Inspiration For A Viper
And it had been going so well...
Kane was strong, but so was Randy. Kane was big, but so was Randy. And Randy had a distinct advantage over Kane: he was much faster. Faster than most of the roster. And as always, he used that advantage to its fullest.
Kane could be fast when he wanted to, and sometimes he would actually catch Randy. But Randy could take an astonishing level of punishment and dish it back. The crowd cheered as Randy clutched Kane's hand that was wrapped around his throat, lifting him up to chokeslam him. Randy's counter by bringing his long legs up directly into Kane's face and drop-kicking the demon to the mat had them on their feet, screaming.
The match was predictable in Randy's mind. He knew everything Kane was going to do. Randy slithered around the ring, the Voices in his head alerting him to each move before Kane had even set up for it. The demon didn't stand a chance.
Randy had also anticipated Roman's late-match interference. He had kept his ears open, knowing that the Samoan would appear, predictably trying to time his strike when Randy got the upper hand on Kane. And sure enough, just when Randy was going in for the RKO, he heard the crowd roar. Immediately abandoning his finishing maneuver, he dropped to the mat and slide out of the ring, just in time to see the weakened Kane taking the spear. The referee signaled for the bell and just like that, through no fault of his own Randy had lost another match.
"And your winner, as a result of a disqualification, KANE!" the Lillian announced.
The crowd was still cheering for Roman. "God dammit!" Randy screamed in frustration. The crowd drowned out his words so there was no possibility that the FCC to whine about his language on television. Vince might have words for Randy, but he didn't care. He rolled back into the ring and set up to RKO Reigns. But Reigns wisely flung himself backwards into the turnbuckle, setting up himself for that stupid Superman Punch. Randy turned around and saw Kane climbing to his feet. It took half a second for Randy to see he was in a very bad position.
Both Roman and Kane were glaring at him and no matter how good Randy was, he knew he couldn't take them both at once. They all stared at each other, none of them making a move, waiting to see who would flinch first.
Then Bo's music hit. Randy recoiled, his attention drawn briefly to the stage but it was long enough. Roman and Kane double teamed Randy, who did his best to fight back. But the two overcame the Viper and he ended up in the middle of the mat, curled up against the blows raining down on his body until Roman and Kane finally turned on each other and fought their way up the ramp.
The audience, after Kane and Roman disappeared, watched in gleeful anticipation as Randy slowly uncurled and sat up. Then that voice, one that wasn't in his head, boomed over the loudspeakers.
"Hey there buddy!" Bo's eminently punchable face appeared in his field of vision as the young man leaned into the ring from the floor, his long hair dripping wet. Some small part of Bo must have had self-preservation because he didn't actually get into the ring with the hurting, humiliated Viper.
Randy wanted to kill. "I'm not your buddy." Even though there was no sibilants in that sentence, he hissed those words.
But no one heard him over the confused noise of the crowd. The crowd hadn't decided if they should cheer for Bo or for Randy. Or jeer them both. These two had never been seen together and the crowd watched in eager anticipation how this would play out.
"I see you lost again." Bo smiled in sympathy. "Like at Wrestlemania, and Backlash, and the Money in the Bank match, and Battlegrounds."
The crowd cheered, reveling in his added humiliation.
Randy wanted to kill.
"I know it's hard, losing all the time. Or at least I've heard it's hard, because I wouldn't know about that. But Randy, you can be a winner again. All you have to do is BO-LIEVE!" Bo smiled that beatific smile and raised his hands like he was some sort of savior.
To Randy's disgust, the crowd chanted Bo's catchphrase with him. Then they cheered for Bo's stupid words and Bo responded by grinning and raising his fists, sticking his thumbs out. It only fueled Randy's rage to watch him run around the ring like he'd won a damned match. Determined to put an end to this once and for all, Randy slithered under the bottom rope out of the ring right into Bo's path.
The young man slid to a stop and hesitated as the fickle crowd boomed "RKO! RKO!" He looked into Randy's eyes and went pale when he saw the predatory fury. But Bo gamely smiled up at Randy.
That was it, he was done. Randy moved forward to hit the little shit with an RKO just like the crowd wanted, when another voice called for Randy to "STOP!"
Hunter was at the top of the ramp, striding down and telling Randy to not move. Randy turned and glared at Hunter, who was smirking like he was in on the world's biggest joke.
"Now Randy," Hunter spoke into his microphone. "I know you want your title shot, and I promise you will get it. But I already decided that Brock Lesner gets to challenge Cena at Summer Slam. However, in the meantime I think its time to shake things up. Bo is right, you have been losing quite a bit lately, and I think you could use some inspiration. So I am going to introduce you to your new tag team partner." Hunter slung an arm over Bo's shoulder. "Bo Dallas."
The crowd went wild.
Bo's grin threatened to become bigger than his face.
Randy wanted to kill.
"If you two can win the tag team titles, then I will give you your shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Randy." Hunter's smirk never left his face.
The crowd went even more wild. Bo raised his fists, thumbs pointed in at himself as he preened for the crowd.
Randy wanted to kill. "Don't do this to me, Hunter!" he threatened.
Hunter only smirked back at Randy. "Your winning is what's best for business. And I think this arrangement will inspire you to be sure that you do your best to win your matches from now on."
"Hunter, I mean it!" As he glared at Hunter, trying to come to terms with what had just happened, the Voices in Randy's head started clamoring in loudly. One was chanting 'No! No! No!' ala Daniel Bryan. One was whimpering in a corner of his mind.
He was already plotting his way out of this when Hunter leaned over to Randy, lowering his microphone so only Randy would hear what he had to say. "If you try anything, if you deliberately cripple him or put him in the hospital just to get out of this, I will bust you down to mid-card and you will be feuding with R-Truth. I swear to god." Hunter gave Randy one last glare, then turned away and started walking back up the ramp.
Bo wrapped an arm around Randy's shoulders and waved to the crowd, but Randy barely felt it. He was glaring after Hunter and hearing the last Voice, his voice of rage, inside his head, 'Of course you realize Hunter, this means war.'
TBC
So what should the WWE's newest tag team be called? Any suggestions? ~ Belle