What's Going on in Your Game?

[PaperMachete]

Taking inspiration from the post above, these are my 11 best matches (and also the only ones 90 or above, hence 11 instead of 10). Very impressive of Dragunov being featured twice in the top 10 considering he's been on the main roster for a month or so.

 

In other news, during the lull period between SummerSlam and Survivor Series, I've taken the decision to bring back brand-exclusive PPVs due to having too many wrestlers I want to feature and who are more than capable of putting up PPV-class performances. This is the schedule moving forward - I'm currently in Week 2, September 2024.

Week 4, September - WWE Unforgiven (RAW)

Week 2, October - WWE No Mercy (SD)

Week 4, October - WWE Roadblock (RAW)

Week 4, November - WWE Survivor Series (Dual branded)

[Peria]

NJPW 1992-2012 (Fighting Spirit Unleashed to Sakura Genesis)

 

The year has been going slowly but steadily. Let's just crack right into FSU.

 

NEVER Openweight: Jun Akiyama (c) def. Nic Nemeth 

Nic Nemeth has arrived in NJPW to show off he is the best kept secret from the West. He quickly challenged Jun Akiyama in a statement and Akiyama, who has admittedly become something like Ziggler in his WWE years, accepted. Nemeth would fall here but this was a bit of a test. Nemeth went from 60 to 75 popularity, so we'll see if I can get that any higher.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight: KUSHIDA (c) def. Ricky Gibson

Nemeth's unofficial tag team partner actually earned a title shot the same way Nemeth did, by defeating both KUSHIDA and Akiyama in a tag match. It was Gibson who actually pinned KUSHIDA too! While Gibson has been a popular gaijin Jr. Heavyweight, he has struggled capture gold in NJPW, a failed attempt here isn't the worst for him, as he is only 25 years old.

IWGP United States Heavyweight: John Cena (c) def. Umaga

A rival in Umaga after Cena has bested Orton, the theme appears to be rivals for this title reign with John Cena, who has almost always called out his opponents instead of being challenged. Umaga was 2-0 (4-0 total in singles outside of NJPW too) against John Cena. Something Cena wished to rectify. The match was intense and hard hitting and an early MOTY candidate as Umaga continues to be the best representative of Samoan talent. Unfortunately, he falls short.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag: The Hardy Boyz (c) def. Los Traumas 

Every year around FSU, CMLL talent raid NJPW with attempts to make their name. While most are unsuccessful, largely due to travel times, and jetlag, plus the impromptu nature of it all, others have done well. Atlantis has won the BOSJ on his first try, and the Jr. Heavyweight title. Los Traumas are former Jr. Heavyweight Tag team champions as well. Unfortunately for them, the Hardyz remained steadfast and thwarted the attempts. 

IWGP Joshi: Nikki Bella def. Kana

Nikki Bella makes history, ending Kana's 200+ day reign on her 7th defense gone wrong. This is also the first time in the title's history that it would change hands in February! Nikki Bella was representing CMLL (what a world) and doubles down as being one of the few CMLL signed talents to win a title in NJPW (Los Traumas and Atlantis are the only two before her.) Kana will likely seek revenge but for now, it's Nikki's time to shine.

Special Singles: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Jay Briscoe

Jay Briscoe has been on a bit of a run. His stock has risen dramatically since arriving alongside his brother Mark. They would align with Bullet Club and win the Heavyweight Tag titles, holding them until WK. Throughout that Briscoe would challenge some Heavyweight megastars such as John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura. Now he faces the Ace, a man who, in a tag match, would be in deep waters, as Jay is a masterful tag wrestler. Unfortunately for Jay, this singles match proved that while he is good... he isn't the Ace.

IWGP Intercontinental: Naomichi Marufuji (c) def. Kota Ibushi

Marufuji might just be the hottest wrestler in NJPW today. He would be the first to actually dent Bullet Club's strength in getting rid of Mabel, while retaining his IC title. He would then defeat Minoru Tanaka, his old friend and rival, a day later defending his IC title again. After this, Kota Ibushi would challenge him at FSU, and Marufuji would humble the young upstart. He would then decree he would become the first ever IC/Heavyweight double champion, a feat a few have called out in the past but have failed to uphold. Of course, Chris Jericho of BC would come out and promise Marufuji that they'd be seeing each other again. Marufuji welcomed Jericho to try, as he already got rid of one old wrestler sticking to young and superior talent.

IWGP Heavyweight: Brock Lesnar (c) def. Kensuke Sasaki

1-0 in favor of Kensuke Sasaki just 2 years ago in the G1 Climax. Sasaki was one of the few to defeat Lesnar in that G1. Two big boys just going at it? A great hoss fight, that Lesnar's age and explosive intensity seemed to favor more and more as this match went into the deeper innings. The story of the once legendary and indomitable Sasaki seems to be closing, as his body once again fails him. The fans always appreciate a Sasaki main event, because he can still put on a performance of a lifetime, but at 45 they know he has very few, if any left. Lesnar would take the microphone and scoff at Marufuji, calling him a nobody, and he should focus on his title. Challenge denied.
 

Road to Sakura Genesis (March)

Never Openweight 6-Man: SkirMish (Goto, Suwama, and Kenso) def. Bullet Club (Jericho, & The Briscoes)

The 6-Man title have been around the waists of Bullet Club members since February of 2011, over a year ago. This was an upset, as Goto once again showcased talent and skill that would have won him the G1, or perhaps the ever elusive IWGP Heavyweight title. Despite BC interference, a rare thing occurred. RED, no allies to SkirMish, would show up and thwart BC members Paul Wight and Prince Devitt trying to get in way of things. Jericho looked furious, and despite losing, would charge Marufuji after the match.

 

New Japan Cup:

IWGP Heavyweight Tag: Ten-Koji (c) def. RED (Shuji Kondo/Yuji Hino)

A tale old as time for RED. The young team always manages to earn the title shot but can never capture lightning in a bottle. Ten-Koji were unable to defend at FSU due to injuries but vowed a back-to-back defense at the New Japan Cup and Sakura Genesis which is tomorrow. RED was originally meant to have their challenge at FSU and you could argue the change of date might have disrupted their plans. They'll have their moment eventually, right?

New Japan Cup Finals: Naomichi Marufuji def. Tetsuya Naito

Marufuji is now undeniable. Brock Lesnar can say whatever he wants but in April, Marufuji will be in the main event against him for the IWGP World Heavyweight title. Of course, this is provided Lesnar successfully defends his title at Sakura Genesis against KENTA. After the match Jericho and BC came out and returned the favor for getting involved in their trios match, and Marufuji, battered and worn out, must face a ready and angry Jericho come tomorrow.

 

Sakura Genesis:

NEVER Openweight: Jun Akiyama (c) def. Toru Yano

Toru Yano has always struggled to get over with the crowd, especially as a ruthless heel. Here we saw a different side of Yano, perhaps a bit more comedy. Lots of sneaky roll-ups and tricks but he unfortunately couldn't sneak away with a win. After the match, Yano's tag partner Togi Makabe challenged Akiyama.

IWGP Heavyweight Tag: Ten-Koji (c) def. GoAce

This match was made a week before the New Japan Cup, as Go Shiozaki called out Ten-Koji. Go, who defeated his mentor and friend, Hiroshi Tanahashi in the 2nd round of the New Japan Cup, felt he was ready to prove he was more than the Ace's occasional tag team partner. The two always gelled excellently together but unfortunately that isn't enough when competing against the most decorated tag team in New Japan history. Ten-Koji would secure the win, only to have Nakamura and Minoru Tanaka call out Ten-Koji. Perhaps Shinsuke showing once again his obsession with beating Tanahashi, even indirectly.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag: The Hardy Boyz (c) def. OverCraze

OverCraze are 4x former Junior Heavyweight tag team champions, tying with Gedo & Jado. They've been on a 3 year quest since losing those titles to break that record. This was another shot, they've almost gotten one every year, and have failed. This is hard to blame on one member though. MAZADA was a problem in his younger days, as his technical approach proved very difficult for high fliers. Times have changed, and high fliers aren't so one-dimensional. Hooligan has always been solid but unspectacular, and now he is being more exposed as MAZADA can't debilitate his opponents as easily. Regardless, the two fought valiantly and remain to be an elite team, they just need to go back and figure something out.

IWGP United States: Samoa Joe def. John Cena (c)

The John Cena revenge tour suddenly stops here. As he couldn't defeat his third rival in Samoa Joe. The two were never direct rivals though, both men joined NJPW around the same time, and both were heel. Neither really caught fire, though Joe did have some success as a heel. When they both turned face? They skyrocketed in popularity. Perhaps now? Maybe it is more apt to say that the parallels end here and the rivalry begins.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight: KUSHIDA (c) def. CIMA

Cima and BxB Hulk are the last two remain of the 4 that have yet to hold singles gold in NJPW. CIMA earned his shot by pinning KUSHIDA on the road to Sakura Genesis and promised to not be the last. This irked BxB Hulk, but he had no issues supporting his friend and was even at ringside to cheer him on. Unfortunately, Kushida was just a bit better this night. The story here isn't on KUSHIDA, and it is a slower burn but I got a few good ideas on where to take this.

IWGP Joshi: Nikki Bella (c) def. Kana

A rematch happening this soon is a bit rare but Kana was furious and determined. Unfortunately for her, she once again falls to Nikki Bella, who is now 8-0 this year alone. Nikki has always been good but she seems to now be better than ever and instantly calls out a huge challenger: Megumi Kudo. A sleeping giant in NJPW, if you will. Did Nikki just bite off way more than she could chew? Or is she setting herself up to be one of the future cornerstones of the Joshi division?

IWGP Intercontinental: Chris Jericho def. Naomichi Marufuji (c)

This was too obvious of an outcome, right? Marufuji, who hasn't lost a singles match since August of 2011 (11-0 since) finally suffers defeat, thanks to a plethora of Bullet Club interference no less. RED had already competed the day before and would not be on the card tonight. Takagi attempted to thwart BC with Zeus but both men were vastly outnumbered. Indeed, the chaotic cluster of run-ins always favor the sinister Bullet Club. Chris Jericho has shattered a dream and become a 3x IC champion.

IWGP Heavyweight: Brock Lesnar (c) def. KENTA

Kenta was a bit of an interesting challenge for Lesnar. Kenta is 0-1 against Lesnar in singles matches, so why? The answer is simple: Heyman. Paul Heyman accepted KENTA as a challenger because Marufuji and Kenta are rivals, big time rivals even. They are also similar in build and stature from one another. With Lesnar freely able to toss and suplex KENTA, dominating most of the match, Marufuji, who has just lost his title must watch and perhaps feel like this could very well be his fate. Though, as Marufuji saw, the match ended up being close, and if KENTA could have perhaps hit the G2S, it'd have been another epic addition to the Marufuji v. Kenta saga.

 

Thank you all for reading. I have been updating my save a bit slower and with less write ups as I fear I'd be spamming this thread otherwise. Again, thanks for reading or just skimming. Relaying what has been going on in my save has definitely expanded its life by an unknown large quantity. 

 

[Zero]

2 hours ago, Peria said:

Thank you all for reading. I have been updating my save a bit slower and with less write ups as I fear I'd be spamming this thread otherwise. Again, thanks for reading or just skimming. Relaying what has been going on in my save has definitely expanded its life by an unknown large quantity. 

I love these updates 

[PaperMachete]

Just finished with Unforgiven 2024. It's a RAW branded PPV that scored a 92 rating. Card:

Pre show: Axiom & Vikingo defeated Pretty Deadly (68 rating)
Pre show: The Way defeated Piper & Nia (51 rating)

Opener: AJ Styles defeated Ilja Dragunov to retain the WWE Intercontinental Title, 2nd defense of the reign. (82 rating)
Match 2: Imperium defeated The Bar to retain the WWE RAW Tag Team Titles, 2nd defense of the reign. (77 rating)
Match 3: LA Knight defeated Drew McIntyre (83 rating)
Match 4: Tiffany Stratton & Nikkita Lyons defeated Liv Morgan & Dakota Kai and Carmella & Chelsea Green to retain the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles, 1st defense of the reign. (71 rating)
Match 5: CM Punk defeated Bron Breakker (83 rating)
Match 6: Seth Rollins defeated Randy Orton (89 rating)
Match 7: Becky Lynch defeated Alba Fyre to retain the WWE Women's World Title, 4th defense of the reign. (80 rating)
Main Event: Gunther defeated Sami Zayn in a Last Man Standing Match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Title, 2nd defense of the reign (92 rating)

A lot of feuds concluded with this PPV. Gunther needs a new challenger for one. Who will step up? Where will Sami Zayn go from here? Is CM Punk free from Bron Breakker and his rage issues? Can anyone stop Becky Lynch?

A list of my ten most popular wrestlers as of Week 4, September 2024.

1. Roman Reigns, 95 pop
2. Cody Rhodes, 92 pop
3. CM Punk, 91 pop
4. Rhea Ripley, 90 pop
5. Kazuchika Okada, 89 pop
6. LA Knight, 89 pop
7. Gunther, 88 pop
8. Sami Zayn, 85 pop
9. Becky Lynch, 84 pop
10. Tiffany Stratton, 84 pop

A lot of interesting matchups on this list as we have our eyes on the build for Wrestlemania 41 in six months time. The only one on the above list I don't really trust to carry a main event is LA Knight who usually don't perform up to his popularity.

[PaperMachete]

Sorry for the spammy posts in the thread. I do try and go a few days between posting at least. Just finished No Mercy 2024, a SmackDown-branded PPV that scored a 86 rating. Card:

Pre-show: British Strong Style defeated Los Lotharios (69 rating)
Pre-show: Anna Kuzmina (fka Masha Slamovich) defeated Roxanne Perez (69 rating)
Pre-show: Ricochet defeated Dragon Lee, Wes Lee, Apollo Crews, Santos Escobar and Akira Tozawa in a Ladder match (73 rating)

Opener: Kazuchika Okada defeated Finn Bálor (86 rating)
Match 2: A-Town Down Under defeated The New Day and Alpha Academy to retain the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Titles after Austin Theory cheated to win. It was their second defense of their title reign. (75 rating)
Match 3: Kevin Owens defeated Damian Priest (81 rating)
Match 4: Giulia defeated Io Shirai (82 rating). Post-match Asuka finally makes her choice, aligning with Io Shirai and turning face, saving Io from further beatdown at the hands of Giulia.
Match 5: Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Carmelo Hayes to retain the WWE United States Title. It was Shinsuke's first defense of the title reign. (77 rating)

--- After this match, we saw a backstage segment featuring The Judgment Day, where things are less than good after Finn and Damian's defeats today. Are we seeing the beginning of the end of The Judgment Day or will they regroup and come back even stronger?

Match 6: Rhea Ripley defeated Bianca Belair, Sasha Banks and Bayley to retain the WWE Women's title. It was Rhea's second defense of her title reign. (79 rating)
Main Event: Cody Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns in a Last Man Standing match to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Title (82 rating). In this match, Solo Sikoa interfered on Roman Reigns behalf, and Samoa Joe evened the odds. It was a bloody battle that lasted over 30 minutes and Cody could barely stand himself despite winning. It was Cody's first defense of his title reign. Post-match, MJF runs down and cashes in his MITB contract to become the NEW Undisputed WWE Universal champion.

Where do we go from here? Is The Judgment Day OK? Cody has been cashed in on twice now soon after winning the title, can he come back a third time? What will Roman Reigns do? Io Shirai & Asuka have aligned once more, can they withstand Giulia?

[dbritton987]

TCW Psycho Circus 2021

October 2021 - Attendance : 86, 711 - Show Rating: 89

Rick Law defeated Aaron Andrews in a Texas Death Match (89)

Rick Law joined TCW, aligning himself with TCW Executive Eddie Chandler and a mysterious group that Chandler and Law refer to as the "Powers That Be."  Andrews has been a target for Chandler & Law, as Aaron has refused to "get in line" and respect authority.  It all led to this finale match.  When Law looked to be in real trouble, Chandler would interfere and distract Andrews.  This would allow Law to recover, and eventually to Law powerbombing Andrews off the stage, through a table!  Andrews would be unable to answer the 10 Count, leading to a huge victory for Law.  

