The Counter-Invasion
By: Jay Winger
Timeline Note: This chapter picks up the Thursday after the last one.
Teaser: Now it's clear that The Storm and Austin will collide at Wrestlemania, but will either of them make it there?
Rating: R - for violence and profanity
Disclaimer: All things WWF and WCW are property of WWE, Inc. All things ECW are property of whomever the frell owns ECW. All things CIW are property of me. The characters of "The Storm" Matthew Skinner, Claire "Rain" Whittaker, Billy Rose, Brad "Brick" Dickerson, the band Cold Steel, et al. are also my property. Please ask before you use them. Lyrics from "Defy You" by Offspring are used without permission.
Previously: The Alliance leadership discussed strategy in their limo on the way to the arena, with Shane claiming to have an excellent idea to tear the WWF apart. Vince McMahon had a meeting with Commissioner Regal, Billy Rose, and Jenny Black, decrying Regal's decision to give the Alliance a fair shot at the Women's Title, as well as the breakdown of relations within the WWF and CIW. Rose assured him that he could outthink the Alliance. At the top of the show, The Storm called out Austin to answer for attacking him the previous Thursday. Instead, Shane came out, then called out the Gemini. He then booked a #1 contender's match for the WCW Title, between Austin and Rhyno, before booking The Storm in a WCW Title defense against the Gemini -- with the added stipulation that if he won, he wouldn't have to defend his title again until Wrestlemania. The Gemini initially refused the match, until Shane said they could face The Storm or put their titles on the line against the Dudleys. The Gemini then accepted. Rose came out next, saying he'd been empowered to book a few matches: the Dudleys in a WWF Tag Title Table Match against Undertaker & Kane, RVD in a Hardcore Title defense against Victor E, and Triple H in a WWF Title Match against Kurt Angle. Mighty Molly def. Dee Meaner with some help from The Hurricane to advance in the Women's Title Tournament. Regal def. Lance Storm. Christian came out to gripe about being booed and chanted at rudely, getting sympathy from X-Pac on the matter. Edge then came out to rag on them both before getting jumped by Albert. The Z-Men made the save from the three-way beating. The Storm def. The Gemini thanks to a double chokeslam from Undertaker & Kane to retain the WCW Championship. Rob Van Dam def. Victor E with the Five-Star Frog Splash to retain the Hardcore Championship. The Dudleys def. Undertaker & Kane thanks to an assist from the Gemini to retain the WWF Tag Titles. Triple H def. Kurt Angle through the use of his sledgehammer to retain the WWF Championship. Stone Cold def. Rhyno with a Stunner to become #1 Contender to the WCW Championship. The Storm promptly ran out and hit Austin with his belt, standing over him as the show went off the air.
FYI: List of Champions:
WWF World - Triple H (WECW) / WCW World - The Storm (WWF)
Intercontinental - Christian (WWF) / U.S. - Victor E (CIW)
WWF Tag - Dudley Boyz (WECW) / WCW Tag - The Gemini (CIW)
Light-Heavyweight - X-Pac (WWF) / Cruiserweight - Billy Kidman (WECW)
European - vacant / Women's - vacant / Hardcore - Rob Van Dam (WECW)
Chapter 26: Internal Friction
Thursday: Smackdown, March 6 - 17 days to Wrestlemania
Things were fairly harmonious in the Alliance, with everyone mostly getting along and plotting the downfall of the WWF. The leadership of the Alliance -- Triple H, the McMahon Siblings, and Paul Heyman -- had done its job well in that regard.
The WWF, on the other hand, was in dire straits. Even with Billy Rose and Commissioner Regal doing everything they could to try and maintain order, the fact remained that there were too many egos colliding and too many people angry at one another, leading to heinous attacks, such as The Storm attacking Stone Cold after his match on Monday. Edge and Christian, one of the longest-running tag teams in the company -- and brothers, even -- had split up and were at each other's throats. The Undertaker and Kane were at odds with the Gemini.
Regal and Rose had called an emergency meeting of the WWF and CIW locker rooms. Regal had the Big Show backing him up, just as Rose had Brick do the same. In their respective organization's meeting, they both made the same statement: "We're in the middle of a war here, and the last thing we need is dissention in the ranks." Not everybody agreed to this -- notably Austin, The Storm, the Brothers of Destruction, and Edge. (Christian, for his part, looked decidedly smug about something.)
Nonetheless, the show opened mostly without a hitch. Just to clear out some of the bad air between the WWFers and CIWers, the first match was a six-man tag between Edge & the Z-Men against Christian & X-Factor. X-Pac started in the ring with Zed. The former 1-2-3 Kid started off by demonstrating some of his martial arts skills -- and then Zed started off by demonstrating some of his boxing skills by flattening X-Pac with a single punch. He continued bringing the pain by walloping on X-Pac for a while, then delivered a pendulum backbreaker for a two-count. He sent the greasy-haired wrestler into the ropes, but missed a clothesline and got a spin kick to the jaw for his trouble. He delivered a few hard blows, which failed to faze Zed much, then his whip into the ropes was reversed, allowing the ex-boxer to hit a powerslam for another two-count.
Zed went over and tagged in Zeta, who helped him whip X-Pac into the corner for a do-si-do corner clothesline by Zeta. The X-Factor member fell to the mat for an elbow drop by the Z-Man, who then covered for a near-fall. He delivered a forearm, then a neckbreaker for another two-count. Getting frustrated, Zeta went off the ropes, but Christian raised his knee up as the blue-streaked-haired Z-Man did so, distracting him into knocking Christian off the apron. X-Pac flew in with a forearm, then came off the ropes into a kick by Zeta. He then started to set him up for the Code Blue, but Albert came in with a bicycle kick to the back of the head to stop it. Referee Jimmy Korderas was busy trying to get Zed and Edge calmed down as Albert stomped away on Zeta in the corner. He delivered a big headbutt, then let X-Pac get a few shots in before going to distract Korderas some more, allowing Christian to choke Zeta and X-Pac to continue delivering sharp blows.
Finally, Albert, who was now considered the legal man, pulled Zeta out of the corner and delivered a stalling butterfly suplex for -- surprisingly -- a two-count. Pissed off, the bald-headed muscleman sent him into the ropes, then roared as he delivered a blunt clothesline. Then, he ran over and gave a few quick shots to the face corner to distract them and the referee, only to get a nasty dropkick to the chin when he turned back to Zeta.
Now both men were down, with Edge reaching for the tag. Zeta crawled to his feet and lunged to make the tag, smacking the Canadian's hand. Edge hit the ring, taking down a charging X-Pac with a clothesline, another, a pair of right hands for Albert. He turned around and ducked a spin kick from the other X-Factor member, then grabbed his jaw from behind and took him down with the Edge-o-Matic. He started pounding on X-Pac in the corner, then jumped out of the way as he heard Albert's telltale "Yaaaaaagh!" from behind, leaving X-Pac to take the brunt of the "Albertlanche," as Jim Pickett dubbed it. Edge gave a pair of elbow smashes, then stepped aside as Zed came in to deliver the Z-Slam to X-Pac.
Christian snuck in the ring, but then Edge spun around to face him. Just as quickly, the "deranged maestro" froze in place. Albert grabbed Edge and pressed him up, but the Canadian squirmed free and landed on his feet. He came off the ropes, ducked under Albert's clothesline, then speared his brother to the mat. Albert grabbed him real quickly, but then Zeta ran in and bulldogged Albert's big head to the mat, then kicked Christian out of the ring. Zed took X-Pac outside as Zeta did the same with Christian. Back in the ring, Edge kicked Albert in the stomach, grabbed his head, hooked the tights, and delivered the Buzz Killer DDT for the three-count and the win.
