DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - DEFIANCE ROAD PPV IS LIVE!

[MikeyUnlikely]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

Super Late Beefdax: What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas edition.

(I was away on work/vacation when these shows went up, I thought of skipping them and not reading and being a lazy piece of shit, but then I remembered how nice I am! So without further adue… here is 3 week old Beefdax!)

DEFtv64
Of All The Guys
Eric Dane is PISSED! What was Kelly Evans thinking? Signing Sean Jackson to a contract! That Bitch!? On the other hand, if you are clearing Utah of its top shelf talent, how could you pass up on a 3 time champion, and last champion. Enjoying the slow play, interested to see how they mix this up with the Murrays vs Dane/BBD angle. Enjoying this very much.

The RundownIts sad that something as small as signs make me a happy boy on the shows. Loves this as per usual. Angus is one of my favorite full flesh characters in DEF and he’s an NPC. that takes a lot of work and James really does him well every week. That Mikey line had me fucking rolling. “The Twat of Tinseltown!” Awesome Intro, this is a seg i’m legitimately looking forward too each and every week. AND ITS SUPPOSED TO BE THE MOST UNIFORM! Great work .

Jack Hunter vs El Fishman Deluxe Jr Amazing Red.
This is amazing. Jack Hunter should not exist. I am so glad he does however. I love comedy writing and comedy wrestling so this goes hand in hand. I don’t know how to compare someone like Jack Hunter to a true comedy writer like Bobby Dean. Dean is still the king, but this almost feels like a different category of stupid. Let’s call it the “Jack Hunter Scale” Anything more stupid than Jack Hunter would be too stupid to be read…. Anything smarter would classify as normal. So from now on, we are all above the Hunter Scale….until you prove me wrong. The turnbuckle pad was a nice touch. Keebs playing into it had me chuckling.

Sharmony Power Hour!Gag me with a spoon! The face level was off the charts here! Great job hyping both the Mikey/Sharp feud and the Donovan/Harmony bit. This was pretty good back and forth. Maybe this could be a regular team moving forward? Who knows, but good face work here. Harmony was a little more natural than normal which was good.

Curtis Penn and SMB vs LAR,FDJ,SATAN
I love that Curtis Penn comes to the ring on Johnny Booyas shoulders. LOL. Has that “Boss” factor. Good match, nice a brief for being a 6 man tag. I thought the brawling in the beginning part of the match was probably the single most important part. It shows you exactly how sick these guys are of SMB and Penns antics. Down to business! Nice finish with a cheating PENN getting one over on FATAS. SMB is very unique, I love the gimmick, Would love to see them in legit tag action more often.

In Search of the Dahkness! YOURBOITAI has had enough! The man is searching for Omega NOW! Forget waiting till the show, he is on a hunt. Christie Zane finds him and he hypes his feud, before hyping himself. Great segment. Short and to the point. Loved it.

Final Audition
Wrote this with Tom Ford and Billy, Hope you all enjoyed. Part of the fun of having a off the wall gimmick like Hollywood is that I get to research little things when writing segments. Googling things like “small private luxury jet” and then trying to find an upgraded model to reference. So much fun. Tom is a breeze to work with, and has great ideas up his sleeve at all times.Oh and Lightsword…

Nightmare Express vs Rain City Ronin
Yusssssss! It finally happened. Ive fallen for RCR! I was struggling through most of their stuff prior to this, mostly for being incredibly long winded. This was also a little unneccesarily long, but I get it! I think the writer of this match (Strawsma?) did a SPECTACULAR job of painting a Teacher/Student Dynamic. The story told throughout this match was concise and obvious. Wonderfully written match, tighten it up a bit for the “summary” style and it would be PERFECT. Also…. I am a sunny fan so…
DAYMON!
Champion of the Sun (ah-ah-ah)
You're a Master of Karate
And friendship
For Everyone

Signed. Sealed. Delivered.
Fuck Errrrrrbody else. Im a Sam Horry fan! I love what this guy is doing with the character. Yes he should not change themes every show…. OTHERWISE, This segment was great to me. I love the realism it adds to have a MMA/Boxing Style press conference. I thought this feud has been a little MIA as I think weve seen more character development than feud stuff recently but Im a fan. Keep this shit going mang. Horry reminds me of a less crazy Ken Shamrock type, whether hes the best wrestler in the locker room is not important. The fact that he can fuck you up at any time is…. One Neg I will say…. It seems obvious who is going over in this match, I don't know if that's due to inactivity from Mushi, or just super hype by Horry.
__________________________________________________________________
Professionals Holy Fuck. Great psychology behind this segment, You can tell it was carefully crafted and thought out. Cayle and Andy dont have a match tonight, but they will be watching and keeping guard, beliedat. Cayle Murray is almost playing mind games as a face, and I’m eating it up…

Lance Warner:
Are you suggesting that Eric and Bobby are already looking beyond your match?
Andy Murray::
I’m suggesting that Sean Jackson just appeared, and all of a sudden Eric Dane is hypnotised by the strap of leather and gold that The Lone Star of Texas snatched from his clutches a couple of months ago. I’m suggesting that maybe Andy and Cayle aren’t such a big priority to him any more.

^Noice.

This feud has been rocking from the word go. I mentioned in a little piece of feedback earlier that Murray's vs Dane has done the “fed jump” thing perfect. Now allow me to demonstrate….

Lance Warner:
Eric Dane has made no secret of hiding his disdain for you in-particular, Cayle. The seeds of this rivalry were sewn elsewhere several months ago, but things are really starting to boil over here in DEFIANCE. Is this how you envisioned your DEF career starting-off?

Not one mention of UTAH, from Lance or The Murrays. Awesome: Good job Bae.
________________________________________________________________________

Donovan/ Unlikely vs Sharmony
Very good match. Shout outs to Harmony on Volunteering to write this entire match. All I did was tack on the post match stuff, which I wrote on a cell phone in an airplane. (I believe the quality reflects that). I wished I would have done Kendrix more justice in his debut but I was up against deadline without a cpu. Sorry fam. That said…. SO EXCITED TO BRUVS AGAIN.

The Empire Strikes First
I liked this seg a little world building between Troy and Impulse. I enjoyed their report and Impulse is really growing on me with each and every seg. His chill attitude is so contrast to what you expect in a e-fed. Its great. Cali Rose didnt seem as chipper and annoying as usual but that was a welcome change for me. The only thing I didnt like is calling out another fed. I never heard of it, I never cared about it, It means nothing, but I get you want to make sure everyone knows these two met before. You can do that without mentioning where…. See above Murrr segment. Otherwise Troy is one of the best “world builders” in the fed, and Impulse is latching on quickly as a good face. Enjoyed.

Hollywood Bruvs
Wrote this with Steven, hope you enjoyed. This is a true Bruvs style seg, expect to see many like this.
Eric Dane/BBD vs Rebel Yell I love the Bobby Dean/Eric Dane Dynamic. This was a good story in UTAH and Im glad its transitioned and wasnt dropped here. Dane is going to make a monster out of Bobby Dean yet! This match proves it. With Dane barking orders, Dean is a whole new animal. Good stuff.

When Shit Goes Sideways YUSSSSS! Sean Jackson is here! He’s not taking a backseat to anyone! Hes got the strap from the land of the fallen and is still ready to defend it. Dane being the BAWSman he is, finally has the advantage! Not only is there no Dynasty, No backup, no power, and no friends for Sean….DANE HAS ALL THOSE THINGS. WOW WORLDFLIP! CLASH OF THE DEFIANTS IS GOING TO BE OFF THE HOOK YALL. WAIT…. Its not over yet. Here come the murrs….. Shit has hit the fan! The ring is full! Brawlout! HYPE HYPE HYPE.


The Pain Game has only begunTy Walker and Omega go toe to toe in the back despite the best attempts from DEFsec to contain them. Ty puts the hurting on Omega…. Except he’s not hurtin. Dude can take all the shit Ty throws at him and gives it right back. This segment tells me one thing and one thing only. EXPECT A FUCKING FIGHT AT THE PPV.

Box, Angel, and Carver v Troy, Keyes, Griffith. Really enjoying this match.Carver showing some good rookie traits, Box laying back, Troy with one of the most appropriate move sets I’ve ever seen. Keyes with some Technicality. Angel showing attitude, and Griffith being a workhorse. All good stuff. Woah…. Wait… someone just joined the fight and it was barely mentioned? A passover sentence? Lindsay Troy now gets yanked off the apron by an appearing Nick Corozzo… That had no impact on me whatsoever. Barely sold by the announcers. I did enjoy the end of the match, but that interference threw me off for sure.

Warchamber ChallengeThis was a good hype and review segment. We got Boxer on the stick, which I always love. He’s a bit long winded but if you haven't been paying attention, then you just got caught up, which is great and definitely serves a purpose. I’m excited to read what the war chamber is, i know there is an accompanying Propaganda to that effect. This is one of the best feuds going right now. Having only been here since Ascension, it stands out in my mind as one of the “realest”.

Fist of DefianceAngus nails it with his first sentence during the intro of Impulse. I LOL’d at the throat comment. The contrast in size is displayed great in this match. It feels realistic. Ryan clearly starts out by being the big guy and knocking off every attempt. Doesnt take long for Impulse to outsmart him and use his quickness to get an advantage. Enjoyed the heel tactics of the face champion. In and out the ring with quick succession. The outside brawling was solid. And the end was B.R.U.T.A.L. loved it. Great Job. Ryan looks heelish heading into the PPV, whats this mean for Dewey? Where the fuck is Dewey? (I saw that post too).




Great show guys. Best ever, Fucking Xander no showing again… fuck that guy. Dan Benson deserves a title shot. AMIRITE?

 

[Evan H.]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

lol I pretty much insist someone with far more artistic talent than me create an actual "Haggis Club" Bullet Club style logo...

 

[Murrr]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

Gonna be a little more drawn-out and a little more focused on what could’ve been improved, while still highlighting what I liked. I’ve realised that most of my feedback here has been glowing reviews of every single segment, and that’s not much use to anybody at all.

Also, this is song. Sorry about that. I feel like the extra effort put forth by the handlers deserves longer feedback than usual.

THE RUNDOWN
Some signs hit, some missed. Byproduct of having so many. Loved Angus dropping the There Will Be Blood/milkshakes line. A great introduction that made me excited for pretty much everything on the card, as ever.

EL TREBOL JR. VS. JACK HUNTER
I wrote this.

