History SoYouWantTo / BeABooker

** A great wrestler may elevate a belt, but the reverse however is not true. Obviously unfit performers, those suffering from XPacHeat, and [[CreatorsPet office pet projects]] will not be elevated ''by'' championships, they will devalue them and make them seem less like prizes to fight over and more like props handed out willy-nilly. Poor Wrestling/JinderMahal was one of the worst "beneficiaries" of such an indulgent experiment in 2017, when the WWE Championship was put on him at ''Wrestling/{{Backlash}}'' due to WWE management hoping to tap into the Indian market by giving an Indian wrestler a big push, as well as Vince [=McMahon=] being a fan of his "evil foreign heel" gimmick and his big, muscular body (widely thought to be the result of steroid use). It was not only almost instantly obvious that Jinder was in over his head and could not perform at the main event level, but it resulted in financial disaster. Not only that, but the only way Jinder won his matches was because of his two henchmen screwing his opponents over, meaning he only got and kept the belt due to routinely breaking the rules, which didn't help his image one bit. The fans never accepted him, the quality and ratings of ''[=SmackDown Live=]'' began to tank, the India market barely responded, and the title's prestige has been tarnished ever since.

*** All of the above makes the Universal Championship appear meaningless, particularly considering that the prior champions to Lesnar were [[Wrestling/FergalDevitt Finn Bálor]] (relinquished the night he won it due to injury), Wrestling/KevinOwens (a substantial 188-day reign, but marred by Owens' cowardly-heel booking), and Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} (essentially a vanity reign gifted to Goldberg in recognition of his legendary career, with the secondary purpose of getting the belt ''onto'' Lesnar when he finally won the final match in his feud with Goldberg). It's become a long-running joke among fans that the title is [[BlessedWithSuck cursed]].

*** Another effective way to devalue a title is to have too many title changes in a short period of time. This is what happened to the WCW world title in 2000. The belt changed hands between wrestlers at a near incessant pace, was vacated six times (including one instance where every single title was vacated), was put on Creator/DavidArquette despite, as mentioned, everyone telling Wrestling/VinceRusso not to do it, and was then put on Russo himself. When it was all over, the title either changed hands or was vacated no less than ''25'' times and the only attempt to salvage it was putting it on Wrestling/ScottSteiner for the remainder of the year, and for pretty much the rest of WCW's existence, for that matter[[note]]He lost it to Wrestling/BookerT on the very last episode of ''[[Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro Nitro]]'' to air[[/note]]. By comparison, that year, the WWE Championship changed hands 6 times, being held by a total of three wrestlers: Wrestling/TripleH, Wrestling/TheRock, and Wrestling/KurtAngle, all three proven draws and main-eventers. So keep title changes at a small pace, don't vacate them simply because you can, and keep them off those who have no wrestling skills whatsoever.

** If two wrestlers do not have a logical reason to fight, it is the bookers' duty to create one. No wrestler on your roster should be neglected because Creative has no plans for them. A pro wrestler represents years of training and a skill set that is not easy to duplicate, and, unless they're just not any good, they should be put to use whenever possible. This is not to say that a wrestler can't be in the aforementioned cold match, go a few weeks without being on television, or that every wrestler on your roster should be utilized all the time; after all, injuries and [[RealLifeWritesThePlot real life]] happen, and it helps to have a fair number of performers on "standby" at any given time. But when a wrestler goes months on end without work because your creative department can't come up with anything interesting for them to do, that's less the fault of the wrestler and more the fault of your creative team. It's their job to be creative; if they can't come up with any ideas, then ''they'' are the ones that should be [[CatchPhrase future]] [[Wrestling/JohnLaurinaitis endeavored]]. If all else fails, ask the wrestler; after a few months of sitting on their couch, it's a good bet that they're bursting with ideas to get back on screen, some of which might actually be good.

** Faces should win the majority of the time, particularly in the ultimate payoff point to a major feud. Fans want to see [[{{Face}} the wrestlers they like]] victorious, and they want to see [[{{Heel}} the wrestlers they hate]] get their comeuppance. WCW gives us a perfect example of how toxic it can be to the fanbase if [[InvincibleVillain the heels always win]]. A heel [[YouCantThwartStageOne having the upper hand for most of a feud]] is fine, so long as there's a payoff to the fans in the end. In fact, this can make it all the sweeter when the face triumphs in the end, as it shows him triumphing over a real threat rather than making the heel seem like a HarmlessVillain. If you still decide to have the heel win his feud for whatever reason, there are two important things you should do.

