JvK books WWF in 1983

[ohtani's jacket]

Parv I love Ted Dibiase a lot too. But the fundamental truth is the man got as far in his real career as he SHOULD have reached. There's a fundamental lack of the "it" factor in Dibiase to be the leading figure in a major national promotion. Great worker, occasional main eventer, good promo but something's missing. Hogan's critique of Ted in his awful bio (at least his WWF run) strikes me as fairly accurate to be honest.

 

What did Hogan say about Dibiase?

[JerryvonKramer]

Week 15 (April, Week 3):

Challenge



Have started to run video packages on Bruno to remind fans about him (and hint at a possible comeback). Still running down the dates for Dusty and Brisco. Have had good value out of those loan deals.

Superstars



Ventura was away with an AWA date so Vince did this show alone. Could have brought in Billy Graham, but didn't want to complicate that angle any further. This show was mainly used to trigger the Slaughter vs. Snuka feud.



Well look at this! Snuka surprisingly pulling a great performance out of the bag vs. Iron Sheik. In fact, look at this:



The top 10 matches since I started booking. I don't recall that Andre vs. Studd match, but I might as well pair those two based on that. But Snuka has quite a few matches in there. This is actually making me feel more confident of him carrying the strap. Sheiky baby has three matches in there too, maybe I should do more with him. Randomly Ray Stevens has two as well, weird, he seemed so done in the tag team.



*After the match, Jimmy Snuka outs the WWF title on his shoulder. SD Jones comes down the aisle carrying a bunch of flower wreaths*

Snuka: Oh yeah.

Jones: Oh yeah. We gonna have a party!!

Snuka: Everybody clap your hands together!

*Jones starts giving out the wreaths to fans*

Snuka: Afa and Sika come on and bring the party on!

*Afa and Sika come out with party poppers. They pop them into the crowd. Balloons come down from the ceiling. There's music booming*

Snuka: I want everyone to have a good time yeah! Dance! Get up out of your seats and dance!

Jones: Party! Party!

*All of a sudden there's a loud voice on the speakers over the music.*

Slaughter: STOPPPPPPP!!!! Cut the music! Stoopppp!! HALLTTT! Attention!!!

Snuka, Jones and Samoans all look at the gate crasher.

Slaughter: This is a disgrace maggots! This is the World WRESTLING Federation. Not the Federation for Dancing and Prancing about! If you're going to dance about and not wrestle then you should give that belt to me, Jimmy Snuka!

Snuka: Whoa whao whao mon. Whoa now. There's nothing wrong with wanting to have some fun. Come on Sarge, come and dance with us.

Slaughter: You're an outrage to this country!!! And all you people cheering on these BEACH BUMS oughtta be ashamed of yourself. Come on! Stand to attention! You, boy, SD Jones, stand alert!

*SD Jones wiggles his butt in the direction of Slaughter*

Slaughter: Why I ...

*Slaughter thinks about rushing the ring but sees Snuka and the Samoans there.*

Slaughter: You people haven't heard the last of this. I don't want to see this ... this partying and dancing in the WWF. There's no place for it!

*SD Jones wiggles his butt again and pokes his tongue out at Slaughter in defiance. They carry on partying.*

New England Live show:



Just another New England house show. But look at this:



Wow, Don Muraco suddenly motivated after the face turn. Getting a match like this out of George Steele in a nothing opener is something. There's hope for Muraco yet!

-------

All-in-all this week made me feel more positive about where things can go.

[JerryvonKramer]

Week 16 (April, Week 4):

 

House Show

 

 

I tried to best on the best card I possibly could here.

 

 

Off-night for Snuka, but he still got a decent match with Sheiky.

 

 

Was trying out Andre in a main event spot. Planning on pairing him in a feud with Iron Sheik.

 

Challenge

 

 

Building up Slaughter now, as well as a bit of a mini-push for SD Jones, who seems to have very poor stamina.

 

 

I swear Jack Brisco has worked more than 8 dates. It certainly feels like it. Not that I'm complaining. I have jobbed the shit out of him though.

 

Superstars

 

 

Okay, okay, so I made a mistake and I'm bringing Bruno back. But, this was also a response to something that happened: Bruno himself complained at working as a road agent and asked for a main eventer role. So I gave it to him. I am going to try to book him as smart as I can to get the maximum of whatever is left. Although having him about turn on the retirement is kinda booking out of a hole, better with him than without him.

 

 

Jesse: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Bodyshop. And this week I have a very special intereview, with this man ... the Living Legend Bruno Sammartino. Now Mr. Sammartino, aren't you meant to be RETIRED?

Bruno: Well, Jesse, it's been a month since Wrestlemania. And I've been doing a lot of thinking, y'know. I've had hundreds and thousands of letters from my fans from around the world. And they all say the same thing. They say, "How could you do this Bruno?" "Don't give up Bruno, you've still got it." "It was just one match Bruno." "You can beat DiBiase, Bruno, he got lucky". And it's all been going round and round in my head. It's been swirling like a whirlpool round and round. I keep thinking of the moment at Wrestlemania when the referee counted one, two, three. I kicked out but it was too late. And my heart sank.

Jesse: The world was watching Bruno Sammartino, we all saw what happened.

