What's Going on in Your Game?

[H3power]

Southern England Promotion Local to Global - March 2030

 

Will Beaumont is just 5-days short of hitting 400 days as world champion. He's the longest-reigning champion in the promotion's history and after the most recent PPV event, he's the most defended champion with 16 title defenses. He's been taking on the company top heels one after another while at the same time being involved in a more long-term blood feud with Roly Muckletruck. His next challenge is the winner of the Royal Crown tournament Apollo Prince who by winning has earned himself a title shot. After that, he'll finally get his hands on Roly Muckletruck in a dog collar match.

 

I'm having a ton of fun booking his reign. It's sorta like a puzzle trying to find believable challengers for him each month. The goal is to get to our Wrestlemania equivalent show at the 21-month mark of his reign where he'll finally drop the title to Tommy Cornell Jr along with the help of his father and uncle, setting up our 2 biggest stars in a rivalry against each other.

[Peria]

NJPW 1992-1998. In April.

 

Well, Misawa won G1 last year, and won the title at WK. Plan was to give him a nice length reign until he decided to Dwayne me and go make more movies. Fujinami, who is in decline, is now getting his historically accurate 6th title reign after all. Fujinami has always been "the guy" that manages to "save NJPW" in my storylines anyway.

 

Bret Hart & Owen Hart continue to dominate the tag team landscape, effectively dethroning Sasaki & Hase from that mountain. Sasaki will always be a main event fixture, and I might create the IC title a little earlier because I have so many guys like Hase (Nagata, Nakanishi, Funaki, Suzuki, Finlay, Steve Williams, etc etc.) that are all so good but outside of Hase, Funaki, and Suzuki aren't realistically ever going to win the big one.

 

Hayabusa defeated Shinjiro Otani for the Junior Heavyweight title. My Junior division is so freaking paper thin. Which I didn't even realize until I made a Junior Heavyweight Tag titles... oh my Lord. I was so focused saving my Heavyweight tag division I didn't realize I was killing another one. Hayabusa/Ultimo Dragon/Liger are the only guys over 80 pop. And might be the only guys who can get OVER 80 pop. I don't know. Every other junior except Otani (who admittedly is like 81 pop) is like 70-77 popularity, or wayyy worse (60-69) with BOSJ coming up, I definitely have a lot of work to do, but the tournament in general is a great way to get people over. The tournament last year made Chris Jericho super popular.

 

Just wanted to share what has been happening. Thanks for reading.

[mdycnt]

I've been meaning to try a game in Europe.

 

Annihilus has done well for me in the past but is a real project. EWA has some talented prospects too.

 

Otherwise the talk to feature could be your best bet.

 

Use the Talk To Worker feature to get someone with high Star Quality to work in Europe?

 

VWA starts off as too small to convince anyone to work in Europe unfortunately. All of the existing high star quality workers are employed (with handshakes) which means I can use them, of course, but it feels weird and unrealistic to have a star wrestle in all three European federations. There are I think four or five worthwhile European talents when the game starts, each spread over EWA, UEW and VWA. In fact it seems fairly difficult to raise VWA to small size without going in debt. But I've never been good at managing the money!

 

I think my plan is to try to monopolise Europe by first taking over UEW. This is a multi year plan though.

 

 

Annihilus is the ugly guy who looks like the son of the Abominable Snowman right? Europe doesn't seem to be lacking high menace wrestlers... But it does lack actually good wrestlers. I guess 21CW taking the European talent us the challenge.

[mdycnt]

Southern England Promotion Local to Global - March 2030

 

Will Beaumont is just 5-days short of hitting 400 days as world champion. He's the longest-reigning champion in the promotion's history and after the most recent PPV event, he's the most defended champion with 16 title defenses. He's been taking on the company top heels one after another while at the same time being involved in a more long-term blood feud with Roly Muckletruck. His next challenge is the winner of the Royal Crown tournament Apollo Prince who by winning has earned himself a title shot. After that, he'll finally get his hands on Roly Muckletruck in a dog collar match.

 

I'm having a ton of fun booking his reign. It's sorta like a puzzle trying to find believable challengers for him each month. The goal is to get to our Wrestlemania equivalent show at the 21-month mark of his reign where he'll finally drop the title to Tommy Cornell Jr along with the help of his father and uncle, setting up our 2 biggest stars in a rivalry against each other.

 

I have just made Beaumont my world champion in YEPW, which I have themed as an under 30s wrestling show! It took him four years with YEPW to get good enough to put on high rated matches. What are his stats like in 2030?

[CQI13]

<p>I signed Suzanne Brazzle to my start up fed and she announces her retirement the day after I start negotiations. Most of my young heels are at or around her popularity so I am planning on using the storyline to build a young face. We'll see how it goes. I have a few ways I would like to see it work out. Hopefully I don't get hit with the bad chemistry penalty for what I want to do.</p><p> </p><p>

One thing I noticed - all of my HW heels are in tags or stables, not so with the faces. After the first 3 tours I may thin out the roster.</p>

[Dalton]

<p><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">ALL ELITE WRESTLING: JUNE 2020 - JULY 2021</span></strong> </p><p>

<strong>THE STORY OF THE ELITE</strong></p><p><strong>

</strong></p><p>

At AEW Dynamite: Awakening in October 2021, the main event saw Bryan Danielson defeat Kenny Omega in a dream match. This was Kenny's first singles match since losing the AEW World title at All Out to Hangman Page. After the match, Adam Cole debuted and the Superkliq triple superkicked Kenny Omega, effectively ending the Elite. At Full Gear 2021, Cole defeated Kenny and was prepared for another Superkliq beatdown, but Kota Ibushi debuted and saved his Golden Lover. For the next three months, the Golden Lovers fought back and eventually defeated the Young Bucks at Revolution. The celebration was short lived, as the Bullet Club quartet of AJ Styles, Jay White and the Guerrillas of Destiny would make their debut and form an alliance with the Superkliq to beat down the victors. </p><p> </p><p>

To complicate matters, March would see the debut of Kevin Steen, and he aligned himself with the Superkliq to reform Mount Rushmore. The group would transition into a feud with the Inner Circle as the Bullet Club continued their feud with the reformed Golden Elite. This would lead to a match between Kenny Omega and IWGP United States Champion Jay White at the second quarterly special SuperBrawl: The Clash, a match won by Kenny. Another BC beatdown occurred, but this time Hangman Page would make his triumphant return after losing his world title to MJF 6 weeks prior, and he would single-handedly save his former friend and his partner. AJ Styles and G.O.D. would win the AEW World Trios titles from Death Triangle on Dynamite, and afterwards AJ Styles challenged Kenny Omega to a match for his IWGP United States title. At AEW Dynamite: Styles vs. Omega in May 2022, AJ would beat Kenny for the title, and another beatdown occurred on the Golden Elite trio of Hangman, Kenny and Ibushi. Mount Rushmore rushed down the ramp to assist, but the Bucks stopped halfway and were clearly conflicted. Before they could decide, the Inner Circle came to the aid of the Golden Elite and Santana and Ortiz took them out.</p><p> </p><p>

