Bojangles Coliseum – Charlotte, North Carolina
Friday Mid-Afternoon – Go-Home Show
JR and Cowboy stood near one of the production tables, both holding fresh cups of coffee. The building had gotten noticeably busier since the morning. Most of the roster had arrived, and the crew was deep into setup.
Cowboy took a sip and got straight to it.
Cowboy Watts: “How’d your meeting with the talent go?”
Jim Ross let out a small breath and shook his head slightly.
Jim Ross: “About as well as you’d expect. They had questions — mostly about the darker stuff and how far we’re going with some of these angles. Kristen wanted clarity on the Florence match, Nicki was asking how nasty the hospital segment was gonna get, and Taylor seemed a little uneasy about the Emma stuff. I gave them the usual answers — told them to trust the process and do their jobs.”
He took a sip of his coffee.
Jim Ross: “They didn’t push too hard, but I could tell some of them weren’t thrilled. Especially with how heavy some of the Emma segments are looking. Arnold tried to smooth it over with that ‘love of the game’ talk, but I don’t think it landed with everybody.”
Cowboy grunted.
Cowboy Watts: “Sounds about right. My meeting with the agents went about the same. Elena’s locked in on the Emma stuff, Joan’s watching the promos, and Parcells is floating. Tony tried to muscle in and claim all the Wendy segments for himself. I had to shut that shit down real quick. Told him I don’t give a fuck about his background — this is still my show.”
Jim Ross raised an eyebrow.
Jim Ross: “How’d he take that?”
Cowboy Watts: “He backed off. For now. Parcells asked for his help with the Jennette and Florence match though, so he’s got that to keep him busy. Other than that, nobody really pushed back on the format. They all seemed to agree with how we’re breaking everything up.”
He looked out at the crew still working on the floor.
Cowboy Watts: “Overall, I think we’re in decent shape. The show’s still gonna be messy as hell, but at least everybody knows what they’re supposed to be doing. How you feeling about it?”
Jim Ross took another sip of his coffee and gave a small shrug.
Jim Ross: “I think it’s gonna be a rough night. But we’ve got everything in place. Now it’s just about execution. We’ll know soon enough how it all comes together.”
Cowboy nodded.
Cowboy Watts: “Yeah. We’ll see.”
JR and Cowboy walked into the small conference room just off the main hallway. Inside, Steve Jobs, Stanley Kubrick, and Sheri L. Dew were already seated and waiting. The door closed behind them as they took their seats at the table.
Cowboy got straight to it.
Cowboy Watts: “Alright, we’re running short on time, so let’s make this quick. Doors are getting close, and we need to make sure everybody knows what they’re doing tonight. JR and I just finished meeting with the talent and the agents. Now we’re here with you three.”
He looked around the table.
Cowboy Watts: “Steve, you’re handling marketing and how this show is presented to the audience. Make sure the production side knows what kind of tone we’re going for — especially with the heavier stuff. We’re not trying to make this feel like some slick, overproduced bullshit. We want it to feel raw. You got any issues with that?”
Steve Jobs adjusted his glasses and spoke in his usual calm, precise tone.
Steve Jobs: “No issues. I’ll make sure the presentation stays sharp but grounded. We want the audience to feel like they’re watching something real, not overly polished. I’ll coordinate with production to keep the visuals consistent with that.”
Cowboy gave a short nod and turned to Stanley Kubrick.
Cowboy Watts: “Kubrick, you’re running production. Lighting, camera work, the overall look of the show. We’ve got some dark segments tonight — the hospital stuff, the parking garage angle, the stuff with Emma. I need you to make sure those hit the way they’re supposed to. No overdoing it, but don’t make it look cheap either.”
Stanley Kubrick leaned forward slightly, his voice low and deliberate.
Stanley Kubrick: “I understand. I’ll keep the visuals controlled and cinematic where it matters. The darker segments will be framed to feel heavy without becoming chaotic. I’ll make sure the camera work supports the tone of each piece.”
Cowboy then looked at Sheri L. Dew.
Cowboy Watts: “Sheri, you’re here strictly in your financial capacity tonight. I need you watching the spending. We’ve already got a lot of moving parts, and I don’t want anything getting out of hand cost-wise. If something looks like it’s going to run over or cost more than it should, I want to know about it before it happens. Keep an eye on production and anything that might be burning through money we don’t need to be spending.”
Sheri L. Dew gave a calm but firm nod, her expression serious.
Sheri L. Dew: “I’ll be watching the expenditures closely. If anything looks unnecessary or excessive, I’ll flag it. We need to stay disciplined with the budget, especially with how unpredictable tonight could be.”
Jim Ross spoke up.
Jim Ross: “We’re counting on all three of you to keep things running smooth tonight. We’ve got a lot of moving parts, and we don’t have room for surprises — financially or otherwise. If something looks like it’s going off the rails, speak up early.”
Cowboy looked around the table one last time.
Cowboy Watts: “Any questions from any of you before we wrap this up?”
