HEADSHOT 01-03, RELOADED 16 Done!

[jediPREZ]

A new concept.

http://nfw.e-wrestling.org/content.php?p=results&id=177

READ. ENJOY. DISCUSS. PENETRATE.

 

[Rook Black]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

Nooooooooooooooooo!

this is an outrage!

I have to change my avatar now.

fuck this place! I'm going to jolt!

I hope the smartbelt is as fun as I thought it might be.

nice work new best friend! congrats!

 

[brusch]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!



More thoughts to come later. First, .

 

[jediPREZ]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

02 and 03 will go up tonight.

 

[User Poets]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

Can I remind everyone, real quick, that "thou" means "you"?

 

[jediPREZ]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

HEADSHOT 02 has been added.

03 will launch tomorrow night!

 

[Legion]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

Both instalments of Headshot have been fun to read- interesting twist regarding the tag title match in the second one (which makes sense considering the events of headshot 1.)

 

[Rook Black]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

Haha. Whee. I'm such a jerk.

 

[jediPREZ]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

And HEADSHOT 03 goes LIVE.

RELOADED 16 completed. RELOADED 17 on the turn two. Thanks to everyone that pitched in!

 

[LQJT86C]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

I'll leave more detailed feedback later, but I like this new concept. I think presenting the "meal" in three courses instead of one huge plate might do better to hold people over from card to card. There are some kinks that need to be worked out, namely the pacing and how it's all presented. But I think that's actually a matter of design, and maybe the new website could help with that. For example, it'd be cool to see clear demarkation between Headshots 1, 2, and 3, like sub-bullets or something. Or maybe something more creative that lets you know, "Headshot 2 is coming" other than the intros that were used. I'm sure this will be improved over time, but it looked a little sloppy on this first run-through.

The thing I liked most about this card was that it progressed the storyline for each major character in the league, and accelerated some of the people who were probably due for a push. LOVE the Triple Crown title change. I'm a huge fan of Ocho, and in all honesty, the Rook Sammartino reign was getting dull. I like that somebody who is new to NFW has a belt, and I can't wait to see the feuds that come of that change.

More thoughts later...

 

[brusch]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

More in-depth thoughts than smiley faces:

- Thrilled and a bit honored to get the Triple Crown Championship off of Rook. I have a lot (a lot a lot) of respect for Pants and think he's a fantastic handler, and to have the character who ended his 5ish year reign is just a huge rub. Love the concept of the smart-belt, love the potential opportunities for future feuds, love that this storyline (which has basically been running since the very beginning of the Grand Prix and started up right when Spooky Doom [lol] was ousted) got to see its way through. Happy feelings and thoughts.

- On the one hand, it makes sense that since it's been essentially 5 months since Jack Bryant's near-murder occurred that he could theoretically be "ready and rarin'" for Impulse at the next show...on the other hand, I think there are a lot of really interesting and next-level stories that can be told if a different route was taken than this seg. Nothing against JB personally because I'm definitely a fan, I just wonder what could have happened if there were lingering injury/concussion/PTSD-type concerns brought up in this segment. Then again, it could be a situation where the wrestler thinks he's fine when he's really not, and is getting set up for potentially horrific consequences by ignoring lingering symptoms...in which case, I am COMPLETELY re-engaged with this story.

- Glad to see Legion win here; I like the sneaky shadowy group he's forming and his purely chaotic intentions he's working with, it's important to have a unique heel dynamic in a group when there's others like the HFC and the Guild around. Each group has their own specific goals and their own specific self-interests, and even though they're all some flavor of sinister it's nice that they're different parts of the spectrum. Also, Lamont's commentary in this match is just full of lawl for me.

- More Calvin Carlton, please. Everywhere. All over my show.

- Seems that a show intro was re-intro'd; if the goal is for each Headshot to have their "intro-grafix" then ok, but I don't know if it's necessary. Quick little squash for Seven, but some INTRIGUE~ post-match with the Impostor Stryfe. Definitely interested to see who this guy is and what his next moves are against Austin and Co.

- YES MORE CALVIN CARLTON ON MY SHOW!

- Well THAT was unexpected. With other teams on the roster (not to mention the massive Atken/Alexander feud earlier in the year), it's a huge shock that the end of the Superfly Express's reign comes at the hands of essentially a screw job by Rook, Blaine and Carlton. Incredibly one-sided and nefarious, and it's one of those stories that makes the Hellfire Club just so easy to hate and boo, which may have been necessary after their losses earlier in the show. Will be fascinated to see who (and how and when) will perpetrate the comeuppance for this travesty of justice. A fun world title match follows, though it's interesting to me that Impulse is essentially guaranteeing Harmen a rematch regardless of circumstances - the undying idealism and/or hyperextended sense-of-fairness is one of those character traits that Impulse possesses that seems to have one of two eventual outcomes: either there's going to be a Cena-type "half-boo, half-cheer" scenario because there are many people out there who would view "yeah I beat you, but I want to beat you when you're better so there's no question that I'm the better man" as just the worst, or it will bite him in the ass when he extends the olive branch one too many times and a wrestler will get fired up to the point of "unstoppable force" when the situation presents itself. It's still a really cool character trait though, and one you don't really see much.

 

[Rook Black]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

I am thrilled and honored that you came to join us.

The National Title and the Triple Crown Championship was a really troublesome legacy. I can remember a conversation with Katz that took place about two years ago I think where he said something to the effect of, "Wow, they're just going to keep blaming you for the booking of this title, aren't they?"