With Mount Rushmore still occupied with the Inner Circle, the numbers were much more fair and at Double or Nothing 2022, a few matches after Kevin Steen defeated Chris Jericho, the Golden Elite would defeat the Bullet Club in a hellacious bout to win the AEW World Trios titles. The Bullet Club once again went for a beatdown, but this time the Bucks stopped it, and joined the side of the Golden Elite to fend off the Bullet Club and Adam Cole. </p><p> </p><p>

Mount Rushmore was dead, as the Bucks joined the Golden Elite and Adam Cole joined Bullet Club. On the very next episode of Dynamite, Kyle O'Reilly made his debut to join his old friends Adam Cole and Bobby Fish. The trio formed a subfaction of Bullet Club creatively called Undisputed, and swore to remove the Elite from All Elite Wrestling. </p><p> </p><p>

Come AEW SuperBrawl: Night Of Honor, a show main evented by AEW World Tag Team Champion CM Punk defeating his partner and fellow champion Bryan Danielson in the finals of the #1 Contenders Tournament, Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly defeated the Young Bucks thanks to the interference of Bobby Fish. However, Kenny Omega defeated AJ Styles to regain the IWGP United States title at the same event. </p><p> </p><p>

And that is where we currently stand. The plan is for a huge Faction Warfare (elimination match) between the Golden Elite (Kenny/Hangman/Ibushi/Matt/Nick) and Bullet Club (Styles/White/Cole/Tama Tonga/Karl Anderson) at All Out in six weeks, a match to be won by the Golden Elite. Jay White, G.O.D. and Karl Anderson will then leave the company altogether, and AJ Styles will go his own way. Adam Cole and the rest of Undisputed will continue their feud with the Golden Elite, more specifically the trio of Kenny and the Bucks in a "dream" feud that will finally end at Full Gear 2022 with Kenny decisively beating Adam Cole.</p>

[Zero]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Dalton" data-cite="Dalton" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47520" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">ALL ELITE WRESTLING: JUNE 2020 - JULY 2021</span></strong> <p> <strong>THE STORY OF THE ELITE</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> At AEW Dynamite: Awakening in October 2021, the main event Bryan Danielson defeat Kenny Omega in a dream match. This was Kenny's first singles match since losing the AEW World title at All Out to Hangman Page. After the match, Adam Cole debuted and the Superkliq triple superkicked Kenny Omega, effectively ending the Elite. At Full Gear 2021, Cole defeated Kenny and was prepared for another Superkliq beatdown, but Kota Ibushi debuted and saved his Golden Lover. For the next three months, the Golden Lovers fought back and eventually defeated the Young Bucks at Revolution. The celebration was short lived, as the Bullet Club quarter of AJ Styles, Jay White and the Guerrillas of Destiny would make their debut and form an alliance with the Superkliq to beat down the victors. </p><p> </p><p> To complicate matters, March would see the debut of Kevin Steen, and he aligned himself with the Superkliq to reform Mount Rushmore. The group was transition into a feud with the Inner Circle as the Bullet Club continued their feud with the reformed Golden Elite.This would lead to a match between Kenny Omega and IWGP United States Champion Jay White at the second quarterly special SuperBrawl: The Clash, a match won by Kenny. Another BC beatdown occurred, but this time Hangman Page would make his triumphant return after losing his world title to MJF 6 weeks prior, and he would single-handedly save his former friend and his partner. AJ Styles and G.O.D. would win the AEW World Trios titles from Death Triangle on Dynamite, and afterwards AJ Styles challenged Kenny Omega to a match for his IWGP United States title. At AEW Dynamite: Styles vs. Omega in May 2022, AJ would beat Kenny for the title, and another beatdown occurred on the Golden Elite trio of Hangman, Kenny and Ibushi. Mount Rushmore rushed down the ramp to assist, but the Bucks stopped halfway and were clearly conflicted. Before they could decide, the Inner Circle came to the aid of the Golden Elite and Santana and Ortiz took them out.</p><p> </p><p> With Mount Rushmore still occupied with the Inner Circle, the numbers were much more fair and at Double or Nothing 2022, a few matches after Kevin Steen defeated Chris Jericho, the Golden Elite would defeat the Bullet Club in a hellacious bout to win the AEW World Trios titles. The Bullet Club once again went for a beatdown, but this time the Bucks stopped it, and joined the side of the Golden Elite to fend off the Bullet Club and Adam Cole. </p><p> </p><p> Mount Rushmore was dead, as the Bucks joined the Golden Elite and Adam Cole joined Bullet Club. On the very next episode of Dynamite, Kyle O'Reilly made his debut to join his old friends Adam Cole and Bobby Fish. The trio formed a subfaction of Bullet Club creatively called Undisputed, and swore to remove the Elite from All Elite Wrestling. </p><p> </p><p> Come AEW SuperBrawl: Night Of Honor, a show main evented by AEW World Tag Team Champion CM Punk defeating his partner and fellow champion Bryan Danielson in the finals of the #1 Contenders Tournament, Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly defeated the Young Bucks thanks to the interference of Bobby Fish. However, Kenny Omega defeated AJ Styles to regain the IWGP United States title at the same event. </p><p> </p><p> And that is where we currently stand. The plan is for a huge Faction Warfare (elimination match) between the Golden Elite (Kenny/Hangman/Ibushi/Matt/Nick) and Bullet Club (Styles/White/Cole/Tama Tonga/Karl Anderson) at All Out in six weeks, a match to be won by the Golden Elite. Jay White, G.O.D. and Karl Anderson will then leave the company altogether, and AJ Styles will go his own way. Adam Cole and the rest of Undisputed will continue their feud with the Golden Elite, more specifically the trio of Kenny and the Bucks in a "dream" feud that will finally end at Full Gear 2022 with Kenny decisively beating Adam Cole.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Love everything about this. Love that you are letting White, styles GOD, and Anderson leave the company after their run.</p>

[Dalton]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Zero" data-cite="Zero" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47520" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Love everything about this. Love that you are letting White, styles GOD, and Anderson leave the company after their run.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Thanks! I will bring back Jay at some point since he's my favorite wrestler but he's got his IN commitments and I don't know where he'd fit after that.</p>

[H3power]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="mdycnt" data-cite="mdycnt" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47520" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I have just made Beaumont my world champion in YEPW, which I have themed as an under 30s wrestling show! It took him four years with YEPW to get good enough to put on high rated matches. What are his stats like in 2030?</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> He’s a monster. In my save Beaumont also had a weight gain completely of his own accord, so that boosted him up even higher in star quality. I think he’s at a 95 now, but I’m away from my game for the week and can’t check.</p><p> </p><p> If I have a sorta weak heel lined up for him (say mid 60’s in polarity) I put them in a program and he’ll carry them to a 90 pretty effortlessly because he’s so popular and good enough in the ring. When he’s in there with another great performer like Muckletruck he can really deliver. I expect a 99 or hopefully my first ever 100 rated TEW match in their blowoff bout. He’s basically a John Cena who people cheer as a babyface no matter what.</p>

[The Dynamite Sid]

<p>Love to send a young kid on excursion and see him working TV matches with the best wrestler in the world every week </p><p> </p><p>

