The "psychology in wrestling" correspondence chess match

This may be my wackiest idea yet.

But would anyone be up for one vs one, turn based written wrestling matches. In the same vein as Correspondence Chess.

The basic premise will be exploring the psychology of wrestling. It won't have strict rules, just a basic understanding that you can and can't do certain things if you are heel/face. And that your basic wrestler style will have (hopefully) logical limitations and advantages in relation to specific opponents and thus determine the moves you can make. The rest is pretty much free form and you just post a move whenever you can or feel like.

Some basic guidelines if anyone is interested.

You can pick your face/heel slant and your wrestler type (unless someone wants to oversee it and choose combinations for match ups) and then you just freestyle with your opponent (accepting all logical moves and outcomes)

As with correspondence chess, you post one move in the thread and then your opponent has a chance to respond.

A move will consist of an offensive action or logical combination of actions that lead to a status change in your opponent.

If a move is executed at a seemingly wrong time, the opponent can block, reverse, execute their offence.

A status change can be anything like "knocked off balance" "stunned" "angered" lol basically the outcome of the action you make or simply what your opponent will sell as the outcome.

The actions must be logical and as if it were a legitimate fight within the wrestling rules (unless you've distracted the ref, of course) I suppose the rules will be WWE ones, but like AJ said on talking smack "people spend years perfecting things like you know, Forearm strikes, but hey now we can punch...)

It will be a slow burning affair, but it won't take much effort because of that fact.

I just felt it might be interesting to see where a correspondence game with a wrestling core where your goal is to legitimately outsmart your opponent can lead. To promote and explore psychology in wrestling. I won't take the deafening silence this is met with to heart. We can always turn it in to a psychology in wrestling debate/chat, or let it wither and die.

--- Sometimes wine will inspire greatness, sometimes it will inspire correspondence chess wrestling. Or... Chesstling (at the very least E+C would think it reeked of something)

I'm intrigued by the idea, but can't help thinking it may just turn into the Jericho Man of 1004 holds promo...

It would require great restraint and a focus purely on psychology of a wrestling match portrayed as legitimate. And an understanding that it may end up in a "fight forever" scenario and someone will probably just have to give up lol.

It could be a good way to explore the minutiae of wrestling matches. Really specific things about why you would choose to do something at a specific time, or to a specific area.


Obviously to achieve petfect ring Psychology it's in the selling, but also at no stage doing anything that seems illogical or impossible for you if everything was real. It's also the emotional output you give as well, but that's a bit hard to portray in this form lol. (this is pretty much why I really can't watch Mustafa Ali and some of the cruiserweights. They are garbage at every aspect of that)

if the game is played, it won't be two people working together like wrestling, but hopefully it would still have a structure like a wrestling match. While still looking to logically outsmart the opponent.

It's pretty much a mind fuck. It would probably be great game for wrestlers on the road haha.

Go on then. Only one way to find out if it works!

Suppose we need a basic wrestler build with some traits. There will be advantages, disadvantages or evenly matched situations. And you'd play it straight up in the assumed mind set. Any challenges to the logic and flow of the match, ideas or anything out of kayfabe in (brackets) I guess.

Physical Traits - might be easiest to just describe in free form or use a current wrestlers physical likeness. And from there the pros and cons of Height, Strength, Speed, Agility, Stamina. Etc will be obvious in regards to the opponent. If I'm 6ft And not an action figure like Cena I will know not to try and deadlift the Big Show, for example.

Mental: we'll keep it to heel or face. The actions themselves should give an idea of the character you feel like presenting.

Cool. I'll nominate myself to be a 5'7'' cruiserweight, in the high-flying mold. Think Rey in his ECW / WCW / pre knee death phase. I'll also give myself a big beard, for no reason at all.

Lots of speed, balance, agility. Questionnable stamina, not much by way of selling ability. Not absolutely ripped, but not chunky like Rey either. More of a swimmers build.

I'd have to be a face, I suspect.

The point is to sell everything as legit. So selling ability shouldn't matter haha. It's the players that look to sell/decide the effect the move would have on them.

Obviously in wrestling there is a degree of leeway. If the closed fist rule exists, if viewed as totally legitimate then all wrestlers are either crap at punching, or can take punches without getting properly hurt lol. I feel I've gone way too far down the rabbit hole in this regard and regret doing so (possibly regret everything about the thread too ha), but we'll see.


lets get ready for collar and elbow tie ups, where the stronger man gains no advantage because of rope breaks, and they have no where else to go. If I know this, should I still attempt it? I'm picking flaws in the most logical way to start a match (between evenly matched superstars anyway) too ffs lol.

Going for 6 foot-ish between Ambrose and Pete Dunne's height and build. So heavily reliant on creative ways to hurt people is a given, simply by being physically average across the board. Stamina allows periods of sustained offence and recovery, but not if doing lots of lifting. Reliance on throws and drops and usually having similar or lower centre of gravity, so against someone smaller it has to become more deadlift based. Joint manipulation and niggly grinding offence are also a given. I'm not openly heel, but it can be arranged if the fans want to side with someone's wet dream of a Muscular Mexican Daniel Bryan (I guess I just cut a heel pre fight promo lol)

Sexton Hardcastle wrote:

lets get ready for collar and elbow tie ups, where the stronger man gains no advantage because of rope breaks, and they have no where else to go. If I know this, should I still attempt it?

I'm assuming that's the opening move. As you're the bigger and stronger guy, I end up backed up against a turnbuckle, and raise my hands for a clean break. Because I'm a good guy, you see.

