Luckily, the rest of my commitments for that night went off without a hitch. One more interview, this time with Roman Reigns. He was another charming individual, and made me feel absolutely tiny. Jake had always been so much taller than me that I should have been used to it. Whilst the two men I'd met properly so far weren't absolute giants, I was beginning to think that I would never dare wear anything less than a five inch heel to work ever again. Back in NXT I'd had my own special box to stand on, given to me as a present by Sami Zayn when he'd realized, bless him, that I was more of a sneaker girl than anything else. He'd even put a bow on it when he'd given it to me. I missed the NXT guys...they'd all been in the exact same boat as me, trying to fulfil a dream. Most of them had been wrestling for years, some, like Sami, for over a decade. It was incredible to think that whilst I'd still been in my bedroom, waiting for letters from Jake, and thinking about how to even try and become part of the wrestling industry, they'd been living it.
I respected wrestlers more than they could understand. The dedication, the endless learning and how it could destroy the body...it took a special kind of human to chose that path. Roman himself had spoken to me briefly after our interview, told me he'd originally played football, doing stints with various teams ((I knew exactly which ones, Minnesota Vikings, Jackson Jaguars and the Edmonton Eskimos...but after my earlier slip up with Dolph, I thought it was best to hold my tongue; anything to try and save myself from any further embarrassment)). We compared tattoos, his tribal sleeve was a dedication to his Samoan heritage and far more impressive than my half sleeve. It seemed that all the wrestlers were gentlemen, and I was more than keen to get to know them all; though what excited me even more, was to meet some of my fellow ladies in the industry.
Stephanie had been the one to greet me when I'd shown up for my first day. It had taken every single fibre of my being not to mark out in front of her. This was a woman I'd watched on TV ever since I was nine. I'd always been jealous of her hair, and as a kid I'd always wanted my mother to crimp it like Stephanie always did in the early nineties; but no. It made me laugh, to think that the first thing the first lady of wrestling had said me was, 'you have the most gorgeous hair, I'm jealous. Adele will have a field day with you I'm sure.' A compliment from Stephanie McMahon? I'd very nearly melted to a Montana puddle.
My heels swung from two fingers as I strolled along the corridors; it was odd to think we were at the University of Texas. I'd never been to this state before today, though a fair few stars had come from it over the years. My mind drifted, back to the interview with Dolph. I wished I'd had the chance to ask him more questions, what his thoughts were on what happened on Raw...with Cena winning his, Rowan and Ryback's jobs back...it seemed such a shame to be cut down to so few words. But they were live shows; they had to be done to the second. I sighed, and ran a hand through my hair. Stupid, flat hair. I could blame my mother for that. Straight as a poker hers, thank God mine wasn't her awful shade of dirty brown. It never looked clean. Jake and I had inherited our father's Italian darkness. I was fond of the way I looked, but the expert hands of the artists here sure helped.
Up ahead of me, was the infamous black curtain the wrestlers went through to go out to the roars of the crowd. Stopping, I could briefly envisage Jake doing so...wrestling shorts, boots, his tattooed arms stretching out. He'd told me he'd decided on a wrestling name, he'd be JJ Wilde. It had a ring to it. I could almost imagine it now, stencilled on the back of wrestling gear. A smile curled my mouth and folded my arms. The gorilla position was occupied by none other than Adele, stilling fussing, but this time, like she'd mentioned earlier, over the Bella twins. They'd always looked stunning on screen, but in the flesh it was hard to believe they were real. They could have been carved out of marble. Feeling those nerves flutter up again, I shyly moved forward.
Luckily Adele spotted me. In the background I could hear the Ryback Rusev match in full swing.
'Nora! Come here love, meet the girls.' She gestured and I followed obediently. Without my heels, they were taller than me by a couple of inches, and as I came closer I felt more and more inadequate. 'Nors, this is Nikki and Brie, ten points if you know which is which.'
'I'll give you a clue, I'm bigger.' The twin to the left, Nikki said with a wink. You could see the physical differences easily. Not only was Nikki's extraordinary bosom much larger than her sisters, her muscles were a little more defined, no doubt from combining workouts with her other half. I was talking to the girlfriend of John Cena. Get used to it Nors, this is your job now...I thought to myself and shook my head, thrust out my hand so enthusiastically I almost punched poor Brie in the gut.
'I'm Nora. It's so great to meet you both, big fan. Your ring work has improved so much recently. I must be great to be Diva's champ again.'
Like Dolph earlier, the twins shared a quick knowing smile. They offered me a warm handshake, one on each hand.
'My brother Jake always had such a massive crush on you two. I can't believe I'm meeting you in person.' I tucked my hair behind my ear and folded my hands behind my back. The heels had dropped to the floor for the handshake. I ignored them, but Brie picked one up and inspected it.
'Hey, we're all the same shoe size.' She grinned. 'Probably means we'll all end up nicking each other's things...that's what normally happens. Don't leave anything pretty laying around Nora, you'll lose it. Especially if Foxy is about.'
