BenHalkum
Reverend Asshole
I am posting this several places to not only spread the word of Kenny and Dan's Champions Wrestling Alliance, but to give you a taste of what type of articles to expect from The E-Wrestling Magazine in 2009.
Please do not see this as an advertisement, but an e-wrestling conversation starter for CWA talk.
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SOURCE: http://www.ewzine.com/interviews.php..._from=&ucat=23&
BY: Benjamin Halkum
-------------------------------------------------
I guess I'm known for my e-wrestling interviews and reviews since the start of The E-Wrestling Magazine. I don't hold any of my opinions back. I never felt a need to really. They are my opinions. However, I guess that being in charge of a community as large as EWZine I am seen as more then just a guy with opinions, what I say can influence people. Or at least that's what I learned today when I was approached about recent comments during the third episode of our video show about over hyping of promotions like the CWA and fWo.
I want to get this out of the way first, I don't hate these feds or any fed that feels the need to hype themselves before they open. My point of view on the CWA thing is, the fed was hyped for an extended period of time to literally just fall off the face of the earth. Kenny (The Owner) disappeared and all talk ceased. Then, the buzz began again recently when Kenny re-emerged and we where told that Dan would be stopping his LoC revival to run the CWA with Kenny.
Now, the LoC is another hype fed, as I call them, in itself. We've been hearing rumblings of Dan bringing it back for a while, only to get nothing new. Rumor had it that the LoC had the handlers and the stories, but no website. Instead of commission a designer, out of nowhere we get this merger of sorts, combining Legacy of Champions and the CWA. To me, a fan of the LoC who was excited about the return, I felt this was a slap in the face on more then one account. Not only did Dan scrap the return of this fed, he joined up with a fed which had all by totally been erased from our memories.
So, with that being said, forgive me if the idea of the CWA getting as much attention again as it is, made me shrug it off as nothing more then hype. When I've felt this discouraged so much out of a project, I'd rather sit back and wait for the actual project, then to get excited about it. Just like a relationship, I hate setting myself up for heartbreak. That's why I commented the way I did, and that's why I went straight to the source when challenged about my opinions.
This isn't really an interview, although I did talk with Kenny for an extended period of time. It can't really be counted as a review or preview either. What this is, is a compilation of information I've gathered to help me understand more of what has happened, and what will happen in regards to the CWA. This piece is a look inside a "hype fed," and a change of heart of an e-wrestling journalist.
The full site for the Champions Wrestling Alliance, or CWA, can be found at http://cwa.e-wrestling.org/cwa/?x=home. As you initially visit the site, you are prompted with a window letting you know it is yet to be completed. Even with that, the scripting alone that holds this masterfully crafted design draws you in. I'd seen it before when the CWA was first mentioned, but how I'd forgotten the sheer beauty of this design and the simplicity of the script functions on the user end.
When I set down with Kenny, the first thing I needed to know was how the hell did this all happen. How did it go from he was presumed gone to the dropping of LoC and the new vision of the CWA? "This left me the owner & webmaster of CWA, Dan the fed-head & artist, and his crew of writers with a few of mine from CWA's past. It gives me the ability to focus on what I would really like to, the website and building a heavy community around CWA, and gives Dan the ability to focus on the story & the artwork. A split shift, meeting half way. The perfect storm."
Kenny's answer was a good one, but I still wasn't on the boat. It was then he shot me the link to refresh my mind of what we'd all where hoping to be the revolution of the e-wrestling design. "That is the website, it has not changed much but I have started to finish everything off, and the website is about 75% functional." He was of course talking about the link I gave you above, http://cwa.e-wrestling.org/cwa/?x=home. As I played around with the site a little, and registered an account for fan access He shot me another link to check out.
"That is a preview of Dan's artwork on the CWA website. It's a very interesting blend, works very well. Artwork is going to be updated heavily in the coming few days as will a lot of the progression on the ending to the website." I liked it. Instantly I noticed Dan's work as in comparison to Owen's original CWA poser work. All was forgiven later on when in the V.I.P forum section, that I got Kenny to give me temporary access to, where Dan explained his reasoning for staying with his style and not redoing his images to match Owen's. This also tipped me on what we may need tog et ready to expect from the fWo design team as they are possibly stepping out of Poser into a different 3d model technology. That's a different article for a different time though.
