“Is that Cari?”
Stephen’s eyes refused to look away from the wallet-size picture of the stunning brunette taped to the inside of his red locker door. She wore a simple white tank top that emphasized her outstandingly fit body. She was flashing a smile so dazzling one would swear it had the power to cure diseases. In her arms was a boy no older than six gleefully waving at the camera with a big toothy grin. That picture was the sole decoration the large, broad-shouldered man allowed in his locker, the one small area of the wrestling gym he claimed for himself. Jimmy Park’s question echoed throughout the otherwise empty locker room and Stephen had yet to acknowledge it. He was too preoccupied with sliding on his blue jeans and gazing at the picture, lost in the depths of his wife’s striking blue eyes which had a certain hypnotic quality to them that shone through even in the tiny photograph.
Park slapped his right fingerless-gloved hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Hey, Barker. You alright, man?”
Stephen’s nose immediately wrinkled as he snapped out of his trance-like state. “What the hell is that you’re wearing?”
Park pointed at the bottle in his locker. “GCL Reality.”
Stephen stifled a laugh as he grabbed his light blue button-down shirt from his locker. “My God, they released their own cologne? What do they put in it, concentrated Kyle Flyte sweat?”
Park shut his locker door, blocking his treasure from any additional mockery. “I like it and so do the ladies. You should see how they flock to me when I’m wearing it.”
“They like it because it keeps away the mosquitoes.”
“You’re just jealous, that’s all.”
Stephen nodded and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s it. Jealous.”
Park looked over Stephen’s shoulder and got a closer look at the picture. “Is that Cari? My God, she didn’t even look this good at your wedding. When the hell’d you get this taken?”
“Last week.”
“Eight long years with you and she still looks this good? If she’s ever looking for an affair…” Before he could finish his sentence, Stephen gave him a quick punch right in the gut. Park took a step back.
“I’ll remember that when we’re at the tryouts,” Park taunted while rubbing his stomach.
“Good. That was the idea.”
Park walked back to his locker and grabbed his bag as Stephen opened his wallet. All the requirements were there: state ID, social security card, government assistance charge card with a valid date on it. No cash inside, but he didn't need weird looks from anyone. "What are you doing with THAT?!" he had heard cash handlers being asked.
As Stephen slipped his wallet into his pants, Park asked, “You didn’t tell Cari about this whole thing, did you?”
“What do you mean?” Stephen asked as he slid on his shirt and buttoned it up.
“Last time I was over for dinner, she had a shit fit because Tommy was watching a GCL show. Now, here you are, trying out for the company. What’s she gonna say if you get accepted?”
“I’ll let the contract do all the talking. Once she realizes how much money we’ll be making, she should come around.”
“And if she asks you what you’ve been doing all this time? You’ve been out of work for what, three months now?”
“She knows I’ve been looking. And hey, look at what I’m doing here. If I can get in, we can build up enough credit to live in Manhattan!”
“And there’s always a chance to try out for the other rosters. There’s more than just the Eastern Division, you know.”
Stephen winced. “Ugghh. And deal with all the registration forms and being put on the wait-list to move to another state? No, I gotta do this here.”
Park slung his bag over his shoulder. “Yeah, well maybe you should at least do some of the talking. She sees GCL anywhere on that contract and it’s confetti. You of all people oughta know that.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, k?”
“Just don’t let her find your tights if you want to keep your balls!” Park laughed over his shoulder as he exited the locker room.
#
Stephen was wearing his street clothes when he stepped into the main gym area. He felt a shiver creep along his spine as he looked around the interior. No matter how many times he had seen it, he always felt as though he were seeing the gym for the first time. Located on 9th Avenue in midtown Manhattan and with a spray-painted exterior, any unsuspecting passer-by would just continue along without so much as a second thought.
The interior of the building, however, was a combination of museum and church. Sure, the black paint on the walls had started to peel over time and the constant stench of sweat and blood permeated the room, but the wrestling ring in the center was kept in pristine condition. The ropes were taut, the mat always spotless, the apron covering the sides straightened, and the block-lettered logo for the Gladiatorial Combat League served as a constant reminder to anyone in the gym of what was the only sport in town. A spotlight focused its brilliant intensity down on the ring to provide the closest possible atmosphere for wrestlers.
Around the upper walls of the gym were fourteen different framed animated posters of various epic moments from wrestling history, looped to play over and over, in chronological order, eerily akin to a Professional Wrestling / Mixed Martial Arts Stations of the Cross.
JANUARY 1948 – Orville Brown wears the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship as its first-ever champion.
APRIL 1963 – Buddy Rogers becomes the first-ever World Wide Wrestling Federation Champion.
SEPTEMBER 1981 – Ric Flair defeats Dusty Rhodes to win his first NWA Heavyweight Championship.
JANUARY 1984 – Hulk Hogan defeats The Iron Sheik to win his first World Wrestling Federation Championship.
