#PWI 2020s

[blowflyfag]

Pro Wrestling Illustrated: April 2024

[cashandprizes]

Short answer: racism is in fact everywhere.

Longer answer: I think people are trying to engage with good intentions but aren't aware of how their actions come off as performative or missing the mark because their knowledge/understanding of diversity is centered in "diversity is deviation from a preset norm" rather than "diversity is many differences".

In this case, we're talking about white-centering (if you don't know what that means look it up, expecting me to define it is the literal meaning of this word), but the same thing happens when talking about ability/accessibility, cis/heteronormativity, etc.

And so I think when people are thinking "I want to include characters of color" it's really easy to say "oh I think this character would be POC" and basing it on "vibes" but the vibes are actually microaggressions and stereotypes. I like to think for my own sanity people are engaging with the intention of being inclusive, but white-centric diversity is meaning that their inclusivity misses the mark. And POC are left staring, trying to decide if they're going crazy or if they're noticing something, and then if it's even worth bringing it up.

Thank you, Penn, for bringing this up as a conversation, because often minority and marginalized people carry the weight of realizing there is discrimination happening and feel that there's no point in talking about it because of said discrimination. Being a compassionate, empathic person in the world means we think about things critically because we understand how our own ideas and conceptualizations can exclude people and working to change the world around us - even on a fandom level.

And if your argument is - "it's just fandom, it's not that important", I'd encourage you to think about all the fandom friends you make and all the times fandom has been a source of comfort and support for you. Imagine how many people would like to feel comfort and support in a fandom knowing that they were included.

Bonus answer: please don't make me come back to the "in what world is a town in Southern California mostly white" conversation. how are we making Dahlia a sundown town y'all? Even gentrified by a PWI, there are still POCs in these places. California is a minority majority state - according to 2020 Census data, 41.2% of residents are white/Caucasian. Be so fucking forreal.

Alright, so I was over here thinking about various things, which led me down the path of thinking about Damien. As I sat with my thoughts, I was struck by a question: Why is Damien so often headcanoned as a person of color?

And as a person of color, I want to take a closer look at this and talk about it.

Preface: For those who may not be aware, I personally headcanon Damien as Black and Filipino. The entire DAMN crew is Black in one way or another because I wanted them to be. (I am also Black, for reference)

When I think about the reasons why I headcanon Damien as a person of color, it's largely in part because I relate to him and project my lived experiences onto him as a character. Lots of the stereotypes put onto fire elementals have been directed towards me, or I have witnessed directed towards other people of color. So if you were to look at the way he is treated on the basis of being a fire elemental and say "this is why I have this headcanon"? Sure, I can buy into it.

But then what about the vampires?

Vampires are treated poorly in canon as well. If I remember correctly, it's mentioned by Vincent in regards to him attending classes at DAMN. Separate from that, though, they are treated poorly on the basis of being "feeders". (D(a)emons could be thrown into this as well. But I have complex thoughts on some of the popular headcanons, so that's a conversation for another day). It is something that permeates their everyday lived experiences, even if not constantly acknowledged. Yet majority of the fandom regards them as white. It is rare that I see any of the vampires, speaker or otherwise, depicted as anything other pale and/or white. So to me, there isn't a universal correlation of "Canonical discrimination towards a character is regarded as POC coding".

Another argument I could see people having: "I think he's a person of color based on how his mom was treated." Let's unpack this as a concept.

In itself, I love this line of thinking. It's taking various factors into play when coming up with a headcanon, which is always fun to me. But when you examine canon, his mom is discriminated against on the basis of being humanborn. In canon, Lasko is also humanborn. It's a core part of him as a character (so much so that it's also present in the Imperium). Yet, again, he's largely regarded as white. I can count on my hand the amount of non-white Lasko designs I have encountered. And almost all of the people with those designs are POC themselves. If you take this into consideration, being humanborn is not synonymous with being POC coded (at least throughout the fandom). So there isn't any concrete justification of his mom being explicitly regarded as POC. And as such, it no longer influences what Damien could be racially speaking. So again, I ask: Why is he so often headcanoned as a person of color?

Because here's my thing about Damien. There's just as much basis for him to be white, and I would directly cite the way he talks about DAMN as a whole. He has audios with FL in Season 1 as an example, but I think extensively about his more recent audio with Gavin ("Supporting An Incubus"). Throughout that audio, I had one persisting thought. I could lead with "His heart's in the right place" and such. But that doesn't change the fact that yeah, he 100% sounds like a white savior. You could go as far to save he always sounds like one when he talks about DAMN. The only time I've thought otherwise is when I'm actively imagining him as POC, which doesn't change what is presented in canon.

