Thun thun thun thun thun thun thun thun thun.

The rapid fire sound of impactful footfalls on a gym treadmill was audible throughout the room. A young woman, dressed in a simple shirt and gym shorts, was dripping sweat as she maintained a strenuous pace. Her deep red hair was tied back so it remained out of her way. The woman had clearly been at it for a while as her breathing was starting to become labored.

Natalya: Come on Elizabeth. You want to make it here?

Elizabeth: Y...yes.

Natalya: You want to stop getting paid in hot dogs and magazine subscriptions? You need me. You think this is tough? Wait until we start doing ring drills after this. This is a walk in the park, so you need to tough it out. You need to show me you have the cardio for this business. Now woman up and finish strong!

Natalya's demeanor was one of a drill instructor. She was in her own gym gear, branded with the EBWF logo on it. On the bench beside her was the EBWF Women's Championship, neatly folded with the straps underneath the title face. Approaching her in much more professional attire was Renee Young. She cautiously closed the distance between herself and the Women's Champion.

Renee Young: Natalya, I realize you appear to be busy, but I was hoping to get a couple of words with you regarding your title defense against Eva Marie tonight.

Natalya looked over at Renee and rolled her eyes dramatically.

Natalya: Do you think I have the patience, time, or inclination to talk about a match with that sack of trash? I'm busy ensuring that this company doesn't devolve back to a point where we had ten Eva Marie's prancing around having 90 second matches devoid of talent or athleticism. I'm building the future here.

Renee Young: Strong words about the number one contender.

Natalya: Renee, all of my words are strong. I'm the Women's Champion. If I'm talking, you should be listening.

The red-haired woman on the treadmill looked over at her.

Natalya: Keep running, you. Unless you want me to boot your lazy ass out of this building.

Renee adjusted uncomfortably as the wrestler-in-training looked back down at the control console on the treadmill. The lit up display showed that the treadmill was topped out at 14 mph.

Natalya: Now, where was I? Oh yes, I was telling you that you can leave now.

Renee Young: Um, okay. You sure you don't have any comment about the wrestler that earned a title match against you?

Natalya's eyes widened. She turned to fully face her interviewer who tensed up.

Natalya: Did you... did you just call Eva Marie a wrestler?!

Her eyes narrowed as she glowered at Renee. Renee swallowed hard.

Renee Young: She is... she is on the roster. Also, I think her win would give her that title at a minimum.

Natalya: Renee. I have been doing this for a long time. I'm a wrestler. This girl here who looks like she's going to pass out, even she's a wrestler.

The girl's lips curled into a smile between ragged breaths. Nattie shot her a look.

Natalya: Don't you get cocky. Anyway Renee, there are a lot of wrestlers here in EBWF. Eva Marie? She's not one of them. Her existence is a mockery of the business. You know, I may not like Liv Morgan, but THAT girl is a wrestler. At least she has ability behind that Jersey scumbag routine. Liv Morgan took me to my limits at Wrestlemania and I would fight her again in a heartbeat. Do you REALLY think that... EVA MARIE... is going to come even close to that? You think that this girl, a girl whose proudest wrestling achievement is dying her hair black, is going to come within a mile of my EBWF Women's Championship?

Nattie balled her fist up at the thought.

Natalya: She is NOT on my level.

Precisely on the emphasis of "NOT", she hit the control panel of the treadmill with her closed fist. Unfortunately, her fist struck the button that turned the treadmill off. The surface suddenly slowed to a stop, causing the girl running to lose her balance. She lurched forward and faceplanted with a loud thud. Nattie huffed in frustration her her trainee rolled over, clutching her chest and wincing in pain.

Natalya: You. Have got. To be kidding me. See what you've done Renee?

Renee Young: Oh my god, are you okay?!

Renee leaned forward to approach the young lady, but Nattie stepped in front of her.

Natalya: I think you've done enough, Renee. Allow me to handle this.

She turned and kneeled down to face her fallen student. She lightly smacked Elizabeth on the backside of her head.

Natalya: Get up. Go into the other room and run the ropes. If you're not still running when I get there, you'll do twice as much. GO.

The crimson-haired protege turned and jogged away towards the ring set up in the adjacent room. Natalya turned to face Renee again.

Natalya: Do you see that, Renee? That's how you train a wrestler. You may think I'm being harsh. You may think I'm not being fair. But when I'm done with her, she'll have a real shot at becoming a competitor in the most influential wrestling promotion in the world. Do you think for one moment that Eva Marie got trained like that? You think she had someone pushing her to be her absolute best at every moment? When did she fit that in? Between her photo shoots and instagram sessions?

