ECW Stands Tall, Part Two
by Clarice_Lecter
Thursday night on SMACKDOWN, the show opened with the entire ECW faction entering the arena through the crowd, as they had when they first reformed on July 9, 2001. Only this time, there were more of them.
Joel Gertner, Joey Styles, John Kronus, Little Guido, Don Callis, Balls Mahoney, Francine Fournier, Axl Rotten, Jerry Lynn, The Sandman, Lori Fullington, Jasmin St. Clair, The Blue Boy, Nova, Masato Tanaka, Bill Alfonso, Simon Diamond, Dawn Marie, Dusty Rhodes, David Flair, Tommy Rich, Lou E. Dangerously, Mikey Whipwreck, the Sinister Minister, and Sabu joined Tazz, Stevie Richards, Kronik, Raven, Terri Runnels, RVD, the Dudleys, Rhyno, Tommy Dreamer, Justin Credible, Lance Storm, and Mike Awesome in the biggest show of solidarity since before ECW became a part of the WWF. "My God, will you look at this?" Jim Ross, cohosting SMACKDOWN with Michael Cole, asked as the ECW contingent made its' way to the ring. "Heyman's Tribe has EXPANDED!!! There's about 40 of 'em!"
"Paul Heyman and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley are not here tonight, and we've been informed that Stevie Richards, Joel Gertner, and Raven will be speaking on their behalf," Michael chimed in. "And listen to this crowd, JR! The ECW chant is louder than it's ever been, and it's only getting louder!"
"Michael, I'm WWF all the way, but I'm anxious to hear what the Tribe's gotta say about Monday night," JR replied. "WCW is here! Triple-H, the estranged husband of Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, is here! Shane McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin are here! God only knows what kind of payback ECW's got in store for those bastards!"
As soon as the ECW faction surrounded the ring, Don Callis, Raven, Terri, Simon Diamond, Dawn Marie, Joel Gertner, Stevie Richards, Kronik, RVD, Lance Storm, Justin Credible, Dusty Rhodes and Rhyno entered the ring. And it was Joel, sporting the ever-present purple neckbrace, jeans shorts, boots, and sportjacket over bare skin who spoke first.
"Greetings, greetings, all you SMACKDOWN viewers in TV Land, all you smart marks in the cheap seats, and all you motherfucking FREAKS AROUND THE WORLD!!!" Gertner began to a huge pop. "For those of you who haven't seen me in awhile, allow me to introduce myself..."
"Here we go," JR smirked.
"It is I, ladies and germs...the Quintessential Studmuffin himself," Joel continued. "Joel...'The Sweet Spot in Your Orchid of Delight,' 'Hotter than a Litterbox Surrounded by Pussy,' 'I'm Like M&Ms, Only I Melt In Your Mouth, Too'...Gertner."
"Oh, man, I've heard about this guy!" Michael cracked up as the crowd popped all the more.
"Yeah, there's no use censoring him," JR chuckled.
Joel continued. "But enough about me. Let's talk about this sea of humanity that's surrounding this WWF ring tonight! Let's talk about the individuals who are standing in said WWF ring...let's talk about E!!!C!!!W!!!"
As the crowd continued popping, Joel relinquished the mic to Stevie, who had a lot to say. "First of all, on behalf of the Tribe, I'd like to send a shout-out to PAUL AND STEPHANIE!" he began. "In case you don't know the score, a bunch of ASSHOLES from WCW, led by a bald-headed Texas geek, Stephanie's chickenshit brother, and Stephanie's sick-fuck husband, decided that they could make Stephanie hand ECW over to them because SHE HAPPENS TO BE A WOMAN!!! They got this idea into their heads that Stephanie not only had NO BUSINESS RUNNING ECW, but that she had NO BUSINESS LIVING HER OWN LIFE!!! They wanted her to fold, they wanted her to submit, but the Billion-Dollar Princess proved to the WORLD just how HARDCORE SHE REALLY IS!!!"
At that moment, the OvalTron showed the footage from Monday, where Stephanie stared down her brother, her husband, and all of WCW by refusing to relinquish ECW to them. It played back Triple-H ordering her to "go back to being MY WIFE!" and Shane and Austin siding with him in that cause. And Stephanie's rebuttal was played back in its' entirety, stopping just before she was beaten by Trips, Shane and Austin.