But all of this is so largely ignored by the fandom in favor of other headcanons— A lot them being that he's Black. And when I see how that is paired with widely popular white Lasko headcanons, it rubs me the wrong way. Especially given that canonically, he was scared of Damien at one point (a fact affirmed in several audios). Before anyone tries to say "But it was because—", that doesn't negate or erase context and subtext.

As I said when I made my post in regards to Huxley and Darlin often being headcanoned as specifically Black, I cannot dictate anyone's thoughts/headcanons. That's not the purpose of sharing these thoughts. What I am trying to do is have a conversation about something that I think is worth discussing and examining further. There is no harm in thinking critically about media you enjoy, and that's what I'm striving to do.

Just consider what I'm saying. Please.

[ambreignssmemories]

“2020″ is the Mox’s year ☝💪

[sezuna09]

PWI #4 2020 🥺🥺

[transpublikid]

Dapat Dukungan Besar, Hermansjah Deklarasikan Diri Sebagai Ketua PWI Sumut 2020-2025

Dapat Dukungan Besar, Hermansjah Deklarasikan Diri Sebagai Ketua PWI Sumut 2020-2025

MEDAN | TRANSPUBLIK.co.id – Dengan dukungan yang besar, H Hermansjah mendeklarasikan diri sebagai Ketua PWI Sumut priode 2020-2025. Selama 5 tahun ke depan, ia siap mengabdikan untuk membangun organisasi kewartawanan itu lebih baik lagi. “Mohon doa dan dukungan semoga niat baik ini bisa kita bersama-sama untuk membangun organisasi yang lebih baik lagi,” ujar H Hermansjah SE, dalam acara Deklarasi…

[sheslikealostflower]

PWI Awards 2020 → 2022

[aggilbewara]

PWI Pusat Tegaskan Wartawan untuk Menjaga Independensi Dalam Pilkada 2020 Jakarta, bewarajabar.com -- Persatuan Wartawan Indonesia (PWI) Pusat kembali menegaskan kepada wartawan dan anggotanya untuk menjaga independensi dalam Pilkada 2020.

[portalmaduracom]

Bupati Sumenep Terima Anugerah PWI Jatim Award Bidang Pemerintahan

PortalMadura.Com, Sumenep – Bupati Sumenep, Madura, A. Busyro Karim menerima anugerah PWI Jatim Award tahun 2020 di bidang pemerintahan. Anugerah PWI Jatim

Baca Selengkapnya di Source link

[vegasvagus]

I think about how in 2020, before I started college. I had a decently size afro and I was nervous about going to college (covid and being away yadda yadda) but I remember I changed my hair so it wouldn't be an afro because I didn't want to stand out. I wanted to fit in.....on a PWI

A few month ago I cut off all my hair because I didn't feel like myself because I wasn't myself. I was altering my hair and outfits to fit in. Now I know that I like having my afro. I like wearing jeans. I hate wearing leggings with a burning passion. Make up makes me feel like a gross clown. Simple.

[blowflyfag]

Pro Wrestling Illustrated: April 2024

[gaywatch]

(more Golden Lovers stuff, sorry) i looked back at the previous posts i sent you, haha, and the last one was a lot further back than i thought, so i realized the more recent message might need a little more context, because i'm not sure it quite comes across just how big of a deal this was.

basically, AEW is a brand new American wrestling company that started in 2019. so 2019 was an extremely exciting time to be a wrestling fan, and then the pandemic hit, and 2020 was an extremely depressing time to be a wrestling fan. miraculously, AEW managed to weather the pandemic due to a combination of luck (they happened to have access to an outdoor stadium, and were able to run no crowd shows) and creative ingenuity. it was a real trial by fire for them, since they'd only been on TV for less than half a year when they had to completely change their entire operation.

WWE is obviously the global industry leader in wrestling, but AEW has, uh, caught up to them way faster than anyone thought possible (partially due to the fact that they adapted to the pandemic conditions way better than their competitor lol). the Washington Post has an article that gets into some of this.

this summer, there was a pretty huge turning point for AEW because they brought a massively popular wrestler named CM Punk out of retirement, and then shortly after that, they managed to sign two huge WWE stars: Adam Cole and Daniel Bryan.

now, one thing that AEW really had going for them over WWE was that they cared about long term storytelling (basically, stories developing over multiple years as opposed to over a few weeks or months). their top story was centered around Hangman Adam Page, self-professed "anxious millennial cowboy", who struggled with insecurity after failing to meet expectations in AEW's first year. just as they planned, Hangman's story really resonated with people! Kenny had a huge role in this because he basically became the villain that Hangman would need to beat before he could finally become the face of the company that he was meant to be.

