Firstly I’d like to start by saying thanks to Rep and Chris Phenomenal for their feedback. For the record, I agree with what was said about my first two segments and my match. They weren’t the best I could’ve done and, as I explained to Chris on MSN, this is because I simply ran out of time and had to do all my writing on the day of Omega Effect. I appreciated the feedback nonetheless, though, and will continue to do so every time someone takes time out of their own life to provide me with some, whether it is negative or positive.
Now, time for my (4,600 word...ON THE DOT) Omega Effect feedback! ;D
Page 1“And Justice...For All” (Jake Steele / Rep) – Blatant ripoff from the start of The Godfather here which, because I absolutely fucking love that movie, made me think I was going to really enjoy this segment to begin with. As it wore on, however, it became clear that this wasn’t really deviating from the original much which left it feeling predictable and a tad clichéd. Did a good job of putting over Rep as someone not to mess with though, and I’m sure this was the intention. The line of cocaine on the table was an interesting touch, especially considering it’s been made clear that Rep has had drug and alcohol troubles in the past.
“Make like Texas” (Chris Phenomenal) – I really enjoyed this segment. The idea of having mannequins to represent each opponent is a really unique one and I think Chris did a really good job with it. The idea of hanging each of the opponents really made this stand out to me but I think it might be better if he maybe had a picture of each of his opponent’s faces stuck onto their mannequin instead of a name on the chest.
“Where In The World Is Yoko Satoshi? #07” (Yoko / Rattlesnake) – Good segment as Yuki and Rattlesnake continue to search for Yoko...in rural China apparently, where they meet a guy who can speak Japanese? I personally find a lot of Yoko’s stuff a little strange but that may have a lot to do with the fact it includes cultures I have no familiarity with. The dialogue, however, was a highlight as it usually is.
“Preparations” (VorteX) – Well, Vortex has a background that is ridiculously complicated and complex. It is, however, extremely interesting if not exactly my kind of thing. I’m not really that into Sci-Fi and generally prefer things that are rooted in reality. This slightly takes away from my enjoyment of Vortex’s work but I’m still able to see he is a very capable writer and this segment is able to make me want to know more about this story despite not being the kind of thing I usually enjoy. Kudos to him for that. One question though...is there disqualifications in The Crucible Match?
“Final Words” (Danny Mainer) – I’m a big fan of Mainer’s and I think he’s one of the more talented writers in ACW currently so I highly enjoyed this segment. It was well written and it did a good job of hyping up how important a match The Crucible is. I might’ve enjoyed seeing Mainer say something about his opponents but I got the impression that wasn’t the point of the promo.
“Sedation” (Rena / Bryce) – Well it didn’t take much to switch Bryce from “I won’t wrestle a woman” to “THAT BITCH GON DIE!!” did it? I found that lack of conviction in his character a little odd to be perfectly honest and seeing how he’d been towards Rena in the earlier build-up to this I expected him to be more than happy to beat the tar out of her without the need for Charlotte King to goad him into it. Him getting assaulted at the end intrigues me though so I’m hoping that was the entire purpose of the segment, not the weak interview that came before it.
“Horses. Hold Them” (Rena) – Gingerdude and Rena have an odd relationship, it seems there’s not many in ACW that Rena hasn’t fucked. Either that or he wants to ‘cos Ginger is mostly a dick with people and he loves laying down the law but with Rena it’s like they’re best pals. Anywho, I think Rena’s character came through a lot in this segment even if the whole “woman getting changed behind a screen while someone tries to talk about something serious” schtick is a little old hat. I wonder if Rena is secretly behind the attack on Bryce or if it’s something altogether much bigger?
“Practice Tolerance” (Dave Shadow / Thunderkiss) – After knowing what goes down
after Omega Effect this segment certainly takes on a whole hell of a lot more meaning, or maybe I’m just reading too much into it? Either way it makes me think that I’ll miss TK’s writing. It’s nice to see that there was an actual IC breakdown of Zero Tolerance though, rather than TK just disappearing.
Page 2“To Live and Die, Part 18” (Lee Homicide) – I’ve mentioned it before and I don’t want to flog a dead horse but...does the Lee Homicide character live in the present or is he strictly in the past? I enjoy a flashback segment as much as the next guy but I’d like to see Lee do some stuff that isn’t about what made his character who he is but is actually about who his character is! That being said this was a really good segment and did a nice job of highlighting Lee’s downward spiral into gang culture.
