ECW Stands Tall, Part One
by Clarice_Lecter
DISCLAIMER: This story is a possible scenario for the eventual WCW-ECW Alliance split, set after UNFORGIVEN. The characters depicted herein are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Federation Entertainment. No infringement of any kind is intended.
"God in Heaven, she never saw it coming," a worried Jim Ross told the viewers at home as the EMTs attended to Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, moments after the WCW half of the Alliance had turned on her and her ECW cohorts.
The ECW guys, from Raven to Tommy Dreamer to Stevie Richards and his team Kronik, surrounded the ring to prevent another WCW assault. Paul Heyman, JR's broadcast colleague and Stephanie's ECW partner, held his beaten princess in his arms, ignoring his own injuries and the fact that he was now hatless and shirtless.
It was Paul who had made the save when she was being beaten up by not only her brother Shane and Stone Cold Steve Austin, but by Triple-H, her own husband. It had been "the Game" who had struck first, slapping her around for not relinquishing ECW and going back to being his submissive little wife, someone who let the men tell her what to do. Shane and Austin had egged it on before getting their two-cents in, and it had been more than Paul, or anyone, could take.
As Stephanie was stretchered out, Paul never let go of her hand. When she was put into the ambulance, he climbed in with her.
"God, man, I didn't know Paul cared so much about her," Raven said sadly as the ambulance left for the hospital.
"That's more than her asshole husband ever did," Rob Van Dam replied. "C'mon, guys, we've got work to do."
As the ECW faction went looking for WCW, the events of RAW's opener still played back in everyone's minds like the worst nightmare imaginable...
RAW had started with still footage from the previous night's UNFORGIVEN ppv, where Triple-H had made his return during the main event match between Austin and Kurt Angle. It had seemed Trips was there to lend moral support to Angle - he had even come to ringside wearing an Angle t-shirt and cheering Kurt on. But when referee Earl Hebner was distracted by Stephanie and Shane, he had revealed his true colors.
He had sneaked into the ring, seemingly to help Angle, only to clothesline him and give him a Pedigree. Then he pulled Austin onto Angle's prone form before Hebner knew what had happened. After the 3-count, Trips took off his Angle shirt to reveal WCW colors...
"TRIPLE-H HAS JOINED THE ALLIANCE!" Paul had exulted. "TRIPLE-H HAS JOINED THE ALLIANCE! THE GAME MADE FOOLS OF YOU ALL!!!!!!!!"
And now, tonight, he would explain himself. But it wasn't what anyone had expected, least of all his wife.
"I guess you're all wondering why I'm standing here tonight," he began. "I guess you're all wondering why, after giving my heart and soul to the WWF for nearly seven years, I chose to turn my back on each and every one of you..."
"I'd sure like to hear it," JR fumed.
"JR, bask in this man's wisdom!" Paul retorted. "Let him have his say!"
"Why don't you kiss my ass? You've been doing that with your little Princess for months!"
"Hey, WATCH IT!"
Triple-H ignored the exchange at the broadcast table and continued. "I guess you're all wondering why I am now...with...the...Alliance! I'm sure you're all thinking, 'Hey, he and Vince have never gotten along! Vince is still pissed because he married his precious little girl, although it was two years ago!' But that's not the reason. And I'm sure some of you are thinking, 'Hey, the WWF wasn't giving him what he deserved! The WWF wasn't giving him the proper respect, even when he was out for five months!' That's partially true...but that's not why I joined the Alliance. You see, it's all about power! It's all about prestige! It's all about controlling the landscape of sports-entertainment once and for all! And that's where you come in, Stephanie..."
"See? He did it for the Princess!" Paul chirped.
"'He did it for the Princess,'" JR mocked. "Will you stop already?"
Triple-H then turned to Stephanie. "Steph...honey...who the Hell are you fooling?" he now said. "I've been watching how you've been trying to run your end of the Alliance - !"
"And doing a damn fine job, too!" Paul grinned.
