KING OF BTB: A KING IS CROWNED - November 14, 2024

[Dubb]

Welcome one, welcome all - to (as far as I know) the inaugural King of BTB competition here at WrestlingSmarks!

What is King of BTB you ask?

Well, those of you who migrated over from WrestlingClique may recall the versions organized and led by WolfBeast. But basically the name says it all. It's a writing/booking competition to determine who stands out among the best here the in the land of the BTB.

The competition is quite simple.

There will be THREE (3) rounds.

Each round, everyone will receive a prompt/scenario/challenge. Everyone is completing the same challenge but it is up to you the competitor on how you do it. The challenges will not be too intensive, in the interest of getting more people involved.

A deadline will be set and if you are competing, you have until that deadline to submit your entry.

A crack panel of judges (myself, Stojy, and Jam) will read, review, and score your entry based on the following criteria:

Quality of Content (Description/Detail, Relevance, storytelling, emotional investment - basically how "good" is it): 25
Creativity (pretty self explainatory): 15
Formatting/Presentation (How is the layout, how is the grammar/spelling, does everything flow): 10

So scores will be out of 50. Each round will see a certain % of the lower scores being eliminated while the others move on to the next round.

While not revealing the exact prompts, here's an idea of what each round will involve.

Round 1: A character backstory/details followed by a segment or promo featuring said character.
Round 2: Recapping of a tournament, writing out the finals of said tournament.
Round 3: Rebooking a PPV, recapping the show and writing out one match in full.

The actual prompts will be more specific, but I want people to see that the commitment is not too intense here.

So.... are you interested? I certainly hope so because this won't be as much fun if only four people play!

But if you are? You might be wondering how do you sign up?

Now that's certainly a good question. And the answer is simple. You sign up when you submit your Round 1 Entry. You can certainly respond here and state your interest and your intentions of competing, but I am going to have the actual entries be the official signups in order to prevent a situation where there's a bunch of no-shows in Round 1 because that can be depressing to see.

The Round 1 challenge will be posted tomorrow and you'll have two weeks to complete an entry if you are interested in competing!


​

 

[Stojy]

Let the games begin! Awesome work by you to get this organised Dubb, especially with some creative rounds for each task. Good luck to everybody, I look forward to judging.

 

[Dubb]

What do you think of when I say the names Kevin Sullivan, Barry Darsow, The Godfather, Dustin Rhodes, Glenn Jacobs, and of course... Ed Leslie?

They are among the elite in wrestling history.

Well, if being elite was judged on how many different gimmicks you have had.

But let's face it, a gimmick can make or break a wrestler. Some gimmicks work. Some don't. More often than not, the first time we meet a new wrestler, that isn't the gimmick that gets them over. (Rocky Maivia?) Sometimes a gimmick that works for one character may not work for someone else.

Which brings us to our first challenge of the inaugural King of BTB.

Pick any wrestler. Any wrestler from the history of professional wrestling. Got one in mind?

Okay, now give him or her a brand new gimmick. One that they have never had before.

Your job:
Provide the backstory behind the gimmick change. Any relevant history into the change as well as the details of the new character. And then, write ONE (1) promo or segment that introduces this new character to the audience.

Rules:
-Must be a real wrestler from wrestling history.
-It can be any time period, but it has to be a time period from when that wrestler was both alive and actively wrestling. So no giving Andre the Giant a rapping gimmick in 2005, for example.
-Must be a new concept and not one you’ve used previously in a BTB.
-The new gimmick cannot be one they ever used before, past or present (or future if its a retro character).
-The character, however, does NOT have to be contained to the promotion they worked for at the time. So, for example, you could have Andre the Giant debut in WCW in 1990 as a rapper, for example.
-Writing expectations: Some kind of backstory or explaination of the gimmick change. 1 promo or segment introducing the new character/gimmick.
-DM entries to me on the forum by the deadline below.
-Have fun!

DEADLINE:
Sunday 18th August at 11:59PM Pacific Time.
Which is Monday 19th August at 02:59AM Eastern Time.
Which is Monday 19th August at 07:59AM British Summer Time.
Which is Monday 19th August at 4:59PM Australian Eastern Standard Time.​

 

[Raider Nation]

So, they can't stay in the gimmick they were in at all?

 

[Dubb]

So, they can't stay in the gimmick they were in at all?

The challenge is writing a gimmick change, so technically at the beginning when write the explanation of the new gimmick, you can mention the previous gimmick - or if part of your segment involves them ditching the old gimmick for the new one, that'd be legal. Hopefully that answers your question if I understand it correctly.

 

[Dubb]

Since I've been pretty busy the last couple weeks, we could all probably use a few more days so I've moved the deadline back four days.

Get them in by then!

NEW DEADLINE:
Sunday 18th August at 11:59PM Pacific Time.
Which is Monday 19th August at 02:59AM Eastern Time.
Which is Monday 19th August at 07:59AM British Summer Time.
Which is Monday 19th August at 4:59PM Australian Eastern Standard Time

 

[Dubb]

One last reminder before we head into deadline weekend...

Hoping the floodgates open this weekend! Remember, DM me your entries here on the forum.

