Welcome to Gaia! ::

BOOM!

A thunderous crash followed after the announcer finished introducing the next match, sending the arena in a frenzy of cheers. At this point, they knew what was coming, but so soon? Matt never appeared first, perhaps it all a trick by the dastardly Omega.

A moment of silence passed. A single moment, holding everyone in suspense. A moment that brought a chill to everyone's spine, as the temperature itself seemed to drop gradually. Perhaps it was the anticipation of what may come, perhaps it was the fear of darkness, or perhaps the air conditioning had just been triggered. Whatever it was...

... It cued the sound of a lone guitar, quietly strumming through the air. A sound that was all too familiar to every WWF:G fan, as it began to meld with the sound of falling rain. The eerie notes hung in the air, an omen for all.

The Storm was coming.

Short Change Hero - The Heavy

The titantron flickered on to display an image of storm clouds surging with electricity, filling the skies with their ominous light. The faint sound of war drums echoed through the air as the guitar continue to hum its lullaby. As the drum beat on, the fans were already roaring with approval into the darkness, excited the man that marched to the same beat.

But eventually, the titantron began to dim, and the guitar played its last note. The arena was left in silence once more; if one were to disregard the roaring fans, chomping at the bit to see what may follow. Their cheers wouldn't go unheard, and their answer would soon come with a single sound...

... But it was not the sound the fans were expecting. Instead, a droning synthesizer note, not the classic thunder crash, penetrated the ears the audience instead.

This Night - Black Lab

There are things,
I have done.

With the very first line of the sound, the drumbeat to the ominous lyrics kicked in and brought the arena back to life in a deep, blue haze. Fog had overtaken the entire stage, ramp, and most of the ringside area. The sound of rain clattered against the metallic stage, and fans could clear see the weather pouring down onto the entire entrance area.

There's a place,
I have gone.
There's a beast,
And I let it run.
Now it's runnin' myyyyy way.

As the second verse began, a sudden bolt of lightning struck the stage, penetrating through the mist and sending a booming wave of thunder through the arena.

The titantron itself didn't show the typical displays of storms and swirling clouds; it now showed clips of Matt Shanahan, on his finest day: WrestleMania. The highlights of his first ever match on the main stage played, his bout against the legendary Mike Landry. From the chase through the entire arena, to the ending where Matt leaped from the top rope to prevent Mike Landry from pinning his partner, Phoenixfire. It even showed the final nail in the match, where he slammed the baseball bat down onto the beaten Landry's defenseless body. Classic Shanahan, classic God of Punks.

1-0

There are things,
I regret.
That you can't forgive.
You can't forget.

The verse went on, as did the video footage. The next battle, possibly Matt's quickest in WrestleMania, saw him pitted against Jarel Damone's brother, Brandon. It took place in Matt's own creation, The Pit of Hell. For the fans that weren't familiar with the wicked match, the clips from the contest were enough for them to stomach. Barbed wired peeled at the two men's flesh everytime they whipped into the ropes. Brandon Damone slammed a chair into Matt's forehead, busting him wide open; but Matt would soon return the favor by swinging his baseball bat right into the front of Damone's skull. Before long, Damone was thrown into the ignited apron, causing harsh burns to appear on his back, before the final clip displayed The God of Punks swinging the man around and pinning him with The Chapter Four.

2-0

There's a gift,
That you sent.
You sent it my way.

The chorus was approaching, and the footage people loved to see was close to follow: Matt Shanahan vs Kelly King. Unlike the previous clips, it started from the very beginning. The two men, eliminating eachother from the Royal Rumble 2013. Kelly King out-smarted The God of Punks and sent him over the top rope, but the enraged Shanahan would soon slide back in and throw his rival clear over the ropes and into the Spanish Announcers' table with his new infamous move, The Toss.

As the chorus began, a figure moved through the mist, almost to the shock of the audience; some were so focused on the titantron that they weren't sure this was even an entrance. Cheers immediately resonated through the air as the trenchcoat-covered mass of a man stalked out from behind the curtain, his head lowered and hidden behind his hood. In his right hand was the reforged Punk-ville Slugger, his legendary weapon that had seen every single WrestleMania he had participated in. The weapon that had endured, even after being split in two. Unlike his usual entrance, he didn't stop on the top of the ramp and let the world soak in his presence; he stayed true to his path towards the ring. The rain poured on him every step of the way, soaking his trenchcoat and running off of his hood. To The Storm, it was the only moment of peace he had.

So, take this night.
Wrap it around me like a sheet.

