Pain and Paradox

[Zane]

PAIN AND PARADOX

Members:

"The Lord of Pain" Donovan Hastings

"The Paradox" Zane Scott

Alignment:

Transcendent

Entrance Music:

"Duke Lion Fights the Terror" by Big Dumb Face

Entrance:

Coming soon.

Bio: Donovan Hastings and Zane Scott might be the most unlikely team in the history of wrestling. Donovan Hastings is a UGWC legend who is known for hiding his deceptively strategic mind behind a veneer of banal arrogance. Zane Scott is often accused of being a stupid beast with a volcanic temper, although that too has proven to be a deceptive view of the two-time World Champion. One thing that was always set in stone was that the two men hated each other far too much to ever function in the same ring together, never mind as a functional and effective team. All of the proof anyone ever needed of this "fact" was the vicious and bloody feud that the two men waged on each other in 2013. It's the feud that gave Zane his signature weapon, the "Lord of Pain-Killer". If one ever needed a sign that the two were destined to be enemies, what better proof could there be?

Fast forward to July of 2017.

The best of teams often have the most unlikely starts. The new partnership of Hastings and Scott is a perfect example of this. Although nobody knew it at the time, it began with a seemingly inane Twitter exchange between the two men about their "lairs". (More specifically, it began when Hastings accused Scott of having a "lair" in an airport). Most people saw the exchange as Hastings being Hastings and Scott being...silly. No one gave it much thought, even if it was really out of character for Scott.

Enter the 2017 "Outlast" draft special.

In a moment that was part "Hastings being Hastings", part "Ooley being Ooley" (or "a dick" as Zane later put it) and perhaps in retrospect part serendipity, Donovan Hastings "selected" Zane Scott with his first "pick". It certainly wasn't his intention. Hastings used Zane to make a sarcastic point to Dave Rydell about his first selection and Robert Ooley decided to make a point to Hastings and made Scott his first "selection".

The UGWC locker room and fans laughed.

Robert Ooley smirked with pride.

Zane Scott face palmed backstage.

And Donovan Hastings almost had an aneurysm.

The following weeks went humorously by as Donovan Hastings tried to turn his collection of forceful personalities into a team. Unfortunately for him that team included not only Zane Scott, but also Travis Pierce and the newly returned Alan Wallace. It looked like a team that didn't have a chance in hell of ever coalescing into a functioning unit. Pierce and Scott hated each other as much as Hastings and Scott were thought to. Wallace and Scott were former allies in "The Syndicate", although their alliance hadn't ended well. Finally, Pierce "retired" Hastings best friend, fellow UGWC legend Travis Roberts. It really looked like a team that would be lucky if it didn't kill itself, let alone defeat anyone else. Most experts expected the team to be eliminated right after Dave Rydell's team of rookies and unknowns.

Then Hastings and Zane started to coexist.

Their coexistence became mutual understanding and seemingly mutual respect.

By the time the two weeks were up, the two men seemed to genuinely like each other and had taken to referring to their association as "Pain and Paradox". The week before "Outlast" they came within seconds of claiming the Co-Operative Championships from the equally unlikely team of Rogan MacLean and Jet Somers. As the hours ticked down, the two men seemed to begin forming a genuine friendship, which would have been seen as a sign of the apocalypse mere weeks before. It was truly bizarre to watch, whether one accepted it at face value or not.

Then "Outlast" happened.

Zane and Donovan entered together to the same music and officially announced themselves to everyone as "Pain and Paradox". The most unlikely team ever was a reality. The rest will be history.

It's inevitable.

One could even say that it's Destiny.

Special and Co-Op Moves:

"The Kick in the Jaw": Zane locks the opponent in the "Jaws of Death" (a headlock w/ theatrics) and Donovan lands "The Super Kick" (an eye poke)

Finisher(s):

Combo "Destiny's Call/Murderous Intent": Donovan lifts the victim up for the "Destiny's Call" brainbuster. Zane drops to a knee and hits a modified "Murderous Intent" uppercut, after which Donovan lands the brainbuster.

Associates:

Owen Peterson

Larry, Zane's Personal Assistant.

Team Accomplishments

UGWC Co-Operative Champions (1, current) v Rogan MacLean and Jet Somers (Synergy, 10/ 23/2017)