Secret Life Of a Pro-Wrestler, Personal Experience Part 13: Starstruck!

The Secret Life of a Pro-Wrestler is back, I took a break from them because of all the Wrestlemania recaps and the whole Ron Johnson controversy. But I felt I should bring it back, especially because this is my 500th article for B/R.

But in any case most of you know what these articles are about. But if not, it is about the Secret Life of a Pro-Wrestler. What happens behind closed doors in wrestling? What are the wrestlers really thinking during matches? Why do they wrestle? All will be answered in these articles.

If you have not seen the last article, Part 12, I ask you to check it out to better understand this article.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/151208-secret-life-of-a-pro-wrestler-personal-experience-part-12-the-calling

Of course if you have not checked them all out, I ask you to please do so.

Now Part 13

It seemed I was backed up into a corner, I had no idea what to do. I just got my first taste on gold in the wrestling world. While it was tag team gold, I knew I deserved it.

I knew that Eric Escobar was being called up, and I knew he deserved it. But why did I have to suffer for his success? I was happy for Escobar of course, he is my friend and mentor, why wouldn't I be?

It was that I had to lose my gold that I just won the previous week. And with Escobar leaving FCW and moving up to the ECW roster, he was not able to be there to keep an eye on me.

I had to do right for myself, and I knew that. But the fact is that I am a newby. I still don't know all the lingo in the wrestling world, yet alone what it takes to get to the top.

The only think I knew was that I had to go out tonight and lose my tag titles, and I had to lose them to none other than Joe Hennig and Brett Dibiase. While I had no problem with Dibiase, we all know my history with Hennig.

Having to lose my newly won tag titles to him above all people ate me up inside. And of course I knew Hennig would glout until he was horse. Which having him unable to talk was not a bad idea.

I had to go out there and lose, but, I would still put on a show.

Burgett and Escobar go out and lose the FCW Tag Team Titles, Escobar tells the crowd he after the match he will be leaving FCW to go to ECW on WWE TV, to look for him there in about week or two.

Afterwards Escobar comes to the back and is embraced by many of the FCW wrestlers. I told him to do well in ECW and to wrestle the same he did here ad he would be great. He of course knew that, but it didn't hurt to tell him I thought.

We are friends, he knows it, I know it, everyone knows it. And it was tough to see him go. But this was good in a way, if he does well, he may be able to help get me a call up in the future.

He had been in FCW close to 4 years now, I had been in FCW for about 7 close to 8 months now. I just hoped I would not have to wait as long as he did.

We went out for dinner that night, it was the last time we would get spend time with one another before he left to go on the road. Of course we talked about many things, and one thing he told me was something I'll never forget

"When your out there in the ring, or training, or in whatever you do. You need to know one thing, you are in control of whatever you do. See you can be swayed a bit by others.

Sometimes they want you to do something you don't want to do, and you can do what they want. Or you can be your own person, be in control. And if you do that you will have the respect of many.

They may not like you for it, but they will know your not some Yes Man they can make to do anything they want. Remember to always be the Author of your own Life Story."

After that there was nothing left to say. I told him goodbye and good luck and that I would watch him on ECW.

He said that he would put my initials on his wristband to show that we were still pals. And I told him I would have his on my wristbands aswell. Similar to what Rey Mysterio did for Eddie Guerrero.

Of course no one was dead here, but we had a friendship together. So it was just to honor that of course.

The next day I had to see what my future was after I lost my tag gold, so I went to ask. I had to ignore Hennig while I walked in to the FCW training center, but that was my only goal for the day.

I asked the writers what I would be doing this week, they came up with an idea for me to sort of call out a current WWE Superstar. I asked them, who I would call out?

They said that Shawn Michaels was coming to the FCW arena this week, and I was going to call him out as a sort of rookie saying the old veterans take all the spotlight, and should leave it for guys like me. Sort of like a Jericho gimmick for the night.

I did not like it, I was a face why would I call out Michaels and then look like a heel? It made no sense.

I had a better idea, I felt that Michaels would not go for some FCW rookie to come out and let them go over on him.

So I felt that we could do a storyline where I called him out, but told him how much of a fan I was of him. How I wanted to frame my career after him. And then challenge him to a match that night to make some sort of an impression on him.

I would of course lose the match, but I would get a few moves over on him. And still keep my face character

Michaels was on a break at this point, so he did not have a show to get to or anything other than FCW's for at least 3 weeks. And he had been off for about a month already.

So one match was not going to hurt him, and he did tell some of the writers and bookers he wanted to get some ring rust off before going back to RAW.

So they said they would pitch the idea to him and get back to me tomorrow on it.

The next day

I went up the bookers and writers and asked them if they had spoken to Michaels. They said that they have and that he was ok with the idea. Also he said he had seen me in action and was eager to get in the ring with me.

I pretty much blacked out there, Shawn Michaels knew who I was. Ok, my heart was beating incredibly fast, I felt like I was having a heart attack. I needed to sit down.

I was going to be able to wrestle the great Shawn Michaels, and not only that he actually knew who I was already. Are you kidding me, Michaels knows me? WOW

After I composed myself and washed my face in cold water, I had to figure out what we would do in the match.

Michaels was going to arrive to later in the day possibly around 4 or 5. So I had to have some sort of idea ready to pitch to him.

A few hours later, Michaels arrives

It was time, he was finally here. I was going to meet the man, the myth, the legend the Heart Break Kid, Mr. Wrestlemania Shawn Michaels!!

He came up and shook my hand, I could not find any words to say. He said I am supposed to wrestle you Thursday right?

I, being the starstruck guy I was said " Wrestle you yes, me do, I'm Joe"

Ok, so it wasn't the best words to find, but I think he knew what I said. Not sure, he may have needed Jericho or someone to decode it, but I think he was ok.

He laughed and said, "Its ok I am Shawn, how are you?" He held out his hand for me to shake of course.

I shook it, and this time had the right words in order to say. I yelled "Hi, Joe, fine"

Short and sweet, and it made sense. So that was good.

At least he could understand that better. He asked me to get with him in about an hour in the Training Center so we could go over the match.

I waited an hour, of course it was fun to go around and say "Ya, I'm waiting to meet with Shawn Michaels, you know how it is"

Which was getting annoying to people, yet it was still fun to say.

It was finally one hour from the time he said meet him in an hour. I went over to the Training Center.

I sat down with him and he asked what we would do. I told him of course he would win, and he actually said that didn't matter to him. I asked why, and he said he has won a lot of matches in his life, and lost many too.

This is not for a title or anything so it didn't matter to him. I still said he would win, and he was of course ok with what ever I came up with.

I asked if there was anything he wanted to put in the match. He said he wanted me to do as many of the high flying moves I could do in this match. He said he loved watching me do them because they were so fluid.

He also said my strength was great for a guy my size. He claimed I could be the next John Cena with power like that.

I just asked him to be Shawn Michaels, that would be more than enough for me.

The match was not going to be long, maybe 5 or 6 minutes. Because I would come out while he was in the ring greeting the crowd as a surprise. And then I would come out and challenge him then.

He was going to super kick me in the end and pin me, then walk over to get a mic and say " Nice try kid, better luck next time" then leave.

Would it go over with the crowd, would they receive me well. Would they be ok with me challenging the great HBK Shawn Michaels? Who knows?

I guess we will find out at the show.