The "Booking Committee" Thread, 2020 Edition

[ArcheoOutOfNowhere]

Not sure if this is really the best place to ask, but here we go...

I've been toying with the idea of having a "Lucha Underground" type of product, probably with a similar esthetique to it, but using the excellent 1992 mod by Fleisch instead of a modern era one. Do you think such a product would have worked in 1992, or been well received by the fans ? Would there have been enough people willing and able to do some of the things that made Lucha Underground what it was ?

And if it did work, who would be a good choice to take the "Dario Cueto" role ? In a very different style than Cueto, I thought of Paul Heyman, Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan, but obviously it'd feel a bit cheating to have one of the best right away, and they're maybe a bit too well known anyway. Ideally, I'd want to keep the same "cartel jefe" flair that Cueto brought, so it'd also justify the use of plenty of luchadors, but my knowledge of wrestling from that time is a bit lacking so I don't even know if there would be someone fitting. I'm also open for suggestions of TV actors that would not be in the mod !

In a similar vein, who would you pick to "replace" Matanza ? I was thinking Kane would be perfect for the role, since in 1992 he's only debuting and could play the role for a very long time, but he might lack the experience (and, at this time, skills) to actually be the first big monster.

[CQI13]

5 hours ago, James The Animator said:

LU did a lot of the hardcore gimmick matches, which might be a bit over your national TV audience's head. The American media appetite for gritty violence did not start until a bit later in the 1990s. So for your first few seasons I would go more fun comic book vibes, like the animated Batman TV series that everyone loves. Then you get darker with each passing season. Also, people at this time were ready for the lucha style: remember what an unexpected success AAA When Worlds Collide was in 1994.

Who would make a good Cueto? That's actually really tough. Dario had a very specific sort of menace to him that's hard to replicate, and he wasn't even in the acting business at this time according to IMDb. I'm tempted to say just make a user character named "Dario Cueto" and give him the stats and attribs you think are appropriate. Terry Gordy could be a stellar Matanza if you can get him past his issues. Otherwise you could get Gary Albright. 

Would Dr. Death (under a mask) be suitable?

One thing I loved about LU were the movie style vignettes and backstage segments. It had a very unique feel. I don't honestly see anything wrong with using a Paul Heyman or a Bischoff. Heyman would have the better stats from the jump, but I could see Bischoff wanting to do something different. Could even treat it as a "real" alternative to the top companies, as opposed to trying to directly compete from the start.

[rufc4eva]

If you are looking for a good Dario I would suggest Victor Quiñones as a good option.

 

Also for the Matanza I would consider Leatherface (Corporal Kirchner) who at 6’2 would cut a commanding figure over most and can play a monster gimmick

[ArcheoOutOfNowhere]

16 hours ago, James The Animator said:

LU did a lot of the hardcore gimmick matches, which might be a bit over your national TV audience's head. The American media appetite for gritty violence did not start until a bit later in the 1990s. So for your first few seasons I would go more fun comic book vibes, like the animated Batman TV series that everyone loves. Then you get darker with each passing season. Also, people at this time were ready for the lucha style: remember what an unexpected success AAA When Worlds Collide was in 1994.

Who would make a good Cueto? That's actually really tough. Dario had a very specific sort of menace to him that's hard to replicate, and he wasn't even in the acting business at this time according to IMDb. I'm tempted to say just make a user character named "Dario Cueto" and give him the stats and attribs you think are appropriate. Terry Gordy could be a stellar Matanza if you can get him past his issues. Otherwise you could get Gary Albright. 

That was mostly why I wasn't sure the product would work: while the more scripted aspect of Lucha Underground didn't seem much of a problem, considering that people already loved TV and wrestling, I wasn't sure about the rest: after all, it'd take a couple of years for the american audience to discover the new ECW style, and since I was 4 and living in Belgium at the time, I had no idea whether US fans would be even remotely interested in luchadors save for the hispanic community.
 

