WWF 2001: No Mercy

Crossface · October 27, 2017

January 2001
A brief look in on the world and the WWF’s place in it...

The famed Monday Night Wars was drawing to its inevitable close as Vince McMahon’s WWF surged ahead in the ratings. Poor creative and the AOL-Time Warner merger were squeezing the remnants of life from the once thriving WCW. (Of course the real life history book would record McMahon’s acquisition of the Turner brand only a few short weeks away from where we set our story). The Paul Heyman-led ECW had just been ousted from their national television deal by the ever-expanding WWF and many wondered how much longer the cult promotion could continue to operate with mounting debt. (Again, the history books would record WWF’s acquisition of ECW only a few months before where our story begins).

Meanwhile,the WWF, now a publicly traded company on Wall Street, was thriving. The wrestling megapolis was running 2 flagship shows: Monday Night RAW and SmackDown! and was captained by 2 bonafide national stars in the “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock. While Austin and The Rock were clearly at the top of the heap, a crowded supporting cast were lie just underneath ready to burst into that next level. Keys cogs in the wheel included names like Triple H, Kurt Angle, and The Undertaker (to say nothing of the workhorse midcard talent: Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, William Regal, Edge, Christian, The Hardy Boyz, The Dudleys and others). WWF had begun investing into the stars of tomorrow by cultivating partnerships with developmental promotions and had begun developing future names such as: Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Dave Batista, and others.

Firmly entrenched as the top dog in American wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation will look to expand its global presence in 2001. While another record breaking year for revenue and box office attendance is expected, the challenge will lie maintaining quality creative as ever-growing Federation fills more and more television time. How will so many stars have their egos fed while simultaneously making room for the next crop of talent? Will this version of events end the same as real life: acquisition of all the credible domestic competition, or will WCW and ECW find ways to strike back?

Author's Note

Hello and thanks for checking out my latest project. Here, I'll be taking over WWF in January of 2001.

The Data: I am using the Mod Squad "New Blood Rising" mod which is set in January of 1997 (that means WCW and ECW are both alive...albeit barely.). This is a data set that I have hardly played and part of the fun of this for me is that I haven't worn the data out before beginning the diary. I'm hoping that this keeps the game fresh and help the sustainability of the diary for the long haul.

My User Character: My avatar in this game will be Vince McMahon with all the pre-established relationships in-tact. I don't imagine this will impact my game-play very much and I don't think I'll employ much backstage narrative this time around.

What to Expect: With 2 A shows right out of the gate, taking 2001 on is going to be a monumental task. At the moment, I plan on small scale tv show write ups with bigger treatment for PPV's and special events.

Prediction Contests: I will absolutely be running them. They were a great source of enjoyment for me (and hopefully for readers) in the past.

Lastly, thanks for stopping by and checking this out. All forms of reader interaction are encouraged. Whether it be predictions, comments, criticism,
questions, or fan signs!

