Author's Note: I've just noticed last month, most of you guys were into Chapter 1 and Chapter 5. They must be that good (LOL!). But moving on to this chapter, developing Jordan's character was so fun for me to do here. Since learning about him from WWE's first UK Championship Tournament and his work in the independent circuit, he's an absolutely intriguing competitor. Good mic skills, excellent moveset, and has a fierce mentality in the ring, in my opinion. He definitely can fit both heel and babyface roles if he's given proper storylines and booking. As for the rest, promo inspirations are Seth Rollins vs Triple H (WM 33), HBK vs Undertaker (WM 25), and of course a number of Bullet Club ones. Enjoy!

(P.S. Don't be afraid to add comments or reviews of what you like so far about the fanfic. I'll be happy to hear from you!)

CH 7: Too Sweet

Saturday, July 14th. 7:00 pm. Tivoli Theatre, Dublin, Ireland.

The Tivoli Theatre was packed. Packed full of devoted wrestling fans eagerly waiting for the show to begin. An elaborate ring was set for the occasion with the sign "Over the Top Wrestling" in bold golden letters in the middle. The background projector screen also shows the promotion's signature logo: the appearance of a lucha mask with four stars on top and a ring smack-dabbed on its forehead. The atmosphere around the theatre changed as the lights grow slightly dim. And as that happened, Butch's voice can be heard in the area.

"Ladies and gentlemen….welcome to Over the Top Wrestling!"

The crowd responded with cheers and claps, followed by a melodious chorus of "OTT! OTT! OTT! OTT! OTT!"

Jordan Devlin's entrance theme comes up and the fans, as usual, cheered for their Irish hero. Jordan comes out from the curtain to a grateful applause, holding his Jr. Heavyweight Championship on his shoulder.

"Making his way to the ring, please welcome the Jr. Heavyweight Champion….Jordan Devlin!", Butch announced with poise. Fans continued to cheer as Jordan enters the ring, climbs on the top turnbuckle, and raises his championship belt high. He then goes back down and puts the belt around his waist.

Jordan gestures Butch to give him a mic and Butch did so in return. After the fanfare died down, he started to speak:

"It's been a honor fighting for you guys here today...but these are drastic times. Not only have defending my Jr. Heavyweight Championship been difficult, but I couldn't sleep yesterday wondering that next month will be the day heaven and hell collide."

Some of the fans quietly nodded in agreement.

"Those guys backstage don't know what it's like for me to be in the same ring as Finn Bálor and Becky Lynch. They don't how it feels to see that the two heroes I looked up to in my life, especially since they're best friends, turn against each other. They don't understand as to why I'll continue to suffer watching Finn and Becky go to war with each other as I'll soon become their referee. Why? Because this isn't just a main event match….it's a personal battle between the three of us that I wanted to see closed for good."

The fans clapped. Everyone seem to be immersed in Jordan's reasoning for Finn and Becky's rivalry to be sealed from their match.

"Seriously, this is how I truly feel about this situation: I'm sick and tired of playing third place with these two major talents. Just because they came here to Dublin doesn't mean I'm back to being someone else's protégé. I've reinvented myself time and time again to be stronger and I wanted to prove to Finn and Becky that I'm not that little boy anymore. Times are moving forward and I'm worth taking part in the action during the main event."

People around the Tivoli Theatre grew appreciative of the Import Killer. The young wrestler was telling it like it is: he wants to remind his mentor and female friend that he earns the respect he deserves. Jordan has traveled around the world, he has won numerous championships during his career, and due to their absence, he was one of those lads that redefined the concept of Irish wrestling...all thanks to Finn and Becky. He is, in a sense, grown up and handling opportunities on his own terms.

Jordan continued, "It pains me to see the both of them fighting each other for once. There's no unseeing their desire to challenge one another, so I have nothing but admirable respect for these two. But I have to do what I'm instructed to do and that is to present this main event in an orderly manner from start to finish. I might not know if I'll survive that night, but I felt in my heart that this no-disqualification intergender match….is gonna impact me for the rest of my life."

Fans started to clap in respect to Jordan. Some even chanted out, "You will do well (clap clap, clap clap clap)! You will do well (clap clap, clap clap clap)! You will do well (clap clap, clap clap clap)!"

"Thank you", Jordan said to his fans. Then he furthermore said, "I'm pretty much fearful of how Finn is able to control his inner demons. It's like the Demon King is second skin to him: his body, his mind, his soul consumed by darkness. As for Becky….what an incredible woman. She's an inspiration to me and of course, everyone who knew her. What bothers me the most...is when people tell her that she's worthless and she couldn't do decent promo work or she isn't champion material or whatever, they simply don't understand the 'real' Becky Lynch."

