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#Post#: 190--------------------------------------------------
Stress Management
By: RampageSports Date: August 19, 2014, 9:01 pm
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OK, as I said in my little preface post, this one's not new. It
was originally contained in one of my press releases. I simply
wanted to repost it, as it will go along with all of the other
behind the scenes stories I plan on posting here. So, if it
seems familiar, you can stop reading because this is exactly the
same text you read last time. However, if you haven't seen it,
enjoy. And, shame on you for not reading my earlier press
release. :P
First, let's set the scene: After losing to Abi Titmuss at the
Final Conflict event (her six loss in eight fights and her third
in a row), Stephanie McMahon basically announced her retirement
from the UMMA at the post fight press conference. She
immediately packed her things and left the arena. I thought she
was lost to us, but Danneel Harris chased after her, and the two
had it out. The next day, both were back at the practice
facility, as if nothing had happened. I asked no questions,
figuring the story would come out over time. Besides... I
thought the whole thing was resolved. And boy... was I ever
wrong.
************************************************
April 4, 2014
It was near the end of the day, and I was in my office looking
over some pretty depressing paperwork. A few hours earlier, I
had finished meeting indvidually with some of RSI's newest
athletes. As I've said in the past, our athletes start out on a
per diem contract. This allows the chance for a "feeling out
period" to make sure we have a good fit before committing to
anything long term. Personally, I've been very satisfied with
the performance of all of our fighters, and I was prepared to
offer long-term contracts to everyone I met with. My
satisfaction wasn't the only requirement though, and not
everything played out as I had hoped.
The first problem I ran into was with Leanna Decker. As everyone
knows, RSI is a mostly no-nonsense stable. And, as we've
learned, Leanna likes a little nonsense. She likes to push the
boundaries a little bit, and many of her quotes have been...
provocative. I put up with it because I like her attitude... and
because her hair color is to die for. To be honest, I thought
she would give us a little more personality as an organization.
But, I've been hearing some grumblings from the light
heavyweight group about Leanna's lack of intensity. Most of that
grumbling has been coming from Leanna's training partner,
Krystal Forscutt. Before joining RSI, Krystal had been having a
pretty miserable career. She's got it turned around now, and
she's not interested in anything that might put her recent
success at risk. She is always intense in her training, and she
has no tolerance for screwing around. The truth is, I blew this
one. Krystal's intensity and Leanna's aloofness are not a good
mix. This is a fact that's become apparent to Leanna, and so she
has asked for her release. She recently asked for and received
permission to join one of the KFL entries in the UMMA team
competition. It seems that's given her a little taste of life
outside RSI, and she wants to explore opportunities elsewhere.
I'm sorry things worked out this way, but I wish Leanna well in
her MMA future.
I was unhappy with what happened with Leanna, but it didn't
totally shock me. The next defection, however, came out of
nowhere and felt like a punch in the gut. Holly Bricken was
someone that I personally scouted and recruited. Along with
Marzia Prince, I thought she gave us a solid future in the
heavyweight class. But, then came Dianna Dahlgren, who's mix of
playful spirit and intense commitment made her almost impossible
to ignore. I thought that signing only made us better. But, it
seems that between Dianna joining the mix and Marzia recently
making the most of her shot in the team competition, Holly found
herself wondering if there was still a place for her here. I
told her in no uncertain terms that there was, but nothing I
said seemed to make a difference. Holly wanted the opportunity
to test the free agent waters, and I wish her well.
At that point, I was more than a little upset. I pride myself on
the chemistry and family atmosphere that exists at RSI, and it
was now clear that I had badly misjudged the situation in a
couple of cases. But, when I heard the small knock at my door
and looked up to see Jamie Lynn Spears looking timidly in at me,
I knew my day was about to get a whole lot worse. As one of four
children, I have a decent understanding of how sibling
relationships work. Being the oldest, I have always felt the
need to watch over my younger siblings. That feeling continues
to this day, even though we're all grown up. I have never
personally known what it's like to live under someone else's
wing like that, but my brothers have often let me know that it's
not always pleasant. Therefore, I knew when we signed Jamie that
things might get a little touchy. As I watched Brit bask in the
glow of her Open Fight Night success and her Hit the Beach
championship, I also saw Jamie wilt into the shadows. So, when
she told me she wanted her release from RSI, I knew exactly
where the request was coming from. I was adamant that there was
absolutely a place for her here, outside of being Britney's
little sister. But she was just as adamant that she needed to do
this. As I said, I will never know what it's like to be the
younger sibling. But, I've seen my brothers do some pretty
stupid things just to prove they are their own person. I think
Jamie is making a mistake, but I get it. I wish her the best,
and I want her to know that there will always be a place for her
with RSI.
