James Casey

15 months into a game playing as RPW on the 1997 mod, and I've finally broken 0.01 for TV ratings - my TV show jumped from about 4k viewers to 7.5k off the back of a good monthly event. I've barely played TEW in over a year, and only a handful of shows on 2020 at all, so I'm almost having to learn to play from scratch, especially as RPW's product is so different to what I'm used to running. But I'm having a lot of fun booking an hour of TV a week and just concentrating on gradually improving my small indy roster - that just happens to include Tom Gilmore, Rich Money, Brent Hill, Chris Morrisette and Steve Flash, among other CV stalwarts.

Thanks!

I'm negotiating a broadcast deal for my monthly events. Just to be clear, where the revenue split says 10/20/30% etc. to the company... The company is my company, not the broadcasting company, is that correct?

To answer my own question, AMW went bankrupt in November after about 9 months in the red. They were a Small company, and had received financial warnings 8 weeks and 4 weeks before they were declared bankrupt. Naturally, I now have XFW who've raised all their production levels to match mine, with music one level above mine. They have 400k in the bank and are turning a profit every month off the back of weekly attendances of 1,200 where I'm hurting from fortnightly 300 attendances. I wonder if switching to weekly TV shows would hurt or help? I'll have to check back whether that's going to cost me twice as much in production costs as I know someone set that out a while back.

That sounds like a bug - although maybe the MMA company doesn't have a concussion protocol!

Thanks Historian. I've gone up 1-2% now, so slow progress even with weekly shows - but it is happening. Any idea how long a company needs to be in the red to go bankrupt? I have 2 months ahead of me before I dip into the red. AMW have been in the red since February (it's now September) but they actually turned a four figure profit last month. Even if they crash in the next two months, PPPW have Production Values and Music equal to mine - although they've recently doubled their production costs and trebled their worker costs, so they're running into the red at the same point we are.

<p>Is there any way to gain popularity when you're not winning a regional battle?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> In my RPW game on the 97 mod I typically finish behind DAVE in the Mid Atlantic and Tri State battles. Fair enough - they have Vengeance, who's worth about 150% of any wrestler I have under contract. But between that and being behind AMW on one production category, my shows are penalised every time and I'm only just hovering over the 35 threshold to drop from Small to Tiny.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> I have Dark Eagle (hopefully!) coming in to push up our show ratings beyond 50 which we seem to now be hitting fairly consistently, but we're taking heavy losses each month trying to offset AMW's crazy production levels. And yes, I know that AMW are fated to go bankrupt eventually (they're losing about 100k a month vs. our 50k) but I'm currently fighting to stand still until they do, and while they're still solvent I can't drop my production levels as I'll still be losing money.</p>

Thanks!

<p>Great, thanks folks!</p><p> </p><p> A couple of other questions: I'm playing the 97 mod as one of the companies in the East Coast Wars. AMW have higher production levels than us on 3 points out of the 4, while DAVE and XFW both have 1 category higher. Are my show ratings being penalised 5 times for each (3+1+1), 3 times for this (total number of categories) or 1 time (I'm not top of the pile)?</p><p> </p><p> Also, my company runs TV twice a month, broadcasting live once and taping the following week's show the same night. Are my per show costs for workers, production etc. being paid twice a month, or am I getting charged per show, even with two on the same night?</p>

<p>Very small question, as someone coming back to the game after an extended break:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> I know that <strong>somewhere</strong> there's a calendar that shows the upcoming month and identifies any workers who're booked on other shows, but I can't find it. Can someone point me towards it, please?</p>

Playing as WWE, I assume? Morgan is the obvious choice - build him as much as possible beforehand to benefit from positive momentum but he surely has the highest star quality of the three. As gratifying as it would be to feed Goldberg to Noble or Nunzio, the fans in real life wouldn't buy them as challenges to Goldberg so either of them beating him (and I know Nunzio had a rep as a tough guy in real life) wouldn't put them over so much as have them be seen as a fluke - to truly elevate them you'd need to translate that shock result into their new norm. Whereas Morgan is a believable brute who can destroy Goldberg as a career highlight, or have it be the start of a sustained push to become a Batista-like heavyweight main event mainstay.

