It was nearing the end of the night for the grand Royal Rumble event, and many were beginning to stir restlessly in anticipation for the main event: The Legacy Championship match. Every second felt like hours as the fans sat in wait for the sighting of the famous Major Devastation.
When the lights around the arena shut off with a loud bang, people jumped in excitement, fully expecting to hear Major Devastation's theme song.
Instead, the titantron began to roll its footage, showing a black and white scene...
The footage that played was something many had seen before, but not something they'd probably want to see again. It was a silent, slow-motion shot of the one and only Matt Shanahan, standing on the stage at last year's Unbroken Pay-Per-View. Ironically, something did break that night: the titantron. The footage continued to play as the titantron exploded outward, and massive chunks of debris and glass shards rained upon the unsuspecting Matt Shanahan. Frame-by-frame, he collapsed to his knees before being crushed by the weight of the shattered screen. As the image of the bat rolling down the ramp played, the shot faded into another. The crew were pulling at the rubble, attempting to get the buried Matt Shanahan. They pulled and heaved on the pipes and debris, pulling loose whatever they could in order to save the Hall of Famer.
As they began to retrieve the fallen man from the rubble, showing his broken, bloodied body for a fraction of a moment, the shot faded away once more. Matt Shanahan now stood in the ring, staring face to face with Legacy; his face was stapled and his body was wrapped in thick gauze, but he stood face to face with the man responsible for nearly ending his life.
The next passing shots were a tale that most knew by now: the legendary battle between Matt Shanahan and Legacy. Most notably, it highlighted all the low points for Matt Shanahan. The screen showed his staples being forcefully ripped apart in his forehead, causing a fountain of blood to spill from the wound. Afterwards, it showed him falling to his knees and the Punkville Slugger snapping in two as Legacy broke through it with his staff, sending splinters flying through the air.
Matt was kicked in the face and sent to the mats. He was brought crashing down to the mat with a Past To The Future. He was knocked out cold with The Birth of The Hero. And the final shot of the match, was him managing to sling Legacy over his had for The Last Corner, and securing the victory to cement his 5-0 streak.
The black and white footage faded once more, and went to showing Matt's long limp away from the ring and towards the back of the arena. As he walked, voices began to hum over the sound system.
When the lights around the arena shut off with a loud bang, people jumped in excitement, fully expecting to hear Major Devastation's theme song.
Instead, the titantron began to roll its footage, showing a black and white scene...
The footage that played was something many had seen before, but not something they'd probably want to see again. It was a silent, slow-motion shot of the one and only Matt Shanahan, standing on the stage at last year's Unbroken Pay-Per-View. Ironically, something did break that night: the titantron. The footage continued to play as the titantron exploded outward, and massive chunks of debris and glass shards rained upon the unsuspecting Matt Shanahan. Frame-by-frame, he collapsed to his knees before being crushed by the weight of the shattered screen. As the image of the bat rolling down the ramp played, the shot faded into another. The crew were pulling at the rubble, attempting to get the buried Matt Shanahan. They pulled and heaved on the pipes and debris, pulling loose whatever they could in order to save the Hall of Famer.
As they began to retrieve the fallen man from the rubble, showing his broken, bloodied body for a fraction of a moment, the shot faded away once more. Matt Shanahan now stood in the ring, staring face to face with Legacy; his face was stapled and his body was wrapped in thick gauze, but he stood face to face with the man responsible for nearly ending his life.
The next passing shots were a tale that most knew by now: the legendary battle between Matt Shanahan and Legacy. Most notably, it highlighted all the low points for Matt Shanahan. The screen showed his staples being forcefully ripped apart in his forehead, causing a fountain of blood to spill from the wound. Afterwards, it showed him falling to his knees and the Punkville Slugger snapping in two as Legacy broke through it with his staff, sending splinters flying through the air.
Matt was kicked in the face and sent to the mats. He was brought crashing down to the mat with a Past To The Future. He was knocked out cold with The Birth of The Hero. And the final shot of the match, was him managing to sling Legacy over his had for The Last Corner, and securing the victory to cement his 5-0 streak.
