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(A/N: my Skyrim have been unblocked so everyone can go read it now, thanks for the patience and sorry for the inconveniences!)
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In his pocket, the phone vibrated. A text from Jack: The TNA paperwork is halfway through. Vince is asking questions. Be ready. Sandro smirked. The "Acknowledge" promo had been for the fans. The next move... the next move was for the industry.
Inside the locker room, the atmosphere was looser. Sandro sat on a bench, loosening his tie with a long exhale, while the rest of the group celebrated the promo like a victory lap.
Jericho slapped his shoulder, grinning. "You still command a crowd like no one I've ever seen, man. You had them eating out of your hand, half of them want to kill you, the other half want to be you."
AJ handed him a bottle of water, her brow furrowed slightly. "You sure you should do a promo yourself this soon? We could have handled the talking."
He shrugged, cracking the cap. "We need to keep kayfabe alive. The Undisputed System looks wounded because of Wade and Drew's defeat. The wolves get brave when they smell blood. So, as the leader, I had to show myself after the vacation. Remind them the head of the snake is still attached."
Nikki laughed, sitting beside him. "You looked anything but wounded out there. That suit? The gold stripes? You looked like a Bond villain who actually wins."
Heyman bustled inside, closing the door behind him, his phone already buzzing with messages. He looked up, eyes gleaming behind his glasses. "Ratings spike the moment your appearance was known and kept going up until the end. The networks are thrilled. They are calling it 'appointment television.'"
"They better be thrilled, Paul," Sandro joked, his voice dropping an octave, smooth like velvet but heavy with implication. "Because if they aren't, I could always just pick up the phone. One call to my father, one call to Vince, and we move this entire circus to another network by next Monday."
The room erupted in laughter. It was a joke, but given the financial clout of the Zhang family, it had enough teeth to be hilarious.
Even Jericho, who usually kept his cool persona backstage, snorted. "Imagine the look on Vince's face if you actually said that."
Heyman, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, chuckled along with them, his eyes twinkling. "Oh, I have no doubt about it. While I believe Vincent Kennedy McMahon wouldn't agree right away, stubborn as he is about his creation, Mr. Jack Zhang is a different animal entirely."
He then gestured grandly with his free hand. "Mr. Zhang will definitely agree. Why? Because he has network connections that make Vince's contact list look like a rolodex from 1985. And let's be honest..."
Heyman lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, leaning in toward the group. "Jack Zhang is much more loved by those executives than Vince ever was. Vince's have a unique... particular brand of negotiation."
That earned another round of laughter, loosening the tension even further.
Once the laughter subsided, the mood shifted slightly back to business. Heyman cleared his throat, scrolling through his phone before looking up at Sandro with an expression of business. He stepped closer to Sandro.
"Speaking of business, Sandro, I was just asked by the boss regarding the Bragging Rights pay per view," Heyman said, his tone serious now. "The card is being finalized. The question on the table is, do you want to defend only the United States Championship, or do you intend to pull double duty and defend the WWE Championship as well?"
Sandro took a sip of water, mulling it over. The "fighting God" persona demanded workload, but strategy demanded longevity. He thought about the Hell in a Cell match, the brutal, physical toll it took to tell that story. To follow it up immediately with two matches in one night might dilute the impact of the Taker victory.
"United States Title only," Sandro decided firmly. "Just the U.S. Title this time."
Heyman raised an eyebrow. "Reasoning? Vince will want a why."
"Because the match with Undertaker needs to breathe," Sandro explained. "If I defend the WWE Title immediately after Hell in a Cell, it dilutes what happened inside Hell in a Cell, making the match feel like just another Tuesday. Let that victory sit. Let it hold weight. My first defense of the 'Big Gold' after burying the Deadman needs to be an event, not an obligation. Plus, defending the U.S. Title elevates that belt. It shows I value it just as much. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and fear grow stronger."
He paused, glancing at his bandaged hand. "Plus, if I tell Vince I'm doing both, he'll just pester me with logistics. Let's keep it simple. Tell him I'm prioritizing the prestige of the US title for this event."
Heyman nodded vigorously, a smile returning to his face. "I agree completely. It makes your next WWE Title defense feel like an event in itself. Scarcity creates value. And," Heyman gestured to Sandro's torso, "it allows your body to rest. If you do two matches in a row, you'd have to train twice as hard. With your current condition after the Cell, it's not ideal to push it."
"Exactly," Sandro lied smoothly. "I need the recovery time."
Inwardly, he knew his body was perfectly fine. The hospital scans had proven what he already knew, his secret condition made him practically indestructible to pain, and his healing factor was an anomaly. The bruises were just skin deep. But maintaining the illusion of mortality was crucial to the story.
Heyman typed out the reply to Vince. "Consider it done. U.S. Title defense it is."
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. The wrestling world continued to spin, but the axis had undeniably shifted. Sandro vanished from the public eye after that promo in Colorado, playing the role of the recovering monarch to perfection. But while the King rested, his court went to war.
On the first week, at Monday Night RAW, the presence of the Undisputed System was suffocating. Paul Heyman marched down the ramp, flanking the massive duo of Big E and Ryback. Their opponents were Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr., the heirs to wrestling royalty and the number one contenders for the World Tag Team titles.
It was supposed to be a competitive match. It wasn't.
Big E and Ryback moved like runaway freight trains. The sheer power on display was terrifying. At one point, Ryback caught DiBiase in mid air, transitioning effortlessly into a Shell Shock while Big E dismantled Cody with a Big Ending that shook the ring posts.
They pinned the number one contenders in the middle of the ring, clean, decisive, and without a title on the line. It was a statement, even our soldiers are kings.
