Raging Storm
Chapter 22: Dead Men Walking
By: Jay Winger

Note: this is set the Thursday after "Chapter 21: Brutal Measures."

To recap: Raw kicked off with a returning Billy Rose coming to the ring with the Faction and publicly berating them for allowing the Alliance and the Storm's renegades to best them all. Rose gave Brick orders to break his opponent that night, and then the Storm came out, formally challenging Rose to a match at Summerslam, which Rose accepted. The Storm then challenged Rose to a match that night, which Rose also accepted, as a tag match -- but the Storm's partner could be neither a Texan nor an ex-CIWer. The Storm reassured Rain and the Z-Men that it was all part of his "system," which didn't reassure them all that much. After Brick lost his match against the Undertaker (due to Kane's interference), Rose and Kurt Angle came out for the tag match. The Storm's partner turned out to be his ex-tag team partner Chris Benoit, who was willing to put aside their differences for one night only. The reunited "most brutal tag team in the history of the WWF" absolutely dominated, and Rose ultimately bailed on Angle, leaving him to suffer a Windfall/Swandive combo and then a Crossface/Twister combine submission, leaving Angle no choice but to tap out. Afterwards, Rose and Angle got in a shouting match in the VIP Room, in which Rose drove a wedge between himself and Team ECK, and started a break between Angle and Edge & Christian before leaving.

Teaser: The Storm and his mysterious "system" for Rose's demise roll onward against Rose and his two remaining allies from the Faction, Brick and Rhino -- and the Storm names the stipulation for the Summerslam match.

Disclaimer:  All things WWF are property of Titan Sports.  The characters of Matthew "the Storm" Skinner, Claire "Rain" Whittaker, Billy Rose, Brad "Brick" Dickerson, Roger "Zed" Ziger, and Mike "Zeta" Zahn are completely fictional.  I do incorporate a few traits from existing WWF wrestlers, but for the most part, they're my creations.  The lyrics to Brick's entrance theme and the Storm's were written by myself as well.  (For those who are curious, I title Brick's theme "Breaker" and the Storm's "Force of Nature.")

THURSDAY: Smackdown!, 10 August

Commissioner Mick Foley sat in a chair, waiting in the garage area as the show prepared to start. Before long, a black Honda Civic pulled up. The Storm, Rain, and the Z-Men stepped out and looked over at Foley, who stared back at them. Foley silently beckoned the Storm over. The Texan shrugged, shouldered his duffel and went over to him.

"You want to have a match with Billy Rose at Summerslam, right?" Foley inquired.

"That's right," the Storm confirmed.

"You said you wanted to add a stipulation to the match?" Foley went on. "Rose has agreed to let you name it, right?"

"That's right."

"Well, I'd need to know what the stipulation is," Foley told him, "so I can let Vince and the road crew know, in case we need to set anything up."

The Storm nodded. "Don't worry, Mick. You'll know what my stipulation is by the end of the night. As it happens, I've already cleared it with Vince, so you don't need to worry your one-eared head."

Foley frowned. "You went over my head?"

"Exactly," the Storm said. "Because if I'd come to you first, you would have refused to give me the match."

"Why's that?"

The Storm smirked a bit, then said, "You'll find out later."

* * *

Since their departure from the rest of the Faction on Monday, Billy Rose, Brick, and Rhino had been kicked out of the VIP room and into a standard locker room. Rose was in the process of taping his wrists and hand when Rhino spoke up. "Whaddaya think Storm's stip is gonna be, Billy?"

"You honestly think I give a flyin' fuck what stipulation Skinner comes up with?" Rose snapped. "All I know is it's gonna come full circle at Summerslam. I'm gonna kick his ass for the last time, and I'll do it right in CIW's backyard, and he'll finally learn his place, the ungrateful bastard. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't be 'the Storm.' If it weren't for me, he wouldn't even be 'The Survivor' Matthew Skinner. He'd still be 'Metalhead Matt,' a talentless jobber who would get his ass kicked by people like you or even the lump over there--" And here he indicated Brick, who was again seated in the corner. "--on a regular basis. I made Skinner who he is. I made him, and I'm gonna un-make him at Summerslam."

Rose tied up his boots, adjusted his attire, then glanced over at the corner. "So, you useless waste of meat, are you ready?" Brick grunted. "Too bad. Let's go."

* * *

The Storm tightened his gloves and checked his wrist tape before turning to leave. Rain stopped him. "Wait, Matthew. You still haven't told me what this stipulation is going to be."

The Storm looked at her, contemplated her for a moment, then turned and left without speaking. Rain sighed and sat back in a chair as the Z-Men set up a monitor on the sink counter. They clustered around the monitor, but after a few moments, someone else entered the Z-Men's commandeered restroom. Steve Austin pulled up a chair of his own. "What's goin' on? I just got here," he said.

