Top of the Card

Chapter 4

Inevitable. Seth wasn't sure if he thought anything was truly inevitable, except dying. Now he wasn't so sure. Becky and Ronda seemed like the natural choice for the main event of WrestleMania with all the hype they had built up. Lesnar would always be a draw and Seth knew he was no slouch himself, but even with Heyman on the mic, they couldn't compare to the fury building between Becky and Ronda. When Ronda interfered in the match between Charlotte and Becky at Fastlane, ensuring Becky's victory and getting her reinserted into the title match, Seth knew it was a done deal, even if Becky had her doubts.

His dream of main-eventing WrestleMania was inching further and further away, at least for this year, but he was getting closer and closer to Becky, so it was hard to be too disappointed. Hopefully he had several more WrestleManias in him, if he could stay healthy and injury-free, but he knew what he was feeling for Becky was rare. They were cautiously dating, though that seemed like a shallow word for it and in many ways, not much had changed since they were just friends. They still went out for coffee or worked out together; it was just the aftermath that had changed. For a while, they had tried to dial it back after the night of Charlotte's unexpected addition to the match, but self-restraint wasn't his strong suit and it didn't seem like Becky was particularly inclined to try.

The day when the main event match was officially announced was bittersweet. While it shut the door on his dream for another year, he couldn't be happier for Becky. As their mostly friendly competition had progressed, he had been impressed and inspired by how personal it was to her—not just for herself and her career, but for her aspirations for the entire women's roster and women's wrestling in general. Getting a women's match to be the main event of one of the four major pay-per-views was a huge achievement. Some of the lustre had dimmed for her after the addition of Charlotte, but Becky wasn't about to let that ruin the moment of a lifetime. And yet even with that momentous news, the first thing she did after kissing him backstage was to congratulate him. "Your promo with Heyman was great. I've missed that cackle," she added, wrapping her arms around him.

They were trying to be discreet backstage, but that was going about as well as their restraint in general. When Renee walked by and whistled innocently, Seth pulled Becky down a quiet side corridor so they had a little more privacy. "I'm learning from the best," he replied. It wasn't just flattery: he was in awe of how she handled herself in the ring and on social media and while he knew he'd never be able to match her, he tried to learn from her methods and adapt them to his own style.

"Is that so?" Becky went on tiptoe and kissed him again. "Maybe you can tell me what you've learned later tonight."

Seth laughed, not quite his trademark cackle but a softer version that made Becky's eyes light up. "Don't you mean show you?" he teased.

Becky shook her head. "I said what I said. Catch up with you later." When she turned to leave, she almost walked right into Roman. "Roman! Hi!"

Roman's mouth twitched in a smile. "What's The Man doing hanging out with this loser?" he asked, pointing over her head at Seth. Roman was one of the few people they had actively told that they were dating; most of the WWE people who knew had figured it out by coming across them tucked away in a corner, sneaking kisses whenever they could.

"Is someone bitter that he's not the main event of WrestleMania for... what is it now?" Becky narrowed her eyes and pretended to think. "The fifth year in a row?"

"Don't forget that that guy," Roman replied, reaching around Becky to smack Seth's arm, "sorta stole my thunder on one of those. I definitely haven't forgotten."

"Well, don't go trying anything this year," Becky warned. "Bad enough that it's booked as a triple threat." When she glanced back at Seth, he knew she would have moved back in for another kiss if Roman hadn't been there, but he would have to wait. "I'll catch up with you later."