The Demon Inside Me
Chapter Three: Redemption
He couldn't believe what he just experienced in the ring. He lost; Finn lost. But dare he even say, the demon lost. Bruises and dried blood marked his skin from that battle, the bones under his aching muscles stiff and pained. He'd get his rematch as all ex-champions do, and then what? Lose again while all his defenses were down?
Finn returned to the locker room, an ice-cold towel around his shoulders and knocked over miscellaneous items off the benches. He couldn't help his anger when he was so close to retaining his title, a title he worked so hard to obtain for fifteen years. If only he didn't expend so much energy toward the end… He knew better, and he still lost. He sat down, a mess of discarded clothes near his feet, and placed his head in his hands. Undefeated in NXT the lot of them, in one way or another… somebody had to give…
Bálor needed time to recuperate, his body banged up worse than he thought; he nearly disappeared from the audience's eyes for four weeks. To go back into the shadows and away from the spotlight, that way he could find peace in whatever decision he had to make…
January 20, 2016. NXT started at Full Sail University, and the brand new NXT Champion, the Submission Specialist known as Samoa Joe decided to finally grace the crowd with his presence over a month after he emerged from Takeover: London the victor. The low roar of his music hit, and the crowd greeted him a confused mixture of boos and cheers; not like he cared. He came out with the NXT Championship over his right shoulder, a white towel over his left, and his gold and black trunks over his legs. Izzy, the Bayley cosplayer and superfan, looked at him with disdain and shouted her unhappiness at him with the added bonus of sticking her tongue out at him. Joe entered the ring, receiving a microphone from Greg Hamilton. He placed himself in the center, and just as he was about to speak, the crowd simply would not let him, the defiant and angry shouts silencing him.
He let them complain for a moment longer, chuckling to himself as he began to count on his fingers and eventually holding up eight.
"Eight months," he finally said, the crowd barely getting softer. "I've been here for eight months, and I've been undefeated in NXT ever since I showed up…and I'm still counting. Everybody who has crossed paths with me has fallen before me, even your precious Finn Bálor!" He laughed to himself as if he had something funny to say. "Speaking of the demon… no one has seen or heard from him since that night… not back stage, and not even on social media. Right… he's probably still off licking those wounds of his that I gave to him in December." He let the air breathe as if daring the titantron to go off, the crowd even beginning to chant: "We want Bálor!" Joe stared at the LED boards, willing it to change with just an expectant expression. But nothing happened, ten seconds later, twenty seconds, thirty, sixty… he just wasn't there.
"Just as I thought. I have defeated your beloved Bálor, and I have slayed your demon!" He dropped the microphone, chuckling to himself again while leaving the ring and returning backstage. Joe was an unstoppable freight train, and nobody could stop him.
February 10, 2016. Joe returned to the ring again for the main event, fighting against the likes of Baron Corbin. Corbin was angry after passing by already eight champions, and how Joe couldn't stop boasting about his superiority over everybody else in the locker room. He wasn't going to stand for it, even if Joe laughed in his face.
"You still have a lot to learn, Joe," Corbin said when they stood together in the ring, the crowd's mood very tense.
"Are you the one that's going to stop me, Corbin?" Joe sneered, the corner of his lips curling into a smirk. Corbin said nothing; he turned away to look at the audience, to get their approval in a sense, scratching his chin to add a more pensive look.
"Come on, Corbin… hit me… hit me!" Joe pushed him in the chest, trying to antagonize his opponent. "Hit me, Corbin!" Joe hit him in the chest once more but immediately was met with a strong forearm by Corbin, hitting Joe on the nose. The bell rang with Corbin having the upper hand.
The match went on for a long while, upward toward fifteen minutes. The two exchanged dominating the other; Corbin twice and Joe thrice. As hard as Corbin fought, and with multiple close calls with Small Packages and roll ups, Joe somehow always managed to kick out. At the last second, Joe brought Corbin onto his shoulder and hit the Muscle Buster; one, two, three. The NXT Champion stood tall with the championship raised in one hand and a laugh against his smirking lips. It was all too easy for him. He grabbed a microphone, desiring to attack the audience once more. He was met with nothing but boos, the crowds displeasure nearly deafening.
"Oh, shut up, you ungrateful excuses for human beings!" he shouted, his face melting to anger. "I have once again ran through one of your blessed heroes, and that will continue to be the story around here for as long as I'm here – NOBODY can touch me!" He rolled his eyes as the crowd began to chant: "No! No! No!"
