(July, 2006-January, 2007)
As the D-Generation X's theme song filled the arena in Detroit, I closed my eyes and time slowed down. I'd been watching WWF wrestling since I was 17. Now I was 24 and WWF was in Detroit for Raw is War. I'd seen it live about six times, usually with ringside tickets and next to my best friend, Crystal, before getting backstage.
This time was different. Crystal was out in the ring, holding The Rock's belt, which was half of the Tag Team Championship. They'd been together for four years, since we'd won a chance to hang out backstage.
The Rock's partner, The Godfather, was up on a turnbuckle like The Rock. His Ho Train was already safely lined up next to the ring. Crystal held both tag team belts high above her head as the DX music began.
I stood to the side of the entrance curtain, waiting for Triple H. The New Age Outlaws, Road Dogg and Badd Ass Billy Gunn (Mr. Ass), started out of the curtains followed by X-Pac. They stopped on the entrance ramp as I followed Triple H out. We stood on the stage on top of the ramp, like he'd done years ago with Chyna. My heart pounded and felt like it would burst. Crystal had been doing this, coming down to the ring, with The Rock for over a year. This was my first time, and I was beyond scared.
The five of us walked down the ramp to the ring where The Outlaws would fight The Rock and The Godfather for the tag team belts.
As The Outlaws climbed into the ring, Crystal slipped out carefully and The Rock went straight for Road Dogg. She stood next to the Ho's, eventhough she wouldn't talk to them. She gave me a quick smile and I nodded my head. I wanted to smile, but knew Triple H, or Hunter, would get upset.
Crystal wore a short, tight zebra print dress. I had on tight black pants that flared at my knees and a white halter-top that had long ties that fell down my back. After Chyna and Hunter split up, I kind of became her. When I'd first met DX, Chyna had just reunited with them. After a year, she left Hunter for Chris Jericho, another wrestler. A year later, Crystal was going to the ring with The Rock. I was always in the DX locker room, but refused to actually walk out to the ring with them, until tonight.
Crystal was with The Rock, or Dwayne, in real life. He'd even left his wife for her. But I didn't want a relationship with any of the D- Generates. I'd hung out with Dwayne and Crystal and had learned how different Dwayne was from The Rock. My DX private life was very separate from my life with Crystal. She was still on a stage name basis with most of DX, except for X-Pac, whose real name was Sean. He was the one that I hung out with most. Watching wrestling, I'd really disliked him, but in reality he was pretty cool. When I didn't hang out with Crystal, I'd be with Hunter (which wasn't his real name, but what everyone called him). I even shared an apartment with him in Connecticut.
Watching wrestling as a fan was much more fun. Being part of the action, you knew everything. You knew who would win the matches, even some of the moves that would be used. This night I read signs in the audience as the fight went on. Most signs were for The Rock, but DX had quite a few.
A good ten minutes after we'd came out, the bell ending the fight rung. Road Dogg and Mr. Ass rolled out of the ring with their newly won tag team belts. The Rock and Godfather along with Crystal and the Ho's were already on the entrance stage.
The rest of the night passed quickly. I watched most of the live show on TV with Crystal in the DX room. Dwayne had a meeting with Mr. Ass and Vince McMahon, the owner of the WWF.
"Hey, Brian, what's up with Monty?" Hunter asked Road Dogg about Mr. Ass.
Brian shifted in his chair. Monty was his best friend. Most viewers thought they were a little more than friends, but I knew different. "WCW wants Monty." Brian answered.
Crystal and I both looked up, shocked. Hunter and Sean stood up, surprised. "He's staying, right?" I said, suddenly worried about DX breaking up.
"What's Dwayne got to do with Mr. Ass leaving?" Crystal asked.
Hunter, who had sat back down next to me, smiled. "Some things we don't get to find out."
Just as I was thinking up a sarcastic remark, Shane, Vince's son, came in with the report for Smackdown. Smackdown would be taped Tuesday but air Thursday. Shane handed the three guys their reports, then turned to me.
