Monday Night Raw – May 7th 2018

Following Raw's first match, Ronda was shown walking along a hallway backstage, looking a long way from happy. A graphic in the corner of the screen informed the audience that she was coming out next.

"There's Rowdy Ronda Rousey," Cole said. "Guys, it looks like she's coming out here."

"And it looks like she's still furious," Graves added. "Unsurprising, after Bayley cost her a spot in the women's Money in the Bank ladder match last night, by hitting her in the face with a briefcase."

"What will Rousey have to say about it? We'll find out next," Coach said.

When the show came back from commercial, Ronda made her entrance. For the first time since joining WWE, she made no attempt to greet or acknowledge any of the fans on her way to the ring. Everything about her demeanour conveyed anger.

After taking a microphone, she launched right into what she had to say. "I've not been in WWE all that long, so some of you might not know much about me. One thing I can tell you right here and now for free is that Ronda Rousey doesn't like being hit in the face with a damn briefcase."

Some of the fans cheered the aggression, but Ronda carried on regardless, pacing around the ring.

"That's exactly what happened last night at Backlash. Bayley came out and hit me with a briefcase, and it cost me my place in the Money in the Bank ladder match."

A few boos could be heard, aimed at Bayley. Most people, however, clearly believed it had been an accident. Ronda continued, addressing exactly that.

"I've heard people saying that it was an accident; that Bayley didn't mean to hit me, she was aiming for Sasha Banks. But then other people are saying that Bayley and Sasha are back on the same page, and Bayley deliberately screwed me."

Some boos greeted that suggestion.

"So, what I want is Bayley to get her ass out here right now," Ronda demanded. "Because that bitch has some explaining to do, and she can come do it to my face, before I go back there and beat it out of her."

"Oh, man," Graves said over the top of a cheer from the crowd. This was a Ronda they hadn't seen as yet, and they were liking it.

"Ronda Rousey calling out Bayley... and here she comes," Cole said as the hugger's music began to play.

Hugs appeared to be the last thing on Bayley's mind as she walked out onto the stage. Like Ronda before her, she didn't make her usual style of entrance. Bayley started heading down the entrance ramp, looking defensive and making hand gestures to encourage Ronda to calm down. She could be easily lip read saying, "It was an accident."

"Look at Bayley," Coach said. "She's clearly claiming that hitting Rousey was an accident, and she wants to diffuse this situation before it gets any worse."

Bayley quickly got into the ring and walked over to get a microphone, Ronda glaring a hole in her the entire time. "Ronda," she began hesitantly. "I can see the look in your eyes. I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. Last night, I did cost you the match against Sasha Banks, but it was an accident. When I swung that briefcase, I intended to hit Sasha, not you. She moved, you were right behind her, and there was nothing I could do."

Ronda took a menacing step forward, looking ready to start tearing Bayley limb from limb.

"Wait a second. Just wait a second," Bayley said quickly. "I know I screwed up, and I wanted to do my best to make it right. So I went to Kurt Angle earlier today, and I asked him to put you in another qualifying match for Money in the Bank. I said it wasn't fair that you missed out because of my error, and Kurt agreed. So you have another chance."

Ronda looked like her anger might have been fading a little as Bayley spoke.

"Again, I wasn't trying to hit you, Ronda. It was a mistake, and I'm sorry."

The final two words seemed to trigger something in Ronda. She rushed forward and blasted Bayley with a stiff clothesline before she could even react to the danger coming.

"Oh, no!" Cole cried. "Ronda Rousey has snapped! She just nearly took Bayley's head off!"

Straddling the fallen Bayley, Ronda was hammering away with powerful left hands. "You're sorry?" she screamed. "You hit me in the face, and you're sorry! You will be sorry! I'll make you sorry!"

"Rousey has totally lost it!" Graves exclaimed as the fans booed Ronda for her actions. They now realised they were witnessing a heel turn. "She's beating the hell out of Bayley, who can't even defend herself!"

With Bayley beaten half senseless, Ronda hauled her to her feet and got her up on her shoulders.

"My God what a Samoan drop that was!" Coach said after Bayley thundered down onto the canvas.

"And Rousey's not done!" Cole said.

Ronda got up, took hold of Bayley's right arm and dropped down to the mat, locking in her trademark devastating armbar. Screaming in pain, Bayley frantically tapped out with her free hand, not that doing so had a chance of achieving anything.

Straining backwards, Ronda wrenched on the pressure even harder, and Bayley's arm seemed to give way. She screamed even louder as Ronda finally released her, in absolute agony. Too late, referees began arriving in the ring to deal with the attack that was now already over.

"Guys, I hate to say it, but I think Bayley's arm just got broken," Graves said morosely as more boos rained down on Ronda, who had quickly stormed out of the ring.

"Are you sorry now?" Ronda yelled back towards Bayley, who was now surrounded by referees, a couple of whom were beckoning urgently for medical help to come from the back.

"That was totally uncalled for by Ronda Rousey," Cole said with distaste. "I could understand her being angry about what happened at Backlash, but Bayley came out here, admitted her mistake and apologised. What else could she have done?"

