The GagneMcRussometer

[IrishCanadian25]

Wrestling fans, step right up and witness the magic and wonder that is the first ever professional wrestling GagneMcRussometer! The GagneMcRussometer (GMR for short) can predict, based off of the answers to just a few questions, what kind of wrestling booker you are, and what your professional wrestling philosophy is.

Take a few moments to write down YOUR answers to the questions below, and then follow the scoring directions to discover where YOU stand on the GMR!


Question #1

The top contender to your promotion's World Heavyweight Title just went down to a shoulder injury in a Triple Threat Match against Mr. Kennedy and Mark Henry. Do you:

A. Hold a four-week long tournament to determine the top contender to the title, leaving Kennedy and Henry out of it because they acted in such a dastardly manner that they couldn't possibly be given the chance to tarnish the belt.

B. Put the champion in a Triple Threat Match for the title with both Henry and Kennedy, having your former #1 contender do a botched run-in during the title match.

C. Have the champion face one of the other contenders, but during the match, the referee goes down as a result of the heel wrestler throwing the face wrestling into him. After a second referee comes down to count the pin victory for the face, have the original ref get up and state that before the pinfall, a DQ occured, causing an uproar.

D. Make all three men face each other in an electrified cage match, and at critical times in the match, have a wrestler thrown into the cage, causing a buzzing noise and the lights in the arena to flicker.

Question #2

One of your top heels is having trouble getting top heel heat from the fans. As head booker, you have to do something to make him hated. Do You:

A. Have that heel attack the top babyface from behind during a high profile match, causing a DQ.

B. Have that heel come out wearing the sports apparel of the home city's top rival (i.e. a Boston Red Sox jersey in New York).

C. Give that top heel 15 minutes at the start of the show to cut a dastardly promo, discussing how overlooked he has been and how he refuses to leave the ring until he is given a title match against the top babyface.

D. Run a vignette where that top heel has sex with a dead corpse.

Question #3

You are debuting a new tag team consisting of an African American and a Latino wrestler from the indy circuts. Do you:

A. Debut them by running vignettes of their high level of professional wrestling skills, and during their first match, have the color commentator discuss their various indy circut accomplishments.

B. Debut them in a match with the heel tag team champions in a non-title match, having the top babyface team distract the champs while the new rookie team gets a surprise pinfall via roll-up.

C. Debut them by running vignettes of the members of the team rioting in LA and stealing TV's from cub scouts.

D. Debut them by running vignettes of the members of the team in various homo-erotic situations, and have them eating lollypops on their way to the ring.

Question #4

An upper-midcard babyface missed a house show because of transportation issues, resulting in the company having to apologize to fans in attendance. Do you:

A. Hold that individual off TV for two weeks as punishment.

B. Punish the individual by having the top heel kayfabe attack the face in the backstage area, using the attack as an excuse to hold the offending wrestler off TV for a month, but giving them a feud to return to.

C. Have a lower-mid card heel work stiff on the babyface to punish him for missing the show.

D. Have the offending star get pinned in a "loser wears a dress match" in which he has to wear a dress to the ring for one entire month, only to realize that he likes it and becomes a cross-dressing wrestler.

Question #5

You have a young athlete ready for a spot on the main roster, and the ratings on your show are down. Do you:

A. Debut the athlete in a title match against the promotion's champion, having them wrestle a 45-minute draw and having the announces continue stating how close they were to a 1-0 World Champion.

B. Debut the athlete in a match with an upper-midcard heel, allowing that rookie some mic time and having them nearly pin the heel on two or three occassions, before finally losing clean.

C. Debut the athlete as a punk rocker who can make himself vomit at will.

D. Debut the athlete as a masked dancer in a red bodysuit named after something off of a spice rack.

Question #6

Your top tag-team are real life brothers, and to keep your product fresh, you decide to break them up and have them feud. Do you:

A. Run a story line where the younger brother is upset that the older brother is getting more singles matches, resulting in a shoving match and eventually a series of wrestling matches, putting both men over as singles wrestlers.

B. Run a story line where the younger brother is accidentally struck by the older brother during a title match, resulting in a pinfall loss. The younger brother then kicks the older brother and storms out of the ring, starting the feud.

C. Run a story line where the younger brother pays off a hitman to attack the older brother in the backstage area, revealing himself as the mastermind weeks later.

D. Run a story line where the older brother discovers that his younger brother has been sleeping with his girlfriend, whom he laters discovers is a transvestite.

Question #7

Your champion has accepted an offer to wrestle at a rival company after refusing to resign and extend their contract. You ask them to drop the title to a rival, for whom the champion has a personal dislike and refuses. Do you:

A. Allow the champion to retire as champ and vacate the title, setting the stage for a 64-man tournament.

B. Schedule a Triple Threat Match with the champion, the rival, and another top face, allowing the top face to win the title, only to drop it to the rival heel the next night.

C. Set the stage for the referee to call for the bell at a certain moment, forcing a fall that never actually happened, later claiming that the ex-champ screwed himself.

D. Send out the rival to lay down for the champion, and then come out on the mic 15 minutes later to declare that the true champion is the rival and that the ex-champion is a backstage cancer. Who needs a kayfabe wall, anyway?

Question #8

A B-list movie actor asks your help co-branding his shitty new film. Seeing a revenue stream, do you:

A. Give the actor mic time at a major event to hype the film.

B. Have a mid-card heel insult the film for weeks, only to have the actor show up on a Monday Night show and slap the offending wrestler.

C. Start your own film company. Why should this actor make all that cash, when you could do it all yourself?

D. Make that actor your promotion's world champion. Twice. Hey, it'll make USA Today!

Question #9

A superheavyweight babyface with a legitimate athletic background is in line for a push on TV. Do you:

A. Showcase that SHW in matches and feuds that allow him to show off his athletic ability, having the color commentator remind fans of all of the amateur awards he has won.

