Thanks to everyone for the comments on a couple of my "half in reviews" posts. Today's blog is actually based on the responses to my EPW in review. In particular, the following two comments:
" And, if someone doesn't take the time to read the entire backstory, or inquire about it? I don't feel bad about them not getting it." (Jamar)
"Karl, maybe you should have read the roleplays for those shows too. It was made very clear the history between the two as they built that story up, and roleplay is most definitely a part of fed continuity.
If you don't read the roleplay along with the whole show, you can hardly complain about presentation of a feud." (Dave)
OK, first things first - I did read the roleplays for the shows. Throughout my time as a member of the EPW roster, I read every RP posted in every match. Even today, since I left, I've read every RP - it's taken longer to read them all since I left, but I do still read them.
With the two cards that caused me the most distress, I re-read those RPs several times before making a decision I still maintain was the right one. I left Empire Pro Wrestling because of the Daymon/Stevens segments on the shows, because they were incredibly distressing to read.
Not that they weren't well written - I just didn't like a lot of what was in the segments across the two cards, and didn't see that they made sense.
WHICH is where this post comes in.
You're in a new fed for your character. There's some history between them and another character, but it goes into another fed, and you want to feud with them.
What do you do?
What I think happened with the Daymon/Stevens stuff, is it was assumed people understood the entire backstory. However, one thing I've maintained throughout my e-fed career, is that you shouldn't rely on that kind of thing. To take a real-life comparison - how much reference did WCW make to the "Mega-Powers Explode!" story the WWF ran between Hogan and Savage when the two feuded in WCW?
As I remember it, not much. The feud was one we'd seen before, but it was over something new - Hogan turning on Savage, then leadership of the nWo. I don't actually remember any mention of the "Mega-Powers" feud.
Which made sense - WCW and WWF were in competition. The two could've cut promos harking back to the WWF days, but I don't remember them doing it - they managed to, very quickly, established a reason that was real to the WCW crowd as to why they'd dislike each other so much.
To take an e-wrestling example - Karl "The Dragon" Brown and Adam Benjamin have had a history for a long time. When we first met in EPW, we'd already had a barnstormer in MCW, and I think it was about the same time that Benjamin cost Brown the NWL World Heavyweight Title. Yes, we mentioned the MCW and NWL bits when we met in EPW - but we kept the focus as being EPW; we allowed the story to grow in EPW to the point we wouldn't need to mention other feds, because the history was there in Empire Pro Wrestling.
Between Stevens and Daymon, I did not see the history. Why should Caitlyn, based on what was presented in EPW, decide to taser Stevens? Why would Rocko drug his own wife "for her own protection"? The only part that made EPW storyline sense, based on segments and Role-Plays, was after the tasering when Stevens confronted Caitlyn in the hotel (even though I found the writing there very disturbing, on a personal level for reasons I refuse to go into because I don't want to drag up some bad memories for myself).
The main difficulty, and I've seen this in a lot of feds, is that people assume that the backstory is known. Or, as Jamar states, that we can enquire about it.
I think that's, a) the wrong attitude, and b) very arrogant. I'll be honest. The TV audience isn't going to go digging round for old tapes from feds that've closed down so they're up to date with everything. You as the reader don't write to the author to know the complete backstory of a novel or play/film. You base your decision based on what you see. The wrestling audience would base their reactions on what they had seen/heard - and there was nothing in the Stevens/Daymon stuff which led me to believe that the segments were justified.
I'm not jumping on Jamar, Ryan or Dave here - they knew the backstory. Heck, I've seen feud after feud after feud in different feds start because of "wrongs done in past feds". It's something I've always disagreed with. When Dave and I wrote a couple of RPs against each other in A1E, and I was mentioning Blitz leaving EPW, I made sure to tie it into A1E and how Leonard felt that Dan Ryan didn't know how to run a wrestling company.
With the Stevens/Daymon stuff, the relevance for the EPW audience wasn't clear. As I've said, I'd've had no problem if it'd been a slower-burning feud in Empire Pro - which is why I'd've kept JA as number one contender. You could've built a hatred up between Rocko and Sean whilst running a Stevens/JA programme, and made it something unique - using a feud that's been done elsewhere, a hatred that starts elsewhere, but makes perfect sense to the new audience, with new reasons unique to the new fed/environment the two characters find themselves in.
Like I've also said - with the history in EPW, the feud could move on now at that kind of level, and I wouldn't have a problem. Personally I may dislike some of what's written, but it wouldn't jump out as being odd or uncalled for. But, as a reader, I did not know the backstory. The relevance wasn't explained in segments, or Role-Plays, adequately for me, part of the new audience, to understand it. Maybe it's the part of me that follows Barthe's "Death of the Author" theory, but the intentions of any author are irrelevant - it's what the reader takes from it that matters. So if the reader doesn't understand the author's intention, it's not the reader's fault - the author hasn't done a good enough job explaining. If the author is relying on a history that the reader may not have knowledge of, again, that's the author's responsibility.
By all means, have a feud between characters that've feuded before. I've really enjoyed a lot of them - the Dakota Smith/Maelstrom feud in NWL was excellent, as one example. HOWEVER - this hobby is based, not just in writing, but in PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING. And every feud I've seen in professional wrestling is built into the fed, as part of the fed; no knowledge of feuds between the two characters in other feds required. I honestly think that THAT is the way to go - maybe mention that there is some history. But don't have it as the primary reason for the feud, don't use it as the tinder for the fire. Have it fan the flames, but make sure the flames start, and end, totally in the fed the characters are in at that moment.
I hope that clarified a few things. Next time, I'll be posting a show-review - A1E's latest PPV cycle gets reviewed as Golden Dreams hits the airwaves.
And before I go - congrats to Holzerman on his upcoming wedding :) And the EPW title win. Congratulations, and may your married life be everything you wish it to be.
Friday 5 September 2008
Sunday 27 July 2008
2008 - the half in review, part the third.
Hello and welcome to the final part of my look at the first half of 2008! Today, I’m looking at one of the feds that everybody seems to talk about and I never used to read, New Frontier Wrestling.
And boy did I miss out.
Now, I’ll admit – I used to be put-off by some of what I read in NFW. I REALLY disliked a lot of the Troy Windham stuff I read a couple years back, like the teabagging of Joey Melton. I didn’t think it had any place on a wrestling card. But since I started reading the cards more regularly, there’s something I’ve noticed.
EVERYONE on the card has something to do!
