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 Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 9:56 am
The bat thudded into LEGACY's back! He shouted in pain, his legs buckling. He took a wide step forward, narrowly avoiding falling from the shock. With a violent roar, he swung back round with the staff, wildly shooting for the opponent!
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:05 am
Legacy's attempt to swing wildly at The Storm proved successful, as the bat came into contact with Shanahan's shoulder; despite the blow, Matt already had another of his own primed after Legacy stepped by him. As Legacy's staff connected with Matt's shoulder, that baseball bat was swinging towards Legacy's head!
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:07 am
LEGACY did not move, only through the impact of his own swing did he shift. Lucky for him; the bat connected with his nose, and blood burst from it. With deep red streaming down his face and chest, he roared and swung again, a violent downward strike.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:19 am
Matt's swing went all the way through after clipping Legacy's nose, which gave him little reaction as his foe rose the staff to strike once again. The only thing Matt could do was to block the blow as best he could, or dive out of the way.
The Storm was never one to dive.
Shanahan brought the bat up quickly in an attempt to block the staff, aiming to hold it perpendicular to Legacy's path. The blow was successfully blocked... for a moment.
The combined strength of the two men proved to be too great for the legendary weapon that Shanahan had carried through the years. The weapon was already cracked from previous conflict in the match, and with that last strike... the Punk-ville Slugger snapped it two, just like it had every time that Shanahan swung it into Freakshow's thick skull.
As the bat broke in half, Legacy's staff came colliding with Shanahan's already bloodied skull, causing him to fall back onto his side, sending the upper half of the bat thudding to the ground, the handle still firm in his hand.
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 9:18 am
[With Joey's blessing, it's about time this gets wrapped up.] [Part One]
Much to Legacy's surprise, not only did the staff strike true, but it also broke straight through Shanahan's legendary weapon. Shards of wood splintered and danced through the air in distorted chaos as the newer, refined weapon ripped right through and continued on to smash against The Storm's face. Despite the wave of shocked joy that was attempting to course through him, Legacy wasn't going to live in this moment; he needed to keep Matt down for good. Without wasting a moment, the gigantic rising star went swinging, causing the staff to smack hard against The Storm's battered body. Strikes connected against Matt's ribs, legs, arms, and anything else Legacy could hit as he went on a flurry with his victorious weapon.
All Matt seemed to do in response was flinch, his body limp from pain. He had fallen over in a near fetal position and stayed there, clearly barely holding onto the world.
This wasn't enough for Legacy. No, how could a man like Shanahan just lay there and take it? With a scowl on his lips, Legacy tossed the staff aside after thoroughly laying into The Storm, leaving behind a sea of welts and red marks all over the Hall of Famer's body. "Get up! We're not done, old man!" Legacy hissed as he reached down and laced his fingers through Matt's messy, pitch black locks. Without any remorse, he yanked roughly on the veteran's hair and continued to pull until he had The Storm on his knees. He tilted the man's head back and glared right into his glassy, black eyes. "You should've stayed dead! You're done! It's over! Admit it! ADMIT IT!"
Legacy screamed in The Storm's face, rattling his eardrums. The Storm's vision was blurred, with the only focus being the man currently keeping him upright. He expected some sort of statement out of the fading Shanahan, some form of admittance of defeat; unfortunately for Legacy, even a barely conscious Matt had some fight left.
Weakly, Matt's left arm wrapped around Legacy's right, as if they were about to enter a lock-up. A sneer appeared on The Future's lips at the notion, and gave a single shake of his head as he pulled his left arm away and prepared to deliver a swift haymaker to Matt's forehead, hoping to open that wound even wider.
He was cut short as a sharp pain ripped through his body, causing an agonizing howl to erupt from his lungs.