of course, in order for that to happen, Kenny had to have a massive run as a heel, and that's what he spent december 2020-early november 2021 doing. it was a pretty amazing run because his character became obsessed with collecting belts from different promotions, and it ushered in the so-called "Forbidden Door" era of wrestling, where wrestlers from different promotions could walk between them (this is how we got an AEW/NJPW partnership).

this resulted in him getting voted PWI's #1 wrestler of the year. it was his second time winning it, and it marked the first time that a non-WWE wrestler had won it twice. they interviewed him after he won it, and naturally Kota came up (this was a shoot interview, so he wasn't in character). he said: "for someone as influential as Ibushi was to my career, inside and outside, i feel it would be an injustice for [the story] to die"

in-character, Kenny had spent the past year constantly referencing Kota and betraying his insecurity that basically no matter what he did, no matter what heights he achieved, he couldn't measure up to Kota. he referenced him in podcast interviews, on twitter, instagram, in promos on Impact, even in the Mexican promotion AAA, which is literally geoblocked right now so international fans can't legally view their content.

Kenny faced Bryan Danielson in a really great match (a literal dream match for many fans), and in a match that had garnered one of AEW's biggest audiences yet, held in the biggest venue they'd booked, which Kenny knew everyone would be watching, he busted out Kota's old finisher again, the phoenix splash (and missed it like he always does). one of my favorite aspects of his work is that he includes these little gay love letters in all of his best matches so that the Golden Lovers story is literally impossible for anyone to ignore or write out of his work.

it's just cool to me that he's managed to do all of this and basically sit at the top of the industry and somehow still keep the story alive, against all odds

This context is delectable darling, thank youuuuuuuuuuuuu.

Call me a silly optimist but one day there will be a Big Gay Kiss during a wrestling match and the world will never be the same.

[roeiswriting]

Kenny Omega vs Hangman Adam Page - A Complete Overview

‘You don’t need a hat to be a cowboy’

A phrase that we all as wrestling fans have become familiar with and a phrase that was proven true during the 2021 Casino ladder match during AEW Dynamite.

The story of Hangman Adam Page is one that can only be described as long term storytelling at its finest. His fall from the elite coupled with his unexpected delightful friendship with the Dark Order has made him the top guy in the company. The audience saw the arrivals of Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk, and despite worries from some, many fans were not left asking if Hangman would be pushed to the side, but instead were filled with anticipation for when he would come back.

AEW gave the audience a story and trusted them to follow along, there was no doubt that Hangman would be possibly the final challenger and man to topple current AEW World Champion, and long time rival, Kenny Omega. The formation of their tag team was genius. Two men who were expected to be champions immediately in this company, but didn’t live up to critics’ expectations, found themselves confiding in each other, as if despite their differences they could really work together to become better. However, the cracks were there from the beginning, Omega having a disdain for alcohol and his own self esteem issues coupled with Page constantly being belittled by his elite counterparts whilst dealing with the disappointment of not becoming the inaugural champion as he promised he would. Their match with The Young Bucks at Revolution 2020 highlighted both how well they could work together, the cracks in their relationship, and really set this story in motion.

The story is something which can even go back to both men’s NJPW days, where Page and Omega found themselves on opposite sides during the Bullet Club Civil War of 2018, Page even being the one who held Omega up for the interrupted chair shot from Cody, which resulted in the long awaited Golden Lovers reunion. Events like these don’t go unnoticed in AEW, it highlights the character progression from both of these men. It shows how in AEW you don’t become an entirely new person from feud to feud, all of these events, even going back to the start of your career, mean something to your character.

Omega has been one to always make a point of this, his heel turn and eventual mending of his relationship with The Young Bucks is a great example, Kenny using his real life moving out of Japan as a reason for why they should side with him, even tapping into how both Matt and Nick are known family men and using that to talk about how he had to leave his loved ones whilst they had theirs in their arms. Kenny is known for his character work and attention to detail, he tried so hard to get Matt and Nick on side because he saw them as brothers, so it says a lot that he didn’t truly try to help Hangman, a man they claimed to be a brother for years, when all of them agreed he was on a downwards trajectory. There is an argument to be made that Omega himself was on a downwards spiral at the same time, not the man he was expected to be, constantly being told he could be better, and then finally giving in on the 8th December 2020 episode of Dynamite, ‘Winter is Coming,’ when he finally turned heel and joined forces with Don Callis to try and prove he is even more of the man that everyone expected him to be. Many fans believe that this broken down version of Kenny gave into what everyone wanted him to be, some even claiming he is letting himself be manipulated by Callis because he just couldn’t do it alone. Eventually in AEW we may even get an appearance from a certain Golden Star if Kenny’s interview with PWI is anything to go by, it seems to be evident that Kenny left his heart in Japan and never seemed to get over it, it’s central to who his character is.

