Page 106 – Executive Decisions
Happy Labor Day to all of my American readers, and a happy day to everyone else! 🙂
We take a short break from the match to find out what is going on in the Executive Skybox as well as what happened with Krystin and Brooke after their thrashing at the hands of The Catgirls (back on page 91). Seems our Upstart girls are still feeling the effects of that one sided match and are only now coming out of it.
Gabrielle is happy with the commercial success of Sabrina, almost putting a higher mark on that, then any ring success that Sabrina has had. On the one hand, Gabrielle compliments Sabrina on her work ethic and charisma but is non-committal on Sabrina’s chances of actually beating Loretta.
However, seems that Commissioner Gabrielle wants to have a ‘talk’ with Brooke and judging from Michael’s reaction, it won’t be the next T-shirt design for Brooke. And not to play it close to the vest, its exactly the kind of talk that you think it is, so this could be the beginning of the end for Brooke. Maybe Brooke makes it out of the arena in time before Michael can drop the summons on her. Maybe.
Poor Brooke. And poor Sabrina. That sort of talk almost always causes the victim to turn a dark eye on the person they blame for getting the talk. From Brooke’s attitude, she’ll blame Sabrina for making her look bad and take it out on everyone’s favorite Ultragirl.
On the flip side, I can see we may get to look at the ‘Definition of Technician’ at work if she blames Brooke as much as the Commish is about to and gets a match to pay Brooke back for getting her whipped with her unwillingness to work on a plan.
Yes, I blame Brooke for their loss because of page 87. Proves it was Brooke that didn’t even try and work on a plan. I -like- technical wrestlers so I want to see Krystin get a chance to shine. Beating Brooke because of hewr cockiness would be a great way to see it. 😀
Happy Labor Day to you, too!
Salazen, good idea, Krystin vs. Brooke. That would make for an interesting fight. GO BROOKE! 😛 Just kidding! 😛 I’d root for Krystin in that one.
-A. mouse
Rival Angel’s Executive Sky box? how many skybox do the angel dome have? Chloe did rented a skybox last time, could it be that there are many skybox in the angle dome? looking back episode 58 Commissioner Gabrielle got in a skybox, the same night episode 70 Hell’s Belle in the skybox?
Panel1 : “If half of my roster had her work ethic”? Commissioner Gabrielle is really favoring Sabrina.. by the way, is Commossioner Gabrielle saying that the Hell’s Belle, Sun, Sara Valentine saying that their not as good as Sabrina? piff…
Panel 2: “Mancini project?” what? I got a bad feeling of this… calling her a project like “Weapon X” project or will use her for bad scheme..
Panel 2: “Ultragirl T-shirt debut at number 9.. whose number 1? Hell’s Belle T-shirt I hope… why is Commissioner Gabrielle focusing only, and only Sabrina.. Sun is good, and better wrestler than Sabrina, if without Sun. Sabrina will lose the on her second match.. think about it, episode 59, Sun attack Krystin in which it prevented the spike vertebreaker. and “Ninja Princess T-shirt” are good product..
Panel 3-5: hmmm.. I wonder what’s on Commissioner Gabrielle mind? hmmm.. “YOU’RE FIRED!!” (McMahon voice) hmmm… I hope Commissioner Gabrielle won’t fire Brooke. instead fire Krystin. hahah
Panel 6: what’s that bubbles? on top of Brooke and Krystin?
Panel 7: Brooke’s word.. it’s seem cold and sad… could it be Brooke packing her bags and leaving the arena, then go back to the apartment pack her bags and leave. she quit Rival Angels 🙁 I hope not.. there will be no more “Ultraboobs” 🙁
or could it be, Brooke will interfer the match, kinda like get a steel chair pound Loretta.. so Sabrina will have one loss. or maybe Brooke will destroy Sabrina’s left arm on the spot even though it will cost a dq Sabrina entering the tournament but with a damage left arm.
Or maybe begged the Hell’s Belle to join their stable.. hahha..
Looking at Panel 7: Sabrina’s is still in trouble.. hahahahha 😀
Come On Ultragirl Tap… Tap….Come on Ultragirl Tap out…
Gabrielle is a businesswoman. Basically, she could care less about who wins a match or even a title. (And technically, she shouldn’t care too much either – she’s supposed to be the neutral party…)
What she does care about is money: Ticket sales, merchendizing sales, TV advertizing and PPV-subscriptions. And to ensure all of that to materialize, she needs two things: Capable Wrestlers and Popular Wrestlers. And Ultragirl is both capable and popular, so yeah, she does deserve the special attention of the commissioner.
