After the adrenaline rush of Monday Night Raw finally settled, I found myself wandering backstage, my steps slower, lighter now that the chaos of the show was over. The hum of distant chatter and the clang of metal echoed off the walls as crew members packed up. I had no real destination—just letting my legs take me wherever they felt like going. And that’s when I saw him.
R-Truth, wearing the most suspiciously oversized hoodie I’ve ever seen, dark sunglasses indoors, and tiptoeing past production crates like he was in a spy movie. I squinted, tilting my head. Then I saw it—the 24/7 Championship peeking out from under the hoodie like a shining beacon of opportunity. I couldn’t help it. A grin pulled across my face and I let out a quiet chuckle. “Oh, this is so happening,” I muttered to myself.
I dropped into a crouch and started sneaking behind him like I was Solid Snake. R-Truth, bless his heart, was completely unaware, muttering something about his “ninja instincts being untouchable.” I stayed low, took a deep breath, then—
“GOTCHA!”
I lunged, tackling him straight to the floor. He let out a high-pitched yelp of betrayal.
“NOT AGAIN! WHY?!” he shouted as I rolled him over and pinned his shoulders. A ref—I have no idea where he came from, but I swear they must grow from the floor in these situations—skidded next to us.
“One! Two! Three!”
I sat up, holding the 24/7 Championship with both hands like it was Excalibur, a wild grin on my face. R-Truth just stared at the ceiling in defeat. “Sorry, Truth!” I said over my shoulder as I scrambled to my feet.
“I trusted you!” he wailed dramatically, still lying on the floor like I’d just ended our friendship.
“That was your first mistake!” I called back, already sprinting toward the parking area. “I’ll return it with snacks!”
Clutching the title to my chest like a kid with a stolen cookie, I weaved through crates and crew members until I reached the familiar sight of Cody’s ridiculously large RV. I banged on the door like a madwoman.
“Cody! Open up! It’s important!”
A beat passed, then the door swung open, revealing Cody, already in sweats and looking at me like I’d just told him we were being invaded.
“Angel? What the hell—”
I pushed past him and flopped dramatically onto his couch, holding the title above my head. “I won the 24/7 Championship!” I announced like I’d just solved world hunger.
His eyes widened as he shut the door behind me. “You did what?”
“Tackled Truth in the hallway. Classic sneak attack. Beautiful form. Ref came out of a vending machine or something. It was chaos. But now, I’m queen.” I spun the belt around my arm with a satisfied smirk.
Cody leaned against the wall and chuckled, shaking his head. “You tackled R-Truth? Seriously?”
“Did I stutter?” I shot him a smug grin.
He laughed harder now, arms crossed. “That man’s been paranoid all year, and you got him? That’s cold.”
“I prefer ‘tactically brilliant,’ thanks.”
We both laughed, and for a minute, it was just pure, chaotic fun. But then… I saw it. That glint in Cody’s eyes. The one that meant he was thinking. And worse—plotting. I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t even think about it, Rhodes.”
He looked far too innocent. “Think about what?”
“Oh please. I’ve seen that face before. It’s the same one you had when you replaced all of Jey’s water bottles with hot sauce.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, straight-faced—way too straight-faced.
I stood up slowly, holding the title tighter. “I swear, if you try to roll me up while I’m distracted, I will throw you out of your own RV.”
He raised his hands defensively, still smirking. “Would I do that to you?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “Yes, you absolutely would. You’re Cody Rhodes, not a saint.”
He grinned wider. “Fair point.”
I slung the belt over my shoulder and sat back down, keeping one suspicious eye on him at all times. “Just remember,” I said sweetly, “you try anything, and I’m still faster. And meaner. And I know where you keep your secret stash of Sour Patch Kids.”
His eyes widened slightly. “Not the Sour Patch stash…”
I nodded solemnly. “Yes. War has its casualties.”
He laughed again and flopped down in the chair opposite me, shaking his head. “Alright, champ,” he said. “You win… for now.”
I grinned, resting my head against the back of the couch with the title secure on my shoulder.