"Does this look like a woman who lets ANYONE tell her what to do?!" Stevie then asked. "Does this look like a woman who shouldn't be allowed to THINK FOR HERSELF?!? Does this look like a woman who allows her BROTHER, let alone her HUSBAND, to BULLY HER INTO OBEYING THEM?!?!? I don't think so! But WCW didn't like it, Hell no! They decided if she wouldn't give up ECW willingly, they were gonna BEAT IT OUT OF HER!!!"
The OvalTron resumed showing the footage, from Triple-H slapping Stephanie around to Shane and Austin helping him beat her up, right down to the brutal belt whipping she received after she'd already suffered a broken wrist, fractured ribs and internal injuries. "Stephanie is gonna be out for THREE MONTHS because of these sons of bitches! THREE MONTHS!!!" Stevie raged. "And for what? Declaring her independence?! What the Hell kind of men would do this to a woman as beautiful and gutsy as this?!"
"That's what I wanna know!" Michael now asked.
"I hate to say it, but for once Richards is making perfect sense!" JR retorted.
Finally, it was Raven's turn to speak. "It's often been said that the best way to kill a snake is by cutting off its' head," he began. "Triple-H...Shane McMahon...Steve Austin...WCW...you thought that by beating Stephanie senseless, you could take ECW as if you were Torquemada leading the Inquisition all over again. All you did was unite ECW as never before...and most importantly, Triple-H, you pissed Paul Heyman off. How's that back feeling tonight, Trips? Not too good after Paul got done with you Monday, huh?"
The OvalTron then showed the footage of Paul leaving the announce table to make the save for Stephanie, first clocking Triple-H with a nasty chairshot, then Shane, then Austin. "Kurt Angle and The Rock happened to be in the neighborhood to help take care of Shane-O and Stone Cold, and we were doing just fine taking care of your lackeys," Raven continued. "But you never saw Paul E coming..."
"No, he didn't!" JR agreed.
The OvalTron continued through to the end, where Paul climbed to the top turnbuckle and hit Triple-H with his moonsault through the announce table. The moonsault was replayed three more times, from different angles, as the crowd popped louder and louder and launched into the "PAUL E!" chant once again.
"As I was saying, Trips, how's that back feeling tonight?" Raven now asked. "But hey, don't take my word for it..."
At that moment, the OvalTron cut to a live feed from Stephanie's hospital room. Stephanie was sitting up in bed, her ribs taped, her wrist in a lightweight cast, her face and body still swollen, cut and bruised from the 3-on-1 beatdown she'd suffered Monday. Her badly blackened left eye was still swollen shit, but her spirits were good.
"My God, that's Stephanie!" Michael exclaimed. "How's she able to even sit up?"
"She's a McMahon," JR reminded him, "she's running on sheer will."
On the screen, Paul Heyman was standing beside her bed, securing a small mic to her hospital gown with great care. "There's Paul, and he's not in such good shape himself," JR said, noting that Paul was still having back trouble from executing that moonsault and that he was still suffering from three cracked ribs. "But ever since this happened, he has refused to leave her side."
"I don't care what anyone says, JR, that's love," Michael added. "It's like Stephanie said Monday, Paul Heyman has shown her more devotion in a few short months than Triple-H has shown her in two years of marriage! And Monday night's made him even more devoted to her than ever!"
Everyone's attention then focused on Paul and Stephanie. "You sure you want to do this?" Paul asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Stephanie reached out with her good hand and tenderly stroked his cherubic face. "Paul, you're so sweet," she whispered. "Yes, I'm sure."
Paul then softly kissed her fingertips, then her eyebrow, before holding her hand and sitting beside her on the edge of her bed. "I'll be damned, Heyman's in love," JR chirped.
Stephanie then turned to the camera. "Obviously, Hunter, I haven't gone home to Mom and Dad. Obviously, I've not returned to New York City. I won't be in any condition to do much of anything for awhile, thanks to you," she began. "I hope you, Shane, Austin, and all of your WCW buddies are enjoying yourselves at SMACKDOWN. I hope you're all warm and cozy in your fancy-ass dressing rooms, having a few shits and giggles and thinking I'm going to curl up and die, just because you got your rocks off from beating me up. Unfortunately, Hunter, I haven't forgotten that Monday wasn't the FIRST time you've done this."
