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The static faded from the screen to reveal a broken down church. The white paint chipped from the wooden siding to show its age. The broken stained glass windows hidden behind two overgrown bushes. The camera panned down as the cameraman walked up the broken steps. Holes littered the small porch at the top of the three steps. The camera panned back up to the front door. Graffiti warned of the dead, urging all to turn away. An cross hung on the door upside down. As the cameraman neared the entrance, the door creaked open. There in the doorway, the raven haired EBWF Women’s Champion, Zahra Schreiber, stood there.
Zahra Schreiber: ”You’re late… He already started.”
Zahra stepped to the side while the cameraman walked into the small church. The church was dark, lit only by candles all throughout the church. The cameraman walked into the nave where a handful of person sat in the pews. The congregation was small, but within the small church, it still seemed filled.
Michael Dante: ”Open your eyes that you may see. Oh men of mildewed minds, and listen to me ye bewildered millions! For I stand forth to challenge the wisdom of the world; to interrogate the “laws” of man and of “God”! I request reason for your golden rule and ask the why and wherefore of your ten commandments.”
Michael Dante stood in front of the congregation with a book in his hand. He read aloud from the book reciting the words.
Michael Dante: ”Before none of you printed idols do I bend in acquiescence, and he who saith “thou shalt” to me is my mortal foe.”
A cheer rang out from the congregation. Just then, a door behind Dante which caused the entire church to grow quiet. Tommy End emerged from the vestry and walked out and stood next to Michael Dante.
Tommy End: ”Your foe my brother, is my foe. But not just one foe. I take the burden of all of your foes, as I know you would do for me. As I know you all would do for me. But need not worry. Dante and I, we can handle any foe.”
Tommy walked off to left, slightly away from Dante.
Tommy End: ”Whether they be from here, or from foreign lands.”
Tommy stopped in his tracks as he turned and looked out at the congregation.
Tommy End: ”Now I know we’ve had some trouble times. I’ve suffered a great loss, but for that I am not worried. I am not worried because a loss is just that. It’s a loss. We must all suffer a great loss for us to realize, just what we have. Just who we are.”
Tommy paused, but the moment was not in silence. Quickly after Tommy stopped talking, the congregation all rung out with “We are Legion”. This brought a smile to Tommy’s face.
Tommy End: ”You see, we don’t measure ourselves by wins or losses. We know our worth. We all have off night, but that doesn’t mean a thing. That is nothing for you all to fear. Dante and I know we’re better. We’ve fought better. We’ve been in wars and we know were better. So don’t believe for one moment that a lapse in judgement, mean that this is over. This is only the beginning.”
Tommy turned and walked back to Dante.
Tommy End: ”However, the past is the past and that’s where it belongs. It is time for us to look for the future. And the future is near.
As you have witnessed, Dante and I have conquered, just like we said we would. My dear Zahra..”
Tommy held out his hand as Zahra Schreiber walked back into view as she walked up Tommy and took his hand. He lead her to the stop beside him.
Tommy End: ”Zahra proved the dominance that we preach. She proved the power that is there when you’ve been shown the truth.
No one outside of this church believed we could this. No one outside of this church listened to the truth that we preached. They didn’t want to listen, but now, they have no choice to listen to our words. They have no choice but to see the truth.
And that truth is that there is a war coming. Dante can feel. Zahra can taste it. I.. I can see it coming. The battle lines are being drawn. Forces are reaching their breaking point. All that needs to happen before the war begins, the spark needs to be lit.”
He paused once more before he continued.
Tommy End: ”There’s a new group on the horizon, who wish to light that spark. They wish to set this whole world ablaze.
A takeover.”
Tommy shook his head as Zahra let out a laugh. Before Tommy could continue, Zahra stepped up and spoke out.
Zahra Schreiber: ”That’s bullshit.. Those fools can’t start a take over. At WrestleMania, we started a take over. We dominated.”
Tommy smiled at Zahra’s flare up and passion.
Tommy End: ”So eloquently put my dear. You should listen, for Zahra speaks only the truth. That truth is, you say you want to start a take over. You want to change the landscape of this company, this business. You want to cause chaos. I understand that. I understand the hunger and passion you have. But there’s just one thing wrong with your plans.
The takeover has already been started. Dante, Zahra, and I, we started a new revolution in EBWF. We not only spoke of our dominance, but we went out and proved it. We went out and we conquered. Then, we returned here and we brought with us the spoils.”
