Hiring less-than-stellar workers?

[Aura]

So there's something that's been on my mind lately. When it comes to building rosters, either for brand-new company or doing some work on a pre-existing promotion, most of the time we want to try to give ourselves the best rosters possible, usually by hiring good workers who are willing to work for reasonable prices.

 

However, I was wondering if anyone here ever hires workers with less-than-impressive stats. And if so, why? Would it be because they're still young and have a lot of time to improve? Or maybe because you had an idea for a character role they could fill? Or did you just need a jobber and wanted to hire someone who you felt like you would never push anyway?

 

I'd be interested in any stories that you might have, because I love hearing the more unique tales in the TEW community's backlog.

[Kijar]

I could always use jobbers, but more often than not, the guy I want to push is far from where I need them to be in stats. I'm a long-term game kind of guy, so I can wait and see their stats go up over 1-3 years time, and use them no big deal. Knowing I established them myself, or building the character from scratch, or getting over someone from real life who never made it.. all worth it.

[Big Roguey]

Sometimes I just get behind those guys more since they're not as popular or fashionable. Every roster has a few guys that might be out of the ordinary pool.

[tormyb]

I'm very easily persuaded by a good render. So, more often than not, I hire workers whose picture captures my imagination or gives me an idea for a character. Sometimes this coincides with good stats, often it doesn't.

[Self]

I'm very easily persuaded by a good render. So, more often than not, I hire workers whose picture captures my imagination or gives me an idea for a character. Sometimes this coincides with good stats, often it doesn't.

 

Yep. I'm looking for characters above all else. Wrestlers who can fit into my roster and give me ideas. Stats are a secondary/tertiary factor.

 

I usually play smaller companies. Usually local indies. Sometimes Impact-sized TV companies. Never the top dogs. So my talent pool is always limited by who is local/available. And I take travel costs very seriously. I enjoy the challenge of working with what I've got, rather than hiring wrestlers with good stats. So I'll often end up with a few green rookies, a few aging veterans, some no-hopers. That's the fun for me.

 

I definitely hire 2-3 big guys for my rosters with little regard to stats. If they have a good render, good size, good gimmick and decent menace (60+) I won't even look at the rest of the stats until they've been with me for 3-6 months.

[Irish Wolf]

For my smaller feds I hire a rotating string of jobbers. Usually about 8 people and I keep them on for 6 months at a time. If I feel that some of those have developed I might move them up to not being jobbers or I'll hire them again later. I don't expect my jobbers to be great and I'm ok if they quite frankly suck but I like to give them all a platform to have a chance to gain some skill and/or popularity.

[Irish Wolf]

I definitely hire 2-3 big guys for my rosters with little regard to stats. If they have a good render, good size, good gimmick and decent menace (60+) I won't even look at the rest of the stats until they've been with me for 3-6 months.

 

A render massively influences whether or not I will hire a guy. Bad renders means they probably won't end up on my roster.

[Sisma]

I'm very easily persuaded by a good render. So, more often than not, I hire workers whose picture captures my imagination or gives me an idea for a character. Sometimes this coincides with good stats, often it doesn't.

 

Exactly. If a render doesn't speak to me, I don't care. No matter how good the stats are. That's why I love the re-render threads, I have replaced hundreds so far.

[Blackman]

There's several reasons not to get skilled workers:

 

- You might want to have your lower undercard have very high turnover and just switch them up instead of letting their momentum tank. At this point, a fresh face who is competent (and safe!) is good enough.

 

- If your product is a little more risky (hardcore or hard-hitting; see product notes) you want as broad a roster as possible so you don't have to go with a sub-par champ.

 

- It just doesn't matter. Your main event produces most of the value, and given 66% of your roster won't (or shouldn't) be anywhere near the main event, what's the point of having talent? In most companies it's all about pop anyway.

 

- Having a good locker room is key in some (especially medium) companies. So for the lower card I prioritise character over skill. Remember that "bad influences" infect the locker room on a weekly basis, even if they aren't booked.

 

- They are less likely to get stolen by other companies.

 

Believe me, I've tried it, and having a card full of B-matches simply doesn't matter. It's nice, but just make sure you don't end up paying for it... literaly. They shouldn't cost much and shouldn't cause trouble.

[Turkeyninja]

Someone has to lose. If they have decent Basics and Safety but are terrible in everything else I will hire them to be a jobber for a little bit.