Yes, replacing Cueto is the most difficult really, because there are plenty of people quite as talented as he is, but none have the same "vibe" as he does: he was perfect for the role, and while I could probably find TV actors that were more than able to play this kind of character, they would not necessarily be realistic, financially speaking. Danny Trejo would be a decent choice, if it wasn't for the fact that, rather than have a monster do his biddings, he'd probably be the monster in the ring. I tried to think of whether I could find them amongst other "mafias", but if I want a "Lucha Underground" vibe, I cannot exactly start out with someone who would be best suited to play a Yakuza or the Godfather: they would work, but I'd then have to hire less luchadors, and have it be more of an "Organized crime Fight Club" and limit the supernatural aspects.
If I want to keep the supernatural aspect, though, I suppose I could go with Father James Mitchell, but again, would he be the kind to hire young upcoming luchadors (or, really, luchadors at all) ?

As for Matanza, I'm not familiar with the work of Gordy and Albright, but they do seem bulky enough to be perfect for the role. So far, apart from Kane (and I'll admit it was also partly because I wouldn't need to seek a masked picture of him), I had put in my shortlist guys like Bam Bam Bigelow, Hercules Hernandez, King Kong Bundy, Nikita Koloff, One Man Gang, Scott Norton, The Barbarian, or Jeep Swenson. Or, if I decided to go for cheaper, lesser known and less talented people, maybe someone like Bryan Clark/Adam Bomb, or Kurrgan, although the latter would really be limited to squash matches.

11 hours ago, CQI13 said:

Would Dr. Death (under a mask) be suitable?

One thing I loved about LU were the movie style vignettes and backstage segments. It had a very unique feel. I don't honestly see anything wrong with using a Paul Heyman or a Bischoff. Heyman would have the better stats from the jump, but I could see Bischoff wanting to do something different. Could even treat it as a "real" alternative to the top companies, as opposed to trying to directly compete from the start.

The biggest problem I have with Heyman is that he was already featured quite a lot on TV with the Dangerous Alliance in WCW, and while he would be perfect for the role, it would seem unlikely he'd resign from WCW just to join an entirely new project that, on paper, is likely to fail. In kayfabe, I also wouldn't imagine him try to sign young luchadors, and neither would Bischoff (or, well, not without Konnan's influence I guess).

7 hours ago, rufc4eva said:

If you are looking for a good Dario I would suggest Victor Quiñones as a good option.

 

Also for the Matanza I would consider Leatherface (Corporal Kirchner) who at 6’2 would cut a commanding figure over most and can play a monster gimmick

Victor Quinones would actually be a pretty good choice ! However, he's the owner of his own company at that time, so it seems unlikely he'd have gone for the project in real life, and I try to stay as realistic as I can.

[CQI13]

Looking to book my first 10-man round robin tournament. It's my second tour, so the champ is newly crowned. In my mind I already have who the winner of the tournament will be, as it will get him a title shot. But the question I have is - should I populate the tournament with only Stars and Major Stars, or would you book 2 guys that are lower down the card to see how they perform against top competition? There is the off chance that someone gets hot and makes me change my plans.

I do have some tournaments (maybe not round robin) scheduled later on which will be more like a proving ground for the workers that are Recognisable/Unimportant to try to work them up.

[ShikariFC]

I flip flapped a bit on where best to post this but as it probably comes under "creative advice" I went with here. Ive had an idea mulling around my head for a while of starting a C-Verse save with a fictional company in Japan (that I may or may not do a dynasty for) I am yet to locate the main figure behind this new company (im currently searching for potential people) but the idea behind the project is that it would be a mixed roster of both men and women, something that doesn't feature in any of the Japanese companies in the default starting c-verse database, based in a region that has no company as per the start of the default database (probably either Chubu or Chugoku) and ideally running a product not seen elsewhere in Japan, whilst still retaining an overall "eastern" feel (this may be a little trickier to pin down as classic mainstream puro, royal puro, lucharesu, wrestling as a sport, fast & furious and guerrilla warfare are all taken) 

