Hazel
“So I’ve been meaning to ask.” Seth started, trying his hair into a bun. “Last week you did a 630 degree sentan…”
“Yeah?” I looked over at him as I climbed into the ring.
We’d gotten to the performance center early for training before the night’s show. After stretching and a few warm ups, we got in the ring.
“Can you teach me?” He asked shyly.
With a smile, I nodded my head. “Yeah! But I’m in no way responsible if you hurt yourself.”
“As long as you nurse me back to health, I won’t hold you accountable.” He laughed.
“I think we can make something work.” I laughed, putting on my Beyonce playlist.
“Seriously?” He rolled his eyes laughing. “I’ve seen your music library. How is this what you keep playing in the gym?”
“Listen Rollins! I’m the one teaching you here!” I pointed at him, faking a stern look.
He laughed again, climbing into the ring. “Fine. Do it again, I want to see it up close.”
“Mmm, I like when you boss me around like that.” I teased, licking my lips. “Put a dummy in the center.”
“I swear you just get more and more perfect everyday.” He smirked, giving me a wink as he grabbed a training dummy to lay it in the center of the ring.
I stood up on the top rope, waiting for him to get out of the way before jumping into the corkscrew flip, rotating twice before landing on the dummy.
He clapped his hands, helping me up to my feet. “Impressive Decker. Can you do it backwards?”
“Yes!” I answered excitedly. “I wanted to do it in the ring but I was told not to yet because they see it as too dangerous.”
“I’m curious to see but not if it means you hurting yourself.” He said, leaning back against the ropes.
“Please. I’ve damn near perfected it.” I replied, climbing up on the third rope again. I adjusted my sports bra and adjusted my leggings then jumped backwards into a corkscrew flip, rotating two and a half times to land on my back before landing on the dummy.
“Goddamn that was impressive as hell.” He clapped again, his smile wide.
“I know! I’ve been dying to incorporate it into my set.” I sighed, standing up to catch my breath. “No get up there, Rollins. You’re literally one of the most acrobatic men in the industry right now. This shouldn’t be too hard for you.”
—
After Seth had done it right about three times, I’d left him to practice on his own so I could take care of a few things before meeting up with Lita. I couldn’t wait to vent. I’d let her know some of it over the phone before training but I was nowhere done letting it out.
Lita, of course, knew exactly how I was feeling. As mad as I was, the Diva’s during her time had had it much worse. They were literally seen and treated as talentless eye candy who were only there to valet and wrestle in thier lingerie. Lita stood out from the crowd because she hadn’t fallen for that. She held her own standards and fought just as dirty as the men. She carved a path for the rest of us and I would’ve been damned if I gave up everything I was taught to sit there and look pretty.
No way in hell.
“Man, I don’t remember the last time I was backstage at an event.” Lita said, looking around at monitors and equipment laying around, walking the hallways of the stadium.
“Yeah, well you haven’t had much reason too.” I shrugged, shoving another quarter into the vending machine.
“You’ve got a point.” I leaned against the machine before pulling a strand of my newly colored hair. “So is this your way of saying fuck you to the authority?”
“One of the many.” I nodded, grabbing the protein bar from the bottom “What would you have done?”
“Things were different back then.” She shrugged. “I was lucky I wasn’t fired with all the shit I pulled.”
“Yeah well they can’t exactly fire the ‘face of the WWE’ can they?”
“No, but they can make your life hell.”
“Well they can bring it. I’m done being a pawn. If I’m going to be the face of this company, it’s time we change how it’s run.”
“Well -” She began to say but was interrupted.
“Hazellllll!” We heard over the speakers coming from the TV. “Hazellll, come out to playyy.”
The two of us turned to the screen to see Charlotte and her lapdog Dana Brooke in the ring.
“What’re you too chicken?” Dana added, starting to squawk. “We just wanna talk to ya!”
Chicken? This bitch had no idea what she was walking into. I may have been caught off guard last time but I had been looking forward to getting my hands on her all week and I had more than enough frustration to let out.
I started towards the entrance but Lita grabbed my arm. “Woah, you’re not going out there are you?”
“Oh yeah. She needs to be taught a fucking lesson.” I looked at her and smirked, nodding my head towards the doors. “Would you like to accompany me, Red?”
“I’d love to.” Lita’s face broke into an evil grin. It may have been a long time since she’d been on stage but she definitely wasn’t out of practice.
Despite both of us not being in ring attire, we were still more than capable of handling this in jeans. Walking to the entrance and I grabbed a microphone.
“Charrrrrloteeee,” I sang into the mic. “Carefulll what you askkk forrr.”
Announcer 1: Looks like Charlote’s about to get exactly what she wanted. Here comes Hazel!
My music came on and we walked out hand in hand. The fans were usually pretty loud but this was on another level. All of it worth it for the look of regret on Charlotte’s face. I smirked as Lita and I circled the ring from opposite directions before jumping up on the ropes to get in.
