Monday Night Raw 28th June 2021
The steel door of Gorilla Position slammed shut behind Y/N with a resounding clang that echoed his internal frustration. Sweat still slicked his brow from the promo he'd just cut, but the real heat radiating from him was pure, unadulterated anger. The charity appearance meant a lot to him.
It was something that resonated with him and could do a lot of good for his community and they'd yanked it away at the last minute, citing "scheduling conflicts." Bullshit. He knew it was because they wanted him focused solely on lining their pockets.
He'd swallowed his pride, barely, and used his leverage to get Damian Priest two shots at qualifying for Money in the Bank. Damian was hungry, talented, and deserved the opportunity. But this... this felt personal.
He stormed into his locker room, the door almost flying off its hinges as it slammed against the wall. He kicked a duffel bag across the room, the contents scattering like fallen dominoes. He needed to calm down, but the simmer of resentment was threatening to boil over.
He grabbed the remote and flicked on the monitor on the wall. On screen, Adam Pearce was in the ring, a microphone in hand, trying to mediate a shouting match between Bobby Lashley, Samoa Joe, and Braun Strowman. The predictable alpha-male posturing for the number one contender spot.
Then Pearce spoke, and Y/N's simmering rage ignited.
Pearce: Y/N L/N will be defending his WWE Championship against Samoa Joe!
Joe's face split into a predatory grin. Y/N usually respected Joe, a veteran with a brutal intensity. But now, all he felt was frustration.
Pearce: And Bobby Lashley!
Pearce continued, MVP beaming beside Lashley, his eyes gleaming with dollar signs.
That was it. Y/N was done.
Pearce: And Braun Strowman, in a Fatal Four Way match for the WWE Championship!
Y/N ripped the remote from the wall, the plastic casing cracking under the pressure of his grip. He felt a surge of adrenaline, a cocktail of anger and defiance coursing through his veins. A Fatal Four Way? They were handicapping him, stacking the odds against him as punishment for him going in the first place, if they wanted a reason to fire him, he would give them a reason.
He was going to go.
Friday 1st July 2021
The Texas sun beat down on the hood of the rental SUV as Y/N navigated the Dallas highway, the city blurring past in a wash of steel and concrete. He gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, the anger still simmering beneath his skin.
Flashes of the past, unbidden and unwelcome, flickered across his vision, superimposed over the Dallas skyline. He remembered being a kid himself, in cities just like this one, scrounging and hustling, his back against the wall. That charity appearance, the one they'd blocked? It was for kids like him.
He exhaled sharply, pushing the memories back into the locked vault where they belonged. He was Y/N L/N now, the WWE Champion. Top of the food chain. And he was playing by his own rules.
He'd been ignoring their calls since Monday. Every text, every email, every frantic plea from Triple H himself had been met with silence. They could yell into the void for all he cared. Nobody told him what to do, only one person could and it was Rhea.
YOU ARE READING
From Start To Finish. (Rhea Ripley X Male Reader)
FanfictionY/N L/N. Better known as The Modern Day Excellence of Execution. A nickname he had earned through countless battles in NXT. He had done everything there is to do but after losing his championship at NXT takeover he had to try and win it back throug...
