During the drive to the Charlotte Coliseum, Mark was furious! He was so angry that he could barely think straight!
He had promised himself that he would never accuse Stephanie of cheating on him again. She was his wife, and he knew that she loved him, but seeing she and Test having what looked to have been a friendly conversation, when Mark had explicitly warned her to stay away from him, had literally sent him off the deep end.
He didn't regret any of his actions, either. Because not only had Stephanie been warned, but also Test, as well. No matter how many hellish matches that Mark had subjected him to, whether it was handicap or even a gauntlet match, Test still hadn't learned his lesson.
But now, Mark felt that Test had finally gotten the message, very loudly, very clearly, and very painfully.
After arriving to the arena, and nearly hauling Stephanie to their dressing room, though he was careful in his verbiage and his delivery, Mark outright demanded that Stephanie be honest with him.
He wanted to know why she insisted on having any sort of relationship with Test. Why did she insist on being friends with him?
Or was it truly something else…
Stephanie, however, answered her husband's questions truthfully; she didn't have anything to hide.
Though she was upset and very shaky in her response, Stephanie admitted that while she still considered Andrew to be a friend, she had already promised herself that she would never see him again, not even in a cordial fashion.
And while she didn't want to throw him under the bus, Stephanie maintained that she had no idea that the three of them were even sharing the same hotel accommodations, and she certainly hadn't invited him to help her with her bags, either.
She admitted that she was so terrified of Mark seeing the two of them together, that she honestly tried to keep things between she and Andrew as brief as possible. It was only after Andrew mentioned that he had information about Gabby that her interest was finally piqued.
The next thing that she knew, Mark was attacking Test from behind.
Stephanie assured her husband that she didn't want anything to do Test, especially not romantically, and that the only reason why Andrew had even sought her out in the first place was to give her an update into the whereabouts of their mutual friend.
Though Mark was extremely upset, he realized that he still had to keep a leveled head.
Stephanie was his wife. He knew that she would never cheat on him. But just because she didn't have any elicit feelings obviously didn't mean the same could be said for Test. First he was holding her hand, then he had called her out to the ring; he had sent Stephanie flowers, and now he was loading her luggage, while he himself was only mere feet away?
On top of this, Mark thought that he had done away with that busybody, Gabrielle.
He knew that after the slight hell that he had put her through, that this would be more than enough to get rid of her forever. Her name had been completely erased from the WWF's employment ranks and she had quickly been replaced.
So who in the hell was Test to investigate exactly what may or may not have happened to her? Was he some kind of detective now? If Stephanie found out the truth about Gabby, then she would honestly never forgive him, especially since Mark was well-aware of how territorial his wife could be with her perceived friends and family.
Stephanie was also very pregnant and she didn't need any additional stress, either.
Attempting to come to his senses, Mark, gazing down at his wife, who was sitting on the plush, leather seating nervously, said to her calmly, "Stephanie, I don't want to see you with Test ever again. Do I make myself clear?"
Seeing the worry in his wife's eyes, and knowing that she was undoubtedly feeling guilty about what had just happened to her "friend," Mark carefully reconfirmed to his wife, "Steph, I'm not blaming you, ok? You know this. But, I don't want to ever seeing him again, ok?
"And after today, I don't think we have to worry about that anymore."
Biting her lower lip and nodding silently, Stephanie, despite attempting to convince herself otherwise, couldn't help but to feel responsible for what Mark had done to Andrew.
Test had just been brutally beaten and it was all because of her. Drowning herself in guilt, Stephanie suddenly felt Mark gently pull her up in by her hand.
Entangling his hands in her brown locks, while she instinctively wrapped her around her husband's waist, Mark said to her again, "I've got a production meeting to sit in on, but I want you to get yourself ready for tonight. Ok? Because everything went just like we planned last night.
"No more Rock; no more Austin. So go and make yourself pretty for me, ok?"
Slowly nodding once again, but unable to even look him in the eye, Stephanie felt Mark tip her head back to him, as he asked her lightly, "You love me?" Replying "Yes," softly, Stephanie felt Mark brush a light kiss across her lips, before he finally said to her once again, "I love you, too.
"Now go and get ready for tonight. I'll see you later on tonight, alright?"
Nodding one final time, Stephanie watched Mark exit the couple's dressing room, while she flopped back down in her seat, absolutely guilt-ridden.
Test had been assaulted and it was all her fault!
After a brief recap of the King of the Ring, which showed still footage of Shawn Michaels defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin, it was now time for another exciting edition of Monday Night Raw!
As the pyrotechnics blared throughout the arena, igniting the crowd of more than 19,000 fans packed inside the Charlotte Coliseum, the entrance music of Degeneration-X soberly quieted the raucous crowd.