With the above in mind I have had a few different name ideas and I just wondered which people liked the most 

• MISSION: Pro Wrestling (may or may not include the colon I sort of like it better with)
• Nagoya City Wrestling / Hiroshima City Wrestling (depending on the region id set up in, I sort of always feel like having a location in the company name limits how big the company can grow but at the same time I think both of these have a good ring to them) 
• Unity Wrestling Group / Pro Wrestling Unity 
• Fusion Japan Pro Wrestling (______ Japan Pro Wrestling is a nod towards real life with New, All, Big etc) 
• Ronin Revolution Wrestling 

Happy to hear suggestions, tweaks etc... I just wanted to steer away from what was already present in the c-verse, as im hoping to do with the location etc, so no coloured canvases or things relating to fire 😅

[John Lions]

2 hours ago, ShikariFC said:

I flip flapped a bit on where best to post this but as it probably comes under "creative advice" I went with here. Ive had an idea mulling around my head for a while of starting a C-Verse save with a fictional company in Japan (that I may or may not do a dynasty for) I am yet to locate the main figure behind this new company (im currently searching for potential people) but the idea behind the project is that it would be a mixed roster of both men and women, something that doesn't feature in any of the Japanese companies in the default starting c-verse database, based in a region that has no company as per the start of the default database (probably either Chubu or Chugoku) and ideally running a product not seen elsewhere in Japan, whilst still retaining an overall "eastern" feel (this may be a little trickier to pin down as classic mainstream puro, royal puro, lucharesu, wrestling as a sport, fast & furious and guerrilla warfare are all taken) 

With the above in mind I have had a few different name ideas and I just wondered which people liked the most 

• MISSION: Pro Wrestling (may or may not include the colon I sort of like it better with)
• Nagoya City Wrestling / Hiroshima City Wrestling (depending on the region id set up in, I sort of always feel like having a location in the company name limits how big the company can grow but at the same time I think both of these have a good ring to them) 
• Unity Wrestling Group / Pro Wrestling Unity 
• Fusion Japan Pro Wrestling (______ Japan Pro Wrestling is a nod towards real life with New, All, Big etc) 
• Ronin Revolution Wrestling 

Happy to hear suggestions, tweaks etc... I just wanted to steer away from what was already present in the c-verse, as im hoping to do with the location etc, so no coloured canvases or things relating to fire 😅

I think Fusion Japan Pro Wrestling sounds the best of those for what you are looking for. You want the product to be distinct from the rest of the promotions already in Japan, and since I think most of the traditional styles are "taken", your product will probably be a "fusion" of a traditional Japanese wrestling promotion with something else.

[CQI13]

Here's a conundrum I am facing that I'm sure other people have a solution for.

Chris Caulfield is the inaugural World Champion in my touring promotion after the first tour (4 touring events, 1 normal event). The other 2 division (Tag and Women's) have baked in storylines where as a fan it would seem unlikely that the champs would lose at the next big event, but with the right build, maybe.

My second tour is centered around finding the #1 contender to his title, so the bulk of my Major Stars and Stars are tied up in that. The finals of the tournament are at the big event, so the winner fighting him that night is out of the question.

Some options:

• Bull Wrecker - he's feuding with Jesse Christian looking to bury the "Southern" legends in my company. (I expressly brought them in to build the undercard as I syphon away their overness). It's a little soon for a title match, but Jesse Christian could cost him the match to set up Match #2
• Java or Tribal Warrior - they are feuding with the McWades, so if I make this happen it would probably be mid-tour to set up the McWades' first defense.
• Jack Griffith - I could see Bull Wrecker attacking him prior to the match, thinking that he should have gotten that shot
• Ozzie Goldstein - he's pretty low on the card, but I'm sure the match would be worthy of main eventing. Even with much lesser competition, Caulfield has had pretty good ratings (for my fed).
• Bring in Federique Garcia or someone from PSW - I have a bloated roster, knowing that a good portion will probably retire or be in time decline soon, so it will sort itself out. I just don't want to bring in someone short term just to release them.

