Text By Jed Shafer

What if...the InVasion Hadn't Failed?

Part VI

What if the InVasion hadn't failed?

Our story continues at No Mercy, where the WWF and WCW find themselves at the barrel of a gun held by the Lunatic Fringe; for the WWF, dissension within the ranks threatens kill the WWF without Heyman lifting a finger. In WCW, the possibility of the corruption of Booker T and DDP threatens to derail the company's progress in re-establishing themselves. All three groups head into No Mercy knowing that if they don't score some victories, there may be no survival ...

No Mercy: Oct. 21st, 2001

Announcements are made regarding the two matches that, due to recent events, are under a cloud of confusion; the WWF Tag Title match is turned into a three-way dance, with both The APA and The Dudleys (still in the match courtesy of Paul Heyman threatening an anti-trust lawsuit if the original match contract that included The Dudleys was altered in favor of removing them from the match). But the other match in question, the two-falls US/Intercontinental defense against Kane and Dean Malenko ... Heyman's statement of a "match-time decision" does nothing to clear up the issue.

No Mercy's first match is the WCW Tag Title defense of The Impact Players against WCW's muscle-for-hire team of Kronik. With singles' victories in the books against their smaller foes, Kronik looks to have the upper hand in every way as the match begins. And, knowing the team's tendency to rely on Lita for extra help, Kronik neutralize the Extreme Diva with Molly Holly at ringside. Even the extreme rules of the match work against the IP as Kronik return every weapon-aided attack back on their opponents, damaging them further. But the sheer power and dominance of Kronik loses out to the numbers game, as Steven Richards and Jerry Lynn help turn the tide to the Impact Players, and give the Fringe the victory in the evening's first match. But the victory is a hollow one, as Chavo Guerrero and Billy Kidman help run off the Fringe contingent, and WCW stands tall in the ring.

The titanic no-disqualifications clash between the Big Show and Undertaker follows. With no DQ's, it gives the titans a license to maim, but neither man makes a beeline for weapons and objects; for both men, the match is about making the other suffer. Both Show and Undertaker use their surroundings and the ring itself as their weapons, throwing and dropping and slamming the other against the barricade and the ringposts. But unlike before, 'Taker doesn't call on his brothers or his friends in the WWF to come to his aid. When Big Show kicks out of a choke-slam, 'Taker tries not to show his worry, but gets greedy and attempts a Last Ride. Big Show's bulk proves too much, and a choke-slam later, Big Show finally gets a pinfall over the American Badass.

Mike Awesome's chance for revenge on the Fringe follows, as Heyman ushers Tazz out to the ring for their encounter. Heyman curses Awesome all the way to the ring, reminding Awesome how he lost to Tazz in under two minutes a year before, and how it took another guy to help him beat Tazz in 1999. Awesome ignores Heyman's taunting and goes after Tazz with a fire and a tangible need to prove himself with a decisive victory. Initially, Tazz's mat wrestling and arsenal of suplexes give him an early advantage, but Awesome's power and deceptive speed prove a great advantage in establishing dominance over the Human Suplex Machine. Slowly but surely, Awesome's offense gains momentum until he seems an unstoppable steamroller. Sensing the end, and a defeat, is near, Heyman creates a distraction while Tazz grabs a cinder block from under the ring and breaks it across Awesome's head. Tazz slaps a Tazzmission on the unconscious Awesome; when Awesome shows no signs of coming to, the ref has no choice but to call the match for Tazz.

Edge & Christian enter the ring and give the crowd an extra five seconds on their normal five-second pose so they can savor the "magifiosity" (as Christian puts it) of their WWF Tag Titles. The crowd loves them, but their fellow WWF superstars Faarooq and Bradshaw do not, and deliver plenty of cold glares across the ring. The hostile glances are a precursor to the lack of teamwork in the WWF side of the match, a weakness the Dudleys exploit time and again with cheating and double-teaming that goes un-countered by the third team. But while the APA won't lift a finger to save the reigning tag champions, they do stop the Dudleys from pinfall attempts on Edge & Christian, lest the belts fall into even worse hands then the pair of slackers they currently rest in. But between the lack of teamwork between the WWF teams, and the lack of rules for being a triple threat, the Dudleys are able to overcome the odds and score a Spike-and-Heyman-aided pinfall on Faarooq for the victory and the WWF Tag Titles. The Dudleys make tracks for safer ground, celebrating the regaining of the belts, leaving Edge & Christian and the APA to duke it out against each other until security pries them apart.

With ECW's sudden streak driving morale back into the toilet, the arrival of RVD, on crutches and with Heyman in tow carrying RVD's two belts, sinks it even further. Heyman grabs a microphone as RVD waves to "his fans". "Ladies and gentlemen," says Heyman in a mock mournful tone of voice, "it is my burden to inform you that Rob Van Dam, your United States and Intercontinental Champion, is unable to perform tonight due to the injuries he sustained on Smackdown. I hate to disappoint you, the paying public, of the privilege of seeing the most captivating athlete ever to grace a wrestling ring, but-" Explosions and a sea of red light cut off Heyman's patronizing speech. Heyman cowers in fear of the Big Red Machine, who replies to Heyman's excuses by attempting to chokeslam the rotund manager. RVD drops his crutches and charges Kane; the ref immediately signals the timekeeper, and the match begins (the first fall announced as the fall to determine the United States Champion) as Malenko races down to ringside to join the action. Immediately, RVD tries to fall back on the leg as a reason for mercy, but neither man will have any of it and spend the next several minutes punishing and pounding the living hell out of RVD. RVD has to scramble out of the ring to get even a moment of recuperation time, but Kane and Malenko close in around him and continue to deliver the pain. But when RVD is fully laid out and ready for the taking, Kane prevents Malenko from taking the pin. Malenko starts to go at it with Kane, using his speed and technical wizardry to fell the big man. Kane fights back with raw power, but with RVD coming to, both men stop the bickering and refocus on RVD. Once he is put down, Malenko goes back after Kane, dedicating his attack to Kane's legs. With Kane on the mat and hurting, Malenko returns to RVD and manages to cinch in the Texas Cloverleaf. Heyman tries to reach in and pull RVD to the ropes, but Malenko drags RVD to the middle of the ring; before Heyman can make it in with much-needed assistance, RVD taps, giving Malenko the US Title. The second fall begins immediately, and Malenko tries slapping on the Texas Cloverleaf again. Kane manages to get to his feet and hobbles over to break up the submission move before RVD can tap out again. RVD rolls out of the ring and collapses on the mat while Kane, still favoring a leg, works over Malenko with hard blows and thunderous slams; but none of the abuse can keep Malenko's shoulders on the mat for three. A chokeslam turns Malenko into a rag doll, but the impact sends his body flying out of the ring and crashing onto the arena floor. When Kane gives chase, RVD pushes Kane into the ring post and takes over the match. RVD dazzles Kane with a blur of kicks and high-speed, high-impact offense, keeping the big man off his feet and unable to get any kind of comeback put together. After several near-falls, RVD finally goes for the Five-Star Frog Splash to end things, only for Malenko to come back from the dead and shove RVD off the top rope. RVD still collides with Kane, although not exactly as planned, and Malenko follows him down with a precision elbow to the heart. Malenko throws an arm on RVD and, to the shock of the crowd, the ref gets to three, and Malenko wins the Intercontinental Title on top of the US Title.

Austin eschews the normal four-corner pose when he enters the ring for his match with Jericho, his eyes, normally fireballs of piss and vinegar, cold and lethal. It is the only thing he and Jericho have in common, as Jericho is all business as he approaches the ring, too. When the bell rings, the two iconic unofficial leaders of the WWF lock in a staredown. Austin is the first to budge after almost a minute of silent scorn traded in glances, going for a kick in the gut; Jericho catches the boot, sweeps out the other leg and goes for the Walls, but Austin twists out. A few more attempts at a quick finish end up in more stalemates, and the match quickly descends into a barroom brawl. Austin ends up getting the advantage, and presses it with stomps, kicks and a hailstorm of fists. But despite the hellacious mugging, Jericho rises to his feet with every blow, refusing to lay down for Austin. Austin drags Jericho outside, using the ring steps, posts, barricade and anything else he can find to aid in battering Jericho into unconsciousness without getting disqualified, but Jericho's resilience and pride help him kick out, many times before two. Austin tries bickering with the ref, but it gets him no favors, and Austin returns his attention to Jericho with a stiff paintbrush. Jericho's eyes go wide with surprise and rage, and suddenly, Jericho comes to life in a blur of punches. Austin retreats to a corner, but Jericho is on top of him, pounding wildly on Austin's head and body; the ref tries to pry Jericho off of Austin, but Jericho will not be stopped. The ref starts a five-count, but gets as far as four before Jericho whips Austin into the other corner and follows with a clothesline. From there, Austin spends the rest of the match on defense or running for his life; any move he gets is a counter from which Jericho comes back almost instantaneously. Even a Stunner isn't enough to stop Jericho, who kicks out and comes back just as strong and fiercely determined. Austin plays his one last card to save face, and throws Jericho into the ref, sandwiching Earl Hebner between Jericho and the turnbuckle. Austin leaves the ring and makes a beeline for the locker room, but stops halfway down the aisle when he doesn't hear the bell or the ring announcer; Jericho is talking to the ref, convincing him not to go for the DQ and let the fight play out. Austin paralyzes with fright, a deer in the headlights of Jericho, coming down the aisle like a runaway freight train. Austin's paralysis finally breaks, but not soon enough, and Jericho is drag Austin back into the ring. This time, when Jericho tries for the Walls, Austin cannot resist, and despite his best efforts, cannot withstand the pain and taps out. Jericho keeps the hold on just a little longer, long enough to hear Austin beg to be released; Jericho drops Austin's legs and leaves the ring immediately, looking back only once at his handiwork without a trace of pride.

With Austin and his loyalists coming up empty-handed in their matches for the evening, the pressure on Angle is high as he steps out for his WWF Title confrontation with Rhyno. Without the benefit of aid from any Fringe members or Paul Heyman, the expectation that it is Angle's time is not unfounded, and he approaches the ring with that confidence. Rhyno, too, approaches with determination and confidence, but paranoid glances give away his worry over the loss of his safety net. Nevertheless, Rhyno wrestles with the same ferocity he is known for, combating Angle's technical prowess with raw power, but Angle's experience in both the professional and amateur ranks gives Angle the edge. Angle's only problem is keeping Rhyno off his vertical base long enough to work on the leg and ankle for his Ankle Lock, as Rhyno drags himself to his feet every time Angle unloads on him. But an Angle Slam attempt gives Rhyno the opportunity to take the offense, hammering Angle with his high-impact maneuvers. Slowly, a pattern emerges in Rhyno's offense: moves targeting Angle's previously broken neck. Angle does his best to get in some counter-offense, but more and more, the neck becomes weakened, and the simplest maneuvers become a chore. When Rhyno tries for a Gore, Angle dodges and creates his window of opportunity, and hits the Angle Slam .... but is too weakened to capitalize fast enough, and only gets two. Both men struggle to their feet and exchange punches, starting a back and forth series of moves and counters and near-falls for both men. A piledriver attempt by Rhyno is reversed by Angle into the Ankle Lock, but Rhyno reaches the ropes after a few agonizing moments of suffering. Rhyno gets on his feet again, and Angle tries to pull him off for another Ankle Lock, but Rhyno manages to puts the brakes on and connect with a devastating-looking piledriver. The crowd gasps when Angle gets a shoulder up at 2 and 7/8ths. A powerbomb high on the back gets another fraction from 3, so Rhyno drags Angle to his feet, throws him into the ropes and makes the charge for the Gore ... only for Angle to use a drop toe hold out of nowhere, sit up and slap on the Ankle Lock yet again. It is a full two minutes before Rhyno breaks the hold by reaching the ropes. Angle tries to go for the ankle again, pushing Rhyno back into the corner. Rhyno batters Angle's neck and back to stop his offensive onslaught, then delivers the coup de grace of the match; a sickening piledriver off the second turnbuckle that sends Angle into seizures. Rhyno stills Angle long enough to get an exhausted and hard-earned three-count to retain the WWF Title, another crushing defeat of the WWF's ranking elite by the upstart champion, and another in a chain for the evening.

With the streak of success the Fringe is on, it only underscores the tension riding into the WCW World Title match. Heyman comes out by himself, but sits to one side of the ring, in between the designated corners for Booker T and DDP, who come to a very mixed reaction when they are introduced. Conversely, Ric Flair is given a hero's welcome, and The Rock is shown a fair amount of respect, despite his employer. When the match begins, the foursome pair off into two groups, with Booker and The Rock squaring off and Flair taking on DDP. After a bit, Rock and Flair switch places, until Booker and DDP, frustrated with their lack of traction against their opponents, bail. Heyman is right there to counsel the two, who stand neither listen nor shove Heyman away, but stand still and collect their thoughts .... until Flair, living up to his "dirtiest player in the game" moniker by Pearl Harboring Rocky. Booker and DDP watch as Rock and Flair go at it; when Rock gets the upper hand and puts Flair on the mat, Booker and DDP swoop back in and attack both men, taking full control of the match. Heyman cheers on his potential new clients as they dominate Rock and Flair, connecting with punishing move after move ... but the alliance disintegrates when DDP hits a Diamond Cutter on Flair and goes for the pin; Booker breaks up the count, and DDP and Booker get nose-to-nose. Rock rolls up the distracted Booker, but gets a two-count, and the fight is back on. Rock manages to make a comeback against Booker, and Flair reverses a second Diamond Cutter attempt to launch his comeback. The crowd eats up the stereo face comebacks, especially when Rock and Flair both go for leg submission moves (Flair a figure-four, and The Rock a Sharpshooter); when Rock and Flair notice their synchronicity, Rock nods, and both men give out a "Woo!", then lock in their moves. Booker manages to escape by grabbing the ropes, but Rock doesn't let up, hitting hard and fast, hitting punches and clotheslines and a belly-to-belly suplex. But a thumb to the eye stops Rock in his tracks, and Booker scores with a Book-End. Booker goes for the pin as Flair cranks back on the figure-four; the ref hesitates, waiting to see if Page will tap; Page tries to hold on, so the ref goes down for the count. When the ref's hand hits for the third time, Page starts tapping. The ref signals for the bell; Booker is on his feet, hands in the air, while Flair releases the hold, one hand in the air in triumph. When the ring announcer proclaims Booker T the new champ, Flair's eyes bug out, first in anger, then in horror. Flair gets up as Heyman crawls in the ring to celebrate the victory, stealing the belt from the timekeeper's hands to present it to Booker himself. "On behalf of the Lunatic Fringe and myself," proclaims Heyman, "allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your victory, and officially welcome you to-"

The words die in Heyman's mouth as Booker's hand wraps around Heyman's throat. Booker tears the microphone out of Heyman's hand. "I never said nothing bout joinin' your group, Paul Heyman! Yo' ass just got-"

DDP gets to his feet and lays a hand on Booker's arm, shaking his head. "We may not like how Old Man Flair or The Crock got in on our business," DDP says through deep breaths, "but the last thing we'd ever do is sell ourselves to a piece of scum like you!" Heyman stands slack-jawed, staring at Booker and DDP. When he tries to form a rebuttal, all he gets out are stammered consonants and vague vowel sounds. It is The Rock who clears the fog for Heyman; "If The Rock's crystal clear on what he's just heard, The Rock thinks they're telling your fat, monkey ass to get the hell out of their ring!"

Heyman blinks a few times, still too surprised to form a word, until Flair takes the air from his lungs with a shot to the groin from behind. Booker and DDP grab Heyman on either side and deposit him on the arena floor with a rough toss through the ropes, much to the delight, and relief, of the fans. Rock and Flair offer handshakes to their opponents, but Booker and DDP, ever pragmatic and still bitter about the mere presence of their opponents, take their leave.

