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125: Redoing my Life, Bah Gawd He's Broken in Half!
🕑 Added 2024-10-09 15:24:02 +0000 UTCJay, Manny, and Luke stepped out of the car in front of the hotel. Luke, brimming with excitement, wore his John Cena hat slightly askew, while Manny looked far less enthusiastic.
"Well, we’re here," Jay said, glancing up at the grand entrance of the hotel.
"I can't wait! The Rock is going to fight John Cena! It’s like... the biggest thing EVER!" Luke exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement.
Manny adjusted his jacket, clearly unimpressed. "Oh yes, nothing screams 'greatness' like two overly muscular men pretending to beat each other up."
Jay gave Manny a hearty clap on the back, chuckling. "Relax, kid. It’s not all bad. You might learn a thing or two about a good takedown. You might need it when you get to high school."
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Manny asked, puzzled, as Jay strode ahead. Manny and Luke followed, with Luke still chattering excitedly about the upcoming match.
[Jay's Commentary]
“When I was a kid, wrestling was the thing. My brother Donnie and I would go to shows with our dad whenever we could. We were obsessed. Back then, you had the greats—Lou Thesz, The Destroyer, Classy Freddie Blassie, and of course, the one and only Gorgeous George. That guy knew how to put on a show. Those were the glory days.”
Jay sighs, his expression turning a little sour.
“These days? Eh, it’s not the same. All that flying around, jumping off the ropes... Sure, it’s flashy, but it doesn’t have the same grit, the same... soul. Back in my day, a headlock meant something.”
He shifts in his chair, his expression softening slightly.
“So why am I going to this new-age wrestling? Well, my friend Henry invited me, and Daniel was going to be there, so I thought it’d be fun. Plus, it’s good for Manny to go somewhere other than those poetry recitals for a change.”
[Commentary End]
"Come on," Jay said, motioning for the boys to follow him as they made their way through the hotel lobby.
"Where’s Daniel?" Luke asked, craning his neck to look around.
Manny echoed, though far less eagerly. "Yes, where is Daniel? He’s supposed to be here too, right?"
Jay nodded, glancing at both boys. "Yeah, yeah, he’s in this hotel too. He’ll find us. Just stick close."
=====
John, Matt, Margot, and I walked through the hotel lobby. Matt looked around and then turned to me with a grin. "Isn't it weird that you still hang out with some of your ex-girlfriend's family?"
I shot back instantly, "Isn't it weird that you can't keep a girlfriend for more than a month?"
John and Margot both burst out laughing.
"Ice cold," John said, shaking his head with a smile.
"What did I do to deserve that?" Matt asked, throwing his hands up in mock indignation.
I laughed. "I'm still friendly with Haley, Matt. We don’t hate each other."
Matt turned to Margot, eager to change the subject. "What do you think, Margot?"
Margot gave him a wry smile. "I think you just need to get into a long-term relationship, Matt."
"Damn, burned again," John said, grinning widely.
"Shut up," Matt said, lightly punching John on the shoulder.
We were in Miami for our annual trip to attend WrestleMania. This year, Henry had gotten tickets for all of us. He had also gotten tickets for Jay, who was bringing Manny and Luke along. There was also an added bonus: I had received a full backstage pass from The Rock, even more extensive than the one I got last time.
I knew the man had an angle. I had told Vin Diesel and the other producers and executives at Universal and Vin's production company that the character Hobbs was written with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in mind. It seemed The Rock had gotten wind of it, and apparently, he was interested.
I couldn't blame him. He still hadn’t gotten a proper box office hit yet—unlike in my previous life. He was even considering returning to wrestling more after this WrestleMania.
John turned to Margot, curiosity etched on his face. "I didn't know you were a fan, Margot."
Before Margot could answer, I interjected with a teasing grin. "Oh, she’s a big John Cena fan."
Margot shot me an annoyed look. "Daniel..."
I turned to Matt and John, ignoring her protest. "Did you guys know Margot slept with John Cena for two years?"
Matt, who was taking a sip of his soda, choked and sputtered. "What?" he whispered, eyes wide.
John raised an eyebrow, looking at me in disbelief.
Margot swatted my arm, clearly not amused. "I used to sleep with a cutout of him! I loved wrestling when I was a teen, okay?!"
I couldn't help myself. "Teen, meaning like five or six years ago, right?"
John and Matt burst out laughing as Margot’s face flushed a bright shade of red.
Matt leaned in, still laughing. "Maybe we should tell John Cena himself. I'm sure we're going to see him."
Margot's expression turned deadly serious, glaring at us. "Not a word about this," she said firmly.
We quickly complied, raising our hands in mock surrender.
Margot then pointed ahead, changing the subject. "Oh look, someone is waving at us."
I turned to see who it was—it was Luke and Manny. Henry and Jay were with them as well, making their way through the crowded lobby, waving enthusiastically in our direction.
"Hey!" I called out as I approached them.
