Hey guys
I know, I'm sorry I haven't updated recently ... one in a week is not like me at all, but i think that if I'm going to continue this story that's how it's going to be.
I hate to admit it but something happened that is making me kind of lose my enthusiasm for this site and my fanfic; this one will get finished, but I don't know if I'll be writing anymore
I'm sorry guys, if you think that's a bad thing, but who knows, maybe I'll change my mind
Anyway while I'm ranting ... I hear Kurt Angle missed the OVW Six Flags show and John fought in his place - count with me; john fought Saturday, Monday, Wednesday - maybe even a houseshow snuck in there- and he has a world title defense this Sunday with extreme hardcore rules - he's taking the biggest beating lately, he has been busted open, beaten with chairs and kendo sticks; it would make for a credible loss - methinks he'll lose the belt, Rey will retain and RAW and Smackdown will possibly merge while ECW is built up ... it all fits I'm afraid .. fingers crossed John will join up with DX
And where has Maria been for the last fortnight - what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas right? Well we haven't seen her since then, did the WWE leave her behind in Nevada?
Same disclaimer as always, i own nothing nothing nothing .. except Becki
Special thanks to my great readers - Kiora Storm, Sian, Dani, Dorinda and P Dizzle, you guys are tops, your reviews are that helpful
P Dizzle - i apologise for the quality of the match - i don't know how good it is
again, sorry for the delay - enjoy guys!
Sprinting down the passage John was overcome with fear. What if something had happened? Why did she need him? Praying to God that everything was alright, John opened the door only to find an empty room. His heart racing, he stepped into the room to find Maria calmly sitting on a bench. Immediately, his heart rate returned to normal, and he stepped toward her, closing the door behind him. There was something different about her, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. "Ri, don't do that to me," he exhaled, out of breath. "I thought something was wrong!"
Ignoring his spluttering she stepped toward him, almost seductively. His eyes were drawn to her hips as she strutted to him, tracing the curves of her form. "Ria, what's going on?" he asked, mildly confused. Closing the distance between them, she stood on tip toe, bringing her lips up to his. He marveled at the way they fit together; their bodies coming together like a jigsaw. She fit against him perfectly, he could smell the raspberry shampoo in her hair, the vanilla perfume on her neck.
"Nothing," she whispered, before crushing his lips to his. Stunned, he moved back against the door, leaning on it in an attempt to remain standing. His arms automatically locked around her waist, pulling her tighter as her lips moved deeper. He moaned as she pushed herself against him, forcing his legs apart so she could stand between them. Trying to get even closer to him, Maria slipped her tongue across his lips, begging entrance. As he obliged, they connected, her silky tongue exploring every region of his mouth. His hands roamed her back, one now running through her hair, the other caressing her bottom. Together they stood, interlocking. Time escaped them until Maria regretfully withdrew her mouth from Johns, nipping his lower lip as she went. Cautiously, she stepped back, remaining in his arms, but hiding her face, a little embarrassed.
When she looked up at him a moment later, he was staring at her in amazement.
"What?" she asked shyly, blushing. "Is something wrong?"
"Damn right there is something wrong girl!" John managed to choke out. "How come you ain't ever done that before?" His mind was still racing as he mentally filed the kiss away for safekeeping. This was something he never wanted to forget.
Surprisingly, the week and ensuing weekend passed by uneventfully. Not a word was heard from Phil or OVW, the house shows were a success and each day Maria regained a tiny bit more of her confidence, surrounded by the ones she loved. She had barely left John's side, and for the first time in a long time, she felt good just being Maria again. However, their troubles were just beginning.
They had just arrived at the arena in Pittsburgh, early Monday morning. After meeting up with Paul and Stephanie, as well as Benoit, Becki and Dan, they secured one side of the arena and moved in their stuff in preperation for the show. John was stressed, any fool could see it, and to make it worse Maria had to stay away from him in fear of Phil showing up and doing something. Right now, he was at the gym with Charlie and Pete, and he was literally falling to pieces. What could he do? He was about to face the biggest match-up of his life - and he knew in no uncertain terms that there was no chance he would come away unscathed.
