How To Succeed In "Real" Leagues
By Josh Weiner

There are many of you out there, who are fans of professional wrestling (aka Sports Entertainment), and in turn you are also fans of Fantasy Wrestling. Why else would you be here otherwise, right? For those “in the know”, there are three options for fantasy wrestling leagues. You can open a league for generated wrestlers (those you create), real wrestlers (using real-life characters), or a “mixed” league, featuring a combination of generated and real wrestlers.

Some people say that it is easier to use real wrestlers than generated, because you have the wrestlers on television to pattern your roleplay, angles, promos after. Whereas generated wrestlers need a history built, some back story, as well as a compelling current story, in order to generate (no pun intended) interest in where your character is going and how believable your character is.

Well, I am here to inform you that it is harder to use real wrestlers. At least, in part, because there is something to go by, and there will be people who can tell if you are using your character in the correct manner. When you use a generated character, there isn’t any character for comparison, no television promos to gauge by. So, therefore you can’t really “make a mistake”.

In order to succeed in a real wrestler league, the entire goal, is to make your promos as close to the promos of the character(s) you see on television. This is the gauge by which those who judge roleplay go by, in order to determine (in part) who won a match. It is very important when you are in a real wrestling league, or a mixed league, using a real wrestler, that you know of what your wrestler speaks. You need to be aware of any catchphrases used, mannerisms, and whether or not they speak in the first-person or third-person. For example, if you are roleplaying The Rock, you would never use “I” or “me”, unless you were cutting a “shoot-style” promo, and you were talking as Duane Johnson.

As a former co-president of a real wrestler league on FW Central, I can tell you that one of the biggest parts to roleplay that we look at is definitely realism. Some presidents or league owners won’t make this a priority. However, it is the basis of great roleplay. It separates the “men” from the “boys”. There is an old saying in the world of Fantasy Wrestling: “If it feels like I’m watching the wrestler on television, then it’s good roleplay.” This is a good way to tell if your roleplay is up to par. Now, granted, we don’t expect this of everyone, but it does help.

Another way to succeed in a real wrestler league, other than good roleplay, is angles and promos that you send in. Now, this is the same in generated leagues, but in real wrestler leagues, it is just a bit different. When you submit angles and promos for cards, it helps your chances of winning your match. However, there are other times where sending in something will help the “push” of your wrestler(s). Your chances of being recognized for title shots and/or main event status would be greatly improved if you sent in angles, promos, etc. that would help further storylines AND are “outside” of a posted show. In other words, you don’t always have to wait for a card to be up for roleplay to send something in. It is what’s known as “out-of-card roleplay”. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, but every little bit helps, and it shows your commitment to making your character the best it can be, and your also showing your activeness in the league.

Following these suggestions can make your participation in FW leagues fun, and more successful. I hope this little column has helped, and as they always say “practice makes perfect”. So, relax, enjoy and have fun. After all, this isn’t life.. It’s just a game! (Yeah right! )