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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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Dolph Ziggler and Xavier Woods marched down the entrance ramp, their faces masks of pure, unadulterated desperation. They were flanked by the Special Advisor, Paul Heyman, who looked like he hadn't slept in three days. Heyman was clutching his manila folder to his chest, practically hyperventilating, the pressure of Sandro Zhang's wrath bearing down on him like a physical weight.
Ziggler and Woods entered the ring, aggressively demanding a microphone. They had spent the last two weeks systematically dismantling the tag team division in NXT, defeating the South Beach Boys and the Midcard Mafias.
They were operating under the God King's absolute mandate, capture the NXT Tag Team Championships from Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, or face execution from the empire.
Heyman stood in the center of the ring, raising the microphone to his trembling lips.
"Ladies and gentlemen of NXT," Heyman sneered, his voice cracking slightly. "I am not here to pander to you! I am here on official business! For the past two weeks, my clients, Dolph Ziggler and Xavier Woods, have been spending their time in this developmental wasteland and completely decimated your so called tag team division! They have proven, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are the absolute most dominant force in this building!"
Ziggler nodded aggressively, pacing the ring like a caged tiger.
"So we are calling him out!" Heyman yelled, pointing toward the entrance stage. "We are calling out the General Manager of NXT, the 'American Dream' Dusty Rhodes! Get out here right now! My clients have jumped through every single hoop! We demand an NXT Tag Team Championship match against Ambrose and Rollins, and we demand it right now!"
The crowd booed the arrogant demand, but their boos quickly morphed into massive, respectful cheers as a legendary, blues infused rock theme hit the speakers.
The crowd erupted as the "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes stepped out from the curtain. Wearing his signature black shirt with yellow polka dots, the legendary Hall of Famer walked with a charismatic, undeniable swagger. He carried a microphone, a small, knowing smile playing on his lips as he looked down at the desperate members of the Undisputed System.
"Well, well, well," Dusty began, his iconic, soulful lisp echoing through the arena. "If it ain't the Special Advisor to the 'God King,' coming down here to my backyard, making demands on my television time."
"Save the pleasantries, Dusty!" Heyman shrieked. "We want our championship match!"
Dusty chuckled, slowly walking down the ramp and stepping into the ring. He looked at Ziggler, he looked at Woods, and he finally looked at Heyman.
"I gotta admit, Paul," Dusty said calmly. "Your boys here, they have been impressive. They came down to Tampa, and yes, they did defeat many of NXT's finest tag teams. They showed grit. They showed determination."
Ziggler smirked, puffing his chest out.
"But..." Dusty continued, holding up a single, calloused finger. "You don't just walk into the American Dream's house and demand a title shot because you beat a couple of teams. That ain't how we do business in NXT. You want a shot at Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose? You want a shot at the gold?"
"Yes!" Woods yelled off-microphone.
"Then you gotta pass one final test," Dusty declared, his voice dropping into a serious register. "If you can defeat this tag team... then next week, right here in this ring, you will get your shot at Ambrose and Rollins for the NXT Tag Team Titles."
Ziggler grabbed the microphone from Heyman, stepping up to the Hall of Famer.
"Who?" Ziggler demanded arrogantly. "Who do we have to beat, Dusty? Bring them out here right now! We'll superkick them back to the indies!"
Dusty's smile vanished, replaced by a dark, knowing look.
"The team you have to beat, Dolph," Dusty said slowly, "is a team that was promised a rematch for those very titles. A team that has been waiting in the shadows, getting very, very hungry. You have to beat... Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. You have to beat The Wyatt Family."
The absolute fraction of a second the words left Dusty's mouth, the entire Tampa arena was plunged into pitch black darkness.
The crowd didn't just cheer, they unleashed a deafening, visceral roar of sheer terror and excitement.
Inside the ring, the arrogance vanished from Dolph Ziggler and Xavier Woods's faces with terrifying speed.
They completely froze, their eyes wide in the darkness. Paul Heyman let out a high-pitched gasp, frantically backing himself into the corner.
A single, eerie, flickering light appeared on the entrance stage.
The terrifying, swamp rock acoustic guitar of "Live in Fear" began to play, sending chills down the spine of everyone in the building.
The single light was an old, rusted gas lantern, held in the hands of the NXT Champion, Bray Wyatt. He sat in his worn, wooden rocking chair at the top of the ramp, a malicious, psychopathic smile on his face. Standing behind him, illuminated only by the flickering amber light of the lantern, were the two most destructive, horrifying monsters in NXT, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan.