* * *
Mr. McMahon, Commissioner Regal, and Billy Rose looked at the other two men in the room, both of whom were glaring at the other. Matthew Skinner wore his WCW Title on his shoulder over a plain black T-Shirt, and his glare was currently fixed on Stone Cold Steve Austin, who glared back. Austin wore an Austin 3:16 shirt. Vince paced back and forth as he looked at the two glaring men.
"All right, look," Vince said finally, stopping so he could address both men. "Tonight you two are tag-team partners against Triple H and Rhyno. Now I know you two are scheduled to face each other at Wrestlemania, and try as I might, I can't get that match cancelled."
"The important thing here," Rose started to say, "is that we're in the middle of an invasion--" He was cut off, however, as The Storm shot him a venomous look which shut him up.
Regal picked up the thought. "We're in the middle of an invasion, gentlemen, and this is precisely what the Alliance wants -- for the WWF and CIW to tear themselves apart with in-fighting."
Mr. McMahon glowered at them. "Now if you two come to blows during your match tonight, then I will suspend you both for six months without pay, and Storm's title will be stripped from him -- something that I don't want to happen, and something I imagine you don't want to happen either, am I right, Storm?"
The Storm merely nodded at that, his gaze returning to Austin's. He finally spoke. "No sweat, Vince. I could win this match by myself, even if my partner is a bald-headed, in-bred, slack-jawed redneck who's killed all his brain cells with beer."
Austin cocked his head slightly. "What?"
Skinner smirked slightly. "Deaf, too."
"What?" "I said deaf, too." "What?" "Deaf and stupid." "What?" "Hey, Austin, amoronsayswhat."
Austin responded to that setup with a middle finger. The Storm scowled. The Rattlesnake sneered. "You think I'm that stupid, Storm? What? Listen here, ya yella-bellied som'bitch, you may be the WCW Champion--"
"Damn straight I am."
"--but tonight you're teaming up with a former WWF Champion -- a real champion. So tonight, you follow my lead." Austin raised a knuckle to tap the belt on The Storm's shoulder, but Skinner grabbed his wrist before contact was made.
"Keep your goddamn hands off my belt," he growled. "And watch what you say about my damn title. This is a real title, Steve, maybe more real than the WWF title." He glanced to Vince. "No offense, Vinnie."
Regal cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, you're excused."
The Storm glanced at him, then back at Austin before nodding his head at the door. "After you."
Austin nodded the same way. "After you."
Skinner's eyes narrowed. "I asked you first."
Austin shrugged. "I asked you second."
The Storm sneered. "Well, I'm staying."
Austin smirked. "I'm staying."
"Fine, then. Stay." "I will stay."
Frowning, Skinner folded his arms, only to have Austin do the same thing a moment later. Neither man was giving an inch. Vince sat heavily at the desk and massaged his scalp with his fingers as Regal and Rose shared weary looks.
* * *
Another match that night was a U.S. Title match between the defending champion Victor E and the uber-popular Alliance superstar, Rob Van Dam. After the Hardcore Champion successfully defended his title against Victor the preceding Raw, it was decided by the Alliance leadership that because RVD had scored a pinfall on the U.S. Champion, he should get a title shot. So the match was made.
Van Dam came out the early aggressor, kicking away at Victor's arms and knees, trying to weaken him and prevent him from scoring the Victory Slam. The CIWer, however, continually kicked out and eventually built momentum against RVD, starting to take the match back for himself. He worked the legs of the Whole F'n Show, to limit his moveset and hopefully to set up the Jaws of Defeat.
Then Van Dam accidentally took out the referee with a second-rope martial arts kick, allowing him to slam Victor and land the Rolling Thunder. But, seeing the ref knocked out, RVD went outside and brought in a steel chair. He held it up, then waited for the Victorious One to stand up and face him. Once the CIWer did so, RVD tossed him the chair and then went for the Van Daminator. Victor had it scouted, however, and ducked the kick, pivoting around to brain him with the chair before placing it on the mat and lifting RVD up. He set him up for a pumphandle, swinging him up into a fireman's carry before swinging him out into a flapjack straight onto the chair -- the Victory Slam.
Victor disposed of the chair and hooked a leg just as the referee recovered. 1... 2... 3, and Victor E retained his title. He stood up and reclaimed his belt, then posed on the ropes. As he stepped back down, he saw Van Dam sitting up, stretching out his neck. The two superstars met each other's eyes, then stared each other down. Victor frowned, as if thinking about something, then held out his hand. RVD looked at it, then accepted it, shaking his hand. Mutual respect.
* * *
Backstage, Edge was talking with the Z-Men. "Thanks again for your help, dudes."
"No problem, man," Zed replied. "Anything to get one over on those stupid X-Factor pricks."
"Yeah," Zeta added. "We can't stand X-Puke or YaaaaaaaaaAlbert either."
Edge grinned. "Yeah, but at least Albert's wearing a shirt."
Zeta nodded, smirking as well. "Yeah. Hairy-Back Man ain't showing off his Bigfoot heritage."
Edge was about to reply when something rang in his bag. He pulled out his cell phone and answered it. "Hello?" He blinked, then paled before saying, "Yeah, I'll be right there. Th-thanks." He looked shaken as he put the phone away and grabbed his luggage. "I gotta... I gotta go. Talk to you later." He rushed off, leaving the Z-Men quite puzzled.
* * *
"Christian!" The Intercontinental Champion looked up from his belt, which he was currently polishing, to see Edge running up to him. Christian dropped the belt and raised his fists. Edge shook his head. "No, listen, there's no time for that. The police just called me. Mom's been in an accident. We gotta go."
"What?" Christian said. "Why didn't they call me first?"
"Look, this isn't about you!" Edge bristled. "Mom's been in an accident! Let's go!"
The two brothers started walking. "I can't believe this," Christian muttered.
"Me neither," Edge said, still a little shaken. "We can be... we can be there in four hours... if we hurry. Come on."
As they approached the door to the parking lot, however, they were accosted by Kanyon, Hugh Morrus, and Chuck Palumbo. Morrus sneered. "Hey, boys, what's the hurry? Going somewhere?"
Edge, in no mood to be detained, shoved him back. "I don't have time for you! I--" Then Christian suddenly hit him in the back of the head with his title belt. Edge toppled forward, dropping his bags, and the three Alliance members pounced, beating on him and throwing him into the wall. Edge was completely helpless as Palumbo and Kanyon held Edge's arms as Christian slapped him in the face.
"You know something, Edge?" The 'deranged maestro' sneered. "You make me sick!" Then he smirked evilly. "There was an accident, Edge. Twenty-nine years ago -- when Mom gave birth to you!" He sneered again, then drove his belt into Edge's forehead, knocking him out.
* * *
At the Alliance VIP Room, Shane, Stephanie, and Heyman all looked at this. The Siblings looked surprised, while Heyman chortled. "Oh, this is just too good!" He laughed again, then turned to Shane and Steph as he stood up. With a wide grin, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, despite the fact that the man is... merely a Canadian... I wanna be the first to announce to the world that the Alliance has a new member -- and the newest member of the Alliance is the Intercontinental Champion -- CHRISTIAN!"
