It’s not easy loving a man like “Loverboy” Vinnie Lane…

Watching him kill himself every night for a few cheers from strangers. Seeing him bleed. Seeing the swelling and the bruises up close.

The world sees a photoshop. A man with perfect skin, perfect hair, a perfect body, a perfect smile. They see him like a superhero. Someone that can’t possibly exist, but somehow does.

When you see a little kid at ringside with a pink bandanna or a “Loverboy” t-shirt, and you see the way that kid lights up as soon as his hero hits the ring, or the first few chords of his music hits, you understand why he does what he does.

Sure, it’s easy to see him strutting around and calling himself a megastar and think he’s pompous or full of himself. It’s easy to think he’s there for the money or for the fame. It’s easy to think that when he goes home at night he shuts off the lights of the Loverboy persona as easily as he shuts off the lights to his house. You’d be wrong to do that, though.

I see him at home.

I see him without the cameras, without the fans, without the lights and cheers.

Asking “Loverboy” Vinnie Lane not to be “Loverboy” Vinnie Lane would be like asking the tides not to come in, or asking the sun not to set. It’s inevitable, unstoppable, and beautiful.

It’s those fans, those kids, the way they all pop up and come to life for the show that keeps Vinnie going every day. He was that kid once, you know? He was that fan at ringside.

Every day, Loverboy gets out of bed slowly. He goes through his daily routine like a man twice his age. His knees ache, his back hurts, his neck is stiff. He has scars all over him, mostly too small to see on camera, but they’re there nonetheless.

His arm was ripped open in the Trios Title defense. He’ll see it in the mirror forever. His forehead, under the bangs and bandannas, is a roadmap of tiny scars. Like spun silk across his golden skin. He once told me his one fear is to one day not be able to walk anymore thanks to the years of abuse on his body, but he still goes out there, night after night. Because he believes.

Because he is.

A champion.

That’s what makes nights like tonight so difficult.




Tuesday, December 9, 2014 – 1 am.

“Loverboy” Vinnie Lane rages into the hotel room door, flinging it open and storming into the room. He throws his bags down onto the floor and immediately balls his fists, but, with no one there to fight he settles for flexing the fingers open and closed as he paces.

Behind him, Roxy walks in. Her face is swollen, and her lip is fat, but she still manages to light up the room with her beauty. Loverboy walks to her and helps her into the room, temporarily quelling the maelstrom of anger he’s gotten himself into.

Roxy walks in and sits at the edge of the bed, kicking off her stiletto heels as Loverboy slams the hotel room door and walks quickly over to her, dropping down to a knee as he had on the train ride before the events at Madness.

“Roxy, baby, I am so sorry about tonight. I thought I knew what freaks like Pest were capable of, what they were like, but tonight just proved to me that there is no line these guys won’t cross.”

“It’s not your fault, Vinnie… and I’m fine, really…”

“No. It IS my fault. What happened to you out there tonight happened because of me, because of who I am and how much I care about you. I may as well have kicked you in the face myself!”

“Vinnie! Don’t be ridiculous! It was Pest, not you!”

“He was trying to hurt ME by hurting YOU. And that son of a bitch Justin Sane just sat there and did nothing. If it were the other way around I would have never let his girlfriend or anyone else get treated that way if I could stop it.”

“I know, Vinnie. Not everyone is as good hearted as you.”

“Well it isn’t going to happen again, Roxy. It isn’t worth it. I’m done.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I’m not letting my girl, the most important thing in my life, the most important thing ever, get treated that way. I’m quitting.”

“Vinnie, you can’t! Please!”

“No. Tomorrow morning, first thing, I’m calling Shane and I’m telling him I’m finished. I made good money these past few months, more than enough for us to be set for a little while. It’s not worth it to see you hurt.”

“I’m a big girl, Vinnie, I can take it. I want to be out there for you, to help you.”

