The Alpha CVerse Scouting Report

[elmiticomark]

100% back Cory Underwood, on all fronts.

 

I had him for 2 1/2 years... he was getting 75 in ring, 74-78 promo/wtc/character ratings every time after a lot of good usage building him up for a solid year, letting him tag for another.  

That was at age 22/23.  What the character can be at age 30 is insane.  I want to do a long run with a company that can sign written deals so I can run him against Tommy Cornell Jr 10 years from the sim start, TBH.

 

And he can be a huge backstage problem.  I had him lose to Prime Time Jack Pryde in a tag match, gave him "Keep Strong" "Protect" "tainted" "flash" and all, and he held that grudge till the day I ended the sim, lol.  Also, had a great backstage, and he somehow managed to start creating tension on team buildings; (Quick question, does the Morale Officer do anything other than get yelled at?)

[alpha2117]

18 minutes ago, elmiticomark said:

100% back Cory Underwood, on all fronts.

 

I had him for 2 1/2 years... he was getting 75 in ring, 74-78 promo/wtc/character ratings every time after a lot of good usage building him up for a solid year, letting him tag for another.  

That was at age 22/23.  What the character can be at age 30 is insane.  I want to do a long run with a company that can sign written deals so I can run him against Tommy Cornell Jr 10 years from the sim start, TBH.

 

And he can be a huge backstage problem.  I had him lose to Prime Time Jack Pryde in a tag match, gave him "Keep Strong" "Protect" "tainted" "flash" and all, and he held that grudge till the day I ended the sim, lol.  Also, had a great backstage, and he somehow managed to start creating tension on team buildings; (Quick question, does the Morale Officer do anything other than get yelled at?)

Really not sure on the Morale Officer - with the mechanics that stuff is hidden and prone to randomness so I think they do thigns but theres no guarentee the result will be positive especially with more problematic people.  I imagine on say ZEN it helps everything because so many of those people are genuinely sweethearts.

[elmiticomark]

3 minutes ago, alpha2117 said:

Really not sure on the Morale Officer - with the mechanics that stuff is hidden and prone to randomness so I think they do thigns but theres no guarentee the result will be positive especially with more problematic people.  I imagine on say ZEN it helps everything because so many of those people are genuinely sweethearts.

 

I actually felt empathy for a video game character because of the only thing you see is people yelling at the nicest person on your roster, lol.  It'd be pretty cool if they could give you options like "Jake Idol yelled at DeAnne Desire backstage for trying to do her job, how would you like to deal with this:  A) Warn Jake (B) Nothing (C) Have Biff The Bruiser talk to Jake "Privately", just "A Little Chat" "Over there..."

[alpha2117]

Just now, elmiticomark said:

 

I actually felt empathy for a video game character because of the only thing you see is people yelling at the nicest person on your roster, lol.  It'd be pretty cool if they could give you options like "Jake Idol yelled at DeAnne Desire backstage for trying to do her job, how would you like to deal with this:  A) Warn Jake (B) Nothing (C) Have Biff The Bruiser talk to Jake "Privately", just "A Little Chat" "Over there..."

Oh yeah that would be awesome.

I almost want to have a fed that just has truly awful people in it to be honest.  The chaos ... oh the sweet sweet chaos.  Not that I want to run it I just want to be in a game world with the newsfeed for that fed.

[alpha2117]

Grindhousearts Women & Central Asia part 1

Adris Veinbergs - Solid Lavian Midcarder and unlikely to ever rise higher.  Looks like he might have a career training young talent long term.

Amanet Jeanev - Solid Kazakhstani worker with a good look.  Seemed a little fragile emotionally

Anastasia Rahojša - This Belarusian powerhouse has some size about her and a ripped physique. She's areal athlete with a surprising amount of aerial ability and technical skill for someone who l expected to be a pure brawler.  She's intense and focused and is in this for life. I can see you moving merch with this girl.

Andrij Lutsenko - This young Ukranian technician is committed to staying in his homeland where I see him being a solid midcarder longterm.  He's quiet and pretty straightforward and apolitical about the business.

Angelina Melnikova - this late 20's Russian MMA fighter is a good athlete with a strong all-round game and never lets up in the ring.  She's a professional career woman but I sense she is reluctant to put people below her over.  Probably lacks the star power to become big but she's an excellent mid-carder.   

Anushka Soliyeva - This Uzbekistani former gymnast  is a solid enough young worker and a fine athlete but lacks the IT factor to be anything but a midcarder - where she excels is backstage where she'll brighten any room.  Doubt she'll ever leave Eastern Europe as she's very attached to her extended family.  

Arslan Gasanov - This solid Turkmen midcarder looks to have a future career as a trainer.  

Artemis Viento - I like this high flyer from the Mid South - she loves the biz and never gives less than 100% in every match.  There's no real holes in her game but obviously she's stronger when airborne and will likely get even better as she matures.

Asherah - This Canadian Grappler has a fierce Heel look but is a delight backstage.  Her skillset is strong but she just sort of lacks that indefinable quality that gets people out of the midcard.  Probably will end up training others as she has the right tools and personality for it.  

Baltabek Daurenev - This Kazakhstani is one of the seemingly endless array of solid midcard talent to be found in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.  He also takes Boxing bouts so may not be available 100% of the time.  He's known as a joker backstage and there is the sense that his deep love of his family and home means he is never going to moe elsewhere.

Barbarian Bhari - This First Nations worker from Canada is another person whose lack of natural IT factor means she will be consigned to the mid-card for most of her career. Solid skills and a nice attitude but I wish she had more oomph.  

