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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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Sandro had taken Jericho's career and pride. But the Painmaker had just secured the ultimate weapon of vengeance. He had won the 2011 Royal Rumble match for the first time in his legendary career, and he was officially coming to burn the golden empire of the Triple Crown Champion straight to the ground.
The TD Garden was a cauldron of noise, a sustained, standing ovation for the absolute war they had just witnessed. On the ringside mats, The Rock slowly pushed himself up to a seated position.
The Great One clutched his ribs, his chest heaving, blinking hard to clear the lingering sting from Jericho's desperate thumb to the eye. The realization washed over him, his guaranteed ticket to the main event of WrestleMania had just slipped through his fingers.
The Rock grabbed the ring apron, slowly dragging his exhausted, battered body back up to his feet. He slid under the bottom rope, re entering the squared circle.
Jericho was still on his knees, breathing heavily, leaning against the turnbuckle. He saw The Rock re enter the ring out of the corner of his eye. The Painmaker immediately tensed up, his fists clenching, fully expecting a post match assault from the frustrated Hollywood megastar.
But The Rock didn't attack. He walked slowly to the center of the ring, looking down at the veteran who had just eliminated him. The Rock took a deep breath, shaking his head slightly in a gesture of undeniable respect.
The Rock reached down, extending his massive right hand toward Chris Jericho.
The Boston crowd let out a massive, appreciative cheer.
Jericho looked up, his smeared, chaotic eyes staring at the extended hand. The Painmaker persona was built on isolation and hatred. Just last week, Jericho had hit this very man in the back with a baseball bat. The internal conflict was visible on Jericho's face. He looked at the crowd, he looked at the WrestleMania sign, and he looked back at The Rock.
After a long, agonizing moment of contemplation, the reality of what they had just survived together overrode the animosity. Jericho reached up and firmly gripped The Rock's hand.
With a powerful pull, The Rock hauled Jericho up to his feet. The Rock didn't just shake his hand, he grabbed Jericho's wrist and hoisted the Painmaker's arm high into the air, officially endorsing the winner of the 2011 Royal Rumble.
"Listen to this crowd!" Cole shouted, his voice cracking with pure emotion. "What an unbelievable display of sportsmanship! The Rock and Chris Jericho went to absolute war, but The Great One is showing the ultimate respect to the Painmaker!"
"It brings a tear to my eye, Michael," Lawler added, genuinely moved by the scene. "Jericho attacked him just days ago, but The Rock knows how much this means. Jericho has been in this company for over a decade, and he has finally won his very first Royal Rumble match!"
"That is exactly what this business is all about!" Striker cheered. "Leaving it all in the ring, and respecting the man who bested you!"
"It makes me absolutely sick!" JBL roared, ripping off his headset in disgust before slamming it back on his head. "Look at this pathetic pandering! This is exactly why neither of them deserves to breathe the same air as the God King! You don't shake hands with the man who just cost you WrestleMania! This isn't a charity event, it's a conquest! Sandro Zhang is probably laughing his head off at this display of weakness!"
As the commentary team debated the historic moment, the production truck prepared to roll the final copyright graphic. The fans believed they had seen the end of an unforgettable pay per view.
But the God King was not finished orchestrating his empire.
BZZZZZT!
The arena lights violently flashed gold. The heavy, distorted, aggressive bass drop of "SHOCK THE SYSTEM" blasted through the sound system, immediately drowning out the cheers with a tidal wave of hostile, deafening boos.
"Wait a minute, we're not off the air yet!" Cole yelled in sudden panic. "What is going on?!"
Bursting through the entrance curtain like a pack of starved wolves came the entire male roster of the Undisputed System. Big E, Ryback, Wade Barrett, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, and Xavier Woods sprinted down the long steel ramp with terrifying, unified urgency.
And walking methodically behind them, dressed impeccably in his custom black suit, his crown resting on his head, was the God King himself, Sandro Zhang.
"It's an ambush!" Lawler shrieked. "The Undisputed System is swarming the ring!"
