Meltdown XXVII & Fallout 027 || Card & Discussion Thread

[Mandalorian]

Please note that this card contains spoilers for Fallout 027, so go and read that first if you don’t want to get spoiled.

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XXVII: “STEEL CITY.”
Live from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Thursday 16th March, 2023.

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FIRST MATCH - 1/20.
Cyrus Truth, Tommy Bedlam, Bryan Baxter, and Jeremy Best vs. Cthulhu’s Nephews (Uncle J.J. JAY!, Thomas West, Harry the Sane Wizard and Quiet).
Eight-Person Tag Team Match.
Match Writer: Dubb.​

Following the chaotic events of Fallout 026’s main event between the Undisputed Alliance and the Connection, which saw the latter team successfully defend their FWA World Tag Team Championships amidst numerous run-ins and interruptions, Jon Russnow quickly announced that this eight-person tag team contest will kick of proceedings in Pittsburgh for Meltdown XXVII. Cyrus Truth and Tommy Bedlam, who fought against one another in a close contest in D.C. on 026, will now put that battle to one side in order to team up against the Nephews, who have plagued both of them over the past couple of months. Nephew skullduggery, in fact, directly led to Truth and Bedlam’s eliminations from the F1 Climaxxx, with Uncle himself counting the three that saw Tommy’s pool stage exit, and - of course - duping the official at Back in Town to have Truth disqualified in the tournament final.

Joining Truth and Bedlam to address the Nephews team of Uncle, West, Harry, and Quiet is the Buddy System. Bryan Baxter and Jeremy Best capped off a long and sometimes arduous road to becoming #1 contenders for the FWA World Tag Team Championships on Meltdown XXVI, winning a tag team scramble match for the right to challenge the Connection next at Carnal Contendership. The Buddy System wasted no time taking the fight to the Nephews in Fallout 026’s main event, even before Truth and Bedlam showed up on the scene. This eight-person contest will be their first chance to get their hands on Uncle’s crew ahead of that all-important championship shot in late April.

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SECOND MATCH - 1/20
Trevor Walker vs. Jackson Fenix.
Singles Match.
Match Writer: Jimmy.​

FWA’s newest recruit is Trevor Walker, who - after a long journeyman-like career in the independent scene - finally arrives in the big time and makes his debut in Meltdown XXVII’s second match. He will be looking to make an immediate impression and put one in the ‘W’ column to kick off his FWA career, but standing in his way is a company veteran in Jackson Fenix. Fenix is coming off the back of two tough tag team losses in championship matches to MvH and Grayson of the Connection, but won his last singles outing back in the Sixth Chapter, when he defeated both Dan LuPone and Celestia Ravenwood in a triple threat match. Jackson will hope to keep that singles momentum going at the newcomer’s expense in Pittsburgh.

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THIRD MATCH - MAIN EVENT - 1/20
Michelle von Horrowitz vs. Shawn Summers.
Singles Match.
Match Writer: SS.​

Michelle von Horrowitz is still the winner of the F1 Climaxxx, despite the nature of her victory, but the prize isn’t quite the same one that she thought she’d won. Instead of a straight singles clash, she will now vie for the title against both the champion Chris Peacock and ‘defeated’ F1 finalist Cyrus Truth in a triple threat match at the Grand March. Shawn Summers, meanwhile, successfully defended the FWA Television Championship he won at Back in Town against Joe Burr on Meltdown XXVI, beginning his second reign impactfully and making short work of ‘Hollywood’.

Neither of them have a chance to rest up after their successful defenses last week, with Jon Russnow announcing this ‘champion versus champion’ match-up as Meltdown XXVII’s main event. These two competitors have only ever met before in the 2021 Carnal Contendership match, with the pair never sharing the ring in singles or tag team competition other than in that battle royale. This first time ever singles match-up will upset the momentum of one of these wrestlers, as MvH prepares to challenge for her third world title, and Der Basterd looks to keep hold of his television championship through his oncoming open challenge.

