Disclaimer: What happens here in the story is not a response to the ending of WrestleMania 39. It merely inspired me to make this and future chapters for as long as there's inspiration. I was having trouble figuring out how to start this for years until a week after WM39. Also, I do not own Naruto of course.
Naruto: The Fox of Pro Wrestling
"Yo, Carr-san!"
"Naruto? Why are you sneaking around here? You're not scheduled for a match. Wrestlemania is just about over."
"...Think you can slot in one more match?"
"No? Wh- …Wait, is that?! You said you weren't going to use that!"
"All according to keikaku."
"Uh, cake?"
"Japanese for plan."
"Oh. But if you do this, Mr. McMahon will be furious! He's back, you know!"
"He can deal with it. Now c'mon. Let's get this done. Of course, it all depends on who wins that bout."
"We are so screwed- Wait, that's not the way to the guerrilla position!"
"I know. We're going a different way. Now let's make history! Believe it!"
Chapter 01: The Fox at WrestleMania
Welcome to WrestleMania!
The Grandest Stage of Them All. The Showcase of the Immortals. The Show of Shows. The Greatest Spectacle in Sports Entertainment. The Super Bowl of Sports Entertainment. The Granddaddy of Them All.
The crowning achievement of WWE; World Wrestling Entertainment.
It is the final destination for all inspiring professional wrestlers that were under the moniker of Sports Entertainers. It is where hard work is rewarded, and when you get a spot on the card, you've made it. The payday, whether win or lose, can be a great motivator, as well as something good to place on a resume for the entertainment industry.
Now, WrestleMania has entered its 39th year in the company's illustrious 70+ years of existence. Superstars like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, The Undertaker, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and John Cena come and go, but the Superstars of tomorrow still come around to carve their names in legend.
Like one Roman Reigns, a member of the Samoan Wrestling Dynasty, a former member of The Shield, and now leader of The Bloodline and WWE Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion. He is the Tribal Chief, the Head of the Table, and has reigned over the WWE as a champion for two years strong. With his cousins, The Usos, as Undisputed World Tag Team Champions; the Enforcer Solo Sikoa, and the Wiseman Paul Heyman, Roman Reigns was unstoppable, holding the WWE Universe with his dominant reign.
Many have stepped up to defeat Roman Reigns: his cousin Jey Uso, Braun Strowman, Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, Edge, Cesaro, Rey Mysterio, John Cena, Finn Balor, Brock Lesnar, Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Goldberg, Matt Riddle, Drew McIntyre, and even mostly despised social media influencer, Logan Paul. But one by one, they all fell to Reigns' Spear and/or Guillotine Choke after a dirty tactic or two. Roman Reigns was on top of the world, and the Tribal Chief had no plans of slowing down. Sure there was a problem in the form of Sami Zayn "turning his back" on the Bloodline and challenging him, but he fell all the same.
WrestleMania 39, WrestleMania goes Hollywood. 80,000 fans filled the SoFi Stadium in California. While many wanted to see an ultra-mega spectacular show worthy of the legacy of WrestleMania, they were more excited about witnessing the Bloodline's dominance over the WWE finally come to an end. While Roman Reigns' change of attitude was welcomed and his title reign well received, two years was way too long for most people. They now wanted a new champion, a fresh start, and the fall of the Roman Empire.
Enter the returning American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes.
Fresh out of All Elite Wrestling where he was co-Founder and Executive Vice President, he returned to WWE and triumphed against Seth "Freakin'" Rollins at last year's Wrestlemania, resulting in a three-match feud against him until Cody tore his pec while training. He once again returned just in time for the Royal Rumble where he won the whole thing at Number 30, guaranteeing him a title match against Roman Reigns for his WWE Undisputed World Championship. He was the favorite to win, the one the WWE Universe put their hopes in to defeat Roman Reigns.
He is the one who could finish the story.
Their battle was fierce. Their battle was legendary. Their battle was spectacular. The Bloodline did their thing, but Solo Sikoa was ejected, and the interfering Usos were routed and repelled by the new Undisputed Tag Team Champions, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. The stars were aligned. It was going to happen. There was going to be a new King of the Mountain. A new ambassador to the WWE. Everything was in place.
Or so it would've been if Paul Heyman didn't jump the apron, or the prior ejection of Solo had stuck.
One. Two. Three. Roman Reigns wins again, sucking the air out of the SoFi Stadium, with spectators making their way toward the exits in disgust.
But fate works in funny ways, especially when it moves through the shadows…
["Who the?!"]
["Solo!"]
["Solo! With the Samoan Spike!"]
["Where the hell did Solo come from?!"]
Despite suffering a Bionic Elbow and two Cross Rhodes, a dazed Roman counted his lucky stars when Paul Heyman jumped the apron to distract the referee. Cody was about to finish him when a hooded Solo sneaked in and struck Cody in the throat with his late uncle Umaga's Samoan Spike, knocking the air out of Cody, who gasped and clutched his throat. A weakened Roman slipped away, knowing he had one more shot to end it. Mustering all of his strength, he ran the ropes twice before blasting Cody's midsection with a massive Spear.
["Oh my god! Not like this! Spear!"] Michael Cole exclaimed as Roman went for the cover.
One.
Two.
Three!
