Untitled Document

Raging Storm
Chapter 21: Brutal Measures
By: Jay Winger

Note: this is set the Monday after "Chapter 20: Some Measure of Revenge."

To recap: The Faction was tense after Brick's screw-up a week earlier and his accidental hitting of Kurt Angle with a 2x4 on Monday (see "Viper's Revenge, Chapter 15"), but were distracted as the Z-Men hit the ring to cut a promo. Zed and Zeta welcomed the challenge of taking on the challenge, saying that as a couple of "renegades" they liked being the underdogs. To even the odds, though, they had backup, in the form of Rain and the Storm. The Storm cut his own promo, challenging Billy Rose to a match at Summerslam, of a type yet to be determined, then challenged the entire Faction (sans Shane McMahon) to a 5-on-4 Handicap Match against himself, Rain, and the Z-Men. During the match, an all-out brawl ensued, and Brick, aiming for the Storm, hit Angle again, setting in motion a chain of events that led to the entire Faction being taken out by their own moves, and thus losing the match. Rose called Shane on his cell phone afterwards and ranted at him, but said he'd be back at Raw, and ready to deal with the Storm personally.

Teaser: Billy Rose returns to Raw to seek his revenge on the Storm, who has to resort to extreme methods.

Rating: R - for violence and profanity

Disclaimer: All things WWF are property of Titan Sports. The characters of Matthew "the Storm" Skinner, Claire "Rain" Whittaker, Billy Rose, Brad "Brick" Dickerson, Roger "Zed" Ziger, and Mike "Zeta" Zahn are completely fictional. I do incorporate a few traits from existing WWF wrestlers, but for the most part, they're my creations. The lyrics to Brick's entrance theme and the Storm's were written by myself as well. (For those who are curious, I title Brick's theme "Breaker" and the Storm's "Force of Nature.")

MONDAY: Raw is War, 7 August

After the smoke from the opening pyros had cleared, the fans waved all of their banners and signs frantically to be noticed by the cameras, while Jim Ross introduced himself and broadcast partner Jerry Lawler. Then, as the music died down, the TitanTron lit up again. The music of the Union Underground played: "How long? How long? How long? How long? - I said how long? I said how long? I said how long? Until you crack..."

The fans jeered as Billy Rose walked out on the ramp. He wore a T-shirt that read The Mental Elite on the front, with an image of a smirking and posing Rose, and on the back it said I'll Give You Brain Damage. The real-life Rose, however, was not smirking. He still bore a few faded bruises from his battle two weeks earlier, and generally looked to be in a sour mood. Filing out behind him came the rest of the Faction -- Shane McMahon, Kurt Angle, Edge, Christian, Rhino, and Brick. He led them down to the ring, where he took up a microphone.

He started to speak as his music ran down, but was pre-empted by a chant of "Bastard! Bastard!" He frowned, then said, "I would like it explained to me how five grown men can't seem to handle the simple task of beating up three guys and a single woman." There were boos from the crowd, and the rest of the Faction looked uneasy. Shane started to speak, but Rose glared at him. "Shut up, Shane, I'll deal with you in a minute." He turned to the rest of the group. "I was sidelined for a couple weeks, and I leave you with a rather simple task -- take out Rain, the Z-Men, and the Alliance. I fail to see how jobs as easy as this could be bungled so magnificently." Here, Rose faced Brick, who remained as forbidding as ever, though now looked a bit chagrined as well. "That's right, Brick, I'm talkin' about you. Instead of expending your strength doing something useful, like breaking the Alliance and a few other nosy groups, you go and waste it on your own allies!"

A Bastard chant started up again, and Rose turned back around. "But I'm willing to let that slide, Brick, provided you prove to me that you're worthy of my trust again. I've spoken to Mr. McMahon--" Rose broke off as the fans booed at the mention of the hated billionaire. "--and he's agreed to book you in a match tonight. All you have to do is break the guy you face. Get me, Brick?" He turned back to the seven-foot-one behemoth. "I want you to break him." He emphasized this with a gesture of snapping a twig with his hands. Brick grunted and nodded.