Announcer 1: Oh my god! WWE Hall of Famer, Lita is also here accompanying her niece into the ring. What a treat! Charlotte doesn’t seem to happy by this though. And Woah! Looks like Hazel’s debuting a different hair color.
Announcer 2: Does that look remind you of anyone? With the blonde and black?
Announcer 1: No! It can’t be?! Hazel and Seth Rollins?!
“I don’t know why you had to bring out this bag of garbage with you, but glad you could make it.” Hazel started bravely, as the fans booed her. Lita and I laughed, waiting to hear what this whole thing was about. “I see your face hasn’t gotten any better since the last time I beat your ass. Now, I was told not to touch you this week. They don’t want the face of the WWE damaged. But here’s the thing, YOU are NOT the face of this company! You are a thief who stole something from me -” She seethed, stepping closer to point at the belt thrown over my shoulder. “You stole this from me. And I won’t stop until it’s back to where it belongs . Whether it’s now, two weeks from now, even two months from now – I will come for you every chance I get until that Title is back around MY waist! Because I am the face of WWE and that title belongs with the one true Women’s Champion!”
When Lita and I laughed again, you could practically see the steam rising from her head.
“This? This is what you called me out for? You’re pathetic Charlotte. The reason I’m the face of the company is because I can hold my own! There’s not a single time you retained this championship without the help of that walking scrotum you call a dad! You were the one that tried to run from our match! You were the one that had to pull a sneak attack last week just to get me down. You are the one that can’t face me one on one, woman to woman.”
“Is that you think?” She asked stepping forward.
“That’s what the record shows.” Lita answered.
“Nobody asked you, you stupid -”
I cut her off by hitting her in the mouth with the microphone before jumping on top and bashing her head into the mat while punching her in the face.
Dana tried to interfere but Lita pounced on her the same way I did to Charlotte . The fans cheered our names as Lita and I stood, grabbing the women by their hair and tucking their heads under our arms in a backwards headlock before we simultaneously dropped for a DDT. Lita kicked Dana out of the ring. We exchanged a look and I left Charlotte in the middle, backing up to one corner while Lita backed up to the corner diagonal from me. We each turned to face the crowd and I’ spotted the father and daughter from the airport. I waved at them as the girl watched me with inspired eyes before I motioned for the crowd to make more noise then we both moonsaulted off the top rope to land on her. Me on the her upper body, my aunt on her legs.
I lifted Lita’s hand in victory before I grabbed my belt and the mic again. “You see Charlotte, I don’t care if you come for me every day or week, or even every month, because when it actually matters, I will win. Now I might not have this title forever. Someday someone might beat me for it, but I guarantee that you will never be the one to get this title from me.”
Seth
She did it. She actually changed her hair like mine. I watched the screen in amazement, taking in the welcomed surprise. Except instead of the black with a portion of blonde, she had dyed it blonde with a portion of black. It looked sexy as hell, I had to give her that. That and seeing her in the ring working with like the first woman I ever had a crush was something so surreal. I’d never been as blown away as I was watching them both Lita-Sault onto Charlotte from the top rope.
We applauded at the show of dominance in the ring as Hazel held up her title, making sure Charlotte and everyone else knew that they would have to go through hell and high water to take it away from her.
Roman looked at me with a knowing smile, patting my shoulder while Dean shoved me lightly.
“Goddamn that woman knows how to work a crowd.” Roman laughed, “Kudos to you two for making it public.”
I smiled, lowering my head with a shrug. “I had no idea she was going to go through with it. But I’m happy she did.”
“So we’re sure we’re doing this? There’s no turning back if we do.” Dean said in all seriousness.
“Yeah, man. We have to.” Roman answered.
“We’re the hounds of Justice. If my girl can stick it to the man by herself, there’s no reason we can’t. Hell it’s our job.”
“Alright. How are we going to play this? I know Kane is going to call us down on Lawler.”
“We’ll play it cool. Make it known that we’re here to be a consequence for those to think they don’t have to answer to anyone. Then we turn on Kane.” I answered.
The guys nodded in agreement. Everything Hazel said the day before was eye-opening. We weren’t going to be pawns. This woman may have started a revolution against the authority and the Shield would be behind her 100%.
“Sierra. Hotel. India. Echo. Lima. Delta. Shield.”
Our entrance music came in and we were greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos as we made our way down to the ring. We circled Lawler. Dean pulling the chair out from under him while Roman and I pushed him up to the ring where Kane stood waiting with a smug look on his face. Jerry complied, cornering himself while we stood around him like a pack of wild dogs stalking their prey.
Kane took off his jacket behind us, laying it neatly on the ropes before speaking into the mic again. “Now we’ve known each other for a long time, Jerry. And we both know that you’re not exactly in fighting shape so I’m not going to enjoy doing what I have to do. Well…” he laughed to himself. “Maybe a little. But I guess I should ask you if there’s anything you like to say for yourself.”
