September 28th, 2024
1:30am – St. Louis, Missouri
Good morning, fellow fans of professional wrestling, I bring to you a special moment as I take a moment to sit down with the current (and first) Head of Cash Mouse Entertainment, Ted Dibiase. Dibiase entered – alongside Catherine Mouse and Ted Brown – this fledgling new company at the outset of the Seventh Era with one mission in mind: revolutionizing the business once again! Now, after a summer of public disagreements with his compatriots, Dibiase finds himself in a new position: as the inaugural Head of the Triad of Cash Mouse Entertainment for the first three month cycle.
On the heels of a shocking internal memo circulated at his direction, I reached out to our current leader for his thoughts on that announcement and on the current state of the business. Without any further delay, here is that discussion!
(JQ: Johnny Quest, TD: Ted Dibiase)
JQ: I’m not sure how to address you sir. What is the appropriate way to greet the Head of the company?
TD: *chuckles* That’s quite alright, Johnny, I suggest you just call me “Mr. Dibiase”. Being the Head of the Triad is new to all of us, so we will figure all of that stuff over time.
JQ: Very well. Let’s get down to business, shall we?
TD: I’m all business, Johnny. Shoot.
JQ: This past Tuesday morning, you directed the circulation of an internal memo – briefly reported by our commentary team on Animosity – which revealed that there will be some changes to the layout of ULW programming starting this coming Tuesday. Can you elaborate on what that will entail and kindly give us your explanation as to “why”?
TD: Of course. Starting on Tuesday, October 1st, ULW will shift to a more focused approach. What that means is that the audience will be exposed to only the very best that ULW has to offer. No filler matches. No bullshit backstage drama that no one finds interest in. Only the most essential programming.
TD: What does this entail, though? Well, what it will mean is that the next Animosity and every episode thereof from that point-forward will feature a number of high-quality stories, accompanied by a single match. Before you ask, this will NOT be structured like Ascendants was in its single-match phase. Instead, the single match will be treated like a main event on a main roster.
TD: While Intensity will remain as a two-match show, it will have more of a story-telling emphasis than it has up through now, and Aggression will be condensed to three matches a week. We will NOT be reducing the special events, nor will we be condensing the layout of ULW Aggression and ULW Intensity at this time.
TD: As for the “why”? Well, to get right to the point: we have seen ratings decline in areas where it has negated our best segments. This has cost us dearly in some weeks and delivered us heartbreaking close-losses in others. As the current Head of Cash Mouse Entertainment, it is my top priority to ensure that this new brand of professional wrestling succeeds at every turn. I refuse to let us be trapped by outdated booking models which only ensure that we will fail where it counts. We have advertisers to please and TV/streaming deals to maintain and renew. As long as I am the Head or otherwise a part of this company, we will always do what is best for business.
JQ: Are you afraid that the reduction in TV for matches will cause a bit of a revolt backstage, or at the very least that it will create a new problem of diminished opportunities to develop new stories?
TD: No, and the reason that I can say that with confidence is that we will be increasing the guaranteed number of live shows by one a week, in addition to exploiting other story-development opportunities that will start as experimental in nature at first. Though, I am convinced that once this experimental phase is finished, the Board and the rest of the Triad will see things my way and keep the new approach in place going forward.
JQ: Wait, so are you saying that all of these changes are temporary?
TD: No, no. The only thing that is temporary is the increased number of live shows, combined with the story enhancement approach. Those are in a sort of trial period throughout the rest of my current tenure as the Head of the company. The other changes that I have revealed here have already been approved by a clear majority of the Board.
JQ: The competition will very likely mock this change. Are you concerned about the public perception that ULW is feeling cornered?
TD: Nope. I never fear anything, and that is certainly the case as it pertains to the likes of Sami, Megan, and Murrey. Hell, the changes to Animosity are partially inspired by the success of WWE’s recent simplification of their own structuring of NXT. As for Aggression, we have looked at the popularity and critical acclaim of Wednesday Night War’s three match structure and have decided that three matches may well be the way of the future.
JQ: Isn’t this also just inviting AEW – the present number one company – to follow suit?
TD: I’m not intimidated by the thought of competing against a three match Dynamite. Hell, we’ve even done so in recent weeks. I say “bring it!”
JQ: What if this doesn’t serve as the necessary ingredient to put ULW over the top? Is the plan to eliminate Animosity altogether and move to 2-match Aggressions?
TD: Don’t be ridiculous, Johnny. I have no desire to condense things any further. 6 matches a week – that is, three per league – is ideal for the modern era. During ULW weeks where neither League hosts a show, there will still be 8 total matches, and 4-5 matches for special events such as the upcoming Hallow-Travaganza on October 28th. We are only dropping two matches a week. Just two matches, and we will be ENHANCING opportunities for quality story-telling. This isn’t the end of the world, man, this is the beginning of something really special. I’m telling you, we will be having a very different conversation in three months as we usher in 2025 on top of the industry. Just wait.
JQ: Speaking of Hallow-Travaganza, the show underwent a poster and name change this past week. What was the final straw?
TD: All we did was drop the extra, and quite frankly, unnecessary “O”. After we all had a good laugh at the Commissioner’s and commentary team’s difficulty in saying the event’s name, we knew that it was time to put the old name out of its misery. Instead of creating a silly distraction that would have caused some of the focus to be taken away from the card and stories, we felt it was best to make it easier to say. This was a no-brainer.
JQ: Before I let you go, sir, I wanted to see if you had any parting thoughts, including about the competition or your fellow Triad Members?
TD: By now the world should know that I ALWAYS have thoughts to share. *chuckles* I will say this about AEW and WWE; they are fierce to compete with. Still, it is way too early to crown BWM Inc. once again. This era is only just beginning and I will not be deterred in promoting ULW as the best in the business. Things are only going to get better, and we will soon see ULW outpace AEW and WWE in our presentation.
TD: Regarding Catherine and Brown? The deed is done. I’m the Head right now and then Brown takes the reigns in December, followed by Catherine in March. They will have their chance to prove their leadership, but right now I am determined to set the stage and leave the company in a better position than we found it on August 31st.
JQ: Does it bother you that you haven’t presided over a single ratings victory as Head?
TD: *Grinding his teeth a little and rolling his jaw* What do you think? Success is personal to me. You’re damn right it bothers me, but this phase won’t last for long. We’re done here. *leaves*
There you have it, folks. I will catch you all when I post the next installment of the Quest for Truth, and make sure to stay tuned for further updates pertinent to live shows, event summaries, and other developments!
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