* * *
After this incident, the next match of the Women's Title Tournament took place between Trish Stratus and the turncoat diva, Ivory. Trish was very much the underdog in the match, being as that she had little prior wrestling experience, and that Ivory was a former champion herself. Nonetheless, the former fitness model surprised everyone, including Ivory, when she actually busted out a few wrestling moves and managed to score several nearfalls early.
Ivory, however, was the veteran, and managed to take the momentum back, wearing down the blond-haired Canadian diva. Then, just as Ivory was about to put her away with the Poison Ivory, Trish shoved Ivory back into the ropes and kicked her in the head with a stiff savate kick. As the traitor got back up, Trish kicked her in the gut, then grabbed her by the head. She ran to the ropes, braced her feet on the top rope, then pushed off and turned around, bringing Ivory's head back down in a springboard bulldog, which Michael Cole dubbed the "Stratusfaction." Following this, she made the cover and got the pinfall to advance into the semifinals.
Following the match, Trish quickly left the ring and retreated up the ramp as an angered Ivory got up and attempted to attack her. The former fitness model just grinned and raised her hand in the air in victory.
* * *
Victor E was walking through the halls as he headed back for the CIW locker room, mopping his face and neck with a towel, his U.S. Title draped over his shoulder. Part-way there, he found himself braced by a pair of identically-clad wrestlers. Both had WCW Tag Team Championship belts draped over their shoulder, and one of them had tattoos on his upper arms. Victor glanced up. "Castor, Pollux," he said by way of greeting.
"Well, well, well, Cas, lookit what we got here," Pollux said. "It's Victor E."
Castor nodded. "The Victorious One."
"Mr. Always Triumphant," the tattooed Twin added.
"The last CIW Champion," the Twin with the educated feet threw in.
Then they both reached out and rapped their knuckles on his title belt. "The U.S. Champion," they said in unison.
"What do you guys want?" Victor asked.
"Correct us if we're wrong," Castor said, "but did we just see you shaking hands with Rob Van Dam?"
"Y'know, Mr. Alliance Dude?" Pollux put in.
"The guy who's always pointing to himself?" Castor jerked his thumb at himself in mockery of the "thumbs" gimmick.
"Yeah, what about it?" Victor said.
"He's the enemy," Pollux said bluntly. "In case you forgot."
"So what?" Victor said. "I showed the guy a little respect. He gave me a decent fight. He's got the skills."
"Not tryin' to get in good with the Alliance, are ya?" Cas said darkly.
"Plotting to turn traitor on us or something?" Pol growled.
Victor stared at them. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the two who've been picking fights with `Taker and Kane?"
The Twins narrowed their eyes. "What are you implying?" they said in unison.
"Oh, nothing, it just seems (a) pretty damn stupid to pick a fight with the baddest tag-team in the Fed, and (b) awfully suspicious that you'd do it, almost like you want to cause the Coalition to fall apart." Victor adjusted his belt on his shoulder, looking a bit smug.
The Gemini narrowed their eyes at him, skewering him with a twin glare before stepping back and out of his path. Victor walked past them, keeping his eyes on them until he rounded the corner and left. The Twins stared after him for a moment, then they both turned and marched down the corridor for the ring.
* * *
"We're being joined here at ringside by the reigning WCW Tag Champions, Castor and Pollux, the Gemini," Michael Cole said as the Twins took the additional headsets down next to Jim Pickett, who sat on Cole's right. To the WWF announcer's left was the Alliance's mouthpiece, Tazz. "Castor, Pollux, glad to have you with us."
"Yeah," Castor said as he put his headset on, "sure, whatever."
"What my brother means to say," Pollux explained as he also donned a headset and sat down at the same time as his twin, "is we're just out here to scout some talent, see whether or not any of these morons deserve to share the ring with the Gemini."
"What are you two idiots talkin' about?" Tazz interjected. "You got lucky when you beat Kane and Undertaker. You're lucky to be alive right now."
"My unfortunate broadcast colleague's viewpoint aside," Pickett spoke up, "I think it's great that CIW has helped win a few key battles -- not to mention belts! -- for the WWF/CIW Coalition. We hold the U.S. Title, thanks to Victor E! We hold the WCW Tag Titles, thanks to the Gemini! We hold the WCW World Title, thanks to The Storm!"
"All very excellent points, Pick, indeed, but I will point out that The Storm has made it quite clear he's not affiliating himself with CIW," Cole put in.
"Ah, yes, that is true," Pickett admitted. "But he is an alum of CIW, and that's close enough for me."
By this point, the match -- which was for the WWF Tag Titles -- was underway, with the champions, the Dudleys, facing off against their perennial rivals, the Hardys. The match itself was nothing special off the bat, the usual outing between the two "extreme" teams. (One called 'extreme' because of their heritage, the other such because of their lifestyle.) The Dudleys got the momentum after the early going and started to pick Jeff Hardy apart with some smart tag-team work, isolating him while Matt tried desparately to get the tag.
The Gemini had much to say in favor of the masters of the tables, again showing that the two champion teams might be kindred spirits, enemies by allegiance only. Castor even admitted at one point, "Hey, if we weren't in the middle of an invasion right now, we could get along with the Dudleys." To which Pollux added, "`Course, since there's only room for one dominant tag-team, we'd have to kick their ass to show `em whose boss."
These words, however, could not have been spoken sooner, as Kane & Undertaker appeared on the ramp, where they just stood and watched the match, and more importantly, their newfound rivals in the Gemini. Kane adjusted his glove threateningly and flicked his hair out of his eyes, while Taker folded his arms and just glared menacingly. The Gemini both stood up in unison at the announce table, picking their title belts up off the desk and putting them on their shoulders, just glaring back.
In the ring, the Dudleys were thrown off by the sudden appearance of the Brothers of Destruction, which allowed Jeff to hit his reverse enzuigiri mulekick on Bubba Ray and lunge to tag in Matt. The dark-haired Hardy took it to the Dudleys, hitting his side headlock takedown -- which he called the "Side Effect" -- on D-Von and then ducking a clothesline from Bubba. The overweight Dudley got a shot in the gut, followed by a Twist of Fate. D-Von got up and clobbered him from behind, but then Jeff came flying back in, crashing into D-Von and taking him over the top rope.
The Gemini ripped off their headsets, moving around the ring -- away from the action, where Jeff and D-Von were fighting -- to advance toward the Brothers of Destruction. Referee Mike Sparks left the ring and quickly interceded, keeping the two non-involved tag-teams from starting a fight that could spill into the ring. This, however, started to go awry as D-Von sent Jeff into the barricade, then climbed to the top rope as Bubba slammed Matt and held him down for the Sans-Wassap Drop. D-Von started to go for the tables, but as he started to pull it out from under the ring, Jeff Hardy recovered and began his trademark "rail-run" clothesline by running along the barricade toward him.
D-Von Dudley, however, had the move well scouted by now and ducked out of the way, so Jeff ended up plowing into the Gemini, who went sprawling on the floor, only to get up, severely pissed off. Sparks was busy trying to restrain Taker and Kane from getting involved, and so didn't see Pol clock D-Von in the head with his title and Cas nearly take Jeff's head off with a big boot. The Gemini then started fighting up the ramp with the Brothers, who eagerly returned the brawling, while poor Sparks turned around and tried to figure out what happened with Jeff and D-Von.
