1RealSmartAlex vs. Emperor

AM

SPOILER: Click to show

[Lights Up. Lights Out.] Results

The Young Bucks d. The Heavenly Bodies to become NEW [art] of Allegiance Champions

Jade Cargill d. Sherri Martel to cancel her contract

Bob Backlund d. William Regal by submission

The Acclaimed d. Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie meaning they must come out to rap for 30 days

Wardlow d. 1-2-3 Kid by pinfall

Danhausen d. Goldust by curse

Eddie Kingston d. Bam Bam Bigelow by pinfall

Owen Hart d. CM Punk by pinfall with a handful of trunks to retain the [art] World Championship

american rasslin theatre presents

STAGE COMBAT

[art] World Championship Match

Owen Hart © versus Eddie Kingston

Eddie Kingston defeated Bam Bam Bigelow in the Hudson River Street Fight. He was on the right path again. He was informed that he was the number one contender to the [art ] World Championship. Kingston announced that he wanted to fight Owen Hart for the most coveted prize in ART in his hometown of New York City in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Owen Hart said he was the champion so he would decide when he would or wouldn’t defend the championship. He said he was not going to defend the championship in New York because the people of New York did not deserve it. He then went on to say he would only defend the title in Canada. Kingston then calls Owen Hart a fake. He says he’s a fake champion. He says if he were a real champion, he would defend the championship any time any place. He said a real champion would not back down from any fight. He said this whole time he thought his greatest accomplishment would be winning the [art] World Championship in New York City, but he was wrong. He loved his city, and he knew his city deserved a true World Champion. He did not believe Owen Hart was a true world champion. He believed Owen Hart was a coward who stole the championship from CM Punk so maybe his greatest accomplishment would not be winning the [art] World Championship. He couldn’t wait until Arthur Ashe Stadium. He had to win the [art] World Championship so he could be the champion his city deserved. He said it didn’t matter when he got his shot. He didn’t need to wait. He was always ready to fight, and he’s right here, Owen.

Owen said Eddie was right. It didn’t matter when Eddie got his title shot because Eddie was never going to win. Owen had been around guys like Eddie his entire life, but Eddie didn’t really know him. Eddie was the kind of guy who bought a ticket or snuck into the matches growing up. He was the kind of guy who dreamt of what it was like on the other side of the guardrail. He thought this business would solve all of his problems, but that just wasn’t the case. Owen was born on the other side of the guardrail. He grew up surrounded by wrestlers and he knew what the real struggles were. He knew what it meant to be hungry because he had older brothers who were chomping at the bit to take food off his plate if he couldn’t finish it first. Guys like Eddie cared about the pride of a champion. Guys like Owen cared about the paycheck of a champion. Owen said accomplishments didn’t pay the bills forever, and guys like Eddie are more concerned with padding their resume than their pocketbook. Owen said the real stars of the business talked about guys like Eddie behind their back. Guys like Eddie had a code. They cared about the pride of a champion. They cared about bringing pride to their city. Owen had seen it far too many times. That pride always got in the way. That code always held them down. Guys like Eddie ended up sitting on the fire escape of their studio apartment that they shared with their ex-wife and their five kids thinking “Man, I never got to the top, but at least I did it my way.” The real stars of the business laughed at guys like Eddie. Owen’s father taught guys like Eddie how to wrestle because they paid him to. Owen’s father taught his kids how to thrive in the wrestling business, and that’s exactly what Owen was going to do because he was NEVER going to lose the [art] World Championship, especially not to a mark like Eddie Kingston.

