Please help me happy a couple guys up

[cappyboy]

I've mentioned both situations in the What's Happening In Your Game thread but I'll give the rundowns again. Right now I'm getting ready to enter July of 2010 and since both men are charter members of the company, their contracts are due to expire in September.

The first is Jake Panic. He's currently my number two face (D- pop in our Northwest US base) behind only Mystery Mask (my user character) and has a significantly better win percentage. Mystery Mask's has suffered because I've been having him lose a lot of matches. Particularly in pre-show training matches. Thus Mystery Mask has a sub .500 match record and Panic is 14-5-1.

Problem is the face turn didn't go so well when it initially happened back in February and he's still peevish about it. Even though he's heavily over with the crowd and the likely candidate to take over the world title when I have Ted Brady drop it.

On the upside, he's already had some wins that have cut into his unhappiness. Two in March over Mystery Mask and Ron Greenhorn when the latter was still upper mid card for me. And one in June over main eventer Bob Shrunkle. And with Woody Cudelli (AKA Happy Elwood) having been hired on, he's now getting wins in the pre-show with Cudelli while Woody waits for the point in his storyline where he officially debuts. Also Jake has blowoff wins coming up in not only his storyline with Aleksandr Knyazev but in skyrocketing ex-jobber Klaus Blut's (AKA Herman The German) winning streak storyline. So there are couple more potentially huge ones in the pipeline.

Jake has no established friends I could hire on. And while I could springboard the title on him, I don't want to do that to Brady. Nor think what I'd need to do with the belt if that wasn't enough to mollify Jake. I have more respect for my belts than to make hot potatoes of them. I've thought of giving him a bonus. The default $1k would be 29% of his current total pay to date. But I don't want to get in the habit of throwing bonus money around. I may be a local with a million dollar cash reserve but I still try to maintain a semblence of financial sanity.

And the other is my world champion Ted Brady. Also the top wrestler on my roster. He's been World champ since I awarded the belt at the end of January and has only had one minor hiccup in his winnng streak since then. A storyline-mandated draw with his archrival Bob Casey at the end of May. And the typical title rules remained intact. So Brady is still champ and barring an emergency move will be once the current storyline "puts Casey on the shelf".

Again, no bonds I can take advantage of by signing them on. And I worry want happens with him if I remove the belt while he's displeased. Plus not only is he my franchise player at the moment, I want to make his alliance with Bob Shrunkle into the foundation of a Triple Threat stable. Maybe adding in Klaus Blut in further honor of the German's unexpected rise from job fodder. He currently gets $800 per show and is thus my most expensive talent. Cudelli gets 600, Casey 500 and everyone else like 150. Like I said I try to maintain a semblence of fiscal sanity. But I'm left flailing for ideas to happy him up. Any ideas for polishing his mood (and Panic's for that matter) would be appreciated.

[FlameSnoopy]

I know you said you didn't want to throw bonuses, but that sounds just about the only (and best) thing you can do.

[GruntMark]

Maybe he'll be over it in a couple more months?

Otherwise, dont they have to be really peeved to not negotiate a new deal? Not just alittle mad at you.

[cappyboy]

Originally Posted by GruntMark

Maybe he'll be over it in a couple more months?

Maybe who will be over which? Panic over the failed turn or Brady his frustration with the draw?

[Jaysin]

Originally Posted by cappyboy

Maybe who will be over which? Panic over the failed turn or Brady his frustration with the draw?

I'd assume both

[Hyde Hill]

Also I think they need to be more then a little irritated to not want to resign. Probably depends on personality etc though.

[Greg McNeish]

Time and money solve all problems. If the time isn't enough, and they turn down negotiations, then give them some cash to grease the wheels. Just try not to make a habit of it.

[NordVolf]

Another thing you can do, if you haven't already, is lay on some backstage things like catering, provide a masseuse or chiropractor (or both if you can splurge!), organize transportation and accommodations (which is much less money, if any at all, than paying for it), etc.

These things will in fact bolster your whole locker room. And besides helping to "happy up" your Troubled Two, will in fact increase everyone's happiness. And that, as I understand, also can help unhappy workers by itself. If everyone else is happy, they will receive a small boost. Everyone else in a good mood can rub off a little.

Or so I gather.