Interpromotional Angles

[Gunslinger]

Recently, I promoted a joint pay per view, War of the Worlds, featuring both of my LOW feds, the AWF and Ring of Victory. After booking the nine matches I wanted to see, I gave myself five cards of build up from each fed, then ran the nine match pay per view. Overall, I was pleased but I wish I would have played up the federation pride thing rather than focus simply on the wrestler to wrestler conflict.

My question is a three parter:

• Have you ever done an interpromotional angle?
  
• If so, What did you like about it?
  
• If so, What would you do differently if you had the chance?
  

[graymar]

Many years ago, I ran an angle in the WGX, where the promotion was actually split into warring factions. They did not cooperate in any way including having their separate PPVs.

I liked that it really shook up a large roster and gave face time to those who had sort of got lost in the shuffle. There was also that nWo question on a weekly basis of "who is jumping ship/joining the competition this week?"

The negative was that I really didn't have the time or energy to run two full blown feds and the angle suffered.

I'm not sure that I would have done anything differently except better define each feds 'style'. For example, I could of had the existing fed put more emphasis on interviews/promos while the second fed could have been more technical, hardcore or flyer based.

[LWPD]

Have you ever done an interpromotional angle?

For this one I have to go WAY BACK in my memory banks. I remember running a few inter-brand versions of my Team Challenge Series. GWF vs ICOF vs CPC vs CCW vs NAWC. It was based upon big time 'bragging rights' type events rather than a prolonged series of matches spread over several cards.

In terms of a possible real world inspiration from the industry there was an effective cross promotion between All Japan & New Japan circa 2000-2. They did good money for a fairly sustained period. Beside the usual cross challenges they created an inter-promotion heel supergroup with the lead headliner winning the rival promotions title and 'jumping' to that promotion full time once the cross promotion angle ended. Financially it was a success and didn't come too far at the expense of either brand. I could see trying that with LOW or GWF where there's a lingering effect once the larger angle ends.

If so, What did you like about it?

The main thrill was setting up unique match ups. I was always a big fan of ICOF and at the time I think it added an outsider ECW type feel to what the GWF was offering. I was never too into CPC outside of Tom's writing. CCW had the same type of outsider edge with unique characters. The NAWC Krazy Kards sets had great artwork and were ahead of the curve with the coloring and card quality.

Finding a way to bring things together was too tempting to resist.

If so, What would you do differently if you had the chance?

Looking back it was a blast to play out (and somehow it remains in my memory years after the fact) but the card mechanics didn't compliment each other. I'm now slowly archiving the ICOF material on the board for the generation of players who may have never experienced it before and I notice all the conflicts with the official rules. I also faintly remember NAWC cards being super stacked stat wise to the point that it would be a turnoff to run them against even the very top GWF stars. Card mechanic incompatibilities make a real difference in game play.

In hindsight I think its best to set up match ups between wrestler cards that fall under a uniform set of rules (ie. FG Brand cards against only those cards that follow the FG Card Creation guidelines). In that sense ICOF vs ICOF or NAWC vs NAWC at least guarantees internal consistency with the style of the author's intent.

[graymar]

I had the same problem with NAWC. I have great respect for Kevin and the others that created them...but, when I ran them in my bootleg WGX...all of the cards were just too "HOT".

[Gunslinger]

It seems to me that creating COTG bootleg wrestlers devolved into an arms race at some point but I let someone else start that thread...

[Deleted]

Have you ever done an interpromotional angle?

I did one a while back (like 2007) with my LWF and my Japanese territory.

If so, What did you like about it?

I had Steiners vs. Brody and Hansen in the main event, built to it by Brody and Hansen being all. "TEXAS = #1" and the Steiners saying essentially the same thing about Michigan. Match ended up being a time limit draw. The card also had Inoki vs. The Destroyer for the LWF Title, and IIRC it had Baba vs. Race as well.

If so, What would you do differently if you had the chance?

I probably would have waited a few months for when International came out, so that I could have included Liger, Tiger Mask, and a couple other guys from that set in the feud. Once I had International in-hand, I had the idea for The Mountie chasing a bunch of people around in a Japanese subway, until it was totally cleared out, and then yelling the words to his theme song at the top of his lungs.

[Vegas]

To answer Gunslinger's questions:

1) My LOTF fed is called Minor League Wrestling and in it I recently had a card called Cruisergate which pitted some of the stars of Minor League Wrestling against cruiserweight stars of Major League Wrestling.

2) I liked how it gave me entirely original matchups and how it was constructed as a rivalry between Major League Wrestling and Minor League Wrestling. Minor League Wrestling won the most matches at Cruisergate.

3) I don't know, I'll have to think about it because I'll probably have a similar bragging rights show between them again.

[Avarice]

I did one as well with my CCW cards that Paint mentions here. I'd bascially have it to where the rival fed brought in a couple of guys for crosspromotional stuff and it'd evolve into bigger things. Basically did it for 4 cards with the ppv at the end with fed vs. fed. NAWC seemed stacked more stat-wise than my cards and won out easily. I did it with ICOF as a more friendly rivalry with a PPV at the end. Back in the day there were more fed sets put out and I'd run them against mine as well.

What I liked about it was the fact that it got the bigger stars in other promotions that were hyped at the time you'd heard of and now you finally got to run them against your big stars in dream matches and find new feuds.

Differently? I would have maybe had a huge PPV with all promotions in various match ups. I would have had the fed champs go toe to toe in a big match with a trophy or belt involved to add to the prestige.

[dragon350]

I have 3 seperate brands, just like WWE. The only time the different brands appear on the same card are PPVs. The only time the wrestlers cross over are in big events like the Royal Rumble, Battlebowl, Survivor Series, etc.
Anyway, I find that the best feuds come by surprise, just by the roll of the dice. At Battlebowl last summer, Smackdown's George Hackenschmidt wound up in a tag match against ECW's The Sheik. The Sheik nailed him with a Fireball, which I just feel is a feud-starter. It seems so much more personal than a Figure Four, Diamond Cutter, Rude Awakening, etc. Just the very act is an attempt to take a man's livelihood, eyesight, etc.
I started the feud slow, with each man trying to one-up the other by showing up at the other's TV tapings, interfering in matches, etc. The feud actually worked out better than most, and, more importantly, was a lot of fun.
The blowoff match was a 3 Stages of Hell Match. Since my Smackdown (and Hackenschmidt) is an old-school more technical and submission-based fed, the 1st fall was a Submission Match, the 2nd was a Falls Count Anywhere Match (more to suit ECW's The Sheik), and the 3rd was a Hell in a Cell.
The funny part was, all 3 falls went the opposite of what you'd expect-The Sheik won the Submission Match, and Hack won the Hardcore and Hell in a Cell Matches!

[Scott Fire 54]

Have you ever done an interpromotional angle?

I not too along had Hardcore Championship Wrestling, now called Heaven & Hell Wrestling, invade my Legends Wrestling Federation.

If so, What did you like about it?

It was a blast to playout. It lasted 3 months gametime, and ended with a blowoff pay-per-view called Invasion. It featured a HCW VS. LWF War Games: The Match Beyond, and a best of 5 Promotion Wars Cup Series. It ended with both companies going over, as HCW took the Cup and LWF took War Games. I couldn't have asked for a more fitting ending.

If so, What would you do differently if you had the chance?

I would have had the LWF invade HCW's territory more often. I also would have had more interpromotional matches on my TV show, as I only held one a week on my Monday night program Warzone.