PaulNJ21
I shunned a voodoo witch, decapitated a black cat
NAME: Copycat; sometimes refers to himself as “The Cat” and “The Smartest
Player in the Game”
HEIGHT: 6’4”
WEIGHT: 301 lbs
HOMETOWN: Kalamazoo, MI
ENTRANCE MUSIC: Copycat voice/over “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LEND ME YOUR
EARS!” followed by “My Way” by Butch Walker
FIVE SIGNATURE MOVES: Release German suplex, frog splash, overhead press
slam, the Cat’s Meow (the People’s Elbow), Kit Kat Kick (savate kick),
overhead belly-to-belly suplex
SETUP: None used
FINISHER: Finisher #1 is the Cat’s Claw, which is a half nelson combined
with a clawhold (it’s identical to Maelstrom’s “Mortal Sin” if you’re
familiar with that; Copycat blatantly stole it from him), it can end the
match via submission or by knocking the opponent out; Finisher #2 (which is
the one he uses the most) is the LitterBomb, which is a high-impact running
powerbomb (lifts opponent into powerbomb position, takes a few steps
forward, jumps up and smashes them into the canvas)
WHO YOUR CHARACTER IS: Formerly a big jokester, Copycat recently began
applying his extensive psychological prowess to his matches and improved his
image drastically in his most recent run in the WWL before it died a
horrible death. He also became extremely popular with the fans, and when
the WWL split into three leagues and held a draft of all its talent, Copycat
was drafted #1 out of 70-some competitors, and in fact was the first draft
choice of all three leagues. In the league’s last event as the full WWL
before the split, Copycat defeated Nevada Smith in the main event, cementing
him as a top-level face in the business. The league died though, and
Copycat, convinced he was a curse to wrestling leagues (they tend to close
right as he becomes successful), disappeared from the world of wrestling
back in December.
Though he has stayed in shape, Copycat’s last seven months or so have been
spent working on other projects. He has directed music videos for several
popular artists, including a band he has been associated with since his FWF
days; formerly called “CatScan” they are now known as “Shotgun Swivelchair,”
and their latest album, which Copycat wrote several songs for and is also
featured rapping on one, is picking up steam. He has also filmed
appearances on several TV shows, but has decided that it is time to get back
into wrestling before the fans forget about him. As a high-profile face,
Copycat should be a good foil for some of the WFW’s top stars, many of whom
are high-profile heels.
The only surviving element of Copycat’s older gimmicks (and the partial
reason for his ring name) is his ability to perform pretty much any
wrestling move known to man, except those requiring very low body weight
(corkscrew plancha, shooting star press, etc.). He can also imitate almost
any voice, but doesn’t do that too much anymore. And despite his face
status, he can’t help but be kind of cocky at times; he’s honest about it
now, though. As you can tell from his weight, Copycat is very muscular (not
301 lbs of PURE muscle, but close). He sports short, crew-cut brown hair
and a goatee. He wears red wrestling tights (the short kind, like what
Brock Lesnar wears, for example) with “THE CAT” on the back with a long claw
slash drawn under it, red boots, and red elbow pads. He comes to the ring
wearing a long, red-and-orange robe and a black beret with “THE CAT” written
on it in red, though he doesn’t wrestle in them. He usually gives the beret
to a ringside fan on the way to the ring.
Copycat’s manager/valet/bodyguard-type is Icekold. Icekold is trained as a
wrestler, so she can take care of herself, but she won’t ever actually
wrestle. She usually is dressed in wrestling attire, though. Her most
distinguishing feature is her hair, which is dyed ice-blue. As a female
wrestler, Icekold never gave in to the temptation of breast implants or
plastic surgery, so she’s not the most attractive valet in the business.
She used to be around to distract the referee and kick Copycat’s opponents
in the groin when she had the opportunity, but now that Copycat is a face
and doesn’t cheat anymore (much), she’s mostly there to prevent interference
and be there when he needs someone else in his promos. She’ll sometimes hit
on his opponents, though the opponent generally doesn’t like that because
she isn’t very good-looking.
At the bottom of this form, I have provided an extended biography of Copycat
up until his last match in the full WWL. I don’t know how useful it will
actually be, and you certainly don’t have to read it if you don’t want to,
but I like to make sure it’s out there.
