Storm comments

[Toxxic 0]

Sacred's World Champ! w00t! But I'm going to do what I used to do, which was a review for one match. So we get what is probably the surprise of the evening - Spike beating Dace. And in a hardcore environment, no less, although the ‘420 Lighttube’ stip is a bit confusing seeing as Spike is notably straight-edge now.

 

First off, I think Spike does an excellent job with the crowd heat, and for a good reason as well. Spike and Dace had a heated SJL rivalry, Spike is well-hated, AND it’s Dace’s first match back. That WOULD lead to immense crowd heat, and Spike does a good job of getting it over.

 

The chain-wrestling sequence is decent enough, but it lacks a certain something in terms of description. Spike tends to use things like ‘his own arm-wringer’ too many times, and quite frankly I can’t see Dace being so calm about his first match back, in this environment, against Spike. Nevertheless it’s a good, fairly simple sequence, but the way Spike writes it makes it sound like it’s an announcer calling the match on radio to people who can’t see it. Stand-alone sentences like ‘Both men are on their feet’ just give it a very artificial, stilted feel to me. But then again I know jack shit about chain-wrestling, so maybe I should keep my mouth shut J But even with Dace ring-rusty, I’m not seeing Spike holding his own against him. The Dace character has had years of being a renowned mat wrestler, Spike’s development has been much more recent.

 

Now, the strike exchange. This is VERY RoH (or at least the RoH that I’ve been watching recently), and to be honest I’ve seen so much of this strike/counterstrike shit recently that it’s really starting to piss me off, so I’m not in much of a mood for this style of thing. I think Spike does an EXCELLENT job of really getting over the incredible atmosphere this exchange would get from the crowd, as the capitals first seem like overkill but then just grow to be accepted as the crowd being red, red hot. Unfortunately there is a problem - Spike shouldn’t be able to stand toe-to-toe with Dace on strikes. Admittedly he does try and stop the striking contest by grabbing a side headlock but from ‘watching’ the match there’s no reason to really, they’ve been pretty much equal so far. However, the strike exchange brings us to my personal favourite moment of the night, even better than Sacred winning. Spike gives Dace a Roaring Elbow, but Dace no-sells it and nearly breaks Spike’s jaw with his own. THAT is what should be happening when Dace’s St and Vt ratings are double those of Spike’s. Reading the match you can just feel the mark-out moment from the fans in attendance.

 

Now we move onto the ‘hardcore’ portion (and this match really is very segmented) which consists basically of Dace bringing the weapons in, and Spike using them on him after getting a brief advantage. Spike is exceptionally brutal here, as befits both men’s history with each other, then locks in the rear naked choke (shades of Lita). And Dace is KO’d. All well and good, but the one thing that brings this ending up just a bit more? The fact that Spike’s last REAL upset in a singles match was when he beat Landon in a non-title match way back in… I don’t know, May? Landon was the USJL Champion when he was heel and Spike was still face, and Spike beat him by choking him out behind the referee’s back. Tonight the choke was legal, but it was still some good continuity.

 

Overall, the match was too segmented, Spike was just a little too good at mat wrestling and striking considering whom he was in the ring with, and it stopped just as it looked like it was about to get going. On the upside, just compare this with how Spike was writing after his comeback last year. Look at Spike vs. Stryke (from Battleground?) for example. Spike has made BIG developments, and in my (maybe biased) opinion needs to be moving beyond the Cruiser Division That No-One Cares About. He also managed to give his match a MASSIVE amount of heat from the crowd convincingly, and the greatest achievement of all, he managed to get a win over Dace in straight singles. Not easy.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

... Spike has made BIG developments, and in my (maybe biased) opinion needs to be moving beyond the Cruiser Division That No-One Cares About...

Hey! You watch your damned mouth!

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

Very nice, Toxx. Very nice.

[King Cucaracha 0]

... Spike has made BIG developments, and in my (maybe biased) opinion needs to be moving beyond the Cruiser Division That No-One Cares About...

Hey! You watch your damned mouth!

He kinda has a point.

 

Right now, the division is basically Spike beating Kaine and/or Sly. You and Johnny are both Cruisers, but you're not getting booked in the Cruiser Division yet. I'm a Cruiser and I've had ONE Cruiser match since being here. Despite the fact that according to most (including me), I'm a spot monkey so could write a Cruiser style.

