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| Blue's SuperClash 3 Review | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 23 2011, 07:07 PM (548 Views) | |
| BigPoppaBuyrate | Dec 23 2011, 07:07 PM Post #1 |
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Poppin' Buyrates Since 1996
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It's about that time! IT'S TIME! IT'S TIME! IT'S BLUE'S REVIEW TIME! Well, that was just silly but yes, it returns. Back by (sorta) popular demand, my review of SuperClash III to run down all the happenings and give a little insight into how things happened the way they did. It's your chance to see that sometimes we have a year worth of planning involved in an angle and sometimes I just go with a gut feeling on the spur of the moment. Hopefully this doesn't shatter the magical illusion for anyone. First off... no love for my fancy title graphic?! Man, that took me all of like two minutes to do and I would appreciate some love for the effort! Last year, when doing the intro, I decided I wanted to use Gordon's same voiceover for the opening credits. This time? Same thing! It just adds a little continuity. Someone gave a shoutout to the opening music. I'm a HUGE Springsteen fan so I love any opportunity to use Bruce music in a show. I happened to hear "The Rising" on Sirius E Street Radio (PLUG!) a couple days before writing this. I actually had a vision of the opening sequence when I heard the song. The vision ended up a little different than what I wrote because it was a very visual intro. If this was something you could actually see, it would have had black and white footage of a dark cloud hanging over a group of AWA babyfaces who are down on one knee. With each lyric, you'd see each of them "rising" to their feet to stand against the dark cloud. I totally thought it was an awesome visual and very symbolic of the overarching story we've told this year - especially in the latter half of the year. But I thought written out, it didn't feel right. It didn't "look" right. So I took a more generic intro but in hindsight, I kinda wish I'd gone with the original idea even though it would play out kinda lame in text form. ANYWAYS... Into the building we went. A pretty basic setup for the building. I mentioned this elsewhere but I only used a Jumbotron because the building already had one. By no means did the AWA buy their own big screen! WE'RE STILL OLD SCHOOL! And then comes the first "oops" moment of the show. What the hell? The DeSoto Civic Center's not actually in Memphis?! IT'S NOT EVEN IN THE SAME STATE?! Oh good grief! So, we had some fun with that throughout the show. It was kinda silly but I felt like it wasn't something to ignore. I actually figured if I ignored it, someone would stumble upon it and call me out on it in promo form. It actually kinda reminded me of when WWE runs somewhere in Europe and has someone cut a promo referencing a local sports team for heat without realizing that the "local" sports team isn't actually supported by that area. Whoops. Then comes the first Pay Per View mention of the night. My way of reminding everyone that there will be no commercials mostly. We also ended up using it as a blanket for a little more salty language than usual. And very obviously, to not have to fit within a three or four hour show window. The show is long. Damn long. It wasn't intended that way, I assure you. When I saw the number of matches on the show, I knew it was going to run a bit long but I had no idea how much. More on that later. The handicap match is our opener. It was pretty obvious booking but that's not always a bad thing. Sometimes the obvious thing to do is also the right thing to do. The idea of getting Ivan Kostovich off the canvas was also appealing to me as we've mentioned a glut of managers. I liked the idea of getting rid of Kostovich and smashing any idea that this LONG feud would continue. Speaking of long feuds, I have decided it's a bad idea for me to run angles with myself because for some reason, they seem to stretch on forever. The Lori/Melissa thing is another example. There were three things in the handicap match that needed to play out. We needed to have SDW and Sullivan tangle as former partners. This was the one that didn't really play as well as I liked. It kinda got lost in the shuffle. We also needed to see how Watkins would handle officiating. I think that came across pretty well. It was obvious that he was going to let stuff go down but he was also willing to step in when he had to. And finally, we needed the Sudakov moment. The moment where the chains were off, he was unleashed, and the Sickle came to town. So, the obvious booking was to have Sudakov Sickle Kostovich into oblivion and that's what I ran with. The match ran a little longer than I had originally though and so began a trend throughout the show. We start the show with an nice, positive moment to pop the crowd. I wanted to do a Q&A as part of this - so now I'm going to turn it into a Q&A for all of you. The full listing of questions will be at the end of this but I'm going to sprinkle them throughout. 1) Is Sweet Daddy Williams overexposed and does he need time off? 2) Is anyone enjoying Dick Sullivan? 3) I think Vladimir Velikov will be gone for a while. Any objections? 4) I honestly don't know what's next for Kolya Sudakov. Suggestions? The Master's Mercy match was next. Time to admit that when I first announced the match, I wasn't totally sure what the stips were. I liked the idea of the Blind Stipulation match that was discussed on JTF but it didn't seem quite right. For this to be right in my mind, it needed to fall in the hands of The Master. Side note for a second... it's always been interesting to me that some people read Layton's referring to The Master as some mysterious individual pulling his strings. Some people have thought it was a spiritual thing - it's Layton's way of being a devil worshipper without us blatantly saying it. I'm not going to say either group is right but I just thought it was worth referencing. I knew this match needed to be a little bit garbagey so I was prepared for that. I also knew that the wheel needed to be gimmicked to screw Preston over a few times. But again - there were two clear stories that needed to be told. We needed to tell the story of Layton trying to sway Preston to his cause... trying to lure the darkness out of him. Very similar to the Monosso/Preston final showdown in a way. Think of it as the end of Return Of The Jedi where the Emperor is trying to drive Luke to rage, forcing him to the dark side. That's what Layton's trying to do... ...or more specifically, it's what his Master is trying to do. Which leads to the other story that needs to be told in this one... Layton's inability to do what he wants to do when it goes against the Master's wishes. Things like Layton freaking out when he tries to split Preston open during the First Blood stip. It kinda shows that Layton's goals and his Master's goals in this one may not quite be the same. In the end, I knew Preston was winning because I had decided that Preston vs Darkness was done and he needed to move on. The Cobra Clutch Crossface had to be used because I want to get that over as a killshot finish. It's toppled Monosso AND Layton now so I believe it's well on its way to that goal. Q&A time! 5) Where would you like to see Eric Preston go next? 6) Did you enjoy the Master's Mercy stipulation? So, the good guys are up two to nothing so far with Travis Lynch's efforts to win the PCW World Title coming up next. The match took on new importance with the "rumors" that the AWA brass may be looking to unify that PCW Title in the near future. Where I think that idea runs a little bit off the rails is that, at the moment, I don't think neither Travis Lynch nor Rex Summers have been presented at the same level as Calisto Dufresne. We've talked a lot about the backstory but that only gets us so far in selling them as a legit threat to the AWA National Title. At some point, it falls to the talent involved to get themselves to that level. Travis Lynch is an enigma to me. I'm not sure if it's because he's been separated from his brothers but while James and Jack seem to be clicking, Travis doesn't seem quite right yet. Rex Summers has issues of his own - mostly to do with consistency and a manager that doesn't really have a unique voice. In all honesty, this is a match that I was a bit torn on including on the lineup for the show. We had done the setup for it but I just wasn't quite feeling it. The Lynch sister thing seemed rushed and sloppy to me and didn't have quite the level of impact that it should have. In the end, I decided to include it on the show because I strongly want that PCW World Title to have some level of credibility if/when we choose to do the unification. Rog wrote this match and I thought he did a fine job with it. It was, again, longer than I was looking for but it was a strong effort so I couldn't complain much. I called for the Dusty Finish here. I didn't feel a title change was appropriate but I thought that on the merits, Lynch probably deserved the win. So, that was a happy compromise in my mind. Good match. Screwy finish to leave open... whatever happens next. Q&A! 7) Do you like Travis Lynch as a character? 8) Do you see the PCW World Title on the same level as the AWA National Title? 9) Do you want to see those titles unified? 10) What was your reaction to the Dusty Finish? The tag title #1 contender match was next. This one kinda got forced on me. Rog had the Aces make the challenge for it and... well, I just kinda went with it. I honestly didn't feel that the Bombers deserved to be on the show but there wasn't really another good option for the Aces to face. I did like the angle Roger came up with. The heel turn was actually a very late add to the show but I was a fan of the angle even before the heel turn. The idea of Stevie being afraid to fly because of what happened to Scott Von Braun made it a challenge to write but it was a brilliant piece of psychology. The heel turn just turned things up a notch. The Bombers continue to disappoint - something even Moze realizes at this point. I'm guessing they'll be back on the block sometime soon. The team is cursed at this point, I believe. My Midnight Express shall never thrive. Whoever suggested a Bombers face turn at this point... I could see that, I think, but at this stage I don't think it would have much impact. Q&A! 11) Are the Blonde Bombers cursed? Why does this team not click? 