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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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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.
Drew lay motionless, his body completely broken.
Barret finally stepped through the ropes. He didn't join in the physical violence, he simply observed the wreckage, a satisfied smile returning to his face. He reached down, picking up the microphone Drew had dropped moments earlier.
The seven masked men stood in a circle around the fallen champion, waiting for their next command.
"I tried to do this the easy way, Drew," Barrett said, his voice echoing over the loud, hostile boos of the Seattle crowd. "I gave you a choice. But you wanted to be a hero. You wanted to insult my vision. This right here... this is what happens to those who refuse to be a part of our group."
Barrett slowly paced around the ring, gesturing to the hooded figures standing at attention.
"I know what you're all thinking," Barrett addressed the crowd, his tone thick with resentment. "You think this is just another Undisputed System. You think this is just another group of thugs serving the ego of one man. But you are dead wrong."
Barrett stopped pacing, looking directly into the hard camera. "The Undisputed System was a lie. Sandro Zhang stood in this ring and claimed he was building an empire for the future. He claimed he was elevating talent. But every single person in that group, myself, Drew, Ziggler, Ryback, and the others, we were all already featured stars. We all had television time. We were already on the poster. Sandro just gathered the strongest guys he could find so he could hide behind us."
Barrett pointed to the seven masked men. "This group is different. Ryback and I didn't go looking for stars. We went looking for the hungry. We went looking for the men who have been starving in the dark. We gathered the talent that management overlooks. The men who bust their backs in the gym every single day, but can't even get booked for a live event, let alone a televised match."
The crowd continued to boo, but a sense of uneasy curiosity began to ripple through the arena.
"We realized that the only way to get an opportunity in this corrupt, broken company isn't by asking politely," Barrett sneered, his voice rising with fierce intensity. "The only way to get a seat at the table is to break the door down and take it for yourself!"
Barrett lowered the microphone and turned to his soldiers.
"Show them who you are," Barrett commanded.
One by one, the seven men reached up and pulled off their masks, throwing their dark hoodies to the canvas.
A collective murmur of recognition swept through the hardcore fans in the audience and the commentary desk.
These were not random security guards or local independent wrestlers. These were contracted WWE talents who had been languishing in obscurity, trapped in developmental territories or relegated to dark matches before the doors even opened.
"My god," Cole breathed, his eyes scanning the faces in the ring. "I know these guys. That's Darren Young. And David Otunga! Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Michael Tarver... Mason Ryan and Curtis Axel!"
"They're a bunch of disgruntled rookies and forgotten prospects!" Lawler noted, putting the pieces together. "They've been sitting on the sidelines for months, watching the Undisputed System dominate the television time!"
"They're a bunch of bitter complainers who couldn't cut it on their own!" JBL snapped, though his voice betrayed a hint of genuine concern regarding the sheer numbers advantage they possessed.
Heath Slater stood over Drew McIntyre, a furious scowl on his face, angry at the months he spent ignored by the creative team. Mason Ryan, a man whose physical size rivaled Batista's, flexed his massive arms, looking ready to tear anyone apart. Curtis Axel, carrying the heavy burden of his family's legacy, glared into the crowd, tired of living in the shadows.
Wade Barrett stood in the center of the ring, surrounded by his newly formed army. He spread his arms wide, soaking in the hostility, looking like a terrifying general who had just successfully executed a military coup.
"Take a good, long look at the future of Monday Night RAW," Barrett declared into the microphone, his voice dripping with authority. "We are not a system. We are not an empire. We are a violent correction. We will rewrite the rules of this company, and we will do it through a hostile takeover."
Barrett looked down at Drew McIntyre one last time.
"We are the Nexus."
At Barrett's words, the seven men simultaneously ripped open their dark button-down shirts, revealing stark black t shirts underneath. Printed boldly in the center of their chests was a massive, bright yellow block letter 'N'.
The visual was striking and terrifying. Nine men, standing in a unified circle over the broken body of the United States Champion, claiming dominance over the flagship show of the WWE.
"The Nexus?!" Cole yelled, his voice cracking with panic. "Wade Barrett has just unleashed a private army on Monday Night RAW! They just took out the United States Champion! Who is going to be able to stop them?!"
