Ace309

Actually, the idea was that I was actively disrespecting the title (in a variety of ways) so as to get someone to step up and work with me in the same way you did out of character so that by the time someone took it off me it would really mean something. Unfortunately, as I recall, you were out of action, and Genesis just snuck up on me.

That's Grand old man to you.

Wrong. You'd have to fight me in my comeback match. If I won, I would desecrate the belt the way I did the Cruiserweight one.

It happens. Landon will just have to learn to enjoy the paddlings.

YAY

The individual competition was considered, but the RPW guys decided that having regional teams would make the promotion more popular. Of course, making sure that the guys on the team had anything to do with the region would have been a good idea - there's no excuse for Lowney, for example, not to be on the Minnesota team. They also specifically want to avoid storylines. They feel it mucks up the focus on the wrestling. Good or bad, I don't really have an opinion except to say that arrogant wrestler storylines don't work without either having a guy who's proven himself already or worked matches. Taking a guy like Lowney, who's been on the world team several times, you could get an arrogant wrestler storyline, but a lot of the top guys tend to be strongly religious types for whatever reason and so that doesn't work out well. They don't want to be characters, which will hurt their marketability. I'm in total agreement about using more MMA-styled attire.

Fool. Hunter S. Thompson died for your sins.

Last year on my birthday, I took a day off from my summer internship so I could sleep in late, then loafed and went to one of the local old man bars with a couple of friends. Between the internship and getting ready to move across the state, I was pretty exhausted.

Okay, I'll cop to it. For a very long time, when I was much younger but still far too old for it to be acceptable, I believed that wrestling was entirely real. It was more fun that way, and while people told me it was fake, I wanted it to be real because it was much cooler that way. Even after I finally talked myself into accepting it when I was around 9, I bought the occasional locker room story from the Apter Mags... for example, when the Olympics started allowing professionals, they talked hypothetically about Bret Hart entering for Canada and I was just thrilled at how cool that would be. I also collected autographs and would write asking for signed photos all the time when I was 10 or 11, but only WCW guys ever responded. The notable exception was a handwritten letter, ostensibly from Gorilla Monsoon (the interim president at the time), apologizing for his wrestlers not answering me. It might still be in one of my boxes of stuff in my parents' attic. It was sloppily written in blue marker, which in retrospect was a fabulous way of selling it as being from Monsoon.

There's absolutely no requirement that it be cretin-writing... I mean, scriptstyle. I think they've accepted storystylers already.

If you get rejected, Toxxic, you've got feedback to work with and resubmit. He clearly likes your writing per se, which is a plus. If you keep the standard but write something more tailored to the audience, you've got a good chance.

I feel your pain. I had bad apnea as a child - contributed to my tonsillectomy, and shockingly, I stopped having dreams about being held underwater. An uncle and one of my neighbors both have CPAP machines, and they've had great success with them. Best of luck.

Mike's having a series of offbeat shows featuring "House Rules" matches. I think they're fun.

KORGATH IS IN! For those of you who don't know, Dominic Korgath wrote for us for a while and was unfortunately unable to keep up with our schedule despite being a very talented writer. He recently made a brief comeback and tagged with Max King. I'm really pleased to see this. Korgath, if you're reading, congratulations!

So go in as Justice William Hearford III.

Yeah. I'll even assist in helping you write like you aren't a cretin.

Support. Everyone knows that the one thing that irritates me is when I get a card booked without any input and then people complain. As such, I've overreacted recently to card thread things that weren't directed at me, and I'm sorry about that... but I want you guys to be happy with your bookings. I try to match people evenly and give them storyline hooks, but if you have your heart set on something in particular, please ask for it. I can't promise you'll always get it - for example, I couldn't give Martial Law a tag shot at W&D on the last show before the PPV, because that would have screwed everything all to hell on the big show. I will, however, do my best to get it on the card. (And really, guys, I'm not trying to be a hardass here. I do want you to enjoy your time here. If there's anything I'm not doing, please bring it to my attention.)

Johnny: Not that I want to turn this thread into the OAO XNet Icon thread (and if anyone has other questions, it might be best to start one in CommGen), but I'm of the opinion that only cretins write scriptstyle. (Note: Does not apply to any cretins posting here. Your cretinous writing will be evaluated as though it is not, in fact, cretinous.) There are a few directions you could take with the character. If you'd like to discuss them with me, please feel free to IM or PM me and we can chat on it. That goes for anyone else, by the way, and I'd be happy to proof RPs for anyone who's planning to enter. I'd really like to see you guys take this.

The American folkstyle is the style that they wrestle in high school and college. It's characterized by a focus on controlling the opponent on the mat, with the bottom man having to work for an escape (whereas in freestyle and Greco, the bottom man's job is not to get turned - he can reverse, and until recently could escape, if he wants, but he won't get penalized for not attempting to like he would in folkstyle). The scoring is totally different - back points are awarded differently, stalling is penalized differently, etc. The 'bonus' is a rule that RPW added. It's a penalty for one wrestler wrestling passively, where the aggressive wrestler gets an advantageous position and a 20-second period where only he can score. If the passive wrestler hits a move that would score, the 'bonus' period ends. It's a stupid rule. Passivity is, of course, the rule pertaining to wrestling without attempting to score. Traditionally, it's a judgment made by the officials, and of course there's a lot of grousing about it. RPW is adding an "action meter judge" who will man an allegedly objective "action meter" that measures... yup, how passively each guy is wrestling. They're crowing about how it's taking passivity out of the referees' hands, when it's leaving it right there but adding a set of knobs in between.

