WWE: The Gorilla Position ~ Vol. II

[BattleTank]

World Heavyweight Championship Match:
World Heavyweight Champion, Triple H defends against;
Number One Contender, Booker T
I don't see you taking the title off of Trips quite yet. His reign of terror needs to continue, and I think his next big feud will be against the winner of the match right below this one...

!! PART THREE: THE FINAL CHAPTER !!
Last Man Standing Match:
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho
HBK has one great run left in him, and I think it starts here. This feud has been incredibly well booked, and might be my favorite thing outside of The Rock in this thread. Expecting this one to be match of the night, and am really looking forward to this one!

Singles Match:
~No Disqualification for Christian ONLY~
Christian vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Christian is one of those guys that can literally lose every month and not lose any heat. A loss to Stone Cold doesn't hurt him at all, and since I have HHH retaining, it doesn't make sense to elevate Christian up a notch unless Booker T wins, and now I'm just rambling your booking decisions in my head lol

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match:
Jeff Hardy [c] vs. Test
Jeff keeps the title here, but your version of Test is so much better than the one we got irl in 2003. I'm a big fan of Jeff in this thread, too.

Devil's Tag Team Match:
Sean O’Haire & 'The Devil' vs. Kane & Rob Van Dam
I have 2 guesses who The Devil might be. The first one is Kane himself, while the second guess is more of a wish that you introduce MORDECAI to the world here lol Either way, you've done a tremendous job of making this undercard meaningful, which is very hard to do on these one-brand PPVs.

World Tag Team Championship Match:
Evolution [c] (Batista & Randy Orton) vs. Freaks & Geeks (Scott Steiner & The Hurricane)
As much as I would love for Steiner/Hurricane to steal a victory here, I think you keep Evolution strong into the summer. Steiner turning on Hurricane and absolutely obliterating him would be fun, too.

Singapore Cane Match:
Tommy Dreamer vs. Christopher Nowinski
Looking forward to Tommy caning the shit out of Nowinski, this is a perfect change of pace match for the show.

Overall man, I'm really looking forward to this show. Your Preview post was very well written, as is all of your stuff. Wishing you the best of luck writing with this one, I'll be waiting for it to drop!

 

[Roy Mustang]

World Heavyweight Championship Match:
World Heavyweight Champion, Triple H defends against Number One Contender, Booker T

!! PART THREE: THE FINAL CHAPTER !!
Last Man Standing Match:
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

Singles Match:
~No Disqualification for Christian ONLY~
Christian vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match:
Jeff Hardy [c] vs. Test

Devil's Tag Team Match:
Sean O’Haire & 'The Devil' vs. Kane & Rob Van Dam

World Tag Team Championship Match:
Evolution [c] (Batista & Randy Orton) vs. Freaks & Geeks (Scott Steiner & The Hurricane)

Singapore Cane Match:
Tommy Dreamer vs. Christopher Nowinski

 

[EZ3]

...

WWE BAD BLOOD
June 29, 2003 | Campaq Center, in Houston, Texas

***

The opening video package for the pay-per-view begins with a shot of the World Heavyweight Championship. The big gold belt is under a spotlight as Triple H’s voice can be heard describing what kind of man should be the one to hold it. It cuts to a clip of Booker T holding the same title in WCW, but then cuts out with the sound of Triple H laughing, reminding his opponent for tonight that none of that ‘down south’ stuff matters in the big leagues. We get a series of fast-paced clips, with the theme song for tonight’s evening playing over the top, as we revisit some of their most recent collisions on Monday Night Raw. For one of the rare times this year, the opening package for the pay-per-view focuses solely on one match. It’s the World Heavyweight Title bout between Triple H and Booker T. It’s the champion against the hometown boy, and that’s all the video package covers, highlighting the importance of that match to those in the arena and to those around the world. The biggest question of the night: can Booker T do it?
…

AND NOW; WWE PRESENTS A MONDAY NIGHT RAW PRODUCTION, WWE BAD BLOOD

PYRO

For the first time since April, the superstars of Monday Night Raw are live with a brand-exclusive pay-per-view! In a night that promises to bring the action as only they can, the voices of Jim Ross and Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler welcome us to Bad Blood, live in Houston, Texas! We get a quick beauty shot of the crowd as the announcers give their introductions. Ross thanks the fans around the globe for bringing the WWE into your homes this evening, and also extends a warm welcome to the thousands who have packed the building here in Houston, no doubt excited to see their hometown kid, Booker T, challenge for the World Title.

Jerry Lawler quips that he’s just seen that opening video package for the first time, and he thought it favoured Booker T all too much, when we should be praising Triple H for yet another amazing gate. Look at the fans who came to see him! In other news, the announcers run down the rest of the card briefly; at this point, you know it, otherwise you wouldn’t have purchased the pay-per-view. They take a moment to cover the Last Man Standing match between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho, Ross giving a warning to all those watching that promises ot be a bloody affair when things are said and done.

_____________________________________

**THIS IS A TEST**

In the opening bout of the night, we’re set to see gold defended. Making his way out to a wave of boos from the crowd, TEST arrogantly steps out onto the stage. In the best shape of his career, Test does a little flex toward some of the women in the front row, as he makes his way down the entrance ramp and into the ring. In commentary, Jim Ross gives the fans at home a refresher of how Test got this opportunity when he made a deal with Chief Morley, which ultimately led to him attacking Jeff Hardy and Maven last week on Monday Night Raw.

**LOADED**

The lights go out in the arena as the music hits, and the crowd cheers wildly for one of the most unique stars on Monday Night Raw. Through the darkness at the top of the ramp, JEFF HARDY is seen covered in glow-in-the-dark face paint! Jeff Hardy has the WWE Intercontinental Championship strapped around his waist, dancing along to a huge pyro display during his entrance, before sprinting down to the ring. Once inside the ring, Hardy rips the title belt off his waist, climbs a turnbuckle and raises it high in the air above his head, drawing another pop from the crowd.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match:
Jeff Hardy [c] vs. Test
​

Before the bell sounds, Test rushes over to the turnbuckle and clobbers Jeff Hardy from behind with a stiff forearm to the back. The challenger rips the champion down from the elevated height and forces him to crash back against the canvas. The referee jumps in, warning Test to give him some space as the bell has not rung to begin the match. Test shoves him, shouting that he'd better call for the bell right now or he’ll smash his face in just like he’s about to do to the Intercontinental Champion. The referee, feeling the pressure, calls for the bell, and Test makes a cover for a two count just mere seconds into the match. Over the next several minutes, Test used his power advantage to work over the champion, keeping him away from the high-risk district to maintain his advantage. It was clear from the outset that Test's strategy was to keep Hardy grounded on the mat, which drew consistent boos from the audience. They wanted to see the champion's high-flying skills, and at one point, Test applied a chinlock, lying flat on the mat, and told them he could sit there all day if he wanted.

The pace of the match picked up when Jeff Hardy ducked a big boot attempt from the challenger. Test’s leg ended up over the top rope, and Hardy dumped him all the way to the outside of the ring. The crowd rose with anticipation as Hardy stumbled to his feet, shook his head to clear the cobwebs after a tough start to the match, and then realised that he had a golden opportunity in front of him. Hardy hyped up the crowd before sprinting back off the ropes and diving over the top rope with a senton onto Test on the outside of the ring! Both men were down on the outside, but this was the chance that Jeff Hardy needed in this title defence, a match that was not going well for him thus far. On the outside of the ring, Hardy got the better of the challenger, leaping off the steel steps with a flying clothesline to take down the big man for a second time!

After twelve hard minutes of action, Jeff Hardy and Test moved to the finish of the match. Inside the ring, both men having had control over the match at one point or another, Test whips Hardy across the ring and goes for a back body drop. Hardy puts on the brakes, grabbing the ropes and forcing Test to rush toward him, right into a tough kick to the face! Test stumbles backward, dropping to one knee in the middle of the ring, when Hardy hooks his head for the Twist of Fate! Refusing to lose, Test counters, shoving Hardy toward the ring post, but Hardy steps up the turnbuckle with incredible speed and flies backward with the Whisper in the Wind! The crowd cheers as Test eats it clean, and Hardy rolls off him, throwing his shirt into the crowd, before ascending the top rope again! The title is in the balance as Hardy dives off the top rope and connects with the Swanton Bomb, hooking a single leg for a three count, retaining his title belt for the third time in two weeks!

