1983- World's Best Tournament

[Moderndaywarrior]

One of two side projects I will be running along with my Enforcer:Arn Anderson Diary....In an effort to showcase some of the different stars of 1983,some fresh new matchups, and to give myself some variety in diary writeups for your reading pleasure...welcome to....The 1983 World's Best Tournament!

 

What If...

 

What if in 1983,all of different wrestling promotions decided to set aside differences and politics,work together,and build up to one giant "Super Tournament" card to crown the best wrestler in the entire world,in an effort to raise the largest gate even seen in the sport,then split it evenly? We're about to find out......

 

The Rules:

 

-Each promotion will run a 16 man tournament(with the 16 participants being the top 16 wrestlers,by push,with the #1 wrestler by push facing the #16 Wrestler in the first round,etc.) to determine that promotion's best, who will advance on to a national tournament to crown the best in the country.In the case of countries having an odd number of promotions(Canada,Japan,U.S.A.),any number of wildcard entried will be added to bring the number of participants to an acceptable number.Canada,with 5 promotions,and the U.S.A.(Hawaii and Puerto Rico included),sporting an impressive 21 promotions will run single elimination format tournaments, while Japan,Mexico,and the U.K., with only 2 or 3 promotions a piece will run in a double elimination format(to allow them even exposure match-wise).In the case of a wrestler who works for more than one promotion winning multiple spots,the spot of the bigger promotion will take precedence,the spot for the smaller promotion will default to the second place winner.In the case of two promotions of the same size, the result will be determined by a coin toss.

 

-Each of the 5 National champions (along with the top 3 finishers of a 5 man "run-off" tournament among the losers,bringing the field to 8) will compete in a "Round Robin" style round to determine tournament seedings;in the case of two wrestlers with matching Win/Loss records,the wrestler who holds the victory match between the two tied wrestlers will be granted the higher seeding.

 

-At the Promotional level,each match will be Single Fall,Regular style,No Time Limit,held in the home area of the promotion,using the rules of that promotion.

-At the National level and above,matches will be held at a neutral site(Virtual Arena) to prevent any "Home Town Favorite" Advantage.Matches will be 2/3 Falls,Regular style,No Time Limit.With each promotion tending to have different views on the rules,as it regards to Top Rope,Martinetes,Blood Loss,etc.,all matches will be using a standard "semi-relaxed" ruleset....Wrestlers may be Disqualified or Counted Out;However,the officials will allow some leeway with the rules,Martinetes and/or Top Rope Moves will NOT result in an "Instant DQ",there will be NO stoppages due to blood loss.

-The final match for the World's Best Title,will be an 2/3 Falls,Regular Style,No Time Limit.....it will be conduct the under "classic" rules, with a 15 minute break between falls(i.e.Each fall will be run as its own one fall match,allowing the wrestlers to start each fall at full energy,I will edit the physical condition of the wrestlers to reflect any accumulated damage)

 

I will run the tournaments,by country,starting with the smallest promotions and working up to the largest,in the following order:

 

1. Great Britain

2.Canada

3.Mexico

4.Japan

5.U.S.A.

 

Which puts All Star Wrestling of Great Britain up first,seedings to follow.

[Moderndaywarrior]

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament - 1st Round:

 

The Brackets are as follows:

 

1.Marc Rocco vs. David Taylor

2.John Quinn vs. Rocky Moran

3.Mal Sanders vs. Steven Regal

4.Tony St. Clair vs. Johnny Smith

5.Marty Jones vs. Frank Manley

6.Wayne Bridges vs. Skull Murphy

7.Dave Finlay vs. Mike Bennett

8.Chic Cullen vs. Steve Wright

 

 

Predictions are more than welcome, I'll post the first round results a bit later on.

[D. Boons Ghost]

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament - 1st Round:

 

1.Marc Rocco vs. David Taylor

2.John Quinn vs. Rocky Moran

3.Mal Sanders vs. Steven Regal

4.Tony St. Clair vs. Johnny Smith

5.Marty Jones vs. Frank Manley

6.Wayne Bridges vs. Skull Murphy

7.Dave Finlay vs. Mike Bennett

8.Chic Cullen vs. Steve Wright

 

I'm going with Rocco to win it all. On the event he loses to Squire Taylor, I reserve the right to change my pick.

[Moderndaywarrior]

I'm going with Rocco to win it all. On the event he loses to Squire Taylor' date=' I reserve the right to change my pick. [/quote']

 

I knew you'd pick Rollerball

 

IMO Sanders/Regal has a shot at being one of the better matches,and Bridges/Murphy(Quick tempered Babyface vs. the always angry brute)could get interesting.....

 

And Wright over Cullen...Das Wunderkind Sr. Mania is running wild!

[Moderndaywarrior]

1st round will be kicking off in about 30 minutes.

[Moderndaywarrior]

Coming to from the Midlands of the United Kingdom....

