NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Well, I lost my new 5th gen iPod touch and purchased a replacement (from Craig's List, so it's new to me). Kinda sucks, but it's a collector's item (Product RED model), and I'm watching this new one like a hawk! Not much to say at the moment, still sleeping in the dining room. Repairs on my bedroom are gonna take a little longer than we all thought. I'm picking up some screens to put around my bed so I can have some privacy. Home repairs really suck!
Now… raise your hand if you want to see Dean as the next Wyatt *raises hand and glances around* Well, I would! I think it would give me plenty of material for some Wybrose/Braydean stories. Could you imagine my Bray breaking Dean and fixing him? Bray would really have his work cut out for him, but boy would it be worth it!;)
And if the WWE writers attempt that in an effort to turn Reigns into more of a face, then that's gonna blow up in Creative's face big time. If anything, Roman should turn heel, just to be a jerk, and feud with Dean.
BTW, it looks like Cena might be a 16 time champ after Summerslam:( If you're a fan, goody for you. If not, I totally sympathize. I don't like John Cena (the character) either. Once again, he's gonna bury another talent so he can sell new swag:P If you ask me, he looks like a giant bowl of Fruity Pebbles in his new gear. Or maybe a big bottle of Gatorade.
DISCLAIMERS: Please see the previous chapters. Bray's Smackdown promo is from January 17, 2014, with a few tweaks. Daniel Bryan's RAW promo is from January 20, 2014, tweaked as well. Promo after the Prime Time Players match is from Smackdown, aired January 24, 2014.
In-ring action is courtesy of wrestleview dot com.
Chapter Nine
Messiah complex?
Punishment of indoctrination?
Well, if you call being on fire for the Lord a Messiah complex, and consider daily Bible study punishment of indoctrination, I guess I'm guilty on both counts.
My conversation with Jay in the hospital really made me rethink my approach on things. Like he said to me that night, you can't put a lion in a cage and expect him to be grateful for the shelter. On the same token, you can't beat someone up and expect him to thank you for saving his life. I'd save the physical punishment for the ring. There, I'd expose my opponents for the fakes and frauds that they were. Daniel, of course, was the first on my list of superstars to expose.
I promised myself and my "sons" that I was gonna take out Daniel Bryan. And then, I'd change the world. That would start at the Royal Rumble. I was gonna be judge, jury, and executioner. Daniel Bryan would pay for his betrayal.
~~~ANGEL~~~
"No need for revenge. Just sit back and wait. Those who hurt you eventually screw up themselves. And if you are lucky, God will let you watch."
-Quote unknown
"...He didn't expose you, Bray. He only exposed himself." Jay's voice was tinny as it rang through Bray's cell phone. It was the Monday after Daniel's betrayal, and Jay was back in his extended stay place in Orlando, checking in on the Wyatt patriarch. "He may think he embarrassed you, but the reality is, Daniel made himself look vulnerable."
"You're not the only one who thinks that way," Bray sighed. Erick and Luke were preparing for their upcoming match with the Usos, and Bray was alone in their private locker room. "Erick and Luke agree with that as well. And speaking of vulnerable, you didn't get any sort of punishment for what happened in the parking lot last week, did you?"
"Surprisingly, no. Probably because Daniel's so disliked by upper management." Jay paused. "Bray, what I don't understand is, why did Daniel chose to fly back into the cage he'd tried to get out of in the first place?"
"Fame and notoriety and fake acceptance are just as addictive as an illicit drug," Bray explained. "He's addicted to their approval. Those fans are sheep, Jay. They chant Daniel's name and shout Yes! Yes! Yes! because everyone else is doing it. But, they'll turn on him the moment the next big thing arrives. Just you wait and see."
"I'll be watching you this Sunday," assured Jay. "And Erick and Luke as well. Too bad they're in the Rumble, though. It would have been gratifying to see the three of you take Daniel apart."
"I wanted Daniel in our family initially, Jay, so this match belongs to me," Bray pointed out. "But it doesn't mean that this isn't our fight." Earlier, Bray had been informed that Luke and Erick would participate in the Royal Rumble match. Which was perfect, because now Bray would have a chance to go one-one-one with Daniel. Since Daniel had humiliated Bray on national TV, Bray would return the favor and humiliate the traitorous little gnome right back.