Beretta Bahar - This intense young former boxer who lives in the Great Lakes region favors hardcore brawling over more subtler styles.  She's a good athlete but there's no IT factor to her.  Yet another person I would say ahs the makings of a solid midcarder.

Bertha B Have - Great name, lovely girl to chat too backstage, yet another midcarder sadly.  I have a few concerns with her safety too as it's borderline.  Unlikely to ever move from her hometown of Boston.

Birgit Dalsgaard - This relaxed Dane works a Hardcore style (if the bat didn't already tell you that) her fundamentals and in ring aren't what you'd like really and she looks at microphones a bit like I look at Snakes. 

Bone Tomahawk - This First Nations woman works a Hardcore style and sadly not that well.  Her fundamentals  and in ring aren't particularly strong.  What she can do though is talk which means she has some promise.  Tried to talk to her and she blew me off and I was told she does that with everyone.  Meh.

 

[Crychon]

14 hours ago, elmiticomark said:

 

I actually felt empathy for a video game character because of the only thing you see is people yelling at the nicest person on your roster, lol.  It'd be pretty cool if they could give you options like "Jake Idol yelled at DeAnne Desire backstage for trying to do her job, how would you like to deal with this:  A) Warn Jake (B) Nothing (C) Have Biff The Bruiser talk to Jake "Privately", just "A Little Chat" "Over there..."

Yeah, I brought over HEART Saitoh from 5SSW, who seems to be a lovely person, and made her my morale officer. Only for her to get yelled at by the likes of Rhino Umaga and Raphael because she asked if they wanted to join in on a teambuilding game before a show.  I almost feel bad for giving her the role.

Edited August 22 by Crychon

[alpha2117]

GHA's Womens & Central Asia part 2

Camran Orazev - This Kazakhstani is a step above many of his contemparies in terms of ability.  He might not have mega star power but it's not below average and his all round skillset is excellent.  A really nice young man too who will lift morale of even the worst locker rooms.  If you were looking for a technician who could fill a middle to upper middle babyface role for you then you could do much worse.

Westside Patrol - Carmen Sierra & Natalie Bennett - These girls know what they are doing.  Neither is a great worker at this point but they aren't awful in ring or fundamentally.  Sierra is the better talker but Bennett is stunning and has more innate star power.  Backstage they are absolute sweethearts too. Sierra has pretty deep ties to her home in the Mid-South.  Depending on where you are I would say let both of them slap the cuffs on your company.  

Cenobitia - Please be good ... please be good ... woohoo!  As a scout sometimes you look at someone and you just want them to be good and whilst I wouldn't call this Finn good at this point theres enough there to work with.  Right now she's a decent Hardcore Aerialist with decent fundamentals and decent mic skills (she can speak English too) and a great look and natural IT factor.  She's young too so there's a good chance her skills will evolve.   She's got a gymnastic background which bodes well for the aerials.  She seemed quiet and not interested in the politics of wrestling which is fine by me.   Hire her and you are getting a potential Main Event Heel.

Chatoyanta - This Canadian from Quebec is a pretty good aerialist with a good all-round skillset.  Normally I would recommend her but there was a red flag I cant ignore - she's a bit insecure and she doesn't have the greatest innate IT factor - that's a dangerous combination as she will want to be pushed hard and that's inherently going to be hard.  I just perceive her to be problematic long-term. 

Chef Sue Flay - You have to love a name with multiple puns going on.  This girls a tough one for me because she's a mix of positives and negatives.  She's a superb mic worker and actor - over 6ft and Muscular and can work a Hardcore Brawl.  She's consistent too. Backstage she's delightful.  The issues are that her safety in ring isn't where you would like - lets face it she's very stiff as many Hardcore workers are.  Right now she's muscular but in catering I saw her eat and ... lets say she needs to be careful eating what and as much as she is as she gets older.  She'll probably always be a Hardcore worker at heart too.  I dont think she has much of an IT factor but I really like her.  

Chernobog - This Russian has some decent size about him and is absolutely shredded - look at that pic, the guys intimidating as heck.  He's in his 30's and when I spoke to him I was amazed what a genuinely great guy he is - he's already interested in going into training to which I think he will be great at.  Good Mic worker with some great innate star power but only very basic English language skills.  The only negative is he's a little too stiff for my taste.  Look this is a simple one for me - Hire him and work with him to get the danger down and you've got a guy who can be a Main Event Heel.  

Cordule Julien - I wish I could say she was good but there were some issues. Not so much with her skillset - that was average but she just doesn't have an aura about her - she's just sort of there.  She was okay to talk to but a bit aloof and when I spoke to people about her they said she wants this but she's a slow learner. So when I look at her I see a mid-carder who probably wont become a great worker anytime soon.  Canada's Womens Pool isn't the deepest so she's okay but just okay.

Corinna Franz - This Tri-State based German is a pretty decent long term option.  She's naturally creative and loves working without a script and her skillset is decent enough.  She's happy to use her natural physical gifts in eye candy bouts so if thats your style she's good.  She couldn't be more of a haughty German stereotype if she tried though so if you do hire her don't get on her bad side. 

Cromática -  Yeah this ones easy, she's a work in progress and I dont know if she'll ever be above a midcarder but this American Luchadora is a great hire.  She's beautiful and naturally sweet and I can see little girls loving her and wanting her merch.  Whats not to like.

Dajana Leben - Darn why aren't you good ... I so want you to be good.  This Slovenian is awful ... She can work the mic and looks good but she's a downright dangerous Hardcore Psychopath with terrible basics and selling.  She wasn't any better when I spoke to her either.  Hard Pass and lock the doors of your venue to keep her out.  Let her go and injure somebody else's workers and stink up their locker room.  Honestly it isn't that hard to be a decent human being but she's failing at that spectacularly.

