I had barely stopped laughing when Liberty tugged gently at the 24/7 Championship draped around her tiny shoulders, her curls bouncing with each excited step as she looked up at me with those impossibly wide eyes. “Auntie Angel,” she asked, voice filled with wonder, “can I walk around with the title? Like... show it to people?”
I chuckled and leaned down a little. “Oh, that’s a question for your mom, champ. I’m just your humble security detail.”
Liberty’s eyes darted to Brandi, who was still smiling from the couch, phone in hand, no doubt already texting those pictures to everyone she knew. “Mama? Can I? Please?”
Brandi looked at her daughter like she was the most precious thing in the world—and let’s be real, she was—and nodded. “As long as you listen to Angel and stay close, yes, you can. But you do exactly what she says, okay?”
Liberty gasped in that little dramatic way only a four-year-old could. “Okay! Promise!” Then she reached up and took my hand without hesitation, beaming up at me like we were about to go conquer the world. I smiled softly, squeezing her hand in return before I caught Brandi’s eye and gave her a little nod. A silent agreement: I’ve got her—and Cody, who was still half-sprawled on the floor like the aftermath of a Roman Empire betrayal, managed to throw me a dramatic pout.
“Can’t believe I’ve been dethroned by a four-year-old,” he mumbled.
“You should’ve seen it coming,” I grinned. “You made the mistake of trusting me.”
Cody sighed and muttered something about needing new friends as Liberty tugged me toward the door, championship belt slung over her shoulder like she’d been doing this her whole life.
Then we were off. Liberty practically skipped as we made our way down the hallway, her other hand clutching the edge of the belt like it was made of gold and magic. She waved at a few backstage crew members who smiled and waved back, mostly in awe of the belt around her. And of course—it didn’t take long before a few Superstars noticed. Damian Priest rounded the corner with that sly grin of his, followed closely by Otis and Akira Tozawa. They all glanced from me... to the tiny champion beside me... to the gold hanging across her shoulder.
Akira took one bold step forward. I didn’t say a word. I just glared. Daggers. Steel forged in the pits of “I will end you where you stand.” He stopped dead in his tracks. Otis blinked, looked at Liberty, then me, then turned around so fast I thought he might moonwalk away. Priest simply raised both his hands in mock surrender and said, “Nope. I ain’t messing with that,” before vanishing back around the corner.
“Wow,” Liberty whispered. “You’re like a superhero.”
I smiled down at her. “Nah. Just a really scary aunt to anyone who dares try to mess with you.”
She giggled. We kept walking a little more, making the rounds like we were on a victory tour. Liberty waved at people, her title catching the overhead lights, and I couldn’t lie—it was kind of magical seeing the pride on her face. Eventually, she looked up at me with a tired puff of breath. “Auntie Angel… it’s kinda heavy.”
I glanced down at her and smiled. “Wanna tag out?”
She nodded and offered the belt with both hands. I knelt down slightly to take it and slung it over my shoulder. “Still your title,” I told her. “I’m just holding it for safekeeping. I’ll do my best to make sure nobody takes it.”
Liberty smiled at me in that way that made my heart melt. “And if they do, it’s okay. ‘Cause I know you tried your best.”
That stopped me. Just for a second. I looked at her—this little four-year-old with more wisdom than some grown adults I knew—and I felt something in my chest shift. I bent down, scooped her up into my arms, and gave her a tight hug. “You are something else, kiddo,” I murmured.
She leaned her head on my shoulder, arms around my neck like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I love you, Auntie Angel.”
“I love you too, Lib.”
I carried her back to the RV like that, one arm holding her close, the other keeping the title in plain view. A few more Superstars passed by, eyeing it—eyeing me—but one hard look was all it took. Nobody was laying a finger on Liberty’s title. Not on my watch.
By the time we made it back to the RV, Liberty was practically bouncing in my arms, still riding the high of her backstage title tour. I barely had the door open before she wriggled down and hit the floor running, arms flailing like she was storming the ring. “MOMMY! DADDY!” she squealed, making a beeline for them.
Brandi, still sitting at the little table, looked up with a grin. Cody had made it off the floor and was now lounging on the couch, one leg draped over the armrest like he’d just survived a war—which, technically, he had. Liberty scrambled up onto the couch beside him, talking a mile a minute. “I took the title around backstage and Auntie Angel scared everyone away just by looking at them! They were gonna come get it, but she made this face—like this—” Liberty scrunched up her face in a mock glare that was more adorable than intimidating, “and they all ran away!”
Cody chuckled, rubbing his hand over his face. “Oh, I’m not even a little surprised,” he said, shooting a look my way. “That’s her signature move.”
I grinned, strolling over and plopping down right next to him. “What can I say? I’ve got a reputation to uphold. Besides,” I added, glancing down at Liberty with a smirk, “nobody’s touching my champ. I’d throw hands with the entire roster before I let anyone lay a finger on her.”
Brandi laughed from across the RV. “She’s more protected than the Undisputed Title.”
“As she should be,” I replied, mock-offended.
Liberty leaned dramatically against her dad now, eyes wide and serious. “Daddy?”