The ring announcer begins the announcement for the final "special main event" as the Hell On Earth cage descends and ring techs bring about wheelbarrows and boxes full of various objects and weaponry. In addition, Tommy Dreamer brings with him a shopping cart with even more implements, but even more horrific then what is supplied by the WWF: a metal rake, a ball peen hammer, spools of barbed wire, and an amorphous burlap sack that evokes memories of the Undertaker/Mankind Hell In A Cell or the Cactus Jack/Triple H Street Fight. But Dreamer has no confidence in the eyes, no steeled determination in the lines of his face; only the look of a man on his way to certain doom. Conversely, when Raven approaches the mammoth steel structure, he shows the same certainty of a sealed fate ... but, for possibly the first time since a young Scott Levy descended into his inner darkness and emerged as the tormented Raven, an untouchable serenity surrounds him like an aura. When the ref signals for the bell, everyone holds their breath for all hell to break loose ... but neither man make a move. Dreamer stands in his corner, knuckles white as he clinches the ropes, while Raven reclines in his corner, waiting like some patient Zen master. Finally, Dreamer steps into the abyss and makes the first attack, and the ballet of bloodshed gets underway. It is only minutes before weaponry is employed; first, a chair, which stops Dreamer's onslaught for a few seconds. The Singapore cane, a snowshovel, a stop sign and a 2-by-4 all get brought into the mix, battering bodies, breaking bones and busting Raven and Dreamer wide open. Dreamer is the first one to taste the stinging pricks of the barbed wire cell, plunging chest-first onto the barbs when he leaps at Raven, who moves out of the way; Raven sinks the barbs in further with whacks to the back with a steel chair, drawing groans from the crowd. But the horror is only begun, as the two combatants proceed to drag everything within reach in their quest to destroy the other: tables, the barbed wire, the 2-by-4 lit on fire, and the hammer turn the match into a window upon Hell's battlefield, the two combatants forever locked in a war that will only end with death. Dreamer draws a nine-count on Raven from a blow to the head with a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire, which puts the advantage firmly in Dreamer's blood-soaked hands, but nothing he does will keep Raven on the mat. Dreamer goes so far as to use a cattle-prod (another of his hidden weapons brought to ringside in his cart) to try and electrocute Raven into unconsciousness, once while against the barbed wire of the cell wall. But Dreamer's mistake comes when he tries to impale Raven with a rake; Raven dodges and hits Dreamer in the nuts, giving Raven the chance to come back. Raven brings the house on Dreamer, including a vicious Raven Effect on the barbed wire steel chair, but Dreamer answers the count. Finally, Raven opens the sack of thumbtacks, pouring them all over the barbed wire chair. Raven positions Dreamer on the turnbuckle, sitting down, then climbs up, puts him in a front headlock, and delivers a DDT from the turnbuckle onto the chair. Raven manages to get his feet at 8, but Dreamer is motionless in a rapidly growing pool of blood long past the match-winning 10-count. Paramedics carry both men out of the arena on stretchers to a rousing standing ovation to give the WWF a symbolic victory over one of the Fringe's top men to close out the evening.

Nitro: Oct. 22nd

After a recap of Booker's successful reclaiming of the WCW Title the night before, Nitro opens with a celebratory display of fireworks and the promise of a huge night for WCW, with Big Show facing off against Mike Awesome for the first crack at Booker T, Molly Holly versus Lita, and a WCW Tag Title defense by The Impact Players against surprise opponents.

But the music of The Rock cuts off the announcers, and the People's Champ marches down to the ring. The crowd gives the former WCW Champion shows the same respect to The Rock as he had shown to WCW since winning the title with a standing ovation. Rock allows the crowd to get it out of their system, then speaks. "The Rock realizes this is Nitro, this is WCW, but The Rock just wants to make one thing perfectly clear before The Rock heads back to Smackdown this Thursday, and to do that, The Rock needs a few people to come to this ring. The Rock wants Booker T, The Rock wants Arn Anderson, woo!, Ric Flair, and The Rock especially wants Shane O'Mac himself in this very ring!"

Arn and Flair come out together and shake hands with Rock while they wait for the other two. Booker comes next, suspicious eyes regarding The Rock with a cautious loathing. Finally, after a few more seconds, Shane McMahon comes out to a standing ovation. Bashfully, Shane approaches the ring, shaking hands with his commissioner, his champion and his in-ring "general" before acknowledging The Rock. Rock and Shane eye each other for a few long, silent seconds before Rock speaks, firstly looking right at his rival, Booker T. "The Rock didn't come out here to say how he deserves a shot at that belt, Booker. The Rock wants you to know that last night, you proved yourself the better man, and The Rock is letting that slide." Rock looks at Arn and Flair. "The Rock doesn't need to tell these people what kind of men Ric Flair and Arn Anderson are. The Rock just wants the two of you to know how honored The Rock felt to be in the ring with the Nature Boy, how honored The Rock was to represent WCW as its champion, even if some people didn't want The Rock here." Rock gets back to Shane. Rock removes his sunglasses. "You've done a good job, kid. Hell of a lot better then your daddy. The Rock ... no, no no, I want to apologize for trespassing. You have my guarantee, you will never see The Rock in WCW again. And when The Rock gets back to Smackdown and the WWF, you have the word of The Rock that all those jabronis who wanna keep trying to lay the smack down on WCW, The Rock's gonna lay the smack down on them like only The Rock can!" Shane nods, then a smile breaks out on his face; Shane extends a hand, and Rock accepts it. Rock again shakes hands with Flair and Arn, then extends a hand to Booker; Booker keeps one hand on the title slung over his shoulder, the other at his waist. Shane, Arn and Flair urge Booker to be the bigger man, but Booker regards them with the same contempt that he does Rock. Rock shrugs it off and gets in one last set of poses for the crowd before walking to the back for the final time at a WCW event.

Booker's bad attitude gets him in more hot water with the administration when Arn approaches Booker about going to Smackdown as part of a summit between the WWF and WCW. Booker spits on the idea, and proceeds to launch into a tirade; "You forget bout the Bookerman and call in your buddy Ric when you need someone to beat Rocky," he opines, "but you look my way when I beat The Rock? You must think I'm some kinda sucka!" Booker walks away after giving Arn the finger, leaving Arn's plan in tatters.

Meanwhile, in the ring, Molly Holly steps into the ring with Lita, but quickly falls prey to Lita's friends in The Impact Players, who feel no remorse about abusing Molly. The disgusting display of violence draws out Kronik, Sean O'Haire and Chuck Palumbo, who rescue Molly and drive off the Fringe contingent, but Molly takes away bruises""both physical and mental""from her encounter with the Extreme Diva.

Malenko defends his newly won United States Title against Billy Kidman in a blockbuster, high-flying encounter reminiscent of the Cruiserweight division. Malenko's experience and technical skills prove too much for Kidman to get past, and Malenko ends up drawing the submission victory over Kidman with his Texas Cloverleaf. Afterwards, Kidman offers Malenko a handshake and a hug and introduces him to the crowd as the new, and rightful, WCW United States Champion. Malenko takes the microphone, choking up a bit over the "Dean-O" chants. When the crowd's chanting subsides, Dean addresses the crowd. "I'll never be able to tell you all how much that meant to me," he says as he holds up the WWF Intercontinental Title, "just as I'll never be able to express what it means to me to hold this title." Malenko pauses, looking at the belt. "So many legends have worn this belt, and I am very proud to be among their company ..." Malenko sighs. "But this is a WWF championship, and I am a WCW wrestler. It's not right of me to claim a title from a company I no longer work for. That's why I will be going to Smackdown alongside Arn Anderson to give the Intercontinental Title back to its proper owners." Malenko's selfless act is met with strong support from the crowd and WCW's administration ... but not so much with DDP, who tries to talk Malenko into keeping the belt to humiliate the WWF. When Malenko rebuffs DDP's idea, DDP tries to intimidate the second-generation star. Malenko only has to direct his icy cold glare deep into DDP's eyes to make his stance clear; DDP watches Malenko walk away, his lip snarled up, obviously seething.

Big Show and Awesome unload with the power moves in their battle to be the #1 contender, going at each other like two angry rams butting heads. The two mammoth athletes throw everything they have against one another, all the while Booker, Flair and Arn watching on monitors in the back. Awesome's speed helps him take the advantage, and he presses it with high-impact aerial maneuvers and a hit-and-run mentality that leaves the bigger man dazed and confused. But the unexpected Diamond Cutter from DDP on Awesome alters the course of the match, and Show "earns" the title shot. Arn clinches his jaw and rubs his eyes in frustration, while Flair vents his by yelling and upending the monitor. Arn tries to calm Flair and remind him that, even if people dislike the leadership, they're still playing for the WCW team, but Flair reminds Arn of how they came to get people like Molly, Big Show and Dean Malenko, and what a disgruntled employee can mean to a company ... like Chris Jericho.

The Impact Players come out for their defense against a team of mystery opponents. Justin Credible gets on the mic and reminds everyone how they have beaten almost every combination of people in WCW, and that no one will unseat them as long they (or WCW) are around. But the music of Booker T and DDP kills the remaining words in Credible's throat dead as can be. Booker and DDP overwhelm their stunned adversaries, dispatching of the loudmouth Credible in a few seconds, and drilling Lance Storm shortly thereafter ... but neither man goes for the easy pinfall. Instead, Booker gets on the microphone as he keeps Credible from getting into the ring with kicks to the head, while DDP keeps up the pain on Storm. "Ya see, WCW is a well-oiled machine, and me, the Bookerman, the five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time WCW Champion, and Mr. Diamond Dallas Page, we the strongest pieces of the machine! WCW don't need Ric Flair to win this war ... WCW don't need Dean Malenko or Mike Awesome to win this war ... and WCW sure as hell don't need no help from some sucka like The Rock! What WCW needs is a kick in the butt, and DDP and me are the guys to do it!"

Booker hands the microphone to DDP and goes to work on Storm. "Hey! Paul Heyman! How's it feel to feel the bada-bing-bada-bang! We played you like a cheap fiddle, Paul Heyman. We used you, sucked you in and spit you out, and you fell for the whole thing! We're the new face of WCW, Paulie; we ain't like the scum in WWF ... we take care of our business, and getting rid of you and the WWF is at the top of our to-do list!" DDP leans against the ropes and makes the come-here gesture with his finger to the camera. "C'mon, Paul. C'mon, WWF. If you want some, you don't have to look very hard ... I always deliver the most bang for your bu-"

DDP's words cut off as a swarm of Fringe wrestlers break through the security detail around ringside and storm the ring, overtaking Booker and DDP like a tsunami. All the while, Heyman laughs maniacally at ringside as the entire Fringe dissect the WCW team and keep the rest of WCW at bay. "Ooh, big words, Page!" Heyman says in between cackles. "Big words, Booker! Did you think I was ignoring WCW? I'm sorry if I didn't give you enough attention over the past few weeks. But I'm all ears now; what would you like to say?" Paul holds the microphone towards the ring mockingly. "You see, Booker, I don't need the WCW Championship to run this two-bit dog-and-pony show into the goddamn ground! WCW lives only as long as I allow it to live ... and since you just had to get my attention and royally piss me off last night ... why, I think it's time I snap my fingers and put this old horse out of its misery once and for all. I think it's time I do what Vince McMahon couldn't, and kill this piece of crap for good! Go ahead and have your precious little summit on Smackdown, Arn! I hope you're picking out caskets, because I got news for you: come Survivor Series, there's gonna be a funeral!"

Smackdown: Oct. 24th

The first Smackdown after No Mercy opens with Austin holding court with his allies and subordinates in their locker room. Tonight, Austin promises, the WWF will get rid of a weak link, and the loyalists will continue to root out the poison of Heyman and the WCW invaders on their way to restoring Vince McMahon's One World vision. The plan for the evening includes a six-man tag with the APA and William Regal against the entire Dudley clan, Austin taking on Tazz and The Undertaker and Kane going after Rhyno and RVD. JR and Michael Cole update the fans on the condition of Raven and Tommy Dreamer, stating that they will both miss some time as they heal from their blood-soaked encounter, but, starting tonight, the WWF will regain the full-time presence of The Rock. Neither the announcers or Austin elaborate on the mysterious "summit" mentioned on Nitro, save to say it will occur; attendees and subject matter are shrouded in secrecy, even to the ranking WWF elite.

The teamwork of the Dudleys prove a better-then-expected match to the experience of The APA and Regal, casting a shadow of doubt on Austin's vow to restore the WWF's dignity. In the end, the match is thrown out when a chair shot from Spike on Bradshaw (which does no more damage then a rock would to an armored car) starts a chain reaction that draws out all six people into a crazy, audience-invading brawl. Authorities have to break apart the brawl and reestablish order. The unsatisfying no-contest helps neither side advance their campaign, but for the WWF, anything less then an advance is a loss.

Likewise, Austin's match against Tazz ends up on providing more bitter fruit then sweet; Austin takes advantage of a biased WWF ref and the extreme rules atmosphere, but the Human Suplex Machine will not stay down for anything. Finally, Austin hits the Stunner, which sends Tazz out of the ring and onto the floor. Austin walks off, giving his double-fingered celebratory pose as he marches down the aisle, trash-talking with every step ... until the referee declares Tazz the winner by forfeit. Austin storms back in the ring and argues with the ref, but the ref refuses to reverse the decision; Austin gives him a Stunner, hits another one on Tazz, and stomps off, still barking like a rabid dog, but no longer boasting like before.

Dean Malenko comes out, sans music or entrance video, dressed immaculately in a suit and tie, the Intercontinental belt carried proudly under his arm. When he gets to the ring, Regal almost sets a land-speed record in getting down the ramp and into the ring. Malenko offers a hand, but Regal sneers at it. "The faster I can rid this ring of your filth, you miserable little toerag, the better. Now hand over our property before I slap the white off your teeth!"

Malenko glares at Regal for a moment; for a half a heartbeat, Regal's eyes burst open, wide as planets, his body tensing for the inevitable strike against him by the invader. Regal's jaw drops when Malenko proffers the belt. Regal reaches for it timidly; when his fingertips touch the leather, he grasps it and reels it back in, as quick as a snake striking out of its hole. "Now then," Regal says with a snarled lip, "remove yourself from my ring before I'm forced to throttle you back to that pathetic hog-sty you call a wrestling company."

Malenko turns to walk, pauses, then turns back and gets right in Regal's face; Regal's eyes go wide again, his skin draining of color. "You haven't seen the last of WCW tonight, William." Malenko holds the moment for a bit longer, letting Regal sweat ... then backs off and walks away, waving to the fans as he leaves.

The only bright spot for the loyalists comes in the form of 'Taker & Kane's match against Rhyno and RVD. Rhyno, still spent from the previous night's epic encounter with Angle, is slower and shows the first real signs of vulnerability. But if there is a weak link to the Fringe team, it is RVD, who wrestles with a short temper and an obvious distraction: his humiliating double-loss the night before, which the crowd is all too eager to remind him with the rousing chant "You lost twice!" The distraction helps 'Taker & Kane keep the Fringe team split, leading to a pinfall of RVD by 'Taker. But Rhyno folds Kane in half with a ring-shaking Gore after the pin, and helps his partner out of the ring as Undertaker tends to his fallen brother.

The final segment of the evening begins with the announcer welcoming "WCW Commissioner Arn Anderson and associates" to the ring; "and associates" turn out to be Ric Flair, Dean Malenko, Big Show and Kronik. The loyal WWF crowd receives the WCW partisans with mixed emotion; on the one hand, the representatives have been the least vocal against the WWF. But they are still the enemy, and plenty of the crowd treats them as such. Nevertheless, Arn "and associates" show no disrespect when they get the microphone; "Shortly after No Mercy," says Arn, "I was approached by representatives of the WWF who want to bring this conflict to a head. WCW has never been about attacking the WWF, or looking to kill the WWF; we believe there is enough room for healthy competition between two companies, as there was in the 90's. So, with that in mind, we have come here to meet with these individuals, right here in front of the world, to settle the issue once and for all." Arn lays the microphone on the table and awaits the arrival of his counterparts.

