I do not own any part of WWE. I do not claim any names or events in this story as my property. Please do not sue me.

Author's Note: I think we all know how wrestling works by now. But have you ever wondered what it would be like if the matches weren't pre-determined and the wrestlers themselves acted the way they do all the time? Well, under that scenario, this story will follow a brief point in the career of one of the most overlooked superstars (in my opinion, anyway) on Smackdown right now. Enjoy!

For some people, this job is a dream come true. Thousands and thousands of young men and women from all over the country spend their whole lives training for the chance to perform in this ring. If they are lucky enough, and dedicated enough, and tenacious enough, they just might get that chance. Their reasons are varied, and their motives encompass a wide spectrum. You can literally ask any one of the these willing candidates why they want to be a WWE wrestler, and their answers will inevitably be as varied and numerous as the stars in the night sky. Some want it for the fame; some want it for the glory; some are in it for the money; and some simply want to be given the chance that they know they may never be given again. However, there is one constant among all of this variety. There is one single motivation that just about every WWE superstar and every superstar-wannabe can agree upon: gold. The title belts are the most coveted possessions any wrestler can have, and deep down, everybody wants to hold onto those titles.

Everybody.

This is a tale of one such champion, a man who earned his gold only to realize that being at the top of mountain meant he would only have that much farther to fall should he fail.

Chapter1:

Scotty 2 Hotty fell back, dazed, as his back landed roughly on the ring mat. Jindrak fell to his knees, the clothesline he had just inflicted on his opponent taking the breath out of him. The ref began the count, and Scotty's head buzzed as the referee's gruff voice shouted out the successive numbers. Get a hold of yourself, Scotty, the superstar thought to himself as he slowly made his way to his feet, you can't give up yet; you've got a match to win.

Scotty stood up on wobbly legs and made his way over to Mark Jindrak, who had also regained his balance. The two young superstars had been battling for nearly 15 minutes, and Scotty was beginning to feel the effects of fatigue. Jindrak was a few years younger than he was, and in better shape too. Scotty knew that if it came down to a game of endurance, he would surely lose. No, he would have to start being aggressive and use the moves that he knew would put the young superstar away.

As Scotty shot Jindrak into the ropes, he went for a running clothesline, but Jindrak ducked at the last second, bounced off the ropes on the opposite side, and slammed into Scotty with a solid shoulder. Scotty went flying backward, but he got up to his feet in a heartbeat. As soon as he got his legs under him, however, Jindrak drilled him with another stiff clothesline. Scotty fell to the mat, the sound of the crowd and of his own heartbeat drowning out all conscious thought. His head swam from having endured one too many clotheslines. He vaguely felt himself being hoisted to his feet, and for a split second, he wondered if the match was over. His head was swimming so badly, he was not even aware of his surroundings. Was he still wrestling? Had he lost?

Just then, the persistent chanting of the fans began to reach his ears, "Scot-ty!.....Scot-ty!.....Scot-ty!" he could hear them saying. They were chanting his name. They believed in him. They knew he could finish what he had started. The young superstar snapped out of his dazed reverie, assessing his situation. He realized with a jolt that his arm was around Jindrak's shoulder. Jindrak was going for his finisher! If he connected, the match was over.

Scotty registered this fact just as his opponent lifted him into the air. As Jindrak brought his other arm around to slam his opponent into the mat, Scotty twisted in midair and broke Jindrak's grasp. As Scotty landed awkwardly on the mat, he saw that Jindrak appeared momentarily shocked that he had not connected with his finisher. Time seemed to slow down for an eternity. In that one moment of frozen time, Scotty watched as Jindrak slowly drew his arm to his side in order to regain his balance. Scotty saw that his opponent was vulnerable, and that he would only have an instant to strike.

With a speed and power born of desperation, Scotty turned and landed a solid super kick right onto the jaw of his opponent. Jindrak's head snapped back as his eyes rolled back in his head. The young man fell over heavily onto the mat, and Scotty was on him in an instant.

"One.....two....three," the ref counted, and motioned for the bell. Moments later, the crowd erupted as Scotty's theme music began playing. Scotty rolled off of his opponent, too dazed himself to even stand. He was completely exhausted and bruised from the grueling match, but he was victorious. He had won.