"Shauna, did you have fun tonight?" He asked.
"Oh, yeah." I said, laughing.
"Good, because you'll be out there again tomorrow." He said and left.
Brian and Sean grabbed their bags and started toward the door.
"See you tomorrow." Brian said.
"Yeah, we'll be in Connecticut, close enough for a warm home-cooked dinner Wednesday night." Sean smiled, hinting about Hunter and me inviting them over for dinner.
Hunter threw an empty water bottle at Sean. "Maybe you'll learn to cook for yourself someday."
Crystal laughed and stood up as Brian and Sean left. "I'm going to see if Dwayne's done yet."
"I'll go with you." I said, following her out into the arena hall.
"So, what's up with you and Triple H?" She asked.
I laughed. "Nothing. We're friends—"
"That sleep together." She added.
"We have separate bedrooms and beds." I defended myself.
"Yeah, and sometimes you enjoy sharing." She opened Dwayne's locker room door and found the room empty.
"I hope the meeting wasn't bad news." I said.
"It probably won't be. The fans love him. You've seen the signs."
"That I have. But right now, I'm sorry, but I have to go back. Hunter and I are flying home tonight."
"God forbid you visit your family while you're so close to Milan."
"No, I saw them this afternoon. Nothing new, they still hate DX."
Crystal laughed. "You'd think after all these years, they'd at least pretend to like DX. Mostly now with you being part of it."
My mom's boyfriend, Ron, had gotten me hooked on wrestling. When DX reunited when I was 18, I really started to like them. Ron and me would have arguments twice a week about it. Me saying Triple H was of one the best actual fighters and wasn't much of a showoff. Ron would go on saying he was an asshole. And I'd go on saying it wasn't personality that I liked about Triple H.
Two years later, I actually got to meet all of DX, which then included Chyna. Crystal and I had won a radio contest. A month later, we drove to New Jersey for a Smackdown taping with front row seats, like always.
As the D-Generation X's theme song filled the arena in Detroit, I closed my eyes and time slowed down. I'd been watching WWF wrestling since I was 17. Now I was 24 and WWF was in Detroit for Raw is War. I'd seen it live about six times, usually with ringside tickets and next to my best friend, Crystal, before getting backstage.
This time was different. Crystal was out in the ring, holding The Rock's belt, which was half of the Tag Team Championship. They'd been together for four years, since we'd won a chance to hang out backstage.
The Rock's partner, The Godfather, was up on a turnbuckle like The Rock. His Ho Train was already safely lined up next to the ring. Crystal held both tag team belts high above her head as the DX music began.
I stood to the side of the entrance curtain, waiting for Triple H. The New Age Outlaws, Road Dogg and Badd Ass Billy Gunn (Mr. Ass), started out of the curtains followed by X-Pac. They stopped on the entrance ramp as I followed Triple H out. We stood on the stage on top of the ramp, like he'd done years ago with Chyna. My heart pounded and felt like it would burst. Crystal had been doing this, coming down to the ring, with The Rock for over a year. This was my first time, and I was beyond scared.
The five of us walked down the ramp to the ring where The Outlaws would fight The Rock and The Godfather for the tag team belts.
As The Outlaws climbed into the ring, Crystal slipped out carefully and The Rock went straight for Road Dogg. She stood next to the Ho's, eventhough she wouldn't talk to them. She gave me a quick smile and I nodded my head. I wanted to smile, but knew Triple H, or Hunter, would get upset.
Crystal wore a short, tight zebra print dress. I had on tight black pants that flared at my knees and a white halter-top that had long ties that fell down my back. After Chyna and Hunter split up, I kind of became her. When I'd first met DX, Chyna had just reunited with them. After a year, she left Hunter for Chris Jericho, another wrestler. A year later, Crystal was going to the ring with The Rock. I was always in the DX locker room, but refused to actually walk out to the ring with them, until tonight.