Page on the other hand, has done the opposite. Whilst seeing Omega give into his cocky over the top persona, he grew into a new man, the parts that were deemed broken by the elite were valued by the members of the Dark Order, it was more than gaining a new recruit, he became someone that they genuinely liked and wanted to help. Hangman, abandoned by the men who once called him brother, found a family when it was the furthest thing from what he wanted. His reluctance to accept that they truly wanted him came from the damage dealt by the elite and Hangman leant on that in a perfect way. He slowly but surely was integrated into the Dark Order, he didn’t need to officially join or gain a number, because they taught him to trust again and they became the family that he deserved. It wasn’t about faction warfare, it was about family. So, Hangman Adam Page was not deemed elite, but that didn’t matter, because he didn’t want to be elite, not by their definition of the word. This bond with the Dark Order, Evil Uno constantly pressing at Omega and asking ‘why are you scared of my friend?’ and various other factors lead to the 10 Man Elimination match between the Super Elite and the Dark Order, which took place on July 28th. The stipulation being that if the dark order won they got a tag team championship opportunity and Page got his title shot against Omega, but if they lose then Dark Order don’t gain an opportunity and Hangman has to step aside from the title picture for now. The Super Elite were victorious, and as a result, a rift was created in the dark order, and Hangman was nowhere to be seen after the match.

That brought us to October 6th 2021, AEW Dynamite live from Philadelphia, the place where Omega and Page first became a tag team back in 2019, the 2021 Casino Ladder Match. People had been discussing potential jokers since the match itself was announced, many people even questioning whether this would be the right place for Hangman to return, but as soon as the clock hit 0, that familiar music played, and everything felt right. Hangman being the joker may not have been everybody’s idea of a perfect return, but it was, in a way, poetic. Hangman has always earned his opportunities whether it be by participating in tournaments, winning battle royales, or working to become the number one ranked wrestler in the company. Despite the already existing story between Omega and Page they make a point of Hangman always earning his shots because they want to show him as a hard worker to not only the audience but even to the members of the Elite. A major part of this story is Hangman proving his worth to himself, he doesn’t need the approval of the Elite, he needs to prove to himself that he is worthy of holding the top prize because he really is as good as people say he is. Hangman winning the ladder match and gaining that title opportunity is perfect for his character and constant rise as a star.

The promo Hangman cut on the October 16th edition of Dynamite meant so much to this story. His entire character arc prior to this was full of self doubt and distancing himself, but here he stood with so much passion and conviction. He spoke of his old friends, but never in a fully negative way, he spoke of his new friends and how they truly mean so much to him, he talked about having the courage to step away and to be there for his new baby boy during the hottest stint of his career. Then he talked about us, the fans, how we never gave up on him, how we willed him on this whole time, and how he finally understands and actually believes in himself

Their story is something that has captured the hearts of many fans, the last segment to build to what is hopefully a grand crescendo, occurred during the November 10th Dynamite this past Wednesday Night.

A contract signing.

A staple of the wrestling business and one that people tend to associate with harsh words, at least one broken table, and all in all sports entertainment shenanigans, however this was far from that trope.

Hangman exudes confidence for the first time in his career, all he has to say to Kenny is that he believes that he will beat him on November 13th, however, Omega is one for theatrics. A dramatic, passionate, delusional villain, who arguably uses comedy to distract his opponents from how intelligent he really is, both in and out of the ring. There was nothing comedic about this segment, Kenny was serious and emotional and really draws both Hangman and the audience in on this idea that, in some twisted way, he actually cares about him. He talks of Hangman’s insecurities, how the elite always tried to pick him back up but he is the one who refused to come back, even claiming that backstage once Page had left the elite they were still there to sit him “back on the horse”, even going as far to say that he thought that he saw part of himself in Hangman, but that he was wrong.

However, Omega doesn’t understand that this is not the Page that was once in the background of the bullet club, the Page he once called his partner, the Page he beat back at Full Gear 2020, hell he’s not even the Page he beat in the 10 man tag during Fight for the Fallen a few months back. Hangman Page actually has belief in himself to achieve the one thing he promised from the beginning, so he doesn’t back down here or shy away from the conversation, instead he goes for the jugular. His confidence is highlighted here, he looks Omega straight in his eyes and says “If i remember, you once had another tag team partner who maybe you felt like you didn’t measure up to either”.

