Embracing Challenges (A Road to Glory Dynasty)

[Falcon21]

Author's Note: There will be a fairly long prologue to the start, but don’t despair I will get to playing TEW at some point!

 

The Beginnings: My Childhood

 

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If there is one thing that life will teach you, it is that you can take nothing for granted. The job that you had for five years could disappear tomorrow and your life can be changed in an instant. Despite being taught this lesson from the moment of birth, people remain shocked that these events could happen to them and often dwell on them for the rest of their lives. In my opinion, the only option available is to take what life gives you and hold on to the good things with a fiery, almost demonic passion and, if life presents challenges, do not dwell on them but embrace them.

 

This is my story of embracing challenges and how I lived my life; the way I wanted.

 

I suppose we should start with the simple things. My name is Alex Whiteman and yes that is my real name. Not Alexis Whiteman, Not Alexandra Whiteman; Alex. It's amazing that people think they know your name better than you do. The long story was with my middle name being Jade, my parents thought I'd adopt A.J. as my first name, however that name never really appealed to me that much, so I've always been Alex. People also had a problem with my last name, assuming that it was some sort of wrestling moniker to draw heat - however it was the name I was born with and wear with pride.

 

All things considered, I had a pretty standard childhood, I was the only child of two upper-middle class parents so obviously I was the apple of my parents eye and I rewarded them by being an 'A' student and all around good girl. Sure there were times when tempers flared or when some of us didn't see eye to eye, but by and large it was a pretty typical Canadian family.

 

Despite being somewhat on the studious side in my childhood (one could say I was a bit nerdy, but I digress) my father and I bonded over a shared love of wrestling. When I was younger we would watch some of the 'family friendly' products, but as I got older we forged a compromise. He would watch the VHS tapes and later DVDs of women's wrestling from Japan or AAA with me whenever a new video could be procured, and I would watch his favourite promotion - NOTBPW. Though we moved to Cleveland when my father received a full professorship at a local university, he would always try desperately to find the right cable package to watch Sean McFly and co inevitably get the better of who opposed him. It might have seemed strange for a father who was a history professor and a daughter who was a straight 'A' student bond over professional wrestling, but stranger things have happened, though surely my mother never quite understood the whole thing.

 

On my 16th birthday I summoned the courage to ask for wrestling training from my parents. It was an odd request to be sure and my parents weren't exactly approving, but they did not have much room to object. Cost was not an issue, and I was an excellent student, had a small group of friends and even was excelling at soccer (I had given up hockey a few years previous). Eventually my parents acquiesced to my request and enrolled me at training school where Reese Paige was teaching a women's only class. I'm sure that my father argued that it was nothing more than 'high impact' gymnastics and probably assured my mother that I was simply too small and not tough enough to survive such rigorous training. He was probably chagrined, but a little proud that I was more than tough enough to survive and prosper under the watchful eye of Reese Paige.

 

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For the daughter of a lawyer and a professor, it was always somewhat surprising to me that I was a reasonable athlete. In whatever sport I played I would generally be one of the better players, though I was never quite good enough to be a 'star'... more of a solid role player. Like most Canadians, I played hockey growing up and enjoyed it, but never caught the hockey bug, partially due to the fact that the hometown Toronto Maple Leafs were atrocious during my childhood. Soccer was much more natural to me, combining my excellent balance from playing hockey (turns out running on grass is much easier than skating, who knew?) and my ability to play tenacious defence that made me a constant starter, even on the high school soccer team. My moments of glory were few and far between, I could probably count the goals that I scored on one hand, but I reveled in being one of the people that held together a team and contributed to the winning effort.

 

Yet my father was correct in assuming that I was not exactly the toughest girl around. Maybe I was a little too coddled as an only child but my lack of toughness was pretty clear. Once when I was 12 or so, during a hockey game, an innocent collision with an opposing player had me sitting out the rest of the game, while I was perfectly unharmed. The lack of toughness even translated to soccer, where during one particular game I was subject to a couple of tough, but fair, tackles, so I faked an injury to get myself removed from the game. So, I would say there were long odds on my chances of success in wrestling training where even though it is 'fake' you can still get hurt pretty easily.