"I've been seeing you run ECW, at least trying to run it," Triple-H continued, "and let's face it...running a promotion is NO JOB FOR A WOMAN!!!"
Paul's good mood turned into shock. "Hey, WAITAMINUTE!"
JR was also shocked. "Where the Hell is Triple-H going with THIS?!?"
Before Stephanie had a chance to defend herself, Trips interrupted her. "Shut up! I'm not through here! Like I said, owning and running a promotion is NO JOB FOR A WOMAN!!! Do you think I've just been sitting at home, waiting for my leg to heel, only for you to suddenly decide you can MAKE A DECISION WITHOUT ME?!? I don't know what kind of crap Paul Heyman's been feeding you all these months, but you need to realize something, Steph. You need to realize that YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT ME!!! YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ME!!! YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!!!"
At the broadcast table, Paul became furious. "That's bullshit, pal, and YOU KNOW IT!!!" he fumed.
"Get in there and tell him, Tiger!" JR chirped.
Triple-H then dropped a bombshell. "You see, Stephanie...Shane and Stone Cold and the WCW guys have been telling me how you've been screwing up ECW. They've been telling me how you've thought you could handle making your share of decisions for the Alliance, but that like any woman, your decisions flat out SUCK!!! So I've got a proposition for you...I want you to think about this long and hard..."
Stephanie's expression matched not only Paul's mood, but the mood of the fans in attendance who suddenly launched into the "ECW" chant. Still, Triple-H ignored the chant and continued. "I want to take ECW off your hands, Steph. It's clear that you can't handle running your own promotion, that you need some guidance...how about letting me take over ECW? Shane and Steve and I think you need to step away and go back to being the woman you were meant to be when we got married...you need to go back to being MY WIFE!!!"
"WHAT?!?" Paul raged. "Asshole, she's BEEN a good wife to you for two years! What more do you want?!?"
"As I was saying, Stephanie, you need to go back to being MY WIFE!!! You need to go back to STANDING BEHIND YOUR HUSBAND!!! You need to be IN THE KITCHEN, BAREFOOT AND PREGNANT!!! You need to go back to DOING WHAT I TELL YOU TO DO!!! Do the right thing, Stephanie...do what any good, self-respecting wife would do for her husband...give me ECW and go back to being MY WIFE!!!"
"God, this is hideous!" JR now fumed. "Stephanie's no angel, but her husband's behaving like a jackass!"
"Don't do it, Steph!" Paul pleaded.
Shane then took the mic before Stephanie had a chance to give a rebuttal. "Stephanie, we're only acting in your interests," Shane now said. "We've all known for some time that you're a little girl in a big boys' game, that you have NO BUSINESS doing a MAN'S JOB!!! You really need to think about what Hunter's saying, because you know he's right!"
"WHAT?!?" Paul raged once again. "Stephanie's been doing just fine! She doesn't need a man to tell her what to do, she's proven that!"
Then Austin took the mic. "Stephanie, do the right thing. Do as your husband says...let him run ECW, because he can do a Helluva lot better job than you've done!"
"For God's sake, Steph, DON'T LISTEN TO THEM!!!" Paul pleaded. "Please DON'T DO IT!!!"
"I hate to say it, but Paul's right, Stephanie!" JR agreed. "DON'T DO IT!"
The fans now started chanting "DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT!" while Shane, Trips and Austin tried to shut them up. Finally, it was Stephanie's turn to speak.
"Let me see if I heard you correctly," Stephanie began. "I've kept my end of the bargain since the Alliance was formed in July. I've helped Paul Heyman resurrect ECW and bring it back onto the national stage, bringing in RVD and Tommy Dreamer off the independent circuit and making champions out of my guys, and all of a sudden the three of you HAVE NO FAITH IN ME?!? The three of you DON'T BELIEVE IN ME?!?"
"Steph, we didn't say that - !" Trips began, only to be interrupted.
"Shut up, Hunter! It's my turn to talk now!" she scolded before continuing. "Y'know, Austin, I'm not surprised you feel this way, considering that you're even more of a galloping chauvinist pig than Gary Condit and ALWAYS HAVE BEEN!!!"