 

[Dubb]

If anyone with low post count who wants to enter but has issues with DMing, let me know and I’ll send you a DM. Just reply here before the deadline and it won’t count against you if it’s late since I won’t be around a whole lot tonight

 

[Dubb]

Deadline has come and gone!

Thank you for those who have elected to participate. We have ourselves FIVE people vying for the title of King of BTB. While I was hoping for some more, I know how life can get in the way!

But the five we got all look quite interesting and am looking forward to diving in to grade them.

Results will be posted in this thread once the judges have been able put together our scores. So stay tuned!

 

[Dubb]

Entries have been judged! Results will go live tomorrow starting at 12PM eastern.

 

[Dubb]

Results of Round 1 will begin to roll out shortly. The entries will be revealed in a staggered time frame throughout the afternoon.

The order in which the results will be revealed will be random.

The entry will come first, followed by a synopsis of the judges' thoughts/feedback followed by the scores.

The lowest score of the round will be eliminated. The other four will move on to Round 2.

 

[Dubb]

CONTESTANT NUMBER ONE:
@Mandalorian

BACKGROUND:

AEW ALL IN LONDON
August 27, 2023 - London, England

*CLICK HERE*

Following the embarrassment suffered at the hands of Paul Wight, Anthony Ogogo and Grado at the AEW All in London Zero Hour show, Jeff Jarrett was seen to be in a foul mood on AEW programming for the next several weeks. The humiliation suffered at the biggest event of AEW’s history also had the detrimental effect on his and his allies’ fortunes in the ring as Jarrett found himself on the losing end of things in singles action and even when teaming with Jay Lethal or Satnam Singh. An exception to the overall dismay did come through when Jay Lethal was able to pick up a victory on an episode of Collision against Action Andretti.

The spate of bad luck for Jarrett and company continued with a bizarre occurrence backstage on an episode of Rampage. Jarrett was giving an interview ahead of a singles match of his own with Action Andretti, when suddenly the interview set seemed to collapse out of nowhere. A monitor fell down from above and landed mere centimetres in front of Jarrett, almost crushing him. The incident caused Jarrett to completely lose his trail of thought; he was extremely spooked. It fell to Sonjay Dutt and Jeff’s wife Karen to continue the interview as Jarrett slinked into the background.

The match on Rampage ended as most had for Jarrett in the previous weeks. However whilst the veteran Jarrett had been able to be competitive in his matches previously, using his experience and guile, he lost very quickly to Andretti. It was evident, and picked up by the commentary team, that the incident with the monitor backstage seemed to have had some serious impact on Jarrett, who looked completely out of sorts.

A week passed, and Jarrett assembled his crew backstage to apologise for his performances lately and he stated that what happened on Rampage was no way for a leader to conduct themselves in the ring. That comment seemed to irk Jay Lethal slightly, who had since picked up another victory on Collision; this time against Darius Martin. The group went to leave the arena together for a planned regrouping session. As they did so, a backstage worker called in their direction to look out as a production crate was careening towards them.

The crate sped across the screen, narrowly missing Jeff once again. Shocked, Jarrett was comforted by his wife and his friends, but he shook his head and stated that he needed some time to think.

This time turned out to be a number of weeks, during which Jay Lethal continued to pick up a number of victories; including one over Andretti once again but Lethal’s hot streak came to an end at the hands of a returning Dante Martin.. The match lived up to all expectations given who was involved, so much so that even as the loser, Lethal offered young Dante a handshake after the bell in recognition and appreciation of his efforts. The respectful moment was cut short though by a sudden guitar shot to the back of Martin’s head… delivered by Jeff Jarrett.

Jarrett berated his allies as they questioned what his reasons for doing that to Martin were but he simply walked out on them. The cameras caught up with him and Jarrett announced that the following week on Dynamite, it was time for his friends to “prove themselves in the eyes of fate”.

DYNAMITE
November 23, 2023 - Chicago, Illinois

**MY WORLD**

There are considerable groans inside the Wintrust Arena as Jeff Jarrett walks out from the back with a scowl on his face. In one hand is a bright white guitar to match his outfit, whilst his wife Karen Jarrett holds the other. Sonjay Dutt jabbers away to the crowd and the camera and the towering Satnam Singh cuts a menacing figure next to him. Bringing up the rear is Jay Lethal, who wears an uneasy expression and seems to be accompanying Jarrett against his will and better judgement.

Tony Schiavone: “Someone seems to have pissed in Jeff Jarrett’s cereal; he does not look like one happy camper.”

Excalibur: “Indeed he does not and this of course only our second time seeing Jeff Jarrett since his return from some sort of self-imposed exile - it was on Rampage last week that he came back and smashed one of his many guitars over the head of Dante Martin. Take a look, Taz.”

As the group approach the ring, a replay of what happened on Rampage last week airs; Jeff Jarrett striking Dante Martin with the guitar as the latter was in the midst of shaking hands with Jay Lethal.

Taz: “Dante had just tore the house down with Jay Lethal there and BAM - Jarrett broke that thing over poor Dante’s dome. I don’t think Lethal was too happy about it, neither.”

Excalibur: “You’re right, Taz; Lethal and Martin had just delivered a barnstormer with Dante coming out on top… but Jarrett soured that moment pretty quickly for everyone involved.”