 

But from the first time I hit the mat, it was clear that I was good at it. The athleticism that I had from soccer and hockey translated naturally, along with my years of watching wrestling, gave me an instinctive ability that few others had. Within a few months I had mastered the basics and was well on my way to learning more advanced techniques and learning more and more from Reese Paige who was keen to mentor me. These times at that tiny gym I remember quite fondly as they would set the basis for what would become of me.

 

At this tiny little...dojo... I suppose you could call it, we did basic training most of the time, but every 3-4 months or so, we'd put on a minor 'show' where we could show off our progression, to the friends and family who would inevitably be the only ones interested watching half trained wrestlers perform. My parents never did attend, nor did I ask them to, because my wrestling hobby was worrying them more and more - they figured I should be figuring out which elite college I would be attending rather than learning about suplexes. Yet these showcases were some of the best times I had in my teenaged years. It’s been too many years to remember exactly how many of these matches I had or how they went, I just remember the warm fuzzy feeling of doing something I enjoyed, and doing it well.

 

The only one of these showcase matches I do remember was the first time I ever got in 'trouble' with Reese Paige. My opponent for this showcase was to be Deborah Young who had joined a few months earlier to try to learn some technique to go along with her massive 6'3+, 245 frame. The obvious question was...why wasn't she working with men that were her size, but the problem is, I later found out, was that you can only learn to wrestle the smaller women that would make up 99% of her future opponents by actually working with people that size.

 

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To be honest, when I received that pairing I was somewhat terrified. Though I wasn't the most outgoing person ever, I had several friends amongst the other trainees, but Deborah stayed aloof and rarely interacted with the rest of the girls. Yet when we discussed our plan for the match, she was warm and friendly, and even asked if I wanted to go over. The mere thought of which was hilarious - I know pro wrestling assumes a certain suspension of reality, but for little ol 5'5 110lb me to beat a behemoth like Deborah might have been too hard to believe even in the wrestling world.

 

The plan as we worked it out, was for me to use quickness to 'sting the giant' in the way that a gnat may annoy an Elephant...until an Elephant crushes it underfoot. To sell it even more as a david vs. goliath match, the day of I did my hair into a ponytail and basically wore anything that would make me look younger and more innocent. It must have been quite a sight - a 17 year old pixie dressed in a way that made her look 14, paired up against a humongous opponent that was literally twice her size even if she was only a few years my elder.

 

The match itself had me dancing around my bigger opponent landing some kicks at the start, before I got 'caught' trying to land a dropkick - Deborah did just enough to trip me up and get her hands on me, which was pretty much all she wrote, as she tossed me all over the ring as I tried desperately to A) fight back and B) run away. I teased a win at one point a roll up but Deborah impressively powered out, managing to throw me around even when I was trying to pin her. After kicking out of several power moves (a powerslam and snap suplex were particularly impressive), she put me away with a powerbomb that had me legitimately seeing stars for a second (hey, you try getting powerbombed from a 6'3, 245 person, it hurts!).

 

I knew the match was quite good because I could feel the crowd getting behind me when I landed my pitiful offence and heard the crowd groan when Deborah throw me around. This is pretty impressive because the people that were there generally didn't care about anyone besides the people they were there to see - it’s akin to watching a school play - you may watch and applaud the 6th grade play, but you only really care about your son in the 8th grade showcase, so when you get anyone invested at all - it’s an accomplishment.

 

After watching the other matches, which ranged from disjointed, to passable, I shared a brief conversation with Deborah and was making my way out when Reese Page stopped me

 

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"So are you ever going to win one of these showcases?" asked Reese. She was always direct in conversation, but this question right off the bat left me confused.

"Win?"

"You know, pinfall, the ref counts 1,2,3, he raises you're hand"

"Oh, was I supposed to beat Deborah?" I was wondering why she asked me if I wanted to win - "you know you can just tell me if you want me to go over, this is pro wrestling"

"No, you imbecile, you made her look like she was the biggest threat ever, it was a good match, but you've had several chances at these showcases, but you never win - are you trying to become a jobber?"