Rose started to go on, but was interrupted by the sound of rumbling thunder. The fans started to cheer as the TitanTron showed flickers of lightning and the silhouetted image of a man in a downpour. The rumbles hit a crescendo, and lightning flashed and the lights went out. "This is your Storm Warning." The siren blared and pyros went off as "Force of Nature" roared up. The Storm appeared on the ramp, wearing a GeT SeT To GeT WReCKeD T-shirt. He held a mike in his hand. The fans cheered as he raised the mike to his lips. "Cut the music." The producer in the booth did so. The Storm stared across the ramp at the assembled group in the ring. There was a long pause, during which the fans continued to clamor. The Force of Nature broke the silence. "Hello, Billy."

"Well, well, well," Rose smirked. "If it isn't the so-called Force of Nature. Last time I saw you in an arena, Nature-boy, you didn't look so unstoppable. You looked like you'd suffered Brain Damage." He chuckled.

The Storm smirked back. "If it isn't the so-called Mental Elite. Last time I saw you in an arena, Billy-boy, you were whining and sobbing like a little girl. You looked like you broke a nail or something." This earned a big pop from the crowd. The Storm went on, "See, Billy, you giving me Brain Damage has actually helped clear things up a bit for me. If I want to completely humiliate you, I can't just beat you, I have to destroy you completely." He paused, then turned to the ring. "You know we got a pay-per-view coming up in a few weeks, Billy? Summerslam? You know where that event's being held?"

Rose was silent for a moment. Then: "Los Angeles."

The Storm nodded. "That's right, Billy. Los Angeles, California. The Staples Center. Not too far from the warehouse you converted into the CIW Arena, right, Billy? Hell, we'll be in CIW's back yard! What better place to have it out, to settle once and for all who the better man is, than right where it all started?"

Rose frowned. "You challenging me to a match at Summerslam?"

"You're damn right I am." The audience popped again. "We'll figure out the stipulations later, but I want a piece of your yellow-bellied, bottle-blond--" The crowd had picked up on his pattern and chanted the rest with him: "--West Coast ass tonight!"

Rose just smirked. "Y'know, Storm, I figured you'd be asking for that, so I accept. We'll have us a tag team match. Me and Kurt Angle--" The Olympian looked surprised. "--against you and a partner of your choosing." The rest of the Faction all clamored at him, but Rose held up a hand. "There's a catch, though."

"There always is with you, Billy," the Storm remarked.

"The catch is this -- your partner can neither be from Texas nor from CIW." Rose smirked as the Storm frowned a bit. "Other than that, take your pick."

The Storm paced a bit, then smirked and looked up. "You got yourself a match. I'll get myself a partner, and the things we're gonna do to you are gonna be-- heh, well, to borrow a phrase from the Canuckleheads with you in the ring--" Edge & Christian looked surprised. "--it's gonna be B.R. Utal. And that is your Storm Warning."

The Storm turned to leave as his music fired back up, but then Rose spoke again. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Storm, hold up." The music cut off. "It doesn't matter who the hell you get to be your partner, Storm, because Kurt and I are gonna break you twice -- first we'll break your ankle," he paused as the fans booed while Angle nodded and gestured about the anklelock, "and then we'll break your head." Rose made a chopping motion with his elbow, obviously in reference to the Brain Damage. "I will prove to you once again why I am the Mental Elite, and how you can't match up to my strategy. Play my music." And he smirked confidently up the ramp at the Storm as "Until You Crack" played again.

* * *

The Storm went back to the Z-Men's commandeered restroom to find Zed, Zeta, and Rain all staring at him. "What the hell are you doing?" Rain demanded.

"Yeah, you crazy, man?" Zed asked. "You just agreed to a match against Rose and Angle with a partner, who can't be a Texan or a C-I-Dubber?"

"You're fuckin' nuts, man!" Zeta echoed. "You just know that fuckin' monster Brick's gonna be out there, and he's gonna fuckin' rip off your head and shit down your neck! Who the fuck's gonna wanna team up with you against that?"

The Storm made placating gestures. "Ease up, guys. It all has a system."

All three of them rolled their eyes, and Zeta ripped off his cap and threw it on the floor in frustration, his blue-streaked hair flailing about. "What the fuck does that mean?! You keep fuckin' talkin' about how it all has a fuckin' system, but we have yet to see what the shit you're talkin' about!"