It’s something that’s very rare in this hobby. Normally, you’ll only find one or two feuds of any merit, only a couple of interesting storylines, and those very often take up waaaay too much of a card. In NFW at the moment, though, you’ve so many storylines I can think of without looking back at the cards again – you’ve got Legion/Luci4 against James Varga, the HWC and Suicide Kings, Joe the Plumber against everybody, Lord Coyner Pollard’s diplomatic immunity, Lord Coyner Pollard vs. Legion, Nova vs. Kin Hiroshi, Teresa Q’s HUGE run with the gold, Rook Black and Uber Judge… it’s just amazing how much is on each card right now.
Add to that the Grand Prix (sorry M’lud) and you’ve got a very interesting time ahead.
Kudos, though, must go to Impulse. Never have I read a better straight babyface. I remember doing the rankings the other week, and there was a match where Impulse simply refused to take the win because of outside interference. He’s a really classy character with a lot of guts and a lot of determination, who hasn’t made a big name for himself. I really feel for the guy when, on a couple of Brawl cards, he’s had victory just snatched from his grasp – he’s the right sort of underdog.
Kudos also the two tag-teams – the Hollywood Wrecking Crew and Suicide Kings – for their INTENSE feud over the titles. It’s very rare that a tag team storyline is given such prominence on the card, but this has had me gripped since I started reading it. The HWC have really played the heels better than any other team currently out there, and the Suicide Kings… wow! I didn’t know it was possible to have two such evenly matched tag-teams. Along with Impulse, this feud’s really been a highlight of the cards.
Elsewhere on the card, you’ve got three characters that I think you should be keeping an eye on – Teresa Q (who’s one of the most interesting characters there is right now), Brock Alyas (who’s really got the makings of a legend), and Lord Coyner Pollard (insertrestofname). All three of these characters have a unique ability to move about the card almost at will, so seeing where they go from week to week’s going to be really interesting. The Diplomatic Immunity situation (which I had no hand in setting up but I’ll gladly run with) is going to be a huge boost to an already powerful undercard.
If it’s all sounding perfect at the moment, though, NFW’s not without its faults. When I’ve been doing the rankings, it’s sometimes been INCREDIBLY difficult to figure out what’s going on in some matches – especially on Brawl. I LOVE the idea of the Brawl cards, the same way I liked it when Dave was doing Onslaught in EPW, but boy does it become tough to figure out who won some of the matches! Sometimes I’m pretty sure I’ve given it the wrong way until the third or fourth time I’ve read the card. The PPVs and TV tapings are a lot easier to read, but even then, sometimes it seems I have to look reeeeeally close to find out the results. And that’s not good when I’m trying to put together the win/loss record!
But the highlight of the half-year so far? Definitely reading how well the characters are handled in the write-ups. The Dan Ryan/Nova match at Wrestlestock, together with the HWC/Suicide Kings series, have been some of the best matches I’ve ever read, with a lot of give and take. One thing NFW’s matchwriter’s know how to do is structure a match. The segments are always well spaced, and I’ve yet to see one which didn’t add something to the card. It’s really easy for a segment to become overlong and take away from the card, but I’m wondering if there’s some subtle editing going on to keep everything this tight.
2008 so far has been a great year to become a part of NFW. It’s a really strong fed which doesn’t really have any major weakness. Everyone is pretty much given a place on the card which puts them in the best light, and no one storyline is given such prominence that it feels like it’s taking away from the others.
Which, given the number of storylines there are going on at the moment, is a good thing. I don’t think we could take reading 1000 page write ups every week!
So that’s all for 2008 so far. I’m going to start reviewing individual shows a bit more often, and later in the year, look back and see how each of the three feds I’ve written about here has done closing the year. Until next time, stay safe, and remember…
If it’s green, get it amputated.
And boy did I miss out.
Now, I’ll admit – I used to be put-off by some of what I read in NFW. I REALLY disliked a lot of the Troy Windham stuff I read a couple years back, like the teabagging of Joey Melton. I didn’t think it had any place on a wrestling card. But since I started reading the cards more regularly, there’s something I’ve noticed.
EVERYONE on the card has something to do!
It’s something that’s very rare in this hobby. Normally, you’ll only find one or two feuds of any merit, only a couple of interesting storylines, and those very often take up waaaay too much of a card. In NFW at the moment, though, you’ve so many storylines I can think of without looking back at the cards again – you’ve got Legion/Luci4 against James Varga, the HWC and Suicide Kings, Joe the Plumber against everybody, Lord Coyner Pollard’s diplomatic immunity, Lord Coyner Pollard vs. Legion, Nova vs. Kin Hiroshi, Teresa Q’s HUGE run with the gold, Rook Black and Uber Judge… it’s just amazing how much is on each card right now.
Add to that the Grand Prix (sorry M’lud) and you’ve got a very interesting time ahead.
Kudos, though, must go to Impulse. Never have I read a better straight babyface. I remember doing the rankings the other week, and there was a match where Impulse simply refused to take the win because of outside interference. He’s a really classy character with a lot of guts and a lot of determination, who hasn’t made a big name for himself. I really feel for the guy when, on a couple of Brawl cards, he’s had victory just snatched from his grasp – he’s the right sort of underdog.
Kudos also the two tag-teams – the Hollywood Wrecking Crew and Suicide Kings – for their INTENSE feud over the titles. It’s very rare that a tag team storyline is given such prominence on the card, but this has had me gripped since I started reading it. The HWC have really played the heels better than any other team currently out there, and the Suicide Kings… wow! I didn’t know it was possible to have two such evenly matched tag-teams. Along with Impulse, this feud’s really been a highlight of the cards.
Elsewhere on the card, you’ve got three characters that I think you should be keeping an eye on – Teresa Q (who’s one of the most interesting characters there is right now), Brock Alyas (who’s really got the makings of a legend), and Lord Coyner Pollard (insertrestofname). All three of these characters have a unique ability to move about the card almost at will, so seeing where they go from week to week’s going to be really interesting. The Diplomatic Immunity situation (which I had no hand in setting up but I’ll gladly run with) is going to be a huge boost to an already powerful undercard.
If it’s all sounding perfect at the moment, though, NFW’s not without its faults. When I’ve been doing the rankings, it’s sometimes been INCREDIBLY difficult to figure out what’s going on in some matches – especially on Brawl. I LOVE the idea of the Brawl cards, the same way I liked it when Dave was doing Onslaught in EPW, but boy does it become tough to figure out who won some of the matches! Sometimes I’m pretty sure I’ve given it the wrong way until the third or fourth time I’ve read the card. The PPVs and TV tapings are a lot easier to read, but even then, sometimes it seems I have to look reeeeeally close to find out the results. And that’s not good when I’m trying to put together the win/loss record!
