Smarkdown Comments

[chirs3 0]

Not only is every match present (with a healthy number of promos mixed in), but we had some truly spectacular matches tonight. Mad props to Ghost Machine for pulling out the legit win over Manson, and I highly recommend the Main Event and Magnifico/Zyon.

 

Excellent show, you guys. I couldn't have asked for anything more to build up to Ground Zero.

[jwpeer 0]

If anyone who read my dark match could give me feedback of any sort I'd appreciate it, since it's my first match ever written. I love criticism so the more the better, as it'll only help me improve!

[devo 0]

DEALINGS IN THE SHADOWS to open the show. I like it.

 

Cool, a dark match. If Ward wrote that, he's a really promising newbie. The lack of commentary confused me at first, but then I realized it was a dark match and made a mental note of the author's attention to detail. Real good big man vs. big man match and a great start for Ward.

 

Mag curses a lot.

 

The bit with the Neck Wrench Arm Bar was really well-written in the Ghost/Manson match, both the hold itself and its effects and how Ghost got out of it. Great finish. The STF was teased throughout the entire match and it was particularly satisfying to see Machine tap to it to end the contest.

 

The timing of this promo seems kinda odd, but its point is clear; Flesher and Hawke like each other, and Flesher has stuff to do.

 

Cool start with Cortez and Hawke trying to one up each other on the mat. I liked the back work throughout the match, even if it didn't really go anywhere, heh. The commentry was also very well; King had me smiling every time he spoke.

 

The Williams/Maddix match told a fantastic story; namely, that of Landon being downright scared of Danny and doing his best to just survive the match, ala Undertaker/HBK HITC. The storyline come to an end with just a fantastic finish. Maddix tried to outsmart Williams throughout the match, but in the end, it was Danny who took advantage of Landon's fear to outsmart him and get a quick pinfall. Great match.

 

AWESOME way to start the WC/Spike match. Love it. It was like Wildchild was in the Blood Frenzy but still able to do acrobatics for the first part of the match. Good bit with WC kinda losing his steam after the beginning and Spike taking advantage of it. Very cool spot with Spike nailing WC in mid-air with the Last Dance.

 

Good promo with Fasaki asserting himself and adding a bit of tension between him and Flesher. Ejiro's here and he's really mad. Ejiro's here and he's really an-gry.

 

Mag laughs, and the whole world laughs with him.

 

Even Flesher fears the Mother-in-Law.

 

Very smart move for Toxxic to immediately take Pretlzer to the outside. Great bit with Scott keeping in control of Toxxic until he tries something a little more risky, whereupon Toxxic immediately takes advantage of him doing so. It initially seems kinda weird that Toxxic would use so many aerial moves in a submission match, but when you think about it, the last thing he wants to do is stay on the mat where Pretzler can be in control of him. Great ending. The author fills the reader in on months of history while explaining Toxxic's motivation for tapping.

 

Oh damn. Canadian Deathmatch. Suitable way to end the Best-of-Five, I think.

 

Great show. Terrific matches with plenty of promos to compliment them. =)

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

Apologies for the lack of promoage, but I was barely even able to get online to send my match in on time before my internet access went down again. I'll try to find time to provide comments later.

[Zack Malibu 0]

Apologies from me too for lack of match, as my work computer fizzled out Friday and I wasn't online much this weekend, leaving me with roughly 800 words that surely wouldn't have gotten me a victory.

[JHawk 0]

Dammit Cortez, what's wrong with letting me think I actually got a legit win over you? That's twice now!

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

And I still have two whole days to write my PPV match! (Y)

====

 

 

SWF Smarkdown: the penultimate show to Ground Zero!

 

 

A Series of Unfortunate Events

 

Tom gets some unpleasant news to start the show, news that is apparently relevant to the talent, and Flesher’s access to it… While it isn’t revealed what he’s talking about just yet, it’s some fine bit of foreshadowing.

 

 

 

 

Marcus Ward Debuts

 

The match was well paced, and the start is good… somewhat inexplicable no-sell of the shoulder injury, only seconds after getting free of the armbar… In fact, the selling would prove to be off-and-on for the remainder of the match, which is something that you need to work on; hell, it would have been better if you’d just decided to no-sell it outright and been done with it… Lack of punctuation made the match hard to read at times, but that’s something that will improve with practice…

 

 

 

 

“Our” National Anthem

 

“Whiskey in a Jar” seems strangely appropriate.

 

 

 

 

ELM promo

 

Apparently, it wasn’t personal on Mags’ part; WC just happened to be the “nearest Caribbean guy,” according to King… Mags blames the fans for being bloodthirsty, and for never truly being behind him… Then he starts to talk about how much he’s sacrificed, when WC decides to make an appearance… Man, ELM really doesn’t care for WC much right now, does he? He claims that WC’s use of the MPP was an insult, and starts to talk about leaving his family, and WC’s had enough, as he finally speaks publicly about losing his family to Hurricane Jeanne… and Mags is generally unsympathetic, and then talks his way into a cheap shot.

