The League, Redux: Seasons 8 and Beyond Game Thread

[ShadowedFlames]

On 1/30/2023 at 5:37 PM, ShadowedFlames said:

SEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS

Brian Blackfield will be in contention for the Gamma Division crown, but will not go 14-0 again.  I see 9-5, with three of those losses coming against Rose and Rodriguez, and missing out on promotion via tiebreakers.

I’ll call this partially right. Blackfield was in contention for the Gamma Division crown, only he ended up winning it. He did suffer a submission loss, just not three of them.
 

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The Delta Division, despite having the ruleset to allow for the fastest match times, will still feature a match by the end of the season that is longer than any Alpha Division match run in Season Nine.

I do not have my database with me at the moment to check but I’m fairly sure this was wrong unless European Rules bouts are counted.
 

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At least one of the three people that were relegated last season (Gross, Rose, Anarchy) will suffer the same fate this season with another last-place finish--in Anarchy's case, it's a banishment to the Omega Division and a run off-camera to try to earn his way back.

Called this one. No bonus for correctly calling Anarchy’s fate though.

 

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With two people now being promoted from the lower divisions, I see River sneaking into the second transfer position and making it into Alpha next season.

NOPE! Totally missed that one.
 

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In the top flight, Nuclear's new tricks take him to a must-win match in Week 14 to win the League Championship, only to lose in heartbreaking fashion as the ref overturns his victory due to a foot on the ropes. McDonald repeats as League Champion with a win in her final bout, beating out Templeton by four seconds in the tiebreaker.

I was close! The tiebreaker (and thus the title) was decided a week earlier. Nuclear did lose in Week 14, though, so…partial credit?

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In Delta, with four PCs in contention and with Brian Blackfield out of the division, Priest and Dhillon make up the opportunity and cruise to promotion, with Dhillion winning the division, Priest a match back, and Lucas Molina surprising many to finish third, two matches behind Priest. Devil's Delight manages to pull a reverse Blackfield, and goes 0-14 on the season thanks to being largely statted out in Manager Overall (a deliberate design choice, before anyone asks). She'll get an exemption to stay in Delta and in Season Ten will compete for a mid-table position as the redemption arc truly begins.

A fair bit to unpack here.

Priest did promote, but it was Molina who surprised everyone and took the division title. Dhillon’s the odds-on favorite to go up this season though.

Delight got more wins than I thought, proving that even a character poorly statted out can pull off rare upsets. We’ll see if Season Ten is more to her liking now that some of the ring rust is starting to fade thanks to training.

 

OVERALL SEASON PREDICTION RESULTS: Terrible out of seven. 😝

[Derek B]

I'm playing a lot of Zelda just now, but when the new season is announced I'll be sure to have Nuclear and his friends get in touch with you.  Just to make sure everything goes as intended.  With no unexpected surprises.  It would be a shame if some of your floorboards were to.... get more creaky, if you know what they mean

[Eternal Phoenix]

Is it gonna happen? Do I get a lovely birthday present? Is The League going to return on Saturday? Or will the tumbleweeds continue to tumble for one more week?

[ShadowedFlames]

12 hours ago, Eternal Phoenix said:

Is it gonna happen? Do I get a lovely birthday present? Is The League going to return on Saturday? Or will the tumbleweeds continue to tumble for one more week?

That depends on two things.

1) If I beat FFXVI before midnight local on Saturday, and/or

2) If my PC that I use for The League gets done repairing a portable drive that has music that my boss gave me to try to fix. (This is so I can actually use the PC for Omega Division activities.)

 

I’m not ruling out either possibility yet, though beating XVI by tomorrow night doesn’t seem likely based on what little I know regarding side quests, activities and the like. 

But when it does get announced, it’s going to start with a bit of roster news that is not Omega-related….

[ShadowedFlames]

INJURY IN DELTA DIVISION: WRESTLER TO MISS ENTIRETY OF SEASON TEN, PONDERING RETIREMENT

Word has reached The League that Sterling Silver suffered a dislocated patella while preparing for the start of Season Ten of The League.  With the normal recovery time being two to four months, Silver will be out of action for the upcoming season.

Speaking to a local radio station in her homeland of Canada, Silver also dropped hints that this injury may be the one that tells her that it’s time to hang up her boots.  “I’ve been at this for a long time. Too many concussions, too many other injuries. I’m not getting any younger and more and more, I’m wondering if I’m going to be able to make that climb from Delta into the top divisions someday. This may be my body’s way of telling me it’s time to walk away.”

League owner Will Prydor has remained noncommittal about Silver’s replacement.

”We still have feelers out for a few contracts,” Prydor informed the Baltimore Sun when asked for comment. “Those contracts aren’t trial ones, they’d be able to jump right into Delta. If those fall through, an extra spot in our trial division, the Omega, will open up to the most successful in said division once competition there is complete. Once I know officially what is happening, the fans of The League will be the first to know.”

Season Ten of The League is tentatively scheduled to begin on July 29, with the final rosters and schedule being announced on July 22.

[ShadowedFlames]

Crossposting from the Rules Thread:
 

The deadline for Season Ten applications is July 22. This gives me ample time to make sure movesets play nice and fit within specs, and to make sure all the back-end administrative work y’all don’t see is done and everything works for the upcoming season.

Season Ten’s opening week will be posted in the game thread the weekend of July 29. The full schedule for the season should be up around the time the signup period closes.

