All of the air had been sucked out of the room. The fact that Jeff screamed my name didn't register with me right away. I was unable to move for a good thirty seconds. EMTs were heading down towards the ring, and I watched helplessly from backstage, unable to do a damn thing.
The EMTs went to both men, I could see Jeff shake his head and try and say something to one of them. He wasn't going to go. He slowly began to get up. Kurt was doing the same. This was the only brief moment in which both men walked about the ring, not trying to kill each other. The side of Jeff's face was completely swollen and black and blue.
One EMT stayed in the ring to look at Jeff's face. The emptiness in Kurt's eyes faded, and the hate came back. He grinned and charged for Jeff. Jeff shoved the EMT out of the way and took the blow full force. The EMT quickly rolled out of the ring and looked in at what could have been him.
I couldn't believe any of them were still able to move. But at the same time I completely understood. Like I had said before, this wasn't any other fight. It was about so much more, and the option of giving up wasn't there. You fought and gave it your all until ever fiber of you couldn't move, then it was over.
Physically, Kurt dominated the match. But, what made Jeff's sting a little harder was he wasn't afraid to be creative. Normally, Jeff's crazy ring antics are simply for show, but tonight, they gave him the edge. His faster than lightning style made Kurt unsure of what would happen next, and that's a very good advantage. Kurt's speed was different than Jeff's, Kurt's was from years and years of professional training, it was tamed. Jeff's speed, his style was wild, unpredictable. It gave him edge.
The EMTs remained by the ring the rest of the match.
Even the choke holds were real. Kurt got Jeff on the ground, his forearm dug into Jeff's throat. I don't think anyone knew it was real until the cameras caught a glance of Jeff and his lips had a faint tint of blue, and he couldn't keep his eyes open too long. I shot up. Paul couldn't keep me down.
"Let me out there, I will kill him!" I yelled, fighting back tears. "Why would he do this?"
Matt stood up without a word. Everyone, including me, turned to him. He walked directly to me, then held me. Pretty soon, I was holding him. I could hear his quiet sobs in my ear, and I knew. Matt realized that Kurt Angle could kill his brother, if he really wanted to. Matt's fear for his brother's safety increased tremendously. Out of the corner of my eye I could see everyone's face stunned with worry.
"There are people around that ring who will make sure nothing happens to Jeff," Paul reassured everyone, though I think he was partly trying to reassure himself.
And they did. Jeff laid there for a few seconds, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He slowly got to his feet, bringing a chair with him. He smacked Kurt right on the top of his head, and when Kurt went down, he didn't let up. After the chair was bent beyond use, Jeff grabbed a piece of table. In his beating, the sharp edge of the table sliced Kurt's arm. Who knew.
I think the slice annoyed Kurt. He used his leg to brush Jeff's legs out from under him. Kurt took that same piece of table and did the same to Jeff, sliced his arm. As if there wasn't enough blood on the ring and on these two men. Jeff grabbed the table's leg and whacked Kurt in the knee. Kurt let out a scream. Fed up, Kurt bent down and grabbed Jeff, and threw him.
Kurt took a moment to regain himself, and then limped to Jeff. Jeff looked up at him with his good eye. He braced himself for Kurt's punch. Right in his good eye. Jeff blocked the next one, and punched Kurt in his stomach. Kurt's next attempt hit Jeff on his head. But Jeff fired back. He just couldn't give up.
This match really reminded me of those little Desire videos the company made. Songs and clips that really sent chills down your spine. The first few used the song "My Sacrifice" by Creed, the perfect song. Jeff had one, the song used was "Not Enough" by Our Lady Peace. The song wouldn't get out of my head this whole match. Here's the lyrics:
There's nothing you can say
Nothing you can do
There's nothing in between
You know the truth
Nothing left to face
There's nothing left to lose
Nothing takes your place...
When they say you're not that strong
You're not that weak
It's not your fault
And when you climb
Up to your hill
Up to your place
I hope you're well
There's nothing left to prove
There's nothing I wont do
There's nothing like the pain
I feel for you
Nothing left to hide
Nothing left to fear
I am always here...
When they say you're not that strong
You're not that weak
It's not your fault
And when you climb
Up to your hill
Up to your place
I hope you're well
What you want
What you lost
What you had
What is gone is over
What you got
What you love
What you need
What you have is real
It's not enough,
It's not enough,
It's not enough,
It's not enough
I'm sorry,
It's not enough,
It's not enough,
It's not enough,
It's not enough
When they say you're not that strong
You're not that weak
It's not your fault
And when you climb
Up to your hill
Up to your place
I hope you're well
It's not enough
No, it's not enough
It's not enough
No one ever believed Jeff could do it, face Kurt. And Jeff always felt he could do it better. Jeff felt he could do everything better, what he had was never enough. Made sense why he was slightly insane.
