Bo's True NAPW Stories!!!

[nexusone]

Please no replies to these. I'm going to post them all in this one thread. Can I get a sticky maybe?

Edit: Thanks for the sticky!!

[nexusone]

Interview with Crash Carver’s handler Dave.

Bo in black, Dave in blue

I'm talking with Dave who handles Crash Carver. First question is how long have you been in E-wrestling?

I have been e-wrestling for 6 years now.

What got you started in it?

I had a couple of close friends online, who I had met at wrestling message boards. They were both really into e-wrestling, and one of them had just taken over an e-fed, so they invited me to join, so I did.

Cool. Were you into creative writing before hand, or just wrestling?

I've been into both, pretty much my entire life. I've been writing since I was a kid, I actually have been lucky enough to have some of my work published. On top of that, I have been a wrestling fan since I was a kid, so e-fedding was the perfect mix for me, combining two of my favorite hobbies. I guess that explains why I've stuck with it for so long.

Yes, it does cover both of them quite well. Do you attend school or work fulltime?

I work full time. I worked for over 15 years as a Social Worker with abused kids, but I ended that career this past January. I just this past week got hired to work at General Motors on the assembly line.

What region do you live in?

I live just north of Toronto. On a clear day, you can actually see the CN Tower from my backyard.

Have you lived there your entire life?

More or less. I've moved around the Greater Toronto Area many times but I've lived in Ontario most of my life. I lived in Saskatchewan very briefly.

We have a few other guys who live in that area. You need to meet up with Sick Billy and KKP's handlers sometime.

Actually, you know what's funny? The guy who handles Ravishing Ron Barker here in NAPW lives in the same general area. He's one of my best friends, and he and I met in an e-fed. We were introduced by a guy who lives in England, then we found out we lived about 40 minutes away from each other.

That's interesting. Small world after all.

Yep, it goes to show you can meet some great people in this game, because as I said, Ron is one of my best friends now.

How did you find the NAPW?

I have only played in two other major feds in the past 6 years...and I always played as the same character, Diamond Del Carver. I got to the point with that character that I had done everything I could do...I won every title, feuded with every major star, and even got elected into the Hall of Fame in my old fed...so I was looking for a major change. I wanted to play as a new character, and I wanted to do it with a whole new "circle" of people, because I was getting tired of the people I had been playing with.

I searched RoughKut, the e-fed database site for MONTHS. I book marked three feds out of literally over 100 that I saw. The three I book marked were the best ones, the ones with the most potential. I kept my eye on those feds, read the shows, monitored the OOC boards, read the role-plays, things like that. I decided that I wanted to be in NAPW most out of all the feds I saw, so I just waited until a spot came open...and when spots did, I came in, and told my best e-fed friends about it too...Ron, Sean, and Nicolle.

I did similar back in November but my premise was looking for a fed that was regional and stuff with Indy traits. I looked through some many feds it wasn't funny. I'm glad you brought in some other good role players. It helps the competition level and keeps NAPW thriving.

The regional idea was one of the many ideas I loved the look of NAPW. I wanted to introduce the nephew of my old character...and as luck would have it, according to his back story, Diamond Del Carver got his start in Alberta, as a jobber. So the story was perfect, that his nephew would try and follow in the same footsteps...just not as a jobber. On top of that, I was so impressed with how well the site was kept up to date, the results and bookings were posted quickly, and the role-plays were good. Plus there were so many little things I liked...the "realism" aspect of the fed, the arena the show is in, the television coverage...so many feds try to appear like a second WWE...and the NAPW being a small fed and okay with that...I found that really refreshing. Plus, I found Ryan, your fed head to be a very nice guy, approachable, and a decent guy.

One of the past feds I worked in has really degraded over the years, they've ended up with storyline rapes, murders, crucifixions, stuff like that. It made me sick. Not only was it totally unrealistic, it had nothing to do with wrestling, and it was just tasteless. Ryan was running a great, old school fed...and it showed. That's what I wanted to be a part of. On top of all that, everybody on the roster I have met has been very nice, and easy to talk to.

In WWE a lot of guys say they best characters are ones that are the real guys personality just amped up. How much of Crash is actually Dave coming out?

Well, I should tell you that I am not a WWE fan anymore. I don't know if you remember, but back at Wrestlemania 19, Triple H was fighting Booker T for the WWE World Title. Triple H made some very racist statements leading up to that match...and then he went on to win the match, and bury Booker T in the long run. I made a decision that day to stop watching the WWE. I was disgusted, and I made the decision that Vince McMahon was not going to get my money anymore. Since that time, I have really got into Japanese Wrestling, especially All Japan Pro Wrestling from the 90's, and Pro Wrestling NOAH. I watch a lot of that. I also watch Ring of Honor, and TNA.

Having said all that, I am very familiar with the theory that in order for a character to be successful, it has to be the person coming out. I can honestly say that I have nothing whatsoever in common with Crash Carver. Jake Carver is a character I have been writing for years, because he was heavily featured in his uncle's storylines and role-plays long before I came to the NAPW. I think that in e-fedding, we can have the advantage of not needing to "be" just like our characters. Look at actors. A good actor, like a DeNiro, can change himself into whoever he wants to be. A good writer should be the same way, I think.

Crash is a young, bright eyed, optimistic kid from the Southern U.S. I am an old, cynical guy from Canada. If anything, I have MUCH more in common with the original Diamond Del Carver character, Crash's uncle. Sometimes when I wrote for him, it ended up being my voice. That's one of the reasons I came to the NAPW, to push myself and challenge myself as a writer. Writing as somebody I have nothing in common with is hard. If anything I think I identify with Crash's manager, Daniel Dafoe.

Very true on all accounts. Good writers and actors don't need to be who they portray. Since coming to the NAPW, does anybodies work stand out to you, where you must read his or her stuff when it's posted?

It's funny, I was just talking to Ron today, saying that I really need to spend more time reading everybody's stuff. It's so hard coming into a new circle, when you don't know ANYBODY, because you have to start from the ground up, and learn. However, so far there are a few guys I have read that I like.

I really like Uzi a lot. I am hoping that one day down the road, Crash can go after the Television Championship, so Uzi was one of the first guys I read. I think that is a great character. Another guy whose work really impressed me is the character that Crash is facing this week, "Superstar" Deathrow. Great character, and well written promos. I have also checked out YOUR work and really liked it. I also enjoy Chris Casino, and Krusty Kid Paul. Those are other characters who kind of grabbed me right off the bat. So the short answer would be Uzi, Deathrow, You, Casino, and KKP. Once I have settled in, I will read more and get to know more people, so I know it's not fair right now because I am still learning the ropes here. The "Delivery Man" stable or concept really interests me, so I want to read more of their stuff.

I should also say that Sean and Nicolle are two great friends, and one of the things I love about them is their work. So of course, I love Dream Come True.

Well I've asked you a lot of questions. Now you get to ask the Handler of Rex and Stiff Competition one question.


Hmmm. I wasn't expecting that.

Rather than keep this about ME, here's an interesting question for you. In my opinion, NAPW is one of the best run feds I've ever seen or been a part of, but nothing in this world is so perfect that it can't be improved upon in some way. So if you could do ONE thing to make NAPW better than it is now, if you had total control and could make any change or add any feature to the fed you wanted...what would YOU do?

Tough one. I love it. With absolute power, I would probably institute a trial rp, dark match feature. After doing a couple of weeks of dark match rps, where no match is actually written, we would then know if the new people have talent and will rp when told too.

Good point. No shows and people who come in, but then quit quickly can really hurt a fed from a creative standpoint.

Thank you Mr. Dave for letting me interview you. Any parting words?

Thanks for showing an interest in a new guy in the fed. I also want to thank everybody in NAPW who has been kind enough to look me up on AIM and say hello, and I want to thank the staff of the fed for being so welcoming, and working so hard making this a great place. I am really glad I came here, and I'm having a blast...even though poor Crash got humped on the PPV by Team Man.

[nexusone]

Interview with D! and Delivery Men handler Diego.

Bo in Black/ Diego in Brown

I'm talking with Diego the handler for D! and The Delivery Men. Most people know you started E-Wrestling this past October. So I'll go another direction. How many guys in the fed did you know before NAPW?

That's an easy question that I will later complicate. . . three from the starting line-up, who, tellingly, are still around. Allan, who handles Ravager and the Celtic Assassins, Kyle Jago, who handles Stylin' Kyle Roberts, and Devin, who handles Bruce Richards. We were hanging out on a local fed's message board when Ryan posted for NAPW, hoping he might get one or two people.

Of course . . .

Since then, I've seen my friends Kougar ( Khaos / Nenji), Dave (storm) and Scott (Dudes) come in, to varying degrees of success.

But it always seems to come back to us four, we started together, and we've stuck it through this far.

All four of you do very strong work. If I'm not mistaken you have some sort of writing degree or an English degree, right?

I've got a Major in English Lit and a Minor in Comparative Lit. In essence, if you don't transfer to teaching or Grad Studies after that, you wind up working in a bookstore, which, tellingly, I've done.

Allan is also an English grad. Jago has a Journalism degree. Devin went into science or psychology or something but has always been a gifted writer, or as long as I've known him, anyways.

But there are more experiences than that. All four of us have done improv comedy, for example. Allan and I have also collaborated on sketch comedy, and worked for two seasons on a live radio show.

And him and I have collaborated on theatre scripts as well, come to think of it. It's the whole reason we know him.

I can do comedy a tad bit myself, but to do my own show would be totally awesome. Another reason to be jealous of you. Just kidding. What do you do for a living now?

Bookstore, duh. I've taken a managerial role at the store over the past year, which has seemngly choked off a few opportunities to do something more full-time artsy. In a way, NAPW has probably kept me sane, just because I can do all of these little "scripts" and work it around my schedule.

Keeps you sane and makes Ryan crazy, the irony of it all. But truth be told, I'm like only 2 months more experienced than you, Jago, Devin, and Allan. A lot of guys have been doing it much longer than us. Did anyone give you pointers when you first started?

Oh, HECK no. We pretty much fended for ourselves. The thing to know, however, is while we've never E-fedded, we didn't exactly come in cold, either.

We'd been playing games like No Mercy and Smackdown! 2 for YEARS. We'd just plug it in and play for, like, HOURS against each other. When we were all younger and dumber, we'd start in the evening and finally walk out at the crack of dawn.
So we'd established a little continuity of our own over the years, pretty much starting with weird versions of ourselves, and creating more characters as we went.

