HYPE: One Year Later - CVerse 2011

[Nachtfalter]

As we are rapidly closing in on the end of 2010, I don't think TEW 2010 has lost any of it's luster. It's no doubt the greatest wrestling game ever produced and apart from minute details, I struggle to think of ways to significantly improve it. It might be a while before there is another TEW game and I don't have a problem with it.

 

I do believe, however, that using the default database will start seeming more and more like playing a historical mod to me, due to the start date in January 2010 and the fact that I've seen most of the ways the gameworld plays out over the course of the year. So I figured... why not jump one year ahead, smack dab into the present. Or future, for another dozen of days.

 

So I started creating my very first mod that will let myself and everyone else who's interested start in January of 2011 in a Cornellverse that has seen it's share of developments, title changes, new promotions and all kinds of major and minor shake-ups. Welcome to... One Year Later - Nachtfalter's vision of a 2011 Cornellverse!

 

After that introduction, here's where we're at: The database is pretty much done, I've implemented all the changes I intended to as far as rosters, title histories, promotions, injuries, relationships and most other things go. Right now, I am running one year test-runs to see if the gameworld does things I don't want it to. So far, it's looking good and (unforeseen catastrophes like natural disasters or dying notebooks notwithstanding) I can guarantee a release in 2010, perhaps just in time for Christmas.

 

Apart from testing, there are only two issues that still need taking care off. One is starting storylines. I plan to have some for most of the entertainment based feds and I figured a lot of them out already, but so far I have only added two SWF storylines. The other are pictures I have assigned to a couple of character's (either because I wasn't fond of the original ones or because the character changed somehow) that I would like to include in the mod. I have contacted the alt and render artists in question, but so far haven't heard back from most of them and I certainly wouldn't want to use other people's work without permission.

 

Hopefully, the changes I've made won't completely alienate loyal fans of the canon CVerse

 

Any comments, discussion or suggestions are of course welcome either in this thread or via PM!

 

---

 

USA

 

The biggest wrestling news story in the United States was no doubt Sam Strongs return to the company that turned him into a national icon. In late 2010, Strong resigned from his post as president of USPW, sold his share of the company and returned to the SWF, taking his daughter Alicia, his protege Nicky Champion and his best friend Peter Valentine with him. Richard Eisen, convinced the rights to Sam Strong's likeness will make him millions of dollars in merchandising, agreed to jumpstart a women's division for Alicia to compete in and gave both Strongs, Champion and Valentine creative control clauses as well, creating quite an uproar in the locker room.

 

In the wake of Sam Strong's departure, Giant Redwood somehow managed to take control of USPW and, perhaps unsurprisingly, immediately started pushing himself to the moon.

 

Another potentially significant happening was the creation of the XWA by veteran independent darling Steve Flash. XWA is a return to presenting pro wrestling as pure competition, even taking some hints from MMA by keeping win-loss records for every competitor. Flash and his head booker Art Reed managed to assemble an outstanding roster, but it remains to be seen if their product will garner enough traction with American wrestling fans to make XWA a commercial success.

 

Canada

 

NOTBPW is done and over with. That is no doubt 2010's most shocking development not only in Canada but in the entire wrestling world. When Dan Stone Sr announced his intentions to leave the wrestling business completely, his kids Jeremy, Dan Jr and Victoria - who always used to get along before - immediately started fighting tooth and nail about who would take over the family company. Not wanting to take sides in the argument, Dan Sr looked elsewhere and tried to sell NOTBPW to an outsider but the deal fell through due to concerns on the investor's side that NOTBPW would not be able to compete with SWF who gradually started expanding into Canada. Dan - sick and tired of the bickering within his family - decided that the best thing would be to have NOTBPW end with his retirement. From a family point of view it was clearly the right decision as all the Stones reconciled quickly after the decision was made public and worked together to put on a couple of brilliant final shows, but NOTBPW's loyal fans are left with only memories of their favourite promotion.