"Hey, kid," Jay replied, giving me a nod.
I smiled at Luke. "Luke! Long time no see."
Luke beamed back at me, his excitement evident. I turned to greet Manny and Jay.
"Haven't seen you in months. I thought you were going to show me that Franklin Mint collection you bought," Jay said.
“Well, what can I say, Jay? I’ve been very busy lately,” I said.
Jay waved it off casually. "Ah, don’t worry about it, kid. You’re a big movie producer now."
"Yes, he is our biggest money maker," Henry chimed in, joining the conversation with a grin.
I laughed. "Well, thanks, Henry." I then looked back to Jay. "You coming with us for the full backstage experience?"
Jay shook his head. "Nah, Henry and I are gonna catch up a bit. We'll meet up with you at our seats before the show starts."
Jay then noticed Margot, and I quickly introduced her to him. "Jay, this is my girlfriend Margot."
"Aha, nice to finally put a face to the name. He's a good kid," Jay said.
Margot smiled. "It's nice to meet the only other person who is as obsessed with model planes as Daniel."
Jay burst out laughing.”We all need a hobby” he said.
“So we’ll meet up later then?” I asked.
Henry nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we’ll catch up with you later. You guys go have fun."
Jay and Henry waved us off, leaving me with Manny, Luke, and the others.
Margot noticed Luke's hat and smiled. "So, are you a John Cena fan, Luke?"
Luke nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! He's the best!" He moved his hand across his face in the classic "You can't see me" gesture.
I smiled, clapping my hands together. "Alright, let's get moving. I’m sure there are people waiting for us to arrive."
Manny sighed, still looking less than thrilled. "I could have been at the poetry seminar today," he said with a tinge of regret.
I placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him. "Wrestling is art too, Manny. Just... with people hitting each other," I said, giving him a grin.
Manny gave a reluctant smile, shaking his head as we all began heading towards the Sun Life Stadium for our early backstage access.
=====
We made our way through the labyrinth of corridors as one of the event staff led us through the stadium. Wrestlers and crew were moving quickly, prepping for the massive night ahead. I could see Luke looking around, occasionally recognizing a famous wrestler, his eyes lighting up with excitement. The ring was being set up in the distance, and even Manny, usually unfazed, seemed slightly impressed by the sheer scale of the operation.
"This is awesome! We're actually here before it all happens!" Luke said, his voice brimming with enthusiasm.
We were told to wait in a designated area, and soon enough, the man who had invited me arrived. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson approached us with a huge smile on his face.
"Daniel! Good to see you again!" he said, shaking my hand firmly.
I smiled. "Thank you for this, Dwayne. It’s new for me and my friends."
I introduced Matt, John, Margot, Manny, and Luke to him. The Rock was warm and patient with them, greeting each one.
"I've got an entire tour planned for you guys," he said, gesturing to the event staff nearby. "They'll take you around, and I'll catch up with you in a bit."
He then pointed at the staff member who would be giving the tour. "I'll bring them back to you once we're done," the staff member said with a nod.
"Great," I said. The Rock gave us a thumbs-up before heading toward the ring, where I could already see John Cena.
I turned to Margot with a mischievous grin. "Hey, Margot, there he is."
Margot shot me a look. "Shut up," she said quickly, then added in a quieter voice, "Please don’t embarrass me in front of him."
"Me? Never," I said innocently. "Those two, on the other hand..." I nodded towards Matt and John, who were both smiling slyly. When faced with Margot, their smiles quickly disappeared.
The event staff led us through various areas of the stadium. Along the way, we met and took photos with several wrestlers—Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Big Show, Cody Rhodes. We even saw The Undertaker. Despite his reputation for never breaking character, he was kind enough to take a photo with us. Matt looked like he was about to pass out from excitement.
Eventually, the staff led us back to the ring area, where The Rock and John Cena were talking on one side. I was pretty sure they were going over their match, especially given The Rock's tendency to rehearse and plan every move beforehand.
On the other side of the ring stood the current champion, CM Punk, and his opponent for the night, Chris Jericho. The Rock spotted us as we approached and called out.
"Aha, there he is! Daniel!" He then turned to Cena, "John, this is the guy I was talking about."
Cena turned and greeted me with a firm handshake. "Good to meet you, Mr. Adler."
Luke, completely starstruck, blurted out, "I'm a huge fan, Mr. Cena."
John smiled warmly. "Well… what's your name, young man?"
Luke answered, and John shook his hand.
While Cena talked to them, I moved aside with The Rock. I decided to play coy with the Fast and Furious stuff.
"So, I’m writing the script for the next Fast and Furious," I said.
The Rock smiled. "Yeah, I heard about that."
"I wrote the antagonist with you in mind. It’s a good story with great potential," I added.
The Rock raised an eyebrow. "You know, I'm not really used to playing the bad guy."
I nodded, smiling. "Well, you become a good guy in the next one."
The Rock’s signature eyebrow arched higher. "There's a next one?"