Winner: And STILL WWE Intercontinental Champion - Jeff Hardy @ 12:57

Houston, Texas, is on their feet in celebration after a strong opening contest to kickstart what should be one of the strongest pay-per-views of the year thus far. With his music blaring throughout the arena, Jeff Hardy has his hand raised by the referee, thanking him for officiating the match. The crowd cheers loudly as Jeff Hardy kisses his WWE Intercontinental Championship, climbs onto the second rope and holds it high with both hands. Lawler comments that he cannot believe that Jeff has been able to defend that title three times in two weeks - against Morley on Heat, Maven on Raw and now Test at Bad Blood. Ross calls him the hardest-working champion in the company.

Meanwhile, Test sits on the outside of the ring and kicks the ring steps in frustration. The big man got the title shot that he wanted, the title shot that he jumped the line to get, but in the end, he was unable to finish the job. While nothing further happens at ringside, the camera lingers on an angry shot of Test’s face until we cut to black.

_____________________________________

In the parking lot, BOOKER T has arrived at the building, pulling up in a black car with his gym bag full of his gear. The number one contender to the World Title gets the biggest pop of the night as the hometown boy. He has a huge smile on his face as he exits the car, feeling confident that tonight is his night to capture a World Championship under the WWE banner for the first time in his career. When Booker T approaches the door to the parking lot, he’s approached by THE COACH! The Houston native is forced to stop in his place while Coach blocks the entranceway, wanting to get a word in with the hottest commodity in Texas.

Coach tells Booker that tonight has the opportunity to be the biggest night of his life, but it also has the chance to be the biggest failure, should he lose in front of all his friends and family, in his hometown, with such a big advantage. Booker rolls his eyes, telling Coach that he’s sounding like a real hater right now. He knows what tonight means, not just to himself but to a lot of people in the arena and even more watching at home. As he’s said for weeks, he’s not doing this just for himself; this is about everyone who has been through some tough times in their life and thought there was no hope, no way out.

Booker told Coach that there’s always a second chance, and tonight he was going to show the world - regardless of where you’re from, the colour of your skin, what you sound like - it didn’t matter so long as you worked hard, fought for everything you wanted and believed in yourself. Booker T shoved Coach out of the way and entered the building, leaving the interviewer alone.

_____________________________________

**INNOVATOR**

The innovator of violence, TOMMY DREAMER, enters the arena to a pretty dud response from the live crowd in Texas. He’s not an overly popular figure on Monday Night Raw due to minimal television time across the program. The camera focuses on a few signs in the crowd that relate to ECW, and Ross discusses that this match type has to favour the former ECW Heavyweight Champion. Dreamer is dressed in a throwback shirt that has the old purple ECW logo on it, and comes to the ring with his own Singapore Cane to go along with the dozens that are scattered in trash cans at ringside for the upcoming match!

**EL CAPITAN**

In contrast to that of his opponent, CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI gets a decent response from the crowd, although it’s on the negative side. His reaction grows when the crowd realises that Nowinski is not coming to the ring alone. Walking with a smug look on his face, CHIEF MORLEY is backing up his fellow member of the Administration in his first solo pay-per-view bout! Nowinski hasn’t got his own Singapore cane, and he blows up with complaints when he spots that Dreamer is already armed with a weapon. Morley quickly grabs one from a trash can and hands it to the Harvard graduate, restoring the confidence in the young man’s attitude.

Upon entering the ring, Nowinski twirls the Singapore cane so much that he drops it cold; it rolls to the outside of the ring, landing on the opposite side of Morley. The chief of staff runs around the other side to grab it, but the bell sounds, and the fight is on - and only Dreamer is armed!

Singapore Cane Match:
Tommy Dreamer vs. Christopher Nowinski
​

Like a professional baseball player, Tommy Dreamer comes out of the gates swinging like a madman with the Singapore Cane. Nowinski is ducking and dodging all over the place, evading the strikes that smack the ring ropes and connect with nothing but air. He backs into the corner, pleading that he’s unarmed to the referee, but Dreamer wags a finger in his face and says that this has been a long time coming. To the roar of the crowd, Dreamer unloads with the Singapore Cane on Nowinski! The Harvard graduate is trapped in the corner, struggling to cover up as the former ECW competitor unloads like a crazed lunatic. Shot after shot connects to his body, and Nowinski lets out a scream of pain, diving through the ropes thereafter and crawling along the outside floor. It’s a funny sight as Nowinski reaches out for help from Morley, only to cop a strike across his hand by Dreamer! Nowinski says that he’s had enough, but to his dismay, there is no relief coming for what he requested just six nights ago on Raw. As Dreamer points the Singapore Cane toward Nowinski, who is crawling backward toward the steel steps on the outside, he begins to march toward his target.

Out of nowhere, Nowinski grabs Tommy Dreamer around the waistband of his pants and rips him forward into the steel steps! Dreamer hits shoulder first, and the cane flies out of his hand, spilling onto the floor. Rubbing one of the cuts on his arm, many bruising and bleeding through his skin, Nowinski snatches a trash can full of Singapore Canes and uses it as a weapon. With both hands on the trash can, Nowinski smashes it down across the head of Tommy Dreamer. The official looks confused for a moment, debating if that violates the rules of the match, and as he goes to call for the bell, Chief Morley jumps up and orders him to continue the bout, threatening his job if he does anything else. Nowinski begins to work over Dreamer with the Singapore Cane, slapping it against the back of Dreamer’s head and mocking him whilst doing so. He taunts the crowd while on the attack, tossing Dreamer into the ring and making the first cover of the match for a nearfall.

Toward the finish of the match, Nowinski and Dreamer had covered the ring in broken Singapore Canes, much to the amusement of the live crowd and those watching at home. Dreamer’s shirt had been ripped off by Nowinski so that his cane shots connected with bamboo on flesh for maximum damage. As Dreamer whips Nowinski into the corner, he lands chest-first and slumps against the turnbuckle. Dreamer tries to grab him from behind, but Nowinski kicks his leg back, flicking it up and connecting below the belt! It’s in full sight of the referee, a clear violation of the rules of the Singapore Cane match, but Morley’s threats ring in his head, so the referee does nothing. With a smug look on his face, Nowinski grabs Dreamer with two underhooks, lifts and twists! Honour Roll (Rolling double underhook suplex) connects, and Nowinski hooks the leg for the three count!

Winner: Christopher Nowinski @ 08:42

If he was obnoxious before, I can only imagine what he’s going to be like after this victory. After the bell sounds to signify the end of the match, Nowinski is joined in the ring by Chief Morley for a celebration. They toss Dreamer out of the ring before demanding that the referee raise Nowinski’s hand in victory. The boos roll in from the crowd; nobody is happy to see Nowinski’s cheating ways rewarded with a win. Ross points out that even in a match where a weapon was legal, Nowinski still had to resort to using an illegal trash can and a low blow to get the victory. He might be a graduate of Harvard, but he’s a man of low moral fibre.

The camera zooms in on some of the many cuts across the body of Christopher Nowinski. There’s a range of them up and down his body, showing the punishment he’s gone through in this bout, even if he did cheat to win it. As the heels walk up the ramp, Nowinski grabs a Singapore Cane and holds it above his head, drawing more heat before he exits behind the curtain at the top of the ramp.

_____________________________________

The camera stands just outside of a door that is marked with a sign that reads ‘General Manager’ on it. The door opens to reveal ERIC BISCHOFF (he’s back!) in a wheelchair on the other side, talking to someone. The camera moves into the ring, and we discover that CHRISTIAN is the man in discussion with the returning GM. Bischoff tells Christian that he can’t believe that he had to watch Monday Night Raw from a damn hospital last week. He’s been unable to wash himself without the aid of a nurse for two weeks, and just being here tonight is causing him a great deal of pain. ‘The Right Hand Man’ thanks Bischoff for being here, going so over the top with his appreciation that even Bischoff tells him to cool it for a moment.

They discuss how important tonight is going to be for the Administration when Christian dethrones Stone Cold Steve Austin. For far too long, Austin has had his run of the WWE, but it comes to a stop here in Texas. Bischoff praised Christian for being brave enough to stand up to that redneck alcoholic. It had been a long time coming, but Christian and Bischoff agreed that Monday Night Raw would be a much better place without Stone Cold involved.

This was Christian’s opportunity to prove to Eric Bischoff once and for all that he deserved to be his right-hand man. The General Manager repeated that there were thousands of people out there drinking Stone Cold’s coolaide. They thought he was the hero of this story… but Bischoff knew that Christian was the hero we all needed.

