I arrived in Milwaukee several hours later than planned. The date was Tuesday, the 23rd of February 2010. The big day had finally arrived. Vince McMahon had called it the next evolution and it was do or die. WWE's NXT was about to debut. Mike had been in town for two days already but I had taken a cab straight to the arena before even dropping my bags off in our hotel room. There was a lot to do and I wanted to make sure the premiere episode went off without a hitch.

As soon as I stepped in the door, I was given pages of production notes. The first order of business was the talent themselves. My most important task would be overseeing them. I was in charge of making sure they were prepared for their matches, making sure they had everything they needed. Mike had joked that it was glorified babysitting but I honestly didn't have a problem with it. The wrestlers really liked me and I was good at my job. I looked forward to something new.

I looked down at my notes. The first rookie was David Otunga. I smiled as I looked at his photograph. I already knew him from the I Love New York reality show where he had appeared as the sexy and intelligent, super sensitive hottie, Punk. Fast forward a few years and one engagement and baby with the award winning Jennifer Hudson, he had focused his attention on sports entertainment. He was a Harvard educated lawyer who had signed a developmental deal with the WWE in late 2008. The word was that the real life nice and humble guy had decent in-ring skills, only surpassed by his charismatic personality that groomed him to be the perfect heel the fans would love to hate. The second rookie was Stuart Bennett, a professional wrestler originally from England who had been assigned the alias of Wade Barrett. A lot of buzz had preceded the man with the towering physique from his arrest of assaulting a police officer in Tampa, to his magnificent mic skills and physical abilities.

The third rookie on my list was Ryan Reeves aka Skip Sheffield. His resume was long and impressive, including a host of Indy federations where he had dominated the competition. I had heard his name before as he had competed with Mike in Tough Enough 4. An all around seasoned athlete, he'd had a promising career in professional baseball until a foot injury sidelined those dreams. The fourth name I saw was Tyrone Evans or Michael Tarver. A fellow Ohio native, he had begun his career in 2005 with the Pro Wrestling Xpress before eventually signing with the WWE and spending time in the various developmental territories before winding up at FCW.

The fifth rookie was Heath Miller or Heath Slater as his name had been changed. Billed from West Virginia, the dynamic young man who called himself the One Man Rock Band had been trained by Curtis Hughes at the WWA4 Pro Wrestling School in Atlanta. He was well known for being a good natured prankster and getting over with the fans. Rookie number six was Fred Rosser a good looking guy with a head of hair that had its own zip code. A lifelong wrestling fan, he debuted in 2002 after performing in several backyard wrestling promotions. The fans would come to know him as Darren Young.

The next rookie was the young man who would be paired with my husband. Bryan Danielson, whose name had indeed been flipped around to Daniel Bryan, was the most promising competitor on the list. He was a living Indy legend with a host of devoted followers. Wrestling professionally since 1999, the sensitive and studious vegan was a favorite already to take the whole prize. The last rookie on my list was Paul Lloyd Jr. who would be known to the WWE Universe as Justin Gabriel. A former fitness model, the man from South Africa was the son of a famous promoter. An all around nice guy who loved to smile, the former FCW champion was known for his heart and determination.

After reading the papers over and over again, I made my way further into the empty arena where a small group had already convened in the ring. Standing tall inside were the WWE pros. Matt Hardy, Ron "R Truth" Killings, Chris "Jericho" Irvine, Jason "Christian" Reso, Phil "CM Punk" Brooks, Carlos "Carlito" Colon, Darren "Lord William Regal" Matthews and of course my Mike "The Miz" Mizanin. Sitting in the front row seats were the eight rookies I had just read about. Slipping quietly into the front row in the opposite section, I listened in quietly.

The show was being done a little differently. The Tough Enough installments followed everyone out of character as they trained. Cameras followed them 24/7, particularly inside the mansion where they had been put up in order to catch every ounce of drama. NXT had a different angle. There would be no behind the scenes footage. The pros would choose the winners but the dialogue was scripted and the outcome of the matches, of course pre-determined. They were being called rookies but all of the men were seasoned performers with an extensive list of experience. The pros were supposed to be in wrestling character at all times in front of the camera but as he continued with his tongue lashing, I cringed noting there was not one camera in sight.

"You guys are rookies. You're nothing, basically a bunch of nobodies. You've been given the opportunity of a lifetime yet you've done absolutely nothing to earn it. But nothing comes for free, boys. You pay your dues in this business. You're in the big leagues now and I guarantee you won't come into my house without a fight. Right now, I, we have no respect for any of you. You don't like it? I don't care. You want your respect? Well, come and get it."

He dramatically threw the mic onto the ring canvas and it landed with a loud thud. I had been looking forward to working with Mike especially after our bonding session following the death of our friend, Liam. I thought he had wanted to change but his behavior with the rookies greatly concerned me. I knew it wouldn't be an easy three months if he was going to act like that. It was one thing to play a character in front of the fans but quite another to be downright rude and condescending for no reason at all.

I stared at the men seated to my left and kept looking at my folder that contained all their pictures. I hadn't had the chance to go over any of their wrestling tapes. All I could do was read the notes and look at their faces, trying to learn as much as possible about the people I would be spending so much time with over the next 14 weeks. I studied them without being too obvious. Sometimes you found out the most information by lingering around unnoticed, quietly in the background.

As I sat in my seat scribbling on a pad, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I raised my head turning in the direction of the stare. His look was intense but friendly; apparently he was just as curious about me as I was about him. Our eyes met and he gave me a smile. It was so warm and genuine that I couldn't help but smile back. When he didn't break the gaze I felt my face flush so I looked away. Justin Gabriel or rather Paul Lloyd it was. He couldn't stop staring and neither could I.

"Alright guys, you're dismissed. Meet your pros at the designated location in one hour. The show is tonight and it's live and we want it to look good," Matt instructed in his trademark southern drawl. "Oh and before you go, guys, if you could, look over to your right at the beautiful young lady sitting so quietly in the front row. Her name is Claudia Mizanin and during your time here, as long or short as it may be, she will be your right hand. She is the production coordinator for NXT and I have had the pleasure of working with her many times before and she is absolutely terrific. So please introduce yourselves, get acquainted and let's get ready to rock and roll."

Just as I waved, Mike grabbed the mic again.

"Notice that last name is Mizanin, which is my last name as well, which makes Claudia my wife. So make sure you're respectful and if you give her any problems, then you and I have will have problems."

I wanted to melt into my seat. Was that really necessary?

"She puts up with this goofball so you know she must be one hell of a woman," Ron made one last joked that lightened the mood and put small smiles on the faces of everyone except Mike.

I stood as the rookies made their way over to me. They each politely introduced themselves and we shook hands. Paul was the last person. His smile was even more intriguing up close. He shook my hand and I swear I felt sparks all over.

"Nice to meet you, Paul," I nodded.

"PJ," he responded in his delicate accent. "That's what all my friends call me."

"PJ, it is then."

"Okay, okay. Enough with the formalities. We've got work to do, guys. Chop, chop," Mike joined us, clapping his hands.

The rookies scattered leaving my husband and me alone. He shot me a shit eating grin and I could tell he was quite pleased by his own little production. I nestled my head into the crook of his shoulder. It was going to be an interesting few months.