Tony Schiavone: “Then this lunatic starts yappin’ on about making his friends prove themselves? Jay Lethal hadn’t been doing too badly in the time when Jarrett was away! The run Jeff’s been on… he’s the one that should be provin’ himself!”

Excalibur: “When you’re right, you’re right, partner. A proving ground had been promised and that could have something to do with the set up in the ring here… I’ve got no idea what Jarrett has got under his sleeve, here.”

The set decorations in the ring are peculiar; there appears to be four tall objects hidden under black sheets of cloth along the back side of the ring. They are examined with some confusion by everyone except Jeff Jarrett, who has now snatched a microphone from someone at ringside.

Jeff Jarrett: “Alright, alright… shut your damn mouths because there’s some things that I’ve gotta say to these people here in the ring wi’ me.”

The Chicago fans predictably do not adhere to Jarrett’s request. He bristles for a moment and then continues;

Jeff Jarrett: “I know you’ve all been outta your tiny minds wonderin’ where I’ve been these past few weeks. The answer sounds like a cliche but damn, I don’t care. I found myself, people.”

A smug look falls across Jarett’s face and he holds his arms out wide to his sides. The crowd are struggling to make heads or tails of what is being said to them and even those sharing the ring with Jeff are unclear.

Jeff Jarrett: “I found meaning out there. I was enlightened. Before I took a step back from AEW an’ all this, I was almost the victim of a terrible accident. Twice.”

Jarrett holds two fingers up and resumes;

Jeff Jarrett: “I coulda been crushed by that light or ran down by that box… but I wasn’t. The first time, I thought to ma-self that I was just a lucky son of a gun who’d dodged a bullet. But after the second time? No no no, I realised that there’s a greater force at play here. So I went searchin’”

As he speaks, Jarrett paces around the ring. Despite their contempt for him, he is able to capture the attention of the crowd.

Jeff Jarrett: “Far an’ near, high an’ low, I looked for an answer in every damn place I could think of. I wan’ed to know why I was so special - more than I already knew I was - an’ after weeks of tryin’ ta make sense of it all, I realised what it was. I arrived at ma enlightenment… an’ I found the answer I was searchin’ for. One word, four letters. Fate.”

As the word passed his lips, Jarrett closed his eyes and clasped the microphone with two hands. In the background, his cohorts - especially Jay Lethal - are shown to be looking extremely confused.

Jeff Jarrett: “Those near misses were fate’s way of tellin’ me that I’m meant for greater things. I am destined for greatness here in AEW because not only did fate choose me… but I’ve mastered it. Soon enough, you’ll all learn ta understand the power that I now wield and what believin’ in me an’ ma power will bring you when I become AEW World Champion!”

Jarrett lets out a loud cackle into the microphone and then turns to the others in the ring with him.

Jeff Jarrett: “This is one helluva journey we’re about ta embark on big before we leave the station… I gotta know that you people - the people I love more than anythin’ in the world - I gotta know that fate shines as kindly on each of you, too.”

As the others talk between themselves to ask what Jarrett could possibly mean or have in store for them, he stomps over to the first black cloth and pulls it off, revealing a guitar on a stand. Then on the guitar, the word “SATNAM” is scribbled on it. The camera focuses on the giant, who points at it with a look of confusion on his face.

Jeff Jarrett: “Calm down, big fella. This’ll all be clear in just a minute. Fate chose me and I mastered it, an’ as ‘The Lord of Fate’, I need ta make sure that my followers truly believe in fate’s power - ma power. So consider this a proving ceremony. I’m gonna take this guitar, Satnam, an’ I’m gonna swing it at your head. If the guitar breaks and you’re fine, I know that you’re also chosen and deserve to remain at ma side.”

As Jarrett takes the guitar in his hand, Satnam Singh steps forward and shakes his head, refusing.

Jeff Jarrett: “I know it’s scary, but look at yourself, kid. Seven feet tall, one in a billion? If there’s anyone who’s been destined it’s you… this won’t be a thing, I promise.”

Before Singh can even react, Jarrett swings the guitar and he strikes Satnam on the head with it! However the big man stands unaffected! With the guitar shattered into multiple pieces, Singh remains strong and Jarrett laughs in to the microphone again.

Jeff Jarrett: “See?! What’d I tell ya? Nothin’ ta worry about! Now, which one of you is next?”

The next cloth goes and the second guitar reads “SONJAY”, which causes Dutt to freak out. Despite seeing Singh survive, he shakes his head profusely and backs away from Jarrett.

Jeff Jarrett: “Now, Sonjay, I’ll admit that you don’t share the physical gifts that our friend Satnam here does… but that being said, I think you’ll be just fine.”

With his back turned to Jarrett, almost pleading with Lethal, Dutt turns around into a guitar shot from Jarrett and despite his loud falsetto scream, the guitar once again breaks around his head but leaves Dutt unharmed. Sonjay starts laughing loudly and talking trash to the crowd, and Jarrett laughs once again. He puts his hand on the third cloth and removes it… “KAREN”. The fans cheer loudly and some start to laugh as Karen Jarrett nervously smiles; keen lip readers would see her telling her husband that she did not think that she was part of this.

Jeff Jarrett: “Honey, you’re doing this. How can I fully fulfil ma vows to you if I don’t know that you’re ma equal? Every Lord needs his Lady, after all. Whaddaya say, honey bear?”

