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On Monday,
September 13, 1999, Carriann Love (00) had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. She was live and in person at a taping of WWF Monday Night
Raw. The taping was held at the Arrowhead Pond from 5:30pm-8:30pm. The rest is history.
With tickets at an astounding price of $525 each, this was truly a night to remember. For about a year, Carriann had been
going to different matches every time they were in town (approx. once every 2 months).
A friend of the family just happened to be an artist and painted a cartoon rendition of “The Rock” as a poster for Carriann
to hold up while the match was taking place.
“I’ve been a fan for years; when “The Rock” wasn’t “The Rock” at all, but Rocky
Maivia!” asserts Carriann.
This particular match was filmed for television and was aired on September 16 at 8:00 p.m. Being the proud Chaffey student
she is, she boasted a school spirit sign as well as her unmistakable “Rock” art.
The match started at 5:30. “The Rock” came out and the crowd roared. He was sporting shiny black leather shorts and muscles
that would shame any body builder. All at once, the crowd hushed as he spoke into the
mic. Hearts beat faster and screams were heard throughout the arena.
“When I first saw “The Rock” I thought I was going to faint right there on the spot. He is sooo fine!” Carriann confesses.
At that very moment, the price of the tickets meant nothing; all the frustration and anticipation were eliminated as all attention
became focused upon the center of one girl’s world: “The Rock.”
“Throughout
the match he kept looking at my sign, and I knew something was going to happen,” predicts
Carriann.
After the match ended, “The Rock” came over to Carriann and talked to his bodyguard,
asking him to take her sign backstage so he could personally autograph
it. Carriann was not only speechless, she couldn’t help but feel a little
light-headed as the adrenaline rushed through her body.
She waited 20 minutes before asking the nearest security officer to find out what happened to her painting. He told her
that it was highly unlikely, that he had never heard of anyone taking signs
backstage, and it was completely out of the ordinary. She insisted that
he was misinformed until he finally called it in on his CB radio and then
apologized. A few minutes later, the samebodyguard who had initially taken
the sign gave it back to her and explained that “The Rock” really wanted
to give it to her in person, but his schedule just wouldn’t let him, and
that he was sorry.
Even with that minor disappointment, Carriann’s
blood was coursing with energy and renewed dedication and faith. “He really
makes me reach for my goals and try to make them come true. He was just
an ordinary guy who graduated from Miami University with a degree in Criminology.
He followed his dreams and inspires me to reach for the stars and never
give up.”
As the night came to a close, Carriann couldn’t
help but reminisce about everything that had happened, and how wonderful
the world seems when staring at the autographed portrait of a wrestling
idol.
“That was the best moment of my life…so far,” sighs Carriann. |
