challenge you to a rematch…?”

The partners shared a look. Breeze took his hand. “We’ll accept.”

***

Roman caught Seth in a big hug. “I know I said it last night, but congratulations, man.” He chuckled as Dean gave their brother a slight hit to his chin.

“Thanks. It was rough though.”

Dean agreed, eyebrows arching with the memory. “Yeah.”

“I wish I could have been in the match. It’s been a while since it’s been just the three of us ripping it up.”

“I’m kinda glad you weren’t.” Seth laid his title aside. “If it had been the three of us, there’s no way Hunter would have changed the stipulation back. Two of us would be out of a job, and the last one would be… devastated. No title is worth that.”

Dean kept his eyes on the floor, flitting around to the sides and checking the hall so they weren’t disturbed. “You don’t think he’ll try to control her again, do you?” Suddenly, the tape on his hands was very interesting. “I mean, we were all almost in the palm of his hand there for a second. If he gets control of Y/N-“

“That won’t mean that he controls us.” Both men patted his shoulders and the back of his head, and Seth continued. “Even when he did have her under his thumb, she’s a fighter. An Ambrose. And now she knows what to look out for. You don’t have to worry about her. Trust me.”

Roman caught the rest of his worried expression. “And I handled Dr. M. I have a feeling he’s not going to focus on her again any time soon. He’s gonna have Braun chasing him down for not holding up his end of the ‘bargain’ in getting his title back.” He jutted his chin at Seth. “You and Finn might need to watch your backs.”

As the conversation fizzled and the two of them wondered away, Dean couldn’t help but keep picking at his tape. He’d been wrong before, but life never wrapped up with this nice of a bow. If he was right, and he was afraid he was, if you were in danger then they were all threatened. With that in mind, he walked way in the opposite direction for some isolation.

***

Corey laughed. Inside the ring, Curt Hawkins faced off against No Way Jose. “What does Hawkins think he’s doing? One lucky win doesn’t mean anything.”

“How can you say that?” Renee gasped. “That ‘lucky win’ was in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. Don’t be such a jerk, Corey. What if this is the start of a new streak for Hawkins?”

“What if this is the start of the second losing streak for him?”

After a hard throw that sent him to the far corner, Curt crawled into a seated position against the corner. He glanced to his trophy sitting by the bell box. Nodding, he psyched himself up to his feet and went back into the fight, catching Jose unawares. The dancing, neon-braided wrestler knew what this match meant to him, but he wasn’t going to give it away either. If anything, Jose worried that if he lost that the losing streak might pass onto him. Superstitious, yes. But he didn’t want to risk it.

Jose almost ran into the referee. He stopped in his tracks, apologetic. Curt took the moment to sweep him up from behind, holding him down for a pin like his life depended on it. He survived the three count. The referee had to catch up with him to raise his hand. It was going to take some getting used to, sticking around for that part of a match. Especially if this really was the start of better days.

***

In the next match, Natalya had requested some time to work out what happened in the battle royal with Rhonda. Not five minutes before then, Rhonda had requested time to work out the problems they had backstage before then against the other tag teams. When they met in the ring, it wasn’t to talk. The bell rang instead, and the referee did his best to stay out of the way.

Someone who also wanted to stay out of the way was Ruby Riott. But she wanted a close seat. She took a chair from the bell box and planted it outside the ring. At the commentary table far up on stage, Corey snorted. “She’s not here because she’s worried. Look at her! She’s enjoying this.”

“But of course. Who doesn’t like a good fireworks show,” Renee asked.

Ruby remained unmoved as the match collapsed outside the ring. Natalya was sprawled on her stomach by the stairs. Rhonda was on her back, the only sign that she was still alive was her chest rising and falling with a stutter. The referee counted to ten, ruling a double loss by count-out. The champion shrugged and took to the ring. She held her title overhead as if claiming their broken friendship as her genius plan.

“Where’s Ruby’s Squad? It’s unlike them not to help her cackle over fallen victims.”

***

They were backstage. Hunting. Mickie James and Alicia Fox tried to go the other way, but they were caught by their shoulders and then their hair.

“Where are you going?”

“Yeah, we just want to talk.”

The captured women yelped as they were thrown into crates and the wall and to the floor.

“Not so hot now, are ya?” Sarah kicked at Mickie’s stomach.

