Total Extreme Wrestling

[JAxlMorrison]

Does anybody still keep up with/play these series of games? If so, which one do you like best? Has anyone tried the newest, TEW2013?

 

[vivisectvi]

The last one I religiously played was the final version of EWR. TEW took it too far in depth for me.

 

[JAxlMorrison]

I get into TEW2010 from time to time. Had a real fun game going as WCW in 1994 after Hogan came in, but my computer crashed. Currently playing it as Extreme Rising.

 

[A Happy Medium]

I actually bought TEW2013 at release, and I play it quite a bit. It's surely much more complex than EWR, but it's far more streamlined than 2010.

However, I think that real world mods are best left to EWR, as the stats were much more vague. Instead of the "fonz factor", there's a star quality rating...and a menace rating. And the menace rating still needs charisma to back it up when you do Mark Henry styled angles of sheer awesomeness. So, much of the time, you have rosters of wrestlers whose abilities may not match with how you actually see them. For example, this is how I would look at a guy like CM Punk in TEW.

Brawling - 71
Hardcore - 61
Puroresu - 42
Chain Wrestling - 67
Mat Wrestling - 63
Submissions - 65
Aerial - 42
Flashiness - 58
Basics - 89
Psychology - 86
Consistency - 90
Safety - 87
Selling - 83
Athleticism - 70
Toughness - 73
Stamina - 87
Power - 61
Resilience - 86
Microphone - 93
Charisma - 89
Acting - 76
Star Quality - 85
Sex Appeal - 49
Menace - 47
Announcing - 0
Refereeing - 0
Respect - 93
Reputation in Industry - 100

That is not even with his personality traits, lifestyle choices, and positive or negative relationships...or his current physical condition.

I think that my numbers are a fair judgement, but the fact that most people wouldn't agree with me on, potentially, 75% of my decisions means that the game is far better with fictional characters in a fictional universe, with rendered pictures to represent them all.

http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=517331

There's the developer's journal from before the release and should give everyone a rough idea of where the game is these days. At 35 USD, I'd say it's worth it.

 

[Kageho]

Honestly the new game definitely is worth it. However as Marx says, its hard for anyone to do a proper real life mod without being subjective. Plus there's so many variables nowadays that you'll never get a good consensus on who will rate at what. And I'll prove a point right now with that I don't agree with Marx that his announcing skills should be 0, I would say mid 70s because even though he did color commentary, he still provided some good insight while he was doing it.

I'd say find a company in the main database and work with them. Many companies follow along the same lines as some of the companies in the real world. There's also a few that have no real match and have some appeal. You can even create your own federation and place it into the game and try to make it to the big time. And the CornellVerse as the main database is called, has some very interesting and diverse characters.

As for actual gameplay, its so much more complex than EWR. You need to fit things towards your company's product, you need to make sure that you sign people whom your owner wants (can't have people with below C+ psychology for example), you need to be able to spot that hot new prospect, worry about people signing away your rising talent (which happens often if they are good ), autobooking for when you don't know what else to fill your card with, alliances with other companies to allow borrowing of workers, and much more.

Its definitely fun and worth your money, just its a lot bigger and I'd say better beast than EWR.

 

[Youth N Asia]

I started with one of the last Promotion Wars. It was a nice start, and EWR was a great step up. I think I buried my last game when I had Dawn Marie win every title at Wrestlemania.

I tried TEW a time or two, but it was more time consuming than I wanted to deal with.

 

[Dobbs3K]

I have the latest TEW (don't get to play it often enough, though). It's really good...but the learning curve is pretty steep. You really have to book to your promotion's tastes and strengths. It's pretty satisfying when you pull off a great show though, as you get momentum boosts, etc. I just wish the game "eased you in" a bit more. Maybe they could have included some sort of tutorial mode for people who are new or haven't played the series in a long time (like myself).

 

[A Happy Medium]

Unfortunately, the help file that comes with the game isn't as in depth as one would. If any game needs an in depth strategy guide, it's the TEW series. Hell, I'd buy an e-book for five bucks.

