20 Questions
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2003 6:58 am
If you could merge your 20 Q's responses and your profiles together, that would be very helpful to us! thanks!
Guidelines: Please Read.
- To save on loading times, do NOT post your signature image in this thread.
- If updating your profile, EDIT the existing post. Do NOT post again. The "edited by" dialogue at the bottom of the post will tell us that it has been revised
- Stick to giving the information below. If you want to include a movelist, that's fine. Heights, weights, etc are completely irrelevant - especially if you change them every post (it's meant to be you).
- Don't give information regarding personality / mannerisms / microphone stylings. Don't give quotes either. It's up to you to build the character in the posts you make within the forum. We won't do it for you. You can't say "oh, I'm a great talker" in your profile - you should demonstrate it in the calibre of your posts.
- Factions. If they're not recognised in the Roster Listing, don't put them in here. All factions should be approved through the AWF Press Office
Thank you
**************************************************
Fill out the form!
Name:
Location:
Entrance Music:
Style Most Resembles:
Face/Heel:
Finishing Move
Faction: (Optional)
For Example:
Name: The Lock
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Entrance Music: N-Trance - Stayin' Alive '95 (Starts off with the 'Get Rolled With The Fever On The Dance Floor' line)
Style Most Resembles: Owen Hart/Ken Shamrock/Kurt Angle/Shane Helms
Face/Heel: Face
Favourite/Set Up Moves:
Pin: Diamond Dust (Flipping Stunner from the turnbuckle, it's the move performed by Masato Tanaka by the same name.)
Overdrive (Nightmare on Helms Street/Eye Of The Hurricane)
Submission: Sharpshooter
Finishing Move:
Pin: Dinobot Slam (Olympic Slam)
Submission: Ankle Lock
-------------------------------------
These 20 questions will help you understand your character that much better; it will force you to develop him/her in ways that you may never have thought of, and in doing so hopefully provide you with a better role to play and result in more intelligent posts.
1. How would you describe your character? Start with the obvious; physically, color hair and eyes even. Remember the style of wrestling your character incorporates.
2. What is your character's main motivation? What drives him/her to do what they do, to act how they act?
3. Who does your character trust most? Could be a faction member or family member even.
4. What is your character's greatest strength? Greatest weakness?
5. What are your character's prejudices? Does he/she have any at all, be it about other wrestlers or even people in general?
6. To whom does your character owe loyalty to? Maybe a faction leader, a tag partner, or even the commissioner and owner.
7. What are your character's favorite and least favorite things? Expand on this, tell why.
8. Does your character have any recurring mannerisms? Maybe they mumble when it's quiet, or does he/she always look at one person in a particular way? This can be anything from catchphrases to putting an opponent through a table after every match.
9. What is your character's psychology? Delve into his mind, give his reasons. What is his mindset?
10. How would your character's parents describe him? This is most useful because it makes you look at him/her from the outside perspective of the parents, who can be the most supportive and critical people in his life.
11. What are your character's highest ambitions? It doesn't have to be limited to in-ring achievement.
12. What is your character's ultimate goal? What's the one thing, above all else that he does what he does?
13. Does your character have a secret? And if so, what would happen if it were found out?
14. What does your character do to relax?
15. If your character was given $100, what would he do with it?
16. Which superstar does your character most want to face in the ring? Why?
17. What are the designs of your character's tights/leotard? Do you have a logo?
18. Who is your character's closest friend?
19. Who does your character love? Hate? Fear?
20. If you could give your character one piece of advice, what would it be?
Remember, don't limit yourselves with these answers. Go beyond the borders of the fed if you need to. But answer every single one. This is information you don't necessarily need to give to writers or bookers, either. This is information that you need to know so it comes out in gameplay. The better you play your character, and the closer to this model it is, the easier it is for the bosses to figure out what to do with you. Two similar personalities might wind up a tag team, for instance.
Let your juices flow with this questionnaire, envision your character as something more complete...one could say this is the way your character goes from being something on paper to something almost human, maybe even an extension of yourself.