"You know, I'm going to issue a warning to everyone in that locker room right now." His voice was low and barely audible, but there was darkness in the color of his timbre. "If any one of you decide to get in my way, all of you - and I do mean all of you – will end up exactly like Corbin here…and Finn Bálor. So if you got any brains left in your skulls, you'd best –" The lights suddenly went out completely, cutting Joe off and silencing him mid-sentence. It took a moment but red lights began to flash, the familiar heart beat in time with every flash.
Rich Brennan gasped loudly. "Is that –?"
"We've seen this before…" said Byron Saxton.
The lights came back on, revealing the former NXT Champion painted in his demon persona, crawling up the turnbuckles.
"The demon has returned to Full Sail University!" yelled Corey Graves, clutching the sides of his seat.
Finn Bálor's blue eyes were filled with an anger that no one in the NXT Universe had ever seen before, and he stared down at the Submission Specialist. It was a mixture of the desire for revenge and pure, absolute hatred. The two of them locked glances, unwilling to let the other one go. Bálor had nothing to lose this time around. Samoa Joe, after a moment, rolled his eyes, dropped the mic, and exited the ring, not wanting to engage in a battle with somebody he already defeated.
"You aren't worth my time," Joe said, walking around the ring with the championship over one shoulder. Demon Bálor never let him out of his sight and remained unnaturally still. Only when joe reached the ramp did Bálor move with a unique speed, and with both feet on the top of the turnbuckle did an impressive moonsault, landing on top of Joe as they both crashed onto the mats. Bálor got right back up, grabbed Joe, and shoved him against the steel stairs, the steps flying backward from the sheer force. Joe let out a yelp, the utter pain concentrated in his spine and keeping him down on the mats. The NXT Championship lay next to Bálor's feet, and slowly did he look down at it, gently taking the title and hopping back in the ring. He stared at it, his hands caressing it very steadily the way he used to. The audience erupted in a fit of excitement, even beginning a "Yes!" chant. He looked back up at the crowd and raised the championship high above his head, the camera focusing directly on his face, the angry intensity never wavering.
The show came to an end, and Finn made his way back to the gorilla room with no championship in his possession. He had no aches in his body tonight, but his mission was clear. He must take back his title.
He was making his way throughout the hallways when a familiar voice took his attention.
"Finn!" It was Bayley, the NXT Women's Champion. He looked toward her, his eyes previously glued to the floor, and he let out a deep breath.
"Bayley…" he responded in a quiet voice. Her expression showed surprise; she had seen the demon before in action, but this was the first time she had seen this side of him face-to-face.
She softened her face into a wide grin. "It's so good to see you back here! I have every ounce of faith in you in all your endeavors." She wrapped her arms around the demon in a tight embrace.
He blinked slowly and seemed slightly taken back at the sign of affection. "Thank you…Bayley…" She was just about to make her leave when Bálor began to speak again. "I heard…that Alexa and her henchmen have been giving you some trouble lately… if you need anybody…I'll take care of them for you… no questions asked…"
"Thank you, Finn, but worry about yourself for now, okay?" Bayley blushed but kept smiling. "I'm an Iron Woman AND a champion; I can deal with her," she said, nudging the championship that hung from her shoulder blade. "Now if Joe gives you too much trouble, I'll take care of him for you."
Finn smiled a bit as Bayley walked away, and made it back to his locker room, the demon recoiling back inside by the end of the night.
It was now Finn's turn to strike back and make Joe feel every ounce of humiliation that he felt in the weeks leading into Takeover: London. It was only fair if Bálor forced Joe to have an iron grip on that title, lest he wanted to lose it, right?
The demon, painted up in black and red with his strings hanging from his head and wings attached to his arms, looked directly into the camera, his eyes unwavering.
"Joe… you took everything from me…"
Finn sneaked up behind Joe backstage, and hit him in the back with a steel chair.
"…my title…my health…my security…"
The championship slipped from Joe's grip, and with one swift motion, Bálor snatched it before it hit the ground and used the belt to slap it against Joe's body.
"…you left me gasping for breath, but you still left me alive…you should have killed me when you had the chance…"
Joe tried to spear the demon, however the reaction speed was far too great for him, and he slammed into a pole.
"…now, everywhere you are, Joe... I will be one step behind you… I'm your shadow…and every time you think you're safe and alone…. I will be there…"
Bálor grabbed Joe by the back of the head and threw him backward so he fell directly to the floor.