12) Did you enjoy the Aces' heel turn? 13) Do you buy the Aces as #1 contenders? The AWESOME Broussard promo was next. Really loved this promo and I thought it was so good, it really made me ponder the Steal The Spotlight booking. I know everyone was rooting for a Sharif win but going into it, I had two schools of thought. It could be one of the obvious choices - Stevie, Broussard, or Sharif... or it could be a major upset which I liked the idea of because it was one of those "anything can happen" moments but I couldn't wrap my head fully around it. The Von Braun tribute was next. The ceremony was fine but because of where I slotted it into the show, I started to feel a little Aces overkill. And I'll throw out a tease of - this was not what was supposed to happen in this segment. DUN DUN DUNNNNN! Then we moved onto the women's match. I had pitched this idea to Dante a few months ago, hoping to turn this into one of the featured matches. I don't think the angle really caught on like either of us (nor Bob when he got brought into it) hoped for. I'm not sure if it's just a general distaste for women's e-wrestling or something specific to this angle. It seems like the former as there were a lot of "don't cares" in the predictions for this. Rog put this match together too which, again, was a solid effort. I found myself reading it and not really caring who won unfortunately. So, I ultimately fell into the same hole that many of you did before the show. I need some analysis though as to why that is. So... Q&A! 14) Why did you not care about this match? 15) Is there no hope for women's wrestling in the AWA? And then there's an Aces promo... which REALLY kicked in the Aces overkill. Part of that is my fault for placement but I think it might have been one too many things. We may not have needed the explanation promo on this show with hindsight being 20/20. We move on from there to the Longhorn Heritage Title match. I was surprised this match wasn't more eagerly anticipated because I think Rob's done a hell of a job with Donovan for several months now and Mizusawa has always carried a kind of enigma that made him special to see in action. You've got a Battle of the Giants... the title vs 5 minutes with Matsui... all the elements were in place for one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of the year. But for some reason, it just didn't seem like people were that invested in it. The LH title matches are difficult to write since they have the 10 minute time limit but in this match, with two really big guys to write for, it actually helped quite a bit. And yes, I stole the start to Hogan/Andre from WM III because I thought it was appropriate for this one. Plus, I thought it was important to set the stage immediately to know just what Donovan could and couldn't seem to pull off powerwise against Mizusawa. Likewise, I wanted to know what was possible for Mizusawa to do to Donovan hence the chokeslam at the five minute mark. The Donovan flying legdrop was at least, in part, inspired by Big Show's flying elbow against Mark Henry last month. I felt it was important to have him kinda miss it though since it was out of his usual arsenal and I thought a full-on connection probably should have ended the match. Because Mizusawa has been so well protected - this was only his second pinfall loss - I thought it was important to have a finish that respected that. The blown interference by Matsui... the heart punch... that combo seemed to be enough to put him down. I was pretty pleased with this match on the whole and thought it lived up to my expectations for it. The question is - where does Robert Donovan go from here? Q&A! 16) If you weren't invested in this match, why? 17) Did you feel the ten minute time limit hurt the match? 18) Would you like to see a rematch? 19) If not, where does Robert Donovan go next? 20) Is the Longhorn Heritage Title a major championship in your eyes? From there, we jumped into the Monosso promo that everyone is talking about. Simply awesome. I'm throwing my support fully behind Monosso for the best character of 2011 on the whole. He may not have enjoyed the most success but "pound for pound," there's no one better right now. Monosso/Marley was... interesting to me. It was a very well-written match. There's no denying that. It had great action and told some great stories. You would expect nothing less from a match that Jer wrote. That said, I have to be honest... I pitched the idea to both guys that this match should've been short... real short. I thought Marley should be so fired up that the battle would get out of control early and we'd be able to do a no contest of some sorts. My opinion was that the show didn't need another really long match at this point and this seemed like a good place to cut the length of the show to me. I also believed that the build-up for the match was relatively short and that if it was going to continue, there was no need for an epic here. Jer asked if he could write the match instead and I agreed. Like I said, great match... but I'm not sure it was necessary yet. Q&A! 21) Do you think Marley/Monosso should continue from here? 22) Does the Sean Marley backstory work for you? 23) Was there any point during the show where you were, "Okay, enough already. This show is too friggin' long"? Steal The Spotlight was next... and if you want to talk about a match that ended up WAAAAAAY longer than I had planned, this would be it. Granted, a ten man eliminaton tag is likely to have a pretty decent length to it but even I felt like the match was bloated. I liked what we did in it but the length actually took away from it, I felt. In a match like STS, there are certain points you want to get across and certain things you want to spotlight. It's almost like the Rumble in a lot of respects. You know not everyone can "get their stuff in" but you'd like to try to give at least one moment to everyone. That's why the daredevil dive to start the match was slotted in. Terry's done a great job with Skywalker Jones and I knew there was the chance he'd get overshadowed in the match so I wanted to make sure there was at least that one "moment" that would stand out. This match also saw the return of Bruno Verhoeven. When Tommy pulled the First Family several weeks ago, a little itch came into my head about figuring out a way to get Bruno back in. I've always loved the idea of the character even if he didn't enjoy the best execution the first time through. After some pondering and some fortuitious posts on JTF, I came up with a concept and an angle pitch that I thought would work. Steal The Spotlight and Bruno showing he has no allies and he truly is a Butcher "like his father before him" is Part One. Part Two? Coming soon. JR just hasn't been able to get back on track with Raph after some real life stuff kept creeping up so I knew he'd be the first to go. I thought some closure to the Stevie/Raph issue was appropriate here. Another thing that really started to bug me here was the amount of managerial interference on the show. It seemed like almost every match had some... which I guess directly relates to the glut of managers on the roster. When you have a lot of heel managers, they like to cheat... a lot. I was really happy with the ending to it. I liked the idea of Sharif knowing a counter to his own hold... especially one that turned it into a new hold for him. The one Bucky coined the Tehran Crab. Jer had sent a "just in case" promo which sets the stage with Bathwaite and Sharif seemingly a bit at odds over when, where, and how to cash in that Steal The Spotlight contract. The plot thickens. Q&A! 24) Should Steal The Spotlight return at SuperClash IV? 25) Are you happy with the winner of STS? 26) Was the match just too darn long? Right before the next match, there's an "incident" with a fan. Stupid Southaven fans. Next up was the All-Star Showdown. This match was very interesting to me to write. Since it was going to be going back to back with the National Tag Title Match, I knew they needed to be very different from each other. I knew I couldn't follow a standard tag formula with this one so the No DQ stip was added as a crutch. But adding a no DQ stip to these four creates an interesting scenario. Obviously, I've written these four under those rules many, many times... and when I did, carnage abounded. But I didn't have the same flexibility here. The AWA is a different beast than the EMWC. I don't want multiple chairshots to the skull. I don't want broken glass and the like. So, while writing this match, I needed to be "extreme" without being hardcore. At every turn, I had to declde if what I was doing was too far... if I was opening a door that I didn't want to open. I still haven't convinced myself to do a table spot... so I continue to tease table spots but not deliver them. I brought out the ladder in this one because I felt some minor stuff with it wasn't too far over the edge. I used the chair in ways that I didn't feel would violate what I was going for. I used the fork because it seemed in line with what we would see from Abdullah in those days. I debated with myself about thumbtacks at one point for quite a while before opting not to use them. Anyways... I wanted to have a lot of fun with this match but I also wanted it to mean something. It means a lot to me when guys have the level of trust to give me what could be the final match for their characters. While I had had loose conversations with Carlos, Scotty, and John about doing something post-SuperClash, we had no solid plans. So, I wrote the match thinking that I could very well be writing the final matches for Jeff Matthews, Caleb Temple, and Adam Rogers. I wanted to give them my best just like they have to me for so many years. That said, I also knew that the match was just part of the draw. Everyone was waiting for the arrival of the Dragon. So, I knew Martinez needed to be physically destroyed before the Dragon arrived to do what we wanted to do. The Rogers turn was done against my initial wishes. I thought it was overkill to have yet another person turn out to be a foot soldier of the Dragon. In hindsight, I could still go either way with it. I know John really wanted to do it so in that way, I'm okay with it but the creative side of me thinks it just might have been one thing too much. And then of course, we had the unveiling of the Dragon as William Craven. I suspect that not a single soul saw it coming. Moze and I haven't always had the best relationship in this game and he isn't one of my usual items I'd pull out of my bag of tricks. But William Craven was and is the original Dragon. There was no other. That said, I won't lie and say that I didn't have a backup plan in my mind... just in case. Those of you who have connected the dots and said that Chris Blue would made sense as the Dragon, I totally agree and in a desperation scenario, I would have been fine with that as the reveal. I would have preferred another option though. I'm glad that Moze and Dave got to hit the highspot in the angle they had planned for a year now. I'm glad that I was able to contribute in any way that I did. I think it was a really well done mystery man angle at a time when it becomes difficult to pull that off because we all know each other so well. So, kudos to them both. The idea of Craven "breaking" Martinez was pitched early on and we stuck with it. There were some last minute negotiations about how that breaking would occur but I think we went with something realistic, reasonable, and fitting in the AWA world. The Stegglet bit was improv... so it creates a challenge for Moze to overcome. How does Craven get into the AWA when one of the owners just watched him destroy one of his best friends? And can Martinez come back from one of the worst years physically of his career? Stay tuned. Q&A 27) Did you feel that the All-Star Showdown went "too far" into the world of Extreme? 