As she looks into her husband’s eyes, Karen slowly concedes to him and she nods her head.

Jeff Jarrett: “That’s ma girl! I love you, sweetie!”

Jeff swings the guitar at his wife - but she is also unharmed! The happy couple share a kiss and Jeff picks some wood from Karen’s hair. Satnam claps and Dutt jumps up and down on excitement. Jarrett points at Jay Lethal and goes to remove the final cloth, but Lethal takes a microphone of his own.

Jay Lethal: “Jeff, enough. This is ridiculous. I’m not going to let me hit you with a guitar. This fate stuff… it’s all just bull crap. You almost had two accidents… but that’s all they would have been.”

A brief glance of contempt crosses Jarrett’s face but then he slips back into the forced enthusiasm as he stands in front of Lethal.

Jeff Jarrett: “I understand your hesitation, Jay. This is a lot to take in. But look at our friends… they proved that they have what it takes. Why can’t you? Is there any reason why fate would not choose you?”

Lethal shakes his head and Jarrett steps closer to him, and the cheery facade drops.

Jeff Jarrett: “You sure about that, Jay? Because I can think of one! When I returned last week on Rampage, what did I see? I came back to you shakin’ hands with that hooligan Dante Martin! This is AFTER he beat you! What kind of attitude is that?”

Jay Lethal: “I was-”

Jeff Jarrett: “I don’t wanna hear it! Weak attitudes like yours will not be tolerated… an’ if me hittin’ you with that guitar is what it takes for you to understand that you’re meant for more… then that’s what we’re gonna do!”

Jarrett reveals the guitar which reads “LETHAL”, and readies it in his hand.

Jay Lethal: “I think you’ll find that we were doing just fine when you were gone…”

The fans let out a loud response and Jarrett looks across at Lethal scornfully. With a subtle nod of his head, Jarrett instructs Singh to hold Lethal in place with his arms behind his back.

Jeff Jarrett: “Maybe fate won’t be so kind to you, Jay. Maybe you’ll suffer the same consequences as your new friend Dante and his idiot brother. Always putting themselves in such dangerous positions and always getting themselves hurt because of it… maybe you wanna be just like them!”

Jarrett rears back with the guitar…

**TOP FLIGHT**

Before Lethal can be struck with the guitar, the music of Top Flight plays and Dante Martin, Darius Martin and Action Amdretti sprint out from the back towards the ring!

Excalibur: “Top Flight! Action Andretti! Dante Martin leading the charge, looking for a measure of revenge on Jeff Jarrett and also perhaps coming to the rescue of Jay Lethal!”

As the Martins and Andretti slide into the ring, Jarrett ducks out with Dutt, Singh and his wife. The crowd aren’t happy and call the group names but he ignores them and points his finger at the men now in the ring. Dante holds the ropes open, inviting them back.

Excalibur: “Jarrett it out of there and our new ‘Lord of Fate’ decides to live to fight another day. The only question is where this leaves Jay Lethal?”

Jarrett and Co. watch on as Lethal steps closer to Dante Martin in the ring… and extends his hand once again! Without hesitation, Martin shakes Lethal’s hand and the crowd cheers.

Jeff Jarrett on the other hand, is irate. He shakes his head with a determined scowl and tells Jay Lethal that this is far from over, whilst pointing to the guitar bearing Lethal’s name.
​

---

JUDGES' THOUGHTS:

First and foremost, the use of Jeff Jarrett to appeal to not only myself but to fellow judge, Stojy, is certainly a genius move and probably should be illegal.

But in all seriousness, we found your entry to be both creative and engaging. As a wrestling fan, we probably would've been trained to think that perhaps someone was trying to attack Jarrett - perhaps a mystery assaliant type angle. But you creatively turn it into something deeper with his transformation into "The Lord of Fate."

The segment flowed well, and you did an excellent job capturing the voices of AEW's commentary team, which helped ground the segment in the style of AEW programming.

The tension between Jarrett and Jay Lethal was a highlight, adding a compelling dynamic to the story. Realistically could certainly see AEW pulling off something like this for a lower card worker like Jarrett, as I assume him stating his intentions to go after the AEW World Title would be a pretty long shot but a gimmick like this certainly would play will in AEW's midcard. The idea of Jarrett testing his allies with guitar shots was bold and had a memorable payoff, especially with the inclusion of his wife, Karen.

Would say that the ending was a point of concern as we scored. We were left wanting a bit more, especially in terms of the impact of Jarrett's new persona feeling a bit deflated by not letting him finish with that final guitar shot to Jay Lethal and instead having the faces run him off. Yeah, he's still a chickenshit heel sure but perhaps it would've been more impactful to have him go through with the guitar shot to Lethal and find him "not worthy" according to fate since presumably he would not have had one of the presumably "gimmicked" guitars and let him stand tall for this segment.

Presentation was mostly clean with good use of bolding and coloring. We spotted a couple minor typos along the way.

All in all, an easy read and a solid first entry to the competition.


