It was now time for the 1999 King of the Ring, and with the addition of Sunday Night Heat, things had already gotten off to a very rocky start.
Not only had the Brood and the Hardy Boyz battled across the Greensboro Coliseum, but Bradshaw had also challenged Billy Gunn to a match tomorrow night on Raw, since Mr. Ass had yet to return the other half of the WWF Tag Team Titles, which he had effectively stolen six days prior.
On top of this, a second brawl had also broken out on Heat, as well, this time between Val Venis and Prince Albert.
Following this, Ken Shamrock, after weeks of being screwed by his sister, promised to break "Ryan's" ankle, while the Rock promised to leave Greensboro as the new World Wrestling Federation Champion.
However, the Rock's declaration was dampened, when the Undertaker, in a very ominous message, declared that not only would he retain his title, but he managed to leave the Great One stunned, when the Brahma Bull symbol, lowered from the ceiling of the arena, was set ablaze!
Several upsets in the King of the Ring tournament had already taken place, as well.
Not only had Billy Gunn advanced to the next round of the tournament, but also Kane, X-Pac, and even the Road Dogg Jesse James, after he defeated Chyna, thanks in large parts to Commissioner Austin, who ejected the accompanying Triple H back to the locker room, after the latter attempted to interfere on behalf of his girlfriend.
As the Road Dogg celebrated a hard-fought victory inside the ring, backstage, Saphirra was once again impatiently pacing back and forth.
Shawn had asked for her help, and since her master's goal of defeating the Rock directly interlined with Shawn's defeat of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Saphirra had absolutely no intention of failing this latest task.
After all, after the sure defeat of the Rock, and after Stone Cold Steve Austin was stripped of his position as the WWF Commissioner, surely this would earn her master's favor once again. He would see that she was the honest and trustworthy servant that she always had been.
As she continued to anxiously await Shawn's arrival, Saphirra could hear the near simultaneous, pacing back and forth footsteps coming from inside the dressing room that she was standing outside of.
To be honest, Saphirra couldn't blame —.
Not only was Shawn seemingly taking forever to show up, but this was also one of —'s first exposures to the true, behind the scenes nature of the professional wrestling industry. Not to mention the fact that he had already competed in a dark match earlier in the night, so both his mind and his body and had to be thoroughly unrested.
The only reason why — had even agreed to help Saphirra is because he considered her to be a true friend. But by the sounds of his footsteps, Saphirra could easily tell that he was already second guessing his decision.
Knowing that he was anxious, Saphirra knew that she had to say something to quell his uneasiness. If he backed out, then both she and Shawn would be in serious trouble tonight.
Opening the door casually, Saphirra carefully stuck her head in the locker room and said to him calmly, "I know it's taking a while, but trust me, he's going to be here at any second. Just trust me on this. Ok?
Watching as —, who had his hands on his hips, silently nod his acknowledgment, while he continued to pace back and forth anxiously, Saphirra offered a weak smile and eased back out of the doorway.
But, as soon as she turned around, there was HBK, looking the more serious than he ever had before. Frightening her greatly, Saphirra placed a nervous hand over her heart, and was about to give him a piece of her mind, but she wisely took note of Shawn's demeanor and quickly thought better of this.
He didn't look like his normal, jovial self. Tonight, Shawn was definitely focused.
If things had been left to him, Shawn would still be semi-retired. He hadn't wrestled a match in over a year, and his back still hadn't fully recovered. But now that he did find himself in this situation, Shawn knew that no matter what, he had to be ready.
The Rattlesnake was ready to strike, and his venom would definitely be lethal.
Pushing past her rudely, which almost caused her to lose her balance, Shawn entered the dressing room, while Saphirra, nearly flabbergasted, slowly followed behind him.
It was truly now or never.
After the Rock once again mocked the Undertaker in a backstage interview with Michael Cole, it was now time for the WWF Tag Team Titles to be decided.
The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock, who entered the Greensboro Coliseum as the challengers, were ready to do battle against the current tag team champions, the Acolytes, who were surprisingly being accompanied to the ring by Saphirra.
Although Kenny had promised to put her in the Ankle Lock, Saphirra didn't fear her big brother's threat. As the First Lady of the Ministry, she was certain that her mere presence alone would be more than enough to serve as a distraction for Kenny — and she was right.
As the match began, Kenny was so zoned in on his sister that he didn't even notice Farooq attacking him from behind, which helped the Ministry gain the early advantage. Throughout their encounter, both Farooq and Bradshaw expertly sequestered Kenny from his tag team partner, and even double teamed him when necessary.