And so, by the time Danni entered my office, I was in a pretty
deep funk. I told her about what happened, expecting her to join
me in my miserable mood. What I didn't realize was that Danni
already had her own miserable mood going, and she was about to
unload it on me. It seems that after Danni caught up to Steph
that night, she flat out accused her of giving up just because
the going got a little tough. I was spared the fine details, but
I got the impression that the conversation was not entirely
civilized. I also got the feeling that the altercation was not
entirely conversational. The upshot, though, was that her recent
run of tough luck in the cage was not the only thing bothering
McMahon. It seems that, as many of RSI's athletes have risen
rapidly through the ranks, perhaps someone got left behind.
Though Danneel likes to play the part of the tough, no bullsh*t
fixer for RSI, I have seen her soft underside many times. The
RSI family is as important to her as it is to me. One of our own
was hurting, and Danni was feeling it. And, of course, why would
she want to hurt alone when she could take me with her?
"Sounds like more expert management work to me," she sniped.
She said it so casually, I almost didn't realize the weight of
her words. I had begun to turn my attention elsewhere when it
hit me.
"Wait... what?"
"Never mind," she said, her attitude clearly on display.
"No. I mind," I said, my own sh*tty mood taking over. "What the
f*ck was that you just said?"
"I said you f*cked up. That's what I said," came her reply.
By this point, the volume level in the office had increased
significantly. Not wanting this to turn into a public event, I
went around the desk and closed the door. When I turned back,
Danni was blocking my way.
"What do you know about Stephanie?" she asked, referencing her
real problem for the first time.
"What do you mean? She's a fine fighter. A past champion, who
I'm confident can get back..."
Danni waved me off. "I mean what do you know about HER?" she
asked again.
I was in a pretty bad mood before this started, and Danni's
grating attitude wasn't helping. "I don't know!" I yelled back
at her. "She was a wrestler over in that World Wrestling thing,
right?"
"Yeah," she said, "that's all anyone ever sees when they look at
her."
"Is there more?" I asked.
Danni just shook her head in disgust, and then tried to push
past me. I grabbed her arm as she went by, hoping to get her to
explain herself. And from that point on, things spiraled out of
control pretty quickly.
#Post#: 191--------------------------------------------------
Stress Management - Part 2
By: RampageSports Date: August 19, 2014, 9:03 pm
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Without a word, Danni spun and planted a hand in my chest,
throwing me backward onto my desk... papers, pens and assorted
office junk scattering everywhere. I righted myself and turned
to face her. The look on her face was a mixture of seething
anger over the situation and outright shock at what she'd just
done. A sane person would have taken advantage of that shock to
try and calm things down. After all, this was Danneel Harris,
former DEF champion, reigning Lingerie Invitational champion and
winner of more than 50 professional fights. Of course, I don't
know if you've noticed, but the hair on my head is as red as it
comes. So, at that particular moment, I did not give the
slightest f*ck who she was.
I hurled myself off the desk and charged at Danni, using my
shoulder to lift her off the floor and drive her into the door.
The wooden frame splintered, but did not give as it struggled to
hold back our combined weight. Danni was stunned at my move, and
I wasted no time taking advantage. I caught hold of her wrist
and twisted it up behind her back, hoping to immobilize her and
put an end to things before it really got nasty. Thinking back
on it, I have no idea why I expected this would work. Danni
still had both feet under her, and she simply leaned into me and
drove me back into one of the bookcases that line my office. The
brutal impact caused me to lose my grip, and Danni slipped her
hand free. She stepped away to gain space, and I regained my
balance. As I turned to face her, my fists came up automatically
into a boxer's stance. As I looked across, I was not shocked to
find Danni had done the same. Clearly, both of us were too far
over the edge to realize the stupidity of what we were doing.
Either that, or maybe we just needed this. Either way, it was a
long way from over.
