Disclaimer: I do not own any of the WWE superstars in this story. It is
purely a work of fiction, and the wrestlers used in the making of it own
themselves.
A/N: Had a couple days off and given myself some time to make the ideas come to me. So I am back in the habit and I'm hoping that after the shock of that last chapter, I can make this one as good since it has to feed off the last one. I have been going insane offline writing my DOOL fiction, and now that I've got chapter on chapter of that to type up and I know I'm well ahead of the game, I want to make sure I don't leave this one in the dust at all. So as always read and review and let me know what you liked and what you didn't like, like you did with the last chapter anyway, and I will take it from there.
********************
Sunny Blessing Times
My Interview with Zach Gowen of the WWE. Why he is the enigma and what makes him so down to earth!
By Hayley Peterson
There is an eerie calm over the hallways as we the students get ready for the final months of our lives as high school seniors. In an effort to make the whole leaving a better one, the school has decided that they wanted to have a famous guest speaker to come in and motivate us and make us look forward to the next part of our lives.
So when I was approached to do a sit down interview with this person, I jumped at the chance. Getting into a good program for writing and for journalism has always been a dream, and with this on my resume, I was almost guaranteed a shot at a good school and a job later on down the road. What I learned as a senior and as a normal blood running female girl, is this person didn't turn out to be my meal ticket to a better future. He turned out to be so much more, and now here is my chance to show you just what I mean by that.
So without further ado, let me introduce you to the one and only Zach Gowen of the WWE, and let me let you see his answers to the important questions that everyone wants to know, and why he is the best person to give us our senior motivation.
"How old are you, when is your birthday and where did you grow up?"
"I am twenty years old now, my birthday was March 30, and I was born in 1983. I grew up in Detroit Michigan. Is that good enough?"
"More then enough. My next question is what made you start wrestling?"
"Everyone asks me that, and it's funny because I give a different version every time I answer."
"So what would your answer be at this moment in time, right here in the diner with me?"
"I was a sophomore in high school, I was watching Nitro and Raw, and talking to a girl on the phone. She asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I told her that I wanted to be a pro wrestler. She laughed at the notion of a one legged kid being a pro wrestler but the more I thought about it, the more I believed that I could do it! A few years later I was at a mall when I noticed a couple of men chain wrestling in the middle of the mall! I asked them what was going on and they directed me to the Thunder Zone Wrestling School."
"What's your ultimate goal within the sport?"
"My ultimate goal is to make a difference in somebody's life. There are so many professional athletes who bask in the glow of their fame and wealth but refuse to give back to the people who made them a "star". I think if you're on TV, then you have a responsibility to use your fame for something positive. We are role models, whether we want to be or not, and it's our duty to give back to the community."
"So do you think you've done that thus far in your career Zach?"
"Well if anything, my story got you interested in it didn't it? I mean if you didn't want to be here with me you wouldn't be and someone else would have been here asking these questions. So I made a difference with you didn't I?"
"Yes Zach you have made a difference in what my life was like before, and what it is now, and also my take on the wrestling business. Can we get back to the questions now?"
"Sure, shoot me another one."
"Who in WWE would you like to tag with most?"
"Spanky. I think we would make a tremendous tag team. With his wrestling skill and my boyish good looks and charm, we would be unstoppable!"
"Explain Spanky to me please?"
"His name is Brian Kendrick. He's been an Independent star as long as I have, and he's done really well for himself. He recently got the shit kicked out of him by Brock on television and actually hurt himself. He trained in Shawn Michael's wrestling school before hitting it big on WWE."
"What are your thoughts about Women's Wrestling?"
" Well, I think some of it's good and some of it's bad. I remember in the 80's when it was good with Scary Sherri and Moolah. Then it got pretty bad for a while. I think women's wrestling now a days is getting much better. I know that Fit Finlay (he's the man, by the way) is working with the women of the WWE and he's improved them ten-fold. I think that Victoria can be a huge star. As far as Japanese women go, they are the best. Their matches are on par with the men's matches."
"Would or have you ever considered using a false leg in the ring?"
" I have used my prosthesis in the ring before, but I don't prefer it. It's very awkward for me and it just gets in the way. It's also very expensive and I really don't make enough money on the Indy circuit to buy a new one! Plus, it can be a very dangerous weapon. On second thought, I might start using it more often."
"How did you lose your leg? Was it wrestling related?" "No, it wasn't related to anything with this business. I told you before how into the business I really am, but I developed a cancer in my leg at a young age, and the doctors told me that it was either my leg or my life. I choose life."
"Can you explain to me how it all came about?"
"One day while partaking in recess a soccer ball hit me in the knee. My mom brushed it off as a pulled muscle and went on vacation the next day. I would sporadically complain, but not enough to make it seem serious. I was misdiagnosed for a long time. Eventually my leg just broke so I was in a cast all summer. Once the cast came off it became apparent that my knee swelled up way too much and a calcification buildup was found in the femur. The doctors told my mom it isn't serious and that I was just looking for attention. After seeing no improvement, we were sent to a specialist that finally diagnosed my problem as cancer."
