[November 1998 — Kansas City, Missouri & St. Louis, Missouri]
Go-Home Raw (November 9, 1998)
The camera swoops over a sold-out Kemper Arena.
Pyro erupts across the stage, echoing like a cannon barrage. Signs flood the screen — "Austin 3:16," "Rocky Sucks," "Styles Breaks Bones," and a crude "Steph 4 J.J." scrawled in silver glitter.
Jim Ross: "We are LIVE, ladies and gentlemen, in Kansas City, Missouri — just six days away from Survivor Series: Deadly Game! I'm Jim Ross alongside Jerry 'The King' Lawler—"
King: "And I can already tell you, JR, someone's getting screwed on Sunday! Maybe even twice!"
Vince McMahon steps into the ring flanked by Shane, Pat Patterson, and Gerald Brisco. The crowd boos like it's an Olympic sport. He's grinning, microphone in hand.
Vince: "In six days, we crown a new World Wrestling Federation Champion in the most grueling tournament ever assembled. Sixteen men… but only one man has the intelligence, the cunning, the ruthlessness to walk out with the gold."
He lists names: The Rock, Mankind, Austin, Undertaker. Then he pauses and smirks.
Vince: "And… a wildcard. A man I personally signed. Someone who doesn't play well with others… J.J. Styles."
Crowd reaction is a mixed pop — cheers from the bloodthirsty, "Who?" chants from casuals.
Vince: "Make no mistake… if he wants to survive in my WWF, he'll learn to follow orders… or he'll be broken."
Backstage:
J.J. Styles POV:
Cole shoves a mic in my face backstage. I'm in full gear, vest unzipped, hair still damp from the pre-match warmup.
"Follow orders?" I grin. "Vince, the only order I follow is the one I give myself. Sunday, I'm not just surviving. I'm hunting."
In the corner of my eye, Stephanie McMahon's there — pretending to check a clipboard, but she's listening. Eyes locked on me.
Match 1 — J.J. Styles vs. Val Venis
Val does his "Hello, Ladies" schtick, drawing squeals from the crowd.
Bell rings — I go in low, test of strength, he tries a headlock, I slip behind into a waistlock, drag him down. Technical pace early.
Mid-match, Val hits a spinebuster and goes for the Money Shot. I roll clear, explode to my feet, and blast him with the Kinshasa.
Crowd gasps — JR calls it "a decapitating knee strike."
Winner: J.J. Styles (via pinfall, 6:47)
As I head up the ramp, The Rock's music hits. We meet at the top of the stage, eye to eye. He smirks.
Mouths one word: "Rookie."
Stone Cold storms the ring during the main event, chaos explodes — chairs, stunners, security.
Camera catches me watching from the crowd barrier, arms folded, eyes cold. JR calls me "a dangerous dark horse" heading into Sunday.
[Sunday Night Heat (November 15, 1998) — PPV Day]
The Kiel Center is buzzing. Crew runs cables, stagehands roll production crates.
Stephanie is in a fitted black dress, headset around her neck, giving instructions. She catches me in the hallway.
Steph: "You ready for tonight?"
Me: "Born ready."
Steph: "Good. Vince wants you to make a statement. I want you to make an impression."
There's weight in that last line.
Heat Match — J.J. Styles vs. Bob Holly
Crowd is half-full — early arrivals. Hardcore pace. Bob tries to stiff me with a clothesline; I duck, land body shots, suplex him on the floor. Crowd wakes up.
Finish comes when he swings a chair — I duck, it bounces off the post, I grab his arm and lock in the Kimura. He taps.
Winner: J.J. Styles (via submission, 5:33)
Survivor Series 1998 — Deadly Game
[St. Louis, Missouri — Kiel Center — November 15, 1998]
Fireworks blast in sync with the Deadly Game theme. The stage is massive — steel grates, the old scratch WWF logo, banners with "Deadly Game" in blood-red font.
JR: "The richest prize in our industry is on the line tonight, King — and for one man, it's going to be the fight of his life."
King: "I can't wait to see who survives!"
Round 1 — J.J. Styles vs. Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra)
Jarrett tries to work the leg, grounding me with takedowns. I return fire with hard knees to the ribs.
At 6:12, he goes for the Stroke — I spin out, hit a spinning back elbow, and then a Kinshasa.
Winner: J.J. Styles (via pinfall, 6:18 — advances to Quarterfinals)
Quarterfinal — J.J. Styles vs. The Rock
Crowd is electric. Dueling chants: "Rocky!" / "Styles!"
Rock dominates early with punches, Samoan drop. I turn it with technical holds — crossface, armbar attempts.
Finish: Rock escapes the Kimura by rolling into the ropes. He hits a Rock Bottom out of nowhere.
Winner: The Rock (via pinfall, 8:44 — advances)
Finals — The Rock vs. Mankind
Corporate swerve plays out exactly like real history — Rock turns heel, joins Vince. Arena showers them in boos.
J.J. Styles POV:
Locker room is a war zone — bodies sore, voices raised, production crew hauling gear.
I'm unstrapping my vest when I hear heels clicking behind me.
Stephanie steps inside, shuts the door, and locks it.
Steph: "You impressed me tonight. You pissed off my father… and you impressed me."
She pushes me against the locker, kisses me hard — nothing held back. Her nails rake my chest as she pulls me down onto the bench.
The rest of the scene is heat, skin, and ragged breathing — her riding me while still in that dress, my hands gripping her hips like I own her. She bites my lip before she finishes, then smooths her hair like nothing happened.
Steph: "Next time, you win. And when you do… I'll be at your side in public, not just here."
She leaves me there — sweaty, spent, and already planning for the European title.
JR's voiceover as the closing highlight reel plays:
"J.J. Styles came close tonight — but in the World Wrestling Federation, close doesn't cut it. The Deadly Game may be over… but the hunt has only just begun."