The black and white footage faded once more, and went to showing Matt's long limp away from the ring and towards the back of the arena. As he walked, voices began to hum over the sound system.
"In an extremely close effort, Matt Shanahan has beaten the man known only as 'Legacy.' His streak is now 5-0, but it looks like that is where it'll end."
"Reports are saying that Matt Shanahan has practically reversed any progress he was making towards a recovery, after tonight's match."
"It's not a matter of whether or not he'll wrestle next year; it's a matter of, will he even live to see next year?"
"No man should have been in that match in a condition like that! He left that ring as a broken shell of a man!"
"For all the Shanahan fans out there, let's hope that this is the last we've seen of The Hall of Famer..."
The lines of dialogue melded over eachother, one by one driving home what critics were saying at the end of last year's Wrestlemania. As Matt Shanahan reached the top of the ramp in the footage though, the screen went black.
"... Broken."
A single word echoed through the arena, in the deep bass voice that many had forgotten over the past year.
"They call me... Broken."
[Begin Scene]
A mixture of piano and violins began to hum as a set of doors opened wide, revealing the orange light of flames dancing around the whole room. At the end of the room laid the source of the flames: a large, stoked forge, prepped and ready for use. A figure marched through the opened doorway, each hand grasping a cylinder shape of some type. His foot steps echoed loudly as it stepped across the room.
"And they're right... I am broken. I am a shell of what I used to be. I am everything they say..."
The man continued to step across the room, getting closer the forge at the very end. The coals hissed and groaned quietly, just loud enough to meld in with the music and the voice that spoke to the audience.
"But... there is a beauty in being broken. A beautiful fact that I've seen occur time... and time... and time again. A fact that I didn't believe... until now..."
The man paused as he stepped up the forge, bathing himself in the light of its dim fires. The light licked at the scarred face of one of WWF:G's most recent legends. A face chiseled in stone, with anger clear in his eyes.
"... What is broken... CAN be... reforged." Matt Shanahan's voice boomed out in a defiant tone.
The sound of a hammer smashing against steel echoed through the arena, as the shot changed to show The Storm smashing a thick blacksmith's hammer against a plate of heated steel. Each hit was in sync with the music, echoing and sending violent vibrations to everything in the arena.
[1:37] "For years... I have fought in defiance of everything in my path. Every obstacle, every mortal, every challenge... I have faced, and I have conquered... I have never backed down!"
Matt's voice boomed like thunder over the sound system, almost to the point of tuning out the loud hammering. Despite his words, he continued to wail on the metal, smashing it into the shape he desired.
[2:09] "Yet for months, they have claimed The Storm had gone dormant... The Storm was broken, and a bright new day would be ushered in... Lies... LIES!"
The Storm roared loudly as he smashed the hammer against the metal one more time. In a quick movement, he reached to the stone nearby and picked up the two cylindrical objects, the light revealing one of them to be the bottom half of his shattered baseball bat. He put it down on the anvil, and began hammering once more.
[2:40] "You cannot break... what cannot die! Even now, the air crackles... with my fury! The clouds arc... with my vengeance! Through the pain, through the suffering, THE STORM... ENDURES! I WILL... ALWAYS... ENDURE!"
Matt continued hammered on the steel, his face contorted into a loathing snarl, as if the steel was every enemy he had encountered in his years. Every adversary, every obstacle, every sorrow, everything that had ever forced his hand... it laid before him on the anvil.
"Never again will I be broken! Never again will I be driven to the brink of Hell! NEVER AGAIN! I WILL NOT BREAK!"
[3:12] The Storm screamed as he drove another strike down onto the anvil, as if to reassure himself with every hit of his crafting weapon. With a growl, he shoved the weapon into a vat of water beside him, causing a steaming screech to erupt in the room. His work was finally finished.
