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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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Drew climbed the steel steps, stepping over the top rope with ease. He walked directly to the center of the ring, unhooking the United States Championship from his waist. He raised it high above his head with one hand, letting the Seattle crowd get a long, clear look at the prize he had shed blood to obtain.
A ringside crew member handed him a microphone. Drew lowered the belt, draping it over his broad shoulder, and waited for the deafening cheers to quiet down.
A loud chant of "YOU DESERVE IT! YOU DESERVE IT!" echoed through the arena.
Drew smiled, looking down at the canvas, genuinely moved by the reception. He raised the microphone to his lips, his thick, raspy Scottish accent filling the room.
"Seattle... thank you," Drew began, his voice calm but layered with intense conviction. "For the past year, I stood in this ring, night after night, standing silently in the background while a spoiled, entitled billionaire took all the credit. I was told to be the muscle. I was told to be the bodyguard. I was told to protect the empire and never, ever step out of line."
Drew paced a few steps, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the frustration of his past.
"But I always knew exactly who I was," Drew stated firmly. "I knew that I was a main event player. I just needed the chains to be taken off. And the second I finally snapped those chains... the second I finally decided to fight for myself... look at what happened."
He tapped the gold plate of the United States Championship.
"I looked the world in the eye, and I made a promise," Drew continued, his voice steadily rising in volume and intensity. "I said I was going to topple the giant. The Big Show is a legend in this business, there is no denying that. But let's call a spade a spade. When it came to being the man to dethrone Sandro Zhang, the Big Show was nothing but a one hit wonder like I just said before."
The crowd let out a loud "Ooooh" at the bold statement, leaning in closer.
"The Big Show got lucky because Sandro was dealing with a mutiny," Drew declared, pointing a finger at the camera. "He capitalized on a fractured empire. But last Saturday at Over The Limit, there was no mutiny. There were no distractions. It was just me and a four-hundred-pound monster, face to face in the center of the ring. And when the dust settled, it wasn't the giant standing tall. It was the Scottish Psychopath."
Drew took a deep breath, his eyes burning with a fierce, competitive fire.
"And you know what that proves?" Drew asked the crowd, his voice echoing loudly. "It proves exactly what I've been saying from the very beginning. If I had been given the chance... if Sandro hadn't hidden behind his lawyers and his corporate red tape... I should have been the one to dethrone the God King in the first place!"
The fans cheered loudly, fully buying into the narrative. Drew had the credibility to back up his words, and the gold on his shoulder proved he wasn't just making idle threats.
"Sandro Zhang is sitting at home right now, hiding from the monsters he created," Drew said, a dark smirk forming on his face. "He's watching his empire crumble. Lashley is running wild. The New Day are doing whatever the hell it is they do. And I am standing in his ring, holding the championship he held hostage for over a year."
Drew stepped forward, looking dead into the hard camera, addressing the absent billionaire directly.
"So listen to me very carefully, Sandro," Drew warned, his tone dropping into a deadly, serious register. "Take all the time off you need. Hide in your penthouse. Cling to those World Titles like a coward. Because the landscape of Monday Night RAW has changed. The days of you running roughshod over this locker room are officially over. The corporate era is dead."
Drew raised the United States Championship high into the air once again, his voice reaching a roaring, passionate climax. "The era of the God King is finished! The era of Drew McIntyre has just begun!"
The Scottish war pipes blasted through the arena speakers once again, completely drowning out the massive roar of the Seattle audience. Drew stood tall on the second turnbuckle, posing with the championship, looking like an absolute, undeniable superstar.
"What a statement by the new United States Champion!" Cole yelled, wrapping up the broadcast. "Drew McIntyre has drawn a line in the sand! He is daring the God King to return and face the new reality of Monday Night RAW!"
"The target is on his back, but Drew looks ready for war, Michael!" Lawler agreed.
The camera slowly zoomed in on the confident, defiant face of the Scottish Psychopath, and the WWE Universe was left with a thrilling sense of anticipation. Drew had drawn his line in the sand, daring the former tyrant of Monday Night RAW to show his face. He lowered the microphone, a satisfied smirk resting on his lips as the fans showered him with a chorus of cheers.
