It’s March. It’s snowy outside for some inexplicable reason. What does this mean? Why are these facts relevant? Well they aren’t. I just needed an introduction and damn it, I’m giving you one. But what is this….well…..
It’s the glorious return of Cynical View of E-fedding!
I’ll give you a moment to get drunk in celebration, enjoy a hangover, sleep-in, and come back forty-eight hours later to read this. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
We’ll pretend that void up there represents forty-hours and the preceding activities and get into the bulk of this thing. More things that make me need to call in a drywall company to replace the holes in my wall. These aren’t things that piss me off but more questions that make me go “WHY! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DOING THAT?! WHY!!!!!!!!!!”
With that said, allow me to continue.
One manager/valet has been done. But FIFTEEN! That’s going to be the NEW benchmark!
What is with the infatuation for having countless managers or valets? Furthermore, why do you need fourteen people to all have specific pic bases? This may seem like I’m starting on a petty notion, but honestly, I find that this is becoming an annoying trend. Almost as if it is some trivial game of oneupsmanship, several people are starting to have multiple valets or managers and for no good reason. Everyone wants an entourage. That’s great. But is there a reason for these people to be at ringside with you? Do you really need so many people there? Or is this just a pointless reason to look like you’re changing up your character rather than doing something meaningful.
To be fair, often this is simply because it serves some simple purpose. What better way to look like a womanizer than having five valets follow you to the ring. What better way to make up for a small frame than having a bodyguard. In some cases, introducing a manager or valet or a bodyguard is useful. It adds an alternate dimension. I’m not here to criticize those. In fact, in some cases I’m perfectly fine for it. I was fine with Infamous bringing in Pete Ebdon as a good case was made for his inclusion into the group. I was fine with Gunner Wayne coming into Chad Evans and his followers as it made sense how the idea was posed to me. In fact, Katie Steward and her entourage I was more than happy to jump on board and make them active parts of her matches as a “Queen” or “Goddess” would have an entourage, especially someone with the personality of Katie Steward.
But without naming names, I’m seeing the managers/valets list on the roster balloon. Often many of these individuals aren’t even in the entrances of the people they are affiliated with and often they serve no purpose except to stand there. Did they train the character? Do you interact with them? Or are they there simply because you can have one? This point you’ll notice I’m come to repeatedly. But ultimately, half the roster does not need a manager or valet. Half the roster does not need someone in their corner. Variety is the spice of life. But ultimately, unless you have a good reason for them to be there, why have them? Even if you are dating them or making them a romantic interest, why have them at ringside? Just to place them there and have them there?
These are questions few people really ask. There needs to be a purpose for a valet or manager. They are the mouthpiece. The bodyguard. The person who does their bookings. They are their mentor or trainer. Valid reasons. However, the next question is….does it add anything to the character? Or is it done just because? Look at the roster today and look at how many people have some sort of manager or valet. How many of them are needed? With that said, I do try to make many of them have a legitimate role in their characters development on the shows and many of them have grown into being a good compliment to the main attraction with the character. But I can’t do this with all and in many cases, I just write the valets or managers out.
Where my main concern comes with people taking up pic bases to represent people in their roleplays or with these pointless additions to their characters. All this does is remove them from being possibilities for new members of SCW or for legitimate additions to group. Granted, there are a lot of pic bases, but many that are used are on the popular side. All they do is add to headaches or uncertainty as many individuals don’t want to rock the boat, especially over something as small as a pic base. However, with that said, how many people have invested time into their character and their pic base is how they always envision them. There was even a discussion on this on the boards at one point, discussing how with some characters, you view them as their pic base. Now imagine a new member coming and having that same visualization. Ultimately this is a small part of the greater issue, but another thing to think about.
You know I want a group of people to randomly hang out with. Some people call them friends, but I need the wrestling equivalent. You know…to feel important!
