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Pro Wrestling in Shadowrun

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Killerclown

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« on: <03-29-18/2145:46> »
I recently came up with a Shadowrun plothook where the PCs are hired to find the missing mask of a legendary Luchador named Silver Phoenix, under the pretense of that if he dosen't show up to a huge wrestling match or shows up without his mask, it will cause great dishonor to him and his family. This plothook is happening in the backdrop of a pro wrestling company called the IEWF or the International Extreme Wrestling Federation.

I have a question though, what would Pro Wrestling be like in the world of Shadowrun and how would it affect the wrestlers?

firebug

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« Reply #1 on: <03-29-18/2211:14> »
There's inevitably very little, tragically, written about pro-wrestling in Shadowrun.  However I've thought a lot about it so I have a few things I can tell you.

For one, like all sports in Shadowrun, it's more dangerous.  Fewer blows are held, more dangerous stunts are pulled, and inevitably, more people die.  Such is the way of the more violent Sixth World.  Also, wrestling would have to really amp it up to compete with Urban Brawl and straight-up gladiatorial combat in Aztlan.

Shadowrun's a perfect setting to have the "kayfabe" of wrestling be a little more real.  Things would still be planned out the way they are in wrestling, where who wins (and how, in general terms) are decided long beforehand, but feuds between characters (that is, wrestler characters) might bleed into real, backstage disagreements more often as the stakes are raised.

Cyberweapon implants would probably be seen as cheating, but if you've ever seen a wrestling match where someone pulls a sledgehammer out from under the ring, you'll know that means they just get saved for roughing people up outside of matches or when the ref drone is distracted (or "hacked", this is Shadowrun after all).  Other cyberware would probably be totally acceptable; dermal plating, wired reflexes, muscle replacements, you name it.  If it stands out and give the wrestler a unique, marketable look, even better!

Magic would be pretty common.  Adepts especially, who'd be the fast, high-flying technical wrestlers.  There may be a few magician wrestlers, but they'd be less common than adepts.  Probably do things like use illusions to "cheat", or pretend to mind-control people if they want to get a bunch of heel heat.  People would ask "why isn't magic just not allowed?!" but that's wrestling for you.  Babyface magicians would probably just do things like make themselves stronger and faster then beat people "fair-and-square", maybe even making a show of healing someone after a match.  More common would be magicians acting as managers for wrestlers, acting as mysterious, powerful, and potentially malevolent string-pullers who may occasionally use spells to interfere with matches or get people to agree to things they would never do, like getting their wrestler a title match when they haven't earned it.

Spellcasters would also get used a lot, not as wrestlers, but for pyrotechnics and entrances.  Just like with movies, hiring a mage to do that can save a lot of money, and for live performances, just be a lot easier due to their ability to improvise.

Back on the tech side of things, drones of all varieties would probably be used for cameras, and in my opinion, I feel like it would be common for the referee to be an anthrodrone that counts with number AROs, but is often kicked around, thrown out, "hacked" (not actually, just commanded to act randomly for a bit and maybe spasm) and generally endures a lot of abuse (but probably is loved by the fans).  Wrestlers might commonly wear simrigs in some form so things can be recorded from their own point of view (great for certain spots, and even more reason the fighting would have to be more real).  The simrigs would also help them send and receive cues to eachother mid-match to better coordinate things and avoid an ugly botched move.

The belts in Shadowrun would probably be incredibly opulent and in some promotions may even be big and strong enough to count as some amount of armor.  Others might be said to be magical artifacts or powerful foci that give the wearer incredible prowess!  But that'd be a lie, of course--  In Shadowrun, wrestling would probably use "it's magic!" as a plot-bandaid constantly and heavily rely on the ignorance most mundanes have about what's really possible with magic and how magic works.  A lot of Awakened, especially academically-minded hermetics, would probably find it insulting, and may even hold strongly negative opinions against magicians who work with wrestling.

Medical technology has advanced far enough in Shadowrun that what would have been a fatal injury today could be healed in a week or less (maybe even a few minutes, if it's the kind you can just Heal away) and some kind of medical help would be available on very short notice should anything go too badly.  Wrestlers would never try to kill eachother (unless of course, there's some very dirty dealings going on backstage and someone's career or safety is on the line...) or at least, the promotion wouldn't be happy with the people they've spent months or years marketing and building up suddenly disappearing, and having to spend a whole lot of money on the mess that follows any time anybody dies in a situation like that.
« Last Edit: <03-29-18/2242:01> by firebug »
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Lorebane24

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« Reply #2 on: <03-29-18/2304:53> »
Book of the lost also mentions that the head of TRU-13 (MCT's magical black ops team) is an adept who got his start in sumo wrestling.
The power of the Tri-Horse!

