Meltdown XXXVII & Fallout 037 || Card & Discussion Thread.

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Mandalorian

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The below contains spoilers for the Crossfire Christmas Special, so don't read until you have read that show.

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Also, Winter Wasteland spoilers too, I guess. If you haven't read that then I truly have no idea what you're doing here.

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XXXVII.
“NIGHT ONE.”


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Live from Cung thể thao Quần Ngựa [the Quần Ngựa Sports Palace] in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Thursday 25th January, 2024.

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FIRST MATCH || 1/20.
Chris Peacock
vs. Xavien Marshall.
Singles Match - F1 Climaxxx Pool B.
Match writer: Man.

The F1 Climaxxx kicks off on Meltdown XXXVII in Hanoi, with this first-time-ever one-on-one clash between Chris Peacock and Xavien Marshall. Marshall, one half of the current FWA World Tag Team Champions, already has first hand knowledge of Chris Peacock, the Triple Crown winner last year dethroned of both the title that Xavien now holds along with the FWA World Championship. They were two of six men competing in Winter Wasteland’s triple threat tag team match, which Marshall - alongside partner Jay Kenny - eventually won to retain the championships. Peacock will hope to have found the measure of the undefeated newcomer and reverse those fortunes when the two face off with two Block B points on the line.

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SECOND MATCH || 1/20.
Xperienx Xtacee
vs. Konchu Hao.
Singles Match - F1 Climaxxx Pool A.
Match writer: SS.

As a latecomer to the tournament, entering when Gerald Grayson unfortunately withdrew his name from the competition, Xperienx Xtacee will hope to have evaded the scouting reports of his opponents in Pool A. First up is ‘the Mad Wizard’ Konchu Hao, who makes his tournament debut after sitting out the 2023 edition. Hao is a former X and World Tag Team Champion in the FWA, and will hope this experience and pedigree will give him the edge over the relative newcomer in Xtacee. Xperienx was most recently seen in a losing effort to the Coven (alongside the Undisputed Alliance) in an FWA Trios Championship match at Winter Wasteland, whilst Konchu Hao - with his partner Cyrus Truth - was unsuccessful in his attempts to reclaim the FWA World Tag Team Championships at the same event. Both will be hoping to bounce back and get their F1 campaigns off to a winning start.

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THIRD MATCH || 1/20.
Big Bryan Bastard
vs. Halloween Knight.
Singles Match - F1 Climaxxx Pool B.
Match writer: Dubb.

Big Bryan Bastard - formerly known as Bryan Baxter - tore up the F1’s Pool B stage last year, recording five consecutive victories to go undefeated, including impressive wins against Chris Peacock and Cyrus Truth. He fell in the semi-final stage, though, and will hope to be able to do even better in 2024’s competition. His opening bout will be against Halloween Knight, another newcomer who has thus far spent his time in the tag and trios divisions, teaming with Trash Mammal and later Juan Tothrefor as Tr1ck or Tr4sh. Despite picking up several victories thus far in his short FWA career, Big Bryan Bastard and the F1 Climaxxx are a huge step up considering other recent opponents. Baxter’s FWA North American Championship is on the line in the tournament, and the current champion will no doubt intend on making a statement in his first match of the tournament.

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FOURTH MATCH || MAIN EVENT || 1/20.
Michelle von Horrowitz
vs. Mike Parr.
Singles Match - F1 Climaxxx Pool A
Match writer: SS.

Meltdown XXXVII’s main event pitches two familiar foes against one another, reigniting one of the biggest feuds of 2020-21. In 2020, a recently re-debuted Michelle von Horrowitz vacated her FWA X Championship following a backstage assault involving a mystery assailant and a lead pipe. This masked man eventually turned out to be ‘the Prodigy’ Mike Parr, and the two fought in two pay-per-view main events in 2021: Desert Storm, where MvH won in an unsatisfying disqualification outcome, and Back in Business XV’s three-way dance for the FWA World Championship, a match also won by Dreamer and involving then-champion Saint Sulley. Mike Parr forced his way into that main event, though, by triumphing over von Horrowitz in a sixty-minute iron man match at Fight Night: NOLA. That puts the singles record between the pair at 1-1, and their tag record is the same after two meetings between the Connection and the team of Parr and Krash in the Elite Tag Team Classic. Through all of this, Michelle von Horrowitz has never pinned or submitted the Prodigy, and she’ll be hoping that XXXVII will be a time to finally settle old scores.