“Baby, it doesn’t matter anyway… you saw me tonight. You saw me lose, again, to someone I should have beaten.”

“Vinnie…”

“Between what happened tonight to you and the way everyone keeps screwing around in my matches, it’s obvious the others in the XWF don’t want me there anyway.”

“They’re jealous, babe. You know they are. Look at you.”

“Yeah, sure, maybe they are, but it doesn’t change the fact that someone I love got hurt, does it?”

“No. But dammit Vinnie, you can’t quit. That’s what they want you to do! They’ll think they’ve just beaten you into submission, and they won’t care that you’re doing it to protect me.”

“I don’t care what they think. I care about you, and our life together. That’s all.”

“If you care about me, then you won’t let the motherfuckers who did this to me win.”

“But…”

“NO BUTS! Vinnie Lane – I love you. I’m going to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. And I will NEVER let you forget it if you walk away from your dreams just to protect me. Do you understand?”

“Yes… but…”

“Ah! No buts! I told you that already! It’s Christmastime, Vinnie, and you get to make a wish. I know what you wish for, and I’m not letting you let it go so quickly.”

“Baby, my wish came true as soon as I met you.”

“Oh zip it, Vinnie. Not THAT wish. I mean your wish to be champion. You can still do it. You WILL do it.”

“Yeah? But I let you down that way too, baby. Not only did I not bring home the Universal Title before Christmas like I promised I would, I lost the title I already had!”

“Vinnie… you think I’m here with you because of gold? When I walked into the XWF, Eli James was the champion. Did I fuck him?”

“Well, no, but that fat fucker’s probably got gout and I doubt he can even find his dick.”

“True, but, I didn’t even talk to him. I went right to you. Because of who you ARE, Vinnie, not what was around your waist. I want you to win for YOU, not for me.”

“Yeah? I mean… yeah! You’re right, baby, just like always. Ah… but… next week I have to deal with Frodo. You know he’s going to do whatever it takes to get under my skin, and he’s got the whole Asylum backing him up. I never get an even playing field.”

“What happens when you do?”

“Well, I win. Duh. Look at my match with McAlister. Or Morbid last week, even. They know they can’t take me clean, one on one, so they keep me booked in lame matches that dilute me, you know? Tag matches, trios, handicaps, war games… and whenever I do get a regular match? Here comes Pest. Shocker, isn’t it?”

“That’s the spirit, Vinnie. But you know… you’re pretty good at overcoming those odds, after all.”

“Yeah, I am. This week though? That’s a lot to overcome. Frodo, even though he’s a half pint, is somehow one of the top guns in the XWF, and he has a lot of connections. Lunatics like Shane and Maddy in the front offices love his routine, and he always gets what he wants. Hell, even I gave in to him. I didn’t even want this damn match.”

“But you got it. And you’re going to win it.”

“I don’t know.”

“I know. Did you think you were going to win at Relentless against three of the best stars te XWF has ever seen?”

“Honestly? No.”

“And did you think you could beat Morbid Angel and Peter Gilmour by yourself?”

“Not a chance, no.”

“But you did. Vinnie, you are at your absolute best when people doubt you. It’s the chip shots like Justin Sane that mess you up. You get too cocky, too confident, and it messes with your head. This week you need to go into that match like it’s for the Universal Title. Like your life depended on it. Or maybe like mine did.”

“No way, Roxy, you are not coming to the ring… we talked about this.”

“I’m coming, Vinnie. I’m always going to be right there with you. Always.”

“Alright. Alright… fine. But first we need to make sure that son of a bitch Pest can’t hurt you again.”

“What are you thinking of doing, Vinnie? I don’t like the look on your face.”

“You’ll see, baby. You’ll see Wednesday. For now though? You need to get up under my mistletoe and give the Loverboy his daily dose of Vitamin V!”

Grabbing Roxy, Loverboy dives under the covers of the bed where they roll around as the scene fades to black.