Crossface · October 27, 2017

<div style="text-align:center;">Roll Call of Champions:</div> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="KE4bZAB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KE4bZAB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WWF World Heavyweight Championship <img alt="X26MnnK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/X26MnnK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Kurt Angle (1st reign October 2000-present) <img alt="hc6yOtT.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hc6yOtT.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WWF Intercontinental Championship <img alt="XxgnK4D.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/XxgnK4D.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Chris Benoit (3rd reign December 2000-present) <img alt="kPg0ZSC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/kPg0ZSC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="kPg0ZSC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/kPg0ZSC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WWF Tag Team Championships <img alt="g1hgojd.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/g1hgojd.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="2Z8r4sp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/2Z8r4sp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Edge & Christian (5th reign December 2000-present) <img alt="LvVcbeF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/LvVcbeF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WWF European Championship <img alt="4IJdm3R.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/4IJdm3R.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> William Regal (2nd reign December 2000-present) <img alt="AEzPQ3I.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/AEzPQ3I.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WWF Hardcore Championship <img alt="Z9DCFJH.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Z9DCFJH.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Raven (1st reign December 2000-present) <img alt="8cwvDzR.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/8cwvDzR.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WWF Light Heavyweight Championship <img alt="xrulFzh.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/xrulFzh.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Dean Malenko (2nd reign April 2000-present) <img alt="Tzd4NW9.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Tzd4NW9.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WWF Women's Championship <img alt="SoKhJCL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/SoKhJCL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Ivory (3rd reign October 2000-present) <img alt="tyHSyPE.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tyHSyPE.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WWF Royal Rumble Winner ??? (2001) <img alt="VSFIQ5T.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VSFIQ5T.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> WWF King of the Ring Winner ??? (2001) </div></div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Roster Breakdown</div> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Faces in blue; Heels in red Top of the Card ("Well Known" & Above): Chris Jericho Steve Austin The Rock The Undertaker Chris Benoit Christian Eddie Guerrero Edge Kane Kurt Angle Tazz Triple H William Regal Mid-Card ("Recognizable-Regional Star"): Al Snow Billy Gunn Bradshaw Bubba Ray Dudley Crash Holly D-Von Dudley Faarooq Grand Master Sexay Hardcore Holly Jeff Hardy K-Kwik Matt Hardy Scotty Too Hotty Steve Blackman Test Albert Dean Malenko Gangrel Perry Saturn Raven Rikishi Steven Richards TAKA Michinoku The Goodfather Val Venis Curtain Jerkers ("Regional Level" & Below): Bull Buchanan Chaz D-Lo Brown Essa Rios Funaki Tiger Ali Singh Women's Division: Chyna Jacqueline Lita Molly Holly Ivory Tori Trish Stratus Injured/Inactive/Mysterious by their Absence Big Boss Man Big Show Linda McMahon Mark Henry Mick Foley Paul Bearer Shane McMahon Shawn Michaels X-Pac Out of the Ring Personalities: Debra Howard Finkle Jerry Lawler Jim Ross Jonathan Coachman Kevin Kelly Michael Cole Sgt. Slaughter The Kat Gerald Brisco Pat Patterson Stephanie McMahon Terri Vince McMahon</div></div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Factions & Tag Teams</div> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Tag Teams: The Dudley Boyz The Hardy Boyz The A.P.A. The Hollys Edge & Christian Kaientai Lo Down</div> <div style="text-align:center;">Factions: The Right to Censor: Steven Richards Ivory The Goodfather Val Venis Bull Buchanan Team ECK: Kurt Angle Edge Christian The Radicalz: Chris Benoit Eddie Guerrero Dean Malenko Perry Saturn Terri</div></div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Show Index</div> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">January 2001: Week 1: <a href="http://greydogsoftware.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2258779&postcount=17" rel="external nofollow">Monday Night RAW</a> <a href="http://greydogsoftware.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2259111&postcount=28" rel="external nofollow">SmackDown!</a> <a href="http://greydogsoftware.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2259401&postcount=29" rel="external nofollow">Sunday Night Heat</a> Week 2: <a href="http://greydogsoftware.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2259992&postcount=36" rel="external nofollow">Monday Night RAW</a> <a href="http://greydogsoftware.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2260385&postcount=37" rel="external nofollow">SmackDown!</a> Sunday Night Heat Week 3: Monday Night RAW SmackDown! Sunday Night Heat Week 4 : Monday Night RAW SmackDown! Sunday Night Heat The Royal Rumble</div></div></blockquote>

Beejus · October 28, 2017

Holy "dig-dig-diggity-dig-diggity Dog, Socko", Batman! It's No Mercy!

As always, I'm really looking forward to a Crossface project.

to4sty · October 28, 2017

As am I, it's good to see you back.....especially for this era, because I kind of dropped out of watching for a while around this time. I'm certainly interested to see where you take it

RingRider · October 28, 2017

Count me in for a Crossface return! Its cool to see someone take WWF on with the plethora of WCW 2001 diaries too!

