Chapter 3:
Scotty paced restlessly in the dressing room as the dull roar of the crowd permeated every nook and cranny of the building. They were really excited about the match taking place in the ring right now, but Scotty couldn't quite recall what that match was at the moment; his thoughts were elsewhere.
The US Champion sighed as he rolled his shoulders in an attempt to loosen up. He had been looking forward to his tag team match tonight for what felt like weeks, even though he had only been informed of it yesterday morning. He couldn't wait to get out there and get a piece of Reigns and Jindrak. He couldn't wait to send a message to Kurt Angle, who would undoubtedly be watching the match intently from the back.
No, knowing Angle, he'll probably be lurking around the ring, just waiting for the opportunity to get a cheap shot on me or Moore should either of us get thrown to the outside, Scotty reminded himself. He wanted to get to Angle. He wanted to beat him one more time to prove once and for all that he was better than the Olympic Gold Medalist.
Patience, Scotty focused on his breathing. He hadn't been this pumped up about a match for a long time; in fact, the last time he had remembered ever being so excited about a wrestling match was when he challenge Kurt Angle for the US Title over five months ago. The exhilaration he felt that night was beginning to resurface. It was even more overwhelming than the determination he felt two nights ago at the No Mercy event when he beat Mark Jindrak. No, that match was strictly business. Tonight it was personal.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door, and Shannon Moore poked his head in, "Hey Scotty. Mind if I come in?"
Scotty shook his head, "Not at all. Come on in."
The young cruiserweight stepped into the locker room, making sure to close the door behind him. He was dressed in his wrestling attire, and seemed just about as anxious to start the match as Scotty was. He spoke up, "You nervous about tonight?"
"No, not really. Just excited. Why do you ask?"
"Well, you seem to be pacing pretty intently. That tells me you're nervous," Moore stated simply as he opened up a bottle of water and took a sip.
Scotty just smiled and ceased his pacing self-consciously, "Sorry. I'm just so pumped up about tonight, I feel like I'm gonna have a seizure or something if I don't move around."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Moore admitted with a chuckle as he leaned up against a wall. He folded his arms across his chest and said, "You know, Long just informed the crowd about what happened to Rikishi on Sunday. They didn't like it very much, obviously. They'll definitely be behind us in the match."
"That's good to know," Scotty said distractedly. He sat down on the floor and began to stretch his legs some more, even though he had spent the past forty-five minutes doing do. Moore began to do likewise.
After a few minutes, Moore glanced over at Scotty's belongings piled up against the wall, "Hey, Scotty. Do you mind if I take a look at the belt?"
"No, go right ahead," Scotty motioned to the bag that it rested in.
Moore nodded, walked over to the stack of belongings, and removed the United States Championship from a duffel bag. He hefted it in his hands reverently, then sat down on one of the benches and stared at it for a good long time. After a few moments, Scotty went over to stand behind the young cruiserweight so he could look at the belt as well.
"It sure is beautiful," Moore breathed.
"Yeah, I know," Scotty agreed as he studied the designs worked into the gold plates of the belt, "No matter how many times I look at it, it takes my breath away every time. Sometimes I just can't believe that it's really mine."
"Yeah," Moore said with a tinge of sadness in his voice, "I can't remember the last time I've held on to a belt -- it's been years. I would give anything to be a champion just one more time," the young man concluded, reflecting on his missed opportunity at the Cruiserweight Championship at No Mercy.
"Well," Scotty said cautiously, "Maybe if we keep wrestling together, we'll get a shot at those Tag Team Belts one of these days."
Moore laughed, "Yeah, that'd be nice. I guess we'll just have to see about that one."
Scotty smirked and prepared to answer to his partner's observation, but another knock at the door interrupted him. One of the WWE staff members opened up the door and reported, "Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was instructed to tell you two that your match is up next."
"Oh, okay. Thanks a lot," Scotty said as the crew member closed the door and left. Scotty glanced at his partner, "You ready to kick some ass?"