At one point even, while the referee was distracted by Bradshaw, Saphirra callously smacked her sibling across the face, while Kenny was hung across on the second ring rope.
Earning large boos from the anti-Ministry crowd, the Bossman, who had seen all that he could take, attempted to go after Saphirra, but he quickly received a ferocious Clothesline from Bradshaw instead.
Things looked to be in the Ministry's favor, until Shamrock gave Farooq a Belly to Back Suplex from out of nowhere, which instantly revived the southern crowd.
Shamrock desperately needed a tag, and even though the Bossman had just received a Clothesline from Bradshaw, he was still the fresher man out of the two. But on the other hand, Farooq also needed to tag his partner, but he too was was in the middle of the ring.
Sensing Kenny was about to make the tag, Farooq desperately grabbed the right ankle of the "World's Most Dangerous Man," but instead, he was hit with a stunning Enziguri, before Kenny leapt to his partner, the Big Boss Man!
Entering the ring with a fury, the former corrections officer made short work out of his opponents.
And even with the Acolytes attempting to double team him, the Boss Man showed nor fear. He kept fighting, even when the odds were stacked against him. While the Bossman wrestled Bradshaw to the outside, Kenny, with a renewed surge of adrenaline, came to his partner's aid by battling Farooq.
Turning his patented Spinebuster into a Hurricanrana, Kenny, after rolling under Farooq, quickly grabbed his ankle and began wrenching on it with the Ankle Lock! And though Farooq was clearly tapping in unmitigated anguish, referee Jimmy Korderas was once again distracted, as he was following closely behind the brawl between Bradshaw and the Bossman.
Realizing that if she didn't do something quickly that Kenny would undoubtedly break Farooq's ankle, Saphirra ran to the timekeeper's table and forced him out of his seat. Snapping a steel chair together, Saphirra slid underneath the bottom rope and attempted to decimate her older brother.
However, Kenny, sensing his sister's plan, turned just at the right moment, halting Saphirra's assault.
Shocked that he had actually caught her, while Farooq continued to writhe in pain on the mat, Kenny grabbed the chair from his sister and tossed it to the outside. Shocked that she had been caught, Saphirra attempted to gather her wits about herself by dashing out of the ring.
But once again, her plan was thwarted when Kenny caught her by the hair, as the North Carolina crowd roared with excitement.
Absolutely frantic, while begging her older brother to reconsider, before she could even ascertain what was happening, Saphirra was hurled face-first onto the mat, as Kenny reached down and wrenched on her ligament with the Ankle Lock!
The pain was excruciating!
It was similar to the pain that she had to endure when she was being punished by her master. And what was worse — Kenny was not letting go!
For everything that his sister had put him through — from aligning with the Ministry, to even costing him the World Wrestling Federation Championship — all of the emotions that he Kenny had kept bottled up inside of him, were suddenly gushing out in fury!
And no matter how much she begged and screamed, Kenny refused to let go.
He had entered that zone.
Feeling his little sister's ankle legitimately about to snap, Kenny suddenly felt a huge shot to the back and the kidney's, as he himself began to write in pain. From seemingly out of nowhere, the Lethal Weapon, Steve Blackmon, had entered the ring and attacked his former tag team partner!
And while Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler couldn't quite pinpoint exactly where Blackmon had even come from, the bigger question was: why had he attacked Ken Shamrock?
While Saphirra attempted to roll to safety, as she coddled her ankle in extreme agony, Kenny continued to be attacked by Blackmon, until the martial artist finally tired of assaulting his one-time friend.
With Kenny lying motionless in the center of the ring, Referee Korderas, who was still attempting to restore order between Bradshaw and the Bossman, quickly had his attention averted, when he saw out of the corner of his eye Shamrock being pinned by a hobbling Farooq.
Seeing the official sprinting inside the ring to count the pin, the Bossman attempted to break the count, but it was too late. With a major assist from Steve Blackmon — even as J.R. shouted on commentary that Farooq wasn't even the legal man — the Acolytes retained their tag team titles.
While Bradshaw, who was handed only Farooq's tag team title by the referee, attempted to assist him limping partner back to the locker room, Saphirra, who was still in a great deal of unimaginable pain, had to be helped to the back with the assistance of two WWF officials.
Though they had been proclaimed the victors, the Acolytes were far from being traditional winners.
And yet, the question still remained: why had Steve Blackman attacked Ken Shamrock?
During the Hardy Boyz versus the Brood match, Gangrel accidentally spewed his signature red liquid into the eyes of, Edge, which allowed Jeff to pin the Ministry member.
