Toxxic

OK, I'm going to look at Jakey's match in a little more detail, as it's the new people who probably need comments and... Rad Hazard and Rex are gone, so I can't be arsed to comment their match. First off, I LOVE the jacket. Not that I'd want to wear it, but I think this could be an ongoing theme of bizarre sartorial choices, and King's comment of "I do want to know how much he paid for it" is great. I'm not sure (at this stage of reading) what's going on with Jakey's jacket and why he's whispering to the ref - however, the ref's whisper to JJ and JJ's reaction makes me want to know where this goes. I must admit I'm not sure about the phrasing of "JJ has a “WTF?” kind of reaction", it seems a little too... conversational to me, I guess. But that's a minor style note that is more about my preference than a problem with the match. JJ gets control, Jakey is tenacious and hard to shake off, so the typically no-nonsence Johnson stamps on his foot. Simple, effective, dick-heelish, I like. What I REALLY like is Jakey playing off his last match and trying to sucker Johnson out to the floor like he did against Clarke, only for Johnson to be smarter and then sucker Jakey back in by threatening the precious koala jacket. Johnson takes over and uses his greater strength and just the fact that he's one hard-ass bastard (in kayfabe) to beat Jakey up... then rips up the jacket to further cement himself as dick heel. ...and Jakey snaps as his jacket is destroyed. It's bizarre, but it works. But, Jakey quickly moves to chokes because he can't match strength or wrestling ability against Johnson, so it makes sense. And I must admit the reference to a Randy Orton match made me laugh And I love the beard pull, I don't know if anyone's ever written it, but that's hilarious. I'm honestly not sure about King liking it though, despite JJ's stats saying he's a tweener he's basically a heel and one King likes (which is why he calls him Mr. Cold Front Classic), but that's a small point. And partially because JJ hasn't updated his stats in ages. One problem I have with the pinning sequence - JJ grabbing the ropes. I was always under the impression that Johnson didn't actually cheat as such; he's a dick, but he's not a cheater. But to weigh against this Jakey is a new writer, and it's not like JJ's been writing his character so that people can look back and see how he wants him portrayed. I do believe Jakey ends up going through the Samoa Joe submission sequence (which is a rather clashing mental image!), but JJ's able to get through it due to Jakey not having enough weight to slow him down and immobilise him. Jakey's able to reverse a sidewalk slam into the Christo, which follows on nicely from the previous neck-based offence. I don't necessarily like the bracketed descriptions of (this is the Christo), I think you could have Mak Francis shout "Christo!" or something which would do the job as well. JJ uses his smarts to throw Jakey to the outside, but Jakey's smart enough himself to trip JJ when he's not looking and gets the advantage again... only for JJ to crotch him in the middle of Jakey's other finishing move. Which isn't REALLY cheating I do think Jakey needs a name for that DDT thing though. Working off a little earlier in the match JJ gets some revenge with Cowboy kicks, then goes for a powerbomb that's reversed into a rana, and now it's Jakey getting a little revenge by grabbing the rope... but JJ counters into his own pin, and wins! And just to close the match out, Jakey responds to JJ's mocking invitation of a handshake with a kick to the balls. Nice. Overall, there's very little to say about this match. I think there was an occasion where Jakey beats JJ to the punch by bitchslapping him before JJ can strike, and JJ has basically been put over as the fed's God of striking (bar Danny Williams) so I'm not sure about that... oh, and you keep spelling 'Mak' wrong But in the main it's a good match, both men basically get involved in who can be more of an asshole, and honours are well-divided between the two with some nice spots, some playing off Jakey's debut and a couple of little nods to earlier events in this match which, given it was a fairly short match, is no mean feat. It's not a deeply-psychological masterpiece, but it doesn't need to be. It tells the story well, it develops Jakey as a character a little (is his bizarre dress sense also a potential weakness?), you put your opponent over by writing him to win, which is rare! And it just 'clicks' well. The only thing I can really find fault with is maybe it doesn't read quite as fluidly as some people's writing, minor (very minor) points of grammar or whatnot, but overall... very good. I foresee good things here. Keep it up!

We all know what your name means, IL. SUPA CRAZY~! Seriously, nice promo. I hope you run with it and come up with something good.