Scotty slowly drew himself up into a sitting position as ring announcer Tony Chimmel announced to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, here is your winner and still WWE United States Champion, Scotty.....2......Hotty" the crowd went wild.

Scotty used the ropes to climb to his feet as the ref came over and handed him the beautiful golden belt with the American flag imprinted on the front. Scotty accepted it graciously and held it up so the fans could take pictures. The flashing of multiple cameras further disoriented the young superstar, and he decided that celebrating with the fans might not be such a good idea this time. He glanced over at Mark Jindrak, who was beginning to stir. Not wanting to be in the ring when the young man realized he had lost, Scotty decided to exit the ring as quickly as dignity would allow.

As he made his way up the ramp to the exuberant chants of "Scot-ty!....Scot-ty!....Scot-ty!" the United States Champion smiled and waved to the crowd. He knew they were expecting him to showboat for the crowd, but he was just too tired at the moment. He decided that he would make it up to them by signing autographs after the show. Yeah, they would like that.

Scotty 2 Hotty made his way into the back with the US title slung over his shoulder. He wanted nothing more than to just get back to his dressing room before an angered Kurt Angle or Luther Reigns showed up to punish him for beating their man Jindrak. As he made his way through the drab hallways of the Los Angeles Staples Center, he spotted a big man dressed in civilian's clothes making his way towards the returning champion. Scotty smiled when he saw who it was.

"Hey Kish. How's it going, man?" the young superstar asked.

"Pretty good, champ," Rikishi answered as he fell into step beside Scotty, "Congratulations on yet another successful title defense."

"Yeah, thanks," Scotty said breathlessly, "I almost didn't make it this time. Jindrak pretty much had me beat, but the fans got me back in touch with reality."

"Yeah, they do have a habit of doing that sometimes," the big man said good-naturedly, "What is it Cole is always calling them? The intangible factor?"

"Yeah, something like that," Scotty said distractedly as he reached the dressing room. He and Rikishi stepped inside to find it mostly deserted. It was still early in the night, so most of the other superstars were out getting ready for their matches. As the duo made their way over to Scotty's locker, Shannon Moore called out from where he was stretching in the corner in preparation for his Cruiserweight Title match later that night, "Hey Scotty. I see you've still got that belt. Good job, man."

"Thanks. Maybe after tonight you'll have one too," Scotty responded with a smile as he sat down on the bench and took a deep breath. The adrenaline in his veins was beginning to wear off, leaving insistent reminders of how exhausted he was. The US Champ took a deep breath and put his head in his hands.

"You alright, Scott?" Rikishi asked, concerned, "You want me to go get you some water or something?"

"Yeah, thanks Kish. That'd be great," Scotty answered tiredly.

Rikishi nodded and left the room to retrieve a bottle of water from one of the many coolers scattered about the backstage area. Scotty closed his eyes, hoping that it would cause the dull throbbing in his head to subside. For the first time in many months, he didn't feel like the fun-loving, goofy Scotty 2 Hotty that the fans had come to know and love. At the moment, he felt downright tired. How was he supposed to keep performing for the fans week after week when he didn't have the motivation?

Then the young man glanced at the US Title laying on the bench next to him. He had worked hard in this business for years, and this title was what he had to show for it at the moment. He had earned that title when he pinned Kurt Angle for it over five months ago. His mind drifted back to that night.

Nobody had expected him to win. Even the fans, who had always been behind Scotty, knew that he didn't stand a chance against a performer like Angle. After all, Kurt Angle had accomplished more in his career than almost any other wrestler in the WWE. And while Scotty had been in the business longer than Kurt, his experience wasn't going to be of much help against the crafty Olympic Gold Medalist. And yet, he had managed to shock the world and win the US Title in front of a vociferous Boston crowd, one of the most coveted titles in the entire business. As if that wasn't enough, Scotty then had to defend that title in a rematch with Angle a mere two days later. Again, he shocked the world by defeating the Olympic contender fair and square.