If anyone is confused by anything, I will be posting sample responses to the questionnaire to help you out tomorrow afternoon. I don't expect anyone to post their answers in this thread; as I say, the most important person to know them is yourself, and there is the possibility of copycat problems...this is to get your creativity going yourself, not to take someone else's response and use it for your guy. These characters need to be individuals, not carbon copies of one another or even characters in WWE. Make your guy the best you can!
**************************************************
The Advice For New AWFers Thread
OK, so I hate the term 'newbie' as a non-insulting term, so I refuse to use it. Before the forum went kaput, there was a thread where a lot of our more experienced guys posted their advice to new and old players alike. So, reborn like the phoenix, here it is again. Well, almost. I can't remember what exactly was in the old one, so I'm starting it again. Anyway.
1. Develop your character. No one got to be a main eventer without putting a bit of thought or effort into it - so if you don't make an effort to build feuds, and make your character interesting, you have no right to complain when you become a jobber.
2. Try using the PM system to build feuds with other players. Talk to players, work out angles and promos beforehand. This gives the writers so much more to work with.
3. Be unambiguous. If your character is a mega face, make sure that everyone knows it. We've seen situations before where the writers write a character one way, then the player says
'Wait a minute... My guy wouldn't do that.'
So make sure that the writers know which side of the fence you sit on.
4. Take some shots sometimes. Be a victim in your promos. Don't play your character as some mega suave guy who can think of a backchat to absolutely everything. I forgot who gave this advice before (Silly Cow I think), but it's a damn good one.
5. If you have no reply, don't reply. Nothing is worse than seeing your carefully constructed and thought out promo being shot down with
'Yeah? Well you suck!'
6. Do not give your character conflicting styles. You can't resemble both Jeff Hardy and the Undertaker in style. They're worlds apart. In a similar vein, if your character is a high flyer, do not give him/her any power moves, and similarly, if you're a big Undertaker-esque bruiser, don't give him moves like a shooting star press.
7. In a broadly similar vein, give the writers a clear idea of what style you're going for. Don't say that your character's style most resembles 'A norse warrior', 'a knight', 'a bear with a burger jammed up its ass' or something similar, as this gives little or no help to the writers when it comes to writing your matches. Similarly, don't give the style of 'Billy Hick from the Hidden Underground Wrestling Union', or some other obscure wrestler that no one's likely to have heard of. Ideally, stick to WWE or ex WCW or ECW wrestlers. If you can't do this (because there really isn't someone who matches the style you want), expand on the style in your profile and make it clearer.
8. Make sure your location is suitable. Having the ring announcer announce 'Introducing first, from Bill Clinton's anus...' just doesn't work. Some of these funny locations are good, and can suit the style of the AWF and the character ('Rage's 'the hopes and dreams of ladies everywhere' springs to mind), but others do not.
9. Make sure to keep OOC and IC comments strictly seperate. Do not make references to 'smack talk', 'heels' and 'faces' or any OOC stuff when you're talking smack. Also, make sure you don't get too carried away and be too insulting. On the opposite side of the fence, if you are insulted, a PM to the person responsible asking them to stop is much more appropriate than starting a raging flame war in the open - they probably didn't know that your cat had just died, or you have an unfortunate case of genital warts in real life, so that line of insulting was not good.
10. Finally from me. If your character isn't doing as you'd hope, or you'd like things to go slightly differently, send a polite PM to the Moderators of this forum. They don't bite (much), and will usually be only too happy to discuss your character with you.
Well, I'm sure I've missed a crapload out, and I'm just as sure that you guys will fill in the gaps. All that's left to say is to keep up the good work, and to remember that it's only a game.
-Ss
**************************************************
Move lists:
http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawres...other/moves.htm
http://www.deathvalleydriver.com/bbbowm/bbbowm.htm
**************************************************
Another RPGing topic to add;
Found another old topic about the subject of RPG'ing. Thought I'd just copy the important parts here and add my comments.
Auntie Slag
When you're itching for an angle to a fight and it gets the brushoff it can be annoying, and I did this to Divebomb, but I got bitten in the ass for it when he cost me my latest shot at the Euro title with that 'Kendo stick incident'. Again, stupidly, I didn't follow that up, because if this was real fake wrestling, I'd be howling for his blood right now.
