By: Jay Winger
Note: this is set immediately after "The Enemy of My Enemy," my collaborative fic with Boulder.
To recap: on Smackdown!, the Storm was approached by Cobra and Python and asked to assist in taking down Viper. The Storm refused, not wanting to distract himself from his match with Chris Jericho over the Intercontinental Title. Later that night, the Storm had Jericho locked in the reverse Twister hold when Venom ran out and attacked him, Python giving him a gorilla press rib-breaker. Incensed, the Storm stalked after Venom, but ran into Viper instead. The two stared down, then got jumped by the Radicalz. In response, Mick Foley booked the Storm and Viper in a tag-team match against Venom on RAW. The two weren't thrilled about working together, but did manage to put differences aside and attack Venom in their match. However, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero ran out and attacked the Storm and Viper, costing them the match. The Hardys were taken apart by Venom. In response to this, on Smackdown!, the Storm, the Hardys, and Viper took on Venom, Benoit, and Guerrero in an eight-man tag. In the match itself, the Storm's ribs were heavily targeted, but Viper's team managed to rally and fight back. With Eddie and Python busy with the Hardys and Cobra knocked out, the Storm and Viper attacked Benoit, securing the win. After the match, the Storm gave Eddie a Southern Lightning piledriver, then left. Later that night, Viper and the Storm ran into each other one last time, and the two agreed they would have to mix it up sometime in the future -- but they were both willing to put it off ... for now.
And in Boulder's last Viper fic, "Chapter 13: After the Smoke has Cleared," Viper and his cousin Rattler were duped into helping their treacherous cousins Cobra and Python against the Radicalz on Sunday Night Heat, which turned out to be a setup. Rattler and Viper were viciously attacked after the match, with Rattler getting his arm broken and Viper getting his ribs broken and suffering internal injuries -- injuries which may have ended his wrestling career.
And these recap things are getting way too long.
MONDAY: RAW is WAR, Mar. 1
The Storm walked into the arena, face as inscrutible as ever as he headed toward the Lone Star dressing room. Michael Cole stopped him, microphone in hand. "Storm, if I could have a word?" The Storm stopped and looked at him. "Following the events last night on Sunday Night Heat to Viper and Rattler, I have to ask you, what are your thoughts on the matter?"
The Storm gave Cole an incredulous look, then said, "What're my thoughts on the matter? It's like I said all along, you can't trust som'bitches in masks. Sure, it's a shame that Viper's in the hospital, and that he may not wrestle again -- it's a damn shame `cuz I didn't put him there." As Cole reacted to that, the Storm went on, "As for the Radicalz and Venom...those assholes can try to put me out, but Benoit knows that he can't keep me out of this business. The son of a bitch tried before, and I came back. And if those two snakes try anything on me, I'll grind their slimy asses under my boots." He looked in the camera. "Got it, Venom? That is your Storm Warning." He stomped off.
* * *
The Storm walked into the dressing room and threw his duffel bag on the floor and grabbed a brewski out of the cooler. The Acolytes looked up as he chugged three-quarters of the beer, then tossed it over his shoulder into a trashcan. The Storm belched and dropped himself into a chair. He looked at Bradshaw, who was still staring at him. "What?" he snapped.
"Saw your little talk with Cole, man," Bradshaw said. "Sure it was a good idea to say all that stuff about guys in masks? You do have a match tonight."
"Yeah, but if I know the way Foley works," the Storm said, "he won't put me in a match with Venom or the Radicalz tonight. And Rattler and that pain in the asp Viper are in the hospital, so I don't have to worry about either of them. Hell, not even those Black Mask yahoos'll get a shot at me. So what do I have to worry about?"
Faarooq responded by handing the Storm a sheet of paper with the lineup of matches for the night. The Storm took the paper and looked it over, then blinked and looked up. Faarooq nodded. "S'right, man, you gotta fight him tonight."
The Storm grimaced. "Me and my big mouth."
* * *
The Storm headed for the gorilla position and found Commissioner Mick Foley there. The once King of Hardcore looked up. "Hey, Storm, what's up?"
"Gas prices," the Storm replied. "What's new, Mick?"
"My t-shirt," the Commish replied. He spread open his flannel shirt to expose a black t-shirt with a large stylized commissioner's badge, his picture in the center. He grinned at him, then asked, "What's on your mind, Storm?"
"Venom," the Storm said simply.