_____________________________________

Returning to the ringside for the next title match of the evening…

**HOLLA IF YA HEAR ME**

The sound of the siren bursts over the speakers inside the building to a cheer from the crowd. While it’s the solo music of half the tag team, both members enter at the same time - SCOTT STEINER & THE HURRICANE - Freaks & Geeks! What started off as a comedy tag team with an odd couple pairing on Raw has turned into one of the most popular teams in the WWE. The Hurricane plays to the crowd on his way down to the ring, drawing the support of the younger fans, whilst Steiner shows off his large arms to the ladies. Once inside the ring, Steiner and Hurricane pose, drawing further cheers from the crowd.

**LINE IN THE SAND**

As the challengers are set in the ring, Evolution’s theme takes over the sound system, sending the fans into some boos. Coming down the aisle, titles around their waists, are BATISTA and RANDY ORTON, with RIC FLAIR strutting close behind them. The duo walks down the entrance ramp, as the fans shout at them, but Flair makes sure they stay on task and do not engage with them. At the end of the entrance ramp, Batista and Orton both slip under the bottom rope while Flair climbs the steel steps. From there, Flair claps in support of Evolution as they unclip the title belts and hold them aloft for more heat.

World Tag Team Championships Match:
Evolution [c] vs. Freaks & Geeks
​

The bell rings, Randy Orton and The Hurricane stare each other down. The two men start things off with a tie-up in the centre of the ring, and they battle for position. As the two men push back and forth, Orton ends up gaining the advantage with a trip and shoves his opponent to the canvas. To growing boos from the crowd, Orton poses while looking down at The Hurricane, telling him that he’s not got a chance of winning tonight. After Hurricane jumps back to his feet, they lock up again; this time, he’s thinking ahead and slips under the tie-up. The Hurricane moves behind Orton, locks in a headlock and puts the squeeze on the third-generation star. A few moments later, Orton shoves The Hurricane off into the ropes to create space between the two men. Randy Orton swings an arm wildly for a clothesline off the rebound, but The Hurricane ducks, rebounding off the ropes a second time, and connects with a dropkick! Orton staggers back into his own turnbuckle, his eyes filled with anger as he glares across the ring at Hurricane posing, much to the amusement of the audience. Batista blind tags his way into the match, as he tells Orton to take a rest on the apron.

The next sequence of the match sees Batista easily throw Hurricane across the ring, which brings in Scott Steiner. The fans cheer as the two big men in the contest square off in the middle of the ring. There’s no fancy wrestling here - it’s a slug fest between Batista and Steiner, throwing absolute bombs at each other. They collide at speed with dual running shoulder blocks, both men smashing into each other, neither giving an inch. There isn’t a clear winner in the power game as the match continues, Batista clubbing Steiner with big shots to the back of his neck. Batista drives his boot into the knee of Steiner, forcing him up into the corner, tags in Orton before hitting him with a hard lariat against the turnbuckle, giving Big Poppa Pump no room to move. Orton rams his fist into the head of Steiner with Batista holding his arms from the outside ring apron, much to the disapproval of the referee. At ringside, Flair reminds Batista he’s got until a count of five for any illegal activity. This continued throughout the match. Evolution pushed the count up to 4.5 before retreating from their rule-breaking, and Flair continued to abuse the referee’s rulings.

After ten minutes of in-ring action, The Hurricane was back in the ring and hit a big cross body to put down Randy Orton for a nearfall. The crowd cheered on as Hurricane twisted Orton’s arm, pulling him back to a vertical base and hit a northern lights suplex. Flair began to go nuts at ringside, throwing his suit jacket off and screaming at Batista to get in there. As the match turned to a conclusion, The Hurricane tagged in Scott Steiner, the challengers feeling like they had the titles within their grasp. Orton was looking for a tag out of the match, but Steiner scooped him up off the canvas and threw him high over his head with an overhead suplex. Steiner flexed for the crowd before sitting back on Orton, as he applied the Steiner Recliner!

The crowd believed this was the end of it, as did Orton. His eyes showed the pain rushing through his third-generation body. He couldn’t move an inch as Steiner pulled back as fair as he possibly could… but Batista rushed into the ring and took Steiner’s head off with a lariat! The crowd booed louder than they had all night as Batista shouted down the referee, pulling Orton over to the corner and forcing his way into the ring. As Steiner tried to make a tag, Flair pulled Hurricane off the apron and punched him in the face. The referee never saw it as Batista was busy arguing with him. Immediately after that, Batista lifted Steiner and planted him with the Batista Bomb for the three count, retaining the titles for Evolution in a hard-fought contest.

Winner: And STILL World Tag Team Champions - Evolution @ 11:19

Much to the displeasure of the live crowd, Evolution stand victorious once again, and has won the first of two matches on their calendar for tonight here in Texas. The only man standing in the ring once the bell rings is Batista. ‘The Animal’ is shaking the ring ropes in excitement after the bell, sweat covering his face that he wipes off as Flair joins him in the squared circle.

Flair has to help Orton stand up while he sells the pain running through his body after the Steiner Recliner. He could not be putting the move over more if he tried. Orton cannot stand without the aid of Flair and immediately asks to be moved to the ropes so he can lean against them. When Flair hands Batista and Orton their titles and requests they hold them up, Orton is unable to do so due to the physical pain he’s in. Batista has no issue, shouting at the fans at ringside to show some respect, or he’ll take their heads off, too.

_____________________________________

VIDEO PACKAGE

From the view of a helicopter flying over Denver, Colorado, we get a nighttime view of the Pepsi Center. The theme song for the event “Price to Play” by Staind begins to play over the footage.

“CAN YOU SEE?”

Footage shows a black car zooming through the streets of Denver, we get a quick flash to see the person in the back of the car has the WWE Championship sitting next to them.

“THE MORE YOU TAKE, THE MORE YOU BLAME”

Focus then shifts to a clip Rey Mysterio hitting the 619, and then a clip of Billy Kidman soaring through the air in a Shooting Star Press.

“FOR EVERYTHING STILL FEELS THE SAME”

A splice of clips includes John Cena making his entrance, Rhyno hitting the gore and Mark Henry putting a competitor through the announce desk.

“THE MORE YOU HURT, THE MORE YOU SCREAM”

A shot of Paul Heyman watching from ringside as the World’s Greatest Tag Team pose in the ring with their WWE Tag Team Titles.

“THE PRICE YOU PAY TO PLAY THE GAME”

Within the streets of Denver, Eddie and Chavo Guerrero drive around in a lowrider, their music blasting as people look on.

“THEN ALL YOU SEE, AND ALL YOU GAIN”

Brock Lesnar is shown marching down to the ring - ready for a fight!

“AND ALL YOU STEP ON WITH NO SHAME”

Clips of Edge hitting spears on people and standing tall holding a steel chair in the air.

“THERE ARE NO RULES, NO ONE TO BLAME”

We cut back to the original car shown in the video package. It pulls up to the Pepsi Center and The Rock steps out holding the WWE Championship.

“THE PRICE TO PLAY THE GAME”

The Rock looks up at the Pepsi Center and turns slowly to face the camera, raising an eyebrow… as we cut to black.

WWE Presents: Vengeance
LIVE from the Pepsi Center; Denver, Colorado
July 27, 2003 - [A Thursday Night Smackdown EXCLUSIVE event]

_____________________________________

In the backstage interview area, TERI RUNNELS is standing alone in front of the Bad Blood set. She welcomes us and gives a quick recap of the results thus far, including Jeff Hardy retaining the WWE Intercontinental Title, Christopher Nowinski defeating Tommy Dreamer and Evolution retaining their World Tag Titles just moments ago. Runnels says that there is still a lot more action, including a highly anticipated Last Man Standing match. She then introduces her guest, one half of that match later this evening, CHRIS JERICHO. Upon his entrance, Jericho sneers when Runnels describes his opponent as the legendary Shawn Michaels. Jericho disputes that and says that Michaels has crafted myths and legends about himself that have infected the minds of millions, and apparently even minds as empty as Teri Runnels’.

Chris Jericho shoves a finger in Teri’s face, outlining that even someone as stupid as her wouldn’t be able to deny that Y2J is in every single way better than the ‘Heatbreak Kid’ after tonight. By the end of the night, Jericho claimed that Michaels would be covered in blood, unable to stand for a count of 10, and maybe this could be the end of his return run. That caused Jericho to laugh - he got a lot of amusement out of the thought of being the one to retire Shawn Michaels. It gave him a great deal of pleasure to picture a world where Shawn Michaels could no longer compete because of the beating he sustained at the hands of Jericho, and he told Teri as much.