This match, which was for the right to challenge the Acolytes for their recently retained WWF Tag Team Championships, was an essential win for the Hardyz. However, because of Gangrel's mistake, people began to wonder if there was perhaps dissent growing amongst the ranks of the Brood.
Following this, along with a scathing promo directed to the Rock from the Undertaker, Billy Gunn once again advanced in the King of the Ring tournament, after the Big Show cost Kane the match.
And in a bout which pitted friend against friend, X-Pac advanced to the final round of the tournament after defeating the Road Dogg, which meant that in the finals, Mr. Ass would go one-on-one against his former Degeneration-X stablemate.
After leaving the trainer's room to check on Saphirra, and being informed by Dr. Francois Petite that she would have to be off of her leg for at least a week, in order to allow the lateral ankle sprain that she had sustained to properly heal, Stephanie was now once again positioned on the sofa of her dressing room.
It was now time for the World Wrestling Federation Championship to be decided between the Rock and the Undertaker, and to say that she was nervous would be putting things mildly.
Stephanie had concocted not only this match, but also the Stone Cold versus Shawn Michaels match, as well. So many different outcomes were at stake tonight, and essentially, if things didn't go exactly how she and Mark had planned them, then everything would fall back on her.
Potentially, even if Mark were to somehow lose the championship, while Shawn was at least victorious in his match, Stephanie could still see things going their way.
After all, Mark was entitled to a guaranteed rematch, and with Michaels as the commissioner, the Rock's presumed fourth title reign would undoubtedly be one of the shortest — if not the most forgettable — in company history.
He'd be a footnote.
But on the other hand, if Mark were to retain his title, while Stone Cold still kept his position as WWF Commissioner, then things would only progressively get worse, especially since Austin had basically sworn to make Mark's tenure as champion as hellish as humanly possible.
If he could do things like drastically reduce Shawn's salary, to even defacing many of his priceless and personal artifacts and memorabilia, then there was absolutely no telling what he would put Mark through.
In order for Stephanie's plan to truly work, both Mark and Shawn had to be victorious tonight.
Again… by any means necessary.
Anxiously awaiting for the pay-per-view to return from its self-promotional commercial break, Stephanie found herself jumping in place, when there came a hard tapping on her dressing room door.
Quickly calming herself, since the person on the other side was probably just some intern or even a production assistant, Stephanie carefully rose from her seat and answered the door.
Whom she didn't expect to find standing there, however, was Andrew.
Jumping in place once again, since she was shocked to see him standing even there, Stephanie stared back at Test in awe and confusion, as he went about apologizing profusely, saying to her, "Sorry, Steph. I didn't mean to scare you."
Nodding quickly, since her heart was nearly beating out of her chest, Stephanie, all too cognizant of her surroundings, suddenly began to avert her eyes around the backstage area frantically.
Besides Mark, who was undoubtedly making his way to the ring for his match, all of the members of the Ministry had already competed tonight. And if any of them saw Andrew standing there, then she could only imagine the trouble she would be in.
The Ministry all loved to please Mark; to gain his favor. So if romanticizing what wasn't even a friendly conversation at this point to their spiritual leader meant ascending to the next tier within their demonic faction, then this is exactly what they would be more than willing to do.
Not to mention the fact that Stephanie had promised that she would never see Test again. If Mark found out about any of this, then they'd both would be in a world of trouble.
As her heart rate only continued to rapidly increase, Stephanie, though she looked like a deer in headlights, still attempted to reply somewhat normally. "No, no… it's… it's no problem."
"Sorry I startled you," Test apologized again, as he reached out to rub Stephanie's right arm tenderly, which surprisingly managed to ease her nerves some, though she still very anxious about any of the Ministry potentially catching the two of them together.
And just like he had done all those weeks ago, Test, regarding her up and down, while taking in more of of her more adult attire, said to her almost seductively, "You look great tonight."
Biting her lower lip and lowering her gaze to the floor, Stephanie wanted to thank Andrew for the compliment, but she just couldn't muster the words. Mark had already banned Steph from ever being in Andrew's presence, but she just didn't have the heart to dismiss him so flippantly.
Despite everything, Stephanie still saw him as a friend. But for whatever reason, whenever he was around, she couldn't help but to think of their failed past together.
And that's what she had to constantly remind herself of. Test was the past.
As the tension around them thickened to an awkward silence, Test was once again the first to speak. "It's just that… I hope you didn't take what I said last time the wrong way. I mean, you look amazing. I just want you to be happy."
Once again acknowledging his genuine concern for her, Stephanie nodded and answered lightly, "I didn't Andrew. And thank you for your concern. I just… you know… with Mark and all…"
It was just so hard lying to him.