Let's take my guy for example. He started out as a really heely version of me, and from there, he got a little more refined--as refined as you can get playing a wrestling video game. Things like his attitude and his move set developed over the course of time. After years, I decided to finally turn him face, and that gave me a character that resembled a more experienced D!. So, stuck for anything better, when I went to delve into e-wrestling, D! was somewhat-formed already. I changed some other key traits, mind you, such as deciding to start him RIGHT at Square One, never having wrestled a proper match before.

That's interesting, as my guys started out as characters I created off of the Smackdown series. The only main difference is that Rex Caliber was a light heavy weight that resembled a black Road Warrior Hawk, just slim. But when submitting forms I did his moveset and gave the traits from Bruce Hardway, a heavyweight character I had, who's name is half of my tag team minus the Bruce.

As we have a Bruce already.

YES!! Damn you Devin for taking Bruce first... But after coming in and winning the belt so soon, what motivates you now? Just having fun with stories?

In effect, yeah. There's a part of me that needs me to have the outlet, definitely. If I wanted to sound more pretentious, I'd then tell you I'm enjoying NAPW as a larger piece of collaborative fiction.

In a sense, winning the Big Title in his second week pretty much told me who D! was.

And the thing about it was, he didn't ever doubt he would. He's that sure of himself, which makes others assume he's cocky. And I pretty much didn't "get that" until after that second match. All of a sudden, I'm in control of some kid with a Midas Touch.

What was the main reason you created the Delivery Men?

Honestly, to patch over continuity. Some of us were going mental over the insane amounts of weight-lifting going on in promos . . . it was like having a little kid keep ringing on your doorbell. It wouldn't stop. And the irksome thing was that all of a sudden, all of these realistic characters had to contend with guys who were benching automobiles. It really bothered me at the time, so I felt a need to "explain" it by having a Delivery Guy bring in giant foam props.

Ah, I do remember a string of OOC posts where I had Rex squat some pillows. That's something I bet a lot of people wouldn’t have guessed as the reason of the Delivery Men’s creation... What other hobbies do you have?

Hobbies, eh? Can I give a lame answer like "reading"?

Sure.

I'd still like to consider myself an improviser, even if I haven't had the venue for it recently. So there's another one, a little bit of straight "acting", too.

How long you been into wrestling?

I started later than most everyone--mid twenties. I missed the '98 stuff, started watching right before Survivor Series '99, where Stone Cold got himself ran over. It was pretty much a penance another friend had me do because I used to shit on wrestling. I recall-or won't be allowed to forget--being told about Owen Hart's death, and I just cracked a joke about it. It wasn't "real" to me.

So he made me watch RAW, and really didn't think it was going to hook me. But Lo and Behold, the Hardy Boyz came on, and their shit was WILD. I got slowly hooked. Soon after that they had their Ladder Match with E&C. It was solid gold and I'd never seen anything quite like it. After the spot monkeys hooked me, I started becoming a huge Triple H mark in 2000. He's got his detractors now, but his heel work at that time was phenomenal, and I got an evil little thrill supporting him. And then I discovered the Internet Wrestling Community, and I'd become a "Smark" ever since. And you know what? Being a "Smark" isn't more fun than being a "Mark". I envy Marks, they get to enjoy the product more, or at least get a lot more involved. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I thought it was all REAL or anything, but there was a time where things like Stephanie turning on her father to hook up with HHH was downright JAW-DROPPING, and I freakin' LOVED it.

Do you think anybody feels that way about current WWE / TNA / ROH / wherever Travelli is NOW, now that everybody knows how the industry works behind the scenes?

I think the older guys do miss the mystique. The new guys have never known any other way.

It's a little sad, but the game has changed since the paltry few years I'VE been watching. It's part of why I E-fed, surely. Because you'd have years of me or Jago or allan watching RAW and saying "That's retarded, here's what I would have done."

And now, peanut, we just DO it. Like when a bleary-eyed Jago saw Viscera and assumed there was a bear in the ring. We just riffed off of it, and soon after that, SKR's wrestling a bear himself. So we're putting our figurative money where our mouths are. This, once again, keeps us sane as wrestling fans.

I'm not honestly sure why I started, but now it's like a routine and reading the results is my wrestling entertainment... Since you've been here since the beginning, of all the guys that have came through here, who has improved the most?

Tough call. And I sure as Hell wouldn't want to name someone only to have them PM me to inform me of how many years, months, days and seconds they've been doing this. If I were to instead tell you who's come a lot farther in terms of my own, personal, subjective standards, I'd give the nod to Ian. If you look at the first Kryenik stuff over what he's doing today as part of his BPE phase, well, it's not BETTER, it's no less INTENSE, it's just DIFFERENT, right? I just find that the "modern" Kryenik is just more "there" as a character, that he's pried himself from just this one facet of his insane genius--and he IS insane, and he IS a genius, mind--and has stepped up his game to now give us a nice spectrum, to show off his meaty writing skills. Personally, I think it's tempting to fall into a "groove" writing your character do the same thing over and over again. My biggest challenge for myself is for me to keep trying different RP styles. If I phone it in, believe me, people call me on it.

OK, last part of this is me and you switching spots. You can ask me one question.

Huh.

That's what Dave said from last interview.

Okay . . . Rex started off as a guy who'd work more than a few feds . . . he was also pretty crass, or at least not in the loveable Benjamin J. Grimm way he's evolved. So you had to change his focus from being this travelling worker to more or less bedding down in one or two feds--that part of Rex has changed, and you couldn't dictate all of that, it just happened to you.

But let's suppose, like my experience with D!, that there was a moment where you "heard" Rex, where you finally nailed his voice down to the point where he finally felt "complete" for you, what would that point be? Or am I wrong in assuming Rex has evolved a little?

You would be totally right, Rex is somewhat different. Nailing his voice would have came around the Canada Cup. The tournament itself made me raise my game. I can write the voice for Static, and believe it or not, Jago couldn’t tell the difference. The collabs we do are off the chart and I can tell the difference. But in tournament play, I made it clear that against SBK, I would do all the rp's on my own. Win, lose, or draw I would know my place. Before that most Rex rp's were tag team collabs with Tim, so I wasn't sure on how good or bad I was.

Yeah, Canada Cup was very intense for Rex. Ian's work was pretty watershed there, too, beating Brion and all.

Thank you for your time and do you have any parting words?

I love what we do here. It's obvious to me how many of us are doing this purely for the love of it, and that, in turn, keeps all of us going. We're a misfit locker room that nevertheless keeps somehow WORKING. You rock, people!

[nexusone]

Interview with Jared Walsh's Handler Sean Boden

Bo in Black, Sean in Navy

I'm with Jared Walsh's handler Sean Boden. As said in the interview with Dave, you found NAPW through him. How long have you been E-Wrestling, and when/where did you meet Dave?

I've been in the game for about 7 years now (I think? 98 or 99, I can't much remember), and met Dave in 2002 or 3. I'm not good with dates. Met him in SHOOT Project, where he was handling Del Carver, and I was handling the unoriginally named Sean Boden. My third match in, I faced him, beat him, and was one of the people who made him reconsider the angle he was taking at the time. We've been buds since.

What angle was he running with?

"Diamond" Del Carver was a surly old bastard with a sense of honor that couldn't be broken, and as a result, he was a big fan favorite. He had lost a retirement match a couple months previous, and I think I came into the fed the next week or so. He re-debuted as a member of an organization kind of like the Corporation, under the name D.L. Carver, as a complete sell-out heel. Now, Dave's an awesome writer, but he'd written Del as a face for so long that as a heel it felt a little forced. After three matches or so, he went back to the old Del, and honestly, I think for the better, in the long run.

On the subject of heels versus faces, which do you prefer writing and why?

Which do I prefer? I'm a relatively nice guy in real life, so I like to play a heel, if only because it allows me to say all the things I can't normally. But since I like to challenge myself, I like playing faces... I find they're much more difficult to pull off, at least old school.

Very true, most people do a heely face nowadays, me included. The Stone Cold Syndrome. How long have you been a fan of wrestling?

Man, I couldn't even begin to tell you... I remember going to see a WWE taping where the Texas Tornado was going up against Mr. Perfect for the IC belt, so I'd say for a while. Granted, I don't watch all that much anymore, but that's mostly because I don't have the time.

What do you do that takes up all of your time?

Working, mostly. Working, the internet, seeing Nicolle (she lives an hour away, so just driving takes up time). I don't watch a lot of TV at all these days.

What type of job do you have?

I'm a clerk at an adult shop, actually. It's interesting, to say the least. I work from 5 to midnight 4 days a week. Hoping to get back to school by the end of next year.

Way more interesting than Diego’s little book store job. (Bo’s throws a thumbs up to Diego) What kind of degree would you like to receive if you go back?

I'm looking to get into psychology, probably into criminal profiling, that sort of thing. As Dave will tell you, I have a tendency to get into people's heads (although that's not likely to happen with Jared).

That's something that is really popular and known because of shows on TV. Good luck if you choose to go through with it. What's your favorite role-play you've done, and what went into it that was different from others?

My favorite role-play? Wow. That's a tough question. I've done a lot of storyline work with my characters, but probably my favorite would be one I did with the Boden character... to describe it better would require a little bit of history on him. That OK?

Sure.

OK, in his early career (which is to say when I was a novice), Boden wasn't all there. Had multiple personalities, and was basically a walking cliché. As time went on, I ran an angle where he ended up killing a friend of his and getting all dark, blah blah blah. As he (and I) got better, he started feeling the guilt from what he'd done, and I wrote a role-play on the anniversary of the friend's death with Boden visiting the grave, interspersed with lyrics from "Black Hole Sun," by Soundgarden. It's one of the few RPs I can look at now, 3 years later, and cry.

Sounds very good and different from what I‘ve read in feds. What do you do to prepare a role play and anything you do while writing (I.E. music)?

I do a lot of my promos on the spot, although I've usually thought about it for a while... get a basic idea in my head and let the character write himself, y'know? As far as what I do while I'm writing, I'll play music from time to time, depending on who or what I'm writing for... although lately, since my hard drive died about a month ago, I lost all my music, so it's been writing in silence for the most part.

Everyone needs to send Sean some music. OK, solved that problem. Your girlfriend is your tag team partner. Explain how you two became a couple/ tag team in E-Wrestling?

We became a couple through possibly the nerdiest way possible. We're LARPers, the type of people that Trekkies look at and say, "Wow, those guys are nerds." We met at a game, hit it off both in and out of character, and have been together now for two years. E-wrestling was a little different, I had just left one fed when we were together, but I showed her some of my writing, she thought the idea was awesome, so when I joined up with SHOOT again, she came with me. We weren't a tag team then, but we had written a connection between the characters, and NAPW was looking for tag teams, so we jumped on that.