I've been feeling very erratic lately in my smack, when a real wrestler would simply aim and fire. So there's the personal vendettas, and when you're in a team, I guess there's team vendettas too, and what other guys did to your teammates in highly suspect matches e.g. Silly Cow v. Mirage in the latest Warzone.
So, what I should be doing really is:
- Issuing death threats to Divebomb
- Pouring boiling oil over the GPA's home/dumpster
- Backing you up regarding Mirage's suspect win, especially as its in the pursuit of gold for yourself and the team.
Sometimes try to stop and think about your characters goals. What has happened to him lately, and by whom. Is there something your character could take an interest in, set his sights on.
Search for feuds. If a feud isn't crashing through your living room window, look for it in smaller places. If there's something I've learned by reading Foley's books it's that a feud or an angle can begin even from one sentence. Someone says he's the greatest IC champion ever and the official AWF records show you've also held the title back in the days, maybe even longer than he has. What'cha gonna do? Start a feud, perhaps?
What if some nitwit writer has put Wrestler X use a move you think should be used exclusively by you? Maybe Wrestler X even won the match with that move? Sue him! Or better yet, challenge him! Frog splash vs. Frog splash. Rock Bottom vs. Book End. It's done before. It could be done again.
Cyberstrike
Have you considered that you might be burned out? Now don't get mad at me or anything but I remember you once posted when we were feuding that you had been here since the beginning so maybe just maybe you need to take a break from the AWF for while.
Come back recharged and ready to kick to ass again.
Wasn't actually a general advice per se, but it works. If you feel like there's nothing left to say anymore, take a break. Coming up with something witty to say week in week out can get frustrating. If you think your character is boring and isn't going anywhere, or you realize that for the last few months you've been saying the exact same things, only to different persons, go rest. Load up your batteries, come up with new and refreshing things for your character while you're doing it.
And don't forget to inform the staff before you do it, just in case they have something planned for you. There aren't many things worse than feuding with someone who isn't there. Trust me, I know.
Plasmodium
There isn't enough hatred. Personally, for me to really get into it, I have to really HATE my opponent, it seems more real and gives much more intensity to the feud and matches.
I'm still not sure if Plas was actually talking about hating the person behind the character, but it doesn't matter. Hate is good. If you are in a personal or otherwise a heated feud, hate the opponent. Hate the sleazy scumbag who cost you your title or stole your girlfriend with a passion, and then pour it into your promo. And it will be good.
Silly Cow quoting Mick Foley
"An interview is only as good as the guy who is reacting to it. Too often I've seen great promos negated by an opponent who instantly belittles the great promo that has just been given or belittles the guy giving the promo, which is just as bad. For example, I've never believed in treating my opponent like a piece of garbage, because if I win, all I've done is beat a piece of garbage. If I lose, well, certainly I can't be that good, since I lost to a man who I have built up to be nothing..."
I wrote this a little over a year ago and I still agree with it. Mocking your opponent is a good to way to talk smack but if he's a proven star in the AWF, belittling his talent or achievements isn't going to do any good. In my opinion, rookies can be belittled, to a point. They do that in the real feds and they have no track record, so it's not that big a sin. But even that has to end sometimes.
Acknowledge your opponent's strengths. Don't say your opponent is just a talentless hack who you could beat with your hand behind your back, if the said opponent is a former (or worse yet, the current) AWF champion. It doesn't have to be a respect-fest. Michaels and Hart before Ironman style works sometimes, but you can mention your opponent's strengths and achievements AND write a hating promo. It's just a bit harder. Remember, a good promo puts you over, a great promo puts both over.
BE SOMEONE! The 20 questions given in this thread are a good start, but in a dream world we shouldn't have to even see them. They should be your background material, almost everything that is answered there, should show up in your promos in some way. In a dream world, we read your promos and eventually know everything about you. And when the writers know everything about you, it will be much easier to come up with feuds, and reasons for them.
Finally, I'm going to do something that isn't like me. This next quote is something the writer was apparently very satisfied of, I on the other hand wasn't so. I want to emphasize, this is not a personal knack on Bombshell, he's lately been one of the best promo guys. This one just sparked my interest, as I personally would've done it completely differently.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on just a second, Reilly! I mean, I know how desperate you are to get your money's worth out of your new AWF champ, but you gotta be kidding me. An Iron Gauntlet match? Against five of the most talentless hacks this company has to offer?! What the hell were you smokin' backstage when you had this bright idea?!
