Many individuals were interested by the following comments that I had posted on the SCW boards:<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yet talking smack is, in good promo-writing, such a small portion. Fortunately, most people think that if they just trash-talk, they’re set and thus few people actually know how to write a good promo.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Posted on August 25, 2009<\/p>\n
This really got me to thinking about how much this misconception of promo-writing has permeated e-fedding. I read countless of\u00a0roleplays\u00a0a year and over six years, this misconception has been present virtually every show and arguably in the overwhelming majority of matches.<\/p>\n
Now, I\u2019m going to make this disclaimer. The comments I will be expressing, first off, don\u2019t pertain to one individual or another. These are things that I consistently see from a variety of people (and feds) and as I\u2019ve just mentioned, over and over again. Secondly, there are always exceptions and good writing can always overcome a lot of these problems I list below. Furthermore, I will add that some may suggest that if they see their opponents doing any of the issues I list below would equate to a win for them.\u00a0Hardly.\u00a0Regardless of these mistakes or poor habits, if their\u00a0roleplay\u00a0is still better written or if you have your own fair share of these mistakes, it is still possible that they may win. These mistakes are only death knells if their\u00a0roleplays\u00a0are riddled with them OR if there is a particularly close match in which the smaller mistakes become amplified. These won\u2019t equate to an instant loss, is what I am trying to say. I mainly state this because as I said, these issues and misconception, in my opinion, are so wide spread, that rarely is a match free of these.<\/p>\n
So, just\u00a0to\u00a0also, help out in the structure of this article, I am going to first define a few terms. Afterwards, I\u2019m going to point out how certain mistakes (usually stemming from burying one\u2019s opponent) can really get me to bang my head against the wall.<\/p>\n
DEFINITION #1:
\n<\/strong>Promo\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 A promo is traditionally viewed as the portion of a\u00a0roleplay\u00a0that talks about relevant matches, storylines, etc.\u00a0\u00a0Please remember this if you\u2019re having difficulty remembering what a promo is. Promo is the root word of Promotion or more appropriately, the root of the verb \u201cto promote.\u201d You are promoting your match. You are promoting your angle\/storyline, etc.<\/p>\nWhen in doubt, a promo should, in general, do three things:
\n1. Promote yourself
\n2. Promote your opponent(s)
\n3. Promote the match\/storyline, etc.<\/p>\nYou want these things to look good. I will explain why in an unorthodox fashion. I will explain this by contrasting this to two other terms that people perceive are the same as a promo.<\/p>\n
DEFINITION #2:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Trash-Talk\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 Trash-talk is what it is. It is insulting your opponent or making fun of them. I will right now stress that trash-talk is not necessarily a bad thing. Trash-talking is a very powerful tool in fact. Trash-talking can help add comedy or even some seriousness to a match, depending on how it is used. Often, trash-talking can deal with an opponent\u2019s appearance, actions, habits, name, etc. This has always been around in wrestling and I would be naive to suggest this is unwanted in\u00a0roleplaying. It is going to happen and that\u2019s fine. It is a perfectly acceptable aspect of a promo. HOWEVER, it also can be a part of my third definition. Trash-talking is tricky because it can be good or bad. It all depends on how it is used. But in general, trash-talking can add a lot of a character\u2019s personality into a promo. But it also can push things too far over the edge and turn a good promo into a horrible one.<\/p>\n
DEFINITION #3:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Burial\u00a0\u2013<\/em> This is somewhat self-explanatory again. A lot of you should know what this is. It is when you \u201cbury\u201d your opponent. This stems from a wrestling term that means to make your opponent look bad. More appropriately, it makes your opponent look weak. This is where the problems result. Generally, burials come from trash-talking about\u00a0a\u00a0opponent\u2019s skills in the ring or their record or their title, etc. It deals with something that directly relates to their ability. In general, this is where people shoot themselves in the proverbial foot. I have seen some excellent promos start off so promisingly and then it turns into how badly\u00a0can we\u00a0destroy any credibility their opponent has. There is a problem to this and I will spell it out below.<\/p>\n
But quite simply, if your opponent has no credibility of being ANY threat, what is the point? Burials do the exact opposite of what a promo is supposed to do. Instead of giving your opponent any credit and giving a reason for us to care about the match, it makes you look like\u00a0aoverwhelming superior. That\u2019s fine. The problem is quite simply after the match.<\/p>\n