Now that you are in NAPW, what do you think of the competition level? Also any writers that you didn't know before, that impress you?

I think the level of competition is easily on par with any other fed I've been in, and that's definitely a compliment. It helps that it's a really friendly atmosphere here, to say the least. As far as writers that impress me, I've been trying to read a lot more recently... as Dave said, it's hard when you come into a new fed and don't know what's going on. I'd say the tag division is really strong right now. I think Team Man is comedy gold, D-X is great, the Delivery Men, Casino... I guess that Rex Caliber guy's alright... and Evan Cartwright gets congratulations from me, he's earned his run, in my opinion.

That Rex fellow is one weird guy, I hear. Type of guy that will ask to borrow money and promises to pay you back the day after you die. But anyway, I almost forgot the region question.. Where do you reside?

Since I plan never to die, I won't be lending him cash any time soon. Nicolle and I both live on Long Island in NY, myself in the playground of the rich, the Hamptons. Note: it's not all it's cracked up to be.

Tell Kelly Ripa, Bo said "HI"!! What kind of background in writing do you have or is most of your experience from role playing?

I've been into creative writing since I could pick up a pen, really... most of my writing experience comes from e-wrestling and RPing, although I've dabbled in just about everything from screenwriting to comics to novels. A cousin of mine once gave me a good piece of advice. He said, "Write every day. It doesn't matter what it is, just do it." And since he's a millionaire, and I'm not, I'm gonna say he knows what he's talking about.

Tell him Bo said HI!!! as well. When you was a kid what was your dream job?

Always wanted to be a movie star. I've done a bit of acting in my time, and at this point, I'm not willing to make the sacrifices to be that famous. That, and I hate auditioning. It gives me the shakes.

Ok cool. I would probably be ok if drunk and auditioning, but the slurred words wouldn't work unless I was doing Sylvester Stallone's life story. But anyways it's getting near the end of the interview, so now we switch virtual chairs and you get to ask me any question.

Any question... I think Dave probably took the one I would've asked first. Lemme see... What would be your dream match for Rex? We'll allow anyone you've ever faced or worked with in the past, as well as anyone in real life feds.

Easy baby... Rex Caliber versus Perry Saturn!!!! Do you have any parting words for the NAPW?

"You're welcome!" (Sorry, not Saturn's finest hour, I know.) In all honesty, it's great to be here, and hopefully I'll be able to tell a good story and entertain folks.

Thanks for your time. Good luck and stay awhile.

I hope to.

[nexusone]

Interview with Static handler Tim Rath

Bo in Black/ Tim in Purple

I'm with Tim Rath handler of Static. He is of course my frequent tag partner. Tim how did you find out about NAPW back in the beginning?

The President, Ryan, told me about it directly.

So you and Ryan had a previous working relationship?

Yep. We've fedded for several years, and started an internet music magazine together.

What was Ryan like as a role player?

Just about everything you would expect from him. Ryan's the best writer I know, and always brought it hard with his wrestlers/managers. I think he also took a lot of mid-card feuds intentionally.

Was your character of Static used prior to NAPW and how close is he now, to the original idea you had with him?

The last wrestler I used prior to Static had my name, and an extreme version of my personality. Static is that wrestler evolved, with my personality turned up 1000 notches as opposed to 100.

Who has been the most influential on you in your E-Wrestling career, as to say who if anybody has helped mold your writing style to what it is?

Probably Ryan first and foremost. In addition to him, a bunch of people that we used to fed with together: Jade, Pi, Alex, Justin, and Shawn.

You ran a fed before, how was that experience and would you ever do it again?

I haven't ran a fed in... years. There's no chance I could do it again. The fact that I don't watch wrestling any more doesn't help.

What's the reason you don't watch wrestling, which is interesting as a few guys have told me they don't watch WWE anymore?

Basically the same reason that those people told you: the product's just gone downhill. Frankly, I don't care enough about wrestling to seek out other stuff like ROH. I used to be a huge fan of AAA and other lucha though.

When Ryan booked you with the me, after Rex just won his only NAPW match he had been in, (the Black Thursday Battle Royal) what did you think of the pairing and did you think we would be champs in a month?

I was really pleased. I remember that when we were first booked together, I was in a funk. Ravager had gotten the best of me with the Provincial Title feud, and I needed something new to do. Ryan threw us together, and our team (with the Bill Fleming tension at the time) worked really well. I guess I couldn't have imagined us being tag champs until we started beating the crap out of teams systematically. I should also mention that I'm far more motivated by a good storyline than the idea of going after a title. That helped a lot. The tag titles were always secondary to me, behind the Fleming turn. I loved that.

Do you think of that series of role plays as your favorite story, or do you have another you would call your best?

There was a series, Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner with Bill that highlighted our tension really well and probably won me the Provincial Title. That was good. When the Super Bowl was in Detroit, I had some good ones, Static being from Windsor, right across the river... you and I have done some high-quality stuff. Very consistent.

You have stated to me that if the NAPW's current main event group were to, all for one reason or another, leave the fed, that our mid card group could take over and not miss a beat. Of the mid card guys right now, who was the most potential to be headlining soon?

Stein, obviously. Both Doomriders, Uzi, Cartwright and Bickle all come to mind as well, right off the top. Cartwright is my favorite character in NAPW. Oh, and Roberts need mention as well.

With that very mention, you prove the point that you can't name all the talented members of the fed. I know that there has been a situation between you and another couple of guys here in NAPW. Would you care to discuss that?

I think that something very important in NAPW is the rapport we share. Ryan and I have been doing this for a long time together, and for important guys like D-X/Ravager/D! and I believe yourself, this was one of their first feds, so Ryan and I probably rubbed off on them a lot, e-fed wise.

With Casino, Cartwright, Dev, and Pit Boss, *as I've come to understand it* we're getting a lot of guys, very talented, very competitive, who seemed to be very set in their ways. And I'll tell you right now that e-fedding definitely does not have a universal set of rules/etiquette. Lots of guys do a lot of different stuff a lot of different ways. So, the way I see it... when Pit Boss and Devastation came in and started doing things the way that they were used to it, which isn't the NAPW "way" at all (and shouldn't be), a lot of us just got this feeling that they were farting in church every time they rp'ed. I felt bad that that incident probably played a role in Pit Boss leaving, even though he was definitely wrong. It's just that we do things very differently here. Including not granting title shots all the time. Where Ryan and I come from, a hot mid-card feud is just as important as one for the title. I don't think that Kirk is from the same place.

Kirk has proven that he can win in the NAPW system. But I would agree to the feud thing, titles are good to have sometimes, but an awesome feud that is built superbly will steal everyone’s attention. That in my opinion is what guys should strive for when they're not in the title hunt. Try to steal attention away from the ones who are in the title matches. But as always that's just my opinion. Who has improved the most since entering the NAPW, in your eyes?

Kryenik. I wrecked him during Super Bowl week, I wrote an RP where I was annoyed with him and it showed in the RP. But he'd probably kill me now.

With your knowledge of Ryan, what do you think is misconstrued or inaccurate about him?

I dunno, doesn't everyone think he's a pretty swell guy? Heh. I don't think you guys know about his hair. Sweet Jesus, does this man put some effort into his hair. Haircuts, hairstyles, hair gel. So much hair gel. I keep a buzz cut. (BLEEP) all that. Ryan's a fancy boy by comparison. Just kidding of course.

Somehow I doubt your kidding. I too keep the buzz cut look, as I don't have time to fix my hair for an hour, but at one time I did... You live in Detroit and go to college, what is your major?

Journalism. Undecided on the minor.

I say take up photography so you can do swimsuit issues, then I can live vicariously through you. We're going to play word association, that ok?

Of course, as long as you don't mind when I say provocative things for every word. Filthy minds here in Michigan.

Hmm.. Let's do it anyway. Screwdrivers.

Watch your back.

Diego

Extremely talented.

Moose (the animal, not the Millar)

Cannon fodder for sexual experiments ... I knew I wouldn't last through three questions.

Rex Caliber..

Worthy

Carolina Hurricanes... wait I got this one for you... Cup Champions baby. That was fun, what’s your favorite sport?

Grr. (to the mention of Carolina) Basketball.

Anyway Dallas could possibly lose to the Heat?

Maybe if Shaq came upon a time machine to go back to '01.

Haha. Ok, enough boring the crowd with our love of sports. A question posed to me in the first interview, if you could grab Ryan and make him change something about the NAPW, or improve it somehow, what would you do?

Nothing. He's run a lot of feds that I've been in, where I could answer the question sufficiently, but this is... it. IMO, the perfectly-run fed, that I've been around.

You could have suggested a Rex Caliber celebration day, but I digress. We are going to switch seats and you get to ask me a question.

Sure. Sexy Rexy, what're you taking from the Crimes experience?

I've learned that I need to add bling to my role plays, with the way I explain things and the surroundings. I learned that if you don't RP full tilt, DX will beat you. I also learned that in my opinion and not to sound cocky, that if we would have went back after the belts, I think we could have had the top feud in NAPW history with DX. You helped me to role play to my potential and I wouldn't have evolved to a champion with out the CRIMES.

Woot.

Any parting words for all of your fans, which is basically Jago?

Yo, stay topless

Thanks Tim and I hope you retire the screwdriver before we meet.

Eh... maybe. It's been a pleasure, Bo.

[nexusone]

Interview with Stylin’ Kyle Roberts handler Kyle Jago

Bo in Black/ Kyle in Green

I'm interviewing Kyle Jago handler of Kyle Roberts. Diego told about how you and a few others entered the NAPW. He also mentioned the Journalism Degree you possess. Does that knowledge you have in that field help you in role plays?

My Journalism diploma has helped a little, but not a lot. When I talk about Ryan Kingston (D-X's lawyer) or getting sues for libel, that's pretty much my training from J-school. Writing articles and writing role-plays are pretty different. I guess it helps me when I want to be concise. Most of my writing skill was already there when I went to school, you know?

Before the avenue of E-Wrestling came to you, did you do any creative writing?

I graduated from college in 2000, and for the longest time, I wasn't doing ANYTHING writing-wise. I found a job at a small town paper (the Mundare sausage story comes from there), but I quickly grew tired of it, and I quit, finding a job in retail to tide me over until something better came along. I did the occasional thing, like writing a screenplay for a sitcom that a few friends wanted to shoot, a play, stuff like that. Although my biggest work was the blog I started three years ago. It's where my writing voice REALLY started to develop, because I was writing for myself. Since last year, when I joined NAPW, my blog's been put to the wayside, since I'm writing at least three times weekly.

Not to many people know about me dragging you to a southern US E-fed. Beyond that you have no other experience in E-Wrestling besides NAPW. Do you ever have the urge to try another fed?