The Canadian Animals defeated C-V-2 (86)

Edd Stone had recently been kicked out the group Kings of Wrestling after a dispute with tag team partner, Casey Valentine.  Cameron Vessey would later join TCW and join KoW, realigning with Valentine as C-V-2.  At the same time, Freddy Huggins had recently been kicked out of the Syndicate after Wolf Hawkins had tired of Freddy's issues with Wolf's protege, Princeton Pryce.  This would later lead to Huggins rescuing Stone from a C-V-2 ambush, and thus the Canadian Animals had reunited!  The Animals pick up the big win on PPV, but this feud is definitely far from over.

Mr. Lucha defeated KC Glenn to successfully retain the TCW International Championship (86)

KC Glenn lost the International Championship to Mr. Lucha in a 5-Man Ladder Match at Summer Showdown.  Glenn had defeated Lucha in their 1st Title Rematch, but it was by Disqualification, thanks to Lucha's long time rival, Aztec Prince.  Thus, this rematch was set for Psycho Circus.  Meanwhile, KC Glenn has had issues with his manager Brother Grimm, who in fact cost Glenn the International Championship after Grimm's botched interference at Summer Showdown.  Glenn had grown tired of Grimm's antics and Brother's lack of focus on KC's career.  Grimm had convinced Glenn to allow him to escort to the ring for rematch vs Lucha, hoping to reconcile with his client.  But, in a stunning turn of events, Grimm would turn on Glenn during the match, sending KC face first into the ring post when he least expected it.  Having no clue what had happened, Lucha would take advantage and defeat KC Glenn and retain his championship.

(This is Mr. Lucha's 1st Reign as TCW International Champion.  He has been champion for 57 days with 5 successful title defenses.)

Sara Marie York defeated Fuyuko Higa to become the NEW Women's World Champion! (83)

Ever since York debuted in TCW, Higa & York has been the red hot feud in the TCW Women's Division.  Higa had cheated her way to victory in their first encounter, blinding York with her patented red mist.  After Higa dodged the rematch for awhile, it was finally booked for Psycho Circus.  This time, York was able to dodge the red mist attempt by Higa, and put down Fuyuko for the 1-2-3!  York becomes the 3rd Ever TCW Women's Champion!  

(Fuyuko Higa's 1st Reign as TCW Women's World Champion ends after 5 months and 4 successful title defenses.)

In A Tag Team Ladder Match, The Aegis (Ernest Youngman & Xavi Ferrera) defeated The Wild Cats to successfully retain the TCW World Tag Team Championship (88)

The Aegis would defeat The Wild Cats at Summer Showdown, taking home the Tag Team Gold to Wolf Hawkins & The Syndicate.  Their lost came after miscommunication between the Wild Cats, which El Jaguar blamed Tigre Salvaje Jr. for.  After taking a break from the tag team and hoping to pursue a singles career, El Jaguar couldn't help himself from rescuing Salvaje Jr from an ambush by The Syndicate.  Thus, this rubber match was set for Aegis & Wild Cats.  It looked like the Wild Cats might pull it off, but fellow Syndicate member Princeton Pryce would interfere, shoving Salvaje Jr. off a ladder and through a table.  This would allow Youngman to retrieve the Tag Gold for his team and The Syndicate.

Post-Match, El Jaguar would help the limping Salvaje Jr. to his feet.  Then, in a stunning turn of events, Jaguar would begin attacking his tag team partner!  All Salvaje Jr. could do is cover up as Jaguar pummeled away!  "I told you I didn't want to do this anymore!" Jaguar exclaimed.  Fellow Lucha friend Masked Cougar would hit the ring and pull Jaguar off Salvaje Jr.  Jaguar nearly struck Cougar as well, but he would stop himself and storm out of the arena.  It appears that one of the best tag teams in the world just imploded!  

(This is The Aegis's 1st Reign as TCW World Tag Team Champions.  They have been champions for 57 days with 4 successful title defenses.)

Matthew Keith defeated Greg Keith (99, MOTN!)

The Keith Brothers have been at war over the Keith family name and legacy.  Matthew believes Greg and their father Sam have tainted the family name with their dirty ways within their stable, the Kings of Wrestling, among other things.  While it appeared Sam was trying to fix things with his family, Sam would show his true side in the first encounter between the brothers.  Sam would attack Matthew with a steel chair, helping Greg pick up the win.  

Greg would refuse Matthew's rematch challenge, mockingly saying he was refusing "to save the family."  Matthew felt forced to step over the line.  After being insulted by Sam, Matthew would attack his own father and lock him in the Proton Lock.  Matthew refused to let go of the submission until Greg accepted his challenge, which Greg finally did to save his father.  In one of the greatest technical encounters in TCW history, Matthew picked up some revenge against Greg, picking up the win by forcing Greg to tap to the Proton Lock.  But...it feels like there is still one more encounter in this family war.  

Wolf Hawkins defeated Jay Chord, Mainstream Hernandez, Randy Unleashed, Sammy Bach, & Spencer Spade in a PSYCHO CHAMBER MATCH to successfully retain the TCW World Heavyweight Championship (88)

The Psycho Chamber match has become a gimmick match for the event Psycho Circus.  Long story short, it's an Elimination Chamber with weapons.  Chord, Hernandez, Unleashed, Bach, & Spade all qualified for the Chamber through Qualifying Matches (Spade through a Last Chance Battle Royal).  However, much to the shock of Hawkins, the final member of the Chamber would be the man who Hawkins defeated for his 5th World Championship, Sammy Bach!  Bach had been out of action after Hawkins caused orbital damage to Bach's eye.  At Summer Showdown, to survive the Bach on your Back submission, Hawkins had dug his fingers deep into Bach's eye, causing the damage.  

No surprise at all, the final Chamber competitors were Hawkins & Bach!  Bach beat up Hawkins all over the Chamber, bloodying the World Champion.  Earlier in the match, one of the glass pods was broken into pieces after Jay Chord & Spencer Spade had thrown Mainstream Hernandez through it.  In a shocking turn of events, fellow Syndicate member (and Wolf's protege) Princeton Pryce would enter the Chamber through that broken pod!  Bach would repel Pryce's interference, and in fact threw Pryce through another glass pod!  The distraction though, helped, as Hawkins would deliver a vicious low blow to Bach when Sammy returned his attention to the World Champ.  Wrapping his fist with a steel chain, Hawkins flew through the air and knocked out Bach with the Full Moon Rising for the Psycho Chamber win.  

(Wolf Hawkins continues to enjoy his 5th Reign as TCW World Heavyweight Champion.  He has been champion for 57 days with 2 successful title defenses)

At Threatening Behavior, one last encounter between Hawkins & Bach has been set.  The stipulations have been set, this is Sammy's last chance to regain the TCW World Heavyweight Championship.  Hawkins & Bach have fought in the Steel Cell.  They have fought in 3 Stages of Hell.  They have fought in the Psycho Chamber.  Now, this epic rivalry will come to a close in...

TABLES...LADDER...& CHAIRS!  OH MY!

Also, TCW has just grown to Large size.  We are now global!  My roster is pretty massive right now, but who knows what superstar will show up in TCW now!  I've been against doing a brand split, but that's an option in the future.  I'm likely to open another child company to develop young talent outside the country.  

Also, my women's division is really starting to improve.  It's not quite there, but I'm likely to add another women's title very soon.  Haven't decided yet on either a secondary singles title or women's tag titles.  Likely after I develop Alina America & Brooke Tyler as big time stars (popularity wise), I will likely have to make a decision around then.  

 

[CGN91]

2nd year: Sengoku Project Pro Wrestling by Shuji Ishikawa [Real World, 2025/26]

Quote

Shuji Ishikawa left All Japan Pro Wrestling at the end of January alongside Black Menso~re aka Yohei Nakajima and looked for a new home. He had several chats with different people but ultimately he came to one conclusion: Create a promotion. Sengoku Project Pro Wrestling was born and the launch event (Hataage) was set for February 17th, 2024 at Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo. At the first press conference Ishikawa was accompanied by Black Menso~re (Vice President) and the first contracted wrestlers Kohei Sato, Masayuki Mitomi, ZONES & Chi Chi.

We increased the number of shows from 19 to 27, switched from Zaiko to the famous Niconico subscription service, held shows in Sendai, Hiroshima and Hokkaido for the first time and even held our first singles tournament this year. We've got some name value for our shows, guys who quit their home promotions like Suwama, Takashi Sugiura, Tomohiro Ishii and even Kota Ibushi, who just worked two matches for us so far (I treat him as a special attraction) because he was too busy to work for Gatoh Move and more importantly working Choco Pro to wrestle on pillows. To be fair all of them are in time decline and aren't workhorses anymore, with Ibushi being the most dissapointing one with an in-ring performance rating of 50 and 45 in both of his matches against Takuya Nomura.

Update factions:

Second Anniversary~! In front of a record breaking crowd at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium #2 in Shibuya, Tokyo (and most viewership on the screens too) the fans saw a good show with some special moments. Takuya Nomura avenged his loss from summer against Kota Ibushi, who had yet another underwhelming performance for us. Could be his last though. The junior heavyweight titles were both defended in a rematch of last year Anniversary when Fujita Hayato defeated El Desperado to "unify" both titles to a Sengoku Junior Double Crown. The titles will be defended simutaneously like the ZERO-1 titles. During the celebration Hayato was attacked by former Dragongate wrestlers YAMATO and Madoka Kikuta!

In the main event Sengoku Heavyweight Champion and Idaina Senshi winner Daisuke Sekimoto defeated former NJPW star Tomohiro Ishii and defended the title for the second time after dethroning Naoya Nomura in October. While the main event was slightly better than last years match, this one was also a bit underwhelming with Ishii heavily hitting time decline.

Just a month prior to Anniversary we held Kakuto Vol. 1, a shoot-style subsidiary show. We'll held Kakuto a couple of times a year, this will always be non-canon to the other Sengoku shows. We had a couple of guests to this show like Super Tiger, Mitsuya Nagai and Kazuyuki Fujita, all having legit backgrounds. Takanori Ito was signed after the show, he quit GLEAT just two months earlier.

Update Top 10 matches:

[alliegolem]

Playing a created company, but over in SWF, Emma Chase cheated on Eric Eisen with Valiant, leading to bad relationships and a divorce, so now 90+ Overness Valiant and 90+ Overness Emma Chase weren't renewed, and are both unemployed free agents. Unfortunately too popular for my Medium sized company, but if only...

[rufc4eva]

Decided as something different to play an ownership only AEW save, meaning I autobook the shows and just handle talent. To ramp up the randomness more I vacated all the belts WCW style.

So far Mercedes Mone won the women's World title on her debut, The Acclaimed picked up the Tag titles for a second time, Pat McAfee won the TNT title (I forgot to untick his wrestling role after signing him to be a commentator) so joined him up with Bullet Club Gold, Adam Copeland and Chris Jericho have joined forces as Le Entertainers and after a random tag match and finding out they had great chemistry the team of Foxhausen was born (Danhausen and AR Fox).

Edited February 21 by rufc4eva

[Zero]

I love this idea.  Fun way to get through a lot of time quickly but also create a new and diverse game world

[PaperMachete]

WWE Roadblock 2024, Week 4 of October 2024 (RAW-branded PPV)
MetLife Stadium, 73,079 in attendance
Show rating: 88

Pre-show: Toni Storm & Natalya defeated Unholy Union, The Cavinder Twins and Liv Morgan & Dakota Kai (62 rating)
Just a random thrown together match to get them on the card.

Opener: CM Punk defeated Bobby Lashley (82 rating)
The Hurt Profits have been a thorn in CM Punk's side for the past month. The plan originally was to use this feud to help elevate Montez Ford, but they had abysmal chemistry. They will continue to feud over Survivor Series where they'll be on opposite teams, but after that I'm moving on. Accoring to cagematch.net, Punk and Lashley have never faced off 1 on 1 before, so at least that's a first.

Match 2: Imperium defeated The Creed Brothers to retain the WWE RAW Tag Team Titles (79 rating)
The Imperium guys are really, really good. Kaiser busted out an 85 rating on this match - Vinci with a 75. Wanted to see that the Creed Brothers could do while at the same time putting them in the ring with better wrestlers. Imperium are now moving on into a four-way tag feud starring The Bar, the recently reunited Usos, and a newly formed team you will read more about further down this post.

Match 3: LA Knight defeated Bronson Reed (78 rating)
Another kind of randomly put together match - it's two guys that I don't really have a lot for. LA Knight is one of my most popular wrestlers, but his in-ring performance doesn't live up to it and he can't really carry a match either. Need to find a good spot for him.

Match 4: AJ Styles defeated Axiom to retain the WWE Intercontinental Title (80 rating)
This match was initially planned to feature Vikingo (fka El Hijo del Vikingo), but him and AJ didn't have any chemistry at all so I quickly shifted to the other recently promoted high flyer. At Survivor Series, I'll do a three-way ladder match with these three, with High Spots.

Match 5: The Sirens (Tiffany Stratton & Nikkita Lyons) defeated The Way to retain the WWE Women's Tag Team titles (70 rating)
The push of Tiffany Stratton and Nikkita Lyons continues, Tiffany is almost at 90 pop! Together with Sonya Deville, they feature heavily on RAW and I don't see them losing the titles anytime soon. Stratton is primed for a singles title match at Wrestlemania 41 barring any injuries. She's one of the big players for the future of my company.

Match 6: Randy Orton defeated Bron Breakker (74 rating)
Post-match, Randy Orton and Bron Breakker shake hands, indicating a face turn by Bron Breakker after a quite bitter feud with Orton, kinda like they've earned each others respect. This is the fourth team that I was talking about earlier in the post, I tried them at house shows and it turns out they have excellent chemistry. I think putting Bron together with such a good wrestler as Orton will help him to improve in-ring. Bron is also a big part of the future.

Match 7: Sami Zayn defeated Drew McIntyre (86 rating)
A semi-random match featuring two of my best performers that are currently not involved in the title scene - if you remember Sami lost twice to Gunther and Drew mocked him for it, escalating previous tensions between these two. Sami picks up the win and a 96 in-ring performance rating

Match 8: Seth Rollins defeated Ilja Dragunov (86 rating)
Ilja keeps losing, and he keeps putting on banger after banger. He is almost at the place on the card where he will start getting wins over the top guys as well. At only 31, he's one for the future, but Seth needed this win more to try and get back into title contention again.

Match 9: Becky Lynch defeated Gigi Dolin to retain the WWE Women's World Title (81 rating)
Becky keeps working with the lower card women, and she keeps winning. She's in a holding pattern, just helping to elevate some of the newer women on the roster. In this particular match, Jacy Jayne tried helping Gigi Dolin (they're back as Toxic Attraction on the main roster), but Becky prevailed nonetheless.

Main Event: Gunther defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Title (88 rating)
Ludwig Kaiser interfered on Gunther's behalf in a really good match, Daniel Bryan shows that he can still hang with one of, if not the best wrestlers in the world today. They will run this match back at Survivor Series since Bryan didn't lose clean, can Bryan overcome Kaiser and Vinci's interference?
 

News and notes:
Two new signings to talk about, as Stokely Hathaway, aka Malcolm Bivens, and Zack Sabre Jr. has signed with WWE. Time will tell where they end up as they haven't started their contracts yet.

Planned card for Survivor Series 2024:
- Gunther vs Daniel Bryan II (WWE World Heavyweight Title, maybe a gimmick match for this rematch)
- Team Cody (Cody, Hayes, Trick, Okada, Rey) vs Team MJF (MJF, Holliday, Hammerstone, Nakamura, Owens)
- Team Becky (Becky, Candice, Indi, Toni and mystery partner) vs Team Stratton (Stratton, Lyons, Deville, Dolin, Jayne)
- Team Punk, or Team Indie Darlings (Punk, Gargano, Ciampa, Sami, Dragunov) vs Team Rollins (Rollins, Lashley, Montez, Dawkins, McIntyre)
- Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns
- Rhea Ripley vs Sasha Banks vs Bayley vs Bianca Belair (WWE Women's Title)
- Asuka vs Giulia vs Io Shirai
- Imperium vs The Bar vs The Usos vs Orton & Breakker (RAW Tag Team Titles)
- A-Town Down Under vs The New Day (SmackDown Tag Team Titles)
- AJ Styles vs Axiom vs Vikingo (Intercontinental Title)
We're still four weeks out, so we'll see if these matches end up happening or not. At least one of the 5v5 matches will be a War Games match. I have genuienly no idea who the mystery partner on Becky's team will be. It will work itself out.