_____________________________________

**JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES**

There’s a small level of confusion at first for the unexpected theme song - which has never been heard before on WWE television until this point. The titantron lights up with a banner that reads ‘Right Hand Man’ and the boos roll in as CHRISTIAN marches out onto the stage, slapping his chest, his new theme blasting over the speakers. Lawler is quick to praise Christian for how he’s been such a good employee for Eric Bischoff since WrestleMania 19, doing what the boss has asked for, and tonight he’s going to do what nobody has ever been able to do, and that’s getting rid of Stone Cold. Ross has a different point of view - believing that Christian has been sucking up to management the entire year in the hopes of using that influence to further his career, not out of any actual relationship he has with Bischoff.

Christian enters the ring and continues to get booed out of the building. He smiles at the crowd, looking out into the thousands in the stands for his ‘Peeps’ in attendance. As Christian is soaking in the heat, his head snaps to the entrance way when the song suddenly cuts off.

**GLASS SHATTERS**

If anyone was sitting down, they are now on their feet for the arrival of the biggest star of the last five years in the world of professional wrestling. In his trademark black trunks, vest and black boots, STEVE AUSTIN walks out into the arena. The eruption for the glass shattering was loud, but it only grows when the man himself is visible to the crowd. His eyes dart around the building, walking from one edge of the stage to the other, before coming to a stop in the middle of the stage. Stone Cold raises a hand toward the ring, mouthing that he’s about to kick some ass as he sprints down the entrance ramp - his focus on the Canadian in the ring!

After sliding underneath the bottom rope, Austin pops right back to his feet and starts swinging on Christian as the bell sounds to get the match started. Remembering that it’s anything goes for Christian, but if Austin uses any weapons, he will be disqualified.

Singles Match:
~No Disqualification for Christian ONLY~
Christian vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
​

Fists fly wildly following the sound of the bell as Stone Cold marches forward. His punches are sharp and powerful, one after the other. He backs Christian into the corner, unloading with punch after punch as the crowd cheers loudly. This is a man on a mission! After grabbing the top rope for leverage, Austin drives his boot into the stomach of the ‘Right Hand Man’ until he drops to the bottom half of the corner. The referee orders Austin to back up, which he does for a moment, before charging straight back at his opponent and driving his black boot into Christian’s face! Austin takes a few steps back, returning to the middle of the ring and raises his hands in the air to further applause. He’s talking trash, firing up the crowd before whipping Christian into the ropes with an Irish whip. On the rebound, Christian hooks his arm on the top rope, drops down to the canvas and rolls to the outside of the ring. Stumbling to his left, Christian falls against the barricade, clutching his jaw, crying in pain that he thinks it might be broken from the punches.

The camera does well to hide what’s coming, but the roar of the crowd lets us know that Christian is about to feel the pain. From out of the shot, Stone Cold comes running toward the barricade looking for a lariat - which he nails! A huge clothesline sends Christian over the top of the barricade and into the front row of the crowd. Austin leans against the barricade, laughing at his handy work and tosses a glance over into the fans, watching as Christian slowly crawls away. In an amusing moment, Austin asks the referee if there’s any countout in this match, and the zebra thinks for a moment, shrugs his shoulders and says that as long as Christian is on the outside, he won’t begin a count. A huge grin comes across the face of Austin at this revelation, and he calls for a microphone. With a microphone in his hand, Stone Cold asks the audience if they think he should jump the barricade and continue delivering a can of whoop ass to this stupid son of a bitch. The response is what you’d expect - a resounding ‘hell yeah’ from the live crowd.

Austin follows his target, throwing his legs over the barricade and marching through the audience to big cheers. The camera has lost sight of Christian for the moment. Austin looks around at the open space in front of him, but cannot see the Canadian and fans begin to point toward where the ‘Right Hand Man’ has escaped to. When Austin turns a corner, near the end of the floor section just in front of a set of steps, he’s hit in the side with a steel chair! The crowd boos as Christian emerges from within a section of fans, having ripped one of their chairs from the seating plan and used it as a weapon. The commentators remind us that this is completely legal for Christian and only for him due to the mandate from the Administration. There’s nothing the referee can do as Christian strikes with the steel chair again, this time cracking Stone Cold in the back, sending him falling forward into a table that’s set up. You can see in the wild eyes of Christian that he wants to even the score after getting battered in the opening minutes of the contest.

Christian slams Austin’s head into the table that is set up in the crowd. He picks up the contents on top of it - including a set of drinks and throws them at Austin, most of it spilling across the floor. In a truly disrespectful move, Christian picks up one of the soda cups, takes a drink, and then spits it in the face of Stone Cold, mocking his traditional beer celebration afterwards. After striking with a few punches to the head and booting Austin in his bad knee, Christian pushes him onto the table completely. It’s close enough to the stairs that Christian can climb them and elevate himself into position for what could be a major turning point of the night. He yells at a set of fans to back up, climbing over the railing on the elevated section, just above the table where Austin is lying. Christian slaps his chest, points toward his target and leaps off the railing with a splash! It’s a perfect hit! Christian lands right on top of Austin, and both men are down amongst broken shards of the table.

In commentary, Jim Ross makes a great point that while Christian has put Austin down, he’s done so a long way away from the squared circle. He’s got to get the Texan back into the ring if he wants to win this match. The long journey back to the ring begins and takes place over the next few minutes, Christian dragging Austin toward the barricade, struggling to do with, and he ends up falling into a seat of a fan. That fan is drinking a beer, which Christian steals and pours it onto Austin, kicking him in the head and shouting for the Rattlesnake to get up! As if it were some sort of power booster, Stone Cold fires up on the way back to the barricade, firing off an elbow to the stomach before whipping Christian over the barricade and back into the ringside. Austin wipes his face clean, still selling the attacks with the weapons he copped earlier as he climbs over the barricade himself. About halfway over, Christian hits a dropkick to Austin’s bad knee! Attacking the knee covered with the brace, Christian rips open the steel steps and rams the top half into Austin’s knee while he sits on the barricade!

You can see the pain on the face of Austin as Christian rams the steps into the knee for a second and third time, until Stone Cold collapses off the barricade. Christian drops the steel with a loud thud, a sinister smile on his face as he grabs Austin by the upper body and throws him into the ring. The first cover of this match takes place, and it’s a two-count! Christian almost has to laugh at the resilient nature of Stone Cold. For the next few minutes, Christian gets several two-counts inside the ring and grows increasingly frustrated that Stone Cold will not surrender to him. He continues to use weapons to his advantage, including introducing a trash can and the ring bell itself. Christian places the trash can on the ground and hits a vertical suplex onto it. The metal twists around the back of Austin and marks his back, which the camera catches after a kick out of a pinfall attempt. If there was any doubt about the toughness of the Rattlesnake, it is now without doubt. Christian grabs a steel chair from the ringside and holds it up in the air.

The steel chair has long been a weapon that has made Christian famous. A long history of iconic moments that span his entire career. Now he looks to use it to give him the biggest win of his career. With Austin struggling to stand, forced to use the ropes to do so, Christian is on the hunt. He aims the chair at the head of his opponent and charges forward - but Stone Cold kicks out with his boot! The chair bounces back into Christian’s own face and spills to the side of the ring, still hanging on the canvas. Austin glances at the referee, almost as if he’s checking that that was okay, before leaping onto Christian with a press! He hammers away with punches, gritting his teeth as his bad knee is on fire, burning with pain. He gets up, lifts Christian, whips him into the ropes and nails him with a clothesline. Stone Cold bounces off the ropes himself, doing so nearly on one leg, and hits his trademark elbow drop. The tide has turned as Austin shoves Christian into the corner and tries to set him up for a superplex. In an effort to stop this, Christian goes as low as he can and kicks Austin in the nuts right in front of the referee!

There’s no need to hide it - he can’t be disqualified. Christian shoves Austin away, selling the pain he’s feeling as he slowly walks around the ring. He grabs the steel chair, setting it up to make it stand before moving back to his opponent. The crowd watches on as Christian hooks Austin in position for the Unprettier. Christian is going to do it on the chair - this should win him the match, according to Lawler. But Stone Cold fights out of it and shoves Christian away! Christian turns back, hurrying toward his opponent, gets kicked in the gut and hit with a Stunner! Austin fires his best shot, and Christian falls back onto the chair he set up. From the canvas, Austin looks up and sees Christian sitting on the chair, seeing stars. Slowly, the Texan pulls himself off the canvas, leaning against the ropes with an amused look. He steps toward the trash can that was used against him and holds it up for the crowd, getting a big cheer. The referee jumps into action, grabs the trash can and tells Austin no, disposing of it. While the referee does that, Austin grabs the ring bell in the ring and smacks Christian with it without the official seeing!

