Pet Project

[tiger_rick]

If you were given the book by any wrestling company, what would be your pet project(s)?

I'll stick with WWE, because I'm boring and all that indy and Chinese stuff isn't for me. Mine would be Almas & Vega. They were a tremendous act in NXT and Almas is so unbelievably talented. I wouldn't say WWE have wasted/buried/ruined him, or whatever the usual criticisms are, because they've featured him in long TV matches with established stars and obviously see value in him but I just think there is so much more there.

I'd protect him far better by not having him lose as much, if ever, even to established names. He's a perfect US Champion at this moment for me and that belt isn't doing a right lot for Naka (who should be higher up anyway) so I'd transition that belt through someone like Hardy onto Almas and make his title defences a real focus of Smackdown with Vega helping him cheat to win over the likes of Hardy and Mysterio while establishing that he's above Truth, Dillinger, Benjamin, etc. I'd have him hold the belt for ages wit a view to being a credible challenger for the big belt this time next year. it probably goes without saying, but I'd flesh out the relationship with Vega too and go into his background and the reason why he takes shortcuts and doesn't give a fuck. Basically the stuff they should be doing for everyone but don't.

[Joe Blog]

Luke Harper or Dean Ambrose for me. 

Ambrose I would get back into trunks and make sure he keeps his size to what he is now. Let him write his own promos and have him be a full psycho heel. Let him go on a tear beating the shite out of scrubs like Ziggler etc until a red hot Balor is ready to step up or even better a returning Roman Reigns. 

Harper I would bring back in akin to his earlier Wyatt gimmick but give it more grounding. Have him come back as a loner who rarely wrestles but has lots of vignettes to flesh him out, I think I would have him stalking someone for a few months before he even had a match, perhaps a Rollins or AJ. 

[Onyx2]

1 hour ago, tiger_rick said:

all that indy and Chinese stuff isn't for me

Absolutely wrecked me. +1.

On-topic, I'll pick Finn Balor. I think he's an absolute merch machine waiting to happen if booked right. Winning smile, Have him feud with people, knocking his way back up the card. Have his way with Titus, Elias, Ziggler... Ambrose. But he can't quite get the job done, so Dean baits him into a match and he gets absolutely hammered. He taunts and taunts him how he doesn't have anything in him, he's not good enough. And he lack killer instinct. Flash forward to his next big PPV match:

...in full demon attire. After the match he scales back down to happy Finn. The demon needs awakening to turn into a killer. He can promo how he can't always be like that as it eats at his soul or some hokey shit like that. It's wrestling. Sell PRIDE t-shirts as happy smiley Finn, masks and dreads as Demon Balor.

This is so bleedin' obvious I've no idea why they haven't done it already.

[Fatty Facesitter]

I'm going to plump for Cesaro. Always thought the bloke had bags and bags of talent but through a combination of several factors he hasn't been able to ascend to the top of the card. 

First thing I'd do is obviously have him turn on Sheamus and switch brands away from him. I've never been a fan of The Bar concept and obviously we're trying to strike him out on his own here. 

Using a blatant stereotype, we're going to do is play up to his Swiss heritage - let's say through a creative tax scheme that he's come into some serious money from his home shores. Straight away you put him in the finest suits, some swanky new gear, have a personal assistant run around doing chores for him as part of his overall package, etc. It's a cross between Razor Ramon and Ted DiBiase if you like. 

He's not the greatest talker by his own admission and I'd definitely get him a manager and give them some sort of poncey title, like core brand/image consultant or some equally cringeworthy, wanky, marketing title to do the majority of the speaking for him. 

I liked how during his initial main roster run he did a couple of promos saying lines in multiple languages. I'd bring this back for his manager to assist with on the promo front as a heat tool. 

I'd throw in a ton of propaganda about how back in Switzerland he's considered a national hero - going full Kim Jong Il style with a massive web of lies about how great he is and all the insane things he's done for the Swiss people, bringing peace and prosperity to them and all that gubbins. Also video packages showing genuine feats of strength from him playing up to that aspect (he is genuinely very strong). 

In the ring I'd like to see him be a total snob, constantly looking down at people on his way to the ring, constantly shushing the crowd after a big move, etc. Also doing an all manner of naughty things behind the refs back, biting, raking the eyes etc, only to totally downplay it when he gets called on it. I think he'd be able to pull this off well, because although his actual promos have never been amazing his actual charisma in the ring has always made him very fun to watch.

