Booking Glory-Chapter 16: A Moment That Shocked The World 1

<31 August, LWC Wrestling Center, Longham City>

An hour before <Break Out>...

In the backstage area, Dacey Surestone sat in the locker room ruminating over the past two weeks of her life. When she was called into the meeting for the entire women’s division with Rob, she never imagined her life would change this drastically.

For the past two weeks, she had been training like hell.

It wasn’t anything to do with wrestling inside the ring. No, her wrestling skills were good enough to earn her a spot in a championship match. The only thing that prevented it was her lack of experience in the business.

She was relatively new in the circle and hadn’t had any big matches in over a year. Her position on the card was around the mid-card level and she didn’t have a large fan base to about as well.

So, despite her skills inside the ring, her position didn’t allow her to get a title shot easily. Even if she was granted one, it would be a one-off occurrence in a TV match that she would lose.

No, this training was a bit unorthodox when it comes to wrestling. This was a brainchild of Rob, the new booker who has been turning heads in the past two weeks in LWC.

It was a combination of various extra skillsets that Rob believed one should have to be a true top star in the business. Yes, it was a star, not a wrestler. According to Rob, any wrestler could become a star, but not all stars need to be a wrestler.

It was really convoluting, to be honest. But, when he had patiently explained to her what it was all about, she began to see the sense in it. In short, a star was someone who could bring fans into the arena.

And today, her journey to starhood begins.

This made Dacey very nervous. A few hours from now, she had been given a great opportunity to change the very way wrestling was going to be presented in the future.

And regardless of how it goes, she would forever be remembered as the one to do it. While this might be Rob’s idea, to the public, she would be the one who did it. It was one of the perks of being a wrestler instead of a booker.

As she reviewed her conversation with Rob, she couldn’t help but marvel over the ideas he proposed that were going to be executed with her as the center. She knew that she would become the envy of her fellow wrestlers in the locker room from today.

If she succeeds in her road to starhood, she will be opening a new path for countless young women who were looking for opportunities in this business. Such a huge responsibility made her feel both humbled and nervous.

The reason she was chosen for this role instead of others was her history with LWC. Rob had explained clearly that once she succeeds, she will be receiving numerous offers from other promotions.

But, the role that has been assigned to her was something pivotal to help LWC in the upcoming years. So, Rob needed someone who was relatively loyal to both LWC and Mr. Gibson personally.

Having trained under Mr. Gibson, she had immense respect for the man and what he had done to this industry by providing a platform for young stars to shine. She even thought of him as her life mentor.

This was the reason Rob had chosen her out of everyone else.

Just then, someone knocked on the door to her locker room. Dacey took in a deep breath and told them to come in. Just as she expected, the trio of Diana Wharton, Mr. Gibson, and Rob entered the locker room.

"Dacey, are you ready for what you have to do tonight?" Rob asked with anxiety etched across his face.

"I am," Dacey responded despite her nerves.

"Don’t worry, I will make things clear in the locker room. You will not have to worry about it," Diana gave her an encouraging smile.

"Dacey, know this, regardless of the outcome, I am proud to have coached you," Mr. Gibson said patting her shoulders.

Hearing him say that, Dacey felt as if some huge mountain had been lifted off her shoulders. She gave him a beaming smile in reply.

"Good, in that case, let’s go over what you have to do tonight once more. I do not want any mistakes. And your timing must be perfect..."

*****

Ten minutes before <Break Out>...

"It’s good that we booked the tickets right after this week’s show," Jason said looking around at the crowd. "I heard that the entire city went nuts by the end of the night."

"LWC had to add additional 500 seats for the show due to the demand. They have sold over 1571 tickets," Todd replied with a smile. "This is their highest sold-out show till date."

"Several of my friends weren’t able to get the tickets," Logan chuckled causing the other two to smile. "I just hope LWC puts out a good show."

"Yeah, it would be a bummer if the show turns out to be mediocre," Jason said chuckling along.

"I am not entirely sure, but there are rumors about an argument between LWC top officials regarding the Triple Threat Match," Todd said in a low voice causing both Jason and Logan to turn and look at him in surprise. "Word on the street is that Rob Williams has planned something crazy and some of the officials aren’t happy with that."