Christian falls backward off the chair in a seated position. Stone Cold follows up by picking Christian off the chair for one more shot. A double finger salute, followed by a kick to the stomach and a second Stunner hits! Austin clutches at his bad knee, scoots into a cover and counts along with the fans as the referee slaps the mat three times! It was a tough fight for both men, but Stone Cold has seen off the antics of the ‘Right Hand Man’ in his home state of Texas, bad knee and all.

Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin @ 15:08

The people of Texas let the entire world know what they think about that result. It’s a huge set applause from the crowd as Stone Cold Steve Austin refuses help from the referee. He’s the toughest S.O.B on the planet, according to Jim Ross, and Austin is damn sure proving it right now. His knee was targeted throughout the bout, but Austin finds a way to stand up so that he can have his hand raised as the victor.

The beers begin to flow as the ringside attendant throws Austin a few cans. He pops them open but does not ascend the turnbuckle, still selling the damage to the knee. He has four drinks in total, drinking one for each side of the ring, so that he can toast all of the fans in the arena. On the outside of the ring, Christian is shown to be bleeding from the illegal shot with the ring bell, blood rushing down his face from the top of his forehead. There’s a discussion in the commentary about what the Administration is going to think about this result. Austin got the win, but he used the ring bell when the referee wasn’t looking - how will Eric Bischoff react tomorrow night on Raw?

_____________________________________

VIDEO PACKAGE

~THE BIGGEST PARTY OF THE SUMMER~

!! SUMMERSLAM HISTORICAL MOMENT !!
THE BRITISH BULLDOG DEFEATS BRET ‘THE HITMAN’ HART AT SUMMERSLAM ‘92 TO BECOME THE WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION. THE BRITISH BULLDOG WOULD BECOME CHAMPION AT WEMBLEY STADIUM IN FRONT OF 78,927 FANS.

WWE SUMMERSLAM | AUGUST 24 2003 | PHOENIX, ARIZONA
!! A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENT THIS SUMMER !!

_____________________________________


Backstage, in the office of the General Manager, we find CHIEF MORLEY and ERIC BISCHOFF watching a monitor. Morley shakes his head in disappointment after seeing fellow Administration member, Christian, fall short against Stone Cold. He asks Bischoff what they’re going to do about this Stone Cold problem now. They had stacked the odds against him tonight, but Austin had still found a way to come out on top, sticking it to the Administration, and that couldn’t be allowed to stand. Bischoff surprisingly didn’t look upset. The camera zoomed in on him and revealed what looked like a sly grin. This even caught Morley by surprise, and he questioned what Bischoff was thinking. In response, Bischoff told Morley that he always had a plan B.

Tonight, Bischoff had put the ball in Christian’s court to solve the Steve Austin problem for Monday Night Raw. Bischoff wasn’t mad - Christian had gotten close, but someone like Stone Cold required a special type of solution. This wasn’t just a battle between two men. This was a war. A war that Bischoff explained he had been fighting since 1996. If not for Steve Austin, we’d be at a World Championship Wrestling pay-per-view right now. Bischoff blamed Austin for the downfall of WCW, citing his role as the leader of the WWE through the Monday Night Wars. He advised Morley that history had it wrong. The war did not end in March 2001. In fact, the war was alive and well. Tomorrow night, Bischoff promised to fire his best shot at Steve Austin. He had tried to rid Raw of Austin through safe means, but they’d all failed. It was time for a nuclear option. The landscape of the WWE would change forever in 24 hours. This has been building since February, and now, Bischoff was finally ready to declare war on Stone Cold… and unleash his Titan of War on Titan Towers!

_____________________________________

~ DEVIL’S TAG TEAM MATCH ~
ROB VAN DAM & KANE VS. SEAN O’HAIRE & THE DEVIL
The package begins by showcasing the early exploits of Kane and Rob Van Dam as a tag team this year. It then highlights the singles match they had at WrestleMania 19 - with RVD picking up the victory. We see the duo both clash in their hunt for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, and RVD accidentally strikes Kane with a steel chair at Backlash.

The package then cuts to a black-and-white shot of RVD being attacked in the parking lot leading up to King of the Ring. Kane’s run in the tournament as a replacement for RVD is shown, followed by the return of RVD on Raw. Throughout this section, clips of Sean O’Haire blaming Kane for the attack are woven throughout. Finally, the video package concludes with Kane and RVD uniting to fight Sean O’Haire, accusing him of attacking RVD, and the arrival of The Devil on Raw.

…

**COME ON**

There is a rush of boos as the arena darkens for the arrival of the ‘Devil’s Advocate’ into the building. In his trademark long jacket, SEAN O’HAIRE steps out onto the stage with a confident look on his face. His nickname no longer has a mythical tone to it; he has a legitimate devil alongside him now in his quest to lure the masses to give in to their sins. On his way down to the ring, O’Haire tells a few of the fans in the front row that tonight their eyes will be opened. They will give in and embrace their sinful ways because it’s only human to do so. O’Haire stands in the ring, leaning against the corner of the ring and squats down as the entire arena goes black.

!! DARKNESS FALLS !!

The arena is shrouded in darkness as silence falls across the sold-out building. At the top of the stage, smoke begins to brush across the steel as a spotlight shines down on a single spot. A guitar riff is heard through the darkness as from the depths of the stage - or hell, as Jim Ross describes it - THE DEVIL begins to rise!

To the left of the stage is a guitarist wearing a silver devil mask in the same style that our devil wore on Monday and is wearing tonight. He plays the entrance theme for the man behind the mask as a flock of women dressed as fallen angels. They all have dark hair, wings of a demon, black leather boots and long nails. These women surround the opening of the stage as the Devil rises through the smoke and darkness - the titantron still blank. As the Devil emerges completely, the demon women, from their knees, reach out to greet him and worship the figure.

At this point, the guitarist on the left of the stage begins to sing the theme for the Devil. The Devil slowly begins the long walk down to the ring, his demon women following as if they were in a trance, dancing around him, while he ignores them, unable to be tempted by their seductiveness. The titantron finally lights up with a series of shots of the devil’s mask, the phrase ‘I AM AN EVIL PERSON’, which is then engulfed in flame, revealing the new phrase…

'I AM

STEVE

FUCKING

CORINO'

“I should have known it was the wrong one
Shook my head and made my way home

But when I turned, I laid my eyes on a dirty Angel with a broken halo

Spirits lead me to the other side
Took my hand before I realised

Just one glance, and I was tied to the dirty Angel with a broken halo

It′s too late
It's too much

She′s infected me with her touch

I'm too high
She's too low

Dirty Angel, take me home”

**DIRTY ANGEL**

As the Devil enters the ring, his demons slide underneath the bottom rope and group at his feet as he stands facing the hard camera. Sean O’Haire watches from the side, giving this masked man the spotlight - the arena still dark, other than the few bits of light from the spotlight on the Devil and that on the guitarist. Inside the ring, the Devil removes his mask and confirms his identity as STEVE CORINO - the former ECW World Heavyweight Champion! O’Haire and Corino embrace as the women exit, leaving Corino, dressed in all white except for his black mask.

**ONE OF A KIND**

To a rockstar reception from the crowd here in Texas, ROB VAN DAM emerges onto the stage. The arena lights up as normal, and Van Dam looks stunned at what he has seen inside the squared circle. Nobody could have predicted that Steve Corino was the Devil, but he’s standing in the ring right now! Van Dam looks focused, and Ross hypes up the ability that Rob possesses. He walks about halfway down the ramp, comes to a stop and waits for his tag team partner to join him. You can see that RVD is having to use every ounce of restraint to stop himself from charging into the ring at the two men who are all but confirmed to have been behind his assault backstage.

**SLOW CHEMICAL**

The arena goes blood red for the arrival of the ‘Big Red Machine’ and fire erupts from the stage. The seven-foot monster, KANE, marches out onto the stage and heads straight down the ramp. At the halfway point, Kane slaps RVD on the back and says he’s ready to go! Together, they charge into the ring at a sprint! As they hit the ring, O’Haire and Corino scurry to the outside, mocking the incoming competitors. Kane and RVD tell their opponents to get back in the ring, but O’Haire and Corino say they’ll wait for the bell to ring before they engage further. They can’t hide for long because the referee calls for one of them to get into the ring so the bout can begin.