But the highlight of the half-year so far? Definitely reading how well the characters are handled in the write-ups. The Dan Ryan/Nova match at Wrestlestock, together with the HWC/Suicide Kings series, have been some of the best matches I’ve ever read, with a lot of give and take. One thing NFW’s matchwriter’s know how to do is structure a match. The segments are always well spaced, and I’ve yet to see one which didn’t add something to the card. It’s really easy for a segment to become overlong and take away from the card, but I’m wondering if there’s some subtle editing going on to keep everything this tight.
2008 so far has been a great year to become a part of NFW. It’s a really strong fed which doesn’t really have any major weakness. Everyone is pretty much given a place on the card which puts them in the best light, and no one storyline is given such prominence that it feels like it’s taking away from the others.
Which, given the number of storylines there are going on at the moment, is a good thing. I don’t think we could take reading 1000 page write ups every week!
So that’s all for 2008 so far. I’m going to start reviewing individual shows a bit more often, and later in the year, look back and see how each of the three feds I’ve written about here has done closing the year. Until next time, stay safe, and remember…
If it’s green, get it amputated.
Monday 21 July 2008
2008 - the half in review, part 2
Hello and welcome again to 2008 – the half year in review! Today, I’d like to take a look at a place I spent almost four years, and the second part of the major War Games at A1E’s Vengeance, Empire Pro Wrestling.
Firstly, I have to congratulate Rocko Daymon and Troy Douglas on winning the top two titles respectively. Troy Douglas had a very nice series with Sergeant before winning the title at Black Dawn. It made a lot of sense to put Troy into the IC title scene, as the main event scene was INCREDIBLY heavy – having him in the triple threat when Brown finally lost the title meant that the new champion (Sergeant) had a great feud to head into. Troy’s performances on the cards have really impressed me, especially after his last run in EPW ended kinda disappointingly after an inferno match against Issac Byrnes/John Doe.
But, as Empire Pro has often had, the mid-card is amazingly strong. You’ve got Larry Tact, Beast (I’d definitely pay to see him and Troy go at it for the IC title), Stalker, Ice Tre, Shawn Hart, and a lot of other people who’d make excellent challengers and possible champions at that level whilst the main event scene readjusts itself.
Break-out star of the half year though, without a doubt, is Nakita Dahaka. I’ve always been a fan of this character – she’s something different, something you don’t usually see; a well written, Gothic type. One of my major gripes for a long time has been how low down the card she’s been – her feud with Frankie Scott last year was spectacular and showed how a lower-card feud could be done without a title being around, and her alliance with Sean Stevens is going to be the push she needs to propel herself up the card. I’ve always felt she was just a little unfortunate – for a while, there were people no-showing fairly often, but never against her. I didn’t like her series with Olvir, but with this new direction, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.
The tag division’s at another cross-roads, with the Kings of the Cage tournament ongoing to name challengers to The Forsaken. I’m gonna reserve judgement, but once the tournament’s done, don’t be surprised if you get three or four teams stepping up in quick succession. Hopefully, most of the teams from the tournament will stick together once it’s done.
Storyline of the year, I’ve already touched on, is the Dahaka/Stalker/Stevens team. HUGE props go to this trio for coming together the way they did, and telling the story in RPs so effectively. I did not see these three getting together – especially with Dahaka in such a prime position. I don’t think they even need to add another member to The Fallen for a very long time, as each of these three can run great feuds up and down the card.
I must admit, I was disappointed by the Stalker/Daymon/Stevens saga. It seemed to really take over the cards, and a lot of the segments seemed overly nasty, especially the Stevens/Daymon ones. I’ve never been a fan of stories which get nasty quickly, and I think, honestly, it would’ve made more sense to hold back on it for a while. I wasn’t at all surprised, once Stevens and Daymon started interacting, that JA lost the number one contendership. It seemed really unfair to Holzerman IMO – he won the triple threat, then there was a storyline with the #1 contendership switching around, which made the PPV match seem irrelevant. I had been looking forward to seeing JA and Stevens go at it, with Rocko finishing with Stalker, but alas. Like I said a moment ago too, I think the Stevens/Daymon stuff was just too nasty. I can understand the idea – to show a deep hatred between the two, but I think that could’ve been built a lot slower, little interactions for the first PPV cycle, then this kind of nasty (especially the Stevens/Caitlyn bits) once things had been allowed to heat up. It’s pretty similar, actually, to the aforementioned Troy Douglas/Issac Byrnes storyline – that had a lot of potential but was rushed.
So, what can we look forward to? The Rocko Daymon/Sean Stevens saga finally seems to be getting interesting – the intensity is at a point I think it now deserves. The IC scene’s looking good, with Douglas and Tact the most obvious pairing. I’d like to see Beast and Craig Miles go at it on the mid-card, and the tag team division, once it’s settled down, should be interesting – The Forsaken look pretty unbeatable, but the Second Coming and The Fallen are both really strong. I think Kin Hiroshi and JA should definitely be staying around the main event, and, hopefully, the World Title scene can settle down a little and be about the title, rather than the soap-opera.
Then again, I really don’t like soap-opera, lol.
Well, that’s all for EPW for this half. Next time, I’ll be taking a look at New Frontier Wrestling. Until then, stay happy :)
Firstly, I have to congratulate Rocko Daymon and Troy Douglas on winning the top two titles respectively. Troy Douglas had a very nice series with Sergeant before winning the title at Black Dawn. It made a lot of sense to put Troy into the IC title scene, as the main event scene was INCREDIBLY heavy – having him in the triple threat when Brown finally lost the title meant that the new champion (Sergeant) had a great feud to head into. Troy’s performances on the cards have really impressed me, especially after his last run in EPW ended kinda disappointingly after an inferno match against Issac Byrnes/John Doe.
But, as Empire Pro has often had, the mid-card is amazingly strong. You’ve got Larry Tact, Beast (I’d definitely pay to see him and Troy go at it for the IC title), Stalker, Ice Tre, Shawn Hart, and a lot of other people who’d make excellent challengers and possible champions at that level whilst the main event scene readjusts itself.
