Booking Glory

"You can change the finish slightly," Rob spoke, after receiving Mr. Gibson’s permission. "Since Marshall wants to avoid losing his momentum, he can’t be pinned or submitted. However, you can go for a count out or disqualification."

"Have Mark join us at the commentary table," Rob said, gesturing at Mark. "During the end, Marshall can get distracted seeing Mark there and let him get into an argument with Mark. He can either be counted out while arguing with Mark or he gets disqualified by picking a fight with Mark."

"This will protect all three of them, while adding Rictor to the program," Rob shrugged. "If you want a clean finish, then Hector can roll up Marshall while he is arguing with Mark from inside the ring."

Everyone thought for a bit and reluctantly nodded. None looked pleased by Rob’s suggestion. Rob had maintained the status quo while solving their problem. They should have been grateful, but they just accepted it grudgingly as if they had no other option.

This just confirmed to Rob that the issue was never with the booking. They were just jockeying for influence. Robin had been the booker of this program until now. With Robin’s absence, the top dog in the scenario was a bit vague. Thus, such a situation arose.

Mark Weathers was the reigning champion and top draw of the promotion. His importance need not be stated. Marshall Jones was a veteran who commanded respect from the locker room. While he wasn’t the locker room leader, his position wasn’t far off.

Logically, as the owner of LWC, Mr. Gibson should have assumed the top dog position as soon as he took over the booking position. Both his seniority in the industry and company ownership should have made sure of that.

But, the times were different. There was a subtle tug of war between LWC management and the wrestlers at present. While most wrestlers would keep their head low, some influential wrestlers will test the water a bit to see if there was any leverage to be gained here.

As a veteran and one of the main event talents, Marshall Jones was the kind of wrestler who can try to test the boundaries a little. So, Rob wasn’t surprised he tried to do that here.

This was all backstage politics. If Mr. Gibson compromised to Marshall’s demands, then it would signal that the wrestlers had much leverage on their side. If Mr. Gibson didn’t agree, then it would send a signal for all wrestlers to act within the pre-established lines.

But now, Rob ruined the entire play with his idea.

The jockeying for upper hand was a subtle game. No one would be overt in their actions lest it bring dissatisfaction from others. By fulfilling the requirements of both parties, Rob had ensured that they could only agree to his idea.