Tag Team Match:
Rob Van Dam & Kane vs. Sean O’Haire & ‘The Devil’ Steve Corino
​

The two men starting the match are Rob Van Dam and Sean O’Haire. There’s not much discussion on the babyface side. Kane offers to start, but RVD argues that he’s been on the shelf for far too long, and he needs to get his hands on the two men responsible for the attack against him. On the apron of the ring, Corino does a mock ‘RVD’ taunt before signalling that O’Haire will be the starting member of his team. Van Dam tries to get Corino to start, but O’Haire jumps on the attack to cut any possible discussion out. In the opening minutes of this match, O’Haire and Van Dam trade athletic moves and counters with each other. They both can use their educated feet, and each takes the opportunity to show off some of their skills to the crowd against a flexible opponent. Picking up where they left off on Monday Night Raw, RVD is very aggressive against O’Haire. The referee has to jump in at one point, warning RVD to keep it clean as his rage once again nears a boiling point, as O’Haire smiles with excitement at seeing this.

Kane forces his way into the match with a blind tag after seeing RVD showing signs of going over the edge. Looking out for his tag team partner and close friend. O’Haire continues to wrestle as the sole member of his team while Corino stands on the outside of the ring on the apron. Kane slams O’Haire and taunts Corino, telling him to come into the ring and fight. Corino looks down at O’Haire on the apron and orders him to continue fighting, much to the displeasure of the live audience. Almost as if he’s a willing martyr, O’Haire rushes right back into the fire against Kane and shows no argument with the Devil! He fights for the next several minutes against both Kane and Rob Van Dam while Corino refuses to enter the match, standing on the apron and observing. Even commentary has to comment on how Corino seemingly has no interest in actually getting into the bout, allowing O’Haire to wrestle what is, in essence, a handicap match. It’s pointed out by Ross that the original expectation was that O’Haire would be wrestling two against one, so perhaps this is some kind of test by Corino.

After O’Haire hits a big spin kick to the head of Van Dam, knocking both men down, we finally see Corino extend a hand for a tag. O’Haire crawls toward his corner and makes the tag, bringing Corino in for the first time in the WWE! Corino stalks Van Dam and attacks him, raking at the eyes and shouting that he’s waited a long time to do this! During his attack on Van Dam, we hear Corino scream that it was him - he attacked RVD, and he’d do it again if he could. This fires RVD up, and he begins to fight back against Corino, sending him into the ropes. He hits a wheel kick and then mounts him. RVD hammers away with punches on Corino, refusing to let up! The finish of the match would come a few minutes later, nearing the twelfth minute of the in-ring action overall. Corino had been working with Kane briefly. The legal men in the match were O’Haire and RVD. On the outside, Corino and Kane battled, both men trading shots, with Corino gaining the advantage as he rammed the big man into the barricade. Inside the ring, O’Haire got his knees up during the Five Star Frog Splash and struck with the Widow Maker! With the chaos on the outside, some fans didn’t even realise the three-count had been made until the music kicked in.

Winner: Sean O’Haire & ‘The Devil’ Steve Corino @ 11:56

In commentary, Jim Ross says that the only way to describe this result is to call it an upset. Kane and Rob Van Dam came into this bout as heavy favourites, and they were defeated in a chaotic match by Sean O’Haire and Steve Corino. O’Haire exits the ring fairly quickly, joining Corino at the bottom of the entrance ramp before making his way toward the top of the stage. They shout at the top of their lungs that victory goes to those who give in to their sins, and there were no two bigger sinners than the Devil and his advocate.

Inside the ring, Rob Van Dam begins to stir and starts to comprehend what just happened. He sees Kane fighting to his feet using the barricade on the outside of the ring, having been rammed into it at the end of the match, so he was unable to break up the pinfall attempt. They exchange a look of confusion with each other, and RVD slaps the canvas in frustration. His return to pay-per-view has fallen short, and he hasn’t been able to exact revenge on the men who took him out. In fact, he now knows for certain who did it. It was Steve Corino; he came to the WWE and attacked RVD. The question is now - why did he do it? What was behind it?

_____________________________________

The camera transitions to the private locker room of Evolution. There are bottles of champagne popped open already, and a fresh one in the hands of Randy Orton. We see Batista and Randy Orton sipping out of the champagne bottles, celebrating their victory from earlier in the night. Their World Tag Titles are placed on a small table beside them. Batista grabs one of the bottles and pours it over the head of Orton, who gives a little ‘Woo’ in response. They are joined shortly thereafter by Ric Flair and Triple H. They offer congratulations to the tag duo, and Triple H tells them to sit back and relax while he handles business in the ring against Booker T. He wants Batista and Randy Orton to enjoy this moment, soak it all in and then remember that it all resets tomorrow night when there will be another threat coming for their titles. Good wrestlers can win one match, but great wrestlers win repeatedly.

As Ric Flair goes to grab a glass of champagne, he’s caught by Triple H, who tells him that he’ll have to wait for that. While Batista and Orton are going to stay backstage, that won’t be the case for the ‘Nature Boy’ tonight. After a brief discussion, Triple H advises Flair that he wants him at ringside during the main event - warning him to stay sober.

_____________________________________

~ THE FINAL CHAPTER ~
SHAWN MICHAELS VS. CHRIS JERICHO
It all began in the Summer of 2002 when Shawn Michaels shocked the world and returned to in-ring action. Nobody thought it was possible. After a four-year absence, the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ proved he still had it when he won the World Title that same year, just a few months after returning. His next goal was WrestleMania, but all that came crashing down when Chris Jericho set his sights on a former idol. Believing that Michaels was only going to tarnish his legacy, Jericho set about doing everything he could to end HBK’s career and put him back into retirement. They clashed at WrestleMania 19, where Jericho spoiled Mr WrestleMania’s return to the grandest stage of them all.

A month later, Chris Jericho screwed Shawn Michaels out of the World Title. Their issues were clearly not resolved, their bitterness toward each other only growing. On Monday Night Raw, Michaels would defeat Jericho in a Street Fight, tying their series up 1-1. When Chris Jericho competed in the King of the Ring tournament, Shawn Michaels flew over to England purely out of spite to cost him his semi-final bout. Tonight, their feud comes to an end. One of them will win the tiebreaker, and they’ll do it by beating the other man so badly they cannot answer the count of 10!

…

Back at ringside now…

… 5 …
… 4 …
… 3 …
… 2 …
… 1 …

**BREAK DOWN THE WALLS**

A major pyrotechnics set explodes at the conclusion of the countdown to signal the arrival of CHRIS JERICHO! Stepping out onto the stage for what promises to be one of the biggest matches of his career, Jericho poses with his back to the audience before turning around, soaking in a rush of heat from the audience. There is nobody like him in the business, proclaims Jim Ross on commentary. He draws the ire of the audience but backs up everything he says when the bell rings.

After entering the square circle, Jericho saunters into the middle of the ring and poses just like the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ does! His wicked laugh escapes his mouth as the crowd boos, letting Jericho know they don’t appreciate his mockery. A moment later, Jericho brushes his hair from his face and spits his chewing gum toward the fans in the front row.

**SEXY BOY**

You have to understand that there are levels to this business, and very few are on the same level as the man entering the arena now. His opponent inside the ring his glaring towards the entrance ramp with hate oozing out of his eyes. Pure daggers are shooting toward the stage as SHAWN MICHAELS dances out through the curtain. He receives one of the biggest pops of the night, his gear custom-made to represent the state of Texas tonight. Shawn Michaels drops to his knees and looks up to the sky as pyro goes off behind him.

On his walk down to the ring, Michaels keeps his eyes on Jericho, whilst still engaging with the crowd. At the bottom of the steel steps, Michaels takes a moment, closing his eyes and whispering a silent prayer, before heading into the ring. Once both men are inside the same space, the referee tells them to stay in opposite corners while the in-ring introductions take place. Both men comply with what would be the last bit of law and order they’d follow this evening. The final chapter in the feud of the year - a story 6 months in the making - concludes right now!

!! PART THREE: THE FINAL CHAPTER !!
Last Man Standing Match:
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho
​

For the final time of this epic feud, Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho were both ready to rip each other to pieces to come out on top. In an environment where anything goes, neither man had to restrain themselves or keep to any sort of moral limit. The opening minutes of action were contained in the squared circle. Jericho and Michaels rushing toward each other and slugging it out to a roar from the audience. You could feel the intensity as Michaels fought to the corner and delivered hard chops across the chest of his most bitter rival. They went back and forth trading chops, the man who took the last one switching over, snatching their opponent and pushing them into the turnbuckle. At one point, Jericho spits in the face of the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ whilst stuck in the corner and shouts that Michaels chops like a bitch. In response, Michaels fakes a chop but instead slaps Jericho across the face with a stiff shot!

