| Going Beyond Your Wrestling Nation | |
| Details | |
| Acronym | GBYWN |
| Established | 2006 |
| Creator | Cam |
| Key People & Other roles | Cam (Pres./co-Champs. Manager) King BW (GBYWN Chairman) D.Miller (Scout Commissioner) Rad Hazard (co-Champs Manager) Joe Randa (Admin) Shooter (Admin) Sic Ric (Admin) Devin Bliss (Admin) |
| Type of site | Forum |
| Formerly | Backyard Wrestling News Global Backyard Wrestling News |
| Federations under banner | 80+ (Active) |
| Current status | Active |
| External links | GBYWN Website |
Going Beyond Your Wrestling Nation (formerly known as Global Backyard Wrestling News), abbreviated as "GBYWN", is a backyard wrestling community, created in 2006 by Cam. It is currently the biggest backyard wrestling community in the world.. It is responsible for being the launch pad for the alliances of Battle Born Wrestling (BBW) and “Global Backyard Wrestling News” to merge to form a new entity known as "Global Backyard Wrestling Nation", which is operated by Rad Hazard.
Through some doubt, the community rose from scratch to heightened popularity beginning in 2007 eventually surpassing top competitor such as Backyard Wrestling Link. Attributed much to its early success was its 24/7 operation and attractive multi-featured urban-like community. Multiple backyard wrestling federations have been integrated varying in style and quality and given entitlement to promoting their videos within.
GBYWN has been viewed to an extent as a controversial community that currently remains as the highest commercialized backyard wrestling site with over 1000+ registered members and generally seen by a handful to be the modern and preeminent backyard wrestling social online following.
History[]
Origin[]
In early 2006, Shawn Kozone (only known by that name then) opened a wrestling site called Wrestlezone 4000 in which did news coverage on professional wrestling companies, some time before the site would be hacked. Kozone became aware of backyard wrestling, but however, held no initial interest until Dreadvenom (The Frank) of Backyard Wrestling Association directed him to BWA, the only federation Kozone would know of for the time being.
In March 2006, Kozone, operating site 321wrestling, engaged in competition with his friends' more successful site, 365wrestling, having a rivalry of freewebs wrestling sites. He would later after disposing his site and taking a hiatus, allegedly return in June to overthrow his friends with his new 500wrestling website. Meanwhile, his backyard wrestling interest heightened after discovering promoted federations on The Frank's National New Age Alliance (NNAA) webpage, inspiring the foundation of his own federation alongside his brother City Boy, and friend, Wild Wyatt known as Brutal Backyard Wrestling (later turning into Carolina Xtreme Wrestling).
In September 2006, after folding 500wrestling, Kozone adopted the nickname Cam abbreviated from actual name, Cameron. Cam gained ownership of the regarded biggest wrestling site on freewebs, 123pin. Now highly fond to backyard wrestling, he formed a backyard wrestling-oriented freewebs subsite, Backyard Wrestling News (BYWN), incorporated to 123pin without the expectation of succeeding. When the subsite began surpassing the status of his most successful wrestling site, he immediately terminated it for BYWN.
Backyard Wrestling News (2006-2007)[]
BYWN ran moderately, but at times declined to mere visitation and with Cam determined, this fuelled the need to develop and mass advertise it on the internet. Cam provided quick consistent updates and promoted it across countless freeweb wrestling sites pulling in many backyard wrestlers and federations as the guestbook began hosting frequent conversations. Interviews, ranking and competitive community features including "Federation of the Week" and "Federation of the Month" took implementation which assisted to grow interest in BYWN. Federations well received by Cam at that time included Championship Wrestling Association, Extreme Wrestling Alliance, Backyard Wrestling Association, In Your House Wrestling Alliance, Revolutionary Household of Wrestling and many more.
Not easily succeeding with a non-professional website receiving some accusations and criticism of being of "bland and unprofessional nature", BYWN underwent outlook modification for further attractiveness as changes were made giving it an urban, hang-out-spot feeling, continuously offering a guestbook, the addition of forums (that were initially barely visited), embedded videos usually of selected videos of the week, and additional rap music themed in the background for a brief point.
The regulation then was to join the community and stay participating for promotional benefits as opposed to just only visit to promote, where applicants were granted full accessibility to promotional rights which was later for a time earned through a money system feature called "GBYWN Dollars" and "federation qualifications". Also in January 2007, an opposition was faced in the arrival of a community known as World Backyard Wrestling (WBYW) attempting a rivalry but BYWN had amounted too big. Subsequently, Cam realized the worldwide outreach to backyard wrestlers and federations and renamed Backyard Wrestling News as "Global Backyard Wrestling News".
Global Backyard Wrestling News (2007-present)[]
GBYWN Forum. |
GBYWN started blossoming heavily more than ever before with its multiple assembled federations under banner. 2007 was a notable year for the community on accounts of several reasons behind gaining fandom and becoming a household name among all backyard wrestling communities taking the lead over a community once at its highest popularity, Backyard Wrestling Link. Federations such as Trampoline Championship Wrestling (though ended in the year), 2KW, Allied Wrestling Syndicate, and Kick Ass Wrestling joined adding to the better federations.
In June, backyard wrestler Cassias Chaos claimed himself the GBYWN Champion. Statements were self-proclaimed that he brought the idea up for the site to have a champion, leading to other titles coming about. In July, the community Breakfall.net (BFN) surfaced online primarily focused with Australian backyard wrestling federations and started getting known. For a short interim, there was a rival relationship with both parties overtime as BFN had criticized GBYWN federations and talent and wrote gossip columns to ridicule their operation, most notiably, the "GBYWN Dollars" feature. Moreover, being the more active, commercialized and global outreaching of a community than the competitor, the opposition stayed rather stagnant.