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PLUS!
‘The Prodigy’ Mike Parr announces his plans for the Grand March....​

Mike Parr returned to FWA competition at Back in Town, having shown up on the previous week’s Fallout 025 to attack his former Executive Excellence colleague Kayden Knox. Parr has since picked up back-to-back wins against Knox and then Reagan Cole on Meltdown XXVI, shooting back to prominence as one of the most in-form competitors in the FWA. ‘The Prodigy’ still has no confirmed plans for the Grand March weekend, though, with the dirtsheets reporting that Parr has been offered a spot in the King of the Deathmatch tournament as well as a singles contest on the Grand March itself. Some sources are reporting that the longest and most-often reigning North American Champion in company history may sit the weekend out altogether in favour of preparing for the 2023 Carnal Contendership match, which takes place three weeks after the upcoming pay-per-view. We’ll find out definitively on Meltdown XXVII, as Mike Parr appears in Pittsburgh to address his plans.

027: “MOTOR CITY.”
Live from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Saturday 18th Match, 2023.

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FIRST MATCH - 1/20.
Jason Randall and XYZ vs. Trixie Bordeaux and Kleio De Santos.
Tag Team Match - King of the Deathmatch Preview.
Match Writer: SS.​

Last week, Trixie Bordeaux and XYZ were on the winning team (alongside Sawyer Xavier) in a preview match for the upcoming King of the Deathmatch tournament. This week, though, they see themselves on opposite sides of the ring, indicative of the ‘no alliances’ environment that both should expect at KODM. Bordeaux was the competitor who came to the aid of XYZ when Death Walker, also scheduled for the tournament, continued to assault X following the aforementioned trios match, but that budding friendship will count for nothing, both here and on April 8th.

Trixie will have to get used to a new partner in the form of Kleio De Santos, who went all the way to the finals of last year’s KODM in a star-making performance before eventually being defeated by Thomas West. KDS is already announced to be entering this year’s event, and will look to go one better in 2023. Meanwhile, XYZ will team with Jason Randall, another KODM entree who - although he didn’t line up in 2022 - seems tailor made for such barbaric environs.

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SECOND MATCH - 1/20
Tommy Bedlam vs. The Boulder.
Singles Match
Match Writer: Dubb.​

Tommy Bedlam returns to action just two days after competing in eight-person action on Meltdown XXVII in this singles bout on Fallout 027. The Cowboy is looking to build up some much-needed momentum ahead of his answering of Shawn Summers’ open challenge, but will have to overcome an opponent who is as massive as he is versatile in the Boulder.

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THIRD MATCH - 1/20
Eternal (Keres and Princess Nova) vs. The Lumberjacks (Dan LuPone and Doug LuPone).
Tag Team Match.
Match Writer: Jimmy.​

Two teams that came up just short in Meltdown XXVI’s tag team scramble match will compete against one another in this tag team match-up on Fallout 027. They are the team of Eternal, Keres and Princess Nova, along with the Lumberjacks, made up of the LuPone brothers, Doug and Dan. Princess Nova has impressed thus far in her FWA career, putting in a respectable performance back on Meltdown XXII’s world championship battle royale, winning a four-way ladder match at Back in Town, and making the final three in last week’s tag team scramble match. Keres also impressed in her fourteen minutes of ring-time in the scramble, but will hope to pick up the first win of her FWA career here in Detroit at the Lumberjacks’ expense. Dan and Doug LuPone have already challenged once for the FWA World Tag Team Championships back on Fallout 024 in the Mile High Massacre match, and will hope to return to winning ways and remain in the conversation in FWA’s blossoming tag team division.

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FOURTH MATCH - 1/20
Logan Darwin vs. weaselperson.
Singles Match.
Match Writer: SS.​

Logan Darwin was part of the unsuccessful trio, also consisting of Madison Gray and Death Walker, in Fallout 026’s King of the Death Match preview match, and will look to steady the ship in singles action here on 027. Standing across the ring from him will be the mysterious weaselperson, whose presence was felt on both Meltdown XXVI and Fallout 026, when a vignette announcing their forthcoming debut interrupted proceedings on both shows. We will get to see what weaselperson can do in the ring against a Reaper who won’t want to lose again going into the King of the Deathmatch.

