Before one takes even the first step in submitting a potential character to the AWI, it is important to understand one vital fact: not all characters will be accepted. More importantly, it is necessary to understand why characters that are not accepted have been turned down. The AWI has very sharply defined standards for new characters; it is not at all difficult to create an acceptable character, if you pay attention to and respect these standards.
The Promoter's task is not very easy. It can easily eat up as many man-hours every week as a "real" job, just to produce a single wrestling card -- and he doesn't get paid. Players (and players-to-be) could thus benefit from showing a little consideration for the Promoter's trouble. This principle applies to character submissions:
The life's blood of an e-wrestling league is the originality of its players; repetition leads to stagnation and boredom. This principle has multiple reflections in the character submission standards.
One of the most important elements that separates the AWI from other e-wrestling federations is its strong committment to a realistic atmosphere -- to creating a feeling that the cards one reads could be real television transcripts. This philosophy places certain limitations on characters.
Perhaps the most difficult factor to explain in evaluating a potential new addition to the AWI is how closely that wrestler fits the AWI's genre, or "feel."
Essentially, every wrestling promotion, real-life or fictional, has a unique style to its product. The mid-'80s WWF, with over-the-top confrontations between larger-than-life faces and heels, has a distinctly different feel than its '90s "Attitude" counterpart, for instance; ECW's de-emphasis of the face/heel structure and the obsessive striving for "hardcore" makes it feel a lot different from the various Tennessee regional promotions, despite a propensity for high-violence matches in both; Rey Mysterio Jr. wrestles Juventud Guerrera different in a lucha promotion in Mexico then he would on WCW/NWO Thunder; and so on.
In much the same way, the AWI strives to achieve a specific feel of its own; as a result, wrestlers that would work in another promotion, and might even draw "monster heat" in the WWF, WCW, or ECW were they real, sometimes just don't fit the AWI. Part of this atmosphere is included in the drive for verisimilitude, but other elements of the AWI atmosphere include:
The basic format for a character submission looks like this (presented as a blank form):
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A W I C h a r a c t e r S u b m i s s i o n F o r m
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*Player's Name: ()
*Wrestler's Name: []
*Hails From:
*Entrance:
*Physical Description:
=Height: ' "
=Weight: lbs.
=Build:
=Hair:
=Eyes:
=Skin:
=Attire:
*Personality/Gimmick:
*Wrestling Style:
*Trademark Move(s):
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SAMPLE FLASH
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Player's Name: This would be your
name, preferably a real name rather than a Net handle. (We're not
prying or paranoid, it's just easier to interact with a Joe or
Bob or Dave than it is a "WarL0RD" or
"Galstaff"). Also, in the parentheses afterwards,
include the most reliable e-mail address you can be contacted
at.
Wrestler's Name: This should be the full name and/or titles used by the ring announcer during entrances. Nicknames go in quotations (e.g. "The Awesome One" Kerry Masters).
In the parentheses after the wrestler's name, you should list the wrestler's alignment, either "face" (good guy/fan favorite) or "heel" (bad guy/rulebreaker). For the purposes of AWI submissions, at least, there is no such thing as a "neutral" or "tweener" character.
Hails From: The wrestler's place of origin or residence. True to the melodramatic nature of the ring, this can be a real location (anything from Los Angeles to Yonkers), a fictional location, or a metaphoric phrase (e.g. "the Pits of Despair"). Failing all else, you can leave this as the generic "Parts Unknown".
Most wrestlers in the AWI use some kind of theme music to herald their entrances into the arena. This can be just about any musical selection which seems to fit the character -- pop, rap, country/western, heavy metal, classical, whatever. Here, you can pick your own pulse-accelerating entrance theme; you may also include any special details concerning ring entrance -- fireworks, lightshows, out of the way action, etc.