​

​	Stojy​	Dubb​	Jam​
Quality of Content​	20​	19.25​	19​
Creativity​	10​	11.25​	11​
Presentation/Format​	7​	7.75​	7​
​	37​	38.25​	37​

FINAL AVERAGE: 37.42/50

Spoiler: Current Standings

1. Man 37.42

 

[Dubb]

CONTESTANT NUMBER TWO:
@Belfast Ow


​

---

JUDGES' COMMENTS:

Well, if Man was appealing to me and Stojy with his entry - Wolf Beast unknowingly might've been appealing to Jam with a chef gimmick. (For those not in the know, food is Jam's family business!)

Oh - and let's not bury the lead - Wolf Beast comes out of retirement for a surprise entry here in the King of BTB.

Okay, onto the entry itself. Your concept of reintroducing Jacques Rougeau as "Chef Rougeau" is brilliantly creative and fits perfectly within the gimmick-heavy era of early '90s WWF. The idea of a culinary-themed heel, complete with a signature dish and a penchant for sabotaging opponents with food, is both unique and highly entertaining .You did a fantastic job capturing the essence of both Rougeau as the pompous chef and Roddy Piper as the fiery, confrontational foil. Piper's dialogue felt true to his style with his insults being especially on point, though it could have benefited from more intensity in delivery, perhaps by breaking into more of a yell at times to match his usual explosive persona. Of course, the promo isn't about Piper but you do a good job of using him here as the perfect person to play off to put Rougeau over. Your background section was quite effective as well, especially the use of Million Dollar Man in the story leading up to the segment. While the segment was engaging, the ending felt a bit rushed. The attack with the poutine was effective but felt like it ended rather abruptly.

Your formatting and use of color were on point, making the entry easy to follow and visually appealing. As mentioned by one of the judges, adding some graphics could have taken it to the next level, but what you provided was clean and effective. Overall, this was a highly creative entry that was a lot of fun and could potentially be tough to beat.
​

​	Stojy​	Dubb​	Jam​
Quality of Content (25)​	21​	19.75​	21​
Creativity (15)​	14​	13.25​	12​
Presentation/Format (10)​	8​	7.75​	8​
​	43​	40.75​	41​

FINAL AVERAGE: 41.59/50

Spoiler: Current Standings

1. Wolf Beast 41.59
2. Man 37.42

 

[Dubb]

CONTESTANT NUMBER THREE:
@The Gipper

The King of The Cruiserweights. The former superhero. Neville. The two-time Cruiserweight Champion, who was once the longest reigning Cruiserweight Champion of all time. He was the guy who, for a period, ruled over the division with an iron fist. His decisive victories left challengers like Akira Tozawa, Rich Swann, and Austin Aries in the dust until someone came along to challenge Neville… And unfortunately, that someone was Enzo Amore. Yes, the former tag partner of the 7-feet-tall, 'which you cannot teach,' Big Cass. Out of the tag division and now in Neville’s domain, Enzo sought to challenge the king for his crown, the Cruiserweight Championship, at the 2017 installment of No Mercy, and so he did.

NO MERCY 2017
Cruiserweight Championship
Neville (c) vs Enzo Amore

Neville had dominated Enzo during the match, showing him that he didn’t have what it took to tangle with the man who had brought legitimacy to the Cruiserweight division. But despite that, one little distraction to the referee, followed by a low blow and a quick roll-up, was all it took. The certified G had become the certified Cruiserweight Champion of the world. Enzo jumped up immediately in celebration and went straight for what was now his—the championship. The defeated Neville also shot to his feet, his chest heaving with every furious breath. His eyes locked onto Enzo, who was prancing around the ring like a fool. A fool who had just usurped the king. Neville's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. And then he attacked. Punches rained down on the new champion as Enzo immediately collapsed, his victory moment stolen from him. The referee quickly ran in and had to pull Neville back, but Neville stopped as suddenly as he had started, his anger still seething as he stared daggers into Enzo Amore on the ground. Then he shifted his gaze to the Cruiserweight Championship. He lingered on it for a long while as if… saying a silent goodbye. Finally, he left the ring and went up the ramp.

From there, we heard nothing. Reports went out as they did in the timeline, with the same week seeing Ronda Rousey hinting that she would be at WrestleMania, as well as the always credible British newspaper The Sun reporting that Conor McGregor would also be signing with WWE. It was also reported that upon hearing he would be losing to Enzo once again on the October 9th, 2017 episode of RAW, Neville simply packed his stuff and left the building, effectively walking out. Neville remained silent on social media for the months to come, and WWE was similarly reticent. Their only comment was confirming that Neville was still with the company, but for how long? Well, in the sacred timeline, this was it for his WWE run. After some contract disputes and WWE freezing his contract—keeping him under contract indefinitely or until a release was agreed upon, a practice that certainly does not sound legal—Neville was eventually let go. He became one of the first signees for the new company, All Elite Wrestling.

But that’s the sacred timeline, this is different. So what if…WWE and Neville came to a deal?

