Some believe that Buzz will announce the date of the next supercard and Johnny Royal’s opponent for the event, while others believe he will announce the return of a former superstar or a huge new acquisition that will be joining Ricochet. Still others believe that this announcement will not be a positive one for Ricochet, continuing the string of bad luck that RPW has had in the past few months.

In other Ricochet news, despite strong ratings and very positive reviews for Sweet Dreams, many advertisers still speculate on whether the strong ratings will continue post-Sweet Dreams. Several advertisers have told the Ricochet front office that they will decide on a week to week basis whether they will continue to sponsor RPW and their shows. However, at this time, no advertisers have pulled their funding, a funding that Ricochet desperately needs to stay alive and in business.

And finally, Ricochet has apparently made two new acquisitions in the past few days. First up is a new wrestler, Jason Reed. Reed is a virtual unknown and will join the roster as its youngest member. Many believe that this maybe the first of several new and young signees, to help tap into the younger crowd even more at the Tap ‘N’ Tin. Reed is scheduled to appear at Crossfire, however, it is unknown as to whether he will be wrestling on the show. The other acquisition is a bit more secretive as Ricochet apparently hired a new interviewer / reporter, however, his or her name has yet to be released. It is believed they will make their first appearance on this upcoming Crossfire.

- The Logical Song by Supertramp

People change. Over the course of your life your beliefs, thoughts, feelings, hair, teeth, and everything else will change multiple times. Hell, in the course of a few years you’ll probably notice changes in your mind and body. Ten years ago, I was semi-religious and a registered Democrat. Five years ago, I believed that most players in Major League Baseball were clean. A year ago I had full extension in my left hand. None of those things are true anymore. None of them were overnight changes- they were slow, gradual evolutions of thoughts and abilities. Just like everyone else, I’m changing, growing, re-evaluating…

So shouldn’t your character evolve as well?

I’m not talking about changing entrance songs, or ring attire, or getting a new haircut… although all of those can help. I’m talking about minor changes as well as major changes- attitudes, beliefs, desires; everything should be up for grabs. Nothing gets boring faster than a character that doesn’t change over time. There are people I’ve watched roleplay for eight years that are writing the exact same character as they were back in 2001. It’s boring to me, and I can’t believe it’s not boring to write.

In my own character’s arc, he went from a devoted family man just trying to get a break in wrestling to someone so obsessed with his place in wrestling history that he doesn’t care about anything else. It didn’t happen overnight, of course, but through a series of minor changes. When you say the starting and end point like that, it seems jarring. It seems like something done for the sake of change. Over the course of a decade, though, it just sort of happened.

Just letting the change happen is important. Change needs to be organic for it to work. Sure, there are probably some people who discover their Jamaican roots in their mid-twenties and immediately start wearing dreads and embracing island life… which a character in a past fed did… but isn’t it more likely someone would discover they have Jamaican heritage, learn more about the culture, rebel against not being who they thought they were, and then slowly incorporate the dreads and such?

Physical changes are the ones I see rushed most often. People go from a hundred and eighty pound cruiser to a two hundred and fifty pound brawler in a week and a half. Fighting styles change from purely power to nothing but technical in two weeks. Personally, I changed Snake Eyes dramatically physically over the decade I used the character. He started as six feet, five inches tall and two hundred and forty pounds, a pure brawler. When I retired the character, he was six feet, four inches tall and weighed two hundred and eighty two pounds. He was also an accomplished technical wrestler. The changes took years, though… and were accomplished by mentions to his insane work-out schedule for adding the weight, and obsession with getting better and training for the technical skill. Growing six inches in a week and gaining eighty pounds of muscle is something that just isn’t going to happen, and it will stick right in the craw of the reader.

Another bad example… a guy in a previous federation decided one day his white, suburban character was actually a black man who lives in the ghetto. Yes, that’s a pretty significant change, and sure, change is good for the character… but how many people have changed races in the middle of their life? One, and he molests children. Of course, this guy took it a step further and became half black half Mexican a few months later when the fed held a show in Mexico. And then started using a British accent.

Could those changes have been made to work? Maybe. The white to black switch is just a bit too out there… but finding out you’re half Hispanic? Not impossible. Especially with the show being in Mexico- you could do a series of roleplays where the character keeps seeing an old Mexican man wherever he goes, and eventually confronts the man. Maybe the man is holding a picture, and the picture is of the wrestler’s mother. Bam, you’ve now added half-Mexican to your racial mix, in a logical manner that works, at least by wrestling standards.

And the British accent? Well, have the character spend some time in England, and let it develop over time. Taking time and letting things happen in something that resembles a natural timeline makes it easier for the reader to accept, and a lot less jarring when they realize what a major change has taken place. My favorite example is also my favorite ewrestling character- a man who went from a foul-mouthed sadistic heel trying to make ends meet to someone with transvestite tendencies in a romantic relationship with his sister raising his nephew as his son… who was also a foul-mouthed sadistic face. And it made complete and total sense. It took four years for the character to move from point A to point B, and because it was done slowly and smoothly I didn’t find it odd until a friend joined the fed and said “What the fuck is up with him?”