RELEVANT TITLES WON: WWL World Heavyweight Title, 1997 (defeated Azeem
Hardaway, lost to Shane Douglas); WWL Tri-American Title, 1997 (defeated
Balls Mahoney, lost to Rage ‘o Fire); FWF Tag Team Titles, 2000 (with Black
Cat as the Cat Pack, defeated the Mercenaries, lost to the New Breed); FWF
Tag Team Titles, 2001 (with Black Cat, as the Cat Pack; defeated the New
Breed, held until league closed); WWL Television Title, 2002 (defeated King
Krusher in a tournament final, lost to Shawn Hart)
Extended biography: Born James Joseph Kattman in 1973, Copycat is a
lifelong wrestling fan. He enjoyed nothing more as a child than watching pro
wrestling on TV. In fact, he liked it so much that he began to act it out as
a young age. In school, he was known as a class clown, always doing
impressions of celebrities and forever acting out his wrestling holds. He
became very familiar with the sport. Friends called him "Copykattman"
because of his antics. James, of course, would fantasize about being a
wrestler, but never really expected to get into the business.
In high school, James joined the school wrestling team in the hopes of doing
what he loved. He was built relatively well, but was not nearly prepared for
the sport of amateur wrestling. James was always looking for opportunities
to try his beloved wrestling moves, but he never got the chance because of
the nature of amateur wrestling and was cut from the team his first year. He
started bulking up as he progressed throughout high school, but he never
once made the team until his senior year because he didn't have a clue as to
how to wrestle amateur-style, and even his senior year, he was ranked low
and didn’t win very often.
Since James didn't see much future for his wrestling career, he was enrolled
at Western Michigan University the following year. James had a few odd jobs
while in college but never really enjoyed any of them. However, during his
sophomore year, he and some friends were staging a mock wrestling match and
some of the people there said James should go down to the local arena and
try out for the local wrestling promotion. No one thought James would take
it seriously.
And were they ever wrong! James tried out the next day and, with his
impressive physique and incredible knowledge of almost every wrestling move
known to man, they immediately began signing him for night shows and weekend
shows as "The Mat Master". James became so popular as a wrestler that the
promotion began signing him for more and more shows. James would do his
homework and write papers in the locker room before and after matches. In
February of his senior year, the World Wrestling League contacted James and
expressed interest in having him work for them. James insisted on finishing
out his senior year and graduating from college. Almost immediately after
his graduation, he held a tryout with the WWL and was accepted immediately.
Garth Bishop, looking to add talent to the stable he had already brought
together, became James's agent. However, he was not enthusiastic about the
name "The Mat Master" and suggested a change. The only thing James could
come up with was his old "Copykattman" nickname. It was shortened to
"Copycat" before his debut.
Copycat did not start out as an instant success. Before he even started
wrestling, Copycat started a small rivalry with then-World champion Azeem
Hardaway, despite Copycat's heel persona. Copycat wanted to challenge Azeem
for the title, but couldn't, because he was losing matches left and right,
as he was very new to such a high degree of pro wrestling. However, when the
Jenkins World Order tried to take over, Copycat got an unexpected
opportunity. JWO representative Spanky Richards came in, challenged
Hardaway, and was immediately granted a World Title shot. Copycat complained
and was given a match against Richards to determine who'd get the shot.
Richards no-showed the match and chose to participate in the World title
match later that night, where he lost. Copycat now had a World title shot.
It was granted a few weeks later. Copycat was slated to face Hardaway and
Barry Horowitz in a triple threat match, but Hardaway left the league and
the vacant title was held up between Horowitz and Copycat. Through some
outside interference by Steve Austin, Copycat won.
Copycat's success did not last long. He lost the title to Shane Douglas in
his next defense when he was attacked by Chris Jericho. He was granted a
rematch in a tag match, but his win was by DQ. Copycat continued to badger
WWL management for a World title shot but they frequently ignored him. He
was granted a Tri-American title shot a few months later against Balls
Mahoney and won, but later lost to Jared Wells. Copycat was furious with the
WWL because he felt they were deliberately holding him down due to a
personal grudge. Copycat quit the league effective immediately.
