“I’m not bothering him, Mama.”
“I’m so sorry,” the woman apologized. “She tends to be very curious.”
He smiled, noting the woman’s appearance resembled a golden-haired Karen. “Your little girl’s keeping me company. I have about two hours to kill since my flight’s been delayed and it’s good to have some company.”
“Yes, so is our flight to Los Angeles, not an easy thing with an active and nosy five year old. Apparently there is some issue with the fires out there.”
“You’re going to L.A.? I’m also headed there. Would you both like to join me while we’re waiting?”
Audrey‘s eyes grew bigger. “Can we, Mama?”
“I don’t see why not. By the way, I’m Samantha, and you’ve met my daughter.”
“I’m Brett. I’ll get us some coffee and a soda for the little lady.”
He was relieved that neither recognized him. They must not be wrestling fans, and this morning, that‘s fine with me. The wait wouldn’t be so bad after all.
CHAPTER 10
On July thirtieth, news sites printed a major story that Brett was the latest wrestler who lost his job. The talent director called at eight AM, informing him was let out of his contract due to “budget cuts.”
“I should’ve expected this to happen. The six-second squash match with Kid Dynamite this past week should have been an indication.”
While losing such a plum job would have bothered other wrestlers—and prompted them to make bitter remarks to the public—Brett took his release in stride. “Just think, I can go back to the independents and be me in the ring again. Sure, I’ll take a pay cut, but it’s a price to pay to wrestle how I like for a change.”
By noon, his release had spread across several top sites, beginning with the company’s official announcement:
Brett Kerrigan Released
We have come to terms on the release of Brett Kerrigan as of today, July thirtieth. We wish him the best in all future endeavors.
Fellow wrestlers were shocked to find stories of Brett’s termination. No other star’s release made such headlines—not even Patrick Sanchez-Garcia or Karl Killeen, the wrestler released three months earlier. The latest development became a hot conversation topic in several locker rooms.
“I can’t believe Brett’s gone. He did such a great job hosting a few weeks ago!”
“It had to be the pot thing. I told him to give up that shit, but he wouldn’t listen. He’d kick for a couple of months, and then he was lighting fatties again.”
“Looks like management will have to find someone else to fill their weed fine piggy bank.”
“Cruiserweights always get fucked over, pot or otherwise.”
“Poor Brett. What’s he going to do?”
“He’s a talented dude and always ready to work. Someone will see he‘s a hot commodity and sign him. All the released guys get snatched up sooner or later.”
“Brett put on a good face, but he didn’t appear happy toward the end.”
“Kind of a shame he fucked up with weed. A nice kid, didn’t complain much.”
Wrestling fan boards also lit up with thoughts and opinions; some were neutral, while others expressed both shock and outrage.
“Guess pot use in the locker room will go down now that Kerrigan’s gone.”
“Woohoo! Independent feds anyone? Go ahead and flame me, but this is the best thing to happen to Kerrigan. He wasn’t being used right. I was sick of him as a tackle dummy for the bigger guys.”
“That’s it! I am so done with this promotion. First Karl Killeen and now Brett Kerrigan? This sucks!”
Brett couldn’t help but smile while he read the anecdotes. “I didn’t realize people liked me so much. Don’t worry, everyone, I’ll come back soon somewhere else—and I’ll be better than ever!”
*****
“Karen won’t be happy when she hears what happened,” Phoebe said to the others gathered in the staff room. “Eddie just told me about Brett Kerrigan losing his job!”
“How in the hell did Romano find out?” Terry asked.
“Brett’s release is all over the Internet, where have you been?”
“I don’t know, maybe working?”
Lou shook his head and lit a cigarette, leaning back and tilting the chair where he sat. “From what I’ve seen, Kerrigan has charisma and talent. Too bad he can’t lay off the marijuana.”
Phoebe glared in Lou’s direction. “Not the time for pot jokes, Lou.”
“I wasn’t making a joke, Pheebs, merely stating an opinion. Jesus, the kid just lost his spot on the roster. You’re acting like he died.”
“Thank God that didn’t happen,” Terry said. “Karen would be upset.”
“Upset over what?” Karen asked as she came in the room, heading toward the coffee counter.
Phoebe gave her a look of sympathy. “I’m guessing you heard what happened?”
“If it’s about Brett being released from his contract, I knew the whole time. I can’t be sad about the whole situation, though. I had some idea last week his being let go was about to happen, so when the announcement came down, it didn‘t shock me in the least.”
“What’s he going to do?”
“There’s a ninety-day clause that will go into effect, which means Brett won’t be able to compete on television for anyone else until it expires. In the meantime, he’ll consider non-televised offers.”
Lou and Terry looked at each other. “She’s taking the news well,” Lou said. “Talk about an unexpected reaction.”