The WWF delegation arrives in groups: first, Edge & Christian, followed by The Hardys. Lastly, two men stride out onto stage together, a shocking sight all things considering: The Rock and Chris Jericho. The tension from their run-ins at and after SummerSlam is still evident, as they walk distantly and show little acknowledgement for one another. The crowd doesn't care, though, and treats the returning Rock and the conquering rebel Jericho as royalty as they walk down the ramp. When they get to the ring, the players shake hands. Arn and Flair sit down on one side of the table, with Jericho and Rock on the other. "The WWF wants to end this useless, pathetic war," says Jericho. "We have a common enemy in Paul Heyman, and we have a common purpose: putting on a great show for the fans. What-"

The sound of breaking glass interrupts the meeting, as Austin and his retinue rush the ring. Arn and Flair stand up, backing off as Austin, Regal, 'Taker, Kane and the APA give them looks that, if they could kill, would put WCW in their graves 5 times over. But Austin passes right by WCW and gets in Jericho's face. "Didn't I whup your ass last night?" he barks. "Didn't I shut your mouth good enough, or do you need a little more of ol' Stone Cold?"

Jericho snickers, the first sign of emotion other then raw determination on his face in months. "Last I checked, Stevie-boy," Jericho says, "the only one counting lights last night was the WWF's big, bad hero Stone Cold." The smile disappears from Jericho's face as quick as it appeared, and the cold-blooded killing machine is back; the color in Austin's face vanishes. "Now get your sorry, loser ass out of my ring before something bad happens. We're busy keeping the WWF from being run into the ground by your stupid mistakes; we don't need you compounding it."

Austin eyeballs Jericho for a moment before looking at Rock. "And what the hell are you doin' at this table, Rock? You belong over here with us. You're a champion! You're a leader!" Austin says the final sentence to Rock, but looks at Jericho. "You're a real star!"

Malenko steps over to interject, but Flair holds him back. This gets Regal's attention, who says with a devilish grin; "Does Dean need a keeper to handle his battles for him? Why don't you run along home, like you did a couple years ago, and rid this industry of your existence?"

"Hey!" Flair yells. "Dean Malenko is a Horsemen! When you deal with one Horsemen, you deal with The Horsemen! You wanna try your crap with me, Lord Willie? Bring it on! Bring it on!"

Arn steps in the middle of them, trying to calm everyone down, but doesn't see Regal rearing back for a sucker punch that connects with Arn's jaw. Everyone in the ring freezes for a moment; Austin's group braces for the inevitable brawl, Jericho's bunch prepares to spring in as a mediator, and WCW gears up to launch the retaliatory strike. What no one expects is Kurt Angle to get in the middle of it all. "Hey, everybody, hold on a second! Wait a minute!" Angle takes a deep breath, his arms held up to keep everyone at bay. "It seems to me we all need to just back up and cool off before we go doing something stupid. I mean ... c'mon ... I'm wearing my Gold medals here, its not like I'm even ready to fight!" Almost everyone glares at Angle as if he were not a human but a six foot tall chicken. Angle shrugs, totally oblivious. "What? Listen, all I'm saying ..." Angle turns to Flair and puts both hands out. "Mr. Flair ... I think the WWF and WCW can come to terms-"

Austin grabs Angle by the shoulder and hauls him around. "Mister Flair? Ya see, this is the kind of crap that makes me sure I made the right decision. Ya walk to the ring with your silly sparklers and your stupid medals, and you dance around like a sissy boy, and you cry when you win ... but last night, you lost. You couldn't beat that punk Rhyno and get our belt back. And now you go and look at that old man and say 'Mister'?" Angle tries to speak, but Austin gives Angle a small slap. Angle's eyes go wide and, without thinking, he lunges, taking Austin to the mat. Immediately, Austin's cohorts are on Angle, punching and kicking; WCW and Jericho's group move into action, cutting through the Austin group to pry the two fighters apart. Before anyone can think twice, the brawl becomes a free-for-all, three groups all vying to drive the other out of the ring. Only the laughter of Heyman filling the arena stops them in their tracks. When he appears on the stage, he has a smile is a mile wide, and as phony as a 3 dollar bill. "Oh, po' babies, why are you fighting?" he says mockingly. "Are we not getting a-wong? Did someone take your toys?" More mad laughter, thorugh which heyman tries to get off a few words. "The thing is ... it's just ..." Heyman stops to let his laughing jag finish. "The thing is, it's almost not even fun anymore to knock you guys around! You're so pathetic, it's like shooting fish in a barrel ... with a cannon! So, seeing as how all of you seem intent on ... how did you put it, Arn? ... 'bringing this to a head' ... why don't we all get together and hash this out at Survivor Series, so we can get rid of the both of you in one night? That sound fair? The Fringe versus WCW versus WWF ... that is, if the WWF can pick three people without tearing each other's throats out!"

Nitro: Oct. 29th

In addition to the Booker/Big Show WCW Title match, and a grudge match between DDP and Flair, Mike Tenay and Scott Hudson announce two huge No Mercy rematches: Awesome versus Tazz (no disqualifications) and Malenko defending the US Title against RVD.

Arn walks to the ring, his head down, sporting a nice shiner from the cheap shot from Regal the previous week. The partisan crowd welcomes the returning leaders with open arms. "Sometimes, in life, a man has to walk a road he doesn't wanna walk," begins Arn. "And usually, that road leads to a place the man doesn't wanna go. Last Thursday, I began that walk. I don't know where this road will lead, because it's a gamble." Arn takes a deep breath and sighs; he looks into the crowd for reassurance, but nothing seems to lift the obvious weight off his shoulders. "This past weekend, negotiations for a final confrontation between WCW, the WWF and Paul Heyman's group were finalized; Survivor Series will see the three companies battle it out inside the confines of the WarGames cage." The crowd lights up at the mention of the beloved, classic WCW match; Arn, though, tries to shush the crowd. "Please, please, quiet down. The importance of victory in this is not for bragging rights, and this is the gamble I spoke of, because the winner ..." Arn sighs again; when he speaks, he isn't even able to look up at the crowd. "I have agreed to gamble the existence of WCW on the outcome of this match." An audible gasp rips through the arena; the announcers can barely form complete words. "If WCW wins, our future will be assured, and WWF will abide to a peaceful co-existence truce. If we should fall, though, to either of our opponents, WCW will be abolished. After the three sides have had a week to decide on the three wrestlers they will choose to send into WarGames, we will sign the contract here, live on Nitro, next Monday. I am confident our boys will be able to bring home the victory, and keep this comp-"

Booker T's music drowns out Arn's emotional words. The champ, belt over his shoulder, walks to the ring with a look of disgust on his face. He skips posing for the crowd and gets right to business. "Peaceful co-existence? You mean you got the enemy in a corner, and you gonna let him walk? You Arn Anderson, a Four Horseman! When your enemy is down, you don't let him get up and walk, you kick his butt!"

"We're not looking to kill them off, Booker. We started WCW with the intention of peaceful competition, and we're gonna keep it that way."

"To hell with that! WWF is tryin' to kill this company! Paul Heyman is trying to kill both us and WWF! And you wanna let WWF live? The hell is wrong with you?"

Arn steps toward Booker, getting right in his face. Arn taps the belt with a finger, then points at Booker; "Just cause you hold this doesn't make you the boss, Booker. I speak for Shane McMahon on this. You only speak for yourself."

Booker and Arn lock eyes for a few silent seconds, neither budging so much as an eyelash. Booker finally breaks the moment, nodding slightly. "Maybe you right. But we'll see come next Monday, boss." Booker leaves Arn before he can respond, the words hanging in the air like a threat.

As RVD makes his way to the ring, it is announced that he will also be on the Fringe team in WarGames. But Arn makes sure to spoil RVD's good spirits by announcing that, since the US Title is no longer in possession of the Fringe, it will be defended under traditional WCW rules. The restraints on RVD's extreme style visibly infuriate the already agitated "Mr. PPV", and the emotions cause much distraction when he squares off against Malenko. RVD tries to channel his anger and embarrassment into retaking the US Title, but Malenko is able to take advantage of RVD's short-sightedness and mistakes, and gets a pinfall victory over RVD. RVD flips out after the loss, attacking the referee and vowing to all listening that he will deliver the winning pinfall and prove himself as "Mr. PPV" at Survivor Series.

The Fringe manage to extract some revenge with a ambush of Kronik in the parking garage, led by the Impact Players, that cancels a scheduled #1 contender's match between Kronik and the Natural Born Thrillers. With an empty slot in the schedule, Arn sticks the IP in the match, with a unique twist: the IP will represent Kronik and the #1 contendership stipulation will continue. The stipulation puts the IP in a strange position of not wanting to lose the match and look weak (and having to face the explosive NBT), but not wanting to win and earn a title shot for Kronik either. A few Fringe members act as bait for more of the NBT to come to O'Haire's & Palumbo's aid, and the resulting melee draws a no-contest.

WCW's luck turns for the better with Awesome's rematch against Tazz, as the former WWF Champ finds his black-sheep status wearing away with several of WCW's wrestlers coming out to shield the ring from Fringe interference. Without the Fringe sticking their nose in the match, Awesome finds it easier to fight against Tazz's arsenal of suplexes and submission maneuvers. Awesome polishes off Tazz with an Awesome Bomb for a clean pinfall. Afterwards, Awesome vows to do WCW proud at Survivor Series, whatever his role may be, and promises to get even with DDP.

Before his match with DDP, Flair grabs the microphone for a few excited words. "Last week, I was at Smackdown, and what happened? The Nature Boy got in a fight with the WWF Commissioner, William Regal!" The crowd boos at mere mention of the WWF's crooked Commissioner. "Big Willie! Lord Regal! Woo! Walkin' around in a cheap suit from K-Mart, wishing you could be half as cool as The Nature Boy! Woo! Buddy-boy, there's a reason WCW dumped you; you don't got what it takes to walk in the footsteps of the greats! You gotta suck up to others, and then ..." Flair's voice drops suddenly, getting cold and lethal. "And then, you gotta take a cheap shot at a retired man, my best friend, Arn Anderson. The WCW Commissioner, and a better man then you could ever dream of." Just as quick, Flair's blood starts to run again, his face turning red all over again. "You wanna fight, Slick Willie? You wanna beat up on an old man? Beat on me! Beat on me! Come try and do what everybody who's anybody in this business has tried to do for the past twenty years, come try to stop The Nature Boy Ric Flair! Everybody who's anybody has stepped through them ropes has faced me, and you know where they are? They ain't here, and they ain't Ric Flair, 16-times World's Champion! To be the man, you gotta beat the man ... nobody's been able to beat me, yet, Slick Willie, and you ain't gonna be the first! Woo!" Flair's exuberance carries over into the match, giving DDP more to handle then he expects. DDP has to bail from the ring and slide back in to get Flair off his game plan and take the advantage in the match, but Flair makes DDP earn every inch of offense he gets in. When Flair is able to retake the advantage and gets the figure-four, DDP tries his best to fight it off, but Flair keeps the pressure on hard enough to prevent a counter or a legitimate escape. Three times, DDP falls back onto his shoulders and is almost counted down; finally, DDP sits up and blatantly strikes Flair in the crotch. The ref calls for a DQ as Flair loosens the hold, clutching at his aching groin. DDP stumbles away, too concerned with the pain wracking his body to bother caring about the announcer calling Flair the winner ... or Mike Awesome coming up from behind and laying him out in the aisle. Awesome throws DDP around until Flair tells him to lay off; Awesome lets DDP drop to the ground and backs off, but not without a warning to catch up to DDP on another day.

Booker's defense against Big Show finishes the evening, and proves to be as big a challenge as the man himself. Booker has to adjust his plan of attack to combat Big Show's size and raw strength. Booker finds the challenge of Show more then he expects, and resorts to a low blow to fell his massive opponent for a three-count. The crowd, seeing Booker's more blatant, whatever-it-takes methods coming out, give the announcement of his victory a rousing boo that startles the five-time WCW Champion. Booker gets on the microphone and excoriates the audience. The audience's boos turn to cheers when Big Show stands up, surprises Booker and hits a ring-shaking choke-slam. The crowd goes nuts for Show driving Booker into the mat, so crazy they don't initially hear Arn come out. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen." The crowd gives Arn a courtesy applause, then quiets down for him; Show leans on the ropes that look up the aisle. "I thought now would be a good time to let everyone know who has selected to represent WCW in the WarGames match. Shane McMahon and I have discussed the issue in depth, listened to a number of wrestlers petition and offer their services, and have selected the people we feel would be best suited for this endeavor. Team WCW will consist of Diamond Dallas Page ... Booker T ... and the Big Show!" Big Show's eyes narrow to slits; he turns and looks at Booker, stirring on the mat, unaware that his future entails partnering with a man he just robbed of rightful shot at the WCW Title. Show grins as Arn says; "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you your winners of WarGames 2001, Team WCW!"

Smackdown: Nov. 1st

A taped announcement from the office of William Regal opens Smackdown. "Good evening, World Wrestling Federation fans. Tonight, the WWF will make two announcements: one concerning the Intercontinental Title, and one to introduce the three-man team that will represent WWF in the WarGames match at Survivor Series and destroy both the WCW and the ruffians in the Lunatic Fringe. The choices were given careful consideration, and it is the hope of everyone in the WWF that the announcement of our three choices will bring to an end the bickering and in-fighting that has come up due to the actions of a few bad apples." Regal takes a deep breath, a malevolent sneer spreading across his lips. "And, on a personal note, to Mr. Flair, I notice that your company has chosen not to send you into WarGames. I find this most telling of your status in the company. With the destruction of WCW a mere two and a half weeks away, might I offer you a position in my administration? I'm always in need of a good gopher!"

Smackdown gets underway with a #1 contender's match for the WWF Tag Titles, pitting the Hardys against the APA. All three Dudleys take up residence at the announcers' table to watch as the Hardys, out-weighed and out-powered by a fair bit, use stick-and-move offense and seamless teamwork to blindside the APA. Straight power wrestling (and downright cheating) put the APA back on the offensive, but Faarooq's arrogance that the outcome is assured leads to a Matt Hardy comeback. The Hardys dismantle the APA's attack, isolating Bradshaw long enough for Jeff to get the pin with the Swanton Bomb. The Dudleys give their congratulations to the victors, as well as condolences to the losers, by ambushing them and putting Jeff and Bradshaw through tables.

Austin meets with Undertaker in the locker room to tell 'Taker he has it on good authority that the WWF's team will be himself, Undertaker and Kane. Undertaker, preparing for a match with Kurt Angle later on, likes what he hears ... but Jericho, having overheard it in the doorway, comes in and begs to differ with the supposed team selection. Jericho points out the laundry list of failures from Austin, Undertaker and Kane in high-stakes matches over the past several months, and their leadership having helped spark the schism in the roster. Austin ignores it and dares Jericho to keep running his mouth when it's two-on-one; Undertaker steps in and suggests turning the main event into a tag match so they can show Jericho who deserves to be in WarGames and who deserves to watch from home.

The schism rears its ugly head even more so when Edge inquires about the fate of the Intercontinental Title. Regal tells Edge he has plans already in place to fill the vacancy: an 8-man tournament, with X-Pac facing Hardcore Holly, Crash Holly facing Test, Raven facing himself, and Kane facing Albert. Edge reminds Regal of his status as the last IC Champion before RVD won the belt, and asks if he will get any consideration in this. Regal, doing a lousy job at expressing sorrow, tells Edge the tournament is already set to begin with two of the opening round matches tonight. Edge comes around the desk and shoves Regal into the wall, threatening to ruin every single match in the tournament unless he gets what is rightfully his ... and, if that won't do it, a trip to Linda McMahon's office will follow. Regal acquiesces, putting Edge in Albert's spot against Kane ... and making it no disqualifications, and happening immediately.

