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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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Trapped inside the small, concrete walled storage room were AJ Lee, Nikki Bella, and Alexa Bliss. The heavy metal door was visibly barred from the outside. AJ was pounding her fists furiously against the reinforced glass window of the door, yelling something that the audio feed couldn't pick up. Nikki had her arms wrapped protectively around a visibly shaken Alexa. The threat was real, immediate, and completely chilling, and inside the ring, Sandro snapped.
The cold, calculating God King persona shattered into a million pieces. Sandro dropped the world titles onto the mat. His face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. He gripped the microphone so hard the plastic casing audibly cracked.
"You son of a bitch!" Sandro roared, the sheer volume and hatred in his voice startling the fans in the front row. "If you or any of your pathetic goons dare to lay a single hand on them, I swear to god I will inflict a level of pain on you that you cannot possibly comprehend!"
The rage radiating from the champion was palpable. It wasn't corporate anger, it was deeply personal, highly protective, and terrifyingly dangerous.
On the stage, Barrett threw his head back and laughed loudly, thoroughly enjoying the reaction.
"There it is!" Barrett cheered mockingly. "There is the real Sandro Zhang! The cool, calm billionaire facade finally cracks! I love it!"
Barrett leaned forward, a disgusting, vile sneer crossing his face.
"Don't worry your pretty little head, Sandro," Barrett taunted, his voice dripping with malice. "I gave strict orders. We aren't going to touch the women ourselves. Although... I must admit, the boys were begging me for a chance to go down there and get a taste."
Barrett gestured toward the rest of the Nexus. Ryback, Slater, Gabriel, bad the others all let out loud, lewd, highly unsettling laughs, looking at the screen with disgusting grins.
The arena exploded into a wave of visceral disgust. The fans booed louder than they had all night, genuinely sickened by the psychological warfare.
"That is crossing the line!" Cole shrieked, standing up at the broadcast desk in absolute horror. "This isn't a game anymore! They have locked three women in a room and are threatening them with physical harm! Someone call the authorities right now!"
"This is despicable!" Lawler added, shaking his head. "Wade Barrett has completely lost his mind!"
Even JBL, the usual defender of ruthless tactics, looked sickened. "There is a code in this business, Wade! You don't involve families, and you certainly don't threaten women! This is a disgusting, cowardly act!"
In the ring, Sandro didn't bother using the microphone anymore. He dropped it to the mat and immediately lunged toward the ropes, fully intending to vault over the top and charge up the ramp to tear Barrett limb from limb.
But Dolph Ziggler was faster.
The Showoff lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Sandro's waist, physically hauling the champion backward.
"Don't do it!" Ziggler yelled, his voice strained as he fought against Sandro's immense strength. "It's a trap, man! They want you to rush them! You can't fight nine guys by yourself!"
Sandro was seeing red. He violently shoved Ziggler away, sending the exhausted challenger crashing into the turnbuckles. Sandro grabbed the ropes again, his chest heaving as he glared a hole straight through the Nexus leader.
"I accept!" Sandro screamed, his voice raw, pointing a shaking finger at Barrett. "You want a match? You've got it! Now tell me exactly where that room is, Wade! Because if even a single hair on their heads has been touched, you and your boys aren't going to have to worry about the police, and you aren't going to have to worry about a court case! You are going to have to worry about whether or not I let you leave this building alive!"
The death threat hung heavily in the air, delivered with such absolute conviction that even Mason Ryan seemed to tense up.
Barrett, however, simply smiled. He had the champion exactly where he wanted him.
"I am so glad you accepted," Barrett replied smoothly, raising the microphone again. "But unfortunately for you, Sandro... I don't accept the match on your terms. I'm calling the shots tonight."
Barrett took a step closer to the edge of the stage.
"Next week, for the World Heavyweight Championship, it isn't going to be a standard singles match," Barrett declared, his eyes gleaming with malicious intent. "It is going to be a Lumberjack match. And the men surrounding the ring... will be the Nexus."
The rest of the faction immediately reacted with loud, aggressive approval. Ryback pounded his fists together. David Otunga laughed. Darren Young and Michael Tarver nodded, pointing menacingly toward the ring.
The fans let out a collective groan of despair.
"A Lumberjack match?!" Cole yelled in disbelief. "That's practically a public execution! He's going to put Sandro in a ring surrounded by eight guys who want to tear him apart!"
"It's a death sentence!" Lawler agreed. "Wade Barrett has rigged the game completely in his favor!"
Inside the ring, Sandro's jaw clenched so tightly it looked like his teeth might shatter. The anger practically radiated off his skin. He knew exactly what he was walking into. He knew the odds were impossible. But as he looked up at the TitanTron, watching AJ, Nikki, and Alexa trapped in the dark room, his resolve hardened into solid steel.
Sandro grabbed the discarded microphone from the mat.
