I’m taking a bit of a different approach with this one. After having run SCW for nearly ten years (first SCW show was July 31, 2003), I’ve begun to consider some of the many changes that have taken hold in SCW over that time. And not just the simple little things (like the fact that MSN Chat isn’t used to recruit) or that the majority of the feds SCW grew close to no longer exist (see AWF, ULW/IWC, Oblivion, Majestic, JWF, WWA, WWC/Bliss, CW). But changes in attitude, in how things are done, and having been asking myself questions as after ten years, and noting my motivation isn’t always what it used to be, I’ve taken note of some tangible differences, some for the better…some for the worse. I figured I’d share some of the questions and musings I’ve had over the last three months or so, potentially to get people thinking or even reflecting on their own e-fedding careers or their own personal problems/goals/hopes/appreciation for the game we all to some level enjoy.
What happened to the weekends where I could judge an entire show/ppv in one afternoon and easily come to decisions?
Why does everyone feel the need to write novels? Why does everyone feel the need to mimic their opponents if their opponents have had great success? What happened to the days where people just wrote their schtick and moved on?
How stupid was I that I had Monday night shows right after a pay per view on Sunday? How did I have shows when I never put up an official card for television shows until 2004? How telling is it that I didn’t have a late show until well into my third year?
Why does everyone want to be a bad ass all the time? People wanted to be the next rattlesnake to now everyone wanting to be a certain apex predator…
Why haven’t more people chose to roleplay as wrestlers from Asia or Africa or even Mexico? Why is everyone either a suplex machine or a top rope acrobat? Why has this remained the case for ten years?!
The OOC Board is far quieter and far less dramatic…but is this better than an active OOC board where moderators needed to be active? Is less drama indicative of lingering problems…people not caring as much…or an older roster OOC?
Why are the feedback boards dead? Why have some people stopped posting at all? Is it time? Or have people chased people off and I just never knew…
When did people become so insecure that they needed constant feedback? When did I stop being online all the time? When did I become afraid to come online after a show…
What the hell happened to the quality of the shows? From simple matches with no commentary, to only commentary before and after matches, to full commentary…to huge angles happening everyone few weeks….to almost a sanitized show without soul…or am I just still looking for perfection having seemingly conquered former “glass ceilings?” Is this a sign I’ve been doing this too long? Has the quality been affected over time? When was the golden age of SCW then?
Has going to a fortnightly system really helped me at all? The weekly system had more opportunities, more shows(?), more pay per views, less pressure from the roster(?)…I made quicker decisions. Did the roster typically panic less after a big loss because they knew they’d have more of a chance to rebound? Has the fortnightly system caused people to view big losses far more critically?
It’s probably a sign I’ve been doing this for as long as I am when I laugh when people tell me they’re in this for the storylines. Especially when many of these same people are the first to knock on my door for feedback when things don’t go their way…
Why do people constantly feel that they need to win me over in their roleplays? Can’t they just write their story and hope for the best. That’s why some people succeeded so much in the past. Or is there enough parity that people feel the need to ensure they have a story/format/writing that I like?
Why is it so hard for me to find good writing help these days? I never recall shows being held up because of needing more writer or writers holding up a show in the first few years…
Is my constant secrecy and supreme control over storylines finally showing the problems with people more frequently second guessing their characters or is that a sign that there are a few more people in the fed that have a hard time making a decision and sticking with it?
When did everyone start handling female characters? When did everyone start having sex with one another as a significant plot point on a regular basis?
Why do some people feel the need to always work with the same handful of people? Why are those same people typically the ones who have struggled the most to be the top of the card?
When did finishing a show become such a problem for me? When did even booking it become so difficult? Is this a result of my being too much of a perfectionist or is it a result that I’m caring too much of what people think?
Why do I care that much about what people think? Why have I stopped just making a decision that I can justify well and ran with it, dealing with the consequences later?
Why have I been so afraid to pull the trigger on a brand extension allowing me to cut down on my work by giving some other talented creative minds a chance to write and compete with me along with providing more opportunity?
Why don’t I talk to people as often on messenger services? What happened to those nightly group chats that were just randomness and fun and I looked forward to?
Where have some of those people that did bring that life to the boards go? And why have they just disappeared?
Why has SCW survived when according to a lot of op-ed pieces on interfeds about conventional wisdom, it really shouldn’t have?
Is this worth keeping going for another year despite the stress and time spent? Could I even handle giving more power to members who have earned that right?
What other changes may happen even in the next few years if this continues?