That is all Folks.

[Nick Kage]

Well that is it, it's over. Nick Kage is done. I remember starting in OCW and thinking to myself once I achieve certain goals I'll hang up my virtual boots.

I was unaware 2007 would be the year that I reached so many of my goals.

 

As a character Nick Kage had done so much that I was starting to get the feeling that the road to retirement needed to start to take place. I knew from the start if I wanted to end it would be at the hands of Versus or Nate. They deserved it and I trusted them. Things flowed with Nate so well we talked about the career vs. career match. He was open and willing to put it all on the line seeing as him and I had both reached a certain point if either one of us left we would feel satisfied in our time in OCW.

 

After Nate and I both won against each other over the past 2 months it was the perfect setup for this type of match. So with that we went for it. Sure if I won I would have worked out something to eventually hang up the boots but Nate beat me and in doing so we wanted to come up with something nice and epic for a final match. I'll come back to this.

 

I found OCW just by googling SVR feds. I joined and quickly started playing with Nate alot. Nick Kage was based off of myself with the volume turned up. Seems it worked out well. It's funny but when I think its been like 3 years (give or take a few months) and OCW has connected me with people i talk to almost every day. Versus sent me a Xmas card. These are good people, funny people, people I enjoy talking to OCW is much more than a league. It truly is a family. I give alot of credit to Jay he has created something that is bigger than just a website and he has tried thru all his rage to deal with the spectrum of people it has in it From adults to teens, college kids, high school, and working class. Jay has really tried and he has done a great job in making this place a community. I really wish THQ or Midway would come here and implement OCW into their games. Pay Jay to run the site and incorporate it into the games like 2k did with their online leagues. OCW is the only reason I bought SVR and it’s the only reason I played SVR without OCW I would save 60 bucks. (Thanks Jay! You owe me 180 bucks!)

 

I have at times been a dick. We all have (except Nate maybe.) but it’s the internet the e-pen is sometimes mightier then the keyboard (or so you may think) often times it genuinely came from a good place, it came from wanting to keep OCW safe from assholes and cheesers. I wanted OCW to be fun and raw but to stay in line with a general good vibe. Many can remember my heated threads with Bold when he would mention my wife. I always felt family and serious health or personal issues should never be brought up in OCW. Things have changed and to be honest Bold is probably one of the funniest guys on the forums as long as he doesnt cross that line he cracks me up. But I wanted to keep OCW at a level that was above the other gutter feds out there. Alot of us did and the work that people like Nate and Guy and Jay and Majin and Geo and the GM's both Vimes and Regan put into OCW is amazing. They are the backbone of this place and they deserve your respect they truly do.

 

The inner circle joke always amazed me. OCW allowed people to have internet buddies and sometimes it was more than SVR that people did online. A group of guys would get on skype and play dm's or watch raw or chat and to be honest there was an inner circle, there was a few. Cross and Bold could have been considered an inner circle team extreme an inner circle. Hell even today you could say the guys who were playing GTA were an inner circle. The inner circle was just people hanging out outside of the OCW forums in games or RAW or streaming PPV's. The inner circle was a joke and it had nothing to do with the outcome of matches in OCW. A joke in which we all like to string along and have fun with but in reality people rise to the top with hard work in OCW not backdoor politics.

 

The path to getting to the top is a combo of a few things. You need to be creative and you need to have ideas for storylines. You also need to win matches. If you can these things then the sky is the limit. I mean, listen in the main event circle I was 50-50 I could beat top guys and they could beat me. So even if I lost a match my role-plays and creativity would keep me interesting and in at the top of the pack. OCW is more than a league, you are being judged on your creativity by your peers. That is a big thing if you think about it. Taking it seriously to an extent is a good thing; Creativity is always a good thing. Reinventing yourself is also key I had mutton chops for a while and I did not just change myself whenever I wanted. I waited for a key storyline moment or a time when the change made sense. I changed myself 3 times in OCW and each time people seemed to enjoy it. We all watch wrestling and all know what works and what does not so use that and apply it to your character and you will see the difference.