Scotty adored that belt. He didn't love it for the tangible aspects, though. True, the gold was appealing and incredibly beautiful to look at, but Scotty loved it more for what it represented. United States Champion. He was the second-best on Smackdown at this point in time, after the WWE Champion of course. But that didn't matter. The US Title was Scotty's. Fierce battles had been fought for it. And now it was his. He won it. He defended it. He valued it as the pinnacle of his career, his most coveted achievement.

Rikishi came back into the dressing room carrying two bottles of water. He handed one to Scotty, who accepted it eagerly and drank deeply. He wiped his mouth on a towel and said, "Thanks a lot, man. That really hit the spot."

"No problem," Rikishi said casually as he sipped at the other water bottle.

Scotty took a deep breath and glanced at his friend, "So how's your shoulder doing?"

Rikishi shrugged and began rubbing his shoulder unconsciously, "Oh, you know how it goes. It bounces back and forth between being just fine and being unbearable."

Scotty smiled as he touched his surgically-repaired neck lightly, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes there's just no telling with this kind of thing. Do the doctors know when you'll be able to wrestle again?"

Rikishi sighed heavily, "They say two more months, but it'll probably end up being more like three or four. Man, this is driving me crazy. I want to get back in the ring so bad. I don't know how much longer I can take this."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Scotty said as he recalled the year and a half he had to miss because of his neck injury, "It's like trying to quit smoking. The more time you spend away from the ring, the more you want to get back in. This business sure is something else," the US Champ reflected as he took another long sip of water, "Hey, just be glad you're not a member of 'D-Generated Necks'. If there was any club in this business that I wouldn't want to be a part of, that would be it," the young man chuckled as he mentioned the club he had formed out of other wrestlers who had undergone neck injuries similar to his own.

Rikishi smiled and chuckled at the comment, but his face grew serious in a heartbeat. Concerned, Scotty looked at his friend to find that the big man was staring intently at the door. Scotty turned to see what had caught his friend's attention. His blood ran cold when he saw who was standing in the doorway.

Kurt Angle stood statuesque just a few feet away from the US Champ, arms folded in front of his muscular chest as Luther Reigns and a haggard Mark Jindrak stood right behind him. Scotty and Rikishi stood up, expecting the worst, as the trio made their way over to the recovering champion and his injured friend.

When Angle stepped to within an inch of Scotty's face, the Olympic Gold Medalist glared intently in the eyes of the US Champ. Scotty glared back, refusing to be intimidated by his rival. After what seemed like many minutes, Angle spoke in his deep voice, "Scotty, you are, without a doubt, the luckiest man in this locker room right now. Not only did you somehow manage to take MY United States Championship, but now you defeat my assistant Mark Jindrak? Do you honestly think I'm just gonna let this slide?"

Scotty realized that he was in no condition to fight, and with Rikishi's bad shoulder, he knew that the two of them didn't stand a chance should Angle and his henchmen decide to resort to violence. He banished his exhaustion and said in as brave a voice as he could muster, "You just can't get over your own shortcomings, can you? Do I need to beat you again in order to prove that you're not on the same level as me?"

That did the trick. Angle's eyes lit up as if they had just been ignited, "Same level? Same level? You listen to me, you worthless little waste of space: I have accomplished more in the past five years than you have accomplished in your entire life. That belt is MINE, dammit! And one day, I swear to you that I'm going to get it back. Mark my word."

"Anytime, baldy," Scotty retorted, "I've beat you before, I'll do it again. Anytime you want a piece of this, just bring it."

Angle glared at the smaller man for a few more seconds while Scotty held his ground. After a few moments had passed, Angle muttered dangerously, "This isn't over, Scotty. This is FAR from over."

Angle turned to leave, and Scotty felt relief wash over him. Somehow, he had avoided a confrontation with Angle and his henchmen. A good thing, too. He doubted he would have been able to back up his words. Every joint ached and every muscle begged for rest.

However, as Scotty and Rikishi went to sit back down, Angle turned suddenly and dove at the US Champion, knocking his back onto the hard cement floor. Scotty yelped in pain and surprise as Angle began to pummel him relentlessly. The US Champ was momentarily overwhelmed as people started screaming and he could hear his injured friend Rikishi fending off Reigns and Jindrak. Scotty tried to get up, but Angle just continued to pound away on the smaller man. Scotty held his arms up in a defensive position, but the Olympic Gold Medalist continued to rain blows upon him.