B. Turn the SHW heel into an angry monster who is sick of being disrespected and will plow through anyone to get a title shot.

C. Repackage the athletic face in a militant heel racial group.

D. Pair the wrestler with an 80-year old woman, whom he impregnates, germinating and giving birth to a hand in a mere two weeks.

Question #10

Your boss writes you a blank check for talent. Do you:

A. Use this to seek out young indie talent, while also building the talent you already have with storylines and feuds.

B. Buy the competition's top talent with ludicous contracts.

C. Buy 50 Latinos who are really good at jumping off high things.

D. Make the B-List actor the promotion's world champion. Twice. I mean, really?


Scoring

Give yourself 1 point for every "A," 2 points for every "B," 3 points for every "C," and 4 points for every "D."

If your score was 10-15, you are Verne Gagne. You believe in the sanctity of the championship, you book honorably, and you protect the kayfabe of the business.

If your score was 16-21, you are Larry Zbyszko. Entertainment is the way the industry is heading, but the tradition of professional wrestling must also be respected.

If your score was 22-27, you are Jim Cornette. Sure, entertainment is important to sell tickets, but people want to see wrestling to be entertained, not a circus.

If your score was 28-33, you are Jeff Jarrett. Entertainment and wrestling can exist in a balance. You just can't decide what to do to get that balance consistently.

If your score was 34-37, you are Vince McMahon. It's not professional wrestling anymore, it's sports entertainment. People want to be entertained by athletes, but they don't really care who the NWA champion was in September of 1980. (it was either Giant Baba or Harley Race, FYI)

If your score was 38-40, you are Vince Russo. There is no such thing as "professional wrestling." The championship belts are meaningless props. People want sex, violence, and over the top characters. It's entertainment, and that's all.



NOTE - WHEN YOU COMPLETE THE QUIZ, IF YOU DECIDE TO POST YOUR RESULTS, DO NOT SIMPLY POST YOUR SCORE AND WHO YOU ARE LIKE. DISCUSS WHAT YOUR PHILOSOPHY ON WRESTLING BOOKING WOULD BE, IF YOU THINK THE TEST WAS RIGHT OR WRONG, ETC. SIMPLY POSTING A SCORE AND A NAME WILL RESULT IN AN INFRACTION FOR SPAM.

 

[NSL]

I scored a 21. I'm borderline between Zbyszko and Cornette, and that seems to be about right. I've always enjoyed watching wrestling for wrestling. The entertainment is secondary.

For instance, the Jericho v. HBK feud was great. I liked the promos and the build-up, but if the matches would have sucked, we wouldn't be talking about that angle in a positive light today.

During the Monday Night Wars, I watched a good deal of both shows, but always liked WCW more. Once things got out of hand, I started watching RAW more religiously. Like the survey asked; B-List actor as champion. Twice. Really?

 

[HBK-aholic]

Cornette, and I completely agree with the description given as well. I don't like the "TNA" side of things, which is about all the entertainment and very little wrestling, but My God if there were NO entertainment it would be boring. However, I think the entertainment should come from the wrestling, compared to having your star have sex with a dead body, or something like that.

 

[Tastycles]

A little bemused with my score of 14. I am a big fan of entertainment, or at least I thought I was, and would have probably assumed that I'd be at the Cornette end of things, but Gagne it is.

As for Russo, I think the survey probably picks on the worst aspects of his booking, but maybe it reflects on the aspects that aren't filtered out by the Jarretts or McMahons. At least he didn't book himself as campion as well as the b-list actor. Oh, wait.

 

[RVDgurl]

I scored a 17 which makes me Larry Zybysko. I think this is spot on with me. While I enjoy the entertainment side of things, I respect the wrestling a little more. I would choose to watch an Indy show over a WWE show any day. And I certainly would be much better suited to book for an Indy fed rather than a high production company that caters to the masses. I would book 60 minute Iron Man Matches as my high profile gimmick match. Now that's good entertainment.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Question #1

The top contender to your promotion's World Heavyweight Title just went down to a shoulder injury in a Triple Threat Match against Mr. Kennedy and Mark Henry. Do you:

A. Hold a four-week long tournament to determine the top contender to the title, leaving Kennedy and Henry out of it because they acted in such a dastardly manner that they couldn't possibly be given the chance to tarnish the belt.

B. Put the champion in a Triple Threat Match for the title with both Henry and Kennedy, having your former #1 contender do a botched run-in during the title match.

C. Have the champion face one of the other contenders, but during the match, the referee goes down as a result of the heel wrestler throwing the face wrestling into him. After a second referee comes down to count the pin victory for the face, have the original ref get up and state that before the pinfall, a DQ occured, causing an uproar.

D. Make all three men face each other in an electrified cage match, and at critical times in the match, have a wrestler thrown into the cage, causing a buzzing noise and the lights in the arena to flicker.

I picked A, but in truth I wouldn't have a 4 week tournament. I'd have a 1 night tournament.

4 weeks will bore the shit out of most fans in today's Generation. And going off the question, neither Mark Henry or Mr. Kennedy were ever thought of as being contender's. You mentioned the #1 contender was injured in a 3-way against them. That doesn't mean they're contender worthy.

I'd place them each in the tournament, but neither would likely go far. I'd only place them in, as they could each use the excuse they injured the original guy.

Question #2

One of your top heels is having trouble getting top heel heat from the fans. As head booker, you have to do something to make him hated. Do You:

A. Have that heel attack the top babyface from behind during a high profile match, causing a DQ.

B. Have that heel come out wearing the sports apparel of the home city's top rival (i.e. a Boston Red Sox jersey in New York).

