Team Work chapter 220

February 14th, 2020

Stephanie can't help but feel a little anxious as she heads into the arena for this week's Team Work. There are behind the scenes happenings that may affect every wrestling company, not just the WWE, and the ripple affects could be longlasting and disasterous for Team Work as well. She sighs, biting her lip and trailing fingers lazily over the walls as she walks further inside, trying to look calm and composed as she heads for her office. Pausing in the doorway, she glances around once more and exhales slowly. It's going to be ok, Stephanie, she tells herself before venturing inside to begin booking the evening's matches. One way or another. Team Work will survive.

The night kicks off with Keith Lee defeating Aleister Black after dodging Aleister's black mass and rebounding just to scoop him up into a Big Bang Catastrophe. Rhea Ripley takes out Dakota Kai, and in eight man action, the team of Finn Balor, Ricochet, Hangman Page and Daniel Bryan win over Lio Rush, Roderick Strong, Jonathan Gresham and Fallah Bahh. Bianca BelAir claims a victory over Jordynne Grace.

Dustin Rhodes partners with Rezar against Matt Riddle and Danny Burch and they walk out with the win, despite some friction between the partners, still managing to get along a little better than the opposing team. Nyla Rose defeats Becky, and Adam Cole teams with Madman Fulton in a winning effort against Buddy Murphy and Oney Lorcan. Riddick Moss defeats Johnny Gargano.

Seth Rollins is all calm, cool smiles as he casts a glance over the crowd, adjusting the one glove on his hands as he enters the ring, quirking an eyebrow as he gazes at Tony Nese. Tony ignores his attempts at conversation, and everything else, simply stretching in the corner as they wait for the bell to ring. Once it does, Seth spreads his hands out and smiles benevolently at Tony. "Come on, man, we don't need to do this," he calls out to him. "This is a pointless match, let's just move on. Why don't you join Buddy, AOP and I? We'd take good care of you, and you'd be a beneficial addition to our group. Better than being trapped in the same cycle with 205 Live again and again and again, right?"

Nese seems unimpressed, however, and when Seth approaches him to try to talk more to him about it, he meets Seth with a dropkick, staggering the Monday Night Messiah and sending him falling back against the ring ropes with a startled look on his face that soon twists into rage. He rebounds quickly and storms forward, grabbing Tony and forcing him into the corner, grinding his elbow into the man's face. "You think I'm gonna let you get away with that kind of disrespect, Tony? Huh?" he snarls, digging his fingers deeper into the man's flesh as he holds him in place, ignoring his struggles, how he's trying to fight back. He gets struck a few times but ultimately ignores it, dragging Nese out of the corner and sending him whipping into the ropes, just to lariat him down roughly.

Nese gasps as the oxygen is forced out of his body upon impact against the canvas, rolling onto his stomach and crouching with his forearms against the mat, trying to hold up his own weight, and blinks sweat out of his eyes just in time to feel something impact with the back of his neck, his last memory as everything goes dark. When he comes to a few moments later, Seth is standing tall over him, arm being raised.

All he can do is groan and try to roll out of the way as Seth casts one, splitsecond glare down at him before looking back up, a joyful grin crossing his face as he examines the crowd before him, seeming unbothered by their displeasure.

The other members of Seth's followers' bad luck continues, however, as Montez Ford defeats Akam. Mox wins fairly quickly over RVD, and MJF partners with Michael Elgin in a handicap match, the two men ultimately successful against Mahabali Shera. Angelo Dawkins wins against Angel Garza.

Afterwards, Stephanie slips out of her office and wanders the halls, eager to find the competitors of the next match and square things away just for her own comfort. Bayley is standing a few feet away, Dan Maff not far beyond that, both ignoring the other. She walks up to the woman and lightly taps her on the shoulder. When Bayley turns to look at her, Stephanie smiles faintly. "You're sure this is ok?" she wonders, examining Bayley. "I mean..."

"I already agreed to it," Bayley says, fingering the phone where she'd answered the email at earlier in the week when Stephanie had first decided this was the way to go. "You know me, I'm ok with a little intergender now and again."

Stephanie nods. "Alright. Just double checking. Let me know if you need anything."

Bayley grins. "Will do."

Stephanie sighs and takes her leave back to her office to resume keeping track of the scores.

Bayley against Dan Maff doesn't last too long, she does get some offense in and even sends him down to the mat for a near two count after splashing down on top of him, but he ultimately overpowers her and claims the win to the crowd's general displeasure.

In the main event of the night, Pete Dunne, Roman Reigns, Jay Lethal and Rohit Raju partner up against Jeff Cobb, Michael Kanellis, Sheamus and Kenny Omega. Dunne paces the apron as the match carries on, sometimes his partners with the advantage, sometimes the others with it, neither outcome easing his anxiety to just get in the ring and start snapping some fingers. Between Reigns and Lethal, however, neither seem eager to let him in, constantly alternating amongst themselves between fighting the other four... then Raju tags himself in and starts getting trashed by Sheamus, who cackles maddeningly as he strong arms the other man around, clearly enjoying himself.

Dunne breathes harshly and tries not to glare for too long at his partners, aware that this is all their fault. He waits and he watches, grimacing when Rohit almost gets pinned, Lethal only just getting there in time to break it up. Rohit struggles to recover himself a little as Sheamus snarls and moves for a tag out of his own, but Rohit is almost there, they're all reaching for him, and then- and then-

Dunne's tagged in! He lunges through the ropes and immediately grabs Kanellis, sending him down to the mat, screaming in shock as his arm is twisted and tugged at into a vicious submission. Dunne pants against his ear, enjoying this almost too much as he eases up on the submission and does what he'd wanted to do, sliding his hand down and gripping Kanellis' fingers, twisting them until he hears that disgusting popping sound that's become such a vital part of his matches. Almost as good is the panicked yell Kanellis lets out, struggling to free himself, just for Dunne to twist back up and re-apply the submission hold, even more brutal than when he'd first done it.

Dunne senses someone trying to storm into the ring and help, but then Reigns is there, superman punching Sheamus back through the ropes and sending him crashing down to the floor below, ignoring the referee's admonishes as he returns to his side of the ring, allowing Dunne to do what he needs to do to finish this. Dunne drops down, adding to the pressure on Kanellis' arm, enjoying the muffled scream as his face is pressed into the matt, his arm held at such an odd angle that it's almost making Dunne's body throb just feeling how his tendons and muscles keep stretching close to the breaking point.

Finally, Kanellis taps with a frustrated yell, and Dunne smirks, letting him go before the ref can turn his ire onto him. As the other three make their way into the ring, Dunne can't even glare too convincingly at Rohit, just pleased that he's finally on the scoreboard for this cycle.