"Storm's gotta match with Taker and Kane against Rose, Rhino, and Brick," Zed told him. "He says he'll name the stipulation for the Summerslam match tonight."

Austin frowned. "Well, I hope he knows what he's doing."

* * *

"The following six-man tag team contest is scheduled for one fall," Tony Chimel announced.

Thunder rumbled on the OvalTron, lightning flashed and the lights went out. "This is your Storm Warning." The siren blared, pyros went off, and the Storm came out of the flickering smoke in a GeT SeT To GeT WReCKeD T-shirt. "Introducing first, from Dallas, Texas, weighing in at 240 pounds, he is the 2002 King of the Ring... THE STORM!" He hit the ring, stood in the middle, raised a fist in the air, then brought it down and made a cutting motion at his throat with both hands, thrusting a hand downward. Lightning pyros went off on the lighting structure overhead--

And red pyros exploded from the stage. The lights dimmed and went to red as the imposing form of Kane strode down the ramp. "And his tag-team partners, first, weighing in at 325 pounds... KANE!" Kane climbed onto the apron, looked at the Storm, then turned around, raised his arms slowly in the air, then snapped them down, fiery pyros detonating on the turnbuckles--

A bell tolled, and Limp Bizkit sang: "Keep rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin'..." The heavy thudding noise of a motorcycle engine filled the arena as the Undertaker roared out on a Rude American bike, circled the ring, then parked, climbed off and stepped into the ring, raising his arms in the air at each side of the ring. "And from Houston, Texas, weighing in at 328 pounds... THE UNDERTAKER!" Taker removed his Deadman Inc. shirt, threw it aside, then removed his sunglasses. He and the Storm locked eyes for a moment.

The staredown was broken as the Union Underground cued up, and Billy Rose came out alongside Rhino and Brick. "And their opponents, at a combined weight of 875 pounds... the team of RHINO, BRICK, and BILLY ROSE!" The trio of deposed Faction members headed down the ramp and lined up in descending order by height -- Brick, Rose, and then Rhino. Brick raised his arms upward, roaring, as Rose raised his arms to the sides, smirking to the audience, while Rhino squeezed his wrist and growled, glaring at the three men in the ring. There was a brief staredown again, and then the three charged the ring.

The Undertaker knocked Rhino down with a hard right hand as Kane prevented Brick from getting up by applying heavy boots to the head. Rose, meanwhile, was more or less on even footing with the Storm, who traded blows with him. Taker hurled Rhino through the ropes and assisted Kane in pulling Brick to his feet and knocking him against the ropes. A double clothesline by the "Brothers of Destruction" sent Brick to the outside, and then they turned to Rose, who had managed to force the Storm back into the corner. Taker turned Rose around, walloped him with a "soupbone," then whipped him straight into a big boot from Kane. The Storm and the Dead Man both stepped out onto the apron as Kane continued to pound on Rose.

Soon, Kane had Rose pinned in one of the neutral corners and was putting the boots to him. Referee Jack Doan pulled him back, but when Kane turned back to Rose, the Californian had recovered enough to get to his feet and throw all of his body weight into a back elbow that landed sqare in Kane's solar plexus. The masked man groaned and doubled over. Rose snapped his knee upward, and Kane toppled over onto his back. Rose stomped on him a few times, then grabbed one of Kane's arms, twisting it and starting to wrap his legs around it for the Deadly Blossom. In doing so, however, he turned his back to the hostile corner, and that gave the Storm the opportunity he needed to slip in and dropkick Rose in the back, sending him flying into the second turnbuckle in his own corner.

Rhino tagged himself in and ran at the Storm, who had already retreated to his corner. The manbeast glared at him, turning to Kane, who flattened him with a clothesline. Kane beckoned for him to get back up, which he did, then knocked him back down with a right hand. Rhino got up again, got knocked down again, and then got whipped into the ropes. Kane aimed a big boot, but Rhino ducked under it, shot off the ropes, and leapt into the air, colliding with Kane in a high lariat. Rhino kicked and stomped at him, then whipped him into the corner. He roared and charged in, driving his shoulder deep into Kane's gut, then thrust it in a few more times before whipping Kane across. Rhino charged for a clothesline, but the Big Red Machine blocked it with a boot to the face.

Rhino was down, holding his jaw, and Kane slumped to his knees, weakened by the hard attacks he'd taken from Rose and Rhino, and crawled over to his corner, tagging in his brother. The Undertaker knocked Rhino back down with a right hand, then another, then whipped him into the ropes, pasting his jaw with a big boot. Taker tried to whip him into the neutral corner, but Rhino reversed it and sent the big Texan into the corner hard. As he stumbled back out, Rhino charged, head lowered, and took the Dead Man down with a Gore. As Taker lay on the mat, Rhino stepped over and tagged in Brick.