Meanwhile, Benoit was sitting with Maria and the others in catering. Unbeknownst to them, OVW spies had arrived. From under a wide brimmed hat in the corner, Chris Cage pulled out his phone to text message Phil.
Dude, Benoit is here, and he's with the slut and her friends! What do I do?
Phil pulled his phone from his pocket. One new message, he read sitting inside his locker room. His face distorted with anger as he replied hurriedly. So Benoit was back with them was he? Well. he should have known that anyone who was once friends with Cena couldn't be trusted. Striding out into the hall he found Vinces office. He had a proposition for the Chairman, and although Vince was extremely peeved at him he thought he'd like it. He knocked and entered.
"Yes Mr Brooks?" asked Vince, raising an eyebrow in distaste.
"Sir, I want to request the rights to a special guest referee in my lumberjack match against Cena the Weiner!" As Vince began to protest, Phil held his hands up in surrender."Now, you don't have to worry, I'm sure this man will remain extremely impartial."
Vince was now intrigued. "Just who do you propose?"
Phil drew himself to his full height.
"Chris Benoit."
And now kids ... your weekly dose of angst continues ...
"Alright, alright, the lot of you sit down and shut the hell up!" Phil was angry. His match against John was due to start in less than an hour and he was nowhere near ready. Pacing around his filled-to-the-brim locker room he was getting anxious. This had to be good. It had to be better be good. No, scratch that. He had to be bloody excellent to beat John Cena tonight. His room was still buzzing, various wrestlers from OVW and the WWE fighting over the right to be lumberjacks. Adam was arguing with Aaron the Idol Stevens in the corner, sticking his chin out. It obstructed the younger mans view for a second, and almost poked his eye out.
"I took the title off Cena," he boasted. "I know him, know his playbook. I should be a lumberjack for Phil."
Aaron the Idol stood a little taller.
"I've known Phil for virtually his whole career. He knows that I've got his back; look at you - I bet given the chance you'll get out there and turn on us."
There was a gleam in his eye as he continued. "Just like Benoit did to us, just like you did to your wife.." Adam got up in the younger mans face; how dare he disrespect him like that! Nose to nose Adam went in for the kill.
"Why you little ..."
"I said shut the hell up and sit down! NOW!"
He was cut off midsentence by Phil who had jumped on top of a bench in an effort to get the groups attention. The rest of the group continued to argue, getting louder and louder. He sighed, highly irritated. He didn't need this right now, this was about him, he needed everyone to be on his side and stop thinking about themselves for awhile. It was time to annihilate John Cena.
Taking a deep breath he screamed "I swear if you don't shit down, SHUT THE HELL UP AND LISTEN TO ME, I'm going to grab a can of beer and guzzle it down."
The group froze where they were and turned to look at Phil. Threatening to drink alcohol when he was straight edge just to shut them up? That was a bit drastic. To be honest, a few of the WWE boys were starting to get a little sick of CM. Ordering them around, acting like he was running the place; this guy was as bad as Vince. Phil surevyed the hushed group and nodded in satisfaction. "Now that's better."
"So Phil," asked Aaron casually. "You got your lumber jacks yet?" Phil glared at his friend. Obviously getting interrupted was not apart of the plan.
"As I was about to say," he snorted."I have my lumber jacks. The rest of you, I don't care what you do, but you need to have our backs. Beast and Riggs, I want you on Maria at all times. Don't let her friends try a thing, you get in there and be ready to grab her when I win." The boys nodded, they were used to taking orders from Phil, unlike a lot of the guys present.
"You got it boss," Da Beast leered.
"As for the rest of you," Phil continued. "It goes as follows; Adam, Aaron, Snitsky, Chris Cage and Boogeyman, you're all on one side of the ring, got it? Stick together," he ordered. "No one gets in that ring to help Cena I swear it. If someone comes in to join the fun, it'd better be one of you guys."
"Spirit Squad ... Spirit Jacks ... whatever your frigin' calling yourselves these days. You're on the other side of the ring. Now I know you guys can barely wrestle, so you guys are all going to need weapons. Johnny and Nicky, I want you two to have chairs, Mikey and Mitch, kendo stick and a fire extinguisher respectively." The guys frowned, resenting the comment made about their lack of ability in the ring. Glancing at each other momentarily they turned back to Phil and nodded.
