Getting People Over/Upping Status After Signing

[equinox10]

Hey everyone,

 

This question has probably been asked before but since there are several ways to skin a cat, I'm curious what methods you guys use to increase popularity and ultimately up a worker's status in 2020. I'm especially curious your method when you have someone debut fresh after signing them.

 

I'm thinking about realism here as well, not just a way to "game" the system. Something logical (or as logical as it can be in pro wrestling world :-))

 

For example, say you are playing as a well established promotion in the C-verse (take TCW for example). You hire someone with good wrestling skills and good entertainment/charisma/mic skills. He/she is basically a regional indy worker and has very little popularity nationally.

 

How do you debut them? Do you give him/her a push right out the gate with wins over jobbers/very low level workers you don't care about, or do you have them do the J-O-B for more established stars and then eventually give wins a little later?

 

Also, do you debut with some introductory angles? Do these angles just feature him/her by herself (like hype videos or straight up intro interviews) or do they involve more over workers immediately?

 

I ask out of curiosity because I see a big difference between the way, say, a WWE type promotion (especially in the old days) would do this vs. the way, say, a NJPW or even ROH type promotion would do it. And also interested how the difference translates in TEW terms.

 

Thanks!

[Zero]

I debut them to fit whatever story I want. It may get a low rating but I'm building towards something.

[Self]

Generally, if I'm looking to make a star, they're going to start out winning. I always have some lower-end guy or two I'm bored of who can eat losses. First impressions count, and I want as much momentum as positive perception as possible.

 

If there's a massive difference between the new guy and the bottom rung of my roster, I'll do a few promos/vignettes to start with. Popularity rubber bands to a certain minimum level, so just being on TV will help introduce the guy and minimize complaining. And it's realistic. How these are constructed depends on the guy. If he can talk, I'll let him go solo. If he needs help, he'll get it. The ratings will be poor, because he's a no name, but it'll build popularity just by appearing.

[Kijar]

I know you were talking less about gaming the system, but I selfishly see my solution as a bit of gaming the system mixed in with what I wish reality actually was, and what it could be. AKA, I just made this system a staple of my promotion because it builds stars so easily.. Little embarrassed the more I talk about it haha

 

I sign all of the people over the hump on the unemployed line with way too much popularity to 3 Month pass the torch contracts. I usually pick 4-5 at a time, cause there are plenty to go around and you might need some of their pop for stars down the line. They do the job, despite morale issues, no questions asked, in every match. This brings anyone from Unknown to Recognisable and is something that companies should do in real life. Bring in a star to put over everyone humanly possible until the fans quit asking who they are. There are plenty of veterans on my roster that actually have a home (Thomas Morgan), but I'm more talking T-Rex, Platinum... they shall retire looking at the lights as far as I'm concerned.

 

I have proper jobbers too, but jobbers can't build stars.

[MikeSc]

If you are big enough and your cash flow is high enough you can put a developmental territory down and give it TV on your network. Then once guys get over enough to be recognisable debut them in your fed with a win for instant Warm momentum midcarders.

[d12345]

I know you were talking less about gaming the system, but I selfishly see my solution as a bit of gaming the system mixed in with what I wish reality actually was, and what it could be. AKA, I just made this system a staple of my promotion because it builds stars so easily.. Little embarrassed the more I talk about it haha

 

I sign all of the people over the hump on the unemployed line with way too much popularity to 3 Month pass the torch contracts. I usually pick 4-5 at a time, cause there are plenty to go around and you might need some of their pop for stars down the line. They do the job, despite morale issues, no questions asked, in every match. This brings anyone from Unknown to Recognisable and is something that companies should do in real life. Bring in a star to put over everyone humanly possible until the fans quit asking who they are. There are plenty of veterans on my roster that actually have a home (Thomas Morgan), but I'm more talking T-Rex, Platinum... they shall retire looking at the lights as far as I'm concerned.

 

I have proper jobbers too, but jobbers can't build stars.

 

lol that's not gaming the system at all.

 

That's how companies are SUPPOSED to do it.

 

Vince should've been bleeding Undertaker's and Goldberg's pop to make new stars for years.