Tried a new formula in this post, hope you liked it. 🙂

[PaperMachete]

WWE Survivor Series 2024, Week 4 of November 2024 (Dual-branded PPV)
Rose Bowl, 79,036 in attendance (biggest attendence of the save so far)
Show rating: 91

 

Pre-show: Pete Dunne defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (82 rating)
Zack hasn't debuted on the main roster yet, trying him out in dark matches to see where he stands.

Pre-show: Mickie James defeated Lyra Valkyria (51 rating)
Another random match as I wanted to give Lyra some exposure in a match with a veteran

Opener: Giulia defeated Asuka and Io Shirai (87 rating)
If you've been following along, Giulia turned on her Black Lotus partner Io Shirai a few months back. Asuka took the side of Io, but that didn't help in this triple threat match as Giulia picks up the win. The individual ratings for this match was 91 for Io, 90 for Asuka and 84 for Giulia. Safe to say these women are pretty great.

Randy Orton & Bron Breakker defeated Imperium, The Usos and The Bar to win the RAW Tag Team Titles (76 rating)
The newly formed team of Randy Orton and Bron Breakker managed to pick up an impressive victory over three very credible teams. I'm using Randy Orton to try and help Bron Breakker develop a bit faster, so featuring them a lot is one of my main targets.

Team Cody (Cody Rhodes, Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams, Rey Mysterio and Kazuchika Okada) defeated Team MJF (MJF, Alexander Hammerstone, Richard Holliday, Kevin Owens and Shinsuke Nakamura) in a regular 5 vs 5 Survivor Series Match (85 rating)
The first of three 5v5 matches tonight, Team Cody picks up the win with Cody and Okada being the final two eliminations. MJF had a great showing but unfortunately the inexperience of Hammerstone and Holliday put them at a disadvantage.

AJ Styles defeated Axiom and Vikingo to retain the WWE Intercontinental Title (75 rating)
A high-spots match, the experience of AJ Styles managed to get the best out of both Axiom and Vikingo. I don't feel like Axiom and Vikingo, whilst very good, are ready for being title holders, so I kept the title on the experienced Styles.

Rhea Ripley defeated Sasha Banks and Bayley to retain the WWE Women's Title (79 rating)
Not the rating I was hoping for as Rhea continues her path of dominance over on SmackDown. I'm not really sure where to take this title as of this writing, but I'm toying with a face turn for Rhea in the future.

The New Day defeated A-Town Down Under to win the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Titles (76 rating)
Another tag title that changes hands today as the experienced New Day gets a win over Austin Theory and Grayson Waller, who I'm getting ready to move onto bigger things. New Day are pretty good in the ring and pretty good on the mic, so I can use them as an anchor in any tag feud.

Team Becky (Becky Lynch, Candice LeRae, Indi Hartwell, Toni Storm and Ember Moon) defeated Team Stratton (Tiffany Stratton, Nikkita Lyons, Sonya Deville, Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne) in a regular 5 vs 5 Survivor Series Match (75 rating)
Now, this match was interesting. Team Stratton had a tactic of trying to wear down the champ, Becky Lynch, as much as possible. Tiffany took on a leader role and bossed the other four girls around, but in the end Becky barely stood tall with the help of Toni Storm. However... post-match, a much fresher Tiffany Stratton cashed in her Money In The Bank briefcase on Becky, winning the WWE Women's World Title.

Team Punk (CM Punk, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Sami Zayn and Ilja Dragunov) defeated Team Rollins (Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) in a regular 5 vs 5 Survivor Series Match (83 rating)
The last of the 5 vs 5 matches for tonight, the grizzled vet Punk leads his team to victory, with Punk as the sole survivor. This also concludes his feud with The Hurt Profits

Roman Reigns defeated Samoa Joe (87 rating)
Ever since Samoa Joe made his return almost two months ago, he's been a thorn in Roman Reigns side, telling him that there's one samoan that he can't control. As is tradition, Roman wins after Solo Sikoa interferes.

Main Event: Gunther defeated Daniel Bryan in a Cage Match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Title (93 rating)
A slightly better match than their first encounter, Imperium once again proves too much as Giovanni Vinci interferes. These two are really, really good together with a 95 and 94 rating respectively for their in-ring performances. Bryan will get a final shot at Gunther at New Year's Revolution, our next PPV.
 

As we turn the page on Survivor Series, eyes are now firmly locked in towards Royal Rumble, with Wrestlemania 41 in the distance. I've spent quite a long time making up a tentative plan for Wrestlemania 41, with 10 out of a planned 20 matches already as set in stone as can be four months out. One of the planned but not set in stone matches is a retirement match for John Cena. Who will step up, will it be an up and coming superstar, or will an old foe like Randy Orton be the one? Side note... it would've 100% been Edge if he wasn't contracted to AEW.

[Peria]

NJPW 1992-2012 

 

The story continues with Marufuji vying to the top, whilst Bullet Club plots to regain traction they lost at Wrestle Kingdom. Hiroshi Tanahashi, for the first time, has to deal with the rising players around him, with a big challenge unbeknownst to him coming soon. Things are hotter than ever in NJPW with big stars rising to the top. Let us discuss Battle Formation (and the last Battle Formation from this point forward!)

 

NEVER Openweight: Togi Makabe def. Jun Akiyama (c)
An absolute upset? Togi Makabe won the Young Lion Cup back in 1997, and due to a variety of reasons, Makabe never caught fire. Sure, alongside Ishii and Yano he held the Six Man titles twice. But alone? He never could achieve much. This changed tonight as he finally won himself a singles title at 39 years old. Could this be a late bloom for Togi Makabe?

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag: The Hardyz (c) def. KUSHIDA & Kagetora
Kagetora has recently returned from excursion, and aligned himself with Sekigun. Jeff Hardy expressed interest in the Jr. Heavyweight title whilst Kushida made a deal. A classic trope that saw The Hardyz experience edge out a narrow victory. With Jeff having made good on his promise, in just two weeks, he has the chance to join rare company and become a double champion.

IWGP Heavyweight Tag: CHAOS (Nakamura & Minoru Tanaka) def. TenKoji (c)

Another upset that, unlike Makabe's win, was not met with cheers. Nakamura and Tanaka have ended, what could very well be, Ten-Koji's last run together. The 6x Heavyweight tag champs and 2x WCW Tag champs have confessed they are not entirely sure what happens after this, and now Nakamura can ego his way to the back and claim how he beat Ten-Koji when Tanahashi and Go Shiozaki could not. Fun fact, Shinsuke Nakamura is also now a Triple Crown holder, having won the Intercontinental, the Heavyweight, and the Heavyweight Tag Team titles. He joins the prestigious company of Triple H (2006), Minoru Suzuki (2008), and Kensuke Sasaki (2010.) Another accomplishment he'll likely goad about.

IWGP Joshi: Nikki Bella (c) def. Megumi Kudo

First of all, I personally loved typing this. Nikki Bella is a CMLL star come to NJPW and shocked everyone when she defeated Kana not once, but twice. After her victory she brazenly called out a Joshi legend in Megumi Kudo. This wasn't a retirement match, Megumi is still in her prime and is a bona fide legend. The longest reigning IWGP Joshi champion was slain by Nikki Bella, and in the co-main event? Perhaps Meiko Satomura's plight to raise the prestige of the title has had an impact after all.

IWGP Intercontinental: Chris Jericho (c) def. Hirooki Goto

It's not March-April without a failed Hirooki Goto title chase. Goto is perhaps one of the biggest mysteries in NJPW. Currently 0-4 for the Heavyweight, and 0-5 overall for a singles title... many wonder if Goto is just a really good tag team specialist. Or perhaps, even worse, he is a massive choke artist. Regardless, this match was made because Jericho felt offended that the remnants of SkirMish would take his Six Man titles away, and challenged Goto to pay for his crimes. Unfortunately for Goto, and the fans, Bullet Club closes the show happy. Hopefully Goto finds his footing soon.

NJPW Presents: Showdown in Japan!

IWGP United States: Samoa Joe (c) def. CM Punk

CM Punk's first title match in NJPW, and it is against Samoa Joe. A legendary rivalry from 5SW, where Punk is the ultimate underdog. He only defeated Samoa Joe in their very first encounter. Overall however Samoa Joe is 5-1... well, now 6-1. CM Punk is the current 5SW Heavyweight champion, and is in his 3rd reign no less... still, with all the knowledge and skill he has gained, and the support from the fans, Samoa Joe will seemingly always be his kryptonite.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight: KUSHIDA (c) def. Jeff Hardy

Jeff is a man on a mission, already a 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion alongside his brother Matt. His most recent defense was against KUSHIDA and Kagetora, as a bit of Sekigun on Sekigun friendly rivalry. With KUSHIDA failing to capture the titles, Jeff had his very first chance at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. Unfortunately, KUSHIDA has been on fire since returning to NJPW and Jeff falls short. KUSHIDA isn't done though, as now it is BOSJ season and he has tons of threats awaiting him, as the Junior Heavyweight division has been rapidly improving.

IWGP Heavyweight: Naomichi Marufuji def. Brock Lesnar (c)

An absolute onslaught from Lesnar, as Marufuji was battered and bloodied. Lesnar grow increasingly more and more frustrated as this match went on, well over 30 minutes, a longer fight than anyone was expecting. Indeed, Marufuji may have tied their singles records at 1-1 but Marufuji in no way "won." He was barely able to stand and give his rousing promo about finally changing NJPW for the better. Marufuji's entire arc was about breaking out of the shadows of Hashimoto, Misawa, Kobashi, and more. In 2007, Marufuji would set out to prove that he can be more than a "dark horse/ace." He would challenge Tanahashi at Destruction and fall short. Marufuji would continue to vent his frustrations, believing that Tanahashi and Nakamura were handpicked, and those that were not handpicked wouldn't achieve the same success. A year later, Marufuji would lose in the G1 Climax to none other than Shinsuke Nakamura. 2009, Marufuji would actually win the G1 Climax, against Satoshi Kojima. He would lose in the main event of WK17, against - you guessed it - Nakamura. Absolutely fed up with it, Marufuji formed RED in 2010, the tweener faction that featured men who could be stars but are held down (think almost prototype LIJ) and Marufuji evolved. In 2011, he would capture the IC title and kick Mabel out of BC and NJPW. His 2nd New Japan Cup win had a hiccup, with him losing the Intercontinental title to Chris Jericho. Despite this, Marufuji could not be stopped, even against Lesnar, he defied him and NJPW and has finally become the IWGP Heavyweight champion. Adding on to this feat (to my knowledge) Marufuji is the first and only man to convert a New Japan Cup victory to a Heavyweight win, the last man to do something even remotely close was the inaugural winner Jun Akiyama, and the only reason for this was because the New Japan Cup was also for the Intercontinental championship! Indeed, Marufuji now sits on the top of the mountain.
 

 

Thank you for reading! There were some other matches as well but nothing super significant or worth writing about to you, my friends. I look forward to writing up the BOSJ! In the meantime here are the brackets, with a little short introduction to them.

 

A Block:

Kushida - Kushida is the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion. Can he do what Devitt did just last year and win the tournament as the champion?

Hayabusa - The last of the three - Ultimo Dragon is injured and likely done with his career, and Liger has dramatically slowed down. Can Hayabusa rise from the ashes and reclaim glory?

Yamato - The self proclaimed Ace has become delusional as of late with his lack of progress in the division. Can Yamato finally get it together?

Naruki Doi - Former BOSJ winner and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion had a successful run and is itching to reclaim that top spot. Can he do it? Or has he been eclipsed by more popular talent?

BxB Hulk - For all his hype, BxB Hulk has underperformed, and a year long injury has stifled his momentum. A successful campaign is what BxB Hulk needs desperately.

CIMA - The dark horse of the 4 (Yamato, Doi, BxB, Cima) though packed with talent. CIMA needs to make a statement after two previous mediocre BOSJ runs.

Matt Sydal (5SW) - Sydal is the 5SW rep, and is one of the best high fliers in the world today. He has wrestled briefly in NJPW before but now he has a chance to ignite his name value and set the world on fire.

MAZADA - "The Hardest Man to Beat" can only mean so much when you haven't won a BOSJ tournament. Can MAZADA finally achieve greatness? 

Jayson Paul - JTG has admitted he has had a crappy few BOSJ runs, but is now back and better than ever and promises to make it to the finals and bring glory to BC.

PAC - The new NJPW signed wrestler PAC has been working multiman matches and such for a while now, but he finally gets to demonstrate who he really is.

B Block:

Jeff Hardy - Despite coming up short last month, Jeff is still motivated more than ever to achieve his goal of becoming a singles champion. 

Kota Ibushi - A man who just barely got into the BOSJ, as last year, Ibushi only managed to score six points. A terrible BOSJ might end his chances for good.

Prince Devitt - The man everyone knows and hates. Prince Devitt is the previous winner and is an absolute monster in the tournament. Anyone in his block must dread his match up, as he holds the record for most points (17) and is the only man to win the tournament while champion.

Shingo Takagi - The brawler who cannot be matched in intensity is just finding his footing with Marufuji's RED faction. Perhaps his recent successes rub off on Takagi?

Ricky Gibson - The cocky loudmouth who is always a delight to watch. A dark horse but a potential finalist all the same.

Drago (CMLL) - The first CMLL representative, his goal is simple, but the match he really wants is Aero Star. His desire to take their rivalry to the largest stage is finally real.

Aero Star (CMLL) - Similar to Drago, they both want to win, but... beating the hell out of each other to prove supremacy could very well be a worthy consolation prize.

SUGI - Some argue the best high flier today. SUGI has slowly become less predictable and one dimensional and seems like a hair away from greatness. Is this his year has perhaps become a common question amongst fans.

Rey Misterio Jr. - Half a decade ago and Rey was the hottest Junior Heavyweight, he hasn't fallen too far, but he is no longer the star he used to be. Can he reclaim his glory?

Hayato Jr. Fujita - The brash and arrogant Fujita wishes to become a household name, a star, a legend. His last attempt in 2010 ended at 4 points. This is his chance to redeem himself.

[nob0t]

5 hours ago, Peria said:

NJPW 1992-2012 

 

The story continues with Marufuji vying to the top, whilst Bullet Club plots to regain traction they lost at Wrestle Kingdom. Hiroshi Tanahashi, for the first time, has to deal with the rising players around him, with a big challenge unbeknownst to him coming soon. Things are hotter than ever in NJPW with big stars rising to the top. Let us discuss Battle Formation (and the last Battle Formation from this point forward!)

 

NEVER Openweight: Togi Makabe def. Jun Akiyama (c)
An absolute upset? Togi Makabe won the Young Lion Cup back in 1997, and due to a variety of reasons, Makabe never caught fire. Sure, alongside Ishii and Yano he held the Six Man titles twice. But alone? He never could achieve much. This changed tonight as he finally won himself a singles title at 39 years old. Could this be a late bloom for Togi Makabe?

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag: The Hardyz (c) def. KUSHIDA & Kagetora
Kagetora has recently returned from excursion, and aligned himself with Sekigun. Jeff Hardy expressed interest in the Jr. Heavyweight title whilst Kushida made a deal. A classic trope that saw The Hardyz experience edge out a narrow victory. With Jeff having made good on his promise, in just two weeks, he has the chance to join rare company and become a double champion.

IWGP Heavyweight Tag: CHAOS (Nakamura & Minoru Tanaka) def. TenKoji (c)

Another upset that, unlike Makabe's win, was not met with cheers. Nakamura and Tanaka have ended, what could very well be, Ten-Koji's last run together. The 6x Heavyweight tag champs and 2x WCW Tag champs have confessed they are not entirely sure what happens after this, and now Nakamura can ego his way to the back and claim how he beat Ten-Koji when Tanahashi and Go Shiozaki could not. Fun fact, Shinsuke Nakamura is also now a Triple Crown holder, having won the Intercontinental, the Heavyweight, and the Heavyweight Tag Team titles. He joins the prestigious company of Triple H (2006), Minoru Suzuki (2008), and Kensuke Sasaki (2010.) Another accomplishment he'll likely goad about.

IWGP Joshi: Nikki Bella (c) def. Megumi Kudo

First of all, I personally loved typing this. Nikki Bella is a CMLL star come to NJPW and shocked everyone when she defeated Kana not once, but twice. After her victory she brazenly called out a Joshi legend in Megumi Kudo. This wasn't a retirement match, Megumi is still in her prime and is a bona fide legend. The longest reigning IWGP Joshi champion was slain by Nikki Bella, and in the co-main event? Perhaps Meiko Satomura's plight to raise the prestige of the title has had an impact after all.