As the newly appointed WWF Commissioner, Shawn Michaels, alongside Triple H, Chyna, and the recently crowned King of the Ring winner, Billy Gunn, all made their entrances to the ring, HBK proudly carried the black briefcase from last night Ladder's Match to the ring with him.
And though he was still in a severe amount of pain, which was evident by the fact that he couldn't even hoist the briefcase into the air without Chyna's assistance, Shawn wasn't going to allow a little discomfort put a damper on his parade.
He had earned his victory against Steve Austin, and as black and green balloons and confetti began to rain down upon the arena, Shawn, despite his body saying otherwise, felt like a million bucks.
Tonight was going to be a night of celebration, and with a very smug smile laced firmly across his face, Shawn looked to be in a very commemorative mood. With the rest of DX flanking him, a very jubilant Shawn finally addressed the crowd, saying to them triumphantly, "Well, it looks to me like there's a new sheriff in town!"
Drawing a shower of boos from the people of North Carolina, who were already chanting for the Rattlesnake, Shawn, feeding off the crowd's negative energy, gleefully boasted, "So, now that I have defeated old Stone Cold Steve Austin, in a match that I made famous, I would like to take this opportunity to do something that I've been waiting to do for a very long time."
At this point, all four members of DX comically began to form in a huddle, apparently discussing Shawn's latest announcement. Even as a cameraman attempted to get a glimpse inside of their formation, Mr. Ass actually nudged the man away, before the faction quickly convened their impromptu "meeting."
Flipping his blonde hair over his shoulder, while the audience waited impatiently for Shawn's apparent declaration, HBK, while staring directly into the camera, stated with emphatic vigor, "And what I have to say is: Stone Cold Steve Austin, 'You are fired!'"
With a parade of jeers and outrage swiftly following his announcement, both Stephanie and Mark, alongside Paul Bearer, all watched DX's celebration from a monitor inside their dressing room. While Stephanie was still very despondent about the events that had taken place earlier between she and Test, Mark on the other hand was literally on the edge of his seat.
Now that Shawn had regained his position as the WWF Commissioner, he wanted to make sure that HBK kept his promise. Not only did the Rock have to stay out of championship contention, but especially Stone Cold Steve Austin, as well.
Through dubious means or not, Mark had successfully defended his title against both superstars, so he honestly didn't feel that he should be subjected to the same, menial competition.
As far as he was concerned, Austin and Rocky had their chances — and they both failed.
After firing Stone Cold as the commissioner on national television, Shawn then turned his attention to more serious matters.
"Now, seeing as tonight is all about celebration, Degeneration-X is going to party like it's 1999!" HBK announced. "Because last night, the one and only Mr. Ass, was crowned your new King of the Ring!"
As Billy gazed around the crowd in revelry, while he himself was still in possession of Bradshaw's tag team championship, Shawn then lauded, "And yes, Chyna, you will always be the Queen of the Ring in my eyes."
With the camera zooming in on Chyna's muscular physique, Shawn added quickly, "But yet, it's time to get down to business."
With Mark now fine-tuning his hearing, as this was exactly what he had been waiting for, Shawn then proclaimed, "Now, with Steve Austin firmly at the bottom of the barrel, he has no right to challenge for the World Wrestling Federation Championship.
"And that my friends, ladies and gentlemen, means that tonight, a new era begins. Tonight will officially bring a new changing of the guard if you will. Because last week, Degeneration's own, Triple H, was on the cusp of becoming your new World Wrestling Federation Champion.
"And it if hadn't been for the Rock — " Shawn marched, yet he was instantly drowned out by the loud cheers of adulation for the Great One. Even though the Brahma Bull had been unsuccessful in capturing the WWF Title the night prior, he was still the People's Champion.
Gazing around at the crowd in disgust, while Billy comically covered his ears from the ovation that the Rock was receiving, Shawn then said, "— If it hadn't been for the Rock, Triple H would be the World Wrestling Federation Champion as we speak. And since there is a new sheriff in town, I'm going to give Degeneration-X's own — my best friend — Triple H, the opportunity of a lifetime."
With Triple H smiling from ear to ear, since he knew exactly what his best friend was going to announce, Hunter watched jubilantly as Shawn then declared, "Well tonight, in this very ring, in a rematch from last week's Raw, Triple H will compete in a non-title match against the Undertaker."
Shocking everyone in the arena, but especially Triple H, who easily assumed that Shawn was going to announce his rematch to be for the actual World Wrestling Federation Championship, HBK, realizing that he needed to explain himself, rushed to clarify, "Now Hunter, I know that last week, you pushed the Undertaker to his limit. I know that last week, Hunter, you were screwed by the Rock."
