I remembered his face like I had just seem yesterday. But in fact, it had been nearly four years since I’d seen him in person.

Long before I came to the doors of the World Wrestling Alliance, I had wrestled in my hometown of Long Island, in the LIWO-- the Long Island Wrestling Organization. This is where I started my career in the world of professional wrestling. Every Wednesday night, in the Bell Sound Gymnasium at eight o’clock, we wrestled in front of maybe one thousand people, at the most. It was a small time organization, but with everyone sharing a big underlying goal-- get yourself noticed.

Leland Bell was the principal owner and the most seasoned veteran on the entire LIWO roster. For a man of fifty-five, he moved as though he was just coming into his prime. It was one of the most amazing things you’d ever seen, to watch that gray old man systematically tear apart guys half is age like they were paper thin. He was seemingly impossible to beat.

After my third month in the organization, our first encounter was scheduled. July 25th, Wednesday night, 8 PM. Evan McDaniel vs. Leland Bell in the main event. I was nervous as nervous gets. The organization had been open for five months, and the old man had remained unbeaten.

To make a short story even shorter, it wasn’t close. I mounted very little offense against him, and the match itself couldn’t have lasted longer than five minutes. It was complete domination on his part, the match finally topped off with the vicious sleeper that he often used to render his opposition unconscious.

I left the gym at about 11 PM that night, completely discouraged. I threw my bags into my Sunbird, trying to leave as quickly as I possibly could. But a voice beckoned me from behind.

“Evan…go harder next time,” Leland Bell told me. To you, that may not seem like much, but to a young kid like me at that time, coming from him, well…quite frankly, it meant the world. I nodded as I got into my Sunbird and drove off.

Those simple words changed everything for me. The next Wednesday, I dominated my match. The Wednesday after that, the same thing. The Wednesday after that, I gave it my all and won the LIWO Western Championship from “Buzz” Brian Bronson. I held the title for eight months straight, without losing it.

The time came to unify the Western and Eastern title belts, since the prestige of each title was equal to the other. The show was set for a Tuesday night this time, at 9 PM. The Western champion, Evan McDaniel, versus the Eastern Champion, Leland Bell.

I was just as nervous as before. I nearly threw up on my way to the ring that night. I was so nervous that I had almost forgotten what my opponent-to-be had told me that same night he beat me from turnbuckle to turnbuckle.

“Go harder next time.”

And I did exactly that.

It was, in my mind, my best performance ever. I left it all out there, and for thirty straight minutes, I had as much chance to win that match as he did.

I absolutely spilled my guts, only to fall victim to the sleeper hold once again. When all was said and done, his arm was raised as the undeniable Long Island Champion.

When I made to leave the ring, I found that Leland was still in that very ring with me. He shook my hand and helped me out, and walked backstage with me.

After that night, we formed a friendship. I recognized his raw talent from experience, and he recognized my potential, from a lack of his experience. Alongside the champion and my close friend, James Exeter, we came to be known as Long Island’s Elite. Nobody could stop us. Not a one person on that entire roster dared step to either of us. With Leland Bell leading the way and teaching us every step of the way what he had learned in his thirty-plus years of wrestling, nobody dared step to us.

Unfortunately, Exeter went down as a result of injury, suffered in his “lesson” that Lee had taught him about his excessive arrogance. Shortly thereafter, Cliff too, went down to a knee injury and thus, I was the only man left in The Elite. The organization lost it’s increasing following and it shut down altogether.

I haven’t talked to Bell or Exeter in nearly five years. I found work in a federation based in Ohio, while Exeter rehabbed, and Bell seemingly calling it quits. During my short run in the World Wrestling Alliance, there’s something I’ve realized. The road only gets bumpier the farther down you drive it, unless of course, you’re DO. After five years of professional wrestling beneath my belt, I’ve discovered that maybe, just maybe, I’m not quite where I could be.

That’s what brings me back here, to my hometown of Long Island.

I’d contemplated the idea of visiting the Bell Sound gymnasium for quite a while, to see if Bell was still wrestling. One of the underlying reasons I hadn’t is because I’d lost contact with him for so long. What if he didn’t remember me? What if he was upset about me never calling? I sound like an angst teen girl, I know, but I can’t help it on this occasion…

But he couldn’t be wrestling anymore, I had often told myself. By now, he was a man of sixty. There’s no way he could possibly still be competing….could he?

My black Acura calmly rolled into a parking space as I killed the engine. The Bell Sound gym had appeared to be a little more run-down than I remembered, but there was another car in the lot, which told me I was not alone in the proximity. I opened my door and made toward the building. To no surprise to me, the front door was open.

“Hello?” My voice echoed throughout the building. No response. “Helloooo?” I cried out again. Again, no response.

CRASH

My ears perked up. I knew someone was there, and I knew very well who it was.

CRASH

The unmistakable sound of someone dropping to the canvas. It was like music to my ears. I walked hastily toward the double doors that blanketed the room and pushed them open.

There he was, the man of sixty, scooping up a considerably younger James Exeter, and driving him to the mat.