But just as the broadcast copyright graphic threatened to flash across the bottom of the screen, signaling the end of the night, a harsh, blaring siren cut violently through the cheers.
A heavy, pounding drumbeat followed, shaking the arena speakers. The sudden shift in music felt like a splash of cold water, instantly killing the celebratory mood in Seattle.
The cheers twisted into a chorus of loud, aggressive boos as two familiar, towering figures stepped out from behind the curtain. Wade Barrett and Ryback marched onto the entrance stage, both men sporting dark expressions that matched the hostility pouring down from the stands.
At the commentary desk, Cole nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wait a minute, what are they doing out here? We haven't seen Wade Barrett and Ryback on Monday Night RAW in over a week!"
"And for good reason, Michael!" Jerry Lawler added, sounding genuinely bewildered. "The last time we saw these two, they were down in NXT. They lost that huge six man tag team match against Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns, the trio proved their partnership are much better. And after that loss, they completely snapped! They viciously attacked their own partner, Dolph Ziggler, leaving him laying in the middle of the ring."
JBL scoffed, fixing his tie. "They are rats fleeing a sinking ship, King. They betrayed the God King, they turned on Dolph Ziggler when things got tough, and now they want to come out here and ruin a championship celebration? They have no loyalty. They have no honor."
In the ring, Drew McIntyre's smile vanished. The newly crowned United States Champion did not look intimidated, but he certainly looked annoyed. He draped his hard won championship over his left shoulder and raised his microphone back to his mouth.
"Cut the music!" Drew barked, his raspy voice echoing sharply through the building. The sound production crew quickly obliged, killing the heavy drumbeat and leaving only the sound of the hostile crowd.
Drew stepped forward, leaning against the top rope as he glared down the ramp at the two imposing figures. "I know for a fact you two didn't come out here to congratulate me. So why don't you explain why you decided to drag your miserable carcasses out here and interrupt my moment? You two have been hiding in the shadows since you got embarrassed by a bunch of rookies down in NXT. What do a couple of bitter losers want with the WWE United States Champion?"
Wade Barrett let out a slow, dark chuckle. He didn't look angry at the insult. Instead, he looked remarkably calm, almost calculating. The British brawler slowly lifted a microphone of his own, taking a few measured steps down the steel ramp, with the massive, muscle bound Ryback trailing closely behind him like a loyal bodyguard.
"Always so aggressive, Drew," Barrett said, his smooth, cultured accent ringing out clearly. "Always so quick to assume the worst. We didn't come out here to fight you. We didn't come out here to rain on your parade. In fact, I came out here to offer you a hand."
Drew raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying a single word.
"Think about our history, mate," Barrett continued, stopping halfway down the ramp. "Long before Sandro Zhang ever put a suit on me and you, long before the Undisputed System ever existed, you and I were in the trenches together. We were a formidable tag team back in Florida Championship Wrestling. Then we won gold together here in WWE as part of Undisputed System. We bled together. We know each other better than anyone else in that locker room."
Barrett gestured toward the championship resting on Drew's shoulder. "I watched you snap those corporate chains. I watched you strike out on your own and take that title. And I respect it. But you and I both know that standing alone in this company is a dangerous game. Look at what happened tonight with Lesnar and Lashley. It is a warzone."
Barrett took another step forward, his voice turning dead serious. "Ryback and I realized something after we walked away from the Undisputed System. We realized that we spent a whole year acting as puppets for a billionaire who only cared about his own reflection. We were serving a false idol. We decided it was time to make a mark of our own. To build something that belongs to us, not something handed down from a so called God King."
Barrett extended a hand toward the ring. "I am out here, Drew, to invite you to join us. You have the gold. We have the muscle. Together, we can take control of Monday Night RAW on our own terms."
The crowd buzzed with a mix of intrigue and rejection. The idea of Drew aligning himself with two of the most hated men on the roster did not sit well with the Seattle fans.
Drew stood silently for a moment, letting the offer hang in the humid arena air. He looked at Wade's extended hand, then looked up at Ryback's blank, intimidating stare.
Slowly, Drew brought the microphone to his lips and let out a loud, mocking, highly sarcastic laugh.