IWGP Intercontinental: Chris Jericho (c) def. Hirooki Goto

It's not March-April without a failed Hirooki Goto title chase. Goto is perhaps one of the biggest mysteries in NJPW. Currently 0-4 for the Heavyweight, and 0-5 overall for a singles title... many wonder if Goto is just a really good tag team specialist. Or perhaps, even worse, he is a massive choke artist. Regardless, this match was made because Jericho felt offended that the remnants of SkirMish would take his Six Man titles away, and challenged Goto to pay for his crimes. Unfortunately for Goto, and the fans, Bullet Club closes the show happy. Hopefully Goto finds his footing soon.

NJPW Presents: Showdown in Japan!

IWGP United States: Samoa Joe (c) def. CM Punk

CM Punk's first title match in NJPW, and it is against Samoa Joe. A legendary rivalry from 5SW, where Punk is the ultimate underdog. He only defeated Samoa Joe in their very first encounter. Overall however Samoa Joe is 5-1... well, now 6-1. CM Punk is the current 5SW Heavyweight champion, and is in his 3rd reign no less... still, with all the knowledge and skill he has gained, and the support from the fans, Samoa Joe will seemingly always be his kryptonite.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight: KUSHIDA (c) def. Jeff Hardy

Jeff is a man on a mission, already a 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion alongside his brother Matt. His most recent defense was against KUSHIDA and Kagetora, as a bit of Sekigun on Sekigun friendly rivalry. With KUSHIDA failing to capture the titles, Jeff had his very first chance at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. Unfortunately, KUSHIDA has been on fire since returning to NJPW and Jeff falls short. KUSHIDA isn't done though, as now it is BOSJ season and he has tons of threats awaiting him, as the Junior Heavyweight division has been rapidly improving.

IWGP Heavyweight: Naomichi Marufuji def. Brock Lesnar (c)

An absolute onslaught from Lesnar, as Marufuji was battered and bloodied. Lesnar grow increasingly more and more frustrated as this match went on, well over 30 minutes, a longer fight than anyone was expecting. Indeed, Marufuji may have tied their singles records at 1-1 but Marufuji in no way "won." He was barely able to stand and give his rousing promo about finally changing NJPW for the better. Marufuji's entire arc was about breaking out of the shadows of Hashimoto, Misawa, Kobashi, and more. In 2007, Marufuji would set out to prove that he can be more than a "dark horse/ace." He would challenge Tanahashi at Destruction and fall short. Marufuji would continue to vent his frustrations, believing that Tanahashi and Nakamura were handpicked, and those that were not handpicked wouldn't achieve the same success. A year later, Marufuji would lose in the G1 Climax to none other than Shinsuke Nakamura. 2009, Marufuji would actually win the G1 Climax, against Satoshi Kojima. He would lose in the main event of WK17, against - you guessed it - Nakamura. Absolutely fed up with it, Marufuji formed RED in 2010, the tweener faction that featured men who could be stars but are held down (think almost prototype LIJ) and Marufuji evolved. In 2011, he would capture the IC title and kick Mabel out of BC and NJPW. His 2nd New Japan Cup win had a hiccup, with him losing the Intercontinental title to Chris Jericho. Despite this, Marufuji could not be stopped, even against Lesnar, he defied him and NJPW and has finally become the IWGP Heavyweight champion. Adding on to this feat (to my knowledge) Marufuji is the first and only man to convert a New Japan Cup victory to a Heavyweight win, the last man to do something even remotely close was the inaugural winner Jun Akiyama, and the only reason for this was because the New Japan Cup was also for the Intercontinental championship! Indeed, Marufuji now sits on the top of the mountain.
 

 

Thank you for reading! There were some other matches as well but nothing super significant or worth writing about to you, my friends. I look forward to writing up the BOSJ! In the meantime here are the brackets, with a little short introduction to them.

 

A Block:

Kushida - Kushida is the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion. Can he do what Devitt did just last year and win the tournament as the champion?

Hayabusa - The last of the three - Ultimo Dragon is injured and likely done with his career, and Liger has dramatically slowed down. Can Hayabusa rise from the ashes and reclaim glory?

Yamato - The self proclaimed Ace has become delusional as of late with his lack of progress in the division. Can Yamato finally get it together?

Naruki Doi - Former BOSJ winner and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion had a successful run and is itching to reclaim that top spot. Can he do it? Or has he been eclipsed by more popular talent?

BxB Hulk - For all his hype, BxB Hulk has underperformed, and a year long injury has stifled his momentum. A successful campaign is what BxB Hulk needs desperately.

CIMA - The dark horse of the 4 (Yamato, Doi, BxB, Cima) though packed with talent. CIMA needs to make a statement after two previous mediocre BOSJ runs.

Matt Sydal (5SW) - Sydal is the 5SW rep, and is one of the best high fliers in the world today. He has wrestled briefly in NJPW before but now he has a chance to ignite his name value and set the world on fire.

MAZADA - "The Hardest Man to Beat" can only mean so much when you haven't won a BOSJ tournament. Can MAZADA finally achieve greatness? 

Jayson Paul - JTG has admitted he has had a crappy few BOSJ runs, but is now back and better than ever and promises to make it to the finals and bring glory to BC.

PAC - The new NJPW signed wrestler PAC has been working multiman matches and such for a while now, but he finally gets to demonstrate who he really is.

B Block:

Jeff Hardy - Despite coming up short last month, Jeff is still motivated more than ever to achieve his goal of becoming a singles champion. 

Kota Ibushi - A man who just barely got into the BOSJ, as last year, Ibushi only managed to score six points. A terrible BOSJ might end his chances for good.

Prince Devitt - The man everyone knows and hates. Prince Devitt is the previous winner and is an absolute monster in the tournament. Anyone in his block must dread his match up, as he holds the record for most points (17) and is the only man to win the tournament while champion.

Shingo Takagi - The brawler who cannot be matched in intensity is just finding his footing with Marufuji's RED faction. Perhaps his recent successes rub off on Takagi?

Ricky Gibson - The cocky loudmouth who is always a delight to watch. A dark horse but a potential finalist all the same.

Drago (CMLL) - The first CMLL representative, his goal is simple, but the match he really wants is Aero Star. His desire to take their rivalry to the largest stage is finally real.

Aero Star (CMLL) - Similar to Drago, they both want to win, but... beating the hell out of each other to prove supremacy could very well be a worthy consolation prize.

SUGI - Some argue the best high flier today. SUGI has slowly become less predictable and one dimensional and seems like a hair away from greatness. Is this his year has perhaps become a common question amongst fans.

Rey Misterio Jr. - Half a decade ago and Rey was the hottest Junior Heavyweight, he hasn't fallen too far, but he is no longer the star he used to be. Can he reclaim his glory?

Hayato Jr. Fujita - The brash and arrogant Fujita wishes to become a household name, a star, a legend. His last attempt in 2010 ended at 4 points. This is his chance to redeem himself.

Nikkisawa has risen!

[Uncivilised]

On 2/26/2024 at 9:34 PM, Peria said:

NJPW 1992-2012 

 

The story continues with Marufuji vying to the top, whilst Bullet Club plots to regain traction they lost at Wrestle Kingdom. Hiroshi Tanahashi, for the first time, has to deal with the rising players around him, with a big challenge unbeknownst to him coming soon. Things are hotter than ever in NJPW with big stars rising to the top. Let us discuss Battle Formation (and the last Battle Formation from this point forward!)

 

NEVER Openweight: Togi Makabe def. Jun Akiyama (c)
An absolute upset? Togi Makabe won the Young Lion Cup back in 1997, and due to a variety of reasons, Makabe never caught fire. Sure, alongside Ishii and Yano he held the Six Man titles twice. But alone? He never could achieve much. This changed tonight as he finally won himself a singles title at 39 years old. Could this be a late bloom for Togi Makabe?

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag: The Hardyz (c) def. KUSHIDA & Kagetora
Kagetora has recently returned from excursion, and aligned himself with Sekigun. Jeff Hardy expressed interest in the Jr. Heavyweight title whilst Kushida made a deal. A classic trope that saw The Hardyz experience edge out a narrow victory. With Jeff having made good on his promise, in just two weeks, he has the chance to join rare company and become a double champion.

IWGP Heavyweight Tag: CHAOS (Nakamura & Minoru Tanaka) def. TenKoji (c)

Another upset that, unlike Makabe's win, was not met with cheers. Nakamura and Tanaka have ended, what could very well be, Ten-Koji's last run together. The 6x Heavyweight tag champs and 2x WCW Tag champs have confessed they are not entirely sure what happens after this, and now Nakamura can ego his way to the back and claim how he beat Ten-Koji when Tanahashi and Go Shiozaki could not. Fun fact, Shinsuke Nakamura is also now a Triple Crown holder, having won the Intercontinental, the Heavyweight, and the Heavyweight Tag Team titles. He joins the prestigious company of Triple H (2006), Minoru Suzuki (2008), and Kensuke Sasaki (2010.) Another accomplishment he'll likely goad about.

IWGP Joshi: Nikki Bella (c) def. Megumi Kudo

First of all, I personally loved typing this. Nikki Bella is a CMLL star come to NJPW and shocked everyone when she defeated Kana not once, but twice. After her victory she brazenly called out a Joshi legend in Megumi Kudo. This wasn't a retirement match, Megumi is still in her prime and is a bona fide legend. The longest reigning IWGP Joshi champion was slain by Nikki Bella, and in the co-main event? Perhaps Meiko Satomura's plight to raise the prestige of the title has had an impact after all.

IWGP Intercontinental: Chris Jericho (c) def. Hirooki Goto

It's not March-April without a failed Hirooki Goto title chase. Goto is perhaps one of the biggest mysteries in NJPW. Currently 0-4 for the Heavyweight, and 0-5 overall for a singles title... many wonder if Goto is just a really good tag team specialist. Or perhaps, even worse, he is a massive choke artist. Regardless, this match was made because Jericho felt offended that the remnants of SkirMish would take his Six Man titles away, and challenged Goto to pay for his crimes. Unfortunately for Goto, and the fans, Bullet Club closes the show happy. Hopefully Goto finds his footing soon.

NJPW Presents: Showdown in Japan!

IWGP United States: Samoa Joe (c) def. CM Punk

CM Punk's first title match in NJPW, and it is against Samoa Joe. A legendary rivalry from 5SW, where Punk is the ultimate underdog. He only defeated Samoa Joe in their very first encounter. Overall however Samoa Joe is 5-1... well, now 6-1. CM Punk is the current 5SW Heavyweight champion, and is in his 3rd reign no less... still, with all the knowledge and skill he has gained, and the support from the fans, Samoa Joe will seemingly always be his kryptonite.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight: KUSHIDA (c) def. Jeff Hardy

Jeff is a man on a mission, already a 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion alongside his brother Matt. His most recent defense was against KUSHIDA and Kagetora, as a bit of Sekigun on Sekigun friendly rivalry. With KUSHIDA failing to capture the titles, Jeff had his very first chance at the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. Unfortunately, KUSHIDA has been on fire since returning to NJPW and Jeff falls short. KUSHIDA isn't done though, as now it is BOSJ season and he has tons of threats awaiting him, as the Junior Heavyweight division has been rapidly improving.

IWGP Heavyweight: Naomichi Marufuji def. Brock Lesnar (c)

An absolute onslaught from Lesnar, as Marufuji was battered and bloodied. Lesnar grow increasingly more and more frustrated as this match went on, well over 30 minutes, a longer fight than anyone was expecting. Indeed, Marufuji may have tied their singles records at 1-1 but Marufuji in no way "won." He was barely able to stand and give his rousing promo about finally changing NJPW for the better. Marufuji's entire arc was about breaking out of the shadows of Hashimoto, Misawa, Kobashi, and more. In 2007, Marufuji would set out to prove that he can be more than a "dark horse/ace." He would challenge Tanahashi at Destruction and fall short. Marufuji would continue to vent his frustrations, believing that Tanahashi and Nakamura were handpicked, and those that were not handpicked wouldn't achieve the same success. A year later, Marufuji would lose in the G1 Climax to none other than Shinsuke Nakamura. 2009, Marufuji would actually win the G1 Climax, against Satoshi Kojima. He would lose in the main event of WK17, against - you guessed it - Nakamura. Absolutely fed up with it, Marufuji formed RED in 2010, the tweener faction that featured men who could be stars but are held down (think almost prototype LIJ) and Marufuji evolved. In 2011, he would capture the IC title and kick Mabel out of BC and NJPW. His 2nd New Japan Cup win had a hiccup, with him losing the Intercontinental title to Chris Jericho. Despite this, Marufuji could not be stopped, even against Lesnar, he defied him and NJPW and has finally become the IWGP Heavyweight champion. Adding on to this feat (to my knowledge) Marufuji is the first and only man to convert a New Japan Cup victory to a Heavyweight win, the last man to do something even remotely close was the inaugural winner Jun Akiyama, and the only reason for this was because the New Japan Cup was also for the Intercontinental championship! Indeed, Marufuji now sits on the top of the mountain.
 

 

Thank you for reading! There were some other matches as well but nothing super significant or worth writing about to you, my friends. I look forward to writing up the BOSJ! In the meantime here are the brackets, with a little short introduction to them.

 

A Block:

Kushida - Kushida is the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion. Can he do what Devitt did just last year and win the tournament as the champion?

Hayabusa - The last of the three - Ultimo Dragon is injured and likely done with his career, and Liger has dramatically slowed down. Can Hayabusa rise from the ashes and reclaim glory?

Yamato - The self proclaimed Ace has become delusional as of late with his lack of progress in the division. Can Yamato finally get it together?

Naruki Doi - Former BOSJ winner and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion had a successful run and is itching to reclaim that top spot. Can he do it? Or has he been eclipsed by more popular talent?

BxB Hulk - For all his hype, BxB Hulk has underperformed, and a year long injury has stifled his momentum. A successful campaign is what BxB Hulk needs desperately.

CIMA - The dark horse of the 4 (Yamato, Doi, BxB, Cima) though packed with talent. CIMA needs to make a statement after two previous mediocre BOSJ runs.

Matt Sydal (5SW) - Sydal is the 5SW rep, and is one of the best high fliers in the world today. He has wrestled briefly in NJPW before but now he has a chance to ignite his name value and set the world on fire.

MAZADA - "The Hardest Man to Beat" can only mean so much when you haven't won a BOSJ tournament. Can MAZADA finally achieve greatness? 

Jayson Paul - JTG has admitted he has had a crappy few BOSJ runs, but is now back and better than ever and promises to make it to the finals and bring glory to BC.

PAC - The new NJPW signed wrestler PAC has been working multiman matches and such for a while now, but he finally gets to demonstrate who he really is.

B Block:

Jeff Hardy - Despite coming up short last month, Jeff is still motivated more than ever to achieve his goal of becoming a singles champion. 

Kota Ibushi - A man who just barely got into the BOSJ, as last year, Ibushi only managed to score six points. A terrible BOSJ might end his chances for good.

Prince Devitt - The man everyone knows and hates. Prince Devitt is the previous winner and is an absolute monster in the tournament. Anyone in his block must dread his match up, as he holds the record for most points (17) and is the only man to win the tournament while champion.

Shingo Takagi - The brawler who cannot be matched in intensity is just finding his footing with Marufuji's RED faction. Perhaps his recent successes rub off on Takagi?

Ricky Gibson - The cocky loudmouth who is always a delight to watch. A dark horse but a potential finalist all the same.

Drago (CMLL) - The first CMLL representative, his goal is simple, but the match he really wants is Aero Star. His desire to take their rivalry to the largest stage is finally real.

Aero Star (CMLL) - Similar to Drago, they both want to win, but... beating the hell out of each other to prove supremacy could very well be a worthy consolation prize.

SUGI - Some argue the best high flier today. SUGI has slowly become less predictable and one dimensional and seems like a hair away from greatness. Is this his year has perhaps become a common question amongst fans.

Rey Misterio Jr. - Half a decade ago and Rey was the hottest Junior Heavyweight, he hasn't fallen too far, but he is no longer the star he used to be. Can he reclaim his glory?

Hayato Jr. Fujita - The brash and arrogant Fujita wishes to become a household name, a star, a legend. His last attempt in 2010 ended at 4 points. This is his chance to redeem himself.