Brick stepped over the ropes and pulled Taker to his feet, pushing him back into the corner. Snarling, the seven-one behemoth pounded him in the chest with right hands, open-handed slaps, and even a knife-edge chop. Doan told Brick to keep his fists open, prompting another snarl from the big man, and that momentary distraction gave the `Taker the opening he needed. He locked his hands around Brick's throat, pushed him back, then swung around and deposited Brick in the corner. The fans cheered as the American Badass unleashed a flurry of punches on Brick, pounding his head with a back elbow, then pulling him out of the corner. Brick sank to one knee, and Taker grabbed his left arm, wrenching it hard. He looked out at the audience, which started screaming "Old School!" Taker wrenched the arm again, stepping back into the corner and pushing himself to the top rope. Brick winced as Taker slipped out onto the ropes, but then the big man turned, grabbed the Undertaker's wrist, and hauled him off the ropes. He hit the mat hard, and Brick quickly stomped him hard in the head. The big man stepped back, cracking his knuckles, obviously gearing up for a big manuever, but got too close to his corner. Billy Rose blind-tagged himself in, and charged at the fallen Dead Man. Brick glared at him for a moment, but joined Rhino on the apron.

Rose started stomping on Taker before pulling him to his feet and hitting him in the head with right hands. He went for an Irish whip, which Taker reversed. He ducked his head for a back bodydrop, but Rose halted his rebound and punted him in the shoulder. Taker stood up, unfazed. Rose blinked, then went for a clothesline, only to get grabbed by the throat. Rose choked, then swung his foot low and nailed him in the gonads, getting him to ease the hold. Quickly, he shifted his weight, swinging his legs up and pulling Taker down to lock him in the Deadly Blossom. Taker twitched in pain for about five seconds before Kane stepped in and booted Rose in the face. Rose lay on the mat, holding his nose as Kane and the Storm both begged Taker to make the tag. Gradually, the Dead Man got onto his stomach and dragged himself over to their corner, tagging in the Storm.

The fans popped as the Storm charged and knocked down a rising Rose with a right hand, then continuing his momentum and knocking Brick off the apron with a forearm. He turned and ran back at Rose, taking him down with a swinging neckbreaker. The Storm stomped him a few times, then looked at the crowd before wetting his fingertip and pointing it upward. The audience got on their feet as he went to the corner, climbing to the top and balancing himself with the ropes. Before he had a chance to jump out in the Windfall, however, Brick ran over to his corner and shoved him into the ring. Rose was ready for the Storm's unprepared lunge and caught his head under one arm, quickly pivoting around and dropping an elbow to deliver Brain Damage. Kane stepped off the apron and charged at Brick from behind, clobbering him with a forearm and brawling at ringside as Rose went for the cover. 1... 2-- and the Storm managed to kick out.

The Californian swore loudly and pulled him to his feet, punching him hard in the face, opening up a cut on his forehead. The Storm's blood started to slide down his face, and then Rose attacked, kicking him in the gut and thrusting his head between his legs. Rose looked poised to hoist the Storm for the Rose's Thorn, but the Force of Nature kicked out of the first gutwrench attempt, then the second, and then grabbed Rose's legs and stood up, swinging the "prick bastard" back and down in a back bodydrop. The Storm started to turn toward him, but Rhino was in the ring and had him lined up in his sights. Before he could finish his turn, the Storm was Gored by the Detroit manbeast.

Kane and Brick were still brawling, now moving alongside the ramp, with Jack Doan trying to separate them, so the Undertaker stepped into the ring, hitting a big boot and sending Rhino rolling right out of the ring. Billy Rose was slowly getting to his feet, and Taker was right there, thrusting his head between his legs and grabbing him around the waist for a gutwrench. Rose sat semi-aware on his shoulders, then was hoisted up before being swung down hard onto his back and shoulders. Billy Rose had gone for the Last Ride. Taker pulled the Storm over top of Rose, went back to his corner and yelled at Doan, who managed to pull himself away from the brawling Kane and Brick to slide into the ring. 1... 2... 3!

The Storm slowly recovered his senses, and hearing his music, realized he won the match. He raised a hand to his head, but when it came away bloody, he remembered something else. He looked at Rose, who was still feeling the effects of the Last Ride, and started to throttle him, banging his head against the mat. Jack Doan had to pull him off, only to get shoved away. The Undertaker had to help restrain the bleeding Force of Nature, who, once he was pulled out of the ring and half-way up the ramp, calmed enough to simply glare at the groggy Rose before stalking to the back, fire in his eyes.