As the chorus continued, the images of Matt's despised "home invasion" occurred, detailing every moment of it. Matt drove his truck the wall of Kelly King's home during a family dinner, interrupting the gathering. He chokeslammed Serenno, King's eldest, into the ground at the notion of defending his father. He battled King through his entire house, until transitioning to hunting down his offspring. He nearly broke Railery's back and left him in a writhing pile on the ground. He hunted down Kayla, King's only daughter, and lord only knows what may have happened if Kelly King 2.0 himself didn't break down the door. He turned the tables on King though, and dropped the icon and made Kayla beg her father to accept a match with the villain. She begged her father to face Matt Shanahan. Before long, the man sent Matt flying off of his balcony, just as the police arrived. Matt was hauled away.

I know I'm not forgiven,
But I need a place to sleep.

Quick images went by of Matt and Kelly's next encounter, the contract signing. Matt signed the contract, and then was slammed face first into the table. King ran, but was soon tackled by Matt and chased down. The two battled backstage, until suddenly Kelly King went flying through the titantron. He flew until he crashed onto the ramp and slid down towards the ring. Standing on the edge of the hole was a seething Matt Shanahan.

So, take this night.
Lay me down on the street.

There were no highlights of Matt Shanahan vs Kelly King at their actual WrestleMania match. The only image that showed was that of Matt Shanahan standing over his former best friend, bloodied and barely able to keep his balance. He stared down at the man he had battled for months. He stared down at the man who failed to beat him, when all Matt needed was to be put down.

The Storm was born.

3-0

I know I'm not forgiven,
But I hope that I'll be given
Some peace.

The chorus ended, and Matt Shanahan was nowhere near stopping. He glided through the mist slowly, carefully; he was never one to rush to the ring. The Storm continued on, and ignored every fan along the way. No matter how loudly they cheered, no matter how enthusiastic they were, The Storm didn't even spare them a glance. Tonight, it was him and Omega alone. A stain, against The Storm.

The titantron showed the highlights of Matt's highest profiled WrestleMania match afterwards, his main event spot: Matt Shanahan vs Cartwright. The two battled in what was arguably one of the strangest ideas for a match, The Elimination Chamber Weapons match. The two dueled with steel chairs, Cartwright dove from the top rope and nearly broke Matt in half with an elbow drop, but it all came to a head when Matt sent Cartwright to the mat with The Last Corner right off of a ladder. On impact, the title fell from its hook and landed on the mat.

Matt crawled to it and won the match without even having to pull it down from the top of the cage, his most controversial win yet. The win that made him WWF:G Legacy Champion.

4-0

There's a game,
That I played.
There are rules,
I had to break.

LEGACY appeared on the titantron, standing in the middle of the ring at Sacrifice 2015. The sinister villain was watching the stage, as Matt Shanahan walked out to face him.

But that match never happened, as the titantron exploded above The Storm and rained down him. Within moments, he was buried underneath the rubble of glass and metal. The Storm was thought to be dead that day, and it was rightfully so; no man should have lived through that. No man could have.

There's mistakes,
That I made.
But I made 'em myyyyyy way.

The final verse ended, and Matt was at the bottom of the ramp. He snapped to the right as the chorus began and abruptly began his lethargic pace towards the steps. Within moments, he would march up them and begin to walk along the apron.

So, take this night.
Wrap it around me like a sheet.
I know I'm not forgiven,
But I need a place to sleep.

The Storm stepped between the ropes and dragged his trenchcoat through. Now that he wasn't hidden in the mists, people could clearly see that this wasn't the tattered trenchcoat he had been wearing; this one was new. It was without a single fault. Tonight was a new chapter. Tonight... he would be a champion.

So, take this night.
Lay me down on the street.
I know I'm not forgiven,
But I hope that I'll be given
Some peace.

Matt Shanahan vs LEGACY flashed through the screens around the arena as the chorus rang out. It lacked Matt's typical dominance, instead he was brutalized for most of the match. LEGACY snapped his bat in half, beat him down with a staff, and nearly kicked his head clean off. Matt knocked LEGACY out with his sleeper hold, but the referee was out cold and couldn't call it. LEGACY planted Matt into the ground afterward, and nearly ended the match; but once he got Shanahan near the turnbuckles, The Storm managed to pull out all the stops and deliver his infamous Last Corner to the "The Future." He pinned him, and limped up the ramp with the handle of his broken bat.

5-0.

Matt's head was turned towards the rampway as the final scenes of Matt Shanahan vs LEGACY played out. It was a match that haunted his body to this day, but The Storm wouldn't show it. The Storm wouldn't be broken. No matter what had been thrown at him over the years, he had always endured. Tonight would be no different.

