On The Inside

3 Inches

Eyes looking to the sky. My vision is blurred like a man who’s had a few too many drinks. The crowd is chanting your name, waiting for you to get back up. The ref is slowly counting you out. You have a cut three inches deep on your scalp and you’re letting more blood out than an orange squeezes its own juice out. Your nerves are rattled, with barely any feeling in your legs.

Hey sucker, the ropes are beside you. Grab them. You’re supposed to walk out the champ tonight. The world is watching you on the grandest stage of all of wrestling. Your family is watching, too. You came all this way to become world champion. You paid your dues and its time you showed that you were worth the push.

I grab the middle rope to my right. The count is up to six. I dragged my whole upper body onto that rope and turnbuckle. The crowd is going wild. Your opponent, in his black and gold trunks is standing three feet away, asking if the cut is bothering, if I’m gonna make it. He’s got quite a mess of blood over his long blond hair from that hard shot with the steps I gave him three minutes ago. 

I get up and he starts kicking my gut and stomping away. He throws his lefts and rights when suddenly I hit a good left uppercut across his abs. You can feel the roof about to explode as I burst with a second wind. We’re exchanging blows back and forth when I suddenly grab him by the throat, pick him up and chokeslam him onto the corner. He bounces off, exhibiting some strenuous pain.

My boss is watching by ringside with the commentators in amazement as we put on one of the best matches in years for this event. You don’t always get moments like this all the time. They come far and few in between. 

He walks a few feet away from the turnbuckle in a dazed walk as I gently hop onto the second turnbuckle. I leap and deck him with a driving side elbow drop onto the back of his neck. I land rolling over my knees and get up. He’s down and taps my left foot with his, signaling that it’s almost time for the finish. I heabutt him on between the midsection and groin. He lets out a painful howl and I try hard to not laugh. The crowd is losing it at this point. But I’m not ready for the finish just yet. I pick him up, throw him to the ropes, he bounces and runs and I hit him with a thunderous clothesline. It almost sounds like I hacked his head off. 

To set up for the finish, I hoist my rear onto the top rope with my feet on the second rope. I leap and hit a hard elbow right onto his midsection. I finally stand over his legs. I pick them up, put my left leg over his right leg, cross his left over, hold tight, turn left and sit all of my weight on his back. This move drives EVERY wrestling fan wild. We’re dead in the middle with this going on. 

My opponent puts on a good show, looking like he’s fighting but he’s going nowhere. I’m pulling back and hard. The blood is running down my face like magma emerging from a volcano. I’m a bloody mess. The crowd is tearing the roof off of this arena as my opponent taps out and the ref rings the bell. A wild standing ovation ensues as well as a riot.

I finally let go as the belt is given to me. I can hardly so much as walk. I hold my title high as I’m leaning by the ropes and the pyrotechnics go off. My family runs to the ring, embracing my bloody body. 

I finally head back to the locker room to wash up and leave. I am suddenly jumped in celebration by every wrestler that works with me and we’re cracking champagne open like it’s the world series or the Nba finals.  It’s the culmination of all the hard work I put into this career. My boss applauds loudly for showing that the investment in me becoming champion at the grandest stage was not a waste. I’ve proven to every one that I’m worth every dime they pay. It all paid off.

I walk onto the ramp leading outside to head home with my wife and son. The night is cool although we’re in Arizona. We’re making a pit stop to a local hospital first because this bleeding hasn’t stopped. I guess getting hit by those steps got deeper into my skull than I thought. Good thing I gave my boy a tit for tat with it too. My wife holds me close and helps walk me to our soothing blue Eclipse as my son, with a plush toy of me, holds my hand all the way.

I take one last look outside the car window and kiss goodbye the US Airways Center, the place where I cemented my place with all the wrestling greats that we all strive to emulate and someday stand alongside as examples to many other performers to come many years from now.