Anyways, for those that can make sense of what I'm about to say...I'm running TCW and I've just gotten in with an international TV audience and things are going well. As expected, I'm spamming Tommy Cornell into every main event. I'm six months or so from overtaking the SWF. This rise would take about a year from the beginning of 2013.

Right now, I'm considering taking the title off of Cornell, as the prestige of the belt only hinders his PPV main event scores (always turn on the dirt sheet in the preferences), as well as the poor announcing and color commentary. I'm thinking of placing the title on either putting the belt onto Wolf Hawkins or Joshua Taylor, but I'm considering keeping the title on Cornell for a while to make its prestige rise from his awesome title defenses. But, really, he's above the title. I finally fired Bryan Vessey for being continuing to test positive for steroid ue.

In other news, I lucked out and finally found a place for Rocky Golden (which is one of the most difficult things to do in the company) , as he has great chemistry with tag team partner Mathew Keith.

 

[A Happy Medium]

Well, I thought that I would spend some time and introduce people to the default universe of the game. So, here's a quick overview of TCW and some notable members of their roster.

Total Championship Wrestling​

TCW is the second largest company in Total Extreme Wrestling 2013. Their product is a hybrid of sports entertainment and traditional, solid wrestling. In order to be a main event talent capable of headlining Pay-Per-Views, the worker must be a terrific worker. One of the main challenges out of the gate for the company is the lack of a true number one face on the roster to battle against the owner, and greatest all-around talent in the game, Tommy Cornell.

A secondary issue facing the company is that its bank account pales in comparison (2.5 million) to the financial firepower that their rival, the Supreme Wrestling Federation possesses (25 million). One must be careful during the open stages of the game to not overspend and deplete the limited resources that TCW has. While a developmental territory is a terrific investment for the company, paying more than $500,000 is unnecessary.

The most immediate problem facing TCW is the state of the locker room. Morale is terribly low, with a lack of positive relationships between employees. This causes a major drag on match and show ratings. The cause of the problem is that some of the main event workers are jerks, and since they are in the main event, they’re much more influential towards the atmosphere. I highly recommend signing up family members of current workers, as those seem to be the best positive relationships in the game.

To keep this concise and keep it from dragging too much, I will merely detail the main event workers and a few other notable game characters.

Tommy Cornell (34, Middleweight, Regular Wrestler)

One of the best workers of his generation, "Rough Justice" Tommy Cornell is synonymous with Total Championship Wrestling; after leading a takeover in 2004, he has been both the star wrestler for the group and the owner and mastermind behind their quest to take on the SWF for the right to be the premier group in America. After four years of enormous success where it looked like they might actually accomplish their goal, 2008 and 2009 saw them suffer a tough couple of years - key injuries stalled their momentum, and a downturn in business coupled with SWF's resurgence led to TCW's financial backers pulling out. With Cornell as the sole owner, the company has had to become more financially prudent, a situation that has allowed SWF to pull ahead once more.

Brawling – 84
Hardcore – 68
Puroesu – 62
Chain Wrestling – 90
Mat Wrestling – 89
Submissions – 84
Aerial – 60
Flashiness – 47
Basics – 100
Psychology – 100
Consistency – 88
Selling – 78
Safety – 84
Athleticism – 90
Toughness – 72
Stamina – 86
Power – 56
Resilience – 91
Microphone – 87
Charisma – 93
Acting – 77
Star Quality – 92
Sex Appeal – 46
Menace – 49
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 100
Reputation – 100​

At the age of 34, and with no physical limitations in the ring, Tommy Cornell is the best performer in the game. He will rarely have problems in the backstage area, as well. Most beneficial to TCW, he is the owner of the company and therefore won’t be stolen by rivals. When playing a game with this company, it is important to have him headline every, single Pay-Per-View. No one on the roster at the present has the ability to be at the top without Cornell there with them. He needs to cut promos on every show and almost never lose on PPVs. I recommend putting the belt back onto him as soon as possible to raise the prestige of the belt.