[WeeAl]

I like the suggestions of Harper and Almas so far, but for me it has to be Velveteen Dream. He's almost a can't miss prospect at this stage. If HHH can keep him away from the main roster until after Vince has died/been institutionalised/gotten lost somewhere, then he's the next big star for WWE, and he would be the guy I'd build around. The man has it all. 

Keep him in NXT for another year, he dethrones Ciampa around the Rumble. Keeps the belt for the bulk of 2019, possibly doing an Owens and debuting on Smackdown as champion. 

I'd put him opposite Samoa Joe (who would be my WWE champion at the time). Somebody whose whole act is as far removed from Dream's as possible. Orton would work for this spot as well. Dream wins the WWE title in 2020, either at the Royal Rumble or else he wins the Rumble and takes the belt at Mania. He stays on Smackdown as well at this point as by October 2019, Smackdown is the A show. Arrange a programme with Cena over the summer to really push him over the edge. 

[Keith Houchen]

I'm going the other way and have my project make a star even less credible, book them into oblivion.  Take a bow, Red Pill Ronda Rousey.

 

I'm having her go the full alt right truther, her armbar finisher will now be called the Sandy Hook.  She will have a few fights against the lower end of the male roster and call them all beta cucks after they tap to her.  She will make reference to how she is the most dominant woman in WWE history and will fight anyone on Gods green flat earth.  She will leave a chemtrail of destruction wherever she goes and will be accompanied to the Wrestlemania ring by Alex Jones.  She will be fighting a vegan, obviously and the training montage vids will make reference to her following the Jordan Peterson all beef diet.

And of course, she will cherry pick facts like she is picking shorts out of her arse.

 

[air_raid]

I'm going to be boring as fuck and say Sasha Banks. And it's not going to take much imagination to understand what I'd do. It's a hard reboot to "The Boss", because the babyface character she's been playing on telly for nearly three years is NOT "The Boss." I liked her being babyface against Charlotte and Alexa in those feuds because she was against very good heel characters but she got booked like shit at the pay window and ultimately SHE is also best as the bad girl.

I turn her heel immediately on Bayley and get straight back into that good stuff from 2015 of her talking down to her about not being good enough, pathetic etc and have get back into the trash talking, piss taking bell to bell that she was so good at - Iron Woman match in particular, she was brilliant - and still can excel at. Moments where she fucked Bayley in the Rumble and Chamber this year, she looked the most smug cunt alive. Run that feud again, The Boss against the little Hugger that could. Except this time, she can't. Sasha wins the feud and makes people cry because she's a fucking bitch and people need to be made to want to see her upended before she's upended. I suppose some people will not care for Sasha bullying Bayley then going over at the end (BE A STAR) but she's collateral damage. 

Caveat : before I do this, they both get drafted to SmackDown. There's only room at the top for one bitch for me and on Raw that's Alexa when she comes back, plus they just turned Nia and a heel Sasha would be even more lost in the shuffle than she already is. On SmackDown she could flourish with a big crop of babyface opponents - post Bayley there's Carmella to rip on, Nattie to be reminded she's fucking past it, a Naomi feud, possibly even a Charlotte retread, before you have her actually get properly beaten which in my head is by either a rebuilt Asuka or the unstoppable top babyface, the people's choice, Becky Lynch.

I'd really look forward too to having Banksy lip off to Paige as the GM tries to keep her under control, and when she has to take a step off because a different heel has to take a turn in main focus/challenging Becky, there's a fun and fresh way to keep her doing something - give her the Iiconics as backup in somewhat of a BFFs reimagining, dragging various babyfaces for neither being Iconic nor Legit. Hell, if one group or t'other gets drafted later on, you can turn The Riott Squad and conceited bitches vs misfits storyline writes itself.

A girl gon push it all out the wayyyyyyyy.......

[The King Of Swing]

I'd just push the biggest meathead on the roster to the moon. And then job him out to returning hero Roman Reigns.

Keep it simple.

[CL Punk]

The Intercontinental Championship. 

As it was the matches of Bret Hart, Roddy Piper and Mr Perfect that got me into wrestling and the IC Title had better matches than World Title at the time.