 

That accusation stung slightly, but truth be told, it was easier to just accept that you would lose these matches, there was nothing on the line after all, it was just a showcase for the friends and family of the trainees.

 

"I was unaware that we were keeping track of wins and losses. Do the winners get a share of the winner’s purse?" I retorted hotly.

"You are missing the point completely. You've paid you're dues, there are plenty of girls here that wouldn't mind losing, but you never ask to. You assume because you are young and brilliant that you'll get noticed anyway, because that is the way its always worked for you, you've never been bad at anything in your life, you're one of those rare people that can pick up something and make it look like you've practiced for years. That is how it works when you are young, when you are the smartest kid in class you don't have to work for attention, it follows you naturally. But in the real world, you have to reach for things, you have to scrape and claw and you need to fight for yourself, but you never do. You'll get taken advantage of because you never learned how to put yourself ahead and in this business that means you have to put yourself over otherwise those more ambitious but maybe less talented will succeed while you will languish."

 

Such an impassioned speech took me by surprise and it took me awhile to search for an appropriate response. But after searching my emotions, I reacted with an equal amount of passion.

 

"It's not about not fighting for myself. It’s about the audience. Tell me have you ever seen my parents here? A friend of mine? No. That is because I do this for me, because I enjoy it, and yes I am good at it. But the people that I put over have friends and family in the audience, I'm sure they appreciate that I can do my little part in sending them home happy. I can fight for mine, but I also know how to be compassionate, to read the situation and that is what I have deemed appropriate."

 

Reese took a long pause at that and then flashed a rare smile, "You're too good to be here, you should be off becoming the next great politician or something."

"Nah, I figure I'll be a nice crossover hit when I'm AAA champion and Governor of Ohio."

Reese laughed and said, "I've heard crazier predictions come true."

 

 

Up Next: Part 2 - Challenges, Rewards, An Offer Too Good to be True?

[Falcon21]

The Beginnings: Continued

 

It was a couple of months later after that conversation with Reese that she gathered her trainees at the start of what should have been an unremakable night.

 

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"I'm not one for big speeches, so this won't be one, I just want to let you know that next week will be a special 'showcase' where you are of course invited to bring friends and family to witness our show. Yet, this will be a special event, because, as I'm sure you are all aware, the women of AAA and QAW are running a special event in Cleveland, which I'm sure you all have tickets for... So beforehand Catherine Quine is going to drop by an view our little event, and she might bring along some of her well known friends..."

An excited murmur went through the others. Catherine Quine...here? One of here idols would watch her wrestle? Wow, that is so cool

"So to prove I'm not playing favourites and to prevent ya'll from begging to be paired with someone that can make you look good, I put all the names of you girls into a hat, pair off as I call you're name, you know the drill"

"First pair is..Alex and Allison"

 

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Oh..my..god

Allison had just joined the group maybe a month or so ago and was greener than grass. She was also strikingly beautiful in a way that screamed 'successful manager' more than 'future wrestler.' Tall and blonde, Alex found herself slightly jealous of Allison and all the other beauties, and while she knew she herself wasn't ugly, she could never draw attention the way Allison could.

And then it dawned on her. Reese had rigged the whole thing so she would be with Allison... because the only way to get something even remotely watchable out of this was for me to dominate the match and win. That was truly devious, but kind of brilliant to be completely fair.

Chagrined at my realization that I had been set up, I waited for the rest of the names to be paired off before I made my way over to Allison.

Before I could voice my thoughts, Allison spoke immediately "I'm so sorry you got paired with me, I tried to ask Reese to not include me in the list, but she said there was no point in training if I wasn't going to participate in the special events. I know that everyone wants to put on a good show with Catherine Quine in the crowd, so no one wants to be paired with me."

Taken aback by her honesty I put on a smile that wasn't completely sincere. "No problem, all these exhibitions are for is showing off our progress, they are there more fun than anything"

Dejectedly Allison said "well I'll be sure to show off my ability to do a basic bodyslam and clothesline"

"Hey, this is supposed to be having fun, and with 2 moves you'll have about as many as some of the guys in USPW!"