 

Hell, Spike's booked against Johnny and Clark on Lockdown. Two former champions. And it's not even 'non-title'. It's just there. As if, Alan and Johnny are 'above' the Cruiser 'Division'...which is a shame.

 

 

Maybe someone ought to specific who's a Cruiser and who isn't on the CC's roster list.

[Ace309 0]

The Casino Brawl has been edited in. Possible comments to come.

[Toxxic 0]

... Spike has made BIG developments, and in my (maybe biased) opinion needs to be moving beyond the Cruiser Division That No-One Cares About...

Hey! You watch your damned mouth!

Hey, I like the Cruiser Division. i just wish we had one. Spike squashing Jake three times in a row doesn't count. nor does Spike beating Sly via no-show a similar number or more doesn't either. Like Landon says, half the cruiserweights here are main-event, or close to. I'm a spotty Cruiser, as is Landon. Clark, Cortez, you, Johnny, Sacred - all Cruisers. None of us have gone anywhere near the title in ages. I had one contendership match - my second match ever - and since then I haven't even SNIFFED it. I'm not going for the Cruiser title right now because I want to get another World Title run before I burn out writing Toxxic completely, but if I ever go through with my plan to eventually retire him and return sometime with Jet, I'm going for that belt if it's still there.

 

Spike is the longest-running Cruiserweight Champion ever. Hell, give him a month or so and he's closing on Fallout's LHW record, and your HGC record. He might be the longest-running champion of any sort soon. And no disrespect to Spike, but for most of this run anyone capable of putting together the words 'Spike wins' and PMing them to the marker would have been able to do the same, at least as far as Cruiserweight Title bouts were concerned.

 

No-one cares about it except Spike, and I think he feels that it's holding him back, so he'll probably stop caring soon. It's notable that the best thing ever done with this belt was Taamo's run where he aggressively didn't care about it. The best thing for Spike to do might be to spit on it and chuck it in a trashcan on Nitro.

 

Or a gun.

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

Hey now, I like to think I wrote some pretty decent title defenses (mostly for PPV's and such).

[Ace309 0]

It's notable that the best thing ever done with this belt was Taamo's run where he aggressively didn't care about it.

[Toxxic 0]

Hey now, I like to think I wrote some pretty decent title defenses (mostly for PPV's and such).

You did. Unfortunately, you didn't need to.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

Toxxic, I don't have any interest in the Main Event. The only reason that I'm not competing in the Cruiserweight Division is because I don't have time to write singles matches right now, so I'm sticking to the Tag Team division, where I can split writing duties with Johnny. If I had time to write for singles, I would absolutely be challenging for the World Cruiserweight Championship, as I have repeatedly stated that it's the only singles title that I care about, and I haven't changed my mind.

 

 

... The best thing for Spike to do might be to spit on it and chuck it in a trashcan...

If this ever happens, I'm outta here.

[Cuban Linx 0]

The Cruiser Title can be easily fixed, it just needs the booking to focus on having it defended more, setting up contenders and stuff over the course of a few shows, hopefully a feud gets going between two or three guys that aren't doing much (and the roster is basically all cruiser guys more or less so that shouldn't be too hard), and with a little bit of effort a dead division can be brimming with life.

 

On at least two occassions that i can remember the Tag Title division has been completely dead, way worse than the Cruiser belt is now (once one of the title holders wasn't even active, and that lasted for weeks), and each time a little bit of attention focused on them brought the tag titles to new heights each time, to the point that at times they've been the most hotly contested belts in the SWF. There's no reason that can't happen with the Cruiserweight Title.

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

... The best thing for Spike to do might be to spit on it and chuck it in a trashcan...

If this ever happens, I'm outta here.

I'm starting to like this idea.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

:: shrugs ::

 

Whatever, Spike; if you're a big enough shithead to dump the Cruiserweight Title in the trash just to get rid of me, then do what you gotta do.

[Ace309 0]

Oh, for fuck's sake, quit it with the posturing. You're acting like a couple of kids.

[Sly 0]

I swear to god if I have to turn this car around, nobody is getting any ice cream!

[muzz 0]

Congrats Muzz.

 

Thanks Muzz.

[TheBostonStrangler 0]

*notices Sacred whining*

 

 

YAY FOR SACRED! GO SACRED GO! I AMZ LOVING TEH MUZZUMS! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Ace309 0]

Yeah, if anyone wants to read Sacred's match I wouldn't object to that. He did a fabulous job writing a very solid match that was based quite well on the two characters, and the match stands alone very well, so it's not going to be a case of "I don't get the psychology."