Copycat was also under contract with WAR and ACW at the time. Soon after his
WWL departure, Copycat went through a face turn. Ironically, fans cared much
less about Copycat as a fan favorite than they cared about him as a rule
breaker. Copycat's big opportunity in WAR was a World title shot against
rival Madonna Wayne Grossard, which Copycat didn't take seriously and lost.
He participated in a one-night-only brutal battle royale in WWWA, where he
got minimal crowd reaction, despite an impressive performance. Copycat later
rejoined WWL, again as a face, but the league was on its way out and Copycat
never got another chance to prove himself. Copycat's valet, bodyguard, and
friend Icekold was injured in ACW in a match with Maelstrom when Copycat
flung the ring bell at Maelstrom and Maelstrom ducked, causing the bell to
smash Icekold in the forehead. At this point Copycat became increasingly
depressed; his friend was hurt, his record was deteriorating, and his
schedule was hellish. Finally, just before WAR closed, Copycat had a match
with Jean Rabesque, which Copycat predictably lost.
That was when someone using the name "Black Cat" and with a build and attire
similar to Copycat's appeared in FWF. The Black Cat attacked Jean Rabesque
on several occasions. Copycat vehemently denied being the Black Cat, though
popular sentiment was that he and Black Cat were the same person. Copycat
said he didn't want any part of the FWF. However, after repeated attacks by
the Black Cat, Copycat agreed to a match with Jonathon Nash, one of
Rabesque's subordinates. The Black Cat later attacked Nash, proving that
Copycat wasn't the Black Cat. Both wrestlers signed FWF contracts and made
repeated challenges and sneak attacks on Jean Rabesque and his stable, the
Mercenaries. Their singles careers were less than spectacular, but they soon
began to move up in the tag ranks. Soon the Cat Pack defeated the
Mercenaries for the tag titles on the Mercs' first defense. But the success
was not to last.
Though they won their first few defenses, the FWF soon moved to a new
location. Copycat and Black Cat had contractual problems with the move and
were eventually forced to withdraw from FWF competition. This situation also
dictated that their tag team titles would go to the New Breed.
A few months later, new contracts were made and the Cat Pack returned to FWF
competition. The Cat Pack immediately gained the attention of the New Breed
as a serious threat, and went on a hot streak that catapulted them to the
top of the league’s tag team division, as they handily defeated every team
the FWF had to offer. Copycat was briefly sidelined with several broken
fingers after a sneak attack from the New Breed, but he returned as good as
ever. He even managed to go to a no-contest with Jean Rabesque shortly
before Rabesque’s FWF retirement.
At the FWF pay-per-view World Impact Y2K, the Cat Pack had what could have
been one of the best matches of Copycat’s career – a Tag Team title match
with the New Breed atop a 30-foot-high scaffold. The Cat Pack brought the
New Breed’s impressive title reign to an end in the New Breed’s final
televised tag match. The Cat Pack then held the titles until the FWF
suddenly closed in the summer of 2000.
Suddenly a “Stray Cat” without a league, Copycat made attempts at joining
several other leagues, but all seemed to close down before he had a match.
Finally, discouraged by the competition, Copycat traveled to Japan in early
2001 to hone his skills.
Finally, in early 2002, Copycat returned to WWL competition after a year in
Japan. He quickly made an impact, handily defeating several of the league’s
best and winning the Television Title, but (as is his tradition, it seems)
he lost the title in his first defense, against Shawn Hart. Shortly
thereafter, though, Copycat suddenly became a “hot commodity” in the WWL,
becoming tremendously popular despite his heel persona and gaining the
attention of not only the fans, but also of a number of different league
heads. Unable to stop his overwhelming popularity (which he tried to do,
since turning face almost ruined his career back in 1997), Copycat turned
face in the summer of 2002.
Copycat soon got a chance to try out his new status as a fan favorite. When
WWL owner Andrew Medina announced that the league was to be split into three
territorial federations, WWL World Heavyweight champion Nevada Smith (who
was stripped of his title as a result) objected. Copycat, who liked the
idea of a split, spoke up and challenged Nevada. On the WWL’s last
Salvation event as a whole, Copycat beat Nevada to a huge crowd response.
