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the.weej

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Posts posted by the.weej

  1. Posted · Report reply

    It always kind of bugs me that Manson has evolved into one of the best raw writers in the fed, yet he never really puts it to good use. I do love MANSONOSITY, however, I can't deny it.

     

    In a return-off between Stryke, Muzz and Manson, who do you figure would win?

     

    -Z

  4. Posted · Report reply

    I'm surprised there hasn't been an official CC response, here.

     

    I was talking to Mike when Genesis was supposed to be going up, and he was telling me that he doesn't have the main event. Apparently, Tom's unappeared and none of his stuff has been turned in yet. Since the show can't really be posted without that stuff, Genesis has pretty much been delayed indefinitely, it looks like.

     

    -Z

  7. Posted · Report reply

    I generally followed Muzz's method, although I would occasionally plot out ideas that I wanted to hit in a match. That said, the best work I've ever done were desperate, four and five hour marathon writing sessions where I threw myself into just trying to finish a goddamn match.

     

    In other news, when was the last time anyone say Muzz use a smiley?

     

    Muzzums is actually a cheerful, fun-loving lad in World of Warcraft, always eager to help and compliment and quick with a joke.

     

    Only some of that was a lie. Dare you to figure out what parts.

     

    -Z

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Boo. "O Fortuna" is supposed to be the official Genesis theme for all times.

     

    It's a good, solid card, really. But just like last year, nothing really jumps out at me as a "holy shit, this is going to bring the house down" match. I'm also hoping that, unlike last year's Genesis, there are going to be promos and storylines weaved in throughout the show, and retirees coming out of the woodwork to remind us why this is our flagship PPV, and why the SWF is so great. Surprise me, people.

     

    -Z

  12. Posted · Report reply

    I meant more along the lines of, "randomly pumping out a promo every now and then, even though everybody knows that he's gone, and ain't comin' back."

     

    I'd draw a parallel to the "Adventures of Al Wilson" stuff that DEAN RASSMUSSEN used to do in the Smackdown threads after they killed the Al Wilson character... like I said, IL might be better for the role.

     

    The Mis-Adventures of IL's Disembodied Soul... now THERE be ratings!

     

    The fact of the matter - which everyone forgets, although this was a very long time ago - is that Galatea had this market cornered years before now. It's true.

     

    After he killed his own character, his spirit lived on, randomly kicking people in the nuts. Additionally, he posessed Scott Baio in order to go to hell and retrieve his proper body, which was finally achieved after a climactic battle against Megatron.

     

    True story.

     

    -Z

  17. Posted · Report reply

    Thinking about what Duran's said reminds me of some stuff. From the moment I became JL head booker I desired to take a very "proactive" approach to everything and attempted to personally stimulate dozens of angles, 'cause I love angles and oftentimes prefered them to matches outright.

     

    This, in turn, led to the fact that I basically had no reservations about booking anything for the sake of someone getting an angle off of the groud. Basically, if someone talked to me about a storyline idea that I liked, I would immediately attempt to accomidate it as best I could. Since I have very few pretentions about the SWF, this is why stuff like Double Jeopardy and Ebony getting booked in real matches happened.

     

    - To touch on Duran's comments, probably the biggest involvement I ever had in an angle as a booker that I wasn't involved in was the entire Urban Decay storyline at the end of my JLCC run. Duran wanted advice on how to structure a feud with Grappler and I basically invented the entire thing, right down to giving Duran his stable name. The problem is that I actually began to micromanage the little twists and turns and how things should be promoed and etc in the angle, which led to inevitable problems. Duran and Grap basically had to come to me for directions on what to do next, since it had basically evoled into my angle. Upon realizing that, I tried my best to disengage from it, but that didn't work out so well; if I remember correctly, Duran never got his proper blowoff against Grappler because I chose to bump him early, and the angle ended up in a real mess. I feel fortunate that neither guy ended up resenting me for it.

     

    - Everything Duran said about me trying to entice him to get his spark back is pretty much true. I liked him very much - truthfully, I didn't think he was expressely talented as a writer, but he always worked very hard and I respected that. Of course, it didn't work out despite all my efforts, but this is not an exclusive phenomenon.