Inside the squared circle, the battered, exhausted forms of The Rock and Chris Jericho instantly realized they were in grave danger. They dropped hands, immediately going back to back in the dead center of the ring, raising their fists, preparing to fight for their lives.
The seven enforcers of the golden army did not enter the ring right away. Following Sandro's tactical conditioning, they surrounded the ring on all four sides, leaping up onto the ring apron, trapping the two legends inside a cage of muscle.
Sandro Zhang casually walked up the steel steps. He stepped onto the ring apron, standing between Big E and Ryback. He didn't have a microphone, but he didn't need one.
He leaned over the top rope, a cold, psychopathic smirk on his face, and began talking absolute trash directly to The Rock and Jericho. He mocked Jericho's exhaustion, and he verbally tore into The Rock for failing to secure his WrestleMania spot.
The Rock, his chest heaving, his face covered in sweat, simply wiped his mouth, looked dead into Sandro's arrogant eyes, and gave his iconic hand gesture.
Just bring it.
Sandro's smile vanished. His eyes went dead. He casually flicked his wrist forward, giving the ultimate execution order.
The Undisputed System flooded the ring.
It was absolute, unmitigated carnage. The numbers game was simply insurmountable. The Rock threw heavy right hands, dropping Ziggler and Woods, while Jericho chopped away at Barrett and McIntyre, but they were immediately overwhelmed. Big E and Ryback tackled The Rock to the canvas, raining down heavy, merciless blows. Kofi, Drew, and Wade stomped Jericho into the turnbuckles, completely dismantling the Royal Rumble winner.
"This is a tragedy!" Cole screamed in absolute horror. "They are trying to end Jericho's career before he even makes it to WrestleMania! We need help out here! Somebody stop this!"
"Nobody can stop them, Michael!" JBL laughed hysterically, absolutely loving the violence. "The God King is making sure that WrestleMania goes strictly by his terms! He is neutralizing the threats! If he ends Jericho tonight, there won't be a main event challenger!"
With the two legends beaten down and completely defenseless, Sandro Zhang finally stepped through the ropes. He took off his crown, carefully handing it to Xavier Woods. Sandro adjusted his suit jacket, walking slowly to the center of the ring.
He ordered Big E and Ryback to drag The Rock up to his feet. The Great One was completely limp, held upright only by the two massive powerhouses.
Sandro stood in front of The Rock. He mocked the Hollywood superstar, shaking his head. Then, Sandro grabbed The Rock's arm, threw it over his own shoulder, and hooked The Great One around the torso.
The Boston crowd let out a massive, visceral roar of absolute hatred as Sandro violently lifted The Rock up and planted him into the canvas with his own finishing maneuver!
"HE JUST HIT THE ROCK BOTTOM!" Striker yelled, completely appalled. "Sandro Zhang just hit The Rock Bottom on The Rock! The sheer, unadulterated disrespect of the Triple Crown Champion knows absolutely no bounds!"
"It's poetry, Matt!" JBL cheered, giving a standing ovation. "It is a message to the entire world! The God King owns your moves, he owns your legends, and he owns this universe!"
Sandro stood over the broken body of The Rock, dusting off his lapels. He turned his attention to Chris Jericho, signaling for McIntyre and Barrett to drag the Painmaker to the center of the ring. Sandro wanted to break the Royal Rumble winner's neck.
But the locker room had finally seen enough.
Suddenly, a massive, unified roar erupted from the entrance stage. The Boston crowd exploded into a state of pure, absolute pandemonium.
Sprinting through the curtain, a unified army of legends and superstars charged down the ramp to save the Royal Rumble winner.
Booker T, Big Show, John Cena, Randy Orton, Mark Henry, and the newly crowned Intercontinental Champion, Sheamus, stormed down the aisle like a localized earthquake. But leading the charge, wearing his neon fringe jacket and cowboy hat, his eyes wide with absolute madness, was the Macho Man Randy Savage!
"THE CAVALRY HAS ARRIVED!" Cole screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice completely raw. "THE LOCKER ROOM IS FIGHTING BACK! THE REBELLION IS HERE!"
"Look at this!" Lawler cheered wildly. "It's an all star team! The Undisputed System has pushed the roster too far!"