With Triple H firmly nodding in agreement, but still understanding why Shawn had sanctioned a non-title match for him to compete in, Triple H held his out arms, while even Chyna joined in to question HBK's decision.
He wasn't making his fellow Degeneration-X members very happy at the moment.
With everyone demanding answers from him, HBK then said to his friend, "Hunter, you and I both know that you would have defeated the Undertaker if it wasn't for the Rock.
"Everyone in this building knows that."
The Charlotte crowd, however, disagreed with Shawn's assessment, and promptly let him know this as well. Undeterred, Shawn then proclaimed, "But, what have these moronic ingrates in this godforsaken city done to deserve to see a world title match?"
Drawing the coarsest of boos from the fans now, while realizing that he had the people right where he wanted them, Shawn, smirking slyly, turned back to Hunter and explained carefully once again, "The way that I look at things, we want your first WWF Title win to be on a big stage, not in the middle of Hicksville."
Hearing the people booing him relentlessly now, with the crowd even chanting "asshole" at him in unison, Shawn, over the roaring of the nearly irate crowd, finally made his intentions clearer, by declaring finally, "And Hunter, that big stage, after you defeat the Undertaker tonight, will be at our next pay-per-view, Fully Loaded."
Though his obvious distress did lessen to a degree, since he was more than confident that he could defeat the Deadman at any given night, Hunter obviously wanted to win the WWF Title tonight. He had been cheated out of becoming the next WWF Champion the week prior, so he felt that he had more than earned a rematch for the title tonight.
Obviously, however, that wasn't meant to be, and Triple H was left to ponder Shawn's confusing decision.
Attempting to further smooth things over with his best friend, Shawn whispered that while he had all the confidence in the world in Hunter's abilities, he still felt that a championship match of this magnitude should take place on a big stage, which would only make Triple H's moment of glory that much better.
In the end, Triple H reluctantly nodded his compliance, while HBK continued his spiel.
However, before he could go any further, the glass breaking music of Stone Cold Steve Austin filled the arena, which brought the crowd of nearly 20,000 fans all to their feet!
Coming out to a rousing ovation, the Texas Rattlesnake, as he hailed the crowd from the top of the stage, had suddenly interrupted DX's party, and Austin himself did not look to be in a very celebratory mood.
The Rattlesnake definitely had something to say.
"There ain't a lot of use in talking about that match last night, because the picture showed, at the beginning of our show, exactly what happened," a livid Austin started. "Stone Cold Steve Austin beat your ass Shawn, and when I went to get the briefcase, somebody pulled the little string!"
"That's a fact," J.R. concurred, while Shawn taunted Austin from inside the ring, by holding up the briefcase and dangling it in front of his face.
Whether it was how he wanted to win the match or not, but Shawn was once again the WWF Commissioner. As far as he was concerned, no one could confirm if Shawn had help in last night's contest or not, and anything suggesting that he had was pure speculation.
"Hey, long story short, it was a bunch of BS," Austin retorted. "But, knowing Shawn — knowing you and those bastard friends of your's like I do — knowing that I might get screwed, old Stone Cold Steve Austin took out a little insurance policy, and I'll tell you what it is."
As the crowd began to erupt with excitement once again, Stephanie's heart began to race rapidly, while Mark stood from the couch and overlooked the monitor menacingly. He wanted to be ready for any unexpected announcements.
"Shawn, last night before that match, old Stone Cold wrote himself up a new contract. So when you look at that contract and you see those extra zeros, when you look at Stone Cold Steve Austin, just know that those zeros that I took off your salary a few weeks ago, they now belong to me."
As Shawn's blood began to simmer, Mr. Ass and Triple H attempted to console their leader. It was bad enough that his salary had been cut, but to know that all of his hard work was directly going into the pockets of Steve Austin nearly made Shawn snap.
But, he attempted to keep his composure.
After all, Shawn was the commissioner. He was the one who made all of the decisions, and he could make Austin's life a living hell if he wanted to. He was the man who held all of the power.
"Secondly — and look at me with your little beady eyes when I speak to you," Austin spat venomously, demanding that Shawn and the rest of DX pay attention to him.
Stone Cold was definitely done playing games.
"Shawn, you may be the commissioner, but you're also a semi-active competitor. So, what that means is, it's open season on Shawn Michaels from here on out! Anytime you show up at a Monday Night Raw, as soon as you step out of that car, Stone Cold Steve Austin can and will punch you right in the mouth!"
Drawing even more cheers from the fans, Michaels stared back at Austin completely unmoved.
Though he didn't have any plans to wrestle in the foreseeable future, HBK would always protect himself. And if Austin wanted to fight, then Shawn — along with the rest of the members of DX — wouldn't hesitate in making Austin's dreams of a fight into a living, breathing nightmare.