     

    I never claimed to be unbaised when it came to my writers. I always tried to mark as fairly as I could, but when opportunities to move people up on the card arose, I had my favourites. Two people in particular come to mind...

     

    Annie - I was probably Annie's biggest fan, truthfully for more than just her SWF writing. Anyway, even with each one of her comebacks, each one of her new gimmicks, I was willing to gamble on her improving and making a serious run at the main event. I always placed her at ICTV level or just above, I always encouraged her storylines, whether they be with Tom, Kibagami or someone else, and I was always left with her either collapsing at the pivitol moment or disappearing into noshowing oblivion. The biggest and best example is probably the storyline where Tom stole away her sister and it culimainted on PPV in a ladder match (a kind of match that Tom always loses), to give her the most absolute benefit of the doubt. When her inevitable no-show happened, I could hardly bring myself to be surprised. Annie was always frustrating, but she wasn't half as painful as the next guy...

     

    Janus - I marked Janus' first match and I loved him to pieces pretty much immediately. His writing sparkled with the polish that only someone with genuine skill could have. Of course, his match was 2000 words short and I just couldn't find it in myself to give it the win. This is a scenario that would repeat itself ad infinium for the next two and a half years.

     

    Janus was, of course, basically the opposite of Annie: he always wrote and consistency was never going to be a problem. I held a genuine belief that he could become an absolutely dominant writer given the proper motivation, so every possible chance I could get I slipped him into title and contendership matches. Actually, the first such time this happened wasn't even MY doing! Strangler decided to cancel the JL title tournament because of pathetic effort and threw MVS and Janus into the title match, leaving me to mark it. Despite the fact that the match took place in Australia against a perennial JL doormat in Van Siclen, I just couldn't give Janus' in-joke laden match the victory DESPITE the fact it was mostly better written. When Janus wrote the best first-half of any match in the 2004 Clusterfuck and then bombed with his ending, I wanted to punch him in the face. It actually got to the point where I stopped actively marking his matches, hoping that somebody else could see something that I wasn't.

     

    Eventually, after countless attempts to move him up the card by force, I finally managed to push him into the world title picture by virtue of half-working an angle with him. Now, I had made a promise that I wasn't going to allow my neo-nepotism to interfere in the world title picture, but this came at a time where the past four or five SWF champions had retired and I desperately wanted some kind of stability for the world title. Janus had it in the bag as world champ. The ensuing three-way angle between Tom Flesher, Toxxic and himself basically wrote itself, the next PPV main event was set, and with all my dreams realized, the impossible happened. Janus flaked.

     

    The fact my constant meddling brought nothing but ruin onto the fed was probably the biggest reason I decided to retire, myself. On top of that, I think Janus really resented my "expectations" for him and never really forgave me for throwing him at the world title; our relationship has kind of deteriorated since then. But the road to hell is paved in good intentions, ain't it?

     

    -Z

  19. Posted · Report reply

    I could swear you had said a couple of things in defense of Stubby, Mark, but this is going back all most three years and my memory is a little hazy. I'm pretty sure that Thugg had some other high profile guy on his side during that whole "conflict," but it may have just been him after all. Eh.

     

    -Z

  23. Posted · Edited by realitycheck · Report reply

    Ultimately, Edwin, King or even Thugg himself could probably explain the clique better, but I'll give it a shot. Naturally, I know a lot about our little coup d'état, though.

     

    - Firstly, as far as the clique goes, it was more of a thing other people applied to those guys than any kind of "alliance" they actually had. For reference, the "Clique" was Edwin, King, Thugg, Mark and Xstacy, and more or less because they always worked angles in very close proximity to each other, they got typecast as the SWF's version of the WWF clique. Any accusations of holding other writers down are pure fabrications, since all five were talented writers who absolutely earned their positions in the main event. However, King and Thugg especially were notorious for running angles with their friends that usually ended up encompassing half of the fed and left them in very favourable positions afterwards, but I hardly think that was any kind of insidious ploy.