"I dunno... I'm only doing this because my boyfriend said that having me manage him would be a huge boost to his career, make him stand out, you know"

"Do you think he'll be there next week."

"I'm sure he wouldn't miss it" Allison said glumly

A plan suddenly sprung to my mind...

 

_______

 

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Even years later I am very proud of that match. If I had done that exact match in a real promotion, it would have been a decent midcard match, but looking back at how awful I was back then, it was pretty much the best that I could have hoped for. It was one of those rare strokes of insight that allows a wrestler to transcend their actual abilities.

 

I was kind of mad. At life. At being paired with a hopeless partner in what could be my 'big break.' And lets be honest I was a 17 year old girl, I was bound to be mad at just about anything!

Instead of just being pissed off a the world I fueled it into one of my best creative insights. There was a way to tell a story in this match that would make it much better than the sum of its parts - and in doing so it would push me far outside my normal comfort zone.

 

I eschewed my normal 'ring gear' for this match, instead I salvaged one of my old soccer uniforms, and constructed a look that made me look like a tomboy as much as possible. If any of my high school friends had seen me in that outfit they probably would have died of laughter, because I was pretty far from a tomboy, but with an audience who didn't necessarily know the 'real' me, it was effective enough. Allison for her part basically looked like a cheerleeder minus the skirt and pom poms; so an archetypal clash was styled - the tomboy vs. the cheerleader.

 

Allison was insanely limited in the ring, to be sure - but I did manage to teach her a few moves before the match - nothing too difficult just a couple of basic rollup spots that would add some drama to the match. Though I will give her one thing - even as green novice, she could sell moves amazingly. Part of that is natural, it's difficult to watch someone so beautiful get 'beat up' it instinctively draws you in, make you want to cheer.

Before the match even started, Allison announced loudly that she was dedicating this match to her boyfriend who was ringside...but before she was finished I launched a vicious attack on her.

 

Brawling has never been my specialty, but I think I did a good job of selling my 'fury' at being matched with a 'talentless cheerleeder.' Essentially I dominated the proceedings but while doing so I taunted Allison's boyfriend a ringside, who...lets just say got emotionally invested in the match. I don't remember exactly what I said to him, but it must have been memorable as he was clearly getting more and more agitated. At one point, having yanked Allison to her feet by her hair, I idly wondered what my play would be if Allison's enraged boyfriend tried to enter the ring, settling on 'running as fast as I could' if such an event occured. Fortunately he managed to enhance the match by trying to get the crowd firmly behind his girlfriend. Stupidly, while I was thinking about such minutia, I was suprised by a rollup spot that I had planned, and almost fogot to kick out of, such was my suprise. Slight mishap avoided the pace of the match continued - me firmly in control, taunting the boyfriend at ringside. The match 'turned' when I got cocky and went for a top rope splash which missed when Allison rolled out of the way; I distinctly remember that hurting quite a bit, almost certianly my fault at not doing the spot correctly. Taking advantage of my weakness, Allison got her first string of offence in, consisting of all the moves she knew - a couple of clotheslines, into a bodyslam. Though probably everyone expected me to get the advantage back and win, certainly those at ringside that could tell the difference in the experience between us, Allison quickly hit her finisher (this hurt), which she surrepidously had her boyfriend teach her his finisher during the week. Fortunately his finisher was not a 450 splash or a powerbomb, but a leg drop bulldog. She covered me for the pin as I sold the effects and picked up the victory, which led to a burst of applause and her boyfriend, running into the ring and giving her a huge hug.

 

For my part, I quickly slunk out of the ring and into the 'back' area. The exhilaration of putting on such a display of showmanship was such a natural high. I vaguely remember being congratulated by some of the other girls, but I could not recall what was said. All I knew was I had loved performing, creating and planning out that match - it should have been a terrible match - but I probably made it match of the night.