 

Soon after NOTBPW's final show, two new wrestling organizations rose from the ashes. One is CWWF (the Canadian Women's Wrestling Federation), which is headed by Victoria Stone and is essentially a continuation of NOTBPW's women's division with some added new talent (most notably Victoria's sister in law Tamara McFly and USPW's Cherry Bomb). While CWWF holds NOTBPW's tradition in high regard, the other new company did the exact opposite right from the start. Steve DeColt, NOTBPW's final Canadian champion, threw that very belt into a trash can and lit it on fire in the very first show of his new promotion which, after that incident, was christened Canadian Wrestling Revolution. The shocks CWR had prepared for it's debut didn't end with the desecration of the NOTBPW belt, however. The show also saw a jaw dropping appearance by Phil Vibert! The very same man who had been the reason for Steve DeColt leaving Canadian Golden Combat in 2009 now worked with him and declared war on CGC, on tradition and on everything and anything that would stand in the way of the Canadian Wrestling Revolution! CWR have a lot of momentum behind them after those shock moments, but they have also alienated every single old-school fan of either NOTBPW or CGC and they no doubt have a tough road ahead of them...

 

Mexico

 

SOTBPW had been Mexico's number one promotion for a while, but in 2010, they took their game to a whole new level. In hopes of turning themselves into a national powerhouse and, in the foreseeable future, an international player, the company was rebranded SELL (Sports Entertainment Lucha Libre). As the name suggests, the American entertainment influences have become a lot more obvious in the promotion's product, which obviously alienated some Lucha Libre purists. The broad public, however, reacted well to the changes and, spearheaded by national icon Champagne Lover and his nemesis El Fuerza, SELL grew bigger and bigger at an astounding rate. Taking a page out of Richard Eisen's book, SELL broke all agreements with the other two companies in Mexico and started raiding OLLIE's and MPWF's talent, cherry picking some of their most valuable stars and in the process building the strongest roster Mexican wrestling has ever seen.

 

MPWF and OLLIE have not given up, however, and are intent on fighting the good fight, providing "real" Lucha Libre (although, to tell the truth, MPWF's character based approach to Lucha Libre is probably more similar to what SELL does than Domino would like to admit). Especially OLLIE boasts a group of extremely talented young luchadors and, if they can manage to hold on to that talent, may be well prepared to deliver a product that rivals SELL's.

 

Japan

 

2010 has been a year a evolutions rather than revolutions in Japanese pro wrestling. BHOTWG managed to cement it’s spot as the undisputed number one wrestling organization outside of the United States by delivering consistently good shows and adding some more marquee talent to their already great roster. In the Burning Hammer heavyweight division, Mike Watson split from his former INSPIRE comrades to form his own group, the MMA powerhouse with newly signed superstar Buddy Garner and newcomer Roy Edison. Their series of matches against Tadiyuki Kikkawa, Tasuku Iesada and Masaaki Okazaki has been a roaring success, so far. In the Super Junior division, BHOTWG managed to steal Magnum Kobe, fresh off recording a hit single and garnering mainstream popularity, from WLW and are now looking to turn Kobe into the face of the division.

 

PGHW still faces injury problems (most recently in the form of a severe knee injury to Shuji Inukai) due to their continued refusal to tone down their style, but other than that, they seem to be on their way to once again establishing themselves as a national force, especially after further strengthening their stellar roster by signing two of the most in-demand international free agents in late 2010 – Dan Stone Jr and Jeremy Stone!

 

Apart from Magnum Kobe, the most notable jump from one Japanese promotion to another was PGHW’s Dread surprising return to his old stomping grounds in Golden Canvas Grappling, where head booker, resident superstar and living legend Haruki Kudo apparently promised him one last run at the top; a promise he kept by losing his GCG World title to Dread in September. While no one questions Kudo is doing everything in his power to once again make GCG a top address in the world of Japanese wrestling, his decision to focus an aging stars like himself and Dread has lead to some uproar behind the scenes…

 

Japanese wrestling fans also saw the debut of a brand new promotion, EXODUS 2010. Founder and sole owner Naoya Ashikaga managed to convince the legendary original Elemental to take on matchmaking duties, which gave the company instant credibility. Mostly concentrating on exciting young talent (although veteran Burning EXILE also holds a prominent position on the roster), EX2010 so far managed to deliver very watchable shows on a consistent basis.

