COMMENTARY
Commentary is a fine balance between conversation and calling the
match. The commentators keep things interesting with conversation, while
still supplying the reader with the play-by-play of the unfolding action.
Readers have to know what's going on at all times so they can form a mental image of what's taking place: a good exercise in achieving this is listening to a good sportscast over the radio (I'm sure you can find one over the Internet with RealAudio or something, if nothing else). In the case of the radio broadcast, the radio announcer doesn't have the luxury of having listeners see the action as it occurs, so they have to fill in all the important and significant blanks for them. If the fans start booing or cheering wildly, the listener needs to know why. In match writing, some visual details can be filled in through the use indicating an action with the "action" square brackets (see Match Format page). However, I've found that these usually should be used in matches sparingly, mostly because they're usually less exciting than commentary. I tend to reserve them especially for actions that the commentator would either ignore or have a great difficulty adequately describing (though having the commentator(s) make an attempt to explain what they saw after the fact wouldn't hurt).
On the other hand, readers should NOT be bored. If the pace of the match slows down (such as when both competitors are down and winded after a big move, for example), the commentators can't just have dead air. Nor do you want the commentators to describe a lengthy, enduring situation to the point that people don't care... so add some color into the match with banter between the commentators. This can take many forms, including references to what has happened or might happen later in the match, talking about previous matches or matches that are yet to come, chit-chat about what's going on in the fed, talking about the current competitors strengths and weaknesses and how they match up, or just about anything else that's somewhat interesting, for that matter. This filler material helps fill in time gaps to keep the match flowing and is aimed primarily at maintaining interest, while at the same time, giving the commentary a warmer, more realistic and natural feel. On top of that, it keeps the match from being just a long set of holds strung together.
MATCHES ARE LIKE STORIES
More often than not, you'll be treating a match as if it's a balanced
story. A traditional, balanced story has a beginning, a middle, and an
end.
The beginning of a match includes the characters coming to the ring and what the commentators have to say about them as they do so, as well as the first part of the match. The characters should be established by their actions, appearance and demeanor, as well as by their strengths and weaknesses (both their individual strengths and weaknesses and how they should measure up to their opponent as a result) going into the match. All of this beginning piece sets the tone for the rest of the match, and usually gives you at least some idea as to what you're in for when you're reading it.
The middle of the match is important in demonstrating just how the competitors match up against each other. This is where commentators expectations are either matched, surpassed or simply not met. This is also the meat of the match, and should be seen as building up beyond what took place in the beginning's introductory sequence in terms of the action. Things are gradually building up more and more, with some sequences in this section possibly almost having a start, middle and end to them within themselves. Tension will be building upon itself like a snowball running down a hill...
The match's ending is its conclusion (or denouement =), where things (and often the wrestlers involved) start to reach their breaking point. Typically, this is the time where big moves that may become deciding factors in the match are most often pulled off, and where the combatants start taking more risks and going for broke to end things off before they get too tired. More mistakes are often made as a result, allowing for the errors to be capitalized on and bring the match closer to a close. Quite often, a match will finish with a bang (for this, think of what would or wouldn't have you jumping out of your seat, if you were a fan watching the match live and at ringside, after the match is done or when its coming to a close). The key of the ending sequence is building on the tension that was established in the meat of the match and putting the exclamation marks on it so that it's important and special enough so that it goes beyond what was seen in the rest of the match to that point. The end of a match should either leave the reader satisfied (by satisfied, I don't necessarily mean happy- if a reader is to feel satisfied, then it should be at the conclusion of a good match or feud, where not much else is going to come of it beyond this match) or salivating and wishing for more out of sheer anticipation (if they're wishing for more, it should be because there's likely to BE more to come on a coming card, such as in a feud, or in a character working their way up the ladder or something.).
ACTION!!
Use a lot of action-oriented, present tense verbs. This helps give
a better sense of the action taking place as being dynamic and flowing.
It's only my opinion, but I know that when I write matches that I try to
use past tenses only after either a really fast move has just been executed,
or after something like a big, heavy hit just received a very strong response
from the commentator. For example: "Look at this! eXtreme just jackhammered
Phillips with about fifteen blistering, rapid-fire punches! His hands are
SO quick!" or "WOAH!!!! What a devastating powerbomb executed
there by the Bombinator!!"
TRY TO CONVEY THE SPEED OF THE ACTION
When trying to convey a faster pace to the action (or of a character),
use smaller words with less syllables, and lees word overall to convey
your meaning (and don't be afraid to use strong, short, sharp verbs like
"whips" and adjectives like "quick", for example).
Writing "Joe races over to Ed- picks him up- whips him to the ropes-
Ed quick off the ropes- ducks a punch" gives the sense that the commentator/
announcer is trying to keep up with the action, and has a much quicker
pace to it than something like "Joseph Waterman making his way over
to 'Special Ed'. He picks him up off the canvas and pushes him into the
ropes with all he's got- Here comes Edward off the cables- avoids a haymaker
from Waterman". The second example slows things down quite a bit through
the use of more words, longer words, and less sharp, descriptive adjectives
used to convey speed. Such words should be used to depict the slower movement
of the powerful behemoths in the fed (as opposed to the speedy guys) or
to illustrate the action being a little slower at that point in the match.
When you want thins to look even slower, let the reader know with appropriate
"slow" verbs and adjectives.
GET THE FANS INTO IT
Don't forget about the crowd. Sometimes, even the best match writers
do. The crowd though, is an important device in writing the match and using
it appropriately can help further convey the kind of reactions that the
match and/ or its participants are generating. Keeping the crowd in a match
can be done through showing their reaction in the appropriate square "action"
brackets, but may be even better conveyed by the commentators describing
what they're seeing and hearing, or their yelling just to be heard over
the overpowering noise of the fans. The crowd plays an important role in
the match itself, almost like a separate character, and as such, should
play an active participating role and should not simply be ignored.