 

______________________

 

Afterwards, I was talking to some of the girls, reveling in our performances infront of a legitimate celebrity of the industry when Reese Paige and Catherine Quine made their way towards our small group. Quine had been a true ambassador and had visited with each of the little groups that had sprung up upon the closing of the show and we were the last group that was yet to recieve an audience with the legendary Cat Quine. Catherine had some polite smalltalk with everyone, complimenting everyone on a specific aspect of their match. It was an amazing experience to be in an a conversation Catherine Quine, let alone be complimented by her. The conversation broke up naturally and I started heading toward the door, relishing the fact that I had the independence that a car had given me. It was my Dad's car, but I was free to use it when he got home from work. The benefits of being a straight 'A' student...

"Hey Alex, Can I speak to you for a sec." It was Reese.

"Sure, no problem....what's up"

"I thought you'd like to have a chat with Catherine and myself"

"I'd really love to, but don't you have lots of catching up to do?"

Reese sighed. "Stop being self-depreciating and come with me"

My heartbeat raced as I went towards the tiny office that Reese maintained. A host of possibilities for what this chat could be about went through my mind, but before I could discard the absolutely idiotic from the remotely possible I was in the office and shaking hands again with Catherine Quine.

 

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"I know I already said this, but I'm a huge fan of yours, I probably watched all the AAA matches that were available on video, so I'm still a bit awestruck."

Catherine Quine smiled wryly, "It's always nice too see the that I have inspired the next generation of women's wrestlers. You should have brought a DVD for me to sign, I would have been more than happy to."

 

If it would have been appropriate at the time, I would have smacked my forehead so hard it probably would have given me a concussion.

"...I wish I had thought of that" I said meekly.

Catherine laughed heartily "Reese, I thought you told me you're star pupil was smart."

Reese smiled and said "She is, but like all teenagers she misses the obvious things"

 

Meanwhile my mind was reeling. Star pupil? I was having fun and I knew I was improving constantly, but star pupil?

"I remember, I was a teenager at some point," Catherine chuckled to herself at some memory from long ago. "Anyway, that match you got out of that novice was quite solid, though I'm somewhat confused as why you let her go over. Of course Reese tells me you have made that a bit of a habit." She shrugged languidly, "I'll admit that having her boyfriend in on the act made it a bit of spectacle."

"I...we didn't say anything about the match to her boyfriend...he was a mark"

Catherine and Reese showed a bit of surprise at that remark

"...I don't whether that makes me more impressed at the whole thing, or disappointed that you didn't have the foresight to actually bring him into the act intentionally, remarked Reese dryly.

"Irregardless, the ability to tell a story with such limited constraints and with such a novice partner was quite impressive," remarked Catherine. "I'd be talking about signing you if Reese here felt that your heart was in this business long term." Catherine sighed and continued "Though AAA is on solid financial ground, I can't put resources into a project, who is choosing between a contract that pays her essentially nothing and an Ivy League education - unless you're goal in life was to be a pro wrestler, you'd have to be insane to prefer the former rather than the latter." Catherine offered another wry smile and said "perhaps you can join us as an accountant or a lawyer in a few years. You have talent that is for sure, but if you are deciding between trying to make a go of it as a pro wrestler or going to college...go to college, and continue buying our DVDs....we still have to make money."

 

I sat, stunned at these revelations.

I found my voice and said "I could go to school out in the Northwest, if it is a problem, it shouldn't be a problem to show up for shows."

Catherine shook her head, "even then, after 4 years when you've maybe moved into the midcard, you'd be ready to graduate or go to graduate school, and can you really tell me you'll pick AAA over law school, or an actual job that pays actual money?"

 

I really wanted to burst out in tears at that point - hey its not every day that one of your idols kills your dreams, but I was too composed to show so much obvious emotion

"I don't think I could possibly have those answers at this point. I'm 18. I have trouble picking between schools." I sighed. "I suppose this always was a hobby, but I'm good at it, and I get more and more enjoyment out of it each time I'm here. I don't really know what my long term goal was, other than do something that I love." I was fighting back tears at this point "But, I really don't think its fair that you are making these decisions already. I've put my hard work in, I should be able to have the opportunity to make it work if you truly think I'm talented enough."