“Book 1: D-Town. Chapter 14: Final Round” (Andrew Black) – This had a real down and gritty feel to it with an expected ending where the good guy overcomes the bastard who’s been giving him hassle. I’ve really enjoyed the history of Andrew Black thus far and I can see this character being big in the very near future.
“Snake’s Shock” (Rattlesnake / Yoko) – The first thing I want to say about this is...huh? The venue seems to change halfway through the segment and then changes back again. What I’m referring to is the fact the segment takes place in Ginger’s office. It starts with Rattlesnake standing in Ginger’s office and ends with him walking out of the office. Somewhere during the middle though Yoko is walking down a ramp, unless it’s just Ginger’s disabled access I dunno? Anyway, I would’ve expected something a bit bigger for the reveal of this match if I’m honest. I liked the fact Yoko didn’t say much and just stuck to staring at Snake to intimidate him though.
“Rest and Recuperation” (Chris Phenomenal) – So, Chris Phenomenal is on guard duty huh? I would’ve thought that The Capitalists would be on duty for that one, maybe they’re the contingency plan. Either way it was a unique way to get Chris to be interviewed about his matches. I liked the fact that Chris acknowledged the fact he was double booked (happened a lot on this PPV huh?) but made a non-issue out of it while cockily dismissing Vortex at the same time.
“Rooftop Interview” (Vortex) – This segment was a little nugget of comedy in the big bad sea of Omega Effect seriousness and I must say, I enjoyed it immensely. I can totally picture Kevin Anderson tweeting in the middle of an interview and the “it’s my job to twist your words” line made me chuckle. Good job on highlighting just how annoying Kevin can be on this one.
“A Very Merry Omega Effect” (Dan White) – All I can really say about this segment is “what the fuck?!” What else is there to say about it, really? Well, ignoring the impromptu ACW Musical taking place in Dan’s head the matter of the voice still plaguing Dan is a very interesting one. I can see this leading to something very big and I hope I’m not disappointed. Dan White...World Heavyweight Champion? It does have a certain ring to it... (I now have Queen stuck in my head, thanks Dan >_<)
“White Trash Christmas” (Thunderkiss) – Classic Thunderkiss here. Odd setting, abusing Kevin Anderson, and doing a great job of hyping his matchup. I’m having trouble actually criticising this segment because it did its job very well – it put over TK, it put over his opponents, and it put over the match. I’m interested to see what happens with the bike though, I reckon it’s not gonna be returned on one piece somehow.
“45 Minutes” (Dave Shadow) – This was really well done, in my opinion. In this brief segment we managed to get a huge flashback into the past of Dave Shadow and what makes him tick. Clearly power makes him tick which more than explains his alliance with Gingerdude. The one criticism I do have is that Dave comes across majorly in a face manner in this one. We’ve all done it, I even did it at this event, but it just leads me to wonder how long Dave will stay with his heel schtick. The power makes me think he’s going to keep going with it but the rest makes me look in the other direction. It’ll be interesting to see, even if that’s not the feel he wanted to put across in this segment.
Page 3“lol Philips” (Hitman) – The “Illinois Man” advert made me laugh, really creative and funny stuff here from Hitman but then we went into a Demon Inc performance. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think Omega Effect would probably feature a Demon Inc performance if any of this was real life but honestly, I’ve never been a fan of the band that follows XS3 around. I liked the XS3 character but for me Demon Inc always held him back and sucked some of the enjoyment out of him for me. You might think that has nothing to do with the segment I’m critiquing but it has everything to do with it. I’d much preferred it if this stopped at Illinois Man and left Demon Inc out if I’m honest. I have little interest in reading KISS lyrics with descriptions of what they’re doing added in between. Sorry, it’s just not my kind of thing. Hitman > XS3
“VorteX vs. Stan Vishis” (Rep) – I generally don’t give feedback about matches and, to be honest, this is going to be no different. I know people put a lot of effort into crafting matches, I’ve done so myself, but more often than not I skim through them to get the gist of what happens and then read the fallout of what occurs afterwards. I thought it was important to comment on what happened after this match as it nicely sets up the next chapter in the Vortex/Reprobate feud. The Reprobate hitting the ring after the match hardly came as a shock, and I’m sure no-one else was shocked either, but the beatdown was made extremely important by how extreme it got. Good work, burning people will more often than not get a lot of attention and help give a feud some extra heat (pun not intended).
