Booking Glory-Chapter 22: [Bonus - ] An Internal Review

"I... I don’t understand!" Dacey looked around the locker room to see if anyone else understood Rob’s actions.

She was met with blank looks all around.

Dacey was sure that she had fucked up big time out there. She was even prepared to accept Rob ripping her out. She knew that her actions out there would be a severe setback for a new booker like Rob, who was looking to make a name for himself.

Thus, when Rob praised her instead of shouting at her, she was truly confused. And it looked like it wasn’t just her, the rest of the locker room also remained skeptical as to Rob’s actions.

"I am sure you are thinking that you fucked up big time tonight," Rob said causing Dacey to look at him questioningly. "It is true. You did lose the ball out there. You froze like a deer caught in headlights and there is no denying that."

Dacey winced hearing Rob describe her performance.

"However, all is not lost," Rob continued with a smile. "Your actions at the end have given us some breathing room."

Dacey was now really confused. If freezing out there was a huge blunder, then her actions following that were not any better. She had completely forgotten the promo that was outlined and had gone off script in an extreme manner. She even flipped the bird on live TV for god’s sake.

She didn’t know if anything could get worse than that. Even she knew that flipping the bird on live TV will have serious repercussions. And to hear Rob talk about it as if it was a good thing was truly bizarre.

"You don’t understand, do you?" Rob smirked at Dacey and looked around to see dumbfounded looks all around. "Sigh! This is going to take some time. You know what, I want every one of you to listen to what I have to say. It’s not just Dacey, you will all be doing something similar soon. So, let’s have this meeting sooner rather than later."

"Alanna, can you go and get the clip of Dacey’s segment from the video team? It will help me explain things a bit better. Trust me, Dacey, you didn’t do something irrevocable."

"We shall reconvene after 30 mins. You all better freshen up and meet me in the meeting room on the third floor. And Alanna, don’t forget the videotape," Rob said causing the locker room to nod mutely in reply.

Dacey watched Rob let out another huge sigh and walk out of the locker room. She waited for a few seconds before turning and looking at Diana.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Dacey hissed in confusion.

"Your guess is the same as mine," Diana shrugged. "I really don’t know what is going through his head. Let’s just freshen up and go to the meeting. I am sure he will explain stuff once we are there."

"Urgh! I really hope that this day doesn’t get any worse than this!" Dacey grumbled sitting down on a chair.

"Worse than it already is," Evelyn asked skeptically. "I don’t think so."

"Ah! Shut it! I am already bummed out with what happened out there. You don’t need to rub it in," Dacey grouched.

"What the fuck happened out there? You looked pretty confident heading out," Selena asked throwing her a water bottle.

"That’s just it," Dacey said taking a sip out of the bottle. "It was fine until I stepped out of the curtain. But, when I heard the boos, I just froze. I don’t know why it happened, but my mind kinda fizzled out!"

"Yeah, the boos were very intense," Diana said sympathetically.

"You have no idea," Dacey said shaking her head. "Hearing is one thing, to stand there and take it on is entirely another thing."

The others looked at Dacey with sympathy etched in their eyes.

"And that was not the worst part, when I stepped inside the ring and the music cut off, everything felt as if it was magnified ten-fold. When I heard the helper tell me that Rob was asking me to interact with such a rabid crowd, I kinda blanked out. I didn’t know what to do."

"He really asked you to interact with the crowd when they were that wild?" Evelyn asked in shock.

Dacey glumly nodded in return.

"You are right!" Evelyn looked at Diana, "That guy is completely nuts."

The others laughed at the little brevity.

"And then, what happened?" Selena urged once again.

Dacey shot her a stinkeye in response. She really didn’t want to relive that moment. Selena merely pouted in response to that.

"Well, I don’t remember much after that. I was just standing there like a doll looking at the crowd baying at me. I felt as if some of them would jump the barricade and rush into the ring. I was really scared out there."

"And, suddenly I hear them shouting <Why Dacey Why!?>. That’s when I realized that I was supposed to cut a promo," Dacey chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Oh, that was Rob’s work. He asked our men in the crowd to begin the chant," Diana piped in causing Dacey to look up.

"Yeah, we heard him yelling from the Control Pit," Evelyn nodded in agreement.

"Thank god he did that," Dacey said slumping down. "Well, after that, I kinda tried to get into the flow by using those chants. But, by now, I have already forgotten what I have to say."

"So, you decided to insult the crowd, flip the bird, and walk away?" Evelyn asked skeptically.

"And she didn’t just stop there, she once again flipped off the crowd from the entranceway," Selena added in for good measure with a teasing expression.

"Oh! Come On! It just kinda happened. I didn’t even know I was doing it at first. I just wanted to leave. Then, I remembered Rob telling me that heels need to insult the crowd and it was the first response that came to me," Dacey said burying her head into the towel Alanna had given her.

The others chuckled seeing Dacey’s sad state.

"Hey, didn’t you hear Rob? He said it was ok. So, you don’t need to beat yourself, Dace. We will know what Rob means when we go to the meeting," Alanna said chirpily causing Dacey to throw the towel at her.