Down the line I do want to set up an alliance with both FCW and PSW, but that won't be for several months still.

[Poet Justice]

Recently ported the 2016 database to finally play RIPW when Spade/Primus/Scythe were all there. Started a stable called the Problem Children for the sons (and potential daughters) of former SWF stars who left on a bitter note from the company and the current members are Ash Campbell (Nemesis) and Greg Gauge (Sam Keith). 

I was hoping to make a dominant Shield-esque trio but having trouble figuring out a third man. The other Keith twin won’t be available for another year and the only son of an alumni I can think of who I can sign is Ricky Decolt. Any ideas?

[Poet Justice]

9 hours ago, James The Animator said:

Matty Faith is surely on your roster already. I know his father didn't leave the SWF on bad terms, but you could spin it like Matty thinks his dad didn't get the respect that he deserved at the end of his career. You could also grab Bret Starr from the main roster, and he likely won't be so much more over than your young guys to the point where he can't lose matches. Elsewhere you could look for Jay Chord or Cameron Vessey, but they both start on written deals.

Thank you, all good suggestions. I’m thinking about possibly keeping them as a dominant duo in RIPW and then calling them up and revealing Eric Eisen (my player character) as the third man and the culprit of a hostile takeover/coup of SWF from his dad and brother. At least in kayfabe, in reality, it’ll introduce him as head boomer and authority figure. 
 

Chord and Vessey both expire around winter 2016 so if the storyline takes off in RIPW, I might introduce them as a trio on the main roster. Maybe a beat down of whoever the top face is by then?

[Jaysin]

On 11/14/2023 at 12:20 AM, Poet Justice said:

Thank you, all good suggestions. I’m thinking about possibly keeping them as a dominant duo in RIPW and then calling them up and revealing Eric Eisen (my player character) as the third man and the culprit of a hostile takeover/coup of SWF from his dad and brother. At least in kayfabe, in reality, it’ll introduce him as head boomer and authority figure. 
 

Chord and Vessey both expire around winter 2016 so if the storyline takes off in RIPW, I might introduce them as a trio on the main roster. Maybe a beat down of whoever the top face is by then?

If you need a manager, Lisa Bowen is the daughter of Supreme Legend Runaway Train and she always turns into a solid-to-good manager for me in any save I sign her. 

[KingAj]

Not sure if this is the right thread, so apologies in advance! Playing as SWF (as thats all I do apparently), I have a bit too many people on my roster. 116 to be exact, although I have around 8 tag teams, and also a decent sized womens division. I've hired wrestlers mainly main event talent that I sort of have a part plan for, but no concrete plan for. I have a few titles currently; I re-launched the shooting star as a normal tertiary title, and created the intercontinental as a floating between primary and secondary also. But given all the main event talent I have, I feel I need a 2nd Primary main event title. The other option im thinking is just bring in a legends title as a floating title as have a seperate division of my 40yr plus stars. Any advice? How would I (storyline-wise) put in a 2nd Primary main title when I don't really want to do a brand split?

[CQI13]

2 hours ago, KingAj said:

Not sure if this is the right thread, so apologies in advance! Playing as SWF (as thats all I do apparently), I have a bit too many people on my roster. 116 to be exact, although I have around 8 tag teams, and also a decent sized womens division. I've hired wrestlers mainly main event talent that I sort of have a part plan for, but no concrete plan for. I have a few titles currently; I re-launched the shooting star as a normal tertiary title, and created the intercontinental as a floating between primary and secondary also. But given all the main event talent I have, I feel I need a 2nd Primary main event title. The other option im thinking is just bring in a legends title as a floating title as have a seperate division of my 40yr plus stars. Any advice? How would I (storyline-wise) put in a 2nd Primary main title when I don't really want to do a brand split?

I have no experience with SWF, but I think the key to any title (not just another main event one) is making it feel unique. Something that a “belt collector” would have a reason to go after - if he meets the criteria - or at least have a reason to not ignore. 
Do you have a lot of brawlers? Do you have a lot of guys that might fit a style and one that kind of bucks the trend?