AUGUST 1994 – Shane Douglas throws down the NWA Heavyweight Championship and declares himself the Extreme Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion.
FEBRUARY 1997 – Mark Coleman wins the first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Title.
MARCH 1998 – “Stone Cold” Steve Austin defeats Shawn Michaels to win his first World Wrestling Federation Championship.
DECEMBER 2001 – Chris Jericho becomes the first Undisputed Champion, combining the title lineages of both the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling.
MAY 2007 – Kurt Angle holds up the Total Nonstop Action World Heavyweight Championship, becoming the first champion of the title’s lineage.
JANUARY 2021 – Draco Edwards wins the United States MMA Championship for Fighters Gladiators Warriors.
OCTOBER 2022 – Johnny Cabrini stands victorious in the middle of the ring after winning the inaugural battle royale for Canada's Stampede Alberta Wrestling promotion, becoming the first champion.
JUNE 2041 – Edward Flyte becomes the Fighters Gladiators Warriors North American Champion, absorbing the S.A.W. Championship.
FEBRUARY 2052 – “The Punch That Changed It All” – Togar punches Verne Dappy across the jaw and starts an actual fight during their championship match.
AUGUST 2053 – Kyle Flyte holds up the Gladiatorial Combat League World Championship.
Stephen smiled as he took in the different moments of history, then turned toward the ring and saw a bearded and stocky gentleman running back and forth against the ropes. After the man bounced across the ropes for a third time, he launched himself and dropped an elbow on an imaginary opponent in the middle of the ring.
The man in the ring was about fifty pounds heavier than he’d been when he’d taken that history-making punch from Togar, but Verne Dappy still appeared light on his feet as he leapt up and continued running against the ropes, bouncing off and executing a leg-drop in the center. He had the same rough demeanor as he did during his peak years, with his long hair and big bushy beard giving a “common man” look that appealed to all demographics.
Stephen lowered his bag to the floor and leaned against the doorway to watch the show. He had caught Verne practicing his moves after his wrestling class before, and it always made him smile. Verne stood up and, oblivious to anyone watching, clenched his fist in front of his face - as though he were grasping an imaginary microphone - and began speaking to the imaginary crowd before him.
“I’m not a bitter man for what you did to me, Sotek. In fact, I’m damned happy that you did it. You see, I don’t know what the hell kind of man you think I am, but the last thing in the world I hold is a grudge. But the first thing I am gonna hold is your big moronic head as I squeeze the very life out of you. And then, I’m gonna reach inside and grab whatever alien thing is possessing you…”
Stephen could no longer resist. “…and squeeze the very life out of it, too!”
Verne whipped around, startled out of his boots. “Christ, Stephen. Don’t do that!”
“I remember that speech. The first Colosseum Classic, right?”
“Seems so long ago. I still don't know how Gary Blackman could afford putting up that special.”
“Think it would get this far?”
Verne leaned against the ropes. “It’s amazing what one ‘accidental’ punch can accomplish in this business.” He’d made the air-quote gesture when he said “accidental,” then gave his jaw a rub. “But it was a lot more of a sport back then.”
“I’d say it’s more of a sport now than it’s ever been. You guys already knew who was winning and everything. And now that there are no run-ins or…”
Verne pointed a finger at Stephen, his now thundering voice reverberating off the gym’s walls. “It was always a sport to me. Back then, it required athleticism and an instinctive ability to pull off these moves without hurting yourself or your opponent. Now all you need is a reason to hit someone. For what?”
Stephen picked up his bag and shrugged his shoulders. “For the good of the public? For love of the game?”
Verne rolled his eyes in disdain. “For the good of the public, right.”
"Well, yeah. The President said that since all the other sports imploded, a company like the GCL was--"
“Was doing a public service. Blah blah blah. I don’t buy that line of happy horse shit for a second, and neither should you, Stephen. You’re here because it’s the only real high paying job that’s left anymore. You’re lucky they haven’t found a way to automate the wrestlers yet.” Verne stepped over the middle and lower ropes and walked down the metal stairs to stand on equal ground with his student.
“You don’t think it’s ever gonna be like that, do you?” Stephen asked.
“Nobody ever thought wrestling would be real. Look how that turned out,” his teacher responded. “On your way home?”
“Soon. The Evening News is starting up soon and I want to see the top story, then I gotta pick up my assistance money after that.”
“Ahh, yes, of course. You did make sure to notify the Assistance Bureau that you were trying out for the GCL, right? They throw in an extra twenty credits per week.”
Stephen nodded as Verne jogged to his office, grabbed a black hooded sweatshirt and put it on before shutting off the office light. Teacher and student then strode side-by-side to the exit. Verne swept his fingers along a touchpad adjacent to the door in a downward motion. As one, the lights dimmed until the room was pitch black, with the lone spotlight still hanging over the ring.