"What about me?" Kenny piped up. Phils steely gaze landed upon the youngest man in the room and he grinned manicly.
"Tonight," he began hesitantly, as if not sure of what he was saying. "Tonight, is about revenge. About getting even with those who have stood in our way, those who have stood upon us when we were down to get ahead. As members of my 24/7 Crusade you are no longer subject to this brand of discrimination. You are strong, you are fighters and you will stop at nothing to see me succeed."
The men on the floor below soaked his every word. They were getting pumped; when these Crusaders hit that ring they were going in for the kill. The excitement in the room grew as Phil spoke, his words becoming clearer and more defined. He was slamming his closed fist into his open palm. This is it, he told himself. We do it now, that title, and John are both mine.
"Tonight we go out there as a unit. You will fight as a team and as individuals, working together to eliminate the enemy. We all have enemies, some of us more than others and those people have to pay for what they have done." He stepped down, approaching Kenny and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Kenny," he said finally. "You will take the sledge hammer. "
"A symbol of strength, of defiance, a symbol of us." He looked Kenny straight in the eyes.
"A symbol of our destruction, and impending victory."
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The scene was similar in the mens locker room. John had just arrived; a total wreck. His eyes kept darting side to side, he was agitated and nervous. His life was about to change, and he had ultimately no control of the situation. His palms were sweaty, and he coughed. Before him stood the entire RAW roster, minus the defectors who had sided with Phil. Glen, Rob, all the boys, even Grish was there. He closed his eyes and prayed. Dear God, he thought. If I lose this I'm nothing. If I lose this I let down all the boys standing in front of me, my brothers, everyone who ever stood with me. My soldiers.
He was flanked by Shawn, Charlie, Pete and Paul. Dan and Becki had reluctantly stayed in Pauls dressing room with Maria. He didn't need them involved in this mess too. Torrie, Beth and Trish were seated at the back with Jericho and Benoit. There was no doubt, this was about to get ugly.
John stepped forward and addressed the group. "Aightttt. I'm about to go out there and fight for this," he said, gesturing to his surroundings. "All of you. My family ... everybody that I'm running down that road with .. my job, my belt ... my life." He slowly gazed around the room, smiling softly as he remembered matches against these people, memories of being on the road, driving late into the night into some rickety town knowing that when he got there, he wouldn't be alone. Losing himself in the moment, he bowed his head. He couldn't give this up, no way.
Shawn stepped up beside the Champ.
"What's out there is bigger than us right now. This did start out as something personal, now it's about business. Everything we've worked hard for went missing last week. OVW busted in here and we gave them all he had. Tonight, we have to give them that and more. This match is no holds barred, no disqualifications. Even if you're not a lumber jack, you're still in this. It's going to be messy, and if you think you're needed and you want to jump into the fray, bring all you got. Phil and his boys will stop at nothing, we know this. They will have every little dirty trick you can think of and then some."
John swallowed and jumped in as Shawn finished.
"That's why I'm glad you guys are with me. You have shown time and time again that you guys are loyal, and that I can count on you. We've sat here and bitched about storylines, knocked each other out with chairs, fought each other. But in the end this is what we have; soldiers. Ready to go out there and bust that ring up. I'm not asking anything more of you than what you're prepared to give. Just know, that when we're out there, we're doing it for each other."
"We're doing it for this business," a gravelly voice finished. "And to save Maria. Punk is a deadman."
Glen, towering over John, stuck out his hand. "You're a fair guy Cena. And I hate that little shit. Tell us what to do."
Surprised, John met his hand and shook it firmly."Glad to have you aboard man. Okay, it's like this. My lumber jacks are ... "
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Stephanie knocked lightly on the door to Pauls dressing room. A muffled 'Come in," could be heard as she stepped inside, locking the door behind her. Maria was on the floor doing sit-ups, while Becki held her feet in place. Bemused by the scene in front of him, Dan sat at a table nearby flipping though a magazine. The trio were nervous, anyone could see it, and they were trying their best to remain occupied until the match got under way. A million thoughts were running through Marias mind at once. What if he doesn't win? she thought fearfully. Although she has every confidence in her mans ability, Phil and his crew had way more experience at being underhanded than John did, that gave them a direct advantage; why did it have to come to this?
