Backstage – Vince McMahon's Last Hope
Vince McMahon sat in his office, staring at the monitor, fists clenched.
Jaxon Cross had beaten The Rock.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
The Rock was the People's Champion. One of the greatest of all time. If Jaxon could pin him, then Vince's control over the WWF was slipping.
Vince needed someone else. Someone who didn't lose.
He needed a man who could break Jaxon Cross for good.
So he picked up his phone.
"Send him in."
The door swung open. A man in a leather vest and jeans stepped inside.
Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Austin walked up to Vince's desk and planted both hands down hard. His cold blue eyes locked onto Vince's.
"You got somethin' to say, Vince?"
Vince smirked.
"Yeah. I want you to take Jaxon Cross out."
Austin scratched his chin, looking amused.
"Lemme get this straight… you want Stone Cold Steve Austin to do your dirty work? I ain't your damn hitman, Vince."
Vince leaned back. "No, you're not. But I know you don't like guys like Jaxon. He walks in here, doesn't show respect, acts like he owns the place. You built this company, Steve. You made it what it is. Are you gonna let some punk act like he's bigger than you?"
Austin cracked his neck.
"So what you're sayin' is… you want me to stomp a mudhole in this son of a bitch and walk it dry?"
Vince nodded.
Austin smirked.
"Well, hell… if you wanted me to whip somebody's ass, you just had to ask."
---
Monday Night Raw – Jaxon's Celebration Gets Crashed
The WWF Championship feud was raging, but that didn't matter to the fans tonight. The arena was still buzzing over what Jaxon Cross did at No Way Out.
He had beaten The Rock.
He had survived everything Vince threw at him.
Now, it was time for Jaxon to step into the ring and address the world.
His music hit—the crowd erupted.
Jaxon walked down the ramp, still bruised from the PPV. He had no fancy pyro, no catchphrases—just a microphone in his hand and a chip on his shoulder.
He climbed into the ring and waited for the crowd to quiet down.
"You know, a lot of people said I wouldn't last here."
Fans booed. They knew who he meant—Vince.
"They said I'd get chewed up and spit out like every other tough guy who thought they could come into this business and change it."
Jaxon smirked.
"And then, I beat The Rock."
The crowd roared.
Jaxon paced.
"Vince McMahon doesn't want guys like me in his company. He wants puppets. He wants yes-men. He wants guys who'll play by his rules. But I don't play by anybody's damn rules."
The fans popped again.
"So if Vince McMahon or any other son of a bitch in the back wants to shut me up, they're gonna have to come out here and do it themselves."
Silence.
Then—
GLASS SHATTERS.
The arena EXPLODED.
Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Austin marched down the ramp, eyes locked on Jaxon. He climbed into the ring, grabbed a mic, and stared Jaxon down.
Neither man spoke for a moment.
Then—Austin smirked.
"Boy… you runnin' yer mouth an awful lot for somebody who just got here."
The crowd buzzed.
Jaxon smirked right back. "That so?"
"Yeah. That's so. Y'see, I sat in the back, I watched you run through The Acolytes. I watched you go toe-to-toe with The Rock. Hell, I even saw you drop Big Show on his big dumb head."
Austin leaned in close.
"But I ain't The Rock. And I ain't Big Show."
Jaxon's grin faded.
"You think you're the baddest SOB in the WWF? Boy, you ain't faced Stone Cold yet."
The crowd popped.
Jaxon squared up.
"Then let's fix that."
Austin chuckled.
"Oh, we'll fix it, all right. Next week. Raw. You and me. In this ring."
The crowd lost their minds.
Jaxon Cross vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Jaxon nodded. "Fine by me. Just don't start crying when I put your old ass down."
Austin's eyes flickered with danger.
Then—
KICK TO THE GUT—STUNNER!
Jaxon's head snapped back as he hit the mat.
Austin stood over him, smirking, then climbed the turnbuckle and flipped Vince McMahon off in the skybox.
The war had begun.
---
Next Week: Raw – Jaxon Cross vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
The match was set.
But Vince McMahon wasn't leaving anything to chance.
As Jaxon and Austin prepared for war, Vince made a deal with an old rival.
Because if Austin couldn't put Jaxon down… The Undertaker would.