To be quite honest, not really. I helped you out in SWA because a) I thought it would be fun to team with you, b) It was only like every second week we'd be fighting. Turns out it was only one and a half matches we had, so I was kind of bummed out about not teaming with you, but welcomed the thought of only needing to role-play for NAPW. Most of the other feds out there don't seem as sweet a deal as this place does. I could be wrong, mind you, there could be some feds that are just as good as here, but I feel burned out doing the work I do here sometimes, you know? =) Especially since I tend to write a good ten or twelve hours a week here, between running D-X with Devin and writing matches.

Yeah I would concur, as SWA was one of the reasons I'm NAPW only now. I too write a bunch, doing a single guy, tag team, matches and this cool project. How long have you been a fan of wrestling?

Well, I was a fan back in the late eighties/early nineties as a kid. Mostly WWF, with the occasional Stampede viewing. But when I turned about thirteen or fourteen, I pretty much put it away. I was a second-year student at the University of Alberta in 1996, and there were two guys in my dorm who'd always be watching RAW, and this was right before the Attitude era/Monday Night Wars, so it wasn't anything I was that interested in. I'd always be asking "Why do you WATCH this? Sure, at twelve, it's awesome, but you guys are grown up!" But when I'd visit my friend Richard on my time off from school, back in Moose Jaw, he'd be watching WCW just when it started to get interesting. And then WWF exploded with Crash TV, and I was pretty much hooked again. So this would have been late 1997 or so. Since then, I’ve been watching WWE steady, and have friends (Allan) with some indy DVDs so I can get some alternative styles in the mix. And there's the PWA, one of Edmonton's local indy promotions that I frequent these days. Even if I started going because my boss wrestles.

Any aspirations to kick your bosses ass in the ring?

(Laughs) Even though I'm a lot bigger than Marky Mark, I've got very little wrestling talent in me. As a teen, I was one gangly freak. Nowadays, I'm filled out some, but I'm not really in wrestling shape.

A question I forgot to ask a few others, do you have a spouse or girlfriend?

Neither, I’m single.

If you were to date someone and they tell you that the E-fed stuff is stupid, would you quit doing it or put her in her place?

I wouldn't stop e-fedding because a girl calls it stupid. Let's face it, if she's dating me, she's got a lot of other problems to fix before she gets anywhere near the creative writing that it my outlet (comic books, role playing, constant computing, my obsession with a cappella music, a lot of stuff). Who cares WHAT I'm writing about, if it makes me happy?

DX has been in the fore front of some of the most memorable/infamous moments in the fed. What has been your favorite?

Oh, hell, I'm a big fan of the first big swerve, the formation of the Rat Pack. That was a time where some people would message me saying "Oh, that's it! D-X is going down!" Also, I think losing Coach was a pretty decent moment. The one "This Is Your Life" segment I did with the Dudes.

At the time I know Brion aka Casino was getting real silly threats over PM from some of the less mature guys during that time of The Rat Pack. Do you think that the his character would be that hated to the point where people thought it was real?

Well, to be honest, that was pretty much Jacob, who's young. If I was Jacob's age and had internet, I might have done the exact same thing, trying to defend my country every time it got slammed. Jacob's one very passionate kid.

Not to offend Jacob, but I know that his RP's sometimes and I quote "Make your head hurt" because of the supernatural things he used. His stuff was totally well written but the content was too Hollywood. How did you find it to RP against stuff like that and in the early days, the bench pressing of cars?

Well, I rarely had to role-play against the youngsters like Jacob and Kougar (Nenji) and Technique's handler. They were off going their own things, like fighting crime vigilante-style, or bench pressing Cadillac’s filled with plutonium. Usually, I'd throw in a little barb as Roberts. And if that didn't stop them, I'd usually mock them lightly in the Locker Room. It irks me every now and then. Sure, he's fifteen, but jumping off buildings and tracking down wrestlers hundreds of miles away by running WOULD make my brain explode. Ryan and Diego could tell you some rants I had, like the role-play that had Caliban almost kill the father of Nightmare that nobody cared about. But once I calm down and take his role-plays with a grain of salt, I'm better. Hell, you've got to admit, Jacob's improved in leaps and bounds over when he made new characters every week. So, hey, if I'm able to help younger guys grow in their role-playing and writing skills, so be it. Even if I do bash my head against the wall every now and then.

Yeah, I gave him some advice that helped and I know others did too. Given time he'll be main- eventing a real competitive fed. How did you go about writing your first role play and looking back on it how would you grade it?

napwpres.proboards2.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&n=1&thread=24


From the very beginning, I think D-X has had an advantage over some teams because it was two handlers who collaborated instead of one guy doing all the work. It was D-X vs. the Calgary Connection (Jago glares into the camera for a second), and Dev and I decided we'd be sitting around a table playing poker, slamming our opponents, who had a Calgary Mafia gimmick. It's pretty good, although it wasn't NEARLY as dark as some of our more recent stuff. That's the funny thing with Roberts. At the very beginning, I had to push Kyle's limits, seeing how evil he could be. And it just kept on getting funnier and funnier. Kyle makes two escorts hold up his title belts. Kyle volunteers at a children's hospital, and does a horrible job at it. Every week, Kyle kept on getting more and more evil. Ironically, I don't make him half as evil as some others do. Like how disturbing he was in Ravager's promos after stalking Tiffany.

Or me having Rex sleep with his old lady, albeit a long time ago. Though that wasn't dark, just funny to me. Didn't involve you much, but we got us a story if we need to feud. Anyways I'd like to address something that I hear from some guys, who are sometimes jealous of what rookies in this game can accomplish. Me and you are about the same level of experience and have done very well for ourselves. Does it bother you when people who have been in the game along damn time, think that we get wins because of the communication we have with Ryan?

Well, first of all, sure, there's some guys who have been here from the beginning. And those guys are going to know each other a lot better than someone who can in, say, last month. Yes, I hang out with Ryan every now and then. Yes, we talk constantly about what happens in the fed. Yes, I'm one of the privileged few who votes on matches and has the ear of the Pres. But if you look closely, when's the last time D-X held the Tag Titles? If I don't role-play as well as my opponent, I lose matches. Simple as that. My standing as Ryan's friend does not get me over. There's no politics that way. Sometimes it's just a matter of being around long enough to understand someone. Like this story not too many people know: At the beginning, there weren't too many people involved. There was Diego, me, Allan, Devin, and a few others. And I would be laughing at Static's promos, and not in the good way. "C'mon, the guy's telling people to suck his voodoo and trying to pick up university girls while wearing a mask? Is this guy for REAL?" It took me a good two months to understand Tim's motivation and realize that, yes, Static was completely over the top. Now I love the character. But at the beginning, I was not a huge fan. But it goes to show you that you can't jump into a fed or situation assuming you know everything about how things work in NAPW. This is the big reason why there's so much miscommunication at times. You have to crawl before you can run. It takes time.

Unless your Rex Caliber, just kidding. What did you think of my guy when I first started?

Dude, not to kiss ass here, but I loved Caliber from day one. There are some people in this fed that I loved as soon as they did their first promo. Casino. Caliber. Bickle. JC Cook.

Sorry Bickle. Anyway as a member of the small booking committee used when Ryan is gone, do think you could run a fed?

God, no. I help. But I don't have the commitment or the time to do what Ryan does week in, week out. I work full time. Got two choirs on the go. NAPW's a fun outlet for my writing, but I couldn't afford to run a fed.

As we near the end of this interview, we switch chairs and you get to ask me a question.

Yeah? Is this it? Me asking Bo?

Yep!

Okay, lessee. Two parter: Who, so far, have been your favourite opponent in NAPW to roleplay against? Which person would you like to face in the future?

The most fun I had role playing, was against Casino. Though our match didn't take place, I loved him trying to be a heel anyway he could and one up me. In the future...Well since it's apparent that Static, D! will be more than likely facing me at some point... I look farther down the road and say Evan Cartwright. Me and Aaron are good chat buddies and it would be an honor and fun to fight him.

Some good choices.

Any parting words for the NAPW audience?

I am neither as much of a jackass than Kyle Roberts, nor half as grumpy as I seem in the Locker Room. I am, however, twice as hairy.

You also don't pick up well on sarcasm, which is weird for a guy who portrays SKR. Thanks for your time Jago.

No probs. Thanks for letting me shoot. Also, those who are the most sarcastic, rarely see it in anyone else.

[nexusone]

Interview with Stein and Longshot handler “Boston” Dave Cohen

Bo in Black/ Dave in Red

I'm chatting with "Boston" Dave Cohen who handles Longshot and Stein aka Delivery Man 100. First off when did you start E-Wrestling and why did you start?

I started doing this thing back in the year of '96, when I was just a freshman in high school. I got into it sort of by accident. I've been a wrestling fan since I was a kid, and I'm a big role-playing nerd (me and Vin Diesel, D&D 4 Life), and just going through this crazy intrawebs I came across the thing that combines those two, and I was hooked.

What was your first character like and how did you do?

My first character was, I think, very typical of a young kid first getting into the game. I went through the feds roster and picked the biggest guy (fellow named Ironman) and made my guy one inch and a few dozen pounds bigger. Chaos was his name, and I got off to a bit of a rocky start as a tag team with my pal (Rage) as World Demise. Once I went into singles action with Chaos I went completely undefeated for over a year with something ridiculous like 50-0 as his record. Most of that was because I became buddies with the owner, and the talent pool was real shallow - because back then I just wasn't any good.

What or who, helped you get better at E-Wrestling?

Practice, practice, practice. I think that just as I got older my writing style developed, along with my maturity, and that allowed me to take on some characters with more depth than "He is a giant so he can win because he is big". The first big step out of lameness was when I hit the SHWF and started up the character Longshot. The next one came fairly quickly when guys like Brion, Aaron, Zach and Kirk joined up and forced me for probably the first time to step up my game or get left in the dust. Before them e-wrestling had never been anything I really had to try at to win.

Was Brion or Aaron the one who introduced you to the NAPW, or did you find it another way?

I think both Brion and Aaron had told me about the fed a few times before I took the leap and joined, not really sure now which one told me first. I was on a bit of a break from the whole game while I was job-hunting, which is mostly why I didn't jump right in.

So you've been more or less in the game for 10 years. Does anything surprise you anymore? Also what motivates you to keep doing it?

I think I've become pretty jaded to a lot of the "shock" type stuff that people do in role-plays, so I'm not often surprised there. A good swerve can still floor me though, and sometimes just the level of writing you see is still surprising. I think if you told most people that you were pretending to be a wrestler online, they wouldn't expect the level of writing that we see here everyday.