<p>The dynasty title was always intended to have a double meaning - both the growth and development of the Dangerous Alliance under Paul E, of course, but also the expansion of WCW in the wake of the WWF, which crippled them once already under Jim Crockett and eventually killed them once Ted Turner wasn't in charge of the purse strings anymore in 2000/2001.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Paul E/Paul Heyman has been my favourite non-wrestler for nigh-on 30 years at this point, and even when I was struggling to write anything else here, I could always come up with plenty of Ross/Dangerously bickering.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> To make Paul E the booker of WCW, though... Well, perhaps another time. I'm suddenly wondering what Paul could have done as the booker of WCW in 2001, if that had somehow been a possibility...</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> *</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> One last note before I draw down the curtain on this. Ric's early 1990s WWF entrance music sounds like it was played on a £20 Casio keyboard, so using his modern theme below is an anachronism, but when </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/vSCfyKpI7o4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Ric Flair 1st WWE Theme"></iframe></div></div><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> *</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="r6434EK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/r6434EK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p></div><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> In the Gorilla position, Ric could see Vince and Pat directing traffic. Hogan was in the ring, tangling with his old rival Earthquake having peppered Typhoon with right hands before clotheslining the Natural Disaster over the top rope.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><em>Tenryu, Koko, Dibiase, Berzerker, Typhoon and... Earthquake makes six. Just like the old days! And the fans are starting to get into it.</em></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><em>Which must mean...</em></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> He glanced over at Pat and Vince, the latter of whom gave him a thumbs up.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><em>...cue that music.</em></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-a7C9E5BLJY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Ric Flair Entrance Video"></iframe></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Ric walked through the curtain, arms spread wide and a smile spreading across his face as the Sacramento crowd erupted in shock and delight. In the ring, the action came to a halt as the half-dozen men within the ropes turned as one to look at him.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> As Ric walked the aisle, the Undertaker took advantage of the distraction to level Hogan with a big boot, and as though a spell was broken almost everyone piled onto Hogan, beating down one company’s legendary figurehead as another company’s approached the ring.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><em>We’re off to a good start – now to do my thing!</em></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><em>And no-one does it like the Nature Boy! Whoooo!</em></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div> <p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">The End</span></strong></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> <o:TargetScreenSize>1024x768</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p></div><p></p>

