“How did I let them talk me into this?”
Simon groans as he flops onto the bed in his Seattle hotel room, staring at the ceiling in frustration.
Ever since he was a kid, Simon had been obsessed with professional wrestling. He would watch every show he could, play the video games, collect merchandise, and even try to perform some of the moves with his friends—sometimes with painful results. One of his most cherished childhood memories was when his father took him to see WrestleMania live, an experience that cemented his lifelong passion for the sport.
His love for wrestling never faded, and after completing his journalism degree, Simon decided to turn his passion into something more. Along with a few of his closest friends—who were just as enthusiastic about wrestling as he was—he launched a podcast called 1-2-3 Wrestling News. The show covered everything from match results and backstage rumors to wrestler interviews and industry analysis. Despite being a relatively new podcast, they had already built up a respectable following, and things were looking promising for their future.
This week, however, was a massive moment for professional wrestling. Several major promotions—WWE, AEW, TNA, ROH, and more—were all hosting their own women’s wrestling events in the city of Seattle , celebrating the industry’s female superstars with a stacked lineup of matches. It was a historic milestone, and 1-2-3 Wrestling News had to be there to cover it.
Naturally, someone from their team needed to attend. Simon fully expected one of his friends to volunteer, but to his surprise, all of them conveniently claimed to be “too busy” for the assignment. Before he knew it, they had pressured him into flying out there , much to his dismay.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be there—far from it. Simon loved women’s wrestling. The problem was that he had a serious issue talking to women he found attractive. He had a habit of stuttering, freezing up, or making a complete fool of himself whenever he was around them. And now, he was about to spend an entire weekend surrounded by some of the most talented, charismatic, and drop-dead gorgeous female wrestlers in the world.
It didn’t help that he wasn’t exactly a fan of his own appearance. At 25 years old, standing at 5’9”, Simon had pale skin, curly ginger hair, and a face full of freckles. He wore black glasses, a retainer in his mouth, and had the overall look of what most people would call a stereotypical nerd. Sure, some might find it endearing, maybe even cute, but he highly doubted any of the female wrestlers would see him as anything other than awkward and out of place.
“Get a hold of yourself,” he muttered, running a hand through his messy curls. “You’re not asking them out. You’re just here to do your job. You can do this.”
With a deep breath, Simon sat up, adjusting his glasses as he pondered his next move.
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