Docs
⭐ Special Matches
⭐ Special Matches
Special matches tag a bout with extra narrative weight, debuts, returns, retirements, dream matches, and more. They boost crowd and segment ratings when booked honestly, and some stipulations change your roster after the show.
Where to Book Them
In the Match Wizard, open the Special Match dropdown at the top of the Finish step once you have participants in the ring. If nothing qualifies yet, the control stays disabled with a tooltip explaining why.
On the Sides tab, wrestlers who qualify for certain stipulations get checkboxes under their name, use Debut to mark who is officially debuting, and Retirement Match when a farewell is on the table.
Special Match Types
| Type | When It Unlocks | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Debut | A wrestler under contract with you has no company match history yet (first appearance for your promotion) | Crowd and rating bonus; live feed debut beats; pick debuts on each side |
| Return | Long absence or a scheduled return date has passed | Extra crowd pop for the returning star |
| Injury Return | A wrestler healed from an injury and hasn't wrestled since (90-day window) | Crowd pop that grows with the layoff length and the star's popularity; losing the comeback deflates the crowd |
| Staff Match | A non-wrestler is in the match | Penalises in-ring quality, use sparingly for comedy or chaos |
| Retirement | Upper card talent or veterans (38+) | Big crowd moment; retiree should lose, crowd punishes a farewell win |
| Career vs Career | Singles match, both mid-card or higher (card position) | High stakes; build a storyline first or bonuses are halved |
| Loser Leaves | One-on-one only | Loser leaves the promotion after the show (draw/no-contest = unresolved) |
| Dream Match | Two upper-card stars (card position) who have never met | Combined star power boosts crowd and rating |
| Storyline Blowoff | Active storyline with three or more beats | Heat and depth bonuses for the feud payoff |
Live Simulation
Debut special matches inject a short burst of debut commentary (two or three lines) early in the match feed, calling out the talent you marked on the sides tab.
Rating modifiers apply when the segment is scored, check the results breakdown for the special match line item.
⚠️ Stipulation Fallout
Retirement, Career vs Career, and Loser Leaves resolve after the show. Clear winners and losers are required, a draw or no-contest leaves the stipulation unresolved and triggers an inbox notice.
Returns clear scheduled return dates once the match completes. An injury comeback is spent the first time the wrestler competes in any match, special or not.
🩹 Injury Comebacks
When one of your wrestlers heals, your inbox gets a Comeback Ready message with three suggested opponents: a storyline rival first, then familiar foes, then talent close in popularity. Pick one to jump straight into the Match Wizard with the injury-return match set up. The roster shows a Return Ready badge until the comeback is booked or the 90-day window runs out.
The Finish step warns you if you book the returning star to lose. Long layoffs and big stars get the loudest pops.
Booking Tips
- Mark Debut on the side card for every new signing making their first appearance, the game suggests Debut when someone qualifies, but you can pick another special match and it will stay selected.
- Pair debuts with a solid opponent; debut rating scales slightly with opponent popularity.
- Save Dream Match and Storyline Blowoff for cards where you want the sim to pop, they reward long-term booking.