World Wrestling Entertainment: A New Era

[Guest cmdrsam]

Great show big man. I was wandering one thing. Why Taker and Punk at Main Event? Not complaining just was curious is all.

[Bigpapa42]

I need to apologize for the length of time it took to get that showed finished. Especially since the end result probably wasn't worth the wait. I quite clearly lack the motivation on this project that kept me pumping out the shows on Gen-S. All those things that I avoided doing while on that one - playing other TEW games, Football Manager, console games - provided plenty of distraction. So instead of working on getting a match write-up finished, I would do one more level on Modern Warfare 2...

 

I am not sure where I go from here on this one. I'm leaving soon for a week in Vegas (hell yeah!), so obviously nothing happens for a bit. If I do continue, I'm thinking it will likely be with a "fast-forward" where I book through a few months and pick things up in-diary from there. As I complained about, I dislike that it feels like I'm not doing any of the things I wanted to yet and that they are still far from happening (in show terms, given there is four per week to book), plus I still feels like I'm just emulating the E too much. I may also just leave off. That feel weak after just four shows, but I never really expected this to be a major long-term project either.

 

Great show big man. I was wandering one thing. Why Taker and Punk at Main Event? Not complaining just was curious is all.

 

I wavered back and forth between that or the Cena-Orton match. If the Cena-Orton was really going to be the feud-ender, I probably would have gone with that simply for that reason. Without that being the case, I felt I could make arguements for either. In the end, it was that the match would be longer (I had planned already on Punk using the "wear him out" approach) and it would include a title change.

 

The booking on the show left me conflicted in a number of ways. I really preferred to have Legacy go over DX, but it wasn't necessary for either booking or diary terms. The D-X win works better for my future plans. I would've preferred Swagger to take the United States belt, but The Miz win worked better with some plans I have.

[Bigpapa42]

<p>LeSigh...</p><p> </p><p>

After toying with the idea of playing a few months further into the game and then kicking the diary off again, I've instead decided just to call an end to it. I didn't expect this one to be a long-term deal, but I also didn't expect to make it just four shows. There are a bunch of little things, most of which I complained about already, but it really comes down to lacking motivation. I would rather spent the last few months of TEW 2008 just enjoying some games rather than involved in a project. </p><p> </p><p>

I don't really regret giving this one a try, even if it ended fairly short. Once I started to get a few ideas for a current-day WWE diary during the early part of the summer, I realized that the bug would always stay with me until I gave it a try. Much like my desire to do a TCW diary at some point. So while it was shorter than I thought, at least I gave it a try. And if I should ever decide to a WWE diary again somewhere down the road - whether current day or historical - I've learned more than a few things. </p><p> </p><p>

I did like using "The Mark" approach. Where the show reports are basically like you're reading them off an Internet site and the rest is from the perspective of a fan, with all the biases and issues that brings. Its an approach I may use again in a future project. </p><p> </p><p>

I figured I would throw out a few of my ideas here. Not quite a "where this was going" so much as the ideas I wanted to play out. If nothing else, it might give a few ideas to some readers. </p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Raw Brand</strong></p><p> </p><p>

First off, my next Raw show was going to kick off with GM Shane McMahon introducing a new WWE Championship to replace the spinner belt, thanks to a lovely new render from Reaper. Sorry Reaper!</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><span>http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k235/Bigpapa42_2006/WWE/Belts/WWE/Belt%20Renders/WWEChampionshipRedux.jpg</span></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>

The Cena-Orton feud was not done. Kind of by necessity, as I couldn't really find someone else worthy of feuding with Cena just yet on more than a short term basis, given the other storylines. Basically Orton would push his "loose cannon" gimmick by stalking Cena. Swagger would likely end up earning a shot at the belt for the next PPV, but Orton keeps interfering. Finally, Shane has no choice but to put them in a match again. I wasn't sure how much I wanted to drag it out - I toyed with Orton winning the Royal Rumble but that would mean a long (and boring) Cena title reign to WM. </p><p> </p><p>

Also on the first Raw after the PPV, Jeri-Show were going to declare themselves the best tag team ever. Which is interrupted by DX, setting up a feud between them. Legacy would try to get involved but are dismissed by both other teams. Which sets up another storyline - Legacy are seeking respect. And after Jeri-Show defeat DX, there is need of new tag belt challengers. Orton is angry that Legacy are not 100% focused on helping him take down Cena, which will eventually leads to the dissolution of Legacy down the road. Before that, Ted DiBiase Sr plays a role as he negotiates a deal with Shane to introduce a tag team tournament to determine the new #1 contenders to Jeri-Show's belts, with $1,000,000 of Ted's money on the line. The other two brands also get involved and it becomes a big deal. With either 16 or maybe even 32 teams, it would be a good way to bring some tag teams back to relevance in the WWE, plus set up some future feuds. Legacy would win, get the belts from Jeri-Show, and turn face somewhere along the line. </p><p> </p><p>