’I Quit’ Match

CM Punk vs Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler

CM Punk wasn’t the same after losing to Owen Hart. The former [art] World Champion was starting to lose his edge. He still won a lot of his matches, but this fire just didn’t burn like it used to. Everyone saw that Punker had lost a step and most people felt bad for the guy. During a pre-show panel, talking heads were commiserating on behalf of the fallen Punk when newcomer Jerry Lawler commented that “At least Punk still got to go home to his smoking hot little wife.” The night continued with Lawler as the special guest commentator. Later that night, CM Punk waltzed down to the ring slapped Lawler in the face, stood on the table, and screamed “Keep my wife’s name out of your F*CKING MOUTH, JERRY!” Lawler laughed it off and mentioned that he never mentioned her name. Punk then went on a tirade in an interview talking about how he doesn’t really understand this business anymore. He thought it was supposed to be a place for respectable men, and instead, he has to share a locker room with a disrespectful twat like Jerry Lawler. He reminded Lawler to never mention his wife again and then commented that he was surprised Jerry mentioned his wife to begin with. Not because he thought Jerry was a decent guy, but rather, he thought April was a little old for Jerry’s taste. Lawler retorted to Punk by saying maybe Punk wasn’t banging his smoking hot wife after all. As for his women, they always said ‘yes’, and they usually said ‘Yes please your majesty’.

CM Punk said when he came into the wrestling business it was filled with carnies and lowlifes. There were a few good men, but they never found the spotlight. For the most part, his generation has been cleaning up pro wrestling’s reputation. They’re making it a little less embarrassing to be a wrestling fan. Punk believed there was a small iota of hope that he could leave this industry a little better than he found it. That means this town isn’t big enough for the two of them. American Rasslin Theatre cannot exist with Jerry Lawler AND CM Punk. He didn;t just want a match. He wanted a fight. He wanted a match where the only way it could end is when he made Jerry Lawler utter the word ‘I Quit’.

Battle of the Beasts

Bam Bam Bigelow versus Wardlow

Bam Bam Bigelow was not seen for a while after losing the Hudson River Street Fight. People tried to reach him for a comment, but he didn’t answer. Meanwhile, Wardlow continued his path of destruction. He destroyed Sean Waltman, and he didn’t stop there. Could he be stopped? That was the question. Suddenly, Bam Bam Bigelow is seen sitting in the cheap seats. He’s wearing dress pants, a stained button down shirt, and he hasn’t shaved in too long. He is approached and says he knows he ignored some calls, he no showed some shows, and he isn’t sure worked here anymore. After Wardlow’s match, Bam Bam jumps the guardrail. He shoves Wardlow into the stairs and lifts them over his head to drop them on Wardlow. Security intervenes and Bam Bam steals the ring announcer’s microphone. He says he wants to help Wardlow. He says Wardlow is just like he was, the undeniable beast. He says building yourself up like that can lead to your demise. The first time you get a chink in your armor, you fall apart. Suddenly, you’ve got nothing anymore. It happened to him too late and now he doesn’t know if he’ll recover. He wants to break Wardlow so he can help rebuild him. He wants to show Wardlow his weaknesses so he doesn’t get blindsided like Bam Bam did. Wardlow passes on the offer of “help”. He doesn’t want to be Bam Bam’s charity case. Bigelow says his motives are pure, but there’s also a part of him that’s curious. There is a little voice deep inside him that’s still pretty sure he can beat Wardlow. When that suggestion comes about, Wardlow is more than happy to oblige to a match.

A Gentleman’s Wager II

[art] of Allegiance Championships

The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) © versus Pain and Suffering (Bob Backlund and William Regal)

After the first Gentlemen’s Wager, Bob Backlund earned the respect of William Regal. As time went on, the two of them began to compete in the tag team division. Their brutality and fervor for ending matches by submission lead to them getting the team name “Pain and Suffering”. They were known for making their opponents submit to the Crossface Chickenwing or the Regal Stretch, sometimes both. They were very vocal about how high flyers like Matt and Nick were the downfall of the sport, and Regal was quoted saying they “disgraced the [art] of Allegiance Championships”. The Bucks didn’t take too kindly to this criticism and said Pain and Suffering were too old fashioned to realize the industry had passed them by. Eventually, Pain and Suffering were named the number one contenders to the [art] of Allegiance Championships. The two teams could not agree to terms for a contract for a match. The solution was to have two singles matches where the winners would get to add a stipulation to the contract. If either team swept the singles matches, they would add two stipulations. If they split the matches, each team could add a caveat. Matt Jackson defeated Bob Backlund, and William Regal defeated Nick Jackson. The Young Bucks took away Pain and Suffering’s greatest weapon by adding a stipulation that the titles could ONLY change hands by pinfall. Backlund tried to refuse until Regal gave his stipulation. If Matt or Nick came off the top rope at any time during the match, they would be disqualified with the match immediately restarting as a Submissions Only Match. Both teams agreed to the terms, and the match was set.