All this time, Matt had not let go of that broken Punk-ville Slugger handle, and when Legacy lifted his left arm, he was given the only opening he sought. With all the strength he could muster, The Storm swung with a desperate blow, and succeeded in stabbing Legacy right in the side of his ribcage with the broken bat handle. The sharp, wooden spikes managed to pierce mere centimeters deep, but it was enough to plant the weapon firm into The Future's side. The arena gasped at the notion, clearly not something they were expecting from a match that was held under standard rules; if only the referee would wake up.
Legacy quickly pushed Matt back down to the mats a mere second after being impaled by the wooden weapon, letting the man fall limp back to the ground. He stumbled away from Shanahan and wrapped his hand around the wooden handle. He had just been stabbed! What kind of cheap move was that? He knew Matt had a history in the hardcore department, but this was a new level for WWF:G. People don't get stabbed in this company! Once he reached the steel stairs, he leaned against them and ground his teeth, before pulling the weapon free of his side. A sharp howl of pain left his lips again, filling the arena with his agony. He looked down at the wound, panicked eyes glancing over the gashes left in the weapon's place; blood was slowly beginning to flow from the holes left behind by the wooden spikes, but it was nothing fatal. It wouldn't stop him from killing The Storm once and for all.
With a growl, he tossed the wooden handle into the ring, away from Shanahan's grasped. He turned around to search for the undefeated assailant, spotting him slowly beginning to rise to his knees. Anger rapidly pulled a tight scowl over his face, erasing the pained features temporarily; pain could wait, Shanahan couldn't. As the man rose up from the ground in a groggy state, The Future sprinted at him and closed the gap in record speed, lifting his boot in the process and landing a devastating Remember This right to the side of Matt's face! The Storm fell back down on impact, eyes closed and body limp in response. He was out cold, for sure!
Legacy stumbled passed after delivering his fatal finisher, nearly plowing over the barricade in an attempt to stop himself. The fans he halted in front of booed him loudly, clearly displeased with the knock-out finisher he had just pulled off on Shanahan. Sure, The Storm had a trademark big boot, but nothing hit as hard as Legacy's Remember This. "I AM THE FUTURE! GET USED TO IT!" He screamed at the fans before turning around, his eyes locked on Shanahan's lifeless corpse. He reached down to grab Matt by the neck and began heaving him up off the ground, though gravity fought him the whole way. Lifting a man equal to Legacy's stature proved difficult, but not impossible. In a matter of seconds, he had managed to lift Shanahan off of the ground just long enough to slide him into the ring. Legacy followed right after, as he knew time was of the essence. None of these damned "legends" seemed to die like they should, so he had to drive the final nail before they started coming undone.
Legacy tuned out the negative vibes the audience was throwing his way while he dragged Shanahan towards the center of the ring, and began to lift him up again. Once he got the ex-Outcast up to his feet, The Future pulled Matt's head under his arm, and threw the man's right arm over his neck. The fans knew what was coming, and they weren't ready for it. With a loud roar, Legacy lifted all three-hundred and twenty-six pounds of dead weight off of the ground and into the air in a suplex position, hoisting Shanahan high for the world to see. A two-main chain extended over thirteen feet into the air, reaching towards the heavens; Legacy was about to send Matt to the nursing home with The Birth of The Hero. "IT'S OVER!" Legacy screamed, giving the fans a taunt before twisting Shanahan about to bring him down for the finishing impact to deadly Emerald Flowsion variation.
But, somehow, he never got a chance to fall backwards to finish Matt's career. He never heard the impact of the mat; he only heard a sea of jeers turn in a chorus of cheers.
As he began to fall backwards, Legacy's path was stopped as Matt prematurely fell back, landing right on his feet with Legacy's body bent backwards in an inverted suplex position. He lived! The Storm was still in this, and that final nail was nowhere close to being driven down. The man's eyes were opened once more, albeit rather dimly. He was still in this, but it was a question of how much of him was. The fans saw the predicament Legacy was in and put two-and-two together: Matt had him ready for The Conversion. However, Matt didn't seem to want to lift Legacy over his head for his classic signature; instead, his free arm reached down to wrap between his foe's legs, and lift him up in an inverted crossbody position.
