October, 2021
It's Friday, another day for another event. Which also means, another day of work and another day in the life of the one and only Carlton McFarland.
He woke up feeling the usual past battle wounds nagging at him, but it wasn't as bad as it used to be. After a few surgeries he recently had, he's been feeling a lot better these days. He stretched out, getting his body ready to move around and function for today and made it to his feet. He did his small exercises to keep in good enough shape, which was also recommended by the doctor, before heading for the kitchen. He cooked himself a nice breakfast with a cup of coffee and a game on the TV, getting into his usual morning routine. Once he was done, he rinsed his plate, showered, and dressed in his business attire.
Normally, he would just roll with a buttoned up shirt tucked in a pair of nice blue jeans with a belt and cowboy boots. Today however, was to be a special edition of Iron Horse Wrestling. Tonight, the folks from WWE would be attending as they do every year when they come to Dallas. Given Carlton's relationship with them, Iron Horse was almost like the little brother to their company and made great for their talent scouting. They weren't as widely televised as them of course, but did have their own cable network and YouTube channel. Plus, it was always nice to look good for his old friends and come across as much of a big shot as the ones running WWE. So, he threw on the tie and big jacket as well and especially brought along his cowboy hat. Add on the number of accessories he would usually bring and he was ready to roll.
He hopped in his pickup and headed for the arena, but wasn't traveling alone.
He decided to bring his daughter, Nicole, along the way. Nicole was the oldest of all his kids, but never seemed like it on the count that she has Down Syndrome. She was very much still a kid and was as sweet and loving as could be.
He pulled up to the home she was staying at, checked in at the front desk and just waited for her arrival.
"Hi Dahhddy!" She cheered with a cute gummy smile once she stepped out and saw him.
That was her way of saying Daddy given her hard hearing and speech impairment.
"Hey, Piglet!" He replied as she ran up to him for a hug.
That was his nickname for her given how much she liked to eat. You wouldn't think it because of her tiny figure, but you could literally put a mountain of food in front of her and she would inhale every last bit of it. Don't ask how she does it because there is no telling.
"You ready to go see some wrestlin'?"
"Yea" she nodded with a grin.
"See your brother?" Once again, she nodded excitedly. "Then let's go"
He helped carry her luggage to his truck before helping her up into the passenger seat and they were off. Of course, he stopped at a McDonald's for her on the way, but he never minded grabbing a quick easy lunch before a show. They made it to the arena and greeted many of his colleagues and backstage employees before reaching his office. He turned the TV on and popped in a movie for Nicole as she took her spot on the office sofa. He sat at his desk and checked everything for the show tonight, ensuring everything was set to go and run perfectly.
After a while of doing his preshow office work, Carlton left Nicole to do her crossword puzzles in his office while he headed for the Press Room. The whole locker room was there for an announcement their boss was to give before the show. Carlton stepped up to the podium before clearing his throat and proceeding with his speech.
"Alright, boys and girls! Today's the big day where we will be performing for not just our usual crowd, but for our friends from over in WWE"
He glanced around the room to see many eager faces with a few nervous ones.
"Now, I know a lot of you will be looking to make a good impression and might be feeling some added pressure for tonight. All I can say is don't worry so much about looking too good. Y'all do the same job here that they do over there. You just go out there, do whatchu do best, give em the same performance you give every week; and if any of you do happen to get approached by them, remember to stay professional, make em feel welcomed, look em in the eye, just show em the same respect you would anyone else. Well, that is when you're not in character to be precise"
The Wrestlers giggled from that last part.
"Aside from that, y'all do your jobs, stay safe, and let's have a great show tonight!"
The room cheered and applauded as Carl stepped down from the podium and the others continued to get ready for tonight.
It was soon after that when the guests of honor started to appear and the boss went to greet them personally. They entered through the building's back entrances like all the wrestlers so they wouldn't have to be bothered by fans or anything. The first of these guests were the head honchos, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Matt Bloom, and Carlton's good old buddy, Mark Callaway/The Undertaker.
"What's up big man?!" Carlton grinned as they shared a bro-hug.
"What's going on brotha? How've you been?" Mark smiled back.
"Been doing alright" Carl nodded as they broke the hug.
"Yea, you're lookin' great too"
"Right back at ya" Carl then turned his attention to Mark's wife Michelle, who he also dated for a brief time before Mark.
