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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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For over a year, Sandro had outsmarted, out wrestled, and out numbered every single legend and active roster member the company had thrown at him. But Lesnar wasn't a wrestler, he was a biological weapon. And with Drew McIntyre having just violently mutinied, the armor of the Undisputed System was finally, permanently fractured. The fans were ecstatic that the untouchable tyrant finally have a permanent bleeding.
Conversely, there was a smaller, highly analytical, and incredibly vocal minority of fans that did not entirely support this booking direction.
Their fears were rooted in the historical patterns of professional wrestling booking. They were deeply afraid that after Brock Lesnar was being made this incredibly big, this completely unstoppable, the storyline would inevitably become stale.
"Look at the big picture, guys," a prominent forum user argued in a massive, multi paragraph post. "They are building Lesnar up as an actual god right now. He F-5'd the champion twice at Mania, and he just beat seven elite guys by himself. But why are they doing this? They are just fattening the calf for the slaughter. Lesnar is a mercenary. Sandro is the franchise. In the end, Sandro is going to figure out a way to beat him. Lesnar will only lose in the end so Sandro can get all his heat back and look even stronger. It's just feeding the entire roster to the God King with extra steps."
Amidst the arguments about Lesnar's ultimate fate, the internet detectives of the WWE Universe also noticed a massive, glaring omission from the Monday Night RAW broadcast.
Where was the Big Show?
The forums were flooded with conspiracy theories and tactical analyses regarding the World's Largest Athlete. Just twenty four hours prior, the Big Show had dominantly won the second annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale on the WrestleMania pre show. As per already made before and heavily advertised rules of the match, the winner was absolutely guaranteed a singles championship title shot on the brand they belonged to.
Fans were quick to point out the extreme danger this posed to the Triple Crown Champion.
"Think about it," a fan theorized on Twitter. "Big Show wasn't on RAW tonight. He's biding his time. He gets a guaranteed shot at either the Intercontinental Championship or the United States Championship. Big Show has been a main eventer his whole life, he is definitely going to choose the United States title because it holds more prestige, and more importantly, it belongs to Sandro. Sandro has Lesnar trying to murder him from the front, Drew McIntyre rebelling from within, and a seven foot, four hundred pound giant holding a guaranteed title contract waiting in the shadows. The God King's title are surrounded and his faction are under heavy siege."
As the fans furiously debated the tactical implications of the Big Show's absence, the professional wrestling media landscape completely caught fire. The wrestling journalists, industry analysts, and popular podcasters were all rushing to their microphones to record emergency recap episodes and publish their official opinions toward the direction the WWE was going.
The consensus among the experts was one of profound respect for the sheer brilliance of the kayfabe booking.
"You have to look at how masterfully they are protecting their assets," a leading wrestling journalist stated on his Tuesday morning podcast. "Sandro Zhang is the top heel in the business, but he just went through a meat grinder with Jericho. If he wrestled Lesnar on RAW, he either has to look weak and lose, or he somehow beats Lesnar while injured, which buries Brock. Instead, Vince McMahon books the handicap match. Lesnar's return at the end of the main event at WrestleMania, F-5ing Sandro a couple of times, had already made him look incredibly strong. But his victory tonight? Beating seven men by himself? It consolidates his status as the ultimate final boss even further. In terms of kayfabe power levels, Brock Lesnar is currently operating in a stratosphere entirely of his own, and they accomplished that without Sandro having to take a single pinfall."
"The psychology is off the charts," another analyst wrote in his weekly column. "Sandro's toxic leadership finally blew up in his face. The mutiny of Drew McIntyre wasn't just a shock value moment, it was the logical, inevitable conclusion of a narcissist pushing a proud Scottish warrior too far. The golden empire is officially burning."
Meanwhile, as the digital fires raged across Twitter, Reddit, and the wrestling dirt sheets, time marched inevitably forward.
Two days passed by.