<img alt="whPi7Q8.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/whPi7Q8.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

[Self]

<p>The follow up to <a href="http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2506359#post2506359" rel="external nofollow">1999</a> and <a href="http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2513538#post2513538" rel="external nofollow">2000</a>.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="t6gl7ct.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/t6gl7ct.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>2001</strong> saw the company start running house shows. I've always run extra 'lesser' events alongside my television and PPV tapings, but I wanted to try TEW's built in feature, and bring live wrestling to smaller towns without all of the busy work. The price was a barrier to entry. Exclusive monthly deals are ludicrously expensive (Midcard John Maverick went from $200 a show to $7.3k per month) yet it hasn't been a money loser. Running a skeleton crew of stars & rookies for 8 shows a month has been very position. My broadcast income and PPV buys are covering the ridiculous wages, and the rookies in particular (Julian Watson, Braden Streets, 'Gnarly' Nate Johnson) are really benefiting from being in the ring so often.</p><p> </p><p>

The DeColts tend to become an interchangeable group of bland, unstoppable supermen when I don't put the effort in, so in 2001 I wanted them to evolve.</p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="hQXxoG6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hQXxoG6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> > > > > <img alt="PomnxbV.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/PomnxbV.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>

From the beginning of the game, <strong>Jack DeColt</strong> has been booked as a nice young man. A champion high school amateur wrestler who uses suplexes and submissions, I had been waiting for the right moment, the right villain, to make Jack throw the first punch of his life, and Damian 'DeColt' was that villain. Damian spent the previous year pretending to be a long lost son of George, and was now cashing in, selling the family name to shady products and flaunting the gifts his 'dad' had bought him. Jack fought him over the name, and lost, and that's when Jack snapped. One punch knockout. Turns out he was a punching prodigy all along. Jack won his last name back at Chaos in the Cage, but he's no longer the nice young man. He's a knockout artist with a fuse that gets shorter and shorter with every villain that tries to mess with his family, and that change was punctuated with victory in the Last Man Standing Rumble. The first of many. </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="XD7boBW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/XD7boBW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="STA7pxJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/STA7pxJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>

In a move likely to disappoint many female fans, <strong>Alex</strong> is now engaged to his ex-girlfriend Emma Chase. They had been a couple back in 1998, on screen and off, until she was brainwashed by the Player's Club and dumped him. I let her contract expire, assuming she would return to her real place in the timeline (DAVE?) but she hadn't, and the engagement forced my hand. Having a girlfriend isn't exactly a 'character' for Alex, but it gives the ex-nerd some new notes to play, and has been a useful way to pull him away from his brothers into some fresh feuds, thanks to Emma's rivalry with CGC Golden Girl champion Helen Wheels. I get some Cody/Brandi vibes from the pairing, and I'm having fun shoving Emma down the crowd's throats as the (unwanted?) 5th member of the DeColt Stable. </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iBUZafE.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iBUZafE.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="4qC4EYj.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/4qC4EYj.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="qIZwTM1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/qIZwTM1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="q00xiVX.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/q00xiVX.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>

... and finally, there's Steve. The Sea of Monsters had cut a bloody path through the CGC midcard, and heroic himbo <strong>Steve DeColt</strong> took it upon himself to stop them. Surrounding himself with librarians, historians, sea captains, and guest stars from popular Vancouver-based television shows about vampires, Steve developed a Harpoon Dropkick double team move to eliminate sea monsters Billy 'Morgawr' Wood and Purge (T-Rex) and utilized garlic and crucifix pins on Archangel. But just as he was going to put the vampire away for good in a casket match at WrestleFestival, Larry 'Lusca' Wood popped out of the casket, dragged Steve inside, and both were sent to Davey Jones' Locker. </p><p> </p><p>

A month later, Steve returned... different. And I don't just mean the rugged new beard and 2001-cool trench-coat. He slept all day, avoided garlic, and even lost to a crucifix pin. Yep. Steve became a vampire. A vampire with a soul, whose love for his family battles against his monstrous urges. Learning they need to destroy the head vampire to return Steve to normal, the DeColts began an all-out-assault to take out Archangel, who threw thralls, flunkies, and monsters at them to repeatedly escape. The Last Man Standing Rumble looked like a great chance for vengeance... until Archangel turned half of the CGC undercard into his undead minions to stack the deck. Soon the rest of the babyface roster were coming after the vampire, only for him to reveal he has mind-control power over Steve! 2001 ends with Steve still battling the evil-doer's control, but in truth, I've stretched this story out a lot. Steve's vampire-with-a-soul gimmick has been terribly received by fans, but the matches have been phenomenal (by CGC standards). Larry Wood and Louis Figo Manico (Lusca & Narcisse) have unsurprisingly taken the DeColts to new heights, and Archangel (the on-screen leader, but least experienced) has come along fantastically. The group was at its best when it was just those three, but has since spiraled out of control with 'unimportant' minions. I initially wanted this story to reach until WrestleFestival 2002, but I'm not sure there's 3 months of steam left in it. January's Elimination PPV could end the saga. </p><p> </p><p>

Who could replace the Sea of Monsters? Well, based on the title histories, I had 2001 penciled in as the debut of The Elite; the classic CGC super-group of Dan DaLay, John Maverick, Eddie Chandler and 'Agent to the Stars' Adrian Garcia.... but it felt too soon. So instead I'm taking the scenic route. Womaniser Robbie Gordon won back his Manager's License, and has created a New Player's Club. Grouping together Dan DaLay, John Maverick, Damian 'no longer DeColt' Carvill and Black Sheep, they're more of a suit & sunglasses mafia cliche than the previous pickup artist slimeballs. They're mostly been fighting former members of the original Player's Club, who have either learned to respect women, or in Rocky Psycho's case; violently snapped when they weren't allowed in the new crew. Meanwhile, Gordon has hired himself a new assistant; 19 year old Adrian Garcia, even letting the kid accompany DaLay & Maverick to the ring sometimes, in a move that surely isn't destined to come back to bite him. </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>A Shot At Canon</strong></p><p><strong>

