Ufnal

This sounds awesome, can't wait to try it!

[The Low Regional companies I’ve been generating to simulate a “semi-pro” circuit and to generate random fighters have almost completely gone out, with only the ones in Japan and USA still alive. I decided to generate 1 more Unknown company in Russia, Mexico, South America and Europe, so that a few more characters get generated and both Mexico and Russia start developing.] [Ayan Shipman was to fight Ilyas Pell, but once again he got injured during training.] WFL 3: Welterweight Championship Tournament California, 31st May 1991 With the two WFL tournaments generating much money and momentum, a third tournament for the Welterweight division was planned. Despite some setbacks (a planned showcase bout between Ayan Shipman and Ilyas Pell got cancelled because the former got injured during training yet again), the card seemed promising and a similar attendance level was predicted. Welterweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinal matchups: Bronson ‘Screwball’ Sapp (White Texan Aikidoka, 23yo, 5’9”, 6-0, -230) vs Zach ‘The Warhammer’ Huck (Black Texan Kung Fu student, 24yo, 5’10”, 6-0, +180) The first fight of the night promises to be an interesting one, despite both fighters only having experience in local bouts against amateurs. Aptly nicknamed Screwball is an Aikidoka with a lot of confidence and energy and a respectable ground game, yet five out of six of his wins to date were knock outs in the first two minutes of the fight (the sixth was a quick takedown followed by killer ground pounding leading to TKO). It is hard to prepare against an opponent who can destroy you both standing and on the ground, and it’s no wonder that the bookies have judged him to be the favourite. However, Huck can be the perfect foil for him. With both decision and striking TKO wins under his belt, ‘The Warhammer’ has shown some great striking skills (including good kicking, as expected of an accomplished student of Kung Fu with some recognition in the sport). However, he’s also adept in the grappling game, especially in sprawling and takedown defence, and he seems to combine great heart and energy with a good head for strategy. A dashing and highly marketable character, always cracking jokes in his few media appearances, many think the WFL would actually prefer him to be the inaugural champion. ’Amazing’ Marvin Peel (Black Virginian Kickboxer, 24yo, 5’10”, 6-0, +100) vs ’Stylin’’Haydn Pack (Latin Oklahoman Wrestler, 20yo, 5’10”, 6-0, -110) The second bout of the tournament promises to be a very all-or-nothing kind of match. Marvin Peel is a locally accomplished kickboxer and his striking poses a real threat, as his six local level competitors will attest (four of them lost by TKO, two by an outright KO). However, he has next to no ground game as far as we can tell. His opponent, Haydn Pack, a state-level collegiate wrestler, despite having won his local fights by KO as well as submission and points, seems to be a threat mostly on the ground, with nothing he could really do to Peel in the striking department. So this match will probably boil down to weather the ‘Amazing’ can hit a good strike before he gets taken down and Style’d upon. Willie ‘Jackhammer’ Jarrett (White New Yorker Jiujitsuka, 20yo, 5’8”, 6-0, -700) vs Dominic ‘The Punishment Machine’ Batch (White Kentuckian Boxer, 24yo, 5’9”, 6-0, +550) Don’t let the odds fool you, this match is much closer than it might appear. Yes, ‘Jackhammer’ is a good student of Jiu Jitsu with placements in regional tournaments, and he’s shown off both good submission skills and knockout power in his local fights. Yes, his clinch & ground control and wrestling abilities are top-notch, and he’s known to study his opponents carefully and come with a plan. Yes, his opponent, ‘The Punishment Machine’, doesn’t have any notable achievements in his chosen sport of boxing. However, as his local bouts have shown, the man has a monstrous punch, with no semi-amateur local able to withstand even one round of his relentless pounding. His second ‘pro’ match was finished in 22 seconds with only one punch! What’s more, Batch is actually a proponent of the ‘sweet science’ school of boxing, and prepares for his opponents just as well as Jarrett does. So, while nobody has a shade of a doubt as to what happens if Jackhammer gets his hands on his prey, we’re not so sure he will actually be able to do it. ‘The Gladiator’ Callen Quarry (Black Missourian Kick Boxer, 4-0 (1-0 WFL), 24yo, 5’10”, -110) vs Javon Baggett (White Texan Wrestler, 3-0, 24yo, 5’7”, -110) The first man ever to fight his second bout in WFL, Quarry won a showcase match against Tomos ‘Topper’ Hooper on WFL 1. Back then, he’s threatened to “embarrass” Bronson Sapp, who sits at the other end of the quarterfinals, so this is a rivalry to watch. However, even with his three wins in semi-pro circle and a great 25 seconds TKO in his WFL debut, The Gladiator shouldn’t be too self-assured. Yes, he’s obviously a very dangerous striker capable of confusing his opponents by stance switching, but he will be facing an accomplished wrestler and a veteran of semi-pro circuit, perfectly capable of pinning him to the ground or to the cage and grinding out a win. Will Baggett go down the same way Hooper did? Middleweight Wrestling Showmatch: ’The Dragon’ Luis Peay (White Texan Wrestler, 25yo, 5’9”, 6-1, +340) vs Ilyas ‘The Menace’ Pell (White Floridian Shoot Wrestler, 25yo, 5’8”, 2-1, -430) Some say this showmatch is tainted by both the opponents already scoring a loss on the semi-pro circle. However, it is still an interesting clash of styles. Peay seems to belong to a type common among the wrestlers entering mixed martial arts – a decent grappler without the skill to reach the highest echelons of the sport, but with enough power in his hands to add a KO punch and dangerous ground striking to his wrestling arsenal. Peay showed off his punching in the local shows, and has exhibited an amount of heart and fire rare among pro MMA competitors, but a one-off semi-pro appearance saw him outwrestled and submitted by a semi-pro regular, Chad Wick. On the other hand, Ilyas Pell, while also quite strong and adept at punching, has quite a different background, having been trained in Japanese shoot wrestling and having some accomplishments in Floridian submission wrestling competitions. He went straight into the semi-pro circle from there, defeating Chad Wick in his first fight, but losing in his last outing to Crosby Oldham, Thai boxer who reached the semifinals of the WFL Middleweight Championship Tournament. Pell is known to come with a plan, execute it energetically from the get-go and perhaps choke a bit if things don’t go along with it. Overall, the match may be closer than the odds would have us believe. Semi-Main Event Light Heavyweight Showmatch Ray ‘Unshakeable’ Ewald (White Virginian Kick Boxer, 24yo, 6’1”, 8-0, +110) vs Keegan ‘Diesel’ Corbett (White Texan Kick Boxer, 21yo, 6’2”, 4-0, -150) The narrative here is not the usual “clash of styles”, but “greatest streak in LHW versus greatest semi-pro veteran in LHW”. Ray Ewald, not really well known in the kickboxing circles, has six wins in local events against local talent and two wins in semi-pro events, making him indeed have the best record among the US Light Heavyweights. He’s known to pack a good punch, but he also holds a submission win in a semi-pro match, and he’s shown he can go for the full length of a match without slowing down. Despite this considerable pedigree it’s Keegan, who had some degree of success in Texan kickboxing, who’s believed to be a slight favourite, and for a good reason. All four of Corbett’s semi-pro matches were finished in less than 22 seconds, with his first or second hit in the match scoring a KO! With two of those four knockouts being kicks, Corbett seems to be one of the relatively few mixed fighters to really utilize all of their limbs in a truly deadly manner. Combined with a fast-paced, ultra-intense attitude and an incredibly fast mouth that already spawned some heated rivalries in the semi-pro circles, Corbett may be the first breakout superstar in this new sport – if he can keep up his winning ways here. Prediction Card: Bronson Sapp vs Zach Huck (WW Tournament QF) Marvin Peel vs Haydn Pack (WW Tournament QF) Willie Jarrett vs Dominic Batch (WW Tournament QF) Callen Quarry vs Javon Baggett (WW Tournament QF) Luis Peay vs Ilyas Pell (MW) Sapp/Huck vs Peel/Pack (WW Tournament SF) Jarrett/Batch/Quarry/Baggett (WW Tournament SF) Ray Ewald vs Keegan Corbett (LHW) WW Tournament Final

<p>I tried asking that in another thread a while back, with no answer. Maybe I'll try here.</p><p> </p><p> AFAIK, TEW 2016 didn't generate new wrestlers that were blood related to existing wrestlers. Does 2020 do that? For organic/generated worlds, it's a huge deal.</p>