*****
Brett noshed on bacon pizza after he finished off his second joint of the evening. “This is some good shit. Hey, maybe I should make some calls tomorrow about some indy work.”
Patrick shook his head in disgust. “Is that all you’re going to do now that you’re out of a job? Smoke fatties and pester some low-level wrestling companies? You’re pathetic.”
“There’s no point dwelling on the past when there’s a future to plan.”
“Come on, you should hold out. Your being released today makes you hot property! Wait till they come to you.”
“Not my style, man. Unlike you, I’m not going to spend the next three months wallowing in self-pity and putting on a ’diva’ act asking for more money when offers do come.”
“Yeah, yeah, rub my face in it, Midget. At least you know now how I feel about losing a job. Anyway, I got to go get ready for a date tonight.”
“Have fun. I‘m just going to hang here and check out some stuff for awhile. It‘s been a long day.”
“Loser.”
“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.” Brett turned on his laptop and surfed a few websites. He spotted a short poem written by Karen along the mass of the online “we will miss you” notes.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he said in a soft voice, “I’m glad I’m not the only one with a positive outlook.”
Free to Fly
I received the news today,
But I won’t allow myself to be sad.
I honestly think it is for the best.
Because you are free to fly!
You have touched the lives of many,
Now you may go to find more to do the same
There are no longer any restrictions on what you can do
Because you are free to fly!
This new change doesn’t affect how I feel
I will still be there for you
I will support any direction that you may go
I can take comfort that you can spread your wings
Because you are free to fly!
CHAPTER 11
Less loyal fans had abandoned Brett when reports about his positive marijuana tests and recent backstage attitude were published in the weeks following his contract release.
“Sure I had an ‘attitude problem.’ near the end of my run,” he told Karen during an online chat. “It got old having to job to someone less competent in the ring.”
“I’d been
pissed too.”
“Karen, first they had me wrestling midgets, and then men older than me, and I mean old, like some dude almost sixty. There’s guys six months into their careers—one example, Kid Dynamite—earning undeserved pushes while I was jobbing most of the time.”
“You deserved better for your efforts. Look at the great hosting job you did a few weeks ago. I thought you’d go somewhere.”
“Yeah, I went ‘somewhere’, all right. Out the front door on my ass.”
“How could they do such a thing?”
“Don’t know, but I’m glad the entire bullshit is behind me. I felt like the short kid jumping up and down in a large crowd yelling, ‘Hello! I’ve been here seven years!’ I was invisible most of the time. Toward the end, they were waiting until a more popular heel came along—Chris Pridgeon—before showing me the door.”
“You were thrown over for an ex-steroid freak?”
“Ex? If that isn’t a joke! The man is still juicing and I can’t wait for the reports to come out that he failed a piss test. I may had my own share but at least they were red and not green.”
“What do you mean?”
“The color for a positive steroid test is green and red for marijuana. Mine turned red.”
“Oh, okay. But just think, you’re now a free man to pursue anything you want.”
“Sure can. Right now, I’m planning to limit my shows to the West Coast so I can wind down from traveling so much. Once I receive more offers and ready to go to other states, I’ll head back your way for an appearance.”
“I’m holding you to that.”
“Karen, I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to see you.”
“Just kidding. I know you can’t dictate where you’ll have a show.”
“Maybe not, doll face, but for you, I’ll arrange something, no matter what it takes or how long. Aren’t we due to sit down for another interview anyway?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Come to think of it, we are. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping a close eye on your future endeavors.”
*****
Two weeks later, Squared Circle Express expressed interest in acquiring him to appear in one of their shows. SCE was California’s top independent wrestling promotion and Gil Preston knew quality talent well. “How about an appearance at one of our upcoming shows, Kerrigan? I hear you‘re one of the hottest free agents.”
Brett accepted without hesitation. “Not sure about hot, Gil, but name the day and I’ll be there!”
Squared Circle Express announced their upcoming dates during intermission at their sixth anniversary show. “We are pleased to announce that Brett Kerrigan will appear on August twenty-eighth and September third.”
His fans were enthusiastic. Brett was still in the headlines, quite a feat for a cruiserweight who wasn’t even treated as a major talent in the big leagues.
“What will you do between now and your first SCE show?” Karen asked.
“Relaxing and maybe do some surfing. With offers coming my way, I’m not going to have too much time to myself for awhile. I may as well enjoy the free moments while I can.”
“Brett, you don’t surf. Remember telling me you never went past the water’s edge because it’s possible sharks are farther out in the water?”
“I was kidding about the surfing. To be honest, swimming in apartment building’s pool is sufficient. While on the subject, The Shark Master says hello.”
“What’s Patrick doing these days?”
“He just landed a movie part.”
“That’s fantastic! What’s it about?”
“One of those dinner theater murder mystery plots,” Brett told her. “It isn’t going to be a major release, but as he says, a person has to start somewhere.”
“I’ll have to keep an eye out.”
