Disclaimer: Once again, this story is a work of fiction and is not meant to reflect the true sexual preferences of any of the characters mentioned herein. Truthfully, I don't know if any of the WWE superstars are gay, including John Cena, and even if I did, I would respect them enough to not go blurting it out in a public forum. Anyway, I'm still kind of new to this whole creative writing thing, so I hope it's good enough that I've retained the attention and interest of at least a few of you. Anyways...enjoy!
"You look good," John leaned in, whispering into Jeff's ear--he gave a sly smile, deriving a sick pleasure out of toying with Jeff.
"I can't believe you made me do this. I feel like a fuckin' tool," Jeff stated, adorned in his new "gear." The brief, drop-by visit to John's locker room resulted in an impromptu game of dress-up. Not only had John grabbed himself another shirt, but he had also picked up a hat, wristbands, dog tags, and second, non-coffee-stained shirt for Jeff. Interestingly, John now had a slightly shorter, not as muscley twin standing to his left with his arms crossed, feeling shamed, like a cheap whore after a trick. The pre-show meeting was going on as the two stood toward the back of the group, whispering and carrying on like a couple of naughty school boys.
"Maybe that's cause you look like a tool," John retorted, giving Jeff a little nudge with his elbow.
"Nice--yea, well, you look like this every day..." Jeff shot back.
"Haha, whoa, got ourselves a funny man over here!" John exclaimed, mockingly giving his knee a slap.
"I didn't know you were gonna whip a fuckin' souvenir stand out of your gym bag, ok? I feel like I should run out and start myself a clothing line now just so you can know how ridiculous this feels. I guess bein' a WWE superstar gets your name and face on all kinds of different shit," Jeff replied, accented with a nudge of his own, just slightly more forceful.
John chuckled. "What? I bet your boys would be lovin' this shit right now. Wish I had a camera or somethin'."
"I'm sure they would," Jeff said. "But they already know me well enough to know I'd beat their asses, so you better just watch yourself."
"You know what I always say," John stated, turning his head to look at Jeff with a grin on his face, knowing Jeff knew what was coming next. "You want some? Come get some!" Jeff just rolled his eyes, eliciting another nudge from John.
"Excuse me, John. Was there something you wanted to add?" The distinct voice of Vince McMahon rang clear like a bell. The room immediately went silent, as the masses parted like the Red Sea, turning to get a look at what had caused the disruption. Jeff felt his face start to get hot--a feeling he seemed to be getting all-too-familiar with since he had walked into the building. He very timidly turned his head away from John to stare at the floor, giving the brim of his hat a tug.
"No, sir," John responded very calmly and plainly. Jeff, curiously, thought the whole scene resembled the way a Marine drill instructor might address his troupes and vice- versa, just with a little less of that 'whoo-rah' attitude.
"That's good," Vince replied. He diverted his attention back to addressing the group as a whole. "Now, as you know, we've got Raw's tour of the United Kingdom coming up next week. After the house show on Saturday afternoon in Wilkes-Barre, we'll be flying out of Philadelphia and landing in London what would be sometime late Sunday morning. You then have the rest of the day Sunday and Monday up until 5 to settle in and hit the gym and do whatever you have to do before we go live Monday night..."
"Man, now you got me in trouble," John began whispering to Jeff again, causing him to start chuckling, uncontrollably, to himself. "What?" John asked, confused.
"Ohh nothin'," Jeff declared after quickly composing himself, not wanting to create another scene. "This is just too funny. I'm an Ed major, so this whole talking while the 'teacher' is addressing the 'class' thing just makes me feel dirty. We're like those two bastard kids in the back of the class with the disciplinary problems or ADD or some shit that just wait a few seconds after gettin' yelled at to start talking again. I'm surprised he doesn't come back here and spank us or somethin'."
"Ohh, don't worry--he might," John replied, with a laugh. "That's cool, though. So you're in college right now?"
"Yup, yup. I actually go to school right down the road from here. Pretty convenient for me, I guess. I dunno what's gonna happen though if this thing takes off..." Jeff mused.
