Baker

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USWA Presents
Lawlermania XXVII
A Clash of Kings 27 Years In The Making!
Mid South Coliseum

Memphis, Tennessee

*This is the strongest top to bottom card in the long and storied history of Lawlermania. For that reason descriptions will be short or nonexistent. These matches sell themselves.

1. Usos (c) vs. Steiners- Tag Title Match

The Usos are on an historic run. Not since the glory days of Ace Stevens & Jager Van Dork has a team so thoroughly dominated the USWA. First the Usos declared themselves "the greatest brother team of all time." Now they've dropped the 'brother' disclaimer to become the self-proclaimed "greatest tag team of all time." The Steiners heard that and were not amused. They ditched their well-paying gig in Japan, travelled to Memphis, and challenged the Usos to settle the debate once and for all. This is bound to be an opener for the ages.

2. L.A. Knight vs. Dominik Mysterio- The Future Is Now Grudge Match

Once upon a time, in ye olden days, USWA served as WWF's developmental territory. This match harkens back to those days of yore. Knight is the most popular newcomer to hit USWA in many a moon while ex con Dom is the most hated. A clash was inevitable. Dom got in Knight's business. LA verbally eviscerated on him the mic. Dom launched a sinister sneak attack. The match was signed. These two will be main eventing Wrestlemania one day real soon. This is your chance to catch them 'before they were stars.'

3. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Benoit- Purists Dream Match

4. Terry Funk vs. "The Narcissist" Lex Luger- Culture Clash

5. WALTER vs. Stan Hansen- HOSS FIGHT~! Tom Hickathrift Trophy Tournament Match
*WALTER > Gunther because beefier + better theme

6. Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Orton- Purists Dream Match #2

7. Brock Lesnar vs. Vader- BATTLE OF THE BULLIES~! Tom Hickathrift Trophy Tournament Match

8. Shawn Michaels vs. Sting- #1 Contender Grudge Match

These two were fan favorite friends until World War 23 went down a few months back. HBK, Sting, and the mysterious, masked "Last Outlaw" were the final three competitors in this three ring battle royal for the vacant USWA Championship. HBK dickishly attacked Sting from behind, but the Stinger managed to hang on, and ultimately turn the tables to eliminate Michaels. A furious HBK then interfered to distract his former friend allowing the mysterious Last Outlaw to whack him with a guitar and win the match. Since then HBK has went full villain by bringing his 1997 DX persona to USWA. His dirty deeds subsequently brought out Sting's dark side. The colorful, happy-go-lucky surfer disappeared for a few weeks before returning as the black & white "Crow" Sting chilling in the rafters and launching sneak attacks on his now bitter rival. Something has to give when these two all time greats collide for the first time in a match with stakes as high as those rafters Sting likes hanging out in. 

9. "The King of the Mountain" Jeff Jarrett (c) vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler- QUADRANGLE MATCH~! 27 Years In The Making



We have to go back in time, way back, to explain just how HUGE this Clash of Kings is. This is a match 27 years (at minimum!) in the making. You also have to understand Time flows different here in Lawlerland. Lawler is always a wily vet, but never gets any older than, say, his mid 90s self. Remember, Lawler did become a literal God by beating JBL a few Lawlermanias back. You just have to roll with it.

Our story begins way back in the late 80s-early 90s when young Jeff Jarrett was another in a long line of Jerry Lawler's proteges. He had the King's back in his wars with the Moondogs and Others. Jarrett was being groomed to become Lawler's successor. Funny thing about that though. Lawler never actually goes away. Truth is being Jerry Lawler sidekick is a tough job that only gets you so far...

There were the New Rockers of Marty Jannetty & Steve Corino. Marty became so disillusioned he joined WCW while Corino went one step further by miring in the ECW muck. Lawler's "son" Terry got so tired of waiting he dropped a pipebomb admitting he wasn't Lawler's real son and changed his ring name to Terry Austin before finally settling on Terry Lawston as he grew more and more unhinged. Young Jimmy Golden waited longer than anybody before aging 30 years overnight and defecting to WCW where he became Bunkhouse Buck. More recently Booker T got tired of waiting, crowned himself the new king of Memphis, and tried usurping the throne only to ultimately be put down by the one true King. And no old timer will ever forget the epic, decades long struggle between Lawler & Dundee began with "The Superstar" becoming another disillusioned Lawler protege. 

