Matt_Black

<p>Speaking of talented workers with goofy names, Katherine Goodlooks. First, her name is goofy, but she scores double because her tag team's name is also goofy, Good-Lookin' Bunny. Once you get past that (and it took me a long while to do so), she's a phenomenal talent. Great in the ring, good in angles, a locker room leader, will take new talent as proteges eventually, etc. Especially important in an AAA game as once your top babyfaces like Sara Marie York, J-Ro, Jaime Quine, and others get snatched by USPW or NOTBPW, you're going to need a talented worker to step up.</p><p> </p><p> Her partner, Jessica Bunny, on the other hand? Eesh. Not bad, but she can easily turn into a negative influence if you're not careful and isn't nearly as skilled as Katherine. She's definitely the Marty Jannety of the pair.</p>

I think Selina Svelte is another one. Yes, she's a young talent, potential, yadda yadda, but she starts the game as partner to Talia Quinzel, and it's very easy to think of Selina as the "Marty Jannetty" of the Uprising, when she's actually a very solid talent in her own right.

I'm not sure she counts, since she always turns up in my Hidden Gems list in both AAA and QAW, but why did no one tell me about Maria Guest?!? One or two wins under her belt, and she turned into a nigh unstoppable steam roller of momentum.

Here are some names I've come up with for female tag teams, for those of you who run women's feds or companies with a women's division. 2 Woke Girls The BFF Troop (I apologize for nothing!) The Feline Fatales (if they have cat gimmicks, masks, or what have you) Monstress Inc.

<p>AAA, Thursday Week 4 2020</p><p> </p><p> Femme Fatale Champion- Demelza Wade</p><p> Tag Team Champions- Hell Cat (Jana Marie Bowen) and Ellie May Walton, of the Nocturne</p><p> Top Contender's Champion- Christy Higgins</p><p> United States Champion (formerly the Social Media title; I figured we now cover the entire U.S., so why not?)- Simony Sentinel</p><p> Queen of the Ring 2019- Debbie Rose</p>

Went back to before the "can't fall below $8 million" owner goal went into effect and started the AAA Network! Monthly events, 2 weekly shows, and I'm currently projecting to get funds back up and clear the $5.5 million owner goal.

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="James Casey" data-cite="James Casey" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="41408" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Weekly shows to accelerate popularity gain/income growth, but you do need a chunk of change in the bank to cover the likely losses you'll take in the first few months.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Yeah, no kidding. QAW starts with $250k and I ran a few months and... Well, didn't go into debt, but yikes. Maybe try again and not use every main eventer (all 4 of them) on the weekly show.</p><p> </p><p> Didn't help that the wrestling industry wasn't great and was quickly falling. We were gaining pop, but that was quickly going to come to an end before we got high enough to turn a profit.</p>

I'm about to start a QAW game (I need a brief break from AAA) and one thing I noticed is that RIPW's production values are so high that it can be very difficult to increase pop. And trying to match them would involve spending money you may not necessarily have. Any tips for this?

<p>So, January 2020, and AAA succeeded in the owner goal of gaining popularity!</p><p> </p><p> The downside? New Owner Goal of cannot go below $8 million at any point. Which means I'd have to wait longer to create that broadcaster. So, my options...</p><p> </p><p> 1) Go back to the December 2019 save and create the broadcaster.</p><p> 2) Bite the bullet and create the broadcaster in this save (in March, so we can clear the "Increase to $5.5 million" owner goal)</p><p> 3) Brand split and run 2 shows a week in the North West.</p><p> 4) No brand split, but 2 shows a week, one in the North West, one in a spillover region (probably the South West).</p><p> 5) Stay the course, with the one weekly show and the monthly event.</p><p> </p><p> Thoughts?</p>

<p>Into December 2019 and HALLELUJAH we've finally seen an increase in pop again. It's a Christmas miracle!</p><p> </p><p> I think I'll wait until the Owner goal of money expires in 5 months before starting a broadcaster; that way, we'll have a little extra money to play with. In the meantime, I'll add a half hour to the weekly show and keep an eye out to see if pop gains are consistent. If so, I'll bring back the hour Southwest show, give more showcase to anyone not in the main event, particularly Christy Higgins, Rose and Kate Lilly.</p>