"Yea, I hear ya, man."
"...So, I think that pretty much covers everything. Any questions?" Vince asked, pausing to give the superstars and other WWE employees time to respond, if they wished. After a few silent moments, weak headshakes, and barely-audible 'no's, he continued. "Well, alright then. Good luck tonight--let's have a great show!" Suddenly, in contrast to the weak reaction just displayed, the group burst into excitement. There was quite a bit of clapping and 'woo's and various other inspirational cheers, before the crowd slowly started to disburse.
"Well that's that," John said, as the two turned to face each other. "So you think you're ready for this?"
"No!" Jeff stated, emphatically, causing him to laugh at himself. "I'm as ready as I can be, I guess...just still really fuckin' nervous." John smiled.
"Nah, man--don't be. I know you're gonna be awesome. Just be yourself out there and have fun. Don't worry about all the other shit that's goin' through your head. Just let it flow, and it'll happen. The fact you're even here proves that they already seen somethin' in you," John paused for a second, switching gears into a more casual, light-hearted tone. Giving Jeff a gentile, backhanded slap to the chest, he continued. "But hey, if you feel like you're starting to freak out, just think of the boys up in the crowd bein' their jackass selves. No doubt they'll be screamin' their asses off for ya and givin' you all the support they can. I'll be back here watchin' ya too, just on some shitty TV monitor, so you won't hear me screamin' or nothin'." John shot Jeff another one of those warm smiles, making Jeff's stomach all fuzzy again.
Jeff shyly broke eye contact, glancing at the floor and rubbing the hair on the back of his head not covered by the hat. "I really appreciate it, man," he said. "That means a whole hell of a lot comin' from you. Definitely makes me feel better, too."
John smiled and laughed, playfully smacking Jeff in the arm again. "Good," he said. "I can already tell you're a good kid. I'm glad I ran into ya, even if you had to bring the hot coffee into it. But hey, if that's how you go about meeting people, then again, I won't judge."
Jeff laughed again, flattered, getting all shy again. He felt like John was being really affectionate, but he just dismissed the idea, knowing there was no chance in hell that his actions and words were meant in a flirtatious kind of way. John was just, obviously, one of those extremely extroverted, touchy/feely types. He could feel himself becoming drawn to John, though--at least he could see them becoming good friends. Jeff might have fantasized about other things but knew to keep himself in check for the sake of his possible new career. He was about to respond before he heard a voice come from behind him.
"Hey, are you Jeff?" The voice was deep and sounded hunky. Jeff turned around to come face-to-face with whom he recognized as Val Venis.
John brought his hands down on Jeff's shoulders and shook him a little bit. "Yup, Sean, he's your man!" John declared.
"Awesome,' he replied. "I just wanted to talk with you a little bit about how things are supposed to run tonight with our match."
"Hey," John interrupted, sliding to Jeff's left but retaining his right hand on his shoulder. "I'll let you fellas get to it; I gotta go n' grab Orton myself. But hey, I'll catch you later on?" John removed his hand and took a couple steps backwards toward where some of the other guys were gathered, pausing for Jeff's response (it looked like Orton was over where he was headed, chatting-it-up with Mr. Kennedy and Carlito).
Jeff was saddened that John had to go, but he knew he couldn't be there with him 24/7-- he wasn't exactly going to hold his hand to the ring or anything like that. "Sure, bud. Good luck out there tonight!"
"Back at ya, sir! Go out there and tear that house down!" John shouted, pointing toward the entrance to the area in a very exaggerated manner. Jeff couldn't help but smile--he thought it was so cute the way that John's character sometimes came through, even when he wasn't performing.
Jeff watched for a few moments as John walked away, seeing him move-in on the trio, grabbing Orton's attention--Kennedy and Carlito took their leave, saying their good byes and allowing the two rivals to their business.
Sean gently cleared his throat. "So, anyway..."
Jeff broke himself out of his trance and jerked his head to face Sean. "Ohh hey, sorry. I guess I'm still just kinda star struck seeing all you guys..."
