Monday Night Meltdown Apr 15th Feedback/Discussion

[Evan De Parker]

Thanks to Gooch, Jules, Pepsi, and Zing for assisting (greatly) with match-writing.

Credit to Kash, Reaver, Logan, Guv'Nor, Yarmouth, Knoxville, Jennings, Graham, Sampson, Jace, Pepsi, Hopkins, and Bailey for segments-- though, I believe only those listed under the Meltdown roster receive additional points toward the Top 25 Power Rankings.

As usual, feedback and discussion is appreciated. Your favorite parts of the show-- things that we, or I could work on, maybe even predictions, "wants", and ideas for future storylines, show development or character development? Eh? ;D

Also-- three judges were called in for the Tag Team Title match. I won't name them here, but they know who they are, and I want to personally thank you for that, as well as the splendid effort put forth by those in the main event and everyone that RPed this week! You're all awesome.

[Jason Cashe]

Firstly I would like to say that I love the Intro to Meltdown shows. Just a great addition to an APW show and it gives Meltdown something different.

I'm gonna go over what I liked and disliked and will start with dislikes. "Dislikes" is the wrong word for it really but I'll keep it as such for now.

Dislikes
-- Sienna Harrison and Tyler kind of feel like a different twist to Vickie and Maddox. I think ever single Meltdown GM we've seen has had a vendetta against someone on the roster. This seems to be a Meltdown trend and kind of feels replayed.

-- This is more something I grow tired of seeing on WWE programming but every week we're seeing big In-Ring Segments to open a show. Change it up some. Surprise us with something different in that opening slot. Maybe just my own annoyance from Television and I've merged it to here. Nothing major.

-- I'm intrigued by this Tag Team of "Sang Réal" but had no real build other than they were ACW Tag Champions for a month. I think we'll see more of them but their intentions made me suspect of their presence. Not really a dislike but more of a "Makes ya say Hmmm" kind of moment.

-- TOO MANY PEOPLE USE THE DIAMOND CUTTER/RKO. WE NEED A GAUNTLET MATCH, LOSERS REMOVE THE MOVE FROM THEIR BIOS, WINNER KEEPS IT.

Likes
-- Gov'nor is a master at Segment work. He makes it feel live and in the moment each and every time. I feel this character more that I did with Jules and I think the handler is enjoying him more as well. Loved the segment with Yarmouth, I want a Bruv/Fella argument again. I don't care if it resembles Yes/No because Bruv and Fella are just awesome and these two fit nicely together. Yarmouth can grow SO MUCH from being around Gov'nor. The end of Gov/Yarmouth was brilliant. Whoever came with the idea is just great. Gov works over the GM in a fitting way. Loved it.

-- I expected Ellis to come out looking great. I liked his work, a bit different than the usual but still a character I want to see develop more. My like is that Jennings came through with a Ric Flair strut and just took me by surprise. I enjoy the character, he'd fit well with the group of people Kash is around. When do fans have Cups of Coffee NOT in a plastic cup? I laughed at that..

-- Happy with the Tag Match (My match). It's what we wanted to do with it and works out well. Gooch did a stand up job with it so props for that. I like working with people who are willing to work and be involved with the process and the selling of what we do and Titan and Roberts are willing to work and I take pride working with them for that. Look forward to what comes next.

-- Pepsi Vs. Speede looked GOOD. I think these two could do some great things together but they need to promote it more. Put in more segments to really get people seeing it. Promote it and you get people following it like fans would. Remember WE ARE OUR OWN FANS. IF WE ENTERTAIN OURSELVES, WE HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG...Can you hear me now?

-- I was laughing so hard...I was reading the Tag Team Main Event and was trying to get through each word. Wanting, knowing I could skip the anticipation and see who won and then read it through. I couldn't do it though. Word for word I read and was grasped by the match. I have involvement with both parties, I love both sides as Handlers. This was a highlight for me as much as them because this was a good match up. It could have gone either way if they would have been full force. I think Gooch came up slightly short with his promo, I love the guy but he came up a bit short. Not that at full force it'd have been different, like Envi said he needed outside judges to decide the winner so Gooch did his part well enough to make it close. THEN I see my Entrance music play!

I went eyes wide and half expected Bailey to be up at the stage entrance before Kash came out from the back but neither happened. I laughed so hard I choked a bit on the blunt that was being passed. I read it out loud, my girl and my son like to listen to me read so I use results or rps on occasion to do so. The ending, seeing Knoxville drop Tyler Harrison AND then with Noibe put it to Gooch...Great stuff. Knoxville is Heel to the core, he'd be a fake and phoney face. Gooch is just lovable so it was Odd Couple to begin with. Dying Breed comes in for the save and it played out just lovely. Good show as most weeks are.

