The 21CW Thread

[AceCodey]

Another game, another iteration of 21st Century Wrestling. 

The Roster - Newbies

It seems like a running theme with this latest version of the CV is that the rosters have remained relatively stable, with few changes to report in a lot of companies, mostly due to the time gap in this game only being a couple of years. and 21CW is no exception. I might miss one or two because I'm going off the top of my head, but I've counted brand new workers for 21CW:

• Forrest Charmer - A preening, fashionable young heel, his bio describes him as one of the best young talents in wrestling, and this is pretty fair. He has incredible charisma, very good mic skills, and OK ring skills. He is a natural fit for 21CW, though keep in mind that the American may wish to return home if a bigger company comes calling: he has the Fame Hungry attribute. 
   
• Kris Knightly - A solid young worker, though at 68 SQ I'd call the 'great look' description in his bio a little generous. I kinda think his use to you will depend on destiny roll, as he lacks in any really stand-out stats. 
   
• Landon Mallory - The big one for 21CW here. The contender for most-signed-as-21CW-worker is now officially a 21CW worker, and he completed his move in controversy by absolutely screwing VWA in the process. He is instantly one of your best guys and to make what will likely be a rapid ascent easier, he has the 'Hot New Catchphrase' attribute. He is yet to actually accomplish anything since his move in 2020, but that'll change quick I'm sure. 
   
• Rhys Pendragon - Tommy Cornell's bloody protege! Yes! The new Wolf Hawkins! It seems quite unlikely Rhys will ever live up to those standards, but he is a solid enough rookie who you'd hope to see benefit from Tommy's mentorship. 
   
• The Northern Lights - A signing for the tag division, Alton Vicious & Riddick Jordan are a solid tandem who will help strengthen what is already a relatively decent division. They're a well balanced unit because neither of them are probably good enough for a solo push, but if you want to pick a Michaels I would go with Riddick for his 79 Psych. 

The Roster - Familiar Faces

There hasn't been too much in the way of releases. Alfonso D'Angelo has been nerfed, his gimmick retconned, and then sent packing to VWA. Phoebe Plumridge has disappeared into retirement, but if that's not enough to shatter your mental health, you should be good. Some of our old favourites are still around and kicking: 

• The Cornells - Leading the company despite his ageing body, Cornell is in the process of solidifying himself as the greatest British wrestler to ever live and perhaps the most important figure in 21CW history. I'm talking, of course, about Edward; the House of Business chugs on, and Edward is about to begin a throwback nostalgia-bait feud with old rival Adam Matravers. It's like Orton vs Cena, but British. Tommy, meanwhile, remains split from his cousin since the legendary Year of Cornell feud in 2020. 
   
• Leigh Burton & Wade Orson - I'm including these two together because both of them have become first-time World Champions within the timeskip, Orson defeating Burton at the December 2021 PPV to kick off the new game in the first month of his reign. This is very much being posed as the beginning of a 'new era' in 21CW, and the pair are at war to begin the game. 
   
• The Rest - Adam Matravers is slowing down and has also lost his wife so like. Yeah. Bedlam is being groomed for a main event run that will almost certainly fail, though only after he gets through what will be a very ugly fight with Roly Muckletruck. War Machine is the UK Champ. Sebastian Koller suffered a horrific injury and so is beginning to slow down, Jonathan Faust is even more slowed down than he was in 2020, and as the game is keen to remind us through a present narrative, Ruin is still featured on a very popular British TV show. Actually, it's coming to an end in March, and that gives me reason to believe he may get a pop boost. Make of that what you will. 

Who Can I Hire?

If making a boat load of day one signings makes you feel all warm and fuzzy 21CW may not be the company for you? The UK/Euro scene is in the absolute trenches so until you get big enough to sign guys from other areas you're going to be dealing with some absolute dross. You know it's bad when top of your Hot Prospects is a 32 year old balding man named Dumptruck. 

If I were to suggest some options though...

Phil Myart, FKA Vic Walker, is always a fun one. Bring his wife, Joy, in for a very easy positive relationship. Neil Warburton is a solid worker though one likely to be destined for your undercard. Sharp & Heath are solid if you're looking to bolster your tag division. You could do worse than re-hiring Alfonso D'Angelo. Also, Konrad Makinen rules. 

Starting Points

• Various 21CW-related bios have been banging on about this European expansion, so much so that Jeff Nova uses it as an excuse to give 17,000 great British pounds a month to a living breathing disaster like BW Eddie. Perhaps a European Title is in order? Perhaps some shows on the continent? Something should happen here, because Nova is clearly desperate for it. 
   