Crossface · October 28, 2017

January 2001 Where the story begins… <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Main Eventers and the McMahon Family...</div> It’s true! It’s true! The WWF’s only Olympic Gold Medal Winner, Kurt Angle, is WWF World Champion. Angle had an impressive and unprecedented campaign in 2000, defeating The Rock in October for his first World Title win. The self-proclaimed “American Hero” capped off his year with an epic title defense defeating The Rock, Steve Austin ,Triple H, Rikishi, & The Undertaker in a Hell in the Cell. Angle’s run thus far has been marked by his loose affiliation with WWF power-broker Stephanie McMahon and tag team champions, Edge and Christian (collectively known as “Team ECK”). Angle has maintained his position as the WWF’s top dog while mostly being booked as a cowardly champion. With a strong field of possible title contenders ever-looming, the length of Angle’s title reign could be in doubt. Meanwhile, the McMahon family drama continues to be a featured storyline element in recents months. The latest twist saw Vince McMahon telling Linda McMahon he wanted a divorce. The news led to an apparent “nervous breakdown” for the wife of the chairmen who is now in a comatose state. Mr. McMahon, overjoyed by his wife’s critical medical state, has reassumed power of the WWF and rumors are running rampant about his “affiliation” with one Trish Stratus. As for Stephanie, “The Billion Dollar Princess” and on-screen wife of Triple H has allied herself with her father in his bid for power against Linda. That relationship may be growing sour with Vince’s increasing involvement with Trish Stratus however. Meanwhile, Vince and Linda’s son, Shane, has been off-screen for several weeks leaving many to wonder when and how “The Boy Wonder” will make his return. Will he join his father or fight for his impaired mother? Elsewhere, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has been in a heated rivalry with Triple H. Helmsley had revealed himself to be the mastermind behind the vicious hit-and-run assault by Rikishi that Austin suffered at the 1999 Survivor Series. A brutal No-Disqualification match at Survivor Series the following year ended when Triple H tried to trick Austin into coming into the parking lot to run him over again, only to have Austin lift his car up with a forklift and flip the car onto its roof. With Helmsley licking his wounds, Austin looks to reestablish himself as a top-contender for Angle’s WWF Championship and continue to be a constant thorn in the side of the McMahon family. With Linda out of the picture, and Vince distracted by his relationship with Trish Stratus, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley has been the de facto power broker in recent weeks. With Triple H on the shelf, Stephanie has kept her enemies at bay by attempting to pit The Rock and The Undertaker against one another. Most recently, “The People’s Champ” and the “American Bad Ass” found themselves unlikely allies, even briefly winning the Tag Team championships. The most recent edition of Smackdown! ended with Rock and ‘Taker down and out at the hands of Stephanie’s goons, Rikishi, Kane and William Regal. How much longer can The Rock and The Undertaker keep from going to blows while they have their eyes set on the same prize: The WWF World Championship... <div style="text-align:center;">The Power Vacuum</div> Upon wrestling control of the company back away from Linda McMahon in late 2000, Mr. McMahon’s first order of business was to fire the lovable, babyface commissioner, Mick Foley. As Vince (and Stephanie) continue to lay down the law, it’s only a matter of time before that commissioner role is filled yet again. Wife of Steve Austin, Debra McMichael, is still serving as a deputy commissioner, but with the McMahon once again ruling the roost, one has to wonder how much longer she will fill the role. Meanwhile, William Regal has brown-nosed his way right into Vince and Stephanie’s lap as he seeks to amass more power for himself. <div style="text-align:center;">Tag Teams and Tables…</div> In late 1999, Terri Runnels sponsored the Terri Invitational Tournament that culminated in an epic ladder match pitting The Hardy Boyz against Edge & Christian. The two teams continued their rivalry, setting the bar for a rejuvenated tag team division. The stakes were raised that much higher when The Dudleyz made the leap from ECW to the WWF and the teams competed in another barnburner of a ladder match at WrestleMania 2000. The ante was raised yet again at SummerSlam and the creation of the TLC match. While Edge and Christian currently hold the titles, there’s no shortage of challengers ready to stake their claim. All of this is to say nothing of other teams in factions such as The APA, The Radicalz, Right to Censor, and the Holly Cousins. <div style="text-align:center;">Looking to Break Out…</div> The midcard is as crowded and competitive as any other point in the company’s rich history. With the arrival of WCW’s Radicalz faction (Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, & Perry Saturn) in January of 2000, disputes over the WWF Intercontinental, European and Light Heavyweight Championships have all developed. Chris Jericho, a perennial contender for the Intercontinental title, has had many run-in’s with his former WCW contemporaries. “The One” Billy Gunn has struck off on his own seeking his fortune and fame independent of the wildly successful Degeneration-X. Test and Albert, a formidable combination at the hands of Trish Stratus, are at each other's throats and The Right to Censor Faction is running amok. Dangerous threats in Kane, Rikishi and William Regal all curry favor with the McMahon family as they all look to cement themselves in the next rung in the ladder. All this is to say nothing of the wild personalities duking it out for the Hardocore Championship: Raven, Steve Blackman, Al Snow, the Hollys, among any other who decides to pursue the 24/7 rule. 2001 will be a big year for some of these talents while others may find themselves falling further down the card and potentially out the door... </div></blockquote>

