"I want to talk to you about what happened last night."
His words went through my ears and my brain felt like it took chair shots on both sides of my skull.
"About that... " I started to speak before getting cut off.
"It really irritates me how some people behave at times." he spat.
"I know and I..."
"People need to be grown up enough and realize that if they have a job in the public eye, anything they do winds up reflecting the integrity and the respect of whatever business they work for."
"I understand that, Anth-"
"No matter how big or how small."
This was starting to piss me off. Here I was in my thirties being spoken to by a man just entering his thirties. His tone basically reducing me to a babbling teenager.
Too old for spanks, but at the perfect age for lectures. I hated lectures as a kid, and now was no different. Just spank my ass, tell me I'm grounded, and lets move on. In this case just tell me I'm fired and get the fuck out of the building. Stop wasting both of our time.
"Look, Anthony," my tone booming over his for once "just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it!"
His throat cleared. It seemed I rattled his thought process.
"I want you to do what you've been doing. But now I want you to do it better. I want you to take it towards the next step. Level up. That said I need you to open the show tonight."
The needle just scratched the shit out of the vinyl lecture-record playing in my head. Did I hear that right? Open the show?
"Open the show?" I needed to ask. To make sure I heard him correctly.
"Yes," he spoke "you in the first match against Grizzly."
Anthony was talking about Billy Bear. Professionally known as William "Grizzly" Bear. A mammoth human being, covered in hair from head to toe which he refused to shave, and had a strength matching his namesake. The guy could literally lift people off the ground and throw them like they were pillows. But like most individuals of his size, backstage he was a gentle giant. Everyone respected him. And now Anthony was wanting me to open the show with the guy. That's a very important thing because it sets the overall tone and pace of the program. Then I remembered "The Card" and got curious about Grizzly's original opponent.
"Yeah, sure. But what happened to Bret last..." one of Anthony's cell phones went off, interrupting my question.
Anthony was known for carrying two at all times. One phone was for business, the other was for personal or humoring matters. He even got the nickname "Two-Phone-Tony" because of it, which he loved. It was his business phone that interrupted us. His hand raised near my face with his index finger pointing upward. I knew to keep silent as he turned in a separate direction for his phone call.
Anthony was honestly a rather humble person. In spite of his wealth, signing our checks and running one of the newest and biggest promotions in the country, he truly just wanted to be one of the guys. In fact, the previous night he also participated in the room where the guys were play wrestling on the stripped down bed. Something about practicing for when he actually got an in-ring debut. At the same time; when needed, the guy could be all business. When in that frame of mind, nobody dared tinker with his thoughts.
While Anthony was on the phone I heard footsteps coming from behind me. I turned and looked to see two beautiful faces at the end of the corridor. Carmen Solo and Tianna Guerrera. When they saw me looking, Carmen bent over and placed her palms on a nearby wall. Tianna then proceeded to make motions like she was sexually spanking Carmen on the rear. Both could barely keep a straight face. I struggled as well.
Anthony turned to face me and noticed the women down the hall. He motioned for them to come over while he was still on the phone. When close enough he asked if either of them knew about last night to which Tianna nodded, eager to share the gossip. He asked her to fill in the details for me while he stayed on the phone and walked off. His last words echoing throughout the empty space were about loving the business but it was going to turn him into a grumpy old bastard someday.
As requested, Tianna filled me in. The previous night, Bret "Lock 'Em Up" Locksley had an altercation at a local bar. The damages were minimal but both he and the person he got into a fight with were to be detained through the weekend. The business owner wasn't looking to press charges against Locksley or the promotion as long as the damaged property was paid for and replaced without the Insurance Adjusters being involved. There was also talk of paying the estimated funds which could have been earned while the bar was shut down for repairs and replacements. All of the news stunned me which was followed with great relief that me, Carmen, and Tianna were not in any trouble.
Realizing I needed to adjust my plans, I hugged Tee and kissed Carmen then rushed to find Grizzly and see how the booking was set. When I caught up with Grizzly and the booker, the surprises kept coming. Not only was I stunned to be in the first match of the show, I was also going to win it. This was a major push for me and made me feel a lot better. Knowing how the match was suppose to end, now we needed to fill in the beginning and the middle. And fans absolutely love unscripted violence.