 

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament, Round 1:

 

Going in reverse order(gotta build up the crowd for the appearance of the top seeds),our first match is:

 

Chic Cullen vs. Steve Wright:

 

Wright starts it off with some classic wear down holds,targeting the head.It goes to the mat with Wright maintaining control,working the heads with Grounded Face and Head Locks...Cullen slips a Knee Bar and goes to work on the arm of Wright with holds of his own......it goes 3 minutes before either man actually delivers a blow to the other,and even then it is a perfectly legal Forearm/European Uppercut combo by Cullen....this is some great,clean, old school action you don't often see anymore.Cullen goes back to the arm until Wright manges to slip a Forearm,and begin applying some counter holds,still working the head....Cullen's moves took their toll though,as Wright is favoring the arm.Wright keeps working the head until Cullen has enough,blasts him with a Forearm,and goes to work with some Face and Head Locks of his own.Both men are starting to weaken....and Wright exploits a missed Forearm with a beautiful Hammerlock Single Leg Takedown,to a Furthered Half Nelson Takedown...Cullen finally gets away,goes behind and applies the Rear Head Chancery....and now it's all Cullen, he takes over with a series of holds on the ground,getting himself an advantage.Cullen works himself into position,lifts Wright.......British Piledriver! 1.....2....3! Cullen takes the win in the first match of the night,a suprisingly clean and very old school style match....unfortnately the crowd isn't into this kind of mat based action and dump all over the matching,shouting "That Match Sucked!"

 

Winner: Chic Cullen via Pinfall in 11:50

Rating: E

 

 

Dave Finlay vs. Mike Bennett:

 

Funny spot at the start as Finlay goes for a Front Facelock,Bennet powers free and delivers a Forearm,to no effect,and Finlay puts him right back in the Front Facelock....Finlay goes for the Forearm,Bennet ducks.....and applies a Front Facelock.Finally Finlay just gets mad and break free,when Bennett again tries.....the Front Facelock....Finlay simply begins punching the heck out of him.It goes to the mat and Finlay puts on a clinic of various holds;the crowd is actually starting to rally behind Bennett,so FInlay pulls him up and delivers a Flurry of Forearm blows.Finlay works the arm,culminating in a nasty Standing Arm Breaker.Bennet gamely tries to fight his way back but the arm is messed up from the Arm Breaker so he can't land anything effective enough to slow down Finlay,who by now is in firm control of the match.Finlay grabs a hold of Bennett by his....um.....nether regions...and delivers a mighty Slam!Cover.....1.....2......kick out!Ref stands both men up....Finlay trips Bennett up....Leg Trip Step Over Leg Lock! Bennett tries to fight it but it's no use and he gives in at the 9:10 mark.Again the chants of "That Match Sucked!" go up;this one managed to come off even worse than Cullen/Wright.

 

Winner: Dave Finlay via Submission in 9:10

Rating:F

[Moderndaywarrior]

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament, Rd.1 (Cont.)

 

Wayne Bridges vs. Skull Murphy:

 

Bridges with a methodical and technical approach to start,he takes Murphy down and applies a variety of holds,going to the legs whenever possible.Bridges ties Murphy in knots.....only 90 seconds in and he's already got the Figure Four Cross Leg Lock on.Bridges brings Murphy upright several times,to take him right back down with a Hammerlock Single Leg and a Furthered Half Nelson.Finally Murphy scrambles away and bails out of the ring...Bridges goes after him and the chase is on for a good 60 seconds until Murphy cuts him off as he gets i the ring and takes over.The crowd is all over Murphy as he begins a suprisingly technical assault on the neck of Bridges via a series of holds.Murphy is getting into it with fans,trading insults,and Bridges tries ti take advantage with some European Uppercuts but that was the wrong move,as Murphy comes back with the brawling style he is known for,hitting a variety of punches and kicks,capping it off with the first thing he has done that is close to a big move,a Suplex.Murphy goes to the mat to apply a series of Arm Bars and he's now wearing Bridges down...Bridges slips a move and it goes to a seqeunce of counters,Murphy goes for the Hammerlock Single Leg Takedown but Bridges gets the standing switch and takes into his own Hammerlock Single Leg Takedown.Bridges has the leg.....Spinning Toe Hold!Checking.......checking.......No,Murphy manages to get the free leg up and kick Bridges off.Standing switch sequence and the crowd is taunting Murphy badly...Bridges again with the Hammerlock Single Leg and he goes up top...nice Flying Standing Knee!Brutal Standing Arm Breaker puts Murphy down....back the Spinning Toe Hold!Checking......Murphy is free.Murphy slips a move.....Full Nelson.Bridges is fading,with his last strength his wriggles free,ending up behind Murphy.....German Suplex! 1.....2.....Murphy kicks out!Murphy fights back,and takes a page out of Finlay's book,delivering a Crotch Hold and Slam!Cover...1.....2.......Bridges BARELY kicked out!Just like Finlay,Murphy gets the Leg Trip Step Over Leg Lock on the break......checking......checking.......No,Bridges escaped!It's all Murphy....again he has Bridges by the Crotch....SLAM! Cover....1.....2.....Bridges barely beats the count!Leg trip my Murphy.....Step Over Leg Lock!Checking......checking........that's it,Bridges gives up!Murphy gets the upset win!Nice round of applause from the fans...

 

Skull Murphy def. Wayne Bridges via submission in 18:50

Rating:B

[Moderndaywarrior]

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament,Rd 1.(cont)

 

Marty Jones vs. Frank Manley:

 

The crowd finally gets it's first look at one the true big names in the tourney, The Lancashire Lion Marty Jones...and he's all business,tying Manley up in a series of holds...it goes to hold/counter-hold action from a vertical base and Manley gets advantage with a Clubbing Blow,but Jones fights right back and soon he has him down and in the Straddled Arm Bar,doing his best to negate Manley's power advantage by sapping away his arm strength.Manley makes the ropes and takes over with some basic power moves,clubbing and kicking until he gets the opening for a Double Axe Handle.Manley winds up for a big elbow.....noone home!Jones grabs the legs and turns him over into a Boston Crab!Ref checking.......Manley uses his leg strength to flip Jones off of him.Manley brushes off a Forearm and begins choking Jones....he tries to follow up,Jones keeps slipping away from him....he catches a tiring Manley coming in,small package! 1...2....kick out just after two!Jones has Manley by the groin area....slam! The ref has seen enough of that and he steps in to admonish Jones,which buys Manley enough time to deliver a Double Axe Handle,and take over with his basic power moves,several times Jones is down and Manley delivers a series of Seated Hammers,and now Jones is looking bad too.Manley senses advantage and goes in for the kill......but Jones suckered him in and goes behind him,he locks on The Main Event Sleeper!Ref checks the arm......once......twice.....three times,that's it!Manley is out!Good effort there,they managed to make Manley look like a real threat;though it was nowhere near as good as Bridges/Murphy,it was right about what the crowd expected from the match.

