Through The Shattered Glass

by Jeanie Clarke

  As soon as referee Bronco Lubich declared Chris and Toni the winners, Chris Von Erich opened the door to the ring cage. Steve charged at him, so Von Erich slammed the door on his face.

  The young Von Erich sprinted towards Chris Adams, to set him free from the cuffing. Once free, Adams nailed Steve with the Superkick, launching him from the ring to the outside of the cage.

  With me alone, I was handcuffed to the ring, which could allow Toni to get her long-awaited revenge. The fans went wild as she grabbed at my scalp, seemingly ripping out chunks of my blonde locks.

  “No one touches my hair!” I screamed as the good guys celebrated with the fans.

  It was the last time that there would be any interaction with the two warring couples on television. By September, the USWA had stopped promoting in Dallas due to a legal dispute between Jerry Jarrett and the Von Erich family. As a result, the feud came to an abrupt halt, despite Chris having some strong ideas to continue it.

  Although the angle was cut short by promotional fallout within the USWA, the finish to the ex-wife storyline came to a satisfactory conclusion.

  For months, we had built up the heat by gaining unfair victories and, when there was nowhere to run, the Adams couple successfully came out on top at the end.

  I will forever remember my time working the ex-wife storyline in the USWA with great fondness.

  There was so much creative freedom for us to experiment with our characters and everyone had a desire to make the shows as fun as they could be. Devoid of the politics of the major promotions, it was a great place for a young star to flourish and learn the business.

  But most of all, I will cherish the angle as it allowed me to work with so many wonderful people.

  Having being friends with Toni and Chris for years, it was fun getting to work with them in such a high-profile situation, and we even brought my friend Laurie into the mix. I also got to make some new friends during the storyline, from Percy Pringle to Chris Von Erich and, of course, ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin.

  With the USWA ceasing operations in Texas, the World Class brand was revived at the Sportatorium in shows promoted by Kevin Von Erich, where Steve had formed a tag team with ‘The California Stud’ Rod Price. I had fun managing the pair of them.

  Rod Price, former WCCW wrestler: “I was introduced to Jeanie while tag teaming with Steve at the world famous Sportatorium. Wow - what a place to wrestle. I was new and still cutting my teeth in wrestling. I didn't know too many people, but Jeanie was in our team so I would have talks with her. She was a ‘10’ if I ever saw one. She played her part to the tee! I also knew that Steve had his eyes on her, so I didn't make my conversation long. I liked and respected Steve and Jeanie. There was enough stress on us just being in the business; learning and working on making ourselves better, along with the self-promotion; that it didn't take much to tip the boat. I was asked to start going on the circuit from Dallas to Memphis, which was then the USWA circuit, I turned it down.”

  As WCCW returned to Dallas, Chris Adams partnered with a promoter called Tom Lance, to run some shows under the banner of L&A Promotions. In the meantime, Jerry Jarrett placed the emphasis of the USWA in the state that he had promoted for years: Tennessee.

  Although the impetus of Chris’ focus was with L&A, he really pushed for Jerry to offer his protégé some bookings, and I told Jerry that I would make some appearances for his show if he gave Austin a chance. Despite being penniless, it was clear that Steve was committed to improving himself as a performer. He had really developed in the short time he had been a wrestler.

  Jerry Jarrett, former USWA promoter: “Jeanie was a valuable box-office talent, so I began booking her in our Tennessee territory. In those days the talent based in Tennessee would ride in our tour bus to Dallas for the Friday night show at the Sportatorium and then back to Memphis overnight for Memphis television. Jeanie was a real pro and never complained about the long trips back and forth between Memphis and Dallas…. Steve developed quickly and Chris began a campaign for me to take Steve to the Tennessee territory so he could get experience. Steve could only wrestle once a week on the Dallas end; because the show promoters didn’t want to pay for an unknown talent that could not sell tickets to the events. Jeanie began putting in a good word for Steve too.”