For what it's worth, some selections aren't good ideas -- either because of an association with a real world wrestler (such as "Thus Spake Zarathustra (Theme to 2001)" for Ric Flair), or because of a general "dogpile" popularity. A partial list of these include:
AC/DC: "Big Balls", "Back in Black", "Hell's Bells", "Highway to Hell", "You Shook Me All Night Long"; Alice In Chains: "Man in the Box"; Beck: "Loser"; Black Sabbath: "Iron Man"; Deep Purple: "Perfect Strangers"; Diamondhead "Am I Evil"; KISS: "I Wanna Rock & Roll All Night"; Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Freebird"; Metallica: "Enter Sandman", "Phantom Lord"; Nirvana: "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Heart Shaped Box"; (Orff): "Carmina Burana (Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi)"; Queen: "Princes of the Universe", "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions"; Steppenwolf: "Magic Carpet Ride"; (Tchaikosky): "Thus Sprach Zarathustra" (aka 2001 Theme)
... and obviously, any of the custom pieces used by WWF or WCW personalities (such as Dallas Page's "Self High Five") are right out. (Generally speaking, "I heard so-and-so use it and thought it was cool" is exactly the wrong reason to pick something.)
Height/Weight: List height in feet and inches, weight in pounds. Those of you used to the metric system may find this a pain, but it's the way wrestling handles things.
Build: This is a general description of the wrestler's body shape, matching one of the following categories. (It's acceptable to use a range of two categories, to indicate a borderline build; for example, "large to cut" would describe a character who is big and muscular, but also carries noticeable body fat.
Hair/Eyes/Skin: List the wrestler's eye and hair color, as well as his usual hair style if desired; also list his skin tone (please, no blues or greens ...).
Ring Attire: Describe what your wrestler wears, both to the ring, and in it (i.e. what does he discard before actually fighting). For the purposes of these descriptions, some standard terminology is listed below.
Include here a brief summary of the character's outlook and behavior.
This section should include a basic description of the character's overall fighting style, including its strong points, weak areas, and common maneuvers.
Trademark Move(s): This section has been provided for you to list the character's finishing move (if he uses one), as well as any other "signature moves" in his arsenal.
All character submissions should include a sample flash (i.e. interview, prerecorded comments, or other microphone work). This can be the actual commentary intended to debut the character, or a more generic monologue, but it should give a good picture of what the character's speaking style will be.
All right -- now you've got your character idea, and filled out the form. Here's an example of what a character submission might look like.
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A W I C h a r a c t e r S u b m i s s i o n F o r m
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*Player's Name: Bryant Berggren (voxel@theramp.net)
*Wrestler's Name: "Dragonfire" Kien Lun [face]
*Hails From: Kowloon, China
*Entrance: "A Taste of Things To Come" (Mortal Kombat
soundtrack); when Kien enters, he typically jogs down to
the ring, accompanied by pyrotechnics that follow him in
a "wave" pattern along the aisle.
*Physical Description:
=Height: 5' 10"
=Weight: 200 lbs.
=Build: Slender
=Hair: Black, worn neck-length
=Eyes: Dark brown
=Skin: Asian
=Attire: Black "lantern-pants" (the semi-bell bottoms worn
by martial artists) with gold-embroidered Oriental dragons
emerging from red flame patterns at the bottom, coiling
upwards around each leg; green vest and headband.
*Personality/Gimmick: A former Olympic gymnast (no medals,
obviously) and circus acrobat, Kien Lun entered the wrestling
ring as an experiment in combining his flair for showmanship and
self-expression with the competition of the sporting world. One
part Jackie Chan, one part Super Delfin, and one part "gymkata",
he has an easygoing, friendly nature, with a strong (but subtle)
sense of humor.
Kien Lun doesn't back down from challenges easily, even when
he probably ought to ("Sign a match with the 7' monster? Sure!
Put it in a cage? OK!" etc.) -- he may be a little too obsessed
with breaking the impression that "cruiserweights fight
cruiserweights, and just sidekick to the REAL champions".
*Wrestling Style: Agility, martial arts, agility, some technique,
agility, flashy clothing, agility ... did I mention he's agile?
His ringwork is a mix of simple holds, chops, and kicks sprinkled
over a canvas of of flips, jumps, rolls, and other acrobatic
displays; he likes to keep the match pace fast, though he knows
enough "classic" holds to pin down the opponent when he needs a
rest.