How Did I Do?</strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p>

</p><ul><li>Alex DeColt won the CGC World Title from perpetual rival Dan DaLay in February, and held it throughout the year. It's been a slightly boring reign but it's canon.<br /></li><li>The CGC Tag Team Titles should have started with The Specialists, but as they only debuted in the data this year, their place on the timeline was taken first by The Flock (Black Sheep & 64mb RAM), then Archangel & Narcisse. Next, the timeline was restored when Steve & Jack DeColt won the belts in June, and DaLay & Maverick stole them in November. Busy year.<br /></li><li>A series of insulting and offensive ads by McDaniels Hotdog Champion Damian DeColt caused the popular/fictional restaurant chain to pull their sponsorship and dissolve the title in March. A new belt was commissioned; the CGC Canadian Cagefighter Title. This will essentially become the canon CGC Canadian Title, but I hate 'midcard' titles with no extra rules applied with a fiery passion. All fights take place in a UFC-style octagon. John Maverick won it in May an held it for the rest of the year, thus putting the timeline back in sync with canon. Mostly. <br /></li><li>Craig Prince was supposed to leave in May, but HGC already had him on an exclusive deal, so he never even stepped foot in a CGC ring. <br /></li><li>As mentioned, The Specialists were supposed to former tag champions by now, but only debuted in the data this year. Surfer Dude "Gnarly" Nate Johnson arrived in January, and "Native American" Robbie Tomahawk arrived in June. He teamed with Howling Dog in a well-meaning but culturally insensitive gimmick, which was quickly shelved due to the new performer clearly being a white guy. Generic rookie Bobby Thomas pretended to be a totally new guy a month or so later. This is all based on an off-hand comment I made in an old diary, and even though the team were already late to the dance, I still wanted to waste a couple of months on this tangent. The future Specialists have just teamed up for the first time on December pre-shows. <br /></li><li>Ryan Powell debuted in May, as per canon. Eddie Chandler wants to prove he's smarter than Alex DeColt, so he's hired Powell; a nerdy 'tutor'. <br /></li><li>Youth Energy had already become quite the popular team on the Canadian indies. I wanted to bring them in earlier, but was forced to delay their CGC TV debuts to July. As spooky goth minions of the Sea of Monsters, they're very Brood-era Hardy Boys. Heels but bad at it.<br /></li></ul><p></p><p>

2002 should be an interesting year. Far fewer new stars are due to come in, but with the fall of the Sea of Monsters and the rise of The Elite, the DeColt boys will have quite the new fight on their hands.</p>

[Derek B]

As always, I love the updates. Vampires?! And a name that will definitely not age poorly, 64Mb RAM! Great stuff as ever, I'm glad you're having so much fun with some old school CGC.

[Self]

As always, I love the updates. Vampires?! And a name that will definitely not age poorly, 64Mb RAM! Great stuff as ever, I'm glad you're having so much fun with some old school CGC.

 

The idea was that the name would change with the times. He was once Battering Lamb, a fluffy friend to all, until the villainous Trademarks (Thomas Morgan & Ted Moore as a Pinky & the Brain-esque team) put a microchip in his mask. From 8Mb RAM to 16Mb RAM to 32Mb RAM, they tinkered and upgraded him from a simple Cyber Bully to a devious DeColt Smasher... but then they got greedy. As 64Mb RAM he had too much memory. He remembered his old life, turned on his villainous masters, and rejoined his farmyard friend; the drunk and rebellious Black Sheep.

 

That was at least a year ago, so he's probably due another upgrade, especially now Black Sheep has turned on him to join the New Player's Club. But can the human body handle that much processing power? Should I hire an Uninstall Wizard (of Ottawa) just in case? I should probably research what a 'normal' amount of RAM was in 2002.

[Blake Trask]

I got a kick out of that entire post, Self, but I literally just read that diary last week so I got an extra special kick out of Robbie Tomahawk.

 

This seems like such a fun game. Harpoon Dropkick is genius.

[Peria]

I've been slowly getting through 1998 as NJPW. In my 1992-Beyond game. BOSJ is now officially over! Finally. Been super busy, but always try and book a show or two before bed. Lets go over the blocks and the stories going in! Possibly one of my favorite things to update everyone on haha. (Also, small note: The Sheik died.)

 

A Block:

 

Hayabusa: 8 Points - The IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion did not win his block. Though he came very close, his final night saw him fall to the A Block Winner (spoilers) Jushin Thunder Liger. Hayabusa only has himself to blame though, as his arrogance saw him drop a victory to Jinsei Shinzaki, and get outsmarted via countout by a crafty Chris Jericho.

 

Shinjiro Otani: 8 Points - Otani showed up in a major way this BOSJ. Even though last year he also ended at a simple 8 points. Otani defeated Liger. Something he should always be proud of, as he now closes the gap at 2 wins 4 losses vs the Legendary Junior Heavyweight. Not bad either way, but maybe next year he can reach the finals? He can't stay at 8 points forever.

 

Jinsei Shinzaki: 6 Points - 2 points up from last year, Shinzaki had some struggles. Largely due to fatigue. Shinzaki wasn't prepared for this tournament, but yet he managed to do a little better. A great sign for the older rookie talent. Especially considering he beat both Hayabusa and Otani.

 

Gedo: 4 points - 2 points down from last year. A strange circumstance, as he has been better than ever in tag action with good friend Jado. Gedo suffered many defeats he clearly had won, and Gedo fans can only hope this has humbled him. However, Gedo's crowning victory was ensuring that Chris Jericho could not win the block. As the two have been rivals for the better part of the year.

 

Chris Jericho: 8 Points - A great showing by Y2J (as he isn't known as in NJPW) who managed to defeat the current champ. Still, Jericho must be moderately perplexed as he remains +0 overall gain from last year. But he shouldn't fret too much, as if he had only defeated Gedo, perhaps he'd be in the running for block winner.

 

Giichi Kajitani (regen): 6 Points - 6! A debutant at 6 points, who has everything to prove and impressed many. His biggest win coming over a massive upset versus Otani. Kajitani is one to watch, after his lengthy 3 year excursion in CMLL.

 

Ryushi Kai (regen): 6 points - If people are praising Kajitani, who just debuted and scored 6. Fans might bite their lip when seeing Kai, who did even better in his debut at 8. -2 overall from last year. Kai is always impressive, but he was too reckless early in the tournament and found himself exhausted by the end.

 

A Block Winner: Jushin Thunder Liger.

B Block:

 

Eddie Guerrero - 10 Points: Fans can be elated to know Latino Heat is back after another unfortunate relapse. And he is back with a vengeance. 10 points! His matches were some of the best but some might feel, with Guerrero dropping matches to both Ultimo Dragon and Koji Kanemoto, two elite Juniors.. is Guerrero a step below?

 

Koji Kanemoto - 10 Points: Perhaps the winner of B Block had he not dropped to a subbed in Chavo Guerrero Jr. (Dean Malenko was injured after the second match of the tournament) Kanemoto can be proud however, as he was injured in '97 and missed last years BOSJ. Perhaps next year he can convert 10 points into a win.

 

Jado: - 4 Points: An upsetting reality for both Gedo & Jado is they both lucked out at just 4. Jado struggled throughout and some have to think if both members stick more to tag actions than singles after this.

 

Chavo Guerrero Jr.- 4 points (Malenko acquired 2 of these): A stand-in who performed admriably. Clearly unready for the sudden call up, Chavo managed only beat the winless Isao Kwakami, but was swiftly dispatched by other veterans of the ring.

 

Gennai Kajiyama (regen) - 10 Points: Liger's protege, and a great athlete, Kajiyama is another double digit member who could not win the tournament. Regardless, Kajiyama has one of the biggest growths from year to year, earning +4 over his 1997 attempt which ended at 6. Kajiyama has much to be proud of, and in 1999, it might be safe to say one of these men will win their block next year.

 

Sabu - 6 Points: Sabu was a last minute entrant into BOSJ who many had not heard of. Now? They know. Sabu has been wrestling in FMW for about 5 years now, honing his craft. His ridiculously reckless moves earned him some respect. He holds a victory for Kajiyama.