<p><em>//So yeah, after half a year of silence, with two updates in one month I guess I am sort of back? I had a break from TEW, but now I am getting the itch again, so I hope I will be posting a bit more. But, you know how those things go.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> I have almost 0 idea about Mexican wrestling, I'd really appreciate any input on how different/bizzare/predictable is the curent state of lucha in this save.</em></p>

<div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="font-size:14px;">Mexico – A Kingdom Unchanged?</span></p><p><span style="font-size:14px;"> </span></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p> At first glance, Mexican lucha scene hasn’t changed much in the last ten years. Same three companies, same pecking order, same situation where no single promotion can truly be called a national phenomenon. Yet under this surface, some things have changed.</p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">CMLL – The Wounded King</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre is still the biggest promotion in Mexico and one of the most important NWA affiliates. However, 10 years ago their TV tapings could get up to 10,000 people in attendance and ratings over 8.00 (after getting moved to a prime spot at Televisa, earlier that year they were getting 3.50), and their PPVs had 20,000 people live and 0.50 buyrates. Nowadays, Superstellas ratings don’t even reach 2.50 with ~5000 people in the audience, and the audiences for the monthly events have similarly halved. Part of the problem is the generally poor state of the wrestling business, another part is the fact that CMLL programming simply doesn’t reach the heights it used to do. While 1997 saw CMLL lift the previous rule of not hiring new talents [which was due to a database bug I only noticed after simming for 10 years], El Dandy and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. remained the foundation on which the company was built, both through their legendary feud and working with newer luchadores. However, both of them are now way into their 40s and they both haven’t been ageing well. Fuerza Guerrera, another crucial worker who came into CMLL in 1998 after years of solid work in Japan, is 53 now and showing it. Rey Misterio, one of the most popular Mexican workers snatched from the competition in 1998, was amazing until he was 44-45, but he’s now 48 and in decline. Atlantis, a man who after leaving EMLL in 1989 won 9 titles in the other Mexican companies as well as working overseas before coming back to a great CMLL career (including an almost 3 year reign as the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champion), is only just now starting to slow down at 44, but the signs are not looking good. Blue Demon Jr. at only 40 is looking much worse and quietly slipping down the ladder. Among the top echelons of CMLL, only Silver King (who has risen to the top 25 of world’s wrestlers in recent years with some legendary tag reigns) and Heavy Metal stand tall against the ravages of age. While there are some promising luchadores in the upper midcard of the promotion, from amazingly flashy Black Warrior to amazing-looking Rey Bucanero and the young sensation Perro Aguayo Jr, they’d need much more build to replace the ageing legends, and seeing how many 50-year-olds can be found in the midcard of CMLL, it seems that Paco Alonso isn’t too keen on drastic changes like that. That’s a particular shame for the women’s division, as Lola Gonzalez (31 years in the business and still as jaw-droppingly amazing as ever), Lioness Asuka (still one of the best female wrestlers in history) and Manami Toyota (who came to CMLL in 2004 after earning three title reigns and two Female Wrestler of the Year titles in the UK) could easily become an equally important part of the product as the male stars, if only they were given the chance.</p><p> </p><p> Those things are clearly contributing to CMLL’s problems. But perhaps the most important factor is that in February 2006, some of the company’s main financial backers were linked to organized crime. Millions of dollars were confiscated, all the broadcasting deals were cancelled by the companies trying to avoid blame by association, and CMLL’s prestige took a huge blow. As a result, the company had to take painful cost-cutting measures, letting go a large number of people, mostly long-adored veterans, including such crucial names as Jerry Estrada (once numbered among Four Corners of CMLL and still in top 10 most popular workers in Mexico) or Mil Mascaras. This shocking turn of events left a wound that the Kings (Emperors?) of Mexico are bearing to this day.</p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">The Would-be Kings</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> The policy change that CMLL enacted in 1997 meant that UWA and WWA were no longer safe, and that their brightest stars started to get snatched from their skies by the number one promotion. WWA was especially hurt, as their late 90’s peak was built in huge part by Silver King, Heavy Metal, Perro Aguayo Jr and Atlantis. However, WWA still manage to provide a very good wrestling product with Dr. Wagner Jr., the best non-CMLL luchador on the planet, as well as a roster of up-and-comers from great wrestling families such as Ray Misterio Jr., Juventud Guerrera, Dos Caras Jr., Hijo Del Fantasma or Lizmark Jr., and future greats like Aguila and Tarzan Boy. UWA, making use of a very similar talent pool, has stayed ahead of them, by updating their product to a much more modern, daredevil style, employing some exclusive stars in Universo 2000 , Mascara Ano 2000 and especially Octagon (pulling triple duty as the AJPW Junior Heavyweight Champion, UWA World Trios Champion and UWA World Light Heavyweight Champion, all of this at 45 and not slowing down), as well as providing some diversity with a women’s division (not on CMLL’s level, but still respectable). UWA’s managed to become more popular in West and Central Mexico than CMLL themselves, but they still haven’t managed to expand to the rest of the country. Will their mix of youngsters, veterans and super-fast action finally manage to secure a good broadcasting deal, or are they destined to forever be the runner-ups? Time will tell.</p>

Does the current random character generation sometimes generate new workers who are children (or generally family) of existing workers?

Canada – The Land of Three Kings (Or Is It Two?) Compared to the cutthroat, high-stakes rivalries between the Big Three in the States, and to the dominating rule of AJPW in Japan, Canada seems to be a relatively unremarkable market, with three regional promotions, none of which seems to be able (or willing) to expand too much. This is a deceiving image, however – with two of the companies located in British Columbia and the third just around the corner in Alberta, all three are locked in an intense struggle, as they constantly compete for the fans’ money and attention. As a result, the local companies do everything in their power to put on a good show, and even with wrestling decidedly unpopular among the masses, they each manage to gather around 2000 people monthly. All Star Wrestling: The Other ASW The sole established wrestling promotion in Alberta, ASW functions in the Internet Wrestling Community primarily as “that other ASW”, one you find by accident while googling for the British ASW. In its home area, however, ASW maintains a solid position and is the biggest of the three Canadian promotions, even if in the last year or two it has been losing some ground to the competition. For the last few years, the booker and owner of the company has been the retired WCW and WWF midcarder ‘Dangerous’ Danny Davis, continuing late Al Tomko’s combination of traditional Canadian style with a hefty dose of comedy, and incorporating some ideas from the company’s colour commentator, the Eric Bischoff himself (co-casting with none other than Mauro Ranallo). The company’s main stars (some of them shared with the competition in what seems to be a Canadian tradition) include the wonderful young Bobby Roode, the safest semi-hardcore worker on Earth Moondog Manson, dashing Steve Corino as Mr. Wrestling 3, Al Tomko’s aging son Rick Davis, Dory Funk’s trainee Andrew Test Martin, and one of the brightest prospects in wrestling today Harry Smith, British Bulldog’s son. They also have a criminally women’s division, including such prospects as Gali Kim, LuFisto and Vanessa Kraven. The Curious Tale of Two Stampedes Stampede Wrestling Calgary has a long history, spanning almost 60 years and three generations of the Hart family. Its most convoluted chapter, however, begun in 1998 with Bruce Hart’s unfortunate passing. As a result of a behind-the-scenes intrigue that we still have no idea about, the ownership of the company did not pass to other members of the Hart family (with Ross being the most probable choice), but to another local promoter, Chuck Fender, who appointed industry veteran Dutch Savage as the booker, with both men earning Ross Hart’s ire. Savage’s controversial booking and Fender’s rumoured problems with the law hurt SWC so much, that in 2000 Ross quit the company in anger and started a new promotion, “Stampede Wrestling” without the Calgary part, aiming to prove once and for all that only a Hart can book good wrestling in British Columbia. However, just a year later Fender’s reign ended when his co-owners, creditors and the Hart family coordinated to oust him. With Ross not wanting to give up his own thing, young insider Gabe Sapolsky was shipped in to run and book Stampede Wrestling Calgary. Meanwhile, incensed Fender tried to get his revenge by starting Border City Wrestling in Ontario, but despite featuring some hot young talent the company folded after just a year. SWC and SW are now in fierce competition, although they are not officially at war and actually share some talent. They are also slightly different, with Ross aiming at retaining the classic Calgary style and Gabe incorporating some MMA-style hyperrealistic elements. SWC has also maintained its position as a NWA affiliate, while SW has formed a relationship with ECW under the umbrella of “North American Wrestling League”. As of the last few years, Gabe’s Stampede is doing much better, despite Ross hiring the legendary Kevin Sullivan as a (great) personality and (not so great) booker. Both companies share one of their main stars, a solid and flashy New Zealander Adam Firestorm, as well as the controversial brawler Michelle Starr the promising youngsters Eric Young (also touring with AJPW), Rene Dupree and Kevin Steen, and some lower card workers. SW also shares ASW’s Bobby Roode, Moondog Manson and Harry Smith. Ross’s ace in the hole is his nephew, Teddy Hart, an absolute superstar in the making, but also a royal pain in the ass if you believe the rumours. SCW also seems to share most of its main roster with the competition, but what sets them apart, aside from the more MMA-ish style, is the presence of some unique young talent – El Generico (current holder of their mid-tier belt), TJ Wilson, Scotty Mac, Petey Williams, Kyle O’Reilly, Ice… It’s clear that Sapolsky is set on developing a new batch of Canadian superstars, and he even recently reached out via NWA to loan Mike Von Erich himself, one of the best specialists on wrestling psychology in the sport, so that his boys get to learn from him.

