DOMINATION 15 - Feedback Thread

[Keegan]

As always, any and all feedback is welcome, but if you're short on time, here are some prompts:

Match of the night:
Segment of the night:
Feud of the night:
Line of the night:

Thanks very much in advance.

[pdbnb]

A REASON TO REMEMBER - The necessary promo, from the necessary person. Let's be real - no one else could have opened S2. It wouldn't have felt right.

CONSEQUENCES - Wow. She threw HERSELF under the bus. Welp...nice knowing you.

WELCOME BACK - The usual rundown. One remark: as per the running order, Darring already HAS addressed the crowd...

A ROSTER IN REVIEW - Or rather, three people, of which one spelled incorrectly. Anyway, I was just thinking we had not seen Spooky Supernatural Reyn for a while (which was a good thing) but here he is again in full force. Can't wait for him to NOT use his supernatural powers to decimate people...

THE SILHOUETTE OF A MAN: SCARAMOUCHE, SCARAMOUCHE, WILL YOU DO THE FAN-DAN-GO? Anyway, a new manager, and he is wasting no time asserting his position. A certain GLOBAL Staff member is no doubt going to love the references to old belts from dead feds...

HOW I SPENT MY VACATION SERIES: Will address all of them here. These were just snippets I wanted to show of what my characters were doing in their downtime. Again, no doubt everyone will love how only, like, two of them are relevant to the plot in any way. But I had fun, especially with the first and second ones, and I hope others will enjoy them just as much. Also, TROUBLE ROXX ARE STREAMING, guys. Never let it be said I don't listen to what the People want.

STARTING OFF WITH A BANG: 'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages...'

TAG TITLE MATCH: Came in with very little info on Nikolai and zero on the storyline. And I wrote this EXTREMELY late at night, which explains the lack of emotional spots and the slight overall sub-parness of the whole affair. I felt like that was the correct story to tell, though. Now BRB, got to go console Izzy...

ADVERTISEMENT - Recruitment drive!! Sponsored by Doritos!!

A WORD: One's mad. One's sad. Neither is having a good night.

AWARDS - BREAKOUT STAR; Nothing like an injury angle to make somebody babyface. Anyway, well deserved win for my one and only answer to this particular ballot.

SHATTERED DREAMS: The feud continues, and with PTA showing increasingly bigger personalities. Basic, no-frills, but really good heel work on this promo - which defines Brian's work at both ends of the spectrum.

BEST VS...: WAIT, WHAT?! MR. MERCHANDISE?! AND HE WINS?! WHAT IN THE BLUE HELL IS HAPPENING? IT'S BIZARRO WORLD, MAGGLE!

THE STAR-2: Lots of potential world-beaters here...and John J. Truth. It seems almost blasphemous to see him mentioned in the same breath as Reyn, or Alecz, or X, but I guess you all believe in him more than I do.

TEDDY: Saw this title backstage, and wondered what it might pertain to. Seems we're having Doritos vs JD next...

PRACTICE MATCH: Bless her, she tried. Too bad she's working with the Not Ready for Prime-Time Players over here... Cue montage set to 'Make a Man Out of You'.

AWARD - MOST HATED: What did I just say about you guys believing in Truth more than I do? Thank you all very much.

AWARD - TAG TEAM: Well deserved, but Trouble Roxx are bristling about the fact that it has now been TWO segments, and they haven't even mentioned them once! Record-breaking Tag Team Champions and all that...

DON'T YOU DARE: ...anybody want to tell her? Anyway, great shift from babyface to heel for Valorie here. She is fully convincing as someone who has basically had her feelings drained out of her - except for anger, it seems...

PTA vs LAX: First Darren gets beat by a jobber who never debuted, and now the PTA almost get beat by two jobbers on a tryout, and have to cheat to win when they should have Joe Public'd them in three seconds and beaten Val's record? WHAT ON EARTH IS HAPPENING? Anyway, welcome to the roster, kids...? I guess...?

SWEET DREAMS: Are made of this. Who am I to disagree?

MALTA VS GAINES: Solid win here for Son, who needs more of those, and a statement of intent, to boot. Only one thing, though...a big man doing a Juvi driver??

AWARDS - MOST POPULAR: Could it be anyone else?

HOW LEGENDS ARE MADE; ...wait, so it's David vs DARRING? ...OK, I'm down.

AWARDS - BEST MATCH: Again, the correct choice, but after the last three segments, I'm getting Darring fatigue...lol.

