Booking Glory-Chapter 37: Original 500

Todd walked into the Top Slam bar wearing the brand new <Why Dacey Why!?> T-shirt that he had been gifted yesterday proudly.

He knew he was being a little silly showing off such a generic merchandise T-shirt, but he didn’t care about it one bit. There were only five hundred T-shirts in the entire Longham City and he now had one.

For a few days, this situation wouldn’t change. In Longham City, everyone knew about the happenings in the wrestling industry. And Dacey Surestone had been the talk of the town for the last week.

So, wearing her merchandise when it was practically a limited edition at this stage was indeed something to show off. And he was petty enough to do that. Even now, he came here before noon to show off to his long-time friend, the owner of the Top Slam bar, Nelson.

And he wasn’t disappointed.

The reaction he garnered from the people gathered was really something. Many people happily pointed to him and spoke amongst themselves. Todd knew they were talking about the T-shirt.

"You have got to be shitting me!" Nelson’s roar garnered much attention from the crowd causing Todd to smile smugly. "How in the hell did you manage to get your hands on this? The entire city is going nuts trying to find one."

"Well, Mr. Gibson sent it over to me," Nelson said smugly preening in the attention he was getting.

"Lucky bugger!" Nelson groaned.

"Yeah, I am," Todd smirked in satisfaction. "So, why did you call me over?"

"I called you for the exact same reason you are smirking at this moment," Nelson said poking Todd’s T-shirt repeatedly. "I don’t know what you will do, but I want those T-shirts. I don’t just want them for me, I want to sell them here."

"What?" Todd asked in confusion.

"You heard me," Nelson said pulling Todd to the back area where they could relax and discuss. "Todd, have you ever seen the crowd being this mad at someone? I am telling you, I am smelling money all over this. I want in on that. I need you to use your connections and get me a deal with LWC."

"You are out of your mind," Todd said shaking his head as he sat down on the single-seater sofa in the back area. "Even LWC is only using this as an experiment. You are telling me you want to obtain a deal from them for selling their merchandise. Have you lost your mind?"

"You don’t understand," Nelson said leaning forward from his seat and looking at Todd intensely. "I smell money all over this shit. Not some chump change. I am talking big. I need to get in before someone else beats me to it."

Todd looked at Nelson seriously now. He knew that Nelson had a knack for business that had done him well. There was a reason Top Slam was one of the most famous wrestling bars in all of Longham City.

"I can see that you are serious," Todd said leaning back. "Are you sure about this? I am asking because this entire Dacey thing is an experimental idea from a rookie booker."

"Provided, he has already made some waves. He has generated a good bit of interest. But, do you think it will be able to last? Getting a deal out of LWC is doable. They are constantly looking for new sources of income. They are barely keeping themselves afloat."

"But, the big question is, is it worth it? God knows I like what they are putting out now. But, can they sustain this? Can they generate interest continuously? Will the public be still interested after six months? You need to think this through carefully."

"I have thought a lot about it," Nelson said leaning back as well. "Look, it is just this gut feeling. It is telling me to be the first. It is telling me to not let go of this opportunity. Do you think I would invite you over if I wasn’t sure?"

Todd and Nelson looked at each other for a few moments. Todd could see the determination in Nelson’s eyes. He realized that Nelson was for real this time. He wanted this deal.

"I will talk with Mr. Gibson. I think I can manage it. And Top Slam is not some ordinary place. He will definitely agree," Todd said after a while.

"Good, this means celebration! Malora! Malora! Bring us some beer," Nelson said excitedly.

"God, look at you," Todd shook his head with a smile.

"You don’t get it, do you?" Nelson asked Todd with a strange smile. "Have you ever seen the entire city buzzing with enthusiasm like this before? Everyone who comes in here is talking about Dacey Surestone. Everywhere I go, I hear them discussing LWC. LWC, not AWF."

Todd looked at Nelson seriously now. As a wrestling journalist, his nose was a bit keen on new stories. He currently smelled something from the way Nelson was talking about LWC.

Sure, he liked the changes LWC has implemented recently. Being an ardent fan of pro wrestling, any kind of change inspires some excitement in him. But, he had never seen men like Nelson who had a different passion this excited about the wrestling business till now.

Nelson liked money. His passion was money and business. He had a keen sense of business and often found profit where no one thought to look. So, to have a guy like him being interested in LWC meant, LWC was going to make a lot of money soon.

And with enough money, LWC will soon rise up in its status in the wrestling world. As a journalist, this obviously piqued Todd’s interest a bit. He wanted to know the reason behind this way and how the landscape of the industry will change due to this.

"I am telling you, LWC has found gold. If they keep this for another year or two, they will rise up rapidly. Forget about the whole Dacey thing, did you check out their broadcast last week? That new guy Rob Williams. He is money, man! I am telling you," Nelson said patting the table.