"Get lost! Shouldn’t you be somewhere else?" Dacey said half-heatedly.

"He he he... I have an in with the video department. It would take me five mins tops," Alanna said cheekily.

"Where do you not have an in?" Dacey grumbled.

"She is like a little mole," Diana agreed. "You will never know where she is hiding or when she will pop out from someplace."

"That’s my special talent!!!" Alanna stated proudly.

"Get lost! I am not in the mood to hear your shit!" Dacey grouched shooting a glare at Alanna, to which Alanna merely shrugged her shoulders.

"No need to bite her head off. You go freshen up, we will go to the meeting and see what Rob wants to tell us," Diana said shooing Dacey towards the showers.

Dacey marched off sullenly causing Alanna and Selena to chuckle at her.

*****

"Alright, stop there," Rob said causing the women present in the room to look at him. "Tell me what she did wrong here."

"She froze," Diana said looking at the clip of Dacey standing in the entranceway.

Dacey winced at Diana’s blunt statement.

"Good," Rob nodded. "The crowd reaction was beyond her expectations. It was beyond everyone’s expectations. So, she froze there. Standing on the entranceway like a wooden dummy."

Rob pressed play and the camera angle changed to zoom in on Dacey’s face. From this angle, one could see Dacey’s eyes moving. It looked as if she was scanning the crowd.

"Do you see what is good here? Although she froze, she was able to keep her eyes moving. It helped us to reduce the impact of her standing in the same place for over a minute," Rob explained to the others.

The others nodded slowly digesting that information. Dacey, in particular, looked very intrigued.

"That is the advantage of a TV broadcast. Sometimes, your mistakes could be eliminated easily. So, stick to your basics. Keep moving. Even small actions like this can save the footage."

Rob lectured causing the women to nod along.

"You will all face intense crowd reactions in the upcoming months. Not just Dacey. If the storyline we have created is executed properly, most of you in this room will have some intense reactions when you step out," Rob said looking at the women present.

He could see them taking his explanation seriously. Seeing one of their fellow members fuck up big time had put a new spin on things for them. He could see that they were eager to not repeat these kinds of mistakes.

"When that happens, even if you freeze, I want you to make some small movements like this. It would be better if you don’t freeze, but if you do, make sure at least your eyes are moving," Rob said looking at each and every one of the women present in their eyes.

The women nodded in acknowledgment.

"Good, let’s move on," Rob pressed play again and Dacey’s walk to the ring was shown. Rob let it play till Dacey reached the ring and once again hit the pause button.

"Dacey," Rob said looking at Dacey, "you made a huge mistake here. Can anyone tell me what it is?"

The women looked at each other not able to identify what Rob was getting at. In their eyes, Dacey’s walk looked fine. It looked even a little sexier compared to her normal walk to the ring.

However, Rob was telling that Dacey made a huge mistake here. They didn’t understand what he was referring to. In the end, it was Alanna who answered the question.

"Dacey told us you instructed her to interact with the crowd. I am guessing that’s what is wrong here," Alanna said hesitantly causing the others to look at Rob.

"Right in one," Rob said gifting Alanna with a smile. "As you can see, Dacey’s walk to the ring looked fine. But, it would have been better if she interacted with the crowd a bit."

"I don’t understand," Dacey questioned the statement. "Before I exited, you asked me to not wave at people. You told me my character wouldn’t do such stuff now. So, how do you want me to interact with the fans here?"

"Normally, waving to the fans, acting as if you are happy to be here, high-fiving them, and giving out hugs would be a good way to interact with the fans. However, your character is a heel and they don’t interact with the fans in that way."

"But, that doesn’t mean heels don’t interact. For example, look at this guy. He is whistling at you right?" Rob asked causing Dacey to nod. "In that case, what you can do is look at him with disgust. Roll your eyes. Wave him off. Act as if you met a stalker on the road."

The women present in the room looked at Rob in confusion. How could a performer act like that? They can’t act like that, can they? It would ruin the image of the company entirely.

"You think what I am saying is too outrageous?" Rob asked calmly. "Let’s take Dacey’s character for example. She believes she is above the rest and she is the chosen one of LWC, right?"

The others nodded in acknowledgment. They all knew Rob’s shaping of Dacey’s new character and believed that such a mindset was the right fit for that character.

"So, how is she going to react when someone whistles at her?" Rob asked looking at the women. "She is going to feel like a high-school cheerleader encountering a geek. Obviously, she is going to act disgusted. You all get my analogy?"

Rob’s comparison shone a new light on the women. They understood what he was trying to do here. He was shaping a character with their actions. These small details make the identity of the character complete.

As the person personally involved, Dacey was the one who understood it most. She envisioned herself acting in such a manner and felt that it fit the mental role she had created for herself.

"What I am telling is just an example, you can do it in a variety of ways. If you are a heel, then your goal is to make people hate you. If you are a face, make the people love you," Rob explained his thoughts further causing the women to nod.