MAIN EVENT: Uhhhhh....WOW? I know I say that a lot, but what else can you say about one of the best damn efed matches I've ever had the pleasure of reading? The high spots!!! The drama!!! The personal relationships!!! The upset!!! A star-making performance for my dumb little loudmouth KFC enthusiast!!! This one had it all, and more besides. If this was on TV, I would have been cheering myself hoarse. Outstanding, and an early but very serious contender for match of the season. Yes, calling it right now. Thank you, Shae.

(PS Truth gets called Alfie at one point towards the end. Just FYI.)

AWARDS - BEST WRESTLER: Again...who else could it be?

Match of the night: And of the Season. And of GLOBAL so far. That Main Event, man. Wow.
Segment of the night: A few really strong promos this time out. I might go with any of Darring's three promos.
Feud of the night: Good to see PTA vs Riches getting some coal in its furnace.
Line of the night: 'An American just executed a German on a Brit. It’s World War Two in a weird kind of way'. It's not often a line stands out to me, but the minute I saw that one, I knew it was the one.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Great opener for the season. A few genuine swerves, new faces (yay!), a new title, and a barnburner of a Main Event to top it all off. Congratulations to all our award winners, and here's hoping we can keep this as a baseline level for Season 2, with far fewer bumps than we had in Season 1.

PEDRO'S RATING: 8/10, with 0.5 to 1 full point added for the jaw-dropping Main Event.

[Daniel Dream]

Match of the night: Trouble Roxx vs The Rutherford Guys. I’m completely biased but it’s also a very well written match.

Segment of the night: The Silhouette of a Man for the impact it’s going to have on the GLOBAL tag team division and GLOBAL as a whole. That might be cheating since my tag team partner wrote it so How I Spent My Vacation (II) also made me laugh and was great on its own.

Feud of the night: Trouble Roxx vs everyone in GLOBAL who keeps on screwing them (Rutherford Guys included)

Line of the night: "SHUT UP! Jesus fuckin' Christ!"


A Season To Remember: A great promo by Sean Darring to start the season, he said everything he needed to say.

Consequences: Giovanni Ferrari gets to keep his job but Alicia Fawkes. This should be interesting. I like how the board politics are just as much an influence on the shows as the wrestlers themselves, they are characters in of themselves.

Welcome (Back) to GLOBAL: I've missed Lucas Quinn, Allie, and...even The Mark. Glad to see them announce a few of the matches and the award ceremony early in the show.

A Roster In Review: Alex Reyn is making a list, he's checking it twice. Surprised by Daniel not being directly mentioned but being known as the warrior is nice.

The Silhouette of a Man: I'm SO excited after this promo. You're all not going to be ready for how much this one promo is going to change everything in GLOBAL.

How I Spent My Vacation (I): Tegan and Izzy have a pool party. Tegan and Izzy are Redditors is my takeaway.

Starting Off With A Bang: [Insert 'Here We Go' Joker gif] as Daniel Dream and Nikolai Sinclair answer Trouble Roxx's open challenge in the first match of GLOBAL's new season.

Trouble Roxx vs The Rutherford Guys: The Rutherford Guys have won the GLOBAL Tag Team Championships!! Trouble Roxx were the most dominant tag team by far last season so a new team dethroning certainly shakes up the tag team division. The Rutherford Guys are now the team to beat as Nikolai wins the GLOBAL Tag Team Championships in his debut, and it seems Trouble Roxx momentum might be 'dead on arrival'. Nikolai will be heading home with a shiner, but he'll be heading home a champion.

Advertisement - The Next GLOBAL Star: I usually find the advertisements to be slightly amusing but this was very well written.

A Word: Trouble Roxx rightfully upset, demanding a rematch live on air.

Global Award: Breakout Star: Crusader X! He wasn't my pick but he certainly had a case and I'm not upset he won it. Very nice acceptance speech and confirmation that he's medically cleared to compete, perfect timing.

Shattered Dreams: The Prime Time Athletes are ready to shatter some dreams.

How I Spent My Vacation (II): Miranda Wright deals with GLOBAL's version of #TheSocialOutcasts. But Miss Wright's grilling of Steve Dann is hilarious. Miss Wright is still my favorite rising heel.

Darren Best vs Mr. Merchandise: I...was so certain that Darren Best was going to win that it came to a shock when I read the ending, not for a second did I think Mr. Merchandise would win. But I guess why they have the matches.

