April 2, 2017
Wrestlemania XXXIII
Orlando, Florida
Camping World Stadium
The heat was tremendous and the sun was overbearing over the packed crowd of over 75,000 fans of the world renown WWE, but they didn't matter as they watched the showcase of the immortals, Wrestlemania 33, and cheered for their favorite superstars, hoping that they were going to win on the grandest stage of them all. This was a tradition for many families going back to 1985. Fathers brought their children to watch Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeat Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. A decade later, those children brought their children to watch the battles between the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania XV, XVII, and XIX for the WWF Championship. Years later, yet another generation was brought to watch Brock Lesnar finally end the unparalleled undefeated streak of the Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXX. Now, it had been three years since that stunning moment, but the fans of the WWE still continued to watch, appreciative of the performances they put on day in and day out to give their audience as much satisfaction as possible.
The family of the twelve year old Georgian boy Charles Webb was one such family. Charles' father, Mark, had watched Batista defeat HHH at Wrestlemania XXI for the World Heavyweight Championship thanks to his grandfather, Charles' Great-Grandfather, James Webb, who watched the Real American Hulk Hogan slam and defeat the Eighth Wonder of the World Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III. So, after scrounging enough money from Mark's day to day jobs, he, Charles, and Charles' sister, Elizabeth, and mother, Jeanette, were able to purchase four tickets closest to the action, at ringside. It was clear that while Elizabeth and Jeanette didn't care much for wrestling, they were glad the boys of the family could enjoy it.
Our story will indeed have some focus on the Webb family, but not completely. No, our story will be about Charles Webb who will go from a relatively unknown citizen from Georgia to one of the best superstars in the WWE. Charles Webb was a relatively muscular boy, with an average body build for a boy his age, something that will change in the next few years. His eyes were a cool shade of green and his hair was deep brown chocolate. The young boy gave a wide stretch, feeling his bones pop and sighed a little, sweat dripping down his body, though it was far more different for the performers in front of him and thus he could only feel empathy for them.
Currently, they were 4 hours and 28 minutes into the show and were now watching the WWE Championship match between Champion Bray Wyatt and one of Charles' favorite wrestlers, Randy Orton. In a storyline that had been building ever since Randy won that year's Royal Rumble and Wyatt won the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber. Having joined the Wyatt Family before that time, Randy seemingly gave up his chance at opposing Wyatt before changing his mind by burning down the Wyatt family compound. Ever since, it was clear that this match would be personal as the master of fear faced WWE's Apex Predator.
At this point in time of the match, Randy was down on the mat, having been sent there after Bray was able to reverse the RKO into a Sister Abigail but managed to kick out at the count of two. Now, however, Bray was ready to finish the ten minute long match and retain his WWE Championship, something that Charles hoped wouldn't happen. C'mon, Randy! He begged in his thoughts as Bray did his signature crabwalk taunt, indicating his plan for a second Sister Abigail. Please get up! But it was no use, as Randy Orton wasn't telepathic and couldn't know what Bray was doing. Images of cockroaches quickly filled the screens of every camera as Wyatt approached for the killing blow, now standing upright. Slowly bending down, as if to savor his victory, he picked up Orton by the sides of his head before hitting him with a punch, causing the Viper to groan out in pain and nearly fall back to the mat. However, he still maintained his balance on one knee.
After another blow, Wyatt determined Randy wasn't a threat and decided to go for the end of the match. However, just as he brought Randy Orton into a standing position, the Viper suddenly sprung to life, pushing away Bray's hands, turning around, and jumping in the air as his hands gripped around Wyatt's neck. Everyone within the Arena, including Charles, knew what that was, three simple letters, the deadliest in the industry : R K O. Connecting his RKO on Wyatt, the leader of the Wyatt Family bounced on his back as Randy sat there to regain his sense of self, something that was the norm after doing an RKO comeback. Then, he finally fell backwards and hooked Bray's leg for the Pin. 1! 2! 3! Charles counted internally as the bell rang, signalling the end of the match and Randy Orton becoming victorious.
