War does not determine who is right - only who is left.
~Bertrand Russell
The WarZone Wrestling Society – Rebuilding Pro Wrestling... From Scratch
---------------------------
How do you rebuild... what was destroyed?
...
Something that was once considered at the top of it's game?
...
Something that nobody thought could be destroyed?
...
How can you pick up the pieces... and start over?
...
How can you fix things when they are broken?
...
How do you begin anew?
...
..
...
How?
...
...
..
....
...
OH, FOR GOODNESS SAKE! FINE! I'LL TELL YOU!
On April 2nd, 2007, WWE was coming off the heels of an explosive Wrestlemania XXIII. However, their problems would only begin. To bring a new outlook on the promotion, they tried new ideas. They terminated the contracts of several legends, including Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson and Gene Okerlund. The government began an investigation behind the whole steroids theory. Benoit suffered a massive neck injury at Wrestlemania and was forced to retire from wrestling. Ric Flair was also facing health issues, but WWE wouldn't terminate his contract until Wrestlemania XXIV. MMA promotions such as UFC and IFL were continuing to grow in stature. Also, the WWE's competition, TNA. Vince McMahon was weighed down with so much pressure. He himself wasn't sure he could stand it.
And so, he created the WWE Talent Wellness policy. The policy stated that any wrestler whose under the influence of steroids or other performance enhancers will be suspended indefinitely. Before a house show, Vince held an emergency, random drug test on the entire roster! To the surprise of Vince, a lot of them failed the drug test! Vince suspended the superstars with no pay, and the company was fined by the government. After that, the budget was too low and they couldn't afford the paychecks for some superstars, as well as arenas they rented out. They were forced to cancel some of their house shows and live events and even release more superstars as a budget cut. Eventually, Vince decided that he couldn't take the pressure.
And so, with a heavy heart, he and his family stepped down from their positions at the company and put their shares on the market. There was a huge battle over the shares, t through the smoke... the shares were bought by... New Japan Pro Wrestling, Japan's largest wrestling promotion! The people were stunned! As it turns out, NJPW ends up naming Gene Okerlund & Tony Schiavone as the majority share holder. Tony had been working behind the camera for NJPW for some time now. Gene and Tony get together with Robert “Sgt. Slaughter” Remus, Virgil “Dusty Rhodes” Runnels, Jr., Martin “Arn Anderson” Lunde, Kevin Dunn and Vince Russo. Together, with NJPW's permission, they decide to scrap the whole WWE idea altogether and create a new pitch for the US's largest wrestling promotion. After coming up with some terrible ideas, they've made their decision.
And so, on a brisk Saturday morning, June 16th to be exact, the seven great minds in professional wrestling met at the meeting room in WWE headquarters to discuss the future of the business.
Gene Okerlund sits at the head of the meeting table. He stands up and clears his throat.
Gene: I would like to thank you all for coming today. Gentlemen, what takes place here in this meeting room will reshape professional wrestling as we know it. Today, we will-
Dusty: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! Can we get on with this? I want to get some ideas I've been thinking up ever since I came to the WWE!
Sgt. Slaughter: Me too!
Arn Anderson: We all do!
Gene: Okay, okay. Patience, my friends. I know we've waited a long time for this opportunity, but without the patience to overcome, we could wind up back to square one. Now, what should we name this new business?
Sgt. Slaughter: The Slaughterhouse Wrestling Association!
Arn Anderson: The Four Horseman Wrestling Society!
Dusty: The Rainbow of Dreams Wrestling Federation!
Everyone stares at Dusty in confusion.
Kevin: How about something simple. Like the WarZone Wrestling Society!
Sgt. Slaughter: Yeah. I kinda like it!
Arn Anderson: Me too!
Tony: Yeah, that is a pretty good name.
Gene: Okay! The WarZone Wrestling Society it is! Sorry, Dusty.
Dusty sits back in his chair in disappointment.
Gene: Next order of business: which superstars stay and which will be released?
Arn stands up.
Arn Anderson: After reviewing the budget, and the roster, we've determined that the following superstars from WWE will remain on the roster: Edge, Undertaker, Kofi Kingston, Paul Burchill, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, JBL, John Cena, Mr. Kennedy, Shelton Benjiman, Carlito & Randy Orton.
Gene: Is that it?