 

Catherine looked over at Reese who seemed to pick up on some sort of cue. "Alex, lets be honest if this was your dream you would have been going to independent shows and working every weekend, and you would have put yourself OVER when I gave you the perfect opportunity to showcase yourself for one of most important people in the industry...admittedly that was some fine storytelling, but you've done nothing in 2 years that for me screams 'I'm going to be a pro wrestler. You're a sweet girl and this place is better for you being here, but I wanted to make it clear where this is going."

"So, you called me in here so you could have one of my idols tell me I'm not dedicated enough to the industry. Well thanks so much for that!" I turned to storm out of the room but was stopped by the firm voice of Reese Paige.

 

"Alex, thats not it at all," I stopped in my tracks. Reese continued "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come aboard as a 2nd in command to me here, to help out in a hands on way that I can't, you know with my injury and all. Plus Catherine has an offer as well."

 

Catherine bowed her head slightly and spoke. "I know this wasn't you're dream come true, but with AAA under increasing competition; NOTPW and USPW are snapping up our best workers, QAW is actually competing with us for #1 women's promotion and with 5SSW rebuilding and potentially expanding, we need a scouting network to pick up workers before they get on the radar of these companies, that means I want people I trust going to shows and telling us who we should be signing or who is a diamond in the rough. I trust Reese, but her injury limits her to a truncated travel schedule, and she trusts you."

 

I remember sliding back into my chair is Catherine further outlined her plans for me.

"Reese believes in you so much and in my brief time with you, I am inclined to concur with her assessment, that I want you to go to school wherever you want, but on weekends, we will pay for your transport to the independent shows where you will file reports for us. Plus, in the summer we will bring you out to Washington so you can join our creative team for a few months. You may eventually go on to be some sort of fancy lawyer or politician, but I want AAA on that resume somewhere," she said with a half smile.

 

"I...thanks...I don't even know what to say."

Reese and Catherine smiled wide and said, "Don't worry, we can talk more tomorrow after the show...and I think we will upgrade those tickets as well...and remember to bring some DVDs to sign!."

 

It's funny how the best moments in you're life are often followed by the worst

 

Part 3: Where challenges arise

[TheEffect]

Sorry to interrupt but the back-story of this is immensely amazing.

Alex is a realistic character, who I can see myself investing in.

I look forward to the first proper show!

[christmas_ape]

I'm usually put off by long posts but for some reason I gave this a chance and read it properly, great read! Will try to follow this.

[Blake Trask]

I dig this, rock on.

 

Only nitpick is that you've put "You're" - you are - instead of "Your" - the possessive, a few times, but that's just a grammatical grouch from me.

[Falcon21]

(OOC: Thanks for the comments so far. I'm going to post the rest of the backstory today/tommorow - I'm actually into April ingame, I just really hate formatting my writing into the format to post...also I'm lazy. And I apologize for my gramattical errors - English may be my first language, but I'm still terrible at it)

 

Part 3: Hitting the Bottom - Rising from Ashes

 

After making plans to meet after the AAA vs. QAW show, I quite possibly floated back to my father's car. Between the meeting and my arrival home I couldn't tell you a single thing that happened. All I remember is that single cop car in the driveway and the lack of my mothers car in that same driveway which caused the huge pit in my stomach to form. It only took one look at the mournful, haunted face of the police officer that emerged from that car to take all the strength from my legs.

 

It's amazing the ways that humans can immediately recognize that something unspeakable had happened despite the fact that there were a hundred more logical explanations for why there was a police officer in the driveway. Yet, I knew beyond a shadow of doubt what had happened.

I'd describe the actual events that occurred in the remainder of that day but it is all a blur of crying, denial, anger, and outrage. My parents had been just gone on a routine trip to the store, for god knows what. Something that they could have waited an extra day for, certainly. The only mistake they made was getting on the road at the same time as some drunk idiot. The drunk driver survived, obviously, because life is just cruel sometimes; the two loving parents die while the worthless drunk survives to live another day. People ask if he's ever contacted me, apologized; but I purposely cut myself off from knowing his name, and as a minor my name was protected and redacted. To this day, I don't know if he is alive, if he reformed and made something of his life, or he was still a worthless drag on society.