Kane quickly adapts to the new rules, throwing Edge around like a dodge ball, and pounding on him with everything he can find that isn't nailed down. But Edge refuses to stay down, and drops Kane with a blatant, but legal, low blow. Edge seizes the opening and takes Kane down with fast-paced offense and his knowledge of chairs. Regal watches from the stage in horror as an implant DDT on the chair puts Kane down and out for the three-count, putting Edge in the second round to take on Test, who downs Crash Holly in under two minutes.

The distrust between Angle and Jericho is almost palpable as they make their way to the ring for their match against Undertaker and Austin. For the first time since his metamorphosis, Jericho looks rattled and weak in the ring, his focus split between fighting Austin and Undertaker and waiting to see if the other shoe will drop with Angle. Angle exonerates himself tremendously, coming to Jericho's aid when needed, and attacking his former comrades with the aggression of a pit bull. When Angle gets the tag, he cleans house with suplexes and surprisingly strong brawling skills, until Austin stops him with a thumb to the eyes. Regal comes down to the ring with the still-dazed-from-his-loss Kane to witness Angle being punished for his "transgressions", but miraculously, Angle fights back and lays out Austin long enough to get the tag. Regal distracts the referee while Kane tries to interfere, but The Rock rushes down to ringside and throws Kane into the steel steps while Jericho overwhelms Undertaker with a strong second wind and a bottomless well of rage. Austin interrupts the pinfall attempt, which draws in Angle, who takes Austin to the outside, leaving Jericho alone with 'Taker. A low blow leads to an attempt at the Last Ride, but Jericho punches out of the finisher, hits the Lionsault, and gets the three. Jericho grabs a microphone and, through gasps for air, stands over 'Taker and says; "Now who deserves to be in the cage?"

Suddenly, Jericho collapses forward, a victim of a vicious assault from behind by Rhyno. Tazz and RVD use chairs to drop everyone, while Rhyno concentrates on punishing Jericho with a series of devastating piledrivers before finishing with a Gore that hits so hard, Jericho starts coughing up blood. Heyman strolls down the ramp, putting an arm around Regal's shoulders and says with the biggest crocodile smile he can muster; "In case you couldn't guess, that's team ... and, oh, look! They're beating the living hell out of both of your teams!" Heyman straightens Regal's tie, gives him a couple obnoxious but soft slaps to the cheek and says; "I guess, come Survivor Series, I'll be the one getting a new gopher! See ya at Nitro, Willie!" Heyman laughs as he leads his team away from the ring, leaving six broken men strewn about the ringside area.

 

Nitro: Nov. 4th

The meeting of the WCW, WWF and Fringe teams to officially sign the WarGames contract for Survivor Series is at the center of Nitro, but one question remains as Nitro begins: who will the WWF send as their representatives? And, to settle their issues before they head into WarGames, Arn signs a tag match between Booker T & DDP against Big Show and Mike Awesome.

The evening gets off to a good start for WCW, with the O'Haire & Palumbo faction of the NBT squaring off, and defeating, the Fringe team of Jerry Lynn and Steven Richards. An attempted ambush by the Impact Players and Lita draw out Kronik and Molly Holly to drive off the Fringe contingent. The IP lead their friends back down the aisle, tail between their legs, until Bryan Clarke grabs the microphone and calls them out for cowards. Brian Adams concurs, and dares the IP to put the titles on the line next week, but the NTB intercede, declaring a rightful claim to a title shot as well. Arn comes out and puts forth a settlement: a 10-person elimination tag at Survivor Series, with Kronik, Molly and the NTB against the IP, Lita, Richards and Lynn, where, if Team WCW can defeat Team Fringe, The Impact Players will put up the WCW Tag Titles on the following night's Nitro in a triple threat against both the NBT and Kronik.

Booker barges in on Arn as he is squaring away some final details before the contract signing. Arn tries to push off Booker for later until Booker tosses a ream of paper on the desk. Arn looks at it, then up at Booker. "What's this?"

"Dat's a contract," Booker says. "For me to take this"""Booker drops the WCW Title on the desk"""to the Fringe. I ain't signed it, cause I don't wanna."

Arn's eyes narrow to slits; he crosses his arms and looks Booker in the eye. "So why are you giving this to me now?"

"Cause you need to know how serious I am about things. You willin' to risk WCW ... you willin' to risk dat belt, the belt your buddy Ric has worn like 22 times ... on the backs of me, and Page and that big lug Big Show ... but you ain't askin' for nothing in return!"

"That isn't what WCW is all about, Book"""

"Dat's what war is all about, Arn! You wanna put dat much weight on me, make me and Page and Show fight for dis company ... but you don't espect dem to do the same?" Booker puts his hands on the desk and leans forward. "I don't wanna fight for a compn'y dat don't wanna fight for me ... specially when you didn't even ask us in WCW if we wanted ta gamble our lives."

Arn is stoic in his posture, his face a chiseled mask of stone, betraying not a single emotion. "Why don't you cut the crap, Booker, and just what it is you came to say?"

Now Booker's eyes narrow, his lip snarling at the corner ever so slightly. "Either you get them suckas to put up their future like you did to us, or I grab me a pen and sign join up wit Team Fringe."

Arn snorts. "So I'm supposed to bow to your blackmail threat? Booker says 'jump', and I'm supposed to say 'how high?' How does that make me look, Booker? In the eyes of the fans ... in the eyes of Shane McMahon ... in the eyes of the boys? How does it make me look if the WCW Commissioner bows to a blackmail threat from one of the boys who's got his jock in a knot?"

Booker picks up the WCW Title, throws it over his shoulder, then grabs the contract, stuffs it in a pocket ... and grabs a pen from Arn's desktop. Booker tucks in it his pocket and says; "How do you think you looked to the boys when you put up WCW without asking dem, Arn?" Booker walks out of the office without another word, leaving Arn in quiet consternation.

A steel cage surrounds the ring for a by-request, non-title grudge match between Malenko and RVD. RVD enters the steel cage first, a preview for him of his role on Team Fringe in 13 days. Malenko steps through the door, looking at the unforgiving steel that surrounds them, an embodiment of the finality the match represents to their feud. Unlike the prior week, RVD is focused and, inside the steel cage, allowed to unleash his extreme style. Malenko, by contrast, has to adjust his highly technical style to keep up with RVD, especially when RVD uses the steel cage as a partner in battering down Malenko. But RVD gets greedy and tries a Five-Star Frog Splash off the top of the cage and comes up empty; Malenko, bleeding from his impacts with the steel, drags himself to his feet and begins the task of finishing off RVD. Malenko introduces RVD to the steel, bloodying him up before locking on the Texas Cloverleaf and getting the tap-out, a great thumb-in-the-eye on the way to the contract signing and WarGames.

If there was any hesitation on the part of the audience in regards to Booker T's and DDP's recent actions, their introduction during the main event tag match erases all doubt; the crowd vociferously boos DDP and the WCW Champion as they come down the aisle. Conversely, Big Show gets a hero's reception, and Awesome, once a despised traitor, is given a warm welcome by the crowd. Booker and DDP no longer try to deny their non-favored status, resorting to every dirty trick in the book to try and fell the two big bruisers. But all the cheating in the world doesn't stop the aggression of Show and Awesome and their quest to up-end the self-appointed spokesmen for WCW. Show gives his future teammates no mercy in manhandling them as if they were small children, while Awesome uses his unorthodox offense to wear them out. The teamwork of Show and Awesome rivals long-time partnerships, but they can't match the deceitfulness of DDP and Booker, who use diversion to set up the illegal use of brass knuckles by Booker to get the pinfall (with his feet on the ropes, no less) on Show.

The ring is set up with a luxuriant red carpet, the ring ropes removed to make way for a large horseshoe-shaped table. A cadre of lawyers precede the representatives of the respective companies, standing on the arena floor in the corner of their clients. Paul Heyman leads his three representatives to the ring first, acknowledging the crowd's overwhelming hatred for him by enthusiastically waving like the grand marshall at a parade to the jeering audience, then seating himself at the center of the table as if he were king of the realm. Arn and Flair come out next to a thunderous applause, despite having Booker T and DDP in tow; Heyman smiles extra-wide, noticing Arn is a man short. "Where's the um ..." Heyman sticks his arms out, his face falling slack, his eyes as dull as day-old dishwater; he lets out a gutteral groan and forces his voice down into a low growl. "Me smash ... me eat whole buffet table!" Heyman laughs uncontrolably at his own joke, his crew joining in (except for the still-pissy RVD).

Arn glares at Booker, who shows no sense of remorse about his actions. "He's getting tended to by medics." Arn turns back to Heyman. "He's not needed for this. Booker and DDP are sufficient witnesses."

Heyman shrugs as if to say suit yourself, then sits back and puts his feet on the table, waiting for the announcer to welcome the WWF delegation.

But no one comes through the entrance. The music continues to play while Heyman twitches his feet, looking even more malevolently gleeful then before. Finally, a gaggle of voices can be heard, and seven arguing men come out in a cluster, each trying to shove or provoke or prevent the person standing nearest him. Regal is the only one not tied up in the human battlefield of Austin, Undertaker, Kane, Jericho, Angle and Rock; he rushes to the ring, looking back at the tangle of fighters in disgust. "Don't you have any bloody security in this god-forsaken hellhole?" he opines to Arn. "Don't just sit there, do something! Get those ruffians away from our proceedings!"

Flair grins. "What's a matter, Big Willie? Ain't you got control over your boys?" Regal goes to say something, but Flair gets right in his face and cuts him off with an ear-splitting "Woo!" that makes Regal's face twist and contort in revulsion. Flair starts to provoke Regal, daring him hit take a swing until Arn pulls him back and tells him to take a seat. Regal flashes Flair a dirty look, mocking him being reigned in like a child. Flair seethes, his hands balling into fists, but, with Arn there, Flair resists the urge to take the WWF Commissioner's head off.

Finally, the arguing gaggle make it into the ring, although they almost up-end the table with their pushing and shoving. Arn steps in and helps Regal separate the two groups, with Regal holding back Austin, 'Taker and Kane, and Arn keeping Jericho, Rock and Angle at bay. All six continue to shout at each other across the ring until Arn and Regal bellow at the top of their lungs for them to shut up. When they finally do, Arn says; "Okay, I'm gonna ask this, and I'm gonna ask it once." He turns to Austin's party, and for a brief second, the cool, razor-sharp glint of the Enforcer creeps back into Arn's eyes. "And I swear by the Good Lord Almighty, if you much as breathe too loud, I'll personally wrap my tire iron around your head, you got that? Am I clear?" Regal's charges eye Arn suspiciously, but stand down and keep their mouths shut. "Now, Chris ... what the hell is going on?" Jericho glares over Arn's shoulder, only for Arn to physically grab Jericho by the jaw and redirect his attention to himself. "Don't look at them, look at me. What is going on?"

Jericho sloughs off Arn's grip and steps back a second, composing himself. "Arn, it's real simple," he says. "Those guys do not represent the majority of the WWF locker room, they don't represent the company's best interests, and they don't represent the fans. And even if they could come close to doing one of those, they can't beat a housefly with a shotgun! These are the men who've wanted to eradicate you since WCW came back, the guys who tried to bury me and Raven and anyone else who didn't agree with them!"

"Aw, he's full of crap!" whines Austin. "Listen to him! He's as-"

Arn's head whips around as if it were on a swivel. "What did I tell you about keeping your mouth shut?"

Steve glares right back, refusing to be cowed by Arn. "Do you know who I am? My name is Stone Cold Steve Austin, and I-"

Rocky cuts off Austin with a barrage of verbage; "Am a cousin-kissin', knuckle-draggin, beer-suckin', trailer-livin' whiny bitch!"

Undertaker tries to get past Regal, but Regal catches him by the arm and hauls him back, then looks back at Rock with a scowl. "Can't you keep your bloody trap shut?"

"No more then your momma can keep her legs shut!" replies Rock. Regal's scowl gets even nastier, but Rock scowls right back.

Suddenly, Heyman stands up, straightens his tie and says; "Ladies and gentlemen, we seem to have encountered a roadblock on the way to Survivor Series. I, for one, did not come to this god-forsaken no man's land you call WCW just to watch a bunch of spoiled WWF brats bicker like school children. And," he says, looking at Arn, "I certainly didn't come here to take away someone who stabbed me in the back already ... although I do share his opinion that the WWF should be confident enough and willing to put up the future of their company in this match ... I know I'm willing to, because that's how confident I am. Obviously, we can't expect the WWF to agree to terms for the match, when they can't even be bothered to name a team! So, therefore, I have a solution ... it's not the best solution, but I think it's fair. Why don't we give the WWF time to sort out their issues, decide on terms and a team, and sign these contracts Thursday, on Smackdown?"

One by one, each party gives a reluctant consent to the idea. Heyman grins wide and gives an exaggerated nod. "It's settled then! Thursday, on Smackdown, after the WWF deliberates, we'll reconvene ..." Heyman walks out of the ring, trailed by his charges. At the foot of the steps, Heyman turns, his _expression grave. "To sign your death warrant!" Heyman cackles madly as he walks away, leaving the two WWF parties glaring at each other in the WCW ring ... until Booker and DDP jump Austin's party, igniting a massive brawl between all three teams that closes out Nitro.

Smackdown: Nov. 8th
The second attempt at a contract signing, and the incumbant speculation about the team and acceptance of the all-or-nothing stipulations, dominate the air of Smackdown. Intense deliberations by the board of directors and the owners are mentioned, with heated debate in favor of both teams driving a wedge in the boardroom as sharp and divisive as in the locker room. Amidst the turmoil, there is still a wrestling show to put on, and 2 more quarter-final matches in the Intercontinental Title tournament remain, as well as a "unique" challenge by the Dudley family for the WWF, and a to-be-determined main event.

RVD comes out first, a chair in hand, which he sits down on in the middle of the ring. He lets the crowd and everyone else watching sweat out a few silent minutes before finally speaking. "I was the first man to hold the WWF Intercontinental and WCW United States Championships simultaneously. And for some reason, I got left out of the tournament for the IC Title. Me! Mr. Pay-Per-View! The former champ, being denied my rightful rematch. So I am here tonight, and I won't leave this ring until I get what's coming to me."

The Rock's music fills the arena, sending the crowd into an instant frenzy. Out comes The Rock, dressed for battle, microphone in hand. The Rock paces across the stage like a lion in a cage, never taking his eyes off RVD. "Who ... the hell ... are you?" RVD opens his mouth, but Rock cuts him off with predictable (but rousing) "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU ARE!" The crowd chants "Rocky", which he soaks in until it dies off. "All day long, every damn day, The Rock has to hear it from somebody; 'I'm Booker T, I'm the f-f-f-f-five-time WCW Champion!' 'My name is Stone Cold Steve Austin, and I'm a stump-dumb redneck!' Now, The Rock has to hear it from ..." Rock waves in the air, as if trying to conjure RVD's name. "Whoever the hell you are, Rip Van Winkle, Dick Van Dyke, Martin Van Buren, Chevy Van ... it just doesn't matter, because the fact of the matter is you're just another jabroni, taking time out of The Rock's show, whining and moaning, and The Rock has had it up to the top, to the tippy-top of The People's Eyebrow, of jabronis like you! So what The Rock's fixing to do now ... The Rock, he has the ear of the company, and he has the ear of the people. If you think you can get past The Rock right now, in The Rock's ring, on The Rock's show, then maybe, maybe, you got a shot in getting into that tournament." RVD starts to protest, but Rock silences him. "Arent you the one who just said you're Mr. Pay-Per-View? The Rock remembers you guaranteeing victory at Survivor Series ... if you can win WarGames, surely you can beat The Rock!"

Rocky charges the ring and is up on his feet and swinging before RVD can even register the sudden turn of events. A referee races down and rings the bell in time for RVD to eat a spinebuster. RVD bails before Rock can connect with the People's Elbow, which throws off Rock's momentum, and RVD takes control by throwing Rock into the stairs. But as fast as RVD can strike, Rock counters, drilling him with a Rock Bottom and the pin. RVD throws a fit, kicking and swearing and yelling at the ref while Rock heads back to the locker room amidst the cheers of the fans.

