Preparations

Brrriiinnnggg! Brrriiinnnggg! Brrriiinnnggg!

Rob woke up to the sound of his alarm clock going off and groggily turned it down. It took him a few minutes to gather himself. He walked into the restroom to freshen up and came upon the sight of his 20-year-old figure.

Even though three weeks have passed since he came to this world, it was still jarring for him to look in the mirror. Every time the young visage of his current body was reflected in the mirror, he felt surreal. Rob spent a few minutes looking at the mirror before resuming his daily activities.

Objectively speaking, the new body he occupied was far more handsome than his previous figure. It had a sharp chin with a strong jawline that made it look much more manly than his previous face. He knew that in five or more years when he matured further, he could flaunt his rugged look as much as he wished. It somehow made up for the dissonance he often felt when looking at his current figure.

As he fixed his breakfast, Rob thought about yesterday's meeting with Mr. Gibson. He had to admit that it had gone far better than his interview with AWF. While he wasn't entirely satisfied with the outcome, it was far better than what he had hoped. For a brief moment in the meeting, he had felt that he could immediately begin changing the landscape of pro-wrestling in this world.

But, even he knew that it was unrealistic. Despite clearly knowing that things don't change drastically in real life, he had hoped that he would be given that golden chance like those protagonists of the novels he had read. So, when Mr. Gibson had provided him with his offer he had hesitated a little.

There was this small nagging voice telling him to reject it and take his ideas elsewhere. It was like a devil's whisper - telling him seductive tales of glory, power, and money. It reassured him that he was a genius and could succeed anywhere on his own and he didn't need to take this handout.

But, Rob ruthlessly crushed it down. He knew that it was his ego that was saying such things. What Mr. Gibson offered was far more than anything that people would offer a newbie. His previous life experience told him that his chances of successfully impressing other promoters would be abysmally low - that is even if he got the chance to meet them in the first place.

And there was also the fact that if he went trumpeting his ideas to everyone, someone out there might just use his ideas and claim them to be his own. The world wasn't just filled with knights in shining armor. There are crooks and villains present out there too.

So, he did the sensible thing after a slight bit of hesitation. He agreed to Mr. Gibson's conditions and accepted his offer. This way, he at least had a job to do every day and a promise of bigger things after one year. Rob also knew that his actual knowledge of the pro-wrestling industry was strictly limited to what he had learned from the internet and interviews with pro-wrestlers.

To be frank, he hadn't paid much attention to the interviews with bookers or known anything about how the backstage personnel worked in a pro-wrestling promotion. Not to mention the fact that his meager knowledge of the industry would not be entirely true even on earth, let alone in this new world.

So, working for one year and learning stuff about how pro-wrestling functioned in this world was not a bad idea. This way, even if Mr. Gibson didn't keep his promise, he can use this experience and go to some other promotion. It would also help him to find some stability in his life.

With that in mind, Rob agreed to the offer. Since that moment, he was a proud part of LWC in Longham City.

There was also an ulterior motive for Rob's acceptance of Mr. Gibson's offer. Ever since AWF had thrown him out of their building, he had wanted to make them pay for treating him like shit. But, he also knew that with his current capabilities trying to shake a behemoth like AWF could only be a pipedream.

Moreover, ever since his interview with AWF executives, Rob had been clear of another thing. Behemoths like AWF do not need him. They are very stable and have a relatively wide fan base. Their business capabilities made sure that they would never be in trouble unless they committed a huge blunder.

However, promotions like LWC needed people like him to shake up the status quo. While AWF was content to remain relatively stable and not try out new stuff due to their position of superior strength, promotions like LWC are more likely to take a risk in a bid to increase their own strength and position in the wrestling business.

Thus, this made Rob an ideal fit for LWC.

After his interview with Mr. Gibson, Rob also knew that the other party was someone who had the will to fight the giants like AWF. He could see the genuine hunger to become better in Mr. Gibson. So, clinging to the thigh of such a person could help Rob rise in his career fast.

For now, he would bide his time and learn everything he needed to know in LWC. And when the opportunity comes, he would be more than ready to grab it with his two hands and not let go. And once his position at LWC becomes stable, he will bring them to make war with AWF.

Rob didn't really worry about losing in such a war. It was because he had countless tricks on his sleeve to change the game in more ways than one. With his prior knowledge of extensive ways the wrestling business reinvented itself on earth, Rob was sure he would have the answer to anything AWF would throw in his way.

After all, the pro-wrestling industry on earth had evolved numerous times to fit the need of the masses. And the best part is that Rob had the ability to pull out some trump card whenever it was needed due to his extensive wealth of tricks.

So, in a way, both LWC and he complimented each other.

"AWF! Just wait! I will surely topple you from the top of the pyramid sooner or later," Rob whispered in a determined tone before getting up to face his new life.

*****

"So, you are the new one that Mr. Gibson hired, huh?" Robin, his immediate supervisor in LWC, looked at him up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Yes, Mr. Robin," Rob replied in a calm manner as he waited for the other party to finish scrutinizing him.

"Good, at least you have enough professionalism to not be late on your first day," Robin grunted in response. "Today is the day that the news about our TV deal is going to be released to the masses. Hence the advertising and publicity department is in need of a lot of personnel."

"As such, a lot of people have been pulled away from their regular work to fill in the gap. So, you will be covering for them for the next few days. You will not have a lot of time to get familiar with your work. You need to be quick and sharp."

Rob nodded in response to that.

"I am assigning you to the backstage area. Go and report to Desmond Wolfe there. He will tell you what to do. And don't dawdle," Robin dismissed him with a wave of his hand and once more turned his attention to other problems that he was handling before he came in.