Dani Caliphobia _ Remember that girl who seemed sweet when you met her and then she got angry and smashed your stuff - well this girl is that as a character.  In reality she seems like a nice enough free spirit but in ring I wasn't impressed. For some reason young Hardcore workers seem to think Hardcore means ignoring basic skills and working dangerously stiff especially where weapons are involved.  It's supposed to be about doing this stuff without killing anyone including yourself you idiots.    She's better at selling and consistency than many of them so she's not a total write off but I cant really recommend a girl who chain smokes,  never holds back and at the same time works super stiff.    

Darya Torabi - This Middle Eastern heritage Tri State based worker is pretty decent skills wise and really good on the stick.  Nice looking girl who is willing to use that in ring and with a relaxed easygoing personality.  There's a lot worse options than her but she's probably only going to be a midcarder.

Dastan Yeldosov - Ahhh back to ye olde faithful Eastern European/Central Asian mid-card write-up.  This Kazakhstani MMA guy is fundamentally good, a good athlete with no holes in his mic work or in ring but he has little natural star power.  Chatted with him and he's a good guy who loves the biz.  If you are looking for a good solid mid-card guy he's perfect.  

Black Winter - Dauren Medetov & Oraz Diasov - Guess what these Tajikistani tag team are ... c'mon guess.  A fundamentally sound mid-card act with solid skills but low star power you say ... are you psychic?  Amateur wrestling is big in Central Asia and it's clear why so many of these guys are just basically well grounded skills wise and most seem like really decent people.  Diasov is looking forward to training young talent too.    

 

Edited August 23 by alpha2117

[alpha2117]

GHA's Women & Central Asia part 3

Dead Yet Daliah - Sigh.  Why cant we have nice things?  This Russian has a great idea for a look but sadly she's another Hardcore worker with precious little idea of what the concept of safety in ring means. Other than the safety she is okay but just that okay.  I wish she was better. 

Delizia Pazza - This Italian Clown can talk like nobodies business but alas she's also a not very good Hardcore wrestler who is so dangerously unsafe she knocked herself out with her own baseball bat by bouncing it off the top rope straight back into her noggin and became a bit of a flavour of the month as a result.  Makes someone like Dead Yet Daliah look like Tommy Cornell in comparison. 

  

Devika Marshall - Hardcore - Check, Make-up - Check, Dangerously Incompetent - hmm nah.  Look she's stiff as a board but she does vaguely understand the concept of selling and is actually consistent enough that she can reasonably be expected to not botch the place up.  Not awful in ring.  Backstage it was hard to get a read on her but I kind of liked her.  

Diana Anosov - This Russian is a former Amateur champ with excellent mat skills.  She's marketable and seemed chilled backstage.  I just dont see her moving out of the midcard because she just doesn't have the IT factor to do so, she has no star power at all to be honest.  You are marketing the medals not the girl who won them to be honest.  

Dinara Nabiullina - This Tatar-Russian is so typical of what I found all over Eastern Europe and Central Asia good fundamentals and in ring but nothing to make them more than a mid-card act. She's very settled in Russia and will never leave where I am sure she will have a nice solid career. 

El Hijo de Marte - The Son of Mars apparently ... I dont remember ever seeing Marte (Mars) or even hearing the name- this guy has been round the indy circuit in Texas and the South West for a few years now and is probably in his early 30's now.  He's a good worker too.  I think his lack of  inherent star power has seen him fail to gain the sort of following that gets you signed with a name fed which probably was the same deal for his dad but it's sort of a shame because there's a lot to like about this guy in ring and out.  I think he'd be a decent addition to any roster looking for a nice guy willing to go out there and take a few big bumps for the team early in the card.

El Isleño - I didn't know what it meant, then he opened up his mouth and called me Use ... the Islander is another early 30's guy who has been working around the indys for a fair while now mainly in tag matches.  Again it's a case of a guy whose skill-set is good but who simply doesn't have the oomph star power wise to break through.  He's such a chilled guy too and anyone who gives him a chance will get someone who will be loyal for life I'm sure.  You could do a lot worse than hire this guy.

Elaine Watson - Do you need this psychopath in your life ... no ... no you don't.  She's dangerous in ring and frankly dangerous in the locker room too.  She's running a Cheerleader gimmick but frankly she brings no cheer with her ... none at all. Under no circumstances should any sane promoter unleash this on their company.  

Emmy Boyer - This Quebec native may as well be from Central Asia write up wise.  A fundamentally good technician athlete who'll probably end up training people who hopefully will be less bland than her.   She's absolutely fine I'd say even very good as a mid-carder but not exactly an exciting talent.   

Eunike Sifu - Nice to see Samoan women starting to break through.  She's got the skillset to be an Upper Mid-carder maybe more.  Backstage it's a bit more mixed bag she's loyal but also ... well she's a biggish strong girl and I think she might have pushed a few smaller girls into lockers like she's a Samoan Regina George.  I always hesitate to recommend when I see any red flag.  Look it's one of those times when you need to evaluate for yourself - there's a lot of plusses and only one minus - it's just a sort of big one. 

Evie Everpain - Look I love the look but ... No ... just .... NO!   As Hardcore workers go she's not bad.  Stiff but fundamentally and in ring sound and decent on the stick.  Backstage - She's like Eunike Sifu but Eunike Sifu on a 3 day bender.  Nope ... NOPE! 

