Backlash

INT. ARENA – NIGHT

MATCH: Croooooow vs. X-pac

The nWo theme hits and X-pac makes his way to the ring.

JR: This match is for the European Title, folks. X-pac certainly has the advantage going into this contest, solely because of this man sitting next me, Nykk. It was on Monday that you, Nykk, turned against your friends and joined the nWo. Not only does X-pac have the numbers advantage with you out here, but also the emotional advantage, because I know what it’s like to have a longtime friend turn on you and the pain that causes.

Nykk: You say that like I’m a bad person, JR. Do you criticize a guy who jumps to a bigger company, with higher pay and more benefits and call him a sell-out? No. If he’s your friend, you be happy for him and wish him luck. Same situation.

King: Well, at least X-pac doesn’t have those nunchukus out here. You’re not hiding them under the table again, are you Nykk?

Nykk: Don’t worry, King, X-pac isn’t going to need nunchukus to beat Croooooow. I held the tag team titles with the guy. You think I haven’t been prepping X-pac to counter Croooooow’s every move all week?

As X-pac gets in the ring, Cynric gets in the ring with the PPV Squad mic.

JR: There’s Cynric, another guy who used to be your friend.

Cynric: Ladies and gentlemen… now is the moment you’ve all been waiting for because I am about to introduce the greatest European Champion of all time… better than Shane McMahon… better than D’lo… and certainly better than X-pac… he hails from BERLIN… Ohio… he is the…

X-pac charges and nails Cynric from behind, flooring him. He stomps and kicks at Cynric.

JR: And now X-pac is ambushing Cynric for God’s sake.

Nykk: He was spinning false tales, JR. How dare he say that Croooooow is a better European Champion than X-pac was!

Croooooow’s theme hits and he sprints to the ring, stripping himself of the European belt on the way. He gets in the ring and charges X-pac, but X-pac counters with a standing spinning heel kick, knocking Croooooow off his feet. Cynric rolls out of the ring and the ref rings the bell. X-pac backs Croooooow into the corner and gives him two kicks to the midsection and another spinning heel kick, knocking Croooooow down again. X-pac picks up Croooooow and whips him into the ropes. Croooooow ducks a clothesline and hits a running dropkick on X-pac on the rebound. He picks X-pac up and shoves him into a corner, pounding him with right hands. He hits some knife-edge chops and points to Nykk before hitting one last one. He whips X-pac to the opposite corner and charges, but X-pac tips up. Croooooow catches him in a powerslam position and goes for the Demon Driver but X-pac slips off Croooooow’s back and applies a waistlock. Croooooow reverses the waistlock and tries to lift X-pac, but he blocks it with his foot. X-pac reverses back into the waistlock and tries a German suplex, but Croooooow holds on with a body scissors and takes down X-pac. He tries to segue into the Carrion Stretch, but X-pac scrambles to the ropes and hangs onto them for dear life before he can get the hold all the way applied.

Croooooow gets up and kicks X-pac in the back of the neck and then picks him up. He snapmares him over and applies a reverse chinlock. X-pac counters into a hammerlock, and Croooooow gets to his feet. He elbows back at X-pac’s head and then counters with a drop toehold. He tries to put on the Carrion Stretch again, but X-pac wiggles out of it. He pokes Croooooow in the eyes, and Croooooow moves away and gets to his feet. X-pac gets up and whips him into the ropes. He tries a jumping spinning heel kick, but Croooooow ducks. X-pac hits the mat, and then gets to his feet, where Croooooow hits a spinning heel kick of his own. He covers and gets a two count. He picks X-pac up and whips him into the corner. He charges, but X-pac kicks his feet into Croooooow’s face, spinning him around.

