Chapter 9:
"Scotty! There you are! I've been looking all over for you, man," Shannon Moore shouted enthusiastically from across the indoor parking area. He was already dressed in his wrestling attire and he carried a duffel bag underneath one arm.
A smile quickly formed on Scotty 2 Hotty's face as he spotted the young superstar approaching him, "Hey, Shannon. I've been looking for you, too. Where ya been? Did you just arrive or something?"
Shannon jogged over to his tag team partner for the night and fell into step behind the returning superstar as they made their way in the direction of the locker room. He shook his head and answered, "Naw, I've been here a good forty-five minutes or so. Teddy Long told me all about our match as soon as I got here and I've been looking for you ever since."
Scotty shrugged sheepishly, "Sorry about that. I've just kind of been wandering around the whole time, getting re-acquainted with everyone, you know? You take some time off and you begin to realize just how much you love this business when you return."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Shannon remarked, recalling the long transition he had endured between his employment for WCW and WWE. He continued, "Well, the show is going to start any minute now. Shouldn't you be changing into your ring attire?"
Scotty laughed, "Yeah, I guess I should, shouldn't I?" he agreed as he checked his watch – 7:44. The Tag Team Turmoil Match was estimated to be at around 8:30, so he had plenty of time to get changed and perform his before-match stretches and warm-ups.
Scotty turned to glance at his partner through the corner of his eye. The young cruiserweight's jaw was set in determination and his eyes had a hardened edge to them which was very uncharacteristic of him. Scotty nudged him in the arm with his elbow and remarked, "Ease up, man. There'll be plenty of ass to kick later on tonight. We'll get our fair share."
Shannon's demeanor lightened somewhat, but he still remained a bit more tense than usual. He shrugged as he walked, "Sorry, I guess I'm just really anxious about tonight. First we've got the Tag Team Turmoil Match, then I have to gear up for the Royal Rumble. I can't remember the last time I had to pull double duty; I just hope I've still got enough left in the tank by the time the Rumble comes along."
"Hey, don't worry about it. You won't be alone," Scotty reminded the intrepid cruiserweight, "A lot of guys are wrestling in both the Tag Team Turmoil Match and the Royal Rumble. You won't be the only one pulling double duty."
"Yeah, I guess you've got a point," Shannon admitted as the pair approached the Smackdown locker room. The blonde-haired cruiserweight motioned further down the hall, "Look, I'm gonna go pull my number for the Rumble tonight. I'll be right back, okay?"
"You got it," Scotty said with a wave as he ducked into the locker room. He called out to the retreating Moore, "Pick a good one!"
The returning superstar smiled slightly as he made his way over to the spot where he left his belongings earlier. The locker room was bustling with activity, and the air itself buzzed with the excitement of the evening. Most of the superstars were milling about and talking amongst themselves, although several were missing – most likely off wandering the halls or preparing for their own matches in privacy.
Scotty glanced over at the dry erase board set up next to the door as he pulled his baggy wrestling pants out of his bag. The first match of the evening was Edge vs. Batista for the Intercontinental Title, followed by WWE Champion Big Show defending his title against The Undertaker in a First Blood Match. That match was followed up by the Smackdown Tag Team Turmoil match and, of course, the Royal Rumble itself. It was looking to be a very busy night for all involved, especially the superstars on the Smackdown side of things.
As Scotty got dressed and went through the usual process of taping up his wrists and lacing up his boots, he was aware of Kurt Angle and his associates eyeing him from across the room. Scotty pretended not to notice them, but he felt their eyes boring into him all the same. Of course, they wouldn't dare try anything in a crowded locker room, so Scotty wasn't too worried about trouble at the moment.
He was far more interested in deciphering the motives of the current United States Champion, Luther Reigns. Luther was jogging in place in preparation for the big Rumble Match, but he occasionally shot Scotty a glance that seemed to be a mix of sympathy, curiosity, and anger. Indeed, it was an odd pairing, and Scotty found that he was quite unable to read the big man's face with any accuracy. What was going through his mind right now? What was the story behind him defending Scotty earlier tonight when Angle and Jindrak were looking to rough him up? Reigns was one of the last people Scotty had expected to come to his aid, especially after the first-class beating he had inflicted upon the young superstar at the Survivor Series. Why, then, had he convinced Angle to leave the returning superstar alone when they had their confrontation in the hall? It just didn't make sense, and Scotty wasn't sure if thinking about it would do him any good. Luther had always been a somewhat mysterious man, so learning more about him or his motives seemed futile at best.
