The Roster, Part 2
Wednesday.
With the day of the week swapped with NEXT, we were about to put on our first show.
Not only our side, but NEXT's wrestlers had come over as well so we could run the show together. From what I'd overheard, they'd gone through their own sorting process too, and like us, all that remained was the brand assignments.
Backstage, in a space that normally just held miscellaneous clutter, every wrestler had gathered and sat down. Up front, large TVs and several cameras with their operators stood ready, waiting to capture our reactions.
"When your brands get announced, I want clear reactions out of all of you. If you're happy, go bigger. If you're not, go even bigger with the disappointment. Kick a trash can, smash something — I won't say a word. Got it?"
Ben Hercules, formerly TPA's main producer and now Rebellion's, drilled it into the wrestlers one more time before heading off.
"Ugh, I'm so nervous. I have to end up on the same brand as you, Rina."
"We'll be on the same brand. And even if we're not, at least one of Anne, Dorothy, or Olivia will go with you."
Apparently my answer hadn't been good enough. Selma jabbed me in the side.
"You act like you wouldn't care at all if we got split up and went our separate ways."
"Of course I'd care. It's just that there's nothing I can do about it."
Truth was, I didn't know what would happen with the others — Alf included — but Selma and I already knew where we were headed, so I could afford to stay relaxed.
A short while later, the broadcast began, and Casey appeared.
"Hello, everyone! I'm Casey Levesque, General Manager of WWO's Rebellion."
"Whoa. She's only nineteen, right? How is she not nervous at all?"
"Special DNA."
"Fair enough… Still, I'm so jealous. Her pronunciation, her voice — everything."
"You'll get there too. Think about six months ago. Look how much better you've gotten…"
Selma, back then? Even the camera tests at the academy had frozen her solid, her pronunciation twisting itself into knots. She'd read her lines like a robot.
"First, allow me to introduce the General Managers of each brand. From Law — General Manager Aaron Pierce."
There were no matches today, so the crowd had been let in free, and the space behind Casey had been left completely empty. Even so, with only about sixty percent of the usual attendance, the place still felt packed — the crowd's energy was enormous.
Next came Nikki Elders, and finally NEXT's Iva.
Of everyone involved in this merger, Iva had taken the heaviest losses. Shipping out NEXT's core talent was damaging enough, but losing the national broadcast slot to Rebellion was the real blow. She walked in with her expression locked tight.
Iva might have been "The Stone's" daughter, but she was still just a noble — nowhere near royalty. She wasn't particularly good at promos, and she wasn't known for great ideas either. The fact that she hadn't been fired at all was probably a win.
Next, the screen filled with each brand's logo.
Red for Law. Blue for Smash Down. Black for NEXT. Rebellion's color was yellow.
"Ugh. I was hoping otherwise, but it really is yellow."
"So tacky."
"For someone with a dark complexion like me, yellow is poison."
The wrestlers grumbled among themselves.
"Rina, what about you?"
"Not a fan either. I don't like it."
"Ugh! Wouldn't something like purple have been better?"
"Right? Tsk. If we ever do brand matches, we're probably going to have to wear yellow…"
"That said, do not celebrate simply because you've been assigned to Law or Smash Down. Starting next year, there will be an annual draft every March for talent movement. Each brand will be required to call up at least two wrestlers from NEXT, and an equal number will be sent down. Of course, trades between brands will also take place."
Casey's words sent a stir through the NEXT contingent.
"Oh, that's scary!"
"Just perform well. Perform well…"
"Yeah. Looking at them this time, the Law guys weren't anything special either."
Our side, by contrast, was still a little subdued.
Casey had opened the show, but the roster announcements themselves were handled by the ring announcer. They started with the NEXT wrestlers' assignments.
"Ahmed! Smash Down!"
Ahmed leapt out of his chair with a roar.
"Yaaaah! I did it! I actually did it!"
His colleagues clapped him on the shoulders in congratulations. He thanked them, then sprinted toward the stage like he was running a hundred-meter dash. When he reached the ring, Nikki Elders shook his hand and handed him a Smash Down ID card.
"Next — Obama Femi! Rebellion!"
Obama wore a vaguely puzzled expression, as if he couldn't quite decide whether this was good news or bad.
"Obama Penny! Show us that power in Rebellion as well. We're truly looking forward to it."
At Casey's greeting, Obama finally broke into a wide, white-toothed grin.
"That guy. He didn't even notice Casey got his name wrong."
"I know, right? If that had been us, we'd have thrown a fit."
The NEXT wrestlers' comments drew laughs from our side too.
Once the men's assignments were finished, they started calling the women. Unlike our side, which still had people heading to NEXT, everyone over there was going to one of the three main brands, so the mood stayed cheerful throughout.
"A brand-new brand might actually be better than Law or Smash Down. Everyone's starting from scratch, after all."
"I heard a lot of the Law and Smash Down wrestlers wanted to come to Rebellion."
"Casey's better than the male GMs. She's young and pretty, for one. And she already said she won't let the other GMs push her around!"
"True. Shit. I was happy about Law, but maybe that was a mistake."
"Finally — Cornelia. Rebellion."
