[RELEASE] Here Comes The Money - Real World What If? Database May 2001

[MrCanada]

This is a continuation of the mod for TEW 2020, can be seen here

It's May 2001, and a McMahon has purchased WCW. Shane McMahon! This mod was made to try and best simulate the most realistic, but still fantasy scenario of a "What if..." for WCW in 2001.

Shane McMahon now owns WCW. But there is no fantasy-based familial strife between Vince & Shane. Shane simply wanted the opportunity to build his own legacy and has purchased WCW with his father's blessing to help achieve it. The other catch is the WCW that Shane acquires is very much based on the Invasion angle and what wrestlers were in it, so its a very thin star-lacking roster. The mod is built and intended for you to play as Shane himself and do whatever you think Shane could or would have done to make WCW successful again.

The data is meant to be as realistic as possible. WCW exists, but only the stars that WWF had available are there. So no Hogan, Flair, Goldberg, Nash, Steiner, Jarrett and many other big names. Booker T, DDP & Bagwell are your big names. Lance Storm, Kanyon, Hugh Morrus, Mike Awesome & Shawn Stasiak are really your core behind them. Who is available on the free agent market? There's a lot of up-and-coming indy stars who are not quite ready. Scott Hall is in Japan, but brings baggage. A few other WCW and WWF guys like BG James, Glenn Gilbertti, Konnan, The Road Warriors, Juventud Guerrera, Psicosis, La Parka & Crowbar, are available. And there's some ECW refugees left in Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Steve Corino and the no-brainer Rob Van Dam. Or maybe you'll find that diamond in the rough.

Maybe you disagree with some choices. Using the basic principle of the realistic handcuffs WWF had, I can assure you most of my choices are right. However, I do agree someone like Jeff Jarrett would have accepted a buyout to keep working, but his heat with the McMahon family prevents it in this scenario. But feel free to use the editor yourself. The other big one is Rey Mysterio Jr. He was actually going to take a contract buy out as well, but Jim Ross convinced him to sit out the contract and heal up, and WWF would come knocking at a much better time for him. Jim Ross was right. But he's another guy who would in a realistic scenario maybe be with the new WCW right away.

Head Cannon For the Mod: Everything that happened in wrestling is the same up until WrestleMania x7. Shane defeated Vince, and then in storyline vows to rebuild WCW stronger than ever and beat Vince where it really hurts, by making WCW the biggest wrestling company starting with a "Big Bang" and the debut PPV is announced. I'd suggest using May to build up a roster, run Big Bang, then get a tv deal for Nitro. Or do whatever you want.

Active Companies (39)

USA (21): 
All Pro Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling
East Coast Wrestling Association
Heartland Wrestling Association
International Wrestling Association
IPW Hardcore Wrestling
IWA Mid-South
Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Memphis Championship Wrestling
NWA Florida
NWA Wildside
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Premier Wrestling Federation
Steel Domain Wrestling
Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling
Ultimate Pro Wrestling
USA Pro Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Wrestling Council
World Wrestling Federation
Xtreme Pro Wrestling

Canada (3):
Border City Wrestling
Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling
Stampede Wrestling

Mexico (3):
AAA
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
Toryumon Mexico

British Isles (1):
Frontier Wrestling Alliance

Japan (11):
All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling
Big Japan Pro Wrestling
Dramatic Dream Team
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
Michinoku Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Osaka Pro Wrestling
Pro Wresting NOAH
Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE
Toryumon Japan

Active Workers: 1,296 To Debut Workers: 166

Defunct Companies: 1 (ECW) To Debut Companies: 28

DATA:

Database 1.2

PICTURES / GRAPHICS:

Graphics Version 1.2
 

Also, same rules apply to my databases that always do. The HCTM database is free to be used however you deem fit. Feel free to make your own database using mine as a starting point and release them. I only ask you allow people to modify anything you may make using my data and release it as well. I believe more databases out there is a good thing for the game and community.

Feel free to offer some feedback, especially on glaring mistakes when it comes to some personalities/attributes and stuff like that. If you just want to point out a bunch of stat decisions you disagree with, maybe just use my share-rule and make your own data. I'm open to obvious glaring over sites being maybe pointed out, but I'm not interested in more than that from a stat point of view.

WHAT'S BEING WORKED ON FOR 2.0:
Venues - I deleted all venues and started re-adding from scratch, its very bare bones right now, its what I've been working on mostly in recent days. I decided to release the database since I'm sure many people dont really care about venues and can just use the "generic" option for now. I figured I might as well just release the data as I work on venues.

