Post by Pizza Ant on Sept 24, 2017 13:33:23 GMT
Name: Matt “Messiah” Dwyer Johnny California
Handler: Johnny California
Nicknames:
"The Mould-breaker"
"The Influential, the Controversial, and the Unforgettable"
"The Man Behind the Mask"
He absolutely HATES it when people call him "Matt" or anything that relates to his old stage name. You can call him that if you wish, but he's not gonna like it.
Date of Birth: November 6th, 1995
Hometown: The Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Heel, Face, or Tweener?: Heel
Wrestling Style: Strike-based
Personality:
Johnny California is a man that has been left damaged and bitter by the sacrifices he made in creating the "Matt "Messiah" Dwyer" character and the realisation of how it eventually meant nothing in the long run. He has come to the realisation that what the audience expects is nothing less of perfection, and is angry they have such high standards as to who should be successful. Ditching the persona entirely, he now portrays the genuine personality that lied behind the masquerade. He knows he isn't deserving of great success or being the face of Freedom Pro Wrestling, yet he pursues it anyway for the simple reason that he wants it. He will go to great lengths to sit at the top of the wrestling world, and will push others down to keep them from overtaking him on the ladder of success. He is obsessive about being the centre of attention and believes that true power comes from a room where all eyes are on you, whether it's a look of approval or disdain. If he feels as though someone is overshadowing him, he becomes determined to stealing the shine away from them.
Strengths:
- He has an uncanny eye for opportunity, and is great at thinking on his feet, allowing him to find openings that advantage him where others may not.
- Mind games. He loves to play them with opponents before, during or even after matches. If there's a way into his opponent's head, he'll go for it.
- California acts mainly on impulse in the ring, making him a nearly unpredictable opponent and somewhat of a loose cannon.
Weaknesses:
- His technical ability and submission capabilites are lacking. In a collar-and-elbow tie up, his chances of coming out on top are very slim.
- His time as Matt "Messiah" Dwyer has left him with a history of nagging injuries that can be exploited if opponents know of them and are willing.
- California doesn't really have game plans to counter an opponent's style, and instead calls it in the ring. This can make him unprepared for certain strategies opponents could employ.
Wrestler Pic Base: PJ Black (to be specific, around 2015)
Attire:
In the ring, he wears red tights with black designs - those being his nicknames, kissmarks, arrows, female silhouettes and et cetera. The rest of his attire follows the same colour scheme - the kneepads are red, with a left having his initials "JC" in a scratchy type of font, and the left having a large kissmark. His boots and kickpads are red with black soles and designs, and the word "CALIFORNIA" spelled vertically in the same font on each kickpad. He wears black wrist tape, and a replica of Super Che Junior's mask is tied in a knot around his upper right arm.
On his way to the ring, he wears a black t-shirt that shows a greyscale picture of him kicking Super Che Junior right in the middle of it. He wears a red leather jacket - on the back "REJECT SOCIETY, EMBRACE CALIFORNICATION" is written in black.
He carries his guitar with him. It's painted red with black highlights. A black "X" is spraypainted on the back of it.
Theme Song:
“Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. - This should be considered his 'main' theme, as he'll sometimes use different themes depending on the entrance he wants to make and the message he wants to send to his opponent and the audience.
Entrance:
As the lights come up and the opening to "Losing My Religion" kicks off, the crowd immediately turns hostile, knowing very well who will step out behind the curtain. On queue with the lyrics, Johnny California saunters out from behind the curtain, with his guitar resting on his shoulder, singing along to himself, and taking in the reception he's receiving from the Freedom Fighters. He takes a moment to embrace the heat he's subject to from the crowd that doesn't seem too fond of him, and then continues on his way down the ramp.
California looks not at the crowd but straight ahead to the ring. As he reaches it, he props his guitar against the steel steps, and steps up onto the ring apron before stepping into the ring. He seems to be in his own world - he doesn't pay attention to the referee, the crowd, or his opponent/s if they're there. It's just him and the music, and he continues to sing to himself as he makes himself comfortable in his corner. As the music fades out, he snaps into gear, determined to beat his opponent.