Your updates continue to be a fun read as always! Very inspired to do a similar save from 1992 onwards but I don't have that knowledge of that period. Could you tell me who the most popular wrestler in your save is? I imagine someone from your company with 20 years of booking lol. I like the usage of non NJPW talents, that's something I really enjoy doing in my saves, I try to give them a bit of a good run usually but sometimes popularity of them gets in the way of it.

[dbritton987]

TCW Threatening Behavior 2021

November 2021 - Attendance: 84, 545 - Show Rating: 90

In a Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match, The Aegis (Ernest Youngman & Xavi Ferrera) defeated The Calgary Strike Force (Chris Flynn & Sterling Whitlock), The Long Beach Crew (Ali X & Mobstar), & Pocket Aces (Joshua Taylor & Roderick Remus) to successfully retain the TCW World Tag Team Championship. (86)

Two current feuds in the tag team division intertwined to create this Tag Title Fatal Four Way.  Despite the chaos, Youngman & Ferrera proved once again why they're the #1 team in the world, as they keep the Tag Titles in the camp of The Syndicate.

Sara Marie York defeated Foxxy LaRue to successfully retain the TCW World Women's Championship.  (83)

LaRue is one of the hottest new acts in TCW, but York proves once again why many consider her the best female wrestler in the world today.  Former Champion Fuyuko Higa would appear and distract York during the match, but Sara was able to recover and put down the fiery LaRue.

Mr. Lucha defeated Primus Allen to successfully retain the TCW International Championship. (82)

Primus Allen would receive some help from fellow Sinner Society member Kill Switch, who has been feuding with Lucha recently.  Lucha appeared to be in trouble, as Primus was keen on earning his 2nd TCW Championship.  But suddenly, the lights went out in the arena!  Suddenly, a spotlight appeared at ringside.  There sat the Burnt Casket, the same casket that Primus Allen had locked Scythe in and lit on fire two months prior!  Everyone expected to see the Dark Reaper appear, including a shocked Primus.  Instead, the spotlight disappeared, and the lights returned to normal!  Primus was left confused and distraught, and walked right into Lucha's finisher, The Third Strike!  1,2,3!  Lucha overcomes the odds and retains the International Championship!  

In Eight Man Tag Team Action, The Kings of Wrestling (Jay Chord, Greg Keith, & C-V-2) defeated Club Booyah (Fro Sure, Robbie Retro, & The Canadian Animals) (88)

It's stable warfare, as the newly formed, fun loving stable known as Club Booyah was formed because all four men had issues with the Kings of Wrestling, including former KoW member Edd Stone.  Numerous matches led to this big Eight Man Tag Team Match.  Little did Club Booyah know that KoW had a surprise prepared.  TCW newcomer Brooke Tyler would reveal her allegiance to KoW, distracting Robbie Retro long enough for Jay Chord to take advantage.  It appears there is now a Queen within the Kings of Wrestling!  

Randy Unleashed defeated Spencer Spade in a Street Fight. (90)

The feud finally comes to a close, as Unleashed & Spade have been bitter rivals ever since Spencer debuted in TCW in the Summer of 2021.  After splitting singles encounters and costing each other a plethora of matches, there was no choice but to take the rules away and let these two men destroy each other.  In the end, Unleashed was able to pick up the huge victory.  One thing is clear though, Unleashed & Spade have become major players in TCW for years to come!  

Garry The Entertainer & Mighty Mo defeated TCW Television Champion Princeton Pryce & Rick Law.  (83)

This tag team cultivated from Garry's desire to receive one more shot at The Syndicate's Princeton Pryce and the Television Title.  TCW Executive Eddie Chandler offered Garry the chance...IF Garry defeated Chandler's security personnel, Rick Law!  Turns out Law had no intention in defeating Garry but rather wanted to teach him a lesson.  Law deliberately got himself DQ'ed, as he assaulted Garry with his Night Stick mid-match.  Garry's friend and tag team partner Mighty Mo would hit the ring to make the save.  Law would back off when confronted by Mo!

Since then, Garry would lose in his second attempt to dethrone Pryce, thanks to Rick Law.  Later, Law would defeat Mighty Mo in a singles match, as he would strike Mo with his Night Stick after a distraction by Princeton Pryce.  Annoyed with the chaos, TCW General Manager Ricky Dale Johnson granted Garry & Mo this tag team match.  In the end, a miscommunication by Pryce & Law would lead to their demise, as Pryce would accidently strike Law with Rick's own Night Stick!  Mighty Mo would take advantage and put away Pryce with the Plunging Spinebuster for the 1,2,3.  

In a TLC Match, Wolf Hawkins defeated Sammy Bach to successfully retain the TCW World Heavyweight Championship. (92)

Hawkins and Bach have feuded over and exchanged the TCW World Title for the entire year of 2021.  It all came down to this, one final match.  There will be no rematch!  Of course, shocking to absolutely to no one, Wolf Hawkins would break his promise, and The Syndicate would interfere in the match when Bach was inches away from retrieving the World Title.  Princeton Pryce, Ernest Youngman, & Xavi Ferrera pummeled Bach at the instructions of their leader. 

Suddenly, a familiar music hit.  The crowd went nuts as Aaron Andrews hit the ring!  We haven't seen Andrews since he lost a Texas Death Match to Rick Law a month ago!  Andrews makes the save for his good friend Sammy Bach, clearing the ring of the Syndicate goons.  Andrews turns his attention to long time hated Hawkins.  Andrews eyes up the World Champion as Hawkins staggers to his feet. 

And just then....ANDREWS SPINS AROUND AND SPEARS SAMMY BACH THROUGH THE TABLE IN THE CORNER!  The entire arena is stunned, including Wolf Hawkins!  Andrews stands coldly over his unconscious friend Bach as the crowd begins to boo Aaron.  Then, just like that, Andrews exits the ring and leaves the arena with an expressionless look upon his face, never turning back to see the destruction that he caused.  The coast being cleared, with Bach motionless through the table, Wolf Hawkins climbed the ladder and retrieved the TCW World Heavyweight Championship!  

Why Aaron Why???!!!

[larvicarioz]

I've finally created a Cverse 1977 save that I find interesting enough to follow through until the present day (as is my current plan). I started a company on Easy with a bit of extra finances and have been keeping to some strict rules. Only wrestlers with >50 experience can be a part of my main roster, any with less have to start in dev until they reach 50. Also I am only allowed to hire (male) wrestlers with 85+ in one of the primary skills (other than hardcore), athleticism, star quality or charisma for the main roster, and 80+ for dev (this was previously 80 and 75 but that got too crowded), with the numbers being 75+ and 60+ for women. I have done this to make sure that I am only using the true cream of the crop, but also to limit me from hiring all my favourite wrestlers (RIP Cazador, Los Caballeros de Santiago, Gilgamesh, Loano, Pantera and The Perfect Storm) as I always seem to end up with pretty much the same roster in CV77.

I have just booked my fifth anniversary show in January 1982, and this is how it went:

LWF Anniversary V

(Pre-Show) Chiba Chiba and Jennifer Patrick defeated Christy Sunshine and Riley Escobar (62)

No story to this one, just making sure two of the women I'm pushing go over on(ish) our biggest show of the year

(Pre-Show) Kumiko Hasegawa defeated Sachio Sugiyama (52)

Kumiko Hasegawa just came back to the company after a couple of years away (I fired her as her stamina was too low, but it has now improved) and she will be moving into a storyline in the coming weeks.

Limb-Snappers (Chandler Baker, Jimmy Power and Mike Barstow) defeated Cruel Japan (Dragon Agakawa, Kyoshiro Kanashi and Yasunari Koga) and Outer Space (Banzai Yoshiharu, Red Falcon and El Payaso) to win the LWF Men's Trios titles (80)

Outer Space have been a fixture in LWF since very early in the company's history, also featuring Extraordinario and Quasar (who we shall come to later). This was the inception of the LWF Trios titles and almost the culmination of a three way battle between these groups, started because Cruel Japan and Limb-Snappers couldn't agree on which of them gets to bring down Extraordinario. Limb-Snappers is a group of extremely gifted technical wrestlers and Cruel Japan (obviously) is a heel Japanese group, named such as they are rivals of Cool Japan (who we shall also come to later). Dragon Agakawa and Tasuku Nandaba just won the LWF Men's Tag Team titles from Vertigo (Yoshiharu & Falcon) on the last episode of TV, hence why they are not being defended at this show.

Matthew McAllister defeated Andre (Powerhouse) Patterson (62)

No story here just trying to depush Patterson until his wrestling skills can improve in our training facility.

Carrie Hitchens and The Flying Angels defeated China (Lady) Kitozaki and WoMonsters (Bertha Mayle and Mongol Yamamura) (77)

I bought out JWW in 1979 and so their wrestlers comprise the bulk of my women's division (as they are most of the best female wrestlers in the world!) The Flying Angels have been feuding with the WoMonsters for years and I am trying to push them up to a point where it is feasible to create Women's tag titles (we do not even have a women's singles title yet as the pushes have been taking a while!)

Sam Strong defeated (Mighty) Thor (68)

Sam Strong finally reached 50 experience last month so he is the highest priority to push, and Thor's skills are simply not up to snuff at all yet.

Bishima and Mephisto defeated Cherokee Hawk and Will Roberts (81)

Hawk and Roberts are jobbers here to two members of the Nero's Disciples stable who are both moving up the card.

Shinigami (Gnasher Udo) defeated Brick Fantana (82)

Another member of Nero's Disciples, who has also only recently come up from dev. Brick Fantana is the last of the three (all ex-SWF, huh) wrestlers that I am rapidly de-pushing. Mike Kinsey is also present in LWF so Gone Hollywood shall be a jobber tag team for a while. Shinigami got an 84 rating for this match while pushing as unimportant so I am very excited for his rise.

Samira (The) White defeated Sadako Red, Melissa Monroe and Mariselle LeFebvre (82)

Melissa Monroe had been separately feuding with Mariselle LeFebvre and Red Army (Sadako Red, Dina Li (in rehab) and Kuni Ginoru) over the true owner of the colour red in women's wrestling (given Monroe's and LeFebvre's hair colours are both red). Samira came up from dev during this feud and began a rivalry with Sadako Red, which brought her into conflict with the other two as well. I did not choose a winner for this but Samira winning is very exciting as her match ratings are outstanding.

El Jefe (Border Patrol) defeated Dead Silence and Edo Phoenix in an Elimination match (82)

Silence and Phoenix are a tag team as Team Ninja, and El Jefe is sick of their ninja nonsense and wants to drill into them some sort of true regimental discipline (El Jefe's character is somewhere between a sheriff and a drill instructor). Jefe wins the feud here and will move on to bigger and better things.

Heidi Brooks and Nakamura Miharu defeated Team Destruction (Brenda Martinez and Yumi Yoshikuni) (87)

Heidi Brooks is the only woman pushing at above Well Known and so this feud has been an attempt to help raise the other three (and Chiba Chiba, the other member of Team Destruction) up to a point where I can feasibly create a Women's World title. The feud ends here but I plan on having it bubble under the surface for many years to come.

Quasar defeated Puma (Top Cat Aguila) (96)

Potential teaser of an Outer Space vs Nero's Disciples feud that may come in the next couple of months, Quasar may be moved up to the main event shortly and contend for the World title. Puma has not usually performed this well but this may be a sign of a turnaround. I am so glad I thought of the name Puma as I loathe his regular name.

Chief Two Eagles defeated George DeColt (98)

George DeColt has only just joined LWF and is still finding his feet but wow this match rating suggests he should shoot straight to the top (great chemistry definitely helped). This was simply a match to get both men on the card as both are faces (though my split is only loosely enforced).

Fred Jenkins defeated Jean-Pierre Baptiste (91)

This feud went sour very early on. I initially had the Straight Shooters (Fred Jenkins, Matthew McAllister and Lewis Brocksfield) against the French Legion (Jean-Jacques LeBlanc, Jean-Luc Lemans and Jean-Pierre Baptiste) with the intention of pushing all three of the 'French'men, but unfortunately BOTH LeBlanc and Lemans started their physical declines during the feud, leaving me with only Baptiste that I wanted to push, thankfully he was already the best worker of the three.

Robbie Gordon defeated Yodo Nakane, Kenji Fukamura, Ryusei Kanai, Tetsuya Najahara and Yoshinaka Toshusai in an Elimination match (83)

Robbie Gordon aggravated the entire Cool Japan stable when he insisted that he was better at the Japanese style of wrestling than any of them, and he was slowly facing them each in 1v1 matches to determine if this was true. In the end Gordon comes out on top but Nakane, Fukamura and Kanai have all been raised out of being considered Unimportant so I'm calling this a huge success.

Tibor Szakacs defeated Joey Flame (89)

I listened to his bio! Szakacs is a major player in LWF having been there since the beginning, joining up with his fellow Wild Men in Wild Man Sullivan, Dick the Devastator (I managed to buy out AAFW in 1977 so his loyalty is not a factor) and Saionji Omura. Joey Flame is missing his brother Teddy (fired a couple years ago when I upgraded my minimum skill level requirement, but he has now surpassed it in SWF and will be back when his contract comes up in a year) but is now a part of Team Lionheart (a Team Supreme ripoff featuring Micky Starr, Chief Two Eagles and Andre Patterson). This match suffered from both a lack of selling AND a lack of psychology (despite both having 84 psych) so the high rating just shows how good Szakacs truly is.

Extraordinario defeated Jackson Andrews and Tasuku Nandaba (97)

This is the true final battle in the story between Outer Space, the Limb-Snappers and Cruel Japan. Jackson Andrews is someone I always want to sign but this time around CWF offered him a written contract rather than handshake and so his loyalty meant I couldn't sign him...until he became embroiled in a scandal in 1978 and was released from the company. The scandal lasted nearly two and a half years but I snapped him up as soon as I could and this was the first feud he has been a part of. Both Andrews and Nandaba are getting on in age so they were the ones most pushed of their respective stables in this feud, but Extraordinario wins in the end. Extraordinario may well be one of the next, if not THE next, Men's World champion.

McCloud & Mason defeated Dick The Devastator and Wild Man Sullivan (99)

Angus McCloud and Ernest Mason had been a loose unit for a while until I decided to have them tag and realised they have great chem. McCloud has been feuding with the Wild Men on and off for years and this may finally put it to bed as Sullivan, Dick and Szakacs are all getting old. However Ernest Mason has great chemistry with BOTH Dick and Szakacs so he may simply take over the feud.

Micky Starr defeated Professor Nero (98)

Starr formed his stable of Team Lionheart with the express purpose of taking down Nero's Disciples. Unfortunately he tore his meniscus at a house show in May and was ONLY JUST able to come back in time for this show. He shall move on to be the next challenger for the Men's World title, while Nero and his Disciples shall continue running roughshod over LWF for the foreseeable future.

Rip Chord defeated Ray Kingman in a Cage match to retain the LWF Men's World title (95)

Rip Chord. Sigh. A year ago he was at 100 pop across the US with 90 star quality, and now his star qual is down to 81 and his pop cap is reducing because of it. He simply refuses to stop his heavy drinking, despite already having been to rehab once for it. He can still put on fantastic matches don't get me wrong, this was only limited due to negative chemistry. Chord won the title from Kingman back in March after returning from the aforementioned stint in rehab that had previously caused him to vacate the title. Unfortunately I had not realised the two of them had negative chem until Kingman had won the vacant title and I didn't feel as though I could screw Chord out of regaining it. But now Chord, age 32, is probably on the outs in LWF. He will probably drop the title next month to Starr and then slowly move down the card before his stamina reaches terrible levels (it has reduced from 95 to 89 this year so he probably has a good three or four more years in him thankfully).