HENRY KEYES VS. VAN CARVER
Maybe coulda dropped a CLASH graphic between this and the first match to break it up a little? Minor quibble. Definitely could’ve done with a little more announcer context to open this one-up, as their intro’s pretty light. The commentary was very light in-general throughout the first half, and part of the seconds. Not much character coming through: that’s secondary to selling the action and helping tell the story, of course, but there wasn’t too much of that either. A shame, as the action is really, really good. Very well-paced, very fluid, but when it’s broken up by not much more than the odd 3 or 4-word quip from one announcer, it hurts the flow.

This was most noticeable when Van started kicking-out of the Bell Clap. I get that it’s not exactly the most impactful move ever, but those should be big, edge-of-your-seat emotional moments. I didn’t get that here, and mostly because of the announcers’ muted reactions.

It’s a pretty good match on the whole though, and almost exactly what it needed to be. I like the dynamic between the hot-headed Van and Jane, and there was some good psychology in there with the arm work. Onto bigger and better things for Marie Van Carver.

FLOW
Cally is still my favourite person in the world, efeds or otherwise. Impulse is a lovely guy too. They’ve just been super consistent since they came-in. They’re on every single show and their contributions always feel meaningful and entertaining, which makes ‘em a pretty vital part of the fed’s make-up already. Loved the “no way a chick can--” cut-off line towards the beginning because efed memes are my favourite thing ever. Also liked Cally’s bartender instinct kicking-in when she hops behind the stand and goes to work. Fun little piece of fluff to keep the show rolling. Exactly the kinda thing I like on a PPV.

MUSHIGIHARA VS. SAM HORRY
Loved the Godzilla/Tokyo line right off the bat. That’s Angus in a nutshell, to me. I’m a little torn on the pre-match cuts to the locker-room, though. It feels very much like something you’d reserve for a massive blood feud, where the drama is fully justified. I just feel like I was told that this was a “grudge match three years in the making,” but I wasn’t shown. The match has had a relatively quiet build-up, which is fine (not every match needs to be all in-your-face all the time), but to travel through that kinda build and arrive at this kinda preamble is jarring.

Once I got over this, the opening stages were good. I can tell that Sam or Rob, whomever wrote this, has a very strong knowledge of MMA or shoot style wrestling, because the descriptions of how these striking techniques work was great. Also loved Keebs outlining both wrestlers’ strategies earlier-on: that’s something we don’t do enough of, IMO. Good job. Excellent balance of announcers and action all-round, actually.

I’ve harped-on a lot about the MMA thing before, but it works here. Sam’s got that MMA background and Mushi comes from sumo, so it makes perfect sense to make heavy use of both in this match. There were some nice slices of wrestling peppered throughout too, like Sam’s corner clothesline and Mushi’s display of strength.

Face/heel dynamic was a little wonky, though. Sam was playing the underdog, fighting from underneath, absorbing a lot of damage and fighting back, but the fans were behind Mushi? I get that Sam accidentally kicked a cameraman and all, but I think most would recognise it as an accident.

I don’t mind the draw finish at all, but the set-up didn’t work for me. Sam found the leverage to spin mid-air and land a roundhouse kick, during which Mushi was able to land a palm strike? I don’t buy it, sorry lads. I’m not saying that it’s not possible, but it doesn’t *sound* possible. I think this was a strong match on the whole though.

CURTIS PENN VS. LAR
Been looking forward to reading this as Jonno is a badass matchwriter. The match could’ve done with a little more build-up, sure, but I remember Micropennis going after LAR’s duff arm in his debut.

Curtis Penn. Maaaaaan. I want to knock every one of his teeth out for calling Cally a cunt, I really do. Typically great promo from him to open this one up. Got a lot more fire and unbridled anger from him than usual, and that’s awesome. His sense of entitlement is wonderfully bloated and contrasts wonderfully with Impulse’s calm, level-headed response. Awesome interaction -- I love both characters.

Like LAR’s little pre-match ritual. It’s cheesy, yeah, but pro-wrestling is inherently cheesy, and little nick-nacks like that are what make characters stand-out. I definitely wanted a liiiiiiiiittle more announcer stuff here, but I get it: it’s super hard to get a grasp of the commentary team when you’re new to a fed, particularly one as character-rich as ours. Just a little something to consider, though I’m totally willing to give the benefit of the doubt here.

The action, however, is universally excellent. It’s concise without sacrificing detail, incredible easy to follow, simple, logical and effective. I absolutely breezed through this match, and that’s why. The finish was brilliant. Really, really brilliant. LAR’s already tapped to Penn’s armbar, right? So here, when Penn syncs it in, it’s an excellent dramatic will he/won’t he moment. LAR fights through it like the tough, spirited babyface he is and lifts Penn straight into the powerbomb, then the finish run of moves.

That’s what James and I were talking about on radio last week. That’s how you tell a great story and show character development in a match. This was the move that wrecked LAR’s debut, but he’s learn from it, he’s grown, and when he found himself in the exact same situation, he knew how to fight out of it. Comfortably the match of the night thus far.

Post-match was lovely, though Penn definitely recovered a little too quickly. Pulse, man. He refused to go too far with Penn, then he and Cally shuffled out of the spotlight so LAR could have it. That’s a good set of babyfaces right thurrrrr. #BLOWITUP

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU, KID
Mikey Unlikely is fuckin’ over. I don’t think any of the vitriol that the crowd/announcers throw at him is overstated at all. Dude has come-in and put-in a truckload of work, and I’ve watched the character grow from “very good heel” in the UTA to “genuinely awesome shitbastard heel” here in DEFIANCE. Been a fan since day one and it’s great to see a dude just come into a new environment and absolutely own the place.

JFK is a nice addition to. There’s a good balance between these two guys: they’re both slimey, but in slightly different ways. That’s what makes ‘em a good team. I roffled all over the place when Kendrix called Lance Warner “Lance Walker,” then dropped the “I got your name right this week!”. Then he turns the “you can’t wrestle” stuff onto Lance, and all is beautiful in the world. Mikey’s desperate little “they’re stupid… and poor!” was wonderfully pathetic, and this seg is on fire early-on.

It does get a little long-winded towards the end. I think some of Kendrix’s spiel could probably have been left-out. It’s easy to hit a point of diminishing returns with this kind of address-the-universe promo and that *almost* happened here, so it might be worth nipping things in the bud rather than retreading familiar ground in the future. Solid segment, though.

OMEGA VS. TYRONE WALKER
I’ve been super-invested in this story, and I’m excited to read the match after what James told me he had planned for it. Switching to a relaxed rules clash definitely fits both characters and allows for a real change of pace. Thus far we’ve had a weirdo comedy match, an MMA-style battle and two conventional wrestling matches… now we’re getting chaos.

LOVE Walker’s “entrance.” The music hitting mid-action was kinda out-of-place to me, but shit, it’s a great way for Ty to get a jump on a guy who, on-paper, should demolish him. Ty’s just such a fuckin’ weirdo, man. The golf bag, the mask, the jumpsuit. Love it.

I like the sense of urgency here. Ty’s going full-on blitzkrieg from the first moment, because a single big move from Omega could theoretically end his night. He has to come-out swinging and throw the kitchen sink at the dude, because he’s fucked if he allows an opening. I had the life sucked out of me when Omega turned it around and started blasting Ty. Like, I was genuinely worried for the dude’s health. That’s how into it I was.

That said, I’d have liked some story recap from the announcers throughout this. I think that’s important. I understand the context of everything that’s happening here because I try to read everything super in-depth so we can talk about it on radio shows, etc. Not everyone examines things in the same way though.

It’s just a wild, crazy brawl. The cheesegrater spot put me off a little purely because I don’t care for that kind of escalation in wrestling, but that’s a personal preference thing. It’s certainly not objectively bad. Great drama with Ty kicking-out of absolutely everything Omega was throwing at him. It ramped-up with every consecutive kick-out and really put over Ty as the tough, crazy bastard we all know and love.

I don’t think Omega loses too much with the loss. It’s tough to book a monster losing clean, but he took a shitload of accumulated punishment early-on in the match, and the finish was super impactful. He gets his heat back during the post-match, anyway.

A GIFT TO THE WORLD
The PCP are just wonderful in their preposterous ways. First, the way Elise responds to the boos. She either genuinely doesn’t understand that people really don’t like them, or she’s playing dumb. Either is glorious. Then there’s the goddamn Mikey Unlikely statue. I almost lost it. How do you guys come up with these ridiculous ideas? It’s so stupid and over-the-top and I love it dearly. Please just be complete shitbastards forever, PCP.

I popped when “Revolve” hit and the Ronin showed-up, though. I’m growing fond of these guys already, and I know the super srs rasslers are gonna have all kinds of issues with what’s going on. These guys definitely speak for the purists (“what the hell does THIS have to do with wrestling?”) and I think that’s a great contrast with some of the wild personalities in the tag division. Them and the PCPs are chalk and cheese, and I think Kerry nails it when he asks if “this is just a platform” to ‘em.

This was already starting to run a little long by the time the SMBs showed-up, though. I like the characters, they’re super fun and entertaining, and I recognise that every needs to get something in, but damn. There was plenty that could’ve been trimmed here: entrances, descriptions, etc. The segment as a whole definitely could’ve benefitted from a few snips here and there. I enjoyed the segment, but I feel like the same things could’ve been said and done in fewer words. Kinda tired me out a little towards the end.

That said, I like every character in this segment and I am excited about the tag division’s future. D grabbing the mic and trying to control traffic at the end was hilarious, and I was desperate for the PCPs to just get splattered by everyone else. This was a decent way to kick the division off.

ANDY SHARP VS. MIKEY UNLIKELY
Mikey’s entrance is so stupid. It’s great. I like how he kinda hinted to it in the earlier segment, when Mikey was low-key dressed like Marty McFly. I didn’t really notice at that time, but now that he’s doing a Marty McFly entrance, it makes perfect sense. That’s some good-ass storytelling right there.

The feud’s been built really well, and I totally buy Sharp trying to go HAM on Mikey from the get-go. Shades of Yano Toru with Mikey slipping through the ropes as soon as the match starts, too. Excellent heel trolling ‘til Andy eventually says “fuck this” and literally throws himself into the Hollywood Bruvs.

The match is expertly paced. I expect nothing less from Seth, really. Mikey can’t match Andy as a wrestler, so he’s got to rely on fuckery and shenanigans to try and weasel his way through the thing. Unfortunately it kinda backfires. All he really does is raise Sharp’s ire to the point where he’s able to channel all his frustrations into offence. Mikey keeps finding ways to squirm back into it, but he also keeps taking his eye off the ball by posing, talking shit to the ref, etc. Great psychology.