I mean, you gave me Auros, fer chrissakes! I'll admit, that wasn't exactly the smartest idea you've ever had. Then again, that's like saying you wanna find a specific needle in a cactus patch. But, as usual, I took care of the situation.
And what do I get in reward? Money? Beer? A free lap dance from my lady? No! I get five other dumb schmucks that I gotta beat at the PPV. I mean, I beat Blaster square in the ring. Brend, despite being God of his own little head, isn't that much better than the rest of you. King seems to think that his "help" got me the title, and Viewfind's just some dumbass thrown in just because he said we'd get sued by the entire population of Philly if we didn't. And do I really need to go into why Erik shouldn't be in this match? I think it's pretty f*cking obvious.
Ah, well. If you wanna send those guys to an early grave, that's fine by me. Happy to do the job. But this time, I wanna get ten million dollars and all of Hawaii outta the deal.
Except Molakai. You can give that to the losers. They'll feel right at home.
Here's the scenario. Bombshell has just won the AWF championship for the first time, with help from the King, Arcee and an illegal object. Two weeks later, he founds out he has to defend the title in an Iron Gauntlet match against Blaster (3 time champion), Viewfind (1 time), the King (2 time), HBK (1 time) and the Game (3 time). All I want to ask is, in that situation, should he be simply oozing with confidence? Is this a proper time to belittle your opponents? Personally, I don't think so. When I read that there would be an Iron Gauntlet match so soon after Bombshell got the title, I immediately thought this would be a perfect opportunity for Bombshell to give a vulnerable promo. When I saw he didn't, I was disappointed. I want to repeat, this is nothing personal on Bombshell. We've all done the same before, and probably will. It's just that this one had so much potential, which was never tapped.
Finally, this may seem a lot, but do not get depressed. These are only suggestions. If you don't feel like going through creative brainstorms or tons of research, don't do it. This is fun even with less devotion. But if you want to go for the extra mile, see what's behind door number 3, make the feuds more interesting for both of you, for the writers and for the people reading it, you won't regret.
Guidelines: Please Read.
- To save on loading times, do NOT post your signature image in this thread.
- If updating your profile, EDIT the existing post. Do NOT post again. The "edited by" dialogue at the bottom of the post will tell us that it has been revised
- Stick to giving the information below. If you want to include a movelist, that's fine. Heights, weights, etc are completely irrelevant - especially if you change them every post (it's meant to be you).
- Don't give information regarding personality / mannerisms / microphone stylings. Don't give quotes either. It's up to you to build the character in the posts you make within the forum. We won't do it for you. You can't say "oh, I'm a great talker" in your profile - you should demonstrate it in the calibre of your posts.
- Factions. If they're not recognised in the Roster Listing, don't put them in here. All factions should be approved through the AWF Press Office
Thank you
**************************************************
Fill out the form!
Name:
Location:
Entrance Music:
Style Most Resembles:
Face/Heel:
Finishing Move
Faction: (Optional)
For Example:
Name: The Lock
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Entrance Music: N-Trance - Stayin' Alive '95 (Starts off with the 'Get Rolled With The Fever On The Dance Floor' line)
Style Most Resembles: Owen Hart/Ken Shamrock/Kurt Angle/Shane Helms
Face/Heel: Face
Favourite/Set Up Moves:
Pin: Diamond Dust (Flipping Stunner from the turnbuckle, it's the move performed by Masato Tanaka by the same name.)
Overdrive (Nightmare on Helms Street/Eye Of The Hurricane)
Submission: Sharpshooter
Finishing Move:
Pin: Dinobot Slam (Olympic Slam)
Submission: Ankle Lock
-------------------------------------
These 20 questions will help you understand your character that much better; it will force you to develop him/her in ways that you may never have thought of, and in doing so hopefully provide you with a better role to play and result in more intelligent posts.
1. How would you describe your character? Start with the obvious; physically, color hair and eyes even. Remember the style of wrestling your character incorporates.