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037: “THE MARCH BEGINS.”
Live from Hung Hom Coliseum in Hong Kong, China.
Saturday 27th January, 2024.

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FIRST MATCH || 1/20.
Madison Gray
vs. Sawyer Xavier.
Singles Match - #1 Contendership for the FWA Television Championship.
Match writer: SS.

At ‘A Very Crossfire Christmas’, Sawyer Xavier and Madison Gray continued their momentum by claiming prizes in the Secular Spectacular contest. These ‘presents’ were revealed to contain tickets to Hong Kong and positions in this opening singles contest, the winner of which will receive a shot at the FWA Television Championship. Both have been on relative hot streaks as of late, including respective singles victories at Winter Wasteland, where Gray defeated long-term rival Blake Taylor and Xavier overcome ‘the Wildcard’ Jason Randall. The current FWA Television Champion, Brooklyn Steiner, will no doubt be close at hand to see who his first challenger will be at Fight Night -- if he has recovered from the dastardly attack from the now-suspended Death Walker during Crossfire’s Secular Spectacular.

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SECOND MATCH || 1/20.
Leafdom
vs. Maria Cappitani vs. Medina Alvarez vs. Savior Hawkins.
Four-Way Match.
Match writer: Man.

The Fantasy Wrestling Alliance has already shown its willingness to be active in free agency during the early weeks of 2024. A slew of new signings have been made already, including the four competitors in this four-way match: Maria Cappitani, Medina Alvarez, Savior Hawkins, and the peculiar Leafdom. All four will be hoping to get their FWA careers off to a winning start and prove themselves upon their debut.

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THIRD MATCH || 1/20.
Ctrl Alt Repeat
(Kenji Marufuji and Sir Marmaduke Whistle) vs. the Undisputed Alliance (Jackson Fenix and Nate Savage).
Tag Team Match.
Match writer: Jimmy.

Ctrl Alt Repeat made their FWA debut during the recent ‘A Very Crossfire Christmas’ show, where they made short work of Mike Stand and the Backstreet Boy of the Bad Boys Boy Band. Although they defeated their Crossfire opponents in good time, the Bad Boys Boy Band are perennial losers in the FWA, and it will be interesting to see how Marufuji and Whistle fare against more accomplished opponents. That comes in the form of former FWA Tag Team Champions the Undisputed Alliance. Jackson Fenix and Nate Savage were unsuccessful in their attempt to win the FWA Trios Championships from the Coven at Winter Wasteland, and will be hoping to set the ship straight in Hong Kong.

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FOURTH MATCH || 1/20.
Brooklyn Steiner
vs. XYZ.
Singles Match.
Match writer: Jimmy.

Brooklyn Steiner had a very successful evening in Istanbul, where he tasted FWA gold for the first time by taking the FWA Television Championship from Kleio De Santos. The next challenger for his championship will be chosen at the start of the night, but Steiner himself will be in action in Hong Kong. The champion will face off against XYZ in a non-title match, with X hoping to salvage some momentum after the disastrous combination of Winter Wasteland and A Very Crossfire Christmas. In Istanbul, he was defeated by Vengador in a one-on-one match, whilst he failed to capture a prize in Beijing’s Secular Spectacular. It was later in the night, though, when a fissure formed in the Menage that things really took a turn for the worse for XYZ. It’ll be interesting to see how he reacts to this event whilst attempting to overcome a champion.

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FIFTH MATCH || 1/20.
Deathswitch
(Tommy Bedlam and Chris Crowe) vs. Aka Manto (Aka Yurei and Keiko Hirabayashi).
Tag Team Match.
Match writer: Tommy.

It was a mixed bag at Winter Wasteland for the Deathswitch tandem. Tommy Bedlam was able to defend his FWA X Championship against Keres, but Chris Crowe was unsuccessful in his own attempt to recapture the FWA North American Championship, a belt he never lost. Crowe was the victim of a backstage assault as well as involvement from both Mejor Amigo and Sir Stache in that championship match, and will no doubt have scores to settle with the Friendship Wrestling Alliance. Tommy, meanwhile, has the King of the Deathmatch to look forward to, announcing that he would be putting the FWA X Championship on the line in that tournament. Both of those things will have to wait, though, because Deathswitch have a returning Aka Manto to contend with in Hong Kong. Aka Yurei and Keiko Hirabayashi will return to the Fantasy Wrestling Alliance after months off-screen.