"It's ok," Sean said, reassuringly. "I was the new guy once...some time ago..."
Jeff chuckled. "Nah, it's all good. So, what ideas did you have in mind?"
Sean started, "Well, I'm actually going to be 'putting you over' tonight. It is a dark match, but, hopefully, it will still manage to get some attention from the crowd and stir- up some talk. The match is going to be pretty brief--maybe like 5 minutes. Ideally, the officials that will be watching you tonight want make sure you can handle a little bit of a beating...sorry to say. Taking bumps and shots, making them look real and believable, are really important to these guys. That, and still being an unknown, the crowd might get kind of confused if you walk in there and start kicking my ass--no offense."
"Ohh no, not at all," Jeff offered. "I can totally understand how that would work."
"But, anyway," Sean continued. "Toward the end, you'll get your chance; either you'll take control or you'll just whip-out something crazy at the last second to get the win, like a schoolboy or a backslide or something like that, ya know?"
"Sure, sure," Jeff replied.
"Wait, actually...what's this move of yours I've been hearing about?" Sean asked.
Jeff beamed. "Ohh, you mean the Whipwreck?!" He had gotten to show it off at his audition, but he didn't know people were actually talking about it--this got him all excited and giddy.
Sean laughed. "Well, if that's what you call it. What is it? Maybe we could give it a shot. That would definitely get a nice crowd reaction."
"You might think it sounds kinda crazy, so I could understand if you might not be all about it..." John stated, coyly. "What I do is prep while you're comin' toward me, bend down, and launch you into the air as if for a free-fall drop. You'd then fall for a second or two, as if you were going to land flat on your stomach, but I grab you really quick in a front face lock when you're at about shoulder level and twist it around into a neckbreaker. It's really quick and snappy-like, and the impact of it is really dramatic. Ya just gotta be quick and precise about it. I don't think it would be dangerous or anything like that, but I'd leave that up to you."
Sean grinned and stoked his goatee for a second, contemplating the idea, while Jeff chewed on his lip, wondering if Sean thought he was just totally fucking nuts to come up with something like that. "I say we go for it!" Sean suddenly exclaimed, much to the shock of Jeff.
"Really?!" Jeff gasped. "You wanna go for it?"
"Hell yea--I think it sounds awesome! This is your audition, kid. If that means taking a risk, you've got to do it. Leave 'em with something to talk about; make 'em want to see more." Jeff was pleasantly surprised that he was so willing to go out of his way to help him out and get him noticed. He had just assumed that all the established guys could really give a shit what happened to some new guy that had just waltzed in the building, trying to make a name for himself. These guys probably dealt will Jeff's type all the time, so Sean tolerance to the idea, especially having been with the company for a while, was very encouraging to him. As nuts as it would probably be out there in the ring, he knew he was in good hands.
"Thanks, man," Jeff said, giving a small, polite smile.
"Hey, like I said, I've been there before. I know what it's like to be incredibly nervous and wishing you knew that you had somebody watching your back. Aside from that though, I know from talking to the recruiters that they definitely saw something they liked in you--they're definitely expecting you to deliver. I can already tell that John likes you too, and that's got to mean something. I mean, he did give you like all of his clothes to wear..." Jeff giggled, looking down at himself, having forgotten all about that fact that he was dressed as he was. Sean went on. "I know he's got to want you to succeed as well. A lot of the guys, too, look up to him as a leader, so to have his endorsement means you've got a hell of a lot of support backing you here. You've got nothing holding you back--just go out there and show 'em what you've got."
Jeff began to feel himself becoming overwhelmed. All of Sean's kind words and revelations almost made him want to cry, but he knew better than to let himself get all emotional right now, right before they were due to go out. Coming from a seasoned guy like Sean, the words were even more impactful, as if being spoken by a father-figure or some other kind of mentor. He had an air about him that was both very intelligent and wise, from his years with this business. "I can't thank you enough," Jeff managed to squeeze out, extending his hand to Sean.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'd probably do the same thing for the next guy." Sean smiled, accepting the handshake. He then bent and raised his left arm toward his face, so he could glance at his watch. "Well damn, it's 6:50 already! The show is going to start in 10 minutes. We're not on 'til fourth, but we should probably get going so we can warm up and stuff. Just head back here during the third match, and I'll meet you in the entranceway."