 

In AEW Billy Gunn and Dustin Rhodes should be functioning in that role too.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention that this is basically how the Legend Killer gimmick was invented to function.

[daddytorgo1]

lol that's not gaming the system at all.

 

That's how companies are SUPPOSED to do it.

 

Vince should've been bleeding Undertaker's and Goldberg's pop to make new stars for years.

 

In AEW Billy Gunn and Dustin Rhodes should be functioning in that role too.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention that this is basically how the Legend Killer gimmick was invented to function.

 

TBF Dustin put Lance Archer over nicely in the TNT tourney.

[Kijar]

lol that's not gaming the system at all.

 

That's how companies are SUPPOSED to do it.

 

Vince should've been bleeding Undertaker's and Goldberg's pop to make new stars for years.

 

In AEW Billy Gunn and Dustin Rhodes should be functioning in that role too.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention that this is basically how the Legend Killer gimmick was invented to function.

 

Sheeeeet, then I'm doing it right. I dont know that a new company would be able to get legend after legend to come job to their undercarders though. then again, contracts are contracts and I dont sugarcoat what they will be doing for me.

[d12345]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="daddytorgo1" data-cite="daddytorgo1" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50854" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>TBF Dustin put Lance Archer over nicely in the TNT tourney.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> You're right there. I was annoyed about him beating Sammy G but I get it. Also literally as we post about this Billy Gunn puts over MJF IRL.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Kijar" data-cite="Kijar" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50854" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Sheeeeet, then I'm doing it right. <img alt=";)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> I dont know that a new company would be able to get legend after legend to come job to their undercarders though. <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> then again, contracts are contracts and I dont sugarcoat what they will be doing for me. <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> 100%. If they are unemployed then a pay day is a pay day. Also TEW does have realistic modifiers in place. For example when I want to take away any feeling of gaming the system, I set their roles when negotiating the contract (i.e. to pass the torch or gatekeeper). They ask for more money as they realistically should.</p>

[Matt_Black]

What I do is put them in tags with more established stars. Let the more over person get the win, and the newbie gets a bit of a rub.

[Zeel1]

<p>This probably isn't the most cost-effective thing and won't fit every situation but if you can do it, signing people who are maybe mid-level for you but much more popular than the folks you actually wanna push to use them as jobbers is a nice strat when applicable. </p><p> </p><p>

I've been on a TCW game and part of my usual beginning-of-game signing spree was the Wild Cats, El Jaguar and Tigre Savaje Jr., and I wanted to push them as a major tag team out of the gate but they were unknowns for the longest time, seemingly no matter what I did. They won all the time, teamed with bigger names and were involved in high rated segments with great talking stars but it was still such slow going for months. I got to a point where I was like two months away from when I planned to put the tag titles on them and they weren't even close to ready yet, still around 20s in most regions of the US.</p><p> </p><p>

So I did something really different and kinda fun. I decided they would go on a campaign of challenging a bunch of title-winning tag teams of the past that I signed to one-appearance deals, so as to put them over a bunch of older workers who still had some pop, all in the span of a month. They beat the Darkness Warriors one week (getting Raul Darkness on a one-night deal and having Danny Fonzarelli switch gimmicks for a cheeky one-off) and then the Nation of Filth the next week, the Samoan Pit Bulls the week after, Dirty White Boys on a Showcase episode, and finally Savage Fury at the PPV. </p><p> </p><p>

That put them in the 40s by the end of that month, which was enough of a boost to get them past the Unimportant stage and it's been smooth sailing from there. Two months later, they're considered Well Known and are making for real good tag champs.</p>