Heyoka

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« Reply #3 on: <03-29-18/2326:19> »
Firebug called me in on this one, because I've been toying with some Shadowrun Lucha things myself, and because I'll talk her ear off about it if I get half the chance.

I recently came up with a Shadowrun plothook where the PCs are hired to find the missing mask of a legendary Luchador named Silver Phoenix, under the pretense of that if he dosen't show up to a huge wrestling match or shows up without his mask, it will cause great dishonor to him and his family. This plothook is happening in the backdrop of a pro wrestling company called the IEWF or the International Extreme Wrestling Federation.

I have a question though, what would Pro Wrestling be like in the world of Shadowrun and how would it affect the wrestlers?

First, as far as I've personally seen, the only mention of professional wrestling itself is its inclusion in Run & Gun  as one of several mechanically distinct variations on Wrestling as a Martial Art:
Quote
Run & Gun (Pg. 134)
Quote
WRESTLING (PROFESSIONAL STYLE)
Professional Wrestling is a mix of wrestling and theatrics loosely based on the sporting style rules of wrestling. Make no mistake, though—whether the outcomes are pre-determined or not, the style requires significant strength, coordination, and athleticism. Originating in the early twentieth century, the Professional style includes the basic classic techniques, which are then enhanced in spectacular displays. A sacrificial throw in professional wrestling is a suplex, while a sacrificial move is called a spear. Professional wrestling has various cultural and dramatic flavors. Someone may think that this is not a style of martial arts—until they get a flying elbow to the face.

Available Techniques: Clinch, Jiao Di (Charge), Karmic Response, Sacrifice Throw, Tricking, Yielding Force (Throw)

Now, starting with your plot hook idea... For a true Luchador, that mask is a symbol of everything they believe in, everything they fight for. To lose one's mask as a result of Luchas Apuestas is to lose your identity, your soul--- in the old days, it meant you couldn't wrestle there ever again (but if someone almost identical in build and appearance to you happens to show up to fight at the next show with a brand new mask, then that's just fine.) Removing a Luchador's mask without beating him for it is one of the most evil things you could do to him, and to steal it from him in the dead of night is almost unthinkable--- however...

I would suggest having Silver Phoneix's mask be a focus of some kind, since due to the very personal nature of the mask, it's a perfect choice for the spiritual link needed to bond a focus, and in addition to the social and cultural stigma, maybe Phoenix just isn't capable of going out and fighting without whatever bonus it gives him, which also makes it very valuable to the right people.

Now, to add what little I can add from the Wrestling side of this equation, to help with what Firebug has added from the Shadowrun side...

In real life, Pro Wrestling is different in every country, and sometimes it can be wildly different between the big companies and the smaller ones. For our purposes, I'd say that the big three are America, Mexico, and Japan, with the largest promotions in each helping form my personal concepts of the ways it would change in the Sixth World.\

The largest professional wrestling company in the world today is World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE for short), headquartered in Stanford, Connecticut, USA. They are a publicly traded corporation, with a heavy focus on commercialization and heavily promoting specific break-out talents, such as Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, or John Cena. Given the corporate structure of the company today, it's very likely that either they would be their own A-rank Corp, or perhaps that they would be bought out by Ares at some point. While the march of technology and the advent of the Awakening would drastically change was truly was possible, WWE has had IRL, in no particular order, undead wizards, a cult of druids, a Houngan, and a plethora of very large, very strong men. If anything, this style of professional wrestling which focuses on putting on a show would only be more believable when it's a known fact that people can actually just throw lightning and fire around, and that Bubba the Love Troll could have a very promising career pretending to squeeze people's skulls in with his bare hands.

The biggest names in Lucha Libre today are Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (meaning World Wrestling Council, CMLL for short), and
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
(AAA). Both companies exemplify a modernized continuation of the tradition and history that Lucha Libre has, with a heavy focus in the past few decades on athleticism and technique over storylines and television production. This is the version of Pro Wrestling that I personally see changing the most, as the violent and bloody resurrection of the Aztec ways and the cultural shift from Mexico to Aztlan has likely forced many Luchadores to either hang up their boots, find work in another country, or start training for Gladio. I personally find it extremely unlikely that Lucha Libre as we know it lives on in the dark heart of Aztlan, and it's possible that, like Catholocism, it is treated as a foreign element from the Spaniards that is to be erased.