For motivation, I guess there are two things. The first is that this is really one of my only creative outlets. The second is related in that I still have stories I want to write about. I think it will mostly be whenever that second one goes away (hopefully never) that I'll finally be done.

Does it surprise you when some people call you the most talented writer in the Fed?

I have an ego like you wouldn't believe. It surprises me when people don't say that!

But really, sometimes you can get used to hearing that when you go around junk feds, and I have seen more than my fair share of those. It does surprise me here because of the sheer level of talent of in the place. If I heard that in some other feds I really would think, "Of course I am, I can string two (BLEEP)ing sentences together." Here it is actually a huge compliment.

One of your biggest supporters is Ian who handles SBK. I know he has been around atleast 7 years, have you been in any feds with him?

NAPW is the first one, and I can't wait to get in some real work with SBK.

You're not the only one who would like to see a match up between you two. We've established in Tim's interview that some things are different in the NAPW, than in feds that others have been in. What is your opinion of the operation of NAPW, as you are an assistant with managing the boards, plus match writing and other things?

I think one of the things that make it so different, aside from just an unusual group of writing talent, is that here we have a steady group of people who help put great shows together. So far the biggest lurch I've seen us in has been this week, and the show was a day late. That is just incredible. I think before this I've seen maybe three or four guys in any one fed willing to help out on a consistent basis, but nothing on this scale. Putting on a nine match card that doesn't make the fed head explode? That's special

Of course, with managing the boards, nobody ever told me I was helping out there. I just logged in one day, and was looking at the Who's On list and noticed that it was myself and one moderator. Just me. But also one moderator. Weird, right? It took me a good ten minutes to put two and two together.

Who of the new guys who have came in, do you see the most potential in, as a future main event star?

I think probably Uzi and Patrick Bickle are the ones that have caught my interest the most. I don't want to leave anyone out here, so keep in mind that if you've done fantastic work in the past couple of weeks, I probably didn't get a chance to read it. I'm still catching up on Epic role-plays, been a bit squeezed for time on weekends lately.

Well pimpin' isn't an easy job, and we know that you pimp like no one else. What do you do for a living, and do you have any college degrees?

I'm a software developer for a financial solutions firm, because I'm all growed-up. Unlike the rest of these slackers with their liberal arts degrees, I have my bachelor's of computer engineering. Like I said, e-fedding is really my only creative outlet.

Are you married and do you have any kids?

I'm not married, and no kids... THAT I KNOW OF! Haha! No, seriously, I hate children.

So the rumor about you being Santa was wrong. Maybe they said Satan. Anyhow, what do you do to prepare to role play?

I don't really have a set ritual or anything like that and I try to get to a point with my characters where it doesn't take much conscious effort for me to get into a mode for writing them. One thing I will do to get myself ramped up if I have the time, is match-write. I've always been a guy that likes reading good results as much as the role-plays, and drawing up a quick mock match can get me in the right mindset.

You've known some of our guys here for a long time, any embarrassing stories you'd like to share about Brion and company?

This one time, Brion joined a fed that he didn't think I was going to be in and created a carbon copy of Longshot by the name of Chris... something. El Camino, maybe. Then I got here and boy was his face red!

I kid because I love. Nah, although we've all been pals for awhile, I've never met up with any of the crew in real life, so we haven't had the opportunity to get drunk together and play "Who's in my mouth?

(Laughing very hard) Have you ever run a fed yourself, and do you plan on doing one in the future?

I've run a few in the past, and though they all started out well, I ended up getting burned out really quickly. That is partly because I tend to be a control freak when I'm running my own stuff and take on too much of the writing responsibility. As soon as I lose even a little bit of time, the fed would die. Now that I'm working full-time for the foreseeable future (hopefully), I don't think I'm going to have the time to start up another. Luckily it doesn't look like I'll have to!

What's more important for you to do, win titles or have a great storyline going?

It really depends on the character, right now with Stein as my main it is definitely storyline. I've been asked a few times by various people why I haven't had Stein try to take any title shots and it is just because they weren't important to his story, so why push myself into the scene when they were important to other people. Of course if I get put into a position to be a number one contender, I'm not going to just let that opportunity slide.

When I was playing Longshot as an active wrestler, the title was very important because thats the kind of guy he is. Winning isn't important, winning big is! It's still the storyline that is important, but that story is going to almost always end up focused on a title.

You've put in for your shot as I read earlier today. Who has the edge wins wise between you and Brion, head to head?

I think that I do, but we've faced each other surprisingly rarely given the amount of time we've been doing this together. Or maybe not surprisingly, considering that I've been here for a few months now and Brion will be the first member of my old-school group that I'm actually going head-to-head with here in the NAPW. Aaron, Kirk, Jeff... watch out! You may or may not be next, depending on circumstances!

...

I need to work on my threats.

Who's your favorite guy to read here in the NAPW?

I'm a huge mark for Diego.

How did you come up with the idea of joining the D-Men?

I wanted to turn Stein face for awhile and to establish a separation between himself and Dr. Morgoth. The original idea I had for the actual physical way in which Stein would be stolen required at least two guys to pull off, so I started looking through tag teams. Originally the plan was to go with the Rat Pack, but right before we sealed that deal I was reading a D-Men role-play and it just hit me how much comic potential there would be in that pairing. I love how it has worked out so far, and this is definitely one of those things that is going to have an impact on the Stein character as long as I run him.

We're getting close to the end of the interview, so you and me switch chairs, and you ask me a question.

Oh boy! I left my chair extra warm for you, if you know what I mean.

Mines leather and sticky!

Delectable. The question I have for you is as follows: You look down the Heavyweight rankings right now, and you see that there is no number one contender. We all know that D! is never going to get his title shot, because then he would have nothing to be sad about and the character would be ruined (bwaha). Chris Casino is about to get Smothered In Ketchup and Devastation is busy doing his own thang. So my question is this; when do you think Rex Caliber is going to go one on one with the One... Hundred. Delivery Man #100. When do you think we're going to fight?

Well that depends on whether you take Casino's belt. You take his belt, then you have plenty of hungry lions barking up your tree. I would go out on a limb, try not to fall while I do it, and say that during the Summer of Rex, you get to face the Rexiest Wrestler of them all.

And a follow-up... what was your first reaction to the Static turn? (I don't understand the concept of a follow-up)

(Laughs) It's been something we talked about when we were Tag Team champions, which we lost in January. We hoped for me winning the Cup, then him winning the Sole Survivor match. But he got surprised by Devastation who, even Tim told me himself was more than likely going to win, after the deadline was done and RP's read. Then after I lost the belt we discussed it again, but didn't pull the trigger until now. As I wasn't consulted on the angle this week, it surprised me some. I love it and am looking forward to facing Tim after writing with him for 6 months.

And we, since I speak for everyone everywhere, are looking forward to seeing it!

Any parting words for those people you speak for?

Peace, love and ketchup!

[nexusone]

Interview with Ryan Ro.

Bo in Black/ Ro in Brown

I'm interviewing The Prez, Mr. Ryan Ro. The first question is how did you start E-Wrestling and when?

Man, how did I start e-wrestling anyways. It was back in 1998, and I'd just gotten the internet at home. Somehow I ended up finding some e-feds run on the old style guest books. I joined probably like, five at once. Fortunately I ended up in two that would get me hooked and shape e-wrestling. I wrestled in Awesome E-Wrestling Alliance as Whirlwind, and that place was amazing. It was an environment I've hoped to recreate and build on for a long, long time... just the way the handlers worked off of each other's RPs, collaborated, and competed. Just a great place while it lasted. The other was the fed I came to be involved with until 2002, known as the DWO - Degenerate World Order.

What writing skill or background did you bring to E-Wrestling?

Writing skill is just your standard creative writing guy. Wrote lots in school, read a lot of books and comics, and I love wrestling. This is my main outlet. Recent years, I write more lyrics and poetry than any kind of prose. E-Wrestling's the only place I 'write' at all anymore.

The first feds you were in, how did you do in them and what was the competition level?

The writing level was pretty much bad teenage writing. Myself included. AEA had some better writers who probably could compete in NAPW today if they grew at all (and they probably have.) I did well in most feds, in AEA I became #3 contender before it folded. In DWO...well...two weeks after I joined it, I uh, ended up running it. I'd like to think I didn't just give my guys wins, but I did win the world title a couple times. After that I did mostly mid-card feuds with the characters I ran.

How did you end up running a fed after two weeks?

Well, I joined this DWO fed. It seemed fun, the web page was one of the better designed ones (especially in that era of e-wrestling). The old Tripod forums or something. Anyways, the first results were something like five days late, and they were simmed. "Whirlwind beat Multi-Man with a piledriver at 15:38". Then this guy Outlaw (I think it was Outlaw...DWOutlaw) approached me on ICQ and said "hey, the guy can't run it now, you and me can run it." Naturally, DWOutlaw ditched out about a week later and suddenly I was in charge of a fed. Zero HTML knowledge, so the site was all updated on the boards for a month. Then slowly but surely I started updating the site before making a new one. It was a crappy site, but at least I could update it all. And so began me running feds and learning how to make web pages. Without e-wrestling, I really wouldn't have learned much about web design.

Me neither. (laughs) How many feds have you run?

DWO on and off from 98 to 2002. There was a period where I left and a group of guys took it over from me before it died, then got resurrected. Which happened regularly. Other than that, there are two times I helped run feds. I helped book a Tim Rath fed, IWA, for a period before embarking on DWO's final run. I was the website guy and assistant booker with a guy on a short-lived but high potential fed called GXW (Gen X Wrestling) for a short time before he, well, vanished completely from the internet. Hahaha. I just checked, and the old DWO site is STILL online. It's a shitty page design from the anti-Scribe crew that ran it without me, but it's got the full archives. I have the later day (Tim Rath in DWO) DWO archives on the CNXmusic server, as well.

How was Tim as a fed head?

Tim was part of a booking committee in IWA. I think Tim's a great fed head, he's calm and mellow and mostly rational. Tim's insane, and I love him for it, but he's a great communicator and a genuinely nice guy. God, I remember when he was in Edmonton...well, I can't really tell the story online. He blew my mind, but without the vocal inflections it's no good. Anyways, Tim Rath as a fed head, I don't know, I don't think he likes being THE GUY. But as part of a booking committee, he's a voice of sanity (if you can believe that) and a moderator.

Explain the formation of the NAPW, and know before hand that I have inside info that I will ask about if you don't tell everything.

