Samantha Nightfire and New Millennium Wrestling

SamanthaS Nightfire was a writer for the Newser in 2010. In early 2011, she hosted the Virtual Tonight show. More recently, she's gotten into a different field: wrestling. She is taking part in the start of a new wrestling group in Second Life, and recently invited me over to discuss the details.

Wrestling isn't new to Samantha, at least as a fan. A few years ago, she invited me over to see a match between a couple women wrestlers. In a recent conversation when I asked how she'd been doing, she offered to show me, and send a teleport request for me to head to Unforgiven Island. "Good to see you," she told me. The land itself was sand with palm trees, with a large building in front of us, "I terraformed this sim, it's a partnership of a few freinds." She then told me,"Recall my show Virtual Tonight? Well, at one of my show interviews, I became good friends with Salvatore over there," she pointed to a man, Sam Luciano (Salvatorelucania) whom was resting from being Away From Keyboard at the moment, "from that show on we hit it off. He was one of the producers of another show." And his show was about wrestling, UWS Wrestling, which was produced by the same network that did hers, Virtual World Network, "He invited me then to join them as a promoter and their marketer." And so she did, and things went well.

"Anyways, we've come a long way together and the end result is many partnerships with him. currently, I am in training to become a wrestler for (a) new wrestling federation called New Millennium Wrestling (NMW). ... We are so new that we haven't had a show yet." She wasn't just going to promote the show, but also be one of the participants, "wrestling is very exciting."

She then showed me around a little. At the entrance to the building was a kiosk with applications for new wrestlers. One could enter straight into the main building where the wrestling ring and the seating around it was, or take a teleport door to the upper seating looking over the ring.

It was about then that Sam Luciano joined us. Talking to us in voice, he had come up with the idea for New Millennium between two and three years ago. As of now, one show a week is being planned, most likely for Fridays from 4 to 6PM SL time. Whom else was on the team? David Hawk Actor was the organization's president and de-facto owner while Sam himself was the general manager. There were not many others on the team, "I believe in having a small staff ... I'd rather go through one or two guys than ten or eleven."

"We are inviting the general public to become wrestlers," They told me. What were they looking for in applicants? Sammantha answered, "trainable, willing and able, no drama except for while in a match. ... They must also be willing to be directed, as we have goals of filming." How long did it take to train an applicant? Sam answered it depended on the trainee's experience, "they can pretty much learn in two or three weeks, if they practice a few days a week. It's been done in about a week." The ratio of male and female applicants was somewhat close to even, a couple more men than women. Did female wrestlers tend to be more vicious than the males? Sam answered, "It depends how you look at it, ... different styles. Some in the past have had some especially vicious matches, others just wrestle." Of the applicants, Samantha was the only one who came in without any prior experience.

They mentioned the wrestlers in the group performed through the use of a HUD. There was another group that did so through use of poseballs, but they didn't consider them professional. During our conversation, I asked half-seriously if anything like real-life pro wrestler "Jake the Snake's" boa constrictor could be made. Samantha told me it actually wouldn't be too hard to make, "Props are easy to get. Many wrestlers are also (content) creators, animations, moves and props as well as rings, arenas etc. Almost anything can be made." Phara Akula and Stuart Warf stood out as builders of wrestling content. "Then there (are) the championship belts," Samantha told me, "those are beautiful, they are so intricate ... Derek Zane is the creator."

Samantha showed me the training center, which had four separate rings. There was also some exercise equipment. Getting in one of the rings, Samantha demonstrated a few moves. Besides the animations, there were gestures, "we have to make fans believe in the pain, when we get hit, we have to make it believable." Despite her skill, she did glitch at one point, "I have a lot to learn...mostly what moves make sense for what. And there are many. Also martial arts moves are included it if fits with a character, even gymnastics. ... Having confidence is most important with the moves. I wish I was good but so not ready yet."

"My character will be what i am familiar with, my Hawaiian heritage, also my martial arts," Samantha told me, "I will use Hawaiiana with my character." I asked about martial arts and Hawaii. She told me, "Well, it's really popular here. Krav Maga is also catching on fast." She told me this martial art is a bit more practical and less art than most popular styles, "very vicious."

Besides her wrestling gig, Samantha was writing a book in real life, "fiction, I got the idea in a dream."

It was soon time for Samantha and I to part, and we went our separate ways.

Stay tuned for announcements about New Millennium's Grand Opening and it's first event. No doubt Samantha will be continuing to have an impact in Second Life, and not just on opposing wrestlers in the ring.

Bixyl Shuftan

"Fight Like a Girl"

While I was growing up in the 1980’s, wrestling was fairly popular. My friends loved to watch the shows of “good guy” characters like Hulk Hogan beat up the bad boys. And when the bad guy was from Russia or Iran, the emotions could get pretty raw. There were wrestling video games, and even a cartoon show.

But later on, the wrestling scene changed. To paraphrase Jesse “The Body” Ventura, it looked like everyone was a bad guy and the heroes had left the scene. And so most of my friends didn’t watch or talk about wrestling so much any more. And when they did, it was often about it’s glory days, either of the 1980’s or 50’s.