Break-out star of the half year though, without a doubt, is Nakita Dahaka. I’ve always been a fan of this character – she’s something different, something you don’t usually see; a well written, Gothic type. One of my major gripes for a long time has been how low down the card she’s been – her feud with Frankie Scott last year was spectacular and showed how a lower-card feud could be done without a title being around, and her alliance with Sean Stevens is going to be the push she needs to propel herself up the card. I’ve always felt she was just a little unfortunate – for a while, there were people no-showing fairly often, but never against her. I didn’t like her series with Olvir, but with this new direction, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.
The tag division’s at another cross-roads, with the Kings of the Cage tournament ongoing to name challengers to The Forsaken. I’m gonna reserve judgement, but once the tournament’s done, don’t be surprised if you get three or four teams stepping up in quick succession. Hopefully, most of the teams from the tournament will stick together once it’s done.
Storyline of the year, I’ve already touched on, is the Dahaka/Stalker/Stevens team. HUGE props go to this trio for coming together the way they did, and telling the story in RPs so effectively. I did not see these three getting together – especially with Dahaka in such a prime position. I don’t think they even need to add another member to The Fallen for a very long time, as each of these three can run great feuds up and down the card.
I must admit, I was disappointed by the Stalker/Daymon/Stevens saga. It seemed to really take over the cards, and a lot of the segments seemed overly nasty, especially the Stevens/Daymon ones. I’ve never been a fan of stories which get nasty quickly, and I think, honestly, it would’ve made more sense to hold back on it for a while. I wasn’t at all surprised, once Stevens and Daymon started interacting, that JA lost the number one contendership. It seemed really unfair to Holzerman IMO – he won the triple threat, then there was a storyline with the #1 contendership switching around, which made the PPV match seem irrelevant. I had been looking forward to seeing JA and Stevens go at it, with Rocko finishing with Stalker, but alas. Like I said a moment ago too, I think the Stevens/Daymon stuff was just too nasty. I can understand the idea – to show a deep hatred between the two, but I think that could’ve been built a lot slower, little interactions for the first PPV cycle, then this kind of nasty (especially the Stevens/Caitlyn bits) once things had been allowed to heat up. It’s pretty similar, actually, to the aforementioned Troy Douglas/Issac Byrnes storyline – that had a lot of potential but was rushed.
So, what can we look forward to? The Rocko Daymon/Sean Stevens saga finally seems to be getting interesting – the intensity is at a point I think it now deserves. The IC scene’s looking good, with Douglas and Tact the most obvious pairing. I’d like to see Beast and Craig Miles go at it on the mid-card, and the tag team division, once it’s settled down, should be interesting – The Forsaken look pretty unbeatable, but the Second Coming and The Fallen are both really strong. I think Kin Hiroshi and JA should definitely be staying around the main event, and, hopefully, the World Title scene can settle down a little and be about the title, rather than the soap-opera.
Then again, I really don’t like soap-opera, lol.
Well, that’s all for EPW for this half. Next time, I’ll be taking a look at New Frontier Wrestling. Until then, stay happy :)
Friday 18 July 2008
2008 - the year so far, pt.1
OK. So I kinda fell behind on updating this place. My bad. But here today is some more Dragonic goodness (and yes, Dragonic is a word).
Seems like a good time to do one of those "Half-year" review type things. But I'm gonna do it a bit differently. I'm gonna do three of these - one on NFW, one on A1E, and one on Empire Pro, which I do still read occasionally.
But today, I wanna talk about A1E.
Wow... where to start... the tag team division seems like the best place, as it's a very undervalued part of any promotion IMO. Over in A1E, this year we've seen two teams hold the titles - JA and Big Wreck held the titles til Vengeance, and Blitz finally took the gold in a three-team elimination match also featuring the Second Coming.
If anyone wants to see how to run a tag-team division, this is a good example. After losing at Bloody New Year, Blitz took a step back and got into a series with the Natural Disaster (a good little team with a lot of potential, whilst the Second Coming stepped up in a HUGE way into a feud with JA/Big Wreck which has JUST... after six months... finished. The best thing about that feud was the Second Coming really came on as a heel tag-team - they were sneaky, playing mind-games, and Big Wreck, especially, was a fantastic foil to them. After one PPV cycle, they carried on the "Ducky Kidnap" storyline, and just before the PPV, Blitz were added in to make the match at Vengeance a three-way.
Now, that made a lot of sense - even though Blitz had lost two matches back-to-back at that point, they'd been facing top-name stars at or near the top of the card, so having the tag-team specialists going for the tag team titles made sense. It also gave a nice dynamic, since it meant, whatever happened, the Big Wreck/Second Coming story could continue post-Vengeance - the titles could (and were) moved out of the frame, and everybody still looked good. Add to that the Chronic Crimson Collizion Calling, who were never far away, and you had a nice division.
With the CCCC now gone (not for long, Leonard's gut tells him they'll be back), the end of the big Wreck/SC story, and the new Mid-West Mafia, the tag division's looking really strong. They could do with another face team if I'm honest, since right now it's three heel teams, but all in all the coming few months should be big for the division.
Storyline of the half-year, though, has to go to... Cross/Duchess.
I know some people are gonna be going "What about the Dan Ryan/A1E storyline?", and I'll get onto that in a minute, but for me, this Cross/Duchess story has something about it... both characters are really fleshing out for me, and there are some REALLY nice twists and turns which I have a feeling will carry on for a very long time. Adding Wraith was a stroke of GENIUS, and the whole Apollyon bit was a total shock. Whenever Cross and Duchess are up, I'm interested, and I've not been able to guess a single thing about it so far, so it's definitely my story of the half.
But that's not to take away from the big one - the A1E vs Dan Ryan story. That was a truly great undertaking... but, like the Lindsay Troy/Dis thing, and something else I'll talk about when I do my EPW bit, it was really predictable for me. I wasn't surprised A1E lost War Games - I knew they wouldn't end that match happily, so I was more curious as to how they'd work their way around that. I was a bit surprised when Big Dog won the title, because I thought it'd be nice to carry it into a mini invasion of EPW, with Big Dog, Blitz, Duchess, Wraith, et al doing hit and runs against EPW's guys. But this was a nicely executed story that, despite being a little predictable, told a story you don't often see any more - good winning over "evil" with some redemption thrown in (though the redemption was predictable and too sappy for my tastes).