Instantly I dug into the forum, trying to uncover bits and pieces to get a grasp on what the CWA will offer. I eagerly wanted to learn what only the people involved know about, and I did. I wont spew out much, as surprises make the angle fed what it is, I will share that they have this stuff planned out to a "T" which you can gather yourself from the caption below. This is where Dan is laying out how the cards will be done, for the review show. Him acknowledging the fact people just don't like to read shows, then re-enforcing his confidence that they will read the CWA's gave me hope. I felt a fan sense start to come over me again, and I was pleased.
I needed to know then, when where the gates to Heaven going to open and allow us to bask in the glory of what seemed to be perfection of e-wrestling. Every detail planed out, down to the Non Playable Characters and how they needed to be viewed by us, the fans. "Close. They already have the story together, planned out. LoC basically just needed a website, but at the same time, Dan felt comfortable with leaving LoC dead and just starting fresh." It was an answer that would have to do. No need to rush a production date just for life to happen and us to get let down again. I feel that's where the mistake was made last time, and where "hype fed's" continue to make their mistakes. Don't put a date, set your stuff up, and shock the world.
I began playing with the script a bit more. Since I got Kenny to grant me access, I might as well abuse my temporary admin rights. After some chit chat about modules that are completed but not yet uploaded, I popped the question. No, not that one. I asked him how much of this insanely amazing script he created himself. "All of it." Words can't describe how extraordinary this is for our hobby, I went right into asking if a "lite" version will ever be made available for losers like me who run feds and can't script worth crap. "I can see myself setting up a domain, hosting feds off of it and setting it up for people but not allowing any type of free ownership of the script. CWA will launch with the script in its "lite" version. I got enough done that we can open, and get the show started." Not exactly what I was hoping for, but better then nothing.
I honestly could see myself shelling out $75 to $100 for this script if it was available for unlimited usage. Not just me either, there are a lot of fed heads I could see combing forces to do the same. It is that mind blowing. If you remember about a year ago I previewed Rick Ford's now reportedly scraped "E-fed Roster Manager v2.0," I said similar things about that script and show some screenshots. Well, this script has the same type of features that Rick had in his vision, and then some a lot. If Kenny reads this, consider selling the script for a hefty fee. Throw in some coding to make sure it is only used on one site per license and get paid for work well worth it.
Before I could even ask, it's like he read my mind and answered my unasked question regarding which direction that the CWA will go now that Dan is merging in the LoC. "The original concept of CWA changed with this move as well. There won't an extensive back history to the story. It will be premiere show, a promotion pushed by a private media group." I needed to know, why the change? Doing that, to me, gave the feeling that it'd lose the realistic feeling that the CWA had been striving to go for. "Change is appropriate. It can't always be avoided. I had to let go of my vision, to make sure that at least Dan's vision could come to fruitation. I'm fine with it. It does in one sense, but in another no." A compromise, on part of the guys behind it and us the fans. But one, I'm sure Dan will be able to make work.
I'd pretty much racked his brain at that point, fed wise. So I needed to look into a little more on the side I, as a community leader, am interested in. I needed to know what community would get the honors of being the promotional piece for the CWA. "We have yet to decide anything as far as community involvement goes. There will be a strong OOC community built around CWA that will rival that of PCW, fWo [00-02], IWO, & FWF. Which will be my largest focus after the launch. Between writers & fans alike." Ok, so maybe I was looking for a cheap EWZine plug, but the answer was enough at the moment to go ahead and move into controversial questioning.
That's right, I asked the big one. I wanted to know with the fWo opening in January, and it's importance to the hobby as we enjoy it today, if Kenny saw it as competition to what the CWA would be bringing to the table. "I'll keep my reservations about fWo's return. I'm fWo alumni after all and I have all the respect for fWo, Travis Beaven, and the crew. In reality, I'm sure many will see fWo & CWA as competition." He was good at avoiding slipping up. I liked that and gave him credit as I moved on to ask about a possible fWo and CWA crossover promotion. "Anything is possible. As long as everyone keeps an open mind. fWo versus'd 21w, tA versus'd 21w, tA versus'd fWo. I don't see why not but that would be something Dan would call before I would. Although I'd like be an encouragement factor." So would I. Travis and Dan, if you come across this article. Do it. Once both promotions are going and we have finally been able to witness a new era of e-wrestling, do it guys. There, my encouraging point.
