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Was it Shawn Michaels’ infamous superkick through the barbershop window? Or generations of Sicilian family wisdom that taught Aaron the true meaning of betrayal? In this nostalgic tale, Aaron explores childhood trust, sixth-grade backstabbing, and how wrestling lore and real life collided in a lesson he never forgot.
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*The team who've made 7 Minute Stories a top storytelling podcast:
Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato
Senior Audio Engineer: Ken Wendt
Additional vocals: Cori Calafato
Art: Pete Whitehead
Original Theme Music: thomas j. duke
Additional Soundscape Design: Isaac Gehring
TRANSCRIPT
Aaron Calafato:
I was betrayed by one of my good buddies. Here’s the thing—I’m not gonna say his name. We had a pact: don’t tell the math teacher who was making the fart sounds in class. It was both of us. We tag-teamed it. We even did the secret handshake.
After class, the teacher holds us back and asks, “Who was it?” My arms are folded. I say, “I don’t know anything.” Then my friend points right at me: “It was Aaron.”
What?! Am I Michael Corleone? Is he Fredo? The wild part is… I wasn’t even surprised. In fact, I almost expected it. And there’s a reason why. I’ll tell you right after the music.
You’re listening to 7 Minute Stories with Aaron Calafato. This is Season 5.
You’d think I’d have learned about betrayal from my great-grandfather. He came from Sicily—literally stowed away on a ship—and his worldview stuck with our family. That island? It was constantly conquered. Invaded. People learned to survive by watching their backs.
Even though I’m mixed, I feel it in my blood. Who's that guy? Why are they here? What's their angle?
My great-grandfather, Salvatore—Pa—was legendary for this. There’s a story: my grandpa Joe brought a friend over once, and after dinner asked, “Pa, what do you think of my friend?”
Pa just looked at him and said, “I don’t trust nobody.”
Joe goes, “What do you mean? You don’t trust me?”
“I don’t trust you.”
“You don’t trust Ma?”
“I don’t trust your Ma.”
Finally, Joe says, “You gotta trust someone. Yourself, at least.”
Pa takes a bite of spaghetti, puts down his fork, and says, “I don’t even trust myself.”
Why? “I might talk in my sleep.”
That’s the kind of suspicion I grew up around. But honestly, that’s not what prepared me for betrayal.
Wrestling did.
Saturday mornings. No cable. Just antenna. WWF Superstars. A quick 45-minute recap of all the drama and storylines. I loved wrestling. Still do. It’s storytelling at its best.
My favorite tag team? The Rockers: Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty. Two of the best athletes. Beloved by fans.
Then came the barbershop window moment.
Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake had this recurring segment where wrestlers tried to squash feuds—or make them worse. That day, Shawn and Marty shook hands. Hugged. Everyone cheered—including me on my couch.
And then—bam. Shawn Michaels superkicked Marty in the face. Threw him through the glass barbershop window. Crash. Carnage.
My jaw dropped. Every kid at school was talking about it the next day. We all learned a hard lesson that morning: anyone—anyone—can turn on you.
Fast-forward to sixth grade. My buddy squeals. Turns heel. Throws me under the bus. Just like Shawn Michaels.
That moment has stayed with me. In fact, my friend Eric and I now use that moment as code. If someone betrays someone else—at work or in life—we just say: “They put ’em through the barbershop window.”
And recently, I was walking with my wife Cori through town… and I stopped in my tracks.
She goes, “What’s wrong?”
I point to a guy across the street and say, “That man—he put me through the barbershop window.”
And just like Marty Jannetty… I haven’t been the same since.
Talk to you next week.
God, I love wrestling.
Wrestling is life.
