Jeremy truly wasn’t in the mood, but this interview had been scheduled prior to the ppv and despite everything, he wouldn’t have it said that he didn’t uphold his contractual obligations. All he wanted to do was go back home, change and head to the Malibu with Matt for some relaxation in the sun and their lunch at Nobu, but this crap came first. The days following Ring Master had been difficult to say the least, Matt, Sean, himself…three strikes and your out.

The feeling was, challenging to say the very least. He was called into the studio from the waiting room, taking quick strides as if that would speed this along. The host Adriana Diaz was standing with the producer looking over notes, turned her head with a smile and nod as he was escorted to his seat.

(Attendant): Sorry for the rush Mr. Branson, the last segment went long and we’re a bit behind so we’re back on in 20.

(Jeremy): Sure, whatever.

He was a bit snippy and knew he was in a pissy mood…it wasn’t this woman’s fault, but right now he couldn’t be bothered with too many pleasantries. The host rushed over smiling once again at him with a nod that they’re ready. She didn’t even bother saying hello.

(Adriana Diaz): And welcome back to CBS Morning News, joining me now Jeremy Branson for the Hardcore Wrestling Alliance…thank you for joining us, it’s a pleasure to have you.

A subtle smile arches in the corner of his mouth, he says nothing, and merely nods acknowledging her half-assed greeting.

(Adriana Diaz): You’re coming off a major ppv, Ring Master, what a spectacular event. Share with us your exciting journey through it.

“Exciting journey,” how subjective. How best to respond, he thought. Sit upright, pretend his body and very being don’t hurt from the inside out? Smile? Talk enthusiastically about the company and his gratitude for the opportunity? Fake it, to you make it, or give them the answer they didn’t really want to hear…the truth at CBS. The truth hurts, the truth is unprofessional, but the truth will set you free. He stared at her, her eyes blinking inquisitively, a smile still stretched across her face anticipating his response.

(Jeremy): Adriana, I went into Ring Master with my head held high, my hopes high, and my spirits high, and I left with my head hung low, my hopes crushed, and my spirit defeated.

She looks a bit taken aback, shifting her eyes to her producer standing to the side of the camera then back to Jeremy, hesitantly.

(Adriana Diaz): Oh….I see.

He had slammed his fist into her glassy question and cracked it. She cleared her throat maintaining her made for tv smile and tried to put a positive spin to her next question, with an uplifting tone in her voice.

(Adriana Diaz): You may have come up short, but you have to be proud of what you accomplished. Your amazing performance, the very ability to physically compete at that level, its unheard of in most sports. The fans cheering your name, and…

Jeremy scoffs and looks at her as if she were just insulted him. His thoughts shifted back to Ring Master, the fans at times clearly, definitively booing him. Cheering, fuking cheering Maniac of all people. It boiled his blood.

(Jeremy): Amazing performance? The fans?

He scoffs again and rolls his eyes shaking his head. He didn’t know where to begin.

(Jeremy): Did you even see the ppv Adriana, or are you just reading notes some staffer wrote for you because you’re too lazy or uninterested to have out the work in yourself? I didn’t make it past the first round. I got stuck with some Johnny Come Lately, Jammer Causehell who didn’t even earn a spot in the tournament to begin with. Exactly what’s so “amazing” about that? You want amazing, look at Sean’s performance. And the fans? Don’t get me started with the fans.

(Adriana Diaz): Well, I…

(Jeremy): Figures you didn’t watch it. You probably don’t even watch wrestling. You’re just doing your job, right? Going through the motions.

She again cuts her eyes to her producer who motions for her to continue, a feeling of embarrassment and discomfort now taking over as she tries to maintain her smile.

(Jeremy): Let me tell you about that “journey” you wanted to know so much about.

He knew he’d sound bitter. The condescending tone in his voice didn’t go unnoticed and the host shifted in her chair suddenly feeling under the microscope.

(Jeremy): Let me take you back a few years to when I came to the company…quite simply I needed a job. I hadn’t intended on making a career of it. But I wasn’t just good, I found I was a natural at it, and I had two of the best guys by my side you could ever ask for to guide me, to walk that path with me…Sean Parker and Matt Miller. Not gonna lie, it was Matt that kept me coming back for more and unexpectedly that feeling grew and became mutual.