Falcon Kid - He's actually a wonderfully sound technical aerialist with okay flash and great mic skills - he just doesn't have the qualities to rise above the mid-card or maybe not even that high.  What he does have is the willingness to put people over without hesitation. Hire this First Nations guy and have him put over your roster in a series of pretty great bouts especially Tag Team ones and then have him train people who will probably have more successful careers than him.  Hire him ... every roster needs guys like this.

Farah Lazarre - Nice girl, nice look, nice all round skillset with no holes.  What's not to like?  She might only be a mid-card level worker I guess but that's fine - not everyone needs to be a megastar - passing on a good worker like her means either you are already stacked with talent or you are being too picky.    

Felix Harding - This one is super tough.  He doesn't have much of an IT factor - he's generic Mr. Whitebread and he's sort of inconsistent but he's got some great flashy aerial skills, works well without a script, shakes of injuries quickly, has a relaxed chilled presence backstage and everyone says he's learning at a great rate.  He's probably very hirable but there are a lot of guys out there who just have star power or heel intimidation power, or something that you know could be money.  Someone will hire him I'm sure.

Firudin Hasanov - Oh look it's an Azerbaijani career mid-carder who is a pretty solid talent and will probably be a really positive influence backstage taking younger workers under his wing - this guys a little older than most of them but only early 30's.  I genuinely like so many of these guys as people and they are all really hirable they just aren't exciting breakout stars.   

Edited August 23 by alpha2117

[alpha2117]

GHA's Women & Central Asia part 4

Gecko Boy - This young American Luchador is another guy who lacks much in the way in IT factor which has seen him consigned to indy work so far.  He's a pretty average worker - not bad just average.  It's a bit of a mixed bag personality wise he's an upbeat kid but people have noted he's quick to anger.  He's not a guy that seems able to ad-lib that well on the stick either.   

Georgina Valerio - This American High Flyer cant seem to decide if she wants to be a bassist/vocalist or a wrestler.  She can definitely work the mic in fact getting her to shut up is the issue and frankly almost everything is a way of big noting herself.  As a worker she's okay but she's frankly a big head without the star power to back that inflated sense of self worth up.  Arrogance is okay if it's earned but frankly this girl isn't good enough to have that arrogance ... she's no Peter Hook on the bass either to honest.  

Ghafur Ghaniyev - Maybe I should just cut and paste these reports on the Central Asian/Eastern European guys - it would save times. This Uzbekistani is unsurprisingly a great athlete, fundamentally sound with no real holes in his rign game and next to know IT factor.  A bit quiet but nice enough guy.  Like many of the other guys from the region I've scouted he's definitely employable if you need a workman in the midcard. 

Gizli Silah - Hey look a Central Asian/Eastern European worker who is actually trying something to stand out.  A mask!  I mean in all other ways he's pretty much the same as the other guys but look ... a mask.  He's got some pretty great aerial moves though.  He's never going to be a star but you could do worse.

Grigori Perun - So I finally find a guy in the region with some real potential and what happens - the pic gets corrupted.  This Russian vets in his early 30's but he's pretty a good worker with some great mic and acting skills to go along with enough IT factor and intimidation value.  He's very happy staying put so I think that he's only an option for European based promotions though.  Updated with pic.

Grisha Ilyich - This Russian guys a great worker and a lovely chilled guy who loves the biz and will likely be fiercely loyal to anyone who employs him and like so many of his contemporaries is just not that much of a star.  I expect he'll end up as a Road Agent eventually. 

Gülnaz Aljanova - This girls from Azerbaijan and has a solid skillset.  I spoke to people and personality wise there are issues, she's a free spirit with a fiery temper and a lust for fame which could be a problematic combo.  She's also still doing martial arts tourneys so may not be available all the time.   

Gulum Batuk - This Turkish girl isn't ever leaving home and frankly nobody is probably going to bother trying to entice her to leave anyway.  She's another Hardcore girl who isn't that great a worker and whose fundamentals aren't where you'd like then to be in terms of safety  She seemed like a bit of a lone wolf too.  

Gulzada Zholdoshov - Kyrgystan feels like it hould have more vowels in it's name ... this girl is heck she's another typical worker from the region - well trained, actually a great talker but lacking the IT factor.  She's a great tag worker and never holds back in ring.  An absolute delight to speak to backstage.  She's very hirable and also wants to use wrestling to see the world so will probably accept offers from most anywhere and can speak passable English.   

Gun Hellberg - Great looking Swedish girl who favours the Hardcore style.  She's not incompetent either.  She's stiff but understands concepts like selling and seems consistent enough to develop into a pretty good worker.  She seemed a bit high strung when I spoke to her but thats not an unmanageable problem.  She's someone I would definitely take a look at. 

Gutter Trash - Keep this Trash Panda away from your company.  Crap fundamentals, cant work, dangerously reckless, was drunk and chain smoking when I saw her backstage and seemed to have an addictive personality so her existing mild vices may be just the start. 

Halšan Šukieloyts - Kaching ....  it finally happened one of these young guys from Eastern Europe has some real potential.  This Belarussian has got all the normal skillset stuff I've come to expect but it's combined with some intimation factor and enough star power to give you hope he could be money.  He's a pretty natural heel who shakes off mistimed blows that would take out normal people and has the sort of mindset that will end up being a Road agent too so he's a great buy.  

Harmless Hazel - Look anyone working the Psychopath style is a worry but she's not bad.  She's a little inconsistent but the fundamentals are there to build on.  She wants to be the best she can be too which is good.  If you want Hardcore female workers this Canadian is someone well worth taking a look at.

Hercules Lagoshin - This Russian is a typical worker from the region.  The physical, fundamental and in-ring skills are all there and the performance skills and IT factor aren't.  he is embedded in Russia and wont be leaving and I am sure he will have a nice solid career there that nobody outside the region will pay much attention too.

