Backstage at the Capitol Wrestling Center, NXT wrestler Indi Hartwell was in her locker room with her 'family' The Way: Johnny Gargano, his wife (and Indi's tag team partner) Candice LeRae, and Johnny's dim-witted sidekick Austin Theory.
"I can't believe Regal booked me in a match tonight against Shotzi Blackheart," Candice grumbled to Indi. "I shouldn't have to worry about that loon in a tank. We should worry about getting the Women's Tag Titles. Right, Indi? Indi?!"
Indi wasn't paying attention. She was busy doodling a heart around the name of her crush, Dexter Lumis. He was a tortured silent artist who had a history of stalking, had kidnapped Austin Theory at one time, and was an all-around weirdo. But Indi saw through those…let's say, 'flaws' and saw him for what he indeed was: a misunderstood hunk of a genius.
Johnny saw what Indi was doing, snatched the paper from her, and crumbled it up. "Indi, this obsession with this creep has to stop! Don't you remember? He kidnapped Austin! Kidnapped!"
"Pfft, Dexter brought him back," Indi scoffed.
"Yea, after three days," Candice pointed out. "We still don't know what happened to him during that time!"
"That psychiatrist we brought Austin to was a complete quack," Johnny grumbled. "She wouldn't even let me deliver Uber Eats to her office."
Johnny noticed that Austin was about to put the crumpled paper inside his mouth, so he slapped the paper out of his hands. "Don't eat that, Austin!"
"But I saw Goldberg do that once!" Austin whined.
"Yeah, but Goldberg once busted his head open after purposely headbutting a wall during his entrance," Candice reminded him. "So maybe we shouldn't try to copy what Goldberg does, OK?"
"You know something?" Johnny said to The Way. "Candice is right. You and Indi should focus on your tag team, not Shotzi Blackheart, which is a stupid name, I might add. I'm gonna go into William Regal's office later today and demand that he cancel your match. I might even snap another of the pencils in his tin cup to show him I mean business. He hates it when I do that."
Indi started to write Dexter's name on another piece of paper. Candice took the paper and ripped it in half. "Stop that, Indi!"
"Candice, you need to give Dexter a chance," Indi insisted. "If you did, you guys might like him."
"Indi, we'll never like him. Actually, that's not true. If he kidnapped Shotzi so I wouldn't have to wrestle her tonight, I might actually like him," Candice sarcastically said.
Little did The Way know, someone was standing outside their locker room eavesdropping. They silently walked away with an idea in mind…
oOo
Shotzi Blackheart, the green-haired, tank-driving, tattooed wrestling girl, was sitting in catering listening to a pitch by the slick-talking Robert Stone, trying to convince her to join The Robert Stone Brand.
"All you have to do is sign this contract," Robert told her, placing a stack of papers on the table, "and you could be a part of the greatest brand of all."
"What? Do I also get a knock-off Gucci suit like yours?" Shotzi teased.
Robert grunted as he looked down at his outfit. "This is genuine Gucci, Shotzi! This costs far more than whatever dollar-store hair dye you use. But if you join me, I'll get you the good hair dye! Whatdasay?"
Shotzi proceeded to pick up the contract, fold it up, and toss it at the back of Odyssey Jones, a 400-pound strongman sitting at the table behind them. "Robert, why did you toss that?" she asked accusingly while smirking.
Odyssey stood up, turned around, and glared at Robert with absolute fury. "Stone…" he growled.
"Wh-no! It was Shotzi who threw it, not me! She's just jealous that…oh crap!"
Robert sprinted out of the room with Odyssey close behind him. Shotzi chuckled and left catering a few moments after to go to the building's weight room to work out before her match that night.
As she walked, she felt like she was being watched. She looked behind her but didn't see anything out of the ordinary; Malcolm Bivens was on his phone hyping up his client Roderick Strong on Twitter, Hit Row was writing down lyrics for their rap promo that night, and NXT commentators Beth Phoenix and Wade Barret were bickering over whether or not 'InDex' (the shipping name for Indi and Dexter) would become a 'would they-won't they' couple.