In the ring, Bubba was being chopped in the corner by Matt Hardy, who finally pulled him out and set him up for a Twist of Fate. After delivering it, Matt went up to the second rope for his "guns" legdrop. D-Von, however, had managed to recover from the title-belt shot -- not without a little twitching and wooziness, however -- and cut him off. He set Matt up on the top rope and grabbed him around the waist, lifting him up and back -- straight into Bubba's waiting grasp for a top-rope "super 3-D!" Sparks slid back in the ring to count the pinfall. 1... 2... 3!
The Dudley Boyz eagerly collected their championship belts back, then turned to look toward the Gemini, who seemed to be on even footing with Taker and Kane. Finally, the Twins managed to get the Dead Man off their back by sending him face-first into the steel structure of the Smackdown! set. That just left Kane, who was looking a little dizzy after getting a belt across the noggin. The CIWers took him toward the edge of the stage, where Pollux looked to whip him away from the edge, only to hold on, pull him back, then suddenly lift him high, pivoting around as Castor stepped in to take hold of Kane and help his brother deliver a vicious Twin Terror Bomb -- off the stage and into the electrical equipment!
The crowd gasped in surprise, bright sparks flying off the equipment as Kane writhed in agony, deep, guttural bellows of pain coming from the masked freak. The Gemini sneered down at him, then turned and quickly stomped on Undertaker as he struggled to get back up from his face-first meeting with the steel structure. At the bottom of the ramp, the Dudleys -- who had been advancing on the Twins with ill intent -- stopped, looking with shock at the decimated form of the Big Red Machine. The Gemini turned to face them, smirking, then both raised their titles in unison to a massive boos from the audience.
Now no one could deny it -- by taking out Kane in such a vicious and brutal manner, Castor & Pollux had proved they were indeed a force to be reckoned with.
* * *
In the VIP Room, both Vince McMahon and Billy Rose were furious at the actions of the Twins. "What the hell are they doing!?" they both yelled at the same time.
"I told them not to pick a fight with them!" Rose shouted.
"They just took out one of our biggest wrestlers!" Vince screamed at him. "How could you let this happen!?"
"Me?!" Rose shouted back. "What were Taker and Kane even doing out there?! They provoked Cas and Pol by showing themselves!"
Commissioner Regal spoke up. "Perhaps if you could both just--"
"Shut up!" Rose and McMahon both roared at him before turning to look at each other. Vince spoke first, shoving his finger in the CIW mastermind's face. "You'd better get them under control, or I might just have to cut CIW out of this altogether!"
"You can't cut us out!" Rose snapped. "CIW is the only thing standing between the WWF and total defeat by the Alliance! In spite of these little territorial squabbles between our guys, we're winning! We hold their three top championships: the Tag Titles, the U.S. Title, and the World Title!"
"And now they hold our three top championships!" Vince snapped back. "They hold our Tag Titles, they hold our World Title, and now -- thanks to Christian betraying us -- they hold the Intercontinental Title too!" Rose frowned, as Vince had him there. The Chairman pressed on: "The Alliance isn't having all these problems like we are! We're on the verge of falling apart, and it's all thanks to you!"
"Hey, this isn't all my fault!" the Californian protested. "Christian's been bitter about Edge's success for months now, it was only a matter of time before he snapped completely -- we just didn't expect him to snap at such an inopportune time, or to drag X-Factor into all this. As for Austin and Skinner..." He shook his head. "Neither I nor CIW had anything to do with his going insane like this. That is all thanks to the Alliance."
Vince dropped back in his chair, grumbling as the CIW ringleader continued: "Ever since he won the WCW World Title, Skinner hasn't been himself. He's obsessed with that belt -- you saw him in here earlier! He wouldn't even let Austin touch it. And the Alliance has been doing everything it can to try and take that title away from him. You expect any man to stay stable under that sort of pressure, much less someone with a history of psychotic episodes like Matthew Skinner?"
Regal nodded, speaking up again, judging that he wouldn't be yelled at this time. "I wouldn't put it past the Alliance to try and increase the tension between Mr. Skinner and Mr. Austin between now and Wrestlemania, just to try and further disrupt things here in the WWF."
Rose and McMahon shared horrified looks. That was exactly the sort of thing that Shane, Stephanie, and Heyman would pull.
* * *
In the main event match between Triple H & Rhyno against The Storm & Stone Cold, there was more than just "tension" between the WWF team members. It was beyond "so thick you could cut it with a knife." It was now in the range of "you could cut it with a chainsaw." The tags between Austin and Skinner were fierce and sharp, and once or twice they would deliver a knife-edge chop in lieu of a simple slap of the hand. Sometimes it looked like they might come to blows in mid-match, only to be kept from doing it by Mr. McMahon's threat of suspension.
Helmsley and Rhyno, on the other hand, were working smoothly as a unit, soon isolating The Storm, who in spite of his recently developed taste for pain, was in dire straits, as no amount of his incredible resilience or brawling ability enabled him to reverse the momentum long enough to make the tag. Austin paced impatiently on the apron, reaching out his hand whenever Skinner got enough of a break to crawl to the corner, only to be denied as either Triple H or the Man-Beast would drag him away again.
Finally, The Storm was locked in a bearhug by Rhyno, who shook him back and forth like a rag doll, trying to squeeze the breath out of him. Austin was pounding the turnbuckle, rallying the crowd behind the WWF team as Skinner looked to be fading in the ECWer's grip. Just as the referee went to check on him, however, the Force of Nature suddenly stood upright, face alight with savage intensity. He pushed Rhyno's head back, then grabbed him by the ears, twisting, digging his nails into the skin. With a pained yell, Rhyno released him, grabbing at the hands holding his ears. The Storm hooked him and delivered a snap suplex, then turned onto his belly and crawled for Austin again.
Finally, The Storm made the hot tag, and the Rattlesnake hit the ring, fresh as a daisy, but smelling of beer and thus not nearly as good. He started throwing around punches and clotheslines like they were going out of style. He caught Triple H as he got back up, kicking him in the stomach and setting him up for a Stunner when he caught sight of Rhyno charging for the Gore. Austin stepped aside and let the Game take the shoulder tackle, then kicked Rhyno before giving him a Stunner.
Austin covered Triple H, the legal man, but Rhyno had enough senses left to kick the referee to disrupt the count. The Storm came barreling in and caught the Man-Beast with a flying low dropkick to the face that sent him out of the ring. Austin pulled Triple H up and gave him a Stunner for good measure, then covered again as The Storm stomped Rhyno off the apron. 1... 2... 3! The WWF team won, just barely.
The Storm and Stone Cold got their hands raised by the referee, but then Austin shoved Earl Hebner away and turned to The Storm. Before Skinner could react, the Bionic Redneck kicked him in the stomach, then pivoted and dropped him in the Stunner. He went flying off his feet, landing on the mat with a crash as Stone Cold stood over him, flipping him the double bird before calling for the beer. As he did so, he also grabbed the WCW Championship belt. He held it in one hand and one of his opened beers in the other. He held it over The Storm's body, toasted the belt, then dropped it on him before toasting the crowd and drinking his beer.
The final image before Smackdown! went off the air was Stone Cold standing on the ramp, beers in hand, facing the ring as The Storm's furious visage snarled on the TitanTron.
more to come-
Next: Stone Cold stepped up the conflict, but how will The Storm retaliate as the Coalition continues to crumble?
If you have any ideas for possible feuds/relationships for any of my characters, drop me a line at jay_winger_2k@hotmail.com.
