Barbosa Critiques Your Character

[Барбоса]

Want to know what the guy behind the Graeco-Cyrillic name thinks of your character? Are you really that much in need of personal gratification/flagellation that you need to seek it from a Northern Irish block of text? Well, this is your lucky day.

Post below to apply for said gratification/flagellation and when I have the time/feel inclined I will rant or rave (or both) about what I think of your WZCW character.

Those with multiple characters should highlight which one I am to wax lyrical/put the boot into. Actually, it might be better if you all identified who your characters are/were for despite being an entry level member of Creative, I haven't got a notion who some of the posters are behind the characters.

So, to start out and just to show that I am far from uncritical of my own work...

Barbosa on Barbosa

Several have voiced the opinion that Barbosa has been underused in WZCW. Not sure I entirely agree. While I do think that he could have been WZCW Champion for longer/again, I do not think that that alone should colour his time in the fed.

Just look at the big moments he has had - two stellar appearances in consecutive Lethal Lotterys (despite not entering either), defeating Ty Burna in HIAC, a hilarious run with Kravinoff, KFAD and that cash in to name a few. Part of me is content with that and that Barbosa has become something of a work horse for WZCW.

But if I was being honest the thing that I like most about my character, outside of his occasional hilarity, is that the character (not the writer) seems to bring the best out of others (pretty certain JGlass has already commented on this).

Actually, that is not all that honest. I would rather he had been WZCW Champion longer/again.

In Miko's "Ch-Ch-Changes" thread (that should have been the title), I suggested that I would not change anything about my character. That was true but not because the character has gone the way I envisaged. Not sure what I thought I was doing joining up to WZCW for, while I would definitely count myself as an ideas man, in all the writing I have done in the last decade, none of it would be regarded as creative. It just does not flow naturally from my pen/stylus/keyboard - actually, trying to improve on that (and giving myself some respite from academia) was probably the main reason for signing up. However, I still need to spend a large amount of time in bringing together an RP - none of this last minute, stream of consciousness RPing that so many others seem to do. In that regard, the idea of the bi-polar/schizophrenic side of Barbosa helped a great deal.

You want some of that?

 

[Dave]

Shoot.

 

[Ty Burna]

Go right ahead sir. You may critique Ty and Califa.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

If you would be so kind/cruel...

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

Do what you wish.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Bring it

 

[The Crock]

I'm down.

 

[GI Cake]

I do need some honest criticism on Ricky.

 

[a0161613]

Yes please. Both Reynolds and GM.

 

[BK Styles]

Go for it.

 

[Барбоса]

Shoot.

Barbosa on Constantine

While at the time it was seemed to work and got him a big blood feud for KC, I think the Showtime Powertrip actually did more harm than good for Constantine - being paired with the #1 Contender made him seem like something of an after thought/sidekick which did not fit in with his diabolical politician character at all - he is the manipulator rather than the manipulated. Couple that to what seemed to be a loss of interest/passion/time and Constantine lost a lot of his early impetus.

And it has essentially taken a year to get it back. The KFAD briefcase has certainly helped and Constantine is starting to become the self-important prick he started off as while attaining the main event position he could and maybe should have achieved earlier.

Go right ahead sir. You may critique Ty and Califa.

Barbosa on Califa

In the initial stages, I felt that maybe your heart was not in it or maybe because he was not Ty Burna, you were having some trouble deciding what you were going to do with him; however in more recent outings there have been signs of hitting your stride with regards the character. Perhaps that has come with having some direction for him?

Barbosa on Ty

What is there to say? The mess that he left behind upon retiring is a testament to how much the fed and the development of other characters had been built around/fused with his character.

While I am sure you would rather have him as a heel than a face, I was not a big fan of his turn during the feud with Reynolds. If I could equate it to a RL situation, I would say it was like Triple H joining the Corporation - it didn't really make all that much sense but turned out well in the end.