Shotzi shook her head. She was just being silly; no one was watching her. Laughing to herself, she rounded the corner of the hallway…where a rag was placed over her mouth and nose. She let out a muffled scream as she slowly lost consciousness and was dragged to parts unknown.
oOo
A little while later, Indi was alone in her locker room. She was applying lipstick when she glanced up at her reflection in the mirror. In the reflection behind her was her crush.
"Dexter!" she said, turning to face him. "What are you doing here?"
Dexter said nothing, just staring at her.
"Uh…Johnny and Candice aren't here right now. They took Austin to the trainer's room after he headbutted a wall. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Dexter held out her hand towards her.
"You want me to come with you?"
He nodded.
"Uh…OK," she said as he took his gloved hand.
oOo
Dexter led Indi down flights of stairs through the bowels of the CWC and to a storage closet. "Why did you take me down here?" she asked.
He didn't answer, instead opening the door and gesturing to her to go inside. Indi walked inside and gasped. On the cold concrete floor sat Shotzi. Her wrists were ziptied behind her back. Tape was wrapped around her waist and shoulders to pin her arms down. Black cords lashed her ankles and knees together. And a white cloth was tied between her teeth to gag her. "Mmm-dmm, hmmp!" she screamed.
"Dexter, did you kidnap Shotzi so Candice didn't have to wrestle her tonight?" a shocked Indi asked.
Dexter nodded.
Tears welled up in Indi's eyes. "Dexter, that's so…sweet of you to do that for Candice!"
She ran up to Dexter and gave him a big hug. Dexter slowly placed his arms around her, silently taking in her adoration. Meanwhile, Shotzi was flailing her legs around to get their attention. "Rrr ymm mmm mmm-smm?! Mmm-tmm mmm!"
Dexter and Indi's moment was cut off when they heard footsteps approach the storage closet. "Indi, are you down here?" Johnny called out. "Drake Maverick said that he saw-ohmygod!"
Johnny and Candice arrived to see the trio, one of them being there against his will. "What the hell is this?!" Candice shouted.
Indi waved at her tag partner. "Candice, look! Dexter kidnapped Shotzi, so you didn't have to wrestle her tonight. Isn't that sweet?"
"Sweet? Sweet?! Are you taking freaking crazy pills, Indi?!" Johnny rebuked her. "I'm genuinely concerned at this point. First, he locked Roderick Strong in the boot of his car. Then he tormented Cameron Grimes with zombies. Then he kidnapped Austin. And now this?! He's probably kidnapped more people we don't know about! You have an entire basement of kidnapped people, don't you, you creep!"
Johnny poked Dexter in the chest to emphasize his point. Dexter said nothing and glared at Johnny, who stepped back in disgust. Meanwhile, Candice walked over and pulled Shotzi's gag off.
"For once, I'm glad to see you idiots," Shotzi snarled at Johnny and Candice. "Dexter chloroformed me and has kept me tied up for an hour now! Untie me, please!"
"OK, like, we're not that concerned…" Candice said, at least considering the upside of Dexter's actions.
"Johnny, don't you get it?" Indi asked. "Dexter did this for Candice! He just wants you to accept him and I being together and thought this would be a nice gesture."
"No, the only thing we'll accept is Dexter's immediate firing and imprisonment!"
"Yeah, exactly," Candice said, regaining her common sense. "We're gonna go up and tell Regal what's happening here. Let's go, Johnny!"
Johnny and Candice headed towards the exit. "Wait, get back here and untie me!" Shotzi shouted at the pair.
"No! We still don't like you!" Candice shouted back.
"We're not angry at you, Indi," Johnny said. "We're just disappointed!"
As the pair left, Shotzi looked up at Indi. "Look, could you just-mmm!"
Indi put the gag back in place. "Not now, Shotzi! You're not gonna ruin this moment! Dexter, Johnny and Candice might not have understood what you did, but I do. They'll come around to you one day, I know it."
With that, the pair locked lips while Shotzi growled, beginning to see The Way's way of thinking…at least the rational members of the group.