<p>Prediction results:</p><p> </p><p> CageRage: 2/9 (5/18)</p><p> </p><p> I see now that I undersold (perhaps due to not enough scouting?) how good Fortner's ground game is in my preview. Sorry for that!</p>

WFL 2: Heavyweight Championship Tournament – results Show held in California on 26th of April 1991, to an audience of 687, broadcast by National Pride TV Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinal: ‘The Beast’ Kolby Dambrosio (25yo, 6’7”, 6-0, -110) vs Scott ‘Overdrive’ Fortner (24yo, 6’0”, 3-1 -140) The first match of the night opened up with intense clinch fighting, as Fortner was looking for a trip or throw and Dambrosio focused on trapping his opponent against the cage and hitting some nasty short strikes. After a referee break, Fortner decided that standing grappling wasn’t to his advantage and tried for some nice strikes instead, but Dambrosio was able to initiate a clinch and the match ended with the two fighters trying to outwrestle one another to no avail. The second round was pretty much the same – Dambrosio controlling most of the clinch fighting and doing some cage-pinning and dirty boxing, while Fortner tried for trips and hit some punches when the referee forced a separation. In the third round, Overdrive decided he had enough of being outwrestled and, in a somewhat surprising turn of events, landed some powerful strikes at Dambrosio, including a beautiful straight right that sent The Beast wobbling against the cage. Another powerful punch above the shattered guard was enough for the ref, who jumped in to save Dambrosio, who was clearly unable to defend himself. While everybody theorized about Fortner’s ground game being the game changer, it was actually his striking that won him the semifinal. Scott ‘Overdrive’ Fortner defeated ‘The Beast’ Kolby Dambrosio by TKO in 1:03 of Round 3 and advanced to the Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semifinal! The match was rated as being good Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinal: ‘The Spectre’ Malakai Goodlooks (23yo, 5’11”, 6-0, -350) vs ‘The Bullfrog’ Kameron Gates (23yo, 6’5”, 3-1, +270) Since before the match began, it was obvious that “The Bullfrog” vs “The Spectre” is a good description, with Gates towering over his opponent and looking something close to 45lbs heavier. This did nothing to deter Goodlooks, however, as the match started with both fighters bravely trading powerful shots. Gates came out on top in those exchanges, sneaking in a powerful uppercut that knocked The Spectre down. The Bullfrog started pounding his opponent with powerful shots, but then, perhaps to try and make a point, he tried for a Kimura submission instead of finishing Malakai off with punches. As a Jiu Jitsu competitor, Goodlooks was able to defend the attempt, as well as three further submissions of various kinds that Gates tried, but he was unable to sweep the huge competitor or gain any advantage. After a referee stand-up, Gates immediately went for another clinch and added insult to injury by taking his opponent down with an Eastern-style outside leg trip and taking his back. This masterful display was too late in the round, however, and nothing meaningful came of that. The second round, much like the first, started off with striking. Goodlooks was able to duck some punches and land some, but he was looking worse for wear – until Gates overextended himself landing a hook, which allowed Goodlooks to unleash a devastating left straight to his opponent’s jaw, knocking The Bullfrog out before he hit the ground! This time, the bookies are proven to be correct despite the deceiving looks – and the crowd certainly woke up after a KO out of nowhere like that! ‘The Spectre’ Malakai Goodlooks defeated ‘The Bullfrog’ Kameron Gates by Knock Out (punch) in 1:42 of Round 2 and advanced to the Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semifinal! The match was rated as being great Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinal: ‘Mac Daddy’ Nathaniel Chiles (25yo, 6’5”, 6-0, -110) vs Matthias ‘Anger Management’ Berik (26yo, 5’11”, 6-0, -140) Very much aware of the ~55lbs weight difference and the power of Mac Daddy’s punches, Berik went for a takedown first thing into the first round. Chiles’s sprawl proved too good, however, and the Chicagoan was able to answer with some good punching. However, it quickly became clear that Chiles came into the fight with some serious stamina problems, perhaps due to an illness, weight cutting or some mistakes in preparation, as he was already looking winded a minute in. Perhaps this was one of the factors which allowed the much smaller Berik to clinch with Chiles, force his back into the cage and control him for the second half of the round. The second round saw more punch exchanges, which Mac Daddy was clearly winning, judging by Anger Management’s glares and scowls after a solid right hand landed. Berik’s takedown attempt was again unsuccessful, but he succeeded in trapping Chiles against the cage, where he let loose with some ugly knee strikes to the torso and thighs. Mac Daddy managed to escape, but with his tank clearly empty and with the damage he suffered, he wasn’t as dominating in the following exchanges, taking as many one-twos as he delivered. Third round again saw Berik trapping Chiles against the cage and employing a wide range of stomps, elbows and knees which left some nasty red marks on Mac Daddy, until the referee decided that half the round in cage-control situation without any decisive blows is enough. With Chiles showing some signs of life in the punching exchange, hitting some crosses, Berik immediately went for another cage push and spent the last two minutes of the round trying to force Chiles to the ground, succeeding only mere seconds before the bell. The amount of strength Berik has to control an opponent so much heavier than him is remarkable. Fourth round followed the same pattern, with Chiles offering resistance when trading blows, but Berik repeatedly forcing him into the cage and pounding him with elbows, stomps and knees. Blood started flowing freely after Anger Management’s elbow opened up a cut on his opponent’s face, but none of the vicious clinch strikes managed to put Mac Daddy down, although they succeeded in turning his ribs into one huge bruise. Fifth round went basically the same, although Chiles tried for a desperation spinning kick and a clinch trip. With the amount of damage Berik had done and control he’d exerted, nobody was surprised when he was declared the winner after the time limit expired, and the crowd seemed to love an unstoppable force destroying an unmovable object’s torso, but after such an intense fight Berik’s chances in the further rounds looked grim. Matthias ‘Anger Management’ Berik defeated ‘Mac Daddy’ Nathaniel Chiles by Unanimous decision and advanced to the Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semifinal! The match was rated as being good Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinal: Shane Criswell (24yo, 6’1”, 4-0, -1200) vs Terrance ‘The Messiah’ Quackenbush (22yo, 6’4”, 2-0, +900) As a hometown fighter with a tremendous odds advantage, Criswell had a happy roar of the crowd behind him as he entered the cage. He responded by starting out fast, grabbing Terrance’s leg and pushing him against the wall after a failed takedown attempt, where in one smooth progression of motions he tripped him, got side control over the falling foe, grabbed an arm and applied an armbar for the win. A quick and clean victory for the favourite, who knew Quackenbush’s punches could spoil his day and made sure none were even thrown in his direction. Shane Criswell defeated Terrance ‘The Messiah’ Quackenbush by Submission (armbar) in 1:15 of Round 1 and advanced to the Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semifinal! The match was rated as being good Light Heavyweight Wrestling Styles Showmatch: ‘Pretty Boy’ Kareem Kowalski (21yo, 6’0”, 6-0, -730) vs Dan ‘Earthquake’ Jeffries (25yo, 6’2”, 6-0, +580) In this Submission Wrestling vs Greco-Roman Wrestling showmatch, the first round belonged to the G-R, as Jeffries immediately went for a clinch and trip that he translated into side control and armbar attempt. Kowalski managed to defend himself, but for the rest of the round he was unable to even pull guard, while Jeffries was trying various angles of attack with punches and elbows. The ground pounding was inefficient, however, as Jeffries seemed to wind himself as much as his opponent, and it wasn’t too exciting for the crowd to watch. Earthquake tried for a repeat in the second round, but Kowalski was ready this time, outwrestled him utilizing his famous strength, pinned him to the cage and treated to a steady diet of powerful knees and elbows, bloodying Jeffires’s brow in the process. After a referee separation, Kowalski again shot in and pinned Jeffries to the cage, but this time he went low, grabbed his legs and took him down, ending in half guard. His ground striking, however, proved no more match-deciding than Dan’s and the second round ended soon after. The third round was a replay of the second (including reopening the earlier cut with an elbow), up until the referee restarted the fight in the centre, when Kowalski went in swinging and caught Jeffires with a crunching right hook, sending Earthquake back against the cage, wobbling and desperately trying to cover up. Pretty Boy sneaked an uppercut under the unsteady guard, which was enough for Jeffries to lose any semblance of intelligent defence and for the ref to jump in, declaring a TKO. A dynamic finish to an overall entertaining match. ‘Pretty Boy’ Kareem Kowalski defeated Dan ‘Earthquake’ Jeffries by TKO in 3:15 of Round 3. The match was rated as being great Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semifinals: Scott ‘Overdrive’ Fortner (24yo, 6’0”, 4-1 -630) vs ‘The Spectre’ Malakai Goodlooks (23yo, 5’11”, 7-0, +500) With Fortner having withstood two rounds of dirty boxing punishment, he was clearly even more spent than Goodlooks, who took the opportunity and delivered some heavy punches, out-striking Overdrive for a good few minutes before they both fell into a messy clinch. Fortner took the opportunity to push Goodlooks against the cage and let him taste the medicine he received from Kameron Gates earlier. Both fighters ended the first round looking ragged, with Fortner bleeding and Goodlooks what looked very much like a cracked rib. In the second round, Fortner took some powerful lefts from The Spectre (which, as we already know, is always a dangerous proposition) but managed to get a clinch. However, the struggle that resulted in Goodlooks getting pinned to the wall looked like it took everything both fighters had left, as they spent the rest of the round mostly trying to stay upright in the clinch. The rest between rounds seemed to have helped Overdrive, however, as he managed a great trip from an over-under clinch. After some striking Fortner went for side control, but his opponent was wary and a scramble ensued, which left Goodlooks standing, but again thrown and pinned against the cage. However, it seemed that Fortner got some instructions from his corner to finally unleash his trump card, as he went for another takedown, this time a Judo inside leg trip. Goodlooks managed to push him out of the guard, but the Judoka responded by coming right back and securing side control, which after a good sweep attempt from The Spectre, was translated into a north-south. Here Fortner’s ground game finally kicked in, as he managed to spin faster than Goodlooks anticipated and secure his arm for a match-winning armbar! Scott ‘Overdrive’ Fortner defeated ‘The Spectre’ Malakai Goodlooks by Submission (armbar) in 3:33 of Round 3 and advanced to the Heavyweight Championship Tournament Final! The match was rated as being great Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semifinals: Matthias ‘Anger Management’ Berik (26yo, 5’11”, 7-0, +520) vs Shane Criswell (24yo, 6’1”, 5-0, -660) A decent but unremarkable Karateka who’s just been through hell versus a #1 seed fan favourite who won his match in just over a minute – this seemed like a foregone conclusion from the get go. Criswell, not wanting to risk a lucky strike, immediately went for the clinch – but Berik once again showed that despite his small stature he’s very strong and great at outwrestling his opponents and pinning them to the cage. The resulting clinch fight was quite even, due to Berik’s exhaustion clear in all his movements, but he managed to keep Shane controlled until the last minute of the fight when the referee sent them back to the centre. Having learned from that experience, Criswell immediately went for a single leg takedown, which resulted in Berik, hopping on one leg, getting shoved into the cage and then taken down with a beauty of a sweep. This left Anger Management in an extremely uncomfortable position in the corner of the cage, but the bell prevented Criswell from capitalizing. The first minutes of round 2 resembled a dance of sorts, with Criswell circulating his opponent and going in and out, trying to goad Berik into a mistake and eating some punches for his effort. Two minutes in, the plan has paid off, as the Jiujitsuka again managed to grab a single leg, force his opponent against the cage and used an inside leg trip to gain the upper hand. Showing great ground skill, Criswell went over the guard into side control and then quickly got a mount. Then he started pounding Berik hard enough that the Karateka turned and gave up his back in an attempt to escape the beating. This was a mistake however, as Criswell was in a great position to apply a rear naked choke, which he promptly did, forcing his opponent to tap out. Shane Criswell defeated Matthias ‘Anger Management’ Berik by Submission (rear naked choke) in 4:06 of Round 2 and advanced to the Heavyweight Championship Tournament Final! The match was rated as being good SEMI-MAIN EVENT – Light Heavyweight Eastern vs Western Grappling Showmatch Arthur ‘Macabre’ Bradburn (23yo, 6’1”, 6-0, -780) vs ‘The Southpaw’ Curtis Behnke (21yo, 5’11”, 6-0, +620) For a match marketed as a clash of grappling styles, it was surprisingly punchy, with both fighters trading shot after shot. The deciding moment turned out to be when Behnke overextended himself to land a great one-two and got caught with Bradburn’s devastating right cross, causing him to backpedal against the cage, hurt. Two more right hands snapped his head around like a ragdoll and referee Melvin Lippincott finally decided that the match was over and threw himself between the fighters. Macabre truly put out a macabre display here, Behnke could’ve gotten hurt real bad here. The fans, despite getting something quite different from what they were told to expect, seemed to love these two minutes of hard-hitting violence Arthur ‘Macabre’ Bradburn defeated ‘The Southpaw’ Curtis Behnke by TKO in 2:07 of Round 1. The match was rated as being great MAIN EVENT – Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals: Scott ‘Overdrive’ Fortner (24yo, 6’0”, 5-1 +160) vs Shane Criswell (24yo, 6’1”, 6-0, -210) The fans and the bookies were behind Criswell in this one, and with the local man having a 1-0 semi-pro record against Fortner, he had to be considered a favourite, but both men proved they shouldn’t be underestimated and that they can dig out seemingly impossible reserves of stamina and passion. Keeping with his antagonistic and brash persona, Fortner declined touching the gloves at the beginning, which only served to excite the crowd against him even more. This didn’t prevent him from winning control in an early clinch and tripping his opponent to the mat. An attempted scramble by Criswell proved too slow and Overdrive secured side control. Clearly very tired, Criswell only managed to twist his opponent into north-south position, where he struggled for the rest of the round, getting some knees to the head and torso for his trouble. In the second round, the roles got initially reversed, as it was Criswell who got the critical trip out of a clinch. However, in a brilliant show of ground game, Fortner managed to sweep his opponent and secure mount! Fortner proved to be a hard customer, dealing with the ground strikes that followed for the rest of the round without taking too much damage. Nevertheless, he clearly didn’t want a repeat of that situation, as he spent much the third round forcing a stand-up fight (quite inconclusive) and brilliantly sprawling out of Criswell’s takedown attempts. Finally, around 2:30 Criswell managed to force a clinch and trip Scott. He forced his way into side control, but an arm triangle attempt didn’t get him anything. Round four again showed us a reversal, as this time it was Criswell who brilliantly sprawled out of a dangerous takedown attempt. His brilliance unfortunately wasn’t enough to prevent Fortner from trapping him against the cage for good three minutes, showing off the cage pounding in which he seems to be quickly becoming an expert. After that, the referee restarted the fight in the centre, hoping for some more action, but after a few strikes the exhausted fighters collapsed into another clinch, with Fortner again taking control and pounding Criswell’s torso with tired but brutal knees against the cage, turning his torso into a nightmarish sight. Understandably, when Criswell was put in a similar position in round 5, instead of catching a breath he put all of his energy into smothering the blows and preventing Fortner from adding to the damage. Separated again, the fighters started trading dangerous straights, clearly too tired to keep a proper guard up and instead trying to hit a big strike before the opponent does. Feeling a bit outclassed in those exchanges, Fortner yet again went for a clinch, eating some hits in the process, and scored yet another trip takedown just seconds before the end of the round. Round six was pretty much all Fortner, as he took over clinches two times and tripped Criswell both times, scoring two dozens ground strikes, albeit none of them really threatening. Still, the Judoka seemed to be firmly in control. In the seventh round, perhaps to show the judges he controls all the aspects of the match, he dominated Criswell with strikes, and when Overdrive finally found an opening for a clinch and takedown attempt, Fortner simply outwrestled him, pushed him against the cage and bloodied his face with powerful elbow strikes. With the judge once again forcing the fighters back to the middle, Fortner adapted to the change faster and managed to finally hit a big right hand, enough to rock Criswell – but failed to capitalize with a missed follow-up. As a cherry on top, Fortner shot in on Criswell, put him to the ground, and when the Jiujitsuka managed to scramble, managed to get behind his back and grab him. On this high note, the match finally ended and the judges unanimously granted the victory to Fortner. An extremely hard-fought match, revenge for the only loss in Fortner’s career, and a championship well deserved! Scott ‘Overdrive’ Fortner defeated Shane Criswell by Unanimous decision and WON THE WFL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP! The match was rated as being good While it drew a smaller crowd, WFL 2 still made money and waves, and provided the fans with a string of exciting matches. Malakai Goodlooks scored KO of the Night, and his dramatic defeat against Fortner in the semifinals earned Fight of the Night. Submission of the night, which many felt should have belonged to Fortner, too, went to Shane Criswell for his dominant rear naked choke.

