October 16th, 2020
Joey
The world is currently 8 months into this pandemic, and it's just as god-awful as ever. I've been making the most of it by staying safe, respecting the rules, and enjoying some private time at home, but there is that part of me like everyone else that misses hanging out with all the homies outside the workplace. It's been a wild year, but as long as my friends and family are safe and healthy, that's all that matters to me.
Speaking of the workplace, that's where I'm off to now. I'm fresh off the plane from New York and just want to get to the Amway Center, shake this jet lag off and get in the zone to do what I love to do; and that is to wrestle. You probably already guessed it. I've been with the WWE for 21 years now, and I'll never not consider this place home and the crew family. Many have considered me a legend in the business because of my contributions and desire to consistently entertain the fans in and out of the ring with my creative mind and ruthless but ever-evolving tortured soul persona. It's truly humbling to see and hear fans put me in such a light, but do I agree with them? My ego would, for sure, but I still see myself as a human being that is just living a life I wouldn't change for anything.
I finally pulled into the arena parking lot and, as usual, gathered my bags together and got ready for the show. Tonight's SmackDown show was all about the season premiere. We're fresh off the WWE Draft, and brand-new faces have joined us, and I have the pleasure to welcome them aboard. While it is exciting to do so as I've had the pleasure of staying on the blue brand since 2016, it does sting to lose some good talent and friends to RAW.
"Ahh, good morning, Joey!" Our doctor with a clipboard greeted me ever kindly. Usually, I shake hands with the staff I meet for the day, but due to the pandemic, that won't be happening no matter how clean your hands are. Better safe than sorry.
"Morning, doc! My locker room ready to go?"
"Yes, sir! But you know what I gotta do first." Of course, I knew. He held a thermometer to my forehead and asked me the usual shit about symptoms and weird feelings. Always better safe than sorry. "Ok, you're good to head on in!"
"Right on! Any of the newbies show up yet?" I asked out of curiosity.
"You're the first to show up, actually! We should be expecting the others very soon, though!"
"Can't wait!" Until then, however, I'm going to enjoy having some alone time to prepare in peace.
?
I haven't stepped in a WWE arena in what feels like years, but it's only been 7 months. Aside from being the best mom on the planet to this little bun in the oven, there's nothing I want more than to be back in that ring and start writing down names that need their heads slapped off.
"I'm nervous. I can't believe I get to see everyone again!" I couldn't stop smiling as we pulled into the Amway Center. Me finally getting to see the Thunderdome in person was one thing; but after months of quarantine and taking care of this little bundle of joy, the fact that I'm seeing my friends in person again and not through a silly video call app is just so damn exciting!
"Haha! I guarantee you they missed you as much as you missed them. It's gonna be great because they have no idea you're coming!" My mouth went agape when my fiancé just said that.
"They have no idea?!"
"Not...a...clue! And there goes that evil smile of yours."
"Oh hell yes!" The old goofball in me couldn't help but enjoy this bit of news. I can hide and surprise the holy hell out of everyone; especially HIM!
We pulled into the parking lot and my man just had to play the hero for me taking all the bags and didn't let me carry not even one.
"I may be pregnant, but I'm not weak, you dope." This prompted a laugh in response, which made me roll my eyes.
"Come on now, I'm not gonna have you do anything to hurt yourself and the kid." So stubborn but still sweet is all I could think. I'd slap him upside the head right now for fun, and it would be perfect as the doctor was the first to greet us, but I'll save it for later.
"Well if this isn't a surprise, Seth! Good to see you again, Becky!" I'd shake his hand again if I could, but ya know...safety first.
"Ahh, it's good to see you again, doc! I can't believe I'm back here again! I'm so excited to see everyone!"
"It's true. This little lady over here jumped at the idea of surprising everyone." Colby added as he got his temperature taken as well as mine. We were pretty much good to go in as we both checked out clean.
"So I'll lead you two to your locker room, and you'll be set." The doc graciously guided us to Colby's room, but I was more focused on hiding in plain sight and scanning the area for friends. I even put on my hoodie and hid my hair so no one would instantly recognize me. My hair wasn't bright orange like it used to be as the time away has allowed my natural hair to grow in, but I wasn't gonna take that chance.
We found Colby's room, but down the hall was where the fun was happening. I peeked over and immediately froze up. It was Big E, Jey, Roman and… Joey. They were being their usual goofball selves as Roman was getting trimmed and prepped for TV. Always such a lively group. I know this is gonna sound corny, but I just couldn't believe I was seeing Joey in person again. I missed him so much and just wanted to run up and hug him out of nowhere. But I'm gonna have more fun surprising the heck out of him.
"Ready to settle in, babe?" Hearing Colby speak to me helped me regain my focus.
"Yeah! Let's go!" Is all I could say. I took a last peek at the boys and just couldn't stop smiling. "They didn't see me. Perfect." I had a good feeling today was gonna be something special.
Joey
I swear these guys are gonna be the death of me one day…but damn it, I can't help but love them.