Polishing - I plan to get venues done then play a longer game myself to polish out many little issues that pop-up from playing a game. For example, seeing Alexis Laree refuse to do an eye candy match. This is where I really welcome feedback from other people. I always modify the data as I play games and notice stuff, so this note will basically always be here through version 100 if it ever were to exist.

Going Full TEW9 - Kind of related to polishing, really trying to utilize TEW9s new features and make the data really work well with them.

More Workers & Maybe Companies: I don't really love data's with 100 promotions all poorly researched/added. But I'm hoping to add a few more over time. I'm always looking for more workers to hire and especially there's plenty of room if I start focusing on adding new workers. A few new workers always trickle into data's. Look for 2.0 to hopefully have a good deal of minis added. I added 4 to 1.0 just for fun, but its not really playable for a proper minis division or company obviously.

Worker Relationships - Just going through whats in and updating.

 

Edited August 28 by MrCanada

[MrCanada]

This is a continuation of the TEW 2020 data. See the original post here where there is an original FAQ/History dump I find somewhat useful.

The Help I Want / Need

Playtest! Please playtest and just point out any little things you notice, especially with TEW9's new features. People who need attributes or stat adjustments to work better with the new systems and such. And I know there are lots of new attributes I should apply.

I could always use and want help with graphics. I do prefer minimalist designs and not-cut wrestler pictures, like I just prefer the same background as whatever the picture had. If anyone ever wants to give it a go doing a gif pack or just doing a lot of the logos for companies and broadcasters and events better than my beautiful paint skills, I really welcome the help here.

Personal knowledge: A big thing that sucks about making period databases is lack of knowledge and lots isnt recorded. If you have first hand knowledge of some stuff or can provide some information with some research linked to confirm, please do! Venues is a big one. I'd love to make a data where "generic" venues do not need to be used. Its easy enough to do for WWF/WCW sized companies but finding the smaller venues if someone plays an indy company I think you basically need to use generic venues sadly.

Heights & Weights

I'm sure @Adam Ryland could confirm or deny this, but I think I now understand why having real heights & weights in the game was never really done. Real world mods are a heck of an undertaking to get accurate weights & heights. With so much gimmicking/wrestling exaggeration its hard to say how tall or heavy people really are. Abyss is really 6'3"-6'4" I think. Adam Cole is not 6'0" tall. So what do you do? The sad truth is the data and all datas are going to be terrible mixes of real & gimmicked heights and weights. Especially since modern times heights and weights are more realistically given, when you mix that with the big exaggerations of years passed, it really makes a mess of the data. I tend to just treat each worker on a case-by-case basis and try and come up with a number I think is fair. Even if I know I'm making someone taller or heavier, though I also try to make the exaggerations a tad more realistic.

Dates

I've done my best to get some accurate dates and make events and birthdays all as accurate as possible. Obviously its difficult so I have to make some judgement calls and some birthdays simply are not known. Events being the "last sunday" or all that is a great feature, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around how to utilize that system properly.

Spin-Off Databases

There are a few spin off databases I'm still hoping to make with this. I experimented with them on TEW2020 but never felt the main data was good enough to allow me to focus on other database work. That said I want to make at least a "un-fantasied" version of the game which is essentially just a real world data set in May 2001 with all the WCW guys in WWF and all that. I may also make a "fast forward" data as I call it, a data that takes a few creative liberties to "fast forward" some things, like MCW being closed and Keiji Mutoh jumping to AJPW with Kojima & Kashin. I find its a more fun data to play TBH. I may also do a standard "Bischoff kept WCW going" data where most of the big stars are with WCW (with their dumb contracts) for players to navigate. But i would not expect any of these datas until after at least a 2.0 or even 3.0 release.

Where is Darby Allin or Rhea Ripley or *insert other worker who only became relevant in the last 5-years*?

Let's all be honest. Most of us play games for a handful of years tops and then restart or try something else. I was not, and am not, going to spend 100's of hours making wrestlers who debut or became relevant only very recently into the data. For now, I'm using the soft rule of 2005 debuts or earlier as people I'm interested in adding. Since that will arguably keep the data more then populated for people who do wish to play 20-year saves. It is worth mentioning the data now can last that long since retirements never seem to happen enough. I'm not sure why that is. but people just dont retire as often as they do in real wrestling. So many indy guys give up have 3-6 years of not going anywhere. But guys just love holding on in this one. I personally always get annoyed at the Mean Street Posse having such long illustrious careers usually.

I'll add more stuff as I see the need to ramble, I love to ramble, or feel the need to address some frequently asked questions or concerns.

