Within the past week, there has been quite the number of posts over on the A1 boards about the current state of A1E and how their winners will be handled in the future. After what was a very slow week for the fed RP-wise, the numbers were also down for public votes of the victors (a staple of the A1E).
After a very hasty post by a member of the BC, quite the uproar ensued about how A1E should handle who wins their matches on a given card. The post was basically the BC member ripping into the members of the fed for not doing their duties as members of the locker room because only one member outside of the BC managed to vote for the card's winners.
Honestly, the post was completely out of control, IMO. The language was inexcusable and the tone of the message would lead one to believe that they might have committed treason for failing to take the time to read 11 match threads, judge the winners, and then send an email to share their view of the winners. However, the message is neither here nor there, as Jarret actually came out to say that the BC as a whole were not as enraged as the message would have seemed, but they were rather concerned.
And, given that I've been around A1E since 2002, I can see where there would be concern on the BC's part. One thing that A1E has always prided itself on the fact that everyone gets a say in who wins a given match. And for the most part, the system has worked without flaw when it comes to deciding the winners. I would like to think that all of us within the hobby have a very good idea for knowing what it takes to win in this community. And because of this, the voting system that A1E employs is more than capable of allowing a fed to continue to run.
This is where I make my first argument against what everyone seems to be saying when worrying about the voting system. Everyone wants to make the case that A1E is unique because it gives the handlers the ability to decide who wins the matches. However, as I said, the voting system really doesn't change that much when it comes to deciding the winners of a match. As a former member of the BC, I know that most of the time, there is really very little occurence of the public vote overturning what the BC has already seen. These guys see over the fed for a reason, because they know what they're doing.
It is for this reason that I believe the ousting of the voting system would not be that big of a deal within the A1 community. Personally, I've never really been a fan of the voting system myself. I've seen instances when it seemed very clear that sometimes people lost matches simply based on their opponents and not the quality of the RPs. A1E has managed to rid itself of that problem, for the most part, but I still remember facing certain people just because I knew that the deck was stacked against me from the get-go and I'm still a little soured on the system for that.
Also, the changes that Jarret has brought about since becoming head booker have been phenomenal for the fed and this might be the one last change that he needs to make to make A1E a hotspot for everyone in the hobby. The voting system has really kept a lot of people from joining the fed (or so I've heard) and with the current exposure that's being given to the fed with the Tag Team Tourney, what better time to show them what A1E can offer with Jarret and his guys calling all the shots instead of everyone running the show?
Which brings me to another point... A1E has its BC, or Booking Committee. However, it seems as though all they are there for is to decide who faces who on a given week. It doesn't seem like there's much "booking" that goes on within the group. I know when I was a member of the BC, there were a lot of times I just felt like a matchwriter rather than a booker. I guess what I'm tryin to get at with this point is that if only five people are deciding who faces who, then why does everyone get to decide who wins the match? I think everyone should be involved in deciding who wins, then everyone should be involved in the making of the matches or vice versa. And logically, it only makes sense that five people would make the matches, therefore I believe only five people should be in charge of who wins the matches.
Longtime A1Eers might not agree with this, but as someone who has seen this discussion come about once a year for the past five years, you really must question when this becomes something that we quite patching up and just fix completely. All the tweaks in the world are not going to make this system perfect, and maybe that's the appeal that comes about with the A1E.
But the arguments that come about for the spontaniety that A1E brings to the table are only arguments because sometimes a head booker might choose to keep the strap on his champ, even though the challenger won the match. All that needs to be done for the spontaniety of A1E to remain is the call of the head booker to stand behind his committee if they think that the champ lost the match.
I think that the need for a change is upon us in A1E. The voting system is obviously not working the way that the BC feels that it should if we must see posts like the one that brought this discussion about. The uniqueness of A1E is not really in its voting system. The uniqueness comes from it being in its own community and having a totally different roster from any other fed on the net. The system is going to be a constant topic of argument unless drastic changes are mad. So rather than patching the road yet again, let's re-pave everything and make things better for the long haul.
