"Welcome to Raw is War! Michael Cole here with Jerry Lawler ringside!''

"What a night its goanna be!"

" For our main event tonight, Triple H against Kurt Angle for the number 1 contenders match."

Suddenly, Stephanie's music filled the air. She walked proudly down the isle as the crowd chanted "HUNTERS BITCH! HUNTERS BITCH!"

She simply smiled and grabbed a mic.

"I know all of you hate me, and I don't care. All I care about is Hunter's match tonight. Steve Austin will interfere in his match. The slime that he is, He just cannot himself from meddling into Hunter's business. That is why Hunter and I made a special match for him tonight. After the match, we are sure he will no longer be able to even stand. I know that for all of you simpletons, Steve is the epitome of toughness. You think he is invincible. Well let us see how tough he is after a HANDICAP MATCH!"

The crowd booed her, but she did not flinch. She just had an arrogant smile.

"It will be against Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko."

With that, she dropped the mic and left.

****************

"God damn it!"

Steve paced up and down in his locker room. Seems that the Mcmahons set him up for a handicap match. Him versus Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn. He knew there would be some foul play involved. As if it was not bad enough that he was on the Radicalz blacklist.

Might as well get ready for the match he thought to himself. He took off his clothes and stepped into the shower.

"Maybe I can beat them. I'm in good shape. I'm strong. I'm fit," he thought to himself. He flexed his biceps just to be sure.

He stepped out of the shower. He looked at the small TV monitor in his locker room. He saw the Radicalz saying how they would rip him apart. He just chuckled to himself and shook his head.

"Morons."

He put on his trunks, then his kneepads, then his boots, then his signature vest. He was ready for the match. As ready as could be. Suddenly, Debra burst into the room.

"Steve! I do not want you to show up for that match. They're goanna tear you apart! I just know it. Please Steve. Please."

"Come on hon. Have a little faith in me. "If I don't show up, think about all the fans I'll disappoint. "I can take these jackasses on."

"Please Steve" said Debra as she rubbed his chest. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Don't want me to get hurt?! Hell, I bust my ass every week. Now you don't want me to get hurt. I'm goin' Deb. That's final!"

"Fine then. You are on your own! I'm going back to the hotel!" she said as she stormed out of the room."

She was a good wife, he thought to himself. Beautiful, sexy, caring, smart, and really great in bed. He loved her more than anything. But when it came to the fans, that was something else. He was willing to do anything to please the crowd. He was even sacrificed by the Undertaker once, but he didn't back down from the Undertaker after that. He did it for the fans. He was tough as nails, and could take these guys on.

He stepped out of his locker room. It was like a death march. He noticed he accidentally left his watch on, so he left it in the nearest bathroom. He did not think it would be stolen since the wrestlers used the bathrooms in their locker rooms, and these bathrooms were backstage.

He saw the curtain, and stepped onto the ramp.

***************

"And here's Stone Cold!"

The glass broke and he stepped onto the ramp. The fans cheered for him. You could see Steve Austin signs everywhere. He climbed up the mini stairs and into the ring. He walked to the nearest turnbuckle, climbed up and raised both of his fists. The crowd screamed, and raised their fists in response. He walked to the next three turnbuckles and did the same, and so did the fans. He was clearly a fan favorite. He took off his vest and handed it over to Howard Finkle. Then he walked of to the turnbuckle and waited.

A few seconds of silence, then the Radicalz music started playing. Malenko and Saturn tried to work up the crowd, but all the got were boos. They entered the ring.

Saturn was at Austin first. An exchange of blows, with Austin with the upper hand, then Malenko attacked Austin for Behind. They both cornered him, and stomped him down. Finally, the referee told Malenko to go to his corner. Saturn pick up Austin and whipped him to the turnbuckle across, but Austin reversed and threw Saturn into the corner. He threw some powerful blows at Saturn, and then followed some mud hole stomping. Things were looking up for Steve. He continued to dish out the pain for a whole ten minutes.

Austin gave Saturn a DDT, then he stomped Saturn into the ground. Looks like Malenko had had enough. He stepped into the ring and performed a quick hurricanrana. Austin was knocked out. It gave Saturn some time to tag. Malenko entered the ring and started stomping Austin down. When the referee wasn't looking, he spread Austin's legs apart and gave him a big boot to the groin. Then performed a vicious camel clutch and Saturn entered the ring and kicked him in the face. Blood started to pour out of Austin's forehead. They both stomped on Austin. Saturn set him up for a spike pile driver. Austin's head hit the mat with a sickening thud. Malenko kept on stomping on Austin while Saturn rolled out of the ring, and got a metal chair. Malenko held Austin's arms, then Saturn swung the chair at Austin's head.

Thankfully, Austin ducked. Saturn hit Malenko over the head! Austin thought he had the upper hand, when Saturn struck him over the head with the metal chair. Suddenly, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit appeared. They entered the ring and started beating Austin down. For five agonizing minutes, they tore Austin apart. They gave him some fifteen chair shots all in all. He was within an inch of his life, when Benoit stepped out of the ring. He reached under the ring and pulled out a foldable table. He slid it into the ring.