The mention of Ibushi here is perfect, Hangman knows Kenny, he knows that this is how to get in his head, he doesn’t believe in this facade that Kenny presents to the world. What makes this even better is that when Hangman states that maybe Kenny has surpassed Ibushi, multiple members of the crowd are seen shaking their heads, very clearly disagreeing. This is something even Kenny knows deep down. No matter how much he tries to hide it, he has claimed multiple times over that Ibushi is and always has been better than him. To the point that in all of Kenny’s big matches for years he desperately calls on Ibushi by using the phoenix splash, and is never able to hit it, there is no doubt in my mind that he will try to hit it against Hangman and fail miserably all over again.

The reveal of Don Callis behind one of the cameras just cemented how far gone Omega really is. He will do anything to keep that championship because he was told for so long that it is the only way people will see him for how good he really is. That championship justifies these lies that Omega has been telling himself for so long. The question is what is going to happen to him when he loses this belt, will he spiral once more, will he be left in the dust, or will he finally rise like a phoenix from the ashes of this defeat and become a better man.

The attention to detail when it comes to both mens characters is what has made people invest so much in this story. Even if fans are 99% sure that Hangman is going to win at Full Gear, that 1% of doubt is what keeps people so invested. That 1% overwhelms you and it is what makes nuanced storytelling and complex characters in professional wrestling so captivating.

[the-eldritch-it-gay]

ok i’m the anon who used to go the same uni and i remember trying to get those van rides was HELL. they always picked me up late and i would end up late to my first class and ofc i had one of those profs who was like “i lock the door at 9 sharp and if you’re late fuck you <3”. the package thing is new tho is that a covid rule or just a new thing they’re trying to be Worse somehow

Yeah, the van absolutely sucks, the amount of times I’ve been abandoned and stranded on lower campus with no way to get home or stuck on upper campus with no way to get to class. And so many professors don’t realize how hard it is to get to class on time when you depend entirely on a mismanaged service worked by fellow students or they don’t realize the problems that arise from class going late and missing your ride is hellish.

The package protocol they introduced due to COVID, though if I’m honest even before COVID it was hellish because they constantly changed their hours and half the time when I tried to pick up a package they had changed the time they open. Another fun thing that makes things difficult is that recently the Towers desk has been short staffed it seems, with only a single student working most times I’ve gone to pick up packages, which is hell for them when package pick up time rolls around and they have to single-handedly deal with like 100 people trying to get packages. Idk if towers desk workers get paid more than other dorms but I certainly hope so because when I worked front desk at Chancellors in 2019/2020 pre COVID, my wage was literally federal minimum wage and I can’t imagine having to deal with the hell of towers and packages for only minimum wage.

Honestly in general I feel the overall vibes and quality of campus have been steadily declining, even before COVID hit. Supposedly though there’s going to be a new science building, meanwhile my dorm barely has wifi, ceiling tiles are missing, the laundry room only sometimes functions. I do also though have the misfortune of not being a White Able Bodied Christian, so I’m slightly biased in my thoughts of how things are at an inaccesible PWI that has only like 3 Muslims on the campus and 800 Christian clubs lmao. Hey, at least I’m almost done here though! Biggest things I have left right now are CERCA, Finals, and then I’m out of here lol.

[seraphdreams]

seriously, growing up in a predominantly yt place has got to be one of the worst thing as a black person or poc in general. i was legit the only black person in my class my first 3 years of high school, in a class of like 30 whites n i was always labeled aggressive and mean bc i didnt bend to kiss the a$$ of every yt there. majority of the other black people were indeed 🦝 🦝s that let them be racist like it was funny so them to me its like “why arent you tap dancing for me like the rest?” yk? and lets not even talk abt how the 2020 summer was a dark time

like it still makes me mad how so many kewns were and are still friends with their nb friends that said blm was wrong and violent, said the nword on a daily basis, said they back the blue, all that + more

LITERALLY!! it’s the internalized yt supremacy even though THEY ARENT WHITE!! i feel like, as survivors of PWIs, we deserve heavy compensation

[softambrollins]

The Shield + PWI 500 2020

[aggilbewara]

Usai HPN 2020, Ketum PWI Pusat beserta Istri Berwisata di Sungai Martapura Bewarajabar.com -- Usai peringatan Hari Pers Nasional (HPN) 2020 di Banjarmasin, Kalimantan Selatan, Ketua Umum PWI Pusat, Atal S Depari dan istri menyempatkan diri menikmati wisata di Sungai Martapura yang merupakan anak Sungai Barito, Senin (10/2).