“Dimension 20: Titan Takedown” has been a wild and exciting ride. Each episode brings action that enraptures the audience, hilarious player decisions, and ever evolving relationships between the characters. Brennan Lee Mulligan has admitted he was not an expert in professional wrestling before this season, but based on the story he has crafted for this side quest that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. This is in part due to the help of Danielle Radford who served as a wrestling consultant this season.

Radford is well known to “Dimension 20” fans and has a deep understanding of Mulligan’s storytelling style. She has sat at the table with Mulligan as a fellow player in both seasons of “Misfits & Magic.” In “Mentopolis” he served as her GM. However, this was a completely different experience in the dome.

Temple of Geek spoke with Radford in an exclusive interview about “Titan Takedown.” She explained that even before this season Mulligan’s curiosity was piqued by her love for professional wrestling. He asked her questions while they were filming the second season of “Misfits & Magic. She revealed, “We actually taped during one of the days of WrestleMania. I was on set and so he would ask me questions about it because obviously I’m geeked.”  

Radford’s role as consultant meant that she became Mulligan’s wrestling mentor, teaching him about the mechanics of the storytelling and the matches. This included the tempo of a wrestling match, terminology, and the importance of the audience as a character within these stories. Radford explained, “The audience in wrestling is the other character because of the reactions in real time. Because this is essentially a more violent version of theater in the round.” Radford also made sure that Mulligan understood who each of the Righteous Wrestlers are as performers.

“Once the Righteous Wrestlers had been cast and everything was set, I was like, here are just some sort of rudimentary things that you need to know about each wrestler. Taking him through some of their biggest matches, their biggest feuds, kind of letting him be up to speed on what’s going on now with their characters… if he’s going to be working with people, he wants to be able to really get an idea for how they perform with their performances.”

“You’re Building A Story That Ultimately Builds To A Battle”

At its core, wrestling often involves tales of heroes, also known as faces, confronting villains, also known as heels, in a battle for a greater cause.This is also the heart of Dungeons & Dragons with everyday people stepping up to become unlikely heroes. This parallel seems to have been in part the key to unlocking the magic that is “Titan Takedown.” As Radford broke down, “You’re building a story that ultimately builds to a battle and that is just D&D altogether. You’re building up learning your character motivations and learning why your characters are going after whatever it is they’re going after. Because even in wrestling, it isn’t always necessarily a championship. Sometimes it’s just to prove that you’re the best.”

While this storytelling framework for Dungeons & Dragons and wrestling parallels one another, “Titan Takedown” has a deeper connection to wrestling storytelling. Mulligan obviously took inspiration from professional wrestling with the “Titan Takedown” tournament, but there are more elements that come into play. This can be seen with characters like Zeus aka “Big Z” which is an homage to Macho Man. Even storylines including Julius Mortem, played by Xavier Woods, Austin Creed, betraying his friends by keeping secrets about his motives harkens back to many wrestling storylines.

The Audience Are The Fifth Character In Titan Takedown

However, perhaps the most brilliant choice with this is the importance of the audience in “Titan Takedown.” Shimmer tokens show the importance of winning over the audience as the players gain mechanics-based advantages during the matches. But perhaps even more integral is how winning over the audience is the key to truly winning the tournament. When the Righteous Wrestlers learn that the final champion must win both the tournament physically and in the eyes of the audience to truly gain the full power of the title everything changed. Radford praised Mulligan’s decision and how it champions the audience as part of the story.

“When Brennan added in that extra element of it isn’t just winning the match, you also have to win the audience. That’s a thing that you see in wrestling all the time. The real-life audience in wrestling, being for or against your character is a way that you start to progress. They can have a story built out all they want, but if the audience doesn’t want you to be their champion, you’re not going to be as successful as their champion.

That was the thing that actually happened to The Rock when he first came into wrestling, he was kind of like the blue chipper and this third-generation star who was kind of pushed on people’s throats. When he turned heel, the audience started liking him and getting on board. Brennan, he very wisely decided, if I’m going to do a wrestling season, we have to make it so there is an opportunity for the audience to also have their say.”

Underdogs Steal The Show Every Time

Underdogs have captured audiences’ hearts and imaginations for generations. Whether it be David versus Goliath, a group of rebels fighting to save a galaxy far, far away from an oppressive Empire, or a Hobbit taking the ring to Mordor. Audiences want to root for the unlikely heroes who step up even when the odds are impossibly against them.

This is also true in wrestling. Radford explained the importance of the audience in deciding who the true heroes are. She broke down how characters like The Rock and Roman Reigns were initially rejected by the audience when they were introduced as Faces. This caused them to pivot to Heels which changed the tide of their stories gaining favor with the audience. The audience can also work to make unexpected heroes take center stage. As an example Radford shared the story of wrestler Daniel Bryan.

“Daniel Bryan rose very quickly through because people liked him. And I was actually at this wrestling thing, so I’m always very proud of it. He goes to Seattle, and they’re having this big talkie thing happening in the ring, and the crowd just starts yelling and chanting for Daniel Bryan, so much so that it’s interrupting what’s happening in the ring…Seeing that huge crowd reaction, they make a pivot and they put it into the storyline. They call it the “yes” movement because one of his main chants was he just goes like, “yes, yes, yes.” And so they would start putting that into the stories.

