Booking Glory-Chapter 71: Diana’s Ascent

<October 16, Longham Wrestling Arena, Longham City>

Half an hour before the show begins...

Rob walked inside the women’s locker room with a purposeful stride. He knew that the saga of Dacey vs Diana had only entered the beginning stage. And there was much to be done tonight to push it into the next stage.

Moreover, the next six weeks were going to be challenging for him as well. Not in the storytelling aspect, but in the most important aspect of booking – managing talents across the board.

Until now, he had been concentrating on one or two storylines with Dacey and Diana at the forefront of his booking. Every other female wrestler had been relegated to playing second fiddle to them.

However, for the next six weeks, he needs to push a bevy of wrestlers to the forefront for the plan he had outlined to Mr. Gibson and the others in the meeting to work.

He had asked for extra time for the female wrestlers contracted with LWC and he has been given it. Now, the ball is in his court and he had to push several other wrestlers to prominence in six weeks while also maintaining the momentum Dacey and Diana had generated for themselves.

It was going to be a challenging task for sure. Because, if he didn’t push enough of the other wrestlers to the forefront, the second match of the PPV will be a dud and it will in turn cause Mr. Gibson to retract the timings to the original allocation.

Furthermore, it will also put a dent in his record of delivering what he had promised so far. He knew that he had already got some traction with the management with Dacey and Diana’s booking.

However, if he wanted to become a full-fledged booker and one-day book the main event, then he needed to show the management of LWC that he had what it took to manage multiple talents and book a great show featuring them.

That’s why these upcoming six weeks are so important for him from a career perspective. While doing this wouldn’t get him the chance to book the main event, failing in this would surely diminish his chances greatly.

Rob didn’t want such a thing to happen.

Luckily for him, the entire women’s division was also hungry for an opportunity to prove themselves. After his discussion with them following <Last Stand>, he knew that they would be eagerly waiting for his news.

So, he stepped into the locker room confidently and scanned the assembled faces that were looking at him eagerly. Dacey and Diana were in a corner, discussing their upcoming segment in detail.

That particular storyline has been set and there was only a need for some fine-tuning there. On the other hand, this new storyline needs to lay a good foundation tonight to properly transform into a truly interesting match.

"Ladies," Rob smiled looking at the assembled women in front of him. "I have good news and bad news. What do you want first?"

"Good news," Alanna was the first to voice her opinion with her ever-cheery voice.

Rob looked at the others and saw them all nodding in agreement.

"Okay, in that case, let me tell you some very exciting news. The management has decided to allocate 40 mins for the women’s division in the upcoming PPV. Which is double the amount of time that was usually allocated for the women’s division during a PPV," Rob said smiling at them.

The women cheered happily. While some were content to smile and nod, some like Alanna were hopping about in joy. He was sure that they knew what this meant. Allocating 40 mins meant that the management was ready to explore the option of showcasing the women more. It would also translate into the normal shows as well if things went well.

"However, the bad news is that the next one is an extreme special PPV. That means you have to put out matches for 40 mins under extreme rules stipulation. I am not sure you will be able to handle this," Rob said slowly bringing them down to reality.

The reason Rob said that is because it is extremely hard for women to work extreme rules matches. Women, in general, has lower pain threshold compared to men.

While wrestlers are used to pain, those are shocks that come from bumps and kicks. Female wrestlers are generally not able to handle the pain that arises from being attacked with a weapon.

Even though the effects could be choreographed, there still remains the higher probability that you end up getting whacked with a chair or put through a table for real. This makes the women’s division not that suited for this particular PPV.

While the crowd would always enjoy blood and violence, there is a separate demand for seeing women fight with each other with no rules and truly try to bash each other up. Despite that, the representation of women in extreme rules matches is limited because of their lower pain threshold.

Wrestling for 10 to 15 mins is entirely different from bashing each other for 10 to 15 mins. While Rob had guaranteed in the meeting that the women were ready, he wasn’t entirely sure of it himself. The only reason he had guaranteed was that he knew that Robin would win the argument if he didn’t stand firm on that stance.

