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PWMusings' Writers/Contributors Wanted
- Craig William
- Feb 15, 2023
- 6 min read
Hello and welcome to this write up of what you could do as part of the Pro Wrestling Musings fansite.
Two things first;
1. This isn't a paying website; we write for enjoyment and creativity. Ultimately to create something good.
2. You need to be an adult; 19+ having left high school.
The ethos of the site is to be different, intelligent and creative. We try to treat wrestling seriously while acknowledging that it can be treated poorly, and can treat it's audience poorly at times. The site often takes the hybrid position of part sports report and part TV critic.
Writers
Dynamite Reviewer
We are looking for a writer to review Dynamite each week with an emphasis on evaluating the quality of the product. A lot of reviews out there are recap heavy, they describe in detail what happened to the reader. We are looking for someone to create a review that will add texture to the viewing experience rather than fill in the blanks for someone that missed the show.
It's also important that the review aims to define 'what is good', rather than the reviewer reviewing each show based off quick 'takes', they would have a rubric defining what makes a good show. Such a rubric would probably cover quality of in-ring work, promo delivery and/or crowd response.
Part of being our Dynamite Reviewer is consistency. Do you spill over with thoughts and feelings on Dynamite and want to put them somewhere? Make sure you want to enjoy the article creating process, and are not being attracted by the idea of positive feedback online!
Get in touch with us via PWMusings@Gmail.com, or me on Twitter @CraigPWMusings.
AEW Booking Analysis
A writer to track and analyse the booking on AEW television is also desired on Pro Wrestling Musings (dot) com. This would be a writer aiming their coverage purely at the thought and planning behind what appears on screen. Why are The Gunns tag team champions, how has Hook's push progressed week to week since winning the FTW Championship and/or whether MJF's screen time is merited or to the detriment of other wrestlers.
The structure of this article is up for debate. It could look at the thought behind a selection of segments each week/month, it could focus on the quality or intentions of the pushes of certain wrestlers, or it could track each major storyline and evaluate the beats of said stories.
The frequency of this article is not nailed down, it can be tailored to your time and interest levels. The main thing is to ensure that the article is of good quality and is ambitious in aim. The writer would probably track storylines via notes each week even if not writing them up to ensure quality of the articles.
Get in touch with us via PWMusings@Gmail.com, or me on Twitter @CraigPWMusings.
Classic Match Analyst
We have a lot of statistics from classic matches saved up so it would make sense for us to start having those written up. These articles would be most suitable with a backstory, any details surrounding the match, some insight into the structure of the match using our statistics and then using those to compare it to other matches to compare and contrast the significant features of the original match.
Writing up classic matches is not a new feature of a website, however with statistics we should be able to differentiate and add something different. Via this link, there are reviews of the Omega/Okada series as well as comparisons between them and the Steamboat/Flair series. This was done a few years ago and the statistics used have been developed since, but it's a good illustration of different methods and ways of comparing.
This would suit a knowledgeable writer who wants to do something different and really dig into how wrestling matches are put together.
Get in touch with us via PWMusings@Gmail.com, or me on Twitter @CraigPWMusings.
Deep Dive Statistics Analyst
Another area where we have a lot of statistical work that could have something done with. We have statistics compiled for the top rated matches from a few companies; WWE, NXT, NJPW and AEW. As you'll notice the articles mainly display the numbers behind the Top 10 (/Top 25) matches. More detail, running a narrative through the article or breaking it up into a series where the author does a write up on each match with more statistics provided (by me) would be viable options.
This article series would be looking for an ambitious and creative writer, the articles would be a large undertaking and look for someone to be really into the process.
Get in touch with us via PWMusings@Gmail.com, or me on Twitter @CraigPWMusings.
Wrestler Ratings - Stardom, New Japan and Other
We currently do Wrestler Ratings for Dynamites and are looking to expand those article series to cover the bigger Pro Wrestling companies and their big shows. We are primarily hoping to find a writer that is a New Japan follower, another that is a Stardom follower and potentially an other(/others) that have interest in doing such articles for other big pro wrestling events in companies like NOAH, TJPW or even WWE.