Jeff Jarrett saw the writing on the wall way back in 1993. Instead of launching a rebellion he had to have known he could not win, he sought out greener pastures, finding them in WWF. JJ had a successful stint there, winning the Intercontinental Championship on multiple occasions. But the truth is he never wanted to be the IC Champ. He wanted to be The King of Memphis. Having gained that all important experience, he returned to Memphis with a pair of friends in tow to claim what he felt was his birthright...

It's a little known fact that before The Outsiders invaded WCW, they invaded USWA. Hall showed up first. Then Nash. And finally the mastermind of the whole sinister plot, The Third Man himself, "Double J" Jeff Jarrett. The Outsiders ran roughshod over USWA for a few weeks. It all lead to a big six man tag pitting the invading Outsiders against Lawler's Royal Family of Jerry, Jannetty & Corino. This was pre-Lawlermania, but still huge. In fact, this is one of the 2 or 3 shows that ultimately led to Lawlermania becoming a thing. Lawler & Friends won the match, repelling the Outsiders Invasion, and banishing them from Memphis forever....or so we thought.

Jeff Jarrett traveled the world, created his own major company, became a modern day legend, and won titles everywhere he went- WWF IC Champ more than anybody else, WCW World & US Champ, NWA Champ, AAA Champ, etc. Recently he sent his older body forward in time to AEW (just roll with it) in order to pick up tricks from all the best young new style wrestlers. Point is the man has done nearly everything there is to do in his first ballot Hall of Fame career. Yet the biggest thing of all has always eluded his grasp. As stated earlier, the only thing he ever REALLY wanted to do was become The King of Memphis. Why you think he called himself "The King of the Mountain?" Because it's the next best thing! Finally, after 27 years of waiting in exile, he saw an opportunity, and seized it...

Lawler's USWA Championship was vacant for reasons I don't feel like going into now. A new champ would be crowned at World War 23. The match was won with a guitar shot on Sting by a masked mystery entrant known only as The Last Outlaw. The guitar gave it away. Memphis was buzzing. They knew. The Last Outlaw was JEFF JARRETT returning home after an absence of 27 Lawler Years (which you have to remember are different than regular years).

Even BILL DUNDEE was only banished for 10 years that one time (during which time he created ECW) before returning, assassinating Duke "The Dumpster" (long story), and battling Lawler in the biggest pre-Lawlermania USWA match. Jarrett has been gone for 2.7x as long! Twenty. Seven. Years. That's a hell of a long time. 27 years of letting that hatred fester....the jealousy....the envy....the plotting. Yes, that's right folks. Good ol' Double J has returned home after 27 years away. And he is back for.....
REVENGE!

He won the first battle by taking Lawler's title in a match where the suspended "King" was absent. But now the stakes are even higher. It's Jerry Lawler vs. his former protege, mano a mano, in the most dangerous match in Memphis- THE QUADRANGLE! Two out of Three Falls. First fall a regular match. Second fall counts anywhere, even The Grasslands. Third fall a Cage. For the greatest prize in our sport- The USWA Heavyweight Championship. Be there or be square.

*Yearly reminder Lawler CAN lose at Lawlermania. It has happened before. Twice. Dr. Death pinned him clean as a sheet at Lawlermania II and Bob Boone Jr. went one step further by making Lawler submit clean as a sheet in the middle of the ring a few Lawlermanias later. It CAN be done. But can JJ do it? There's only one way to find out! 

*During the drafting stage I really wanted to make a Lawler/Jarrett Youtube video set to the Highlander theme. I didn't. One of these years I really am going to learn how to create Youtube videos and take this stuff to the next level. But for now here is some Queen. Because everybody loves Queen! This is theme song for this installment of Lawlermania. Just imagine Lawler and a bit of Jarrett in there instead of Duncan. I know Neo Zeed would approve...