"…be afraid of the dark, Joe… be afraid of the shadows… I'm there… I'm always going to be there… I will never let you rest… feel everything I did… all that you did to me…"
The demon took the NXT Championship and laid it across Joe's body, in the same defiance as Joe had once done to him.
"…keep my title warm for me…At Takeover, March 16, I'm taking it back… you will feel so alive one last time before you die…"
The weeks passed, and each being worse than the last for the NXT Champion. Finn kept his promise, and Joe could have sworn that any sudden move in his peripheral vision was the demon ready to strike. Paranoia haunted him. Any time he went out into the ring, he half-expected a visit from Bálor, or if he went into the locker room, he could have sworn that he was being followed. Even with all this added pressure, Joe still came out on top in his matches, his only solace and comfort knowing that he was undefeated. He was still the monster…right? But those eyes of his, cold as they were blue, burned in the back of Joe's mind.
March 16, 2016. NXT Takeover had finally arrived at Full Sail University, and the culmination of all the Superstars' hardwork was to come into fruition here. Rivalries would be made, and rivalries would end. All titles were on the line; Dash and Dawson vs Chad Gable and Jason Jordan for the NXT Tag Team Championship, Bayley vs Alexa Bliss for the NXT Women's Championship, and Finn Bálor vs Samoa Joe for the NXT Championship. Gable and Jordan finally ascended to the top and successfully became the new Tag Team Champions. Bliss gave it everything she had, her athleticism never more impressive than on this day, but still, the Resident Hugger, Bayley, came out on top, her 207 day reign continuing for weeks to come. And then, the highly anticipated rematch finally arrived. Bálor came out first, painted up his usual black and red colors on his chest and face, with skeletal hands crawling up from his hips. On his back, the wrinkled, ugly face of a demon stared at the audience with his red mouth agape, baring his large fangs. Slowly, Bálor unhooked the strings from his head and threw them outside the ring, watching the titantron with an impeccable focus; he remained so still that one could not see him breathe. It took ten seconds of silence, but then the horns of Joe's theme sounded, the champion appearing with his white towel hung over one shoulder and the title over the other. He walked to the beat of his music, wearing a pair of black and white trunks. His face remained bitter and angry, staring into the cold eyes of Bálor, neither one of them daring to look elsewhere. Joe entered the ring and walked right up to the demon, raising the championship high above his head and smirking.
"You going to get your title back, Bálor?" asked Joe, chuckling under his breath. His challenger did not give the title a single glance, instead opting to look Joe right in the eyes, the demon's expression unwavering.
These two men were given a stipulation for their rematch, and how fitting it was to be a Last Man Standing. One sought revenge, and the other would do anything in order to retain; neither would give up until their dying breath. This was the only way to settle the score between the two of them.
The referee took the NXT title from Joe and stood in front of the two men in order to explain the rules.
"Alright, you two, this is for the NXT Championship," he said in a stern voice. "There are no countouts, pinfalls, or submissions; the only way to win is for one of you to beat a ten count before the other. Do you both understand the stipulation?" Both of them nodded their heads. "Then may the best man win."
The bell rang three times, but neither man moved immediately. Bálor remained frozen in place, as Joe shook his head in disbelief, beginning to laugh quietly.
"I've seen that look before in another man's eyes…" Joe said. "You're not him, Bálor. You can pretend to be as resurrected as you want and play all your little mind games, but I know who you are."
Bálor refused to move, and the longer he stayed still, the more it infuriated Joe. Joe breathed heavier, his heart beginning to race in anticipation and expecting to be hit at any second.
"Move, Bálor… just move already! Don't look at me with those eyes!" He yelled, finally lunging forward with strikes ready to go, but as soon as he swung, the demon retaliated by grabbing Joe's arm and used his own momentum against him to execute an arm drag. Bálor jumped onto Joe's body as soon as Joe hit the mat, and started delivering forearms to his face, dishing out the pure aggression he had pent up inside him. Joe did the best he could to protect his face, but the attacks on him only angered him; he pushed the demon off of him and slammed his opponent to the mat to deliver his own set of forearms.