As to the ‘talk’ with Brooke, I don’t expect Gabrielle to fire Brooke outright. As Albone wrote earlier, the four girls were specifically picked to live together and have their debuts together. Gabrielle has a plan for all four of them. This plan does not have to include keeping them all in the league for good, but I think Brooke has still got a part to play before she can be disposed of.
Perhaps Gabrielle is giving Brooke the Rick Flair deal: “The next match you lose will have been your last match in this league.” That ought to put some pressure on Brooke and cause her to accelerate any plans she may have to sabotage Sabrina’s demise.
NOOOOO! Dont get rid of Brooke!! Shes one of the best characters in the comic. Get rid of Kristen or Sun!
To quote and agree with MGC, RA needs “Ultra boobs” heh heh 🙂
Brooke needs to do one of two things if she gets a second chance
1) Stay as she is (which doesnt appear to be working…)
2) Go all evil and heel like – with her power she could easily destroy most girls in matches, kinda like an beth phoenix or victoria character 🙂 Plus i wanna see her pin Sabrina… talk about the mother of all grudge matches!
Although it looks like Sabrina is still in trouble *yay* Im not a huge fan of submissions but imagine Loretta locking on a crossface in the middle of the ring after shes punished that arm. Sabrina would TAP TAP TAP
Great page though Alb, always look forward to updates 🙂
(IMO) I really won’t count this tag team match is a loss for Brooke.. Brooke can into Rival Angels as individual not as a tag team, Commission Gabrielle made Krystin and Brooke as tag team, so definitely Tag team in another category. and basically Brooke almost won the fatal four way, she is the who dominate the match even she got pin..
it’s unfair to Brooke, Commissioner Gabrielle gave that match, as Albone said. Catgirls VS Krystin and Brooke was a mismatch, and the advantage to the catgirls.. how about giving Sabrina a mismatch..
“Ultragirl” Sabrina Mancini VS Hell’s Belle in a Hell in Cell (no one will help Sabrina) and then giving Sabrina a straight loss, let her feel what Brooke’s feeling right now..
It’s nice Comissioner Gabrielle made a match.. Brooke VS Sabrina (if Brooke loss she’ll be fired!!) if Sabrina loss she won’t get the chance to participate the TV Tournament.. will Sabrina sacrifice herself to let Brooke so Brooke will still be part of Rival ANegls or Sabrina’s ego will just go over and steam rolled Brooke.
eventhough with a loss, Brooke is a great entertainer…”Get ready to get DeClawed” hahaha 😀
Maybe a Cheer for Brooke..
WE WANT BROOKE
WE WANT BROOKE
WE WANT BROOKE
Fire Krystin.. my opinion.. Fire Krystin… looking at the fatal four way, she didn’t dominate and made great there, and in the tag team match.. Krystin didn’t help Brooke, she could say “hold on Brooke, I’ll save you” .. Fire Krystin…
maybe another addition upstart.. to replace Krystin..
maybe Fire Commission Gabrielle…
I’m looking for a slight twist… I don’t think an outright firing is in order, but she’s going to make it clear that things can’t be going the same as they have for Brooke as they are.
After all, the match with the Catgirls? Gabrielle set it up. She KNEW that Brooke and Krystin would get whupped… basically two girls with little experience and NO experience as a tag team against one of the best teams in the league? Squash city, and Gabrielle knew it.
Basically, and here’s my shot in the dark, I think Gabrielle is going to want to set up an outright heel turn for Brooke on Sabrina. Why? Feuds get the crowd involved. They make money. She has to know Brooke has talent, and setting up a strong rivalry with Sabrina would get the crowd that much more interested. She made a good showing in the fatal four way, and I don’t doubt she’s been keeping an eye on the deteriorating relationship between her and Sabrina. I think she wants to get something out of her investment in Brooke (as all the wrestlers are an investment).
Basically, I’m seeing this as ‘last chance’ for Brooke. She’ll be given an opportunity here, and it’s up to her to make it or break it. After all, a great babyface needs a great heel, and vice versa. As Roddy Piper said to Hulk Hogan, “They cheered you so much because they hated me so much.”
Sure, the tag-team match against the catgirls was a pure set-up, and nobody with half a brain seriously expected Brooke and Krystin to win that one.
But I bet Commissioner Gabrielle expected them to put up more of a fight than they did. The upstarts went into that match with lots of attitude, but without a clue what to actually do.
Marina admonished Sabrina for not trying hard enough. Quite possibly, she was sent by Gabrielle to say that. And the two previous matches were perfect examples for what she meant: Sun went into her match with a plan and with the will to dominate her opponent – and she did! Brooke and Krystin went into their match as if they had it already won – and they suffered a beating.