Stephanie looked at Maria oddly. "Maria, what are you doing?"
Maria looked up at her boss sheepishly."Sorry Steph, I was trying to keep occupied."
"Understandable," Steph smiled. She was so glad those two had finally got it right. But what would happen if John lost? Shaking her head quickly she changed the subject. "Guys, I just came in here to tell you to turn your tv on. I've been to see Paul and the guys and told them already; apparently, there are some new stipulations for tonights match that my father put in place."
At Maria's look of horror Steph grimaced. "I know, I know, I'm sorry, I truly had no idea. He wouldn't even tell me what they were."
Already having gotten out of his seat Dan grabbed the remote and hit the volume. The sound of Vince McMahon's voice blared though the room. He was standing in the middle of the ring, much to the disgust of the fans. They wanted to see John get the girl, and they wanted to see it now. The Chairman glared at the crowd.
"As I was saying," he thundered. "Tonights main event is a no holds barred, no disqualification lumberjack match between CM PUNK," the crowd quickly erupted into a loud chorus of boos before Vince had the chance to finish his sentence." And your Champ, John Cena." The crowd cheered; although John may have been losing the favour of the crowd recently, he was all over them tonight. WWE fans were notorious for their devotion to their brand and this was no exception. "Now you may be a bit confused in regards to the footage you all saw last week." As Vince spoke the carnage from RAW in Tacoma was shown on the titantron, closing with a shot Chris Benoit calling out OVW.
"From what I understand, you all want to know why Chris Benoit was siding with PUNK. " The crowd responded, yelling out their agreement. "It has come to my attention that Chris Benoit was trying to play me last week. As we all know, the Rabid Wolverine and Cena are close friends. Then suddenly, we saw Benoit affiliating himself with OVW. Can't make up your mind Benoit?" Vince chuckled. "No problem. But I'm afraid you're going to have too, sometime tonight. Why, you wonder? Well Chris check your locker room and you'll find a small present in there, courtesy of me. It's a black and white striped shirt. You wanna play hardball Benoit? Come dance in my court - tonight, you're my special guest referee."
Maria gasped and grabbed Becki's arm as Benoit, in the mens locker room groaned audibly. "You've gotta be kidding me," they moaned in unison.
"But wait!" cried Vince. "There's more! Shane, come out here." Shane appeared at the top of the ramp, his arms full of what looked like ... rope?
"Shane, go and find Maria. Bring her to my office and have her tied up. Legs bound, arms, everything. There is no way we can allow her to escape." Nodding, Shane headed backstage. He'd have bet his last dollar that Maria was in his brother-in-laws locker room. How right he was. Bursting in he pulled the young diva to her feet and tried to manuver her out the door before Stephanie could stop him.
"What are you doing?" Stephanie cried. "You can't do this! You can't just detain Maria!"
"You heard Dad," Shane grunted, disappearing with Maria down the hallway. "She comes with me."
Bolting out the door to follow her brother Stephanie called out to Becki and Dan. "Get out here guys," she called. " He didn't say you couldn't stay with her."
Jumping up, they ran out of the room and down the hall. The television remained on, broadcasting to an empty room, Vinces voice echoing down the hall. "And last ... but certainly not least ... this match will determine the future ..."
"Of no one, except yours," responded a calm voice, loud and clear. "Enough is enough. These boys are out here fighting for their titles, their jobs and John Cena is out here virtually fighting for everything that is good in his life! Why do you continue to try and take that away from him? He is possibly the biggest asset to this company right now and I'll be damned if you screw him over while I'm still drawing breath." Vince opened and shut his mouth, trying to form words but nothing came out."Give it up Vincent. I have equal ownership of this business and I'm entitled to a say."
The fans were bored - was the match going to continue or not?
"Don't worry," Linda McMahon assured the fans. "The match will continue. It's coming up ... next."
The fans became kiddy with excitement. This was it! The moment they had been waiting for ... Maria was going to get her revenge .. OVW vs WWE .. a decent storyline from the WWE ... and John Cena vs the rest of the world ...