The Storm stood in the center of the ring, holding Legacy in the inverted crossbody, letting the world see the battered body of his opponent. He kept his arm wrapped around Legacy's head, limiting the man's air supply. His foe flailed his arms about, but they weren't striking anywhere significant; he seemed to be at The Storm's mercy once more. Then suddenly, he shifted his weight and threw Legacy's legs forward, sending the man's lower half swinging around through the air. Before the fans could blink, Matt dropped to a knee and brought Legacy's ribcage crashing down on his extended right knee. The entire arena lit up with camera-shots as The Storm delivered the first ever inverted Chapter Four, a swinging gutbreaker instead of his typical backbreaker style! The Storm didn't stop there though; on impact, he kept Legacy's body draped over his knee and wrapped his arms around the man's arm and neck, pulling him into a sleeper hold! With a roar strong enough to shake Mount Everest, Matt reared back on the sleeper hold and lifted Legacy's face up for the world to see. Matt was determined to knock him out!
He kept the man draped over his knee, lifting him up by a few inches occasionally, just to drop him down on the bone to knock all the wind out of The Future. The fans continued to fill the arena with camera flashes, taking note of the day Matt triumphed over Legacy; there was no way the man could fight back from this, it was a hold that not even the most rehearsed Shanahan fan could predict. It was all over for Legacy! And after nearly thirty seconds of the crippling sleeper hold, Legacy's entire body went limp. He was out!
The Storm let out another roar as he shook Legacy about with the sleeper, delivering the point that he won. This match was his. Legacy was out cold, and... so was the referee. After flailing The Future's body about for a few moments, Matt turned his bloodied features to frantically look around the ring; the referee was nowhere in sight. The Storm snarled, knowing that despite draining the life from Legacy, this wasn't over; in his haste, he had failed to notice that the ref had never recovered from the previous blunder.
Matt begrudgingly tossed Legacy aside, letting his body drop dead on the mat. He pushed himself up from the kneeling position, his face threatening to contort in pain the whole time. His eyes scanned all along the outside until he saw the referee's legs laid out on the mats. He stumbled to the opposite side of the ring and leaned over the ropes. The referee was starting to recover, with the help of a nearby crew member.
"Get... up! Do your... damn... j-job!" The pain stricken Shanahan commanded with a hoarse tone. Blood dripped from his face as he leaned over the ropes, coming dangerously close to landing on the referee with every drop. "I c-can't win... with you on your a**!" He continued to berate the man, trying to force him up. Surely enough, it at least motivated the crew member to haul the man up a little faster. The referee began to nod at the man, albeit absent-mindedly. He was still out of it, but he could at least make a count.
Matt slowly rose away from the ropes, content to see the referee about to be back in this. He began to back away from the ropes, but his path was stopped short.
In the time it took Matt to accuse the referee of not doing his job, Legacy had come back into the world of the living. His mind was fogged from oxygen deprivation, but he was nowhere near Matt's state. He still had more fight, and seeing Shanahan turn his back to him... well, that just made him an easy target. Carefully, Legacy began to rise up to his feet with the help of the ropes, being sure not to rise too quickly and risk giving Matt a hint as to his current state. Once he was standing and The Storm began to back away from the ropes, Legacy was quick to strike. He closed the gap between them in a swift sprint and grabbed Matt from behind, lifting him up over his head and bringing him crashing down for the Past to The Future! Matt's arms immediately wrapped around his head as he rolled over into a fetal position once more, and Legacy seemed to stay face-down on the mat afterwards; it was all he had in him right now to lift Matt's weight, and both men were down as a result!
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Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 10:41 am
[Part 2] Both men were laid out on the mat, exhausted and possibly unconscious. Shanahan was on his side, his arms placed around his head, and Legacy was face-down and lifeless. The arena was lit up with emotion, adoration and hatred filling the air for the men in the ring; it was possibly the loudest the arena had been all night. After the seconds ticked by, the referee finally managed to slide back into the ring and get to his feet, his wobbling stopped by the help of the ropes. He looked down at the two competitors on the mat and realized that it was time to call this thing.