** However, keep in mind that while it's fine for the heel to have the upper hand in a feud, this does '''''not''''' mean that the ''entire'' build of the feud can be nothing but the heel humiliating, outfighting, outsmarting, and generally making the face look like a weakling fool before the face eventually wins the blow-off match with a suprise roll-up. While this can work up to a point, when overdone (and it does ''not'' need to go on long to be overdone) this doesn't generate "heat" that makes the audience want to see the heel beaten, or "sympathy" that makes them want to see the face triumph, it just makes the face look like a loser who they shouldn't care about and kills all investment in the feud. The [[ArcFatigue comically overdrawn]] 2021-22 feud between Wrestling/{{Naomi|Wrestler}} and Wrestling/SonyaDeville went on for over ''half a year'' with heel authority figure Sonya mercilessly bullying Naomi, denying her opportunities, putting her in matches with herself as the crooked guest referee to screw her, and generally making her life hell for no real reason, while Naomi just stood there and took it for ''months'', making the 2-time [=SmackDown=] Women's Champion look like the most pathetic babyface of all time, and the feud become possibly the worst thing on [=SmackDown=] at the time- but at least the feud had a payoff with DeVille being stripped of her power as an authority figure.

*** Another effective way to devalue a title is to have too many title changes in a short period of time. This is what happened to the WCW world title in 2000. The belt changed hands between wrestlers at a near incessant pace, was vacated six times (including one instance where every single title was vacated), was put on Creator/DavidArquette despite, as mentioned, everyone telling Wrestling/VinceRusso not to do it, and was then put on Russo himself. When it was all over, the belt had removed from a wrestler no less than ''25'' times and the only attempt to salvage it was putting it on Wrestling/ScottSteiner for the remainder of the year, and for pretty much the rest of WCW's existence, for that matter[[note]]He lost it to Wrestling/BookerT on the very last episode of ''[[Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro Nitro]]'' to air[[/note]]. By comparison, that year, the WWE Championship changed hands 6 times, being held by a total of three wrestlers: Wrestling/TripleH, Wrestling/TheRock, and Wrestling/KurtAngle, all three proven draws and main-eventers. So keep title changes at a small pace, don't vacate them simply because you can, and keep them off those who have no wrestling skills whatsoever.

** Don't try to work your talent. They're the ones who are putting their bodies on the line for the company, and they deserve your honesty and respect. Be firm but fair, and definitely ''don't'' double-cross them. At ''best'', you're going to get a Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob situation where mutual bad blood simmers for years[[note]]Wrestling/VinceMcMahon managed to turn Montreal around, but only due to a perfect storm of circumstances including the decision to finally rip off the kayfabe band-aid. You will not be as lucky.[[/note]]. At ''worst'', it will kill your promotion. There are many reasons Wrestling/VinceRusso is – to put it lightly – a controversial figure in the industry, and a lot of it stems from the fact that even the wrestlers couldn't keep up with him.

** Contrast the above with Wrestling/CodyRhodes returning to WWE at ''[=WrestleMania=] 38'', where, rather than humiliating, squashing, and burying a major incoming talent from a rival promotion to make them look weak and unready for the "big leagues", and their rivals weak as a result (and, of course, to get a bit of temporary catharsis) at the expense of all the money the WWE just shelled out to hire him and attention they gained from the acquisition, he was booked in an ''extremely'' competitive match with [[Wrestling/SethRollins a talented and high-profile heel]], allowed to use his former music and entrance, treated like a star, and ultimately won, all in front of a white-hot crowd and an audience revved up and ready to see what he'll do next.