"You like that, Bálor? Huh?!" Joe barked, pausing for just a second before grabbing him by the hair, standing up, and throwing him outside the ring. He exited the ring as well but to the side where the audience could reach out and pat him on the back. The Submission Specialist lifted the ring apron and pulled out a shiny black steel chair, looking up between the ropes to see where Bálor was. As quietly as he could, he ran around the ring, and jumped at the demon, hitting him in the head with the chair. Though he got his forearms up in time, Bálor still took damage, reluctantly letting out a low groan of pain. He fell back, exposing his back to the NXT Champion as the latter hit him there over and over again. A mixture of anguished grunts and the sound of metal slapping against flesh filled the air. The steel chair eventually bent from the attacks so Joe discarded it to his right, watching his prey crawl to the corner and try to pick himself up by using the steel steps. He bent his knees, egging the demon to get up and turn around so he could bury him into the steel. Just as Bálor stood, Joe dashed at him expecting flesh, only to be greeted by the edges of cold metal – the demon swiftly dodged the oncoming attack and added to Joe's pain by landing a front drop kick, smashing the champion even more into the steps. Joe fell against the cool texture of the mats, his skin becoming pink. The referee came out of the ring and began the first count.
"One! Two!" He threw his fingers in the air as he counted. "Three! Four! Five!" Joe stirred, finally breaking the count at seven. He slowly got up, a dangerous look in his eyes as he embarked on a chase with the demon. Bálor ran the perimeter around the ring with Joe following suit before sliding inside and hurrying to his feet. Joe made it in and just as he got to his feet, Bálor hit him with a tornado enzuigiri, stunning him instantly. Bálor took a few steps away to shake his arms and his head and to pace around a bit, his skin crawling with energy and anticipation. The crowd cheered for their beloved babyface as he looked around at all of them. So many people were on his side, and it was such an easy thing for him to forget.
Joe got up on his knees, locking eyes with the demon once more, those cold eyes of his looking right through him as if he were inferior. The mere notion aggravated Joe, and he charged right for him. Bálor stepped just out of the way as Joe hit the ropes, turning and running at the demon again. Bálor jumped up into a leapfrog, and this time, it was Joe's turn to hit the enzuigiri. The kick landed right to the back of the head, causing the challenger to fall to his knees. Joe picked Bálor up and threw him to the turnbuckles before running full speed at him, jumping at the last second and slamming his body hard against Bálor's. He repeated this action another two times before the demon collapsed to the floor.
"You can do so much better than this, Finn," Joe said as he grabbed Finn's hair and forced him to look into his eyes. "You want your title back? Huh?" He slapped the challenger with the palm of his hand. "Where're your mind games now, huh?!" He slapped again but with the back of his hand. "Fight me, Finn! Fight me!" The slaps slowly morphed into strikes that forced the challenger to stand and trip backward. Bálor hit the ropes, looking strangely dazed. Joe took advantage but as he went to flip him over the top rope, Bálor regained his consciousness and ducked to pull the ropes down, sending Joe over the top in his place. Joe hit the floor, annoyed with himself that he fell for the obvious trap. This entire match was infuriating, and they were only minutes in. Joe sighed angrily and decided to change gear. He went straight for the timekeeper's area where the NXT Championship stayed and snatched it, holding it close to his chest as he began to walk away from the scene. The crowd booed at Joe's cowardice, annoyed that this was the champion they were subjected to. The demon was not about to stand for this injustice, so as Joe made it to the beginnings of the ramp, he gained the momentum needed and hurled himself over the top rope for the tope con hilo. But Joe was smarter than Finn gave him credit for; Joe knew how to draw in the challenger and just as the demon was about to land on him, the champion swung his title in his opponent's stomach with enough force to stop him midair. Finn hit the ground as Joe roared in accomplishment, tossing the championship to the side, grabbing Bálor by the back of his neck, and then tossing him into the ramps back-first.
"I should have killed the demon when I had the chance…" Joe hissed at Bálor, grabbing the back of his neck once more. This time, Joe noticed that blood began to drip down the painted chin of Bálor for his lip had been busted open, and he looked up him with sadistic grin on his face.
"Yes, you should have…" Bálor defiantly replied, spitting in his face and slamming his forearm in Joe's face hard enough to throw him back. Joe turned his back on the demon and with a surge of sudden strength, Bálor grabbed Joe's shoulders and jumped up so his knees slammed against his back, executing a double knee backbreaker. Both men lay on the cold of the ramp, pain finally hitting them as the referee rushed out to start his count. The Full Sail audience erupted into cheers of "holy expletive!" for a solid minute before shifting into "this is awesome!"