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'So push us down ... and we get right back up AGAIN'
CM PUNK's new music 'Voices off Camera' from Rise Against came blaring out of the speakers as his lumber jacks stormed through the curtains and rushed the ring. The crowd erupted in a chorus of boos, chants of "Punk is a deadman, Punk is a deadman!"
As Lillian announced the wrestlers individually they posed in the ring corners, fans not hesitating to throw signs and their rubbish right at them. Suddenly, the music stopped and an abundance of pyro went off. The manic screaming that the fans had seen one RAW almost two weeks ago was heard again as CM stood at the top of the ramp howling like a banshee. His hair slicked back in a ponytail similar to Rob Van Dam's, he was dancing to music it seemed only he could hear, spinning and jumping across the stage before running down the ramp and diving into the ring. He snatched the microphone from Lillians hand and stop in the cetnre of the ring, which was now littered with trash.
"You .. you ... cretins," he hissed. "Are the reason that this is necessary ... You do nothing but cheer for the morons who come down to this ring and pretend to wrestle, and put their bodies on the line for you. You build them up, and then tear them down when someone else comes along ... the next someone ... will be me."
Leering at Lillian, he snapped his fingers and his lumber jacks slid out of the ring. Weapons were found, and the wrestlers took their places as CM acknowledged the audience for a final time.
"The final Crusade has begun." He voice dropped to a whisper, dripping with contempt. And in unison, the lumber jacks all got to their knees and howled.
Phil grinned a mile wide. There was no stopping him now.
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"Dude, that guy needs some serious smackdown laid on him." Rob spat, disgusted. The boys John had chosen to be his lumber jacks were standing at the Gorilla. They were ready to hit the ring any minute now, and the guys around him nodded their agreement. They stood in a circle, watching the monitor before them.
Glen looked at the others. No words needed to be said, the look in his eyes said it all. Get out there, and raise some hell.
Their music hit, and they were gone.
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King was in his element.
"This is great! HAW HAW JR there's going blood drawn here tonight! Everyone is here, but where are the divas? Bring on the PUPPIES!"
JR simply shook his head. "Folks, what you are about to see here tonight is set to be an absolute old fashioned slobberknocker! Please," he implored."Ladies and Gentlemen put your children to bed, this sight is not going to be for the faint hearted."
The lights dimmed, and the arena exploded with flashes of light as Maria's theme, 'With Legs Like That' blasted in the background. But Maria was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a sombre looking Shawn Michaels led a rag tag bunch of wrestlers to the ring, presumably Johns lumber jacks. The crowd jumped to their feet and popped like crazy as the boys slipped throught the ropes and stood in a line in the centre of the ring;Paul Levesque, Rob Van Dam, Glen Jacobs, Carlito, Big Show, Jericho, Pete, Charlie and Eugene.
"That's Marias theme King!" JR exclaimed. "But she is nowhere to be seen! John must be using it to show Punk that they're not afraid of him, and he'll do anything to get Maria back!"
Suddenly, Phils jacks jumped in the ring. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they were toe to toe with the WWE's finest. John had chosen wisely; his jacks were at least 300 pound heavier than Phils and they had experience in this sort of thing. The rookies from OVW were feeling slightly intimidated, and they had a right to be; the most experienced wrestler on their side was Adam, and the entire WWE locker room was looking to kick his butt. They were truly screwed.
Chris Benoit made his way to the ring, yet stood outside for the time being. He knew Phil would be gunning for him, as would the rest of the boys. He didn't get it. This match was no holds barred, no disqualifications ... why was he even out here? "Okay guys, you know what's going to go down here. You gotta stay outta the ring as much as possible to let John and Punk fight this out - out here, you go by your own rules. The only way this ends is with a count out, a 3 count or a submission," he paused, looking specifically at Jericho and the boys. "Do whatever you can to help John win."
"They're all here," King proclaimed. "Let's get it on!"
"That's all fine and dandy King," scoffed JR. "But where is the Champ?"
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John opened the door to Vinces office. Luckily for him, there was no one in sight. No one, that was, except for Maria. Tied to a chair as promised, her feet and hands were bound. Her usually calm eyes were flooded with fear and her body was tense all over. She struggled against her ropes, failing to see him as he entered. Looking up, she saw him and she beamed. She knew that he would come! He held a finger to his lips, urging her to stay quiet.