"Wh-WHAT?!?" Michael asked in an apopleptic tone. "The Game's beaten her up before?!"
"I don't doubt it!" JR replied, his tone equally enraged.
"Do you remember what I said the last time you raised your hand to harm me? Do you, you sonofabitch?" she asked. "I told you that if you EVER struck me again, under ANY circumstance, that our marriage was over. No more second chances, no more reconciliations. Guess what, Hunter? As of Monday, your 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card got revoked. PERMANENTLY!!!"
The face pops from the crowd grew louder and louder as Stephanie continued. "Hunter, for two years I worshipped the ground at your feet. For two years I stood by you. And for two years, you treated me like SHIT!!! To you I was nothing more than a slave for you to boss around whenever you felt like it, a punching bag for you to practice on whenever you felt like it, and I took it because I thought I loved you. I thought you would change...I was a damn fool. But in times of adversity comes triumph...later tonight, if he hasn't arrived on your doorstep already, Jerry McDivette's gonna pay you a little visit. And he's going to deliver something you've had coming to you for a long time...does the term 'divorce papers' ring any bells?"
Finally, it was Paul's turn to speak. "Triple-H, Monday night was only a TASTE of what I've got planned for you," he said in a low, menacing tone. "That moonsault is NOTHING compared to the beating I'm going to give you for what you did to this beautiful lady, for what you've been doing to this beautiful lady since the day you married her! You don't think I'm serious...? Okay, I'll tell you what...four weeks from this Sunday, SURVIVOR SERIES, you and me in a fucking CAGE!!!"
"OHMYGOD!!!" Michael exclaimed. "Heyman's actually CHALLENGING 'The Game' to a match at SURVIVOR SERIES?!?"
"I give Paul Heyman credit, the man IS a fighter, but I don't like his chances," JR admitted. "Triple-H is a seasoned competitor! A multi-time WWF Champion!"
"Think about it, Trips...you've got 'til next Monday's RAW to make up your mind. And when you do, I'll be there," Paul hissed. "Just remember one thing...when you fuck with one member of the Tribe, you fuck with the ENTIRE TRIBE!!! I just pray to God you're ready to accept the consequences..."
END OF PART TWO
by Clarice_Lecter
Thursday night on SMACKDOWN, the show opened with the entire ECW faction entering the arena through the crowd, as they had when they first reformed on July 9, 2001. Only this time, there were more of them.
Joel Gertner, Joey Styles, John Kronus, Little Guido, Don Callis, Balls Mahoney, Francine Fournier, Axl Rotten, Jerry Lynn, The Sandman, Lori Fullington, Jasmin St. Clair, The Blue Boy, Nova, Masato Tanaka, Bill Alfonso, Simon Diamond, Dawn Marie, Dusty Rhodes, David Flair, Tommy Rich, Lou E. Dangerously, Mikey Whipwreck, the Sinister Minister, and Sabu joined Tazz, Stevie Richards, Kronik, Raven, Terri Runnels, RVD, the Dudleys, Rhyno, Tommy Dreamer, Justin Credible, Lance Storm, and Mike Awesome in the biggest show of solidarity since before ECW became a part of the WWF. "My God, will you look at this?" Jim Ross, cohosting SMACKDOWN with Michael Cole, asked as the ECW contingent made its' way to the ring. "Heyman's Tribe has EXPANDED!!! There's about 40 of 'em!"
"Paul Heyman and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley are not here tonight, and we've been informed that Stevie Richards, Joel Gertner, and Raven will be speaking on their behalf," Michael chimed in. "And listen to this crowd, JR! The ECW chant is louder than it's ever been, and it's only getting louder!"
"Michael, I'm WWF all the way, but I'm anxious to hear what the Tribe's gotta say about Monday night," JR replied. "WCW is here! Triple-H, the estranged husband of Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, is here! Shane McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin are here! God only knows what kind of payback ECW's got in store for those bastards!"
As soon as the ECW faction surrounded the ring, Don Callis, Raven, Terri, Simon Diamond, Dawn Marie, Joel Gertner, Stevie Richards, Kronik, RVD, Lance Storm, Justin Credible, Dusty Rhodes and Rhyno entered the ring. And it was Joel, sporting the ever-present purple neckbrace, jeans shorts, boots, and sportjacket over bare skin who spoke first.