Stephanie knew that she was supposed to be putting on an act right now, but she hated being deceitful to him. It was clear that Test still had feelings for her, but she couldn't return them.
The guilt that she was facing was maddening.
Tappering off, Stephanie watched skittishly, as Test then said to her, "Yeah, I know, Steph. You don't have to say anything. Just like I've told you before, I just want to know that you're safe.
"Speaking of safe, did your friend — the redhead — did she give you…?"
Initially confused by "redhead," Stephanie suddenly came to the realization that Andrew must have been referring to Liz, who had since become a brunette. Nodding slowly once again, acknowledging that she had received his extremely heartfelt letter, Stephanie answered shyly, "She did…" before Test cut her off again, asking nervously, "And did you get the flowers? The white one's?"
Though she was well-aware of the fact that Andrew had been the one to send her the lovely bouquet of white roses, Stephanie couldn't help but to worry for his physical safety. Not only was Test placing his livelihood at stake, but the fact that he didn't care about any of the repercussions was very concerning for Steph.
Mark didn't have a conscience, and it frightened her just to imagine what he could possibly do to him in retaliation. Andrew should not have been risking his physical well-being for her. Nervously keeping her eyes averted to the floor, Stephanie finally managed, "Andrew, you really… you didn't have to do that."
"But I did," he answered quickly, as he attempted to lace his fingers into her's, but she instinctively placed her hands behind her back, not allowing him to complete the gesture.
She was a married woman.
She couldn't allow him to become comfortable enough in feeling that they could have anything other than having a strictly platonic relationship with each other, and they weren't even supposed to have that.
Realizing that he had undoubtedly jumped the gun, Test placed his hands inside of his pants pocket and said, "Steph, the reason why I sent you all that stuff — the flowers, the letter — the reason why I came here even tonight, is because I can't seem to take my mind off of you.
"I mean, I wake up thinking about you. I go to sleep thinking about you. I really can't seem to get you off of my mind."
Gathering his courage, Test took his hands out of his pocket, and carefully brought Stephanie's hands from around her back, and into his warmly. As she gazed down at she and Andrew's entangled hands, she couldn't help but to feel a wave of emotion flooding her entire body.
"What is going on with me?"
"What I guess I'm trying to say is, Steph: you and me, once and for all. Together," he declared softly, as Stephanie could plainly feel the warm sensation of his breath against her lips.
And for the first time this entire conversation, Stephanie actually returned Andrew's gaze, and what she saw amazed her. Andrew had a look in his eyes that burned with passion; a passion that would simply would not cease, because he wanted her and no one else.
Knowing that she was at a complete loss for words, Test, brimming down at her with pure seductiveness, said once again, "You don't have to answer right now. I know the situation you're in.
"What truly does matter though, Steph, is that, in the end, we really do end up together."
Feeling that he was once again going to attempt to kiss her, Stephanie was shocked when Andrew simply allowed her hands to fall from his, as he slowly took several steps away from her. He still wanted her, yes, but at the moment, Andrew seemed poised to discuss other matters with her now.
In fact, he had seemingly gone from hot to cold in almost an instant.
Rubbing his hand across the top of his head, Test then said to Stephanie sternly, "I don't know, maybe this is a bad time, but if you haven't heard, Gabby quit the company last week."
Gaining her full attention, Stephanie nearly found tears welling in her eyes, while Test looked more than a bit concerned himself. Over the past few weeks, Test and Gabby had become very close to each other, so the news of her sudden departure obviously hadn't sat too well with him, either.
Acknowledging that she too had learned of the former stylist quitting her dream job, Stephanie replied softly, "Unfortunately, yes. I mean, I've tried calling her; I've left messages on her answering service. I even dropped her a few e-mails. But she hasn't responded. I'm really worried about her."
Since her junior year in high school, Gabby had grown to become one of Stephanie's closet friends. If something had been bothering her to the point that she actually wanted to quit, then Stephanie wondered why Gabby just hadn't come to her and at least tried to talk things out.
This was all just so unlike her.
Exhaling deeply, not wanting to think of the what if's behind Gabby suddenly quitting, Test acknowledged shortly, "Yeah, me too."
"I mean, I spoke to Lisa the other day, the head of the makeup department. She told me the last time that she had seen Gabby was in Boston. As far as she could tell, everything was fine with her. She did mention something about Gabby being upset about a misplaced piece of equipment, but for the most part, there was no reason to think that she'd just up and quit the very next day.