Edited March 5 by larvicarioz
Better Spacing

[MaiTyLer]

History of Ladies' Wrestling Promotions: 1945-1950 (End Of The Beginning)

I had to take a small break, but I've finally gone over 30 years into the game (23 Booking a company)! At this point the save really feels like home, and is some of the most fun I've had with the game. In terms of the title you can probably guess if you read the other posts, ALOT of the main event has retired in the last four years, with more seemingly on the way. Of the last 5 main event champs we've had, 3 have just retired. In terms of the in-ring action, we last left off with a new TV schedule and champion Gabriela Suarez start the post war era, before losing her title to Page Gagné in March of '46, who dropped to teammate Sara Izenberg in May of '47. Sara would hold the line on our new TV and put in a great match with basically anyone until June May Weston regained the title at the 20th Anniversary show, but she had started to accept movie deals and her ring work was suffering quickly as a result. We needed to face the fact of needing fresh blood, so while not young (37 at the time), main event new comer, former V-Day Invitational winner, and overall former "challenger only" status new gen Maria Sluder took JMW's title in May of '48 after ANOTHER surprise movie deal. Sluder was great, but someone else who is actually more young and even better in the ring, The Masked Mistress took the Ladies' World Title and formed the Ladies Triple Crown (She had won the New Deal Cup, unified it with the UWW Big Gold Belt (Only other NA Women's fed I bought out). The Masked Mistress took the ball I gave her and has gone RUNNING with it. 34, good attributes for keeping spry, average performance rating of 94 on big shows, solid 80s on smaller ones, she's got it all. She held the company up high during that period where the retirements started rolling in. November 48 - December 49, 3 of the 4 "V-4s (The 4 non user character women who carried the company) finally hung up their goods, with Suarez and Page calling it quits in 48, and JMW leaving me for Hollywood in 49. Everything about the company is starting to change with them gone, and thankfully its mostly for the better, we've even began to rise with the first set of proper storylines...but we'll go over some of those in a second, first...

• The World At Large:

If you look at this like an Alternative History, Women's Wrestling is not only a respected feature, its often the top of all the cards, LWP is the top promotion, UWW only went out to money reasons, Victory Wrestling Group (all UK Women's fed) has been putting on banger matches, the women division hold feds are doing better overall, and the only company in Japan is Joshi Japan Championships (KINKI, the first Puro fed, has gone out of business due to a huge money scandal, and a devastated post war Japan economy). The biggest men's territory is in Championship Wrestling of Buffalo, who have local TV, and run shows featuring new gens, as well as established names like Rocket Monroe, Jackie Houston, and an aging Emilio Suarez. Southern Pro Wrestling has made somewhat of a comeback on live tv, and while far away, is the only other "threat" in the USA, with companies like Superior Wrestling, Team Wrestling Association, and Gateway Wrestling all fairing just fine. CANADA is actually more of a powerhouse in this timeline at least for right now, New World Wrestling (ranked #3 overall) have been consistently Medium sized for a good amount of time, and National Professional Wrestling, while in the red due to expansion costs, could make a comeback in the green, with a huge war on the horizon. At the start of the new year, Canadian Federation of Wrestling was founded, with a starting size of medium, its interesting to see who will come out on top of the great north. MEXICO is also hotly contested, as SUENO, SELL, and Lucha Libre Azteca all vie for second place under the heavy shadow of Viva La Lucha. IMLL is a new little fed that could easily sneak up when you least expect it! BRITIAN has been the same, with All Out Wrestling and VWG holding it down, Europe has alot of feds, alot of money, no room for expansion, Japan has only one fed, same with INDIA, and OCEANIA is the only really interesting case...

• Mark Carnie FEARS Victor Garza:

For the longest time, Queensland Wrestling was the biggest fed in the land down under, run and booked by Victor Garza, a man who might be the WORST HUMAN BEING I'VE SEEN in this game. I lost count of how many women and men he's exploited in the industry, if a hall of immorals existed, he would be the first induction. Not only that, but even when he finally was forced to shut down his company (after 2 decades) he wound up in the only other promotion in Australia, Marvelous South Wales Action, which is ALSO Run by an equally awful human being, its the train ride that never ends...Enough about the world, lets talk about...

• The CAMP

Walking into Anniversary XXII, The Masked Mistress was set to face off against (newgen) Kathy Winn, the 2nd highest star in the company next only to her. They've swung on each other before, but this time the atmosphere was right for a classic match and a classic finish, or so it would seem. During the closing moments, The West Coast Girls tag team came out, not only having just done a post match beatdown after THEIR match, but ran interference over the match, costing Winn her shot, and securing TMM her title. After the show the group cut a promo to the live audience, announcing their shedding of the West Coast Girls name, adopting Students of The Mistress and formed The Camp. The first stable in LWP history, formed after the very first tainted victory in LWP history, easy to write. 

• What's Next?

As stated above, we have a new stable, along with a new product, I've gone for The Golden Age product over the old carnival days product, we'll start to see some basic storylines form out, so I'm excited to get that going. As for the 50s, I have confidence in our roster, although some names won't make it past then. The Mistress will be a focal point for the show but she isn't in her 20s anymore, Maria Sluder and Sara Izenberg are hitting decline, and hard, plus alot of the old midcard is starting to pack up and leave. On the bright side, The CAMP aren't the only stable in town, TEAM USA (Kelsey Sobel (newgen) and Real Life Wrestler Mildred Burke), two young up and comers bested the WCGs lower on the card, and have formed "The SENATE" with Kathy Winn (27) to combat the influence of the camp, its a mini stable war! "Bouncing" Bonnie Boucher (Cverse), Raelynn Baum, Serenity Rae (gen) all are looking young and hungry, plus we have more C-verse debutees will probably start to come, I have a DEV territory in Hawaii to get more experience, our schedule is starting to help get talent more over and more skill growth, so overall I'm quite excited to see how this save will go, tho I will be planning things out and taking a small break first...

LWP (Ladies' Wrestling Promotions) Titles, Annual Year Awards, & Notable Deaths

Ladies' Triple Crown Championship: The Masked Mistress x1 (337 Days, won Sunday W4, DEC 1948)

Ladies' Tag Team Championships: Winters Organization (Gens) x4 (32 Days, won Sunday W4, NOV 1948)

Ladies' North American Championship: Serenity Rae x1 (169 Days, won Sunday W4, JUN 1949)

LWP Victory Day Invitational (Tournament): Kelsey Sobel x1 (1946) Maria Sluder x1 (1947) Page Gagné x1 (1948) Rose Donovan x1(1949)

ANNUAL YEAR AWARDS: 

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Tomaz Rivas x1 (1945) Page Gagné x5 (1946-1948) The Masked Mistress x1 (1949)

TEAM OF THE YEAR: Page Gagné & Sara Inzberg x10 (1945-1949) 

FEMALE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Page Gagné x8 (1945) Gabriela Suarez x7 (1946), Sara Izenberg x6 (1947,1948), Maria Sluder x1 (1949)

COMPANY OF THE YEAR: LWP x4 (1940-1943)

NOTABLE RETIREMENTS:

• Kaylynn Bowen @ 39, 1946 ( x1 CSW Female Champ, x4 Ladies' Tag Team Champ (/w Kiera Fregoso), LWP Hall of Fame(w/ Kiera Fregoso)) 
• Yellow Swan @ 40, 1946 ( x1 CSW Female Champ, x2 UWW Big Gold Belt, x1 UWW Tag Championships, Current Booker of LLA) 
• Sophia Abetya @ 38, 1946 ( x2 CWB Wonder Woman, x4 Ladies' Tag Team Champ (x1 Roisin Monaghan, x3 with Susane Gladin), LWP Hall of Fame(w/ Susane Gladin)) 
• Rut Spinner @ 37, 1946 (x2 UWW Tag Championships, Owner of UWW) 
• Susane Gladin @ 39, 1947 ( x1 CWB Wonder Woman, x1 CSW Female Champ, x3 Ladies' Tag Team Champ (with Sophia Abetya), LWP Hall of Fame(w/ Sophia Abetya)) 
• The Great Elanor @ 34, 1947 ( x1 CWB Wonder Woman, x1 New Deal Cup Tournament, x2 New Deal Cup Title Holder, Most Annoying To Book Award 1936) 
• Roisin Monaghan @ 40, 1948 ( x2 Ladies' North American Championship, x1 New Deal Cup Title Holder, x1 Ladies' Tag Team Champ) 
• Peggy Mcentire @ 40, 1948 ( x4 Ladies' Tag Team Champ (w/ June May Weston), x1 New Deal Cup Title Holder, x2 UWW Big Gold Belt, LWP Hall of Fame(w/ June May Weston))
• Kirby Rodgers @ 48, 1948 ( x1 CWB World Tag Team, x1 CWB World, x1 CWB Wrestling Spirit, x1 FNP National Tag, x3 SPW Tag Team, x1 SW! Tag, former CEO of SPW, former booker of CWB & SW!) 
• Gabriela Suarez @ 41 (x2 Ladies' Tag Team Champ, x2 Ladies' World Wrestling Champ, x7 Female Wrestler of The Year Award Winner)
• Page Gagné @ 40 (x1 CSW Female Champ, x6 Ladies' Tag Team Champ (w/ Sara Izenberg), x1 New Deal Cup Title Holder, x3 Ladies' World Wrestling Champ, x1 New Deal Cup Tournament, x1 LWP Victory Day Invitational, x7 Female Wrestler of The Year Award Winner, x10 Tag Team of The Year Award Winner, x5 Wrestler of The Year Award Winner, x2 LWP Hall of Fame (w/ Sara Izenberg)
• June May Weston @ 39 (x4 Ladies' Tag Team Champ (w/ Peggy Mcentire), x1 New Deal Cup Title Holder, x1 New Deal Cup Tournament, x2 Ladies' World Wrestling Champ, x2 LWP Hall of Fame (w/ Peggy Mcentire)

NOTABLE DEATHS:

• Mustafa Stamps @ 32, Swatting, 1947 (Booker of NPW, they've lost money since his passing.)

TIMELINE:

• October 45 UWW is bought out by LWP.
• 1946 LWP switches to TV format.
• May 1946, June May Weston begins to film movies.
• Oct 46, KINKI (First and Biggest Japanese Fed) has a financial scandal, losing 13 Million Dollars, going in the red.
• Feb 47 JMW Returns.
• APR 47 Queensland Wrestling, first aussie fed run by total scumbag FINALLY goes bankrupt, unfortunately the only other Aussie fed is run by an equally horrible person. Former UWW Owner Rut Spinner jailed for Tax Evasion for 1 year stemming from the LWP buy out.
• May 47 Rut Spinner will retire from actual wrestling following her release from prison.
• Oct 47. Kelsey Sobel & Mildred Burke officially go by Team USA. Halle Maddux reports to rehab for an addiction to early use pharmaceuticals.
• Dec 47 The worst man in wrestling Victor Garza has retired from the ring. The Great Elenaor retired (good).
• MAR 48 Halle Maddux returns from rehab, same day as Rocket Monroe is caught with drugs.
• APR 48 Róisín Monaghan retires from the ring, acting as a manager in a trial run.
• JUL 48 KINKI goes bankrupt, Gabriel Suarez announces retirement.
• Sep 48 LWP Announcer Edgar Gray cheats on former LWP talent Peggy Mcentire with movie star Makenzie Dane, upsetting a few in the Locke room.
• Nov 48 Championship Wrestling from Hilo is founded in Hilo, Hawaii (The Big Island).
• Sat Week 3 March 49 - Team USA team with Maria Guest against Masked Mistress and West Coast Girls, who team together for the first time.
• JUL 49 Another cheating scandal in the LWP locker room (Ref and an employee no longer with the company)
• AUG 49 Page Gange retires ending the legendary run of "The Castaways" (x6 Tag Team x5 World/Triple Crown winners) Sara Izenberg is hitting time decline, and her position on the card is starting to slip, the last of the "V-4s". On the same day Page retires, June May Weston announces she will retire in 3 months. 59 year old Daniel Loiselle, NPW booker and legend still wrestling, retires due to a broken neck.
• NOV 49 June May Weston retires, longtime midcarder Denyse Desjardins also leaves LWP.
• NOV-DEC 49 The Days of Haze, For 3 weeks, the lockeroom becomes out of control, order is eventually restored, but its an odd thing to happen regardless.

PREVIOUS POSTS:

1940-1945

1930-1940

1920-1930

[Genking]

CWA Ultimate Showdown 2021

Some Backstory:

In 2020 The DeColt Boys Jack & Ricky took in young David Stone and formed a three person brotherhood which they called 'Heritage' to celebrate both of their families' legacies within the wrestling world. In early 2021 they were joined by Steve DeColt's son, Xander. Shortly after Edd Stone left TCW and joined up with CWA, though he did not join he was closely affiliated with the group as he started teaming with his nephew David to help him grow.

At WrestleFestival Jack and Ricky (joined by Edd & David) settled their score with Christian Price and his Elite faction and forced them to split up (Price has not been seen since). The success was short lived as Steve DeColt had gotten in the head of 'A-Game' Aaron Knight and the two joined up to beat down Jack & Ricky.

Steve DeColt and Aaron Knight were quick to snatch up Blockbuster as their heavy, convinced 'Double J' Jared Johnson to join them and even managed to make Nadia Snow end her Queen's Court faction to be a part of this exclusive faction, Snow brought with her retired Demelza Wade as a personal assistant. The six became known as 'The V.I.P'. 

 

Pre-Show: Johnny Bloodstone defeats. Mountie Mann

Pre-Show: Thea Davis & Sandra Shine defeat Jessica Conroy & Deborah Young

Pre-Show: The Montreal Mafia defeat Generation Z, Thunder & Lightning and The Brothers Cain

CWA World Tag Team Title Match: Skip Beau & Shooter Sean Deeley (c) defeat Sonny Wildside & Xander DeColt

- Skip Beau and Shooter Sean Deeley ended their rivalry with each other by realizing they had more in common than either man wanted to admit, forming and unlikely alliance the two actually ended up beating The Dynamite Express for the tag team titles and are now taking on all challengers while deepening their bond.

Women's Title #1 Contenders Determiner: Brooke Tyler defeats Laura Flame and Amber Allen

Grudge Match: Sean McFly defeat Robin DaLay

- Robin DaLay started off 2021 in a big way when he managed to defeat Donte Dunn for the Television title in February. After a 2 month reign the run came to an end when Sean McFly (who had been on a downward slope since failing to topple Christian Price and win the CWA World Title) ended up defeating him in late April. DaLay did not take kindly to this and did all he could to try and win the title back. When that failed he did the next best thing and made sure that McFly lost his title to Jared Johnson. Since then the two men have been brawling all over Canada.

Tag Title #1 Contenders Determiner: The Dynamite Express defeat The Young Stones (Edd & David Stone) 

CWA Television Title Match: Jared Johnson (c) defeats Mark Griffin 

- After joining The V.I.P faction, Jared Johnson has done great, and thanks to Robin DaLay he is now on his third reign with the Television title. Mark Griffin's brother, Robby, is injured so he has to go at it in singles competition and answered Johnson's open challenge to get this match. 

CWA Women's Title Match, Falls Count Anywhere: Lauren Easter (c) defeats Nadia Snow 

- Joining The V.I.P also helped Nadia Snow reach new heights as they helped her do what her Queen's Court allies could not, capture the women's title. Lauren Easter, however, was not willing to just sit back and watch as Snow and her assistant, Demelza Wade, ran the women's division and decided to do something about it. So at In The Company Of Legends she challenged, and defeated, Snow. The rematch is now set to be a falls count anywhere match.

CWA World Title Match: Mr. Impact (c) defeats Cameron Vessey and Donte Dunn 

- At In The Company Of Legends Cameron Vessey was once again defending his world title in a multiman match, the opponents, Donte Dunn. Edd Stone and Mr. Impact. Most people has pegged the winner to be either Vessey and Stone so it came as a shock when Mr. Impact pulled the upset and walked out with the world title. As Edd Stone were busy trying to help his nephew out in the tag division he did not challenge Mr. Impact. But two men were more than ready to go another round for the title. Former champion, Cameron Vessey demanding his rematch, and a man that feels like he is destined to hold that belt, Donte Dunn 

I Quit Match: Aaron Knight defeats Jack DeColt 

- Aaron Knight and Jack DeColt have been in a heavy feud since the formation of The V.I.P, Knight interfered and cost DeColt the CWA World title at Apocalypse 4, they fought in a cage match at Chaos In The Cage, a Russian chain match at In The Company Of Legends. Now it looks like their score will be settled in an I Quit Match.

If Jack Decolt wins The V.I.P is forced to disband, if Aaron Knight wins Jack DeColt is suspended for 6 months.

[Peria]

On 2/26/2024 at 9:55 PM, nob0t said:

Nikkisawa has risen!

And rise she will continue! Nikki was a talent that got really good towards the end of her career and it kind of sucked it looked like a case of her being held back, because she was actually good. I was never a massive fan of hers but appreciated her last few matches.

 

On 2/27/2024 at 7:38 PM, Uncivilised said:

Your updates continue to be a fun read as always! Very inspired to do a similar save from 1992 onwards but I don't have that knowledge of that period. Could you tell me who the most popular wrestler in your save is? I imagine someone from your company with 20 years of booking lol. I like the usage of non NJPW talents, that's something I really enjoy doing in my saves, I try to give them a bit of a good run usually but sometimes popularity of them gets in the way of it.

