American Mastodon, + MAMMOTH = Prehistoric Powers

My biggest problem for new characters is thinking of a catchy name. I have no problems with moves [except finishers depending on character] or the like... just the damn name.

But American Mastadon just sounds badass.

I sometimes think we place too great an emphasis on names. Granted a name can make or break a character, but it's something that can be easily changed, IMO. The Rock did start with the 'Blue Chipper' nickname tied to his, Austin was once the Ringmaster.

Case in point, Harry Scott from Blue's July I Make 'Em, You Take 'Em, an homage to a wild, brawling high-flyer type like Randy Savage. Some pointed out they couldn't buy Harry as a name for such an unpredictable character (What next? A vampire called Kevin? You might as well call him Edward and be done with it!), but I would have been prepared to work with that, have him refer to himself as Harry Scary or Harry Monster, but, yes, sharing the same last name as the Hot Shot was enough of a reason to change the name. Enter Scott Mayhem.

But, yes, as you pointed out, Mastodon was one of the names Vader used to be referred by. I already handle a MAMMOTH, so I wondered what other prehistoric creatures I could add to Matsui's rogue's gallery, as it were. Only reason why I didn't make American Mastodon more like Vader in his moveset, or Bam Bam Bigelow, for that matter, is because I don't want him doing moonsaults just yet. Scott Norton's equally badass, IMO, although Haku (another badass) might have made the Colossal Connection, um, connection even more obvious.

Matsui can only aspire to be 1/100th of a manager Heenan ever was, natch.

I totally agree, Norton and Haku are badass as well. Scott Norton never got the push he deserved in WCW seeing as he was a total monster in Japan. I hated seeing them bury guys like him [Henning comes to mind as well] in the n.W.o behind guys that couldn't hold a candle to them talent wise. Vicious & Delicious was an okay tandem but watching WWE Classics i just see so much more they could have done with Norton.

Please don't think in any way i'm bashing this character. I read the app and just got that badd ass Vader feel from it where he has the potential to be a major beast. I like the mveset, i tihnk it fits him perfectly and if you were to put him in the AWA, he would fit in nicely and probably even cut out his own little niche there as well.

Can't wait to see more of Scott Mayhem as well. He really stood out with the valet and such.

either way, i like the American Mastadon. I think he has alot of potential.

Thanks for the feedback. Like the gazillion other characters I have on this board, however, he might end up somewhere, or he might not (Prehistoric Powers for the Stampede Cup, maybe?); I'm already having fun with the characters I handle.

There is always the option of a John Nord knockoff and pairing them together as a pair of wrestling lumberjacks. Said tag team partner would go on to have a Nordic gimmick.

HUFF! HUFF!

What you need an Australian character in the vein of Outback Jack. You could do months of promos on AWA shows before even debuting, and then when you do, you beat a few jobbers for a few weeks before becoming a perma-jobber yourself.

What you need an Australian character in the vein of Outback Jack. You could do months of promos on AWA shows before even debuting, and then when you do, you beat a few jobbers for a few weeks before becoming a perma-jobber yourself.

Australians are not allowed to look anything less than cool in the AWA. It's the Freeman Rule. Granted, he's no Ladykiller, but Adrian's a fine representative of the land Down Under.

Although, if he adopted a particular Rolf Harris song as his entrance theme...

I'd have no problem with you calling the character a knockoff... Had you actually gotten it right. Who cares about some manga character when I've got enough material ripping of Scott Norton? Or an homage, as they call it in the AWA (a fed where this character has a better chance of working than the American Freebear ever will).

I pretty much doubt this deserves answering, but I'll take you seriously for a minute...

Your problem is that on one hand you're using a pro-wrestler who has the least amount of personality as inspiration for a game of creative writing, while using the story of "prehistoric beastman" as a gimmick... which has something of a famous precedent (Mammothman). Why not just make a Ye-tai and call it off as your own while you're at it?

Because you use weak inspiration, you end up with creations defined by their application forms, trying to get them over on pre-determined strengths (so this is your big strong guy dude that's bigger than 90% of the other guys... But that alone doesn't make him original). I didn't create the Freebear because I wanted a big fat flyer character, it's because I thought of "the only bear that flies" and made everything match appropriately. I'm actually trying to get the character away from this Bam Bam Bigelow stigma that followed him ever since I thought a cartwheel would make for a clever signature move.

Darn straight you get beat at e-wrestling against me: I'm the guy concerned with putting as much flavor in his characters as possible. Who cares if you think they're Wrestlecrap? I actually offer something; something clever, whether you accept that or not. And no, you can't say I don't respond well to criticism when all I hear is "stupid" or "sucks". In short, you're not a bad handler, just a scared one.

And yeah, American Dragon would be mocked appropriately if his big move had foreign implications. His finisher WAS Arms Across America after all...

You can put horse manure on a platter and pile on all the spices of India, it'd still be a shit curry.

Flavor isn't substance???

Noooooooooooo...

No matter what wrestler anybody makes up, they will always be compared to real wrestlers. [Tho SOME are exempt from that rule... Craven comes to mind.] That's just the way it goes....

When i read Spooky Doom i picture a Rey Misterio in a Undertaker-esque gimmick. you may have not wanted him to be that way, but this is what i envision when i read his stuff.

Indeed, American Freebear reminds me of Bam Bam Bigelow.

But i'm not only talking about your characters. Lots of characters i see a little of this real wrestler or that real wrestler, basically it's what is seen in the readers mind while reading your character.


At the end of day everybody has a certain character form they like to follow. Mine you can call bland cause i like being realistic as possible and probably am guilty of ripping off certain aspects of real wrestlers.

Others like mixing it up and pushing the limits of the imagination which also is fine... except for goddamn unicorns... if anyone puts a unicorn in their rp's again i will prolly snap.

Anywho, my .000000001$

But e-w is built on flavor! You can say that your character is talented all you want, it's about as arbitrary as making the guy exceptionally big or strong.

Substance is what you ask of others to accept in your guy. Flavor is what you bring to the table.

But e-w is built on flavor! You can say that your character is talented all you want, it's about as arbitrary as making the guy exceptionally big or strong.

Substance is what you ask of others to accept in your guy. Flavor is what you bring to the table.

A clever turn of phrase within the boundaries of realism can be considered creative. An outlandish character that lives under a bridge and roasts unicorn haunches (that one's for you, CK~!) for his brunch can also be creative. It's all about context. In ewrestling (our circle, anyway) someone who talks cleverly about wrestling is considered clever while someone who roasts unicorn haunches in his flashes will never be taken seriously.

On the other hand; a play-by-email fantasy game would welcome a unicorn-eating troll! In that context it totally works!

That's an extreme example. Personally, I didn't find Freebear to be that outlandish in TDW, although my guy (Jack Keening) hated him for eating all the food. His name and rhetoric do make him seem terribly silly, however. Not quite clown silly, but silly...

You can put horse manure on a platter and pile on all the spices of India, it'd still be a shit curry.

C'mon man, let's keep the dialogue going without being so nasty. I know it's not just you, but that's unpleasant. :/

<Child mode.>

Make mommy and daddy stop fighting!

</Child mode.>

(Next one to reply chooses his role as mommy or daddy. It's a race. GO!)

I call dibs on ginger hatin' stepfather!



And e-w is built on substance as much as flavour. If flavour is personality and gimmick, substance is the actions, angles and storylines.



EDIT: No, no... the character's personality counts in substance.

Substance isn't flavor?

Noooooooooooooooooooo....