I usually like a little more commentary in my matches, but I feel like that complaint is almost negated with this one. There’s lots of selling going-on in the action, so I’m good with it.

Both characters came-off extremely well throughout. Mikey is the complete shithawk, and Andy is the spirited crowd-pleasing wrestler with an eye-catching moveset. Great to see some genuine heeling to finish the match, and equally great to see this little alliance forming. That’s four of the worst, shittiest bastards in the fed coming together. Can’t wait to see what kind of wankery they get-up to in future segments.

INEVITABLE
Eric Dane is a vital character and his presence makes everything feel more important. Pulse and Cally already have my attention from the moment their names are mention. Cool literal recap of what happened earlier, and a nice little way to wrap-up their little hosting session.

There’s not much to this segment, but it just feels really important. That’s testament to the quality of the writing. Not many words, but it’s pretty clear that these guys are planting roots for something further down the line. It’s not world-building for world-building’s sake at all, but a slab of nuanced, layered storytelling that might not seem terribly consequential right now, but almost certainly will at some point down the road.

HARMONY VS. JAKE DONOVAN
I understand that this match was written in a last minute rush. Shit happens. I’m still going to try and judge the thing objectively and on its own merits, though.

Gotta go back to my old action/commentary/balance chestnut here. There are a lot of big chunks of text here, and they’re broken-up by commentary that’s often just fluff, really. I think the match is fine on a mechanical level, but I need something more from the announcers. I need the story, the context, the feelings. Those are the things that get me hooked into a real wrestling match *and* an ewrestling match, y’know? Try to have ‘em explain a little more, rather than just drop a relatively powerpuff quip. The big moments just didn’t feel big, and I think DDK and Angus could’ve helped with that.

A couple of slight pacing issues. I felt that the Shooting Star Press probably came a little too early. That kinda move should probably be saved for the closing stages, IMO. It’s such a big spectacular moment, and it’s the kind of thing that needs to be build-up to.

Harmony wrestled like a face, Jake wrestled like a heel. No complaints on that front. Very consistent wrestling. I think you did a good job of painting Harmony as someone who can take a lot of punishment and still come away with a victory, which is super important when writing this type of character.

Finally, while the sequencing was decent for the most part, there’s not much description of what’s going on between the moves here. How’s Harmony feeling when she gets dropped on her head? How’s Donovan feeling? What are they both doing, and how’s the crowd reacting? I know that there probably wasn’t much of an opportunity to include stuff like this given the deadline-rush, but hey.

LEGACY
I wrote this.

MURRAYS VS. DANE AND DEAN
I wrote this.

DEFCON THING
Simple and effective video package that puts DEFIANCE’s history over and shows that this is the biggest event of all-time by running through all those great, historical moments. Not much more to it than that.

TRIOS MATCH
Usual comments about Seth’s matchwriting style and format. See the Mikey/Sharp match for those.

Scramble rules is perfect for these dudes. They’re just six muscled-up burly brawling dudes who really, really don’t like each other. Plenty of low-key build-up for this one, which suits the characters to a tee. They’re gonna want to go out and knock seven shades of shit out of each other and the restrictions of a standard six-man tag would only get in the way. Good piece of booking on the fly from Seth there.

This is exactly the kind of spotfest I’m into. It’s not a bunch of obnoxious flippydoos flying around for absolutely no reason and wrestling with no psychology: it’s a bunch of crazy bastards frantically beating the tar out of each other. The Dusty/Angel storyline shines throughout, especially early-on and with the finish, but I think Seth did another grand job of incorporating everyone’s present situations into the match. No small feat in a six-man war. On a selfish level, I particularly enjoyed the sequence towards the end with Natas wrecking everyone with strikes. Progress .

Goddamnit, I just love reading Seth’s matches. I know I’m trying to be more critical, but I can’t really find much wrong with this thing. It’s just so much fun to read. I was on the edge of my seat throughout.

Angel is a goddamn star, no doubt about it. He’s got the size, the Brock Lesnar freak athleticism, the nastiness, the mouthpiece… everything. He comes-off super strong throughout, even though he eats the L in the end. It’s pretty clear that this business with Dusty isn’t finished, and I’m excited for the next chapter. The big lad’s gonna be pissed.

I think Dusty was handled really well in this match, too. The guy’s standing on the apron for a lot of the match, so when he *finally* gets in, it just feels so much better. Like a big “fuck yeah” moment. Great psychology as he finally gets his hands on Angel. Loved how the ring was cleared for those two to just go to work. Excellent match.

NO MAN OF HONOR
I wrote this with Juicy J.

WARCHAMBAAAAHHHHHHHH
I’m into this right-off-the-bat. I love special ring entrances for big occasions, and this rivalry certainly justifies such a thing. Feel like Evan did a really good job of describing the spectacle of the whole thing, and my enjoyment was amplified when I queued-up the Bowie song and re-read it for a second time. Perfect soundtrack. Coupled with the hot lava that Bronson spits when he gets on the stick and I’m pretty worried about Heel of the Year Lindsay Troy’s personal wellbeing here, not gonna lie.

Again, would’ve liked some more commentary throughout. Don’t think there’s any point in repeating my reasoning for this, though. See elsewhere in my post.

The start was very logical. Some straightforward but pretty intense professional wrestling with Box kinda foraging his way through LT’s strikes to bring her down and rain forearms. The belly-to-belly in the corner gives the match its first big moment but it’s pretty clear that the writers aren’t gonna blow their load early, which is wonderful. Far too easy to do that in matches as intense as this.

Troy’s anger and frustration really comes through in everything she does, from her stone-faced staredown to the “line in the sand” to the way she stomps down on Box’s head with those steel-toed boots. Great stuff, and I’m not significantly less worried about her wellbeing. I’m not sure if that’s the kind of change of emotions the writers were looking to provoke, but it’s great.

This is the point where Troy’s spike attack at ASCENSION becomes 100% believable for me. I was probably one of the loudest critics of said attack, and I still stand by it (because these things *do* need to be judged in isolation, despite future/past implications), but it makes perfect sense when she’s in there fighting for her life, fighting Box’s fire with some of her own. Great callback to that when she grabs the very same spike and starts whacking Boxer with it.

Box got ninja starred! Ridiculous and amazing. Another great escalation, though. The pacing in this one is immaculate.

I’m finding it hard not to gush now. I absolutely adore this match. Love, love, love it. I love how both characters were handled, I love the story, I love the use of The Faithful. The finish is absolutely savage, and I’m not a guy who generally cares for such things. That’s how into this match I am. It’s not a long match, but it doesn’t need to be. You guys did a wonderful job with this one.

Then DAT POST-MATCH. Jesus Christ. Instant babyface sympathy for LT after being forced to spill blood and fight like a monster for x minutes.

NEW DAY
Dan Ryan is cold. Like, serial killer cold. He’s a transcendent character to me. He’s above alignments and basic character descriptions. He’s not a face, heel or even a tweener. He’s Dan Ryan. He’s Niccolo Machiavelli thrown into the professional wrestling realm: a guy who’ll do absolutely anything to defend his spot, regardless of who or what stands in his way.

His motivations are simple, really. He’s the champion and he doesn’t want to lose his belt, so he does absolutely everything he needs to strengthen his position and keep the gold. That means running through his own family, in this instance.

This is a character that has made me re-think a lot of my own ideas about the hobby, honestly. Obviously I was never really all that familiar with Ryan prior to coming here. I joined the UTA after a five-year absence from the game and immediately got sucked into this restrictive “good guys vs. bad guys” mindset, where characters all had to fall in-line with certain behavioural archetypes with little/no divergence.

Not many people can live in shades of grey without coming across as trying too hard, or being really inconsistent with their voice. I think Dan Ryan is the antithesis of this. He’s cutting, precise and ruthless, but there’s *still* something making me root for him, even when he’s behaving like a complete shithead to characters I really love (like LT).

This segment is brilliant. It’s Ryan in a nutshell. We think we understand his motivations, but deep down, it’s probably just the tip of the iceberg. Layers, son. I’m really amped for this storyline now. Guy’s a man possessed, and I think he’s going to kill Eugene Dewey.

FIST OF DEFIANCE
Maybe, if I’m splitting hairs, the transition from Dan Ryan being in the ring/laying LT out, to Dan Ryan backstage, to Dan Ryan coming-out first is kinda rough. Maybe.

Expert blend of commentary and action. That’s what I’ve been harking-on about throughout this post.

It would’ve been nice to have an epic, drawn-out clash between these two, sure. I don’t feel like this match was too short at all, though. I understand the circumstances behind it completely, but the match still accomplishes everything it needs to. This night belongs to Dan Ryan, after all.

It starts-off as just a good, pure wrestling match. Like the story of Dewey coming through the crowd to spring a surprise attack, but Ryan fighting through it and answering everything that gets thrown at him. I love Keebs pointing-out the contrast with the Warchamber, too. This is another brutal war of attrition, but it manifests in a completely different way: the Chamber was all about spilling blood, this is about two big dudes slugging each other. Continuity! Wonderful.

I was expecting a one-sided pounding (given OOC goings-on), but I’m glad that didn’t happen. Matches are just a lot more compelling when the bulk of it is competitive. The Shoryuken (SP?) sending Ryan to the outside is a great way of letting Eugene get some of his best stuff in without completely burying the move’s effectiveness, and it’s another device to ramp-up the challenger’s frustration. Great stuff.

The finish comes pretty quickly, which I don’t mind. Two Humility Bombs is enough, but a Headliner (guessing that’s the Burning Hammer?) too? Fuckin’ hell, Daniel. But nah, here’s LT, thank God. She comes-off looking like a goddamn lioness for not only preventing Eugene from being killed, but also the incredible heart she shows by trying to power down to the ring when he’s almost dead herself.

Very good match. Stories>all.

 

[MikeyUnlikely]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

UNCUT 4 BEEFDAX: IM ON A MISSION


Intro
Angus is ready, everyone is ready, we’re close to the PPV, fuck the dramatics...here’s the show!

As Good As Its Gonna Get
Lindsay Troy takes exception to Impulse being taken advantage of in the ring. She stomps down to Gorilla to come face o face with Dan Ryan, asking him to explain himself. Clearly we have a new Dan Ryan on our hands. This will come to a head soon.

Your weekly moment of Hoss
The SMB with Keeling have a message to send to Natas, Dusty, and FDJ… that is… After Defiance Road, there will be nothing left of the trio to compete. No trip to DEFCON and definitely no shot at the DOC. Thomas Keeling is a GREAT voice for these guys. Enjoy his mic work.