People change. The change is usually gradual, and minute. It’s about baby steps. Change is necessary for survival, though- both as a human and as a character. And the more logical and natural you make the changes, the more material you get, and the more likely it is for the change to be accepted by the readers.

P-SPAN CEO Ken Jeffers, Founder Brian Lamb, and Programming Chief Blaine Magner announced yesterday that they have signed Political Championship Wrestling to a new four year contract to continue to provide programming on the political channel.

PCW on P-SPAN will resume in late August as per the deal. More details will be announced and PCW will formally comment on the deal tomorrow night in a special segment on PCW Extreme Political TV.

Hey y’all. It’s Gina Ramsey here with this week’s PCW newsline. To say that this was an eventful week here in PCW would be an understatement. Loose Cannons Unleashed 5 started a chain reaction of events that continues to reverberate through PCW.

FALL OUT FROM PCW LOOSE CANNONS UNLEASHED
-A ‘For Sale’ sign appeared yesterday at what used to be the Domination Inc. Suite and it appears the corporation is headed for liquidation. With the loss of CFO Gordon Guyko and his group of wealthy investors, Domination Inc. looks dead in the water. The next question is what will happen to the remaining wrestlers under contract. Cadillac, Jaguar, Mercedes, and Porsche Lexus will wrestle this Sunday on PCW on P-SPAN. It looks like when all is said and done that the four will become free agents and available for groups to pick up.

-The hot rumor rolling around PCW is that ‘Sports Entertainment Genius’ Mr. McMann has asked PCW CEO Barack Obama for a bailout to keep Domination Inc. operating.

-A group of PCW staff and wrestlers showed up at ‘Extreme Pizza Delivery Girl’ Tessa Martin’s graduation party Monday night. Tessa, the former PCW Women’s champion, graduated with a doctorate in communications and will shortly be testing the job market. PCW wishes only the best to Tessa and thanks her for the great job she did the past three years.

——————————-

AMERICAN PATRIOTS STILL IN DISARRAY
-A. Tom Bomb was upset over Rahm Emanuel’s interference in his title match against PCW Champion O’Beck Bahama Sunday night. He was furious at the American Patriots for not sending someone out to help him win the title. American Patriot Executive Director Michael Steele, ‘The Innovator of Extreme Broadcast Excellence’ Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, and the Straight Shooter John McCain got into a squabble backstage over who would do the run-in to help A-Bomb out. As the four argued, Rahm Emanuel was able to sneak in and drop an F-Bomb on Daisy Cutter-Bomb and then pulled Bahama over on top of A-Bomb to get the win.

—————————————-

PCW on P-SPAN PREVIEW
For the final P-SPAN show until September, here’s the card:

MAIN EVENT:
Team Progressive Alliance
PCW Champion O’Beck Bahama, PCW Women’s Champion Kathryn Randall Collins, ‘No Frills’ Chris Escondido, and Starz N. Stripes
vs.
Team American Patriots + 1
A. Tom Bomb, PCW Tag Team Champions Big Oil and Kirk Walstreit, PCW Television Champion SNAFU

ALSO:
Team SarahPAC
NRA, Grizzly Adam, Hunter the Hunter, and Kalee Jones- The Eskimo Queen
vs.
The Island of Misfit Wrestlers
‘The King of Old School Gimmicks’ Baron Von Munchke, Mr. Jaundice, Captain Nausea, and Jimmy from SoCal- the Jim Rome wannbe.

AND:
Team American Heartland Coalition
Average Joe, American Trucker, Tequila Sheila, and Dave the Mechanic
vs.
The Green World Order’Extreme Vegan’ Brock Cole Lee, GreenPete, Peta from PETA, and PeaceNick

AND

David Letterman vs. ‘The Alaskan Pitbull’ Sarah Palin

————————-

OH, ONE LAST THING…

Tommy Freakin’ Dreamer is the ECW Champion! All is right with the world- at least for this week.

————————–

PCW RANKINGS

PCW WORLD CHAMPION: ‘The New Rookie Sensation’ O’Beck Bahama (Progressive Alliance)
CONTENDERS:
#1- A. Tom Bomb (American Patriots)
#2- Starz N. Stripes (Progressive Alliance)
#3- Randy “Road Rage” Richardson (Extreme Neo-Con Alliance)

PCW WOMEN’S CHAMPION: ‘Extreme Pizza Delivery Girl’ Tessa Martin (American Heartland Coalition)
CONTENDERS:
#1- Kathryn Randall Collins (Progressive Alliance)
#2- Kalee Jones- The Eskimo Queen (SarahPac)
#3- Mercedes (Independent)

