Team Work chapter 248
August 28th, 2020
The wrestlers are scattered around the ring, waiting, watching. Stephanie is reading over some papers, making them wait, before finally looking up with an expressionless look on her face. She eyes them, gaze lingering here and there, adding to the tension and anxiety in the room. Finally she clears her throat and steps forward. "Thank you for your patience," she says. "Just wanted to make sure I was correct on everything before I made any announcements."
She stalls for a moment or two longer, waiting for a response, some cue for her to break off into a tangent about respect. There is none. So she puts them out of their misery. "The winner of this cycle, with the highest points of anyone, is... Bobby Lashley." She stands her ground, does what's needed to be done, then takes her leave as MVP and Lashley celebrate in the ring.
She's not in a good mood. It's harder to ignore this time, Stephanie growing more and more determined to make her presence felt tonight. Her brother may have gotten to oversee the conclusion for the Summerslam cycle, looking fairly smug as he'd told her who the winner was, but she gets to start the new one and that's all she clings to right now, desperate and yearning for things to go back to the way they were. When she was the only one able to come and go as she pleases in this office, the direction of this show only in her grasp. She closes her eyes and exhales slowly, shaking her head. Soon, she thinks. Nothing regarding my brother lasts forever. Getting to work on booking settles her mind, stables her hand, and soon anything to do with Shane McMahon is far out of her thoughts.
Big E kicks the night off with a win against Pentagon Jr, The Butcher defeats Larry D. Shayna sneers as Bianca Belair prances her way to the ring, twirling her ridiculously long braid around, but despite their shared disdained, they walk out the winners over Raquel Gonzelaz and Ruby Riott. Montez Ford beats The Blade, and Braun Strowman makes quick work of Rey Mysterio. Sammy Guevara wins against Dax Harwood.
In six man action, Brian Kendrick partners with Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Lashley against Santos Escobar, Cesaro and Crazzy Steve. Ordinarily no one within the two teams would get along, but this feels different somehow, Kendrick is determined to make it work and Cesaro makes an effort with his team as well. After various petty arguments and near losses because of it, this leads to both of them standing on opposite sides of the ring, staring at each other griml before lunging. Kendrick fights with everything in him, and so does Cesaro. They're reminded briefly of ROH, of times long gone. The settings have changed, people have changed, but deep down in their core, they're still the same. Love for wrestling overwhelming common sense, very little else mattering to this degree.
Then Kendrick gets clocked with an uppercut and he wavers on his feet, ultimately collapsing to his knees before falling to his side, but Cesaro's pin attempt goes nowhere when Lashley comes in and lifts him bodily off and slamming him aside, breaking up the three count. Kendrick takes advantage of the moment, gets ahold of Cesaro, pulls him to his feet once more, and runs him up the turnbuckle post and sweeps him down into the Sliced Bread #2, digging his heels into the mat and pinning him, holding his breath until the bell rings. Until he knows with no shadow of a doubt that he's won. He can't even feel bad about the surly looks on Lashley and O'Reilly's faces as their arms are raised.
Brian Meyers wins in triple threat action over Cash Wheeler and Dominik Mysterio. Fenix beats Akira Tozawa, and Keith Lee outlasts Lance Archer. Danny Burch defeats Tucker, and Shotzi Blackheart partners with Deonna Purrazzo to win against Dakota Kai and Asuka
In eight man action, Otis, Tony Nese, Matt Riddle and Eddie Edwards are successful against Tyler Breeze, Roman Reigns, Fandango and Jeff Hardy. Nia Jax defeats Big Swole and Liv Morgan in a triple threat.
The main event pits Oney Lorcan against Tommaso Ciampa and the two men eye each other curiously until the moment the bell rings, then Ciampa dives right in, meeting Oney blow for brutal blow in the middle of the ring, neither man pausing for even a breath until Ciampa twists and lands an elbow straight to Oney's ear, rocking the man and leaving him open to Ciampa gripping him and sending him into the turnbuckle. Oney is dazed only momentarily, but it's enough for Ciampa to power him down to the mat, digging his knee into his spine and pressing back on his jaw, putting pressure on Oney's neck and spine, all but snarling in his face the entire time. It's only a momentary reprieve, however, and within moments, Oney knees him in the side, kicking and fighting to be freed. His scrambles lead him to the ropes and Ciampa drops the hold long enough to grab him, try to drag him back, but Oney kicks him in the side, gets enough distance to get to his feet on his own.
Ciampa's eyes flash and they resume fighting, the physicality of their strikes, knees and everything in between growing more and more fierce the longer this goes on, neither man wavering for long. One forearm shiver delivered just so and Oney finds himself leaning against the ropes, struggling to shake the fog out of his head, to find the energy to continue to fight, just for Ciampa to hoist him over, drape him just right, and send him crashing down in Willow's Bell. The pin from there is just a formality but Ciampa doesn't delay, scrambles right over and pins the man, face tense until he hears the ref declare him a winner, then his face relaxes back into its usual blank expression, so many emotions simmering under those icy blue eyes as his arm is lifted in victory.