6.11.2007
5.24.2007
Tag, you're it
I figure that the majority of discussion that will take place on this board is going to be e-fed related, so I guess that my first post should be about that very subject. Even though I'm really antsy right now wondering where my love life is going, I think a good e-fed post is really what this blog needs for a shot in the arm.
So with that, let's talk tag teaming in the e-fed world.
It's really something that we see very little of this day. Now, Dave has always done his best to showcase his tag team division in EPW and Jarret is also showing a very valiant effort in trying to bring more teams into A1E with their current tag team tournament, of which I am a part of. Granted that my participation has been lackluster the past couple of weeks, I for one am still very much interested in how things are shaking out in this tournament.
But the thing that I love best about this is the fact that I'm teaming with one of the best while doing so. And really, that's where I guess this post originates...
It would seem as though most people within this community are all about their own personal abilities and too proud to try and make something happen by becoming a tag team partner with another member of the community.
Let's take a look at the fed that has possibly the best tag division around, EPW...
Now, since I've been taking my break, I haven't been following the scene as much as I should, but from what I can tell, 5 of the 7 active teams listed in the information thread are ran by a single handler. Now, if you're reading this post and I am incorrect, please feel free to inform me.
Anyway, it seems as though these days this is the only way that tag teams are formed within the ranks of the FW community. If you go back (at least in the A1E annals) there are plenty of teams that were more than successful with two handlers. Big Dog & Gladiator, Housefly & Beast, and not to toot my own horn, but Sensationally Perfect.
But what really surprises me about this whole situation is why more people don't work together to try and get a little spark for both characters. Personally, I believe that diversity is a big deal when it comes who wins within a given RP period. For example, let's say that Housefly & Beast are set to take on Blitz. Everytime that we here from Blitz, the majority of the time Max and Jecht are going to be together and, therefore, Karl is forced to speak for both of them at the given time. In contrast, Housefly & Beast are able to come at Blitz full force with whatever they want to say in their given RPs. And even if Blitz were to keep things even on a 2-to-2 RP level, there are still two minds working against one in this case. Karl is very gifted, but I doubt that he is always fully capable of seeing everything that two guys like Roger and Jarret could see.
So my question becomes: Why don't more handlers take advantage of this and really try to boost their characters? Most would agree that e-fedding really reached its peak during the Attitude era when tag teaming was the least of everyone's worries. Hell, WCW had practically disbanded their tag division at that point.
But is that really where we're still at in this hobby? Is everyone trying to make their character the same old DTA character that we've seen for years now?
I know that, personally, I've given more than my fair share of tries to the tag division. Of course, the first time, it lead me to two tag team title reigns. From there, I've offered up ideas of teaming with several different characters... James Irish, Irishred, and of course, I'm currently in the A1E tag team tourney with Chip Friendly.
Personally, I see this as a nice shot in the arm for my character because it gives me a change of scenery and allows me to work hand in hand with some guys that really know their stuff in how to get buzz around your character.
It really seems like something that more people should try in this hobby. Why don't they? I'm not too sure, but I would definitely like to hear it. The singles ranks are packed full of talent already, why don't we spice things up and try something different for a change?
So with that, let's talk tag teaming in the e-fed world.
It's really something that we see very little of this day. Now, Dave has always done his best to showcase his tag team division in EPW and Jarret is also showing a very valiant effort in trying to bring more teams into A1E with their current tag team tournament, of which I am a part of. Granted that my participation has been lackluster the past couple of weeks, I for one am still very much interested in how things are shaking out in this tournament.
But the thing that I love best about this is the fact that I'm teaming with one of the best while doing so. And really, that's where I guess this post originates...
It would seem as though most people within this community are all about their own personal abilities and too proud to try and make something happen by becoming a tag team partner with another member of the community.
Let's take a look at the fed that has possibly the best tag division around, EPW...