KITN

SPOILER: Click to show

SPOILER: Click to show

In 2006, there was an idea. An idea to present a wrestling product as it had never really been seen at the time. A fictionalized world where professional wrestling is a real combat sport, a semi-dystopian mixture of sci-fi and fantasy, a series that was treated more like what would come to be known as “prestige television”. It was influenced by programs like “Babylon 5”, “The Sopranos”, or “The Wire”, and would be contemporary of programs like “Breaking Bad” and “Game of Thrones.” Where live wrestling, sometimes edited down for time, would be blended into professionally shot and acted scenes recorded prior, involving both the wrestlers and professional actors to make the series feel more legitimate. Commentary was even provided by the team of wrestling commentary veteran Dave Prazak and beloved character actor Lance Reddick, though he portrayed the fictional retired wrestling legend “Tiger” Jameson, while Prazak was often simply referred to as “Scott.”

The series debuted in 2007, after a few months of running non-televised house shows to build interest and help wrestlers define their new characters, and ran for 10 years of serialized seasons (again, like “real” television), always helmed, from the first episode to the final taping, by Diane Rogers, an eclectic multimillionaire who had built her fortune by making several borderline-precognitive business investments. In 2018, after the series ended, a massive box set was released, containing not only the full series, but for the first time ever, the unedited versions of every match card that was used for the wrestling on the show.

This is the story of Palaestra Rex

It is the year 2345, and the empire of mankind has spread across the stars. There are thousands of colonies all across the galaxy, but on the planet of Caelum, not all is as wonderful as its name implies. There is poverty, famine, strife, and civil unrest. The planet hangs on a tipping point after the assassination of August Empor [played in flashbacks and pre-recorded videos by Bruce Campbell], the planet’s constitutional monarch. While his widow Octavia Empor [played by Robin Wright] assumed the throne and had the murder covertly investigated, her eldest son Alexander [played by Bryan Danielson] took it upon himself to find a way to ease civil unrest and to channel the populace’s growing bloodlust by letting them experience it vicariously by reinstituting the grand game of Palaestra, the sport of kings, even using the championship held by his great-grandfather Jules Empor [portrayed in photographs by Karl Gotch]. It is a story of intrigue and mayhem, hope and despair, love and loss, violence and virtue. But most of all, it is a story of blood and of pain.

SPOILER: Click to show

Alexander Empor - played by Bryan Danielson: When you want to build a new, eye-catching wrestling product, you go after the best wrestler alive. That’s precisely the decision that was made by casting Bryan Danielson as Alexander Empor and building the first two seasons of the series around his matches. Though not as dynamically charismatic as The Rock or Steve Austin, Danielson had a clear understanding of what his character was meant to be and how to present him in the ring. Though fans unfamiliar with his work might have found him a little dry at first, being a noble and honest character in a setting full of muddied morality helped him stand out, and they would be unable to deny the quality of Danielson’s ring work. But it would be in Season 4 that the character of Alexander Empor took a very interesting turn.

Nero Empor - played by Tyson Smith: Brought in at the start of season 2, Nero was everything his older brother was not. Where Alexander was nearly stoic, Nero was flamboyant. Where Alexander was noble and fair, Nero was capricious and underhanded. His obnoxious and over-the-top characteristics made him undeniably entertaining, along with the handful of times he wrestled in his debut season, but it belied his own devious cunning and power-hungry machinations for the throne. But his duplicitous nature would come back to haunt him, in due time. Fans absolutely fell in love with Tyson's portrayal of the character, helped by his own natural flamboyance and his eagerness to enflame a certain section of the show's fanbase. 