[Sons of Kohral]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Kijar" data-cite="Kijar" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="50854" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I know you were talking less about gaming the system, but I selfishly see my solution as a bit of gaming the system mixed in with what I wish reality actually was, and what it could be. AKA, I just made this system a staple of my promotion because it builds stars so easily.. <img alt=":o" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/redface.png.900245280682ef18c5d82399a93c5827.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Little embarrassed the more I talk about it haha<p> </p><p> I sign all of the people over the hump on the unemployed line with way too much popularity to 3 Month pass the torch contracts. I usually pick 4-5 at a time, cause there are plenty to go around and you might need some of their pop for stars down the line. They do the job, despite morale issues, no questions asked, in every match. This brings anyone from Unknown to Recognisable and is something that companies should do in real life. Bring in a star to put over everyone humanly possible until the fans quit asking who they are. There are plenty of veterans on my roster that actually have a home (Thomas Morgan), but I'm more talking T-Rex, Platinum... they shall retire looking at the lights as far as I'm concerned.</p><p> </p><p> I have proper jobbers too, but jobbers can't build stars. <img alt=":(" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> This is literally what I do and what I think is the closest situation to real life.</p>

[mitsukaikira]

<p>Tag teams and storylines.</p><p> </p><p>

That's it.</p>

[neslo024]

<p>I usually throw them in a feud with a midcard veteran with it being a heel testing the hotshot rookie face to see if he's as good as they say or a heel rookie looking to make a name for themselves. I bring in local talents that have popularity if possible and squash them out to the new guy no matter how they feel about it. Then I have the midcarder beat them at the event and that builds them up to recognizable and i can continue the feud or move them on.</p><p>

I use John Greed in this role a ton. They go thru the his stable first if i want it to be drawn out but that's usually only for guys that will end up going over him at the end. Mostly one month feuds.</p>

[LloydCross]

1) Sign them

2) Have them pretend to be Macho Man

3) ...

4) $$$

[Remianen]

I'm thinking about realism here as well, not just a way to "game" the system. Something logical (or as logical as it can be in pro wrestling world :-))

 

This is painfully simple. No offense to equinox10 but what exactly is 'realism'? If 'realism' in your mind is WWE, then you'd debut them, give them a few meaningless wins on TV and then forget about them. Or worse, have them job to people that the fans don't care about to begin with (hi Baron/King Corbin) and then forget about them. When was the last time Ricochet had a meaningful win?

 

Is it "gaming the system" if you book it the way it should be booked? Evolution is 'gaming the system' in the truest sense of the term. The world champion, with an 'occasional wrestler' older worker who was a multiple time world champion, with two 'young turks' (yes, I know how old Batista was). That stable MADE those two workers. Randy Orton of today does not exist without Evolution because he would've been booked the way almost all of the younger workers of his generation were booked. BADLY. Was Sean O'Haire not talented?

 

Everyone's always looking for a 'new' solution to the same problem when the older solutions still work swimmingly. It's actually really simple.

 

Pair the new signee with a worker (or workers) the fans care about and move on from there. When the new worker becomes over enough, the turn occurs leading to the new worker becoming even bigger. Why? Because they're working with people the fans already care about! When Triple H made that thumbs down gesture, why did he do it? Because Randy had won the belt that Triple H saw as his property. In a business sense, Orton had proven himself to be world champion material and thus, to solidify his position, he had to beat someone of perennial world champion status ("To be the man.....").

 

When I signed Thea Davis to QAW, I knew exactly what I was doing with her. I put her in Ronin 3 because for weeks they had been Ronin 2 since Foxxy was in rehab. In storyline, Becca Barton had taken over as leader of the stable and bringing in 'The Red Queen' would allow her to solidify her position when Foxxy came back. So when Foxxy came back, guess what happened? There was a power struggle and the other members turned against her (turning her babyface) and led to Foxxy starting her own stable to counter her former one (which gives room for 2 more lesser known workers to be developed). Gee, that sounds eerily like the Nation of Domination storyline. Boom, 2 storylines completed and another started (Ronin 3 vs Foxxy's stable) and Thea Davis goes from 'unimportant' to 'star' in the process. And that's without either world title even being featured.

 

Oh and I debut workers with an angle where the authority figure introduces them as a new signing. Then an angle where the worker is invited into a stable (or invited to team with someone higher on the card). After that, they're included in whatever storyline they've found themselves a part of. Like, I have a storyline ripped from AEW where Danielle Sweetheart is looking for a tag team partner. Gives me an excuse to put her in tag team matches on every show with people far lower on the card, while she tries to find the right fit. It's the Shawn Spears thing but with someone at the top of the card.