** And this should probably go without saying, but whatever you do, don't try to put any championship belts on them unless ''the championship itself'' isn't intended to be taken seriously (such as [[Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam DDT's]] Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship or WWE's 24/7 Championship). Compare WWE putting its {{jobber}}/lower card division's 24/7 title on New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (or any other celebrity who has held it) to Wrestling/VinceRusso insisting on putting ''[[Wrestling/BigGoldBelt the WCW world title]]'' on Creator/DavidArquette as part of a cross-promotional deal, despite everyone else, including Arquette himself, telling him it was a terrible idea.

** Another thing that helps is to ''never'' treat fans as second-class citizens or, worse, ''trash''. This is a mistake that was done by the short-lived Wrestling/WrestlingSocietyX, whose higher-ups decided that wrestlign fans weren't "pretty enough", so they shoved them into darkness and replaced them with "plants"[[note]][[{{Astroturfing}} Hired people that look like fans]][[/note]], leading to their demise as a company. Remember The Golden Rule: fans are the ones that give you money, and because of this, especially when you're just starting, ''they deserve your respect too''.

** Another thing that helps is to ''never'' treat fans as second-class citizens or, worse, ''trash''. This is a mistake done by Wrestling/WrestlingSocietyX, whose higher-ups decided that wrestlign fans weren't "pretty enough", so they shoved them into darkness and replaced them with "plants"[[note]][[{{Astroturfing}} Hired people that look like fans]][[/note]], leading to their demise as a company. Remember The Golden Rule: fans are the ones that give you money, and despite everything else listed on the page, especially when you're just starting, ''they deserve your respect too''.

Not to be outdone in ''The Death of WWE'' pre-production material department, 2021 saw not one, not two, but ''three'' massive "Black Wednesday" roster and personnel cuts in the immediate months following a Wrestling/WrestleMania that had seen the first live gate in over a year. These releases included talents any company worth its salt would've pushed as top tier. The first round of cuts, which included the likes of Wrestling/SamoaJoe, Wrestling/MickieJames, and [[Wrestling/BillieKay The II]][[Wrestling/PeytonRoyce conics]], took place less than two weeks after [=WrestleMania=] and narrowly preceded the first teaser vignette for Wrestling/EvaMarie's return. This caused fans to bitterly assume WWE's "budget cuts" were made so they could rehire Eva, cratering any chance she had of getting over as an inspirational model-turned-wrestler babyface (despite the fact that news of her rehiring was reported as early as October 2020). The second round of cuts, headlined by Wrestling/BraunStrowman, Wrestling/AleisterBlack, and [[Wrestling/RusevAndLana Lana]], took place less than 48 hours after the May 31 episode of RAW, which had hit a non-December record low rating of ''1.41''. In response to this, the speculation bubbling underground as to whether Vince was looking to sell WWE to the highest bidder suddenly burst to the surface as the primary point of conversation about the company, completely dwarfing even the career-defining championship heel runs of Wrestling/BobbyLashley and Wrestling/RomanReigns. The third round of cuts on the 4th of November saw them dropping another 18 wrestlers, including Wrestling/KeithLee, Wrestling/KarrionKross, Wrestling/NiaJax, Wrestling/EmberMoon and, ironically, Eva Marie.[[note]]As of 2024 Samoa Joe, Aleister Black, Lana, Keith Lee, and Ember Moon are all in AEW (and Joe is their world champ), Braun Stroman, Karrion Kross, and Nia Jax have returned to WWE, Mickie James runs Ohio Valley Wrestling's women's division, The Ilconics were last seen in TNA, and Eva Marie has tried to become an actress, with little success.[[/note]] The release of Jax in particular shocked fans, who had assumed that she had a permanent position because of her family ties to Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, and proved that almost ''nobody'' on the roster was safe, driving locker room morale and faith in the company to an all-time low. (Scuttlebutt suggests that all three firings were ''intended'' to make their workforce feel unsafe, to display management's power over their workforce, but it's backfiring hard.)

