At the Sportatorium, there was a separate access for performers to arrive, and after getting through the door, I saw Toni.
She ushered me to this tall, blonde-haired and blue-eyed young wrestler.
“I want to introduce you to Steve Williams,” she said.
“Hi”, I smiled.
“Yeah, hi,” he grunted, before turning and walking upstairs to the crow’s nest, a private area where the wrestlers could watch the show without being seen by the crowd.
Williams performed under the name ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin, and was the newcomer who Chris had praised. But in my first meeting with Steve, I found him to be a bit abrupt, and somewhat aloof. Nevertheless, we met again briefly in the downstairs office that was being used by Chris as he laid out the direction of the storyline.
Given how inexperienced Steve and I were in our roles, it was important that we followed Chris’ instructions to the letter, as we launched the opening salvo of the Adams-Austin feud.
Jerry Jarrett, former USWA promoter: “Chris kind of took Steve under his wing and began pressuring me to book Steve on the Dallas cards. Chris was Steve’s opponent so he could cover for the usual greenhorn mistakes.”
It was now time for me to come out as the mysterious new valet of Steve. The intention was to build to the angle over a long period of time, so it was important that we revealed very little about our new alliance, or any history that I had with Chris.
With the cameras rolling, Steve was set to face the preliminary favourite Frogman LeBlanc in a singles match. But immediately before the contest, Austin was asked for some pre-match comments on his arrival to the USWA by commentator Mark Lowrance. He brushed off the questions on his career, instead focusing the interview as the introduction of a new ally.
“I wanna bring down the sexiest girl in America; the gorgeous, and lovely, Jeanie!” proclaimed Austin.
Within moments, I sauntered my way to the ringside as Mark tried to establish the link between ‘Stunning’ Steve and this mystery lady simply known as Jeanie.
“Mark, I just want to say how wonderful it is, tonight, to be here with a real man like Steve,” I proclaimed, flirtatiously patting him on the chest.
Steve wrapped up the interview, and took away Lowrance’s ringside chair. He asked me to take a seat, and watch him punish LeBlanc with ease.
As I was urging Steve, the crowd cheered as Chris made his way to ringside. Confused, he wanted to know why I had aligned myself with his turncoat pupil. I gave him my answer, not in words, but with a thunderous slap to the face.
Humiliated, Chris stormed off in a rage, as Mark and his co-host Ronnie P. Gossett were left to speculate on what had just happened in the middle of a match. Booked to look strong, Steve rapidly polished off the Frogman with a spinning Samoan Drop to gain the win.
We embraced and we were leaving ringside, as Lowrance rushed over to question the motive behind my strike at Chris.
“Why are you slapping Chris Adams?” asked Mark, in a bemused tone.
“I have no comment on that right now,” I smirked.
Puzzled, Mark turned to Steve for an answer.
“Do you have any comment?” he asked.
“No comment, Mark. Blondes have more fun baby, and we’re on our way to the top!” Austin yelled, before we both walked away from ringside.
Backstage, Jerry and Chris were elated at how my ambiguous debut had created a buzz in the arena, and they discussed ways to elevate Steve to a level where he would be accepted as a worthy competitor to Chris.
The plan was to feed Steve a long list of enhancement talent, who he could beat up without mercy, in an effort to make him look instantly strong. Meanwhile, I would slowly reveal myself as not only an old flame of Chris’, but moreover, his ex-wife.
Jon Horton, former USWA announcer Craig Johnson: “I can remember the first night I saw Jeanie. First off, her British accent hit me. It completely entranced me. Then on top of that she was, well you know, amazingly beautiful. I knew the camera would love her. I was right. But the fans…. what would the fans think? She had the fire of a scorned women; the venom of the worst witch. She was a dominatrix without the leather, the devil without the horns. She made herself evil and the fans believed it.”
