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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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"The Rock doesn't wait in line," The Rock fired back, stepping into Punk's personal space. "The Rock is the line. The Rock is the biggest box office draw in the history of this business. The Rock doesn't care about your little rematch clause. You had your shot, and you lost. The Rock is entering the Royal Rumble, and the People's Champion is going to main event WrestleMania. End of story."
"Shut your mouth, both of you!"
A third voice, raspy and venomous, shattered the argument.
Chris Jericho stepped between them, his black painted face twisted in a snarl. He glared at The Rock, then at Punk.
"Are you two blind, or just completely stupid?" Jericho hissed into his microphone. "Did you not hear a single word I said earlier? I don't care about your Hollywood return, Rock! And I certainly don't care about your pathetic rematch clause, Punk! Neither of you understand what is happening here!"
Jericho pointed a taped finger up at Sandro on the stage.
"He took my livelihood!" Jericho yelled, his voice cracking with emotion. "He humiliated me! He kicked me out of his family like a dog! This isn't about championships for me anymore. This is about blood. This is about vengeance. Sandro Zhang belongs to the Painmaker. I challenged him to an 'No Hold Barred' or 'I Quit' match at the Royal Rumble which he haven't give his answer yet, and if I don't get it, I'm going to tear this entire company apart brick by brick!"
"Oh, cry me a river, Chris," Punk scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You played the corporate stooge for the Undisputed System, you failed, and you got fired. That's on you. Don't project your mid life crisis onto my championship picture."
Jericho's eyes went wide with fury. "Mid life crisis?! I will rip your bandaged head off your shoulders right now, Punk!"
"Just bring it, Y2-Cheap!" The Rock interrupted, raising his fists, looking ready to fight them both. "The Rock will gladly lay the smackdown on the straight edge choir boy and the painted clown all in the same night!"
The three men stood in a tense, explosive triangle in the center of the ring, screaming at each other off microphone, the argument rapidly devolving into a hostile standoff. Gallows and Mercury gripped their steel chairs, unsure of who they were supposed to hit next.
"This is absolute chaos!" Cole yelled over the bickering. "Punk wants his rematch! The Rock wants the WrestleMania main event! Jericho wants an I Quit match for pure vengeance! And they are all at each other's throats!"
"It's beautiful, Michael!" JBL laughed hysterically, pointing at the entrance stage. "Look at the God King! Look at the absolute happiness of Sandro Zhang seeing what happened in the ring!"
On the stage, the anger had completely vanished from Sandro's face. He watched the three legends arguing in the ring, tearing each other apart over the right to face him. He didn't say a single word. He didn't need to.
Sandro slowly reached out, wrapping one arm around AJ Lee's waist and the other around Nikki Bella's shoulders. He looked down at the bickering fools in the ring, a wide, deeply arrogant, and purely psychopathic smile spreading across his face.
The God King had not even attempted to divide them yet, but their own massive, fragile egos were doing the job for him.
While The Rock, CM Punk, and Chris Jericho continued to scream at each other in the center of the ring, completely consumed by their own overlapping agendas, the two men they had just decimated saw their window of opportunity.
Dolph Ziggler, clutching his chest from the People's Elbow, and Xavier Woods, his back throbbing from the Walls of Jericho, slowly and agonizingly began to crawl toward the ropes.
The three bickering people didn't even notice. Punk was entirely focused on screaming about his rematch clause, Jericho was red in the face shouting about his vengeance, and The Rock was daring them both to throw a punch.
Ziggler and Woods managed to slip under the bottom rope, dropping heavily onto the ringside mats. They used the barricade to drag themselves up to their feet, swaying dangerously as they leaned on each other for support.
Bruised, battered, but entirely grateful to have escaped the slaughterhouse, the two Undisputed System members began a slow, agonizing limp up the long steel ramp.
They finally reached the entrance stage, rejoining the rest of the golden empire. Sandro Zhang didn't offer them a hand, nor did he offer a word of comfort.
He simply gave them a cold, lingering look that reminded them of the mandate hanging over their heads: Bring me the NXT Tag Team Titles, or you are finished.
With a final, deeply arrogant smirk directed at the chaotic scene unfolding in the ring, Sandro turned his back on the WWE Universe. With AJ Lee and Nikki Bella on his arms, Alexa followed from behind, and his three championships gleaming under the stage lights, the God King led his royal court through the heavy black curtain, disappearing into the backstage area.