 

The people here are great from Val to Nate to Majin to Regan each serves a purpose. As much as we tell Val to shut up or as much as Heaton will try to rick roll you or as much as Bold will crack a joke at the worst time or as much as Cross will push death row in your face (LOL) OCW would not be OCW without them. But never forget why you came here, you came here to get away from the cheese of random people online, to be creative and achieve that goal of being a wrestler. When I got here FPR was still kind of new and not applied as much as many would like. I would like to think I was a key factor in FPR getting to where it is. I do however think we have too many rules and the only way to stop this is to get everyone on the same page ethically. The last thing I want is for there to be so many rules that every match feels the same and everyone is so scared to do anything in fear of breaking rules that won’t be good for OCW. The more we all get on the same page ethically the more we can loosen the grip on rules. I really believe we can do that if we all get the idea that we have to win to get over out of our heads as the only reason to make it in OCW. Winning helps but its more about people wanting to play with you and being creative and being good at SVR that will get you farther then all your wins combined. Look at Steve Jones and look at Bold. (I had to use you guys) Steve can’t win the big match yet but he has good angles and good storylines and a good character and he gets over cuz of that. People will work with him and people enjoy playing him. Steve came from the idea that winning isn’t all and that he loves the creative side of OCW. Bold on the other hand is good at the game, he is creative and has good storylines but he has a bad rap for still having that feel of playing a random. I assume this comes from the wanting to win more than anything side of Bolds history. Bold has come leaps and bounds since he got here but you can see what happens if no one wants to work with you or they think you only care about the win. Bold is a Champ yet he has nothing as far as a feud happening at the moment. Following ethics and FPR and being easy and cool to work with and wanting to win but not making it your #1 goal will get you so far it’s crazy. Not getting desperate in matches and letting the situation dictate your FPR is bad. No matter the situation or gimmick match Follow FPR and Have ethics. It will take you to the top!

 

At this point I'm so happy with what Nick Kage did in OCW he pushed the limits he won he lost he feuded he was in a faction he backstabbed he cheated he lied he dressed up as a president and a fake Nate. He was caged and scared he won title after title and he was involved in controversy. He did it all and I feel good in stopping now. I can look back at my gaming skill and I can say I was somewhat consistent but I am no Nate. I had my fair share of getting owned trust me. I have also Owned as well and I think that is what makes me feel good. I was not unstoppable and I am glad I wasn't losing made my character better. It made me think on my feet and re-adjust what to do or say in a situation. It built my character.

 

When I knew I was the one who was going to leave at Damnation some ideas came up as to how to make it work. I originally wanted a straight up match but in talking to some people the idea of the run-in’s and the chaos just made more sense. As I thought how I would edit it together I could see it play out like a match in a real PPV. I wanted that. I was a big goal to reach but I wanted it. Smythe and VS and Nate helped with the recording and it took about 3-4 days of editing and tweaks to get it done. Smythe helped alot with ideas and so did Nate and in the end what Smythe said in the Damnation thread was exactly what we wanted. Nate was going over he was ending my career if that is not going over I do not know what is. I thought of great matches like Austin/Hart when Austin passed out and lost. I thought of the story between me and VS and Nate and I wanted to put VS over as well in this match. Allowing Vs to take me out and turn on Nate was the only way to do it. If VS left me alone it would make no sense. I was a brother to him and I turned on him he will never forget that. So he takes me out turns on Nate he lets his intentions be known as well as letting fate now decide who leaves and who stays. The match was meant to be hectic Smtyhe is there for Kage even if Kage doesn’t want his help. Guy really proves he is not out to screw Nate. But our careers mean more than any title and even after all this the battle rages on. I know Brad expressed his opinion on the ending. I’m sure if someone said what he said about one of his matches he would explode but I stand by the ending. I would not tap I would rather pass out then give in to Nate when it’s all on the line. So what does Nate do? He forces the outcome he makes me pass out. He overcame a huge obstacle and won. That is how Nate got over I pushed it I said you have to kill me to win and Nate answered the call. I'm very happy with it, the edit job working with Smythe, Nate, and VS and really making something we have not seen before in OCW, I’m happy and proud of it.

 

The future can be so bright for OCW there are some awesome guys in here and they can really do some great things. A-mart, Kang, Mace, Vin, Poe, and others can really be something great if they put in the effort. I watched Smythe grow from a loud mouth rookie to a Main Event star and the guy deserves it. I have seen Kang and A-mart play all night getting good. It’s great to see but I hope they push it and really have a goal and follow thru with it. I had my time in the spotlight and it's time for someone else to step in. We built OCW all of us and it’s a special thing you are a part of. Enjoy it and remember what you do in OCW speaks volumes to the other people in OCW.

 

As far as Nick Kage goes, well he is done I did all I could with him. Does that mean I will be back in some form? That Depends, I want to see what SVR 09 is like or TNA that will be a big factor on if I come back. I will be busy this summer working freelance on some movies for sci-fi and some cartoon animation for some extra cash along with my gig at Blizzard. I want to buy a house in Cali and that won’t be cheap. So I need to do work on my free time. I’ll be around though always here for issues or questions but I think FPR with Nate, Steve, Smythe, and Tyro is in really good shape. Un-bias and fair these guys get what OCW is about.