Crossface · October 29, 2017

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Beejus" data-cite="Beejus" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Holy "dig-dig-diggity-dig-diggity Dog, Socko", Batman! It's No Mercy! <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> As always, I'm really looking forward to a Crossface project.</div></blockquote> Thanks Beej! Always great to have your support! <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="to4sty" data-cite="to4sty" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>As am I, it's good to see you back.....especially for this era, because I kind of dropped out of watching for a while around this time. I'm certainly interested to see where you take it</div></blockquote> This is an era I didn't watch much of either to be honest. That said, I have distinct memories of the Rumble match (Haku returning was awesome!) and 'Mania from this year. (Seriously, WMX7 was stacked!) I'm hoping that the unfamiliarity of both the time period and the data set keep the game/diary going a little longer than my previous efforts. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="RingRider" data-cite="RingRider" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Count me in for a Crossface return! Its cool to see someone take WWF on with the plethora of WCW 2001 diaries too!</div></blockquote> There are a ton of WCW 2001 diaries out here now (all of which are excellent and different may I add!). With Beejus being really the only one to give a peak into the WWF side of things that I've seen, I thought it might be kind of fun to take a stab at the other side of the coin however. I especially wanted the New Blood Rising mod as I didn't want this to necessarily be an Invasion diary. If it happens in the natural course of things, so be it...but I didn't want to lock into that particular story. Anywho, I'll be hosting a prediction game for The Royal Rumble but I figured I'd throw my first RAW card up for fun in case anyone wants to comment or play along. I have the show mostly written...so the prediction window probably won't last too long. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ysXokqj.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ysXokqj.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> WWF Monday Night RAW January Week 1 2001 Prediction Card *Faces always listed first The Undertaker vs. Rikishi Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman vs. Raven© Billy Gunn & The A.P.A vs. The Right to Censor Test vs. Eddie Guerrero 8 Man Tag: The Hardyz & The Dudleyz vs. Edge & Christian & Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko The Rock vs. Kane Plus...more angles than I have ever booked in a game before! Welcome to WWF 2001! </div></blockquote>

to4sty · October 29, 2017

WWF Monday Night RAW

January Week 1 2001

Prediction Card

*Faces always listed first

The Undertaker vs. Rikishi

This was around the time Rikishi ran Stone Cold over right? Either way, Taker wins lol....is this Biker Taker out of curiosity or had that not happened yet?

Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman vs. Raven©

Raven is my boy....but just because he wins here doesn't mean he makes it through the evening as Champion....hell a hot dog vendor could walk out with the strap.....I can imagine the Hardcore Title being a real ball ache to book

Billy Gunn & The A.P.A vs. The Right to Censor

Keep the heat on the heels

Test vs. Eddie Guerrero

Test could have been a star....."could have" being the operative words....he ain't winning here

8 Man Tag: The Hardyz & The Dudley vs. Edge & Christian & Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko

E&C are the Tag Champs right? They need a Challenging team.....or maybe even two....a win here gives you options

The Rock vs. Kane

Kane 2001 edition wasn't quite the Monster that he once was anymore

Beejus · October 29, 2017

Undertaker - It is very much BikerTaker, in a few weeks time he would be reunited with Kane but not just yet.

Raven - As I've mentioned in my 2001 diary, I really dislike booking the Hardcore title. Hopefully you find a way to make it fun for yourself.

