If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
______________________________
(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
...
But most of all, the Nexus was waiting for the answer to the question that had kept the wrestling world guessing all week. The graphics on the TitanTron flashed the logo of Monday Night RAW, leaving a massive, before showing glaring question mark on the screen. Who was the ninth man? The crowd buzzed, their eyes glued to the curtain. The main event was officially here, and the survival of the entire locker room hung delicately in the balance.
The heavy, suffocating silence hanging over the Capital One Arena was shattered by the haunting wail of Scottish war pipes.
The crowd erupted. The resistance had arrived.
Drew McIntyre stepped out from behind the curtain, his United States Championship gleaming under the arena spotlights. The Scottish Psychopath looked dead ahead, a fierce, battle ready scowl etched into his features. He didn't pause to pose. He simply marched to the top of the steel ramp and waited.
Seconds later, a heavy hip hop beat dropped. Jimmy and Jey Uso charged onto the stage, their World Tag Team Championships secured around their waists. They were heavily taped from the beatdowns they had suffered over the past two weeks, but their energy was undeniable. They slapped their chests, performing a brief, intense Samoan war dance before taking their places next to Drew.
Then came the upbeat gospel funk of The New Day. Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods walked out. There were no smiles, no pancakes, and no trombone. They wore matching neon gear, their expressions deadly serious, standing shoulder to shoulder with their allies.
The blaring horns of John Cena's entrance music hit next. The franchise player sprinted onto the stage, a towel in his hands, wearing his signature denim shorts and a bright green t-shirt. He threw the towel into the crowd, saluted fiercely, and joined the defensive line.
Finally, the slow, methodical drumbeat of "Voices" echoed through the building. Randy Orton walked out of the shadows, his eyes locked onto the ring. The Viper moved with a cold, terrifying calmness, stepping up beside Cena.
Eight men stood at the top of the ramp, unified by a common enemy. But they were still one man short.
Down in the ring, Wade Barrett laughed, leaning against the ropes and mocking the empty space next to Orton.
"Who is it?" Cole asked, leaning forward at the broadcast desk. "They promised Paul Heyman a ninth man! Who is crazy enough to step into this warzone?"
The arena went completely silent for five agonizing seconds.
Then, a loud, screeching record scratch cut through the tension.
"I'M HERE TO SHOW THE WORLD... I'M HERE TO SHOW THE WORLD!"
The Washington D.C. crowd let out a massive, complicated reaction. Cheers of genuine surprise mixed with lingering, confused boos as Dolph Ziggler burst onto the stage. The Showoff threw his hands out, flipping his blonde hair back, a cocky smirk plastered across his face.
"It's Ziggler!" Lawler yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "Dolph Ziggler is the ninth man!"
"Are you kidding me?!" JBL shouted in disgust. "This man was a core member of the Undisputed System! He is the very definition of the establishment! And now he's teaming up with John Cena?"
"He was betrayed, John!" Cole fired back. "Wade Barrett and Ryback kicked his head off on NXT! They knocked him out cold and left him for dead! Ziggler isn't out here to save Monday Night RAW. He's out here for personal vengeance! He wants a piece of the Nexus!"
Ziggler slapped hands with Cena and gave a firm nod to Orton. The ninth piece of the puzzle was officially in place.
With their roster complete, Team RAW began their march. Nine of the biggest stars in the industry walked down the long steel ramp, their eyes locked on the black shirted army waiting in the squared circle.
They slid under the bottom rope, and the ring instantly flooded with eighteen massive bodies. The referee frantically threw himself between the two factions, waving his arms and blowing his whistle repeatedly to prevent a premature riot. The tension was so thick it felt like it could shatter the glass of the arena lights.
"Back to your corners! Get out on the apron!" the official screamed, pushing Ryback back before shoving Drew McIntyre toward his corner.
Slowly, reluctantly, the combatants filed out onto the ring apron. The sheer visual of sixteen men standing shoulder to shoulder on the outside of the ropes was breathtaking.
In the ring, Wade Barrett removed his suit jacket, tossing it to the floor. He smirked and pointed to Heath Slater to start the match. On the opposing side, Dolph Ziggler eagerly stepped over the top rope, his eyes burning with a desperate need for payback.