No one wanted to give up in this match. Back and forth, these two men went, exerting an ungodly amount of energy just to get the other one down; they had points to prove, and to lay down for a ten count could not be asked of either one. Muscles were stretching in both bodies, and scratches were marking their skins, but it didn't matter; neither one would or could give in.
Twenty minutes in, and they were on their last legs. Joe and Bálor returned to the inside of the ring, visibly shaking as they attempted to get back up on their feet. More chair shots against bare flesh, kendo sticks, and high risk maneuvers off the top rope highlighted the match, and it would be a shoe-in for "Match of the Year." They both stared each other down, Bálor hitting Joe with a weakened and slowed forearm with the approval of the crowd. Joe returned the hit, and the crowd grimaced. Back and forth they went, both regaining lost stamina before Joe slammed his thigh into Bálor's stomach, forcing the opponent to hunch over. This gave Joe the opportunity to execute a swinging neckbreaker and both men hit the mat once more, not moving. The referee counted, eyeing the contestants for the slightest movement out of either of them. He got upward toward the count of seven before either man crawled to the ropes to pull themselves up to their feet. They got to opposite corners of the ring before looking back at one another, glaring daggers at the other. Finn was tripping over his feet as he tried to stand, and his body shook vigorously, but pure adrenaline kept him conscious. He lowered his face but kept his eyes locked on Joe, that ice cold expression appearing again.
"…don't give me that look, Bálor!" Finding it within his reach, the Samoan found the power to run full speed at Finn, who in turn ran at Joe in order to execute what appeared to be the SlingBlade. Bálor swung around his opponent much like he would for a SlingBlade, but this time he clung to Joe's back, wrapping his legs around his stomach and his arms around his head.
"Coquina Clutch! By Bálor!" exclaimed the ring announcers who jumped up from their seats from the mere excitement of the match.
"But remember, there are no submissions in this match…" Corey Graves said, his eyes glued on the scene.
"It doesn't matter; Bálor's weakening Samoa Joe!" said Byron Saxton. "Bálor could be on his way to regaining his championship!"
In the ring, Joe reached for the rope that was so out of his grasp; they were in the center, and he had nowhere to go. Many a time, he put a person into this submission but when was the last time he had it done to him? He tried to use the last bit of his strength to roll around, but it was a slow process, and in a few seconds, lights would go out – he had to do something. The Samoan thrashed around as best as he could; flailing his arms and twisting his body in hopes that he could loosen Bálor's grip on him. Joe had to elbow him in the rib area before he was finally released.
Blood stained the ring, and their bodies were sprawled next to each other. The referee counted as he always had. Finn stood up with the wobbliest of legs. Joe also got himself up somehow, a line of blood running down from the top of his head from a tiny cut. Finn's back was toward Joe, but he knew exactly where he was, and with the last bit of energy left in his body, he threw himself backward, his leg coming up to Pelé kick Joe in the face. They both crashed down, and neither man could answer the ten count after that. The referee counted, slowly even, but the physicality of the match proved to be too much for their mortal bodies, and they remained grounded.
"Ladies and gentlemen," said the ring announcer, "neither Finn Bálor or Samoa Joe could answer the ten count, so the referee has decided that Samoa Joe is still the NXT Champion!"
The rematch was over, and neither man appeared on NXT for the next few weeks.
March 30, 2016. Triple H, the "father" of NXT and figurehead of the Authority, called Finn Bálor into his office that night for a prescheduled meeting. Finn's lip was the slightest bit puffy and the bruises on his skin were nearly faded, but the emotions from the rematch remained buried in the back of his mind.
"Have a seat, Finn," Triple H said as they entered his office.
"I'm ready to get back into the ring, Hunter," Finn said immediately. His boss nodded and smiled.
"Of course you are."
"If I have to enter a tournament to be number one contender again, I'll do it. Whatever it takes to get back my title."
"As always, your enthusiasm is always appreciated, but we have to think of the bigger picture here." Triple H sat down at his desk and folded his hands over his desk. "You're one of the most popular guys we have down here in NXT. You've been here well over a year, been in a handful of stories, and you've been NXT Champion for a decent amount of time. Your story is essentially wrapping up here, Bálor."
Finn paused and looked at Triple H a bit perplexed. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying it's time to move onto something new and fresh. You've done all you can here. This has been a long time coming, but you've never been more ready. And as you know, Wrestlemania 32 is this Sunday, so that means somebody needs to be ready for Raw the following night."
"Hunter…"
"Welcome to the main roster, Bálor."