"Ah," Foley said. "Well, you don't have to worry about them, `cuz I sent them home after what they pulled on Sunday, and I've forbidden the Radicalz from touching you tonight. You haven't got a thing to worry about."
"Yeah, `cept who I gotta fight tonight..." the Storm muttered as his music started up.
* * *
"The following contest is scheduled for one fall," Lillian Garcia announced.
Sirens blared as the Storm Warning symbol flashed, and then came the voice: "Seek shelter.... The Storm... has... ARRIVED!" The lightning pyro shot off, and then the Storm walked out through the smoke. He was wearing his I am a Force of Nature t-shirt as he climbed into the ring and went up on a post to raise a fist in the air, then pointed out to the fans. He jumped down and removed his sunglasses. "Introducing first, from Dallas, Texas, weighing in at 239 pounds...he is a member of Lone Star...THE STORM!"
The Storm paced around the ring a bit, then grimaced and flinched a little when fiery pyros exploded under the TitanTron. Red light filled the arena as haunting music played. Walking down the ramp came a seven-foot-tall behemoth, one hand tightening the glove on the other hand. The Storm backed out of the ring as his opponent stepped into the ring as Lillian finished her introduction. "And his opponent...KANE!"
Kane looked right at him for a moment before he tossed his hair back and looked upwards, raising his arms to the sides. As his arms were extended straight up, Kane looked down, then whipped his arms down, red pyros exploding on the corners of the ring. The Storm walked around the ring as Kane watched him silently. The fight bell rang as the Storm paced around, considering his options. Kane walked up to the ropes, pointing a finger at him with silent and deadly promise.
The Storm darted in and grabbed Kane's ankles, trying to yank him off his feet, but the Big Red Monster was too big to go down that easily. Kane leaned over to grab at the Storm's head, but the Force of Nature jumped up and grabbed Kane's head, pulling him down against the ropes, then releasing. Kane staggered back away from the ropes, allowing the Storm to slide into the ring. He charged, but Kane had recovered and chopped his gloved fist into the Storm's face, knocking him down. The Storm was up almost immediately, but was knocked down just as quickly by another right hand from Kane.
The Storm blinked stars out of his eyes as Kane pulled him back to his feet. He snapped back to awareness as Kane whipped him into the corner. The Storm caught himself on the ropes, shooting his legs back and up into the air, hitting a kick to the charging Kane's masked face. Kane staggered away, and the Storm turned around and hit a dropkick to the back of Kane's knee. Kane fell down to that knee, allowing the Storm to charge and hit a running bulldog on him. Almost as soon as Kane was down, the Storm floated over and tried to twist around his left arm into a hammerlock and put on the Necksnapper, but the Monster wasn't out yet.
Kane got to his hands and knees, his arm refusing to move under the Storm's attempts. The Storm saw this and sprang off the ropes, preparing for an elbow drop on Kane's back, but then Kane got to his feet and clotheslined the Storm to the mat. Back up and into the ropes, and the Storm came back into a big sidewalk slam. Kane hooked up a leg. 1...2...and the Storm managed to get a shoulder up. Kane glared at the ref for a moment, then pulled the Storm back up. He hoisted the Storm onto the shoulder, poised for a Tombstone, but the Storm slid down his back, wrapped his arms around Kane's waist and managed to hit a German suplex on him. The ring shuddered with Kane's impact.
The Storm went over to Kane and tried to put the Twister on him, but Kane lunged forward and grabbed him around the throat. He gagged as he tried to pull the big hand off his throat, Kane getting to his feet and preparing to chokeslam him. The Storm aimed a kick at Kane's gonads and connected. With a loud groan, Kane released him, staggering away. The Storm charged and hit a Lou Thesz press on him, unleashing punches to his masked face. The Storm went for a lateral press. 1...2...Kane placed his hands on his chest and shoved him off with authority.
The Storm kicked Kane hard in the head, then stuck a finger in his mouth, then raised it in the air. The fans started to cheer as he went outside the ring and ascended to the top of the post, holding the ropes and leaning way back. Kane sat up like Michael Myers and got to his feet, turning toward him. The Storm catapulted himself out in the Windfall. Kane caught him and spun around, hitting a huge powerslam. Lateral press, 1...2...and the Storm managed to kick out. Kane snarled and hit a big right hand to the face, then stood, his gloved thumb crossing his throat.