 

United Kingdom & Europe

 

Two of the most newsworthy developments in European wrestling happened to involve Ali Bloxsome’s UEW promotion. The first one was former UEW champion Joey Beauchamp leaving the company (reportedly on good terms with Bloxsome) to return to the United Kingdom, where he joined High Impact Wrestling, a brand new promotion founded by the original owner of 21CW, Tyler Baker. The second important development involving UEW was the return of Spanish icon Louis Figo Manico, who signed a contract with UEW after Ali Bloxsome agreed to not only pay him very handsomely, but give him complete creative control and the position as head booker as well.

 

With all of their competition either on the brink of bankruptcy (MOSC), in the middle of a rebuilding phase (ROF) or very new to the scene (HIW), the United Kingdom’s biggest promotion, 21st Century Wrestling, faced no immediate danger of losing their number one spot in the country. Something they did lose, however, was their TV deal with UK Broadcasting Digital. Apparently, after the network refused to move his show to a prime time slot, 21CW owner Jeff Nova got into a heated argument with a network executive that resulted in the immediate cancellation of the show. Nova managed to make the best out of a bad situation, however, and instead signed a deal with PPV provider United Kingdom Choice to broadcast a weekly 21CW PPV, which has kept the group’s national visibility on a very high level. The ongoing feud between Jeff Nova (who took his real-life role as president of the company into 21CW storylines) and Joss Thompson made for some great moments and kept loyal fans buying the show week after week. In late 2010, Nova scored another coup when he managed to convince “Dark Angel” Cliff Wilson to return to his home country and join 21CW following the closure of NOTBPW.

 

Australia

 

Down under, the war between APW and RAW has heated up in 2010, with RAW firing the first major shot by stealing arguably APW’s biggest hope for the future, Swoop McCarthy, who simply couldn’t resist the opportunity to be on national television week after week. APW is far from giving up, though, and reciprocated by signing Loxley Robbins away from RAW, after he had grown frustrated of only being the number three babyface behind Captain Wrestling II and Kerry Wayne.

 

A little removed from all the competition in Australia, New Zealand’s ZEN has found itself in a very comfortable position, especially after they received a huge money donation from Australian multi-millionaire Barry Fitzgerald. With their newfound wealth, they managed to convince WLW’s Hell Monkey to leave Japan and join ZEN’s roster of zany characters. They also put their gender equality policy into actual use for the first time when they signed AAA-star Gorgon, who so far has done a very good job of convincing everyone that she can indeed beat up every single man on the roster…

 

 

Aaaaaand... Version 1.0 is ready for download here!

[20LEgend]

Sounds cool I thought of doing this so gl

[ChrisKid]

interested good luck

[PeterHilton]

this does sound cool. A lot of it will of course depend on how peopletake to your vision of the CVerse in 2011. Who jumps to/from the major companies etc...

 

if that works out this will be great and i think packaging the new alts and logos would make this a slam dunk must have mod.

[shamelessposer]

Good job on this. I'd done some work on a near-identical project over the last couple of months, but finals and life got in the way of a pre-2011 release.

[ZMAN]

You should do something crazy and have someone important DIE.

[Nachtfalter]

I've updated the first post with a brief glimpse at what happened in the USA during 2010. Note that it's not a comprehensive overview. To some degree, things changed in every single company, even if nothing is mentioned above. TCW, for example, should play quite a bit different due to some turns and the formation of a new stable, but I'll leave that for everyone to discover in the database itself.

 

You should do something crazy and have someone important DIE.

 

I didn't let any characters die. I guess I don't dislike any of them enough to wish death upon them

 

One very popular promotion has bitten the dust, however...

[Truth]

Very interested in where this goes. An SWF with a Womens division is very interesting, as is the role Sam takes up. What shape USPW takes will also be very interesting without Sam's steady hand and the blow to their Womens division that is Victoria's move. Total in particular I'm interested in as to where it goes.

 

Any idea as to a schedule for it's release?