"I don't care if you bring eight goons, Wade!" Sandro roared, his voice echoing fiercely against the boos of the crowd. "I don't care if you surround that ring with a hundred men! You bring your army next week! Because when the bell rings, I am going to be the one who wins this war!"
Sandro threw the microphone violently out of the ring. He didn't break eye contact with Barrett, his chest heaving, his fists taped and ready for the bloodbath that awaited him.
The camera slowly pulled back, capturing the incredibly tense, dangerous standoff. Wade Barrett stood on the stage, a smug victor holding all the cards, while the God King stood in the ring, pushed to the absolute edge of his sanity.
Monday Night RAW faded to black, leaving the audience hanging on a massive, terrifying cliffhanger, desperate to know if Sandro could reach his girls in time, and how he could possibly survive the impossible odds waiting for him next week.
The moment the Network broadcast faded to black, the internet exploded.
Wrestling Twitter, wrestling forums, and every major forum lit up like a Christmas tree. The hashtag #MondayNightRAW was trending number one worldwide within minutes, closely followed by #GodKing and #NexusHostage.
Fans were absolutely divided, fiercely debating the shocking conclusion to the show. The raw, unfiltered emotion that Sandro had displayed was something the audience had never seen before.
For over a year, the God King had been portrayed as an icy, calculating billionaire mastermind. But tonight, Wade Barrett had managed to shatter that facade, exposing a terrifyingly violent, protective side of the double champion.
"I'm not gonna lie, I loved seeing Sandro lose his mind," one top rated comment on Twitter read. "It makes the storyline feel so much more real. Barrett didn't just attack him; he went after his family. The stakes are through the roof now."
"Barrett is a menace, but let's be real here," a popular wrestling podcaster tweeted. "Sandro basically wrote the playbook on psychological warfare. He used Paul Heyman to manipulate contracts, he ordered hits on guys in the parking lot during the Undisputed System days, and he held the titles hostage. Barrett is just using Sandro's own tactics against him. The student has surpassed the master."
Other fans focused on the sheer insanity of the match stipulation.
"Sandro accepting a Lumberjack match against NINE guys is pure suicide," a fan noted on the official WWE forum. "Wade Barrett isn't even trying to win a wrestling match next week, he's setting up a public execution. I don't see how Sandro walks out of Orlando with the World Heavyweight Championship."
As the online debate raged into the early hours of Tuesday morning, a sudden push notification from the official WWE Twitter account sent the fanbase into another frenzy.
[EXCLUSIVE VIDEO] The God King locates his girlfriends after a terrifying hostage situation on #WWERaw! The war with the Nexus has reached a point of no return. #GodKing #Nexus #WWE
The attached video was shot on a handheld camera, shaking slightly as it followed Sandro down a dimly lit, concrete hallway in the depths of the Capital One Arena. He was moving with terrifying speed, still wearing his sweat stained white wrestling tights, his chest heaving. Dolph Ziggler was a few steps behind him, flanked by a squad of arena security.
Sandro reached a heavy metal door. The steel bar had been removed, tossed carelessly to the floor. Sandro practically tore the door off its hinges, rushing into the small storage room.
The camera angle shifted, revealing AJ Lee, Nikki Bella, and Alexa Bliss. They were huddled together on a stack of folded chairs, looking incredibly stressed but otherwise completely unharmed.
The visible wave of relief that crashed over Sandro was palpable. He let out a long, heavy breath, leaning against the doorframe for a fraction of a second before rushing forward, pulling all three women into a tight, protective embrace.
"Are you okay? Did they touch you?" Sandro demanded, his voice thick with anxiety.
"We're fine," AJ replied sharply, stepping back and running a hand through her hair. She looked furious, not terrified. "They just locked the door and cut the feed. But I swear to god, Sandro, if I get my hands on Wade Barrett..."
Nikki Bella cracked her knuckles, her jaw set. "They think they can use us as bait? They messed with the wrong women."
Alexa nodded, glaring fiercely at the camera. "We aren't damsels in distress. We want a piece of them, too."
Sandro turned slowly, facing the WWE cameraman. The relief had vanished, instantly replaced by a dark, simmering rage.
"You hear that, Wade?" Sandro snarled into the lens, his voice dropping into a deadly, chilling whisper. "You crossed a line tonight. A line you can never come back from. You think next week is just a wrestling match? You think surrounding that ring with your goons is going to save you? Next Monday, you aren't going to have a good time. I am going to tear your faction apart piece by piece, and I am going to leave you broken in the center of that ring. Your death warrant is signed."
The video cut to black, instantly racking up millions of views and cementing the Lumberjack match as the most highly anticipated main event of the summer.
Days passed quickly, the tension building across the wrestling world, until Monday evening finally arrived.
The WWE production crew had set up shop in Orlando, Florida. Because it was Sandro's billed hometown, the local fans were absolutely rabid. The massive stadium was packed to the rafters hours before the show began, a sea of white, red, and black God King t-shirts filling the seating bowl.
