Rip Thomas is the WWE WWE Championship, and his appearances on network television have been a thorn in the side of Brell, the head of the struggling World Television Network. The day after Rip's most recent title match, Brell attempts to bribe the champion into joining his network, but Rip declines the offer. After Rip disposes of Brell's thugs on his way home, Brell visits the No Count Bar, where he comes up with his own wrestling program called ''Battle of the Tough Guys''. The show is successful due to the introduction of Zeus, an ex-convict and former protege of Rip's trainer Charlie. Zeus wins the $100,000 tournament and becomes Brell's prized fighter.