* * * * *
“Joey, they loved you,” Duke said from behind the oak desk. Duke, Goliath, and Joey had made their way to a business office on the arena concourse. Goliath had closed the door behind them. Duke was sitting in the leather chair as if he came to this office every day. Joey sat directly opposite Duke, with Goliath crowding him on his right. There was one overhead fluorescent lamp and no windows. The gray lighting made the room look like a home movie.
“Believe me, Joey,” said Goliath, “the reaction you got on Monday night was something special. Most people in this business will never hear something like that. I hope you allowed yourself to enjoy it.”
“I did. It was a great night for me,” said Joey. He believed every word of what Jade had said to him, and knew that whatever this meeting was for, it might be better for his standing backstage if it wasn’t happening. Still, he enjoyed the praise.
“We’re going to jump on this right away,” said Duke, who was breathing heavily from the walk up the stairs and around the concourse. “These opportunities only come once in a great while, Joey. You’re the hottest thing on the show already. Goliath and I think you’re ready to take the next step.”
“Thank you, I really appreciate that,” said Joey. He wished Jumbo were in here to listen to this praise, to hear that Joey’s wink wasn’t a big deal to the boss.
“You’ll have your scheduled matches with Bret through the house shows, but come Monday night, we’re going to put you in a new program,” said Duke.
“We’re in the process of re-scripting Monday night, specifically because of you,” said Goliath.
“Here’s what’s planned,” said Duke. He cleared his throat, making a disgusting, turkey-baster sound. “Tomorrow morning we announce on the web that the next episode of Burn will have a tournament to determine the number 1 contender for the GWA World Title. Then, every hour between noon and eight on Saturday, we announce on the web site one of the wrestlers who will be competing in the tournament.”
“It’s going to be Crusader, Jumbo, Lord Mayberry, Gordy Goodnow, Jack Branson, Deep Six, Zombie, and you,” said Goliath.
“You’ll be announced last,” said Duke. “Then, on Sunday at noon, we’ll post the tournament brackets on the web. Your first match will be against Lord Mayberry. He’ll cheat, the ref won’t see, the deck will be stacked against you, you know the routine, but you’ll be going over. You, Crusader, Jumbo, and Branson will all advance to the second round. You can imagine that you’ll be seen as the underdog among those four.”
“Sure,” said Joey. They were going so fast he didn’t completely understand, but figured he’d catch up as they went along.
“The underdog is the most natural babyface in wrestling,” said Goliath. “You’ll be the underdog in every match. Every match will be scripted for you to go over against impossible odds. By the time you make it to the finals, the crowd is going to be nuts for you. It will be the ultimate Cinderella story.”
“And in the finals,” interrupted Duke, “you’ll meet Jumbo in a rematch of last week’s classic. The script will be the same, only this time you’re going to take even more of a beating. It’s going to be insane when you pull out the stops and win the match. And, of course, that will be what sets you up to go against Goliath in the main event the next week. How do you like it so far?”
“It sounds great,” said Joey, overwhelmed. A program for the World Title? Was this for real? “Who all knows about this storyline?” he asked.
“No one yet,” said Duke. “Goliath and I just finished concocting it on the drive over here. I’m going to tell the other guys in the tournament about the whole plan as soon as they get here. The rest of the roster will hear about it when it goes on the web.”
“We thought it would be better if only the participants in the tournament knew,” said Goliath. “We’re going to be really careful about leaks. We don’t want any of the Internet fans getting word that you’re going over in the tournament.”
“I have to admit,” began Joey, “I’m a little nervous about the reaction this will get in the locker room. I’m getting a major push here, and--”
“I can understand your concern, Joey,” said Goliath. “Believe you me, there’s been a lot of politicking in this locker room in the past. But I’ve gotta tell you, when the ratings come in and we wallop Revolution Riot, the guys are gonna love you like a brother.”
“You think so?” said Joey.
“Oh yeah,” said Duke. “This is a big month. We need ratings to pay the bills. The other performers aren’t going to care that you’re getting pushed if your success pays their salaries.”
“Trust me on this one, Joey,” said Goliath. “Guys care about the pecking order, and about paying their dues, but when it comes down to it, we all know that none of that means squat if no one’s watching. Ratings have been down for months now. All of us are anxious to try anything that might work. I was hanging out with Crusader and Zombie earlier this week, and they’re excited about the reaction you got on Monday. And they’re not the only ones. Guys here really want us to do something that will get people to watch. Whoever gets people to watch is going to be a popular man in the locker room.”
Joey relaxed into his chair. Goliath, Crusader, Zombie, and Duke -- these were big, powerful names that apparently were in his corner. He was particularly surprised to hear Goliath say that Crusader was on board. “That makes me feel better,” said Joey. “I was talking to someone earlier, and I thought that maybe....well--”
“Was it Jade?” said Goliath.
Joey hesitated. He didn’t want to rat out his new friend and future date, especially not in front of Goliath.
“Don’t worry about Jade,” Goliath continued. “She’s a great wrestler, and a great woman, but she’s also a gossip. Wouldn’t you agree Duke?”
“Oh yes. Love her to death, but don’t listen to a word she says. That gal’s always out to start a ruckus. It’s just her personality. Some people are like that.”
“Seriously Joey,” said Goliath. “I wouldn’t worry a bit. If the angle works, and people watch, the guys backstage will love you. If the angle doesn’t work, and Revolution kicks our ass this month, the guys backstage will understand. We all know we’ve got to try something different than we’ve been doing.”
“I completely understand your concern Joey,” said Duke. “If this angle doesn’t work, we’ll gently put you back in the midcard and try something else. But I don’t think that will happen. I think this will work. People are going to start talking once we get word up on the Internet.”
They were speaking so fast, and every word was one of reassurance. Joey felt like he was among friends. “So what happens the next week when you and I have our title match?” Joey asked Goliath.
“I’ll win,” Goliath said. “But I’m going to have to cheat like hell. You just aren’t going to go down easy.”
“And of course that will lead to a rematch,” said Duke.
“A rematch at the pay-per-view?” said Joey.
“No, not this time,” said Duke.
Joey nodded his head, as if to say, ‘Of course not this time, I’m just a rookie, it was a stupid question.’
“We’re really going to let it all hang out on television and clean up in the May sweeps,” said Duke. Joey nodded some more as Duke continued. “I have plans for an extended feud over the course of several weeks between you and Goliath. The details aren’t all worked out, but you know the routine, some cliffhangers, some teasers, a bloody beatdown by the heel. It will all build to a World Title Match on the last episode in May.”
Duke stopped there, as if his sentences had winded him. This time Joey was able to sit quietly and wait, even though Duke had left out an important detail. After a few seconds of silence, Goliath answered the obvious question.
“May sweeps will end with you winning the World Title, Joey.” Goliath smiled as he spo
ke, delivering the news like a nurse speaking to a new mother.
“Are you up to it?” said Duke.
Joey was speechless. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He was going to be the GWA World Champion. It had been his dream since he was a teenager.
“Yeah, I’m up to it,” he said.
“Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page Joey,” said Duke. “This will be the beginning of great things for you.”
“This will be the beginning of great things for all of us,” said Goliath.