"Hey, WATCH IT!" Austin scolded, ignoring the crowd's monster pop at Stephanie's remarks.
"Testify, sister!" Paul giggled.
"But Shane...Hunter...I expected better of you. Of the BOTH of you. My God, Shane, you're my brother! A brother should always stand by his sister, no matter what! Granted, you've been an asshole to me for years, but I've always stood by you! I've always believed in you! And you have the AUDACITY not to show me the same consideration? You make me SICK!"
"Steph - !" Shane pleaded, only to be shushed.
"You shut up right NOW!" she fumed. "And as for you, husband of mine...even though it took drugging my Sex On the Beach cocktail to convince me to marry you, I've still stood by you for the last two years! I've respected your space, I've believed in your dreams, I've done EVERYTHING for you!!! Yet in that time, you've NEVER shown me any respect! You've NEVER shown me any support! And worst of all, you've NEVER TRUSTED ME!!! Even when Kurt Angle tried to steal me away from you, I've ALWAYS STOOD BY YOU!!! Even when you LIED TO ME about being broken up with Joanie Laurer, I've ALWAYS STOOD BY YOU!!! Even when you LIED TO ME about BEING FAITHFUL, I've ALWAYS STOOD BY YOU!!!"
"Uh-oh, she's hittin' him where it hurts!" JR now said.
"By God, HE DESERVES IT!!!" Paul retorted.
"But you know what? That's okay, because now I see you as you really are, Hunter," Stephanie continued. "I see you, Shane, and you, Austin, as you really are. And it makes me wanna PUKE!!! Anyway, Hunter, you mentioned something earlier about not knowing what kind of crap Paul Heyman has been feeding me since the Alliance was formed. Allow me to elaborate..."
"Uh-ohhhhhhh," JR said.
"In the last five months, Paul Heyman has shown me more support, more respect, and a Helluva lot more caring than you've shown me in TWO YEARS OF MARRIAGE!" she revealed. "He's shown me he's man enough to NOT try to tell me what to do, that he's man enough to RESPECT MY DECISIONS!!! Even when I've made errors in judgment, Paul Heyman has ALWAYS STOOD BY ME!!! Even when I've been at my lowest point, Paul Heyman has ALWAYS SUPPORTED ME!!! And when I've worried about what'll happen to ECW next, about what'll happen to me and my boys next, Paul Heyman has ALWAYS CARED ABOUT ME!!!"
Now JR was curious. "Paul, is there something you've not told me?" he asked.
"There's nothing to tell, JR!" Paul protested. "Stephanie and I are friends, THAT'S ALL!"
Stephanie continued. "Helping Paul Heyman rebuild and restore ECW to its' glory has made me realize something, all right...it's made me realize that I'm MORE THAN CAPABLE OF STANDING ON MY OWN TWO FEET!!! It's made me realize that I'm MORE THAN CAPABLE OF MAKING MY OWN DECISIONS!!! And it's made me realize that as much as I love you, Hunter...as much as I love you, Shane...and as much as I love the Alliance...I'll be DAMNED if I'm gonna let anyone TELL ME WHAT TO DO EVER AGAIN!!! So as far as your wanting me to give up ECW and go back to being your wife goes, Hunter, let me make this clear...HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!"
As the audience launched into the biggest pop of the night, the look on Hunter's face turned into a demonic rage. He started drawing his hand back, as if to hit her, but Stephanie would not be intimidated. "And another thing, Hunter...if I were to relinquish ECW under any circumstances, I'd give it RIGHT BACK TO PAUL HEYMAN!!! ECW was HIS baby for six years! It was HIS concept, HIS promotion, and I'll GLADLY give it back to him before LETTING YOU STEAL IT!!!"
That was when Stephanie's declaration of independence was interrupted by a brutal slap across her face. Then another...and another...
"God in Heaven, GOD IN HEAVEN!!!" JR screamed into his headset. "The Game's beating his wife like a government mule!!!"