 

ADMINISTRATION NOTES:

Returning Players: Each of your current characters get 1 TP. You may also increase the level of any negative trait by one and/or take a new negative trait at level one to increase your TP. These changes, plus a yes/no on wanting a moveset revamp due to updated stats, are due to me by July 22 so I have time to actually do all of the database work (especially the movesets if they’re being changed). Eternal Phoenix, this doesn’t apply to you since I still have your PM from last month that covers all of the above.

 

SHADOWED’S “TO DO LIST”

Returning PC movesets to reflect updated stats and traits: 4/6 traits (1 pending entry into database), 4/6 movesets (1 pending approval)

Returning GMPC movesets, as above: 0/23 done

Returning GMPC trait reassignment: 23/23 decided and entered on spreadsheet, 0/23 entered in database.

New PC movesets: None currently pending 

Season 10 Schedule creation: Top two divisions need gimmick bouts randomly selected, framework for bottom two divisions still in progress, gimmick bouts pending EP’s selection.

Assorted workbook/spreadsheet fixes: forever ongoing.

Finish Final Fantasy XVI: DONE!

Edited July 13, 2023 by ShadowedFlames

[ShadowedFlames]

THE LEAGUE ANNOUNCES NEW SIGNING FOR SEASON TEN

The League's newest signee is a familiar name to long-time viewers

 

BALTIMORE, MD--An announcement from the headquarters of The League earlier today sent shockwaves through the long-term fanbase of the promotion.

Speaking from his training school (and current home of The League) in Harford County, Maryland, League owner Will Prydor announced that former League member Scott Stevens had inked a deal with the promotion that will see him come back to a place where he was known for feuds against the likes of Pizza Mask III (later just III), Diamond, and Prydor himself over the course of seasons two through seven.

"If you'd have asked me if Scott Stevens would be interested in returning to The League, I'd have said it would never happen. I was always of the belief that Scott disagreed with the way I ran The League while also being a competitor in it. When we disbanded after season seven, I figured that would be the end of it, that Scott would move on to bigger and better things in Texas and beyond. So when his people called me to arrange talks, I was very pleasantly surprised."

When asked if he still held any animosity towards Stevens, Prydor quickly responded in the negative. "This is a passionate sport. Carrying long-term grudges is a sure way to shorten your career, something I learned from personal experience in my active days. While Scott and I may not break bread together, both of us are professional enough to not let any possible bad blood affect The League, especially with my in-ring days now behind me. I will be very interested to see how Scott fares in the Delta Division starting in two weeks, especially given his travels since we last parted ways."

Scott Stevens could not be reached for comment as of the time of this article.

 

SHADOWED’S “TO DO LIST”, Updated 16 July

Returning PC movesets to reflect updated stats and traits: 5/6 traits, 4/6 movesets (2 pending approval)

Returning GMPC movesets, as above: 23/23 done

Returning GMPC trait reassignment: 23/23 done

Omega Division: 67% done, through 10 rounds out of 15. (This will be my main project on Tuesday.)

New PC entries: 1/1 movesets done, 1/1 trait sets done.

NOTE: The roster post on the first page of this thread has been updated to reflect the addition of Scott Stevens to the active roster!

Season 10 Schedule creation: EP has made his decision for his prediction win, I just need to finish the bottom half of the schedule. That may be a Thursday at work project.

Assorted workbook/spreadsheet fixes: forever ongoing.

Finish Final Fantasy XVI: DONE!

Finish Final Fantasy V Four Job Fiesta Run: I'm...roughly midway through World 2 (at Drakenvale). Black Mage, Berserker, Geomancer, and Chemist is not the party I would have liked but it is what is!

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by ShadowedFlames

[Eternal Phoenix]

Woo! New PC for Kichi to beat up!

[ShadowedFlames]

Short break from the administrative and maintenance stuff to run Omega Division bouts.

We've officially cleared the halfway point of our initial 15-round outing, and current standings look like so. (Name: record, average victory time)

1. The Siberian Nightmare: 7-1, 11:16.286
2. Nocturne: 7-1, 11:30.571
3. Rock Sheridan: 6-2, 10:30.833
4. Rhys Caddell: 5-3, 11:05:000
5. Vaea: 4-3, 7:08.250
6. Sakura Uematsu: 4-3, 9:18.000
7. Joslin Baroni: 4-3, 9:30.500
8. Otto von Schwarz: 4-3, 11:40.250
9. Lance Heartilly: 4-3, 11:42.500
10. Vladimir Chavinski: 4-4, 12:35.750
11. Elyssa Anderson: 3-4, 11:01.667
12. Kyler den Boen: 2-6, 8:52.000
13. Sven Ulafsson: 1-6, 13:33.000
14. Sin: 1-7, 10:45.000
15. "Dirty" John Murdoch: 0-7, 0:00.000

My first-half thoughts: I'm surprised that Nightmare's been doing this decently so far. His only loss is to Rock Sheridan.

Even more surprised at Nocturne's success--in personal canon she is the protege of Will Prydor/The Phoenix despite being the size of AEW's Rebel (not Reba). Her only loss is to another technical grappler in Lance Heartilly, and she currently holds the non-official record for fastest Omega Division bout, at 3:12.

Of the PCs submitted, it's the giant Rock Sheridan who's had the most success by far, with three of his wins coming in at nine minutes or under. He also has the longest single victory time in Omega so far, at 19:15 (which is why his average is where it is). He's only lost to Nocturne and Australian cruiserweight Elyssa Anderson.

I am not surprised at Sin continuing to struggle. In a world of giants she's kind of handicapped with a finisher that she can't apply to them (her double arm DDT). It's entirely possible that like Sterling Silver, she just fades into the sunset after this season. Jury's still out on that.