C. Give that top heel 15 minutes at the start of the show to cut a dastardly promo, discussing how overlooked he has been and how he refuses to leave the ring until he is given a title match against the top babyface.

D. Run a vignette where that top heel has sex with a dead corpse.

I picked C, but really only because of the lack of better options. If he isn't getting over, I wouldn't go off shameless heel heat like hometown rivals. That works for small-time heels, but not big time.

Having him screw a dead corpse would only being the FCC or whatever they're called down on you.

And if you give him any type of mic time, well, you already said he wasn't getting over. So my first assumption would be he wasn't getting over with the mic time he got before, why would that help him now.

So my real answer would've been, just pull him, repackage him, and try something new in general.

Question #3

You are debuting a new tag team consisting of an African American and a Latino wrestler from the indy circuts. Do you:

A. Debut them by running vignettes of their high level of professional wrestling skills, and during their first match, have the color commentator discuss their various indy circut accomplishments.

B. Debut them in a match with the heel tag team champions in a non-title match, having the top babyface team distract the champs while the new rookie team gets a surprise pinfall via roll-up.

C. Debut them by running vignettes of the members of the team rioting in LA and stealing TV's from cub scouts.

D. Debut them by running vignettes of the members of the team in various homo-erotic situations, and have them eating lollypops on their way to the ring.

I picked C, and while I wouldn't do it exactly like that.. I would use a racial angle. Racism sells. Ask Mark Henry.

Question #4

An upper-midcard babyface missed a house show because of transportation issues, resulting in the company having to apologize to fans in attendance. Do you:

A. Hold that individual off TV for two weeks as punishment.

B. Punish the individual by having the top heel kayfabe attack the face in the backstage area, using the attack as an excuse to hold the offending wrestler off TV for a month, but giving them a feud to return to.

C. Have a lower-mid card heel work stiff on the babyface to punish him for missing the show.

D. Have the offending star get pinned in a "loser wears a dress match" in which he has to wear a dress to the ring for one entire month, only to realize that he likes it and becomes a cross-dressing wrestler.

I picked B, but in truth I need to know more. I'm not going to punish the individual at all, if there is good enough reason behind missing a show.

Triple H. was scheduled to appear at a house show I went to once, but due to an injury of another Superstar, he was pulled and replaced on television. So he missed the house show. Yet he wasn't suspended, or punished at all.

Weather is another issue, maybe they missed the show due to weather. So I would need more insight before I punished someone.

Therefore, B, was the only clear cut choice as it'd take him off television with a reason.. then set them up upon return.

Question #5

You have a young athlete ready for a spot on the main roster, and the ratings on your show are down. Do you:

A. Debut the athlete in a title match against the promotion's champion, having them wrestle a 45-minute draw and having the announces continue stating how close they were to a 1-0 World Champion.

B. Debut the athlete in a match with an upper-midcard heel, allowing that rookie some mic time and having them nearly pin the heel on two or three occassions, before finally losing clean.

C. Debut the athlete as a punk rocker who can make himself vomit at will.

D. Debut the athlete as a masked dancer in a red bodysuit named after something off of a spice rack.

I picked A, but it damn sure wouldn't be 45 minutes long. Maybe 30, and have the Heavyweight Champion then defeat him, but show a sign of respect.

It'd give the new comer instant cred. to have hung in a match that long against your Champion, shooting him into the spotlight, but not disrespecting your Champion with a draw.

Also, I didn't pick B, because having a new comer lose to a Champion is more credible than having him debut and lose cleanly of all things, to a mid-card heel that's merely "known".

Question #6

Your top tag-team are real life brothers, and to keep your product fresh, you decide to break them up and have them feud. Do you:

A. Run a story line where the younger brother is upset that the older brother is getting more singles matches, resulting in a shoving match and eventually a series of wrestling matches, putting both men over as singles wrestlers.

B. Run a story line where the younger brother is accidentally struck by the older brother during a title match, resulting in a pinfall loss. The younger brother then kicks the older brother and storms out of the ring, starting the feud.

C. Run a story line where the younger brother pays off a hitman to attack the older brother in the backstage area, revealing himself as the mastermind weeks later.

D. Run a story line where the older brother discovers that his younger brother has been sleeping with his girlfriend, whom he laters discovers is a transvestite.

I picked C, but in truth a lot of great choices for this, minus the ending of D.

I would've went with the beginning of D, but the transvestite ending just ruined it. Brother's feuding because one cheated with the other's girlfriend is INSTANT heat for the heel, and instant sympathy for the face. (it worked for Matt & Edge, only they weren't brothers)

Question #7

Your champion has accepted an offer to wrestle at a rival company after refusing to resign and extend their contract. You ask them to drop the title to a rival, for whom the champion has a personal dislike and refuses. Do you:

A. Allow the champion to retire as champ and vacate the title, setting the stage for a 64-man tournament.

B. Schedule a Triple Threat Match with the champion, the rival, and another top face, allowing the top face to win the title, only to drop it to the rival heel the next night.

C. Set the stage for the referee to call for the bell at a certain moment, forcing a fall that never actually happened, later claiming that the ex-champ screwed himself.

D. Send out the rival to lay down for the champion, and then come out on the mic 15 minutes later to declare that the true champion is the rival and that the ex-champion is a backstage cancer. Who needs a kayfabe wall, anyway?

I picked A, just because I'm not going to screw the Champ over in lying to him, or swerving him in a match.

But in truth I would've did things a bit differently.

I would've came out, with the current Champion, cut a speech about how he's no longer interested in being our Champion. I'd run him down in front of everyone, then request that he resign as Champion, and leave the company.

THAT'S how you fucking do it. Especially if you offer for them to stay, and they refuse. Fuck you Julius Peppers.