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FIFTH MATCH - 1/20
Death Walker vs. Madison Gray vs. Sawyer Xavier.
Triple Threat Match - King of the Deathmatch Preview.
Match Writer: Man.​

All three of these competitors were part of the KODM preview trios match on Fallout 026, but only Sawyer Xavier emerged from that match-up with a win. He teamed with Trixie Bordeaux and XYZ in order to do so, but now will have to go it alone without their help in this triple threat match, also booked in preview of the upcoming tournament. His opponents were on the same team last week but - after some functional teamwork during the match - Death Walker showed he marched to the beat of his own drum by brutally attacking XYZ. Walker, formerly known as Darius Wright, has impressed thus far in his young FWA career, picking up wins over Jason Randall and - in tag team competition - Shawn Summers and Vampyra. Madison Gray, meanwhile, is still chasing her first victory, and will hope Detroit proves to be the setting for it.

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SIXTH MATCH - MAIN EVENT - 1/20

Chris Peacock vs. Reagan Cole.
Singles Match.
Match Writer: Man.​

FWA World Champion Chris Peacock was unsuccessful in his opportunity, alongside Alyster Black as part of FTN, to challenge the Connection at Carnal Contendership for the FWA World Tag Team Championships. FTN were eventually overcome by the Buddy System, and now Peacock will realign his focus to singles competition in his first one-on-one match up since Back in Town, when he cashed in his Golden Opportunity briefcase to defeat Devin Golden for the biggest prize in the game. Already, Peacock’s next challengers are lined up: Michelle von Horrowitz and Cyrus Truth, who contested an F1 final with a dubious finish, will both attempt to relieve Disco’s Last Warrior of his belt at the forthcoming Grand March.

Peacock will no doubt be looking to pick up some momentum in Fallout 027’s main event, but standing in his way is ‘the British Apprentice’ Reagan Cole. Cole picked up a big pay-per-view win against Trixie Bordeaux at Back in Town, but was defeated by Mike Parr in Meltdown XXVI’s opening contest. The Apprentice has been preoccupied by matters outside the ring, where he remains under the thumb of long-time rival Jeffry Mason. Cole is also announced for the forthcoming King of the Deathmatch tournament, and a victory over the world champion would be a huge boost ahead of that event… as well as, perhaps, put his name in contention for a future shot at Peacock’s prize, should he keep it beyond the Grand March.

The promo deadlines for both shows are:

Sunday 12th March, 2023 at 23:59 Pacific Time.
Monday 13th March, 2023 at 03:00(am) Eastern.
Monday 13th March, 2023 at 08:00(am) UK.
Monday 13th March, 2023 at 11:00(am) Turkey.
Monday 13th March, 2023 at 19:00 Melbourne.
There will be no extensions. Good luckl!

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[Dubb]

I put in the previews and asked AI (ChatGPT) to predict this set of shows.

MELTDOWN.

FIRST MATCH - 1/20: Cyrus Truth, Tommy Bedlam, Bryan Baxter, and Jeremy Best vs. Cthulhu’s Nephews (Uncle J.J. JAY!, Thomas West, Harry the Sane Wizard, and Quiet).

This is a high-stakes eight-person tag team match with both teams having something to prove. However, with the history of Nephew skullduggery and the Buddy System's recent #1 contendership win, I predict that Cyrus Truth, Tommy Bedlam, Bryan Baxter, and Jeremy Best will come out on top.

Winners: Cyrus Truth, Tommy Bedlam, Bryan Baxter, and Jeremy Best

SECOND MATCH - 1/20: Trevor Walker vs. Jackson Fenix.

As a newcomer to FWA, Trevor Walker will be looking to make an immediate impact. However, Jackson Fenix's experience and recent singles win make him a tough opponent. I predict that Fenix will come out on top.

Winner: Jackson Fenix

THIRD MATCH - MAIN EVENT - 1/20: Michelle von Horrowitz vs. Shawn Summers.