The mild concussion Bray had suffered prevented him from performing on Smackdown last week and meting out a bit of punishment, but he could join Erick and Luke in the ring and deliver a warning:
"As a child I wanted nothing more in life than to be powerful like my father. I did my best to appease him, I tried to be just like him! But it was never good enough. He was never there for me, he was never there for me… Listen to this sheeple: bleat, bleat, bleat, bleat! My father, instead of entrusting me with his kingdom, betrayed me. He deceived me. He cast me out to walk among the sheep as one of them—as one of you!
"But I always knew that I was destined for greater things. So as I lay there deep down in that black hole gasping for air, just like I lay down there Monday a beaten, battered mess, I had a moment of clarity. It hit me like a ton of bricks. On my path to righteousness, on my path to purity, I would be deceived again. I looked into Daniel Bryan's eyes and I saw it. I felt it. I knew that this was my moment. I knew that this was what I was being prepared for, and that this was what Abigail was talking about long ago. I had to sacrifice myself so that I may be resurrected into the creature I was born to be.
"Did you really think that you could hurt me, Daniel? Your foolish attempt to stab me in the back... how could you be so simple? I don't bleed like any of you. Daniel, you were given every chance to walk with the reapers. Now you're gonna burn with the fake saints …"
Bray grumbled as heard the familiar strains of his nemesis' music. "Jay, I hate to cut this short, but Daniel's on his way to the ring to gloat. I need to go put him in his place."
"It's alright. Do what you need to. Make us all proud on Sunday…"
~~~ANGEL~~~
Daniel's music echoed through the arena, and the fans screamed in approval as the WWE's perennial underdog, resplendent in his ring gear and a Respect the Beard T-shirt, made his way to the ring. He hopped up onto a turnbuckle and briefly drank in the adulation of the fans like a cool glass of water before picking up a microphone.
"And some people say I shouldn't be the face of this company!" he snarked, a grin on his face.
He waited for the Daniel Bryan! chants to die down before he started to speak. "After RAW last week, a lot of people have come up to me and asked me 'Daniel, when you joined the Wyatts did you have a plan?'
A loud chant of Yes! Yes! Yes! rose from the jubilant crowd. Daniel smirked. "I think you people already figured it out. You see because to take down a guy with a messiah complex, it's not enough to take him down physically, you have to take him down mentally. And to do that, I had to do some things that I'm not proud of."
And he was right about that. Daniel had hated to keep so many of his friends, family, and co-workers out of the loop, but he'd explained himself privately to them, so all was forgiven on that end. Now, he wanted to set the record straight publicly. "I had to keep some friends in the dark. I had to absorb the punishment of indoctrination to be a part of the family, and worst of all I had to stand side-by-side with a group of men who I absolutely despise…" At that mention, the crowd voiced their disgust. "… To just wait for that one moment." Daniel's voice rose. "And that moment came last week inside of a steel cage when I got Bray Wyatt one-on-one!"
The crowd roared its approval. Daniel continued. "And I know they are big fans of saying Follow the Buzzards, but guess what? Daniel Bryan doesn't follow anybody." Daniel's voice became a growl. "Last week I became the buzzard and I chewed on the carcass of Bray Wyatt!"
If the crowd were any louder, the roof would have blown right off the arena.
"You know Bray, this is for you. You like to talk about fate but the truth is this: I exposed you. And this Sunday at the Royal Rumble, I'm going to do exactly the same thing."
Daniel paused to collect himself before dropping his bombshell; he could barely contain himself. "You see, just before I came out here, I was informed that Luke Harper and Erick Rowan are going to be in the Royal Rumble match. Which is just perfect, because that leaves Bray Wyatt to go one on one with me."
The crowd roared as Daniel led them into another Yes! Yes! Yes! chant. Taking down the Authority and winning the World Heavyweight Championship could wait. Right now, all he wanted to do was kick Bray Wyatt's ass. In the scheme of things, it was a small victory, but a victory all the same.
His celebration was cut short, however, when the lights suddenly went out. The rowdy chant from the crowd morphed into murmurs of confusion. Daniel shuddered as Bray appeared on the Titantron.
Bray's voice was soft and matter-of-fact. "A man who is not willing to die for something is not fit to live. Where I come from, being a traitor is a sin of the highest order."
Daniel stared at Bray's image, his joyous expression cooling off by about twenty degrees. Bray continued. His voice rose slightly as he paced back and forth. "You didn't expose me like you think, Daniel, you only exposed yourself. For only a coward would use his free wings to fly back into the cage where he came from."
A chuckle escaped Bray's lips. "And these people! These people! These animals... oh how they rewarded you," he wheedled, patronizing. "They cheered for you as you stamped me out and battered me. But the reality is, Daniel…. you're nothing but a traitor. A coward. These sheep only look up to you Daniel, because they chose to kneel to a traitor.