  With Chris’ promotion needing some names to fill his events, he asked if I would work a show in Louisiana for L&A. Even though the trip would take me away from Jade and the day-to-day running of Genies, I agreed to go as a favour to Chris. I had hired a nanny who was able to take my business enquiries, and Chris said I should keep my costs low by sharing a ride with the boys. I called Steve, who told me he was travelling with Bronco Lubich, and he offered for me to travel with them.

  As colleagues, Steve and I had become quite close. But as we made the journey to Louisiana, I had noticed a change in the way he was looking at me.

  In his eyes, I could see that he wanted us to become much more than friends.

  With ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin, 1990.

  9 ROMANCE BLOSSOMS

  On the night we arrived in Louisiana for Chris’ show, Steve and I went out for dinner.

  We had been working together for months, but now that we were alone, he wanted to discuss something that had been pressing on his mind for a while.

  He pulled my chair in toward him, and looked deeply into my eyes. We then kissed.

  Whenever Steve was around me, he was so humble, and I liked being in his presence.

  He had been subtly complimenting me for a while, but there was tenderness in his demeanour as he clarified his intentions.

  I was initially surprised to discover that Steve had actually suppressed a crush on me for months. He already had a long-term girlfriend, but our kiss never felt awkward. It felt right.

  Holding hands, we walked back to the motel, and he kissed me again before I returned alone to my room.

  The next morning, I saw Steve, and we both smiled at each other. We had finally become more than colleagues, as our fondness had blossomed into a clandestine romance.

  As we started to get close, Jerry Jarrett had recognised Austin’s ongoing development as a star, offering him some bookings in a number of shows around the Tennessee area.

  While working the circuit, Steve moved into The Congress Inn motel in Nashville with some of the crew. I joined him for a few of his earliest appearances for the territory, including his first Memphis television match against Danny Davis.

  Jerry Jarrett, former USWA promoter: “I have no idea if the romantic relationship between Jeanie and Steve began in Dallas and that was the reason Jeanie began pressuring me to book Steve in Tennessee, or if the relationship began on the overnight tour bus trips to Tennessee, but love was quickly in the air…. Those were exciting days to be in the wrestling business and I’ll always be grateful that Chris Adams introduced me to Jeanie.”

  I was grateful that Steve had secured the work in Tennessee, even though it meant that we were unable to see each other quite as frequently. He asked if I would stay with him in Nashville, but it wasn’t possible to raise a child with the money being offered in the territory. I also had an obligation to my employees at Genies to ensure that the business was running on course.

  When I returned to Dallas, I noticed a few unopened envelopes which had been mailed to the house. They were from Steve. He had taken the time to write me love letters each day, and in some cases when he had no money, he would scribble kind and romantic messages on the backs of old receipts or any paper he could find. He would even call me whenever he could, even if he had to reverse the charges via call-collect. He even developed a sweet pet-name for me; Cha Cha the Blonde Sheep.

  Letters from Steve, 1990.

  Letters from Steve, 1990.

  In some of his letters, Steve had told me that he was naturally jealous, but it seemed sweet that he would want to protect me from the advances of other men.

  I saw his discomfort when he visited one of my telegram appointments, even
though he was hugely supportive of my career. Sometimes, he would get concerned if I spoke to any of the other wrestlers, which I thought was cute as it showed that he really cared about me. One day, Jeff Jarrett had asked if I would like to go for dinner, and it agitated Steve, who wanted to take our relationship to the next level.

  By October, we had started to express our relationship physically, but I finished with Steve, after he had been unable to end his relationship with his high school sweetheart, Kathryn Burrhus.

  To make matters worse, under the pressure of his family, he felt obliged to propose to her. After popping the question to Kathy, Steve came over, and asked if he could continue to see me. Shocked at the notion, I told him that he couldn’t.