 

Isao Kwakami (regen) - 0 Points: A absolutely horrific campaign for debutant Kwakami. He Unable to win a singular match, Kwakami returned from CMLL after 3 years. It has been rumored Kwakami might return to Mexico and find more experience under his belt before he re-tackles NJPW. (Note: Nobody in B Block wanted to lose to him, except Sabu. He faced Malenko 1st round so Chavo couldn't even give him 2 points. It sucked.)

 

Ultimo Dragon: 12 Points - The Winner. Ultimo Dragon. Decimating everybody, and only losing to one man, in the final day. Gennai Kajiama, in an absolute war. Ultimo Dragon looks as unstoppable as he did in 1994 (I J-Crowned him in 94) and perhaps it is his time again to reign supreme on top of the mountain. ]

 

B Block Winner: Ultimo Dragon

[alphadraighon]

While baked and half a sleep, listening to some SYL, my brain latched onto some weird concepts and now Magwich is MAW Champion. In 2029, so he's not exactly in his prime either. Really don't know what to do with him but I hate having a champion drop a title on the first defense.

 

Not my most impressive moment in this particular save. That distinction goes to Miller Fforde. Fforde was on the cusp of getting fired. He'd fallen to just recognizable on the roster and I had nothing for him. He asked for a raise and I refused. His morale took a hit and I figured he'd leave. Nope. Six months later, despite me booking him mostly in throwaway matches, he was putting in work. I had put him in this d-league thing I run in preshow just to keep people working. Usually I let the road agent pick those winners, just to see what happens.

 

Well, a ways down the road I noticed suddenly he's viewed as a star. Take a look...he hasn't lost a match in the league. Combined with appearances for NYCW, he's started to get some movement behind him.

 

I start paying attention. Give him some higher profile matches. A couple months later I book him to win the Rip Chord Invitational (now Memorial) Cup, and a month after that, more than ten years after his first reign, he wins the MAW Champion.

 

Then I get weird and, well... Magwich.

[The Dynamite Sid]

While baked and half a sleep, listening to some SYL, my brain latched onto some weird concepts and now Magwich is MAW Champion. In 2029, so he's not exactly in his prime either. Really don't know what to do with him but I hate having a champion drop a title on the first defense.

 

Not my most impressive moment in this particular save. That distinction goes to Miller Fforde. Fforde was on the cusp of getting fired. He'd fallen to just recognizable on the roster and I had nothing for him. He asked for a raise and I refused. His morale took a hit and I figured he'd leave. Nope. Six months later, despite me booking him mostly in throwaway matches, he was putting in work. I had put him in this d-league thing I run in preshow just to keep people working. Usually I let the road agent pick those winners, just to see what happens.

 

Well, a ways down the road I noticed suddenly he's viewed as a star. Take a look...he hasn't lost a match in the league. Combined with appearances for NYCW, he's started to get some movement behind him.

 

I start paying attention. Give him some higher profile matches. A couple months later I book him to win the Rip Chord Invitational (now Memorial) Cup, and a month after that, more than ten years after his first reign, he wins the MAW Champion.

 

Then I get weird and, well... Magwich.

 

hahaha that is awesome

[Zero]

1980-Present Day (April 1987)

 

Wrestle Mania 8 – The two biggest stories came to their conclusion. Bruiser Brody finally conquered and vanquished Hollywood Hulk Hogan from the WWWF (Hogan went to film a movie) and became the number one contender for the championship at King of the Ring in June, and the main event concluded with Randy Savage finally losing the championship to Kerry Von Erich.

 

Two nights later at Superstars of Wrestling, the whole Von Erich family celebrated Kerry’s championship victory in the ring (The whole Von Erich family is current under contract, all of them under PPA deals, even Kerry) when suddenly The Horsemen enter the arena. The Horsemen are made up of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Curt Hennig, and Sid Justice. They beat up the family and promise to destroy the WWWF and conquer all their champions.

 

The plan for the future –

 

The Horsemen will dominate the WWWF from now until 1989. I plan on bringing back Jimmy Snuka and Jesse Ventura (former WWWF champions) to join forces with Kerry Von Erich (his family), Bruiser Brody, and Randy Savage to take them on. Nothing will work. Hogan will return at Wrestle Mania 9 as the savior of the WWWF, where the feud will continue until the following Mania before all the Horsemen are released.

[The Dynamite Sid]

Went back to my PSW save after about... Idk a year of not touching it? Just for a break from my PGHW diary (plz read my diary)

 

In late 2022 my promotion was beleaguered when I picked the save up, all my top stars - the Steel Circle, Ash Campbell, Nelson Callum and even Akima Brave who came in and took the belt from Ernest Youngman have long since departed for the big leagues. Brandon James is acting as my Shane Douglas-esque Franchise Player, having now surpassed the 400 day mark as PSW Champion while we desperately try and build some new stars. On Brandon's star power alone we're still making money and pulling good enough show ratings to increase popularity but with his age catching up to him and running out of viable challengers those main event ratings - and with them our show ratings - are steadily coming down.

 

Hope has arrived tho. ZomBoy has caught on with the fans in a big way and Grandmaster Phunk, legend that he is, offered to put the youngster over twice. Having done so the Cverse's answer to Darby Allin is now a star with 50+ pop all across America. I did have a big storyline with he and Wicked Lester planned, ZomBoy outgrowing the Legion of blood, realising he doesn't need them anymore and having a series of bloody bouts with Lester to earn his freedom. And then Lester shattered his knee and is out for a year, just as I was about to get the ball rolling on that.

 

Elsewhere Acid II had left the company briefly but has now returned, more muscled up and is catching on as National Champion. He's gonna be next in line for a feud with Brandon and I have high hopes he can be a real standard bearer for the promotion.

 

Then there's Vendetta. A proper PSW man in that he's a big hardcore brawler who I don't imagine the big leagues ever picking up. He's grown into a star after I've steadily built him for two years and in my mind he's the most likely candidate to take the title from Brandon and become my reliable headline act.

 

The big news though is that after 2 years toiling away on a 1 event per month schedule, in December 2022 I've bagged a TV deal, a proper TV deal too not WrestleWorld. My hope is that very soon we can rise to Medium size and start locking down the ZomBoys, Acids and Deever Arnolds of the world to written deals, maybe put the squeeze on some of the other tri state based companies too cos its a little crowded for my tastes