RAW
January 1st, 2018
Cesaro (with Sheamus) vs Jason Jordan (with Seth Rollins)

The first match of 2018 was an intriguing contest to say the least between Cesaro of The Bar and one half of the then-current RAW Tag Team Champions, Jason Jordan. Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins had recently taken the tag belts off The Bar on Christmas Day, so Cesaro was looking for some payback. He was largely in control, locking Jason Jordan in a double leg Boston Crab while both teams looked on from ringside. Jason Jordan clearly considered quitting at one point but managed to reach the ropes to break the submission. Cesaro held the hold until the count of four, showing his disdain for the rules. The referee scolded him, of course but as the official was distracted, Jason Jordan found himself in a vulnerable position. Sheamus took a few steps back, preparing to run in for the Brogue Kick, but Seth Rollins intervened! Seth flew in with a flying knee, taking Sheamus down and celebrating with his usual over-the-top flair.

However, Seth's celebration was cut short when he turned around and saw someone suddenly standing infront of him. Neville. Seth looked extremely confused, as did the commentators, who hadn’t seen Neville for months since he lost the Cruiserweight Championship three months earlier. Neville said nothing, standing there in a black sports vest and jeans, staring daggers at Rollins. Just like at No Mercy, there was no warning before Neville’s attack; he just immediately launched into sudden, brutal punches. Seth didn’t have a chance to recover as Neville kicked him in the gut and threw him into the barricade. Seth crashed hard and, as he struggled to get to his knees, NEVILLE DELIVERED A VICIOUS PUNT TO SETH’S HEAD, SMASHING IT INTO THE BARRICADE.

Meanwhile, in the ring, Cesaro attempted to powerbomb Jason Jordan, but Jason reversed it and hit Cesaro with a belly-to-back neckbreaker. Jason Jordan went for the pin: 1! 2! 3! Jason had won, but his victory quickly soured as he realized the issue. His tag partner, Seth, was laid out and not moving, with medics now surrounding him. What was supposed to be an exciting moment for the team turned into a somber one as Jason tried to make sense of what had happened while the stretcher was brought out.

As for Neville, he jumped back over the barricade and began walking away. There were no words, no visible anger, and no explanation for why he had attacked Seth. He simply walked away, leaving the scene as the crowd are left in a state of confusion and unease as one of WWE’s top stars were just taken out so efficiently and effectively.

The internet went mad as it usually did. Everyone was quick to share their opinions and theories on why Neville had targeted Seth Rollins and why he had returned to WWE. But amid all the speculation, there was still nothing from “the man who gravity forgot” himself. A medical report on Smackdown revealed that Rollins had suffered a facial contusion and a concussion from the attack, and that he would be out for multiple weeks.

It wasn’t until the next Monday, very early in the morning, that anything more was heard.

A video is posted to the man formerly known as PAC’s twitter account. But it’s not Neville’s face we see in this video at first. It’s someone new to the exclusively WWE fans but to people more educated in their TNA lore, they recognise him near instantly as the former Rockstar Spud sitting in a normal wooden chair. The next thing they recognise is how much of a bad way he is in, anxious would be an underestimation of the century nominee. He doesn’t stop shaking at any point but he does slowly start to speak but not to us.

Drake Maverick: “...please. Pleas-please just let me go, man. I-I really don’t know- there’s gotta a better way to do thi-”

Before poor Drake can finish his sentence, the former Cruiserweight Champion steps closer now coming into view for the first time, his movements slow and deliberate. Without a word, Neville reaches out and grabs Maverick by the tie with a vice-like grip. He pulls Drake closer, their faces only inches apart. The intensity of PAC’s gaze is unwavering, his eyes cold and unfeeling. Before slowly pointing at the teleprompter placed just above the camera. His message is clear. Drake has to continue. Neville lets go of the tie before walking to the back of the shot, balancing himself against the bland white wall behind him. Drake swallows hard as he shifts uncomfortably, his nervousness evident in the way he continually tries to steady his breathing. It takes a good couple of attempts. The flickering light from the teleprompter casts anxious shadows on his face, highlighting his distress.

Drake Maverick: “...M-m-my-my name is Drake Maverick. I’m here to pass along a message from Neville."

Neville remains silent, his gaze piercing through Drake, amplifying the already oppressive atmosphere. The intensity of the former cruiserweight champion’s stare seems to force Drake to speak, his face reflecting a mix of fear and resignation.

Drake Maverick: "This message....This message is dedicated to all of the WWE. No more will Neville play with peasants, no more will he have to deal with people beneath him. The cruiserweight division for too long have been the toys being carelessly thrown at each other in order to appease the ones above… The Gods. The ones who look down on us behind the veil of divinity they hide behind and stop me from gaining what is truly mine. The Universal Championship. A championship I have tried too many years to collect but someone is always there first. No longer. This collection of false deities who think their power is absolute. Who-who think they’re safe in their positions, that their so-called divinity protects them… but…”

Neville leans in closer, Maverick shudders but continues, his eyes wide with fear.

Drake Maverick: “…but Neville… he’s here to shatter those illusions. He’s here to show the world that these ‘gods’ are nothing but men, men who bleed, men who c-can be broken. That is why he has come back with one mission. To slay the pantheon and any others who stand in his way. Starting with the first man to rob him of what was his…Seth Rollins. Hermes.”

Drake’s voice steadies as he continues, driven by Neville’s unspoken command.