Watching as he momentarily turned his attention to Chyna, Austin demanded of Shawn once again, "Look at me you son of a bitch!"
Gaining HBK's full attention once again, as he was now being restrained by Mr. Ass, Austin declared once more, "When I was the Commissioner, I said at a time and place determined by me, I would be once again be the World Wrestling Federation Champion!
"Knowing that I might be screwed at King of the Ring, on June 27, I booked, on June 28, 1999, in Charlotte, North Carolina, a World Wrestling Federation Title match!"
"A title match! Tonight!" J.R. confirmed excitedly, while not only Shawn and Triple H lost their collective cools, but also Mark, as well.
He and Shawn had made a deal.
If Shawn won his match against Stone Cold, then as Commissioner, Austin would seemingly no longer be in the title picture. That was their agreement.
Mark and Shawn had even reconfirmed their agreement at this afternoon's production meeting, when the two men had come to the mutual decision to name Triple H as the number one contender for the WWF Championship, only if Hunter could defeat Mark in a non-title match first.
That was their deal.
But now, not only was Triple H's match effectively cancelled, but now, Mark seemingly had to defend his title against the Rattlesnake yet again?
He almost couldn't comprehend what was happening! He was fuming!
Once again, Stone Cold had managed outwit them all! Even Stephanie, her blue eyes wide with shock, was astonished. Up until this moment, her master plan had been nearly foolproof.
But, she never took into account that while he was still the commissioner, that Austin could still make and change matches at his discretion. She was just so confident that he would be so occupied with Shawn, that she didn't even think about this possibility…
The Rattlesnake had managed to literally slither his way back into yet another title opportunity, and there wasn't a damn thing that either she, Mark, nor Shawn could do about it!
While Mark started to throw various objects in a fit of rage around in their dressing room, Steve, addressing the crowd once again, asked boisterously, "So what I'm saying is this: if you want to see Stone Cold versus the Undertaker for the WWF Championship: give me a hell yeah!"
The response that he received was a resounding yes. After all, this was the Charlotte Coliseum's opportunity to see see a live, championship match, after Shawn had previously denied them that exact same thing.
Receiving his answer in abundance, while Chyna and Mr. Ass attempted to gain control of an equally irate Shawn and Triple H, Austin ended his pronouncement, by stating strongly, "That was almost it but not quite. Also, the stipulation tonight Shawn, if any one of you son of a bitches from either DX or the Ministry gets within ten feet of that ring, that big dead bastard in the back is disqualified, and Stone Cold Steve Austin is still the World Wrestling Federation Champion!
"And that's the bottom line because Stone Cold said so!"
Storming from the stage, while Shawn and Triple H were both left cursing and fuming in his wake, Stone Cold Steve Austin had not only crashed DX's party, but he had also officially ended it.
Stone Cold had promised to end the Undertaker's WWF Title reign! The Rattlesnake had struck again!
After Austin's stellar announcement that he would face the Undertaker one more for the WWF Championship, backstage, cameras caught Saphirra, who was balancing herself on crutches, attempting to enter the arena.
With her traveling bag strewn across her shoulder, Saphirra was having a very difficult time even maneuvering herself through the arena's entrance.
She wasn't even wearing one of her high heels, that's how badly her ankle was damaged. Her right foot itself was wrapped in several bandages, and while doctors had warned her to stay off of her ankle for at least a week, Saphirra simply could not afford miss an episode of Monday Night Raw.
As a servant, she felt that it was her job to protect her master, and that's exactly what she intended to do.
However, little did she know that not only had she been banned from the Phenom's match later in the evening, but she also didn't realize that Kenny would also be patiently awaiting her arrival.
"The World's Most Dangerous Man" had more than a few words to say to his baby sister.
While Saphirra attempted to carry her bag and hobble to her dressing room at the same time, Kenny, while holding his injured midsection, hovered over his little sister dangerously, stopping her in her tracks.
Startling her greatly, since the last person that she had expected to see was him, Saphirra, staring back at Kenny vengefully, barked loudly at him, "What the hell are you doing here!? Haven't you caused enough trouble?"
Taken aback that of all people, that it was she who was accusing someone else of causing trouble, Kenny retorted sharply, "You know that's real cute, coming from someone like you."
However, he was just in so much pain that he could barely breath, much less spar with his younger sibling.
Knowing that the two of them were both worse for wear, Saphirra, as Kenny grunted in discomfort, asked skeptically of her sibling, "Oh, really? And what do you mean 'someone like me?' Just… what in the hell are you even talking about? Why are you even here?"
"I mean…" he started, as he placed a hard forefinger in his sister's face, but not before nearly doubling over in pain.