 

Marty Jones def. Frank Manley via submission in 14:00

Rating: C-

[Moderndaywarrior]

All Star Wrestling(UK)Tournament,Rd.1(Cont.)

 

Tony St.Clair vs. Johnny Smith:

 

A single Forearm by St.Clair knocks Smith to the mat and for the next two minutes,St.Clair ties him up in various holds,ending up on top in a Straddled Arm Bar.Smith blocks a move,weak Forearm has no effect,and St.Clair delivers a Sweeping Hip Throw,into a cover.1....and Smith kicks out.St.Clair back to work with a Furthered Half Nelson Takedown,and back to wear down holds.Smith must have some mysterious connection with the fans,as he simply slips an Arm Bar and counters with a Forearm,and already the fans are chanting his name.Smith works a nice series of Forearm Blows to the back,stomach,and head in between applying various holds.St.Clair slips a Hammerlock,back to that Furthered Half Nelson Takedown,and agin St.Clair works the arm.Smith gets back to a vertical base,they exchange counters; the crowd is pretty evenly split now,with half pulling for the popular St.Clair and the other half for the underdog Smith.Series ends when St.Clair catches Smith in a Small Package,ref counts it.....1......2......3! Clean action,nothing fancy,but the crowd didn't really buy it,what a dud.

 

Tony St.Clair def. Johnny Smith via pinfall in 9:10

Rating:F

 

 

Mals Sanders vs. Steven Regal:

 

Sanders starts off hot with a series of strikes,followed by some basic wrestling holds;Regal tries to fight back but Sanders is just too good.Regal shows good form for a youngster though,managing to block and slip a number of holds with his wrestling knowledge,but he just can't seem to hold an advantage.Eventually a slipped Grounded Front Facelock gives him an opportunity and he breaks out some basic wrestling holds.Sanders gets his licks in here and there;he's actually so hated the fans are cheering for Regal.Nice maneuver by Sanders sees him block the Double Knee Lift,and take it into the Furthered Half Nelson Takedown(soo to be re-named "The U.K.Special").Regal escapes and keeps it on the mat,he has Sanders tied up for three minutes straight and it looks like he is getting somewhere as he finally gets a Straddled Arm Bar,then Sanders manages to get himself back upright,trip Regal up,and it's the Leg Trip Step Over Leg Lock!Ref checks it.....still applied.....and Regal finally gives it up!Again fairly pure wrestling action (but for one or two closed fists),and again that crowd dumps all over it as we hear the now familiar "That Match Sucked!"

 

Mal Sanders def. Steven Regal via submission in 9:50

Rating:F

[rjhabeeb]

Awesome idea Im excited to see how this continues

[Moderndaywarrior]

Appreciated RJ....I am just as excited,since I really don't know the winners ahead of time myself!

 

Now,let's get on to the rest of Bracket "A"...

 

 

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament,Rd.1 (cont.)

 

"Mighty"John Quinn vs. Rocky Moran

 

Quinn tries to get in a cheap kick before the bell,but Moran sidesteps and the exchanging of holds begins.....Moran is really outwrestling Quinn,locking on a variety of holds targetting the head and neck area for the better part of 3 minutes.Moran is just dodging everything until finally Quinn goes "dirty" with both standing Punches and Punches from a Side Headlock.Big Axe Handle reels Moran,but he's right back up...Running Clothesline,Moran right back up.....another Clothesline,Moran ducks,and goes into a series of Face and Head Locks......Moran starts wrenching on a Head Lock and Quinn is down.Now Moran is just embarrasing Quinn,he ties him up in nearly every hold imaginable on the mat for 4 minutes,and Quinn looks in big trouble!Quinn uses his great strength to break an Arm Bar,then proceed to beat the holy heck out of Moran with Clotheslines and Axe Handle blows.Quinn throws Moran into the corner....takes him Pillar to Post for a turnbuckle smash....big knee put Moran down.Quinn goes up top,waits for moran to stagger up....Flying Elbow Smash!Moran looks about out of it as Quinn picks him up off the mat and right over his head......Pressed Gut Buster!Cover......1......2......3!The crowd hated this one and lets loose with a "That Match Sucked!" chant;a shame because I thought Moran,by very nearly pulling out a huge upset, really showed us something there.....