John Murdoch should have had at least two wins by now. He had one overturned by the ref after a foot under the ropes, and a second where his opponent kicked out of his finisher, and managed to come back to win a few minutes later.

 

There are two more characters pending to join Omega next season; they were submitted to me after I'd gotten far enough into the schedule that it would have been difficult to add them to the rotation. They'll join the fray between seasons ten and eleven.

With that, I'm going to try to get another two rounds done so that I'm 2/3 done before diving back into moveset edits and other administration. It's a fair bit of work trying to keep everything going as smoothly as I can, even if I push myself to the brink of taking on too much at once! 😛

[SeanMcG]

17 hours ago, ShadowedFlames said:

John Murdoch should have had at least two wins by now. He had one overturned by the ref after a foot under the ropes, and a second where his opponent kicked out of his finisher, and managed to come back to win a few minutes later.

 

Justice for Murdoch!

[ShadowedFlames]

Courtesy of Jman2k3, I present something that may bring back memories for Derek, Sean, and MLT…and me too, given that I lost the credentials to edit this page eons ago!

https://wrespi3league.wixsite.com/gds-league

[Jman2k3]

Press Release

SAN ANTONIO, TX--An announcement from Scott Stevens

Speaking from their training school, The Bar of Professional Wrestling or the Stevens Wrestling Academy in San Antonio, Texas, Scott Stevens and his father, Cary Stevens, decided to send out a press release behind his return.

"Why is everyone surprised that I came back to The League after it shut down operations after season seven? Regardless, of the issues I had with Diamond, Pizza Mask (III), Thor, Duke Nuke'Em, and basically all others, especially William Prydor. The League is home for me because it helped launch my love for wrestling again after I was burnt out and nursing a serious knee injury and multiple concussions."

When asked why wasn't he back for the last two seasons?

"I would've been back for the last two season but I had prior commitments in other promotions that I couldn't get away from because when you're part of the greatest wrestling family everyone wants a piece of you. However, I personally contacted Will and told him I couldn't miss the tenth anniversary of the League and that was that."

When asked about the competition of the current season 10 roster?

"Honestly, I haven't done my homework and properly looked over the upcoming competition, but I see a few names I know and a lot I don't. The names I don't recognize I hear chirping and buzzing like they're someone and they are just going to run over me. Let me make one thing crystal clear, it doesn't matter if you are a star, superstar, mega star, all star, champion, legend, Hall of Famer, alumni, or a rookie because there is only one Scott Stevens and I transcend the sport of professional wrestling. If you're too stupid to read between the lines that means I have been and always will be better than you. See you soon."

[ShadowedFlames]

SHADOWED’S “TO DO LIST”, Updated 18 July

Returning PC movesets to reflect updated stats and traits: 5/6 traits (waiting on input from 1), 4/6 movesets (2 pending approval)

Returning GMPC movesets, as above: 23/23 done

Returning GMPC trait reassignment: 23/23 done

Omega Division: DONE. Results will be posted when signups close. Minor spoiler--it came down to a three-way race and the final two matches of the "season," and even then had to go to a tiebreaker.

New PC entries: 1/1 movesets done, 1/1 trait sets done. Currently caught up.

Season 10 Schedule creation: EP has made his decision for his prediction win, I just need to finish the bottom half of the schedule. That may be a Thursday at work project.

Assorted workbook/spreadsheet fixes: forever ongoing.

Finish Final Fantasy XVI: DONE! The second difficulty/NG+ run is Thursday through Saturday evening entertainment for my roommate, and so should not affect further League duties. (I will get the platinum trophy for this game, so help me....)

Finish Final Fantasy V Four Job Fiesta Run: I'm...roughly midway through World 2 (at Drakenvale). Black Mage, Berserker, Geomancer, and Chemist is not the party I would have liked but it is what is!  No change from last update, as I've been getting the final offseason stuff done prior to Season Ten. Hoping to get a little more in before Dynamite tomorrow evening.

[ShadowedFlames]

FINAL OMEGA DIVISION STANDINGS:

1. Lance Heartilly: 11-3
2. Nocturne: 11-3 (loses tiebreaker via head-to-head)
3. The Siberian Nightmare: 10-4
4. Rock Sheridan: 9-5
5. Sakura Uematsu: 9-5
6. Rhys Caddell: 8-6
7. Joslin Baroni: 7-7
8. Vladimir Chavinski: 6-8
9. Vaea: 6-8
10. Otto von Schwarz: 6-8
11. Kyler den Boen: 6-8
12. Sven Ulafsson: 5-9
13. "Dirty" John Murdoch: 4-10
14. Elyssa Anderson: 4-10
15. Sin: 3-11

The top of the standings came down to the final round. Nightmare, Heartilly, and Nocturne all entered at 10-3. Heartilly won his bout in convincing fashion (seven minutes), and in the final match Nocturne managed to put away Nightmare in a fifteen-minute four-star affair. Due to Heartilly beating Nocturne earlier in the competition, he wins the Omega Division but Nocturne makes it to The League proper, claiming the second empty spot in Delta.

 

THE OFFICIAL SEASON TEN SCHEDULE HAS BEEN RELEASED!

 

A note about the schedule: No, there is no misprint on the dates. I'm taking the weekend of August 26/27 off as my roommate and I will be traveling to the Maryland Renaissance Festival during that weekend--a three hour drive each way. Since I already know I will not be wanting to do League stuff that weekend because of time constraints, it's an off week for everyone involved. I'm hoping this time that no stairs interfere with the scheduling.