*Trademark Move(s): "Dragonwing Deathdrop" (Finisher -- Shooting
Star Hurricarana); "Neck Wrecker" (horse-vault spin on opponent's
shoulder into a bulldog).
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SAMPLE FLASH
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{Camera fades from black into a dimly lit gymnasium, accompanied
by a sound like wind blowing; we zoom in close on a set of rings
where a wiry Oriental man wearing a red and white gymnastics
uniform lifts himself into a pike position, holding for a few
seconds, then spreads his arms as he rolls backwards into a
somersault; as he's fully inverted, he quickly switches his grip,
crossing his arms to catch opposite rings and twisting around to
straighten himself.
[Voiceover]: {accented} Training ... conditioning ...
dedication ... all these qualities it requires to be a
winner ... all these qualities, I strive to achieve.
{He swings his body forward and upwards, releasing his left hand
as he moves to the top of his arc, so that he's supporting
himself straight above his right arm.}
[Voice]: {slight accent} In my dreams, I fly ...
{The camera wipes with a "burning" effect to scenes of the man
in a wrestling ring, now wearing green "lantern pants" (a la
Muta) performing a dropkick, a hurricarana, a springboard
bodypress, and a moonsault on various wrestlers; this is
followed with scenes of him (now wearing a black pants with a
green & gold embroidered Asian dragon pattern) using an
over-the-top-rope 'rana, a handspring elbow, and (missing) a
springboard moonsault to the outside.}
[Voice]: ... and though in the ring I may falter, I may
suffer, and may even fail ... I will fly again.
{The scene wipes to a shot of him leaping off the top turnbuckle
to hit a preliminary wrestler with a shooting star hurricarana;
the screen is then enveloped in computer-generated "flames" which
fade back to the gym, where the man releases his hand,
somersaulting back to the mat. He turns towards the camera view.}
[Kien Lun]
AWI -- "Dragonfire" Kien Lun is coming, and I promise you action!
Look close, fans and competitors, for win or lose, you will be
surprised!
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With this submission completed, the next step is to send the completed form to the Promoter (awi@geocities.com) for the official review.
Ideally, the Promoter tries to respond to any submission within the week -- but please, be patient. If you send off a submission on Monday, the AWI would certainly like to reply by Sunday -- but this is not always going to be possible.
The Promoter has selected a group of experienced players to act as a Character Review Committee; when he receives your submission, a copy will be forwarded to the CRC as soon as convenient. This band of wrestling Siskel & Eberts will then offer their opinions on the potential pros and cons of adding the character to the league; the Promoter and the CRC may discuss the character for some time (which is one of the reasons responses may be delayed), before the Promoter makes his final evaluation of the character.
After this, the Promoter mails his decision back to the player. Sometimes this is an unqualified acceptance (take a bow); sometimes it is an unqualified denial (usually because the character violates one of the explicit bans mentioned above). Otherwise, the Promoter's reply will consist of a summary of the issues raised by the CRC discussion, and offer suggestions for possible improvements to make the concept work within the AWI.
If a character is accepted (whether unqualified, or through the comrpomise and discussion process), the Promoter will send along a copy of the RingMaster rules used in gameplay (if one is needed). Some players may have previous experience with these rules, and will want to send a completed set of game stats with their submission; there is nothing really wrong with this, but keep in mind that the important information (i.e. that which the Promoter will make his decision) is in the basic submission.
For what it's worth, the above submission should be considered "average" -- it might be good enough to get in, perhaps, but shows some definite room for improvement. For example:
1 It should probably be noted that, with the examples of the WWF's "New Diesel & New Razor Ramon" and WCW's Renegade to compare, wrestler photocopies don't seem to go over well in the real world, either.
2 This document (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Rampart/2061/aa-ww1.html) is available on the World Wide Web.
3 The topic of interleague relations is a sticky one. This provision is not meant to rubberstamp the SWA leagues as "the good ones" and all others as "primitive screwheads". But the fact is, there are dozens (maybe dozens of dozens) of active e-wrestling federations, and probably that many again of inactive ones with characters now looking for work elsewhere. There is simply no way that AWI continuity could bear the weight of acknowledging all of these leagues; the line has to be drawn somewhere.