The Star - 2: Ray Young, tell us how you REALLY feel about Daniel, lol. A lot of wrestlers are going to make the case of the face of GLOBAL in this season. Everyone wants to be the star.

How I Spent My Vacation (III): Best of British getting a PR makeover?

Teddy: Doritos Man is very creepy and ominous.

How I Spent My Vacation (IV): We catch up with what Truth is doing.

Masks vs No Masks: Another good segment with Miss Wright and her minions. Steve Dann was the stand out with his powerslam and "SHUT UP! Jesus fuckin' Christ!" remark.

Global Awards: Most Hated: John J. Truth. Honestly would have been my pick too. A great heel acceptance speech.

How I Spent My Vacation (V): I love how Angel is protective of Saul. Great segment.

Global Awards: Best Tag Team: Trouble Roxx were robbed.

Don't You Dare: Valorie Vitality is going to show her true potential, that seems to be her goal right now which is actually pretty understandable.

Prime Time Athletes vs LA Express: LA Express impress but Prime Time Athletes win and there wasn’t any doubt…okay, a little doubt after the Darren Best match.

Sweet Dream, LA Express: LA Express get another match! Maybe they'll become a full-time tag team.

How I Spent My Vacation (VI): A good segment with the Robinsons.

Son of Malta V: Son of Malta gets a needed win against the rising Gordon Gaines. Son of Malta shows confidence in his interview with The Informer.

Global Awards: Most Popular: Sean Darring wins. Makes sense. Trouble Roxx were again robbed.

How Legends Are Made: Nice segment with Darring and Jerry David.

Global Awards: Best Match: I knew Darring and I were getting this award.

Main Event 6- Way Inaugural International Championship Ladder Match: This match was all about will, about determination. And unfortunately for GLOBAL, John J. Truth was just more determined.

[Keegan]

Fantastic feedback, thus far. Thank you very much.

I'm likely to do mine and 16 together once that has gone up. I want to go into more depth on this one that the Dominations at the back end of Season 1.

[Legend]

I found myself in the hospital unexpectedly for a few days and had some down time to kill laying in that bed. Thanks for the reading material! I will have to return to add some good feedback as I have a lot going on and need to reconnect to the world. But, I didn't want anyone to think it was due to my lack of interest.

[Keegan]

Get well as soon as possible, Brian.

[Keegan]

A SEASON TO REMEMBER: Could there be anyone else to kick the season off? A fine start by a fantastic face.

A ROSTER IN REVIEW: Naturally, I know a bit about what’s going on, but assuming I didn’t, I’d find this very intriguing indeed. I like a mystery.

THE SILHOUETTE OF A MAN: A decent starting point for Niko Sinclair, and I’d personally love to see Benedict raise an army to come after The Rutherford Guys, and it’s something I’ve contemplated myself.

HISMV 1: A great segment that felt like, due to placement alone, was the Domination 6 closer done right. So much personality, leaning into the streaming part of their gimmick, and looking back on it for a second time now, it feels totally different to the rest of what Trouble Roxx have been up to since, and brilliantly demonstrating that wins and losses do matter and affect people.

STARTING OFF WITH A BANG: Indeed, we will be. A wonderful introduction, as per usual.

TROUBLE ROXX V THE RUTHERFORD GUYS: Some inexperience and naivety by Teagan from the outset, highlighting that aspect well.
Some sound commentary on scouting. Nicely-done.

Good comeback by Allie on commentary regarding dominance.

Pedro certainly has the hang of writing Nikolai Sinclair early door. I picture him in a that way myself. Obviously, the final word goes to the handler himself, but yes, that’s my perception of him as well.

DEFIANT kickout by Teagan that I wasn’t expecting.

Dramatic double-down sequence and a perfect example of a hope spot going awry.

Izzy’s speed brings a different dynamic and again, a smart way of helping differentiate/distinguish the girls.

Can feel the ante being upped with Dream’s double of Carnivore’s Last Hunt and Dream Catcher. A little kudos to Hector here, who lists his moves by early, middle and late, which helps us match writers.

The Rocketship, spot that is, was built and sold really, really well, both by the narrator and the commentary.

And then, Nikolai Sinclair ends it in the blink of an eye. However, it didn’t feel abrupt, for the record. I thought this was very, very good indeed, and a brilliant way to start off the show and the season in one foul swoop.

Obrigado, Pedro.