Right to Censor - RTC were still pretty hot at this time, even though in a few short months they were DOA. But here in January they are still working the angle against Chyna, so it's like the hottest heat they ever had.

Eddie Guerrero - Albert costs him the match to set off Test's face turn, maybe? Or will you find a way to keep T&A together? Plus Eddie still has the Radicalz behind him (though I did find out in my own research that Eddie was out injured at the start of 2001 but isn't set that way in the mod, so for realism's sake you can throw a reference to that in. X-Pac is the same way, he was injured very briefly, coming back to start February along with Eddie.)

Hardyz/Dudleyz - The Radicalz seem out of place here, but Dean was doing the "ladies man" deal so I'm gonna say Lita costs them the match somehow.

The Rock - Kane kinda floundered around for most of 2001, he starts as a somewhat lame heel monster who Vince sends after everyone and then he just starts following Taker around like a lost puppy. Hopefully you can find a place for him, as he had really grown into the gimmick by 2001 and was putting on probably the best matches of his career up to that point.

Uncrewed · October 29, 2017

The Undertaker vs. Rikishi

Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman vs. Raven©

Billy Gunn & The A.P.A vs. The Right to Censor

Test vs. Eddie Guerrero

8 Man Tag: The Hardyz & The Dudleyz vs. Edge & Christian & Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko

The Rock vs. Kane

angeldelayette · October 29, 2017

The Undertaker vs. Rikishi

I did it for The Rock...Oh, wait...

Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman vs. Raven©

Raven is a personal favorite of mine. Well, ECW Raven, that is. Hopefully, you can bring a little bit of that back here in the WWF.

Billy Gunn & The A.P.A vs. The Right to Censor

The PTC, Oh, I mean, RTC picks up a win. They could be huge if you stick with them.

Test vs. Eddie Guerrero

Latino Heat picks up the victory.

8 Man Tag: The Hardyz & The Dudleyz vs. Edge & Christian & Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko

It hurts my heart to go against Malenko but a win here by The Hardyz & Dudleyz makes more sense.

The Rock vs. Kane

I did it for the...oh, wait...

This is looking good so far, Crossface. Looking forward to seeing what you do with this one.

DGenerationMC · October 29, 2017

The Undertaker vs. Rikishi

Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman vs. Raven©

Billy Gunn & The A.P.A vs. The Right to Censor

Test vs. Eddie Guerrero

8 Man Tag: The Hardyz & The Dudleyz vs. Edge & Christian & Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko

The Rock vs. Kane

RingRider · October 30, 2017

The Undertaker vs. Rikishi

Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman vs. Raven©

Billy Gunn & The A.P.A vs. The Right to Censor

Test vs. Eddie Guerrero

8 Man Tag: The Hardyz & The Dudleyz vs. Edge & Christian & Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko

The Rock vs. Kane

Kijar · October 30, 2017

The Undertaker vs. Rikishi

Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman vs. Raven©

Billy Gunn & The A.P.A vs. The Right to Censor

Test vs. Eddie Guerrero

Simply via popularity, I hope to see Test get some love in this diary though. Good big man.

8 Man Tag: The Hardyz & The Dudleyz vs. Edge & Christian & Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko

The Rock vs. Kane

Plus...more angles than I have ever booked in a game before! Welcome to WWF 2001!

I feel you on this, for some reason I have always had zero interest in booking angles in-game. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/confused.png.d4a8e6b6eab0c67698b911fb041c0ed1.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Sco xY2Jx · October 31, 2017

The Undertaker vs. Rikishi

It gets a lot of bad rep, but I really enjoyed Taker's Biker gimmick. A nice little run of Taker as World Champ would be sweet!

Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman vs. Raven©

I can't quite remember if this was during the 24/7 era. Either way, this would be an awesome encounter.

Billy Gunn & The A.P.A vs. The Right to Censor

I don't know if you're going to do something better/different with the RTC than WWE did in real-life but I'm going with the faces here.

Test vs. Eddie Guerrero

Test is great. Eddie is GOAT!