Bruno: And in that moment, I thought, "Bruno, this is over now. You don't have it any more". But the fans, you know, they write and they write. Everywhere I go, all I get is, "is it really true Bruno, are you retired now?" "Come on, Bruno, you can come back again". And you know, Jesse ... ya know ...

*Bruno seems stuck for words. He's emotional.*

Jesse (showing no empathy at all): Come on Sammartino, spit it out.

Bruno: Ted DiBiase might have beaten me in one match, but he can NEVER defeat my spirit! You might be able to hurt my body, with my aches and pains, and bruises from 20 years inside that squared circle, but I've got something in here, something so big and so powerful in this heart of mine, that someone like Ted DiBiase will never be able to take that away.

And let me tell you DiBiase. You were lucky. One match is all it was to me! I can train. I can get bigger and stronger. I will get back into the best shape I've ever been in even if it kills me, because I will stop at nothing until I get you inside that ring again. I wasn't at the top of my game, but they don't call me "The Living Legend" because I give up. I won't give up. I'll never give up!

And I want to stand up and say something to all of my fans who have followed me for so long and for so many years now. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I had a moment of weakness. And I'm thankful that you people kept believing in me. No matter what, you people are there for Bruno Sammartino, and that's why Bruno Sammartino is going to be there for you!

Jesse: Wait ... wait just one minute. You're telling me exclusively here on The Bodyshop that you ... are coming back out of retirement ALREADY? How can we believe a word you say anymore?

Bruno: Listen Jesse Ventura! People sometimes make mistakes in this life. And I made a mistake at Wrestlemania because I doubted myself. But now I've seen, the fans have made me see, that sometimes we have to experience failure to make us stronger. And this is my LIFE, this ... great sport ... is my life. And I'm not going to give it up that easy. Ted DiBiase! You listen to me now. I don't care if it takes a week, a month, or a year, you and me are getting back in that ring, and there won't be any doubt!

 

New England Live Show

 

 

No point hanging around with Bruno, chuck him straight back in to see what he could do. Put him in with Ivan, a familiar opponent. He did alright. Also on this card ...

 

 

Not a bad match for Ted to be getting out of Graham. I have a feeling Graham is going to leave soon, he's been pissed off since the last job he did for DiBiase. Hey, at least he's not doing Kung Fu.

 

House Show

 

 

There was an extra house show in April and this is the first one from May. Once again, Bruno straight into the mix. Thought I'd give the crowd something to cheer for here with the big six man.

 

 

Snuka still doing pretty well. However, ideally I need these matches to be getting B+ or more. Need to wait to build up the heel side more.

 

 

Decent match. Tully Blanchard was out injured for this, hence only 3 members of The Elite. Tully is due back next week. Bruno seems refreshed because the "off his game" note seems to have gone.

 

 

This is the main value of Bruno though. He's so over that he'll lift segments just by being there.

 

---------

 

This pop to "cult" is taking forever. It's TV negotiating season again. I still want to cancel the current contracts and come back on a bigger cable network.

[JerryvonKramer]

Okay, this is going to be a bit like Fast-forwarding a month. In short, I had to cancel the TV deals for Superstars and Challenge on the syndicated networks. I then negotiated a deal with Tempo Television. No, not the biggest network on earth, but they have coverage right across the US AND in Canada. Plus, they have a lot of patience and so won't be nagging for high ratings all the time or yank me off air.

 

 

 

I'm pleased with the deal, although this does mean no more Challenge for a while. My sole TV show on air is Superstars.

 

Also, this effectively leaves me with no TV for the month of May. I ran some extra house shows to compensate, but financially it was a disastrous month during which the company lost over $100k despite some decent gates.

 

Week 17 (May, Week 1):

 

New England Live Show

 

 

Still marching towards popping New England. This was a really strong show all round and one of the highest rated that I've booked.

 

 

Yes, there's that Ray Stevens magic again. As long as the match doesn't go much more than 8 minutes, he can seemingly do wonders against over opponents.

 

 

And back to pre-Wrestlemania programming for the house show loop this month. Savage is going to be taking pins from Bruno round the horn.

 

Oh and look, this happened:

 

 

Ha ha ha ha ha ho ho ho.

 

The very idea I'd try to talk him out of retiring!

 

Week 18 (May, Week 2)

 

New England Live Show

 

 

Not as hot as the previous show sadly.

 

 

It is good being able to book these guys in different combinations. This helps to protect Bruno and showcase him. "Booking smart" around him.

 

 

Week 19 (May, Week 3)

 

This week started with some sad news. Bill Eadie had a tragic and fatal freak accident.

 

 

So that's it, Masked Superstar is dead. I promptly brought in some outside talent for a memorial show in his honour. Wahoo McDaniel and Ole Anderson both refused to work for the WWF. But I got some Carolinas guys and Nikolai Volkoff to relive the Mongol gimmick (Eadie was once a Mongol).

 

New York Live Show:

 

 

 

Yes, it's Stevens the wonder worker again! 8 minutes or less and he'll give you a near classic every time!

 

Speaking of which:

 

 

Snuka vs. Slaughter went 30 minutes and tore the house down. This is the best match I've booked to date and I'm glad this feud is working out in the ring.

 

New England Live Show

 

 

House shows are considerably easier to book than TV aren't they.

 

 

Wow, look at this again. Studd and Andre always seem to have a good match.