Let us show this in a colourful equation:<\/p>\n
Wrestler X vs. Wrestler Y\u00a0\u00a0>\u00a0Wrestler X buries Wrestler Y\u00a0>\u00a0Wrestler X wins\u00a0>\u00a0Wrestler X beats\u00a0a\u00a0nothing<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nWrestler X vs. Wrestler Y\u00a0\u00a0>\u00a0Wrestler X buries Wrestler Y\u00a0>\u00a0Wrestler X loses\u00a0>\u00a0Wrestler X looks like a\u00a0nobody<\/span>\u00a0because he was beaten by a\u00a0nobody<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nSee how things are lose\/lose. You gain nothing from the match.\u00a0NOTHING.\u00a0If you promote yourself or the match, you at least gain something, win or lose. It\u2019s not that difficult.<\/p>\n
But here are some of the specific examples that really make me actually laugh at\u00a0roleplayers\u00a0when they bury their opponents:<\/p>\n
I have your grave ready for you. I\u2019m going to effectively put you in there and then throw the dirt on top….oh wait…you have a nice watch I want.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
The problem is that when you\u00a0bury\u00a0your opponent and make them look like a complete waste of time, you do lead to the problem that you gain nothing win or lose from them. This is the major issue with it. However, there are several more comical issues that result from this as well. This is the most common.<\/p>\n
When you bury someone and then later give them ANY credit. I don\u2019t care what it is. I can be that they got one over your. It can be that they got a big win. It can be whatever. You effectively are backtracking regardless. And either way, you\u2019re now saying you\u2019re wrong. But, remember, most\u00a0roleplayers\u00a0don\u2019t want their characters to look weak. So they never outright say they were wrong. They dance around it and just flat out give them credit, rarely without any rationale for their change of thought. Needless to say, you either\u00a0look\u00a0like you\u2019re no longer confident and thus you\u2019re worried about nothing (literally) or you look like an idiot because you\u2019ve got\u00a0your foot in your character\u2019s mouth. Regardless it does you little favours.<\/p>\n
But wait! What if my character is an arrogant heel, this seems to be impossible to get around.<\/p>\n
Ah.\u00a0My foolish friend.\u00a0You would think so. I will admit,\u00a0being a face makes it a lot easier to promote your opponent. At the same time, it\u2019s a lot harder to show a differentiation of character from the bland face. For a heel, it\u2019s easier to show character. You have to be more careful about burying your opponent though. It\u2019s a difficult balancing act, but\u00a0allow\u00a0me to point out just one of the many ways people can avoid burying their opponent while still being arrogant.<\/p>\n
Give your opponent some credit, but brush it off. Perhaps say they aren\u2019t ready yet. Perhaps say they haven\u2019t won that big one (if you\u2019ve won the World Championship or another title and they haven\u2019t). You\u2019re not burying them. You\u2019re questioning whether they are ready. In general, avoid talking about whether their opponents mean anything (there\u2019s a difference between saying they are irrelevant and saying they are nothing). I say this because if you\u2019ve faced those same opponents and you\u2019ve buried them, you\u2019re also effectively burying yourself. You can always discuss whether they deserve the shot or whether they are ready for the shot. You can try to get in their head. You can say you\u2019re better than them. But never say they are nothing. Better yet, never firmly state they don\u2019t deserve it or aren\u2019t ready. Merely question it. It may seem weaker, but strong writing can make it actually stronger.<\/p>\n
There is no competition in my division and that\u2019s why I don\u2019t defend the titles. So don\u2019t call me on that!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
Ugh. Do I even have to point out the stupidity of this logic? A champion NEVER admits there is NO competition. He\/she can question the validity of his competition, but that I only suggest in a lengthy reign to establish confidence as well as dominance. However, never admit there is NO competition. The problem with that line of reasoning (especially when you\u2019re facing someone for that title) is that it devalues the championship. If you\u2019re holding a title with no contenders, what is the point? You\u2019re now holding a piece of leather that has a golden faceplate on it and apparently has a fancy name. But none of it means anything.<\/p>\n
Alternately, challengers should never state a champion is undeserving without a good reason (and that reason should never hinge on the wrestler\u2019s limited ability). If your opponent is running from a challenge, bring that up. But NEVER state your opponent didn\u2019t deserve the title because they can\u2019t wrestle. Why? Just think. You win the title. So what? You beat an undeserving or\u00a0underqualified\u00a0champion. You, by your own argument, are stating that you\u2019re undeserving because you beat someone who never deserved the title.<\/p>\n