Also to note: even with taking slightly longer offseason breaks and having everything happen to me these last twelve months that has happened, we'll still manage to fit 2.5 seasons into a twelve-month period. Not too shabby, I'd say.

Have a look at the schedule, start thinking about your predictions now, and the official card will be posted tomorrow morning so Season Ten can finally begin in earnest!

The main roster post will also be updated shortly.

[ShadowedFlames]

As best as I can tell, everything seems to be updated, working, or at the absolute least not broken. So it's time to get Season Ten officially underway!

SEASON TEN, WEEK ONE CARD

ALPHA DIVISION

(1) Reverend Johnny Gross (0-0, OVR 479) vs. (1) Mel O'Hallister (0-0, OVR 490) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Nuclear Templeton (0-0, OVR 486) vs. (1) The Mastodon (0-0, OVR 474) [Career: Nuclear 3-1]

(1) Daniel Simmons (0-0, OVR 488) vs. (1) George Mastachas (0-0, OVR 471) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Brandy McDonald (0-0, OVR 489) vs. (1) De'siree Mitchell (0-0, OVR 466) [Career: Brandy 3-1]

BETA DIVISION

(1) Brian Blackfield (0-0, OVR 518) vs. (1) Blood River (0-0, OVR 478) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Yoshii Nakamatsu (0-0, OVR 478) vs. (1) Billy Norris (0-0, OVR 476) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Pulsar (0-0, OVR 449) vs. (1) Jean-Paul Ouilette (0-0, OVR 480) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Big Scott Weathers (0-0, OVR 459) vs. (1) Angela Wassermann (0-0, OVR 445) [First Career Meeting]

GAMMA DIVISION

(1) Diego Rodriguez (0-0, OVR 473) vs. (1) Christian Priest (0-0, OVR 514) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Erick Gibson (0-0, OVR 463) vs. (1) Lucas Molina (0-0, OVR 444) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Indigo Rose (0-0, OVR 448) vs. (1) Diamond (0-0, OVR 457) [Career: Rose 2-0]

(1) Markus Clay (0-0, OVR 450) vs. (1) Terrance Stevens (0-0, OVR 449) [Career: Clay 3-1]

DELTA DIVISION

(1) El Tornado (0-0, OVR 429) vs. (1) Monty Dhillon (0-0, OVR 484) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Jun Onoo (0-0, OVR 452) vs. (1) Scott Stevens (0-0, OVR 400) [First Career Meeting]

HARDCORE MATCH: (1) Nocturne (0-0, OVR 400) vs. (1) Kichi Hida (0-0, OVR 428) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Lance Heartilly (0-0, OVR 400) vs. (1) Devil's Delight (0-0, OVR 415) [First Career Meeting]

 

PREDICTION WINDOW CLOSES AT 11:59 P.M. EASTERN US TIME ON JULY 28!

[SeanMcG]

SEASON TEN, WEEK ONE CARD

ALPHA DIVISION

(1) Reverend Johnny Gross (0-0, OVR 479) vs. (1) Mel O'Hallister (0-0, OVR 490) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Nuclear Templeton (0-0, OVR 486) vs. (1) The Mastodon (0-0, OVR 474) [Career: Nuclear 3-1]

- Hoss fight Week 1? Lets goooooooooooooo

(1) Daniel Simmons (0-0, OVR 488) vs. (1) George Mastachas (0-0, OVR 471) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Brandy McDonald (0-0, OVR 489) vs. (1) De'siree Mitchell (0-0, OVR 466) [Career: Brandy 3-1]

BETA DIVISION

(1) Brian Blackfield (0-0, OVR 518) vs. (1) Blood River (0-0, OVR 478) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Yoshii Nakamatsu (0-0, OVR 478) vs. (1) Billy Norris (0-0, OVR 476) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Pulsar (0-0, OVR 449) vs. (1) Jean-Paul Ouilette (0-0, OVR 480) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Big Scott Weathers (0-0, OVR 459) vs. (1) Angela Wassermann (0-0, OVR 445) [First Career Meeting]

GAMMA DIVISION

(1) Diego Rodriguez (0-0, OVR 473) vs. (1) Christian Priest (0-0, OVR 514) [First Career Meeting]

- Wary here since Priest tends to struggle against technical wizards...

(1) Erick Gibson (0-0, OVR 463) vs. (1) Lucas Molina (0-0, OVR 444) [First Career Meeting]

- Another potential hurdle as Gibson performs well against grapplers 

(1) Indigo Rose (0-0, OVR 448) vs. (1) Diamond (0-0, OVR 457) [Career: Rose 2-0]

- See above for Priest. Diamond seems to have the same issues.

(1) Markus Clay (0-0, OVR 450) vs. (1) Terrance Stevens (0-0, OVR 449) [Career: Clay 3-1]

DELTA DIVISION

(1) El Tornado (0-0, OVR 429) vs. (1) Monty Dhillon (0-0, OVR 484) [First Career Meeting]

- I'll be shocked if Monty drops more than 2 matches this season

(1) Jun Onoo (0-0, OVR 452) vs. (1) Scott Stevens (0-0, OVR 400) [First Career Meeting]

- All aboard the Scorpion Express

HARDCORE MATCH: (1) Nocturne (0-0, OVR 400) vs. (1) Kichi Hida (0-0, OVR 428) [First Career Meeting]

- Glorious violence in Delta? MOTN contender for sure here

(1) Lance Heartilly (0-0, OVR 400) vs. (1) Devil's Delight (0-0, OVR 415) [First Career Meeting]

 

PREDICTION WINDOW CLOSES AT 11:59 P.M. EASTERN US TIME ON JULY 28!