Kane went outside the ropes and climbed to the top of the post, crouching in wait. The Storm got to his feet and turned to face him, whereupon Kane pounced out for a flying clothesline. The Storm managed to just barely duck the move, which caused Kane to stumble a bit on the landing. The Storm ran over and dragged Kane out toward the center of the ring, then stomped on his feet and put on the reverse Twister.
Kane grabbed the bottom rope and started to pull himself to his feet as referee Mike Chioda lectured the Storm on the rules. Kane turned around and clapped his hand around the Storm's throat. The Storm gasped as his air was cut off, then again as Kane hoisted him in the air. Air whistled around his head as he was chokeslammed to the mat with a boom. Kane went for a lateral press.
Abruptly, Chris Jericho appeared at ringside with a steel chair in his hand. He slid into the ring and cracked the chair across Kane's skull. Chioda called for the bell as Kane rolled out of the ring. The Storm groggily got to his feet, wincing at the pain in his back, not seeing Jericho yet. The Storm turned to him, then got smacked in the face with the chair. Jericho threw the chair away, then grabbed the Storm's legs. The Force of Nature, though out of it from the chair shot, was awake enough to know what Jericho was about to do. He tried to pull himself free, but Jericho twisted the Storm so he rolled over his shoulder onto his chest, then stepped over him and finished the move, locking the Storm into the Walls of Jericho.
"And the winner of this match as the result of a disqualification...KANE!"
Jericho held the Storm in the Walls even as Chioda tried to get him to release it, even as the Storm tried to pull himself out, but still not screaming in pain or tapping the mat in submission. More referees flooded the ring, surrounding Jericho as they tried to pull him off of the Storm. Finally, they did manage to do that, and Jericho chased them away as his music filled the arena. The Storm weakly started to get to his feet, then shouted in pain as Jericho picked up the steel chair and clobbered him in the back with it.
Jericho threw the chair down again (it bounced loudly out of the ring to the floor) and paced around the ring, swinging his arms and shouting indistinctly while the Storm got to his feet shakily. Jericho saw him and ran at him, but the Storm grabbed him and pivoted around, hitting a spinebuster. The Storm rolled out of the ring, holding his back and pointing back at Jericho, shouting. Jericho got back up and was at the ropes, pointing back and shouting just as much.
THURSDAY: Smackdown!, Mar. 4
The Storm examined the new Lone Star t-shirt. On the front, it still had the large silver star and read Lone Star on it, but each point of the star showed the face of one of the members -- Stone Cold at the apex, then the Storm and Jackie, then the Acolytes. On the back was an outline of Texas, along with the words Don't Mess With Texas! The Storm smiled and pulled the shirt on, then tightened his fingerless black gloves. He looked at Austin, who was putting on his leather vest. "You set, man?" he asked. They were set to take on Jericho and The Rock in tag-team action tonight, and the Storm was itching to pay Jericho back for that chair shot.
"Hell yeah," Austin said. "They got the beer at ringside?"
"Naturally."
"Then let's go."
* * *
"The following tag team contest is scheduled for one fall."
The legend Y2J appeared on the OvalTron and a timer counted down: 06 - 05 - 04 - 03 - 02 - 01 - 00. The lights went out all over the arena, and then pyros exploded at the top of the ramp. Images of a city street appeared on the screen, and as the word JERICHO filled the screen, a male singer screamed, "Break the wall down!" The lights came back up on Jericho, who stood with his back to the ring on the ramp, wearing a Y2J hockey shirt and his title belt around his waist. He turned around, swinging his arms and shouting at the crowd, which was cheering. "Introducing first, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, weighing in at 231 pounds...he is the World Wrestling Federation Intercontinental Champion...CHRIS JERICHO!"
Jericho entered the ring and handed off his belt, then pulled off his hockey jersey and paced around the ring. Moments later, a distinctive voice echoed over the OvalTron. "If ya smelllllllllll - what The Rock - is cookin'?" The fans went ballistic as The Rock walked down the ramp, climbing up on the apron and then up on the post, raising a fist in the air and "smelling" it as the fans cheered. He climbed down and stepped into the ring, walking past Jericho and going up on the other post to pose again. "And his tag-team partner, from Miami, Florida, weighing in at 275 pounds...THE ROCK!"