Liv picked Alicia up again and tossed her over her tag partner’s body just as security ran up. As they were being separated, she shouted, “you’re going to for stealing our moment!” They shook themselves loose and hurried down the hallway. On the ground, Alicia and Mickie held onto their heads and their bruised sides.

***

“Ladies and gentlemen: the new Intercontinental Champion, Elias.” Sitting smugly with his rewon title around his waist, Elias set to strumming an upbeat tune. The crowd started to clap along, but as soon as they got off rhythm, he ended it.

He shook his head. “Was there any doubt that I would once again save the WWE from McIntyre’s mediocrity? If you just have faith, you will see that I am the light in this business. I can lead you through the rabble and the dim-witted that fill the locker rooms of both Raw and Smackdown.” He laughed. “Yes, I am already planning far ahead. While I do not have the power to decide who moves between the brand next week, (even though I should; I would do so much better than Y/N or Paige in rearranging the rosters), I can name who I think would be a worthy opponent. Not that’s much to pick from.”

Strumming his guitar once again, Elias began to rattle off names of who he wanted to face in the coming months. Some names like Jeff Hardy and Aleister Black got a cheer. Others, like Samoa Joe and Daniel Bryan, received boos laced with awe at the thought. “And any of these are more worthy of my time because Drew is home, too cowardly to face me instead of licking his wounds. Or perhaps he is avoiding the Brooklyn slime.”

While the crowd was booing the dig on their city, the stage erupted with flames and music. Baron Corbin waltzed out. The crowd immediately shifted their hate to the Lone Wolf. He twiddled his mic. “You know what I dislike about you the most, Elias? It isn’t your misplacement at the top of this business, or even your tuneless music; it’s that you can’t see the real talent that should hold that championship.” He shrugged. “I didn’t hear my name on that list.”

Elias shrugged back. “That’s because one: you’re not on Smackdown. And two: you are also not worth my time.”

That made Baron’s blood boil. But he breathed the comment away, continuing to the ring. “And yet, I’m here. Right here and now. And none of those guys are, if they ever will be. Who knows. Maybe nothing will change. I wouldn’t put it past our managers to throw that curveball.”

“I’m going to stop you right there. You are not worming your way into a match.”

Baron paused at the bottom of the ramp. “I’m not worming my way in. It’s official. Looks like you’ve fallen out of favor with Y/N.” To emphasize his point, a referee slid into the ring and shrugged.

“So be it.”

Elias tossed his headset and his scarves outside the ring, but he set up his guitar in the corner. He had planned to use it. It was the perfect target to throw Baron through. But Baron caught himself on the ropes before kicking back into Elias’s chest. Kicking it from its perch, Baron paused with his boot raised above it. Elias lurched forward, but his boots slipped. The guitar crunched and Elias roared. It was a short rage and pride-fueled match after that.

The referee struggled to hold up Elias’s wrist, but the champion snatched it away. He circled Baron, growling while he rolled around on the canvas. Elias seized him by the shoulders and pushed him away.

It was supposed to be a ripcord of sorts. But as Baron was pulled in, he dodged the raised knee and caught Elias around the neck and waist. The momentum was enough to help reverse into a Deep Six. The ring bounced as Elias fell. Stunned, Baron took in the view.

After not even a second’s more hesitation, he snatched the title off the canvas and rolled out of the ring. He didn’t look back until he was at the top of the ramp. Then he hurried backstage through the side entrance leading to the garage.

***

That was where you caught up with him. “Baron. Baron!”

“What?”

“You have to give it back.”

He curled his grip tighter over the Intercontinental title. “No, I don’t. The way I see it, I’m the one that walked out of that ring. I had the last say, the right to take this championship-“

“You lost the match. And you went over my head in the first place. Hunter signed off on this, not me.” You blocked his path and crossed your arms. “If this had been the other way around, you’d be screaming bloody murder.” Taking the initiative, you reached up to take the title. Probably a mistake.

Baron backed away with a snarl. He readied a fist to fly towards your face. While you were prepared to defend yourself, someone else stepped in between you. Dean puffed up his chest against Baron’s and kept you safely behind him. The arrival of the elder Ambrose sparked Baron’s memory.