** Understand that if a wrestler cheats or needs outside assistance to win, it makes them look weak. We've already gone over that this was one of the most damaging factors for Wrestling/JinderMahal during his title run, but Vince still hasn't learned his lesson. In the ''Clash of Champions 2020'' ambulance match between Wrestling/DrewMcIntyre and Wrestling/RandyOrton, a bunch of legends, including Wrestling/TheBigShow, Wrestling/{{Christian}}, Wrestling/ShawnMichaels, and Wrestling/RicFlair took shots at Orton throughout the match before Drew won it. Despite being portrayed as a very strong babyface (see above for how he beat Wrestling/BrockLesnar), this made [=McIntyre=] seem weak, as if he couldn't put Orton away by himself. Similarly over on AEW, tag-team champions [[Wrestling/TheRevival FTR]] often won matches due to interference by their manager Tully Blanchard, despite being touted as one of the best tag teams in the world and having beaten the very dominant pair of Wrestling/KennyOmega and Wrestling/AdamPage. WWE managed to do this even worse with Wrestling/RomanReigns following his heel turn, ''presenting'' him as bar none the greatest wrestler in the world and an invincible and indomitable final boss with a record-breaking 1000+ day Universal reign... while inexplicably failing to book him to win almost ''any'' of his championship defenses cleanly without interference from his cousins Wrestling/TheUsos and their little brother Solo Sikoa, or the occasional low blow, which fans eventually came to get ''really'' tired of. It got to the point where one match had the stipulation that no one from Roman's family was allowed to interfere... And that's ''exactly what happened anyway'', with no punishments being doled out against the offending Fatus. People only cheat if they know they can't win, a.k.a. they know they're weak, and you don't want too many chickenshit heels on your program.

# [[GarbageWrestler Hardcore matches]] should be used sparingly. Beyond overplaying a gimmick, hardcore matches can destroy the bodies of those involved; just ask Wrestling/MickFoley, or look at the gravestones of Wrestling/ChrisBenoit and his wife and son. Another danger is the [[LensmanArmsRace increasingly dangerous stunts]] people will pull to get reactions out of a desensitized crowd. Use them as a blow-off to a bloody feud and promote the hell out of them so your wrestlers won't feel like they're sacrificing a lot for nothing. More harmless stunts like table bumps or blading can be used more frequently. Unprotected hits to the head and Wrestling/NewJack-esque falls from a forty-foot scaffold should ''never'' be used; fans care about the wrestlers, and watching them get crippled will shock and scare away all but the most extreme fans.

** Also, remember that the point of the promo is not to talk about how weak or foolish the wrestler's adversary is. The point of the promo is ''[[MoneyDearBoy to sell the show]]'' (remember the Golden Rule). You want the audience to know who is fighting, get invested in why they're fighting, and then you plug the date the match will be held so that people will tune in, buy tickets, or get the PPV. Belittling a wrestler not only damages their aura, not only cheapens the accomplishment of the other wrestler in defeating them, it causes audiences to not care about seeing them fight, which costs you money every time you book either performer ever again. Make sure that the promo puts over an opponent's skill, athleticism, or other qualities, ''then'' assert that the wrestler will win anyway because they're better, and give the opponent a strong comeback. Why do things this way? To save face in the case of a defeat (as the wrestler previously, implicitly told the audience that defeat was a possibility with their opponent) and to keep the "strong guy" aura on the defeated opponent in case of winning. The reverse ends with both the wrestler who did the promo [[MilesGloriosus looking like a loser who's pure talk but zero substance]] and their opponent being "buried", damaging their aura (in some cases, permanently).

This, '''this''' is the result of WWE (and Vince [=McMahon=]) screwing with the fans and being so out of touch that people simply do not want to tune in anymore, and are quitting in droves. It took Vince's retirement/[[KickedUpstairs sidelining]] and HHH taking control to even begin to restore his promotion's credibility! And if this is what happened to ''the all-powerful WWE with [=Vince McMahon=] in charge''... what do you think will happen to you and your small company?

** Also, remember that the point of the promo is not to talk about how weak or foolish the wrestler's adversary is. The point of the promo is ''[[MoneyDearBoy to sell the show]]'' (remember the Golden Rule). You want the audience to know who is fighting, get invested in why they're fighting, and then you plug the date the match will be held so that people will tune in, buy tickets, or get the PPV. Belittling a wrestler not only damages their aura, not only cheapens the accomplishment of the other wrestler in defeating them, it causes audiences to not care about seeing them fight, which costs you money every time you book either performer ever again. Make sure that the promo puts over an opponent's skill, athleticism, or other qualities, ''then'' assert that the wrestler will win anyway because they're better, and give the opponent a strong comeback.