CRASH

I couldn’t believe it. He didn’t appear to change a bit. He was still in superb shape, the only difference my eye could notice was the knee brace that hugged his right leg. I let the doors slam behind me, which grabbed Leland’s attention almost instantaneously. At first, he looked relatively perplexed, as though he had never seen me before. My former friend picked himself off the mat, first eyeing my old mentor, then following his path of sight, to me.

“Well, well, well,” Exeter began, with no particular happiness on his face. “Look what the cat dragged in.” The tone in his voice made me eerily uncomfortable. It was almost as though he had a deep, deep contempt for me that had been eating at him for the longest time. “Yeah…” I said, shyly. My mind searched for something else to say, but nothing came to my lips. My eyes just shot back and forth, back and forth between the two of them, while each of them stared at me in what at first glance would prove to be disbelief.

“What are you doing here?” Leland Bell questioned me, quickly. “I..I…”

Nothing came to mind. Not a thing. “What are you doing here?” He snapped once more. “I…was just wondering if this place was still….if you were still…”

“Wrestling?” He asked, stepping out of the ring and walking towards me, with Exeter following ominously behind. “Of course I’m still wrestling. Have I ever done anything else? I want to know what brings you here, you…you sell-out.”

Sell-out? I asked myself. How was I a sell-out? “What…?”

“First, you vanish,” James began, inching closer to me, “Then, years later, we see your sorry ass on TV, in one of the biggest organizations in wrestling today, and then--” I cut him off. I already couldn’t stand his arrogance. “Is there something wrong with competing with the best of the best?” I inquired him, getting in his face as he was mine. “There is when you’re failing at doing so,” Larry cut between us.

I couldn’t believe my ears.

“What are you talking about? I’m the WWA Extreme Champion. How am I failing?”

“Evan,” he began, “that title isn’t worth anything to the WWA Faithful, and I hope you know that. All that belt says is you can take a couple of chair shots as well as dish them out, and get damn lucky by falling on top of the other guy. It’s a nothing title.” I winced. “What are you talking about?” I asked.

Nothing but silence as I backed up and looked both of them in the face, a wry smile upon James Exeter’s lips.

“You heard the man. He said you’re worthless.” This used to be my best friend, and now, he seemed to be nothing but bitter toward me. “So you can have your little title until Monday, when little Mr. Former-WWA EUROPEAN CHAMPION OF THE WORLD takes it from you.”

“You don’t know what it’s like to see you on the television every Monday night, Evan.” Leland started up. “I know what you could be, and what are you doing with your potential? You’re selling out, that’s what you’re doing, and you’re doing a piss-poor job at doing that. I remember a time when you would’ve taken a bullet for me and James, a time when you would have taken a bullet for the Long Island Wrestling Organization, and more importantly, a time when you would’ve died for Long Island itself. Where did that go, Evan?”

“You don’t understand,” I tried to start. “No, I think he completely understands,” James interrupted me. “You came back to try to throw your would-be accomplishments in our faces. Well, we both understand. And rest assured, Evy-boy. Neither one of us are impressed.”

“I don’t think you do understand, Jimmy-boy,” my agitation starting to manifest itself into my voice, “I didn’t come to throw anything in your face but my apologies.” I pushed him hard, and he pushed back equally hard. “Well, I’m about to throw something else in your face,” came his retort.

“Enough,” Leland again had to get between my former best friend and I. “Evan, what do you have to say to me?”

“I’m sorry I never called or got into contact with you guys,” I said, releasing my eyes’ grips from James’. “I don’t know why, but I just wanted to leave this Long Island life behind me and start over again. It hurt to lose you guys as partners.” Again, I shot James another glance. “But that’s why I’m here. I was hoping you two would be here, so I could extend an offer.”

James got into my face yet again. “B****, you don’t have anything to offer me. The fact remains you left me high and dry. Best friend my ass.”

“James, would you just hear me out?” I backed away, avoiding confrontation. “I came here to see if you would join with me in the World Wrestling Alliance.”

“To hell with that.,“ James blurted. “F*** you, Evan, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.” He walked out, with those kind words wringing in Evan’s head. “Forget it, Evan.” Leland stated. “I’m no longer fit to wrestle in that kind of a business. Should’ve talked to me a few years ago, when you left in the first place. Maybe I’d be the World Champion by now,” he joked.

“Maybe, but that’s the beauty of it. I don’t want you to wrestle. I want you to be my manager.” Bell wiped his sweaty gray hair from his forehead over into a part. “I don’t know, Evan. You walked out on me. Why should I help you?”

Evan hesitated. “Because you can help me to greatness. And that’s where I want to be. No dramatic speeches about how I missed you and James while I was gone. I just want to slowly get to the top of this industry, and I’m going to need your help to do it.”

He hesitated and looked at me. He could tell I was sincere about this almost automatically. He didn’t need any more talking to, to know that I was serious. And he knew I didn't care if James was with us, so long as he could help me. If that makes me a bad friend, I don't want to be a good one, and especially not to him.

“When do I start, sell-out?”