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Alex Carnevale

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BEING THE BOOKER
Volume Two: The WWF Through Wrestlemania XVIII

I'm not a fan of the weekly television booking for reasons that Shootersverse has made obvious. Nevertheless, the WWF has proved this past year that they don't have a cohesive plan in them, and some long term booking to next year's WM would be in their best interests. From the whole HHH v. Angle half-blowoff to the heel v. heel match at the Royal Rumble to the absurd Rikishi as the driver, HHH as the mastermind angle, this whole year has been from one debacle to the next. Despite excellent matches, the WWF is having difficulty creating that classic storyline. For the most part I only bother with the top of the card, and I definitely wouldn't even begin to book the tag team division. That is a challenge for a much smarter man than I. This is how I see the fucker.

By the way, the previous Being the Booker covered WCW for the next year and although it's probably not in CRZ's power to link it, it can be found on the site readily. It wasn't written that long ago. (It helps when you actually *give* me a link, smartass - anyway, I found two, so you can pick: this one or this one. - CRZ)

Television:

We're into television for Wrestlemania X-Seven right now obviously, and the major developments will be the entrance of an ECW faction to the WWF. Rock v. Austin is set in stone, and must go down. I'd put HHH v. Jericho on the card, after HHH costs Jericho the IC Title to Eddy, who'll defend against Benoit.

WrestleMania X-SEVEN:

Austin v. Rock must end with Austin winning his fifth WWF Title. The ECW faction consisting of Tajiri/Rhino/Jerry Lynn/RVD defeats Venis/Richards/Goodfather/Bull Buchanan to end the RTC angle. Benoit defeats Guerrero. HHH puts over Jericho out of the goodness of his heart and the fact that he jobbed to X-Fuck. Kurt Angle battles

Television:

The RAW after WM features the rematch for the title in a special three-hour edition of RAW. Austin retains in a brutal, bloody match the length of the previous night's encounter. Flashback to the '89 WrestleWar match as HHH piledrives Austin through the Spanish announce table after appearing at ringside with Shawn Michaels as one of the judges for the match. Rock takes time off to film his movie and rest the injured tits. HHH challenges Stone Cold to a WWF Title match. Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho begin a best of seven series to culminate at WWF Backlash. These matches are given ridiculous amounts of television time, i.e. twenty minutes for the first one. Chris Benoit begins to battle Raven, drawing Steven Regal into the feud.

WWF Backlash:

HHH v. Austin for the WWF Title, hyped as the last match between these two. Just when the feud had nowhere to go, it goes into the Hell in a Cell. Shawn criticizes both Austin and HHH for their actions and will appear as the special referee in their match. Austin retains the WWF Title as a result of a Shawn-HHH confrontation. Angle wrestles Jericho on the undercard of this show in a number one contender's match to finish their seven match series and loses. He begins a long feud with Raven the next night on RAW. Raven himself in is a three way, Raven v. Chris Benoit v. William Regal. Benoit drops the title to Regal in the three-way at Backlash.

Television:

Jericho begins calling The Rock out, asking where he is and why he won't fight him. On the RAW after WWF Backlash, Chris Jericho defeats Chris Benoit to win the number one contendership to the WWF Title. On the next RAW all hell breaks loose, as Vince McMahon steps behind Austin as WWF champion and sets off the Austin v. Jericho war. Meanwhile Shawn is bringing heel overtones to his confrontation with HHH, and the two are set for a match in the weeks leading up to Judgment Day. A Smackdown match against Credible/X-Pac features a questionable ending that leads to a The Klique reunion on RAW during a HHH-Jericho rematch. Austin tells them to stay away from his title match. The group should probably not be called The Klique, but I can't think of a preferable name right now. Instead of Shawn v. HHH, HHH will take on Chris Benoit, and Shawn will save his comeback match, still working at house shows and the like.

WWF Judgment Day:

Chris Jericho v. Steve Austin for the WWF Title ends in yet another Austin retention of the WWF Title. Jericho trashes the RAW set after the loss, and calls Austin a pussy. Raven v. Angle is a vicious match on the undercard, with Angle destroying Raven's ankle for the submission. HHH v. Benoit goes to a DQ loss with help from Shawn.

Television:

The next night on RAW, Jericho calls out Austin and faces the return of The Rock instead. The Rock rips on Jericho for calling him out during his reign. Jericho calls Rock a coward for not fighting him but directs his attention towards a Jericho v. HHH match at RAW. Shawn is at ringside with Hunter. Benoit interferes to give Chris Jericho the win and that leads to Shawn's comeback match against Jericho at KOTR. The Rock plugs himself right back into the title picture in the meantime, along with Austin and HHH, resulting in a Final Four match.

