The crowd in the Albany, New York Pepsi Arena cheered as Lilian Garcia entered the ring, a microphone in her left hand. The pretty blonde ring announcer was about to sing "The Star Spangled Banner," which was always a treat.
As she opened her mouth to sing in the center of the wrestling ring, new, very objectionable music started blasting through the speakers. Lilian of course expected this, as it was all part of the script for that night's RAW.
"Excuse me!" a new female voice called out through her own mic. The buxom blonde emerged from the back clad in a short, light pink dress. Her feet wore pretty silver heels, and she was grinning as she made her way down the ramp.
Lilian stared at Jillian Fletcher in aggravation. Her character of Jillian Hall - the WWE's wannabe popstar princess - had interrupted her yet again. She placed her hands on her hips, annoyance on her face as the other blonde entered the squared circle.
"Lilian, when are you ever gonna get a clue?" Jillian smiled sweetly at her. "No one wants to hear your godawful singing! But everyone wants to hear me!" She let out a girlish giggle and raised an arm, pointing her forefinger up. "So, if you'll excuse me..." The blonde diva gave the slender ring announcer a shove, then immediately launched into what she considered "singing."
Outraged, Lilian Garcia pivoted on her heels and exited the ring. Once in her chair next to the timekeeper's table, she placed both hands over her ears, a gesture that was not unlike what many fans were doing.
The crowd was booing her like crazy, but Jillian couldn't have been happier. Her character was a heel, so if the fans gave her this kind of reception, then she was doing something right.
On the contrary... She knew she could have been happier after all. She had given her all to the company, to the pro-wrestling business in general, for nearly the past ten years. She was no newbie, no rookie and no slouch... She had invested more than three years of employment in the WWE, and yet, she never seemed to get a fair shake.
Jillian loved her in-ring character. The singing had been her idea alone, and she'd been thrilled when Creative had agreed to let her do it. She had perfected the gimmick in a relatively short period of time, back when she'd still been on the SmackDown brand. And she'd been absolutely thrilled when she'd been told she was being drafted to RAW nearly a year earlier.
"Hey, Shane." She smiled at the boss' son as she stepped into his office. "You wanted to see me?"
"Ah, Jillian... Thank you for being so prompt." He smiled and gestured for her to sit down before his desk. "We've got a little proposition for you," he went on. "Something that will definitely boost your career."
The blonde arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow at that. She wondered if the company was going to put her with another male superstar, perhaps another main eventer? Then again, John Bradshaw Layfield hadn't been much of a main eventer in terms of his wrestling. She was, quite bluntly, a better wrestler than him.
"Okay," she said, primly crossing her legs. "I'm always open to career boosters."
Shane smiled at her appreciatively, nodding.
"I knew you'd feel that way. Well, here's what we're going to do... We're having the draft lottery next week, as you know..."
Jillian's interest perked up even more. So, she was being moved to one of the other shows? Oh, she hoped it would be RAW! There, she would get more opportunities, new feuds, and a definite chance at the Women's Championship! It had to be RAW, because, lord knew, ECW had nothing to offer her. She held her breath in hopeful anticipation as the man continued.
"... We're going to switch you and Victoria. From then until an undetermined amount of time, you will be a RAW diva."
Yes! she thought, her insides bursting with elation. She grinned and clapped her hands together, barely able to contain her joy.
"Really? Oh, thank you, Shane!"
"It's my pleasure to deliver this news to you. You, lady, are now headed for the big leagues." Shane nodded at her. "Management is quite high on you, Jillian. Your ring presence is impeccable, and you're an ideal employee. Expect a push toward the Women's title in a few months."
The blonde couldn't remember when she'd been happier in her career. Well, she'd felt just about the same way when she'd been called up from OVW... But somehow, this felt that much more special. She somehow refrained herself from getting up, climbing on top of Shane's desk and hugging him. That would be anything but professional, she thought with a chuckle.
That had been almost an entire year ago. Jillian hadn't received a Women's Championship reign, nor had she been given even one shot. Hell, she hadn't even been put in a proper feud since coming over to the proclaimed "A" brand.
Things were about to change. As the blonde contined to sing, a huge, loud chorus of boos hurled her way, new theme music suddenly hit. She ignored it, though, and kept singing, all the while, the crowd's boos becoming cheers as a new diva ran down the ramp to the ring.
Jillian's heart sank as she was taken down by a spear and then repeatedly punched. There was no going back now... This was the official start of her first feud since she'd been drafted to RAW. And instead of being placed into a program with Women's Champion Mickie James, she was stuck opposite 2005's Diva Search winner, Ashley Massaro.
It was all Jillian could do not to sigh. It wasn't that she didn't like Ashley - she did. The petite blonde was actually quite the sweetheart, but feuding with her wouldn't get her anywhere. Ashley was no nearer to the title than she apparently was.
It was over fairly quickly, and the blonde was at least grateful for that. After the beating, she rolled out of the ring, staggering up the ramp to the back. She and Ashley shared a brief staredown as the Punk Princess stood on a middle turnbuckle to appeal to the appreciative fans.
Jillian kept walking, past the curtain and to the backstage area. She wasn't happy. Why had Shane McMahon made promises to her? But more importantly, why hadn't the company made good on those promises?
She ignored all the other superstars lingering in the hallway. Probably the only one she would care to see right now was her best friend, Melina Perez. However, the dark-haired diva was nowhere in sight, probably because she was visiting with her boyfriend.
Jillian could barely contain her emotions. She knew she was probably being a little silly, but it seemed they
were getting the better of her. The tears slipped down her cheeks as she backed into a corner in a partly deserted
corridor. And that was where she stood, her head bowed, and cried for several long, agonizing minutes.