"Hey Ri," he said quietly. Running a finger down the side of her face he caught a stray tear and wiped it away. "Don't, we'll be outta here soon."
"You're going to win for me?" asked Maria hopefully, needing to be reassured.
Kneeling down to her height he dropped a light kiss upon her lips. "I'm going to do my best Ria. I told you I'd never break a promise to you, and I won't. I'm going to be giving it all out there tonight, for my job, my title and for you."
"Are you scared?"
"Shaking in my shoes, baby girl. But if it happens, it happens. I'll get you back to me no matter what."
She nodded, knowing that he was speaking the truth. She felt so helpless here, but she knew that if she tried to escape she'd get caught and something even worse would happen to her. She motioned for John to bring his face back to hers, and as he did she placed a searing kiss right on his mouth, devouring his lips with hers. Moments later when he pulled back she murmered to him, "Go get 'em tiger," like any football coach trying to pysche up his team would do.
John looked a little dazed as he stood. "Ria, there goes my concentration!"
She giggled. "No, that's motivation," she tried to say in a sexy voice, before she dissolved into laughter. "Win this match and there will be a lot more of where that came from," she teased as he blushed furiously.
Backing out of the room John smiled sadly. "I better go. I love you Maria."
"I love you too John," she responded softly to the air." I don't know what I'll do if you lose."
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The atmosphere in the ring was electric. Almost five minutes into the match, Phil and John had barely laid a finger on each other. It was like an unspoken challenge; the first one to break and attack his opponent would give away a definite mental advantage. They stood, circling each other, neither blinking an eye.
Outside the ring it was a different story. Insults were thrown back and forth, the Spirit Jacks were waving their weapons around meancingly and Eugene was playing aeroplanes. They knew that as soon as the action broke in the ring, it was on.
In Vinces office Becki and Dan sat either side of Maria as they watched the match on the television. Not surprisingly, footsteps were heard and Becki, then Dan, were both attacked with steel chairs, knocking them out cold to the floor. The Riggs boys each picked up a side of the chair on which Maria was sitting as Da Beast gagged and blindfolded her. Struggling vainly she tried to escape, but it was no use. Before she realised what was happening, she was three feet in the air and headed out the door.
Back in the ring Phil was talking smack to John. "You're not going anywhere with that title John. It's mine ... and nothing will prevent me from taking it away from you. Just like I took Maria, like I've taken over RAW, and just like how I'm about to single handedly destroy your career."
Benoit was standing to the side, bored. C'mon guys, he thought. Let's get this done and out of here. Stop prolonging the misery.
From the announce table Vince was hurling abuse at the men. "Get going," he was thundering."Take each other apart!"
Johns head was pounding. He could hear the crowd screaming his name, feel the energy was surging through his veins. Inside he was seething, and ready to blow. He caught a glimpse of Pete out of the corner of his eye; the older man was yelling at him to get moving, to do something. In the back of his mind he could hear crying, and it was getting louder. What was that? He knew that voice. Suddenly, he saw Jericho try to bolt up the ramp, before he was restrained by Show. Johns mind was going a million miles a second. Why would Jericho leave? Oh. Oh no.
His head whipped to the right. Damn. Maria was at the top of the ramp, flanked by those OVE bastards. She was terrified, and rightly so. Fo John, that was all it took.
John jumped on Phil, unleashing a flurry of rights and lefts, most of them landing on his head. Outside the ring, the boys were going at it; the Spirit Jacks had their weapons out and they were swinging at anything that moved. Unfortunately, Phil had been right; they couldn't wrestle, but they were worse with weaponry. As soon as Johnny and Nicky attempted to con-chair-to Big Show, he punched his fists out to his sides and slammed the chairs down in their faces. Adam headed straight for Eugene, thinking that he was the weakest of the bunch, but to the delight of the fans Eugene grabs Adam and irish whipped him into the steel steps.
Back in the ring, Phil looks John right in the eyes and spits in his face. Saliva drips from Cena's brow as he jumps off Phil and tries to get the fluid out of his eyes. Knowing that he has regained the upper hand, if only for a moment, Phil jumps up and charges at John. But John was ready for him.
