How I plan to win the FWLBy Tony Cottam| February 13, 2011 The Live Wire Well, hello. Welcome once again to this here… thing. Whatever that may be. But it’s here. Yes. This week, I’m gonna hit you with not just some knowledge (and knowledge is power, folks) but a cheap plug! That plug is for this very site’s FWL game. The Fantasy Wrestling League is just like those fantasy baseball and football games we all play and get obsessed on. When I say, we – I obviously mean me. Totally obsessed with it, but it’s so easy to get that way. In the FWL you pick a team of five superstars. I’m loathe to use that word, but there are other people in the list outside of wrestlers. You have a budget of $3000 to spend on your 5 picks, and they range in value from $1000 to $200. You get points for everything from an appearance, to a title win and defence. All the details, including how to enter and the prize you could win can be found here: FWL So, my team… Inno’s Bongo Nation. Don’t ask. I find it’s best not to, you’ll lead a happier and less confused life. First pick? I’ll take RICARDO RODRIGUEZ at $200. Why him? Well, wherever Alberto Del Rio goes, Ricardo isn’t far behind usually. That’s a surefire 10 points every show for practically nothing. Plus, Ricardo has been training behind the scenes to become a wrestler… and he has a couple of comedy match wins under his belt already, so possible bonus points for nothing! NOTHING! See, see, tactics and using the old grey matter here. I’m not just a pretty face, folks. For the second pick on my title winning team – ha! – I’ll go for VICKIE GUERRERO. Pretty much the same reason as Rodriguez, she’s always all over Smackdown, and sometimes on Raw too. With her ongoing storyline of screwing over Edge, and lately Kelly Kelly (so blonde they named her twice) there’s always the chance of her making a match and cheating to win no matter what it takes. It’s the Guerrero way. At this lower end of the scale, I’ll take guaranteed points over potential big winnings any day. Vickie’s involvement in a main event feud also opens up the possibilty of screwy finishes that leave her as the title holder… don’t mock, I lived through an age where David Arquette was WCW Champion, and Chyna was Intercontinental champion. Nothing would surprise me anymore with wrestling’s insane ideas… OK, well maybe Trips putting a young guy over clean and not claiming the job back would surprise me, but you get what I’m saying. Third pick? KOFI KINGSTON. I think he’s on the brink of something big, especially as he’s on a different brand to his nemesis Randy Orton. Plus, he’s got the Intercontinental title, for whatever that’s worth these days, so there’s possibly bonus points for title defences… and with the Elimination Chamber coing up, he’s in the main event mix, as well as mixing it with Alberto Del Rio. Kofi is one of those guys that is perhaps too big for his slot on the card, but for whatever reason, isn’t trusted at this time to go any further… this WILL change soon, I think. With the WWE looking to make new stars and build new merchandising cash cows, Kofi is one of those guys that stands out in the mix of the bland, black trunk wearing brawlers. For that reason, he’s Mysterio-ish in his ability to connect with kids and fans, and this is going to be the thing that pushes him into the upper echelons of the WWE. Hopefully, while he’s in my team, anyway. Fourth pick is starting to hit the big numbers… and I go with THE MIZ. This should be fairly obvious – he’s the champ. He’s going to be on every show leading into WrestleMania, injury withstanding. He’s one of the best talkers they have, so it’s possible for him to go on Smackdown, even to commentate on something. I figure he’s got this cowardly heel schtick off to a tee, so I expect a lot of bonus points for title defences; even if he does lose the title to Jerry Lawler as has been rumoured, he’ll get it back before ‘Mania – thus getting bonus points! Miz is one of the lynchpins of the WWE’s roster right now, both in the ring and in the mainstream – so keeping him strong is a priority, and that, my friends, means points for me. Oh yeah! Add to the fact, I like The Miz as well, and as Kevin Smith would say, that’s a big bucket of win. The Miz will propel my team into the virtual stratosphere, and pave the way for me claim the glorious victory I so rightly deserve. With those picks, I don’t really need a fifth choice – it hardly seems fair on you other players, really – but the rules say I need one… so I’ll go for EDGE. More points for title defences, more points for main event appearances, more points for victories… it’s just piling it on, to be honest. I fully expect him to drop the belt at ‘Mania to Alberto Del Rio – but that means he has to GET there with the belt. Edge is, shall we say, on the decline now when it comes to his in ring skills, mostly due to injuries, but his shelf life is short at the top level… this could be his last glorious run into WrestleMania either as champ, or even involved in the main event picture, so I’m relying on the sympathy vote from the bookers here. Hey, I’m not proud, I’ll take anything! So there you go, peeps. For what it’s worth, that’s my team. You can follow it’s progress on the staff leaderboard, no doubt… and I will wave at you from my lofty vantage point of first place. Good luck to you all in any case! Until next time, Have fun, go mad…