• Our headline programme is Leigh Burton vs Wade Orson, and as mentioned earlier, the feud is very much feeling like the dawning of a new age for 21CW. Most of the established main eventers are on their last legs, so you kinda need both of these guys to be a success. They are your top heel and your top face for the next decade, and this is the beginning of what should be a legendary saga. Your Rock/Austin. Your Tanahashi/Okada. Your Snitsky/poorly made fake baby. I'm exaggerating a bit, but yeah! These are two homegrown talents who have been built for over a decade, and now they're finally at the top. Make it good!
   
• Meanwhile, 21CW's old guard is also currently in action, with Edward Cornell and Adam Matravers representing probably the two most important people in the company's history. Sure, yeah, Tommy Cornell good, whatever. But Edward and Adam have been there for pretty much the entirety of 21CW's rise, and in terms of significance to the company itself, I'd argue they far exceed Tommy in significance. These two have likely been feuding on and off forever, so you're now writing the latest chapter. 
   
• Women. They do in fact exist, but the proposition of a Women's Division in 21CW is pretty tough. The list of available talent is very small, and the list of GOOD available talent even shorter. Still, Cassie O'Peter exists, as do Maisie Laurels, Thea Davies, and Zofia Jankovic. They can get you started. 
   
• It's crazy, but Tommy Cornell actually starts the game without a storyline. His bio explicitly references that he has stated openly he is in his last run, and though he's still only 43, it seems like his mind is drifting closer and closer to retirement! He now has the Testing The Waters attribute, so you might find him ditching you from time to time, which certainly isn't helpful. At the end of the day, Tommy Cornell is the in-universe GOAT and booking his retirement tour should be a lot of fun! Personally, I would advocate for doing it BEFORE he falls off a cliff stats wise, and quietly transitioning him to part-timer. Think Bryan Danielson with AEW right now. Tommy needs to go home and finish training Jr, but fingers crossed he'll still be an active wrestler by the time his kid is ready. 
   
• Burton and Orson are a great start, but the future of 21CW really is in a precarious position. You have a total of five really over and reliable stars, and three of them are starting to wind down. If you get particularly unlucky, you could have one, two, or even three on TD from the off. 21CW NEEDS new stars, and it's up to you to get them there! Apollo Prince, Mark Adonis, and Ricky Storm jump out as immediate options for a heavy push, and the aforementioned Forrest Charmer is so gifted with the mic that getting him over should prove simple. War Machine is actually coming along somewhat nicely, and Beast Bantom has been good for years. These lot, along with Landon Mallory, offer themselves up as a solid foundation. They just need to get there. It is ALSO worth mentioning that the National School of Wrestling is ready to produce talent; I would suggest pumping as much money as you can into it, as you'll get a class in March. You ALSO have a developmental agreement with one of the new Indian companies, which is neat. 

As a whole, 21CW feel like they're in a transitional phase, and as has been the case for a couple of years now, they really need to get a move on when it comes to elevating some of their young talent. Burton & Orson look ready to lead the company into a new age, but they need a supporting case: it's up to you to decide who exactly that is. 

 

[kinqconnor]

On 7/28/2024 at 4:02 AM, AceCodey said:

Another game, another iteration of 21st Century Wrestling. 

The Roster - Newbies

It seems like a running theme with this latest version of the CV is that the rosters have remained relatively stable, with few changes to report in a lot of companies, mostly due to the time gap in this game only being a couple of years. and 21CW is no exception. I might miss one or two because I'm going off the top of my head, but I've counted brand new workers for 21CW:

• Forrest Charmer - A preening, fashionable young heel, his bio describes him as one of the best young talents in wrestling, and this is pretty fair. He has incredible charisma, very good mic skills, and OK ring skills. He is a natural fit for 21CW, though keep in mind that the American may wish to return home if a bigger company comes calling: he has the Fame Hungry attribute. 
   
• Kris Knightly - A solid young worker, though at 68 SQ I'd call the 'great look' description in his bio a little generous. I kinda think his use to you will depend on destiny roll, as he lacks in any really stand-out stats. 
   
• Landon Mallory - The big one for 21CW here. The contender for most-signed-as-21CW-worker is now officially a 21CW worker, and he completed his move in controversy by absolutely screwing VWA in the process. He is instantly one of your best guys and to make what will likely be a rapid ascent easier, he has the 'Hot New Catchphrase' attribute. He is yet to actually accomplish anything since his move in 2020, but that'll change quick I'm sure. 
   
• Rhys Pendragon - Tommy Cornell's bloody protege! Yes! The new Wolf Hawkins! It seems quite unlikely Rhys will ever live up to those standards, but he is a solid enough rookie who you'd hope to see benefit from Tommy's mentorship. 
   