DING DING DING
"...Well shit. Looks like it's happening after all. Wait for my signal, and please don't spend a minute for dramatic effect."
"I know, I know. This will be a first for me too…"
"Here is your winner, and STILL, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, ROMAN REIGNS!" the announcer, Samantha Irwin, announced, much to the disbelief of the paying crowd as Head of the Table boomed in the arena.
["Cody Rhodes suffered a true American Nightmare tonight."] Cole said as the replays played.
["Solo Sikoa with a Samoan Spike to the challenger. Reigns loading it up, delivering a Spear, and the story does not end tonight."] Corey Graves, Cole's broadcast partner, added on. ["I know we're in Hollywood, but that does not mean that we were guaranteed a happy ending."]
The reigning champion was smiling from ear to ear as he rolled away from Cody with his back on the mat, knowing that the latter was just another opponent smashed in his legendary reign. The details in his wins were irreverent, as the end results mattered. You had to do what you had to do to get that win. As the Tribal Chief and Head of the Table, he had a whole family to provide for. His cousins Jimmy and Jey may have lost the Tag Team Titles, but he still had the top prizes in WWE, so all was good. Sami and Kevin may have got one over on the Bloodline, but at least the Cody problem was over and done with.
["Cody Rhodes with the fight of his life. His father, the American Dream, looking down from the heavens, has to be proud. But in the end, Roman Reigns has done it again."] Cole said the audience in attendance had varying reactions, some with ones up to the sky, and those staying with thumbs-down.
But as Roman lifted himself up, basking in his latest triumph, he failed to notice two important things.
One, the shadow of another party crasher moving through the shadows.
Two, the Rhodes family and Samoan Dynasty were not the only well-known royal wrestling families.
And three, the Enforcer and the Wiseman were not in the ring with him.
The sudden roar and cheer of the crowd drowned out the Tribal Chief hearing Solo getting pushed into the steel post of the ring, or a yelping Heyman getting his head bounced on the steel steps. When Roman saw that they were nowhere to be found, he realized that something was wrong as the cheers got louder. Before he could turn around, his back exploded in pain, the familiar feeling of a steel chair being slammed across his back, just like when Seth Rollins betrayed him and Mox.
["Oh!"] Graves shouted in shock at the chair shot.
["Who the?!"] Cole wondered as the music faded.
Roman groaned, turning around to see a masked, hooded figure with sunglasses dressed in black standing over him. The individual had on all-black with a long-sleeved hoodie, baggy cargo pants, wrestling boots, and a backpack. The Tribal Chief managed to reach his feet, only to eat a Superkick to the face from the mysterious assailant, knocking him to the mat.
As security closed in, the mysterious assailant then took off his sunglasses, revealing his blue eyes. Then he pulled his hood down, revealing his blonde, spiky hair that the audience recognized. Finally, he pulled down his facemask to reveal his whisker-shaped birthmarks on his cheek, and a killer grin on his face.
["Oh my god Cole, that's The Fox, Naruto Uzumaki!"] Cole exclaimed in shock. ["What the hell is he doing here?!"]
["Last time we saw him, it was on Friday at NXT Stand and Deliver, failing to capture the NXT Championship!"] Graves exclaimed as security backed off, recognizing the blonde as one of the talents.
Fresh off his Triple Threat Match with Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes and failing to win the NXT Championship (with Carmelo pinning Bron), Naruto Uzumaki looked around the 80 thousand strong WWE Universe that were all now excited to see him there, with those that were leaving now staying out of curiosity. The blond then let out a deep breath and nodded his head.
"Right. Let's do this…" he mumbled, dropping the backpack he carried with him.
Uzumaki Naruto was a popular figure in the professional wrestling space for those that know and follow his career. Known for charisma, confidence, wild-card antics, and being one of the founding members of Bullet Club, Naruto blazed a trail through professional wrestling, making his mark in every promotion he was in. It also helped that he was part of the Uzumaki wrestling family, a branch clan of the prestigious Ootsutsuki family.
The Ootsutsuki family was a prominent clan in Japan with a rich history involving ninjas, samurai, and martial arts from many families. Unlike some ancient families, they adapted to the times with each generation, getting involved in martial arts and combat sports, eventually making an empire out of it.
It was this path that led one of the families, the Uzumaki, to help bring professional wrestling to Japan. There were obvious road bumps, but after World War II, wrestling took off, eventually separating from American-style wrestling and becoming its own thing known as Puroresu, emphasizing a fighter's spirit and perseverance over pushing theatrics.
The Uzumaki Patriarch at the time realized the gold mine that was the future of professional wrestling, established the Konoha Wrestling Federation along with the Senju and Uchiha families, maneuvering his family into being the top authority of Japanese wrestling, taking the idea of territories in America to make Japan the Uzumaki territory of professional wrestling. Knowing that a single entity would become stale over time, the KWF allowed multiple promotions to exist; each with their own styles, ways, and presentations. Thus, Japanese wrestling thrived for years.
