Secret Santa - My Pain

This is very hard for me to talk about as I'm realizing now thinking about it.   It's a situation that happened to me around age 11 or 12.  We had recently moved from Kentucky to Wisconsin (as I've written about several times before) and I was taunted, mocked, abused and insulted by my new classmates for several years.  Around Christmas time, people in Wisconsin do Secret Santa.  I know they do that in a lot of other places but we never did it in Kentucky so it was new to me.   You put names in a hat (or whatever) and students draw them at random.  Two students are paired up at random and they give each other cards and/or small gifts.   It's supposed to be a fun little thing to do at Christmas time.  I'm not sure if it was 6th or 7th grade but I got paired up with a girl I didn't know.  Upon drawing my name, she said: "Oh, God!  I got him?!"  She said this in front of her girlfriends.  I think she even did all she could to try to get another person paired with her.  Thinking about it even now makes me almost want to cry.  I felt miserable, useless, irrelevant and ugly.  She was horrified to have to do this bullshit Secret Santa thing with me.  I wish this didn't still upset me but it does greatly.  It's almost a kind of shock.  My head spins and I feel like collapsing.  There's no better way to make a person feel like they're absolutely nothing than to do what she did.  Here's hoping journaling about will help.  It was 30 years ago.  Try as I might, I've never been able to recover from it. 

The Greatest Pro Wrestling Angle Ever

Here's the pro wrestling angle to end all pro wrestling angles.  First, a little backstory.  The Champion in our angle is a very hated heel.  Maybe Ric Flair circa 1985 when he wasn't cool.  A very popular Challenger (let's go with Hogan circa 1984) has been pursuing Flair but has only won matches by disqualification.  He and Flair sign one last contract.  It's Hogan's last chance at let's say SummerSlam.  

It's SummerSlam because the Money in the Bank winner happened at the previous Wrestlemania (at least they used to do it then.)  The Money in the Bank winner is a guy that's been a hated heel but he's become super cool and is on the verge of a major face change (think maybe Piper when he turned face in 1986 or 1987.)   Piper gets put in a heel vs, heel match, which he wins, but the heel beats on him after the match.  Hogan comes running down and helps Piper.  Hogan reaches out his hand but Piper refuses it and leaves.  

Now onto our pay-per-view.  It's the main event, Hogan vs. Flair, Hogan's last chance (as says so in the contract) to win the title.  

The match is a classic (don't snicker because it's Hogan.  Let's just imagine Hogan is a great technician with a finisher and a submission move.)  It's towards the end when the referee gets knocked down inadvertently.  At that point, a controversial (heel) second referee comes in (think Nick Patrick turning to the NWO.)  The fans all know he's crooked and we're getting ready for Hogan to get screwed.  Then, to the surprise of all, Flair and Hogan collide with both crashing into the second ref, who goes down in a heap.  Now we have two refs down.  Hogan hits the leg drop  Crowd goes crazy.  Goes for the cover.  After a few moments of everyone looking towards the heel ref, the first ref comes to and counts 1-2-3.  We have a new Champion.  The celebration is on.  Confetti comes down as the ring announcer announces Hogan as the Champion.  At least two or three minutes pass.  The match announcers talk about how he finally got it on his last chance.  The fans are now exhausted from joyful cheering.  Suddenly, we hear someone talking on the mic.  It's the second referee.  He says that HE'S the referee of record, having taken over automatically when the first referee went down.  He says the pinfall doesn't count, claiming he was knocked down only by the Challenger and thus disqualifies Hogan.  The winner, and STILL. World Heavyweight Champion, Nature Boy Ric Flair!  Hogan drops to his knees in the ring, covering his eyes with his hands, spent and devastated by this turn of events.  The heel ref raises Flair's hand, who's still coming to after getting knocked cold by leg drop (yes we'll have the leg drop knock Flair cold.)   The fans react with shock and outrage.  Maybe some garbage is thrown.  This is only Part 1 of the angle.  As this can only happen in the WWE at this point in wrestling history, the second part of the drama will take place on RAW the next night.  