-=Jay 2K Winger=-
May 6, 2003
By: Jay Winger
Timeline Note: This chapter picks up the Thursday after the last one.
Teaser: Now it's clear that The Storm and Austin will collide at Wrestlemania, but will either of them make it there?
Rating: R - for violence and profanity
Disclaimer: All things WWF and WCW are property of WWE, Inc. All things ECW are property of whomever the frell owns ECW. All things CIW are property of me. The characters of "The Storm" Matthew Skinner, Claire "Rain" Whittaker, Billy Rose, Brad "Brick" Dickerson, the band Cold Steel, et al. are also my property. Please ask before you use them. Lyrics from "Defy You" by Offspring are used without permission.
Previously: The Alliance leadership discussed strategy in their limo on the way to the arena, with Shane claiming to have an excellent idea to tear the WWF apart. Vince McMahon had a meeting with Commissioner Regal, Billy Rose, and Jenny Black, decrying Regal's decision to give the Alliance a fair shot at the Women's Title, as well as the breakdown of relations within the WWF and CIW. Rose assured him that he could outthink the Alliance. At the top of the show, The Storm called out Austin to answer for attacking him the previous Thursday. Instead, Shane came out, then called out the Gemini. He then booked a #1 contender's match for the WCW Title, between Austin and Rhyno, before booking The Storm in a WCW Title defense against the Gemini -- with the added stipulation that if he won, he wouldn't have to defend his title again until Wrestlemania. The Gemini initially refused the match, until Shane said they could face The Storm or put their titles on the line against the Dudleys. The Gemini then accepted. Rose came out next, saying he'd been empowered to book a few matches: the Dudleys in a WWF Tag Title Table Match against Undertaker & Kane, RVD in a Hardcore Title defense against Victor E, and Triple H in a WWF Title Match against Kurt Angle. Mighty Molly def. Dee Meaner with some help from The Hurricane to advance in the Women's Title Tournament. Regal def. Lance Storm. Christian came out to gripe about being booed and chanted at rudely, getting sympathy from X-Pac on the matter. Edge then came out to rag on them both before getting jumped by Albert. The Z-Men made the save from the three-way beating. The Storm def. The Gemini thanks to a double chokeslam from Undertaker & Kane to retain the WCW Championship. Rob Van Dam def. Victor E with the Five-Star Frog Splash to retain the Hardcore Championship. The Dudleys def. Undertaker & Kane thanks to an assist from the Gemini to retain the WWF Tag Titles. Triple H def. Kurt Angle through the use of his sledgehammer to retain the WWF Championship. Stone Cold def. Rhyno with a Stunner to become #1 Contender to the WCW Championship. The Storm promptly ran out and hit Austin with his belt, standing over him as the show went off the air.
FYI: List of Champions:
WWF World - Triple H (WECW) / WCW World - The Storm (WWF)
Intercontinental - Christian (WWF) / U.S. - Victor E (CIW)
WWF Tag - Dudley Boyz (WECW) / WCW Tag - The Gemini (CIW)
Light-Heavyweight - X-Pac (WWF) / Cruiserweight - Billy Kidman (WECW)
European - vacant / Women's - vacant / Hardcore - Rob Van Dam (WECW)
Chapter 26: Internal Friction
Thursday: Smackdown, March 6 - 17 days to Wrestlemania
Things were fairly harmonious in the Alliance, with everyone mostly getting along and plotting the downfall of the WWF. The leadership of the Alliance -- Triple H, the McMahon Siblings, and Paul Heyman -- had done its job well in that regard.
The WWF, on the other hand, was in dire straits. Even with Billy Rose and Commissioner Regal doing everything they could to try and maintain order, the fact remained that there were too many egos colliding and too many people angry at one another, leading to heinous attacks, such as The Storm attacking Stone Cold after his match on Monday. Edge and Christian, one of the longest-running tag teams in the company -- and brothers, even -- had split up and were at each other's throats. The Undertaker and Kane were at odds with the Gemini.
Regal and Rose had called an emergency meeting of the WWF and CIW locker rooms. Regal had the Big Show backing him up, just as Rose had Brick do the same. In their respective organization's meeting, they both made the same statement: "We're in the middle of a war here, and the last thing we need is dissention in the ranks." Not everybody agreed to this -- notably Austin, The Storm, the Brothers of Destruction, and Edge. (Christian, for his part, looked decidedly smug about something.)
Nonetheless, the show opened mostly without a hitch. Just to clear out some of the bad air between the WWFers and CIWers, the first match was a six-man tag between Edge & the Z-Men against Christian & X-Factor. X-Pac started in the ring with Zed. The former 1-2-3 Kid started off by demonstrating some of his martial arts skills -- and then Zed started off by demonstrating some of his boxing skills by flattening X-Pac with a single punch. He continued bringing the pain by walloping on X-Pac for a while, then delivered a pendulum backbreaker for a two-count. He sent the greasy-haired wrestler into the ropes, but missed a clothesline and got a spin kick to the jaw for his trouble. He delivered a few hard blows, which failed to faze Zed much, then his whip into the ropes was reversed, allowing the ex-boxer to hit a powerslam for another two-count.
Zed went over and tagged in Zeta, who helped him whip X-Pac into the corner for a do-si-do corner clothesline by Zeta. The X-Factor member fell to the mat for an elbow drop by the Z-Man, who then covered for a near-fall. He delivered a forearm, then a neckbreaker for another two-count. Getting frustrated, Zeta went off the ropes, but Christian raised his knee up as the blue-streaked-haired Z-Man did so, distracting him into knocking Christian off the apron. X-Pac flew in with a forearm, then came off the ropes into a kick by Zeta. He then started to set him up for the Code Blue, but Albert came in with a bicycle kick to the back of the head to stop it. Referee Jimmy Korderas was busy trying to get Zed and Edge calmed down as Albert stomped away on Zeta in the corner. He delivered a big headbutt, then let X-Pac get a few shots in before going to distract Korderas some more, allowing Christian to choke Zeta and X-Pac to continue delivering sharp blows.
Finally, Albert, who was now considered the legal man, pulled Zeta out of the corner and delivered a stalling butterfly suplex for -- surprisingly -- a two-count. Pissed off, the bald-headed muscleman sent him into the ropes, then roared as he delivered a blunt clothesline. Then, he ran over and gave a few quick shots to the face corner to distract them and the referee, only to get a nasty dropkick to the chin when he turned back to Zeta.
Now both men were down, with Edge reaching for the tag. Zeta crawled to his feet and lunged to make the tag, smacking the Canadian's hand. Edge hit the ring, taking down a charging X-Pac with a clothesline, another, a pair of right hands for Albert. He turned around and ducked a spin kick from the other X-Factor member, then grabbed his jaw from behind and took him down with the Edge-o-Matic. He started pounding on X-Pac in the corner, then jumped out of the way as he heard Albert's telltale "Yaaaaaagh!" from behind, leaving X-Pac to take the brunt of the "Albertlanche," as Jim Pickett dubbed it. Edge gave a pair of elbow smashes, then stepped aside as Zed came in to deliver the Z-Slam to X-Pac.
Christian snuck in the ring, but then Edge spun around to face him. Just as quickly, the "deranged maestro" froze in place. Albert grabbed Edge and pressed him up, but the Canadian squirmed free and landed on his feet. He came off the ropes, ducked under Albert's clothesline, then speared his brother to the mat. Albert grabbed him real quickly, but then Zeta ran in and bulldogged Albert's big head to the mat, then kicked Christian out of the ring. Zed took X-Pac outside as Zeta did the same with Christian. Back in the ring, Edge kicked Albert in the stomach, grabbed his head, hooked the tights, and delivered the Buzz Killer DDT for the three-count and the win.
