One Fall

CHAPTER 11

  The San Antonio house show was mercifully uneventful. Joey got the biggest fan response of any wrestler. As planned, he went over Bret in a short match. Other matches on the card included Zombie going over Gordy Goodnow and Goliath successfully defending the GWA title against Deep Six.

  Joey took a fast shower after his match, quickly dressed himself in blue jeans and a maroon polo shirt, and jogged out to his rental car, a Ford Explorer. He exited the parking garage and turned right, driving the one block between the Alamodome and the downtown Hilton. Leaving his car with the valet, he navigated the lobby to the elevators and found himself standing in front of room 218. He knocked twice.

  Jade answered, wearing a black pantsuit and diamond earrings. Her black hair was pulled into a pony tail and her face was made up in light tones that were a far cry from her wrestling look. She slumped her shoulders in disappointment half a second after seeing Joey.

  “I thought you were going to dress up,” she said. Her tone was serious enough to throw Joey into apology mode.

  “I never bring anything nicer than this on the road,” he said.

  Jade rolled her eyes and stepped out of the room.

  “I don’t either,” she said, “there’s a mall just down the street. I bought this outfit right after we ate.”

  “Oh. I should have thought about--”

  “That’s okay Joey. I’ll just be overdressed. I don’t mind.”

  As they walked toward the elevator, Joey’s mind plunged through as many options as he could conjure to remedy the bad start to their date.

  “Hey, what if our first stop tonight was the mall where you bought your clothes?” he said.

  “I’m not returning these Joey. I like the outfit, and I’m going to wear it tonight, regardless--”

  “No, not for you to return your clothes. For me to buy some. It’ll be fast, and then we’ll match.”

  The elevator arrived. A young couple stepped out. The man’s face betrayed starstruck recognition of both Joey and Jade. Joey shot him a look that said, ‘Not tonight.’ To his surprise, the man understood, and the couple walked past.

  “Okay, the mall will be our first stop,” said Jade, as they stepped into the elevator. “Then where are we going?”

  “Actually, I hadn’t decided. I don’t know San Antonio. Is there anyplace you’d like to go?”

  Jade smiled and shook her head. “You’re not much of a date, are you Joey?”

  Joey bit his lip. This wasn’t going well at all. A bell rang to signify the elevator’s halt. Joey wanted to say something like an apology, something about how he’d turn this around and show her a good time. But the door opened, and a small crowd was waiting to get on. Any one of them might recognize Joey and Jade, and somehow Joey didn’t want to say anything in front of them. He could tell this date would be awkward. They would have no privacy as long as they were out in the world.

  One hour and a few sentences of conversation later, they landed in a private booth at the Watercress Café, a quaint restaurant near the Riverwalk, recommended by the hotel concierge. Joey’s polo shirt and jeans were in the trunk of the car; he was now dressed in a black suit with a white silk tie. Jade had picked out the suit from the rack at Foley’s. It didn’t fit well enough to justify the price, but there wasn’t time for tailoring, so Joey paid cash and they were off.

  They avoided shop talk during dinner, and instead spoke about each other. Joey talked about growing up in Memphis, his brother, and his childhood life in the suburbs. He didn’t mention the Memphis Backyard Brawlers. She probably already knew anyway. Mark had put together a compilation video of the group’s travails (featuring a teenage Joey Mayhem!) and was selling it on the web.

  Jade spoke about her family in Dallas. Her father had passed away two years ago. She briefly mentioned that she wished she had seen more of him at the end of his life, then moved on. Her mother now lived in a trendy apartment that Jade paid for. Her older brother disapproved of her skimpy wrestling outfits and her nude photo shoots. He was currently ignoring her. She no longer spoke with any of her friends from youth – things had changed when she became wealthy. She cautioned Joey against making the same mistakes she had.

  After dinner, Joey offered to take Jade along the Riverwalk, but she declined, fearing they would be seen and photographed. A movie and a dance club were also dismissed. They ended up just driving around town in Joey’s Explorer. Jade wore sunglasses until they got on the Interstate.

  Joey drove south until they were out of San Antonio proper. They exited onto Highway 181 and followed the road signs to Calaveras Lake. They parked in an open area next to the water. Joey killed the engine. The night air was buzzing with crickets, but there were no sounds of civilization. Through the windshield, they could see a sliver of moonlight gleaming from the lake. Oaks on either side of them made for a feeling of privacy. They sat in silence for a minute before Jade brought up work for the first time of the evening.

  “I bet you’re nervous about Monday night,” she said.

  “I’m petrified,” said Joey.

  More silence.

  “I’m just telling myself that I’m going to nail it, and put on the perfect match with Goliath. If we nail it, there won’t be anything anyone backstage can say.”

  “Do you know much about the booking yet?”

  “I know we’re getting at least ten minutes. I know Goliath is going over but it won’t be clean. Other than that, I haven’t heard anything. I imagine there will be a ref bump and I’ll be hit with the title belt or a chair.”

  “It sounds like it will be set up so you can connect with the fans.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” Joey was surprised at how matter-of-fact this crucial part of wrestling had become in his matches. Connecting with the fans was no longer an issue for him. He was now on six performances in a row, in six different cities, where he was getting the biggest fan response of anyone on the roster. It didn’t seem to matter who he was wrestling or how well he wrestled. It was just a given that the crowd would love him.

  This week the issue was connecting with the veterans in the locker room. If he didn’t put on a great match, a much better match than Crusader or Branson or Jumbo or Deep Six could put on, than his political problems would only worsen.

  “What are you up to on TV this week?” Joey asked.