You try it and I'll take your eyes, Rexy! ... okay. NAPW is basically me sitting here, getting completely fed up with what WWE was feeding me but realizing "Hey, I love wrestling." Also, I was bored. I had a site design kicking around that wasn't being used for anything, so I thought it was the right time to start e-wrestling again. My motive? I love wrestling, and wanted to enjoy it in some way... a way WWE wasn't giving me. being away from the game for three years let me gain some perspective on what I did right and what I did wrong with the DWO. And then I figured a regional fed would be a fun way to go, given my love affair with all things Edmonton. I honestly had no idea how it was going to do. I purposely let only one person from my 'Scribe days' know, and that was my good friend Tim Rath. I didn't want the old crew and the old way. I put it online, started plugging it, made up a few jobber characters to fill out the roster, and crossed my fingers.

Well at least you mentioned the jobber characters you rp'ed as.... Thanks Jago (thumbs up) Anyway, what gained you the most quality role players to begin with as in resource sites or other ways?

I posted about NAPW on real-life Indy wrestling fed Prairie Wrestling Alliance's forum, advertising a local e-fed based on PWA. From there, I got Diego, Jago and Allan (later Scott, as well as "Thunder" Dave). I think Lobo may have found NAPW from there as well. Xnetwrestling.com led to the Doomriders finding NAPW, I believe. Truth told, I have no idea how Brion found NAPW, but without Brion I wouldn't have Aaron, Dave, Kirk et all. Diego, Jago and Allan (D!, Kyle Roberts, Ravager) were the initial catalysts. Quality RPers not jaded by e-fed bullshit.

I found it through X-Net and I went through literally thousands of sites on Roughkuts and other sites, looking for a small fed to help build my guy in. NAPW became my home. Who was the first guy you asked to help write matches or help in other NAPW functions?

Probably Diego.

Knowing the answer going in, how surprised were you in the talent level of brand spanking newbies?

Really surprised. Especially when I started talking to them on messenger and learned they'd never e-wrestled before. They weren't just good writers, they learned how to write in a role-play fed so fast.

The forming of the Crimes was done by you slapping me and Tim together. I knew really nothing of him or anything. Did you think we would do as well as we did or did you just put guys together for a match?

Honestly I don't know. It was probably intended to be a one-night thing, two heels against a face tag team... but then you and Tim came out and did such killer RPs together, we had to make it into something more. I can't even imagine NAPW without The Crimes. Wait. That bastard Static tried to take Rex's eyes. Now I'm going to cry. In all seriousness, The Crimes have really been influential on NAPW. I could do a whole column on the butterfly effect their team had on this place.

The first controversial character I recall was Misery, hosted by Brion. What did he do wrong in his approach, and what rules if any were developed because of him?

Rule #2 is basically three times as long because of Misery. Mostly, there was a lot of torture and gory slash stuff I didn't really want to read or feel was appropriate. The major straw for me was when a female was gang raped. Off-screen but clear. I don't think those things have a place in NAPW. Or any wrestling fed, for that matter. I suppose you could say I didn't think I needed to make a rule saying "no rape or implied rape." Nothing against Brion, mind you. I love Chris Casino, and I'm really glad Brion chose to try a new character when Misery didn't work out.

The creation of Casino and alliance with DX was the biggest surprise we saw in NAPW to that point. What went into that angle from the participants?

Let me think. My memory is either like a steel trap or a sieve, no in between. I believe I probably came up with the main gist of that angle, and then went to D-X with my idea and Casino. For all I know I didn't even tell Brion. Diego knew he was going to lose, I think. It's all big jumble to me. It was rad though.

Totally, but it didn't last very long. What is important in the development of angles to keep whats hot, still hot months down the road?

That's a tough one. One of the ways e-wrestling differs from real wrestling is that the lifespan of feuds can be a lot shorter. You can put Benoit vs Angle on three PPVs straight and it doesn't get old. But I think people get bored RPing against the same guy over and over again. So... you need to keep things fresh and competitive. Don't let guys have the chance to sit on their laurels. In e-wrestling, a title can conceivably be lost at any time, storyline be damned. The only way to make something hot is to keep the people involved still hot, and that means different match-ups instead of wrestling the same guy for two months. Even with Dev/Rex, we took a break in the middle to let Dev take on Ravager and Caliber do some other stuff. D!/Casino had a break in the middle. I also think you have to have patience. I get lots of great ideas for turns and swerves, which is why Diego calls me "russo" every now and then, but I restrain myself. They can wait. I mean, what? Months ago we planned for Rex & Static to heel turn on The Dudes, but the face run was working so well... and the timing really wasn't right... and so, instead, in the middle of June Static turns on Rex Caliber. We thought about this months ago. Didn't happen, but now the time seems perfect. In short: Keep things competitive, don't hotshot angles and turns, and be patient. It blows me away that Dave has NEVER faced Brion in this fed yet. They've been here together for four-five months now and I've never booked them against each other. That's crazy. But... now the time is right. The other big part is simply that the people in NAPW contribute a lot to the angles. Most of the big angles are ideas that I've worked with people on, not just stuff I've come up with. The reason angles have stayed hot here has way more to do with the handlers KEEPING it hot than anything I do. That's what's special about NAPW, the people are really involved in their careers. My role is more like a smoother-outer...guy...uhh. By that I mean I do a lot more of figuring out how to make an idea somebody brings to me work in the grand scheme of Planet NAPW, taking into account other angles, how it affects other wrestlers, and where it can go. Give credit to the handlers.

This question I hear often from people, at all levels of the NAPW. "Do you think my finish was an angle?" What in a percentage answer would be an accurate assessment of the ratio of angled finishes and straight up being out rped. Also do you cover the finish with guys if it is angled?

I can count the number of angled finishes on one hand. And I talk to guys about that. I believe in competition.

That's settled. The Esteban episode that occurred while you were away was totally missed by me. I don't wish to relive it, but with episodes with (BLEEP)s who start trouble on the boards, how do you wish the NAPW faithful to handle those situations?

Uh... usually just ignore them and let them go away. I appreciate people wanting to defend NAPW, but internet (BLEEP)s don't listen to reason. Me or one of the moderators can ban them if there's a serious problem.

How does your girlfriend react to the time you spend doing NAPW?

She wasn't sure what to do with it at first, because Monday was our only day off together. And it really did kind of suck to have our one day off together a week be taken up by four-five hours of e-wrestling. Hence... the move to Tuesdays. She's cool with it, though, she just doesn't want me to spend 24-7 on the computer. Neither do I, so it's good encouragement.

One of the hot button topics is the splitting of tag teams to let them flourish in a new environment. How do you know when it's time for guys to split, or do you let them do it themselves?

If a team doesn't ask me to split up, I don't do it. I'm a big fan of tag team wrestling, and that means I'm a big fan of TAG TEAMS. Not just two guys killing time until they can get a singles push. There are exceptions - The Crimes, obviously... The Express is another big one, but they've really become a unit - but in general I'm a fan of teams with similar ring outfits, a similar gimmick. A theme. The Delivery Men. The Rockers. Celtic Assassins. Legion of Doom. The New & Improved D-X are like a more talented version of the New Age Outlaws. They don't have a particular 'theme' for their team, but they are undeniably a unit.
NAPW gets a lot of compliments on having such a strong tag scene, and I will continue to push real tag teams in this promotion.

It wasn't really hot button, I just love that phrase. The use of the Commissioner in RP's stirred up big noise around April. I understand what you are protecting with the character. But please explain it for others who don't.

I won't even mince words. I HATE the commissioner/GM/owner gig. It was great with Austin vs McMahon. Commissioner Foley was fantastic, but why the bloody hell does a wrestling fed NEED to have a constantly interfering authority figure? I can't stand it. Commissioner Winchell is a throwback to the old Jack Tunney days, the old NWA all-business "Championship Committee." He exists because somebody has to be in charge of this promotion. I have zero vested interest in doing Bobby Winchell vs the world. That said, I do have an idea for a completely insane month long angle featuring like, Joey Malone or somebody as commissioner. If we do a commissioner angle? It's going to be completely balls to the wall for a month... with a definitive ending. I just feel that wrestlers can tell their stories in the ring, without some GM making the storylines work. And I think that wrestling fans are smart enough to not need a GM character to 'connect the dots' for them.

Everyone saw the rant with Kirk going on about the rules and what not. Your not a quiet fed head, and you tell the truth to people. I respect that and I’m not kissing your ass. There's times when we all think were right and others are wrong. Balancing egos... Is that the toughest job in E-Wrestling?

YES. Irony? I wanted to be a hidden fed head when NAPW started, but there's just too much to work on all the time. Heh. I don't want to be a jerk, I just... I don't always translate my passion into diplomacy as well as I could.

We've passed the average life span of most feds. If tomorrow you woke up and said "(BLEEP) It" and quit...do you think the NAPW's devoted guys could carry it through it they chose too?

Absolutely

I avoid the questions about who you love to read and all to not show favoritism as you're the Prez. But rather for guys who aren't in the W column and want to be, what advice as a former RP'er could you give?

Simple things like spell checking and proof-reading help a lot. Read your character's words out loud and see how they sound. If they sound awkward, re-write them. The technical side isn't the most important but clarity of writing makes an RP much easier to understand, and therefore, the character easier to get. Beyond that, I want to know motivation. Make me believe the character wants to win. Figure out your strengths. Comedy? Drama? Intensity? Wrestling "promos"? Slice of life? Dialogue driven or monologue driven? "script" style formatting? Remember that your character is above all a wrestler. Character development is great but don't ignore your character's career. Where's the fire? The Passion? The desire to win? If you're an egotistical heel in your bio, play it up. Play into your gimmick. Who is your character? What is his/her voice? What does he stand for? Why does he wrestle? What are his goals? Why should he win above the other guy? Take pride in yourself, you know? If you don't believe you can win, why will anybody else? And while I say, frequently, that I won't institute a 'minimum line count' in NAPW because I think it's silly... Please. PLEASE. Dive into your RPs. I read a lot of promising RPs that start saying something great... and then they end. Just like that. And I sit back going "And? AND?" That costs a lot of points. I don't want to read ten pages of repetitive babbling. But I want to read more than two paragraphs of POTENTIAL. It's a fine line, you know? You write too much and you lose the audience because you're just repeating your points. You write too little and you leave people unsatisfied. Finally, RP, RP, RP. It is about quality over quantity, but the top guys in NAPW put out four a show, all good quality. And four good quality RPs beat out two good quality RPs. It takes a HELLUVA single RP to beat four good ones, you know? Anybody who has been NAPW Champion has busted his ass to get to and hold that belt. That's a tough, tough road to hoe if you're only putting up one or two RPs a show and the top talent is hitting four week in, week out. Four good Rps beat two good RPs. Even D-X suffered from that recently. I love 'em, but they really got nailed to the wall with their last title shot and the tagstravaganza for only doing two RPs when the opposition was hitting four with quality all the way. I don't mean to discourage anybody, because there's all the room in the world for a new player to step up and kick your ass, Bo. But NAPW is a hugely competitive promotion. It doesn't require a life commitment to be successful in - I want to avoid that. A player who really only has time to get two RPs up a week can still have a good time in NAPW. There are still stories to tell. And I try to book so everybody is put in a situation to win a match every few weeks. What they do with it is up to them...