The DX loss to Jeri-Show would happen due to friction between Michaels and Triple H, with one eventually turning heel early in 2009 to set up a match between the two at WM. </p><p> </p><p>

One of the youngsters on Raw I had plans for was Kofi. I intended to ditch the fun babyface gimmick - unfortunately very similar to what they have done. At least I was intending a feud with between Orton and Kofi...</p><p> </p><p>

Another storyline would be Shane announcing he would name an Assistant GM, leading to a number of people trying to find ways (hopefully amusing) to impress Shane. It ends up being Santino, who would probably be very fun in the role. He would do the basic stuff on every Raw show whereas Shane would show up for the bigger stuff. </p><p> </p><p>

Another Shane move would be add to a Diva's Commissioner. Having all the Diva's on one brand gets to be out of control, so he names someone to try to control things. I was going to use Jim Cornette, but that's fairly close to his TV role in TNA (from what I recall). Ted DiBiase Sr could also do the role, so there were options. </p><p> </p><p>

<strong>SmackDown</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Things would be a bit more straight-forward on SD. The Undertaker would feud with both CM Punk and a heel Batista. UT would face CM Punk in a ladder match at the TLC PPV and lose the belt, disappearing again until WM. I had not decided on his opponent yet for WM - possibly Jericho, or even John Morrison. But no, I was not about to break The Streak. </p><p> </p><p>

CM Punk would feud with Assistant GM Steve Austin as well, as I figure straight edge is pretty directly opposite Austin's character. I would keep Austin out of the ring, I think. But who wouldn't love to see Austin interrupt one of Punk's straight edge "sermons" with a Stone Cold Stunner? This would result in Punk surrounding himself with protection - something he requested from Teddy Long while still champion. Forming a mini-stable with Punk would be a rehired Colt Cabana plus Jack Swagger moving over from Raw. </p><p> </p><p>

I was a bit undecided on what to do with John Morrison. He's a future major star to me, but I wasn't sure whether he should continue on with the IC belt for awhile (perhaps teaming with Rey Mysterio or Matt Hardy, feuding with the Hart Dynasty) or dropping the IC title to move into the world title scene. Some options were to have him win the Royal Rumble (as SeanMcFly did in his short-lived but very good WWE diary), or even win the MITB and cash it in on the same night at WM. </p><p> </p><p>

Though I prefer him as a heel, I don't have much love for Batista either way. So while hoping for an in-game injury or maybe a series of positive steroid tests, my plan would be to keep him near the title but without the belt. A feud with a returning Edge was a possibility, though I think I would prefer to save that for Jericho. </p><p> </p><p>

<strong>ECW</strong></p><p> </p><p>

My plan was to turn ECW into a full stand-alone brand. Still with a focus on the younger workers, but running a full two hours, with its own house shows, etc. Not that realistic, but would make some sense with the ambitious Stephanie McMahon in charge. I was toying with the possibility of adding a midcard belt to the brand, likely the ECW Cruiserweight belt - the addition of more belts was something I didn't like in a basic sense, but with the Diva's down to one belt, the overall number would be about the same. </p><p> </p><p>

Tiffany would retain her position of power, being named the Assistant GM by Steph. And like Shane on Raw, Steph wouldn't necessarily be on every show. This would set up a storyline between Tiffany, Regal, and Abraham Washington. Regal and Washington both feel they should have been named Assistant GM, which would include an acknowledgment of Washington's role as GM - democratically elected! - of FCW, where much of ECW's new talent comes from. Regal would still be feuding with Christian over the ECW title throughout this. When Washington realizes he needs muscle but is denied bringing in anyone from FCW loyal to him, he "buys" Jackson and Kozlov from Regal, who in turn aligns himself with Burchill again and a newly-debuted Nigel McGuiness. This doesn't work out so well for Mr. Washington, as he quickly finds out that Regal didn't "own" the Roundtable, as they leave him to move to SD. Regal fares little better, as Burchill betrays him by taking an opportunity to face Christian that Regal wanted, and actually winning the ECW title. McGuiness aligns himself with Burchill, setting the duo up as the new primary heels on ECW. </p><p> </p><p>

My plan was to have Stephanie hype up the introduction of Bryan Danielson, talking about her plans for the brand included finding the best talent in the world. And that included going outside the WWE world to find it. She went to those she trusted most - her husband, her brother, and her husbands friend Shawn Michaels - for recommendations and all three gave her one name. Before Danielson wrestles any matches, he would get hyped through a few videos with Michaels and Triple H hyping him up a bit. Danielson would debut with a winning streak, gradually going through much of the ECW roster as he slowly proves himself to the fans who don't know him and who might not be very impressed just by his appearance. Somewhere around WM, he would likely claim the ECW title from Burchill, paving the way for Burchill to move onto another brand and set up a Danielson-McGuiness feud. </p><p> </p><p>