It was one of those rare, quiet moments backstage—no yelling, no chaos, just the soft hum of vending machines and the faint buzz of conversation from down the hall. I was curled up on the couch in the lounge, my feet kicked up on the coffee table, the 24/7 Championship laying proudly across my lap like a pet cat.
Jey Uso sat across from me, leaning back with his arms stretched out along the top of the couch. He had that easy grin on his face, the kind that made everything feel like less of a warzone. “So you really tackled Truth?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
I smirked. “Full-on linebacker mode. Man never saw it coming.”
“Yo, that’s messed up,” Jey laughed, covering his mouth. “You wrong for that.”
“Desperate times,” I shrugged, giving the belt a little pat. “He was wearing sunglasses indoors, Jey. The man wanted to be caught.”
He snorted a laugh and was about to reply when I felt it—the shift in air pressure behind me. My instincts flared just a second too late.
“NOW!”
Someone slammed into me from the side like a damn freight train. My air left in a squeak as I was knocked clean off the couch and onto the carpeted floor. “What the—CODY?!” I shouted with Cody practically starfished on top of me.
A referee—because of course—popped out from behind the vending machine or a damn ficus plant—where do they come from?!
“One! Two! Three!”
“NOOOOO—!” I screamed as the count hit three.
Cody sprang up like a lunatic, holding the 24/7 title over his head like he’d just won the Royal Rumble. “YESSSS! I DID IT! VENGEANCE IS MINE!”
“YOU SLIMY, BACKSTABBING LITTLE—CODY!” I tried to get up, but I was laughing too hard. “I TOLD YOU NOT TO TRY ANYTHING!”
He was already halfway to the door, laughing like a man who just got away with robbing a candy store. “SHOULD’VE WATCHED YOUR SIX, ANGEL!” he shouted over his shoulder.
I groaned, rolling onto my side, clutching my ribs from laughing too hard. “I hate you!”
“Liar!”
“You’re dead to me, Rhodes!”
Jey had nearly fallen off the couch, laughing so hard tears were forming in the corners of his eyes. ““Daaaaamn! That man came outta nowhere! Yo—yo, I can’t breathe!” he wheezed, holding his stomach. I glared at him, trying to stay mad, but his laughter was too contagious.
“You’re not helping!”
“Nah, nah,” he said between breaths. “I’m dying. Girl, you had no clue! He hit you like a linebacker!”
I pointed at him accusingly. “And you just sat there!”
He held up his hands, still laughing. “What do you want me to do? Dive in front of the spear? I ain’t takin’ a Cody bomb for that belt!”
I groaned and flopped back onto the floor. “I should’ve known. The second he laughed in the RV, I should’ve slept with one eye open.”
Jey leaned over the edge of the couch and grinned down at me. “You good?”
I huffed out a breath, smiling despite myself. “Oh, I’m getting it back. Believe that.”
He grinned wider. “You plotting already?”
I nodded slowly. “Oh yeah. Next time, he blinks—I strike.”
“Poor guy doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Nope. Not even a little.”
We both sat there for a moment—me on the floor, Jey still catching his breath—and the sound of Cody’s triumphant whooping echoing down the hall. This war was far from over.
I knocked twice on the RV door before pushing it open, poking my head in like I was stepping into enemy territory—which, technically, I was. The last time I’d been in this particular RV, I had a title around my waist. Now? I was just a very motivated woman with a grudge and a plan. “Hello?” I called out, stepping inside.
Brandi looked up from the small table where she was scrolling through her phone, and little Liberty was sitting beside her, coloring with intense focus. “Hey, Angel,” Brandi greeted with a smile. “Looking for Cody?”
“Yeah,” I said, glancing around. The 24/7 Championship wasn’t hanging anywhere in sight—which meant he was wearing it. Typical. “Where’s the thief?”
Brandi chuckled, shaking her head. “He should be back any minute. Went to grab something from catering.”
Perfect. I turned to Liberty, who had now looked up, her big eyes lighting up as she saw me. “Hey, Libby,” I said, crouching down to her level with a grin. “Wanna win a WWE Championship?”