They lock up and Phil backs John into the corner with a rake of the eyes. John responded with a right hand and Phil backed off, only to be hit by a wayward 2 x 4 that Chris Cage had chucked into the ring. They lock up again with John managing to lock in a side headlock before hitting Phil a shoulder block and side headlock takedown. Phil reversed into a side headlock of his own but Cena came back with an arm drag before choking Phil with a piece of plastic left in the ring by the fans. John then released Phil, whose face was turning an interesting shade of purple, to hit a back body drop before clotheslining CM to the outside.
Phil sent Cena over the barricade into the crowd and followed him over.By this time the lumber jacks were getting busy, they knew that they really weren't needed at ringside, they just wanted a chance to kick each others asses. Blood was oozing from several cuts upon Charlie's head as the Boogeyman assaulted him with a switch of barbed wire, and Carlito was a little unsteady; several chair shots will do that too you! Phil hit a neckbreaker on the floor and then both men traded right hands. Phil tossed Cena back to ringside before grabbing a mic.
"Give it up Cena! Your friends have suffered enough! Look at the carnage around you! This is all your fault! Just give it up now!"
"Not on my life," the Champ spat, and decked him. Phil sent Cena into the ring steps, stopping momentarily to undo his leather belt and whip John with it, before choked him around the ring post. By this time, Paul had dismantled the announce table, trying to slam Snitsky through it but he was not able to succeed. Phil pulled John up top of the table, but John managed to shift his weight and gain the momentum.
"Kiss my ass Phil," John snarled. He turned to Maria, his heart torn at seeing her struggling with her bonds. Anger getting the better of him, he turned and back body dropped Phil through the table!
"Baaah God Folkes!" Exclaimed JR. "He just went right through this table! And look at all those bloodied wrestlers in the corner King! What is this?"
Cena decked Phil with a monitor but Phil came back with a steel chair to the skull, busting John wide open. At this point Shawn grabbed the ring steps and nailed Aaron 'The Idol' Stevens with them! John is a bloody mess as Phil grabs a kendo stick and throws him into the ring. Nailing Cena with the stick, Phil spat at John and then kicked him repeatedly in the ring. John stumbled to his feet, only to be nailed by a clothesline. John didn't even make it to his feet before Phil pulled him up and hit a second clothesline. Grabbing his leather belt again, he tightened it around Johns throat and dragged him around the ring, forcing Maria to watch as John was treated like a dog. Her eyes were puffy, and John knew she was trying hard not to cry. She had to do something!
"C'mon John," she yelled through her gag. "You can do it!"
Da Beast turned to her and slapped her roughly across the face. " I never told you to talk. Shut up."
Johns hands made their way to his throat, trembling as he fought to undo the belt, and he rose to his feet, but Phil nailed him with a low blow, and then grabbed the mic again.
"Give it up John," he growled triumphantly, and nailed him in the head with the mic. But John wouldn't respond. He pulled himself to his knees, using the ropes for leverage, and tried to stand.
"Get up you punk ass bitch!" demanded Phil. John, finding a second wind, nailed him with a right hand. He hit a headbutt and then a clothesline followed by a throwback powerslam. Cena hit the side slam and then looked out in the crowd, a bloody mess. He needed to know these people were behind him. If not, them who was he really fighting for?
"You can do it John!" cried a muffled voice from the top of the ramp. He looked up at Maria, and instead of terror saw pride shining in her eyes. She was slapped again for her troubles, but she showed no signs of backing down. That was his Ri – she was definitely his number one chain gang soldier.
Cena hit the five knuckle shuffle and took Phil down with the FU! Phil stayed stationary for a couple of minutes before grabbing his head, rolling to the outside of the ring. He turned to head up the aisle, dizzy with pain. The crowd was cheering Johns name, knowing that this was almost over. Phil had almost made it up the ramp when he was stopped by a vehement Benoit. The Rabid Wolverine had been sitting on the ropes for the main part of the match, there hadn't been much he could do. But now, this was for Maria. Benoit followed him up and slammed his head first into a seurity barrier. Benoit then hit a slam onto the barrier, dropping Phil on the hard concrete floor. They fought the whole way up the ramp, trading blows. Phil got a thumb to the eye from Benoit, who then pulled PUNK into a swinging neckbreaker, dropping Phil three feet onto the tables below the stage.
