Sting & The Undertaker (Darkside)VS. The Midnight Express

The Undertaker
(Writer's Note:  Sting and UT will now be known collectively as "Darkside")

The Undertaker/Sting VS. The Steiner Bros. (Unified World Tag Team Title Match)

In this bout, the former Unified World Tag Team Champions and current nWo members looked
to dethrone the current champions and avenge the attack on Eric Bischoff during the RAW/Nitro
simulcast.  Both teams pulled out high impact manuvers on each other.  At the five minute mark,
Sting had "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner in the "Scorpion Deathlock" for a possible
submission.  Rick Steiner came in for the save but UT cut him off.  The ref tried to get UT out of
the ring but, as he did so, Rick quickly mounted the top rope and nailed Sting with his flying bulldog headlock!!
Scott covered for a very close pinfall on Sting!!  The Steiners then used their vast teamwork experience to work over The Stinger but he refused to be pinned.  At the 12
minute mark, Rick Steiner whipped Sting into the ropes and nailed him with his "Steinerline"
clothesline but knocked Sting back into his own corner!!  UT tagged in as Sting was falling down
and came into the ring.  He cleaned house of both Steiner Bros. as he took control of the
contest.  As he knocked Scott out of the ring, he picked up Rick in a thunderous chokeslam!!  He then went for his "Tombstone" piledriver on Rick but Scott stopped the attempt.  Rick and Scott went for a double team by whipping UT into the ropes but Sting went to the top rope.  Rick and
Scott missed on their double clothesline attempt.  When they turned around they were met by
both Sting and UT with clotheslines.  UT with his flying clothesline while Sting hit his top rope
clothesline!!  With Scott down, Sting whipped Rick into the ropes as UT had gone to the top rope
again.  Sting picks up Rick by the waist and puts him over his shoulder.  As he holds him there,
UT comes off the top rope with a leg drop to the back of "The Dogfaced Gremlin's" head,
flipping him off of Sting's shoulders!!  UT covered Rick for the three count as Sting and UT
retain their gold.

AFTER THE MATCH......

Jerry "The King" Lawler catches up with Unified World Tag Team Champions Sting & The Undertaker.

LAWLER:  Sting, Undertaker!!  You guys just got a big win over the nWo's Steiner Bros. and I have to ask what's next for the tag team champions?

Just at Sting was getting ready to speak, here comes Jim Cornette, the manager of the former NWA World and U.S. tag team champions The Midnight Express.

CORNETTE:  Hold up!  Hold the phone!  Jerry Lawler, you want to know what's next for these two goof balls?  I'll tell you what's next!  What's next for Sting and The Undertaker is the greatest tag team in all of pro wrestling and that's "Beautiful" Bobby and "Sweet" Stan, The Midnight Express.  Sure, we've been gone from the major scene for awhile but now we are back and we are here to take the gold!  I am so sick of everyone saying that Sting and Undertaker are a bigger, stronger version of my Midnight Express.  I'll give you this, you have come up with some innovative finishers and you are a great tag team but you are not the greatest of all time......

Cornette gets cut off because UT now has him by the throat! He pulls him close and is nose to nose with the manager.

UNDERTAKER:  Anytime that you want to bring your Midnight Express down the path of "DarkSide", you come down and you will meet......

Another cutoff insues as The Midnight Express attack Sting and UT from behind!!  Bobby and Stan are using their hands and feet as well as chairs, trash cans, and Cornette's tennis racket.  After the match that the duo had with The Steiners, Sting and UT put up hardly any good defense against the veteran duo as they laid both of them out on the hallway.  Security finally showed up to break things up but the message was clear.  The Midnight Express was back and want the Unified World Tag Team Titles!!

THE NEXT NIGHT.......

At an NWA house show in Reno, NV , The Midnight Express made their return to the wrestling world, quickly dispatching of two "jabroni's" in under five minutes.  Afterwards, Cornette took center stage with his team.

CORNETTE:  Well, the boss is back in town!!  The men that wrecked more homes than Hurricane Andrew and Hugo combined, "Beautiful" Bobby and "Sweet" Stan, The Midnight Express!!

The fans respond greatly.  Some cheering, others booing, and more just showing respect for this team.

CORNETTE:  Well, everyone knows who we are and two guys that learned that the hard way last night at WrestleMania was Sting and The Undertaker!!  Hey "Darkside"!!  That was a message that we want a shot at your titles if you got........