At the talent draft shortly thereafter, Copycat was not only drafted #1 –
into the CVWA – but he was the number-one choice for all three league
owners.
Player in the Game”
HEIGHT: 6’4”
WEIGHT: 301 lbs
HOMETOWN: Kalamazoo, MI
ENTRANCE MUSIC: Copycat voice/over “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LEND ME YOUR
EARS!” followed by “My Way” by Butch Walker
FIVE SIGNATURE MOVES: Release German suplex, frog splash, overhead press
slam, the Cat’s Meow (the People’s Elbow), Kit Kat Kick (savate kick),
overhead belly-to-belly suplex
SETUP: None used
FINISHER: Finisher #1 is the Cat’s Claw, which is a half nelson combined
with a clawhold (it’s identical to Maelstrom’s “Mortal Sin” if you’re
familiar with that; Copycat blatantly stole it from him), it can end the
match via submission or by knocking the opponent out; Finisher #2 (which is
the one he uses the most) is the LitterBomb, which is a high-impact running
powerbomb (lifts opponent into powerbomb position, takes a few steps
forward, jumps up and smashes them into the canvas)
WHO YOUR CHARACTER IS: Formerly a big jokester, Copycat recently began
applying his extensive psychological prowess to his matches and improved his
image drastically in his most recent run in the WWL before it died a
horrible death. He also became extremely popular with the fans, and when
the WWL split into three leagues and held a draft of all its talent, Copycat
was drafted #1 out of 70-some competitors, and in fact was the first draft
choice of all three leagues. In the league’s last event as the full WWL
before the split, Copycat defeated Nevada Smith in the main event, cementing
him as a top-level face in the business. The league died though, and
Copycat, convinced he was a curse to wrestling leagues (they tend to close
right as he becomes successful), disappeared from the world of wrestling
back in December.
Though he has stayed in shape, Copycat’s last seven months or so have been
spent working on other projects. He has directed music videos for several
popular artists, including a band he has been associated with since his FWF
days; formerly called “CatScan” they are now known as “Shotgun Swivelchair,”
and their latest album, which Copycat wrote several songs for and is also
featured rapping on one, is picking up steam. He has also filmed
appearances on several TV shows, but has decided that it is time to get back
into wrestling before the fans forget about him. As a high-profile face,
Copycat should be a good foil for some of the WFW’s top stars, many of whom
are high-profile heels.
The only surviving element of Copycat’s older gimmicks (and the partial
reason for his ring name) is his ability to perform pretty much any
wrestling move known to man, except those requiring very low body weight
(corkscrew plancha, shooting star press, etc.). He can also imitate almost
any voice, but doesn’t do that too much anymore. And despite his face
status, he can’t help but be kind of cocky at times; he’s honest about it
now, though. As you can tell from his weight, Copycat is very muscular (not
301 lbs of PURE muscle, but close). He sports short, crew-cut brown hair
and a goatee. He wears red wrestling tights (the short kind, like what
Brock Lesnar wears, for example) with “THE CAT” on the back with a long claw
slash drawn under it, red boots, and red elbow pads. He comes to the ring
wearing a long, red-and-orange robe and a black beret with “THE CAT” written
on it in red, though he doesn’t wrestle in them. He usually gives the beret
to a ringside fan on the way to the ring.
Copycat’s manager/valet/bodyguard-type is Icekold. Icekold is trained as a
wrestler, so she can take care of herself, but she won’t ever actually
wrestle. She usually is dressed in wrestling attire, though. Her most
distinguishing feature is her hair, which is dyed ice-blue. As a female
wrestler, Icekold never gave in to the temptation of breast implants or
plastic surgery, so she’s not the most attractive valet in the business.
She used to be around to distract the referee and kick Copycat’s opponents
in the groin when she had the opportunity, but now that Copycat is a face
and doesn’t cheat anymore (much), she’s mostly there to prevent interference
and be there when he needs someone else in his promos. She’ll sometimes hit
on his opponents, though the opponent generally doesn’t like that because
she isn’t very good-looking.
At the bottom of this form, I have provided an extended biography of Copycat
up until his last match in the full WWL. I don’t know how useful it will
actually be, and you certainly don’t have to read it if you don’t want to,
but I like to make sure it’s out there.