Question #8

A B-list movie actor asks your help co-branding his shitty new film. Seeing a revenue stream, do you:

A. Give the actor mic time at a major event to hype the film.

B. Have a mid-card heel insult the film for weeks, only to have the actor show up on a Monday Night show and slap the offending wrestler.

C. Start your own film company. Why should this actor make all that cash, when you could do it all yourself?

D. Make that actor your promotion's world champion. Twice. Hey, it'll make USA Today!

I picked B, it'd build up a heel, and give the actor just enough time to make it seem like you give a shit.

Question #9

A superheavyweight babyface with a legitimate athletic background is in line for a push on TV. Do you:

A. Showcase that SHW in matches and feuds that allow him to show off his athletic ability, having the color commentator remind fans of all of the amateur awards he has won.

B. Turn the SHW heel into an angry monster who is sick of being disrespected and will plow through anyone to get a title shot.

C. Repackage the athletic face in a militant heel racial group.

D. Pair the wrestler with an 80-year old woman, whom he impregnates, germinating and giving birth to a hand in a mere two weeks.

I picked B, because if he's a Super Heavyweight, especially an athletic one.. then the only logical thing to do is have him be an unstoppable rookie heel. (see Brock Lesnar)

Question #10

Your boss writes you a blank check for talent. Do you:

A. Use this to seek out young indie talent, while also building the talent you already have with storylines and feuds.

B. Buy the competition's top talent with ludicous contracts.

C. Buy 50 Latinos who are really good at jumping off high things.

D. Make the B-List actor the promotion's world champion. Twice. I mean, really?

I picked C.

Hey, it worked for Eric Bischoff. For a small period of time.

Truth is though, I'd take that check, make sure our talent is good enough, fill holes where they need to be, then put the rest (if there is any) in production. Because running shows out of one arena, with horrible effects, lighting, and having the same lame entrance and ring look gets old and boring.

Overall:​

I got 21.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Question #1

The top contender to your promotion's World Heavyweight Title just went down to a shoulder injury in a Triple Threat Match against Mr. Kennedy and Mark Henry. Do you:

A. Hold a four-week long tournament to determine the top contender to the title, leaving Kennedy and Henry out of it because they acted in such a dastardly manner that they couldn't possibly be given the chance to tarnish the belt.

B. Put the champion in a Triple Threat Match for the title with both Henry and Kennedy, having your former #1 contender do a botched run-in during the title match.

C. Have the champion face one of the other contenders, but during the match, the referee goes down as a result of the heel wrestler throwing the face wrestling into him. After a second referee comes down to count the pin victory for the face, have the original ref get up and state that before the pinfall, a DQ occured, causing an uproar.

D. Make all three men face each other in an electrified cage match, and at critical times in the match, have a wrestler thrown into the cage, causing a buzzing noise and the lights in the arena to flicker.

I don't like any of these options. But, if I was forced to choose one, I would go with B. I don't like the botched run-in; however, given that Henry and Kennedy were in a match where my #1 contender was injured, I do like the idea of putting them in a triple threat match with the current champion.

Question #2

One of your top heels is having trouble getting top heel heat from the fans. As head booker, you have to do something to make him hated. Do You:

A. Have that heel attack the top babyface from behind during a high profile match, causing a DQ.

B. Have that heel come out wearing the sports apparel of the home city's top rival (i.e. a Boston Red Sox jersey in New York).

C. Give that top heel 15 minutes at the start of the show to cut a dastardly promo, discussing how overlooked he has been and how he refuses to leave the ring until he is given a title match against the top babyface.

D. Run a vignette where that top heel has sex with a dead corpse.

I don't like any of these options either. But, again, if I was forced to choose one, I would go with A. More than likely, to get a heel over, I would do backstage vignettes with him showing how much of an asshole he is. Furthermore, I would like to have some sort of reason for the heel in question to attack the top babyface of my promotion. But, I'll choose A.

Question #3

You are debuting a new tag team consisting of an African American and a Latino wrestler from the indy circuts. Do you:

A. Debut them by running vignettes of their high level of professional wrestling skills, and during their first match, have the color commentator discuss their various indy circut accomplishments.

B. Debut them in a match with the heel tag team champions in a non-title match, having the top babyface team distract the champs while the new rookie team gets a surprise pinfall via roll-up.

C. Debut them by running vignettes of the members of the team rioting in LA and stealing TV's from cub scouts.

D. Debut them by running vignettes of the members of the team in various homo-erotic situations, and have them eating lollypops on their way to the ring.

I would go with A. I wouldn't pick these two up from the indy circuits for their race; rather, I would pick them up for their wrestling skills. Thus, I would want to advertise the reason they are coming to my promotion.

Question #4

An upper-midcard babyface missed a house show because of transportation issues, resulting in the company having to apologize to fans in attendance. Do you:

A. Hold that individual off TV for two weeks as punishment.

B. Punish the individual by having the top heel kayfabe attack the face in the backstage area, using the attack as an excuse to hold the offending wrestler off TV for a month, but giving them a feud to return to.

C. Have a lower-mid card heel work stiff on the babyface to punish him for missing the show.

D. Have the offending star get pinned in a "loser wears a dress match" in which he has to wear a dress to the ring for one entire month, only to realize that he likes it and becomes a cross-dressing wrestler.

I would rather just fine them, but, if I must choose, I would go with C. Although the upper-midcard babyface would miss some time, having him feud with the top heel of the company when he came back would allow me to properly build him into a main-event star. Furthermore, I could do a WWE ER-like vignette with him in the hospital and I could hype his return to make him even more endearing to the fans.

Question #5

You have a young athlete ready for a spot on the main roster, and the ratings on your show are down. Do you:

A. Debut the athlete in a title match against the promotion's champion, having them wrestle a 45-minute draw and having the announces continue stating how close they were to a 1-0 World Champion.