     

    As far as flamewars go, I actually think they fought in public with each other more than anybody else, although (with the exception of Edwin), they were very united against Stubby when he became head booker. Ultimately, it's just a fed injoke that the five of them played up, inadvertantly gaining steam as their successes followed them right into SWF administration.

     

    - Now, as far as Stubby goes, thats' fairly complicated. Stubby being "ousted" from the fed, in the grander scheme of things, represented the very real division between the old school and new school elements of the SWF, which reared their ugly heads a number of times afterwards and into my run as head booker.

     

    Anyway, the basis for getting rid of Stubby boils down to the absoluteness of his rule. Unlike previous head bookers, who were popularly nominated and generally well-liked, Stubby came to power following the total collapse of IGNWF CC in late 2001. (In reality, he may have been the only competent person able to do the job, since CC was quite literally run by a bunch of bickering 15-year-olds at the time, but I digress) His initial booking was very controversial and met with intense criticism, but the fact he was able to steady the helm at a point when the fed was plauged by high school drama silenced his critics for the moment.

     

    However, Stubby had two serious problems: First of all, he barely communicated with any of his makers or JLCC, he was extremely difficult to find on AIM and he was never in chat. This, in turn, led to the second problem, which is that he was very out of touch with what people wanted with the fed. His inability to listen to what people wanted to do with angles made a mess of several high profile feuds, and his total lack of desire to move newer writers into the ICTV scene, let alone the main event, led to stagnation and frustration. Despite some desperate pleas from people like Thoth and Thugg, and a "mainifesto" that I wrote at the will of people like Tom and TBS, he continued to ignore those of us begging for change.

     

    King, who was Stubby's favourite and highest ranking marker, was very sympathetic to the writers, and agreed that some kind of change had to be made. However, he was caught in the middle between two developing superblocks - one of them (headed by Thoth and Strangler) wanted to demod Stubby, and essentially hold him at gunpoint until he conceded to a demand to change rules and promote King to a second booker. If he refused, King would simply be installed as head booker and CC would be reformed as wished. The other superblock (headed by Thugg and Mark) wanted a much more diplomatic approach that included Stubby's willing concent to any changes. The rank and file supported Thoth and TBS (which I was very much a part of), but most established writers supported Thugg and Mark, mostly out of a desire not to see something that would inevitably become a massive flame war.

     

    Mark and Thugg were generally under the impression that nothing was going to be done without their approval, but as time wore on people like myself, Tom, TNT, Annie and others grew more and more dissatisfied with the situation. Now, I'm not totally clear on the details of what happened next, but either acting on his own initiative or under the pressure of most of the writers, Thoth drafted up a list of demands and sent it to Stubby, warning him if he didn't respond after the Christmas PPV, he would be forcefully demodded until an agreement was met. The PPV came and went without a response, and Thoth carried out his mandate.

     

    Total chaos followed. Stubby was LIVID, claiming that he had no idea what was going on and that Thoth's PM "didn't say anything." Thoth, along with several others including myself, fired back, and a massive flamewar errupted that basically involved every person in the fed picking a side and stating their piece. Thugg was enraged, Mark was upset, I was slapping hands in victory with Thoth, and King was very, very disappointed in all of us.

     

    Stubby left in a huff, after making one more post denouncing everyone that worked to "undermine" him and claiming that sooner or later, he was going to make our changes anyway. King, who actually had to be begged to assume control after the flamewar, rather begrudingly went about trying to restore order, and throughout January 2003 Creative Control was reformed into the more committe-minded entity it is now.

     

    In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best decision (I know that it succeeding shaking up the OAOAST, but didn't prevent them from having their own e-fed drama), because if King had decided to quit over it then the fed would've been totally fucked. King was the only person who had he respect of everyone in the SWF; but more importantly, he was the only person diplomatic enough to pick up the pieces properly. The fed as it is today also owes a whole lot more to the Boston Strangler and Thoth than seems prudent at all, and although I was hardly at the forefront, this entire event is pretty much what enabled me to become a big-time player in the administration of the fed.