OOC: No new dynasty, just a little coda to Ric's rise and fall - the flow of time 'correcting' itself in a way, with Ric heading north, Eric in charge, Nash and Hall on the rise... Different times, but the same paths. You can only change so much, after all, before history fights back! * Chicago was neutral territory for both men, and with both WWF and WCW running shows within an hour of the city that night it was easy enough for them to cross paths in a diner on the outskirts. When Ric arrived, the place was empty apart from Pat Patterson sat quietly in a booth by the door. He nodded to Ric, and hooked a thumb towards the back, before dropping a twenty on the table and heading out. Well, this is all very cloak and dagger. But at least it’s not in his office this time. I haven’t had to walk into his inner sanctum. In the very back of the diner, Vince McMahon was finishing off a steak dinner with every sign of satisfaction, even if the meat did look blacker than Ric would have liked. “Ric, sit down,” Vince said, half-rising as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Let’s talk!” Ric settled into the seat opposite the WWF’s owner. “Drink? Something to eat?” Vince offered. “I booked out the diner for the whole night, so we won’t be bothered.” Ric shook his head. “I don’t have long. I made sure that Bischoff saw me flirting with some girl in the crowd, so he’ll buy me being out for a while, but he likes to keep me close. Really close, if you know what I mean.” “He doesn’t trust you? Well, I don’t recall thinking much of Eric when he was interviewed with us, but apparently he’s learned to play politics.” Vince smiled, but Ric didn’t return it. He worried that he’d already given too much away to Vince, that his unhappiness in WCW was too great to conceal. “Ric, I won’t beat around the bush – we want you in New York. It’s past time you had a run with us, and we’re not planning on starting you out slow or anything like that. We want you in a programme with Hulk from day one.” Ric raised an eyebrow. Straight into it with Hogan? It makes sense, but... But Hogan’s a heel, and I’m not going to be a face in New York, not even for one match! “You... want to turn Hogan face again.” Vince’s smile widened. “And that’s the other reason we want you on board, Ric,” he said. Lifting a thick folder off the seat next to him, he passed it across the table. “Not just in ring, but behind the scenes. I may be... indisposed for a time next year. The company should be fine, believe me, I have the best lawyers around working day and night on this, but I’m up against the federal government.” “The steroid charges,” Ric said, one eye on Vince, the other on the folder. “Exactly. It’s a trumped-up pile of bullshit, honestly, but... It’s going to be a trial by jury, and while I’m innocent, I’m not prepared to walk into that courtroom without making plans for the worst case scenario. If it comes down to it, Linda will be in charge of the company, Bruce and Pat will cover booking and I’ll chip in from the big house. But before that happens, Ric, I’d like you on board as well. Everything you’ve done for WCW brought it forward at an incredible pace – and I admit that you’ve outstripped us, at least here in America. I know Bischoff was put in place because of his ‘vision’ for expansion... But he wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing if not for you.” “That’s true,” Ric said, slowly. Vince reached across the table and opened the folder at one of the tabs sticking out of the paperwork within. Ric’s eyes focused on the dollar amount at the bottom of the page. “In-ring pay, backstage work, performance bonuses, pay-per-view bonuses... It’s a generous offer, Ric,” Vince said. “And that’s if the WWF grows at half the rate WCW has done over the last two years, using the benchmarks you’ll find in section two. Help us get bigger faster, and the pay will improve as well.” The wheels spun in Ric’s head. It was a generous offer, more generous than he’d expected – which probably meant that he could push for more, if this was the WWF’s starting offer. Vince must be really worried about jail time. He’s used to being the big dog in the fight. Jail time for distributing steroids? He could end up somewhere a lot nastier than some minimum security fraternity! Now he returned Vince’s smile. “We can talk numbers, Vince, but first let’s talk booking – booking the Nature Boy on his arrival in the WWF.” “Of course, Ric. Here’s what we were thinking – it’s the Royal Rumble in just over three months, so you can negotiate your release and sit out a release clause if they try and put one in. Hogan comes in low teens, he’s too strong for some and too sly for others so we’re well into the twenties before new music hits. Your music. Hogan and Flair in the same ring at last, but you don’t go after him and he’s completely thrown by your arrival, he gets distracted, loses his edge and then he’s ganged up on and eliminated – and you’re the one who gets the decisive shot in to send him over. “Now, you don’t win the Rumble – we want to put Perfect over Luger at ‘mania, but you’re going into a feud with Hogan that’ll be the perfect complement to the whole deal we’ll have going on, back in Madison Square Garden, the tenth Wrestlemania, the two greatest wrestlers of the last twenty years finally meeting one on one...” Ric sat and listened, commenting occasionally as Vince outlined his future booking. “And the belt?” Ric asked at last. “Ric, I can absolutely see you as champion,” Vince said. “But it’s getting late, and I don’t want Bischoff getting suspicious of you. Take a look at the contract, pal, and get back to me in the next few days.” They shook hands and Vince left. Ric looked quickly through the contract, checking the highlights before calling his lawyer. I wonder what Eric’ll say when I hand in my notice? Will he try and argue me out of it? Will he be able to contain his enthusiasm? Maybe I should walk into his office, open my robe, and show him exactly what I think of him! Ric smirked. That’d be good! But maybe I’ll just go with “Hey Eric, I quit! Whoooo!” <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> <o:TargetScreenSize>1024x768</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->