B. Debut the athlete in a match with an upper-midcard heel, allowing that rookie some mic time and having them nearly pin the heel on two or three occassions, before finally losing clean.

C. Debut the athlete as a punk rocker who can make himself vomit at will.

D. Debut the athlete as a masked dancer in a red bodysuit named after something off of a spice rack.

Best option is B. I wouldn't hotshot a prospect in a time of desperation. Rather, I would weather the storm of bad ratings while building him up. Thus, I would have someone reliable I could count on to keep my ratings steady when they came back up (provided that this young guy gets over).

Question #6

Your top tag-team are real life brothers, and to keep your product fresh, you decide to break them up and have them feud. Do you:

A. Run a story line where the younger brother is upset that the older brother is getting more singles matches, resulting in a shoving match and eventually a series of wrestling matches, putting both men over as singles wrestlers.

B. Run a story line where the younger brother is accidentally struck by the older brother during a title match, resulting in a pinfall loss. The younger brother then kicks the older brother and storms out of the ring, starting the feud.

C. Run a story line where the younger brother pays off a hitman to attack the older brother in the backstage area, revealing himself as the mastermind weeks later.

D. Run a story line where the older brother discovers that his younger brother has been sleeping with his girlfriend, whom he laters discovers is a transvestite.

I like both A and C, but I will go with A. Any feud between a long-standing and popular tag team needs to have slow build to it.

Question #7

Your champion has accepted an offer to wrestle at a rival company after refusing to resign and extend their contract. You ask them to drop the title to a rival, for whom the champion has a personal dislike and refuses. Do you:

A. Allow the champion to retire as champ and vacate the title, setting the stage for a 64-man tournament.

B. Schedule a Triple Threat Match with the champion, the rival, and another top face, allowing the top face to win the title, only to drop it to the rival heel the next night.

C. Set the stage for the referee to call for the bell at a certain moment, forcing a fall that never actually happened, later claiming that the ex-champ screwed himself.

D. Send out the rival to lay down for the champion, and then come out on the mic 15 minutes later to declare that the true champion is the rival and that the ex-champion is a backstage cancer. Who needs a kayfabe wall, anyway?

D is the best out of all of these options. Except, I wouldn't have the champion's rival come out and lie down for said champion. Instead, I would the champion to fuck off and then go out and tell the audience that he is a backstage cancer. I would probably hold a tournament afterwards, but publicly defaming a insubordinate defector is key here.

Question #8

A B-list movie actor asks your help co-branding his shitty new film. Seeing a revenue stream, do you:

A. Give the actor mic time at a major event to hype the film.

B. Have a mid-card heel insult the film for weeks, only to have the actor show up on a Monday Night show and slap the offending wrestler.

C. Start your own film company. Why should this actor make all that cash, when you could do it all yourself?

D. Make that actor your promotion's world champion. Twice. Hey, it'll make USA Today!

I would go with A. My company would not be associated with shit anymore than it had to. You could see him coming on my show as a kind of vanity press. For the right amount of money or cut, I will gladly let him advertise whatever it is he wants to advertise.

Question #9

A superheavyweight babyface with a legitimate athletic background is in line for a push on TV. Do you:

A. Showcase that SHW in matches and feuds that allow him to show off his athletic ability, having the color commentator remind fans of all of the amateur awards he has won.

B. Turn the SHW heel into an angry monster who is sick of being disrespected and will plow through anyone to get a title shot.

C. Repackage the athletic face in a militant heel racial group.

D. Pair the wrestler with an 80-year old woman, whom he impregnates, germinating and giving birth to a hand in a mere two weeks.

Going to go with A. My product would always be about wrestling first and foremost.

Question #10

Your boss writes you a blank check for talent. Do you:

A. Use this to seek out young indie talent, while also building the talent you already have with storylines and feuds.

B. Buy the competition's top talent with ludicous contracts.

C. Buy 50 Latinos who are really good at jumping off high things.

D. Make the B-List actor the promotion's world champion. Twice. I mean, really?

Going to go with A. More than likely, I would also look for mouthpieces and raid the top talent in foreign organizations. But, I would also want some good indie talent as well.

I scored a 17. So, I'm a Zbyszko. What you said in his booking description pretty much sums up what I believe wrestling should be about. I definitely respect the entertainment aspect of wrestling. But, in my promotion, a lot more effort would be put into it. Furthermore, while I would want the matches in my organization to be reflective of the wrestlers' characters, I would always go with wrestling talent over mic/promo skills. Charismatic talkers can be made; good wrestlers cannot.

 

[Shocky]

18. Larry Zybsko.

I think that defines me to a T. I understand that the business is about entertainment, but almost any sport is about entertainment. Football is entertainment, but it's also about the 22 guys on the field at a time, not about the circus side show that goes along with it. I watch wrestling for wrestling, not Sports Entertainment. If I wanted entertainment, I'd pop a movie in. At the end of the day, I choose to watch a product that takes place inside of a ring, because Ir espect the athleticism of the men that are in the ring.

I fucking hate Vince Russo.

 

[Miko]

If your score was 16-21, you are Larry Zbyszko. Entertainment is the way the industry is heading, but the tradition of professional wrestling must also be respected.

I got a 20, I definatly believe in the entertainment side of wrestling. I guess I think the traditions should be respected as well, even if it's only stuff like the title match goes on last, or the champion is the best guy in the company. I do think nearly all indy feds suck and WWE really is the best out there, although thats explained below.

Truth be told though, I think that people care far more about wrestlers as characters than the belts. I lean toward Russo in the sense that belts are props, to be put on the man who makes sense financially, not Chris Benoit cos' he can wrestle well good. Although not meaningless, while people care more about the characters we do love it when our favourite guy gets the belt and as a result the belts shouldnt really be abused.