Wolf Hawkins (26, Lightweight, Regular Wrestler)

Florida native Andrew "Wolf" Hawkins is one of the brightest prospects in North America, being the only man to have been personally trained by the legendary Tommy Cornell, who signed him to TCW and began his training after spotting him on the independent scene.

After a few years spent establishing himself as a popular midcard babyface, Hawkins was prepared for an eventual main event run via a 2007 heel turn that saw him join The Syndicate, Tommy Cornell's elite heel stable that was the main focus of the company's storylines. Unfortunately a lengthy injury kept Hawkins out a crucial time, and ultimately scuppered the storyline. He returned to action in early 2009, and thanks to an on-screen alliance with Cornell was soon established as a bona fide main eventer. He won his first world title in September 2012.

Brawling – 68
Hardcore – 48
Puroresu – 34
Chain Wrestling – 74
Mat Wrestling – 71
Submissions – 55
Aerial – 64
Flashiness – 71
Basics – 88
Psychology – 78
Consistency – 88
Selling – 72
Safety – 67
Athleticism – 82
Toughness – 56
Stamina – 90
Power – 41
Resilience – 86
Microphone – 71
Charisma – 77
Acting – 74
Star Quality – 92
Sex Appeal – 59
Menace – 40
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 74
Reputation – 100​

Wolf Hawkins is a terrific prospect in the game, and highly popular in North America. He is only 26 and should not be underappreciated. Instead, he should be built up due to his relationship with Cornell and his considerable talent. Wolf is both the protégé and tag team partner of Tommy Cornell. He starts the game as the champion of the company, but that’s a premature achievement. Releasing him of the belt and keeping him aligned with Cornell through tag team matches is a great way to improve show ratings and to continue building up his attributes for an eventual turn against Cornell and a run at the top.

Joey Minnesota (30, Middleweight, Regular Wrestler)

Joey Minnesota is a great talent who spent his early career dogged by backstage politics, bad luck and a short temper, but has risen above it to become a star wrestler for Total Championship Wrestling. He debuted for NYCW in 2001 and quickly established a name for himself as a sensational young talent, but was ultimately undone by the backstage politics that were rife at that time. He eventually quit to try and get his career back on track with DAVE, but a bright start was for naught as the company went bankrupt just a few months later. He was picked up by TCW almost immediately however, and has become one of the fastest rising stars in the company, breaking into the main event in 2009 thanks to a prominent role as a fan favourite in The Syndicate storyline, and winning his first world title in August 2010.

Brawling – 72
Hardcore – 52
Puroresu – 24
Chain Wrestling – 70
Mat Wrestling – 65
Submissions – 60
Aerial – 49
Flashiness – 56
Basics – 92
Psychology – 82
Consistency – 81
Selling – 80
Safety – 92
Athleticism – 74
Toughness – 70
Stamina – 75
Power – 62
Resilience – 86
Microphone – 67
Charisma – 72
Acting – 62
Star Quality – 88
Sex Appeal – 48
Menace – 46
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 78
Reputation – 100​

Joey Minnesota, from my experience, is the most maddening member of the TCW roster. He is tremendously talented and is aligned differently from Cornell at the start of the game. Naturally, putting him opposite of Cornell is an easy decision to make. At the age of 30, he has a great future ahead of him. However, Joey Minnesota is a fucking asshole. He loves to get into fights with other members of the roster. This is his yard, he must believe. Not disciplining Joey results in his behavior growing more negative and his ego swelling. But, suspending him is a bit of a problem when you’re a week away from your Pay-Per-View and the card is set in stone.