Everyone in the Tivoli Theatre clapped and cheered.

"The 'real' Becky Lynch is someone who went through a lot of obstacles to get to where she is now. She went to three different acting schools, she took jobs she didn't appreciate but did so in order to support her family, she struggled with alcohol as a teenager before she started wrestling, she suffered from injuries that prevented her dream of becoming the best female wrestler in the world. Everything that she went through, she overcame the adversity that beheld her 'cause her heart and passion for wrestling isn't just fueled by fire, it was forged in flames."

Fans continued to clap and cheer so much that it grew into a standing ovation for Jordan. They began to chant, "Straight Fire (clap clap)! Straight Fire (clap clap)! Straight Fire (clap clap)! Straight Fire (clap clap)!"

When the sound of continuous chants, clapping, and cheering diminished, Jordan said, "I wonder if Becky is coming back from training. She's expected to come back here this week, but I didn't receive any texts from her then. I'm confident she'll return…."

"...Not until we get her first", a male voice said out of nowhere. Jordan, in a slight confused state, looks around the ring and at the fans, wondering who interrupted his speech. "Who said that?", he angrily replied. "Come out and show yourself!"

Jordan waits in the ring for what seemed like a few minutes. Then there was the shocker of shocks...

A large pop ensued when a couple of familiar male wrestlers (and one female wrestler) came out from the curtains, the men dressed in black and white clothes with the symbol of a skull and crossing assault rifles on their shirts. The leader, however, wears a black motorcycle leather jacket with the design of the American flag behind it. His face is covered with a bandana, with the logo decked out in red, white, and blue to coordinate with the flag.

The Bullet Club has arrived.

Cody Rhodes, his wife Brandi, Adam "Hangman" Page, Matt and Nick Jackson (The Young Bucks), Chase Owens, and Marty Scurll. Indie darlings of Ring of Honor and New Japan are now in the same ring as Jordan Devlin. Jordan even couldn't believe they're here in the Tivoli Theatre to begin with. It was an unexpected visit, to be sure. But he wasn't having any of it.

"Why the fuck are you here?", Jordan answered in frustration. "Get the hell out of my ring!"

Cody chuckled on his mic. "Your ring? YOUR ring?! Ouch...seem a bit bitchy today, aren't you Jordie? I thought we're friends 'cause...you know, you're one of Finn's students?"

Jordan looked like he was going to confront him head-on. "I don't have time to play with the likes of your crew. What do you want? Do something stupid and I'll break you in half."

"Ooooo….", the fans said. Cody's eyes widen and he looks at his Bullet Club teammates, which were pretending to do the same thing. Then, Cody adjusts himself and tries to provide a simple smile to Jordan. He answers back:

"You see Jordan, we didn't come here to cause trouble in OTT. There's 2 reasons why: 1) we came to celebrate our buddy Marty preparing to beat the crap out of British Strong Style's baby strongboy Tyler Bate at the Belfast Pro Wrestling Open and 2) we came to see our founding boss battle his former protégé. But also we have one important question in mind….where is Becky Lynch?"

The reaction from the crowd, gasping at Cody's ill-fated question, alerted Jordan to his senses. It was odd, considering the fact that Becky never met Cody in person. It's even stranger that the Bullet Club aren't aware that she's in Liverpool training (or did they knew all along and are waiting for her to return?). He sensed danger in that question and rightfully so, since he isn't sure whether Becky's returning to Dublin or not. Jordan has to take Cody's question with a grain of salt.

"What you're gonna do to her?", Jordan said suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing", Cody replied, "We just want to know when she's returning to Dublin today….so that we can recruit her on the spot."

(That is a white lie. They're going to hurt her for what she said about the club in WWE.)

Another strong reaction from the crowd. Becky as a new member of the Bullet Club? That's a recruiting opportunity of historical proportions. It makes perfect sense that she's Finn Bálor's protégé and she's fought in Japan before. Her all-around presence will continue a surge in popularity for the club and push her career to stratospheric heights.

But Jordan knew that Becky had a strained relationship with Bullet Club since Finn became leader of the stable. She wasn't going to become as ruthless as her mentor did back then, maybe not have second thoughts in joining the club after all. It was Finn's promise in 2014 to make Becky his successor if she'd still continued wrestling, but she's already signed with NXT and that opportunity went down the drain.