The Storm blinked, then looked at him. "Zait, take a chill pill. I know Rose's stip narrows down my choices, but believe me, I know just who to pick."

"If it's someone from the Alliance..." Zed grumbled warningly.

"Nah, I'm not that stupid," the Storm replied. "Hunter, Snake Boy, and their crew'd turn on me the second the match was over. No, I've got someone to counter Angle's involvement in this. Someone who is no friend of his."

Zeta scratched his head. "Who? Rulon Gardner?" Zed smacked him upside the head.

"Undertaker?" Rain asked, then immediately said, "No, he's from Houston, I forgot. But what are you going to do about Brick?"

"Brick's not gonna be at ringside," the Storm replied. "If I know Rose, he'll tell Brick to stay the hell away during our match, after the way he's screwed up lately. Besides, Brick's got a match of his own to worry about. I stole a glimpse at Mick Foley's copy of tonight's card, and I think his opponent will keep him preoccupied."

"So if your partner's not `Taker, and it's not Austin or one of the Acolytes, and it's not Rain, Zait or me," Zed slowly said, "then who is your partner?"

The Storm smirked. "I checked it out with him earlier tonight before the show started. I anticipated Rose's stipulation before he made it. He's right outside." He went over and opened the door, beckoned, and his chosen partner stepped into the Z-Men's room.

All three of the other "renegades" all stared in varying states of shock, disbelief, and rage. The Storm smirked. "Like I said, this match is gonna be brutal, right, partner?"

"Right," the man said shortly.

* * *

Brick's opponent that night turned out to be Undertaker, who appeared to be the first person who could go toe-to-toe with the larger Philly native. Brick was able to rally and prepared to give the Deadman a standard chokeslam when Kane ran out. The Big Red Machine still had unfinished business with the man who'd given him a Breaker Chokeslam some weeks earlier, and though he disqualified `Taker, the so-called Brothers of Destruction were able to give Brick his first double chokeslam.

The defeated Brick sulked back to the Faction's VIP room, where Rose stood waiting. "I hope that reminded you of just how much you've fallen in my eyes," the Californian said gruffly.

Kurt looked up from kneepads as he pulled them into place. "I hope he's not coming out with us." He still bore a faint mark or two from the blows Brick had accidentally given him.

"No, if he knows what's good for him, Brick's going to stay right back here where he can't do any damage," Rose replied, looking straight at Brick as he said this. "Right, Brick?" The big man just grunted, nodded his head, and seated himself in his darkened corner. "C'mon, Kurt, let's go."

* * *

"The following is a tag-team match scheduled for one fall," Lillian Garcia announced. For the second time that night, "Until You Crack" filled the arena, and both Rose and Angle came out together. "Introducing first, representing the Faction, at a combined weight of 465 pounds... the team of KURT ANGLE and BILLY ROSE!"

Rose vaulted over the ropes as he reached the ring, then stopped to raise his hands to the side, smirking slyly at the fans, who gave him a chorus of resounding boos. Angle just turned in a circle, looking for the cheers he believed he deserved as an Olympian, but not getting them. Rose threw off his red over-shirt and then his Mental Elite T-shirt. Angle removed his medals, kissed them, then placed them in the corner.

"Rose and Angle both looking quite prepared for this match-up, King," Jim Ross remarked to his partner.

"Of course they are!" Jerry Lawler retorted. "Kurt's an Olympic gold-medalist, and Billy's a great athlete himself! They're ready for anything."

"One does have to wonder, King, who the Storm's going to get as his partner," Ross said, then stopped as Rose's theme cut off.

There was a pause, and the fans murmurred, waiting for the inevitable rumbling that heralded the Storm's arrival, but instead, the lights started to flash blue as the bass guitar riffs of "Shooter" started to play. There was another beat before the fans picked up on just who was coming out to face the two heels -- and popped.

"And their opponents, at a combined weight of 460 pounds... THE STORM and CHRIS BENOIT!"