"What?"

"Sigh, even I do not know anything for sure. Everything is kept hush-hush. But, Rob Williams had come up with some crazy idea for the match that didn’t sit well with conservative officials. They apparently had an argument regarding it. There was even a board meeting called to discuss it."

"You gotta be kidding!?"

"Nope, completely being serious here. So, if you see something shocking, you can bet it is Rob Williams’ idea. Personally, I am looking forward to see what his crazy but genius brain cooked up this time. You do remember that the entire Triple Threat Match was his idea, don’t you?"

"I just hope it doesn’t backfire. As long as the match is good, I will be satisfied," Jason said with a bit of trepidation in his voice.

"Where’s your sense of adventure, Jason?" Logan slapped him on the back. "We will see what craziness this Rob guy has cooked up."

The trio laughed as they waited for the show to begin.

*****

Halfway into <Break Out>...

Malora stood near the barricade with a bored expression on her face. She couldn’t say that the show was bad, but it was nothing exciting, to be honest. Even she, an avid wrestling fan, couldn’t help but want the time to move on so that the history-making match started.

She could feel that her opinion was shared by the other members of the crowd as well. There were grumblings already starting to emerge. The restlessness of the crowd was becoming clear by now.

She felt as if she had been cheated out of her money. She had come here for the historical Triple Threat Match and none of these other matches interested her. Sure, she did learn a lot by watching the wrestlers wrestle inside the ring. But, it wasn’t that mind-blowing for her.

Having been a wrestler herself, she could easily identify that the talent of the wrestlers inside the ring wasn’t very much above her level. She felt as if she could even do a better job seeing them wrestle.

She also knew that it was just a hallucination of her mind.

If she had that much skill, she would have already been wrestling in a promotion. Her skills could hardly be considered to be on the same level. But, she had none of the experience of the wrestlers inside the ring.

She knew that experience mattered a lot in pro wrestling. One would need to make snap decisions and help out their opponent if there is a mix-up somewhere. And to do that properly, experience is a must-have.

But, watching them inside the ring also gave her an idea as to give a tryout for LWC. LWC hasn’t been on her list. Her eyes had been on the mid-tier promotions until now. But, LWC didn’t look that bad to her now.

Moreover, getting a leg in would also be more beneficial than waiting for an opportunity to knock on her door. Being a waitress for fine and all, but being inside the business and outside it was entirely different.

She decided that she would go for a tryout at LWC and see where it headed from there. If she was rejected, she always had her job as a waitress to fall back on.

As Malora was absentmindedly making plans in regard to her career, someone made their way through the crowd and stood beside her. The security around the railing noted the person and nodded at the person.

This strange incident brought Malora out of her thoughts as she looked over at the newcomer curiously. The person had a hoodie on her and looked as if she was covering her face.

From her figure, Malora decided that it was she and tried to get a glimpse of her face. After several surreptitious looks, she did manage to look at the woman’s face. However, apart from the vague feeling of familiarity, she didn’t know who it was.

Considering that she was working as a waitress in Top Slam, Malora figured that she would have seen this woman in the bar sometime and decided to let it go. Still, she wondered if the woman was someone important.

Just then, the current match ended taking away her attention. She knew that the next match was what everyone in the crowd, including her, was waiting for and focused her attention on the titantron hanging above the entranceway.

After a few minutes, music blared and the historic Triple Threat Match started.

*****

Todd could feel the electricity race through the crowd the moment Selena’s music hit. Normally, he would be wondering if the match would be good or what kind of finish they were going for.

However, this match seemed special.

Right now, he had no thoughts in his mind. He was like one of the regular audience who was just enjoying the moment. The momentous occasion of the first ever Triple Threat Match.

While he did have some expectations regarding the match, they have taken a backseat at the moment as he enjoyed the frenzy in the crowd. By the time Evelyn came out, he was just cheering along with the rest of the crowd.

All his expectations, ponderings, doubts, and gossip have been shuttled aside for now. Deep down he felt that the match would be great even if it hadn’t begun yet. It was just a feeling.