As we closed on each other, I shot my left out, jabbing at
Danni's face. She caught it easily on her guard, and responded
with a short left hook to my exposed side. I slipped left to
avoid the blow, but only just barely. Unfortunately, my office
is a hell of a lot smaller than a boxing ring, and I realized
too late that I had trapped myself in the corner. Danni flashed
her jab, and I caught it easily. But, there was no room to
maneuver as her follow-up hook ripped into my side. I fought
through the pain, lashing out with a right-hook aimed at her
head. She caught my fist cleanly enough, but I followed through,
smashing my elbow into the side of her face. She staggered back
and I saw my chance. I chased after her, hoping the end was
near. But, this is Danni Harris we're talking about. She got her
legs under her and snapped a crisp jab into the center of my
face. I felt a pop and there was no mistaking that warm feeling
on my face for anything other than what it was... blood pouring
out of my freshly broken nose. My momentum carried me into Danni
and we both careened into the door once again. I tried to gather
myself but Danni was faster, and this time it was your's truly
who found herself with her left arm bent awkwardly behind her
back. Danni, however, was much more thorough than I had been.
Using my arm for leverage, she kept me pressed against the door
and off balance. Careful to steer clear of my free hand, she
positioned herself just off my left shoulder. I struggled for a
moment, but quickly realized there was no legal way for me to
get free. Of course, this wasn't a cage, and there was no ref.
I braced my foot against the damaged door frame and snapped my
head left, driving the top of my skull into Danni's face. There
was a satisfying crunch that told me we were now even in the
nose department. She stumbled away and I knew this was probably
going to be my last hope of coming out on top. I lashed out with
my right foot, catching her behind the left knee. The joint
folded instantly and Danni collapsed to her knees. I stayed on
her, coming up from behind and looking to lock in a choke hold.
Any other fighter, I would have had it. But, oh that Danni...
Almost automatically, her left arm came up. The result was that
I was able to lock on the hold, but Danni's arm ended up between
my arm and her neck. So, while she wasn't able to get free, I
wasn't able to get any pressure on her throat. Stalemate. Danni
struggled to get back to her feet, literally dragging me along.
But, there was no way I was going to let that happen. Before she
knew it, I had my legs wrapped around her torso with my feet
hooked between her legs to keep her from making use of them. I
squeezed as hard as I could, but I just couldn't get enough into
it with my feet hooked like that. If I let her legs go,
though... I had a pretty good idea that she was going to regain
her feet and start slamming me all around the room. Stalemate,
part deux.
This is the point where the ref would step in and stand us both
up. With that option unavailable, it quickly became apparent we
were stuck. Danni struggled mightily to get free, but I fought
back just as hard. After a few moments, I felt Danni go slack in
my arms. I loosened my grip, but did not let go.
"Are we done?" I asked quietly.
"Yeah," was the simple response.
I released her, but neither of us moved. Slowly, we both became
aware of the situation. A fight that seemed to have taken hours
had actually lasted barely more than a minute, so the cavalry
was only just arriving. I could hear the footsteps as someone
flew full tilt toward the office. And, then... BOOM. A body hit
the door, but it refused to open. Now that Danni wasn't trying
to kill me, I got a look at the damaged entryway. Apparently, we
hit it a lot harder than I'd realized. The locking mechanism and
catch plate were a bent, mangled mess. Nobody was going to be
going through that door for a while.
"What the f*ck?" came the stunned voice from the other side as
whoever it was rattled the knob. "Hey! Are you guys OK in
there?" Britney.
"Yeah, we're fine," I called back.
"The f*ck you are. This door looks like somebody hit it with a
boulder."
I looked at Danni and we both shrugged. Sounds about right.
"What the f*ck is going on in there?" Elisha, now.
"Everything's fine," I responded. "Just find somebody to fix the
door."
There was a moment of stunned silence and I could picture both
of them standing on the other side of the door, contemplating
demanding the real truth behind the situation.
Guys..." I called out.
"Alright! Alright! We'll find someone!" Britney shot back,
annoyed that I had been reading her mind.
"But, we're gonna want the whole story when you guys get outta
there," Elisha chimed in.
Great.
