Match Writing Overview
This page will tell you everything you need to know about the fundamentals of matchwriting in GCW. Instructions for signing up for matchwriting, submitting matches backstage, and formatting and structuring your matches are found here.Signing Up To Matchwrite
Each week when the WorldWide card is released, you will be able to find the signups backstage in the Seg Signups section. When a card is booked, each match will have corresponding 'writer' and 'judge' slots. Match assignments are done on a first-come, first-serve basis, though on occasion certain matches will be assigned to certain writers. While technically any match is available to any writer, it is highly recommended that you claim matches involving wrestlers in your tier. If you primarily compete in the US Title division, take a match involving similar characters. Regardless of a character's tier, take matches involving characters you are familiar with. If you are not familiar with the characters in the match, you should contact their handlers before writing and read past matches for preparation.-You MAY claim your own match. You might not want to take your own match for Pay-Per-Views or if you don't want to know the result beforehand. But since nobody knows your character better than you, feel free to write your own matches. You are, of course, expected to be fair.
-Once you claim a match, it is your responsibility to see that it is written. Of course, life happens, and there will be times when you cannot complete the match you volunteered for. If this happens, it is your responsibility to contact another writer or a staff member as soon as possible. You will never, ever, be derided for asking for help, and we will never demand an explanation! Never hesitate to speak up if you won't be able to write, there are always people willing to help. Just be sure to do it as soon as possible.
How Much You Should Write - Philosophy of Matchwriting
There are no standards for length in matches. Quality should be your primary concern; it's always better to submit a quality short match than a subpar long match. WorldWide matchwriting should not be a chore. Treat your WW matches just like segments that take place in the ring. The point is to tell a story, not to rattle off a list of moves. WorldWide matches should be entertaining and interesting, and you can safely skip all the basic opening offense in the interest of getting to the point.Commentary
One of the most important parts of a match is the commentary. The announcers explain to the viewer what they're seeing, explain crucial plot points, and aid the flow of the event. View the announcers page for more information on writing commentary. For more detail on how to write the announcers, view the announcers page.Remember to start and end each match with commentary. For opening matches the commentary doesn't need to be long; for later matches some extra exposition is valuable. Either way, the opening commentary should simply set up the match. Explain why it's significant and remind the reader of any important storylines they should be aware of.
End matches with some wrapup commentary. Discuss the match and the implications of the result for each wrestler. THIS IS IMPORTANT! This post-match commentary is often overlooked but is vital to both storytelling and aesthetics. Matches never end and then cut straight away to another segment. The wrestlers have to have a chance to react and to leave the area, during which time the announcers can be wrapping up. And, as always, end it with a wrapup comment by one of the announcers to smooth the transition to the next segment.
EXAMPLE
The referee gets up from the ground and raises the arms of both Chris and Markus, signaling for the ring hand to bring over the championship belts. Amidst the confusion the timekeeper and announcer come over to talk with the referee. They have a talk but Banned & Exiled~! is already heading back up the ramp with the belts in tow, leaving an irate former champions smoldering in the ring.
Andrews: The winner of this match; per according to the Freebird Rule, and NEW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD; BANNED & EXILED~!
Yale: No!
Bryan: I can’t believe it, the Freebird Rule!
Like it or not, Oblivion can not do anything as Markus and Chris leave, once again on top of the tag team division.
Bryan: Agree with it or not; Banned & Exiled~! has just exploited a loop-hole of wrestling and are the champions once more.
Yale: Recount! Rematch! I don’t know, but Zenith has to do something! This can’t be happening, oh no, what if we have to deal with them for another year or more!
Bryan: I wouldn’t count out a rematch in this one, but even if these two teams go at it again, I doubt we’ll ever see another match like this again in GCW history.
Yale: I hope so!
The referee gets up from the ground and raises the arms of both Chris and Markus, signaling for the ring hand to bring over the championship belts. Amidst the confusion the timekeeper and announcer come over to talk with the referee. They have a talk but Banned & Exiled~! is already heading back up the ramp with the belts in tow, leaving an irate former champions smoldering in the ring.
Andrews: The winner of this match; per according to the Freebird Rule, and NEW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD; BANNED & EXILED~!
Yale: No!
Bryan: I can’t believe it, the Freebird Rule!
Like it or not, Oblivion can not do anything as Markus and Chris leave, once again on top of the tag team division.
Bryan: Agree with it or not; Banned & Exiled~! has just exploited a loop-hole of wrestling and are the champions once more.