For example, let’s say you have a Hardcore/Brawler/Brass Knuckles title. You would have a large enough division for it. Is there a character that is anti-hardcore that might want to bring prestige to the division? Bonus points if you make it someone who will still use underhanded hardcore tactics despite speaking out against them. Or you can use it to show who the top dog is in that division. 
Another option is to have it defended against “local” talent. Not the people you bring in, but against people on your roster that are based in different areas of the country. 
Maybe you have increasingly difficult defenses and after X amount they can go after the World title. But make it something difficult so that you can really build someone up by doing it. Maybe someone keeps getting screwed about of their title match. So they use this as a way to finally be able to get it. 
Might be helpful to see who the belt is meant for to come up with some specific ideas.

Edited January 30 by CQI13

[Shooltra]

16 hours ago, KingAj said:

Not sure if this is the right thread, so apologies in advance! Playing as SWF (as thats all I do apparently), I have a bit too many people on my roster. 116 to be exact, although I have around 8 tag teams, and also a decent sized womens division. I've hired wrestlers mainly main event talent that I sort of have a part plan for, but no concrete plan for. I have a few titles currently; I re-launched the shooting star as a normal tertiary title, and created the intercontinental as a floating between primary and secondary also. But given all the main event talent I have, I feel I need a 2nd Primary main event title. The other option im thinking is just bring in a legends title as a floating title as have a seperate division of my 40yr plus stars. Any advice? How would I (storyline-wise) put in a 2nd Primary main title when I don't really want to do a brand split?

If you still have Starr, one idea would be to play on the legacy of his father. Have him say that he never lost it clean and that he is passing on the lineage to his son with a title for Starrs. 

Another solution would be to have, at some point, a "Loser can't challenge for the title" and have the losing heel go "Fine, I will make my own title". 

To get inspired by real-life, if the champ who constantly cheats and fights as less as possible, the authority figure decides to bring in a Champion's Title. One with no champions advantage. If the champ loses by DQ, they lose the title. They can't vacate the existing title but they can have a new World Title that won't go through that. 

Another possibility is to have a monster heel with a manager who introduce a title for their client. What starts as illegitimate gains credibility as they beat up others and eventually, when the face wins, he decides to keep the title to remind the heel he lost. 

 

[KingAj]

16 hours ago, CQI13 said:

I have no experience with SWF, but I think the key to any title (not just another main event one) is making it feel unique. Something that a “belt collector” would have a reason to go after - if he meets the criteria - or at least have a reason to not ignore. 
Do you have a lot of brawlers? Do you have a lot of guys that might fit a style and one that kind of bucks the trend?

For example, let’s say you have a Hardcore/Brawler/Brass Knuckles title. You would have a large enough division for it. Is there a character that is anti-hardcore that might want to bring prestige to the division? Bonus points if you make it someone who will still use underhanded hardcore tactics despite speaking out against them. Or you can use it to show who the top dog is in that division. 
Another option is to have it defended against “local” talent. Not the people you bring in, but against people on your roster that are based in different areas of the country. 
Maybe you have increasingly difficult defenses and after X amount they can go after the World title. But make it something difficult so that you can really build someone up by doing it. Maybe someone keeps getting screwed about of their title match. So they use this as a way to finally be able to get it. 
Might be helpful to see who the belt is meant for to come up with some specific ideas.

I've brought in Chord, Frehley, Running Wolf, Bach & Cornell. The belt is sort of for Cornell.

[Chris]

Playing RW2004 Mod as WWE just at end of Feb first year, brought in Umaga early - struggling to find a manager for him any suggestions was wanting someone strong on the mic to make up for Umaga's lack of talking

[bhalbur]

I'd probably go with Bischoff, Shane O'Mac, or Jake The Snake. All legit talkers.