Weedkilled
Jack Hunter seg: Parental Warning… Alan Einstein and his theory of relatives! Locking room needs to be used more often for sure. Jack Hunter viciously accidentally on purpose kills El Trebol Jr. The green bean is creamed corn now! OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I love Jack Hunter.

The Struggle that Defines Us.
Very good segment here . These two are growing on me, this wasn't as long winded as some of their other things so i'm happy to see that. Love the go home section, where they say that opportunities aren't given they are sought. Good stuff, going to be a good face team. Rocko has this “wise” aura on him, while the fiery kid reminds me of a less sinister Van Carver.

Team Meetings
HOLY FUCK! This segment was the bomb! From start to finish, the scenery, the situation, and the dialog had me hooked. This felt like some seedy underbelly meeting and I loved it. Van Carver had a bit of a rocky start but everything is coming together beautifully. Im so excited to see what comes next for these guys. VC and Box…. watch out!

Natural Habitat
LOL Dammit if Ty Walker isnt one of the most adaptable characters in all of DEF. The dude can walk into any room on the planet, with any group of people and fit in like he grew up there. I fucking love it. Cally makes me smile, she's so hype for Karaoke. Leading to the DEF Road tease to end the seg. Great job with this one.

#RealWorldChampionMatters
I liked the seg, I just think it rehashed too much. I felt like we just heard all of these exact things on DEFtv and you should have mixed it up a bit with a different angle. Sean Jackson is legit and we all know it. I wouldnt call out other feds, but I seem to be the exception to the rule on this, so Ill stop commenting on that. Dane vs Jackson will be a banger.

 

[illadelphia]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

Rundown: Enjoyed the signs, although don’t know how many folks will enjoy the real wrestling bleeding into our hobby, but they’re signs - who cares. Liked how we started from the ME and went from the top down this time. Thought that was a good way to feed into the first match.

Hunter vs. ETJ: Shame that Greg disappeared and left Murr to be a single mother on this one. Some good spots, some silly stuff. So it was basically a typical Jack Hunter match but this one felt/read better than others. Maybe because it was a PPV? Either way, good work Murr on pulling this off one handed.

Van Carver vs. Henry Keyes: What was that about one handed men? I wish Ben was a little more existent in this feud, but it is what it is. Not everyone can have a workrate like I do, I understand that. Wanted to tell a bit of a story here, show some inexperience that Van needs to work on, and bleed in manager spots to showcase Van actually getting better as a wrestler as he progresses. Huge thanks to Evan for going along with this, I think it’s a lot of fun. Next arc is going to be great.

Flow: Impulse reporting live from the concourse, as he continues to do whatever is asked for him I suppose. Would like to see an Uncut segment on how this came about. Like Lance Warner needs a bathroom break and Impulse steps in for him, something like that. Would make me smile. Also the “Docta Jones” line - I called the woman “Short Round” this weekend and said that line to her. She had NO idea what I was talking about. Perfect.

Horry vs. Mushi: I hope DEFIANCE has a good insurance package and isn’t on the Obamacare bullshit, otherwise we’re gonna have to find a new timekeeper and cameraman, state. Holly hell what a brutal match. This is the kind of match I’ve come to expect out of DEFIANCE just a big moment after big moment spot fest, with history stitched through. Don’t know what’s coming next for either man, but holy shit - this got both guys over in a BIG TIME way. This match delivered.

LAR vs. Penn: The Penn intro was heel as shit and got me hooked into this program with Impulse right away, well done. Strong match, strong program with Impulse and Penn about to start. Good work.

Hollywood Bruvs Segment: Classic for these two were by far the best part of the fading Dynasty at the end of the UTAH run. They work so well together. Their characters are so brash. Everything really worked here. Knowing what I know for down the road, I’m very excited.

Walker/Omega: Holy shit. Felt like I was watching an ECW PPV the way this one went. Lots of spots. Lots of HOLY SHIT moments. Good match, although sometimes a little too hardcore for me. The biting and the blood, made ME gag at times, let alone Marky Mark Shields.

Tag Team: PCPs open this strong, although not a fan of the Scott Hall point line. R. City out next and they do a good job. The Muscle Bros are classic. ACX is classic. Great tag team hype segment here. Great idea for all those involved. Liked this to break things up a bit.

Mikey/Sharp: Lots to build off here going forward. Really like the You Can’t Wrestle chants. I liked the psychology on display in this one. A bit short for the PPV if I’m being honest, but I’m fine with that.

Girl Character/Jeff Hardy: “I’m Just a Girl” into blowing kisses into the crowd is about as #GirlCharacter as one can get. Just sayin. Think this match could benefit some from what Murr said on radio about doing more than just writing the names of the move. I have no idea what the Driver that Harmony used at the end is, could’ve been better sold. As could a large amount of these moves. Just something that caught my eye.

Legacy: I recommend this segment to anyone who likes getting boners from segments cause that’s what I had. Probably, and this is 100% honest, the best straight PROMO I’ve seen Murr cut. I felt like I was watching a late 80s/early 90s wrestling show. I THINK that was what he was going for and boy did it hit.

Murray Brothers/BAWSDEAN: Loved the little nod in Dane’s entrance.A great match, that while long really had a big PPV feeling - obviously. The psychology in this one was off the charts. My only complaint really is the length and on a DEFIANCE PPV I don’t even think that’s an issue.

Six Man Tagger: Holy shit, this was no easy task to write. Tons of tons of action and a great story weaved throughout. I recently came to find out how hard a Six Person Tagger is to write. Hats off on this one. Very effective storytelling. Dig it.

Honor: Liked this segment, showed us a different side of Eric Dane. Something is afoot, perhaps?

Warchamber: Exhale, everyone take a smoke break after this one. Epic intro from Box. The selling of the Warchamber we on point. The Boxer fan in me just wanted to see him destroy Troy but this was obviously much better. Months of built up, a worthy pay off, brutal match. After the match beat down really turned this one around for me, honestly. Had some questions over Troy’s concealment of the weapons and what it would mean going forward but they all pretty much got answered with the post match stuff.

New Day: Good promo from Dan Ryan heading into this match with Eugene. Shame this one didn’t have a little more behind it. Not thinking that Dewey wins AT ALL.

FIST: Good match, showed more shine for Eugene than I thought he needed even. Solid ending, LT refusing the medical to charge Ryan, such a HARDOOOO move. I like heading down the road to DEFCON with these two seething at one another.

OVERALL: Good show, so long. Pretty awesome.

 

[MikeyUnlikely]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

DEF ROAD BEEFDAX: KILLIN IT MODE.

The RundownThe Signs! I don't care how many signs you put up, I love em. This was fantastic. Touched on every match and every feud without going on too long. Angus is amazing and is the centerpiece to DEFIANCE. I fucking love the rundowns. What a fucking stacked card. Everyone has done a great job upto this point getting things hyped and I for one am excited for almost every match here! Thats rare! We’ve got something special on our hands right now folks.

Jack Hunter vs El Trebol Jr.
Angus’s disdain for Hunter (as well as 75% of the roster) is so much fun. He was written well in this intro. DDK completely tries to sell validity in every Hunter action, it's quite entertaining. This match was perfect for me. Tons of spelling errors/autocorrects but I think that was on purpose? Maybe? Jack getting the win is awesome. If Greg were here this would have never went down this way, but my dude has vanished and Hunter gets the rub!Skittles spot was awesome and so was the butt punch ala Beef Wellington! #100000000-0 #TheNewStreak


Van Carver vs Henry Keyes
Carver wasting no time getting to the ring, He has Jane Katze with him and he’s ready to go. This one erupts into a straight out brawl at the bell before becoming a pretty good wrestling match. Love the working of the left arm by VC. Vicious match. Makes me believe in Henry Keyes more as I didnt know he was a brawler type or could go in that environment. Love the finish, VC should def get the win here. Great stuff.


Flow
I am enjoying the Impulse/Cali rose segments to break up the show, they are fluid, well written and fun. Fan Interaction is def not done enough and if anyone can do it well its PETA. His touching on a few random matches feels real as he lets the fans “talk about what they want”. Good stuff, Cali being jacked for the next match and frustrated from the lines is great.

Mushi vs Sam Horry
I loved it! Great fighting, good wrestling, and some brawling all involved. Enjoyed that Mushi got frustrated about halfway through and started acting progressively heelish. No finish is a definite surprise but it's totally believable after that hellacious match. Loved the physicality and that one arm lifting bomb was sick. Still into it moving forward.
LAR vs Curtis Penn
OOOOOOOOOOOOH The intro for this is LIT! Impulse and Curtis Penn exchanging words. Penn is an awesome heel, and he really goes all out in this little segment before the match. Dropping Cunt was a beautiful “Oh shit” moment. Terrific heel work in the beginning asking about the arm brace as well. They keep referring back to LAR training with Andy Murray playing the rookie card, that's good stuff. Feet on the ropes, Penn is a real shit stirrer! The action goes outside without missing a beat, this match is pretty solid all around! Taking off the arm brace of LAR, now Penn looks to deal real damage. The ending is phenomenal. This match was stellar all the way around, great job guys. Enjoyed Impulse playing a large role in the post match antics.

Here’s Looking At You, Kid!
Wrote this with Steven. Hope you enjoyed.

Omega vs Ty Walker
Been waiting on this one…. OOOOOOH a change to the match. Anything Goes! I would have preferred to see this happen on Uncut or a seg earlier in the night with Kelly Evans. Either way I'm excited about the change. Playing Natural Born Killaz during the match is legit af. Love it but don't overdo it. James approached me prematch to just bounce some ideas off me, and the golf set being Mikey's came up. Ty being the G he is just jacks Mikey's golf bag for his own use. LOVE IT. This match started off as a bal of fire for Ty Walker with some DEVASTATING shovel shots before taking down Omega. Perfect use of the commentary team here as well. Great balance. What a brutal match, no other way to put it. I want this match writer for Mikey matches! Holy shit! Loved it. Didnt see Ty winning so that was a nice surprise. Great great match. So far tonight its my MOTN but take that for what it is, as we're only halfway through the card.