• The Northern Lights - A signing for the tag division, Alton Vicious & Riddick Jordan are a solid tandem who will help strengthen what is already a relatively decent division. They're a well balanced unit because neither of them are probably good enough for a solo push, but if you want to pick a Michaels I would go with Riddick for his 79 Psych. 

The Roster - Familiar Faces

There hasn't been too much in the way of releases. Alfonso D'Angelo has been nerfed, his gimmick retconned, and then sent packing to VWA. Phoebe Plumridge has disappeared into retirement, but if that's not enough to shatter your mental health, you should be good. Some of our old favourites are still around and kicking: 

• The Cornells - Leading the company despite his ageing body, Cornell is in the process of solidifying himself as the greatest British wrestler to ever live and perhaps the most important figure in 21CW history. I'm talking, of course, about Edward; the House of Business chugs on, and Edward is about to begin a throwback nostalgia-bait feud with old rival Adam Matravers. It's like Orton vs Cena, but British. Tommy, meanwhile, remains split from his cousin since the legendary Year of Cornell feud in 2020. 
   
• Leigh Burton & Wade Orson - I'm including these two together because both of them have become first-time World Champions within the timeskip, Orson defeating Burton at the December 2021 PPV to kick off the new game in the first month of his reign. This is very much being posed as the beginning of a 'new era' in 21CW, and the pair are at war to begin the game. 
   
• The Rest - Adam Matravers is slowing down and has also lost his wife so like. Yeah. Bedlam is being groomed for a main event run that will almost certainly fail, though only after he gets through what will be a very ugly fight with Roly Muckletruck. War Machine is the UK Champ. Sebastian Koller suffered a horrific injury and so is beginning to slow down, Jonathan Faust is even more slowed down than he was in 2020, and as the game is keen to remind us through a present narrative, Ruin is still featured on a very popular British TV show. Actually, it's coming to an end in March, and that gives me reason to believe he may get a pop boost. Make of that what you will. 

Who Can I Hire?

If making a boat load of day one signings makes you feel all warm and fuzzy 21CW may not be the company for you? The UK/Euro scene is in the absolute trenches so until you get big enough to sign guys from other areas you're going to be dealing with some absolute dross. You know it's bad when top of your Hot Prospects is a 32 year old balding man named Dumptruck. 

If I were to suggest some options though...

Phil Myart, FKA Vic Walker, is always a fun one. Bring his wife, Joy, in for a very easy positive relationship. Neil Warburton is a solid worker though one likely to be destined for your undercard. Sharp & Heath are solid if you're looking to bolster your tag division. You could do worse than re-hiring Alfonso D'Angelo. Also, Konrad Makinen rules. 

Starting Points

• Various 21CW-related bios have been banging on about this European expansion, so much so that Jeff Nova uses it as an excuse to give 17,000 great British pounds a month to a living breathing disaster like BW Eddie. Perhaps a European Title is in order? Perhaps some shows on the continent? Something should happen here, because Nova is clearly desperate for it. 
   
• Our headline programme is Leigh Burton vs Wade Orson, and as mentioned earlier, the feud is very much feeling like the dawning of a new age for 21CW. Most of the established main eventers are on their last legs, so you kinda need both of these guys to be a success. They are your top heel and your top face for the next decade, and this is the beginning of what should be a legendary saga. Your Rock/Austin. Your Tanahashi/Okada. Your Snitsky/poorly made fake baby. I'm exaggerating a bit, but yeah! These are two homegrown talents who have been built for over a decade, and now they're finally at the top. Make it good!
   
• Meanwhile, 21CW's old guard is also currently in action, with Edward Cornell and Adam Matravers representing probably the two most important people in the company's history. Sure, yeah, Tommy Cornell good, whatever. But Edward and Adam have been there for pretty much the entirety of 21CW's rise, and in terms of significance to the company itself, I'd argue they far exceed Tommy in significance. These two have likely been feuding on and off forever, so you're now writing the latest chapter. 
   
• Women. They do in fact exist, but the proposition of a Women's Division in 21CW is pretty tough. The list of available talent is very small, and the list of GOOD available talent even shorter. Still, Cassie O'Peter exists, as do Maisie Laurels, Thea Davies, and Zofia Jankovic. They can get you started. 
   