"This is anarchy!" Lawler agreed, shaking his head. "If Sandro Zhang was a tyrant, Wade Barrett is a warlord!"
The broadcast cameras held on the chilling image of the Nexus standing tall in the ring. The message was clear. The God King's empire may have fractured, but the pieces had reformed into something far more dangerous, far more desperate, and completely unbound by corporate rules.
As the screen faded to black, the WWE Universe was left to grapple with the terrifying reality that a violent revolution had just begun, and nobody on the roster was safe from the crossfire.
On the other hand, while the screen fade to black, the digital wrestling community wasted absolutely no time diving into the fallout.
Twitter timelines moved at a blinding pace, flooded with reactions to the shocking climax of Monday Night RAW.
Wade Barrett and Ryback had not just turned their backs on the Undisputed System, they had orchestrated a full blown hostile takeover. The introduction of The Nexus sparked an immediate, heated debate among the fanbase.
Naturally, the comparisons to Sandro Zhang's faction were inescapable. "Wade is just trying to be a discount God King," one highly liked tweet read. "He couldn't handle being the number two guy, so he went out and hired a bunch of rookies to carry his bags."
But a significant portion of the audience saw the genius in the pivot. Fans pointed out that while the Undisputed System was an alliance of established talents that have their share of fame before joining Undisputed System, The Nexus was a completely different beast. It was a gang of desperate, hungry prospects with absolutely nothing to lose.
"You have to admit, this is actually a brilliant way to build the roster," a popular wrestling podcaster argued in a thread. "The mid card talent pool on RAW has been really thin lately. Barrett just took seven guys who had zero kayfabe power, guys who couldn't even get on television, and made them the most dangerous threat in the company in one night. I'm taking a wait and see approach. If they book this right, we could get a handful of new stars out of this."
The consensus settled into a cautious optimism. It was highly unlikely that all nine members of The Nexus would evolve into main event caliber performers, but the sheer chaos they promised was enough to keep everyone glued to their screens.
Hundreds of miles away, in the quiet luxury of his Tampa penthouse, Sandro read through the trending topics on his phone. A genuine look of surprise washed over his features.
He took a slow sip of his black coffee, leaning back into his leather armchair. He hadn't expected the Nexus storyline to materialize in this timeline. In his past life, the original Nexus had debuted under vastly different circumstances, born from the first season of NXT. Given that he had already created the Undisputed System, Sandro assumed Vince McMahon would steer clear of large, invading factions for a while to avoid repetition.
But Vince was a master promoter. The Chairman clearly recognized the massive vacuum left behind by the God King's absence and knew he needed to throw a variety of explosive acts at the wall to keep the ratings high.
'It's a smart move,' Sandro thought, locking his phone screen and tossing it onto the glass coffee table. Wade has the mic skills to lead them, and Ryback provides the terrifying muscle.
Sandro hoped Barrett could handle the immense pressure of leading a top tier angle. It was good for business, and it kept the seat warm while the billionaire plotted his own dark evolution. But if Barrett fumbled the ball, or if the Nexus experiment began to sink the ratings, Sandro knew exactly what he would have to do. He would step back into the arena and crush the rebellion himself.
Days passed in the blink of an eye, and the wrestling world traveled north to the notoriously loud, unforgiving confines of Chicago, Illinois.
The Allstate Arena was packed to the absolute rafters. The Chicago crowd was famous for being one of the most vocal, opinionated audiences in the world, and tonight, they were practically buzzing out of their seats.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The opening pyrotechnics erupted from the stage, sending sparks raining down as the camera panned across a sea of wildly waving signs.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Windy City!" Michael Cole shouted over the deafening noise of the live audience. "We are live from Chicago, Illinois, for another explosive edition of Monday Night RAW! I am Michael Cole, joined at ringside by Jerry 'The King' Lawler and John Bradshaw Layfield!"
"I don't think my heart has stopped racing since last week, Michael!" Lawler exclaimed, pointing toward the empty entrance ramp. "The landscape of this brand was completely turned upside down! The Nexus arrived, and they left the new United States Champion lying in a heap!"