Both wrestlers are champions and will be looking to maintain their momentum. However, Michelle von Horrowitz's recent F1 Climaxxx win and upcoming triple threat match for the world title gives her the edge. I predict that Michelle von Horrowitz will come out on top.

Winner: Michelle von Horrowitz

FALLOUT.

FIRST MATCH - 1/20. Jason Randall and XYZ vs. Trixie Bordeaux and Kleio De Santos. Tag Team Match - King of the Deathmatch Preview.

This seems like a pretty evenly matched tag team match. Both teams have competitors who have performed well in previous events and have experience in the King of the Deathmatch tournament. Therefore, it could go either way, but if forced to choose, I would give the slight edge to Jason Randall and XYZ due to their chemistry from the previous week's match.

Winner: Jason Randall and XYZ

SECOND MATCH - 1/20 Tommy Bedlam vs. The Boulder. Singles Match

The Boulder seems to be a formidable opponent due to his size and versatility. Tommy Bedlam is also a skilled wrestler, but he may struggle to overcome The Boulder's size advantage.

Winner: The Boulder

THIRD MATCH - 1/20 Eternal (Keres and Princess Nova) vs. The Lumberjacks (Dan LuPone and Doug LuPone). Tag Team Match.

This match seems evenly matched as well, with both teams having shown promise in previous events. However, based on the information provided, I would give the slight edge to Eternal, as Keres and Princess Nova seem to have more experience in high-stakes matches.

Winner: Eternal

FOURTH MATCH - 1/20 Logan Darwin vs. weaselperson. Singles Match.

It is difficult to predict the outcome of this match, as weaselperson is making their debut and we do not know anything about their wrestling abilities. Logan Darwin is a skilled wrestler, but he may be caught off guard by weaselperson's unique style.

Winner: weaselperson

FIFTH MATCH - 1/20 Death Walker vs. Madison Gray vs. Sawyer Xavier. Triple Threat Match - King of the Deathmatch Preview.

Based on the information provided, Death Walker seems to be the most impressive competitor in this match, having already picked up wins over Jason Randall, Shawn Summers, and Vampyra. Sawyer Xavier also performed well in the previous week's match, but he may struggle to overcome Death Walker's experience. Madison Gray has yet to pick up a win in FWA, so she may have a tough time here as well.

Winner: Death Walker

SIXTH MATCH - MAIN EVENT - 1/20

Chris Peacock vs. Reagan Cole. Singles Match.

Chris Peacock is the FWA World Champion and has already defeated Devin Golden to win the title. Based on that, he is likely the more skilled wrestler in this match. However, Reagan Cole may put up a good fight and surprise Peacock with his wrestling ability.

Winner: Chris Peacock.

 

[The Gipper]

Even the AI doesn’t believe in me.

 

[CakeWalker]

starting to get into the swing of thing with this new character - still got a long way to go

 

[SupineSnake]

Earlybird reviews. Will try to feedback for what I'm down to grade but no promises.

Jason Randall. I thought this promo was pretty funny, especially in the second half when the Wildcard starts talking to his stuffed animal(?). Clear from the content that this is something you've done before but I honestly don't remember that haha, so this seemed like a creative little touch. Meta stuff was pretty enjoyable even if a little on the nose, guess it's explained by Penny putting something in his drink to elevate his state of mind. Wonder if she's doing this as a kindness or if she's just fucking on him. I liked the initial dialogue between Jason and Penny which read reasonably naturally but the spiking did maybe seem a little out of character for her, although maybe I just haven't been paying close enough attention. The promo was reasonably short and as a result there's only so much you can do with character development, although the portrayal side of things was helped by Randall examining (albeit briefly) his relationship with the deathmatch, which also helped you out in terms of match focus given that this is a preview match for the tournament. Was a fun little promo but would’ve liked to have seen a little more length and depth.