"So you've had to deal with a lot of hard things in a short amount of time then."
"Is that a question?"
"No, more like an observation. So what happened after the diagnosis?"
They put me on chemo right away to try and beat the tumor. I more or less lived in the cancer ward of the hospital and befriended many other children suffering from brain cancer and leukemia. The tumor was not going down in size and because this type of cancer spreads to the lungs, I was told that either I loose the leg or else I will die. Around this time, I was contacted by the Make a Wish Foundation. I passed up my opportunity for a wish because I knew that I would beat this and there are other children who ultimately would succumb to their disease. If I were to make a wish, it would have been to meet Hulk Hogan. The day before my amputation my family went out to Red Lobster and then saw a movie. All along my biggest concern was how much of my leg would be taken off since the surgeon was unaware of exactly how far the tumor had spread. I was left with my hip and 8 centimeters of my leg. Because the stump is so short daily exercises like walking can be incredibly difficult and could result in serious injury for me, so I have to take it easy."
"That's an incredible story. Is there anything else that you want to tell everyone that will read this, and won't be there to see you talk tomorrow?"
"I just want to tell them that you need to stay in school, because it will help you in the long run to live your dreams. Until I got contracted by the WWE that's what I was doing. I wrestled, but I still managed to keep my head on my shoulders and get my ass in school to learn. It's something that you need to do and it will enrich your life so much. For anyone else that reads this, you'll see me tomorrow and we can talk one on one."
**************************
I looked over the finished product and looked up at my teacher. Shaking my head I told him to go ahead with it, and I couldn't wait to see what it looked like on the front page for everyone to see. Since I had left Zach's hotel room that morning, I had the article and my future on my mind. Now it seemed the two were coming together, and I was finally going to get to live my dream.
As I was about to leave the editor's office, the phone rang. Running around the table to answer it, and grabbing it up quickly and trying to catch my breath, I waited for the person on the line to speak.
"May I speak to Hayley Peterson please?"
"This is her, how can I help you?"
"This is Jim Ross from World Wrestling Entertainment. Is it possible we can meet for a lunch meeting?"
I couldn't believe what was happening. The article hadn't even hit the press yet and I was already getting calls from the WWE. I knew the article and interview were done in just the right way, so there was no reason for Jim to be worried. So him calling and asking me for a lunch meeting worried me. What would he want with me, and why did he want to do it now, when everyone would be leaving town that very night?
"I can meet you, any place you have in mind?"
"The hotel lobby at 1 PM. And Hayley, could you come alone? I don't want too much attention brought on me right now."
"For sure Jim. See you in a few hours."
*************************
A/N: Had a couple days off and given myself some time to make the ideas come to me. So I am back in the habit and I'm hoping that after the shock of that last chapter, I can make this one as good since it has to feed off the last one. I have been going insane offline writing my DOOL fiction, and now that I've got chapter on chapter of that to type up and I know I'm well ahead of the game, I want to make sure I don't leave this one in the dust at all. So as always read and review and let me know what you liked and what you didn't like, like you did with the last chapter anyway, and I will take it from there.
********************
Sunny Blessing Times
My Interview with Zach Gowen of the WWE. Why he is the enigma and what makes him so down to earth!
By Hayley Peterson
There is an eerie calm over the hallways as we the students get ready for the final months of our lives as high school seniors. In an effort to make the whole leaving a better one, the school has decided that they wanted to have a famous guest speaker to come in and motivate us and make us look forward to the next part of our lives.
So when I was approached to do a sit down interview with this person, I jumped at the chance. Getting into a good program for writing and for journalism has always been a dream, and with this on my resume, I was almost guaranteed a shot at a good school and a job later on down the road. What I learned as a senior and as a normal blood running female girl, is this person didn't turn out to be my meal ticket to a better future. He turned out to be so much more, and now here is my chance to show you just what I mean by that.
So without further ado, let me introduce you to the one and only Zach Gowen of the WWE, and let me let you see his answers to the important questions that everyone wants to know, and why he is the best person to give us our senior motivation.
"How old are you, when is your birthday and where did you grow up?"
"I am twenty years old now, my birthday was March 30, and I was born in 1983. I grew up in Detroit Michigan. Is that good enough?"
"More then enough. My next question is what made you start wrestling?"
"Everyone asks me that, and it's funny because I give a different version every time I answer."
"So what would your answer be at this moment in time, right here in the diner with me?"
"I was a sophomore in high school, I was watching Nitro and Raw, and talking to a girl on the phone. She asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I told her that I wanted to be a pro wrestler. She laughed at the notion of a one legged kid being a pro wrestler but the more I thought about it, the more I believed that I could do it! A few years later I was at a mall when I noticed a couple of men chain wrestling in the middle of the mall! I asked them what was going on and they directed me to the Thunder Zone Wrestling School."
"What's your ultimate goal within the sport?"
"My ultimate goal is to make a difference in somebody's life. There are so many professional athletes who bask in the glow of their fame and wealth but refuse to give back to the people who made them a "star". I think if you're on TV, then you have a responsibility to use your fame for something positive. We are role models, whether we want to be or not, and it's our duty to give back to the community."