“I don’t know why you’re so eager to stop me, Y/N. Your cousin did the same exact thing with Seth Rollins a few years ago. He beat him in a match, with Roman’s help, and then ran off with the WWE heavyweight championship. How can you ‘call me out’ if your own blood has done the same thing?”

That stopped you cold. It was a good point. Dean didn’t think so. “I at least won my match.”

“Let him go.”

Dean whipped around, his brow creased. “What?”

You stepped forward, pushing your cousin behind you and maintaining eye-contact with Baron. “He does have a point. Not to put Seth down or anything, but I think Elias is going to be a lot less patient to get his championship back. So, you should probably run.” It took no small effort not to grin as Baron’s face fell. He was soon gone, allowing you the space to chuckle. Until you saw Dean’s face. “What?”

“That’s supposed to be my question. What was that about?”

You shrugged. “He made a good point. And really, I’m not too worried about it. Elias will make him pay for it.”

Dean grumbled. “You were about to pay for it. One Corbin knuckle sandwich, order up for Y/N Ambrose,” he added teasingly.

Looking down and away, it didn’t make you smile. “I have a lot to pay for.”

“No, you don’t. It’s… we’re past that. It’s done, finished, signed, sealed, and wrapped with a bow. You did what you set out to do. Lesnar’s gone and-“

“And it almost cost you everything.”

“But it didn’t. Seth is still champion. And I’ve still got a place here. Now I’m always ready to kick Baron in the teeth, but you don’t have anything else to pay for. You never did. Not in my book.” As he’d spoken, your head dipped lower and lower into your chest. Dean flicked your nose to make you look up. “And I’ll be damned if anyone tries to use that against you. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” he said resolutely. “Alright. Now come on, great important manager of Raw. Seth owes us food. Let’s go.” He wouldn’t take no for an answer, so you let him sling an arm over your shoulder and guide you down the hall. A few steps down, he kissed the top of your head and you felt ten pounds fall off your shoulders.

You were forgiven. And now you could be a family again.  

Part 50: One Last Time (Finale)

Series Masterlist

Masterlist 

Forever Tags: @blondekel77 @hallemichelles @laochbaineann @ramblingsofabourbondrinker @savmontreal @southsidebucky @tinyelfperson @chwehansol98

WWE/Series Tags: @a-home-for-stray-stories @crossfitjesusismysavior @top-1-percent @mother-forker @neversatisfiedgirlfics @racheo91 @roman-reigns-princess @secretagentfangirl @thetherianthropydaily @scuzmunkie @cait-kae @ramsaypants @sony-undead18 @brianaraydean @st4yingstrong @dopeybubbles @crystallizeme @jessica91073 @denise8691 @stalelight @kenyadakblalock @1dluver13xx @lauren-novak @lunatic-desert-child @littledeadrottinghood @livelifewondering 

[hazyheel]

Monday Night Raw 3/11/19 Review

The night started out with a classic Shield entrance through the crowd, although instead of the riot gear, the men came out in their new merch. Reigns said that if last night was his last match, he would be satisfied. They said that they all had business to take care of tonight. With that, Ambrose and Reigns left Rollins alone in the ring. He was quickly interrupted when Paul Heyman showed up. Rollins took the words out of Heyman’s mouth, saying that while Brock absolutely destroys guys that are his stature, smaller guys are his kryptonite. Heyman argued that Lesnar didn’t have time to prepare for those matches, pointing out that the matches were changed at the last minute. Heyman then showed a Lesnar hype package for some reason. At the end of the promo, Shelton Benjamin of all people attacks Rollins, hitting several German Suplexs and leaving.

Grade: A-. Really good promo, and I love the way they are building this story. The fact that they are acknowleding how good Lesnar works with smaller guys is a step in the right direction

With that, we went right into Benjamin vs. Rollins. Pretty slow match, surprisingly. But there was one point where Rollins went for a suicide dive, but Benjamin intercepted with a high knee. Heyman was on commentary, and he took a phone call, saying that it was Lesnar on the phone, and that he will be on Raw next week. Seth won with a Curb Stomp.

Grade: C-. I had high hopes for this match, but it really disappointed. They decided not to go all out for this match, so it was a bit boring. Right guy won.

