©
Planet Wrestling 2001
| MANUEL CAMARA -- A Dedication |
(Written by Rob Michaud: April 23rd, 2001)
Before Planet Wrestling had even been thought of as a possibilty, this e-wrestling federation existed for some time, quite successfully in its own right, under the name E-WCW. The E-WCW was, to my knowledge, created and run by a man by the name of Scott Wheeler, though details of this are sketchy. I had joined the E-WCW as a character names Whitelines after another fed I was in, the XWF had folded. It had been in the XWF that I had encountered Manuel Camara, who had handled a character called Dehumanizer. The E-WCW had only been my second fed, and, at the time, I felt that my "Whitelines" might need an ally. I invited Manuel to join me in the E-WCW. At first, he declined, but eventually, he'd joined the E-WCW roster as the Dehumanizer. A short time after, Mr. Wheeler decided that he would be unable to continue as the Fed Head of the E-WCW, a volunteer stepped forth. His name: Manuel Camara.
April 16th, 1997 marked the official date that Manuel Camara shared the fed with one Rob H. (I don't remember his last name). Later, Manuel would go on to run the E-WCW as its sole president, bringing the fed into a state of prosperity. For quite some time, I'd say that things were going quite well, with a number of prominent characters filling the roster, and a number of great feuds taking place. The E-WCW developed a rich history of matches amongst members of a wonderful talent pool, which still included some good roleplaying and match performances by the Dehumanizer character he'd stuck by all the while. However, none of this would have been possible without Manuel running the show and doing what he could to keep things running as smoothly as possible and keeping his members happy. But most importantly, despite a number of tough obstacles that crossed his path, Manuel Camara did one very important thing: he kept the E-WCW alive.
Eventually, though, the work involved with running an e-federation took its toll. Manuel was faced with the decision that Scott had been faced with before him: either hand the E-WCW off to someone or walk away from it. Eventually, myself, as well as my brother, Dave, who had also been a prominent wrestler and staff member in E-WCW by this time, asked for the E-WCW, and graciously, Manuel passed it on.
Dave and I had big plans in mind for the E-WCW, including a name change, but we kept the E-WCW name around until the passing of one last PPV event before changing the fed's name to Planet Wrestling.
For some time, Manual still handled his Dehumanizer character and roleplayed more at first, but occasionally later on, all while still keeping an eye on PW matters and pitching in from time to time as a member of our staff.
Eventually, though, Manuel decided that it was time to really step away from e-wrestling altogether, at least for a while. He released a series of messages relating his official "retirement" from the PW staff, thanking everyone involved for his E-WCW / PW experiences.
By this time, many of you won't really remember the impact Mr. Camara had on Planet Wrestling's being what it is today. The fact of the matter is, as memebrrs of Planet Wrestling, we owe everything to Manuel. He was there to pick up the pieces when the president before him would have otherwise discarded the fed, and not only did he put things back together again, but he helped the fed reach new heights and furthermore, helped it prosper and stay in existance for several years. He helped establish much of the infrastructure that built the E-WCW into what it was, much of which was carried over into Planet Wrestling's format. He helped raise the bar for our standards of excellence and showed us that striving toward excellence for a fed was a worthwhile goal. In short, without him and the work, time and efforts he dedicated to the E-WCW, Planet Wrestling would not be here today, and it definitley wouldn't be the same fed if it wasn't for him.
I still talk with Manuel from time to time, and he ponders the idea of returning to e-wrestling someday, somehow... maybe even to Planet Wrestling. So if you ever do see the former E-WCW President back here, or in some other e-fed out there on the 'Net, take the time to drop him a line to say "thanks" for what he's done for Planet Wrestling, and to let him know that the time and effort he put into his E-WCW opus will be remembered and that his legacy of dedication to excellence will live on.
Here's to Manuel Camara: a great e-fed president, and a heck of a guy.
| MANUEL CAMARA: In
his own words...