“That makes two of us. I need some new material to tease Pat since he’s done nothing but heckle me since I lost my job. It’s no big deal since I was contacted by Squared Circle Express. I’m pumped up about the upcoming shows.”
“The fans will love seeing you too. No matter what you do, they come first.”
“Right, it’s always about them. Speaking of one’s career, I never asked about yours. I’m being selfish!”
“No you‘re not. This past week has been very turbulent for you and it’s easy to see why you’re distracted from other things. As for my work, I did a story about your release, and the book is coming along great.”
“I can’t wait to see your name in all of the bookstores.”
“That may be awhile. I still have plenty of editing to do, which is restricted to weekends most of the time. I’m a little obsessive, but the book means a lot to me.”
“That’s normal. When you’re zealous about something you love, more energy goes in. It’s what keeps us going in life. I have a feeling both of us will have more success than either even considered.”
“To think some people said you had an attitude problem,” Karen said.
“Yeah, well, that was just about certain things. Life is going to get better. Free at last from dumb ass restrictions! Now the world will see who Brett Kerrigan is really is.”
CHAPTER 12
In addition to Squared Circle Express, Brett was announced to wrestle with another wrestling promotion, Dragonfly USA. In the company’s official press release, founder Graham Sobeck said he’d searched for a top-name opponent to face off against him. “Brett Kerrigan is a real superstar, and we plan to spotlight him as much as possible. “It’s a pleasure to see him in action again.”
Karen messaged Brett when she heard the news. “Congratulations! I’m thrilled for you, and wrestling for Graham Sobeck’s company, of all places!”
“He’s an old friend from my early independent days and I owed him a favor. I dig Dragonfly’s policies of letting their talent have no limits in the ring as well as the guys they have on their roster.”
“I’m sure the Japan office will find you an outstanding challenger. I don’t recall many other cruiserweights given such opportunities with independent federations as you.”
“The good things wrestling independently are not only are there no longer any barriers of what I can do in the ring, but also naming my price. What’s shocking is both Squared Circle Express and Dragonfly honored my requests.”
“You should name your salary. You were in the world’s largest wrestling company.”
“I know I’m sort of a ‘name’, but I don’t plan on making the same mistake Patrick did of asking for more than the company offers. These days, we have to take what is offered without question. May I add that with Squared Circle Express and Dragonfly, I’ll wrestle in real matches.”
The best thing about independent scene is actual wrestling.”
“That’s how Japan-based federations work. In America, the sport is a joke with more focus on the ‘entertainment’ aspect. In Japan, it’s a respected profession. That’s another reason I love Dragonfly‘s American franchise. It has the Japanese value of focusing on pure wrestling.”
“I’m thrilled for you, Brett.”
“There’s something else that should make you happy. I’m giving up smoking joints.”
“You are? That’s great!”
“Not cold turkey, mind you, but ever since I was released, I’ve been cutting back. Now that I’m with Dragonfly, I have more of a reason to put weed out of my life.”
“I know they’re a new company, but are any of their shows on television? There’s a few other independents that have cable deals.”
“Not yet. Dragonfly USA was created by Graham. I think they’ve held two or three shows so far but they’re off to a good start.”
“I hope they put the show out on DVD or at least make it a pay per view. I look forward to seeing you in action again.”
“This is just the beginning sweetheart. My happy ass can’t wait to get started!”
*****
It was almost five-thirty when Karen finished putting together an articl
e from her notes. She didn’t realize how late it was until Phoebe was leaving and stopped by her desk. “Something exciting must be happening for you to work nonstop the entire day.”
“Another wrestling story for Mr. Sullivan. He wants it done by the end of the week. There was a new tag team signed and he wants us to break the story first.”
“You’re lucky having something always happening in your field. I would have had better luck working in the United Kingdom. Soccer is big overseas.”
“There was a movie about wrestling which came out last year and helped put it back into the spotlight. As for soccer, they call it ‘football’ in the UK. But don’t tell Terry or Mr. Sullivan.”
“I don’t think I know any people who are as crazy about American style football as those two. What I could never figure out is why do they call it football in this country when the players don’t use their feet most of the time.”
“I think ‘pigskin ball’ didn’t have such a good ring to it.”
“How are things with Brett?”
“We had a nice talk yesterday afternoon. He’s excited about his upcoming appearances.”
“Did he tell you anything?”
“Nothing I didn’t know. There’s something I have been considering, though.”
“What?”
“First, you have to promise not to tell anyone else. There are some unused personal days I will lose at the end of the year if they aren’t taken.”
“Your secret is safe. What are you planning to do that you‘re in a hurry to use personal days? You still have three more months to use them.”
Karen outlined her idea, not leaving out any details. She had thought of it the night before. Karen hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Sullivan yet, but had it at the top of her list for Tuesday morning.
The Cruiserweight Page 6