28) Were you surprised by the reveal of Craven as the Dragon? The National Tag Team Title match was next. Honestly, I felt a little overwhelmed with this. I really liked the Stampede Cup Finals and at this point in writing, I was really feeling the fatigue. I wasn't sure I could top the Cup... especially considering my mental drain at that point. And knowing that the Bishops were going to play into the finish, I was pretty sure the dirty finish was going to take a lot of focus off the match itself anyways. In hindsight, I liked the match but I don't know that I LOVED it. The Bishops return was unexpected. When I was approached with the idea, I really liked it because I knew it would help boost a sagging tag division after the Cup. I knew the return should happen at SuperClash but I just wasn't sure how to do it. I told Dan that the return would happen there but I gave him no details other than it would happen during a run-in. Honestly, going into the show, I was of two minds on it. I thought about putting it into the Aces/Bombers match. Before the Aces' angle developed, I was going to have the Bishops destroy both teams in fairly short order (cutting time from the show and eliminating the bulk of a match I didn't want to write) and declare themselves the true #1 contenders. But I kept thinking about the titles and VU. I love the team - I love both of the guys in the team which is a rarity. They're two very distinct personalities and I love writing them in singles as well. But at the same time, they're very much supermen. Think of them similar to how the Roadies were booked in the 80s. Just mowing people down. The Cup was our first glimpse at "hey, maybe they CAN'T beat everyone." Taking that away from the Lynches just didn't seem to make sense to me. I wanted to have that one team that maybe VU just can't beat. Plus, I saw an opportunity to have an interesting title feud with the Lynches and the Aces and to have an interesting top tag feud alongside it with VU and the Bishops with VU trying to avenge their loss. I was sold... and I ran the interference spot in the title match instead. Q&A 29) Did the interference in the tag title match spoil it for you? 30) Which tag feud has you most intrigued - the Bishops/VU or The Aces/Lynches? 31) Did the match live up to your expectations? The National Title match was next. With all the cards on the table, I have to say at no point did I consider taking the title off Dufrense. At no point until one. When I realized that Jason hadn't sent anything in for the show. There was a few hours after that while writing the match that I legitimately considered a title switch. In the end, I just couldn't find the logic in it even if it might have been the right thing to do. Many people have pointed out this "felt" like a Flair/Sting match. That's what I was aiming for so... thanks! The attack spot at the beginning of the match was indeed a play off the Luger/Sting angle that had the same attack for whoever guessed that. I didn't run the Waterson thing by Jason. I just did that on my own. I needed/wanted Waterson out there for some spots and needed him there for the post-match stuff so I just went with it. I figured it would totally be in character for Dufresne to make that deal to keep the title safe. The goal here was to make it look like 'Nova could win the title at any moment. I loved being able to sell the knee over and over. It really made him look vulnerable when he's physically stronger than the champion. The repeated Heat Waves was part of that... just wanting to make it feel like the end when he finally connects with it. The Solar Flare gets the visual submission... giving Supernova plenty of room to point out he deserves a rematch. Someone pointed out that the finish was abrupt but that was kinda what I was going for. Dufresne is super-desperate, trying to find a way out. He hits the low blow and then hooks the Wham Bam. Again, I want the Wham Bam to be recognized that if he hits it in the middle of the ring, the match is over... and so it was. The post-match fracas was a negotiation as well. Terry had his vision for Vasquez' big return. I had mine. We compromised. I really liked the idea of Calisto going for the lighter. It played so well into the running theme for the match that he'd do whatever it took to keep the title so going back to the fireball in an attempt to get rid of one of his top threats seemed right to me. And it's at that moment, when Juan Vasquez realizes that Dufresne is going to cross the line... ...that the lights go out. I love the visual of the lights coming back and Vasquez standing between Dufresne and Supernova. I could totally picture it in my head. I think I could even hear the crowd reaction to the moment. There's a part there where the announcers fall out and all we have are text descriptions. That's just how it played in my head. I could imagine the announcers going silent to let the crowd's reactions to everything be the soundtrack to the story. Loved the moment of Waterson using the chair, thinking he's all bad ass, and turning around to a no-selling Juan who comes for him. And then Supernova gets involved so that he's not completely overshadowed by this moment. He gets the heat on Waterson with an approving Juan looking on. Not a passing of the torch per se but a moment where Juan gives his approval to one of the top young stars who elevated themselves in his absence. And that's that. Lots of stories still to be told. Lots of hanging plot threads. The perfect blend of wrap-up and "what's next?" to keep you coming back to read. In other words, just the way I like it. Q&A (answer what you want, leave blank what you don't. Write a few words for each or a few paragraphs. Just give me some feedback.) ------ 1) Is Sweet Daddy Williams overexposed and does he need time off? 2) Is anyone enjoying Dick Sullivan? 3) I think Vladimir Velikov will be gone for a while. Any objections? 4) I honestly don't know what's next for Kolya Sudakov. Suggestions? 5) Where would you like to see Eric Preston go next? 6) Did you enjoy the Master's Mercy stipulation? 7) Do you like Travis Lynch as a character? 8) Do you see the PCW World Title on the same level as the AWA National Title? 9) Do you want to see those titles unified? 10) What was your reaction to the Dusty Finish? 11) Are the Blonde Bombers cursed? Why does this team not click? 12) Did you enjoy the Aces' heel turn? 13) Do you buy the Aces as #1 contenders? 14) Why did you not care about the women's match? 15) Is there no hope for women's wrestling in the AWA? 16) If you weren't invested in the Longhorn Heritage Title match, why? 17) Did you feel the ten minute time limit hurt the match? 18) Would you like to see a rematch? 19) If not, where does Robert Donovan go next? 20) Is the Longhorn Heritage Title a major championship in your eyes? 21) Do you think Marley/Monosso should continue from here? 22) Does the Sean Marley backstory work for you? 23) Was there any point during the show where you were, "Okay, enough already. This show is too friggin' long"? 24) Should Steal The Spotlight return at SuperClash IV? 25) Are you happy with the winner of STS? 26) Was the match just too darn long? 27) Did you feel that the All-Star Showdown went "too far" into the world of Extreme? 28) Were you surprised by the reveal of Craven as the Dragon? 29) Did the interference in the tag title match spoil it for you? 30) Which tag feud has you most intrigued - the Bishops/VU or The Aces/Lynches? 31) Did the match live up to your expectations? 32) Did you believe that Supernova had a chance to win during the match? 33) Do you believe he should have? 34) Were you surprised by the return of Juan Vasquez? 35) Considering the way Vasquez went out, were you satisfied with his return? |
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| sychosys | Dec 23 2011, 10:01 PM Post #2 |
This Space For Rent
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I prefer the cadence of "Blue's Clues" myself.  Once again, I appreciate the fantastic effort that goes into just writing this thing up. So I'll do my patroitic duty and give the questions a go...
Many times in this Q/A writeup I find myself relying on double negatives, as a way of saying that, while I don't actively hate something, there are probably ways it could be made better. So, I don't not want to see more Sweet Daddy...but I'm not sure I would miss him all that much if he were gone.
He is definitely the second best Dick in the AWA.
None here.
Have you ever done Dufresne/Sudakov yet? Dude's been in hell for years now, so I don't think that anyone would begrudge him his way long overdue title rematch.
THE DAAAAK SIDE! EHEHEHEHEHHEEE...
Very much more than I thought I would. This was the pleasant surprise of the show for me.
Not really. I kind of want to smack him around a bit, which I suppose is not the type of reaction you want from a babyface. I could totally get into a bratty little brother that's jealous of his older brother's success angle though.
Not when the matches are portrayed as curtain jerker popcorn breaks as has been the case thusfar.
I don't want to see both an AWA and PCW title around for too much longer.
Pretty obvious once the ref went down. I don't begrudge you doing that once on a big show...would have pissed me off if you had done it twice though!
Because you don't like the version that did click!
Didn't make much sense to me, seeing as they just came back as faces and rejected their other feel manager a few weeks prior. It will take some more time and effort to win me over.
Given the state of the tag division, I guess we have no choice but to? I hope some people will take on some of the JTTS teams...that's really all I think it would take to make it thrive again.
For the same reason that you probably don't care to watch midget wrestling? It's a square peg in the round hole that the AWA has established for itself up to this point.
I personally would rather not see it.
N/A. I like the match, and the title.
No. It's good to have that sense of urgency for at least one match per show.
Yes. But with MAMMOTH under new management, possibly with Louis Matsui selling his contract to someone with bucks that wants to make a splash.
Will Nenshou ever get his rematch?
It is akin to the I-C title of the 80's WWF in my eyes, thanks to the work of the two champions to this point.
No.