"You don’t need to worry Rob, we can handle that," Alanna patted her chest and stated proudly.

Rob shot her a skeptical look causing others to chuckle.

"However," Rob said still staring at Alanna skeptically. "All is not lost. Dacey and Diana will have 20 mins for themselves for the title match. That means, we only have to worry about the remaining 20 mins."

"Then, it is doable," Evelyn piped in. "We can wrestle two ten mins matches. That way we won’t be in too much pain."

The others nodded to that suggestion.

"Well, that is where the really bad news comes in. In order to get you ladies this chance, I had to guarantee to the management that you could do it. And the management is not keen on more matches either. So, it is going to be one single match for 20 mins, under extreme rules," Rob stated plainly and looked at the assembled women’s reaction.

The hope in their eyes almost disappeared when they heard his last sentence. Rob knew that it was indeed harsh of him to ask this of them when they haven’t had a proper opportunity to establish themselves before this.

They knew that if they backed out of this, then they wouldn’t know when the next opportunity would arise. They had all been hungering for opportunities to be on a PPV stage and when such an opportunity comes along, it was hard for them to pass it by.

"You don’t need to worry much," Rob said consolingly not giving them more time to mull their thoughts. "I have taken things into account and have devised a plan. However, this means that Evelyn and Selena would not be getting their PPV finale. I have altered the plans slightly to suit the entire division as a whole."

A small smile bloomed on several women’s faces, however, they soon looked toward Evelyn and Selena anxiously. They all knew of his plans to make Evelyn and Selena the next Dacey vs Diana storyline. And from what they had seen, they were sure that both Evelyn and Selena would get a substantial boost to their standing if such a thing happened.

But now, with Rob’s change of plans, such an opportunity may not arise. So, the other women were naturally anxious as to how they are going to react. Both Evelyn and Selena looked stunned for a moment. They didn’t know how to react, however, Evelyn finally opened her mouth and spoke.

"Will this new plan benefit us?"

"I am glad you asked," Rob smiled brightly and bent down. "Here is what we are gonna do. We are not going to abandon your rivalry. Instead, we are going to shift the stage to your rivalry. We are going to weave a story that threads through other stories, thus making your rivalry last longer and get more mileage out of it."

Rob then slowly proceeded to outline his plan to the assembled women. By the time he was done, everyone was sporting bright smiles on their faces.

"This way, we not only reduce your participation in the match to be as minimal as possible. We also make sure that you all have your shining moments as well. So, I hope you are all prepared for this when the PPV comes around."

The women nodded seriously to indicate that they understood his words.

*****

"So, are you guys ready?" Rob asked as he neared Dacey and Diana’s corner.

"As well as we could be," Diana replied sighing a little. "Are you sure the crowd will like this? I am not entirely sure that I am the good person here after doing all of this."

"Diana, it is not that you are a good person or a bad person. The crux of this story is that you are a person like any other. And you feel wronged that you were cheated out of your title."

"So, when no justice is given to you, you take it upon yourself to right the wrong. In fact, you will come off as a lone soldier figure. You know how people love lone heroes battling against the odds to reach their goal, right? In the same way, the crowd will support you not because your actions are right, but because your reasons are right."

Rob explained the nuances slowly to Diana.

"Where do you even come up with these ridiculous ideas? No one has done something like this in wrestling so far," Dacey said looking at him strangely.

"And I am not sure that this will work. Why can’t I behave normally? Anyway, I am the good guy. So, if I went about it in the normal manner as we usually do and Dacey rejects my challenge that will also benefit us right?" Diana asked in confusion.

"That will benefit Dacey," Rob agreed without a pause. "When a person challenges and she cowers and refuses to accept, it will benefit her as it plays into the character she is showing. However, will it benefit you?"

Diana and Dacey shared a glance at each other and looked at him uncomprehendingly.

"I am not sure I follow you," Diana admitted.

"Simple, Dacey is doing something new. Something that has not been done before. That makes her interesting. However, if you were going to do the same thing you did all this time, then compared to her you come off as boring. That shifts the crowd’s attention to Dacey completely. So, you need to do something to counter that. That’s where your new attitude comes in."

