I
forgot all about the sign as the bell rang and the match started.
Mark was wrestling Christian, which was weird to me. Christian wasn't
one of his usual opponents and I didn't see where this was leading.
But I hadn't asked him any details about the match. Before we
arrived I hadn't wanted to put him in the awkward position of
telling secrets or refusing to answer me. I hadn't even asked who
his match was against. He'd simply reassured me that this match was
going to be an easy one, a simple set up for Wrestle Mania.
The
momentum of the match was with Mark until Christian landed a low
blow. I winced and looked at Tony who was sitting beside me now.
Automatically he'd crossed his legs and even now had a pained
expression on his face. When he noticed I was staring at him he gave
me a wry smile but didn't uncross his legs. Despite all of his
reassurances about this match it still hurt for one guy to watch
another get hit in that spot.
Mark lay groaning on the mat
while Christian stood above him gloating. Christian quickly went on
the offensive before Mark could get to his feet. Quick kicks to the
ribs and a boot to the head kept Mark on the mat. I kept repeating to
myself that it was fake, that these guys knew what they were doing.
They weren't really hurting each other. Mark was fine, he was just
a really good actor. I kept repeating this to myself but I wasn't
convinced. I couldn't help but wince with every blow and when
Christian dropped a particularly vicious looking knee to Mark's
ribs I was preparing to go over the barricade when I felt Tony's
hands on my arms pulling me back into my seat.
I smiled at him
sheepishly before turning my attention back to the match. I know Mark
was ok, it was just tough watching. It looked so real and it was
always in the back of my mind that something could go wrong.
"He's
fine Dory. Trust me."
I looked over at Tony, consciously
relaxing my tense muscles under his reassuring gaze. I nodded and
tried to smile.
"Dory, if he looks over here and sees how
upset you're getting it's going to mess him up. He's got to
keep his mind in the match, not out here. That's what I'm here
for. Ok?"
I nodded again and kept repeating that it was just
a match, just a match. But this was the first time I'd watched Mark
wrestle after I'd gotten to know him and it made a difference. The
moves weren't cool, they were dangerous. The risks weren't
entertaining, they were dangerous. But I knew Tony was right. I
pasted a smile on my face and turned back to cheer for the
Undertaker. Maybe it would help if I thought of him like that when he
wrestled. Maybe.
Taker was still getting the bad end of this
match. It seemed awfully one sided to me. He'd been able to land a
few solid punches that had put Christian down on the mat but his
advantage hadn't lasted long. Christian drop kicked him in the knee
and once again he was groaning on the mat.
I quickly looked
at Tony and he gave me a reassuring smile. "You're sure?"
"He's
fine, Dory." Leaning a little closer he whispered in my ear, "See,
this is just the set up for Wrestle Mania. We're setting it up for
Taker to be missing some time on TV. We want to play up some
injuries, like he's weak. That's why Christian has the upper hand
for this match. Mark will do anything to get some time off." He
looked at me with a grin. "Seems something has come up and he wants
to spend some time away from the ring." He wiggled his eyebrows
outrageously and I had to laugh. Reaching over he gave me a one armed
hug. "It says a lot that you care that much and are getting upset
about the match. But he's fine. Trust me."
I nodded and
turned back just in time to see Taker come to his feet, a vicious
look on his face. He slapped a huge right hand around Christian's
neck and I was on my feet cheering. I ignored the look of fear on
Christian's face, I was just cheering for my man.
I never
saw
what happened. Even on the replays we watched afterward it's hard
to tell in a crowd that size where he came from. Seems even Big Show
can be invisible when he wants to be.
Big Show entered the
ring and came up behind Taker. There was confusion on Christian's
face and I felt Tony tense beside me. Seeing something in Christian's
face to warn him, Mark turned around and Big Show slammed him in the
head with a steel chair.
"What the hell?"
I didn't
even hear Tony's mutter beside me. I was caught up in the action in
the ring. I saw Mark's eyes widen from the impact of the chair.
This wasn't fake, this wasn't acting. He'd already let
Christian go but I saw Christian reaching for him now. Christian had
both hands out, trying to get in a position to steady Mark and figure
out what was going on. There was still confusion on his face and it
was beginning to dawn on me that this wasn't really part of the
show. Before Christian could reach Mark and steady him, Big Show
shoved Christian down, toppling him through the ropes and out of the
ring.