Backstage, the atmosphere was incredibly busy. In the VIP executive suite, Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, Stephanie, Triple H, and Shane were hosting two very special guests.
Jack and Taylor Zhang, the founder and CEO of the trillion dollar tech conglomerate Nexum Core, and Sandro's parents, had come into the stadium to attend the show.
Dressed in impeccably tailored, understated luxury clothing, they were treated with the utmost reverence by the McMahon family. As the second largest shareholders in the WWE, the Zhangs wielded immense power, and Vince was always eager to keep them happy.
"It's a pleasure to have you both here tonight," Vince said smoothly, pouring a glass of sparkling water for Taylor. "The crowd out there is absolutely electric. They are ready to see your son defend his crown."
"We wouldn't miss it, Vince," Jack replied with a warm, polite smile, though his sharp eyes took in every detail of the room. "Sandro has built quite the empire here. We're just hoping he keeps it in one piece."
Further down the hall, inside the lavishly decorated God King locker room, Sandro was busy coordinating the final details of the main event.
Wade Barrett, Ryback, and David Otunga were sitting on the leather sofas, casually reviewing the sequence of spots for the Lumberjack match. The bitter, blood feud animosity they had displayed on television was entirely absent. Behind the curtain, they were seasoned professionals mapping out a masterpiece.
"When you take the bump to the outside, Mason and Tarver are going to swarm you immediately," Barrett explained, tapping a pen against his notepad. "Make sure you roll toward the announce table. That way, when the savior inevitably runs down to try and even the odds, we have a clear camera angle for the brawl."
"Got it," Sandro nodded, adjusting the wrist tape on his right hand. "And Wade, when you hit the Bull Hammer, lay it in. I want the crowd to believe the match is over."
"Don't worry, mate," Barrett smirked. "I'll make it look pretty."
A soft knock interrupted the strategy session.
The heavy door opened, and Vince McMahon stepped inside, followed closely by his family and the Zhangs.
Sandro immediately stopped taping his wrist. A genuine, bright smile broke across his face as he stood up. He walked past the McMahons, reaching out and pulling his mother, Taylor, into a tight, warm hug.
"Mom. You made it," Sandro smiled, kissing her cheek.
"We wouldn't miss a title defense in our own hometown, honey," Taylor smiled back, her eyes quickly scanning his bruised ribs from last week's attack. "Are you holding up okay? That looked awful on television."
"Just selling the angle, Mom. I'm perfectly fine," Sandro reassured her, stepping back to shake his father's hand before pulling him into a brief hug as well.
"Just remember to double and triple check your sequences, Sandro," Jack advised quietly, his tone shifting into business mode. "Barrett is a big guy. Don't take unnecessary risks on the outside bumps. Protect your neck."
"Always, Dad," Sandro nodded.
The Nexus members politely excused themselves, giving the family some privacy as the countdown to the live broadcast ticked away.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The opening pyrotechnics shattered the quiet anticipation in the arena, bathing the Orlando crowd in bright red and gold fire. The noise was absolutely deafening.
"Welcome, everyone, to Monday Night RAW!" Cole shouted over the roar of the hometown crowd. "We are coming to you live from Orlando, Florida, and we have a main event tonight that has the entire wrestling world holding its breath!"
For the next two hours, the show maintained a blistering, energetic pace. The mid card delivered a series of excellent, hard hitting matches. The New Day retained their momentum with a chaotic six man tag team victory. Drew McIntyre cut a fierce promo, daring Randy Orton to show his face and try another sneak attack.
But beneath every match and every backstage segment, the heavy, looming shadow of the Lumberjack match hung over the broadcast.
Finally, the digital clocks hit the final twenty minutes of the show.
The lights in the arena slowly began to dim. The low, anxious murmur of the crowd swelled into a loud, expectant buzz.
WEE! WOO! WEE! WOO!
The harsh, blaring siren of the Nexus theme music ripped through the speakers. The Orlando crowd instantly erupted into a massive, unified chorus of deafening boos. The hostility was thick enough to cut with a knife. "And here they come," Lawler groaned, genuine disgust in his voice. "The most cowardly, despicable faction in the history of this company."
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Name: Alessandro Zhang
Age: 21 (2011)
Birthplace: Orlando, Florida, USA
Brand: WWE - RAW
Wrestling Style: Mixed Of All Styles
Faction: The Undisputed System
Championships History: 1x FCW Tag Team Champions, 1x FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion, 1x TNA World Heavyweight Champion, 1x TNA X Division Champion, 1x WWE United States Champion (1st - 376 days), 1x WWE Champion, & 1x World Heavyweight Champion
Other Achievements: 1x Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale Winner, 1x Mr. Money In The Bank, Youngest WWE Champion, PWI Top 500 (No.1) - 2010, & 1x KOTR (2010)
Wrestlemania Record: 2 - 0 Main Event: 1 - 0