[rufc4eva]

13 hours ago, Chris said:

Playing RW2004 Mod as WWE just at end of Feb first year, brought in Umaga early - struggling to find a manager for him any suggestions was wanting someone strong on the mic to make up for Umaga's lack of talking

Going off who was on the roster at this time:

Ernest Miller, Jim Cornette, Rico, Stevie Richards, William Regal

[Chris]

10 hours ago, rufc4eva said:

Going off who was on the roster at this time:

Ernest Miller, Jim Cornette, Rico, Stevie Richards, William Regal

Funny you mention Regal, I tried that on a pre show match and Umaga has awful chemistry when being managed by Regal

Cornette is head booker of OVW would need to see what kind of deal could get on him - Like the idea of Stevie Richards have zero plans with him atm

 

EDIT:
I've got Jake Roberts as road agent - could potentially move him on screen perfect on mic

Edited February 17 by Chris

[jamarcus]

Booking AEW in 2024, I wanna do a storyline inspired in Red Dead Redemption II and centered on Hangman Adam Page, who creates a stable to "save" the company from other forces (BCG, Punk/FTR who are heels, BCG, etc.).

So, Hangman is Dutch. He starts with ideals and as a good guy, but he slowly loses control as he focuses on the World Title. So, I need guys specifically to be Arthur and Micah, especially those two.

Any ideas?

[hailthebulldog]

2 hours ago, jamarcus said:

Booking AEW in 2024, I wanna do a storyline inspired in Red Dead Redemption II and centered on Hangman Adam Page, who creates a stable to "save" the company from other forces (BCG, Punk/FTR who are heels, BCG, etc.).

So, Hangman is Dutch. He starts with ideals and as a good guy, but he slowly loses control as he focuses on the World Title. So, I need guys specifically to be Arthur and Micah, especially those two.

Any ideas?

IDK what you are doing with Jack Perry, but I think he could be a good "Micah" for an "Arthur" I would do either Griff Garrison or Lee Johnson.

[neslo024]

On 3/19/2024 at 2:23 PM, jamarcus said:

Booking AEW in 2024, I wanna do a storyline inspired in Red Dead Redemption II and centered on Hangman Adam Page, who creates a stable to "save" the company from other forces (BCG, Punk/FTR who are heels, BCG, etc.).

So, Hangman is Dutch. He starts with ideals and as a good guy, but he slowly loses control as he focuses on the World Title. So, I need guys specifically to be Arthur and Micah, especially those two.

Any ideas?

I'd use Ricky Starks for the Micah role as the devil on Hangman's shoulder and then I'd use Osprey as the Arthur. If not Osprey I'd go with someone like Garcia or if they don't have the pure hatred for each other in your universe Swerve. 

[seminoledozer]

Running TCW in December 2020 and had $26 million in the bank while also having bought out CWA & PGHW and running them as development companies. I've also managed to sign away some upper echelon young stars like Hollywood Brett Starr, Casey Valentine & Spencer Spade while prioritizing keeping my own stars in house. But...just got hit with a financial scandal where I lost $22 million plus which messed up my plans of starting my own broadcaster which I was going to do at when I had around $33 million. In my eyes this warrants Kyle Rhodes losing his job as CEO so I'm putting this out there for any ideas of who should replace him as CEO?

[VPrime]

I'm starting a WWE save.

After Wrestlemania 40, I would like to streamline the WWE TV shows and Titles.

WWE Raw will be the A show.

Smackdown will be the B show.

However, I'm not sure if I want to unbrand WWE, and make Smackdown the B show...or if I should brand Smackdown as the lesser brand, but still have it's own brand specific titles?

Any input is very appreciated. 

 

Thank you.

[Shooltra]

A possibility is to do it how it used to be done. 

Raw has no brand. Everyone can be on it and every titles can be defended. 

Smackdown has a roster of people who usually show up (likely midcarders/upper midcarders who get the time to show what they can do) and only a very few actual top guys show up from time to time. 

That puts Raw as the A-Show and Smackdown as the B-Show where you can test the waters and see who can go.