The ending of the song drew near, and Matt's head slowly turned back to face the audience. They couldn't see his face from underneath the hood, but that changed as the final beat of the song played; Matt's left hand reached up and grabbed the rim of his hood, tossing it back to reveal his facial features. As always, his face was clean shaven, and his black locks were slicked back. His cold, haunting eyes glared dead ahead, not focusing on any fan in particular. His features were nearly perfect, except for the massive scar running across his forehead, thanks to LEGACY. It was a constant, grim reminder of the who nearly cost him everything.

The lights flashed back to their normal, colorless state after the final beat rang out, signaling even louder chants from the crowd. Without any notion of showboating, The Storm removed his trenchcoat and tossed it to the outside, dropping his baseball bat towards his corner afterwards. This match was no disqualifications, and he was definitely going to abuse that at every turn.

The shirtless, battlescarred and tattooed Shanahan stood firm in his corner, his icy gaze focused on the ramp now. The Champion's presence was needed.

Matt Shanahan demanded it.

[Not my best entrance, but it is what it is. ]

If there was one thing Matt Shanahan had never been able to tolerate, it was blatant disrespect of the one man he actually gave a damn for: Saint Joey. To watch such a vile entrance occur, let alone in mocking of him, it tested every notion of restraint in the Hall of Famer. But even as the entrance occurred, Matt's facial expression didn't change. He didn't snarl, he didn't spit curses at Omega, he didn't even shift in posture. He remained as still as a statue, waiting patiently.

His eyes though, they told a different story; if anyone could read them, they would see nothing but pure, white hot fire. There was no storm in them; there was only rage. And rage was truly Matt's greatest weakness...

... but it was also his greatest strength.

Omega's taunting continued, even after the champion entered the ring; but he received no reaction from Shanahan. That was the case, until the bell rang.

That's the only signal The Storm needed.

As Omega went charging at Shanahan, every ounce of rage that he could've possibly held in suddenly exploded. Matt's eyes went wide, his face twisted into the most sinister scowl, and he too ran at the his target of the evening. They would both meet in the center of the ring, Omega's fists flying forward in hopes to hit Shanahan square in the face; but Matt was aiming for something else entirely. He charged at the Intercontinental Champion, but not for a typical big boot; instead, he attempted to straight, rage-filled tackle on the man, hoping to drop him onto the mat immediately and begin raining down a series of blows to Omega's thick skull!

Omega was looking to a cheap way to get Shanahan off of him and halt the rage-driven force of nature before it could take off; but an eye rake wasn't going to go well for him. As Omega's reached up and managed to get his thumbs on Matt's eyes, The Storm quickly attempted to grab the man's wrists and yank them away before he could do any extreme damage to the man's retinas. If successful, he'd attempt to pin Omega's arms to the ground and resort to delivering a vicious headbutt right to the nose area of Omega's mask!

Omega wanted to be hit again? Matt's pleasure. Without a moment's hesitation, Matt's forehead came slamming down onto Omega's masked face once more! Should it hit its mark, The Storm would find his nose to be snapped down on by the champion!

A howl of pain echoed through the arena, and although the fans couldn't clearly see what was happening, they knew it was something Matt would be feeling for some time. Desperate to get the champion off of his nose, The Storm's hands released Omega's wrists and immediately attempted to wrap around the smaller man's throat, his goal being to choke every bit of life out of Omega!

Matt's attempt to end Omega's life before the match could even get off the ground would come to a halt after the brutal low blow he was dealt. After the first blow hit, The Storm's hands immediately loosened from the Intercontinental Champion's throat and he rolled off of the man, his hands instinctively holding his groin.

Matt was reeling in pain from the dastardly low-blow, but he was far from out of this match. As Omega leaped into the air for the Double Stomp, The Storm managed roll away and up to his knees, now in a base position. If Omega landed on his feet without falling over, Matt would see to fixing that by attempting to plant his weight on the palms of his hands and swing his leg around, aiming to sweep Omega's knees right out from under him!

After successfully sending Omega down to the mat, The Storm watched as his opponent scampered out of the ring before any true offense could be mounted. Matt snarled, but wouldn't simply let Omega go outside and plot without a threat. Shanahan followed suit, rolling out of the ring on the opposite side of Omega. Without missing a beat, The Storm threw the apron up as soon as his feet touched the mats. He was going to find a weapon, and the match wasn't even under way for more than a few minutes!