 

l apologize if I gloss over this part of my life - I was deeply depressed, obviously. My high school let me take the rest of my final semester off, while giving me the credits, recognizing that it would be pointless to delay my bright star from moving on to higher education. I should have kept going to school, I needed my friends more than ever, but I ignored them in the way that depressed people do, making excuses not to meet, claiming I was busy, or simply not answering the phone. They were good friends and they tried their best, but I did not want to be helped, I wanted to reject life the way that it had rejected me.

 

My only solitude was watching those wrestling videos and DVDs that my father and I had collected over the years, it was an escape from my horrible reality; where good guys(and girls) beat the bad guys and there was a sense of justice in the world. I felt absurdly guilty, often when Catherine Quine was either wrestling, or later on commentary. I had cut off all contact from Reese Paige and Catherine Quine; for all they knew I fell off the face of the earth the moment I left that office. I just did not have the capacity to deal with it. By my teenaged reasoning, if I had just gone home earlier my parents would be alive, or at the very least I would have blissfully perished with them. So clearly, by proxy they killed my parents. Logical it ain't, but that was where my head was at.

 

Gradually, the depression lifted, the hatred faded and I was actually ready to move forward with my life. By that time it was November and my scholarship offers were gone, certainly going to University was still an option, but I decided to take a risk for once in my life. I decided to do something that I loved. I was going to open a wrestling company.

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Now, opening a wrestling company in general is a good way to lose a few thousand dollars. For every one success story there is a hundred that don't make it, and two hundred more than just cling to life by the slimmest of margins and never taste anything resembling success. Yet, most wrestling companies don't have someone like myself at the helm, and in my particular mental state I was probably in the best position to take the risks that were needed at the time. Most people know me as a person that is a clinical, detached thinker who can divorce her feelings from her reasoning, but at 18 and looking to make my mark, I was a much different person. The first risk was one that paid off handsomely in the long term.

 

I knew that even if I put up the cash, I didn't have the slightest clue how to actually run a wrestling promotion, well, I mean I could probably have done it on my own, but getting someone that actually had experience would undoubtedly be a boon, so I called someone that I felt could become a business partner.

 

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Somehow I found the number for Honey Golightly, who had just closed down her BSC promotion. After convincing her secretary (Honey Golightly has a secretary?) that I had a business proposition for her, I arranged for her to call me later that day.

 

 

After pleasantries were exchanged I launched quickly into my pitch.

"I want to open a wrestling promotion"

"Good for you, but in case you were unaware, I just closed down a wrestling promotion. Why am I involving myself in another one?"

"Because you did things the wrong way. You started out by trying to sell sex and then you tried to bring in the real wrestlers, I want to present those real wrestlers as sexy, as confident, but have them actually be able to tell a story in a match too."

"That is an idea that might work...I've been thinking similar thoughts recently...but hon, I got to tell you having just gotten out of the wrestling business I'm not too excited to jump back in and put my money on the line."

"No, I'll put up all the start up cash, you don't have to invest a cent, I just want you; you're expertise, you're knowledge, and you're ability on colour commentary.

"I really don't know at this point...."

I could sense that that the initial shock of my opening salvo had worn off and I was losing her. What the hell I figured...why not go for broke?

"I mean you could admit that the wrestling business beat you, you just couldn't hack it going against AAA and QAW and all those other promotions in that area, but if you really want to be remembered as someone that took her money and ran that is fine by me."

"Listen you, I made my company work, when people said it wouldn't last 2 shows. I brought in Tamara McFly. I didn't lose. The game was rigged against us, the 'real wrestlers' despised us even though we had Tamara McFly to legitimize us, I did the best with what I had and it was damn good."

And now to reel in the bait....

"All I'm offering is the chance to try again, in an area that doesn't have 107 promotions in it. We both know womens wrestling is hot right now, people think its a crowded marketplace because there are now 2 promotions, but there are women in the indies that could wrestle circles around 90% of USPW or SWFs roster"

"Damn you.... I want 40% of the company"

"40% for a company where you put up none of the capital? 15% would be more than fair."