 

 

Glad to be getting something out of Muraco. He's been much better as a babyface and away from Pedro.

 

Week 20 (May, Week 4)

 

Masked Superstar Memorial Show

 

 

In case you're wondering the other Mongol is "The Mongol" aka Gene Petit aka Kharma in Kevin Sullivan's Army of Darkness aka Cousin Luke from the Hillbillies! Geto Mongol was actually active and available but I couldn't close the contract in time to bring him in for the show. I got Petit in from WCCW.

 

New England Live Show

 

 

In case you're wondering what Paul Jones is doing there vs. Curt Hennig, I brought him in for the memorial show but forgot to book him. So he got to put over Curt instead.

 

 

My previous booking of SD Jones ensured that he didn't bring a match like this down too much. He's had a new lease of life as Snuka's stooge.

 

 

Although The Islanders and The Elite aren't feuding, it's quite neat to have two stables I can put in random house show matches like this.

 

 

Oh dear, a poor outing for Ventura, who is best kept in the booth clearly. The story here is that Billy Graham came out to do commentary while Ventura wrestled, but then got himself involved and cost Ventura the match.

 

Sorry about these pics by the way, not sure what happened there.

 

Anyway, that's it the ENTIRE month. But it was worth it because when we return, it's going to be on TEMPO, more eyeballs, more revenue! And most importantly of all, this just happened.

 

 

Oh look out Verne Gagne, look out Jim Crockett, there's a juggernaut coming your way! Nothing can stop me now!!!

[shoe]

Good job Parv. I'm very happy you've taken some of my booking suggestions and used them to achieve cult status.

[Goodear]

Alas Poor Superstar, I knew him well. Cut down in the prime of his life. Curse you javelin! Curse you!

 

Barry Darsow for Son of Superstar.

 

I was worried that the Islanders were going to drag Snuka down to be honest but it looks like he's elevating SD and Muraco has put on his working shoes. Good on him! I think we need to focus the shows a little more on him at times but positives abound. I would totally have Sarge mow down the Islanders one-by-one but it seems so backward to have a heel alone against the odds. And you cannot have another stable. No way.

 

Bruno coming back in what seems like 3 weeks is a sign that the booking is flighty and will go whichever way the wind blows. It removes a sense of consequence when you reverse gears on what looks like a whim. You just killed any retirement angles or loser leaves town stipulations because you want to pop some numbers. I feel like this happens a lot in your tenure Parv where you switched the belts around a bunch when stuff didn't work immediately.

[ButchReedMark]

It's seemed to have settled in now. I'd not move any titles or face/heel alignments for 6 months as you seem to be in a groove and there's some consistency now too. Also, as a cult promotion, would it be worth trying to perhaps entice a Greg Valentine to be another strong heel and look at a Magnum TA, Duggan or JYD from Watts so you've a babyface for the future? Perhaps a Michael Hayes who can go both ways? Eadie's death is fucking Bullshit though. That's a handy utility man you've lost there.

 

I still think you're light on the blue-eye side though if Muraco's going to be Snuka's DeNucci. Now Bruno's back, how about a repentant Larry Z to be who David Sammartino should be and fight for Bruno and carry barrel chested bad haircuts into the Schwarzenegger years?

[Bierschwale]

Pedro still does need to drop the IC title, though. He wasn't bad in that last run but he only had about two matches, so he's not really elevating the belt. I think that Savage-Tito is the money feud there. Hennig has stalled out hard. He was in desperate need for the bump up to cult so he could get a good tag partner to challenge Arn/Tully.

[funkdoc]

neat to see the ratings, really surprises me that jesse rates that high in so many regions. always had the impression he wasn't exactly a major player as an actual wrestler...

 

i also second the above post re: tito. from his ratings, he really jumps out at me as someone who could be used more. i guess regions outside the east coast are irrelevant atm though?

[JerryvonKramer]

Okay, first some good news, I managed to sign a PPV contract deal with Request TV for 12 months, with them taking 90% of the profits. But ... this gives me coverage in both the US and Canada and should ensure good live gates.

 

 

This calls for a new schedule. I should be able to run MSG and the Spectrum on the monthly loop again now, and will put them on PPV. Then I want to run a third big live show every month OUTSIDE the North East.

 

 

Yip, this is because I'm going to war now. I cancelled all the WWF's working agreements with every US and Canadian promotion, as well as New Japan because I want exclusivity rights on certain guys (like DiBiase). Most of the promotions responded by declaring war. I imagine Vince Sr wasn't thrilled at me severing his lifelong contacts over night, but I'm blaming Vince Jr anyway ...

 

 

Okay, now I moved really quickly to lock up guys on the roster for whom I have long-term plans to exclusive contracts. Offered three years: Andre, Slaughter, DiBiase, Arn, Tully, Savage, Hennig. Offered one year: Bruno.

 

Okay, so DiBiase and Arn both decided to stay loyal to Watts. I didn't lose them, they signed an extension on their existing non-exclusive deals. Annoying, but at least I don't lose them.

 

Andre, Savage, Hennig, Tully, and Bruno all signed.

 

Slaughter though ...

 

Slaughter went and fucking signed with Crockett. And he's leaving the territory in a week. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

 

Anyway, let's get back to the booking.