Arn Anderson: Actually, there's more. We have signed the following superstars to a WWS contract from independent promotion: Human Tornado, Chris Hero & David Flair. Also, we have signed several NJPW superstars to our US promotion: Shinjiro Otani, Tiger Mask IV & Koji Kanemoto, with the rest of their roster making occasional appearances.
Gene: Is that it?
Arn Anderson: Well... no. Finally, there's the superstars we signed from their TNA contracts: Samoa Joe, Ron Killings & Christian Cage… Oh! And our announce team will be Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross will stay on as our business advisor. Cause he’s all knowledgeable and… (a beat) that's it.
Gene: Good. That makes twenty-one. That'll do for now. Now, onto the matter of weekly TV shows and pay-per-views.
Slaughter clears his throat.
Sgt. Slaughter: After going through a list of crappy names, the weekly flagship show will be named Monday Night Shootout and we managed to stay with USA network for the next year. After reviewing through the list of ECW, WCW & WWE pay-per-views, here is our list of PPVs for each month:
August - SummerSlam (Staples Centre; Los Angeles, California)
September - Barely Legal (Air Canada Center; Toronto, Canada)
October - Halloween Havoc (World Arena; Colorado Springs, Colorado)
November - Survivor Series (HSBC Center; Buffalo, New York)
December - WinterWar (And the annual WarGames Match – Consecos Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Indiana)
January - The Royal Rumble (Continental Airlines Arena; East Rutherford, New Jersey)
February - Last Man Standing (Joe Louis Arena; Detroit, Michigan)
March or April – Wrestlemania XXIV (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium; Gainsville, Florida)
May - Road To Redemption (HP Pavilion Center; San Jose, California)
June - High Stakes (MGM Grand Garden Arena; Las Vegas, Nevada)
July - The Great American Bash (Target Center; Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Gene: Hold on, rewind. Did you say “Ben Hill Griffin Stadium?”
Sgt. Slaughter: Sure did.
Gene: Are you crazy? That stadium holds over 90,000 people! We can't afford that on the budget!
Arn Anderson: Geno, we took care of it. Just sit back, relax and leave everything to us. Wrestlemania will now be the flagship event for both us and the NJPW. Now, this new promotion will have three, and only three, titles for the time being: the World title, the Intercontinental title, the Tag Team title.
Vince Russo: And me, being head writer, I have decided to start four weeks before SummerSlam. So, unless there's anything else, everything's been taken care of.
Gene: Well... okay. Now, with all that said and done, there's still one thing left to decide: who will be the general manager of ShootOut?
Kevin: I was thinking you, Gene, as Chairman along with Tony running as CEO. On-screen, of course.
Gene: Of course. Off-screen, we’re all the board of directors.
Sgt. Slaughter: Yeah. And then me, Dusty and Arn would sign onto the roster as wrestlers.
Arn Anderson: Right. Butt that means we gotta get back in shape. Well, more so Dusty than you and me, Sarge.
A light laughter from everybody, even Dusty.
Dusty: Well, I suppose this means you're gonna have to start shaving, Arn. Cause you sho' can't win no beauty contests lookin' like a gorilla wearing glasses.
"Ohhhhh" went everybody except Arn, who just chuckled.
Arn: Hey, I'm not in this to win beauty contests. But I am in this to win some contests, you know what I mean?
The others exclaim in agreement and shake each other's hands.
Gene: Okay, with that being said, I think it's just about safe to say this meeting's adjured. And I would like to personally thank all of you for your support in helping me rebuild this business that everybody thought would go bankrupt in five years. Now, it's all in the hands of our fans (That means you nice folks reading this at home) to help support our new-found business. And before you know it, we'll be right back on top. And with that...
Everyone picks up a glass of wine sitting on the table.
Gene: To our new business, to our fans, and most importantly of all... to pro wrestling!
Everyone Else: TO PRO WRESTLING!!
TO BE CONTINUED...
....
...
.....
And so... here is where this thread currently stands...