Most of the match from here on is fuzzy to me. A mix of speed, blood, bruising, and hate. Both men began to blur together. I was set to do a promo right after the match. I knew I wouldn't' t be able to. Someone came in and reminded me that I had to. Matt turned to me.
"Do you want me there?" he asked.
"No, I think I will be ok," I replied. "But, it wouldn't hurt if you waited behind the cameras."
Matt nodded. "Of course."
I know Kurt expected Jeff to tap once he got him in the Angle Lock. In Jeff's eyes you could see he wanted to just tap, but he couldn't. it burned in him. It took everything he had to reverse it and kick Kurt off of him. It took Jeff a moment to be able to stand up. He picked up the only chair in the ring still useable. He went to Kurt and whacked him square in the head. Before Kurt was able to fall, Jeff kicked him in the gut, and signaled for the Twist Of Fate. The crowed freaked. Jeff was able to nail it without a hitch. Jeff went up top. Not on top of the turnbuckle, on top of a ladder. Swanton.
Kurt saw Jeff climb, saw him begin to jump, but never moved. I am still unsure if he was able to, or if he took it. Most of me tells me he couldn't move. I had never seen a more perfect Swanton in my life. Jeff was able to roll himself over lock Kurt's leg for the pin, the only pin in the match.
It seemed like a dreadfully long three count. With each count, we all drew closer to the TV. And when the ref was going down for the three, and Kurt's shoulders weren't moving, we all held our breath. Jeff didn't jump for joy when the ref hit three, he didn't jump up and freak out. He rolled off Kurt and sat up. Kurt lay there, breathing hard, and Jeff just looked at him. I cried.
Jeff couldn't get to his feet. It was over and all of that abuse got to him. The EMTs came to him and helped him up, and helped him up the ramp. He limped , his left leg had taken all of the damage. His eye was swollen almost shut, blood came from a small just under it, from his mouth, and a bit from his nose. He was beaten and exhausted.
I jumped up and ran out of the room trying to get to him. Matt was right behind me, and everyone else behind us. When I saw him, I nearly fell over. He looked so much worse than the cameras shown. He saw us, and he tried not to show the pain he was in. We rushed to him as they sat him in a chair.
"Wait here while we find you a room," one EMT said to him. "You'll be going to a hospital soon."
"I can't leave yet," Jeff replied. "I have to watch the next match."
"I don't think that is a good idea," the other said.
"I have to," Jeff said. "It's very important."
"As soon at it's over, you're going."
"You'll probably be bringing someone else with you," he said, looking at me with a smile. I smiled back.
"You can go," I told him once the EMTs left.
"I can't miss it," he told me.
"How do you feel?" I asked.
"Horrible. I should be so happy I won, beat him, but I don't feel that." He paused. "What does it matter, it's over, and soon your problems with Amy will be over and we can live a semi normal life."
"Jeff, you will never live any kind of normal life," Adam told him.
The same man who told me in the locker room about my promo came back. I hated to leave, but knew I had to. I walked slowly to the promo spot with Matt trailing behind me. Once we were there, someone handed me my two belts. I put them over my shoulders and the five count began. Michael Cole stepped in.
Action.
"Michael Cole here with Destiny," he began. "Now, I can only wonder what you must be thinking after seeing the match we just saw."
"Yes, you can," I replied. "Seeing someone you love go through something like that makes you sick."
"I guess that's what we will be hearing after your match."
I nodded.
"I would love to get your thoughts about your own match just moments ahead," he said.
"I wish I could give them to you," I replied. "There's just too many of them. Fear, anxiety, anticipation, all of it. It's the match I have been waiting my whole career for. This is it, ya know. I am prepared to lose the title, I think I've had a good run with it. I am still the Tag Team Champion."
"Yes, and speaking of that, earlier an offer was made to bring back Team Xtreme, with you in a tag team with Chris Jericho, how would that work?" Cole asked me.
"Yes, an offer was made, and I would love to bring the team back together, but I am involved in another team. Chris and I make a great team, this belt proves it. I know Chris and I will never have what Matt, Jeff, and myself had, I don't think any of us could have that anywhere else. Right now, I don't think Team Xtreme could be as faction, a wrestling team. Team Xtreme can exist as it once was outside the ring. Matt and Jeff Hardy and Destiny Diaz being the friends they once was. That's the kind of Team Xtreme I can see for right now."
"There's no way that you and Chris Jericho could coexist with Team Xtreme?" Cole asked.
"It would be too hard. But, who knows the future, live for the moment." I smiled.
"I wish you the best of luck in your match tonight, and, if at all possible, be safe," Cole told me.
"Thank you very much," I replied.
Cut.
Matt stood up and walked to me.
"Don't love me anymore?" he asked with a smile.
"You know I would love to, but I can't," I told him.
"I know, and I think you're right, about what Team Xtreme is going to be coming back." Matt smiled at me and we walked back to where Jeff was.