8 Man Tag: The Hardyz & The Dudleyz vs. Edge & Christian & Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko

Tough call. Saturn & Malenko deserved a better push at the time but you can't overlook the Hardyz & Dudleyz

The Rock vs. Kane

Rock doesn't lose on TV. But push Kane.

This is my era. A lot of guys hitting their primes. The in-ring action was generally awesome. I can't wait to see what you do with this, dude.

ElectricX · October 31, 2017

The Undertaker vs. Rikishi

Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman vs. Raven©

Billy Gunn & The A.P.A vs. The Right to Censor

Test vs. Eddie Guerrero

8 Man Tag: The Hardyz & The Dudleyz vs. Edge & Christian & Perry Saturn & Dean Malenko

The Rock vs. Kane

Crossface · October 31, 2017

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ysXokqj.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ysXokqj.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> January Week 1 - Monday Monday Night RAW TD Garden (MA) 16,045 Jim Ross & Jerry “the King” Lawler <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Dark Matches: K-Kwik def. Johnny Curtis (D) Al Snow def. Redd Dogg (D)</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>The show opened with a video package recapping the last SmackDown! where Stephanie pitted The Rock and The Undertaker against William Regal, Kane & Rikishi. The program came to a close with both ‘Taker and Rock left laying. (B+) The Undertaker, astride her custom motorcycle, came to the ring and demanded that he receive a World Title show against Kurt Angle. This brought out The Rock who, while acknowledging his respect for the “American Bad Ass,” also demanded a title shot. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley made her way out last and told them both that they need to earn title shots and announced they will both compete in tournament matches in which the winner will face Kurt Angle at the Royal Rumble. The Rock would face Kane later tonight while The Undertaker would Rikishi right now! (B+) The Undertaker defeated Rikishi in his tournament matchup here. The two told a good story with the Undertaker selling his injuries from SmackDown! convincingly. The Deadman got the big Samoan up for a chokeslam to squeak out the win. (B-) Backstage in Stephanie’s office, Steve Austin barged in and told the “Billion Dollar Princess” that he should be in title contender tournament. Stephanie said she will never allow him in the tournament and his days as WWF Champion were over. In fact, she had a new job for him that fit him much better: selling beer and hot dogs. Stephanie then revealed a mountain of beer and hot dogs and told Austin that if he didn’t sell every last one by the end of the night, he’d never sniff a title shot again! (A) Hardcore Championship: Raven © was able to withstand a chaotic match with Steve Blackman that saw the two men brawling all over the building, striking each other with a wide variety of random objects. The finish saw both Hardcore and Crash Holly jumping into the fray and trying to win the title. The distraction allowed Raven to escape in a car without pinning anyone. (C-) Back in her office, Stephane was on speaker phone with her father, Vince McMahon. Vince told Stephanie that he approved of her tournament and warned her about keeping Austin in check. Suddenly, a female voice that was obviously Trish Stratus was heard in the background behind Vince. Stephanie was clearly livid over her presence as Vince hurriedly hung up the phone. (B) A video recap of the Right to Censor’s vicious attack of Chyna was shown next. The package also highlighted a mocking segment from last week where Ivory, pretending to be Chyna in a neckbrace, was interviewed by Val Venis pretending to be JR. (C-) “The One” Billy Gunn & The A.P.A. w/ Jacqueline defeated Val Venis, The Goodfather and Bull Buchanan w/ Stevie Richards and Ivory when Stevie Richards botched interference and created a distraction that allowed Gunn the pinfall. The commentary team noted that Billy Gunn was still still targeting Stevie Richards for the attack on Chyna but Richards escaped Gunn’s wrath. (C-) Michael Cole interviewed WWF Champion Kurt Angle next. Angle said he wasn’t worried about who he had to face at the Royal Rumble...after all, he won 2 gold medals in the Olympics with a broken freakin’ neck! He can beat anybody in the WWF! (B) “Stone Cold” came out to the ring next and called out Steph. He said he completed what she asked and now was ready to find out who his tournament opponent would be. Stephanie came out and was livid, saying that there was no way he could have sold all the beer and hot dogs. Austin pointed her to the Titantron where Bradshaw, Faarooq and Jacqueline were drinking and eating hot dogs, saluting Austin for the bargain price. Austin did admit to Stephanie that he had one more beer left and proceeded to produce one unsold beer can. He then proceeded to douse her with the beer to end the segment with Steph, humiliated, retreating to the back. (A) Test had Eddie Guerrero nearly beat in the next matchup when his former partner, Albert, created a distraction that allowed Guerrero the victory. (B-) Post Match: Albert laid out Test with a Baldo-Bomb. (C+) Backstage Austin visited with Debra. He reminded Debra that she is still Lt. Commissioner and has her agree to grant him a tournament match on Smackdown! (B) 8-Man tag action was up next as The Hardyz & The Dudleyz w/ Lita took on Edge & Christian and Malenko and Saturn w/ Terri. The match was chaotic with a lot of personal issues between the 8 individuals. The finish came when Malenko looked to kiss Lita only to be slapped allowing Matt Hardy to hit the Twist of Fate for the cover. (B-) Post Match: The chaos continued as the Radicalz and the Hardyz brawled ringside while The Dudleyz squared off with Edge and Christian in the ring. With both E&C out, Bubba told D-Von to get the tables. As Bubba was getting Christian up for a powerbomb, Edge was able to spear him and make the save for his partner. (C+) The Royal Rumble Rewind showed the infamous clip of Jerry Lawler hiding under the ring for nearly 40 minutes during the 1996 Rumble match. (C+) Back in Stephanie’s office, Chris Jericho hurls some unsavory names at the boss’ daughter before demanding a place in the tournament. Stephanie considers it before revealing that Jericho can compete on SmackDown! against Chris Benoit! (B+) The main event featured The Rock taking on “The Big Red Machine,” Kane, to advance in the World Title contender tournament. After an even and exciting match, “The People’s Champ” pulled out the victory and posed on the turnbuckles to end the show. (B-)</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Show Rating: B (Popularity up in 8 Regions) 14.57 TV Rating</div>