Sandro and the golden army didn't even notice the impending doom until the massive super team slid into the ring simultaneously.
The collision was catastrophic. A massive, fourteen man brawl instantly erupted in the squared circle.
Big Show and Mark Henry immediately neutralized Big E and Ryback, the four behemoths trading heavy, earth shattering blows that shook the ring.
Cena and Orton, functioning as a seamless unit, went straight after Wade Barrett and Drew McIntyre, throwing them into the turnbuckles. Sheamus and Booker T cornered Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods, pummeling them with European uppercuts and knife edge chops.
But the most incredible visual of the night was happening dead center in the ring.
Sandro Zhang turned around, a look of genuine panic finally crossing his face, right into the path of Randy Savage.
The Macho Man didn't hesitate. He launched himself at the God King, tackling the Triple Crown Champion to the mat! Savage mounted Sandro, raining down a wild, chaotic, blinding flurry of right hands, tearing at Sandro's pristine suit, completely destroying the God King's untouchable aura.
"THE MACHO MAN IS BEATING THE SENSE OUT OF THE GOD KING!" Striker yelled, losing his mind. "Sandro Zhang is finally getting exactly what he deserves!"
"Get him off him!" JBL shrieked in terror. "This is an illegal assault! Arrest him! Arrest that maniac!"
The sheer power and numbers of the returning superstars were too much. Slowly but surely, the Undisputed System was physically battered and forced back. Cena and Orton clotheslined McIntyre and Barrett over the top rope. Sheamus Brogue Kicked Kofi out to the floor. Big Show and Henry literally threw Big E and Ryback out of the ring.
Sandro, his nose bloodied, his suit ripped, managed to scramble away from Savage, rolling frantically under the bottom rope to escape the Madness.
The Undisputed System was pushed entirely out of the ringside area. They stumbled backward up the long entrance ramp, battered, bruised, and completely humiliated.
Sandro Zhang stood at the top of the ramp, his crown missing, his suit in ruins. He snatched his championships from Xavier Woods. The God King was absolutely livid, his chest heaving, his face a mask of pure, homicidal rage. He pointed his finger furiously at the superstars standing in his ring, screaming off microphone that they would all pay with their careers.
Inside the ring, the scene was one of ultimate solidarity.
Big Show and Mark Henry leaned down, gently helping the battered Chris Jericho and The Rock back to their feet. Cena, Orton, Sheamus, Booker, and Savage stood guard at the ropes, staring down the retreating empire.
Jericho, barely able to stand, leaned against the ropes. He looked up the ramp at Sandro Zhang, pointing his taped finger directly at the God King, mouthed the words, "WrestleMania."
The Royal Rumble pay per view finally reached its hard out. The copyright graphic appeared over the incredible visual of the united locker room standing tall against the furious, retreating empire. The screen faded to black, leaving the WWE Universe completely breathless.
The moment the broadcast ended, the digital world essentially detonated. Twitter's servers struggled to handle the sheer volume of traffic as fans flooded the platform to unleash their explosive reactions to one of the most chaotic, surprise filled, and emotionally draining pay per views in WWE history. The global trending topics were entirely dominated by the event.
#RoyalRumble
#MachoManReturns
#Painmaker
#TripleCrown
#GodKing
#SheamusWins
#CMPunk
#WrestleMania
The fanbase was fiercely split, deeply passionate, and incredibly vocal about every major narrative beat of the night.
The World Heavyweight Championship Rematch
The war between Sandro Zhang and CM Punk drew immediate, heated debate. The resilience of the God King, and his ultimate victory, completely divided the audience.
@BestInTheWorld79: "Punk was robbed. Pure and simple. Sandro needed a low blow and his entire army just to survive. The Heavensfall into the Last Note was a cool sequence, but Sandro is a paper champion. Punk gave him the match of his life with broken ribs. #CMPunk"
@EmpireLoyalist: "Stay mad! The God King took a low blow, took the GTS, and STILL kicked out! Sandro Zhang is the most durable, dangerous champion in history. Punk threw everything at him and Sandro just brushed it off. The Triple Crown Era is untouchable! 👑 #GodKing"
@WrestlingScribe: "From a purely psychological standpoint, the Sandro vs. Punk match was a masterpiece. Sandro didn't win clean, but he survived a chaotic environment. It keeps Punk strong in defeat, but solidifies Sandro as the ultimate, unbeatable final boss. Five stars."