Finn Balor came down to the ring as Rollins was leaving, getting in the ring for an Intercontinental Championship match against Bobby Lashley. For some reason, they just had Lashley’s face on the titantron during Balor’s entrance. On a completely unrelated note, apperently Renee Young is from Toronto, but isn’t a maple leafs fan. What a world we live in. Anyway, Lio Rush was not at ringside, apperently still recovering from some random hit from Braun Strowman last week. As Balor was about to hit Lashley with the Coup de Gras, Rush showed up at ringside, ringing the bell. Finn went for some sort of springboard move, but Lashley hit a spear for the win. Lashley is the new intercontinental Champion.

Grade: D. These guys just don’t have chemistry, not really. It’s only once in a blue moon that they put on a good match together. I didn’t want to see Balor lose the belt so soon, especially not to Lashley. Just not too enjoyable.

Backstage, Charly interviewed Baron Corbin about how he was a dick when Roman left to fight leukemia. He just said that he was gonna kick his ass, and that he had been carrying Raw.

Ronda Rousey came out to address her actions from last night. Ronda immediately heeled on the crowd, and honestly, she is kinda better at it than face promos, but it is still awkward. She said that she gave Becky Lynch the win last night so that she can embarass both of them, and that no one can stop her. Dana Brooke came out to interrupt, and I have no idea if she is face or heel. She acted face, and said that she won’t let Ronda keep disrespecting the company. She gave a whole speech, and all I could think about was how she was gonna get her ass kicked. Promo was decent though. She wanted a title shot, but Rousey just beat her up. 

Grade: D+. Just not worth having. I think that this could’ve been short and sweet, and we didn’t need an angle of her beating up a low card guy (this is coming from a guy that loves Dana Brooke for no reason at all.) Just keep it simple. Even not showing up would’ve been cool, we all know why she attacked Lynch last night, we didn’t need it spelled out for us. But either way, it was just unnecessary.

Next up, we had Bobby Roode and Chad Gable vs. Aleister Black and Ricochet. Contrary to the normal matches with Black and Ricochet, Black was the one who was selling most of the time. Roode and Gable hit an awesome neckbreaker/ german suplex combo. Match ended quickly after Black tagged in blind, and hitting Roode with a roundhouse kick, a knee and Black mass for the win. After the match, the Revival attacked Black and Ricochet.

Grade: C. It pains me to see a set of such awesome competitors get so overexposed so quickly. This feud should be awesome, but it just feels mundane now. People say it all the time, but the length of the show is really hurting feuds like this, where seeing Black and Ricochet all the time makes us think they aren’t as special. I hope they continue the feud into Wrestlemania, and they pull out all stops. But for now, they need to mix this feud up.

Then was a moment of Bliss, where Alexa was set to reveal who the host of Wrestlemania is. She revealed that she is the host of Wrestlemania. She left just as quickly as she showed up. Young and Graves were making a bunch of jokes on commentary. Graves obviously was thrilled. I’m not a huge fan of Bliss as host, I’m not really sure what she will do, but maybe it’ll be entertaining. I always thought of a comedic host, but we will see what she does. Backstage, Charly interviewed Braun Strowman about attacking Colin Jost last week. He said he didn’t really care if it was okay or not. Then a backstage aid told Strowman that his car was there, but Strowman didn’t know about it. I guess SNL, Colin Jost, bought him a car. In a card, Jost joked about Strowman destroying Vince’s limo, and how he got screwed out of a title shot. Strowman then destroyed the car. Strowman then tells the aid to tell Che and Jost that he will beat them up.

Then we had an Elias concert. He made fun of the city, and No Way Jose came out. Elias attacked him. and the rest of the conga line. Jose had new hair too! So yeah, this happened, not gonna grade it. They then showed the next inductees into the Hall of Fame: Harlem Heat. Definitely into that, Booker T is a 2 time hall of famer now, along with Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair. Lacey Evans came out, and walked over to the commentary desk, while Corey and Renee freaked out and Michael was thoroughly annoyed. She put a fan in Renee’s face. T’was humorous, and the best use of Lacey Evans yet, because she had a staredown with Nia Jax at the top of the ramp. It didn’t lead to anything, but at least it teased the possibility of Evans actually doing something. Progress?!?

So next up was Nia Jax vs. Natalya, after their confrontation last night. She said that she needed someone to have her back tonight, with Beth Phoenix coming out in her corner. The match lasted for a minute, and Beth Phoenix just caused a DQ. The heels retreated, but the Boss n’ Hug connection attacked them backstage.