It doesn't not wo...you know what, screw that PC. It doesn't work for me.
That's like complaining that a Harry Potter book is too long. If you can't read it all at once, just put it down and pick it up from that point at a later time. That said, if you are intending for us to read it from start to finish all at once, then yes, it is too long.
My own personal feeling is that the "contract for a match at any time for any reason" is played out and lazy booking. I sincerely hope that WWE stops with the Money in the Bank cock teases going forward. But I recognize that other people dig it, so...
Yes. Sultan deserves as huge a push as you can give him. He is the Iranian CM Punk.
To be honest, I still haven't finished reading all of it yet. 
Not far enough.
Yes, but I'm not really familiar with the William Craven character to begin with. You mean that we were a Moze flake away from the AWA Attitude Era!? DAMN YOUR DEDICATION, MOZE!!!
Yes. But I'll wait for the fallout to play out before getting too harsh with it.
Actually, VU/Lynches III.
No, but they were admittedly quite high. I would even have accepted the argument that the tag title match should have gone on as the main event.
I believed that Supernova has a chance to not lose the match, to take it to a draw. But he probably hasn't established himself enough to be The Man just yet.
Not yet.
Not necessarily. I figured he had to come back eventually, and probably would come back at the biggest show of the year.
Um...I wasn't dissatisfied? ---------- Hmmm...reading all of that back makes my thoughts on the whole seem smarkier than I believe that they actually are. I suppose we all have personal preferences that would make things better in our own eyes, but regardless of what I said above, I really enjoyed the show overall. |
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| JeremyS | Dec 23 2011, 10:07 PM Post #3 |
MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!
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1) Is Sweet Daddy Williams overexposed and does he need time off? I don't think "overexposed" is the word. He's a midcarder, and we need face midcarders in such a heel-heavy fed. I think it is SDW's time to cycle out, and let a new NPC face midcarder like Soup Bone Samson or Vernon Riley show back up. 2) Is anyone enjoying Dick Sullivan? Yes. If he's your character, though, we may have a bit too many heels for him ATM. He and Dick Bass are very similar, and we've had a tough time working in Bass (who has been very good). Maybe hold on to him for later. 3) I think Vladimir Velikov will be gone for a while. Any objections? No. He's no longer a credible threat on his own. 4) I honestly don't know what's next for Kolya Sudakov. Suggestions? Find a heel who needs something to do (Casanova?) and make a big angle! 5) Where would you like to see Eric Preston go next? See above. 6) Did you enjoy the Master's Mercy stipulation? I did. Very much, actually. 7) Do you like Travis Lynch as a character? He's okay. Just okay. But I always felt exactly the same level of ambivalence about Kerry Von Erich. 8) Do you see the PCW World Title on the same level as the AWA National Title? No, because it is not a real title. At least not until now; if it will be treated like a real title and given some prestige more than just a backstory element for Rex Summers, then it will gain some respectability. But ultimately, it was never won. Saying it is as credible as the AWA National Title would be like saying Hamilton Graham belongs in the Hall Of Fame. 9) Do you want to see those titles unified? It would be good for when Summers is ready to move on from the prop, or for when someone else wins it. Good way to phase it out, maybe even a way to justify a title shot for somebody in-character. 10) What was your reaction to the Dusty Finish? It fit the moment and fit the angle, so I'm fine with it. 11) Are the Blonde Bombers cursed? Why does this team not click? It's not the team. I loved the Flowers Bombers; they were one of my favorite teams ever. It's just a case of one handler flaking, and the other one focusing more on his characters rather than the ones who were established by someone else (my guess). 12) Did you enjoy the Aces' heel turn? Yes, but I'm biased. 13) Do you buy the Aces as #1 contenders? See above. 14) Why did you not care about the women's match? Because the angle felt forced, and by necessity these characters are disconnected from the rest of the fed. Basically, a women's division is like having a second, smaller fed co-promote shows with you. They're characters you can't meaningfuly interact with, feud with, or have matches with. I have no problems with women's feds; it just waters down a product to have two unconnected and unconnectable rosters within it IMO. 15) Is there no hope for women's wrestling in the AWA? See above. 16) If you weren't invested in the Longhorn Heritage Title match, why? I was. 17) Did you feel the ten minute time limit hurt the match? No. 18) Would you like to see a rematch? Sure! 19) If not, where does Robert Donovan go next? Dufrense! Juan has to work his way back up through the ranks; or at least that's what Dufrense is going to claim. So Dufrense's options are: go one more cycle with Supernova, Donovan goes to the natural extension of his "leading the charge" against the darkness, or Stevie Scott. 20) Is the Longhorn Heritage Title a major championship in your eyes? Yes. 21) Do you think Marley/Monosso should continue from here? We've discussed this privately so I will listen to what the people have to say. 22) Does the Sean Marley backstory work for you? Yes, largely because it always existed in Rick Marley's backstory but was never used until now. 23) Was there any point during the show where you were, "Okay, enough already. This show is too friggin' long"? No. This is NOT TV WRESTLING. I don't care how long it would be in real life! In our shared universe, major wrestling cards are this long! And the K-to-time thing is insane and unreasonable, as I've argued over and over. As for your opinions on what you wanted for that match and why I didn't share them, I think I could make a separate post for that later. 24) Should Steal The Spotlight return at SuperClash IV? Yes. 25) Are you happy with the winner of STS? Obviously! 26) Was the match just too darn long? It's the nature of the beast with that kind of match. You could make it 4 on 4 next time if you think that will help. 27) Did you feel that the All-Star Showdown went "too far" into the world of Extreme? No, and let me answer that question with a question. Did the classic Barbed Wire matches between Abdullah and Brody through the 80s make the NWA feel too much like ECW? 28) Were you surprised by the reveal of Craven as the Dragon? I'm exempted because I knew from the beginning. 29) Did the interference in the tag title match spoil it for you? On the contrary... it made it. I wasn't sure how this blowoff could resolve in a way that benefits the tag division.,. and it did! I am excited for Bishops-VU! 30) Which tag feud has you most intrigued - the Bishops/VU or The Aces/Lynches? Both! But again, I am biased. 31) Did the match live up to your expectations? Yes. 32) Did you believe that Supernova had a chance to win during the match? Yes. 33) Do you believe he should have? No, but I don't believe he shouldn't have. Either result would have been very acceptable. 34) Were you surprised by the return of Juan Vasquez? It was the least surprising thing since the sun came up. Everyone should have known it was going to happen. 35) Considering the way Vasquez went out, were you satisfied with his return? It was generic and unsurprising, but had to be done, I guess. As long as we can keep the other characters in the spotlight and not revert to The Ju... you know. Then we'll be alright. Otherwise, his time away will have been wasted or too short. |
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| Walls | Dec 23 2011, 10:42 PM Post #4 |
The Luther Burger
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Just my two cents as I read the show to a few of the questions above. TO ME, the problem with women's wrestling is it doesn't work in a text format like it does on TV. The difference between women and men in wrestling is visual. Not the T and A visual but the actual way women look when they wrestle. It's quite different from men. That's what attracts joshi and Shimmer fans. It's just different. In text, they could be men and I'd never know different. Juan showing up WAS too predictable and "John Cena". My problem with the angle, and with Cena, is if he is SUCH a star, why not use him to make some new ones for a while. That is why Angle got so over. They used him a lot to make new stars. Why does he HAVE to be at the top of the card? Why not midcard against a heel that needs a boost? Why not have Juan just return next show instead of the PPV in a "Hey guys, I am almost healed, coming back soon..." midcard heel in need of a boost comes out. Instead it seems like "Oh, look... it's Juan Vasquez as the main star... again... *sigh*...". The same complaint Cena gets. |
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| Overly_Critical_Jue | Dec 23 2011, 11:37 PM Post #5 |
Amigo, I ain't anybody but Juan Vasquez!
