Booking Glory-Chapter 59: - Part 1

<October 13, Longham Wrestling Arena, Longham City>

"Jason, it is good to see you. It’s been a while," Todd said amicably as he embraced Jason as Logan patted Jason’s back.

"Yeah, it’s been a while. I didn’t expect things would get this crazy. I didn’t book tickets for the weekly shows in advance and ended up learning that those things were selling like hot dogs. So, I had to book this ticket a week in advance to get here," Jason said smiling.

"Me too, it wasn’t that great to experience, let me tell you. Whenever I called, they were like ’Sorry sir, our tickets are sold out. If you need tickets for our next week’s show, we can give you one,’ and I am like, ’Bitch, I wanted this week’s ticket. Next week, I won’t be even in town,’" Logan laughed causing everyone to laugh along.

"Exactly!!!" Jason exclaimed. "I never expected the tickets for <Fyre> to be in demand so much. I was even wondering if I am booking for an AWF show couple of times," Jason chuckled causing laughter to erupt.

"However, this bugger is lucky," Logan said pointing at Todd, "He gets a free ticket every week and he even got an Original 500."

"No way!!!" Jason shouted loudly causing other spectators to turn and look at them. "You have an Original 500!!!" Jason exclaimed without paying attention to the crowd around him.

"Exactly! That’s what I said as well, bastard is sure lucky," Logan joined the party as well.

"Guys, guys, calm down. It was a complimentary gift. If I had to buy like everyone else, I wouldn’t have got it either," Todd tried to calm them down.

"You got it as a gift!!!?" Jason looked almost ready to cry now. "Do you know the rates it is selling outside now?"

"I know," Todd smiled a bit proudly.

"I feel like punching your smug face, Todd," Jason said shaking his head.

"Don’t worry, I got you covered. I have invited a friend of mine to join us today. And if your luck is good, he will be able to do you a solid. He is one of the distributors of the leftover Original 500. Even he only gets one or two occasionally," Todd said patting Jason’s back.

"Where is he? I will pay triple the going rate. I just want to have one," Jason said looking around.

"He is not here yet," Todd said shaking his head. "And it is not in his hands either. Only when LWC sends a few can the opportunity arise. So, if you are in touch with him, you might get one."

"Sure," Jason said nodding eagerly.

"Fun fact, that guy is also the owner of Top Slam. And he can introduce you to Rob Williams himself," Logan piped in from the side.

"What???" Jason stammered in shock. "You are kidding me, right? I have wanted to have his autograph for almost a month now."

"Nope, he is the real deal. Rob Williams frequents Top Slam every weekend. Sometimes, we even meet up there to chat," Todd said smugly.

"You know, you are not looking like a respectable reporter now. You are like this annoying high schooler who is showing off to his friends," Jason mumbled.

"I think I left out that respectable part when we all got drunk and ended up in a strip club," Todd deadpanned causing Logan and Jason to laugh out loudly.

"What’s this strip club I heard just now," Nelson’s voice came over from the distance causing the trio to turn around.

"There you are! Why come you are so late?" Todd said embracing Nelson.

"She is the reason," Nelson said pointing at Malora who was scowling at him from the side. "She took ages to get ready."

"It is not like I sit around all day like you. I work as a waitress and had to do two continuous shifts to make time for this. And you were the cruel boss who made me do that," Malora snorted causing Jason and Logan to chuckle.

Todd shot a pointed look at Nelson, to which he merely shrugged.

"She wanted to come. I offered to give her a day off, but she is reserving that for tomorrow. She is confident that Dacey will win tonight. So, she wants to be there for Dacey’s first appearance as champion on <Fyre>."

"And also her first championship win," Malora said proudly causing everyone to laugh loudly.

"While I applaud your dedication, I am afraid I have to disagree with you on this. No way are they going to put the belt on her with the amount of heat she has currently," Logan said shaking her head.

"Wanna bet?" Malora rebutted immediately.

"Sure, why not?" Logan replied readily.

"Count me in," Jason said from the side. "Losers will buy the winners a drink."

"Fine enough," Malora agreed readily. "What about you two?" She asked looking at Todd and Nelson.

"That is a sucker’s bet, I am not doing that," Nelson refused immediately.

"Yeah, no thanks either. You have already heard from Rob what is going to happen," Todd snickered looking at Logan and Jason who were standing there dumbfounded.

"Yeah, but I don’t know how it is going to happen. That man is stingy on details," Malora pouted.

"Why would you do that to us?" Logan asked in a dejected tone. "Why would you spoil the ending?"

"Hey, I thought it was pretty obvious. I thought you two were just messing around," Todd said looking confusedly at Logan and Jason, who were glaring at him.

"No, we weren’t!" Logan and Jason said in unison. "And now, you have spoiled it for us," Jason bemoaned.

"Hey, don’t worry, it’s just a drink," Malora rolled her eyes.