"Then I spoke to one Han, one of the seamstresses. He said that the he had seen Gab was outside the arena, when he was taking a smoke break. From what he said, Gabby looked frantic. Like something — or maybe even someone — had spooked her or something. He tried calling out to her, but Gabby had already hailed a cab. And that was the last that anyone had saw of her."
Hearing this caused a boulder-sized lump to form right in the middle of Stephanie's throat. Gabby didn't have any enemies. She was genuinely well-liked by everyone. So what could have shaken her so badly that she would make her want to quit like this? Things just weren't adding up…
With her heart racing a mile, Stephanie turned her head slightly, while biting her lower lip, as Test solemnly added, "The next day, she faxed over her resignation. The people in HR even tried contacting her. I mean, if she was quitting because she found a better job or something, that's understandable. But her quitting and not telling anyone just didn't feel right, so they sent her a FedEx, basically refusing her resignation.
"Problem is, the refusal was undeliverable. Not only has Gabby changed her number, but she's apparently skipped town. Even the people in her own building don't know where she's at."
Shaking her head caustically, truly in disbelief at what she was hearing, Stephanie was shaken to the core.
After all, both Stephanie and Gabby had known each other for six years, and not once had Gabby shown a true, genuine fear for anything. She wasn't frightened very easily and she had always stood her ground, refusing to be bullied by anyone.
So what could have possibly terrified her so badly that she would not only run away from her job, but basically leave her entire life behind?
Rattled, as she continued to nervously bite her lower lip, Stephanie was so shocked at what she was hearing that she didn't even realize that Andrew had walked back to her again… not until she felt him reach out and tenderly touch her arm.
Gazing back at him, but with eyes that longed for understanding and resolution, Stephanie watched as Test tucked a stray tuft of hair behind her ear, saying once again, "Look, I know this was a lot to take in, so I'll let you get some rest, ok, Princess? I'll keep you up to date on all of this.
"Then we can start to think about us."
Turning her head, Stephanie averted her gaze to the floor once again. This was all just too much for her to handle. First Andrew and now Gabby?
Knowing that she had to find herself someway out of this conversation, Stephanie, as she continued to stare at the tiled flooring, said to him finally, "Thank you. I have to go now."
Feeling like he had been punched in the gut, since he was certain that Stephanie would at least meet him half-way on what he still presumed to be a blossoming romance, Test chuckled underneath his breath and said finally himself, "Well, if you need anything, just like I told you in that letter, my number's still the same."
Seeing her nod only once, Test knew that Stephanie needed both time and space to process everything that was happening, not just with himself, but with Gabby as well. But, when they did finally have the chance to be together, he wanted it to be on Stephanie's own terms.
Watching as he finally took took his leave, Stephanie gazed down the hall at Andrew's disappearing frame, all the while wanting desperately to sink into the floor, in despair and confusion.
Why the hell was of this all happening?
In the next match of the evening, the People's Champion, the Rock, challenged the Undertaker, for the World Wrestling Federation Championship. However, defeating the Prince of Darkness would be no easy feat, as the Brahma Bull would have more than his fair share of work cut out for him.
Not only has the champion been once again accompanied to the ring by Paul Bearer, but before the match could even begin, Taker not only attacked the Rock with a vicious cheap shot, but he also took out Referee Mike Chioda, as well, in the hopes of gaining an early, unfair advantage against the Great One.
The Rock, however, forever resilient, quickly turned the tables against the Deadman, as he swiftly planted the Phenom with a Rock Bottom!
With the WWF Championship already basically decided, Referee Earl Hebner ran down to the ring, in an attempt to count the pinfall. The Undertaker's reign was officially over! However, Paul yanked Hebnar out of the ring mid-count, before slugging him across the face with a hard right!
The match had barely even began and already there was chaos!
With Mike Chioda finally coming to, the Undertaker was able to catch a distracted Rock with a thunderous Chokeslam! However, the Brahma Bull somehow managed to kick out, which stunned not only Paul Bearer, but also the Deadman, as well.
Rarely did anyone kick out of the Chokeslam, and somehow, the Rock had managed to do just that.
Following this, what was supposed to have been a traditional wrestling match, quickly turned into an all-out brawl, as both men battled each other throughout the Greensboro Coliseum.
While Taker resorted to carelessly tossing the younger Superstar into the steel barricades, the Rock was brazen enough to actually spit in the Phenom's face with a mouth full of water, before nearly taking his adversary's head off with a steel chair!
Fortunately for him, the Undertaker, though highly fatigued, was able to save himself, by blocking his face with the large ring bell, which caused the Great One's own foreign object to ricochet and hit him in the head instead!