It was probably inevitable that those whom looked fondly at those days would seek to bring wrestling into Second Life.

Not long ago, Sam Nightfire invited me to a wrestling match at the UWS Metrodome on the Virtual World Network sim. I was a little late, but there was still a special fight left, “glad you made it. This match is the ladies championship.” Now males have a reputation of loving to see women fight. But my reaction was a little different, “Um, why am I thinking this may be the most vicious, merciless of the fights?”

Some guys think women can’t fight. That all they can do is slap each other and tear at each others clothes. It’s my experience that this is far from the case. What women lack in strength, they often make up for it in tenacity and strategy, hitting where it hurts, and doing it again, and again, and again. A few can be quite brutal and ruthless at it. Years ago, I read about one tabloid reporter whom volunteered to go at it with a lady wrestler of a semi-professional ring, and the “bad girl” quickly had him begging for mercy.

The match was between Roxy Rockett and Gwenivere Swansong. Because of the number of people around, I didn’t see anything at first. Then one, and the other lady wrestler appeared through the rezz, as well as the guy referee. The action appeared slow at first, though the chat told it was anything but. “YOUR TURN GWEN!” ::catches her breath, closing her eyes from the pain:: “You a**hole!” Following a loud thump, “Hee-hee! You reaaally think it was going to be that easy? Wow, you are really stupid.” “Oh, I’m SO hurt!”

The audience, mainly men but lots of women among them, was not always better. “They fight like girls.” “Go Gwenny!” “Come on Rose! Get up... you can do this!” “You gonna go kick some *ss!!” “Let’s go Gwen get up and beat her *ss.” “Az get in there show ‘um how it's done!”

Before long, the animations weren’t so much affected by lag, and the actions became clearer, the grapples, the kicks, the body slams. I winced, imagining what damage and scars girls in real life would be getting. The two tigresses continued the carnage, one getting a brief hold on the other only to be knocked away. Finally Gwenivere pulled a “stunner” on Roxy, “And THAT, is how you get ROWDY!!” She then pinned her opponent, and the referee counter, “One! ... Two! ... Three!” Roxy then dislodged her, but it was too late. She cursed as the bell rang it’s victory chimes, and the audience roared, “HEEELLLLL YEAAAAHHHHH!!!” Gwenivere was awarded the championship belt, and raised her trophy up in the air proudly.

Not long afterwards, I had the chance to interview the athlete.

Bixyl Shuftan: Congrats on the win Gwenivere

Gwenivere Swansong: Thank you Bixyl.

Bixyl Shuftan: Interesting choice of a wrestling name, "Gwenivere"

Gwenivere Swansong: ::laughs:: Well, actually I began as a fantasy roleplayer. Plus it's a stem from my real-life name Gwendolyn.

Bixyl Shuftan: Oh really, that's interesting.

Gwenivere Swansong: I found out that there was virtual wrestling through my friend, and later mentor, Curt Bombastic.

Bixyl Shuftan: I wasn't aware of official women's matches until tonight. Is this something new?

(nearby wrestler): There's been women's matches about as long as there's been SL wrestling.

Gwenivere Swansong: Nope, actually there are women's divisions in most feds. even one designated to only women. Though, UWS is one of the first to make their women's division a priority and not something placed on the back burner.

Bixyl Shuftan: So how long did it take to become one of the wrestlers here?

Gwenivere Swansong: Not very long at all. Because of my history with roleplay, it was easy for me to understand the meter system and emoting. I was told I took to it pretty naturally, though everyone's training period depends on their own levels and time that they can dedicate to it. I spent , I think, about three weeks training. But still I learn new things everyday.

Bixyl Shuftan: Sounds good ... When people imagine guys watching women scrap, they usually think of guys drooling, staring off into space. What has your impression been?

(several laughs and boos from nearby bystanders)

Gwenivere Swansong: ::chuckles:: We all have fun here, and the occasional good spirited flirt has been exchanged. But when it comes down to the true grit of it, the women of the UWS are respected as equal wrestlers; not just pieces of tush in revealing clothing. We are allowed to be who we are and enjoy what we do without harassment, but on an equal playing field.

Bixyl Shuftan: Well put. ... Tonight's match seemed pretty tough. How long do most matches last?

Gwenivere Swansong: Our matches can last anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes, well, lag permitting. Though most matches do tend to run over, but it's mainly because we end up really enjoying ourselves out there and revel in the fan's reaction and the ambiance that both they, the commentators and the wrestlers create.

(bystander): Gwenny! Congrats on winning the title, Champ!

Gwenivere Swansong: ~ <3 ~ Thanks Drew!

Bixyl Shuftan: Sounds like quite a few memorable moments happen.

Gwenivere Swansong: Yes, I can honestly say that most of my most memorable moments have been in the arena. Whether it's training, performing or just goofing around with my fellow wrestlers. We love what we do here. I really feel like UWS is my home and I have a great time here. The wrestlers, they are my family.

