New Japanese e-fed!!
Fletch
In my opinion, probably one of the most disheartening things in
e-wrestling in recent times has been the demise of the Japan-based
federations.
A few months ago there was the best Japanese e-fed in recent times,
Gerry Sarraco's SJPW, in full swing, plus others including PJW keeping
the oriental e-wrestling flame burning. Right now the SJPW is history,
while PJW is on (permanent?) hiatus.
Well, don't despair, because a new Japanese e-wrestling league is about
to burst onto the scene, taking over the helm from the likes of SJPW and
PJW, but with a definite identity and flavour of its own.
Announcing.......
GUNRYO PRO (G-PRO for short), a new booked wrestling federation which
brings together the best that e-wrestling has to offer, including
elements of lucha libre, light-heavyweights, hardcore,
submission/technical and heavyweight wrestling. At the same time G-Pro
promises the distinctive influence of real-life Japanese wrestling, with
screw-jobs and gang-tactics replaced by REAL wrestling contests, but
without taking away the excitement, tension and angles of US wrestling.
I'm not going to prattle on all day - read the attached FAQ, and if
you're interested, send in an application form (in the message following
this one). But be in quick, because with a smallish roster, spots are
filling up quick. Including amongst those already signed are former
PJWers Frazer Fury, The Banshee and Kashan Akuma, former SJPWers Kabuki
Kid, Jinsei Shakanuzi and the Fabulous Ones, plus former IIWF and SJPW
tagteam legends The Down Boys will be amongst the first batch of
tourists!
On the staff side of things, we've got a seven-strong booking committee,
most of whom have experience with other feds, plus a guaranteed writing
team of eight. We're not one of those feds which starts up and then
looks for staff. The planning for G-Pro has been ongoing for several
months, and we've done our homework.
So if you're a good RPer, get your application in quick!! All
applications will be considered.
Thanks for your time,
Fletch,
Gunryo Pro chairman.
PS - Currently there is no G-Pro website, but it will be up and running
before the fed opens on Saturday August 8.
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GUNRYO PRO (G-PRO) HANDBOOK VERSION 1.0
-------------------------------------------
Welcome to the official handbook for Gunryo Pro, a Japan-based
e-wrestling federation. (Gunryo means War in Japanese)
Because Gunryo Pro is based in Japan, Japanese wrestlers make up a
majority of the roster - a 2-1 ratio is kept at all times.
Sure, Japanese e-feds are nothing new. Gerry Saracco's SJPW was the most
well-known of a handful of Orient-based leagues until it closed in early
1998. So what's so unique about Gunryo Pro then?
Well, rather than being pinned down to one style of wrestling, G-Pro
mixes a blend of different genres - lucha libre, aerial wrestling,
hardcore wrestling and of course the wrestling-first philosophy of
real-life Japanese wrestling organisations. Wrestling comes before
run-ins, screw-job endings and so forth in G-Pro, but we're confident
that the fed will cater for all wrestling tastes.
The driving force behind this e-fed is Clint Fletcher, commonly known as
simply Fletch. Fletch ran the highly successful NECW (New Era
Championship Wrestling) for a year from March 1997 to March 1998, before
health problems forced him to shut it down. Now with his health back in
order, Fletch also helps run the quarterly non-fed affiliated World Cup
of Wrestling, and with G-Pro is firmly back in the fold of Fed Headship.
Read on to find out all about G-Pro and what is required and expected of
handlers in this fed.
===================================================
WRESTLER CREATION:
The best thing to do is read right through this handbook and get to know
the information listed here. Then go to the roster and see what
wrestlers are already part of G-Pro - what gimmicks are already in use
and so on.
As we've already said, original Japanese wrestlers make up the bulk of
the G-Pro roster. The roster itself is kept lower than some "big feds",
at around 30 wrestlers, which is done so that wrestlers don't get "lost
in the shuffle". Of the 30 wrestlers, about 18 or 19 will be Japanese,
and the remainder non-Japanese. The roster is also split into different
divisions.....
===================================================
TITLES, DIVISIONS etc:
G-Pro is unlike most e-wrestling organisations in that it is made up of
several very different divisions. They are.....
Heavyweight (220 pounds and over) - obviously the biggest men in the
fed, although some would count as cruiserweights in other feds.
Super Middleweight (219 pounds and under) - the smaller men. Even some
wrestlers who are cruiserweights in other feds would be too big for this
division.
Jisatsu - this division is made up of the "extreme" or "garbage"
wrestlers. Whereas use of tables and chairs is strictly prohibited in
the other divisions, the use of weapons is allowed here, and hardcore
stipulation matches are the norm. (Jisatsu means suicide)
Trios - wrestlers form into teams of three, one of whom is designated
captain. Using Lucha Libre rules, a team wins by either pinning both
non-captain members of their opposing team, or the captain.
So, on a G-Pro card you will find six or seven matches - a couple of
heavyweight matches, a couple of super-middleweight matches, a hardcore
match, a trios match and a sixman cage match. The cage match is always
joint main event with a title match.
Each division has its own title, meaning there are four belts. You'll
notice that there's no tagteam belts, and that's a conscious decision
reflecting the lack of tagteam competition today. We feel that loose
sixman affiliations are much more manageable than full-time tagteams.