Still pretty broken up about not winning the title at the LL in the triple threat with Gordito as that is still my favourite RP I have done - you just had to knock it out of the park, you bastard. Some day in the future, Ty and Barbosa are going to tear shit up. HIAC was just a taster.

If you would be so kind/cruel...

Barbosa on Holmes

In overall terms, despite being a current rival, Holmes is something of a successor to Big Dave - a character who has gradual progressed up through the ranks, something that an e-fed needs perhaps more than anything else, especially one that has managed to fit in at various title pictures and feuds.

On character specifics, for a long time, he mirrored one of the main problems people had with ADR in the regard that he was this rich aristocratic heel who for some reason did not throw around his money for his own ends. I would argue that for a long time it made Holmes seem, for want of a better term, boring. There were signs that that was going to be rectified until it was inexplicably and unnecessarily decided that he was going mental (an attempt to add colour to the character?). Since then though, we have seen a return to the gradual upward progression of the Elite character - stick with it.

Do what you wish.

Barbosa on Krypto

It is still early days for Krypto but you have definitely taken on board the advice given from various sources and done far better than many would have expected. However, now that the Mentorship programme is over, it will be interesting to see where you go from here.

You still have Krypto's reward to help guide the character in up-coming weeks and the initial signs are positive but you must be careful to not allow your character to drift/stay solely as just a comedy routine. I have said this before but SHIT is a great example for Krypto - a comedy character who has become a real threat and just had a blood feud.

 

[JGlass]

Do me next. This is the type of internet validation I live for.

 

[The Doctor]

I am submitting my application.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

Do it

 

[Барбоса]

Can none of you people read? Character names!

Bring it

Barbosa on Westhoff

I went with the current thrilling incarnation.

While in a good gimmick and in a feud that is starting to come to the boil, Westhoff the character is in something of a transition period at the moment. In a way he is in more danger of being swamped by the gimmick than Jacobs is. Considering since the initial formation of TNC, Mason has been its rudder with Jacobs being the follower and has become increasingly characterised by the gimmick alone. Now that he has been superseded first by Ricky and now GM, you will have to be very careful not to become a glorified yes man, parroting everything to Jacobs that GM decrees, leaving you without a distinctive character of your own - the forgotten middleman.

I might talk about your other characters but only if you ask.

I'm down.

Barbosa on Smith

I think Smith is one of the more put upon characters we have here, mainly because in the beginning, he was so mind-bogglingly, soul-crushingly boring. I couldn't read his adventures at all (not saying all that much - I am a very poor reader of RPs in general) and it made his opponent's job difficult too.

I also think that he got a title too quickly. It sort of reinforced what you had been doing and did not encourage any real character development, which led to you getting bored with your own creation rather rapidly.

Things have changed though. Working with Rush has given Smith an actual character and you have used it, not just to regain the Elite X title but also to keep it - your match at Unscripted was easily the most important for Smith - heavily expected to be just another victim to the XXX steamroller, you did not revert to the "RP to win" style that had dogged you during Smith's first run - you took the advice of others and tried something different and lo and behold, you retained and seemed at least to this reader, to actually enjoy writing it.

I would make sure though to not view the relationship with Rush as a crutch - it will not be there forever (he has a bum ticker after all) - so you need to formalise a character for Smith that does not rely so heavily on being an ally of someone else.

I do need some honest criticism on Ricky.

Barbosa on Ricky Runn

Personally, I would place Ricky in a similar bracket to the likes of Smith and Reynolds - not enough character development outside of his original parameters. A smiley faced good guy can only go so far for so long.

I thought the break-up of RRR was a missed opportunity for Ricky - he should have been the one to turn heel and take out the retiring Reynolds, like what we have seen recently with Isabel and Kurtsey. That could have added an edge to his character that at this point is sorely missed and there has not been a chance to recapture that kind of moment since.

Having said that, channelling your own frustration could easily give Runn that edge.