Grade: D-. Kinda dumb of a segment, although it was cool to see Phoenix back. I just don’t see why Tamina and Jax need to still be in the title picture. They are bad, straight up! I wish they would just fade out of the division, and maybe Bayley and Banks take on a smackdown team. Or even Natalya and Phoenix. Anyone other than Tamina and Jax.

Next, we had the confrontation between Triple H and Batista. Batista came down to the ring dressed like a Hollywood asshole, and had security and I hate him with every bone in my body, so WWE is doing well with booking their heel. Batista was a little rusty on the promo, but he acted like a very tough, and calculating heel. He is fine with fighting Triple H, but on his own terms. He said tells Trips to give him what he wants, and Trips refuses. Trips called his security the “guardians of the independent scene.” Funny. Batista said that he left because Trips always looked down on him, and he wanted to get away. Batista said that the only reason Trips won’t give him the match is because he isn’t in control. The promo devolved into them just shouting at each other like children. The match was confirmed after a shouting match that went on for way too long. Batista’s only line was “give me what I want.” Batista said that this would be his last match, and he wants to end Triple H’s career too. Trips then said it was No Holds Barred.

Grade: D+. I was looking forward to this, but I didn’t like what happened. They ended up just yelling at each other, and it was annoying. Took way too long to get to the point. It would’ve gotten a lower grade, but I like the hint that this may end up a match for Triple H’s career. The No Holds Barred stip was a given, but I didn’t expect a career threatening match. I’m looking forward to it. But the actual segment started out strong, but quickly died a horrible, annoying death.

Kurt Angle was up next, out to address his career. He recapped his career, and put over Pittsburg. He announced that this will Wrestlemania will be his fairwell match. He then said that this would be his final match on Raw, against Apollo Crews. Huge honor for him. The two had a quick match, Angle winning with the Angle Slam.

Grade: C+. Good match, although it was short. More importantly, who will get Kurt Angle’s final match? My mind went to either Drew McIntyre or Roman Reigns. Either would be very good, but I think McIntyre deserves it, given that the two really made TNA together. But Reigns needs a match too. So this is definitely a story I’m looking forward to.

Next, we had Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin, but before we started Drew McIntyre attacked, and left him laying. Reigns fought back a bit, but ate a Claymore, and then a second into the ringpost. Rollins came out to check on him, and they sorta played up a concussion angle. Reigns refused medical attention, and waked out very slowly. It was on his own power, but Rollins helped him out a bit. Ambrose was pissed, and he told Trips that he wanted Drew McIntyre in a falls count anywhere match. They battled into the crowd, and Ambrose threw a little table at Mcintyre. At one point, McIntyre was lying down on a rolling case, and Dean pushed it into another equipment case. It didn’t look very good. McIntyre and Ambrose brawled on the announce table, before McIntyre hit a low blow, stabbed Ambrose in the head with a pencil, and then threw him into the LED boards. McIntyre got the win after hitting a Claymore while Ambrose’s head was in the railing.

Grade: C+. A medicore match to end out a mediocre night. The stipulation was kinda fresh, and Drew looked good, but the outcome was not in question. Kinda fun, but ulimately just being used to set up Reigns vs. McIntyre.

Overall Grade: D+

Pros: opening promo; Kurt Angle announcement; main event (kinda)

Cons: pointless Dana brooke beatdown; Intercontinental Championship match; Black and ricochet overexposure; Nia and Tamina still being relevant; triple h and batista “promo;” 

Commentary call of the night: Renee Young- “You’re excitement creeps me out.” Corey Graves “Well, uh, leave.”

[purplesurveys]

1037

survey by joybucket

Do you have a vlog? No, but I’ve always thought it would be fun to start and maintain one. Just never got around to it because it’s so much work, from conceptualizing to shooting to editing; and idk if my humor will translate to the camera. Plus I hate being shot in public, so it would never work out for me.

If not, have you ever considered starting a vlog? Yeah, a lot of times. It just looks like such a therapeutic outlet that I can sink my teeth into. Who knows, if I ever gain more confidence in the future I may just try making a video or two.

Did you go to AM or PM kindergarten? AM. As much as I hated waking up early from ages 4-6, it was nice to be home by noon and it also made for good training for the rest of my years in school.