Moveset:
Dropkick
Football Kick to trip an opponent
Pelé Kick
Roundhouse Kick
Western Lariat
Yakuza Kick
Matrix Evasion
Jumping DDT
Leaping Double/Single Foot Stomp (depends on opponent size, California is 6 ft 3 in and 233 lbs for reference)
Leg Drop Bulldog / Fameasser
Running Sunset Flip Powerbomb
Corner Step-up Enzuigiri
Mudhole Stomps
Facewashes followed by a Running Facewash
Diving Double Foot Stomp
Springboard Roundhouse Kick
Triangle Single Leg Dropkick
Low Blow Kick
Feint Suicide Dive - he teases a dive, but backs out at the last second to taunt his opponent instead.
Finishers:
Fatal Flashback - Superkick. This is what California uses for big moments. That's not to say it's more powerful than the Last Kiss, but due to having his betrayal of Super Che Junior associated with the move, he finds it to be a brutal reminder to his opponent and the audience of just what he is capable of. He tries to find the perfect balance of using it often enough to keep the memory of his abhorrent actions fresh, while sparingly enough so as to not wear it out.
Last Kiss - Running Single Leg High Knee. Johnny's main finisher. He'll aim to him them with the right knee to match up with the kissmark kneepad.
Guitar Shot - California uses a wooden hollowbody electric guitar, designed to break so that it hurts, without seriously injuring someone. He won't usually end a match on this note, instead choosing to follow up with the Last Kiss or the Fatal Flashback... or both.
Backstory:
Johnny California was born and grew up on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia. He had a passion for music since a very young age, and after completing his high school education, left to make a career out of his talent in London, England. He fared well locally, but never got to a level of success that would be anything more than simply getting by. In order to drum up some more cash, California got involved in the underground amateur fight club scene. He was moderately successful, and eventually caught the eye of hardcore legend Mikey Graves, who offered him a way into wrestling through the company 50-50 Wrestling. California accepted, but was worried that he wouldn't be perceived well by the wrestling audience - and so created the persona of Matt "Messiah" Dwyer, an ideal fan favourite who California tweaked to match the audience's interests and expectations.
Although one of the more popular members of the roster in 50-50, Dwyer did not end up achieving anything of note in the company. He did, however, meet the Friendmigos - Jerry Bishop, Super Che Junior and TJ Cole. They banded together in the hopes that they could help each other reach the top of the mountain in the wrestling world despite being complete underdogs. As 50-50 went under, Dwyer continued to wrestle, and his career seemed to be heading upwards. Davey Jones, a colleague from 50-50 had managed to land him a place in that year's PWG: Battle of Los Angeles, along with a few familiar faces from 50-50. Dwyer lost to Jack Sevren in the first round - however, they ended up tearing the house down in what people argue was the best match of round, and perhaps even the whole tournament. From there, Dwyer got onto the Rising Phoenix Federation Roster.
Dwyer's time in Rising Phoenix was short-lived, but sweet - he faced "The Bastard" BO3 in the first episode's main event, and although through undecisive fashion, got the upset victory - the biggest of his career at the time. RPF eventually fell through, and Dwyer reunited with Jerry Bishop in Freedom Pro Wrestling. Matt and Jerry faced hardships in their time together, whether against the masked Sabre or the returning TJ Cole, and the effects of maintaining the Dwyer persona started effecting Johnny California. After time off due to injury, only to be re-injured and spend more time off, California decided he would try to end Dwyer's career there and return to his original passion. Despite being even better than he was before, nobody took him seriously as a musician. The wacky idea of a musical wrestler invalidated all of his ability, and California was forced to return to wrestling as Dwyer to make a living.
California took up the Dwyer persona sparingly - he had enough matches so people didn't forget who he was, but also not enough to seriously damage his already fragile state of body and mind. He was back to where he was before 50-50 - barely able to pay his rent, and unable to move up.
Super Che eventually contacted Dwyer about a return to FPW, mainly to stop Jerry, now the Joker, Bishop's reign as FPW Champion and return him to his old self. Dwyer accepted - if they could win, he could bear with continuing his persona, as it would prove that what he worked towards in forming the character was possible. Super Che was defeated, and California, having his career's work go up in smoke in front of him, lashed out in a beautiful, unforgettable moment of treachery when he superkicked Super Che and joined forces once again with Jerry Bishop. Johnny California has now revealed his facade to the wrestling world, and done away with the Matt "Messiah" Dwyer character. As the Man Behind the Mask makes his debut in Freedom Pro Wrestling, it's not clear yet as to just what he's going to do to make his mark. But he knows that the whole world is watching and that all eyes are on him - and that's all he needs.