Edited July 24, 2023 by SeanMcG
Added winner for Weathers/Wassermann

[Croquemitaine]

ALPHA DIVISION

(1) Reverend Johnny Gross (0-0, OVR 479) vs. (1) Mel O'Hallister (0-0, OVR 490)

(1) Nuclear Templeton (0-0, OVR 486) vs. (1) The Mastodon (0-0, OVR 474)

(1) Daniel Simmons (0-0, OVR 488) vs. (1) George Mastachas (0-0, OVR 471)

(1) Brandy McDonald (0-0, OVR 489) vs. (1) De'siree Mitchell (0-0, OVR 466)

BETA DIVISION

(1) Brian Blackfield (0-0, OVR 518) vs. (1) Blood River (0-0, OVR 478)

(1) Yoshii Nakamatsu (0-0, OVR 478) vs. (1) Billy Norris (0-0, OVR 476)

(1) Pulsar (0-0, OVR 449) vs. (1) Jean-Paul Ouilette (0-0, OVR 480)

(1) Big Scott Weathers (0-0, OVR 459) vs. (1) Angela Wassermann (0-0, OVR 445)

GAMMA DIVISION

(1) Diego Rodriguez (0-0, OVR 473) vs. (1) Christian Priest (0-0, OVR 514)

(1) Erick Gibson (0-0, OVR 463) vs. (1) Lucas Molina (0-0, OVR 444)

(1) Indigo Rose (0-0, OVR 448) vs. (1) Diamond (0-0, OVR 457)

(1) Markus Clay (0-0, OVR 450) vs. (1) Terrance Stevens (0-0, OVR 449)

DELTA DIVISION

(1) El Tornado (0-0, OVR 429) vs. (1) Monty Dhillon (0-0, OVR 484)

(1) Jun Onoo (0-0, OVR 452) vs. (1) Scott Stevens (0-0, OVR 400)

HARDCORE MATCH: (1) Nocturne (0-0, OVR 400) vs. (1) Kichi Hida (0-0, OVR 428)

(1) Lance Heartilly (0-0, OVR 400) vs. (1) Devil's Delight (0-0, OVR 415)

 

- All the first-time match-ups make this a real wild card.

 

17 hours ago, SeanMcG said:

- I'll be shocked if Monty drops more than 2 matches this season

Monty approves of your confidence in him, but Monty's handler is remembering that he went 0-4 against newcomers last season, and two of this season's newcomers are technical specialists. Plus Lance Heartilly apparently went 7-0 to close out the Omega season.

Also, Kichi is still here.

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Croquemitaine

[Jman2k3]

SEASON TEN, WEEK ONE CARD

ALPHA DIVISION

Mel O'Hallister (0-0, OVR 490)

Nuclear Templeton (0-0, OVR 486)

George Mastachas (0-0, OVR 471)

Brandy McDonald (0-0, OVR 489)

BETA DIVISION

Brian Blackfield (0-0, OVR 518)

Yoshii Nakamatsu (0-0, OVR 478)

Jean-Paul Ouilette (0-0, OVR 480)

Big Scott Weathers (0-0, OVR 459)

GAMMA DIVISION

Christian Priest (0-0, OVR 514)

Erick Gibson (0-0, OVR 463)

Indigo Rose (0-0, OVR 448)

Markus Clay (0-0, OVR 450)

DELTA DIVISION

Monty Dhillon (0-0, OVR 484)

Scott Stevens (0-0, OVR 400)

Kichi Hida (0-0, OVR 428)

Lance Heartilly (0-0, OVR 400)

[ShadowedFlames]

I’m working on a couple of things I’m hoping to post tomorrow. One’s another “Interlude”/background story for one of the new characters coming in, the other is my Season Ten overall predictions. The former’s already done, but at work; the latter I hope to finish during my work breaks and have ready to go before I get a jump on week one festivities.

[ShadowedFlames]

SHADOWED’S PROGNOSTICATIONS FOR SEASON TEN

ALPHA DIVISION

The difference comes down to Nuclear not being able to shake off the season-ending loss to O’Hallister at the end of Season Nine. O’Hallister rides this momentum to a 10-4 record, sweeping Nuclear in the seasons series, and winning the League Championship as he finishes a win ahead of Nuclear’s 9-5 total. On the lower end, The Mastodon finishes with the worst record in the division at 5-9, but his week 14 defeat of Nuclear is what costs the reigning champ a repeat. Three wrestlers tie for second worst at 6-8, and it is Daniel Simmons who gets the short straw, falling back to Beta.

O’Hallister 10-4 (c), Nuclear 9-5, McDonald 7-7, Mastachas 7-7, Mitchell 6-8, Gross 6-8, Simmons 6-8 (r), Mastodon 5-9 (r)

 

BETA DIVISION

The two being promoted are crystal clear by the halfway point of the season, as Nakamatsu and Blackfield continue their runs. The more prevalent submission finishers start to expose Blackfield, though, as he finishes the season with four losses (including two to Wassermann). Nakamatsu wins the division title by two matches, while Pulsar just edges out Norris in victory time to avoid relegation. It is Norris and Weathers dropping to Gamma.

