Booking Challenge: Raw Underground

[Chiral]

We've had two weeks of Shane's wacky underground fighting league, and it's had...a reception from the WWE Universe™. But it's got me thinking, maybe there's something there to this. What does a good version of this look like in WWE, and is it even possible?

We have about decades of proof that Vince doesn't really know what MMA is (a poster on here recently summed it up perfectly that Vince seems to think it's like no rules bar fights as seen with the Lion's Den and Brock getting hardcore matches as his specialty in 2012-13), effectively writing what he felt comfortable with when he wrote Battle of the Tough Guys in 1989.


So imagine Vince has handed you the keys to Raw Underground because he doesn't get what it is. What do you do with this thing? Add even more camera cuts and ball grabs? Give Brock a world title for years because MMA power = much stronger than wrestler power? Go all in on the Battle of the Tough Guys-ness and make it a cinematic deal? Or go more sporty and do a like worked MMA thing? Or even further and make it a shoot MMA brand thing? Or go full Hulk Hogan and make it a work a work and work yourself into a shoot, marks?

[Jazzman]

Pretty simple idea. Hurt Business run roughshod over everyone, MVP takes on Babatunde as a new client while Lashley and him clear out everyone in the Underground.

MVP puts out the call as to who's badder than Lashley, Heyman strolls into Underground. Brock is coming and he's coming for blood.

Babatunde up first, is able to work Brock over a bit, but Brock eventually outwrestles him, get a sub.

Shelton next, play up the old training partner angle, and this one is a bit closer, but Brock GnP's out Shelton.

After that fight have MVP show up. He tells Brock he's been watcjong, but he thinks he's lost a step, that his heart isn't in it anymore. He doesn't see a conqueror, he sees a has-been who's going to get run overby Walking Armegeddon.

Lashley jumps Brock who gets the face in peril thing until the numbers game catches up. Sets up the last match in the fight club, Lesnar v. Lashley, two dudes enter, one man leaves

Sets up a title challenger in the way B4A was, gives Lashlry the match he's always wanted and in truth deserves with this run he's on, gives Brock the ability to rebuild some of that aura around him, and keeps both men away from Drew and Orton and whoever else goes into the title picture while still telling a compelling story.

[A Platypus Rave]

I mean first and foremost there needs to be a point to it...

like an Underground title or even just like a Prize money tournament.

there's a ton of titles at the moment so let's go Tournament (and that means that it can exist and go away every once and a while and not have to be a thing that always needs to be booked.)

I'd have what's going on now as the jobber squashes be listed as qualifier matches... and then well... go through the tournament... Have Lashley basically dominate until the semi finals (maybe the quarters depending how long it is) have him still win but try to make the people he beats at those points look better in defeat by getting close to beating him but not.

the rest of the matches being mostly competitive...

then the big final blow off on a PPV or something... since I don't have any other names in mind I guess give it to Lashley and the Hurt Business... give them a trophy/ring/belt taht they can carry around or show off for a bit... and also make mention the pile of money they made off of it.

[Deleted]

Really I don't see any possible way for this to work for the same exact reason no one gave a damn about the Cruiserweight division - it's this weird isolated unrelated thing interrupting the part of the show that actually matters. It's a failure from the ground up.

[MrElijah]

-Okay, I would bring back The WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship belt. That's the prize but also money matches are there.

-There are two type of matches. No Ropes Full Conclusion-KO or Submission for Victory, only 3 Times you can go out the ring, after that it's Ring Out. Cables: Something similar to Pure rules and British Catch. Ropes are used, but a strict 20 count is involved with 5 rope breaks. But if shit gets real, Fight Pit Cage.

-Have KOR, Thatcher, Riddle, Gable, Lorcan, Burch, Gulak and Cesaro join in with Lashley, Shelton and Dolph. Go all in with it. But don't present it as MMA>>>Wrestling but a rougher style. Think something similar to the NEVER Division.

-And change the name from RAW Underground to Underground: The Hurt Locker. It's open to any and all(RAW, Smackdown, NXT, PC) who wants prove themselves.

[Bang Bang Bart]

- First and foremost, I’d make it feel truly “underground” by shooting it completely independent of the usual WWE visual presentation. No constant camera cuts with only a single camera close to the ring following the action.

- I’d also justify Shane creating this as a way to, I dunno, give out prize money from his vast fortune by seeing who’s tough enough to beat the tar of anyone else.

[Dub H]

Just have someone deliver tapings of the shows,first "illegally" showing but then Vince/Steph/TripleH/ whoeveter the f*** decides to keep it showing because its good shit.

I would have shelton wrestling the first days and then Lashley and eventually reveal MVP is the man in charge while leaving a few hints.

Of course too change the whole production,no shane,no commentator going "this is great!".Just an underground business that seems to expand until it just becomes MVP's "Fight Club" where lashley is king.

[Gus Richlen Was Wrong]

First thing I do is kill it stone dead and put something worthwhile in its place.

Second thing I do is erase it from the annals of WWE history as best as I can.

Third thing I do is never let Shane McMahon appear on TV again.