2. What is your character's main motivation? What drives him/her to do what they do, to act how they act?
3. Who does your character trust most? Could be a faction member or family member even.
4. What is your character's greatest strength? Greatest weakness?
5. What are your character's prejudices? Does he/she have any at all, be it about other wrestlers or even people in general?
6. To whom does your character owe loyalty to? Maybe a faction leader, a tag partner, or even the commissioner and owner.
7. What are your character's favorite and least favorite things? Expand on this, tell why.
8. Does your character have any recurring mannerisms? Maybe they mumble when it's quiet, or does he/she always look at one person in a particular way? This can be anything from catchphrases to putting an opponent through a table after every match.
9. What is your character's psychology? Delve into his mind, give his reasons. What is his mindset?
10. How would your character's parents describe him? This is most useful because it makes you look at him/her from the outside perspective of the parents, who can be the most supportive and critical people in his life.
11. What are your character's highest ambitions? It doesn't have to be limited to in-ring achievement.
12. What is your character's ultimate goal? What's the one thing, above all else that he does what he does?
13. Does your character have a secret? And if so, what would happen if it were found out?
14. What does your character do to relax?
15. If your character was given $100, what would he do with it?
16. Which superstar does your character most want to face in the ring? Why?
17. What are the designs of your character's tights/leotard? Do you have a logo?
18. Who is your character's closest friend?
19. Who does your character love? Hate? Fear?
20. If you could give your character one piece of advice, what would it be?
Remember, don't limit yourselves with these answers. Go beyond the borders of the fed if you need to. But answer every single one. This is information you don't necessarily need to give to writers or bookers, either. This is information that you need to know so it comes out in gameplay. The better you play your character, and the closer to this model it is, the easier it is for the bosses to figure out what to do with you. Two similar personalities might wind up a tag team, for instance.
Let your juices flow with this questionnaire, envision your character as something more complete...one could say this is the way your character goes from being something on paper to something almost human, maybe even an extension of yourself.
If anyone is confused by anything, I will be posting sample responses to the questionnaire to help you out tomorrow afternoon. I don't expect anyone to post their answers in this thread; as I say, the most important person to know them is yourself, and there is the possibility of copycat problems...this is to get your creativity going yourself, not to take someone else's response and use it for your guy. These characters need to be individuals, not carbon copies of one another or even characters in WWE. Make your guy the best you can!
**************************************************
The Advice For New AWFers Thread
OK, so I hate the term 'newbie' as a non-insulting term, so I refuse to use it. Before the forum went kaput, there was a thread where a lot of our more experienced guys posted their advice to new and old players alike. So, reborn like the phoenix, here it is again. Well, almost. I can't remember what exactly was in the old one, so I'm starting it again. Anyway.
1. Develop your character. No one got to be a main eventer without putting a bit of thought or effort into it - so if you don't make an effort to build feuds, and make your character interesting, you have no right to complain when you become a jobber.
2. Try using the PM system to build feuds with other players. Talk to players, work out angles and promos beforehand. This gives the writers so much more to work with.
3. Be unambiguous. If your character is a mega face, make sure that everyone knows it. We've seen situations before where the writers write a character one way, then the player says
'Wait a minute... My guy wouldn't do that.'
So make sure that the writers know which side of the fence you sit on.
4. Take some shots sometimes. Be a victim in your promos. Don't play your character as some mega suave guy who can think of a backchat to absolutely everything. I forgot who gave this advice before (Silly Cow I think), but it's a damn good one.
5. If you have no reply, don't reply. Nothing is worse than seeing your carefully constructed and thought out promo being shot down with
'Yeah? Well you suck!'
6. Do not give your character conflicting styles. You can't resemble both Jeff Hardy and the Undertaker in style. They're worlds apart. In a similar vein, if your character is a high flyer, do not give him/her any power moves, and similarly, if you're a big Undertaker-esque bruiser, don't give him moves like a shooting star press.
7. In a broadly similar vein, give the writers a clear idea of what style you're going for. Don't say that your character's style most resembles 'A norse warrior', 'a knight', 'a bear with a burger jammed up its ass' or something similar, as this gives little or no help to the writers when it comes to writing your matches. Similarly, don't give the style of 'Billy Hick from the Hidden Underground Wrestling Union', or some other obscure wrestler that no one's likely to have heard of. Ideally, stick to WWE or ex WCW or ECW wrestlers. If you can't do this (because there really isn't someone who matches the style you want), expand on the style in your profile and make it clearer.