Edited August 21 by MrCanada

[BrokenCycle]

Since you brought it up. I hate the heights and weights in this game. The previous system was a bucket for organization that worked perfectly fine. There's no system in this game that interacts with the heights and weights, so it feels like a fan service to appease those few that wanted them. I have next to zero point of reference to comprehend the weights of pro wrestlers, so I'm just continually confused when looking for workers.

But on topic, I loved your 2001 mod and will be downloading this and keeping up with it for later.

[Johnny Fenoli]

I just started a new game on the 2020 mod... and I've been waiting to purchase 9, until a mod I liked got finished.

 

So, do you feel this one's good to go, and warrants the purchase and start over?

 

Thanks for working on the mod!

[raspymorten]

Okay, NOW I got pressure to drop 2020 and buy the new one. lol

[Jugg]

Are you planning on updating the Pictures pack to GIF pictures along with backdrops and everything that comes with it?

[MrCanada]

7 hours ago, Jugg said:

Are you planning on updating the Pictures pack to GIF pictures along with backdrops and everything that comes with it?

perhaps one day. If anything, I welcome someone to volunteer to do this for the mod and I'll gladly endorse/credit/link it in the main post.

[benjirino]

Nice one MC, looking forward to giving newest version a go. Appreciate the open-ness to share mod content too with credit to you as always, you're a gem ❤️ 

[Mildly_Amusing]

Just a head up, Wrestlemania is set to go dormant in May 2002.

[MrCanada]

3 hours ago, Mildly_Amusing said:

Just a head up, Wrestlemania is set to go dormant in May 2002.

Thank you kindly! These are the catches I most appreciate. Uploaded a 1.1 data with this updated as its a bigger issue. Some new venues will be in there too since that's what I'm working on.

The way I'm doing venues is I went through WWF and WCW's show histories for 2001 and added all venues from there. I've then added some sproadic random ones based on companies in the data and where they ran in 2001 that I can find information on. I'm going to work backward and forward and likely do 2000 and 2002 for WWF, WCW & ECW (well 2000 for them) that way America at least has some fleshed out venues for generic-less play as WCW which I enjoy. I also only really like to add venues with roofs. I dont know why, but I just hate how there is no way in TEW (still) to better simulate venues and their quirks, especially outdoor venues, so I just stick to ones with roofs.

[franticloser]

So far my two suggestions

1. Removing the freelancer status from most workers. This is a left over from older mods that tried to mimic young indie wrestlers working for a lot of companies. Because older versions of the game had a max limit of three promotions per wrestler at a time.

2. Remove golden mane from most workers. It's designed to prevent them from agreeing to get their head shaved.

Edited August 18 by franticloser

[Tmgaming]

I've started a save on this today and enjoying it so far but seeing as I'm controlling WCW is there a way to change Mania from going dormant in a save that's already been started?

[Jcordaro]

For those asking if their is a way to change WrestleMania so it does not go dormant in 2002 the answer is yes. You simply go and edit the event and remove the date it goes dormant and it should fix the issue.

[jaymeetee]

2 minutes ago, Jcordaro said:

For those asking if their is a way to change WrestleMania so it does not go dormant in 2002 the answer is yes. You simply go and edit the event and remove the date it goes dormant and it should fix the issue.

I think the question is more for those who are not playing as WWF.

[Dalton]

2 hours ago, franticloser said:

So far my two suggestions

1. Removing the freelancer status from most workers. This is a left over from older mods that tried to mimic young indie wrestlers working for a lot of companies. Because older versions of the game had a max limit of three promotions per wrestler at a time.

2. Remove golden mane from most workers. It's designed to prevent them from agreeing to get their head shaved.

Agree with both of these, especially the first one. Freelancer doesn't accurately simulate freelance wrestlers. I'd go Itchy Feet if any.

[Blessed]

Great work @MrCanada, looking forward to giving this a go. You left a save file simmed a year which has Shane McMahon beating Booker T for the World Heavyweight title at Starrcade. Which is about the most late stage WCW thing I can imagine 😂

[HamKing]

so the workers like Hogan and Nash are they on Hiatus for a period of time to start the mod?

[MrCanada]

1 hour ago, HamKing said:

so the workers like Hogan and Nash are they on Hiatus for a period of time to start the mod?

correct. A bunch of WCW guys are on hiatus to simulate their TimeWarner guaranteed challenge. Running WCW is difficult but by no means impossible (SIGN ROB VAN DAM, then maybe people like BG James, Curt Hennig, Konnan, The Road Warriors and Glenn Gilbertti so you have some popularity to play with)

AuspiciousAussie did a playthrough on YouTube on TEW2020 that shows just how simple it can be.

