It is December 7, 2012, 3 days out from Warfare in Wichita, KS. On Monday, the INTRUST Bank Arena will be a house of chaos; filled to capacity with millions of screaming fans and the very best that pro-wrestling has to offer. It will be like every big time event, the food stands will have winding lines, the beer guys will be constantly on the go, and the vendors will unload boxes worth of merchandise to the paying customers.
But today is not Monday. Today is Friday, and the arena is very vacant. There’s a couple corporate officers, some local reporters that stay onsite, and, as is common, the production crews from the next coming shows. Tomorrow night is slated to be a Montgomery Gentry concert at the arena, so their crew was walking the arena floor to examine dimensions and start getting their setup ready. The head of the arena’s ownership group, Maureen Ginty was walking with them.
While the group was on the arena floor, a woman’s voice was heard from across the way.
Woman: Hey Maureen!
As she walked her way closer to the group, Maureen recognized her as the EBWF Director of Talent Relations: Stephanie McMahon.
Maureen Ginty: (To the Montgomery Gentry production crew) I’m sorry guys, excuse me one second. (Looking at Stephanie) Stephanie, we aren’t supposed to meet for an hour or so, can I help you?
Stephanie McMahon: Yes, I’m sorry. I just need to borrow an office here, we’re real close to something that could make tomorrow bigger, and it just came up.
Maureen Ginty: Well, yes. The office you guys normally use is available. I’ll page somebody to open it up for you.
Stephanie McMahon: Thank you, and can we meet there when you’re done here?
Maureen Ginty: Sure.
Stephanie walked off, seeming very energetic while also maintaining a serious demeanor.
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Maureen walked in to the office, and found Stephanie sitting talking to Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, better known as Montgomery Gentry, along with a couple of representatives.
Maureen Ginty: So Stephanie, are you ready to go review the floor plan for the show on Monday?
Stephanie McMahon: Actually, not just yet. We have to sell some more tickets, and I’m thinking the only way we do it is if we can come up with a bit of a promotion for the concert tomorrow.
Maureen Ginty: Well, what did you have in mind?
Stephanie McMahon: Well, we figured we could tap into the Montgomery Gentry fan base a little bit, and have someone go to the concert tomorrow night to promote Warfare for Monday. And if they buy the tickets at the box office before leaving the concert, they get them for 10% off.
Maureen Ginty: I mean, theoretically it sounds like a good idea, you and I will just have to do the paperwork for the ticket prices tonight. As for the concert, that is up to Montgomery Gentry if they want someone else to appear, because we’re sold out of vendor space.
Stephanie McMahon: That’s what we were talking about, and in a couple of hours I will have more of the details.
Maureen Ginty: Well, I’ll get started with the ticket discount work, and we can go over the floor plan when I get back from doing that. As long as you work it out with them, I have no problem.
Maureen leaves the room.
Eddie Montgomery: So he’s really in town?
Stephanie McMahon: Yes, I have a representative on the way now.
Troy Gentry: And he can be at the concert tomorrow? We haven’t seen him in awhile.
Stephanie McMahon: I’m working on it, again, we need to finalize things, but I got a call today that I’m very optimistic about.
Stephanie’s phone rings. She sees that it is her brother, Shane.
Stephanie McMahon: Excuse me guys, I have to take this.
She walks away from the band, and takes the phone call.
Stephanie McMahon: Hey Shane, what’s up?
I’m waiting right now.
I don’t know, I know Jerry will be here soon. He might be alone for now. But I want this done by the end of today.
I know it’s my job to sign the new talent, and this is a big name, especially to draw down here.
I’ll make it happen, I’ll call the office and if I have to play with the budget a little, I’ll make something happen.
Okay, bye.
Stephanie hangs up and looks back around to see a well dressed man talking with he band. She walks over.
Man: Hey Stephanie, I’m Jerry Robbins. We spoke earlier.
Stephanie McMahon: Yes, yes we did. Umm, Troy and Eddie can you give us a moment?
The band shakes hands with Stephanie and leaves the room.
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Stephanie is now walking the floor with Maureen, going over the production specs, the floor dimensions, how many chairs will be needed to fill the floor, and the placement of the pyros. Troy Gentry walks on to the floor and goes up to Stephanie.
Troy Gentry: Hey Stephanie, did you get it done?
Stephanie McMahon: Troy, it was tough, but we got it done. He will be there tomorrow night.
Troy Gentry: Holy shit! Eddie’s gonna be stoked for this. I gotta run now and tell him, we’re on our way to do some radio promotion. Can we announce it there?
Stephanie McMahon: Yes, but here’s all you can say. That he will be attending the show with you, he will be a part of the Meet and Greet/autograph session, and he will hit the stage when you guys wanted him to. Now since you’re gonna plug this, you have to make sure you announce the 10% off tickets.
Troy Gentry: Not a problem Stephanie. This is awesome!
Troy powerwalks off the floor, clearly excited about the news he just heard.