For my part I didn't try that plotline because Toxxic certainly respects Danny's abilities, he just doesn't like him as a person and felt slighted that Flesher called on him as the saviour of the fed while he's been de-pushed. So I didn't write Toxxic going into a stupid amount of offence early because he knows that's not the way to beat Danny. I was going for a "yes, he's good, but he doesn't belong here" rather than a "you're crap! Feel my wrath!" type of deal. In more important news, very sorry to hear about your accident Judge and I hope you continue to heal well.

If it's any consolation Danny (which I doubt) I'm still waiting on comments from the marker about why you beat me back in 2005.

Ok, so I do. It's not intentional, except when I'm joking. Regardless, the rest of my statement is still true.

Landon's match rocked, I thought he might have the edge over Mak in a gimmick match (of any sort really, I'd have expected Mak to have the edge in a straight-up match where he could bring his technical knowledge to the table better), but he still had to put in a great effort. And the reappearance of Megan Skye with a tire iron was a nice touch. As was 'Drake would make a better wheelchair basketball player than Landon, anyway'. And I can't believe Jakey actually put JJ over, but good on him for doing so I guess. He said to me that it seemed to make sense that in the heel/heel match the more experienced man should win, so he wrote it that way. I think this guy is a good find for us. Haven't really had time to read anything else yet, started a seven-day week on Saturday (and yes I mean a seven-day working week, Drea's already pointed out to me on AIM that Americans have had seven-day weeks for some time).

“Toxxic! Toxxic!” Ben Hardy hurries through the corridors of the Acer Arena with Gus the cameraman in tow. The object of his search is up ahead, and turns around when he hears his name. “Uh…?” “Toxxic, how do you feel after your match?” Hardy gushes, thrusting the microphone underneath the straight-edger’s nose. Toxxic looks down at it with a faintly puzzled expression. “Er… did you watch my match?” he asks. Hardy nods. “Did I win?” Ben Hardy blinks at him. “Yes.” “Right, right,” Toxxic nods vaguely, “that’s good. My brain seems to think I won, but the rest of me is having doubts…” “OK,” Hardy says, looking at his fellow Englishman and starting to realise that perhaps the Axe Bomber is still having residual effects, “has your opinion of Danny Williams changed after that contest?” “Danny?” Toxxic asks, then seems to focus a little. “Danny. Let me tell you something about Danny. I never, ever want to have to fight that fucker ever again.” “Right…” Hardy says, taken off-guard by Toxxic’s unusual honesty, “erm… your opinions on the main event?” “I hope Landon kicks his bloody arse,” Stephens replies, leaning against the wall. “You’d be happy having a tag team partner who is World Champion?” Hardy asks, putting his proverbial finger on the issue that many have quietly wondered about. Toxxic snorts. “I’d be happier if Landon had it than Gabe! See,” he continues, starting to count points off on his fingers, “Landon’s puerile, infantile… other things ending in ‘ile’…” “Virile?” Hardy suggests. “Nah… er, well, he’s those things,” Toxxic rambles, trying to concentrate on his fingers, “plus he’s shallower than… something very shallow, preferably a simile that’s insulting to someone I don’t like. I’ll get back to you on that.” “OK.” “BUT, he’s my tag team partner!” Toxxic continues with slightly more force than the conversation warranted, “and I don’t have to like the guy to trust him in the ring. I don’t like him, much… and he doesn’t like me, much… but we’re both interested in self-preservation enough to want the other one around to watch our respective backs, right? So I want him to win. And also because then Gabe won’t have the title, and that’s a good thing.” He fixes Hardy with another steel-grey stare, although rather less penetrating than usual. “We done?” “Well, one more question,” Hardy says, “what are your plans from now on?” “In the next 48 hours?” Toxxic asks, “die. After that, we’ll see.” He turns and resumes his progress down the hallway, occasionally bouncing lightly off the wall. “Well, those were Toxxic’s comments,” Ben Hardy says, turning to face the camera, “and I think we might have a concussion on our hands here folks. In the meantime, back to Mak Francis and the Suicide King at ringside for the World Title match!”