 

 

 

 

Manson vs. Ghost Machine

 

The Raging Bull vs. the apparently ambiguously gay (could be a) robot… Manson takes GM down with a nice fake out… Manson with an STF, but GM breaks free and hits a suplex; apropos of nothing, GM sells the neck injury pretty early in the match, relative to the punishment he’d taken, which seems very strange juxtaposed with the previous match… Manson withstands some punishment from GM, and goes back to the STF, but can’t close the deal, as GM gets all the way back to a standing position, while Manson still has the hold applied… a little more back-and-forth, before Manson gets a neck wrench armbar on… GM once again fights his way out. And hits a DDT, and then a powerbomb, and now GM is the one who can’t put his opponent away! Piledriver gets two… Slightly tough-to-read spot where Manson counters being thrown to the outside by hanging onto the ropes and swinging back into the ring (I think?), before hitting a release Northern Lights and a legdrop… Match continues to go back and forth, and I just noticed that the selling is much better early in the match, when GM hadn’t actually taken much punishment. And that makes little-to-no sense… Fast forward to a Camel Clutch for the win by Ghost Machine, and I’m happy for GM for getting what is, according to what I’ve heard, a legit win against an opponent who showed, but this match was kind of all over the place to me, in terms of flow; I would recommend working on your transitions some more. And the selling, too…

 

 

 

 

Backstage promo

 

Flesher’s still being cryptic about his previous phone call; Hawke swears loyalty to Tom… not much else to it.

 

 

 

 

Todd Cortez vs. Jay Hawke

 

International Champion Todd Cortez? Did I miss a show or something? Anyway, the match starts with a couple nice, easy-to-follow-along wrestling sequences, which gets double (Y) from me… Who’s Richard? Like the Dusty rib, though… Hawke takes over with a Hot Shot and does some good neck work… Hrmm, I’ve been deployed for six months so I don’t know why a Camel Clutch would make UPN cower in terror, but I’m guessing it has something to do with Hassan… I thought he was on RAW, though? Anyway, he decides to let it go, and pays for it, when Cortez mounts a comeback… Man, Todd really, really likes European Uppercuts… Cortez channels Stan Lane and then goes for a German suplex, but Hawke counters into a victory roll, and holds onto the ropes to get the pin. Good match.

 

 

 

 

Danny Williams vs. Landon Maddix

 

Hrmm… Now I’m curious as to whether Danny stopped using his music, or did Danny come under the word limit and decide to take it out… Starts the way I reckon it should, with Landon being all cocky, and Danny no-selling his feeble offense, and this is one of the things I really like about Danny’s writing: with the fed being about 90% cruiserweights right now, it’s not at all impractical to have the heavyweights no-selling their opponents strikes, at least early on in the match, but very few writers have figured out how to do this well, how to pull it off without making their opponent look worthless, and Danny stands out as one of the best I’ve ever read. Newbies (read: Ghost Machine) take note: this is the guy you should be modeling your style after… Landon stops his momentum with a Snapmare Driver (which JR would probably call a bulldog)… Landon mugs for the crowd, but doesn’t realize that Danny’s back on his feet… and practically shits himself… Danny throws Landon around like yesterday’s garbage, but catches one in the jewels when he goes for the Powerbomb. Landon goes up top, but takes too much time; Danny knocks him off his perch, and then knocks him to the floor… and THEN he gets mean… He puts a whipping on Landon, and appears dominant until he blows a flying elbow from the apron… Landon ducks the Axe Bomber and hits the Complete Shot to set up the Land of Nod… Landon can’t put him away, though, as Williams gets to the ropes… Landon tries subterfuge to distract the referee while he pulls a chain from his tights, but Danny takes it from him before he can use it…. Danny teases using the chain himself, causing Landon to duck, and Danny catches him with a small package for the win. Very good match, and the ending was a refreshing change from the norm… Not sure why King would be rooting for Danny and against Landon, but that’s a small nit.

 

 

 

 

Wildchild vs. Spike Jenkins

 

I’d intended to do “before” and “after” promos to surround this match, and explain some of the dialogue within the match, so that it’d make more sense, but I never had time; beyond that, I still don’t comment on my own stuff.