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SIXTH MATCH || 1/20.
Colby Sol
vs. La Sombra Filosa.
Singles Match.
Match writer: Tommy.

Two more new signings of the FWA will collide in what is already surprisingly something of a grudge match. During the Secular Spectacular at ‘A Very Crossfire Christmas’, Colby Sol and La Sombra Filosa became preoccupied with one another, completely neglecting to attempt to claim prizes in favour of exchanging moves all over the Folding Fan in Beijing. As a result of this preoccupation, Jon Russnow promptly announced that the two would get the chance to tussle once more in Hong Kong.

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SEVENTH MATCH || MAIN EVENT || 1/30.
Cyrus Truth
vs. Gabrielle vs. Jay Kenny vs. Johnny Johnson vs. Trixie Bordeaux.
Menage-a-cinq.
Match writer: Dubb.

In the aftermath of December 30th’s ‘Winter Wasteland’ event, Jon Russnow announced that the first challenger to Jeremy Best’s FWA World Championship would be revealed at Fallout 037 in Hong Kong. Best will appear on the show to celebrate his championship victory - overcoming Alyster Black at Winter Wasteland - in his own special way, and will no doubt also keep a close eye on proceedings in the evening’s main event. The field of five was announced by an FWA press release following Winter Wasteland, including two former FWA World Champions in Cyrus Truth and Gabrielle. Cyrus Truth refocuses on the singles division after his recent run with the FWA World Tag Team Championships, whilst Gabrielle looks to build on a big win at Winter Wasteland over former protege Lizzie Rose. Johnny Johnson made his return in Istanbul, taking Mike Parr to a time limit draw, before making short work of Juan Tothrefor at ‘A Very Crossfire Christmas’. The field is rounded out by two more of Winter Wasteland’s victors, with Jay Kenny successfully defending his FWA World Tag Team Championship and Trixie Bordeaux doing the same with her FWA Trios Championship. They will look to recreate this success without their partners against some of the biggest names in FWA’s history. The winner will challenge for the biggest prize in the game at the Grand March.

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Promo deadlines:

Sunday 21st January, 23:59PM Pacific Time.
Monday 22nd January, 03:00AM Eastern Standard Time.
Monday 22nd January, 08:00AM Greenwhich Mean Time.
Monday 22nd January, 16:00PM Australian Western Standard Time.

There will be no extensions! None! Ha!

GLHF.
 
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SupineSnake

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@JonRussnowFWA I've been busy making free agency my bitch this January! Eight new signings in two weeks! That's right: EIGHT. I made another one whilst you were busy refreshing your X feeds. Speaking of which, I'm thinking of renaming the FWA X Championship the FWA Twitter Championship. Thoughts?

Anyway, I came on this cesspool to make an ANNOUNCEMENT: Fallout 037's triple threat 'proving grounds' match is now a four-way! Medina Alvarez is now #ALLFANTASY. Tune into the WCNetwork on the 27th January to see her face Maria Cappitani, Savior Hawkins, and Leafdom. The dart board hath spoken!
 
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Antemortem

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I've seen people leaving their reviews of promos in these threads in the past, so I figured I'm going to do the same whenever I get the chance.

@The Gurricane | The Shadow's Final Bow

The narrative drew me in right away from Hong Kong's afternoon sun, setting the stage for Colby's journey. I'm a sucker for vivid descriptions, myself. Simple things like the use of your "fade in" and "fade out" technique adds a nice cinematic feel to the promo and creates a nice visual rhythm. This really enhances the storytelling. I enjoyed when Colby's jog took an unexpected turn stepping in the puddle and the wet sock. This small but clever twist added a sense of realism to his character and you see that a lot throughout your promo. It humanizes him and shows us that even a successful FWA superstar like him has these moments of vulnerability and imperfection. You did a nice job conveying his frustration and self-criticism in response to this minor setback, which again, was very relatable. I hate stepping in puddles, I'm sure everyone does.