"ONE!"
He shouted, throwing a single finger in the air to signify the start of the ten-count.
"TWO!"
Another second, and still no response from either competitor.
"THREE!"
The tension in the air was thick enough to cut. The fans were screaming their chants of "SHAN-A-HAN!", urging the The Storm to roar back to life as he had so many other times in his career. Maybe their love for Shanahan would spark life in Legacy? All they knew was, someone had to rise. Someone had to end this count.
"FOUR!"
The fourth second passed.
"FIVE!"
The count was halfway over. Five more seconds, and the match would be over.
"SIX!"
The thought of Shanahan's streak ending as a double knockout was disgusting to so many people in the air, so they cheered on. The Internet Wrestling Community was prepping their blogs to rage about the outcome, ready to cite it as the biggest cop-out in WWF:G history since the Triple Threat between Dion Necurat, Hiro Shin-Mozas, and Talon a couple of years ago. WWF:G couldn't get away with this. They wouldn't.
"SEVEN!"
As the last three seconds were beginning to be in sight, Legacy rolled over. He lived after all. Legacy's mind was foggy, his vision was blurred, and the noise of the arena only gave him a pounding headache; however, through it all, he could hear that count. The count that would take away his victory. His conquest. This wouldn't stand, not when The Future was hanging in the balance.
"EIGHT!"
Slowly but surely, Legacy rolled over to the ropes and reached and arm out to grab the bottom one. With the help of the boundary, he began to lethargically pull himself back up to his feet.
"NINE!"
One second divided Legacy from keeping this match in play. One more second, and it felt like it had been dragged out for hours. He wouldn't let this end as a double knockout. Even if he had to beat the timekeeper to a pulp and force a restart, he would beat The Storm. He would end Matt Shanahan's streak. He would kill the man that should have died many, many months ago.
"T-..."
The referee stopped short of the ten-count at the very last millisecond. Legacy was on his feet! The count was over! The referee signaled for the match to continue, and walked over to Legacy to check his state. The blood oozing from his ribcage and general state of the man's body was a sign that things really had picked up since the referee was knocked out, but Legacy refused any sort of help on the referee's part. He pushed the man away and shouted, "DO YOUR JOB THIS TIME! I'M ENDING IT!"
Legacy stumbled away from the ropes and began to hobble across the ring, his eyes set on the limp Shanahan laid out on the near center. Despite all this time passing, The Storm hadn't stirred even for a moment. No signs of life passed through him; it was to the point that the crew members had called for EMTs to come down to the ring, ready to check on Shanahan once the referee allowed them. Legacy snarled at the sight of them and waved his arms dismissively, as if trying to make them scatter away from the ring.
"Let's... Let's end this!" He hissed to himself before reaching down to grab Matt by his thick, black hair once more. With all the strength he could muster, he pulled The Storm to his knees and positioned his arm over Matt's neck. With a piercing battlecry, Legacy threw Matt's limp arm over his shoulder and lifted the dead-weight Hall of Famer up into the air; while he normally would've stalled and let the world see the demise of Matt Shanahan, the amount of weight he was lifting into the air disagreed with his usual tactics. With a resounding boom, Legacy twisted Shanahan brought him crashing down to the mat, planting him hard with The Birth of The Hero!
He wasted no time and collapsed on top of Shanahan's lifeless body! The referee slid down to the mat to check Matt's shoulders, and began the count!
"ONE!"
This was it. The streak was over.
"TWO!"
This was the end to The Storm that so many had predicted. Despite how hard Matt fought, no one could recover from the hell he had been through. No one could fight when one's body was a broken and beaten as Shanahan's. The Storm clouds would pass.
The Future would be bright.
The Future would be Legacy.
"THR-"
The smallest motion ended the three-count effectively, and sent the arena into a screaming mob of jubilation. Matt's arm moved just enough to get his shoulder up off the mat, ending the count and keeping the match going! The Storm wasn't dead yet!