 

 

 

 

Tom Flesher promo

 

Tom Flesher reveals the big surprise: Ground Zero will be held in London, England… and Las Vegas, Nevada? Flesher plays shill and talks up the show like it was his plan all along, and then talks about all the great wrestlers that are going to be appearing in London, which raises the ire of the World Heavyweight Champion! Ejiro’s tired of being buried by Flesher, and he announces that he’s gone over Flesher’s head to make sure that he will main event the PPV. Flesher’s not happy and pretty much calls him a favor, and Ejiro fires back with the always good “yeah… but I kicked your ass…”

 

 

 

 

Zyon vs. El Luchadore Magnifico

 

Mags comes out to new music, because he’s a HEEL~! Mexican pride doesn’t go over in Ireland; maybe the Irish think they stole the colors of their flag, or something… ELM catches Zyon in a rana, but Zyon fights him until he gets the rana anyway… Mags goes for a German suplex, and Zyon blocks, so Mags channels Danny Williams and elbows Zyon until he concedes the suplex, which is as good a method as any… ELM does a good job of getting his aggression over by continually shoving Zyon in the corner and laying in the chops, but hasn’t really done anything heelish yet… Zyon uses his speed to control the match, but he underestimates Zyon’s resilience, and gets triced up… But he fights back, and gets a flying bulldog for two… ELM finally counters the rana, after being hit with it twice… Zyon escapes a Super Barrio Buster, and goes for the Final Flash, but misses… and Mags still hasn’t done anything heelish yet… Sangria Stretch, and ELM gets the submission win to go into Ground Zero with some momentum. Good match.

 

 

 

 

Backstage promo

 

Allison’s worried. Flesher’s worried. Someone is going to be at the Announce Table that Tom doesn’t want to see. I wonder who it could be?

 

 

 

 

Toxxic vs. Scott Pretzler

 

I tend to not review the ME as in-depth as other people, since I figure that the ME tends to be the only match that most people read, besides their own, so this’ll probably be quick and dirty… King proclaims Pretzler the best wrestler in the SWF; well, he’s one of only two active wrestlers in the Fed who holds two clean wins over Wildchild, so he would pretty much have to be, wouldn’t he? Amusing spot where Toxxic fakes Pretzler out on the Role Reversal, instead pandering to the fans at ringside, but I just can’t see Irish fans being so receptive to an Englishman, for some reason, nor can I imagine Toxxic being that fan-friendly… Toxxic tries to turn the match into a fight, which definitely works more in his favor than an actual match… The match returns to the ring, and Pretzler predictably takes control… Nice heelish touch to have Pretzler dusting his hands after the backbreaker, something that a lot of heels tend to overlook… Toxxic mounts a comeback, which lasts until Pretzler locks him in an abdominal stretch… the narrative when Toxxic was trapped in the SSB was probably my favorite part of the whole match, but I’m a mark for such things… Pretzler gets the clean submission to even up the series, and it was well done, even if I’m a little irked that Toxxic has been portrayed as his speed giving Pretzler problems, as he’s dealt with, and beaten, much faster guys… After the match, Flesher comes out to announce that the rubber match between these two will be a Canadian Deathmatch, but apparently they aren’t allowed to hit each other in the face, or something like that… Good match.

[JHawk 0]

Todd Cortez vs. Jay Hawke

 

International Champion Todd Cortez? Did I miss a show or something?

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Did I seriously write that somewhere? I even reread the match before I sent it in and missed it.

 

Who’s Richard?

 

Um...did King call Pete Richard? I might have been channeling an old efed if that's the case. If not, then I dunno.

 

Hrmm, I’ve been deployed for six months so I don’t know why a Camel Clutch would make UPN cower in terror, but I’m guessing it has something to do with Hassan… I thought he was on RAW, though?

 

Basically, Hassan got drafted to SmackDown, they did some stupid "terrorist" angle that aired the day of the first London bombings, and UPN forced WWE to write Hassan off the show. I refuse to go into any more detail about that angle because I don't want to start that debate again.

[devo 0]

Thanks for the comments, WC. I wanted to avoid writing Mag as doing anything stereotypically heelish (eye raking, hair pulling, low blows, what have you), because I wanted to put some distance between his character now and his character when he was first (and second) a heel, when he would gladly execute the listed actions. I didn't want him to turn and immediately regress back to being cowardly and cheap.

[Hank Kingsley 0]

And that's one of the reasons I enjoyed your match, ELM. Zyon again had a well-written match (including the hilarious 360 shooting star plancha fakeout which did in fact fool me), but he had ELM doing everything heelish in the book, going a little overboard. You took a more subtle approach and I think the end result was better.

[King Cucaracha 0]

Not sure why King would be rooting for Danny and against Landon, but that’s a small nit.

 

Well, it's in my stats that King will never, ever give Maddix any more than begrudging praise. So he'll always be rooting against Maddix.

[Toxxic 0]

In answer to Dub-Cee's point about Toxxic's speed - it might just be that Toxxic is better than Wildchild...

 

No, but seriously. Pretzler schools Toxx on the mat and is stronger to boot. Toxxic's main weapon is his speed - if the argument is that Pretzler should be able to counter that because he's beaten WC, then logically I cannot beat anyone who has ever beaten WC. I think we'll have to accept that it's because Toxxic uses it differently, mixes his brawling advantage in as well, is just plain luckier or something.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

I was half-joking, anyway. Besides, I think that it's generally understood that WC holds back on his speed against most people... So there.