The crowd, absolutely loving what they were seeing, erupted in unison. "HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!"
The WWE Chairman was still at ringside, not believing what he saw. "This ... this is chaos," he mumbled.
At the same time, Steph and Linda were exchanging grins in Pauls locker room. They were worried for the welfare of their wrestlers, yes. But this was going to make the ratings go sky high!
Back in the ring, Adam had now attacked John, throwing him into a ladder, which the Spirit Jacks had brought ring side. John regained his balance, reaching down to the floor to find the busted tv monitor. Pulling out an electric cord, he wrapped it around the throat of Adam. Adam somehow miraculously managed to escape and put John in a sleeper hold, pulling him toward the table Glen and Rob had set up in the middle of the ring. Cena wouldn't quit, and powered out, and sent Adam through the table, with RVD climbing the turnbuckle and frogsplashing him, followed by Glen who picked Adam up and chokeslammed him to the ground. As Adam crawled to his feet he hit John with a thumb to the eye and went for a suplex, but John reversed and suplexed Adam onto the mat. The Rated R Superstar fell out of the ring, and onto a pile of lumber jacks, which had been building below.
The Spirit Squad, Snitsky and Cage were all lying in one moaning mass in the corner. They had had enough. They were bruised and bleeding, and so embarrassed they didn't want to show their faces in a wrestling ring anytime soon. The Boogeyman and Aaron the Idol Stevens had jumped the security barriers and were trying to escape through the audience, Carlito, Eugene and Pete hot on their tails.
John stood in the ring, trying to catch his breath. Benoit was toying with Phil, slowly making him head back to the ring. On their way, they passed Show and Glen, who were on their way to head off Da Beast and the Riggs boys. Charlie ran up the ramp to untie Maria, and left her in the care of Torrie and Trish who had burst on stage. Victoria came out of nowhere to try and blatantly choke Trish but Beth appeared and delivered a chick kick to the red headed diva, making her fall to the floor. The girls had to drag Maria off the stage - she wanted to stay with John, she didn't care about her own safety.
Benoit rolled Phil back into the ring. By now, RVD, Paul, Jericho, Charlie and Shawn had entered the ring and where standing in a small semi-circle. Unbeknownst to Phil, he was about to receive the biggest ass-whooping of his career. They administered a round of sharp kicks to his abdomen legs before Charlie pulled him to his feet, striking him dead in the face. As Phil spun around with the force of the blow, he was subjected to the Walls of Jericho, with Shawn getting in his face the entire time.
"Who's going to take the title now Phil? Huh? Huh?" Shawn smirked, rolling around the ring, pretending he was suffering from a fit.
Phil screamed in agony as Jericho put all his force and weight on Phils lower back. As it was, RVD had seen an opportunity and gone for rolling thunder, slamming PUNK to the ground, releasing Jerichos manuever. Phil clawed his way to his feet, using Pauls legs to pull himself up. Big mistake. For his troubles he got a kick to the gut followed by a pedigree! By now, Phil's face was teaming with blood. His hair was matted with it, it was all over his tights. He could barely stand, and while he was receiving this wicked beatdown, John was sitting on the ropes, watching it unfold. By now the OVW and WWE defectors were gone, chased from the arena. Phil was utterly alone.
Dragging himself to a turnbuckle he stood, leaning on the ropes for support. He failed to hear the snorts coming from the other guys inside the ring, or the jeering of the crowd. He was so out it he didn't even realise where he was; that was probably why he failed to hear Shawn Michaels tuning up the band. As the crowd chanted in unison, "Phil's a DEADMAN!", he walked right into the boot of the Heartbreak Kid and Sweet Chin Music.
He was absolutely still in the middle of the ring as John slowly hopped down from the ropes. He was beginning to twitch when John covered him and Benoit slid into the ring to make the count.
"ONE ... " Phil was starting to come around under John, he was moving, and he knew he had to move to stop John from getting the pin.
"TWO..."
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And that, my friends, is what I call a cliffhanger! You like? Let me know! The purple/lilac/voilet button down there means you can let me know what you think! Don't be afraid, I don't bite!
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