Naruto was born into the Uzumaki family, with his parents Minato and Kushina, in charge of the KWF after both semi-retiring from pro wrestling. A graduate of the company-funded school, Konoha Academy, with a love for ramen and gardening, he grew up in the wrestling business. A young man like him would easily use his family connections to fast-track himself into a major promotion, but he didn't train hard for nothing and wanted to prove himself. Hence after throwing himself in deep-water training in Pancrase, he joined New Japan Pro Wrestling and enrolled in the Young Lion System. For a few years, he helped set up the rings, assisted his senpais', trained with other inspiring pro wrestlers, and had matches with the all-stars of NJPW, often falling short; the latter being par for the course as a Young Lion.
After winning the Young Lions' Cup, he went on an excursion in America, where he bounced around Total Nonstop Action Impact, Ring of Honor, and Chikara for two years to gain valuable experience; making best friends, the greatest rivals, and annoying enemies along the way as he won championships and tournaments.
Thanks to the experience he gained, Naruto was able to craft his own style of wrestling. He was mostly an MMA brawler with a high-flying and technical moveset with a few power moves. While it appeared that he had honor, his character and motif were that of a mysterious and cunning fox, utilizing sneaky maneuvers and dirty tactics when his opponents least expected it.
When he returned to NJPW, he became one of the founding members of Bullet Club, being a temporary leader after Prince Devitt left for WWE until AJ Styles came around and took over. On the side outside of tours, he participated in the short-lived Lucha Underground promotion, where he lived through the crazy and insane antics of other wrestlers, survived against the likes of Matanza Cueto and Mil Muertes, and won the Lucha Underground Championship in its final season.
Back in NJPW, he won and lost championships, and had a legendary rivalry with Minoru Suzuki, but was never able to win the NJPW Championship before WWE came calling. After Kenny Omega took over as leader of Bullet Club, Naruto stayed a while to butt heads with the guy. Before leaving, he won against Kenny his final NJPW match, running for it to avoid the Young Buck's Superkick Party.
After going on a final independent tour that had him in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, PROGRESS, and Dragon Gate, Naruto established residence in America to sign a contract with WWE. As a member of a prestigious and influential wrestling family, Naruto had the option to be fast-tracked to the main roster of WWE, but he opted to join NXT and reported to the Performance Center in Florida. He wasn't fond of learning the WWE Style of pro wrestling but managed to work it into his arsenal.
Coming in with plenty of experience, Naruto made his name through the competition with few road bumps. Within several years of being in NXT, he won the NXT Breakout Tournament by defeating Jordan Myles, the NXT Cruiserweight Classic by defeating TJ Perkins, and the NXT Dusty Rhodes' Tag Team Classic with friend and rival Shinsuke Nakamura, later winning the NXT Tag Team Championship with him. He won the NXT North American Championship, as well as the NXT Championship. He also had a few matches in EVOLVE when they had a deal in place with WWE, having classics with Austin Theory, Darby Allin, and Timothy Thatcher; and being a one-time EVOLVE Champion. He even surprisingly joined the Kings of NXT stable headed by Pat McAfee. He stayed in NXT until the brand's last WarGames match, where he fought with Team Black and Gold in a losing effort against Team 2.0.
Naruto appeared on Day 1 in the audience, viewing his future competition with the news that he was drafted to the main roster as a Free Agent; meaning he can travel between Raw and Smackdown. He then made his official debut on the main roster in the Royal Rumble match at number 4, managing to last until the end, putting up a fight before getting eliminated by Brock Lesnar.
Over the months, he would navigate various feuds with various Superstars. Sami Zayn, who tried to play the welcoming mentor despite their history and Naruto knowing he was El Generico. The Miz, who tried to make him his lackey. Seth 'Freakin' Rollins, who didn't take too kindly to Naruto publicly making fun of him for losing to Cody Rhodes twice. Baron Corbin, who was tired of seeing new Superstars coming in and taking opportunities. And Austin Theory, who wasn't happy with the blonde's success overshadowing his own.
All in all, so far so good in Naruto's WWE career. But it wasn't until Naruto won and qualified for a certain special match, that the gears started to turn, with a plan forming in his head.
A plan to change the wrestling, and shake it to its core…
["I'm not sure what Naruto is looking to do. Challenging the WWE Universal Champion after failing to win the NXT Championship is quite the unrealistic leap."] Graves noted as Naruto dug into his bag and pulled something out. ["Hold on-!"]
["Are those brass knuckles and…handcuffs?"] a baffled Cole asked as Naruto twirled the shiny objects around his fingers. ["The hell is he gonna do with those?!"]
Knowing that he had seconds before Roman recovered, Naruto rolled out of the ring and dragged Solo over to the prone Heyman. He cuffed the two together, and when Heyman started to stir, Naruto put on the brass knuckles before cleaning Heyman's clock, knocking him out.
"Have fun dragging Heyman's deadweight to try and stop me." Naruto taunted at the still-unconscious Solo before rolling back into the ring, pocketing the knucks just as Roman was coming to. Naruto picked up his backpack and got into position, waiting until Roman got back to his feet and blasted him with the backpack and the item inside, sending Roman back to the verge of unconscious.
["What is Uzumaki looking to do here? He cuffed Solo and Heyman together, and just took out Roman with whatever he has in that bag."] Graves said to the audience at home.
Naruto stood in the middle of the ring with a grin returning to his face. Taking a glance over to Roman, who was trying to recover, he raised the bag and opened it. Taking hold of the item inside, he let the bag drop to the mat, revealing the item inside as he kicked the bag out. The crowd gasped, recognizing the green briefcase in his head before erupting into thunderous cheers.
