She was new to the company, but not so much to the business. In fact, she'd spent the past few years in training with none other than her sister, Jackie Gayda. She was quick to learn, having watched wrestling ever since she could remember, but she couldn't get into the company with just the basics. Jackie had always been close to Allen Sarven, otherwise known as Al Snow, and he'd been happy to help out with her younger sister. For the past few years, Carmela had been training with Al Snow.. and although it wasn't formal, it had been the key to getting into the company.
Carmela sat in front of the four McMahon's and Eric Bischoff, who were interrogating her and the man sitting beside her―Al. Vince set his black-rimmed glasses on the end of his nose and studied a few notes in front of him before pulling them off again. He folded his hands in front of him and met her eyes.
"So, I would assume that you've had some type of informal training already?" he asked, watching her expectantly.
Both Carmela and Al nodded their heads, but she was first to jump the gun. "I learned the basics from my sister, and then of course, Al taught me all that I know today."
"If I may, I'd like to say that Carmela progressed faster than almost any other student that I've ever had. She caught on quickly, and has worked the crowd as both a face and heel." Al glanced at Carmela and smiled at her reassuringly, knowing that under the table she was clutching the hem of her skirt so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.
Mr. McMahon was too busy staring at the young woman's chest to clearly hear what Al had said, but the answer had been good enough for him. Making it look like a difficult decision, he read over the papers in front of him once more. That's who he was, though... he loved to make people squirm.
"Alright Miss Gayda, I've looked over everything and it all looks good.. If you're as talented as Al says you are, then you're worth a contract." Mr. McMahon stood, and Carmela followed suit. She shook his hand as he held his out, an ecstatic smile planted on her face.
"Welcome to RAW," Eric Bischoff piped up, extending his hand to her as well and she politely obliged. Truth be told, she was glad that she'd been placed on RAW since her sister was parading around over on SmackDown. She loved her sister, but she wanted to make a name for herself and not be known as Jackie's sister.
----
Carmela intently awaited the moment when she would be introduced to the world of wrestling. It was only a matter of minutes now, and she was waiting just beyond the stairs leading out of the curtain. It was funny, while most people would have sweaty palms and be quaking with fear.. she wasn't really nervous at all. She'd performed in front of a crowd before, and this wasn't anything new to her.
"Carmela, right?" a voice asked from behind her, and she spun around quickly to see who it was. It was Michael Manna, who had also been acquainted with Jackie through Al. "I'm Mike, it's nice to meet you," he shook her hand. "Al wanted me to let you know that he tried to give you a call but your cell must've been off.. But, anyway, he just wanted me to let you know that he says good luck, break a leg, and all of that good stuff," he flashed a smile.
"It's nice to meet you, too!" she smiled. "Oh, will you tell him that I said thanks? I'd give him a call right now but.. I'm about to go out there and he'd probably say something to the likes of 'don't worry about it, there are only thousands of people out there'" she laughed, shaking her head.
"Yeah, that sounds about like Al," he nodded with a laugh. "But oh, I forgot to tell you something.." A familiar theme started up and Carmela raised an eyebrow curiously. "You can tell him thanks for the 'good luck' yourself.. because he's going to accompany you to the ring!"
Al popped out from around the corner and grinned cheekily at her. "Are ya ready, girl?" he asked her, giving her hand a quick squeeze.
"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," she replied with a nod. She followed him out onto the stage and took a deep breath. She let him work the crowd first before raising a hand into the air and giving a quick wave, her smile reaching from ear to ear on her face. She strutted beside him down to the ring and climbed in as he held the ropes down for her.
Hundreds of cameras were flashing, and she could hear the catcalls of the single men in the arena. With good reason, though. Like her sister, she was quite tall and had a curvaceous body. However, Carmela was a brunette with a cherry tint and her sister was light brown/dirty blonde. She was a tall drink of water, standing close to 5'9" and needless to say, her legs were her best asset. They weren't quite as wonderful as her new roommate's, but they were sure a sight for sore eyes.
"Ladies and gentleman," Al spoke into the microphone, quieting the rowdy crowd. "I'd like you to meet my friend, and former trainee.. Miss Carmela!" Beaming, she gave her friend a quick hug and took the microphone to make the quick little speech that the script had called for.
"You don't have any idea how much it means to me.. to be standing before you all, today. And it would have never been possible without Al Snow," she paused for the crowd to cheer. "Vince McMahon," there was a mix of cheers on this one "and Eric Bischoff..." she said and scrunched her nose, the fans booing. "I'm so excited to finally be standing in this ring, and I can't wait for my first match.."
Before she could say another word, "Time To Rock and Roll" blared over the system and the Women's Champion stepped out from behind the curtain with her title belt secure over her shoulder and Tyson Tomko following close behind. Al glared and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Carmela, is it?" Trish spat into the microphone with a smirk. "Just what the roster needed... another whore who is just screaming 'Open for business'. Right Vince?" Tyson snickered and followed Trish down to the ring. "I just wanted to come down to the ring and welcome you to RAW, sweetheart.. courtesy of the Problem Solver." Tyson started towards her but Al stepped in the way and got in his face. Trish took a cheap shot on Carmela and started beating on her, finally laying her out with a Chick Kick. Al, too, was laid out and the two left standing made their exit.
Al twitched and slowly came to his senses, crawling over to check on Carmela. He was muttering under his breath and glaring towards the stage as the show went to a commercial break.
Backstage, Carmela walked out of the medic area unscathed and was quickly approached by Trish. "Hey hon, I just wanted to make sure you're alright," she said with a small smile. "You took it like a pro, by the way. Welcome to the family!"
"I'm good," she smiled and nodded. "Thank you so much, it's nice to finally be here." At that moment Stacy came running up to them and squeezed Carmela.
"You looked amazing out there, girly!" she grinned and they both said their goodbyes to Trish as she parted ways. "Anyways, I'm heading back to the hotel.. You want a ride or are you going to stick around for a little bit?"
"I think I'll stick around, I'm going to shower and then I'll be there," she nodded and waved to her roomie as she left. Walking back towards the women's locker room she noticed Dave Batista standing against the wall with his massive arms crossed in front of his chest. She caught his eye and flashed a smile, getting a small smile in return. They held the gaze for a moment before her face flushed with color and she quickly turned in the direction of the locker room.
"Not bad," she muttered with a grin and hurried into the showers.