Todd started chuckling when he heard the mention of Rob Williams’ name. Not many people knew that Rob Williams was the one behind the whole Dacey-Diana storyline and the Triple Threat Match.

"Why are you laughing? I am being serious here," Nelson said scowling.

"Nothing, nothing," Todd waved his hand. "I will tell you an inside scoop. That guy, Rob Williams," Todd paused stroking Nelson’s interest a bit.

"Yeah, what about him? Did you see his chatter with Dallas last week? I am telling you that is money. A lot of folks liked them bickering like an old married couple," Nelson said.

"Oh that is the beauty of it," Todd chuckled.

"Come on, spit it out," Nelson said impatiently.

"You remember me saying that this whole Dacey thing was an idea from a novice booker," Todd asked to which Nelson nodded. "Well, that booker’s name is Rob Williams. And incidentally, he is the exact same age as the Rob Williams who appeared on TV."

"No way!" Nelson said leaning forward excitedly. "Are you telling me that it is the same guy?"

"Yup," Todd said with a brilliant smile.

"You aren’t shitting me?" Nelson asked in doubt.

"No, Rob Williams, a novice in the industry, attended an interview in AWF and got kicked out of there by Roger for spouting unrealistic ideas. However, the ever-sharp Steven Rush liked him and recommended him to Andrew Gibson of LWC."

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"He worked as a backstage worker for six months in LWC before he was given the women’s division to book. The very first match he booked was the Triple Threat Match."

"No way!"

"Yes way! He is currently booking Dacey-Diana, and Evelyn-Selena storylines as well. He was also the one to pitch the idea of two commentators arguing over wrestlers on-air."

"Fuck!!! You sure it is all the same guy?"

"200% sure."

"I bet AWF is kicking itself now," Nelson said laughing his head off.

"I don’t know. There have been some issues backstage in AWF recently. The picture is not clear yet. But, there is apparently a power struggle going on. I am working on it to learn more. But, the news is kept tight."

"Oh god! No wonder their product is almost a mess now," Nelson groaned.

Todd nodded his head in agreement. What many people don’t realize is that backstage incidents can have a huge impact on on-air shows. People usually tend to forget the backstage area completely. However, it was like the tiny parts making up a clock.

People only see the dial face, but don’t really care about all those tiny little parts working in the background. Likewise in wrestling, the in-ring performance is the only thing visible.

If the parts don’t work, no matter how beautiful the dial face is, it will only be a waste. The same goes for wrestling, if there is chaos backstage the end product they put out will suffer terribly and people wouldn’t even know why.

Just then, Malora came in with a case of beers and handed them to Nelson. Nelson thanked her with a smile and introduced Todd to her.

"Malora, meet Nelson, a wrestling journalist. A certified insider of the circle. He brings me all the juicy gossip and news that keep showing off about," Nelson motioned to Todd who smiled and nodded at Malora.

"And Todd, this is Malora, an aspiring wrestler. She has been trained in Peterson’s Wrestling School. She is now looking for an opportunity," Malora smiled at Todd hoping to make a good impression.

"Peterson’s huh, then your basic must be solid. He trains good wrestlers," Todd said nodding at Nelson.

"Well, that is in the past. The lass is now determined to become the next Dacey Surestone," Nelson chuckled causing Todd to look over at Malora.

Malora was embarrassed being outed in such a fashion. She had been drunk when she expressed that wish to Nelson. She never thought he would expose her so openly.

It isn’t as if Dacey Surestone had a good reputation these days. Making Dacey an idol to aspire to would surely invite reprimands from normal people. But, Malora couldn’t help it.

The first time she saw Dacey flipping off the entire crowd, it kind of created an insane attraction to Malora. While she knew that it was work, she couldn’t help but be attracted to the character that was shown on the TV.

The sheer swagger and cockiness that Dacey exuded at that moment impressed Malora a lot. She wanted to be able to do that one day. From that moment on, she became a Dacey Surestone fan.

And when the next week rolled around, Dacey’s performance only reiterated that belief. She was just different from everything else out there. She didn’t pander to the crowd. She didn’t appear humble or loving. She had that look of someone who was larger than life.

For heaven’s sake, Dacey even insulted someone directly on live TV. That was the thing. It had a certain edge to it that Malora liked a lot. She never knew wrestling could be done this way. And this interested her more than anything.

She wanted to be just like Dacey Surestone. Arrogant, cocky, insulting people, and showing a strong personality. This was a character that looked like it was a lot of fun. Malora wanted to do that.

"Nelson!" Malora hissed.

"What are you worried about? Look at his shirt," Nelson said waving her off. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Malora turned and looked at Todd’s shirt and her breath hitched.