Crossface · October 31, 2017

Thanks to everyone who predicted and commented heading into the first RAW. While it was hardly a benchmark show, I hope I'm hitting the right tone and feel of the era. Also, I know presentation was pretty bare bones...but as I've said before, more developed shows will come for PPVs and events.

Couple of thoughts from the comments:

-Yes, Taker is very much "The American Bad Ass" at this time.

-X-Pac is set to injured at the start of the mod but Eddie Guerrero is not. As you've said correctly however Beejus, he should be. That said, he was available so I booked him.

-Nice to see a lot of support for Test and Raven. Hopefully they both find a suitable niche. Similar thoughts for The RTC. I liked the concept of the group. Total heatseekers.

-I agree Kijar, angles have never been the best part of playing TEW for me. That said, the addition of Freestyle Angles has made the experience infinitely better.

-The Hardcore title is currently under 24/7 Rules for better or worse. It's going to either be a blast to book or a total pain. Too early to know as I've never played with anything like it before.

That said, here's the prediction card for SmackDown! if anyone is so inclined to comment, etc. The official contest won't go live until the Royal Rumble.

WWF SmackDown!
January Week 1 2001
Prediction Card
*Faces always listed first

World Title Contender Tournament: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit
Lita vs. Tori
K-Kwik vs. Albert
Billy Gunn vs. Val Venis
World Title Contender Tournament: Steve Austin vs. ???

What historical moment will make the Royal Rumble Rewind?

Plus a lot more angles featuring such exotic locations as: the parking lot and Stephanie McMahon's office!

Uncrewed · October 31, 2017

World Title Contender Tournament: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit

Lita vs. Tori

K-Kwik vs. Albert

Billy Gunn vs. Val Venis

World Title Contender Tournament: Steve Austin vs. ???

What historical moment will make the Royal Rumble Rewind?- Shawn Michaels winning the 1995 Royal Rumble Match.

to4sty · October 31, 2017

WWF SmackDown!

January Week 1 2001

Prediction Card

*Faces always listed first

World Title Contender Tournament: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit

The tournament is very face heavy at the minute with both the Rock and The Undertaker going through

Lita vs. Tori

Tori was awful

K-Kwik vs. Albert

Baldo Bomb for the win

Billy Gunn vs. Val Venis

RTC need that heat back baby

World Title Contender Tournament: Steve Austin vs. ???