Regal comes to the ring, clad in his nice suit, nose up in the air as always. "Before I address my match tonight, I have words for someone." Regal looks directly at the camera, raw hatred and fury oozing from every pore. "Ric Flair ... I am sick of your wise lip, I am sick of your attitude and your feeble attempts at pretending you have any sort of class. It is time someone showed you exactly what your position is in this industry, and I am the gentleman to do it. Therefore, I put forth to you a challenge for Survivor Series ... your ..." Regal chuckles disdainfully. "Your pathetic figure-four against my superior Regal Stretch. We shall see who the true gentleman and distinguished statement of wrestling truly is." Regal exaggerates a mournful sigh. "Now then, onto pressing matters, namely my match against Raven in the tournament. All attempts to contact Mr. Raven have been unsuccessful. Therefore, this referee right here will ring the bell and, should this Raven person not show up in 10 seconds, he'll be counted out and I shall advance." Regal sets the mic on the mat and puts his arms behind his back, a smug smile on his face as the ref starts the count. The sudden cheering of the crowd never registers with Regal as anything other then applause for his impending advancement in the tournament ... and, therefore, he never sees Raven come through the crowd and slide into the ring. When the referee stops counting, Regal notices and turns his sneer towards Earl Hebner ... and right into a kick in the gut and a lightning-quick Raven Effect DDT. Raven gets the pin and disappears into the crowd again while the ref checks on the unconscious Regal. The sudden victory moves Raven into the semi-final to face Hardcore Holly, who defeats X-Pac in his quarterfinal match.

Like on Nitro, the ring is draped in a red carpet and an ornate U-shaped table. By agreement, the respective leaders keep their retinues at bay (save for the lawyers), leaving Heyman and Arn to traverse the aisle alone, to the table in the ring of the enemy. Arn and Heyman sit in silence as they wait for the WWF's chosen representative, of whom there has been no clue given.

When "No Chance In Hell" cues up, almost everyone in the building gasps simultaneously; the deposed Chairman, Vince McMahon, steps out, with his wife Linda walking right beside. Arn smiles just a little, but Heyman is apoplectic. "Y- y-you can't do this!" he screams. "He ... he's banned! He's not allowed ... what the hell ..."

Vince steps up to Heyman, leering over him like a tower over an ant. Heyman does a respectable facsimile of the "McMahon gulp", but before Vince can do anything, Linda puts a hand on his arm. "Sit down, Vince." For a panic-stricken moment, everyone in the arena sees Vince's hands ball into fists and his lip curl up in a rabid-dog snarl; another brawl seems assured ... until Vince suddenly grabs a chair and sits down. Linda stands behind Vince, one hand on his shoulder. "I assure you, Paul, everything is above-board." Linda sighs and looks at Arn. "The board of directors has agreed to accept your terms, Commissioner Anderson; the WWF will, like you and the Lunatic Fringe, gamble its future on the outcome of the WarGames match at Survivor Series. This is why Vince is here; as part-owner, the board of directors felt he had a right to witness the proceedings, provided he had no hand in them. I trust there are no objections?"

Arn shakes his head silently, confidently; Heyman is too stunned to do much but give a slow, stupid single shake of the head.

"Good. Our lawyers have taken the liberty of re-drafting the contract to fulfill these specifications. There are copies for the both of you to provide your lawyers for their approval, of course"""

"Wait!" Heyman stands up. "You expect us to sign a contract when you haven't even named your team? What kind of scam are you running, lady?"

Vince's entire body tightens, and he starts to stand up. Linda pushes on his shoulder until he acquiesces. "I assure you, Paul, there is no scam here. I have not mentioned the team yet for one reason ..."

The music of Chris Jericho cues up and the crowd goes nuts. No sooner has Jericho stepped out then The Rock's music comes on, and he joins Jericho on the stage; immediately following, Angle's music ushers him out, and the three walk down the aisle together as Heyman flies off the handle. He jumps up out of his seat so fast, the chair flies out from beneath him. "What the hell is going on, Linda?" Heyman circles around and approaches Linda, his eyes wild with rage. "What the hell scam are you pulling, you double-crossing bitch?"

The H is barely past Heyman's lips when Vince leaps from his seat; he wraps his hands around Heyman's throat and shoves him into the nearest corner, muttering under his breath. "YOU SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH, YOU MISERABLE"""

Jericho, Rock and Angle, seeing Vince flip his lid from the aisle, race into the ring and pry Vince off of Heyman. Heyman clutches at his throat, coughing and vowing a lawsuit. Jericho and Angle hold back Vince while Rock deals with Heyman. "The Rock says you need to pick up your chair, sit your one-too-many-cheese-crust-pizzas ass in it, know your role and shut your mouth!" Heyman opens his mouth, but Rock pantomimes a closing mouth with his hand a couple inches from Heyman's nose. Heyman's teeth clack when his mouth shuts; he rights his chair and plops down, too stunned to say or do anything. "Now, The Rock says you're going to keep your mouth shut while we explain this for you. Next Sunday ... WarGames ... big match. WWF on the line. WCW on the line. Fringe on the line. You got Booker T, you got Rhyno, you got DDP, you got Austin, you got Undertaker, you got all the big names! But there's one thing missing, one piece of the puzzle all of you forgot, one group all of you super-smart, suit-wearing monkeys forgot ... the people." The crowd starts to chant "Rocky", but Rock holds up a hand to silence them. As soon as they do, Rock gestures to Angle.

"First of all, Mrs. McMahon, let me just say that I think you're a fabulous lady. Mr. McMahon, you built this company into the powerhouse it is. Mr. Anderson, you're a freakin' legend! And Mr. Heyman ..." Angle falls silent; everyone looks at him, waiting for him to finish the sentence. "Anyway, what The Rock said is true; everyone has been so busy fighting and hurting and bickering that the one group of people, the fans have been forgotten! Mr. Jericho has been fighting for them since day one, and since Rock came back, so has he. It took me a while to see the light, but daggummit, I did! The people made me their Olympic hero, and they look up to Rock and Jericho too! They don't wanna see that go away! That's why we're here tonight."

Jericho picks up, his voice as cold and lethal as a razor blade. "The bottom line, as one of your boys would say, Vince, is that you guys wanna fight to the death? You wanna throw this business in the sewer? You wanna kill this industry? Over our dead bodies." Jericho turns to Rock and gestures to Rock; Rock produces a ream of papers from his shirt and tosses it on the table. "That's our new contract. Linda, we officially volunteer you to pick Austin's team as your team ... but WarGames will no longer be a three-way dance. That contract right there, that turns WarGames into a four way match ... Team WWF versus Team WCW verses Team Fringe ... versus The People's Team." The crowd goes nuts; Heyman's eyes are wide as dinner plates, the opposite of Vince's narrowed slits. Only Arn and Linda show no emotion; they merely study the scene, watching and listening. "The terms are simple; if we win, we call the shots. No mutually assured destruction; no dissolution; no unemployment. We will fight for the people, and if we win"""

Rock raises a hand. "When The People's Team wins."

"Right, when we win, we will do right by the people, and accede to their wishes."

The lawyers come into the ring and discuss the development with their clients. Arn is the first to speak, pledging full support for the stipulations. Linda follows suit, leaving only Heyman, who is too taken aback from the chaos of the past few minutes to offer much of anything in the way of a cohesive opinion. Jericho leans down, getting nose-to-nose with Heyman. "This is not up for negotiation, you pompous jackass. Either agree to the terms, or watch us tear through every last damned one of your soldiers and send them to the hospital. Take your pick."

Heyman looks at Jericho, then behind him, at Angle and Rock, stoic but grim, three angels of death. Nothing but air comes out the first time Heyman tries to speak. "C'mon, jerky, speak!" says Jericho, giving Heyman a light slap on the cheek. "You can do it!"

"F-f-fine ... you ..." Heyman can't manage anything more; he scribbles a barely legible signature. Linda and Arn put their pens to the paper, making official the historic highest-stakes match in wrestling history.

"Now, one more thing ..." says Jericho. "Kurt and Rock didn't come tonight ready for a fight, but I damn sure did ... and I think the people would like a preview of WarGames. So, how about you all do right by the people for once and give 'em something ... say, a fatal-four-way ... me, Austin, Rhyno and Booker?" All three parties quickly agree, signing the biggest main event in Smackdown history.

The entire Dudley family come out, unscheduled according to JR and Michael Cole. D-Von speaks first; "Ohhh, my brother, the WWF is on the run! The power of the Fringe, with the combined strength of the Dudley family ... ohhhhhhh, testify, my brother!"

Bubba Ray takes the stick. "There ain't a tag team we haven't beaten! The Dudleys have no competition left, and frankly, we're bored as hell! So we got together and thought up a great idea ... we call it The Dudley Challenge. The WWF can send out any three guys to face us ... if any of them can beat us, that guy wins the Tag Titles!"

Bubba Ray tosses the microphone away as JR and Cole speculate about who will take up the challenge. Christian is the first out of the curtain, racing to the ring as if his ass were on fire. Jeff Hardy starts down the aisle, but the APA come from behind and lay him out, laughing as they stroll to the ring, leaving Jeff on the ground, holding his head. Neither see Matt come up from behind and clock Faarooq in the back of the head with a chair and speed by, taking up the space next to Christian. Bradshaw's jaw, but with the spot claimed, there is nothing he can do but take up the final spot on the team. Bradshaw's resentment almost turns him into a fourth teammate for the Dudleys, doing everything he can to derail Christian's and Matt's attempts at victory. The teamwork of the Dudleys overwhelms the mismatched trio, but when Christian and Matt manage to isolate Spike, Saturn comes down to stop the shift in momentum. Edge races down to even the odds, and Jeff and Faarooq shake out the cobwebs to join in, and with the Fringe's insistence on Extreme Rules, the ref can't throw out the match. In the chaos, Matt lands a Twist Of Fate on D-Von while Bradshaw connects with the Clothesline From Hell, occurring in simultaneous pinning attempts. With no hope of restoring order, and all track of the legal men gone, the ref has no choice but to count both pinfall attempts, both of which go to three. The crowd is happy to see the Dudley family lose the belts again, but the ramifications quickly become apparent: members of opposing teams now co-hold the belts. Bradshaw tries to take the belt from Matt, who responds with a shove and, as quick as the blink of an eye, the two teams are brawling with each other. Authorities clear up the brawling, but the announcers opine that the future of the WWF Tag Titles look no better in the possession of people who hate each other then they were on The Dudleys.

The referee finds it all but impossible to get the fatal-four-way main event under any sense of control. Booker and Austin are the first two in the ring and waste no time getting to brawling, and no one takes a step out to the apron when Rhyno and Jericho get to the ring. None of the wrestlers even bother trying for a pinfall, too focused are they on just pounding the living hell out of each other. The ref calls for the match to be thrown out, but before he can do anything, he, along with everyone else in the ring, is overrun by Fringe forces, who pulverize everyone save for their teammate. The WWF Champion leads the team in running through the three competitors as Heyman mocks the three team captains and their respective groups. "Is this what you wanted, gentlemen? Is this how you wanted things, Linda? Arn? Vince? If you wanna screw with Paul Heyman, there's one thing you have to remember: I'm already a broken man. You drove ECW into the ground and virtually stole the money right out of my pockets. A man with nothing to lose and a thirst for vengeance is the most dangerous man on earth; you'll do well to remember that come Survivor Series!"

Nitro: Nov. 12th

The final Nitro before Survivor Series begins with a taped message from Shane McMahon, seated in his office. On the walls surrounding him are various pictures from matches, promotional posters of events, and photos of wrestlers. "Good evening, everyone," he begins, "and welcome to a very special edition of WCW Monday Nitro! As you can see, I am in my office, surrounded by memories of WCW's great legacy. I have every confidence in the world that Booker T, The Big Show and Diamond Dallas Page will be victorious in this, WCW's greatest hour of need. But it would be foolish not to acknowledge the challenge ahead of us, standing in our way of survival. For us to be successful on Sunday, we must not only present a unified team, but we must draw upon the strength of WCW's spirit of unity, and its defiant legacy. It is in that spirit that tonight, in addition to the normal fantastic wrestling you're accustomed to seeing each and every Monday Nitro, we'll be airing flashbacks to classic matches and moments in WCW's history. I encourage you to tape this broadcast, to preserve it for your library, so may relive these historic moments at your leisure. And, from the bottom of all our hearts, we thank you, the fans, for supporting World Championship Wrestling."

Flair comes out, decked out in an impeccable three-piece suit. "Did I hear someone say that tonight was a celebration? Woo!" The crowd woos back, which makes Flair smile. "Cause it ain't a celebration without The Nature Boy! Woo! Sunday! Survivor Series! And ... heh heh heh ... Big Willie Regal ... you wanna piece of The Nature Boy? You think you can go toe to toe with Ric Flair? Buddy boy, you ain't got the jack to even lace my boots. You put on a cheap suit, and you walk around like you're some kinda champion, but Slick Willie ... there's only one man who styles and profiles ... a wheelin', dealin', kiss-stealin', limousine-ridin, jet-flyin' sonofagun! You're nothing but a cheap copy, a phony, a fraud, and come Survivor Series, WAP!" Flair smacks one hand with the other, his eyes so wide, he looks as if he surprised himself. "I'll smack the white right off your teeth! Woo! Now then!" Flair's rage subsides just as quick as it bubbled up; he smoothes out his lapels and smiles as big as the Grand Canyon. "If this is a party for WCW, then there's a guy back there who means just as much to WCW as I do, and he needs to get his butt out here!"

Arn Anderson comes out, dressed as smartly as Flair. Flair and Arn embrace, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd. Fighting back real tears, Flair speaks, his voice low, almost inaudible if not for the microphone; "Three years ago, I was in a place in my life where I didn't know if I could be the Nature Boy anymore. I'd been thrown out like the trash, just another old man who didn't have crap to offer the rest of the business. Three years ago, I was driven out of this company and turned into a shell. This man, this man right here, he brought me out of my darkness. I wouldn't be standing here today if my best friend, Double-A Arn Anderson, hadn't brought me back." Flair turns to Arn, shakes his hand and thanks him, which turns into another embrace. While they are embracing again (with tears coming down the cheeks of both men), Dean Malenko comes into the ring and embraces both men. The crowd is at a fever pitch for the near-complete reunion of the final roster of the Four Horsemen.

Malenko takes the microphone, composes himself, then begins. "Arn, Ric, you know there is no one more then me that respects what the Four Horsemen stand for, and what they meant to WCW. WCW stood for wrestling excellence, and the Horsemen stood head and shoulders above them all. The Horsemen were the elite force in professional wrestling." Malenko takes a deep breath, closing his eyes, as if composing himself. "And it's time they ride again."

Arn's and Flair's eyes almost pop out of their sockets. Malenko doesn't let the reaction intimidate him; he holds up the four fingers, his face set into a stone mask of determination. "This was the sign of the most elite unit in the history of wrestling, the beating heart of WCW for more then a decade. And if you truly want WCW to succeed beyond Survivor Series, it needs us."

"Well, that's all well and good, Dean," Arn says. "But you're forgetting something; there's only three of us in this ring, and I'm not exactly in fighting shape. There can't be a Four Horsemen without four men."

Malenko nods. "I know, Arn. Three years ago, when I was trying to get you to wake up to the need for the Horsemen, you questioned me, you said I didn't get it. You owned up to your wrong; you said I did get it. Do you still trust me that way?"

Arn nods. "Of course, Dean."

"Then can you trust me when I say I believe I've found men that exemplify what it means to be a Horsemen? The desire to be the best, the need to compete at levels other men only dream of, the persistence to go on, despite injury or personal risk ... the qualities that make a man a Horsemen. I believe I've found two men who fill that void."