[SWF Fan]

This looks amazing. Can't wait to see where the C-Verse goes to in 2011, really looking forward to playing this.

[Nachtfalter]

Very interested in where this goes. An SWF with a Womens division is very interesting, as is the role Sam takes up. What shape USPW takes will also be very interesting without Sam's steady hand and the blow to their Womens division that is Victoria's move. Total in particular I'm interested in as to where it goes.

 

Any idea as to a schedule for it's release?

 

Glad you like the Strong move. I wasn't always sure about that one

 

As for the release, I'm still tweaking some things. Right now, I'm looking into maybe lowering the average overness in some promotions that rise up too easily in my test runs. But the absolute majority of work was done before I put up this thread and, since I had the default CVerse as a base, the data was pretty much playable at any step of the way. I'm definitely gonna put a 1.0 version of the mod up before New Year's, so everyone who wants to can start a January 2011 game on January 1st.

[SWF Fan]

I'm definitely gonna put a 1.0 version of the mod up before New Year's, so everyone who wants to can start a January 2011 game on January 1st.

 

Brilliant Birthday present for me then

[jhd1]

Looking forward to seeing what you have come up with.

 

My only suggestion would be in your use of pictures - rename your new picture files so that they are obviously attached to the mod. For example Edd Stone_2011.jpg or Liberty_2011alt.jpg. An _altX extension is more than likely going to overwrite someone else's picture files (as is using the renderer's name, i.e. _jhd, _AJA). _2011 or _OYL should work fine, though (I wouldn't use your name since you are using others' pictures).

[Nachtfalter]

I've updated the first post with looks into Canada and Mexico. As the changes there are certain to be the most controversial, I feel like I have to explain what I did there.

 

This mod started out as a database update strictly for personal use and, personally, I almost always either rename or completely kill NOTBPW and SOTBPW for my games because I just hate the names with a passion. I'm neither Canadian nor Mexican, but if I was I certainly wouldn't base my company's name on it's geographical relation to the US border just like I feel no self-respecting European should call their promotion "Across The Pond Pro Wrestling". I know not everyone may agree with that reasoning and I don't expect them to, but it's how I have always felt and that's why getting rid of both NOTBPW and SOTBPW was the very first thing I did while working on this mod.

 

With SOTBPW/SELL, I liked the idea of a borderline national Mexican company because a) the Mexican talent base certainly can sustain it and b) Mexico has such a rich wrestling tradition, it just feels like it should be home to a major company. SOTBPW already was the market leader in 2010, so instead of killing it, I rebranded it. SELL is cult at the start of the game, but the AI manages to make it national within a year in most of my test runs, so it is going where I essentially want it to be.

 

I considered rebranding NOTBPW in a similar fashion, but I decided against it for various reasons. One of them being that in most of my 2010 games, NOTBPW was able to pull 90+ show ratings for ALL of their shows effortlessly and while I'm not opposed to a smaller promotion putting out awesome shows all the time (in fact, PGHW does just that in most test runs), I didn't really like having such a juggernaut in Canada for some reason. I guess I feel Canada is too close to the ultimate CVerse powerhouse in SWF to have such a strong independent national market.

 

I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of people who don't like what I did with SOTBPW and especially NOTBPW and I'm sorry about that, but it opened wonderful possibilities. Personally, I loved the idea of having Steve DeColt run an outlaw hardcore promotion, especially after I decided to give him Phil Vibert as a right hand man. You might just be able to turn CWR into a Canadian DAVE... And people who want a North American promotion that 100% treats wrestling as a sport now have XWA (which, despite being located in the US, has a Canadian owner and head booker and some starting popularity in Canada, so an expansion to old NOTBPW turf is in the cards), so I hope that makes up for something.

 

Okay, lots of blabbering and I'm sorry about that, too, but I felt I had to explain why I did what I did there. None of the other regions will call for this much explaining on my part. Critique and discussion are welcome, of course.

 

My only suggestion would be in your use of pictures - rename your new picture files so that they are obviously attached to the mod. For example Edd Stone_2011.jpg or Liberty_2011alt.jpg. An _altX extension is more than likely going to overwrite someone else's picture files (as is using the renderer's name, i.e. _jhd, _AJA). _2011 or _OYL should work fine, though (I wouldn't use your name since you are using others' pictures).