"So, what I want you to do now is go home and hug your momma, tell her you love her. And I want you to tell her you're sorry." Bray paused, and his voice became icy. "Because everything that happens to you from here on out... is your fault."
Bray laughed then, and Daniel felt a chill slither down his back like a snake. Even the supportive cheers of his fans couldn't quiet the unsettled feeling that Bray had just instilled in him. Bray's warning rang in his ears: Hug your momma, tell her you love her. And I want you to tell her you're sorry. Because everything that happens to you from here on out... is your fault.
Keep living in your land of denial, Bray, Daniel thought. Because, when I finish with you, there won't be any more doubt in anyone's minds. You're a fraud of the worst kind, and I'll be standing on your ashes.
~~~ANGEL~~~
Bray was right, however. Daniel Bryan truly was a coward. A point that was proven by his actions during the tag match between the Usos and Harper and Rowan later in the broadcast.
Jimmy Uso started the match against Harper. Luke clubbed Jimmy repeatedly with his strong fists before tagging in Erick. Rowan tossed Jimmy out of the ring, and Luke jumped off the apron to pursue the staggered Uso. Jimmy fought him back, slid back into the ring and tagged in Jey. Jey leaped off the apron at Harper. Jimmy climbed back in the ring and traded blows with Luke before leaping off the top rope with a crossbody. Erick made the save, and Jey rushed back in before Erick tossed him out. Jimmy kicked out of a pin attempt by Luke, who managed to regroup.
Erick was tagged back in, and he applied a knuckle vice to Jimmy's face. Luke was tagged back in and attempted another cover, but no luck. Jimmy blocked a splash with a boot and headed to to the top rope to attempt another. Luke caught up to Jimmy and shoved him off the ropes. Jimmy hit the padded barricade chin-first and crashed to the arena floor.
Bray, who was at ringside, was impressed enough by the move that he rose from his rocking chair and applauded his "sons."
RAW went to commercial at that point. During the commercial. Jimmy was back in the ring. Erick bounced him off the ropes, and Jimmy countered with a hard kick beneath the chin that staggered the big man, but didn't topple him. After the break, Jimmy was in trouble once more. Erick manhandled the Uso easily as he dragged him to the Wyatt's corner. Luke pounced and trapped Jimmy in a choke. He then put Jimmy's head between the ropes and connected with a slingshot move.
At that point, Bray grabbed a microphone. "Is this not what you've come to see?" he taunted the audience, as he stalked around the ring like a giant cat. "Does this not do it for you? This is the type of punishment that awaits your hero… Daniel Bryan! He walks into the Royal Rumble, entering a meat grinder. For we are the reapers… and Hell awaits him."
Luke remained focused on his task, which was taking out the Usos. He had Jimmy in a side headlock, and he climbed to his feet and then tossed Jimmy into the Wyatt's corner. Jimmy used this as an advantage; he elbowed Erick in the face and then climbed onto the top rope.
The mini rally continued. He leaped from the rope with a flying crossbody on Luke, which left the big man stunned. Jimmy was stunned as well, but he took the better of the collision and dragged himself back to his corner while Luke struggled to regain his bearings.
"They can't hurt you!" Bray shouted in an effort to encourage his fallen "son."
Jey Uso got the hot tag and took both Erick and Luke out. He connected with a couple of hard blows on Harper, dodged a clothesline, and hit a Samoan drop that sent the Wyatts reeling. Energized, Jey charged across the ring to deliver a butt splash reminiscent of his and Jimmy's father. Erick tried to jump up on the apron but he was swatted away like a fly. Jimmy, catching a second wind, leaped out of the ring onto Erick. Jey tries the same move on Luke, but Luke blasted him with a hard elbow. Jey was only momentarily phased; again he scaled the ropes, but Luke caught him with a sit-out power bomb and attempted a cover. Luke only got a two count before Jey kicked out.
Bray rose from his chair. "Come on!" he exclaimed, approaching his frustrated "son." "Take him out! Jay's watching! Make him proud!"
He was so caught up in motivating Luke that he didn't hear the roar from the crowd until it was too late. He glanced sideways just in time to see Daniel Bryan charge down the aisle, eyes blazing. Before Bray could so much as blink, the little goat-faced troll slammed into Bray hard enough to knock the hat off of his head. The blow didn't knock Bray off his feet, but it dropped him to his knees. Bray rolled onto his back in time to receive a flurry of punches from the traitor. Erick charged over to rescue Bray and received a hard superkick to the jaw for his efforts.
