“You guys know what tonight is, I don’t need to tell you the importance of going out and having a good show. Remember you are in competition with no one but yourself. Just do the best you can. You are already prepared. Nothing can happen that you don’t let happen.
“Chad, forget about the critics. Dial in. I need you focused on tonight. Yegor, I need you to perk up. Emote. They need to see that you care. I know that both of you care but no one out there knows until you show them. Let’s make it happen fellas.”
Mark patted each of them on the back and left to mingle with some of the other veteran trainers.
Yegor paced around with his head down. Something was bothering him. I walked over to him. He ignored me as he continued pacing. I wasn’t sure if it was a ritual or if he was having a moment.
“Yegor? Yegor?” I said.
He ignored my call. I grabbed him. It stopped him in his pace. His bearded face scowled up at my touch.
“Are you ok?” I said. He turned his face from eye contact.
“I am fine,” he said. He wasn’t fine.
I didn’t know what to say but I tried regardless.
“Listen. Forget about that William Paddington stuff. That was a long time ago. You are you now. All you have is now,” I said to him. He snapped his head back at the mention of his previous stage name.
“I know who you were. And I know who you are now. You aren’t what the industry says. You aren’t who they think you are,” I continued.
“You know nothing,” Yegor dismissed. I shrugged. I tried.
“Ok. Be known as the guy who failed as William Paddington forever. Be the guy they used to like. Cry over your past forever,” I said.
He turned his back to me and started stretching. Chad’s eyes lit up. No one ever spoke to Yegor like this. Chad was fearful for me. Yegor grunted then walked outside to be alone.
“Wow. That was awesome. What made you say all that?” Chad asked as he approached me.
“I care.”
***
The lights in the gym dimmed. The crowd hushed. It was time. A loud guitar ripped through the speakers. Lights flashed abroad. It was time for Chad and Yegor.
Chad burst through the curtain with a huge smile on his face as the crowd applauded the good guy. He took his time to get to the ring, high fiving fans to cement his position as the match’s face character. I sat in the crowd along with Mark. He said nothing as his student hammed up for the crowd.
Another song hit, this time a much slower, darker song filled with horns. The lights dimmed as Yegor walked out. He paced to the ring, ignoring the crowd. Some of the children in the crowd booed the bad guy as he made his way to the ring.
The guys stood face to face as the bell rung. Yegor slapped Chad with an open hand as he commanded his position as the heel character. They tussled around the ring as the match started. A few moments in Chad asserted control.
The guys moved crisp, every move was beyond perfect. They came off the ropes, caught each other in body slams, and came off the top rope to the crowd’s delight. The match was fast paced just as Mark wanted.
Yegor looked out to the crowd as he left Chad on the mat. He scanned quickly, locking eyes with me then quickly darting away.
“He needs to get some heat. As a heel, the crowd should be invested in seeing you lose. They should be booing right now,” Mark whispered as he leaned into me. Yegor didn’t have that connection with the crowd.
Quickly Chad hopped up and dropkicked him. The crowd livened up. He knocked Yegor down with a clothesline as the crowd started to clamor more and more.
“See, Chad’s over. They want him to win,” Mark said. Chad started a spirit clap as he made his comeback. The crowd clapped in unison as Chad went on a run, landing combinations of kicks and punches before hitting his finishing move.
The referee counted, one… two… three, it was over. Chad was victorious. The crowd applauded as his hand was raised as the victor. Yegor rolled out of the ring and walked slowly backstage while Chad basked in the crowd’s love.
“Let’s go,” Mark instructed as he got up. We headed to the back to debrief Chad and Yegor.
Backstage Yegor sat alone on the floor along one of the walls. He held his head down in disappointment. He was not happy with his performance.
“Good match,” Mark said as he slapped him on the back. Yegor nodded. Moments later Chad came back with a huge smile on his face.
“That was awesome! I feel really good about tonight,” Chad said.
“It was ok,” Yegor said.