Jade Cargill and The Acclaimed (‘Platinum’ Max Caster and Anthony Bowens) versus

‘Sensational’ Sherri Martel and The Heavenly Bodies (‘Gigolo’ Jimmy Del Ray and Dr. Tom Prichard)

The Acclaimed had been on a hot streak since beating Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie. They were feeling great and had a lot of momentum on their side. When it was a fourway match to determine the next challengers for the [art] of Allegiance Championships. Sherri Martel made her way down to the ring and pulled Max Caster out of the ring so he could not break a pin. Caster made a diss track about Sherri and said she had no business costing them their title shot. She slapped Caster. Bowens said it was a good thing they didn’t hit beautiful women. He then proceeded to hit her with a spinebuster. The Heavenly Bodies ambush Max and Anthony and a rivalry broke out. Sherri was always the deciding factor pushing things in the favor of her new clients. Max and Anthony finally got their hands on Sherri and put her through a table. Prichard and Del Ray came out the next week asking the fans to write Sherri cards and send her flowers because she was not in a good way. They also announce that their lawyer has drawn up a document saying if Max or Anthony put their hands on Sherri, they will be banned from ART forever. However, later that night when The Acclaimed faced The Heavenly Bodies, a masked person helped the Bodies win. Sherri said they couldn’t touch her, but she could do whatever she wanted. A three on two beatdown occurred until “A storm is coming…” Jade made the save laying all three out. The next week, Cargill told Sherri to cut the shit and accept a challenge for a trios match. Caster then told Sherri if she didn’t agree to the match, she would lose her manager’s license due to the number of times she’s cost The Acclaimed matches. Sherri and The Heavenly Bodies ambushed them, and the match was on.

Path to Redemption

Syxx versus Dustin Rhodes

Coming off major losses at [Lights Up. Lights Out.], both the 1-2-3 Kid and Goldust found themselves a bit lost. Neither had the confidence they had going in. Both men slowly underwent changes. 1-2-3 Kid said it was time to put it all together. He announced that he was wasn’t 1-2-3 anymore, but he was 1+2+3 which equaled Syxx. He showed a more aggressive side to himself cheating to win matches and doing whatever it took to get the job done. After the curse of Danhausen wore off, Goldust did something he hadn’t done in a long time. He looked inside himself. He saw the boy he was and the man he became. He created a hybrid of the two. He said he must be complete honest with himself on his path to redemption. He noticed how Syxx had also changed, but he felt he was being something he was not. His help was unwanted. Finally, after being approached several times, Syxx agreed to meet with Dustin and talk about their concurrent paths to redemption. Dustin met him in a garage outside the building, but it was an ambush. Syxx along with masked thugs attacked Dustin. Syxx said he didn’t need to break himself down to build himself back up or anything like that. He had all of the keys to success he needed and when they added up, it equaled Syxx.

Winner Loses their CURSE

Danhausen and Billy Ass versus Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie

Danhausen cursed Goldust which is what allowed him to win the match. He discovered that cursing people was a great strategy to win wrestling matches and make lots of human money. However, Danhausen was informed that he was no longer allowed to curse human members of the ART roster. He was receiving this news when The Roadie said “get lost you stupid cartoon character”. The Roadie then talked about how much the last 30 days had sucked coming out to rap music. He then wants to present Jeff Jarrett with the Country Music Heavyweight Championship. Jeff put the belt on and immediately fell down. Roadie helped him back up. Jarrett threw the title off, and Roadie went to pick it up. He threw it in the air screaming ‘hot’ before dumping a fan’s soda on his hands. They are asking what the hell happened to their championship title when Danhausen reappears out of nowhere and says “I cursed it. They said I couldn’t curse human members of the ART roster. They didn’t say I couldn’t curse championship titles.” The next week, Jarrett and The Roadie bring their title to the ring with grilling tongs and Roadie wearing a HAZMAT suit. Jarrett says The Roadie spent a lot of money on that championship title, and Jeff Jarrett deserved to wear it, so Danhausen better reverse the curse. The Very Nice, Very Evil one comes out and shrugs saying he will do it. After he reverses the curse, Jarrett and Roadie attack him. Jarrett and The Roadie are quite proud of themselves and when they lift the championship up, Jarrett’s hands turn green. It is cursed again. They challenge Danhausen to a tag team match with the stipulation being, if they win, the curse on their precious Country Music Heavyweight Championship is lifted forever. Roadie brags that no one will team with Danhausen because he’s cursed most of the roster at one point or another. They are attacked by Billy Ass with a lead pipe. He says Danhausen cursed his sons by making them annoying. He says he will help Danhausen beat Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie in exchange for lifting the curse on his sons. Winner loses their curse.