Ricky Dale Johnson (42, Heavyweight, Regular Wrestler)

"RDJ" Ricky Dale Johnson is a charismatic brawler from Texas who is most closely associated with TCW, having been with them since their very first show. Originally breaking into the sport in his home state with TWL, it was not until December 1996 when he was picked up by HGC (later TCW) that his career really took off, leading him to the main event scene in late 2005 \ early 2006 when he first put the legendary Rip Chord into retirement and then became world champion for the first time. One of TCW's main figureheads, he naturally had a prominent role in the company's Syndicate storyline which took up much of 2007 to 2009. The leader of the babyface "rebellion", it was RDJ and occasional partner Joey Minnesota who eventually forced an end to the evil stable, beating Tommy Cornell and Sam Keith in the main event of Total Mayhem XII.

Brawling – 66
Hardcore – 58
Puroresu – 30
Chain Wrestling – 32
Mat Wrestling – 28
Submissions – 16
Aerial – 14
Flashiness – 10
Basics – 78
Psychology – 72
Consistency – 84
Selling – 62
Safety – 76
Athleticism – 70
Toughness – 76
Stamina – 68
Power – 72
Resilience – 80
Microphone – 84
Charisma – 85
Acting – 80
Star Quality – 85
Sex Appeal – 58
Menace – 66
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 95
Reputation – 100​

Ricky Dale Johnson is 42. As you can see by his statistics, outside of a gimmicked brawl with Tommy Cornell, being in a singles match at the top of the card is an awful idea. He is at his most valuable continuing his partnership with Joey Minnesota and helping Joey in tag team promos. In TEW 2013, when a wrestler starts to decline, their time in long, important matches, and time even in the top companies, comes to an end quickly. This may be the case with RDJ. He is still a useful brawler, but not a person to push heavily outside of one month where the main event scene needs to be shaken up to keep things fresh.

Rocky Golden (29, Big Heavyweight, Entertainer)

Rocky Golden is a young powerhouse who has a million dollar look about him. Early in his career he floundered with Coastal Zone Championship Wrestling, where he was stuck with a poor gimmick ("Prince Adam") and a promotion style that did not suit his ring work. In 2006 he was signed up by TCW, who clearly saw in him the potential to be a huge star, and his career has been taking off ever since, benefitting massively from competing with other heavyweight competitors. In 2007, after a great run as a cocky heel, he was turned face to fight against the promotion's number one heel faction The Syndicate, a move that was the final push that he needed to "make him" as a fully fledged main event star. He cemented that position by pinning Tommy Cornell for the world title in August 2009, and now is one of the biggest stars in the US.

Brawling – 64
Hardcore – 38
Puroresu – 10
Chain Wrestling – 33
Mat Wrestling – 21
Submissions – 15
Aerial – 7
Flashiness – 20
Basics – 79
Psychology – 74
Consistency – 82
Selling – 50
Safety – 71
Athleticism – 68
Toughness – 72
Stamina – 68
Power – 85
Resilience – 88
Microphone – 67
Charisma – 76
Acting – 57
Star Quality – 100
Sex Appeal – 51
Menace – 75
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 78
Reputation – 100​

Rocky Golden starts the game as the number one babyface in TCW. He doesn’t belong there. He’s a solid worker, but is one of those guys that needs more work. His style is counterproductive towards the wrestling style of the company. The best course of action is to give his popularity to someone else and have him back down to an upper midcarder where you can experiment with placing him into a tag team to further improve his skills. Time is still on his side, and his star quality is unmatched. He is another guy to hold onto and work towards a brighter future.

Bryan Vessey (41, Middleweight, Regular Wrestler, Loves Anabolic Steroids)

Bryan Vessey is the younger brother of Larry and is generally regarded as one of the best all-round wrestlers of the past two decades. He is probably best known for teaming with his sibling, as The Vessey Brothers were an awesome duo, completely dominating TCW in particular where they won six tag team titles in six years. Bryan had his first extended run as a solo wrestler in PGHW in Japan, where he had some of the best matches of his career. However, seeing the damage the harsh style the company favoured was doing physically, especially to the main event workers, the 38 year old Vessey chose to head back to the US in 2009 rather than make a run at the PGHW title, and returned to Total Championship Wrestling.