However, it’s interesting that it’s now Brooke who is summoned to have a ‘talk’ with the Commissioner. After all it was Kristin who demanded so much attention after losing the Rookie Rumble…
Salazen, I know that Sabrina and Brooke’s relationship doesn’t need more turmoil, and yet, that looks like what we’re heading for. There’s still a lot of space filled with ‘what if,’ for Brooke’s future with Rival Angels.
More Krystin you say? This loss to The Catgirls is going to have… long lasting repercussions for Krystin’s future too. I think Gabrielle would lean your way in regards to Krystin and Brooke, that Krystin wanted to have a game plan, but then again, the end result is what Gabrielle is concerned with. More to come with that. I think Krystin and Brooke would be a great match. Hmmmm….
Thanks A. Mouse! Another call for Krystin vs Brooke. I think it’d be a good match…. 😉
MGC, the Angel Dome has over 2 dozen skyboxes, that seat 20 and 40 and then there are Super Suites that can sit up to 80 people. Gabrielle has several skyboxes just for her and the administration while the Hell’s Belles rent one at a discounted price. In Panel 1, Gabrielle isn’t saying that Sabrina is better than anyone, she’s just commenting on Sabrina’s work ethic and for someone in Gabrielle’s position, its important to gauge that sort of thing. The bubbles over Krystin and Brooke’s heads were to indicate that they’re sort of bewildered and non plussed after their loss. I really couldn’t think of a better way to indicate that. 😛 As far as WHERE Brooke is going, its a safe bet that we’ll find out next update…!
I can tell you really like Brooke. 🙂 And as far as why doesn’t Gabrielle TALK with Krystin, who’s to say that she doesn’t plan on it?
JackAce, I think you have a good feel for the Rival Angels climate and you got it right about Gabrielle’s job. It’s essentially to further the Rival Angels product, which is why she’s so excited about the crowd response and T-shirt sales and concerned with work ethic. And who knows just what’s going to be said when Gabrielle and Brooke have their talk, but it will be very serious.
And good observations about the repercussions of the tag match. Brooke and Krystin went into their match unprepared and it showed. I just made a mention of this, but there’s definitely nothing saying that Krystin won’t be having a TALK with Gabrielle in the future, especially stemming from their tag team loss.
Matt, another Brooke fan! Maybe Brooke won’t run into Michael then, eh? 😛 Thanks for the kind words, Matt, it’ll be interesting to know how you receive the next update. !!
Adon, you would make a great jedi with your instincts and to say any more would kind of spoil the future surprises. And you’re right about a feud between Sabrina and Brooke would be a money maker, though Gabrielle would want to build up to that because right now, the fans don’t think much of Brooke, outside of her huge boobs. The Roddy Piper quote is money, and so true.
Oh, agreed that Brooke will need to establish herself as a player before feuding with Sabrina. If anything, Gabrielle may use a programme against Sabrina as an incentive to motivate Brooke.
“You want a piece of her? Prove you deserve it. So far you haven’t got a win to your name. Change that, and I may be willing to give you a shot at showing you’re better than her.”
Gabrielle likely doesn’t care who comes out on top there. An old wrestling truism is that a great feud will elevate both wrestlers. Ricky Steamboat once gave a lecture to a group of rookie wrestlers where he discussed how he had wrestled Ric Flair dozens of times, but then asked them if they knew how many times he’d won. It turned out none remembered, and he revealed it was only a handful. But the thing was, it didn’t matter in the end because the matches were so good that the crowd never stopped believing that Steamboat COULD beat Flair at any given moment, and in the end it showed them both to be great wrestlers who needed to be on their A game against each other.
Another shot in the dark… I’m going to hedge a bet that Brooke will somehow cost Sabrina the television title. Do a run-in when she’s taking one of the Hell’s Belles and interfere, knocking her out of the tournament. This would do a couple of things… mainly put her on the map as a heel, as costing someone a title shot is definitely fightin’ words in wrestling. Plus, it would give her an ‘in’ with the Belles. Up until now, they could care less about her but if she did something FOR them? Especially of her own initiative? If she’s improved her standing as a wrestler at that point they may give her a second look.
thinking about it again, I don’t think Brooke will be fired.. coz it’s depend of the contract they’ve sign.. Let’s say Brooke have one year contract to the Rival ANgels.. even though with a 3 loss straight, I don’t think she’s gonna get release.. it depend on the contract is stated.. if Brooke can be release. if the contract stated wrestler can release, I think Brooke is planning on it. if not, Brooke want to be release from Rival Angels
But I don’t think Commissioner Gabrielle will fire Brooke.. Brooke has the most expirience in the development territory. I think Commissioner Gabrielle will say to Brooke “Sit out on the next Monday Night Meltdown, and plan out your next move, if you want issue a challenge go for it. Just entertain the fans” it’s like you won’t have a match yet, but think of plan that will blow the audience heads off, Raise some hell and chaos in the ring something like that..
maybe letting Brooke be herself.. that’s the wave most talent get over with be in herself with the volume turn all the way up.. Like WWE create “StoneCold” Steve Austin or “The Rock”
Albone: “…its a safe bet that we’ll find out next update…!” vile man! 😛 At least it’ll be in the next update, so we won’t have to wait too long.