Emperor

SPOILER: Click to show

Clash of the Titans Results

WALTER def. Stan Hansen

SPOILER: Click to show

Stan Hansen is used to bulldozing his opponents but WALTER proved to be an immovable object, enduring the hard blows and knocking his challenger down with heavy strikes.

Hansen adapted quickly, taking an uncharacteristic technical approach, utilising ankle picks to take down the champion followed by ground and pound attacks or submission holds on the leg. Hansen's rough and dogged style kept WALTER off balance and prevented the champion from finding his groove. In the later stages of the match they went back to exchanging strikes, this time on a more even footing due to Hansen's earlier attacks.

It was at this point that Hansen finally knocked WALTER down with a running shoulder tackle. He took his opportunity, adjusted the elbow pad to signal his killing blow, and scored with the Western Lariat! Unfortunately WALTER's momentum sent him tumbling through the ropes.

Hansen desperately leapt to the floor, but it took him an age to lift WALTER'S carcass into the ring. By that point the moment had passed. The champion had recovered enough. From his knees WALTER fired a thunderous chop, one that looked suspiciously close to Hansen's neck. The challenger stumbled, spluttering and groping at his throat, making him easy victim for an earth shattering powerbomb and an academic three count. (23:01)

Jay White def. Zack Sabre Jr.

SPOILER: Click to show

Although Jay White is one of the world's finest counter wrestlers, nobody knows how to deal with Zack Sabre Jr. in their first encounter, and so it was that the technical wizard outwrestled The Switchblade for most of the match.

However White stayed in the game with a mixture of his toughness, resourcefulness, and some underhanded tactics. As the late match fatigue set in, Zack started applying his more complex holds. White was able to reverse one of these into a roll up. Finding himself near the edge of the ring, White stretched out his arm and grabbed the middle rope to aid him towards a three count and a narrow escape. (19:17)

KENTA def. Shibata

SPOILER: Click to show

Shibata's return match didn't start off as expected: KENTA was in Bullet Club mode and did everything to stall, avoid contact and annoy his opponent. The plan worked like a charm as Shibata lost his cool and ran right into the trap, allowing KENTA to get the first attack and dominate. He introduced a steel chair and a kendo stick to torture his opponent.

Shibata refused to stay down, fighting like a lion, and not even glancing towards the weapons whenever he was on offense. Thus the second half of the match took on a different character. In response to Shibata's fire and relentlessness, KENTA picked up the pace, wrestling like his NOAH self, and soon both men were exchanging stiff strikes and kicks at an alarmingly fast pace. The crowd roared. Despite the No Disqualification rules no weapons were used for the rest of the match.

One cannot question Shibata's heart, but try as he might, his out of practice body couldn't keep up, and a Busaiku Knee Kick followed by a GO 2 SLEEP won the match for KENTA.

After the match, it seemed KENTA would stroll away without looking back, but as he was halfway through leaving the ring, he had a change of heart. He stepped back into the ring, helped his old friend to his feet, and they embraced. (14:00)

Britt Baker def. Charlotte Flair

SPOILER: Click to show

After a hard fought contest, Charlotte found herself stuck in the Lockjaw. She fought hard, and nearly escaped, but Baker smoothly transitioned to a Crucifix pin, and Charlotte could not escape before the three count. (16:26)

Minoru Suzuki, Tomohiro Ishii and Yoru Yano def. The United Empire

SPOILER: Click to show

Company loyalty proved strong as Suzuki demonstrated exceptionally good teamwork with rivals Ishii and Yano, the unusual tandem winning the crowd over. However The United Empire are as strong a unit as they come and overcame an initial flurry to dominate the mid portion of the match. In the end it came down to Cobb and Suzuki, the latter achieving the victory with a Gotch style piledriver.