The show started like it normally did: lots of pyro, loud music, and fans screaming so hard it was guaranteed they'd be hoarse the following day. One of our company's biggest rules was no lying... sort of. So Grizzly went to the ring ahead of me, cutting a promo and complaining about Bret being locked up for fighting some loser in a bar. Grizzly; being a heel, worked the crowd into a frenzy. He insulted everything the city had to offer, including calling all the men weak and pathetic. He even pushed it by saying Bret got into the fight because he wanted an excuse not to wrestle "The Grizzly Bear". Grizzly continued his insults, saying there was nobody with any balls that would fight him like a man. That was my queue.
My music hit and a stage guy assisted me behind the curtain, the Gorilla Position as it's known, waiting for just the right moment in my entrance theme to step out and be seen by the world. When the timing was right, the tech sent me on my way, microphone in hand. Out on the stage I could feel the electricity coming from the crowd. It's a similar feeling to listening to music that makes your skin come alive. This was a big moment for me and I wasn't going to waste it. Mic in hand, I countered Grizzly's promo with one of my own. In short I told him if he wanted a fight I'd give him one he'd never forget. With that I rushed to the ring and a nearby ref gave the signal to ring the bell. The first match of the night was underway.
Our match went on as planned. Exciting as it was, it was still painful at times. And I worked through all that pain. In spite of doing great at making everything up on the spot, and knowing what the finish was suppose to be, we're always told to expect the unexpected. And that's exactly what happened. A disgruntled fan hopped over the barricade and jumped into the ring with us. The bastard went swinging for Grizzly and actually knocked the him on the mat. With Bear on his back, the man started kicking and stomping on him with everything he had. Knowing this was not how things were suppose to go down, I tried to grab the guy to make him stop. Then he swung at me.
I was able to dodge or block his first few haymakers. I also taunted and guided him away from Grizzly who was still on his back. Finally, I was able to catch his arm and drag him to the mat. A tactic I've used in many of my dark matches to set up my submission finisher. Thinking quickly I put this violent fan in the hold. The unique thing about submission wrestling is the holds could honestly be very painful. The trick is not to apply pressure, causing pain to our coworkers. Meanwhile they scream and thrash and pretend like it was the most excruciating experience of their lives. This guy deserved no mercy for what he tried to do. And so, while locked up in my submission finisher, I applied the pressure. Real pressure. He quickly tapped out and continued to slam his one free hand on the mat until security rushed the ring and detained the prick.
The nearby medical personnel assisted Grizzly to the back while I stayed in the ring, an instruction given to me by the referee. An instruction given to them through the earpiece they were wearing. Needless to say I was royally pissed off. My first televised match, a show opener mind you, and some asshole had to ruin it for both me and Grizzly. It honestly felt like a total waste of time.
Speaking of time, enough of it had passed for a commercial break to happen and the live feed return. Still standing in the ring I had no idea what I was suppose to do, let alone know what was about to happen next. That's when I saw Anthony stepping out from the back and walking down the stage with a purpose. He had a microphone in one hand, and paperwork in the other. When he got in the ring, he brought the microphone to his face and started talking.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Ladies and Gentlemen. What you saw moments ago was not meant to happen. It was not part of the show. And we do not condone that sort of behavior. But because it did happen, it has given me a chance to make an announcement. These papers in my hand are for a contract I had faxed to me earlier today. Paperwork I intended to give this man..." Anthony pointed at me "... after tonight's show, offering him a job in this promotion. But because of his bravery I am presenting it to him now. For all of you and the rest of the world to see."
The fans in attendance nearly took the roof off the building, screaming in approval. It was the kind of cheering that was more wholesome than excitement. The kind that happens after the show when one of the wrestlers lets a little kid from the crowd play wrestle and pin them just because it was a fun idea. And here I was receiving that exact same energy.
"So what do you say?" Anthony asked me, almost in a rhetorical manner. "Will you join us in changing the face of professional wrestling?"