Madison Gray. I like your framing of this character as something of a pro-wrestling novice in this and previous promos because it gives you a lot of space in terms of future character development. I think the Gray promo is quite clearly more fleshed out and more detailed than what we saw of MDC in the FWA. I have a greater sense of what Gray is and what her aims are, and that is further developed through this short piece. Speaking of that future development, though, I think it would be interesting to maybe see more of Gray off camera, which would help out in both the character development and creativity categories of grading. There was some of that here, with the jump cut shift to Madison in the night club, which made the monologue a little more interesting, and I’d like to see more of that. Even a subtle switch from an on-screen monologue to a backstage conversation, or even a dialogue in some associated setting like a training session or an agent’s office, can help the promo stand out. I think this is the third on-screen monologue you’ve done so it would be interesting to see Gray branch out into other scenarios, or simply developing more of an internal monologue - that conveys what Madison is thinking alongside what she is saying. The content of the monologue was fine: you addressed your opponents well enough and there was match focus, as well as some discussion of Madison’s place within the FWA from a wider viewpoint. From a presentation standpoint the promo was clean enough, with no real spelling or grammar mistakes besides capitalisation of a company name in the opening paragraph. One other thing I noticed in the opening paragraph, for instance, was repeated use of the word ‘would’ (i.e. Madison would do this, the sound would do that). The repetitive word use disrupts the flow and is unnecessary: you don’t need to say Madison would do something because she did do it. For instance, ‘Madison would pause for a moment’ could just be ‘Madison paused for a moment’ without losing meaning and helping flow.

Tommy Bedlam. Fun promo about rocks. Nice low key character progression with Tommy’s anxiety about his losing streak, both in the opening descriptive/internal monologue parts as well as in his reaction to seemingly everyone around him singing about his opponent. Randi trying to put his mind at the end is a nice touch. Good for Tommy having someone like that around I guess. I don’t really know who Twisted Sister are so I guess that punchline was lost on me. Funny promo. Hopefully you poured all your time into this one and not the Nephew one lol.

Jackson Fenix. After reading this one, I can see now why maybe the Jason Randall promo felt a little light on length. I think it’s probably fair to say that you prioritised this one and that really shows. Really enjoyed this promo. There was a lot of good character portrayal and character development here, especially as you begin to re-centre Jackson into being a more sympathetic figure within the FWA, which seems to be your intention. Doing that through the interactions with his mother and grandma (the two women admonishing Jackson for his constant crotch-related antics is gold) and then with the scene with Richie Floyd was effective in this promo. Confronting a childhood bully is maybe a bit of a trope but it wasn’t too much of a focal point within the promo and was a nice way of relating things to your opponent. I think overall you did a pretty good job with match focus, especially considering Trevor Walker is a new character and all you had to go off was the profile post (which you really mined for talking points throughout the promo). The conversations with mother and grandmother, though, were the strength of the promo, really naturally written and a good showcase of the clarity with which you always write. Presentation-wise, the promo was good on spelling and grammar but was let down a little by formatting throughout. There are errant spaces between a lot of the speech marks and the following word, as well as some descriptive text in red and blue in the opening section. Overall though this was a really strong promo, particularly in terms of character work and match focus.

Chris Peacock. Loved the start of this with the Edinburgh dudes lamenting the destruction of the castle for a wrestling event. Discovery of the voodoo doll and Chris’ pain in the hospital was a nice jump cut, and I thought this whole opening section was a really creative introduction to the promo in general and a lovely call-back to what I can’t believe is a couple of years ago now. The three sections of the promo felt quite distinct but there was enough of a thread throughout them to tie them together I guess. I enjoyed Peacock’s lack of confidence in the second section of the promo and think that this can maybe explain the level of hatred he quite suddenly feels about Reagan Cole. Perhaps his insecurities are fueling him to make more of this tune-up match than there is, I don’t know. Peacock’s reasoning for the dismantling of Reagan Cole in the last section of the promo paints the Nephews as the big bad which is flattering but I think only goes part way to explaining the vitriol that Boogie Baby apparently feels for the Bag Carrier. Plenty of match focus in this third section as well as wider focus on Peacock’s place in the fed and the main event feud in the second and third sections, providing some decent character portrayal. Although I sense bullets are saved here (and perhaps groundwork laid with the doll focus) for the Grand March’s triple threat.

