Lords of Darkness II


That night Commissioner Regal signed a handicapped match for Kane and the Undertaker against Edge, Christian and Rhyno. The team of REC waited in the ring after their entrance. Then, for the second time that night, the lights in the arena went out.

The Undertaker's voice came over the speakers, darkly intoning the words, "Obtentio Exsuperabilis Lumenarium**," and then Kane's pyros went off. The two monsters became visible in the entrance and Edge, Christian and Rhyno all found themselves shivering in fear. Both Kane and the Undertaker were garbed in long, hooded robes. Kane's was a deep maroon while the Undertaker's was pure black.

"Who knows what to expect from these two men," JR said as Kane and the Undertaker slowly made their way to the ring accompanied by the music of haunting Latin chants. "They were devastating enough before, but now they both seem to have embraced a darker side of themselves. What that will mean for the other wrestlers here in the WWF, only time will tell."

"I'll tell you what to expect from these two," Paul Heyman told his commentary partner, "Pain, and lots of it. These two were monsters before, but even monsters have hearts. Kane and the Undertaker, they don't anymore. Now they're just going to absolutely destroy anyone and everyone who gets in their way...or who looks at them funny."

Then the brothers entered the ring and stood in its center. As the original Lord of Darkness, the Undertaker, stood unmoving, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his robe, Kane raised his arms, bringing them down as the ring posts exploded in flames.

"Is it just me, or have Kane's pyros become more...disturbing...lately," Paul commented to no one in particular.

When Kane and the Undertaker turned to remove their robes, Edge, Christian, and Rhyno struck. Christian and Rhyno both ganged up on the Undertaker, while Edge hit Kane from behind. Kane's head bowed slightly under Edge's blows...but only slightly. Quickly regaining his balance, Kane turned slowly around to face Edge, his eyes' amused glint showing through the holes in his mask. Kane then shook his head, chastising Edge for his foolish actions.

"That doesn't look to have been an intelligent move on the part of Edge," JR commented as Edge's face became a disbelieving mask of horror and he started to back away from the monster before him. Kane followed him, stalking his prey after first taking off his robe and throwing it out of the ring.

Meanwhile, Christian and Rhyno were beating up on the Undertaker in another corner of the ring. Taker swiftly pivoted and struck Christian in the jaw with a powerful right cross. Christian momentarily dropped to the canvas, stunned by the punch. Then the Undertaker grabbed Rhyno's neck and threw him into the corner that the Undertaker had been trapped in...briefly. His movements only slightly encumbered by the robe he still wore, the Undertaker attacked Rhyno with a flurry of punches to his head and body.

"This match is just underway and already the Undertaker and Kane have established their authority," JR said as he watched the match unfold. "Kane and Edge are battling on the outside of the ring now. And the Undertaker is single handedly taking care of both Christian and Rhyno."

"That's not all they're doing," Paul piped up from his seat next to JR, "they're sending a message to everybody in the WWF. This is a warning, don't mess with the Lords of Darkness."

As the Undertaker attacked Rhyno, a very woozy Christian had managed to pull himself back up using the ring ropes for support. He tried to pull the Undertaker off Rhyno, but his efforts were futile.

"What is Christian thinking?" Paul asked disbelievingly, "Is he crazy? Just STAY DOWN. Things would go much easier for him if he'd just pretend to be unconscious...or better yet, dead."

"Not exactly the brave thing to do," JR said with disdain.

"Who cares about bravery?" Paul replied, "If I were Christian I would be more concerned with staying alive."

Taker grabbed Christian and threw him into the corner, squishing Rhyno in the process. The Undertaker proceeded to give Christian the same treatment of punches that he had been using to wear down Rhyno. With both men temporarily out of it, the Undertaker removed his own robe and tossed it over the top rope.

Kane finally caught up with Edge halfway up the entrance ramp. The two men exchanged blows as the Undertaker roughly threw Christian out of the ring. Taker then grabbed Rhyno by the neck and, lifting him several inches off the ring floor, proceeded to choke him. When the referee tried to intervene Taker merely removed one of his hands from around Rhyno's neck and violently shoved the referee to the canvas and then out of the ring itself.

"Is everyone in the WWF suicidal?" Paul yelled incredulously, "First Christian, now Teddy Long. Just let the Undertaker do what he wants, for crying out loud. It's not like anybody's going to be able to stop him anyway!"

"That man was just doing his job," JR protested, "The Undertaker had no right to throw him around like that."

"You're right, JR," Paul sarcastically agreed. "Now why don't you go tell him that to his face?"

"I don't think so," was all JR said.

In a desperate attempt to help Rhyno, Christian grabbed a steel chair and reentered the ring. The Undertaker saw him approaching from the corner of his eye, however, and at the last minute moved out of the way of the rapidly descending chair. Not having time to stop his blow, Christian wound up hitting Rhyno over the head with the chair, causing him to drop bonelessly to the ground as the Undertaker released his grasp on Rhyno's neck.

Christian again tried to hit the Undertaker with the chair, but Taker raised his foot and kicked the chair back into Christian's face, sending both Christian and the chair to the canvas. The Undertaker picked up the discarded chair and moved to strike the helpless Christian with it, but the referee had reentered the ring and once again got in the Undertaker's way, this time trying to take the chair away from Taker. Easily overpowering the smaller man, the Undertaker altered his strike and nailed the referee instead. With no one left to stop him, Taker proceeded to hit Christian repeatedly with the chair, striking the younger man's head, shoulders, and back repeatedly.