Moore laughed, "You bet I am," he said as he stood up with the US Title still in his hands. A playful smile tugged at his mouth as he glanced at Scotty, "May I do the honors?"
Scotty laughed and held his arms up, "Sure, knock yourself out."
With the eagerness not unlike that of a child, Shannon Moore put the belt around Scotty's waist and secured the clasps in the back, making sure it fit around the champion's waist.
When the deed was done, Scotty turned to his partner and said, "Thanks. This has been your brush with greatness for today," he joked.
Moore laughed and followed the champion out the door. The two made their way through the hallways toward the stage entrance, several of the other wrestlers wishing them luck as they went along.
As the duo made their way to the entrance, they waited just behind the curtain for their cue. Scotty glanced around, expecting Angle and his henchmen to be hanging around waiting for their cue as well, but they were nowhere to be found. After a minute or two of anxious anticipation, a nearby crew member gave them a thumbs up and Scotty jogged up the steps to the stage entrance.
As his music began to play, a wide grin broke across Scotty's face; no matter how many times he went through this same process, he found it to be incredibly exhilarating each time. When the excited cheering of the crowd reached his ears, the young US Champ ran through the curtains and out onto the stage, basking in the thousands of exuberant fans all focused squarely on him.
As Scotty descended the stage and mingled with the fans like he always did, he vaguely heard ring announcer Tony Chimmel announcing the match, "Ladies and gentlemen, the following tag team contest is scheduled for one fall. Introducing first, he is the United States Champion, Scotty......2......Hotty!"
Scotty tried to slap as many of the outstretched hands as he could before rolling into the ring and waving to the excited Dallas crowd. A moment or two after his music died down, Shannon Moore's music started up and the young cruiserweight made his entrance to the ring to Chimmel's announcement, "And introducing his tag team partner, from Cameron, North Carolina, Shannon......Moore!"
Once Moore had made it to the ring and his music died down, Scotty glanced over at his partner. When their eyes met, an unspoken feeling of understanding passed between them. Nothing was going to stop them tonight. Nothing.
As Scotty reluctantly unclasped his belt and handed it to the referee, Kurt Angle's music began to play. Expecting Reigns and Jindrak to appear, Scotty and Moore were quite surprised to see Angle himself walk out onto the stage with a microphone in his hand and an arrogant smile on his face.
Oh, this can't be good, Scotty thought bitterly as Angle took a few steps forward and stopped.
The Olympic Gold Medalist raised the microphone to his lips as his music died down, but his opening words were drowned out by the fans chanting "You-suck! You-suck!" over and over again. Scotty smiled and motioned for the crowd to keep it up. Moore did the same, and Angle just waited patiently for the dim to subside, a look of mild annoyance on his face.
When the crowd had finally quieted down, Angle spoke quickly before they could start up again, "I suppose you people think that's going to make me angry. Well I've got news for ya: it just so happens that nothing can spoil the good mood I'm in tonight," he took a moment to indulge in a smug grin before continuing, "As you all just heard from our General Manager, Rikishi will be out of action for a good long time due to a serious shoulder injury. Now, I'd love to be able to take credit for taking the big oaf out, but I'm afraid I have to give the honors to somebody else.
"Scotty, how does it feel to know that your friend is hurt because of you?" Angle asked the US Champ in a patronizing tone, "How does it feel to know that Rikishi, your best friend, is injured and out of commission because of what you did at No Mercy? And it is your fault, Scotty; there's no denying that. All you had to do was lay down and let Mark Jindrak beat you, and we would have forgotten this whole thing happened and let you live to see another day. But no, you couldn't do that, now could you? You had to be a hero, didn't you?"
Despite Scotty's better judgment, he could feel the anger bubbling inside of him, It wasn't my fault. He's just trying to provoke me. It wasn't my fault. He's just trying to provoke me, Scotty chanted in his head over and over again. It did little to calm him down, though. Angle was really starting to get on his nerves, and he wasn't sure if he could control his anger any longer.