The dust from the absolute carnage of Monday Night RAW slowly began to settle, but the silence from the Undisputed System camp was deafening. Sandro Zhang had not tweeted. Paul Heyman had not released a statement. The WWE Universe was holding its collective breath, waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Wednesday finally arrived, and the spotlight of the professional wrestling world aggressively shifted south. It was time to leave the massive, cavernous stadiums behind and enter the gritty, intimate, incredibly hostile environment of the Development Center in Orlando, Florida.
It was time for NXT.
The yellow and black brand had always been a completely different beast than RAW or SmackDown. The fans at the arena were incredibly hardcore, deeply knowledgeable, and they absolutely despised the corporate, suffocating grip that the Undisputed System had held over their developmental territory.
While Wade, Drew, Kofi, Big E, and Ryback had all lost their gold at WrestleMania, the Undisputed System still maintained a highly coveted, highly frustrating championship presence down in NXT. Dolph Ziggler and Xavier Woods, the arrogant, obnoxious duo who had been brutally suplexed into oblivion by Brock Lesnar just forty eight hours prior, were still the reigning, defending NXT Tag Team Champions.
And the General Manager of NXT was not a man who was going to let sleeping dogs lie.
As the Wednesday night broadcast went live, the crowd at Full Sail University was already entirely unglued, chanting "CLAYMORE! CLAYMORE!" in mocking tribute to the God King's decapitation on Monday.
The infectious, incredibly charismatic horn section of "Common Man Boogie" hit the PA system, and the crowd absolutely exploded as the legendary Dusty Rhodes walked out onto the entrance stage. The American Dream, wearing a sharp suit and his signature glasses, held a microphone in his hand. He looked out at the rabid NXT crowd, a wide, knowing smile on his face.
Dusty Rhodes knew exactly what had happened on Monday night. He knew that the Undisputed System was fractured, bleeding, and entirely vulnerable. And as the General Manager, it was his absolute duty to capitalize on that weakness and give the fans exactly what they wanted.
"Let me tell ya somethin' right now, babies!" Dusty preached into the microphone, his iconic, soulful lisp echoing through the intimate arena. "I watched the television on Monday night just like the rest of the world! I saw the empire crumble! I saw the Beast feast! And I saw two young boys by the name of Dolph Ziggler and Xavier Woods get taken on a permanent, one way vacation to Suplex City!"
The Full Sail crowd roared in sheer delight, chanting "SUPLEX CITY!" at the top of their lungs.
"Now, normally," Dusty continued, pacing the stage, "a General Manager might give his champions a week off to heal their bones. A week off to ice their necks after gettin' thrown around like sacks of potatoes. But this ain't a normal situation, and this sure as hell ain't a normal brand! This is NXT! And here in NXT, if you hold the gold, you don't get to hide behind the skirts of a broken God King!"
The crowd popped massively at the direct shot at Sandro Zhang.
"So tonight!" Dusty declared, pointing his finger directly at the hard camera. "I am making a announcement! Dolph Ziggler! Xavier Woods! You boys better tape up those ribs and find your wrestling boots, because you are not taking the night off! Tonight, in the main event of this very show, you are going to defend those NXT Tag Team Championships!"
The fans cheered, but Dusty held his hand up, his smile turning wicked.
"But you ain't just defending them in a regular match, if you will," Dusty added, the dramatic tension building beautifully. "Because the sharks smell blood in the water. And there are a whole lot of hungry boys in the back who want a piece of the dying empire. So tonight, it is going to be a Triple Threat Tag Team Match!"
The crowd buzzed, waiting for the challengers to be named.
"Your first challengers..." Dusty announced, his tone dropping into a serious, slightly ominous register. "They are the monsters hiding in the dark. They are the reapers waiting in the swamp. You are going to have to survive the horrifying power of Luke Harper and Erick Rowan... The Wyatt Family!"
The arena lights momentarily flickered, and a massive, terrifying cheer erupted from the hardcore fanbase. The Wyatt Family were beloved for their sheer, unadulterated brutality, and the prospect of Harper and Rowan getting their massive hands on the battered bodies of Ziggler and Woods was a deeply exciting concept.