As Randy's theme song, Voices by Rev Theory played, as Smackdown Ring Announcer Greg Hamilton declared the final result, "Here is your winner and the new WWE Champion, Randy Orton!" and as the call was finished, the referee handed Randy the WWE championship as he stood up and raised his arms confidently, proud of his victory. Charles cheered and clapped loudly at the result, happy to see the match he cared most about ending the way he wanted it to and it seemed he wasn't alone, as many of the over 75,000 fans continued to cheer for Orton winning his 13th World Championship. The young boy definitely enjoyed wrestling, that had been clear ever since he joined his father in watching the Summerslam 2007 match between Randy Orton and John Cena when he was five. That was when a thought came to mind, something that he supposed wouldn't hurt to ask.
"Father, may I ask a question?" Charles began, his tiny voice masked by his thick southern drawl. Mark perked at the sound of his son's voice and looked at him with friendly hazel eyes.
"Of course you can, Charles. What is it?" Mark's southern drawl was stronger than Charles, due to him having lived in rural Georgia for most his life. It was calming, slightly. Charles took in a deep breath before continuing his question, hoping his father would agree to it once he heard him out.
"If I was interested in pursuing a life in professional wrestling, w-" he paused, stuttering a little as he saw his father's face fall. He's going to say no, I just know it! "Would you and ma support me?" He finished his question and closed his eyes, preparing himself for the answer he didn't want to hear. However, after a few seconds passed, he heard the sounds of light chuckling beside him. Opening his eyes, he say Mark standing there lightly chuckling at Charles' question whilst staring at him with warmth.
"Charles, I don't know why you'd ask such a stupid question." He began, calming down a little as he did so. Charles then noticed both his mother and sister were smiling at him happily, ready for what Mark was about to say. It was clear the entire family didn't really care about what the next match was, being the Universal Championship match between Brock Lesnar and the champion Goldberg. "But I think I can safely say that yes, this family will do its hardest to support you in a professional wrestling career. I'll tell you what, let's first wait until this is all over and then we can begin working out all the details of your future career. That sound good?" Eager for his future life, Charles nodded and with that, the family's attention was back at the ring.
However, Charles found himself unable to focus with the ideas of the future now bursting through his head quickly. All he had to do was hope and pray to god that he made it. One day, I'll join you Randy! You and all the other greats! He promised as he watched the Universal Championship battle.
9 Years Later
April 4, 2026
Wrestlemania XLII
Cleveland, Ohio
FistEnergy Stadium
"The Miz, he has Zack Ryder in his clutches! He's going for it!" SLAM! "Oh, Skull-crushing finale! Miz has just knocked out Ryder and is looking to continue his dominating title reign that began at Survivor Series last year!" Micheal Cole screamed aloud into the microphone as the over 60 and a half thousand, as well as the millions watching at home, stood on the edge of their seats as The Miz rolled the Long Islander on his back before covering him, awaiting the three count to retain his championship. Quickly, the referee moved to count the pin to end the match.
"1! 2!" At the count of two from the referee, however, Zack kicked, causing Miz to sit up in stunned silence, fuming at the fact that this near half-hour match was going to continue despite giving his opponent two Skull-Crushing Finales already before this one and Ryder had managed to get out of both times prior as well by the skin of his teeth. As Miz stood up to argue with the referee about the count, stating that it was slow, Zack rolled out of the ring and collapsed on the floor below, giving him a brief reprieve and a chance to recover. When Miz finally turned around to continue his beatdown on Zack Ryder, the audience suddenly cheered as a man in trunks that had the flag of Cleveland and blue boots with nicely cut black hair and a trimmed down face appeared behind him and picked him up by the legs.
Now carrying the WWE Champion, the man ran full steam at the nearest corner before turning his angle downward and letting go of the Miz at the last second, causing him to go crashing face first into the second buckle. "Raw Dog to the Turnbuckle on the Miz, can Johnny Gargano capitalize on this chance?" Micheal Cole asked from commentary as the man calling himself Johnny Wrestling readied him by getting behind the Miz, who was slow to recover from the Raw Dog he had received. As the WWE Champion got on his knees, Gargano suddenly ran up to him, grabbed his face, and slammed it face first into the mat.
