2001

Randy Orton glanced down at the directions scrawled on the scrap of paper in his hand. It was his first day in Louisville, Kentucky but more than that, it was a new beginning. It was the first day of the rest of his life. Everything had changed so quickly. Just two short years before, he had been living in his parent's basement, working nights at a local gas station. Fresh off the failure of his ill-fated stint in the U.S. Marince Corp that culminated in AWOL, a court martial, brig time and ultimately a dishonorable discharge, for the first time in a long time, Randy had real hope. Those first few days back in St. Louis were a welcome contrast to the existence he had come to detest at Camp Pendleton but the nights alone in bed had left him wondering what was next. What was he going to do with his life?

Professional wrestling was in his blood. His father had done it. His grandfather had done it. His uncle had done it. In that cozy house near the airport, Randy had grown up with the likes of legends Junkyard Dog and Andre the Giant enjoying supper at his dinner table. He had looked up to his father whose work had kept him away more often than he was home. But Randy never saw himself doing it, he never thought he would be there. At a time when he couldn't relate to anyone, he had oddly found solace in the TV and the sports entertainment programs it showcased. Standing 6'4", Randy wasn't exactly a small guy. And with hard work, the muscle would fill out. Maybe it was time to make his own way.

He had asked his father one night if he thought he could be a WWE Superstar. Eager to give his oldest child some direction. "Cowboy" Bob Orton arranged for his son to attend an upcoming show where he introduced him to various talent and backstage brass. For Randy, it was a surreal moment. He saw HHH march out to the ring carrying a water in his hand. He dared to dream that one day it would be him. But the Old Man had a lot of connections and after much string pulling, Randy after only competing in a few Indy matches, was headed to headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut to sign a developmental deal. The next stop was Louisville, training at their Ohio Valley Wrestling or OVW territory. It was where the future stars were sent to hone their craft. And Randal Keith Orton was well on his way.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Randy murmured to himself.

He hadn't been exactly excited about moving to Kentucky. It seemed kind of boring. And expecting a plush, five star facility, Randy frowned at where the directions had led him. It couldn't be. It was a small gym in the rough side of town with busted windows and junk everywhere. It looked like an abandoned building from the 1930's. He circled the block a few times but found nothing else. Sighing, Randy parked and reached for his gym bag, hoping he was at the right place at least. He walked to the front door and gave it a knock. A few minutes later, it opened. Randy looked up and swallowed hard. A tanned, bald headed guy built of about 300 pounds of solid muscle and 26 inch arms towered over him.

"Who the hell are you?" he gruffly asked, looking Randy over.

Randy looked around.

"Is this OVW? The training center?"

The other man smirked and chuckled sarcastically.

"It ain't Carnegie fucking Hall. What do you want, kid?"

"I'm Randy Orton," he proclaimed. "And I came here to work."

Unimpressed, the other man just stared at him. A few seconds later, they were joined by a face familiar to anyone who knew anything at all about professional wrestling. Legend and original member of the Four Horsemen, Arn Anderson joined them.

"Randy," he glanced down at his watch. "We've been expecting you. You're late."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Randy muttered. "I had trouble finding the place."

Arn shook the youngster's hand.

"Well, it's real good to see you, son. Glad you could make it. Did you get settled in alright? Got a place to stay and everything?"

"Yes sir," Randy nodded.

"How's the family? The Old Man?"

"He's good. Everybody is good."

He had driven to Louisville the night before from St. Louis in a vehicle that at times felt like it was going to barely make it. With less than a thousand dollars to his name, Randy had spent the night in an extended stay motel, the first week paid for courtesy of his parents. The rest would be up to chance.

"I see you met Dave Bautista," Arn acknowledged the other man.

Dave grunted and walked away. They were a tight knit bunch at OVW. Outsiders had to earn their place…and their respect. Dave immediately recognized the name Orton and he was less than impressed with some cocky kid trying to ride the coat tails of a respected family name.

"Yeah," Randy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we've got a good bunch, lot of talent floating around here. I think you'll fit right in, of course that's up to you. It's what you make of it. But I've seen your tapes. I have to say you impressed a lot of people. There's some raw talent there, kid. Don't get me wrong. You're still green as hell. You've got a lot to learn. You've got to work hard and earn your spot. Respect for your daddy and grandpa got you to this point, now it's up to you to learn everything and run with it. That's your only ticket out of here to the big stage."