"Greetings, greetings, all you SMACKDOWN viewers in TV Land, all you smart marks in the cheap seats, and all you motherfucking FREAKS AROUND THE WORLD!!!" Gertner began to a huge pop. "For those of you who haven't seen me in awhile, allow me to introduce myself..."
"Here we go," JR smirked.
"It is I, ladies and germs...the Quintessential Studmuffin himself," Joel continued. "Joel...'The Sweet Spot in Your Orchid of Delight,' 'Hotter than a Litterbox Surrounded by Pussy,' 'I'm Like M&Ms, Only I Melt In Your Mouth, Too'...Gertner."
"Oh, man, I've heard about this guy!" Michael cracked up as the crowd popped all the more.
"Yeah, there's no use censoring him," JR chuckled.
Joel continued. "But enough about me. Let's talk about this sea of humanity that's surrounding this WWF ring tonight! Let's talk about the individuals who are standing in said WWF ring...let's talk about E!!!C!!!W!!!"
As the crowd continued popping, Joel relinquished the mic to Stevie, who had a lot to say. "First of all, on behalf of the Tribe, I'd like to send a shout-out to PAUL AND STEPHANIE!" he began. "In case you don't know the score, a bunch of ASSHOLES from WCW, led by a bald-headed Texas geek, Stephanie's chickenshit brother, and Stephanie's sick-fuck husband, decided that they could make Stephanie hand ECW over to them because SHE HAPPENS TO BE A WOMAN!!! They got this idea into their heads that Stephanie not only had NO BUSINESS RUNNING ECW, but that she had NO BUSINESS LIVING HER OWN LIFE!!! They wanted her to fold, they wanted her to submit, but the Billion-Dollar Princess proved to the WORLD just how HARDCORE SHE REALLY IS!!!"
At that moment, the OvalTron showed the footage from Monday, where Stephanie stared down her brother, her husband, and all of WCW by refusing to relinquish ECW to them. It played back Triple-H ordering her to "go back to being MY WIFE!" and Shane and Austin siding with him in that cause. And Stephanie's rebuttal was played back in its' entirety, stopping just before she was beaten by Trips, Shane and Austin.
"Does this look like a woman who lets ANYONE tell her what to do?!" Stevie then asked. "Does this look like a woman who shouldn't be allowed to THINK FOR HERSELF?!? Does this look like a woman who allows her BROTHER, let alone her HUSBAND, to BULLY HER INTO OBEYING THEM?!?!? I don't think so! But WCW didn't like it, Hell no! They decided if she wouldn't give up ECW willingly, they were gonna BEAT IT OUT OF HER!!!"
The OvalTron resumed showing the footage, from Triple-H slapping Stephanie around to Shane and Austin helping him beat her up, right down to the brutal belt whipping she received after she'd already suffered a broken wrist, fractured ribs and internal injuries. "Stephanie is gonna be out for THREE MONTHS because of these sons of bitches! THREE MONTHS!!!" Stevie raged. "And for what? Declaring her independence?! What the Hell kind of men would do this to a woman as beautiful and gutsy as this?!"
"That's what I wanna know!" Michael now asked.
"I hate to say it, but for once Richards is making perfect sense!" JR retorted.
Finally, it was Raven's turn to speak. "It's often been said that the best way to kill a snake is by cutting off its' head," he began. "Triple-H...Shane McMahon...Steve Austin...WCW...you thought that by beating Stephanie senseless, you could take ECW as if you were Torquemada leading the Inquisition all over again. All you did was unite ECW as never before...and most importantly, Triple-H, you pissed Paul Heyman off. How's that back feeling tonight, Trips? Not too good after Paul got done with you Monday, huh?"
The OvalTron then showed the footage of Paul leaving the announce table to make the save for Stephanie, first clocking Triple-H with a nasty chairshot, then Shane, then Austin. "Kurt Angle and The Rock happened to be in the neighborhood to help take care of Shane-O and Stone Cold, and we were doing just fine taking care of your lackeys," Raven continued. "But you never saw Paul E coming..."
"No, he didn't!" JR agreed.
The OvalTron continued through to the end, where Paul climbed to the top turnbuckle and hit Triple-H with his moonsault through the announce table. The moonsault was replayed three more times, from different angles, as the crowd popped louder and louder and launched into the "PAUL E!" chant once again.