 

Good thought, thanks. So far, they all have the artist's name (which is a good thing, because otherwise I wouldn't have known who to contact and who to credit), but I'll rename them before I put them up to avoid overwriting anything.

 

By the way, I still haven't heard back from some of the artists I contacted. So if you're a renderer or alt maker and have an unread private message in your inbox... please answer me! Your brilliant work would add to the mod, even though I guess I have to stress that graphics aren't really the focus of what I did. I replaced maybe fifty pictures, no more than that. But I may very well include more of the new renders and more alts in future versions of the mod. If I get permission from the artists, that is

[Kluge]

I love the fact that you are updating the database, you can count me as someone who won't really be starting a new game in January 2010.

 

I will say though that I feel there have been some huge shakeups and I'm not a fan of a radical landscape change in one year, even if I do agree with the less then steller names of NOTBPW and SOTBPW ah well though I'm sure with the changes you made it will be fun.

 

SWF's Women division better have a large amount of "Divas" along with Strong though, otherwise it's way to unrealistic

[Nachtfalter]

I love the fact that you are updating the database, you can count me as someone who won't really be starting a new game in January 2010.

 

I will say though that I feel there have been some huge shakeups and I'm not a fan of a radical landscape change in one year, even if I do agree with the less then steller names of NOTBPW and SOTBPW ah well though I'm sure with the changes you made it will be fun.

 

SWF's Women division better have a large amount of "Divas" along with Strong though, otherwise it's way to unrealistic

 

Glad to have you on board

 

I agree that the mix-ups in the US, Canada and Mexico are a bit much for one year (especially considering there's some more SWF vs. USPW stuff I haven't even mentioned yet), but I had my mind set on the NOTPBW/SOTBPW changes and after I thought of the Strong move, I didn't wanna let that idea go, either. It may be a lot of change for one year, but I just like every specific change so much that I didn't want to undo them.

 

None of the so far unmentioned areas has seen even close to as much change as the US, Canada and Mexico, however. In all other areas it's mostly just been some talent rotation and, of course, title changes and the like.

 

And as far as the SWF women's division goes... let's just say there are 6 workers in that division, and I would only consider three of them actual women's wrestlers

[Teh_Showtime]

I think the change is too radical for just one calender year

 

USPW and NOTBPW both going under when they are both rising fast at the start of 2010 baffles me

[Midnightnick]

The change to Canada is too much for me. I don't see how or why Vibert would do that and quit out on CGC.

[SWF Fan]

I think the change is too radical for just one calender year

 

USPW and NOTBPW both going under when they are both rising fast at the start of 2010 baffles me

 

The change to Canada is too much for me. I don't see how or why Vibert would do that and quit out on CGC.

 

USPW isn't really under, ok with Redwood in charge its not great but still and NOTBPW makes sense, if the DeColt's split up and went in different ways because of their company being handed down then it would happen with North Of The Border too. Dan's already lost Edd to TCW and Duane to Japan he doesn't want all his other sons and daughter never speaking again, he's a family man, what better way to keep them together than for him to let them go their seperate ways in wrestling.

 

Vibert makes sense too, he's a businessman who wants to have power, still bitter over how DaVE ended. This company sounds right up Vibert's street, not traditional and looking to be the best. It makes more sense than him booking the second best promotion in a small country.

 

Mexico sounds fantastic, can't wait to see who SELL have stolen.

 

Just a few questions I guess with the data, where are the other Stones now?

 

Dan Jr, Jeremy and Edd I mean. I guess Dan and Jezza may have gone to the XWA or Japan but is Edd still with TCW or has he been released to ply his trade in CZCW and 4C? Or has he rose up the card? Any info dude...

