[SWF] Resigning hugely popular main eventers

[dPro]

I am now two years into my SWF game, and one issue has come up several times. I am talking about the salaries I am allowed to pay workers when negotiating contracts. If you book SWF successfully, your main eventers will have A/A* in popularity across the US fairly quickly. Now, each time one of my main eventer's contract comes up for renewal Richard Eisen blocks me from resigning them since they demand more than the 60k Eisen allows me to pay (my main eventers demand somewhere between 80k-120k). I find this highly unrealistic for a company that is making around $1,2 million a month average.

Now I just go into the editor and set their contract to whatever length they accepted in the negotiation, and set their wage to whatever they demanded. This only works, off course, as long as they don't sign for another company when my own negotiation fail (I lost Remo to TCW, but that is the only time that has happened).

My question is this: Have anyone else experienced this and been able to solve it?

Oh, I have also tried to edit Richard Eisen and set his Finance "skill" to flashy, but that didn't change anything.

[Sons of Kohral]

Yeah, job them out when they have 2 months left on their contract and force their pop down. Hey, they'll be pissed, but right after they resign, give them revenge wins and it should be OK.

[The Shape]

I don't thiiink I've had problems with this outside of TCW, might just have blocked it from my memory though. What's your negotiating skill like?

[Remianen]

Originally Posted by dPro

I am now two years into my SWF game, and one issue has come up several times. I am talking about the salaries I am allowed to pay workers when negotiating contracts. If you book SWF successfully, your main eventers will have A/A* in popularity across the US fairly quickly. Now, each time one of my main eventer's contract comes up for renewal Richard Eisen blocks me from resigning them since they demand more than the 60k Eisen allows me to pay (my main eventers demand somewhere between 80k-120k). I find this highly unrealistic for a company that is making around $1,2 million a month average.

I don't understand.

You find it highly unrealistic that a rich owner would want to be richer by denying your ability to give his workers whatever they ask for? I think you're looking at things differently than most real business owners. Lemme ask you a question. Eisen lets you give Remo 80,000 a month, then Jack Bruce's contract comes up. How much do you think he's going to ask for? Hint: More than 80k. So then Faith's contract comes up and what's he ask for? Why, it'll be the same or more than Bruce. Five years down the line, you're paying half a million a month JUST to your main eventers. Unless that 1.2 million a month income grows at the same or higher rate than you're dishing out in contracts, you're actually making LESS money than you were previously. So Eisen's refusal makes perfect sense, even for a 'splash the cash' type owner. You want him to be Ted Turner, you'll get Ted Turner results.

Here's my question for you (and everyone who agrees with your point of view), why do you need them? Are you not able to create stars at the drop of a hat? Why not? I look at some of the SWF diaries and I see people turning nobodies like Davis Wayne Newton into international icons, np. Roster turnover is necessary to stave off present day WWE-itis. Having a worker want to break your bank (now and in the future, due to salary inflation) is a perfect opportunity to use said worker to jumpstart your next star making project.

Or, you can run to the editor and fix the perceived problem that way.

[James Casey]

Originally Posted by Remianen

I look at some of the SWF diaries and I see people turning nobodies like Davis Wayne Newton into international icons, np.

I will soon be offering a masterclass in how to book SWF poorly, to balance all the 'God booker' examples on display.

WATCH as Jack Bruce becomes less popular than Frederique.
GASP as Money/Remo is given away on the B shows.
YAWN at the interminable Brandon James promos.

I promise, it'll be a riot. The fans sure think so

[dPro]

I understand where you're coming from, but I don't really agree with that being perfectly realistic. If this was something that occurred from time to time I would be fine with it, but, as it is now, ALL my main eventers will leave every time their contracts come up for renewal unless I job them out first (in which case they wouldn't be main eventers anymore). I don't think a man who have built up the biggest promotion in the world, would let his biggest stars leave left and right. I know it isn't a problem using the people on the way out to send other people to the top, but if people leave once they get over with the fans, I don't think the fans would be very happy with the situation. I don't think a business man like Eisen, who know the industry in and out, would allow this to happen, especially with TCW growing stronger and stronger.

[PeterHilton]

I'm making barely 600 k a month with SWF.

[dPro]

Originally Posted by PeterHilton

I'm making barely 600 k a month with SWF.

Still, it's a profit

I've raised prices $2 from the default price, and I've got PPV coverage in all areas (Huge in US/CAN, Big in UK/EU and Med in JAP/AUS/MEX). In fact, I just checked my finances and, since I invested in a 50k seat arena where I hold my PPV's, I'm making 2,2 million a month when running A* PPV's.

[Bigpapa42]

Originally Posted by James Casey

I will soon be offering a masterclass in how to book SWF poorly, to balance all the 'God booker' examples on display.