"God, NO!!!" Paul screamed in turn. But that didn't stop Trips from continuing his assault on Stephanie, with the WCW wrestlers turning on the ECW faction and Shane and Austin egging Trips on.
Eventually, Shane and Austin held Stephanie still, Austin even pulling her hair as Triple-H continued slapping, kicking, and punching Stephanie senseless. That was more than Paul could take.
"Heyman, where the Hell are you going?!?" JR asked when Paul stood up and removed his headset. Then Paul took off his jacket before going to Lillian Garcia's station at ringside and picking up a folding chair.
Trips then motioned for Stephanie to be pinned down by Shane and Austin while he took off his belt, then proceeded to lash Stephanie across the back with it. "You're gonna learn to DO AS I SAY, YOU FUCKIN' BITCH!!!" he screamed as he whipped her, raising ugly red welts on her back and drawing blood in several of them.
He didn't even see Paul raise the chair before striking him with it. Austin continued kicking Stephanie while Shane rose to confront Paul, only to get brained with another chairshot. Then it was Austin's turn to get clocked.
"What the Hell - ?!" JR piped up. "This is a WHOLE NEW SIDE OF HEYMAN!!!"
The fans began chanting "PAUL E! PAUL E! PAUL E! PAUL E!" as Paul fought off Stephanie's attackers, encouraging the ECW guys to fight back as well. Eventually, Kurt Angle came out to lay another beatdown on Austin while The Rock proceeded to Rock Bottom Shane. Then it was down to Paul and Triple-H, who were brawling all over the ring and all over the arena floor.
During the fracas, Paul lost his ECW baseball cap, but didn't care as he managed to remove his shirt and use it to choke out Triple-H before pummeling him more and more. Eventually, Trips was incapacitated enough for Paul to bring him to the announce table.
"Not here, Heyman, NOT HERE!!!" JR pleaded, but Paul ignored him. When Trips tried to fight back, Paul took a nearby fire extinguisher and sprayed him with it, then beaned him upside the head before laying him on the table.
What happened next was even more unexpected. Paul returned to the ring apron, then scaled the turnbuckle directly opposite the announce table, going right to the top rope. "What's Heyman doing, WHAT'S HEYMAN DOING?!?" JR screamed.
Paul answered with a Jeff Hardy moonsault that was perfectly executed, in spite of his not being the most athletic of men. The effort sent both men crashing through the announce table, injuring Trips' back and reinjuring his rehabilitated left leg. Paul was also injured, but managed to get to his feet and crawl back into the ring, where he tenderly cradled the weeping, abused Stephanie like a newborn until the EMTs arrived...
"Folks, we've just received word on the condition of Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley," JR said later in the broadcast. "The Billion-Dollar Princess is going to be hospitalized for some time after the vicious beating she suffered at the hands of Stone Cold Steve Austin, her brother Shane McMahon, and her own husband, Triple-H. Besides the obvious cuts, bruises, lashes from that belt whipping, and slap marks, she also suffered five fractured ribs. Her right wrist was also fractured, and she has suffered some internal bleeding, so she's gonna be on the shelf for at least three months."
By now Michael Cole had joined JR at the broadcast table. "And all because she refused to relinquish ECW to Triple-H," Michael replied. "But what about the stand Paul Heyman took, putting himself at risk to save her from being more seriously injured than she was? Who KNEW he had that kind of courage?"
"Without a doubt, Michael, nobody has ever seen that side of Paul Heyman," JR then said. "He was also injured during that knock-down-drag-out with The Game...he fractured a couple of ribs with that moonsault off the top rope and did some damage to his back, but he did what he had to do. And although I've never seen eye-to-eye with him on anything, Paul showed the world that he's more man than anyone expected."
"Right now, WCW had better be looking over their shoulders," Michael warned. "ECW has been shaken up, but they're not broken. And I've been around long enough to know that ECW, and the men and women who comprise ECW, can more than back up their reputation. Back them into a corner and they come out swinging."