"Yeah, yeah. It’s planned to be a big franchise. I think you could become a big part of it."
He seemed to think it over for a moment, clearly intrigued. "We should talk tomorrow, after all this is done."
I grinned. "It’s going to be fun watching you win tonight. Gonna break Luke's heart, though," I said, glancing at Luke and the others still chatting animatedly with Cena.
The Rock laughed as we walked back toward the group. "How do you know I'm going to win?"
"Come on, man, you’re The Rock," I said, as if it was obvious.
He laughed heartily, and we returned to the group. When we did, I noticed that Cena had been joined by CM Punk and Chris Jericho.
"Come on, John, these two can’t take a bump," I overheard Jericho say.
"What's going on?" I asked, joining the conversation.
Matt looked at me, his face lit up with excitement. "Cena offered for us to get body slammed in the ring!"
I chuckled. "That sounds fun."
Jericho sized me up with a grin. "Yeah, this guy could take it."
Margot looked horrified. "How much does it hurt?" she asked.
Punk shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, it hurts, trust me. Sometimes a lot. Other times, if you know what you’re doing, you can avoid the worst of it. But it’s never painless."
Cena turned to me, looking serious. "You sure about this, Daniel?"
I nodded. "Yeah, let’s do it."
Margot's eyes widened. "Daniel, oh my god, don’t do it."
I gave her a reassuring smile. "It'll be fun."
The Rock, who was watching the exchange, chimed in, "Are you sure, Daniel?"
I grinned widely. "Yeah, let’s do it!"
"Alright," Cena said, "Get in the ring."
With a burst of excitement, I climbed into the ring, feeling a mix of adrenaline and nervousness coursing through me. Cena followed, his grin making it clear that he had done this a million times.
"Alright, here’s what you do," he began, his tone instructive but relaxed. "When I lift you, make sure you tuck your chin and keep your body tight. I’ll do the rest."
I nodded, trying to absorb all the advice, though the reality of the situation was starting to sink in. The ring looked soft from a distance, but up close, it seemed much less forgiving.
Cena grabbed me, setting me up for the body slam. With a quick lift, he slammed me onto the mat with surprising force.
The impact was immediate. The mat was much harder than I had imagined, and pain shot through my back. I stayed down for a second, processing the jolt that rippled through my body.
"Whoa!" Luke exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"I think I felt that from here," Manny said, wincing.
Matt had a camera with him, filming the entire thing while he and John laughed.
Margot’s voice was filled with concern. "You alright, Daniel?"
I lay there for a moment, breathing heavily before rolling over and sitting up, rubbing my back. "Yeah… definitely not doing that again," I said, wincing but trying to smile.
"You did good, man," The Rock said, giving me an approving nod.
Cena nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you took it like a champ."
I let out a small laugh, still wincing. "Yeah, I think I’ll stick to writing."
=====
As evening approached, we found our seats. Henry and Jay joined us just as the show was about to begin.
Jay looked around, frowning slightly at all the flashing lights and color. "What’s with all the neon? Back in my day, you didn’t need a light show."
Henry chuckled, nudging him. "Come on, Jay. I'm sure you're going to enjoy it. I mean, I still do."
Jay sighed, but a smile tugged at his lips. "Yeah, yeah, it's still fun. Just a bit different, I guess."
As the matches progressed, the energy in the stadium grew. The Hell in a Cell match was fantastic. Just like last year, Triple H and The Undertaker had the best match of the night.
Soon, it was time for the main event: John Cena versus The Rock. The excitement was at its peak.
"Alright," I said, turning to Matt and John with a grin. "So, you guys have Cena, and I have The Rock."
Matt shook his head, a confident smile on his face. "Come on, man. Your streak ends this year. No way Super Cena is losing."
Margot nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think Cena's got this."
Luke joined in, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "Cena's going to win for sure!"
I just smiled back at them. "Well, let's see then."
The match began. Cena and The Rock squared off.
There were near falls that had everyone on the edge of their seats—Cena delivered the Attitude Adjustment, and The Rock kicked out just before the count of three. The Rock hit a spinebuster and followed it up with a People's Elbow, but Cena kicked out as well.
The climax of the match came when Cena attempted the People's Elbow, but The Rock managed to counter and executed a Rock Bottom. The referee counted:
One, two, three.
The bell rang, and the stadium erupted. The Rock had won.
I turned to look at Matt, John, Margot, and Luke, all of whom had their jaws dropped in shock.
"No way!" Matt exclaimed, his eyes wide.
John shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it. Super Cena lost."
"Wow... I really thought Cena was going to win," Margot said.
I couldn't help but grin. "The streak lives," I said, turning to Matt and John, giving them a playful wink. "Five and oh, baby."
They both shook their heads, laughing despite their surprise.
Fireworks went off, signaling the end of an incredible night and the extension of my streak, though I was pretty sure it would end by WrestleMania 32 since I stopped watching after that.