I laugh when I have people who destroy the credibility of the championship or alternately, counter those arguments by essentially rendering their championship as unneeded. Both arguments do no favours. They just make you look like an idiot and nothing more.<\/p>\n
This is the song that never\u00a0ends,\u00a0it goes on and on forever…blah, blah, blah. (Song edited just to avoid me getting sued for it being trademarked)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
Why do people feel the need to give me a twenty page essay for their promo? I don\u2019t need to read that many reasons for why you\u2019re going to win or why you\u2019re going to pummel your opponent into the mat. Why do you feel the need to keep doing it though?<\/p>\n
My simple rule for a promo: Have a decent premise, make your point and then get out. The longer you go on or dwell on a point, the more you water down your arguments. After a while, you just have a waterfall of points and I care little about any of them.<\/p>\n
Let me give you an example:<\/p>\n
You\u2019re on the phone with a telemarketer. You decided that you were going to be nice today and foolishly picked up the phone and thus, for some reason are morally compelled to NOT hang up the phone. The guy on the other end explains who he is. You answer a few questions and then he tells you\u00a0you\u00a0can get some nice product for a limited price. You\u2019re unsure about why you\u2019d want the product, let alone NEED the product. But never fear,\u00a0he\u2019s got a laundry list of reasons as to why. He lists of his two or three most compelling and you\u2019re sold. But you take just a second too long to respond and he continues to ramble for several hours, giving detailed reasons, many of which don\u2019t matter or are just requisites of the initial two to three reasons that already sold you. But he keeps talking, forever, hoping he\u2019ll seal the deal. At some point, you\u2019re going to\u00a0either stop caring and\u00a0walk away from your phone, or more likely, hang up.<\/p>\n
THAT is what I often go through with many promos. Now, I never like to give people limits for promos. That\u2019s useless and should be unnecessary, because some people like to tell stories and thus a longer promo that tells a story can actually prove to be really effective with a strong moral that can get the reader and the opponent to think. In the end, promos are only good if effective. And flooding me with repetitive arguments and long drawn out arguments that could be far clearer in just a few sentences aren\u2019t going to get it done. Instead, it can cost you your match. I frequently remind people never to throw every possible argument about why you\u2019re going to win into a promo. Throw only a few. It prevents you from rambling and also saves material if your opponent is late to respond.<\/p>\n
Shoot comments FTW!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
Seriously, I don\u2019t even know why I need to bring this up. In general, I hate OOC things put into\u00a0roleplays. It\u2019s petty and it\u2019s lazy. Furthermore, there is one thing I HATE in\u00a0roleplays.<\/p>\n
\u201cWrestler X has been a bit quiet. Why is that? I made my comments a week ago and yet here I am.\u00a0Nothing from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hate this for one reason. I already know that. You don\u2019t need to tell me. And when you do, I\u2019ve likely read that same formulation a few weeks earlier. People are rarely creative when they talk about people not having responded. It\u2019s lazy and it\u2019s showing me you have nothing better to say. In general, I have problems when people max out for no reason. Yes, I love to see\u00a0roleplays. But I\u2019d prefer to see meaningful\u00a0roleplays. If you limit your material per\u00a0roleplay, it can allow all of your\u00a0roleplays\u00a0to be meaningful. You avoid repetition. You also avoid clich\u00e9d responses and promo ideas. If you\u2019ve said it before, then keep it really short and sweet. Merely remind me. I don\u2019t need a whole promo reminding me. The problem is that shoot comments and talks about late replies always come out because people felt the need to post something for the hell of it. The problem is….it\u2019s not needed and it rarely helps. It just annoys me. In general, post a promo if you have a reason for it. A Breakdown has been posted with some new storyline material. Your opponent has replied. You have something else to say that you didn\u2019t think of. You don\u2019t have to give me a full out promo in every\u00a0roleplay\u00a0for a match. Give me an effective promo if you\u2019re going to write one.<\/p>\n