It was October, and Ric’s plans had changed. Of course, they weren’t Ric’s plans anymore. After a token transitional period primarily focused on putting Austin over Sting once more at the August Clash, WCW was rocketing ahead into its new, faster-paced era. Owen Hart had left the Dangerous Alliance. He wasn’t siding with his brother, exactly. Nor was he feuding with his former allies, exactly. But he was out to prove himself – again – and a clash with Brian Pillman seemed inevitable. The Dangerous Alliance was becoming more vicious, and had crossed a line when Scott Steiner had gone after Shawn Michaels and the US title. The previously mutually-beneficial partnership between the Diamond Exchange and the Dangerous Alliance had immediately dissolved, and not all of a sudden Michaels, Vinnie Vegas and the Diamond Studd were babyfaces... sort of. Ric shook his head – their wisecracking, innuendo-laden promos were certainly appealing to one section of the audience, at least, especially with Kimberly in their corner. Meanwhile Shawn, Vinnie – who had been growing his hair out – and Studd also appealed to another section of the audience... Time was, a handsome wrestler was a bonus. Pushing guys because of the girls screaming for them... Well, I guess these guys can go. Well, Shawn can. And Studd’s okay. And I guess worse guys than Vinnie have done well. But I don’t think he’s got the same ceiling that the new boss does, just because some women are calling him ‘Big Sexy’. Hey, every dollar is worth 100 cents, whoever hands them over! Bret Hart’s momentum had stalled. It had been a gradual rise under Ric, all intended to see him succeed Austin as World champion – and be the foil to the Superstar going forward, the pure wrestler against the modern entertainer. But Bret had moved into a feud with Scott Steiner, which didn’t make much sense when Scott was, at best, number three in the Alliance. Arn had had his shot at Austin. Horsemen versus Alliance – and the Alliance had won, in one month, with a trio of wins at Halloween Havoc. Maybe there was more ahead, but Rick Rude’s return to action alongside Steiner had yielded a US tag title win over the Thrillseekers, Austin had beaten Arn in the main event, and Ric had put Pillman over in an NWA World title match. I didn’t mind that – Brian did the honours enough for me a few years ago... but that was supposed to be me putting Steve over at Starrcade. So I guess that’s not happening. And Regal’s had two televised matches since the Bash. The kid’s as smooth in the ring as they come, but there’s no TV time for him because we’ve got to fit in Jason Hervey doing an interview segment. The kid doesn’t even have a set or anything – it’s just Hervey, backstage, doing interviews. What does that do for us? What does it do for anyone, except for Hervey cashing a check every week? And I know what he’s on – he gets more for a two minute interview segment than half the roster does for wrestling, when they’re allowed to! Ric looked around the locker room. The Young Pistols, the York Foundation, Rey Mysterio, Mike Awesome, Marcus Bagwell... Just some of the talent who’d barely been on TV in the last few months. Even Konnan and Eddy Guerrero, the tag champs, were mainly on Main Event – and their proposed program with the Heat hadn’t materialised other than a short no contest on Saturday Night that happened when the Dangerous Alliance crashed the match and Scott Steiner obliterated everyone with Steinerlines. Ric shook his head. The favoured few... It wasn’t making for a happy locker room, especially not with talk coming in once more of Hulk Hogan’s contract being up for negotiation, and the new man in charge being keen to bring him in. Well, that’s Eric Bischoff for you. Big names = big noise, or so he thinks. I should have known better than to bring him on board. Certainly shouldn’t have let him schmooze with the higher-ups without breaking out the old Nature Boy charm to put him in the shade! Ric finished dressing. His match for the night was done, and he was free to go. Beating Dean Malenko in under ten minutes, probably while the commentators talked about Shawn Michaels’ recent appearance on Letterman. Dean’s an easy match – but we could have gone twenty on pay-per-view and had the fans eating out of the palm of our hands. Bischoff probably thinks he was being generous giving us that long. Bischoff probably thinks people don’t want long wrestling matches, but this is World Championship Wrestling! Pulling on his suit jacket, Ric nodded to a couple of the guys and headed for the door, done for the night and free to leave. He wondered about waiting for the other Horsemen, but decided against it. I spent so long picking the right guys, but we’re going nowhere. What’s the point? And Jericho and Storm get all the attention from the ladies anyway! Ric dropped his bag in the trunk of his car and climbed into the driver’s seat. Just before he turned on the engine, his cellphone rang. With a grunt of annoyance he took it out, ready to toss it into the back seat – Eric was the only one who called him nowadays, to remind him about booking team meetings. Ric attended when he couldn’t think of a good reason not to, which was about half of the time. But, glancing at the display, Ric paused. The number on it wasn’t Eric’s. Instead, the area code was for Stamford, Connecticut. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> <o:TargetScreenSize>1024x768</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->