["Oh my god, Cole!"] Graves said, shaking his partner.
["That's…Corey! That's the Money in the Bank briefcase Naruto won last year!"] Cole exclaimed.
Money in the Bank, last year
The Main Event
The former WWE United States Champion (Austin) Theory managed to catch up to Riddle and knocked him over, causing him to fall to the canvas. With Drew McIntyre, Madcap Moss, Omos, (Matt) Riddle, Sami Zayn, and Seth Rollins down and out, there was no one left to stop Theory, or so he thought. Reaching forward and grabbing the briefcase, he failed to notice a battered and bruised Naruto climbing the other ladder with a steel chair in hand.
Naruto, having got into the match by defeating Theory in a qualifying match a week ago, took a leap of faith and dropkicked Theory with the steel chair to his back, sending him hanging off the ladder. The blonde quickly pulled himself with the help of the ropes, pushed himself towards the other side of the ladder, and willed himself to climb up as Theory recovered. Both weakened, it was all down to the wire between them.
After battering each other with punches to the Yays for Naruto and Boos for Theory, Naruto blocked an attempt at an eye rake or poke and hooked Theory's shin with his foot, causing him to slip on the rung of the ladder. Theory ended up being crotched, a pained look on his face as Naruto made his way up. After squeezing at the latch, Naruto secured the briefcase and battered Theory with it, making him fall into Omos as the big man slipped into the ring; the blonde letting out a roar of triumph, holding up the briefcase.
"Here is your winner, and NEW Mr. Money in the Bank, NARUTO UZUMAKI!" Samantha announced to the crowd as Heaven-Shaking Event boomed in the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
["Congratulations to Naruto! He has now earned an opportunity to challenge for a World Championship match at any time of his choosing for up to a year".] Cole said as the highlights played on the Titantron.
["As sneaky as a fox and with a better track record than Swiper from Dora, he lied in wait until there was one left, and that was Theory. My main man Naruto once again foiled Theory's victory selfie! Ha, attaboy, Naruto!"] Pat McAfee, Cole's broadcast partner for the night, cheered on his buddy and fellow Kings of NXT stablemate.
'Ugh. Yeah, I'm gonna need a hot soak after this. I thought I was done after Omos chokeslammed me outside on the pile of ladders, the jerk. Still hurts.' Naruto thought to himself, posing for one more time before gingerly making his way down the ladder. 'But with this, the keys to the kingdom, the Undisputed Championship is as good as mine.'
While Naruto was confident that he could defeat Roman Reigns, the man was in God Mode all the time with The Bloodline at his side. Despite now having the briefcase, the odds were not in Naruto's favor, as The Usos, Solo Sikoa, and even Paul Heyman would ruin things for him. Hence why Naruto would take a different approach to catching everyone from Roman, to even the IWC, by surprise.
Thankfully Naruto rarely puts anything personal on his social media pages, or shares anything that would make wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer speculate what he might do…and Naruto did have some unfinished business down in NXT…
["Naruto had teased about cashing it in when Roman fought Brock Lesnar at Summerslam, and Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle, before leaving the briefcase at his home in Japan!"] Graves exclaimed as Naruto gestured to someone.
["You're right, Corey! He even moved back down to NXT after World's Collide! He was laying low this whole time!"] Cole agreed before noticing someone siding into the ring. ["Hey, that's referee Jessika Carr! She came in the same way Naruto did!"]
Naruto grinned as Jessika Carr looked around, seeing how Naruto had it set up. He was about to hand the briefcase over when he noticed Roman stirring and getting to his feet. He held up one finger to Carr before kicking Roman in the balls, The crowd collectively "Ohhh'ed" and winced as Naruto held his leg between the Samoan's legs as the latter sank back to the ground, cradling his balls. Nodding in satisfaction, Naruto opened the briefcase, checked over the signed contract for the guaranteed title shot, closed it, and handed it to Carr.
"I'm cashing in for those championships, dattebayo!" he declared loudly, patting the briefcase hard. "Let's go! C'mon!"
Carr, caught up in the moment, nodded as Naruto took off his hoodie in the corner, wearing one of his t-shirts; and headed over to the opposite corner, gesturing to Samantha and informing her. "Naruto Uzumaki is cashing in his Money in the Bank Contract! Therefore, this is now an official Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match! Okay?!"
Samantha nodded and accepted the briefcase before announcing the following to the reinvigorated crowd, with some returning to their seats. "Ladies and gentlemen, I've just been informed that Naruto Uzumaki is cashing in his Money in the Bank Contract! Therefore, the following is for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship!"
["That Uzumaki is a fox like McAfee said! We were all distracted by everything involving The Bloodline, Sami Zayn, and Cody Rhodes, that we all forgot about Naruto hiding in the shadows with the Money in the Bank briefcase!"] Graves said, sounding peeved. ["As much as I'm not fond of the guy, as JBL put it one time, this is brilliant!"]
Naruto rolled his neck, cracking his fingers, waiting for the bell to ring as Roman writhed around, clearly in pain.
["Reigns just went through a grueling match with Cody Rhodes! Does he even have anything left in the tank for this match he has no choice but to accept!"] Cole wondered.