What are your favorite youtube channels to watch? Good Mythical Morning, several wrestling-themed channels for their weekly lists, and KBS for their Return of Superman clips. I have a lot of other subscriptions, but those are the main ones I’ve been tuning into lately.

Which relative(s) do you look the most like? I get my mom the most, but sometimes I’ll be told I look like my dad as well.

Have you ever watched a live birth video? I don’t think so.

Have you ever given birth? Definitely not.

Do you remember when the Internet was a new thing? That wouldn’t be possible as I wasn’t born yet and by the time that I was, the internet had already been around for a few years.

Do you remember Y2K? I was alive when it happened but barely conscious, so no. I was only 2.

How old were you when the year changed to 2000? I was 1, turning 2 that year.

What was your favorite childhood vacation? We didn’t have lots of vacations when I was a kid, because for most of the 2000s my parents were still busy saving up and climbing up their respective ladders at work. We only started to regularly go on vacations by the time I was around 11, when finances started to get easier to handle. That said, as a kid I really loved the time my parents would bring us to the local water park on weekends.

Have you ever wished you were born the opposite gender? As a teenager when hating pink and general girliness was cool, probably. I don’t wish for it now.

What's your birth order: oldest, middle, or youngest? I’m the eldest.

Do you fit the stereotype for whatever birth order you are? Idk what kind of stereotype you’re looking for, tbh. As much as I don’t really like tooting my own horn, I’ve heard firstborns are usually more intelligent than their younger siblings and I would attest to at least that lol

Have you ever worn overalls? Yup, though they aren’t the denim kind.

If you're a girl, how old were you when you started your period? I had just turned 10. I thought I was going to get it while I was still 9 (the signs had been showing for a while by then), but it ultimately came a month after my 10th birthday. Still, I was one of the rare cases in my family who had it at a lot younger.

Do you get cramps? I used to get leg cramps all the goddamn time as a kid, and they always came in the middle of the night. I don’t get them or any kind of cramps anymore, thankfully; and the only time I do is on my fingers when I don’t hold my chopsticks properly.

Is your mom mentally stable? I think there are definitely some things therapy could fix.

Is your dad a complete jerk to you? No, you’re referring to the other parent.

Where do you want to go on vacation next? Oh my godddddd, Thailand plz.

What is one place you want to visit before you die? Wrestlemania.

Has anyone ever committed suicide in your town, that you know of? A neighbor’s kid passed away a few months ago, but I didn’t know them.

What's your favorite type of crackers? Ritz Bits are where it’s at.

What's your favorite spice? Cumin.

Are you sensitive? Yeah. I’m a little soft and I tend to take a lot of things personally.

Are you intuitive? It wouldn’t be the first word I’d use to describe myself, but I guess I have my moments.

Are you spiritual? No.

Do you wish your life were easier? Um, if it was a legitimate option then yeah obviously.

What color hair did your first crush have? Black.

What was the name of your first crush? Andi.

Did you ever play on Mamamedia.com? I don’t think I’ve heard of that site. If we’re talking of websites that host flash games or whatever it is they’re called, I always hung out on Y8 haha.

Do you remember your first email address? I didn’t anymore before encountering this, but this question made me automatically rack my brain and now I do remember and now I’m wincing as well. 

Did you name your lego characters? I didn’t make any characters, I think. I just liked making towers.

What was/is your high school's mascot? Both my schools don’t have mascots.

What is/was your favorite class in high school? All the history classes we had to take under the social sciences umbrella; it was Philippine history for freshman year, Asian history for sophomore year; world history in junior year; and then unfortunately we made the switch to basic economics for senior year which was like ???? Why couldn’t we have gone all the way with history? Economics ended up being super boring lol.

Is college an adventure? It really was. I grew and learned so much in it and I couldn’t have spent the last four years in a better place and a better school.

Do you take medication for anxiety or depression? No.

If so, does it work? Does it help you? Or does it make you feel worse?

If applicable, what form of birth control do you use?

Who is your favorite cousin? My eldest cousin on my mom’s side, who pretty much feels like my older brother and not a cousin at this point.

Do you look your age? According to most, no. I look a little younger than 22.

What's your favorite flavor of frosting? Chocolateeeeeeee.

Do you like toe socks? I’ve never had to wear those before so I don’t have an opinion.