Fan's hopes of an unlikely alliance were quickly dashed as, job done, Suzuki immediately left the ring and walked briskly to the back, leaving a perplexed Ishii and Yano to have their hands raised. (16:59)

Ronda Rousey def. Thunder Rosa

SPOILER: Click to show

Thunder Rosa made the crucial error of engaging in an MMA style contest with her fearsome opponent. The battle was even when both women stayed on their feet, but once Rousey scored a takedown, it wasn't long before Rosa was trapped in an armbar and forced to submit. (2:58)

Kenta Kobashi def. Jumbo Tsuruta

SPOILER: Click to show

Both men are known for their long, epic matches in the famed King's Road style, this was a different type of contest. Jumbo charged at the bell, hoping to wrap up the contest early. Kobashi was ready for it and the two bulls collided. The match continued at an alarmingly fast pace. It soon became clear that Tsuruta's gameplan had backfired as Kobashi's advantage grew and grew until he won with a top rope moonsault. (12:31)

Bull Nakano def. Meiko Satomura

SPOILER: Click to show

The opening match witnessed a stark clash of styles. Meiko Satomura prefers to wrestle slowly and methodically, but from the opening Bull Nakano forced her wild, aggressive style on her opponent, and Satomura was never able to find her footing. Despite Satomura's toughness, Nakano was always one step ahead and won with the Poseidon. (10:55)

A few weeks later...

An Undefeated Champion and An Undefeated Challenger

Jay White has officially challenged WALTER for the World Heavyweight Championship. The contracts are signed and the match is set for Ultimate Battle. The challenger had some words for the dominant champion:

"WALTER. You may be the champion, for now, but I am the best wrestler in the world, and I prove that every time I step in that ring. I've been sitting on the sidelines for too long, quietly building the greatest streak in all of professional wrestling. Let me remind you that I am UNDEFEATED! In order to show the world what already I know is a fact, that I am the best, I need a championship. I need YOUR championship."

WALTER responded calmly and succinctly.

"The difference between you and I is that you only think you can't be beaten. I know I can't be beaten."

IWGP Finals: Three Way Tie for First Place

The final round of the International Women's Grand Prix is upon us. The winner of the tournament will be crowned the inaugural World Women's Champion. Here are the current standings and the final round matches.

Britt Baker	6
Ronda Rousey	6
Charlotte Flair	6
Meiko Satomura	2
Thunder Rosa	2
Bull Nakano	2

Group leaders Doctor Britt Baker D.M.D and Ronda Rousey meet in the final round. Both have suffered one defeat: Rousey lost to Charlotte Flair while in the previous round Britt Baker was defeated by Meiko Satomura in a shocking upset. Destiny is in Britt Baker's hands: if she wins, she wins the tournament and the championship, since she holds the tiebreak advantage over Flair, the only other participant who can catch her. If Rousey wins, she has to hope Charlotte does not win.

Tied in the lead is Charlotte Flair, who bounced back after her first round loss to Britt Baker with three wins in a row. She carries the most momentum through to the final round, although her opponent Satomura has becoming stronger and stronger throughout the tournament, leading to her defeating tournament leader Britt Baker in the previous round. With a win under her belt, Satomaru received a much needed confidence boost, making her a large obstacle to overcome. For Flair, this obstacle must be surpassed: she needs to win to have any chance of tournament victory.

Let's not forget about Bull Nakano and Thunder Rosa. Nakano was not able to repeat her strong first round performance; her brutish style scouted and exploited by her opponents. Thunder Rosa, meanwhile, has had a disappointing tournament, her only win against Satomura. Both ladies hope to bounce back, finish strong, and regain some lost pride.

A Friendship Reborn; Gold is Their Goal

Following their brutal war at Clash of the Titans, KENTA's personality changed completely, as stated in a recent interview (translated from Japanese).