"Carlton" she nodded with a smile and they hugged.
"Michelle, you look amazing"
"Thanks, you too"
"Big man! How's it going?" He did the same brotherly greeting with Matt Bloom.
"Just keeping the new guys in shape. You know how it is"
"That I do" they all shared a giggle. "Hunter, Stephanie, always a pleasure"
"Likewise, Big Mac" Triple H grinned as they shared a hug.
"It's good to see you again, Carl" Stephanie followed as she hugged her former colleague as well. "You're looking great"
"Right back at ya"
"So, how's your roster today?" Triple H asked.
"Oh, they're ready. I'll guaran-damn-tee you they are ready to work tonight"
"That's what we like to hear" The COO of WWE grinned.
"Any hot young studs for us to take off your hands?" Matt asked.
"I'll leave that up to you. It would certainly give me less to work with" they shared another laugh before their final handshakes and going their separate ways.
They agreed to meet up after the show later and maybe head out somewhere to catch up.
The next people that arrived for Carl to greet was the Hall of Fame couple of the Rated R Superstar Edge and his wife, the Glamazon Beth Phoenix.
Carlton had a great personal history with Edge. Back in the Ruthless Aggression Era when Edge became arguably the most massively hated heel of WWE but needed some big names to fued with to be taken seriously as a main event guy, Big Mac was one of the few to step up and answer the call. It meant so much to Edge that though they were bitter enemies in the ring, they had a strong bond outside of it that remains to this day. That bond only grew stronger as they both helped each other through their neck injuries. It was also one of the last fueds of Dyna Low's full-time career. They absolutely tore it up in those days.
"Big Mac!" Edge cheered.
"Goldie Locks!" Carl replied and yes he called him that then and still calls him that now.
They embraced in a brotherly hug and Edge could tell he was doing better than ever.
"I see the surgeries went well, just like I told you" he grinned as they broke the hug.
"You da man! You were right! No need to worry about my head falling off now"
They both giggled before Carl turned his attention to the Glamazon, who he also helped train when she first arrived in WWE.
"Miss Beth, always a pleasure to see you again" He embraced her and received a peck on the cheek in return.
"Always good to see you too, coach. It's been too long"
"Yes it has. It's been way too long" They broke their hug before he continued. "How are you? How are the kids?"
"Kids are great and we're styling as always" Edge smiled. "In fact, speaking of which, I've been waiting to show you this"
Edge digs his phone out as Beth giggles, knowing what this is. The Hall of Famer pulled up a photo of a new bike he just bought and eagerly showed it to the fellow rider.
"Oh, that is sweet!" Carl took the phone from his hand to get a closer look.
"Sexy, right?" Edge grinned.
"That is a beauty! Welcome to the club, Hoss" He handed the phone back to its owner.
"Thanks! You should've seen her reaction to it too" The boys giggled as Beth rolled her eyes, but was smiling as she did love the bike. "Plus, I figured you and some of the others would be going for a ride this weekend looking to catch up and we were hoping to join the party"
"Well hey, the more, the merrier"
They giggled gladly, excited about the ride.
"Alright, well, since we got that outta the way, I think your boy is about to roll in. So, I'll leave you to it and catch you after the show"
"Alright, man! See you then"
They shared one more hug before the couple went to find their seats. Shortly enough, Carlton's youngest, Benjamin, better known as The Iron Angel Daniel Dalton, pulled into the area. Ben had started in his family's company all the way back when he was only a preteen. He was their youngest champion ever and their first ever Juniorweight Champ. He set out for WWE once he was 18, been with them since, and is currently one of their top stars but always comes back to his roots whenever he gets the chance.
(A/N: Below is my fiancee's OC, the star of another story of mine, The Wolf of NXT)
He arrived with his long-term girlfriend, fellow WWE superstar Racheal Moonster. She's a former NXT prodigy, who was well accomplished and talented for such a young rookie star, who recently drafted to the Main Roster. However, she has been at the Performance Center for a long time. During which, the two youngsters met and became close friends and eventually, a romantic couple.
"Hey, bud!" Big Mac called as his son hopped out the vehicle.
"Sup, dad!" Ben smiled as they walked towards each other.
"Glad you could join us"
"What are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world"
They engulfed each other in a big reunion hug as Racheal approached the two.