"You want me to join you?" Drew asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "Wade, did you take a blow to the head during that match in NXT? Why in the hell would I ever want to join you?"
Drew tapped his championship belt. "I just proved to the whole world that I don't need a faction. I don't need backup. I climbed this mountain with my own two bare hands, and I beat a giant to win this title. I am standing at the peak, all by myself. I don't need dead weight dragging me back down."
The crowd cheered in approval, firmly backing the champion's independence.
"And let's be perfectly honest here, Wade," Drew continued, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "If I did join your little club, I would obviously have to be the leader. I'm the one holding the gold. I'm the one who actually wins his matches. But looking at you right now, standing out there trying to recruit me, it's pretty obvious you think you're the leader."
Drew leaned over the ropes, his tone turning sharp and insulting. "You talk a big game about not wanting to be a puppet, but look at you. You're standing out there acting exactly like Sandro Zhang. You're trying to build your own little empire so you can stand in the back while other people do your dirty work. You're just a cheap, discount version of the God King. And as for the big guy behind you?"
Drew pointed a finger at Ryback. "He just traded one master for another. He's still just a brainless piece of meat following orders. So, thanks for the offer, Wade, but it is an incredibly easy pass for me."
The audience roared with laughter, thoroughly enjoying the verbal dressing down. Ryback's face turned red with anger, his massive chest heaving as he took a step forward, but Barrett held up a hand, stopping the powerhouse in his tracks.
Barrett's calm demeanor vanished. His jaw clenched, and his eyes grew cold and hard. He slowly lowered his arm, staring a hole right through the Scottish Psychopath.
"An easy pass," Barrett repeated quietly, his voice lacking any trace of its previous warmth. He nodded slowly. "I see. Well, Drew... if you refuse to stand by our side, then it looks like this is your funeral."
The moment the word 'funeral' left Barrett's lips, the atmosphere in the KeyArena shifted from tense to outright dangerous.
Drew hearing that didn't even have time to ask what Barrett meant.
From the front row of the crowd, right behind the commentary desk, a man wearing a black hoodie and a face mask hopped over the steel barricade. From the timekeeper's area, two more hooded figures scrambled over the wall. From the opposite side of the ring, four more men clad in identical dark hoodies and masks poured out from the audience, surrounding the ring from all sides.
"What the hell is going on?!" Cole screamed as the seven figures swarmed the squared circle. "Who are these people?!"
Drew dropped his microphone, his combat instincts instantly kicking in. He threw a wild, desperate right hand that caught the first masked man flush in the jaw, sending him crashing to the mat. Drew spun around, delivering a vicious boot to the gut of a second attacker.
But there were simply too many of them.
The remaining five men swarmed the United States Champion like a pack of starved wolves. They tackled Drew to the canvas, unleashing a relentless, coordinated assault. Fists and boots rained down on the exhausted champion.
Drew fought valiantly, managing to push two of them off, but the sheer numbers game was impossible to overcome, especially after the grueling war he had just fought against the Big Show.
The fans booed loudly, furious at the cowardly ambush.
"Get some help out there!" Lawler yelled, helplessly watching the champion get torn apart. "Drew is being mugged in the middle of the ring! Where is security?!"
"This is exactly what he deserves!" JBL shouted, a twisted smile forming on his face. "He wanted to stand alone? Well, look at him now! The traitor is getting a taste of his own medicine! I don't know who these guys are, but I love their initiative!"
As the seven masked men continued their brutal beatdown, Wade Barrett and Ryback calmly walked the rest of the way down the entrance ramp. They didn't rush. They moved with a chilling, calculated purpose.
Barrett stepped onto the ring apron and held the middle rope open for his enforcer. Ryback climbed into the ring, his eyes wide with unhinged aggression. The masked men momentarily stepped back, parting like the Red Sea to give the powerhouse room to work. Ryback grabbed the battered Drew McIntyre by his hair, hauling him up to his feet. With a guttural roar, Ryback hoisted the 260 pound champion over his head and marched around the ring before violently slamming Drew back down to the canvas with a devastating Shell Shocked.
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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 (1st - 376 days), 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