After letting it rest in the water just long enough to the steam to calm down, he lifted the handle up from the weapon and marched out of the room in silence, disappearing into the shadows of the hallway.
When Matt Shanahan reappeared on the screen, he was walking through a dark room, heading towards an open balcony to the outside. The evening sky sent shafts of orange and pink light into the room, seeming out of place in the darkness of Matt's "temple."
"In my absence, fools have grown complacent. They believe the rain will never wash their filth away again... they believe that they're safe to plague WWF:G once more..."
Matt stepped out onto the balcony, exposing himself to the sunlight. It was strange for him to be seen in such a bright light without his thick trenchcoat on, but here he stood, in nothing but his black jeans. His scars were exposed for any and all to see, even though not a soul was in sight of him.
He lifted his creation up horizontally from himself, pointing out into the distance. It was his legendary Punkville Slugger, reforged and shaped into its former glory. A thick plating metal now was wrapped and bolted in the center of it, clearly holding the two broken ends together. One thing was for certain: that bat would never break again.
[3:44] "... They're wrong."
As the music crescendoed once more, Matt reared back his weapon with his right hand and pointed it towards the sky. Lightning abruptly surged from the end of the weapon, streaming into the sky at the faint clouds that dotted the air. The clouds rapidly began to expand and darken, shrouding over the area at an alarming rate. Matt's head whiplashed back as the surge of power erupted from his weapon, fighting against his hold the entire time.
[4:17] The clouds swirled and spiraled outward, beginning to envelop the land in their shadow. Thunder shook the air as they continued to overtake the skies. At the heart of the overcast, rain began to pour from the sky, descending upon the The Storm himself. The downpour began to chase after the edges of the clouds, covering the lands around the "temple" in a much needed rainfall.
Matt's body shook and fought against the reforged baseball bat the entire time, to the point that his eyes began to roll back into his head. A bloodcurdling battlecry ripped from the weathered veteran's throat as the storm continued to overtake the land.
[4:48] Finally, Matt's bat lowered in an almost involuntary jerk, breaking off the stream of lightning that had been unleashed into the skies. He gasped for air and put his free arm against the railing, clearly trying to recover from the feat he had pulled off. He tilted his head back and let the rain cascade onto his face, letting the moment completely soak into him. It was finally raining once more.
With a grunt, he pushed himself away from the railing and to his full height. He stared out into the distance, watching the rain quench the thirst of the land once more. The familiar snarl appeared on his lips, and a single line echoed from his throat.
"... The Storm lives."
[End Scene]
"... Broken."
A single word echoed through the arena, in the deep bass voice that many had forgotten over the past year.
"They call me... Broken."
[Begin Scene]
A mixture of piano and violins began to hum as a set of doors opened wide, revealing the orange light of flames dancing around the whole room. At the end of the room laid the source of the flames: a large, stoked forge, prepped and ready for use. A figure marched through the opened doorway, each hand grasping a cylinder shape of some type. His foot steps echoed loudly as it stepped across the room.
"And they're right... I am broken. I am a shell of what I used to be. I am everything they say..."
The man continued to step across the room, getting closer the forge at the very end. The coals hissed and groaned quietly, just loud enough to meld in with the music and the voice that spoke to the audience.
"But... there is a beauty in being broken. A beautiful fact that I've seen occur time... and time... and time again. A fact that I didn't believe... until now..."
The man paused as he stepped up the forge, bathing himself in the light of its dim fires. The light licked at the scarred face of one of WWF:G's most recent legends. A face chiseled in stone, with anger clear in his eyes.
"... What is broken... CAN be... reforged." Matt Shanahan's voice boomed out in a defiant tone.
The sound of a hammer smashing against steel echoed through the arena, as the shot changed to show The Storm smashing a thick blacksmith's hammer against a plate of heated steel. Each hit was in sync with the music, echoing and sending violent vibrations to everything in the arena.
[1:37] "For years... I have fought in defiance of everything in my path. Every obstacle, every mortal, every challenge... I have faced, and I have conquered... I have never backed down!"