Between late 2007 and early 2008, adversity was encountered after a recuring series of misconducts from deligated moderators, few incensed with the results of the "GBYWN Power 25" feature designed to rank backyard wrestlers and federations which was felt to be unjust. Defaming damages were committed with deleted topics, posted obscenities and other provoking activities prompting the borderline closure of the site. Futhermore, conflicts were resolved, particular features discontinued and the forum renewed with the addition of a portal, and chatbox, later defeating the purpose of having the main website. Considering this incident was denigrating, the community somehow strengthened as a common unit.
GBYWN became a place of offering critical reviews to the media posted to achieve standards in the backyard wrestling action, and those who engaged in the practice only for recreation or was not as talented as others, started to be overshadowed. This inevitably led to some citing the social territory as controversial and accusing many people of "playing favorites" and "forming a large clique" that comment on their own videos. In addition, the forum procured a professional domain at thegbywn.com in 2009.
Features and Challenges[]
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GBYWN has utilized a number of features and challenges in maintaining a socially-attractive, virtually home-appealing mixed-age-group community filled with mostly backyard wrestlers allowing members to converse, share media and promote themselves. A chat box entitled the “GBYWN Shoutbox”, one of many other features formerly used on its website, is an applied addition to the forums which gives all personnel, interactive conversing privileges within the forum community.
Many of other competitive features incorporated into the community had only precipitated disputes between the backyard wrestlers, who cited some decisions as “unjust” and “inaccurate” leading to its disuse, coupled with the fact that it weighed in heavy on the hands of community owner, Cam, who was generally responsible for its updates that required to be alleviated to bring equilibrium between his life responsibilities.
With that, GBYWN retired features such as the GBYWN Power 25 which was a ranking board accused as being a biased system that rewarded backyard wrestlers for victories rather than skill. “GBYWN Dollars” which stood for a money system, that was once temporarily implemented to give those representing their federations who partook in community games, contests and activities such as the fantasy wrestling "GBYWN Backyard Simulation Game", unofficial dollars eligible for purchasing promotion for their federation, however, is now used as forum reward points that can be used towards things such as graphics. Cam had also retired "GBYWN Weekly" and "Monthly Awards", prior to abandoning in the use of the main site, now only serving as a redirect link.
Site features[]
- GBYWN Backyard Simulation Wrestling Game: Was a fantasy wrestling game which allows one to become a GM and manage bookings of events in their fantasy league that appear in typewritten results involving backyard wrestlers from various real-life backyard wrestling federations.
- GBYWN Dollars: Stands for a money system, which was once implemented to reward unofficial dollars to those representing their federations who partook in community games, contests and activities the eligibility to purchase promotion or a right. It has recently been brought back and is being used as a reputation scale, whereas, posts made by all in the community are approved or disapproved on a "+" or "-" vote that arise and decrease reputation within.
- GBYWN Music: An archive of royalty free music for backyard wrestlers composed by Jake Xinn and Fatality.
- GBYWN Pro Wrestling Game: Was a game that rewards points for casting predictions on pro wrestling bookings.
- GBYWN Cribz: A feature that allows members to record videos based on their personal living.
- GBYWN Columns: Was a blogging feature used for members to advertise and discuss feelings.
- GBYWN Power 25: Was a ranking system that promoted ascension on grounds of victories and popularity more than ability and eventually stirred controversy in the community leading to its discontinuation.
Challenges[]
- GBYWN Spring Challenge: This is the biggest aunnual competition in GBYWN occurring around spring, permitting any and everyone involved within to partake. The concept behind the competitive feature is that participants record and submit a match of any kind that must be full-length, which will be judged by special personnel of the community known as "Big Bros" upon review based on varying factors such as wrestling ability, psychology, match flow, and overall entertainment value. Previously, decisions were only made solely by Cam.
- GBYWN Tag Team Challenge: An annual challenge which bases on Tag team matches. The best tag match is rewarded.
- GBYWN Promo Challenge: An annual challenge that emphasizes competition on promo skills. The best promo is rewarded.
- GBYWN Talent Show: Was a contest that allowed participants to showcase any ability in or outside of backyard wrestling.
- GBYWN Head 2 Head (H2H): Was a weekly challenge which placed backyard wrestling federation videos against one another competitively for votes issued to the better video based on opinion.
BYWTube[]
In wake of action taken by copyright owners requesting mutation and/or removal of videos containing infringement on YouTube, backyard wrestling videos have become victimized as a result for possessing unpermitted borrowed material from various bands and music artists. As a back-up source, Cam created Backyard Wrestling Tube (BYWTube) on a custom social media-sharing network, Ning, that is steadily gaining more members.
Federations[]
- Main article: GBYWN Federations
Over 200+ distinctive backyard wrestling federations have aligned themselves with GBYWN since 2006. With the fact that several promotions have shuttered, there are still a very abundant amount of organizations still running today with GBYWN including 2KW, Indiana Championship Wrestling, BWA/FWA, 2 Xtreme Wrestling Syndicate, Northeast Championship Wrestling, and several more.
See Also[]
- National Backyard Wrestling Alliance
- BYW Rulz
- Spot Monkey
- Battle Born Wrestling
- Breakfall
- List Of Backyard Wrestling Communities