Muffins or cupcakes? Cupcakes.

Have you ever had a bag stolen? I’ve had a wallet stolen, so kinda.

How old were you when you got your first phone? I was technically still 6 because I had an advanced celebration, but it was for my 7th birthday.

Are you ready for summer?!?! Now that I think about it I do want to go back to summer, just because it was such a vastly different – and a lot happier – time...

Is winter your favorite season? It probably would be if we had it.

How many people do you know who've said winter is their favorite season? Zero.

Are you unique in any way? I think everyone is.

Do you have any hidden talents? if there are any left, I’m not aware of them yet.

Has anyone said you and your mom look like sisters? Just about everyone, all the time.

Who was your best friend in high school? Gabie for the most part, but Angela was there as well.

What book or movie gave you nightmares as a child? Commercials creeped me out as a child, not a certain book or movie.

What song makes you cry? Usually it’s 26 by Paramore, but not always.

Does anyone know who your first crush was besides you? Yeah, I’ve told a couple of people.

How many teachers have you had crushes on? I think around three or four. Possibly more, but I don’t remember all too well as I’ve since discarded a lot of memories from my old school.

Did you make your Barbie dolls get crushes on each other? Nah. I mostly stripped them of their clothes and broke their arms and legs, lol.

Did your Barbie dolls go on dates? Nope. I didn’t have enough dolls to do that, anyway. It wasn’t my toy of choice.

How old were you when you had your first kiss? I was 16.

Do you like church? Hell no.

Do you have scars from self-harm? You’d only be able to make them out if you knew I self-harmed, but I think they’re almost unrecognizable at this point.

Do you have cellulite? It’s only present if I tightly twist my skin.

How old were you when you started getting zits? Not sure, somewhere in the middle of high school. I’ve never had lasting problems with acne though; I only ever get one or two at a time and it happens like, once a year.

Did your hair change at all when you went through puberty? Aside from hair growing in places? No, not really. It stayed the same.

Are you taller, shorter, or the same height as your mom? I’m a tad bit shorter, though for a time it seemed as if my growth spurt would lead me to overtake her.

Would you ever consider adopting a child? It’s not a personal choice of mine, but there could very much be situations in the far future where I would consider doing so. I’m not shutting that possibility down.

Who was your first roommate? I’ve never had one; I haven’t tried living on my own yet.

Have you ever had a teacher who was rude? So many.

Is your mom paranoid? Very much so. She shows some signs of OCD and her paranoia is reflected through that. 

Do you trim your own hair? Not my hair, but I do this with my bangs.

Did your mom read you bedtime stories as a child? No. That’s one of the things I’ll change if I myself become a mom.

What are all the things you remember being for Halloween? Pirate, Tinkerbell, Daria, AJ Lee, Dora the Explorer, Sofie.

What was the name of the first pet that you loved? My first goldfish.

Did you have your own room as a child? Not until I was 10.

What color was your nursery? I wasn’t put in one. I shared a room with my parents and siblings until I was 10.

Did your parents know your gender before you were born? I think they waited it out until a few weeks before I was born.

What is your name (first and middle)? My first name is Robyn and my second is Isabelle; I don’t need to share my middle name.

What would you have been named if you had been born the opposite gender? They never thought about it, which is kinda disappointing because I do want to know what my other name could’ve been.

Do you like your name? I’ve ended up doing so, yes.

What would you name your children? I haven’t cemented decisions that far ahead. I have ideas for names, like Olivia, but they’re nothing absolute. 

Do you exercise regularly? Nope.

Do you have a healthy BMI? No, I’ve always been a little underweight.

What is your favorite season? Wet/rainy.

Do you look like your mom? This is like the third time I’ve answered this within just this survey lol, yes I do.

What is the origin of your last name? Spanish/Portuguese.

What is the meaning of your first name? I’ve heard it means ‘fame.’ I just don’t feel like checking.

What month were you born in? April.

Do you share a birthday with anyone in your family? Nope. But my sister and one of my cousins share the same birthday, right down to the year.

Do you have a sweet tooth? Eh, it comes out every now and then but it’s not all the time. I definitely enjoy savory more.

What photo editing software do you use? None lol, photo editing is one of my Achilles’ heels.

Where do you buy most of your clothes? Tianggeeeeeeeees.