Lawler looked at the crowd then back at us, scared and shaking his head.
I grabbed a mic, stepping towards him. “Jerry. I see that look in your eyes, but I got a good feeling Daniel Bryan’s not coming to save you.” I paused, letting the crowd get out their Yes chants before continuing. “because the shield always does what’s best for business.”
I dropped the mic to his feet, stepping backwards towards the guys. The three of us giving it a minute before turning around to face Kane who’s smirk disappeared from his lips.
“No.” he said, shaking his head. ” You think this is funny? You don’t know what you’re doing! You don’t know what it takes to make it in this business!”
He stepped closer to Roman while Dean and I circled him. He went in for the swing before all three of us jumped to attack. We got him from one corner to another but the fucker was strong, breaking us apart until Dean came in with a flying kick to the jaw followed by Roman with a spear. Dean and I brought him up to Rom, throwing him up on our shoulders before dropping him with a triple power bomb.
This was the first time we heard unanimous cheers from the entire stadium for us. This is what a real victory felt like.
—
“You did what?” Hazel asked, incredulously.
Roman leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, repeating Dean’s previous statement “We turned on Kane.”
“Wow.” she replied , leaning against the dresser next to Renee.
I nodded, coming to terms with the severity of our situation. “What did Stephanie have to say about your stunt earlier?”
She lifted her eyes to meet mine, a hint of uncertainty mixed with excitement behind them. “That if I continued to act this way, she’d put me in title matches week after week until that title is ripped from my limp body. Exact words.”
“What did you say?” I asked, knowing she wasn’t one to keep her mouth shut.
“Bring it.” she replied. “And she was livid when she saw the hair.”
She took a moment to gather her thoughts before looking up at the three of us again. “So we’re doing this. Turning against the Authority?”
“Someone has to. Everything you said yesterday made sense, Haz.” I nodded again, looking between her and the guys.
“They’re not just going to use us like they have been. Who better to set them straight than the Shield?” Dean added.
“Guys.” Renee finally spoke up. “This is serious. I mean, jobs are on the line. Not to mention your health. They have some pretty big people working for them.”
“It’s too late to turn back now, babe.” Dean said, running a hand down her back. “This is the right thing to do.”
Roman and I agreed with Roman speaking up. “They might have big guys, but we’re a team and we’re not afraid of anyone they throw our way.”
Hazel and I exchanged a look knowing we were about to embark on a journey that had ended the careers of many, but neither of us were scared.
“Okay. We have to meet my aunt for dinner. You guys are more than welcome to join.”
“Nah. I’m catching a flight home. I haven’t seen Galina all week.” Rom answered.
“Yeah, as much as I’d love to meet her and see Seth choke, Renee and I need some r and r of our own.” Dean replied, throwing his arm around his girl.
“Alright. We’ll catch you later.” I said, walking them out the door.
Hazel
As much as I wanted to keep talking about what we had done, Lita stressed the importance of letting go of work when we weren’t at work. It was a rare thing in itself to have a free moment, we had to enjoy it instead of immersing ourselves in stress. Work time was for work. Your personal time was for you. She swore that was the key to a happy life.
Seth and I agreed. She was in fact more successful than the both of us and she always had a smile on her face so who were we to protest?
We sat at the back of a bar. After the night we had, we all wanted something low key. Burgers, fries, and beer.
“So Seth.” Lita began after we’d order our food. “It’s great to finally meet you face to face.”
“Nah. Pleasure is all mine.” He smiled. “I’m a huge fan of yours. I grew up watching you and the Hardy Boyz. It’s what inspired my style of wrestling. Plus, you’re obviously a phenomenal trainer.” He said, motioning towards me.
I laughed, unable to control my smile around him as he held me tucked into his side. God, he was amazing.
“Well aren’t you a charmer?” Lita smiled, watching me with pride. “I can see why she’s so smitten with you.”
“It’s actually the opposite, ma’am. I’m not to proud to say your niece has me wrapped around her finger.” He said, looking down at me with a grin.
“it’s a trait that runs in the family.” She said proudly, winking at him.
The three of us laughed and I shook my head. “Well can’t say that wasn’t a little embarrassing.”
“What? You don’t think you’re mom and I don’t still turn heads?” Lita asked, throwing a chip at me.
“Oh my god, Red! Stop!” I laughed, shaking my head.
Ignoring me, she turned to Seth again. “Wait until you meet Laurie. You’ll see where Haz got her looks from. Back in our day, we couldn’t walk into a place like this without a few necks breaking.”
Seth laughed hard as I covered my face with my hands. I knew she’d do something like this. Lita was a good looking woman, so was my mom, but damn!
“Well, If you look anything like that when we grow old together, I can’t say I’d be disappointed.” He smiled down at me, rubbing my arm.