While Taker busied himself with intimidating and distracting the official, Paul Bearer once again inserted himself into the match, by hitting the Rock over the head several times with the hard sole of his shoe, as the older, fat man laughed vindictively in response.
Things looked bleak for the University of Miami graduate, but somehow, the Rock powered out of a Sleeper hold, before somehow reversing the manuever into a Samoan Drop! Rocky desperately tried to pin the champion once again, but this still wasn't enough to earn him the victory.
And then, for the second time, Referee Chioda was taken out of this match, this time by the Rock, who inadvertently whipped the Deadman into the official. The Undertaker, who was now flat on his back in the center of the ring, was then nearly finished with a thunderous People's Elbow!
For the second time, the Rock clearly had the match won, but just like before, no one was there to count the fall!
As he abandoned his pinion position of his opponent, in the hopes of reviving the official, once he attempted to returned to his nemesis, the Rock found himself crying out in unimaginable pain, as the Deadman delivered a swift low-blow to the challenger.
Sensing that the end was indeed near, Paul Bearer reached inside his suit jacket and quickly doused a red cloth with a lathering dose of ether! The stench alone from the rancid chemical was so appalling that even the Phenom himself couldn't stand it.
And yet, despite being double-teamed, the Rock still continued to fight.
With a huge surge of adrenaline, the Rock nearly ran over the Deadman with two running forearms. And before the he could even properly regain his footing, the Rock, after Taker lost his grip on the ether-soaked rag, turned the tables and used his own illegal object against him!
The Undertaker was now inhaling ether, and he was quickly losing consciousness by the second!
Backstage, Stephanie could not believe her eyes! Her husband was only seconds away from not only losing the WWF Title, but also losing his health, as well. His skin complexion behind that awful smelling rag was turning paler and paler, and he had already fallen to his knees.
He couldn't even move, much less defend himself! The more that he inhaled, the closer the Rock came to becoming the new World Wrestling Federation Champion!
In her haste, in her worry for her husband's safety, Stephanie had the presence of mind to actually run down to the ring to stop the Rock's assault, even if this did expose her true nature to the world.
She honestly didn't care what anyone would think of her, either, as long as her husband was safe.
Just when she was about to make a beeline towards the door, back inside the arena, the cameras quickly caught Triple H sprinting down to ringside. And before anyone could comprehend what was truly happening, Triple H kicked the Rock square in the gut and dropped him with a Pedigree!
The Rock was out and everyone was stunned!
Exiting the ring just as quickly as he came, while Referee Chioda attempted to come to, Triple H ran back up the aisle and back into the locker room area. The Rock was down, but so was the Undertaker, who was heavily convulsing on the mat.
He couldn't even get to his feet in order to take advantage of Helmsley's blatant interference.
Shaking off the cobwebs himself, since he too had been brutalized throughout this match, Mike Chioda was finally able to get back to his feet, which prompted the start of a very slow 10-count.
Though a count-out would obviously be to the champion's advantage, the Phenom, moving on pure instinct and adrenaline alone, was somehow able to regain a weak, vertical base, before finally collapsing on top of the Rock for the pin.
But once again, the Brahma Bull refused to quit, as he was able to somehow muster the energy to kick out of the Undertaker's pinfall attempt, which sent the already electric Greensboro crowd into yet another frenzy.
Everyone wanted to see the Rock leave as the WWF Champion. He had already overcome so many obstacles, and the crowd knew that he could potentially overcome so much more.
But instead, those dreams of the Rock walking out with the WWF Championship were quickly vanquished, when the Undertaker, with eyes that were glassy with deliriousness, scooped up the Rock and dropped him with a Tombstone Piledriver, which finally earned him the victory.
Though he had somehow managed to retain his title, the Phenom was obviously worse for wear. He couldn't even walk to the locker room without the assistance of Paul Bearer, and though he was victor, Taker, still coughing and convulsing profusely, was anything but a winner.
While the Rock attempted to find his own footing, after losing a one hell of a highly contested match, two important questions still remained: why had Triple H attacked the Rock? And more importantly, had the dissension between DX and the Ministry finally been resolved?
After Commissioner Austin removed Triple H from the building by arena security, Stephanie sat nervously in she and Mark's dressing room, impatiently awaiting her husband's return.
She had never seen Mark in so much peril before.
"And the paleness of his skin… he couldn't even walk without Paul's help!"
As she instinctively placed a nervous, yet nurturing hand over the small of her stomach, the door to the dressing room suddenly burst open, as Paul attempted to help Mark back into the locker room, who was barely on standing on his two feet.
Stephanie knew that in order to defeat the Rock, that Mark would have to pull out all the stops; that he would have to go to lengths that he had never gone to before. But she never imagined that he and Paul would go as far as to using ether.
