RAW: I Come From A Land Down Under

[gingarob]

RAW
I Come From A Land Down Under

Backstage at my first show as head booker of Revolution Australian Wrestling and I can’t quite believe how nervous I am. My boss, Tristam Day, comes across to check with me that all plans are in place for tonight’s show. He’d already approved the plans so I guess this was him just trying to reassure himself that he hadn’t made a mistake in hiring me. As the man behind RAW, Tristam has a lot riding on its success so a terrible show on my first night of the job could have huge ramifications for him. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself here. I should really explain how I even got to this position because, honestly, I’m still not quite sure how I managed to land a job running Australia’s biggest wrestling promotion...

My name is Rob Dixon and I’ve been a wrestling fan for as long as I can remember. I grew up in the United Kingdom but my wrestling diet was strictly American. As a kid I loved the glitz and glamour of SWF. Watching the matches of Rip Chord and Sam Strong I was entranced and it became my dream to become a professional wrestler. Unfortunately that dream died when I blew my knee out during training and tore my ACL.

Last year I moved from England to Australia to help establish my company’s new Sydney office. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Australia wasn’t completely devoid of any wrestling industry and decided to make an effort to follow the scene and attend any live shows in my area. Due to this I was reading a wrestling magazine, around the start of December 2009, when I discovered the following advertisement:

Do you sit at home watching wrestling thinking “I could do better”?

Do you come up with ideas for how you’d run the show?

Could you be RAW’s next head booker?

To apply, send us a few quick storyline ideas to newbooker@revauswres.com. The person we deem to have the best will be offered the book at Australia’s #1 Promotion.

After reading that I remember chuckling to myself and thinking “no-one else but RAW would do such a thing”. Yet later that night all I could think about was that advert. For a long time it had been my desire to one day run a wrestling company, I’d always been the kind of guy who would watch the shows and come up with ideas for what should be happening. Here was an opportunity to make that dream a reality and it was staring me in the face. So I logged onto my computer, opened up Word and started typing out some of the ideas I’d formulated while watching RAW on TV. I sent the e-mail, thinking there was no chance of me even being considered anyway, and forgot all about it.

That is until later that month, around 10 days later, when I received a phone call from none other than RAW head honcho, executive producer Tristam Day, asking me to come in for a meeting with him...

[gingarob]

I turned up to the offices of The A.S.N Network, Australia’s premiere sports channel and home – as well as owners – of RAW. Nervous and with my portfolio of ideas with me, as requested, I wandered into the building and straight over to the reception desk. I must admit though, I was distracted by the huge fountain; as South Park taught us – the bigger the fountain, the more success. I asked the smiling receptionist for directions to the office of Tristam Day and she directed me to the 10th floor. Stood in the lift I could feel beads of sweat forming on my brow and my collar felt increasingly tight, I didn’t expect to be this anxious. His secretary pointed me to a brown leather sofa and told me Mr. Day would see me as soon as he’d finished his current meeting. I wasn’t too surprised; I was 15 minutes early after all, so I sat down and began reading through my notes. I couldn’t sleep the night before so I’d jotted down a few more ideas. I figured everyone else they were interviewing would’ve done so anyway, I didn’t want to be left behind by the competition.

Tristam’s door opened and none other than well-respected RAW wrestler Molokai Milk stepped out of his office. I couldn’t see what they were talking about but Tristam looked pleased about it, he shook Molokai’s hand and then gestured for me to join him in his office. As I sat down in the seat he offered me I started to thank him for the opportunity to meet with him but he held his hand up to stop me.

Tristam: Before we start I should tell you that I’ve gotten you here under false pretences. You won’t be interviewing for the role of head booker today.

Me: Oh?

I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice but I don’t think I did a very good job of it.

Tristam: Sorry about that. I met earlier today with the network executives and presented all the ideas to them, including yours. We agreed unanimously that we shouldn’t interview you for this position. No, we decided that the right move would just be to offer you the job straight away.

Me: Well, thank you for the opportunity. I-- what?

Tristam: Yes, we all agreed that you were by far the best candidate for the position. What do you say?

I was completely flabbergasted, but managed to just about croak out the words “I accept, thank you.”

Tristam: Good, good. Now, let’s talk business. I’m sure you saw Molokai leaving my office right now?

It took me a second to register that he was asking me a question, my mind was still racing from the news I’d just received. It seems his reputation for making snap decisions was well founded, I hadn’t expected this at all.

Me: Er...yes, sir, I did.