 

Week 21 (June, Week 1)

 

WWF Tour:

 

 

Look at that crowd!! 10,000 and in the Spectrum again! This was technically the June House Show and the last of the old schedule I was running.

 

The main event was the blow off to the Ventura vs. Graham feud. I felt it had actually run its course and was struggling to give Graham stuff to do. So here Graham went over and won his TV slot back.

 

Superstars:

 

 

Superstars came back on air. Another benefit of "cult" status is that it is much harder to lose popularity in your base region. The North East is sort of ring fenced now, so even though I'm B- there, and this was a C+ show, you'll notice it didn't lose me any popularity. This is vital if the promotion is going to grow beyond the North East.

 

The idea is that I will run strong shows out of New York and Philly, but through my TV on Tempo and the PPVs on Request, the audiences in all of the other regions will grow. And then in the first week of every month, I'll run a show in target regions with talent that is over there. For example, run against Watts in the Mid-South region with someone who is a draw in that area (e.g. DiBiase) in the main event. Or I'll run a show in LA, say, with Ray Stevens on top. These shows will help guys on the undercard get over in different parts of the country. The TV exposure helps get guys over everywhere, but being at a live show in a region gets guys over in the region faster than TV does.

 

To give an example, look at Vince's overness progression. He's mainly just been sitting on commentary, so this is all TV:

 

 

Incidentally, that's one of the reasons that Jesse rates so high in so many regions because he's been sitting on commentary too plus he's been working (mostly in-ring) for Verne who has a good TV slot.

 

Now let's look at DiBiase's, a guy who I've pushed quite a bit at live shows:

 

 

In the space of 3 months, Ted went from a D+ to a B- in New England because he was going over there in decent matches there quite a bit.

 

He's also working for Watts, of course, so that accounts for his Mid-South rating, but look at Great Lakes there. That's gone up purely through TV. It's slower than the live show, but it is still going up. The overness of THE PROMOTION is similar. TV will get you so far, but actually running shows in a place boosts the rate of increase.

 

So anyway, all of that is a good rationale to run shows outside the North East once a month. I will assess the roster soon to work out which would be the best area to target first.

 

Back to Superstars ...

 

 

Graham: Brothers, it's good for the Superstar's Super Show on WWF Superstars to be back! And it's good for WWF Superstars to be back period! I'm joined today by my guests Captian Louis Albano and his main charge Sgt. Slaughter.

 

Albano: First of all, one thing no one has mentioned is that there's been a travesty of justice here in the WWF! Afa *spits* Sika *spits*. I taught them good for nothing Samoans everything they know and I took them to MANY tag team titles only for them to walk out on me and ally themselves with that *spits* good-fa-nuthin' Superfly Jimmy Snuka who thinks he's something now that he's the Champeen. Sika had never seen a fork until I showed him one and first thing he did was stick it up his nose! These Islanders I'm tellin' ya animals.

 

Well let me tell ya somethin', Jimmy Sunka ain't gonna be Champeen for long, because the Sargeant here, he's the next one. Ya looking at him. The next World Heavyweight Champeen. Superstar Billy Graham! Show the man some respect!! The next Champeen. I want you to salute the man, go on show him some respect.

 

*Albano salutes Slaughter and gestures for Graham to do the same. He's not playing ball. Albano sees that it's futile and mutters to himself*

 

Slaugher: Listen up maggots! This place has become overrun with these ... these Islanders. And the Captain is right, they are filthy animals. And all over the place they are dancing and making a mockery of this country! And I'm going to clean this place up. I'm going to rescue this country from falling any further into SLIME than it has been falling. Singing and dancing and being LAZY beach bums ... ATTENTION! Maggots. I'm going to bring some displine to things around here. I'm going to bring glory back to the WWF by taking that belt and putting it where it belongs around my waist.

 

*Graham goes to commercial break*

 

This was booked before I found out Slaughter was about to leave, by the way.

 

 

That's Dusty's last date. Since I'm now at war with GCW and Crockett and Florida, looks like it might be the last time we see Dusty for some time.

 

Anyway, Slaughter interfered here and him and Albano went in for the heel beatdown ...

 

 

To be fair, I've jobbed out the Somoans pretty bad and have them working against type, so it's no wonder they are struggling to get over in this new role.

 

Week 22 (June, Week 2)

 

WWF Live at the Philadelphia Spectrum

 

 

I knew Slaughter was going by this point, so I thought he could go in a blaze. And yes, I ran the Spectrum two weeks running. This was the biggest show in terms of live attendance that I'd booked, and the PPV revenue was about $25k. Not bad.

 

 

I am starting to think I might move the Samoans on. They are past the point of being useful.

 

 

Well this looks like it was a great match. And I'm gutted that I've lost Slaughter. This is rated as the #1 match of my tenure thus far. Snuka vs. Slaughter was a hot feud in-ring-wise.

 

Superstars:

 

 

Okay, I went to the well one time too many, but the idea was mainly to extract maximum value for Snuka in terms of building momentum and overness for him. This also leaves Lou Albano with no clients.

 

 

In the ring, with a plaster over his cheek and a bandage on his head Sgt. Slaughter calls out Jimmy Snuka and challenges him to a match for the title live on TV. Snuka accepts the challenge, but ONLY on the condition that Slaughter accepts a loser leaves town stipulation. Lou Albano steps in and objects, but Slaughter is adament that he can win this time. Alabano and Slaughter negotiate in private, and then seem to have come up with a plan. With both of them nodding, Slaughter picks up the mic. Will you accept, Snuka, to the match being an ALLEY FIGHT?