Kal Hart - played by Chris Spraldin, Emilio Luden - played by Claudio Castagnoli: A pair of conmen on the run from one world to the next, Kal and Emilio had originally seen Caelum as just another planet full of suckers, and that the return of Palaestra was maybe just another hustle they could exploit. But the pair would quickly fall in genuine love with the world and the sport. There was a strange affection they would grow to hold for their new home. Though Kal was introduced in the first few episodes as little more than Emilio's manager, he quickly proved capable of handling himself in a fight. He was still more than happy to watch Emilio work when the situation called for it, of course. There were rumors and fan theories about all of the winks, the looks, the smiles, and the affectionate touches, but fans tried not to get their hopes up. It was professional wrestling and it was the year 2007, after all. However, after certain events in season 2, the pair's popularity exploded to even greater heights, though they had their detractors as well. Never ones to fall on either side of the battle lines that this world had drawn all around them, Kal and Emilio knew that the only place that it truly mattered to stand was at one another's side. 

Steele-1/Ash Steele - played by Patrick Kenneth Martin, Steele-2/Bishop Gold - played by Joshua Harter: The Steeles were initially created in secret by Sawyer Strong to act as his seconds and students, so he could find something that would make him feel less alone in the world. He also implanted them with false memories so that they would not discover they were machines. Designed to act perfectly in tandem as the ultimate tag team, their synchronicity began to border on codependence throughout season 2 before they learned that, like their mentor, they were artificial. They struggled with this knowledge throughout season 3 before their search for individuality and identity brought them to blows at season's end, with Bishop outright rejecting the Steele identity and abandoning his brother. The drama, not to mention the charisma and talents of the two performers in and out of the ring, kept fans coming back for more. 

The Bowery Lord - played by Scott Levy: He seemed older than the world, older than time. He spoke of things he could not possibly have known, of the old world of man, of the way mankind had "always been." Of how war, hatred, bloodshed, and conquest were man's birthright, that if God had ever existed, he had long since abandoned his creation, or taken his own life in fear of us, and we were all that remained. The Bowery Lord, a nearly inhuman figure, spoke with such hypnotic sway and such a fierce command that the desperate and downtrodden followed him as they saw no other way. He whispered into the ears of the lowest beggars and the most powerful generals, wrapping around the world like a choking vine. Though he wrestled barely a handful of times, the captivating and powerful presence of the borderline-eldritch creature that Showrunner Diane Rogers and Scott Levy himself had created was one that fans couldn't help but love to hate. Which made what happened from season 4 onward all the more fascinating. 

Magnum X - played by Austin Watson: Though the name was clearly intended to evoke a neo-futuristic equivalent of Malcolm X, Austin Watson also drew on characters like Marvel's Professor X or the Black Panther, King T'Challa, to create the image of a strong, charismatic, impassioned leader who cared deeply for his community and for the betterment of all who struggled. Though he was a heroic character, Magnum had no love for the Empor Family, coming into conflict with the series' other main protagonist Alexander Empor, criticizing the structure of a constitutional monarchy and that the family continued to hold power even after the man who had been elected in the first place was dead. They had a single exhibition bout that went to a time limit draw in season 2, but that would be far from the last time the two crossed paths. Magnum's criticism of the systems of power and cruelty that made the world an awful place, but also of the need for compassion even in a world that offered you so very little of it in return, were important and resonant cornerstones of his character that makes the character of Magnum X resonate even half a decade after the series' end. 

Sawyer Strong - played by Kurt Angle: Initially portrayed as a descendant of the original practitioners of Palaestra, Sawyer Strong was a straight-laced and serious warrior. A man's man, if ever there was one. Many parallels were intentionally drawn between Sawyer and Alexander Empor, the undeniable hero of the early part of the series. But when it was revealed in the Season 2 3-part finale that he was actually an android masquerading as his own descendant, things became much more interesting. Androids were highly discriminated against on Caelum, and Sawyer, the Steele twins, and other characters became the focus of debates on ethics and the very concepts of what it is that makes us "human." This also allowed Kurt Angle to use some more of his humorous chops, though this was a darker, more acerbic humor like Dean Norris's characters on "The Shield" or "Breaking Bad." But as the series continued to progress, Sawyer's softer side would show. 