"C'mon, start the match! You know how these things go!" Naruto barked at Carr, who was looking unsure.
Roman was clearly in no position to compete, but that was the case with every victim of a Money in the Bank cash-in. But she's in too deep with Naruto choosing her to officiate the cash-in, and the risk of crossing Vince and his chosen champion was big. Then again, being the first female referee to oversee a Money in the Bank cash looks good on a resume in the world of professional wrestling and sports entertainment.
With that in mind, she saw Roman managing to get to his feet, figured that was good enough, and yelled at him "This match is for the title, Roman!" and signaled the bell-keeper. "Ring the bell!"
DING DING DING
Naruto moved fast, intent on ending it quickly. He struck fast with a Rage Drive, a Flying Bicycle Knee Strike adopted from Kenny Omega's V-Trigger, to Roman's head, dazing the Tribal Chief. He then picked up Roman in a Pumphandle Half-Nelson hold, before dropping him Driver-style with a Leg Drop assist. He quickly wrapped Roman's leg in a modified bridging Finger-four Leglock.
["Made. In. Japan!"] Graves shouted.
["Followed by the Last Rites pin!"] Cole added. ["One! Two- WHAT?!"]
At two, Roman managed to power out, shocking Naruto and the crowd. He looked at Carr in disbelief, who held up two fingers and saying. "Two! He kicked out at two!"
"Dammit!" Naruto shouted in frustration before taking a breath, calming himself. It wasn't the end of the world. He was still relatively fresh despite being in a triple-threat match at NXT Stand and Deliver just yesterday, and Roman just went through a 30-minute plus match.
He still had a chance. He just needed to strike hard, fast, and continuously. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens were still in a pull-apart brawl with The Usos backstage when he sneaked by them, and Solo and Paul Heyman had yet to realize what was happening.
Seeing Roman pull himself up in the corner, Naruto rushed in for a Leaping Clothesline, but Roman dodged at the last second, sneakily ripping off the turnbuckle, causing Naruto to crash into it and see stars. He wobbled around and got hit with the Superman Punch, with Naruto staggering over to one of the ropes to hold himself steady. Roman suddenly grabbed him from under and rolled him up for a pin. Carr only managed to count one before Naruto quickly kicked out, but Roman attempted to hook in the Guillotine Choke.
["Going for the Guillotine! Naruto blocks!"] Cole said as Naruto blocked the submission attempt with his arms, grabbed Roman's head, and stunned him with a Sit-Out Jawbreaker.
The latter recovered too quickly and was looking absolutely pissed upon finally getting a good look at Naruto. He rushed to deliver a Superman Punch, but Naruto ducked and hit the ropes, with Roman following suit. Roman went for a Spear, but Naruto leapfrogged over it at the last second, rebounded off the ropes, and connected with a low dropkick, tripping up Roman and dropping him to a knee. Naruto rolled away, hit the ropes again, and smashed Roman with the Tour of the Eddies, a Jumping Corkscrew Flying Forearm Smash he adopted from R-Truth who once went by Ron Killings; managed a superhero-esque landing in the process.
["If that Spear connected, it would've been over! Roman's taken down the likes of Brock Lensar and Goldberg with it!"] Graves said as Naruto looked over, seeing that Solo was finally stirring and being aware that he was handcuffed to a still-unconscious Heyman. "Crap!" Naruto growled and looked over at Roman, who was slowly getting up again. "Double crap!"
He needed to end this now!
As for Roman, he was still processing what the hell was happening. It was supposed to be his night, his moment. He was supposed to put the Cody Rhodes problem to bed and continue his legendary run. His cousins failed to retain the tag titles, so it fell to him to represent the power of the Samoan Wrestling Dynasty, and he did just that. He was supposed to be walking up the ramp now, being congratulated by Vince McMahon and Triple H, and being part of the press conference touting his dominance over the son of Dusty Rhodes.
Instead, he was blindsided by a chair to the back, hit in the face with a foreign object, kicked in the nuts, and the next thing he knew, the bell was ringing, and he was in a sudden championship match. When he saw Naruto, rage filled his being as everything clicked together. Here we thought Naruto ran away to NXT, never to cash in that contract, and allowing him to focus on his dominance, problems like Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, and Kevin Owens; and the betrayal of Sami Zayn. But now here he was, trying to pull a fast one with the Money in the Bank contract.
["Looks like Roman's finally got his bearings, and he looks furious!"] Cole said as Roman's rage gave him a second wind, causing "God Mode" to activate. ["Naruto misses the clothesline- Samoan Drop!"]
Naruto got up and charged, but missed a Flying Lariat, allowing Roman to catch and plant with his family's signature Samoan Drop. That took the wind out of Naruto as Roman hit the ropes and turned the Uzumaki inside out with a massive Lariat of his own. Roman then grabbed Naruto and tried to toss him out of the ring, but Naruto grabbed the ropes, whipping around and burying his knees into Roman's midsection with a 619. Roman doubled over, with Naruto jumping at him and bringing him down with the Spinning Sit Out Sleeper Slam, Sling Blade. Next, he grabbed Roman's arm, twirled behind him, and somersaulted over him, grabbing him in an STO position, and slamming him facefirst to the mat with his father's finisher.