After all, ether was once used as an anesthetic in operating rooms across the country. In the year 1999, however, ether wasn't even used by medical physicians anymore, much less wrestling matches. And if it hadn't been for Triple H, then Mark would have undoubtedly lost his championship.
Leaping from the couch so that he could lay on it, Stephanie watched in horror as Mark, who was still clutching his championship firmly to his chest, continued to cough and sputter profusely, while Paul went about informing Stephanie of how the effects ether — though severe — would begin to wear off on its on throughout the rest of the evening.
Still, her husband looked to be in a tremendous amount of pain, and as she knelt beside him, while the color still remained largely drained from his face, Stephanie attempted to console her man as much as possible.
Yes, Mark had retained the World Wrestling Federation Championship, but at what cost?
With a Fameasser from the middle ring rope, Billy Gunn defeated X-Pac to become the 1999 King of the Ring, which was a major coup for Degeneration-X.
But now, another DX member, the one and only Shawn Michaels, was making his way down to the squared circle, for the first match that he would have in over a year.
This match against Stone Cold Steve Austin would undoubtedly be the biggest of his entire career.
If Shawn was victorious tonight, not only would the Rattlesnake stay out of contention for the WWF Title, but he would also be stripped of his position as the commissioner. Shawn would then wield a significant power once again, which meant that he would no longer have to compete inside of a WWF ring.
Until he was healed from his spinal injury, he was more than content with being semi-retired.
But if Austin somehow won tonight, then both the Ministry and Degeneration-X would have to contend with the Rattlesnake's antics, which was something that neither faction could afford.
Shawn had to be victorious tonight. He had to defeat Stone Cold Steve Austin.
As the flamboyantly dressed HBK made his entrance down to the ring, he was instantly peppered with a chorus of boos from the southern crowd. However, despite being out of the ring for more than a year, Shawn still looked to be in peak, physical form.
The Shawn Michaels of old — the boisterous, cocky, Heartbreak Kid — was back and better than ever.
However, looks were merely just that.
Despite his physical appearance, Shawn still had to go through the Rattlesnake, who upon his arrival, received a thunderous ovation, as he stomped to the ring with clear determination. Despite the mind games that he had been playing with the entire of DX, Stone Cold now had a clear and very dangerous look in his eyes.
The Rattlesnake was all business.
And as Shawn stared back at him with a determined look of his own, back inside their locker room, Mark, only minutes removed from having nearly all of his bodily functions rendered useless, was somehow able to sit up from his position on the couch, despite his wife's protests.
Despite how awful he was feeling, Mark still had a very vested interest in this match, and he was determined to see it through. After all, Mark had specifically scheduled his match against the Rock underneath tonight's main event for this exact reason alone.
It was truly now or never.
And the match was nothing short of physical.
In the early stages, Austin took advantage of any ring rust that HBK may have had, by assaulting him throughout the arena. He even at one point tossed HBK across tre announcer's table, and even planted a steel chair right across Shawn's injured back, which caused the latter to scream in pain.
However, Shawn also brought the fight to Austin, by taking a ladder and pounding it into the damaged knees of the Rattlesnake, before going high-risk.
While Austin was motionless inside the ring, HBK, after propping one of the steel ladders against the turnbuckles, climbed opposite of it, and with his added body weight, the ladder came crashing down into Austin's sternum!
The pain was blinding, as Austin writhed in unimaginable agony across the ring.
Feeling that he had the match won, Shawn positioned the ladder underneath the hanging briefcase and attempted to climb it. While his hands began to reach and fumble with the latch that literally held the rights to the WWF Commissionership above him, Austin, on pure adrenaline alone, was somehow able to climb back to his feet.
His competitive, warrior-like nature would not allow him to be defeated so easily.
Realizing that he didn't have enough time to climb the ladder in order to stop HBK, who was only mere inches away from retrieving the briefcase, the crowd inside the arena all let out a collective gasp, as Shawn's body actually began dangling in midair!
In a true act of desperation, Austin had pulled the ladder from underneath Shawn, who was merely hanging onto the chain of the leather briefcase in true desperation! The only thing that now stood between he and the hard, ring surface was imagination.
And though he tried climbing upwards, which placed a terrible strain on both his arms and on his back, Shawn's grip only continued to loosen. With a look of utter horror on his face, Shawn's body quickly began to fail him, and without warning, he came crashing down, back first, onto the hard surface below!
He couldn't even condition himself for the fall.
Shawn's back was still badly injured, and all that he could do in response was scream in unrelenting agony, after falling more than twelve feet from the air!