WATCH as Jack Bruce becomes less popular than Frederique.
GASP as Money/Remo is given away on the B shows.
YAWN at the interminable Brandon James promos.

I promise, it'll be a riot. The fans sure think so

Well, 2008 had Generation Supreme to show people what not do with the SWF, so its definitely time for a new one! Can't wait til you get things rolling... after you finish out MAW, of course.

Originally Posted by dPro

I understand where you're coming from, but I don't really agree with that being perfectly realistic. If this was something that occurred from time to time I would be fine with it, but, as it is now, ALL my main eventers will leave every time their contracts come up for renewal unless I job them out first (in which case they wouldn't be main eventers anymore). I don't think a man who have built up the biggest promotion in the world, would let his biggest stars leave left and right. I know it isn't a problem using the people on the way out to send other people to the top, but if people leave once they get over with the fans, I don't think the fans would be very happy with the situation. I don't think a business man like Eisen, who know the industry in and out, would allow this to happen, especially with TCW growing stronger and stronger.

Well, you do need to consider that the SWF never starts wtih A* over workers. There might be a reason for that. Eisen might be smart enough to not allow his main eventers hit a certain level of popularity, where they could become "too big" and therefore too expensive. He could be wary of having a worker be "bigger than the company", after Sam Strong conceivably hit that level. Or maybe Eisen is not capable of generating that level of popularity.... I prefer to think that he would be choosing not to.

Originally Posted by PeterHilton

I'm making barely 600 k a month with SWF.

Lots of ways to maximize profits. Some "cheap", but still effective. Make sure you have PPV deals everywhere ASAP - that should mean every region but Australia off teh start. Up your ticket prices by $4 - doesn't seem to affect attandance. Another one is having a brand split just to be able to run double the amount of house shows (WWE did this late 80s, I believe). Don't have drug testing (easier with Big Smack Scott anyway).

[Remianen]

Originally Posted by Bigpapa42

Well, you do need to consider that the SWF never starts wtih A* over workers. There might be a reason for that. Eisen might be smart enough to not allow his main eventers hit a certain level of popularity, where they could become "too big" and therefore too expensive. He could be wary of having a worker be "bigger than the company", after Sam Strong conceivably hit that level. Or maybe Eisen is not capable of generating that level of popularity.... I prefer to think that he would be choosing not to.

Very good point. Most people don't know the history so the Sam Strong thing probably doesn't register. I think if you watch SWF (from a watcher's perspective), you'll notice their main eventer popularity tends to wane approaching contract time (with a few exceptions, of course).

[NordVolf]

Another thing that keeps this situation in the realm of the believable and realistic:

Popular Opinion. Eisen would realize that the situation would be like in other sports. If a baseball player, say, demands X amount of money above a certain 'wealth threshold' (an amount of money that becomes "excessive" to the average person's perception), doesn't get it and walks, what do the owners typically do? Hold at least a minor press conference and say something on the order of "We thought we had a reasonable offer on the table, and X player just wanted more." Then, public opinion does the rest. "That greedy such-and-so...!" John Q. Public murmurs. So it ends up not hurting the franchise much, if at all. You see that kind of thing all the time.

Eisen knows this perception and circumstance, and has set that 'wealth threshold' to you at, in your case, 60K. Bear in mind that main eventer would get paid 60K per month. 720 thousand dollars per year. John Q. Public would scream, "Jes** Chr***! I slave for 20 - 50 k a year trying to put food on the table for my family and not loose my house paying the mortgage, have to pay an outrageous ticket price just to see a show (or some outrageous PPV On-Demand price) in order to have some decent entertainment in my life, and Worker X walked because he wanted to make more than HOW MUCH?!"

Of course, Eisen also knows that since 'big' workers will "get greedy", it's the head booker's responsibility to ensure there are other workers able to step up and fill the void when such a "greedy worker" walks. And that Head Booker is you.

[Remianen]

And if their price is too high, they'll price themselves right out of the market and sit in the unemployment line for a while. Six months out and you can sign them back for the amount Eisen will allow. If Eisen isn't going to green light 80-120k a month, what are the chances Tommy will?

[James Casey]

Given how poor TCW is at the start of the game, they won't go for the very top names - it's just not worth it. Overness matters less in TCW, so signing Mr. A* Steve Frehley is pointless - he doesn't wrestle well enough to merit that kind of money in TCW. Now, if Marc DuBois came up, TCW might roll the dice (more so if the Bumfholes became available...)

[dPro]

He did in my game. When I couldn't resign Remo because of the 60k limit, he immediately signed with TCW. I haven't checked his salary with TCW, but I will when I get home.

[ewanite]

I just can't see an owner giving up on their top star for a few thousand pounds. If Austin's contract was running done in 1999, there's no way that they wouldn't throw every dollar they had at him, especially given that he could be picked up by the competition.