Tristam: Please, Tristam. Right, well Molokai and I were finalising some plans which will hopefully help sustain the company for many years into the future. Apart from myself, Molokai and the board, you’re the first person to be informed about this particular venture. We’re going to fund the setting up and running of a wrestling school, run by Molokai. We’re calling it the Revolution WrestleFactory and the hope is that we can mostly pull from the pool of students for our future talent to supply our roster.

He shot me an odd look, probably a little confused at my quiet demeanour. Little did he know that he’d just fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams and all I wanted to do was jump on his desk and perform a celebration dance, Chandler style.

Tristam: Right, unfortunately I have a packed schedule for the rest of the day and another meeting pencilled in with the board in 10 minutes. I’ve prepared a dossier with everything you need to know about RAW in it. Would you be able to read over it tonight and come in tomorrow to discuss any changes you want to make as well as discussing this week’s upcoming show and what storyline’s we’re going to run going forward?

Me: Of course sir, er...Tristam.

Tristam: Great, I look forward to it. Give Danielle your contact details on the way out and she’ll send you the details of our meeting. Some of your preliminary ideas have gotten me very excited and I look forward to working with you to take RAW forward.

Then, suddenly, it was over. I was shaking his hand and exiting his office, my heart racing. I jotted down my contact details for his secretary, Danielle, and left the building. There was only one thing on my mind – getting home and reading the documents he’d provided for me. That night was surely going to be another sleepless night, I had a show to plan and it was taking place in four days time!

[gingarob]

I got home and sat down, straight away opening the dossier that Tristam had provided with me. If he wanted Friday’s show planned by tomorrow then I had a lot of work to get on with.

Revolution Australian Wrestling

Size: Regional
Location: Western Australia
Prestige: D+
Momentum: C+



Roster
Heels = Red
Faces = Blue


Main Event
(Grades indicate popularity)

Captain Wrestling II – D+
Kerry Wayne – D
Loxley Robbins – D
Luke Steele – D+ – RAW TELEVISION CHAMP
Montgomery Croft – D
Rahmel Goode – D


Upper Midcard

Echo – D
Frogue Element – D-
Manhunter – D
Molokai Milk – D-
Pookie Possum – D-
Skyscraper – D


Midcard

Heath Murdock – E
Horton Ravenwood – E
Isaac Taylor – D-
Mark Misery – E+
Monday Next – E+
Mortimer Pyle – E+
Quiz Master – D-
Quizzical Mark Question – E+


Lower Midcard

Artemis Eyre-Rochester – E
Blaze Maximum – E-
The Kipper – E-
Thurston Darcy III – E-


Opener

Crazy Train – E-
Gregory Grace – E-
Vincent Victory – E-


Enhancement Talent

Dazzler – E-


Managers

Autumn Gleeson – E+ – Mortimer Pyle / Horton Ravenwood
Brittini Burke – E+ – Artemis Eyre-Rochester / Thurston Darcy III
Spin Doctor – D – Quiz Master / Quizzical Mark Question
Vicki Company – D- – Monday Next


Commentary Team

Garfield Harth – E+ – Play-by-Play
Rebecca Richey – D – Colour / Backstage Interviewer


Referee

Wayne Schimmelbusch – F+


Road Agent

Captain Wrestling – E



Tag Teams
(Grades indicate experience)

Dark Reign (Mortimer Pyle / Mark Misery) – E+ (Occasional)
Heath & Horton (Heath Murdock / Horton Ravenwood) – E-
Modern Warriors (Captain Wrestling II / Kerry Wayne) – E- (Occasional)
The A-Listers (Gregory Grace / Vincent Victory) – E+
The Brat Pack (Artemis Eyre-Rochester / Thurston Darcy III) – E+
The Master Minds (Quiz Master / Quizzical Mark Question) – E – RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPS
The RAW Giants (Manhunter / Skyscraper) – E



Requirements / Goals

#1 – RAW cannot fall into debt at any point.
#2 – RAW must not fall below Regional size.
#3 – You cannot hire or extend the contract of any wrestler with less than D- charisma.
#4 – You cannot hire or extend the contract of any wrestler with less than D- psychology.
#5 – You cannot hire anyone who works the style of a Japanese Junior.
#6 – The product must not be changed in any way, shape or form. The network likes the product the way it is and it’s your job to book it, not change it.
#7 – The following storylines must be continued or brought to a conclusion on screen for the sake of continuity:

- Captain Wrestling II vs. Rahmel Goode
- Montgomery Croft vs. Loxley Robbins
- Luke Steele vs. Kerry Wayne

After finished reading it all, including bios for each roster member, I watched the provided DVDs of RAW’s last few shows, all the time jotting down notes of how I wanted to move forward, and realised that some members of the RAW roster were better wrestlers than I first imagined, which was a huge relief. There were still some people who were definitely lacking in certain areas but plenty of fun characters and people oozing with star quality that it somehow worked. I did have one guy that I had decided needed to go, and noted to speak to Tristam about it in tomorrow’s meeting. Another thing I noted was the lack of face teams, and ran down the roster for people I could potentially pair together. Finally, I jotted down a short list of names, people I wanted to bring in.