* * *
Mr. McMahon, Commissioner Regal, and Billy Rose looked at the other two men in the room, both of whom were glaring at the other. Matthew Skinner wore his WCW Title on his shoulder over a plain black T-Shirt, and his glare was currently fixed on Stone Cold Steve Austin, who glared back. Austin wore an Austin 3:16 shirt. Vince paced back and forth as he looked at the two glaring men.
"All right, look," Vince said finally, stopping so he could address both men. "Tonight you two are tag-team partners against Triple H and Rhyno. Now I know you two are scheduled to face each other at Wrestlemania, and try as I might, I can't get that match cancelled."
"The important thing here," Rose started to say, "is that we're in the middle of an invasion--" He was cut off, however, as The Storm shot him a venomous look which shut him up.
Regal picked up the thought. "We're in the middle of an invasion, gentlemen, and this is precisely what the Alliance wants -- for the WWF and CIW to tear themselves apart with in-fighting."
Mr. McMahon glowered at them. "Now if you two come to blows during your match tonight, then I will suspend you both for six months without pay, and Storm's title will be stripped from him -- something that I don't want to happen, and something I imagine you don't want to happen either, am I right, Storm?"
The Storm merely nodded at that, his gaze returning to Austin's. He finally spoke. "No sweat, Vince. I could win this match by myself, even if my partner is a bald-headed, in-bred, slack-jawed redneck who's killed all his brain cells with beer."
Austin cocked his head slightly. "What?"
Skinner smirked slightly. "Deaf, too."
"What?" "I said deaf, too." "What?" "Deaf and stupid." "What?" "Hey, Austin, amoronsayswhat."
Austin responded to that setup with a middle finger. The Storm scowled. The Rattlesnake sneered. "You think I'm that stupid, Storm? What? Listen here, ya yella-bellied som'bitch, you may be the WCW Champion--"
"Damn straight I am."
"--but tonight you're teaming up with a former WWF Champion -- a real champion. So tonight, you follow my lead." Austin raised a knuckle to tap the belt on The Storm's shoulder, but Skinner grabbed his wrist before contact was made.
"Keep your goddamn hands off my belt," he growled. "And watch what you say about my damn title. This is a real title, Steve, maybe more real than the WWF title." He glanced to Vince. "No offense, Vinnie."
Regal cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, you're excused."
The Storm glanced at him, then back at Austin before nodding his head at the door. "After you."
Austin nodded the same way. "After you."
Skinner's eyes narrowed. "I asked you first."
Austin shrugged. "I asked you second."
The Storm sneered. "Well, I'm staying."
Austin smirked. "I'm staying."
"Fine, then. Stay." "I will stay."
Frowning, Skinner folded his arms, only to have Austin do the same thing a moment later. Neither man was giving an inch. Vince sat heavily at the desk and massaged his scalp with his fingers as Regal and Rose shared weary looks.
* * *
Another match that night was a U.S. Title match between the defending champion Victor E and the uber-popular Alliance superstar, Rob Van Dam. After the Hardcore Champion successfully defended his title against Victor the preceding Raw, it was decided by the Alliance leadership that because RVD had scored a pinfall on the U.S. Champion, he should get a title shot. So the match was made.
Van Dam came out the early aggressor, kicking away at Victor's arms and knees, trying to weaken him and prevent him from scoring the Victory Slam. The CIWer, however, continually kicked out and eventually built momentum against RVD, starting to take the match back for himself. He worked the legs of the Whole F'n Show, to limit his moveset and hopefully to set up the Jaws of Defeat.
Then Van Dam accidentally took out the referee with a second-rope martial arts kick, allowing him to slam Victor and land the Rolling Thunder. But, seeing the ref knocked out, RVD went outside and brought in a steel chair. He held it up, then waited for the Victorious One to stand up and face him. Once the CIWer did so, RVD tossed him the chair and then went for the Van Daminator. Victor had it scouted, however, and ducked the kick, pivoting around to brain him with the chair before placing it on the mat and lifting RVD up. He set him up for a pumphandle, swinging him up into a fireman's carry before swinging him out into a flapjack straight onto the chair -- the Victory Slam.
Victor disposed of the chair and hooked a leg just as the referee recovered. 1... 2... 3, and Victor E retained his title. He stood up and reclaimed his belt, then posed on the ropes. As he stepped back down, he saw Van Dam sitting up, stretching out his neck. The two superstars met each other's eyes, then stared each other down. Victor frowned, as if thinking about something, then held out his hand. RVD looked at it, then accepted it, shaking his hand. Mutual respect.
* * *
Backstage, Edge was talking with the Z-Men. "Thanks again for your help, dudes."
"No problem, man," Zed replied. "Anything to get one over on those stupid X-Factor pricks."
"Yeah," Zeta added. "We can't stand X-Puke or YaaaaaaaaaAlbert either."
Edge grinned. "Yeah, but at least Albert's wearing a shirt."
Zeta nodded, smirking as well. "Yeah. Hairy-Back Man ain't showing off his Bigfoot heritage."
Edge was about to reply when something rang in his bag. He pulled out his cell phone and answered it. "Hello?" He blinked, then paled before saying, "Yeah, I'll be right there. Th-thanks." He looked shaken as he put the phone away and grabbed his luggage. "I gotta... I gotta go. Talk to you later." He rushed off, leaving the Z-Men quite puzzled.
* * *
"Christian!" The Intercontinental Champion looked up from his belt, which he was currently polishing, to see Edge running up to him. Christian dropped the belt and raised his fists. Edge shook his head. "No, listen, there's no time for that. The police just called me. Mom's been in an accident. We gotta go."
"What?" Christian said. "Why didn't they call me first?"
"Look, this isn't about you!" Edge bristled. "Mom's been in an accident! Let's go!"
The two brothers started walking. "I can't believe this," Christian muttered.
"Me neither," Edge said, still a little shaken. "We can be... we can be there in four hours... if we hurry. Come on."
As they approached the door to the parking lot, however, they were accosted by Kanyon, Hugh Morrus, and Chuck Palumbo. Morrus sneered. "Hey, boys, what's the hurry? Going somewhere?"
Edge, in no mood to be detained, shoved him back. "I don't have time for you! I--" Then Christian suddenly hit him in the back of the head with his title belt. Edge toppled forward, dropping his bags, and the three Alliance members pounced, beating on him and throwing him into the wall. Edge was completely helpless as Palumbo and Kanyon held Edge's arms as Christian slapped him in the face.
"You know something, Edge?" The 'deranged maestro' sneered. "You make me sick!" Then he smirked evilly. "There was an accident, Edge. Twenty-nine years ago -- when Mom gave birth to you!" He sneered again, then drove his belt into Edge's forehead, knocking him out.
* * *
At the Alliance VIP Room, Shane, Stephanie, and Heyman all looked at this. The Siblings looked surprised, while Heyman chortled. "Oh, this is just too good!" He laughed again, then turned to Shane and Steph as he stood up. With a wide grin, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, despite the fact that the man is... merely a Canadian... I wanna be the first to announce to the world that the Alliance has a new member -- and the newest member of the Alliance is the Intercontinental Champion -- CHRISTIAN!"