Nakamatsu 12-2 (p), Blackfield 10-4 (p), Ouilette 7-7, Wassermann 7-7, River 6-8, Pulsar 5-9, Norris 5-9 (r), Weathers 4-10 (r)

 

GAMMA DIVISION

For its first season with three PCs in its ranks, the Gamma Division sees all three PCs finish in the top three. It’s Priest and Molina who fend off a hard-charging Diamond for the promotion, while Gibson and Clay drop to Delta. Season Eleven would thus be the first in which there is at least one PC in every division.

Priest 10-4 (p), Molina 9-5 (p), Diamond 8-6, T. Stevens 7-7, Rose 7-7, Rodriguez 6-8, Gibson 5-9 (r), Clay 4-10 (r)

 

DELTA DIVISION

Week Fourteen arrives with four people tied atop the standings at 9-4: Dhillon, S. Stevens, Nocturne, and Heartilly. Heartilly handles his business with a win over Onoo, Nocturne manages to surprise Stevens in a Match of the Night contender, and Dhillon just barely fends off Kichi Hida. After the tiebreakers sort themselves out, Dhillon wins the division, and Nocturne wins the tiebreaker over Heartilly by seventeen seconds to move into Gamma. Devil’s Delight surprises a lot of people by going 6-8 in her sophomore season, but finds herself at risk of demotion into Omega barring another commissioner’s waiver.

Dhillon 10-4 (p), Nocturne 10-4 (p), Heartilly 10-4, S. Stevens 9-5, Delight 6-8, Hida 6-8, Onoo 3-11, Tornado 2-12.

 

SHADOWED’S WEEK ONE PREDICTIONS:

ALPHA: O’Hallister, Nuclear, Simmons, Brandy

BETA: Blackfield, Nakamatsu, Ouilette, Wassermann

GAMMA: Priest, Molina, Rose, T. Stevens

DELTA: Dhillon, S. Stevens, Nocturne, Heartilly

 

The Second Interlude backstory will be posted tomorrow as I took today off from work due to lack of sleep, and thus am unable to get to it at this time.

 

EDIT #2: Hey Sean, just FYI: You don't have a winner selected for Wassermann vs. Weathers.

Edited July 24, 2023 by ShadowedFlames

[Eternal Phoenix]

ALPHA DIVISION

(1) Reverend Johnny Gross (0-0, OVR 479) vs. (1) Mel O'Hallister (0-0, OVR 490) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Nuclear Templeton (0-0, OVR 486) vs. (1) The Mastodon (0-0, OVR 474) [Career: Nuclear 3-1]

(1) Daniel Simmons (0-0, OVR 488) vs. (1) George Mastachas (0-0, OVR 471) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Brandy McDonald (0-0, OVR 489) vs. (1) De'siree Mitchell (0-0, OVR 466) [Career: Brandy 3-1]

BETA DIVISION

(1) Brian Blackfield (0-0, OVR 518) vs. (1) Blood River (0-0, OVR 478) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Yoshii Nakamatsu (0-0, OVR 478) vs. (1) Billy Norris (0-0, OVR 476) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Pulsar (0-0, OVR 449) vs. (1) Jean-Paul Ouilette (0-0, OVR 480) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Big Scott Weathers (0-0, OVR 459) vs. (1) Angela Wassermann (0-0, OVR 445) [First Career Meeting]

GAMMA DIVISION

(1) Diego Rodriguez (0-0, OVR 473) vs. (1) Christian Priest (0-0, OVR 514) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Erick Gibson (0-0, OVR 463) vs. (1) Lucas Molina (0-0, OVR 444) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Indigo Rose (0-0, OVR 448) vs. (1) Diamond (0-0, OVR 457) [Career: Rose 2-0]

(1) Markus Clay (0-0, OVR 450) vs. (1) Terrance Stevens (0-0, OVR 449) [Career: Clay 3-1]

DELTA DIVISION

(1) El Tornado (0-0, OVR 429) vs. (1) Monty Dhillon (0-0, OVR 484) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Jun Onoo (0-0, OVR 452) vs. (1) Scott Stevens (0-0, OVR 400) [First Career Meeting]

HARDCORE MATCH: (1) Nocturne (0-0, OVR 400) vs. (1) Kichi Hida (0-0, OVR 428) [First Career Meeting]

(1) Lance Heartilly (0-0, OVR 400) vs. (1) Devil's Delight (0-0, OVR 415) [First Career Meeting]

[Eternal Phoenix]

Season Predictions

Please keep in mind this is broad strokes. Basically I'm gonna pick a top half and bottom half of each division. Short of that, it's tough to know with any certainty how most of the seasons are gonna go. Additionally, this is based on last season's performance and how the new folks look. Any upgrades are not being fully taken into account because who knows how well they'll work out?

 

Alpha Division

Top Half: Gross, Nuke, Brandy, & Mel

Bottom Half: Simmons, Mastachas, Mastodon, De'siree.

I feel reasonably confident that Mastodon and De'siree will be the ones relegated, but we'll check back at the half way point. Alpha is going to be extremely competitive this season, and any signs of weakness will be apparent then. The League champion, I haven't the faintest idea.

 

Beta Division

Top Half: Blackfield, Nakamatsu, Ouillette, Norris

Bottom Half: Blood River, Pulsar, Weathers, Wasserman

Noticeably less competitive here in Beta. Blood River could make a push to unseat Norris here, and Ouillette could technically end up the one unseated, but otherwise this is pretty set in stone. Ought to be between Blackfield and Yoshii for the division crown, just like last time, though the aforementioned three can and ought to play spoiler. The rest will be fighting off relegation. Wasserman probably has enough to avoid it, but we'll see.