I looked at the clock by the side of my bed and was shocked to realise it was now 5am. I decided I’d better get at least a few hours sleep. I had a lot to discuss with my new boss during tomorrow’s meeting. I just hoped he would be receptive to my ideas.

[gingarob]

I walked into the building of The A.S.N Network and headed straight up to the 10th floor. I was running slightly late after sleeping in. I’d drunk a couple of cups of coffee in the taxi on the way to the building and I could finally feel the effects of the caffeine coursing through me veins, giving me much needed energy. I was sure it would be worth it though. I had my notepad with me containing many ideas for gimmicks, characters and segments for the shows as well as the next month of shows planned out, providing that Tristam agreed with who I wanted to sign.

I was summoned straight into his office and even though he was friendly and inviting I got the distinct impression that he was annoyed at me even though I was barely 5 minutes late. I made a mental note to myself that this guy clearly had a bit of a short fuse and decided to invest in a new, louder alarm clock. I then kicked things off.

Me: Firstly, I’d like to say thank you for the information you provided, it proved to be very useful. After studying the roster, I had a few changes in mind.

Tristam: Oh, really?

The tone in his voice wasn’t completely supportive, and it seemed like he was still somewhat irked by my late arrival. I continued regardless, pushing my doubts to the back of my mind as simply paranoia.

Me: Yeah, the first problem I wanted to address was the cutting of some talent. I had a few names noted down but on reflection I whittled it down to one name. Crazy Train.

Tristam: Why would you wanna fire Train?

Me: Well it’s simple really. He’s terrible. He has a fun gimmick that masks his lack of talent slightly but it is still noticeable that he can’t put on a match and can’t even perform on the stick. I’ve heard he’s a really nice guy but he doesn’t belong in Australia’s biggest promotion.

Tristam: Decisive, straight to the point. I like it. You remind me a little of myself. Consider Train gone, did you have any other changes you wanted to make.

Me: Well, I noticed that our tag division is very biased towards the heels. In fact, there’s only one regular face team on the roster. I think we could turn the tag team division into a real jewel in our crown so I came up with a new team. Isaac Taylor and Pookie Possum – Mission Impossumble. These are both fun guys that the fans love to get behind. They’re both competent in the ring and Pookie can handle himself on the mic. Really, I think they could do some entertaining stuff together. Pookie could probably protect Isaac in terms of mic-work too. He’s got a tonne of charisma but he needs more experience talking on screen before he can make full use of it.

Tristam: Sounds good, any other teams in the pipeline?

Me: Not right now, but I’ll be looking into introducing at least one more face team to balance things out slightly. No, my next change is that I want to hire some people to the roster. Two of which would feature heavily in storylines from the get-go.

Tristam: Ok then, who did you have in mind?

I handed him my list of prospective hires. The list that contained 15 names at one point last night until I realised that not only would my roster become ridiculously bloated but it would also water down what RAW is. Finally I managed to cut it down to four guys. This was my list (I’d included justifications to help persuade Tristam they were worth paying for).

Swoop McCarthy: A complete no-brainer. Probably the premiere talent in Australia right now. Solid in the ring and absolute dynamite on the mic. At the age of 21 well on his way to being a bonafide superstar. With the right direction he could easily carry RAW on his back.

Dumfrey Pinn: A big guy with real ring presence who can actually wrestle and talk. Would slot straight into the roster with ease, and I already have a fun plan for his character on the shows. Could be a big star for us.

Boo Smithson: Not the most marketable or entertaining guy in the world, but brilliant between the ropes. Not someone who will really get a push here in RAW but someone we could definitely utilise to strengthen our in-ring product and help improve the people we are going to push.

Maurice Jackson: Relatively unknown, with only a few matches on the indy scene but the man has the aura of someone who could become a star eventually. Competent in the ring and well on his way to being a fantastic talker. One to build towards being a star in the future; I picture a feud between him and Swoop a couple of years down the line and can practically smell the money.

He looked over the list, an extremely serious expression on his face that didn’t give me any clue about which way he was leaning on this. He must’ve read that list 3 or 4 times, or maybe it just felt that way because this was one of my first big decisions as head booker. He eventually looked up at me, placing the list on his desk, and smiled.