  “Just more of the same, I think,” said Jade. “I’m hearing that I’ll be in a program for the women’s title again, maybe as early as next pay per view.”

  “Well that’s cool. They need to put that belt on you and leave it there.”

  “Thanks, but they won’t, and I don’t know if I care anyway. The women’s belt doesn’t mean a thing anymore. We’re paying the piper for too many years of vaudeville with the women in this company. Now the only people who care about me or any of the other girls are the little boys who want to see tits and ass. The wrestling fans groan when we come out, and I don’t blame them. We haven’t done anything that would entertain them for years. It just sucks.”

  Joey nodded his head in agreement. The women’s division was the hopeless slouch in the GWA family. While men’s wrestling in the GWA was moving steadily toward athleticism, women’s wrestling was flying away from it. It used to be expected that women would go out and put on a cat fight with a few wrestling holds and a lot of attitude. Now a woman in the GWA could expect two bra and panties matches in a giant gravy bowl for every one match in the ring. In the past year alone, Joey had watched Jade wrestle in the mud, in whipped cream, in the shower, on a waterbed, in a kitchen, and in a hot tub. She had to perform skits where she made out with other women, stripped naked in front of Duke, and had cow manure poured over her head. She, like most of the women on the roster, endured this embarrassment because every once in a while she was allowed to have a regular match, in a ring, with rules, and like the men in the company, Jade was a junkie for the drama of professional wrestling
. Joey couldn’t imagine enduring the crap she went through just to get a shot at an occasional wrestling match.

  “Have you ever thought of going to work for Revolution?” Joey asked, boldly breaking an unspoken GWA rule with his question.

  “Of course I have,” said Jade. “I remember what it was like to work under Gene Harold. He understood what wrestling fans wanted to see out of women’s matches. My contract here is up in a little over a year, and maybe I’ll finally bolt, but, you know, it’s hard. I’ve been doing this for eight years now. I’m kind of tired.”

  Jade paused and looked out the window, as if she were seeing a memory out in the lake. The moonlight lit half of her face. Joey wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked. After all, this was a date. Somehow the conversation hadn’t been very romantic.

  “I don’t want to talk about me anymore,” said Jade. “You’re the exciting one in this company. Let’s talk about you.”

  “I don’t know if I’m that exciting,” said Joey. “Just lucky, and, for whatever reason, chosen by the boss.”

  “It’s not for whatever reason, Joey. You’re a superstar. You need to accept it.”

  “Well, you’re very kind,” he said.

  “I’m not being kind, just honest,” said Jade. There was something in her voice that Joey hadn’t heard from her before, admiration. “I think you’ve got it. I think you’re the best foil for Goliath we have in the company, and a good feud between you two will get a lot of people watching. And I think you’re going to be a huge star someday. Hell, what am I talking about? You’re already a huge star – the reaction you’re getting at the house shows, it’s...it’s unreal.

  “And I’ll tell you something, Joey. Everyone backstage knows that you’re the real deal. That more than anything is why they’re giving you grief. Crusader can act upset that he has to put over a rookie, but what really upsets him is that he knows he’ll be putting you over from here on out. He knows that you’re going to take this opportunity and run to the moon with it, and his dream of being number one is finished.”

  “You think so? Jade, I really appreciate you saying--”

  “I’m not just saying kid, it’s obvious to everyone. Listen, I know the backstage shit is really bothering you, and I know that two weeks ago in Lubbock I told you to watch your back, and I know that last week I didn’t react well when you told me and Shane that you were winning the strap. But it took just one little push and the fans went ballistic for you. I’ve never seen anything like it. Do I think you’re getting the title too early? Yes. I think Duke is making it really hard for you to put on good programs with the veterans who will be jealous of you from now on. But so what? You’re the hottest guy around right now. The fans will love it when you win the belt. I think I see what Duke’s trying to swing here. I’m being honest when I say I hope it works out.”

  “Thanks Jade. That means a lot to me.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  The conversation reached its destination with Jade’s compliment, and they sat in comfortable silence for awhile. Joey wondered if anyone else thought like Jade. Maybe he had more allies in the locker room, and just didn’t know who they were. He considered asking Jade if she knew of anyone else who was behind him, but was scared of leading the conversation back to him and his career. He didn’t want to come across as self-centered.

  “Why did you ask me to come out with you tonight Joey?” said Jade.

  There were a hundred reasons. She was beautiful, she had been flirting with him, he thought she’d say yes, he had a feeling, he was attracted to her, she was an icon and a trophy.

  “I don’t know,” he said.

  “Well...do you have anything more planned for us to do tonight?”

  “I guess I don’t.” Joey smiled, hoping Jade would understand that he didn’t know what he was doing, but he had enjoyed the night.

  On the way back to town, they spoke about each other and their interests outside of work. Jade talked about her love for old movies. Her favorite actor was Carey Grant; her favorite movie was Roman Holiday. Joey talked about his memories of fishing, hiking, and hunting with his family. He recalled a memorable camping trip in Virginia when racoons stole all their food.

  Joey parked in the garage for the downtown Hilton, and escorted Jade back to her room. She thanked him for their date. They said good night. They didn’t kiss, or even hug. Just good night and Jade softly closed the door behind her. It was oddly appropriate, Joey thought. Amidst all the sexual charge of the wrestling world, he and the industry’s biggest sex symbol had just completed a first date straight out of Dear Abbey. And it felt right. Joey strolled back to his car, feeling smooth as a ribbon. That night he slept little, his mind a bustling mix of excitement and fear.