A WORD: Did what it had to, and I liked the attitude shown from the girls here. It felt appropriate, the word more than worked, and I look forward to that when it happens.

BREAKOUT STAR: Indeed, he did deserve it and won it convincingly. A good acceptance speech to accompany that.

SHATTERED DREAMS: Classic PTA segment, and I mean that in a positive way.

HISMV 2: A complete contrast to the previous instalment, and an even better segment. Chett Marx is a sleeper character here in GLOBAL, I love the premise, and Pedro has picked that ball up and started running with it here. But, the start, of course, is Miranda Wright and this is an excellent sample of who she is/what she can become. Very, very well-written throughout.

HISMV 3: I LOVE Kerry and Stella. At first, I thought Stella was the queen, but Kerry is awesome in her own right, especially here. Both of them are ‘FABULOUS.’ This series is going swimmingly so far, darlings.

TEDDY: I didn’t know what to make of this when I read it. Since then, I’ve read more stuff, but it’s creepy! Again though, a terrific example of what you can do in GLOBAL by one guy that certainly GETS it.

HISMV 4: Good, though my least favourite of the four so far, which surprises me given the personnel included. However, that’s no slight.

MASKS V NO MASKS: A segment that makes sense with who’s involved, and something you don’t see too often. Again, Miranda and Chett shine for totally different reasons. I’m really looking forward to seeing Karl and Groucho’s descendent develop this season.

HISMV 5: I knew who this was about, not just by virtue of checking Pedro’s characters off, but the language involved, immediately. By default, I always enjoy Angel Ramirez segments and this one is no different. I firmly believe between this and her in-ring style that she’s someone who could really break out and establish herself much nearer the top of the character in Season 2.

BEST TAG TEAM: The CLOSEST category in our awards with a mere two points in it, and I could see it going that way before a vote was cast. Well done to PTA, and well, like I said before, this is Classic Larkin about, isn’t it? Is that why you gave them those surnames, Brian? Well done ONCE again.

DON’T YOU DARE: A different season and a different attitude from Domination 1. A solid segment, short and sweet, and like Angel, I’m curious to see where Vitality goes this season. Surely, they’ll meet again, and what a cracker of a contest that could/should be.

PTA V LA EXPRESS: Good for what it was, and it just feels typical that PTA, after bagging Best Tag Team, would pull a stunt like that. With the benefit of foresight/hindsight as Brian lays stuff out in advance, and I implore a lot of you to follow suit, PTA are going to embark on the two extremes, but LA Express, between this and the next segment, had a nice little introduction and there’s potential in their storyline, whether it be with The Rich Family, Metal Militia or another team taking them under their wing, or trying to take them out.

HISMV 6: I’d like to see more of The Robinsons. Again, good by default, not my favourite of the series, but see above. However, I appreciate that Pedro’s a busy boy here in GLOBAL and as someone who suffers with too many characters/ideas myself, some don’t get as much attention as others. Metal Militia/The Robinsons are a great group, though.

MOST POPULAR: Again, who else could it be? Sorry for the weird fonts, something that is a recurring theme for this show and once or twice every show, and Scott and I believe we know the cause, and it happened just the once on Domination 18, which was my fault for not remembering. Vintage Darring in terms of the segment and delivery.

HOW LEGENDS ARE MADE: I thought this was really well-executed. It didn’t go long at all, not what she said, and contained respect, intrigue and then disrespect.

BEST MATCH: It was pretty obvious early on who/what was going to win this award, and thanks to Brian and Hector for co-writing this segment and for providing the characters, and to Shae for writing the match. Well done to all three of you.

MAIN EVENT: A word before I re-read this, having not only edited it but doing some commentary for it as well, on why and how this came about in case anyone’s interested.

I wanted to start Season 2 off with a bang, and as well as the title switch in the opener, a few people have brought the idea of a secondary title to my attention on and off, as well as having those ideas myself. I was originally going to book it for Glory, but given that quite a few members of the roster were already booked and I wanted Shae to write it, meaning he’d have to do TRIPLE duty as opposed to double duty, I felt that it would work out for the best if it was done here, and given main event status as opposed to another match on the PPV. I believe, before I proceed, it worked out for the best, and it’s one of the few calls I’ve got right as fedhead.

As for the match itself.

A good introduction. I should’ve edited out a 6-man, I did for the title, reference when two women are competing. That one is on me.

