He drove alone that fateful evening, in a black Corvette. He cruised along as Limp Bizkit's "Crack Addict" blared over the car's system. As he drove, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

He wasn't sure what he walking into, but he knew conflict was going to be part of it. Nonetheless, the driver continued on his path.

Toward an XWF arena...

The company was in the midsts of a house show when the man pulled into the parking lot. He exited the vehicle swiftly and silently, walking fearlessly toward the backstage entrance. He was unexpected, and uninvited...

The first person to stop him was a security guard. Dressed in his blue rent-a-cop uniform, the guard promptly got in the way of the uninvited guest.

"Sorry, pal... This area for XWF staff and stars only..."

The intruder, dressed in black leather pants, and black t-shirt, and a black trenchcoat, smiled. His eyes were masked my the red sunglasses he wore, or else the guard would have noticed the look of joy in those eyes...

He doesn't even recognize who I am... thought the man as stared at the guard. He was quite a bit taller than the 6-foot rent-a-cop, and was using every bit of that height in an effort to intimidate the guard. The guard, not realizing the potential danger in front of him, pressed on...

"Are you friggin' deaf? I said, you're not allowed back here!"

The intruder smiled, chuckling slightly, as he pushed past the guard. The man ran his hand through his chin-length jet black hair as he walked by.

Seeing that he was ignored, the guard was not impressed. He reached for the man's coat in an effort to stop him.

Mistake...

The guard yanked on the coat in an attempt to bring the man to the ground. For his trouble, the guard ended up with nothing but the coat, as the man swiftly slipped out of it. The guard hesitated as he looked first at the empty coat, then to the muscular, tall man who was once wearing the coat. He looked from the man's feet, clad in black boots, to his leather pants, and to the t-shirt representing the legenday XWF stable The End, and then to the man's eyes, as the man took off his sunglasses. The guard knew who this was...

And knew that all hell was about to break loose...

He fumbled blindly for his radio, but was met with the entire bulk of the man as he speared the guard to the pavement. It felt as though the guard had just been hit by a car! The assailant rose to his feet, looking down at the guard. The guard had gotten his radio loose, and was in the middle of giving the man's identity when a seift kick to the face silenced him...

"We have an intruder! It's Vert-"

*****

Inside the arena, chaos took hold. Guards scrambled into position, looking to stop the man. They didn't have to hear all of that name. They knew the guard was going to say Vertigo...

A group of three men ran to intercept the man as he made his way into the building. They stopped dead as the man walked toward them. They looked around for weapons, as the figure walked slowly at them, shadows masking his face. In fact, it was as though the shadows played for him, as if the darkness followed him.

The first man ran at him, only to be caught by the throat and slammed against the nearest wall head first. As he slumped down, the second man grabbed for a chair, and swung. The man ducked, and kneed the guy in the stomach. He dropped the chair, enabling his assailant to capitalize. He locked his arm around the man's neck, lifted him off his feet, and dropped him face first onto the chair in a perfectly executed Headrush DDT... Vertigo's finisher.

The third man held strong, wielding a baseball bat. Here was his chance to make his mark, to take out the legend! He walked forward, yelling at the ominous figure.

"So this is it? THIS is the legendary Vertigo?! Bring it on, legend!"

The man walked toward the guard, laughing as he made his way into the light. The guard stopped as the man's face became visible for the first time.

"Wait... You're not Vertigo..."

The man rushed almost inhumanly quickly into the face of the guard, and smiled as he grabbed the man by the throat. It was obvious to this poor guard who this man was. He may have put on a few pounds of muscle and his hair may have gotten longer, but it was quite clear that Trent Lawless stood eye to eye with guard...

And that the guard was about to get fucked up...