Crystal was with The Rock, or Dwayne, in real life. He'd even left his wife for her. But I didn't want a relationship with any of the D- Generates. I'd hung out with Dwayne and Crystal and had learned how different Dwayne was from The Rock. My DX private life was very separate from my life with Crystal. She was still on a stage name basis with most of DX, except for X-Pac, whose real name was Sean. He was the one that I hung out with most. Watching wrestling, I'd really disliked him, but in reality he was pretty cool. When I didn't hang out with Crystal, I'd be with Hunter (which wasn't his real name, but what everyone called him). I even shared an apartment with him in Connecticut.
Watching wrestling as a fan was much more fun. Being part of the action, you knew everything. You knew who would win the matches, even some of the moves that would be used. This night I read signs in the audience as the fight went on. Most signs were for The Rock, but DX had quite a few.
A good ten minutes after we'd came out, the bell ending the fight rung. Road Dogg and Mr. Ass rolled out of the ring with their newly won tag team belts. The Rock and Godfather along with Crystal and the Ho's were already on the entrance stage.
The rest of the night passed quickly. I watched most of the live show on TV with Crystal in the DX room. Dwayne had a meeting with Mr. Ass and Vince McMahon, the owner of the WWF.
"Hey, Brian, what's up with Monty?" Hunter asked Road Dogg about Mr. Ass.
Brian shifted in his chair. Monty was his best friend. Most viewers thought they were a little more than friends, but I knew different. "WCW wants Monty." Brian answered.
Crystal and I both looked up, shocked. Hunter and Sean stood up, surprised. "He's staying, right?" I said, suddenly worried about DX breaking up.
"What's Dwayne got to do with Mr. Ass leaving?" Crystal asked.
Hunter, who had sat back down next to me, smiled. "Some things we don't get to find out."
Just as I was thinking up a sarcastic remark, Shane, Vince's son, came in with the report for Smackdown. Smackdown would be taped Tuesday but air Thursday. Shane handed the three guys their reports, then turned to me.
"Shauna, did you have fun tonight?" He asked.
"Oh, yeah." I said, laughing.
"Good, because you'll be out there again tomorrow." He said and left.
Brian and Sean grabbed their bags and started toward the door.
"See you tomorrow." Brian said.
"Yeah, we'll be in Connecticut, close enough for a warm home-cooked dinner Wednesday night." Sean smiled, hinting about Hunter and me inviting them over for dinner.
Hunter threw an empty water bottle at Sean. "Maybe you'll learn to cook for yourself someday."
Crystal laughed and stood up as Brian and Sean left. "I'm going to see if Dwayne's done yet."
"I'll go with you." I said, following her out into the arena hall.
"So, what's up with you and Triple H?" She asked.
I laughed. "Nothing. We're friends—"
"That sleep together." She added.
"We have separate bedrooms and beds." I defended myself.
"Yeah, and sometimes you enjoy sharing." She opened Dwayne's locker room door and found the room empty.
"I hope the meeting wasn't bad news." I said.
"It probably won't be. The fans love him. You've seen the signs."
"That I have. But right now, I'm sorry, but I have to go back. Hunter and I are flying home tonight."
"God forbid you visit your family while you're so close to Milan."
"No, I saw them this afternoon. Nothing new, they still hate DX."
Crystal laughed. "You'd think after all these years, they'd at least pretend to like DX. Mostly now with you being part of it."
My mom's boyfriend, Ron, had gotten me hooked on wrestling. When DX reunited when I was 18, I really started to like them. Ron and me would have arguments twice a week about it. Me saying Triple H was of one the best actual fighters and wasn't much of a showoff. Ron would go on saying he was an asshole. And I'd go on saying it wasn't personality that I liked about Triple H.
Two years later, I actually got to meet all of DX, which then included Chyna. Crystal and I had won a radio contest. A month later, we drove to New Jersey for a Smackdown taping with front row seats, like always.