 

Gamma Division

Top Half: Priest, Molina, Diego, Diamond

Bottom Half: Gibson, Rose, Clay, Stevens

The top trio of Priest, Molina, and Diego is probably set in stone. The division winner and both promotions ought to come from them. Diamond will have to fight off Gibson for her spot in the top half. Rose may make a push. Clay and Stevens will not, with latter being relegated. Clay and Rose will have to fight for the second relegation spot. I think she'll hold him off, but it remains to be seen.

 

Delta Division

Top Half: Heartilly, Dhillon, Hida, Nocture

Bottom Half: Stevens, Delight, Onoo, Tornado

Probably being a bit biased here, heh. But! Stevens and Nocturne could very easily swap places here. Hida could struggle like she did in the back half of last season. Delight ought to stave off traditional relegation, though she's boned if any new PCs want in. Heartilly ought to contend strongly for the division crown with Dhillion, and it ought to be those two who get promoted. With that said, Hida, Nocturne, and Stevens can easily play spoiler on that one. It'll be a pretty competitive division, so check back at the half way mark.

[ShadowedFlames]

THE LEAGUE, SECOND INTERLUDE: FROM THE SHADOWS

The Aerie School of Professional Wrestling—current home of The League

July 23, 2023

 

It was a throwback to the territorial days, she knew. The older days where wrestlers would have a match in one town at midday, drive to the next town over, and repeat the same match for a different crowd in the evening. It was also designed to see who really wanted to make it to The League, by compressing a 15-round schedule into just eight weeks. It weeded out the mentally weak, and those who weren’t sure of their skills. But for one Dani Bradbury, that was never in doubt. Having to grow up at an early age due to the actions of her family, and what they did to a person she saw as a father figure, she had a will of iron that had been tested and not found wanting. It saw her through to an 11-3 record in the Omega Division, the unofficial name given The League’s tryout system, tied for the best record among the fifteen participants. The only reason she hadn’t won the competition outright is that she had lost to the person she was tied with. But she couldn’t be mad at herself for that; he had won that one cleanly. It just meant a little insecurity as she waited to see if any new signings would boot her from what she had been calling “her” spot in the Delta Division.

When deadline had passed for new contracts, and her tenuous grasp on passing tryouts had been secured, she allowed herself a half hour of happiness and celebration in her meager apartment before the realization set in. This would be her professional debut, a fifteen-week gauntlet of matches against people outside The Aerie’s circle of influence. She had the weight of not only the school, but of the other women to hold the Nocturne name before her on her shoulders.  And, more importantly to her, she had his trust adding to that weight.

All of this led to her coming to The Aerie a day removed from the official announcement. She had a week to get ready, both physically and mentally. The physical part, that was easy—that was drilled into her by her teacher, at the very core of her education. It’s what helped shaped her skill set into a smaller, more agile version of his. It was the mental part that was being the sticking point for her.

As she walked in the main doors, she saw him in the “main” ring, going through some chain wrestling with another Delta Division wrestler, Devil’s Delight. Outside the ring, watching closely, were Devil’s Angel and the second-in-charge of The Aerie, Amelia Warder. It was the latter she wanted to talk to, but she knew that Amelia would be busy for a bit. She could wait.

A minute later, she saw Delight slip free of his grasp and speed up the pace, keeping him off balance with some high-speed offense. Delight seemed ready to press the attack before Amelia called “Time!” from ringside.  The two wrestlers separated into their respective corners for a few seconds before he nodded. “Very good, Miss Solomon. That first season here did a lot to knock off the ring rust. I can see and feel that you’re starting to find your niche again, starting to return to your regular style of attack. Just remember to keep up with your technical skills; you don’t want that armbar to go to waste with lack of practice.”

“I’ll make sure she doesn’t, Will,” Devil’s Angel called from ringside.

He nodded again, smiling slightly. “Good. Go ahead and get cooled down and cleaned up, ladies. Remember the season starts next week, so be ready to compete on Friday night.”

The two sisters nodded, and soon left the main part of the gym, leaving the two teachers to talk quietly for a few moments. It was then that he saw Dani standing off to the side, and with a glance at Amelia pointed her out. Amelia turned and saw Dani, and a small smile crossed her face. “Here to sign your full contract for the season, Dani?”

“Among other things,” Dani responded. “Was hoping I could pick your brain for a bit, Amelia, but if you’re busy—”

“She’s not busy now,” Will Prydor cut in. “Anything that needs done, I’ll handle. You two go ahead and chat. Ames, I’ll be in the office when you’re done and Dani’s ready to sign.”

Amelia nodded and both women watched as he walked into the office, gently closing the door behind him to afford them additional privacy. She turned to her student as they sat down in a couple of the chairs set up near ringside. “So what’s up, Dani?”

“Nerves. I feel like I have everyone’s weight on me. Is that a feeling that’ll ever go away?”

“In time. Part of it is on you, Dani. Not everyone is expecting you to win a world title in your first televised match. You’re just letting yourself think that.”

“But…” Dani sighed. “I just don’t want to let Will down. I don’t want to let you or the Collective down, Amelia. And I don’t want to ruin the reputation of the school by stinking it up right out of the gate.”

Amelia paused, weighing her words carefully for a few seconds.  “Dani, you’re the only one who is putting the pressure on yourself. Will, the school, the Nocturne Collective…we’ll be fine. One person does not represent us all. You may be Will’s star pupil, but you’re also not his only one. I mean, how many Nocturnes have been under the hood who trained here before you?”

“Four. Elyssa, Amanda, Angelina, Stephanie.”