[Idolized]

TBF Dustin put Lance Archer over nicely in the TNT tourney.

 

Exactly. Older guys still need to win to seem important, and make their losses mean something for the person who beats them. It’s something WWE seemed to completely forget about when it came to the last runs of The Dudleys and RVD who lost to virtually everyone.

[Matt_Black]

AEW seems to have a good handle on it, with guys like Dustin and Colt getting wins on Dark so they can then lose at Dynamite or the PPV. Likewise, putting guys like Hager and Wardlow in the corners of heat magnets like Jericho and MJF helps make them look better, even though they haven't wrestled as much.

[thadian]

Hey everyone,

 

This question has probably been asked before but since there are several ways to skin a cat, I'm curious what methods you guys use to increase popularity and ultimately up a worker's status in 2020. I'm especially curious your method when you have someone debut fresh after signing them.

 

I'm thinking about realism here as well, not just a way to "game" the system. Something logical (or as logical as it can be in pro wrestling world :-))

 

For example, say you are playing as a well established promotion in the C-verse (take TCW for example). You hire someone with good wrestling skills and good entertainment/charisma/mic skills. He/she is basically a regional indy worker and has very little popularity nationally.

 

How do you debut them? Do you give him/her a push right out the gate with wins over jobbers/very low level workers you don't care about, or do you have them do the J-O-B for more established stars and then eventually give wins a little later?

 

Also, do you debut with some introductory angles? Do these angles just feature him/her by herself (like hype videos or straight up intro interviews) or do they involve more over workers immediately?

 

I ask out of curiosity because I see a big difference between the way, say, a WWE type promotion (especially in the old days) would do this vs. the way, say, a NJPW or even ROH type promotion would do it. And also interested how the difference translates in TEW terms.

 

Thanks!

 

1. I bring out The Rock (microphone) to introduce Newbie (not rated, major success), and have someone come out to argue but get clowned hard (rated overness or entertainment, minor defeat). This allows Rocky and the other guy to carry the angle, so he debuts in a hot segment where he doesn't drag the ratings down. Since someone gets win/loss from it, it can be a 90+ rated angle. Unless someone has a win and a loss, you generally won't get good angle ratings I observed.

 

2. Put him a tag team match with established midcarders and let him pick up the wins. I like to keep a few "Rick Steiners" and "Marty Jannety" types, so I can pair them up with said Newbie. He will gain popularity and can be "protected" or "dominant".

 

3. Following "debut week", I give a singles match win over some lower guy Rocky is feuding with (adding Newbie to the storyline prior to his debut, actually) - and he scores the pinfall with Rocky on commentary. This helps give the segment an artificial boost. The storyline plummet from this will increase from Rocky's post-match promo (rated entertainment, no win or loss), the jobber (not rated, minor win), and then I find a jobber who's in the storyline but hasn't jobbed in a bit, and they show up to confront the new jobber, not rated, and minor defeat.

 

Next week, jobber beats Newbie. Then, Newbie beats Jobber in a rematch.

 

This type of pattern almost always seems to work.

 

Back in the day you could have "Rocky address the locker room" and have 8 guys "not rated" and "no win/loss", and it would get 100 rating and push all the guys up. So, do this 2x/night with 4 minute promos, and you could "undo" the effects of most jobbings.

 

So, the new system was designed to prevent this. But really, it doesn't - just have one of the not rated jobbers "win" and another "lose", and you're good. The new "anti-cheat" systems don't really prevent cheating, but they do give you an extra step to cheat.

 

But this is good - I never wanted me using my style to be "cheating", I wanted it to be considered "clean gameplay". I feel the current system, while a little harsh, does a good job of allowing me to continue my "clean gameplay" while also forcing me to think outside the box. I don't really want underskilled workers rising in popularity above their skill - it makes problems, and it's better to book in a way that maintains people's "lanes" when possible.

 

New debuts can also be "interviewed by The Rock" or "have an argument with Vince McMahon", these segments can get them off to a good start, just remember to find an excuse to throw in a third person who "loses" and find a cheap reason to have someone "win", preferably Rocky/Vince.