[Pepsi]

Apr 15, 2013 23:03:30 GMT -4 Jason Cashe said:

-- Pepsi Vs. Speede looked GOOD. I think these two could do some great things together but they need to promote it more. Put in more segments to really get people seeing it. Promote it and you get people following it like fans would. Remember WE ARE OUR OWN FANS. IF WE ENTERTAIN OURSELVES, WE HAVE DONE SOMETHING WRONG...Can you hear me now?

Patience my good man. We are only 2 weeks into the feud. We are taking the long look here. It would be a shame if we peaked in the early stages of a potential long term feud. Worry not, we have plans.

I have only just skimmed so far. I will get to feedback tomorrow.

[Jason Cashe]

I know, I was just meaning do that so this does get seen by more people. I know it's only started.

["The Real Deal" Ellis Graham]

-A big fan of adding random signs in the intro. Some of the best random humor of WWE & a lot of times, e-feeders don't even think of it.

-So when do Guv and Yarmouth become a tag team?

-Speaking of Guv, props for both his work as Guv (REALLY working as the British Stone Cold to Sienna's VKM) and as Jules the super match writer (Very happy with his portrayal of Graham in the 4-way, to include the Mark Henry mid-match smack that I didn't even know til now perfectly fits the character).

-To that match, congrats Jennings, you deserved the win off of a very solid promo. I also wanted to give thanks to Jennings for helping hype the match on Twitter (and for inadvertently helping me add depth to the Graham character through his reactions to your tweets), and also Niobe for selling my silly "wrong name" gimmick. That was awesome seeing that in your RP so thanks for that.

-I did want to apologize for my segment. I wrote it before my RP, and, had I done that in reverse order, then the segment wouldn't have mentioned Chance & Danny by name (his sparring partners from the RP, which I assumed I would name until...I didn't) & Yes would've had a font color (also a last-minute decision while writing my RP). That said, I appreciate others' interest in where I'm going.

-They could've used more hype, but I like how Sang Real seems to be immediately targeting Yanzel, just like I like how Sampson and Jace are immediately going after each other. I feel I helped myself get noticed last year by immediately feuding with Dan Quinn (even though I believe he won both matches we fought) so I encourage all new folks to come out swinging.

-Tag Title match was crazy. But I am still left wondering what's going on with Special Ref Tyler. I know, slow build, and I'm not complaining, just noting that right now, I have no idea where this is heading.

[Tommy Knox]

Awesome show!

[Jules]

I’m going to do this play by play, and making some comments along the way.

100% agree with Kash these pre-show recaps are excellent. It’s not something I would want to see every week, but when it’s going to build something on the show it’s really cool and right now it’s building a real sense of expectation that something major is going to happen on each show.

I can see where Kash is coming from with the Q1 slot going to an in-ring segment time after time. I checked back the last half a dozen shows (excluding the Meltdown invitational) and 5/6 began with in-ring segments. I agree it’s good to have some variety, but it’s also you want to have the right kind of variety. Maybe if the show opened with Guv’nor versus Yarmouth or the Foul Play tag match that would have been a really hot start to the show. Maybe the Guv’nor segment could have been backstage with Sienna, but when I wrote it I had the crowd interaction down as a really key for it work. The Guv has been put over recently as this guy the fans connect with, so that felt right to me, especially being the Q1 segment that imo should always engage or involve the live crowd as much as possible. But the essential point Kash made is a good one: maybe we could open shows with a really hot match every now and then.

I’ll just add here too a comment about the role of Sienna. I’m of the opinion that 9 times out of 10 in e-fedding the GM shouldn’t be over more than the actual roster, and shouldn’t really be the top heel. There’s been this pattern of Sienna not getting on with the top guy/gal on Meltdown, and while that may look a bit ‘replayed’, I’m going to defend it and say at least it means there is consistency with the character. Also, I think what Evan does with Sienna is really good. On the surface it looks like Sienna is being put over, but look at how Sienna has been used as a vehicle to help Robina Hood get over as the ‘perfect’ megastar. We could argue that Robina could do her own work and get herself over, but I think the tag of ‘perfect’ megastar given by Sienna has really helped to build that as a heel gimmick. Also, I think the way the character has developed organically has come about from this. Week by week we’ve seen the confidence grow in Robina, almost like she’s feeding off the endorsement given by Sienna. I genuinely believe this ‘perfect megastar’ gimmick has been what’s elevated Robina, and Sienna is an essential part of that process. Even look at the Sienna/Amy Zing ‘feud’; who went over in that feud: it was Amy Zing and Robina Hood, not Sienna.

When I started with Guv I was determined not to get involved in an authority figure angle, simply because I don’t like them in e-fedding. However, we never planned the tension between Guv and Sienna, it just happened organically through a natural tension these personalities would have. Also, it’s not about a Guv/Sienna feud, and the pay-off certainly won’t be about promoting that. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see Sienna as a character that goes over as an end in itself, the aim is not put Sienna over at the expense of others, but instead she’s facilitating the growth of others.