 

Snuka: Bring. It. On.

 

 

Sadly, this was one match too many for these two. Never mind. I have plans afoot ...

 

So obviously, I tried to sign Hogan to an exclusive deal ... and he didn't come. I got to negotiate but couldn't make a deal that both he AND Vince would agree to. Vince is quite the pain in the ass, it has to be said. He also blocked my attempt to sign Larry Zbysko. Clearly he's blackballed for the 1980 deal. Nice attention to detail from the mod guys there!

 

BUT I've made some signings. NEW PEOPLE!! I'm excited.

 

Let's have a look:

 

Spiros Arion

 

Okay, so he's well past it. But he's also well known in the area and someone who Bruno can work with and maybe headline a Philly card with. Just a 3-month deal here.

 

The Sheik

He's 56 and so if Arion is past it, Sheik is long, long past it. But I wanted to reunite him with The Grand Wizard, and thought he could be a good stop-gap challenger for Snuka to help get him over further as a legit champ. I like the idea of him taking on all-comers and he's already been through Koloff and Iron Sheik, as well as Brisco and Dusty.

 

The Road Warriors

 

Someone in the Georgia office is probably blowing a blood gasket, cos I poached these and got them on exclusives. Incidentally, all of the their overness has come from exposure on the TBS show.

 

Obviously, down the road these two will face Arn and Tully, but I want to build and build and build them before they get a title shot. I want these guys at literally 50 and 0 before they challenge for the belts.

 

Harley Race

 

1-year exclusive contract. He was just working for Central States not doing a whole lot down in Kansas, and has just come back from an AJPW tour. Harley is possibly my quick-fix solution for losing Slaughter. A Race-Snuka feud with Snuka eventually going over will further help legitimate him as Champ. He's already beaten two former NWA champs. Of course, I've tried to sign The Funks but they are stubborn on the terms and it's hard to make a deal. I WILL get Dory and Terry at some point though.

 

Greg Valentine

 

2-year exclusive contract. So stick that one up your arse Crockett! JCP took Slaughter, I take Valentine. That's the way it's going to be from now on. In case anyone is in any doubt at all: here's my IC champ.

 

Rick Martel

 

Yes!!

 

Ricky Steamboat

 

YES!

 

The temptation to make Martel and Steamer an uber-blow-job tagteam and have them feud with Arn and Tully is overwhelming.

 

But then again they would both make good opponents for Greg.

 

But things are looking up.

[The Chief]

Was Eadies's javelin accident a kayfabe explanation? Are we going to have to wait 30 years for the KC Timeline 1983 shoot interview to find out what really happened?

[shoe]

Parv it looks like you're getting the pieces in place for a run. Don't fuck it up.

[thebrainfollower]

Slaughter's departure is indeed a huge blow but this is getting a lot better. I could see a Muraco turn on Snuka at some point too leading to an MSG cage match

 

 

I do however strongly object to the Brainbusters beating the Samoans with a spike piledriver. We all know Samoans know sell moves to the head in Vince's world.

[Grimmas]

I started figuring out my World Class version of this thread with the exact same game and mod. A rival thread of who can go national first, maybe?

[El Boricua]

What a difference the jump to Cult makes. Best of luck Parv, you've got a lot of potential with this roster.

 

Two comments:

 

I didn't see Snuka being offered an exclusive deal. Is he already on one? You don't want another Backlund situation.

 

I'd be a bit wary of going all in with DiBiase if he's not exclusive with you.

[concrete1992]

I started figuring out my World Class version of this thread with the exact same game and mod. A rival thread of who can go national first, maybe?

Going to end up being sad that there isn't a large scale PWO TEW13 multiplayer thread happening. *SIGH*

[JerryvonKramer]

Week 23 (June, Week 3)

 

MSG

 

 

Look at that crowd!! Back in the big time baby. I didn't want to debut many of the new guys on this show, just the Roadies. They need to be introduced slowly through the TV. I can't introduce them all at once either.

 

 

In tribute to Vince Sr's old-school booking, here's Andre winning a battle royal.

 

I think Soul Patrol are not long for the WWF. Time they left.

 

 

This is going to be a quiet push without any real storyline beyond them building up wins. It's the Goldberg push, but I just want to go 50 and 0. Here is 1-0.

 

 

Despite his retirement, I still have Strongbow in the ring at the moment. Although this might signal the end for him. There's no way he's getting a new gimmick or make over.

 

 

Impressive for Snuka to pull this match out of Studd. He's been working out well as champ so far.

 

Superstars

 

 

With Slaughter leaving, I needed something else for both Albano and Snuka to do. In fact, there were a lot of guys without direction, so why not channel them all into one over-arching narrative. This one is kind of DC Comics inspired. Needed to trigger this before debuting some of the new talent.

 

 

*In an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary, we see The Three Wise Men playing cards backstage*

 

Wizard: It was an ACE I'm tellin' ya!

 

Albano: Liar!!

 

Blassie: Come on Wizard, we seen it up ya sleeve ya ... *makes a face and grumbles inaudibly*

 

Wizard: It was an ACE, I tell ya!