The action would spill to the outside multiple times throughout the bout. They had twenty-two minutes to play with overall and made sure to use every bit of that. On the outside of the ring, Michaels slammed Jericho head first into the announce desk. The top of the table is then ripped off, monitors flung all over the area, and papers blown into the air. Michaels takes a swipe with the monitor and smacks Jericho hard with it. Steel chairs were soon introduced as Jericho and Michaels both used them against each other. A violent sight saw Jericho whack Michaels right in the head, face-first, with a chair in front of a row of children in the front row. To the roar of the audience, Jericho looked under the ring and pulled out a hoard of weapons, including a table, a ladder, a trash can, more chairs, a bag that was tied with a piece of string and a steel chain.

The first man to bleed was Shawn Michaels after he was hit with a ladder. Jericho tossed the ladder toward Michaels, and the edge of it split the top of his forehead, potentially a little bit too much, as the blood really poured and quickly covered his face. Jericho loved the sight of the crimson mask across the face of the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ as he jumped on the attack. In a sickening sight, Jericho holds Michaels by the hair, shouting down at him, telling him this will all be over when he stays down, and he slaps Michaels across the face. His hand is covered with blood afterwards. Jericho realises it moments later, holding his hand up to the crowd, and then smears it across his chest like a warrior of old. Another major moment of the match involved the ladder again. Jericho used the ladder to slam down across the back of the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ repeatedly. The referee got to a count of eight before Michaels reached his feet - only for Jericho to execute a back drop suplex onto the ladder! It wasn’t over then, however, Jericho shoved Michaels between the ladder and applied the Walls of Jericho! He pulled back as hard as he could until Michaels went lifeless. The count followed, and the referee reached nine until Michaels - to the disbelief of his opponent - got to his feet.

Jericho would bleed in the match when Shawn Michaels launched him into the ring post on the outside of the ring. Jericho’s bleeding was not as much as Shawn’s, but his face was still covered plenty. A few big moments in the bout for the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ included a huge superkick that connected while Jericho was on the ring apron, and he fell through a table he had set up on the floor. That scored a count of eight, much to the displeasure of the Texas crowd. Michaels found a good use of the trash can when he shoved Jericho inside of it before climbing to the top rope and dropping an elbow down across the trash can with Jericho trapped inside! That also got a count of eight from the zebra tonight. The steel chain was introduced by Shawn Michaels when he wrapped it around his foot and hit a modified Sweet Chin Music. The crowd thought that might be the end, but Jericho rolled to the outside of the ring, his feet hitting the floor first, which restarted the count!

The action exited the ring for the final time after Jericho had seemingly had enough. He began to crawl up the entrance ramp while Michaels followed him to the top of the stage. On the stage, our combatants collided. Both men were covered in blood, the ring was covered in various weapons, and the announce desk was torn to pieces. Punch after punch from both sides landed, and they struggled to stay standing. A punch would land, the man hit with it would falter, and the man who threw it would also stagger from the effort it took to throw the punch. This match was at a tipping point as Jericho caught a superkick attempt and turned it into the Walls of Jericho on top of the stage. Michaels had nowhere to go and looked to be completely finished. The referee’s count was a long one, the audience on the edge of their seat, but at a count of 9, Michaels fought to his feet, leaning against the stage setup.

The finish of the bout came at the top of the stage. Both men continued to fight as they moved toward the edge. Jim Ross expressed concern about how close this was getting to the electrical and side section, which was a few feet off the main stage. Jericho’s eye lit up as he picked Michaels up on one shoulder and appeared to have a devious thought! Jericho was going to throw Michaels off the stage like a lawn dart! Rushing toward the edge of the stage, Michaels slipped off the shoulders and shoved Jericho as hard as he could! The Canadian waved his arms around madly, trying to get his balance, and somehow managed to stay on the stage by millimetres. When Jericho turned around, he ate a gunshot like Sweet Chin Music and flew off the side of the stage into a stack of tables, electrical equipment and other industrial things. Michaels collapsed on the stage after hitting the move, but rose at a count of five. On the other side, Jericho did not move and failed to answer the count of ten.

Winner: Shawn Michaels @ 22:02

An absolute war has come to an end! For six months, these two men have gone at each other, and tonight, only one is left standing. Shawn Michaels collapses at the top of the stage as his music echoes throughout the arena. The camera focuses on his face, the dried blood covering it, and exhaustion also showing on his body. Jim Ross calls this one of the true blood feuds that he has seen throughout his decades in the business. Neither man will ever be the same after this match. The winner of the bout, Shawn Michaels, struggles to his feet and staggers backstage, unable to truly celebrate after the war he has been through.

The camera then pans down to the terrible scenes just to the left of the stage. Chris Jericho has still not moved, his face also covered in blood, and bits of table scattered across his body. Medics have to rush to his side, and they begin doing their best to pull him out of the wreckage without furthering injuring him. There’s great concern in the voice of Jerry Lawler as we see a stretcher being pulled into position to assist with the medical treatment of Y2J. Questions have to be asked about how far both of these men were willing to go to gain a victory. Chris Jericho said he wanted to send Shawn Michaels into retirement, but after tonight, he may have sent himself into an early retirement. While Chris Jericho may have lost the final chapter of this feud, he will always be the man who defeated Shawn Michaels in his return at WrestleMania.

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~COMING SOON~
THE WWE DRAFT 2003

WWE DRAFT | FOLLOWING SUMMERSLAM | DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
!! THE LANDSCAPE OF THE WWE WILL BE CHANGED FOREVER !!
STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES

_____________________________________

In the parking lot of the arena, Stone Cold Steve Austin is heading toward his car with his gym bag over his shoulder. Jonathan Coachman rushes over to him and asks if Austin has heard the comments made by Eric Bischoff earlier tonight. In response, Stone Cold says that he was in the back showering after his match, so he hasn’t heard anything from Eric, but please do let him know what words of wisdom come from the mouth of such a jackass. Coach informs Austin that Bischoff has vowed to unleash a “Titan of War” on Stone Cold. Austin scrunches up his face a little, tells Coach that he has no idea what that means, but here’s the deal. Austin doesn’t give a damn what Bischoff wants to send his way.

Looking into the camera, Austin threatens Bischoff with another beating of a lifetime if that’s what he wants. He can continue to send guy after guy at him, but they’ll all be sent back in a box just like Christian was tonight. If Bischoff wants to bring God himself, he can do it, but let this be a reminder that Austin 3:16 still says that I just kick your ass. Austin takes his leave, and Coach remains standing with his microphone.

_____________________________________

~ WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP ~
TRIPLE H VS. BOOKER T
The tale of two complete opposites fighting for the richest prize in World Wrestling Entertainment. On one side, the World Heavyweight Champion - Triple H. A model of a champion, born with all the finer things in life, bred for success in this business. He has reigned since December 2002 and has never looked better. The leader of Evolution, they hold ¾ of the titles on Monday Night Raw. The challenger, Booker T. A man from the streets of Houston, Texas. The hometown boy - a man who has been to the bottom and had to fight his whole life to stand up at the pinnacle of professional wrestling. He has not lost since WrestleMania. His goal has always been to be the World Champion, and tonight, he has the chance to do it in front of family and friends. Two men - one title. Two very different ways of life. Who will emerge as the victor tonight?

…

**RAP SHEET**

The noise inside the arena is astounding for the hometown hero and native Texan! With his music blasting over the airways, BOOKER T comes out onto the stage, dressed in all white gear, looking extremely emotional already. There is a packed house here tonight in anticipation of seeing one of their own climb to the top of the mountain. The pressure must be overwhelming, according to Jim Ross. There is no more buildup, no final hoops to jump there - this is the culmination of a journey that Booker T has been on since WrestleMania. He wanted to elevate himself back to the main event - he has done that. He has beaten everyone on Raw that he has faced, and now he challenges the top star on Raw for the biggest prize the company has to offer. Booker T marches down the ramp and stops at ringside to kiss his wife, Sharmell, sitting in the front row, and hug his brother, who is seated next to her.

**THE GAME**

It has been a ritual of sorts at this point as TRIPLE H makes his way to the ring in the main event of a pay-per-view for the World Heavyweight Championship. Jerry Lawler reminds everyone that ‘The Game’ is the longest reigning champion in the WWE today. There is no rush for the champion; he stands on the stage, sipping his water with a smug look across his face. He distests those in the stands, believing he is better than they are in every possible way. The World Title shines beautifully under the lights as Triple H walks down to the ring, and Ric Flair follows shortly thereafter. Inside the ring, Triple H unclips the belt and taunts Booker T with it before climbing the turnbuckle and posing to a wave of boos.