Actually no. I may come across as an egomaniac sometimes, but I'd really like a large roster with a lot of variety so we don't keep coming up against the same guys again and again. I mean, that might well be behind some people's lack of interest, the fact that they keep getting booked against the same guys with little-to-no new blood in sight.

It means that every other week the show will consist of me, Landon, Rando, Wildchild and Drea (and Jakey, it looks like), with sometimes Johnny depending on his work, fighting each other, because you and others like you will, on current form, never show. So that's what, three matches?

Just over 11k, but very nearly at the end.

I think it's fair to say write it if you want to, just get it in on time.

Two hours? God. Much as I like this idea, I think two hours of talk about the SWF is REALLY pushing it. I don't know if I'm even going to be able to download that show, much less find time to listen to it.

Yeah, cos otherwise the winner or loser would be defined by who wins the Rando/Johnny match. Better to keep 'em seperate.

Same here. I was thinking that HAS to be a typo. 285lb Jerry Lynn clone, with Strength 3? Someone, please tell me it's a typo.

OK, actual comments rather than just ripping on WC's colour of choice: First, an excellent, EXCELLENT promo from Landon. Secondly, what other way is there to win a reverse inferno match other than by MANONOSITY~!? Thirdly, and my main focus, the Fabulous Jakey’s debut. I’ll admit at the start that I’m not a fan of the name ‘The Fabulous Jakey’, I’d have preferred something like ‘The Fabulous One’ Jakey [insert surname, possibly gimmicked, here], but that’s just me and I’m walking around with a wrestler whose ringname matches a Britney Spears song if you add an ‘x’ to it, so I’m possibly not one to talk. You seem to have the characters of the announcers down fairly well, King probably indeed would call for a bathroom break on someone’s debut, and laugh at the first sight of Jakey. One thing I would note though is that dialogue is easier to read if there’s a line break between each speaker. You’ve established Jakey as the heel right off the bat with the stretching in the corner to delay the start, which I like. Clarke comes over and gets things moving, and this pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the match, with Clarke being the aggressor and taking it to Jakey, who gets his offence in more as a result of an in reaction to Clarke’s than because he sets it up himself. I like the slap to the face after the schoolboy, very heelish, and Jakey using it to lure Clarke into chasing him around the ring and then back in to set up the stomps is a classic heel routine that never gets tired. Another staple is the ‘throwing the cruiserweight off the pin’ routine, although I’m not sure if this would do enough damage to Jakey for Clarke to have time to get up and start stomping; a minor quibble, however. Jakey brings out yet another classic heel trick by low-bridging the ropes to send Clarke over to the outside, but then Clarke reasserts himself as the dominant force in the match. Jakey gets back on top in a logical way, using his speed to counter into a headscissors, and then a dickish kick to the back before a resthold sequence that makes sense (WWE take note); Jakey uses the surfboard to try and wear his bigger, stronger opponent down, and when Clarke starts fighting out of it he goes for the full-body sleeper which is even harder to escape unless Clarke uses his full bodyweight. The crossbody for two, with Clarke then rolling through for another two works - what I would say is that it’s a good idea to get a cohesive pattern for how you do things, so for example always having your counts go ONE-- TWO-- or whatever, which I only mention because on the ‘Clarke throws him off’ pin you just said he got a two count rather than doing it the same way. In a similar way, King and Mak have quotation marks around their dialogue almost all the way through, except where Mak explains that Clarke doesn’t know who his opponent is tonight. Having a consistent way of doing something, whatever that thing is, helps your match read better. The finishing sequence; I don’t like finisher kickouts as a rule, except in BIG matches. I wouldn’t even think of doing one except on PPV, and quite possibly not even then. Of course, Toxxic is rather fragile, but all the same. On the other hand, Clarke IS enhancement talent and the idea is to put yourself over. At the end of the day everyone has different ways of doing things, but for me personally a finisher should normally finish things unless it’s a big title match or a real grudge match. Then after that we have a series of kicks, which makes sense since Clarke would be incensed, and a beautiful example of ref distraction into a low blow. From there I’m a little unsure what happens because to my mind a Springboard DDT would be one delivered after springboarding off the ropes; perhaps, since you say he grabs the front facelock first, you mean a Tornado DDT? However, whatever it is, it’s good enough to do the job and the Fabulous Jakey picks up his first win, already cemented as a heel. What I liked about the match: Clearly-defined characters, with Jakey as the sneaky, cheating heel and Clarke as the hot-headed, aggressive face. A series of spots that, while none of them were massively innovative, were well-constructed and tied together to tell the story of Clarke looking to put this little squirt away, while Jakey bides his time and waits for the moment to strike. It was easy to envisage the match in my head, and it had the sort of classic face/heel formula that would be recognised anywhere. What I didn’t like about the match: Jakey took a little too much punishment with no real effect. He got the absolute snot beaten out of him, including taking Clarke’s finisher, but it still seemed that most of his being beaten down was an act to con the ref. Granted, Clarke’s moveset is a little impact-heavy and it might be hard to write a slightly more balanced match, but given the difference in their respective sizes it seemed a little hard to believe that Jakey basically took the shitkicking, then went ‘low blow, DDT, win’. It seems that what you’re writing is a sort of heel cross between Spike Dudley (small but determined, and harder to kill than he looks) and Christian Cage (not that physically imposing, but smart enough that it doesn’t matter). Which is great, and should be an interesting character to write, but I think that if you’re going to have him take the majority of the offence in the match and then win after some cheating he should be a little more hurt by it. Maybe trying to give more of a vibe of ‘he can take the lumps and waits for a chance to sneak a win’ rather than ‘hit him all you like, he doesn’t care’ which should be reserved more for the monster heels. Also, I think a little work on the presentation would do wonders - line breaks between the commentators talking, that sort of thing. However, overall I’d say this was a very promising debut and I look forward to seeing more of the Fabulous Jakey. I’d like it if he changed his name a little… but that’s just me