 

*The play cards some more*

 

Albano: Ughhh, I'm tellin' ya Fred, that kid Snuka and them *spit* Islanders are gonna be the end of me.

 

Blassie: I hear ya. Ever since that good for nuthin' Superfly became Champeen we been getting the short end of the pay checks and my guys been out numbered and cheated out of winning that belt.

 

Wizard: He took my man Don Muraco.

 

Albano: He took away my Wild Samoans and sent Sgt. Slaughter down to them backwaters in the South.

 

Blassie: And now I've lost the Ugandan Giant, Kamala.

 

Albano: Boys, I'm tellin' ya we need to do something about these creeps.

 

Blassie: What are you talking about Albano?

 

Albano: I'm talkin' about ... I'm talkin' about us working TOGETHER.

 

Wizard: Me, work you YOU?

 

Blassie: It'll never work. How can we trust you?

 

Albano: Look, we been playing cards all these years, and we all been trying to do the same thing and get our hands on that title.

 

Wizard: Yeah, but let's say your plan works and one of our men becomes Champeen, who gets the purse?

 

Albano: Well we split it dummy. *Albano speaks very quickly now*. 30 to you, 30 to Blassie and ... *mumbles* 40 to me.

 

Blassie: Now wait just one MINUTE Albano!

 

Wizard: Why I oughtta ...

 

Albano: Relax, relax, I was kidding. 20 to you do bozos and 60 to me! Ha ha ha!

 

Blassie: See, this is why we can't do business.

 

Wizard: Come on play your next card ya slob you.

 

Albano: Now don't you go calling me ya slob ya skinny, good for nuthin', scrawny, weasel!

 

Blassie: So this is the big plan is it? Fighting like a pair o' pencil neck geeks ...

 

Albano: You're right, listen to the Hollywood Fashion Plate, Wizard! We gotta work TOGETHER and take out these Islander scumbags!

 

Wizard: What's the plan?

 

Albano: Well we been in this game for years, right, YEARS. And think of all of the guys we had over that time. Well we're gonna UNITE. Bring back all of them guys and watch each others backs. That mug Snuka won't know where to look.

 

Blassie: *laughing* Whack whack whack

 

Wizard: Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

 

Albano: Heh heh heh

 

*The three of them laugh together as the camera pans out*

 

 

Good match out of Koloff here. I think that's his best yet and I credit Snuka with that. Although this was totally overbooked, so that might have helped too.

 

 

*During the match Lou Albano and The Grand Wizard walk out together, they each stand on a different side of the ring with Blassie on the third side. Snuka is distracted throughout the match, but still seems to be getting the better of Koloff.

 

When it looks like Koloff is about to lose. Wizard beckons to someone in the crowd. While Albano seems to be looking and signalling down the aisle.

 

*In a big surprise, Spirios Arion runs down the aisle, gets into the ring. He goes to attack Snuka, but gets his forearm blocked. Koloff is on the floor. Snuka seems to be getting the better of Arion now, but all of a sudden, from the crowd, The Sheik climbs over the railings and attacks Snuka with a FIREBALL! The big burst of flames seem to go into Snuka's eyes and he's out!*

 

 

*Snuka's allies, The Islanders, run out to save Snuka. The heels scatter, but it's too late, Snuka looks hurt. SD Jones tries to comfort him while Muraco calls for a paramedic.*

[Goodear]

Holy Shit, the Three Wise Men as a damn Legion of Doom/Monster Society of Evil is a recipe to print money. They combine their efforts into one big super worker like Valentine and holy snicker doodles. I would be concerned you might be going a little heavy on the gangs and stables personally but I think you can make it work. I'm kind of surprised you didn't send Bruno right back after Dibiase since you brought him back but you might be saving that.

[JerryvonKramer]

I'm kind of surprised you didn't send Bruno right back after Dibiase since you brought him back but you might be saving that.

If you look back over June, Ted vs. Bruno in various tag combinations was doing the rounds on house shows and he did cut a big promo on the talk show (at the time presented by Ventura). That feud is still live and active, but with only 1-hour of TV time hard to juggle the different stories. It's also set to run all the way till Summerslam, so dragging it out a bit. Also, until I get Ted under exclusive contract, it's hard to go all-in on the push, so he's kinda treading water. Bruno vs. DiBiase blow off is happening at Summerslam though.

[JerryvonKramer]

Week 24 (June, Week 4)

 

I had got so caught up in bringing in talent on short-term 1-month and 3-month deals for my Snuka vs. Three Wise Men angle, that something slipped under the radar ...

 

 

Just before booking this show I realised that Morales only had 6 days left on his contract. I must have missed the notice. No great loss, but of course, he is the current holder of the IC belt, which meant a rather hasty and unscheduled switch on TV. Wasn't planning it, but maybe this can kickstart a new lease of life for the IC belt.

 

Superstars

 

 

Three main aims for this show:

 

1. Get IC belt off Pedro fast.

2. Remind everyone that the Bruno vs. DiBiase feud is still simmering since it seemed to be lost in the mix.

3. Push the Snuka vs. Three Wise Men deal into overdrive so it can run all over the house shows in August.

 

Huge amount of debuts on this show. So let's take it slow through the card.

