Paid Members BomberPat Posted June 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 20, 2019 If this is what "wins and losses matter" means, it's going to get tedious. Nothing wrong with doing the match with no stipulation, and just saying "all eyes are on the tag division, and a win here is going to put them in good stead when AEW management put together the tournament to crown the first champions", or "it's all about momentum heading into the tournament". "Wins and losses matter" doesn't have to mean "win a match to earn a shot in a match to earn a bye in a tournament", it means not doing a John Cena and losing a match, only to come out the following night on TV and do a promo saying how it doesn't really matter anyway, and not being measurably affected in any way. This reminds me of WOS - win a ladder match to earn a spot in a battle royal to earn a title match. Less is more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted June 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 20, 2019 I don't think this is anything to do with winning and losing mattering. If you listen to Khan on the Austin podcast, it's very clear that what he means by that is what a lot of us think. It's form, good and bad, being considered, referenced and used to set up stories and matches. I think they like the Boxing "title eliminator" concept too. I think this is just the desire to add stakes to things to make people invest. It can get very Russorific very quickly if you're not careful so I watch with interest. Personally, though it's a bit naff, I look forward to it because they've made me care about 2 of the teams involved rather than the stip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted June 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 20, 2019 There are some fighting game tournaments on at the same event aren't there? Did I see Jebailey is there? It's a name I've not heard for a while, but my ears pricked up when I heard it mentioned at Double Or Nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK Kat Von D Posted June 20, 2019 Share Posted June 20, 2019 If they want to do matches setting up the tournament they could have the winners pick their bracket/opponents. Bit simpler and can be built into a little story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamaras-Tash Posted June 20, 2019 Author Share Posted June 20, 2019 48 minutes ago, jazzygeofferz said: There are some fighting game tournaments on at the same event aren't there? Did I see Jebailey is there? It's a name I've not heard for a while, but my ears pricked up when I heard it mentioned at Double Or Nothing. Yeah it's all part of the CEO gaming thing which he started and runs from what I've made out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Accident Prone Posted June 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 20, 2019 (edited) 8 hours ago, tiger_rick said: I get the premise. They want to launch a big tag tournament when their TV starts. They want the "favourites" to be seeded somewhat with the byes but they want to use that to add meaning to matches that are happening now. It is convoluted. But they're obviously trying not to eliminate the other teams now because they need them to be part of it. I think having it be for a seeding in the tournament and then announcing later on that seeds enter in round 2 would have worked better. Yep, I'd much prefer that routine. What's more sports-like than having teams compete for better seeding? Going on from that, if they really want to go the whole hog, I'd love them to separate the tag teams into two conferences and six divisions just like in the NBA. That way you make all tag matches, whether televised or house show, mean something. If you're unfamiliar with the NBA concept, it's 30 teams; 15 teams each in both of the two conferences (Eastern and Western) and 5 teams in each of the six divisions. So Eastern has three divisions and so does Western. The regular season allows for each team to play their divisional opponents four times a year, six other teams from the same conference four times a year, the remaining four conference opponents three times a year, and the fifteen teams from the opposing conference twice a year. It sounds complex but it's actually simple once your head is around it. Obviously that's a lot of matches and will take it's toll on the wrestlers (as well as there being a lot to go wrong what with injuries and other variables), so I'd half it for a wrestling schedule (apart from the remaining four conference opponents, just drop it down to one match). So, 36 matches per tag team in the regular season. Seems doable to me. Then you have the play-offs; in the NBA, the top seed of each division is automatically given a playoff spot, no matter how bad the record. So a team may win their division with 42 points and gain a spot in the play-offs, whereas a team in a more competitive division could get the same score but place third or fourth in their division. That's what makes the NBA so much fun to follow; underdogs and league tables, baby! So you have six seeded teams based on their division performance (three teams from each conference), all going into the 16-team play-off tournament. The other ten teams are decided by looking at the overall conference standings, with the top five scoring teams who weren't the top of their division also entering the tournament. Apart from sealing a spot in the play-offs, the Divisional winners don't get any sort of prize in the NBA but I'd change that for the wrestling version. However, the winners of each conference get home court advantage for all their matches in the play-offs, so there would have to be a different prize here. Then it's a simple elimination tournament (although in the NBA, these games are a Best Of 7 series), split into Eastern and Western sides. The top four of each division face the bottom four in sequential order, so the team with the highest score faces the team with lowest score, etc etc. The finals are Eastern Conference vs Western Conference. Goodness knows how much stuff I have wrong there (I've only been properly following NBA for a couple of years) but it seems solid to me. So I'd have; - 30 tag teams spread over two conferences and six divisions. - Each tag team wrestles 36 matches to determine who enters the play-offs. - Five points for a win, two points for a draw. - Each season match has a 15 minute time limit. Play-off matches will be 30 minutes and the semi-final and final will have no time limit. - No gimmick matches and no multi-team matches. If a match requires a stipulation (ladder, cage, four-way, etc) then it will not count towards the