Rob made his way towards the backstage area. One of the advantages LWC had was that they had a fixed stadium for their shows. And the stadium was rented by them for a duration of five years. Hence, the barebones of a setup are always present. Even then, preparations needed to be put in place for each show.

In the backstage area, Rob came across a muscular guy sporting a T-shirt and shorts ordering other people around. Quickly deducing that this was the Desmond Wolfe he needed to meet, Rob approached him.

"Hi, Mr. Wolfe, my name is Rob Williams. I was recently hired by Mr. Gibson. Robin asked me to report to you," Rob introduced himself when Mr. Wolfe laid his eyes on him.

"Do you have any experience in backstage preparations?" Mr. Wolfe asked Rob.

"I am a newbie here. But, I have been part of a wrestling team in the past and know some preparation details regarding wrestlers. I am not that proficient in regard to show setup, Mr. Wolfe. But, I assure you that I am a quick study," Rob replied.

"Quick study my ass," Mr. Wolfe snorted in disgruntlement. "Look kid, I don't have time to hold your hands here. I don't know what Andy was thinking when hiring you, but I don't care about that shit. What I need is people, and you look like you have some strength. You will work as a handyman here. Go, help them move those pyro settings," Mr. Wolfe ordered Rob nonchalantly not paying him any attention.

While disgruntled at the casual dismissal, Rob understood that he was really a novice here and can't be much of a help to the man at this moment. So, he obediently followed the other workers and began preparations for the show.

By the end of the day, he was run ragged from moving things from one place to another. Especially, there were a lot of pyro instruments that were to be moved around as there was going to be a lot more pomp and posturing when the show went on-air next week.

And at the afternoon, he was called in to install the large titantron and check its working condition. Earlier, LWC only used titantrons and a large amount of pyro during their special events. However, with the show going on-air, these things became a must to put forth a good presentation.

There was also a Breeze TV representative that would come in and check things from time to time.

His frequent appearance only made Mr. Wolfe feel more pressure. And it was in turn exerted downwards on the men working under Mr. Wolfe. By the time the work for the day was done, Rob had run around the entire stadium dozens of times carting things from one end to the other.

At the end of the day, Rob's muscles ached and he felt pain all over his body. But, he preserved and ended the day without complaining once. Mr. Wolfe gave him a grudging nod at the end of the day.

And that was that.

Soon, things became a sort of routine for Rob. Each day, he would arrive at work and start doing stuff that was both physically draining and very monotonous. But, it also helped Rob learn about the various intricacies needed to put out a proper show.

From titantrons to pyro equipment, Rob got really familiar with their aspects and how they were going to be set up to obtain a good effect. He also learned of the various needs that needed to be taken care of to set up a good show.

While the booking and wrestling made a major part of the success of a show, the real unsung heroes were the ones who set up the show. They created the necessary ambiance, put on the proper effects, making sure that there was no security or maintenance risk, and ensured that the show went on smoothly.

It was really eye-opening for Rob to see how much work was involved in creating a proper show. There were tons of little things that needed to be done. Ensuring water supply, providing dressing rooms, securing tools and other essentials, maintaining sanitation and other fan essentials, setting up stalls to sell merchandise, and whatnot.

There was practically work around the clock.

That was even before the wrestlers walked into the arena. The moment the wrestlers began arriving, there were countless other services that needed to be provided as they prepared for the show. Luckily, Rob was not part of that particular team. Mr. Wolfe had arranged a special team of workers to take care of wrestlers. Watching them run around looking for the right prop, dress, and even makeup made Rob truly understand how tough running a promotion was.

While his co-workers looked at things from a worker's perspective, Rob was beginning to analyze things from the perspective of a promotion owner. The number of things one needed to ensure that everything was alright before the show started made his head ache. It even gave him goosebumps to just think about the long checklist Mr. Wolfe was carrying around with him.

Half a day before the show went on air, the flurry of activity reached a new peak. As more and more wrestlers arrived following the managing personnel, the demand for handymen increased a lot. Even Rob was drafted in to run some errands like fetching ring gear and other stuff.

Rob even came across Mr. Gibson multiple times, but the big man was truly busy as he issued orders in a no-nonsense tone directing the show in all aspects. One moment Rob would find him chatting with wrestlers as he went over the content of the match, then in the next moment Mr. Gibson would be talking with Breeze TV representatives as he assured them that everything was on track, and so on.

Rob's respect for the veteran in the business improved tremendously as he watched the big man tackle the entire thing with a determined attitude. Mr. Wolfe and Robin were busy too. They would be seen issuing orders to several people under them constantly.

One hour before the show, the flurry of activity calmed down a bit and a heavy pressure seemed to settle on everybody. Rob even saw experienced veterans going through their pre-match rituals in one corner or the other. There was a palpable tension in the air.

Half an hour later, the audience began arriving causing the pressure to amplify to a whole new level. From the snippets he heard, Rob learned that LWC has sold out the arena for the first time in their history due to the momentous occasion of going on-air. Having an audience of over 1000 people present increased the pressure on all LWC people.

Just as the time arrived, Rob watched the huge number of pyros go off as the show truly began. When the pyro came to an end without any issues midway, Rob let out a relieved breath as he was on the team that had primary responsibility for pyros. The moment that breath was released, Rob began to feel the anticipation and madness enveloping the crowd in the arena.

Until now, Rob had been preoccupied with the responsibility of opening pyro going off without a hitch and hence was unable to truly feel the atmosphere. But, now that the pyro has gone off without issues, Rob's excitement began to shine through as he realized that this was his first attendance in a wrestling show in this world.

Moreover, this was a show he had personally contributed to, even though it was really a negligible amount of work!

Rob couldn't help but show a goofy grin as the show began…