"Will the crowd really accept such a character who is saying that she is good and is also being underhanded?" Diana asked doubtfully.

"I wouldn’t say you are being underhanded. What I would say is that you are outsmarting Dacey’s roadblocks or bashing them down completely. Sure, you aren’t using conventional means, but take note, this isn’t a conventional situation either. So, desperate times call for desperate measures," Rob said shrugging.

"Moreover, the crowd would enjoy seeing such a character, which both outwits her enemies and is also capable of standing toe to toe with her opponents. If you grasp this rhythm correctly, then your popularity would skyrocket within a few weeks," Rob said smiling encouragingly.

"Whatever, we are just doing what you booked, if it doesn’t work it will be entirely on you," Dacey snorted from the side causing Diana to chuckle.

Rob shot Dacey a scathing look, which she returned double-fold. Rob couldn’t help but notice that Dacey looked way too sexy while delivering that look. His hormones almost got out of control at that point.

As much as Rob wanted to pull her by the hips and smash his lips on her, he knew that this wasn’t the right place. Diana also coughed slightly reminding them of that. As Rob looked away, Dacey blushed profusely and busied herself with her gear.

"I hope you are prepared enough Diana," Rob replied hastily. "Good luck out there tonight."

Rob bid goodbye and walked away fast. He didn’t want to put Diana in an awkward situation. He had already decided to treat Dacey as professionally as possible while dealing with her in LWC, but who knew that it was so difficult?

Rob shook his head to clear his cobwebs and walked in the direction of the curtain, where Irvin and Dallas were waiting for him.

*****

<October 16, Longham Wrestling Arena, Longham City>

Showtime...

"Hello folks, welcome to yet another weekly television of pro wrestling extravaganza. We are joining you live from Longham City. And this week’s edition of <Fyre> is promising to deliver some very interesting moments."

"Joining me on the commentary table are Rob Williams and Dallas Moonbyte. Before we move into the show, let me give you a quick update on what transpired at <Last Stand>," Irvin spoke welcoming everyone to the show.

Following that, a video package rolled featuring the highlights of <Last Stand> PPV. From Dacey’s antics to her disgraceful win over Diana to Mark and Marshall’s finale, the highlights of the PPV were shown on the titantron. The video ended with Diana confronting Mr. Gibson over Dacey’s victory and flipping out on him.

"What an interesting night we had, Dallas. The biggest interesting takeaway from the PPV was that Dacey did what she said she would do. She stated one week ago on <Fyre> that <Last Stand> will be Diana’s last day as champion and she accomplished it," Irvin said leading to Dallas.

"If you call that blatant cheating a victory, I don’t know what is wrong with you Irvin. The whole world saw how she used the bottom rope to add extra leverage. She knew she couldn’t defeat Diana and that’s why she resorted to using such a despicable way to eke out a victory," Dallas said angrily.

"I would disagree with that assessment Dallas. A win is a win. Is it the Goddess’s fault that the referee’s view was obstructed? Is it the Goddess’s fault that Diana wasn’t able to kick out? All I see is the Goddess using the opportunity that was presented to her to gain an advantage. The referee had called out the result. Now, there is no disputing that," Rob piped in, as usual, to add a counterargument to Dallas’s viewpoint.

"What Dacey Surestone did was cheat. There are no two ways about it. She knew she couldn’t beat Diana and had to resort to such a vile method," Dallas once more reiterated his point.

"Dallas, the Goddess was dominating Diana the entire match. The very few comebacks Diana made were quickly put down. If not for this moment, the Goddess would have achieved victory in some other moment. Don’t be a sore loser here," Rob grouched shaking his head.

"The key point in that is that despite Dacey being able to take advantage of Diana’s injured back throughout the match, she wasn’t able to put her away. I think she realized that she could never pin Diana down. That is why she tried to use the belt and when Diana was wise to it, she had to resort to other measures," Dallas argued passionately.

"Whatever, Dallas, to me you are sounding like a sore loser at this moment," Rob said cutting off the argument then and there.

Just then, music started blaring and the show started...

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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