Shit, just seen another typo I missed. Man. Anyway, no more mentions of that unless it’s glaring. Generally speaking, with it being main event, a new title being introduced, and half a dozen people involved, there should be some pomp and circumstance in the introductions, and there was.

Loved The Border Control participation from the start. Shae shared their tactics beforehand, and I was on board. Played out well.

Early doors, Angel makes her presence known and again, I knew what type of role she was going to play, and it was done perfectly. This was a star-making performance for Ramirez in so many ways, and I want to say that early, but it won’t be the last time her name appears in this review, rest assured.

Quite a few crafty characters in this. You’ve got Reyn, who is referred to as that, Truth with backup and his own style, plus Crusader X, as well, and Valorie could well be, too.

A fast and frantic pace, which you’d expect from 6 people in a ladder match, with MITB/TLC providing measuring sticks in the last 2 decades, but there’s a fine cast in terms of high-flying and brawling as opposed to technicians, not to say that there aren’t people capable of that, at the forefront, in my mind at least, as well as the tactics, antics and characters involved. It all blends well together.

Border Control felt more like the Border Control that I remember here.

A big moment for Angel catching her legs around the belt in midair. You can envision that moment of…she can’t, CAN SHE? As well as the other wrestlers scrambling in desperation to get her down.

The four-person superkick following on from the kip-up…cool.

Great interaction by those 4, while Angel attends to Truth and then the tease of the East Wind Cutter…Even reading it back, I was still convinced Reyn was going to hit Vitality with that, only for her to escape.

Nice dial back to the way Season 1 ended with Angel’s feelings and intensity towards Vitality, a complete contrast to Button and X who’ve become mates following their rivalry.
General John J. Truth has to be a thing, doesn’t it? It sounds superb.

The sequence of Red Button/X Marks The Sport and Sweet Chin Remix was sublime.

Then, Reyn reminds everyone the damage he can do with a ringpost superkick/spear, the former being responsible for the damage you see done to one Paul Sanders.

The Red Button to Valorie, and some foreshadowing…fantastic.

Clever by Crusader X. I knew that ahead of time, and approved of it then and now.

There are so many BIG moves going in now, I could stop and type about them, but better to enjoy them instead.

The Dropsault by Angel sounds and makes me think that would be a thing of beauty to witness.

Did anyone expect the ladder match to degenerate into a mad scramble? It was set up excellently with how much damage and action too place in and around the title itself, and then you’ve got A DRAW? Of course, it has to continue. I can see Bret’s reaction to Finkel’s announcement with a ‘WHY?’ flash before my eyes, but of course it’s the right call.

Another great sequence of action before Truth grabs the belt.

Well done, Shae. Mission accomplished. MOTN and a contender for MOTY/MOTS, as well. That was the target.


Overall Thoughts: Objectively, a better show than its counterpart in terms of the inaugural Domination, even with that having a special place in my heart for obvious reasons, and I’ve already said I think this is the best start to an arc we’ve had, as we’ve seemed to start off slowly in the previous 3 arcs, compared to the tail-end of the arc.

MATCH OF THE NIGHT: The main event, but I really liked the opener for the record. They both delivered in terms of new champions and providing magnificent entertainment.

SEGMENT OF THE NIGHT: As a series, it has to go to HISMY for consistency and quality, and it’s between 2 and 3 for the cherry on the cake, with me plumping for 2. 1 was also great. A word on Darring and David’s meeting too, though.

FEUD: Mm. Hard to call right now, and that might be a slight criticism on my part. If I had to say, Miranda Wright v everyone in her troop, oh, and not because of me, PTA v The Rich Family.

[Keegan]

I didn't cover Most Hated, which was one of the better award speeches, and also one of the closer categories.

As an aside, and I've mentioned this to one or two, I'm glad Best v Merchandise caught some people unaware, and it did to me, too. I called an audible and changed the result once Merchandise had hit one of his final moves, and changed the course of the story. Glad you enjoyed the upset.

[Alex Reyn]

Match of the night: While the objective winner goes to the tag match, I want to give a personal nod to Best vs Merchandise for hooking me more than any other match on the night.

Segment of the night: This show was very much "The Pedro Show, featuring the cast of GLOBAL" and I say that as praise. Not only did his character become International Champion, but his Summer Vacation segments dominated the bulk of the show. Picking a personal favourite however, #5 cemented Angel Ramirez as my favourite wrestler in GLOBAL.

Feud of the night: This show wasn't big on massive feud moments. Understandable as our premiere.