"But that ain't all!" Dusty shouted, bringing the energy right back up. "Because your second challengers... they are the boys who never should have lost those belts in the first place! They are chaotic, they are unhinged, and they are out for absolute, unmitigated revenge! Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose!"
The roof of the arena nearly blew completely off the building! The pop for the former champions was absolutely deafening. Rollins and Ambrose, the architects of chaos, were the heart and soul of the NXT brand, and the fans desperately wanted to see them reclaim the gold and officially completely eradicate the Undisputed System from their television screens.
"So lace 'em up, boys!" Dusty concluded, throwing his hands into the air. "Ziggler! Woods! You better bring whatever is left of your shattered little system to the ring tonight, because the American Dream has officially put a bounty on your heads! Now hit my music!"
The horns blared again, and Dusty Rhodes danced his way to the back, leaving the NXT Universe in a state of absolute, fever pitch anticipation.
Throughout the one hour broadcast, the tension continued to mount. Backstage segments showed a terrified, incredibly battered Dolph Ziggler and Xavier Woods frantically trying to get ahold of Sandro Zhang on their cell phones, but the God King's phone went straight to voicemail every single time.
They were completely isolated. They had no backup. They had no enforcers to illegally run down to the ring to save them. They were entirely on their own.
Finally, the main event arrived.
The lights in the arena completely cut out. The terrifying, static filled video package played on the screen, and the eerie, swampy acoustic guitars of the Wyatt Family theme song filled the room. The fans immediately pulled out their cell phones, illuminating the darkness with thousands of tiny white lights, creating the iconic "fireflies" visual.
Walking slowly out of the shadows, looking like absolute nightmare fuel, were Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. Harper, with his wild, unkempt beard and terrifying, manic eyes, wore a sweat-stained tank top. Rowan, an absolute mountain of a man, wore his chilling, emotionless sheep mask. They didn't march, they lurked toward the ring, carrying an aura of pure, unsettling violence that instantly sent a chill down the spine of the viewers.
They stepped over the top rope, standing in their corner, staring blankly at the entrance stage.
Suddenly, the heavy, aggressive, rapid fire guitar riff of Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose's entrance music hit!
The crowd erupted into a massive, sustained roar! Seth Rollins, his half blonde, half black hair dripping with water, sprinted out onto the stage with frantic, manic energy.
Beside him, Dean Ambrose looked entirely unhinged, wearing a worn out leather jacket, twitching his shoulders, his eyes wide and completely starved for violence.
The two former champions didn't walk down the ramp, they charged. They slid into the ring, immediately getting right into the faces of the massive Wyatt Family members, entirely unafraid of the size difference. The referee had to physically step between the two incredibly dangerous teams to prevent the match from starting before the champions even arrived.
Finally, the obnoxious bass drop of the Undisputed System theme song played.
The reaction from the xrowd was not just boos, it was sheer, unadulterated vitriol. They hated these two men with a passion.
Dolph Ziggler and Xavier Woods walked out from behind the curtain. They looked absolutely terrible. Ziggler had a massive strip of kinesiology tape running down the side of his neck, a direct result of the catastrophic clothesline he had taken from Brock Lesnar. Woods was walking with a highly noticeable limp, constantly grabbing his lower back where he had absorbed the brutal impact of three consecutive German suplexes.
They slowly made their way down the ramp, clutching their NXT Tag Team Championships entirely out of desperation rather than pride.
They looked at the monsters waiting for them in the ring. They looked at the chaotic, revenge fueled former champions staring holes through them. The Undisputed System was crumbling at the highest levels, but tonight, inside the yellow ropes of NXT, Ziggler and Woods were going to have to face the terrifying reality of their actions completely alone. The referee called for the bell, the three teams locked eyes, and the main event of NXT instantly exploded into absolute, uncontrollable anarchy.
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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: 2 - 0 Main Event: 1 - 0