Rowan wore a terrifying, featureless sheep mask. Harper's eyes were wide, unblinking, and entirely unhinged, his dirty tank top stained with sweat.
Bray Wyatt slowly leaned toward the lantern.
"We're here."
He blew the lantern out.
The arena lights snapped back on. The crowd was going absolutely ballistic. The Wyatt Family theme song blasted through the PA system, and the sheer, atmospheric dread in the building was suffocating.
"Oh my God," Josh Mathews whispered over the commentary headset. "Dusty Rhodes just sent the Undisputed System straight into the mouth of madness."
"Ziggler and Woods look like they have seen a ghost!" Cole added, sitting ringside. "They wanted a final test, and the American Dream just gave them the most terrifying obstacle imaginable! They have to survive Luke Harper and Erick Rowan!"
Harper and Rowan slowly, methodically walked down the ramp. They didn't march, they prowled. Bray Wyatt remained at the top of the stage, sitting in his rocking chair, laughing maniacally, holding the NXT Championship over his shoulder.
Inside the ring, pure panic had set in. Xavier Woods was pacing frantically, pulling at his hair. Dolph Ziggler was staring at the approaching monsters, his breathing shallow.
Paul Heyman grabbed Ziggler by the shoulders, shaking him violently.
"You can do this!" Heyman screamed, absolute, raw desperation in his voice, his eyes bulging. "You have to do this! Do you understand me?! You heard what Sandro said on Monday! If you lose this match, you are dead to the empire! You have to survive!"
Heyman didn't wait for a response. The Special Advisor practically dove under the bottom rope, scrambling to the outside ringside floor, trying to put as much distance between himself and the Wyatt Family as physically possible, while still visibly hyperventilating in the corner.
Harper and Rowan stepped up onto the ring apron. Rowan slowly pulled the terrifying sheep mask off his face, revealing a thick, unkempt ginger beard and cold, emotionless eyes. Harper stared a hole through Ziggler, twitching erratically.
They stepped over the top ropes, entering the ring.
The referee, looking slightly intimidated himself, quickly moved to the center of the ring. He ordered Woods and Rowan out to the apron, ensuring that Luke Harper and Dolph Ziggler were the legal men to start the match. He checked with the timekeeper, raised his hand, and signaled for the bell.
DING! DING! DING!
"The bell has sounded!" Cole shouted over the roaring Tampa crowd. "And the stakes could not possibly be higher! A shot at the NXT Tag Team Championships, and potentially their very careers in the Undisputed System, are on the line for Ziggler and Woods!"
"But they have to go through an absolute nightmare to get there, Michael!" Mathews replied. "Luke Harper is six foot five, nearly two hundred and seventy five pounds of pure, unorthodox violence!"
Ziggler and Harper slowly circled each other. The size discrepancy was immediately apparent. Harper dwarfed the Showoff. Ziggler, operating on survival instinct, tried to use his superior speed. He darted in, looking for a quick single leg takedown to ground the big man.
But Harper didn't even attempt to wrestle. He simply swung his massive, un-taped hand in a violent, horizontal arc.
SMACK!
The blistering open handed chop caught Ziggler perfectly across the chest. The sound cracked through the arena like a rifle shot. Ziggler was lifted entirely off his feet, doing a spectacular, 360 degree backflip bump before crashing face-first into the canvas in absolute agony.
"Good lord!" Cole winced. "Harper just caved Ziggler's chest in! The sheer, unadulterated power of the Wyatt Family is terrifying!"
Ziggler writhed on the mat, gasping for air. Harper didn't give him a second to breathe. The massive man dropped to his knees and immediately locked Ziggler in a brutal Gator Roll, violently spinning the Showoff over and over across the ring canvas, disorienting him and suffocating him in a suffocating front facelock.
Harper dragged Ziggler to the Wyatt corner, blindly reaching his hand back. Erick Rowan slapped his hand, making the tag.
Rowan stepped over the top rope. He grabbed Ziggler by the bleach blonde hair, hauling him up to his feet. Rowan hoisted Ziggler into the air with terrifying ease, locking the smaller man into a crushing, spine bending bearhug right in the center of the ring.
Ziggler screamed, his ribs popping under the immense pressure. He flailed his arms desperately, trying to reach Xavier Woods in the opposite corner.
"Rowan is literally trying to squeeze the life out of him!" Mathews yelled. "Ziggler's amateur wrestling background means absolutely nothing when he is trapped in the grip of a monster like that!"