"Sometimes in life, big mistakes have serious consequences," Coach said as Ronda was shown leaving the stage without bothering to look back.

With a final shot of Bayley being attended to, crying and holding her injured arm, Raw went to a commercial break.

After the break, the commentators recapped what had just happened while Ronda was shown walking back along the same hallway she had been seen in before the segment. The cameraman followed along behind her, all the way out into the parking garage. An expensive-looking black saloon car was standing there waiting, with one of the rear doors open. Next to the open door stood Zelina Vega.

"Yes, Ronda! That's what I'm talking about!" Zelina exclaimed in an animated manner. "Now get in the car! Let's go!"

"That's Zelina Vega!" Cole observed. "Zelina Vega, formerly the business manager of ex-NXT champion Andrade 'Cien' Almas. That working relationship ended after Vega cost Almas a match at Takeover New Orleans, and she hasn't been seen in more than a month. Now she's here on Raw, and apparently on the same page as Rowdy Ronda Rousey."

Rousey got into the car, and Vega quickly followed her. The door slammed shut, and the car immediately sped off, leaving the arena.

Graves said, "I'm not sure exactly what we've just witnessed, but it's big. It's really big. Ronda Rousey beat the hell out of Bayley, then left the arena in a car with Zelina Vega. Has Rousey hired Vega as her manager?"

"I don't know," Coach replied. "But what I do know is we heard from Bayley that Ronda has been given a second chance by Kurt Angle to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match. And then, Bayley was attacked and possibly seriously injured. We'll try and get you an update on Bayley's condition as soon as we can."

"I'm still really surprised that they're writing you off the show for a while," Ronda said to Bayley. They were standing in front of their lockers in the women's locker room, with the Raw show still going on out in the arena. Their participation, however, was over.

"Initially, I felt the same way," Bayley admitted. "But Hunter put it to me that it gives them a chance to give my character a bit of a reset. Things haven't gone all that well for me over the past year, and I've lost some support from the fans as a result. With a month or so away and then a big return, we're hoping they'll get behind me again. Plus having you supposedly break my arm obviously puts over your heel turn big time. So, everyone's a winner."

The smile on Bayley's face as she finished speaking was replicated by Zelina Vega, the third person in the conversation. "Can't argue with any of that, Bay. I hope they start writing some better stuff for you when you come back."

"Thanks, Zelina," Bayley said warmly.

"It's kind of ruined something I was going to talk to you both about, though," Ronda said.

"Oh?" Zelina enquired.

"First of all, there's something I'm going to tell you both. It's likely to become public knowledge pretty soon, but until then, I'd appreciate you keeping it to yourselves."

"No problem," Bayley assured her. "What's up?"

"Nothing's up, it's good news," Ronda said with a smile. "I'm dating Dean Ambrose. We've been seeing each other for a month or so now. Things have been going great between us. I think it could well be something serious."

"That's awesome," Bayley squeaked, beaming in delight.

Ronda chose her next words carefully, mindful of the fact that Bayley's relationship with Seth was also not yet common knowledge. "Dean and I were talking about our travel arrangements. Obviously I'm not on the road as much as you guys are, but even so, we decided to start traveling together whenever we can. Bayley, Dean said you and Seth travel together, so we figured we'd invite you to join us. And Zelina, I also figured it would be good if we travelled together, since we're obviously a team now, if a team is the right description to use."

"A team works for me," Zelina said happily. "And absolutely, if the offer is there, I'll travel with you guys."

"And I'm sure Seth will be up for it," Bayley added. "I definitely am."

"Great," Ronda beamed. "Five is going to be a bit of an awkward number when I'm with you, but we can always hire bigger cars."

"Zelina can go in the back, she's small enough," Bayley said with a wide, cheeky grin that was impossible not to find cute.

"Short jokes already?" Zelina said, pretending to be hurt. Then she grinned. "I'm sure we can figure things out. Honestly, I'm glad to have people to travel with. I thought someone would probably make me an offer, but I'm glad it's you guys."

They chatted for a couple of minutes, ironing out a few details regarding when, assuming Seth accepted the invite, they might start traveling as a group.

"I'll be missing for a couple of weeks next month, though," Ronda said.

"Are you filming something?" Zelina asked, aware that Ronda had come to WWE with some prior commitments that she was given time off to fulfil.

"Yeah. I'm in Fiji to film an episode of a documentary series for Discovery, for their shark week event. I'm being taught how to scuba dive, then I'll be doing a couple of cage dives with sharks before the main event, I guess you could call it. I'll be freediving with no cage, with sharks."

"Oh, dude," Bayley said enviously. "I would love to do that so much. I'm seriously jealous right now."

"And a couple of weeks in Fiji, too," Zelina added. "I'm jealous of that, never mind diving with sharks. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd want to do that. But two weeks on the beach in Fiji I could definitely go for."

"You'll have a brilliant time, Ronda," Bayley gushed. "I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back."

Ronda smiled. "Thanks. I can't wait to go. I'm hoping that Dean will be able to join me, at least for a few days. It would be our first little vacation together."

"Aww," Bayley gushed. "That sounds lovely."

Ronda's smile broadened. "And hopefully by then, I'll be Ms Money in the Bank. You never know."