A Riot 617 Review By El Parca

Belle Opening Promo:

 

Voice promos! Starting the show!!! Yes! I love it. The voice fit very well (I assume it’s Belle herself), and the cuts that were used for Belle & Stacy were alarming on how good they were as well. Simple, sweet voice promo building up Belle + the S-Cup, you can’t get much more wrestling 101 than that. 

 

Dr. EMP will see you now:

 

John is interesting lately. We see with his promos when regarding his fellow tag team competitors he has this very heel like vibe surrounding him. But with this promo he comes off like he WANTS to fight but he also understands he’s injured and wants to heal properly. Emp being Emp and fucking him up some more was fine by me, you wanna duck G&Gs rematch then heck you slut. I’d like John to either hone it in and commit to a baby face approach or just start going more back to a heel. 

 

Future Idiots v. Perfect Storm:

 

I’ve never seen a tag team who deserved a shot (but fuck them), get said shot, and not show up… while circumstances were preventing them from showing up for their opportunity at gold I imagine John was extremely pleased that he didn’t need to actually face Perfect Storm tonight. The statue being what is preventing PS from opening the door is a mint callback and something where if you weren’t here (the twitch chat at least said what it was) it may have gone over your head. Nice little things like this are the curves and layers of OCW that shouldn’t go unnoticed. I assume Perfect Storm will not be happy about this, so I wonder what their reaction will be. But there’s a bigger question to be asked… who is now next for Future Idiots?

 

Palkha not here:

 

Gotta admit I was bummed this match didn’t happen. I’m not overly in love with Palkha, the idea behind him is good and has good energy behind it but I think he was a bit premature. Sometimes having another character when your first one hasn’t really had the chance to experience everything OCW has can really make trying to tread the water weirder. Palkha’s sister is in the hospital so we lose out on that match which is a shame. 

 

Perl is training:

 

Perl while I’m not in love with her actual look (when we saw her that one random time?) but I will always commend building someone up. This comes off as a character that will probably be implemented farther in the future which I look forward to seeing more of. I’d like to see maybe a bit more of video world building / training with her to get more of an idea of who she literally is again but that’s just a small little thing. 

 

Hifumi v. Belle:

 

Our legit first match of the night and we probably not only locked in MOTN but I’d even say MOTS-Cup. Hifumi & Belle have constantly shown time and time again that they not only A) have chemistry but B) they consistently put on MOTN matches so frequently. Both women came in this match with something to prove and we’re gonna see later tonight how wild this tournament is. Hifumi might have won but Belle did not lose in the eyes of the fans. That seriously was such an insane match and Hifumi continues to show it doesn’t matter what your finish is, anything can hit at anytime. Great great match ladies. 

 

Viktor Karmine addresses the crowd:

 

Viktor Karmine is not only the champion you can get behind but he’s a baby face you can get behind. We’ve seen through his growth in OCW how natural he is to be a fan favorite. His run with the North American Championship has been a real star making thing thus far. He has done an excellent job in building up this mystery opponent who keeps playing games with him, so we got ourselves a title match next week! TV title matches are rare in OCW and I’m both happy + sad it’s happening. Viktor definitely deserves and should be on PPV but at the other point him opening up the next show is just as important as being on the PPV. Hopefully whoever this mystery opponent is will be on their A game because Viktor is no slouch. Really looking forward to seeing who it is and seeing where our champion goes from there. 

 

Twisted Greed:

 

Visually this video was fucking awesome. Storytelling wise I am a little bit lost on what perhaps Greed is trying to accomplish with Claudio. Are you trying to break him? Are you just trying to make him feel worthless / under you? I know with this sort of thing we won’t get a direct answer right away (assumingly) so I’ll keep paying attention to see where it goes. The work on the video w/ the transitions, effects, and everything was very clean and I really enjoyed it. 

 

Cody Simpen & Heather:

 

Wordy promo, nothing wrong with that I feel you can have these and they still serve a purpose. This is an unusual duo I’ve got to say, Cody simping over Heather is an interesting choice especially how he kinda tries to gloss over how when Heather was Furi she lowkey was a bit shitty. But aye, he’s thinking with his heart not his head. I’m proud of Cody for doing a lengthier promo tbh writing in OCW can be a weird / scary thing when you’re not used to it. We’ve seen him to voice promos but to see him doing this story / angle with Heather goes to show he’s in OCW for what it really is and I gotta respect that. He’s made leaps and bounds since he’s debuted and I’m very happy to see where he goes with Heather because we all know the handler behind Heather won’t steer him wrong. I’m particularly interested to see how long this “good” Heather run lasts, I’ve only really seen Furiosa / asshole Heather in my time with OCW so this is fresh and exciting. I liked this segment and I’m intrigued to see how they continue playing this out with the weeks to come. 

