Stu-E Price sat on a red vinyl booth in the corner of the bustling American diner, his daughter Laney by his side, her small frame barely visible over the edge of the table. The neon lights flickered overhead, casting a warm glow on the checkered floor below. Stu-E, renowned for his smart yet casual style, was dressed in his signature attire - jeans and a plain t-shirt - his face partially hidden behind a pair of sleek aviator sunglasses.

As they eagerly dug into their plates of classic diner fare - burgers, fries, and milkshakes - Stu-E tried to savour the moment of rare downtime with his daughter. But the tranquillity was short-lived as the incessant clicks of camera shutters and the buzz of reporters' voices invaded their space.

"Mr. Price, over here! Can we get a comment on your appearance on 3 Count News?" a reporter called out, thrusting a microphone in his direction.

Stu-E sighed, exchanging a weary glance with Laney. He knew he couldn't escape the media frenzy, not even in the comfort of a diner booth. With a polite but firm smile, he replied, "Sorry, folks, no comments today. Just trying to enjoy some quality time with my daughter."

But the reporters persisted, firing off questions about his latest interview, his thoughts on the recent goings on at HWA, and even personal inquiries about his personal life. Stu-E's patience wore thin, his attempts at shielding Laney from the intrusion becoming more pronounced with each interruption.

Yet, amidst the chaos, Stu-E remained composed, his focus never wavering from Laney. He leaned in to listen to her excited chatter about her day at school, a genuine smile lighting up his face despite the chaos around them. In that moment, amid the flashing cameras and probing questions, Stu-E found solace in the simple joy of sharing a meal with his daughter, a reminder of what truly mattered amidst the whirlwind of fame and fortune.

But… There was something else evident within him that he couldn’t hide from his daughter. Whenever 3 Count News was brought up it was as if he had never heard of it, which was the biggest reason he wasn’t bothered in answering any of their questions.

Seeing their patrons were being polite to the media and just wanted to be left alone, the staff and the owners of the quaint diner emerged from the cook line and ushered the journalists out of the diner and locked the door.

Laney didn’t notice but Stu-E sure did, giving a nod of the head to the owners and smile as he took a bit out of his bacon, double cheese burger.

“Daddy, why didn’t you tell them you weren’t on that show?” asks Laney, her Dad taking a moment to compose his thoughts and finish chewing his food.

“They wouldn’t believe me anyway, you know what they’re like some times. My phone has been blowing up these last few days, and I don’t know what they’re talking about. All I can remember is putting you to bed, I had a headache and then fell asleep on the couch.”

Laney smiles, “And I could hear you snoring in the morning!”

“I don’t snore, I was dreaming I was a tractor!”

“Tractor with a big engine, Daddy!”

Stu-E stares at her, pretending he is deeply offended, before shaking his head and going back to his burger but keeping an eye on his little girl. She’s certainly come on leaps and bounds confidence-wise, and character-wise, sometimes being even quicker than he is with his wit. He knew it wouldn’t be long until she had all the answers to everything, not just a quick-witted joke from time to time.

She ate a few of her skin on fries before looking up at her Dad, “You know this upcoming match? Is it ok if I do something if he tries to use that poison stuff on you?”

Before she even finishes the sentence, Stu-E is firmly shaking his head. “No, Laney, you don’t. It’s not the time yet, there’s too much going on and you’re lucky I’m even taking you to this show with everything going on.”

She isn’t a fan of the answer, leaning back and pushing her almost empty plate towards the middle of the table. “But Daddy, what about my step up enzuigiri…. Or, I know, spider twist?”

Stu-E looks around the diner, “Laney, you know we don’t talk about this sort of thing in public. Are you wanting pudding?” Her disappointment swiftly faded to a smirk that says she doesn’t even need to answer the question.

“This Hoff freak, is exactly that; just another freak. The business was full of them back in the mid 90’s, wrestling plumbers and dustbin men, dentists; the list goes on and on. That crap didn’t last back then, and he’s not going to last now, especially messing with me.

It's actually a shame, Laney, that I’ve got to fight him now before Ring Master because I’d love to beat him down so badly that it ends his career before it even gets properly started. But I can’t do that, I need to think about the big tournament, so I don’t get suspended. Maybe this Havoc will be the beginning of the end for him, and after Ring Master, I’ll end him then.. we’ll see.”

He smiles at his daughter, who mirrors it right back as Stu-E picks up the menu and glances over the sweet treats, but Laney’s inquisitive nature isn’t finished yet.

“Did Steve call you back, Daddy?” she asks, to which her Dad pauses and gives her the menu to look at, “No, not yet but he always does at some point.” He leans back in his chair and thinks back to the start of his career, his first big break was a minor regional feud with Steve Austin as he was rehabbing some injuries, it was certainly poetic that possibly the last big break of his career very well might be something called Ring Master.

“I’m not really hungry now, Daddy, besides I want to go find flowers for Michelle!” Stu-E smiles, “Ok, but remember what I said, you can spend no more than five hundred dollars on flowers and gifts for her, ok?”

Laney rolls her eyes as she drops the menu on the table, “But a girl’s got to shop, and Michelle deserves something nice! I’ll try, but no promises, Daddy!”

And just as moments ago she rolled her eyes at her Dad, he repeated the action back to her with a cheeky grin on his face as the scene cut.