"Shit! You have that shirt!" Malora cried in excitement, all thoughts of embarrassment were out the window now.

"Didn’t I tell you? She is nuts for Dacey," Nelson said shaking his head.

"Where did you get it? Can you get me one? How about you sell this to me? I will pay you double, no, triple the amount. This must be one of the original 500!" Malora blabbered on at a rapid pace.

"Original 500!?" Todd asked confused.

"It is what they are calling it. Everyone knew LWC only put out 500 T-shirts originally. So, they are calling it Original 500!" Nelson said looking at Todd’s shirt with greed etched in his eyes.

"Hey! Don’t look at me like that man!" Todd said shifting. "If Mr. Gibson knew it, he wouldn’t have ordered more for this exact design."

"Shame, they don’t know about this. I think if they don’t print this design any longer, it will become collector stuff man. Just imagine the price it would sell for five or ten years later."

Suddenly Nelson paused as if struck by a lightning. Todd and Malora looked at him in surprise as Nelson’s animated actions just froze in a single moment. His eyes were shining and there was a gleam to it.

"Nelson! Are you ok?" Todd asked in concern.

"Ok!" Nelson screamed. "I have never been better. Todd, my man, my best buddy, my bosom friend, I need you to call Mr. Gibson right now. I have an amazing idea I want to pitch it to him."

"What?" Todd asked in surprise.

"You have to trust me. This will be huge. I know it will be huge. I want you to call him right now!" Nelson said excitedly.

"Nelson, relax. I will get you that deal. No need to call him right now. He will be busy now."

"Forget the deal! I don’t want that deal anymore. I have something even better," Nelson said excitedly. "Just put me on line with him. Right. Now."

"Nelson, you are scaring me here buddy," Todd said a little apprehensively.

"Trust me on this Todd," Nelson grabbed Todd by his hands and looked at him seriously. "Trust me, if we can make this work, it will become a monumental thing. Just trust me. You should know I won’t do stuff without any reason."

"Ok, Ok, fine. I will give him a call," Todd said bemused.

Malora watched the entire byplay from the side wondering what had happened to Nelson all of a sudden. Meanwhile, Todd retrieved his phone and dialed Mr. Gibson.

Tensions racked up in the room as Todd’s call kept ringing. There was a full ring, but Mr. Gibson didn’t pick up at all. Todd shook his head and pursed his lips causing Nelson to groan.

"Call him again. Again and again, until he picks up. This is very important, Todd," Nelson stressed.

Todd was now in conflict. He didn’t mind calling Mr. Gibson. But, calling him repeatedly for a half-baked idea of Nelson didn’t sound good to him. He didn’t want to strain this relationship.

"Trust me, it will be worth it," Nelson said as if reading Todd’s mind.

Todd could only smile self-deprecatingly and call again. He was helpless at this moment. Nelson looked like he was high on something. It didn’t look like he could dissuade Nelson at this moment.

Three times Todd called. And thrice the phone was not answered. Each time it happened, Nelson was the one who became more anxious than Todd. Malora watched the entire sequence without moving from her place.

On the fifth try, the call was picked up causing Nelson to shout in excitement and jump.

"Todd, you better have something important for me," Mr. Gibson’s gruff voice sounded from the other end.

Todd really didn’t know how to answer. As he held the phone unable to answer, Nelson grabbed it out of Todd’s hands unceremoniously and spoke.

"Hello, Mr. Gibson. This is Nelson, the owner of Top Slam. I have a very urgent proposal to make to you regarding one of your merchandise."

"Merchandise!?" Mr. Gibson sounded annoyed now.

"Not just any merchandise. Your top-selling merchandise as of now. Dacey’s T-shirt. I have a unique idea that would pay dividends for both of us if this was done right. But, the time window is closing fast. So, I had to pressure Todd into calling you repeatedly."

"You know what, I am really busy right now. I will give you the number of Rob Williams. He is in charge of the entire women’s division. You can talk with him," Mr. Gibson said gruffly.

"Sure, I am fine with that. But, make it quick. The more time it takes, the more the window closes," Nelson said with a happy smile.

"Fine, I will send the number over. Tell Todd I said hi," Mr. Gibson cut the call unceremoniously.

Nelson finished the call and looked up to find both Todd and Malora looking at him like he was an alien.

"You are crazy!" Todd hissed.

"No, what I am is resourceful. I saw an opportunity and I took it."

Todd shook his head in disbelief. Malora was looking at him like he was some strange specimen that she wanted to dissect.

Just then, the sound of a message being received emitted from the phone. Nelson looked at it urgently and smiled.

"See," Nelson showed the phone to the duo for a second before dialing in the number that was sent over.

"Hello, this is Rob Williams."

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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You can also check out my other book [Demon Immortal] and see if it is to your liking.

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