 

Coming Soon Vignette 2:

 

River, the English Joshi is going to be a welcome addition for the women’s division. With the S-Cup and attention that’s coming to the womens side of OCW I love it. It was well done, the song was a banger, and I’m looking forward to what ever 3.08.24 turns out to be!

 

Mr. Bonucci’s dinner time:

 

Not much from this as it’s a short promo, but it did what it needed to do. Who is this mystery person? Is this the person that has been messing with Viktor? Is this Mr. Bonnuci person behind the messages to Viktor? Bonnuci said they have accomplishments so it seems like this could be someone who is returning to OCW. I love it! This type of mystery is always cool when it’s played up the right way. 

 

Scotty gets JynX’d:

 

Scotty is starting to find himself more in OCW. Better late than never so applause to you young man. I am digging JynX and how mans can just teleport, I didn’t realize DNS had some crazy magic in it but hey I rock with it either way. I feel this is a very good stepping stone for both guys, these are those feuds that are good for TV to help them become more comfortable leading the way and fleshing out their characters. Very good stuff gentlemen. 

 

Flojo gets a lesson at the Dojo:

 

Flojo has had an interesting trajectory this season. Paid in Full has been something really good and then it started to fizzle out when the two strayed away from one another focusing on their separate goals. When The Family basically died they still stayed connected which is a round of applause for them keeping that up. Seeing this new leaf or page for Flojo is very anime esque. It gives me vibes of Frieza trying to be a good guy strictly to come back to life. Flojo has had her ups and downs but her lasering in that she wants the world title again is a very good sign. Use that FI, secure yourself a match at the grandest stage OCW has and make your goal happen. Dragana has been a consistent force / presence in the women’s division and I think with the guidance from her we could see the scrappy baby face Flojo that won her first title at Devils Night all those years ago. Solid promo can’t wait to see more. 

 

KCBAE v. DNS

 

What an interesting duo, proper clean white boy with ghetto dirty white boy. Initials gang didn’t fare too hot here in this match. BAE held his own but KC definitely had a hard time to get the ball rolling. Some minor FPR breaks, just gotta be mindful not to crapple. Something I’ve noticed with tag matches specifically is depending on the team; we always see ONE guy of each time get the shit beat out of him when usually his partner is clear. On KCBAE side that is fine since KC could not get away. On DNS side tho, I didn’t like it, Samsin was completely clear and OMEN was getting his ass beat. Now eventually this didn’t matter but just from an aesthetics point, we’re trying to see a tag match, not two 1v1s. I know tag matches can be ass w/ the numerous splits & how easy it is to reverse tag moves. Just one of those things to keep in the back of your head when running those matches. A decent match nonetheless and I hope in the nearby future we start to see Samsin become a more prominent part of DNS again considering The Worm story was such a pivotal thing for DNS. Their attires lately have been crispy! Omen, drop the facepaint in its entirety pls. 

 

Paul Boulet finds out the bad news:

 

Paul Boulet has been one of my favorite characters ever since he came into OCW. He is a prime example of just a guy that can fit anywhere on the card. The writing, the look of the guy, his moveset, everything is very well done. There’s a reason he’s a former champion and seeing this unexpected but nice little moment where we see more of the human side of Paul is cute. I really want / expect Boulet to go on the rise for S19 / 2k24, he deserves it and I want it in my veins. Awesome stuff. 

 

Bobbi gets bodied:

 

The promo done by Bobbi was very well said and very well done. I remember we used to have the convo in the men’s divisions where you could see who is / was an “alt” although some might not like that term I feel the greater part of OCW, specifically those who run multiple characters are starting to essentially bring an end to the word “alt” in the aspect of a stigmatized bad word. Bobbi becoming more of a focal point and centered in the midcard of the women’s division is very nice to see because we could see a challenger right away for the Pride Championship after the S-Cup is over. The women’s division in general is firing on cylinders I’ve never seen before and I’m very impressed. The video was super good and RyVaughn can go fuck himself. 

 

Management has ice cream:

 

Spider fuck you. That’s just some foul ass shit that.. man fuck you. Emp, Drago, and Tibby are cool though. They at least know how to eat ice cream like NORMAL PEOPLE! Trash. 

