EPISODE 26 THE INTERGENDER TAG

“Seth says to Corbin, pick any ref you want. So, he picks Lacey ’cause she has a vendetta against you and tries to screw Seth out of the title; that’s when you come out. What do you think?” Ed Koskey, the head writer of Raw, pitched me on an idea.

“Gosh, I don’t know. Is it weird for The Man to have a man, ya know?” I wondered.

“Think about it,” Ed said.

Colby and I weren’t even together six months. Our relationship had barely been public for a month. Working together could be fun, but would it work?

“The way I see it, it’s like seeing Daredevil and Elektra fighting side by side: if you know they’re together, that’s cool, but if not, it’s no big deal,” argued Colby.

“I suppose as a fan I’d want to see that,” I answered.

“Exactly, and it’ll be fun,” Colby reiterated.

“I’m worried that they’re just going to turn me into your girlfriend, like that’s what I’ll be relegated to,” I confessed.

“Nah, you’re too big for that by now,” Colby comforted me.

The summer months right after Mania and before SummerSlam can be a bit of a lull in WWE. Look at it this way: Mania is Christmas. There’s so much buildup, anticipation, preparing, then the big day comes, you get all your presents, and then you move into the cold dreariness of January, where nothing much of significance happens.

Joining forces with Colby would either be exciting or ruin us. Both from a career standpoint and a relationship standpoint.

After much deliberation, and with the earth-shattering excited love energy between us, we gave the creative team the all clear to go ahead with the story line.

But I had one condition that needed to be drilled into Vince’s head.

“Becky can’t just be Seth’s girlfriend.”

“Ha-ha! Becky’s not Seth’s girlfriend! Seth is Becky’s boyfriend, ha-ha-hah-ha-haa-hah!” Vince exclaimed, laughing in hysterics.

It was all so nice in theory. Two of WWE’s top stars, both champions, fighting side by side in the face of evil.

We made our side-by-side debut at the Money in the Bank PPV and quickly found out that, in reality, it was a damn mess and not in the slightest bit cool.

Commentary reminded the good folks watching every two minutes that “Becky and Seth are in a real-life relationship”—so much so that it was both uncomfortable and off-putting.

We also had no idea how to interact with each other on-screen. I was used to being a badass. He was too, and in this mushy, muddled TV relationship we were just plain awkward. Or, more appropriately, I was plain awkward. Or “cringe,” as was often the word used to describe it online.

Blending the two worlds didn’t work for me, as I was two completely different people in each of them.

In the ring I said what I meant, didn’t take any shit from anyone, needed no one, and showed no level of vulnerability or humility.

At home, or with Colby, rather, I needed no mask. He was very aware of the insecure, strange, often shy girl I was who would struggle to say how I feel or speak up. He knew all of my vulnerabilities for better or worse. He knew I was not the person on-screen… unless I was pissed off. Then The Man would be scared of Rebecca Quin.

When the story line was over, I think everyone was relieved. Him. Me. The audience.

Colby and I learned a lot about ourselves and each other in that short time. We hadn’t been dating long, but we were thrown into the deep end.

Even if we weren’t a good pairing on-screen, I had found the perfect person for me off-screen.

Two months after the TV story line had ended at the Extreme Rules PPV—and after us having our first tag match together, which, despite the awful story line, was actually a great match—we took our first vacation together to Hawaii.

On our second day on Maui, we got lost on the way back from a day trip and stumbled across a beautiful secluded beach. No one was there, only the sun drifting behind the cliffs, the sound of the ocean crashing against the shore, the odd bird chirping in song. I was taking photos of Colby as he was looking at the sunset, his jacked back and sleek tattoo a more beautiful sight than the picturesque scenery. All of a sudden, he pivoted and dropped to a knee.

I stopped snapping as my jaw hit the sand below.

“Will you marry me?” he asked.

“What? Is this real?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Yes! Yes! Of course!” I exclaimed, happier than ever.

As if by magic, a lady with a professional camera showed up a minute later. Colby hadn’t planned any of this, but when we came across the ideal scenario he figured it was perfect. And the magic lady took my iPhone and angled us into the best lighting.

As we got unlost and found our way back to the hotel, I texted everyone I knew to tell them the good news.

There was no shame, no worry, no doubt.

As a friend, I had never thought Colby would be the marrying type, but two months into dating he was already calling me his wife. We never really discussed marriage; it was more of a foregone conclusion that we would be together forever.

My mom didn’t stop talking to me for three weeks when I told her. In fact, she was over the moon.

When you know, you really do know.