Yale: Recount! Rematch! I don’t know, but Zenith has to do something! This can’t be happening, oh no, what if we have to deal with them for another year or more!
Bryan: I wouldn’t count out a rematch in this one, but even if these two teams go at it again, I doubt we’ll ever see another match like this again in GCW history.
Yale: I hope so!
Introductions
Every match should start with introductions. Entrances can be found in the Templates section of each wrestler's biography. For more information of introduction templates, view the templates page. Simply cut-and-paste each weekly introduction into your match and fill in the necessary commentary.For Pay-Per-View matches, you may copy and paste the Pay-Per-View entrance from each bio into the match. Be sure to take your time to add some insightful commentary to each intro.
The ring announcer is Joey Andrews. He announces the wrestler's hometown, then weight, then their name. His announcements should be included in writing templates.br>
If no standard intro is provided in the wrestler's bio, you may write one yourself, or have the wrestler begin the match in the ring!
EXAMPLE
With that, the lights abruptly go out, plunging the arena into darkness. The crowd, intimidated, drops to an awed hush. After a pause, the ominous, theatrical voices of "O'Fortuna" begin to sing overhead. The music drops out, and a slow, sinister chant begins overhead. Slowly but surely, the stage begins to ignite. As the music rises in intensity, the flames grow higher and higher, rising from beneath the stage, reaching towards the rafters.
Andrews: Making his way to the ring, from Mexico City, Mexico, weighing in at 280 pounds. . . LeSTATT KNIGHT!
Bryan:
Yale:
As the slow, quiet, menacing music continues, a dark figure appears on stage. Suddenly the music begins booming with terrifying music as LeStatt Knight snaps his head up, peering down to the ring from behind a wall of flames. The flames abruptly drop before Knight as he steps forward, before shooting back to the sky as he passes!
Bryan:
Yale:
Knight stops short of the ring, slowly his arms begin to lift into the air but in a quick motion he thrusts them upwards, and the intimidated crowd manages only a weak round of boos before retreating once more. Knight crosses to the steel steps and slowly rises to the ring, where he steps through the ropes. Hidden behind his cascading black hair, Knight stops in the center of the ring, where he finally throws his head into the air, raising one arm over his head. Four tall jets of flame explode from the turnbuckles, illuminating the arena once more.
With that, the lights abruptly go out, plunging the arena into darkness. The crowd, intimidated, drops to an awed hush. After a pause, the ominous, theatrical voices of "O'Fortuna" begin to sing overhead. The music drops out, and a slow, sinister chant begins overhead. Slowly but surely, the stage begins to ignite. As the music rises in intensity, the flames grow higher and higher, rising from beneath the stage, reaching towards the rafters.
Andrews: Making his way to the ring, from Mexico City, Mexico, weighing in at 280 pounds. . . LeSTATT KNIGHT!
Bryan:
Yale:
As the slow, quiet, menacing music continues, a dark figure appears on stage. Suddenly the music begins booming with terrifying music as LeStatt Knight snaps his head up, peering down to the ring from behind a wall of flames. The flames abruptly drop before Knight as he steps forward, before shooting back to the sky as he passes!
Bryan:
Yale:
Knight stops short of the ring, slowly his arms begin to lift into the air but in a quick motion he thrusts them upwards, and the intimidated crowd manages only a weak round of boos before retreating once more. Knight crosses to the steel steps and slowly rises to the ring, where he steps through the ropes. Hidden behind his cascading black hair, Knight stops in the center of the ring, where he finally throws his head into the air, raising one arm over his head. Four tall jets of flame explode from the turnbuckles, illuminating the arena once more.
Writing Title Matches
Any time a title is on the line, be it WorldWide or PPV, it should be a special occasion. Try to put a little something extra into it! Title matches are by definition more important, and your commentary and action should reflect the fact that there is gold on the line. A title change is a significant thing, so communicate that!Action vs. Commentary
The match itself consists of two basic parts: the action and the commentary. The action describes what's happening in the ring. The commentary reiterates this and explains the implications of the action.When writing action, try to be as cut and dry as possible. Describe what is happening vividly and creatively, but remember: action should be restricted to what is happening.
Commentary is then used to explain why the action is happening. Just think about how a real match works, or how any sporting event is broadcast. The announcers give you the play by play and also make informed observations about it.
EXAMPLE
Managing to keep one foot planted on the canvas, White fights Knight with all he’s got. White suddenly explodes back, flipping over Knight’s shoulder and keeping his grip around the neck. He spins Knight and then wrenches him down to the canvas in one fluid swinging neckbreaker, earning a huge pop.