The Rock's music was replaced by techno-sounding music that soon segued into hard rock. The song by the Union Underground jumped into the lyrics abruptly. "So come on, come on, come on, get up, get up. South Texas Deathride, you mother--" (The techs wisely censored that lyric.) "Come on, come on, come on, get up, get up. South Texas, man, I'm livin it up!" A new video played, showing all five members of Lone Star in various manuevers, along with images of the silver star and the words LONE STAR flashing periodically. The Storm and Austin walked out, then down toward the ring. "And their opponents, from the Great State of Texas, weighing in at a combined weight of 491 pounds...the Storm and Stone Cold Steve Austin...LONE STAR!"
The Rock and Jericho watched the two as they entered the ring and climbed up on opposite posts. Austin raised both fists in the air while the Storm raised a fist, then pointed out at the crowd. Austin and the Storm switched posts and posed again, then went to the other corners and did the same routine, where Austin raised up both middle fingers and the Storm gave his Italian arm chop. Finally, they got off the posts and ran at their targets. The Storm at Jericho and Austin at The Rock. The Storm and Jericho traded punches until the Storm grabbed Jericho by the hair and threw him over the ropes, then followed. He pummeled Jericho with punches and bounced his head off the ring apron, the security barrier, then the steel post. Jericho staggered away, trying to put some distance between himself and the Storm. The Force of Nature slowly walked around the ring toward him, his eyes never leaving him.
In the ring, The Rock and Austin traded punches until Austin sped up his rhythm and knocked The Rock off balance. He drove him back in the corner and unloaded kicks to the midsection. Jericho was trying to get the steel chair that the timekeeper was sitting on, prompting Earl Hebner to leave the ring to try to talk him out of it. While he was thus distracted, the Storm ascended to one of the posts. Austin stopped his pummeling of The Rock and grabbed his arm, executing a textbook armdrag throw that landed the People's Champion on his back in the middle of the ring. Just seconds after he landed, the Storm came down on top of him in a big legdrop. The two Texans took turns stomping on The Rock, until finally Hebner came into the ring and forced the Storm back into his corner. Austin continued his mudhole stomping of The Rock, then came off the ropes with an elbow drop. The Rock rolled out of the way and back to his feet. He smacked Austin in the side of the head with his trademark right hands, then stepped back to spit in his open palm for his big finish, but Austin blocked the punch and came back with his own right hand.
The Rattlesnake whipped him into the ropes, then took him down with a Thesz press before knuckling his face some. He hit the elbow drop this time and went for the cover. 1...2...and The Rock got a shoulder up. Austin frowned and pulled him to his feet, dragging him over to the Texan corner, where he bounced The Rock's head off the Storm's boot. Tag, and the Storm set The Rock up on the post. The Storm climbed up, straddling him and taking his head and arm, then fell backwards in a superplex. The Storm got back up, twisting the Brahma Bull's arm and locking his legs around it for an armbar. The Rock shouted in pain while the Storm sneered in triumph, then released him. He pulled The Rock to his feet, punching him in the face a few times, then held him by the hair. The Storm turned to Jericho, pointing at him, then screamed, "Lightning!" He spun around and jabbed his fist into The Rock's solar plexus and stooped, placing his shoulder in The Rock's gut and standing back up, lifting him. He started to swing The Rock down for the Southern Lightning, but the People's Champion slid down his back and shoved him into the hostile corner. Jericho walloped him in the face, causing him to spin around and walk right into The Rock, who hit a belly-to-belly slam on him. The Rock took his legs, then stepped through and twisted them around into the Sharpshooter.
The Storm's face clenched and his breath came in a hiss of pain as he reached for the ropes. By a stroke of luck, however, he was close enough to his corner, and bent his back (sending more pain into it) and slapped Austin's waiting palm. The Rock heard it and turned around, but Austin decked him with a clothesline, then did the same to Jericho, who rushed in. The Rock was back up and walked straight into a kick to the gut. As The Rock doubled over, Austin turned and grabbed his head, dropping him in a Stunner. Jericho was back up and getting ready to charge, but the Storm sprinted in and took him over the top rope. The Storm kicked him in the head a few times, then ripped the cover off the announce table. J.R. and Jerry Lawler stepped back against the security barrier, clamoring in surprise as the Storm tore the moniors out of the table and threw them aside.