"Dean-o," says Flair, "you know we trust you to the ends of the world."

"Then allow me to introduce to you two guys who I think can live up to the Horsemen standards." Malenko begins to address both Flair, Arn and the crowd. "The first man has held two different World Titles in his career, as well as numerous other championships. He's tougher then nails, he's a fighter, and at Survivor Series ... well, this man has impressed me enough that I think he deserves a shot at the United States Championship. Ladies, gentlemen, and esteemed friends ... Mike Awesome!"

Awesome comes out to a surprisingly positive reaction. Flair and Arn regard him with a little skepticism, chatting to each other, but not saying a word outright; when Awesome gets to the ring, he shakes hands enthusiastically with Arn and Flair, but neither of the elder Horsemen look entirely thrilled. Arn and Flair look to each other to speak, but Dean takes them both off-guard. "I know, you're skeptical. But I want each one of you to look deep in your heart, and think back to who you've allowed to wear the mantle of Horseman. Think of how many people the Horsemen took in who once stood as enemies of the organization. Think of the deceits, of the destruction that the Horsemen have rained down on in their day ... and then you think about this man, Mike Awesome. There was a time when The Four Horsemen were respected not for their achievements or their legacy, but because they struck fear into the hearts of their opponents. Everything that The Four Horsemen stood for when they first came together, this man stands for now." Malenko can see that the arguments, while true, aren't sinking in like he wants them to; he takes a deep breath, then says; "Remember what you said to me three years ago, Arn? In case you forgot, I took the liberty of having this prepared." All eyes direct to the screen, where a snippet of footage from the historic Horsemen reunion cues up. "I've been out here yakking for the last ten years about what it meant to be a Horseman," says an Arn a few years younger; "Work ethic, respect for the business, respect for each other, respect for the people that came before us, and while I was yakking the last year, and the last couple of months, you were out there fighting the fights for the Horsemen. You exemplify what a Horseman has always meant." The clip ends, and Malenko turns back to Arn and Flair. "If I exemplify what a Horsemen has always meant, shouldn't I be able to recognize it in someone else?"

Awesome steps forward and asks for the microphone from Malenko. Malenko surrenders it, and Awesome speaks with an obviously heavy heart. "I know I made mistakes over the past few months," he says. "I screwed WCW, and Paul Heyman screwed me back. I got what I deserved, and I have been punished. But I'm done being punished. I've done everything I can to make it up to people. Now, I wanna get back to what I came to WCW for in the first place: to be the absolute best." Awesome holds up the four fingers. "This is the best of the best. There's nothing better."

Flair and Arn debate for a moment; finally, Arn steps up to Awesome. "Tell you what, son. If Malenko says you're something, there must be something to ya. I'm not gonna lie and say me and Ric not a hundred percent on ya, but the word of Dean Malenko means something to us, so we're gonna take that into consideration. How's about this; you two, you guys may be fighting at Survivor Series, but tonight, we want to see you as a team. You two show us how it's done ... Mike, you show us how you think a Horsemen gets it done, and if we like what we see ..." Arn completes the sentence with the four fingers, which draws a nod of approval from Malenko and Awesome.

Ric starts in right after, looking to wrap things up, but Malenko taps him on the shoulder. "Ric, I got one more person."

"Dean, we go back, buddy. But you gave us a big piece to chew on tonight. Can it wait?"

Dean shakes his head. "You won't need to think about this at all. As a matter of fact, I think, if anything, this'll help you make up your mind even faster. He's not a hundred percent right now, but when he is, he'll be the best damn Horsemen you ever seen, cause he already knows what it's like to be one." Tenay and Hudson are totally buffaloed at who it could be; the music answers everything, and Chris Benoit comes to the ring. Huge smiles break out on the faces of the men in the ring. Benoit is welcomed with hugs and a thunderous standing ovation. When Benoit gives the four fingers, Arn and Flair give it back with a tear in their eyes, giving the official stamp in making the reunion a relaunching of the dynasty.

Horsemen highlights are liberally sprinkled through the evening's remembrances, all leading up to the big main event, pitting Malenko and Awesome against Booker and DDP. The teamwork of Booker and DDP is a lot more concrete then that of Malenko and Awesome, relative strangers to tagging with each other, but the desire for Awesome to prove himself to Arn and Flair, and for Malenko to prove his judgment accurate, drives the team beyond what Booker and DDP can handle. The duo has to resort to cheating to keep their opponents from overpowering them, but with every passing moment, Booker and DDP find themselves losing traction. Facing certain defeat, DDP resorts to a blatant low blow to draw a DQ ... only for Arn to come out and insist the match restart until there is a legitimate winner. Unfortunately, no sooner does Arn return to the dressing room then Team Fringe comes out and goes after Booker and DDP. Flair and Arn come out of the back, brandishing a chair and a tire iron respectively, while Awesome and Malenko come to the aid of Booker and DDP with only their bare hands. The unified force of the Horsemen is enough to drive the Fringe group from the ring (although the referee had long since thrown out the match). Booker and DDP regard the Horsemen with disdain, refusing the offers of handshakes and well-wishes for Sunday. When Flair lays a hand on DDP to turn him around and yell at him for their disrespect, DDP pulls a Diamond Cutter out of nowhere. Booker and DDP quickly exit the ring, running like scalded dogs down the aisle, laughing all the way. Arn grabs a microphone, so angry his hands are shaking. "Nobody wants to see WCW survive more then me, but you two ... you disrespectful ingrate bastards ... you better damn well hope you lose on Sunday, because if there's a Nitro next week, the two of you are looking at a long night with the Horsemen riding up on your asses!"

Smackdown: Nov. 15th

The final Smackdown before Survivor Series begins with a taped package that announces, like Nitro, the night will be mostly dedicated to revisiting the glory of the World Wrestling Federation's run on television; footage of Superstars, Wrestling Challenge, Saturday Night's Main Event and Raw are promised, revisiting the most cherished memories and controversial moments.

The semi-finals of the Intercontinental tournament provide the main course of new wrestling for the evening, with the finals to occur at Survivor Series. Edge's match against Test goes first, another challenge against a bigger man. Edge utilizes his speed to overcome the challenge and easily dispatches Test with an Edgecution. After the match, Christian approaches Edge with a request for a title shot should Edge win the Intercontinental Title.

"Dude, why would I wanna do that?" Edge says, almost insulted at the idea. "You're my brother, I don't wanna fight you!"

"Yeah, but like, you got the shot at the Intercontinental Title ... and I wasn't even the tournament ... you're the King Of The Ring ... throw me a bone, homeslice!"

Edge gives his brother a friendly clap on the shoulder. "Don't sweat it, man. Your time will come!" he proclaims and walks away, leaving Christian more then a little perturbed.

Regal comes to see Matt Hardy and encourages him to forfeit his half of the Tag Titles as a sign of harmony and willingness to do the right thing. Matt scoffs at the idea and insists he will defend the titles until he and Bradshaw lose them. Regal tries to explain that he has signed a Survivor Series-style match for the event, with The Hardys teaming with The APA against the Dudley family and Perry Saturn, and that it would go a lot smoother if the titles were on one team instead of split between two. When Matt asks Regal if he's asked the same of Bradshaw, Regal laughs, as if the idea is too ridiculous to warrant a real response. Matt stands up and tells Regal what he can do with the "command"; Regal responds with a sneer and warns Matt there is a price for insolence. The price, he finds out when he comes out to defend the Tag Titles, is to defend against his own brother, partnered with, of all people, Christian. Bradshaw and Christian are all too eager to get into the fight, but Jeff and Matt are hesitant to cross paths. Unfortunately for Regal, his plan doesn't pan out, as Bradshaw flattens Jeff with the Clothesline From Hell for the pin. Christian wigs out, throwing a full-blown temper tantrum at the loss, but no one pays attention with Matt getting into it with Bradshaw. Faarooq comes out, but is held back by security, a contingent of whom is sent to the ring to break up Matt and Bradshaw. All the while, watching in their dressing room, The Dudleys laugh at the sight of their opponents tearing each other apart.

Following that is the final semi-final match in the tournament, pitting Hardcore Holly against Raven. Per Hardcore Holly's request, the match is fought under hardcore rules, but he quickly finds himself in over his head with the extreme veteran. Raven has no qualms about taking hardcore beyond its normal limits, and within minutes, Holly is begging for mercy. A quick DDT on a chair stills Holly's tongue and puts Raven in the finals against Edge at Survivor Series.

After a final video package, Austin, Undertaker and Kane come to the ring, each looking fiercely determined. "There ain't no need to for us to come out here and worry 'bout what if crap," Austin says, "since everybody knows we're gonna whoop ass like nobody's business come Sunday; Kane's gonna beat the stupid right outta, and back into, them WCW pieces of garbage ... Big Evil here's gonna stomp them ECW trash back to Philly ... and me, well, I done stocked up last night, went to the store and bought me three full-sized kegs of whoop-ass: one for Rocky, one for that idiot Kurt Angle, one extra-special keg for Chris Jericho. But, ya see, come next Monday""and it'll be next Monday, since we'll be getting Raw back, you bet your ass""after we beat everybody's ass and walk away the winners, we're gonna have couple problems on our hands ... see, first of all, we're gonna have Rock, Jericho and Angle still around. Any ideas, guys?"

Kane merely chuckles while pounding one fist into his other hand. Undertaker rubs his chin, as if the issue requires deep thought, and answers in a gruff tone; "Who says they're walkin' outta the cage, Steve?"

Austin lets loose with a deep belly laugh. "HA! That's a damn good point. So, I guess maybe the one or two of you stupid sons of bitches out there who still like them-" The crowd cuts in with a spontaneous "Rocky" chant; the threesome look around the arena in silence, sneering at the audience. "Chant it all you want," Austin says with a devilish grin, "cause we're gonna send Rocky back to Hollywood in a wheelchair." The crowd responds harshly to this, but Austin doesn't care in the slightest. "The bottom line is, y'all better get your fill of 'em this Sunday, cause come next Monday, you can bet your ass they ain't gonna be in no shape to show up to anything 'cept an emergency room!"

The music of The Rock cuts in; Rock almost runs to the ring, but instead of fighting, he just gets in the face of Austin. Jericho and Angle come right behind, each one a step behind Rock on either side of him. "For over two years, two years, it's been Rock and Austin, Austin and The Rock." Rock holds up two fingers right in Austin's face. "Two years! You beat The Rock at WrestleMania 15, and you had to suck Vince McMahon's ass to beat The Rock at WrestleMania 17. You had to get that piece of monkey crap Triple H to help you beat me the next night." Rock holds up the fingers again. "Two years! Two years, I've had to listen to your mouth. Then, I come back this summer, and suddenly, there you are, acting like you never bashed The Rock in the head with a chair, acting like you and The Rock were a-okay. The Rock has had enough, Austin, so let The Rock make one thing perfectly, absolutely crystal clear." Rock brings his mouth up next to Austin's ear, keeping the microphone nearby so it can pick up what he is whispering. "You're done here." Rock comes back in front, still right in Austin's face. "You're through. Booger Evil or whatever stupid-ass nickname he has this week, he's done. The Big Red Retard, he's done. Commissioner Monkey Anus, he's done, every damn last one of you is done here. The boys don't want you anymore; Linda McMahon don't want you anymore ... why else do you think she let Jericho and The Rock and Angle into WarGames? The people don't even want you here anymore. The next time you cross The Rock's path, The Rock will make damn sure you get shown the door. And that's, as you say, the bottom line ..." Rock whips off his sunglasses and glares deep into Austin's eyes. "... because I say so."

Austin turns away, then turns back, going for a sucker punch; Rock blocks it and fires back, triggering a six-man fracas ... and, watching from aisles in the crowd sit the Fringe and WCW teams, smiling.

 

Survivor Series: Nov. 18th

The video package for Survivor Series is a tour de force of the history of WWF, WCW and ECW, showing classic footage dating back to Gorgeous George, up through Terry Funk, Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Bret Hart and current stars. Freddie Blassie gets the last word of the piece, a haunting proclamation that "In war, there are no winners; only survivors."

WCW's Survivor Series inter-gender elimination match is the first out of the gate, pitting the Fringe team of Jerry Lynn, Steven Richards, Lita and the Impact Players against Kronik, Sean O'Haire, Chuck Palumbo and Molly Holly. Both teams send their women in first, but Lita quickly tags out to Richards when Molly unloads on her with a blur of offense. Molly responds by tagging in Bryan Clarke. The switch marks the beginning of a long period of pain for the Fringe team, who lose Richards in short order to a High Times from Kronik, followed by Lynn falling to a double-team from the Natural Born Thrillers. Upon those two eliminations, the IP force Lita back in, and the WCW team puts Molly back in. With the women, the Fringe finally get an elimination, thanks to Lita using the ropes during a schoolboy. But without another female to wrestle against, Lita finds herself stuck in a land of giants, and quickly tags out to Justin Credible. Credible begs for mercy from Brian Adams but gets none, and Credible is thrown around the ring by one person after another. It is only when Palumbo, looking to set up the Jungle Kick on a downed Credible, gets blasted by a super-kick from Lance Storm that the Fringe finally catch a break and eliminate a competitor. Adams jumps in, looking to pick off the weakened Credible, but Credible scores with a low blow the referee doesn't quite see, allowing a tag to Storm. Storm uses his freshness and speed to stick and move, and the help of Credible and Lita on the outside occupying the other two helps when he manages to cinch on the Canadian Maple Leaf, forcing Adams to tap out. Storm is up on his feet as the next person, O'Haire, gets tossed in by Credible (after being hit in the head with a Singapore cane behind the ref's back). But when O'Haire manages to drop Storm with a clothesline, he tags in Clarke, who cleans house on the IP and plants Storm with a pumphandle powerslam for the three count. Credible, upon realizing he is all alone (aside from the absolutely useless Lita), begs for mercy; Clarke gives him none, pummeling him like a boxer would a speed-bag. Lita goes for a misguided save attempt by slapping Clarke as he has Credible over his shoulder for a powerslam; Clarke merely feints lunging at her, sending her scurrying back to the apron. Clarke drills Credible, then tags in O'Haire, who hits the Seanton Bomb and the pinfall. Lita stands on the apron, too horrified to move. Clarke and O'Haire just stand in the ring, smiling, reclined in the corners. Lita drops down to the mat and backs away; when the ref reaches 10, the announcer declares WCW the winner and, per the results of WarGames, a WCW Tag Title match on Nitro for both the NBT and Kronik.

The second of two Survivor Series matches occurs next, with an unannounced stipulation: it is a tables match. With no tags and no rules, the violence is barely containable, and the refs have to officiate at a distance, lest they find themselves becoming unintentional victims. Spike Dudley is the first to go, a victim of a double-powerbomb by the APA over the top rope to a table on the floor, but the Fringe team quickly even up the sides by putting Faarooq through a table with a 3D. Jeff is the next victim, put through a table with Saturn's Moss-Covered 3-Handled Family Credenza, but the WWF makes it 2-on-2 when Bradshaw hits the Clothesline From Hell into Saturn while propped up against a table in the corner. But an attempt by Bradshaw to powerbomb D-Von into a table is reversed into a back body drop, and, weakened from one fall through a table makes him easy prey to be hit with a 3D through another, leaving Matt alone. Matt fights valiantly, but the numbers game proves too much and, soon, he too falls victim to a 3D to give the match to the Dudleys. JR waxes about how ominous the loss is for the WWF, and what the fate of the Tag Titles will be if the WWF is annihilated at the evening's end.