END OF PART ONE
by Clarice_Lecter
DISCLAIMER: This story is a possible scenario for the eventual WCW-ECW Alliance split, set after UNFORGIVEN. The characters depicted herein are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Federation Entertainment. No infringement of any kind is intended.
"God in Heaven, she never saw it coming," a worried Jim Ross told the viewers at home as the EMTs attended to Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, moments after the WCW half of the Alliance had turned on her and her ECW cohorts.
The ECW guys, from Raven to Tommy Dreamer to Stevie Richards and his team Kronik, surrounded the ring to prevent another WCW assault. Paul Heyman, JR's broadcast colleague and Stephanie's ECW partner, held his beaten princess in his arms, ignoring his own injuries and the fact that he was now hatless and shirtless.
It was Paul who had made the save when she was being beaten up by not only her brother Shane and Stone Cold Steve Austin, but by Triple-H, her own husband. It had been "the Game" who had struck first, slapping her around for not relinquishing ECW and going back to being his submissive little wife, someone who let the men tell her what to do. Shane and Austin had egged it on before getting their two-cents in, and it had been more than Paul, or anyone, could take.
As Stephanie was stretchered out, Paul never let go of her hand. When she was put into the ambulance, he climbed in with her.
"God, man, I didn't know Paul cared so much about her," Raven said sadly as the ambulance left for the hospital.
"That's more than her asshole husband ever did," Rob Van Dam replied. "C'mon, guys, we've got work to do."
As the ECW faction went looking for WCW, the events of RAW's opener still played back in everyone's minds like the worst nightmare imaginable...
RAW had started with still footage from the previous night's UNFORGIVEN ppv, where Triple-H had made his return during the main event match between Austin and Kurt Angle. It had seemed Trips was there to lend moral support to Angle - he had even come to ringside wearing an Angle t-shirt and cheering Kurt on. But when referee Earl Hebner was distracted by Stephanie and Shane, he had revealed his true colors.
He had sneaked into the ring, seemingly to help Angle, only to clothesline him and give him a Pedigree. Then he pulled Austin onto Angle's prone form before Hebner knew what had happened. After the 3-count, Trips took off his Angle shirt to reveal WCW colors...
"TRIPLE-H HAS JOINED THE ALLIANCE!" Paul had exulted. "TRIPLE-H HAS JOINED THE ALLIANCE! THE GAME MADE FOOLS OF YOU ALL!!!!!!!!"
And now, tonight, he would explain himself. But it wasn't what anyone had expected, least of all his wife.
"I guess you're all wondering why I'm standing here tonight," he began. "I guess you're all wondering why, after giving my heart and soul to the WWF for nearly seven years, I chose to turn my back on each and every one of you..."
"I'd sure like to hear it," JR fumed.
"JR, bask in this man's wisdom!" Paul retorted. "Let him have his say!"
"Why don't you kiss my ass? You've been doing that with your little Princess for months!"
"Hey, WATCH IT!"
Triple-H ignored the exchange at the broadcast table and continued. "I guess you're all wondering why I am now...with...the...Alliance! I'm sure you're all thinking, 'Hey, he and Vince have never gotten along! Vince is still pissed because he married his precious little girl, although it was two years ago!' But that's not the reason. And I'm sure some of you are thinking, 'Hey, the WWF wasn't giving him what he deserved! The WWF wasn't giving him the proper respect, even when he was out for five months!' That's partially true...but that's not why I joined the Alliance. You see, it's all about power! It's all about prestige! It's all about controlling the landscape of sports-entertainment once and for all! And that's where you come in, Stephanie..."
"See? He did it for the Princess!" Paul chirped.
"'He did it for the Princess,'" JR mocked. "Will you stop already?"
Triple-H then turned to Stephanie. "Steph...honey...who the Hell are you fooling?" he now said. "I've been watching how you've been trying to run your end of the Alliance - !"
"And doing a damn fine job, too!" Paul grinned.
"I've been seeing you run ECW, at least trying to run it," Triple-H continued, "and let's face it...running a promotion is NO JOB FOR A WOMAN!!!"