 

The plot developed very well from his opening sequence, where the wrestlers weren't taking advantage of the street fight stipulation, to Sacred finally hitting his breaking point. I felt he handled it quite adeptly, as well as the external Revolution Zero angle.

[Above Average 0]

Reading over the show, I do have one question... what's with everyone getting submissions on returning wrestlers. I just noticed, mostly because when I have my first match back I'm afraid I'll get my ass whooped and tap out like a bitch.

 

Hopefully I won't.

 

And I've decided that I'll post my promo as an SWF exclusive, because I don't feel like rewriting it and it fits the show well, considering I didn't know about Sacred's Rev Zero conflict.

 

And now, for the man of the hour and to outdo Flesher's weak attempt, I present...

 

Maddix vs Sacred

 

I love the way you handled the openings and cast doubt on Sacred in Rev Zero, even with Funyon's announcing. The prose of Landon's entrance just makes this feel like THE big match, which it is. This is perfect setting for a vet vs. rookie dynamic and as we go through the earlier striking sequence. Landon wins out and Sacred takes a powder, but Landon learns quickly, it seems, waiting on Sacred this time. But Landon's still a rookie and makes the SAME mistake from there previous match, going for the superkick early.

 

This leads to basic leg work, establishing the no rope breaks and Sacred as the ring general of the match. The low blow works well as a transition here, if not a little down played. Landon's been out maneuvered but he's always got that trick to fall back on. I'd have spaced out the time between the cover and attack a little more, with some more prose about Landon interacting with Megan and the crowd. Kick-out just seemed a little quick, for a low blow and impact move combo, is all. The quick backslide could be a really a great tease later in the match instead of here, but we quickly go back to Sacred in control of the leg, so I guess it was put in to establish the back and forth nature of the match. Landon adapts to the no rope break, using the ring to his advantage in a wonderful spot and we get a stand-off, of the non-indy variety. The match just makes sense and the prose/commentary is spot on for the situation. They both DO need to rethink their plans. Well not really the plan, but the execution of the plans.

 

The subtleness of the leg work shows through in the prose and proves that if Maddix is going to win this one, it'll be on guts. Clearly the rope break off the throwback is a mistake, and at this point in the match, Sacred would have kicked out easy, in my opinion. It's not a big thing though. It seems as though this section of the match is devoted to showing how Maddix has improved from the Seven minute challenge, while still putting over the leg work, which will have to be a huge part of the finish. Maddix beating Sacred on the outside is odd to me, but that's cause he beat and outsmarted Mak on the outside in our match, staying in control and even getting Mak to injured himself on a risky move... like Maddix on the Spaceman plancha. Maddix IS better equiped to handle himself on the outside though, given the fact that he's in complete control though and Mak wasn't when he went for the frog splash. Odd how I can draw parallel's between this match and Mak/Sacred... isn't it. Though I doubt you thought about that one.

 

I'd write in more parallel's but that's not the point of this review. Cute spot with the 'Oi' stuff. Sacred's desperate on the outside and it shows, pulling a drop toe hold out of his ass and using the belt. Although, once again, I think you downplayed the amount of impact the move had -- same as the low blow. Big ass triple jump moonsault again puts over the desperateness and leg injury. Guts is the theme of the day for Maddix, who ducks a chair, trades blows, hits a edge-o-matic and goes up top for an elbow, all on a bum leg! Tough kid. This match is making him look like a legit badass... but he misses as high risk is just that.

 

Sacred goes to the Cattle Mutilation, but Maddix has seen this more than enough times and counters into a great near fall, from a chair assisted DDT. Landon goes for the Crash Landon, but it's countered and in a inspired spot, Sacred catches some Sweet Cuca Music and locks on the upright figure four and then positively BLASTS Landon with a chair to the dome. Un-be-fucking-lievable finishing sequence there, which had me thinking that you read my promo... which you obviously didn't. The only minor change I would have had is getting rid of the earlier superkick sequence in the matches beginning, if only to show how much Maddix has learned from your last match. If he had gone for the superkick one time and at the right time in the match, only to still lose to the experienced vet Sacred, it would have made the story slightly more complete. More sad in a way, since he did everything right, but it still wasn't enough.

 

Still a great, great match. In the end, guts and quick learning about previous mistakes got Maddix to the final dance, but he just lost to a better opponent. The finishing statements about Rev Zero and Martial Law ties up the big match feeling and it seems Sacred did make the right choice...