Kris Kannon - played by Christopher Lindsey: From all outward appearances and from his first appearances, Kris Kannon seemed to be an honorable, upstanding, heroic character like Alexander Empor and his teacher Sawyer Strong. Fans loved his matches and they loved his honest, forthright demeanor. But when The Bowery Lord exposed Sawyer Strong's automatonous nature, he also exposed the hatred and bigotry in Kannon's heart. He rejected his former mentor and joined in with The Bowery Lord, becoming more violent and ruthless in his matches. And the defeat of The Bowery Lord in season 3 did not "cure" Kannon of his hatred, showing that he had not been under any sort of spell, and that the ugly heart of prejudice sometimes has a kind outward face, that it is more insidious than any mere flag-waving, chest-thumping cartoon character. 

Infinito - played by Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde, Silverheart - played by Trevor Mann, and Blitz - played by Jack Edward Miller: Infinito, Silverheart, and Blitz, though all similar in that they were masked high-fliers who excited the crowd with thrilling matches (Miller's name and attire were very much in tribute to his inspiration and trainer Blitzkrieg while Man's was just legally distinct enough from the luchador La Sombra), they also had similarities in the characters they portrayed. Though Blitz's disability was never explicitly referenced or linked to a real-world likeness, the character was clearly autistic-coded, with wrestling serving as his hyperfixation. His difficulties in communicating with others or reading emotions were not seen as jokes or annoyances for other characters to deal with but part of his daily struggle and his search to function in society and find acceptance. Silverheart was a returning veteran from war, the mask used to hide his injuries (and the fact that Trevor Mann was younger than the character he portrayed) and wrestling as his outlet, using adrenaline to drown out all of the trauma he'd endured and let out all of the anger he had inside. But his true path to healing still dealt in confronting his past and dealing with his emotions (thankfully, the voice acting efforts of Keith David dubbed over Mann's rather wooden delivery and helped sell the character). While Infinito was, quite literally, an alien, trying to make a life for himself on a planet that, for all its surface-level wonders, was hostile toward them. Despite the discrimination he faced from the general populace and even his fellow competitors, Infinito did his best to hold himself to a higher standard, but luckily it was a fight he didn't have to face alone. All three men would be members of Magnum X's Revolutionary Brotherhood, showing the difference between Magnum and Bowery Lord as leaders. Unlike The Bowery Lord's message of doom and despair, all Magnum asked for was a commitment to compassion and a willingness for his followers to fight for a better world.  

Shinzo Rei/Blood Dragon - played by Kenta Kobayashi: A Patrick Bateman-esque character, Shinzo Rei came from one of the wealthiest non-royal families in all of Caelum, and it was no secret that their eyes were often on the throne. But while the rest of his family made machinations that would place them on the seat of ultimate planetary power (with a running thread through the first two seasons that marked them as the biggest suspect in August's death), Shinzo was uninterested. In fact, he seemed uninterested in nearly everything that his incredible wealth and privilege granted him. But the reinstitution of Palaestra allowed him the one experience he'd been denied: to enact the violence in his heart and unleash the raging animal inside. Underneath the mask of the Blood Dragon, Shinzo could let out all of the bloodlust that lived inside him without any risk of reprisal from his family. Able to switch from placid to nearly-rabid at the slightest provocation, the outlet of Palaestra eventually began to creep into his unmasked, daily life, and the fraying edges of his sanity, combined with Kobayashi's fantastic wrestling ability, made him one of the series' most compelling and popular characters. 
 
Damian Vasquez/Hierro - played by Edward Moore: The character of Hierro, or Damian Vasquez, was one of a commentary on social struggle and hardship, and how fear, desperation, and abuse can make the worst out of good people. Hierro was a good man in a world that seemed to have no interest in allowing him to be good, so he had fallen under the sway of The Bowery Lord from the time he was young. Despite his insistence that he was a violent man and would do whatever his Lord asked, The Bowery Lord inevitably sensed his hesitation and the goodness in him and cast him out violently. It was only when he was free from The Bowery Lord's presence that he could find redemption at the side of Magnum X, a man he had believed to be his enemy. With time, patience, and kindness, he reclaimed his birthname of Damian Vasquez and became the sort of man who he always could have been, even helping bring down The Bowery Lord in the season 3 finale. Edward Moore's incredible intensity and passion as a performer truly helped bring to life a character that represented how the only real difference between our best and our worst is the ability of others to reach out and help one another. 
 