RELEVANT TITLES WON: WWL World Heavyweight Title, 1997 (defeated Azeem
Hardaway, lost to Shane Douglas); WWL Tri-American Title, 1997 (defeated
Balls Mahoney, lost to Rage ‘o Fire); FWF Tag Team Titles, 2000 (with Black
Cat as the Cat Pack, defeated the Mercenaries, lost to the New Breed); FWF
Tag Team Titles, 2001 (with Black Cat, as the Cat Pack; defeated the New
Breed, held until league closed); WWL Television Title, 2002 (defeated King
Krusher in a tournament final, lost to Shawn Hart)
Extended biography: Born James Joseph Kattman in 1973, Copycat is a
lifelong wrestling fan. He enjoyed nothing more as a child than watching pro
wrestling on TV. In fact, he liked it so much that he began to act it out as
a young age. In school, he was known as a class clown, always doing
impressions of celebrities and forever acting out his wrestling holds. He
became very familiar with the sport. Friends called him "Copykattman"
because of his antics. James, of course, would fantasize about being a
wrestler, but never really expected to get into the business.
In high school, James joined the school wrestling team in the hopes of doing
what he loved. He was built relatively well, but was not nearly prepared for
the sport of amateur wrestling. James was always looking for opportunities
to try his beloved wrestling moves, but he never got the chance because of
the nature of amateur wrestling and was cut from the team his first year. He
started bulking up as he progressed throughout high school, but he never
once made the team until his senior year because he didn't have a clue as to
how to wrestle amateur-style, and even his senior year, he was ranked low
and didn’t win very often.
Since James didn't see much future for his wrestling career, he was enrolled
at Western Michigan University the following year. James had a few odd jobs
while in college but never really enjoyed any of them. However, during his
sophomore year, he and some friends were staging a mock wrestling match and
some of the people there said James should go down to the local arena and
try out for the local wrestling promotion. No one thought James would take
it seriously.
And were they ever wrong! James tried out the next day and, with his
impressive physique and incredible knowledge of almost every wrestling move
known to man, they immediately began signing him for night shows and weekend
shows as "The Mat Master". James became so popular as a wrestler that the
promotion began signing him for more and more shows. James would do his
homework and write papers in the locker room before and after matches. In
February of his senior year, the World Wrestling League contacted James and
expressed interest in having him work for them. James insisted on finishing
out his senior year and graduating from college. Almost immediately after
his graduation, he held a tryout with the WWL and was accepted immediately.
Garth Bishop, looking to add talent to the stable he had already brought
together, became James's agent. However, he was not enthusiastic about the
name "The Mat Master" and suggested a change. The only thing James could
come up with was his old "Copykattman" nickname. It was shortened to
"Copycat" before his debut.
Copycat did not start out as an instant success. Before he even started
wrestling, Copycat started a small rivalry with then-World champion Azeem
Hardaway, despite Copycat's heel persona. Copycat wanted to challenge Azeem
for the title, but couldn't, because he was losing matches left and right,
as he was very new to such a high degree of pro wrestling. However, when the
Jenkins World Order tried to take over, Copycat got an unexpected
opportunity. JWO representative Spanky Richards came in, challenged
Hardaway, and was immediately granted a World Title shot. Copycat complained
and was given a match against Richards to determine who'd get the shot.
Richards no-showed the match and chose to participate in the World title
match later that night, where he lost. Copycat now had a World title shot.
It was granted a few weeks later. Copycat was slated to face Hardaway and
Barry Horowitz in a triple threat match, but Hardaway left the league and
the vacant title was held up between Horowitz and Copycat. Through some
outside interference by Steve Austin, Copycat won.
Copycat's success did not last long. He lost the title to Shane Douglas in
his next defense when he was attacked by Chris Jericho. He was granted a
rematch in a tag match, but his win was by DQ. Copycat continued to badger
WWL management for a World title shot but they frequently ignored him. He
was granted a Tri-American title shot a few months later against Balls
Mahoney and won, but later lost to Jared Wells. Copycat was furious with the
WWL because he felt they were deliberately holding him down due to a
personal grudge. Copycat quit the league effective immediately.