Everybody knows the story of the company’s demise and how it survived as a shell of its former self. We did everything that was asked of us. We sold tickets. Hell, we handed out free ones just to fill seats and grow a following. We went unpaid at times or took pay cuts when the house didn’t take in what it expected to. We rented U-hauls and drove them ourselves to lug the ring and equipment around setting everything up ourselves in whatever little hole we were in. We made popcorn for concessions and swept it all up after. We sat for hours signing pictures and autographs for people who didn’t even know my name, people like you.

She looked utterly embarrassed, clearing her throat and brushing her hair behind her ear nervously as Jeremy continued.

(Jeremy): We bled, we sweat, we ached, and we filmed our little YouTube shows going out there to tiny halls, gyms, and arenas putting on performances as if we were headlining Wrestlemania, giving it our all. Then a few years later the call came, CBS. The deal was signed, sealed, and delivered and HWA was back. Sean and Matt, they’d been in the trenches years before I even came along. I was just glad to be by their side, eager to finally see them get the spotlight they deserved. Excited that a major network recognized our work, believed in what we were doing and was willing to take a shot on us. I was good, damn good…but Sean was better and Matt was great.

Her tone changed, she abandoned the cheeriness, and her voice softened in an attempt to sound empathetic and agreeable.

(Adriana Diaz): But something changed for you?

(Jeremy): To say I had butterflies in my stomach would be a gross understatement, and I’m not just talking about Matt. It was more like Pterodactyls flying around inside me. Day one, I was booked in a match with Matt at the Reunion and that alone had me on edge. But change? Yeah, everything changed. I should have known that night when Maniac came out and sat ringside for our match, cheerleading and attempting to coach Matt. Hell, I should have known before that when I saw the guest list and they invited AC James the guy responsible for luring Sean into a contract and getting him paralyzed when he was a teenager still in high school. I should have known when Brandy Rhodes went full bitch Karen going into business for herself on Michelle.

She looked pensive, carefully considering her words so as not to upset him and keep this interview going, maybe even get it back on track.

(Adriana Diaz): You say you should have known…in hindsight what would that have been?

(Jeremy): I should have known that everything we worked so hard for was going out the window. The “pure wrestling” mentality I was taught, believed in, and continued to fight for was doomed the moment that contract was signed. HWA opened its doors wide for any and everyone, it didn’t matter…and who showed up first. The superstars of yesteryear that left it to its fate years ago, and ever since…it’s been less about the future of this business as it should be, and more about the past. That vision CBS believed in so much…that changed when they saw the ratings grow. That changed when they Butch and Wisdom refused that Japanese Death Match Maniac request but the network pushed for, they saw dollar signs instead and they’re just as much to blame as anyone else.

She calculates the risk of trying to steer the interview back to its original subject and goes in for it.

(Adriana Diaz): And yet Ring Master was quite the night. You have a new HWA Champion. It sounds like there’s quite a bit of focus on the future.

(Jeremy): I don’t have a new HWA Champion…the company does. It should have been Matt, it should have been me, it should have been Sean, but it’s not.

Her tactics weren’t working, so she tried a different approach to steer things where she wanted them to go.

(Adriana Diaz): I know that wrestling is a highly competitive sport. We’re preparing for Summer Olympic Games, watching young men and women in the Qualifier Series these past weeks. I know what it means to train hard and not get that win. The disappointment, frustration and even sadness that can follow, but…

Jeremy’s brow furrows, his eyes narrowing a bit as he sits upright.

(Jeremy): No, you don’t! Don’t sit here and tell me you “know what it means” because you don’t. You just report on it, but you don’t know a damn thing about what it means. You don’t know what it means to Matt to not even be able to compete anymore, not even having the chance to lose. You don’t know what it means to Sean to have scratched and clawed and sacrificed and not get that win he’s dreamed of since he was a boy. You don’t know what it means to me to see the man I love throw all his support behind us, for me to go out there and fight for him, fight for what he believed in, what I believed in, fight for his faith in me, fight for us, and to come up short.

Again she looks over at her producer and the camera, hesitantly. This interview is not going as planned and she’s getting orders in her earpiece to wrap it up, throwing that cheery smile back on her face.

(Adriana Diaz): Well Jeremy, thank you for joining us here on CBS Weekend News. Fans of HWA can catch the Ring Master replay all week long on our streaming services and…

Before she finishes Jeremy rips off his microphone, tosses it at her and walks off the set catching her off guard. She flinches as the mic hits her but maintains her smile nonetheless, her cheery tone forced, but unbroken.

(Adriana Diaz): We’ll be right back with more CBS Weekend News.

The scene fades to black as the program goes to commercial.