Bixyl Shuftan: Goofing with the other wrestlers ... anything especially hilarious happen?

Gwenivere Swansong: ::laughs:: TONS! We have such a lively bunch of wrestlers here, it's hard not to have a good time. All the way from Derrick zane's many voices, broly's antics , the list just goes on. We are, well, a colorful group of people, to say the least. Falling out of the ring because someone accidently clicked the ropes, word goof ups, just endless.

Bixyl Shuftan: (chuckles) In your opinion, what was the one most worthy for a sports blooper TV show?

Gwenivere Swansong: Aah, that's like trying to pick your favorite song. Hmm.. it would probably have to be a current one between me and Rose. We might be rivals but we also have our moments. We were in the ring a few weeks ago when we were practicing for the one on one match. Well, it was one of the times where the rope wasn't clicked and rose ended up ... eh ... le’ts just say, that for the position we landed in, ... well (blush) you might have seen on “Skinamax.”

But, as I said, that is just the current one that comes to mind. Between lag and hud malfunctions, there is always room for strange things to happen.

Bixyl Shuftan: So now that you've won, anything to say to your fans whom might be reading this?

Gwenivere Swansong: Only that through hard work, dedication and a positive outlook, anything can happen. People focus so much on negativity or think they have to be a jerk or bad*ss to make waves. I want my fans to know that class isn't dead. There is a saying: nice guys always finish last. Not the case... this time. The nice girl finished first.

(bystanding wrestler): Nice speech.

Gwenivere Swansong: Hehe!

Bixyl Shuftan: Thank you for your time, Gwenivere.

Gwenivere Swansong: Thank you for yours as well. I hope to see you coming out again to see us.

With Sammantha hanging around there, I’ll probably be back again soon. But still, women’s wrestling is not what I would call a spectator sport for the timid. “Catfight” my tail. More like pantherfight or lionfight.

Bixyl Shuftan

Xymbers Slade’s Interview by Sam Nightfire

About a month and a half after my interview at Virtual Tonight by Sam Nightfire, it was someone else’s turn from Second Life Newser. Our new freelancer Xymbers Slade was invited to appear there.

Xymbers was the last to appear on the show. Before him were a few others. First were two women from the Cheeky Cow Golf course. Next was noted singer Lance Rembrant. Third was Dmitriy Gauseman from the Tombstone RP area. While the show went on, Xymbers had a problem. A SL glitch was causing the eyes on his anthro wolf avatar to bulge out. So he switched to a “Crux” avatar, hoping for the best with this unusual-looking avatar. As it turned out, Sam liked the Crux, impressed with it’s uncommon appearance.

Xymbers was on not to talk about his role at SL Newser, but his fortune telling. He told Sam he had about fifteen years of experience, “I don’t see myself as a psychic ...” He explained what he did as foreseeing potential happenings using tarot cards. He focused on five cards or ten, usually in Second Life a five card reading. Each card, he explained, has a particular meaning, the final card for example representing if the person didn’t change from his or her course.

To skeptics, he often tells them “this seems like the most likely thing to happen.’” He commented dealing with some diehard skeptics was “like arguing religion.” Sam admitted, “I was a skeptic, but ...” She talked about the reading he had given her, “everything you said became true within 5 weeks.”

Sam asked Xymbers if he could do a reading on someone. Xymbers answered he’d need a volunteer from the audience. A boy scout child avatar offered to be the one. Xymbers then rezzed a board, telling the volunteer he needed something to focus on, asking for a location. The boy scout gave his home state, and Xymbers drew the cards.

The first card was pentacles, “foundations, anything you set up now will stand on it’s own, it will stay put.” The second card, Justice, “greater arcana ... karma and fate ... the card of destiny, difficult to change anything.” The third card drawn, Xymbers told him represented a major obstacle, “Upside down knight of cups ... someone about your age.” Right side up, the card represented “the holy grail.” But upside down, “a corrupt knight, someone out for himself, or out to get you. If you take allies, you will get stabbed in the back.” The fourth card drawn was the 8 or pentacles, “work ... establishing ... the knight is going to attempt something, but not get very far.” And the final card drawn, “The Lovers ... I’m tempted to say this means a relationship of some kind. .. like a relationship is starting, someone will try to break it, and fail.”

“Just keep doing what you're doing ... I don't foresee anything negative ... don't take any crap from anybody."

Xymbers went on to say that outside Second Life, he normally does a ten card reading. He could do additional readings, but “do 20 different readings, get 20 different answers,” and asking for more readings to get a better one, he felt, defeated the purpose. The volunteer then admitted to being in a relationship, and thanked Xymbers for the reading. Xymbers did remind him his readings were not a hundred percent accurate.

Xymbers later told me this reading was uncommon in that is was unusually positive. Usually his readings had some kind of warning or caution, such as the one he had given me earlier this year.

A recording of the interview will soon be available on the Virtual World Network website.


Bixyl Shuftan