Angle, apparently noticing the US Champ's barely-controlled rage, smiled and continued, "You know, Scotty. You and I have never really gotten along. But tonight, I just wanted to wish you and Shannon Moore the best of luck in your match tonight. Really I do. You know why? Because when my guys Jindrak and Reigns are done giving you the beating you deserve, there won't be anything left of you or your title. Before this night is over, I guarantee that you will be recovering in a hospital bed just like your dear friend Rikishi."
Before Scotty could so much as blink, he was knocked face-first into the canvas by a hard shot to the back of the head. He got to his hands and knees, disoriented, but a savage kick to his spine sent him back down.
Dammit, they must've come through the crowd, Scotty observed as the booted foot of Luther Reigns continued to stomp away at his spine. The US Champ tried to crawl to the ropes, but the meaty hands of his opponent grabbed him by the surgically-repaired neck and hoisted him to his feet. Reigns drove his opponent into the corner and began hammering away at Scotty's torso with a never-ending flurry of rights and lefts. Scotty blocked and scanned the ring for his partner. Moore was in an equally compromising position; he, too, was being worked over in a corner by Mark Jindrak.
After a few minutes of throwing punches, Luther Reigns glanced behind him and caught Jindrak's eye. Jindrak nodded understandingly and Irish-whipped Shannon Moore out of the corner at the same time that Reigns did likewise to Scotty.
The US Champ, seeing the inevitable collision with Moore, summoned up all his strength, planted his feet, and jumped up into the air in a rolling somersault. Moore ducked and passed under Scotty's body by mere inches, then continued his forward movement to slam right into Luther Reigns.
Scotty, on the other hand, landed deftly on his shoulders and continued the somersault, rolling up onto his feet and catching a surprised Jindrak with a savage uppercut. In the blink of an eye, the tide of the match had turned as Scotty and Moore went to town on their respective opponents.
With the crowd firmly behind them, the young duo kicked and punched at their opponents relentlessly before sending them both over the top rope onto the floor below. Reigns and Jindrak stumbled around, gathering their wits and rethinking their strategy, as Scotty and Moore caught their breath in the ring. The US Champ glanced around to see where Angle had gone to, and noticed the Olympic Gold Medalist sitting next to Tazz and Michael Cole at the announce table.
As Reigns and Jindrak crawled back into the ring, the referee came over to Scotty and Moore and told them that one of them was going to have to get out of the ring. Scotty caught Moore's eye; the young cruiserweight nodded and stepped out onto the ring apron.
Scotty watched his opponents talk among themselves intently for a moment or two before Jindrak stepped out of the ring, leaving Reigns to do battle with the US Champion. Scotty sighed through his nose and cleared his mind. He was going to have to use every weapon in his arsenal if he was going to get the better of the powerful brawler. Reigns outweighed Scotty by a good seventy pounds, and the big man was certainly no stranger to fighting. This was going to be hefty challenge for the US Champ, no doubt about it.
Immediately, the two locked up, but Reigns easily threw the smaller man down to the mat. Scotty picked himself back up indignantly and went to lock up again. Once again, Reigns threw the smaller superstar down to the mat with a mere flex of his mighty muscles.
The US Champ picked himself up again and stared intently into the mocking eyes of his opponent. Reigns was so confident in his strength that he allowed himself a moment of indulgence to laugh in his opponent's face.
Scotty stood back up and walked slowly over to the big man. When he got to within an inch of his opponent's face, he stared intently into the big man's eyes, refusing to back down from his opponent. Reigns stared back for a moment, then asked in a gruff voice, "You honestly think you stand a chance, little man?"
"Maybe I do. I guess you'll just have to prove me wrong, won't you?" Scotty said defiantly.
Reigns just chuckled and swatted Scotty away from him with a wave of his arm. Scotty stumbled, allowing his opponent to assume his gloating smile once again. Then, before the big man could react, Scotty dove forward and landed a drop kick right onto Reigns' knee cap. An unhealthy pop sounded as the big man went down, the smile quickly dissipating from his face.