Except for on special occasions, each handler is allowed only one
wrestler in G-Pro, which means that forming trios teams takes some
effort. If we see handlers working together for their team, this
improves their chance of winning the trios title, and also their overall
"push". Each member of a winning trios team gets a "win"in their
win-loss record, while the losers get a "loss", just like in singles
competition.
Also, G-Pro will have up to five wrestlers "on tour" in G-Pro at one
time. This means that wrestlers who are not under contract to G-Pro
(usually big names from the US) will usually take time off from their
other feds and spend three or four weeks in Japan wrestling on Nippon
Pro cards. They will not get ranked and will not be eligible for titles
- their sole aim will be to gain Japanese wrestling experience by
pitting themselves against the best that G-Pro has to offer.
======================================================
PARTICIPATION:
The name of the game is participation folks. The more you get involved,
the better off your wrestler will do. Participation is done by writing
flashes (interviews), in-ring interviews, promo clips, and strategies,
and if you do these, your chances of doing well in G-Pro is pretty high.
When you write your interviews, make sure you use one of the Nippon
Pro's official interviewers......
Robin "Hot Stuff" Hamada - Young Japanese woman who always dresses in
business suits and is very formal. She is very pretty, and is the object
of many a young man's desire.
Billy Thomas - An American who has little knowledge of Japanese
wrestling, and it shows. He prefers the hype of US wrestling, and his
interviewing techniques are "questionable". In other words, he goes for
the dirt and isn't afraid to tell wrestlers what he thinks of them.
Jinsei Yakamotu - A former wrestling great, now in his 50s. He likes to
interview the fan-favourites, and is on very good terms with most of the
face wrestlers. Heel wrestlers dislike him immensely.
As for match strategies, sending them in before the deadline will
greatly improve your wrestler's chances of winning a match. Strats show
that you're putting effort into your wrestler, and also help the writers
do their job.
Strats should include - any special entrance, overall strategy, any
special moves, and anything that will continue or start an angle.
=======================================================
RULES:
The rules are fiercely enforced. Breaking them leads to suspension and
then firing. They are
1) No attacking officials (including announcers)
2) No attacking wrestlers (This one has SOME leeway, but very little) at
ringside or on the way to the ring.
3) No attacking G-Pro fans
4) No use of foreign objects (apart from in the Jisatsu division) or
unprofessional conduct.
Like the old SJPW, G-Pro is a wrestling first fed. That means we have
eliminated the run-ins and gang-ups which are rife in US wrestling, and
concentrate on in-ring battles.
To put it basically, if you want to win in G-Pro, you win in the ring.
Numbers won't help you, because this fed has a big security force which
keeps interferers away from the ring. Also, use of foreign objects
(apart from in the Jisatsu division) will lead to immediate
disqualification and suspension.
The Jisatsu division is run similar to the real-life FMW fed, and in it
you'll see plenty of blood, weapons and carnage. This is also where
you'll see plenty of stipulations.
========================================================
TITLE MATCHES AND DEFENCES:
The trios title is defended on EVERY weekly card, in a steel cage. This
is a real highlight of G-Pro, and the fans love it.
The heavyweight and super middleweight titles must be defended every 30
days (four cards), but will often be put up for grabs more often.
Champions will be forced to make mandatory defences, but if they want to
give title shots they are entitled to do so, even against unranked
wrestlers.
A wrestler can only hold one singles title at a time, but they can hold
a singles title and be part of the trios championship team at the same
time.
Rankings are computed after each wrestling card. Rankings are split into
the separate divisions, since wrestlers only compete in their divisions.
Wrestlers are ranked using their win-loss records and taking into
account the last week's results. So if a wrestler pulls off a clean win
over a top contender, they would move up the rankings even if their
win/loss record is not great.
=========================================================
HOW MATCHES ARE DECIDED:
G-Pro is a booked league, which means no simulator is used whatsoever. A
booking committee of three/four people votes on the matches to decide
outcomes, except where an angle dictates winning and losing. In deciding
matches, the bookers use participation as their measuring stick.
=========================================================
CARDS/SHOWS etc:
There is only one main wrestling card in G-Pro each week, called
"Battlefield". It is comprised of six or seven live matches, made up of
matches from each division, and comes out on Saturday night.
Also, the week's RPs are bundled together and put out as "Sound Off" on
Mondays and Thursdays. This means there's only two times for interviews
to be screened, so quality is put ahead of quantity. You can however
also include promo clips and live interviews (in ring or backstage) for
Battlefield.
Each Monday a newsletter will be sent out with rankings, news,
injuries/roster changes etc, plus the confirmed line-up for the coming
week's Battlefield and provisional line-ups for the coming weeks.
So, flashes in response to what happened on Battlefield will be used on
the Tuesday Soundoff, while flashes about the coming Saturday's action
will be used on the Thursday show. Deadlines are midday Monday and
Thursday.
Match strats need to be in by at least midday Tuesday, to give our
writers time to put Battlefield together.
=====================================================
PAY-PER-VIEWS:
As a Japanese fed, G-Pro doesn't have PPVs like the US. Instead it has
supercards, usually from a big venue like the Tokyo Dome. This is when
all sorts of stipulation matches come into play, and feuds and angles
develop or conclude.
G-Pro has supercards once every two months, so as not to make them too
run of the mill, and keep that excitement about them.
=======================================================
<<<ends>>>