“And in addition, you have two grizzled vets who have been under the mask—Lisa and I. You’re the seventh member of the Collective, Dani. You’re not alone. Talk with us. Let us help you bear the weight. Before long, you’ll realize it too—you’re putting too much on yourself and you’ve just turned twenty. You still have time to grow into your career.”

Silence reigned in the gym for a minute or two while Dani processed Amelia’s advice. On the opposite side, the Solomon sisters emerged from the locker room, now in casual wear and heading for the exit. Both gave a wave to Amelia, who responded in kind. A few seconds after they had left, Dani spoke up again. “I get what you’re saying, Amelia. But it’s not like I can change my thinking overnight.”

Amelia simply nodded, giving Dani a chance to add more to that. When she didn’t, Amelia got to her feet. “Like all good things, it comes in time, Dani. I just hope your epiphany doesn’t come to you under duress like mine did.”

Dani also got to her feet, nodding. “Right. One other thing, Amelia. Since I haven’t actually debuted anywhere as Nocturne yet, I was thinking of doing something a little…over the top, I guess, in terms of appearance.”

“...should I be worried, Dani?”

“Judge for yourself.” Dani pulled out her cell phone, fiddled with it for a moment and then handed the phone to Amelia. What greeted the instructor was this:

 

Amelia’s face curled into a scowl at this, and she glared at Dani who immediately busted out in laughter. “The look on your face, Amelia…priceless!”

“Are you being serious about this, Dani?”

“That picture? No. Way too much makeup for me, it goes against my complexion. Move to the right a picture.”

Amelia did, and her eyebrows went up. A moment later, she replied. “That’s more like it. I dig this. Looks kind of like my gear but in your color.”

“That was the idea.  But on that note, I should go sign and make it official before Nightmare comes in and signs the contract out from under me.”

Amelia chuckled. “No chance. He went back to Siberia for a month or two to get ready for the next round of Omega after you beat him in that final round. But go on. Will’s waiting on you.”

That didn’t help the butterflies in Dani’s stomach any as she walked towards his office in the corner. Passing by, she glanced at the two extra-large posters framed on the wall—the first one when Will won his second (and some would say his only true) world title in a place called Carnage Wrestling based out of Baltimore, the other a much-younger Will winning the Season Five League Championship. Underneath those, a little smaller, was a third—Elyssa Deveraux, in a green-tinted variant of the Nocturne garb, holding aloft the Harrisburg Pro Wrestling Women’s Championship. She was the first of his students to win a title in any promotion, and Dani knew that would only be the start of the “Wall of Champions” that Will was looking to put together. A stray thought entered her head, that maybe in five or six seasons she would be added to this wall as a League Champion, and she shook it away. That was a goal for the future, right now it was the present that needed her attention.

A few scant seconds later, she found herself at the door to his office. With one final exhale, she knocked on the door.

“Come!”

She walked in to his private sanctuary, tucked away in the corner of the gym/wrestling school. As they always did when she came into his office, her eyes looked over the collection of title belts from his tenure in New Legends of Wrestling, where he was the second of only two grand slam champions the promotion had ever had. And also as they always did, her eyes lingered more on the Legacy title, the promotion’s “pure rules” belt, than any of the other three belts before shifting her gaze to the man sitting behind the desk.

“Every time, Dani. It’s like a ritual for you.”

“It reminds me of what I hope to get to eventually, Teach.”

He nodded, a slight smile crossing his face. “When I decided to bring this idea back from the dead, I never expected I’d end up with one of my students actually making it into the ranks. But if anyone was going to do it, it was going to be you, Dani. For two years, you have worked harder than anyone who has come through those doors. Even through the pandemic. Even through going off to another school for additional lessons. You’ve excelled, and have been ready to start. Then Level Up went on hiatus due to some sort of legal snafu, and things kept getting delayed…so you took matters into your own hands and joined The League to work your way up from the bottom in. So here you stand, a few days beyond your twentieth birthday, having surprised a lot of wrestlers in getting to this point. It’s only more difficult from here, Dani. Are you ready?”

Dani closed her eyes for a moment, gathering the thoughts in her head.  When she felt she was finally ready, she opened them back up and looked at him. “I told you before, Teach…Will…what I endured after my aunt did what she did. Why I decided that pushing myself was better than becoming what the near-entirety of your ex’s family had become…why I had to get away from them and emancipate myself at the age of seventeen. If I was going to go anywhere, it would be by my actions, not by passively taking what others had to give and wallowing in misery. I told you that I would be your protégé, until Elyssa comes of age and decides if she wants to follow in your footsteps. I meant every word I said then. I mean it now, Will. We may not be family by blood, but we are family forged from the trials we face in this life. And I will take the persona you and Amelia created for Level Up, bring it to a new audience, and show the world that your legacy lives on through me.”

Will smiled at this. The Solomon sisters, they were a sort of professional project, a way to see if he really could adapt his manner of teaching to others. Dani Bradbury…an ex-niece-in-law if one wanted to get fancy about it…was a personal project. She was his star pupil. She was family. And while he did not believe in nepotism in the promotion he created, he secretly wanted her to succeed from the start. With everything she had been through, she deserved that and more. This was only the start of bigger things for Dani.

When she finally stepped out from the darkness of his shadow, Will knew that eventually, Dani would be far better than he ever was. And he wouldn’t want it any other way.

 

[Croquemitaine]

 

[Croquemitaine]

 

If any players with a character in the League would like a rerender, possibly including a spiffy Xis#BIGLEAGUE poster, send me a PM. 😀