You're very welcome! * Ric relaxed, enjoying basking in the glory of the Great American Bash. A live attendance second only to WrestleMania III. Well over half a million pay-per-view buys confirmed, maybe the third or even second highest wrestling buy rate in history. Life is good! Woooo! TBS Headquarters was buzzing with the success of the show, which had made national headlines and even drawn some attention from ESPN – something Ric was only aware of happening with WrestleMania V. We’re big time now – national news, soon to be world news! Life is real good! Talking the talk, walking the walk, styling and profiling! Knocking back the last of his glass of whiskey, Ric accepted more plaudits from CNN suits whose names he didn’t know, watched Eric and Dusty glad-handing with executives, Sting, Rude, Pillman and Bagwell charming some of the ladies while Austin, Luchamerica and Michaels showed off their titles to admiring crowds. This is how you win over the people – no matter who they are, or what they do. Ted wants us to have a presence here, he wants people to know who we are, who I am... Well, I think we’re making a splash! “Ric, congratulations!” Ted Turner had arrived at the party and made his way straight to Ric, extending a hand. The two men shook, and Ric beamed at the chairman of TBS. “Seventy thousand in the stadium and half a million plus on pay-per-view, Ted; I think we’ve captured the public’s attention! Let’s see SummerSlam top that – what do they have, Luger against Yokozuna? I don’t see it!” “Indeed. Indisputably, the momentum is with WCW right now, and I couldn’t be more pleased, Ric. And it’s on that topic I wanted to talk to you... In fact, the board wants to talk to you.” “Any time, Ted. Right now, I feel like I could do to the world what Vader did to me!” Ric laughed, and Turner smiled as he took Ric’s glass and set it to one side. “Good. Now’s as good a time as any.” Ric remained jovial as they crossed the floor, pausing to shake hands with Sting and Dusty, and even to have a photo taken with an older executive who claimed to have been at Starrcade to see Ric beating Harley Race for the World title. But his mood darkened as he realised that Turner was leading him into an area of the offices that Ric had never been before, where the furnishings were more expensive, the carpets deeper, and – even in his distracted state – Ric couldn’t help but notice that the secretaries were much more expensively dressed, and more attractive, too. This was where the TBS executives hung out – and as Turner passed easily through the area and pushed open a heavy wooden door, Ric realised that they were heading into the boardroom. Ric took a deep breath before following Turner, who held the door open for him. The door closed softly behind Ric, and Ted walked around to the other side of the table. “Sit down, Ric. We need to talk about WCW and its role at the centre of the TBS expansion.” Ric’s smile faltered a little as he took in the others sat alongside Turner – five men and one woman, all wearing expensive suits and looking curiously at him. I don’t think I’ve met any of these guys before. Or glad-handed them, either. But they can’t exactly fire the Nature Boy, not after a gate seventy thousand strong! Turner offered brief introductions, pronouncing the other six as three vice-presidents, an executive vice-president and a couple of others that Ric didn’t catch. But one important word did land solidly – quorum. “This is a board meeting?” “Yes. The board wanted to meet to discuss the future of WCW, and this is undoubtedly the high-water mark of your time in charge, Ric,” Turner replied. He smiled, but any reassurance the expression may have offered was swept away by the expressions on the other six faces that Ric could see – indifference, discomfort, and even hostility in the case of one of the vice-presidents. “Mr Turner, I know that we discussed your concerns over the content of WrestleWar, and I’m sure you’ve seen that the last two months of WCW programming have been free of any significant bloodshed-“ Turner held up a hand. “Ric, this isn’t about the Media Research Centre, they’ve moved on and found other content to complain about – at least for now. No, this is about, well...” Turner’s expression became sombre as he looked to either side along the panel of board members. “It’s about you, Ric, and whether you’re the best man to continue taking WCW forwards.” In Ric’s lap his fingers twisted around one another. Ambush! The Nature Boy’s been jumped before – it’s just another promo with no script to follow, and if there’s one thing the Nature Boy does better than anyone else, it’s cut a promo! He smiled. “Two nights ago WCW ran its largest ever show in front of seventy thousand paying fans with a gate of around a million dollars, Mr Turner, with half a million viewers on pay-per-view. No-one before me, not under the WCW banner, not for Jim Crockett Promotions, not anyone else in this business other than Vince McMahon has done that. And we can go bigger, I have no doubts about that. I won’t