“You guys did good. You almost lost the crowd for a moment there, but it wasn’t too bad. I’m going to go see what the scouts think,” Mark spoke up. Yegor wasn’t moved. His demeanor was one of certain defeat.
“I’m going to hit the shower,” Chad said.
Yegor and I were left alone. I sat down on the floor next to him. I could feel he didn’t want to talk so I just sat with him for a few minutes. About five minutes later he broke the silence.
“What did you think?” he asked.
“You did good.You know that,” I said.
“I don’t think so. Just tell me what was wrong,” he replied.
“It’s the crowd. You weren’t getting a reaction from the crowd. That’s the problem,” I said.
Yegor went completely silent for a moment. He reflected on what happened. “They loved William Paddington,” he quietly said. Again, he turned his face the opposite way to avoid eye contact.
“Mark said that they should have been booing you before Chad made the comeback,” I replied.
The problem wasn’t that he didn’t know what to do; it was that he didn’t know how to do it. I was learning that a big part of wrestling was psychological and Yegor didn’t have the role down. He secretly wanted to be cheered. He loved playing the baby face character of William Paddington. His frosty exterior was all just a show to cover up. I felt I was finally starting to really understand him.
“Well, you can always ask Mark to play the face,” I said. Yegor continued to look away.
“I can’t change Mark’s decision. He told me to be the heel,” he said. With that he got up and headed to the shower. His upper body glistened from sweat. I couldn’t help but stare.
Once the guys got dressed we found Mark so we could leave. Mark seemed rather upbeat. He had some news.
“I have some good news,” Mark beamed as we gathered in a huddle, “the WWW has extended an invitation.” Everyone looked at each other. This was a big moment.
“Congrats Chad.”
CHAPTER 6
The ride home was terribly silent. Yegor was mulling in depression and Chad was too afraid to speak. I had to do something to break the ice. I confronted the issue head on. It was all I knew.
“Do you know why they only picked you Chad?” I asked. Chad’s eyes fearfully cut at me in the front seat. He didn’t want to discuss this in front of Yegor.
“Who knows? Wrestling is a unique business,” Chad quickly said.
“I’m asking because both of you did well, you two had the best match in my opinion. There has to be a reason they only want you,” I said.
Chad was not cool with the conversation. He quickly changed topics.
“Mark says he can give you two rides while I’m in Orlando. I’ll be right back. It’s nothing serious. It’s not like I’m going straight to the main stage.”
“You’re not coming back,” Yegor spoke up from the back seat. The tension could be cut with a knife. “That’s not how it works. Once you’re in Orlando you’re in WWW. You’re not coming back.”
“But I don’t get it. Why would they only take one of you?” I asked.
“That’s not your problem,” Yegor said. The car stopped. We were at Yegor’s place.
It was probably the last time he’d see Chad for a while. Yegor didn’t care. He slung his gym bag over his shoulder and got out. He issued his usual cold thank you and entered his apartment b
uilding.
Chad pulled the car into reverse as we began to leave. Something in my stomach shifted. This wasn’t right. I had to do something.
“Stop!” I said to Chad. He looked at me like I was crazy. I got out the car.
“Brianna what are you doing?” Chad called to me. I ignored him as I sprinted back to the building.
I was out of breath by the time I got to the door. I quickly flung it open and ran down the hallway, each step burning my chest as I was completely out of breath. I got to the end of the hall. There was another hall. I scanned left, then right. That’s when I saw him.
“Yegor!” I forced out of my drained lungs. He stopped in place, looking at me with puzzled eyes.
“What do you want? Why are you here?” he asked as I ran over to him.
“This has to stop. You cannot do this forever. Why do you act like this?” I asked. He turned his head, avoiding eye contact once again.
“Why do you care?” he said.
“Because I do! People care about you. We want to help you and you just push us away!” I yelled back.
“I’m not talking about this here. Come inside,” he commanded.
I walked shoulder to shoulder with him to his apartment a few doors down the hall. He unlocked the door and led me inside.