* * *
After this incident, the next match of the Women's Title Tournament took place between Trish Stratus and the turncoat diva, Ivory. Trish was very much the underdog in the match, being as that she had little prior wrestling experience, and that Ivory was a former champion herself. Nonetheless, the former fitness model surprised everyone, including Ivory, when she actually busted out a few wrestling moves and managed to score several nearfalls early.
Ivory, however, was the veteran, and managed to take the momentum back, wearing down the blond-haired Canadian diva. Then, just as Ivory was about to put her away with the Poison Ivory, Trish shoved Ivory back into the ropes and kicked her in the head with a stiff savate kick. As the traitor got back up, Trish kicked her in the gut, then grabbed her by the head. She ran to the ropes, braced her feet on the top rope, then pushed off and turned around, bringing Ivory's head back down in a springboard bulldog, which Michael Cole dubbed the "Stratusfaction." Following this, she made the cover and got the pinfall to advance into the semifinals.
Following the match, Trish quickly left the ring and retreated up the ramp as an angered Ivory got up and attempted to attack her. The former fitness model just grinned and raised her hand in the air in victory.
* * *
Victor E was walking through the halls as he headed back for the CIW locker room, mopping his face and neck with a towel, his U.S. Title draped over his shoulder. Part-way there, he found himself braced by a pair of identically-clad wrestlers. Both had WCW Tag Team Championship belts draped over their shoulder, and one of them had tattoos on his upper arms. Victor glanced up. "Castor, Pollux," he said by way of greeting.
"Well, well, well, Cas, lookit what we got here," Pollux said. "It's Victor E."
Castor nodded. "The Victorious One."
"Mr. Always Triumphant," the tattooed Twin added.
"The last CIW Champion," the Twin with the educated feet threw in.
Then they both reached out and rapped their knuckles on his title belt. "The U.S. Champion," they said in unison.
"What do you guys want?" Victor asked.
"Correct us if we're wrong," Castor said, "but did we just see you shaking hands with Rob Van Dam?"
"Y'know, Mr. Alliance Dude?" Pollux put in.
"The guy who's always pointing to himself?" Castor jerked his thumb at himself in mockery of the "thumbs" gimmick.
"Yeah, what about it?" Victor said.
"He's the enemy," Pollux said bluntly. "In case you forgot."
"So what?" Victor said. "I showed the guy a little respect. He gave me a decent fight. He's got the skills."
"Not tryin' to get in good with the Alliance, are ya?" Cas said darkly.
"Plotting to turn traitor on us or something?" Pol growled.
Victor stared at them. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the two who've been picking fights with `Taker and Kane?"
The Twins narrowed their eyes. "What are you implying?" they said in unison.
"Oh, nothing, it just seems (a) pretty damn stupid to pick a fight with the baddest tag-team in the Fed, and (b) awfully suspicious that you'd do it, almost like you want to cause the Coalition to fall apart." Victor adjusted his belt on his shoulder, looking a bit smug.
The Gemini narrowed their eyes at him, skewering him with a twin glare before stepping back and out of his path. Victor walked past them, keeping his eyes on them until he rounded the corner and left. The Twins stared after him for a moment, then they both turned and marched down the corridor for the ring.
* * *
"We're being joined here at ringside by the reigning WCW Tag Champions, Castor and Pollux, the Gemini," Michael Cole said as the Twins took the additional headsets down next to Jim Pickett, who sat on Cole's right. To the WWF announcer's left was the Alliance's mouthpiece, Tazz. "Castor, Pollux, glad to have you with us."
"Yeah," Castor said as he put his headset on, "sure, whatever."
"What my brother means to say," Pollux explained as he also donned a headset and sat down at the same time as his twin, "is we're just out here to scout some talent, see whether or not any of these morons deserve to share the ring with the Gemini."
"What are you two idiots talkin' about?" Tazz interjected. "You got lucky when you beat Kane and Undertaker. You're lucky to be alive right now."
"My unfortunate broadcast colleague's viewpoint aside," Pickett spoke up, "I think it's great that CIW has helped win a few key battles -- not to mention belts! -- for the WWF/CIW Coalition. We hold the U.S. Title, thanks to Victor E! We hold the WCW Tag Titles, thanks to the Gemini! We hold the WCW World Title, thanks to The Storm!"
"All very excellent points, Pick, indeed, but I will point out that The Storm has made it quite clear he's not affiliating himself with CIW," Cole put in.
"Ah, yes, that is true," Pickett admitted. "But he is an alum of CIW, and that's close enough for me."
By this point, the match -- which was for the WWF Tag Titles -- was underway, with the champions, the Dudleys, facing off against their perennial rivals, the Hardys. The match itself was nothing special off the bat, the usual outing between the two "extreme" teams. (One called 'extreme' because of their heritage, the other such because of their lifestyle.) The Dudleys got the momentum after the early going and started to pick Jeff Hardy apart with some smart tag-team work, isolating him while Matt tried desparately to get the tag.
The Gemini had much to say in favor of the masters of the tables, again showing that the two champion teams might be kindred spirits, enemies by allegiance only. Castor even admitted at one point, "Hey, if we weren't in the middle of an invasion right now, we could get along with the Dudleys." To which Pollux added, "`Course, since there's only room for one dominant tag-team, we'd have to kick their ass to show `em whose boss."
These words, however, could not have been spoken sooner, as Kane & Undertaker appeared on the ramp, where they just stood and watched the match, and more importantly, their newfound rivals in the Gemini. Kane adjusted his glove threateningly and flicked his hair out of his eyes, while Taker folded his arms and just glared menacingly. The Gemini both stood up in unison at the announce table, picking their title belts up off the desk and putting them on their shoulders, just glaring back.
In the ring, the Dudleys were thrown off by the sudden appearance of the Brothers of Destruction, which allowed Jeff to hit his reverse enzuigiri mulekick on Bubba Ray and lunge to tag in Matt. The dark-haired Hardy took it to the Dudleys, hitting his side headlock takedown -- which he called the "Side Effect" -- on D-Von and then ducking a clothesline from Bubba. The overweight Dudley got a shot in the gut, followed by a Twist of Fate. D-Von got up and clobbered him from behind, but then Jeff came flying back in, crashing into D-Von and taking him over the top rope.
The Gemini ripped off their headsets, moving around the ring -- away from the action, where Jeff and D-Von were fighting -- to advance toward the Brothers of Destruction. Referee Mike Sparks left the ring and quickly interceded, keeping the two non-involved tag-teams from starting a fight that could spill into the ring. This, however, started to go awry as D-Von sent Jeff into the barricade, then climbed to the top rope as Bubba slammed Matt and held him down for the Sans-Wassap Drop. D-Von started to go for the tables, but as he started to pull it out from under the ring, Jeff Hardy recovered and began his trademark "rail-run" clothesline by running along the barricade toward him.
D-Von Dudley, however, had the move well scouted by now and ducked out of the way, so Jeff ended up plowing into the Gemini, who went sprawling on the floor, only to get up, severely pissed off. Sparks was busy trying to restrain Taker and Kane from getting involved, and so didn't see Pol clock D-Von in the head with his title and Cas nearly take Jeff's head off with a big boot. The Gemini then started fighting up the ramp with the Brothers, who eagerly returned the brawling, while poor Sparks turned around and tried to figure out what happened with Jeff and D-Von.