say that the sky’s the limit, but we can blow the roof off a lot of arenas, all around the world!” “All around the world, you say,” the vice president with the hostile expression demanded. “What can you tell me about wrestling in Japan? Or Australia? Or any of the territories that we’re looking to expand into?” Ric regarded the man for a long moment, trying to remember his name. Jack something, he thought, before dismissing it as unimportant. “I’ve wrestled in Japan many times, most recently about two years ago in partnership with New Japan. Many members of our roster have experience working there, and there are several Japanese wrestlers like the Great Muta and Jushin Liger who’ve appeared on WCW TV over the years. Expanding into the Japanese market will be something that we want to do carefully, because of that established relationship with NJPW. But we’ll need to be clear that we’re coming in as WCW rather than riding on their coattails and being seen as their ‘little brother’; We’ll want fans to watch our show, of course, but we won’t be looking to run Korauken Hall after a month on the air there. I would expect that we’ll continue to work with New Japan to share the costs of running shows in a foreign country, but also it allows our wrestlers to work with talent that the Japanese fans already know, so there’s at least one side of any match that will be familiar to them and able to hold their attention. The language issue can be overcome, and several WCW wrestlers already speak at least a little Japanese. It won’t happen overnight, but with a few years’ effort we can become big in Japan.” Ric settled back slightly in his chair. His hands remained clasped in his lap, but the knuckles were beginning to regain their colour. He looked at the vice-president, who seemed unmoved by the response. “A few years’ effort to establish WCW in Japan, I see. And the other territories?” “The WWF has opened doors in Europe. They tour their regularly, and we’ll need to avoid coming in too close to their shows – at least at first. But we have talents like Warrior, Savage and Sting who are, or who will be, big deals over there. Many European countries have English as a second language, and we have wrestlers who speak French, or German, or Spanish... We can handle that. Australia is the other country we’re looking towards, I believe, and there’s no language barrier there. The main issue is that there’s no real history of wrestling in Australia, just a few small companies that came and went without leaving much of an impression. I’ve wrestled there before, but I’d be surprised if many others on our roster have done – and we’ll have to determine whether it’s a market that’s ripe to be exploited, or if it’s going to need to be primed for some time first.” Choke on that, Mr vice-president of whatever you are! Come at the Nature Boy and give me your best shot, but don’t be surprised if I knock it out of the park. Woooo! Ric smiled at the board members, none of whom smiled back. “Is there a problem?” “Our concern is that your approach depends on each new territory just accepting WCW as is – a wrestling company first and foremost,” said one of the people whose title Ric couldn’t recall. “That’s what WCW has always been, and right now it’s the best in the entire world.” “And it’s become very successful in a nation that knows professional wrestling... but I note that when the decision about where to hold the Great American Bash took place, every location on the shortlist was in the southern states.” Ric blinked. “That’s where our support is strongest,” he said, looking at the board members in turn, wondering why such a basic concept was seemingly being contested. “We wonder whether a stronger statement might have been made by holding the Bash event in a market where we would have sold fewer tickets. Pay-per-view revenue would have remained the same, of course, and by holding the event in a growing market such as Seattle, San Francisco or Chicago it would have been a chance to make a real splash in that market,” said the female vice-president. Ric nodded, accepting the point. “It would, but the biggest shows need the hottest crowds, and ultimately it came down a choice between Atlanta, Charlotte and Oxford. And the folks at UMIss were very keen on having their stadium featured the way we did. We got a good deal, and we got a big venure for the show.” “And do you think that WCW has gained in popularity as a result of that choice?” was asked by one of the other vice-presidents. Ric bit back on his instinctive response, instead thinking furiously for a few seconds before replying. “In isolation, it may have been more effective for a growing territory to be chosen as the venue for the Bash,” he said slowly. “But the Bash has become our end of the year show, our season finale if you will. We needed everything to pay off to produce the very best show that we could, and part of that is wanting to have a hot crowd who’re invested in the company and the wrestlers. A cold crowd can kill a show long before the main event. We’ll