Now, if anyone thought the BC would take it easy after that, you've missed a lot. You've got a lot of great feuds building, most of which have the legs to carry on for two, possibly three PPV arcs (Big Dog vs. HSPC, Mid-West Mafia vs. A1E, Cross/Duchess vs. Wraith, and loads of others). Chip Friendly as World Champion opens a lot of doors if the MWM are kept away for the next cycle and a half (congrats to Dan by the way, that was a helluva match and a well deserved win). The Duchess/Wraith title situation is one to watch out for, and with Troy Douglas holding gold, it's gonna be tough to dislodge him. Tag team wise, look out for the Second Coming - they've been getting better and better, and it could be their time to shine (except for the two behemoths in the way :))
I'd say more, but there's been so much that it'd take me half a year to cover everything! Stay tuned for my next post, which'll be my review of EPW.
Seems like a good time to do one of those "Half-year" review type things. But I'm gonna do it a bit differently. I'm gonna do three of these - one on NFW, one on A1E, and one on Empire Pro, which I do still read occasionally.
But today, I wanna talk about A1E.
Wow... where to start... the tag team division seems like the best place, as it's a very undervalued part of any promotion IMO. Over in A1E, this year we've seen two teams hold the titles - JA and Big Wreck held the titles til Vengeance, and Blitz finally took the gold in a three-team elimination match also featuring the Second Coming.
If anyone wants to see how to run a tag-team division, this is a good example. After losing at Bloody New Year, Blitz took a step back and got into a series with the Natural Disaster (a good little team with a lot of potential, whilst the Second Coming stepped up in a HUGE way into a feud with JA/Big Wreck which has JUST... after six months... finished. The best thing about that feud was the Second Coming really came on as a heel tag-team - they were sneaky, playing mind-games, and Big Wreck, especially, was a fantastic foil to them. After one PPV cycle, they carried on the "Ducky Kidnap" storyline, and just before the PPV, Blitz were added in to make the match at Vengeance a three-way.
Now, that made a lot of sense - even though Blitz had lost two matches back-to-back at that point, they'd been facing top-name stars at or near the top of the card, so having the tag-team specialists going for the tag team titles made sense. It also gave a nice dynamic, since it meant, whatever happened, the Big Wreck/Second Coming story could continue post-Vengeance - the titles could (and were) moved out of the frame, and everybody still looked good. Add to that the Chronic Crimson Collizion Calling, who were never far away, and you had a nice division.
With the CCCC now gone (not for long, Leonard's gut tells him they'll be back), the end of the big Wreck/SC story, and the new Mid-West Mafia, the tag division's looking really strong. They could do with another face team if I'm honest, since right now it's three heel teams, but all in all the coming few months should be big for the division.
Storyline of the half-year, though, has to go to... Cross/Duchess.
I know some people are gonna be going "What about the Dan Ryan/A1E storyline?", and I'll get onto that in a minute, but for me, this Cross/Duchess story has something about it... both characters are really fleshing out for me, and there are some REALLY nice twists and turns which I have a feeling will carry on for a very long time. Adding Wraith was a stroke of GENIUS, and the whole Apollyon bit was a total shock. Whenever Cross and Duchess are up, I'm interested, and I've not been able to guess a single thing about it so far, so it's definitely my story of the half.
But that's not to take away from the big one - the A1E vs Dan Ryan story. That was a truly great undertaking... but, like the Lindsay Troy/Dis thing, and something else I'll talk about when I do my EPW bit, it was really predictable for me. I wasn't surprised A1E lost War Games - I knew they wouldn't end that match happily, so I was more curious as to how they'd work their way around that. I was a bit surprised when Big Dog won the title, because I thought it'd be nice to carry it into a mini invasion of EPW, with Big Dog, Blitz, Duchess, Wraith, et al doing hit and runs against EPW's guys. But this was a nicely executed story that, despite being a little predictable, told a story you don't often see any more - good winning over "evil" with some redemption thrown in (though the redemption was predictable and too sappy for my tastes).
Now, if anyone thought the BC would take it easy after that, you've missed a lot. You've got a lot of great feuds building, most of which have the legs to carry on for two, possibly three PPV arcs (Big Dog vs. HSPC, Mid-West Mafia vs. A1E, Cross/Duchess vs. Wraith, and loads of others). Chip Friendly as World Champion opens a lot of doors if the MWM are kept away for the next cycle and a half (congrats to Dan by the way, that was a helluva match and a well deserved win). The Duchess/Wraith title situation is one to watch out for, and with Troy Douglas holding gold, it's gonna be tough to dislodge him. Tag team wise, look out for the Second Coming - they've been getting better and better, and it could be their time to shine (except for the two behemoths in the way :))
I'd say more, but there's been so much that it'd take me half a year to cover everything! Stay tuned for my next post, which'll be my review of EPW.
Wednesday 2 January 2008
What I want to do in 2008
OK, not exactly the best topic. Kinda self-indulgent, but hey, I'm allowed. I'm writing this blog :-p
In all seriousness, though, I think it's nice to take stock of what you've done in the previous 12 months, and try and set some goals for the coming year. Nothing major, just see where things are going so you don't lose sight. So that's what this post is. What I've done, and want to do, with each character.
BLITZ
First up, my tag team. 2007 was a pretty fun year for them. I took them out of Empire Pro Wrestling for reasons I don't want to get into, and had them focus on A1E. They've not done as badly as I'd thought they would, actually - of my 'big three' characters (Blitz, "The Dragon" and Mr Entertainment), they've always felt my weakest, so I was fully expecting to see them get buried. But surprisingly, they've got a positive win/loss record as far as I recall. My one gripe is probably how things turned out in EPW (I'll get into that another time, maybe), and given how they're doing right now, that can't really be seen as a big issue. What I want to do with them depends on how things go at Bloody New Year, and if anyone has an open/inter-promotional Tag Team tournament. I think if Blitz lose at BNY, I won't mind them taking a couple of steps down the card, I'm sure a storyline can be found for them, and it's always nice in a tag-team division to have more than one story fans can focus on. Something where not every team has as the end-goal of the feud being "tag team titles" or "tag team title oppertunity." Maybe something like "Beat crap out of these guys" or something. Something simple, basic, and fun. That in itself can be helped by a tournament appearance in a strong field.