Steve Blackman had really done a number on his ribs last night. He knew that he'd be feeling the effects from his injuries for a very long time, which is why he was determined in getting the truth from his sister, once and for all.
"What I mean is, you obviously set me up last night. You paid Blackman to attack me, if you didn't offer him something else," Kenny stated boldly, as he began to eye his sister's very provocative attire.
Clearly insinuating that she may have traded sexual favors with his now adversary, Kenny only wanted his sister to be honest with him… if she was even capable of doing that.
"Come clean. I know you did it!" he nearly shouted.
Scoffing at the absurdity of his statement, Saphirra, managing to toss her black hair across her shoulder, replied nastily, "Are you crazy? I didn't pay Blackman to do anything, and I damn sure did sleep with him.
"In case you've forgotten, the Acolytes don't need to resort to outside interference to win a match."
Rolling his eyes in disbelief, at the the sheer irony of her statement, Kenny continued to watch skeptically as Saphirra, who propped herself up on her crutches, stated almost mockingly, "And besides, if I wanted to take you out, you know damn well that I would have done it myself, just like I planned to do last night."
Staring back at him with a look of utter hatred in her eyes, Kenny slightly turned his head to the side, internally digesting his sister's words. Though they were clearly at odds, it still hurt him to hear her say something so cruel to him, to the point where he actually had to stop himself from physically lashing out at her.
As far as he was concerned, Ryan was a lost cause. She didn't want anything to do with him and he was done trying to make her come around.
If she didn't want to be his sister anymore, as painful as the realization was, then he could live with this. But, what he couldn't live with was someone attacking him. And if Ryan truly wasn't responsible for what happened last night, then Kenny would just have to call out the Lethal Weapon himself.
Turning to face her once again, Kenny, with a hardened look of determination, turned and stated to this woman once again, "That's good to know. But know this, little sister: I'm going to the ring, and I'm going to call out Steve Blackman, and we're going to get a few things straight.
"But, if I find out that you had anything to do with what happened last night…"
Cutting his words short, as he began to look down at Saphirra's bruised ankle venomously, Kenny ended by vowing, "I will personally make sure that you never walk again."
Knowing that he had come dangerously close to fulfilling this latest promise, Saphirra's eyes briefly shook in fear, before they morphed into another looked of hatred once again. And as she watched her brother march away from her, knowing that he was now in search of Steve Blackman, she on the other hand attempted to seek out her dressing room, ready to fulfill her faithful duties for the evening.
As the 1999 King of the Ring winner, Mr. Ass, made his way to the ring, for a one-on-one interview with Michael Cole, the crowd in Charlotte was still buzzing after what they had all just seen.
After confronting his little sister, "The World's Most Dangerous Man," with bruised ribs and all, marched to the ring and challenged Steve Blackman to a fight!
He wanted both answers and revenge for Blackman's assault from last night. And though he knew that this challenge was definitely going to be an uphill battle, Kenny still attempted to put up a fight against the Lethal Weapon.
Unfortunately, however, with the extent of his injuries, along with Blackman using an extensive array of weapons from his black bag, Shamrock was simply outmatched, and as a result, was left a bloody mess inside the ring by his former tag team partner.
Now it was time for Billy Gunn to have his say with the crowd.
While Michael Cole reminded Mr. Ass that both he and Bradshaw would be in competition tonight, with the Ministry member looking to regain his half of the tag team titles, the recently crowned King of the Ring didn't show any fear of the very tall task that was coming his way.
In fact, Mr. Ass even decided to issue an open challenge to any superstar in the locker room who wanted to come out and face him, despite the fact that he was still scheduled for a match later in the evening.
Surprisingly, however, it was his fellow Degeneration-X member, Triple H, who, alongside Chyna, decided to answer his challenge, which shocked Mr. Ass.
Watching curiously as his comrades entered the ring, Triple H, who was still absolutely livid that Stone Cold had screwed him out of becoming the new World Wrestling Federation Champion, Hunter informed Billy that while he as an individual didn't have anything to worry about, that collectively, the remaining four members of Degeneration-X did.
As Hunter explained, both X-Pac and the Road Dogg were still claiming the rights and the likeness to the DX brand. He stated that since these two were no longer "true" Degeneration-X members, that this meant that both Road Dogg and X-Pac needed to be taken out… permanently.
Triple H then declared that while he himself personally couldn't be bothered with reclaiming the rights to DX, as his one and only goal was to become the next WWF Champion, what he could do was offer Billy was the Ninth Wonder of the World's "services," which quickly intrigued him.
Together, both Mr. Ass and Chyna could finally put an end to both X-Pac and Road Dogg, and even Kane if he decided to get in their way. Triple H on the other hand, with HBK's help as the commissioner, could further his goal of winning the one singles title that continued to eluded him.