Tristam: Must say, I agree that these guys certainly seem like talent we could utilise. I’ve never seen this Maurice Jackson guy but I’ll trust your judgement. As for the others, especially Swoop and Pinn, they’d be perfect signings for us, not least because we’d be taking top tier talent from our competition. I’ll get someone on this and we should have them all available for Friday’s show, barring any unforeseen problems which I’ll inform you of should there be any.

Me: Brilliant. Speaking of shows, here is what I have planned out for the month. I’m glad you approved those signings because Swoop and Dumfrey feature prominently in these plans. Right now I’ve planned as far as The Stars of RAW event at the end of the month.

Tristam: Great, let me have a quick browse.

I handed over my notebook and hoped he wouldn’t mind my frankly messy style of booking, with post-it notes stuck on the pages where extra information is needed and constant arrows pointing to items for improvements. He skims over it all relatively quickly before handing me back my book.

Tristam: Well that all looks great, I’m glad to see you followed my instructions regarding existing storylines. I don’t really see much need to change anything. Just get everything for the next show organised for Friday’s show and send me through the finalised running order by 5pm on Thursday so I can arrange which talent we actually need present at the show.

Me: Ok, will do. Once again, thank you for this opportunity. I won’t let you down.

Tristam: Make sure that you don’t. I’ll see you at the arena on Friday, make sure you arrive early so we can ensure everything is in place for the show to go ahead. We’ll be running the show in the Family Entertainment Complex, do you know how to get to it?

Me: Yeah, I’ve been to a few shows there.

Tristam: Brilliant, see you Friday then. If there are any changes to the plans I’ll contact you.

I shook his hand and that was it, my first booking meeting of my tenure as RAW head booker over and done with. As I left the building I felt extremely pumped up. Not only had I got my way with the hirings and firings but he actually seemed to like my plans for the promotion. I couldn’t wait for Friday to roll around.

[gingarob]

SHOW PREVIEW

- The new tag team of Mission Impossumble (Isaac Taylor and Pookie Possum) have a tough test in their first match as a team, facing off against the formidable team of The RAW Giants. Will they be able to overcome this huge obstacle or will the size of The Giants be too much to cope with?

- Fan favourite Blaze Maximum goes head-to-head with RAW newcomer, Dumfrey “The Don” Pinn. The Don claims to have big plans for his time in RAW, will he be able to get off to a winning start?

- RAW Television Champion, Luke Steele, takes on new arrival Boo Smithson. Will Boo be able to cause an upset and instantly inject himself into the Television Title scene or will the champ continue his dominance?

- Rahmel Goode has been on a tear recently and that looks like it might just continue against relatively unknown RAW new guy, Maurice Jackson. Jackson, however, is a former rugby player classed as one of the hottest prospects in Australian wrestling and at 6’5 275lbs might just have the size to hold his own against the formidable former bodyguard.

- Swoop McCarthy has joined RAW but he faces an extremely tough challenge in his debut match as he squares off against none other than RAW’s resident man of mystery, Echo. Often seen lurking in the shadows, Echo is a man about whom little is known. What we do know, however, is that he can get the job done in the ring and Swoop will definitely face a stern test here.

- The money man of RAW, Montgomery Croft, considers himself to be worthy of a shot at the RAW Television Title. A win against Molokai “Full Phat” Milk would certainly back up such a claim. Milk, however, will also have his eyes on becoming a top player in RAW. This match will surely be a fantastic one, with the title hopes of the winner skyrocketing as a result.

ALSO:
- Molokai debuts his talkshow, The Milk Round, and has a very special guest scheduled to appear. In his first ever interview on television...Echo!
- Quiz Master and Quizzical Mark Question hold a tag team special of “Mind Master” featuring the Modern Warriors facing off in a battle of wits against Heath & Horne.
- Plus, The Brat Pack venture into the film industry.

Catch RAW Attitude! every week on The A.S.N Network at 10.30pm.

Quick Picks:
Mission Impssumble vs. The Raw Giants
Blaze Maximum vs. Dumfrey “The Don” Pinn
Boo Smithson vs. Luke Steele (Non-Title)
Maurice Jackson vs. Rahmel Goode
Swoop McCarthy vs. Echo
Molokai Milk vs. Montgomery Croft

I’ll keep a tally of the result of these and after a couple of month’s worth of shows I’ll give the winner some kind of prize. I’ve not decided what yet.

[Midnightnick]

Mission Impossumble vs. The Raw Giants
The Giants really shouldn't be the team to start off with to face I think, but new teams have to start strong.