["His father's finisher! The Spiraling Flash!"] Cole as Naruto connected with a reversed version of Tetsuya Naito's Destino. ["Will that finally do it?! Here's the cover! Hook of the- WHAT THE HELL?!"] Cole shouted as Roman absolutely powered out of the cover with a roar, making a baffled Naruto roll away to the ropes as the Tribal Chief was on his feet, leaning on the ropes for support. Naruto knew that Roman was powerful, but this was ridiculous!
["Roman Reigns really is on another level!"] Graves declared, confirming how Roman Reigns was truly on that final boss level.
Naruto was about to get back to the middle of the ring when someone hooked his arm. He looked to see it was Solo, who was wide awake and pissed to high hell, glaring bloody murder at the Uzumaki. Naruto tried to get away, but Roman was now on top of him. Carr saw the interference and moved to get Solo off of Naruto, refusing to call for a disqualification. Roman kept back with one arm as he held Naruto in place, the latter's eyes widening at Solo preparing the Samoan Spike. When it was unleashed, Naruto called upon all of his strength and desperately pulled away at the last second, causing Solo to accidentally hit Roman in the throat out of view of the referee. The Head of the Table reared back, clutching at his throat as Naruto booted Solo away.
["Solo inadvertently hit Roman!"] Graves shouted asNaruto quickly got to Roman and stunned him with his Superkick before Carr could check on him.
["Superkick! Goes behind Roman! Foxshot!] Cole said as Naruto rolled forward to behind Roman, jumped up, and collected with the Foxshot, a Single Leg Dropkick to the back of Roman's head, bringing him to a knee. "[My god, this is Naruto's last chance!"]
Putting Roman in a single underhook position under his arm, he lifted him up and planted him with a DDT, Finn Balor/Prince Devitt's Bloody Sunday. He then grabbed Roman around his midsection; and lifted him up before hooking his arms around his legs and his own legs around Roman's arms before slamming him down with the Styles Clash. The crowd's cheers grew louder as Naruto lifted Roman up in the Doomsday Device position, hatched Roman's neck down, and slammed him down with Kenny Omega's One-Winged Angel. To complete the callback to Bullet Club's past and present, Naruto lifted Roman to his knee and made a slash motion across Roman's throat, before hitting him with Jay White's Blade Runner.
["Naruto, paying tribute to his old faction he helped founded in Japan, Bullet Club!"] Graves said as Naruto panted, the consecutive Finishers taking a lot of energy for him to pull off. ["But will that be enough to put Roman away?!"]
Roman was unmoving, but Naruto wasn't done. The latter still had one more Finisher up his sleeve, a new one in fact, but one more strike wouldn't hurt. He climbed up the turnbuckle, seeing The Usos trying to get down to the ring, but Sami and Kevin managed to hold them back. Naruto then jumped and delivered an Elbow Drop to the heart of Roman Reign, causing the latter to keel over. Naruto squat down with his hands on his knees, observing Roman before spying Solo trying to interfere again, only for Cody to blast him with a steel chair, increasing the cheers of the crowd.
["Cody with the assist!"] Cole said as Cody gave thumbs-up to Naruto, giving him his blessing with a nod.
Seeing his chance, Naruto let out a yell and lifted Roman in a firearm-carry position, who was practically deadweight, but still had a little fight in him. But Naruto snuffed it out by executing his newest Finisher, swinging Roman's legs over his head as if using Brock Lesnar's F-5, but then moving his arm around Roman's neck and arms to plant him to the canvas hard with a Falling Side Slam. "Rasengan!"
["What the hell was that?!"] Cole demanded.
["Something new in the Fox's Uzumaki Handbook. But will that be enough?!"] Graves wondered as Naruto dove into the cover, hooking Roman's leg with his own legs, and his arm hooking another.
["Cover! Both legs hooked!"] Cole called out as Carr counted the pin, with Naruto nodding to each count.
One!
Two!
THREE!
DING DING DING
["He did it! We have a new champion! Naruto is now a world champion like his father before him!"] Cole yelled out excitedly as Naruto yelled in triumph, pumping and flexing his arm as his theme, Reverse Situation, began resonating in the SoFi Stadium.
"HERE IS YOUR WINNER, AND THE NEW~ UNDISPUTED WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPION, THE FOX, NARUTO UZUMAKI~!" Samantha yelled out to the delight of the crowd as Carr handed both the gold WWE Championship and blue Universal Championship to a tearing up Naruto, who happily accepted them.
It was a five-minute grueling match that lasted longer than Naruto would've liked for a Money in the Bank cash-in, but it was worth it, as his hand was raised by Carr.
["After two years of dominance, the landscape of WWE has changed, thanks to the antics of one crafty fox! And that fox is Naruto, making the Uzumaki name proud!"] Graves agreed as Naruto celebrated in the ring.
As the replays and highlights played, Naruto stared at the championships he worked hard to obtain. Sure it was because he cashed Money in the Bank on a weakened Roman Reigns, but a win was a win, and that's how the concept worked. Besides, after winning so many championships, it felt good to finally win a top prize, a World Championship, and it was in the WWE. He looked over at Roman, who was slowly moving and clearly wasn't expecting the blonde to pull out a few Finisher. Naruto shook his head and went over to a turnbuckle, jumped to the second rope, and raised the championships over his head to the growing cheers of the crowd.