[fw91]

Aug 10, 2020 22:50:27 GMT -5 Jazzman said:

Pretty simple idea. Hurt Business run roughshod over everyone, MVP takes on Babatunde as a new client while Lashley and him clear out everyone in the Underground.

MVP puts out the call as to who's badder than Lashley, Heyman strolls into Underground. Brock is coming and he's coming for blood.

Babatunde up first, is able to work Brock over a bit, but Brock eventually outwrestles him, get a sub.

Shelton next, play up the old training partner angle, and this one is a bit closer, but Brock GnP's out Shelton.

After that fight have MVP show up. He tells Brock he's been watcjong, but he thinks he's lost a step, that his heart isn't in it anymore. He doesn't see a conqueror, he sees a has-been who's going to get run overby Walking Armegeddon.

Lashley jumps Brock who gets the face in peril thing until the numbers game catches up. Sets up the last match in the fight club, Lesnar v. Lashley, two dudes enter, one man leaves

Sets up a title challenger in the way B4A was, gives Lashlry the match he's always wanted and in truth deserves with this run he's on, gives Brock the ability to rebuild some of that aura around him, and keeps both men away from Drew and Orton and whoever else goes into the title picture while still telling a compelling story.

I like this a lot

[rnrk supports BLM]

I only saw last week's, and I doubt I'll watch again, but in short:

-Don't feel obligated to stick to MMA. The tone isn't UFC, it's Jean Claude Van Damme. Have brawls go all over the building, have weapons, have lingering shots of guys taping shards of broken glass to their fists so they can really f*** up their opponents. Have blood. Have the losers get beaten to a pulp to the point where they need to be carried away.

-Have some sort of prize/consequences for wins/losses. Really, if you want to emphasize this as the anti-WWE, don't do championships, make it literally all about the money. Show guys betting on every match, stacks of $$$ thrown in the air when there's a big upset win, the last guy leaves in a pimp coat with one of the strippers on his arm.

-Ditch 90% of the camera cuts. Your gritty underground alternative fight club shouldn't look like it's produced by Kevin Dunn. Neither should the main show, for that matter, but that's another discussion.

-Drop the awful elevator music in the background.

-Take away Shane's mic and cut his role to a bare minimum. Every single thing about him screams "suburban dad going through a midlife crisis" and kills any transgressive vibe they're trying to give off here.

-At most, have Shane watching in the background and mention he's bankrolling this whole thing. Have somebody else announce the participants and winners who fits the aesthetic. MVP running the underground fight circuit could actually work. Or Luis Fernandez-Gil, but he's probably got better things to do with his time.

-No replays, certainly not using the exact same graphics as normal RAW.

-On real RAW, do not have your whitebread dork announcers f***ing putting this over or talking about how they're excited to see it. The reason you're doing this shit at all is that nobody under 50 thinks you're cool anymore. You do not want their opinion of the rest of your shitshow to bleed over to RAW Underground. You want the announcers nervously insisting that RAW Underground is unsanctioned by WWE and they're not responsible for anything that happens on there, and going on about how Shane's the only thing keeping the WWE Board of Directors from shutting the whole thing down right now, but he's really pushing his luck and it won't last.

[HMARK Center]

Mentioned it in the other thread that talked about this, but I'd ask Matt Riddle "How'd you go about booking that Bloodsport show?" and start from there.

[Deleted]

Aug 11, 2020 0:23:39 GMT -5 rnrk supports BLM said:

I only saw last week's, and I doubt I'll watch again, but in short:

-Don't feel obligated to stick to MMA. The tone isn't UFC, it's Jean Claude Van Damme. Have brawls go all over the building, have weapons, have lingering shots of guys taping shards of broken glass to their fists so they can really f*** up their opponents. Have blood. Have the losers get beaten to a pulp to the point where they need to be carried away.

-Have some sort of prize/consequences for wins/losses. Really, if you want to emphasize this as the anti-WWE, don't do championships, make it literally all about the money. Show guys betting on every match, stacks of $$$ thrown in the air when there's a big upset win, the last guy leaves in a pimp coat with one of the strippers on his arm.

-Ditch 90% of the camera cuts. Your gritty underground alternative fight club shouldn't look like it's produced by Kevin Dunn. Neither should the main show, for that matter, but that's another discussion.

-Drop the awful elevator music in the background.

-Take away Shane's mic and cut his role to a bare minimum. Every single thing about him screams "suburban dad going through a midlife crisis" and kills any transgressive vibe they're trying to give off here.

-At most, have Shane watching in the background and mention he's bankrolling this whole thing. Have somebody else announce the participants and winners who fits the aesthetic. MVP running the underground fight circuit could actually work. Or Luis Fernandez-Gil, but he's probably got better things to do with his time.

-No replays, certainly not using the exact same graphics as normal RAW.

-On real RAW, do not have your whitebread dork announcers f***ing putting this over or talking about how they're excited to see it. The reason you're doing this shit at all is that nobody under 50 thinks you're cool anymore. You do not want their opinion of the rest of your shitshow to bleed over to RAW Underground. You want the announcers nervously insisting that RAW Underground is unsanctioned by WWE and they're not responsible for anything that happens on there, and going on about how Shane's the only thing keeping the WWE Board of Directors from shutting the whole thing down right now, but he's really pushing his luck and it won't last.