"... Wh.... WH-WHAT?!" Legacy choked out after his eardrums were blown out by the electrified crowd. He got to his knees and turned about to stare at the referee, who was telling him that the match was still on. "NO! IT'S NOT!" Legacy screamed in the man's face, before dropping back down onto Shanahan, this time keeping his weight planted on the man's shoulders. "COUNT AGAIN!"
Without much means to argue, the referee laid back down and began the count.
"ONE!"
"TWO!"
"THR-"
Once again, the count was broken. Matt's shoulder barely managed to push up against Legacy's weight, but no other movement came from Shanahan.
"NO! STAY DOWN!" Legacy roared furiously and pushed The Storm's shoulder back against the mat.
"ONE!"
"TWO"
"THR-"
For a third time, Matt's body resisted, even if he was no longer in this contest. After the third kick-out, Legacy forced himself up to his feet in a state of delirious anger. This wasn't possible; there was no way this match was still going! Legacy stomped around the ring, his hands pushing back his sweat and blood-stained locks to get them out of his face. What was he going to do? What else could he do? He had used up most of his arsenal, his most powerful weapons were already expended.
He flung a wild fist at one of the turnbuckles as he passed, expending some of his pent-up frustration. He continued on his warpath around the ring, until a light bulb flashed in his mind. Legacy turned around to look at the turnbuckles, and a wicked grin began to play on his lips. An idea had formed. One last trick was up his sleeve.
He refused to waste any more time, and stomped over to Matt's corpse. With a loud heave, he dragged Shanahan over to the corner and sat him up against the bottom turnbuckle. Legacy spent the next few moments attempting to pick The Storm up with the help of the turnbuckles, and force him to sit on the top one. It took some time, and if he were any weaker or smaller, he would've failed; luckily, him and Shanahan matched each other in stature, pound for pound. He eventually got Matt to sit up on the turnbuckle, though he was slouching and threatening to fall off any moment now.
Legacy hopped up onto the second rope and pulled Matt's head in under his arm for the third time in this match. He took a single moment to stare out into the audience and flash an evil smile. They wanted this match to end, and they were about to get exactly what they asked for. He threw The Storm's arm over his shoulder and grabbed the man's waistline, attempting to hoist him in the air for one last trick: The Birth... OF THE SUPER-HERO!
Unfortunately, Matt wasn't moving. No matter how many times Legacy twisted and tried and to lift The Storm, he wasn't moving.
Why wasn't he moving?
Wh-
Suddenly, a stiff left jab smashed into the oozing wound along the right side of Legacy's ribcage. A sharp gasp of agony escape Legacy's lips, but that wasn't the end of his torment. Fist after fist smashed into The Future's already damaged ribcage, until his grip on The Storm's head went completely limp.
Matt pulled his head up and stared at Legacy was glassy eyes, but the familiar fury was clear behind his gaze. His left arm shot up and grabbed Legacy by the throat just as the man was attempting to fall backwards, preventing him from doing so. Legacy's arms wrapped around Matt's left, attempting to pull himself free of The Storm's vice-like grasp; but those fingers weren't moving. Matt glared down at Legacy as he continued to choke the life out of the man, until the referee ran over and demanded Matt end his illegal choke.
With a snarl, Matt released his choke and wrapped his right hand around the back of Legacy's head. In a swift motion, he pulled Legacy forward, smashing his face down against the top turnbuckle. The fans were already putting the cameras back into the air, because it looked like The Storm was wasting no time at this rate. With Legacy's face firm between him and the top turnbuckle, Matt wrapped his arms around Legacy's waist and pulled him up in the air for a powerbomb lift. In a fluid motion, he put Legacy up onto his shoulders in the position for the moment the fans had been waiting.
The Storm didn't showboat, he didn't dare show off and pretend like this had been his plan all along. He wouldn't make Legacy's mistakes.