"Baby Ace Crusher! Miz is done!" Cole's co-host, Jojo, cried aloud as the Miz bounced off the Mat once his face made impact, bringing him on his back. Quickly realizing his chance to win the gold after years of hard work, Gargano quickly moved to cover the Miz's body, hooking both his legs as he leaned over him. "We have a new Champion!" The referee ran over and did the count as the entire stadium counted with him.
"One, Two, Three!" All of a sudden, cheers bursted all across the arena as the referee motioned for the bell to be rung before being handed the WWE Championship and awarding it to Johnny Gargano as the man kneeled and pumped his fists in victory. His theme song, Rebel Heart, was hard to hear as Gargano's hometown erupted for him in victory. The cheers were so loud that it was hard to hear the announcer as well.
"Here is your winner and the new WWE Champion! Johnnnnnyyyy Gaaaaarrrgannnnnooooo!" He declared as said wrestler received the championship from the ref and began to run around the ring as The Miz and Zack Ryder left the ring side, the former champion and Gargano's other opponent utterly devastated at the result of Wrestlemania XLII's Main Event. As Gargano finally stopped running around the ring, he leaned over the closest ropes and kissed the belt with tears in his eyes before running up to the turnbuckle, getting on the top rope and raising the championship so all could see his prize as Micheal Cole commented at ringside.
"Finally, after over 20 years of working hard and dreaming hard, starting from Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling in 2005 to going over many wrestling promotions before arriving in NXT in 2015 and taking the WWE by storm with his main roster debut in 2019! After years of working towards the top, his victory in the Royal Rumble this year took everyone by surprise when he entered at #11 and came out on top after eliminating the very fresh #30 entrant AJ Styles. He overcame Triple H's refusal to allow him a title opportunity and he was successfully able to keep that title opportunity by defeating Daniel Bryan at Elimination Chamber in a No Holds Barred Match! Nothing is left to challenge Gargano and thus, the era of Johnny Wrestling has begun!" As Cole finished his commentary, confetti and Pyrotechnics went off as Johnny Gargano celebrated his victory. In a night that saw the Universal Champion Sheamus retain his championship against Randy Orton, Antonio Cesaro, and Edge in a 37 minute fatal-4-way, the United States Champion change hands from Alex Riley to Adam Cole, and Intercontinental Champion John Cena retained against Drew McIntyre. To say that Wrestlemania XLII had been eventful would be a major understatement.
All Charles Webb could think in that moment while watching the TV screen was Damn...and I'll be joining them there eventually. It had taken nine long years to appear where he was now. He could still remember how hard he trained to bulk himself before training himself for matches. In Junior year of High School, he was able to start a Pro Wrestling club and he had built a name for himself in his local community. Soon, word spread and a few months after graduating, he was offered a contract with Illinois' AAW. Initially, he had been concerned about the idea of leaving his family behind, but his father reassured him that everything would be fine, and so he left, though he did send half his monthly salary back home to help his family's financial situation.
At AAW, his fame and notoriety grew as he wrestled better and far more impressive matches, with one going on for nearly an hour and a half and in the end, he barely won that singles match and retained his AAW Heavyweight Championship. By age 20, he had become 7 time AAW Heritage Champion and 3 time AAW Heavyweight Champion and that was when he was offered two months of training at the WWE Performance Center. Initially, the transfer had been rough, but he quickly got used to it all and was allowed his NXT Debut 2 months and half a week after arriving due to his AAW experience.