Dream Foundation - Heya Otagi & Tsushi Sengoku _ I can see the meeting now - you two are a bit too bland for Japan - y'know where would be good for you?  Eastern Europe - you'll stand out because you're Japanese.  Right call too - they are marketable but have next to no innate star power and the region isn't exactly full of female stars so they have a much better chance of a good career there.  Tsushi's the better prospect but Heya is a much more lively natural personality than her quiet teammate.  Not the worst potential signings.  

Hüseyn Jahangirov - This bulky brawler from Azerbaijan looks menacing in stills bit in reality works better as a babyface tough guy.  Decent skillset and enough star power to be a pretty big deal in the region and a great positive guy backstage too

 

Edited August 25 by alpha2117

[Altgov]

Cordule Julien feels like a Dana Brooke in the future with this description, just someone here, a good hand but not more than a midcard girl. It could be a challenge to try and make her a star.

 

On a another thought, it seems the trainers in Central Asia and Russia are not really fond of the idea of "safety" in their wrestling.

Edited August 23 by Altgov

[alpha2117]

8 hours ago, Altgov said:

Cordule Julien feels like a Dana Brooke in the future with this description, just someone here, a good hand but not more than a midcard girl. It could be a challenge to try and make her a star.

 

On a another thought, it seems the trainers in Central Asia and Russia are not really fond of the idea of "safety" in their wrestling.

Actually it's the opposite with the trainers in Central Asia & Russia are great on Safety - those guys are so fundamentally sound it's not funny.  You can imagine they almost all come out of Amateur Wrestling and Martial Arts and their issue is that those trainers have actually not tolerated anyone having a sense of individuality or flair - that's been ground out of them over the years lowering their star power in pro wrestling. It actually makes sense because many real Amateurs from that region are indeed workmanlike.  

The people who are unsafe are actually a reflection of the real world too.  These are Hardcore workers who probably have very little real training who think that Hardcore and Deathmatch wrestling is just hitting each other as hard as they can with little concern for the safety of themselves or others.  There are a lot of people like that.  Smart workers in that style actually understand safety is important.  Take Mick Foley - he was willing to take risks with his own body and do ridiculously dangerous spots on himself but rarely actually injured others because he understood how and where to hit people too make things look brutal but not actually hurt them.  Many of those Hardcore Workers I am reviewing are in the US in this mod (some are in Europe).  Some are competent wrestlers but many are not which is a realistic reflection of what many of these people are actually like in real life especially early in their careers.     

[elmiticomark]

That horse that kicked Terry Funk in his match with Chris Candido on Thunder was a safer worker than some "wrestlers" I've seen in "no rope/no ring" death matches.   

[alpha2117]

3 minutes ago, elmiticomark said:

That horse that kicked Terry Funk in his match with Chris Candido on Thunder was a safer worker than some "wrestlers" I've seen in "no rope/no ring" death matches.   

Oh my the Horse.  Yeah the stable thing was right up there with the idea someone had for the Sultan of it being Sabu managed by the Iron Shiek - putting Sabu and Shieky in the same car travelling around - what could go wrong with that?

Terry Funk Reconciles With Horse That Kicked Him in WCW - The Hard Times

[elmiticomark]

to no sell that...

I guess I can empathize with the Briscos view over that whole "out because a turnt over truck", like, you're a Funk, that's a Tuesday.

[Altgov]

1 hour ago, alpha2117 said:

Actually it's the opposite with the trainers in Central Asia & Russia are great on Safety - those guys are so fundamentally sound it's not funny.  You can imagine they almost all come out of Amateur Wrestling and Martial Arts and their issue is that those trainers have actually not tolerated anyone having a sense of individuality or flair - that's been ground out of them over the years lowering their star power in pro wrestling. It actually makes sense because many real Amateurs from that region are indeed workmanlike.  

The people who are unsafe are actually a reflection of the real world too.  These are Hardcore workers who probably have very little real training who think that Hardcore and Deathmatch wrestling is just hitting each other as hard as they can with little concern for the safety of themselves or others.  There are a lot of people like that.  Smart workers in that style actually understand safety is important.  Take Mick Foley - he was willing to take risks with his own body and do ridiculously dangerous spots on himself but rarely actually injured others because he understood how and where to hit people too make things look brutal but not actually hurt them.  Many of those Hardcore Workers I am reviewing are in the US in this mod (some are in Europe).  Some are competent wrestlers but many are not which is a realistic reflection of what many of these people are actually like in real life especially early in their careers.     

Sometimes, I just hate myself because I'm distracted and I post a message where I forgot to remove a "not" and it makes me say the opposite of what I wanted to say lol.

And yes, it's realistic that the hardcore wrestlers are not really safe people. New Jack would be proud of them.

[alpha2117]

GHA's Women & Central Asia part 5

Ildar Yanbayev - This Russian pretty much fits the standard template for these guys - lacks star power but the rest is good.  Relaxed chill guy who will never move from Russia - although he is willing to do things like go on tours elsewhere.

Ines Foisy - This Canadian from Quebec isn't a bad worker.  A bit of a Highly Strung Loner backstage which means she's harder to integrate into your roster.

Irina Agadati - This Moldovan lady is like a lot of the guys I've reviewed from the region - all the skills are there except the IT factor.  Lovely girl backstage with strong ties to her family and homeland.  

Ishtar Lothaire - This New Orleans native is by no means the worst Hardcore worker I've seen but she's still too stiff by a long way.  She seemed a bit of a prickly customer backstage.