"If we ever go bowling again... I gotta bring Jess with me. I need them love taps! I need that power to hit them strikes, baby!" I will always love talking bowling with E. Ever since that epic tournament they filmed for UpUpDownDown last year, (which is honestly my favorite video of theirs EVER!) I've been champing at the bit to challenge the boys to bowl. I just gotta leave out that I haven't played in a long ass time.
"Hell no, you ain't bringing Jess! That should count as cheating!" I argued!
"Man, I still don't know how we let that slide, Uce! Should've just had y'all disqualified and went on to the finals!" Jey added on.
"Just hold on a minute, Uce!" Roman chimed in from his chair. "Even without outside help, there was NO damn way you were winning with those ugly ass gutter shots!" All of us couldn't help but just bust out laughing; except for Jey who wasn't feeling the playful jab from his cousin.
"You ain't gotta go there, dawg. Why do I gotta keep saying it? There was something wrong with them bowling balls, man!" This rebuttal from Jey made us crack up even more.
"Yeah, the person holding them! Butterfingers having ass." Jey immediately squared up (playfully of course) and threw some shadow punches while I just defended myself while cracking up.
"Yo Uce, we gotta rehearse our segments real quick. You coming to watch, Joey?" Roman said as he was finally done getting prepped for the show.
"I'll come by in a few. I wanna get this hair and goatee cleaned up." It was my turn to sit in the chair and get cleaned up.
"I'ma head out too, big J. Gotta get ready for my segment as well!" E said. We slapped hands and I wished him well. All three guys are absolutely amazing talents and amazing human people. If I were to retire tomorrow, I'd believe the WWE would be fine even if it was just those three running the show.
"The usual, Mr. Kennedy?" the barber asked me.
"Small trim and clean up? Yes please." I know a lot of people that would have makeup on while in front of the cameras. Me? I tried it out once during my debut year and politely made it clear it just wasn't a thing I was comfortable with.
Here I am sitting in this chair, laying back with my eyes closed, waiting for the trimmers to start buzzing.
"Shaver's acting up out of nowhere. Sorry, Joey. It won't be long to restart." The barber assured me. I nodded in response and just wanted to drift off in thought. The first thing that came to my mind was…
"So would you like me to start with that stupid goatee, ya dope?" ...that voice...that accent. Wait... I wasn't imagining that, was I?
"What the h…?" I opened my eyes pretty quickly...and I couldn't believe what or actually who I was looking at now, and it sure as hell was no barber. "NO WAY! NO FREAKING WAY!"
"AHH! HI JOEY!" I was completely floored even as I jumped out of the chair. Rebecca...right here in front of me. I couldn't believe it, and I couldn't stop smiling. I immediately wrapped my arms around her for a hug, and she did just the same as quickly as I.
"Holy hell, girl.!" I wanted to take a breather and digest what was going on. I had no idea she was gonna visit today...unless, of course, that is what she wanted, the little sneak. I stepped back and just took a look at her. She was still very much glowing, and she was rocking quite a stunning look. " You...look freaking amazing." was all I could utter.
"My goodness! Thank you!" She blushed. "You don't look so bad yourself, but you look like you're ready to just drop." Girl, you have no idea…
"Well, you surprised the shit out of me, so I have you to thank for that." A short but sweet laugh was shared between us. To share a laugh again in person with her after so long was something else. I missed it.
"I still know how to keep you on your feet, haha! And thank you too, by the way, for not crushing little Roux with your hug!" She said as she looked down at her baby bump. Roux was the name she and Rollins picked for their little girl. It was a nice little name that worked for them.
"Oh, you'd know I'd never do anything to harm you, kiddo. You got yourself an amazing mom right here." I said as I kneeled on one knee to talk to the baby bump like a goofball. Taking a quick peek up, I could see Rebecca was enjoying this little moment; smiling and giggling away.
"Wow! No love for the dad?! Shame on you, Mr. Kennedy!" She jabbed.
"Yeah! Shame on you, man! Haha! Hey, dude." Speak of the devil and you shall receive. Here comes Colby walking up in his usual attire with his entrance leather jacket and holds out his hand for me to shake it, which I did. "Nice to see you two found each other pretty fast." He says as he wraps his arm around his pregnant fiancé.
"Got that right! She gave me one hell of a surprise. Had me jump out of the damn chair here." Becky couldn't help but laugh again. Clearly, she is enjoying this little victory over me. "What do we owe the surprise to anyway?"
"I just really missed you. I missed everyone! You should have seen me when Colby asked me if I wanted to come along and say hi! I was jumping for joy!" The last line from Rebecca made the former Monday Night Messiah laugh. Jesus, you are a good dude, Colby, but your laugh is annoying!
"It's true! I even told the doc outside when we came in, she was doing bunny hops at the idea!" That definitely sounds like a Rebecca thing to do.
"Haha! I can see that! You better not be hopping around too much with that kid in the oven." I pointed with a stern face, but I gave off my usual playful vibe.
"Yeah, yeah, you let me worry about Roux and you can worry about those gray hairs in your goatee." As always, she picked up on my vibe...and at times, she just couldn't help but be a freaking savage.
"Screw you! I don't have any!" I goofed, but part of me wanted to just run to the nearby mirror to check. I may be 41, but I don't think I'm ready to see gray yet! My little dilemma episode made the engaged couple giggle like teens in high school. It was cute, but it did get under my skin.
"Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude and break up this adorable reunion, but Joey, if you don't mind, I'm ready to clean you up now." The barber spoke up, gaining all of our attention. To be honest, I completely forgot about her.
"Aw, damn. Sorry about that! I'm ready to go!" I replied.
"Oh, we'll leave you be then! I wanna go surprise the others anyway before the show starts!" Rebecca said. Damn, part of me wanted to tell her to stay and hang around. But of course, I know she missed everyone else as well. Who am I to hold her up?
"Maybe I should snitch on you, so you can't scare them as you did to me!" I couldn't resist keeping the playful jabs swinging.
"Oh, you do that, I'll shave you bald right here, right now!" Especially since I knew she would keep swinging back.
"Hey, you better stay back or else!"
"Or else what?!" Oh, I was hoping she'd say that. I pulled out my phone and YouTube'd a...certain theme song that Rebecca DESPISES...and it's my favorite secret weapon ever. I play it and start bobbing my head to it. It finally hit her…
"NO! YOU DICK! I HATE YOU!" That song I played? It was Rebecca's first theme song she had in NXT. Her first ever character when she joined WWE that she hated so much...but is one of my favorite things ever about her.
"Damn, this song rocks! I feel the need to dance!" Let's see how much more I can mess with her. I did my best impression of her old dance based on memory. Seth was giggling like a school girl while Becky was just seething! Just the reaction I wanted out of her. She was so red in the face, I swear her hair was gonna turn back to red.
"I'm gonna go before I break your arm and beat you with it!" She says as she finally departs down the hall.
"When you actually try, get a chair, so you can reach me!" I yelled back, only to be met by her sticking her tongue out at me, but that immediately turned into that shining smile of hers. That pretty much could only mean one thing. She sure missed me, but she will try to kick my ass one day, and I very much welcome it.
A couple of hours later - An hour into Friday Night SmackDown
Rebecca
Here I am relaxing in the private room Colby was assigned and for the past couple of hours now, I've been on cloud 9.
"I…am still not over this, babe. To see and just chat again with everyone in person and not some damn Facetime crap, I'm so happy right now!" I gloated to Colby as he was fully dressed in black for his segment with Daniel Bryan soon.
"I'm glad to hear that." He replied. "I appreciate all the guys chewing me out for taking the risk to bring you along in a pandemic. Of course, they care about us. Well, care about you, to be honest. Haha!"
"Oh hush, ya goof!" I did notice when I was meeting up with everyone, most of the guys gave Colby some cold looks. But I can't really say anything cus like always, we are a family in WWE, and we look after each other.
*Door knocking*
"It's open!" Colby spoke and in came a masked staff member.
"We're ready for ya, Seth!" That was all he said and left.
"Time for me to go, babe. You and little Roux stay safe right here." He says as he leans in to kiss me.
"This couch is pretty comfy. I'm fine staying right here!" I retort for fun and Colby only replies with his cute smile. "Don't go too hard on Bryan, by the way!"
"Now that, I can't promise. Hahaha!" Oh, that darn laugh.
5 minutes later
Thankfully the guys hooked me up with a TV, so I can watch the show back here. It was Daniel's first night back on SmackDown after being away for so long to take care of his newborn and Brie. He is such a great man.
"Daniel: WOW! Ya know, I've watched it from home. But being here, seeing the faces of the WWE universe in person, I LOVE BEING INSIDE THE THUNDERDOME!"
My goodness, when Bryan always talks on the mic, he speaks with such passion. It is very easy to see why he's been such a beloved figure in the company for so many years, in and out of the ring. I'm always grateful to meet such wonderful people that are as passionate about wrestling as I am.
"Daniel: I cannot wait to get in the ring with these amazing talented-"
Before Bryan could finish his sentence, Colby's music played, and out he came out on stage. So full of himself and still enjoying the new messiah character he's been working with for the past year.
"Seth: Daniel! Daniel! Daniel! It is so good to see you again!"
*Phone vibrates*
I heard my phone vibrate on the table in front of me. I wanted to hear what Colby had to say to Bryan...but as I read the notification I got, it was something that had to be read immediately.
I quickly grabbed the remote to mute the TV and had to read this. The notification was for an email I had gotten from my primary doctor. I had a...specific test done on me because there was just...something I had to know for sure. Something I feel silly for thinking about but at the same time, I had this crazy feeling of uncertainty that I just had to do this test to be sure.
"Ok, Rebecca. It's ok. Just relax. It'll be fine." I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths in an attempt to remain calm, not just for my sake, but for the baby's as well. This was something I'd been waiting for. I have to know.
"Good afternoon, Rebecca!" Was the first thing I read to myself as I started to scan through everything. As I kept going, I felt the anticipation as I was inching closer and closer to the truth...and then I finally read it. When I did, I... I felt my heart start beating rapidly. My hands were starting to shake uncontrollably...and my breathing became more difficult… Oh my god...this isn't real… I wanted to get a word out. Anything...but all I could get out was…
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"...was a scream out of distraught.