Fate is a word that is bandied around with alarming regularity in professional wrestling. It's Randy Orton's FATE to be a WWE Superstar or John Cena's FATE to be WWE Champion, some may even say it's fate that The Undertaker and Shawn Michael's final clash will come at WrestleMania... but if there is one thing that perfectly fits the dictionary definition of fate, it's the relationship between Morten Hansen and Ryan Simmons.

So alike... and yet with nothing in common.

Ryan Simmons grew up in the tough Scottish city of Glasgow, a city notorious for it's bad weather, bad attitude and violent nature. Indeed, the last time there was a terrorist incident on Scottish soil, one Glaswegian famously "nutted" the perpetrator as he was covered in flames. From this city of strife, was born Ryan Simmons. Simmons however, did not follow such a path of mindless violence and intimidation (even if he kept the bad attitude), he succeeded in acquiring an amazing set of ring skills all over the world, from his native Scotland (his chronicles with James Steele noted at a previous WrestleMania) to Japan, Mexico and all over Europe, Simmons ring acumen is possibly second to none and often underrated.

He first came to the attention of the (then) WWF in 1998 when he was rushed onto TV just after WrestleMania 14, involved in an angle with Cactus Jack and Terry Funk as a sort of protege for Funk. However after an incident backstage that has still never been fully revealed Simmons was sent packing back to the independents and the likes of ECW, ROH and TNA followed, the Scot picking up several title runs in the process and having standout matches with the likes of CM Punk, Michael Shane, Samoa Joe and Adan Reyes.

Late in 2003, WWE were looking for standout independent and 3rd generation wrestlers to join the Ohio Valley Wrestling training set up to replace the likes of Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Batista and John Cena who'd been called up to WWE the previous year, Simmons was one of the few who were offered contracts. Along with the likes of James Steele, Roberto Rossi, Michael Shane, John Morrison, Carlito, Adan Reyes and one Morten Hansen, Ryan made up the second generation of OVW talent. Simmons was called up early in 2005 during the aborted FWC Invasion, playing a "ned" or a "chav" in English terms, a trailer trash type character who feuded with John Cena and Jim Ross. Despite backstage popularity, the character did not connect with the American audience and Ryan was sent back to OVW but when WWE returned to TV later that year he was one of the first to be called up.

Morten Hansen's path is one that echoes his former friend in any ways. The harsh climes of Denmark are certainly comparable to those of Scotland and whether a Viking or a Glaswegian has a worse attitude is a matter of debate. Also like Simmons, Hansen has a worldly experience prior to WWE, an arsenal of tricks, moves and holds that he picked up from stars as diverse as Vader and the Great Muta.

Called up to WWE around six months after Ryan Simmons, just prior to WrestleMania 22, Hansen immediately made an impact, carving his way through the undercard at an alarming rate, one victory after another as he dismantled his fellow newcomers such as Adan Reyes and Roberto Rossi, all the while James Steele and Ryan Simmons doing likewise in the tag division as Team Scotland, winning the tag titles and feuding with MNM and Adult Viewing.

Both men tasted early success then, but they would both face tests of their character as Simmons turned on Steele, blaming him for losing the World Tag Team Championships and Hansen seemingly started to become unhappy alongside his manager Armando Estrada.

Estrada was a typical throwback to the glory days of management, doing whatever was needed to help his man win.. yet at all times, treating Hansen as if he were unintelligent and a Viking savage, "the Danish Destroyer" as he put it. Yet behind the destruction lurked a man of far greater depth and intelligence, a man learning all the time, slowly adapting to his surroundings in the WWE and developing the skills we now know today.

Ryan Simmons and Morten Hansen didn't meet in the ring until 2007, both men established by this point, both looking to take home the United States Championship at Saturday Nights Main Event in November. Hansen, a crowd favorite, was looking to take the title for the second time as Simmons looked to retain the belt he had won at SummerSlam. In the end, it was Hansen who was victorious in a match that would never be forgotten by Ryan, a grudging respect was formed in his mind... but so was the fact that he'd lost.