The use of your dialogue brought some nice depth to Colby's character. The brief interaction with Stevey on the phone really highlighted his current emotional state. His physical exhaustion and the emotional weight he seems to be carrying creates a very compelling contrast. While the narrative is engaging at times, there's so much opportunity to delve deeper into his past and explore his internal struggles even further by providing more context to his feelings of isolation. This could help us as the reader connect to the character even more. Again, you continue do a great job making us empathize with the character throughout the promo by creating these relatable and humanizing qualities with the addiction struggles and pursuit of personal fulfillment. The seamless transition from introspective moments to some intense confrontations like with the guys on the bikes keeps the promo engaging, well done.

Overall this was well-written. You did a nice job navigating Colby's internal struggles and portraying his vulnerability and frustration at times. Colby's assertive and no-nonsense attitude really shined through in this promo and you did a fantastic job showcasing his overall determination and resilience. Again, don't be afraid to dive deeper and provide more context behind his struggles. I'm very excited to continue to read your promos and follow Colby's personal growth and development in the future.
 
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Bobby Barrows

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Had a lot of fun writing my promo, tried something quite a bit different to my usual style, but I hope people enjoy it.
 

Antemortem

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@Bobby Barrows | For Want of a Manager

I'll be the first to say: I loved this promo.

You did such a fantastic job blending supernatural elements, wrestling drama, and a touch of humor that kept me hooked from the very beginning. The eerie atmosphere inside the old home combined with the mysterious doors and the characters' reactions, lays the foundation for such a unique promo. I loved the playful revelation at the start that the narrator is, in fact, Aka. This was a very whimsical approach, breaking the fourth wall in a way that was both unexpected and entertaining. Your writing style is very engaging. The dialogue between Aka and Keiko feels natural. It was sharp and witty, and their playful banter added a touch of authenticity to their relationship, showcasing their distinct personalities and dynamics. The way you mix humor and serious undertones, especially regarding mental health issues, adds some emotional depth to your characters making them more compelling, even though you mentioned the plotline was abandoned. It's refreshing to see the combination of personal struggles alongside the more fantastical elements of the promo.

The discussion they had about the rent increase and the potential solution of getting a roommate injects some reality into the storyline, making it more relatable to us as the reader. If I could touch on one thing? As the promo progresses into this idea of them getting a roommate, the narrative loses a bit of its initial focus on the supernatural and wrestling aspects. The shift from eldritch occurrences to financial woes and roommate dialog feels slightly abrupt. It might be beneficial in the future to find a smoother transition between the different plot elements and integrate them more seamlessly, which could enhance the overall cohesiveness of the narrative.

You did a great job further developing your characters in this promo! References to Japanese folklore, their previous achievements and the challenges they faced all contribute to this well-rounded development. I know you mentioned this was a different approach to your usual style of writing, which makes me very interested in going back and reading some of your past work. You tried something new, it was creative, it was quirky, you made it work. I really enjoyed it. Well done!
 

SupineSnake

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If anyone is game to write their own match this week, just let us know. That is ofcourse always appreciated!
 

SupineSnake

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Hoping to get some feedback up for @Antemortem in the coming days. Thought the promo was dope, will put some thoughts together when show is mostly ready.
 
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Tommy Bedlam

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Going to try to offer some feedback on every promo for this cycle. It'll probably come in bursts. Throwing my feedback under spoiler tags for those who may not have read yet.

Chris Peacock
Getting a look into the mind and soul of Peacock was really fun, especially when it's in such opposition to the front that we usually see from the character. Peacock comes across as this boisterous, arrogant prick, so getting to see him dealing with his own inner demons was great, and of course, Man did it incredibly well. Also enjoyed how we dipped into the strained relationship between Chris and Drew. Seeing two characters who have intentionally comedic names being put into such a serious situation is another clever play. Seeing what he did with Cage at the end served as a good reminder that Peacock can be an evil son of a bitch.


Xavien Marshall
This is the kind of shit I thought we'd see when I recruited Cap. This read like a short story that had the potential to be a novel, which made it really enjoyable. Kind of felt like I got double swerved (HA! See what I did there?). I started out assuming Xavien was going to be the murderer, then started rethinking it somewhere along the middle of the story, I thought you may be setting up something different. When things landed the way they did, and the way that you presented it was awesome. Enjoyed the whole story.