• It's crazy, but Tommy Cornell actually starts the game without a storyline. His bio explicitly references that he has stated openly he is in his last run, and though he's still only 43, it seems like his mind is drifting closer and closer to retirement! He now has the Testing The Waters attribute, so you might find him ditching you from time to time, which certainly isn't helpful. At the end of the day, Tommy Cornell is the in-universe GOAT and booking his retirement tour should be a lot of fun! Personally, I would advocate for doing it BEFORE he falls off a cliff stats wise, and quietly transitioning him to part-timer. Think Bryan Danielson with AEW right now. Tommy needs to go home and finish training Jr, but fingers crossed he'll still be an active wrestler by the time his kid is ready. 
   
• Burton and Orson are a great start, but the future of 21CW really is in a precarious position. You have a total of five really over and reliable stars, and three of them are starting to wind down. If you get particularly unlucky, you could have one, two, or even three on TD from the off. 21CW NEEDS new stars, and it's up to you to get them there! Apollo Prince, Mark Adonis, and Ricky Storm jump out as immediate options for a heavy push, and the aforementioned Forrest Charmer is so gifted with the mic that getting him over should prove simple. War Machine is actually coming along somewhat nicely, and Beast Bantom has been good for years. These lot, along with Landon Mallory, offer themselves up as a solid foundation. They just need to get there. It is ALSO worth mentioning that the National School of Wrestling is ready to produce talent; I would suggest pumping as much money as you can into it, as you'll get a class in March. You ALSO have a developmental agreement with one of the new Indian companies, which is neat. 

As a whole, 21CW feel like they're in a transitional phase, and as has been the case for a couple of years now, they really need to get a move on when it comes to elevating some of their young talent. Burton & Orson look ready to lead the company into a new age, but they need a supporting case: it's up to you to decide who exactly that is. 

 

This is such an amazing run down. Thank you for this!

[21maxwell]

Also sending thanks for the great help this was. Thank you!

[Big Roguey]

"Jeff Nova uses it as an excuse to give 17,000 great British pounds a month to a living breathing disaster like BW Eddie" dang codey tell us how you really feel 😂

[AceCodey]

11 hours ago, kinqconnor said:

This is such an amazing run down. Thank you for this!

Thank you!! I love yapping about 21CW. 

7 hours ago, 21maxwell said:

Also sending thanks for the great help this was. Thank you!

No prob! I'm glad if it has been of help!

7 hours ago, Big Roguey said:

"Jeff Nova uses it as an excuse to give 17,000 great British pounds a month to a living breathing disaster like BW Eddie" dang codey tell us how you really feel 😂

😅 The tragic part is I thought of the joke first and then had to find somebody to fit it. Nothing personal, Eddie. 

[kinqconnor]

12 hours ago, AceCodey said:

Thank you!! I love yapping about 21CW. 

No prob! I'm glad if it has been of help!

😅 The tragic part is I thought of the joke first and then had to find somebody to fit it. Nothing personal, Eddie. 

I am going to start my save when the full came comes out today. It feels like the narrative is to focus on the wrestlers coming through the wrestling school and investing your profits into there. In a lot of my early sims Andrew Lee gets himself in a lot of a trouble so may not be the next level talent I was hoping for.

[hybrid_dolphin87]

always loved 21CW, however could never get a save to click on 2020, will absolutely try again with the full game today.

[AceCodey]

8 hours ago, hybrid_dolphin87 said:

always loved 21CW, however could never get a save to click on 2020, will absolutely try again with the full game today.

They're a lot of fun! At least in my opinion. Hope you enjoy. 

[hybrid_dolphin87]

2 minutes ago, AceCodey said:

They're a lot of fun! At least in my opinion. Hope you enjoy. 

Just trying them now, after a few failed saves with both TCW & SWF. 

Just planning to go kinda big with my first episode of weekly TV.

[21maxwell]

Lost pop every show so far, but a nice challenge to get used to! 

[AceCodey]

14 minutes ago, 21maxwell said:

Lost pop every show so far, but a nice challenge to get used to! 

😅 I feel like that's the general experience at the start of most saves, especially as it's a new game with new mechanics to consider. 

[hybrid_dolphin87]

13 hours ago, 21maxwell said:

Lost pop every show so far, but a nice challenge to get used to! 

I've tried TCW, SWF and 21CW and each of my first shows I lost pop 😭, struggling with the game so far.

[StatboyVT]

I've done a watcher save through October of 2023. 21CW bleeds cash, and they are now over $1 million in the red. Looks like the news headline on January 1, 2022 about concern over their finances is a fair warning. On average, it seems like they are losing about $500k per month. 

Same thing for PGHW. They are now a whopping $6.5 million in the red, so I suppose they'll be closing soon. 21CW has time to turn it around. But they just resigned 44-year old Tommy Cornell, who they've used to get over other talent, and now his pop is down in the 70s.