Renee Young: You say that Nattie, but you still haven't addressed the fact that she defeated Trish Stratus, Velvet Sky, and Alex Bliss to become the Number One Contender for your Championship. How about you try saying one positive thing about her?

Natalya: How about I pull your arm out of its socket.

Renee flinched, giving Natalya a bit of a smirk.

Renee Young: I'm serious. Say one positive thing about Eva Marie.

Natalya: Ugh, I don't know. I guess I'm jealous that she can fit into a size zero because of that shapeless, mudflap ass of hers.

Renee Young: Something nice.

Natalya: I'm serious. Most of her photoshoots are waist up, or behind a counter top for a reason.

Renee Young: Nattie.

Natalya narrowed her eyes.

Natalya: Fine.

She took a deep breath and exhaled.

Natalya: I'll give her full marks for knocking off three former Women's Champions at once to earn this title shot. If anything, she's an opportunist.

Renee Young: There you go!

Natalya: That doesn't change anything. I know where Trish is at, she's no big accomplishment to defeat. Alexa Bliss hasn't won anything in agest, and Velvet Sky was probably thinking more about that fool that has the World Championship than she was paying attention to what was going on in the ring. It does not change the fact that Eva Marie is an embarassment. She's still the living embodiment of everything I've railed against since I got here. When I first arrived in the EBWF, I broke every woman who looked like her. Every pin-up girl who didn't know a wrist lock from a wrist watch, though I doubt Eva Marie knows either of those terms since they can't order her a Pinkberry. I've been the sentinel of this company, Renee. The guardian of the gates, per se. Every time a Kelly Kelly, or a Jillian Hall, or an Eva Marie stepped through those doors, I've been there. Every time a model with perky boobs and three brain cells between their ears have showed up to become a wrestler, I've been there to twist them up into a Sharpshooter, make them experience the WORST pain they've ever had in their lives, and sent them packing. Even when I'm not the Women's Champion, I am the most important woman backstage because I guard this company against the trash and filth that infests Women's wrestling. That is my charge - my great burden. Eva Marie's contract is a slap in the face to me. A sign that I am failing at my job.

Renee Young: Failing? How so?

Natalya: Say what you want to about girls like Sasha Banks. Summer Rae. Liv Morgan. Carmella. And believe me, I've said my share about them. But they're wrestlers. They earned their spot here. And despite the fact that I'm clearly better than all of them, they belong. Eva Marie doesn't belong. She's a bad fit, like OJ's glove. She doesn't belong here, and the fact that she's still got paychecks the the EBWF logo in the top left corner is a sign that I haven't done my job correctly. Fortunately Renee, that's a failure that I'm all too happy to correct tonight.

Renee Young: You've got to consider the possibility that Eva Marie's personality is just a cover that she uses to get people to let their guard down. Has that crossed your mind?

Natalya grinned.

Natalya: Believe me Renee, that whole "crazy as a fox" routine is a little too much for Eva Marie, I think. You can tell that the lights are pretty dim upstairs, it's not too terribly difficult to see. But I suppose this is my fault. I've already defeated everyone else that this company has to offer. Trish Stratus? I betrayed her and beat her down so hard that she hasn't been a solid competitor ever since. Liv Morgan? I beat her at her own game, an awful street fight. Alexa Bliss? I beat her. Everyone else in this women's division is just a footnote in the history of the company. You see that girl that is in the other room, bruising herself against the ring ropes? She's going to be a wrestler some day, and by the time she is just beginning to get her foot in the door, Eva Marie will be a long, forgotten memory. A sad reminder of what happens when the people in charge of this company don't show up to the tryouts and just sign contracts based on looks. Looks change. Beauty fades, no matter how many ridiculous colors you decide to dye your hair. This right here?

Natalya grabbed the Women's Championship and put it in Renee's face.

Natalya: This is true beauty. I will hold on to this as long as I want to. I will be THE woman in this company as long as I want to. Tonight, I will teach Eva Marie the lesson that being pretty is temporary when I rearrange her features into something a little less... TV friendly. Now, if you'll excuse me I am off to ensure the future of this women's division remains strong.

Nattie smiled curtly and brushed past Renee, taking her Championship belt with her. Renee looked into the camera and shrugged as the camera went to black and flashed the EBWF logo in the corner.