With little else going on, I looked over at Danni. She was a
mess, her face and shirt covered in blood from her shattered
nose. I looked down at myself. Not much better... my shirt
stained crimson from my own blood, and my arm covered in blood
that I could only guess was Danni's. I stood up and made my way
behind my desk. The word "behind" is kind of relative in this
case, as the desk was no longer oriented the way I'd originally
placed it. Most of what had been on it was now scattered
throughout the room, along with books and files that had
cascaded down from the bookshelves. The place looked good. My
laptop clung desperately to life as it teetered precariously on
the edge of the desk. I shoved it to safety as I waded through
the debris. Retrieving a roll of paper towels from my desk
drawer, I tore off a wad and tossed the roll to Danni. We looked
like quite the pair, each of us with a ball of paper towels
pressed to our face as we stood amongst the detritus of my
office.
Finally, Danni swept the debris off of one of my guest chairs
and sat down heavily. I came around and did the same with the
other, clearing away books and papers. I reached down and picked
up what was left of my Mickey Mouse mug, a souvenir from my last
trip to Disney World. I stared at it for a moment as if I had no
idea what it was. Then, I callously flipped it over my shoulder,
the already broken ceramic shattering into unrecognizable
pieces.
Oh, well. Just have to go back and get another one.
"So," I said as I plopped down beside RSI's team leader. "Feel
better?"
"I do," she replied, her voice nasally and muffled as a result
of the broken nose and the aforementioned towel wad. "That was
quite a stress release."
I laughed and nodded. "That it was."
After another moment, Danni gave voice to a matter I had no
doubt she was going to bring up. "So, uh... you handled yourself
pretty well there, mi querida."
Oh, good... endearments en espanol.
"I held my own, I guess," I replied coyly.
She opened her mouth to ask for more details, but I was saved by
a knock at the door.
"I called Jimmy and he said he's on his way," Britney said. "He
was out on a job, though. He said it'll be about an hour before
he even gets here."
I groaned. "OK," I replied. "Not much much else we can do."
Britney was quiet for a moment, and I knew what was coming next.
"So, you guys want to explain..."
"NO!" Danni and I replied in unison.
Obviously, Britney wanted to hear the whole story, and I was
certain we'd eventually have to tell her. But, neither of us
really felt like doing it through the door.
"OK," Britney called back. "But, I'm going to keep aggravating
you until you tell me. Just so you know."
Yeah... we know.
Once Britney was gone, I jumped in before Danni could continue
on the previous topic.
"So," I said, gesturing toward the destroyed door, "looks like
we'll be here for a while. Tell me about Steph."
She laughed. "Maybe we shouldn't. I'm pretty sure that's how
this got started in the first place."
I smiled back at her and waited.
Danni blew out a sigh, and said, "What do you really know about
her?"
"Almost nothing," I said. "I think we've established that."
"Do you realize that she's not just some former wrestler? She's
an executive over there."
I shrugged. "What does that mean? Her father is the head of the
whole thing, right?"
Danni shook her head. "You're doing it again. She's not just
Daddy's Little Wrestler Girl. She's so much more."
Apparently, after Steph and Danni had their little, uh...
discussion, Danni made it her mission to get a clearer picture
of who Steph is. And, during the hour that followed, she shared
it all with me. Chief Brand Officer of the WWE. Head of the
WWE's NXT development program. Regular at WWE charity events,
including a recent joint event with the Sandy Hook Community
Foundation, where she helped build a new memorial playground.
Clearly, there was much more to Stephanie McMahon than I had
realized.
"So, now you see why she might have felt like quitting," Danni
said finally. "We grew this whole organization, and we left one
of our greatest assets completely out of the picture. Hell, we
didn't even know how great an asset she was. We blew it."
I sat sullenly, not knowing how to respond.
"We didn't even make her the leader of one of the teams," Danni
lamented.
"Hey!" I said. "Britney and Elisha were your idea!"
"I said 'we,'" she shot back.
I touched my hand to the bridge of my sore, swollen nose. Funny.
That's not what she said just before she punched me in the face.
As we sat in silence, I looked around at the state of my office.
How was I ever going to find anything again? Not that it
mattered. Most of it was just junk. In fact, the only important
thing in there right now was those... holy sh*t. I looked over
at the corner of my desk, where I had left the release paperwork
for Leanna, Holly and Jamie Lynn. By some miracle, they were
still there, seemingly the only thing left undisturbed. I turned
toward Danni.
"You said Steph is head of the WWE's developmental program,
right?"
"Yeah. Why?" she replied.
I smiled. "Because I just realized we could use a little
developing of our own."