[The Dynamite Sid]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="The Dynamite Sid" data-cite="The Dynamite Sid" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47520" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Went back to my PSW save after about... Idk a year of not touching it? Just for a break from my PGHW diary (plz read my diary)<p> </p><p> In late 2022 my promotion was beleaguered when I picked the save up, all my top stars - the Steel Circle, Ash Campbell, Nelson Callum and even Akima Brave who came in and took the belt from Ernest Youngman have long since departed for the big leagues. Brandon James is acting as my Shane Douglas-esque Franchise Player, having now surpassed the 400 day mark as PSW Champion while we desperately try and build some new stars. On Brandon's star power alone we're still making money and pulling good enough show ratings to increase popularity but with his age catching up to him and running out of viable challengers those main event ratings - and with them our show ratings - are steadily coming down.</p><p> </p><p> Hope has arrived tho. ZomBoy has caught on with the fans in a big way and Grandmaster Phunk, legend that he is, offered to put the youngster over twice. Having done so the Cverse's answer to Darby Allin is now a star with 50+ pop all across America. I did have a big storyline with he and Wicked Lester planned, ZomBoy outgrowing the Legion of blood, realising he doesn't need them anymore and having a series of bloody bouts with Lester to earn his freedom. And then Lester shattered his knee and is out for a year, just as I was about to get the ball rolling on that.</p><p> </p><p> Elsewhere Acid II had left the company briefly but has now returned, more muscled up and is catching on as National Champion. He's gonna be next in line for a feud with Brandon and I have high hopes he can be a real standard bearer for the promotion.</p><p> </p><p> Then there's Vendetta. A proper PSW man in that he's a big hardcore brawler who I don't imagine the big leagues ever picking up. He's grown into a star after I've steadily built him for two years and in my mind he's the most likely candidate to take the title from Brandon and become my reliable headline act.</p><p> </p><p> The big news though is that after 2 years toiling away on a 1 event per month schedule, in December 2022 I've bagged a TV deal, a proper TV deal too not WrestleWorld. My hope is that very soon we can rise to Medium size and start locking down the ZomBoys, Acids and Deever Arnolds of the world to written deals, maybe put the squeeze on some of the other tri state based companies too cos its a little crowded for my tastes</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Angry Gilmore has come in now, forming the Golden Triangle with Ozzie Goldstein and Jake Idol, doing the pure wrestling/traditionalist/big league star thing and I'm gonna have them run roughshod over everyone winning all the belts. Brandon has been turned face in preparation to feud with Gimore and drop the belt to him and Gilmore can then drop the belt to ZomBoy or Vendetta. Gilmore and Brandon are both past their best but they should still do big business for me</p>

[Peria]

<p>Been really busy. Finally finished the finals of the BOSJ 8. Ultimo Dragon and Jushin "Thunder" Liger both managed to win their respective blocks. Liger going for a record 3 wins while Ultimo Dragon for his first. A 100 rated match saw Ultimo Dragon become the winner. He now faces sporadic tag team partner Hayabusa for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title at Dontaku.</p><p> </p><p>

Meanwhile, at Dontaku: Tatsumi Fujinami vs "Stone Cold" Steve Austin with Fujinami defending the IWGP Heavyweight title. This is Austin's first real shot at the title. His other shot came at a rare triple threat match which he lost. Of course, to have earned that shot Austin had to step over fellow NWO Japan member & leader Masahiro Chono, which has earned a bit of ire from the Japanese members of this NWO branch. </p><p> </p><p>

Chris Jericho & Dean Malenko were set to defend the IWGP Junior Tag titles against Gedo & Jado but Malenko's injury saw Sabu step in, Sabu was ultimately outsmarted by the duo and now Gedo & Jado go into Dontaku with even more momentum against the inaugural tag team champs.</p><p> </p><p>

Mitsuharu Misawa will take on Shinya Hashimoto in a special match. Misawa is leaving for another movie, and they are currently 1-1. This will be a decidedly predictable outcome here but Hashimoto vs Misawa has been a fun mini-rivalry to book since last year.</p><p> </p><p>

The Hart Family (Bret & Owen) will defend against Gannosuke and Minoru Suzuki for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles. Since joining NJPW, Bret Hart has proven he hasn't lost a step. Competing in the G1 and doing uncharacteristically average, Bret instantly began teaming with Owen and winning World Tag League and the tag titles. Since then? An iron grip on those titles, but with Suzuki & Gannosuke holding NWA Six Man Gold with Funaki, and Suzuki's recent popularity surge, perhaps the crowds energy will sway the outcome in their favor.</p><p> </p><p>

Speaking of Masakatsu Funaki, the U-30 Champion has been very dominant. Breaking the defense record for the U-30 at 4 if he retains at Dontaku, Funaki must defeat his toughest opponent yet in Jun Akiyama, a former U-30 champion himself. With Jun Akiyama languishes in the midcard, can this be his moment to step out of the shadows? </p><p> </p><p>

Full Card Below:</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>IWGP Heavyweight Title Match:</strong></p><p>

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Tatsumi Fujinami ©</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match:</strong></p><p>

Ultimo Dragon vs. Hayabusa © </p><p> </p><p>

<strong>IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match:</strong></p><p>

Gannosuke & Minoru Suzuki vs. The Hart Family ©</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Special Singles Match:</strong></p><p>

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Mitsuharu Misawa </p><p> </p><p>

<strong>IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Title Match:</strong></p><p>

Gedo & Jado vs. Dean Malenko & Chris Jericho ©</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>IWGP U-30 Title Match:</strong></p><p>

Jun Akiyama vs. Masakatsu Funaki ©</p><p> </p><p>

(And Various Young Lion multi-man matches that aren't important)</p>

[SomeDude]

Very obviously inspired by what Self does for his yearly recaps. Hoping that doing this will motivate me to put some more effort into planning out my saves, and to make me actually continue a non-Puro save for more than 2 years. This is both a review of my year 1 in my HGC '97 save, and some previews of future plans.

 

For some early context, I didn't really care about doing a canon accurate save because I'm relatively new to the CVerse, I've only been playing since the 2020 demo, so I don't know the ins and outs of the lore. Because of this, I was willing to do some some inaccurate things, like cutting/talent swapping people who were bad influences or cost way too much money. Because of that, Demon Anger & Spite, Danny Rushmore, the old Street guy, Richie Pangrazzio, and Peter Valentine were all gone within a month of the save. I used Richie and the old Street guy to bankrupt DAVE and XWF respectively through talent swapping. Thanks for the referees.

 

Now moving on, the World Title Picture was rather bland, it went Rip Chord to Bryan Vessey to BLZ Bubb to Sam Strong in December. I'm planning on having Sam drop the belt in March to Nemesis (Who I stole from DAVE in the buyout), and if he isn't willing to comply, I'll use the screwjob match note.

 

The Tag Scene has definitely been a lot more interesting. For the vast majority of the year (other than the first champs, Demon Spite & Anger, who I quickly had drop the belts and fired after I discovered how bad they were, and the current champs, the Vessey Brothers), I've used it to bleed younger talent. Passed around rather quickly, it went the Demon Boys, Cowboy Ricky Dale and Cowboy Steve DeColt, who I put together because of BestForTheBusiness's incredible renders, to Alexander Robinson and Lee Bennett, who were both quickly poached by the SWF because of how over they were, to Java and Tribal Warrior, who only had a week long reign, back to Ricky & Steve, who had less than a day, to maybe my favourite team, Saint Pablo Rodriguez and Dark Angel. Eventually they lost it to the Vessey Brothers, as I want to continue to build their wins. The goal is, if Larry has a good roll with his decline age, to give him the belt after Nemesis. To get the titles off the Vessey Brothers, I'll probably give it to Jack Bruce & Liberty, who I've paired together as "Rock & Roll USA".