Paul's good mood turned into shock. "Hey, WAITAMINUTE!"
JR was also shocked. "Where the Hell is Triple-H going with THIS?!?"
Before Stephanie had a chance to defend herself, Trips interrupted her. "Shut up! I'm not through here! Like I said, owning and running a promotion is NO JOB FOR A WOMAN!!! Do you think I've just been sitting at home, waiting for my leg to heel, only for you to suddenly decide you can MAKE A DECISION WITHOUT ME?!? I don't know what kind of crap Paul Heyman's been feeding you all these months, but you need to realize something, Steph. You need to realize that YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT ME!!! YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ME!!! YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!!!"
At the broadcast table, Paul became furious. "That's bullshit, pal, and YOU KNOW IT!!!" he fumed.
"Get in there and tell him, Tiger!" JR chirped.
Triple-H then dropped a bombshell. "You see, Stephanie...Shane and Stone Cold and the WCW guys have been telling me how you've been screwing up ECW. They've been telling me how you've thought you could handle making your share of decisions for the Alliance, but that like any woman, your decisions flat out SUCK!!! So I've got a proposition for you...I want you to think about this long and hard..."
Stephanie's expression matched not only Paul's mood, but the mood of the fans in attendance who suddenly launched into the "ECW" chant. Still, Triple-H ignored the chant and continued. "I want to take ECW off your hands, Steph. It's clear that you can't handle running your own promotion, that you need some guidance...how about letting me take over ECW? Shane and Steve and I think you need to step away and go back to being the woman you were meant to be when we got married...you need to go back to being MY WIFE!!!"
"WHAT?!?" Paul raged. "Asshole, she's BEEN a good wife to you for two years! What more do you want?!?"
"As I was saying, Stephanie, you need to go back to being MY WIFE!!! You need to go back to STANDING BEHIND YOUR HUSBAND!!! You need to be IN THE KITCHEN, BAREFOOT AND PREGNANT!!! You need to go back to DOING WHAT I TELL YOU TO DO!!! Do the right thing, Stephanie...do what any good, self-respecting wife would do for her husband...give me ECW and go back to being MY WIFE!!!"
"God, this is hideous!" JR now fumed. "Stephanie's no angel, but her husband's behaving like a jackass!"
"Don't do it, Steph!" Paul pleaded.
Shane then took the mic before Stephanie had a chance to give a rebuttal. "Stephanie, we're only acting in your interests," Shane now said. "We've all known for some time that you're a little girl in a big boys' game, that you have NO BUSINESS doing a MAN'S JOB!!! You really need to think about what Hunter's saying, because you know he's right!"
"WHAT?!?" Paul raged once again. "Stephanie's been doing just fine! She doesn't need a man to tell her what to do, she's proven that!"
Then Austin took the mic. "Stephanie, do the right thing. Do as your husband says...let him run ECW, because he can do a Helluva lot better job than you've done!"
"For God's sake, Steph, DON'T LISTEN TO THEM!!!" Paul pleaded. "Please DON'T DO IT!!!"
"I hate to say it, but Paul's right, Stephanie!" JR agreed. "DON'T DO IT!"
The fans now started chanting "DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT! DON'T DO IT!" while Shane, Trips and Austin tried to shut them up. Finally, it was Stephanie's turn to speak.
"Let me see if I heard you correctly," Stephanie began. "I've kept my end of the bargain since the Alliance was formed in July. I've helped Paul Heyman resurrect ECW and bring it back onto the national stage, bringing in RVD and Tommy Dreamer off the independent circuit and making champions out of my guys, and all of a sudden the three of you HAVE NO FAITH IN ME?!? The three of you DON'T BELIEVE IN ME?!?"
"Steph, we didn't say that - !" Trips began, only to be interrupted.
"Shut up, Hunter! It's my turn to talk now!" she scolded before continuing. "Y'know, Austin, I'm not surprised you feel this way, considering that you're even more of a galloping chauvinist pig than Gary Condit and ALWAYS HAVE BEEN!!!"