I shared my plan with Danni, who seemed quite pleased with the
idea.
Before long, Britney knocked again. "Jimmy just called. He said
he'll be here in about 10 minutes, or so. You guys need
anything? Something to eat, maybe?"
I stared at the door. "How are you going to give us something to
eat, dummy? The door's stuck."
"I could pass it through the window... dummy."
God damn. The window.
"No, we're good," I called back to Britney as I locked eyes with
Danni. Clearly, she had the same idea I had. The window to my
office was just big enough for us to squeeze through, and my
office was on the ground floor. Escape was now possible. And we
wouldn't even have to face Britney and Elisha. Not until
tomorrow, anyway. Without a word, I grabbed my keys and we
headed for sweet freedom.
"I think we both need some medical attention," she said as she
slipped out into the bushes.
I waggled my cell phone at her. "I'll call Dr. Leone from the
road and have her meet us somewhere."
"Trish is gonna go ballistic when she finds out what happened,"
she replied.
"Pffft! Wait until Britney and Elisha find out."
As we made our way to my car, Danni got back to the subject of
my combative skills.
"Richelle," she said, grabbing my arm firmly to keep me from
evading her again. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
I shrugged. "I grew up in a house with three brothers. A girl
has to learn to defend herself."
The lie sounded plausible to me, but Danni wasn't buying it.
"Richelle," she said again.
I sighed and relented... at least, a little. "What? You think I
just woke up one day and thought, 'Hey! I think I'd like to be
the head of a women's MMA fighting organization?' You don't
think maybe I knew a little something before I did this?"
"You were a fighter?" she asked.
"Of a sort," I replied without explanation.
"In the UMMA?"
"There was no UMMA when I was fighting."
Danni stopped and considered this puzzle. "Well, where then?"
I shook my arm loose from her grip. "Sorry, Harris. Twenty
questions is over for today. Now, let's get out of here before
somebody catches us."
As I went to start the car, I realized Danni was just sitting in
the passenger seat, staring at me.
"You know I'm gonna find out, right?"
God, I hope not.
The next day, I called Stephanie into my office as soon as she
arrived. Though she eyed my heavily taped nose and blackened
eyes with bewilderment, I give her credit for knowing enough not
to say anything. I gestured her into a chair - which was now
easily accessible after a morning of throwing everything in
boxes that would likely end up curbside - and got right to the
point.
"Stephanie, I want to offer you a management position here at
RSI."
Here eyes narrowed and her expression hardened. "Danni made you
do this, didn't she? I don't want some pity promotion."
I waved her off. "I spoke to Danni, yes. But, the fact is," I
said as I tossed a folder containing the release forms into her
lap, "we need someone to handle recruitment and development here
at RSI. And, I understand you have experience."
Her expression brightened at the thought, but she still eyed me
suspiciously. "Is this for real?"
I gestured toward the folder. "We just lost three members of the
RSI family. In each case, the problem is that I failed to
realize I was blowing it. I need someone who's better at this
than I am, and I think that someone is you."
She considered the offer for a moment, still not sure if I was
simply trying to appease her.
"OK, I'll do it," she said finally. "But only on one condition."
Stephanie McMahon, business woman. "I want full control over the
decision making process."
I shook my head. "Sorry, no deal. I didn't start this
organization so I could sit around and watch everybody else run
the show. It's my company, and I'll decide who I want to be a
part of it."
She got up to leave, but I motioned her to sit back down.
"The best I can offer is that you can operate on your own. You
decide who to recruit and how to go about it. When the time
comes, you make the proposal to me. I'll decide yes or no. And,
I'm not promoting you to this position so I can tell you no all
the time."
She sat back and thought some more, then nodded her agreement.
And, just like that, Stephanie McMahon became the head of RSI's
new Fighter Development Program. With nothing else to say, she
thanked me and headed for the door.
"Steph," I said quietly. "That park you built the other day.
What was the kid's name?"
"Ana," she said without a moment's hesitation. "Ana Grace."
Danni was right, as usual. Stephanie was far, far more than I
gave her credit for.
"I'm sorry, Steph," I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.
"I'm sorry I didn't take the time to get to know you better."
She paused a moment, then turned to face me. "Don't worry about
it," she said with a smile and a wink. "I'll find a way to make
you pay."
Awesome.
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