The Underdog Story

This scene takes place in a darkly lit room, after the events of last weeks episode of Genesis. The room is all but bare, only two soft chairs to decorate it. Reece Ortiz rests comfortably in one seat, and opposite him, the face of commentary, Mr. Dashing.


Mr. Dashing
First of all, before we get started, I'd just like to thank you Reece, for agreeing to meet me here for this interview. You're quickly becoming one of Genesis' rising stars, and with your current position in the Cyborg Invitational, I just had to pin you down and hear what you had to say.

Reece sits up in his chair.

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Reece Ortiz
Not at all, thanks for having me. Honestly, I was kind of excited when you asked me to do this, you know?

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Mr. Dashing
I'm glad I'm not the only one. Let me just get straight to it, after your victory against Adam Valentine earlier tonight, you've cemented yourself in the top two positions in the invitational. With the exception of Dule Zaire, you started this competition as the newest, and the freshest face. When this tournament was announced, did you ever, even just for one second, doubt that you'd be in the position you are in now?

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Reece Ortiz
Honestly, no, not really, and I'm not saying that because I'm big headed or anything by the way, I knew what I was getting myself into, and I knew that I had the least experience, that I was the underdog, but I also know that I've been the underdog my entire life and I've never let it stop me from getting to where I want to be. I wasn't as 'humble' as Adam Valentine though, I realised that I wasn't going to just stroll through and win every match without any contest, so I did my research, and I gave it my all, and to the surprise and, to some extent, the dismay of the rest of the locker room, I pulled out three hard fought victories.

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Mr. Dashing
You say you fought hard  for your victories but you also hold the quickest victory in the Invitational, when you defeated Rhys Mathews in a mere couple of minutes. Then after the match, you viciously assaulted Mathews for, what appeared to be no reason at all.. Can I get your thoughts on that?

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Reece Ortiz
I had a feeling this would come up. I'm not going to spend too much time on this as I've already explained my actions that night. I was sick and tired of Rhys disrespecting me. I chew gum on my way to that ring every night, but he didn't even suspect me? As for the attack afterwards, I was just hoping I could beat some sense back into him, give him that extra nudge towards finding whoever it is he's looking for.

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Mr. Dashing
It's a damn shame it didn't work. Anyway, moving on, I only have one more question regarding this invitational. You still have two competitors to face before the invitational ends. Elijah Stewart, and Josh Wolf. Now, I don't know if you've noticed this yet, but your interaction with Elijah Stewart doesn't actually affect the outcome at all. Whether you win, or you lose, you'll still be competing against Josh Wolf for that first place spot. What do you think about that?

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Reece Ortiz
It didn't escape my attention, but it doesn't really change anything for me. I'm still going to treat my match with Elijah like every other match in this invitational. I want to go into my final match with that flawless 4-0 record, and not to boost my own ego, but to shatter Wolf's. I want him to stand opposite to me in that ring and know that no matter what he does, I will always have the mental advantage.

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Mr. Dashing
What an incredible couple of matches those will be. Before I let you go Reece, I just want to touch on one more thing, something that has practically sent twitter to war... Your new attire, or more specifically, your new shirt. We all know that you take pride in yourself, but don't you worry that you're painting a target on your back? Especially with this invitational still going on.

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Reece Ortiz
The very fact that a few words printed on a shirt can send the world into an uproar is exactly why I chose to wear it. I've already broken ground, being as open about my sexuality as I am, but that's just not enough for me. I want to show every guy out there, whether it's confused teenagers, or men who feel like they have to live a lie, I want all of them to know that they can be accepted, that it doesn't limit you, you can still do what you want to do, and you can still be who you want to be. I always thought I'd be held back because of who I am, but here I am, living my dream, wrestling for the biggest company in the world, and just one match away from becoming the number one contender for the global championship.

Ortiz stands up from his seat and heads for the door.


Reece Ortiz
Never let anything hold you back.

Ortiz puts his shades back on and leaves the room as the segment comes to an end.