8. Make sure your location is suitable. Having the ring announcer announce 'Introducing first, from Bill Clinton's anus...' just doesn't work. Some of these funny locations are good, and can suit the style of the AWF and the character ('Rage's 'the hopes and dreams of ladies everywhere' springs to mind), but others do not.
9. Make sure to keep OOC and IC comments strictly seperate. Do not make references to 'smack talk', 'heels' and 'faces' or any OOC stuff when you're talking smack. Also, make sure you don't get too carried away and be too insulting. On the opposite side of the fence, if you are insulted, a PM to the person responsible asking them to stop is much more appropriate than starting a raging flame war in the open - they probably didn't know that your cat had just died, or you have an unfortunate case of genital warts in real life, so that line of insulting was not good.
10. Finally from me. If your character isn't doing as you'd hope, or you'd like things to go slightly differently, send a polite PM to the Moderators of this forum. They don't bite (much), and will usually be only too happy to discuss your character with you.
Well, I'm sure I've missed a crapload out, and I'm just as sure that you guys will fill in the gaps. All that's left to say is to keep up the good work, and to remember that it's only a game.
-Ss
**************************************************
Move lists:
http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawres...other/moves.htm
http://www.deathvalleydriver.com/bbbowm/bbbowm.htm
**************************************************
Another RPGing topic to add;
Found another old topic about the subject of RPG'ing. Thought I'd just copy the important parts here and add my comments.
Auntie Slag
When you're itching for an angle to a fight and it gets the brushoff it can be annoying, and I did this to Divebomb, but I got bitten in the ass for it when he cost me my latest shot at the Euro title with that 'Kendo stick incident'. Again, stupidly, I didn't follow that up, because if this was real fake wrestling, I'd be howling for his blood right now.
I've been feeling very erratic lately in my smack, when a real wrestler would simply aim and fire. So there's the personal vendettas, and when you're in a team, I guess there's team vendettas too, and what other guys did to your teammates in highly suspect matches e.g. Silly Cow v. Mirage in the latest Warzone.
So, what I should be doing really is:
- Issuing death threats to Divebomb
- Pouring boiling oil over the GPA's home/dumpster
- Backing you up regarding Mirage's suspect win, especially as its in the pursuit of gold for yourself and the team.
Sometimes try to stop and think about your characters goals. What has happened to him lately, and by whom. Is there something your character could take an interest in, set his sights on.
Search for feuds. If a feud isn't crashing through your living room window, look for it in smaller places. If there's something I've learned by reading Foley's books it's that a feud or an angle can begin even from one sentence. Someone says he's the greatest IC champion ever and the official AWF records show you've also held the title back in the days, maybe even longer than he has. What'cha gonna do? Start a feud, perhaps?
What if some nitwit writer has put Wrestler X use a move you think should be used exclusively by you? Maybe Wrestler X even won the match with that move? Sue him! Or better yet, challenge him! Frog splash vs. Frog splash. Rock Bottom vs. Book End. It's done before. It could be done again.
Cyberstrike
Have you considered that you might be burned out? Now don't get mad at me or anything but I remember you once posted when we were feuding that you had been here since the beginning so maybe just maybe you need to take a break from the AWF for while.
Come back recharged and ready to kick to ass again.
Wasn't actually a general advice per se, but it works. If you feel like there's nothing left to say anymore, take a break. Coming up with something witty to say week in week out can get frustrating. If you think your character is boring and isn't going anywhere, or you realize that for the last few months you've been saying the exact same things, only to different persons, go rest. Load up your batteries, come up with new and refreshing things for your character while you're doing it.
And don't forget to inform the staff before you do it, just in case they have something planned for you. There aren't many things worse than feuding with someone who isn't there. Trust me, I know.
Plasmodium
There isn't enough hatred. Personally, for me to really get into it, I have to really HATE my opponent, it seems more real and gives much more intensity to the feud and matches.