Maybe I was jumping ahead of myself though. Before we began talking, I saw the CWA as merely another "hype fed" as I mentioned a few times before. Now I was a full fledged fan, and the promotion wasn't even open yet. But before I could honestly write any of this to you, the readers of The E-Wrestling Magazine, I had to ask in all seriousness if Kenny and Dan where in this for the long haul. Before I got my hopes up any more, or before I told you, the reader, "Hey, check these guys out," I needed to make sure I could without kicking myself in the tail later. "The setup is for the long haul. Anything that Dan needs to do will be handled through the HQ interface. From uploading artwork, to editing shows. Dan has a stack of stories, and a group of talent that has a lot of fresh idea's." As long as Dan does his part and Kenny's life doesn't take him away from us, this was enough to make me believe that these guys wont sizzle out after 6 months, a fear I had going into this experience.
Before I wrapped it up, I had one last question. With missing out on participating in the original fWo and about every other "big" e-fed that's ever existed, I felt as if because I wasn't there before that my chances of ever being where slim to none. I feel a lot of people look at these re-emerging feds, and new projects with old school talent the same way. How can I become a part of this? So I asked him if the CWA would stay invite only, or could the every day handler such as myself get a crack at the ball. "CWA was never really invite only. few people messaged me on PTC with their interest back in August and they were allowed in because they came with idea's. As of now, we have a complete roster. The chance will be there for others to be involved, its the only way to keep people interested." It's the last part of the reply that perked me up a bit. He understood where I was coming from. That you couldn't just put together this "all star talent" and expect people to continue to follow you. That you need to be open to new people, and new ideas. Will I ever be a part of the CWA? Probably not, I sort of suck at this e-wrestling thing. But you, you may very well have a chance and I wish that upon you.
Champions Wrestling Alliance is coming. No longer do I see it simply as hype. I've been privy to the good stuff, and daddy like. Would I encourage you to be excited for this project? Yes, I encourage it whole heartedly. But it is now up to you to decide if you want to invest your time into getting ready for this experience, and then following as it develops. I can only write what I know, and feed you what I can to give you a more informed decision making process, and I hope that's what I've done. I look foreword to your feed back on this article. Let us know if you want more like this. It's your support that keeps content like this coming.
Have a good day, and see you in 2009!
Please do not see this as an advertisement, but an e-wrestling conversation starter for CWA talk.
-------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: http://www.ewzine.com/interviews.php..._from=&ucat=23&
BY: Benjamin Halkum
-------------------------------------------------
I guess I'm known for my e-wrestling interviews and reviews since the start of The E-Wrestling Magazine. I don't hold any of my opinions back. I never felt a need to really. They are my opinions. However, I guess that being in charge of a community as large as EWZine I am seen as more then just a guy with opinions, what I say can influence people. Or at least that's what I learned today when I was approached about recent comments during the third episode of our video show about over hyping of promotions like the CWA and fWo.
I want to get this out of the way first, I don't hate these feds or any fed that feels the need to hype themselves before they open. My point of view on the CWA thing is, the fed was hyped for an extended period of time to literally just fall off the face of the earth. Kenny (The Owner) disappeared and all talk ceased. Then, the buzz began again recently when Kenny re-emerged and we where told that Dan would be stopping his LoC revival to run the CWA with Kenny.
Now, the LoC is another hype fed, as I call them, in itself. We've been hearing rumblings of Dan bringing it back for a while, only to get nothing new. Rumor had it that the LoC had the handlers and the stories, but no website. Instead of commission a designer, out of nowhere we get this merger of sorts, combining Legacy of Champions and the CWA. To me, a fan of the LoC who was excited about the return, I felt this was a slap in the face on more then one account. Not only did Dan scrap the return of this fed, he joined up with a fed which had all by totally been erased from our memories.
So, with that being said, forgive me if the idea of the CWA getting as much attention again as it is, made me shrug it off as nothing more then hype. When I've felt this discouraged so much out of a project, I'd rather sit back and wait for the actual project, then to get excited about it. Just like a relationship, I hate setting myself up for heartbreak. That's why I commented the way I did, and that's why I went straight to the source when challenged about my opinions.
This isn't really an interview, although I did talk with Kenny for an extended period of time. It can't really be counted as a review or preview either. What this is, is a compilation of information I've gathered to help me understand more of what has happened, and what will happen in regards to the CWA. This piece is a look inside a "hype fed," and a change of heart of an e-wrestling journalist.