As Scotty sat down on the floor and stretched his legs out to either side of him, a stage hand popped into the locker room and announced, "Um, excuse me……General Manager Theodore Long has requested that all superstars involved in the Royal Rumble match please head to his office to draw entry numbers," the stage hand checked her clip board, "Also, everyone involved in the Tag Team Turmoil match later tonight is to report to Mr. Long's office at exactly 8:15 to pick entry numbers for that match as well."
Scotty made note of the time as most of the wrestlers in the locker room filed out to pick their numbers for the Rumble. He pushed any distracting thoughts of Luther Reigns and Kurt Angle from his mind and continued with his stretching exercises. He would worry about it later, if he had time.
"Well, what did you get?" Scotty asked his tag team partner for the evening as the two made their way to the entrance area among a scattered group of softly-murmuring superstars. The show had just begun several minutes ago, and already Eric Bischoff was in the ring talking about how Raw was going to win the Rumble for the third straight year and effectively raising the ire of all the Smackdown fans in the audience.
Shannon Moore shrugged, "Sixteen. Not bad……but not exactly good either."
"Yeah," Scotty was forced to agree, "Don't worry about it, though. You'll do just fine."
Shannon just raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, I guess we'll se about that."
As everyone lounged about in the backstage area and watched the Pay-Per-View proceed from the small monitors scattered throughout the area, Scotty couldn't help but feel a strange sense of anticipation and excitement creep over him. Important Pay-Per-Views like the Royal Rumble were always a big deal, but when an injured superstar made his triumphant return during one of them, the reaction from the crowd was usually deafening. He could only wait with barely-contained zeal as the first match played out – more or less – as the schedule had predicted, giving way to the WWE Title Match which was scheduled to be next
As Big Show and Undertaker continued their struggle to beat each other for the WWE Title, a nearby stage hand announced that it was time for the Tag Team Turmoil participants to draw their numbers for the night's match. Scotty and Shannon made their way side-by-side down the hall to Theodore Long's office, where a large hopper was set up on a nearby table. Only six plastic orbs occupied it, as opposed to the thirty which had been occupying it for the Royal Rumble drawing. Scotty and Shannon were the first to enter the office, followed by the scowling duo of Kenzo Suzuki and Akio. The confident Bashams entered next, and behind them were the innovative team of Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio. John Cena and Eddie Guerrero were next in line, with the ever-arrogant Dudley Boys strutting inside the crowded office after them with the gleaming Tag Team Belts resting comfortably on their shoulders.
As the champions walked in, Bubba shot a look of disgust in the direction of Scotty 2 Hotty and Shannon Moore, "What the hell is this?" he asked the General Manager, "There were only supposed to be five teams for tonight. What are these chumps doing here?"
Scotty's eyes narrowed at the comment, but Theodore Long quickly spoke up, "Correct me if I'm wrong, Bubba Ray, but wasn't it the Dudley Boys who issued an open challenge to all the tag teams on the Smackdown roster?"
Bubba just snorted and leaned up against a nearby wall, his uninterested gaze falling upon all of his potential enemies. Likewise, D-Von stared out into the collection of contenders with a look of satisfaction and confidence on his face.
"Now then," Theodore Long continued, "I assume you all know the rules of a Tag Team Turmoil match, but just in case, allow me to go over them again. The teams that draw numbers One and Two will start the match off, and when one team is eliminated, Team Three will make their way to the ring to compete. This will continue until there is only one team left, and that team will walk out of Montreal with the WWE Tag Team Titles around their waists, ya feel me? Now then, Bubba, D-Von, since you're the champs, you two get to pick the first number."
The Dudley Boys pushed past the intense stares of their rivals to stand before the hopper which the General Manager was spinning. When Teddy Long brought the hopper to a stop, D-Von Dudley unlatched the mesh barrel lazily and plucked a sphere from the pile. He casually opened it up and unfolded the slip of paper inside. All was silent for a moment, but when D-Von's face broke into a wide grin, the other superstars in the office let out a collective sigh of disappointment.