A Gift To The WorldPCP is absolutely fantastic. Everything in the entrance is amazing. Klein being too nervous to come through the curtain, “You’re Welcome”, The Angus commentary, all the way to “Seriously can you?... I’ll fire my stylist!” UHMAYZING! These are the ultimate spin guys. Doing the same tactics that Kendrix and Mikey pulled earlier in the night, turning the fans cries against them. Then The reveal….. MIKEY UNLIKELY STATUE! WOOOOOOOOOOOO! This was all Tom and Billy. I had nothing to do with this seg at all, and its brilliant. Love the interruption from Rain City Ronin, these guys are growing on me with every show, and are a brilliant team to pair with PCP considering they are POLAR opposites. HAHAHAHAHAH When RCR asks if its all for publicity and both are not paying attention and are making sure they look good! HAHAHAHAHA Legit LOL. After the interruption there are a few more. Here comes SMB and ACX. This is about to be a 4 way weirdo war! Love Angus’ line about “Saw you eating with DQ and a referee” lmao. Amazing ending, I almost thought this was going on too long, but I never lost interest. Splendid segment gentlemen.

Mikey Unlikely vs Andy Sharp
Seth wrote 90% of this. I wrote 9% and Tom wrote 1%! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Hope you enjoyed!


Inevitable
This was a banger as well. Impulse counting himself lucky that he hasn't run into Eric…. Oh shit there he is! Dane has a message to send, As long as Impulse is doing what he was brought here to do and wrestle and entertain, there won't be problems. But keep in mind DANE IS DA BAWS. good world building stuff.

Harmony vs Jake Donovan: SOHER
For as fast as this match was thrown together I thought it came out pretty good! The roles were clearly defined, The wrestling was pretty good, and the story they have been telling continues. Harmony finally gives Donovan the match he deserved, and while she got the win, I think Donovan def proved he belongs in this division. Good stuff all around. Thought it could have been fleshed out more but that's a timing thing again. I thought the commentary was on point however. Nice retention for Harmony.

Legacy
Holy Fuck! WOW! Straight fire from the Murrays. They have had enough and they are focused. No need to look over their shoulders tonight, they get what they want. Andy Murray going of on Eric Dane in the beginning was awesome. The dime a dozen and buying and selling comments all hit the mark with me. Not making a comparison based on anything other than attitude but this felt so much like a Terry Funk promo. “This is whats real, and this is whats fake. You did this… now tonight you have to pay up….” AWESOME! Cayle comin in on Bobby was good and bad for me. On one hand they felt united and they each had their bit to say. On the other hand this whole thing started with Cayle and Dane, so you would think that Cayle would be on the attack on the man who has been attacking him for MONTHS now between two promotions. In no way did this kill this segment, just what struck me. This was fire from beginning to end and was a great way to show that two babyfaces can be stoic and ready to go.


The Murrrphisto Twins vs Eric Dean
This was incredible. All week Murrr has been telling me his match is going to be 10 trillion pages. I am someone who sometimes has a hard time keeping focus long enough to finish a 7-20k match. This was perfect. Yea it went a lot of pages, but the perfect blend of commentary, quick action broken up nicely, makes it feel completely fluid. This was a very fun read, every wrestler had a distinct wrestling style, Bobby being bullied and and showing skill in the ring. The back and forth FIGHTING between both teams was both believable and entertaining. I was on the edge of my seat at times. I never got bored, and I was fully invested. 5 star match. Enjoyed the Sean Jackson role as a hype to their upcoming match as well. My only gripe is something I stated in the last. Once again going into the match I thought it painted more of a Andy vs Dane mentality then Bayley vs Dane? AMIRITE? I think that was turned around a bit at the end of the match. During the comeback when Cayle got a lot of the “Beaten but not Broken” moments, but overall this was one fucking hell of a match. Loved it. Great job bae.

DEFCON spot
Nice quick promo to break up the action. I enjoyed this, and am hyped for the biggest show errrrrrvrrrrrrrrr.

Six man HOSSFITE!!!!!!!
This match was everything you would expect from these guys. It was brutal and bruising. I love SMB. Everytime they stop to pose just to prove their physical superiority I die. Keeling being the ever dirty bastard he is cant stay out of this one but actually gets neutralized for once! Great match, great showing. Not sure who wrote this but it came out well. Loved the addition of the scramble rules, you usually see that in a high flyers match not a brawl. NATAS WON A MATCH!!!!! (kinda).

No Man Of Honor
Eric Dane approaches the Murrays after their match to ask a favor? I think this was well written and the point was definitely to accentuate the differences between the Murray boys and Dane. The Murrays should def be on guard and I loved the off the cuff stuff from Cayle. He’s fired up and pissed, You want to see that from the face once in awhile. I don't like Dane coming in and asking for a favor tho.. That doesn't seem legit to me. I get why it was done, but that part of it isn't for me. Dane is conniving and dirty, but to approach your blood feud and be like “back off while i do my thing”... not buying it.

WARCHAMBAAAAAA
The introduction of the cage was very dramatic. Doing Boxes entrance before lowering it at all, was gold. This is his baby, let him introduce it. Loved the intros, Even Troy's was all business here. The addition of the nickname was a nice touch lol. This was a very very good match. Brutal bloody and interesting. The throwing stars caught me off guard, i'm not a fan of that, but that's personal preference. Troy has one of the most believable and appropriate movesets ever. Commentary was spectacular and broken up well. I love it. Box is vicious but I think Troy gained more from this match than Box lost so to speak. Then the big turn from Dan Ryan. Great stuff, leads right into the next segment.

A New Day!
Dan Ryan is fucking pissed. He’s the FIST of DEFIANCE and now that there is a new number one contender he is making sure that “contender” knows what they are up against. He doesnt care if its Mushi, Mikey, or Lindsay! All are fair game now. Ryan is obviously heel turning and I fucking love it. Good stuff here. Im buying this.

FIST OF DEFIANCE
This is going to have a hard time following that last match but here we go! Loved the “missing” Eugene coming from the crowd, that makes a lot of sense with all the silence, that he sneaks up on his opponent. Dewey begins with a hell of an onslaught. The outside brawling was fun too. Early miss on the SHORYUKEN. I dont know if it was done on purpose but this trully feels like Dewey came in focused on one thing, then shortly when his first barrage of OFFENSE didnt work, now its like he’s instantly a frustrated heel again. Was a little odd, but on paper it makes sense, so im rolling with it. I would be frustrated too if I lost my title and got kicked off tv. Fantastic Finish. However I will say that 2-3 Humility Bombs doesnt have the same impact on Eugune Dewey as it does on Impulse. DDK Saying “this is unnneccesary” itn’t believable to me. If im facing a guy who held the Fist for as long as Dewey did, I would take him down with every breath I had before I pinned him. I would give him my finisher over and over because obviously thats what it takes. OTHERWISE the overkill was fine, the final move which I wasnt familiar with was good way to “too far” but not the Humility bombs IMO. Fantastic main, great way to shift the focus to Troy vs Ryan in the future. SPLENDID all around.

 

[User Poets]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

Flow: Impulse reporting live from the concourse, as he continues to do whatever is asked for him I suppose. Would like to see an Uncut segment on how this came about.

Uncut #4 - "Natural Habitat" for all your "How we got here" needs, sir.

The Rundown

Does its job, gives us the matches in the usual entertaining fashion. I wrote the Pulse/Cally cameo, and think it would be a hoot if Cally replaced Keebler at the desk one night. Angus might not make it.

The Sillyman vs. The Cactusman

Props for the 'piss break' comment to open. It really was ridiculous, though - the kind of match that typically shows up between two really hot matches. But it was appropriately ridiculous and very entertaining to read. And yes, Jack Hunter wins his debut PPV match with Defiance.

Henry Keyes vs. Van Carver

Agree with Murrr that there should've been something - Clash graphic, etc - to break this match up from the one before, even a three line cut to Keebs and Angus. But that has nothing to do with this match itself.

Structurally, it was fine - but the emotion fell flat to me. I think a little more feeling in the announcers would've sold the action more to me. Show, don't tell, as the story goes. But the right guy won, that's the takeaway.

Flow

I wrote.

Horry vs. Mushi

Awesome match. With the draw, I doubt the feud is over, but it was just brutal all the way through. Moral victory to Sam Horry for lasting; he took most of the abuse and kept on coming. Looking forward to the escalation in the next arc.

Curtis Penn vs. LAR

I wrote the pre and post, and Jonno wrote a hell of a match.

Here's Looking at You, Kid

The Hollywood Bruvs are so easy to hate. They'd team well with Curtis Penn. But it gets the point across: they're arrogant douchebags who have lots of bones to pick, particularly with Andy Sharp (still selling the PPV in the midst! Nice!).

Omega vs. MUHBOYTAI

Brutal, simply brutal. Fully expecting to see Omega dominate, as dominating monsters are wont to do, but taking a hard fought loss and getting your heat back after the match ended is just as good - and even better in a way since it gives a feel good moment when the babyface goes over. Really felt this match all the way through.

A Gift to the World

Loved the self-referential dig at the paparazzi that the PCP paid for themselves. Also loved the way they ignore the boos and treat them like cheers. It's the little touches. Wasting PPV time with getting set up with a bronze statue of Mikey Unlikely is awesome heel heat. And now, the RCR are Angus' new favorites. Of course, this draws out the SMB, which draws out the ACX. I felt like this was a bit long in the tooth for a mid-PPV promo, but I very much enjoyed the highlight on the tag team division.

Mikey Unlikely vs. Andy Sharp

Bit of a long winded recap by Keebs - after the monster tag team segment I get moving to the next match but with all he said, a video recap - or the breakdown interrupted by Angus might've flowed better. Regardless, Mikey's overly elaborate entrance is the stuff of legend, and flowed perfectly into the uber beatdown that Andy Sharp gave him through the entire first part of the match. Again, as has been the case with Mikey every time, the little details sell the story, like the bribery attempt with MikeyMoney, the "He can't sports entertain!" rebuttal, etc. Great callback with the interference at the end of the match. These guys need a cage next time. It wasn't the theater of the absurd that the sillyman vs. the Cactus was at the start of the show but it's my pick so far for most entertaining match of the night.

Inevitable.

I wrote. Spoiler alert: Dane's entrance was inspired by Negan's.

SoHER

Need to echo a sentiment that hit the chatroom the other day, "Just a Girl" doesn't seem to fit Harmony as well - particuarly with her 'gimmick' being listed as "Act like a lady, work like a boss.' May I suggest the following:

Maybe I'm off, but reading Harmony's segments and matches it seems to fit. Anyways, a fallen hero vs. a favorite is always a good story. What's nice is the subtext beyond the match itself - Harmony is a woman in a man's world and the hard hits right off the bat were her way of showing that she belongs. Not sure if that was intentional but either way, it was a nice little touch. Exciting match, and a well earned victory.