As of today, the Japanese promotion with the largest cultural impact is New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). They carry on the Japanese drive for perfection and dedication, putting on far fewer shows throughout the year than any American or Mexican promotion. The focus is on storytelling both within a single match, and as a continuation of previous events, and as of 2017, Japanese Strong Style wrestling is literally Anime. The performers of the Japanese style are some of the toughest and most skilled in the world, capable of making even a crowd of thousands of stoic sararimen weep. Whether this tradition would be able to continue and grow due to the influence of the Japanese megas, or if it would have been stamped out in favor of more traditional Japanese martial arts is hard to say. I guess we'll have to wait for the next season of Shadowrun Missions to find out more.



Killerclown

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« Reply #4 on: <04-05-18/1502:57> »
Now i am picturing one gimmick being a Feral Man gimmick who is managed by a shaman from the Native American States. Also, how far-fetched would it be to have a couple of the AAA corps sponsor a couple of IEWF's wrestlers?

jtnlange

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« Reply #5 on: <05-22-18/1339:54> »
Not sure about recent but back in 1st or 2nd edition book Shadowbeat it stated the one of the first things to die out after the Great Ghost dance was professional wrestling. No one cared about it anymore.

Trevor L.
Shadowrun has a different definition of fair than a game like D&D. In D&D fair means not throwing the PC's up against things they can't beat. In Shadowrun fair is if you piss off the dude with the gauss rifle you eat a gauss rifle - ShadowcatX

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SpellBinder

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« Reply #6 on: <05-24-18/1348:01> »
Not sure about recent but back in 1st or 2nd edition book Shadowbeat it stated the one of the first things to die out after the Great Ghost dance was professional wrestling. No one cared about it anymore.

Trevor L.
Easy enough to cover up the little slip of a writer that didn't know that but put in the Martial Art for Professional Wrestling:  It died out, but is now seeing a strong resurgence in the late 2070's.

And on topic, I can see magicians playing more of a role in this sport than just theatrical props (though that'll certainly pay well).  Healing spells would also be highly prized here, just as they'd be in any other super violent sport like Urban Brawl and Combat Biking.

Crimsondude

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« Reply #7 on: <05-24-18/2047:42> »
Quote
While there are still people who like the entertainment and acting aspect of professional wrestling, mixed-martial-art ultimate fighting challenges between skilled adepts or highly augmented fighters have long overtaken classic boxing or sports limited to only a single combat style.
— Attitude, 103

Pro wrestling will never die. I'm not going to second-guess what Paul Hume meant in Shadowbeat, but it seems to equate WWF/WCW (an easy mistake to make to someone not invested beyond common knowledge of the sport at the height of its popularity) with all pros, which has and will never be true.

It doesn't help anything that like most of the books at the time it's never really clear what is fictional narrative and what is direct exposition to the reader. Unlike Street Samurai Guide, which was I believe the first book that delineated between the fiction and game information (if not SSG, then Shadowtech), books like Shadowbeat and NAGNA were cavalier with the fictional annotations. I mention this because that paragraph is clearly aimed at the reader and not making a narrative point, which further reinforces my point that it was Hume saying "There's no Hulk Hogan in Shadowrun." So while that was true in 2050, it doesn't foreclose a revival.
« Last Edit: <05-24-18/2058:40> by Crimsondude »

jtnlange

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« Reply #8 on: <05-25-18/0919:12> »
I did not mean to suggest that pro wrestling being dead was set in stone and that is that, I used to be a pro wrestler and it is something i still enjoy watching today, but in my vision of Shadowrun I think it may go the way of the dodo as more bloodthirsty fans want more I.E. Urban Brawl, Combat Bike and MMA, sports that really ramp up the violence. I just done think they could appeal to the masses as easy. If anything I think it you be more aimed at children to be more of a gateway to more violent sports.


Trevor
Shadowrun has a different definition of fair than a game like D&D. In D&D fair means not throwing the PC's up against things they can't beat. In Shadowrun fair is if you piss off the dude with the gauss rifle you eat a gauss rifle - ShadowcatX

SR1+ SR2+ SR3++ SR4+ SR5+ h b+++ B+ D UB++ IE+ DSF+