 

Thanks man! I try pretty hard to keep it fresh/interesting. You'd be happy to know... the most popular wrestler in the world is... a 52 year old Rayo de Jalisco Jr. employed to CMLL with a 98 average popularity. Of course Hiroshi Tanahashi is #2 at 98 average popularity as well. So interchangeable, but seeing Tana at #2 is hilarious. The most popular worker overall was Vince McMahon at 100 overall everywhere. But he has passed away, and with that all said and done...

BOSJ and Dontaku are concluded! An intense and interesting tournament which, while I admit has been a bit of a slog to run partially because getting people popular enough to even compete is difficult! Thankfully it is enjoyable to flood the game world with more over workers, like Matt Sydal, who is on a PPA deal with 84 popularity now just from this tournament alone. He started at 72! Anyways....

A Block: 

PAC: FORFEIT (2 pts) - PAC continues a new tradition perhaps? He broke his neck. Ultimo Dragon ended his career early off a broken neck last year and now PAC, whose in the prime of his life, with the opprotunity of his life, is out for over a year. PAC started out hot as well, defeating BxB Hulk before freakishly injuring himself against Jayson Paul the next night.

Matt Sydal: 8 Pts - Matt Sydal was an unknown to most NJPW fans. He appeared sporadically for the company as an enhancement talent or a stand-in for injured talent, and while he was always impressive, this BOSJ was his first real test for the company. Many believe he passed with flying colors and is more than enough over with the crowd to see a return appearance. Perhaps even a full-time contract?

CIMA: 8 Pts - A middling BOSJ for CIMA has become routine around this time. Though he did break even compared to last years performance (4-5) but both years he was in the block where an injury occurred and gave him two free points. In 2010, in his debut for BOSJ, he earned 6 points... see what I'm getting at? Is CIMA the worst of the 4 (BxB Hulk/Yamato/Cima/Naruki Doi) or has he just not found his footing quite yet?

Jayson Paul: 8 Pts - A disappointing BOSJ but a step up from last year. Jayson Paul might have finally found his footing in the company, and has perhaps finally stepped out of Devitt's shadow. He garnered sympathy with the fans after the injury PAC sustained, and how devastated the young athletes were. Jayson Paul began fighting slightly more face and even on the final night urged Bullet Club to let him do his final night solo. He would lose unfortunately, and that caused an irate Bullet Club to help him to the back.

BxB Hulk: 10 Pts - A huge tournament for BxB Hulk who missed last years BOSJ due to injury. BxB Hulks night 9 was capped off when he bested the IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion KUSHIDA, which prevented the champ from going to the finals. BxB Hulk played an important role in history and all things considered did well! Perhaps next year, by Night 9 is he a contender and not a spoiler.

MAZADA: 10 Pts - A curious case always, the tired and true performer MAZADA has never not been solid. His story has been told numerous times. Elite mat wrestler who has the rudo attitude that gets the fans easily rooting against him. But what else? He is a former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion, a finalist in the tournament... but I mean, he is almost 40 now. MAZADA has not evolved, he won't evolve. He'll always be great. But he'll never be the greatest. 10 points for a younger wrestler is exceptional. MAZADA has been in the BOSJ since 1999. The guy deserves all the credit for consistency, but... is that all he is? 

Hayabusa: 11 Pts - Hayabusa, the Phoenix, the last man standing after Liger, and Ultimo Dragon have bowed out of the tournament. Hayabusa still remains extremely strong and talented for a man in his early 40s. At 43 years old he still remains one of the best highfliers and still proves problematic for newer and older guys alike. He had a time limit draw with KUSHIDA night 2 and is itching to perhaps wiggle himself into a title shot because of it. Hayabusa is 43, and with his style, he is barely hanging on as an active performer. A 4x IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion and a 2x winner of BOSJ is a HoF career easily, but the man wants, and perhaps deserves one or two more accolades before finally joining Liger and Ultimo Dragon.

KUSHIDA: 11 Pts - A draw with Hayabusa and a Night 9 defeat in the tournament has to sting, as KUSHIDA was fast becoming the ultimate Junior Heavyweight. Of course, losing BOSJ as champion isn't surprising or even rare. It's been mentioned how only one man has done it. Had KUSHIDA bested BxB Hulk on Night 9 he'd be into the finals. Sadly he is not. Not much else to say, he did exceptionally well. 11 points. Last year he did 12, but a draw isn't as bad as a loss, right? 

YAMATO: 12 Pts - Yamato squeaked by. Some argue he didn't even deserve to go to the finals, as he needed a LOT to go his way to even get by. He needed Hayabusa to lose on Night 9, and KUSHIDA as well. Plus he needed to beat Jayson Paul, who has become a bit of a dark horse fan favorite throughout the tournament. Jayson Paul would injure his shoulder in this match and YAMATO would show his true colors, blasting the target with as much as he can. A rare shock that YAMATO gets out booed over Bullet Club, especially given their history. MAZADA would submit Hayabusa in an old rivalry that has been going on since the 90s, while KUSHIDA would choke and lose to BxB Hulk in the main event with YAMATO coming out to thank BxB personally. Indeed YAMATO is your A Block winner, like it or not.

 

B Block:

Hayato Jr. Fujita: 4 Pts - No, he wasn't injured. Fujita just struggles in BOSJ. He might not be ready, he might not be good enough even... though the fans seemed to have finally begun to root for this underdog in a big way. Fujita gained fans and he gained popularity, and that might count for something in this early stage of his career. He is after all only 25. Will he get another shot next year? Hard to tell, but with the fan support he has now, it could happen.

Rey Misterio Jr: 6 Pts - A tragedy. Rey has not been the same and has even talked about leaving NJPW and closing his career back over in CMLL. It's hard to tell with Rey, who has been billed as the ultimate underdog since his debut, but 6 points is abysmal, and without Eddie or Chavo tormenting him, he has no drive or chapter heading into Dontaku. He just... lost. That's it. Can he even recover in NJPW? Will he just go back to CMLL? Anyone's guess.

SUGI: 6 Pts - A tragedy. Seeing Rey at 6 points is heartbreaking but Rey has had an excellent career. SUGI has yet to even really have a career. The 28 year old has only one a NEVER 6 Man title, alongside Yoshi Tatsu and Naruki Doi back in Blue Justice. This was in 2007. 5 years ago. SUGI has always been close, real close to breaking out and becoming a top contender. Now? It looks like he slipped and fell back a few steps. Hopefully this is a freak accident and not the norm as SUGI continues to struggle to find himself in NJPWs harsh landscape.

Ricky Gibson: 8 Pts - The Rock God himself has always been solid, he is sort of like MAZADA but obviously younger. Which... can be a compliment or an insult depending on how you look at it. Gibson can go out and beat anyone, and if not, hell give you a MOTN contender. But with 8 pts, a 4-5 record, is that good enough? Ricky has been teaming with Matt Sydal recently on the Dontaku tours so perhaps the Rock God already has ideas on how to stay fresh and relevant. This BOSJ is behind him, easy peasy.

Shingo Takagi: 8 Pts - Shingo is actually in a pretty good spot. He was always Marufuji's deputy and despite being a Jr. Heavyweight he showcased amazing power, so why is 8 points good for him? Because he outperformed. Fans really caught on to Takagi and are already clamoring for more. His moveset is explosive, and his spirit is undeniable. Takagi has all the tools to be a big star, and it looks like hes finally putting them together.

Bryan Danielson: 10 Pts - There were times where it felt like Danielson was going to win the block. He did lose to Hayato Jr. Fujita, but he still looked impressive throughout. He even defeated Prince Devitt on Night 9 which forced Devitt to assault Danielson after the match. Bryan might not have won, but his consolation prize is now Bullet Club is frothing at the mouth to beat his ass.

Prince Devitt: 10 Pts - Devitt had impossible shoes to fill, and they were his own! He won last year, he was champion last year! He is 1 of 1. He is a made man. So why is he pissed? Because the man wants it all, always. He doesn't want to share he wants to control. Him losing to an outsider in Bryan Danielson on Night 9, AS *the* outsider infuriated him. It is no wonder he struck Danielson after the match repeatedly. Either way Devitt has clear motivations and while a BOSJ repeat would have been the stuff of legends, Devitt will survive.

Jeff Hardy: 12 Pts - Jeff Hardys BOSJ is interesting actually. He realistically should have won the entire thing, as all of his losses were against people many had him beating. While he beat the people many thought he would lose against. Jeff lost to Nakajima, Takagi, and Ricky Gibson. Jeff surely is upset about the losses and the shortcoming but he is a tag team champion and heads into Dontaku defending that title against Aero Star & Drago, two guys who were unable to partake in this years BOSJ despite being announced intially. 

Katsuhiko Nakajima: 12 Pts - I mean, not many debut better than this. Nakajima's first match was a vicious referee stoppage against Jeff Hardy. He went 4-0 before choking a little bit and gassing himself out, many thought this was the classic case of the tournament and newcomers, strong start, fall apart. Nakajima recovered! He did lose 3 straight but then ended strong with two back to back wins. Nakajima is a problem, and already has many factions vying for his attention.
Kota Ibushi: 14 Pts - B Block's winner is Kota Ibushi! The man who somehow ended last years BOSJ at just a pathetic paltry 6 points is now facing YAMATO in the grand finals! How? Nobody is really sure, he just kept his head down and improved his overall game and showed up nearly unbeatable! His only two losses were against Jeff Hardy and Shingo Takagi. Many people began to believe and rally around him after besting Devitt on Night 3 and since that night Ibushi has cashed in and asserted as one of the best to watch. 

 

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 22

BOSJ22 Finals: Kota Ibushi def. YAMATO 
Kota Ibushi shocks everyone when he defeats YAMATO! Many assumed this was YAMATOs destiny, he would dethrone KUSHIDA after wiping Ibushi off the map and moving onward to a healthy reign. Sadly, for YAMATO this was not the case! Ibushi somehow comes out of nowhere with a shock victory and is facing KUSHIDA at Dontaku! YAMATO on the other hand, is left absolutely stunned and speechless. His ego most likely bruised once more. (Truthfully, YAMATO was meant to win, but he took an MMA fight a few months ago!)

NJPW Dontaku!

NEVER Openweight: Suwama def. Togi Makabe (c)
A zero defense NEVER Openweight reign is not that surprising, you know? But it stings especially bad because Togi Makabe has suffered through a lot to get to champion status and losing it against the cocky and unlikeable Suwama makes it all the worse.

IWGP Joshi: Nikki Bella (c) def. Misae Genki
Nikki Bella has been an interesting but welcome champion, especially after she caused a massive upset in defeating the legendary Megumi Kudo. Misae Genki, the bridesgroom of the Joshi scene, has once again found herself unable to claim glory. Nikki continues her dominance, and whilst this feud felt very one-and-done, many fans look forward to what Nikki has next.

IWGP Heavyweight Tag: CHAOS (Nakamura/Tanaka) def. TenKoji
This was TenKojis final tag match together... as Kojima is no longer capable of performing at a level he deems worthy of Tenzan. Meanwhile, Tenzan is better than ever honestly. He has gained considerable stats in the past decade and it's kind of cool to see. Maybe he has a Dan Severn-like run and has a killer G1 performance? Who knows. Tenzan is now officially a singles guy, or well, he could be, with Kojima taking a backseat like Nagata did a few years ago. After this match however, CHAOS was unable to celebrate much as The Briscoes came out declaring they want their titles back. Even more shocking when Cybernetic Death Squad (CDS, Mil Muertes/Cibernetico) assaulted The Briscoes and declared their intentions as well!

IWGP Intercontinental: Chris Jericho (c) def. Osamu Nishimura
This is actually an old feud and rivalry that started way back in the 90s. 92 to be exact, when Nishimura was a young lion, Jericho was the lion tamer. He abused Nishimura, despite only being a year older NJPW had systems and rules and Nishimura always respected them. So in 2001, when Nishimura finally got a 1 on 1 with Jericho? Nishimura would run Jericho down and submit him. Jericho would return the favor in the G1 that year and submit Nishimura. 4 years later Jericho would do it again. Fast forward to 2011? Jericho is submitted by Osamu Nishimura. So of course Jericho took pleasure in obtaining this victory and setting the score to 3-2 in favor of Jericho.

IWGP United States: Samoa Joe (c) def. Bryan Danielson

Bryan Danielson clicked with his latest performance in the BOSJ, and during the marquee event, Danielson scored a pinfall victory against Samoa Joe in a multiman match! This would somewhat embarass Joe and though Joe has been a babyface for a little while now, he snapped. Danielson since then was egging Joe on to fight him one on one. That Danielson is an Openweight competitor, and can take on anyone no matter how much bigger. The match was made and Samoa Joe vastly underestimated Danielson, and honestly, if Joe didn't have the Muscle Buster in his repetoire many wonder if this match would have favored Danielson...

IWGP Junior Heavyweight: Kota Ibushi def. KUSHIDA (c)
An absolute amazing month for Kota Ibushi, who has had a huge up and down career since arriving in NJPW. First he was instantly thrusted into a tag team with Tetsuya Naito, where both men failed to get along. This culminated in a WK match that Ibushi barely won! He would fail to challenge for the IC title and lose to Marufuji. After a decent New Japan Cup performance, Ibushi entered the BOSJ. He is definitely an openweight but Ibushi showed he can hang with both divisions in terms of speed or power and has bested KUSHIDA in an amazing match. Ibushi cites Takagi, Hardy, and Hayabusa as three dream opponents for this title.

IWGP Heavyweight: Naomichi Marufuji (c) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Marufuji himself said entering Dontaku as champion against Tanahashi makes him (Marufuji) the challenger. As for Tanahashi? Well, sometimes you see people, who have always tried their best, and never give up, just lose. One Shiranui, after 45 minutes of psychological warfare, and many fans didn't even count 3. They had some instinctual habit of knowing Tanahashi doesn't go down that easily on the big stage, when it matters most! But he did. He just didn't kick out. Marufuji is beloved by fans and they clapped, they cheered even, because Marufuji has done something not many have been capable of doing. Marufuji celebrates with RED flanking him, and he thanked Tanahashi for the fight, and for what he has done for NJPW. Tanahashi is only 35, but is he finally beginning to just... crack? A little? Surely there will be a rematch? As Marufuji is now 2-6 Tanahashi, he continues his ascent to the very top.

 

Thanks for reading, Invasion Attack is next alongside the G1 Climax brackets being revealed! Thanks again for taking the time out of your day just to even skim this, it means a lot to me.

[Money Mac]

7 hours ago, Peria said:

And rise she will continue! Nikki was a talent that got really good towards the end of her career and it kind of sucked it looked like a case of her being held back, because she was actually good. I was never a massive fan of hers but appreciated her last few matches.

 

 

Thanks man! I try pretty hard to keep it fresh/interesting. You'd be happy to know... the most popular wrestler in the world is... a 52 year old Rayo de Jalisco Jr. employed to CMLL with a 98 average popularity. Of course Hiroshi Tanahashi is #2 at 98 average popularity as well. So interchangeable, but seeing Tana at #2 is hilarious. The most popular worker overall was Vince McMahon at 100 overall everywhere. But he has passed away, and with that all said and done...

BOSJ and Dontaku are concluded! An intense and interesting tournament which, while I admit has been a bit of a slog to run partially because getting people popular enough to even compete is difficult! Thankfully it is enjoyable to flood the game world with more over workers, like Matt Sydal, who is on a PPA deal with 84 popularity now just from this tournament alone. He started at 72! Anyways....

A Block: 

PAC: FORFEIT (2 pts) - PAC continues a new tradition perhaps? He broke his neck. Ultimo Dragon ended his career early off a broken neck last year and now PAC, whose in the prime of his life, with the opprotunity of his life, is out for over a year. PAC started out hot as well, defeating BxB Hulk before freakishly injuring himself against Jayson Paul the next night.

Matt Sydal: 8 Pts - Matt Sydal was an unknown to most NJPW fans. He appeared sporadically for the company as an enhancement talent or a stand-in for injured talent, and while he was always impressive, this BOSJ was his first real test for the company. Many believe he passed with flying colors and is more than enough over with the crowd to see a return appearance. Perhaps even a full-time contract?

