Planning a Circuit

[ianclark]

Hi there,

I am just getting going with a new circuit (after a long break), and I really want to make this circuit last this time.

So, I was just wondering how much planning people put into a circuit. Do you do it card by card or plan way ahead of time, setting up storylines etc?

I am thinking the best way to start is by plotting who fights in title matches at the big pay per view events and then working in other feuds etc, then filling in the gaps, but I was just curious if anyone had any tips on this they could share?

[JoshiQ]

I usually plan out who is facing who at the next supercard. I then work backwards from there (come up with why they are fighting, work out any problems with the storylines, how to continue the feud until the supercard without running it into the ground). When it comes to my World Title, however, I book nearly every PPV main event for the entire year. That way if I know a certain guy is going to be facing the champion at the year-end PPV, I shouldn't be jobbing him in his feuds halfway through the year.

And I usually will sit around and sort of daydream certain angles to start after my current angles have run their course. I will then write them down and keep them handily available in a notebook.

The key is to be flexible, however. If halfway through the year, I don't feel like a guy is working and he's going to be my next challenger for the title, I switch it up. If the champion feels flat, I have him drop the title. Long term plans are great, but they sometimes don't work, and when they don't you can't be afraid to shake things up.

But kind of back to the point, I book way ahead of time, but I let the cards work themselves out.

[theimpalertmx]

I think my approach is pretty similar. I have an idea of the guys I want to base my circuit around and how I'm going to go about making champions. I often don't book some matches on my first cards with my supporting cast. I just tend to put guys who are established outside my circuit to a certain level against each other and see what TNM gives me. What happens there helps to guide me through filling out the rest of the cards while I work up to crowning my first champion, for example.

I tend to run circuits that operate more like an ROH or Chikara, having one or two weekends where I run a couple of cards each month. It really amounts to the same as having weekly TV shows, but I feel like I have more freedom without trying to fit things into that mold. That's how I like to start things, any way. Maybe I eventually move it into a TV show format once I've established the pecking order. Either way, I usually figure that for every hour of "programming" I have (whether I'm doing a straight to DVD type thing or weekly TV), that I can fit in 3 normal matches. If I'm doing something like an 8-man tag for my main event, I'll look at that as being in the time span of what would normally be 2 matches.

What is usually troublesome for me is often filling out my initial roster. I have a hard time running a circuit against who is currently in WWE when I see those guys in action every week. I have no problem with straying from reality once I've started my own circuit's timeline, but I always feel like I need to separate my promotion from WWE while not completely ignoring its existence. It's no surprise that a lot of my circuits often begin when WWE lets a lot of people go within a short time period. With the last promotion that I posted in public I ran it on the premise that I was working in conjunction with WWE and only took a few guys from the roster who weren't really essential to what was actually going on. So, you know, if I was to go on that same model today I'd be using the guys who mostly work Superstars matches and/or being jobbers to the stars. This is essentially how WWE worked with promotions like USWA, Smokey Mountain, and ECW when they were around in the 90s. It's like putting a step between developmental and the big time. That kind of thinking also lets me pull in FCW guys to the scenario. Right now I'm kind of waiting until Wrestlemania to happen before I dive into my next circuit that I really want to put some time into. There are also some times where I just get sick of waiting, say screw it, and just see what I can do by choosing guys I actually like. Those usually don't turn into anything too involved, though.

I also try to think what TNM will let me do that makes what I'm doing a true alternative to what reality is giving me. That's getting harder and harder as things are evolving and TNM has essentially been the same program for almost a decade now. That sometimes means going outside the realm of what TNM is giving me and really TNM is just giving me the results to base it off of. However, it is still simpler then basing it off of something like Fire Pro, where things are super detailed and you have to put a lot of time into even getting the desired results you want. TNM still provides me something that I can use to do a job I could only dream of - unless I happen to win the lottery or inherit the many riches of some Nigerian prince any way.

[mdale2k]

I usually try to plan pretty far in advance for the main event feuds...partially I think that is because I love to plan out a circuit.

My WWF 1990 circuit I started on the boards (and still do personally off and on) I have the main event scene (World Title / Main Angles / IC Title) written to 1993. Alternatively I have a second set of possibilities below that in an excel spreadsheet.

I also usually plan the years Super Cards or Pay Per Views when I start the circuit, because normally I am starting a circuit for a reason. And then when the PPV or supercard is done I add another one to my sheet.

I am currently running three circuits personally and this is how I have planned

WWF 1990 - planned up to Wrestlemania 1993
NECW (started in 1962, running house shows (4 or five a week) and three super cards, planned to end of 1962.
WWE 2011 (Nov) - Planned up to Backlash fully but have World Title figured out til the end of 2012.

Of course if someone quits or I change my mind, because sometimes something happens or you plans change.

Hope this helps.

[snabbit888]

My planning really varies based on what is happening in the circuit. If I get a particular angle I'm really hot on, I can plan it months in advance. If I'm in a bit of a holding pattern, I plan not much further than the next card. I always have a general idea of what I want to do. Who I want to be the next champion, how long I want the reign to be, supporting cast, etc.

But I like to be flexible (that's what she said). Like Josh said, if something isn't working, if something works better than I expected, anything like that, I'll change up what I'm doing. I like to be spontaneous - it keeps things interesting for both reader, and more importantly, myself. I've found in the past if I plan out too far in advance, I get frustrated if it takes me a long time to get to that point. "That will be awesome... in 11 months from now. Sigh." I get burned out if I have too much planned. Being flexible also lets something come out of nowhere like a Steve Austin push. My Terry Funk character is really over right now, and it was an accident, nothing I had planned. Had I been strictly planned out, it may not have ever happened.

[JoshiQ]

I agree with Ryan on this. Greg Gagne is a perfect example of this. I planned on The High Flyers being jobbers, they then got over after their heel turn, I then planned on them being the most dominant tag team in a long time, but then Greg Gagne became the most over heel I have. All of that stuff would not have happened if I hadn't been flexible with my booking.