"That's just wrong," said JR, "We need to get somebody out here to stop this. It isn't a wrestling match, it's just an all out assault."

In spite of JR's pleas, however, no one came to stop the Undertaker. Only when it was apparent that Christian was unconscious did the Undertaker end his attack.

When the Undertaker turned to go back to where he had left Rhyno lying he was surprised to find himself on the receiving end of a gore.

"Gore, gore, gore!" Paul screamed into his microphone. "The man-beast, Rhyno, has finally managed to mount some offense against the Undertaker, goring the man from the Dark Side!"

Shocking the crowd, announcers, and himself, Rhyno actually managed to take the Undertaker down. For all of two seconds. No sooner had the Undertaker landed on the canvas than he was already moving to get back up, seemingly unphased by Rhyno's most devastating move. The Undertaker kicked Rhyno in the stomach as the shorter man tried to get to the chair, which had fallen from the Undertaker's hands when he had been gored. Taker softened Rhyno up with several more kicks, then forced Rhyno into position for the last ride. Lifting the man-beast high above his head, the Undertaker brought him down with incredible force directly onto the steel chair.

"Oh my God!" JR cried, "A last ride onto a steel chair! Things aren't looking good for Rhyno."

During this time, Edge and Kane had continued their fight, eventually reaching the top of the ramp. While the two men exchanged blows, HHH and Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared in the entrance with chairs in the hands.

"What are those two doing here?" JR asked in disgust, "They're not even scheduled to wrestle tonight."

"I'd say trying to take out the competition," Paul responded dryly. "Obviously another brilliant plan from HHH, attacking Kane when he and the Undertaker are occupied with Edge, Christian, and Rhyno."

"A brilliant cowardly plan," JR grumbled, "look at them, trying to sneak up behind Kane with those chairs."

"Wouldn't you?" Paul retorted.

Sneaking up behind Kane, the two men simultaneously hit him on either side of his head with the chairs. Kane just tilted his head to the side, as if he had been bitten by an annoying insect and was trying to determine which way it had flown so that he could exact revenge. Kane turned to face his attackers. While his evil grin was hidden behind his mask, his eyes and posture, as always incredibly expressive, gave his dark intent away as he glared menacingly at his two enemies.

"Does nothing phase that man?" Paul protested "He just got hit with a conchairto and you'd think that it tickled from the way he's acting! That monster just gets scarier the longer I watch him!"

HHH and Austin took a long look at Kane. Then they looked at one another, disbelief and panic on their faces. Then they looked back at Kane. Then they dropped their chairs and ran.

"That may have been the smartest thing I've seen those two do," JR said, a smile on his face as he watched the Power Trip running away with their tails between their legs.

"Exactly!" Paul agreed, "They accomplished what they set out to do, they distracted Kane from his match. There was no reason for them to stay."

"Especially since Kane was about to kick their asses," JR retorted.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Paul claimed, a righteous anger in his voice.

Kane started after HHH and Austin, but Edge attacked him from behind, diverting his attention from the Two Man Power Trip. Kane shrugged dismissively, knowing that sooner or later he'd get his hands on the two men, and returned his attention to Edge. As Kane turned, Edge tried to hit a spear, but Kane recognized the fact and moved aside. Edge ran into the metal framework of the entryway, opening a long cut above his right eyebrow. As he staggered away from the frame Kane sent him to the ground hard with a devastating clothesline.

"What a clothesline!" JR cried, "What a powerful, powerful clothesline!"

Kane still wasn't satisfied. Thinking back on all the times Edge and Christian had made fun of him, calling him a burnt freak, a retard, and other disparaging insults, he decided further retribution was in order. Kane roughly jerked Edge onto his feet and walked over to the edge of the stage on which the two had been fighting. Kane looked down onto the hard concrete floor twenty feet below where he and Edge stood. Once again a dark grin broke out on his masked face, and he positioned Edge's body for a tombstone.

"Oh no!" JR yelled as he saw what Kane was doing, "He wouldn't! That's got to be at least a twenty foot drop to the concrete floor under the stage. That could kill Edge if he's tombstoned onto it. Even Kane can't be that evil a monster!"

Edge, realization of Kane's plan finally getting through his muddled mind, began to struggle feebly, but it was to late. Kane jumped off the stage, tombstoning Edge, driving his head into the concrete far below.

"Wanna bet?" Paul responded to JR's comment, an awed tone shadowing his usual smugness.

Shaking off the effects the fall had had on him, Kane stood and threw Edge's broken, motionless body over his shoulder and made his way towards the ring. Kane didn't relinquish his trophy until he got back into the ring. Then he casually threw Edge's body on top of those of Rhyno and Christian.

The Undertaker looked up at his brother and nodded. Kane lifted his arms in the air and the ring posts once again erupted in fire. As their music once again played, the two Lords of Darkness slowly made their way out of the arena, leaving behind four bloody, broken bodies.

"I think that Kane and the Undertaker just declared war on the WWF," Paul Heyman commented to the stunned JR, "and it doesn't look like they're taking any prisoners."