“Uhhhhh” (Hitman) – I like the idea of Irie taking out Colossus before the handicap to even the score as it now puts the balance back in the heel’s favour. It’s not exactly typical for a face to be 2-to-1 up in a Handicap Match as ganging up on one person seems more heelish to me. The fact Adrastos is scared of big people made me chuckle, I can just imagine the 7’0” powerhouse being nervous around Hitman. The end line was a good way to finish in my opinion, showed that Hitman is worried about tonight and gave him a very human flaw, read: weakness, in his smoking habit which I think is important for such an intimidating figure to have.
“Family Fortunes” (Danny Mainer) – Danny Mainer’s new poser to be James Storm? Probably not but it did spring to mind when Mainer used his catchphrase. In all seriousness, though, this was a really good segment and you could really feel the rage bubbling to the surface and then overflowing as Danny confronted his father. Danny carrying around a suitcase containing 25k is a bit suspicious, though, and I’m not sure that touch was needed to be honest. Good segment nonetheless, though.
“No rest for those with cousins” (Michael Smart) – I’m rapidly becoming a huge fan of Michael Smart and this is in no small part due to the character of Daniel Smart. The interactions between these two are second to none and they really come across to me as people who’ve known each other their entire lives. I thought Daniel’s self-deprecating rant was brilliant only for him to act like it hadn’t happened and go back to his normal self. I see some seeds being sewn regarding his character there which could turn out to be very interesting, I hope I’m not just reading too much into it. I look forward to seeing who the first guest on “The Smart Report” will be.
“The Edge” (Andrew Black) – Stellar stuff, I really liked the change in mood as we went “off the air” and Andrew Black turned into himself. The line “C’mon you guys, this guy has a crowbar. My head can’t handle a crowbar! And LyCoS probably has rabies!” made me laugh and made this segment instantly brilliant in my mind. I like this side of Black where he’s not taking himself too seriously and I hope it shows through more as the character develops.
“To Live and Die, Part 19” (Lee Homicide) – This writing style really works for Lee, everything seems to be described like in a script for a TV show and I think it’s a really unique style that he pulls off really well. Some of the descriptions might be a tad brief for my liking but that’s all about preference of styles, each to their own. It was an interesting flashback within a flashback but these often have a tendency of being quite confusing. There’s a been a few times I’ve had to re-read Lee’s segments but again it’s a case of adjusting to his style more than anything.
“Danger Zone” (Bryce / Rena) – So it was Rena after all, colour me disappointed. I was kinda hoping it was someone more powerful that Bryce had pissed off rather than the more obvious outcome. The use of Senator’s henchmen makes me hopeful but I know it’s probably for nothing. A decent segment nonetheless, though, and leaving the door open a crack was a nice touch in torturing Bryce further.
“Back to Basics” (Hitman) – Short but sweet segment from Hitman. Not much you can say about it really except...huzzah for the classic catchphrase. Could maybe use a bit more descriptions, show some emotion when he speaks?
Page 4“This is the end?” (Jonny Spade) – I’m sad to see that G-Unit aren’t making a full time return but at the same time it’s hardly surprising really clearly Gooey isn’t one for long goodbyes and to be perfectly honest I can’t exactly imagine him wearing a fedora
.
“Hell’s Angel” (Rattlesnake / Thunderkiss) – With TK going over to Snake with the purpose of delivering a message I felt this segment could be very interesting. Personally, though, I feel it petered out into nothing more than a time filler because very little of significance happened. It could be being used a setup to something bigger...although it’ll have to be on this show if it does (
) and if so then consider my words eaten.
“The Formula” (Dan White / Jonny Spade / ) – I love mystery hype segments but the fact that Jonny’s name is in the credit section gives me a big feeling I know what this is about. If I’m right then I’m too excited to care. Back on topic though, this segment works nicely and builds up an air of mystery – who is this caller from Dan’s past? Who are ‘the others’? And what could have Dan so damn interested?
Well okay then now I feel foolish, Jonny’s segment is right below it (*facepalm*). I, personally, believe this segment should’ve been placed a little after Dan’s and no reference made to Dan being interested. A “So he’s interested too? Excellent!” would’ve sufficed for me and kept a little more mystery about what’s going on. Still this hype has me excited nonetheless so I guess it’s a good job done by both guys.
Oh fine guys, keep negating my points as I fucking make them (the weakness of doing feedback as I go along rather than after I guess) but I’m not going to take away the point of these three pieces being separate segments interspersed throughout the show. After this one though I definitely know what this is about and I am excited, can’t wait for what goes on with the rest of this.