* * *

The Storm was followed into the Z-Men's commandeered restroom by the trainer, who examined the cut on his forehead and started to put a bandage over it. Rain came over to him. "You all right?"

"No, I'm not," he growled. "Fucking bastard..." He waved the trainer away, then examined his face in the mirror. Blood still covered half his face, so he grabbed a towel, got it wet, then started cleaning it up. "Well, he won't think he's so big after I tell him what the stip is for our match."

"What is your stipulation?" she asked.

"You'll find out later," he told her.

"Now, wait just a minute," came another voice. The Storm turned to see Stone Cold Steve Austin sitting in one of the chairs the Z-Men had brought into the bathroom with them. Austin stood up. "Look, Storm, we all worry `bout you, and you've got this 'system' or whatever it is to take out Rose, but you won't tell us what it is. And now you're bein' all mysterious about this stipulation. Now if you wanna keep it secret so Rose doesn't find out what it is, then that's just fine and dandy, but we're your friends, Storm. We deserve an explanation."

The Storm frowned at him. "That's all true, Steve, but there's a very good reason for why I haven't told anybody what my stipulation is. I don't want anybody to try and talk me out of it. Not you, not Claire, not Mike or Rog, not Vince, and especially not Mick Foley. So far, only Vince knows what that stipulation is, and I made him promise not to reveal what it is until I make it public later tonight."

"Come on, dammit!" Austin snapped at him. "We're not the enemy here! We just wanna know what your stip is!"

The Storm glowered. "You wanna know what my stipulation is? Fine, you'll get it." He threw the used towel in the wastebasket, then swept out of the room and back toward the ring.

* * *

For the second time that night, the fans cheered as the Storm made his entrance. This time, the booth skipped the thunder, pyros, and early part of the entrance, and went right into the music. "I'm a Force of Nature, I'm outta control. I live in the lightning, let the thunder roll. I kill the sunshine, bring on the rain. I am the Storm, and I'll bring you the pain." The Storm stalked down the ramp, entered the ring, climbed to the second rope and raised his fist in the air before getting a microphone and pacing in the center of the ring. He frowned for a moment, stroking his goatee and mustache as the fans cheered.

"I wanna say something. First... Billy, get your miserable little carcass out here." There was a pause before Rose's music cued up, and he strode out. The Californian looked a bit peeved at being called out. The cheering the fans had been doing changed into a quick "Bastard! Bastard!" chant. Rose glared at them.

The Storm paced in the ring. "Okay, Billy, here's how it goes. We have a match at Summerslam. We could have ourselves a regular match, but that's not good enough. I wanted something very special, something far worse than that Street Fight we had just a few weeks ago. So I started thinking about what sort of match we could have in Los Angeles, what sort of match we could have in front of the very people who helped us become who we are today, what sort of match we could have in front of the CIW fans who will no doubt be in attendance."

Rose folded his arms, holding a mike of his own, but allowing the Storm to continue. "So I started thinking about how we got to where we are today. And I realized something. Billy, we've been beating the hell out of each other from the moment we met in CIW. You did some sick stuff to me, Billy, and that's what turned me into a survivor, someone who had to withstand the insane things you tried to do to me, and that, in turn, turned me into the Force of Nature. But my very rebellion against you led to you trying to take me out personally. You couldn't rely on your cronies, so you fought me yourself, and we beat the living hell out of each other! We've beaten the hell out of each other in the ring! We've beaten the hell out of each other in the locker rooms! We've beaten the hell out of each other in the street, in the hotels, even in the goddamn hospital!" He paused, leaning over the ropes to glare at his nemesis. "It's time to end this, Billy. I'm gonna send you to Hell."

There was a short, but very dramatic, pause. The fans, who were already cheering as the Storm built his momentum, started cheering louder as they caught onto the gist of his speech. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler had started to pick up on it as well and were starting to question whether or not he was seriously going to say it. Even Rose seemed to know where this was going. A look of disbelief started to cross his face, and he mouthed the word No just as the Storm screamed:

"--in a Cell!!"

-more to come-

Next: The stipulation has been named: Summerslam, Billy Rose and the Storm, Hell in a Cell. Nobody can believe it, but the two are now on "The Highway to Hell."

Afterword: If you have any ideas for who you think the Storm, Rain, Zed & Zeta, Brick or Billy Rose should team up with or go up against, drop me a line at jay_winger_2k@hotmail.com. No need for suggestions for a cap to the Storm/Rose feud, however, as I have something very special planned. Also, if you'd like to send me speculations on where you think I'm going with this story, go right ahead and do so.