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1) Is Sweet Daddy Williams overexposed and does he need time off? -I don't think he's overexposed, as I think he fills an important niche as midcard face veteran, but it might be time to cycle in another midcard face like Soup Bone Samson. 2) Is anyone enjoying Dick Sullivan? -He still seems too new for me to make any real opinion about him. I'm not sure I think having him hang out with the Russians was the best use for this character. 3) I think Vladimir Velikov will be gone for a while. Any objections? -Nope. I think it was about time for him to be cycled out. His storyline is over and done with. 4) I honestly don't know what's next for Kolya Sudakov. Suggestions? -Time to work his way back up the ranks for a title shot as he originally intended. Maybe he butts heads with Playboy Enterprises or something. 5) Where would you like to see Eric Preston go next? -He's certainly at the level where I think he could be fighting for the LH title or something like that. 6) Did you enjoy the Master's Mercy stipulation? -It was pretty cool, although the fact it would spin whenever Preston was about to score the win was bordering on overkill. The fact the wheel got broken figured intot he finish was pretty good. 7) Do you like Travis Lynch as a character? -I actually do. Well, more of the idea of the character. He comes off to me as the most "marketable" Lynch, but the actual character hasn't been able to put it all together yet. 8) Do you see the PCW World Title on the same level as the AWA National Title? -Not even close. 9) Do you want to see those titles unified? -It would be an interesting match, but right now, I don't think heel vs heel is the way to go. Also, I don't see Rex Summers at "that" level yet. 10) What was your reaction to the Dusty Finish? -Amused me. 11) Are the Blonde Bombers cursed? Why does this team not click? -Handler neglect. They're not always on the show and that makes them easily forgotten. 12) Did you enjoy the Aces' heel turn? -Not really. I wasn't really feeling it, considering how they returned at the Stampede Cup. 13) Do you buy the Aces as #1 contenders? -Also...not really. They need some more build up. 14) Why did you not care about the women's match? -I like women's e-wrestling. As I've mentioned in other posts on JTF, my favorite character that I run is Miyuki Ozaki, who's a female wrestler. I like the Holly Hotbody character. I...don't like Melissa Cannon as much. I'm not sure she was a good character to center the entire women's division around and as a result, the feud didn't exactly set the world on fire. She's no Wendy Richter. 15) Is there no hope for women's wrestling in the AWA? -It COULD work. Just not sure it works with the characters involved in it right now. 16) If you weren't invested in the Longhorn Heritage Title match, why? -Because Rob Donovan should be competing for the National title!  17) Did you feel the ten minute time limit hurt the match? -No. I don't think two seven footers should be wrestling much beyond that if they're throwing bombs at each other. 18) Would you like to see a rematch? -If there's a good reason to see one. Probably depends on what direction Mizusawa is going as it looks like he might be going face. 19) If not, where does Robert Donovan go next? -The world is his oyster. #RobDonovanNationalchampion2012 20) Is the Longhorn Heritage Title a major championship in your eyes? -Yes. 21) Do you think Marley/Monosso should continue from here? -Reading the postgame rp, it doesn't look like Marley is interested in one. As a result, I'm not really interested in seeing one either. I think a Monosso/Donovan match would actually be pretty good. 22) Does the Sean Marley backstory work for you? -Sorta. Seemed a bit heavy for a feud that may apparently be cut short. 23) Was there any point during the show where you were, "Okay, enough already. This show is too friggin' long"? -No, not really. Although StS being over 40 minutes long kind of shocked me. 24) Should Steal The Spotlight return at SuperClash IV? -Yeah. It's a tradition now. It also puts a lot of guys that deserve to be on the card but don't have a match on the biggest show of the year. 25) Are you happy with the winner of STS? -If there anyone that isn't happy about it, I'm gonna break their back and humble them. 26) Was the match just too darn long? -Possibly. I don't recall the past matches being that long. 27) Did you feel that the All-Star Showdown went "too far" into the world of Extreme? -Nah. 28) Were you surprised by the reveal of Craven as the Dragon? -Yeah. I was actually expecting it to be Stegglet or some other AWA figurehead that was trying to get Martinez retired "for his own good". 29) Did the interference in the tag title match spoil it for you? -What do you think? 30) Which tag feud has you most intrigued - the Bishops/VU or The Aces/Lynches? -What do you think? 31) Did the match live up to your expectations? -I liked it, although I think it ended just as it was heating up. I was also interested by the ending, since I was anxious to see the Lynches reaction to winning but not really WINNING. To me, it would be a pivotal point in how VU would act in the future. So yeah...expect Jackson Haynes to be even more...Jackson Haynes. 32) Did you believe that Supernova had a chance to win during the match? -Yeah...but it was a minuscule chance. 33) Do you believe he should have? -I didn't think he was ready yet, although I expected this match would be where he gets cemented as being a character who could win in the future. And it was. 34) Were you surprised by the return of Juan Vasquez? -Yes. 35) Considering the way Vasquez went out, were you satisfied with his return? -I'm satisfied by it. I don't care it was predictable, to me, it made sense: Saving another face from suffering the same fate he did at the hands of the same guys that took him out in the first place. Wallie's idea of Juan suddenly popping up and saying "Hey guys, I'm going to be just fine!" doesn't work for me at all. Juan was a guy who got taken down by every major heel in the fed and some that weren't even in the fed. I made sure NOT to make any updates about his condition or how he was doing so the fed could get a clean break from him for awhile. Heck, I needed a clean break from him for awhile. He was out for six months due to what was consistently sold as the worst beatdown in wrestling history...to have him show up like nothing happened and then get challenged by say...Dick Sullivan would've been a waste of a big return. And I never intended the fed to be the Juan Vasquez show starring Juan Vasquez. The only reason it happened in the first place was because of a lack of face characters at the top to challenge the Southern Syndicate. I think the AWA's in a much better position now with Supernova, Donovan, Stevie, The Lynches, etc as top faces than it was post-SuperClash I when it was just Vasquez vs the World. So lets keep up the good work, guys. 
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| ProfessorDoran | Dec 23 2011, 11:55 PM Post #6 |
The Learning Tree
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1) Is Sweet Daddy Williams overexposed and does he need time off? --> No. Sweet Daddy serves his purpose and is an integral part of the feel of the fed. 2) Is anyone enjoying Dick Sullivan? --> Gonna be honest here. I know what Sully is involved in, I know why he's a heel, but I couldn't name you an RP off the top of my head for him that stood out to me. 3) I think Vladimir Velikov will be gone for a while. Any objections? --> Nah, I think the Russians have run their course for the moment. 4) I honestly don't know what's next for Kolya Sudakov. Suggestions? --> Going off of Jeremy's idea, I like the idea of Casanova taking the opposite tactic of Ivan and trying to bribe and sweet talk Kolya into Playboy Enterprises as the ultimate enforcer. And then when Kolya says no, because he's fought to hard for his freedom to go back under someone's thumb... 5) Where would you like to see Eric Preston go next? --> I've emailed back and forth with Chris on a few things, I think we've got something good going forward, but this just popped into my head. What if Layton was right, and the darkness comes out of Preston, but not as maniacal deathwish Monosso, or creepy, schizo Layton, but rather as cool, smooth, manipulative David Koresh? We've got an unhinged maniac, a wackjob, how about a cult leader? 6) Did you enjoy the Master's Mercy stipulation? --> I did. It reminded me of some of the stranger gimmick matches EMWCPrez used to throw at young matchwriters to test their sanity. Liked the story it told, and how Layton was being rejected by Preston and, seemingly, his master too. Bad night for Anton.  7) Do you like Travis Lynch as a character? --> Yes. KVE was one of my favorites as a kid. But he needs to get involved in AWA now, and let the PCW stuff alone. Or, base their feud off of something that happened in the here and now. 8) Do you see the PCW World Title on the same level as the AWA National Title? --> No. More in question 9. 9) Do you want to see those titles unified? --> I've been a proponent of unifying the titles, as I think AWA should move up to World title status.. Does Rex have the credibility to main event against Dufresne or Supernova in the unification match? Probably not. But it doesn't need to be glued to Rex. I think that a potential unification match could be something to build to down the road, and the PCW title could be something to elevate someone into the main event scence. 10) What was your reaction to the Dusty Finish? --> Didn't bother me. 11) Are the Blonde Bombers cursed? Why does this team not click? --> I love the Midnights. I thought Flo's Bombaaaahs went over the top into stupidity half the time. As Terry said, you can only have birthday parties so many times before it gets old. But I didn't like Moze's tweaks, although I thought it would be something a little more suited to his style. Either way, I dunno. Maybe they can disappear and two new alliterative nicknamed people can come back as the NEW Blonde Bombers. 12) Did you enjoy the Aces' heel turn? --> Oh hell yes. I thought it was brilliant. In fact, I emailed Blue in the middle of reading Ace-A-Mania to say so. 13) Do you buy the Aces as #1 contenders? --> Absolutely. In fact, I think they might steam roll the Lynch Mob (whoops...) 14) Why did you not care about the women's match? --> I'm just not into women's wrestling. 15) Is there no hope for women's wrestling in the AWA? --> See above. 16) If you weren't invested in the Longhorn Heritage Title match, why? --> I was. I've long been a fan of Donovan, I just would never tell Rob that. I like MAMMOTH's booking more than the actual character, and I didn't really think Donovan was in jeopardy of losing. 17) Did you feel the ten minute time limit hurt the match? --> Not at all, although I don't think the time limit matters as much for a face champion. 