Blaze Maximum vs. Dumfrey “The Don” Pinn
Law of new workers in play again. Shame it's Blaze.

Boo Smithson vs. Luke Steele (Non-Title)
No upset at all.

Maurice Jackson vs. Rahmel Goode
See above.

Swoop McCarthy vs. Echo
This is where an upset comes.

Molokai Milk vs. Montgomery Croft
Aussie Rich Money wins it.

[QFresh]

Mission Impssumble vs. The Raw Giants
I agree with the new team starting strong, and putting all the heel teams of RAW on notice.
Blaze Maximum vs. Dumfrey “The Don” Pinn
Dumfrey comes in, and makes it happen!
Boo Smithson vs. Luke Steele (Non-Title)
You don't beat the champ your first night out. It'll be close, but Steele FTW.
Maurice Jackson vs. Rahmel Goode
I have a good feeling about Maurice, and this night is only the beginning.
Swoop McCarthy vs. Echo
I think this goes no contest, and a fued between the two start up... Hopefully.
Molokai Milk vs. Montgomery Croft
Don't know why, maybe just a hunch.

Mission Impssumble vs. The Raw Giants
Blaze Maximum vs. Dumfrey “The Don” Pinn
Boo Smithson vs. Luke Steele (Non-Title)
Maurice Jackson vs. Rahmel Goode
Swoop McCarthy vs. Echo
Molokai Milk vs. Montgomery Croft

[drmacbeth]

Mission Impssumble vs. The Raw Giants
Blaze Maximum vs. Dumfrey “The Don” Pinn
Boo Smithson vs. Luke Steele (Non-Title)
Maurice Jackson vs. Rahmel Goode
Swoop McCarthy vs. Echo
Molokai Milk vs. Montgomery Croft

[Jaded]

I haven't really looked at RAW yet, but I really like your introduction to the fed - keep up the good work!

Mission Impssumble vs. The Raw Giants
Blaze Maximum vs. Dumfrey “The Don” Pinn
Boo Smithson vs. Luke Steele (Non-Title)
Maurice Jackson vs. Rahmel Goode
Swoop McCarthy vs. Echo
Molokai Milk vs. Montgomery Croft

[Waghlon]

Good start.

Mission Impssumble vs. The Raw Giants
The Giants are just a plain awesome team. Regardless of what faces you can create to go against them.
Blaze Maximum vs. Dumfrey “The Don” Pinn
Boo Smithson vs. Luke Steele (Non-Title)
Maurice Jackson vs. Rahmel Goode
Swoop McCarthy vs. Echo
Molokai Milk vs. Montgomery Croft

[Jingo]

Mission Impossumble vs. The Raw Giants
Big start for the new team
Blaze Maximum vs. Dumfrey “The Don” Pinn
The debut guy takes it
Boo Smithson vs. Luke Steele (Non-Title)
I like Smithson but i sence no upset
Maurice Jackson vs. Rahmel Goode
Again no upset here
Swoop McCarthy vs. Echo
Swoop gets a good start
Molokai Milk vs. Montgomery Croft
I like Milk (the wrestler that is ..) so he gets my pick

[benjacko]

Mission Impossumble vs. The Raw Giants
Blaze Maximum vs. Dumfrey “The Don” Pinn
Boo Smithson vs. Luke Steele (Non-Title)
Maurice Jackson vs. Rahmel Goode
Swoop McCarthy vs. Echo
Molokai Milk vs. Montgomery Croft

[Rathen4]

Interesting amount of matches considering the sheer amount of angles this promotion needs!

Mission Impssumble vs. The Raw Giants - You wouldn't create a new team just to job them out!
Blaze Maximum vs. Dumfrey “The Don” Pinn - Blaze could be massive.
Boo Smithson vs. Luke Steele (Non-Title) - You won't job your champion out, but Boo will still look good.
Maurice Jackson vs. Rahmel Goode - I want to bring MoJo in to my APW game, so it'll be interesting to see you push him.
Swoop McCarthy vs. Echo - SWOOOOOOOOOP fits perfectly here.
Molokai Milk vs. Montgomery Croft - He's too good to lose.

How did you get the APW guys in? I can't sign RAW guys due to "The War". Is this because RAW is bigger?

[gingarob]

Originally Posted by Rathen4

How did you get the APW guys in? I can't sign RAW guys due to "The War". Is this because RAW is bigger?

Yeah, pretty much. They're quite a bit more popular (D's across all of Australia) and they have more prestige (D+).

Thanks a lot for all the predictions guys, I wasn't expecting so much interest. Show will be up some time tomorrow or later on tonight.