 

[Comeback Kid]

@SupineSnake

If you haven't already seen it on the discord, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed every piece of the solo Michell promo that you wrote for this cycle. You have such a grasp on writing her that you could put her in any situation, time period, or whatever, and we would still be able to get a sense of Michelle from your representation for her - I hope that makes sense.

This promo reminded me a lot of the movie Cloud Atlas. The characters of Shawn and Michelle were different in each act but somehow still linked to one another. You kept one thing common throughout the promo that I liked: Michelle's attitude toward Shawn. I thought that was a small detail that really went a long way.

The way you write dialogue and the descriptions around it is one of the best in the fed. I would love to have you do a whole breakdown on a podcast about how you can do this. It would be highly beneficial to many of the writers in the fed - if they are interested.

The essence of Shawn Summers was vital within each of the different iterations, and I loved that. My favorite iteration was the 1950's version of Shawn and Michelle. Their relationship reminded me so much of Don and Peggy's relationship in the early seasons of Mad Men. I'm very fond of that show, so I was happy to see what you did with that setting, and honestly, I'd love to read more from that (collaboration in the future one day?).

The ending was my only low point in reading the promo, and that's strange to me because I'm a huge proponent of bringing things back to the reality that our characters are wrestlers, and everything should return to that fact. I know Shawn and Michelle haven't had many interactions with one another, but I would have liked to see you go after something else about Shawn besides the whole misogyny card. I feel it's overdone/trite.

Overall, this was an excellent promo and an easy read that didn't leave me bored or scrolling to see when it would end. Excellent work, my friend.

 

[Comeback Kid]

@Tommy Bedlam

The man that decided it would be a good idea to pull double duty on this week's run of cards. I could really tell that you were having fun with your promos for this week, and I loved to see it/read them. I think you did a good job of showing the growing relationship dynamic between Tommy and Randi in both of the promos. It'll be interesting to see how they handle things with Tommy's impending championship match. The idea of introducing us to Tommy's many new nephews was genius for the second promo. Fuck they were annoying...kind of like...the FWA Nephews!!! I don't know if it were intentional or not, but having the nephews be a bunch of annoying kids seemed like the perfect representation of the actual Nephew stable. Good shit.

 

[Tommy Bedlam]

I don't know if it were intentional or not, but having the nephews be a bunch of annoying kids seemed like the perfect representation of the actual Nephew stable. Good shit.

100% intentional. Dubb and I had talked, and he suggested having Randi's nephews play some pranks. I decided to ramp it up and turn them into absolute nuisances/monsters. Glad you enjoyed! I did have some fun with both promos this week.

 

[SupineSnake]

Kleio De Santos and Trixie Bordeaux. I said in the Discord that this felt like a very Hemm promo, which wasn't meant as a slight towards Welsh or his contributions to this promo, but rather that the style and content of it was reminiscent of some golden era Saint Sulley. The way that the promo is formatted with images breaking up the sections, the fantastical setting, the metaphor for your opponents… all of these things reminded me of classic Hemm work in the vein that I mentioned when I recently argued that he is one of the most influential writers on the FWA style. For the most part of the promo I thought that perhaps the central metaphor and the stand-ins were maybe a little obvious, but I liked the ending where you honed in on the central thrust that the people who seem to be the good guys aren't always the good guys (and sometimes there are no good guys at all). I loved the Wizard of Oz setting, thought it fit perfectly with both the Coven and Trixie's naive, fairytale-ish outlook on the world. I popped for the hanging munchkin that turned out to be a crane - nice pop culture reference! I thought that perhaps Randall felt a little bit like an afterthought here. It does sort of make sense that both of you would choose to focus more on XYZ given both KDS and Trixie have history with him (I'm glad that De Santos still hasn't let the stolen interview time go!), but I think Randall could've probably been switched out for any other FWA wrestler without losing much. There was also a few typing and grammar errors that another proofread would probably have caught, particularly in the second half of the promo. Still, I really enjoyed this promo, big hype for Kleio going for the crown again.