Sure enough, the entrance video of the self-styled "most brutal tag team in the history of the World Wrestling Federation" was playing, flashing the names of both men, as well as "The Crippler" and "The Force of Nature," featuring clips of them hitting the Swandive Headbutt or the Windfall, and now also showing both men using their submission moves -- the Crippler Crossface, and the Necksnapper.

"What the hell?" J.R. said. "It's Chris Benoit! The Storm has teamed up with Benoit!"

"I don't believe it!" Lawler squeaked. "These two hate each other, why would they team up again?"

"The enemy of the enemy is my friend," Ross said, "and Angle's no friend of Benoit -- my God, the most brutal tag team in the history of the World Wrestling Federation has been reborn, if for one night only!"

Rose and Angle, meanwhile, looked as if they'd seen the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, as Benoit and the Storm walked out together. Benoit wore black "Wolverine" tights, while the Storm wore his usual attire -- black jeans, boots, gloves and wrist tape, and his GeT SeT T-Shirt. They walked down the ramp, paused at the bottom, looked at their opponents, then at each other. Benoit made a slow throat cut motion with his thumb, which the Storm mirrored. They charged the ring.

Benoit ran at Angle, who was caught completely unprepared for the ferocity in the Rabid Wolverine. Within moments, he'd driven Angle back into the corner and was kicking away at his ribs with an intensity he hadn't shown in weeks. The Storm, meanwhile, ran at Rose, who quickly took a powder and slipped out of the ring. Rather than expend energy chasing him, the Storm joined Benoit in pounding on Angle. They let up and pulled Angle to his feet, sent him into the ropes and caught him with a double back elbow. Benoit continued stomping on Angle as the Storm stepped out to their corner.

Benoit grabbed Angle's arm and stretched it out, kicking at his shoulder ruthlessly, then wrenched it as he pulled him to his feet. Angle winced, then snapped his palm into Benoit's face, thumbing him in the eye. Benoit released him, and Angle rallied with a series of right hands, then going for an Irish whip. Instead of letting go, however, Angle pulled Benoit back, wrapped his arms around him, then hit a belly-to-belly overhead suplex. Surprisingly, Benoit rolled to his feet after landing, and winced a bit. Angle, however, stood up and whooped to the crowd, then turned around and jumped in surprise as Benoit swarmed all over him, pounding him with forearms, then dropping him in a back suplex.

Finally, Benoit dragged Angle to his feet, pulling him over to the corner. He tagged in the Storm, and Benoit swung Angle up into a backbreaker on his knee, but held it there as the Storm climbed the post. The Force of Nature sprang off with a high legdrop to Angle's chest. The Olympian flopped limply as the Storm hauled him to his feet, and threw him forcefully at the hostile corner. The Storm pointed at Rose, who stood on the apron. "Tag in!"

Rose stepped back onto the steel stairs, taking his hands off the ropes. The Storm stepped forward to glower at him. "I said tag in, goddammit!" Rose folded his arms, glaring hatefully at him. The Storm was about to go on, but in his distraction, he'd allowed Angle to recover. The gold-medalist school-boyed the Storm, looking for a pin, but the Storm kicked out and rolled to his feet, charging forward, but Angle clipped him in a drop-toe hold and snared him in the Angle Lock. The Storm, however, was near the ropes and pulled himself up to the second rope, while Angle continued the pressure. Grimacing in pain, the Storm braced his free foot on the mat, then hit a reverse enzuigiri on Angle, breaking the hold.

Wincing a bit at his leg, the Storm began his own methodical and savage beatdown of his opponent. He started off focusing on Angle's shoulder, then switched to his lower leg and knee, stretching it with a grapevine, kicking the knee, and shinbreakers. Finally, the Storm knocked Angle down with a right hand, then wet his finger and raised it in the air. The fans popped as he ascended to the top rope, crouching and holding the ropes, poised for the Windfall, but Rose had stepped back up on the apron and snapped the ropes down. The Storm's footing slipped, and he fell onto his crotch. With a groan, the Storm was vulnerable, and Angle pounced, rushing over to hit a super armdrag takedown.