Monday Night RAW continued at a blistering pace following that explosive opening segment, delivering incredible matchups and backstage drama that kept the Harrisburg crowd on the edge of their seats until the broadcast finally went off the air.
But the true fallout didn't happen on television. It happened in the digital arena.
The moment the Network broadcast concluded, Twitter practically melted down. The fans unleashed a torrent of opinions, debates, and frantic speculation about the opening of RAW.
@WrestlingFanatic88: I am still out of breath from that opening. The Rock, Punk, AND Jericho in the same ring?! The promo battle was legendary, but Sandro just walking away smiling while they tore each other apart was straight up supervillain stuff!
@StraightEdgeSavior21: Punk got completely screwed! He has a rematch clause! He shouldn't have to argue with a part timer who hasn't wrestled in seven years or a guy who wears face paint to get his title back!
The digital fires were already burning hot, but they were about to have pure gasoline poured onto them.
Just an hour after RAW went off the air, the official WWE Twitter account sent out a massive, breaking news tweet that instantly sent shockwaves through the entire industry.
@WWE: BREAKING NEWS: It is OFFICIAL! Per the Chairman of WWE, Mr. McMahon, the Royal Rumble card has been shaken up! CM Punk WILL invoke his rematch clause against Sandro Zhang for the World Heavyweight Title! HOWEVER... Chris Jericho has a chance to insert himself into the match! Next week on RAW, Jericho will face Punk 1 on 1. If Jericho wins, the Rumble match becomes a TRIPLE THREAT! Also, WWE officially welcomes back The Rock, who is confirmed as an entrant in the 30 Man Royal Rumble Match! #RAW #RoyalRumble #TripleCrown #GodKing #CMPunk #Y2J #TheRock
The timeline exploded. Vince McMahon had just dropped a bombshell that fundamentally altered the Road to WrestleMania.
The reactions from the superstars involved were immediate and incredibly volatile.
@CMPunk: Typical corporate garbage. I bleed for this company, I get screwed out of my title by an army of stooges, and Vince McMahon makes me jump through hoops just to get my contractually guaranteed rematch. Fine. I'll put Jericho to sleep next week, and then I'm taking my title back at the Rumble. Watch me.
@IAmJericho: CM Punk thinks this is about his little piece of gold. It's not. It's about tearing the God King's life apart. Punk is just an obstacle standing in my way. Next week, the Voice of the Voiceless gets silenced by the Painmaker. I'm coming for you, Sandro.
@TheRock: The Rock is reading these tweets, and The Rock is laughing his ass off. The painted clown and the straight edge choir boy are fighting over scraps. Have fun next week, boys. The Great One is lacing up his boots, entering the Rumble, and punching his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania. IF YA SMELL...
The entire wrestling world waited with bated breath for the Triple Crown Champion to weigh in. Finally, nearly an hour later, Sandro Zhang broke his silence. His tweet was meticulously crafted, dripping with the cold, aristocratic arrogance that had defined his reign.
@SandroZhangWWE: I do not agree with any of this. Vince McMahon does not have my consent to dictate the terms of my title defenses, nor does he have the right to book matches that concern my empire's interests without consulting me first. The Chairman continues to overstep his bounds. But let me be perfectly clear: I am not afraid of a broken rebel or a painted ghost. I am the Triple Crown Champion. I am always ten steps ahead, and I always have a plan to protect what is mine. Enjoy the fight next week, peasants.
The narrative was set. The stakes were astronomical.
Days passed in a blur of media hype and fan speculation. Wednesday arrived, bringing the action to the developmental brand of NXT, broadcasting from the gritty, intimate arena in Tampa, Florida.
The crowd in Tampa was notoriously hostile to main roster invaders, and tonight, the atmosphere was particularly venomous. The NXT General Manager, the "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, had made it official earlier in the day. Dolph Ziggler and Xavier Woods would compete in the main event against the high flying, dynamic duo known as Los Aviadores, Hunico and Epico.
When the time for the main event finally arrived, the heavy, oppressive theme of the Undisputed System filled the arena.
The boos were absolutely deafening. Dolph Ziggler and Xavier Woods walked down the ramp, their faces masks of pure, concentrated focus. They did not have the entire golden army with them tonight.
Sandro had made it clear that this was their test to pass. The only member of the royal court accompanying them was Paul Heyman, who walked behind them with his signature sinister grin, clutching his manila folder.