Yegor’s place was very modest. It was a studio apartment with nothing more than a bed, computer, and a table. Scattered across the studio were half empty bottles of protein powder and Gatorade. There were also books. A lot of books.
He slung his gym bag on the bed. “Say what you have to say,” he instructed.
“See, why do you have to be like this?” I asked. I sat down on the bed as he mulled around.
“Why do you care about me?” he asked again. The fact that I already answered the question once obviously was not good enough for him.
“Because I like you, you idiot!” I yelled at him. He was stunned. He said nothing; he just looked at me with a look I’d never seen before behind his thick black beard.
“You play like you’re this tough guy, but your actions say otherwise. You’ve helped me with everything since day one. You even told Mark to let Chad work as the face because of what happened to him in the past. You wanted him to get invited to Orlando. I know,” I replied as he said nothing and me down.
“Really? You’re still going to play tough guy? There’s no one here but you and I,” I said.
“You don’t know anything about me. I’m not a good guy,” he sighed then broke his silence. He was committed to the act. I was determined to break him down.
“Tell me about you then. What happened so bad that you can’t drop the attitude for just me?” I said. He walked slowly towards me as his demeanor softened a bit.
“I am an orphan, and an immigrant. I was sent here when I was two years old. I’ve never met my parents. I don’t know what happened to them. I’ve never been told what happened or why I was sent here. I’m just here.”
“I grew up in Oakland, California. I was a poor immigrant with no money. No parents. The people who raised me weren’t even family; they were just people who were told by whoever in Russia to take care of me. No one has ever explained anything to me. Wrestling is the only thing I can do to make a decent living, well, if I was in WWW and you already know that story,” he continued as I took it in.
“But you’re a good guy. Why act this way? I know you care about others. You can’t even pretend that you don’t,” I cut him off.
“That doesn’t mean anything. You need to realize that. It’s not about words. Your country is backwards. You’d rather say you care and not insure accountability. Most don’t give a damn. That is fact,” he responded.
He sat down on the bed his hand grazed my leg. It slowly crept up closer and closer. I grew anxious. I took a deep breath as he looked me in the eye.
“Brianna, you have a lot to learn. You’re a very pretty girl. You weren’t bad before you got in shape either. You’ll go far in this business. We have to train tomorrow and you have a ride to catch.”
He got up and walked with me to the front door of the building. Chad was still outside waiting in the Impala.
“Goodnight Brianna,” Yegor said as I got back in the car.
Chad was astonished. He asked me what was going on as we drove off. “What did you say to him?”
“I just wanted to make sure he was ok,” I replied as Chad nodded.
“Oh, and what happened?”
“I learned a little more about why he is the way his is,” I said.
“And why is that?” Chad asked.
“He’s a crazy Russian guy.”
“I knew that already. Did he say anything about me going to WWW? He didn’t seem too pleased,” Chad laughed.
“He wanted you to make it. You know that, right?” I said.
Chad shrugged. “I guess so. When you train with a guy as long as we’ve trained you kind of root for the guy, so I can see that.” he said.
“No. He specifically wanted you to work as the face. He wanted you to get over. He wanted to help you make it,” I corrected him.
“I’m not sure about all that. Yegor is a hard ass. I have the feeling you’re off on that one Bri,” Chad dismissed. We pulled in front of our destination. It was time for me to retire for the evening.
“I’m sure he’s happy for you,” I said, then added, “Either way, congrats on everything and thanks for all the help.” I gave him a congratulatory hug before I left for Tony’s.
Little did I know the drama was only just beginning that evening. When I made it up to the apartment I noticed there was an older white couple outside our door. I’d never seen them before. I brushed past them to open the door. The woman, a frail short blonde lady about 50, spoke up.
“And who are you?!” she hollered. I was taken back by the confrontation.
“Excuse me?!” I said.
“Are you Tony’s new hoochie momma girlfriend?” she asked. The gray bearded man who I presumed to be her husband nodded.