Scotty was on him in an instant, stomping at the injured appendage and unleashing all of the veteran moves he knew to cause as much damage to his opponent's knee as he possibly could. For a while, all Reigns could do was try to crawl over to his corner to tag in Jindrak, but Scotty stayed on his opponent tenaciously, never allowing the big man the chance to rest.
After two or three minutes of this, Scotty forced Reigns into his corner and tagged in his partner. Moore quickly got into the ring and the two of them utilized the five-second time limit to double-team Reigns in the corner. Scotty put all of his weight into his kicks as he stomped on the big man's leg. When the ref counted to four, the US Champ went to the ring apron and wrapped his hand around the tag rope, catching his breath as he watched Moore continue where he left off, whittling away at the knee of the big brawler in an attempt to take him off his feet.
Scotty, however, turned his attention away from the match and stared intently at Kurt Angle, who appeared to be having a heated conversation with Tazz and Cole. Hundreds of different thoughts flew through Scotty's head as he focused on the man who was the source of most of his problems here in the WWE. Angle had been doing everything that he possibly could to make life difficult for the US Champion these past few months. How much time would go by before he finally gave up and took his business elsewhere?
After several minutes of having a hole stared through him by the current US Champion, Angle finally noticed Scotty and the intent gaze he was shooting at him. The Olympic Gold Medalist stopped what he was saying in mid-sentence and returned the glare. Scotty noticed the nearby camera man focusing in on him -- catching the emotion on his face for the home audience, no doubt -- but Scotty ignored it. All of his attention was focused solely on the man at the announce table.
After a few moments of this, Angle glanced into the ring and looked back at Scotty with an amused smile on his face. Suspicious, Scotty turned his attention back to the ring to see Mark Jindrak performing an impressive body slam on Shannon Moore. He pinned the cruiserweight, but Moore kicked out at two. How long had they been wrestling without Scotty noticing? It hadn't seemed all that long to him.
The US Champ cleared his mind and focused on the match. He couldn't allow Angle to distract him; doing so would surely result in a loss for him and his partner. No, he had to focus on the task at hand.
Scotty watched for what seemed like many minutes while Jindrak and Reigns tagged in and out, each taking turns pounding their smaller opponent to the mat. Moore would occasionally fight back and rush over to the corner for the tag, but he was always stopped before he could reach Scotty's outstretched hand.
After a while, Jindrak put Moore into a surfboard and leaned back with all his might, stretching the young cruiserweight's arms and shoulders back. The ref leaned down to Moore, asking him if he wanted to give up, but Moore shook his head in determination. He shifted his weight to get out of it, but Jindrak kept the submission moved locked into place.
Seeing his partner in a predicament, Scotty began to pound on the turnbuckle in a rhythmic pattern, allowing the crowd to clap in unison and join in on Scotty's attempts to rally behind Moore.
The young cruiserweight acknowledged the crowd's efforts to will him back into the match, and he slowly began to make his way to his feet despite Jindrak's efforts to keep him down. When both men had made it to their feet, Jindrak drew his arm back to clothesline his opponent to the ground, but Moore ducked out of the way, latched his hands around Jindrak's waist, and delivered a beautiful German suplex which threw Angle's lackey right onto the back of his head.
For a while, both men simply remained on the mat, each trying to catch his breath. The ref began the ten count, and both Moore and Jindrak crawled to their respective corners to tag in their partners.
Scotty fidgeted anxiously as Moore slowly made his way towards his outstretched hand. This was his chance to turn this match back in their favor. If only Moore would move just a bit faster.....
Then, with a desperate leap forward, Moore tagged in his partner, allowing Scotty to rush into the ring, adrenaline flowing. Luther Reigns, who had also been tagged in at about the same time, scrambled through the ropes to get into the ring, but he barely had time to stand up straight before Scotty was upon him, beating at the big man's muscular torso with all of his strength.