Now, since I've been taking my break, I haven't been following the scene as much as I should, but from what I can tell, 5 of the 7 active teams listed in the information thread are ran by a single handler. Now, if you're reading this post and I am incorrect, please feel free to inform me.
Anyway, it seems as though these days this is the only way that tag teams are formed within the ranks of the FW community. If you go back (at least in the A1E annals) there are plenty of teams that were more than successful with two handlers. Big Dog & Gladiator, Housefly & Beast, and not to toot my own horn, but Sensationally Perfect.
But what really surprises me about this whole situation is why more people don't work together to try and get a little spark for both characters. Personally, I believe that diversity is a big deal when it comes who wins within a given RP period. For example, let's say that Housefly & Beast are set to take on Blitz. Everytime that we here from Blitz, the majority of the time Max and Jecht are going to be together and, therefore, Karl is forced to speak for both of them at the given time. In contrast, Housefly & Beast are able to come at Blitz full force with whatever they want to say in their given RPs. And even if Blitz were to keep things even on a 2-to-2 RP level, there are still two minds working against one in this case. Karl is very gifted, but I doubt that he is always fully capable of seeing everything that two guys like Roger and Jarret could see.
So my question becomes: Why don't more handlers take advantage of this and really try to boost their characters? Most would agree that e-fedding really reached its peak during the Attitude era when tag teaming was the least of everyone's worries. Hell, WCW had practically disbanded their tag division at that point.
But is that really where we're still at in this hobby? Is everyone trying to make their character the same old DTA character that we've seen for years now?
I know that, personally, I've given more than my fair share of tries to the tag division. Of course, the first time, it lead me to two tag team title reigns. From there, I've offered up ideas of teaming with several different characters... James Irish, Irishred, and of course, I'm currently in the A1E tag team tourney with Chip Friendly.
Personally, I see this as a nice shot in the arm for my character because it gives me a change of scenery and allows me to work hand in hand with some guys that really know their stuff in how to get buzz around your character.
It really seems like something that more people should try in this hobby. Why don't they? I'm not too sure, but I would definitely like to hear it. The singles ranks are packed full of talent already, why don't we spice things up and try something different for a change?
5.22.2007
Let's Try This Again...
Well, it certainly has been a long time since I've done this, but quite frankly, I have nothing else to do.
My current level of broke-ness has sent me to a new summer job as well as my full-time job at Big Lots. Things are quite tame right now. A day here and there sometimes leaves me run down, but my two supervisors are really open to helping me out and I'm very appreciative of that. It helps to keep some money in my pocket and some sanity in my brain.
However, the thing that really sucks is that job number two sees me sit at a desk from midnight to eight in the morning, staring at a blank computer screen or playing wrestling booking simulators.
Usually, this would be the kind of job that would totally kick ass, but the time from 5-8 is when things really start to suck as I begin to fight off fatigue, as I'm still trying to keep a regular schedule so that my social life doesn't go to hell simply because I'm working night shift everynight.
However, that will prolly all go down the shitter as soon as next month hits. I have 48 hours scheduled at job number two the first week of June and then 40 hours every week after that. We'll add that to the 30 hours that I MUST work at Big Lots due to my full-time status and we're going to have a very run-down Shane. I'm also in the midst of trying to wow a new girl, who is quite possibly the coolest woman I've ever been this close to a relationship with.
So let's do some math here...
7 days a week x 24 hours a day = 168 hours a week
168 hours a week - 30 hours at Big Lots - 40 hours at WVU = 98 hours a week
98 hours a week - 2 hours gym time per day x 6 days a week = 86 hours a week
86 hours a week - 6 hours of sleep per night x 7 days a week = 44 hours a week
Now, 44 hours a week sounds like a whole slew of time to waste really. Hell, that's almost six hours a day that I could do whatever I want. But, for some reason, that's just really not how it works. And while it might be awesome with all the money that I'll have, I can't help but think that there will be quite a damper on this relationship that seems to be blossoming. And this really stresses me out because if ever there was a girl that I've attempted a relationship with that I would want to work, it is this one.