Jo Coleman - I'd hire her but there is a caveat.   Great look, Decent emerging skills good on the mic and decent fundamentals combined with a quiet but apolitical mindset.  It's a couple of movie credits under the name Foxxxy Rocks that kind of tell you what the caveat is.  For some companies that means she is a hard no.

Johnny Frido - This American feels like he should come from Eastern Europe or Central Asia.  He's got the same sort of skillset I've seen so often there.  good fundamentals and technical mat skills, solid in the other in ring elements, Actually fantastic on the stick with some great ad-libbing ability and sorely lacking the IT factor.  It's that classic Amateur wrestler skillset where they have the basic abilities but not the natural star power to make it back.  Lovely chilled guy too.  Definitely worth considering as a solid lower or mid-card guy to fill up your roster. 

Kadyr Bakirov - This Kyrgyzstani guy is a bit insecure personality wise but in most other ways is very much a typical former Amateur talent from the region probably a bit more star power than many but a worse mic worker than most too.  He's signable but I am not sure if he wants to leave 

  

Kamilla Nikolaev - This Russian is fundamentally sound and a decent all round option.  She's chilled in general but fairly thin skinned so a bit of a glass half empty personality at heart.

Kanat Karabaev - This Kyrgyzstan native is at least trying to standout from the crowd with the face paint.  Very much a typical former Amateur talnet from the region skill wise and IT factor wise he also sadly has no mic skills whatsoever - his characters personality is literally that face paint.  He's a lot more intense and less naturally chilled than many of his contemporaries.

Karen McLaren - Not gunna lie it's a good heel gimmick.  She's not a star but that gimmick is pure mid-card gold.  Great Mic worker when she's screaming to see peoples Manager.  In reality she is a sweet natured woman who is in a perpetually good mood but who actually has an undercurrent of a bad temper.  She's very creative and never holds back in ring.  She's very hirable but the temper is a small red flag.

Kate O'Flaherty - real name Shauna O'Stereotype (I kid) is an Irish American worker who probably once visited an Irish Pub in Boston.  She's a pretty girl with pretty good mic skills and a solid skills base to work from.  Backstage she's a lively fun loving girl with a lot of natural creativity.  She's a little down on natural star power but she'd make a wonderful mid-card mainstay most anywhere.

Kati Spade - She's a pretty decent Hardcore worker from Canada who despite trying to look sort of mean in the pic is actually a real sweet girl when you chat to her.  She's been doing this for a few years now so she's probably not goign to get all that much better.  If you are looking for a Hardcore worker she's okay.

Kendra Prince - This good looking technically sound Canadian has hit her 30's now and she's clearly a solid mid-card option with a stalwart prsonailty who wont let you down if thats what you are looking for.  Unlikely to ever move from her homebase of Ontario.

Kiana Ola - This lovely chilled Hawaiian native from a big close family isn't ever going to relocate elsewhere but she does love the business.  She already has a nice solid skillset and there's enough there that she could be pushed into the Upper-Mid-card at a push - maybe higher.  A good solid hire option.

Kimsan Shakirov - This Uzbekistani is a solid worker with a tad more star power than many of his peers (which is still a bit below average in the west).  He's got deep roots and wont move elsewhere.  He's a real people person but a little thin skinned and prone to seeing the world in a slightly negative light.

Klavdiya Markov - This Russian is a pretty intense girl.  She's a okay worker but not that exciting really.    

  

Krazy Kelly - oh dear - never live your gimmick folks - She's a sloppy fundamentally flawed aerialist who cant spell consistency let alone achieve it.  Top that off with her being a scatter-brained party animal without a natural feeling for wrestling and there's not much to like here other than an interesting look. 

Krista Havoc - Lovely looking she may be, great on the mic she may be but neither of those things make up for her also being an unsafe worker with poor basics and low innate IT factor.  She's not the worst Hardcore worker out there as she has a vague understanding of selling and is okay consistency wise.  Throw in a reluctance to evolve her skills and style and a needy Firey temperament though and it's probably a pass on this one. 

Kristie Cliff - She's getting close to 30 now so her skills are probably close to as good as they will ever be in ring and fundamentally which is sadly sort of average because she's got a good look and some decent star power to go with some nice performance skills.  She's a nice positive influence to people around her too.  What you get is probably what she is always going to be but that's in no way bad.  In a company that prioritises things like looks and acting she'll be perfect, in one that prioritises work-rate she might struggle a little.  

[alpha2117]

Grindhousearts Women & Central Asia part 6

La Femme Simone - This Quebec native is a solid lower mid-card level worker who works well as a heel.  She's okay but other than some nice mic skills there's not a lot to excite anyone about her - not awful just a little below average.

Last Girl Lucy - As Hardcore gimmicks go the last girl in a Horror movie is a fun one.  There's a real mixed bag here - the girl is a natural performer with striking good looks and real star power.  As a worker she's not great - for a hardcore worker she's definitely better than some but still pretty flawed in the fundamentals.  She'd be easy to market but she's also kind of scatterbrained and unpredictable.  She's so flawed but the upsides are so good ... I think as a long-term project she might be worth it.

Laura Finch - She's a great athlete and good technician with nice mic skills and a strong look.  She's a stalwart straight edge former stud athlete who specialises in teg wrestling so she's a nice asset to have on most rosters and in most locker rooms.  She will probably never be a Main Event star as she feels like a mid-carder but there's a lot to like here.

Lauren October - Wow this one is hard - For a hardcore worker she is legit talented with great consistency and real star power and beauty.  She's got the ability to become a Road Agent down the track and everything would say I should recommend her but ... her rep backstage is bad ... real bad.  Look it really depends if you can cope with someone who is really a bit of a horrible human being but who brings a lot else to the table. 