Copycat was also under contract with WAR and ACW at the time. Soon after his
WWL departure, Copycat went through a face turn. Ironically, fans cared much
less about Copycat as a fan favorite than they cared about him as a rule
breaker. Copycat's big opportunity in WAR was a World title shot against
rival Madonna Wayne Grossard, which Copycat didn't take seriously and lost.
He participated in a one-night-only brutal battle royale in WWWA, where he
got minimal crowd reaction, despite an impressive performance. Copycat later
rejoined WWL, again as a face, but the league was on its way out and Copycat
never got another chance to prove himself. Copycat's valet, bodyguard, and
friend Icekold was injured in ACW in a match with Maelstrom when Copycat
flung the ring bell at Maelstrom and Maelstrom ducked, causing the bell to
smash Icekold in the forehead. At this point Copycat became increasingly
depressed; his friend was hurt, his record was deteriorating, and his
schedule was hellish. Finally, just before WAR closed, Copycat had a match
with Jean Rabesque, which Copycat predictably lost.
That was when someone using the name "Black Cat" and with a build and attire
similar to Copycat's appeared in FWF. The Black Cat attacked Jean Rabesque
on several occasions. Copycat vehemently denied being the Black Cat, though
popular sentiment was that he and Black Cat were the same person. Copycat
said he didn't want any part of the FWF. However, after repeated attacks by
the Black Cat, Copycat agreed to a match with Jonathon Nash, one of
Rabesque's subordinates. The Black Cat later attacked Nash, proving that
Copycat wasn't the Black Cat. Both wrestlers signed FWF contracts and made
repeated challenges and sneak attacks on Jean Rabesque and his stable, the
Mercenaries. Their singles careers were less than spectacular, but they soon
began to move up in the tag ranks. Soon the Cat Pack defeated the
Mercenaries for the tag titles on the Mercs' first defense. But the success
was not to last.
Though they won their first few defenses, the FWF soon moved to a new
location. Copycat and Black Cat had contractual problems with the move and
were eventually forced to withdraw from FWF competition. This situation also
dictated that their tag team titles would go to the New Breed.
A few months later, new contracts were made and the Cat Pack returned to FWF
competition. The Cat Pack immediately gained the attention of the New Breed
as a serious threat, and went on a hot streak that catapulted them to the
top of the league’s tag team division, as they handily defeated every team
the FWF had to offer. Copycat was briefly sidelined with several broken
fingers after a sneak attack from the New Breed, but he returned as good as
ever. He even managed to go to a no-contest with Jean Rabesque shortly
before Rabesque’s FWF retirement.
At the FWF pay-per-view World Impact Y2K, the Cat Pack had what could have
been one of the best matches of Copycat’s career – a Tag Team title match
with the New Breed atop a 30-foot-high scaffold. The Cat Pack brought the
New Breed’s impressive title reign to an end in the New Breed’s final
televised tag match. The Cat Pack then held the titles until the FWF
suddenly closed in the summer of 2000.
Suddenly a “Stray Cat” without a league, Copycat made attempts at joining
several other leagues, but all seemed to close down before he had a match.
Finally, discouraged by the competition, Copycat traveled to Japan in early
2001 to hone his skills.
Finally, in early 2002, Copycat returned to WWL competition after a year in
Japan. He quickly made an impact, handily defeating several of the league’s
best and winning the Television Title, but (as is his tradition, it seems)
he lost the title in his first defense, against Shawn Hart. Shortly
thereafter, though, Copycat suddenly became a “hot commodity” in the WWL,
becoming tremendously popular despite his heel persona and gaining the
attention of not only the fans, but also of a number of different league
heads. Unable to stop his overwhelming popularity (which he tried to do,
since turning face almost ruined his career back in 1997), Copycat turned
face in the summer of 2002.
Copycat soon got a chance to try out his new status as a fan favorite. When
WWL owner Andrew Medina announced that the league was to be split into three
territorial federations, WWL World Heavyweight champion Nevada Smith (who
was stripped of his title as a result) objected. Copycat, who liked the
idea of a split, spoke up and challenged Nevada. On the WWL’s last
Salvation event as a whole, Copycat beat Nevada to a huge crowd response.
At the talent draft shortly thereafter, Copycat was not only drafted #1 –
into the CVWA – but he was the number-one choice for all three league
owners.