The Join Form
By Pete Russo

What is this thing called a “Join Form” and how does it affect my life?

The first thing you have to do when joining a fed is fill out the o- so- wonderful Join Form. Now, a lot of people have a wrestler in mind when they apply for a fed, or they have one that they use EVERYWHERE so it’s not really much of a hassle other than typing everything in over and over again.

But there are some players who haven’t gotten that far. Maybe they just started. Maybe they’re still trying to figure out who that character is that will suit their writing style and personal preferences. In any case, I’m here to help. And since most join forms are basically the same, you can apply these rules to just about all of them.

YOUR NAME: Self- explanatory. If you don’t know what your name is, chances are you broke out of your cell to read this.

YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS: In some feds, you’re going to be the recipient of a lot of E-Mail regarding the status of cards, status of feds, and other members who want to plan things with you. If you don’t want your mailbox to get cluttered with Fantasy Wrestling mail, you can easily get a Hotmail, Yahoo, or just about any other type of free mail specifically for fantasy wrestling.

WRESTLER’S NAME: Aside from the sample RP (which we’ll get to in a second), this is probably one of the most important things about the character you’re coming up with. Mick Foley said it best in his book – if everything about Stone Cold was the same, but he was announced as “Baron von Ruthless,” stick a fork in him, he’s done.

As a rule, most of the decent feds aren’t big fans of “gimmick” wrestlers like a garbageman or a plumber. That’s fine, most players aren’t into them either. But you should really have a concept.

Do you want an over- the- top babyface? A reclusive loner? A classic heel? The name can really make the wrestler. With names like “Daredevil” Mark Vizzack, Cardigo Mysterian, and “Devastating” Mike Randalls, it’s a no- brainer to really figure out what sort of wrestler these men are.

HEIGHT AND WEIGHT: Please, for the sanity of the commissioner…. Keep these numbers reasonable. How many men in the sport are really taller than seven feet? How many men are 5’11 and weigh over 400 pounds? 7’4” and weigh under 300? There are the usual exceptions, but a fed with giants and Yokozunas is hardly going to produce cards worth their salt – big men are notoriously slow and limited as far as what they can do in a wrestling match. Chris Benoit, Triple H, and even Steve Austin, when he’s able to show it, are all incredibly adept at wrestling just about any style of match because their size isn’t exaggerated, and is PROPORTIONAL.

AGE: Not all sites require this. In fact, most don’t. But on the off chance you need to fill this in, it’s good to keep the age consistent. A good rule of thumb is to figure that most *wrestlers break into the “business” between the age of 21 and 26. This is, of course, completely subjective, and age should be a nonfactor in the character of your wrestler.

ENTRANCE MUSIC: Here is one of the biggest mistakes that new players make. Even before KoRn’s “Issues” was released, some of the web’s feds were overrun with people who were using “Falling Away From Me” as their entrance music.

Music should SAY SOMETHING about the character – and it’s hard to do that when you pick the “song of the moment.” And while I’m sure a lot of the people who chose “Falling Away from Me” are still using it, the fact remains that it became popular solely because it was popular at the moment.

Your wrestler’s music should be chosen to fit the personality you want to give him, not the other way around. If you like a song, you shouldn’t change his personality just so it’ll make sense. On the other side, if your current music is something by the Backstreet Boys and the personality of the wrestler fits, you won’t be able to make a case for using something by Cannibal Corpse and NOT have shown a marked change in personality.

In other words…. There’s a big difference between whatever it is that the Backstreet Boys put out onto the market, and, say…. “Blood Drenched Execution” by Cannibal Corpse.

APPEARANCE/GIMMICK: The real meat- and- potatoes of fantasy wrestling. This will be the most important thing about your wrestler. This will determine what he looks like and how he thinks.

Simple as that. Or not.

After all, what sort of ‘gimmick’ is Bill Goldberg? Cactus Jack? Stone Cold? Even The Rock is a different sort of gimmick that doesn’t have a general classification. Historically, the best gimmicks in Fantasy Wrestling have been those sorts that don’t require the use of a specific catchphrase or setting to get over. A nickname that portrays a general attitude, rather than some sort of prior occupation, is always more creative.

Appearance should suit the attitude/gimmick. You wouldn’t nickname a midget wrestler “The Giant” unless it was intended to be a slapstick character. But a name like “Devastating” tells something about the character. “The Strongest Arms in the World” is a testament to the strength of the character. “Daredevil” implies a high- flying risk taker. “Total Elimination” likewise, implies a tough- guy type.