“Dimension 20” has returned with an all-new side quest featuring WWE Superstars. “Titan Takedown” stars Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, Chelsea, and Bayley, with Brennan Lee Mulligan serving as the Dungeon Master. “Titan Takedown” is set in a bombastic, professional wrestling-inspired ancient Greece inhabited by the myths and gods of old. The first episode kicks off with exciting introductions, hilarious character interactions, and a dynamic wrestling match.

The Righteous Wrestlers have created some of the most enticing new characters to date. Each of these characters has rich backstories with big personalities. This lends itself well at the table and in the ring. Chelsea’s character, Tabatha, is the sister of Aphrodite, the famed Greek goddess of love. Xavier Woods has crafted a character with a built-in grudge against Zeus. Bayley and Kofi Kingston have leaned into the history of curses and the pettiness of the gods in Greek mythology.

Each of them has a reason to be a part of this battle intrinsically tied to their characters. Mulligan has proven to be a master at crafting stories around the characters created and decisions made by his players. The big bad in “Fantasy High Junior Year” is a direct result of a running joke from Emily Axford. How he built the adventures in both seasons of “Dungeons & Drag Queens” was a direct result of this as well.

In a roundtable interview, Temple of Geek asked Mulligan how he worked with the players to build their characters and thus craft the season. Mulligan was quick to credit the wrestlers character creation abilities. He explained how they came to the character creation session with fully fleshed-out and planned characters. This included already built-in conflicts, storylines, and larger connections.

“All Of These Wrestlers Are Writers”

Brennan Lee Mulligan:

“We had a remote character creation Zoom call. They’re all over the place and have incredibly busy schedules, so it was great to get them all on a call together. It was nice also to be able to pitch a setting. When you make a setting from scratch, you end up in that funny position that I think all GMs get in where you’re like, Okay, so there are seven gem elements of the floating city of Naz’rah. And you’re like, Ah, I feel like I’m alienating people. I’m losing them.

And so, there’s an element of going, it’s ancient Greek myth, right? Just even pointing to Disney’s Hercules. Go, like that. Look at that. There are these really big cultural touchstones that are a great buy-in to people where they’re like, oh sh*t, yeah, Hercules, Zeus, I get it. This is not, I’m on Terra Firma. People’s characters were being pitched right away. Austin [Xavier Woods] came out of the gate swinging with, I want to play Julius Mortem. This is the sort of vibe I have.

What was great is the thing that D&D, professional wrestling, and Greek mythology all have is this larger-than-life-ness. It is a feeling of—you can call it tall tale, you can call it epic myth. You can also call it camp, in some ways. You can call it that idea of here’s this sequin-covered, spotlights, lasers, the Gods Olympus, the big kind of storytelling. Everyone was pitching in their characters right away. People are going to watch this and mistakenly come away going, Oh, those people are learning D&D for the first time. That might be true, but everyone’s characters came in all cylinders firing.

Chelsea had never played before but was like, I am going to be the sister of the goddess of love, but I am the goddess of love specifically for one’s cats, and she gets more credit than me. That’s a built-in storyline. That is a rivalry hooked in from the beginning. So what people need to give credit to these performers for is that all of these wrestlers are writers. They understand stories in their bones; they get it; they get the arc; they get the character; they get having something that you need that you’re not getting. It was just a joy. So that character creation just flew by and everyone did an awesome job.”

“Dungeons & Drag Queens” showed that performers of all kinds are perfect for this style of storytelling, and “Titan Takedown” proves it once again. The wrestlers clearly came into this prepared and mindful, building characters that are perfect for this world. They understand the importance of conflict, relationships, tension, and backstory.

Dimension 20: Titan Takedown Encapsulates WWE Superstars Creativity & Improv

Wrestling is the perfect amalgamation of storytelling and sport. “Dimension 20: Titan Takedown” understands and respects the skills of these performers. They bring a different improvisation experience to the table than comedians. They also have a more in-depth understanding of making an entertaining and dynamic fight.

The Righteous Wrestlers are able to not only show off the skills they use in the ring but also flex muscles fans may not expect. The comedy and team dynamic are key to the success of “Dimension 20,” and based on the first episode of “Titan Takedown,” it will be no different. Each of the players fully embodies their characters from the jump. Their improvisation, character creation, kinetic intelligence, and collaboration are on full display.

Titan Takedown Captures Classic Greek Mythology Tropes With A Twist

These performers usually show off their abilities through their actions. Now they can capture the audience’s imaginations. Mulligan is a master storyteller and world builder, having created numerous worlds and inhabited many others. Mulligan was clearly impressed by the Righteous Wrestlers character creation and storytelling. Even before they sat down at the table and brought the characters to life.

Every single character feels full from the start with clear motivation for why they want to fight tied to major Greek gods. Their motivation feels genuine. The players capture the perspective of minor deities and the mortals that have historically been manipulated. The wrestling component brings a new twist to this as the characters fight for themselves and against the oppression of the gods. That balance between comedy, an understanding of mythology, and fighting for the little guy is a prime example of why the Righteous Wrestlers are the perfect performers and creatives to play in the dome.

The first episode of “Dimension 20: Titan Takedown” is available on Dropout now with new episodes on Wednesdays.