And while he attempted to explain the reason why he had attacked the Rock at the King of the Ring, the Brahma Bull, livid at Hunter's interference, ran down to the ring and attacked Triple H!
Even with a horde of officials all running to the ring in an attempt to stop him, the Rock, after Clotheslining Billy Gunn, while Chyna made a beeline for the outside, continued to pummel Triple H, with thunderous hard strikes!
Even with Mr. Ass attempting to come to the aid of his partner, the Rock, telegraphing the assault, caught Billy with a stern right hand, before refocusing his attention back to Triple H, while more than half a dozen people all attempted to put a stop to the ensuing melee.
But it was no use.
The Rock was so enraged that he even found himself striking an official! The storied rivalry between Triple H and the Rock had become very personal.
Following a backstage interview with Chaz and Marianna, to Stephanie's extreme horror, whomever was behind the frequent GTV segments had somehow obtained footage of Mark's assault of Test earlier in the day, which was unfortunately broadcasted for the entire world.
While she could only look on from the sidelines in horror, Stephanie had to once again relive the experience of seeing her husband dismantling her friend, as Andrew had been left a bloody mess.
She felt horrible about herself!
While King and J.R. expressed concern for Stephanie's safety, she on the other hand continued to watch in agony, as Mark ordered her back into their rental car, which she did so obediently. She wasn't so much worried about her own physical safety, but she was definitely worried about Andrew's, especially following such a heinous assault, at the hands of her own husband no less.
And the most punishing thing about all of this was, Test being absolutely mangled and ripped apart, had all been because Stephanie simply couldn't be honest with him.
It didn't matter if she promised herself a million times that she would never even speak him again. If she couldn't follow up with her assertions, then her word honestly didn't mean anything. It was just so hard ignoring Test's affections for her simply because she knew how much Andrew truly cared for her.
Test truly cared for Steph. He cared for her safety and her well-being, and honestly believed her to be in real danger.
But now that he had taken such a brutal beating, there was just no way to tell him the truth now. She couldn't possibly confess that she was actually in love with Mark and that everything that he had heard and even seen had been one gigantic lie and ruse.
Not only would she break Andrew's heart, but he would undoubtedly hate her forever. Because in spite of everything, Stephanie, while caring for her friend greatly, was still leading Test on.
She just couldn't escape this awful, awful nightmare.
Following Chaz's match with Meat, Test, with bandaged head and all, somehow found the will to show up to tonight's event. He simply couldn't allow Mark get away with not only assaulting him, but with also potentially hurting Stephanie, as well.
After arriving to the arena, Test conducted a one-on-one interview with Terry Taylor. While he admitted that he was still in a great deal of physical pain, just when he was about to answer the question about the true nature of his relationship with Stephanie, Mark once again attacked Test from behind!
Covering her hands with her mouth to suppress the sounds of her screams, Stephanie watched on the monitor as Mark brutally attacked Test once again! And though he attempted to fight back, much like Ken Shamrock, Test's physical injuries proved to be too severe in order to protect himself.
Test didn't deserve this.
For the second time in several hours, Mark had assaulted the younger Superstar, while Stephanie could only watch in horror and anguish. In a renewed fit of rage, Mark even tossed Test into a large vending machine, as he once again made it perfectly clear to Test, or for anyone else for that matter, to stay away from Stephanie.
And though this had definitely been sent loud and clear, Stephanie couldn't help but to wonder if Mark was not only sending Test a direct message, but also her, as well.
After Mark's heinous assault to Test, which saw the younger superstar being carried out of the arena on a stretcher, Kane competed in a match against Hardcore Holly, which ended in "The Big Shot" picking up the victory, after the 500-pound Big Show cost the Kane the victory.
Infuriated by his arch-nemesis' interference, Kane proceeded to give the "Super Heavyweight" a total of four Chokeslam's, which nearly broke the lighter superstar in half!
Following this, after their confrontation earlier in the evening, Triple H and his longtime adversary, the Rock, looked to finally settle their differences. While Triple H gained the early advantage, the Rock quickly turned the tides in his favor, by beating Hunter into the turnbuckle with hard right hands.
However, Mr. Ass, who sprinted down to the ring in the aid of his stablemate, pummeled the Rock across the head with what appeared to be a large club, which rendered the Great One unconscious!
For the second time in two nights, a member of Degeneration-X had successfully left the Rock laying in the middle of the ring.
As Raw returned from commercial break, Michael Cole attempted to provide an update into the Rock's condition. However, in the background, both Prince Albert and Droz were doing a number on Val Venis, in retaliation for the events that had transpired the night prior on Sunday Night Heat.