 

Thanks to everyone I will name some names but really all of you played a part in Nick Kage’s success. Jay, Nate, Versus, Sideshow, Majin, Guy, Steve, Smythe, Mayhem, Blade, AJ, RD, BB, AA, and so on and so on. Keep OCW alive it is worth it.

[Adrian Bold]

Good riddance.

 

 

(Bold making a joke at the worst time possible!)

 

Well... I have taken your advice and you need to stay tuned to Turmoil and more stuff... you know I have no personal beef with you I just don't know the right time or place to say jokes! Your are an OCW legend and you will be missed..Until I surpass you.

[Trevor McManus]

Without sounding queer I'd like to keep this short and sweet.

 

Nick you are an absolute legend here and I've always looked up to you. People talk about Nate being amazing and he is but you were the one guy I most wanted to impress, I felt if I impressed you then I could impress anyone.

[Nate Ortiz]

It was a pleasure working with you sir. Who would have thought it would have come to all of this way back playing DMs on the original SvR 05. It's been a long road indeed, and I enjoyed getting to know ya a little over the past couple years. I'm glad we finally got to work a storyline together after it not happening in both 06 and 07 like we had talked about at points. Take care and I'm sure you will be back sooner rather than later.

[AJ Phoenix]

So kage is really gone

 

Damn I'm not gonna lie, OCW wont be the same without you man. I gotta thank you for giving me pretty much my best feud while in OCW in late 07, and for what you did for OCW in general. Congratulations for a great run in OCW man, and take it easy.

[Chris Ryder]

What can I say except, kudos.

 

You've set the mark for what a real Heel should be and for that I believe everyone should thank you. You have indeed changed OCW for the better, you will be missed Nick.

 

Speak to you soon.

[Brad Bauer]

NO I WOULD'NT EXPLODE OMGZZZZZzzz!!! I can appreciate your final match, and while it didn't go where I wanted it to go, Obviously it was your career and you should end it on your terms.

 

Your influence on me has been nothing short of epic, from tiny head jokes, to making me pay for some of my one liners, to just playing off as my sounding board at times. I do really appreciate all that you brought to the table. Its a damn shame that BB will never get to step into the squared circle with Nick Kage. Although, I'm in a different generation of OCW so to speak, I feel fortunate to have spent all of my time here during the era of Nick Kage and Rd Money....perhaps the greatest Fued I've witnessed in an EFED...to date. I think we'll see Bold do some epic things, and I smell a Smythe/Bauer fued that could light this sum bitch on fire one day. Perhaps there will come a time that BB encounters Nick Kage in the future. Thank you for paving the way so to speak.

[Josiah Cross]

THANK YOU KAGE! THANK YOU KAGE! THANK YOU KAGE!

 

Bad blood, good blood, love, hate, I will always stand by my ultimate mark for effort. You are on the top. 2007 will always be the year of Nick Kage...shortly later 2008 the fall. You dished out entertaning feud after feud. You've played a major roll in what OCW is today, so thank you for that. Your years of effort will not be forgotten and hope to see you one day make the ultimate badass return. But until that possibilty...so long.

[Matt Wilson]

Damnit man! I thought it was a work and you weren't retiring since you didn't tap. Sucks that your taking off man, but I know how it is. Glad to have had the matches that we had together. Thanks for all your help.

[Val Finale]

KAGE! KAGE! KAGE! KAGE!

 

An OCW legend for sure. I remember just watching you and VS try to win the tag titles. I remember you going for the NA title for the first time. I remember your epic battles with Sideshow, RD, Nate, Guy, etc. I remember you forming the Untouchables with Geomon and masking as 2 presidents. I remember you being fake Nate. I remember the Rev Inc. vs. ToP faction frenzy. I remember you finally turning on Rev Inc. to achieve higher status.

 

Year after year this man is bar-none the GREATEST heel in OCW history. The benchmark of what OCW is all about.

 

For the match it was great. A straight up match sure would be ok...but it wouldn't set it apart from the other 2. This was a career vs. career match dammit. When Smythe ran in you would think "Smythes gonna help Kage win!". Then when Fausto ran in you would think he would make Nate win. Then you have VS who you thought would be the final decision factor and end Kage's career, but instead wrecks shit up, and leaves. Kage not tapping out was so symbolic beyond belief. Even though Kage, a heel, his career in OCW is worth more then his own well being.

 

Bravo Kage.......bravo!