New Recruits

Chapter 11

"How are you feeling?" Becky Lynch asked. She had just walked with Sonya to the small area that passed for a Gorilla Position at NXT live events. There was an air of excitement about the Irishwoman, brought on by seeing her opponent about to take the very first step of what could potentially be, and hopefully would be a long journey in WWE.

"Nervous, again," Sonya admitted with a smile that conveyed the emotion she had just confessed to.

"I remember the feeling well," Becky said. "Trust me, once we get going in the match, you'll be fine. Stick to the disciplines you've been taught, pay attention to my calls, and ten minutes from now we'll be standing back here celebrating a successful debut."

"Thanks, Becky," Sonya said, for what felt like the millionth time that night. It was all she could do to try and express her undying gratitude for the amount of support she had been given on such a stressful night.

The road agent who was in charge of running the show came over and offered a few words of encouragement, then before she knew it, Sonya heard some unfamiliar low budget rock music playing in the arena. It wasn't Becky's theme. Then she realised with a shock that it had to be her own. She hadn't considered before now that she was going to have entrance music.

"Enjoy," Becky said, giving Sonya a slap on the back to encourage her to walk through the curtain.

Taking a deep breath, Sonya got into character. Putting a menacing expression on her face, she stepped through the curtain into an arena for the first time. Unsurprisingly, she received little to no reaction from the crowd of maybe five hundred people. Almost certainly, not a single one of them knew who she was, and would be none the wiser once her name was announced in a moment.

An entrance routine was something that Sonya had practiced ahead of time. Standing in front of the small stage, she went through a shadow punching routine before starting down the aisle.

"Put your hair up and square up, baby!" she shouted aggressively, pointing to her hair.

"This contest is set for one fall," Mandy said, performing her ring announcing duties. "Introducing first, from Shamong, New Jersey, Sonya Deville!"

As expected, there was no reaction. Sonya didn't let it phase her. She got into the ring and did another shadow punching routine. With that, her music faded out. It was time for Becky's entrance.

When The Irish Lasskicker's music hit, Sonya saw pretty much all of the fans in the arena come to their feet, cheering excitedly. Among NXT's women, Becky was one of the fan favourites, along with Bayley.

Pacing around the ring, staying in character, Sonya hoped that one day, as a heel, she could receive a reaction as negative as Becky's was positive. If that happened, she would know she was doing well beyond any shadow of doubt.

As Becky made her way to the ring, Sonya's pacing took her close to Mandy just after she announced Becky.

"Good luck!" Mandy said on her way out of the ring. She hadn't been able to add an expression of love because the referee was standing nearby. Even so, Sonya drew confidence from her words.

Entering the ring, Becky went over and posed on the middle rope. It was the last part of her entrance routine.

Sonya took another deep breath. In a matter of moments, the bell would sound and her first ever official match would be underway. "You've got this," she told herself quietly.

On opposite sides of the ring, the competitors locked eyes for the first time. Becky's music faded out, and the referee called for the bell.

At Becky's suggestion, Sonya was going to be the first one to get in some offense, so as it to make it clear from the off that this wouldn't be a two minute squash match.