PCW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Big Oil and Kirk Walstreit (Dick Cheney’s Extreme Neo-Con Alliance)
CONTENDERS:
#1- Cadillac and Jaguar (Independent)
#2- ‘No Frills’ Chris Escondido and Starz N. Stripes (Progressive Alliance)
#3- Hunter the Hunter & Grizzly Adam (SarahPAC)

PCW TELEVISION CHAMPION: SNAFU (Independent)
CONTENDERS:
#1- Newt Tron Bomb (American Patriots)
#2- American Trucker (American Heartland Coalition)
#3- Dave the Mechanic (American Heartland Coalition)

————————–

UPCOMING EVENTS @ www.politicalwrestling.wordpress.com :
6/14- PCW on P-SPAN- final Sunday night show until September
6/17- PCW End of the Season Extravaganza
6/19- PCW Newsline with Gina Ramsey
6/24- PCW Extreme Political TV
6/26- PCW Newsline with Gina Ramsey
7/1- PCW Extreme Political TV
7/3- No Newsline or shows until 7/15
7/15- PCW Extreme Political TV

William Shakespeare, even though he might be the greatest writer who ever lived, was obviously not an e-wrestler. It’s obvious not just because he didn’t have internet access, but because he dismisses the importance of a name. In the game of ewrestling, there’s a lot in a name. But more specifically, there’s a lot in a nickname.

In the interest of full disclosure, I love nicknames. I find they’re incredibly useful in writing, mainly in narration passages. At one point, my character had fourteen nicknames that were in active use… some bestowed by other players, some by the announcers on the cards, and a few I just flat-out made up. And, in a beautiful turn of events, eventually the number of nicknames became both a running gag and a source for yet another nickname: “The Man of 1001 Nicknames.” It gave my opponents something to attack, bringing up low self-esteem, or an inflated ego. It gave me a way to refer to my character during narration without repeating the same words over and over, and it gave the card writer a way to talk about the character without using the name over and over. Being able to toss in “The History Maker” or “The Extreme Millennium Man” or “BACW’s Icon” lets the reader know who is being talked about without seeing Snake Eyes fifty times, which can become a little grating.

So what makes a good nickname? Obviously everyone’s going to have a different opinion. Personally, I like nicknames with some punch- a nickname that gives you everything you need to know about the character. For example, one of my favorite characters used the moniker “The Mile High Monster.” Just from those four words, you get a snapshot of the character- he’s from Denver, Colorado. He’s a big guy, with a power style, maybe a little on the evil side. Another character used “The Ambassador.” This was the perfect nickname for the character, who was a peaceful type, trying to bring people together rather than drive them apart, liked by everyone, even his opponents.

Another aspect of a nickname I look for is memorability- which isn’t a word, but damned sure should be.. Sure, you can call yourself “The Icon” or “The Showstopper,” but we’ve heard it before. The odds of remembering it are pretty slim. I once was in a federation with a guy who used the nickname “Maelstrom.” Again, just by the nickname you get an idea of the character- always in turmoil, restless, shifty. Maybe a bit of an intellectual, since it’s not really a common word. I didn’t particularly like the character, and it’s been nine years since I’ve seen a roleplay by them, but I still remember the nickname. Another from the same time period was “The Rouge Rogue.” I don’t remember anything about the character, really- or even the character’s main name- but I still think of the nickname. The nickname was memorable enough that it stuck long after the character has fallen away.

Working a nickname into your character’s main name can be a little bit of a risk. The biggest problem, for me at least, is I need the character to have a decent name without the nickname. Sometimes it works out- “Absolute” Lee Riel was memorable, and even without the “Absolute” it’s an acceptable name for a character. Another example of a time it worked out was Jeremy “The White” Knyte. Again, Jeremy Knyte is a perfectly acceptable wrestler name, and being able to work “The White” in is just gravy.

And then there are bad nicknames… which, usually, are pretty memorable. For example, there was a character who referred to himself regularly as the “Two Hundred Ton Eighteen Wheeler on Crack.” There are so many problems with that nickname it’s not even funny- for one thing, a two hundred ton eighteen wheeler would make a huge mess of the road. It’d also require all the gas in the world to go thirty feet or so. And machines usually don’t use crack. Let’s not forget that describing yourself as “on crack” is usually not considered a positive thing. That’s a bad nickname- one that you do not want to saddle yourself with.

But the king of “bad nicknames” comes from someone who was a really nice guy, but not particularly bright. This nickname alone gave me dozens of hours of entertainment, just giggling away at the incredibly stupidity. Here it is: “The Superior Mastodon.”

Let it wash over you.

Ok, so technically “mastodon” can be used to describe a person of great power… but to steal from George Carlin, there’s a reason it’s the second definition in the dictionary and not the first: it’s wrong. A mastodon is a hairy dinosaur, and that’s that. So this person was regularly saying he was a better than average dinosaur. What’s in a name? If your name is “The Superior Mastodon,” a lot of mocking.

Mike “Cavs” Cavenaugh is a writer for WeWA.org, presenting his random mind drops every Wednesday. He can be reached for questions and comments at mcc@wewa.org.