In more active competition, the Godfather, followed by four of his ladies of the evening, took on Edge, who was accompanied to the ring by his fellow Brood members, Gangrel and Christian.
After last night's loss to the Hardy Boyz, Edge desperately needed a win, which he promptly received, after Droz, who distracted the referee long enough for the Godfather to be attacked from behind by Prince Albert, left the leader of the Red Light District vulnerable to Edge's patented Spear.
Undoubtedly, the Godfather, who had a longstanding alliance with Val Venis, was targeted by Droz and Prince Albert because of this. As the Brood all exited the ring and made their collective ways back through the crowd, both Droz and Albert proceeded to tie The Godfather into the ropes, which rendered him completely helpless.
One of his "clients," however, attempted to rescue him, but Droz simply grabbed by the arm and held her in place, while Albert, who also doubled as a certified body modification technician, attempted to pierce the defenseless woman's tongue!
Fortunately, however, Edge had seen enough.
Leaving Gangrel and Christian behind, Edge sprinted back into the ring and attacked both men, while the defenseless woman was able to escape to safety. Soon after, the Godfather was able to somehow free himself from his restraints, as he too joined in the melee, as well.
While the Ministry had certainly established a somewhat working relationship with Droz and Prince Albert in the past, to say that they all shared the same goals was definitely a stretch.
Still, Edge was attacking two men who had quickly earned his master's trust, and as Gangrel and Christian stared into the ring in confusion, the two men could only imagine the consequences that Edge would undoubtedly face for this.
Afterwards, Bradshaw, who was accompanied by Farooq, marched to the ring to face Mr. Ass, in the hopes of regaining his tag team championship.
During the contest, Farooq physically inserted himself into the match, by hitting Mr. Ass with his half of the tag team titles. In retaliation, the juvenile Billy Gunn mooned the big brawler, which further confirmed that the alliance between DX and the Ministry was completely dead.
What followed, however, was Farooq inadvertently hitting Bradshaw with his title belt, which ultimately set him up for Mr. Ass' patented Famasser.
Though Billy looked to have the match well in hand, X-Pac, in an attempt to gain a measure of revenge, attacked Billy while the referee was distracted by Farooq. Then seemingly from out of nowhere, Mr. Ass was clobbered by Bradshaw's Clothesline from Hell, which saw the large Texan regain his tag team title!
The Acolytes didn't even have time to celebrate before Chyna ran to the ring and attacked X-Pac from behind, as a war quickly began to unfold! After Chyna tossed X-Pax into the steel ring steps, the Road Dogg also came to the aid of his partner, while he immediately began to attack both Billy and Chyna at the same time!
Realizing that they were outmatched, Chyna and Mr. Ass carefully retreated to safety, while X-Pac and the Road Dogg stood tall in the ring.
The disfunction between Jeff Jarrett and Debra continued.
During the Intercontinental Championship match, which pitted Jarrett against X-Pac, Mr. Ass, who wanted a measure of revenge for the events that had just transpired, attempted to smash Jeff's guitar over the cranium of his once good friend.
However, X-Pac telegraphed the underhanded tactic, by delivering a timely Round House Kick to Billy instead. While Debra distracted Referee Theodore Long, X-Pac grabbed the discarded instrument and flattened Jarrett with it, which leveled the blonde Superstar!
But, with an unlikely assist from Billy once again, Jarrett somehow managed to retain his Intercontinental Championship. Before long, yet another brawl ensued Mr. Ass, the Road Dogg, Chyna, and X-Pac.
It was chaos!
Following this, the stakes were raised once again, as it was now time for tonight's main event. The Undertaker was set to defend his World Wrestling Federation Championship against Stone Cold Steve Austin, in a feud that seemed to be never ending between the two rivals.
Tonight, however, it would all come to an end.
After showering the arena in total darkness, the champion, alongside Paul Bearer, made his entrance into the ring first.
The Undertaker was all business.
Whether there could be outside interference from the Ministry or not, the Undertaker was determined to retain his World Wrestling Federation Championship one way or another. As far as he was concerned, this was only just the beginning of his long, and potentially never ending, championship reign.
As the glass shattered though, the Texas Rattlesnake, Stone Cold Steve Austin, marched to the ring, while never taking his eyes off of the Phenom.
The crowd was electric!
Everyone inside of the Charlotte Coliseum knew that they were about to withness a match of pic proportions.
From the beginning, Austin gained the early advantage against his adversary. However, the Undertaker quickly turned the tides of the match, by returning piston-like blows to the head of the Rattlesnake, before punching and kicking him down into the canvas.