D-Von held up the slip of paper and proclaimed proudly, "Well, seeing as how I just drew the sixth spot, I guess this little contest here is already over. Have fun beating the hell out of each other."
With that, D-Von made his was out of the office with Bubba Ray in tow, laughing all the way. Already, the WWE Tag Team Champions had picked the very best number of the lot. That simple fact, coupled with the overwhelming experience of the Dudleys, led the other teams to believe that maybe the match really was over before it had even begun.
Nevertheless, the other teams all took their turns pulling their numbers out of the hopper. The Basham Brothers were next, and Danny scowled slightly when he drew the unfortunate number Two. Rob Van Dam drew the next number, and seemed quite please when he picked up the number Four. Scotty stepped forward to draw the number for him and Shannon. He fished into the hopper, hoping to pick anything but One.
As he withdrew his hand, Scotty eagerly opened the little plastic ball and gazed upon the slip of paper inside. Five.
Scotty smiled in excitement and showed the number to Shannon, who quickly nodded his approval. Things couldn't really get much better than that.
Eddie Guerrero then picked the next number, but upon discovering that he had picked the dreaded number One, he let out a sigh of frustration and went about trying to coerce RVD and Mysterio into switching numbers with him while Cena just shrugged nonchalantly. Kenzo Suzuki drew the last number, which was Three, of course. He and Akio exchanged a few words in Japanese before making their way out of the General Manager's office in silence. John Cena and Eddie Guerrero left with Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio, Eddie and Rey arguing about their numbers like old friends.
"All right then, good luck, playahs," Theodore Long called after the retreating teams as he checked his watch. The First Blood match between Big Show and Undertaker was sure to be nearly over by now, so the Tag Team Turmoil match would begin any minute.
As Scotty and Shannon went to exit the General Manager's office, Scotty couldn't help but notice the Basham Brothers talking among themselves in whispered tones, no doubt formulating some kind of plan to overcome the five other teams they would have to get through to win the titles. At first, Scotty paid them no heed, but when Doug quietly whispered the word, Angle, the returning superstar's interest was immediately piqued.
As Scotty and Shannon made their way to the entrance area along with all the other Tag Teams, he vaguely heard Tony Chimmel announcing to the crowd that Big Show had won the match and held onto his WWE Title. That, of course, signified the start of the Tag Team Turmoil match, and all superstars involved immediately jumped to attention.
As a bloodied Undertaker stalked through the curtain a minute later, all conversation dropped and the milling superstars wisely kept their mouths shut as the intimidating Deadman walked solemnly past them; even the normally vociferous Dudley Boys were uncharacteristically silent in the presence of the legend. Several moments later, Big Show made his way through the curtain, his face drenched with sweat and his opponent's own blood. The seven-foot giant made an impressive figure indeed, especially with the gleaming WWE Title slung around his shoulder.
After a short break in which Shawn Michaels was interviewed just down the hall, Smackdown announcer Tony Chimmel announced the initiation of the Tag Team Turmoil Match. The crowd cheered in excitement as Eddie Guerrero's music hit and the team of Guerrero and Cena made their way through the entrance curtain amid a chorus of cheers and applause.
Well, this should certainly be interesting, Scotty thought to himself as he leaned up against a nearby wall and stared intently at the TV monitor in front of him.
A moment later, the music of the Basham Brothers filled the arena and the two twins detached themselves from the grouping of gathered tag teams to start the match against the popular team of Cena and Guerrero. As they passed, Danny Basham shot Scotty a glance that could only be described as malicious and mischievous at the same time. The brothers continued their journey to the stage entrance as Scotty's mind desperately tried to grope for answers. First he heard them talking about Angle, then they shoot him that enigmatic glance…..what were they planning?
And then, as if on cue, Kurt Angle and his two henchmen casually made their way over to the milling Tag Teams, seemingly just to talk and wish them luck. Scotty sighed through his nose as things began to fall into place. He had expected Angle to try something during the match, and his dubious appearance now all but confirmed that suspicion. Things were going to get ugly.