In the months between WFL 1 and WFL 2 the semi-pro MMA scene was getting in more and more trouble, with the European and South American bush leagues hit especially hard. The question whether MMA was going to emerge as an established sport still seemed to be in the air. On the other hand, with MMA gaining traction in Brazil, the two most famous Brazilian martial arts academies, Escola Da Luta and Brazilian Estrela Academy, opened their doors for MMA trainees. WFL 2: Heavyweight Championship Tournament California, 26th April 1991 With the success of WFL 1, it was decided that at least Heavyweight and Welterweight championships were to be decided in a similar manner, with other weight classes still pending a decision. WFL 2 was to take place in the same venue, two months after the inaugural event. It was expected that the great press that WFL gained would make up for the lesser-known names taking part in the tournament compared to the Middleweight championship. Heavyweight Chapionship Tournament Quarterfinal matchups: ‘The Beast’ Kolby Dambrosio (Black Arizonian Wrestler, 25yo, 6’7”, 6-0, -110) vs Scott ‘Overdrive’ Fortner (Black Texan Judoka, 24yo, 6’0”, 3-1 -140) The opening bout between the #4 and #5 seeded fighters can prove to be extremely interesting in terms of mixed martial arts strategy. Dambrosio is a wrestler with some accomplishments to his name, and while his clinch game isn’t that great for someone who competed in grappling tournaments, he is a master at grabbing his opponents and taking them down. Fortner however, a man with some Judo credentials to his name and an impressive North-South choke win in the semi-pro circuit (where he spent his whole career), will most probably have an advantage in the horizontal position. Therefore The Beast, who won his last fight by pinning his opponent to the ropes and punching him into next week, may want to focus on the stand-up instead. Judging by the betting lines, nobody really knows how this one will pan out. ‘The Spectre’ Malakai Goodlooks (Black Oklahoman BJJ student, 23yo, 5’11”, 6-0, -350) vs ‘The Bullfrog’ Kameron Gates (White Louisianan Wrestler, 23yo, 6’5”, 3-1, +270) The second bout of the tournament makes us question what the bookies know that we do not. Goodlooks is a Brasilian Jiu Jitsu student with a powerful punch and great charisma, but so far he’s only been tested by local opposition and he doesn’t have any accomplishments in his chosen field. He’s also half a foot smaller and weighted in 30 pounds lighter than Gates. ‘The Bullfrog’ is also an accomplished wrestler with two knockouts under his belt and experience in semi-pro competition. His only downside seems to be his worse cardio, but it remains to be seen whether this will prove to be a deciding factor. ‘Mac Daddy’ Nathaniel Chiles (Black Illinoian Boxer, 25yo, 6’5”, 6-0, -110) vs Matthias ‘Anger Management’ Berik (Latin Pennsylvanian Karateka, 26yo, 5’11”, 6-0, -140) The third quarterfinal promises to be a fun clash of styles. Chiles is a much larger (6 inches and almost 50 pounds at weigh-in) fighter, an accomplished boxer with very powerful and quite skilled punches, and 3 KOs on the local circuit, so his strategy is quite predictable. Berik on the other hand is small for a Heavyweight and quite hard to figure out. He’s trained karate and is one of the few mixed martial artists in American pro circuit to include kicks in his arsenal. From what we’ve seen on the local circuit, he’s deceptively strong, not bothered by most punches, meticulous in his approach to a fight and content to win on points, but he’s been even able to win by takedown & ground striking or by submission, albeit against vastly inferior opponents. We’re not quite sure what the fight will be like and who is the favourite here, but this uncertainty is what makes us look forward to it! Shane Criswell (White Califorian Jiujitsuka, 24yo, 6’1”, 4-0, -1200) vs Terrance ‘The Messiah’ Quackenbush (Black Arizonan Boxer, 22yo, 6’4”, 2-0, +900) It is to be expected that #1 seed vs #8 seed is the matchup with the most skewed odds, but even so the betting lines seem to predict a very predictable fourth quarterfinal. And with a good reason – Criswell is an accomplished student of Jiu Jitsu, has a great record in semi-pro MMA with three arm triangle submissions and a mastery of the art of taking an opponent to the ground. Despite that Quackenbush, a relative newcomer to the sport and not a household name by any means, should not be underestimated. He has competed in collegiate boxing, can throw a mean punch, and has shown some skill in grounding his opponents and pounding them hard. It probably won’t be enough against Criswell, but it is the kind of matchup where a single lucky punch can possibly score a huge upset. Light Heavyweight Showmatches: ‘Pretty Boy’ Kareem Kowalski (White Pennsylvanian Submission Wrestler, 21yo, 6’0”, 6-0, -730) vs Dan ‘Earthquake’ Jeffries (Black New Yorker Greco-Roman Wrestler, 25yo, 6’2”, 6-0, +580) The first showmatch of the night is marketed as a bout between different wrestling styles. Kowalski, despite his young age, has placed highly in Pennsylvanian submission wrestling tournaments and is actually a great prospect in MMA, with enormous strength, powerful punches, constant aggressive takedown seeking and excellent ground game which suggests he could’ve achieved much more if he stuck to his first sport. Out of six local circuit bouts, he scored four submissions (three different kinds!) and a KO. Jeffires however seems to be a fine opponent for him. While not as adept at submissions nor as freakishly strong, his Greco-Roman college career has shown him to be a great pressure grappler with impressive consistency, wonderful throws and takedowns and masterful ground control. Most of his local circuit wins come from decisions, but he’s shown off his match-finishing ground striking on at least one occasion. Arthur ‘Macabre’ Bradburn (Black Viginian Judoka, 23yo, 6’1”, 6-0, -780) vs ‘The Southpaw’ Curtis Behnke (Asian Texan Wrestler, 21yo, 5’11”, 6-0, +620) The second showmatch is hailed as “Eastern Grappling vs Western Grappling”, but it’s interesting even without this fancy marketing stuff. Bradburn has some respect in local Judo circles and has proven (albeit on the local circle) to be a very versatile fighter, capable both of thundering knockouts, powerful ground striking TKOs and submissions (although for a Judoka he doesn’t seem that good with them), and his ability to thrown opponents has to be taken into account. He’s also known for providing some very entertaining first round finishes, which is probably why he’s in a semi-main showmatch. Behnke, however, is not at such a disadvantage as the bookies would have you believe. He’s a collegiate wrestler known for his earth-shaking slamming and great physical skills, and his local opponents have been falling to his punches and powerful ground pounding. Prediction Card: Kolby Dambrosio vs Scott Fortner [Tournament QF] Malakai Goodlooks vs Kameron Gates [Tournament QF] Nathaniel Chiles vs Matthias Berik [Tournament QF] Shane Criswell vs Terrance Quackenbush [Tournament QF] Kareem Kowalski vs Dan Jeffries Criswell/Quackenbush vs Chiles/Berik [Tournament SF] Goodlooks/Gates vs Dambrosio/Fortner [Tournament SF] Arthur Bradburn vs Curtis Behnke WFL Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals

In game terms Jablonski has no fighting stats above 70% while Raygoza has some in the 80-95 area, so I am guessing one of them has a better career ahead of himself than the other. xD

Prediction results: CageRage: 3/9 Bookers around the world: quite devastated due to the quarterfinals Hope you guys enjoyed it! All comments are welcome, especially about the format and the fight descriptions. I wonder if I should make the fight "titles" larger, or are they visible enough?