Debuting on the September 17th edition of NXT, he once more rose through the ranks, with his own personal brand added in. Instead of being known as Charles Webb, he was instead known as Jack "Ceasar" Louis from Savannah, Georgia with his gimmick being the fact that he acted like he was going to rule the WWE effectively as he came into the ring dressed in a roman toga and wreath and holding a Aquila that he would sometimes use as a weapon before discarding them for his in-ring attire, which was him wearing Purple Trunks, boots, and protective pads while using his advanced knowledge in Latin to give long winded speeches about being the WWE's emperor, with his theme "Battle March" by Derek and Brandon Fiechter. His character was an immediate success as a heel with fans almost everywhere booing him for the first three months in the ring before he slowly started to win them over. All the while, he worked his way up NXT's own rungs, winning the NXT North American Championship twice (and renaming it the NXT Maiorem Latium Championship both times) and the NXT Championship itself before he lost it during the March Takeover Special of NXT this year to Keith Lee. He had also developed two signatures and finishers all on his own. For his signatures, there was the Caesarean Section, which is when he runs towards his opponent before striking them in the stomach with his arm fully outstretched in a clothesline. Then there was the Cesarean Slam, which was when his opponent was on one knee before running up to them and doing a facebuster. As for his finishers, he had three. The first, known as the Caesarean Stunner, was Charles carrying his opponent in a Fireman's Carry before swinging them clockwise before giving them a stunner with their knees bouncing off the mat. His second finisher was a simple frog splash off the top rope. Finally, his final finisher was known as the Latin hold and was a mixture of the infamous camel clutch and a mandible claw with Charles getting on his opponent's back and swinging one elbow to initiate the camel clutch while he'd use his other hand to initiate the mandible claw. All in all, his moveset was dominating and the people loved it.
He was on fire, in a way, and it was clear the fans wanted to see a main roster push for him after seven months of being in NXT. Personally, Charles still didn't feel like he deserved that opportunity. No, he felt like he needed to earn that chance by competing in NXT for almost a full year or two before switching over to the main roster. He was incredibly young after all, at Age 21 whereas it took other wrestlers decades to reach where he was at now. He could let out some light chuckles, however. He had appeared on RAW several times as one of the thugs in Triple H's "New Authority" Stable and while he had yet to participate in a match, he had joined with several others in mad dog attacks on Johnny Gargano who, as he just saw on the TV, is the new WWE Champion.
Charles had to admit, the man deserved. He worked his ass-off for 21 years and finally it paid off. Hopefully, one day, he could see some of that pay off for himself as well. However, that wasn't why he was here. The reason for his placement here was because he had actually gotten a call from the CEO of the WWE, Paul Micheal Levesque, better known as Triple H when he was in Kayfabe, to come backstage of the Showcase of the Immortals for some reason. Webb himself didn't know why, considering he was getting ready for the next NXT Episode that would happen in three days and he was still unsure as to why Paul had contacted him. The man didn't really say anything besides come over and wait until the end of the show so they could talk.
And so, Charles waited and spent the time by watching the matches of the nearly 6 and a half hour long PPV and meeting some of the main roster, including Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah, also known in Kayfabe as Kofi Kingston, Leati Joseph "Joe" AnoaŹ»i, also known as Roman Reigns, and Andrew McLean Galloway IV, also known as Drew McIntyre before his match against John Cena. Being here, backstage with so many of the icons of his childhood, made the NXT Superstar giddy with joy. He had watched these people perform amazing matches day in and day out for all his life and now he was among them, shaking their hands and introducing himself.
As he continued to smile at how far he had come in the past several years, he received a tap on the shoulder. Looking up behind him, he saw an employee staring at him and pointing in a certain direction, one leading to Paul's office. "Mr. Webb, the boss would like to see you." He said calmly before walking away. Charles simply gave a small smile before getting up from his chair and making his path down the hallway to the CEO's Office. Following Vince McMahon's unfortunate passing in mid 2022, Paul and his wife Stephanie had become the owners of the company and were now the bosses of it. The company had undergone some minor changes since Vince's death, but nothing too major that would've ruined the man's legacy. Paul had been an excellent and fair boss and, from what Charles could tell, only wanted an athlete to work their ass off for the fans in order to get the notoriety they believed they deserved. That had made him very well respected in the WWE locker room with many superstars admitting they appreciated the man for what he was doing and also were honored at the knowledge that he would do anything himself to make sure the company succeeded, much like his predecessor.