Needless to say, the eight hours a night that I will be spending at job number two are crucial to the very little sanity that I retain within my body. And since I'm on a current hiatus from e-fedding outside of A1E (Which some would claim I'm doing there as well ;) ), I figure that this blog could really be what keeps me going and keeps my mind off all the stressors that I might endure throughout what seems to be a crucial summer for my future.
So, I'm going to try and spark some good e-fedding discussions here, but I might also bring about some real-life stuff that hopefully I can get some input on from the great friends that I have encountered here in the FW and A1 circuits. There are really those of you that I admire like I've known you my entire life and feel more than comfortable telling you guys anything: Dan, Lindz, Dave, Shane, Josh, Jarret, James, etc.
I'd really like to try and make this a hotspot for those of you looking for something extra to do when you're just sitting around, looking for something to do or someone to talk to.
So, with two days in a row after tonight that I have to work here, why don't we start off topics by simply naming some topics that we'd like to see discussed. I'll then try to give my personal take on it and then we'll engage in some good old fashioned debate to try and express our viewpoints as well.
Lemme know what you guys think.
-Shane
My current level of broke-ness has sent me to a new summer job as well as my full-time job at Big Lots. Things are quite tame right now. A day here and there sometimes leaves me run down, but my two supervisors are really open to helping me out and I'm very appreciative of that. It helps to keep some money in my pocket and some sanity in my brain.
However, the thing that really sucks is that job number two sees me sit at a desk from midnight to eight in the morning, staring at a blank computer screen or playing wrestling booking simulators.
Usually, this would be the kind of job that would totally kick ass, but the time from 5-8 is when things really start to suck as I begin to fight off fatigue, as I'm still trying to keep a regular schedule so that my social life doesn't go to hell simply because I'm working night shift everynight.
However, that will prolly all go down the shitter as soon as next month hits. I have 48 hours scheduled at job number two the first week of June and then 40 hours every week after that. We'll add that to the 30 hours that I MUST work at Big Lots due to my full-time status and we're going to have a very run-down Shane. I'm also in the midst of trying to wow a new girl, who is quite possibly the coolest woman I've ever been this close to a relationship with.
So let's do some math here...
7 days a week x 24 hours a day = 168 hours a week
168 hours a week - 30 hours at Big Lots - 40 hours at WVU = 98 hours a week
98 hours a week - 2 hours gym time per day x 6 days a week = 86 hours a week
86 hours a week - 6 hours of sleep per night x 7 days a week = 44 hours a week
Now, 44 hours a week sounds like a whole slew of time to waste really. Hell, that's almost six hours a day that I could do whatever I want. But, for some reason, that's just really not how it works. And while it might be awesome with all the money that I'll have, I can't help but think that there will be quite a damper on this relationship that seems to be blossoming. And this really stresses me out because if ever there was a girl that I've attempted a relationship with that I would want to work, it is this one.
Needless to say, the eight hours a night that I will be spending at job number two are crucial to the very little sanity that I retain within my body. And since I'm on a current hiatus from e-fedding outside of A1E (Which some would claim I'm doing there as well ;) ), I figure that this blog could really be what keeps me going and keeps my mind off all the stressors that I might endure throughout what seems to be a crucial summer for my future.
So, I'm going to try and spark some good e-fedding discussions here, but I might also bring about some real-life stuff that hopefully I can get some input on from the great friends that I have encountered here in the FW and A1 circuits. There are really those of you that I admire like I've known you my entire life and feel more than comfortable telling you guys anything: Dan, Lindz, Dave, Shane, Josh, Jarret, James, etc.
I'd really like to try and make this a hotspot for those of you looking for something extra to do when you're just sitting around, looking for something to do or someone to talk to.
So, with two days in a row after tonight that I have to work here, why don't we start off topics by simply naming some topics that we'd like to see discussed. I'll then try to give my personal take on it and then we'll engage in some good old fashioned debate to try and express our viewpoints as well.
Lemme know what you guys think.
-Shane
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