"Hello, Miss Racheal"
"Hi" she grinned as they also hugged.
"It's good to see you again and welcome to Iron Horse Wrestling"
"Thankyou! I'm really excited!"
They got through the normal back and forth questions such as, How they've been, How the business has been treating them, all the cool stuff going on, who to keep an eye on for tonight, etc. Until, Ben reached the final question of their discussion.
"So, is Nicole here?"
"Waiting for you in my office"
Ben and Rach both smiled, always loving seeing Nicole and her priceless reaction to their arrival. She would always get so excited and overjoyed to see her brother and since meeting Rach, they couldn't get enough of each other.
Carl was about to follow his son and future daughter-in-law to his office, until....
"Still riding hard and looking sharp I see, Late Night"
It's been a long time since he's heard that nickname. Stopping right in his tracks, he turned to see a familiar beautiful face he hasn't seen for the longest time.
"Well, hello Miss James! I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight. What brought you down?"
"Just thought I'd tag along with the others since we were in the neighborhood" she casually shrugged as they approached one another.
"But last I heard, you were back with TNA? Oh, 'scuse me, Impact Wrestling now"
"I was, but my contract with them just ended and Hunter and Steph offered me a new deal"
"Well, with Vince and his assholes no longer in charge, you're bound to get better treatment than your last run"
Mickie giggled with her reply.
"Very true, but I really just want one last good run with them, you know?"
That was actually beyond reasonable for Carlton as he often thought about his final run as an actual wrestler.
"Fair enough. You want a proper sendoff before hanging up the boots for good"
"That's... one of the reasons at least" she nodded, but it was clear there was more to it.
Big Mac chose not to push, but ended up doing just that with his next question.
"So, how's the British Schwarzenegger?"
Mickie giggled from the nickname, but it faded almost immediately.
"We... actually just split not too long ago"
"Oh, I'm sorry" he frowned.
"It's ok. We'll still be friends, I'm sure. I guess just... I don't know, being together with our jobs and our son... probably just became too much for us to handle"
"I understand. I've been there... twice I might add"
"Well, enough about me. You seeing anyone?"
"Oh, yea! I'm a modern-day lady killer" he joked and Mickie laughed.
"Well, you look good, especially for someone about to hit the big six zero"
"Why thankyou" he titled his hat, although still unsure of how to feel about reaching 60 years old.
"I also heard you had a bunch of surgeries not long ago. How was that?"
"Oh, you know, I can move more and haven't fallen apart yet. So, I'd say it all went pretty well"
"I'll say! You actually almost look like you could get back in the ring" she smirked, eyeing him up and down.
Carl couldn't help but let out a laugh, not fully believing that but also quite flattered.
"Yea, lemme see if I can dust off my boots alone without falling apart then"
Mickie laughed again, always loving his sarcastic sense of humor.
"Well, it's great to see you again after so long"
"Likewise; and if you don't mind me saying so, you're lookin' quite beautiful tonight"
She blushed with a little nod.
"And you're looking quite handsome yourself"
He smiled and tilted his head respectively like a cowboy.
"Anyway, didn't mean to steal you away from your boy. Just wanted to say hi and wish a good show tonight"
"Thankyou, I hope you enjoy it"
She smiled before leaving to join the others. Carlton couldn't help but watch her until she was gone, a smile plastered to his face, before turning to head for his office. He arrived to find Benjamin and Racheal sharing a happy reunion with Nicole. It was always great to see them together again. Of course, Ben had to mess with her a little, typical brother.
Later that night, the show went by smoothly with the whole roster putting on stellar performances. Plus, as a last minute add in for a little surprise, Daniel Dalton got to make a shocking appearance and got a mighty loud reaction. It always felt good to be home for the third generation wrestler. The show was a blast with the whole crowd loving it, especially the WWE guests. This easily had to be one of the best shows ever put on. Afterwards, some of the talent even got to speak with the people from WWE about potentially signing on in the future.
By all means, a memorable night for everyone. Carlton could not be more proud of how this night went. He would even say it was a perfect show.
In a way, it made him wish he could've been just as involved out there as he was backstage. This of course brought him back to what Mickie had mentioned earlier about him looking ready to climb back in the ring.
It was an enticing thought to say the least; but honestly, what were the chances of that actually happening?
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this first chapter out. Lemme know what y'all think and what you suspect to happen and have a nice day/night!