** Where possible, programs and angles should be respectful and tasteful. Shock storylines lose their power if they happen every week. Say the word [[PrecisionFStrike "fuck"]] once, and it's a powerful phrase. [[ClusterFBomb Say it 1,000 times, and it's just a meaningless sound.]] Teach your audience to expect a largely similar product each week; make them feel safe, secure, comfortable... then blow them out of the water with a logically-plotted event (''extra emphasis'' on "logically-plotted" -- poorly-thought-out {{Ass Pull}}s are what torpedoed Wrestling/{{WCW}} and weakened [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] to the point of needing a rebrand) that they'll never see coming.

** For an example of this done right, consider Wrestling/SamiZayn's storyline around the 2022/2023 Wrestlemania season. WWE was in a quandry, because the plan was for Wrestling/CodyRhodes to win the Royal Rumble and challenge Roman Reigns for the title belts at Wrestlemania, but Sami's lovable turn as part of Roman's Bloodline stable had become the most popular thing in the company, with Sami's charismatic and hilarious promos, coupled with his endearingly genuine personality and talented wrestling abilities, getting huge reactions from the audience. The story was saved by, first, having Roman force Sami not to participate in the Royal Rumble in advance, so that Cody's victory wasn't tainted by the crowd's anticipation of Zayn's arrival or reaction to his defeat, then, after Reigns finally drove Sami to turn against him by cruelly attempting to test his loyalty one time too many, having Cody repeatedly support Sami in the aftermath, first complementing Zayn's abilities and suggesting he would be just as honored to face Sami at Wrestlemania, then by having Sami wrestle a great match against Reigns at a secondary pay-per-view in advance of Wrestlemania in front of a hometown Canadian crowd desperate to see him win, and giving him a good storyline afterwards that complemented rather than competed with Rhodes's coming showdown with Reigns. In fact, Cody Rhodes was actively participated in Zayn's attempts to get his redemption back, something which made Cody look both [[EnlightenedSelfInterest clever and good-hearted]], since Zayn putting in a good showing against Roman's henchmen would be as much a blow against Roman's attempts to cheat as a moral victory. As a result, crowds were completely behind both of them without resenting either, and it was hailed as not only a great storytelling triumph but one of the best ways WWE has handled this sort of problem in its history. While WWE's controversial decision not to pull the trigger at [=WrestleMania=] proper (although Sami and Kevin Owens won the Tag Team titles from the Usos, Roman still wound up beating Cody the same way he always does) overshadowed the win and angered the IWC, the frustration only served to demonstrate how good the build-up really was.

** Also, as we'll cover under the Product, rule #20, last minute changes to your card already make a lot of your fans very unhappy. Wanna know what a major reason is for lots of last minute changes? Wrestlers simply being unable to compete, either because of substance abuse issues (we'll get to the drugs) or severe injuries that keep them on the shelf. And that's setting aside what having to suddenly do without a major performer will do to your long-term plans! [=AEW=] has suffered from frequent, serious injuries in its main event scene for basically its entire existence as a promotion, partially due to the very creative freedom it promises its performers, often requiring last-minute card changes for big pay-per-view/premium events. (That's not to say WWE has been ''without'' such injuries, just that its overall "house style" is much safer.)

*** Sidenote: History has shown that legends such as UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli and UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan earned their statuses not only through to their own talent, but by the caliber of their competition. Ali had George Foreman and Joe Frazier, and Jordan and his Bulls had UsefulNotes/MagicJohnson's Lakers, Patrick Ewing's Knicks, Isiah Thomas' Pistons, and the John Stockton/Karl Malone Jazz. Creator/MikeTyson has a lesser reputation because despite his technical prowess and power, there was never anyone credible enough to match him in his prime (Evander Holyfield came along, but that was ruined when Tyson bit his ear off). The WWE was at its strongest when the upper-tier roster was packed with talent, and at its lowest when it wasn't (King Mabel vs Savio Vega as your main event, anyone?[[note]]Mabel vs. Savio was just the Wrestling/KingOfTheRing tournament final, the actual main event was [[Wrestling/KevinNash Diesel]] and Wrestling/BamBamBigelow defeating [[Wrestling/SidEudy Sycho Sid]] and Wrestling/{{Tatanka}} in a tag match, which still didn't set the world on fire and was a pretty crappy match to boot[[/note]]). The point here is that the more people you build and sustain to compete for your championships, the more you stand a chance of creating exciting matches, long feuds, and other money-making opportunities. %% Thomas' first name is indeed Isiah, not Isaiah.