It didn't take long for the kayfabe WWE Emperor to arrive outside the room of the most powerful man in the company. After standing outside for a minute, he raised his hand for a second before knocking on the door three times. "Come in." He heard Paul's muffled voice say from behind the door. Gathering up all his courage, Charles grasped the door knob, twisted it, and entered the office. It wasn't much different from all the times he had seen it in years prior on the Television, though there were a few differences, such as a few crowns, Xs, and a sledgehammer strewn about to give it the authenticity of being the Game's office. However, that wasn't what struck Charles as the strangest thing, nor was it The Game sitting behind a desk, staring at him with a big smile, something he never thought he would see as a child. No, the oddest thing was whole else was in the room with them. It wasn't just Stephanie and Shane McMahon, which was a given, but it was also Raw General Manager for the last two years and WWE Legend/Hall of Famer Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, known better in Kayfabe as Shawn Micheals, and Smackdown General Manager for the last six months and former WWE Commentator/Legend/Hall of Famer Jerry O'Neil Lawler, better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, and WWE COO David Michael Bautista Jr, better known as Batista. Five icons of Charles' childhood that he watched via DVDs and the internet whilst growing up were now in the same room as him, looking at him with smiling faces. It was taking all his willpower to not faint then and there.
However, that could happen another time. Right now, something more important was likely taking place. "You asked for me, Mr. Helmsley?" Charles asked shakily, unsure whether to address him via his Kayfabe persona or his real name. Over the years, his thick southern drawl had been pushed away and was now more Illinoisan thanks to his nearly three years in the AAW. The longtime wrestling icon let out a small little chuckle before waving his hand.
"Please, Charles, is it?" Charles nodded a little too fast, feeling his palms clam up with sweat. "Please, Charles, call me Mr. Levesque. Unless the cameras are rolling, you can call me that. If they are rolling, just call me Hunter or Triple H. That sound good to you?" The WWE CEO asked, obviously enjoying the 21 year old's nervousness in front of him.
"O-of course, Mr. Helm-I mean, Mr. Levesque." He corrected himself. After a brief pause that lasted a second or two, but felt like an eternity to Charles as he felt all four of the top officials in the WWE at this time examine him carefully, Paul finally spoke up.
"Yes, I did ask for you, Charles. If you recall, I called you a couple of nights ago to come backstage tonight and wait until after the Main Event was over to meet with me. Speaking of which, what did you think of the show?"
"Fantastic, sir. I really enjoyed how you allowed Gargano to finally win the championship after so long. He deserves it." Paul nodded in agreement and Charles slowly started to feel his fear fall away, almost as if the WWE's CEO was the friend he'd never thought he'd have.
"Yeah, I agree with you, I agree. Johnny has worked 21 years for this moment and if anyone deserves to win the WWE Championship on the grandest stage of them all in their hometown, it's him." Paul stated as he leaned back in thought, nodding his head before continuing. "Well, the reason I asked you to come backstage tonight is because of one reason. For the last few months, I think you've noticed a certain hashtag trending on social media, right?" Charles sighed, knowing what Paul was referring to. Ever since Mid-February, his fans had taken to Social Media with the hashtag #VeniVidiViciWWE, which was their way of demanding a push for him on the main roster. With every match he competed in, whether he lost or won, the hashtag grew in popularity to the point that now it was between 4-7 on top trending on twitter every Wednesday night. It was kinda crazy to be honest, to be this famous, but he guessed it came with becoming a WWE Superstar. "Well, me, Stephnie, Dave, Shane, Shawn, and Jerry have been talking and we've decided to give the fans what they want." Wait, what? Does that mean-? "Yes, Charles, you're going to be given the opportunity to be on the main roster." Charles could've died right there and he'd have had no regrets. Everyone here was offering him a chance at the WWE Main Roster, something he dreamed about. However, he still didn't feel right.