With a mighty yell of frustration, Reigns shoved Scotty away from him. The US Champ landed on his back, but popped right back up and went for the big man's knee once again. Reigns yelled in pain and surprise as Scotty kicked doggedly at his leg.
The US Champion connected with a flurry of kicks before bouncing off the ropes and delivering a savage chop block to the back of the big man's knee. Reigns went down, and as Scotty made his way to his feet, the crowd began to cheer uncontrollably. Scotty stood up, looking around at the crowd as he tried to figure out why they were getting so excited all of the sudden.
Then, a smile crept across his face as he turned to see Reigns laying on one side of the ring, near the ropes and motionless as he caught his breath. He was in the perfect position for The Worm, one of Scotty's finishing moves and by far a favorite move of the fans.
With an excitement that could hardly be contained, Scotty rushed over to Reigns' motionless form and bounced back and forth on his feet in an effort to get the crowd worked up. Then, he hopped to the other side of the ring in four quick steps, the crowd chanting along with each step "W! O! R! M!!"
When he reached the other side of the ring, Scotty performed his signature dance move, much to the delight of the fans. However, as he popped up to his feet to deliver the hard chop to the throat of his opponent, Jindrak rushed over from the other side of the ring and clothes-lined the US Champ.
The crowd, obviously upset that they had missed the ending of Scotty's signature move, began to cheer once again when Shannon Moore rushed over from the ring apron and tackled the interfering Mark Jindrak. Unfortunately, the referee just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time as he went down to the mat along with Moore and Jindrak.
Dazed, Scotty made his way up to his feet and leaned up against the ropes as Reigns began to stir. The US Champ motioned for the crowd that it was time for the super kick. He was so intent on ending this match, he didn't even notice that Kurt Angle had left his position at the announce table and run over to where the US Champ was preparing to finish off his opponent.
As Scotty focused firmly on Luther Reigns, he was suddenly grabbed roughly by the neck and driven headfirst into the nearest turnbuckle. The US Champ's head bounced back, and as his blurred vision registered the face of his enemy so close by, his energy was suddenly replenished by a surge of anger.
As Angle went to smash Scotty's head into the turnbuckle again, the US Champ held onto the ropes to prevent Angle's attempt. Then, mustering up all his strength, the young champion drew back his right hand and punched Angle so hard on the jaw that the Olympic Gold Medalist was sent straight to the floor.
But Scotty wasn't done yet. As Angle stumbled to his feet, Scotty launched himself over the top rope in a suicide dive right onto Kurt Angle. The two men crashed to the mat as the crowd cheered ecstatically.
Meanwhile, Jindrak and Moore continued to grapple in the ring, but that was quickly ended when Luther Reigns delivered a shot to the kidneys of his opponent. Moore recoiled in pain, but turned around almost immediately and drove his knee straight into the big man's gut. Reigns stumbled backwards, his lungs empty, as Moore turned back to Jindrak. However the numbers were just too much. Before Moore could turn around completely, he was clothes-lined savagely by Jindrak and sent to the mat. Not wasting an instant, Jindrak dragged Moore to his feet, hooked the smaller man's arm around his shoulder, and delivered his finisher. As Jindrak lifted his opponent off of the ground, he turned quickly and drove Moore down to the mat right on the back of his head.
With the ref still down and Moore temporarily out of commission, Jindrak quickly left the ring and grabbed the US Title from where one of the stage hands was holding on to it at the announce station. The young superstar gained a malicious glint in his eye as he held the belt in his hands.
On the other side of the ring, Scotty continued to pound on a dazed Kurt Angle as the crowd suddenly became more frantic. Absorbed in the act of inflicting punishment on his mortal enemy, Scotty paid them no mind. As he dragged Angle up off the ground and prepared to throw him into the steel steps, he was suddenly and viciously struck on the back of the head with the US Title by Mark Jindrak.
The young man collapsed on the outside as stars began to block his vision and his head began to feel heavy. His ears felt as though they were stuffed with cotton, for the sound of the crowd suddenly became very distant.