Edge and Raven exchange a handshake before they square off for the vacant Intercontinental Title, but both watch the other with a cautious eye; for Edge, the unknown factor is Raven's condition""how much may be real, how much may be played up to sucker him in. For Raven, the unknown is having to adjust his nature hardcore style to something more constrained ... all the while keeping his opponent off balance, and keeping an eye out for Edge's brother Christian ... or the missing Tommy Dreamer. Edge is surprised by Raven's ability to keep up with the wrestling, but is disheartened that Raven isn't in as bad a shape as he'd hoped, giving Edge a tougher fight then he expected. And to Raven's surprise, Edge proves a tougher competitor then he expects, taking the high-impact, brutal punishment he dishes out and never stays down. When the ref gets sandwiched in an errant clothesline attempt by Edge, Raven resists going to the plunder and sticks to wrestling, and connects with the Raven Effect. But Christian comes down to the ring and smashes Raven in the head with a chair, then drapes Edge over Raven. The ref stirs enough to see the count and issues a very slow three count. Paramedics come down to check on Raven, but as the ref raises Edge's hand in victory, Christian blasts Edge with the chair. Christian grabs the Intercontinental Title, puts it on the back of Edge's head and delivers another gruesome chair shot. Christian smiles a sickening, almost demonic smile and grabs a microphone as the paramedics now split to check on both men. "You still think my time's coming, brother? I told you I want a title shot ... do I get one now? I gave you the Intercontinental Title on a silver platter ... what do I get out of it? Do I get to experience His Majesty Edge's generosity now?" Christian throws the chair down, his face a twisted mix of rage and self-satisfaction as he walks away, looking back at his handiwork.

The music of the Four Horsemen cues up, and Arn walks down to the ring wearing a striped shirt. On the way, he stops to say hello to Chris Benoit, seated at ringside, then gets in the ring. "Ya know something, it occurred to me the other day ... normally, we don't go having the Horsemen fight each other. But, as this was Dean's idea, as a way for Mike to prove himself once and for all, I figured it'd only be fitting if a Horsemen officiated this little shindig. But if the Horsemen are gonna fight each other tonight, then we're doing this under Horsemen Rules. It's real simple; there won't be rope breaks, and there won't any be count-outs. I ain't gonna tolerate steel chairs or garbage cans, but I expect the two of you to go toe-to-toe, just like the Horsemen have always done, and don't stop until you put your opponent down for the count." Arn gives the four-fingered sign, held high above as Malenko and Awesome come to the ring for their showdown. A handshake between the two starts the match, which has both men pulling out every trick in their respective books, including some new ones to get the upper hand. For Malenko, due to his size, it is a new viciousness and dedication to working over the legs, all the while staying within the lines of Arn's Horsemen Rules. For Awesome, the goal becomes to wear down Malenko with as much high-impact offense as possible without crossing the line into disrespect. Whenever Malenko gets a moment of offense, he goes right for the legs, hitting dropkicks, leg drags and anything else he can to keep the big man off his feet; the plan alters Awesome's ability to effectively assert his size advantage. Awesome's fatal mistake comes when he tries a top rope splash, but the weakened leg gives out and he crashes to the mat. Malenko, battered and weak, pulls himself up and puts on the Texas Cloverleaf. The positioning, near the corner but with Awesome facing the middle of the ring, puts him in a horrible position to try for the ropes, and, with no place to go, Awesome has to tap out. Malenko and Arn help Awesome to his feet; Malenko shakes Awesome's hand, as does Arn, who says; "There isn't any shame in tapping out, Mike. The better man isn't just the winner of the match; it's also the man who comes back to fight again. That's what the Horsemen are all about." Arn holds up the four fingers; Awesome, still trying to catch his breath, nods and offers up a return four-fingered gesture, and the three walk back to the locker room together to the ecstatic cheers of the crowd.

By contrast, though Regal puts forth a gentlemanly air, he displays none of it against Flair, using every dirty-handed trick he can to gain the edge; from the moment the bell rings, Regal starts in, hitting Flair in the back of the head as he takes off his robe, and using the robe to immobilize Flair to beat on him. In between cheap shots, Regal waves to the crowd as if they actually like him, ignoring the negative reply the audience gives him. But the second time Regal waves to the crowd, Flair chop-blocks Regal to the mat. Flair goes right to work on the legs and, like Regal did, stops to acknowledge the crowd, but with a strut and a "Woo!" that is responded to in kind. Flair continues the punishment on Regal until he blocks an attempt at the figure-four by putting a foot on Flair's ass and shoving him head-first into the turnbuckle. Regal shakes out the cobwebs and goes on the offense, punishing Flair with throws, suplexes and stiff shots to the head. When Regal locks on the Regal Stretch, the crowd expects the legend to fall to the obnoxious WWF Commissioner, but Flair manages to reach the ropes to break the hold. Regal goes right back on the offensive, dragging out the punishment as long as he can without trying for a pinfall. But when Regal backs up Flair into a corner, he paint-brushes Flair, which suddenly sparks a second wind. Flair explodes out of the corner and takes Regal down to the mat, hitting him with a blizzard of lefts and rights. Regal tries to bail when he comes to realize there's no real counter to Flair's rage, but Flair catches up with Regal and throws him into the steel steps. A pair of shinbreakers on the steps follow, and Flair tosses Regal back in to slap on the figure-four. Regal holds on as long as he can, but with Flair giving him no slack to go for the ropes and the pain almost making him black out, Regal has no choice but to tap, giving the Horsemen a clean sweep for the evening. Flair shakes hands with Benoit on the way back to the locker room as the crowd gives him a rousing ovation.

The mixed announcing team recaps the modified WarGames rules: a man from each team starts the match, with a new wrestler coming in five minutes later (the order determined by a random draw prior to the event), and further wrestlers in two minute intervals. The Match Beyond begins when all four teams are complete, with submission or surrender the only way to lose, with one modification; instead of one-decision-to-the-win, it is elimination rules, with the last team standing the winner. For the WWF and WCW, a victory will lead to abolishment of the Fringe and the absorbing of the opposing company. For the Fringe, a victory eliminates both the WWF and WCW. For the so-called People's Team ... JR and Tenay can only speculate, as even the contract's language stipulates (albeit in far more formal legal language) that the People's Team will "call the shots" should they win. The risk of the anonymous winning conditions has both sides nervous, considering Jericho's mercurial track record of late ... but as the cage lowers, both announcers state the obvious: it is far too late to back out now.

The steel enclosure lowers from the ceiling, not only surrounding the twin rings but giving space on the arena floor for movement, like an over-sized Hell In A Cell. Kurt Angle and Steve Austin, the first two to enter, start fighting before they even get to the ring. DDP, no friend of either man, follows right behind but hangs back, content to let the two beat the living hell out of each other ... until Tazz, the fourth starter, comes in and goes after him. By the time the five minute opening period has elapsed, two of the men, Austin and Angle, are already bleeding, and Tazz is busy throwing DDP head-first into everything he can find to try and open him up. The door opens, and the crowd holds their breath as they wait for the music to clue them into the next fighter ... who turns out to be Booker T. Booker immediately comes to the aid of DDP, throwing Tazz into the cage wall. Inside the ring, Angle pushes Austin off when he tries a Stunner and connects with an Angle Slam. Angle slaps on the Ankle Lock, torquing it as hard as he can; after a couple of particularly vicious twists, Austin starts to tap, but without complete teams, the submission does no good. Austin's luck changes when the next person in the ring is Kane, who gets Angle off of Austin with a vicious chokeslam. Austin and Kane double-team Angle while Booker and DDP double-team Tazz until the two minutes elapses, and Rhyno is the next person in. Rhyno cuts Austin in half with a Gore en route to Tazz; when Kane tries to stop him, Rhyno kicks Kane in the gut and lands a spine-shattering piledriver. Rhyno then changes rings, grabbing Booker and throwing him into a steel ring post. Tazz manages to stop DDP with a drop-toe-hold into the bottom turnbuckle, leaving them the only people standing ... until Angle makes the mistake of getting to his feet. Rhyno and Tazz switch rings and stalk the Olympic hero until the horn sounds and The Rock joins the match and takes out Tazz from behind. Rhyno charges Angle, who is all too ready for another piece of the Man-Beast. As the Fringe and the People's Team clash, Austin finally manages to stir and stumbles into DDP in the next ring, and the two start to brawl. The horn sounds again, and the final member of Team WCW, The Big Show, enters the ring, making a beeline for Austin. Show throws Austin aside like a bug, but Kane comes up from behind with a low blow that drops the giant. Booker clocks Kane with a kick to the jaw, and Team WCW uses their numbers over Team WWF, while The People's Team has their way with the Fringe team. Kane is chokeslammed off the top rope by Show, while Austin is scraped across the steel cage, turning his already-bleeding cut into a gusher. Reinforcements come in the form of Undertaker, completing Team WWF; 'Taker grabs DDP and introduces him to the many steel surfaces around the rings, from the posts to the steps and the cage. With the reprieve from the two-on-one beating, Austin manages to score some hits on Booker. The horn sounds for the next participant, the man who promised victory, Rob Van Dam. RVD's first attack comes from behind, a double-springboard (using the two opposing sets of ring-ropes) missle dropkick to the back of The Rock. The Fringe uses their numbers to turn the tide back in their favor, with RVD helping to turn Rhyno's devastating piledriver into a spike, sending Angle into a fit of convulsions. Tazz whips out his arsenal of suplexes on Rocky, and for good measure, RVD connects with a Five-Star Frog Splash. The horn sounds for the final time, and Jericho comes in like a man on fire, hitting everyone standing between him and his teammates; Austin, Big Show, DDP, Rhyno and RVD all get a piece of Jericho as he fights to come to the aid of his teammates. Just slightly drowned out by the noise the crowd makes as Jericho sets the ring on fire is the announcer, officially declaring that The Match Beyond has now begun.

Jericho rallies his troops against the Fringe team as the bell rings, signifying the start of The Match Beyond. In the other ring and outside, the people Jericho hit as he blew by come to again and immediately look for the living symbol of the rebellion. Big Show is the first to come after Jericho, but RVD steps in the way, trying to use his fast feet and martial arts to fell the human tower; Show shoves RVD away like a mosquito, but RVD keeps coming back. Austin and DDP are the next to filter through and, as their teammates see what is going on, the rest of them follow suit. Rhyno goes after Jericho, but Angle and Rocky pull themselves up and come to his defense; within moments, similar scenes unfold with RVD and Tazz, quickly revealing a unique position: every member of the Fringe stuck facing three people apiece. Outside, Heyman screams at his men to toughen up and beat back the "weaklings", but the three teams quickly see their opportunity and press the numbers advantage. Before long, the fight turns into a downright mugging, with the Fringe team being thrown around, bloodied and battered at an almost inhumane pace, until Angle secures the Ankle Lock on RVD. Jericho grabs the other ankle and twists while Rock gets down on the mat and talks smack on RVD's face until it becomes too much to bear and RVD taps. The explosion of applause is both joy and relief that soon mutates into a rousing chorus of "Na, Na, Hey, Hey, Goodbye" as the Fringe team are rudely shown the door. Heyman screams denials and curses at everyone on earth until RVD finally crosses his path; Heyman slaps RVD and goes to choke him, but RVD shoves him off and buries a boot in Heyman's gut. The rest of the Fringe see RVD's abuse of Heyman and descend upon the source of their failure, but RVD, hobbling as fast as he can, gets lost in the sea of the audience.

Back in the ring, the teamwork disintegrates immediately, with people striking anyone that isn't a team member. Austin and Rock finally cross paths, trading punches until Austin tries for a Stunner that Rock reverses into a Rock Bottom, but the follow-up Sharpshooter gets broken up by Undertaker. Booker tries to capitalize and put the hurt on Rock, but Angle breaks it up, beginning a chain of attacks and counter-attacks as each group tries to one-up the other. Jericho smartens up and grabs a chair from under the ring and starts waffling people until DDP catches him from behind and drops him with a Diamond Cutter. Kane brings in the steel steps, trying to crush Jericho, but Big Show kicks them back in Kane's face. Big Show uses his size to throw people around the ring and to the outside, sending Angle into the cage like a torpedo and throwing Austin half-way across the ring onto the steel chair. Undertaker and Rock work together to put Show on the mat, but the teamwork stops as soon as Show falls, and Booker drops Undertaker with a shot to the nuts. Booker quickly moves over to Austin, wrapping the chair around his head and starts stomping on it. Within seconds, Austin is coughing up blood, but Booker continues, repeatedly stomping until deciding to just stand on it. Kane struggles to his feet to try and intercept, but Jericho and Angle pounce on him, while Angle teams up with DDP to cut off Kane. Booker stomps on the chair a couple more times until, finally, from under a curtain of blood and a face turning blue from lack of oxygen, Austin taps and whispers a surrender. The small contingent of WWF partisan fans boo, but the rest of the crowd goes nuts with excitement. Officials swarm in and usher Kane and Undertaker out and pull Booker off the chair so medics can assist Austin out of the cage.

When the cage door shuts again, the six remaining fighters measure each other, not a single one of them not bleeding. Big Show is the first to lunge into the fight, met by The Rock; DDP squares off with his old nemesis Kurt Angle, and Booker and Jericho collide. The fists fly and the blood pours as the six fighters, wracked with exhaustion and unimaginable levels of pain, reach into the very bottom of their tanks and unload everything they have, using the environment and every implement therein for unseen levels of brutality. Booker and DDP attack with uncharacteristic ferocity, while Big Show relies on size and strength as his advantage; but none of them expect the will of The People's Team to be so strong. Nothing the WCW team can do keeps Jericho, Rock and Angle down for too long, no matter how much blood is lost or how bad the blow. Jericho manages to plaster DDP with a chair and, with Angle and DDP occupied, assists Rock in sending Show out of the ring; the tandem introduce Show's head to the metal crossbeam in the cage wall, which drops the giant like a dead tree. With Team WCW's big gun on the arena floor, bleeding and unconscious, Rock and Jericho get back in the ring and team up on Booker. DDP plants Angle with a Diamond Cutter and goes after Jericho with the chair. He sets up Jericho on the top turnbuckle and goes for a super-plex, but Angle pops up like a jack-in-the-box, races up the turnbuckles and unleashes an Angle Slam from the top. Booker tries to seize upon Angle, but Rock intercepts and takes Booker off his feet with a Rock Bottom. Jericho comes off the top with an elbow onto DDP as Rock slaps on the Sharpshooter on Booker. Jericho puts the Walls Of Jericho on DDP, but neither he nor Booker will tap out. But Big Show comes to, bleeding profusely and dizzied, and sees his teammates in no man's land and signals the surrender. The crowd noise almost drowns out the announcer proclaiming The People's Team the winner of WarGames. Officials and paramedics come in to check on the wrestlers, but Jericho grabs the announcer's microphone. "Tomorrow ..." he says, gasping for breath, his voice a barely audible rasp. "Nitro ... tomorrow ... revolution ..." With the heat of battle gone and the need for adrenaline gone, the strength finally drains from Jericho and he falls to his knees. The crowd chants "Jericho!" as he sits on his knees in the aisle, letting the applause wash over him ... and, with the applause, the sense of relief and vindication ... and, most of all, the knowledge that the war is over.

Epilogue: Nitro: Nov. 19th

The Impact Players' WCW Tag Title defense against the NBT and Kronik is announced, but, aside from that, only one other thing is announced for Nitro: appearances by Kurt Angle, The Rock and Chris Jericho, to discuss how they plan to "call the shots" as a condition of their WarGames victory.

Shane McMahon stands in the center of the ring as the opening fireworks blow off. Once the noise is gone and the smoke clears, Shane announces; "First off, let me welcome to the ring three people; firstly, my parents, Linda and Vince McMahon!" The McMahons comes out to a vicious round of boos; Vince regards the audience with sanctimonious scorn, while Linda just walks with him, knowing the hatred expressed by the crowd is really directed at her husband. When they get in the ring, Shane grasps his mother's hand and kisses her on the cheek, but an offer to shake hands with his father is rudely rebuffed by Vince crossing his arms. Linda tries to urge Vince to do it, but Vince is steadfast; Shane tells Linda not to worry about it, and moves on with the introductions. "I'd also like to the man behind the Lunatic Fringe, Mr. Paul Heyman to join us in the ring."