The three of them shook their heads.
Cowboy Watts: “Good. Then we’re done here. JR and I are gonna go talk to the talent one last time before doors. You three know what you’re doing — make sure it gets done.”
JR and Cowboy sat at a small table in one of the back offices with bags from Shake and Steak spread out in front of them. They’d grabbed food on the way back from their last meeting and were now using the short break to have their final sit-down before doors opened.
Across from them sat the commentary team: Freddie Benson, Sofia Vergara, and Chelsea Handler.
Cowboy took a bite of his burger and got straight to it while he chewed.
Cowboy Watts: “Alright, listen up. We’re running out of time, so I’m only gonna say this once. Tonight’s show is gonna be messy. We’ve got a lot of heavy shit planned — especially with the Emma and Sterling stuff. I need you three to stay on top of it and not go off the rails.”
He pointed at Freddie first.
Cowboy Watts: “Freddie, you’re on play-by-play. Keep it clean when you need to, but don’t sugarcoat the nasty stuff either. Call it like it is without sounding like a fucking dork the whole night.”
Freddie nodded quickly, looking a little nervous.
Freddie Benson: “Y-yeah, I got it. I’ll keep it professional but still call the action.”
Chelsea smirked and leaned back in her chair.
Chelsea Handler: “Professional? From you? That’ll be the day. Just try not to sound like you’re about to piss yourself every time something dirty happens.”
Freddie shot her a look but didn’t say anything.
Cowboy ignored them and turned to Sofia.
Cowboy Watts: “Sofia, you’re doing the second play-by-play. Keep it light when you need to, but don’t go full horny on air. We’re trying to keep some level of professionalism, even if the show’s a shitshow tonight.”
Sofia smiled, her voice thick with her usual exaggerated accent.
Sofia Vergara: “I weell try, but eef something ees crazy, I weell say eet. I cannot help eet eef I get a leetle excited.”
Chelsea rolled her eyes but smirked.
Chelsea Handler: “Try not to moan into the mic when Emma starts beating the shit out of someone. We’re already walking a line tonight.”
Jim Ross spoke up, his tone calmer than Cowboy’s.
Jim Ross: “Just keep it balanced. Call the action, react to what’s happening, and don’t go overboard. The show’s already gonna be dark in some spots. We don’t need the commentary making it worse or turning it into a joke.”
Cowboy wiped his hands on a napkin and looked at all three of them.
Cowboy Watts: “Bottom line — don’t fuck this up. We’ve got a lot riding on tonight going smooth. Any questions?”
Freddie shook his head quickly. Sofia just smiled and shrugged. Chelsea leaned forward with a grin.
Chelsea Handler: “Yeah, I got one. Are we allowed to say ‘fuck’ on air if Emma does something really fucked up, or do we have to pretend we’re classy?”
Cowboy gave her a flat look.
Cowboy Watts: “Just don’t be stupid about it.”
He stood up and grabbed what was left of his food.
Cowboy Watts: “Alright. We’re done here. Go get ready. We’ll be gathering the talent soon for one last talk before doors.”
Twenty minutes later, the energy in the building had shifted. The crew was mostly done setting up, and the talent had started making their way out of the locker rooms. JR had pulled the referees aside for a quick last-minute briefing near the production area, going over a few key spots and making sure everyone was on the same page with the no-ring layout.
Cowboy stood near the entrance to the tunnel, watching everyone slowly gather. Once most of the roster, agents, and key crew were within earshot, he raised his voice.
Cowboy Watts: “Alright, everybody! Circle up! Let’s go!”
The group slowly formed a loose circle in the hallway just outside the tunnel. Talent, agents, producers, and a few key crew members stood together as Cowboy stepped into the middle. JR finished up with the refs and walked over to stand beside him.
Cowboy looked around at everyone for a second before speaking.
Cowboy Watts: “I just got the final numbers. We’re sitting at just under 5,200 paid right now. Not great, but it’s what we’ve got. We’ve got work to do if we wanna keep growing this thing.”
He looked around the circle, his voice staying blunt.
Cowboy Watts: “Look, I ain’t gonna stand here and blow smoke up anybody’s ass. Tonight’s gonna be rough. We got no ring again, we got some dark shit planned, and we’re still figuring some things out as we go. But that’s the business sometimes. You don’t always get the perfect night. What matters is that we go out there and do the job anyway.”
He scanned the group again.
Cowboy Watts: “We’ve got a PPV on Sunday that we need to set up for. That means every segment tonight matters. Every match matters. Every promo matters. If you’re out there, I expect you to give a shit. No half-assing it. No fucking around. We do the work, we get through the night, and we build something for Sunday.”
Cowboy took a breath and finished.
Cowboy Watts: “This ain’t the easiest spot we’ve ever been in, but we’ve been through worse. So let’s go out there, do what we gotta do, and make it count. That’s it. Get to work.”
He clapped his hands once.
Cowboy Watts: “Let’s have a show.”
