Top of the Card

Chapter 1

Big fight feel. Becky had heard the cliche often enough, but for her, she tried to take that energy into every match she had, whether it was going to aired on Main Event or if it was showcased in a pay-per-view. She had been forced out of wrestling for far too long, and she would never take it for granted again. In the case of the Royal Rumble, she didn't mind being the first official match of the night. The three pre-show matches had done an admirable job warming up the crowd, and she knew the early placement of her bout with Asuka was purposeful, done to give her time to cool down and prepare for a last-minute entry into the women's Rumble match. On her way to her post-match interview, Asuka gave her a hug. "Good luck in the Rumble," she said, squeezing Becky's shoulders before she stepped back. "Even though I should be cheering for Io or Kairi."

Becky grinned. "Cheer for all three of us then. Increase your odds." Since she was a late surprise addition, slated to take over Lana's spot because of her kayfabe injury earlier in the night, she knew she stood a good chance of winning. Her rivalry with Ronda Rousey was hot enough that it was garnering attention both in MMA circles and in mainstream media, so Vince was actually getting invested. She wouldn't be the first women's Rumble winner—that honour had gone to Asuka, and deservedly so—being the second sounded pretty sweet too.

After doing her post-match interview, Becky caught what she could of the intervening matches before the women's Rumble. Even though she knew Ronda was scheduled to win, she still cheered for Sasha anyway, as well as using the opportunity to scout. When Lana and Rusev joined her, she felt vaguely guilty, but Lana gave her a huge hug. "Don't feel bad!" Lana insisted. "I'm sure I can spin it somehow. And besides, if you go on to win at the Rumble and then at WrestleMania, I'll have perfect fuel for starting a feud!"

She doubted Vince would ever invest heavily in a Lana-based feud, but Becky nodded. She would love to have feuds with wrestlers outside of the Four Horsewomen. The rosters were stacked, and that was without putting NXT in the mix. WWE had so many talented women who weren't being utilized—Becky herself had been one of them, not all that long ago—and she desperately wanted to get them out into the spotlight. "I'd love that. Maybe not so much the ballerina kicks to the head," she quipped, "but I think we could put on a great program."

Rusev patted her shoulder. "We both wish you luck. You deserve to be a champion again."

"Thank you." She excused herself and went to Creative, where the final five women—Bayley, Nia, Carmella, Charlotte, and herself—were supposed to meet to go over the final details and learn who would be the ultimate winner. Becky didn't doubt that they had already chosen days ago, but she had also heard of Rumbles that were decided at the last minute.

When she arrived, only Bayley was there. "Hey, sister," she greeted, rising to hug Becky. "That was a banger with Asuka. Good job."

"Thanks." Becky took a deep breath as she sat. As talented as all of the final women were, she didn't see Nia or Carmella being chosen to win. Charlotte was the obvious front-runner, since Royal Rumble winner was one of the few accolades she hadn't earned yet, but Bayley was a solid workhorse. "So who do you think is going to get it?" she asked.

Bayley bumped shoulders with her. "I hope you do. You deserve it. You're carrying that damn feud with Ronda. It's like when you put a mic in her hand, she forgets how to talk. I mean, she's tough as hell, I'll give her that. But in terms of personality...."

"Yeah." Carmella entered then, with Nia and Charlotte not long after, so Becky didn't say anything more on the matter. Ultimately, it was in the McMahons' hands and all the theorizing in the world wouldn't make a bit of difference.

Stephanie strode into the room purposefully, looking over the assembled women. "Ladies, good luck out there tonight. I'm sure you'll make us all proud. As you know, Lana's selling an injury, so Becky's going to come out and take her place." Becky saw Nia roll her eyes at that, but did her best to ignore it. For all of Nia's attempts to make Face Breaker trend after giving Becky a concussion before Survivor Series, she had never been able to turn the infamy into anything tangible like Becky had.