The war then continued on NXT. The yellow brand felt the chill of the Undisputed System when Nikki Bella, flanked by AJ Lee and Alexa Bliss, stepped into the ring against the NXT Women Champion, Asuka. The stipulation was high stakes, if Nikki won, she gained a shot at the NXT Women's Title.
Nikki fought with a viciousness that surprised the crowd, utilizing every dirty trick the Undisputed System had taught her. But Asuka was a buzzsaw. After a flurry of stiff kicks and a seamless transition into the Asuka Lock, Nikki had no choice but to tap out.
The bell rang, but the bell doesn't dismiss the class, the Undisputed System does.
The moment the referee raised Asuka's hand, AJ and Alexa swarmed the ring. It wasn't a beatdownz it was an execution. Nikki, shaking off the submission, joined in, stomping away at the champion.
The heat in the arena was nuclear. It took the entire NXT women's locker room emptying out, a wave of bodies sliding into the ring, to force the Undisputed System's women to retreat. They backed up the ramp, smirking, proving that even in defeat, they controlled the narrative.
Then on SmackDown, the redemption tour concluded. Wade Barrett and Drew McIntyre, still stinging from their previous loss to Edge and Christian,, walked into the blue brand with murder in their eyes.
Their opponents were the technical masters, The World's Greatest Tag Team, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas.
Where Benjamin and Haas brought wrestling acumen, Wade and Drew brought violence. The match was a brawl. A Bullhammer Elbow from Wade turned Shelton inside out, and a Claymore Kick from Drew practically decapitated Haas.
They stood tall over the broken bodies of the veterans, Heyman raising their hands. The debt had been paid, proving the Scotsman and the Englishman were refocused and dangerous.
The momentum didn't slow down. On the second week of RAW, Alexa Bliss took center stage. Accompanied by the full female contingent of the Undisputed System and the ever watchful Heyman, she faced Tamina, who was escorted by the Usos.
It was a clash of styles, Tamina's raw power against Alexa's spiteful agility. In the end, a distraction from Nikki allowed Alexa to hit a DDT that looked like it spiked Tamina through the canvas and then hit the Twisted Bliss from the top rope. Alexa pinned the number one contender.
Tamina kept her contender spot, but her aura was dented. The Undisputed.System had proven that even the challengers were beneath them.
Then came NXT, and with it, the ego of Dolph Ziggler.
Ziggler, with Heyman holding the NXT title lovingly behind him, cut a promo that flayed the roster. He claimed to be the eternal inaugural face of NXT, the standard that no one could reach. "There is gravity," Ziggler shouted, "and then there is me, flying above it!"
Cue the funk.
The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes, the NXT General Manager, waddled out to the stage, microphone in hand. The crowd went wild. Dusty didn't mince words.
He announced that next Saturday, at the first ever NXT TakeOver in Tampa, Ziggler wouldn't just be defending his title. He would be defending it against Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura.
The reaction was instant. Ziggler threw a tantrum, kicking the ropes, screaming at Dusty, while Heyman turned a shade of purple, yelling about breach of contract. The show went off the air with the champion in a total meltdown.
Finally, SmackDown hosted the high flyer of the group. Kofi Kingston, the Intercontinental Champion, went one on one with Matt Hardy in a non title bout. It was a classic.
Near fall after near fall. But Kofi, channeling that System edge, caught Matt with a Trouble in Paradise out of nowhere for the three count.
Celebration? hardly.
As Kofi had his hand raised, MVP, the number one contender, slid into the ring like a snake. A drive-by kick to the face laid Kofi out. Heyman screamed for security, his face a mask of rage as he tried to shield his client, but MVP was already hopping the barricade, laughing all the way to the exit.
And now, it was Sunday.
The destination was Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Target Center was buzzing with energy from the early afternoon, the crisp autumn air outside doing nothing to cool the heat inside the arena. Fans flocked to the merchandise stands, debating the night's card.
In the past year, Bragging Rights had been about RAW vs. SmackDown, brand loyalty and colored tshirts. But this year, the narrative had shifted. It was the WWE Universe, represented by challengers from both brands, besieging the fortress of the Undisputed System.
As the clock struck the hour, the opening pyro exploded, turning the stage into a waterfall of fire and sparks. The roar of the crowd was deafening, a physical force that shook the camera lenses.
The camera panned across the announce table, revealing a four man booth that was a powder keg waiting to blow. There was Cole, Lawler, and Striker, and they were joined by a special guest commentator, the retired former WWE Champion and self proclaimed "Wrestling God," JBL.
"Welcome everyone, to the Target Center! We are live from Minneapolis, Minnesota!" Cole's voice boomed through the broadcast headsets.
"We are live around the world," Cole continued, "for a night that has traditionally been about brand bragging rights. RAW versus SmackDown. But tonight, gentlemen, the script has been rewritten. Tonight, it is not about the brands. It is a civil war. It is the WWE... versus The Undisputed System."
"That's right, Cole!" Striker added, adjusting his headset. "Every major title is held by one faction. Tonight, RAW and SmackDown have essentially joined forces to try and break the stranglehold of the Undisputed System, It's a war on multiple fronts! Maybe Sandro has chosen to defend only the United States title, perhaps realizing that the walls are closing in."
Lawler nodded grimly. "For weeks, months, we've seen Sandro and his cronies run roughshod over this company. And frankly, I hope RAW and SmackDown succeed. The arrogance we've seen from Sandro and his group has been suffocating. Tonight is the night the dam breaks."
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Name: Alessandro Zhang
Age: 20 (2010)
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, & 1x WWE 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)
Wrestlemania Record: 1 - 0