Yes please. Both Reynolds and GM.

Barbosa on Reynolds

I think you yourself have voiced the criticism I would have for Reynolds - lack of character development outside of the initial character. It is a trap that other faces have fallen into.

That is not to say that Reynolds did not have a series of good contests/feuds and he certainly should not be viewed as a failure by any stretch of the imagination but once he had feuded with all of the major heels, there was nowhere for him to go.

He could easily have gone heel during his prolonged feud with Ty instead of the champion while in his last days against Runn, the heelish streak that had been missing and could have breathed new life into him appeared but the trigger was not pulled.

Barbosa on GM

Having not been around for his original run, I will focus more on his current run which is more a case of "what could be" more than anything else. With the likes of Cooper and Winters in the fed, I find it amazing that it has taken until now to have a stable like the New Church.

Much like what I said with Constantine, GM is the kind of character that needs to be in the position that he finds himself in now - the diabolical manipulator.

What happens when TNC ends? What happens when GM is no longer in charge of something? Does he drift somewhat aimlessly like Constantine did? In some ways this kind of diabolical heel is a similar proposition to the idyllic face - what happens when their schtick gets old/used up?

Go for it.

Barbosa on XXX

Confession time. Until I joined Creative, I had not read one word of a XXX RP. Terrible I know. So I feel uniquely placed to say that I haven't a single solitary right to critique XXX.

Of the work I have read since, I can see that you thoroughly deserve your rise through the ranks. To me, there is a comparison between your current standard and style with that of Drake Callahan from his run that took him to the world title.

As I have mentioned above, meteoric rises can be problematic in the long run so I would encourage you to not rest on the character you have. You have a big cycle ahead of you and the initial signs are good that you can handle it.

Do me next. This is the type of internet validation I live for.

I am submitting my application.

Barbosa on Action Saboteur

You two are essentially joined at the hip so I am going to treat you like dual-race (I am assuming Saboteur is not black) Siamese twins.

I can essentially sum up Action Saboteur with the phrase - always fun and entertaining, but not without drawbacks.

Both of you seem to get so involved in telling the story of Saxoteur's latest wacky adventures that they become too detached from WZCW. Now, I do not have all that much trouble with you not talking about your opponents from time to time but for gods sake, at least have some acknowledgement of them being wrestlers.

I would also like to see something more serious out of the pair of you - I am not going to say that your continued joviality is "safe" but I would like to see you test your characters a bit more - the situation with Mikey/GM/TNC might be a good chance for more of Serious Saxton and Solemn Saboteur.

Do it

Barbosa on Bowen

You have suffered from being tarred with the Mayhem brush - most of it is unfortunate but some of it is self-imposed. Its one of the reasons I encouraged you to go down the route of anti-hardcore - it reflects what a lot of people think of not just Bowen but Phatso. While that might have been true in the past, it is not true now.

Your up-coming gimmick is a perfect opportunity to prove to those doubters that you are not just a one trick pony - although I would not completely forget that Mayhem past as it something that helps Bowen stand out - you would not have had your stand out matches with Ty, Saxton and Ricky without it.

On a more personal note and why I said self-imposed, you should have more confidence in what you are producing and not automatically decide that because your opponent is a main eventer that you are not going to win - like recently, when Bowen faced Barbosa and you took the unusual step to ask your opponent (moi) for comments on your work, like you did not think you had a cat in hell's chance of beating me and yet I knew you had beaten me hands down.

 

[Beastmode 24]

I'll take some on Jacobs.

 

[Lee]

Sure.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

If you feel like doing Kurtesy, be my guest. It would be very kurteous of you, if you did.

 

[Muffin Top Merkley]

Yes please.

No RUSH?!?! Get it?

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I trust Barbs opinion. Feel free to take a stab at Mikey if you wish.

 

[Miko]

You want some of that?

Yes, please. My character is S.H.I.T by the way.

 

[Барбоса]

I'll take some on Jacobs.