At this point, the whole building went dark!!  Then, the "crow" music of Sting played out in the darkness.  Then, the voice of The Undertaker blared over the speakers as well as the music.

UNDERTAKER:  MIDNIGHT EXPRESS!!  YOU WANT TO COME TO THE DARKSIDE TO FACE THE REAPER AND STING?  THEN, NEXT WEEK ON WWF RAW, COME AND GET US!

When the lights came back on, there was a vulture standing on top of the ringpost!!  This caught Eaton, Lane and Cornette off guard but the message was clear.  Sting and The Undertaker had accepted their challenge.

ONE WEEK LATER......

We are watching WWF RAW from Chicago, Ill from the U.I.C. Pavillon.  Another great card is going on but the match for the Unified Tag belts does take precidence over everything else.  We now go to that match.

ANNOUNCER:  The following contest is for the Unified World Tag Team Championship!!

At this point, the music of the Midnights are playing.  Cornette comes down with his team looking very ready for action.  He now takes the mic and introduces his team:

CORNETTE:  Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the next Unified World Tag Team Champions, "Beautiful" Bobby and "Sweet" Stan, THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS!!

Now, the lights go out as the music of UT plays out.  There is no introduction for these two as none are needed.  UT comes down in his classic "Taker" outfit while Sting comes in his "crow" gear.  Both are wearing their WWF Tag Team Titles around their waist while carrying the NWA & WCW titles over their shoulders.  Sting enters the ring and holds his set of tag belts over his head while UT raises his hands to bring back the lights!!  The Midnights and Cornette are taken aback by this but stand their ground.  The referee goes over to collect the respective titles and holds them up respectively for the crowd.  He then goes back and tries to check out Sting and UT for footgear and such.  Eaton and Lane decide to jumpstart the match as they go over the back of the ref and attack "The Stinger" and the 'Taker!!  Eaton is squared off with Sting while Lane went after "The Dead Man" but this proved to be a mistake as "Darkside" began to fight back with great fury.  Sting knocked Eaton out of the ring while Lane fired UT into the ropes.  Lane went for a clothesline but UT ducked it, hit the opposite ropes, leaped into the air and nailed "Sweet" Stan with a rare dropkick to the chest.  Both members of The Midnights are outside of the ring with Jim Cornette to regroup.

The match now has settled back down into a traditional tag team match with Eaton and Sting being the lead off men.  The two men lock up in the center.  Eaton forces Sting into a corner and breaks cleanly.  This does catch Sting off guard a bit.  The two circle each other for about five seconds and lock up again.  Eaton forces Sting back into the corner again.  This time, he slugs Sting with a right hand!  Sting responds in kind and the two wrestlers are going toe to toe. As Sting is winning, Eaton rakes the eyes to stop the momentum.  He whips Sting into the ropes but Sting turns it around and sends "Beautiful" Bobby into the corner.  Eaton hits the corner hard and comes out to a backdrop.  Eaton gets to his feet and Sting clotheslines him down.  Eaton gets up again and gets the same treatment again.  Lane comes in to try a clothesline of his own on Sting but Sting ducked it.  Lane turned back around and got a reverse atomic drop from "The Stinger"!!  "Sweet" Stan turned around in pain and received a big clothesline from the top rope from UT as the champs had cleared the ring again.