"What's this?!" screamed Michael Cole.

They set up the table and put Austin on it. Malenko held down Austin feet and Guerrero held Austin's arms above his head. Then Benoit climbed onto one turnbuckle and Perry onto the opposite turnbuckle. They both jumped off the turnbuckles at the same time. Austin's ribs cracked as the combined weight of Benoit and Perry crushed him. His spine was twisted as the table beneath him cracked. And just to add insult to injury, they all spat on his lifeless body, then left. You could hardly recognize the bloody mangled mess that was in the ring. Some paramedics arrived, and pulled Austin out of the ring area on a stretcher.

***************

Austin woke up while still in the arena. He felt a searing pain going through his forehead. They were stitching up the last of his wounds in the arena infirmary.

"Steve? We need to bring you to the hospital. You have fractured ribs."

"I don't need to go to the hospital. Get the hell outta my face."

He was still pissed off that the Radicalz beat him. He didn't want medical assistance. He never did want medical assistance. He believed he was too tough for medical assistance. He stood up and walked out of the infirmary. As he stepped into the hall, he noticed most of the lights were already off. He looked at the clock. It read 1 a.m. Most of the other wrestlers had probably gone home by now. The janitors would be doing the lockup in about an hour.

He went to his locker room. He touched his stomach. Pain shot up and down his stomach. His ribs probably really were fractured. He took off his trunks and the rest of his clothes. He was about to step into the shower, when he remembered his watch.

"Dammit!"

He put on a pair of denim shorts. He didn't even bother to put on any shoes. He wanted to hurry back to the hotel. He had a really long day and wanted the next day to come as soon as possible.

He was on his way to the bathroom, when a pain shot up his foot. He accidentally stepped on a piece of broken glass. He didn't even care about the glass anymore, so he just limped off to the bathroom.

***************

"Hahaha! Did you see the look on his face Chris? Pure terror!"

"Right you are Dean. I can't wait to get my hands on him again! Is he booked for Smackdown this week?"

"Sure fuckin' hope so. God it felt good to kick his ass!"

"Wait up guys. Gotta make a bathroom break."

"C'mon Eddie. Hurry up. You take a bathroom break every thirty minutes!"

"It's late Eddie! I wanna go back to the hotel!"

"Just a minute."

***************

The Radicalz had stayed late that night too. They were celebrating their victory over Austin, and stayed in their locker room until everyone was gone. Everyone, except Steve Austin. They didn't know he was still there. They thought he had gone to the hospital. Fate had decided that the Radicalz would have a piece of Austin sooner. Eddie entered the bathroom, and what he saw made him feel like Christmas had come early.

"Hey guys! Come here quick!" screamed Eddie. The rest of the Radicalz came barging in. There laid Steve Austin. He was on the floor, unconscious. There was blood in his mouth, and blood on the floor beside his face. His injuries to his ribs were worse than expected. He passed out on the floor, coughing out blood. He was more vulnerable than ever.

Benoit told Saturn to get a chair, and some rope. When Perry arrived, they tied a lifeless Austin to the chair. Then they gagged him with a handkerchief. They punched his face until he woke up. When he woke up, they toyed with his mind. They were threatening to kill him right there and then. Austin knew he was in for a world of hurt. They got some of the rope and started whipping his chest with it. Blood started to pour from his chest and stomach. They beat him relentlessly, kicking him in his stomach and face. The cut on his forehead reopened, and he started coughing out blood again. For twenty minutes, they continued this endless cycle of pain. Then they untied him.

"Had enough Steve? Does it hurt bad? Well I guess you'll just have to grin and bear it, cause we're not done with you yet. We're far from done."

They stuck to their promise. They smashed his head against the mirror. He fell backwards, and the back of his head and his back were penetrated by hundreds of broken shards. They stomped on his stomach relentlessly. They took turns practicing their finishers on him. They tied his legs and hands behind his back again. And stomped on the back of his head. When all was said and done, they urinated on the wounds on his chest. When they left, they locked the door of the bathroom behind them, so no one would find him.

When the janitor came to the bathroom for lockup and saw the bathroom was locked, he assumed that the other janitor had locked it. So there Austin lay. A bloody mess on the cold bathroom floor. The Radicalz had left him half dead. He was already pale from blood loss. His blood pressure had steeply dropped. His ribs weren't the only things broken now. Some of the bones in his chest cavity had fractured. He had a serious concussion. The ropes were cutting into his wrists and ankles. Shards of glass were still embedded in his feet and back. He stayed there for the whole night.

***************

Debra was still sad when she woke up in the morning. She really didn't want to fight with Steve. She was just caring for his health. She didn't even watch raw last night on TV because she didn't want to see what would happen to Steve. When he didn't come home that night, she thought he was so angry with her that he decided to stay in another hotel room. She turned on the TV to see if there was something good, but she was horrified to see what was on the news.