18) Would you like to see a rematch? --> Sure! 19) If not, where does Robert Donovan go next? --> You know, I think Rob Donovan has as good a claim as anyone to a National title shot. I don't think title for title is a good idea, but Donovan is definitely someone who stepped up in Juan's absence. 20) Is the Longhorn Heritage Title a major championship in your eyes? --> Yes. 21) Do you think Marley/Monosso should continue from here? --> I don't think it's in Monosso's DNA not to go two cycles. I also think that Marley, whose stated purpose is to add some flash and have some fun, could use a little hard time blues from the mad Monosso. 22) Does the Sean Marley backstory work for you? --> Yes. I have no problem with it because it's not really beaten over your head. 23) Was there any point during the show where you were, "Okay, enough already. This show is too friggin' long"? --> No. I had at least a passing interest in most everything on the card, so I waded through a billion K to see results. 24) Should Steal The Spotlight return at SuperClash IV? --> Yes. 25) Are you happy with the winner of STS? --> I thought it was the Sultan's to lose the whole time, although I felt good about my RP and thought that Blue, who has a real good feel for Broussard, might call an audible and pull a screwy finish that would set up another hoop for the Sultan to jump through, while giving me something to brag about in RPs. 26) Was the match just too darn long? --> I agree that it could be 4 on 4 next time. 27) Did you feel that the All-Star Showdown went "too far" into the world of Extreme? --> Nope. It pushed the limits of what the AWA normally does, but it didn't get ridiculous. In other terms, you could probably go back and cite your sources for inspiration from 80s garbage matches. So I'm good. 28) Were you surprised by the reveal of Craven as the Dragon? --> Never would have guessed it. Goddamnit. 29) Did the interference in the tag title match spoil it for you? --> No. I thought we were headed for a VU heel turn, which would have made... three turns in a row for the holders of the tag titles. So getting the belts off VU, onto the Lynches, and keeping VU as faces was a good call. 30) Which tag feud has you most intrigued - the Bishops/VU or The Aces/Lynches? --> Second one. We've had a lot of big brawly tags dominate recently. The smaller, faster Aces will be a welcome relief to read. 31) Did the match live up to your expectations? --> Yes. Although, I think that that particular match suffered from some of the Heyman/SmackDown 6 stigma, as the blowoff couldn't possibly be better than the match that preceded it. Specifically I'm thinking of the Benoit/Angle vs. Guerreros vs. Edge/Rey matches that were routinely ****3/4 on free TV, then were merely ****1/4 on PPV, because they just couldn't top themselves. 32) Did you believe that Supernova had a chance to win during the match? --> No. After something like 18 title changes in 18 PPVs or something in the E, you've got to earn your AWA National title. 33) Do you believe he should have? --> I wouldn't have complained. The dominance of Stevie and Juan over the National title for something like 18 monthes made for great reading, but you knew damn well they weren't losing. And, I think Dufresne was far better without the title. 34) Were you surprised by the return of Juan Vasquez? --> Nope. I didn't know he was coming back here, and I had this idea in my head of Juan just showing up, with stubble and an axe to grind with the world, but I wasn''t surprised. 35) Considering the way Vasquez went out, were you satisfied with his return? --> I've got a good idea of what Juan's gonna do. But I think there were a bunch of avenues he could have taken, and this one was fine. |
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Cole Hamels Fact #1685: The Devil went down to Georgia because he knew if he went to Philadelphia, Cole would strike his ass out. http://mysite.verizon.net/heyjude421/chf/chf.html | |
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| JeremyS | Dec 24 2011, 12:22 AM Post #7 |
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MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!
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I don't think anyone intended it that way. But it did happen that way for a while. Hopefully, the break will have served it's purpose. |
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| sychosys | Dec 24 2011, 12:54 AM Post #8 |
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This Space For Rent
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*six months later* PW: And *NEW* Longhorn Heritage Champion, PCW World Champion, AWA Tag Team Champions, and AWA National Champion, JEWAAAAAAAN VASQUEZ! |
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| Overly_Critical_Jue | Dec 24 2011, 12:59 AM Post #9 |
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Amigo, I ain't anybody but Juan Vasquez!
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Impossible. That implies the Lynches actually lose a match.
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| sychosys | Dec 24 2011, 01:58 AM Post #10 |
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This Space For Rent
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This happens after it is revealed that Juan Vasquez is actually an illegitimate Lynch child, his full name being Juan Lance Vasquez-Lynch. |
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| orklad | Dec 24 2011, 10:13 AM Post #11 |
The Luther Burger
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1) Is Sweet Daddy Williams overexposed and does he need time off? --> Nope. I like Sweet Daddy, and think he fills an important niche. Keep him around. 2) Is anyone enjoying Dick Sullivan? --> Not really. He seems a bit superfluous. 3) I think Vladimir Velikov will be gone for a while. Any objections? --> None here. I think he's run his course for now. 4) I honestly don't know what's next for Kolya Sudakov. Suggestions? --> Given what he's just been through, I could see him wanting a bit of payback on his former tormenter's former allies. 5) Where would you like to see Eric Preston go next? --> Gotta say that I like the cult leader idea...just not sure that Preston is the one to do it with. I like him as a bruised and battered face that's just gone to war with two legitimate forces of evil in AWA. Some lighter fare might be what's needed. 6) Did you enjoy the Master's Mercy stipulation? --> Yup. It was good, fun, unpredictable stuff. 7) Do you like Travis Lynch as a character? --> I do...but I think that we need to see him move away from the PCW stuff a bit to go more mainstream AWA. 8) Do you see the PCW World Title on the same level as the AWA National Title? --> Oh, HELL no. 9) Do you want to see those titles unified? --> Yup...but not while the PCW title is on Rex. I kinda like the character, but he's not a credible threat to main event v. the AWA champ. 10) What was your reaction to the Dusty Finish? --> No issue here. 11) Are the Blonde Bombers cursed? Why does this team not click? --> Midnight Express is great...but yes, I'll say it: The Bombers are cursed. I don't know why, but something just doesn't work for me there. 12) Did you enjoy the Aces' heel turn? --> It wasn't bad. Didn't blow me away, but I wasn't opposed to it. 13) Do you buy the Aces as #1 contenders? --> Certainly. 14) Why did you not care about the women's match? --> Women's wrestling in text never seems to click for me. It's not the lack of T&A...something just seems...well...indistinguishable from the men for the most part...but unable to interact with the men due to realism constraints and the desire to avoid the intergender stuff (though if you want to run an Andy Kaufman style bit, I think AWA could totally pull that off, and it could generate more interest in an full women's division here). 15) Is there no hope for women's wrestling in the AWA? --> There's hope...but it needs something to help it along. 16) If you weren't invested in the Longhorn Heritage Title match, why? --> I liked it. Big men matches can be tough, but this one pulled it off. 17) Did you feel the ten minute time limit hurt the match? --> Nope. Two huge guys like that should start to blow up if they go much longer. 18) Would you like to see a rematch? --> Yup. 19) If not, where does Robert Donovan go next? --> As stated elsewhere, Donovan has as good a claim as anyone to a NA title shot. 20) Is the Longhorn Heritage Title a major championship in your eyes? --> Yes. 21) Do you think Marley/Monosso should continue from here? --> Honestly, I'd be open to more Marley/Monosso stuff if people want to see it. The backstory with Rick's dad is still there, and it's not out of the question for Marley to want to at least even the record sheet on wins and losses...that being said, with the last promo that I sent in we could have Marley trying to move on with Monosso refusing because he didn't win "his" way. 22) Does the Sean Marley backstory work for you? --> I thought it did...but I'm certainly open to opinions to the contrary and suggestions on how to fix it if not. 23) Was there any point during the show where you were, "Okay, enough already. This show is too friggin' long"? --> Nope. It flowed well. 24) Should Steal The Spotlight return at SuperClash IV? --> Yes. 25) Are you happy with the winner of STS? --> I am indeed. 26) Was the match just too darn long? --> A bit too long, yes. 27) Did you feel that the All-Star Showdown went "too far" into the world of Extreme? --> I don't think so, no. 28) Were you surprised by the reveal of Craven as the Dragon? --> Shocked is a better word. 29) Did the interference in the tag title match spoil it for you? --> Nope. 30) Which tag feud has you most intrigued - the Bishops/VU or The Aces/Lynches? --> Aces v. Lynches. I'm a sucker for fast teams. 31) Did the match live up to your expectations? --> It did. 32) Did you believe that Supernova had a chance to win during the match? --> Sadly no. But if it makes everyone feel better, thing about how many times did Sting lose in his matches for the big belt? 33) Do you believe he should have? --> I do, actually. I think that 'Nova would make a good champion, plus he'd be the first of the "I make it, you take it" characters to hold the belt. 34) Were you surprised by the return of Juan Vasquez? --> I wasn't...it was inevitable and the end of the PPV was the most likely place for it to happen. 35) Considering the way Vasquez went out, were you satisfied with his return? --> I'm not sure. There are more faces in AWA now than when it was the Juan Vasquez Show starring Juan Vasquez...so it seems like a better environment for him to come back into, and one that will stop him from sort of falling into the Hulk Hogan from the mid 80's vibe that he had. |
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Orklad or Don, Lord of Pudding | |
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| El Dandy | Dec 24 2011, 09:20 PM Post #12 |
Is the She of the fight!