"Okay, Sean, sounds good. I'll see you in a bit!"
"See ya!" Sean smiled, nodding to Jeff. Turning to walk off, Jeff's eyes followed him for a second, until he noticed that John and Randy were still standing there, engaged in conversation. Just as he glanced over at the two, he noticed John gesture toward Jeff with his thumb, not actually turning to look at whom he was pointing at--Jeff guessed he was talking to Randy about him. On cue, Randy turned toward Jeff and saw him looking back at him, causing Randy to give Jeff a small, polite wave. Noticing this, John then turned and saw Jeff as well, eliciting a slightly more excitable wave from him. He nodded, giving a small smile and returning a quick wave directed to the two of them. Next, he pointed to John and mouthed the words, "I'll catch your ass later."
"Good luck," John mouthed back. Jeff then nodded to Randy once more and turned to begin the short journey back to the locker room. The halls were a little crowded, packed mostly with crewmembers, as there was a lot of tension/excitement in the air about the start of the show. He guessed that a lot of the wrestlers probably also liked to retreat to their locker rooms for a little while before the show to warm-up and prepare themselves mentally. After a couple minutes, he was once again standing at the door with the sign that said, so plainly, 'Locker Room.' Upon entering, he immediately noticed the guy Matt that he had run into earlier was back already, doing some squats. There were a few other guys in the room now that he didn't recognize, but they seemed too wrapped-up in what they were doing to even notice that someone had entered the room. Matt did look up quickly, however, as if he were awaiting Jeff's return; he shot up and bounded over to him. "Hey buddy! Looks like I'm on right before you, so I figured I'd come back a little early and do some warm-ups. Did you wanna join me?"
"Sure man! Just give me a sec to put some of this stuff away." Matt nodded, acceptingly. With that, Jeff jogged the few feet over to his locker, quickly stripping off all of the John Cena gear and propping his left foot up on the bench so he could carefully take out his iPhone and stash it in a safe place. After securing all of his things, he bolted over to the bathroom area, clad only in his wrestling gear now, to give himself a once over in the mirror. The damn hat John shoved on his head had matted his hair a little bit, so Jeff just ran his hands through it a few times to try and work some volume back into it. Not exactly satisfied, but figuring there wasn't much else he could do at this point, he just grunted and ran back out into the main area to join Matt. "Okay, sorry, I'm ready!"
"It's all good. Should we start with the squats? Maybe like 200 or something like that?" Matt asked.
"Sure, let's do it," Jeff agreed. And so, the two began cranking out the set, counting off as they went. Around '100' or so, Jeff could start to feel it in his legs, as his heart rate began to pick up as well. Determined, and knowing this was absolutely necessary, he kept going. Toward the end, the numbers began coming out much more forcibly, accompanied by grunts and other guttural sounds. "...197...198...199...200," the two cheered.
"Whoo," Jeff elated, slightly out of breath. "What's next?"
"How's about some bicycle exercises for the abs? Just keep goin' as quick as you can for a few minutes." On cue, Jeff dropped to the floor, lying flat on his back, joined by Matt a couple of feet to his right. The two got into position, placing their hands behind their heads, raising their shoulders, and wrapping their elbows around their ears. "Okay, ready?" Matt turned, looking for confirmation before he continued--Jeff nodded. "Go!"
This went on for a few more minutes, accompanied by some other exercises like jumping jacks, push-ups, and a whole assortment of different stretches. The whole time, Jeff noticed some of the other guys coming and going, having their matches before Matt and himself. "Alright man, I better get my ass out of here!" Matt practically shouted, glancing over at the monitor that showed the second match was going on. He immediately dropped his left leg that he had pulled behind his back, gunning for the door. "It was definitely good meetin' ya! Break a leg out there!" And with that, he was out the door, before Jeff could even really respond.