[One_]

Just finished the first PPV with WCW as Shane. What a great mod!! Quite challenging due to the lack of star power but already one of my most fun saves in the last few years! And yes, RVD can become a real gamechanger.

[The Superman 3 of People]

This may be a deliberate creative choice rather than an inaccuracy, but the WCW you've created in this mod isn't an accurate depiction of the deal Fusient Media had on the table - that deal would have included the big name guys as well as the Turner time slots. If you're interested in getting closer to what that deal might have looked like there's a few resources I could point you toward, but if you're not then I might be interested in creating a "fork" that would represent that alternative history.

[raspymorten]

10 minutes ago, The Superman 3 of People said:

This may be a deliberate creative choice rather than an inaccuracy, but the WCW you've created in this mod isn't an accurate depiction of the deal Fusient Media had on the table - that deal would have included the big name guys as well as the Turner time slots. If you're interested in getting closer to what that deal might have looked like there's a few resources I could point you toward, but if you're not then I might be interested in creating a "fork" that would represent that alternative history.

Yeah IIRC MrCanada's gunning for something more akin to the WWF deal... But if the Shane McMahon stuff was a shoot, and he keeps running the show seperate from WWF.

[The Superman 3 of People]

1 minute ago, raspymorten said:

Yeah IIRC MrCanada's gunning for something more akin to the WWF deal... But if the Shane McMahon stuff was a shoot, and he keeps running the show seperate from WWF.

Yeah, I wasn't sure if the goal was historical accuracy or to specifically lean into the fantasy scenario aspect. The biggest argument against the changes I'm suggesting is that it totally changes the WCW booking situation - instead of trying to develop a young, unproven, unpopular roster, the more historically accurate version would put WCW in the role of a money pit desperate to grow quickly enough to pay off its big-ticket contracts.

[StatboyVT]

19 hours ago, MrCanada said:

I also only really like to add venues with roofs. I dont know why, but I just hate how there is no way in TEW (still) to better simulate venues and their quirks, especially outdoor venues, so I just stick to ones with roofs.

Agreed. Nothing like having an outdoor wrestling event in Boston in January!

[MrCanada]

59 minutes ago, The Superman 3 of People said:

This may be a deliberate creative choice rather than an inaccuracy, but the WCW you've created in this mod isn't an accurate depiction of the deal Fusient Media had on the table - that deal would have included the big name guys as well as the Turner time slots. If you're interested in getting closer to what that deal might have looked like there's a few resources I could point you toward, but if you're not then I might be interested in creating a "fork" that would represent that alternative history.

If you read the first post in the mod, you can see that I did not intend to make a what if Fusient Media bought WCW mod.

Shorter description of this mod:

WCW is for sale like it was in real life, TimeWarner announces they wont be offering any tv time to WCW anymore. (This is all true, this is why the Fusient deal falls apart). TimeWarner turns to WWF as they are the only real interested buyers. Shane approaches his father and asks permission to buy WCW instead to form his own legacy, Vince agrees. In kayfabe, all the storyline takes place as it did in real life up until WrestleManiaX7 where Shane leaves to run WCW after beating his father in a worked match. Shane now has the task of running WCW because he is the owner. I used what WWF acquired as part of their purchase with some small creative liberty as I feel that makes the game more fun and challenging.

TL;DR: WWF does kind of buy WCW, but instead gives it to Shane to run as a separate promotion.

The good news for everyone, is this mod is very "accurate" in my opinion besides this fantasy scenario of WCW. Its very easy to kill WCW and add all the workers on their roster to WWF to make a pure "Real World May 2001" data. Its very easy to remove Shane back to WWF, remove some hiatuses and add workers back to WCW (Hogan, Sting, Flair, Stiener, Jarrett, Ernest Miller, ect) and have a "what if Bisfhoff bought it" mod. I may one day do this myself as stated above in the second post, but its not my goal at tihs moment. Feel free to use the editor yourself to make the mod work in a way you want it, its the beauty of TEW.

EDIT:

The old mod thread for 2020 has more walls of text you can feel free to read that explain lots of stuff. I've very heavily researched this period of wrestling as I honestly believe 99% of people really do not understand the nuances of what exactly happened and why the whole WWF/WCW Invasion/selling played out like it did.

 

Edited August 19 by MrCanada

[KB24]

Sorry if this has already been asked, but will there be future workers?