Legacy

The comparison between Andy and Cayle, the legend and the journeyman, is a thing of beauty.

The Murrrrrrrrays vs. Eric Dean

This is not meant to diminish anyone else on this show, but there was more psychology in the first few minutes of this match than anywhere else on the card. I love the head games that Dane plays, both with the Murrays and with his partner. Bobby not wanting to lock up for drastically different reasons was perfect. The back and forth and the build to the finish with the sudden (but not surprising) interference was flawless. Talking about what I liked about this match would probably be just a copy/paste job of the entire thing, so I'll leave it there. Match of the night.

The Biggest Night in Defiance history

Nice recap/promo for DEFCON. I'm psyched.

Team Hoss vs. Dusty Dylan Natas

Angus' love for the HAWWSFIGHT is glorious. Great clusterfucky action with six men in the ring. Not 100% sold on the finish - this makes both of the "big, unkillable monsters" taking the pinfall tonight in Omega and Angel Trinidad. I know this was something of a catharsis for Dusty chasing Angel all last year - and a pin in a six man is perfect to push for one more one on one match; perhaps Omega should've won vs. Tyrone. But again, that's just personal interpretation, the match taken on its own took me on a very enjoyable ride.

No Man of Honor

Cayle finally snaps. Cally recommends yoga.

The Warchamber

Bronson's pre-match promo set the stage perfectly. I keep using that word, but that's what this show really has been. Just like this match - it was less a match and more a street mugging gone terribly wrong. Nothing fancy, just a spike and a ninja and a lot of blood. I've still got my picks for the most entertaining match and best match locked in, but this one is the most memorable. Even before the post - match shenanigans that led into the piss break match - I'm sorry, the main event.

It's a new day, yes it is

Have to agree with some prior comments - it was a little odd to see the beatdown post-Warchamber, then see Dan Ryan go backstage for an interview. I think it would've worked better for Ryan to grab a microphone at ringside and give his reasons as an angry rant instead of a question and answer moment with Lance Warner - then made the Faithful sit through his entrance music while he's already in the ring.

Dan Ryan Fists Eugene Dewey

Solid match, but with Dewey's absence from the booking, it took a little bit of the "Who's gonna win?" out of it for me, plus the constant boos - a heel program can be a hard sell when the fans don't have anyone they really want to get behind. Nicely done at the finish to bring Lindsay Troy back out - THERE are the cheers.

Overall

Aces up to everyone. The things that I found wrong or lacking or could've been done better were so minor that they didn't affect my enjoyment at all. What the main event lacked in suspense for me was more than made up with the Lindsay Troy/Dan Ryan confrontations that came to a head in the WARCHAMBER and set us up for the next arc. That's the most important thing about any blowoff - what happens next. And everyone wrote that 'next' perfectly.

<3

 

[Seth]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

I’ve completely fucked off on the feedback and given this was a fucking great show all-round, I’m going to probably be one of the more positive posters of shit. So here we go:

The Rundown: Funny as ever and as it’s touched on, I never minded the real-life wrestling allusions. In fact, I had a character named Sonny Silver that did them all the time because I’m an asshole who likes to make myself laugh. But to the show because that’s what we’re here to talk about. This was good stuff as always and I’m pumped reading these. More feds should really incorporate this sort of thing.

ETJ VS. JACK HUNTER: Holy shit, this was hilarious. Murrr, sorry to hear about the circumstances of your feud partner having to bail, but for what it’s worth, I think this came out awesome. Angus gets under DDK’s skin on the regular, so it was fun to see Keebler overselling to make Angus uncomfortable. The Skittles spot was amazing and a fun PPV win for Jack Hunter! #THENEWNEWSTREAK

This was a fun way to start the show.

CARVER/KEYES: This has been an intriguing feud built on a wacky premise, but that doesn’t make it any less good (I’m a dork who loves unconventional things being the basis of a feud.) But great win for Van Carver. This one was a great brawl and I loved the story of Carver weathering Keyes’ offense including two bell claps and the injured arm Van Carver as a JKA member is fucking awesome. I’m looking forward to where they both go from here.

FLOW: Totally dig Impulse and Calico Rose only a few shows in. They’re coming off like total nicey-nice babyfaces but not cloying in any way. Fun use of Impulse though he isn’t officially wrestling, this kind of thing was fun to see where you might see it on a real wrestling show, which is ALWAYS my jam.

HORRY/MUSHI: While the build-up has been a little bit under the radar (not always a bad thing), all the callbacks over the arc due to the history of the two made this feel like the first big-fight of what will be many on the show. BRUTAL match and I’m okay with the draw, personally. A bigger match to follow at what I can assume may either be Clash of the DEFIANTS or at DEFCON1. Either way, this was a goddamn physical and fun match. Looking forward to more.

LAR/PENN: Oh, man, everything about this was perfect. Penn was always a great cunt as always and him calling Cally a cunt was a pretty big dickhead move on this show. The story of face rookie vs experienced dickhead heel is always a fun one when done right and this may be among the best matches of that type I’ve ever seen. I didn’t come into this match knowing a whole lot about Robertson, but now consider me a fan. This was fantastic from start to finish, not a bad thing to say here and probably my favorite match to this point. That being said, we’ve still got a lot of PPV left.

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU KID!: Great line:

GetTheFuckOut clap clap clapclapclap GetTheFuckOut clap clap clapclapclap.

Unlikely rolls his eyes.

Mikey Unlikely:
You guys! Calm down. Lance is doing his best up here! You can’t put him down like that!

Normally, as a rule, I don’t like the in-rings on a PPV. But I’m going to give it a pass because Unlikely is fucking awesome and this was a great promo by both he and Kendrix. These guys are spectacular dickbags and it’s amazing.

OMEGA/WALKER: I’m sorry to see that Ed had to leave as Omega is a fucking amazing character, but GODDAMN this was violent and felt different from everybody else in the show. I’m kind of shocked by the ending, given I’d think we’d be writing out Omega in some way. Regardless, this was damn entertaining. And after these matches, I’m deathly afraid of cheese graters.

A GIFT TO THE WORLD: Reading this back, this did go on a bit too long, especially for a PPV showing. However, there were some great thing (ie, anything PCP did, who are fucking awesome) and Rain City Ronin who just a couple shows in, have been fun as hell. The ACX had a great line or two and I’m fucking giddy at how awesome our tag team scene is going to be.

SHARP/UNLIKELY: Me and Mikey writed dis. I will say I LOVED all the buildup to Mikey accepting the PCPs. Him with his Hollywood posse is like the best thing ever. The Supreme Actors Guild. That stable name is free by the way… because it sucks.

INEVITABLE: Interesting meeting of the minds. Not sure if this was more for time-killing or anything, but Dane/Impulse is intriguing to me. Totally enjoyed this as a world-building segment.

SOHER CHAMPIONSHIP: This was a fun match considering I understand Tracey knocked it out on short notice. That having been said, I hated that the opening started with some arm drags and headlocks and things. This probably should’ve been started more aggressively than it did considering Donovan has laid her out on two consecutive occasions in the build-up. Despite the opening, this was a good match and another good defense for Harmony, who I really like as the undersized (by default) but resourceful champion.

LEGACY: This was fucking dope babyface fire 101. The Murray Brothers/Dane feud has been absolutely one of my favorites from the last arc (which people would know if I didn’t slack on feedback like an asshole). GREAT way to get the feud over in one-last build before we get to the match.

MURR/DANE AND DEAN: HOLY FUCK. FIVE STARS. The psychology, the characters, just everything about this was on fucking point and kudos to Justin and Murrr for making this feud as fucking great as it was. Fucking amazing match and I’m looking forward to seeing Dane murder Sean Jackson. The right team won here, but I definitely would like to see a singles match between Cayle and Dane at some point.

THE BIGGEST NIGHT IN DEFIANCE HISTORY: James asked me how this came across and I think it was a great way to really sell DEFCON. Good break, of course, but did a great job recapping the history of DEFIANCE from where it was a few years back to how it has grown now.

TEAM HOSS/FDJ, DUSTY, NATAS: I wrote this. And for what I consider a kinda-sorta-but-not quite last minute effort (I did take the match a few days notice), I had a shitton of fun with it and thank you all for the feedback with both this and the Sharp/Unlikely matches here.

WARCHAMBER: Holy shit, this was a fucking massacre and made Omega/Ty look like a relaxing day at the spa by comparison. Bronson’s spike and Troy’s throwing stars were fucking insane but I loved every second of this. This was the PERFECT blow-off to one of more violent feuds that I can remember in DEFIANCE and not that she wasn’t already in terms of DEFIANCE, but Troy was a made character after this.

IT’S A NEW DAY, YES IT IS!: Well, that was booty of Dan Ryan. FUCKING shithead move to attack the #1 Contender after her already violent match, but a GREAT FUCKING shithead move to attack FAMILY after her already violent match. The pacing of this was all a little bit odd when I read it back, but they pulled this all off awesomely. Dan has a belt, he’s gonna do anything to win. Simple and awesome enough.

FIST CHAMPIONSHIP: Sad that Damien has disappeared, but for what it’s worth, this was a great match regardless. A bit of the short end, but =the psychology of Eugene attacking him and trying to go for the win as quick as possible was a pretty great approach coming off the WARCHAMBER match. Ryan defeats the longest-reigning FIST of DEFIANCE to keep the title and now, after MONTHS of the two going back and forth verbally (now physically), we’ve got the best build-up possible for the DEFCON main event and I cannot fucking wait.

 

[DBrunkGXW]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

The Rundown: Always a big fan of the rundowns. It was a staple of my shows when I did EPW and I think it's just the thing you have to do to make these shows feel more like real wrestling shows and not just technical descriptions.

ETJ VS. JACK HUNTER: Silly silly fun. I don't have a critique. It was just fun and a cool open.

CARVER/KEYES: Excellent arc debut for Carver. Keyes has some stroke so it's a good look. The match was well-written, too.

FLOW: Segments like these make the show feel more Wrestlemania-like. Story building stuff for the guys and gals who don't have a match. Everyone gets some build.

HORRY/MUSHI: Good "in a series" match. I like stories that build over a long period of time and am very against "this solves everything forever" type matches, so I like this.

LAR/PENN: Another good intro story for one of the new characters. Glad we had people here already willing to step up and put over some of the new characters. It really goes a long way in making the fed stronger in the long run.

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU KID!: If you know me, you know I love good heel work. Very entertaining.

OMEGA/WALKER: Didn't realize Ed was leaving I guess. Too bad. Nothing else to say. Right call, I guess.