"To hell with drinks, this man spoiled such an important match for me," Logan grouched throwing a fake punch at Todd’s shoulders.

Todd took it in good sport and laughed embarrassedly.

"Don’t worry, it won’t affect you much. But the real kicker is how she is going to do it," Malora consoled the duo. "Rob is tight-lipped about it. I think he has some other nasty plan brewing in the wings."

"Him and his nasty plans," Nelson sighed dramatically.

"But, you gotta admit, it does keep us entertained," Todd said shooting a smile at Nelson.

"Yeah, that’s true," Nelson nodded in agreement.

"What do you think will happen?" Jason asked eagerly.

"No clue. With Rob booking it, you better be ready for everything. He will throw everything at you, including the kitchen sink. He is a nasty bastard," Malora grouched causing all the men to chuckle.

"Get off it, he is a devious bastard, but he does entertain us. I really wish they give him some extra time. They should at least give him more booking responsibility or extend the time for the women’s division. Compared to the male division, the women’s division has been on fire since he took up," Nelson complained good-naturedly.

""Agreed!""

The rest shouted in unison at that statement.

"So, Todd, any major news?" Nelson asked turning the conversation in a different direction.

Todd looked around to see that no one was listening in and bent over causing others to lean in.

"Steven is pretty much out of AWF. It will be announced in the next two weeks," Todd said looking them in the eyes. "Don’t spread it!" He also issued a warning with a stern look.

"Damn!!! What do you mean by that?" Jason hissed in surprise.

"I didn’t know that something like this was going on," Logan also expressed his surprise.

"It has been brewing for weeks. Just last night, I got confirmation," Todd said sighing. "Now, the official story is going to be that Steven is retiring to take care of his health. But, the real reason is that he resigned after losing a power struggle over who could become the next CEO of AWF."

"Who did he lose to?" Jason asked curiously.

"Greg," Todd replied succinctly.

"Never heard of him," Logan said confused.

"You wouldn’t have. He works backstage at AWF. Pretty influential and very slick with people. He has a lot of board members in his pocket. Steven didn’t lose unjustly," Todd said shaking his head.

"Still, it’s Steven. Steven Rush, goddamnit," Jason exclaimed.

"Can’t even imagine AWF without him," Logan said shaking his head.

"It’s all business," Nelson shook his head in disappointment.

"I thought he would die while still being employed by AWF," Jason said forlornly.

"Who knows, it might be good for the business. I, for one, look forward to seeing what Steven could do after he leaves AWF and that big corporate machine. Maybe, he will surprise us all," Todd said consolingly.

"Still, it’s Steven Rush man," Logan said shaking his head in denial. "Just fucking unbelievable."

"Yeah," Jason nodded as well to indicate that this came as a shocker to him as well.

"Hey, it is show business. Anything can happen," Nelson shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever, let’s just focus on the show guys," Malora said looking around. "Looks like LWC had a good turnout tonight."

"They sold around 1678 tickets. Almost a hundred tickets higher than the last PPV. I heard that there are discussions regarding booking a bigger venue for the next PPV, but it is still in the discussion phase," Todd said glancing around.

"Huh, wouldn’t that make this their highest-selling PPV? You told me the last one sold around 1500ish and that it was the highest-selling LWC has made," Jason said taking a glance at the crowd as well.

"Pretty much," Todd confirmed nodding.

"I wonder why that is. Don’t get me wrong, the card is good. But, the last one had a history-making match. Something we haven’t seen in a long time. But, this one is just average in terms of matches booked. Nothing special about them, and yet they sold more tickets for this one," Logan asked curiously.

"And they were sold out three days earlier itself," Nelson piped in smiling.

"Do you even need to ask?" Todd scoffed. "I don’t know about you guys, but I have felt that LWC’s booking quality has been on the rise ever since Rob took charge of their women’s division. I am not talking about the star power. I am talking about the buildup to each match."

"Nah, that is just your mindset," Nelson shot him down ruthlessly. "Rob only books the women’s division. That is at most twenty mins of programming. They have over an hour to make up for it."

"True," Todd frowned. "But, you got to admit that those twenty mins all have been really entertaining. Whether it is Dacey vs Diana, Dacey vs Crowd, Evelyn vs Selena, Alanna, and even that rookie Joselyn Rivers, all of their stories are compelling to watch."

"You will have no arguments there. Dacey vs Diana is the only reason I even came here," Nelson nodded along.

"And the free tickets Rob gave you," Malora poured dirty water on Nelson causing him to shoot a glare at her.

The others chuckled amicably.

"Still, what you are saying is right," Malora continued. "Each and every one of Rob’s programs are interesting to follow. And he gets people invested. Not to mention the shit he does on commentary. Seriously, he and Dallas are like some old married couple," Malora shook her head in exasperation.

"It is hilarious," Jason chuckled. "It is always entertaining to hear them bicker on air. Normally, I would find commentary stale. That is one of the reasons I try to attend as many shows as possible. But, Rob and Dallas are a blast to hear."