"Fighting Shibata woke up something inside me that had been hibernating since I first left Japan nearly 10 years ago. The American way of wrestling is much simpler, much slower. There is not so much fighting spirit. I did not realise it at the time, but I lost a lot of strength in those years. Physical strength and mental strength. Not only did I receive injuries, but I was never able to wrestle to my fullest ability.

When I returned to Japan, I had a lot of that American spirit inside me, but it took time to fully realise. I started very strong in the G1 Climax, but as the tournament continued, I didn't feel strong enough to compete against the Japanese wrestlers. The crowd saw this and did not respect me. That is why I joined Bullet Club and wrestled the way I did. It was a decision motivated by weakness.

I never lost the Japanese spirit. It is part of my core. Perhaps it was most obvious in my G1 Climax match with Will Ospreay. That was the Japanese spirit inside me struggling to escape the bonds that had been created in America. I did not know it at the time, but Shibata was the opponent I needed to truly and completely shed that old skin. Shibata showed me that a steel chair is a weak weapon. If your mind is in the right place, nothing is more dangerous than a kick, an elbow strike, a knee strike. That is how I won the match.

Shibata and I, we had a long conversation about that. I have my regrets, I apologised, for everything, and he understood. We agreed to form a team and challenge for the tag team championships."

So KENTA's words rang true. The tag team was formed, and through their in-ring bond both wrestlers sought to help each other to reach former glory. KENTA battled to recover his old fire; Shibata shook off his ring rust. The team grew in strength, and in success, and they earned their shot to challenge against the tag team champions.

Jeff Cobb and Great O-Khan, representing the United Empire, have been teaming together since the founding of Will Ospreay's group several years ago. Much like their challengers, they have grown in strength, albeit over an extended period of time, slowly forging their teamwork and double-team move repertoire. The chemistry is clear, as evident with their capture of the World Tag Team Championship two months prior.

Three Singles Matches Announced

The opening contest of Ultimate Battle pits teammates against one another as Tomohiro Ishii faces Toru Yano. Having recently failed in an attempt to capture tag team gold, both men decided to pursue their singles career, and agreed to a friendly contest to climb the ladder.



Later in the night is a match between old rivals as the most recent World Championship challenger Stan Hansen faces the equally luckless Jumbo Tsuruta. These men have a big history, wrestling each other countless times in AJPW, sometimes for the Triple Crown Championship, and both are recovering from big losses, so expect a real slobberknocker.



Finally, Will Ospreay versus Kenta Kobashi. Ospreay and Kobashi both have the World Championship on their mind, and find themselves just below Jay White in the ranking list. The Number One Contender's match was set. Ospreay decided to take things beyond Kobashi's characteristic sportmanship, viciously attacking him after a match. Two tag team matches followed, Ospreay frequently hiding behind his United Empire allies and tagging out to avoid contact with an increasingly frustrated Kobashi. Ospreay can hide no longer as the two men go one-on-one: will the Commonwealth Kingpin's strategy prove wise or foolish?

Mentor Against Student; With A Twist

In February 2017, Minoru Suzuki handpicked Zack Sabre Jr. to join his group Suzuki-gun. It proved to be the perfect decision for all parties: the ruthlessness and killer instinct instilled by Suzuki-gun enhanced ZSJ's wrestling, which in turn led him to tournament and championship success, elevating the reputation of the group. ZSJ and Suzuki formed a tag team, capturing gold in UK promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling.

On the eve of Clash of the Titans, a small amount of friction emerged between Suzuki and ZSJ, for the first time. Zack was backstage, talking about his disappointing loss to Jay White. Suzuki entered in the middle of the interview, speaking excitedly in Japanese and prodding Zack's chest with his finger. Suzuki walked away. Zack hesitated and, in a rare moment of being lost for words, left in the opposite direction.

It soon transpired that Suzuki wanted Zack to "sharpen up his game". Suzuki is always on the lookout for new recruits, and a free agent hit the market recently, a free agent Suzuki has some history with. The catch: this free agent is female. He challenged Zack to find a partner of his own to have a friendly mixed tag team contest.