Handler: Johnny California
Nicknames:
"The Mould-breaker"
"The Influential, the Controversial, and the Unforgettable"
"The Man Behind the Mask"
He absolutely HATES it when people call him "Matt" or anything that relates to his old stage name. You can call him that if you wish, but he's not gonna like it.
Date of Birth: November 6th, 1995
Hometown: The Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Heel, Face, or Tweener?: Heel
Wrestling Style: Strike-based
Personality:
Johnny California is a man that has been left damaged and bitter by the sacrifices he made in creating the "Matt "Messiah" Dwyer" character and the realisation of how it eventually meant nothing in the long run. He has come to the realisation that what the audience expects is nothing less of perfection, and is angry they have such high standards as to who should be successful. Ditching the persona entirely, he now portrays the genuine personality that lied behind the masquerade. He knows he isn't deserving of great success or being the face of Freedom Pro Wrestling, yet he pursues it anyway for the simple reason that he wants it. He will go to great lengths to sit at the top of the wrestling world, and will push others down to keep them from overtaking him on the ladder of success. He is obsessive about being the centre of attention and believes that true power comes from a room where all eyes are on you, whether it's a look of approval or disdain. If he feels as though someone is overshadowing him, he becomes determined to stealing the shine away from them.
Strengths:
- He has an uncanny eye for opportunity, and is great at thinking on his feet, allowing him to find openings that advantage him where others may not.
- Mind games. He loves to play them with opponents before, during or even after matches. If there's a way into his opponent's head, he'll go for it.
- California acts mainly on impulse in the ring, making him a nearly unpredictable opponent and somewhat of a loose cannon.
Weaknesses:
- His technical ability and submission capabilites are lacking. In a collar-and-elbow tie up, his chances of coming out on top are very slim.
- His time as Matt "Messiah" Dwyer has left him with a history of nagging injuries that can be exploited if opponents know of them and are willing.
- California doesn't really have game plans to counter an opponent's style, and instead calls it in the ring. This can make him unprepared for certain strategies opponents could employ.
Wrestler Pic Base: PJ Black (to be specific, around 2015)
Attire:
In the ring, he wears red tights with black designs - those being his nicknames, kissmarks, arrows, female silhouettes and et cetera. The rest of his attire follows the same colour scheme - the kneepads are red, with a left having his initials "JC" in a scratchy type of font, and the left having a large kissmark. His boots and kickpads are red with black soles and designs, and the word "CALIFORNIA" spelled vertically in the same font on each kickpad. He wears black wrist tape, and a replica of Super Che Junior's mask is tied in a knot around his upper right arm.
On his way to the ring, he wears a black t-shirt that shows a greyscale picture of him kicking Super Che Junior right in the middle of it. He wears a red leather jacket - on the back "REJECT SOCIETY, EMBRACE CALIFORNICATION" is written in black.
He carries his guitar with him. It's painted red with black highlights. A black "X" is spraypainted on the back of it.
Theme Song:
“Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. - This should be considered his 'main' theme, as he'll sometimes use different themes depending on the entrance he wants to make and the message he wants to send to his opponent and the audience.
Entrance:
As the lights come up and the opening to "Losing My Religion" kicks off, the crowd immediately turns hostile, knowing very well who will step out behind the curtain. On queue with the lyrics, Johnny California saunters out from behind the curtain, with his guitar resting on his shoulder, singing along to himself, and taking in the reception he's receiving from the Freedom Fighters. He takes a moment to embrace the heat he's subject to from the crowd that doesn't seem too fond of him, and then continues on his way down the ramp.
California looks not at the crowd but straight ahead to the ring. As he reaches it, he props his guitar against the steel steps, and steps up onto the ring apron before stepping into the ring. He seems to be in his own world - he doesn't pay attention to the referee, the crowd, or his opponent/s if they're there. It's just him and the music, and he continues to sing to himself as he makes himself comfortable in his corner. As the music fades out, he snaps into gear, determined to beat his opponent.