Let’s just call it...“Longest Segment Title Ever” (Dan White) – From what I named this please don’t let me be starting some competition for everyone to one-upmanship each other on the length of their segment names! To be honest I don’t really see the point of this segment, especially seeing as the title is longer than it is. If Dan’s going to let his performance do the talking then...just don’t talk? Then I actually read the title and lolled.
“The Top of the Mountain...” (Jake Steele) – You can really feel the intensity of Steele here and how much he hates both of his opponents. I was expecting another outright racist accusation when Steele claimed Senator hated him from day one but I still feel it was underlying. While it may be a cheap thing to do, I believe Steele bringing his colour into this added a bit of extra spice to this feud.
“The Past Present and Future” (Chris Phenomenal) – To begin with I thought this was going to be the stereotypical ‘ask random questions’ segment that really has no purpose other than for the fun of it. It began that way and it does have some funny moments, which is good, but the bit about the history of Steele and Phenomenal was cool because it just looked like you two had trouble for no reason at all which would be pointless. Secondly, the ending to this is very, very interesting and I hope it’ll set something cool up for next month because I, for one, am interested to find out what goes on during the break and what Chris’ history with Paige is. For the record, I don’t feel there was any need for the Bryce Genericson shot. Sure, he can be an annoying arse at times but there’s no need to take OOC stuff IC. The answer regarding Macho was cool though.
“Pre Match Warm Up” (Dave Shadow) – Poor Dave can’t get any peace before his match to get ready. Maybe he should find somewhere less obvious than the Zero Tolerance locker room? Dave hiding someone so he could warm up in peace would make me laugh. Anyway...good segment here and by the end you could feel how annoying it must be to have your space invaded by that many people. One thing I really picked up on, probably because I laughed at it, was Dave saying he thinks people already are bored of hearing about GWF.
Page 5“Thanks, to an old friend” (Rena / Senator) – So Senator is an old fuck buddy of Rena’s? Well that explains why Kalb and Fitsharris helped her out with Bryce then. I do wonder, though, whether Rena can talk to a guy without being flirty or if that’s as interesting as it gets? Senator was really good in this and he managed to put over both his opponents with how worried he is about the Main Event. Really builds it up well and this was a more interesting way of putting it out there as opposed to the classic interview.
“The Smart Report” (Michael Smart) – Smart strikes gold again with this segment. It could’ve stopped at Daniel singing the theme for me because that was funny enough but to go and have no real guest but some emo guy to seemingly mock all emo’s was golden. I would’ve preferred it if the guy wasn’t actor and was actually an emo off the street personally. Daniel getting fired should be very interesting. Firstly because I have a feeling getting rid of him won’t be that easily and secondly because if he is gotten rid of what will Michael be like without him?
“Book 1: D-Town. Chapter 15: Leaving Again” (Andrew Black) – Short but sweet. Andrew Black moving on to bigger and better things with a hot girl in tow. Despite its incredible shortness this actually sets up some interesting questions for the next instalment of Andrew’s life. Namely, will he make it big (I know, we kinda got spoilers cos he’s in ACW...but still) and how? Will he and Nicole last? Also, what will happen with the guys now they don’t have Andrew around to protect them? I predict they all get beat on so bad they flee to come join Andrew in Chicago! Too wacky?
“Gurl. That shit’s fucked up, bitch.” (Rena / Mystique) – Firstly, I don’t get why this segment is joint credited when both Rena and Mystique are, well, Rena. That, however, is completely beside the point! Mystique reminds me of an old(ish) black woman with attitude by the way she’s presented which is an odd thought. It makes me wonder what kind of shit Mystique is going to be getting up to but I think the line “Then call his wife and tell him he's sleeping with a dude-“ speaks volumes on this level. I hope that’s not all the character does.
“Any Last Words?” (Thunder Train / Dave Shadow) – I liked this segment, mostly for the fact I’m a fan of split screen titantron interviews. The fact Train was going to get interrupted was predictable but making those kind of things unpredictable is incredibly hard so I just kinda made my point totally defunct...shit. All in all this was more great stuff from two of my favourite guys in ACW right now, I might’ve had Dave cut off Train more though, have him extra confident due to the separation...that woulda been cool.
“A Timely Return” (BK London) – This was cool and I love how the air of mystery was kept right until the end of the segment. The prospect of BK London back in ACW excites me, as long as he’s not constantly at the top of the card and does as he planned when he left by allowing other people time to shine.
