"The following contest is a Steel Cage match for the Evolution Championship! Introducing fi-"The announcer was swiftly overpowered as a booming thunder shook the arena, followed by a bright flash as an entire section of the arena lost all power; lights, cell phones, cameras, everything seemed to miraculously shut off. Thunder rolled through the arena again with another bright flash, extinguishing all light from a larger part of the arena. One more time, and the arena was plunged into complete darkness. The majority of the fans were silenced by the sudden storm that seemed to shake the arena; it took a moment for a sea of cheers to erupt over the sound of the storm. It didn't take a genius to know who was coming out.
A lone guitar began to quietly play over the sound system as the titantron buzzed back to life, showing black and white footage of previous encounters involving Shanahan. Lightning flashes occasionally streaked through the arena with a booming thunder along side it. The distinct sound of raindrops hitting steel could faintly be heard with the music; the fans closest to the entrance ramp and the ring began to shout in protest of getting wet. Was it really raining in the arena?
Short Change Hero - The HeavyThe footage rolled, starting with the famous image of a bloodied and beaten Shanahan holding the Evolution Championship high above his head after his ground-breaking clash with The God of Time. The image faded into the match that happened right afterward, the moment Major Devastation cashed in his Money in The Bank to rob Matt of the title. The God of Punks fought back with all he had left, but the devastating Mother of All Bombs broke Shanahan, thus giving the title to Major. Seamlessly, the footage carried on to show Matt pulling himself out of the wreckage he caused from his Showdown return, back in good health and ready to take the title back. The film went through the major highlights of the events, with the primarily ones being him landing the Chapter Four on Major and throwing the Devil Dog over his shoulders to reverse the Mother of All Bombs. The footage ended with Matt barely managing to stand as the referee gave the nine count while both men were down; it followed with Matt holding his hand high with the title tight in his grasp. The titantron faded to black, and the music seemed to stop with it, leaving the arena in a state of silence and darkness.
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 small flame to spark around it. 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 it had indeed been drizzling on the stage, ramp, and around the ring; the ramp itself was hardly visible through the small screen of fog that covered it. The music kicked back in, now with a distinct drum beat to it. The center of the stage was wide open, and a figure 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 drizzling rain slid off of his trenchcoat.
"And introducing his opponent: From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania... Weighing in at 326 pounds... He is The God of Punks, The Storm, The Evolution Champion! Matt Shan-a-han!"
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, the grounds that his first title defense would be taking place. His right hand was gripped around his legendary weapon, the 'Punk-ville Slugger', at the sight of the steel cage suspended above. There would be no escape for him or whatever opponent he had to face tonight; he only hoped it wouldn't be Major again. 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."On the last two lines of the chorus, Matt stopped in the middle of the ramp to slightly turn his head to the left and right, taking in the size of the cheering crowd. They stood by him against Chrono and against Major, and he hadn't let them down yet. Deep down, he hoped tonight wouldn't be any different. Once he began to pace down to the ring again, a flash of lightning ripped across the roof of the arena, causing the dark-blue lighting to go out once more.
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. Now, The Storm was standing at the steps to the ring and beginning his ascent up them. He walked onto the apron and stepped through the middle and top rope to enter the ring, turning on heel to stare out at the fans from underneath his hood
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, Shanahan brought his free hand up to grab his hood by the rim and pull it back, revealing his clean-shaven features. His black locks were slicked back in his usual style, and his black eyes were in their typical near-bloodshot state. The moment he pulled his hood back, another booming thunder to echo through the arena. A lightning bolt shot across the ceiling overhead as the lights flowed back into their normal, colorless hue. The drizzling rain stopped, leaving the outside area and the ramp wet, along with some unfortunate fans who paid a well earned salary for their Front Row Seats.
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."Without turning away, he tossed his baseball bat to the outside and tugged his trenchcoat off, revealing his Evolution Championship wrapped around his waist along with his usual attire of black jeans, boots, leather gloves, and a muscle shirt. With the theatrics over with, he turned to the outside and tossed his trenchcoat to the nearby stagehand; afterwards he tugged off his muscle shirt and threw it out into the fans, granting one of them a piece of free merchandise. His extensively tattooed torso, rarely revealed to the world, seemed like a masterpiece underneath the bright lights.
The music died away, leaving Shanahan to the mercy of the praising audience. He stood in the center of the ring and gazed around the arena, his face seemingly devoid of emotion; with a single tug, he pulled his championship from his waist and hoisted it high in the air for the fans to see, proving that he did have it in his grasp once again. They screamed for The God of Punks like he never lost. Traces of a grin attempted to tug at his lips once he lowered the belt down and handed to the referee. Now, he stood facing the ramp, waiting for his opponent. Whoever it was... he hoped they were as ready as he was.
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