(January 17th, 2001) Greetings fellow Planet Wrestling superstars, Today is a day, I have been preparing for with great hesitation and delay. Today is a day, I hoped would never come. However, for me the sands of time have run out. Over the past year I have struggled with the decision I am about to make a countless number of times. Over the past 5 years I read many matches and written many cards. Over the past years I have seen many great wrestlers come and seen many heroes go. And now my fellow PW members, I believe like many before me, It is time for me to go. On this day, January. 17th 2001, I would like to officially announcement my retirement. Not just from Planet Wrestling, but from E-wrestling in general. By the end of this month (January 31st, 2001) I will no longer be regarded as CEO of this company nor will I be the controller behind The Dehumanizer. I realize to some, this may not matter much, considering Rob Michaud has been running the fed for well over a year now, fine without anyone looking down at him. I applaud you Rob! I know how difficult a job it is, though I knew if anyone could do it, it is you. However insignificant this retirement announcement may seem to some, It means a lot to me. Having been a part of PW for the past 2 years and having been a major part of E-WCW 4 years ago. I have the privilege of meeting so many talented people and have gotten the opportunity to wrestling against many of them. To me the past 5 years has been a dream I think all of us share." The dream of entering an arena, and hearing 60,000 screaming fans chant your name as you strut down the aisle. The dream of stepping over those ropes, entering the square circle, and stepping up against your mighty opponent...The dream of having your hand raised in victory after crushing your opponent." This my friends, is the reason we are all here. To live out our fantasies - of one day becoming a wrestling superstar. My fellow PW members... I have achieved that dream... thanks to all of you. And that is why, I must depart this fantasy world and conquer new adventurous, and climb new mountains...."and to boldly go where no man has gone before"...(.hmmm...wait a minute...hahah wrong show.) Well, friends, fellow members of Planet Wrestling, e-wrestlers throughout the net. All good things must come to an end. So, enjoy the dream while it lasts and remember together we are all superstars of the square circle. Thank you for the memories, Manuel M.Camara
(February 2nd, 2001) Greetings Planet Wrestling, January 31st 2001 has come and gone. As I stated in my last e-mail to the fed, I would officially retire from Planet Wrestling... and I am a man of my word. At this moment I would like to take the opportunity to thank several individuals who have been a part of my career in E-wrestling over the last 5 years. Matt D... from all the disagreements, and feuds we've had over the years, I must say it was an enjoyment working with you and wrestling against you. Matt D. was the founder of the XWF - the very first E-fed I joined in 1996. There- I started like many of you, not really sure what all this E-wrestling was about. But as time went on, and from a little help from Matt, I learned quickly and it was there I created a wrestler known as Dehumanizer. It was also in the XWF where I became friends with a few wrestlers you may remember - Blizzard (Joe Kelley) and Absolute Zero (David Michaud). These two individuals showed me the ropes. Joe and Dave were really the two people I learned the most from. Through there experience and example I learned how to write a successful role-play and what it really took to win a match. It was also in the XWF were the ever so famous feud began between "The Arctic Circle" (which consisted of Blizzard and Absolute Zero) and "Pain." ( which of course consisted of Dehumanizer.) I could spend a whole day writing about the old feud between Pain and Arctic Circle, but some things are best described in one word.....Unforgettable!! Once again, Thank you Joe and Dave, From being my early inspiration and great teachers - you two truly are masters of the ring. I would also like to thank Scott .W, the original owner of E-WCW (forgive me for my poor memory- I can't remember your last name.). Thank you for giving me the opportunity to run my own fed and for giving many others the chance to shine. In the late 90's. I took over a small fed called E-WCW. (which of course is now known as Planet Wrestling) there are many wrestlers who have come and gone, but there are a few that I would like to thank for making E-WCW unforgettable... Gai-Jin, Insurrecto(the origanl leader of Pain.),Chogall, Whitelines, Blizzard, "Dangerous" Devon Walker, Absolute Zero(the only wrestler to truly defeat Dehumanizer), Bloodwar, Lothos, Loki, "Sycophant" Sid, Zack Logan, TR Ela and Warchild - Thank you all for making E-WCW so enjoyable and for making my e-Wrestling experience, unforgettable. Forgive me if I have forgotten any names, everyone appreciated. I would also like to thank all those wrestlers and staff members who have helped me out, whether it be writing a match or helping behind the scenes...what would I have done without you all! I'd also like to thank several current PW superstars for making Planet Wrestling the leader in E-wrestling: Ken Jensen( The New Leader of The Pain Foundation) - Without a doubt, you were truly born to leader us into a new dark era! Smokin John Hayes, Sean Swanson, Matt Michaels, Ravenger, Kamakize, Livewire, Hellraiser, Canadian Crippler( more power to you, my fellow Canadian) and Kristoph Kahn(thanks touch guy) Thanks again to all of you, for bringing Planet Wrestling in the new millennium. Last but not least, I'd like to specially thank Rob Michaud. When I handed over the E-WCW to you I knew I had made the best decision of my career. What you have done here with Planet Wrestling is very impressive and will always blow me away with the amount of effort and time you have put into this fed. This fed and web page belong to you! Thanks again for being supportive through the years and for being a good challenge to work with. You have made my career here very enjoyable and will always be a friend. Best of luck to you and your brother Dave. Remember, I'll always be an e-mail away, when ever you need a hand. Well, I'm sure I have bored some of you to death by now. So I will finally end here: If I had to choose Internet Wrestling or TV Wrestling. I would choose this. Because on the internet - we can be anyone we want, we can create any wrestler we want, we can win as many titles as we want and we can wrestler how ever long we want. Here in Planet Wrestling, there are no borders or limits. There is no money or time. Here your dream can become a reality and the fantasy can never die... Manuel M.Camara |
Be sure to check out the profile of an E-WCW / PW legend: Manuel Camara's Dehumanizer.
©
Planet Wrestling 2001