Before long, the match spilled onto the outside, with Austin jumping from the turnbuckle and planting two large double forearms into the back of the Phenom. Afterwards, Austin even managed to whip the Deadman head first into the steel steps, which nearly knocked him unconscious!
However, Taker was back on the offensive in a matter of seconds. While he went about intimidating senior official, Earl Hebner, Paul Bearer took advantage of this distraction, by slamming the sole of his hard shoe across the forehead of the Rattlesnake!
Had Referee Hebner seen this interference, then Austin would have immediately been awarded the victory! But since he hadn't, both the Undertaker and Paul Bearer heartily took advantage of this. They were determined to leave Charlotte as the victors, no matter what underhanded tactic they had to use.
Throughout the remainder of the match, the Undertaker remained firmly in control.
Whenever he felt Austin mounting even the smallest of comebacks, Taker would emphatically cut him off. The Rattlesnake even had to deal with Paul continuously inserting himself into the match, which nearly turned the supposed one-on-one bout into a handicap match.
After coming off the top rope and dropping a huge draping arm across the back of the Rattlesnake, the Phenom once again went for the cover. He knew that he had the match won. But somehow, Austin refused to quit, as Referee Hebnar was only able to make it to the count of two.
Switching tactics, Taker attempted to make Austin submit, by applying a Rear Headlock to his opponent. But once again, Austin was able to somehow maneuver his way out of this submission, by turning the move into a modified Stunner!
Knowing that this wouldn't be enough to defeat the Undertaker, Austin attempted to ram the lower half of the Deadman into one of the turnbuckles. But with the sheer power of his leg strength alone, Taker nearly kick Austin right over the guardrail and into the crowd.
Going outside and then tossing him back into the ring, the Deadman found himself switching tactics once again, by simply attempting to wear Austin down.
The Rattlesnake, however, knew that this match would truly be his last opportunity to regain the World Wrestling Federation Title. If he was unsuccessful, then he would never get another championship opportunity.
He had to survive this war of attrition. It was truly now or never.
Digging down deep and finding the wherewithal to keep fighting, Austin, getting a head of steam, ran into the ropes and attempted to Clothesline his larger opponent, but, the Phenom was also thinking of this exact same maneuver, as well.
Inadvertently performing a Double Clothesline on each other, both Austin and Taker crashed into each other and landed onto to the mat below with a hard thud. While the Undertaker was the first to sit upright, Austin, who resorted to crawling and kicking his way back to a vertical stance, was only mere steps behind.
The Rattlesnake would not give up.
Whipping him into the ropes, the Undertaker quickly attempted to maneuver Austin into his signature Tombstone Piledriver, but the the Rattlesnake somehow wiggled out of this, and once he did, he delivered a vicious Stone Cold Stunner to the Phenom!
With the people in the arena going into an absolute frenzy, Referee Hebnar attempted to count the pinfall, but for the third consecutive time, Paul Bearer interfered on behalf of his leader, by pulling the official outside of the ring, just like he had done at the expense of the Rock just one night prior!
Knowing that Paul had undoubtedly cost him the match, the Rattlesnake quickly slid out of the ring and pummeled the robust manager, before both he and Referee Hebner re-entered the squared circle.
Guillotining the awaiting Phenom over the top rope, Austin found himself once again on the defensive, as Taker, who had recovered almost instantaneously, dropped him with yet another Clothesline.
However, this still wasn't enough.
Avoiding Taker's onslaught once again, Austin somehow managed to catch his adversary with a second Stone Cold Stunner!
The Deadman was out cold!
With the referee firmly in position to count the pin, Stone Cold Steve Austin was once again the World Wrestling Federation Champion, and Stephanie, who had been watching the match from inside her dressing room, was absolutely stunned!
She couldn't believe what she was seeing!
In a blink of an eye, Mark had lost the WWF Championship! Back inside the ring, the newly crowned World Wrestling Federation Champion had already begun his victory celebration. Holding the championship high into the air, the Rattlesnake momentarily placed his highly-contested title back onto the canvas, while he called for a cold beer to be tossed to him.
However, Austin's moment of glory would only be short-lived.
Furious that Austin had somehow beaten him, Taker picked up the discarded titled, and waylaid Austin right across the head with the championship gold, which quickly sobered the once jubilant crowd.
The Deadman was incensed!
Going as far as to nearly attack the officials who attempted to come to Austin's aid, the Undertaker was now literally seeing red, as the Rattlesnake had been busted open! And while he did attempt to defend himself, it was all for naught, as the Undertaker drove his fist repeatedly into the now oozing gash of the Rattlesnake.
The Undertaker had turned absolutely psychotic!
Even as Raw went off the air, the Undertaker, just like he had done to Test earlier in the day, continued to make a bloody spectacle out of the Texas Rattlesnake!