Back to the entertainment factor though, it is about giving people what they want to see. Some wrestlers are very good at arm-bars and shit and while some may find that entertaining, it's clear that the people who pay to watch by and large dont. So I'd eliminate what doesnt work, leaving us with pretty much what we've got, signature moves, heels dominating, rest-holds (I hate the term) being used to build up suspense, stuff that keeps the crowd watching. Not stuff you'd see at the olympics (sorry Kurt).

I dont think any of what I said actually makes sense, sorry if it doesnt.

Also as a reference to your tag team question, I'd never debut just anyone with a homoerotic gimmick, it takes great skill to play that successfully, see Rico as an example.

 

[MattMoses]

Question #1

The top contender to your promotion's World Heavyweight Title just went down to a shoulder injury in a Triple Threat Match against Mr. Kennedy and Mark Henry. Do you:

A. Hold a four-week long tournament to determine the top contender to the title, leaving Kennedy and Henry out of it because they acted in such a dastardly manner that they couldn't possibly be given the chance to tarnish the belt.

B. Put the champion in a Triple Threat Match for the title with both Henry and Kennedy, having your former #1 contender do a botched run-in during the title match.

C. Have the champion face one of the other contenders, but during the match, the referee goes down as a result of the heel wrestler throwing the face wrestling into him. After a second referee comes down to count the pin victory for the face, have the original ref get up and state that before the pinfall, a DQ occured, causing an uproar.

D. Make all three men face each other in an electrified cage match, and at critical times in the match, have a wrestler thrown into the cage, causing a buzzing noise and the lights in the arena to flicker.

The tournament would be held over four weeks with both Mr. Kennedy and Mark Henry excluded from participating. I'm assuming that the both of them are playing heels here. I'd have them form a mutual alliance, vowing to end the tournament before it begins, as they feel they deserve a place because they took out a top contender. This doesn't sit well with the general manager, so both of them are escorted out of the building for the rest of the show, while round one of qualifying match-ups take place.

During the second week of qualifying matches, Kennedy and Henry will interfere in a match, which will ultimately cost both participants their spots, as they will be too (kayfabe) injured to advance in the tournament. The general manager hits the stage stating that the show must go on and a contender is needed to advance. The GM will make a match on the spot between Henry and Kennedy, the winner advancing. The second the bell rings, Kennedy will get a surprise roll-up on Henry, pinning him and advancing the tournament.

Question #2

One of your top heels is having trouble getting top heel heat from the fans. As head booker, you have to do something to make him hated. Do You:

A. Have that heel attack the top babyface from behind during a high profile match, causing a DQ.

B. Have that heel come out wearing the sports apparel of the home city's top rival (i.e. a Boston Red Sox jersey in New York).

C. Give that top heel 15 minutes at the start of the show to cut a dastardly promo, discussing how overlooked he has been and how he refuses to leave the ring until he is given a title match against the top babyface.

D. Run a vignette where that top heel has sex with a dead corpse.

I'd have the heel open the show talking about how disrespected he is by the fans and wrestlers, insulting several top babyfaces in the process. After his demands aren't met for a world title shot, he states that he wont be leaving the ring until a championship match is granted. His demands aren't met, so he threatens the general manager that he's going to start taking out innocent people until he gets what he deserves. He tosses one of the commentators into the ring, along with a chair, and proceeds to violently attack him with it.

Still no sign of the champion or GM, the heel would then grab the female ring announcer and toss her into the ring. He would taunt her and push her around the ring, gaining incredible heel heat in the process. As it looks like he's about to set her up for his finishing maneuver, the babyface champion hits the stage, agreeing to the demands set by the heel. A title match would be scheduled for the following PPV, using the next few weeks to build the heel up as unstoppable, stacking the odds against the champion in every way possible.

Question #3

You are debuting a new tag team consisting of an African American and a Latino wrestler from the indy circuts. Do you:

A. Debut them by running vignettes of their high level of professional wrestling skills, and during their first match, have the color commentator discuss their various indy circut accomplishments.

B. Debut them in a match with the heel tag team champions in a non-title match, having the top babyface team distract the champs while the new rookie team gets a surprise pinfall via roll-up.

C. Debut them by running vignettes of the members of the team rioting in LA and stealing TV's from cub scouts.

D. Debut them by running vignettes of the members of the team in various homo-erotic situations, and have them eating lollypops on their way to the ring.

Nobody cares about what people achieved while working on the independents, so I'd have them debut against the heel tag-team champions. The African American/Latino team would get some offense in with a few near count falls. As the heels execute their finishing maneuver, the babyface team make their way to ringside and verbally abuse the heel team in the ring. This would lead to a surprise victory roll-up, getting the new team over with the fans.

Question #4

An upper-midcard babyface missed a house show because of transportation issues, resulting in the company having to apologize to fans in attendance. Do you:

A. Hold that individual off TV for two weeks as punishment.

B. Punish the individual by having the top heel kayfabe attack the face in the backstage area, using the attack as an excuse to hold the offending wrestler off TV for a month, but giving them a feud to return to.

C. Have a lower-mid card heel work stiff on the babyface to punish him for missing the show.

D. Have the offending star get pinned in a "loser wears a dress match" in which he has to wear a dress to the ring for one entire month, only to realize that he likes it and becomes a cross-dressing wrestler.

I guess this depends entirely on the situation. If it was something out of the hands of the wrestler, the punishment wouldn't be as harsh as that had he slept through an alarm and missed his coach to the event, as an example. And it's never a good thing when popular wrestlers are advertised and no-show an event, the worst possible thing any professional wrestling could do.

Anyway, I'd have the top heel attack the face in the backstage area, which would result in keeping him off television for several weeks without pay. This way, he'd have a program to work upon returning from the suspension, and depending on how over the feud got would depend on the length it would run for.