  Undeterred, Steve continued to contact me, writing me frequent letters while he was on the road, and calling me each day, whether I was at work or at home. He had become upset that I had rejected him after learning of his engagement.

  On Saturday 24th November 1990, he called me in a panic, as he felt he had no way out of his impending marriage. Later that day, Steve and Kathy tied the knot.

  Steve explained that he felt obliged to get married out of a respect to Kathy, but said that he eventually wanted to marry me. There was a certainty in his voice that, one day, our relationship would be known to the world.

  For weeks, I had tried to keep him at a distance. But after he continued to pursue me, I relented. We started seeing each other again, splitting our time between my house in Dallas, and his motel room in Nashville. Meanwhile, Kathy was stuck at home in Denton. I felt sorry for her, but I had become so close to Steve that I chose to ignore my conscience.

  If we were in Dallas, Steve would usually want to leave the house, as the constant stream of calls and enquiries redirected from the Genies business line would be non-stop. Knowing he was not really able to afford to eat well in Tennessee, I would regularly pay for us to visit the Pearl Dragon, a Chinese restaurant that was local to my house. Steve would sometimes feel bad that I had to pay, but I told him not to worry. I was getting joy from doing something that I knew meant the world to him.

  I also wanted to treat myself to something nice, and I decided to go for a breast augmentation surgery that I had considered for months.

  As Steve returned to Tennessee, I would find little cards that he had hidden all over the house. It was such a warm, loving gesture. Even though he had very little money, he always tried to show me he cared by saving for romantic cards. It made me want to spend yet more time with him.

  Cards left hidden for me to find around the house from Steve, 1990.

  Whenever my work commitments would allow me to take some days off, I would fly over to Nashville and stay with him. We would play putt-putt golf, go to the movies and explore the city.

  Steve had told me that he was barely scraping a living, and he had lost about ten pounds of weight in the time I arrived. Sometimes, he was surviving on a diet of three potatoes a day, occasionally with tuna if his pay allowed.

  His old Hyundai car was barely managing to run and Steve was still using an old pair of Chris’ boots to wrestle, even though they were falling apart and only being held together with worn strands of athletic tape. He was too proud and hated asking for help, but I was happy to offer him support whenever I could. After asking if he could borrow some money to buy some wrestling boots, I gave him the cash to buy a brand new pair as a gift.

  Without the luxury of expendable income, Steve had being getting used to making his own entertainment and showed me a game which he had been practising. He would set up an empty trash can at the end of the room and would throw three empty beer cans at it. Whoever would get the most beer cans in the bin would be declared the winner. Steve said he had become a master at it, and he felt he was unbeatable against me. He then showed me a different way of throwing the cans. Once I picked up the technique, Steve lost one game. Flustered in defeat, he told me he never wanted to play again.

  But it seemed his frustrations didn’t really stem from losing the game, but were more centred on the fact that his career was not allowing him to make a decent living.

  Penniless, Steve became increasingly demoralised at the pittance he was earning in his bookings. More often that not, he would only break even from the journeys between shows, but it was vital he paid his dues in order to improve.

  Down on his luck, Steve received a call from the promoter Ed Watt. Running a show out of Dallas, Watt offered him a guaranteed sum of $100 to appear. Having struggled to pay for his own gas, or even food, the booking provided a lifeline to Steve, and he was thrilled to accept.

  Unfortunately, the show conflicted with one being presented by L&A Promotions. Presuming that Steve would have been available to work for him, Chris pleaded with him to cancel on Ed, and promised to equal the amount being offered. Having given Watt his word, Steve told Chris that he couldn’t and that he needed to establish himself as a reliable performer for every promoter as he needed the work. He could not afford it if the word had spread if he cancelled at the last minute.

  Chris was offended at Steve’s response, and reminded him that his loyalty should have been to the person who broke him into the business.

  Feeling like he owed Adams for breaking him into the business, Steve picked up the phone and called Ed.