Barbosa on Jacobs

Jacobs is and has been something of a goof. His relationship with Westhoff is not quite Of Mice and Men but of a similar ilk - Mason is the leader while Jacobs is the big burly simpleton. While that may be a problem for some, going forward I see it as a potential avenue of success for Jacobs within the TNC storyline.

Building on that seeming goofiness, you can make Jacobs a bit of a dissenting voice - the voice of accidental reason in a world of quasi-religious absolutism. GM and Westhoff might fob his opinions off due to who they are coming from but end up missing what turn out to be vital insights.

In the long run, that can be used to form cracks in TNC leading to its eventual breakup, with Jacobs emerging as the face.

Sure.

Barbosa on Titus

Much like with Numbers/Reynolds, I have seen you voice the same criticism of Titus that I would have - consistent inconsistency.

On any given day, no one is safe from Titus - pretty certain that Barbosa has not beaten Titus in any shape or form outside of a tag match. It is definitely difficult to maintain such levels for any extended time but for whatever reason - bad timing IRL, using up a lot of ideas for one big push etc - Titus sees to have a hangover problem. Does he celebrate too much?

I also think that Titus has been let down somewhat by his booking - is it because he is inconsistent or is he inconsistent because of how he is booked? Or is is a viciously cyclical combination of both? I am no doubt missing something out but in my time in the fed, I cannot remember a properly in-depth feud for Titus to really get his teeth into - most have been one cycle deals or returns to past feuds. That is something that I think Titus needs right now. I am still not sure why there was no blood feud between him and Steamboat Ricky.

And yet that potential for excellence still remains - the attack on Chris KO's definition of a hero is one of my recent favourites.

If you feel like doing Kurtesy, be my guest. It would be very kurteous of you, if you did.

Barbosa on Kurtsey

Another of Barbosa's major obstacles.

Personally, I always thought that Kurtsey's gimmick was his problem - a doctor can only last so long, particularly as a face, (although he could have become a real diabolical heel using his medical skills) and even during your world title run, things were starting to become repetitive - "I'm a doctor so I know how to read my opponent."

On top of that, like Reynolds, you had basically feuded with virtually everyone and needed to freshen the character up for more longevity and I do think you tried to do so but if anything those attempts started to turn Kurtsey more into a character that you yourself did not like and that came across in your RPs; if that is true, then you did right in shelving him for the meantime.

Although again like Reynolds with Runn, I think working with Isabel and Krypto in the Mentorship programme could have rekindled something in Kurtsey - at least you were sensible enough to bring in Sandy who can continue on the burgeoning feud with Izzy.

Yes please.

No RUSH?!?! Get it?

Barbosa on Rush

Another character I had only heard of rather than actually read about and because of that I think I had something of a preconceived notion about Rush - that he was just another bland character from WZCW's past and while I think that that is partially true - does he have a gimmick aside from being old and tall? - it somehow works.

Much of that owes to your own writing style - Rush comes across as that kind of jaded, hateable but somehow loveable old codger who speaks his mind but knows that his best days are behind him. Also, I think the master/apprentice relationship with Smith has helped Rush as much as it has helped Smith. It has given him something to focus on after his revenge quest against Blade.

Actually, I think there is room for Rush to expand further with the "old-school" gimmick - and by "old-school" I mean "a complete cunt who is as much a mark for himself as he is for the business."

He could easily be used to go after what he sees as being wrong in the wrestling world and point to women competing against men and the world title picture being dominated by emos, nutjobs and fancy dans as damning indictments of the current wrestling product - think what the likes of Sammartino and Superstar Billy Graham think of the WWE

Rush vs Showtime - Old vs New would be a great feud.

I trust Barbs opinion. Feel free to take a stab at Mikey if you wish.

Barbosa on Mikey

Mikey is a goof. There is nothing wrong with that and you have used it well - perhaps too well as there is now no getting away from it. Or is there?