“I’m sorry but you have me mistaken for someone,” I said as I closed the door and went inside. As soon as the door latched closed, they began banging on it like savages. I looked over to the living room. Tony sat with his hands in his head. He was beyond stressed.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Those are Jamie’s dumbass parents. Ignore them; they are probably drunk or high. They’ll eventually get the point,” he said. I went to Little T’s room and retrieved the shiny Desert Eagle. I put it in my hoodie pocket. I wasn’t taking any chances.
“I’m about to make them leave,” I said.
“Good luck. Just don’t give them any money,” Tony replied.
The knocking increased louder and louder. I slung the door open.
“LOOK. I don’t know what you want but it’s not here,” I asserted. They didn’t even process the statement.
“Tony! Quit being a deadbeat! Pay for your children!” the woman blasted. Tony had enough. He hurried to the door, brushing past me.
“I ain’t giving you shit! You’re just here because you want money and I’m not about to give you any! You want some money? Call your daughter!” he screamed.
“We didn’t ask you to knock our daughter up! Now take care of your responsibilities Toooooooony,” the woman retorted. Tony was right, she was intoxicated off something.
“That was five years ago! I’m not having this argument with you every time you need something. Listen, get the hell from round here or I’m calling the police. If it wasn’t for my son I’d slap the shit out of both of you,” Tony replied.
I watched on as the couple stirred around. They were deciding whether to press the issue or leave. The man mumbled something as they turned down the stairs. Tony wasn’t done.
“And don’t even think about coming around here when my son is here. You fucking fiends!”
He slammed the door as they finally departed.
“Why
do you deal with that?” I asked.
Tony shook his head. “Brianna, you have a lot to learn.”
***
Training the next week was awkward. Without Chad it was just Yegor and I there in practical silence lifting weights, spotting each other, and doing cardio. I couldn’t fathom how Chad dealt with him on a daily basis before I arrived.
Mark didn’t have any direct instruction for us most of the day. He left us to do our own thing while he made phone calls to insure Chad’s travel arrangements were taken care of. It was always a big deal when a trainer sent a student down to WWW. The whole industry knew about it and that trainer got a little added notoriety to his name.
When it was time for the in-ring portion of the day’s training session, Mark took time to call us to the ring to brief us.
“Being that Chad is gone and it’s just you two now Brianna you’re going to have to wrestle Yegor until another student signs up. Are you comfortable with this?” Mark said.
I let out a quick, “Yes,” as I looked Yegor’s muscle bound body up and down.
I was beyond fine with wrestling the Russian.
On this day, Yegor said nothing as he took to a corner to wait for the start of our practice match. Mark called us to begin as I trotted out of my corner to initiate a grapple. Yegor did not take it easy on me.
He threw me off the ropes with what felt like all his strength then caught me in a headlock. I dropped down to one knee as he applied pressure. He leaned his body weight on me as I succumbed to the move and fell to the mat. That didn’t stop him.
Yegor continued to mount pressure as I struggled to breathe in the grip of the headlock. My head remained cradled in his forearm as he applied pressure. I felt his fuzzy beard tickle the back of my ear. Then I felt his lips graze the nape of my neck. I could have sworn he kissed me.
He released the hold and got up, visibly frustrated. “That was not good,” he said with a disappointed tone, then insulted, “Fight back like a man.”
We restarted the match, this time I was aggressive in my approach. I worked hard to maneuver around the ring, using the tactics I learned to run the ropes and duck his grasp. I landed a perfect dropkick to which Mark let out a loud ooh!
I was feeling myself now. I waited for Yegor to get up and dashed at him again, looking to land a flying clothesline. Yegor caught me in mid air and slammed me down to the mat along with his own bodyweight. I remained pinned between his body and the mat as he applied pressure. His beard tickled my face once again as I basked in his hunky frame and enjoyed the feeling of his body mounted on top of me. I could feel him pressed up against my lap. Business was stiffening up. He again threw himself off of me in disgust.