Just then, he spotted Shannon Moore rushing over from the corner and tackle Kurt Angle. The cruiserweight pounded on Angle for a few moments, giving Scotty a chance to get to his feet. The US Champ groggily made it to his hands and knees before Angle grabbed Moore by the throat and slammed his head into one of the metal lockers. Moore slumped over onto the ground, and Angle advanced on Scotty, fire in his eyes.

The young superstar crawled a short distance, his entire torso aching from the pummeling Angle had given him. His hands brushed against something cold and smooth: the US Title. In desperation, Scotty's fingers closed around it just as Angle wrapped his meaty hands around Scotty's neck. With a mighty thrust, Scotty drove the US Title belt right onto Angle's bald cranium.

Angle looked momentarily confused before he fell backwards against a locker, holding his head in his hands. Scotty got to his feet unsteadily, looking around frantically for his friend Rikishi. He spotted motion to his right, and caught a glimpse of Jindrak and Reigns stomping the hell out of the big man against the far wall. Scotty ground his teeth together at the sight of his best friend being kicked mercilessly on the ground.

The champion rushed over to aid his friend, title belt in tow. He cracked Jindrak's head with it, sending his former opponent crashing to the floor in a daze. Scotty went to hit Luther, but the big man had enough time to move out of the way. Carried by his own momentum, Scotty stumbled forward. As he regained his balance, Reigns wound back his beefy arm and delivered a punch to Scotty's gut that emptied the young superstar's lungs completely.

Scotty's extremities went numb, and he dropped the belt. Reigns smiled wickedly as he delivered a stiff left to the smaller superstar's head. Scotty stumbled backwards, reeling from the blow. Stars danced in his vision everywhere he looked, and the entire room seemed to be spinning uncontrollably. Before he knew what was happening, Reigns grabbed the smaller man's head in his arms and dragged him over to one of the benches. Scotty's mind vaguely registered the fact that Reigns was about to perform his finisher move to the US Champ while standing with the wooden bench in between them. Such a move would surely be enough to break Scotty's neck, ending his career and, quite possibly, his life.

However, he was spared such a grisly fate as a dozen security officers rushed into the room and piled onto the massive Luther Reigns. They pried the big man's hands off of Scotty's head and dragged him kicking and yelling out of the room. Scotty laid on the ground, a sharp pain lancing through his chest every time he tried to inhale. That punch to the gut must have really done some substantial damage.

As Scotty's mind swam back into full consciousness, he distinctly heard the telltale voice of Smackdown's General Manager demanding to know what was going on here. Scotty uneasily made his way to his feet and looked around at his surroundings. Security guards were escorting a groggy Mark Jindrak and an enraged Kurt Angle out of the room. Angle had just enough time to shoot a hate-filled glance in Scotty's direction before he was led out into the hallway.

The US Champ glanced over at his friend Rikishi and was quite alarmed to find several medics hovering over the big man. Concerned, Scotty made his way over to his friend on wobbly feet. Rikishi was clutching his injured shoulder with a look on his face that clearly showed that he was in tremendous pain.

Scotty pushed his way past the medics and touched his friend lightly on the cheek, "Hey, Kish! Are you alright, man?"

"Ah....my.....shoulder," Rikishi sputtered as his face contorted again.

"Excuse me, sir, but we really need you to step back so that we can look at him," one of the medics told Scotty gently. Scotty backed away a few feet and watched with concern as the medics treated his longtime friend.

After an agonizingly long amount of time, the paramedics arrived and got Rikishi strapped into a stretcher. Scotty followed along as his friend was wheeled away to a waiting ambulance. When they reached the large vehicle, Scotty asked a nearby medic if he could ride with his friend. The medic nodded sagely, and Scotty climbed into the back of the ambulance with his injured friend.

Scotty watched with worry as the medic accompanying them in the back checked on Rikishi's vital signs. Every time the ambulance turned, swerved, or hit a bump, the big man would wince and groan in pain. Scotty could already tell that his shoulder was in very bad shape.