I became much nastier, as I was fed lines to antagonise the crowd. In one interview, after insulting Chris and his loyal fans, I professed to have only dated the most eligible of bachelors. I even pulled out the picture with Stallone from the set of Rocky III, and claimed him as a former flame. It was a real thrill when Kevin Von Erich, who was visiting the arena, complimented my interviews. My sheer viciousness made him chuckle, and he knew that on live shows there was only one chance to get our delivery right.
Steve and I got a kick out of being so mean to the crowd during our interviews. As we plotted the derogatory phrases and arrogant mannerisms for use in our next segment, Steve and I would crack up backstage at each other’s conceited antics.
I can recall a match where I caught the bottom of my dress under the high heels of my shoes on my way to the ring. As I stumbled and tried to regain my balance, I looked across to Steve. He could not hold a straight face and burst out laughing, which set me off too. For the rest of the match, we would try our best not to break character, but we could not compose ourselves.
Slowly, Steve warmed to me as we spent more time together. Within weeks, our relationship developed from awkward, small-talking colleagues, to friends.
“You know, when I met you, I wasn’t sure of you. But after getting to know you, I can say you are a real sweetheart,” Steve smiled.
We were developing a real chemistry and it seemed like the angle could elicit some real drama.
It was an audacious task for Chris to undertake, as all of the burden would be placed on his shoulders. With less than a year’s experience as an in-ring performer, Steve needed to be carried to have an acceptable match for such high billing on the card, even though he was working hard to progress and seemed to have a natural aptitude for his craft. Similarly, although I had worked as Chris’ second during by time in Joint Promotions, all of my experience in wrestling had been in a role that was heavily limited, and not as engrossing as the Jeanie Adams character. As for Toni, although she was enthusiastic to be involved, she had absolutely no experience in wrestling at all.
But even though he would have to plan out each match, interview and angle from the viewpoint of each person involved, Chris was up for the challenge. Thinking for the four people in the storyline, he was naturally gifted at understanding the psychology of the fans, and booked us in ways that could conceal our individual limitations. The execution and expert planning of the saga should be fully attributed to him, as he made sure we knew exactly what to do and when to do it.
Chris wanted our storyline to connect with the crowd, and would often tell Steve and me exactly what to say and do to generate the intended reaction from the crowd, or as the wrestlers refer to it, heat. It had been a while since he had been able to portray a dastardly villain, and he would get immersed in our characters. His inner heel was able to live vicariously through ‘Stunning’ Steve and Jeanie Adams in every show.
But Chris was able to get the best of both worlds, as he was still able to portray the lovable hero, the babyface in whom the fans could believe. He was inventive as he figured out ways for Steve and me to maximise heat in our conflict against him.
By May, Steve and I were doing all we could to depict ourselves as truly nasty villains, with Chris valiantly fighting against the odds.
In one match, I helped Steve cheat a victory, and then entered the ring to blind Chris by spraying his eyes with a can of hairspray. A few weeks later, in a barbed-wire match, I sneaked in a pair of brass knuckles to Steve which he used to knock out Chris. To further insult him, Steve battered the neck of Chris with a number of shots from a steel chair, as the outraged fans went crazy.
As the feud caught fire, Toni became increasingly impatient and could not wait to start
.
When Chris returned to television from our assault on him with the chair, he was wearing a neck brace and was scheduled for an interview with the USWA’s lead announcer Craig Johnson. As he gave an update on his fragile condition, I entered the ringside area to berate Chris, before Steve ran in and attacked him.
The fight ensued into the ring, as the crowd were infuriated by the focused attack on Chris’ weakened neck. After gaining an advantage, Steve grabbed a hold of him as I entered the ring. I mocked Chris and started slapping his face.
Moments later, the crowd exploded, and I turned around. Toni had finally had enough and charged up the aisle, flooring me with a punch and even squaring off to Steve.
The boys continued their brawl, and as I was left with Toni in the centre of the ring. We furiously went at it until being forcefully separated.
Toni had finally been introduced, and what a reaction she received. She evened the sides to give my despicable ex-wife character Jeanie Adams a taste of her own medicine.