Meanwhile the shock of the Undisputed System losing the Intercontinental Championship sent ripples of hope through the fanbase, while simultaneously highlighting Paul Heyman's incredible character work.
@CelticWarriorFan: "SHEAMUS DID IT! The Brogue Kick heard around the world! The Undisputed System isn't invincible! First the NXT title, now the IC title. The golden wall is starting to crumble! 🇮🇪 #Sheamus"
@HeelHeatCentral: "Did anyone else see Paul Heyman literally having a breakdown on the floor? Absolute cinema. Heyman knows Sandro is going to execute him for letting a main roster title slip away. The internal paranoia of the Undisputed System this Monday on RAW is going to be legendary television."
On the other hand, the Rumble match itself was widely praised as one of the best booked in years, heavily buoyed by shocking, nostalgia-heavy returns that nobody saw coming.
@AttitudeEraLifer: "Booker T at #1 and Diesel at #19 were amazing surprises. Kevin Nash still looks like an absolute tank! The fact that Diesel and The Rock had a stare down in 2011 is something I never thought I'd see."
@ProWrestlingTorch: "Let's talk about the elephant in the room. THE MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE?! How did WWE keep that a secret?! When 'Pomp and Circumstance' hit, I thought it was a prank. Seeing Savage hit the diving elbow drop on Big E is a core memory I will cherish forever. The greatest Rumble surprise of all time. Period. #MachoMan"
@SmarksTears: "Savage returning is cool for nostalgia, but let's be real, it took up a spot that could have gone to a younger talent. The Undisputed System guys eliminating the legends was the right call. Build the future, don't rely on the past."
The climax of the night, Chris Jericho winning his first Rumble, the show of respect with The Rock, and the catastrophic locker room clearing brawl, set the internet on absolute fire, laying the groundwork for WrestleMania.
@JerichoholicForever: "HE DID IT! 12 years in this company and Chris Jericho finally wins the Royal Rumble! And he did it by eliminating The Rock! The Painmaker vs. Sandro Zhang for the Triple Crown at WrestleMania is the most compelling, blood soaked storyline WWE has ever produced. I am ready for the violence! 🕷️ #Painmaker"
@TeamBringIt: "Rock got screwed by a thumb to the eye, but I have to respect the handshake. Real recognize real. But Sandro hitting the Rock Bottom on Dwayne?! That is a death wish. Sandro just signed his own death warrant."
@WrestlingAnalystX: "The closing visual was absolute perfection. Sandro Zhang has finally pushed the locker room too far. You had Cena, Orton, Rock, Savage, Show, and Henry all uniting just to push back the Undisputed System. The Road to WrestleMania isn't just about titles anymore; it's an all-out civil war for the soul of the company. Monday Night RAW is going to be must watch TV."
As the digital dust settled over the weekend, the reality of the WWE landscape was terrifyingly clear. The Triple Crown Champion was wounded, humiliated, and stripped of his invincible aura, but he still held the gold. The Painmaker was armed with a guaranteed main event contract, driven by pure, sociopathic vengeance. And the entire locker room had officially declared war on the golden empire.
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Name: Alessandro Zhang
Age: 21 (2011)
Birthplace: Orlando, Florida, USA
Brand: WWE - RAW
Wrestling Style: Mixed Of All Styles
Faction: The Undisputed System
Championships History: 1x FCW Tag Team Champions, 1x FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion, 1x TNA World Heavyweight Champion, 1x TNA X Division Champion, 1x WWE United States Champion, 1x WWE Champion, & 1x World Heavyweight Champion
Other Achievements: 1x Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale Winner, 1x Mr. Money In The Bank, Youngest WWE Champion, PWI Top 500 (No.1) - 2010, & 1x KOTR (2010)
Wrestlemania Record: 1 - 0