I think you've just offended him more than saying they could only win if we jobbed... IT'S TEAL, TEAL, TEAL! (Damn WC, I'm colourblind and I still think that's a nasty colour. Or maybe it's because I'm colourblind. Who knows)

That would have been Wild & Dangerous.

What can I say? I summarise well. Yes, with an 's', you foreign bastards.

Don't tell him to smoke, i think he's marking. And then the show will be held up for ages while he tries to send it to Z, or Thoth or something.

Well, Kylee Kross posted some naked pics, but otherwise, no.

Mak suggested it actually, but on the basis that Landon had threatened to break her neck in order to corner me into agreeing to a match a few months prior, we felt it'd make the two angles too similar. And besides which, the two are very different. Amy is a trained wrestler who's just as tough as her brother in her own way, but is not reknowned for her brainpower. The purpose of this angle (as I understand it) is that Drake's trying to intimidate/scare/whatever Megan so much that she can't be detached enough to come up with a decent plan for Landon, leaving Maddix to think for himself instead of relying on his manager.

I like how the Drake/Landon angle is getting a whole lot more involved than the Drake/Stephens angle. Kudos to you both. And some excellent promos going on.

The card for the PPV you'll debut on will be going up in the next day or so Rex, just keep your eyes open. Also, Rad really needs to post his own stats. What I thought might be good if you wanted to be full heels is for Rad to make sure that after each match, win or lose, he is announced as "and STILL EMF Television Champion..." since as he'll never defend the belt in the fed it's kind of pointless and arrogant. Maybe even get the mic and do it himself, Mr. Kennedy style. Just an idea.

You're a whore, Landon. And KENTA still hates you.

I think that a mixed reaction actually works, personally. We put the SWF over as THE biggest fed in the country, possibly the world in our own little writing universe, but that's no different to how WWF and WCW acted when they were both around despite the fact that their competitor was on pretty much the same footing. So there's no reason why a team of people coming in from a different fed wouldn't get a positive reaction from some fans who might have heard of them. I mean, CM Punk got a massive reaction in MSG for ECW not just because of who he was in ECW but because the crowd knew him well from ROH. Supposing there were some massive fans of EMF in the arena they might start cheering. I think the thing for this will be how it works. You could pull a tweener reaction fairly easily depending on who you're facing (god knows me and Card managed that with TKO, and we were rudo Japanese heels who cheated constantly, for crying out loud), or you could just go for the "Grr! Heel! Destroy your federation!" approach. It's totally up to you. *enjoys having a crowd where we can control their reactions 100%*