He then noticed Heyman coming to and looking up, clearly confused as to why Naruto has the championships and his theme music playing. Naruto jumped down and went to the bell-keeper to grab the Money in the Bank briefcase. Going over to the Wiseman, he showed him the briefcase, enjoying the slow look of realization on the Founder of ECW's face.
"No! NO! MY TRIBAL CHIEF!" he started screaming, trying to go to Roman, but he was still cuffed to Solo, who was still recovering from the chair shot. "NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Naruto laughed as he made to way to the entrance ramp, stopping then he ran into Cody.
"You may not believe me, but if you had won, I wasn't going to cash in on ya, Cody," Naruto told him. "I wanted to see ya finish that story. But Roman won, and I did what I did to spare the fans another lengthy reign."
Cody clicked his tongue and nodded. "Ah, it's fine. It's the purpose of the Money in the Bank after all. It makes me slightly relieved that I lost. Anyone else, I'd be fine with, but I rather not have you hovering over my shadow."
"If you want, I can get you a title shot to make up for all of this. After defending these in an inevitable rematch with Roman." Naruto offered.
"Thanks for the offer, but I don't need your charity. I still lost and let everyone down. I'm going to figure out my next move tomorrow. Go be a champion, Naruto." Cody said, holding up the Too Sweet gesture.
Naruto nodded and returned the Too Sweet and watched as Cody headed to the back. He then headed up the ramp, glaring daggers at The Usos, who looked on in disbelief, seeing Naruto with the belts that their cousin proudly had.
"Try anything, and I'm throwing you both off the ramp. Trust me, no one would miss Roman's bitches." Naruto snarled at the twins as he passed them. "I dare you."
Jimmy Uso seethed at that but decided not to press his luck and ran down the ramp to tend to Roman. Jey Uso gritted his teeth, staring at Naruto, who then held out a key.
"You were the first Superstar in the WWE to hand Roman his first pinfall loss when he was in The Shield. Think on that." Naruto said with a knowing look. "Don't be anymore of a bitch like your brother has become."
Jey grimaced at that, taking the key to the cuffs and following his twin down the ramp, shaking his head.
Naruto grinned and joined Sami and Kevin on the stage.
"I always knew it didn't make sense for you to go back to NXT. You scare me sometimes. You know that, right?" Kevin said dryly.
"Of course. I'm a fox after all." Naruto chuckled, holding up his fox gesture.
Sami shook his head. "You also know we could've used your help for the past few months."
"Dude, you had to learn what you were getting into with the Bloodline. That Ucey shit was great. And speaking of," Naruto laughed and held up his title belts for the final visual shot. "I'm feelin' hella Ucey, dattebayo!"
The pyro and fireworks went off around the stage and the top of the arena to close the show, with the new Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Naruto Uzumaki; and the former champ Roman Reigns stewing in the ring.
With a thirst for revenge.
When Naruto entered the guerrilla position, he maintained his fox-like grin in the presence of Paul "Triple H" Levesque and Vince McMahon, the two men waiting for him.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Was that not how that was supposed to go for your golden boy?!" Naruto asked, holding his championships and briefcase up. "I hope you have no plans to reverse it."
"Don't worry, Naruto. No one's going to reverse anything. You got your title shot fair and square." Triple H assured him, inwardly proud of his NXT kid of achievement success.
"I'm not happy that you pulled a fast one over us and Roman Reigns, but things happen as they always do in the WWE. But understand that Roman will get his rematch." Vince McMahon informed him gruffly. "And you will accept."
"Anytime, anywhere. Just no best of 3, 5, or 7. Let it be for all the marbles. If Roman wins, I won't pursue a rematch for as long as he's champion. But when I win, Roman can't challenge me for a championship match for as long as I'm champion." Naruto said, adjusting the titles on his shoulders.
"Seems fair. We can make this happen at this upcoming Backlash in Puerto Rico." Triple H decided.
"Don't you mean WrestleMania Backlash?" Mr. McMahon corrected him, but Triple H waved him off with Naruto rolling his eyes.
"C'mon Naruto, let's go get a picture before the press conference start," Triple H said, putting his arm around Naruto to lead him away. "You know your match with Roman is going to have a stipulation, right? He looked really pissed when we got off the air."
Naruto scoffed. "I'm expecting it. Believe it."
As Naruto and Triple H walked away, Mr. McMahon would only grumble, knowing that he was about to have an angry Samoan on his hands to appease at any moment. Naruto had thrown a monkey wrench into his future plans, and now he had to pivot. The old man had just somewhat back into power, becoming a partial co-matchmaker with his son-in-law while overseeing the WWE's sale; and now he had this to deal with.
'Naruto really is your son, Minato and Kushina. He really knows how to disrupt the balance like you two do.' he thought before closing his eyes, hearing the sounds of Paul Heyman trying to calm a raging Roman Reigns down. 'But even if Naruto can get past Roman at Backlash, I still have a few tricks left up my sleeves…'
He just has to do it in a way that won't piss off the KWF, since he owes them a lot for a great, many, things…
"Well ladies and gentlemen, our next guest is last year's Mr. Money in the Bank who's successfully cashed in tonight to become the new Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Please welcome, Naruto Uzumaki." Byron Saxton said to the press.