WFL 1: Middleweight Championship Tournament – results Show held in California, on 22nd of February 1991, to an audience of 733, broadcast by National Pride TV Middleweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: ‘Bulldozer’ Ryker Raygoza (6-0, 25yo, 6’0”, +110) vs ‘Typhoon’ Josue Behr (3-0, 23yo, 5’10”, -150) Raygoza, as a Californian, got a lot of cheers from the crowd, despite not really playing to them. Despite not having any reputation at all in the striking department, Behr took the reins of the fight from the bell, hitting Raygoza with some good straights and opening up a cut under his eye in the first 30 seconds. However, Raygoza was able to clinch up and push his opponent against the cage, where they spent the rest of the round, with Behr controlled and subjected to relatively non-threatening dirty boxing. The second round looked quite similar, with Behr re-opening the cut under the hometown boy’s eye and Raygoza controlling the Jiujitsuka against the cage for most of the match. This time, however, Bulldozer was more effective in his dirty boxing, scoring some vicious stomps too. Perhaps seeing that this approach wasn’t working, Behr switched tactics in the third round, using some punches as a cover to grab a hold of Raygoza and try to trip him. This proved to be a mistake, as the Californian managed to wrestle himself out of that conundrum and into yet again trapping his opponent against the cage wall. This time, Raygoza tried throwing some powerful knees, too, but it helped Behr find a right moment to escape and try for a takedown. However, Bulldozer once again proved to be the better wrestler by stopping Typhoon in a clinch. They continued to grapple and try to control or trip one another for the rest of the round. Rounds 4 and 5 were uneventful, too, with Raygoza apparently so exhausted that he was only able to control Behr, but not land many, if any, meaningful shots. With him being in control of almost all of the match, the judges announced him as the winner in the first professional MMA match in history! ‘Bulldozer’ Ryker Raygoza defeated ‘Typhoon’ Josue Behr by Unanimous Decision and advanced to the Middleweight Championship Tournament Semifinal! The match was rated as being decent Middleweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Jude Wiuff (6-0, 21yo, 6’0”, -350) vs ‘Boomer’ Gilbert Mohr (6-0, 23yo, 5’7”, +270) Since the moment both fighters stepped into the cage, it became obvious that Wiuff had to somehow cut some of his body weight for the weight-ins, because nearly half a foot taller and more heavily built, he dwarfed Boomer. The match started out hard and fast, with both men trading solid punches, Mohr more on the offensive and with more powerful shots, and Wiuff focusing on counters. The fast tempo seemed to take its toll on Mohr since the first minutes of the match, and with him slowing down Wiuff was able to utilize his huge reach advantage, clearly hurting the Thai boxer. With that, the tables have turned and it was Wiuff who went on the offense, pressuring his opponent into making a mistake. Just as the fourth minute started, Mohr left himself open for a great single leg takedown and the rest of the round was spent on the ground, with the collegiate wrestler showing off his ability to control the opponent. The second round started out same as the first, but while he was able to land some good shots, Mohr got caught by a beauty of a straight left that sent him to the ground, with Wiuff going after him and laying some nasty shots, forcing the referee Melvin Lippincott to jump in and call the match. While seeing a wrestler outpunch a Muay Thai student may be a bit unexpected, I think after the first few minutes and Mohr revealing his atrocious cardio nobody expected this match to go any other way. Still, a good show that got the fans going. Jude Wiuff defeated ‘Boomer’ Gilbert Mohr by TKO in 1:04 of Round 2 and advanced to the Middleweight Championship Tournament Semifinal! The match was rated as being good Middleweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Crosby ‘Super Endurance’ Oldham (4-1, 23yo, 5’7”, +630) vs Crew ‘The Power’ Busch (6-0, 23yo, 5’11”, -800) Crosby Oldham, as a definite underdog according to the bookies and a Stockton, California native, was showered with crowd’s enthusiasm coming in. He didn’t let that get into his head, though, and the fighters started the match off with a respectful touch of the gloves. Busch, as a student of the Eastern grappling arts, tried to take the match to the mat from the get go, but Oldham showed off a previously unseen sprawl, preventing the takedown. Super Endurance decided not to risk such a situation the second time, utilizing some great punching to try and keep Busch at a distance. This paid off just after the first two mintues of the round, when The Power was caught shooting in with two right jabs and then a crunching left hook that left him punch-drunk and reeling. Only his instincts allowed him to slip past another left torpedo aimed at finishing the fight. With a few seconds to clear his head, Busch immediately went for another takedown, managing to grab Oldham’s leg and leaving him hopping on the other. This let the favourite push the local against the cage and, after some dirty boxing and stomping, utilize a wonderful outside leg trip. Showing superb skill, Busch used the trip to slip behind Oldham and into a perfect position to unload some powerful shots, but with only 40 seconds to go and with Crosby mostly unhurt and able to defend himself it wasn’t enough to end the match. Learning his lesson, Oldham opened up the second round with relentless striking, forcing Busch into unfavourable exchanges. The Power tried for a takedown regardless, and was dearly punished for it, as Oldham’s sprawl set his opponent up for a perfect knee strike that slammed him into the mat. With Super Endurance pounding away on a dazed Busch, the referee had no other option but to pull Oldham away, calling a TKO. Now finally letting the emotions run free after a huge upset (at least according to bookies – our readers will remember that we at this newsletter did call their odds odd), Oldham went to celebrate into the ecstatic crowd before going back backstage to prepare for the semis. Crosby ‘Super Endurance’ Oldham defeated Crew ‘The Power’ Busch by TKO in 1:45 of Round 2 and advanced to the Middleweight Championship Tournament Semifinal! The match was rated as being great Middleweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: ‘Destruction Machine’ Cai Gruber (5-0, 21yo, 5’9”, -500) vs 'The Seeker' Byron Jablonski (6-0, 21yo, 5'11", +390) With Jablonski being the less decorated wrestler, having experience on the local and not semi-pro circuit and being a last minute addition, not many people seemed to believe in him going in. In the opening exchanges he seemed to take a little worse than he gave, although there was quite a lot of wary circling and all the strikes on both sides were measured and thought-through. Both fighters seemed to gravitate between throwing shots and looking for takedown opportunities which got countered by enemy punches – and it was the Seeker who got a decisive hit in those exchanges, landing a vicious right cross while Gruber was jumping in, knocking his opponent down. Yet again we saw a plucky underdog put down a favourite and then smash him with powerful ground strikes until a TKO was declared! Truly, a night of upsets, and the fans were loving it! 'The Seeker' Byron Jablonski defeated ‘Destruction Machine’ Cai Gruber by TKO in 2:46 of Round 1 and advanced to the Middleweight Championship Tournament Semifinal! The match was rated as being great Welterweight Division Clash of Styles Showcase: Tomos ‘Topper’ Hooper (3-0, 23yo, 5’10”, -330) vs ‘The Gladiator’ Callen Quarry (3-0, 24yo, 5’10”, +260) Hooper, the wrestler in this Clash of Styles Showcase, showed off some shadow boxing during the introduction, perhaps trying to impress on his kickboxer opponent that he won’t go down easily. It probably wasn’t simple arrogant boasting, as both fighters respectfully touched gloves at the start. The match itself didn’t last long, however, as the Gladiator found an opening in Topper’s guard when he was angling for a clinch and with a clean uppercut sent him to the floor, and then proceeded to rain down punches until yet another TKO was declared just 25 seconds into the match! In a short post-fight interview, Quarry brought up Bronson Sapp, an Aikidoka rated as one of the better Welterweights in the company, saying that if he got to fight him, he’d “embarrass him”. ‘The Gladiator’ Callen Quarry defeated Tomos ‘Topper’ Hooper by TKO in 0:25 of Round 1! The match was rated as being good Middleweight Championship Tournament Semifinals: ‘Bulldozer’ Ryker Raygoza (7-0 (1-0), 25yo, 6’0”, -850) vs Jude Wiuff (7-0 (1-0), 21yo, 6’0”, +670) The bookies seemed to have already decided the match back when it was only a theoretical possibility; however, not much people still believed them after all the upsets, especially seeing as Raygoza emptied all of his gas tank in his first match – although the adulation of the crowd seemed to grant him a second wind… which lasted for about a minute. Clearly losing the stand-up battle, Raygoza went for a great takedown, and then spent the last three minutes of the match skillfully controlling Wiuff’s sweep attempts and landing multiple stinging shots. The second round looked much the same, with Raygoza managing not one but two takedowns (after the referee forced a reset due to inactivity) and controlling his opponent against the ground. His supposedly powerful ground striking didn’t seem to work too well, though, perhaps due to the exhaustion. In the third, Raygoza went for controlling his opponent against the cage wall, taking only a few shots in the process. After the referee separated them and Raygoza immediately got a takedown in which nothing much happened, even in the pro-Bulldozer crowd some boos started to be heard. The fourth round threatened to be more of exhausted Raygoza controlling Wiuff by pinning him to a wall, but after yet another referee separation the Texan managed to force his opponent into a striking exchange and bloodied his brow with a nice one-two. With his opponent clearly too exhausted for yet another takedown, Wiuff finally had a field day with his punches, although Raygoza sent a good straight or two in return. The fifth round saw yet another Bulldozer takedown, but this time followed by a scramble by Wiuff… and yet another trapped-against-the-cage situation. After a minute four separation Wiuff tried desperately to score a match-winning punch, but Raygoza grabbed him and finished the match in control. A second decision victory to Raygoza, but one had to wonder whether he’d be able to survive a third match at all! ‘Bulldozer’ Ryker Raygoza defeated Jude Wiuff by Unanimous Decision and advanced to the Middleweight Championship Tournament Final! The match was rated as being average Middleweight Championship Tournament Semifinals: Crosby ‘Super Endurance’ Oldham (5-1 (1-0), 23yo, 5’7”, +290) vs 'The Seeker' Byron Jablonski (7-0 (1-0), 21yo, 5'11", -370) A battle of the underdogs that nobody expected, it was greeted with great enthusiasm by the crowd, whether because of how they loved Oldham or because this promised to be more exciting than the last bout. Oldham started out with some good striking, but Jablonski showed off some decent evasion and got past his opponent’s sprawl to score a takedown nearly two minutes into the first round. With Jablonski utilizing short strikes and controlling him well, Oldham tried for a scramble but ended up smothered under side control. A mount attempt resulted in yet another scramble and Oldham ended up under the Seeker in a North-South position. One knee to the head later Oldham knew he wasn’t having any of this and went for another burst of effort, but the Seeker was on point yet again, leaving Oldham in a turtle position, at which point the bell signaled the end of the round. After watching some of the most active and exciting ground game ever seen in MMA up to this point, the crowd was positively buzzing. The second round didn’t disappoint them, as less than ten seconds in Oldham’s straight left found its way to Jablonski’s jaw, sending him momentarily to the ground. However, the Seeker managed to backpedal up quickly before suffering too much damage from Oldham’s legs. Jablonski proceeded more carefully, evading some big shots and angling for another takedown, which he got two minutes in. This time he was more aggressive in his ground game, passing from a guard to side control and going unsuccessfully for an armbar, and then, after some shots to keep Super Endurance guessing, finally using a Kimura lock for the win, with just 11 seconds left on the clock! 'The Seeker' Byron Jablonski defeated Crosby ‘Super Endurance’ Oldham by Submission (Kimura lock) in 4:49 of Round 2 and advanced to the Middleweight Championship Tournament Final! The match was rated as being great SEMI-MAIN EVENT – Lightweight Division Kickboxing Showmatch: ‘Twinkle Toes’ Neymar Shafer (5-0, 22yo, 5’7”, +100) versus ‘The Demented’ Bryant Ewell (6-0, 22yo, 5'8", -130) For many commentators before the event, this match was nothing more than a way to give the finalists some time to recuperate. However, the crowd seemed to enjoy the ability to cheer for yet another local (Ewell being from Irvine) and the whole thing promised to be energetic – and in good sportsmanship spirit, as they started with a touch of the gloves. This was a beginning of a series of a lot less friendly touches, as the fighters traded some hard punches. The high tempo of the exchange soon started to get both competitors winded, but it didn’t slow them down, with especially Ewell putting the pressure on and landing more clean shots. It was clear that Shafer favoured his right cross, while Ewell put his faith with the enormous crosses and hooks from his left. His faith was well-placed, as an enormous left hook from The Demented caught Shafer’s jaw, knocking him out cold in an instant! It was Ewell’s sixth KO, fourth scored with a punch, and the first KO in the history of fully professional MMA. ‘The Demented’ Bryant Ewell defeated ‘Twinkle Toes’ Neymar Shafer by Knock Out (Punch) in 3:21 of Round 1! The match was rated as being great. MAIN EVENT and the Middleweight Championship Tournament Finals: ‘Bulldozer’ Ryker Raygoza (8-0 (2-0), 25yo, 6’0”, -450) vs 'The Seeker' Byron Jablonski (8-0 (2-0), 21yo, 5'11", +350) It was finally time for the grande finale. From what both fighter showed up until the finals, Raygoza’s main weapon was clearly going to be his elite wrestling – and I am not using the term “elite” lightly, being able to completely shut down other wrestlers while barely able to stand from exhaustion is no small feat. His famously deadly right hand hadn’t really shone up until that point. On the other hand, Jablonski hadn’t really shown any elite skills, and he seemed to be destined to lose this one. Only the length of Raygoza’s fights seemed to be a factor against him, but it was widely agreed that he could probably control Jablonski the way he controlled other competitors for another competent, relatively uneventful decision win. Instead, just after the gloves touch Raygoza caught The Seeker, who was getting ready for the inevitable grapple, with a left jab, and then followed through with a textbook right uppercut that sent Jablonski to the mat less than ten seconds into the match! Raygoza fell onto his opponent in a flurry of powerful strikes and then went for an arm triangle, but unsuccessfully. Jablonski’s sweep attempt only worsened his position as a Bulldozer parked on his back, unleashing a few powerful shots before going for a rear naked choke that was narrowly defended. After some more intense struggle, Raygoza managed to get both hooks in and this time locked the choke for a submission win and the Middleweight Championship belt! The crowd, before clearly torn between supporting its favourite and dreading another 25 minute wrestlefest, now chanted Raygoza’s name as he lifted the belt, proud and with tears in his eyes. A great finish to a historic show, and hopefully a great start of an even better championship run! ‘Bulldozer’ Ryker Raygoza defeated 'The Seeker' Byron Jablonski by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 2:57 of Round 1 and WON THE WFL MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP! *** The show was universally praised by the critics for “showcasing all the possible permutations and flavours of the emerging new sport” and generated some buzz on a national level. The Main Event took both Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night (plus performance awards for both fighters), while the semi-main event won KO of the Night. It also made over 40.000$, showing that MMA can be profitable.