When Eaton returns to the ring, he makes the tag to Stan.  Stan comes in slowly to try to slow things down some more.  As he and Sting was ready to lock up, Lane hits Sting in the stomach with a quick side kick that doubles him over.  Lane then uses a reverse insiguri, using the heel of his foot onto the back of Sting's head.  Lane now picks Sting up and whips him into the ropes.  Lane leapfrogs over Sting when he rebounds. Lane tries it again but this time, Sting had a plan as he leaped a second after Lane did, caught him in the air, and gave him a version of the "Spinebuster" slam!  Lane cringed in pain as Sting covered Lane.  Lane kicked out at two.  Cornette is frantic at ringside as he sees their opportunity in jepordy. Sting now takes Lane and hooks in an armbar, drags him over to the corner, and made the tag to UT.  Undertaker comes in and takes the armbar on Lane.  UT then performs his patened "walk" along the top rope holding the arm of Stan.  He then came down with his forearm smash the shoulder and head of Lane.  "The Dead Man" came over to administer more punishment but Lane poked UT in the eye.  Lane then put UT in a corner and hammered his ribs with his karate kicks.  Lane then raised his hands in a token of victory, turning his back on UT.  This was a costly error because when Lane turned around, UT grabbed Lane by the throat with both of his hands and threw him into the corner!!  Now, "The Man From The Darkside" pounded Lane with both right and left hands to the head and body.  Lane is now down in the corner as UT puts a foot on the throat, choking him down.  The ref counts UT and reaches four before he lets it go.  UT then tags Sting back in.  UT fires Lane into the ropes as Sting AND UT leapfrog over him.  Sting then takes down "Sweet" Stan with a legtrip as UT hits the ropes.  With Lane down facefirst, UT leaps into the air and drops his leg across the back of the skull!!  Sting covers Lane while UT leaves.  Eaton came in for the save at the two count.  Sting, not distracted by Eaton's save, makes another quick tag to UT. The Undertaker puts Lane in a powerbomb position and lifts him up.  When he reaches the apex of the lift, Sting grabs him in a reverse facelock and both men drive Lane head first into the canvas!!  Lane is finished but now Cornette is up on the apron.  Sting goes over to Cornette while UT covers.  As he does this, he (or does anyone else) see Eaton going to the top rope with Jim Cornette's tennis racket.  Bobby dives off the top with the racket to the back of UT's head.  He pulls Lane on top of UT for the cover.  The ref sees it and counts 1..2..but UT kicks out.  Lane wearily makes the tag to Eaton.  Eaton comes in and rocks The Undertaker with a series of kneedrops to the head and chest.  He then whips UT into the ropes and fires a right hand to the gut.  He follows that up with a bulldog headlock to UT for another two count.  Lane is back up in the corner after shaking off the effects of that move earlier.  Eaton makes the tag to "Sweet" Stan as the Midnights begin their classic teamwork.  They fire UT into the ropes and hit him with the "Flapjack".  Lane then does his little dance over the body of UT.  He then drops to one knee and punches UT in the face. The Undertaker is taking a beating but responds to this attack with a big right hand around the throat of Lane!  Lane quickly makes the tag to Eaton just as UT reaches his feet with this chokehold.  Eaton comes in and utilizes a low blow that frees his partner and drops UT to his knees. Eaton now has a reverse chinlock on UT, trying to ground him and wear him down.  Cornette looks more confident than he did about five minutes ago in this match.

After about a minute in this hold, UT manages to get to his feet and elbow Eaton in the gut twice. Eaton makes a blind tag to Lane and fires UT into the ropes but UT reverses the whip.  When Bobby comes back, UT throws him into Lane and both men go down!!  UT then makes the tag to Sting.  Sting comes in on fire as he has both members of The Midnights reeling.  He even gets in a shot on Jim Cornette as the manager tries to interfere again.  Sting then goes back to Eaton, who responds with a right hand to the jaw.  Eaton then tries to whip Sting into the ropes but Sting reverses it with an arm twist and gets in his "Scorpion Deathdrop"!!  He covers but Lane makes the save.  As UT comes in on Lane, Eaton staggared into the opposite corner.  He sees that Cornette accidentally dropped the tennis racket into that corner.  Sting, meanwhile, was coming with "The Stinger Splash".  When Sting came flying in, Eaton nailed Sting flush in the face with the weapon!  Sting is out cold!  Eaton fell on top of Sting while Lane held UT from making the save as the ref counted three!!  The Midnight Express had won the Unified World Tag Team Championship.  Lane quickly pulled his partner out of the ring as Cornette came to his feet, realizing now what had just happened!  They quickly collected the belts and hurried out of the arena as UT checked in on his partner, with both concern for Sting and anger for The Midnights apparent in his eyes!!

OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS.....

The teams had six rematches with the titles changing hands in four of those matches!!  Sting and UT won the initial rematch in neighboring Peoria, Ill the next night.  Two nights later, in Memphis, TN at The Pyramid, The Midnights regained the titles and held on to them three nights later in Orlando, FL at the O'rena.  The next week, on WCW Nitro, Sting and UT won the belts again in another classic thriller in Chapel Hill, NC at The Dean Dome.  The Midnights then, once again, won the belts four nights later in Rome, GA during a house show for WCW.  The Midnights manage to survive two more matches with Sting and UT to retain the titles.  Another rematch was signed for ECW Uncensored in a Texas Tornado Match for the titles!!  This is the first match signed for my future story (and only my third ECW story).