The arena was eerily silent now, stripped of the once-thundering crowd. Only the faintest echoes of worried whispers lingered in the hallways. Backstage, the atmosphere was thick with tension as Vince Maston, Lance Dawson, Mark Rivera, and a few staff members gathered around the medical station where Mason Brooks lay on a stretcher.
Mason's face contorted in pain, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. His arm was secured in a sling, hastily wrapped to keep it steady. The resident doctor, Nicholas Bass, a lean man with weary eyes but steady hands, gave Mason a final check before standing up straight.
Vince stepped forward without hesitation. "Nick. What's the situation?"
Bass let out a slow breath through his nose. "He's dealing with a dislocated shoulder and there might be a rotator cuff tear. There's likely a fracture near the humeral head too. I can't give you a definite answer until we get some imaging done at the hospital."
Vince closed his eyes for a moment, releasing a long, heavy sigh. "Is he going to need surgery?"
"Almost definitely," Bass replied. "But we won't know the full extent until he's thoroughly examined."
Vince's voice dropped, filled with weight. "How long is he going to be out?"
Bass shook his head. "I can't say right now. It could be months, or even longer. We'll have a clearer picture after the scans."
The words landed like a heavy blow. Vince stood there, silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the floor before he finally nodded slowly.
Behind them, Mark Rivera crouched next to Eddie Prince, a reassuring hand on his shoulder, speaking in a low, steady voice. Eddie's hands trembled, his eyes glassy, and his chest felt tight with guilt.
"It was a mess," Eddie whispered. "I lifted him wrong, I… I dropped him wrong. That scream—God, it's still echoing in my head."
Mark tried to calm him down. "Listen, Eddie. Injuries happen. It's part of the game. This isn't on you, no matter how it seems right now."
"But it was my fault," Eddie said, pressing his palms against his face.
A few feet away, Lance was on the phone, speaking rapidly with a sharply dressed man from Red TV. His tone was calm yet defensive, carefully choosing his words to minimize the fallout.
When Bass signaled for Mason to be taken to the ambulance, Vince turned to Mark. "Go with him. Everything—surgery, hospital bills, recovery—it's all on Maston Holdings. No questions asked."
Mark looked up, taken aback. "Are you sure?"
"Go," Vince insisted.
Mark nodded, still in disbelief, and followed Mason's stretcher out with the medics. Eddie started to rise, as if he wanted to go too, but Vince stopped him with a firm hand on his chest.
"Stay put," Vince commanded.
Eddie sat back down, eyes darting. Vince leaned against the wall, his arms folded.
"You want to know why I had them tell you to hold the belt up?" Vince asked, voice calm.
Eddie nodded silently.
"Because if we ended the show with Mason screaming and the cameras cutting, fans would panic. Red TV would panic. Everyone would think IRW is a circus that can't hold itself together. But you holding that belt? Even through the boos, it gave us an ending. That's what they'll remember when the clips circulate tomorrow."
Eddie swallowed, then finally gave a small nod. "I get it. Didn't feel right… but I get it."
"You did your job," Vince said, softer now. "Take tomorrow off. Clear your head. Come back fresh."
Eddie nodded again, calmer this time, though his guilt lingered in his eyes.
------
Later on, Vince found himself in his cramped, no-frills office, where a desk lamp cast a dim glow over the scattered paperwork filled with notes for All In. He rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of the night's events pressing down on him.
The door creaked open, and in walked Lance, looking completely worn out. He slumped into the chair across from Vince.
"Well?" Vince asked, still focused on his papers.
"I managed to convince Red TV it was all part of the script," Lance replied, his voice gravelly. "I told them Mason's fall was intentional, just a part of the act. With the ratings soaring, they seemed to buy it. At least, that's what they said."
Vince finally lifted his gaze. "And what did they say?"
"They gave us a warning," Lance said, leaning back in his chair. "Next time we pull something like this, we need to give them a heads-up first. Otherwise, they won't be so forgiving."
Vince drummed his fingers on the desk, staring blankly at the corner of the office. "If anyone else asks about what happened, stick to the same story. It was all scripted. Nothing more."
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, with only the soft hum of the desk lamp breaking the stillness.
Finally, Lance spoke up again, his voice uncertain. "It's looking unlikely that Mason will defend at All In. That was supposed to be our big event."
Vince leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking beneath him. He didn't glance at Lance; instead, he fixed his gaze on the ceiling for a moment before responding. "Then I'll come up with a new main event."
"You?" Lance replied, disbelief creeping into his voice.
"Yes," Vince shot back, his tone firm. "You'll take care of the closing tonight. Announcements, production wrap-up, whatever's left. I need some time to rethink the card."
Lance opened his mouth to protest, but something in Vince's expression made him hesitate. He stood up slowly, resting his hands on the back of the chair for a moment before finally letting go.
"…Alright," Lance said quietly.
He turned toward the door, paused as if he had more to say, then shook his head and walked out, leaving Vince alone in the small office.
The door clicked shut softly behind him. Vince sat in the silence, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him. The champion was down, the PPV was at risk, and now everyone was looking to him to pull off the impossible.
And Vince Maston, despite his youth, leaned forward with a quiet determination.
"Alright," he murmured to himself. "We'll make them forget Mason was ever here."
AN: I like reading comments so comment the finishers you would like to see and wrestlers you want to appear in IRW but the names should be changed a bit like Steve Austin becomes Grant Austin and such.