CIMA: 8 Pts - A middling BOSJ for CIMA has become routine around this time. Though he did break even compared to last years performance (4-5) but both years he was in the block where an injury occurred and gave him two free points. In 2010, in his debut for BOSJ, he earned 6 points... see what I'm getting at? Is CIMA the worst of the 4 (BxB Hulk/Yamato/Cima/Naruki Doi) or has he just not found his footing quite yet?

Jayson Paul: 8 Pts - A disappointing BOSJ but a step up from last year. Jayson Paul might have finally found his footing in the company, and has perhaps finally stepped out of Devitt's shadow. He garnered sympathy with the fans after the injury PAC sustained, and how devastated the young athletes were. Jayson Paul began fighting slightly more face and even on the final night urged Bullet Club to let him do his final night solo. He would lose unfortunately, and that caused an irate Bullet Club to help him to the back.

BxB Hulk: 10 Pts - A huge tournament for BxB Hulk who missed last years BOSJ due to injury. BxB Hulks night 9 was capped off when he bested the IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion KUSHIDA, which prevented the champ from going to the finals. BxB Hulk played an important role in history and all things considered did well! Perhaps next year, by Night 9 is he a contender and not a spoiler.

MAZADA: 10 Pts - A curious case always, the tired and true performer MAZADA has never not been solid. His story has been told numerous times. Elite mat wrestler who has the rudo attitude that gets the fans easily rooting against him. But what else? He is a former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champion, a finalist in the tournament... but I mean, he is almost 40 now. MAZADA has not evolved, he won't evolve. He'll always be great. But he'll never be the greatest. 10 points for a younger wrestler is exceptional. MAZADA has been in the BOSJ since 1999. The guy deserves all the credit for consistency, but... is that all he is? 

Hayabusa: 11 Pts - Hayabusa, the Phoenix, the last man standing after Liger, and Ultimo Dragon have bowed out of the tournament. Hayabusa still remains extremely strong and talented for a man in his early 40s. At 43 years old he still remains one of the best highfliers and still proves problematic for newer and older guys alike. He had a time limit draw with KUSHIDA night 2 and is itching to perhaps wiggle himself into a title shot because of it. Hayabusa is 43, and with his style, he is barely hanging on as an active performer. A 4x IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion and a 2x winner of BOSJ is a HoF career easily, but the man wants, and perhaps deserves one or two more accolades before finally joining Liger and Ultimo Dragon.

KUSHIDA: 11 Pts - A draw with Hayabusa and a Night 9 defeat in the tournament has to sting, as KUSHIDA was fast becoming the ultimate Junior Heavyweight. Of course, losing BOSJ as champion isn't surprising or even rare. It's been mentioned how only one man has done it. Had KUSHIDA bested BxB Hulk on Night 9 he'd be into the finals. Sadly he is not. Not much else to say, he did exceptionally well. 11 points. Last year he did 12, but a draw isn't as bad as a loss, right? 

YAMATO: 12 Pts - Yamato squeaked by. Some argue he didn't even deserve to go to the finals, as he needed a LOT to go his way to even get by. He needed Hayabusa to lose on Night 9, and KUSHIDA as well. Plus he needed to beat Jayson Paul, who has become a bit of a dark horse fan favorite throughout the tournament. Jayson Paul would injure his shoulder in this match and YAMATO would show his true colors, blasting the target with as much as he can. A rare shock that YAMATO gets out booed over Bullet Club, especially given their history. MAZADA would submit Hayabusa in an old rivalry that has been going on since the 90s, while KUSHIDA would choke and lose to BxB Hulk in the main event with YAMATO coming out to thank BxB personally. Indeed YAMATO is your A Block winner, like it or not.

 

B Block:

Hayato Jr. Fujita: 4 Pts - No, he wasn't injured. Fujita just struggles in BOSJ. He might not be ready, he might not be good enough even... though the fans seemed to have finally begun to root for this underdog in a big way. Fujita gained fans and he gained popularity, and that might count for something in this early stage of his career. He is after all only 25. Will he get another shot next year? Hard to tell, but with the fan support he has now, it could happen.

Rey Misterio Jr: 6 Pts - A tragedy. Rey has not been the same and has even talked about leaving NJPW and closing his career back over in CMLL. It's hard to tell with Rey, who has been billed as the ultimate underdog since his debut, but 6 points is abysmal, and without Eddie or Chavo tormenting him, he has no drive or chapter heading into Dontaku. He just... lost. That's it. Can he even recover in NJPW? Will he just go back to CMLL? Anyone's guess.

SUGI: 6 Pts - A tragedy. Seeing Rey at 6 points is heartbreaking but Rey has had an excellent career. SUGI has yet to even really have a career. The 28 year old has only one a NEVER 6 Man title, alongside Yoshi Tatsu and Naruki Doi back in Blue Justice. This was in 2007. 5 years ago. SUGI has always been close, real close to breaking out and becoming a top contender. Now? It looks like he slipped and fell back a few steps. Hopefully this is a freak accident and not the norm as SUGI continues to struggle to find himself in NJPWs harsh landscape.

Ricky Gibson: 8 Pts - The Rock God himself has always been solid, he is sort of like MAZADA but obviously younger. Which... can be a compliment or an insult depending on how you look at it. Gibson can go out and beat anyone, and if not, hell give you a MOTN contender. But with 8 pts, a 4-5 record, is that good enough? Ricky has been teaming with Matt Sydal recently on the Dontaku tours so perhaps the Rock God already has ideas on how to stay fresh and relevant. This BOSJ is behind him, easy peasy.

Shingo Takagi: 8 Pts - Shingo is actually in a pretty good spot. He was always Marufuji's deputy and despite being a Jr. Heavyweight he showcased amazing power, so why is 8 points good for him? Because he outperformed. Fans really caught on to Takagi and are already clamoring for more. His moveset is explosive, and his spirit is undeniable. Takagi has all the tools to be a big star, and it looks like hes finally putting them together.

Bryan Danielson: 10 Pts - There were times where it felt like Danielson was going to win the block. He did lose to Hayato Jr. Fujita, but he still looked impressive throughout. He even defeated Prince Devitt on Night 9 which forced Devitt to assault Danielson after the match. Bryan might not have won, but his consolation prize is now Bullet Club is frothing at the mouth to beat his ass.

Prince Devitt: 10 Pts - Devitt had impossible shoes to fill, and they were his own! He won last year, he was champion last year! He is 1 of 1. He is a made man. So why is he pissed? Because the man wants it all, always. He doesn't want to share he wants to control. Him losing to an outsider in Bryan Danielson on Night 9, AS *the* outsider infuriated him. It is no wonder he struck Danielson after the match repeatedly. Either way Devitt has clear motivations and while a BOSJ repeat would have been the stuff of legends, Devitt will survive.

Jeff Hardy: 12 Pts - Jeff Hardys BOSJ is interesting actually. He realistically should have won the entire thing, as all of his losses were against people many had him beating. While he beat the people many thought he would lose against. Jeff lost to Nakajima, Takagi, and Ricky Gibson. Jeff surely is upset about the losses and the shortcoming but he is a tag team champion and heads into Dontaku defending that title against Aero Star & Drago, two guys who were unable to partake in this years BOSJ despite being announced intially. 

Katsuhiko Nakajima: 12 Pts - I mean, not many debut better than this. Nakajima's first match was a vicious referee stoppage against Jeff Hardy. He went 4-0 before choking a little bit and gassing himself out, many thought this was the classic case of the tournament and newcomers, strong start, fall apart. Nakajima recovered! He did lose 3 straight but then ended strong with two back to back wins. Nakajima is a problem, and already has many factions vying for his attention.
Kota Ibushi: 14 Pts - B Block's winner is Kota Ibushi! The man who somehow ended last years BOSJ at just a pathetic paltry 6 points is now facing YAMATO in the grand finals! How? Nobody is really sure, he just kept his head down and improved his overall game and showed up nearly unbeatable! His only two losses were against Jeff Hardy and Shingo Takagi. Many people began to believe and rally around him after besting Devitt on Night 3 and since that night Ibushi has cashed in and asserted as one of the best to watch. 

 

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 22

BOSJ22 Finals: Kota Ibushi def. YAMATO 
Kota Ibushi shocks everyone when he defeats YAMATO! Many assumed this was YAMATOs destiny, he would dethrone KUSHIDA after wiping Ibushi off the map and moving onward to a healthy reign. Sadly, for YAMATO this was not the case! Ibushi somehow comes out of nowhere with a shock victory and is facing KUSHIDA at Dontaku! YAMATO on the other hand, is left absolutely stunned and speechless. His ego most likely bruised once more. (Truthfully, YAMATO was meant to win, but he took an MMA fight a few months ago!)

NJPW Dontaku!

NEVER Openweight: Suwama def. Togi Makabe (c)
A zero defense NEVER Openweight reign is not that surprising, you know? But it stings especially bad because Togi Makabe has suffered through a lot to get to champion status and losing it against the cocky and unlikeable Suwama makes it all the worse.

IWGP Joshi: Nikki Bella (c) def. Misae Genki
Nikki Bella has been an interesting but welcome champion, especially after she caused a massive upset in defeating the legendary Megumi Kudo. Misae Genki, the bridesgroom of the Joshi scene, has once again found herself unable to claim glory. Nikki continues her dominance, and whilst this feud felt very one-and-done, many fans look forward to what Nikki has next.

IWGP Heavyweight Tag: CHAOS (Nakamura/Tanaka) def. TenKoji
This was TenKojis final tag match together... as Kojima is no longer capable of performing at a level he deems worthy of Tenzan. Meanwhile, Tenzan is better than ever honestly. He has gained considerable stats in the past decade and it's kind of cool to see. Maybe he has a Dan Severn-like run and has a killer G1 performance? Who knows. Tenzan is now officially a singles guy, or well, he could be, with Kojima taking a backseat like Nagata did a few years ago. After this match however, CHAOS was unable to celebrate much as The Briscoes came out declaring they want their titles back. Even more shocking when Cybernetic Death Squad (CDS, Mil Muertes/Cibernetico) assaulted The Briscoes and declared their intentions as well!

IWGP Intercontinental: Chris Jericho (c) def. Osamu Nishimura
This is actually an old feud and rivalry that started way back in the 90s. 92 to be exact, when Nishimura was a young lion, Jericho was the lion tamer. He abused Nishimura, despite only being a year older NJPW had systems and rules and Nishimura always respected them. So in 2001, when Nishimura finally got a 1 on 1 with Jericho? Nishimura would run Jericho down and submit him. Jericho would return the favor in the G1 that year and submit Nishimura. 4 years later Jericho would do it again. Fast forward to 2011? Jericho is submitted by Osamu Nishimura. So of course Jericho took pleasure in obtaining this victory and setting the score to 3-2 in favor of Jericho.

IWGP United States: Samoa Joe (c) def. Bryan Danielson

Bryan Danielson clicked with his latest performance in the BOSJ, and during the marquee event, Danielson scored a pinfall victory against Samoa Joe in a multiman match! This would somewhat embarass Joe and though Joe has been a babyface for a little while now, he snapped. Danielson since then was egging Joe on to fight him one on one. That Danielson is an Openweight competitor, and can take on anyone no matter how much bigger. The match was made and Samoa Joe vastly underestimated Danielson, and honestly, if Joe didn't have the Muscle Buster in his repetoire many wonder if this match would have favored Danielson...

IWGP Junior Heavyweight: Kota Ibushi def. KUSHIDA (c)
An absolute amazing month for Kota Ibushi, who has had a huge up and down career since arriving in NJPW. First he was instantly thrusted into a tag team with Tetsuya Naito, where both men failed to get along. This culminated in a WK match that Ibushi barely won! He would fail to challenge for the IC title and lose to Marufuji. After a decent New Japan Cup performance, Ibushi entered the BOSJ. He is definitely an openweight but Ibushi showed he can hang with both divisions in terms of speed or power and has bested KUSHIDA in an amazing match. Ibushi cites Takagi, Hardy, and Hayabusa as three dream opponents for this title.

IWGP Heavyweight: Naomichi Marufuji (c) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Marufuji himself said entering Dontaku as champion against Tanahashi makes him (Marufuji) the challenger. As for Tanahashi? Well, sometimes you see people, who have always tried their best, and never give up, just lose. One Shiranui, after 45 minutes of psychological warfare, and many fans didn't even count 3. They had some instinctual habit of knowing Tanahashi doesn't go down that easily on the big stage, when it matters most! But he did. He just didn't kick out. Marufuji is beloved by fans and they clapped, they cheered even, because Marufuji has done something not many have been capable of doing. Marufuji celebrates with RED flanking him, and he thanked Tanahashi for the fight, and for what he has done for NJPW. Tanahashi is only 35, but is he finally beginning to just... crack? A little? Surely there will be a rematch? As Marufuji is now 2-6 Tanahashi, he continues his ascent to the very top.

 

Thanks for reading, Invasion Attack is next alongside the G1 Climax brackets being revealed! Thanks again for taking the time out of your day just to even skim this, it means a lot to me.

Another cracking read mate, always get excited when i see you have posted. Curious who the current Pillars/Musketeers/Core at the top of your company are? Obviously Marufuji is ascending. Also after 10 years who have you (if any) inducted into the NJPW HOF. Do you do like WWE and have it tie in with 'Wrestle Kingdom Week' or is there another time period through out the year you beleive your NJPW would do it? I have often thought about tying mine in with maybe the Anniversary Show each year.

[MaiTyLer]

Super World of Sports (SWS) (1992)

I don't really do real world games much, let alone Japan, but seeing SWS in the 92 data actually got me convinced to give it a try, seeing as A; the company was kinda dying so I don't feel bad for ruining history, B; its basically a fresh slate to do whatever I want, and C; I had an excuse to get whomever I wanted since that was basically the company's motto (and downfall but shhhh), plus most of the main name roster is so old, no longevity so we're gonna need gaijins and youngblood asap. the schedule is very light so I have 4 tour dates and one larger event per month (not very puro, especially for the time but AJPW and NJPW have so many events I don't know where to even start to catch up). The first event New Year Special A is in, I normally won't go thru all the matches but with one event, I'll get most of them:

The Main focus of the show was the crowning of a new J-1 Heavyweight Champion (The old JWA belt, Wrestle and Romance used it so I took a page outta their book since SWS and them are both very similar), which was between ACE Genichiro Tenryu and WWF loan-in Davey Boy Smith. Unfortunately they had bad chemistry but the match was still solid, with Tenryu having insane pop and stats, he'll be the main focus for along time, and his next challenger is already booked as Hercules Hernandez beat the snot out of Koji Kitao, then decided to beat more snot outta him post match. Tenryu made the save (koji being in his stable Revolution), and then challenged Hernandez for the Team Pool Grand Prix, with the famous title on the line.

Naoki Sano retained his SWS Junior Heavyweight Championship against fellow Palaestra stablemate Apollo Sugawara in a friendly MOTN, but afterwards Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama, I believe he should be retired but I aint gonna complain) debuted, clearly gunning for that championship, but due to Sano's ties with Palaestra, he's got other problems...

The Takano brothers (the defacto leaders of Palaestra) won a heavyweight tag team showcase early in the card...only to be beaten down by a whole new crew, that being Chicky Starr and his Starr Corporation (The Headhunters, Leatherface and Jason The Terrible, and SABU, to round out with a jr). Post show Starr would declare war on the "weakest" group in the SWS, and enter both his teams into the heavyweight side of the tag tournament coming at the Grand Prix. Sano has pledged to defend the honor of the stable by defending his title against SABU at the same event.

Yoshiaki Yatsu took on Shawn Michaels (both men lost a chance for the J-1 in a mini tournament) and sent him back to the WWF, Kendo Nagasaki had his last match before starting up a All-Japan contract, and the Jrs had a nice sixman tag involving Ultimo Dragon teaming with La Pareja Del Terror (American Love Machine and Black Tiger II). The show was nice, but it was only the first of many, so I'm interested to see how things go, I got a lot of famous names now, so a few more stables and tag teams will be showing up soon...

 

Edited March 19 by MaiTyLer

[Captain Kremmen]

Just posted major show Super Clash 5 at:

AWA 1989: https://forum.greydogsoftware.com/topic/52672-awa-1989-a-financial-savior-is-badly-needed/page/41/#comments

 

[VPrime]

[Scarlet-Left]

Just ran a SNME and Bret Hart versus Roddy Piper got a 90. I was kicking myself for not putting it in the main event but then Randy Savage versus Ric Flair got a 99! Not super remarkable, I know, but it put a smile on my face.