After a couple of weeks, Zack found a comrade, at which point both mystery wrestlers were officially announced. Suzuki had scouted the one and only Asuka! A legend of Japanese and American women's wrestling, a warrior whom Suzuki himself has battled. Meanwhile Zack Sabre Jr. has the greatest respect for the tekkers, and he found, in his words, the best female technical wrestler in the world. The woman of 1000 holds, Serena Deeb!

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Ultimate Battle

World Heavyweight Championship

WALTER (c) vs. Jay White

IWGP Final Round Match

Ronda Rousey vs. Doctor Britt Baker, D.M.D.

IWGP Final Round Match

Charlotte Flair vs. Meiko Satomura

World Tag Team Championship

The United Empire (Jeff Cobb and Great O'Khan) (c) vs. KENTA and Katsuyori Shibata

#1 Contender's Match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Kenta Kobashi vs Will Ospreay

Mixed Tag Team Match

Asuka and Minoru Suzuki vs Serena Deeb and Zack Sabre Jr.

Special Singles Match

Jumbo Tsuruta vs Stan Hansen

IWGP Final Round Match

Thunder Rosa vs Bull Nakano

Special Singles Match

Tomohiro Ishii vs Toru Yano

Damn tough match, love how everybody is bringing it this round 😁🤙

Head to head, Emperor just takes this one.

CM Punk vs Jerry Lawler, Bam Bam vs Wardlow and the six-person tag match are all very good matches I'd love to see. Also a fan of Danhausen teaming with Billy Ass.

But Emperor just has more matches I like overall. I don't need to list them off, I'd love to see just about all of them. Teaming ZSJ & Deeb is genius.

There's a real contrast of styles in this matchup.

AM books an American style promotion, very character driven, every feud has to have a personal angle. In reality I'm not always fond of this because I feel some of these personal angles are very convoluted, but AM's world works for me because his writing is absolutely brilliant top to bottom, nothing feels contrived, and I'll elaborate on that later.

In contrast I'm going pure Japanese style. My matches are not sold so much by personal rivalries and deep characters, but by high stakes matches. Championships, tournaments, ranking systems, contender's matches. I have worked some long-term storytelling in there with KENTA/Shibata and Zack/Suzuki, but mostly I'm letting the ring work speak for itself. Just the way I like it.

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On paper 1RealSmartAlex's card doesn't blow me away. It's a perfectly decent wrestling card. But his writing is what really make the card his own. I'm sure I said similar words for his round 1 match, but the buildups are excellent. He gets deep into his characters, adding personal stakes to every matchup. The entire Owen Hart vs Eddie Kingston build is gold, love how he has presented these contrasting characters. Punk vs Lawler has a similarly excellent build. All of his characters are multi-dimensional and some have undergone evolution, particularly in the case of Syxx vsDustin Rhodes.

It's hard to pick a highlight because every match is a highlight. The stipulations for Young Bucks vs Regal/Backlund are phenomenal and sell a match I wouldn't otherwise have much interest in (sorry Lord Regal). The opening match has some genuinely funny comedy writing, and I can visualise all of the participants working the angle and not be afraid to show some ass, as the saying goes. The best possible use of Danhausen. "He says Danhausen cursed his sons by making them annoying." got an audible laugh out of me. I also love how the opening match has just as much detail as the main event. That's certainly not something I do.

Emperor by a pencil.

I love how much the doctor is putting into these this year, its a pleasure to read and he seems to be having fun with it. Unfortunately I just can't with my lack of wrestling knowledge or care in Emp's type of wrestling.

AM has a few matches I like. Punk/Lawler should be the main event. That would be so much fun, the build would be epic and the match would certainly deliver - especially with the stipulations. Also hats off to his write ups.

It's a shame one of these guys has to lose because they are clearly having a ton of fun with it.

This is a tough one that I had to come back to, and I had to lean my vote towards Emperor here even though AM top matches win out I’m left thinking Emperors card as a whole works better for me. Ronda Rousey on a fan fic draft card will always make me smile I called that shit back in the day. The 2010’s were good times. I just thought she would be a better wrestler/character than what I seen. One of these days I will draft her and fulfill my destiny.

I'll take CM Punk and Wardlow.