Booking Glory-Chapter 127: Dysfunctional Duos

"Be honest with me Todd," Graham asked as he relaxed into his seat a little more freely. "We have been friends for years now. I know what makes you tick. I can see that you are right pissed off about something. If not, you wouldn’t be forcing this so much."

"What do you mean?" Todd shot Graham a sideways look.

"I mean, this is not the first time we are asked to drop a story. We all know there are some dealings under the table when it comes to the media industry. But, when I asked you to drop this, you are already threatening resignation and stuff. So, what’s the reason?"

Todd didn’t reply. He chewed Graham’s words silently. Graham didn’t force him either. He moved his eyes to the TV, to give Todd some time.

On the TV, the commercial that was airing just ended and LWC’s weekly episode of Fyre restarted. Hearing Rob Williams and veteran Dallas butting heads on commentary about the match that just finished brought a smile to Graham’s face.

"Is it because of LWC?" Graham asked Todd. "I agree that their shows are interesting of late. Especially the women’s division and commentary. Is this the reason you are pissed off?"

"Maybe," Todd grunted, "I see potential in them. I think they can revolutionize this industry. But, right now..." Todd trailed off.

"Right now they are in a precarious position. We don’t know if they will be able to survive this storm," Graham finished for Todd. "That makes you angry huh? I didn’t know you liked LWC that much."

"It is not LWC per se," Todd shook his head. "It is their ideas. It is the way they present them. Look at that, tell me you don’t see potential in it."

On the TV screen, Evelyn Carter walked to the ring amidst the boos of the crowd. Despite the resounding boos, she had a focused look on her face. The contrast was jarring. It evoked something inside Graham.

"She is the second one Rob Williams had made the crowd hate. And her presentation is completely different from Dacey Surestone," Graham noted.

"Two weeks ago, the crowd was cheering for her and Selena," Todd said in an intrigued tone. "Now, they are booing her. The change is drastic. He somehow made the crowd into a puppet in his hands."

"He has grasped how to move the crowd," Graham grunted. "Not a puppet exactly, but he had the pulse of the crowd and knows how to tweak it to his advantage."

"Exactly," Todd replied excitedly. "Whether it is Dacey or Diana or Evelyn, he has created unique characteristics for them. And it fits them as well. It doesn’t feel like a forced narrative. This is brilliant."

"And the story isn’t boring," Graham agreed with a smile. "There are also surprises each week. That makes you eagerly anticipate the next show. It keeps the audience hooked."

"True, but such a thing is not going to last. And it makes me angry," Todd admitted.

Graham didn’t reply. By now, Marie Dawson and Leia Beaumont have both made their way to the ring as well. The cheers for them were substantial as well. Alanna’s music hit, causing the crowd to boil over once again.

"Their women’s division is on fire," Graham grunted. "Every female wrestler is somewhat over with the crowd. There is no extra baggage. This tag match already feels like an upper-middle card match, with how invested in the match."

"That is what I am saying," Todd sighed. "If Steven and Wagner are one way to the future, Rob’s booking is another way to the future. They both have potential. And now, one of them is going to be snuffed out before it could grow. And it makes me angry."

Graham remained silent. He somewhat acquiesced to Todd’s points. He also felt that it was a shame that this style of booking will soon be forgotten. After all, he knows how the industry works.

Once LWC goes under, Rob Williams will find it very hard to get the booker position anywhere else. That means, his style of booking will be forgotten a couple of months down the line. That would really be a shame.

"Heh, something’s different. Are Alanna and Marie arguing with each other?" Todd asked, leaning forward.

"Indeed, it looks like both want to start for their team. Ouch! Evelyn decked Alanna right in the face," Graham chuckled.

"Wait, Leia and Evelyn are arguing now. Ah! There they go. They are back to brawling," Todd laughed heartily. "I think Rob likes to make the women brawl most of the time."

"Don’t tell me you aren’t enjoying this," Graham jibed. "Look at them go. Wait! Did Evelyn just throw Leia, her own partner, outside!? Damn, that’s one way to start the match."

"You gotta admit, this is good stuff. And it completely fits the narrative," Todd chortled. "All these women want a shot at Dacey and her title. It didn’t make sense for Mr. Gibson to force them to team up. Now, this way things are interesting."

"Right," Graham said excitedly and the duo watched the match eagerly.

"There you go, I sure expected something like that. Leia just tagged herself in. Evelyn looks pissed."

"Well, she can’t do anything about it. Now, Leia is the legal wrestler. Hmmm, at least Alanna and Marie are not having any more hiccups apart from the one at the start."

"Well, you spoke too soon. Marie just tagged herself in. Alanna looks stunned. That look on her face is priceless."

"Come on, it is totally justified. After being thrown around by Evelyn, she just gained the upper hand against Leia. But, Marie tagged herself in. If I was her, I would go absolutely bonkers."