Tommy lifted his hand in the air which drew the attention of the congregation to the rafters. The camera panned up to find the EBWF Women’s Championship belt as it hung in the middle of the two EBWF Tag-Team Championship belts. All three belts hung directly from the wood.
Tommy End: ”The gold. The proof of grandeur in EBWF. We went into WrestleMania and we took over the show and each other us walked out with those. I mediocre prize for the greater goal. The goal to show the entire world our truth.
We didn’t come here for those. We didn’t come to be icons. We came to dominate. We came to take EBWF into a darker place. An honest place. A place where people aren’t put on pedestals because of those. A place where the strong survive and the weak fade away into obscurity.
Finn Balor.. You believe that you’re being lead by a higher being, is that so? Doing the bidding of someone else. Not you. Not your beliefs. Which makes you weak. Now now, I sure talented. I’m sure you’ve got the skills. You wouldn’t be in EBWF if you didn’t. But Dante, he doesn’t take orders from anyone. Zahra. She doesn’t take orders from anyone. I don’t take order from anyone.
The three of us, we’re free. We’re free from the lies. We’re free from the schales.”
Tommy took pause but quickly continued.
Tommy End: ”But Finn, you’re not free, and until you release your mind from this control, you will never be free. And when you’re not free, your truth will never be shown. The power from your truth, will never be witnessed.
I urge you Finn, open your mind. Open your beliefs and see the truth before you. See it before you end up like Dalton Castle. Before you end up like Grado. Tyler Breeze. Noam Dar. Wake up and see the truth before you end up a failure like all them. Like your partner of choice. The monster.
A monster I have faced, and I have tossed to the side. A monster that I do not fear. A monster that Dante does not fear. A monster that has become a Munster.
He’s a joke. A shell of the former destructive force he used to be. Braun used to be something to fear. He used to be a mythical beast that could tear through anything and anyone. But now, Braun is a meer puppet. He has been weakened by the attachments he has made over his time here. Everyone he has come into contact with has shaved a layer of fear off of Braun.”
Before Tommy could continue, Zahra spoke out again.
Zahra Schreiber: ”Enough with the paper towel. Brawny, has picked up enough of his former teammates messes. Get to the scottish terrier look alike, lap dog, Nikki. She even thinks of sticking her nose in our business, she’ll end up in the hospital just like Liv. Just like Alexa. Just like the little golden rose petal, Mandy.”
Tommy chuckled as he placed his hand on Zahra’s shoulder.
Tommy End: ”Calm my dear..”
Zahra Schreiber: ”Fuck no, she’s got this coming to her. I begging her to do something. I begging.”
Tommy shook his head as she smirked.
Tommy End: ”Such passion in her, but she’s right to have that passion. Nikki, you started a war with Zahra, and now you want your boy to get a crew together and start a war with Dante and I. This is something that I warn you to give up on. Dante and I, we’re rough in the ring. We’ll teach your boys, Finn and Braun, a lesson that they won’t forget. We’ll make sure to enlighten them to the truth and show them that this takeover you which to unleash, it won’t happen. It can’t happen. We’re the takeover. We are the ones that will change the landscape of this business.
But Zahra, she’s not like us. She’s young. Hungry. Dangerous. You’ve seen what she’s done. You’ve witness the carnage she’s unleashed on her friends. The relentlessness she showed against someone who didn’t offer her hand. All of those, weren’t personal. Nikki, I can promise you on Zahra’s behave, it’s personal now. So hopefully, you don’t plan on interfering in this war.
And I hope, Finn and Braun.. I hope the two of you don’t need to have Nikki help you. Dante and I, we know we don’t need Zahra at ringside. We’ve proven that. She’s only going to be with us because she’s praying that Nikki shows up with you, Finn. But be warned, if you do bring Nikki, Zahra will be waiting. And if you do bring Nikki, she may become a casualty of the war, because that’s what this will be Finn. A war that you wanted to start, but it’s a war that we already started.”
Tommy pointed to Dante, then to Zahra, and finally to himself. Tommy then turned his finger to his congregation.
Tommy End: ”We started the change, you’re just a part of it. We started the revolution. We did everything that you want to do. We did it..
And WE ARE...”
Tommy quieted, but in his place, the congregation finished his thoughts.
”LEGION!!!!”
Cheering rung out throughout the congregation as the static returned to the screen.