Another ECW plan I had, which would probably not get started for awhile, was a Raven-eseque character with a new Flock. Probably inspired by Nevermore's ECW diary on this. I gave thought to actually using Raven for the role, but that seemed too backward-looking (plus he realistically wouldn't come back to the E). Christopher Daniels was a possibility, but I decided to with Sterling James Keenan as the dark leader. His "Flock" would include the Briscoe brothers and Low-Ki, with a few other possibilities. </p><p> </p><p>

Anyway, this turned out longer than I intended. So thanks for those who took the time to read my short-lived little project here.</p>

[tristram]

<p>Well, even though it was short, it was also sweet. </p><p> </p><p>

Your idea on the Flock-esque stable sounded really sweet, to be honest. Would have loved to have seen that come to fruition. Yep, it may be a little 'nevermore'ish, but I say that basically when something is so damn good it makes little sense to ignore it and not try and learn from it!</p>

[totti]

I'm very glad I read this mate because I've struggled to get into cornellverse diaries in the past meaning I miss out on some fantastic writing. I hope you start something new when TEW10 is out and cornellverse or not, I'll be reading.

[James Casey]

Shame to see this finish so soon, but I understand the need to just <em>try</em> something sometimes. I figure that a break to recharge and then maybe that TCW diary with '10 (where I'll likely be playing as SWF, so we can go head-to-head <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />) could be the way to go.

[Bigpapa42]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="tristram" data-cite="tristram" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="24634" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Well, even though it was short, it was also sweet. <p> </p><p> Your idea on the Flock-esque stable sounded really sweet, to be honest. Would have loved to have seen that come to fruition. Yep, it may be a little 'nevermore'ish, but I say that basically when something is so damn good it makes little sense to ignore it and not try and learn from it!</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Thanks Tristam.</p><p> </p><p> I was easily most hyped for some of the ECW stuff I had planned. But I wanted to create a tough balance of bringing back some stuff that made the real ECW so awesome, yet not completely abandon what the brand had become or completely go away from the basic WWE ideals of today. So "backward" thoughts of bringing back Sandman, Sabu, etc were thrown away pretty quickly. Raven and RvD were both much more tempting. </p><p> </p><p> The idea of a "new flock" was to have something that was a throwback and veteran fans would obviously recognize it, but it would still be somewhat new. I struggled to find a "new Raven", someone who had a fairly unique look, had that grungy and unstable air about them, plus could both work and talk quite well. I don't know Sterling James Keenan's work that well, but from what I've seen, I think he could pull it off. The thought of SJK directing the Briscoe's and Low-Ki to cause all kinds of damage on the ECW brand just brings a grin to my face. </p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="totti" data-cite="totti" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="24634" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I'm very glad I read this mate because I've struggled to get into cornellverse diaries in the past meaning I miss out on some fantastic writing. I hope you start something new when TEW10 is out and cornellverse or not, I'll be reading.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. </p><p> </p><p> There is likely going to be some type of 2010 project and it will almost certainly be Cornell-Verse. I respect the hell out of what the real world diary writers do, but I don't think its for me, at least not as a full-time primary project. I have a 2003 game right now that I enjoy but there is no temptation to turn it into a diary project. </p><p> </p><p> </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="24634" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Shame to see this finish so soon, but I understand the need to just <em>try</em> something sometimes. I figure that a break to recharge and then maybe that TCW diary with '10 (where I'll likely be playing as SWF, so we can go head-to-head <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />) could be the way to go.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> You likely figure correctly. And yeah, I just needed to try it out. An "itch", so to speak. The bigger itch is a TCW diary, so you are absolutely correct in that is likely to be my first (and possibly only) 2010 project. Though it depends on what has happened to TCW. But Total is definitely a big "itch" for me - I cam really close to starting up a TCW project at almost the exact same time as PhantomStranger started his current opus (we had some chats about our ideas). I realized running two diaries wouldn't work, so I held off. But many of the ideas I had are likely to carry over to TCW in 2010, so it seems like a good bet. </p><p> </p><p> I also must say that I look forward to your SWF when it finally happens.</p>

[angeldelayette]

<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="24634" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Shame to see this finish so soon, but I understand the need to just <em>try</em> something sometimes. I figure that a break to recharge and then maybe that TCW diary with '10 (where I'll likely be playing as SWF, so we can go head-to-head <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />) could be the way to go.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Bigpapa42" data-cite="Bigpapa42" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="24634" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>You likely figure correctly. And yeah, I just needed to try it out. An "itch", so to speak. The bigger itch is a TCW diary, so you are absolutely correct in that is likely to be my first (and possibly only) 2010 project. Though it depends on what has happened to TCW. But Total is definitely a big "itch" for me - I cam really close to starting up a TCW project at almost the exact same time as PhantomStranger started his current opus (we had some chats about our ideas). I realized running two diaries wouldn't work, so I held off. But many of the ideas I had are likely to carry over to TCW in 2010, so it seems like a good bet. <p> </p><p> I also must say that I look forward to your SWF when it finally happens.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I just had drooling thoughts of a James Casey run SWF and Bigpapa42 run TCW in a joint diary. Sorry, just had to say it!</p>