 

Mighty John Quinn def. Rocky Moran via Pinfall in 13:00

Rating: E

 

Marc Rocco vs. David Taylor:

 

They feel each other out.....Rocco with a Snap Mare Takedown.....Rocco throws a Punch.to no effect,and Taylor takes him down and goes to work on the neck with a series of holds.Taylor has Rocco down for four and half minutes before he can break a Head Scissors.Series of standing reverses....Taylor takes over again with a Suplex,right into a Single Leg Grapevine.The crowd is getting behind Taylor as he locks on a series of painful holds for another two and a half minutes before Rocco finally makes the ropes to force a break.They circle...Taylor with a Hammerlock Single Leg...Rocco avoids him on the mat....Forearm from "Rollerball" has no effect.....Furthered Half Nelson Takedown by Taylor.It goes to the mat and Taylor ties Rocco up again but this time Rocco is quick to get free and finally,after being beaten up for 10 minutes.he gets some offense going with a series of Forearm Strikes.Rocco charges in....Monkey Flip by Taylor.Back to the mat we go,Taylor with a short advantage until Rocco slips an Arm Bar and picks him up into an Airplane Spin.Now it's Rocco working Taylor with holds on the mat,and Taylor is weakening.Taylor wriggles free of a hold and blasts Rocco with a Charging Forearm.He dives on Rocco and clamps a hold....he turns up.....Full Nelson Clutch by Taylor!Ref in to check.....no.......hold still applied.......Rollerball gives up!Oh My God, David Taylor with a HUGE upset win over Marc Rocco!Unfortunately for him,the crowd STILL says "That Match Sucked!"

 

David Taylor def. Marc Rocco via submission in 12:40

Rating: E

[Moderndaywarrior]

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament Recap:

 

In the opening round we saw:

 

Chic Cullen

Dave Finlay

Marty Jones

Mal Sanders

Tony St.Clair

 

All get the nod.....in a night of upsets Skull Murphy advanced over favorite Wayne Bridges,and young David Taylor shocked Great Britain,wearing down and eventually defeating heavy favorite Marc"Rollerball"Rocco,a man who some had predicted would go all the way in the tournament.There was nearly a third upset but "Mighty" John Quinn managed to dig deep and just barely pull one out over Rocky Moran.

 

 

 

We'll now move onto the second round of the "A" Bracket:

 

1.David Taylor vs. Chic Cullen

2.John Quinn vs. Dave Finlay

3.Mal Sanders vs. Skull Murphy

4.Tony St. Clair vs. Marty Jones

 

 

Predictions are, of course, welcomed,get your picks in!

[rjhabeeb]

1.David Taylor vs. Chic Cullen

2.John Quinn vs. Dave Finlay

3.Mal Sanders vs. Skull Murphy

4.Tony St. Clair vs. Marty Jones

 

not all too familiar with most of the competitors but ill see how i do

[Moderndaywarrior]

1.David Taylor vs. Chic Cullen

2.John Quinn vs. Dave Finlay

3.Mal Sanders vs. Skull Murphy

4.Tony St. Clair vs. Marty Jones

 

not all too familiar with most of the competitors but ill see how i do

 

In a way that's a reason for running a tourney of this type; everyone is familiar with Andre,Hogan,Flair,etc., but there's a wealth of other workers (esp.in the U.K. and Mexico) that is seems people never really touch on or see in their games,I wanted to showcase some of the talent people may be missing out on as well as the one we all know and love(or hate,depending...)

 

 

Anyway,thanks for the predictions,on to Round 2.....

[Moderndaywarrior]

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament,A Bracket, Round 2:

 

 

Tony St. Clair vs. Marty Jones

 

Two crowd favorites meet here,and the start it off with good,clean action;series of holds but every time St.Clair gets an advantage,Jones uses the Forearm Blow to bully his way out of trouble.Forearm Blow staggers St.Clair and Jones gets fully in control with a long series of Arm Bars, Face Locks, and Head Locks,which gets the crowd going.Jones has St.Clair down on the mat as is working a very realistic style,wearing St.Clair down with hold for 3 minutes straight until he has secured enough advantage to go into a more advanced Wrenching Hammerlock/Figure Foure Cross Leg Lock combo.After four minutes of mat action,and the crowd solidly behind Jones,St.Clair slips free of a Single Leg Crab and gets in a Forearm To The Back of the Head.St.Clair works a beautiful series of holds,really concentrating on The Lancashire Lion's arm,he's actually gettting some of the crowd on his side now....series of counters,and Jones slips behind and locks in the classic Standing Double Arm Lever.St.Clair recovers and again it's a series of holds and counter-holds,this time St.Clair goes over and sweeps Jones to the mat,he follows with a Figure Four Cross Leglock..St.Clair is favoring the arm but still manages to hold on to and advantage through a series of moves,ending with St.Clair delivering a Sweeping Hip Throw to a cover!1.......Jones kicks out!St.Clair keeps him on the mat,working the arm and neck....the crowd is getting a "Let's go,Marty!Let's Go!" chant going......Jones responds by reversing an Arm Lock,into a Hammerlock Single Leg Takedown...St.Clair escapes a hold by Jones and they move to hold/counter-hold action....Jones switches gears and catches St.Clair with a Double Knee Lift,putting St.Clair on the canvas.Jones has the legs in a sort of powerbomb position......British Piledriver!Cover......1......2........3!What pure wrestling action in the classic U.K. Tradition;of course the fans shout "That Match Sucked!"