Oh…and speaking of lazy, I love when people mention politics. Instead of coming up with a good reason and taking fourteen seconds to think of something creative, they throw that lovely word out. Whether it\u2019s because they feel that legitimately or it works for the character, unless I\u2019ve put that on the shows, I generally discourage with that. I say that because often I see people throw that out because they lost a match and they\u2019re lazy in searching for a way to move on. Declaring politics can work, but people again throw it around so lazily that it just makes me groan every time I read it. In the recent storylines, there have been some obvious examples of the owner using politics to put ahead his faction. Bring that up, fine. Call politics there. But if it doesn\u2019t directly relate to you, it comes off as petty and lazy.<\/p>\n
Now all of these things are avoidable. I\u2019d rather read two people\u00a0roleplay\u00a0against each other with good promos than one be clearly superior. It makes me excited about the storylines and possible matchups that I can go with afterwards.<\/p>\n
Some general things to remember:<\/strong><\/p>\n
1) PROMOTE YOUR MATCH\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 If you at least give us a reason to watch the match, then you can probably get away with a bit. A lot of people don\u2019t do this. I realize for Breakdown this would be difficult, but for a pay per view, if you don\u2019t do this, it\u2019s almost unforgiveable.<\/p>\n
2) IF YOU\u2019VE SAID IT BEFORE, DOES IT NEED TO BE SAID AGAIN?<\/em> \u2013\u00a0Repetition can be used for effect. Rarely do I see it used as such. Saying something again once or twice is\u00a0forgiveable, going on three tirades on it in one promo isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
3) DON\u2019T BURY YOUR OPPONENT\u00a0\u2013<\/em> Give us a reason to care if you win. When in doubt, think about what you get out of the match. You can always insult your opponent or make fun of them, but never discount their wins or ability. You do\u00a0that,\u00a0it\u2019s a slippery slope that generally backfires. In the end, think about what you get out of a match if you win. Try to maintain that.<\/p>\n
4) KEEP TITLES SACRED\u00a0\u2013<\/em> When in doubt, rarely discredit a champion and his credentials. You can question things about them, but also defend the value of the title and even what the status of champion represents. You can go after the wrestler, but for the love of God, keep those things sacred. It will at least give you some value for a win and protect you in a loss.<\/p>\n
In general, what I\u2019m pointing out here isn\u2019t difficult. I\u2019m essentially suggesting to you all to realize what your promos result in.\u00a0Basic rule can simply be to re-read your promos before you post.\u00a0Take out the names and just read the promo. If at the end you think that you gain nothing from a win, you\u2019ve done too much damage. Perhaps a better way to look at it is, if you lose, can you save face? That may allow you to rethink some comments. Right now, I see a lot of people that are amazing at burying people and very few that can promote their opponent and gain the most out of every match. It would be amazing if people could do that. So many better storyline possibilities could come out of people. Too many people are afraid to give their opponents credit, however.<\/p>\n
And allow me to make one comment before I end. I think a lot of people are afraid to give their opponent\u2019s credit because they think it\u2019s not cool. It\u2019s only cool to trash talk your opponent. Think back to all of bad asses in wrestling. Scratch that. Think back to all of the SUCCESSFUL bad asses in wrestling. They never would say their opponent was crap. They never said that they couldn\u2019t wrestle. Their ultimate message was always \u201cYou\u2019re good. But I\u2019m better. And if you don\u2019t like it, I don\u2019t care.\u201d They belittle the person, but never the wrestler. Remember that. Too many people want to be the cool face. The problem is that most people forget that they are working in text and so things are read as they are written…and most people write things to make their opponent look like something that comes out of where they often leave their head.<\/p>\n
Hope this helps. Good luck to you all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many individuals were interested by the following comments that I had posted on the SCW boards: \u201cAnd yet talking smack is, in good promo-writing, such a small portion. Fortunately, most people think that if they just trash-talk, they’re set and thus few people actually know how to write a good promo.\u201d –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Posted on August 25, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.supremecw.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.supremecw.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.supremecw.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.supremecw.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.supremecw.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.supremecw.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.supremecw.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.supremecw.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.supremecw.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}