"I like you kid. You're either brilliant, or mentally deranged."

"Why not both?"

"....20% of the company, and you pay me a standard PPA for my colour commentary position."

"Sure"

"AND I want to be known as the de facto owner. You can take 80% of the profits, whatever. But if and when this succeeds I want people to know that Honey Golightly was the reason why. We'll form a company and have the laywers sort it out."

"Sounds fine to me."

"Where are you putting this promotion of yours"

"Cleveland"

"...Is it too late to back out?..."

 

To this day I'm not entirely sure how I managed to get Honey to come along with one phone call. I struck a nerve somewhere, obviously, and she got a good deal - 20% for 0 capital investment, but the company needed her expertise and her reputation to get off the ground. Honey Golightly may have failed in BSC, but she proved herself here.

 

The hardest phone call was next. Honey would provide the business acumen, but I needed someone to provide an insight into the wrestling side and there was no one that I knew that fit that description more than Reese Paige. But how do you call someone who you have ignored for months? Turns out, you just pick up the phone and then dial - and let things fall where they may.

 

I had a huge knot in my stomach when I dialed Reese's number, "Hello" she answered.

 

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"Hi Reese...it's Alex Whiteman"

"Alex?...what the hell happened to you, its like you disapearred of the face of the earth a few months back"

 

There was no simple way to tell the truth about what happened, but by that point I had become so immune to the sympathy and well wishes from others that the conversation was no different from many of the others I had in the preceeding months. After informing her of the situation and why I had fallen off the map, I continued.

 

"Look, I'm sorry Reese, I had a lot going on in my life obviously, but I shouldn't have ignored you, I've just started to realize that I can't bury my head in the sand and wish my life would go back to normal, I have to move on in my life."

"Of course. It sounds like you have things back on track, you know you are always welcome to come back and train, and certainly if there is anything I can do, I'm willing to help."

"Well...I was going to go to college this fall, but with all the turmoil, I never did choose where I wanted to go. In sitting around and doing essentially nothing for a few months, I realized I wanted to do something that has brought me happiness. I used to love doing schoolwork, but I can basely open a textbook anymore. So I've decided to open a wrestling promotion."

 

I heard a sharp inhalation from the phone as Reese was probably going to launch into some spiel about how this was the wrong decision, but I barrelled ahead without letting her talk.

 

"I got a large settlement from the accident; the life insurance from both my parents, plus there was some sort of defect with their car that my lawyer was able to sue over. In short, I probably don't have to work a day in my life if I choose not to. But this is a challenge that I want to undertake; I'm not being stupid about this, I'm only putting a minimal amount of money into this venture, if it fails I want to be able to live comfortably anyway. I've already brought in Honey Golightly to run the business side and provide some insights, and I want you to be our road agent and to assist me on the wrestling side."

 

"This....is a lot to take in. You're not turning this into BSC Ohio are you? If it didn't work in Vegas it's not going to work out here."

"No, I'm interested in running a wrestling promotion, not some sort of sports entertainment shenanigan."

"Alex....You've put me into an impossible situation, I would like nothing more to mentor you and I'm sure you have the right stuff to make this promotion a success...but my loyalty is to Catherine Quine. She has been there for me ever since my injury, I can't just join a rival promotion."

 

"Trying to create a 3rd American womens wrestling promotion is hardly going to send AAA reeling - I'm not going to be stealing away Joanne Rodriguez anytime soon. In fact it will help them because I'll be training up workers that AAA that she can use when they are more polished. You heard her when she talked to me - she couldn't take a risk because she didn't want to put time into someone that wouldn't pan out - well we can take those risks as a small company with nothing to lose. Plus its not like you're the owner, I just want you as my advisor and as a road agent. I'll add one final thing, you ever feel uncomfortable about divided loyalties, you can leave, and I won't hold it against you.

 

There was a long pause before Reese replied,

"...I'd be lying to myself if I didn't want to take on this challenge. It would be an honor to work with you."

 

Up next : Part 4 - Out of the backstory into the actual story (kind of)