A GIFT TO THE WORLD: Tag scene building!! Strawsma continues to stretch out the endurance of our readers, getting them used to his style. Strap in, people, because he's not gonna shorten this stuff. LOL. In time, you'll be glad he didn't. Always quality.

SHARP/UNLIKELY: A really good matchup of characters here I think. They play well off of each other.

INEVITABLE: This had to happen. World building. I know I'm repeating that phrase, but it's important. In fact, it's most important.

SOHER CHAMPIONSHIP: This match was okay, and it was turned in a week early!!

LEGACY: We need more babyface work like that.

MURR/DANE AND DEAN: All of these matches are so good, and it keeps building as the show progresses. This feels like the workrate match on a big wrestling show. So good.

THE BIGGEST NIGHT IN DEFIANCE HISTORY: Nice intermediary segment for the show. Rundown 2.0.

TEAM HOSS/FDJ, DUSTY, NATAS: Well done on this, Seth. I know you took this last minutes. I can fault nothing in this.

WARCHAMBER: Everything from here on out, I knew everything about, so my feedback will be a little different.

Evan and Lindsay planned and wrote this. With the teeny tiny exception of the ninja star, this was balls to the wall outstanding. The ninja star was retarded, in my opinion. I know Evan well enough to know he likes to go for moments that are either fucking amazing or just don't work. I don't think it worked. It was a little too over the top for me. BUT -- it doesn't bring the match down. It's just a preference. The match was outstanding.

EDIT: Lindsay has told me the ninja stars were her idea. Sorry Evan. Great job on the match.... until Lindsay ruined it. (kidding)

I added on the post-match stuff.

IT’S A NEW DAY, YES IT IS! & FIST CHAMPIONSHIP: I wrote all dis.

The stuff Damien is beaten to death. Everyone knows the score.

Answering some of the pacing critiques, I wanted to make DEFSec more than just window dressing that gets thrown around in segments. So, the point behind Dan Ryan leaving ringside after Warchamber was DEFSec coming out and running him off. He backed away to avoid trouble, and they made a human wall between Ryan and Troy. He left to get ready for his match. Lindsay Troy is down and out, being tended to by medics, and so is Box. The Main isn't gonna start right away, folks. So he left. Warner stopped him on his way out, then he walked away to center himself before his ring entrance.

Then, if you read the match...

Dewey was supposed to come out first. It's written into the opening that no one knows where he is, so Darren Quimbey discusses the situation with someone outside the ring. Some time passes and they make the call to bring Ryan out first.

Did I over-detail that and not make it obvious enough? Maybe. That's a fair critique. Maybe I tried to do too much. But that was the thinking behind it.

Other than that, thanks for the feedback for my stuff, and really, this was a great show that FELT like a big show. And we really got it out in a very timely fashion. This is a solid 8.5-9.0 out of ten, maybe even a little better.

 

[Evan H.]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

So glad so many people liked my entrance! IN YOUR FACE, JAMES!

 

[Mike Bell]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

The Show Open:
It definitely does the job. A nice feel that you would normally find during the WCW shows during the late 90's.
Jack Hunter vs El Trebol Jr:
Holy cow, wait? did I just say cow? Anyways, Jack Hunter gets the win in a very comical match. Does this mean Hunter is on another win streak?
Henry Keyes vs Van Carver:
A solid back and forth between Keyes and the monster Carver. He dished, just as he recieved and finally put Keyes down for the count.
Flow:
Impulse still getting comments from the fans. A nice touch.
Sam Horry vs Mushigihara:
Wow, what a match to take place between these two. Hard strikes, solid back and forth and through all the punishment, neither can answer the final ten count. The kind of match that has been known to shorten careers.
Curtis Penn vs Lamond Alexander Robertson:
Damn, Penn is a real ass and really ramps up the aggression against the newcomer LAR. You can see it from the beginning, LAR is fighting an uphill battle but shows the grit to come out victorious. The aftermatch activity shows that business if far from over between Penn and Impulse.
Here's Looking At You Kid:
Just what I expect to see from the Hollywood Bruvs. These guys are pure gold and the getting Lance Warner's name wrong is classic Bruvs.
Omega vs Tyrone Walker:
Jesus, match of the night candidate right there. A very brutal match, the kind of match that I hadn't seen from Ty Walker since the old CeWF days. If anyone can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, it's him.
A Gift To The World:
A segment that ran a tad long, but it served a purpose to promote the tag division.
Andy Sharp vs Mikey Unlikely:
Now THAT is an entrance of legendary proportions. Leave it to the Hollywood Bruvs to be THIS entertaining. After one helluva match, Mikey gets the win over Andy with a surprise helping hand from the PCP. Now THIS could be one helluva faction.
Inevitable:
Eric Dane, simply being Eric Dane. Leave it to the Only Star to not waste any time determining the pecking order when it comes to Defiance.
SOHER Title Match:
Harmony and Jake Donovan, a beautifully written match. It was written how you would figure an intergender match would be written. Another match of the night candidate as Harmony gets the win and shows why she is the Southern Heritage Champion.
Legacy:
I liked this segment, straight to the point. Andy and Cayle Murray telling it like it is, being the faces of the company, countering that which is Eric Dane.
Murray Brothers vs Eric Dane and Bobby Dean:
Another stellar match. Solid action that went back and forth the entire match. And yes, a little interference from Sean Jackson gives the Murray's the match, Bobby Dean a headache, and Eric Dane a temper tantrum.
The Biggest Night In Defiance History:
Awesome, awesome promotion of DEFCON. You've seen the past, now who will be the future?
Team Hoss vs Griffith, FDJ, and Natas:
Another well written match, with some satisfaction in Dusty getting a big win at the expense of Angel Trinidad.
No Man Of Honor:
A rather intense segment with the Murray Brothers and Eric Dane. For the first time, it is Cayle putting Dane in his place and not Andy. Can't fault Dane for asking, back in the day the Only Star would have no problem fighting on two fronts. But now it is a different story and he needs to focus on one enemy at a time.
Warchamber. Bronson Box vs Lindsay Troy:
On paper, you would think this belonged to Bronson Box. But in reality, Lindsay had the match of her life. A very brutal match, a blood-bath of epic proportions where she is able to get the win. Only to suffer an equally brutal after-match attack at the hands of Dan Ryan. Like all the other matches, an excellent read.
It's A New Day, Yes It Is:
Oh man, Dan Ryan has taken things to a whole new level. To attack the number one contender is one thing, but to attack the number one contender when she's your sister-in-law is something completely different. Big time heel move, big time.
Fist Of Defiance. Dan Ryan vs Eugene Dewey:
A strong match with history between the two. Eugene gives it his best shot, but comes up short. Then there's Lindsay Troy who comes out, but isn't enough to stop Eugene's defeat.
Overall:
A stellar pay per view from top to bottom. This is the kind of card that could make even the biggest critics a fan of Defiance. Great job.

 

[MikeyUnlikely]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

UNCUT 5: MOVING RIGHT ALONG

Beefdax

INTRO
I love Angus so much. <3 Quick intro, just meant to intro. Angus quickly recaps the easy from the PPV and says he knows the people want more…. I love the relationship he has with the DEF fans. Its very cult like/ Paul E. Dangerously.

HEADSTRONG
Natas vs Van Carver? I can get behind that! Nice little “nothing happened, but something is brewing” segment.

AFTERMATH
MUHBOITAI is fuuuuuuuucked up. Needs a doc, needs some meds. That brutal battle with Omega was one for the ages, and Ty is still feeling it. GET WELL SOON!

WINNING...
I wrote 6-700 words and left a shell of a segment for the boys with no notice and said “Hey throw some shit in here if you got time to...Tom, Steve, and Billy were CLUTCH! This is what came of it. These guys are awesome.

FACTS….
Harmony addresses the critics and rumors after her successful title defense at DEF ROAD. I thought this was very good. It answered some OOC questions without flaming anyone, and it gave us a SOFTER side of Harmony that I think we’re all clamoring for. Good stuff. FDJ and Harm huh?

FALLEN….
Angel Trinidad is foookin Pissed! He lost to Dusty but Keeling wants him to know its just a one off. That this isnt over, and come DEFCON Dusty will get his, by any means necessary. I loved this motivational speech with Thomas Keeling, I have only seen him get after the SMB not really motivate them, so it was nice to see the other side of the character.

Drunk 1
HAHAHAHAHA “Murrio Bros” and the Mario references are fucking awesome. GET IN THE BIN!!!!!! Impulse, Cally, FDJ, Natas, Dusty, and The Murrrio Bros all goin out on the town.

Drunk 2
KRISS KROSS!!!!! MINT SAUCE!!!!! CHRIS ROSS!!!!!! Cayle staying sober cause #DrinkingProbz and FDJ giving him shit over rhubarb pie (WHICH I LOVE!!!!) KKKRANG closing this bitch out.

Drunk 3
The party is over and Cally is sick…. Maybe….. Doesnt look good for the little lady. Either way Impulse gets her to a hospital and the other guys finish up their night. Good world building stuff. :Louisiana Building:

SUPERKICKS
The Murray Bros are enjoying food in the aptly named “Superkicks Buffet” when out of nowhere PCP show up. After quite the hilarious back and forth I think PCP left the Murrays VERY INTIMIDATED! What kind of rest...you know what.. .FALSE ADVERTISING

JUST SO WE’RE CLEAR
Contract Signing between Sean Jackson and Eric Dane for the Clash of the DEFIANTS title match for the REAL WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE. Sean Waits till Eric Dane signs the contract before intentionally attacking and trying to injure Eric Dane. good stuff. Nice heat on Uncut for sure.

 

[Murrr]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Intros gonna intro.

HEADSTRONG
Wrote this with Jason.

THE AFTERMATH
Nice little sympathy-building check-in on “my boy Ty” (shouts to Cally). Really sells the brutality of his match with Omega and puts him over as a tough, crazy bastard. I’m sure that’s exactly what James was going for here. It’s that puroresu-style selling: everything that Omega did to Ty hurt like a motherfucker, but he’s not gonna give Omega the satisfaction of seeing him suffer from it. Eventually, however, the adrenaline wears off and he’s gotta succumb. Good shit.

WINNING ISN’T EVERYTHING… IT’S THE ONLY THING!
I mean this is obviously hilarious. Love the idea of used “Sports Entertained” as a verb. Love Kendrix popping some grand orchestral music on his phone for no reason. Love Elise thanking herself. Love Mikey being a low-key asshole to the PCP by insinuating that they had absolutely nothing to do with him beating Sharp, then bailing on them. This little stable is coming together in a fun and pretty unorthodox way.