While Mark and Stephanie both looked on in extreme horror, feeling that their chances of Austin losing tonight were getting bleaker and bleaker, back inside the ring, the Rattlesnake, wasting little time, quickly began to ascend the ladder, while the crowd in North Carolina cheered him on fiercely.
The Rattlesnake's victory was well in hand.
Attempting to retrieve the black briefcase, which held the contract inside of it, Austin was only mere seconds away from keeping his job title, when suddenly, the large, black item started to rise into the ceiling!
In fact, the briefcase, which was being suspended by a rather large chain and metal clasp, continued to rise further into the air, until it was completely out of Austin's reach!
Obviously, somewhere inside of the building, was remotely controlling the briefcase! The Rattlesnake clearly had the match won, and yet, his moment of glory was literally being snatched away from him.
He was incensed!
Frantically gazing around the arena is utter disbelief, the Rattlesnake rolled to the outside of the ring, attempting to interrogate anyone for information about what was going on. Someone had to know something! Meanwhile, back inside the ring, Shawn, who was absolutely exhausted and spent, somehow found himself crawling to the base of the ladder, as he brazenly attempted to climb the structure once again.
However, he was only able to make it to the middle of the ladder before Austin, who rolled back inside, simultaneously began to climb the other side. Punching at him with piston-like rights, Shawn, still physically drained and very much fatigued, fell back first onto the canvas once again!
The pain that was coursing through his body was excruciating!
And while Shawn was down, the Rattlesnake was up! The Rattlesnake was only mere seconds away from retrieving the briefcase, and remaining the WWF Commissioner, but for the second time, someone automatically raised the briefcase before Austin could even reach it.
The fix was in!
With his attention sorely drawn on the briefcase being raised higher and higher into the ceiling, Shawn, somehow having the wherewithal to crawl to the other side of the ring, gingerly retrieved the steel chair that Austin had used against him earlier in the match.
And with one last gasp effort, Shawn swung the chair right into the back knees of Austin three different times, causing him to buckle over from the ladder and down onto the mat in pain himself!
Just like Austin had instinctively targeted the bad back of Shawn throughout the entire match, HBK, with a bit of retribution of his own, attacked the metal braces on the knees of Steve Austin. And now that the Rattlesnake couldn't physically put any weight onto his legs, this was Shawn's only opportunity to win the match.
Climbing the ladder slowly, with his lower back being in the most discomfort that it had been in in several months, Shawn carefully attempted to reach the top of the structure, as the briefcase, which had been pulled away from reach of Austin, carefully began to lower back down into HBK's grasp.
Austin, however, would not be denied.
Despite his legs feeling as if they had been run over by a semi-truck, the Rattlesnake somehow managed to rise to a vertical position, as he valiantly climbed the other side of the ladder, until he too was right at the top of the structure.
Both he and Shawn were battling for control of the briefcase — for control of the company. They exchanged a hard, one-handed shots to the other, until it was clear that Austin had the quickly gained the upper hand.
Reaching back and hitting Shawn across the temple with a closed fist, the hardest punch that Austin could muster under the circumstances, the ferocity of his strike not only sent Shawn crashing down to mat for the third consecutive time, but the briefcase — chain and all — also came spiraling down with him!
Shawn, who was once again squirming around the ring in severe pain, was in possession of the briefcase!
It was almost as if time was standing still. The Greensboro Coliseum had a very eery silence to it.
And with final confirmation, legendary ring announcer, Howard Finkel, announced Shawn as the winner of this hotly contest ladder match, as the crowd throughout the arena all let out collective sounds of disbelief, while Austin from the top of the ladder cursed audibly.
Through sheer luck, Shawn Michaels was once again the WWF Commissioner!
Shocked at what had just transpired, the Rattlesnake nearly leapt from the top of the ladder, and attempted to go after HBK, but Michaels simply managed to roll out of the ring instead, while both Billy Gunn and Chyna ran down to their leader's aid.
As his two stablemates were able to somehow pull Shawn back to his feet, though he was physically exhausted, and with his entire back being in the worst pain that it had ever been in, HBK somehow managed to hoist the briefcase into the air, with a smug, joyous smile etched across his face.
All the while, Mark, who was now standing with his hands on his hips back inside the dressing room, looked back at the monitor with a pleased expression of his own, while Stephanie nearly leapt into the air in jubilation, hugging her husband as she went.
By hook or by crook, both Mark and Shawn had been victorious tonight. The Rock and Stone Cold both now found themselves at the very bottom of WWF Title contingency, and Stephanie's master plan was now complete.