With Cornelia, the NEXT wrestlers were done. On the women's side, that made five: Diane Sweeney, Lily Klein, Aurora Love, Mina Keynes, and Cornelia.
"Now for the former TPA wrestlers. First — Michael! Law."
"Whew."
Michael just let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
"Luke! Smash Down."
Starting with Michael and Luke, the names kept coming. But no more top-brand assignments followed.
"Tyler! NEXT."
Tyler walked out with a bitter look on his face. And the last of the men — the Inquisitors — were also headed to NEXT.
Then it was the women's turn. Dorothy went to Law, Anne to Smash Down.
"Elizabeth Walker! Law."
Dorothy looked even happier at that.
"I thought I was going to Law alone. Congrats, Elizabeth."
"I know. I'm glad we get to go together."
"Olivia! Rebellion."
I'd thought Rebellion was just Selma and me, but Olivia's name was called.
Ah. So I'm going with Olivia. That's a relief.
After that, the women's tag team Wild Cats was confirmed for Rebellion. Then Selma, and finally me — locked in for Rebellion.
I headed to the ring and met Casey.
"Welcome. Expectations are high."
"Thank you. Looking forward to working with you."
I took the ID card from Casey and returned to my seat.
"We're on the same brand. Perfect, right?"
"Yeah."
I hugged Selma and sat down.
In the short time I'd been gone, three large boards had been set up in the ring. One listed Law's male and female wrestlers by name, another Smash Down's, and the last — Rebellion's — stood blank.
Casey took the mic and stood center stage.
"Alright! Now for the most important part. I'll announce the wrestlers moving from each brand over to Rebellion."
Casey pretended to deliberate while looking over both brands' names, then pulled Camus's nameplate free and stuck it on Rebellion's board.
— Wow! —
— What? —
The crowd's reactions split. Next she grabbed Troy McIntyre's name and moved it over.
"Damn it!"
Law's GM, watching from the side, made a show of his anger. Then she selected Smash Down's Brooks Reed and Brooke Breaker. Casey looked over at Smash Down's GM and smiled.
"Why are you smiling at me?"
"No reason."
And then the wrestler Casey picked was Smash Down's flagship star — Sandy Orton.
— Huh! —
A gasp of shock rose from the crowd, and Smash Down's GM shot up out of his chair.
"Shit! I can't watch this. This is going way too far. I'm leaving."
"Good-bye!"
Casey's shameless reply drew laughter from the audience.
"Whoa! Sandy Orton? That's insane!"
"Rebellion's not messing around."
The sharp reactions came from NEXT's male wrestlers and those of us already locked in for Rebellion.
"In addition to these, several more male wrestlers will be joining from partner promotions. Next, let's pick the women."
Aaron Pierce held on while Lilac Valkyrie and Hailey were taken from Law — but the moment Nadia Jackson's name was pulled, he stood up.
"Ha! Just you wait, Casey Levesque!"
"I won't be going far."
— Hahahaha —
— Good one, Casey —
Laughter rolled through the crowd, followed by a chant.
— Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey! Hey! Good-bye! —
"I thought Iva would be the first one to walk out."
"I thought so too."
I agreed with Selma. Iva was still sitting there with her arms crossed and a sour look on her face, staring at Casey.
After that, Smash Down's Vianna Belair and Mariah Monroe were selected.
"That's all for now. On the women's side as well, we'll be bringing in talent from partner promotions. These are wrestlers of exceptional skill, so feel free to look forward to them."
Then Iva took the mic.
"Starting two weeks from now, NEXT will begin preparations to crown new champions. We'll determine the main champion via a Noble Rumble format, and afterward select the Secondary Champions through other methods."
Apparently Iva had stayed just for this announcement. She explained the process in a bit more detail, then left the ring.
"Rebellion will hold its founding ceremony next week with the full roster present. At that event, we'll introduce the wrestlers and explain how the championships will be decided. We hope you'll all tune in."
With that, the show ended. A short while later, Casey came back to where we were gathered.
"Don't be disappointed about going to NEXT. There were a few of you who could have gone to other brands, but your weaknesses were too obvious, or — in the case of the tag teams — your experience was simply too thin. We wanted to give you time at NEXT to shore those things up. Tyler, Tina, the Inquisitors — you're examples of that. So prepare well, and work hard so you can get called up in March."
At least two call-ups per brand were guaranteed. Everyone would be grinding for it.
"Also, we'll only be using this facility through next week. Starting two weeks from now, we begin official matches. Our first road stop in two weeks is Vancouver. Then Seattle. And finally San Diego. For seven weeks, Rebellion will focus exclusively on the western United States."
The mention of a western campaign left everyone stunned.
"Doesn't the west only get the big PLEs?"
"Right? A western tour right out of the gate? That's bold."
"Damn. Rebellion's looking better than Law already."
Casey clapped her hands to quiet the room.
"I'll go over the details tomorrow at the Performance Center. Once again — do not be disappointed about going to NEXT. Treat it as time to become complete wrestlers. Refine your gimmicks and your gear. That's all. Thank you, everyone, for your hard work."
Ha. The DNA really was different, wasn't it?
Nineteen years old…
Casey. She was a truly remarkable woman.