“Mean” Gene Okerlund: Chairman of the Board of Directors
Tony Schiavone: CEO
Eric Bischoff: Commissioner (Appointed on-screen authority for both shows)
Jim Ross: Senior Referee
Michael Cole and Al Snow: Broadcast announcer & Color commentator, respectively, for Shootout
Mike Adamle and Shane "The Franchise" Douglas: Broadcast announcer & Color commentator, respectively, for CombatZone
Tony Chimel: Ring Announcer
Todd Grisham & Joel “He’s young, he’s hung, he’s skilled with his tongue” Gertner: Backstage Interviewers
Christian: Current WWS World Heavyweight Champion
(won title at Summerslam in Triple Threat match w/Undertaker & Human Tornado)
Paul Burchill: Current WWS Intercontinental Champion
(won title at Barely Legal in Four Way Dance w/Kofi Kingston, Tiger Mask IV & David Flair)
The Hardyz: Current WWS Tag Team Champions
(won title at Barely Legal against Dusty Rhodes & Sgt. Slaughter)
Friday Night CombatZone
Time slot: Fridays from 9 pm to 10 pm on the Sleuth Channel (Premiering Nov. 2nd)
Joe Hennig
Reid Flair
Shelton Benjamin
Carlito
Husky Harris
Tiger Mask IV
Ron Killings
Taylor Harris
John Hennigan
MVP
Human Tornado
Monday Night Shootout
Time slot: Mondays from 8 pm to 10 pm on the USA Network
Shinjiro Otani
Koji Kanemoto
Teddy Hart
DH Smith
Jack Evans
Jim Neidhart
TJ Wilson
Ted DiBiase Jr.
David Flair
Brett DiBiase
Afa Jr.
Cody Rhodes
Jeff Hardy
Matt Hardy
JBL
Mr. Kennedy
Kofi Kingston
Tiger Mask IV
Chris Hero
Paul Burchill
Randy Orton
Samoa Joe
Batista
Christian
Edge
Undertaker
Tag Team Division:
The Hardys --- Current Tag Team Champions
The High Rollers (Ted DiBiase Jr., Afa Jr., Cody Rhodes, Brett DiBiase, Joe Hennig, David Flair & Reid Flair)
The Hart Dynasty (DH Smith, Teddy Hart, Jack Evans, Jim Neidhart & TJ Wilson) w/Nattie Neidhart
The Ballerz Club (MVP & the Human Tornado)
Shinjiro Otani and Koji Kanemoto
~Bertrand Russell
The WarZone Wrestling Society – Rebuilding Pro Wrestling... From Scratch
---------------------------
How do you rebuild... what was destroyed?
...
Something that was once considered at the top of it's game?
...
Something that nobody thought could be destroyed?
...
How can you pick up the pieces... and start over?
...
How can you fix things when they are broken?
...
How do you begin anew?
...
..
...
How?
...
...
..
....
...
OH, FOR GOODNESS SAKE! FINE! I'LL TELL YOU!
On April 2nd, 2007, WWE was coming off the heels of an explosive Wrestlemania XXIII. However, their problems would only begin. To bring a new outlook on the promotion, they tried new ideas. They terminated the contracts of several legends, including Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson and Gene Okerlund. The government began an investigation behind the whole steroids theory. Benoit suffered a massive neck injury at Wrestlemania and was forced to retire from wrestling. Ric Flair was also facing health issues, but WWE wouldn't terminate his contract until Wrestlemania XXIV. MMA promotions such as UFC and IFL were continuing to grow in stature. Also, the WWE's competition, TNA. Vince McMahon was weighed down with so much pressure. He himself wasn't sure he could stand it.
And so, he created the WWE Talent Wellness policy. The policy stated that any wrestler whose under the influence of steroids or other performance enhancers will be suspended indefinitely. Before a house show, Vince held an emergency, random drug test on the entire roster! To the surprise of Vince, a lot of them failed the drug test! Vince suspended the superstars with no pay, and the company was fined by the government. After that, the budget was too low and they couldn't afford the paychecks for some superstars, as well as arenas they rented out. They were forced to cancel some of their house shows and live events and even release more superstars as a budget cut. Eventually, Vince decided that he couldn't take the pressure.
And so, with a heavy heart, he and his family stepped down from their positions at the company and put their shares on the market. There was a huge battle over the shares, t through the smoke... the shares were bought by... New Japan Pro Wrestling, Japan's largest wrestling promotion! The people were stunned! As it turns out, NJPW ends up naming Gene Okerlund & Tony Schiavone as the majority share holder. Tony had been working behind the camera for NJPW for some time now. Gene and Tony get together with Robert “Sgt. Slaughter” Remus, Virgil “Dusty Rhodes” Runnels, Jr., Martin “Arn Anderson” Lunde, Kevin Dunn and Vince Russo. Together, with NJPW's permission, they decide to scrap the whole WWE idea altogether and create a new pitch for the US's largest wrestling promotion. After coming up with some terrible ideas, they've made their decision.