She blinked at me, wide-eyed. “Really?!”
I nodded solemnly, though my lips twitched with amusement. “Really. But it comes with great responsibility.”
“Like Spider-Man?” she whispered, eyes growing even bigger somehow.
“Exactly like Spider-Man,” I whispered back. “But cooler. Because your dad stole my title earlier, and I need someone I can trust to help me take it back. Think you’re up for it?”
She nodded so fast I thought her curls might launch into orbit. “Yes! Yes, I wanna win!”
Brandi glanced at us, already starting to laugh. “Oh no. I know that look, Angel. What are you plotting?”
“Justice,” I said innocently. “Swift, petty justice.”
Liberty leaned in closer. “What do I have to do?”
“Okay,” I whispered, motioning her in like this was a top-secret mission. “When your dad comes in, I’m gonna knock him down. Hard. When I say ‘now,’ you jump on top of him, and the referee—who will definitely be hiding somewhere, they always are—will count to three. Boom. You’re the new 24/7 Champion.”
Her mouth dropped open into the biggest, toothiest grin I’d ever seen. “I’M GONNA BE A CHAMPION!”
I laughed, reaching out to ruffle her hair. “That’s the spirit.”
And right on cue, the door swung open. “Hey, babe, they were out of the lemon—” Cody stepped inside, freezing mid-sentence as soon as he saw me. His eyes flicked to Brandi, to Liberty, and then back to me. “Angel. Why are you smiling like that?”
“You know why,” I growled.
He blinked. “Wait—wait, wait—”
Too late. I lunged forward and shoulder-tackled him right in the middle of the RV. He went down with a thud and a groan, the title slipping to the side. “NOW, LIBBY!” I shouted.
“Get him, baby!” Brandi encouraged with a laugh. Liberty squealed with excitement, launching herself onto her dad’s chest like she was jumping into a ball pit. And, of course, a referee appeared out of nowhere—from behind the little curtain to the sleeping area, of all places.
“One! Two! Three!”
“YES!” I whooped, scooping Liberty up as she bounced off Cody’s chest and into my arms. “We did it! Liberty Rhodes is the new 24/7 Champion!”
Liberty held the belt above her head with both hands, looking like she’d just won the world. “I’M A CHAMPION!”
Brandi was already snapping photos, laughing so hard she could barely hold her phone straight. “Oh my God, Cody, you got tag teamed by your daughter and Angel!”
Cody lay there on the floor, groaning. “I feel betrayed. In my own home.”
“You should’ve watched your six, Rhodes,” I teased, adjusting Liberty on my hip.
He tilted his head back, giving me the most dramatic pout I’d ever seen. “She’s four! How was I supposed to defend myself against both of you?!”
“You weren’t,” I smirked. “That was the point.”
Cody just laid there, still winded, but smiling despite himself. “You’re corrupting my child…”
“She’s already smarter than you,” I teased. “And don’t worry, Libs. I’ll protect you. Nobody’s taking that title from you while I’m around.”
She gave me a tight squeeze around the neck and whispered, “I know. You’re the best.”
Cody was finally sitting up, shaking his head as he looked between us with a smile that gave away just how proud he really was, even if he had just been ambushed. Brandi came over to join us, resting her chin on Cody’s shoulder as she grinned down at Liberty with the belt in her little hands. “This might be the cutest title reign in WWE history,” she said.
And there we were: all of us, piled into that cozy little RV, with a stolen title, a giggling child, and the most chaotic, ridiculous sense of family you could ask for. “You know she’s gonna want to defend that thing now, right?” Cody said, eyeing me.
“Oh, I know,” I grinned, tickling Liberty’s side and making her squeal with laughter. “And I’ve got her back. Always.”
Family wasn’t always about blood. Sometimes, it was about surprise pins, shared laughter, and holding the line for the ones you love. And if anyone thought they were taking that title off Liberty? They were gonna have to go through me.
ns216.73.217.39da2
and then Add to home screen.