On the outside, Paul Heyman was screaming instructions, slamming his hands on the ring apron, his face purple with panic. "Fight out! Rake the eyes! Do whatever it takes!"
Ziggler, fighting the black spots at the edge of his vision, began to rain down desperate, frantic elbows onto the bridge of Rowan's nose. Whack! Whack! Whack! Rowan grunted, his grip loosening just a fraction of an inch. Ziggler used the momentum to slip down, landing on his feet behind the giant, and immediately hit the ropes.
Ziggler accelerated to top speed, launching himself into a desperate, leaping Fameasser!
But Rowan caught him in mid air! Demonstrating unbelievable core strength, Rowan caught Ziggler by the waist, shifted his weight, and violently transitioned the maneuver into a catastrophic, high angle scoop slam that rattled the ring boards!
Rowan didn't go for the pin. He stared blankly at Ziggler, completely devoid of emotion, before dragging him back to the corner and tagging Harper back in.
"The isolation strategy of the Wyatt Family is impeccable!" Cole analyzed. "They are cutting the ring in half! Ziggler hasn't even been able to get near Xavier Woods!"
Harper entered the ring, grabbing Ziggler by the throat. He whipped Ziggler into the ropes with terrifying force. As Ziggler rebounded, Harper stepped forward, looking for a devastating big boot.
But Ziggler slid on his knees, sliding directly underneath Harper's massive leg! Ziggler popped up behind him, leaped into the air, and caught Harper with a picture-perfect, leaping Zig Zag attempt!
However, Harper was simply too massive. He grabbed the top rope, holding on for dear life, causing Ziggler to crash back-first onto the canvas, entirely missing the move!
Harper turned around, his eyes wide and manic, his breath ragged. He charged at the grounded Ziggler, but Ziggler managed to roll out of the way, popping up and executing a beautiful, desperate standing dropkick that finally staggered the giant backward into the turnbuckles!
Ziggler scrambled across the ring, throwing his body forward, completely exhausted.
SMACK!
Ziggler made the hot tag to Xavier Woods!
The crowd popped as Woods springboarded over the top rope, coming in like a house of fire. Woods utilized his dynamic, martial arts inspired speed, ducking a clothesline from Harper and unleashing a rapid fire combination of stiff kicks to the giant's thighs, chopping down the tree.
Harper stumbled forward, and Woods hit the ropes, accelerating to maximum velocity. Woods launched himself into the air, connecting with a spectacular flying forearm smash that finally knocked Luke Harper off his feet!
"Xavier Woods is changing the tempo of this match!" Mathews cheered. "He is using his educated feet to keep Harper completely off balance!"
Rowan tried to enter the ring to break the momentum, but Woods saw him coming. Woods hit the ropes again, hitting a beautiful baseball slide dropkick through the middle ropes that sent Rowan crashing off the apron to the floor!
Woods turned his attention back to Harper. He charged the corner, executing his signature Honor Roll rolling clothesline, catching Harper perfectly under the chin!
Woods hooked the leg, hooking it deep!
One! Two!
Harper violently kicked out, launching Woods off of him with incredible force.
"A near fall for the Undisputed System!" Cole shouted. "Woods almost pulled off the miracle right there!"
The match evolved into an absolute, breathless instant classic, showcasing the deep movesets and incredible talents of both completely contrasting teams. It was a beautiful, violent clash of styles, the sheer, terrifying, unhinged power and brawling of the Wyatt Family against the technical bumping, high speed desperation, and fluid tandem offense of the Undisputed System.
Harper recovered, grabbing Woods and hitting a devastating Michinoku Driver that nearly drove Woods through the mat. Woods somehow managed to kick out at two and a half, his face a mask of absolute agony.
The match crossed the fifteen minute mark, a grueling war of attrition.
On the outside, Bray Wyatt slowly stood up from his rocking chair, raising the lantern high into the air, his maniacal laughter echoing through the arena, orchestrating the chaos. Paul Heyman was practically in tears, clutching his chest, knowing that if Ziggler and Woods failed to put the monsters away, the God King's retribution would be far worse than anything the Wyatt Family could inflict.
Inside the ring, Harper backed Woods into the corner, setting him up for a top rope maneuver. The physical exhaustion was palpable, the sweat flying off both men as they battled for supremacy. The right to challenge for the NXT Tag Team Championships hung perilously in the balance, and neither team was willing to stay down.
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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