Angle circled around the Storm, looking for the opening for the Angle Lock again, but as he circled close to his corner, Rose reached out and tagged him on the shoulder. Angle looked surprised, but Rose just slipped past him to start beating on the vulnerable Storm, kicking, stomping, and dropping elbows. He snared the Storm in the Deadly Blossom at last, in the middle of the ring, away from the ropes. The Storm's facee was red as he tried to withstand the pain and keep from screaming, and Benoit rushed in, dropping an elbow onto Rose's chest. The Californian released the Storm and tried to get out of the ring, but Benoit cut him off and stomped on him, then grabbed him around the waist.

The fans cheered as Benoit snarled, hauling Rose back in a German suplex, maintaining the grip for a second, then a third. Benoit seemed ready to continue, but Angle attacked from behind. The Storm, who had recovered by this point, grabbed Angle around the waist and took a page from Benoit's book, hitting three consecutive German suplexes before stopping.

The Storm turned to look for Rose, but the wily Californian had slipped out of the ring while Benoit was distracted. He stood midway up the ramp, holding his neck and head, glaring at the two in the ring. Benoit and the Storm glared at him, then the Storm turned to look at the groggy Angle, who was trying to stand up. The Force of Nature slapped the Crippler on the arm, then pointed at Angle. They both nodded, and made cutting gestures at their throats. "That's it!" they hissed.

The fans cheered again as the Storm poised himself for the Windfall on the top rope, then flattened Angle with the diving crossbody. The Storm rolled off of him, just as Benoit sailed down with a Swandive Headbutt. They contemplated Angle again, and then Benoit turned him over, snaring his arm and locking his hands around his face, the Crippler Crossface. Angle shouted in pain, trying to resist, but then the Storm stomped on his left foot, holding it down as he wrapped his arms around his right, the Twister Anklelock. The Olympian started screaming and tapped the mat in submission.

Benoit's music played again as the two men held Angle in the combine submission for four more seconds, then released him. The Storm stepped to the ropes, leaning on them and glaring at Rose, who was cursing and swearing on the ramp. The Texan beckoned with an index finger, but Rose sneered and gave him the finger. With a scowl, the Storm went back over to Angle, who was lying on the mat in pain, picked him up, holding him by the head. The Storm looked over at Rose, then to the crowd. "Lightning!" he roared, pointing a finger upward. He abruptly hit a punch to the solar plexus, stooped and swung Angle onto his shoulder, then dropped to one knee, slamming Angle in the Southern Lightning Driver. The Storm stood back up, snapping his arm in an Italian arm chop and giving Angle's unconscious form a two-fingered salute before turning to glare at Rose, who silently steamed on the ramp.

* * *

The Storm returned to the Z-Men's door, then stopped and glanced at Benoit, who had followed him. The Force of Nature turned to consider him. "Look, Chris, I appreciate your help tonight."

"It was no problem," Benoit replied. "I've been wanting a shot at Angle for a while now."

"I still don't like you," the Storm went on, and Benoit set his lips, staring at him hard. "I know you don't like me either, but for now, let's just agree we won't actively go after the other, agreed?"

"Agreed," Benoit replied. "And next time you need any help with Angle, don't hesitate to ask. Meantime, I have to get back with Eddie, Perry, and Dean."

The Storm nodded and watched Benoit leave for a moment, then stepped back into the Z-Men's room. Zed and Rain both stood up as he returned. Zeta was seated on top of one of the stall doors. Rain looked at him for a moment before asking, "What happened to the deep, unquenchable hatred you had for Benoit?"

"Got replaced by a deeper, more unquenchable hatred for Billy Fuckin Rose," the Storm answered. "Duh."

Rain sniffed. "Matthew, I was there while your arm was healing after Benoit broke it last year. I heard you say how much you wanted to kill him. How could you just turn around and team back up with him?"

The Storm glanced at her, then turned to Zed and Zeta. "You guys remember that time in CIW when Rose booked me in a tag match against Victor and Scion? Hal was out injured at the time."

Zeta nodded. "Yeah. That was some crazy shit." To Rain, he explained, "See, Rose'd gotten his goons to basically keep us and all of our other buddies otherwise occupied, so Skinner couldn't rely on us as partners."

The Storm nodded at this. "And do you remember who I got to be my partner?"