This might sound a little strange by Shotaro's hiatus and the shelving of Strikeforce might be the best thing to happen to Mikey. Now, instead of a tag feud with TNC, Mikey has a singles feud with GM which is based on personal revenge, a subject that should break the shackles of "computer nerd with an eating problem" and allow you to add the "Stormrage" side to the Mikey character.

As a challenge, if you needed another one on top of turning the "overlord of ownage" into a killing machine, I want to see Serious Mikey drag a similar seriousness out of both Saxton and Saboteur.

Yes, please. My character is S.H.I.T by the way.

Barbosa on SHIT

Pretty sure I have already articulated most of my thoughts on SHIT but they really come down to one phrase - comedy characters do not have to be jokes. This is why I encourage the likes of Dynamite to examine SHIT RPs and appearances in the shows.

They might get stick for some of their decisions but the success of SHIT owes quite a bit to how Creative decided to write the character in his matches. Your own RPs were comedic, and largely still are, while many of your early opponents jumped on SHIT for being a "man in a box," only to then get slaughtered in the ring because Creative has decided to book SHIT essentially as the $6,000,000 man rather than the 60 cent man - plenty of examples of RPers not following the Foley art of promo work - why make your opponent look bad? - and ending up burying themselves when SHIT chopped the shit out of them.

In some ways SHIT is a mirror image of Barbosa - he is the straight man in a mad world while Barbosa was the mad man in a normal world and I do not think the comparisons end there - my impression is that you were of a similar lack of creative writing experience as I was and are as equally surprised by your success as I am with mine.

Bring it

Barbosa on Phoenix

I only saw Phoenix in the latter part of his run in WZCW but he definitely seemed to be meandering somewhat aimlessly. I have read that his feuds with Garth Black and then Blade, while initially good, seemed to go on forever with no real build to a big crescendo.

Personally, I never really understood what Phoenix/Blade were feuding about - I am sure if I went back and read some more I would find out but it certainly seemed that in the late period of the feud that it was something of an afterthought and a "go to" storyline - "we haven't got anything for Blade or Phoenix this round - wait, aren't they still feuding? Let's have another match between them."

As a character, it just seemed like you had run out of ideas. Actually, I could see a reborn Phoenix appearing as the fourth member of TNC.

 

[red ass skull muhfukkah]

Get at me. I'm Alhazred.

 

[Барбоса]

Get at me. I'm Alhazred.

Barbosa on Alhazred

Another good example of a 'silly' character becoming established for more than just being silly but without losing that original spark. Good and well-remembered run with the Forgotten Powers, which actually could have been more.

That all said, I have been some disappointed in the direction or lack of in Alhazred since Apocalypse. When I (along with Miko) originally pitched Barbosa vs SHIT, Numbers (at least I think it was him) counter-pitched adding in Alhazred for the Apocalypse cycle and both Miko and I jumped at that as it added in with the hope of elevating a rookie team at the end of it with the chance to elevate a mid carder too. It started well with Alhazred beating Barbosa but perhaps it would have been better if you had lost to Barbosa in the rounds prior to Apocalypse and then won at the PPV itself.

I see that as one of the potential drawbacks of the voting of Unscripted. It can mean than those who are on an upward curve can be somewhat sidelined if they end up in a stacked voting category or with someone who had a pre-existing beef with the - this is what I think happened to Alhazred, who was quite rightly regarded as a potential challenger to the EurAsian title but ended up alongside Tastic and Celeste, who were perhaps more natural challengers at the time.

One piece of criticism I would have is that Alhazred is developing a tendency to swear too much. While there can be an art to it, it can quickly become gratuitous and unnecessary, even to the point of a crutch and, in the simplest terms, can give a obvious reason not to vote for you.

That said, I was pleased to see your willingness to work with Capone and I hope that Alhazred will get back into contention sooner rather than later.

 

[Showtime]

Lets hear it