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Colby Ericson: Welcome back ladies and gentleman. This is Colby Ericson, and you’re listening to 100.5 The Wolf, Wichita’s best for country music. And speaking of country music, my guests at this time are gonna be rocking the INTRUST Bank Arena tomorrow night, Welcome Troy and Eddie from Montgomery Gentry. Gentleman, how are you doing today?
Troy Gentry: Colby, we’re doing great man.
Eddie Montgomery: Yea man, we always love coming to Kansas. It’s a fun time down here.
Colby Ericson: I believe that. Now there is one question getting a lot of attention right now, and that is about a Tweet you just posted. On their feed, @mg_underground, their tweet said “Big news for the show to be revealed with @ColbyEricson1005.” With the show only a day away, what could have changed to make it bigger?
Eddie Montgomery: We were gonna save this for later, but I guess we can tell it now.
Troy Gentry: Earlier this year, we released a song that became a huge hit; it was called “Long Necks and Red Necks.” And we filmed the music video as well. And the video, along with the song, we’re very popular. In the video was a very good friend of ours.
Eddie Montgomery: A very great friend, we’re fans of his, and he’s a fan of us. And we just left the arena, and got some news.
Troy Gentry: Exactly. We had a run in with the EBWF production crew, preparing for their big show, Monday Night Warfare. And we thought we could help each other out with a little arrangement. We listened to what they had to say, and they dropped a name. The name of our friend; who also used “Long Necks and Red Necks” as his theme song. His agent was on the way to meet with EBWF representatives.
Eddie Montgomery: So this is the kicker, we can confirm that as a part of our VIP Meet and Greet tomorrow, you will get to meet us and, our dear friend and EBWF’s newest talent, “The Cowboy” James Storm!
Colby Ericson: Storm just signed with EBWF?!
Troy Gentry: You heard it here first Colby. James Storm is in the EBWF. And to help each other out with the events at the arena in the next few days, we’re making James Storm a part of our VIP Meet and Greet, where you can get pictures and autographs. He will be coming on stage for his theme song, and we might even be able to get him on the mic (chuckles).
Eddie Montgomery: And to all of you EBWF fans, if you’re at the show tomorrow night, get to the box office. During our show, EBWF tickets will be sold 10% off for Warfare just 2 days after we rock Wichita.
Troy Gentry: We’ll be there to see him, and we’d hope to see you all there too.
Colby Ericson: Well folks, you heard it here on 100.5 The Wolf, we’ll be reaching out for some confirmation, but we have quite a weekend here in Wichita. The Montgomery Gentry concert with special guest, and the newest EBWF superstar, James Storm! And get discounts for EBWF Monday Night Warfare.
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The day of the Montgomery Gentry concert arrived, and the parking lot was full of tailgaters. There was beer drinking, horseshoes, ladder-ball, grills, music, dancing, and all the chaos a country concert can bring. The crowd in all their craziness missed a pickup truck sneak in to the arena. Out walked the man standing 6’3”, weighing 230 pounds, coming from Tennessee. The man wearing a light blue flannel shirt, his dark blue jeans, his black cowboy boots, and his trademark Cowboy hat.
James Storm walked in to the arena, got his clearances, and went to the dressing area to see Eddie and Troy.
James Storm: Somebody told me I’d find y’all here.
Troy Gentry: Well look what the cat dragged in.
Eddie Montgomery: Cowboy! How you doing buddy?
The three exchange handshakes and hugs, as the dialogue continues. [/color]
James Storm: I’m doing good man, but you know the way I could always be doing better.
Troy Gentry: I gotcha Cowboy.
Troy reaches into the fridge and grabs a beer for each of them. He distributes the beers, and the 3 men sit down and proceed to drink.
James Storm: Well, at least you guys remember this about me.
Troy Gentry: How could we forget?
Eddie Montgomery: I know. Come on, Cowboy. How could we ever lose the memory of you coming to the shoot the morning after you mixed the Bud and the Jack?
James Storm: (Laughs) You make a good point there, Ed. So you guys excited for the show?
Troy Gentry: We’re ecstatic. There weren’t many tickets left, but when we announced you on the radio yesterday, they went fast. This place is gonna be at max capacity tonight.
James Storm: I meant to ask that. How the hell did you convince them to let you break the news, and not them?
Troy Gentry: I asked Stephanie. I guess she figured it would be the fastest way to get the word out there, and we’re doing her a favor with the ticket sales today.
Eddie Montgomery: Yea, I heard that Warfare only has a few tickets left. Apparently you were the spike they needed.
James Storm: Nah, we’ll see about that. Tonight’s your show.
Troy Gentry: We know buddy, and actually, we gotta go run and take care of some last minute stuff. We’ll see you out there, alright?
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The meet and greet is set up in the VIP area of the arena. James Storm is at his own table, just to the right of the band. He still hasn’t seen anyone from EBWF. He just walked up to a table with a bunch of Sharpies and a huge stack of his pictures and took a seat.
The fans were finally let in and, as he thought, the majority of them went over to the band. He still had a pretty good crowd though. He understood he was meant to be a side attraction to get a couple of last minute tickets sold. He sat for about 40 minutes signing pictures and shirts and even empty beer cases. He posed for at least 50 pictures and was enjoying himself. That was until one fan walked up.