  Uncomfortable, Steve humbly apologised, and told Watt that he had double booked himself. He hated lying, and felt guilty about letting down Ed, but felt compelled to do so to help out his mentor.

  After pulling out of Watt’s card and working for L&A, Steve received a fraction of the agreed sum and was paid a mere $40 for the appearance.

  Depending on the income to make ends meet, Steve called Chris to clear up any misunderstanding. Unfortunately, there was not a mistake, and Chris told Steve to accept the amount that he had been given. All protests of the broken promise had been ignored, before Chris angrily put down the phone.

  It was a betrayal of trust that would not be forgotten by Steve. He distanced himself from Chris, who had been cheating a number of other performers on their fees during his run as a promoter.

  Despite the fallout with Chris, the career of Steve did not receive a setback. In fact, he was starting to reach the main event level of Jarrett’s promotion.

  By February 1991, Steve had impressed audiences in a series of matches with Jeff Jarrett for the USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship, and had also performed against enduring Memphis legends Jerry Lawler and ‘Superstar’ Bill Dundee. With his profile being elevated towards the main event scene of the territory, he had being getting positive reviews for his work, and received the 1990 Rookie of the Year Award in the March 1991 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

  With the amplified exposure, it was not long before Steve found out that one of the two major wrestling promotions was showing an interest in his career.

  By the spring, Steve had received a golden opportunity, which he was happy to accept. After months of struggling with his finances, he had been given a mid-level offer to join WCW. In comparison to his per-night agreement in Memphis, the secure contract provided a fortune to him. He would start work in May 1991.

  Founded in 1988, World Championship Wrestling was created as a result of the changing industry of professional wrestling. It was formed when the media mogul Ted Turner purchased Jim Crockett Promotions, a family-owned business which operated in an expanse of regions throughout the southeast states. For years, wrestling had been one of the highest-rated shows on the Turner Broadcasting System network, but an accelerated expansion into new markets had forced JCP into financial difficulty. Crockett’s attempt to compete with the World Wrestling Federation had failed, but Turner was committed to keep a strong presence of pro wrestling on his primary channel, the TBS Superstation.

  With the backing of a major media conglomerate, WCW was immediately recognised as a viable competitor to the WWF, as it opened a front office in Turner’s CNN Center, in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

  Moving to Dunwo
ody, a short drive from the Atlanta office, Steve was excited to work for Turner. But he was also saddened that I needed to remain in Dallas to run Genies. Despite the miles between us, we still managed to speak on the phone every day, and he would fly out to see me whenever he could get the time off his new routine.

  My house in Dallas was like a second home to him, a retreat from his hectic schedule with a national promotion. Providing WCW management with my home number as a second point of contact, I received a call when he was at the gym.

  It was Magnum T.A., a former wrestler who was working as a senior booking assistant within the promotion. He was really polite, and said he was looking for Steve, but I explained that he was not at my house.

  Just as I was expecting to end the call, Magnum enquired about my English accent, and what I did for a living. I told him that I ran a company in Dallas, but had previously been Steve’s valet in both the USWA and for the resurrected World Class promotions. He was surprised, and admitted that he had not really watched any tapes of Steve’s matches in Texas or Tennessee.

  Magnum asked if I could send some tapes of my interviews and matches, so I did.

  After viewing the tapes, Magnum phoned me at the house and asked if I could attend the next show at the Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, where WCW was scheduled to record a few weeks’ worth of programming. Unfortunately, it was too short notice for me to arrange childcare for Jade, or the appropriate shift cover at Genies, so I had to decline. Nevertheless, Magnum wanted me to meet Dusty Rhodes for an interview on 31st May.

  After retiring from a full-time career that took him to the top of the wrestling industry, Dusty was the main booker involved in the day-to-day running of the company. After boarding a flight to Houston, I was picked up at the airport by Steve. He drove me to the Sam Houston Coliseum, the arena that WCW was running that night. He led me to the backstage area, where I met Dusty for the first time.