 

Aisu & B17 at the Combat Center:

 

The idea behind this was solid. I do think with a little more HLR aspects for footage this video would’ve been cranked up another notch… BAM! The most interesting part however was maybe Aisu showing his old ways / competitive mindset. At the end of the day, sure these guys respect one another and whatnot, but Aisu is a certified killer. He is Arm Anderson Sr for a reason. He is the head trainer at the Combat Center for a reason. This wasn’t just some random slip, this is that mans natural instincts kicking in like an animal. I’m really curious to see if we get another segment like this where maybe B17 gets a bit rough on Aisu. But I liked the video, good effort, and I hope Aisu takes arms. 

 

The Paul Harris Challenge:

 

This is exactly what I wanna see from someone who wishes to fight more. Paul Harris wants any and everyone who is a rookie to step up and throw mittens. I think Paul has a solid spot he can fill within OCW as a potential rookie gatekeeper and become the top rookie. I need to see the man in more action he has a fun style, good arsenal of moves, and has the gigachad jawline. Give me what I want or else, I’ll probably whine or something idk. The scene setting on this roleplay was also tremendous so even more bonus points for that as well. 

 

Kameyo v. Marisa

 

Another awesome match from the women. The S-Cup has proven that OCW can and SHOULD run more tournaments because we get such insane TV matches that have zero reason to go as hard as they do. Kameyo put up quite a fight but the TOG member just could not stop the train that is Marisa. This tournament could go in so many ways with potential outcomes that you really can’t count anyone out just yet. After the match Mad Dawg, who is drunk comes out to the ring and has her bag. This leads to him puking on Marisa which is just disgusting but also hilarious. The dawg can’t handle his liquor and I chuckle at that. Awesome match by the women, mad dawg put the bottle down. 

 

C-Note disses Mark Reese:

 

You had me in the start of the promo but you slowly started to lose me at the end. One week it seems like we’re leading to the inevitable Mark Reese v. C-Note match, but with this promo it not only A) has C-Note burying Reese more but also B) seems like he’s just outright no longer wanting that match. This is where you get on a slippery slope because IF you get placed in this match against Reese and you lose? Well a dude who is a loser + out of his glory days / prime beat you.. so what exactly does that make you? I get trying to undermine and make your potential future opponent feel shitty but you can do that while also building him + yourself up. The taking credit for Telos and Sheldon? Loved that. I like how you also touched on the change that Claude could go through as well. More of that but add it in with Reese and you’ll be covering your ass a lot more if you lose the match (if it happens.)

 

Burn Book Pt2 HOLY SHIT:

 

The author of the burn book is a savage. The improvements from the women to the men for the burn book is also a nice touch. It seems like the way it was done is trying to throw scent off of who this said author could be. What I do know however is this person is gonna be public enemy #1 so I hope you got an army or something because.. homie you are not safe! It was incredible though, I don’t remember the last time I was laughing at a video like that and or stunned from one. Whoever you are Mr/Ms author person, good shit. 

 

Mark Reese is chopping wood:

 

This is what I’m talking about. Subtle remarks that build up a potential match that aren’t extremely undermining or burying where if one man loses to the one he heavily shat on it wouldn’t be as bad. Reese has clearly been struggling lately, a lot of big matches he’s made one small mistake and been right there at the finish line before tripping and not finishing. This angle of Reese trying to figure out his path to Lution and putting it on hold to handle the issue of C-Note I think is a beautiful intermediate feud for both men. C-Note wants Reese’s spots but Reese knows he has it in him to be able to become world champion and be the top guy in OCW. Always a fan of Reese promos so you got me anytime. 

 

Maxx Edwards v. Chance Williams:

 

A match where many wonder did Maxx have ring rust? I don’t think Maxx had ring rust. A perfect match to showcase the best of each man, Maxx showing exactly why he is the definitive #1 contender for El Parca’s OCW World Championship, while Chance gave Maxx a run for his money and should’ve thrown the kitchen sink at him. The finish was chefs kiss and was so fucking perfect easily one of my favorite finishes in all of 2k23. Maxx has been a star / top guy ever since he returned at Anny 19 and I can only imagine where he and Parca go to keep ramping this up. 

 

Devon is backstage:

 

Devon has been a tremendous rookie in OCW. His writing, his baby steps with videos, and him molding his moveset has been a true representation of what someone does when they are committed to OCW for the long term. Mass Effect has been a constant in the tag division which I’ll always appreciate and admire. Although his partner laid hands on a woman Devon is laser focused in on the Future Idiots and wants those tag team championships. A huge match coming up at Ambition End Games, really looking forward to it and more from Devon. 