I was on my feet straining against the barricade, Tony
standing stiffly beside me as the scene unfolded. Big Show wrapped
one beefy hand around Mark's throat and lifted him for just minutes
before slamming him down on the mat.
Tony was standing close
enough that I felt his whole body tense and when he looked at me
there was no reassuring smile, no comforting words of how this was
all just a set up. I quickly looked back over at Mark. He was lying
deathly still in the middle of the ring. He hadn't moved since
being slammed to the mat.
Big Show walked into my sight,
blocking my view of Mark stretched out on the blue canvas. My eyes
lifted to meet his and he grinned, giving me a mocking bow. Without
even thinking about it I flipped him off. His eyes narrowed and his
grin faded completely. He lumbered from the ring and grabbed another
chair before clambering back into the ring. The referee had taken the
first one away from him. Show had a vicious look on his face.
"Tony
. . ."
Tony never even looked at me. His eyes, as well as
mine, were locked on the action in the ring. Big Show was about to
hit Mark again.
Out of nowhere a streak of red hit the ring. I
could see that Kane was still pulling his mask down even as he slid
into the ring. Instead of any wrestling move, Kane cocked his arm
back and hit Big Show in the mouth with his leather-clad fist. The
arena went nuts thinking it was part of the show. I wonder if I was
the only one that saw the furious, surprised look on Big Show's
face and the trickle of blood that dripped from his mouth.
Big
Show stumbled back into the corner but before he could confront Kane,
referees hit the ring. There seemed to be hundreds of them.
I
felt Tony slowly relax beside me. The referees surrounded Big Show
and finally forced him from the ring. I think it had more to do with
the fact that Kane was standing there, just daring him to come a
little closer than anything the referees said. It was easy to sneak
up behind someone, but not so easy to deal with them face to
face.
I'm sure the show had long since went to commercial
but the live audience was still getting a show. The original referee
for the match, Mark, Christian, and Kane were still in the ring. Mark
was sitting up but he hadn't regained his feet yet. Kane was
sitting on one knee in front of him and I kept wishing he'd move so
I could see Mark's face, so I could see for myself that those green
eyes were open and he was ok. I saw Kane bend his head and listen to
Mark. He nodded a couple of times and Christian seemed to be
listening as well. Christian started to grin and the referee stood up
and motioned the paramedics back to the back before sliding from the
ring.
Kane was finally moving. Slowly, he moved to the side
and I could see Mark's face. My breath hitched in my throat when I
saw the blood matted in his hair and still trickling into his goatee.
His eyes looked glazed but they were focused directly on me. His hand
was a little unsteady when he reached up to his head. What was he
doing? Slowly, so slowly, he reached behind him for his braid and
undid the rubber band. The braid slowly unraveled as his eyes held
mine. I could feel the tears start to slide down my face. After what
had just happened he still remembered I was there and that I'd be
worried. He was letting me know he was ok. He was ok and he
remembered that I didn't like his hair that way. I wanted to laugh
and cry at the same time. The silly man probably had a concussion and
had blood dripping from him and he's worried about his hair. I
tried to remember Tony's words. Mark needed to keep his mind on
business right now. I tried to smile. I felt my lips stretch up at
the corners and I quickly brushed my tears away. I nodded to him and
gave him a quick thumbs up.
His head dipped once before he
set his attention once more on Kane. Reaching around him, Kane
wrapped an arm across his shoulders, helping him gain his feet. Tony
and I watched the slow process. I winced each time Mark did, knowing
he had to be in pain. Finally they were standing side by side. Kane
reached out a hand and lifted Mark's wrist in triumph. They may
have lost the battle, but they'd won the war. The crowd was going
nuts. Everyone was cheering, chanting Mark's name. It never
occurred to anyone that none of this had been scripted, that it had
not been part of the show. They were just excited to see the brothers
reunited.
"Let's go."
Tony grabbed my arm and
began to hustle me through the crowd.
"Wait a minute. Tony,
stop. He's still in the ring. I want to watch." Digging in my
heels, I tugged my arm loose. "I want to make sure nothing else
happens. I have to."
Grabbing my arm again Tony leaned down
and started whispering in my ear as he tugged me towards the exit.
"By the time we get through this crowd and make it backstage then
that's where Mark will be. I know you want to be with him. Nothing
else is going to happen. Glenn is out there with him and Big Show got
what he wanted." Tony sidestepped a large man carrying two beers
and a bag of popcorn before muttering, "I just wonder if he knows
how much it's going to hurt when it's delivered."