<p>We're in November, 2019. Next event is AAA Queen of the Ring. Gonna have Debbie Rose and Kate Lilly in the tournament finals, most likely (I turned Kate face when her gimmick got stale, and she's a better babyface, generally); probably gonna have Debbie go over, as she'll probably need the rub more in the long run (with her in-ring skills and charisma score, Kate's a little heat machine!).</p><p> </p><p> I'm <em>THIS</em> close to having enough money to start a (Tiny) broadcaster, as long as I only focus on the U.S. And I need to do something; we haven't had any pop gains in over a year, because the Wrestling Industry has been that awful (it finally rose up to E-, if I'm not mistaken). And my one owner goal that expires at the end of the year is pop in America must have increased. I THINK we had enough gains before the pop drought started, but increased reach without having to travel all over the place would help.</p><p> </p><p> The only concern is that the other Critical owner goal is must have $5.5 million when the time limit on that goal expires, which would be in the second quarter of 2020, if memory serves.</p><p> </p><p> Definitely going to make a back-up save before we try anything.</p><p> </p><p> Once I've got TV (I'm going with commercial, by the way) I'll start hiring a few more people. I lost 2 more people to NOTBPW (those jerks), and Raven and Cherry Bomb retired. Luckily, I expected Raven's before I even signed her, so I used her as a manager for the last month of her contract before letting it expire. With Cherry, her contract came up RIGHT before she decides to announce her pending retirement. Right now, I'm using her as an authority figure. And I can't release her before her contract is up; she's friends with Cat Quine.</p><p> </p><p> 2019's Hall of Fame inductions were Jessica Bunny (AI did that automatically), Raven Nightfall, Gorgon, Tracy Brendon, Christy Higgins, and Electric Blue as the tag team inductees.</p><p> </p><p> Christy came as a bit of a surprise. I figured she'd be in shortly, as she had two Femme Fatale title reigns to her credit (though only one was planned); I forgot that the qualifications were 3 main event titles, and her Queen of the Ring victory last year pushed her over the edge. Despite all that, she's still just an Upper Midcarder (and at one point Recommended Push suggested she be Midcard, even though she's equal to or exceeding in pop to many of my Main Eventers). Anyway, she'll be okay; currently Top Contender champ again, she'll feud with "The Boss" Cherry Bomb, who she went over a few times (again, unplanned; I never expected Cherry to do the job, so I never set the Victor notes), who wants revenge and plans to use her authority to make her life miserable.</p><p> </p><p> The other notable news is now AAA only qualifies for Mid South regional battles. IPW withered to Local and GSW went belly up. QAW isn't popular enough to reach the Southwest, so my only main competition on the West Coast is CZCW; the good thing about the Wrestling Industry bust is that it effects them, too, as it's been a good long while since I had to worry about losing a Regional Battle.</p>