What's the monetary cutoff point for companies closing? I've got to think that PGHW is very close.

[21maxwell]

Surely I can do better than the AI.... right?.....right? 😅

[Boltinho]

Really disappointing the bleeding cash issue is still live.

For the last couple of editions its made 21CW just not that fun. At least for me.

You just have to wait to get rid of all the bums on bloated contracts that don't help you at all but are killing your cash reserves.

It's such a shame, because the actual roster challenges of 21CW are fun. But you can't concentrate on those while you hemorrhage cash continually.

Poorly set up IMHO. And for the same problem to be there several editions in a row... that smacks of inattention I'm afraid.

[AceCodey]

On 8/8/2024 at 10:20 PM, Boltinho said:

Really disappointing the bleeding cash issue is still live.

For the last couple of editions its made 21CW just not that fun. At least for me.

You just have to wait to get rid of all the bums on bloated contracts that don't help you at all but are killing your cash reserves.

It's such a shame, because the actual roster challenges of 21CW are fun. But you can't concentrate on those while you hemorrhage cash continually.

Poorly set up IMHO. And for the same problem to be there several editions in a row... that smacks of inattention I'm afraid.

Agreed, it has been a bit of a disappointment. What confuses me more isn't even the fact that it's a bit samey, because I can at least kind of get the purpose of this from a gameplay perspective. As 21CW you're never ever going to be challenged by the smaller companies, so adding a bit of challenge through the financial set up kinda makes sense. 

But I've seen a lot of people talk about the AI 21CW going into horrific debt and eventually going bust. It seems like such an odd decision to set the UK up with only one really relevant company, and then have them set up to fail. Just weird. 

On another note, I've been ruminating about Simon Lees recently. I COMPLETELY missed him when I initially looked through the roster. I'm trying to figure out in my head how exactly he figures into 21CW...

At first I imagined him to be similar to a Right to Censor style character, but 21CW are a pretty family-friendly ordeal and I can't imagine there being much in need of censoring in the first place, OR such a character generating heat. The bio says that he is there to stop 'Non-PC content' from being displayed, but I can't imagine 21CW pushing particularly racy or controversial content in the first place. I think you could probably take him a few directions even within those specifications. I'm not really one for a cringe parody 'lefty loony' character, but I think he could work amusingly as the comically transparent corporate guy who only pretends to care about social issues. Rainbow capitalism as a man, if you will. He blatantly does not care but the second a wrestler from a marginalised community wins a belt, you bet he's the first out to get a picture with them. Stuff like that. 

Interested to hear how people are conceptualising one of the few new characters in the UK! 

 

[ExRufas2000]

8 hours ago, AceCodey said:

 

At first I imagined him to be similar to a Right to Censor style character, but 21CW are a pretty family-friendly ordeal and I can't imagine there being much in need of censoring in the first place, OR such a character generating heat. The bio says that he is there to stop 'Non-PC content' from being displayed, but I can't imagine 21CW pushing particularly racy or controversial content in the first place.

 

Have him go way over the top by preventing even PG content from getting on the air. Example: One of the females wears a nice short skirt. attractive but not Only Fans material and he censors it / makes her cover up. Eventually he runs into a free spirit who pushes the envelope a little and they clash. Use the idea that 21CW is already family friendly to draw more heat by his over the top censoring. 

[21maxwell]

I think dropping to medium could be the best thing that happens to me with 21CW.

[Boltinho]

Agree.  Although I haven't played the new IX 21CW [yet] in the past couple of versions avoiding dropping was really hard [at least for my bad skills] early on.

The climb back up was not that much fun.

Whereas the challenge of expanding into Europe was really quite fun.

When I get my current laptop issues sorted and get the new game I might do a custom DB setup:

• Pop a little bit lower across the UK and currently at Medium.
• A weekly Euro tour B-show.
• Change the schedule up as usual so there's not consecutive tag team PPVs.
• Make all non-essential contracts much, much shorter so you can more easily get everyone away from those huge written contracts that the business clearly cannot afford.  

[Boltinho]

A 21CW question for you:

I'm toying with the idea of a themed evil-people stable.  Normally Jonathan Faust has run a generic 'dark' one for me.  But I quite like a nice old testament biblical one.

So how would you cast either of the following with either existing 21CW workers, or available hires:

• War [obviously War Machine right?]
• Famine
• Pestilence
• Death 

OR

1. Gluttony 
2. Lust
3. Greed
4. Envy
5. Wrath
6. Sloth
7. Pride

[Veenetor]

4 hours ago, Boltinho said:

A 21CW question for you:

I'm toying with the idea of a themed evil-people stable.  Normally Jonathan Faust has run a generic 'dark' one for me.  But I quite like a nice old testament biblical one.