Randy cleared his throat. He was excited and ready to work and had much respect for someone like Arn Anderson but the old timer had already struck a nerve in the first few minutes of their conversation. He didn't want anyone to think he was there on a free ride. He was good. He knew he was good and he had the potential to be even better. Stepping into the big leagues was a dream come true. In the back of his mind, he still had doubts that maybe he wasn't good enough but he would never let that show.

"With all due respect, I know I have to earn my spot. I know what I have to do here but my father and my grandfather are not the reason I'm here," he explained in a firm voice, filled with young male pride.

Arn just laughed in his face.

"Sure they are. Sometimes that's just the way it works, it is all about who you know and that's okay. Get your foot in the door anyway you can. Nepotism runs wild in our business but that'll only take you so far. The rest is up to you."

Randy grimaced.

"Whatever."

"We have a full day ahead, a lot of work to do. Right now the guys and gals are working out in the ring. We'll get you assessed later, see where you are, what you need to work on most. Obviously conditioning will be a huge factor. You're a big kid already, got a good look. That's important."

Randy nodded.

"I'm eager to learn and more than ready to get going. I can't wait to get in that ring and show you what I've got."

Arn grinned.

"I bet you can't but first things first. Give me 30 laps, 40 squats, 50 up and downs."

"What?" Randy frowned. "Why?"

"That's the penalty for being late around here. You were late weren't you, son?"

"Yeah but it wasn't my fault. I got lost."

"And after today, I bet you won't ever get lost again. Now get to it and I'll be back and introduce you to the rest of the crew."

With that, he walked away, leaving Randy, hands on hips, a pissed off mess. Cursing out loud, he threw down his gym bag. He decided he would do the squats first. He had excelled at all the physical tasks and demands that the Corp would require but in his time out and with his vampire like schedule, he had missed his fair share of days in the gym. He knew he needed to be in better shape. Halfway through the squats, his thighs were on fire and he was struggling more than he wanted to admit. Through his squinted eyes and grunts, he didn't notice that the door had opened. Someone entered the gym and it wasn't Arn or Dave or one of the other wrestlers. It was a girl. She was short and petite, feminine but muscular. She had chestnut brown hair that hung down her back, pulled into a ponytail. She wore a black cotton tracksuit that clung to every curve. She had a smoking hot body and an ass one could serve breakfast off of. Her face was probably the prettiest he had ever seen. She had dark hair, an exotic look, and a nice set of tits…the three criteria Randy Orton favored most in the opposite sex. From that first look, he was hooked.

He was an unusually good looking guy. Right after high school and during his time in the Marines hanging out in town with the guys, Randy had had his fair share of women. In fact, they threw themselves at him. It was something that had taken getting used to. In high school he had been the skinny kid with acne and braces. Girls weren't exactly falling out of their panties for him. But like a true ugly duckling, overnight it seemed he had come into his own, developing into a stunning swan. Now the running joke was that Randy Orton got more ass than a public toilet seat. After the disappointment of not losing his virginity in high school, he had more than made up for lost time in the three short years that followed.

Seeing the dark haired beauty enter the gym, he decided to gain some pep in his step. He knew he looked good. In his mind, there was no woman he couldn't seduce. But there was something about her face that was oddly sweet, innocent. For a split second, it almost made him feel bad for what he was going to do to her eventually. Their eyes met and she flashed him a warm smile. He stood and wiped the sweat from his brow and gave her the nod. She waved and grabbed a bottle of water and headed to the corner to work out. Randy finished his punishment just in time as Arn came back.

"I'm all finished," Randy looked at his mentor.

"Good to go. Hydrate and we'll move on."

"I thought you were going to introduce me to everyone."

"I will."

"Well, you can start with her," Randy motioned towards the corner at the fine piece of ass stretching. "Who is she?"

Watching her in the split position made his shorts tighten. It was Arn's turn to smirk.

"Her name is Dawn Pulliam and she is one of our brightest prospects. Been here for a few months already. She has worked hard and we're expecting her to be called up to the main roster soon."

Randy nodded.

"That's cool but what is up with her?"

Arn knew the game and he knew it well. He'd been quite the cat bird in his day.

"She's a nice girl," he left it at that.

He liked Dawn. She was like a daughter to him and he hoped the newest addition to the roster wouldn't cause any trouble in that department. All the guys in OVW were already after Dawn as it was but she wasn't that kind of girl. But Randy already had a plan. He looked at her again and licked his lips. Nice she was. Suddenly Louisville and all its bore didn't seem so bad after all.