Not to go off subject but I see I was in the title of Brion's latest RP... HI BRION!!! Anyway, it's getting near the end of the road and me and you need to switch chairs. You Ryan get to ask Bo...one question.

What, already? Haha. I definitely want to say this is a great idea and I love how you've handled it so far, Bo. Alright, one question for Sexy Rexy...
Let's talk about Rex Caliber. Did you ever think Rex would do this well in NAPW? How much of Tim's help got you here? What are your favorite three Rex Caliber NAPW moments? Is there anything you would've done differently? That's four, you magnificent bastard.

1) Yes, but not as soon as I did. 2) Tim helped me to see how to describe the scene I'm in and create a mood. But above all else if I wasn't funny, I'd be Joey Malone’s arch rival. 3) Tag Belts was my third favorite. Canada Cup was second. Winning the NAPW title the first was above all else awesome. Even going in I knew Minstrel was gone, beating Ravager was a great accomplishment. 4) I have would have role played harder in my title defenses as I LOSS both of my defenses. Also my only losses came in matches I was sure I won, so my ego is much smaller than most champs now.

I find it's that way often, you know? People RP so hard to get the belt, and then when they have it, some of that urgency is gone, and the next challenger brings more to the table.

Exactly. I think.. Any parting words for the fed?

I just want everybody to know that I try my hardest to do right by everybody on every show. I want to have less BS and DQ finishes to matches in order than wins really mean something. I want to run the fed consistently. I know losing blows. I hate booking anybody who works hard with a loss, but somebody has to lose... but I will always do my best to make sure hard workers look good in a loss and get opportunities. There are loads of opportunities in NAPW, and I don't care about records in the end. If you're here, and playing the game, RPIng for every show, trying to grow as a writer, I'll give you an opportunity. It's only fair. I want people to have fun in NAPW and I work hard to somehow accommodate everybody in the same space. I guess that's about it for now.

Thanks for your time.

Thanks for YOUR time.

[nexusone]

Interview with Evan Cartwright’s handler Aaron.

I'm chatting with Aaron, handler for Evan Cartwright. Starting off, who is your favorite NAPW role player to read... that you've never talked to?

That I've never talked to? I'd have to go with the crop of newer faces: Patrick Bickle, Crash Carver, Carter Owens, and Dream Come True all are great additions to the roster and seem like really cool people to know, from the snippets of themselves that they reveal now and again.

How did the NAPW become a place where you wanted to compete in, and what was you doing, E-Wrestling wise, just prior to joining?

E-wrestling wise I was doing nothing prior to joining NAPW. I was in a state of semi-retirement when Brion told me about the fed in early Dec. 2005. I signed up and familiarized myself with the place and people as best I could and the rest is history. NAPW is where I want to be because, as everyone else already knows, it's a collection of monster talent who work well together and keep one another entertained. The family atmosphere and friendships that develop are a great additional bonus that helps make it that much more worthwhile.

Where did you meet Brion?

We first met back in Dec. 2002 in a fed called SHWF run by the infamous Soopa Funk, we'll call that man "Bake Show", because the nickname is appropriate if you know him. But ever since then we've been as thick as thieves and tend to gravitate towards the same feds. I'm like the little brother he wishes he had instead of his actual troublemaker brother.

How long have you been E-Wrestling?

Off and on for 6 years in July. My first PPV was Phoenix Rising in July of 2000 in W2K (Wrestle 2 Kill.) The owner of that place was a complete head case, and I wasn't much better, being a snot-nosed 18-year-old punk.

How many other current or past NAPW handlers have you worked with previously?

Boston Dave (Stein) and Kirk (Devastation) who are still currently active. Former members Zack (Pit Boss) and Jeff (Chopper/Heat) are also old running buddies. It's a shame they can't be here with us, but at least they stopped by with us and had a little bit of fun.

What's your opinion of the way the NAPW ship is ran?

I absolutely love it. Politics are almost non-existent and Ryan does the hardest job in the best way possible. It's not easy being the man who makes decisions, but he has a good head on his shoulders and good people to ask for advice. I love how everyone sees themselves as part of a family here and how we all have to pitch in as much as we can. If one of us is going through a rough patch, the rest will be there to pick up the slack. If Ryan needs time off, Sir Diego and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants run things nice and smooth. Not everyone can be happy, but we all have to accept our lumps now and again so that we don't get egos like Boston Dave. Coming from feds like W2K where the owners are narcissistic whack jobs looking to make themselves look invincible, NAPW is very much a welcome change of pace. The only other fed head I liked as much as Ryan was our old friend Bob Steele who ran CWF. He was a good man, but sadly, isn't available to us anymore.

How do you keep a low ego level, AND be the longest reigning champ in the feds history, plus also be the only man to hold two belts?

Simple, I know the truth. I'm nothing great or special. I have some skills and I can write well, sure, but my talent is eclipsed by others here, before, and after me. I can step up and do some really killer writing when I'm driven or inspired, but if you catch me in a funk or during a real busy spell, I may be toast.

Who is the most under-rated writer in our fed?

Some chump named Rex Caliber comes to mind. Nah, just kidding... he's terrible. If you twist my arm, I'd have to say Static. It's about damn time he started working to claim a spot in the title hunt.

That guy has a screw loose, and carries a screw driver, so you know he isn't all there. I'm guessing the most overrated guy would be either me or you, who you picking?

Me, by far.

(Laughs) Ready for tough ones I'm seeing... What goes into your character? I know some people base it on themselves but cranked up. I do Rex with some of my personality, and a lot with what I invision myself like, with money and a ripped body. What's Evan based on?

As is normally the case, Evan does have a little bit of my personality. Basically, I wanted to try out being a semi-high flyer since my previous character was 6'4" 254lbs. However, I couldn't escape my love for technical wrestling, which is a big part of Evan's game plan. So I just steal most of Masato Tanaka's moves, add some high flying, and then the submission finisher and Evan Cartwright was born. A recurring theme with him is coming from a dying town dominated by the biggest river in North America. The river and water in general is a big thing for Evan, with his grandmother claiming that his father didn't commit suicide by jumping into the river, but was a river deity who was simply returning to his true home after being human for too long. Evan has referred to himself a son of the river before, and seems to enjoy that tale his grandmother spun.

In a tough Hypothetical question, if you take the six title holders in the fed.. Me, you, SBK, Bickle. Uzi and Casino and line us up in a huge tag match against the top 6 non champions: Devastation, D!, STD, Static, Stein, Lemondrop Kid, who wins? (Editor note: 6 non champs determined by current challengers to titles)

That's very tough to call, but ultimately, I'd think that the current champs would prevail.

Damn right we would... My egos big too, BOSTON DAVE. (laughs) What does Sir Aaron do in real life, ie: job, schooling, girlfriend/guyfriend? (don't want to offend anyone)

I don't swing that way, sorry. In real life I've been working as a waiter at a small French Restaurant in my hometown. I'm transferring from community college to California State University Los Angeles in mid-September and pursuing my BA in English, emphasis in Creative Writing. Ultimately, my goal is to become a noble scribe and scrape out a living from that. Eventually I also want to get my Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing. I'm 24 now and it'll be some time before I'll be completely done with school. But such is the life I chose. On the girlfriend front, I'm not dating anyone exclusively at the moment, but I am trying to get one of my buddies to hook me up with his hot female cousin. As far as guyfriends, I'm not as desperate as you, man. I do have a stable of he-bitches in yourself, Le Brion, Sir Ian, Sir Troy, Sir Tylor, Sir Jago, and Sir Kirk.

What do you do preparing to rp against someone tough like "The BEE"?

I say three Hail Marys and hide under the desk until The Bee's fury is satisfied.

What if you was role playing for the Bee's F*Pollen title?

This interview has turned uglier than I expected. I don't think I'd stand a chance if his strap was on the line. Too much motivation to sting me.

You should learn that ugly and Bo don't mix. So this isn't ugly. Anyhoo is there any guys you look forward to battling, singles or tag, over the summer?

Plenty of guys I haven't faced: D!, Ravager, Static, Rex, El Mentiroso, Uzi, Bickle, Carver, Stein, Owens, the whole gauntlet. This TNF will be my first time against The Delivery Men, and I very much look forward to that. I dread going up against monsters like Boston Dave and Diego, but the challenge should be good for me even if it will result in one-sided whoopings with me being the whoopee... not the cushion, mind you.

What kind of wrestling do you like, and how long you been a fan?

I first started watching wrestling when I found an old tape that beloged to my brother. It was Wrestlemania III and Great American Bash 88, so that stuff was my first exposure to wrestling. The Savage/Steamboat match had an undeniable effect on me; even as a kid, I realized it was such a great match. Then watching a match like Sting and Nikita Koloff vs. The Horsemen (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) gave me a good exposing of what good wrestling should be. I watched WWF until about 95 (King Mabel, anyone?) and stopped until the Attitude era was born. I jumped back in in 1999 and stopped watching again in 2002 when things started to go sour. I really haven't kept up since then and only know stuff when guys talk about it on the boards or in IM. I feel like such a "behind the times" guy when it comes to wrestling nowadays.

Was, or is there any desire to do anything in the wrestling industry?

Nah, I couldn't take a bump to save my life, and I'm not in any physical condition to even attempt to do what those guys do. I have a deep respect for the art and craft, but I'm not a performer, I'm an artist at my chosen craft only.

Anything about Brion we all might find funny that others might not know?

Anything funny about Brion is already pretty much common knowledge. I think Jeff once brought up his affinity for pink baboon asses. He also likes goats and various other critters. I hear his backyard is like a zoo. Some might not know this, but he is one of those hardcore Fangoria Magazine freaks. He loves him some fake blood, guts, and zombie movies.

Well as we crawl towards the end of the interview, me and you switch seats... and you get to hit me with one question.

So soon? It's not even 3 AM here! Hey, your chair is a marvel of modern ergonomics. Why did I have to sit in that crappy folding chair?

Is that the question and the answer is because I'M THE CHAMP! Plus it’s 6 am HERE!

No, that's not my question. My question to you, Sir Bice, is why do you do these in-depth interviews when it clearly is a pain in the booty? I have enough trouble just RPing and doing match writing duties. Especially when you have assh*les like me trying to push my way ahead of the waiting line.