Reagan Cole. I thought this was a really good pro and a huge step up for the Apprentice following the last chapter in terms of promo quality. I had actually forgotten about much of the history between Peacock and Cole, through Ground Zero, and wasn't really reminded of it through the Peacock promo. I actually think you maybe did a better job of communicating the reasons why Cole and Peacock maybe wouldn't get on than your opponent. Reagan's misgivings about Peacock and their history together felt more logical and reasonable to me. This was quite a strong promo from a character perspective in my opinion, with us really getting a good picture of what is going on inside of Cole's mind as we move towards this match. The promo was more creative than a standard on-screen, for sure, with the flashback structure adding some interest and breaking up the verbalised thoughts a little. Reagan Cole, as a character, is probably more entangled in the world of Pro-Wrestling than any other, in that your promos rarely deviate from this sphere of activity. I'm not really sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, I would like to see more of Cole's life away from the ring (even his family life, as we see here, is built around the squared circle), but then again it is sort of refreshing to see a character like that and I think you accomplish this quite well. Would definitely recommend a proof read, though. The narrator speaks in quite an informal way, which is fine, but I think because of this a few sentences get away from you and lose their meaning. Also don't like the use of red for descriptive passages. Hurts my eyes. Great work overall, though.

Death Walker. Death is a pretty messed up guy, but I like that I'm having to think more and more throughout your promos about his morality and which side of that line he falls upon. Events like what happened on Fallout seem quite cut and dry, but you've already done an excellent job in your roleplays of explaining why, maybe, Darius/Death has turned out the way he has, both because of his childhood, his experiences in Hell, and the influence of the silver-tongued guardian. Even here, as Death visits 'home' and reasserts himself on the streets of Los Angeles, the ethics of the brawl are decidedly unclear. Wright is outnumbered (but far from outpowered), these people are after all the underbelly of the city, and there's a sense of justice and pride about Walker that muddies the water of his morality. This is all really good shit. The more we see from Death Walker, the stronger your characterisation of him gets, though I feel that perhaps this promo was a little light on development in comparison to your more recent work. I also thought the opponents in this match, Sawyer and Madison, felt like something of an afterthought in the promo. Greater match focus, and maybe subtler match focus too, will probably be more necessary as you move on up the card. There were also a few spelling, grammar, and typing errors that disadvantaged your presentation score that would've undoubtedly been caught with a proof read. The Death Walker character, though, is a super interesting one that I can only see rising in the FWA in the months to come.

Trevor Walker. A short and sour promo here from the debuting Trevor Walker, who hits the talking points on his opponent whilst giving us a taste of the delightful character that we'll learn more about (I hope) in future. Starting the promo with Walker not knowing how the camera was a nice touch and reminds us of who we are dealing with here. The character, a journeyman veteran, is quite unique and does stand out from the pack here (although I remember that Logan had a similar deal when he first came in), though with some of the characterisations of Walker (hints at misogyny and general poor taste) I hope that he will be distinct enough from Maskell. I guess those comparisons to your previous character are quite surface level so I imagine he will be more distinguishable as we move forward. Looking forward to more.

XYZ. Thought this was a fun promo that hinted at the story you've just finished that ended up encompassing all of your characters, whilst also moving us forward into somewhat new territory for X with the Menage. I really liked how you used the on-screen events from Fallout in a really meaningful way in this roleplay, with X dreaming whilst he's unconscious in Death Walker's choke. This was simple but I thought also really inventive and not something I've seen done to that extent before. I definitely think there could have been more match focus in this promo, and that's something that's been the case with X generally. There's probably more of an emphasis on your opponents here than in other recent promos, so I guess that's going in the right direction, but I still think that's probably the biggest area for development with the character. But part of me is happy that you dwell so much (sometimes almost exclusively) upon XYZ himself, along with his ragtag following of misfits, because the character is really engaging and one of the most enjoyable and easy for me to read. I really hope you can find a level of consistency with the character now that he is your primary focus on the fed.