It used to mean something, it was often seen as the next step in a wrestlers career and to see if they could have a possible shot at The World Title.

[tiger_rick]

1 hour ago, CL Punk said:

The Intercontinental Championship. 

As it was the matches of Bret Hart, Roddy Piper and Mr Perfect that got me into wrestling and the IC Title had better matches than World Title at the time.

It used to mean something, it was often seen as the next step in a wrestlers career and to see if they could have a possible shot at The World Title.

Be interested in what you'd like to do to make that happen. The belt has spent most of the last two years on Ambrose, Rollins, Reigns, Miz & Ziggler - all former World Champions who are top acts in the company. It's featured in loads of long and high quality TV matches this year between Ziggler & Rollins. I'm not sure what more they could do at this point given the big belts don't mean that much either.

[air_raid]

Yeahhhh, the I title has been around Rollins for all awful lot of the year, who has been both championed by many as the best in the company and been central to the biggest storylines on Raw since SummerSlam AND they even put it on last on a PPV this year (Extreme Rules).... not sure it's becoming much more high profile than it is.

On 11/8/2018 at 3:16 PM, Keith Houchen said:

She will be fighting a vegan, obviously

 

 

Hang on, that would get her babyface heat?

[King Pitcos]

11 hours ago, CL Punk said:

The Intercontinental Championship. 

As it was the matches of Bret Hart, Roddy Piper and Mr Perfect that got me into wrestling and the IC Title had better matches than World Title at the time.

It used to mean something, it was often seen as the next step in a wrestlers career and to see if they could have a possible shot at The World Title.

This comment would have been relevant back in the days when it was on Curtis Axel and Cody Rhodes. But in the last couple of years, the Intercontinental title has meant as much as it ever has. 

[CL Punk]

10 hours ago, tiger_rick said:

Be interested in what you'd like to do to make that happen. The belt has spent most of the last two years on Ambrose, Rollins, Reigns, Miz & Ziggler - all former World Champions who are top acts in the company. It's featured in loads of long and high quality TV matches this year between Ziggler & Rollins. I'm not sure what more they could do at this point given the big belts don't mean that much either.

Well, I guess they could of made the belt more important when The Universal Champion was off TV and only showing up like once a month, make IC Title and it's defences the main event on Raw each week.

You are right about who the belt has been on lately, they are all big deals and yeah, the belts don't really mean as much now...which is a shame.

[air_raid]

8 hours ago, CL Punk said:

could of 

No.

8 hours ago, CL Punk said:

make IC Title and it's defences the main event on Raw each week.

 

Then we'd cry that it wasn't being kept special, that it was being diluted and there was nothing to look forward to at the PPV if we've seen the title defended every week. They'd run out of challengers you haven't seen half a dozen times real quickly. The belt seemed special on Bret or Perfect because you only saw it defended on TV once every 6 weeks or so, so every defense felt big deal. You can't rehabilitate secondary belts to that degree any more because the company hasn't presented titles like that for over 20 years. Even putting the US belt on John Cena and making it a focal point of the TV only temporarily made it look a big deal and as soon he dropped it to Bertie everyone remembered it wasn't that the belt was important again, it was beating John Cena to win it, and it's remained just "there" ever since, to the point most weeks you could forget who it's on (Nakamura). At least with the I title on Rollins, it's at least cared about again and hanging off a guy in the most pushed segments on the show. The I champ IS the star while Reigns is out and when Lesnar isn't there. Peak post-un-retirement treatment for that belt.

[DavidB6937]

Chad Gable for me.

He's far closer to a young Kurt Angle than anyone else that has been compared to him. He absolutely has the raw talent to go places and he has a decent grasp on character too.

It's unfortunate that he never got a real chance with Jordan on the main roster to have decent tag matches but those are a rarity as Vince isn't exactly a tag fan. And obviously his teaming with Roode isn't going anywhere. I'd even say he could be used far better than he is. He's a natural mid card heel.

Any way back to Gable. He's a likeable guy and shouldn't be that difficult to get over with the audience. Just needs a little time and effort which he hasn't really had. A few decent promos and some nice video packages pushing him as a plucky underdog character who has a lot of talent and we're good to go. 

Not saying he'll get to an Angle level but hey if Swagger can be a world champ then anything's possible.