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1) Is Sweet Daddy Williams overexposed and does he need time off? No. I don't think he's overexposed and has served a purpose as a center piece in the midcard. I like his position there and his feuds have been good. 2) Is anyone enjoying Dick Sullivan? I'm apathetic to him. I'm a bigger fan of Dick Bass and really want to see Bass and Casanova getting exposure. 3) I think Vladimir Velikov will be gone for a while. Any objections? Nah. It's time for him to roll. 4) I honestly don't know what's next for Kolya Sudakov. Suggestions? I'd say a light feud. Something that can help establish a new character. 5) Where would you like to see Eric Preston go next? I think Don suggested it, but a lighter feud without the heavy darkness overtones. A simple feud or angle to establish some other facets of the character. 6) Did you enjoy the Master's Mercy stipulation? Yeah. I enjoyed it. 7) Do you like Travis Lynch as a character? I was always a huge fan of Kerry Von Erich, so I like Travis Lynch. I think he's been portrayed right. The Summers/Travis stuff has fallen flat. I think it could be a whole lot more if the handlers put more effort into it. 8) Do you see the PCW World Title on the same level as the AWA National Title? No. It's a prop. 9) Do you want to see those titles unified? No. I don't want them unified. Not unless both titles are shown as being on the same level, and that's not possible at this point. Even moving the belt to someone on Dufrense's level won't help. 10) What was your reaction to the Dusty Finish? I wrote the match, so not much of a surprise. I wasn't bothered by it. If Summers/Travis continue on a program, it's suitable. 11) Are the Blonde Bombers cursed? Why does this team not click? I agree with Terry, handler neglect. The team doesn't click because we were so use to Flo's Doyle being so over the top. I, too, was a fan of the first version of the Bombers much more than this current incarnation. 12) Did you enjoy the Aces' heel turn? Eh, it came off fine I thought. 13) Do you buy the Aces as #1 contenders? If I step up my game and can maintain that level. 14) Why did you not care about the women's match? I'm going to take partial blame for this because of Bucky's shenanigans during the match. It really took away from the competitors in the ring and seemed more like Bucky putting himself over at their expense. 15) Is there no hope for women's wrestling in the AWA? With a handler base that has said they don't care for women's e-wrestling, I don't think there is hope. 16) If you weren't invested in the Longhorn Heritage Title match, why? I was invested. It was my third most anticipated match behind the National title and tag titles. 17) Did you feel the ten minute time limit hurt the match? Nope. Consistency with that rule helped. 18) Would you like to see a rematch? Not this soon. 19) If not, where does Robert Donovan go next? Drop to another wrestling who could use the LH title to help with elevation. Then Donovan needs to be pushed as a National title contender. Rob's done so damn well with Donovan since his return. I'm glad to see Donovan in the thick of things. 20) Is the Longhorn Heritage Title a major championship in your eyes? I see the title as secondary, but I don't see it as a prop like I do the PCW title. 21) Do you think Marley/Monosso should continue from here? Hard to say. The angle came about pretty suddenly and hasn't had time to develop. I also think Monosso should be moved into National title contention. 22) Does the Sean Marley backstory work for you? Yeah, it does. 23) Was there any point during the show where you were, "Okay, enough already. This show is too friggin' long"? Hindsight and all, I think Scott Von Braun's ceremony could have been on a regular SNW show as announced and had more impact along with the Aces explanation promo. 24) Should Steal The Spotlight return at SuperClash IV? Yes. 25) Are you happy with the winner of STS? I like that the Sultan won. I wouldn't have been disappointed with Brossard. I LOVED the Brossard promo on SuperClash. 26) Was the match just too darn long? No. The length was fine considering it was a five-man elimination tag match. My biggest problem was all the heel managers and interference. That drew the match down for me. 27) Did you feel that the All-Star Showdown went "too far" into the world of Extreme? Nope. Considering some of the crazy stuff I read in E, this was toned down pretty well for AWA. 28) Were you surprised by the reveal of Craven as the Dragon? Yes. 29) Did the interference in the tag title match spoil it for you? Nope. Another pleasant surprise to add another strong heel team to the top of the mix. 30) Which tag feud has you most intrigued - the Bishops/VU or The Aces/Lynches? I'm intrigued by both, but I"m biased towards the second. I want to see how crazy VU/Bishops can get. I've got some great ideas for the second, so we'll see if I can execute those well enough to keep people interested. 31) Did the match live up to your expectations? It was good. 32) Did you believe that Supernova had a chance to win during the match? Yes. 33) Do you believe he should have? Not on this match. I want to see Supernova chase Dufrense and eventually take the belt off of him. Dufrense/Supernova are the perfect mix. 34) Were you surprised by the return of Juan Vasquez? Yes. I was expecting him back just a bit later. 35) Considering the way Vasquez went out, were you satisfied with his return? Yeah. He didn't bury or steal Supernova's heat. I like that. |
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| ratrangerm | Dec 25 2011, 12:32 AM Post #13 |
Aging veteran
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1) Is Sweet Daddy Williams overexposed and does he need time off? No. He serves his purpose very well. He doesn't have to be on every show, but he can pop up every now and then to serve whatever role he needs to take on. 2) Is anyone enjoying Dick Sullivan? He's just kind of there. I agree with what others have said -- might be best to put him aside for now and allow others to have the spotlight. 3) I think Vladimir Velikov will be gone for a while. Any objections? Nope. I agree it's time for him to go. 4) I honestly don't know what's next for Kolya Sudakov. Suggestions? Doing a National title match against Dufresne on an SNW episode would be good. But after that, Sudakov should be put in a program with somebody who needs to be elevated. 5) Where would you like to see Eric Preston go next? Andy's idea is intriguing. I'll have more later on where Preston might go. 6) Did you enjoy the Master's Mercy stipulation? I thought it was a good idea. Just one spot when the wheel spin happened a little too quickly. 7) Do you like Travis Lynch as a character? He's solid but doesn't really blow me away. He strikes me as an upper midcarder at this point but not somebody I see as a legit National title contender. 8) Do you see the PCW World Title on the same level as the AWA National Title? See Roger's response. It's essentially part of Summers' gimmick. 9) Do you want to see those titles unified? No. There should be no unification. The best thing to do is, whenever it's time for the belt to go off Summers and he takes the next step in his character evolving, whoever takes the belt should just retire the darn thing. 10) What was your reaction to the Dusty Finish? I was fine with it. Although it's not something you can do every single time Summers defends the belt as then it becomes cliche. 11) Are the Blonde Bombers cursed? Why does this team not click? When Flowers handled the team, I liked what he did with Larry Doyle, but he did turn the volume up to 11 and overshadowed the Bombers. Moze has turned down Doyle's volume considerably and is trying to develope the Bombers' characters but -- they just keep getting lost in the shuffle. This is the character(s) that really need time off to freshen up until the right situation comes along for them to get into a groove. 12) Did you enjoy the Aces' heel turn? It surprised me but was well done. I do agree with those who thought it may have come too soon after their return, though. 13) Do you buy the Aces as #1 contenders? Yes. Face or heel, Roger has done a good job with the team. 14) Why did you not care about the women's match? The biggest problem was I just didn't have a character that could team with Holly Hotbody who could really turn everyone's heads. I ended up using a brand new character and a mixup led to the flash not getting on the show. I suppose I could have brought in Amber Rogers but -- she just seems out of place in AWA. It might have helped to get a "big name" to team with Holly, but I don't have somebody who would logically fit alongside Holly and I suspect asking somebody else is difficult when there is uncertainty about whether or not a women's division will be added. 15) Is there no hope for women's wrestling in the AWA? Here's the problem: The angles done are giving a "maybe we will and maybe we won't" impression and I think everyone would agree, regardless of their interest level, that you have to be either in with the idea all the way or not do anything at all. I don't think anybody likes it when somebody is just waffling on an idea, regardless of what the idea is. 16) If you weren't invested in the Longhorn Heritage Title match, why? I was interested. Misuzawa was a good challenger for Donovan given that Misuzawa has seldom lost and could put Donovan at a size disadvantage. 17) Did you feel the ten minute time limit hurt the match? No. I'm fine with keeping that time limit in place for the title. 18) Would you like to see a rematch? Not right away. 19) If not, where does Robert Donovan go next? Getting back to Preston: Take Andy's idea, have Preston go over Donovan for the LH title to build to Preston's next character twist, then move Donovan along to becoming the next major challenger for the National title. 20) Is the Longhorn Heritage Title a major championship in your eyes? I see it for what it is: The No. 2 singles title but an important title that can potentially put a character into National title contention. 21) Do you think Marley/Monosso should continue from here? On one hand, I agree Monosso should be a National title contender... on the other hand, a heel/heel matchup doesn't work well and I can't buy Monosso as a face at this point (and nor should Dufresne be turning face, either). Plus Marley hasn't been back for long, so it would make more sense for the feud to continue. 