Brawling – 72
Hardcore – 43
Puroresu – 80
Chain Wrestling – 82
Mat Wrestling – 81
Submissions – 77
Aerial – 54
Flashiness – 58
Basics – 95
Psychology – 90
Consistency – 72
Selling – 73
Safety – 93
Athleticism – 80
Toughness – 70
Stamina – 82
Power – 83
Resilience – 48
Microphone – 40
Charisma – 45
Acting – 38
Star Quality – 70
Sex Appeal – 44
Menace – 70
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 100
Reputation – 100​

Bryan Vessey is on a similar level to Joey Minnesota. He will test positive for steroids once a month or so, and it seems that the only way for him to change his ways is to fire him and make him look in the mirror. He’s a dick to other wrestlers, as well. Unfortunately for him, he’s in his forties, is inconsistent, is injury-prone, and acts like a robot in the ring and on the microphone. He’s not talented enough to properly compensate for his faults. I recommend using him to buffer someone else and then fire him once he tests positive again. There’s nothing else to see here.

Troy Tornado (35, Middleweight, Regular Wrestler)

Tony "Troy Tornado" Rennie is a talented worker and one of TCW's big success stories. He first appeared in the promotion as part of the tag team division, teaming with Stevie Grayson as The All-American Boys. However, it wasn't until August 2004 when he got his big break, replacing Jack Bruce as lead singer of Painful Procedure which led to a huge push for him. In late 2006, TCW pulled the trigger on his main event run when he went heel by turning on (and breaking up) Painful Procedure. After flirting with the world title throughout much of 2010, a serious neck injury in 2011 sidelined Tornado for over twelve months; he retured in the summer of 2012, but with his momentum seriously curtailed and a less dynamic ring style designed to protect his neck.

Brawling – 58
Hardcore – 38
Puroresu – 22
Chain Wrestling – 64
Mat Wrestling – 55
Submissions – 51
Aerial – 49
Flashiness – 42
Basics – 90
Psychology – 80
Consistency – 78
Selling – 75
Safety – 89
Athleticism – 65
Stamina – 70
Power – 45
Resilience – 73
Microphone – 73
Charisma – 78
Acting – 76
Star Quality – 68
Sex Appeal – 46
Menace – 38
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 82
Reputation – 100​

I almost didn’t include Troy in this thing, even though he is listed a main event wrestler at the start of the game. He’s that guy that you always forget to book because he doesn’t bring enough to the table and certainly doesn’t really wow you. He reminds me of Randy Orton. He’s just there. It’s probably a good idea to find a new tag team partner for him. My main problem with him is his relative lack of stamina. It’s a burden if you’re considering a singles push toward the title. He’s also way too old to gain much more skill.

Notables​

Jay Chord (22, Middleweight, Regular Wrestler)

Jay Chord is a promising young talent who, if he can overcome the pressure that comes with having an iconic multi-time world champion like Rip Chord as a father, could become a big star somewhere down the line. He made his pro debut in 2008 for his dad's MAW promotion, but was injured in only his third match and didn't get to compete regularly until the summer of 2009. The rest of his MAW stay saw Jay rise up the promotional ladder rapidly and improve as an in-ring worker by leaps and bounds. In 2012, despite the fact that he was only a 22 year old with four years of experience, Total Championship Wrestling signed him, reportedly winning a three-way bidding war as both SWF and USPW had also been very interested.

Brawling – 69
Hardcore – 53
Puroresu – 12
Chain Wrestling – 68
Mat Wrestling – 63
Submissions – 44
Aerial – 49
Flashiness – 40
Basics – 86
Psychology – 74
Consistency – 80
Selling – 72
Safety – 80
Athleticism – 91
Toughness – 76
Stamina – 96
Power – 46
Resilience – 92
Microphone – 74
Charisma – 74
Acting – 69
Star Quality – 92
Sex Appeal – 41
Menace – 14
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 50
Reputation – 100​

He’s a cocky little shit, but he sure is promising. He begins the game as a midcarder, but is destined to be in the main event. Pushing him towards the top is just good business. He should improve rapidly and gain popularity faster than most people. At the beginning of the game, he can already hold his own in long matches with a ring general. Like most of the young stars in the company, giving him exposure with someone like Tommy Cornell is a great move. This guy needs as much experience as possible before he’s ready to lead the company in the future.