As to Brooke vs. Sabrina, I think Brooke would want to be careful so that Sabrina won’t know she doesn’t like her. If Sabrina found out that Brooke disliked her that would ruin Her plans to use Vincent against Sabrina. I can’t imagine Sabrina believing any thing Brooke said, if she knew how Brooke really felt about her.
-A. mouse
hmmm..
Panel 6 and 7: Only Krystin and Brooke? where’s the “Shinobi” “Lil Dragon” Sun? on Episode 20 I notice they’re all together in the same locker room.. now Sun’s match is finsh why she’s not with them? I estimate Loretta is working on that arm staring last panel of episode 105.. Loretta is been working of that arm around 35 seconds already..
I wonder if other wrestlers like the Catgirls are in the same locker room with Brooke and Krystin? coz looking from that panel 6 .. there 6 locker behind Brooke and another 6 behind Krystin.. four of them belong to the upstart girls, then I think one belongs to Marina. coz looking at episode 90, Marina went in there.. so I guess Marina has one locker..
hmmm.. I wonder if the Hell’s Belle share the same locker room? or maybe the Hell’s Belle have suite locker room? 😀
Only Krystin and Brooke? where’s the “Shinobi†“Lil Dragon†Sun? on Episode 20 I notice they’re all together in the same locker room.. now Sun’s match is finsh why she’s not with them?
In the shower?
One thing about all the Brooke-&-Hell’s-Belles-vs.-Sabrina speculations:
At the moment, Brooke has no idea that an open move against Sabrina might endear the Hell’s Belles to her. In episode 31 the Hell’s Belles even offered Sabrina a membership in their team while outright turning down Brooke. So there’s not really any reason for Brooke to expect that antagonizing Sabrina would help her to get the Belles’ favorable oppinion.
Likewise, the Hell’s Belles have no way of knowing about Brooke’s antipathy against Sabrina (and neither does Gabrielle, although she might be in a position to expect such antipathy).
They turned down Brooke because she hadn’t done anything to garner their attention. She wasn’t getting the push Sabrina was, and she hadn’t won any matches in Rival Angels. But… if she were to cost Sabrina a match against a Hell’s Belle and in the process ensures that they win the TV title? That would at the very least pique their interest I think. Remember, it would be done in a manner where the Belles couldn’t help but notice, as it would happen right in front of them. Even better if she does it in a manner like tossing one of the Belles a chair or something to use.
Nothing is set in stone in wrestling. The Belles turned her down flat? Then she has to do something to change their minds about her. Giving up after the first try is a guaranteed failure, and frankly Brooke doesn’t have anywhere to go but up from here.
But… if she were to cost Sabrina a match against a Hell’s Belle and in the process ensures that they win the TV title? That would at the very least pique their interest I think.
I’m pretty sure it would!
The point I was trying to make was that Brooke doesn’t know this.
Man, so many great observations, comments and ideas going on. I purposefully have refrained from commenting because I don’t want to accidentally spoil anything. Whoooo, Steamboat and Flair has some great matches! I started watching wrestling in 1987 and more often than not, I enjoyed the NWA more than WWF. Steamboat was criminally underused in the WWF.
Where’s Sun? The very next time we see her, it should give an indication what she’s been up to. As far as locker rooms, there’s not enough for everyone to have their own, but some of the ‘bigger’ names have their own locker room. Other girls have to share.
Brooke definitely doesn’t want Sabrina to know how much she dislikes her and she feels that Vincent is still her ace in the hole in getting rid of Sabrina and possibly engendering support from the Administration. Even when Brooke isn’t thinking about the Hell’s Belles, she’s thinking about them but not in the ways you might suspect.
Know for sure? Of course not. But it’s a reasonable guess. She doesn’t know they hate Sabrina, but everyone knows they want the TV title — they did a promo at the beginning of the show to that effect. Helping them get it is plenty for her to go on in that regard. From her perspective (presuming that it ends up Sabrina vs. a Hell’s Belle in a TV title match):
1) I want to hurt Sabrina. Costing her the belt will do that.
2) I want to be a Hell’s Belle. But right now they don’t care about me. They want the belt? Hmm….
3) Good twofer for me! I screw Sabrina over AND help the Belles get something they want. The former gives me personal satisfaction, the latter helps my career (since the Belles are the top heel stable). It also gets me more noticed by the crowd — maybe they wouldn’t love me, but being hated as a heel is kind of the point, right?