Moveset:
Dropkick
Football Kick to trip an opponent
Pelé Kick
Roundhouse Kick
Western Lariat
Yakuza Kick
Matrix Evasion
Jumping DDT
Leaping Double/Single Foot Stomp (depends on opponent size, California is 6 ft 3 in and 233 lbs for reference)
Leg Drop Bulldog / Fameasser
Running Sunset Flip Powerbomb
Corner Step-up Enzuigiri
Mudhole Stomps
Facewashes followed by a Running Facewash
Diving Double Foot Stomp
Springboard Roundhouse Kick
Triangle Single Leg Dropkick
Low Blow Kick
Feint Suicide Dive - he teases a dive, but backs out at the last second to taunt his opponent instead.
Finishers:
Fatal Flashback - Superkick. This is what California uses for big moments. That's not to say it's more powerful than the Last Kiss, but due to having his betrayal of Super Che Junior associated with the move, he finds it to be a brutal reminder to his opponent and the audience of just what he is capable of. He tries to find the perfect balance of using it often enough to keep the memory of his abhorrent actions fresh, while sparingly enough so as to not wear it out.
Last Kiss - Running Single Leg High Knee. Johnny's main finisher. He'll aim to him them with the right knee to match up with the kissmark kneepad.
Guitar Shot - California uses a wooden hollowbody electric guitar, designed to break so that it hurts, without seriously injuring someone. He won't usually end a match on this note, instead choosing to follow up with the Last Kiss or the Fatal Flashback... or both.
Backstory:
Johnny California was born and grew up on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia. He had a passion for music since a very young age, and after completing his high school education, left to make a career out of his talent in London, England. He fared well locally, but never got to a level of success that would be anything more than simply getting by. In order to drum up some more cash, California got involved in the underground amateur fight club scene. He was moderately successful, and eventually caught the eye of hardcore legend Mikey Graves, who offered him a way into wrestling through the company 50-50 Wrestling. California accepted, but was worried that he wouldn't be perceived well by the wrestling audience - and so created the persona of Matt "Messiah" Dwyer, an ideal fan favourite who California tweaked to match the audience's interests and expectations.
Although one of the more popular members of the roster in 50-50, Dwyer did not end up achieving anything of note in the company. He did, however, meet the Friendmigos - Jerry Bishop, Super Che Junior and TJ Cole. They banded together in the hopes that they could help each other reach the top of the mountain in the wrestling world despite being complete underdogs. As 50-50 went under, Dwyer continued to wrestle, and his career seemed to be heading upwards. Davey Jones, a colleague from 50-50 had managed to land him a place in that year's PWG: Battle of Los Angeles, along with a few familiar faces from 50-50. Dwyer lost to Jack Sevren in the first round - however, they ended up tearing the house down in what people argue was the best match of round, and perhaps even the whole tournament. From there, Dwyer got onto the Rising Phoenix Federation Roster.
Dwyer's time in Rising Phoenix was short-lived, but sweet - he faced "The Bastard" BO3 in the first episode's main event, and although through undecisive fashion, got the upset victory - the biggest of his career at the time. RPF eventually fell through, and Dwyer reunited with Jerry Bishop in Freedom Pro Wrestling. Matt and Jerry faced hardships in their time together, whether against the masked Sabre or the returning TJ Cole, and the effects of maintaining the Dwyer persona started effecting Johnny California. After time off due to injury, only to be re-injured and spend more time off, California decided he would try to end Dwyer's career there and return to his original passion. Despite being even better than he was before, nobody took him seriously as a musician. The wacky idea of a musical wrestler invalidated all of his ability, and California was forced to return to wrestling as Dwyer to make a living.
California took up the Dwyer persona sparingly - he had enough matches so people didn't forget who he was, but also not enough to seriously damage his already fragile state of body and mind. He was back to where he was before 50-50 - barely able to pay his rent, and unable to move up.
Super Che eventually contacted Dwyer about a return to FPW, mainly to stop Jerry, now the Joker, Bishop's reign as FPW Champion and return him to his old self. Dwyer accepted - if they could win, he could bear with continuing his persona, as it would prove that what he worked towards in forming the character was possible. Super Che was defeated, and California, having his career's work go up in smoke in front of him, lashed out in a beautiful, unforgettable moment of treachery when he superkicked Super Che and joined forces once again with Jerry Bishop. Johnny California has now revealed his facade to the wrestling world, and done away with the Matt "Messiah" Dwyer character. As the Man Behind the Mask makes his debut in Freedom Pro Wrestling, it's not clear yet as to just what he's going to do to make his mark. But he knows that the whole world is watching and that all eyes are on him - and that's all he needs.