Drake Maverick: “Hermes. The protector of travellers as well as the messenger to the Gods. But also the God of pretenses, deceiving mortals and immortals alike with false promises and empty charm, nothing more than a fleeting illusion, a champion built on the backs of others. While Hermes had his variety of the Gods, Rollins had the Shield, then The Authority and now…Jason Jordan. Pathetic. Rollins, you could have the speed and the agility to match Hermes but you also have his recklessness and that is why despite Neville you will bring everything you got because of Neville did to you, that still won't be enough to take Neville down and when you hide behind your illusions and your grandeur and your foolish nickname of Kingslayer...You will always remember the one king you can't slay. The King of the Cruiserweights. Do not fret however...Because the messenger isn’t without it’s advantages.”

Drake pauses momentarily, his eyes widening as he reads the next line. His voice falters, and he glances up at PAC with a mixture of fear and confusion

Drake Maverick:”....I don’t want to do this, I just want to go-”

Neville's eyes narrow slightly, and without a word, he takes a deliberate step forward. His boot hitting the ground with a barely audible thud, but in the silence of the room, it sounds deafening. Neville's hand suddenly flies through the air only to lie flatly on Drake’s shoulder flinches at the sudden reaction as he is once again forced to go ahead.

Drake Maverick: “......See, Neville has made me his herald because he understands the power of delivering a message with the utmost...clarity. Just as Hermes had his role as the messenger, so too must Neville have his. His voice in the orchestra of violence. But this isn’t about mere communication. This is about dismantling every pretense of godhood you hold dear, Seth. Neville aims to tear down your myths, to expose you for the mere mortal you are, and to prove that no one, not even the so-called gods of WWE, is beyond his reach. It'll be like a new lease of life for you, Seth. So he challenges you. Royal Rumble. You are the messenger so you will be the message Neville sends to the Gods as a warning that he is coming for them all and only after all of them are slain, the Universal Championship will be finally his. As he is the Godkiller.”

Drake finally finishes reading the teleprompter as he slowly breaths a small sigh of relief but it’s thrown out the window as Neville remains still for a moment, his intense gaze fixed on Drake. Then, with a deliberate motion, he shifts slightly, his body language exuding a quiet, simmering menace. He finally moves forward. The room seems to grow darker as he advances, his shadow stretching over Drake. Reaching the camera, Neville pauses briefly, his hand hovering over the controls, then decisively clicks the power off. The screen cuts to black, leaving the room in a suffocating silence and leaving the viewer with one name in their head.

NEVILLE THE GODKILLER

​

---

JUDGES' COMMENTS:

Gipper picks the King of BTB to make his debut in BTBland. And he does so with a compelling and creative take on Neville's character, transforming him into the "Godkiller" in a storyline rich with mythological references. The concept of elevating the main roster as "gods" and positioning Neville as the one to dismantle them is both unique and fitting for his persona.

The decision to have Neville remain silent while using Drake Maverick as his mouthpiece was bold. It allowed Neville's presence to speak volumes without uttering a word, adding an air of menace to his return. However, while this choice was effective in creating tension. We did however question the use of Drake Maverick. Specifically the fact that, given the circumstances of him being intimidated by Neville, the dialogue may have been a bit too long and drawn out for the situation. It perhaps would've been more effective in shorter or quicker bursts of dialogue to drive home that he seems to be doing this against his will.

Your formatting and presentation were clean and effective especially good use of graphics for enhancement, with a suggestion to incorporate more color to enhance readability and engagement. But overall, your entry was well-received for its creativity and I think after this, we want to see more of you in the BTB section, Gip! C'mon!

​

​	Stojy​	Dubb​	Jam​
Quality of Content (25)​	20​	18.75​	20.5​
Creativity (15)​	13​	11​	12​
Presentation/Format (10)​	7​	8​	7​
​	40​	37.75​	39.5​

FINAL AVERAGE: 39.08/50

Spoiler: Current Standings

1. Wolf Beast 41.59

2. The Gipper 39.08

2. Man 37.42

​

 

[Dubb]

CONTESTANT NUMBER FOUR:
@Mach ​

Kurt Angle’s Apprentice: ‘The Saviour’ Sean O’Haire

Background: We’re winding back the clock to early April 2004. The legendary Eddie Guerrero is the WWE Champion and face of the blue brand SmackDown! He’s just come off a WrestleMania classic with Kurt Angle and we are just post the 2004 WWE draft. Paul Heyman has quit after being drafted to Raw and in his place Mr McMahon has appointed Kurt Angle who is out injured until July, so this was a way to keep him on TV.

Furious after losing his title match to Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania Kurt Angle has one mission on his mind - use his powers as GM to get the title of Eddie Guerrero by any means necessary. Now the first problem Kurt will find with his roster of talent is that it is remarkably thin. Aside himself, Eddie Guerrero and The Undertaker there are no other real main event stars on the brand. There’s some upper midcarders such as Booker T, RVD and Big Show but what Kurt Angle is looking for is someone to mold in his image. A champion that SmackDown can be proud of, until of course Angle himself is ready to return to the ring.

So the scene is the second SmackDown of Angle’s reign as GM on April 1st 2004. Kurt opens the show and says tonight he is looking to take on an apprentice to build up under his wing and take out Eddie Guerrero while he is injured. In a series of backstage skits a variety of SmackDown’s lower carders try and impress Kurt but to no avail. Funaki does his usual comedy schtick and Angle sends him away, The FBI promise to make Angle an offer he can’t refuse but the olympic hero is not impressed and sends them away. Billy Gunn even makes a pitch but Kurt is not impressed.