JBL shook his head, a deep scowl etched into his face. "It's a dark time for this company, King. The God King was dethroned from his rightful place as the Triple Crown Champion, and look what happened. The moment Sandro Zhang stepped away to heal, the locker room descended into pure anarchy. We had a brief period of peace and prosperity under the Undisputed System. Now? Now we have a bitter, treacherous Englishman and a meathead leading a gang of nobodies, trying to tear down the house Sandro built."
"You can call them nobodies all you want, John, but they made a massive impact," Cole fired back. "The question is, when will The Nexus strike again?"
Before the commentary team could dive any deeper into the faction warfare, a heavy, rhythmic tribal drumbeat echoed through the arena.
The Chicago fans erupted into cheers as Jimmy and Jey Uso stepped out from the curtain, accompanied by the fierce, imposing presence of Tamina. The World Tag Team Champions looked incredibly sharp, the gold plates shining brilliantly around their waists. They slapped their chests, let out their signature Samoan war cry, and marched confidently down the aisle, slapping hands with the fans in the front row.
Jimmy slid into the ring and immediately requested a microphone from the ringside crew. He waited for his brother and Tamina to join him in the center of the squared circle.
"Chicago!" Jimmy yelled, smiling brightly as the crowd popped for the cheap heat. "Last week, we made a promise. We told the world that the Usos are fighting champions. We aren't going to sit in the back and polish these belts. We want to prove that we are the absolute best tag team in this industry today!"
Jey grabbed the microphone, stepping forward. "That's right, Uce. So let's not waste any time. The World Tag Team Championship Open Challenge starts right here, right now! So whoever is sitting in that locker room thinking they have what it takes... bring yourselves out here and step up to the plate!"
The crowd cheered, buzzing with anticipation to see who would answer the call. They didn't have to wait long.
"AWESOME!"
The smug, grating theme music of The Miz hit the speakers, instantly transforming the cheers into a deafening wall of loud, aggressive boos.
The Miz and R-Truth marched out onto the stage, fully dressed in their ring gear. Miz wore a disgustingly arrogant smirk, while Truth looked deeply focused, shadow boxing as he walked down the ramp. Just as they promised the week prior, The Awesome Truth had arrived to collect on the challenge.
"Here they come!" JBL cheered, his mood instantly brightening. "Two legitimate main event superstars! The Usos asked for competition, and they just drew the absolute worst hand possible. The Miz is a tactical genius, and R-Truth is a phenomenal athlete!"
"They're a pair of loudmouths who ran away from a fight last week!" Lawler countered. "But I will admit, they are incredibly dangerous in the ring."
Miz and Truth ignored the hostile Chicago fans, climbing the steel steps and entering the ring. They stared a hole through the champions. Jimmy and Jey didn't say another word. They handed the microphone out of the ring, unhooked their championship belts, and handed them to the official.
Tamina gave both brothers an encouraging nod before stepping through the ropes to take her place on the outside floor.
The referee held the World Tag Team Championships high in the air, officially showcasing the massive stakes of the main-event caliber bout, before handing them off to the timekeeper. He checked with Miz and Jimmy, who were starting the match for their respective teams, and signaled for the bell.
DING! DING! DING!
The match kicked off with a fierce collar and elbow tie up. Jimmy Uso utilized his raw power to back The Miz into the corner, but the referee quickly forced a clean break. As Jimmy backed away, Miz threw a cheap, stinging slap right across the Samoan's face.
The crowd jeered loudly, but the disrespect only fired Jimmy up. He charged forward, ducking a clothesline from Miz, and delivered a blistering knife edge chop to the chest that echoed through the arena.
Jimmy followed it up with a beautiful spinning heel kick that caught Miz perfectly on the jaw, sending the self proclaimed A-lister scrambling backward to tag in his partner. R-Truth jumped over the top rope, bringing his erratic, highly athletic offense into the fray. Truth danced and jucked, trying to confuse Jimmy, before launching into a flying calf kick. Jimmy ducked it, caught Truth by the waist, and drove him into the mat with a textbook Samoan Drop.
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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