And so, on a brisk Saturday morning, June 16th to be exact, the seven great minds in professional wrestling met at the meeting room in WWE headquarters to discuss the future of the business.
Gene Okerlund sits at the head of the meeting table. He stands up and clears his throat.
Gene: I would like to thank you all for coming today. Gentlemen, what takes place here in this meeting room will reshape professional wrestling as we know it. Today, we will-
Dusty: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! Can we get on with this? I want to get some ideas I've been thinking up ever since I came to the WWE!
Sgt. Slaughter: Me too!
Arn Anderson: We all do!
Gene: Okay, okay. Patience, my friends. I know we've waited a long time for this opportunity, but without the patience to overcome, we could wind up back to square one. Now, what should we name this new business?
Sgt. Slaughter: The Slaughterhouse Wrestling Association!
Arn Anderson: The Four Horseman Wrestling Society!
Dusty: The Rainbow of Dreams Wrestling Federation!
Everyone stares at Dusty in confusion.
Kevin: How about something simple. Like the WarZone Wrestling Society!
Sgt. Slaughter: Yeah. I kinda like it!
Arn Anderson: Me too!
Tony: Yeah, that is a pretty good name.
Gene: Okay! The WarZone Wrestling Society it is! Sorry, Dusty.
Dusty sits back in his chair in disappointment.
Gene: Next order of business: which superstars stay and which will be released?
Arn stands up.
Arn Anderson: After reviewing the budget, and the roster, we've determined that the following superstars from WWE will remain on the roster: Edge, Undertaker, Kofi Kingston, Paul Burchill, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, JBL, John Cena, Mr. Kennedy, Shelton Benjiman, Carlito & Randy Orton.
Gene: Is that it?
Arn Anderson: Actually, there's more. We have signed the following superstars to a WWS contract from independent promotion: Human Tornado, Chris Hero & David Flair. Also, we have signed several NJPW superstars to our US promotion: Shinjiro Otani, Tiger Mask IV & Koji Kanemoto, with the rest of their roster making occasional appearances.
Gene: Is that it?
Arn Anderson: Well... no. Finally, there's the superstars we signed from their TNA contracts: Samoa Joe, Ron Killings & Christian Cage… Oh! And our announce team will be Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross will stay on as our business advisor. Cause he’s all knowledgeable and… (a beat) that's it.
Gene: Good. That makes twenty-one. That'll do for now. Now, onto the matter of weekly TV shows and pay-per-views.
Slaughter clears his throat.
Sgt. Slaughter: After going through a list of crappy names, the weekly flagship show will be named Monday Night Shootout and we managed to stay with USA network for the next year. After reviewing through the list of ECW, WCW & WWE pay-per-views, here is our list of PPVs for each month:
August - SummerSlam (Staples Centre; Los Angeles, California)
September - Barely Legal (Air Canada Center; Toronto, Canada)
October - Halloween Havoc (World Arena; Colorado Springs, Colorado)
November - Survivor Series (HSBC Center; Buffalo, New York)
December - WinterWar (And the annual WarGames Match – Consecos Fieldhouse; Indianapolis, Indiana)
January - The Royal Rumble (Continental Airlines Arena; East Rutherford, New Jersey)
February - Last Man Standing (Joe Louis Arena; Detroit, Michigan)
March or April – Wrestlemania XXIV (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium; Gainsville, Florida)
May - Road To Redemption (HP Pavilion Center; San Jose, California)
June - High Stakes (MGM Grand Garden Arena; Las Vegas, Nevada)
July - The Great American Bash (Target Center; Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Gene: Hold on, rewind. Did you say “Ben Hill Griffin Stadium?”
Sgt. Slaughter: Sure did.
Gene: Are you crazy? That stadium holds over 90,000 people! We can't afford that on the budget!