The full site for the Champions Wrestling Alliance, or CWA, can be found at http://cwa.e-wrestling.org/cwa/?x=home. As you initially visit the site, you are prompted with a window letting you know it is yet to be completed. Even with that, the scripting alone that holds this masterfully crafted design draws you in. I'd seen it before when the CWA was first mentioned, but how I'd forgotten the sheer beauty of this design and the simplicity of the script functions on the user end.
When I set down with Kenny, the first thing I needed to know was how the hell did this all happen. How did it go from he was presumed gone to the dropping of LoC and the new vision of the CWA? "This left me the owner & webmaster of CWA, Dan the fed-head & artist, and his crew of writers with a few of mine from CWA's past. It gives me the ability to focus on what I would really like to, the website and building a heavy community around CWA, and gives Dan the ability to focus on the story & the artwork. A split shift, meeting half way. The perfect storm."
Kenny's answer was a good one, but I still wasn't on the boat. It was then he shot me the link to refresh my mind of what we'd all where hoping to be the revolution of the e-wrestling design. "That is the website, it has not changed much but I have started to finish everything off, and the website is about 75% functional." He was of course talking about the link I gave you above, http://cwa.e-wrestling.org/cwa/?x=home. As I played around with the site a little, and registered an account for fan access He shot me another link to check out.
"That is a preview of Dan's artwork on the CWA website. It's a very interesting blend, works very well. Artwork is going to be updated heavily in the coming few days as will a lot of the progression on the ending to the website." I liked it. Instantly I noticed Dan's work as in comparison to Owen's original CWA poser work. All was forgiven later on when in the V.I.P forum section, that I got Kenny to give me temporary access to, where Dan explained his reasoning for staying with his style and not redoing his images to match Owen's. This also tipped me on what we may need tog et ready to expect from the fWo design team as they are possibly stepping out of Poser into a different 3d model technology. That's a different article for a different time though.
Instantly I dug into the forum, trying to uncover bits and pieces to get a grasp on what the CWA will offer. I eagerly wanted to learn what only the people involved know about, and I did. I wont spew out much, as surprises make the angle fed what it is, I will share that they have this stuff planned out to a "T" which you can gather yourself from the caption below. This is where Dan is laying out how the cards will be done, for the review show. Him acknowledging the fact people just don't like to read shows, then re-enforcing his confidence that they will read the CWA's gave me hope. I felt a fan sense start to come over me again, and I was pleased.
I needed to know then, when where the gates to Heaven going to open and allow us to bask in the glory of what seemed to be perfection of e-wrestling. Every detail planed out, down to the Non Playable Characters and how they needed to be viewed by us, the fans. "Close. They already have the story together, planned out. LoC basically just needed a website, but at the same time, Dan felt comfortable with leaving LoC dead and just starting fresh." It was an answer that would have to do. No need to rush a production date just for life to happen and us to get let down again. I feel that's where the mistake was made last time, and where "hype fed's" continue to make their mistakes. Don't put a date, set your stuff up, and shock the world.
I began playing with the script a bit more. Since I got Kenny to grant me access, I might as well abuse my temporary admin rights. After some chit chat about modules that are completed but not yet uploaded, I popped the question. No, not that one. I asked him how much of this insanely amazing script he created himself. "All of it." Words can't describe how extraordinary this is for our hobby, I went right into asking if a "lite" version will ever be made available for losers like me who run feds and can't script worth crap. "I can see myself setting up a domain, hosting feds off of it and setting it up for people but not allowing any type of free ownership of the script. CWA will launch with the script in its "lite" version. I got enough done that we can open, and get the show started." Not exactly what I was hoping for, but better then nothing.
I honestly could see myself shelling out $75 to $100 for this script if it was available for unlimited usage. Not just me either, there are a lot of fed heads I could see combing forces to do the same. It is that mind blowing. If you remember about a year ago I previewed Rick Ford's now reportedly scraped "E-fed Roster Manager v2.0," I said similar things about that script and show some screenshots. Well, this script has the same type of features that Rick had in his vision, and then some a lot. If Kenny reads this, consider selling the script for a hefty fee. Throw in some coding to make sure it is only used on one site per license and get paid for work well worth it.