So how would you cast either of the following with either existing 21CW workers, or available hires:

• War [obviously War Machine right?]
• Famine
• Pestilence
• Death 

OR

1. Gluttony 
2. Lust
3. Greed
4. Envy
5. Wrath
6. Sloth
7. Pride

Tough challenge! 

I've been giving this some thought, and honestly I would personally go with the seven sins theme. It will be a rather large stable which can be cumbersome, but gimmick wise I'd find it more interesting because each sin is basicly a personality trait you can work the whole character around. I have a harder time getting around Famine and Pestilence conceptually.

With that in mind, I'd go for: 

1. Gluttony -- Devastating Don was pretty much born to play this role, you can try and talk him into working the British Isles. Honestly though, I think I'd pick Jock McTavish. He has fat genes and seems a decent worker to have around the midcard, plus, he is young and has a brother with whom he teams, more on that later!

2. Lust -- Mark Adonis is in 21CW and has crazy sex appeal. He's great all around and can be one of the center pieces for the faction, helping carrying matches and segments as needed.

3. Greed -- Bedlam is in 21CW, is a mercenary and is money motivated. I feel he'd fit in nicely in the role. Plus that towel over his shoulders gives me '04 rich JBL vibes.

4. Envy -- Tommy Cornell. Wait whaaaat? More on this later. If not Tommy I'd go with Phillip Cooper. He's a veteran, great on the mic, and will surely be able to put on some pretty good matches for the team. He has a pretty good kayfabe reason to *be* Envy as despite his lenghty career he never won the *big one*.

5. Wrath -- I'd go with Andrew Lee for being intense, having a temper and being a great all-rounder. If you're not looking for an intense ball of anger like Pete Dunne, and would rather book a more brooding, menacing Wrath, then 21CW has loads of big menacing guys, just pick one with +80 menace. War machine would do fine.

6. Sloth -- I'd go for Graham McTavish, he seems to haver lower atributes than his brother and most importantly low stamina, which will force you to book him more as sloth and even limit his involvement in lenghty matches. He and his brother can play the henchmen role for the group.

7. Pride -- Forrest Charmer. The guy is a star in the making, has pretty good atributes to play heel, is easily marketable, high star quality and the potential for really, really good stats all across the board. I can easily see him play the role of Pride, thinking himself better than the other sins. I'd book the whole stable to get him over and bring him into stardom as he is relativly unknown compared to most of his peers. 

And there lies the Booking twist, if you'd be willing to call the shot with Tommy Cornell, then Tommy would be the factions founder because he is the best in the world. He'd name Forrest Charmer his envy, the "child" who wants to but will never be him. Every other sin would represent a part of Tommy, a fragment of his "Pride" or meant to represent his past, but none could live to the legend on their own.

Eventually I'd break the stable by having the stable (lead by Forrest Charmer) turn on Cornell, as they slowly realize Cornell is - and has always been - Envy. Envious of all of them for being the old and aging mentor. He did not found the faction to because of the Pride he had on his career, he did it to stall their careers because he can not stand that wrestling will outlive him and they are the faces of the next generation. 

This could end the faction as a whole as it implodes, or you could have Charmer take what he now believes had always been his role as Pride and lead the team. Find a new Envy (possibly Phillip if he's around and kicking?)

 

Anyways, I had some fun trying to wrap my head around this, thanks! 

Edited August 19 by Veenetor

[AceCodey]

6 hours ago, Boltinho said:

 

• Change the schedule up as usual so there's not consecutive tag team PPVs.

Oh Jesus Christ don't get me started!

6 hours ago, Boltinho said:

A 21CW question for you:

I'm toying with the idea of a themed evil-people stable.  Normally Jonathan Faust has run a generic 'dark' one for me.  But I quite like a nice old testament biblical one.

So how would you cast either of the following with either existing 21CW workers, or available hires:

• War [obviously War Machine right?]
• Famine
• Pestilence
• Death 

OR

1. Gluttony 
2. Lust
3. Greed
4. Envy
5. Wrath
6. Sloth
7. Pride

Fun concept! Since Veenetor already did a lovely pitch for the 7 Sins, I'll mess around with the Four Horsemen. 

War - Agreed, War Machine makes sense here. Obviously the name makes it very easy, but I think War more than anyone would have monster heel vibes, so that's another box checked. Also, we know WM got over from crushing jobbers every week, I think you could tie that to the whole vibe of unquenchable thirst for violence and combat that War is usually interpreted to personify. 