Matt's voice boomed like thunder over the sound system, almost to the point of tuning out the loud hammering. Despite his words, he continued to wail on the metal, smashing it into the shape he desired.
[2:09] "Yet for months, they have claimed The Storm had gone dormant... The Storm was broken, and a bright new day would be ushered in... Lies... LIES!"
The Storm roared loudly as he smashed the hammer against the metal one more time. In a quick movement, he reached to the stone nearby and picked up the two cylindrical objects, the light revealing one of them to be the bottom half of his shattered baseball bat. He put it down on the anvil, and began hammering once more.
[2:40] "You cannot break... what cannot die! Even now, the air crackles... with my fury! The clouds arc... with my vengeance! Through the pain, through the suffering, THE STORM... ENDURES! I WILL... ALWAYS... ENDURE!"
Matt continued hammered on the steel, his face contorted into a loathing snarl, as if the steel was every enemy he had encountered in his years. Every adversary, every obstacle, every sorrow, everything that had ever forced his hand... it laid before him on the anvil.
"Never again will I be broken! Never again will I be driven to the brink of Hell! NEVER AGAIN! I WILL NOT BREAK!"
[3:12] The Storm screamed as he drove another strike down onto the anvil, as if to reassure himself with every hit of his crafting weapon. With a growl, he shoved the weapon into a vat of water beside him, causing a steaming screech to erupt in the room. His work was finally finished.
After letting it rest in the water just long enough to the steam to calm down, he lifted the handle up from the weapon and marched out of the room in silence, disappearing into the shadows of the hallway.
When Matt Shanahan reappeared on the screen, he was walking through a dark room, heading towards an open balcony to the outside. The evening sky sent shafts of orange and pink light into the room, seeming out of place in the darkness of Matt's "temple."
"In my absence, fools have grown complacent. They believe the rain will never wash their filth away again... they believe that they're safe to plague WWF:G once more..."
Matt stepped out onto the balcony, exposing himself to the sunlight. It was strange for him to be seen in such a bright light without his thick trenchcoat on, but here he stood, in nothing but his black jeans. His scars were exposed for any and all to see, even though not a soul was in sight of him.
He lifted his creation up horizontally from himself, pointing out into the distance. It was his legendary Punkville Slugger, reforged and shaped into its former glory. A thick plating metal now was wrapped and bolted in the center of it, clearly holding the two broken ends together. One thing was for certain: that bat would never break again.
[3:44] "... They're wrong."
As the music crescendoed once more, Matt reared back his weapon with his right hand and pointed it towards the sky. Lightning abruptly surged from the end of the weapon, streaming into the sky at the faint clouds that dotted the air. The clouds rapidly began to expand and darken, shrouding over the area at an alarming rate. Matt's head whiplashed back as the surge of power erupted from his weapon, fighting against his hold the entire time.
[4:17] The clouds swirled and spiraled outward, beginning to envelop the land in their shadow. Thunder shook the air as they continued to overtake the skies. At the heart of the overcast, rain began to pour from the sky, descending upon the The Storm himself. The downpour began to chase after the edges of the clouds, covering the lands around the "temple" in a much needed rainfall.
Matt's body shook and fought against the reforged baseball bat the entire time, to the point that his eyes began to roll back into his head. A bloodcurdling battlecry ripped from the weathered veteran's throat as the storm continued to overtake the land.
[4:48] Finally, Matt's bat lowered in an almost involuntary jerk, breaking off the stream of lightning that had been unleashed into the skies. He gasped for air and put his free arm against the railing, clearly trying to recover from the feat he had pulled off. He tilted his head back and let the rain cascade onto his face, letting the moment completely soak into him. It was finally raining once more.
With a grunt, he pushed himself away from the railing and to his full height. He stared out into the distance, watching the rain quench the thirst of the land once more. The familiar snarl appeared on his lips, and a single line echoed from his throat.
"... The Storm lives."
[End Scene]