Before I could even ask, it's like he read my mind and answered my unasked question regarding which direction that the CWA will go now that Dan is merging in the LoC. "The original concept of CWA changed with this move as well. There won't an extensive back history to the story. It will be premiere show, a promotion pushed by a private media group." I needed to know, why the change? Doing that, to me, gave the feeling that it'd lose the realistic feeling that the CWA had been striving to go for. "Change is appropriate. It can't always be avoided. I had to let go of my vision, to make sure that at least Dan's vision could come to fruitation. I'm fine with it. It does in one sense, but in another no." A compromise, on part of the guys behind it and us the fans. But one, I'm sure Dan will be able to make work.
I'd pretty much racked his brain at that point, fed wise. So I needed to look into a little more on the side I, as a community leader, am interested in. I needed to know what community would get the honors of being the promotional piece for the CWA. "We have yet to decide anything as far as community involvement goes. There will be a strong OOC community built around CWA that will rival that of PCW, fWo [00-02], IWO, & FWF. Which will be my largest focus after the launch. Between writers & fans alike." Ok, so maybe I was looking for a cheap EWZine plug, but the answer was enough at the moment to go ahead and move into controversial questioning.
That's right, I asked the big one. I wanted to know with the fWo opening in January, and it's importance to the hobby as we enjoy it today, if Kenny saw it as competition to what the CWA would be bringing to the table. "I'll keep my reservations about fWo's return. I'm fWo alumni after all and I have all the respect for fWo, Travis Beaven, and the crew. In reality, I'm sure many will see fWo & CWA as competition." He was good at avoiding slipping up. I liked that and gave him credit as I moved on to ask about a possible fWo and CWA crossover promotion. "Anything is possible. As long as everyone keeps an open mind. fWo versus'd 21w, tA versus'd 21w, tA versus'd fWo. I don't see why not but that would be something Dan would call before I would. Although I'd like be an encouragement factor." So would I. Travis and Dan, if you come across this article. Do it. Once both promotions are going and we have finally been able to witness a new era of e-wrestling, do it guys. There, my encouraging point.
Maybe I was jumping ahead of myself though. Before we began talking, I saw the CWA as merely another "hype fed" as I mentioned a few times before. Now I was a full fledged fan, and the promotion wasn't even open yet. But before I could honestly write any of this to you, the readers of The E-Wrestling Magazine, I had to ask in all seriousness if Kenny and Dan where in this for the long haul. Before I got my hopes up any more, or before I told you, the reader, "Hey, check these guys out," I needed to make sure I could without kicking myself in the tail later. "The setup is for the long haul. Anything that Dan needs to do will be handled through the HQ interface. From uploading artwork, to editing shows. Dan has a stack of stories, and a group of talent that has a lot of fresh idea's." As long as Dan does his part and Kenny's life doesn't take him away from us, this was enough to make me believe that these guys wont sizzle out after 6 months, a fear I had going into this experience.
Before I wrapped it up, I had one last question. With missing out on participating in the original fWo and about every other "big" e-fed that's ever existed, I felt as if because I wasn't there before that my chances of ever being where slim to none. I feel a lot of people look at these re-emerging feds, and new projects with old school talent the same way. How can I become a part of this? So I asked him if the CWA would stay invite only, or could the every day handler such as myself get a crack at the ball. "CWA was never really invite only. few people messaged me on PTC with their interest back in August and they were allowed in because they came with idea's. As of now, we have a complete roster. The chance will be there for others to be involved, its the only way to keep people interested." It's the last part of the reply that perked me up a bit. He understood where I was coming from. That you couldn't just put together this "all star talent" and expect people to continue to follow you. That you need to be open to new people, and new ideas. Will I ever be a part of the CWA? Probably not, I sort of suck at this e-wrestling thing. But you, you may very well have a chance and I wish that upon you.
Champions Wrestling Alliance is coming. No longer do I see it simply as hype. I've been privy to the good stuff, and daddy like. Would I encourage you to be excited for this project? Yes, I encourage it whole heartedly. But it is now up to you to decide if you want to invest your time into getting ready for this experience, and then following as it develops. I can only write what I know, and feed you what I can to give you a more informed decision making process, and I hope that's what I've done. I look foreword to your feed back on this article. Let us know if you want more like this. It's your support that keeps content like this coming.
Have a good day, and see you in 2009!