Welcome to Gaia! ::

Just before Cyrus could finish his last syllable, a very abrupt boom of thunder shook the arena, causing the lights on the ceiling to flicker. The thunder was replaced with the outcry of jeers from the audience, but they were soon overpowered by another shockwave of The Storm's fury. A flash of lightning streaked across the dome of the arena, shutting off all the lights as it disappeared. It could only mean one thing: The Storm was coming.

A lone guitar began to quietly play over the sound system, mixing in with the distinct sound of raindrops hitting steel. The eerie music that had ushered in Matt Shanahan since Wrestlemania 2013 had become a staple in WWF:G's live events; at some point, he always made his presence known. Tonight, it was for an impromptu title defense.

Short Change Hero - The Heavy

The slow, haunting intro to the familiar theme music echoed through the darkness, leaving the sea of fans visionless in the massive room. The titantron flickered on to display an image of storm clouds surging with electricity, filling the skies with their ominous light. Aside from the titantron, there was only darkness. The rain could be heard pouring, but no one knew to what degree it had overtaken the arena. As the intro began to wind down, the fans let out another disapproving roar for what dared to follow. And with that noise...

BOOM!!!

A thunder-clap with the force of a sonic boom shook the arena as a bolt of lightning struck the center of the stage, causing a pillar of flames to shoot up from it. The flames spread all over the stage, bathing it in fire and fighting against the 'rain' pouring from the ceiling of the arena. As if on queue, the lights came with a dark-blue hue, just barely giving the fans a glimpse of their surroundings The dim lights revealed that this rain was falling all across the arena. The audience, the stage, the ramp, even the ring itself was being poured down upon by the deluge from the ceiling. The music kicked back in, now with a distinct drum beat to it. The center of the stage was wide open with fog billowing out, concealing the figure that began to slowly rise from it...

I can't see where you comin' from,
But I know just what you runnin' from.
And what matters ain't the "who's baddest" but,
The ones who stop you fallin' from your ladder, baby...

The figure continued to rise up from the hole in the stage as the song played; his head was covered by a black hood, attached to a long, black leather trenchcoat. His head was kept down to hide his face from view, even though the roaring fans knew who he was. The platform kept rising as the song went on and the rain slid off of his trenchcoat.



And you feel like you're feelin' now,
Doin' things just to please your crowd.
But I love you like the way I love you,
And I suffer, but I ain't gonna cut you 'cause...

As the first verse finished, the platform ended it's rise to the the stage. Matt Shanahan lifted his head to stare down at the ring, glaring at his sudden challenger. The Dream, a man who had been in this industry longer than most. Tonight, a dream match-up was going to take place. The Dream vs The Storm. Cyrus Everblaze vs Matt Shanahan. Mr. Money in The Bank vs The Legacy Champion.

His right hand was gripped around his legendary weapon, the 'Punk-ville Slugger', only loosening to give the bat a single twirl to his side. The chorus began as The Storm slowly began to step down the ramp, well protected from the rain thanks to his hooded coat.

This ain't no place for no hero.
This ain't no place for no better man.
This ain't no place for no hero to call "home."

This ain't no place for no hero.
This ain't no place for no better man.
This ain't no place for no hero to call "home."

As he moved down the ramp, some fans would dare say he was simply floating through the fog in his way, as his legs seem to just barely stride down the metallic walkway. On the last two lines of the chorus, a flash of lightning ripped across the roof of the arena, causing the dark-blue lighting to go out once more. The Storm didn't remotely pause in his wake tonight though.

Every time I close my eyes, I think,
I think about you inside.
And your mother, givin' up on askin' why -
Why you lie, and you cheat, and you try to make
A fool outta she...

Three more bells chimed as the bridge was sang through-out the arena. Each time, there was a quick flash of light to give the fans a split-second view of what was happening; Matt was still making his way to the ring. With each flash, he was closer. It was almost haunting to see the black-clad figure suddenly moving positions through the rain and darkness.

I can't see where you comin' from...

The drumbeat kicked back in on queue, the dark-blue lighting throughout the arena returning with it. Matt had shifted to stand at the steel steps, ascending up the platforms the moment the lights phased back in. He carried himself on the apron and stopped midway to step through the ropes, his trenchcoat dragging behind him. Once in the ring, he faced Everblaze with his head down to hide his face from view. He lifted his baseball bat up and slid it down his back, notching it in the custom holster on his trenchcoat meant specifically for the weapon.

But I know just what you're runnin' from.
And what matters ain't the "who's baddest," but the
Ones who stop you fallin' from your ladder, 'cause...

Right before the chorus began, The Storm grabbed his hood with his right hand as he pulled it from his head and tossed it back, revealing his clean shaven features to the world. With it, another booming thunder to echo through the arena; a lightning bolt followed and shot across the ceiling overhead as the lights flowed back into their normal, colorless hue. The pouring rain stopped, entire indoor arena damp; luckily, most fans had realized to bring rain jackets and water-resistant items after Shanahan's previous entrances. His cold, calculated stare fixated on Cyrus Everblaze, a challenger he had anticipated since Wrestlemania. Judging by the roar of the crowd, Cyrus was the favorite man tonight. Just to edge them on, Matt abruptly reached into his trenchcoat and ripped the Legacy Championship off of his waist, hoisting it high in the air for the world and Cyrus to see. A championship he wasn't going to relinquish. A championship he deserved more than anyone in this company.

After displaying his title to the world, Matt pushed the belt into the referee's hands and began to remove his trenchcoat. He tossed it over the ropes at one of the stage hands and began to flex his hands, ready for combat. He hadn't anticipated a match tonight, but he knew that Cyrus could cash in at any moment. This is what he had been waiting for. A WWF:G Legend, and a WWF:G Hall of Famer. Two veterans of the hardcore craft. And for the first time in a singles competition, let The Dream vs The Storm begin.

When Cyrus made his announcement, something happened in WWF:G that hadn't happened since well over a year. Something that no one would've thought to see from Shanahan ever again.

A cold smirk crossed his lips.

He only gave a nod in response before moving towards the center of the ring. The referee gave a shrug and pointed at the timekeeper, motioning for him to begin the match!

The fists exploded like fireworks into Matt's direction, hitting him right against the upper-torso and face. He stumbled back with each blow until he got near the ropes, but he wasn't going to let Cyrus get the upperhand without a fight! With a burst of rage, The Storm shot a fist upward, aiming to rock him with an uppercut!

With the blow knocking Cyrus back, Matt backed up to the ropes and pushed off of them, heading right for a collision course with The Dream! He'd dived forward, aiming to tackle Everblaze to the mat!

The Storm aimed to mount The Dream immediately after taking him to the ground and rain the fists down, hoping to give Cyrus a taste of his own medicine!

With each blow connecting, The Storm was only gaining the upperhand even more. However, even though he had strength on his side, Cyrus had tricks up his sleeve. The rake connected, causing Matt's hands to shoot up to his eyes and tend to them! He rolled off of Cyrus, trying to recover his vision.

Matt was quick to try to rise up to his feet, but with little vision, he was left wide open to Cyrus' assault. The boot connected with his stomach before he could even get up to his full height, causing his hands to shoot to his torso instead.