 

Marty Jones def. Tony St.Clair via pinfall in 16:50

Rating: E

 

 

"Superstar" Mal Sanders vs. Skull Murphy

 

It's goes from two favorites to two men the crowd love to hate locking it up.These two don't mess around,right away they fire off punches and trade holds,as soon as one man gets a little advantage the other Punches him and takes over.Fistfight....Murphy wins it,and begins working Sanders with a series of holds,sneaking in punches where he can;the crowd is really getting on Murphy's case for it too.After 3 minutes of being dominated,Superstar slips a Knee Bar and comes back with holds of his own,as well as Forearm Blows,he gets Murphy off balance and delivers a nice Hammerlock Single Leg Takedown right into a Wrechning Hammerlock!Flurry of Forearms by Sanders...Murphy blocks a Single Leg Crab.....blocks it again.....and takes over with a series of holds and Punches,and now Murphy has Sanders in the Single Leg Crab.Murphy with a flury of blows but Sanders turns into him...Double Arm Takedown!Sanders works the leg,the crowd is really turning on him....Murphy kicks free...and a Flurry of Punches by Murphy....Repeated European Uppercuts by Murphy.Murphy with series of Hammerlocks,Sanders is in Trouble! Sanders fights free and makes it back up,Murphy goes to trip him but Sanders checks his leg and gives him a Forearm....Forearm Flurry by Sanders,he picks Murphy up....Airplane Spin!Murphy staggers around groggily and falls over,Sanders is moving in for the kill....as he tried to turn Murphy,Murphy hits him below the belt and Sanders drops like a sack of bricks!Cover....1.....2.....Sanders kicks out!Murphy trips him.....Leg Trip Step Over Leg Lock.....Sanders kicks Murphy off with his free leg!Both men go for it and its a flurry of closed fists and Eye Rakes until finally Sanders gets under Murphy and lifts him onto his shoulders......The Airplane Spin!1....2....Murphy kicks out!Murphy slips a slam,now he has Sanders by the Crotch....Slam!Ref is not happy and he's warning Murphy...which lets Sanders crawl back up and throw Murphy into the corner!Sanders charges in and leaps up....Corner Kangaroo Dropkick!1......2......3!Sanders takes the hard fought win;the crowd at least thought this one was decent.

 

Mal Sanders def. Skull Murphy in 19:00 via pinfall

Rating:C

[Moderndaywarrior]

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament,Bracket A,Rd.2(cont.)

 

"Mighty" John Quinn vs. Dave Finlay

 

The first three minutes is all Quinn,he works the Front Face Lock along with Hammerlocks and Arm Bars,with a few Forearms and European Uppercuts for good measure.Finlay with a standing reverse,he lifts Moran's arm up,and Moran takes him over with a Double Arm Takedown!Quinn works the Rear Chinlock and Grounded Arm Bar until Finlay escapes and stands up, he clubs Finlay to the mat and takes the legs....BOOM....Spread Eagle Stomp!Finally scrambles to the ropes and drags himself up,then takes over with a series of Arm and Head Locks...Wrist Lock by Finlay,and Mighty John shows impressive agility,rolling through the move while keeping hold of Finlay's arm,then pulling him into a Short Arm Shoulder Tackle!Finlay fires back with Euopean Uppercuts and punches until Quinn has had enough and simply Chokes Finaly down.Series of Axe Handle Blows...Quinn spins Finlay around.....Head Vice!Axe handle puts Finlay down....Quinn delivers a Flurry of Stomps!He turns Finlay over.....it's The Boston Crab!Finlay hangs in there,but wait.....yes,the ref is calling for the bell!Quinn wins! And yes,the fans do chant "That Match Sucked!"

 

Mighty John Quinn def. Dave Finlay via submission in 10:40

Rating: F

 

 

David Taylor vs. Chic Cullen

 

Polite cheers for both guys as Taylor goes to work....it's short lived though,as Cullen takes over with a series of holds, mostly to the Head and Arm area....Cullen with a Half Nelson Takedown....Furthered by a Wristlock.Taylor breaks a head scissors and does some quick chain wrestling,the classic Snap Mare/Drop Toe Hold takedown sequence,and crowd is getting behind him.Series of counters,Taylor takes over....the crowd is really buying into him here,the "Taylor!Taylor!" chant has been going for more than a minute now.Taylor is on fire,blocking everything Cullen does until he gets Cullen in a Hammerlock.....Cullen powers the arms free into a sort of a Reverse Top Wrist Lock position,Standing Arm Breaker on Taylor!Cullen still has the arm,Taylor spins into him,grabs the head with his opposite arm...Side Headlock Takeover,and Taylor goes back to working him on the mat.Very nice chain sequence sees both guys hit a series of holds ending with Taylor trapped in a Standing Double Arm Lever,the crowd is now evenly split.Taylor makes his feet, Hammerlock Single Leg Takedown,and the fans are rallying behind him!They trade holds again,and the crowd is STILL chanting for Taylor...Irish whip by Cullen,he catches Taylor as he comes off the ropes with a Kangaroo Dropkick!1.....2.....Taylor kicks out at two!Series of counters,Cullen slips behind...He locks in The Abdominal Stretch!Taylor fights it......still fighting it.......still fighting.......nowhere to go.......Taylor gives up!Cullen advances while Taylor still has a chance in the B Bracket.Despite it all,the fans STILL chant "That Match Sucked!"