22) Does the Sean Marley backstory work for you? I'm fine with how it has gone thus far. 23) Was there any point during the show where you were, "Okay, enough already. This show is too friggin' long"? Not the matches, but it would help to keep promos and other segments down. But that being said, the preview show is a good place for the promos to go, as much as possible. Special segments probably need to be kept tighter. 24) Should Steal The Spotlight return at SuperClash IV? Yep. 25) Are you happy with the winner of STS? The Sultan was the guy I thought should win, but if it had been Brousssard, I would have been fine as that was an awesome promo. I didn't think anybody else should win as they didn't really need the win or it didn't make sense at this time. 26) Was the match just too darn long? The length wasn't the problem but there was so much going on in the match that it made it difficult to keep track of everything. The "less is more" concept didn't apply to the length but may have applied to how many angles were being put into play. 27) Did you feel that the All-Star Showdown went "too far" into the world of Extreme? No. I thought it was fine the way it was done. 28) Were you surprised by the reveal of Craven as the Dragon? Completely unexpected. And it worked well. 29) Did the interference in the tag title match spoil it for you? No. I think it accomplished exactly what it needed to and avoided a VU heel turn, which I thought was going to take place but wasn't entirely sure should happen. 30) Which tag feud has you most intrigued - the Bishops/VU or The Aces/Lynches? Aces/Lynches interests me more but I am curious to see what the Bishops will do now that they are back. One would have suspected they'd want the tag champs first. 31) Did the match live up to your expectations? Yes. 32) Did you believe that Supernova had a chance to win during the match? The way it was written, yes. 33) Do you believe he should have? No. Even if Jason didn't send anything in for Dufresne, he did contribute plenty in the build to the match and it was too soon to take the title off Dufresne given all the circumstances. Plus I don't think I have built Supernova into the guy who can carry the top title just yet. 34) Were you surprised by the return of Juan Vasquez? Yes. 35) Considering the way Vasquez went out, were you satisfied with his return? Yes, it worked well. And it made sense he'd return to come after Dufresne. Why in the world would he come back and pretend what Dufrense did to him was no big deal? I don't think it means Vasquez is the one to end Dufresne's reign, though... Donovan is the one that strikes me as the most likely at this time, although I don't necessarily think that should happen either. Maybe if I can put the final touches on Supernova, he could be the one, but again, I wouldn't do it too soon. |
| "Just as I discovered the meaning of life, it changed." -- George Carlin | |
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| sychosys | Dec 27 2011, 03:37 AM Post #14 |
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This Space For Rent
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If Blue is so intent on getting traction for a women's division, then why isn't he doing more with Queen Bee? She's been hitting ranas and moonsaults on men, fer cryin' out loud! |
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| JRuss | Dec 28 2011, 01:50 PM Post #15 |
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Sharko
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Sorry for my delay on this... I just got around to reading it top to bottom yesterday. Work has been crazy, sending me all over. And the next month and a half isn't getting any easier with trips to India and Costa Rica. Anywhooooo... 1) Is Sweet Daddy Williams overexposed and does he need time off? – I don’t think so. He’s a midcard face that can be used to put heels over that are on the way up. I think there’s always room for that. 2) Is anyone enjoying Dick Sullivan? – I’m ambivalent at this point. 3) I think Vladimir Velikov will be gone for a while. Any objections? – None. 4) I honestly don't know what's next for Kolya Sudakov. Suggestions? – As I thought about this, I realized that with Juan back, we’re getting pretty face-heavy at the top of the card. Juan, Stevie, Supernova, Donovan, it looks like Sharif is head that way eventually… Kolya and Preston on the verge of joining that crew. Not sure if Monosso is headed towards Dufresne as hinted or if he’ll continue on with Marley, but maybe something there? That could be brutal. Or maybe a heel turn somehow? Kinda tough. 5) Where would you like to see Eric Preston go next? Hard to say. I think he and Broussard would mix well, but not sure how much fun that would be for Andy.  6) Did you enjoy the Master's Mercy stipulation? I actually loved the match; especially how it kept seemingly was screwing Preston repeatedly. I think finding the answer to who “The Master” is (and was thus spinning the wheel) could be interesting? 7) Do you like Travis Lynch as a character? – I like the idea of the heartthrob face; something to counterbalance the Summers/Dufresne’s of the world, but he doesn’t seem to be finding a groove as the other two are. 8) Do you see the PCW World Title on the same level as the AWA National Title? - No. 9) Do you want to see those titles unified? - I don’t think it makes much sense as long as Summers is holding it. You might get some traction out of a face holding the title and doing something with Dufresne, but Summers/Dufresne doesn’t do much, I don’t think. 10) What was your reaction to the Dusty Finish? - I was cool with it, though poor Johnny Jagger is getting reamed for his decision-making process on this show! 11) Are the Blonde Bombers cursed? Why does this team not click? - Personally, I think it’s because I loved the over-the-top-ness of the Flowers version and I know we wanted them to be ME tributes, but I loved the old Bombers so much, no matter what Moze did, I wanted them back. No fault of his, really. Just was what it was, I guess. 12) Did you enjoy the Aces' heel turn? - I did. I always wondered why we had two guys named Childes who had nothing to do with each other… and now it makes sense! Not sure if this was always in mind from the gates, but I’m glad there’s a story with it now. 13) Do you buy the Aces as #1 contenders? - Before SC, no. Today, yes. 14) Why did you not care about the women's match? - Because I don’t care about women’s wrestling in real life, so I definitely can’t imagine caring. Sorry, I just can’t do it. 15) Is there no hope for women's wrestling in the AWA? - I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s not happening for me. 16) If you weren't invested in the Longhorn Heritage Title match, why? – I was invested. I was curious to see if we’d risk losing some of MAMMOTH’s “luster” with two pinfall losses back-to-back, but I felt Donovan deserved to hang on because he’s been kicking ass as of late. 17) Did you feel the ten minute time limit hurt the match? - No. I think the rules are the rules surrounding the title and I like them. 18) Would you like to see a rematch? - I would say so, unless you’ve got plans for him to move up and challenge Dufresne in a Warrior-Hogan kind of vibe. As I said before, I feel us getting a little face heavy to a certain degree, and Donovan-MAMMOTH is already there on a tee to help alleviate some of that, so why not? 19) If not, where does Robert Donovan go next? – N/A 20) Is the Longhorn Heritage Title a major championship in your eyes? - I initially saw it as the IC title type vibe, where it’s a stepping stone for headliner status, but Nenshou never got there, so maybe not. 21) Do you think Marley/Monosso should continue from here? - I wouldn’t have a problem with it, but Monosso could keep someone like Supernova busy (though that certainly feels like Preston almost). I think eventually a Juan or Donovan/Monosso clash over the National Title could be epic. 22) Does the Sean Marley backstory work for you? - Yeah, it’s fine; though we’re definitely reaching into our family affair well quite a bit as of late. 23) Was there any point during the show where you were, "Okay, enough already. This show is too friggin' long"? - No. But then again, I was at work being paid to read it, so I was just fine with plugging along.  24) Should Steal The Spotlight return at SuperClash IV? - I’m OK with it, though using the match as an automatic National Title shot could get a little overdone by the time next year rolls around if Sharif uses it. 25) Are you happy with the winner of STS? - Yeah, I think Sharif is well-deserving of it. 26) Was the match just too darn long? - How else could you get around it? I agree with your feelings on Skywalker Jones. He’s been awesome. 27) Did you feel that the All-Star Showdown went "too far" into the world of Extreme? - No. These guys are FROM the world of Extreme, and they were toned down quite a bit, so that’s the cost of doing business with E characters in the mix. 28) Were you surprised by the reveal of Craven as the Dragon? - Shocked. Never saw it coming. 29) Did the interference in the tag title match spoil it for you? - No, I think it saved face a little bit for VU while giving us two traditional face/heel feuds to work with. 30) Which tag feud has you most intrigued - the Bishops/VU or The Aces/Lynches? – It could swing based on where we go with Percy/Aces, but I’ll say Bishops/VU for now. That ought to be fun. 31) Did the match live up to your expectations? - Yes. 32) Did you believe that Supernova had a chance to win during the match? - Yeah. I’ve always felt that the inevitable Dufresne/Vasquez blow-up didn’t HAVE to surround the National Title, so I haven’t felt like Dufresne’s grasp on the title is ironclad. 33) Do you believe he should have? - Yes, but I agree that he’s probably not ready for a title run quite yet. I think he’ll get there; Bob has done a great job with him. 34) Were you surprised by the return of Juan Vasquez?- I didn’t see it happening quite yet, but when Waterson rolled out to ringside, I had a feeling it was coming. 35) Considering the way Vasquez went out, were you satisfied with his return? - Like you, when I read it, I totally could picture it happening just as it was written. If the plan is for Vasquez to come after Dufresne immediately, it possibly could have waited a bit longer, but if Juan is going to come after everybody who had a hand in it and saving Dufresne for the end, then we may as well get this train moving, because he’s got a ton of work to do.  |
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11:34 AM Jul 13