*** Reigns was much more obviously hand-picked from the jump, winning most of his matches in FCW, being talked-up as a superstar during his brief run on NXT, being the essential closer for The Shield, and being slated to beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship less than a year after The Shield's breakup. While the DesignatedHero business was certainly cut down upon since he wasn't as gifted on the microphone as Cena and was carrying a persona that was more fierce warrior than boy scout, his contrived invincibility and inability to project a real persona besides occasional smugness still had a way of putting people off. It didn't help that he was constantly beating guys who were better than him at both cutting promos and working matches in a way that made fans connect with the moves he was doing. The most glaring indication of Reigns' anointed position as The Guy regardless of his readiness or the talent around him was him being repeatedly pushed above everyone who gained a hot hand with the fans over the years as being the one destined to dethrone Brock Lesnar for good to herald the arrival of the new era. This failed every single time, resulting in Vince stalling and going for alternate options, before finally pulling the trigger in the middle of 2018 after months of cynically-conceived worked shoots and false starts due to fear of Reigns getting booed had rendered the whole thing meaningless.

*** With Vince returning the product to its pre-Attitude norm of family-friendly programming and role-model hero babyfaces, this abolition of respect for the enemy in promos clashes so badly with the company's stated values that John Cena would often be accused of hypocritically undercutting his rivals with every Rock-reminiscent barb or Heyman-esque worked shoot he delivered on the mic.
*** For good examples, ironically, Paul Heyman himself is one of the best there is at this today; despite being most known as the advocate for ''Brock Lesnar'', one of the most freakishly-dominant wrestlers the world has ever seen, Heyman was known for invoking VillainRespect towards Lesnar's challengers, making the case that against anyone else they could be victorious to emphasise exactly how much Lesnar stood apart from everyone else. He even praised the courage of famous jobber Wrestling/HeathSlater when he came out and got in Lesnar's face during Heath's "free agent" storyline, despite Brock predictably squashing Heath flat.[[note]]On the other hand, Paul Heyman can and has been absolutely brutal in his promos. He was the final nail in the coffin of Jinder Mahal as WWE Champion, completely burying him as "not even being a worthy pretender to the throne" and not being anywhere near the same league as Lesnar. However, as the multiple references on this page would support, this was one case where everyone agrees that [[JerkassHasAPoint Heyman was entirely right]], and Jinder quickly losing the title so Brock could face AJ Styles instead was seen as an incomparable upgrade.[[/note]]

** A special caveat goes to the role of backstage interviewers. As they're asking the wrestlers questions during their scheduled interviews, they can provide a very valuable resource for guiding a promo and making sure that the wrestler/manager being interviewed gets across what you want them to get across. Compare interviews with the legendary Wrestling/GeneOkerlund, where he asks wrestlers pointed questions designed to launch them into their promo, summarizes their responses, and even reacts with outrage to heel antics [[EveryoneHasStandards he finds especially distasteful]] to the endless cast of rotating [=WWE=] interviewers, whose role can be summarized as standing holding the microphone while the wrestler recites a scripted promo--or even worse, AEW's "interviews", which usually barely last a second before the wrestler grabs the mic and starts cutting a promo himself while the beleaguered interviewer (usually Wrestling/TonySchiavone) just stands there looking confused. If you're not actually going to ''use'' backstage interviewers, you're better off just not having them.