Stables are a wonderful thing. They can be something that can be the focal point of a feud and create a lot of really interesting matchups and dynamics. However, as many have noticed and as usually happens cyclically in SCW, stables are in an overabundance. At this moment, there are four true stables and at least one loose alliance. But as always happens with a stable, people lose sight of their purpose. This is not to talk about the purpose of a stable. There should always be that. Sometimes that purpose changes over time and the alliance becomes something more. That however is not my focus.
My focus is on this belief that more is more. Confused?
To phrase it another way….Why the hell do you need half the roster in your little group? This is not directed to one specific individual but instead something that I’ve actually had multiple discussions with a number of people in the last four months. But so many people want more. They want some huge group. They want EVERYONE to be their ally.
Why? Because.
Often this is largely for an entirely OOC reason. They want another good roleplayer for dominance. Nevermind that that roleplayer has no characters that compliment the other characters in the group. Nevermind that the group itself would have to twist its purpose of existence to allow that person in. Nevermind that all it does is constantly lead to everyone else wanting to recruit. I don’t need to name some major wrestling promotion that had this same issue and then chronicle their downfall to make a much smaller point.
I always ask why whenever I’m given a segment, idea or anything of the sort. But this is one place where for some reason people struggle to give me a good reason for an in-character reason. I get that people make friends in the fed. I get that people get along. I also understand that people want to work with each other. But sadly, none of those are good reasons why I have to make some convoluted storyline to get another member of your group.
Too many times people get caught up in numbers. Well, they have five members, so we need five members. And no, it can’t be a loose alliance. We need a secret handshake, meeting place and wear the same coloured underwear. Rather that trying to figure out how their character may react or even trying to see that as a challenge, immediately people want to counteract things. Add that people want EVERYTHING. I’ve turned down at least five requests to introduce someone into a stable for the simple reason that in storylines and with the characters, not only did it not make sense, but I felt it would actually HURT the character. I don’t care if the character adds a strong roleplayer to your group. That’s great and all, but ultimately, I pose the question: “Why don’t you just work on improving your roleplays?”
Too many times adding a new member looks good on paper. But think about what it does to the dynamic of the group. Does it alienate someone? Does it cause major character transformation? Does it even make sense? You can’t have everyone in your group. And one thing a lot of people don’t realize is that when it comes to opportunities, having all the gold in your group looks great on paper. However, it also severely limits what you can do in terms of opportunities. And then people get frustrated.
Ultimately when it comes to stables a couple of things need to be clear. What is the purpose of the stable? Why is this collection of people working together? What are their relationships? But ultimately, how much is too much? Numbers may look good on paper, but also the larger the group, the more watered down things become. I can’t have everyone involved in every segment and be in something meaningful every time, especially when everyone has the same interests. I can’t give everyone the same opportunities just simply due to mathematics and the depth of the roster. I also can’t always have you win every segment too. Simple booking logic dictates that. So what do you gain? A watered-down version of your initial group. Is that worth it just to have your friends on the same team? Is it worth having a generic group that has no real purpose?
One more thing: Alliances are not a bad thing. Everyone has this desire to have sturdy, clear, named teams and groups. Loose alliances aren’t a bad thing. Some heels will have respect for other heels. They’ll help if you really need it, but aren’t going to come out every time you get attacked. Same thing with faces. Why isn’t that an option looked at? Yes, being part of a group is something that we all remember from high school as being cool, but you’re not in high school; you’re roleplaying for a character and sometimes being part of a group is not a good idea. Sometimes it hurts the character or handcuffs them. Sometimes it forces them down a path the handler doesn’t feel comfortable. And, on my side, it sometimes limits me with what I can do with the characters in terms of storylines as I have to constantly remember your alliance to a specific group.
Furthermore, if you really want to work with people, a feud is usually easier to do. I’ve done it in the past and usually if I have enough warning, I will try to work around it and give it to you at some point. It may not be immediately, but at some point.
Just because you can write a segment, doesn’t mean you should.