X-pac goes for a bulldog, but Croooooow shoves him off front first into the opposite corner. As X-pac staggers out, Croooooow executes a tiger suplex. He bridges for the pin, but X-pac kicks out. Croooooow picks X-pac up, but he punches Croooooow in the midsection. X-pac tries a kick, but Croooooow catches his foot. As he goes for a dragon screw legwhip, X-pac hits an enziguri kick. Croooooow falls to the mat and rolls over to the ring apron. X-pac bounces off the ropes and gives Croooooow a baseball slide in the ribs. Croooooow falls to the outside, and staggers to his feet. He turns toward the ring and X-pac hits a somersault plancha. X-pac gets up and showboats to the crowd. He rolls Croooooow into the ring, and covers for a two count. He argues the two count and then rolls out of the ring where he gets the nunchukus from Nykk at the announcing table. He gets back in the ring, but the ref takes the nunchukus away from him. X-pac protests to the ref, but Croooooow rolls him up from behind and gets a close two count. X-pac kicks him in the side of the head and sends him back down to the mat. He applies a reverse chinlock. Croooooow gets up after a few moments and fights out of it. He bounces off the ropes, but X-pac sticks a knee into his midsection, doubling him over.

He tries to apply a front face lock, but Croooooow counters into a hammerlock, spins X-pac around, kicks him in the midsection and delivers a DDT. Both men are down, and get up at the five count. X-pac tries a right hand, but Croooooow blocks it and delivers one of his own. He delivers three more, and whips X-pac into the ropes. X-pac executes a flying head scissors, and Croooooow gets right back to his feet. X-pac tries a scoop slam, but Croooooow escapes and lifts X-pac for the Demon Driver. X-pac slips off Croooooow’s shoulders and pushes him into the ref and the corner. The ref falls to the side and Croooooow falls into a sitting position.

X-pac prances around in preparation for the bronco buster and then goes for it, but as he jumps, Croooooow moves and X-pac crotches himself on the bottom turnbuckle. X-pac holds his groin in pain and wiggles around until he’s in a sitting position. Croooooow imitates X-pac by prancing around and then charges for a bronco buster of his own. However, instead he dropkicks X-pac in the nuts. X-pac writhes in pain on the mat and falls out of the ring. Croooooow goes out after him and picks him up. He hits him with some hard right hands and rams his head into the post. He then grabs X-pac and launches him like a lawn dart across the announcing table, ramming him into Nykk. Nykk falls off his chair and out of his headset to the floor. X-pac falls down on top of him and Croooooow goes over and hits X-pac with some right hands. Nykk crawls out of the fray and toward the ring as Croooooow picks X-pac up.

He whips X-pac toward the barricade, but it’s reversed and Croooooow sails into the barricade. X-pac hits Croooooow with some rights and then picks him up and drops him chin first across the ring apron. Croooooow grabs the Backlash banner as he falls, taking about half of it under the ring with him. X-pac tries to choke Croooooow with the standard, but it’s too intertwined with him to be effective. He rips the rest of the banner off the ring apron and Croooooow groggily keeps crawling under the ring until he’s out of sight. X-pac grabs his leg and yanks him out, and he’s still covered by the banner. He rolls Croooooow in the ring and slides in. Croooooow is on his feet against the ropes with the banner still over his head, so X-pac gives him some right hands and then rips off the standard.

However, it isn’t Croooooow under the banner, it’s Nykk. X-pac stares in shock as Nykk looks at him with pure hatred. He then gives X-pac some right hands, knocking him down with a third one. He whips X-pac into the ropes and hits a running leg lariat. He picks X-pac up and hits him with Howling Moon II as Scott Hall runs to the ring. Nykk intercepts him as he gets on the apron and knocks him off with a right hand. Hall falls to the floor and Nykk goes out after him, pounding him with rights. Hall fights back, and the two brawl their way around ringside. Meanwhile, Croooooow crawls from under the ring and gets back in with X-pac, who is on his knees. Croooooow tries to pick him up, but X-pac nails him with a low blow and then hits the X-Factor as Nykk reverses a whip and sends Hall into the steps. X-pac covers Croooooow close to the ropes, but Nykk runs around the ring and retrieves his candy jar from the announcing table. He runs over and smashes it over X-pac’s head, sending shattered glass and candy everywhere. The ref wakes up as X-pac rolls over, out cold and bleeding. Croooooow puts him in the Carrion Stretch and the ref drops X-pac’s hand three times and then calls for the bell.