Karl "The Dragon" Brown
Brown... he didn't really do much in 2007. He held the EPW Intercontinental Championship until the end of October, an almost 24 month reign, but I wasn't really happy with most of what I did with him. I felt he was getting tired and stagnant as a character - something Amy'll tell you about since I complained to her enough about it, lol. Even with him dropping the title, there was only one story that he could do that made any sense, and it's one I'd've loved to do (but, like Blitz, we saw how that went down, lol). Brown couldn't have moved into the World Title scene for several PPV cycles, realistically (if asked, I'd've always said give JA, then Kin Hiroshi, then Rocko Daymon, shots at the belt, in that order, then maybe look at Brown). He didn't do too badly in the Dupree cup, but I wasn't that pleased with my work in that tournament either. So, 2008, I'm probably not going to do a lot with him. As a character, he's tired. He's grown repetitive, and I've written him pretty much into a corner where the only way to progress is to give him a rest. So once the latest TEAM Supershow is published, you won't be seeing him around for a while. Larry Tact part 2 will be his last match for the time being, until I think he's rested good and proper. I've already got a few ideas in mind for when he gets used again though. They'll be fun to try and pull off.
Mr Entertainment
Ah, the New ERA WHADAHTT Champion. 2007 was a slow year match-wise for him, but life's like that sometimes :) So moving ahead, with him, I think he's found his level. I never meant for him to main-event regularly - maybe the very occasional TV show. So I think that really what I want to do with him, just keep him in the upper-mid card, using him perhaps to put over guys on their way to the top.
Otaku
The other man who left EPW in 2007, never really got off the ground as a result. He had a good showing in the Lethal Lottery Championship match in TEAM though. Two matches, one win, one loss. In 2008, I'm actually going to keep him around as a TEAM competitor, and if somewhere looks like it'll benefit from the depth he can give as an undercarder (lower to mid card), I'll make him a more regular character. He's a fun character who I can change as much as I want, since his entire gimmick is based around cosplay and being a bit of a geek, so it wouldn't look daft for him to be a heel one match, face the next, since he's just keeping in character. But he's one of those characters, I know, I have to be careful with - it's easy to play him too sillyly.
Lord Coyner Pollard (insertrestofnamehere)
Now, here's where things are going to get interesting. I've just debuted him in NFW, and he doesn't have a set direction right now, but over the course of the year, he's definitely going to mature and find his voice. I've seen a lot of people try this type of character, and to be honest, no-one has succeeded as far as I'm concerned. That's not me being mean, and some people have said they thought those characters were brilliant, but the thing that's always struck me as weak is these characters are meant to be stereotypes and parodies, but they're being done by people who don't really know how to play the character straight first. It's like Tom's Phantom Republican character - I couldn't do that type of thing, because I'm not American and don't encounter Republicans who're that extreme, ever. I doubt many people in the US have the same connection at a cultural level with Lords, earls, dukes, etc., that I do living in Britain - I can be a lot more subtle just because I'm more used to the pageantry associated with things like the opening of Parliament, or the Last Night of the Proms, or a coronation (though the way Elizabeth is going I'll never see one in my lifetime). That's what I'm going to be trying with Lord Coyner Pollard - to bring a bit of subtlty to a character-type which always seems to fall a bit flat when I read them.
So there you go. Nothing ground-breaking, nothing huge. I've actually found a level in this hobby I'm happy on - I don't want to go into big, main-event level things on a regular basis, I just fancy staying here and building more of a foundation, having fun at the same time.
2008 should be a fun year. Especially with the whole EPW/A1E angle that's on-going.
In all seriousness, though, I think it's nice to take stock of what you've done in the previous 12 months, and try and set some goals for the coming year. Nothing major, just see where things are going so you don't lose sight. So that's what this post is. What I've done, and want to do, with each character.
BLITZ
First up, my tag team. 2007 was a pretty fun year for them. I took them out of Empire Pro Wrestling for reasons I don't want to get into, and had them focus on A1E. They've not done as badly as I'd thought they would, actually - of my 'big three' characters (Blitz, "The Dragon" and Mr Entertainment), they've always felt my weakest, so I was fully expecting to see them get buried. But surprisingly, they've got a positive win/loss record as far as I recall. My one gripe is probably how things turned out in EPW (I'll get into that another time, maybe), and given how they're doing right now, that can't really be seen as a big issue. What I want to do with them depends on how things go at Bloody New Year, and if anyone has an open/inter-promotional Tag Team tournament. I think if Blitz lose at BNY, I won't mind them taking a couple of steps down the card, I'm sure a storyline can be found for them, and it's always nice in a tag-team division to have more than one story fans can focus on. Something where not every team has as the end-goal of the feud being "tag team titles" or "tag team title oppertunity." Maybe something like "Beat crap out of these guys" or something. Something simple, basic, and fun. That in itself can be helped by a tournament appearance in a strong field.
Karl "The Dragon" Brown
Brown... he didn't really do much in 2007. He held the EPW Intercontinental Championship until the end of October, an almost 24 month reign, but I wasn't really happy with most of what I did with him. I felt he was getting tired and stagnant as a character - something Amy'll tell you about since I complained to her enough about it, lol. Even with him dropping the title, there was only one story that he could do that made any sense, and it's one I'd've loved to do (but, like Blitz, we saw how that went down, lol). Brown couldn't have moved into the World Title scene for several PPV cycles, realistically (if asked, I'd've always said give JA, then Kin Hiroshi, then Rocko Daymon, shots at the belt, in that order, then maybe look at Brown). He didn't do too badly in the Dupree cup, but I wasn't that pleased with my work in that tournament either. So, 2008, I'm probably not going to do a lot with him. As a character, he's tired. He's grown repetitive, and I've written him pretty much into a corner where the only way to progress is to give him a rest. So once the latest TEAM Supershow is published, you won't be seeing him around for a while. Larry Tact part 2 will be his last match for the time being, until I think he's rested good and proper. I've already got a few ideas in mind for when he gets used again though. They'll be fun to try and pull off.
Mr Entertainment
Ah, the New ERA WHADAHTT Champion. 2007 was a slow year match-wise for him, but life's like that sometimes :) So moving ahead, with him, I think he's found his level. I never meant for him to main-event regularly - maybe the very occasional TV show. So I think that really what I want to do with him, just keep him in the upper-mid card, using him perhaps to put over guys on their way to the top.
Otaku
The other man who left EPW in 2007, never really got off the ground as a result. He had a good showing in the Lethal Lottery Championship match in TEAM though. Two matches, one win, one loss. In 2008, I'm actually going to keep him around as a TEAM competitor, and if somewhere looks like it'll benefit from the depth he can give as an undercarder (lower to mid card), I'll make him a more regular character. He's a fun character who I can change as much as I want, since his entire gimmick is based around cosplay and being a bit of a geek, so it wouldn't look daft for him to be a heel one match, face the next, since he's just keeping in character. But he's one of those characters, I know, I have to be careful with - it's easy to play him too sillyly.