 

Chic Cullen def. David Taylor in 13:40 via submission

Rating: F

[Moderndaywarrior]

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament,A Bracket, Semi-Finals:

 

Mighty John Quinn vs. Marty Jones:

 

Jones immediately nails Quinn with a European Uppercut and begins working the head Head Locks.Quinn breaks a Head Lock, and wails away on Jones with Punches and Kicks,He Clubs Jones to the mat,and a kick to the back.Second kick misses,Jones works some standing holds,Quinn breaks a headlock,Clubs Jones,but Jones used Quinn's momentum and turned it into a Double Arm Takedown!Jones works Quinn with holds for a solid three minutes,working the neck and arm,every time Quinn powered out he took him right back over.Finally,Quinn throws Jones off and Clubs him down to the canvas,and a Big Elbow Drop.Quinn works Jones' arm, Jones slips free and works Quinn's arm,and it's paying off,Jones has Quinn down and in a Straddled Arm Bar!Jones withs the arm, and the leg as well with Single Leg Grapevines.Quinn eventually muscules up and takes over with Punches and Kicks,but he is clearly favoring the knee.Quinn goes for a kick...bad idea...the leg is too hurt,and Jones lays in Uppercuts and a Double Knee Lift.Quinn back up and he hammers Jones down with Standing Double Axe Handles,then continues the beating with Seated Hammers.Quinn applies a Head Vice and lifts Jones off the mat by his head!Now Quinn is choking Jones....he takes the legs Spread Eagle Stomp!Clothesline!Double Stomp!Series of Seated Hammers!Mercifully,Jones makes the ropes to force a break....and comes back with a Furthered Half Nelson Takedown!Quinn stands back up with Jones hanging on and flings him off....Running Clothesline!Now Quinn is stopping to flex and boast about his strength,but he doesn't see Jones has recovered and is lining up on him.....he turns around.....into a Charging Forearm!Quinn right back up and beating Jones down with Axe Handles....Quinn goes for The Boston Crab....Jones kicks him off and the crowd cheers wildly!Quinn tried to get Jones,Jones is countering everything,he knocks Quinn down and goes for a Boston Crab....but no...Quinn pushes Jones right off and scoops him....Thunderous Giant Killing Bodyslam!The crowd boos loudly as Quinn makes a cover......1......2......3!Once again, "That match sucked!"

 

Mighty John Quinn def. Marty Jones vis Pinfall in 20:00

 

 

Chic Cullen vs. Mal Sanders:

 

Cullen right away with a series of standing holds and European Uppercuts;Sanders keeps trying to make the ropes but Cullen keeps dragging him back into the center of the ring and beating him up more.Three minutes in and Sanders has slipped a Head Lock into an Arm Bar,the crowd is really picking on Sanders after that display by Cullen.Sanders gets in a few basic moves but it's still pretty much all Cullen,working Sanders with standing holds....six minutes in and Cullen with a Hammerlock Single Leg Takedown...Cullen works the arm on the mat until Sanders slips out of a Straddled Arm Bar and takes over with a series of Arm and Head Locks;crowd is still chanting for Cullen though as he manged to beat down Sanders for the greater part of nine minutes.Sanders with a Forearm Flurry,he's working Cullen on the mat now with some Grapevines and Wrenching Hammerlocks.Nice series of mat wrestling here with both guys doing some countering....now they trade blows...Cullen with a Full Nelson,Sanders slips out and applies a Full Nelson of his own...LONG counter series until Cullen gets a Double Knee Lift after a break,he spins behind the doubled over Sanders.....Main Event Sleeper Hold!The arm falls once.....twice.....and a thrid time! Cullen advances to the A bracket finals to face John Quinn...and to the suprise of noone,a chant of "That Match Sucked!"

 

Chic Cullen def. Mal Sanders via submission in 16:30

Rating: E

 

 

Bracket A finals will be:

 

Chic Cullen vs. "Mighty" John Quinn

 

 

Predictions are welcome.

[rjhabeeb]

Chic Cullen vs. "Mighty" John Quinn

[Moderndaywarrior]

Chic Cullen vs. "Mighty" John Quinn

 

You went 2 for 4 last round,let's see how this goes....

[Moderndaywarrior]

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament,A Bracket, Finals:

 

Chic Cullen vs. Mighty John Quinn:

 

Fast action for the first two minutes see each man hit a few basic moves,Cullen takes over for a short spell after a Flying Mare until Quinn bullies his way up from the mat,Quinn is already favoring the knee.Side Headlock by Quinn,and he sneaks in a Punch to the face with the hold still on.

Quinn mixes basic holds with Forearms and Punches and he's wearing Cullen down.Axe Handle misses and Cullen takes him down,he ties Quinn up on the mat as the crowd starts getting behind him.Quinn wriggles out from an Arm Bar and charges in at Cullen.....Cullen steps in and flings Quinn with a Double Arm Takeover!Cullen goes to the arm on the mat and now he's wearing Quinn down.Quinn free his legs from a hold and grabs the head of Cullen...Driving Knee Lift!Counter sequence as both men hit running moves but can't keep the other one down....Quinn sidesteps a charge and grabs Cullen.....Head Vice....Cullen fires back with a Double Knee Lift.....Furthered Half Nelson Takedown!Cullen works the arm and the leg until Quinn makes the ropes,then hits a big Clothesline.Seated Hammer and Grounded Axe Handle,Cullen is in trouble now....Cullen catches Quinn off balance and puts his head between his knees,he delivers a Standing Head Scissors Twist....Quinn looks like he could go at any minute.Cullen spins him around....Full Nelson...No,Quinn blocks him.....Cullen with a trip to take Quinn to the mat......Full Nelson Clutch!Quinn reaches for the ropes.....he can't make it......and he gives it up! Cullen pulls out a minor upset and takes the "A" Bracket....the fans still thought sucked anyway.

 

Chic Cullen def. John Quinn via submission in 17:00

Rating: E

 

Chic Cullen wins the "A" Bracket!