I'm still not sure if Plas was actually talking about hating the person behind the character, but it doesn't matter. Hate is good. If you are in a personal or otherwise a heated feud, hate the opponent. Hate the sleazy scumbag who cost you your title or stole your girlfriend with a passion, and then pour it into your promo. And it will be good.
Silly Cow quoting Mick Foley
"An interview is only as good as the guy who is reacting to it. Too often I've seen great promos negated by an opponent who instantly belittles the great promo that has just been given or belittles the guy giving the promo, which is just as bad. For example, I've never believed in treating my opponent like a piece of garbage, because if I win, all I've done is beat a piece of garbage. If I lose, well, certainly I can't be that good, since I lost to a man who I have built up to be nothing..."
I wrote this a little over a year ago and I still agree with it. Mocking your opponent is a good to way to talk smack but if he's a proven star in the AWF, belittling his talent or achievements isn't going to do any good. In my opinion, rookies can be belittled, to a point. They do that in the real feds and they have no track record, so it's not that big a sin. But even that has to end sometimes.
Acknowledge your opponent's strengths. Don't say your opponent is just a talentless hack who you could beat with your hand behind your back, if the said opponent is a former (or worse yet, the current) AWF champion. It doesn't have to be a respect-fest. Michaels and Hart before Ironman style works sometimes, but you can mention your opponent's strengths and achievements AND write a hating promo. It's just a bit harder. Remember, a good promo puts you over, a great promo puts both over.
BE SOMEONE! The 20 questions given in this thread are a good start, but in a dream world we shouldn't have to even see them. They should be your background material, almost everything that is answered there, should show up in your promos in some way. In a dream world, we read your promos and eventually know everything about you. And when the writers know everything about you, it will be much easier to come up with feuds, and reasons for them.
Finally, I'm going to do something that isn't like me. This next quote is something the writer was apparently very satisfied of, I on the other hand wasn't so. I want to emphasize, this is not a personal knack on Bombshell, he's lately been one of the best promo guys. This one just sparked my interest, as I personally would've done it completely differently.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on just a second, Reilly! I mean, I know how desperate you are to get your money's worth out of your new AWF champ, but you gotta be kidding me. An Iron Gauntlet match? Against five of the most talentless hacks this company has to offer?! What the hell were you smokin' backstage when you had this bright idea?!
I mean, you gave me Auros, fer chrissakes! I'll admit, that wasn't exactly the smartest idea you've ever had. Then again, that's like saying you wanna find a specific needle in a cactus patch. But, as usual, I took care of the situation.
And what do I get in reward? Money? Beer? A free lap dance from my lady? No! I get five other dumb schmucks that I gotta beat at the PPV. I mean, I beat Blaster square in the ring. Brend, despite being God of his own little head, isn't that much better than the rest of you. King seems to think that his "help" got me the title, and Viewfind's just some dumbass thrown in just because he said we'd get sued by the entire population of Philly if we didn't. And do I really need to go into why Erik shouldn't be in this match? I think it's pretty f*cking obvious.
Ah, well. If you wanna send those guys to an early grave, that's fine by me. Happy to do the job. But this time, I wanna get ten million dollars and all of Hawaii outta the deal.
Except Molakai. You can give that to the losers. They'll feel right at home.
Here's the scenario. Bombshell has just won the AWF championship for the first time, with help from the King, Arcee and an illegal object. Two weeks later, he founds out he has to defend the title in an Iron Gauntlet match against Blaster (3 time champion), Viewfind (1 time), the King (2 time), HBK (1 time) and the Game (3 time). All I want to ask is, in that situation, should he be simply oozing with confidence? Is this a proper time to belittle your opponents? Personally, I don't think so. When I read that there would be an Iron Gauntlet match so soon after Bombshell got the title, I immediately thought this would be a perfect opportunity for Bombshell to give a vulnerable promo. When I saw he didn't, I was disappointed. I want to repeat, this is nothing personal on Bombshell. We've all done the same before, and probably will. It's just that this one had so much potential, which was never tapped.
Finally, this may seem a lot, but do not get depressed. These are only suggestions. If you don't feel like going through creative brainstorms or tons of research, don't do it. This is fun even with less devotion. But if you want to go for the extra mile, see what's behind door number 3, make the feuds more interesting for both of you, for the writers and for the people reading it, you won't regret.