Question #5

You have a young athlete ready for a spot on the main roster, and the ratings on your show are down. Do you:

A. Debut the athlete in a title match against the promotion's champion, having them wrestle a 45-minute draw and having the announces continue stating how close they were to a 1-0 World Champion.

B. Debut the athlete in a match with an upper-midcard heel, allowing that rookie some mic time and having them nearly pin the heel on two or three occassions, before finally losing clean.

C. Debut the athlete as a punk rocker who can make himself vomit at will.

D. Debut the athlete as a masked dancer in a red bodysuit named after something off of a spice rack.

This seems like an odd question. The ratings are down, okay. How is debuting a new, no-name talent going to make any change in the ratings? Unless he has a massive following from whichever company he worked for previously who are dedicated to seeing him perform in this company, then I can't see any shift in ratings at all.

Anyhow, I'd have the athlete debut in a match with an upper-midcard heel. He'd hype himself up beforehand backstage, coming off as a confident professional who feels he deserves a chance to prove how big he can make it in the business. I'd have the match last eight minutes or so, with the heel selling everything to make this new contender look legit. After an exciting finisher, the face manages to get several close counts but winds up losing cleanly to the heel, yet coming off looking strong with a bucketload of potential.

Question #6

Your top tag-team are real life brothers, and to keep your product fresh, you decide to break them up and have them feud. Do you:

A. Run a story line where the younger brother is upset that the older brother is getting more singles matches, resulting in a shoving match and eventually a series of wrestling matches, putting both men over as singles wrestlers.

B. Run a story line where the younger brother is accidentally struck by the older brother during a title match, resulting in a pinfall loss. The younger brother then kicks the older brother and storms out of the ring, starting the feud.

C. Run a story line where the younger brother pays off a hitman to attack the older brother in the backstage area, revealing himself as the mastermind weeks later.

D. Run a story line where the older brother discovers that his younger brother has been sleeping with his girlfriend, whom he laters discovers is a transvestite.

I'd use this angle to break up the top babyface tag-team in the company, with hopes that bigger success could be found for both men as singles competitors. I had a huge storyline written out how I'd develop the angle over a month or so, but I accidentally deleted it. I guess I would go with option C and play it out somewhat similar to the recent Hardy angle.

Question #7

Your champion has accepted an offer to wrestle at a rival company after refusing to resign and extend their contract. You ask them to drop the title to a rival, for whom the champion has a personal dislike and refuses. Do you:

A. Allow the champion to retire as champ and vacate the title, setting the stage for a 64-man tournament.

B. Schedule a Triple Threat Match with the champion, the rival, and another top face, allowing the top face to win the title, only to drop it to the rival heel the next night.

C. Set the stage for the referee to call for the bell at a certain moment, forcing a fall that never actually happened, later claiming that the ex-champ screwed himself.

D. Send out the rival to lay down for the champion, and then come out on the mic 15 minutes later to declare that the true champion is the rival and that the ex-champion is a backstage cancer. Who needs a kayfabe wall, anyway?

Well, as you could imagine, nobody would be happy with their number one guy leaving the company for the rival promotion. Ultimately, I'd run this angle out similar to the Montreal Screwjob, simply because it would gain a hell of a lot of attraction. It would get the new champion incredible heat, in the process causing lots of controversy. I'd make sure it was a heel who is on the verge of becoming the top heel and most hated man in the company with hope that this would push him to those heights.

Question #8

A B-list movie actor asks your help co-branding his shitty new film. Seeing a revenue stream, do you:

A. Give the actor mic time at a major event to hype the film.

B. Have a mid-card heel insult the film for weeks, only to have the actor show up on a Monday Night show and slap the offending wrestler.

C. Start your own film company. Why should this actor make all that cash, when you could do it all yourself?

D. Make that actor your promotion's world champion. Twice. Hey, it'll make USA Today!

I don't like any of these options, as I'd like to keep as much celebrity crap out of the business unless it's a popular celebrity visiting an event at ringside or one who's promoting an upcoming major PPV event. I guess I'd have a top mid-card heel mock the actor by acting his roles in a degrading manner. After a while, the celebrity would appear on the show, backed up with a mid-card face. The actor would slap the heel, but I feel it'd make the heel look too weak if a non-wrestler came into the ring, slapped him and the walked out. So I'd have the heel attack the celebrity briefly before the face steps in to back the heel off.

Question #9

A superheavyweight babyface with a legitimate athletic background is in line for a push on TV. Do you:

A. Showcase that SHW in matches and feuds that allow him to show off his athletic ability, having the color commentator remind fans of all of the amateur awards he has won.

B. Turn the SHW heel into an angry monster who is sick of being disrespected and will plow through anyone to get a title shot.

C. Repackage the athletic face in a militant heel racial group.

D. Pair the wrestler with an 80-year old woman, whom he impregnates, germinating and giving birth to a hand in a mere two weeks.

I personally think Superheavyweights work best as monstrous heels, so this is the way I would go. I'd have him start off plowing through jobbers and mid-card talent with ease, until meeting his biggest challenge with someone in similar size. I'd have them build-up a feud where the SHW would eventually win cleanly. The SHW would then wind up demaning a title shot because of his undefeated winning streak, where he would lose the match, though not cleanly. This would leave the fued to continue over the course of two months or so, with the SHW eventually winning the title. Depending on how great he can work with a variety of opponents would determine the length of the title reign.