[Moderndaywarrior]

To recap:

 

Chic Cullen (somewhat of a dark horse IMO) took the "A" bracket,and will face the winner of the "B" Bracket tournament;seedings for Bracket B are:

 

1. Mal Sanders vs. Steve Wright

2. Marty Jones vs. Mike Bennett

3. Tony St. Clair vs. Wayne Bridges

4. Skull Murphy vs. Frank Manley

5. Dave Finlay vs. Johnny Smith

6. David Taylor vs. Steven Regal

7. Marc Rocco vs. Rocky Moran

 

*John Quinn,by virtue of making it to the A Bracket Finals before suffering a loss, receives a first round Bye and will face the winner of Rocco/Moran.

 

Round will be up sometime tomorrow in the late afternoon/early evening, get your picks in!

[Socko]

Neat concept that you have going here. Onto my picks ..

 

Mal Sanders vs. Steve Wright

Marty Jones vs. Mike Bennett

Tony St. Clair vs. Wayne Bridges

Skull Murphy vs. Frank Manley

Dave Finlay vs. Johnny Smith

David Taylor vs. Steven Regal

Marc Rocco vs. Rocky Moran

 

St. Clair -v- Bridges has a bag-load of potential, so I hope that one plays out well, but I'm pulling for Marty as he was my childhood favourite. I can still recall pulling for him on a Saturday tea-time .. funny, as I can barely remember what I did yesterday .. must be an age thing.

[Moderndaywarrior]

Neat concept that you have going here. Onto my picks ..

 

Mal Sanders vs. Steve Wright

Marty Jones vs. Mike Bennett

Tony St. Clair vs. Wayne Bridges

Skull Murphy vs. Frank Manley

Dave Finlay vs. Johnny Smith

David Taylor vs. Steven Regal

Marc Rocco vs. Rocky Moran

 

St. Clair -v- Bridges has a bag-load of potential, so I hope that one plays out well, but I'm pulling for Marty as he was my childhood favourite. I can still recall pulling for him on a Saturday tea-time .. funny, as I can barely remember what I did yesterday .. must be an age thing.

 

 

I appreciate the kind words and predictions.

 

Good to see some British wrestling fans about;part of the reason I did this one was to show some of the different talents and styles from around the world(since it seems almost every diary concentrates on the U.S. and Canada,and very occasionally Japan,U.K. and Mexico sometimes get "lost in the shuffle",as it were).That's also why the U.K. enjoys a Double Elimination format;since we'll be seeing ALOT of U.S. action,I thought it only fair that the U.K. saw it's fair share of action as well.

 

I agree that St.Clair/Bridges has potential,being as Bridges/Murphy was far and away the best match of the entire A bracket.Taylor/Regal could also be good;two guys with similar styles who would go on to a pretty good tag team later on meeting up.

[Moderndaywarrior]

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament,B Bracket, 1st Round:

 

Marc Rocco vs. Rocky Moran

 

After a brief feeling out, Rocky launches a weak European Uppercut who doesn't even faze Rocco,who responds by beating Moran down with Punches and Forearms,followed by a big Running Clothesline......Knee Jab by Rocco....only 90 seconds and he has Moran hurt!Rollerball transitions a few holds and ends up with Moran in an Abdominal Stretch.Moran is down as Rocco climbs to the top and leaps......Flying Angel Splash!1.....2.....3!This one ends mercifully as Rocco must be looking for revenge,he just dismantled Moran in record time.About as good as you expect a total squash to be.

 

Marc Rocco def. Rocky Moran via pinfall in 2:40

Rating: F

 

David Taylor vs. Steven Regal

 

Taylor starts off with Arm holds,switching to Forearms to the Back and Head before a Snap Mare takes it to the mat.Double Knee Chinlock...and only two minutes in Taylor already has the Straddled Arm Bar.Regal with an escape and he works the Arm and Head,with a few Forearms for good measure....standing reverse...Regal with a Hammerlock Single Leg Takedown.....he follows with a Knee Jab!Regal holds onto Taylor's Arm for dear life, bending it twisting it every which way with an assortment of holds for 5 minutes before Taylor gets away and takes Regal down with the Hammerlock Single Leg.Taylor is working the head alot here....quick move and Taylor has Regal up.....British Piledriver!Cover....1....2....3!Taylor keeps his hopes alive in a nice,pure (although by crowd standards,boring) effort.

 

Dave Taylor def. Steven Regal via pinfall in 8:10

Rating:F

 

Dave Finlay vs. Johnny Smith

 

Finlay beats the heck out of Smith with Punches,Kicks,and basic standing holds for the first two minutes.....Finlay has the arm,Smith rolls through;Smith goes with various standing holds which transitions into a chain wrestling seqeunce which ends when Finlay Mares Smith down and nails him with the Knee Jab!Finlay works Smith on the mat,but Smith quickly blocks a hold attempt and when they come back to vertical he has the advantage with a Front Facelock.More standing holds from Smith,working the neck of Finlay......Finlay with a standing reverse into a Furthered Half Nelson Takedown.Smith escapes and has Finlay stunned with Repeated European Uppercuts,he starts working Finlay's arm with Arm Bars....ouch,that shot looked low and Smith is down!Ref admonishes Finlay,giving Smith time to get his bearings,but as soon as the action starts,Finlay grabs hold of his lower parts and slams him!Finlay grabs the legs.....Double Leg Bridging Rollup!1.....2.....Smith kicks out at two!They come to a stalemate position,and again Finlay has Smith by the crotch,slam!1......Smith is out! Finlay hangs on and delivers a third Crotch Hold and Slam.....1.....2.....3! Finlay with some dubious tactics but he advances;at least it came off slightly(and I do mean slightly) better than the last two matches.