Ziggler and Woods entered the ring. Heyman stepped between them, grabbing both of their arms and raising them high into the air in a premature display of victory, soaking up the nuclear heat from the Tampa crowd. Heyman then ducked through the ropes, taking his place at ringside, his calculating eyes tracking every movement.
The upbeat, fast paced music of Los Aviadores hit, and the Tampa crowd erupted into massive cheers. Hunico and Epico sprinted down the ramp, slapping hands with the fans, completely energized by the opportunity to knock off two members of the most powerful faction in the world. They slid into the ring, leaping onto the turnbuckles to hype up the crowd before returning to their corner.
The referee checked both teams, ensuring the legal men were in the ring, before signaling for the bell.
DING! DING! DING!
What followed was an absolute, instant classic tag team clinic.
At the commentary desk, Mathews and Cole, making a special appearance on the NXT broadcast to call the main event, were incredibly hyped.
"This is a massive test for Ziggler and Woods!" Cole yelled over the crowd noise. "Sandro Zhang put a gun to their heads on Monday night. He told them to capture the NXT Tag Team Championships from Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, or their careers in the Undisputed System are over. They have to prove they can function as a cohesive unit tonight against one of the most cohesive teams in developmental!"
"And Los Aviadores are not going to roll over for them, Michael!" Mathews added. "Hunico and Epico have unparalleled chemistry. They utilize blinding speed and Lucha Libre offense that Ziggler and Woods might not be prepared for!"
The match started with a blistering pace. Xavier Woods locked up with Epico, and the two traded rapid fire chain wrestling holds. Epico used his agility to slip out of a wrist lock, hitting a beautiful springboard arm drag that sent Woods flying across the ring.
Woods scrambled to his feet, clearly frustrated, and tagged in Ziggler. The Showoff entered the ring, arrogant as ever, but Hunico tagged in to meet him. Ziggler shot in for an amateur takedown, but Hunico leaped completely over him, hitting the ropes and executing a flawless hurricanrana that spiked Ziggler onto his head.
"The speed of Los Aviadores is dizzying!" Cole praised. "They are keeping the Undisputed System completely off balance!"
For the first five minutes, the high flyers dictated the pace. But the Undisputed System hadn't conquered the WWE by playing fair. As Hunico hit the ropes for a suicide dive, Paul Heyman subtly stepped into his path on the outside, forcing Hunico to put on the brakes to avoid hitting the manager.
The slight hesitation was all it took. Ziggler capitalized, hitting a brutal dropkick right to Hunico's kneecap.
For the next ten minutes, Ziggler and Woods put on a masterclass in ring psychology and tag team isolation. They cut the ring entirely in half, keeping Hunico trapped in the hostile corner. They utilized quick, frequent tags, wearing the Luchador down with a mixture of collegiate wrestling from Ziggler and stiff, martial arts inspired strikes from Woods.
"Look at the viciousness of Xavier Woods," Mathews noted. "He is targeting the lower back of Hunico, softening him up, while Ziggler uses his technical expertise to keep him grounded. This is the influence of the God King. Cold, calculating, and ruthless."
Hunico absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment, kicking out of a beautiful leaping elbow drop from Ziggler. Drawing on pure willpower and the deafening cheers of the Tampa crowd, Hunico managed to counter a suplex attempt from Woods, flipping out of it and landing a desperation enzuigiri that caught Woods flush on the jaw.
Both men crawled across the canvas. Woods tagged Ziggler. Hunico lunged forward, his fingertips barely grazing his partner.
Tag to Epico!
The crowd exploded as Epico came in like a house on fire. He hit a flying clothesline on Ziggler, knocked Woods off the ring apron with a springboard dropkick, and caught Ziggler with a beautiful spinning tilt a whirl backbreaker.
Epico went to the top rope, launching himself into the air and connecting with a breathtaking moonsault for a razor close two count, broken up only by a desperate kick from Xavier Woods.
The match broke down into absolute chaos, showcasing the incredible talents and movesets of all four men. Hunico threw Woods to the outside and followed him over the top rope with a massive somersault senton, wiping them both out on the floor right at the feet of a panicked Paul Heyman.
Inside the ring, Epico and Ziggler traded heavy blows. Epico whipped Ziggler into the ropes, looking for a pop up powerbomb, but Ziggler managed to float over, landing on his feet.
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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