     

    The "old school" elements that Thugg and Mark represented would contantly be at war with the "new school" elements all throughout King's run as head booker, particularly as abrasive, argumentive people such as myself and Kibagami would begin to represent the "new shcool," while TBS and King himself drifted over to the "old school" line of thought. This wouldn't be resolved until I myself became head booker and held my own little Night of the Long Knives against Thugg, which basically swept away the last remnants of the old school.

     

    The moral of the story through all of this? No matter what it is, no institution of any kind on the internet is immune from politics. Also, I probably make this sound a hell of a lot more fun and interesting than it was to experience.

     

    -Z

  24. Posted · Edited by realitycheck · Report reply

    Hmm, let's see...

     

    - Since the IRA has decided to disarm, I'd like their entire weapons cache. I'm sure I can find a use for it somewhere.

     

    - Angela's Ashes. Her actual ashes, I mean; they weren't anywhere in that damn book or movie.

     

    - The proper way to pronounce "Sinn Féin." Seriously.

     

    - I don't want you to bring him back for me - GOD no - but while you're in Ireland getting all of this stuff, would you mind punching Bono right in the fucking face? I'd really appreciate it.

     

    - Oh, oh. You can bring back the pair of his stupid looking sunglasses that you break as a souvenier for me.

     

    -Z

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Oh, it warms my heart to see some actual threads on the community board again. I'm sure I can think of a million of these.

     

    - Ryan Dustin was, in fact, Mak Francis. However, it may be fair to say that he's one of the greatest cases of wasted potential regardless; Mak had a very good career, but he never matched the gold standard he set for himself in the Junior League.

     

    - While I do think of myself as one of the greatest examples of someone who blew countless shots at being a great writer in the fed, I ended up becoming head booker, so I think it balances out. Besides, I can think of a few other good examples...

     

    English Dragon. Outside of Zack, he showed the greatest potential of any OAOAST crossover writer. He was just made out of championship material, but he decided he'd call it a day after he got bumped at Genesis IV.

     

    CIA. He was Mak's better half in one of the best JL feuds ever, and probably the best one that ever took place on TSM. People that remember him know that even on his worst days he could outdo me and just about anyone else in a duel of wits, and his matches were, in a word, bomb-ass. After he got bumped he suffered from huge consistency problems and never even made it deep into the midcard. (I also had the suspicion he was Uncle Filthy, although he's denied it fervently)

     

    K-Os. He was JL champion when I first joined, and was absolutely dominant. When he got bumped, he was immediately awarded a US title match against Jay Dawg (at the time, only the second bumpee to get a title shot in their first match), and JD basically got molested. He absolutely would've won the world title if he hadn't mysteriously disappeared right after.

     

    Crowe. He didn't write wrestling matches, or even wresting drama - he wrote wresting opera. Outrageous flair for the dramatic nearly had him break Thugg's JL title reign, and assured him success in the SWF which unfortunately never came.

     

    - Mike wasn't my first choice to succeed me as head booker. As a matter of fact, everyone who is currently a ranking member of CC I thought of before him, but I felt they either wouldn't have the time (Tom) or desire (Judge, Raynor) to do it. Before I went ahead and handed over the reins, I tentatively decided to let Chris Card take over the fed based on his past experience. I probably made the right in retrospect.

     

    - Johnny failed to mention that I also vetoed a decision to return to Brimstone when I succeeded TBS. At least three different times.

     

    - Kibagami's original plan for the conclusion of the Edwin vs Silent feud wasn't the incredible and dramatic match at Genesis IV. It was actually a promo that was supposed to happen some months after Genesis III, which included Edwin and Nathaniel meeting up in an IHOP and having their final confrontation.

     

    - Janus has seriously considered writing Ebony full time on several different occasions. Hindsight being 20/20, I honestly think this would've gone over better than that promo he wrote a couple PPVs ago where he'd inexplicably become a fag.

     

    - I have a couple other "never were" ideas of my own, but I'm not sure if anyone's actually interested in those, so I'll only post them if somebody asks. I'm sure I can remember more stuff than this, though, but I'll have to think on it.

     

    And Johnny, I think Janus had a pretty apt answer to your question.

     

    -Z

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