go to Chicago or Seattle or wherever with TV, I’m sure, and maybe even pay-per-views, but we’re some way away from running such a big show outside of our core markets. We tried running a big show in New York a few years ago – myself and Terry Funk in the main event, capping off a really heated rivalry, but the New York crowd was lukewarm and we didn’t even get five thousand through the gate that night. We couldn’t risk that for the Bash.” “Perhaps not, but it highlighted an issue that has caused us some concern over recent months,” the first vice-president said. “Time and again, your choices have been conservative rather than aggressive, seeking to consolidate rather than expand. Despite Mr Turner warning you of the need for an aggressive approach, despite a clear expectation that WCW would embrace tactics that worked for the WWF in their becoming a globally recognised company, WCW remains a traditionally-booked and conservatively-scheduled wrestling company.” “Yes, and I’ll repeat that two nights ago we brought in half a million buys on pay-per-view, sir,” Ric said, just keeping his mouth in check. “Once the broadcaster’s cut, facility fees and wages go out, that should be something like two million dollars in profit – plus what we made on a seventy thousand attendance on the day.” “Indeed. Now, imagine what could happen with an aggressive expansion-“ “I don’t need to imagine. I lived through it,” Ric snapped. “Spending money the company didn’t have. Bringing in talent we couldn’t afford and then paying them to sit home because they were no good. Throwing money around because the WWF was hot and we didn’t have the first clue how to catch them. Reduced to wrestling in armouries and civic centres because we couldn’t draw enough fans to warrant a bigger venue. Giving two-for-one tickets to try and get enough people in to cover concessions. Giving away free gifts to kids to try and get their parents to bring them to the shows. Cancelling shows because we knew it’d cost us less than running them. Standing on the verge of bankruptcy before Mr Turner saved us.” Ric looked around. “Mr Turner’s money saved this company once. I didn’t want to have it happen again. You want to know what the plan is for preparing WCW for the worldwide expansion of TBS? Fine – it’s to put Austin over, big. He’ll sneak past the Warrior, then win his rematch against Sting in a two or three months’ time, maybe something like a cage or a last man standing match to make it decisive. Him, Shawn Michaels, Brian Pillman and Bret Hart will be the focus going forward – Bret’s the oldest at thirty-five but he’s new in the main event scene, and they all have plenty of mileage going forward. They can all talk people into the arena or get them watching TV and,” he held up a finger with a smile, “they’re all good-looking guys. Great for the cover of Teen Beat or even TV Guide – why not aim big, right? And you want Japan and Australia and wherever else to be aware of WCW? Then we’ll shoot region-specific commercials, just like we do when we’re running shows in different markets. We can get creative, even – use local celebrities as much as possible to put our guys over in those commercials. “I’ve put Vader over and I’ll do it again, but later in the year I start itching for one last run and earn the shot against Austin at Starrcade, which’ll be in North Carolina, my home state. Everything will be geared up for another win for me, but Austin will take the win. He’s got his new Stunner finisher, this time he’ll beat me by submission to really establish him as having all the cards. Meanwhile, Bret wins the Battlebowl to set him up for Starrcade-” “Thank you, Ric,” Turner said, holding up his hands. “May we have the room for a few minutes?” Ric waited outside the room, hands in his pockets for want of anything better to do with them, unable to sit as he bounced on his toes, grateful that the hallway was quiet. His cellphone sat in his pocket, and he considered bringing it out to call Arn for something to do, but decided against it. I can be patient. Two years I was World champion first time around, and still people didn’t believe in me. Then I dropped the belt to Harley and had to wait another six months to beat him and really become The Man. You’d better believe the Nature Boy can be patient! “Ric?” He turned to find Ted Turner standing in the office door, as the other members of the board filed out. One of the unmemorable ones was fiddling with a cellphone, a couple of them half-glanced in his direction before hurrying off, and the most objectionable of them tossed him a smile before brushing past him at a saunter. Ric bridled, but looking at Turner he allowed the irritation to pass, because the look on Turner’s face made his heart sink. Turner gestured to the boardroom, inviting Ric to follow him back in, behind the heavy wooden door that Ric suspected made the room soundproof. “We need to talk...” <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> <o:TargetScreenSize>1024x768</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->