Aaron Andrews (26, Middleweight, Regular Wrestler)

Aaron "Ace" Andrews is a talented youngster from Los Angeles who first appeared in October 2006, the first graduate of the new, highly exclusive, TCW training program set up by Tommy Cornell. Since making his debut, he has proved himself to be an exciting prospect, showing the "holy trinity" of skills, looks, and charisma; it is said that the company's management see him as a long-term investment, and are looking at him as a future world champion. His tag team with Chance Fortune, The L.A. Connection, has been an exciting part of TCW for the past few years.

Brawling – 70
Hardcore – 54
Puroresu – 28
Chain Wrestling – 67
Mat Wrestling – 61
Submissions – 55
Aerial – 54
Flashiness – 62
Basics – 78
Psychology – 67
Selling – 68
Safety – 77
Athleticism – 72
Toughness – 52
Stamina – 74
Power – 50
Resilience – 92
Microphone – 62
Charisma – 72
Acting – 55
Star Quality – 86
Sex Appeal – 58
Menace – 42
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 40
Reputation – 100​

Aaron Andrews is best kept in the tag team division. He has quite a deal of potential, but in games he seems to always develop heat with the rest of the locker room. It’s difficult to trust him, because you never know when he’ll take a few steps backwards, and he doesn’t have enough talent to make it worthwhile, at first. JTTS.

Joel Bryant (41, Middleweight, Regular Wrestler)

"Straight Shooter" Joel Bryant is a solid, very dependable veteran worker. He is best known for his work in tag teams, particularly in combination with Robert Oxford with whom he has won tag team titles both in Japan (with GCG) and in America (with TCW). Bryant is not a flashy worker, but is highly respected by his peers for his unselfish work in making opponents look good and his rejection of politics. In 2006, somewhat surprisingly, he was made head booker of TCW, and has thus far done a great job under sometimes-difficult conditions. He is credited with coming up with The Syndicate storyline that did good business for the promotion between 2007 and 2009.

Brawling – 43
Hardcore – 32
Puroresu – 30
Chain Wrestling – 69
Mat Wrestling – 67
Submissions – 60
Aerial – 34
Flashiness – 28
Basics – 100
Psychology – 86
Consistency – 92
Selling – 85
Safety – 98
Athleticism – 64
Toughness – 75
Stamina – 84
Power – 42
Resilience – 86
Microphone – 35
Charisma – 42
Acting – 37
Star Quality – 60
Sex Appeal – 49
Menace – 36
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 92
Reputation – 100​

Joel Bryant does not complain and knows how to call a match. Guys like these are so valuable in that help your prospects improve at a faster pace.​

Next time, I'll talk about young wrestlers that are good signings for nearly any promotion.

 

[A Happy Medium]

I wanted to reveal five, young male workers that are available to be hired in the U.S. and are valuable to any company that can reach an agreement with them.

My Fave Five, Dawg​

5. Mr. Lucha III (25, Middleweight, Luchador)

Mr. Lucha III is the nephew of the legendary Manuel Prieto, the original Mr. Lucha, and an extremely promising young star. The political debacle that was Mr. Lucha II tarnished the famous mask's prestige, and so it says a lot about the youngster's natural talent that he is the person that Prieto has chosen to bring the glory back to it. With undeniable star quality, many think that Mr. Lucha III is a sensation waiting to happen. In early 2009 he unsurprisingly joined OLLIE, where his uncle works, and has quickly established himself as the rising star to watch.

