Booking Glory-Chapter 129: The Last Trap Is Here

"Will LWC be able to survive at least until the end of this year?" Rob asked bluntly.

Rob’s question made Mr. Wolfe cough up in surprise. However, Mr. Gibson didn’t even blink. However, Rob could see his features harden a bit. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Rob, what are you..."

Mr. Gibson’s raised hand cut off Mr. Wolfe’s words abruptly. Mr. Gibson looked at Rob with an inscrutable gaze as if he was looking for something. Rob didn’t flinch. He met Mr. Gibson’s stare without dodging. Rob couldn’t afford to be complacent at this moment. So, he stared back without flinching to indicate his seriousness.

After what felt like an eternity, Mr. Gibson spoke.

"If the situation remains at this state, then it would be fine. However, if more wrestlers, especially those who haven’t resigned the contract walk out, then we are screwed."

"How likely are they to buyout?"

"The chances are high. They only have less than two months left on their contract. Their buyout fee will not be big. The way the contract is worded, the buyout fee will depend on their card position and the length of their remaining contract period. Even if they are in main event scene, with less than two months left, some might take a chance."

"While the buyout fees for wrestlers in the main event scene is quite hefty, it is nothing compared to the losses we will acquire due to that. This week will be the breaking point. If they walkout, then we will be in big trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Contract breach," Mr. Gibson exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair.

"Contract breach?" Rob asked in confusion.

"The PPV that is happening next month," Mr. Wolfe said slowly from the side. "We have already made arrangements for the event. From venue to equipments to advertisements to every fucking damn thing. We have made arrangements, signed agreements and stuff."

"If those guys walk out, we won’t have the necessary roster depth or pull to do that PPV," Mr. Gibson exhaled slowly. "We are four weeks away from it. They are the main event and semi-main event wrestlers. If they walk away, we will face serious issues. Without them, doing a PPV would be pointless. We won’t be able to sell enough tickets to justify the amount we will be putting into it."

"It won’t kill us directly," Mr. Wolfe whispered softly. "But, it will kill us slowly. We would encur huge deficit in our accounts if we pull out of that PPV. The agreements we made have hefty penalty for breach of contracts. It will also kill our credibility. We can’t pull out. So, we will be forced to go through with it."

"And if we go through, the loss will be even bigger," Rob said as he realized how tricky the situation was.

"Right," Mr. Gibson grunted. "Without our top stars, we will not be able to fill that deficit anytime soon. Whoever remains will also be gone by the end of the year. That small window won’t be enough to fill that deficit. Trying to fill that deficit using trainees, heh, I don’t need to tell you, right?"

Rob felt his head begin to throb. It was a no-win situation. LWC didn’t have much of a chance. Now, their entire fate rested on the top stars. If they walked out, then they will be screwed.

"Who hammered those contracts?" Rob asked in irritation.

"Robin. Grant."

Mr. Gibson’s gritted answer was enough for Rob to realize what the final trap was. If it was Robin who crafted those contracts, Rob was relatively sure that something will go wrong within the next week. His stomach turned uneasily.

"What about bringing in talent from other promotions?" Rob asked, grasping at straws.

"We can forget about it till the end of the year. By then, we are most likely to have our accounts in deficit," Mr. Gibson sighed. "How can we bring someone good enough when we are already struggling to stay afloat?"

"Is there anything else we can do?" Rob asked in a defeated tone.

"Pray," Mr. Gibson’s answer was short. "Pray that these bastards have some conscience and stick to their contract end. Apart from that, prepare for eventualities."

"We didn’t call you in here to put such pressure on you Rob," Mr. Wolfe sighed. "These are our troubles. We will handle them. We had other things in mind for you."

"Like what?"

"We need you to pick some promising trainees and coach them regarding their presentation in these coming days. They should be ready to debut in the coming weeks. They should at least not fumble badly in the initial stages. We need to leverage what remaining tv time we have to build up their value," Mr. Gibson spoke bluntly.

"If they have good potential, we will push them hard. Our hope is that at least one or two have some star potential," Mr. Wolfe added. "We feel that the women’s division can carry the main event scene for a month or so after new year. But, we can’t depend on them to carry it throughout the year."