Arn Anderson: Geno, we took care of it. Just sit back, relax and leave everything to us. Wrestlemania will now be the flagship event for both us and the NJPW. Now, this new promotion will have three, and only three, titles for the time being: the World title, the Intercontinental title, the Tag Team title.
Vince Russo: And me, being head writer, I have decided to start four weeks before SummerSlam. So, unless there's anything else, everything's been taken care of.
Gene: Well... okay. Now, with all that said and done, there's still one thing left to decide: who will be the general manager of ShootOut?
Kevin: I was thinking you, Gene, as Chairman along with Tony running as CEO. On-screen, of course.
Gene: Of course. Off-screen, we’re all the board of directors.
Sgt. Slaughter: Yeah. And then me, Dusty and Arn would sign onto the roster as wrestlers.
Arn Anderson: Right. Butt that means we gotta get back in shape. Well, more so Dusty than you and me, Sarge.
A light laughter from everybody, even Dusty.
Dusty: Well, I suppose this means you're gonna have to start shaving, Arn. Cause you sho' can't win no beauty contests lookin' like a gorilla wearing glasses.
"Ohhhhh" went everybody except Arn, who just chuckled.
Arn: Hey, I'm not in this to win beauty contests. But I am in this to win some contests, you know what I mean?
The others exclaim in agreement and shake each other's hands.
Gene: Okay, with that being said, I think it's just about safe to say this meeting's adjured. And I would like to personally thank all of you for your support in helping me rebuild this business that everybody thought would go bankrupt in five years. Now, it's all in the hands of our fans (That means you nice folks reading this at home) to help support our new-found business. And before you know it, we'll be right back on top. And with that...
Everyone picks up a glass of wine sitting on the table.
Gene: To our new business, to our fans, and most importantly of all... to pro wrestling!
Everyone Else: TO PRO WRESTLING!!
TO BE CONTINUED...
....
...
.....

And so... here is where this thread currently stands...
“Mean” Gene Okerlund: Chairman of the Board of Directors
Tony Schiavone: CEO
Eric Bischoff: Commissioner (Appointed on-screen authority for both shows)
Jim Ross: Senior Referee
Michael Cole and Al Snow: Broadcast announcer & Color commentator, respectively, for Shootout
Mike Adamle and Shane "The Franchise" Douglas: Broadcast announcer & Color commentator, respectively, for CombatZone
Tony Chimel: Ring Announcer
Todd Grisham & Joel “He’s young, he’s hung, he’s skilled with his tongue” Gertner: Backstage Interviewers
Christian: Current WWS World Heavyweight Champion
(won title at Summerslam in Triple Threat match w/Undertaker & Human Tornado)
Paul Burchill: Current WWS Intercontinental Champion
(won title at Barely Legal in Four Way Dance w/Kofi Kingston, Tiger Mask IV & David Flair)
The Hardyz: Current WWS Tag Team Champions
(won title at Barely Legal against Dusty Rhodes & Sgt. Slaughter)
Friday Night CombatZone
Time slot: Fridays from 9 pm to 10 pm on the Sleuth Channel (Premiering Nov. 2nd)
Joe Hennig
Reid Flair
Shelton Benjamin
Carlito
Husky Harris
Tiger Mask IV
Ron Killings
Taylor Harris
John Hennigan
MVP
Human Tornado
Monday Night Shootout
Time slot: Mondays from 8 pm to 10 pm on the USA Network
Shinjiro Otani
Koji Kanemoto
Teddy Hart
DH Smith
Jack Evans
Jim Neidhart
TJ Wilson
Ted DiBiase Jr.
David Flair
Brett DiBiase
Afa Jr.
Cody Rhodes
Jeff Hardy
Matt Hardy
JBL
Mr. Kennedy
Kofi Kingston
Tiger Mask IV
Chris Hero
Paul Burchill
Randy Orton
Samoa Joe
Batista
Christian
Edge
Undertaker
Tag Team Division:
The Hardys --- Current Tag Team Champions
The High Rollers (Ted DiBiase Jr., Afa Jr., Cody Rhodes, Brett DiBiase, Joe Hennig, David Flair & Reid Flair)
The Hart Dynasty (DH Smith, Teddy Hart, Jack Evans, Jim Neidhart & TJ Wilson) w/Nattie Neidhart
The Ballerz Club (MVP & the Human Tornado)
Shinjiro Otani and Koji Kanemoto