 

STJ

 

SWF Fan

[Nachtfalter]

I think the change is too radical for just one calender year

 

USPW and NOTBPW both going under when they are both rising fast at the start of 2010 baffles me

 

I don't know where you get the idea USPW is going under. Size wise they are in a very similar spot to 2010 (a little higher), their roster - even with the Strong exodus - is about as strong as it was a year earlier (hint: while Strong & Company went from USPW to SWF, there were also people who took the opposite route) and they start with a PPV contract. Overall, I'd say USPW is in a slightly better place than a year before. The only new problem they face is having a somewhat egomaniacal new owner.

 

I don't see how or why Vibert would do that and quit out on CGC.

 

I never understood what he was doing in CGC in the first place, so it wasn't too hard for me to imagine him leaving. As for the specific reasons, I always liked the way Adam left a lot of details up to each individual player's imagination and I tried to handle things in a similar way, so I don't want to nail it down too much. In my head, I imagine him being fed up with Dan DaLay, Ricky and especially Jack DeColt having too much influence on Alex, limiting his freedom to book the way he wants, so when Steve offers him to join the Revolution, he has an open ear. That's just one possibility, however. I'll leave the details of what really happened up to everyone's imagination.

 

I also wanna say again, though, that I completely understand everyone who doesn't like what I did in Canada. Sorry about that. I hope you still give the data a chance, perhaps playing in another game area...

 

Mexico sounds fantastic, can't wait to see who SELL have stolen.

 

I'm glad I made at least one person happy

 

Just a few questions I guess with the data, where are the other Stones now?

 

You're pretty much spot on already. Jeremy and Dan Jr headed to Japan (and thus should be featured when I give some more info on that area), Duane is still there as well and Edd remains with TCW, who have had very little roster fluctuation. I'm afraid while his former partner Freddy Huggins has gotten a very decent push in 2010, Edd hasn't really risen up the card. Life's just not fair

[SWF Fan]

But Edd's the man this ruins Christmas for me, meh I'll just have to raise him up myself

[Midnightnick]

I don't know where you get the idea USPW is going under. Size wise they are in a very similar spot to 2010 (a little higher), their roster - even with the Strong exodus - is about as strong as it was a year earlier (hint: while Strong & Company went from USPW to SWF, there were also people who took the opposite route) and they start with a PPV contract. Overall, I'd say USPW is in a slightly better place than a year before. The only new problem they face is having a somewhat egomaniacal new owner.

 

 

 

I never understood what he was doing in CGC in the first place, so it wasn't too hard for me to imagine him leaving. As for the specific reasons, I always liked the way Adam left a lot of details up to each individual player's imagination and I tried to handle things in a similar way, so I don't want to nail it down too much. In my head, I imagine him being fed up with Dan DaLay, Ricky and especially Jack DeColt having too much influence on Alex, limiting his freedom to book the way he wants, so when Steve offers him to join the Revolution, he has an open ear. That's just one possibility, however. I'll leave the details of what really happened up to everyone's imagination.

 

I also wanna say again, though, that I completely understand everyone who doesn't like what I did in Canada. Sorry about that. I hope you still give the data a chance, perhaps playing in another game area...

 

 

 

I'm glad I made at least one person happy

 

 

 

You're pretty much spot on already. Jeremy and Dan Jr headed to Japan (and thus should be featured when I give some more info on that area), Duane is still there as well and Edd remains with TCW, who have had very little roster fluctuation. I'm afraid while his former partner Freddy Huggins has gotten a very decent push in 2010, Edd hasn't really risen up the card. Life's just not fair

 

Oh no, I'm still going to play don't worry. I'm just giving my opinion thus far!

 

I'm sure for every change like Canada, I'll like something else you change better.

[MorenoKing24]

Sounds intriguing, I'll give it a download.

[Truth]

But Edd's the man this ruins Christmas for me, meh I'll just have to raise him up myself

 

Absolutely agreed. The master of Edd-Fu is due for a big push in my book.

[Remianen]

OMG I might just play as booker only for Victoria. Unless you've changed her, she's an awesome owner with progressive views so as long as I don't get stupid owner goals ("Cannot hire anyone with less than B psychology"), I could roll with CWWF.

[Nachtfalter]

I've updated the first post with some information on Japan. I actually had it written yesterday but because I'm a moron and clicked on cancel instead of save while editing the post, I had to write it again today...