<p><strong>AAA Allure, Thursday Week 2, February 2019</strong></p><p> </p><p> Jim Lee Fourbush: ... Katherine Goodlooks hits the Pretty Fly on Ellie May Walton!</p><p> Catherine Quine: She's going for the cover...</p><p> Jim: 1... 2... She wins it!</p><p> Cat: That was a hard fought win, but Katherine came out on top!</p><p> </p><p> <em>Senior Referee Dwight Kumas raises Katherine's hand in victory. Then the eerie, haunting dirge that serves as the theme of The Nocturne hits.</em></p><p> </p><p> Jim: Oh, no!</p><p> Cat: Satan's Sorority just showed up!</p><p> Jim: They promised a "great, terrible darkness" would be coming; is it time?</p><p> Cat: Do we even know what it is?</p><p> Jim: I got the impression that not even THEY know what it is.</p><p> Cat: Well, if ANY of them ask you to choose the form of the Destructor, don't think of anything!</p><p> </p><p> <em>Devil's Daughter, Debbie Rose, and Kate Lilly quickly surround the ring, standing on the ring apron.</em></p><p> </p><p> Kate: Hello, Katherine. Your little pirate friend will NOT be joining us tonight. Our beloved pet, the Hell Cat is... entertaining her as we speak.</p><p> </p><p> <em>The three step into the ring. Katherine's avenues of escape have dried up.</em></p><p> </p><p> Kate: The etheric forces have aligned, and the time is quickly coming upon us. And we thought that for such a <em>special</em> occasion, we thought you should be here with us. This is a glorious time, Katherine. Soon, we will see the manifestation of the mighty, hoary forces. I'm a bit curious as to what it's going to be, aren't you?</p><p> </p><p> <em>Kate drops the mic, and the three converge like wild dogs on Katherine Goodlooks. She tries to fight back, but is quickly overpowered. Debbie and Kate each grab an arm, forcing Katherine Goodlooks face to face with Devil's Daughter. She leans in close, baring her wicked fangs when the lights go out!</em></p><p> </p><p> Cat: Is this the darkness? Because it's about average, not "great" or "terrible" at all!</p><p> Jim: I think this is the calm before the storm, Cat.</p><p> </p><p> <em>The lights come back on. A figure is perched on the top turnbuckle.</em></p><p> </p><p> Jim: Oh, no. That's... That's Raven Nightfall! The self-professed Angel of Darkness!</p><p> Cat: Jim, I told you not to think of anything!</p><p> Jim: Don't blame me, Cat! Never, in my wildest dreams, did I imagine we'd see her here tonight!</p><p> Cat: I don't think the Nocturne did either; they seem as surprised as we do!</p><p> Jim: Surprised, yes, but not disappointed. They promised a great, terrible darkness, and Raven certainly qualifies!</p><p> </p><p> <em>Devil's Daughter kneels, with Debbie and Kate quickly following suit, forcing Katherine down with them. Raven slowly, gracefully assumes a standing position on the top turnbuckle, and then descends with purpose. She raises the microphone she's holding.</em></p><p> </p><p> Jim: The great, terrible darkness brought a mic?!?</p><p> Cat: Doesn't surprise me one bit; not only is she nuts, she's a showboat to boot!</p><p> </p><p> Raven: I have come.</p><p> </p><p> <em>She looks out at the audience, pausing to milk the reaction from the crowd for all it's worth. She then looks to the Nocturne and Katherine Goodlooks.</em></p><p> </p><p> Raven: Arise.</p><p> </p><p> <em>The Nocturne stands, dragging Katherine up with them.</em></p><p> </p><p> Raven: You have fought battles, you have waged wars. You have struggled mightily to extinguish those who carry the light within them. And your actions have summoned me. So, I have come. I have come to bring The Message of The Darkness. And I have come to wreak my vengeance on those who would profane it with blasphemy.</p><p> </p><p> <em>She steps forward, getting right up into Katherine's face.</em></p><p> </p><p> Raven: Do not despair. I am perverse, but I am not cruel. Your struggles shall be shortly at an end. And you shall find peace.</p><p> </p><p> <em>Raven drops the mic, closes her eyes, raises her arms to the sky, then...</em></p><p> </p><p> Jim: WAIT A MINUTE! Raven has spun around, quick as a cat, and is lighting up Devil's Daughter! Lefts and rights, fast as the eye can see!</p><p> Cat: I'd ask if she's gone crazy, but that would imply she was sane to begin with!</p><p> </p><p> <em>Raven delivers a powerful short arm clothesline, taking Double D down to the ground. Raven quickly regains a standing position and turns to face Rose & Lilly, shocked beyond comprehension. Raven flashes a wicked smile and beckons them to try their luck. Rose & Lilly exchange glances, and Kate steps forward first. She attempts a punch, but Raven blocks it. A quick kick to the midsection followed by a snap suplex takes Kate down. Raven looks down at the fallen acolyte, giving Rose a chance for a sneak attack.</em></p><p> </p><p> Jim: Rose hits the Thorn!</p><p> </p><p> <em>Rose gloats, but her revelry is short lived, as Raven does an Undertaker sit-up and stares daggers at Rose, who clears the ring. Raven grabs Kate by the hair, drags her to her feet, and races to the side of the ring, throwing her out at Rose. Then, she turns to Double D, who has finally gotten back to her feet.</em></p><p> </p><p> Jim: Nightfaller! Raven hits the Nightfaller on Devil's Daughter! Rose and Lilly are desperately trying to grab her and roll her out of the ring!</p><p> </p><p> <em>Raven finally turns to Katherine Goodlooks, who has been watching the whole scene completely dumbfounded. Raven holds up a hand, and slowly raises one, two, then three fingers, which she then starts to wave between her and Katherine.</em></p><p> </p><p> Cat: Is she... Is she asking what I think she's asking?</p><p> Jim: I think so! Raven wants to be the third member of Katherine's team!</p><p> Cat: I said no one was crazy enough to help her take on the Nocturne, but man was I wrong!</p><p> </p><p> <em>Katherine vigorously nods, and Raven grabs her hand and shakes it, much to the delight of the crowd. The Nocturne slowly retreats up the entrance ramp, eyes locked on the ring, a look of shock and fury on their faces.</em></p><p> </p><p> Jim: The form of the Destructor HAS been chosen, and she's come for the Nocturne!</p><p> </p><p> (Note: I suspected Raven would be in Time Decline, and I was right, but considering how the storyline had played out so far, when I saw she was available, I couldn't NOT hire her and use her for this. Besides, it's easy enough to work around; use her mainly in angles, with the occasional short tag match, ideally with the Protect note, and just let everyone bask in her overness.)</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Apupunchau@optonline" data-cite="Apupunchau@optonline" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="41174" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I'm super excited for this. I can't really read real world stuff so I love seeing some good C-Verse love here.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Thank you! I hope you'll like the next installment.</p>