First two years The first two years of MMA saw little of real importance. Some semi-professional, extremely low-budget promotions emerged in some parts of the world, and in the USA it is estimated that up to a dozen “official” events were held, not counting numerous local events where the fighters were facing debutantes and local tough guys who went “professional” for a month or two to prove themselves to their buddies. No big names from other sports made the jump, but quite a lot of locally accomplished martial artists decided to cross over – especially wrestlers (in the US mainly collegiate), kickboxers and Asian martial arts practitioners. No nationally known stars emerged, but some fighters have managed to cement their position in the local scenes. The first martial arts camp also became open for MMA fighters – in Japan, the small dojo whose name translates as Way Of The Crane’s Beak has taken in locally successful Jiu Jitsu students, helping them prepare for their further fights. However, there didn’t seem to be much money nor fame in the business. That is, until WFL came. With the money and contacts of promoter Mark Wallace, the company was able to get a TV deal with a tiny station called National Pride TV and got the ball rolling on what was to become known as the starting point of modern MMA. WFL 1: Middleweight Championship Tournament WFL made an impression starting up, as the first MMA promotion with a substantial financial backing (250.000$ that its founder gathered by charming investors and investing his personal savings). Therefore, it was able to get non-exclusive contracts with most of the upper echelon of American MMA. In order to promote the idea that WFL was “the Big Leagues”, their initial champions were to be decided in one-night, eight-men tournaments pitching the best fighters America had to offer against each other. As the recruitment for the Middleweight division went smoothly, it was decided that the Middleweight Championship would be up for grabs first, on the last Friday of February 1991. WFL 1: Middleweight Championship Tournament California, 22.02.1991 The first match of the night will see ‘Bulldozer’ Ryker Raygoza face ‘Typhoon’ Josue Behr (betting lines: +110 to -150) Raygoza (6-0, 25yo, 6’0”) is a Latino amateur wrestler from Santa Ana, California, with some regional tournaments under his belt before he switched to MMA. His six wins were all against local part-timers, but that does not mean he is not dangerous. He finished all his fights, five of them in the first round, with 4 KOs (including one in the first ten seconds of the fight!), 1 TKO and 1 RNC submission. His wrestling skill seems to be on point, but against weaker opponents he mainly utilized his devastating right hand. Behr (3-0, 23yo, 5’10”) is a BJJ student of half-Asian descent from New Jersey, who had some small-level success in the sport before switching over, having been renowned for his rubber guard. He’s been competing in a semi-professional company, scoring three submission wins and even capturing some local championship title, which got him the recognition needed for a WFL contract. On his feet, he doesn’t look anything like threatening, but he can roll and submit people just fine. The second match of the tournament will be Jude Wiuff versus ‘Boomer’ Gilbert Mohr (betting lines: -350 to +270) Wiuff (6-0, 21yo, 6’0”) is a Black Texan who competed in collegiate wrestling without achieving much. However, he’s quite fit and he’s got good a good punch, which combined with his great ability to stay on his feet led him to 5 punching TKOs and one outright KO against local opposition, all in the first round. He’s noted for starting out slow and firing himself up to a point of blazing. His impressive wins have made him one of the more respected Middleweight fighters in the US. Mohr (6-0, 23yo, 5’7”) is a White Muay Thai student from DC. His decent striking has decimated local debutants sent against him (although he even scored one ugly, ugly submission), and he’s a curious person, charismatic and loving to call people out, yet otherwise quite quiet while in the ring. All of this combined has made him known enough for WFL to recruit. The third match of the night will see Crosby ‘Super Endurance’ Oldham face Crew ‘The Power’ Busch (betting lines: +630 to -800) Oldham (4-1, 23yo, 5’7”), a White California native, despite a loss on his record is considered one of the best Middleweights in the US. One reason for that is that he’s spent his career so far in semi-pro companies, fighting other committed athletes, even main eventing some shows, and his only loss is to Josue Behr. The other is that he’s a well-trained Thai boxer with some accomplishments in the very young Californian circles of the sport, and both his physical skills and his striking reflect that background. Him being at the forefront of the professionalizing and regulating side of the business has made him a relatively well-known figure in American MMA (not a national star by any stretch of imagination, but known among the few affectionados of the sport), and his name had brought some more credibility and attention to WFL. Busch (6-0, 23yo, 5’11”) is a Black jujitsuka from Chicago. A veteran of local-level MMA with some accomplishments in small submission wrestling tournaments, Busch is a renowned choke escape artist and a man as able to punch an opponent into submission as to submit him with a hold. Well-rounded and quite resistant, he’s one of the more promising characters in these early days of the sport. However, it is unclear why the betting odds are favouring him so much, especially as his camp will be a bit too short for his tastes, as he prefers them to last 2+ months. The last match of the tournament quarterfinals was supposed be ‘Destruction Machine’ Cai Gruber versus ‘Indian Summer’ Ayan Shipman (betting lines: -920 to +730) Gruber’s (5-0, 21yo, 5’9”) nickname might sound like boasting, but this Black collegiate wrestler from Madison, Wisconsin is currently considered by many to be the best Middleweight, and possibly the best MMA fighter, in the US if not in the world. After a respectable college athletic career, where he was renowned for his great slams, Gruber went into the semi-pro circles and proved himself to be a versatile and deadly opponent, extremely skilled at wrestling, clinching and dirty boxing, but also fully capable of a knock-out or submission win. He’s also a huge heel and he already has an enormous axe to grind with both Oldham and Behr, which is why many will be rooting for him to go further in the tournament and face them. Shipman (6-0, 22yo, 5’7”), a Greco-Roman Wrestler from Colorado of mixed Asian descent, seems to have been chosen to allow Gruber to do just that. While he’s a versatile fighter with TKOs and submissions scored against local opposition, his college record is nothing to write home about and he’s the least impressive of the four, with the only standouts being his takedown skills and his constant bragging. Unfortunately, Shipman suffered injury in training and was replaced by 'The Seeker' Byron Jablonski (6-0, 21yo, 5'11"), a Black freestyle wrestler from Anchorage who competed on the state level, known for his level-headedness and very decent skills for one so young. The betting odds for this new matchup are -500 for Gruber to +390 for Jablonski. Two additional matches were put on the card to provide breaks between the tournament fights. In Welterweight Division, Tomos ‘Topper’ Hooper (3-0, 23yo, 5’10”, -330), accomplished wrestler from Boston with a solid punch and some degree of success on the semi-pro circle (including a local belt), will be facing ‘The Gladiator’ Callen Quarry (3-0, 24yo, 5’10”, +260), an unorthodox stance-switching kickboxer from Kansas City, who also has a respectable record in the semi-pros. The match is being promoted as a “clash of styles”. As the semi-main event, the Lightweight Division provides two kickboxers with great local circle records for what promises to be an exciting fight. ‘Twinkle Toes’ Neymar Shafer (5-0, 22yo, 5’7”, +100), a Floridian known for his powerful strikes and great heel persona, will square off against ‘The Demented’ Bryant Ewell (6-0, 22yo, 5'8", -130) , a California local with equally impressive striking, especially kicking which scored him 2 KOs. Prediction card: Ryker Raygoza vs Josue Behr [Tournament QF] Jude Wiuff vs Gilbert Mohr [Tournament QF] Crosby Oldham vs Crew Busch [Tournament QF] Cai Gruber vs Byron Jablonski [Tournament QF] Tomos Hooper vs Callen Quarry Raygoza/Behr vs Wiuff/Mohr [Tournament SF] Oldham/Busch vs Gruber/Jablonski[Tournament SF] Neymar Shafer vs Bryant Ewell WFL Middleweight Championship Tournament Final