 

The 3 Midcard belts are also pretty much just used to develop the younger stars. The Cruiserweight belt has probably been the worst of the 3, with Golden Fox starting it off with a short reign, dropping it to Jack Bruce, then to Mr. Lucha, then to Saint Pablo. Vengeance and Charlie Homicide have dominated the Hardcore title, other than a short reign by Johnny Martin, who was eventually picked up by the SWF. The International Title has probably been my favourite of the 3, Saint Pablo won it first, until dropping it to Eisaku Hoshino for a month, who I brought in for a bit just to test him out. After that, Pablo regained it, then lost it to Duane Stone, who eventually lost it to Jack Bruce. In the grand scheme of things, I eventually plan on having someone holding all three of them at once for some massive push up the card. It'll most likely be Bruce, or Pablo after a face turn.

 

The only real stable I have, Black Mass is effectively just a group of spooky characters. Nero is the obvious manager, because of the 4, none of them are really good at talking yet. Vengeance and BLZ Bubb are a Tag Team that really don't tag together often. I don't think I'll ever give them a reign with the belts, but I think they fit well together as a sort of C-Verse Brothers of Destruction. Meanwhile, there's a good chance I build the promotion around an eventual usurper Dark Angel against a redeemed Saint Pablo in a few years. They are already two of the best wrestlers on the roster, and they seemingly have incredible development rolls. Of these 4, I'd say the only one who I don't forecast as champion is Vengeance, unless he somehow develops massively in the next few years.

 

The Next Up are rather interesting. This section is pretty much "could be world champ, but won't be for awhile unless injury luck gets really bad". Cowboy Ricky and Cowboy Steve will probably split in the next year or two, and may be the major feud after the Dark Angel vs Pablo one. Duane Stone (using the great BestForTheBusiness Frankie Future render) is an obvious future world champion. I think the set-up for a Steve DeColt vs Duane Stone feud is rather obvious, and can certainly main event Total Mayhem by about 2000. Lastly, there's the wildcard, Jack Bruce. Massively over, the only issue is that Jack Bruce is still not a good worker. I've given him midcard title runs, but I'm not sure where to use him. I'm honestly kinda hoping the SWF poaches him when his contract is up, because if they don't, I know I'll have to give him a world title run. It'll probably end up being a Heel Rock God Jack Bruce vs a Face Messiah of Technical Wrestling Duane Stone, but that's far in the future.

 

The other young guys are okay, some possible midcard champions here, but it'll require incredible development for more than that from any of them. Chris Morrisette (using the BestForTheBusiness Dino Maldini render) is just a slightly better-working, less over Jack Bruce right now. He's another one in the position of "I hope the SWF poaches you". Java and Tribal Warrior are whatever. Incredibly high potential because of their age and star power, but I really don't see either of them breaking out of the tag/singles midcard scene. Spanish Superfly (using a modified version of BestForTheBusiness's Amiri Ngala render) was brought in to be the main cruiserweight guy, until I figured out he was a middleweight. Now he's a midcarder, but I don't see him as world champion because of the lack of star quality. Lastly, there's Liberty. I do not like him, he is a bad worker in game, but he's over. I dread the thought of maybe giving him a world title reign.

 

Speaking of Dread, he's one of the major signings I hope to make in 1998 when his contract is up. If that's what happens, I'll have to set back all my plans by a year, as I'll 100% give him a massive year long reign unless he's in decline. He's not the only stars I hope to poach from PGHW, I've already taken Lee Wright, and I'm hoping to bring in Raymond Diaz on a non-exclusive deal once his deal with PGHW is up. I'll let him continue to work their for development reasons, as if I get him, he'll be pushed into the "Future World Champion" category. I also hope to take Eisaku Hoshino, as he's the only major PGHW guy without loyalty to them, and I like the idea of having him a major player in the company, maybe not world champion, but up there.

 

The last interesting thing I have to mention are the two tournaments I run each year, the King of California (using a modified GSW trophy) and the Tag Team Grand Prix (using a modified CWA trophy). The in-universe explanation for these existing is J.K going through a Puro phase during his late teens, leading to him stealing the concept of the Elite Series from PGHW. Winner of the King of California gets a title shot at HGC Hollyweird, which I moved to May, and winner of the Tag Team Grand Prix will end up having the titles, as the champions defend them in the tournament. They were won by Bryan Vessey and Saint Pablo/Dark Angel respectively this year.

 

So yeah, thank you for reading my ramblings, sorry if this is way too long winded for this thread, I'll delete it if the mods decide it's a scroll hazard. Also sorry if it randomly jumps around, I'm not the best at writing down my thoughts. Lastly, thanks for Self for inspiring me to do this, Derek B for making the incredible CVerse 97 mod, and BestForTheBusiness for the great character renders.

[Blake Trask]

don't apologise for longboy recaps! That kind of post is one of my favourite things to read in this thread.

 

You're ruthless though ey, talent trade bombing, mass cuts, and 'if Sam Strong doesn't play ball I'll screwjob him'? You aren't messing around!

[Dalton]

Screwjobbing Sam Strong is a bold move!

 

Young Stallings is r u t h l e s s

[Peria]

G1 8 is over and done with! August 1998's finale will see A Block Winner Kensuke Sasaki, who watched his tag team partner Hiroshi Hase fall to Misawa last year, take on B Block Winner Shinya Hashimoto, the last of the 3 Musketeers to never win a G1. Both men look to outdo their peers in every way possible, but only one will succeed this year. Let's look at the blocks.

 

A Block:

 

Kensuke Sasaki: 12 Points - Sasaki was in a tightly contested block, winning with only 12 points via tie breaker with Kane who also placed at 12. Dropping 3 matches to Kazuo Yamazaki in a shock, Keiji Mutoh after a 28 minute war, and Akira Taue who out muscled the stocky Sasaki, his major wins come by defeating IWGP Champion Fujinami, Kane, and Stone Cold. With Hiroshi Hase injured and reportedly meant to be in A Block, few must wonder if Hase would have been the one to repeat, and knock his tag partner off.

 

Tatsumi Fujinami: 9 Points - A solid showing for the near 45 year old champion, Fujinami isn't what he used to be, but even then he shows he is more than enough for most. A 30 minute draw with Mutoh the day after Mutoh wrestled a 28 minute affair with Sasaki shook up Fujinami's confidence, causing him to drop back to back matches with Minoru Suzuki and Kazuo Yamazaki, opponents Fujinami should have dispatched with relative ease.

 

Stone Cold Steve Austin: 8 Points - In G1 7, Stone Cold was second place in his block. Astonishingly racking up 12 points. This year? Something must have been wrong. Just coming off a crushing defeat to Fujinami for the IWGP Heavyweight title, really rocked the Rattlesnake. Stone Cold can at least enjoy an NWA World Heavyweight title shot, as he prevented Kane from going to the finals on the final day of block action. Perhaps that will jumpstart his momentum into 1999, and perhaps see him in the main event.

 

Dave Finlay: 8 Points - His last G1 in 1996 had him finish at 6 points, granted the field was only 8 instead of 10. Meaning he went 50/50. Finlay came back with authority. His biggest win was against the aforementioned Stone Cold, but nearing 40, many have to wonder if this is his last G1? He needed a starmaking performance to really earn another spot. Time will tell.