Haha I was considering the pre bell rush, but there's no reason to think I need to take that route to beat you at this stage. So yes. Collar and elbow tie up as standard.

I have no reason to cheap shot you at this stage. Clean break it is. Making a point to the referee too, so he knows it's going to be a fair fight.

In that case, I applaud for the clean break, and take a quick walk around the ring, sizing you up. I edge in cautiously, looking to engage in another collar-and-elbow tie up, before dodging around, and grabbing you by the waist from behind.

(there are parts of this that are going to sound incredibly homo-erotic)

(hahaha shall I bring bacl the Joey Ryan avatar?)

A slight struggle, but a swing of the arm and 90 degree twist and the smaller man's waist lock (the less homo erotic description) is reversed into a wrenching side headlock.

I let you flip me over onto my back, where I give it a few seconds to let the hold sink in, before flipping to my feet and ducking away from the move. I then run at you, slide between your legs (oo-er) and kick you in the back of the knee, trying to counter your strength advantage.

(so a headlock takedown.. Haha)

Getting slightly pissed at the quicker man, I hobble for a second and make my way quickly to the ropes, turn to face you to reset. The shot hasn't severely damaged anything. I offer a test of strength, one arm high, one low, wide base, defensive and wary of any incoming kicks

(now to psyche you out with some visuals lol. My description made it sound like I may be channelling http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/wwenetwork/images/3/3a/Great_Muta_pro.png/revision/latest?cb=20160312145526 )

I look to the crowd, to see if they are going to encourage me to take you up on the test of strength. They urge me to do it, so I take you up on the offer, and immediately drop to my knees as you gain the upper hand.

You get a sharp bend of the fingers for your trouble. Then quickly taking advantage of an opportunity to immobilise, I cross your hands and move into the straight jacket position, drive a knee into your spine and pull your hands back putting pressure on both neck and back.

Knowing it's too early and too weak a hold for any quick win, I release it and drive a forearm into the back of your head/neck. I stand and admire my work knowing I got the better of you, hoping to lure you into a hasty, misguided retaliation.

I get to my feet, thinking that I can't beat you for strength, so I'm going to step up the pace. I run at you, grab your hand and whip you in the turnbuckles, before charging in with a dropkick.

(assuming you managed to pick a hand because I can't be bothered to challenge legitimacy, maybe I was momentarily dazzled by you actually running right at me)

The dropkick rocks me, despite partially getting my hands up, I stumble out of the corner and look to grapple you before you do anything else. (uh oh)

I avoid the grapple rather niftily, and take you down with an armdrag, segueing nicely into an armbar, me on one knee, you lying on your side.

Rolling off my side into the hold forces you off balance, and reaching up with my opposite arm, I hook your neck and pull you over into a pin, neck still under-hooked.

You still have my arm, but if released I'll hook a leg too. Could it all be over so soon...

(pretty sure I've got the physics right, you were facing toward me on the straight armbar)

(I might have to find Shelley or Sabin, one of them. Vs 1000% Guapo that match was good. Mostly all pinning combinations Veteran vs Youngster. It sticks in my mind because it's not often you see that kind of match considering the wrestling that I watch lol.)

(yup, physics were spot on).

I'm not losing to a cheeky pin that quickly. I kick out on two, roll away from you and slowly stand, collecting my thoughts. Time to up the pace again, I think - I run at you, dive between your legs again, grab the right leg and try to get you off your feet.

(2 count already? "Easy! Easy!" I taunted haha. Before you ran at me, of course.)

Although the size difference is not spectacular, a firm base results in a failed takedown at this stage and I rip my leg forwards out of your grasp, turn and quickly grasp a front facelock before you can stand. Once locked up I can, with some effort, lift you up from a knee and over, as if to suplex you.

(I've already legitimised some possible outcomes in my head. So you can decide whether you'd crash to the mat or Cesaro yourself a way out)

(with the 'easy! easy!' chant, I'm back watching World of Sport. Christ!)

I don't the strength to Cesaro myself out of of, so I go over your head, landing hard from the suplex. I sit up, holding my back, selling the move.

(as the face in this one, I think it's time for you to get the upper hand, setting up for my glorious comeback)

(yeah. If you had pushed your weight through your legs and got out etc you'd have got a nasty surprise as it is that time of the match ha.)

No need for any fancy holds, and little time to waste, so I soccer kick you in the spine to send you flat to the mat. I want to feel the effects of any damage taken to your spine, so I cover you to judge your strength in escape. This time I hook the leg and neck, forcing a much more strenuous kick out.

(I'll let you post next, in case you do have any tricks up your sleeve, or to decide what prone/vulnerable post pin position you will end up in. I'm not going to waste energy turning you over, picking you up to stand etc and will take a moment post pin to strategise/laugh off your kick out)

I kick out on two, I'm a courageous face who's not losing to a simple kick to the spine. It's going to take more than that to put me down! I roll to my side and lean on one arm, appealing to the crowd for the their support to galvanise me. I struggle to my feet, holding my lower back and stand to face you, edging in closer to try and lure you in to use my speed. I quickly grab your arm and whip you into the ropes, bending forward to try and go for a back bodydrop.

I kick you flat in the chest and turn 360 hitting you with a spinning falling lariat. YEE-AAAHHH. But I feel a twinge in my strong arm (right) And spend a moment wincing on the mat. I thought I'd shook off any effects of the armbar, but this was the first significant test of my right arm, and there is a slight worry there.

I make it to my feet and move to try and secure your head before you reach your feet