~𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕟𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕖~

triple threat match

Today was the day where me rhea and Candice LeRae would go for the NXT title in a triple threat match. I was the champion and I've seen demi fight but I hadn't seen much of Candice. She was really nice in person but from the little I've seen she is evil in her matches. My strategy was to get Candice out of the picture and focus on rhea, if that didn't work, get out of the ring and watch how she fought to hopefully gain the advantage.

I had finished my gear and already modelled for rhea. I had been requested for interview after interview and they all had the same exact questions. Why are you so experienced. What is your strategy. How does it feel to be a champ so early in your career. What is the relationship with you and rhea. Blah blah blah blah. I had grown tired of it now, same companies asking for the same interview to give me the same questions, like talk about something else. I loved being champ but find new questions.

I was sparring with Nick today because demi was at a gear fitting but I didn't mind, Nick was always a great challenge, he refused to hold back. It wasn't often that I beat Nick but I managed to do so today and even got a nice workout afterwards. I came home absolutely drenched in sweat, completely and utterly exhausted, I knew I needed to get a shower and sleep for a little but demi still wasn't home and call me clingy but I missed her. She was gone before I woke up this morning and we hadn't spoken today, not even over text, I just feel really attached to her. Besides that I ended up actually doing what I needed, having a shower and taking a nap after I ate some food.

*time skip*

One call. No answer. Two calls. No answer. Third call. Voicemail. Was she ignoring me?? I knew that she was preparing for the match tonight but I wanted to talk to her before going against her. It was kind of bitchy but maybe that's just the way she worked. I mean we were still getting to know each other so I was open-minded about her. I just wish I could see or even hear her, just once.

I knew that she wasn't going to talk to me so I turned my phone off and headed to the performance centre. If she could ignore me, I could ignore her and that's exactly what I was gonna do. When I arrived at the performance centre she was in hair and makeup, she attempted to talk but I walked by her, heading straight to the locker room to get changed into my gear. Demi walked into the locker room as I was changing, I turned my back on her. "Can we talk..." She said from behind me "I don't know. Can we demi!" I said turning around to face her. She stepped back a little as I raised my voice "Syd I'm sorry. I don't know why I ignored you..." I looked her dead in the eye with a cold look "...force of habit" I said walking past her to hair and makeup.
Sydney Gear makeup and accessories:

I waited backstage, as far away from rhea as possible, she wasn't going to distract me from getting ready to defend my title. "Candice you're on" a crew member said from the left wing. I watched as the 'poison pixie' headed out to the ring. I stood and waited for rhea to enter the ring before allowing my intro to take place.

The bell rung and I took no notice of Candice, neither did demi, who pleaded with her eyes to not turn this against her. Too late. I pushed demi out of the way as the first move of the match, turning to Candice and hoisting her over my head to the outside of the ring. I turned to rhea and looked her dead in the eye as a fight for dominance ensued between us. I jumped up and used a lot of my power to drive rhea head first into the canvas, I would've never been able to do that had she not been caught off guard.

I rose to my feet and pulled rhea back up. My hand locked in red I attempted to swing her into the turnbuckle only to be overpowered by her and crashing into the ring post, back first. I yelled from the pain that my back was in and slid down the ring post. The hesitation that took over rhea caused Candice to take advantage of us and surprise rhea into a pin, her legs were pulled over her head in a cradle courtesy of Candice but with my assist the match continued.

After a while of back and fourth fighting with rhea and Candice I found myself plummeting into the barricades after a failed attempt of a suplex on Candice. At first I thought I was okay, but the second I placed my left foot on the floor, a piercing pain in my knew forced me back to the ground. I immediately had medical attention surrounding me, scanning my injury and saying whether I should continue with the match. The officials around me advised the match be discontinued and I leave but I was very stubborn, insisting i could continue. Not gonna lie, the pain I was in was excruciating and now I had an even bigger target now that it was known that my knee was now injured.

I hobbled back into the ring where rhea stood, alone, Candice just falling off the top of the ropes. Rhea kept flashing peeks at my knee then back to my eyes, trying to scout out her next decision. She decided on an immediate pin to which I just barely kicked out of. It became clear to rhea that my injury was no joke when I struggled to get back on my feet without the assistance of the ropes. Her attention diverting from my eyes to my knee was constant, almost as if she knew she had to attack my knee but also protect me from Candice as a second nature. While she was distracted with her thoughts I hopped over to the corner of the ring and tried to climb the ropes, only to receive the forearm of Candice directly in my face, in my dazed state she pulled my left leg around the top rope making sure the pressure point was on my knee. I sat struggling to see, struggling to breathe and desperately trying to get loose from the rope. I would have been in a lot more pain had it not been for rhea drop kicking LeRae from the centre of the canvas.

Pulling my leg free instantly made me regret my decisions, I crashed to the canvas, onto my knees.... listen, growing up I was able to take a lot of pain, but I've never felt this pain in my entire life. Rhea eyed me up as I climbed to my feet, favouring my left leg, once I was uprightshe ran towards me and I narrowly escaped her from driving her shoulder into my gut. I had the advantage, LeRae was slowly rising but me throwing her out of the ring stopped her from getting back completely. Call me crazy but I just wanted to win. I wrapped my arms around rhea and threw her into a northern light suplex, pinning her but not being able to hold it after feeling the pain in my knee again. If I couldn't win by pin, I'd win by submission. I followed rhea as she crawled away from my waiting for her to meet the center of the ring, once she did I set her up for my signature submission lock the viper lock. It wasn't as strong due to the fact I was only using one leg to hold her arm in place but the affect was still enough to cause her the pain needed for me to win. She desperately held on, her eyes slowly closing, her movements becoming more faded until she finally tapped, just in time to keep herself conscious. I immediately let go of rhea, trying my hardest to stay on my feet, watching the disbelief and disappointment that Candice was experiencing leave with her as she turned back stage. My leg was still in pain but I was more focused on rhea and her wellbeing. She was still a little out of is as she stood, I held up my championship and helped rhea stabilise, showing my respects to her as I did so.

It was my first title retainment and It certainly wasn't going to be my last but the feeling of being back the title once again was absolutely amazing and I proved to the entire NXT locker room that I wasn't going to go down without a fight. and a hell of a fight it would be. My championship. My glory. My duty.