So then they do this runup to WrestleMania 30, which is all about giving Daniel Bryan a chance to be champion. And then the powers that be having it through their own mouths being like, we don’t think you’re good enough or else we would’ve had you do it before. So, then spoiler, when he wins everything with all of the obstacles put in front of him, it’s huge. They were able to take the crowd and then put it in there to help tell what was a genuine underdog story because they saw which way the tide was turning.”

This mirrors the journey of the Party Animals in “Titan Takedown.” This team was never supposed to be a real contender. They faced off against some of the scariest warriors and monsters in Greek Mythology and managed to come out on top while also winning over the audience.  

“The story is the gods are plucking a champion to have a seat among the gods and they are handpicking someone. And then you have this scrappy group of people who are downtrodden, haven’t been treated well, and through earning the love of the crowd, they are starting to make their way through this tournament where no one thought that they would be able to. That’s wrestling baby!”

The Righteous Wrestlers Show Off Their Skills On Titan Takedown

“Titan Takedown” allows Mulligan to show his impressive skills as a storyteller and GM for first time players. He expertly balances how he guides the Righteous Wrestlers through this season while giving them the freedom to steer the story through their actions. The backdrop of Greek mythology and the pantheon of the Gods opens the door to many of his favorite themes. As Radford explained, “Brennan’s going to hit on themes of power, who has it, who’s keeping it, who wants it and why, things like that. Those are themes that tend to come up over and over again in his playing. And so especially with the Greek gods, that’s very easy.”

However, this is also the perfect setting to shine a light on each of the players. Chelsea Green, Bayley, and Kofi Kingston are new to Dungeons & Dragons, but their improvisation and humor shine through every episode. Xavier Woods, Austin Creed, is more familiar with the game and his ability to strategize is key to the Party Animals advancing in the way they have through the tournament.

Their ability to improvise, their love of storytelling, and their comedic chops are highlighted throughout. Xavier Woods, Austin Creed, took a big swing in the second episode when he pitched a dance battle instead of a wrestling match. While this may have shocked many viewers, Radford wasn’t surprised by this turn of events.

“That one I could have called because in their New Day has been known to do a dance battle in order to solve problems, but also Austin Creed Xavier Woods is so incredibly, he really just got like, Hey, we want the people on our side. We could fight and now the crowd has to decide [who they like]. Maybe by beating them up too bad the crowd hates us or we do something really fun and really silly and at the end everyone stays whole and healthy and no one dies. That makes the crowd like us more. It’s obviously a really silly, really fun bit. There’s also quite a bit of strategy that goes into making that call.”

The Final Titan Takedown Showdown Could Change Everything

The strategic mindset has served the Party Animals well, but how that will come into play in the finale remains a mystery. The final match of the “Titan Takedown” separates the winning team so that each wrestler faces off against each other in a 1v1v1v1 rumble. While this has happened in wrestling it isn’t a common turn. Radford shared that betrayal among teams are what usually splits them apart. Even New Day, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods team, experienced this when they turned Heel after betraying their third member.

While betrayals happen in “Dimension 20” it isn’t often through player versus player decisions. Forcing the players to either fight one another or find a way to go against the Gods captures the spirit of “Dimension 20” and iconic turns in wrestling. Radford revealed how this can happen in wrestling it, although it isn’t often, but why it works so well in “Titan Takedown.”

“I like that Brennan was like, well, we’re going to, in the same way that it is written in WWE, that someone will betray someone else. This is almost like the Gods are saying, we’re going to force you to break up the power of friendship, by making you fight each other. So, it does happen, but it isn’t super common. When it does, you get that really effective storytelling of, what’s going to happen? You can’t make them fight their best friends! If best friends fight, and if this fight is what makes them break up and betray each other, I’m going to cry forever. Most people don’t say that, I say that.”

Danielle Radford Reveals How “Everything Is Wrestling”

Radford’s extensive knowledge of wrestling proved to be pivotal this season. She helped Mulligan fall in love with the Righteous Wrestlers before they stepped foot into the dome. But she also helped bridge the gap between his extensive wisdom as a storyteller with wrestling knowledge. “Titan Takedown” takes so many aspects of this sport from the dynamic fight sequences, the importance of commentators with “Sports Centaur,” the significance of the audience in the story, and even the storylines themselves.

Wrestling has proven itself to be the perfect medium to pair with Dungeons & Dragons in part because at their core they tell the same stories. Unlikely heroes fighting against strong villains for something greater. The battles, drama, conflicts, comedy, and heart weave together to create compelling stories whether in the ring or at the table. Radford is taking this knowledge to others at Champions Grove next month.

 “Everything is wrestling when you break it down the way that those folks were able to really just distill a way to be able to tell stories, captivate crowds, long-term storytelling. I’m prepping right now a workshop for the folks at Champions Grove. That’s like how wrestling and long-term storytelling can help your D&D game.”

The finale of “Dimension 20: Titan Takedown” debuts on Dropout on May 23.