[d12345]

<p>Also building a smart main event scene. If you have a person that you have decided you want to be your figurehead, then it's a good idea to make sure that no one else in your main event scene has more SQ and Charisma than they do. Thus signing and pushing less charismatic people is advantageous. Then I'll keep anyone who might overshadow my top guy in the midcard.</p><p> </p><p>

Also I like to have a mix of characters that are right for the game area of the company. I try to make sure every US fed I run has a cool Californian, an outdoorsmen from the plains, a Texan cowboy, a pretentious New Yorker, a big oversized southerner, a Luchadore, and a technically gifted Canadian. So then I just sign whoever fits those archetypes and push accordingly! I change it up depending on the country.</p>

[DrRDuke]

Just wanted to say there are some really insightful, creative answers in this thread...thanks for sharing everyone. I find renders and bios will influence hiring from time to time...along with trying to land those superstars for the Upper Card. Also, when I take over/start a promotion, I invariably get attached to a few wrestlers who are only so-so...but I will find a way to get them into stories (join a stable/group)...or at the very least they find a spot on the B show or pre-show.

 

Having some variety can spark your creativity in a way that having all studs might not.

[Acey]

I must say that I often fall into the trap of building rosters based on the guys with the best stats for what I'm looking for - resulting in using the same workers over and over.

 

Ernest Youngman, Nelson Callum, Frankie Perez, Kip Keenan, Joffy Laine, Tennessee William, etc.

 

This thread has convinced me to try a "DAVE"-type save where you don't have to necessarily have the most talented in-ring workers or uber-charismatic guys - rather, letting the characters, storytelling, and booking be most important, and develop something of a cult-hit.

[Zero]

For me, I like to rotate my roster (pretty much my whole roster) but specifically anyone that is a jobber-midcard. I give them two years in my company (under a PPA deal) and then let them walk.

 

If someone catches fire, I push them and resign them (typically happens in my Light-Heavyweight division)

[ShaunGBD]

I sign young guys and throw them in development. But I also have a few guys that I keep that may not be the best but make sense. Ben Williams is one and another career jobber I have.

[misterioso]

I like characters first and foremost, and as others have said, not everyone on the card can be a star. If I fall in love with a render or a backstory I will pick up a worker as long as they can fill a role.

[cappyboy]

Less than stellar workers. AKA my posse. Between C-Verse decisions that really put me off and never having really been comfortable with major promotion finances, I haven't played with a truly stellar worker since 2008. The closest I've come in that time is building Bradley Regan into an A* ref and getting him poached. My epic wars in TEW have been battles like Bob Casey v Ted Brady. Cal Sanders v Biff The Bruiser. Sozen Ishinomori (before his render chunked up) vs Haruhiro Tsumemasa over the breakup of a tag team. The Ex Games arc in my Cappy Pack story mod was modeled on a triangle of pre-NYCW Animal Harker, Air Attack Weasel and Willow. No name brands or superstars in the lot.

 

Forget the superstars and legends. Give me the rookies just out of school, the reclamation projects, the declining talent that needs to find a new niche in the sport. Those are the folks I like booking. Let other folks book Kikkawa. I want Chikafusa Tadeshi. Forget Jack Bruce. Give me Remmy Honeyman.

 

To most people Ben Williams is a pure bump machine. To me he is a legend that can molded into whatever I need in the moment. Whether that be blue collar fan made good or camp gay face. He'd not only do it but nail it. I can't imagine ever playing big again with all the fun I've had playing small.

[Sir Andersen]

I'm no expert on this game, but what I've been doing is snatch up 3 guys right out of wrestling school who seem like they might have decent potential, and then just have them going in matches against my very best guys on the pre-show of almost every show.

Matches are run with "protect [inexperienced worker]" and "open match" notes on. They don't really produce good matches (certainly not so good I'd want them on the actual show), but I see pretty good stat growth on them, to the point where after half a year or a year they're getting to the point where I'm starting to consider giving them a real spot.

[Makhai]

So there's something that's been on my mind lately. When it comes to building rosters, either for brand-new company or doing some work on a pre-existing promotion, most of the time we want to try to give ourselves the best rosters possible, usually by hiring good workers who are willing to work for reasonable prices.

 

However, I was wondering if anyone here ever hires workers with less-than-impressive stats. And if so, why? Would it be because they're still young and have a lot of time to improve? Or maybe because you had an idea for a character role they could fill? Or did you just need a jobber and wanted to hire someone who you felt like you would never push anyway?

 

I'd be interested in any stories that you might have, because I love hearing the more unique tales in the TEW community's backlog.

 

Every roster needs a handful of guys who aren't anything special but can do a job. One of the pitfalls I always run into is having too many good people on my roster. You only need 4 top guys, 3-4 good tag teams, 4 good girls(if you run them) and the rest should be projects/ guys who can step in and have programs with the top guys. Once you get to that point where you have too many guys you stop wanting to beat people and everything grinds to a halt.