A woman was reporting about something that happened in a local sports arena. " Steve Austin, a professional wrestler was found badly injured this morning in the restroom of a local arena. The incident supposedly happened around one to 3 a.m., after the resident doctor advised him he was should be at a hospital. Police investigations are underway as to who performed these grizzly acts. He was found bound with ropes on the floor with massive fractures, and deep lacerations on chest and abdominal area. His pulse was extremely weak when they found him. Traces of urine were found on his wounds. He has not yet regained consciousness and is currently in the intensive care unit at the St. Marian hospital. DNA testing is being performed as to whom the urine belongs. The entire WWF staff has given urine samples to authorities."

Debra didn't even take a shower when she ran out to get a taxi. "To the St. Marian hospital! Hurry please!"

When Debra finally arrived at the hospital, Steve's doctors met up with her.

"How is he?! Is he goanna be okay?!"

"Mrs. Williams, I think we had better step into my office." Said the doctor while bringing her into his office.

"Mrs. Williams, your husband is in the ICU right now. I am sorry ma'am, but we are not sure if Steve will make it. The damage dealt to him would be like if you were to be hit with an 18-wheeler truck. We want to try surgery, but in his condition, the surgery must last under 3 hours, or else we might lose him. With a normal person, that would be easy, but as you know, you husband is a rather well muscled man. Surgery like that would take at least 5 hours. Frankly ma'am, we're surprised he survived the night. Your husband is a very strong man."

Debra was already crying at this point. Both from grief and from anger. Somebody almost killed Steve, her husband. She couldn't imagine the pain he went through last night. He may die any moment, and the last time she saw him was when she argued with him.

"What will happen if we don't operate?"

"Well, his condition won't get any better. It might even get worse, but there is no risk of him dying."

"What if we do operate?"

"If the operation succeeds, he'll be out of the hospital in 6 months. He'll be able to go back to wrestling in a year. If your lucky, then maybe even 9 months. However, there is an 85% chance he won't make it. He might die, but as I said, your husband is a very strong man. Would you like some time to decide?"

"No. My mind's made up. You can operate."

***************

They wheeled Steve into the operating room. Nine surgeons and doctors followed. News cameras were trying to get in, but they were forced to wait outside.

Debra waited patiently. The doctor's words kept echoing in her head. " the surgery must last under 3 hours, or we might lose him." An hour passed, then two. Finally, the third hour passed. She expected them to wheel Steve out of the operating room any minute. But another hour went by. Still nothing. They didn't know of anything that was happening in the operating room.

***************

"You're goanna lose him!"

"No I'm not! I need 12 CC's of metamphetamine!"

"His heart rate is dropping fast!"

"Massage his heart! Quick start sewing!"

"I'm not yet done with the 8th rib!"

"You want him to die?!"

"He's flat lining!

"Get the defibrillator!"

"CLEAR!"

Steve had no more pulse. No more heart rate. They pressed the defibrillator to his lifeless chest, and a massive jolt went through his body. Still nothing. They tried it again, yet still nothing. They tried it a third time, and finally, his heart started again. They cut him open again, and finished the surgery. Debra's patience was rewarded. After 5 agonizing hours, they wheeled Steve out of the operating room and into the recovery room.

The reporters swarmed over the doctors trying to grab an interview.

"How is Mr. Austin now?" asked a reporter.

"We still don't know yet. We almost lost him several times, but thanks to this great crew, he was revived."

"How long will it take till he returns to the WWF?"

"Again, we still don't know. Most likely a year before he returns to the mat."

"How is Mrs. Austin?"

"She would rather not be interviewed right now. She is with her husband in the recovery room and they would like some privacy. Thank you all for coming, and we will notify you once Mr. Austin's condition improves."

***************

Yet again, Steve beat the odds. He only stayed in the hospital for four months. In that time, hundreds of people visited him. Friends, fellow wrestlers, the McMahon family, and relatives. They found out that it was the Radicalz that attacked Steve, but they didn't press charges. They didn't even send the Radicalz to jail. Of course Steve wanted payback, but he wanted it his way. After 3 months of physical therapy, he was as good as new.

When Steve returned to the WWF, there was a huge welcome back party with all of his wrestler friends. WWF basically went back to normal. The Radicalz would steer clear of Steve from fear of his revenge, yet the revenge didn't come after a few months of his return.

***************

"Hey Chris, you think Austin got soft after we attacked him?" asked Perry as the Radicalz drove in their car to Wrestlemania in New York. They had been on the road for a while and now all they could see were endless roads.

"Yeah Chris. I would've thought by now that he would've gotten back at us. Maybe we finally beat some sense into him."

"I sure hope so. You know that maniac. If he gets back at you, then its really ba.." BANG!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something hit their rear end. Looked a lot like a truck.

"What the fuck?! A truck rear ended us!"

"Oh my god! Look who's in the drivers seat!"

Steve got hold of a WWF 18-wheeler truck. And he wasn't transporting any goods. He was mad as hell.

"Oh my GOD! He's gonna kill us!!!!" screamed Dean right before Steve pushed them off the road. Their car flipped several times and finally hit a large tree. Steve slowly passed the twisted wreckage, and threw a tape recorder into the car.

Benoit was just conscious enough to hear the voice recording.

"And that's the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so!"