Our Date With The Rock PART TWO

I had in fact, spent much time searching the wide, wide, world of web for a tape or a copy of the February 17th, 1998 taping of Shotgun Saturday Night, which aired that following Saturday (the 22nd, I think--not sure on that) with no luck.  As I age, my memory ages as well.  Old memories are replaced with the eye-hand coordination of remembering how to tie my sneaker laces each morning.
Ha, ha.

Even though Shawn never attended my school, he was the current gossip subject for about a month. No break up or pregnancy topped this story. And remember the three guys that jumped out of the first level seats to join us? They had witnessed they whole thing first hand and because of them vouching for my outrageous story, no one picked a fight with me the rest of my high school career.

It was insane. Everyone was afraid to mess with me for a while because they were afraid of Shawn. I got into a lot of fights with boys in school. I can actually say that to date, I've never been in a "girl fight". I didn't get along that many kids in school, and I still didn't after Shawn clocked The Rock, but I did gain a new found respect from the boys that picked on me.

(I was a little... Different. I didn't walk around wearing pounds of Gothic jewelery and dressing all in black but I didn't fit in with the country music fanatics. I didn't own a single shirt with Adidas or Nike written across the front and that made me an outcast!)

Shawn's parents had taped the Monday Night Raw saw so we could catch a glimpse of ourselves on TV. My face could be spotted for one-fifth of a second but you had to know where to look and what you were looking for! The main event had been taped for Shotgun Saturday Night, which as I mentioned, was never aired around here. So, if there's anyone out there with a recorded taping of the February 17, 1998 program, I'd LOVE a copy. I'm sure the camera men were instructed to veer away due to the reasonable probability of a pending lawsuit, though.

Several months later, however, we attended a another WWF show in Austin. Security was tightened. We had floor seats but had to remain in them. There was no roaming out of your seat for a closer look. When the people in front of us stood up to cheer or whatever all i could see were the backs of strangers. Every time I stood on my chair to better viewing purposes, a security guard would rush over and holler at me.

Howard Finkle was walking about the floor seats, working the crowd, early on. Shawn cheerfully shouted, "Hey! Remember me?"

Shawn explained who he was but Finkle seemed a bit confused. He quickly offered a "Oh, yeah I remember," and got out of there as quickly as he could. Maybe he did remember the young man who went postal over a ripped t-shirt. maybe he didn't remember at all.

The Rock came out for Cage Match, I believe and noticed us right away. If I recall correctly, he was a baby face at the time. While everyone cheered for him, we squarely booed and cursed at him. Rock's eyes met our direction and they bulged and bugged out like they always do. He glared at us steadily and shook it off to get into the ring. Once again, I'm unsure if actually recognized Shawn, or was maybe thinking, "Gee whiz, that guy looks familiar."

We haven't watched wrestling in years. However in the time following that night in 1998, we did notice some abrupt changes within the WWF. The metal railing had been replaced with a thicker half-wall. It appeared that spectators had been restricted to keep back, at least for a period of time. The Rock had not spit once into the crowd, not once or ever more to my knowledge.

And finally, the fan-wrestler match up had been popularized. we witnessed on television the most fake "fans" screaming at a wrestler only to be plucked from the crowd and body slammed to the floor. Be a normal fan boy, I'm sure that would be cause enough for a sizable lawsuit. Although I would imagine the wrestlers would be able to restrain themselves from taunting. As the crowd watched in horror as some frail-looking young man writhed in pain on the flood, all we could do was balk at a stuntman and think, "Oh, that is so fake!"

Shouldn't Shawn and I get a little compensation for giving the writers a little idea? Sure it was group effort, but I'm sure The Rock doesn't have like, a mortgage or a car payment.
We never actually sued the WWF. It never entered our minds except in jokes. I would however settle for meeting some of my "heroes" as reimbursement. I did, after all suffer some humiliation and embarrassment. And Shawn suffered having his neck scratched. Whiplash!

All in all, I'd like to someday contact the wrestlers involved in that three-way tag match. I mean, this isn't exactly the days of Andy Kaufman, now is it?
For months afterward I watched every little interview that involved the WWF, hoping that the little experience would be mentioned. It never was. I contemplating reading every book that every wrestler put out with that same thin string off hope. I never did.

Perhaps I should get on the ball and email all those fan sites in hopes that The Rock or Mick Foley should see it. What if?
My biggest point about this story is that is was as real as real can get. It was unscripted. There was no planning who would win, who would lose, who would be the heel or baby face.
And you know what? We'll probably continue to tell the story whether you believe it or not.