Question #10

Your boss writes you a blank check for talent. Do you:

A. Use this to seek out young indie talent, while also building the talent you already have with storylines and feuds.

B. Buy the competition's top talent with ludicous contracts.

C. Buy 50 Latinos who are really good at jumping off high things.

D. Make the B-List actor the promotion's world champion. Twice. I mean, really?

I would seek out indie talents who have potential. I want my company to be the future of the business, not the past. Meanwhile, I'd build the talent currently on the roster with hopes of maintaining a balance in quality mid-carders, upper-midarder and main-eventers. Most of the established wrestlers will eventually be used to put over the new talent, with the roster consisting of well-known and up and coming superstars.

I got a total of 21, Larry Zbyszko. That's what I assumed I would have gotten and agree with it. Entertainment is needed in the business, but I wouldn't want that to outweigh the quality of wrestling on the show. The belts should be prestigous and mean something, feuds should be well-developed and the superstars should be great at playing their respective roles.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

15. Zybsko. and damn skippy.

I think it shows that im a child of the early to mid nineties. I value kayfabe, and competiton over the belts first and foremost, with some personal issues mixed in here and there. I belive in letting the work in the ring do most of the speaking, and valuing titles to the fullest. this was entirely badass IC.

 

[klunderbunker]

19, also a Zbyskonian. I think that works just fine for me based on OCW. I like mixing it up now and then with some off the wall storylines, but at the end of the day things are decided in the middle of the ring. Sounds like ROH for lack of a better example. Very true to life.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Question #1

The top contender to your promotion's World Heavyweight Title just went down to a shoulder injury in a Triple Threat Match against Mr. Kennedy and Mark Henry.

I went for B, the triple threat with Mr. Kennedy and Mark Henry. I'm a big fan of botched run-ins, y'see. A originally appealed to me, but it just seemed like what TNA do every month, so it can't be the right answer. Tournaments! Pah!

Question #2

One of your top heels is having trouble getting top heel heat from the fans. As head booker, you have to do something to make him hated.

It's a shame that "Do an Edge" wasn't an option. I'd go for that every time. I went for C. It seemed like an option that, if you were lucky, might cause some magic. It could also just fall completely flat.

Question #3

You are debuting a new tag team consisting of an African American and a Latino wrestler from the indy circuts

I went for B. Although it struck me as something that TNA would do - have the champions lose to a debuting team - it just seemed the best option to get them over. If I wanted to get them over more gradually - or just plain didn't like them - I'd pick a different option.

Question #4

An upper-midcard babyface missed a house show because of transportation issues, resulting in the company having to apologize to fans in attendance.

I went for B. He gets punished but the company doesn't really suffer as a result. The company comes first, after all.

Question #5

You have a young athlete ready for a spot on the main roster, and the ratings on your show are down.

Again, I was drawn to B. Debuting someone against the champion is silly - for all I know, they're shit. But having them have a close match with an upper midcarder heel? That would give them some momentum, but not take them past the point of no return.

Question #6

Your top tag-team are real life brothers, and to keep your product fresh, you decide to break them up and have them feud.

I'd just fire them if I was getting bored of them, to be honest. I'm not a fan of breaking up tag teams unless one or both of them show exceptional promise. If I was at the helm, Edge and Christian and the Hardys would be claiming benefits, not headlining pay-per-views. We'd also never be subjected to Reverend Devon, however. Meaning we'd never have a Batista. I could live with that.

Let's see, I went for B. It seemed to be roughly similar to what Bret and Owen did, so I'm guessing that's where it came from. You all seemed to like that, so why not do it again?

Question #7

Your champion has accepted an offer to wrestle at a rival company after refusing to resign and extend their contract. You ask them to drop the title to a rival, for whom the champion has a personal dislike and refuses.

I'm tempted to be sensible once more, and go for B. I don't like the idea of the belt being passed around like that though. I'd also like a little controversy. I'm also presuming that this guy is champion because of me, and that I made him a big name. I'd screw the ungrateful cunt over, Montreal-style. That's a C, by the way. I almost went for the lay down, but I'd want to maintain some sort of kayfabe.

Question #8

A B-list movie actor asks your help co-branding his shitty new film. Seeing a revenue stream, do you:

C, easily. Just because it doesn't involve giving said actor any television time, at least as you stated.

Question #9

A superheavyweight babyface with a legitimate athletic background is in line for a push on TV.

Another B for me. I like the monster heel angle, what can I say? It worked for Lesnar, and gosh darn it, it'll work now!

Question #10

Your boss writes you a blank check for talent.

Buying the competition's top talent sounds pretty good for me. I mean, if their top talent goes walkabout, what chance do they have? Is my boss pissed at how much I'm paying them? Fuck 'im - he wrote the blank check. I'm presuming he can afford it. Another B then.

So, calculating my score... 23, huh? So that's... Jim Cornette? I dunno if I should be pleased or not. I'd have preferred for Bischoff to be on the list, he's sort of my booking idol. Which is kind of weird, really, considering that I tuned into Monday Night Raw and not Monday Nitro every week.

The description ("Sure, entertainment is important to sell tickets, but people want to see wrestling to be entertained, not a circus.") sounds pretty similar to my booking philosophy, though the importance of the entertainment aspect has dawned on me recently. I'd still want to preserve the wrestling aspect though.

 

[Father:_Polley]

Like Mr/Uncle/Mrs Sam (Can't be bothered to see which one he's using at the minute), I landed Jim Cornette with a 27 and I think that's fair. As much as I like the entertainment, I like it to involve the occasional bit of in-ring action. I respect both Vince and Russo for the enthusism they put in... but the fact is that for all the ideas they have to 'push the envelope', a lot of them are pretty damn awful and the fact is, as Shakespeare put it 'The evil men do lives on, the good is oft interred with their bones'. And sadly Russo and Vince will be remembered for the stupid things like Katie Vick, Mark Henry & Mae Young, Hornswoggle as your son (no, wait, he's Finlay's son really, it was all pretend haha) and Katie & Paul Birchill... incestuous siblings