Yeah, Tylor is going to be PISSED. I do them because I think it strengthens the NAPW. People now know that these new guys coming are much like you, vets who have 2-7 years experience. Almost everyone here has a relationship with someone else who is here that began before they became NAPW guys. Except me... and maybe a couple others. I think people enjoy them a lot. You aren't rp'ing against a character, but a person. It's weird but true. I hope this brings everyone together to at least have a somewhat understanding of their peers.

No better reason than that.

Any parting words for the NAPW faithful?

I appreciate the influence and entertainment each and everyone of you provide me on a daily basis. I can't thank you guys and gals enough for all the times I've sat here laughing like a mental patient at some of the stuff you write. NAPW is my e-family, as far as I'm concerned, and I will stay here as long as I possibly can.

Thanks and goodnight Cali!!

It's 3 AM, time to wait for the sun to rise and the cock to crow.

[nexusone]

Interview with Allan Chambers handler of Bob Ravager and the Celtic Assassins.

Bo in black/Allan in brown

I'm talking with Allan Chambers handler of Ravager and the Celtic Assassins. We know how you got involved in E-Wrestling through other interviews. What's your opinion of E-Wrestling?

It's a great creative outlet for me, and for a lot of other people. Basically I see a lot of guys who are 1) unsatisfied with the WWE product and want to write stuff that they want to see or 2) love wrestling so much that they want to write stuff that makes them feel a part of that world.

I do it because of the groupies and big time money. What went into the development of Bob Ravager at the beginning of your career?

When I saw the sign in sheet, I faced a huge decision. Do I go with the stock character I'd been using for the past Raw vs Smackdown PS2 games ("Elimination Chambers" - submission expert/suplex monkey) or try something new? I decided to go with a whole new character, but stick with the aspects of wrestling I liked. I've always liked technical guys like Benoit and Angle. I'm a huge mark for Tazz. But I had also started watching Ring Of Honor, and became a huge fan of Low Ki and Samoa Joe, two strong shooters. So I tried to amalgamate all those into Ravager - hired gun. And part of me still wishes I spent more time thinking about the name.

When I try to picture Ravager, I see Rhino in ECW around 2000. Which is when he truly was his best. You entered the NAPW with no experience at all. What was writing the first promos like?

Basically I looked at what other guys had already written. The I thought, "What would a heel say?" Seriously, I thought I was in over my head. But then I saw who my opponent was: "Moose" Miller. Home town hero. Blue Collar Everyman. Having a polar opposite to work against made things so much easier. Plus, Ravager was a full fledged heel, so I could have him beat random guys up and not feel bad.

Was you surprised by being a champion so early? Also did it effect your ego any?

I was a bit surprised. It helped my confidence a lot. Plus, I got thrust into a huge feud right away with Lobo and Static, so I didn't have a lot of time to get complacent. As for ego, I don't think my head swelled too much. I was still learning a lot about how things were done in E-fedding at that point. I was trying to book feuds based on me losing a match later, then getting the belt back at another show, rather than going match by match.

Looking back at the early works of Ravager, how would you rate yourself back then?

I wasn't at the level of D! or D-X. Plague had great stuff, but not always. I was still trying to figure out just what the Hell Static was saying. And Lobo was an Olympic shot putting champion with money to burn. Check that, A CANADIAN Olympic shot putting champion with money to burn. I think I was near the top, but I wasn't at my best. And I think we've all come a long way since then.

I concur. I entered the fed for the first big show. I beat a guy you would later feud with, Minstrel, and like 16 others in the battle royal. Minstrel was a guy that you couldn’t beat. This not being real, but still being competitive like a video game, does something like that bother you or do you take at as character development?

Minstrel drove me nuts. He is a superb writer (granted, I thought I had him a few times, but that's the nature of the game). I wish I could have gotten a win over him. But losing the Provincial title to him meant I could go on to chase the NAPW title. And having him as my first challenger for the NAPW title forced me to work harder. It's just too bad someone made him submit before I could...

(Laughs) That damn Rex will (BLEEP) up a plan big time. You worked your way into the main events after the loss of the Provincial belt. What was feuding with D!, a real life friend of yours, like?

Heh. Diego and I can get competitive. I hate to lose at anything. Leading up to the second title match I got kind of annoyed with him when he predicted in one of his promos that Tiffany would join up with Ravager. That's what I had planned all along, but to have it predicted like that. But it forced me to work harder. And then Ravager suplexed Tiffany. Man did I get some angry pm's over that. But it gave Diego stuff to work with, which as a result gave me stuff to work with. In the end, we're still friends, which is all that matters. That and I beat him. For the title.

Next up was Minstrel for the belt. Then a bald guy poked his head in, via a granted shot in the Canada Cup. A lot of people In character give me flack about not beating you in the match. But OOC we all knew with Minstrel’s departure that it was me versus you, and Minstrel would get pinned. What was your thoughts on the whole thing?

I was surprised when I heard Minstrel was leaving. And a bit disappointed. But up until he made his announcment, he hadn't rp'd at all. I didn't see him beating either of us. And I will admit that my first and last rp weren't up to championship standards (as I misread the cut off as well, and scrambled like mad to get a closing rp in). I had no problem losing that way. I was more disappointed...that the rematch didn't happen. Infinitely more important matters than an E-wrestling title defense came up.

That would involve me, and the death of my Uncle. Not to tell you, as you know, but others who are new. If I would have rp'ed that week, it would have been really weak, and it would have been an injustice to you and the NAPW. Some people might have demanded that I get stripped, but you are a stand up guy by allowing me to defend my belt fairly. I definitely want to face you straight up, maybe even pure honor one day.

If Ravager has any honor left, he'll be glad to go Pure Honor against you.

(Laughs) Or hardcore barbwire...Rex is flexible. Tell me about the Celtic Assassins.

Heh. Bobby O'Brady came about around the same time as The Delivery Men. During the "bench pressing" phase some of our other players went through. Basically I created a big muscle bound guy for Ravager to beat up. (plus with Bill Fleming and Joey Malone being unavailable, I had to stretch) Al Thoes was a happy accident. Literally, if Sakura had used spell check, there would be no Al Thoes, and no Celtic Assassins. The line was " I will defeat al thoes who mean to do evil" I joked with Ryan later about having " Al Thoes" respond. Then I said I'd make him O'Brady's tag partner. Ryan just laughed. Then I went and did it. Ask anyone who's done sketch comedy with me. If I say I'll write something, more often than not, I will. I intended them to be a stress release exercise. So I wouldn't go insane writing Ravager. But they grew so much. And people were giving me so much positive feedback.


I love hearing good stories like that. What do you do in real life as far as a job or school?

I have majored in English, with a minor in drama. Skills I put to work every day... working at Safeway. I'm the guy who makes the signs and puts the labels on the shelf. Pays decent, but I work 4am until 12:30pm most days. which cramps my ability to write matches or get rp's up. I mean, I've never missed a match, and I always have at least three rp's a show. It's just I can't catch the guys who want to slip in one last rp before the cut off. But, if the stuff I've already written is good, I shouldn't have to worry.

Exactly. Are you married or have a girlfriend?

Single.

A good many of us are, except a few and that stud of a president we have. What is your thoughts of Ryan's Fed head skills?

Ryan has a lot of patience. A LOT of patience. Also, he's organized so well. Considering how many ideas get pitched to him. Managing to sort them all out, weed out the crap, and put together consistently good shows. I mean, I send him a lot of ideas just for myself, and sure, he can't use all of them (though time traveler Ravager would have been 16 different kinds of awesome) but he makes sure the best interests of the character are taken care of.

(Laughs) Yeah, I agree that a quantum leap Bob would have been cool. When we all were tagging together going into Complete Control, I asked Diego to give me a team name if you two were to become a regular thing. His reply almost instantaneously was "Whyte Knights." Then said you were going to kill him. Did you ever assault him for that?

No. I kind of liked the name. Though it was a little too close to "White Power" (which made for a great joke in a promo)

Recently you hit a nerve with Diego over the reference to the "T-Bag" incident. Although I laughed my ass off at the explanation, I would be just as mad as Diego f Rex was used like that. Besides that and the Tiffany suplex deal, are they any other promo parts that you might change in hindsight?

I may not have had the Celtic Assassins turn serious. I got a bit frustrated after Sole Survivor, and wanted to take them someplace different. They joined the nFa, but that didn't work (not taking anything away from Llyod or Jakey. We just didn't gel as a team) Also, I wouldn't have had Ravager go nuts. I know what I wanted, but it just didn't work.

What motivates you now, after being the NAPW champ? Are you still full of ideas?

I had a rough stretch this week, but after some careful deliberation, and talking to Ryan, and Diego, I have some more ideas. I think Ravager is back on track, and the Celtic Assassins still have a lot of life in them. I just want to keep having fun. when the game gets serious, and people get angry, I just want to walk away from it. But then something will happen. Stiff Competition will send PETA after The Celtic Assassins, and I'll smile, because I just got a gift. Or Devastation will put a bounty on Ravager's head, allowing him to plow through every character who ever signed up but didn't rp. It helps to have a good opponent. D-X? Great opponents. Static? Also good. Same with D! Minstrel was a good writer, but it was hard to get stuff off of him, because what he wrote was so out there. Patrick Bickle drove me nuts (in a good way) with his writing. He gave me stuff to work with, but at the same time, his stuff is pretty out there, so I had to make sure I was interpreting things right.

Yeah, little did he know that he beat Rex in an angled match. Only reason I bring that up as I've been asked a 100 times how I lost. I'm like, did you see me rp? Nothing against Crusher, but I was going into tag teams, the TV title wasn't part of my plan. What do you see as the one guy you want to face in the future?

Sick Billy or Evan Cartwright. I'm really disappointed that I never got a match with Casino. every time I thought I could make it happen, something came up. Also, I think Ravager vs Kyle Roberts would be fun. We've always had a strange chemistry between the two of us.

Well we are nearing the end of this interview. You get to hop in my chair as I hop in yours. You get to ask me one question.

What is the one angle you wanted to do in NAPW, but for some reason, never got around to it?

The Crimes joining up with DX. We had it all planned. Do some weird segments taunting the NAPW on MNF's. But the week before the Crimes and DX would unite, we lost some faces do to quitting, and turns. So if we would have done that then, the NAPW would been to heel heavy and it would have sucked. So we stayed our course and it didn't get done.

Plus, after one week of Rex reminding Roberts that he slept with Amy, there would be so much blood spilled.

Any parting words for the NAPW?

All I can say is keep up the good work, and keep it clean people. Or as clean as possible. I'll be good if everyone else is.