Both Z-Men were silent before Zed answered, "Smoker."

The Storm nodded. "That's right. I had to put our differences aside so I could stand a fair chance against Victor and Scion. This was the same thing. Rose had restricted my options, so I had to go with someone I knew could get the job done. Benoit was the logical choice, and he had unsettled business with Angle anyway."

Zeta spoke up, "Lemme guess. This was all part of the system?"

The Storm smirked as he leaned against the wall. "Exactly. Rose backed out of the match, leaving Angle to get his ass handed to him. Things're already stressed in the Faction, with Brick screwing up and all, and now that Rose deliberately left Angle to get creamed, things'll go along quite nicely."

* * *

Indeed, at that time, things were loud in the Faction VIP Room. "Where the heck were you?!" Angle shouted at Rose. "I thought we were partners!"

"Shut up, shut up!" Rose snapped. "I had to get outta the ring to catch my breath, and by the time I was ready, they were already on top of you. If I'd tried to interfere, I'd've just gotten snared myself. Wasn't gonna let `em trap me."

"Yeah, so they trapped me!" Kurt snapped back. "First they hit me with a Windfall and a flying headbutt, then they make me -- me, an Olympic freakin' gold-medalist -- tap out! And you just stood there!"

"Well what the hell was I supposed to do!?" Rose yelled. "If I'd stopped the ref, they'd've gotten me, and we'd've both tapped out, one way or another. And I knew Brick wasn't going to do any good, since he's proven to me he can't be relied upon." He cast a seething glare into the darkened corner in which Brick lurked. A low growl answered him. "That's right, I'm talking about you! Useless hunk of meat. And I knew those two long-haired idiots--" And he flung a finger at Edge and Christian, "--weren't going to help, `cuz they can't stand you!"

Kurt was taken aback. "What?"

Rose's face was red. "God, Kurt, do you ever watch the tapes of the shows?! Every time you talk about your fucking Three I's or about your goddamn gold medals, they roll their eyes. They hate it!"

Kurt cast a hurt look over to his Canadian comrades. "Is that true?"

Edge and Christian hastily shook their heads. "No, way, Kurt," Edge said quickly. "We totally stand behind you. You reek of awesomeness!"

Christian nodded. "Yeah. Total gnarl-icious." He gave a double thumbs-up to emphasize his point.

Kurt glanced back at Rose, who was glaring at the two Canadians. "Okay, then why didn't you ask Rhino to help us out?"

"`Cuz he's a friend of theirs," the Californian said, indicating E&C again. "I figured he'd stay back here."

The man-beast shook his hairy head. "No," he said in his growly voice. "I'd've helped out. I wanna Gore Storm." He squeezed his wrist.

Rose smirked a bit. "Well, that's aces," he said, half-sarcastically. "Nice to know I can count on at least one person." He glared over at Brick again. He scooped up his bag. "I can sense I'm not wanted. I'll take my leave. I'll be back on Thursday. Maybe by then you'll see those two don't like you as much as you say." He left, just as Shane walked in.

Shane watched him leave, then turned to the others. "What's with him?"

Kurt shook his head. "He showed me tonight that he is completely lacking in my Three I's. He balked during the match, showing he lacks intensity. He left me to tap out to Storm and Benoit, showing he lacks integrity. And he relied upon misinformation about Rhino, showing he lacks intelligence. Oh, it's true, it's tr--" Kurt broke off as he noticed Shane obviously trying to hold back a yawn.

Kurt scoffed, then turned to Edge and Christian. "Can you believe--" He stopped again as he saw the two were not-so-subtly trying to hold back their yawns behind his back.

-more to come-

Next: The Storm and his mysterious "system" for Rose's demise roll onward against Rose and his two remaining allies from the Faction, Brick and Rhino, a bunch of "Dead Men Walking."

Afterword: If you have any ideas for who you think the Storm, Rain, Zed & Zeta, Brick or Billy Rose should team up with or go up against, drop me a line at jay_winger_2k@hotmail.com. No need for suggestions for a cap to the Storm/Rose feud, however, as I have something very special planned. Also, if you'd like to send me speculations on where you think I'm going with this story, go right ahead and do so.