Cody looked down at her with a raised brow. “Yeah, baby?”
Her tiny finger poked at his chest. “Don’t take my title back from Auntie Angel… or I’ll use the Cross Rhodes on you!”
I wheezed and Brandi straight-up coughed, laughing as she clutched Liberty tighter. “Ohhh no, she’s turning on her own bloodline now! You heard her, Code. Cross Rhodes. No mercy. She’ll plant you,” I said, trying to catch my breath.
“I taught her that move!” Cody protested, trying to keep a straight face as Liberty giggled beside him.
“And she’s gonna use it,” I said proudly, patting Liberty on the back like she was my prized student. “Smart kid. Learns quick. Ruthless. I love it.”
Cody just threw his hands up. “This is what I get. Betrayed by my own daughter and my so-called best friend on the same day.”
Brandi was still laughing. “You literally brought it on yourself, Cody. You started it.”
Cody opened his mouth to argue, but the sight of Liberty snuggling proudly against me with that big, happy grin on her face made him stop short. He just shook his head and smiled, that warm, proud kind of smile only a dad could pull off. “Yeah… okay. Fine. You win.”
Liberty pumped her fist in the air. “CHAMPION!”
I grinned and slung my arm around her, pulling her close. “Darn right you are. And don’t worry—I’ve got your back, Libs. Always.”
She looked up at me and nodded seriously. “I know. You’re the best.”
I squeezed her a little tighter, my heart swelling. For a title that was once treated like a running joke, it somehow meant everything in that moment.
After hanging out with the Rhodes’ for a while—Liberty climbing all over me like a monkey, Cody pretending he wasn’t still sore from being taken out by his own kid, and Brandi laughing like she hadn’t had that much fun in weeks—I finally stood up from their couch with a stretch and a yawn.
“I should get going,” I said, reaching for my jacket and slinging it over my shoulder. “Gotta grab my stuff and head out before I crash in the hallway.”
Brandi stood with me, giving me a quick hug. “Thanks for everything today. You gave Libby a memory she’ll never forget.”
Cody, still reclining dramatically like his pride had been wounded and not his back, waved a lazy hand. “She’s lucky I didn’t go full throttle.”
“Oh please,” I scoffed, smirking. “You got taken down by a toddler. It’s okay to admit defeat.”
Liberty, bless her little heart, stood on the couch like she was already cutting a promo. “I am the champion!”
“Darn right you are,” I said with a grin, giving her a high five. “You keep your dad in check, alright?”
“I will!”
I gave Cody a nod—one of those quiet, wordless ones that said everything I meant: I’ve got her. Always. Then I stepped out of the RV and started down the hallway toward the locker room, smiling to myself. I didn’t even hear the footsteps behind me until it was too late.
“YEAH, BABY!”
“Wha—ACK!”
R-Truth blindsided me like a human tornado, sending us both sprawling to the floor. My back hit the tile with a solid thud and before I could so much as blink, a referee appeared—literally out of nowhere—slapping the ground.
“One! Two! Three!”
I groaned, laughing as I stared up at the ceiling. “Of course.”
Truth scrambled up, holding the 24/7 Title over his head like he’d just cashed in Money in the Bank at WrestleMania. “THE CHAMP IS BACK, BABY!”
I sat up slowly, brushing hair out of my face and shaking my head with a grin. “You’re the most chaotic man alive, Truth.”
“Don’t hate the player, hate the game!” he shouted, about to make a run for it when I called out—
“Hey, Truth!”
He spun around mid-sprint, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “You tryin’ to pull something?!”
I held up both hands in surrender. “Relax. I’m not gonna take the title. I’ve had my fun.”
I stood and brushed off my jacket, then stepped forward, offering my hand. “I just want to introduce myself. We’ve never officially met. I’m Angel.”
He hesitated for a beat, then stepped forward and took my hand. His grip was firm but his expression changed—no goofy smirk, no wild energy—just calm and genuine for a moment. “Yeah… I’ve heard about you,” he said, eyes steady on mine. “Thank you. For everything you do. For being a beacon of hope around here.”
I felt my smile falter just a little, softening into something quieter, more real. “Thank you, Truth. During some of the… darkest times in my life, when I didn’t think I’d get back up again, you made me laugh. Even when it hurt to laugh. You reminded me that no matter how dark it gets, there’s always light somewhere.”
Truth tilted his head slightly and gave me that same warm grin that had probably pulled half the locker room out of a bad day at least once. “No problem. All in the job description, right?”
I chuckled, the weight of his sincerity settling comfortably between us. “Yeah, at least for people like us. You ever need anything—anything—in or out of the ring, I got your back. Anytime, anywhere.”
He nodded, then pulled me in for a quick, friendly hug. “Right back at you, Angel.”
We stepped apart and he started backing away, pointing two fingers toward his eyes, then at me. “Don’t be surprised if I show up outta nowhere again, though.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
And with that, R-Truth turned and took off down the hallway, title in hand, yelling something about celebratory pancakes. I shook my head, smiling to myself as I turned back toward the locker room. That man was an icon in his own league—and I was damn proud to know him.
ns216.73.217.39da2
and then Add to home screen.