"Hey, WATCH IT!" Austin scolded, ignoring the crowd's monster pop at Stephanie's remarks.
"Testify, sister!" Paul giggled.
"But Shane...Hunter...I expected better of you. Of the BOTH of you. My God, Shane, you're my brother! A brother should always stand by his sister, no matter what! Granted, you've been an asshole to me for years, but I've always stood by you! I've always believed in you! And you have the AUDACITY not to show me the same consideration? You make me SICK!"
"Steph - !" Shane pleaded, only to be shushed.
"You shut up right NOW!" she fumed. "And as for you, husband of mine...even though it took drugging my Sex On the Beach cocktail to convince me to marry you, I've still stood by you for the last two years! I've respected your space, I've believed in your dreams, I've done EVERYTHING for you!!! Yet in that time, you've NEVER shown me any respect! You've NEVER shown me any support! And worst of all, you've NEVER TRUSTED ME!!! Even when Kurt Angle tried to steal me away from you, I've ALWAYS STOOD BY YOU!!! Even when you LIED TO ME about being broken up with Joanie Laurer, I've ALWAYS STOOD BY YOU!!! Even when you LIED TO ME about BEING FAITHFUL, I've ALWAYS STOOD BY YOU!!!"
"Uh-oh, she's hittin' him where it hurts!" JR now said.
"By God, HE DESERVES IT!!!" Paul retorted.
"But you know what? That's okay, because now I see you as you really are, Hunter," Stephanie continued. "I see you, Shane, and you, Austin, as you really are. And it makes me wanna PUKE!!! Anyway, Hunter, you mentioned something earlier about not knowing what kind of crap Paul Heyman has been feeding me since the Alliance was formed. Allow me to elaborate..."
"Uh-ohhhhhhh," JR said.
"In the last five months, Paul Heyman has shown me more support, more respect, and a Helluva lot more caring than you've shown me in TWO YEARS OF MARRIAGE!" she revealed. "He's shown me he's man enough to NOT try to tell me what to do, that he's man enough to RESPECT MY DECISIONS!!! Even when I've made errors in judgment, Paul Heyman has ALWAYS STOOD BY ME!!! Even when I've been at my lowest point, Paul Heyman has ALWAYS SUPPORTED ME!!! And when I've worried about what'll happen to ECW next, about what'll happen to me and my boys next, Paul Heyman has ALWAYS CARED ABOUT ME!!!"
Now JR was curious. "Paul, is there something you've not told me?" he asked.
"There's nothing to tell, JR!" Paul protested. "Stephanie and I are friends, THAT'S ALL!"
Stephanie continued. "Helping Paul Heyman rebuild and restore ECW to its' glory has made me realize something, all right...it's made me realize that I'm MORE THAN CAPABLE OF STANDING ON MY OWN TWO FEET!!! It's made me realize that I'm MORE THAN CAPABLE OF MAKING MY OWN DECISIONS!!! And it's made me realize that as much as I love you, Hunter...as much as I love you, Shane...and as much as I love the Alliance...I'll be DAMNED if I'm gonna let anyone TELL ME WHAT TO DO EVER AGAIN!!! So as far as your wanting me to give up ECW and go back to being your wife goes, Hunter, let me make this clear...HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!"
As the audience launched into the biggest pop of the night, the look on Hunter's face turned into a demonic rage. He started drawing his hand back, as if to hit her, but Stephanie would not be intimidated. "And another thing, Hunter...if I were to relinquish ECW under any circumstances, I'd give it RIGHT BACK TO PAUL HEYMAN!!! ECW was HIS baby for six years! It was HIS concept, HIS promotion, and I'll GLADLY give it back to him before LETTING YOU STEAL IT!!!"
That was when Stephanie's declaration of independence was interrupted by a brutal slap across her face. Then another...and another...
"God in Heaven, GOD IN HEAVEN!!!" JR screamed into his headset. "The Game's beating his wife like a government mule!!!"