“Capitalism At Its Finest” (BK London / Jay Zero) – This segment was epic and even though I knew the outcome I could really feel the suspense throughout. The fans unsure about how to handle Zero’s return, BK’s big entrance sending everyone into raptures, BK and Zero coming close to a brawl, and Zero walking away before making a belated save. This had big show moment written all over it and it was done brilliantly. The London/Zero title reign could be very interesting, depending on how they decide to work their surprising partnership, and I really hope some top contenders emerge for the belt. I do have one criticism though...how come the fans mentioned Top Draw and Flower Power in their murmurings but not G-Unit?! Bullshit if you ask me.
Page 6“King of the World” (Danny Mainer) – Mainer is knackered, excited and completely delighted and that came across in spades. I pictured him with a HUGE grin plastered on his face throughout this entire segment and I felt that emotion in what Danny was saying. I really believe this Crucible thing could help propel Mainer onto greater things and I really hope it does. Be nice to see where Danny goes next.
“Finale” (Rena) – What?! You can’t leave it on a cliff-hanger like that!! This is not the last episode in the series of a very popular TV Show that wants to be popular in its next series dammit! One a serious note though I like how this was done and the ambiguous ending was really cool. *crosses fingers for it to be Rena who got shot* >_>
“To Live and Die, Part 20” (Lee Homicide) – Well the shit really hit the fan here didn’t it? Being a witness to two murders, one being that of a child? Lee’s fucked now it seems. This was stellar work from Lee and I didn’t picture anything like this happening, so full marks for shock tactics. The image of the blood stained bear is a haunting one and I’m hooked in now, I wanna know what happens next.
Page 7“Finale 2” (Rena / Bryce) – Damn you for hiding the identity still...DAMN YOU! When I started reading this segment I honestly thought it was gonna be a dastardly twist and it was Rosa that ended up getting shot. I wonder who it is though?! Hmmm...
“Getting My Job Back” (Train) – Mega-swerve! I’m very glad Train isn’t actually quitting after his loss although I kinda figured out he probably wasn’t gonna be. This segment was hilarious, from Train hiding under the desk to him using a crayon to edit the contract and finally ending on a Journey quote, brilliant. Question though, if Train stole TK’s contract is Train the reason TK left?!
“Letter From A Friend” (Jake Steele / ) – Well now I feel bad for this Mr. Extraordinary fellow just being tossed away by Jake Steele. That arrogant prick doesn’t deserve nice letters being sent to him! This segment, being serious now, does open up some interesting avenues from Steele’s past. New guy coming to ACW? Phenomenal playing mind games? Something else... (ok, I didn’t have a third, sue me!). Either way I’m excited!
“Leaving” (Michael Smart) – That was resolved easily! I knew Michael wouldn’t be able to get rid of Daniel. Personally, though, I feel this is a bit of a wasted opportunity. It would’ve been much more fun if Michael was serious about firing Daniel but Daniel took it upon himself to try and get back in Michael’s good books, fucking things up along the way...naturally...but eventually doing something to convince Michael that he was worthwhile. Ah well, I can dream...this works well too I guess.
“Anti-Climatic But You Laughed” (Train) – Yes Train, picking Mickie James
does count for something so you win on that front and to be honest I didn’t expect you to resolve this whole sister angle in a normal way because...you’re just not normal. That, however, is what makes you so damn entertaining and even that shitty excuse for the poser change made me lol. The “I’d hit that” line wasn’t needed though...incest ftl! Or you shoulda just put it BEFORE it was revealed that it was Thunder Thighs?
Page 8“Closing OTA Segment: ‘oMEga effect’” (Thunderkiss) – And so we get to the final segment of an amazing show, and Thunderkiss’ swansong. This, for me, was a brilliant way to end the show and if I’d been reading this at the time and not weeks later this segment would probably have had happy connotations for me and made me greatly look forward to what comes after the break. Don’t get me wrong there’s still a helluva lot to look forward to including (cheap plug) all the stuff I have planned
I just think it’s a shame to lose someone as talented as Thunderkiss which means this segment leaves me feeling sad.
OverallThis show was absolutely fucking brilliant and I can’t praise those who contributed highly enough. I want to congratulate both Shadow and Senator on their title wins, they both thoroughly deserve it, and welcome back BK London and Jay Zero, holding tag team gold to boot...may your reign be long and exciting, or short and exciting it doesn’t matter...just make it exciting. I was going to do an MVP of the PPV but it’s much too hard for me to choose so I’m going to cop out massively and not do it. I can’t stress enough how much I’m looking forward to what comes next!