Famine - A bit of a weird one but I would cast Cliff King for this. I think you could probably make this stable by having all four members be physically imposing monsters but having King in there as one of the four Horsemen would be interesting and give some visual variety. He is already the manager of War Machine and a fun link you can make here is that in many interpretations Famine is seen as the result of War; warfare and bloodshed ravages the land, and then famine and starvation follows. The two seem to have a bit of a relationship and that would pair really nicely w/ the dynamic King & WM already have imo. 

Pestilence - Absolutely Jonathan Faust. The interesting thing about Pestilence is that historically up until the 20th century this rider (the White Horse rider) was interpreted in a few different ways, as being either Conquest (the concept), or one of the Anti-Christ or Jesus Christ/the church. Unlike the other three its true meaning has been up for debate at times, but I think Faust works perfectly for both interpretations. If you're interpreting him as Conquest/the Antichrist/etc that has quite literally been his deal throughout most of his career, playing a Anti-Christ-like figure at the heart of spooky cults. But if you consider him to be Pestilence/the plague I think it works really nicely too because Faust takes people and infects them, turning them into sick monsters to serve his ambitions. 

Death - Grave Digger is actually a somewhat decent prospect and I think casting him in a role like this would make him infinitely more interesting. Again, his character kinda already fits into the personification of Death, and he already has a relationship with Faust as well. 

Edited August 20 by AceCodey

[Boltinho]

Thanks for the ideas chums!  Much obliged

[Boltinho]

21CW Roster review

You’ve got 60 people under contract as the game starts.  About 15 of whom are non-wrestlers.

·         5 are major stars [one of whom is a non-wrestler].

·         4 are stars.

·         23 are well-known [5 are non-wrestlers].

·         28 are recognisable [7 are non-wrestlers].

·         10 are no-names [2 are non-wrestlers].

Obviously, this may be slightly different for you depending on your avatar choices.  And categorising a couple of people.

All in all you have a little over 50 in-ring workers, 8 of whom are your real big names.

 

I’m going to go into more detail on the big stars [of course] but I’m planning on giving my thoughts on the various aspects of the roster you need to handle.

The underlying assumption here is that 2022 21CW has two objectives:

1 - Maintain your popularity.

Right now your pop across the UK is 80.

If you fall below ~77 you’ll drop to medium size.  And could well lose your TV show.

You’ve got one or two stars with popularity at that level, so to maintain pop you need to outperform their overness or grow it.  ASAP.

2 - Expand into new areas.

Even if you’re happy just telling stories and keeping the company as is, you’ll have half an eye on other regions.

Company bio and lore says that 21CW is interested in growth in Europe, and North America, Australia or even India off interesting alternatives.

 

Expansion can happen really slowly.  Or even wait.  But you have to make sure your shows are good right away to avoid dropping off.

Given your roster has only a small number of stars, you have to make sure you’re spotlighting them all as much as possible until you’re sure you’re stable in the UK.

[Boltinho]

Major Stars

To stay at your current UK popularity of 80 you need to be hitting good show scores week-in, week-out.  Which means great main events on TV. 

You need to have at least one [and probably more] of your major stars in a great match every time BoBW goes out.  Obviously, you want to keep those one-on-one showdowns for PPVs and when you really need them, but this is SE.  Multiman matches with no clean finishes are your friend.  These guys might not get much chance to pin or submit each other, but they can sure fight [with others thrown in the mix of course].

A little further in, when you’ve improved your depth a bit, you can stop spamming the same guys in different combinations, but at the star of the game your pressing objective is not to lose popularity.  And when your company pop is 80, but your top stars are in the mid 70s, that’s a challenge.

 

 

Wade Orson

Your current champ and frankly a bit of a stud. 

Wade isn’t really close to being able to be a figurehead for you, but he’s clearly one of the top workers in the UK.  He’s got the popularity and a fine all-round skillset and you can turn him into even more of a star.  

The C-Verse loves a big-name, heroic face star.  Wade is clearly not on the level of Rocky Golden, or Nicky Champion.  Yet.  But he could be one day, and in UK terms [where everything is a bit smaller] he’s as close as you can get.

How I see him:

A bluff Yorkshireman, rough-and-tumble fighter with a heart as big as his brawling spirit. Wade embraces a no-nonsense, gritty persona, akin to classic British brawlers with a modern edge. He’s as likely to share a pint and a laugh with fans as he is to trade blows in the ring. Imagine Stone Cold Steve Austin if he was from Yorkshire rather than Texas, and you’re in the right ballpark.