 

 

Bruno came out to do commentary for this and would have talked about what a general scumbag DiBiase is. I will do a summary of the major plot-points in that long-running feud in the next entry.

 

 

2-0 for the Road Warriors.

 

 

*Pedro Morales stands in the ring. He's beaten all comers for the IC title. He issues an open challenge to anyone who thinks that they can beat him and even puts his career on the line.

 

Without warning, and to everyone's surprise, Greg Valentine walks out to accept the challenge!*

 

 

No other choice but to do this switch here. Pedro is gone in a few days! I'm sure Valentine will have better matches in the role and he has no shortage of challengers to go over.

 

 

 

*As Spiros Arion attacks Snuka getting The Sheik instantly DQ'd. The Grand Wizard stands on one side of the ring with ... Ox Baker by his side! Blassie stands on the opposite side of the ring flanked by Waldo von Erich and Stan Hasen!! And Lou Albano comes down the aisle to ensure he can't escape defended by Blackjack Lanza!!

 

Snuka beats back The Sheik who tumbles to the outside of the ring on The Grand Wizard's side.

 

He throws Arion out of the ring in front of Albano. And roars.

 

But as he looks around, Snuka is surrounded!! He looks towards The Grand Wizard as Sheik and Ox Baker gesture to him like monsters. He looks to the other side and Blassie waves his cane, as Hansen cracks his whip and Waldo von Erich weilds a nightstick.

 

He looks towards the aisle, and Albano lets out some evil laughter as Lanza strokes his moustache and Arion clenches his fist. Albano cries out "You cannot win Snuka!! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

 

Snuka roars again as if to say "bring it on". But we're out of TV time folks and the camera fades with Snuka in this predicament.*

 

-------

 

This storyline is my dual tribute to DC comics and wrestling in the 1970s. Most of these old guys are on very short-term deals, just a month for most. Stan Hansen has a three-month contract. A few more guys due in too. The idea is that the Three Wise Men are leveraging all of their know-how and contacts to put together the most dastardly package possible. It's like a greatest hits of Vince Sr era / WWWF villains. Snuka can run through them all, with SD Jones and Muraco feasting off the crumbs and putting over more serious challengers like Hansen.

 

Speaking of contracts, Snuka is now wrapped up for an exclusive deal. And I went back to Arn and DiBiase with better offers and both of those have now signed for 3 years too! Things looking good.

 

 

We'll miss you Pedro.

[shoe]

Does having Steven as competition get your creative juices flowing?

[JerryvonKramer]

Forgot to post this yesterday, but this is mainly so Steven has a basis of comparison.

 

Breakdown of the financials so far:

 

 

Note the massive escalation of costs upon reaching "Cult".

 

Note also that I took some pretty big short-term hits to get where I wanted to be here. Including axing TV for a month to switch channels. In retrospect, I probably should have tried to keep challenge going, because that was an extra $60k a month.

[JerryvonKramer]

We are 8 weeks out from Summerslam. This isn't some rinky-dink regional promotion anymore, this is a company that is going places. It's time to get organized. I wanted to plan two whole months of booking in advance. I've been listening to Jim Ross's podcasts recently and he keeps saying that it's important to book backwards. Start with the finish and book backwards. Let's take a look at the active feuds:

 

Snuka and the Islanders vs The Three Wise Men - this was designed to carry the bulk of the summer house shows, and that's exactly what it's going to do. I've signed a pile of older three wise men cronies on short-term deals that sees them to Summerslam. The angle will blow off there. This is fine and deals with a good bulk of the roster in one storyline.

 

Bruno vs. DiBiase - this has been going since January. It's now June of 83. The story has lost a bit of steam in recent weeks after being somewhat overshadowed by the Islander / Wise Men stuff. There's also nowhere else to go with it beyond the blow off really. It's a plot that has reached the end of its natural course. The feud will be kept going through video packages and promos until Summerslam.

 

The Road Warriors winning streak - this will just keep going under the radar until they hit 50 and 0.

 

So I need more feuds going into Summerslam involving guys who involved in the above:

 

Savage vs. Martel - setup here is simple, backstage Miss Elizabeth is looking to do something and Rick Martel is around and shows her how to do it, which invariably involves bending over her or otherwise putting the two of them in a compromising-looking position. Savage walks in on them three times like this before going fucking nuts and there's your feud.

 

Andre vs. Khan - a basic retread of their 81 feud, Andre is having a match with Mr. Fuji on an episode of Superstars when Killer Khan comes out and brutalises his leg.

 

Valentine vs. Hennig - no real story for this feud other than Valentine is IC champ and Hennig after a series of wins is number 1 contender.

 

Brainbusters vs. Steamboat and Youngblood - Steamboat and Youngblood with debut, naturally, as allies of Snuka. Steamer being from Hawaii and all, and Youngblood as a Native American "understands the concerns" of the Island peoples. They will pick up wins as part of the Three Wise men angle sufficient to make them number 1 contenders for a match against Arn and Tully at Summerslam. That match will finish in dodgy circumstances to kickstart a feud.

 

With this as a basic plan, using the power of Microsoft Excel, I've come up with an 8-week booking plan.

 

(red = loss, green = draw, black = win)

 

House show loop:

 

This is some Vince Sr formula shit right here, although truncated to just a one shot against the champ. You can see the formula is very simple.