The Smartmarks Wrestling Federation presents... SWF SMARKDOWN, Monday, March 21, 2005, LIVE FROM THE ROSE GARDEN IN PORTLAND, OREGON! (8:00 PM EST; 5:00 PM PST. Check local listings.) The SWF continues its trip up the west coast as Tom Flesher lays the SMARKDOWN on Portland, Oregon! We’re talking pure wrestling. We’re talking cruiserweights. We’re talking MAK F’N FRANCIS! How can you not love Mak Francis? Send everything (booking requests, promos, etc.) to Chuck Woolery. OPENING PROMO: “The Critic” Scott Pretzler MAIN EVENT – WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP #1 CONTENDER “Hollywood” Spike Jenkins vs. “The Franchise” Mak Francis ~ Mak asked for it, and considering the caliber of the people – Mak Francis, one of the SWF’s premier competitors, and Spike Jenkins, who’s been on a roll since winning the Cruiserweight Championship and shaking Revolution Zero off - how could Tom say no? RULES: Standard. Word Limit: 5500 Send To: Chuck Woolery CRUISERWEIGHT MATCH Wildchild vs. Insane Luchador SPECIAL GUEST COMMENTATOR: “The Critic” Scott Pretzler ~ Wildchild has been waiting patiently for his shot at the Cruiserweight Title, but rumor has it that an undisclosed injury to Pretzler is keeping him from wrestling tonight. He’ll be back next week, though, and in the meantime he’ll be doing what he does best – nitpicking the guys in the ring while he sits safely at the commentary table, while the Hardcore Champion gets a chance to school Wildchild and prove that he deserves to be next in line for a shot at the Cruiserweight Championship! RULES: Standard singles, with cruiserweight addenda – on the outside, you’ll have a 20-count to re-enter the ring, and throwing your opponent over the top rope is disqualifiable. Pretzler may write a match if he wishes. Word Limit: 4500 Send To: Ace309 SWF BELT TOURNAMENT FIRST-ROUND MATCH Todd Cortez vs. “The Dean of Professional Wrestling” Jay Hawke ~ Cortez is Phi Beta Kappa from the School of Hard Knocks! Hawke? Just Phi Beta Kappa. These two square off for the right to face Austin Sly, who received a bye in the first round as the current USJL Champion. RULES: Standard. Word Limit: 4500. It’s a first-rounder. Send To: Justice SWF BELT TOURNAMENT FIRST-ROUND MATCH Johnny Dangerous vs. Manson SPECIAL GUEST COMMENTATOR: Landon "La Cucaracha" Maddix ~ Manson earned his spot in this tournament through hard work and dedication to the fed. (What’s that? Yeah, he’s a company man. So what?) Johnny Dangerous earned it by being consistently successful – he IS a former World Champion and part of the reigning, dominant and generally fun-to-watch Wild & Dangerous. The winner gets the right to face ICTV Champion Landon Maddix, who requested a bye, was denied it, and then was given it but has to show up because Tom Flesher enjoys jerking him around. RULES: Standard. And, of course, Maddix may write if he wishes. Word Limit: 4500 Send To: chirs3 PURE WRESTLING MATCH (NON-TITLE) Arch Griffon vs. Austin Sly © ~ Austin Sly has been on a roll since winning the USJL Title. Landon Maddix is forfeiting the opportunity to stay in condition by wrestling a match due to his neck injury, but Austin Sly gets the chance to work out against the newest SWF wrestler, Arch Griffon! Griffon has an amateur wrestling background, whereas Sly has severe roid rage – although he won’t admit it. Will the strict disqualification rules hamper Sly’s strategy? RULES: Standard singles with addenda. Each wrestler gets three rope breaks. A wrestler loses a rope break when he uses the ropes to break a submission hold or when he throws a punch. If a wrestler has no rope breaks left and he is in a submission hold, grabbing the ropes has no effect. If a wrestler has no rope breaks left and he throws a punch, he is disqualified. Word Limit: 4500 Send To: Dace59 OPENING MATCHUP “The Tigris Express” Muhammed Koran vs. Martin “Big Country” Hunt ~ Former Hardcore Champion Martin “Big Country” Hunt is making an appearance, on a one-night-only basis, for the SWF! Why? We found him face-down in the dirt in front of the local chapter’s house, and he’s grateful for the black coffee we gave him. Muhammed Koran suffered a defeat against Arch Griffon on Lockdown, but he’s up against possibly THE most American guy ever – a country-born-and-bred fratboy! RULES: Straight singles. This being Smarkdown, the refs will be on the lookout for the brass knuckles and Big Country’s booze-bottle attack… but frankly, if the refs were any good, they’d catch that stuff to begin with. Word Limit: 3000 Send To: Ace309

I'm really hoping this succeeds, but some of the developmental rules (I've sort of watched it as it developed on the forums at TheMat.com) are sort of tailored to people who understand amateur wrestling already - not the audience they need to be attracting. The 'bonus' and attempt at making passivity objective are ridiculous. They also really don't want to say that everything defaults to 'normal' freestyle and Greco rules, thanks to the shakeup that's thrown them more towards judo - RPW is sticking with last year's rules, which is going to make an even bigger problem. Their idea was to make freestyle and Greco, rather than American folkstyle (which is wrestled in high school and college varsity competition), palatable and familiar to the masses. Now, instead of having a nice bridge point, they've basically created an entirely new style. Blah. I'm ALL for amateur wrestling getting popular. This isn't going to do it.

Judge... 21... oh, shit, this isn't going to be good.

Whew, good thing I didn't pencil Jay Dawg in for one night only. Looks like he's in bad shape.

The doctor's so chatty, it's hilarious.

And damn you for beating me to it