"In this way, if any of them had potential, we aim to push them to main event scene in two or three months. We are just a low tier promotion, we won’t have tv ratings to worry about either. So, it could be done. Once they have such capacity, they can share the main event scene with the women," Mr. Gibson explained his idea.

"That sounds good," Rob nodded as it felt like a solid plan to him. "Eh, just one thing, my vision of someone with potential might vary from your usual standards. As you know, my mind works a bit differently. So, should I select as per usual standards or by mine?" Rob asked a bit sheepishly.

"We all know how crazy your mind is," Mr. Wolfe snorted.

Rob shot him an embarrassed grin and looked at Mr. Gibson. Mr. Gibson didn’t reply immediately. He seemed to be mulling about things. After a few moments, he let out a loud exhale and spoke.

"Make it even. I thought Dacey needed a bit more polish before entering the title picture, but you saw something in her and it worked out well."

"Granted, your methods were different, but it still worked. And worked well. The same goes for Alanna. You haven’t changed much in her booking. It is the way you have presented her. She is somewhat popular as well. If any of the trainees become as popular as her, I would count it as a win."

"Then I might be stepping on Head Trainer Michael’s toes a bit," Rob sighed.

"Michael will survive," Mr. Gibson said nonchalantly. "I don’t have the patience to cater to other people’s egos these days."

"I will speak with Michael if things become awkward," Mr. Wolfe assured Rob, causing him to nod.

"Coming back to the seven who bought out their contracts, they will be working this week’s show due to some legal issues. This will be the last show they will be on. I don’t plan to use them however," Mr. Gibson spoke in an annoyed tone.

"But, I know you had planned to use Marie as an integral part of your buildup to the second women’s match for the PPV. So, I will leave the decision upto you."

"Well, my plan is now in shambles," Rob huffed. "Without Marie, it will be hard to implement what we were originally going for. I will have to improvise."

Mr. Gibson merely grunted in reply.

"I will shelve that idea for now. It has good potential, let’s not waste it on this PPV. If we come out on the other end, we will need some aces up our sleeve to keep the crowd’s interest. I am sure it will make for a fun main event storyline for months down the line," Rob spoke thinking aloud.

Mr. Gibson’s brows furrowed slightly, before he nodded.

"We could use to push the trainees as well. It is a good platform to elevate them to the main event scene," Mr. Wolfe added.

"We can create a PPV based out of it even," Rob said with a small smile. "Moreover, Dacey would be absent for a while after new year. I am sure she has informed you of it. I have Diana’s part prepared. But, without Dacey it won’t pack the punch. At least not at the main event level. This idea can be used to cover for that."

"Let’s cross this hurdle first," Mr. Gibson grunted. "If we do come out on the other end, then it would be a great idea to implement."

Rob nodded.

"Will you be able to manage? Especially now that we are shelving your idea. You know that the women have 40 minutes allocated to them, right?" Mr. Gibson asked in concern.

"Worry not, I will pull something out of my hat," Rob assured.

"Then I will leave you to it," Mr. Gibson nodded. "Let’s hope nothing bad happens this week. If not, things will get tricky."

"Don’t worry Andy, we will survive. LWC will not fall. We will weather this storm and come out of it alive," Mr. Wolfe spoke optimistically.

"Well, I hope so as well," Mr. Gibson smiled a little and shook his head.

Looking at the duo, Rob felt that only Mr. Wolfe had some optimism left. It was clear to him that Mr. Gibson was already bracing himself for the worst. Remembering the events of the past 10 days, Rob sided with Mr. Gibson’s assessment more.

The big question was, what was he going to do about it?

Rob knew he had already made a decision as to what to do if the worst possible situation emerges. But, the reality was, he was still hesitant about taking that step.

Booking a show and running a promotion were entirely different kinds of beasts. He really wasn’t sure about becoming a promotion owner yet. That doubts in his mind made him reluctant to take that step. He felt that it was a huge leap that would lead him to capsize completely.

Still, it looked like he would be left with no other option. Whether he was ready or not, if the situation became that dire, it would become his only option. And he knew deep down that things would change irrevocably for him after he took that step.

Shaking his head to drive those complex thoughts, Rob stood up and bid his farewell. Things weren’t that dire yet. He will cross that bridge when he reaches that point.

For now, he had a show and PPV to replan and select a few trainees with potential. Rest can be left for later.

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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