Lord Coyner Pollard (insertrestofnamehere)
Now, here's where things are going to get interesting. I've just debuted him in NFW, and he doesn't have a set direction right now, but over the course of the year, he's definitely going to mature and find his voice. I've seen a lot of people try this type of character, and to be honest, no-one has succeeded as far as I'm concerned. That's not me being mean, and some people have said they thought those characters were brilliant, but the thing that's always struck me as weak is these characters are meant to be stereotypes and parodies, but they're being done by people who don't really know how to play the character straight first. It's like Tom's Phantom Republican character - I couldn't do that type of thing, because I'm not American and don't encounter Republicans who're that extreme, ever. I doubt many people in the US have the same connection at a cultural level with Lords, earls, dukes, etc., that I do living in Britain - I can be a lot more subtle just because I'm more used to the pageantry associated with things like the opening of Parliament, or the Last Night of the Proms, or a coronation (though the way Elizabeth is going I'll never see one in my lifetime). That's what I'm going to be trying with Lord Coyner Pollard - to bring a bit of subtlty to a character-type which always seems to fall a bit flat when I read them.
So there you go. Nothing ground-breaking, nothing huge. I've actually found a level in this hobby I'm happy on - I don't want to go into big, main-event level things on a regular basis, I just fancy staying here and building more of a foundation, having fun at the same time.
2008 should be a fun year. Especially with the whole EPW/A1E angle that's on-going.
Tuesday 4 December 2007
When is it the right time?
Something that's not really been written about much, at least not that I've found, is "When is the right time to leave a fed?" I'm going to try and give at least a partial answer. Ignoring real-life time constraints (new job, new partner, kids, life in general), when is the best time to leave?
When the fed is no longer fun to read.
That's as far as I'm concerned, actually. Once something stops being fun, and if things in the fed are getting distressing for you, it's time to leave.
Which is what I did last night, actually. I told Dave (EPW) that, because the cards are getting distressing, I was going to have to leave. It was nothing that Dave or anyone else had done - I certainly wasn't forced out, and never felt like I was being forced to leave. But the last couple of cards have, for me, been the opposite of why I got into the hobby. I joined EPW because it looked fun. But the segments on the last couple of cards have been really distressing and upsetting to me, and I was actually starting to dread the next card.
Some would say in that case, I shouldn't read the segments, but I think that's unfair on the people and characters who take the time to write them. Some might say I should ask people to tone it down, but again, that's unfair. Some might even say I should try and put more segments in myself - but Brown's not really a segment character, and Otaku needed another couple of matches so I could find his voice in the company. Besides, I actually think the cards are getting segment heavy as is.
Yes, this is a bit of a "Goodbye EPW" post. It has, until the last couple of cards, been really fun.
But the fun started to stop around Wrestlestock, and I've enough stress in my life without reading something that I find distressing.
But when else is it a good time to leave a fed? I think there are some characters who just run out of things to do in a fed. They need to step back and take a bit of time to freshen up, and I think that's a good time to leave a fed, at least for a time. I'm not a fan of changing characters suddenly just to freshen things up - sometimes a brief lay-off, say six months or so, is enough to give the character a rest, give the handler time to do something else, and bring them back with a different outlook. The character then doesn't risk becoming stale.
When things stop being fun, or to freshen up a character. Two good reasons to leave a fed.
And...
Best of luck to Empire Pro Wrestling. Dave's got a great roster he can rely on, so it'll become even stronger as time passes :)
When the fed is no longer fun to read.
That's as far as I'm concerned, actually. Once something stops being fun, and if things in the fed are getting distressing for you, it's time to leave.
Which is what I did last night, actually. I told Dave (EPW) that, because the cards are getting distressing, I was going to have to leave. It was nothing that Dave or anyone else had done - I certainly wasn't forced out, and never felt like I was being forced to leave. But the last couple of cards have, for me, been the opposite of why I got into the hobby. I joined EPW because it looked fun. But the segments on the last couple of cards have been really distressing and upsetting to me, and I was actually starting to dread the next card.
Some would say in that case, I shouldn't read the segments, but I think that's unfair on the people and characters who take the time to write them. Some might say I should ask people to tone it down, but again, that's unfair. Some might even say I should try and put more segments in myself - but Brown's not really a segment character, and Otaku needed another couple of matches so I could find his voice in the company. Besides, I actually think the cards are getting segment heavy as is.
Yes, this is a bit of a "Goodbye EPW" post. It has, until the last couple of cards, been really fun.
But the fun started to stop around Wrestlestock, and I've enough stress in my life without reading something that I find distressing.
But when else is it a good time to leave a fed? I think there are some characters who just run out of things to do in a fed. They need to step back and take a bit of time to freshen up, and I think that's a good time to leave a fed, at least for a time. I'm not a fan of changing characters suddenly just to freshen things up - sometimes a brief lay-off, say six months or so, is enough to give the character a rest, give the handler time to do something else, and bring them back with a different outlook. The character then doesn't risk becoming stale.
When things stop being fun, or to freshen up a character. Two good reasons to leave a fed.
And...
Best of luck to Empire Pro Wrestling. Dave's got a great roster he can rely on, so it'll become even stronger as time passes :)
Saturday 17 November 2007
"Is that guy face or heel?"
It's a question I ask myself a lot when reading cards, whether in EPW, New ERA, TEAM, A1E, or wherever. There are a lot of faces using heel tactics, and a lot of heels being cool. You get feuds where all the characters involved pass the advantage back and forth between them, setting up a climactic match at a PPV which, in theory, has the fans on the edge of their seat watching two equals.
It just tends to make me switch off though. I'll be honest. There are a lot of characters out there who need a bit of definition when it comes to their characters. Are they face, or heel?
I remember Holzerman once saying he liked Mr Entertainment because he was a nice "old-school" heel - loudmouth, brash, egotistical, cocky, etc. But the one thing I think seperates Mr Entertainment from someone like (to not name efed names) heel HHH is that Mr Entertainment doesn't come across as "cool". He's not likeable.
He's a heel.