"But, Mr. Levesque, I'm sorry, but I don't think I can accept. I mean, I've only been in NXT since September. I still need to build up my momentum and gain more respect in the NXT locker room. I mean, I am rather young for a pro wrestler, after all." Charles wasn't wrong. Most pro wrestlers didn't reach the WWE until they were in their 30s or 40s though there was the occasional young breakout star that entered at a young age, but that was quite rare. "I just felt like I haven't earned it yet." As he finished speaking, he felt a hand tap his back and he turned around to see Shawn standing there behind him with a small grin on his face.
"I understand you, Charles. Honestly, if I was in your shoes, I wouldn't know what to do. However, you proved yourself in the AAW, you became one of their most popular stars very quickly before coming here. You proved you were main event material then even if you didn't think of yourself like that. You felt the same way in NXT. You are your own worst critic, but we believe you at least deserve three years on the main roster before you make your choice?" Wait, what? Did he just say-?
"Shawn, I was going to surprise him with that." Moaned Jerry, who was standing beside Charles and shaking his head in disappointment, clearly upset that the surprise was now spoiled. "Shawn said the truth, Charles. Raw or Smackdown is offering you a three year contract on its roster. It's up to you to decide which brand you'll pick." And with that, Charles suddenly noticed the two contracts before him, with the respective General Managers of each brand. He took a deep breath and asked a simple question.
"Are you sure I'm ready for this?" Everyone nodded in agreement. Charles shrugged and began to look over both contracts, with both of them being practically the same right down to the salary. Both brands offered him a three contract that would in total pay $2.01 Million a year, meaning it would be $167,500 monthly, and $41,875 weekly, which was greater than his $25,240 weekly and $100,960 monthly pay he got from NXT. Feeling his breath hitched, he let out a deep breath, grabbed a pen, chose the brand he favored, and signed on the dotted line. And all Paul could say was :
"Good Choice."
And just like that, the First Chapter of my OC's journey through the WWE has begun. I'll take some other OCs as long as they're reasonable and believable, just PM me them. Just give me their name, age, favorite wrestlers growing up, finisher(s), signatures(s) (and the descriptions of both moves), entrance music, gimmick, outfit, biography (Realife and Kayfabe) etc, etc. I'll try and fit those OCs into this story as best as I can. In the meantime, what do you all think of WWE Champion Gargano, Raw GM Shawn Michaels, and Smackdown GM Jerry Lawler?
Finally, the Championships for the Main Rosters were changed a little. Whereas the IC Championship is keeping the look it had been given by Sami Zayn, some of the others were changed. The WWE Championship has the design of the retired WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship with the WWE Logo in the Middle of a globe all while an eagle holds it up, with a crown being on top of the sphere and the world "World Wrestling Entertainment Champion" being on the top and bottom of the centerpiece. The outer belt pieces are the WWE logo in gold.
The Universal Championship has been changed from its frankly ugly current design to a design that resembles the retired ECW World Heavyweight Championship with the centerpiece being a Phoenix surrounded by two silver flames going off. While the belt strap is black, the entire pieces of the Championship is silver with the words "Universal Champion" being etched at the top, above the crowned Phoenix.
The United States Championship is designed after the retired WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship. In the Center, the American Flag is held up by two crowned Bald Eagles while there is a decoration of Eagles on the Strap Pieces. Above the Eagle in the center is "United States" and below it is "Champion".
The Raw Tag Team Championship is designed in much the same way as the WWWF United States Tag Team Championships with the strap pieces and the centerpiece being gold while a Red WWE Symbol is in the middle of the centerpiece. The Smackdown Tag Team Championship is designed in much the same way, though it has inspiration from the WCW World Tag Team Championship, with there being a crown at the top to signal Jerry Lawler, who introduced the belts. The Center and Strap pieces are White while the WWE Symbol is Blue. Below the symbol on both is "Tag Team Champion"
Hopefully everyone enjoys my Championship designs and if you draw them, please feel free to send me a link to a picture of them as I'd like to see my creation. Until next time everyone, Ciao!