Layla Bexley - If you want a Hardcore worker this is the one.  Decent fundamentals, good in ring, nice mic skills, enough IT factor and looks to get over and a real good athlete. She chilled and a natural trainer of others who is always looking for someone to take under her wing.  The only real issue is at heart she is and always will be a Hardcore Deathmatch style worker.  For the right companies she's great though.

Lida Vitaliev - This Russian fitness fanatic MMA fighter is a pretty well rounded talent who lacks the IT factor.  Other than that she's good and has a no nonsense personality which wont cause many issues.  She isn't looking for fights but definitely wont back down.  

Lila Montes - Man I wish this girl had more natural star quality because I really like her.  She's young and the skills are already good enough and she's got a nice look.  Back stage she's a riot - ultra positive and really funny.  Not everyone can be a star and she never will be one but if you want someone in the undercard who can work and who will just make your locker room happy I would really strongly consider her.

Lilith Driftwood - Yeah she's interesting.  I see the word Psychopath and I worry but in her case not so much.  She's got the fundamentals and brawling skills to work outside that genre.  She's an odd girl though she is a good mic worker but prefers to stay silent and she's got zero interest in romance or politics or any of that stuff.  She's quiet but I think anyone who hires her will get someone who will want to be a lifer with your company.  She's not a bad mid-card option.

Lorenzo Capmany  - Look this guy just isn't good enough fundamentally to recommend - he's a botch monkey with a temper. He's not horrible as a person but as a worker he's just not consistent enough or safe enough.  

Madame Edna - Love the gimmick.  She's got a look and she's a heck of a mic worker and can ad-lib with the best of them.  She's a decent enough young worker.  By nature she loves to spin a yarn which is always a plus.  I just like the gimmick so much I sort of have to recommend her as a mid-card act.

Maddie Vendetta - this is simple do you need a super stiff Hardcore worker with a bum knee and a hedonistic lifestyle.  Yeah didn't think so.

Maddy Massawa - Yes please I'll have two if you have them.  She's good really good.  Good fundamentally and as a Technical Aerialist with some nice flash to her.  Great look and enough star power and performance skill to carry her far.  She's easy to market too so you'll move merch with her.  Only issue is she isn't big on putting other people over if she thinks it will hurt her but she will do it.

Malik Alisherov - Yeah sign this Uzbekistani guy if you can.  he's got such a well rounded game and enough star quality to get over.  Fantastic guy backstage too.  His English is good enough to get by and he's only going to get better at everything.  He's got all the normal qualities I've come to expect from guys in this region but with the oomph to carry himself higher.

Los Malvados - Malvado I & Malvado II - They are okay but they have precious little star power.  Malvado II is a great guy and Malvado I is fine just quiet.  Theya re okay workers but nothing special.  They are pure lower card heels for mine.

María Hortensia Ortega - This lady has seemingly been around forever and she's a great worker and a fantastic person to boot.  What you would be getting is a locker room vet who will take people under her wing.  The downside is she's what just on 40 and that knee is a worry.  She'll work as a Road Agent too though so she's a decent investment even if it's only potentially short term one in ring.   

Mariya Kazlow - This Belarusian is a sound technician with pretty decent overall skills.  She's very against risqué and hardcore stuff which makes it a little harder to leverage her undoubted beauty.  The right company can probably get a lot out of her though.

Marlena Rakowska - Great looking girl , just okay fundamentally and in ring but enough IT factor and mic skills to get over.  She's tin skinned and the universe sort of revolves around her a bit which isn't ideal.  It really depends if you think you can cope with her self centered nature in exchange for the glamour this Polish ex model brings.

Marya Hrybanava - This Belarusian is a good technician and Tag worker sadly her knee is already a worry.  She really doesn't have enough about her to compensate for that troublesome knee.  

[Altgov]

I was thinking but all this women hardcore wrestlers would be a great addition to the SNP women division in lavelleuk mod. But maybe they are not sexy enough for the Carnie.

[GrindhouseArts]

19 hours ago, alpha2117 said:

Actually it's the opposite with the trainers in Central Asia & Russia are great on Safety - those guys are so fundamentally sound it's not funny.  You can imagine they almost all come out of Amateur Wrestling and Martial Arts and their issue is that those trainers have actually not tolerated anyone having a sense of individuality or flair - that's been ground out of them over the years lowering their star power in pro wrestling. It actually makes sense because many real Amateurs from that region are indeed workmanlike.  

The people who are unsafe are actually a reflection of the real world too.  These are Hardcore workers who probably have very little real training who think that Hardcore and Deathmatch wrestling is just hitting each other as hard as they can with little concern for the safety of themselves or others.  There are a lot of people like that.  Smart workers in that style actually understand safety is important.  Take Mick Foley - he was willing to take risks with his own body and do ridiculously dangerous spots on himself but rarely actually injured others because he understood how and where to hit people too make things look brutal but not actually hurt them.  Many of those Hardcore Workers I am reviewing are in the US in this mod (some are in Europe).  Some are competent wrestlers but many are not which is a realistic reflection of what many of these people are actually like in real life especially early in their careers.     

I'm pretty happy to see you got the right read on the 'skill/stat-storytelling'! Russia and Central Asia are big on athletics, but there's no real 'pro wrestling culture' with an emphasis on showmanship and showing 'star quality'. That's a pretty recent thing, so workers are typically recruited from other sports - martial arts, boxing, gymnastics, wrestling - and were not really encouraged to show charisma or personality, nor was it a factor in recruiting them. It's all about the athletic skills, and if you're lucky, you get a naturally outgoing person who can talk as well. Most of the Central Asians/Eastern Europeans are employed by workrate companies for a reason.