WWF King of the Ring:

We only see the semifinals of the KOTR tournament, which are Justin Credible v. Saturn and Tajiri v. Tazz. Tazz defeats Justin Credible in the finale that reveals a Tazz/Kane/Raven/Tori as the Raven Effect, the surprised promise that Raven has for Angle that continues their issue. In Shawn Michaels v. Chris Jericho, Michaels defeats Jericho in a spectacular match (more because I said so than anything else), and afterwards Chris is punked out by the The Klique crew. Austin defends the WWF Title against Chris Benoit, The Rock, and HHH in a Final Four over-the-top-rope match. The result of Austin v. Rock v. HHH v. Benoit is Benoit winning his first WWF Title by tossing HHH.

Television: HHH brutalizes Benoit on RAW, resulting in a ten-minute plus beating that includes Shawn throwing Chris Benoit through a plate-glass window and off of the stage at the top of the ramp. Further incidents occurring include HHH flicking Benoit off the roof of Cobo Hall. These are jokes. Benoit is the babyface here, needless to say. Shawn v. Jericho continues Jericho's program with The Klique.

WWF Fully Loaded:

HHH v. Chris Benoit is the WWF Title match on that show, and Chris Benoit retains his WWF Title in what can only be termed a classic encounter, as it is only occurring in my own mind. Shawn is disapproving of the failure to gain gold in HHH's corner. William Regal v. The Rock ends in a tainted Rock victory, and Kurt Angle/Edge/Christian defeat The Raven Effect, but The Raven Effect puts Angle out of commission post-match. Shawn v. Jericho II: Shawn's rematch with Chris Jericho results in a victory for Jericho. All told, it was not a good night for the Klique.

Television:

HHH finally begins the slow burn on his long-awaited face turn with a confrontation with Shawn on RAW after Shawn offers him the chance to apologize and rejoin the group. He is castigated, and excluded from the group, and a new member is teased. HHH gets his rematch on RAW, but loses thanks to Shawn. Chris Benoit is attacked from another direction in terms of a forced-by-Vince challenge from the Texas Rattlesnake, and these two will do battle in an "I Quit" match at Summerslam.

WWF Summerslam:

HHH v. Shawn Michaels headlines the undercard. It's a brutal affair, as one would expect, with HHH coming out on top. Chris Benoit v. Steve Austin results in Benoit defending his WWF Title successfully against Steve Austin with a returning Kurt Angle's interference. Angle places the ankle lock on Austin while Benoit has the Crippler Crossface, and Austin is forced to submit. The Rock v. The Big Show ends with a Rock victory, and a show of mutual respect.

Television:

On the RAW after WWF Summerslam. The Rock defeats HHH to win a WWF Title shot as he joins Shawn's The Klique faction. The group begins cutting fifteen-minute long promos on Benoit and generally torturing him. Austin and Angle resume their feud and a PPV matchup is scheduled.

WWF Unforgiven '01:

The Rock v. Chris Benoit is the main event of that show, and Rock wins his seventh WWF Title even after he taps out to the Crippler Crossface while the ref is distracted. Benoit passes out in the sharpshooter. Benoit begins to attack Shawn and call him out of retirement for the WWF Title loss following the show. Steve Austin v. Kurt Angle for a title shot ends in an Austin victory. HHH v. Shawn Michaels in a last man standing match there, and it ends with a The Klique beatdown courtesy The Rock, as Shawn takes the match.

Television:

On RAW, heel Rock is back. He degrades various women and magically regrows those sideburns. He defends the title against Austin on that show, and does so successfully. Austin finagles Vince's help in getting himself an Iron Man rematch at No Mercy. HHH seems to be spinning out of control, and he has a match with William Regal. Benoit will once again face Shawn Michaels.

WWF No Mercy '01:

Rock. Austin. Iron Man match. The Rock avenges his WrestleMania loss three falls to two in what is obviously a fantastic match. The Rock delivers the first ever Top Rope Rock Bottom to put Austin away for good. The undercard is stacked with a clash between the two top workers of the nineties, Chris Benoit v. Shawn Michaels. HHH v. Regal: HHH's match with Regal ends with Stephanie FINALLY turning on HHH to seal the face turn and a loss for Hunter.