"As I was saying, Trips, how's that back feeling tonight?" Raven now asked. "But hey, don't take my word for it..."
At that moment, the OvalTron cut to a live feed from Stephanie's hospital room. Stephanie was sitting up in bed, her ribs taped, her wrist in a lightweight cast, her face and body still swollen, cut and bruised from the 3-on-1 beatdown she'd suffered Monday. Her badly blackened left eye was still swollen shit, but her spirits were good.
"My God, that's Stephanie!" Michael exclaimed. "How's she able to even sit up?"
"She's a McMahon," JR reminded him, "she's running on sheer will."
On the screen, Paul Heyman was standing beside her bed, securing a small mic to her hospital gown with great care. "There's Paul, and he's not in such good shape himself," JR said, noting that Paul was still having back trouble from executing that moonsault and that he was still suffering from three cracked ribs. "But ever since this happened, he has refused to leave her side."
"I don't care what anyone says, JR, that's love," Michael added. "It's like Stephanie said Monday, Paul Heyman has shown her more devotion in a few short months than Triple-H has shown her in two years of marriage! And Monday night's made him even more devoted to her than ever!"
Everyone's attention then focused on Paul and Stephanie. "You sure you want to do this?" Paul asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Stephanie reached out with her good hand and tenderly stroked his cherubic face. "Paul, you're so sweet," she whispered. "Yes, I'm sure."
Paul then softly kissed her fingertips, then her eyebrow, before holding her hand and sitting beside her on the edge of her bed. "I'll be damned, Heyman's in love," JR chirped.
Stephanie then turned to the camera. "Obviously, Hunter, I haven't gone home to Mom and Dad. Obviously, I've not returned to New York City. I won't be in any condition to do much of anything for awhile, thanks to you," she began. "I hope you, Shane, Austin, and all of your WCW buddies are enjoying yourselves at SMACKDOWN. I hope you're all warm and cozy in your fancy-ass dressing rooms, having a few shits and giggles and thinking I'm going to curl up and die, just because you got your rocks off from beating me up. Unfortunately, Hunter, I haven't forgotten that Monday wasn't the FIRST time you've done this."
"Wh-WHAT?!?" Michael asked in an apopleptic tone. "The Game's beaten her up before?!"
"I don't doubt it!" JR replied, his tone equally enraged.
"Do you remember what I said the last time you raised your hand to harm me? Do you, you sonofabitch?" she asked. "I told you that if you EVER struck me again, under ANY circumstance, that our marriage was over. No more second chances, no more reconciliations. Guess what, Hunter? As of Monday, your 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card got revoked. PERMANENTLY!!!"
The face pops from the crowd grew louder and louder as Stephanie continued. "Hunter, for two years I worshipped the ground at your feet. For two years I stood by you. And for two years, you treated me like SHIT!!! To you I was nothing more than a slave for you to boss around whenever you felt like it, a punching bag for you to practice on whenever you felt like it, and I took it because I thought I loved you. I thought you would change...I was a damn fool. But in times of adversity comes triumph...later tonight, if he hasn't arrived on your doorstep already, Jerry McDivette's gonna pay you a little visit. And he's going to deliver something you've had coming to you for a long time...does the term 'divorce papers' ring any bells?"
Finally, it was Paul's turn to speak. "Triple-H, Monday night was only a TASTE of what I've got planned for you," he said in a low, menacing tone. "That moonsault is NOTHING compared to the beating I'm going to give you for what you did to this beautiful lady, for what you've been doing to this beautiful lady since the day you married her! You don't think I'm serious...? Okay, I'll tell you what...four weeks from this Sunday, SURVIVOR SERIES, you and me in a fucking CAGE!!!"
"OHMYGOD!!!" Michael exclaimed. "Heyman's actually CHALLENGING 'The Game' to a match at SURVIVOR SERIES?!?"
"I give Paul Heyman credit, the man IS a fighter, but I don't like his chances," JR admitted. "Triple-H is a seasoned competitor! A multi-time WWF Champion!"
"Think about it, Trips...you've got 'til next Monday's RAW to make up your mind. And when you do, I'll be there," Paul hissed. "Just remember one thing...when you fuck with one member of the Tribe, you fuck with the ENTIRE TRIBE!!! I just pray to God you're ready to accept the consequences..."
END OF PART TWO