 

Minoru Suzuki: 10 Points - It's hard to doubt Suzuki's rise. Last year? 6 points, and the crowds respect. This year? 10 points and the crowds adulation. He continues to surge in popularity and with a victory over Fujinami, perhaps if the champion can fend off the G1 winner, Suzuki might be finding himself in his first major main event in NJPW.

 

Hiroyoshi Tenzan: 8 Points - Tenzan still struggles a bit in singles action. With Kojima? He is a top-tier talent. But still, 8 points is respectable, it just happens to be the same score as last years. Is Tenzan stuck? Or will he always be a tag team star?

 

Kazuo Yamazaki: 6 Points - A stand-in for Hiroshi Hase, Yamazaki only garnered a meagre 6 points, the lowest of the tournament. Except... you must look further at who he managed to beat. Yamazaki's 3 wins came against Kensuke Sasaki, Tatsumi Fujinami, and Keiji Muoth. Nobody else in the tournament can say they've beaten those 3 in their campaign. While this doesn't matter much in concrete accolades, it is something Yamazaki can proudly take away.

 

Keiji Mutoh: 9 Points - Perhaps the man who suffered the most via matchmaking. Grueling match after grueling match, with most of his easier matches in the very beginning, one he actually dropped to Yamazaki. Mutoh's G1 campaign slowly became a fruitless endeavor in real time as fans watched him struggle from the middle portion of the tournament. Hard to fault the man, facing Kane, Sasaki, Fujinami, and Stone Cold, back to back would be a nigh impossible task for anyone.

 

Akira Taue: 8 Points - Last year, Taue struggled to adapt to the G1 format. Abysmally finishing at 4 points. This year? Doubled. Taue had a quiet G1, losing 3 straight. His 4th match? A decisive victory over Kensuke Sasaki. After that? He seemed a different man. Perhaps 1999 will see Akira Taue become the 2nd AJPW alumni to make it to the finals of a G1.

 

Kane: 12 Points - Ever since donning the red mask, killing the name Glenn Jacobs, Kane has been a feared member of NJPW. Last year? Kane had an impressive 12 points. Tying with Stone Cold. This year? No different. 12 points. A nearly perfect campaign with a major upset thrown in. Kane had no problems dispatching Mutoh. And everyone else before him. It was his rival Stone Cold, who had bested him two G1s now, and Sasaki that made sure Kane was not meant to be G1 winner. Perhaps it was Fujinami's willpower that allowed him to power through all of Kane's monstrous offense. Kane had never gone over 25 minutes before, and Fujinami pushed him to the 29 minute mark before Kane finally succumbed. A welcoming thing for NJPWs roster, knowing that this monster has a weakness.

 

B Block

 

Shinya Hashimoto: 14 Points - Perhaps the man who embodies NJPW, with Fujinami and Tenryu nearing retirement, and Choshu gone. Hashimoto has become the true "ace" of NJPW. Racking up 14 points in this G1 and earning his shot to finally become a G1 winner will cement his status as "Ace"

 

Masahiro Chono: 9 Points - Mr. August's worst G1 performance is actually at a great 9 points. Falling to Hashimoto, his arch-rival. Losing to the ever-crafty and disrespectful Dude Love, a 30 minute draw with Bret Hart, losing to Kawada, all understandable. What shocked everyone? Losing to Dan Severn in just under 15 minutes. Mr. August never one to give excuses, was visibly livid with his performance. Hard to fault him.

 

Dude Love: 10 Points - It's almost funny to see Dude Love in the G1. The newer opponents? Too focused and hungry. In fact, everyone under 30 defeated Dude Love in this G1. With the exception of Dan Severn who just defeated Chono. The older guys? Perhaps they believe their straight-edged wrestling approach will defeat Dude Love. The newer guys? More adaptable. Either way, 10 points is respectable for the man who is becoming known as a spoiler.

 

Bret Hart: 9 Points - Bret Hart is a strange case in the G1. Last year he had a rather disappointing performance. This year? He turned one loss into a draw. Losing to opponents he shouldn't be losing to. His legendary tag run with Owen Hart currently might be affecting him in singles performance. Or perhaps in his 40s, the Hitman is no longer the best? Bret Hart promises a better performance next year, time will show if he keeps his word.

 

Satoshi Kojima: 10 Points - A fantastic performance for one of the up and comers of NJPW. Kojima managed to surpass all expectations and defeat many big opponents, like Bret Hart for example. Still, 10 points is not enough. And Kojima still showed he is very young, as he fell to his peers and his superiors with equality. Still. This might be a sign that Kojima is here to play in the main event.

 

Dan Severn: 6 Points - Severn had a lackluster G1. His first G1 actually. Much like his tag partner in A Block, Kazuo Yamazaki, Severn can still hold his head up high, as he spoiled both Masahiro Chono and Dude Love this G1. If he competes next year, perhaps now he is used to the schedule, he will fare better.

 

Highashikuni Fuwa (regen): 6 Points - His first G1 since returning from excursion. And in the same block as fellow Young Lion Sukejuro Kuroki (also regen) saw the pressure amplified. 6 points for his first G1 is a good sign that Fuwa might have more upside in the future however. For now, he was an easy victory for many veterans.

 

Sukejuro Kuroki (regen): 8 Points - Kuroki saw his popularity go up this year, and his score. 2 points to be exact. Kuroki managed to defeat best friend and training partner, Fuwa. With both men in different factions though, their reunion was only slightly bittersweet. However, Kuroki must focus as he is now without a direct plan to Wrestle Kingdom. Chono's protege however, has always been tipped for great things. So maybe he shouldn't worry as much as some others.

 

Toshiaki Kawada: 12 Points - Since coming to NJPW, Kawada had about 2-3 singles matches. Mostly teaming with Misawa or Taue, or both. This was a bad thing for NJPWs roster. Nobody had any answers for Kawada. Just a brutal onslaught after onslaught with no signs of slowing down saw many people outright overwhelmed. Masahiro Chono fought Kawada to a 28 minute match, but that was it. Everyone else was swiftly handled. Dude Love managed to infuriate Kawada, Bret Hart simply kept up. Lastly, to say Hashimoto defeated Kawada... if you count a count-out victory after barely surviving as a win, perhaps Hashimoto did defeat Kawada. One thing for sure is, Kawada is going to be a mainstay fixture in the G1 for years to come.

 

Steve Williams - 6 Points: Dr. Death has his problems. A major reason why Williams is often absent in G1s is because he still wrestles for both PWFG and AJPW. For him to even be in this tournament should tell you just how amazing he is, as lesser men would simply fail due to fatigue. Williams can at least rejoice knowing one of his three victories came from a battered Shinya Hashimoto, who had just survived Kawada, in just 13 minutes. Perhaps Williams won't be in the next G1, but if he is, the match quality is always can't miss.

 

 

 

G1 8 Finals Match: Shinya Hashimoto vs Kensuke Sasaki!

 

Thanks for reading! Missed writing these up as I do/did put a lot of effort into them.