Seeing that the referee was beginning to get his feet, Jindrak slid the US Title under the ring so the official would not see it. Angle grinned wickedly as he landed a few cheap shots on a dazed Scotty before rolling him back into the ring right into the eager hands of Luther Reigns.
Still dazed from being hit with his own title belt, Scotty had barely enough time to register the fact that he was back in the ring before Reigns seized his head in his beefy arms and performed his finishing move on the US Champion, a reverse spinning neck breaker known as the Roll of the Dice.
The next few minutes were a complete blur of noises and lights to Scotty, but he was able to barely make out a large weight being placed on his chest and the ref counting to three. He tried to kick out, but the bell had already sounded; he had lost the match for his team.
It was several minutes later -- or at least, it felt like several minutes -- before Scotty was resurrected by his partner, who also appeared to be a little worse for wear. Scotty slowly sat up and looked around as his eyes began to make sense of everything around him. He glanced up the stage and saw a grinning Angle raising the hands of his henchmen as the three of them stood facing Scotty and Moore. At that moment, all Scotty could do was stare at the threesome; he was simply too tired and banged up to feel angry right now.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, here are your winners, Luther Reigns and Mark......Jindrak!" the ring announcer told the disappointed crowd.
As the three of them eventually turned away from the ring and walked up the stage to the back, Scotty just sat in the ring, his shoulders slumped and his spirits crushed. Moore extended his hand, and Scotty gratefully took it and allowed the young cruiserweight to pull him to his feet.
The US Champ could only look his partner in the eye and say mildly, "Sorry."
Moore just shook his head and patted his partner on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it. Can't win 'em all."
As the two beaten superstars left the ring and made their way to the back, the crowd began to cheer, showing the two defeated men the ultimate sign of respect. Scotty couldn't help but smile slightly at the gesture; no matter what happened, he knew that the crowd would always be there for him when he needed them. He waved and touched all the outstretched hands he could as he made his way up the ramp, taking his time to thank each and every one of them as he passed by.
They believed in him. The least he could do is believe in himself.
Later that night, after Scotty had showered up and gotten his gear packed up, he couldn't help but feel humbled by the kindness exhibited by the fans. Week in and week out, they supported him by cheering his very presence. They sent him letters and e-mails congratulating him on his successful title reign, his long career, and just about every other aspect of his life. Very few of them actually knew him, but they still treated him with the same respect they would treat a close friend.
Scotty couldn't resist the urge to chuckle. All of the sudden, the very thought of him being disappointed about losing a match seemed absolutely ludicrous. He was loved all around the world by thousands of people; compared to that, what was one loss? It was no more than a single drop of water trying to extinguish a volcano, that's what it was.
With an insatiable smile dominating his face, Scotty walked around the backstage area until he spotted a glum-looking Shannon Moore carrying his belongings out to the parking lot, "Hey Shannon!" Scotty called out cheerfully to the young man.
Moore turned around, a look of puzzlement on his face as he noticed the goofy grin on the US Champion's face, "Well, you certainly seem to be in a good mood all of the sudden. What gives?"
"Oh nothing, just some old friends putting things in perspective. Listen, do you wanna do something tonight? Dallas has some pretty good night clubs, you know," Scotty offered good-naturedly.
Shannon stared at his companion for a second, not entirely sure what to make of his newfound good humor. After a moment or two, Scotty's infectious smile began to manifest itself onto the young cruiserweight's face as he shrugged, "Sure. Sounds like fun."
"Cool. I'll be out in a second; I've just gotta get my stuff," Scotty said as he jogged back to the locker room.
Angle and his henchmen may have beaten him in the ring, but there was no way they were going to defeat him outside of it. Whatever happened in the ring was strictly business, no matter how personal it may seem at times. The important thing that many of the superstars often forgot is that life outside the business doesn't necessarily have to reflect life inside it. Scotty was out to prove that.
Nobody could crush the US Champion's spirit. Not Angle, not anyone else in the back, not even himself. Tonight, he simply wanted to enjoy life's little pleasures for what they were worth.