Chapter Text
After a PPV, everything is quiet. Calm. Full of wrestlers decompressing, trying to re-sort their career priorities. It always makes for an interesting time to hold a Team Work event, Stephanie wandering around as the show begins. She's slowly adjusting to work with Shane instead of HHH, his much calmer personality meshing well with her type A personality. Together, they're getting things done and she almost thinks Raw is becoming fun again. Which makes Team Work fun on a different level.
She tilts her head and watches as Tyler Breeze defeats Lucha Underground's Daga with a lucky Beauty Shot that nails him just right. The next match is a six man match and she stifles her laughter behind her fist as Big E, Luke Gallows and Zack Ryder come out to the ring, the thrown together team staring at each other in disbelief... before their opponents slowly make their way down as well- Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso and Dean Ambrose. Zack looks like he's swallowed a swarm of bugs and the other two don't look much better, the three of them unable to resist Roman Reigns and his so-called family. Stephanie almost feels bad as Jimmy Uso gets the pin on Zack Ryder after a few minutes of back and forth that ends with a splash after one of Roman's spears, quickly moving to celebrate with Roman and Dean.
Following this is something Stephanie had considered implementing before but never finding the time or interest in it. Beat the clock. A simple enough premise, but not so much when there are five different wrestling companies to consider. Even so, she had gone for it tonight. The first match in the series has DJ Z facing off with Lucha Undergound's Killshot, and it's impossible to keep track of the men as they alternate between brawling in the middle of the ring and attempting high risk moves off of the top rope, sometimes doing both at the same time. Everything that DJZ attempts is eventually for naught as Killshot hits a 450 splash on him, downing him for the three count and successfully winning at a time of 6:23.
The next is a gauntlet match, Dolph Ziggler standing rigidly as he waits for his first opponent to make their way to the ring. Karl Anderson is formidable enough but he still loses to Ziggler after getting caught in a Zigzag. Baron Corbin loses in similar fashion, his win the night before negated, and Apollo Crews also falls short to Ziggler's angry determination. Unfortunately, all of this is railroaded as Cass, fueled by his own just motivations, slams Dolph to the mat and then elbows him almost clear through it before the three count.
The second beat the clock challenge shows Michael Bennett defeat Jey Uso in 5:34 and Stephanie hums curiously, her eyes locked on Jeff Hardy as he fights hard against Kofi Kingston and eventually walks out the victor. A women's match is next, Charlotte leaning against the ropes and watching impassively as Dana Brooke taunts and belittles TNA's Sienna, the two of them easily pummeling the woman until she can barely move, much less defend herself or kick out. From there, getting a three count is merely elementary at this point, Charlotte nodding in some degree of acknowledgement to Dana for her role in all of this.
Third round of the Beat the Clock match sees Eddie Edwards beat Epico in 3:48, the Shining Star sputtering and complaining the entire way backstage and well past Stephanie, who smirks and shakes her head as she listens to him. Jack Swagger then defeats Xavier Woods, Alberto Del Rio, Rusev and Sami Zayn in a heated five man match that sees Sami taken out early and Del RIo and Rusev's lingering problems boil over, leaving them brawling on the outside long enough for Swagger to lock in the Patroit Lock and tap Xavier out.
In the fourth Beat the Clock challenge, Chavo Guerrero tries to keep up with Titus O'Neil's brawling style but he fails, quickly laid out and pinned. Titus wins at 2:49, which leaves Stephanie pretty sure how this whole thing is going to go. But she keeps it to herself, not wanting to wreck expectations. Next is a triple threat match with Miz facing off against Fandango and Primo. The Shining Stars' bad luck only continues as, after Fandango and Primo double team Miz out of the ring, splashing him unceremonously onto the floor, Fandango kicks Primo solidly in the face and pins him.
The main event that night is the fifth and final Beat the Clock challenge match and Kevin Owens comes out first to a split crowd, some cheering him out of loyalty and some booing him for plain dislike and hatred. He sneers at them all, entering the ring and leaning against the turnbuckle post as Trouble Trouble Trouble hits and Ethan Carter III walks to the ring, staring at him. It's a vicious sort of brawl with a lot of punches and body shots that leave both men struggling to find an advantage, both close to even against the other. After rushing Owens into a corner, Ethan hits the EC3 Splash and laughs as Kevin flops forward, gripping his midsection with gritted teeth. He's setting up for a dropkick when Kevin recovers, grips him under the body and tries to surprise him with a popup powerbomb when Ethan hits him solidly in the face with a knee, dislodging his grip enough that Ethan can wiggle free, hit the mat.
He's just smashed his forearm along the bridge of Owens' nose, sending him staggering back once more, when the larger athlete recovers and superkicks him, trying once more for the pop up powerbomb. This time he hits, jarring Ethan against the mat with all of his strength, but it's too late- time is up before he can struggle over into a pin, and the bell is rung. Titus O'Neil is declared the victor and Ethan and Kevin glare at each other in frustration and disappointment at the loss of yet another point.