Trust and Betrayal

The camera comes in to reporter Lisa Evans standing backstage at the premier of CMV Season Six. She stands in front of a flat screen TV with the Fusion logo on it. With a microphone in her hand and a smile on her face, Evans begins to speak.

“Hello ladies and gentlemen, my name is Lisa Evans and welcome to the Fusion Breakdown! Tonight we had a crazy show full of surprises, including the Unicorn of Wrestling - PJ Moon - defeating former CMV Undisputed Champion, Harvey Hastings! If you want to talk upsets though, you have to talk about King of the Ring Andrew Briggs, who even after a surprise attack by the returning Bannon, managed to defeat the top of CMV - reigning Undisputed Champion Jacob Ziegler! After a great show that really kicked this season into fifth gear, I’ve brought together a group of talent to talk to me abou-”

We hear a door opening, and the camera pans over to the left. We see Shay Hoxton walk through zipping up his new red vinyl sports jacket with his bright white and magenta glasses. Barely trying to hide the smirk on his face, Hoxton walks up to the set. We quickly pan back to Lisa Evans who appears to be caught off guard.

“Well ladies and gentlemen, it appears we have our first guest for tonight, Shay Hoxton!”

Shay stands next to Lisa and smiles down at her. He lets out a quick chuckle.

“Thank you Lisa! I apologize for making your show peak so soon, but I just couldn’t let my audience wait any longer!”

Shay pushes his glasses down and looks into the camera. He points into the screen.

“Opponent after opponent may fall to me because of my unlimited talent, but it’s your love that really makes me the, ‘Prince of Poker!’”

He turns back down to Evans.

“You know, it was just two nights ago when I ran into a fan from right here in Dallas. He let me know about how much his life sucked. He was fucking hot, he was single, he was short, his job sucked, he never went to college because he had a hard time in school, and everything that might help him ends up slapping him in the face. He told me about how sad he was, but when he sees someone like me, it cheers him up. Tall, handsome, rich, beloved, successful, I was everything he wanted to be! Just knowing that someone so perfect could exist, it made life not so bad!”

Shay looks down at the floor, proud.

“Knowing I could have such an impact on somebody’s life like that, it really hit me hard.”

Shay wipes away an imaginary tears and looks up into the camera, beaming with pride.

“So when I walked onto that stage and say a crowd full of fucking hot ugly losers, I couldn’t help but think about how many people I was helping! How many pathetic lives I was giving purpose to!”

He quickly turns back to Lisa.

“With an emotional high like that, Kris Sullivan had no chance of winning. He may have had Barron Blade with him, but I had twenty-three thousand people cheering my name!”

Shay turns away and begins to whisper shout.

“Hoxton! Hoxton! Hoxton! Hoxton!”

He slowly extends his arms out with four fingers pointed. He turns back around.

“And now here we are, 8-0 baby! That’s one more problem solved on Fusion, one step closer to the a injustice free world of wrestling. Yes, Lisa, it’s okay to say thank you, because you are welcome!”

The camera slowly pans down to Lisa Evans, who is completely speechless. She brings the microphone back to herself and tries to stammer out a response.

“Uh, wow okay! I, uh, I was talking about surprises tonight, and you surprised the crowd when you, uh, came down to Logan Hails match and… his match against Shanaz Andoni, and-”

Shay puts his finger against Lisa’s lips, stopping her. He leans into the microphone.

“Hey, I get it, a lot of people don’t know what to say when they’re face to face with greatness. Don’t worry, it’s not bad, it’s adorable even, but we do have a job to do here. So, I’m just going to take this…”

Shay takes the microphone out of Lisa’s hands.

“Thank you, and here, I’ll even give you these!”

Shay takes off his glasses and puts them on Evan’s face. He lightly taps her on the cheek.

“There you go, you look like a million bucks.”

The camera pans exclusively to Shay, and he looks into it with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“Now, where were we?”

He turns to face the camera.

“All night now, I’ve been asked about my appearance in the match between Logan Hail and Shanaz Andoni, I’ve even been accused of trying to distract Logan Hail, and I’ve been accused of costing him his match!”

Shay shakes his head in disgust.

“To each and every one of you people whose insulted me like that, I’m ashamed. I went out there to watch an old friend compete, to inspire him to reach his dreams, even! I wanted to see this King in action, because I’ve heard nothing but good things about him. Hell, he even tried to use The 21 to impress me! But… despite all the good I’ve heard, I was shocked. This King, he was getting his ass royaly kicked. I thought to myself, "Maybe he's nervous, competing in front of his favorite friend." So out of the kindness of my heart, I waved to him.”

Shay brings up his hand and waves to the camera, still disgusted.

“Hello Logan…”

Hoxton brings down his hand.

“And then what happened? Did Logan Hail get a burst of confidence? No, he got out of the ring, and he… he had the nerve to get into my face. My face! After everything I’ve ever done for him, after inspiring him to bring his career to such heights, he had the gaul to stab me in my heart. I was hurt, but then when Andoni hit him from behind, I realized something.

I realized Logan Hail was one of them… he was one of the bad guys. That’s why he allowed himself to be hit, that’s why he would betray me, that’s why when he hit the most effective move in wrestling history - The 21 - he couldn’t win. It’s because he’s a villain, it’s because he’s a loser. The shocking revelation that someone I trusted could have this dark side, it hurt me deep in my heart. I couldn’t bear to watch that betrayal anymore, and I left.”

Shay brings his hand to his heart and sniffs.

“Tonight, I lost a friend… tonight, I was a victim to the evil that plagues Fusion. I was hurt, and then to get accused of costing Logan his match? Wake up people! Logan Hail is a loser, and losers lose!”

Shay’s saddened look slowly fades into one full of determination.

“But Shay Hoxton? Shay Hoxton is a winner, and winners win! It hurts me to say this, oh it hurts me so, but tonight I learned that Logan Hail is part of the problem. I made it my goal to save Fusion, and so far I have done that. Eight men. Eight men have fallen to me so far, eight problems solved by yours truly. Logan, I can’t believe I have to say this, but I have a goal here, and you’re in my way.”

Shay pauses, and takes a deep breath.

“Eight men. Eight men have fallen to me so far. I’m sorry to have to do this to you, but as far as I’m concerned... you’re just another statistic.”

Shay looks down at Lisa Evans and the camera pans out. Shay grabs her hand and slides the microphone back into it. He takes off his glasses from her face and puts them back on. He turns once more towards the camera.

“Good luck, Logan, you’re gonna need it.”

Shay turns away and walks off screen. Lisa turns, watching him leave as the screen fades to black.