The article idea comes from the Player Ratings articles that always follow football matches; Liverpool/Everton example. By mimicking this and adopting a part sports, part entertainment media approach we hope to provide information and insight on the performances of wrestlers as they tell stories and perform athletic feats in the ring.
Writers would evaluate wrestler's performances as they aim to put on great matches and convince views that they are engaged in conflict with their opponent. What are they doing that is convincing or impressive, and that are they doing that isn't hitting for the viewer. This doesn't necessarily need to be for every match on the card, as evaluating the performance of everyone involved in an undercard tag could be stifling.
Get in touch with us via PWMusings@Gmail.com, or me on Twitter @CraigPWMusings.
NJPW Power Rankings
Power Rankings have long been a feature of this site, and even writing them in kayfabe you dive into a lot of information around a promotions current landscape. The rationale of Power Rankings is to rank wrestlers by their current 'power' within the promotion. This is usually dictated by titles or wins but it is essentially the kayfabe rankings of the current landscape of the company.
Rankings can be done sporadically in preview/review of big events or be scheduled monthly. These rankings will help tell the stories of the company to the reader via the premise of ranking the wrestlers. Rankings will include a small write up for each ranked wrestler.
The writer would be an enthusiastic follower of New Japan Pro Wrestling and be looking for a way of diving further into their own enthusiasm for the company and wrestling.
You could use the format used in the examples above or a purely ranking and justifying of a Top 10.
Get in touch with us via PWMusings@Gmail.com, or me on Twitter @CraigPWMusings.
NJPW Previews
We are looking for someone to write up previews for the big New Japan tournaments or shows. These would be designed to enable people who like to watch these shows but do not manage to keep up with the product regularly.
These examples give the reader information about the competitors in the upcoming tournaments but also give some extra intrigue in terms of the predictions made. New Japan versions could follow these models, alter them or be in a new format that achieves the same end result.
Get in touch with us via PWMusings@Gmail.com, or me on Twitter @CraigPWMusings.
Cross-Promotional Power Rankings
This is the exact same gig as the New Japan rationale, but for the company you are most passionate about. We are only really looking for the bigger or most critically acclaimed promotions; NOAH, DDT, AJPW, TJPW or WWE (maybe even Impact). So probably not the loacal indie you're passionate about!
Get in touch with us via PWMusings@Gmail.com, or me on Twitter @CraigPWMusings.
Games/Challenges
In the past we have run fun leagues based on wins and losses and more prominently one based on our in-ring statistics. We are looking for people to help contribute towards the ideas behind these and run them:
Prediction League
This one is simple, we'd like someone to run a predictions league based on the results of AEW programming. This would involve sending out weekly forms to gather players predictions on results, run a spreadsheet that would score this and then display the data.
Get in touch with us via PWMusings@Gmail.com, or me on Twitter @CraigPWMusings.
Team Prediction League
This is similar to the version above but players would band into teams of a specific number (5?). That way players have to find other players to band together with and would rise or fall based on their collective totals. We would seek to invite representatives from other brands to enter a team to hopefully create a cool league featuring recognisable names from other wrestling media platforms.
Get in touch with us via PWMusings@Gmail.com, or me on Twitter @CraigPWMusings.
Fantasy Faction - W+Ls
Less clear on the composition of this one... Could players put wrestlers in their 'faction'. Then over the next month they gain points for wins? I did one once where players picked a faction of 5 for the G1 using a budget where I based the wrestlers 'price' on the amount of points gained in their previous 3 G1s.
Get in touch with us via PWMusings@Gmail.com, or me on Twitter @CraigPWMusings.
We are open to the idea of pitches from prospective writers, but those ideas need to be fleshed out and ambitious; most importantly they need to be in fitting with the standard and style of the website.
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