As for the hardcore workers - that's the game's bias, and I'm laughing pretty hard at seeing how it's even worse in IX than it was in 2020. All workers are created with presets between 'average' and 'strong' in-ring, most on Rookie/Early Career (with a few notable exceptions like Chernobog who are Mid Career). Looks like all the Regular/Technician/High Flyers/Brawler turned out decent enough, but the hardcore/psychopath workers - most of which were created in IX, not converted from 2020 - are godawful just from using the 'Hardcore Brawler' option.

Other than that - all Scandinavian workers are fluent in English, other Europeans at least basic or passable. The Eastern Europeans mostly don't speak English and use 'Eastern European' as lingua franca instead. It's not their first language, but since there is no option that fits for that or at least a 'Other', it's their primary and often only language.

Edited August 24 by GrindhouseArts

[GrindhouseArts]

Hm, now that I read it all, something doesn't look right. I thought Attributes would translate properly between 2020 and IX, but I don't recall adding THIS many 'Troublesome Knees', especially not on young workers. Looks like I need to check the attributes again.

Edited August 24 by GrindhouseArts

[elmiticomark]

On 8/21/2024 at 10:36 PM, alpha2117 said:

 

Every time I see this picture this song just plays in my head over and over.

[alpha2117]

2 hours ago, GrindhouseArts said:

Hm, now that I read it all, something doesn't look right. I thought Attributes would translate properly between 2020 and IX, but I don't recall adding THIS many 'Troublesome Knees', especially not on young workers. Looks like I need to check the attributes again.

Honestly I dont think thats an issue because some people do in fact have troublesome knees even at a young age.  I used to play sport when I was young and my right knee has been troublesome since I was about 16. 

[GrindhouseArts]

1 minute ago, alpha2117 said:

Honestly I dont think thats an issue because some people do in fact have troublesome knees even at a young age.  I used to play sport when I was young and my right knee has been troublesome since I was about 16. 

Yeah, not saying it's impossible. But if I had added weak spots/injuries on purpose, I wouldn't have used 'Troublesome Knee' on everyone instead of mixing it up a bit with Back or Neck.

[alpha2117]

2 hours ago, GrindhouseArts said:

I'm pretty happy to see you got the right read on the 'skill/stat-storytelling'! Russia and Central Asia are big on athletics, but there's no real 'pro wrestling culture' with an emphasis on showmanship and showing 'star quality'. That's a pretty recent thing, so workers are typically recruited from other sports - martial arts, boxing, gymnastics, wrestling - and were not really encouraged to show charisma or personality, nor was it a factor in recruiting them. It's all about the athletic skills, and if you're lucky, you get a naturally outgoing person who can talk as well. Most of the Central Asians/Eastern Europeans are employed by workrate companies for a reason.

As for the hardcore workers - that's the game's bias, and I'm laughing pretty hard at seeing how it's even worse in IX than it was in 2020. All workers are created with presets between 'average' and 'strong' in-ring, most on Rookie/Early Career (with a few notable exceptions like Chernobog who are Mid Career). Looks like all the Regular/Technician/High Flyers/Brawler turned out decent enough, but the hardcore/psychopath workers - most of which were created in IX, not converted from 2020 - are godawful just from using the 'Hardcore Brawler' option.

Other than that - all Scandinavian workers are fluent in English, other Europeans at least basic or passable. The Eastern Europeans mostly don't speak English and use 'Eastern European' as lingua franca instead. It's not their first language, but since there is no option that fits for that or at least a 'Other', it's their primary and often only language.

Yeah I got the sense of what you were going for with the Central Asian/Eastern European system.  I think it's a good call too because otherwise they are too good.

With Hardcore - yeah the generator can be biased.  I think it's fine because like I said it reflects the fact most of the people who start in that style are sort of untrained backyard wrestlers. It makes the good ones stand out  - there are going to be ones who are just naturally good talents and I am glad there are those too.

 

 

[GrindhouseArts]

Just now, alpha2117 said:

Yeah I got the sense of what you were going for with the Central Asian/Eastern European system.  I think it's a good call too because otherwise they are too good.

With Hardcore - yeah the generator can be biased.  I think it's fine because like I said it reflects the fact most of the people who start in that style are sort of untrained backyard wrestlers. It makes the good ones stand out  - there are going to be ones who are just naturally good talents and I am glad there are those too.

 

 

I'd frankly give an arm and a leg for an attribute 'Backyarder' that makes skill gain in certain areas slower or even caps it (basics and safety, maybe also selling) to reflect that some people 'learned it wrong' and that's hard to overcome/unlearn. It's not really limited to hardcore though, so I dislike the bias for the hardcore preset and would prefer to assign it manually. There are also tons of yard daredevils that will do flippy shit, but couldn't do an arm bar or snapmare if their life depended on it, or wannabe MMA folks who think they are master technicians, but are just ruthless. They get less backlash because they don't use weapons, but can be just as unsafe to work with.

As for Central Asia/Eastern Europe, the two companies I converted for the mini mod are a bit taken out of context. They are the workrate, puro-influenced mainstream with an above average ratio of dual sports athletes. In the full data (which I'm slowly converting at the moment), that extreme is offset by rivals that lean heavily into other styles - Entertainment-based Baltics with a more international vibe, and Hardcore-based Russia with more western-influenced products. Both 'factions' have ties to other regions and a less isolationist 'my way or the highway' stance than the two sister companies in the mini mod that really only value strong in-ring work.