I can see Austin losing here, but winning the Rumble.....Triple H maybe

What historical moment will make the Royal Rumble Rewind?

Yoko tossing the Macho Man to win the 93 Rumble

Plus a lot more angles featuring such exotic locations as: the parking lot and Stephanie McMahon's office!

Sounds delightful lol

Warhawk8492 · October 31, 2017

World Title Contender Tournament: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit

Lita vs. Tori

K-Kwik vs. Albert

Billy Gunn vs. Val Venis

World Title Contender Tournament: Steve Austin vs. ???

I am seconding HHH here

What historical moment will make the Royal Rumble Rewind? I am guessing HBK winning the 1996 Royal Rumble

Sco xY2Jx · October 31, 2017

World Title Contender Tournament: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit

Lita vs. Tori

K-Kwik vs. Albert

Billy Gunn vs. Val Venis

World Title Contender Tournament: Steve Austin vs. ???

What historical moment will make the Royal Rumble Rewind? Ric Flair winning the 92' Rumble!

I'm thinking the question mark is Triple H. Austin wins here and Triple H wins the rumble 1 year early.

DGenerationMC · November 1, 2017

World Title Contender Tournament: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit

Lita vs. Tori

K-Kwik vs. Albert

Billy Gunn vs. Val Venis

World Title Contender Tournament: Steve Austin vs. ???

What historical moment will make the Royal Rumble Rewind? Vince McMahon winning the 1999 Royal Rumble

Beejus · November 1, 2017

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Crossface" data-cite="Crossface" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="44317" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>-The Hardcore title is currently under 24/7 Rules for better or worse. It's going to either be a blast to book or a total pain. Too early to know as I've never played with anything like it before.</div></blockquote> I'm hoping that you end up finding it a blast. I haven't mentioned a lot of it because at the time most of this happened I wasn't really putting out results for the WWF, but from January until mid-April my WWF Hardcore title has changed hands 26 times. For someone who is used to booking mostly the 90s, it just feels so squicky to have a belt change hands that often. But your best friend for the Hardcore belt (in my experience) is the mid and late addition notes as well as changing the belt in angles. First Raw was good, it was a lot of what happened in the real show but that's how I always like to start a diary so this is great <img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> I am excited to see what you do from here now. Chris Benoit - Benoit winning puts a heel in between Taker, Rock, and Austin. Lita - Tori was just about done with wrestling altogether, she does her job here. Albert - ALBERT SMASH Val Venis - Val is really great, hope to see him get a decent push toward the Euro or IC titles here. Steve Austin - I'm figuring it'll either be Regal, Kane, or 3H stepping in here, so Austin picks up a win to move into this title match. Historical Moment: Shawn Michaels only having one foot on the arena floor from Rumble 1995.

batsnumbereleven · November 1, 2017

Good start <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

World Title Contender Tournament: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit

Next round needs heels, so Benoit to win, perhaps through some interference from the other Radicalz

Lita vs. Tori

Ivory needs someone to fight once she's done with Chyna (win or lose) so Lita needs some build up here.

K-Kwik vs. Albert

Killings is still a glorified jobber/spare part at this point, and his signature move is doing a cartwheel out of the corner. Albert will have Test to deal with after his interference on Raw, but perhaps in this case it's not an issue until the match is over.

Billy Gunn vs. Val Venis

I've picked Venis here, but I can see this essentially becoming a no contest/DQ affair, with the rest of RTC getting involved and beating Gunn down. Does someone come to his rescue, perhaps? Is there a new Face faction in the offing? (Gunn, Chyna, ANOther).

World Title Contender Tournament: Steve Austin vs. ???

??? could be the returning Triple H, but do you waste an Austin/HHH match-up on TV, rather than continuing the building towards a more substantial confrontation on PPV down the road? I think we go with it being William Regal, and he pulls out the win with HHH interference.

What historical moment will make the Royal Rumble Rewind?

The 1994 ending with Hart and Luger tying for the victory.

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