Angle then comes out at the end of the show to make one final plea:

You suck chants are filling the arena as Kurt has a mic in his hands.

Angle: Please you people need to learn some respect for your general manager. You Columbus idiots do not deserve my level of greatness to be within a 100 feet of your miserable lives!

More boos for the cheap shot at the local town as Angle continues.

Angle: Now all night I’ve been looking for a member of this roster to step up and be taken under my wing. I’m a former WWE Champion, I won an Olympic Gold Medal with a broken freaking neck - quite frankly I’m the best mentor you could ask for!

Tazz on commentary praises Angle’s credentials as the fans continue to boo.

Angle: But all I’ve seen tonight is mediocrity. I’m looking for the man to take the WWE Championship from Eddie Guerrero but all I’ve seen is a bunch of disappointments! So right now I’m making one last plea - if you’re ready to step up get down here now and show me why I should mentor you.

Instead of a would-be apprentice however we instead get the music of the WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero as Kurt almost flips his lid in the ring. The popular competitor makes his way to the ring and goes face to face with his WrestleMania opponent.

Eddie: Don’t you get it esse - nobody wants to hear you talking crap in their ear 24/7 homes! There’s plenty of great competitors here on SmackDown and I’m looking forward to beating all of them - but not one of them need your help!

And right on queue a large hooded man appears and absolutely levels Guerrero from behind! He starts punching the hell out of Eddie before hoisting him up and delivering an Angle slam! Kurt is nodding with delight as the man takes his hood off and reveals himself to be… Sean O’Haire!

Cole: We haven’t see O’Haire in months Tazz!

O’Haire then grabs a chair from ringside and he mercilessly starts thwacking Guerrero with it. He then grabs Eddie and gives him a DDT on the chair. He takes his black hoodie off and O’Haire is looking ripped. He’s wearing black jeans and black boots as a dazed Guerrero turns over and is busted wide open. Sean grabs the chair and unfolds it and places it over Eddie’s prone body. He punches Guerrero some more and wipes his blood on his own chest. Angle is grinning ear to ear as Sean sits down on the chair with a mic and speaks down to Eddie’s prone body.

O’Haire: The first mistake you made Guerrero was letting your guard down. Your reign has been a fairytale so far but mark it in your calendar that April 1st 2004 is when it turned into a nightmare.

The fans boo as O’Haire’s monologue continues.

O’Haire: When I look up and down this roster I’m disgusted at what I see. I see a bunch of reprobates who live their lives like animals. Our general manager is an olympic hero yet I don’t think most people on SmackDown would even qualify for Athens. But let me spell out to you Eddie exactly who I am. My name is Sean O’Haire and I’m here to be Kurt Angle’s personal instrument of destruction. I am here to be the saviour of this brand and I will rip through this roster if I have to because let me be clear I have eyes for one thing and one thing only: the WWE Championship. For years I’ve been talked about as the man with the biggest potential in sports entertainment who just hasn’t quite put it together but tonight marks the start of the Sean O’Haire era. This roster needs a saviour and I have arrived to live up to that moniker.

O’Haire then gets up and grabs the title before hoisting it over his head. He then goes face to face with Kurt Angle.

O’Haire: Being mentored by you will be an honor Kurt but when the time is right and I’m WWE Champion and you are ready to return to the ring - I will not be going down without a fight.

Angle looks almost nervous of O’Haire but as he stares down at the beaten down Guerrero he smiles and raises Sean’s hands as SmackDown fades to black.

---

JUDGES' COMMENTS:

First and foremost, I was happy to see an entry from Mach, the runner of one my current favorite BTBs!

I certainly can appreciate trying to find something new for Sean O'Haire, one of the most criminally misused and wasted talents post sale of WCW. Overall, what we think was handled well was that it was certainly an effective way to quickly give someone some spotlight by having them go right after the current champion. Also just being associated with Kurt Angle gives O'Haire a nice little rub as well.

However, the pacing of the segment felt a bit rushed. Eddie Guerrero, for instance, only had one line of dialogue, which limited the opportunity to build tension and drama in the scene. A more extended exchange between Eddie and Angle could have heightened the stakes and made O’Haire's eventual attack even more impactful. Additionally, while the idea of pairing O’Haire with Angle is solid, it does echo his previous alignment with Roddy Piper which certainly hurts a bit of the creativity score here. Also, Angle serving as a mentor isn't particularly ground breaking either as we've certainly seen that in the past as well.

From a presentation standpoint, the formatting was clear (Stojy giving you props for Georgia font), but adding small touches—like bolding or capitalizing names when they first appear for example or adding a space in text where there theme music plays - something to help things stand out and engage the reader more.

A solid entry here from Mach and it was certainly a fun read!
​

​	Stojy​	Dubb​	Jam​
Quality of Content (25)​	17​	16​	15​
Creativity (15)​	7​	8.75​	7​
Presentation/Format (10)​	7​	7.25​	6​
​	31​	32​	28​

FINAL AVERAGE: 30.33/50

Spoiler: Current Standings

1. Wolf Beast 41.59

2. The Gipper 39.08

3. Man 37.42

4. Mach 30.33

​