"So do you think you've done that thus far in your career Zach?"
"Well if anything, my story got you interested in it didn't it? I mean if you didn't want to be here with me you wouldn't be and someone else would have been here asking these questions. So I made a difference with you didn't I?"
"Yes Zach you have made a difference in what my life was like before, and what it is now, and also my take on the wrestling business. Can we get back to the questions now?"
"Sure, shoot me another one."
"Who in WWE would you like to tag with most?"
"Spanky. I think we would make a tremendous tag team. With his wrestling skill and my boyish good looks and charm, we would be unstoppable!"
"Explain Spanky to me please?"
"His name is Brian Kendrick. He's been an Independent star as long as I have, and he's done really well for himself. He recently got the shit kicked out of him by Brock on television and actually hurt himself. He trained in Shawn Michael's wrestling school before hitting it big on WWE."
"What are your thoughts about Women's Wrestling?"
" Well, I think some of it's good and some of it's bad. I remember in the 80's when it was good with Scary Sherri and Moolah. Then it got pretty bad for a while. I think women's wrestling now a days is getting much better. I know that Fit Finlay (he's the man, by the way) is working with the women of the WWE and he's improved them ten-fold. I think that Victoria can be a huge star. As far as Japanese women go, they are the best. Their matches are on par with the men's matches."
"Would or have you ever considered using a false leg in the ring?"
" I have used my prosthesis in the ring before, but I don't prefer it. It's very awkward for me and it just gets in the way. It's also very expensive and I really don't make enough money on the Indy circuit to buy a new one! Plus, it can be a very dangerous weapon. On second thought, I might start using it more often."
"How did you lose your leg? Was it wrestling related?" "No, it wasn't related to anything with this business. I told you before how into the business I really am, but I developed a cancer in my leg at a young age, and the doctors told me that it was either my leg or my life. I choose life."
"Can you explain to me how it all came about?"
"One day while partaking in recess a soccer ball hit me in the knee. My mom brushed it off as a pulled muscle and went on vacation the next day. I would sporadically complain, but not enough to make it seem serious. I was misdiagnosed for a long time. Eventually my leg just broke so I was in a cast all summer. Once the cast came off it became apparent that my knee swelled up way too much and a calcification buildup was found in the femur. The doctors told my mom it isn't serious and that I was just looking for attention. After seeing no improvement, we were sent to a specialist that finally diagnosed my problem as cancer."
"So you've had to deal with a lot of hard things in a short amount of time then."
"Is that a question?"
"No, more like an observation. So what happened after the diagnosis?"
They put me on chemo right away to try and beat the tumor. I more or less lived in the cancer ward of the hospital and befriended many other children suffering from brain cancer and leukemia. The tumor was not going down in size and because this type of cancer spreads to the lungs, I was told that either I loose the leg or else I will die. Around this time, I was contacted by the Make a Wish Foundation. I passed up my opportunity for a wish because I knew that I would beat this and there are other children who ultimately would succumb to their disease. If I were to make a wish, it would have been to meet Hulk Hogan. The day before my amputation my family went out to Red Lobster and then saw a movie. All along my biggest concern was how much of my leg would be taken off since the surgeon was unaware of exactly how far the tumor had spread. I was left with my hip and 8 centimeters of my leg. Because the stump is so short daily exercises like walking can be incredibly difficult and could result in serious injury for me, so I have to take it easy."
"That's an incredible story. Is there anything else that you want to tell everyone that will read this, and won't be there to see you talk tomorrow?"
"I just want to tell them that you need to stay in school, because it will help you in the long run to live your dreams. Until I got contracted by the WWE that's what I was doing. I wrestled, but I still managed to keep my head on my shoulders and get my ass in school to learn. It's something that you need to do and it will enrich your life so much. For anyone else that reads this, you'll see me tomorrow and we can talk one on one."
**************************
I looked over the finished product and looked up at my teacher. Shaking my head I told him to go ahead with it, and I couldn't wait to see what it looked like on the front page for everyone to see. Since I had left Zach's hotel room that morning, I had the article and my future on my mind. Now it seemed the two were coming together, and I was finally going to get to live my dream.
As I was about to leave the editor's office, the phone rang. Running around the table to answer it, and grabbing it up quickly and trying to catch my breath, I waited for the person on the line to speak.
"May I speak to Hayley Peterson please?"
"This is her, how can I help you?"
"This is Jim Ross from World Wrestling Entertainment. Is it possible we can meet for a lunch meeting?"
I couldn't believe what was happening. The article hadn't even hit the press yet and I was already getting calls from the WWE. I knew the article and interview were done in just the right way, so there was no reason for Jim to be worried. So him calling and asking me for a lunch meeting worried me. What would he want with me, and why did he want to do it now, when everyone would be leaving town that very night?
"I can meet you, any place you have in mind?"
"The hotel lobby at 1 PM. And Hayley, could you come alone? I don't want too much attention brought on me right now."
"For sure Jim. See you in a few hours."
*************************