One of the main reasons that I really hoped that this moment would come with LDO was the fact that he was not indifferent to the belt. With the standard response to Rook's success being an attitude that the belt was middling or worthless and that Rook's retaining of it likewise not praiseworthy (fuck you guys, seriously, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you), the fact that LDO took a determined interest in it was the single best thing that could've happened to me. And with that in mind it was a rather easy thing to decide to customize the defense of the belt to LDO, which gave birth to the Final Boss persona. The arc of Rook being this anti-hero figure, but then taking a full turn to the bad guy realm felt like a good reveal, something that could conceivably happen in the arc of a videogame. With LDO literally being the heroic player one, at first idolizing/respecting the Rook character, but then discovering the truth and surpassing him.

But don't think that I threw it away. Like I had told Warren ages ago when I felt Deacon had come to take the Triple Crown Championship, that I expected to lose the belt but I sure as hell wasn't going to go down without trying my best to keep it. And in this regard, I consider myself super lucky to have had Rook look as strong as he did in the last defense where loss felt quite inevitable.

As for the smartbelt, what could be more cool to LDO than a belt you can play videogames on? do some autographs, then hand a few lucky kids wireless controllers and suddenly you can play a round or two of super smash bros or mario kart at appearances? Not to mention it being hackable, modern, and customizable to the limit of the imagination? Give it a voice and it could even be a character, why the hell not?

In finality, it feels like a genuine privilege to hand the strap over to a creative and enthusiastic guy who I'm sure will go on to do some great things with the Triple Cro- oh, cool, I can start calling it the Triforce now too. And now, like most champions, you have the stressful moment of discovery where you realize that you are very dependant on your challenger in order to give your reign legitimacy. I can only hope that someone steps up and plays it as straight and genuine as you did for me.

Huzzah!

 

[LQJT86C]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

With the standard response to Rook's success being an attitude that the belt was middling or worthless and that Rook's retaining of it likewise not praiseworthy (fuck you guys, seriously, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you), the fact that LDO took a determined interest in it was the single best thing that could've happened to me.

If that was the standard response to Rook retaining, doesn't that make it your fault?

And now, like most champions, you have the stressful moment of discovery where you realize that you are very dependant on your challenger in order to give your reign legitimacy. I can only hope that someone steps up and plays it as straight and genuine as you did for me.

Why is it up to the challenger to make your title reign legitimate? Isn't the point of this whole thing to sell the importance of the match? This all goes back to the previous quote. If nobody cares, isn't that your fault?

 

[Rook Black]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

Maybe? In a more objective set of circumstances, that kind of judgement could be made with some clarity. But in an insular hobby driven by the opinions of its small community, what with regular obsessive drama from trying to influence a desired outcome, it's hard not to see that kind of indifference as a strategic one rather than an honest one.

I know you've never cared for any of my work since ... ever? So, meh?

 

[LQJT86C]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

Strategic indifference? As in, we have it out for you, and it's in our best interest to keep you in the second-tier? Yeah ok dude.

I'm not a huge Rook fan, but that doesn't matter. I root for whatever outcome benefits the entire show. If we all hated Rook, we'd be thrilled to see him take the Nat/Triple title on a 5 year run and not challenge the champion. Being a secondary champ for that long makes zero sense. That's like being Assistant Store Manager for 5 years. It's impressive until people start wondering, "Why doesn't he move up?" It's not a Rook thing, it's a "What's the point?" thing.

Insular hobby affecting outcomes? You don't say.

 

[Rook Black]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

Okay then. As long as we're sharing, do you have anything else you'd like to just come right out with and say?

 

[Ford]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

Perhaps this is all my fault as I challenged for the title for what amounts to a year and don't believe I ever had Harmen want it.

He wanted to tear apart Rook, but that was it.

A hero is only good in comparison to his villain. And the same goes for champions/challengers.

 

[Rook Black]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

I doubt it. The way I felt about it is that you continually engaged with my character when he was largely ignored, and did so over and over again. That you'd continue to work with me was a bright spot on a very long frustrating time, one that I had to imagine was frustrating for you. That your character's feelings on on the title influenced the debacle? Again, it's very hard to say with any objectivity. I'm pretty confident that you never tried to go backchannel to create a paradigm where both your character and mine were superfluous and unimportant in conflict over a title that didn't matter. That's the item that always burned me.

Billy's point regarding it being my fault? There's merit there I guess. "Surely you could have done something" carries weight in regard to trying to just take it in stride for as long as I could. What exactly I should have done though is also something that's very hard to be objective about.

 

[LQJT86C]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

Okay then. As long as we're sharing, do you have anything else you'd like to just come right out with and say?

The guy whose previous posts broke the passive aggressive Richter scale wants me to be more forthright?

Thus far you've said "fuck fuck fuck fuck you" to everyone and no one in particular, and accused somebody and nobody of using negative feedback as a means of politicking. Seems like the burden of discretion is on you. Don't make me out to be the bad guy for finding this all ironic.

 

[User Poets]

Re: HEADSHOT 01 @ RELOADED 16 Available!

Can we stop with the personal shots as feedback and look at what really matters?

"Do what thou wilt."

If the Hellfire Club would just not say that all the time, they would be much more believable as "credible threats" and not "illiterate idiots."

Example...

"Do what thou wilt," said JJ DeVille, "This is how and why we have control."

That is good.

Example...

From Reloaded 16:

JJ: “I told you! I TOLD YOU ALL! THE HELLFIRE CLUB DOES WHAT THOU WILT! YOOOWWWW!”

This translates to "I told you! I told you all! The Hellfire club does what you will!"

Moments like this make us view the Hellfire Club as a collection of idiot heels that for some reason are taken seriously as contenders.