Author's note:
I'm trying something different again here. It's going to be a story which is written as though you're watching a TV documentary. I've previously managed to pull off a story which was written as a podcast, so I'm backing myself to do a good job with this one too. I hope you guys enjoy it, and as always feel free to leave feedback.
Just a couple of brief points to note before we get started:
1) Thea's narration will be in italics to make things a little clearer.
2) In the world that this story is set in, all WWE programming is rated TV-14.
Introduction
"Ah, Ronda, just the person I wanted to see. Have you got a minute?"
Ronda Rousey had only been at the arena where WWE's Survivor Series pay-per-view was to be held for a matter of minutes. All she had managed to do so far was stop by her locker room to leave her case. What she wanted to say in response to the question was that she didn't have a minute because she was on the way to the bathroom, but that wasn't an option, not when the person asking was the CEO of WWE, Stephanie McMahon.
"Hey, Steph, what's up?" Ronda asked, turning to face one of her two bosses.
"Good to have you back," Stephanie smiled. "How's the calf? All healed up, I hope?"
"It's good. I'm ready to go," Ronda said easily, although she found herself thinking that it was stating the obvious because she wouldn't have been there if her right leg was still giving her pain.
"Great," Stephanie said, and then got down to business, clapping her hands together to emphasise the change in subject. It was a mannerism Ronda had seen from Hunter many times before. "The documentary we talked about a few weeks ago. You remembered that we planned to start filming it the night of your return, right?"
"Sure," Ronda said, with some genuine excitement. "So what's the deal?"
"We've hired a presenter for it. She'll be doing narration, asking you questions from time to time, that kind of thing."
"Okay. When do I meet her?" Ronda asked.
"Soon," Stephanie said. "We want your first meeting to be one of the first scenes of the documentary, so I'll have her and the cameraman come and find you in your locker room in a bit. Her name is Thea Trinidad. I think you'll like her."
"I'd better, if she's going to be following me around for a month," Ronda quipped. "Listen, I've got to get to the bathroom, Steph. I'll catch up with you later or something."
"Alright," Stephanie nodded, seemingly pleased with how the brief conversation had gone.
Ronda had started to walk away, but she turned around and asked, "This all access thing. It doesn't include them filming me taking a shit, does it?"
Stephanie's nose wrinkled in distaste at that. "No, I think we can leave that out," she said, shaking her head a little. She knew Ronda had probably been trying for that exact reaction. She could be impossible at times.
"Alright then," Ronda said, laughing at the discomfort that she had caused for her boss. "Let's get the show on the road."
As she turned and headed back to the office that she shared with her husband, which was where Thea and her cameraman were currently getting themselves ready to start filming, Stephanie let out a sigh. Personally, she had always found Ronda hard to work with and manage, even though they had come to find some respect for each other after getting off to a very rocky start when Ronda had joined the company. Thankfully, Hunter seemed to be able to deal with Ronda a lot easier than she could, so she would often leave him to it.
What wasn't in doubt was that the WWE Universe would love the new show, which was to be titled Ronda Rousey: Revolutionary. Although it had always somewhat mystified Stephanie, Ronda's popularity with the fans was undeniable. She wasn't just the most popular woman on the roster, she was one of the most popular stars in the whole company. An unprecedented look into the life of a WWE star was a sure-fire hit as a concept, before considering that the star in question was Ronda.
In a way, it had surprised Stephanie that Ronda had been keen to go ahead when the idea had been pitched to her, but then she had reasoned that no one liked publicity more than Ronda did. If Stephanie wanted to be critical, she could have said that Ronda had more talent for managing her public image than she did as a wrestler, and certainly more than did as an actress, if any of the three movies that she'd starred in to date were anything to judge by. When all was said and done though, Rousey meant ratings and subscribers for WWE, and therefore the new show could only be a good thing.
Opening the door to her office and walking in, Stephanie saw that Thea was almost ready to go. "Ronda's here," she announced. "Give it ten minutes or so, then you can go find her in her locker room and make a start."