Bryan: BOOM! What a counter!
Yale: Man, I thought Knight had this match in the bag!
Bryan: So did Knight, he nearly had this thing won, but White countered brilliantly!
Picking up steam, White backs up and waits for Knight to get to his feet. White charges and delivers a crushing clothesline, dropping Knight back down again. Knight quickly springs up again, only to get cut down by another running lariat. Again Knight stands and this time White launches a massive superkick at his face! Knight drops and pulls down the top rope, sending White flying out of the ring to the floor.
Bryan: SUPERKICK! Oh, White just missed, and Knight sends him out of the ring!
Yale: It was Knight that went for the quick finish there, but Knight had that one scouted all the way.
Bryan: And White’s very gingerly getting up here, I think that spill really hurt him. He was really unloading on Knight for a moment there.
Managing to keep one foot planted on the canvas, White fights Knight with all he’s got. White suddenly explodes back, flipping over Knight’s shoulder and keeping his grip around the neck. He spins Knight and then wrenches him down to the canvas in one fluid swinging neckbreaker, earning a huge pop.
Bryan: BOOM! What a counter!
Yale: Man, I thought Knight had this match in the bag!
Bryan: So did Knight, he nearly had this thing won, but White countered brilliantly!
Picking up steam, White backs up and waits for Knight to get to his feet. White charges and delivers a crushing clothesline, dropping Knight back down again. Knight quickly springs up again, only to get cut down by another running lariat. Again Knight stands and this time White launches a massive superkick at his face! Knight drops and pulls down the top rope, sending White flying out of the ring to the floor.
Bryan: SUPERKICK! Oh, White just missed, and Knight sends him out of the ring!
Yale: It was Knight that went for the quick finish there, but Knight had that one scouted all the way.
Bryan: And White’s very gingerly getting up here, I think that spill really hurt him. He was really unloading on Knight for a moment there.
Representing The Characters
As previously stated, you are encouraged to write for characters you work with often to ensure you are familiar with their work. You should examine a character's biography before writing their match and make use of the information listed there. You should also talk to the handler of each character before diving in. If you've never discussed a character with its handler before, contact that person before writing! Don't make assumptions about the character; know the character. If you plan on presenting a character with an unexpected challenge or decision, ask the handler how their character would handle it.Using the Ring Area
Never hurt or injure any of the characters around the ring, especially the announcers. They're there for every match! Also, try not to break an announce table without clearing it first. This is a continuity issue, yet it's not one of the stickier points; there's some quality parody to be had in breaking a Spanish announce table three times a night. Still, this doesn't happen often, so don't use it unless you've got a really clever idea.Referees and Counts
Detailed information on GCW Rules, the officials and how to write officiating can be found at the referees page.Here's the preferred method of counting:
EXAMPLE
...1!
...2!
...KICKOUT!
-OR-
...1!
...2!
...3!!!
...1!
...2!
...KICKOUT!
-OR-
...1!
...2!
...3!!!
Submitting a Match
Thanks to the Backstage v2 system, submitting content is extremely easy. Log in to the backstage area using your username and password. Look to the navigation on the left side of your screen and click Submit -> Match. This will open the match submit screen. Then enter the required data.
Select Event: Choose the event you are submitting your match for. Unless a Pay-Per-View is coming up, WorldWide will usually be the only option.Select Match: Choose the match you're submitting. Make sure it's the correct slot.
Segment Slot: Please enter the segment slot number for your match as indicated in the signups. Enter it as a numerical value, don't spell it out (12, not twelve).
Referee: If a referee is assigned to your match it will be listed here; you don't need to do anything.
Credits: Your name here, along with anyone else that contributed to writing.
Competitors: From the dropdown menu, choose the names of the wrestlers in the match. This adds their headshots to the show and records the match to their bio. Only list official participants here.
Interference: From the dropdown menu, choose the names of anyone not officially billed in the match that appears. This places the appearance in their bio without spoiling their presence on the show.
Match Text: Enter the match text here. Be sure it is formatted correctly. No additional formatting is needed unless you use bold or italics tags. The submission box does not retain word processor formatting, so you'll need to add HTML if you want to format the text. Typically all you need to do is cut and paste; the script does the rest!
Notes to Compiler: In the section at the bottom, feel free to mention anything the organizer might need to know. Nothing you type here will be visible in the finished product.
NOTE: After you enter the information, hit the 'Preview' button at the bottom. YOUR MATCH IS NOT SUBMITTED YET! Scroll down after checking your submission and hit 'Submit' to enter your match into the show.