Anyway, on with the show...

Big pats on the back for Jace Savage and Sampson Cyprus. I like people who come in and grab the initiative by the hair and start ragging it about for their own ends. Good to see you boys didn’t come in, coast for a few weeks before deciding to involve yourselves (or even waiting for someone to make it happen for you). Let this be THE EXAMPLE to all newcomers. You join the same time as someone else, PM that sumbitch and get to work!

Props to Kid, he’s got this Ellis Graham over as douchebag numero uno in just one segment. Michael Jennings v Ellis Graham, there’s a mutual hatred there that just has to happen.

I always like dudes who ‘come down’ from Asylum or Overdrive every once in a while do a job to help out someone on Meltdown. Fair play to Foul Play for giving a big gee to Natural Born Killers with this match.

A good segment by Michael Jennings, and I was glad there was focus on Ellis. That’s how you lay down a challenge. Sooner rather than later, Jennings is going to have turn some of his ‘prophecies’ from words into deeds, but I like the feel of character and if he is given a free reign, and the handler’s got the will to do it, I look forward to seeing what kind of terror Jennings could inflict on Meltdown over the medium-long term.

So I wrote the hardcore match trying to maintain the essence of no holds barred without going over the top. I think I wrote an Xtreme match on OD a while ago, and it was commented that it was too violent for a bout between two guys who didn’t really have any beef. So if it was a bit tame, that’s the balancing act. I always try to put over the vibe I get from a character’s profile and RPs, so I wanted to accentuate the false bravado that veiled the yellow streak in Ellis Graham, without making him look non-threatening (alongside a few other bits I was sent by handlers).

Not sure what happened to Yarmouth and the no-show. I hope the FELLA is okay though, and not just because I’d hate to have to bury what we’ve got cooking.

I too was intrigued by Sang Real, although I found it funny they had Irish names but used a French term as their tag team name. Anyway, the commentary was good for a chuckle, and it will be disappointing if that’s it – Meltdown’s job isn’t to put over outsiders.

Good win for Robina. Nothing against Yanzel, I’m just glad that Robina’s momentum continues.

Good flurry of segments from Kash, Knoxville, M & M and Pepsi – bits of character enhancement, intrigue, and no shortage of keeping ongoing threads ticking over.

I wasn’t sure how the count-out finish would go over, but it’s all part of the plan. I suppose you might argue two count-out finishes on the same show doesn’t make for good viewing, but considering they were under completely different circumstances I am fine with both.

Good match between Speede and Peps, and I liked the finish. I think that could become a really neat signature finish for Peps and is good for a bit of heat.

And then Evan goes and busts out a PPV quality main event. It was wow, just wow! There were no many great spots, he built tension, and the false three count/foot on the ropes got me....I thought Gooch and Knoxville had it. Then Knoxville turns on Gooch – well that was a humdinger! Can’t wait for that fallout.

Another good show and I’m really pleased with how Meltdown is going now. The brand copped a lot of slack in the early part of 2013, but a combination of people picking up the ball and running with it, and the addition of some incredibly useful, enthusiastic, and talented people. It’s looking good right now, and while some people may look at RPs and say maybe not quite as consistently good as Overdrive & Asylum, in terms of the shows the quality is equal.

[Jace]

Thanks to everyone for allowing me and Sampson to come in and just begin our feud. We have been in a few feds together were you had to be randomly booked for a few shows before any push was given. Sampson and I are RL friends and this is just the beginning to our feud.

The show was awesome. I couldn't bear to bring myself to skip any part and just read the finish. Which was one of the reasons I quit e-fedding before. Lame cards late results and people who would talk shit ooc because they thought they were better then you. I would like to help write matches and anything else that may need to be done, but before I do that I would like to get the feel for characters so I don't make the results just plain. Just for now.

[warrenpeace]

Reading it now while i am at work. Again, overall really well written matches, and Jules is really knocking it out of the park. I reiterate what I said last time that the inclusion of pepsi and Yarmouth make meltdown a much stronger brand.

[sampsoncyprus]

Thanks for all the encouraging feedback. With results as massive and well written as they are I was a bit worried our segment would get missed. I really enjoy the play by play style the matches are written in here. As a newcomer: I find the last week scene extremely helpful. Some standout segments for me:

I loved the opening segment and really found myself rooting for the Guv. Organic is a great descriptor for the tension between them.
Color commentary from sang real was very good. And I say that as someone who does not normally enjoy color commentary.
The Ellis segment was a very fun read it got me invested in the character right away.

[Evan De Parker]

I just realized that I've been misspelling your last name, heh.