Take Care, Don't Spike Your Hair

[Ben M]

OOC: Thank you Chloe for giving me permission to user Kaitlyn. Good luck, Brian! :)


It was Sunday afternoon, and Aftermath was just a few hours away. Most of the EBWF Superstars were already at the KFC Yum! Center ready for the show, but due to a delayed flight Kaitlyn was only just arriving. Once she was inside the arena, Kaitlyn got her phone out and sent a text to Zack Ryder.

"I'm here now. See you soon x"

Not long after Kaitlyn had landed at Louisville International Airport, Zack had sent her a text message asking her to come to his locker room when she arrived at the arena. Zack had made it sound important, but had given no further details, which intrigued Kaitlyn. Her phone buzzed, indicating that Zack had replied to her text message. He hadn't said much - he had just sent her a smiley face - but it was enough to make Kaitlyn smile. Kaitlyn and Zack had been quietly seeing each other since WrestleMania weekend, but they had not given their relationship any formal definition or title; they were happy just to be spending more time together. When Kaitlyn found Zack's locker room, she knocked on the door. Though she was 99 percent certain that Zack would have been perfectly happy for her to enter without knocking, to do so seemed impolite to her.

Zack Ryder: Come in!

Kaitlyn entered and Zack grinned at the sight of her. Kaitlyn smiled back, but almost instantly she noticed there was something different about Zack. His hair was unspiked... which wouldn't have been a big deal, except it was the first time Kaitlyn had ever seen Zack without his hair spiked, and it caught her by surprise. Zack could see Kaitlyn looking at his hair, and he laughed a little to himself.

Zack Ryder: What d'ya think?

Kaitlyn: You uh... you kinda look like Bradley Cooper.

Zack laughed some more.

Zack Ryder: Yeah right, I wish. Seriously though, I don't look too weird do I? Because I was planning on making this my new look, and I could use your opinion. I daren't go to Trent with questions about my image, he'd start comparing me to characters from his favourite video games...

Now it was Kaitlyn's turn to laugh; her and AJ had a similar problem. She moved closer to Zack, ran her fingers through his hair, then smiled.

Kaitlyn: I think it looks great, Zack. But if you don't mind me asking, why the sudden change?

Zack shrugged.

Zack Ryder: I just felt like it was time for a change, you know? I don't know what the plan is for my match with Damien Sandow, but I've been given an opportunity to appear on pay-per-view when a lot of other guys haven't. I can't believe they didn't give Trent a match after leaving him off the Mania card, and I don't even know if they want to use us as a tag team any more. I was thinking about trying to arrange a meeting with Jericho, to find out whether creative have anything planned for me or if my match with Sandow is just a filler, but I was worried that talking to him would do more harm than good. Anyway, I stopped doing my YouTube show because I figured that had gotten me as far as I will, so I started thinking about other changes I could make that will help me move forward. Losing the spiked hair is something small, but given how long I've had my hair spiked for, it's bound to get people talking. That can only be a good thing, right? Besides, how many main eventers do you see with spiked hair? That's what I'm aiming for, Kaitlyn. And if I want to be taken seriously, maybe I have to start taking myself more seriously.

Kaitlyn nodded. She could see where Zack was coming from. She stroked Zack's arm, then moved her hand down his arm, stopping at his hand and holding it.

Kaitlyn: I understand, Zack. That actually makes a lot of sense. It certainly can't hurt to try something different, and this is hardly a drastic change... though I'm sure some of your fans won't see it that way. What else have you got planned? No more woo woo wooing? A change from "Oh Radio"?

She smirked playfully, giving Zack's hand a gentle squeeze. Zack smirked back, then shook his hand.

Zack Ryder: One thing at a time. Let's see how this goes first.

Zack let go over Kaitlyn's hand and put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. He then kissed her forehead before looking into her eyes and smiling.

Zack Ryder: Thank you.

Kaitlyn smiled back, then leaned forward and kissed Zack softly on the lips.

Kaitlyn: You're welcome.

Kaitlyn stayed in Zack's locker room for a while longer and the two of them talked about a variety of subjects, ranging from how people called Kaitlyn and Seth Rollins "hair twins" to comparing how excited Trent and AJ had gotten over Free Comic Book Day. A couple of hours later after Kaitlyn had left, Zack had another visitor. This time, Scott Stanford was knocking on Zack's locker room door and he was accompanied by an EBWF cameraman. Zack's unspiked hair seemed to surprise Scott as much as it had Kaitlyn.

Scott Stanford: Hey Zack! What's with the hair?

Zack Ryder: Turn that camera on, ask me that question again and I'll tell you.

Zack grinned. Moments later, he was stood outside his locker room next to Scott, ready to be interviewed. The camera started rolling and Scott began to speak.

Scott Stanford: Welcome! I'm Scott Stanford and I'm joined by everyone's favourite Long Islander, Zack Ryder! Zack, tonight you're facing Damien Sandow and we'll get to that in the moment. But first, I have a very important question to ask. What's with the hair, bro?! Did you forget your hair gel or something?!

Zack Ryder: Scott, I've been taking care and spiking my hair for four years... I never forget my hair gel. I just figured it was time for a change. It was actually Damien Sandow who inspired this new look!

It wasn't, of course. But for the purposes of the interview, this seemed like a good justification.

Scott Stanford: Really? Tell me more, tell me more...

Zack Ryder: Well Scott, I heard about the "incident" with Damien; how he's losing faith and how he suddenly seems to be afraid of light. When I first heard about it, I thought maybe he was going crazy... but then I listened to what Damien had to say, and he actually made some sense. I wouldn't go as far to call him my intellectual saviour, but he did offer some sound advice. You see, Damien, I can understand what it's like when your luck is against you... what it's like to go on a losing streak. Like you, I suffered a disappointing loss at WrestleMania... but unlike you, I haven't had a match since then! Like you, I need to do something different, and this is it.

Zack pointed to his hair, then continued.

Zack Ryder: It might not seem like much, Damien, but for four years I've wrestled with my hair spiked, and tonight, I'm letting my hair down again. It's time for a change, and while it might not seem like much, my unspiked hair is a signal of a new attitute. For too long, I've been treated like a jobber, and I've laughed it off. I asked people if they were serious... what I should have done is asked myself if I was serious! I wasn't, which is why I got treated like a joke. But the joke is over now, and so is my love affair with spiked hair. Say goodbye to the Long Island Iced Z, and say hello to the new Zack Ryder!

Zack went to turn away, but he didn't feel right ending the interview like that. He turned back to face the camera, and uttered six more words.

Zack Ryder: Woo woo woo... you know it!

Baby steps...

[Juan Ramirez]

Trent flicked the TV off after the promo was over.

Trent?: Bradley Who? He Totally looks like Leon Kennedy... A really tanned Leon Kennedy.

[Ben M]

LMAO