"Thanks," Jeff said quietly to himself. Recovering from the quick but intense workout, he paced slowly back over to his locker to grab his bag, toting it into bathroom area. The few remaining guys were either still engaged in their own workouts or just chatting quietly amongst themselves.
Jeff looked in the mirror again, taking a deep breath and exhaling sharply. "You got this," was all he said. Obsessively, he whipped out a jar of product, fiddling with his hair a little more, now that he had an extra minute or two to himself. Satisfied, he put the container away, retrieved a towel, and washed his hands and face. Drying off, he then entered his bag again in search of the baby oil--he hated the feeling of it, but he knew it helped with all the friction of the ropes and the mat and everything...he'd at least put a little on. Lathering up his hands, he started running his hands up his arms first, followed by his chest and stomach, which were covered in a light, well-maintained coating of light brown hair. Adding a little more to his hands, he finished up with his back, reaching over his shoulders on arm at a time to do his upper back. Finally, he bent his arms under, rubbing up and down from just below his shoulder blades to the top of his tights. Deciding his legs weren't all that important, he closed up the bottle and tossed it back in the bag.
Feeling icky, he washed the excess off of his hands and blotted himself with the towel. Looking up once more, he smiled to himself in the mirror and collected all of his stuff, taking it back to his locker.
At this point, the guys ad wrapped up their workouts and were gathered around the monitor, glued to it. They were checking out the action, but they were mostly paranoid about not missing their respective cues. Jeff walked up behind the crew, standing up on his tippy toes to peer over their shoulders for a second. He could see Matt on the monitor, having his introduction read by the ring announcer. Taking this as his cue, he plopped back down on his heels and headed for the door. The hallway was significantly less crowded, as most of the crew was off in their assigned positions for the show. Jeff decided to slowly jog down to the gathering area, passing a few different people along the way, greeting them with nods, smiles, and 'how ya doin's. He quickly reached the entranceway, which was also sparsely populated, aside from a couple crew guys there to cue the wrestlers--Sean was already there as well. He leaned in toward Jeff as he approached, whispering into his ear. "Hey, you ready?"
"Yea, I think so," Jeff whispered back. "Not that I really have much of a choice at this point."
Sean quietly laughed. "Yea, that's true. You're gonna head out first, and then I'll make my entrance after you've entered the ring. You won't really have any lighting or music or anything like that, but you'll be announced after they announce me. Lillian will say something like, 'And, in the ring, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jeff Johnson!" At which point, you can like raise you're arms up or whatever you feel like doing; just acknowledge yourself to the crowd. Don't get discouraged if there isn't much of a reaction--just go with it."
Suddenly, the two were interrupted as Matt emerged back through the curtain, having just finished up his match. He spotted Jeff standing there in the dark, his face slightly illuminated by the white rope lights hanging above their heads. Sean retracted, seeing Matt approach. Leaning in, he then whispered to Jeff, "Have fun, man!" And, with a quick pat on the back, he was gone.
Turning his attention back to Sean, Jeff whispered, "I think I'm ready." Sean pleasantly smiled, conceding that he too felt Jeff was ready. Lifting his hand, Sean gestured for Jeff to head over to the curtain. Hesitantly, he did so, taking a few slow, forced steps over to the entrance, which was marked by two white footprints painted on the floor. Staring at the floor, Jeff took a couple of deep breaths, shaking out his arms and hands while rolling his neck around a few time. Looking up once again, he focused on the curtain, as if studying how he would even walk through it--he felt the need to be very meticulous, not wanting to screw up even the slightest of mundane details. Before his mind could wander even further, however, he heard the voice of one of the crewmen call out to him.
"Alright, kid. You're on!"
So everybody--hope you liked this latest chapter. This is Jeff's big moment! How will it go? Stay tuned to find out soon! :o) As always, send your questions, comments, and concerns out to ITSMonkeywolfnoz@aol.com. Have a nice day! :o)