 

Heel challenger gets a win against a random babyface two weeks before his shot (plus probably one on TV as well), a win against SD Jones one week before, then he faces Snuka, then he jobs to Muraco on the way down. 5 matches, 3 wins, 2 losses. This formula is mainly designed to build and build and build Snuka. By the end of this run, he should be smoking hot and Muraco should also have some good momentum behind him -- just about ready for him to jump back into the IC mix with Greg Valentine.

 

Depending on how certain guys do during this, some of them might even stick around. Race has a longer-term deal and might get some return shots for the title. Hansen and Murdoch could have multiple uses, either as a redneck tagteam, perennial challengers or Andre fodder. Hansen might even join the Elite since his West Texas buddies DiBiase and Blanchard are members. AND, let's see how Bruno goes. If the DiBiase match goes well, maybe Bruno vs. Hansen (revenge for neck breakage story) into Survivor Series.

 

You'll note also how opponents at Summerslam are being systematically kept apart during the House Show loop.

 

TV tapings:

 

The TV has to carry the bulk of the storytelling. Since most of the angles that have triggered these feuds have already taken place, a lot of the stuff for the two main feuds is going to be promos and video packages. The two stories that need angles on TV are the Andre vs. Khan and Savage vs. Martel ones.

 

For those of you paying attention then, here's the planned Summerslam card. I say "planned" because who knows what shit might happen in the next 8 weeks.

 

World: Jimmy Snuka vs. Harley Race

Ted DiBiase vs. Bruno Sammartino [cage]

IC: Greg Valentine vs. Curt Hennig

Tag: Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard vs. Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood

Andre the Giant vs. Killer Khan

Rick Martel vs. Randy Savage [winner gets Miss Elizabeth's managerial contract]

Road Warriors vs. Hansen and Murdoch

Don Muraco vs. Ivan Koloff

Wild Samoans vs. Waldo von Erich and Ox Baker

SD Jones vs. Iron Sheik

 

Next post: you'll get to see all this play out.

[Grimmas]

SummerSlam looks like a fine show, Parv!

[JerryvonKramer]

Week 25 (July, Week 1)

WWF Tour:



So this show was about more than just executing a plan because look at that venue. The E&P Jones Center is in ... Chicago!! That's right, move over Dick the Bruiser; step aside Verne Gagne! I'm officially invading Chi-town with this show. And was rewarded with a RED HOT crowd who were wild for almost every match for some reason. Two missing matches are: Ox Baker over Strongbow (D) and Killer Khan over Eddie Gilbert (D+).



Maybe Chicago crowds are easier to get going than New York ones because they were lapping this stuff up. Gone sign that Hennig is finally getting over, although obviously he's known in the area.



Great reaction for Hansen vs. Jones too. Bodes well for Hansen long-term. Of course, he'd worked AWA before too.



But this was the biggest surprise. Of these four, only Tito had spent any real time in AWA or was over in the "Great Lakes" region, but they liked this match anyway!



Snuka is really turning into a miracle worker. He's in front of a Chicago crowd that has never seen a WWF show against a semi-retired Greek dude who was "off his game" and he still drags a "B" rating out of the match. Amazing really.



This was a last minute switch by me. It was going to be Snuka headlining, but I elevated this last minute because Ventura is megaover in the Mid-West, as is Bruno. So I figured this might get the higher rating. Who am I to doubt Jimmy Snuka?

All-in-all, this was a pretty successful incursion into Verne-country. Might come back next month.

Superstars:



Major introduction for Steamboat and Youngblood on network TV with a rub off the champ. Martel and Savage feud started.



Superstar Graham welcomes Snuka for another Superstar's Supershow on WWF Superstars.

Graham: Superfly, brother, times are grave here in the WWF, brother. For the three wise men of the East have looked up in that sky brother, and followed that star, brother. And they have done the unthinkable, Superfly, they've joined forces! No WWF Champion in history has had to deal with all three of these cats united as one! I know, brother, The Grand Wizard was my manager here when I was the champion. And he alone is one devious and conniving genius. What are ya gonna do?

Snuka: Billy Graham, divided we fall, united we stand as one. I have my islanders to back me up and through them and these wonderful fans I gain inner strength, understanding and a spirit that will not die. But these managers keep on bringing back more and more of their men ...

Graham: Brother, it's like a ROGUE'S GALLERY out there. I think every man any one of them has ever managed been coming out the woodwork. They made some calls, brother, they called in all of their favours at once!

Snuka: And that's why, Billy Graham, I made some calls of my own. I got on the phone to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I dialled up two of my best friends in this business! And TRUE Islanders bother of them. Allow me to welcome to the set ... Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat!! And Jay Youngblood!

Graham: Yayooooo! Steamboat and Youngblood! Fellas you better watch your ladies, these guys is *tssssss* sizzling hot!

The crowd whoop and cheer as Graham takes us into the commercial break.



Oh, I've made artwork for this and everything.



Part of my inspiration for this angle actually comes from Detective Comics #566, which has one of the coolest front covers of all time (I have it on my wall in the man cave here).



The move is a waist-lock by the way. I am actually loving the idea of how much Savage would hate the cheese-meister stud Martel having his hands on Liz.

I'm feeling a bit short on JTTS / jobbers, might see who is around just to slot in low-down to freshen things up a bit.