Nikki's smile dropped a notch at the mention of her fellow Diva. But Brie brushed over it and handed the shoe back, 'Sounds like the match is over. I wonder where Naomi is?' she peered about, but it was only the three of them, Adele had disappeared and I hadn't even noticed. It made me feel bad, but I was sure I'd see her again soon to apologize. 'The match starts in a minute.' As she said it, the curtain flapped and out came Rusev and Lana. He looked angry and before I could get out of the way, I was shoved aside. Stumbling back, I hit into one of the spare lights, tripped and found myself flat on my back on top one of the equipment trunks. My ankle stung and I winced as I sat up.
'Oh my God are you alright?' Brie was next to me, hand on my arm. Concerned. Brie Bella was touching my arm. Jake would have been so jealous. It made me feel like a five year old; the fact she was making physical contact was more important than the fact I was hurt. 'What a bully. He's been in a foul mood for weeks...but he's never laid a hand on any of us before...'
Nikki had seemingly vanished, but as I looked about I saw she'd grabbed a hold of Lana. The two women glared each other down. Lana's sickeningly stern smile was bold, red as Russia herself. No words passed, and when Rusev re-emerged from the shadows, my heart sank. But before anything could happen, the curtain swished again, and sweating, pissed off and looking for a fight, was Ryback. He had to be seen in real life to be believed. Without stopping he charged after Rusev. Lana and her champion darted off. I found myself staring after them. What had just happened? Nikki returned to my side.
'Are you alright Nora?'
'I think so. Just a nick. I...he caught me off guard is all. I didn't expect that.'
'Of course you didn't. Unfortunately what happens in the ring sometimes carries on backstage. People aren't always good here Nora. The faster you learn that, the quicker you'll stay afloat. Make friends, but always be cautious. Anyone can turn against you in a heartbeat to further themselves.'
It was a struggle to take in what Brie was saying. I'd thought that any animosity was all kayfable. It had never really occurred to me that there could be tension, even anger between the wrestlers. Surely they'd all be united through their love of the job...but it made sense. If people wanted to climb the ladder, they'd knock other people off on their way. I swallowed and nodded. There was a little gash on my right ankle, but nothing that wouldn't heel. The shock of it all had been enough. My very first night and I'd already witnessed something like this. One thing was for sure, it'd never be boring.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a flock of Divas descended on the gorilla. A goth like girl, younger than myself appeared. She was the skinniest little thing I'd ever seen, but I knew that she wasn't someone to be messed with, especially since at her debut she'd won the Diva's champion off none other than AJ Lee. With her was Natalya Hart. Desperate to keep my inner mark under control I stood up, and tried not to squeal. This was like being sent to some incredible heaven. I'd admired and watched all these women. Now I was standing among them. The incident only moments ago forgotten, I wanted to run over and introduce myself, but Brie kept a hold of my arm, and shot me a warning glance.
'Well if it isn't the Bella Brats.' Paige's voice was practically delicious. I'd never heard such a pure accent before. She smiled with every single word, and those heavily outlined eyes seemed to sparkle, even in the meagre light. But there was something uneasy in the air. 'How's my belt Nikki? Too heavy for you yet?'
Nikki glared at her but didn't dignify a response. Brie on the other hand...
'What are you two here for huh? This match is me an Naomi.'
'Well we just so happen to have been invited to join the commentary team for this match. So pumpkin why don't you just keep that expensive nose of yours to yourself, hm?' Paige reached out and took Natty's hand and gave her a gentle tug. The two of them disappeared through the curtain and I found myself staring after them.
'What was that about?'
'Never film a reality series with friends. It destroys everything you thought you had.' Nikki muttered. She clearly had been put out of joint by Paige's comments, but managed to keep her cool. Naomi's music started to play and panicked, Brie looked about.
'Where is she?'
'Here! Here! I'm here!' sprinting along in her black and orange ensemble, Naomi pretty much dashed through the curtain. I managed to stifle a giggle. It made me notice what Brie and Nikki were actually wearing. Whilst Brie was the one wrestling, Nikki was near half naked. The tiny shorts she wore could only have been pulled off by herself, and her buxom bosom only just about fit in the lace up top she wore. Her hat, which I wanted to steal, sat squint on her head. Brie on the other hand had a shirt (no doubt one of Daniel's) tied about her waist, a t-shirt and ripped skin tight lycra trousers. These women had to be goddesses in human form because no one else alive could have pulled it off. I knew they were supposed to be the heels, but I couldn't help but quietly root for the two girls. You Can Look started to play. Brie kissed my cheek and waved.
'Nice to meet you Nora. If you're about after the show, wanna grab a coffee? We can all get to know each other better.'
'Yes, yes! I'd love to!'
And just like that they were gone. I stood alone, in the gorilla position, and felt on top of the world. Rusev forgotten, and even forgiven, nothing could ruin the night for me. For no other reason than for the joy I felt rising inside me like a massive balloon, I started to dance along to the beat of the twins' entrance music. Life was good.