"I mean, if I saw a kid in the front row, I can hug him/her and earn some brownie points," Alanna piped up causing Rob to smile and nod.

"Exactly, but only if you are a face. If you are a heel, then you can act rudely to the kid. Kids are a goldmine for this stuff. You will garner more reaction by interacting with them," Rob said looking around.

"So, my assignment for all of you is to go home and watch movies. Check out movies that have sweetheart-type girls, mean girls, sexy women, and various varieties. You will be able to pick up on some of their mannerisms and incorporate them into your character."

The women nodded in acknowledgment.

"Good, moving on, we now come to the part where Dacey almost blew the whole thing up," Rob said jovially pressing the play button.

He could hear the other women needle Dacey for that. Dacey took the needling in good grace. The screen showed Dacey standing in the middle of the ring, once more frozen like a doll.

"If you had just moved around as if taking in the crowd’s reaction, it would have been good. However, you just stood there like a doll. You should have done better," Rob said mercilessly causing Dacey to wince.

However, Rob didn’t relent seeing her look sheepish. Praise had to be given where it was due and so was criticism. He didn’t believe in the policy of holding back feedback. He genuinely felt that without feedback, people could never improve.

"This is the most pathetic display I have ever seen. Make sure you don’t repeat it. I gave you this job instead of others because I believed you would be able to handle the pressure. As of now, you haven’t shown your true potential out there. You need to buckle up Dacey," Rob was merciless in his comments.

Even the other women in the room felt bad for Dacey hearing Rob’s comments.

"Look at this, for a whole three minutes you stood there like a post. This is unacceptable. I understand that the crowd was very volatile. But, facing them is your job. So, I don’t need any excuses."

"I want you to get accustomed to the crowd booing you. You will take this tape home and listen to it on repeat. I want you to get accustomed to the crowd booing you by next week. I don’t want such a display again," Rob said looking directly at Dacey.

Dacey could only nod glumly in reply to that.

"But, all is not lost. Your heel sense is good. Look at here, the crowd is beginning to chant <Why Dacey Why!?>. What you did here was pure gold!!!" Rob said pausing the video where the crowd began to chant.

"Now, tell me, what is the best way to control a crowd?" Rob asked looking around the room.

"I usually try to let them go on for a bit, and then try to ease my way into grabbing their attention someway," Diana was the one to respond.

"Good," Rob nodded in agreement before looking at the others.

"Ummm, I think joining the crowd will be a good idea," Alanna once more said hesitantly.

"Nice instincts, it is really a good idea. If the crowd is cheering you, go ahead and pose for them. They will settle down soon once their energy levels drop. But, what I need you all to think about is how to control a hostile crowd like the one Dacey faced," Rob stated pressing the play button again.

The crowd’s roar echoed in the room as they chanted <Why Dacey Why!?> continuously without giving any break. The chant lasted for over a minute causing the women present to look grave.

This was the first time they realized how tough it was for Dacey out there. While they sympathized with Dacey earlier, no one truly felt the horror until this moment. Looking at the crowd chanting in front of them, they were truly stumped as to what to do.

"If it is a hostile crowd," Rob paused the video and turned to look at every one of them. "There is very little you could do. So, the first method is what Diana told. Let them ride out the energy for a bit. But, this doesn’t seem to fit here, does it?"

"This crowd is hungry for answers. So, they are not going to stop anytime soon. This is not just boos. This is a demand for answers. In this case, the only thing you can do is to address their question."

"Luckily for us, Dacey did the exact thing," Rob pressed the play button and the video resumed.

Everyone watched Dacey ask questions to the crowd in an intense manner. As she moved to the four sides of the ring, the crowd didn’t seem to abate even a little.

"That was done brilliantly. You took control of the crowd and also didn’t get them bored. You kept them hooked for each and every one of your words. This was done brilliantly, Dacey. There is nothing else that could be done here," Rob praised without reserve looking at Dacey. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Dacey sheepishly lowered her head. She knew that she never planned for such a thing. It was just the only thing that came to her mind at that moment after forgetting her promo.

"It would have been better if you would have gone on to finish the promo," Rob said with a small smile. "But, fear not, you did manage to improvise in a very good manner. Now, who can tell me why what Dacey did was really good?"

Rob asked looking around. The video was showing Dacey flipping off the entire crowd.

"She looked really badass doing that," Alanna whispered to Selena causing her to nod.

"Exactly!" Rob said clapping. "While flipping people off and insulting the crowd is generally not advised to be done inside a wrestling ring, the situation here is different. For all intents and purposes, in the story we are telling, Dacey is the villain. So, her acting like this truly matches with her character."

"Remember, there is no ironclad rule when it comes to telling a story. Any action that fits the story and character is good. Anything that doesn’t fit is pure waste. Can you imagine a villain like Dacey smiling happily at the crowd and hugging kids on her way to the ring? That would be ridiculous," Rob said passionately causing the women present to sit up straight.

"Now, I am going to tell you why Dacey’s actions are great here. I want you all to listen and keep this in mind..."

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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