Television:

The Rock is standing tall on the top of the WWF heap as the hype for Survivor Series begins. Vince comes out and reveals he has a surprise for The Rock and the The Klique Faction, and therefore Rock's opponent at Survivor Series is revealed on the next night's RAW as none other than Ken Shamrock, who takes advantage of his return by destroying Kurt Angle and putting him out for a few months. ***Note: Regarding the Ken Shamrock appearance - virtually any star of similar stature could be chosen to replace Shamrock. I'm thinking of specifically Scott Steiner or Goldberg here, if they left WCW for some reason or another. Even Scott Hall could do the trick. I apologize for the previous statement.

WWF Survivor Series '01:

WWF Survivor Series features the debut of the Survivor match for the WWF Title and it's Ken Shamrock v. The Rock. The Rock defeats Ken Shamrock with the interference of the newest Klique member, The Big Show. The Survivor match, by the way, is a gimmick match in which a gimmick is selected spin-the-wheel-make-a-deal style every ten minutes. TBS v. Jericho ends as The Big Show is pinned by Chris Jericho, in a miracle of miracles. Chris Benoit revisits his issue with Shawn Michaels in Shawn Michaels v. Chris Benoit II: Anything Goes, while Steve Austin v. William Regal v. HHH is a stiff match with McMahon family undertones.

Television:

WWF Armageddon '01:

The Armageddon match is basically a WarGames match with two rings and double cages with roofs. It ends up being Shawn Michaels/The Big Show/Justin Credible/X-Pac/The Rock v. Steve Austin/Chris Benoit/Chris Jericho/HHH/Ken Shamrock. The winner of the pinfall gets the WWF Title shot at the Royal Rumble against The Rock. This brutal, fifty minutes-plus match ends when HHH pins The Rock to earn a WWF Title shot at the Royal Rumble. Tazz and William Regal hook up on the undercard.

Television: Ken Shamrock turns on his face teammates in the Armageddon match. Pre-Rumble hype is a few Austin v. Rock matches on TV, and Rock v. HHH hype.

WWF Royal Rumble '02:

Chris Jericho wins the Royal Rumble in the main event of the evening defeating Steve Austin, The Big Show, Shawn Michaels, Kane, The Undertaker, Chris Benoit. The Rock v. HHH ends in a HHH job in the Rumble title match for the second year in a row. Chris Benoit v. Ken Shamrock in a death match goes to a draw.

Television:

Rock's return program with HHH forges a HHH-Benoit alliance that results into a few classic Rock/Shawn v. HHH/Benoit matches on television. Angle returns to challenge Ken Shamrock to a submission match at WrestleMania XVIII. Ken Shamrock turns to the heel side of things in that feud. Austin begins a war of words with The Klique, and he will face The Big Show at NWO. Chris Jericho meets up with Chris Benoit in a face v. face match.

WWF No Way Out '02:

Three historic rivalries are resumed at NWO. The Rock v. HHH battle with last man standing rules to a draw, and the rematch is scheduled for RAW. Austin v. TBS ends in a decisive Austin victory. Chris Jericho v. Chris Benoit goes down as well, with Jericho losing to build up mystery for his WWF Title shot at WM.

Television:

RAW is WAR's climatic title match ends with Cactus Jack's surprise return, counting HHH down (in retribution for screwing him two years ago) on a small package to allow Rock to retain his WWF Title. Jack and HHH reenact their feud in a comeback one-night-only type of deal. Vince v. The Klique occurs in the form of Austin v. Michaels.

WWF Wrestlemania XVIII:

The top of the card looks like this:

Chris Jericho v. The Rock (WWF Title)
HHH v. Cactus Jack (Streetfight)
Steve Austin v. Shawn Michaels
Kurt Angle v. Ken Shamrock (Submission match)
Chris Benoit v. Steven Regal

This is one way the climatic title match might go:

Chris Jericho v. The Rock, WWF Title. Jericho controls early, working over Rock's leg. Rock tries to come back, but Jericho ducks clotheslines and just gives Rock a hellacious beating, chopping the skin off of him. Jericho does a knee-breaker on the steps. Jericho goes to vertical suplex Rock off the apron but Rock suplexes him to the floor. Ouch. Rock tries to suplex him on the floor, but Jericho reverse and Rock brutalizes his knee on steps. Jericho throws Rock Foley-style into the steps. Rock lariats him to take control again. Rock fucks his knee up even more on a tope, but he rolls Jericho inside and hits the rolling suplexes to come back, finishing the sequence by lifting Jericho on the second rope and killing him with a vicious belly-to-back right on Jericho's head. Chopfest, and Rock tries a belly-to-back, but Jericho flips out, gets a waistlock, and turns it around for a powerbomb attempt that Rock reverses to a clothesline. Backbreaker into a fallaway slam gets two. Jericho trys to turn the tide with snake eyes, but Rock reverses and then just clotheslines Jericho to the ground. Rock gets a belly-to-belly, and Jericho rolls out of the ring. Rock gets out there, and then Rock Bottoms Jericho off the apron to the floor. Rock misses a plancha, and Jericho then gets the Wall of Jericho on the outside. He lets go, but the damage is done. Rock tries for a backdrop suplex, but Jericho just punches him in the kidneys to back out. Y2J gets a hartbreaker, and then the double underhook backbreaker, and then a double axehandle to the back off the second rope for two. He throws Rock into the post-Bret style. And again. And once more. This is getting ugly, in a good way. Chopblock on the knee. Figure four applied, but Rock powers out. He goes into a half-crab, but Rock reverses for two. He then hits dragon screw legwhip, and goes for the walls, but Rock turns that into the Sharpshooter, and Jericho gets rope. Snap suplexes by Rock, and he finishes the sequence with a fisherman's suplex for two. Rock works the shoulder for a long time, doing a shoulder breaker and a few submission maneuvers. He pounds on him with right hands in the corner, and tosses Jericho around the ring. Rock whips Jericho into the post shoulder-first, and single-arm DDTs him. Rock gets the crossface, but Jericho makes the ropes. Rock tries a german suplex, reversed to a bulldog for two. Head and arm suplex gets two. Missile dropkick off the top rope gets two. Jericho hits a belly-to-belly overhead style, and tosses Rock out of the ring. He follows with an Asai moonsault, and rolls him back in for two. Rock attempts a powerbomb, but Jericho reverses to a facebuster. Jericho with a Ligerbomb for two. Jericho hits the tombstone for two. Jericho tries for a jacknife, but finishes the sequence by german suplexing Rock for two. A belly-to-back sets up a flying elbow. Springboard dropkick, and Rock to the outside. Jericho whips out a tope, but Rock moves, goes back in the ring, and fucks around with Jericho's mind before hitting a running hunancanrana (!). Moveset, indeed. Back in the ring, Jericho tries the superplex, but Rock rolls through for two. Rock gets a piledriver for two. Flying headbutt for two. He goes for a powerbomb, but Jericho tries for a rana, but Rock ranabombs him and in one motion applies the crossface. He picks it up in the air briefly, smashing Jericho's shoulder into the mat. Rock releases the hold, and gets a spinebuster reversed to a roll-up for two. Jericho tries another tombstone, but Rock reverses it to a shoulderbreaker, picks him up AGAIN, and hits a tombstone for a near fall. Rock hits a fireman's carry for two. DDT for two. He tries another one, but Jericho flips out and ranas him for two. Rolling cradle for two. Jericho rolls Rock up for two, he reverses for two. Bridging belly-to-back for two. German suplex with a bridge, but Rock hangs on, bridges, and moves into a dragon suplex for two. Holy shit. Rock hits a powerslam and a clothesline to put Jericho down, however, and he goes for the People's Elbow. It misses, and Jericho hits a springboard DDT, a swinging neckbreaker, and then the springboard moonsault for two. Both men are toasted. Walls of Jericho, but he has too much pressure on his arm, and has to relinquish the hold. Jericho takes Rock to the top rope and tries a superplex, but Rock reverses to the top rope Rock Bottom, but can't cover. Ref counts to ten, and Rock is up first. He goes to the top turnbuckle and comes off into the Walls, which Jericho finally locks it on. Rock fights out, and Jericho slingshots him to the post and ranas him coming out for a long two. They go to the top rope once more. Rock tries to maneuver for the superbomb, but Jericho reverses to a bodyscissors and sits on him, finally, for three in 42:07. Jericho wins his first WWF Title. *****

Main event distribution:

Rock: seven main events
Austin: six main events
HHH: four main events
Benoit: four main events
Jericho: two main events

And there you have it. Vince probably wouldn't go for turning his two top face draw heel in the course of the year, even if one of the turns wasn't full. Still, if he wanted to keep his television ratings up, I think this booking would do the trick. Hit me with e-mails at gould41@aol.com to let me know what you think and if this would fly.

Alex Carnevale
[slash] wrestling

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