Heaven-Shaking Event started playing, but-
"Okay okay, cut the music please!" Naruto called out as he strode on in front of the press, his music fading. "It's late and we have got to get to RAW tomorrow. Wait, it's already tomorrow, isn't it?" he chuckled and stepped up on the podium. "The Pope's Exorcist is sponsoring this? Really? Why couldn't it be Snickers again? I was looking forward to snacking on one on the way out."
"I have a couple Snickers if you want," Byron said, handing them over which Naruto gladly accepted. "They're from yester- Saturday I mean."
"Thanks! Now, ladies and gentlemen, I know you have lots of questions, but there are a lot of poor security guys holding back Roman, so I'll keep this brief." Naruto said into the microphone and hefted up his spoils. "When I won the Money in the Bank last week, I knew that cashing in on Roman would be difficult, as you all saw at Summerslam and Clash at the Castle. It is true that I left it in Japan and laid low in NXT to finish my unfinished business. There weren't a lot of eyes on it, so it was easier for the fans to forget. Thankfully, they were distracted by Sami's Ucey goodness," he paused when some of the press strife their giggles and laughter. "And Cody trying to win for his family; and those Top Ten lists on Wrestling YouTube of wasted Money in the Bank cash-in potentials. And now here we are, with me being champion at WrestleMania Goes Hollywood. I wasn't going to cash in on Cody if he won. The WWE Universe deserves a happy ending." Naruto said, before seeing an aide get his attention and motioning for him to hurry up. "If you all want to know more, tune in tonight on Monday Night Raw. I do have an interview scheduled with Fightful," he nodded to their representative, Denise Salcedo. "So look out for that. Got time for a five-second pose," he said and posed with his championships on his shoulders, raising up the briefcase, and making a gun motion with his right hand; allowing for pictures to be taken. "And one more thing…Tou-chan, kaa-chan, I did it! Whoo!" he cheerfully yelled before exiting, with Heaven-Shaking Event starting back up. He handed the briefcase to a waiting Triple and took off.
"Well, there he goes. Our new champ," Triple H said, stepping to handle the rest of the press conference.
The future was looking bright.
As for Naruto, he was snacking on his Snickers bar and heading towards the exit when he stopped, sensing something stalking him. He sighed and said. "As long as The Fiend and Uncle Howdy are in your head, you and I have nothing to discuss."
"...I'm going to ignore that." Alexa Bliss replied, coming from around the corner. "How about congratulations instead?"
Naruto shook his head and walked off. "I'll take it. Now get yourself together. You might be a part of history like my buddies and the other girls. Here, have a Snickers. You're not you when you're hungry." he said, chucking the candy bar at her.
The candy bar bouncing off her head, with constant reminders of those two had Alexa reining in her anger; managing a stained smile. "Okay, number one, I have nothing to do with Wyatt and Howdy. Two, I don't want a Snickers. And three, what's history? What could you probably be planning that hasn't already been done?"
"If all goes well, WWE won't be an island all to itself," Naruto smirked as his ride rode up. He took a step before frowning, opening up the briefcase, and grumbled. He pulled out her creepy Lily doll and tossed it to her. "Next time I find Lily where she's not supposed to be, she's going into the incinerator. "Oyasumi, Lexi."
Alexa bit her lip, hugging her Lily doll that now had the Snickers in her hand, as she watched Naruto get into the car and depart.
"Where to, Naruto?" his chauffeur, Konan, asked him.
"The hotel. And Konan-san?"
"Yes?"
"Put in an order for a tour bus…"
"Already done."
To be continued…
No beta-reader. This is all me.
This story is inspired by The Kitsune Wrestler by naruto4life1994. It took me a while to find it because it was so long ago that I read it.
I like WWE, AEW, ROH, and NJPW. I'm currently annoyed with WWE for what happened at WrestleMania, but it did provide some good inspiration.
Professional wrestling, as well as its storylines and feuds, and supernatural stuff, are all real in this story; with an unspoken rule that everyone involved in the world of professional wrestling should settle their differences in the ring.
The explanation for Naruto's experience as a professional wrestler is from my old plans for a Naruto x WWE story that I never got off the ground.
Why Money in the Bank cash-in? Because I remember how Austin Theory wasted it.
I'm sure some think that the cash-in shouldn't have taken so long, but this was Roman Reigns. The Tribal Chief. The Head of the House. There's no way he'd go down that easily, especially after a 30-minute match. He's a 99 in WWE2K23 after all.
I'm thinking about having wrestlers take a pill or something that would enforce their bodies, being able to take piledrivers and stuff.
I don't know if there's a wrestler who has Naruto's new Finisher, the "F-5 Uranagi". If there is, let me know.
On my Discord, I listed Rainbow Mika (Street Fighter), Jaycee (Tekken), Tina Armstrong (Dead or Alive), and La Mariposa (Dead or Alive) for Naruto's harem. I have Alexa where she is because I am still unsure. She's the only Superstar/Diva I'd like to use, but let me know what you guys think.
No, Naruto will not be paired with the female referee that he dragged along XD
I hope to do this as a thing on the side as free-writing.
Released: Friday, May 26, 2023