World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Triple H [c] vs. Booker T
​

It’s the big one. The one they all came to see. The main event of the evening. There could be no other option than this bout to close the show, and the fans are at a fever pitch from the opening sound of the bell. This was an even contest with both men getting a lot of time to shine. As you would expect, being a Triple H title match in 2003 - there’s a fair bit of interference as well.

The first instant of outside involvement was when Booker T countered an attack from Triple H. Striking with a boot to the stomach, Booker T ran toward the ropes, setting himself up for the Scissors Kick, but Ric Flair swiped at his foot while running the ropes. The referee just missed it, as Flair is the best in the world at bending the rules without getting caught. Booker T argued with Flair for just a few seconds and then tried to fire the move anyway. Unfortunately, Triple H only needed that brief moment of pause, gathering his thoughts and countering with the Double A version of the spinebuster! He hooked the legs immediately and got a close two-count. Further into the match, Booker T had connected with the Book End, right in the middle of the ring. The challenger hooks the leg, and the crowd counted a three-count loudly. The referee, however, was distracted by Ric Flair, who now stood on the ring apron, waiving his jacket around, threatening to jump into the action himself. By the time the referee got Flair to get off the apron, he was only able to slap the mat twice before Triple H forced his shoulder off the canvas.

In an incredible moment in the contest, Booker T and Triple H both stood on the turnbuckle in one of the corners of the ring. Booker T was on the outside edge, his feet on the second rope, while Triple H was on the inside edge with his feet also sharing the same rope. They traded punches until Triple H hooked Booker for a superplex! There was a struggle from both men, and Booker T ultimately forced his way through, shoving Hunter down to the canvas, causing him to take a flat back bump. The crowd rose as Booker T looked around at the packed house - drawing energy from them. He needed their support; he was thriving off the energy the crowd was feeding him. To the horror of the ‘Nature Boy’ at ringside, Booker T began to stand on the top of the turnbuckle. Jumping into action, Flair once again got up onto the turnbuckle and charged at the challenger! Booker T stuck a boot out and knocked Flair off the apron and to the floor below. This distraction allowed Triple H to get up off the canvas and shake the ropes, causing Booker T to slip and crotch himself! The Game followed this up by ripping Booker T off the turnbuckle, his hands clasped, and hit a hard Pedigree! It was over - Triple H didn’t bother hooking the leg, so confident in his finisher, as the cover was made… only for the challenger to get his shoulder off the mat!!

There was an eruption of cheers as replays showed that Booker T got his shoulder off the mat. Triple H hooks the leg this time, and the referee counts again, but still it’s a two count! The wide eyes of the Heavyweight Champion are shown on camera, and he’s furious. He mounted the challenger and drove his fist into his face with a wild rage. After instructions from the ‘Nature Boy’ on the outside of the ring, Triple H would apply the Figure Four Leg Lock. The pain etched on the face of the challenger was broadcast throughout the building on the titantron. The fans believed that this could be the end as Triple H pulled on the leg, arching back like his mentor had done thousands of times before. This was the hold that had won Ric Flair sixteen World Titles, and right now it looked like it was about to secure the victory for Triple H. Booker T had to dig deep, clawing at the canvas, his eyes meeting those in the front row. To a huge cheer from the audience - Sharmell jumps the barricade and reaches out her hand into the ring! Encouraging her husband, telling him to crawl to her, fight back and reach out to her hand. Booker T gains new life - pushing himself off the canvas and pulling both his weight and the weight of the champion toward the ring ropes. His hand reaches out, and he grabs the bottom rope!

Toward the end of the match, Booker T was able to connect with a second Book End. This time it was on the outside of the ring. The announcers were going wild as Booker T lifted the deadweight of the champion up, shoved him into the ring and tried to slide underneath the bottom rope. While the referee checked on Triple H, who was not moving in the middle of the ring, Ric Flair grabbed Booker T by the leg and refused to let go! Flair was causing a significant delay, and the crowd roared with boos as Flair did everything he could to keep the title with Evolution! Booker T turned back and smashed the ‘Nature Boy’ with a hard right hand, grabbed him by the arm and threw him into the front row! When Flair got up and tried to stagger back to ringside - a wall formed by the fans! They would not allow Flair to enter ringside again, and the fans were back up by Stevie Ray! Flair had been removed! Back with the action, Booker T had entered the ring, only to be hit with a Pedigree!! For the second time in the bout, Triple H connected with his finisher. This time, he hooked both legs; he thought it was over… but Booker T kicked out again!

There was a huge rush of cheers as Booker T refused to give up. Triple H scooted into a corner on his butt, grabbing the ropes and kicking his feet out in a fury. He rose, debating with the referee about what the hell just happened. As Triple H and Booker T engage again, Hunter whips the challenger into the ropes and catches him with a high knee. A third attempt at the Pedigree was countered by Booker T, executing a backdrop. The crowd rose as Booker T hit one, two and a third punch, whipped Triple H into the ropes and connected with a spinebuster of his own. He would kick Triple H in the stomach and go for the Scissors Kick again, but the champion pulled away from it. Triple H went for the Pedigree, Booker T spun out of it and hooked the arm for the Book End! A few elbows by Triple H broke that up, he hit Booker with a hard knee and went back to the Pedigree. The crowd shrieked in despair as Hunter shouted that this was over… but the grip began to break! Booker T dropped to the canvas, tripped the champion and catapulted him into the top turnbuckle! The Game went head first into the padded turnbuckle, he stumbled back into the arms of the challenger, who connected with the Book End!! For the third time, Booker T hit the Book End, and he hooked both legs as the referee counted one, two and three!

Winner: And NEW World Heavyweight Champion - Booker T @ 16:29

For the first time since December 2002, we have a NEW World Heavyweight Champion on Monday Night Raw. The reign of terror has ended in Houston, Texas, by the hometown boy. The kid who was never supposed to be in a situation like this. A kid who many had given up on throughout his life, but Booker T now stands alone at the top of the mountain as World Heavyweight Champion. For the sixth time in his career, but first time under the WWE banner, Booker T can proclaim himself as a World Champion. The atmosphere inside the arena is overwhelming as Booker T crumbles to his knees after the three-count. This is his moment - a moment he never thought would happen.

The referee hands the big gold belt to Booker T as he embraces it with a big hug. On the outside of the ring, Sharmell watches her husband, tears in her eyes. On commentary, Jim Ross calls this one of the most wonderful sights he has seen in his career… but Lawler argues that this is a travesty, with Ric Flair being held hostage by these thugs in the crowd. They continue to debate, as Booker T stands in the ring, alone with the referee, and has his hand raised to a massive pyro display on the stage. We see Ric Flair assisting Triple H up the entrance ramp, hurrying out of sight, while the fans heckle the fallen champion on his way out.

The final shot of the pay-per-view shows Booker T embracing his wife, the World Heavyweight Championship in his right hand… as the show goes off the air.

END OF SHOW
​

Spoiler: Quick Results

Bad Blood 2003
Jeff Hardy [c] bts Test - IC Title
Christopher Nowinski bts Tommy Dreamer - Singapore Cane Match
Evolution [c] bts Freaks & Geeks - World Tag Titles
Stone Cold Steve Austin bts Christian
Sean O'Haire & 'The Devil' Steve Corino bts Rob Van Dam & Kane
Shawn Michaels bts Chris Jericho - Last Man Standing Match
Booker T bts Triple H [c] - World Heavyweight Title (New Champion)

 

[Haskell]

I’m very surprised that you put the world title on Booker. During the build up to Bad Blood, all the signs led to HHH retaining the belt, and I was fully expecting a screw-job by Evolution. Nevertheless, I thought it was a very nice surprise.



As for Bischoff’s “Titan of war”, I’m fully expecting Goldberg to make his debut and feud with Austin, which will hopefully lead to Stone Cold vs Goldberg at SummerSlam.



HBK/Jericho was fantastic from start to finish. Despite losing, Jericho shone like a beacon, and hopefully a feud with Booker over the world title will be his next direction.



I was astonished with Steve Corino being revealed as the devil. I was fully expecting somebody unknown like Paul London, but in retrospect, Corino does make sense with his connection to RVD. Hopefully, this’ll lead to a RVD/Kane feud, with Kane unmasking and becoming a force of nature once again.



I can’t wait for the next Raw.