"I mean, imagine the possibilities that we'll give to her", Cody said with sly enthusiasm. "She can fight both male and female Japanese wrestlers whatever she wants, she gets to have awesome ring attire, she can manage merchandise that feature her customized style, and she gets to appear in every Being the Elite episode. In other words, we'll treat her like a princess. Hell...she might make a good second-in-command."

Some of the Bullet Club guys started snickering. Jordan wasn't enjoying this conversation much. And Cody and the others were getting on his nerves a bit.

"That's some humble generosity you're giving to her and all, but um….", Jordan said and after he said that, he slowly took a step towards Cody until their chests are slightly touching. He looks up to the American Nightmare and addressed to his face: "...I wouldn't let a groupie of Kliq wannabes steal the best Irish female wrestler I've ever known. Absolutely no….fucking...chance."

The fans around the theatre reacted to Jordan's protection of Becky and the clapping and cheering transformed into another standing ovation. They started chanting out: "Jordan! Jordan! Jordan! Jordan! Jordan!"

Unbeknownst to Jordan, Cody's inner emotions were boiling. Insulting the very image of the Bullet Club is a disgrace to every member and whoever makes a rather scathing comment about their motives will be punished. Jordan has just become their first victim for the summer.

Cody takes it in stride and said, "Well….I guess you're not going to tell us if she's coming. But you, Jordan…." He smiles, then slowly drops it. "You're not going anywhere with that attitude."

Cody takes his mic and holds it sideways in front of Jordan. Jordan's heart begins to pound and a small trickle of sweat rolls down the side of his face. He looks at each Bullet Club member's facial expressions and they looked like they're preparing to kill him at any instant. But just when he's about to react by instinct, he nearly forgot about Cody dropping the mic….

Marty struck Jordan first with the handle of his black umbrella and Jordan falls backward, stunned by the hit. The other 6 members joined in with Marty, cornering the Import Killer and started to stomp on him. Jordan tries to cover himself from the blows, but the stomps were too much for him. He couldn't get up and he doesn't have any backup plan. No one from backstage is coming out to save him. Jordan fears the worst as his body starts aching and everything around him is fading….

He heard a faint pop in his ears. But it wasn't coming from his head or the blows he've gained from the Bullet Club, it was coming from outside his circle. The massive pop from the crowd was deafening that it sounded like a thousand soldiers charging in battle. Soon, Jordan saw a ginger-haired woman deliver a devastating punch to Chase. He looks up and saw who came to his rescue.

It was Becky...and she's furious as ever. Jordan effortlessly moves to one corner of the ring to rest.

The remaining 6 Bullet Club members were now hot on her tail in quick fashion. Adam launches a lariat at Becky, but Becky swiftly grabs his waist from behind and does a release German suplex, sending him into the turnbuckles. Next, the Young Bucks rushed towards her.

"Take this! Superkick Party!", Matt and Nick said as they both delivered a superkick. Becky evaded their kicks, runs to the opposite side of the ring and leans against the ropes. The Young Bucks superkick her again, but Becky does a front flip in between the twins and grabbed them by the heads. She gives them a double stunner, leaving Matt and Nick in a daze.

Marty slides under the lower turnbuckle and charges at her and Becky responded by leapfrogging over him. He leans on the ropes and tries to strike her several times with his black umbrella, thinking he got the upper hand. Becky takes the umbrella's handle and slams it against Marty's nose, then does a spinning elbow strike to knock him down.

With Marty's umbrella in hand, Becky sees Brandi standing in one corner of the ring. She taunts her by opening the umbrella as a shield and exposing the Bullet Club logo. Cody laughs and said, "Like that's going to frighten Bran-", but just before he finished his sentence, Brandi was already retreating from the ring. The fans burst into laughter.

"Brandi! Where are you going?!", Cody shouted in a panic. "Babe, come back!" But Brandi was already backstage. Cody achingly calls her back to the ring to no success. "Please come back…."

Frustrated, Cody turns around, frowning at Becky. Becky throws away Marty's umbrella and some of the fans tried to catch it. Her glaring eyes hasn't strayed away from Cody's as the two wrestlers stared across from one another in the ring.

The fans began chanting loudly: "Becky! Becky! Becky! Becky! Becky!"

As the fans continued to chant Becky's name, Cody's frown strangely turns into tranquility. He loosens his bandana around his neck and mockingly throws it up in the air until it lands in the middle of the ring. A majority of the crowd even gave a louder pop. Becky became amused by his charismatic gesture.