Winner: Croooooow at 11:38

JR: Croooooow retains the European Title, thanks to Nykk, who we thought was on the side of the nWo!

King: Nykk just shattered that candy jar over the head of X-pac!

Croooooow and Nykk raise their hands in victory.

JR: Once again we’ve been duped by Nykk and the PPV Squad, but this time I think I like it!

Scott Hall rushes into the ring with a chair and clobbers Nykk and Croooooow in the back with a chair. Croooooow and Nykk go down and Hall taunts them.

JR: My God, Hall just knocked out Nykk and Croooooow with that chair.

King: I can understand what he must feel. Nykk deceived everybody!

Hall picks up Croooooow and gives him the Razor’s Edge. X-pac staggers to his feet and starts to stomp on Nykk and beat him with right hands. However, the rest of the PPV Squad, except for Huh, who’s limping down on crutches, runs to the ring and slides in. The Pyro Twins beat up Hall while Cheesecake and Cynric beat up X-pac.

JR: It’s the rest of the PPV Squad! Cynric! The Pyro Twins…

The Pyro Twins give Hall Final Darkness while Cheesecake hits the Long Kiss Goodnight on X-pac. X-pac and Hall roll out of the ring as Cynric helps Nykk and Croooooow to their feet. The PPV Squad theme plays.

JR: We thought the PPV Squad was split up and gone, but they’re all here in the middle of the ring stronger than ever! What a moment, folks!

As Hall and X-pac back up the ramp, Nykk takes off his nWo shirt to reveal a PPV Squad shirt underneath. Nykk and Croooooow embrace and raise each other’s arms in victory, and the rest of the PPV Squad high five each other. Cheesecake embraces everyone a little too enthusiastically.

King: They said they were the antidote, JR, and so far they’ve done a helluva job cleaning up the poison.

JR: The PPV Squad is standing tall and together, but the Pyro Twins and Cheesecake are still on the Smackdown roster. And how will the nWo react to this?

INT. LOCKER ROOM – NIGHT

The PPV Squad is celebrating Croooooow’s successful title defense. They’re all excited, and cheering.

Nykk: I told you that the nWo was too dense to know what we were planning. That was easier than I thought it would be!

Croooooow: As the European Champion of Europe…

Cynric: From DENMARK…

PPV Squad: Ohio…

Croooooow: I thank you, Nykk, our one and only leader, for coming up with this plan. Here’s to a new era for the PPV Squad!

They toast each other, and Vince McMahon walks in.

Nykk: What do you want?

Vince: I suppose you think that was really clever, didn’t you? Dammit, you’re supposed to be loyal to me! I’m the one who gave you your jobs!

Nykk: Vince, you may have given us our jobs, but we don’t work for you anymore.

Vince: Well, you’re right. And I pity you to think what the nWo is going to do to you after this stunt. And for those of you who DO work for me… Jay, Dusty, Cheesecake… you’re all FIRED!

He leaves the locker room as the PPV Squad makes mock fear noises. A few moments after McMahon leaves, Ric Flair comes in.

Flair: Dusty, Jay, Cheesecake… you’re hired.

He shakes all their hands.

Flair: As the dirtiest player in the game, it’s nice to see others off to a good start in following in my footsteps. Well done, fellas!

He leaves the locker room.

Nykk: How about that? Freakin’ finally the PPV Squad is back together!

Jay: So what do we do now?

Croooooow: How about we go to an AA meeting?

Everyone looks confused.

Nykk: An AA meeting?

Croooooow: Yeah, it’s the one place Scott Hall or X-pac would never think to look for us.

Nykk: You heard the man. Let’s go!

They all leave the locker room.