In the ring, Bubba was being chopped in the corner by Matt Hardy, who finally pulled him out and set him up for a Twist of Fate. After delivering it, Matt went up to the second rope for his "guns" legdrop. D-Von, however, had managed to recover from the title-belt shot -- not without a little twitching and wooziness, however -- and cut him off. He set Matt up on the top rope and grabbed him around the waist, lifting him up and back -- straight into Bubba's waiting grasp for a top-rope "super 3-D!" Sparks slid back in the ring to count the pinfall. 1... 2... 3!
The Dudley Boyz eagerly collected their championship belts back, then turned to look toward the Gemini, who seemed to be on even footing with Taker and Kane. Finally, the Twins managed to get the Dead Man off their back by sending him face-first into the steel structure of the Smackdown! set. That just left Kane, who was looking a little dizzy after getting a belt across the noggin. The CIWers took him toward the edge of the stage, where Pollux looked to whip him away from the edge, only to hold on, pull him back, then suddenly lift him high, pivoting around as Castor stepped in to take hold of Kane and help his brother deliver a vicious Twin Terror Bomb -- off the stage and into the electrical equipment!
The crowd gasped in surprise, bright sparks flying off the equipment as Kane writhed in agony, deep, guttural bellows of pain coming from the masked freak. The Gemini sneered down at him, then turned and quickly stomped on Undertaker as he struggled to get back up from his face-first meeting with the steel structure. At the bottom of the ramp, the Dudleys -- who had been advancing on the Twins with ill intent -- stopped, looking with shock at the decimated form of the Big Red Machine. The Gemini turned to face them, smirking, then both raised their titles in unison to a massive boos from the audience.
Now no one could deny it -- by taking out Kane in such a vicious and brutal manner, Castor & Pollux had proved they were indeed a force to be reckoned with.
* * *
In the VIP Room, both Vince McMahon and Billy Rose were furious at the actions of the Twins. "What the hell are they doing!?" they both yelled at the same time.
"I told them not to pick a fight with them!" Rose shouted.
"They just took out one of our biggest wrestlers!" Vince screamed at him. "How could you let this happen!?"
"Me?!" Rose shouted back. "What were Taker and Kane even doing out there?! They provoked Cas and Pol by showing themselves!"
Commissioner Regal spoke up. "Perhaps if you could both just--"
"Shut up!" Rose and McMahon both roared at him before turning to look at each other. Vince spoke first, shoving his finger in the CIW mastermind's face. "You'd better get them under control, or I might just have to cut CIW out of this altogether!"
"You can't cut us out!" Rose snapped. "CIW is the only thing standing between the WWF and total defeat by the Alliance! In spite of these little territorial squabbles between our guys, we're winning! We hold their three top championships: the Tag Titles, the U.S. Title, and the World Title!"
"And now they hold our three top championships!" Vince snapped back. "They hold our Tag Titles, they hold our World Title, and now -- thanks to Christian betraying us -- they hold the Intercontinental Title too!" Rose frowned, as Vince had him there. The Chairman pressed on: "The Alliance isn't having all these problems like we are! We're on the verge of falling apart, and it's all thanks to you!"
"Hey, this isn't all my fault!" the Californian protested. "Christian's been bitter about Edge's success for months now, it was only a matter of time before he snapped completely -- we just didn't expect him to snap at such an inopportune time, or to drag X-Factor into all this. As for Austin and Skinner..." He shook his head. "Neither I nor CIW had anything to do with his going insane like this. That is all thanks to the Alliance."
Vince dropped back in his chair, grumbling as the CIW ringleader continued: "Ever since he won the WCW World Title, Skinner hasn't been himself. He's obsessed with that belt -- you saw him in here earlier! He wouldn't even let Austin touch it. And the Alliance has been doing everything it can to try and take that title away from him. You expect any man to stay stable under that sort of pressure, much less someone with a history of psychotic episodes like Matthew Skinner?"
Regal nodded, speaking up again, judging that he wouldn't be yelled at this time. "I wouldn't put it past the Alliance to try and increase the tension between Mr. Skinner and Mr. Austin between now and Wrestlemania, just to try and further disrupt things here in the WWF."
Rose and McMahon shared horrified looks. That was exactly the sort of thing that Shane, Stephanie, and Heyman would pull.
* * *
In the main event match between Triple H & Rhyno against The Storm & Stone Cold, there was more than just "tension" between the WWF team members. It was beyond "so thick you could cut it with a knife." It was now in the range of "you could cut it with a chainsaw." The tags between Austin and Skinner were fierce and sharp, and once or twice they would deliver a knife-edge chop in lieu of a simple slap of the hand. Sometimes it looked like they might come to blows in mid-match, only to be kept from doing it by Mr. McMahon's threat of suspension.
Helmsley and Rhyno, on the other hand, were working smoothly as a unit, soon isolating The Storm, who in spite of his recently developed taste for pain, was in dire straits, as no amount of his incredible resilience or brawling ability enabled him to reverse the momentum long enough to make the tag. Austin paced impatiently on the apron, reaching out his hand whenever Skinner got enough of a break to crawl to the corner, only to be denied as either Triple H or the Man-Beast would drag him away again.
Finally, The Storm was locked in a bearhug by Rhyno, who shook him back and forth like a rag doll, trying to squeeze the breath out of him. Austin was pounding the turnbuckle, rallying the crowd behind the WWF team as Skinner looked to be fading in the ECWer's grip. Just as the referee went to check on him, however, the Force of Nature suddenly stood upright, face alight with savage intensity. He pushed Rhyno's head back, then grabbed him by the ears, twisting, digging his nails into the skin. With a pained yell, Rhyno released him, grabbing at the hands holding his ears. The Storm hooked him and delivered a snap suplex, then turned onto his belly and crawled for Austin again.
Finally, The Storm made the hot tag, and the Rattlesnake hit the ring, fresh as a daisy, but smelling of beer and thus not nearly as good. He started throwing around punches and clotheslines like they were going out of style. He caught Triple H as he got back up, kicking him in the stomach and setting him up for a Stunner when he caught sight of Rhyno charging for the Gore. Austin stepped aside and let the Game take the shoulder tackle, then kicked Rhyno before giving him a Stunner.
Austin covered Triple H, the legal man, but Rhyno had enough senses left to kick the referee to disrupt the count. The Storm came barreling in and caught the Man-Beast with a flying low dropkick to the face that sent him out of the ring. Austin pulled Triple H up and gave him a Stunner for good measure, then covered again as The Storm stomped Rhyno off the apron. 1... 2... 3! The WWF team won, just barely.
The Storm and Stone Cold got their hands raised by the referee, but then Austin shoved Earl Hebner away and turned to The Storm. Before Skinner could react, the Bionic Redneck kicked him in the stomach, then pivoted and dropped him in the Stunner. He went flying off his feet, landing on the mat with a crash as Stone Cold stood over him, flipping him the double bird before calling for the beer. As he did so, he also grabbed the WCW Championship belt. He held it in one hand and one of his opened beers in the other. He held it over The Storm's body, toasted the belt, then dropped it on him before toasting the crowd and drinking his beer.
The final image before Smackdown! went off the air was Stone Cold standing on the ramp, beers in hand, facing the ring as The Storm's furious visage snarled on the TitanTron.
more to come-
Next: Stone Cold stepped up the conflict, but how will The Storm retaliate as the Coalition continues to crumble?
If you have any ideas for possible feuds/relationships for any of my characters, drop me a line at jay_winger_2k@hotmail.com.
-=Jay 2K Winger=-
May 6, 2003