<p><em>Joanna Silver is standing in the ring.</em></p><p> </p><p> J: "Avast, me hearties! Hoist the mainsail and set course for-"</p><p> </p><p> <em>She is immediately interrupted by the Nocturne's theme music. Debbie Rose and Kate Lilly come to the ring to a loud chorus of boos.</em></p><p> </p><p> K: "Calm yourself, Sister Silver. We have not come to torture or torment you; that will come in due time."</p><p> </p><p> J: "Well then, if you black-hearted wenches have come to learn who our partner will be, I regret to inform ye that Katherine hasn't told me yet."</p><p> </p><p> K: "Ha-ha-haa! Silly pirate! You should know that whoever your partner is, we don't care. When Katherine Goodlooks returned from the great beyond we sent her to, the only ally she could find... Was you. A foolish little girl playing pretend, carrying around a symbol of the decadence and decay of modern society. (<em>*Note- at the time, Joanna was Social Media Champ, though she dropped it later that night following interference from Hell Cat.</em>) So bring whatever misfit you can find; it makes no difference."</p><p> </p><p> J: "Then why have you come out here?"</p><p> </p><p> K: "The Devil's Daughter has received a glorious vision, and she has instructed Sister Rose and I to relay it to you and the unfaithful masses here. A great and terrible darkness is coming. We know not the nature of how it shall manifest, but it is fast approaching, and it well envelope us all in its awesome, terrifying embrace. The unworthy will be purged, and the deserving will ascend to glory. The darkness will wash over us all, and soon. Make peace while you can. We will meet again; until then, take heed of our prophecy. Farewell."</p><p> </p><p> <em>Rose and Lilly depart.</em></p>