I want all of this, I just couldn't word it as well as you did here. Thank you.

[thegame415]

I'd basically use it as a way to enhance feuds or characters and provide a unique way to present matches.

It could be used to preview "matches" without actually having the match.

[mrbananagrabber]

It just doesn’t work. How can you watch matches where guys get power bombed and clotheslined and thrown into barriers..and they kick out at 2? But then on the same show guys are having matches ended when they get punched in the face. It makes zero sense, unless you say “that stuff is fake fake, this is fake real.”

[Bo Rida]

Daniel Bryan is Raw champ. Defends the title in something akin to the roh pure title open challenge. If you lose no rematch until Bryan loses the belt. No punches

Build up a Lance Archer type who keeps getting stopped squasing jobbers. A Brian Cage type pissed his manager threw in the towel. A maniac that just wants to use his favourite weapons. Kevin Owens needs the money angle. The guy that looks set to beat Bryan DQ'd for a closed fist.

Shane comes in and offers the alternative to all the disgruntled wrestlers. Just fight, nothing to hold them back, big risk, big cash reward.

Eventually one guy comes out on top. That guy faces Bryan, 3 stages of hell, pure title, regular match, underground.

[Deleted]

Aug 11, 2020 15:54:29 GMT -5 mrbananagrabber said:

It just doesn’t work. How can you watch matches where guys get power bombed and clotheslined and thrown into barriers..and they kick out at 2? But then on the same show guys are having matches ended when they get punched in the face. It makes zero sense, unless you say “that stuff is fake fake, this is fake real.”

And here we find ourselves with the reccuring problem again of what does one want the companies identity to be.

Vince seems very fine with his identity being a dart board though so.

[Rudy Gobert Fadeaway]

Seth Rollins stabs Rey Mysterio in the funny bone so he can't laugh anymore.

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

Steal from Chikara; it was Quack's last good idea. The vibe isn't MMA; the vibe is secret fight club. A bunch of bored professional fighters decide to create this underground no-rules thing. It happens at 1 am. We only get glimpses of it: wrestlers will have mysterious injuries, others will suddenly have a lot more money to spend. Certain wrestlers start getting more brutal as the fight club bleeds into their wrestling style, and there's more disqualifications.

The end game is wide open. For Chikara it was this fight club was a new style of training, so the big reveal was a bunch of anonymous masked jobbers suddenly, during a battle royale, showing amazing new skills and working together on a mysterious gameplan... meanwhile, others were trying to get the whole thing exposed on tiny youtube channels. Some variation on this would work fine in the WWE: Shane or MVP secretly organizing the thing to unearth some super-tough rookie they can snatch up and encourage to be vicious and guide to the top. Like, the person is throwing their Raw matches and so never seems like a threat, but they've been dominating this secret fight club, gaining experience in this brutal style, and "suddenly" rocket to the top. Someone like Timothy Thatcher or Cameron Grimes or Chad Gable.


Just make it actually underground. Secret (until it's not).

[tenshi]

Here's what I'd do: Shane McMahon is bankrolling the whole thing as he throws misfits, trainees, hopefuls and whoever wants to fight in the Underground for his amusement. The change in this approach is that Shane is throwing money around to find new fighters and see who's the toughest fighter around with the end goal being that whoever is the toughest around has an option: Either rule in the Underground and fight until he/she's taken down like in some fighting games' version of "King of the Mountain" OR you can move onto the main roster and be "promoted" with the chance of winning more money in exchange for fighting within their rules. I'd make the Underground WWE's version of a delegation league where people down on their luck get piled up with people with everything to win and nothing to lose as well as people who just wanna cater to their "killer instinct" with the common goal of making it to the top, either to rule the place or to shoot yourself up to the main roster. This is Shane's new land of opportunity but, if you want opportunities to come your way and your status to improve, you gotta fight for them and do your best to survive the grind.

[BatPunk]

First and foremost, it needs to be cinematic and I would get a good fight choreographer and director.

The first few weeks would be similar to how it is now. Introducing new guys and reintroducing current guys on the roster. After the ‘getting to know you’ phase, an invitation only tournament is called. The only people who get an ‘invitation’ are known legit badasses in WWE, plus some of the guys who have been featured that have tested positively with the audience in previous weeks.

The tournament is drawn up with how the director/producers and fight choreographer best see how it will shape up, leading to a climax in storytelling.

Cinematic/Game style fights are rehearsed and filmed weekly, with the director and producers keeping an eye with who the audience loves/hates and Making slight changes to the story, or major if the crowd is really getting behind a fighter. But still trying to keep to the original storyline. Only giving a little juice to the positives!

The finale is a street fight that is actually in the streets and it’s anything goes. Hollywood style fight scene. Weapons, some crowd members gets hit by a passing car etc.....

After the winner is crowned ‘King if The Underground’ and everyone leaves, there is a persons shadow cast on the wall of an alley. You hear Brock laugh.