Feedback? What's that?
*Clears throat*
Ominous, but intriguing opening to the show with the New Sindicate. Not much happened, but it set a tone for the night-- and set the pace for a shit-load of segments!
It was followed up by Smith and Gooch, which I enjoyed for the most part. It was great to see their feud acknowledged, and see Gooch finally apologize for the slop incident way back when. Now-- everyone, including Gooch and Smith-- know how much I love these two characters, but there was something "off" with this segment. I talked with Smith about it yesterday, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Either way, it was a solid segment, and it
did accomplish what I think it was supposed to, but there was something very uncomfortable about the interaction between the two.
Another grand entrance from Knox. I'm liking this character more and more each week. It feels like a slow burn, but the guy is going to quickly becoming a threat for the Overdrive Championship. Envi and Rebel came afterward, and I'm glad that I was able to finally work with Rebel. He doesn't need to say much to steal the entire scene.
Excellent Battle Royal, and great effort from those involved. Titan and Roberts came off looking a bit goofy which I was "ehh" about at first, but upon reflection, it stood out and it didn't bury their characters, so it ended up becoming a pretty cool spot. Gooch looked like a star in this match, and the barricade spot with Jennings at the end was gold. I always love when the Megastars use the ring and ringside to their advantage, so kudos to the writer, and, of course, big props to Mr. Smith himself for winning the second-chance Battle Royal for the second year in a row.
Always cool to do work with L1.
The Jennings promo did what I feel he was trying to do-- it pushed his character as the anti-hero that he was evolving into on the Meltdown brand. Hopefully the character is able to grow and use them around him to mold his own niche... There were a few almost-direct lines from the epic CM Punk ramp promo here, and I couldn't help but imagine Punk speaking during the last half of the promo. However, at least the character has some direction. I want to see more Jennings, less Punk!
I just wasn't a fan of the Leon Roberts segment. The writer is good, and again, it's rare that
everyone that goes to Overdrive after a draft all have a direction, so kudos there. However, I skimmed over this at first because I was certain that it was just porn, and completely missed the spot where Jason Kash attacked. Make it stand out in your writing-- chop it up into 3 sections, each with a key piece of dialogue or action thrown in there, so something jumps out at the reader and makes them think "Oh shit, Kash is on Overdrive" instead of making them read through one big block of text and thinking "Oh... Kash was on Overdrive." Make it pop. Otherwise-- great continuity, and I'm looking forward to the inevitable NBK vs FP rematch.
Note to match-writers: Sometimes it's nice to include what the actual move is, when mentioning the signature/finisher because a lot of the time, I don't know what you're talking about. ;D Like-- I know Deli and Havok won with the Deli-Kado, but I have NO idea what the Deli-Kado is. At one point, I did... But I've forgotten...
Also, aside from the minor coding errors mentioned before, I noticed it wasn't centered. Aside from that, the content was good. Zing will need to work extra hard to counter Smith's momentum next week. Congrats to Havokado! Aka...
Unholy Guacamole! This segment was amazing. Segment of the year material, if you ask me. Delikado and Smith need to engage in a feud, yesterday, so this doesn't have to stop. Make it a triple threat with Shane West. YES. DO IT.
L1 and CJ had a very compelling scene. I wasn't sure where it'd go after KJE got the cold shoulder from Gates, but it led into some amazing L1 dialogue and pushed the idea that Gates is one of the few clear-cut heroes on Overdrive at the moment... It really raised the stakes in the match, provoking the idea that the Synndicate would be at ringside.
Shadow then proceeded to produce one of the best segments I've seen him produce in some time here. Although I feel it was meant to go near the beginning of the show (based on the dialogue not speaking of the Battle Royal in past-tense) it still sold its points very well, right from start, and the commentary near the beginning is what drew me in. Good stuff. Anyway, it led to what I'm ASSUMING is a heel turn from Jake Titan, although NBK seemed kind of heel-ish to me anyway. I don't know what this means for NBK vs FP in the future, but
anyway, it was written well, and gives both Titan and Shadow a rub. Glad to see Duvall finally utilized in a major role on APW programming as well. Everybody wins. Good hype for Titan vs Shadow which could pass as a main event with Shadow's career on the line.
I did have an issue with the Jennings/Knox segment. The Jennings character, again, seems to not know quite who he is. I didn't get the feeling that he was truly aligned with NBK here. He never defended them during Knox' controversial comments, and even said "I'll think about what you said" after Knox repeatedly told him that joining NBK was the wrong decision. Now, I guess this could have some merit if Titan/Roberts
do turn heel while Jennings remains face, but I don't know how much impact that could really have with how new they are. I also don't get the vibe that Jennings is a face, or even a tweener, but again, this can be cleared up with one or two good segments that establish that the character has a goal in mind and a clear way to reach that goal. Someone mentioned F-bombs on TV earlier, and I agree-- I don't like to see it, but it is what it is. Knox continues to have a very distinct presence on Overdrive, which I love.
Hopefully Rebel/Envi was received well. I was surprised by the ending (which I didn't write, but enjoyed reading!) and hopefully this leads to something big after TFTB. Pleasure working with you, Reb. It's clearly not the last time!
I was worried that Knox was going to start going on a rant about Meltdown, Niobe, and Jace, but it made perfect sense when Gooch came out in his "Heart and Soul" role. Their confrontation on Meltdown carried over onto here. A good old fashioned brawl ensues, and security is really earning their money tonight!
I can't wait to see Knox vs Gooch one-on-one, finally. If Knox doesn't advance in the tournament, I can see that being a great TFTB match. I think the two have enough steam to make it last until Shockwave, really.
Nice Biggs/Gates segment. It served its purpose on hyping the main event and reminding the world that Biggs and Gates are partners! (Tag team partners!)
Ehehe. It looked like Biggs was showing some self-doubt in this segment, which could be an interesting revisiting of the storyline he found himself in last year where Gates was his opponent instead of his tag team partner. If that's the route this is going, I look forward to seeing a new spin on it-- or maybe it's a continuation of an unfinished story.
I LOVED the Havok and Gooch segment. The contrast of personalities is fantastic. Maybe I'm biased. But damnit, even their font colors look cool with each other! I like to see that the League all has their eye on Level One in one way or another... But Gooch being the voice of reason, stopping Havok from making a rash decision is the perfect display of his moral role in the group. I wasn't convinced by Havok's ending dialogue. Either I read too much into it, or perhaps it was supposed to come off that way. Regardless, this was well-written, and I enjoyed it.
Interesting end to the show... It was like watching a horror movie, yelling for the hero to make the easy choice and end it, even if it's the "wrong" one... And of course, Gates went after Marvin when he could've just pinned L1, and those 2-3 seconds of delay, and doing what he felt was the right thing (and maybe not wanting to miss the chance to get one good swing on Marvin) cost him. Moral of the story? Always take the easy way out.
Great show, and I look forward to next week! Everyone did an amazing job this week, and I hope the go-home show is just as good as this... It's shaping up to be our strongest go-home show of the year.
Also, aside from the minor coding errors mentioned before, I noticed it wasn't centered. Aside from that, the content was good. Zing will need to work extra hard to counter Smith's momentum next week. Congrats to Havokado! Aka... Unholy Guacamole! 
I can't wait to see Knox vs Gooch one-on-one, finally. If Knox doesn't advance in the tournament, I can see that being a great TFTB match. I think the two have enough steam to make it last until Shockwave, really.