And when Diana walked out of the curtain, he felt that the feeling was justified. There was something about the atmosphere at that moment. The crowd popped like he had never heard before as she made the way. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

For the past two weeks, LWC has built the match in a superb way. Whether it was the nonchalant announcement of the match itself, the subdued promotion, or the animalistic atmosphere they created a few days ago with that brawl, everything felt perfect.

Usually, he would feel that the time they promoted this match was very short. After all, there have been matches that have been promoted months in advance. Compared to them, LWC didn’t do proper justice to such a historic match.

That was the fact.

No one could dispute that. But, neither could people dispute the fact that LWC had done the best with the cards they have been dealt with. The sold-out arena was enough of a justification for that.

He could feel everyone’s eagerness for the match as the referee raised the belt in the air. The champion and the two contenders were standing in the corner separately. Just looking at them, Todd could feel the battle lust emanating from them.

And they didn’t disappoint.

The moment the bell rang, three of them ran at each other and started trading shots in the center of the ring in a frenzy. Todd could feel his blood boil seeing them go at each other like wild animals.

And the crowd loved every second of it.

Even though Todd knew rationally that this couldn’t last for long, he couldn’t help but groan a little when Evelyn obtained the upper hand in their impromptu brawl. Still, he cheered her on as she laid into Selena in the corner.

Just looking at her wail on Selena made Todd feel satisfied. It was strange in a way. The three women hadn’t even begun to wrestle yet. They were just trading shots. But, it was more fulfilling and cathartic than all the matches he had watched the whole night.

Just as he was feeling a little relaxed, the match took a turn startling him.

Selena laid out Evelyn like a ton of bricks with a single punch. It reminded him of how she was the one to begin the brawl three days ago. It had started with the same kind of punch.

Before he could indulge himself in that memory, Selena went to cover Evelyn causing the crowd to erupt into a fervor. At that moment, everyone realized that Diana might lose the championship if the referee counted three.

One

Two

Bam...

Diana came out of nowhere and broke up the pinfall desperately. The crowd couldn’t keep it in anymore. Several were disappointed that they didn’t see the title change right there.

However, most of the crowd was relieved that Diana was able to make it. Todd felt that it would be really unfair to Diana if she lost so soon in this way. It would be really tragic.

The next few minutes repeated this sequence again and again. Both Evelyn and Selena would beat up Diana and send her outside the ropes before turning on each other.

They exchanged pinfalls with each other as they tried to end the match before Diana could interrupt them. Unfortunately for them, Diana was very tenacious. Despite taking all those beatings from the duo, she will always break up the pin in the neck of the moment.

And finally, Diana’s grit paid off when she escaped their tag team offense and made a dazzling comeback that made the crowd cheer for her. She sent Evelyn to the outside and tried to make Selena tap out with her finisher.

As the crowd roared their approval of her, Diana could be seen desperately trying to wrench Selena’s neck off with a Crossface in the middle of the ring. Selena had nowhere to go as she was nowhere near the ropes.

Everyone thought that Selena would tap out.

However, Evelyn saved Selena just when she was about to give up causing the crowd to be disappointed. But, when Evelyn put Diana in her Leg Locker, the crowd once more boiled over.

Diana was in the middle of the ring; her leg locked in a vicious Leg Locker by Evelyn as she maniacally tried to exert pressure on Diana’s leg. Diana looked as if she was going to cry. One could see the pain on her face clearly.

Still, despite the pain, she ground her teeth and started pulling herself towards the ropes inch by inch. The crowd cheered her on as she desperately crawled her way towards the rope.

Just as she was nearing the ropes, Evelyn pulled her back once more to the center and locked her again in a Leg Locker. The crowd went nuts at this moment. Even Todd began to think that Diana couldn’t hold on any longer.

Out of nowhere came flying Selena!

No one had seen her climb the top rope as everyone was fixated on seeing whether Diana would tap out. So, when Selena came flying down on Evelyn, no one was expecting that.

By now, all three of them were spent.

It was clearly visible on their sweaty faces.