The referee checked both corners, made sure the canvas was clear, and signaled to the timekeeper.
DING! DING! DING!
The main event of Capitol Punishment was underway.
Ziggler didn't wait to lock up. He shot out of his corner like a fired cannon, tackling Slater to the mat and raining down a flurry of aggressive, closed fist punches.
Slater covered his face, scrambling desperately toward the ropes. Ziggler dragged him back by the ankle, hitting a beautiful standing dropkick that caught Slater perfectly on the chin.
"Ziggler is a house of fire!" Cole praised. "He has weeks of pent up aggression, and he is taking it all out on Heath Slater!"
Slater stumbled backward, tagging in Michael Tarver. The bare knuckle brawler stepped in, throwing a heavy right hook, but Ziggler ducked under it and delivered a jumping neckbreaker. Ziggler quickly tagged in Jimmy Uso.
Jimmy climbed to the top turnbuckle with lightning speed. Ziggler hit a superkick on Tarver, sending him crashing into the corner. Jimmy launched himself into the air, connecting with a devastating flying crossbody.
The match quickly settled into a breathtaking, high paced tag team clinic. Both sides utilized frequent tags, constantly keeping fresh bodies in the ring. The Nexus relied on quick, punishing strikes and heavy isolation tactics. Team RAW countered with high flying athleticism and veteran ring psychology.
For the first ten minutes, no one could gain a definitive upper hand.
Eventually, Heath Slater found himself back in the ring against Xavier Woods. Slater tried to whip Woods into the Nexus corner, but Woods reversed it. Kofi Kingston made a blind tag. As Slater bounced off the turnbuckles, Woods dropped to his knees, tripping Slater up. Kofi springboarded off the top rope, delivering a crushing double foot stomp right to Slater's chest.
Kofi immediately tagged Jimmy Uso. Jimmy scaled the turnbuckles, pointed up to the sky, and launched his body through the air, crashing down with a picture perfect Uso Splash.
Jimmy hooked the leg.
One! Two! Three!
Heath Slater has been eliminated.
The crowd exploded. Team RAW had drawn first blood.
"That's how you do it!" Lawler cheered. "Quick tags, seamless double team maneuvers! The Nexus is down a man!"
But the celebration was painfully short lived. The moment the referee signaled the elimination, Mason Ryan stepped over the top rope. The Welsh powerhouse didn't wait for Jimmy to get to his feet.
Jimmy charged forward, looking for a clothesline, but Ryan absorbed the blow like a brick wall. Ryan grabbed Jimmy by the throat and tights, lifting one half of the World Tag Team Champion high into the air. With a sickening display of raw power, Ryan dropped Jimmy over his shoulder, delivering a brutal swinging side slam that nearly snapped Jimmy in half.
Ryan placed his heavy boot on Jimmy's chest.
One! Two! Three!
Jimmy Uso has been eliminated.
"And just like that, the numbers are even again!" JBL gloated. "Mason Ryan just flattened one half of the world tag team champions! That's the power of the Nexus!"
Jey Uso slammed his hands in frustration on the apron, watching his brother roll out of the ring.
Inside the squared circle, Big E stepped through the ropes. The New Day powerhouse cracked his neck, staring directly at Mason Ryan.
The crowd buzzed as the two most massive men in the match stood nose to nose. They didn't trade technical holds. They simply started throwing heavy, looping right hands. It was a heavyweight slugfest. Ryan hit the ropes and delivered a shoulder block, but Big E barely budged. Big E hit the ropes and delivered a shoulder block of his own, and Ryan stayed on his feet.
Finally, Big E ducked a wild clothesline, wrapped his thick arms around Ryan's waist, and launched the Welshman overhead with a massive belly to belly suplex!
The ring shook. Ryan staggered to his feet, completely dazed. Big E capitalized instantly, scooping the 290 pound monster onto his shoulder.
"He's got him up!" Cole yelled. "The strength of Big E!"
Big E dropped forward, driving Ryan into the canvas with a devastating Big Ending.
He hooked the massive leg. One! Two! Three!
Mason Ryan has been eliminated.