<p>AAA Thursday Week 4 January 2019</p><p> </p><p> The stable of the Nocturne (Devil's Daughter, her "Beautiful Black Blossoms" Rose & Lilly, Ellie May Walton and the Hell Cat [Jana Marie Bowen]) have been dogging Katherine Goodlooks for months. They retired her partner Jessica Bunny in a Casket Match, and it looked like they did the same thing to Katherine Goodlooks at Deadlier Than The Male, who was locked in a casket which was then put into a garbage truck.</p><p> </p><p> In the following month, the core of the Nocturne inserted themselves into the ongoing war with the feuding main eventers Jaime Quine, Suzanne Brazzle, Danielle Sweetheart (faces), Cherry Bomb, Demelza Wade, and Jillian Jarvis, culminating in a 3 on 3 on 3 match at Pretty Amazing. Meanwhile, the "Pirate of Men's Pants" started bedeviling Hell Cat and Ellie May Walton.</p><p> </p><p> Following Pretty Amazing, Joanna Silver confronted Rose & Lilly, stating that the reason she'd been harassing the Nocturne is because she found a message in a bottle. Rose & Lilly proceeded to mock her, asking if it was a sonnet from a wee bonnie lad or a map to buried treasure. Silver responded that she didn't know; it was for Devil's Daughter.</p><p> </p><p> The next week, Devil's Daughter read the note and looked like she'd seen a ghost. She left the Nocturne locker room, screaming for somebody to bring her that accursed pirate. Rose & Lilly, curious about what could have set off their beloved (cult) leader, read the note.</p><p> </p><p> <em>"I'm coming for you. I'm coming for ALL of you."- K.G.</em></p><p> </p><p> Last week, The Nocturne seized Joanna and asked where she got that blasted bottle. Silver refused to speak. So, Devil's Daughter suggested she be sent to Davy Jones' locker. Rose & Lilly wheel a casket to the ring. They open it and immediately get hit with a kendo stick!</p><p> </p><p> It's Katherine Goodlooks! The Nocturne hadn't finished her off after all! She cleans house and saves Joanna Silver.</p><p> </p><p> So, tonight, a challenge will be issued- if Katherine Goodlooks and Joanna Silver can defeat Hell Cat and Ellie May at More Than Meets The Eye, then they and a partner of their choosing will get to face Double D and Rose & Lilly at Girl on Girl Action.</p><p> </p><p> Who wants to guess who the mystery partner will be? (Hint- It's not Jessica Bunny; she's for real retired.)</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="CharlieRock" data-cite="CharlieRock" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="41194" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Is that the Guest Commentator angle or actually using them as an announcer? (Wouldn't that lower the rating of the match itself, as most Active Wrestlers have dismal Announcing or colour skills.)</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Eh, I just throw them in the booth and take the heat hit, as that's easy enough to gain back, and there's a risk of losing heat in the angle anyway.</p>

<p>AAA, Thursday Week 1 2018</p><p> </p><p> Femme Fatale Champion- Demelza Wade</p><p> Tag Team Champions- Cold Blue ("Ice Cold" Claire Winters & "Baby Blue" Kimuye Mushashibo; last minute decision as NOTBPW made an offer to one half of my previous tag team champions, and she'll probably sign with them)</p><p> Top Contender's Champion- Selina Svelte. Since her Uprising tag team partner Talia Quinzel just got signed by NOTBPW as well (man, I HATE those guys!), hopefully this will be her opportunity to shine on the solo scene.</p><p> Social Media Champion- Sakura Sada</p><p> </p><p> And Christy Higgins won the inaugural tournament to crown AAA's first ever Queen of the Ring. If you've read my posts in other threads, you'll see I was torn between giving it to Christy or Talia; thanks, NOTBPW for making the decision for me. (Hate. Those. Guys.)</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="James Casey" data-cite="James Casey" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="41194" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Every storyline should be advanced at every A show, I believe. If not, it loses heat - and people will have expected to see them moving along, so will dislike a show that fails to do so.<p> </p><p> If you're booking a five segment show, seven storylines is probably three or four too many (obviously depending on what your minimum is). A 1 minute promo segment can advance a storyline perfectly well, though.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> And, remember, if using freestyle angles, you can slot up to eight folks in there. You can also slap someone in the announce booth and advance the storyline that way. Interference, replacement referees, and, of course, take your singles competitors and make it a TAG TEAM MATCH PLAYA! Holla holla!</p>