"God, NO!!!" Paul screamed in turn. But that didn't stop Trips from continuing his assault on Stephanie, with the WCW wrestlers turning on the ECW faction and Shane and Austin egging Trips on.
Eventually, Shane and Austin held Stephanie still, Austin even pulling her hair as Triple-H continued slapping, kicking, and punching Stephanie senseless. That was more than Paul could take.
"Heyman, where the Hell are you going?!?" JR asked when Paul stood up and removed his headset. Then Paul took off his jacket before going to Lillian Garcia's station at ringside and picking up a folding chair.
Trips then motioned for Stephanie to be pinned down by Shane and Austin while he took off his belt, then proceeded to lash Stephanie across the back with it. "You're gonna learn to DO AS I SAY, YOU FUCKIN' BITCH!!!" he screamed as he whipped her, raising ugly red welts on her back and drawing blood in several of them.
He didn't even see Paul raise the chair before striking him with it. Austin continued kicking Stephanie while Shane rose to confront Paul, only to get brained with another chairshot. Then it was Austin's turn to get clocked.
"What the Hell - ?!" JR piped up. "This is a WHOLE NEW SIDE OF HEYMAN!!!"
The fans began chanting "PAUL E! PAUL E! PAUL E! PAUL E!" as Paul fought off Stephanie's attackers, encouraging the ECW guys to fight back as well. Eventually, Kurt Angle came out to lay another beatdown on Austin while The Rock proceeded to Rock Bottom Shane. Then it was down to Paul and Triple-H, who were brawling all over the ring and all over the arena floor.
During the fracas, Paul lost his ECW baseball cap, but didn't care as he managed to remove his shirt and use it to choke out Triple-H before pummeling him more and more. Eventually, Trips was incapacitated enough for Paul to bring him to the announce table.
"Not here, Heyman, NOT HERE!!!" JR pleaded, but Paul ignored him. When Trips tried to fight back, Paul took a nearby fire extinguisher and sprayed him with it, then beaned him upside the head before laying him on the table.
What happened next was even more unexpected. Paul returned to the ring apron, then scaled the turnbuckle directly opposite the announce table, going right to the top rope. "What's Heyman doing, WHAT'S HEYMAN DOING?!?" JR screamed.
Paul answered with a Jeff Hardy moonsault that was perfectly executed, in spite of his not being the most athletic of men. The effort sent both men crashing through the announce table, injuring Trips' back and reinjuring his rehabilitated left leg. Paul was also injured, but managed to get to his feet and crawl back into the ring, where he tenderly cradled the weeping, abused Stephanie like a newborn until the EMTs arrived...
"Folks, we've just received word on the condition of Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley," JR said later in the broadcast. "The Billion-Dollar Princess is going to be hospitalized for some time after the vicious beating she suffered at the hands of Stone Cold Steve Austin, her brother Shane McMahon, and her own husband, Triple-H. Besides the obvious cuts, bruises, lashes from that belt whipping, and slap marks, she also suffered five fractured ribs. Her right wrist was also fractured, and she has suffered some internal bleeding, so she's gonna be on the shelf for at least three months."
By now Michael Cole had joined JR at the broadcast table. "And all because she refused to relinquish ECW to Triple-H," Michael replied. "But what about the stand Paul Heyman took, putting himself at risk to save her from being more seriously injured than she was? Who KNEW he had that kind of courage?"
"Without a doubt, Michael, nobody has ever seen that side of Paul Heyman," JR then said. "He was also injured during that knock-down-drag-out with The Game...he fractured a couple of ribs with that moonsault off the top rope and did some damage to his back, but he did what he had to do. And although I've never seen eye-to-eye with him on anything, Paul showed the world that he's more man than anyone expected."
"Right now, WCW had better be looking over their shoulders," Michael warned. "ECW has been shaken up, but they're not broken. And I've been around long enough to know that ECW, and the men and women who comprise ECW, can more than back up their reputation. Back them into a corner and they come out swinging."
END OF PART ONE