FACTS AND RUMOURS
This was really good. Huge improvement on previous Harmony talky-talk segments, in which she’s often come across as quite ruthless and abrupt. Gets off to a good start with the apology to Christie. Kinda liked how this touched-on and acknowledge the various OOC/feedback criticisms she’s had lately. She doesn’t quite take full ownership of her “harshness” towards Jake, but explaining it definitely helps. Thoroughly enjoyed this segment and looking forward to whatever weirdness comes from this Frank angle.

THE FALLEN ANGEL
Loved this. Loved, loved, loved it. Angel is fuckin’ PISSED at what went down at DEF ROAD, as he should be. The predictable/easy choice would’ve been to have Keeling successfully talk Angel down here, but nah… that backstage lackey is getting smashed. From this, I can tell that Angel and Dusty are gonna go hell bent for leather from the very first show this coming arc. Also like that Angel’s really become a man of few words now, which adds so much more to his mystique, especially when he’s surrounded by some of the mouthiest guys in DEFIANCE.

DRUNKBROS 1 through SUPERKICKS
I wrote these with various humans.

JUST SO WE’RE CLEAR
Glad this is going down in the Pleasure Dome because in-ring contract signings are one of my least favourite efed angles, ever. Kelly’s logic behind it makes perfect sense too. Like how Jackson goes right after DEFIANCE’s coddling of Dane because it’s technically true, and I also like Dane’s initial coolness to the whole situation -- that’s confidence. Solid finish with the power to the eyes and then the ambush, with some nice foreshadowing by Marshall Owens throughout.

 

[Evan H.]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

*slowly rests head on desk*

Can't believe I missed the deadline for Uncut. *sigh*

Go ahead, call me a slacker sack of shit.

 

[SenorJames]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

*slowly rests head on desk*

Can't believe I missed the deadline for Uncut. *sigh*

Go ahead, call me a slacker sack of shit.

Where's your feedback for DEFIANCE ROAD?

 

[SenorJames]

Re: DEFIANCE ROAD ARC DISCUSSION THREAD - UNCUT #4 IS LIVE. DEFIANCE ROAD IS NEXT!

DEFIANCE ROAD FEEDBACK

THE RUNDOWN - I write stuff occasionally, Pete also added some!

JACK HUNTER vs EL TREBOL JR - "Piss break match" DAMN YOU, Andy, your continued disrespect of the SUPERBEST will not be tolerated! DAMN YOU, SIR, DAMN YOU!... Plastic sword and Keebs actually selling this situation is hilarious... Angus' counterpointing commentary is fabulous as well... HEAD BUTT IN THE DICK!... BUTTPUNCH!... I'm not even gonna lie, I know this is the first match of the show, so hyperbole to the maximum and such, but this is my current MotN because of how hilarious it is. Keebs actually calling this match seriously in contract to Angus shitting all over it was the absolute perfect way to go. Hilarious will always win me over, hence why Jack Hunter is the SUPERBEST.

HENRY KEYES vs VAN CARVER - Structurally a good match, but it lacks a certain amount of flash and flair to go along with all of the meat and potatoes. It also read a little 'robotic' in terms of flow, like everything made sense from the stand point of Matchwriting 101. I'll chalk this up as you and Ben were basically oil and water as a pairing, it happens, not everyone works great together. Regardless, this was and still is a solid effort for your first paperview match, Jason, so it's all good as far as I am concerned.

FLOW - Loved this segment. I'd have probably liked it more if it weren't a former world champion doing a scrubs job. That said it does make sense based on what Pete is going for with Impulse just wanting a spot that he can work up from.

SAM HORRY vs MUSHIGIHARA - The Goldberg entrances were unnecessary given the low placement of this program, but that's just being nitpicky. The flow of the match is good and use of the commentators works very well. I like Keebs being used in that Mauro Ranallo like spot to add technical context to the action, while Angus is still his dickish sarcastic self at times and color on others. As far as Mushi playing the more dominant role (my own answer to Murr's feedback), it's because Mushi is considerably larger and stronger than Sam. So it makes sense to let the monster with fighting skills have some real domineering stretches. Plus as I'm reading this, Sam points out that "his crowd," I take it he means like sections of the DEFIANT Faithful that are into his MMA past are in his corner. Okay, I like the finish, but I agree with Murrr, it reads kinda movie-ish. Maybe if it had been with both on their feet where there was some kind of exchange (lots of ducking and dodging) that lead to Sam hitting the roundhouse from one side, and Mushi hitting the devastating palm from the other and they somehow connect. Overall a good job, this was easily the best part of this entire program.

CURTIS PENN vs L.A.R. - WOOOOOOOOOOOW, Curtis Penn going in HARRRRRRD on Cally. Like, the bit about stripping because that's all she's really good for was reaching Eric Dane level dick-ness. Good, good job. The match itself was nice and compact with a story as old as wrestling has been a work, pick a body part and work it. Good heel work from Penn and this basically completes a total bust of an arc after dominating for months and months on end as the King of the SOHER. LAR gets a really nice and clean win over an established name on a PPV event. Nifty little post match stuff as well. All in all a successful night for everyone involved.

HERES LOOKING AT YOU KID - Right off the top I love that the Faithful are chanting for Mikey to get out. Just more obnoxious heel fuckery going on here, I totally dig it. I also look forward to the Bruvs as a tag team and as players on various levels individually.

TYRONE WALKER vs OMEGA - Mine. So the deal is that Omega was supposed to win, but Ed's been buried by real life and won't be around for a spell, so I changed it up some. Looking back at it, I forgot to write Ty's Casey Jones mask getting ripped off, tossed or used in some way, etc. Anyway, this won't likely be the last we see of these down the road at some point. Plus, Ed is always welcome back to DEFIANCE whenever he wants.

A GIFT TO THE WORLD - A match sized segment, co-written by six people. Wasn't the initial plan for this spot, but I hope it helps get the tag scene up and running. Thanks to Ford, Billy, Straw, Evan and Seth for all the help in getting this done.

MIKEY UNLIKELY vs ANDY SHARP - Just getting to this match and I'm around halfway through the show. Right off the bat I like the use of the heel schtick where Mikey ducks between the ropes and slides in and out of the ring to delay. Little details like this, folks... Good transition to the switch where the heel takes over, Sharp being all daredevilish until the water runs out of the pool... Also dig these random Mikey Unlikely / Hollywood Bruvs signs that get called out in the description... I'm really liking all of the heel play, Mikey distracting while Kendrix works Sharp over. Mikey breaking up the babyface rally with more stalling tactics. And the REF PULL SPOT by the heel, haven't seen that done in efeds. This is good stuff... PCP run in is solid... Might have liked an actual finish for Mikey instead of three chair shots, but that's nitpicky on my part... My favorite non-SUPERBEST match of the show so far, good job.

INEVITABLE - INTRIGUE! Nifty little segment, I can see why Justin didn't need to do more than sign off on the final product. Good job, Pete.

SOHER TITLE MATCH - Structurally a solid match with the right ebb and flow between heel and face transitions, with a couple nifty lines of commentary (Angus talking about pulling out hits my juvenile humor button as you know very well). It does feel rushed a bit and could have used a little more (not much, but just a little more), which is fine, you did it last minute... Which is not fine. Still, you powered through and got the work done, which is appreciated. I would have liked to seen what you could do had you given yourself more time (with or without your partner's assistance).

LEGACY - Some good old fashioned FIRE. Outstanding tandem promo here, Andy.

DANE & BOBBY vs MURRAY BROTHERS - Like that Andy practices what he preaches here about commentary, using it effectively to remind people of past instances without beating you over the head with it... Small tease of Dane vs Big Murr is nice with the classic heel touch of not going back for seconds early on as he tags out to Bobby, good psychology work there... As is the continued stalling to get back in the ring by Dane and the sneak attack on Cayle... HAHAHA @ Bobby taking a time out to eat a hotdog... Nice hot tag sequence here for Cayle... Dunno what Andy's deal with writing the Ricky Morton (babyface in peril) spot, he did it quite well IMO... Dig the change up of having the hot tag be a false tag that allows Cayle to get the pin here... Overall, really outstanding match from start to finish, well done, Andy.

DEFCON - Glad it went over well, it was totally last minute as I was wrapping the show up.

TEAM HOSS vs DUSTY, FDJ & NATAS - Yep, this starts exactly how it should. No slow build or simmering anticipation, just rush and attack from the word go... Other than typos, this was fucking fun to read from start to finish. So much so, I didn't even bother to stop to take notes. Glorious work, Seth. I can't tell you all how much I look forward to DEFCON after this match and the one Andy wrote.

NO MAN OF HONOR - There is one reason that I love this spot. Cayle finally speaks UP with some goddamned authority. Love it.

THE WARCHAMBER - Okay, for the record, I had NO ISSUE with using Bowie or any other song (same goes for mom with LT), I was just saying... WHY? Boxer and "God's Gonna Cut You Down" are basically married at this point, they go together so well... That said, loved the entire presentation of the cage and, of course, Boxer cutting a promo like only he does, great, great start... Seriously, I can't not read a big match with Troy and not listen to Zepplin, the song just works for the character, I can't help it... Alrighty, this was fantastically brutal from start to finish, it was basically a DOC match in a glorified cage match with weapons. Fucking Ninja Stars, hah! The only thing missing, IMO and this is totally my matchwriting nerdness speaking, was a brief run of hate fueled offense by Boxer after the Shuriken attack. Troy weathers that last gasp and then just fucking finishes him, like Boxer's just got nothing left and he knows it. MY SAYING THIS DOES NOT MEAN I DO NOT THINK THIS MATCH WORKS THOUGH! Once again, my completely nitpicky matchwriting nerdery is coming out, because I actually wanted MOAR of a good thing.

ITS A NEW DAY... YES IT IS - This and the Dan Ryan run in at the end of the Warchamber. #ShitDunGotReelYo. Another sharp promo by Brunk, always managing to kill it.

THE FIST OF DEFIANCE - FINALLY, the fucking end of this long, but outstanding show... Another match where I didn't bother to stop and take notes, it had me locked in once I started reading. Good pacing and overall flow that built up to the finish of the match. I might have had Ryan hit the Headliner and get the three count, and then had Lindsay Troy come out after the bell when Ryan goes for some extra credit damage, but that's just my being nitpicky and thinking up alternate ways to do things. Overall, a solid cap put on this immense effort by everyone for the show, well done.