The angle continued to build to a series of special mixed-gender tag team matches, including one on a huge 4th July show.
Jon Horton, former USWA announcer Craig Johnson: “Her tag team with Steve and their matches with Chris and Toni were explosions of emotion and raw action. I knew the four of them were good friends, but in the ring, in their character, it was hard to imagine.”
The audience seemed to really erupt with excitement whenever the two of us would catfight. As soon as we got to the back, we would even get a standing ovation from the crew.
Jacqueline Moore, former USWA wrestler Miss Texas: “It was great wrestling at the Sportatorium. The crowd were die-hard wrestling fans. All the top wrestlers appeared at the Sportatorium. Chris, Steve, Jeanie and Toni had the hottest storyline around. That place sold out every week.”
Some of the wrestlers asked if there was a legitimate issue between Toni and me, as they thought that some parts of our catfights were real. Neither of us had any wrestling training, we just improvised and hoped for the best. Sometimes our lack of training would cause us to get hurt, as we were never trained how to protect our bodies during a match.
In one tag contest, I had fallen to a seated position within the ring when Steve then flew from the top rope onto me, crunching all of his weight down onto my spine. The impact was so crushing that I lost control of my bladder, wetting myself in the middle of the match, and I could hardly walk away to hide my embarrassment.
Of course, the local fans thought it was part of the show and had little sympathy, offering only laughs and catcalls as I got helped backstage.
Once the adrenaline wore off, I couldn’t straighten my spine and had to call for my friend Laurie to take me to the hospital for an X-ray. If a move in the ring looked like it hurt me, it usually did.
My brief spots during the matches gave me a further respect for the men and women who chose to wrestle as a full-time vocation, and I could only imagine the physical punishment they had to endure.
Nevertheless, it was so cool to find out that the workers believed in what we were doing, and the reality of the angle had impressed the USWA booking office.
Jerry Jarrett, who had spent a lifetime in the wrestling business, came rushing over, pumped up and beaming with enthusiasm. He had been watching our work from a monitor in the back and complimented our chemistry. He saw value in the girls and even booked Toni and me to headline a show at the Dallas Sportatorium.
Jerry Jarrett, former USWA promoter: “Jeanie was a natural in the business and this program was in no small part responsible for our early success in bringing Dallas wrestling back to sell-out crowds. The old adage, ‘sex sells’ sure was true in this case.
During my promotional career, I always had success in reality based wrestling angles and this was as real as it gets.”
I could not believe it when my grudge match against Toni managed to sell out the Sportatorium. Chris was so nervous about it being a singles contest, given that neither of us had actually been trained to wrestle, but knew it could draw money if it was correctly promoted. His main concern was the stipulation that he and Steve had been barred from ringside, and couldn’t distract the crowd if our inexperience was exposed.
For days, Toni and I rehearsed in detail all of the spots within the match. To cover for us in case we got lost during the heat of the moment, I was paired with a new manager, Percival Pringle III. Warm and friendly, Percy had a great mind for the business, and I was thrilled to have his support.
On the night, we did everything possible to follow Chris’ instructions to the letter. It was pretty cool that not only did two girls work in the main event, but we managed to steal the show. At the end of the match, Percy’s repeated interference provoked a run-in from Toni’s friend, Chris Von Erich.
As I was distracted by the brawl between Percy and Chris, my top was ripped off by Toni, leaving me with only a bra to cover my modesty. To try and salvage my dignity, Percy shuffled over and covered me with his star-spangled jacket. The pair of us fled the ring, vowing vengeance on Adam’s and Von Erich the next time we saw them.
Even though the feud between Steve and Chris had been raging for months, it never seemed to get stale. So many unique and creative scenarios ensured that the matches felt fresh. In addition to using the girls, the lads fought in lots of ‘gimmick matches’ to heighten the rivalry.