Brawling – 38
Hardcore – 22
Puroresu – 7
Chain Wrestling – 54
Mat Wrestling – 52
Submissions – 26
Aerial – 67
Flashiness – 88
Basics – 83
Psychology – 67
Consistency – 62
Selling – 74
Safety – 68
Athleticism – 79
Toughness – 55
Stamina – 81
Power – 34
Resilience – 93
Microphone – 47
Charisma – 79
Acting – 42
Star Quality – 86
Sex Appeal – 41
Menace – 28
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 45
Reputation – 100​

Mr. Lucha III comes in the fifth position on our list. At such a young age, he is able to “call” matches in the ring, and is armed with both terrific charisma and star quality. His personality is quite favorable, which makes him welcome to any locker room. If running a more adult orientated promotion, though, he will most likely reject negotiations, as he prefers to work for more conservative promotions. With plenty of room to grow, and time definitely on his side, Mr. Lucha III could become the face of a promotion.

4. Mikey James (26, Lightweight, Regular Wrestler)

A dedicated student of the martial arts, "The Dragon" Mikey James is a black belt in karate and a former championship-calibre kick boxer. In late 2006 he was brought into the new RIPW promotion, SWF's feeder league, to see if his unique character could be developed into something fitting for the major leagues; unfortunately they never quite managed to work out how to use him, and within a year they had mutually decided to part company. Mikey's career began afresh soon after when he debuted for CZCW, a promotion where his skill set was right at home. He has quickly become a sensation for them, and is considered one of their brightest stars. He has had particular success teaming with Frankie Perez, as The Cali Dragons, one of the most exciting tag teams outside the big leagues. In 2012 he became Coastal Zone champion for the first time.

Brawling – 64
Hardcore – 51
Puroresu – 28
Chain Wrestling – 62
Mat Wrestling – 42
Submissions – 55
Aerial – 58
Flashiness – 74
Basics – 74
Psychology – 70
Consistency – 84
Selling – 68
Safety – 76
Athleticism – 88
Toughness – 92
Stamina – 85
Power – 52
Resilience – 100
Microphone – 55
Charisma – 62
Acting – 56
Star Quality – 92
Sex Appeal – 42
Menace – 54
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 55
Reputation – 0​

Mikey James is a great signing for any promotion, and is primed to have a long career in Japan. Tough, resilient, and equipped with great stamina, he can keep up with a hard hitting style of wrestling and can work multiple shows per week. Furthermore, he has the look of a star, which goes along in way in getting over on a bigger stage. His only weakness, however, is that he has lower charisma. This can be worked on and improved. It’s important to remember that he has a good tag team with Frankie Perez that can quickly be brought to an American company of national size. He should be regarded as a definite purchase.

3. KC Glenn (21, Lightweight, Regular Wrestler)

Kevin Christopher "KC" Glenn is one of the brightest young hopefuls in pro wrestling. Trained by Joey Minnesota, he has talent to spare, and in particular has a great blend of technical ability and aerial prowess. He also has the useful habit of being able to draw great matches out of other, less-talented wrestlers. Perhaps his only weakness is on the microphone, where his heavy southern drawl can become a problem when fighting elsewhere around the country.

Brawling – 66
Hardcore – 56
Puroresu – 52
Chain Wrestling – 64
Mat Wrestling – 62
Submissions – 42
Aerial – 82
Flashiness – 87
Basics – 95
Psychology – 78
Consistency – 84
Selling – 80
Safety – 74
Athleticism – 88
Toughness – 62
Stamina – 82
Power – 48
Resilience – 97
Microphone – 20
Charisma – 70
Acting – 34
Star Quality – 93
Sex Appeal – 41
Menace – 20
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 14
Reputation – 100​

KC Glenn is my favorite young wrestler in the game. It’s easy to see why. He can wrestle against any worker in the game and is almost assured to have a decent match. For those that are having trouble with TCW’s backstage area, he is the protégé of Joey Minnesota (but not an asshole like Joey is) and can add a boost to morale. Like Mr. Lucha III, Glenn is unlikely to work for promotions that are not friendly towards families. While he will never be a good talker, his natural charisma is sure to carry him far, as will his star quality. No, the tallest hurdle for him at the beginning of the game is that he has no popularity in the entire world, so the player will be starting from scratch. This is what keeps him from number one on this list.