The Capital One Arena roared in approval. Team RAW had taken an 8 to 7 advantage.
But once again, the Nexus proved why they were the most dangerous faction on television. The absolute second the referee's hand hit the mat for the third time, Ryback stormed into the ring.
Big E barely had time to stand up before Ryback lowered his head and drove a crushing Meat Hook Clothesline directly into Big E's jaw. The impact was so severe it flipped Big E backward. Ryback didn't go for the pin. He grabbed Big E by the arms, hoisted the nearly 300 pound powerhouse onto his shoulders, and marched around the ring in a terrifying display of strength.
Ryback dropped to his knees, planting Big E into the mat with Shell Shocked.
One! Two! Three!
Big E has been eliminated.
"Unbelievable!" Lawler gasped. "Ryback just eliminated Big E in less than thirty seconds! This match is moving at a breakneck pace!"
"It's a war of attrition, King," JBL stated. "You take one of ours, we take one of yours. But Wade Barrett's men are fresher."
The rapid fire eliminations caused the match to break down into complete, unscripted chaos.
Drew McIntyre grew tired of waiting on the apron. He jumped down, grabbed David Otunga by the ankle, and yanked the Harvard graduate off the apron, throwing him face first into the steel barricade.
Seeing this, Darren Young and Curtis Axel jumped down to protect their teammate. Jey Uso and Kofi Kingston immediately followed suit.
Within seconds, all remaining participants abandoned their corners. The referee completely lost control as a massive, wild brawl erupted on the outside of the ring.
Cena brawled with Ryback near the announcer's desk, trading heavy right hands. Drew McIntyre grabbed Wade Barrett and launched the Englishman over the barricade, sending them both tumbling into the front row of the audience. The fans scrambled to get out of the way as the United States Champion and the leader of the Nexus tore each other apart among the folding chairs.
"Order has been completely lost!" Cole shouted, standing up as Kofi Kingston climbed the steel ring steps. "Look out!"
Kofi launched himself off the top of the stairs, flying through the D.C. night air, and crashed into a sea of bodies, taking out Axel, Otunga, and Jey Uso in a spectacular dive.
Back inside the ring, amidst the chaos on the outside, Xavier Woods found himself isolated against Michael Tarver.
Tarver, wearing his signature black bandana over his face, backed Woods into the corner with a series of stiff boxing combinations to the ribs. Tarver wound up his right arm, looking to deliver a knockout punch.
But Woods ducked. He rolled through, springing to his feet, and delivered a sharp enzuigiri that caught Tarver in the side of the head. Tarver stumbled blindly toward the ropes.
Dolph Ziggler, who had managed to stay out of the ringside brawl, reached out and slapped Woods on the back, tagging himself into the match.
As Tarver turned around, Ziggler leaped into the air, grabbing Tarver by the back of the neck, and violently drove him into the mat with a lightning fast Zig Zag!
Ziggler hooked the leg tight.
One! Two! Three!
Michael Tarver has been eliminated.
"Ziggler strikes!" Cole cheered. "Team RAW takes a 7 to 6 advantage!"
Ziggler jumped up, pointing a finger directly at Ryback on the outside, screaming for the big man to get in the ring. But Ziggler was too focused on his vendetta to realize that Justin Gabriel had blind tagged Tarver just before the Zig Zag occurred.
Gabriel sprang off the top rope, delivering a spinning heel kick that caught Ziggler flush on the jaw, sending him rolling under the bottom rope to the floor.
Woods, seeing his partner go down, rushed Gabriel. But Curtis Axel suddenly slid onto the ring apron, grabbing Woods by the hair. Woods delivered a sharp elbow to knock Axel off, but the distraction was all Gabriel needed.
Gabriel swept Woods' legs, sending him crashing to the mat. In the blink of an eye, the South African high-flyer scaled the turnbuckles. He balanced on the top rope, leaped into the air, and executed a breathtaking 450 Splash, crashing down perfectly across Woods' chest.
Gabriel hooked the legs.
One! Two! Three!
Xavier Woods has been eliminated.
"What a beautiful maneuver by Justin Gabriel!" JBL applauded. "And just like that, we are tied up again! 6 on 6!"