"So….we finally meet eye to eye", Cody said. "Taking down some of my men single-handedly by yourself without breaking a sweat...I'm impressed. Except the part where you scared my wife away with that ridiculous display of Marty's umbrella. But overall, you're definitely a promising candidate for Bullet Club leadership. Finn must be proud. But you're still not on my level. I'm the American Nightmare and I have some unfinished business with you."

"Really?", Becky said sarcastically. "I never thought you asked. You may feel like you're the baddest Bullet Club boss on the planet, but like every villain, there's one major weakness you all share: monologuing. You speak too damn much for someone as arrogant as you. In fact, if you're gonna hurt Devlin again, you're gonna have to pass me first…."

Suddenly, Becky points to something behind Cody. "And also that guy…."

Confused, Cody slowly turns around and sees Finn squatting on top of the ropes in one corner behind him. He didn't recognize him at first glance due to his buzz cut hairstyle and goatee beard. Finn quickly jumps up and does a sling-blade on Cody, the current Bullet Club leader falling backward on the ring mat. Another pop ensues, the crowd now on their very feet.

Finn comes to Becky's aid, who is currently helping Jordan on his feet. "Are you guys okay?", he said, projecting his voice over the deafening cheers of the fans. Becky nodded and said, "Yes. Jordan's just a bit sore. I'm glad I called you here, Fergal. Nice haircut."

"Thanks", Finn smiled, "and it's been my pleasure."

Cody slowly gets up and sees the three wrestlers together, both Finn and Becky carrying Jordan as human crutches. Upon standing up, he adjusts his leather jacket and scrapes his long sleeves. He gives a dishonest look at Finn, Becky, and Jordan for the last time.

"Bálor….you're lucky you're off the hook", Cody said tiredly, "but next time in the future, I wouldn't be so nice." The fans cheered as Cody leaves the ring and walks backstage in disappointment, the crowd chanting away in unison: "Na na na na….na na na na….hey hey hey, goodbye! Na na na na…..na na na na….hey hey hey, goodbye!"

As Cody disappeared behind the curtain, the fans clapped as Jordan carefully slides under the bottom rope and walks backstage, holding one of his sore arms. Becky and Finn are now the only ones in the ring.

Noticing the two WWE Superstars face to face once again, the audience couldn't help but stand up and clap for these respected Irish veterans. Everything that Finn and Becky went through has come to this crucial moment in their careers and the stakes couldn't be any higher. The overwhelming reaction from the fans plus their desires of being the best in their division greatly defines why the main event was made and why Finn and Becky deserved to face each other at the Belfast Pro Wrestling Open. Irish wrestling has been glossed over for far too long and the Demon King and the Lass Kicker are willing to expand that concept into a reality.

Finn receives a mic from one of the referees standing by. In the middle of the ring with Becky, he said in a serious tone:

"Every hero and villain has a journey. Every great legacy has a beginning. Every great rivalry has an end. Every wrestler has a story. And this….is one of those stories."

Excitement grew around the theatre and the fans responded with cheers and claps.

"Is this a fairytale? No. Is this a mirage? No. Is this a dream? No more. Our fates have clashed, Becky, and now...there's no turning back. You're making a death wish with the demon up close and personal."

Becky pretended she didn't pay attention, then she said to Finn sarcastically, "Oh I'm sorry….is this you talking or the Demon King?"

"Oooohh….", the fans reacted to her question. Becky takes a step towards Finn and further said teasingly, "Why don't you put on your fancy body paint and catch me outside?"

She slowly leans down and whispered on Finn's mic, "...I'll wait."

"Yeah!", the crowd cheered in excitement.

With that, Becky leaves the ring and heads for the backstage curtain. The fans begin chanting again, "Becky! Becky! Becky! Becky!" But before she can leave, Becky turns around and addressed to Finn her final statement for the show:

"For your consideration, I'm not gonna stop fighting until I defeat your Demon King in the main event! Finn, your grandest moment….is mine for the taking!"

Suddenly, to Becky's surprise, Finn runs and leans on the ropes. He does a spectacular tope con hilo over the top rope and astoundingly lands perfectly on his feet. Reaction from the fans were ballistic. Finn walks over to a slightly stunned Becky and cleverly replies on her mic in his best Prince Devitt-like impression:

"...Then take it from me. I'll wait…."

"OOHHHHH", the fans shouted with exuberance as Finn's smile to Becky said it all. In return, Becky stares at him with a stone-faced glare as enormous praise from the crowd continued to grow into the night.

Promise me, there's only 3 chapters left and the Belfast Pro Wrestling Open is just a month away. Next time: the Open's match card line-up, a conversation, and a somewhat "revealing" plan that Finn has due to the main event. These things will be answered on Chapter 8: Successor!