For those who don’t know, a ‘gimmick match’ is any wrestling match that does not follow the rules of a standard contest. In the matches between Steve and Chris, not only did they compete in a barbed-wire contest; they fought in a kendo-stick match, and even in a ‘Come As You Are’ street fight, where both turned up in any outfit they decided to wear that day.
As a martial artist, Chris came out wearing his trusty judogi, while Steve, a former college football player, arrived in full protective padding and headgear.
I remember getting a real blast out of that match. Steve riled up the audience who felt it was unfair that he was allowed to wear his football attire, given how padded it was. I wondered how the match could be topped, but Chris had yet another idea.
On the 31st August, the two warring couples, and their new allies, would face off in a match enclosed by a Steel Cage.
In the weeks leading up to the event, we did all we could to heighten the dramatic elements of the storyline.
The accusations Steve and I were making on television against Chris would get even more personal. First off, Steve had taken custody of his dog Blue, and then seized his beloved wrestling boots, before we started taking aim at his marriage.
As part of the storyline, I claimed that Chris’ old cheating ways had continued into his new relationship with Toni, and teased the camera with nude photographs of him. We played on her insecurity by showing a series of pictures of Chris with other women, including one taken four years earlier with the valet Sunshine.
To add insult to injury, I presented Toni with photographs of Chris with another woman (actually my friend Laurie Rogers), which were captured at a local restaurant with a hidden camera. They showed him at angles which were incriminating, as Chris claimed that it was just a business lunch.
In front of the live audience, Toni burst into tears and slapped Chris, before walking away from him. We gloated that his second marriage was in tatters, as the live crowd jeered our foul accusations.
Backstage, Toni wanted to hug me, as she felt the content of my interviews were starting to touch upon the truth. Despite knowing that all of my direction was still coming from Chris, it was still hurtful hearing such venom.
But it was the sense of reality that made the feud work, and it started to capture the attention of the American press.
The National Examiner ran a story chronicling the dispute, and we took advantage of the press coverage by parading a copy of the tabloid on television.
We needed to up the ante, and came up with fresh ideas to make people want to watch the match.
After suffering a broken wrist
during a match (a legitimate injury which was actually caused when I nailed Chris with a hammer for the timekeeper’s bell), I vowed to give Toni a humiliating new look, by means of a brutal haircut.
Jon Horton, former USWA announcer Craig Johnson: “I remember the angle continuing with Jeanie and Steve attempting to cut the hair of Toni. The problem was that in the match leading up to it, Jeanie either broke or sprained her wrist. The result was her wrist in a cast. Saturday morning, Austin and Jeanie were joined by Percy Pringle for an interview to talk about the ongoing rivalry.
Jeanie was holding a very large pair of scissors and she was doing a snip-snip motion to the camera and then when Jeanie took the microphone, the hand with the scissors dropped to her side. The problem was the scissors were aimed right towards my groin. I jumped, happy not to have met a very painful injury, and had to leave the interview set. Percy picked up the interview as Jeanie realised what had happened.
Wanting to keep her mean look she, as we call in the theatre, broke. She was laughing so hard but trying to keep her mean exterior at the same time. It was a beautiful moment of realism. Afterwards I saw her backstage and she asked how I was. I laughed and said luckily she’d only grazed me. We both completely cracked up with laughter.”
The crowd were at a fever pitch before the match started. As we waited for Chris and Toni to make their way into the ring, Chris Von Erich appeared behind them. The three grabbed Percy, who had been providing commentary from ringside, and forced him into the Penalty Box. The box was a black steel-barred cell that looked like a shark cage, and the crowd cheered as they knew that Percy would not be able to help us cheat the Adams’ out of victory.
Clutching the only key that could allow Percy to get out, Chris Von Erich remained at ringside as Toni and Chris Adams entered the ring to face Steve and me within the confines of the Steel Cage. The fight was on, and there was no escape. The action went back and forth, with both couples trading the advantage, until Chris Adams was handcuffed to the ring ropes. It seemed like we were sure to gain certain victory, however, Toni managed to roll me up for the winning pinfall.
Through The Shattered Glass Page 9