Not to be outdone in ''The Death of WWE'' pre-production material department, 2021 saw not one, not two, but ''three'' massive "Black Wednesday" roster and personnel cuts in the immediate months following a Wrestling/WrestleMania that had seen the first live gate in over a year. These releases included talents any company worth its salt would've pushed as top tier. The first round of cuts, which included the likes of Wrestling/SamoaJoe, Wrestling/MickieJames, and [[Wrestling/BillieKay The II]][[Wrestling/PeytonRoyce conics]], took place less than two weeks after [=WrestleMania=] and narrowly preceded the first teaser vignette for Wrestling/EvaMarie's return. This caused fans to bitterly assume WWE's "budget cuts" were made so they could rehire Eva, cratering any chance she had of getting over as an inspirational model-turned-wrestler babyface (despite the fact that news of her rehiring was reported as early as October 2020). The second round of cuts, headlined by Wrestling/BraunStrowman, Wrestling/AleisterBlack, and [[Wrestling/RusevAndLana Lana]], took place less than 48 hours after the May 31 episode of RAW, which had hit a non-December record low rating of ''1.41''. In response to this, the speculation bubbling underground as to whether Vince was looking to sell WWE to the highest bidder suddenly burst to the surface as the primary point of conversation about the company, completely dwarfing even the career-defining championship heel runs of Wrestling/BobbyLashley and Wrestling/RomanReigns. The third round of cuts on the 4th of November saw them dropping another 18 wrestlers, including Wrestling/KeithLee, Wrestling/KarrionKross, Wrestling/NiaJax, Wrestling/EmberMoon and, ironically, Eva Marie. The release of Jax in particular shocked fans, who had assumed that she had a permanent position because of her family ties to Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, and proved that almost ''nobody'' on the roster was safe, driving locker room morale and faith in the company to an all-time low. (Scuttlebutt suggests that all three firings were ''intended'' to make their workforce feel unsafe, to display management's power over their workforce, but it's backfiring hard.)

*** Sidenote: History has shown that legends such as UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli and UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan earned their statuses not only through to their own talent, but by the caliber of their competition. Ali had George Foreman and Joe Frazier, and Jordan and his Bulls had UsefulNotes/MagicJohnson's Lakers, Patrick Ewing's Knicks, Isiah Thomas' Pistons, and the John Stockton/Karl Malone Jazz. Creator/MikeTyson has a lesser reputation because despite his technical prowess and power, there was never anyone credible enough to match him in his prime (Evander Holyfield came along, but that was ruined when Tyson bit his ear off). The WWE was at its strongest when the upper-tier roster was packed with talent, and at its lowest when it wasn't (King Mabel vs Savio Vega as your main event, anyone?). The point here is that the more people you build and sustain to compete for your championships, the more you stand a chance of creating exciting matches, long feuds, and other money-making opportunities. %% Thomas' first name is indeed Isiah, not Isaiah.

** And then there's Wrestling/VinceMcMahon. Even after [[KarmaHoudini all the shady things he's done, all the radioactive skeletons dancing in his closet]], he was ultimately brought down by a series of sex scandals involving various members of his workforce.

** [[Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling AEW]] did this right at the 2018 ''All In'' show[[labelnote:*]] ''All In'' was technically an independent show. It would from a promotional standpoint be considered a Wrestling/RingOfHonor show, as they provided much of the promotion and technical knowhow, and it was sold as a PPV on their website, but it was booked and constructed by Wrestling/CodyRhodes and Wrestling/TheYoungBucks, who would later be founding members and executives for AEW upon its launch, and over half of the ''All In'' participants would be on the AEW roster within the next 12 months.[[/labelnote]] with Creator/StephenAmell, known for his role on ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. This worked because Amell is a famously fit individual, he spent much of his free time leading up to the event training specifically in pro wrestling (as mentioned above, you could have abs on top of abs and still be hurt incredibly easily in the ring if you don't know what you're doing), he was a close friend of Cody Rhodes, as the latter had guest starred on ''Arrow'' and the two have wrestled in Wrestling/{{WWE}} once, and his opponent was Wrestling/ChristopherDaniels, a veteran of well over 20 years and possibly the safest worker to ever be placed with in a ring on this good Earth. Daniels won the match, Amell played well the role of precocious rookie, and the whole match became possibly the best worked celebrity bout in wrestling history.

** And then there's Wrestling/VinceMcMahon. Even after [[KarmaHoudini all the shady things he's done, all the radioactive skeletons dancing in his closet]], he wasultimately brought down by a series of sex scandals involving various members of his workforce.

