RHCW Saturday Showdown (3/16/13)

The first thing I notice, in the Logan Caudill promo, is awkwardness in the way he's speaking. "I pay you almost close to 200,000 a year". That sounds very skitty and unsure, rather than a statement. And there's not really any reason for him to be unsure of what he's saying. it's not like it's a questionable subject. Make sure your promos are worded exactly how you want them to be worded, because they are the primary way that your ideas and character directions are being addressed.

I'm not sure I'm feeling the dramatic pins. It's really just kind of annoying to have to scroll so much.

The opening cruiserweight match was a solid way to open the card.

It took me until the end of the second match to realize what was missing from the show. After the first and second matches.. there was no buffer between the matches. No interviews, no vignettes, no promos.. From match to match. It provides a different product, for sure.. But it becomes hard to get over what your characters motivations are, what their mindsets are, without promos on the show.

Barrett & Jeff Hardy was a decent match. Stylistically, they seem like they would match really well.

Benoit. you've got the I & the O reversed.

On the topic of Benoit, I don't think I like him being here.. In 2007, what he did effected me so much that I was about ready to give up on wrestling as a whole and I didn't watch WWE again for 7 months (on top of the 7 prior that I hadn't). Just the circumstances that led to his death make it hard to watch him wrestle, much less to read a fantasy world with him. The same reason JC Bailey matches are hard to watch now. The brain damage. Every head shot, every bump, every hard blow.. You've got it in the back of your mind "this is what eventually ended him". Not to mention Benoit IS a murderer, and did murder a child.. But what the do I know? I used Charles Manson to promote a PPV..

There definitely needs to be some sort of buffer between matches and commercial. Following Benoit & Undertaker, I got lost for a second, not even realizing the match was over, because of the lack of buffer. I'd suggest adding some sort of breaker. ant does ---commercial break--- and I do (commercial break) to signify there is a break in the action. Otherwise, things sort of bleed together. When I write up my format sheets for Synthetic, I put the commercial breaks in place right then, just as you would when writing a format sheet for a real show.

Ziggler vs. Aries is something I probably would've saved for a Pay Per View, since it's such a dynamic match up and something that's never happened before, and likely never will happen. I do like the finish though, because it allows you to come back to it without blowing it on TV. Harping on the issue though, this match is a key example of "there needs to be buffer". You go from the high drama of Ziggler/Aries, they're both dead... Welp, let's go to commercial while we shovel these two out. That was a great place for a comedy segment to lighten the mood, or for a character to capitalize on the high drama. While the mood is tense, someone comes out and says "you know what, what they just did.. it's nothing compared to what I am going to" or something to that effect. Your matches build your promos and angles and your angles and promos build your matches. Snowball effect.

I kind of have a problem with Michaels & Roode ending by DQ, and the way it did. That's a finish to a mid card match, rather than a main event. I probably would've switched Aries & Ziggler with Michaels & Roode if you're maintaining the same finishes. then you can end on high drama athletics rather than kind of a screw job DQ. Send the fans home happy without giving them everything.