"Get off me, you troll!" shouted Bray before Daniel snarled and pounced on him once again. "You had to jump me from behind, didn't you? This wasn't your business!"
Luke sprung to his feet, torn between pinning Jey Uso and diving out of the ring to break up the assault on Bray. It was this moment of distraction that Jey needed. Catlike, he sneaked up behind Harper and rolled him up easily for the win.
The bell rung, and the Usos climbed out of the ring like scalded dogs. They accompanied Daniel backstage, grateful for his interference.
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the Wyatts stood on the arena floor and regrouped. Bray was nursing his sore jaw and Erick and Luke watched the retreating figures of Jey and Jimmy with disgust. Once again, the Usos had stuck it to them, and it was getting old.
~~~ANGEL~~~
The boys would, however, get a measure of revenge against their nemesis on Smackdown, after a match between Erick and Luke and the Prime Time Players.
Luke started the match against Darren Young. Luke powered Darren into the ropes before punching him. Darren fought back, but Harper stumbled him with a punch before hitting a big boot. Erick was tagged in then, and he nailed Young with a fall-away slam. Rowan punches away at him before tagging Luke back in. Harper faked whipping Erick into Young; instead, Erick whipped Harper into Titus O'Neil with a big boot. Luke then shoved Erick into Darren with an avalanche splash. Rowan then whipped the winded Darren into a discus clothesline from Luke for the win.
A chorus of boos erupted from the audience as Bray climbed out of his rocking chair and entered the ring. Luke and Erick propped Darren up as Bray bent back in the corner of the ring across from his "sons." Bray stood up then and stalked towards Darren. He wrapped the beaten combatant in his massive arms and kissed him on the forehead. He struck Darren with Sister Abigail, and Darren's body bounced off the canvas.
With that completed, Bray suddenly felt inspired and grabbed a microphone.
"At the Royal Rumble," he announced, dropping to his knees in front of Darren. "I'm not going to just defeat Daniel Bryan… I'm gonna hurt him." Bray grinned, and then sprang to his feet. "And then… I'm gonna change the world!" He paused, letting the words sink in as he paced. "They won't be able to comprehend my actions… well, not at first. But I guarantee you this. They won't be able to deny me no more."
He dropped back to his knees. "Follow… the buzzards!"
Bray had more he wanted to say, but he was rudely interrupted as Daniel's entrance music hit and the crowd erupted into cheers. He dropped his mic and climbed back to his feet. He glared at Daniel with a put-off expression as the little troll emerged from backstage. Hot-as-lava anger boiled inside of Bray, and Luke and Erick had to hold him back to prevent him from racing down the aisle.
"Come on, Bray!" Erick pleaded with the Wyatt's paterfamilias. "Don't do anything stupid. Wait til Sunday."
"Damn fool's got more guts than brains," Luke rumbled, more to himself than to Bray.
Once the music died down, Dean gestured to the crowd. The chant of YES! YES! YES! was overwhelming. "Listen," he shouted. "Listen to these people!"
Ignorant sheep, thought Bray, as he settled back down to his knees, but he kept that to himself.
"You see, Bray," Daniel continued. "We fear not fate. We fear not the reapers! And we fear not burning with the saints!"
Bray shook his head in amusement. Turning my words against me. You don't have an original thought in your head.
"Because, this Sunday, at the Royal Rumble," Daniel explained. "When you look across the ring at me, I will no longer be trapped in the prison of your madness. You will be trapped in the prison of mine. And you will find out who the real monster is as the entire universe chants, YES!" And with that, Daniel lead the fans into another chorus of YES! YES! YES! as his music started up once more.
Above the roar of the crowd, Bray shouted at him. "Bring it on, Daniel! I live for this!"
Sunday could not come fast enough. The Royal Rumble would be more important to Bray and his "sons" than any championship. Bray would make sure to hurt Daniel Bryan for his betrayal.
And then, he and his "sons" would change the world.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: WHEW! After nearly two months, I've finally got a new chapter. Hard to write because of stress, Writer's Block, and illness getting in the way. Sorry if it's not up to my own strict standards:(
Next chapter will be the Royal Rumble, and then I'll start on the next series. Anna, the Pollards, and a few new faces will appear.
It'll be a three book series, like this one:
First one will be titled An Army Of Angels, Book One: War Room.
Second one will be titled An Army Of Angels, Book Two: Battle Lines.
Third one will be (tentatively) titled An Army Of Angels, Book Three: D-Day.
DON'T FORGET… REVIEWS = LOVE