A Blank Slate I’m the kind of player who loves world generation and emergent stories. I did a thread about alternate history of wrestling in TEW 2016 and I played around with the various mods that set up an empty world and let the game's generator populate it. So, it was only a matter of time before I decided to test how world generation works in WMMA5. I took the Default database, imported a LOT of character names from the Alpha & Omega + Mod and some companies from the Global-Verse mod, changed the date to 1.01.1989 and deleted all the characters save a few non-fighters. I changed all the companies to start randomly (in 3 batches, starting in 1992, 1995 and 1998), each with low-medium regional popularity and up to 1.000.000 dollars – which company gets what exactly depended on my gut. I also made SportsTube start in 2005, because Internet-based streaming shouldn’t work too early left the default Eras in, to see what kind of MMA world emerges. I also lowered the recuperation time, to ensure there’s always fighters ready for a fight. One mistake I made is not changing the regulation status, so MMA will be regulated around the world from the beginning. At first I planned a hands-off generated world – I even have one, with the standard Company settings and a 1991 start, which has run for 25 years and I can show it off in a different thread. But then I decided it would be much more fun to play as the history’s first MMA company and give you reports on how the sport develops, event after event. I wanted the world to run its course for 2 years hands-off and only have local events, but it turns out the game doesn’t generate fighters if there are no companies in an area. So I decided to generate one low level regional company for America, British Isles, South America, Europe and Japan each, so that some people get generated – but I cut their funds to 5000 dollars. I let the world run like that for 2 years, to simulate an underground emerging scene (which seems to be how MMA comes to be in Defaultverse seeing how the Eras are set up – according to my limited understanding, in the real world the beginning of MMA was more about crossover stars drawing the public’s attention, but that doesn’t really happen when the Eras link up the rank of crossover stars with overall development of the sport). All of them accrued a six figure debt and still refused to close, so I decided to just treat them as local semi-professional companies, a bit above the local shows due to a lack of “local” competitors, but not treated as historic professional companies, just as an abstract representation of the semi-pro level. I will be playing as Mark Wallace, a promoter in many martial sports with a great eye for talent, who in 1991, after eyeing the “mixed fighting” events with some interest for the last two years, decides to start a new sports company, World Fighting League. It will be using standard weight classes, entire contest judge decisions, extremely liberal rules with inactivity separation, 5 rounds of 5 minutes (except for title fights with 7 rounds) and the cage. It starts at mid level regional, but with more money than in a Hard start (250.000, to be precise). We’ll see how it goes! Table of Contents WFL 1: Middleweight Championship Tournament - Preview, Results WFL 2: Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Preview, Results WFL 3: Welterweight Championship Tournament - Preview