When they finally did arrive at the hospital, Scotty was forced to take a seat in the waiting room as Rikishi was wheeled away to the operating room. The young superstar sat down in the sparsely-populated waiting room and put his head in his hands. How could he have let this happen? If he hadn't tried to match Angle's threats, then maybe he and his goons wouldn't have attacked. Why did he have to let his pride get in the way of his better judgment?

He sat there for hours in the waiting room, refusing to leave until he got an update of some sort on the condition of his friend. He was going to sit there all night if he had to. Nothing could tear him away from his seat.

Scotty checked the clock on the wall - 12:47 am. The show had been over for almost three hours. Most of the superstars had probably returned to their hotel rooms by now. He wondered if anyone even knew about what had happened in the locker room. He didn't notice any cameras during the scuffle, so the fans were probably still ignorant. Scotty remembered at that moment that he didn't stay and sign autographs like he had intended. He silently apologized to his fans and hoped they would understand.

Just then, some movement from the left caught his eye. Scotty looked up excitedly, expecting one of the doctors. Instead, he spotted Shannon Moore walking toward his uncertainly. Scotty smiled weakly and motioned for the young man to sit down next to him.

Moore took a seat next to Scotty gingerly and crossed his arms over his chest. After an uncomfortable moment, he cleared his throat and said, "I've got your stuff in my car. I was gonna take it to your hotel room, but I'm not entirely sure where you're staying."

"Oh, okay. Thanks," Scotty answered mildly. He was glad someone remembered to take his gear out of the arena. It would have been a chore to get back there to get it himself.

Several more silent minutes passed before Scotty spoke up, "Hey, listen. I just wanted to thank you for your help against Angle back there. I really appreciate it."

"Oh, no problem," Moore answered with a slight wave of his hand, "I couldn't just stand there and do nothing, after all."

"Yeah, well, thanks anyway," Scotty said, "By the way, how'd your match with Kidman go?"

"Terrible," Moore said with a lopsided smile, "As I walked down to the ring, my head was still ringing from getting it smashed into that locker by Angle. I didn't stand a chance. Oh well. Maybe I'll get another shot at that Cruiserweight Title one of these days."

"Oh. Sorry to hear that," Scotty said. In addition to shouldering the blame for Rikishi's injury, now he had Moore's missed opportunity at the Cruiserweight Title weighing on his conscience. Could his situation get any worse?

Unfortunately, it could. Moments later, one of the doctors came out of the operating room to deliver the bad news to Scotty and Moore: Rikishi's already-vulnerable shoulder injury had been severely exacerbated. It looked like the big man would be out of action for at least six or seven months now. Devastated, Scotty asked how his friend was doing, and the doctor gently told him that Rikishi was still in pain, but he should recover in time. The US Champ decided to let his friend rest for now and visit him first thing tomorrow morning before the flight to the next show.

As Scotty rode back to the hotel in Moore's car, he held the US Title in his hands with mixed emotions. Was this belt really worth it? Was it worth the pain and misfortune it had brought to his friends? True, it was a magnificent symbol of success and skill, but at the moment, Scotty almost wished that he didn't have it. If it weren't for this title, Rikishi wouldn't be recovering in a hospital bed right now, Shannon Moore may be the new Cruiserweight Champion, and Scotty wouldn't be feeling such fierce guilt and despair.

No, Scotty reminded himself, I'm not the one to blame. I didn't hurt my friends. It's Angle. He's the one who did this to us. Angle and Reigns and Jindrak. They're the ones who caused us this pain. They won't get away with this. Not while I still have breath in my body.

Meanwhile, Shannon Moore's thoughts were beginning to run along the same lines. If it weren't for Angle, he might be the new Cruiserweight Champion. If not for that vicious shot into the locker he had had to endure at the hands of Angle, he may have been able to defeat Billy Kidman for that title. Now, he may never get the chance to know if he was good enough to be Cruiserweight Champion.

The car continued onward, its occupants hardly speaking to each other despite the close bond they had formed in the past few hours. Words were beyond them at this point. Now, only emotions could adequately describe what they were feeling. And at the moment, they were feeling a mixture of revenge, betrayal, and determination. Angle and his henchmen would pay. Oh yes, they would pay dearly for their actions.