"Looks like both teams have internal problems. This kind of presentation is interesting. And it fits the narrative as well."

"I am damn sure this is one of Rob’s ideas. His brain is full of these tricks."

"Well, Rob is supporting Evelyn a bit too much on commentary. And he absolutely despises Alanna. He is taking potshots at poor Alanna throughout the match."

"First Dacey, now Evelyn, he is always supporting the bad guys. And he is doing a good job of it as well. It really makes it interesting."

"I have noticed that as well. I also love his commentary during male matches. Some of his derisive comments are hilarious."

"He and Dallas make a good team. Pity that I heard Dallas and Irvin are going to Steven’s promotion soon."

"Yeah, just thinking about it makes me sad. I don’t want their duo to split up anytime soon. Their bickering is fun to hear."

"Wait! Did Evelyn just tag herself in after Leia hit her finisher!!!?"

"She is going for the cover!!!"

"Damn, Leia just broke the pin. This is insane. They both are in the same team. Now, they are arguing."

"Marie jumps them both. And now, it is a brawl outside."

"Holy shit! All three of them are duking it out. Despite being in the same team, Leia and Evelyn are also bashing each other."

"The referee looks confused. He doesn’t know whether to count out Evelyn or put a stop to this madness outside. Poor guy!"

"Look at Alanna! Look at Alanna! There in the background! She is climbing to the top rope."

"She really isn’t thinking of taking them all out right. Holy shit! That moonsault was insane! She really did it. She took out all three of them!"

"Well, the referee has called the match off. No winner. Still, it was fun to watch. I never expected such an ending. Leia breaking the pin was absolutely unexpected."

"Well, you can’t fault her. She hit her finisher on Alanna. Evelyn should have focused on stopping Marie. But, she tagged herself in and tried to steal the pin. That must have really pissed Leia off."

"Still, she could have confronted Evelyn after the pin. Now the match has ended in no contest."

"I think it kinda made sense. Remember, none of these women want to give in to others. They all want the title shot. How can Leia let Evelyn steal her pin."

"Regardless, that was a satisfying ending for me. I really don’t want this kind of booking to stop," Todd sighed.

"What do you think LWC needs the most right now?" Graham asked.

"They need a game changer," Todd said gravely. "Their main event talent is going to be poached. There is no denying that. Their entire roster will be gutted."

"That means their TV deal with Breeze will be cancelled. Without it, even if they survive without going under somehow, it will take years for them to recover."

"Mr. Gibson will not be able to hold on for years," Graham shook his head.

"What if they had some other TV deal? I mean, if LWC gives Rob complete booking power for both men and women’s division, the lack of starpower wouldn’t be an issue, right? So, as long as they have a TV deal, they will be able to climb back up," Todd analyzed.

"Heh, but which channel is going to give the deal? Those executives from TV stations only look at ratings and profit. They will concentrate on starpower the most. If they don’t see stars, they will not offer a deal," Graham shook his head.

"Well, the ratings won’t be a problem. Fyre’s episodic ratings have been climbing steadily since Rob took over women’s division," Todd rebutted.

"But, ratings are just one aspect. Star power is the key here. You know star power and ratings are synonymous to those TV executives," Graham fired back.

"Then, there is nothing to be done. Unless someone invests a lot of money in LWC, Mr. Gibson wouldn’t be able to keep it afloat till LWC creates their own stars. Without the TV deal, their profit avenues will be severely impacted," Todd replied tiredly.

"And no one is going to invest in a sinking ship. Even if they do, they will want control of the promotion. I know Andrew Gibson. He will never relinquish control of his promotion to an outsider," Graham said clinically.

"Do one thing then," Graham spoke after a moment. "Do a report on in depth analysis of ratings of LWC. Check whether ratings for individual segments like the women’s segments that Rob booked are higher than other segments."

"You want me to do a comparison report on LWC ratings?" Todd asked skeptically.

"Indeed, that way you will be able to prove that Rob’s booking works with the audience. So, even if LWC goes under, some other promotion will think about giving him the booker position. As long as Rob gets a chance to book, this kind of booking wouldn’t be forgotten," Graham explained.

"That’s reasonable..." Todd replied slowly.

"Todd, this is all we can do for now. Let’s try to bring more attention to Rob’s potential. At least this way, this kind of booking will still be in use."

"Fine, I will do a report on it. Who knows, Breeze might even change their mind after seeing the report and try to renew their contract," Todd huffed.

"That’s the spirit," Graham smiled. "See, you don’t need to always fight against the current to achieve your goals."

"Fine, oh wise leader," Todd replied sarcastically. "Now, get out of my office. I want to watch the rest of the episode without you nagging in my ears."

"Why do I need to get out? I am not stopping you, am I?"

"Alright, alright," Todd huffed and the duo turned their attention to the TV.

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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