One of your starting storylines is Wade vs Leigh Burton [the last 2 21CW World Champs], and you’ll want that to be the biggest company focus for the first few months.  In all likelihood Wade vs Leigh is going to be a simmering feud that bubbles on for years, so don’t be afraid to keep it fairly brief and come back to it later in the year.  Wade has the Big Match Performer attribute too.  Which is super-handy in title matches!

Catchphrase: "Let’s have a proper scrap, shall we?"

 

 

Edward Cornell

Edward has had a great 21CW career, and although he’s getting on a bit, he’s still indispensable to you in 2022.  Edward and the House of Business are feuding with Adam Matravers when the game begins, and it sets the tone.  The House of Business trying to recruit/punish/destroy some face or other is a key part of your company. 

Ed is a very good in-ring talent, and a fine entertainer and [as with all your other major stars] you need to rely on him.  It’s tempting to use him to bring along his lackeys, but make sure you don’t tank ratings trying to do that.  There’s time for Ed to develop the lower card, but your first priority is getting good grades to make sure you don’t lose popularity.

Edward has the Passes On Knowledge, Giving Performer and Professional attributes so he's a great guy to have in matches and feuds with your up-and-coming talent.

How I see him:

Edward is cold, calculating, and business-oriented. Where Tommy is the showman, Edward is a ruthless businessman who treats wrestling as a transaction.

Imagine Vince McMahon’s corporate villainy with a twist of Gordon Gekko from Wall Street, Edward’s focus is maximizing profits.

Catchphrase: "In the end, the bottom line is all that matters!"

 

 

Leigh Burton

We missed out on Leigh’s first title reign, but at the start of the game he’s feuding with Wade for the World title.  And putting it back on him isn’t out of the question.

Just like Wade, Leigh is going to be a cornerstone for 21CW for years to come, and he’s going to get plenty of opportunity to wear the belt and feature in huge feuds.

He’s another all-round talent with in-ring skills, entertainment and popularity.  Expect him to be in lots of your TV and PPV main events for the next few months at least.

Bear in mind Leigh has the Driven and Fame Hungry attributes. So he's more likely than most of your workers to head to the US.  Make sure you time N American exposure and contract negotiations accordingly.

How I see him:

A brash, young fighter with a chip on his shoulder, Leigh Burton is driven by an unshakable belief that he's destined for greatness. His greatest strength and weakness is his self-sufficiency.  He’s a lone wolf who neither needs nor wants any sort of ally.  Leigh is cold, calculating, and methodical in the ring, always focused on proving he’s the present and future of wrestling. He thrives on showing up veterans and believes that everyone else is just a stepping stone on his path to glory.

Catchphrase: “No friends, no mentors, just me and my destiny."

 

Tommy Cornell

Obviously the biggest name in the history of the CVerse, and he’s still going to be front and centre of everything 21CW does in 2022, even if he’s not wearing the belt.  At this stage of his career he doesn’t need it.  It’s not adding to him, and the belt doesn’t need him to raise it up any more.

Tommy is still a stud in the ring and absolutely gold on the mic, but age is catching up with him, and it’s very possible he’s in decline already.

Even so his psych, experience, respect and reputation are all 100.  His basics is too.  His fundamentals are all amazing.  And his brawling and technicals are really, really good.  Even in decline he's going to be among your best workers.  And he's a Giving Performer.

He starts the game with no active storyline, and again, it’s tempting to use him to raise up people from the lower card.  But again remember – you need him to be heavily featured in your shows delivering 80+ matches and angles. For as long as you can keep him there. 

How I see him:

Tommy is a no-nonsense, old-school enforcer who embodies tough love and street-level authority. As “Rough Justice,” Tommy believes in dishing out punishment to those he deems deserving, whether they’re rule-breakers, cocky newcomers, or even corrupt authority figures. He operates by his own code, often stepping in to “restore order” in 21CW with his brutal, hard-hitting style.

 

Jeff Nova

Jeff Nova is a grizzled Scottish ex-strength athlete who commands respect both inside and outside the ring. Once a dominant force in the world of strength competitions, Nova [as owner and announcer] is behind the growth of of 21CW.

With a no-nonsense attitude and a passion for physicality, he’s a man who built his empire through sheer willpower and determination. Despite never being an active wrestler [I’ve booked him as a Vince-style one-off wrestler a few times over the years], everyone knows that he’s still one of the toughest around.

As with the other major stars, you need Jeff to be delivering good ratings and holding down a solid storyline to help solidify your popularity.  Dont be afraid of going down the road of someone [one of the heel stables? trying to "take over" 21CW and Jeff leading the resistance.  It's a cliche because it's a good story.

Catchphrase: "Built on power, run by power!"

Edited August 21 by Boltinho