James Storm: Hey there, who’s this going to?
Fan: No one.
James Storm: Oh, you just waiting for a picture?
Fan: Nope, I just came here to tell you you suck!
James Storm was caught off guard, but shrugged. This wasn’t his show, so he just wanted to do his signings for the people that showed up.
James Storm: Well, thanks for coming to the show, buddy. I hope you enjoy it.
Storm reaches his hand out for the fan to shake, but the fan wanted nothing to do with it.
Fan: I’m not shaking you hand. You don’t deserve to shake my hand.
James Storm: Okay, well buddy, is there something I can do for you? I got some more people waiting to see me too.
Fan: You can stay home. You have no business in the EBWF.
James Storm: Well, clearly they didn’t think so, so I’m going to be there Monday. Sorry if that upsets you.
Fan: It’s only going to upset you. Because when you get there, you’re gonna arrive to all the Pomp and Circumstance. You’re gonna face a couple nobodies, and you’re gonna think you’re hot shit. You’re gonna think you’re the best.
But the reality? When all that is done, you’re going to be nothing. You’re never going to win a title, let alone touch CM Punk and the World Title. You’re not that good. That’s why you’ve spent your whole career in the minor leagues so far. That’s why you came crawling to Kansas 3 hours after you were offered a contract. You’re pathetic. So just do us all a favor, and stay home.
Security came to grab the fan as his voice started to rise. The entire area could feel the tension escalating. James Storm stood up as security had the fan, and stared at him. He wanted to say somethi…actually, no. He didn’t want to say anything. He wanted to punch what looked like a 30-year old virgin square in the face. But he kept his cool, kept his demeanor, and sat back down.
James Storm: Sorry about that folks, now who’s next?
The rest of the meet and greet went without a hitch. The fans that did come to see him were excited. There were even a few who said they weren’t staying for the concert, they just wanted to see him. HE was humbled. Yet still lurking in the back of his mind was that one fan from earlier.
It was time for the show. James stood backstage until “Long Necks and Red Necks” came on. He walked out on stage, sung along to the chorus a little bit, and between songs thanked the fans for welcoming him. He walked backstage, yet it was still there. That fan from earlier was creeping into him.
The show ended and Storm was hanging in the private parking lot. While waiting for all of the traffic to clear out, he paced. He paced all around the lot, beer in hand. Then Troy walked out.
Troy Gentry: Yo Cowboy. I was wondering where you got to.
James Storm: Just hanging around waiting to get outta here. Busy day tomorrow. Gotta do some media appearances myself because I can’t keep relying on you guys to promote me (laughs).
Troy Gentry: Alright buddy, what’s bugging you?
James Storm: What do you mean?
Troy Gentry: You only pace when something’s wrong. You got something on your mind. What’s up?
James Storm: That kid from earlier. You know, what do you have to do to piss someone off so bad that they would pay for a ticket to a show they’re not going to just to tell you that you suck?
Troy Gentry: Eh, he was probably a Bobby Roode fan.
James Storm: I don’t get it though, you know. It got me thinking. I’ve known one places as home for the last 11 years. It’s not gonna be 2,000 people in Orlando once a week. It’s gonna be 20,000 weekly in completely different cities each week.
I mean, it took me 10 years to get to the top of my last spot. 10 years. There’s guys here I’ve never faced before.
Troy Gentry: You need to chug that beer, man. Getting all down over here with that shit. Where’s the bad ass ass-kicking, beer drinking Cowboy? Because the guy talking now don’t stand a chance. You know who does stand a chance? The guy we saw fight the entire bar because he thought a shot of Jack into a pint of Bud was some kind of bomb drink. Imagine being at the bar and anyone on this roster telling you to get outta your seat.
James Storm: (chuckles) You know when you say it like that it does sound a lot better. Half these guys spend more time in the gym looking at themselves in the mirror than they do lifting.
Troy Gentry: You’re gonna be fine Monday, and we’re gonna be there.
James Storm: I know, I’m just bummed about the card. It was finalized so I think at most I’m doing a TV appearance off-air, and they’ll hype me up for the following Monday.
Troy Gentry: Well that’s a shame buddy, but regardless, this is exciting for you. Not everyone makes it this far in wrestling.
James Storm: I know. It’s a blessing to have made it this far. But I just imagine, if I can shock the world and win the Rumble. And then get that Main Event match vs Punk.
Troy Gentry: Let’s get back to earth there, big man. You gotta win your debut match first.
James Storm: Yea, you’re right. But enough about me; tell me some more about this tour.
Troy went on to talk to Storm about the Northeast swing coming the next week, and the stops in the West they made before tonight. The time passed and eventually the lot was clear and James Storm went off to the hotel. He knew it was going to be a change, but he was excited for what was shaping up to be a very important part of his career.
A weekend in Wichita
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Juan Ramirez
- Posts: 591
- Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:10 am
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Kevin
Re: A weekend in Wichita
Thank you! It's been a couple years since I've done this, so it's good to have the support