This is basically Shelton's chapter, I won't say anymore so whatever I guess.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the WWE characters or their likeness its trademarked by either the WWE or the wrestlers.
Is/Was It Worth It?
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Shelton had stopped through Ohio to play a quick game of the THQ Smack Down vs Raw 2007 game on the Xbox 360 in another chance to showcase his skills to advertise the WWE and the video game. Vince McMahon always kept telling Shelton if he wanted to get over with fans as a somebody instead of just a wrestler and he couldn't talk good during promos or interviews he would just have to advertise himself in public.
One of his best friends Charlie Haas was next to him as they tagged in and out beating fans in tag matches for money and autographs. There was a couple of girls who would distract Shelton by flashing their ass and breast but Charlie wouldn't fall for it as he claimed to have a baby and wife. At first he thought they just never was facing him because he looked like a madman but once he stopped to get a hair cut before coming back his friend looked like the golden pretty boy he originally was when they were apart of Team Angle.
Looking towards his watch Shelton seen it was about 5:38 P.M. so he told Haas to just catch a cab to the stadium as he would prepare for his match. It was easier though to just imagine what hell he would go through tonight, the usually high jump that could always risk his career, some technical moves mixed with aerial attacks then a T-Bone suplex.
Shelton forgot who exactly he had a match against but he remembered it was suppose to be something like an inter-brand challenge. Last match he remember like that he faced Benoit who was stiff as hell and chopped the hell out of his chest for seeming like he didn't act as if his moves were legit. He wouldn't blame him but it felt like he went a bit too far.
Shelton had stopped to exit the taxi but looked around first to be careful and cautious. He wasn't a pretty boy like Randy Orton, John Cena or C.M. Punk but he did have a decent fan base following him but he instead watched out for the crazy managers who constentally wanted to get their break in debut into the wrestling world by managing Mr. Benjamin.
The divas tried, lower card wrestlers tried, Ohio Valley Wrestlers, Independent wrestlers, and average Joes tried to manage Shelton talking about helping him climb the ranks to the top of the WWE. Everyone knew Shelton had the skills, the moves set and even the wrestling gimmick to make it to a World Championship in the WWE but they also knew he couldn't talk well during interviews and would stubble over words and drag out segments. In a sort Shelton was another version of Chris Benoit but younger, he could certainly do well and was the right size, virtually a total package but would still take back seat to wrestlers like Umaga and Randy Orton because he didn't have a manager or couldn't talk good on the microphone.
He was hoping he could do like Bobby Lashley and constantly push out great matches back to back and hope that the Raw writers would overlook his weakness of being on the mic but he was told first hand by the veteran Hacksaw Jim Dougan that unless he would try to suck up to the writers they wouldn't overlook his weaknesses because he was on the bloated main event filled show where better people still weren't used to their full potential.
A move to SmackDown was something Shelton thought would happen but that was overlooked also as the so called draft was discontinued or forgot about until it was needed much like a dues ex machina from some type of science fiction novel to help get the writers out of a jam like how to get two big faces off the same show without turning one into the bad guy and losing a bunch of ratings through a bad storyline.
Shelton had finished dwelling on such things but by time he had done so he had found himself in the ring with C.M. Punk trying to concentrate on practicing his moves before he wrestled. He moved Punk towards the ring ropes were the slow did a series of take downs before Punk hit his Lariat off of the top rope onto Shelton. Using the momentum to roll Phil onto the ground in a smooth counter Shelton had broken the pin attempt when he heard clapping coming from a corner.
He looked to see David Finlay clapping him on as he knew what to expect from the old school wrestler as he watched his match. He likely wasn't being aggressive enough and was too laid back to play the heel part correctly enough as there was a surplus of cocky heels on Raw as it was Edge, Orton and some more if he wasn't forgetting others.
"Benjamin, the Bookers, Anderson and I would like a world with you if you don't mid." Finlay told rather then asked less clearly in his Irish accent that sent chill down Shelton's spine as he nodded getting off of Punk who looked unhappy as it was known Phil disliked Finlay's and Anderson's booking of him on ECW.
After hearing a "don't screw up", Shelton had exited the ring through the middle rope and put on his entrance attire of white and red pants and a hooded jacket. Shelton had known where the development trainers and writers, bookers and every others had been set up but he never felt it was important to bother to go there because he seen plenty job the same night and then he seen some go over, he didn't like to try to gamble his career but if they called him out he had guessed he'd have to go.
"You wanted to see me, Mrs. McMahon?" Shelton asked confused as he looked around to see the bookers looking up towards him along with Finlay and Anderson looking at him causing him to feel a little strange though not scared or worried.
"Your singles match has been changed into a tag match but sadly Charlie Haas isn't going to be your partner." Stephanie started as Shelton looked shocked and confused by what she had said.
"But Haas is my partner, he's here tonight so what is the problem?" Shelton asked if not so politely as Finlay had stepped in to intervene and speak on his own behalf; something C.M. Punk had told him about. How bookers like Finlay often tag teamed a person when they questioned a particular angle and storyline.
"You don't show enough aggression as a heel but we won't turn you face, tonight there will be a Vacant Intercontinental Title and we want all of the wrestlers to have a simple job of wrestling in it. There will be a fatal four way tag team elimination match tonight. You and Jeff Hardy, against, me and Benoit, C.M. Punk and Matt Hardy and Rob Van Dam and Sabu in an Extreme Rules match." Finlay said as he looked confused by what he had just heard from the bookers as they nodded.
He had heard Raw was slacking in ratings because they focused more on storylines then they did wrestling so they would take some of their best performers in the WWE and put them in a Extreme rules match. Sabu and Van Dam was bad enough as they could take a lot of punishment and still come back but Finlay's and Benoit's stiff style was enough to count as an extreme move not to mention someone would go through a table today.
"Well another thing to mention before you get ready to go over spots is that you Jeff and Victoria will work an interesting angle where you guys will team up and feud over Victoria and the Intercontinental Belt but eventually will rise so high up you will get a triple threat match for the World Wrestling Championship if you guys don't screw up." Stephanie added as Shelton looked down nodding his head.
Victoria isn't the best looker so feuding over her makes no sense, it was something missing but what.
Not one to be fooled easily Shelton wondered what the writers where getting at in this angle and Vince's daughter wasn't the best choice to push out idea's but if it got him out of his slump he guessed he'd go for it. He gave an ok to go ahead with the angle as if he even had a choice in the matter but still was wondering what the writers had planned between having him and Jeff feuding for with Victoria involved. It didn't add up but maybe his new "partner" would have some idea why. Speaking of partner he never received an answer for why he wouldn't get to work with Charlie Haas tonight and have Jeff work with Matt instead but knowing the writers, bookers and the old bastards Finlay and Anderson he was guessing asking again would be looked at as rude, rebellious and defiant and would cause him to lose his opportunity at winning either the Intercontinental or WWE belt anything soon if ever.
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A/N: Just to let you know Shelton arrived before Jeff but I decided to write Jeff part first because… Well I don't want to explain yet. Maybe next chapter.