As he began to fall forward, Legacy fought back. He flailed his arms, he kicked his legs against Matt's back, he squirmed and wiggled, trying everything he could get out of the devastating finisher. The entire match flashed before his eyes as he felt himself being flipped over through the air...
The arena lit up with blinding flashes as The Storm took Legacy to the mat for The Last Corner!
A resounding thud shook the arena and the entirety of the ring as Matt planted Legacy firm on his back! The ring shook violently and mat threatened to give way under their combined weight, but it managed to hold true. The Storm fell backwards from his sitting position, laying opposite of the now unconscious Legacy. Would it be another count-out!?
Matt ensured that it wouldn't be by managed to weakly roll over and crawl to Legacy's side. Seconds passed by as the Hall of Famer inched closer and closer, and finally draped his arm over Legacy's body.
The referee dropped down to the mat, and he prayed it would be his last time for this match...
"... ONE!"
"... TWO!" List of Finishers:
Past to The Future (Back Suplex Side-Slam)
Birth of The Hero (Emerald Flowsion Kai)
The Last Corner (Stu Hart Special off the top rope)
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2016 8:52 pm
[Finale]
Anticipation... what a cruel word, but it described the feeling everyone felt as they watched on. All it took was the referee's hand to hit the mat one last time to bring this chapter of Wrestlemania to a close. The referee's hand seemed to hang in the air for hours. Days. Weeks. Months. Time slowed to a crawl as world waited to see...
How would this match finally end?
"THREE!"
The referee's hand smacked the mat, signaling for the bell. The entire building practically jumped off of its foundations as the mixture of fans roaring in approval and thunder booming through the sound system shook the walls. Every titantron and every screen in the arena lit up with the same message:
5-0
While it may not be an impressive record, it was the longest in WWF:G history. And for the fifth time, Matt Shanahan had toppled the opposition, albeit in a closest fashion since his match against Kelly King. He took everything Legacy could throw at him, and The Storm managed to endure.
"Short Change Hero" blasted through the sound system, instead of the ominous music he had entered with at the beginning of the night. The familiar song cemented his victory over The Future. "The Past" had won tonight. The Future would have to wait.
Despite his victory being confirmed, Matt didn't move from Legacy's side. His eyes were closed, and his arm remained draped over the man's chest; by all accounts, he was probably unconscious. The referee rushed to his side and leaned down to check his pulse, before calling the EMTs to move to their side of the ring. The men were quick to move towards the fallen victor and some climbed into the ring to help retrieve the man. Slowly but surely, they rolled the bloodied and devastated Shanahan over onto his back, and began to shift him towards the gurney.
As the got him near the ropes, Matt's eyelids fluttered open and he abruptly, though weakly, waved his arm at the nearest EMT, attempting to smack the man away. "Don't move, Matt! We've gotta get you on the gurney, you're in no co-" The camera barely picked up the referee's voice over the sound of The Storm's music, but he was cut off by another aggressive swing of Matt's arm.
He didn't give them a verbal chastising like he would've years ago, he simply gave his head weak shakes as he attempted to sit up. His arm looped around the middle rope as he tried his best to haul himself into a sitting position. His facial muscles strained and even the people in the "nosebleeds" could see the pain etched into his face with every move he made. The staples on his forehead had been ripped wide opened, a couple of the metal strands still clinging to his flesh. His face was covered in a mixture of sweat and drying blood, but the wound still threatened to bleed even more. The gauze wrapped around his body had been torn apart and stained with his and Legacy's blood alike, revealing his battered torso underneath. Whatever was left of Shanahan at this point surely wasn't enough to even walk.
Still, he tried his best to sit up, and after nearly thirty seconds, he gave up on trying to sit up and instead rolled underneath the bottom rope to rest on the apron instead. None of the EMTs dared lay a finger on him; they all knew Shanahan's track record in dealing with WWF:G crew in past years. Slowly but surely, Matt managed to sit up on the apron and lean against the ropes for support. He heaved in breath after breath, honestly thankful to be alive at this point. His eyes glanced around the area, though rather dimly; the sight of the stunned crowd told him tales upon tales. Some were still cheering, but the majority seemed to just be watching the weakened Hall of Famer cling to his life. He knew what they were thinking, because he was thinking the same: this match might've been the biggest mistake of his life.
