THE FINAL TIME

Joe Bergman sits on a folding chair in front of his dressing room mirror, staring at his reflection. He’s dressed in his wrestling gear. Tonight his eyes are wide open and his face has a wide grin to it. 

This is it.

Tonight is the final time Joe will step into the ring.

No words are spoken. 

Joe’s wife, Laura, enters the dressing room and gives her husband a long hug.  It’s a tight embrace, filled with love and support for the couple who recently remarried in Wales over a month ago.

Next… it’s Joe’s two-year-old daughter, Olivia, who toddles in behind her mother and gives her father a high five. Joe smiles. His heart may be heavy with emotion but he’s always happy to see his young daughter and future big sister of the Bergman’s unborn child.

Olivia Bergman: GO DADDY GO!

Then last, but not least, the door opens.  Sunny O’Callahan, Joe’s valet.  Bergman brought Sunny back to HOW to be his valet and helped restart her wrestling career in the process. Sunny rushes over to Joe and gives him a long, lingering hug. Joe closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath, feeling the weight of the moment.

As Sunny pulls away, she looks at Joe with tears in her eyes. “You got this, Joe,” she says softly. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

Also coming in, PRIME’s Adam Ellis and his wife Ginny Van Lear- don’t worry folks, she’s not packing tonight.  Texas Championship Wrestling owner Charlie Blackwell walks in with his wife Kenzie. The Alabama Gang… all of them (‘Redneck’ Bill Dickinson, R.G. Jenkins, and Mark Hendry) join in. 

And then MVW majority owner Ray McAvay comes in with one-half of West Texas Adult Entertainment legends… the duo of Dark and Stormy… his wife Stacee ‘Dark’ Perry.

Joe nods, unable to speak as he stands up from his chair. He looks around the room at the people he loves most in the world, his family and friends, who have supported him throughout his entire career.

Joe claps his hand and signals it’s time for him to go.

Joe Bergman: Let’s do this.

With a deep breath, Joe gets and walks out of the dressing room, followed by Sunny and the others.