points total. This means that feuds can still naturally develop without interfering with the season and variety is never compromised. - The tag titles can be defended at any time and can be defended in season, play-off and non-season matches. You earn a tag title shot through either traditional wrestling angles and stories, or by beating the champs in a match. It's very easy to have your cake and eat it when it comes to balancing sports-entertainment and sports-presentation. - The six divisional winners win a slot in an annual tag team championship gauntlet. The team with the lowest score takes the first slot and the team with the highest score takes the second-last slot, with the tag champs entering last, even if they are one of the division winners (championship advantage, after all). - The two conference winners get tag title shots with any stipulation they wish, with the team with the highest point total getting a MITB-style contract. What the season does is create a reason to hold and maintain a tag division, as well as giving fans more of a reason to check out the TV show, PPVs and house shows. Yes! House shows! With the tag season, you can have a few tag matches on a house show where each result matters. Consequences on a house show! Novel concept, I know. You could even have house shows/events built around the tag season; a tag match from each division and a couple of singles matches, and you're looking at a very solid 8-match show. What do you get for winning the whole damn thing? PRIDE. RESPECT. A couple of giant trophies and a fuck ton of streamers. One of those comically large checks. A parade through the streets of your home town. A champage shower in the locker room. A shot at any singles championship for both members. Hell, how about a tag title shot thrown in for good measure. You can have this season run concurrent through everything, so there can still be story lines and feuds elsewhere with the competitors. It lasts all year, with the play-offs and finals happening in the build to the biggest show of the year, and the final has a headline spot on that show. So, for shits and giggles, here's what it could look like. I've used the roster of All In, Double Or Nothing, the up-coming shows and some educated guessing to curate this; Leading to a Play-Off finals like this; (The site didn't generate the seeds properly but you get the idea). Christ, I'm such a fucking nerd. Edited June 20, 2019 by Accident Prone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted June 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 20, 2019 A bit rich coming from me admittedly, but I feel that if it takes a novella to explain why it's it a good stipulation, it probably isn't one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Chris B Posted June 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 20, 2019 "...then you stand on your chair and you yell 'GO JOHNNY, GO GO GO GO!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Accident Prone Posted June 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 20, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, BomberPat said: A bit rich coming from me admittedly, but I feel that if it takes a novella to explain why it's it a good stipulation, it probably isn't one. I'm sure a finely produced ninety second video by AEW would go a long ways. Besides, the yanks would understand it straight away. Edited June 20, 2019 by Accident Prone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK Kat Von D Posted June 20, 2019 Share Posted June 20, 2019 What about: win a few matches to earn a number one contenders match. If you win that you get a shot at championship. It doesn’t have to be over complicated to make wins and loses matter. Just some sort of structure and a hierarchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Accident Prone Posted June 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 20, 2019 The yanks love all these over-convoluted leagues and rules. You tell them, "How about a tag division using the NBA system?" and they'll be hootin' and hollerin' and shooting their guns in the air with excitement. I know that whenever someone brings up the idea of points and leagues in wrestling, you get horrible flashbacks to TNA's ill-fated Bound For Glory series and the Dupp Cup. But I honestly think the system has legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Chris B Posted June 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 20, 2019 1 minute ago, Accident Prone said: I know that whenever someone brings up the idea of points and leagues in wrestling, you get horrible flashbacks to TNA's ill-fated Bound For Glory series and the Dupp Cup. But I honestly think the system has legs. I think it has potential, and I don't dislike the idea in principle. I think the biggest problem to overcome is that it invites long-term, careful storytelling, and that's exactly the kind of storytelling that a handful of injuries/suspensions/people leaving totally fucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Accident Prone Posted June 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 20, 2019 5 minutes ago, Chris B said: I think it has potential, and I don't dislike the idea in principle. I think the biggest problem to overcome is that it invites long-term, careful storytelling, and that's exactly the kind of storytelling that a handful of injuries/suspensions/people leaving totally fucks. Yep, can't argue with that. It's a shame, as I'd tune in to a wrestling show every week if it meant I can watch a tournament slowly unfold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Chris B Posted June 20, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 20, 2019 Thinking about it further, it might suffer from a larger-scale perception issue as Iron Man matches (at least, from the way some have told it). The whole 'well, there's no point paying attention for the first 50 minutes', because it's only at the end that it becomes important. So earlier rounds, which don't 'matter' as much, could be a tough sell. However... having some structure in there, even if it's not totally up-front, should be a boon. It's been a long time with certain narratives - I'd be up for some risk-taking. The Cruiserweight Classic seemed to turn some heads recently, so there's potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members SBD Posted June 21, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted June 21, 2019 Watch AEW: Fyter Fest on FITE: https://www.fite.tv/watch/all-elite-wrestling-fyter-fest/2oygc/ £8.99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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