"No arguing that, but I really think Irvin is really underestimated here. He is the one that brings order to the chaotic duo of Dallas and Rob," Todd chuckled.

"Nah, I will stick to Rob and Dallas, they are more entertaining," Logan said ruthlessly causing others to laugh at Todd’s exasperated face.

"I mean, look at that, he books twenty minutes of solid entertaining stuff. And goes on-air and tears it up with Dallas. Why wouldn’t the attendance increase? And I am telling you, the story with Dacey is far from finished. You saw the tension between her and Mr. Gibson. I bet that is going to come into focus somehow," Malora said excitedly.

"Don’t mind her, she has become a huge Dacey fan. She is always going on about her," Nelson said rubbing her head causing Malora to glare at him.

"I’m not a big fan of her attitude," Jason shook his head. "I am actually here to see Diana beat her up."

"Me too," Logan said nodding along.

"Why don’t you like her?" Malora asked aggressively.

"Look at how she behaves. She doesn’t respect anyone. Surely you wouldn’t support such a character," Jason asked in confusion.

"Hmmmph, it’s just a woman standing up for herself, you are just mad that the spotlight is on her and she is more entertaining than all the other female wrestlers you admire," Malora scoffed.

"What the hell!!!" Jason looked completely bamboozled hearing that.

"Yeah, you shouldn’t speak ill of ’The Goddess’ Jason. It is high crime. Haven’t you heard Rob say that," Logan said smiling at the discomfort of his friend.

"Come off it, Logan. You just love to watch her ass strutting on the screen. Don’t tell me you aren’t irritated by her attitude," Jason grouched good-naturedly.

"Hey, it is a fine piece of ass," Logan defended himself shamelessly. "Don’t talk to me like you aren’t getting your own kick when you see that man. You are despicable."

"You both are despicable," Malora said brutally shutting them both down.

Todd and Nelson merely rolled their eyes at that.

"Well, let’s not waste any more time. We need to get to the front row before it is occupied by others. Let’s get moving..." Todd said urging everyone inside the arena.

"You are right, let’s head in," Nelson said taking the lead.

The others followed him into the arena proper...

*****

"Hello folks, welcome to <Last Stand> - the place you stand your ground till your breath leaves your body. We are joining you live from Longham City. I am Irvin Campbell and joining me on the commentary are Rob Williams and Dallas Moonbyte."

"Well, I have to say, Rob, you look dapper in your suit tonight. Any special reasons for dressing up special? Look at Dallas, he is in his usual clothes and I normally wear a suit. However, this is the first time we have seen you in a suit. Any particular reasons?"

Irvin kicked off the show by commenting on Rob’s dress and welcoming the crowd.

"Of course, tonight is special Irvin. Special in a way, it hasn’t been for a long time. And it will be a long time before something special like this will occur again. Tonight, the Goddess is going to climb her rightful throne and take her rightful place at the top of the LWC Women’s Division."

"You ask me why I am dressed like this," Rob said patting his suit. "It is simple Irvin, I want to look my best when the Goddess raises her championship high above and causes everyone to bow down to her superiority. That way, I will be able to tell my kids one day that I was there when the Goddess claimed her rightful spot and I was dressed in my best suit."

"Aren’t you getting a little bit ahead of yourself, Rob? Dacey hasn’t won the championship yet," Dallas said chuckling.

"The keyword there is yet, Dallas. I have absolute confidence that the Goddess will emerge victorious tonight and begin a new era of professional wrestling. An era, which will be named after her."

"Well, you gotta have Diana’s permission for that. And I don’t see it happening anytime soon," Dallas said confidently. "What you are in for tonight is getting to see Diana Wharton whoop your so-called Goddess’s ass all over the ring. I am telling you, she is going to be out for blood, and Dacey better be prepared for it."

"Don’t think the Goddess will be afraid of those childish threats, Dallas. In fact, I think it is going to be the exact opposite. The Goddess is going to annihilate Diana Wharton and expose her for the phony hypocrite she is. And then, the Goddess is going to pin her in the middle of the ring, one... two... three..."

"Not today, Rob, not today. I have never seen Diana as focused as she is tonight. This is personal for her. And she would never allow a coward like Dacey to get one over her," Dallas said passionately.

"Newsflash Dallas, the Goddess already has one over Diana. She left Diana bleeding in the middle of the ring at <Break Out>. And, let me tell you something, at the end of the night, Diana is going to be in a worse situation."

"I refuse to accept that as Dacey’s victory. Dacey was a coward at <Break Out>. She sneak attacked Diana and got away with it. Tonight is going to be different. Tonight, Diana will see Dacey coming. Tonight, Diana is ready for her. And tonight, Diana is going to whoop Dacey’s ass as sure as the sun rises in the east," Dallas replied causing the tension in the commentary booth to notch up.

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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