The response to Heyman is so overwhelming, the negativity seems mere moments away from turning into a lynching. Heyman yells at the crowd as he walks down the aisle, which incites the audience to get even more rowdy. Finally, Heyman just gives up and walks to the ring, standing as far away from the McMahons as possible, arms crossed and a sneer chiseled into his face.

"And last but not least," proclaims Shane, "the winners of WarGames at Survivor Series 2001, The Rock, Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho!" The threesome come out to the music of Jericho, their unofficial captain, and are treated to a respectable, if not entirely warm, reception from the partisan WCW crowd. The trio shake hands with Shane and Linda, while Vince and Heyman keep their hands stuffed in their pockets; Angle responds to this by hugging Vince anyway, drawing a look of confused disgust from Vince. Meanwhile, Shane says; "Gentlemen, we have assembled to hear your terms; you have the floor."

Angle takes the stick first, all smiles and bright eyes. "Ya know, since I first talked to Chris Jericho a couple weeks ago, and understood where he was coming from, I've felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I was being stupid, following around Austin and Undertaker and those guys; those guys didn't care about me, they only wanted to use me for their purposes. And their purpose is to keep the business the way it is: with them, on top, forever. They don't care about seeing this business grow; they'd rather drive it into the ground, then let someone else have a shot. That's why the first thing we're doing is stopping these guys in their tracks. Effective immediately, there will be no more wars or hostilities between WWF and WCW. Anyone who willfully invades the other federation will be fired instantaneously, no second chances. No more wars; this country is big enough for the WWF and WCW to exist, side by side."

Angle hands the mike to Rock, who knows better then to expect a "Rocky" chant from the crowd. "The Rock isn't gonna waste your time with what The Rock always says, cause The Rock knows you don't wanna hear it. The bottom line is this: we came here with an agenda, and The Rock's gonna move right along with Point #2 on the agenda: WCW and WWF, all by themselves, what they're gonna do now that the war is over." Rock steps up to Linda and Vince, takes off his sunglasses and turns his gaze to Vince. "Rock is gonna make this simple, so simple, even your diseased monkey's brain can understand it, Vince; your buddy, Willie Regal? Gone. New Commissioner, this Thursday on Smackdown. You wanna get Raw back? Ask TNN to give you another show, cause Nitro stays Nitro." Rock turns to Shane. "As for you and WCW ... until WCW's ready to put on their own, the pay-per-views are shared ... just keep your people out of the way of the WWF people, and vice versa." Rock turns away, then turns back and gets right back in Vince's face. "Oh, there's just one more thing, Vince, just"-Rock's voice gets quiet, a gravelly, lethal whisper-"one more thing. The world may be big enough for two wrestling federations, but the World Wrestling Federation ... it ain't big enough for The Rock and Steve Austin. Thursday ... Rock ... Austin ... one last time, no interference ... Austin wins, and The Rock goes to Hollywood forever ... The Rock wins ..." Rock grins, backs away, then points at Shane McMahon. "If The Rock wins, you got yourself a new superstar, Shane." The crowd explodes as Rock tosses the microphone to Jericho; Linda and Vince both turn several shades of white, horrified at the guaranteed prospect of losing one of their biggest assets; Shane, meanwhile, cracks a world-class shit-eating grin, even as the crowd breaks out into a "Rocky" chant after all.

Jericho pauses, looking to the crowd, who has quickly taken to The People's Team's messages of live-and-let-live. The "Rocky" chant melts into a "Y2J" chant; Jericho just lets it die off before breaking his silence. "Oh, and Vince? One more thing. You know how the board suspended you indefinitely? Allow me to put a timeframe on that, jerky: hows about forever?"

Vince's eyes go wide, blazing like suns gone supernova. "You can't do that to me! I'm Vince McMahon, dammit! I made this industry! You wouldn't have a job if it weren't for me! You-"

"I can do anything I want, Vince. Remember; we call the shots now. We won that last night. And while you may have helped this industry become what is it today, the bottom line is this is still a wrestling business, not the Vince McMahon show. This business is bigger then you, and now, it'll finally have the chance to prove it." Jericho shoves the microphone in Vince's chest and starts to walk off, until Heyman crosses the ring, rips the microphone out of Vince's hands and starts yelling. "What the hell was that? Was I invisible, or ..." Sudden realization dawns on Heyman. "Are you ... are you letting me slide?"

Jericho pauses, looking at Heyman and grinning. Finally, he comes back, rips the microphone away from Heyman and says; "No, Paul, I'd forgotten about you simply cause you mean that much to me." Much of the audience, including Shane and Linda, laugh at this; Heyman does not find it as amusing. "But since you seem like you just gotta know ... I was gonna do this by courier, since you really aren't worth the time." Jericho bats around Heyman's tie playfully, like a cat with a mouse. "Them contracts your Fringe boys have with the WWF and WCW? Nullified. They're free agents. They can sign anywhere they want." Heyman looks confused, cocking his head sideways like a dog. "Let me break that down for you in real simple terms, Paulie: they're fired! Every last one of them!"

"Y-y-y-you can't do that! Just cause you won last night doesn't mean you can go firing people! That wasn't part of the deal! It wasn't part of the d-"

"Plead your case to the boards of WCW and WWF, Paulie, cause we don't give a rat's ass. Bottom line: if you can somehow manage to convince the WWF and WCW to keep on your wrestlers, and if you can somehow keep them from being hunted down like dogs in the locker room and beaten into a coma ... if we ever ..." Jericho looks over to The Rock.

"And The Rock means ever!" he adds.

"Thank you. If we ever see Fringe members teaming up, ganging up, forming a faction, or sharing a cup of coffee ... their ass is suspended. No more Fringe, every last one of them ... done. Gone. No goodbyes, no final matches together, no farewells." Jericho turns to Shane and adds; "Except for The Impact Players. They will run out their title reign ... then, they break up."

"That's not fair! You can't just-"

"We can, we have, it's done. As for Van Dam and Dreamer ... well, they're technically free agents, since you never bothered to actually sign then to a WWF contract or anything, so ... good luck finding them jobs. And while we're at it ... good luck finding yourself one, Paulie ... you're fired."

Epilogue: Smackdown: 22nd

The Austin/Rock career-direction match headlines the first Smackdown in the post-InVasion era, but coming on the heels of the earth-shattering news from Nitro's conference with Jericho, Rock and Angle, the fans and the company know the night will be something special.

To that end, no sooner have the fireworks opening the show ended then Jericho's music hits. Y2J comes out and panders to the crowd for a couple seconds from the stage before saying; "Ladies and gentlemen ... are you ready? Are you ready to meet your new commissioner?" Jericho swings his arm like a windmill before finally pointing towards the entrance ... but the screech of breaks and a simple set of power chords tell the crowd who's coming out before Mick Foley steps through the curtain. The site of the hardcore legend is a heartwarming and thrilling thing after the months of darkness and corruption from the reign of William Regal. Foley waves to the crowd gamely, gives the cheap-pop thumbs-up as he walks down the aisle. "Thank you," he says, "and let me just say it is great to be back in the WWF ... back as your commissioner ... and back in the great town of Fayetteville, North Carolina!" After the requisite cheap-pop, Foley waves to Jericho. "And a special thanks, to Chris Jericho, to Kurt Angle and to The Rock, for bringing me back to the World Wrestling Federation. And tonight, tonight I've got a huge surprise for everyone! That's right ... tonight ... in this very ring ... not only will you see Stone Cold Steve Austin face The Rock with their careers on the line, but the special guest referee ..." Foley pauses, drawing out the moment; faint chants of "Foley" cue up, but Foley shakes his head. "No, not me ... the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels!"

In the back, a man in a suit walks through the halls, asking for directions to the Commissioner's office. Trish Stratus tells him the Commissioner is in the ring, which prompts him to bark; "I didn't ask for a status update. Where is his office?" Trish points him in the right direction, and when he gets into Foley's office, he takes a seat, waiting for the new Commissioner. Foley returns to his office after the commercial, surprised to see the stranger in his office. "Good evening," he says, offering a hand. "my name is Jay Barnes. I am the proxy representative on the board of directors for EHKS Holdings."

"If you're looking for Linda McMahon, she usually isn't at the shows. Her office is in Stamford, Conn-"

"I am well aware of where Mrs. McMahon's office is, Mr. Foley." Barnes lifts his briefcase and drops it on Foley's desk, unsnapping the clasps; Foley (and the camera) take notice of the logo emblazoned on the black leather: a bright white square, enclosing four letters, printed in a sloppy typeset and in out-of-proper-sequence sizes. "As I said, I am EHKS Holding's representative on the board of directors; I would know where the headquarters is."

Foley raises an eyebrow, taken aback by his rude guest. "So, then, what can I ask brings you to a live WWF event, Mr. Barnes?"

"The men who make up EHKS Holdings are on their way to the event tonight, and expect the proper welcome to be given." Barnes pulls out a file folder and hands it to Foley. "When those gentlemen arrive, I expect nothing but the utmost respect shown for them. These men have made extraordinary arrangements to appear here tonight, and are eager to take a hands-on approach to the company after the past several months of mismanagement."

Foley chuckles. "We don't give special welcomes for the McMahons, sir, and as far as mismanagement goes, you can blame Vince and my predecessor for that. And, frankly, we're in the middle of a show; I'm a little too busy. If you'll excuse me, I have some things to attend to." Foley gets up and leaves, leaving the representative sitting in the chair.

The introduction of the three participants in the main event sends the crowd into overdrive, positive for Rock and Shawn, negative for Austin. Foley comes down, causing yet another thunderous pop and recaps the stipulations and the restrictions that there is to be no interference on behalf of either man from their respective camps. Rock and Austin listen to all these while standing in the middle of the ring, nose to nose, staring at each other without saying a word. When Foley finishes, Shawn signals for the bell, and the fists start flying. For the next 20 minutes, Rock and Austin go at each other like two hungry men fighting for a scrap of food. Shawn allows a shocking degree of leniency, letting choking, closed fists and exposed turnbuckles occur without repercussion. When the action spills to the outside and Austin manages to drop Rock with a throw into the ring post, Austin gets in Foley's face; Foley stands his ground, barking right back for Austin to get in the ring. But when Austin tries for a kick to set up the Stunner, Rock catches Austin and plants him with a Rock Bottom, the second of the night; the People's Elbow follows, and connects, but only gets two. A third Rock Bottom follows, and that gets the three, and the crowd explodes like a volcano. Foley slides in the ring and shakes the hand of his old friend Rock while Austin rolls out of the ring, cursing, kicking and swinging wildly at anything within arms' reach ... including Jay Barnes. Officials scramble to check on the EHKS representative, but Austin, having nothing left to lose, slides back in the ring. While Rock and Shawn are busy playing to the crowd and celebrating, Austin drops Foley with a Stunner. Austin lingers long enough to see the faces of Shawn and Rock ... until Tazz comes from behind and blindsides Austin with a chair. Austin goes down in a heap, leaving Rock staring at the return of one of the Fringe's premier members. Rock tries to go after Tazz, but a voice cuts through the arena, a very familiar voice.

"There's no need to do that, Rocky," says the voice. The owner, a pudgy, balding short man in a Yankess ballcap, comes out onto the stage. "Tazz is, once again, a proud employee of the World Wrestling Federation! He's just helping flush out that WCW scum!"

Heyman comes down the ramp, the crowd utterly shocked. Heyman, however, is all smiles. "Don't look so surprised, Rock. You've grown up in this business; you should know, or at least heard about guys like me. We're never down for very long. We find ways to keep coming back, especially when you've got help ..."

Heyman looks back towards the entrance, and if the unexpected sight of Heyman wasn't enough to send the crowd into shock, the sight of Eric Bischoff stepping out onto the stage causes every jaw in the building to drop. Bischoff blows kisses and gestures wildly, an echo of the deluded leader of the nWo years before. A smattering of jeers begins to circulate as people begin to realize he was introduced by Heyman ... but the confusion is still too thick for people to make much sense of anything.

Bischoff gets to the ring as Tazz throws Austin into the steel steps, splaying open the cut that had been closed with butterfly clasps from the battle at Survivor Series. Bischoff shakes hands with Heyman, which turns into a hug, cementing him in the mind of the crowd as an arch villain ... but Rock and Shawn are frozen in place, unable to take their eyes off the surreal sight of Bischoff and Heyman in a WWF ring, hugging like old chums. "You know what I liked best?" Heyman says. "EHKS Holdings. Everybody wondered ... what did it stand for? Who were these new owners? Nobody knew! You wouldn't believe the rumors I heard in these halls ..." Heyman holds up a hand; "Get this, Eric; someone actually thought it meant 'Eric, Hulk, Kevin, Scott'! How do you like that?"

Eric lets loose with a mighty belly-laugh, which Heyman picks up on. Foley, the cobwebs finally shaken loose, pulls himself up to a vastly different tableau then before his Stunner. Rock's paralysis finally breaks and he grabs Heyman by the lapels; Shawn grabs Rock by the shoulders, trying to get him to move away. "Don't you get it, Rock? They own us! They own the WWF!" Rock dismissed Shawn with a gesture ... until Shawn nearly takes off Rock's head with Sweet Chin Music. Foley staggers forward, totally confused. "What ... Shawn ... how ..."

"Walk away, Mick," says Shawn. "Just walk away before you get hurt."

"Take his advice, Foley," says Bischoff. "You're better off if you just walk up that ramp, get on a plane back to Long Island, and stay there. If we could pull the wool over the McMahons and the entire wrestling world and execute this stunning hostile takeover, what do you think we can do to you?"

Mick never looks away from Shawn. "But, Shawn ..."

"Mick, you know as well as I how ruthless, how much of a rotten bastard Vince McMahon is. You know the pain and suffering Vince McMahon has put people through in his career."

"I've had enough of this," Heyman says. "Get him."

Foley whips around, in time to see Rhyno slide into the ring. Foley looks to the ramp, hoping against hope for help ... only to see armed security forming a human wall in the entranceway. Mick turns toward Rhyno just in time to be cut in two by the Gore. The reigning WWF Champion pounds his chest triumphantly. Heyman, Bischoff and Shawn laugh with self-satisfaction. Heyman claps Shawn on the shoulder. "Thank you, Shawn! Thank you for helping make this possible! You see folks, it was Shawn Michaels who was our inside source, who let us know when to make our moves! And when the time was right, we sprung our trap and Vince walked right into it ... the Loyalty Agreements, suspending people, waging war on WCW, getting suspended ... everything he did made our job easier!"

"Vince," Bischoff says, "there is no more a hated man in this business then you. Vince McMahon: the man who buried the NWA. The man who slowly bled the AWA dry. The man who stole WCW out from underneath me, the only man who ever gave a rat's ass about the company! The man who kept ECW in business as long as there was talent to steal! Vince McMahon is a cancer to this industry, and with the help of Shawn Michaels, we formulated a plan to excise the cancer in this business and heal it once and for all! What we've done ... the deception, the lies, the secrets ... everything has been for the good of the business, and the good of the fans! You wanted to see RVD in the WWF, and by god, we brought him to the WWF! You wanted to see Raven and Tommy Dreamer wrestle in the big time ... you wanted to see The Rock take on Booker T ... you wanted to see the greatest war in the history of our sport, the Monday Night Wars, explode in this very ring? We brought it to you! When has Vince ever done as much for you as we have over the past few months?"

The crowd's incredibly hostile reaction is lost on the trio in the ring, who act as if they're conquering kings receiving a warm welcome home; Bischoff gives the crowd a double thumbs-up. But it is Shawn, the traitorous employee, the backdoor for the real invasion, that has the last words; "Don't you worry, Vinnie Mac, don't you worry ... all this chaos is just temporary. We'll have this company in working order in no time ... after all, we got a vested interest in it, don't we, boys?" Bischoff and Heyman laugh as Shawn leans on the ropes in front of the camera. "With me, Eric and Paul, the WWF couldn't be in better hands."

The end