After nearly a minute of sitting on the apron, Matt finally shifted his weight to lean forward, aiming to get onto his feet and begin his walk to the back. He dropped from the apron to the mat, and expected to simply stumble forward towards the ramp; instead, he fell. His legs gave way and his arms instinctively grabbed for the nearby gurney to help, but instead he caused it to topple over with him. Matt hit his knees and then fell forward, barely stopping his face from hitting the mats with his arm at the last second. EMTs immediately knelt down beside him, but before they could even ask a question, Matt's hoarse voice commanded them away. At this point, his music quit playing. There were no celebratory tunes now. Only the stunned silence of nearby fans.
The Storm made no attempt to stand for quite some time. Instead, he just stared down at the thin padding in front of him. It all came rushing back in this moment; the feeling of that titantron dropping on his body, crushing his bones and nearly suffocating him. The feeling of being beaten down by Legacy at every turn through the match. Every brutal fall he took through the years, every ounce of blood he lost in a simple battle of "Who's-The-Better-Man", all of it hit him like a truck. It all felt like a mistake. It all felt like death would've been an easier route, to just have died underneath that titantron. To have died with a respectable legacy to leave behind; anything but this, anything except feeling weak and beaten.
Eventually, those feelings passed, and Matt abruptly surged forward. He got to his hands and knees and grabbed at the apron, using it as support as he stood once more. On shaky legs, he made his way forward, slowly. One step at a time. The crew of EMTs followed directly behind him, ready to catch him if he fell this time; but Matt refused to fall. He wouldn't leave on a gurney. He would leave this arena on his own two feet, like he had every single other time. He would never leave Wrestlemania any other way.
As he rounded the corner of the ring, his eyes spotted the shattered baseball bat handle, splattered with Legacy's blood. Without losing what little momentum he had, The Storm made his way to the handle and reached down, picking up what was left of his legendary weapon. It might not have been much, but it was his memento. It was his legacy, in a nutshell.
Without much fanfare, The Storm began to limp his way up the ramp, baseball bat handle in hand, and his free arm wrapped around the torn gauze near his stomach. "Short Change Hero" started back up, and the fans around the arena began to chant once more, thinking they were driving Shanahan home.
"SHAN-A-HAN!"
"YOU STILL GOT IT!"
"FIVE-AND-OH! FIVE-AND-OH!"
Chants of approval, something Matt wasn't accustomed to in WWF:G; honestly, something he didn't want to hear in WWF:G. He wasn't a hero, he wasn't an honored champion. He was The Storm, the man that destroyed the King family, the man that toppled Cartwright's first reign as Legacy Champion; but compared to a monster like Legacy, even Matt was a better option to praise. He tuned them out, putting the world on mute as he limped his way to the top of the ramp.
Once he was at the top, he came to a gradual halt, as he did at every Wrestlemania. His body fought him as he turned his head up to look at the screen, his eyes meeting the menacing titantron to read the message that he predicted from the start:
5-0
While it might not have been the most impressive record, it was his legacy in this business. A legacy none had reached in the decade-long tenure the company had. A legacy that even he could want to keep for as long as possible.
His head twisted around to stare down at the ring from over his shoulder, his glassy gaze staring down towards Legacy. Whether or not he was standing, or kneeling, or laying down, or threatening to come attack Shanahan again, Matt would stare. A weak snarl displayed on The Storm's lips, and his arm lethargically lifted the broken handle up in the arm. Tonight, that was his symbol of victory; not five fingers, but the broken weapon covered in Legacy's blood, held high for the arena to see. Because even when he was broken apart, The Storm would always endure.
Finally, Matt turned his head around and lowered his arm, and limped through the black curtain. Who knows when he will walk back through it again.
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