Konchu Hao
I think my favorite thing about this promo was how you made it feel like Hao was sort of struggling with having a spot in the F1 in kayfabe. While we know that there was a one-character per-handler rule in place, the whole "I know they offered you the spot first," was such an obvious play to make, but I'm not sure that many people would think of putting it in there. I also really enjoyed how you had Konchu struggling with where DRA stood as a team since Hao and Truth are going to be pursuing their own things for the time being. Using the figurines was a solid way to tie the F1 into Hao as an individual, too.

Bryan Baxter
I know I've said this before, but this story arc you have going on with Bryan figuring out how to be a father is one of my favorite things going in the fed right now. The dichotomy that Kristy points out with Bryan being such a bastard but being a pushover when it comes to Audrey feels like an underlying theme in these promos, and I'm here for it. The whole setup and delivery here was perfect with the match focus. There's no way that Bryan would take a "Halloween Knight" seriously, and weaving that dismissal into a bedtime story for his kid was flawless. Baxter continues to be one of my 2-3 favorite characters in the fed right now.

Mike Parr
When I saw the title of this one, I double-checked what I was reading. I thought I had stumbled on a Gabrielle promo that was taking place on a ship (pause for laughter). All jokes aside, I thought it was really clever how you tied the script presentation into the email to Parr that we didn't get to see until the end. At first, I wasn't sure where things were going, and that's a good thing. When you got into the part where Parr taking part in the mocumentary was part of him accepting that he has to focus on demographics and stuff, I was pretty surprised. The story between Parr and MvH is there, and this was a clever way of approaching it.

MvH
It's been an odd stretch for MvH since the Snomantashi match, and I really liked how you just leaned into that right off the bat. One of my favorite things that you do with promos is the way that you truly present them as an epoch, and this one was certainly no exception. I think myself (and others) try to do this to a certain degree, but I'm not sure that there's anyone who can do it quite like you. This promo felt like it took us to another world, which I'm sure was the goal. You managed to hook me in with MvH dealing with the fallout of the Snowmantashi match at the beginning, and then following it with an epoch-style tale. Excellent work as always, buddy.

Leafdom
First promos are typically some of the hardest, as you're trying to set up for a match while also telling us why we should care about this character. The fact that you wrote an entire poem and just dropped it in the middle of this promo shows that there's a lot of creativity there, so I'm looking forward to seeing where this all goes. I'm not going to sit here and act like I totally understand everything, but it's clear that you have a creative mind. I'm looking forward to seeing where you take this character going forward. Just as a general recommendation, I noticed that you had some of the dialogue text bolded and some not. Generally speaking, I'd recommend trying to go one way or the other with that, especially in the same promo. It didn't hurt the content at all, but just as a general idea for uniformity, I'd recommend either bolding all of the dialogue or none of it. Welcome to FWA!

Medina Alvarez
As I mentioned in the Leafdom feedback, it's often hard to check all the boxes in your first promo, especially in a grading system that's set up to consider character development and portrayal. However, it was clear that you have done your homework on this one. We've spoken briefly, and I know that you've e-fedded in the past, and it showed. Debut promos are hard and multi-person match promos are hard. I've seen multi-person match promos built around the whole "fight to the death" concept before, but your take on it felt new. I think my favorite line was Russnow addressing Alvarez when he said, "The other three combatants spoke of survival and resistance, but there's something in your words that sets you apart. A fire that burns brighter, a confidence that commands attention." This seemed like a really nice way of declaring that Medina is "different," which could help her going forward. Nice debut, and welcome to FWA! I'm looking forward to reading more of your work.
 

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Brooklyn Steiner
There is a LOT going on in this promo. I think it's easy to have a lot of things you want to put about a character into a promo and let it kind of become a jumbled mess, but that's not what happened here at all. I'm not sure if you were doing it intentionally or I'm just reading too much into stuff, but dealing with Brooklyn's TV title win, F1 irritation, and the rise and fall of the relationship with Sarah felt like you were showing us that Brooklyn has all these layers and that the public persona doesn't necessarily match up with the private one. I enjoyed everything about this promo, and I'm comfortable in saying it's my favorite one that you've written since joining us.