** And then there's Wrestling/VinceMcMahon. Even after [[KarmaHoudini all the shady things he's done, all the radioactive skeletons dancing in his closet]], he was (at least initially) ultimately brought down by a series of sex scandals involving various members of his workforce.

** Wrestlers are going to leave your promotion for other ones, whether for better pay, better wrestling opportunity, or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs both]], and this is a fact of life. It's fine to use their last few months in the company to put over new talent, but do not, under any circumstances, bury them on-air for choosing to leave, even if they've done something legitimately underhanded like no-showing. Giving your wrestlers respectable send-offs if they do choose to leave will make sure your promotion is still in the good graces of not only them but the new promotion they choose to go to (see The Product, rule #15), and leaves the door open to them returning to your promotion in the future. In contrast, treating a long-tenured employee like trash just because they decided to change jobs will do nothing but piss them and the fans off, and all but ensure they will never work for you again. The list of wrestlers who have been buried by Wrestling/{{WWE}} after demanding their releases, and then showed up in another company cutting promos bashing their former employer, could fill a phone book, while Wrestling/BobbyHeenan's respectful and fitting send-off (masterminded by the Brain himself) meant that even when Bischoff or other commentators tried teeing him up to take potshots at the company in wartime, he refused to.

** So if you really, really, ''really'' want to put them in a match, don't have celebrities beat your wrestlers unless you have some way to get the heat back on the talent--perhaps the loss was a dirty finish, or perhaps the celebrity sticks around a little longer to put the other wrestler back over. The only wrestlers who can lose cleanly to non-wrestlers and not be affected are {{jobber}}s and {{joke character}}s who aren't supposed to be taken seriously as wrestlers in the first place. Wrestling/BamBamBigelow may have actually carried [[UsefulNotes/NFLDefensiveAndSpecialTeamsPlayers New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor]] to a pretty good match in the main event of ''[=WrestleMania=] XI'' (and Taylor, himself a wrestling fan who wanted to do the sport justice, put in the work and commitment to pull as much of his weight as he could), but it still damaged the poor guy's career long-term.[[note]]Fun little factoid: even though that was a [=WrestleMania=] main event it wasn't the biggest payoff of his career. He earned $125,000 for the LT match (not at all bad for one night's work, especially when the wrestling business as a whole was in the toilet), but would later receive $250,000 to take a dive in a worked MMA match against UFC fighter Kimo.[[/note]]

# And although it ''should'' go without saying, ''hold yourself'' to a similar standard of professionalism as your workforce and refrain from sexual misconduct. ''Your wrestlers and crew are your employees, '''not''' your toys''. Even setting aside the uncomfortable moral problems with treating people this way, hush money adds up quick, [[ValuesDissonance and we're not in]] TheEighties anymore. In the Internet age, [[StreisandEffect people will find out if you're abusing your power to squeeze the people under you into servicing you]] and, far from celebrating your rock star charisma, all but a tiny handful of horrible people will see you for the sleazy creep you are.

** Just like regular wrestling matches, the rules of GimmickMatches should be easy to understand. Matches like the ladder match, no-disqualification match, and steel cage match have been contested for many decades because of the simplicity of their rules, whether that be using everything at ringside to hurt your opponent or being the first to retrieve a prize. But when you have a [[ComplexityAddiction Contract-On-a-Pole, Two Out of Three Falls, lumberjack match contested in a steel cage under a time limit]], it gets ridiculous. The more swerves, {{gimmick|Matches}}s, run-ins, etc. you add to a match, [[GambitPileup the more confusing it becomes]]. Confused audiences are bored audiences, and bored audiences don't come back, costing you both fans and money. Just look at WWE's Punjabi Prison match and TNA's King of the Mountain match for examples of overcomplicated gimmick matches that failed to do anything for the companies or angles except for earn them places in Website/{{WrestleCrap}}.

*** It's not even necessarily the audience alone you'll have to worry about; WWE lost Dean Ambrose (likely forever) and their competitors gained Wrestling/JonMoxley because he found the promo material he was given as part of his heel turn (saying truly despicable things about real-life friend Roman Reigns' leukemia) so tasteless and unpleasant that he decided then and there he was leaving for keeps as soon as his contract was up and never coming back.