 

Sue x EMP match hype package:

 

These hype packages for S-Cup matches have no business being as good as they are. These are PPV quality hype packages that were getting on FREE TV! FREE TV!!!! It’s seriously awesome man. Just goes to show what I mean by the women’s division in its entirety is firing off on all cylinders. Seriously impressive job I can’t get enough of these. 

 

The Clark Effect:

 

This was not my favorite type of way to do a vid + text segment BUT, I appreciate how it was laid out. Instead of their being any physical stuff it didn’t seem like much was being missed since the viewers couldn’t right away read the words, I think that’s an issue only when you’re missing critical stuff, with this you aren’t. The Lobby is an interesting thing in OCW right now. We’re getting a lot of top guys in these tag teams when I can’t even tell you the last time that was a thing. It was a shock when Harvey & Quartz did it and it applies to Pugh & Rust as well. I want them to kick the shit out of DNS cause fuck Bolek, but I also want DNS to win because that would be a very insane crowning moment for them. We’ll see what happens at End Games. 

 

Shianne’s backstage interview:

 

Strong words used by Shianne, Jim definitely needs to learn choose his wording carefully. Shianne is an interesting character when it comes to the TOG dynamic, I’d rather see her fight against them at some point in time. OCW atm has a lot of heels atm and not to say Shianne isn’t a good heel because she is, just myself I’d like to see her more in an anti-hero role. It’ll be interesting to see how she handles Deborah & Joanna as her and Joanna are both gunning for Deborah. Good words!!

 

The Believers PT2:

 

I’m glad this feud is getting some sort of final 1v1 match. However, I wish it would’ve been earlier in the season when Chris was more heel and with Kasstianity. He clearly at this moment seems to be separating himself from Kass / Kasstianity which is cool, give me the scrappy underdog baby face Chris Greene again please and thank you. Chris also really likes carbs, dude has a tremendous metabolism for someone at such a big age (hehe), Joe seems stuck in a way. He can’t really seem to get going, whether it’s with a proper Believers tag run or even really trying to make his former partner focus on him. I hope when S19 / 2k24 starts we see some more in-depth development from Joe. It kinda goes back to my comment earlier about having another character when your main hasn’t really been able to experience everything in OCW. Joe has had some ups and downs this season, I feel he SHOULD have been doing much better / in higher spots but he just keeps getting in his own way. I look forward to the inevitable matchup between the two former partners but I hope when it’s all said and done BOTH men take the initiative and become more focal parts of OCW. 

 

Heather v. Ashley:

 

Talk about decorated women being in the ring with one another. When you have women of this caliber in the ring and facing one another you know you’re in for a match that’s bound to be good. The S-Cup has been wild (as I’ve mentioned and will keep doing so) so really seeing just how ANYONE at any given point can win and change their fortunes is a nice thing that I hope we utilize more for next season. Give me more tournaments, cowards! Heather obviously didn’t have Cody with her as she wants to do this herself which I commend. I really like the look of both women, I didn’t dislike Furiosa but aesthetically Heather > Furi. Ashley rocking a new fit is always pleasant as the queen wants to show people why she’s the queen of OCW. One loss doesn’t define anything in tournaments as we’ve seen in the past. The queen gets the job done in an ultra competitive match which just goes to show man these brackets can get shaken up so crazy! I honestly am hoping we see something super wild happen where we get a show of just all S-Cup matches + deciding the finals just for the chaos factor. Awesome match ladies. 

 

Deborah on vacation:

 

Deborah really has to learn to appreciate that man Brian. He’s just trying his best and ole girl is gonna give dude body dysmorphia and some other mental issues after dealing with her. Shit who knows tho with the way stuff happens in OCW something will happen where he’ll save her and she’ll be nice. Anyways, our Women’s World Champion is FINALLY coming back from vacation! It’s time for the champ to address Joanna & Shianne, two women who are gunning for her and we all know Deborah can sling venom in her own right. Deborah’s world title reign has been something of magic, her aura, presentation, videos, and written have all complimented each other so very well. When the day comes and Deborah isn’t champion (hopefully not for another 18 years) I really hope to see the next champion really ramp it up because Deborah isn’t just crawling, walking, or running with this reign. She’s sprinting in a marathon and making it look easy. A great text segment from the champion. 