<p>Women of Wrestling went very well, scoring me a personal best of 10k in attendance! Unfortunately, the wrestling industry is in the toilet and going down further, so no pop gains. Cancelled the weekly 1 hour Southwest show, and cut the weekly North West show back from 90 minutes to an hour, to further cut costs as it looks like times are getting lean.</p><p> </p><p> The next few events went well, and in our September event, Tracy Brendon snagged the Femme Fatale title for the first time from dominant champion (27 defences) Gorgon.</p><p> </p><p> Now, I'm starting to plan for November's Queen of the Ring, which will have a tournament (and yes, I stole that from QAW; they use all my main event talent and injure them on their shows, why shouldn't I use their ideas?).</p><p> </p><p> Most likely, the finalists will be Christy Higgins and Talia Quinzel, two upper midcarders who need that last little push into the main event. Both are former Top Contender's Champions, both have good star quality and in-ring skills, and they have good chemistry with each other. Not quite sure who I want to win it, yet, nor who else will take up the other 6 slots in the tournament.</p>

<p>So, our Septemer event, AAA Battle of the Babes went down well. And so now I'm already trying to plot things out for our November event, Queen of the Ring. I decided to steal a page from QAW and hold a tournament with a title and everything, so now I'm trying to decide who goes in the tourny and who ultimately gets the win. I want the winner to be an Upper Midcarder with good or better Star Quality, and I have three candidates- Christy Higgins, Pamela Rojo, and Talia Quinzel; all 3 will be in the tournament and in the semi-finals, but I'm not sure who exactly to pull the trigger on.</p><p> </p><p> Similarly, if anyone has some tips on how to book a tournament in an event, I'm all ears. I've been looking at how the AI books tournaments for other companies, and that's given me some ideas (8 competitors, 7 matches) and some is just common sense (matches are going to be short, at least for those going all the way), but are there any other tips? Should I use notes like Keep It Simple or Protect to lessen the chance of injuries?</p>

Yeah, you might have forgotten to advance one of them.

Any other post show notes? Someone being used too much, not enough interesting storylines, etc?

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="jean-vic" data-cite="jean-vic" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="41194" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Just ran a Monday Night Raw on my 1994 save. I'll give you the breakdown. <p> </p><p> Opening match - 80</p><p> Angle - 86</p><p> Match - 66</p><p> Angle - 90</p><p> Main Event - 81</p><p> </p><p> Show Rating - 59</p><p> </p><p> ................. What!?!?</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> We're missing some info there. What's the Wrestling Industry like in your game right now? Any Production Values lower than the competition?</p>

<p>So, for about the past month in my AAA game, we've seen no pop gains in either region. No losses, but we're stagnating. I'm thinking of cancelling the 1 hour Southwest show; we're averaging about 1300 fans a month. I've tried figuring out the breakdown, but the finances page doesn't go into specifics. Still, I'm spending at least $20k to do the show there. By comparison, my weekly Northwest show does anywhere from 7k to 9.5k in attendance, so as long as I don't use each and every wrestler at my disposal, I make a tidy profit.</p><p> </p><p> I COULD do two shows in the Northwest, but I'm afraid of audience burnout. Now, a brand split experiment showed me that it CAN work, but the way I drafted it made it hard to run shows and keep the match ups fresh, especially among the tag division; one show had way too many people high up the card, the other had way too many low. Even if I allowed the AI to draft everyone, which would probably be more even distribution, I'd still have the problem I did at the beginning insofar as it's a struggle to come up with experienced tag matches, especially now that I've gotten more "poor chemistry" notes.</p><p> </p><p> Also, Women of Wrestling 22 is tomorrow. I usually try to do a pre-show Hall of Fame induction. This year's inductees are Cherry Bomb, Suzanne Brazzle, Jaime Quine, and referee Dwight Kumas.</p>

I'm doing a variation of something I did in a previous AAA game where I hired Raven Nightfall; since both she and Devil's Daughter had vampire gimmicks, I put them together and then gave them Ellie May Walton as their Renfield. What I'm doing now is similar. DD recruits Walton first, then brainwashes Rose & Lilly (switching them to their Goth avatars) and finally Jana Marie Bowen, who gets switched to her Hell Cat persona and reverts to a feral state. I'm calling the stable the Nocturne.