The D.C. crowd let out a frustrated groan. Every time Team RAW gained an inch, the Nexus aggressively took it back.
The outside brawling slowly subsided as the referee threatened to disqualify anyone who didn't return to the apron. The exhausted superstars dragged themselves back to their respective corners, their bodies bruised and sweating profusely.
Gabriel backed into his corner, tagging in Darren Young.
On the opposing side, Randy Orton finally stepped through the ropes.
The arena erupted. The Viper hadn't officially entered the match yet, and he looked incredibly fresh. Young charged forward, but Orton effortlessly dodged the clothesline. Orton hit a picture perfect scoop powerslam that sent Young crashing to the mat.
Orton was a machine. Axel tried to run in, but Orton caught him, throwing him onto the ring apron. Orton grabbed Axel by the back of the neck, pulled him through the ropes, and delivered his signature draping DDT, planting Axel skull first into the canvas.
The crowd was on their feet. Orton dropped to the mat, pounding his fists against the canvas, his eyes rolling back in his head as he heard the voices.
Darren Young slowly staggered to his feet, completely unaware of the danger.
Orton sprang upward, wrapping his arms around Young's neck, and drove him into the ground with a spectacular, mid air RKO!
The crowd counted along with the referee.
One! Two! Three!
Darren Young has been eliminated.
"RKO! RKO!" Cole screamed. "Randy Orton is cleaning house! The Nexus is falling apart!"
"Team RAW is up five to four!" Lawler cheered.
Orton didn't celebrate. He slowly stood up, turning his cold, piercing gaze directly toward Wade Barrett. Orton beckoned the Nexus leader with his fingers, daring him to step into the ring.
Barrett glared back. He slowly unbuttoned his cuffs and stepped over the top rope. The crowd buzzed with anticipation as the two leaders stared each other down.
Orton stepped forward, ready to strike.
But suddenly, Ryback jumped onto the ring apron on the opposite side, yelling and slapping the turnbuckle to draw the referee's attention. As the official turned to argue with Ryback, David Otunga slid into the ring behind Orton.
Otunga delivered a cheap, vicious chop block to the back of Orton's knee.
Orton grunted in pain, dropping to one knee. He quickly turned around, delivering an uppercut that sent Otunga scurrying back to the outside, but the damage was already done. The distraction had worked perfectly.
As Orton turned back around, Wade Barrett was already in motion.
The Englishman had pulled down his elbow pad, revealing the red striking surface underneath. He swung his arm with lethal precision, delivering a brutal Bull Hammer elbow strike directly to the side of Orton's temple.
The sickening thud echoed through the arena. Orton's eyes instantly rolled back into his head, and he collapsed to the canvas completely unconscious.
Barrett casually placed his foot on Orton's chest.
One! Two! Three!
Randy Orton has been eliminated.
The Capital One Arena went dead silent. The shock was absolute.
"No..." Cole whispered into his microphone, his voice filled with genuine despair. "Did that just happen?"
"Wade Barrett just knocked out the Viper," Lawler said, shaking his head in disbelief. "One Bull Hammer, and Randy Orton is gone."
JBL let out a loud, arrogant laugh. "I told you! I told you the Nexus was disciplined! They used a simple distraction, they isolated the biggest threat, and Barrett executed the kill shot! That is military precision!"
Orton remained motionless on the mat for a long moment before the ringside doctor and a referee helped him roll out of the ring. The visual of the Viper being assisted up the ramp sent a heavy, suffocating wave of anxiety through the crowd.
Inside the ring, Wade Barrett stood tall, a cruel, satisfied smirk plastered across his face. He looked over at the Team RAW corner.
Only John Cena, Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, Jey Uso, and Kofi Kingston remained.
On the Nexus side, Barrett, Ryback, Justin Gabriel, Curtis Axel, and David Otunga stood ready.
The match had officially reached its breaking point. Five on five. Half of the competitors were gone, leaving a grueling, exhausted war of attrition in their wake. The early adrenaline had faded, replaced by the grim, punishing reality of elimination tag team wrestling. Barrett pointed a finger directly at John Cena, gesturing for the franchise player to step inside. The crowd began a dueling chant, desperate for a hero to turn the tide.
_______________________________
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