Inside the ring, Austin made the required cover on The (stunned) Rock while the Storm pulled Jericho up on the announce table. He grabbed Jericho in a full-nelson, then lifted him into the air. In mid-air, however, the Storm flipped Jericho up and grabbed his shoulders, bringing Y2J down and through the announce table, which collapsed into timber. The Storm stood up and staggered out of the wreckage, chopping his arm and giving his two-fingered salute as he rolled into the ring. Austin turned to him with a grin. They slapped a high five, then turned to the timekeeper. "Beer me!" they both shouted, and grabbed the tossed cans, popping the tops and crashing their cans together. They tilted their heads back and poured the beer in, then chucked the mostly-empty cans into the audience while "South Texas Deathride" played over the speakers. "Here are your winners...LONE STAR!"
The Storm grabbed another two beers from the timekeeper, then left the ring to stand over the still-prone Jericho. He popped the beers open, then upended them over Jericho, drenching him in alcohol. He squatted and leaned down in Jericho's face, screaming, "Break the wall down, Jericho! Don't mess with Texas!" He grabbed another three beers from the timekeeper, then passed one each to J.R. and Lawler. The King seemed a bit surprised, then looked at the Storm, who smirked and toasted them both before leaving up the ramp with Austin, who was still chugging beer as he left.
MONDAY: RAW is WAR, Mar. 8
Jericho was defending his Intercontinental Title against Right to Censor's Val Venis, who had been accompanied to ringside by Steven Richards. Y2J was holding his own, but Richards inserted himself into the match whenever the referee wasn't looking. Despite Richards' interference, Val could not keep Jericho down long enough to score the pinfall. Every time he tried to put Val in the Walls of Jericho, Richards would distract the referee, causing Jericho to release Val to take a swing at Richards.
Suddenly, they were all surprised by the appearance of the Storm at ringside. He walked down the ramp, ugly-stick in hand, and stood watching the match. His eyes were unreadable behind his sunglasses as he watched Jericho flip out of Val's death suplex set-up for the Censorbomb and shove Val into the ropes. Richards noticed the Storm and came around to look at him. He started talking at him, face intense as he evidently tried to turn the Storm's favor in his direction.
It worked, but not in the way Richards had intended. The Storm's head whipped to face him. Richards stepped back, sensing the Storm's intent even if he couldn't read it in his eyes. The ugly-stick came up and into Richards' gut, then into the back of his neck. The Storm tossed the ugly-stick aside and started pummeling Richards, finally grabbing him for a full-nelson, then flipping him up and bringing him down on his shoulders and neck.
The Storm pushed his sunglasses back in place, then looked down at Richards. He tilted his head to the side, examining the unmoving censor. Val, by this point, had flattened Jericho with the Censorbomb at last, but looked up to see the Storm standing over his unconscious leader. The former porn star stalked over and grabbed at him while referee Tim White checked on Jericho. He didn't see the Storm raise the ugly-stick and brain Val with it. Val staggered, then fell over as Jericho got back to his feet. He saw Val prone on the mat, then sprang off the second rope in the Lionsault. He hooked up a leg. 1...2...3! Jericho took back his title belt, then stopped as he saw the Storm heading back up the ramp. The Storm turned back at the top of the ramp, pointing his ugly-stick at Jericho and then giving a slow throat cut with the thumb of his other hand.
* * *
Michael Cole came up to the Storm as he headed back to the Lone Star dressing room. "Storm, you just helped Chris Jericho retain his Intercontinental Title, while in recent weeks, you have been doing everything you could to take that title away. Why the sudden turnaround?"
The Storm looked at Cole incredulously. "You think that was a turnaround? I was makin' sure the hypocritical Poindexter Patrol didn't get that title. `Cuz if they had, we'd've never heard the end of how it was 'for our own good' and how they were 'fighting the good fight' and all that crap. At least Jericho's a champion I can respect -- not like that piece of slime Guerrero, that pervert Malenko, those Canuckleheads Edge and Christian, or that smarmy, backstabbing, whining crybaby Kurt Angle." He frowned. "See, the reason I stopped Right to Censor from gettin' the Intercontinental title is `cuz I'm gonna be the one that takes it. I'm gonna be the one that breaks down the Walls of Jericho. I'm the one who's gonna bring the Y2J Problem to an end. And as far as Jericho's concerned, this is his Storm Warning."
-more to come-
Disclaimer: All things WWF are property of Titan Sports. The Storm is a completely fictional character. I do incorporate a few traits from existing WWF wrestlers, but for the most part, he's my idea. As is obvious from this part, the Storm's getting into a feud with Chris Jericho over the Intercontinental Title. If you have any ideas for who you think the Storm would team up with or go up against, let me know. Drop me a line at jay_winger_2k@hotmail.com
-=Jay 2K Winger=-