Being a heel should be easy - you should be "a liar, cheat, or coward. You can be tough, yes, but primarily you're one of the other three. You have to rely on something from one of those categories to win because you're just not good enough." [Eric Bischoff, Controversy Creates Cash]. But you also must not come across as someone the guys want to be - and that's the failing with a lot of efed heels I've seen. More accurately they're tweeners; having the quick comebacks, the cool lines, the swagger, getting the chicks, etc. They win their matches decisively time after time after time. They're "good enough". They're seen as cool, and cool isn't a heel. Someone who can't back it up without cheating - THAT'S a heel. Someone who patently isn't a nice guy, who isn't 'cool', and is kinda scary - that's a heel.
But if heel is poorly defined in a lot of characters, what's happened to the face? You get babyfaces, who're supposed to be the guy people like, cheating to win matches. They're back-talking, being insulting, attacking people without provocation. They're being more smart-arse. I read a card recently and if I'd been asked to name a single babyface, I couldn't. They were pretty much identical to the heels - unless the matchwriter said "crowd cheer here" I wouldn't have the foggiest.
What should a face actually be? In my mind, a face is the "hero". A face in any match, unless it's a squash, should start out strong, then fall behind for a bit. The bad-guy should cheat to gain this advantage, but the face MUST look weak for part of the match. Then have a comeback, getting the crowd involved. The heel can then cheat to win.
But away from a match, I think where a lot of faces fall down is they try to be "cool". They try to not be overshadowed by anyone on the card - they go out drinking, sexing it up, whatever. But they're missing what being the face is - being the hero, the rolemodel. You don't need to be a cartoon character good-guy to be a face. "The Dragon" has often been called a really good babyface because he gets the crowd going, but you wouldn't call him cool. Bret Hart was another one - his work ethic got him over as a good guy. Being sporting got him over. Leaving it all in the ring got him over. I don't think as a face I ever saw Bret strike the first blow outside the ring, just retaliate.
Being the face is harder than being the heel. You need a good heel opposite you to be a good face, and there aren't that many good heels. If you look at some matches I've had, I've changed Brown to be a heel just for the RP session to give my opponent something to bounce off of, because otherwise it's going to be a dull match. I don't think it needs to be "Grr, I am big scary man, you puny man" from the heel. But something which doesn't end up as "Yo' mamma", which I see pretty much everywhere. I think Chip Friendly and Richard Farnswirth have the right idea with heels, actually - and JA and Big Dog are two of the best babyfaces around. But outside those four, the roles are so poorly defined in most characters it's hard to spot who's who.
So, is your character a heel? Have him cheat. Have him lie. Have him not able to win the big match without cheating! Have him look weak in the ring. It makes for a better match. And if your character's a face, try taking the "real-life" edge off a little. Don't have him drink a beer during his promo, or doing drugs - have him stop for a chat with a young fan. Show him as a role-model. Then find a good heel, and start a feud where the heel's stolen the kids glasses or something, and see what you can get out of it. If you can do it without being corny or slipping out from the face/heel dynamic, then I think your ability to write well defined faces or heels will be that much greater.
That, and I'll know who to root for.
It just tends to make me switch off though. I'll be honest. There are a lot of characters out there who need a bit of definition when it comes to their characters. Are they face, or heel?
I remember Holzerman once saying he liked Mr Entertainment because he was a nice "old-school" heel - loudmouth, brash, egotistical, cocky, etc. But the one thing I think seperates Mr Entertainment from someone like (to not name efed names) heel HHH is that Mr Entertainment doesn't come across as "cool". He's not likeable.
He's a heel.
Being a heel should be easy - you should be "a liar, cheat, or coward. You can be tough, yes, but primarily you're one of the other three. You have to rely on something from one of those categories to win because you're just not good enough." [Eric Bischoff, Controversy Creates Cash]. But you also must not come across as someone the guys want to be - and that's the failing with a lot of efed heels I've seen. More accurately they're tweeners; having the quick comebacks, the cool lines, the swagger, getting the chicks, etc. They win their matches decisively time after time after time. They're "good enough". They're seen as cool, and cool isn't a heel. Someone who can't back it up without cheating - THAT'S a heel. Someone who patently isn't a nice guy, who isn't 'cool', and is kinda scary - that's a heel.
But if heel is poorly defined in a lot of characters, what's happened to the face? You get babyfaces, who're supposed to be the guy people like, cheating to win matches. They're back-talking, being insulting, attacking people without provocation. They're being more smart-arse. I read a card recently and if I'd been asked to name a single babyface, I couldn't. They were pretty much identical to the heels - unless the matchwriter said "crowd cheer here" I wouldn't have the foggiest.
What should a face actually be? In my mind, a face is the "hero". A face in any match, unless it's a squash, should start out strong, then fall behind for a bit. The bad-guy should cheat to gain this advantage, but the face MUST look weak for part of the match. Then have a comeback, getting the crowd involved. The heel can then cheat to win.
But away from a match, I think where a lot of faces fall down is they try to be "cool". They try to not be overshadowed by anyone on the card - they go out drinking, sexing it up, whatever. But they're missing what being the face is - being the hero, the rolemodel. You don't need to be a cartoon character good-guy to be a face. "The Dragon" has often been called a really good babyface because he gets the crowd going, but you wouldn't call him cool. Bret Hart was another one - his work ethic got him over as a good guy. Being sporting got him over. Leaving it all in the ring got him over. I don't think as a face I ever saw Bret strike the first blow outside the ring, just retaliate.
Being the face is harder than being the heel. You need a good heel opposite you to be a good face, and there aren't that many good heels. If you look at some matches I've had, I've changed Brown to be a heel just for the RP session to give my opponent something to bounce off of, because otherwise it's going to be a dull match. I don't think it needs to be "Grr, I am big scary man, you puny man" from the heel. But something which doesn't end up as "Yo' mamma", which I see pretty much everywhere. I think Chip Friendly and Richard Farnswirth have the right idea with heels, actually - and JA and Big Dog are two of the best babyfaces around. But outside those four, the roles are so poorly defined in most characters it's hard to spot who's who.
So, is your character a heel? Have him cheat. Have him lie. Have him not able to win the big match without cheating! Have him look weak in the ring. It makes for a better match. And if your character's a face, try taking the "real-life" edge off a little. Don't have him drink a beer during his promo, or doing drugs - have him stop for a chat with a young fan. Show him as a role-model. Then find a good heel, and start a feud where the heel's stolen the kids glasses or something, and see what you can get out of it. If you can do it without being corny or slipping out from the face/heel dynamic, then I think your ability to write well defined faces or heels will be that much greater.
That, and I'll know who to root for.
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