The following year, the two's story really began as led by John Cena and Michael Shane, several WWE stars staged what can only be described as a coup-de-tart on Monday Night Raw, a revolution and uprising of the undercard against those they saw as keeping them down - the New Generation had risen. With both Ryan and Morten having a vested interest in seeing the New Generation win, being a part of it, and certainly having a rebellious streak each as well, the duo soon found themselves as fully paid up embers of the New Generation, on the road together and tagging together.

Despite everything, Simmons and Primal became firm friends, pushed together as comrades by the war with the WWE Originals, they became brothers in arms. But during the final weeks of the war, their friendship and trust was shaken by an event neither foresaw - the cancellation of SmackDown.

Up until that point, the Raw New Generation had been happily unified under John Cena and Shane McMahon while on SmackDown Michael Shane was rapidly assembling the likes of MVP and Edge into his own New Generation Blue (and offending a nation in the process) but when SmackDown was canceled, the New Generation Blue needed a home - Raw... and that didn't sit too well with the power hungry Cena and McMahon. In one fateful moment, Cena moved against Shane and his cohorts, evicting the from Raw and the building.. his own group purged.

Hansen started to become disillusioned with the group, feeling it no longer stood for the principles of the revolution they'd started while Ryan Simmons was still a died in the wool supporter. After the New Generations controversial victory inside Wargames, enlisting the help of the hated Randy Orton, Primal decided it was time to once again strike out on his own and started to contemplate his life back as a singles star. But before he could tell his partner, tragedy struck and at the Royal Rumble Ryan Simmons botched a high risk maneuver, his neck almost crushed as he landed on his head and ended the night in hospital.

Its not know why Primal didn't visit Ryan, but that fact alone seemed to be the last straw for Simmons, tired of the want away Dane. The experience of nearly being paralyzed or worse brought about a change in Ryan and on his return to Raw, he was a changed man. The anger within him had died down to a quiet loathing and contempt of those around him, of the fans who he saw as responsible for his injury. No longer did he care, he said, about the fans or anybody else because they didn't care about him, just like Hansen. All he cared about was himself and his girlfriend Kelly Kelly, making her debut that same night in the WWE.

Hansen was conflicted, he did not wish to leave Simmons while he was injured, yet those plans were already in place and Ryan's new bad attitude was making things even more difficult for Morten. However, when Simmons suggested that Hansen had eyes for Kelly Kelly and that was behind all of this.. it was all Primal could take, he angrily announced that the team was through, sick of Simmons and his paranoia, attitude and arrogance.

But as experience with the likes of the Megapowers and The Rockers will tell... things never end there.

Ryan Simmons continued to goad the Dane, all the while treating Kelly Kelly as little more than another ring accessory, somebody to stand there, look pretty and make others jealous of him rather than anything approaching the loved girlfriend he claimed. Morten Hansen, showing a never before seen softer side, certainly seemed upset at the treatment the Diva received at the hands of the Scotsman and after a backstage altercation in Simmons dressing room, Kelly was knocked unconscious, Hansen calling for help. When none came Hansen carried off Kelly Kelly to a lounge, laying her on a couch to rest. What happened next will surely be told in a different way by all three.

Did Kelly Kelly kiss Morten in a daze thinking it was Simmons? did she kiss him out of affection for his taking care of her? or did Hansen force himself on Kelly Kelly, as Simmons claims?

Either way, the Diva was now fully between these men, another factor added to the bad blood and the hatred. But again, that fate we mentioned... would play one last trick.

As the two sat down to sign the contract at SNME for their match this Sunday, once again Ryan Simmons inserted Kelly Kelly between himself and Hansen, allowing her to be in harms way, Kelly going through a table set up for Hansen. The look on Morten's face said it all as he signed the contract, guilty, anger, fury... a wave of emotions that have demonstrated this feud since day one.

At WrestleMania, these former friends will collide with nothing to win... and nothing to lose. This one is about pride, about vengeance and two men taking out their frustrations on each other on the grandest stage. Simmons, consumed with hatred and loathing for his former friend has pushed Hansen too far while Hansen, has turned from being on the defensive from Simmons attacks to being on the offensive, taking the fight to Ryan. This one won't be pretty, it won't be nice to watch... but when its all said and done one man will stand tall and at WrestleMania 25, the winner may just take all, including the heart of Kelly Kelly.