I know this is like the Dusty Finish but it's an inverted Dusty Finish.  Instead of the second ref counting the pin and the first ref overruling it, the first ref counts it and the second overrules it. 

The next night on RAW, the show opens with Flair on the mic in the ring.  He talks about how he's finally vanquished Hogan and how the contract he signed finishes him as a contender.  He credits the heel ref with making the correct and just decision.  Fans are booing, of course.  Flair says he's licking his wounds after his great victory and looks forward to taking on all comers in the future.  As he begins to leave the ring, whoever the GM is (in my world, it will NOT be a McMahon of any kind), comes out and tells Flair he will be defending that night against (let's say) Batista, who's the next contender in line, in the last match.  Flair has a fit as only he can.  Our show goes on then the last match occurs.  The heel referee is the referee of the match (as the two head referees rotate title matches or some such stuff) so the announcers are going on and on about how Batista won't get a fair shake.   He call everything in Flair's favor, of course.  Batista dominates Flair, hitting him with all his power moves. Flair is on the verge of defeat.  The crowd feels it.  The heel ref then purposely gets in the way of Batista who inadvertently nudges him.  Batista hits the Batista Bomb and Flair is unconscious and finished.  The heel ref taps him on the shoulder and disqualifies him for making contact with an official.  Of course, we and the fans know it's BS and that the ref set that up on purpose.  It's even more obvious Flair and the heel ref are in cahoots.  Batista goes ape shit and destroys the heel ref with a spear and spinebuster then gives Flair another Batista Bomb on his way out.  Batista leaves the ring to a huge ovation with Flair and the heel ref unconscious in the ring.  

NOW here's the final part of the angle.  Piper, Money in the Bank briefcase in hand, suddenly comes down to the ring.  The fans go crazy as Piper is now a face as far as the fans are concerned.  He just hasn't made the face turn in the ring.  The first ref from the previous night has come down to replace the unconscious heel ref (and would do something cool like rolling then kicking the unconscious heel ref out of the ring to the floor.)   He holds out his hands for Piper to give him the Money in the Bank briefcase.  Flair is flat out in the ring, barely moving.  Fans are going wild knowing Piper will win the Title.  Piper is about to hand our good ref the briefcase then suddenly stops.  There's something conflicting him.  He turns and heads for the back with the briefcase.  The ref and the fans are stunned and confused.  He has the belt for the taking!  Where is he going?!   Not long after, he returns with...Hulk Hogan.   He looks as confused as the fans as Piper leads him to the ring.  They both get in and Piper hands him the briefcase!  Piper completes his face turn by giving Hogan the shot at the tile in thanks for Hogan helping him in the heel vs. heel match.  Hogan gets one more non-contracted shot at the title. Turns out that the "last match" contract only covers that contract.  The Money in the Bank cash in is NOT subject to that contract.  Therefore, Hogan can cash in the briefcase and get another title match on the loophole.  The fans are going crazy by now.  Piper points at the still groggy Flair and roars for the Hogan to kick his ass then goes to the back.  Hogan looks to the crowd in amazement that he truly has one more chance.  He gives the briefcase to the ref, who takes it with glee.  Hogan then slaps on his submission move (I'm giving him one as I'd rather have that then the leg drop he used the night before.)   Flair immediately taps out and the crowd erupts as Hogan is named the Champion for real this time.  

So we get the "last chance" challenger wins in the end scenario.  We have the crowd majorly happy with a Piper face turn.  And Flair will win the belt down the line at some point again.  Probably not from Hogan but, if so, it will be stated several times that the "last chance" situation with he and Hogan was nullified when Hogan won the belt.  Therefore, Hogan would get the usual rematches the defeated Champion has with the new Champion.  

So what do you think?!  I think it's a pretty cool, complicated scenario that will get the fans emotionally involved.