This is something that I think I need to reiterate since we do have a number of new faces, but also some old. Many people realize that I am VERY controlling over what I publish on Breakdown and I do oversee Ammo for the most part. I ultimately, for better or worse, feel that I am responsible for whatever happens on the shows. That includes segments that other individuals submit.
Now, my understanding is that in many other feds, the roleplayers are tasked to come up with segment ideas and even create their own storylines. Again, I don’t frown on either of these. However, I have just gotten used to, over my going onto eight years running SCW, just coming up with the storylines, segment ideas and what not. Anyone that has worked with me closely on show-writing will know I actually do a runsheet for every show, laying out the entire show, start to finish, so the show flows well. As such, this can sometimes limit my flexibility for accepting segments. Often though, if you submit me something early enough, I can try to work it in. Otherwise, you’re taking a chance.
But one tip I’m going to give to anyone looking to write or submit a segment. As has been the trend in this entire column, I always ask why. In this case, why is the segment important? I will always turn down segments that do nothing except are self-serving (put themselves over at the expense of others or just because). I will also turn down segments that are submitted with no real reason. To be honest, I don’t care about most random conversations. I don’t care about the person arriving to the arena unless they are in a major segment.
Segments that I encourage are ones that create a loose alliance, ones that might even increase stable unity, interview segments that promote the match later in the night (or the upcoming pay per view match). Also, note, we are on network television. Heavy swearing, nudity, and violence can’t happen. Ultimately, all of these things are even less of an issue because if you’ve got a good segment idea, but I happen not to like a few minor things or I feel I can reuse it to forward something else on the show, I’m happy to edit it for you and keep the general jist of what you’ve done. In many cases, I’ll use the dialogue you provide me and just maybe put it in a different context or lead into it a bit differently just so I can do a few things (If you’re meeting someone in the hallway, I may change it and have it come in after one person bumps into someone). And also, if you’re ever wondering about a segment idea, send me a PM on the boards with the basic jist of the segment. I usually have a basic idea of what I’m doing with your character on Breakdown or in storylines and can even help you frame the segment so it works perfectly with what I have planned which saves me time and effort having to write the segment anyways when I’m writing the rest of the show.
I know my style of show-writing and storyline-crafting really makes some people uncomfortable. I am very independent and often do much of it all myself simply because over the years, that’s how I’ve done it, but also, I enjoy the challenge of trying to come up with exciting storylines each week to entertain everyone in this fed. But that doesn’t mean I’m against people submitting idea or segments. Often if I don’t use it, it’s simply because I couldn’t fit it in with the plan for the show and nothing more. But by all means, approach me with ideas. Even if I disagree with you or shoot it down or just refuse to put it on the show, it doesn’t mean I can’t use parts of it at some point or another. I usually remember ideas and will try to re-envision them at a later date. As many people who have been in SCW for a while will tell you, if you come to me with an idea, I’ll, at the very least, discuss it with you. But much as many of you are protective of your characters or proud of your roleplays, I’m protective of SCW as I’ve written some part of or had my involvement with virtually every show SCW has had and my job is to come up with storylines and angles for everyone in the fed and to give everyone something to work with. It’s a hell of a challenge and one a lot of people don’t realize how much goes into it. And at the end, I need to be proud of the show I produce. I can’t make everyone happy every day of the week, but I can give people a good read each week and one that people will want to read over and over again and that’s my goal at the end.
At the end of this all, if you take one thing from this column, it’s “WHY?!” Ask it if you have an idea. It saves me a lot of time trying to debate it with you or explaining my reasoning for what I’m not a fan of an idea. Too many times people think short-term, but not long-term. At the end, also this isn’t to just make you avoid doing a stable, submit a segment or have a manager/valet. This is just to make you think a moment before you considering doing those things. Is it the right move? Do I have a good reason to do it? Please, for my sake, ask those questions. The beer store may not thank you, but I will!