 

Dave Finlay def. Johnny Smith via pinfall in 12:20

Rating: E

 

Skull Murphy vs. Frank Manley

 

 

It's all Murphy from the bell,he beats Manley up with Punches and Forearms(with a few Face and Head Locks mixed in),and takes him down with the Hammerlock Single Leg.Murphy starts targetting the Arm and Leg of Manley until he makes the ropes.....Murphy hits Repeated European Uppercuts...Manley is looking in a bad way but he stills pries free of a Face Lock and Clubs Murphy to the mat.Manley working a different style here;he works Murphy's arm with Arm Bars on the mat,then picks him up and Clubs him back down....repeat for about two minutes until Manley makes the mistake of holding onto the arm while picking Murphy up,and eats a Flurry of Punches for his trouble.Wow,Manley must have gotten mad,he just powers right of the Straddled Arm Bar, and Chokes Murphy down...Seated Hammer....now he's using the ropes and choking Murphy with his boot!He puts Murphy across his knee....Cross Knee Back Breaker.....Series of Stomps!Manley has the legs...Murphy kicks off...Manley powers of a Full Nelson...he tires to lift Murphy but Murphy blocks...Murphy gets Manley in The Small Package....he has a handful of tights! 1......ref sees the handful of tights and breaks the pin...Murphy gets admonished,giving Manley time to recover and Clothesline Murphy....Head Vice by Manley....he's squeezing Murphy's head like a grape!Ref checks.......Murphy is still fighting......Manley squeezes even more and Murphy goes limp,that's it!Murphy proves that while he was good with Bridges,he can't carry Manley to anything passable.

 

Frank Manley def. Skull Murphy vis submission in 9:10

Rating: F

[Moderndaywarrior]

All Star Wrestling(UK) Tournament, Round 1(cont.):

 

Tony St. Clair vs. Wayne Bridges

 

St.Clair is quicker of the two,grabbing Bridges in a Side Headlock...short series of holds leads to a Side Headlock Takeover and St.Clair ties Bridges up,working on his neck for close to three minutes.Bridges finally shoves St.Clair off and lets loose with a haymaker, St.Clair ducks...go behind to a Full Nelson!Bridges blocks the Single Leg Grapevine and takes over with a combination of Arm, Face, and Head Locks....but he's Wayne Bridges so he's sure to get some Forearms in there two...Bridges has St.Clair at a disadvantage for a good four minutes before they end up in a stalemate....Bridges wins by suprising St.Clair with a Furthered Half Nelson Takedown.St.Clair is out and goes to a sequence where one man does a series of moves,then the other comes back with the same series of moves...they go back and forth until Bridges gets the Furthered Half Nelson Takedown....he applies and variety of holds,and works his way right into a Double Leg Bridging Rollup!1.....2.....3!This match would have went over big time in Lou Thesz's heyday,but unfortunately it is 1983 so the fans don't like it.

 

Wayne Bridges def. Tony St.Clair via pinfall in 14:30

Rating: F

 

Marty Jones vs. Mike Bennett

 

Amazingly,it's Bennett who shoots in to deliver and Forearm and some standing holds,standing reverse by Jones....Suplex!Jones has Bennett down and ties up his Head and Legs before turning into a Straddled Arm Bar.Jones holds the advantage for two minutes until Bennett blocks Jones and delivers a Forearm Smash...Suplex by Bennett!Now it's Bennett tying Jones up for two minutes...and HE turns into a Straddled Arm Bar!Bennett working some serious weardown holds.....Straddled Arm Bars, Head and Arm Straight Locks,Figure Four Cross Leglocks.....he rides Jones until Jones makes the ropes....he shoves Bennett across the ring and charges after him, Charging Forearm!Jones takes a minute to shake the arm out,giving Bennet the opening to Schoolboy Jones!....but wait,Jones dropped straight down,he's pinning Bennett!1.....kick out!Jones goes behind Bennett,but Bennett reverses and slams Jones down! Long Head and Arm Straight Lock sequence...Jones shoots him into the ropes.....Kangaroo Dropkick! cover....1....2....kick out by Bennett!Jones takes Bennett down with a Furthered Half Nelson,he works his arms up and turns it into a Full Nelson Clutch and Bennett gives up!Passable match.

 

Marty Jones def. Mike Bennett via submission in 13:20

Rating: C-

 

Mal Sanders vs. Steve Wright

 

It's kind of a wild brawl from the start, they trade shots like there is no tomorrow for about 5 minutes until Sanders lands a vicious Double Knee to put Wright down.Now Sanders goes back to that British style we've seen so much of....Single Leg Grapvines and Figure Four Cross Leglocks....Wright eventually makes the ropes and hits Sanders with a Forearm.....nice series of holds by Wright,working the neck.....Wright goes back to fistcuffs,hammering Sanders.....Sanders drops down and catches Wright in a Schoolboy.....1....kick out!It goes to a sequence that is kind of difficult to explain....basically Wright is going nuts with standing holds but every tim he tries for a takedown Sanders nails him with a Flurry of Forearm shots then starts twisting his ankle....repeat for 5 minutes or so until Wright reverses and Irish Whip and Sanders flies into the corner...Wright charges....Corner Kangaroo Dropkick!Cover....1....2...3!Wait....no....Sanders just barely kicked out!Wright slams both knees into Sanders face and he falls to the mat.Wright quickly turns Sanders over and across his legs, Double Knee Back Breaker!This thing is pretty much inescapable and Sanders has nowhere to go,he calls it quits and Wright advances.Not great but certainly watchable,nest of the B bracket so far.

 

Steve Wright def. Mal Sanders via submission in 18:30

Rating: C