How do you handle title defenses?

[heat680]

I was just wondering how everyone handles title defenses in their fed? Are you on a set schedule of defenses? Are you secondary titles defended more than your main belts?

[Aquinas]

I used to scatter the defenses throughout events, but over the last year, I've gone to a supercard format where titles are defended only on them. So I have one or two supercards a month, and all the in-between cards build up who the contenders are and whatnot.

[Trent Lawless]

I rotate them to be at least once every four shows in both the GWF and CPC, with this order:

GWF (only ever one per card, except special events)
Heavyweight
Women's
Tag Team
Interstellar

CPC (Nebula, Cruiserweight and/or Women's get paired up with each other, but not generally with the major belts)
Heavyweight
Tag Team
Women's
Nebula
Cruiserweight

Also, if a champ loses a belt, he/she/they get the next rematch automatically, unless there's a retirement, injury, team breakup, etc.

EDIT: Also, in 90% of the cases, title defenses are Titan Death rules at the minimum (i.e. some sort of special match). That's why my special matches/Heavy Metal Title was reserved for the really brutal ones like the Torture Chamber and Four Weapons of Destruction.

[offspring515]

My champs defend every 30 days (in game time, not real time.)

A champion who loses will almost always get a rematch, although there are some obvious exceptions.

[Aquinas]

I think someone asked this some time ago, but do any of you give the champions any special 'bonuses' to reduce the number of title changes? I haven't, as of yet, although once in awhile I give a champion a mulligan on any early fluke pinfall.

[gatekeeper]

There are several people who use a "champions advantage" rule. I like to use the "1-2-3" rule I call it where the champ has to roll his pin 3 times (liking it to the ref's 3 count). I took it from my boy Swarm.

Some people will reduce the champion's pin by 1 (or maybe more in some cases).

Those are the only ones I can think of now.

[Eliath]

My Heavyweight Title and my Tag-Team Titles are at least once a month defenses...I hold 1 card per week & a pay-per-view after every 4 cards...If either champ is "unable" to defend they vacate their title(s). If a major champion is defeated they will get the return shot at the next pay-per-view usually. My Televison Title must be defended at every card. If that champion is defeated he doesn't necessarily get a return shot right away but usually does at some point down the line.

[traviz]

My Galaxian title is defended mostly on the large cards about once every 5 cards or so. The tag belts and Interplanetary title mostly rotate during the weekly shows but my Planet X title is defended on every card with the only exception being if the current P-X champion is wrestling for another title on a given card i.e. the P-X champion gets a Galaxian title shot.
The P-X title is easier to win because of the amount of title defenses the champion has to make, but it's also harder to hold on to for any length of time for the same reason.

[WTIC]

In my fed, I set up two fight cards at a time. Each champ has a non-title bout against a chosen contender (unless it's for the Heavy Metal Belt, then it's an auto Title Bout). If the challenger wins the non-title bout, he gets one (and only one) Title Shot. The two top contenders for each Belt (best records) fight in a Number One Contender match for the right to fight the champ in a Title Bout at each SuperCard (every 10th fight card). If a champion loses a Belt and had held onto it for six months or longer (fed time), then he gets an auto rematch non-title bout against the new champ.

That's about it. I have had this system (minus the rematch clause) since way back when I played the SuperStar Pro Wrestling game. Works for me!

[offspring515]

I use the "champ must roll his pin 3 times" rule too. Stole it from Swarm or Payback

[blueraider2]

i use by pinfall only.

[Matt]

I lower the champ's pin by 1, give them one "free" pin (i.e. if they roll that they are pinned, they get to re-roll), plus an extra pin save if they are tag champs.

[Aquinas]

matt said:

I lower the champ's pin by 1, give them one "free" pin (i.e. if they roll that they are pinned, they get to re-roll), plus an extra pin save if they are tag champs.

This sounds very reasonable without over-tinkering. I'd like to lessen the title changes just a little bit. I might start with the pin "Get out of Jail Free" idea like you have and extra pin save for tag, and see what that does.

[Pride]

every 30 days game time.

[Trent Lawless]

I have a couple champ advantage rules. For pins, they have to be "pinned" successfully five times (fatigue tokens continue to go up). It's a little more involved than that but it's convoluted even to me. I also allow one time per match for a reversal on something like out of the ring or deathjump to be nullified. Say the opponent moves out of the way on a deathjump and takes over on level 3. I'll allow the champ, if he/she so chooses, to reroll to try to get a better result. But only once.

It helps prevent those one-hit wonders, but not always.

[steelthunder814]

I defend my singles titles at least once a month and on supercards...The tag titles usually every2 weeks since the level of competiton is high...i use a champions advantage where u get 3 kicks out and then every 6 months it goes down 1...gives the runs some stability cuz if there is one thing i hate is a transitional champ...Right Edge?

[Bazzy]

I try to equal all belts out , so they are defended roughly all about the same number of matches . Usually at all PPVs , I do like to have all titles on the line . Unless of course its say a Royal Rumble (the I-P champ will be in it) or Survivor Series teams (then usually no titles are on the line) . I do use the 30 day ruling for ALL belts to be defended . .

[dbfnq]

I only run ten cards a year (basing it on the supercard-every-month model we get in the UK) and by the end of 2119 I think every belt will have been defended twice. Mostly spread out, but my end of year show will have everything on the line. Normally there'd be more defences, but the initial title tournaments ate up quite a bit of the year.

No champ's advantage rules here.

EDIT: Technically the I-P belt will have had three defences, because there was a DQ-and-rematch early on.

[Big Bri]

matt said:

plus an extra pin save if they are tag champs.

Good idea. Thanks.

[Wildfire]

I have title defense about once a month.. so that there's basically 1 title match on every card( but its not a hard rule (i.e I'm doing E right now, there are two titles, and two cards a month..)

if there a controversial finish, I'll sometimes do a rematch on the next card, while if the champ is embroiled in a feud with a non-contender, or there's just no one worth giving a title shot, I'll hold it back a card or two to establish a good contender.

As for Champ's advantage, I do the lower the pin by 1 thing.. I've tried the "1-2-3" rule, and find it to be TOO much of an advantage for my liking.

For Tag teams, I also allow and extra Pin Save.