 

Maxx & Luis have a chat:

 

This was a very interesting promo from Maxx. He didn’t come off as the standard baby face that everyone loves in OCW, and I really like that. He’s giving Luis snark and very backhanded remarks that we typically don’t see all like that. The teeter tottering of Maxx in this feud is something to behold since it’s a very fine line to tow. He has the fans but he still is showing some of his more true / savage colors with what he’s saying to Luis. Also, Maxx isn’t that old bros maybe MAYBE in his 30s, but Luis sitting there being all shocked is another point to look forward to seeing because, how does he react? What will he do when he sees Parca or Dennis next? Ever since aligning himself with Dennis we haven’t really seen much from him & Parca except the tag match and their awkward convo that one time. It’s a nice thing to think about because this isn’t the standard diehard loyalty we’ve seen from people who have been around Parca / Dillinger. Perhaps Luis does some digging on his own? Maybe he checks Maxx’s closet for skeletons or Parca’s. Regardless both men leave you wanting more on their paths because you don’t really know what they have planned next. This is such a beautiful segment because Maxx is blurring the lines between business & personal with Parca. He clearly wants Parca to focus solely on him and of course, be vulnerable so what other way than to start going and talking to the young gun that is barely initiated with him to start that off. Dissension in DDE perhaps? Good stuff. 

 

Perfect Storm finally comes out the closet:

 

Yes I did that on purpose fuck you Harvey and fuck you Ijitu. Give me my FRAWG BACK! This segment man holy shit. Not at ALL what I was expecting from any of it like literally any of it. Talk about a massive swerve, so we keep seeing Wrex being involved with Perfect Storm but now we have KASS? Kass of all people with Wrex? Good lord this tag division is fucking insane. Legit I cannot tell you the last time we’ve seen such a stacked and variety filled tag team division. I hope that the story of Perfect Storm v. Scumtianity lasts a little bit of time because a pairing like Wrex & Kass is so surreal to see that I’m just mind blown. This is an awesome example people, specifically rookies should notice that you don’t always need to be fighting for titles to be in prominent positions. DNS v. The Lobby & now Perfect Storm v. Scumtianity, I don’t know if anyone would’ve been able to have seen this from a million miles away. Really good stuff and I hope I seen some Kass Cakes dropped on Harvey & Quartz. 

 

Sue Plex v. EMP

 

With the banger ass hype package we got for this match it feels like a big fight matchup. Emp is 1-0, Sue is 0-1 and Sue has had a really hard road to walk down ever since Emp forced Terra into retirement. She stumbled against Deborah and hasn’t been able to find proper footing as of late. This match was another awesome example of why we need more tournaments!! Sue showed so much heart, so much grit and tried her absolute damndest to put Emp down. But man oh man! Emp was on top of her game today and she just was letting Sue have it. It didn’t really seem like Sue could hit the maneuvers that she really needed to end the match which of course ended up catching up to her as Emp would come out victorious and is now 2-0 in the S-Cup. Marisa & Emp are both undefeated and are clearly the favorites to win their brackets, but with OCW ANYTHING can happen at any given moment. Seriously well done on the great matches from everyone involved with the S-Cup thus far. And once again massive kudos Emp for the banger hype packages. 

 

Homecoming:

 

Sometimes it’s a bit odd how JCS you’d think with how big OCW is would have better lawyers, better locks on his doors, better windows, and just overall better reading comprehension. Call it complacency, laziness, or dumbfoolery the man has a wife whether he likes it or not. Is it considered breaking in if they’re married? Wouldn’t she be entitled to coming into her home with her husband? Mans didn’t even celebrate his wife winning her match.. kind messed up man. This toxic / weird dynamic that JCS & Emp have is funny but also wild. Mans DOES NOT like her and clearly Emp feeds off of fucking with him / making him miserable. However.. do you really know how to swim? Did I get conned? I have a strange feeling that somehow someway she’s gonna gaslight / torture this man to truly being in love with her. An interesting segment to end the show and I can only imagine what other madness these two + that story has in for all of us that are in OCW + the fan base. 

 

Conclusion:

 

The last couple of shows have been really fucking good. They’ve felt quick in a way where you don’t realize 2 - 2 ½ hours have passed and the show is over. If this is how we’re closing our 2k23 then I am extremely excited to see how we come out swinging for 2k24. Also, please don’t expect these novels frequently, I was on overnight and needed to stay up so this is why we got it. I will however make a conscious decision to keep reviewing shows / discussing them really. Have a great weekend and stay sexy yall.