2. Mainstream Hernandez (26, Lightweight, Regular Wrestler)

James "Mainstream" Hernandez is a charismatic Canadian high flier with a huge amount of potential. He was a member of the initial MAW roster when the company first began, although he was originally a tag team wrestler, working alongside Erik Strong as Call To Action. That lasted only a few months before Mainstream went solo. As well as improving as a worker under Rip Chord's expert eye, Hernandez found a lot of success as a singles wrestler in the promotion; winning both of the first two Rip Chord Invitational tournaments and the Mid Atlantic Championship title, cementing his place as the brightest prospect that MAW had. In 2007, at Rip Chord's urging, Hernandez headed off to test his newly-polished skills in the wider wrestling world, first heading for the FCW promotion in Puerto Rico.

Brawling – 53
Hardcore – 31
Puroresu – 5
Chain Wrestling – 64
Mat Wrestling – 51
Submissions – 33
Aerial – 72
Flashiness – 69
Basics – 82
Psychology – 75
Consistency – 82
Selling – 65
Safety – 70
Athleticism – 73
Toughness – 58
Stamina – 77
Power – 42
Resilience – 86
Microphone – 75
Charisma – 84
Acting – 68
Star Quality – 88
Sex Appeal – 67
Menace – 30
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 70
Reputation – 100​

Mainstream Hernandez is number two on our list due to his relative popularity, star quality, and impressive entertainment skills. It’s rare to be able to find such a good, young talker that isn’t signed to a bigger promotion. What can hold him back from a meteoric rise in a large company is that his ability to sell will drag against match ratings. Picking Hernandez up and placing him into a tag team with someone like KC Glenn would be greatly beneficial to both workers.

1. Mathew Keith (23, Middleweight, Regular Wrestler)

Matthew Keith (real name Matt Gauge) is the son of the legendary Sam Keith, and identical twin brother of Greg Gauge. Both boys were trained exclusively by their father, and even at an early age they show signs of his famously lightning fast, fluid technical wrestling. Debuting on the independent scene in 2008 (often on the same shows as his brother but never as a team), Matthew quickly established that he was indeed a great prospect for the future, and it came as no surprise that he was soon getting offers from lots of different promotions. He chose to pay his dues first though, and accepted an offer from the small-but-rising Pittsburgh Steel Wrestling. In a nice moment, he was Findlay O'Farraday's surprise tag team partner in MAW's 2012 'Sam Keith Classic' tag tournament, and they ended up the winners.

Brawling – 70
Hardcore – 54
Puroresu – 56
Chain Wrestling – 75
Mat Wrestling – 70
Submissions – 74
Aerial – 38
Flashiness – 30
Basics – 80
Psychology – 84
Consistency – 77
Selling – 64
Safety – 78
Athleticism – 80
Toughness – 87
Stamina – 80
Power – 58
Resilience – 96
Microphone – 70
Charisma – 75
Acting – 69
Star Quality – 74
Sex Appeal – 60
Menace – 46
Announcing – 0
Refereeing – 0
Respect – 45
Reputation – 100​

It’s actually difficult to embolden any of his stats, because he is so well balanced and impressive. His “front row” statistics (brawling, technical, aerial) rival the best workers in the world. While he will not amaze people with charisma or star quality, both of those qualities are positive. His only pure weakness is that he doesn’t sell too well. This will change quickly, as his services are quickly requested by various promotions from around the world. Tours of Japan will do him many favors. As a secondary bonus, consider signing both his brother Greg Gauge, and his father Sam Keith. Their relationships will cause backroom morale to skyrocket.




In the next post, I will reveal five women in which you can quickly build a women’s division around.