Sangre - played by Nelson Erazo: Though he and Hierro had been like brothers, there was one major difference between them. Sangre was a true believer in The Bowery Lord's message, that the Gods were dead and we were living among the ruins and the refuse. That there was neither hope nor salvation and all that mattered that you had the will and the strength to take what you needed, what you wanted, from those who had it. That you were strong enough to have, and that someone else was weak enough to have not. It was this devout belief that made him capable of absolutely anything and a truly terrifying on-screen presence, both in the ring and in filmed scenes. Though he was never a truly "major" antagonist or a focused character, fans would always love Sangre for his undeniable intensity and the kind of dangerous energy that made you believe that what you were watching was real. 

Kesseki - played by Takeshi Morishima: For a recent release from the Caelum prison system, Kesseki had few options for work and maintaining a livelihood. As a commentary on the harshness of the penal system in real life, the only thing that kept Kesseki from returning to prison was the return of Palaestra. It allowed him to put his strength, size, toughness, and penchant for hyperaggression all to good use. And the people loved him for it. It made him feel wanted for the first time in his life, made Kesseki feel like a hero. Paradoxically, the violence of the sport began to soften the hardened edges of his heart. And Takeshi Morishima's incredibly hard-hitting smash mouth style made him as big of a hit with fans watching at home as the fans in the arenas.  

Erick Hardman - played by Don Frye: Having missed the original era of Palaestra by a generation, Erick Hardman was an ill fit for a world where his strength and toughness were seen fit for, at best, manual labor or machine work. But he still competed in underground, amateur fights, even though anyone who knew about his activities thought of him as a barbarian. Then, when the great sport was reinstated, things didn't get any better, as his previous experience made other fighters look down on him as beneath them, second rate. Despite being in the twilight of his prime combat years, Hardman grits his teeth and eagerly takes every fight given to him, desperate for the chance to prove himself at last. Don Frye's honest, hard-worn kind of charm endeared audiences to him, despite his not being the greatest actor in the world. He was a fan favorite throughout the series, whether in the ring or out. 

Eliza Ryong - played by Gail Kim: If you needed a job done, Eliza Ryong would do it. Whether it was gathering information, tracking someone down, putting that information to use, or making that person disappear, Eliza was more than capable of doing that job. Though much of her background remained shrouded in mystery throughout the series, that only added to her appeal. It was just unfortunate timing for Eliza that her skills brought her into the crosshairs of someone she wasn't prepared to handle. But despite the fate that would befall her, Eliza would rise from the ashes as something different. Something... darker. 

Inferna - played by Elizabeth Kociański: Even before The Bowery Lord's true nature was revealed, Inferna was Palaestra Rex's first introduction to elements of the supernatural and fantastical. Initially presented as a night club owner with connections to the underworld and yet another contender for the potential assassin, Inferna showed just what she was capable of when she walked out of the blazing inferno of what had once been her own nightclub, completely unharmed. After taking her revenge, Inferna would become one of the most captivating and dangerous antagonists of the series, with the skill between the ropes to keep fans just as excited as they were by her demigoddess powers. 

Blood Dragon vs Infinito vs Silverheart vs Blitz

Scramble Match

Season 1 Episode 1 AKA “War is Life, Life is War”



The series needed something to hook the TV wrestling audience’s attention, something to completely wow them and throw off their expectations of everything they had seen from TV wrestling before. Taking inspiration from independent wrestling, the first match on that first episode was a mad scramble between four of the most exciting wrestlers on that new roster. After an absolute six-minute sprint full of death-defying flips and dives at breakneck speed, it was Blood Dragon who achieved the first victory in the history of Palaestra Renatus by nearly taking off Blitz’s head with a devastating head kick, one of many cringe-inducing strikes he had used to stand out against his more aerodynamic and acrobatic opponents throughout the match.

Sawyer Strong vs Kris Kannon

Season 1 Episode 5 AKA “Showing Heart”



The idea of a single wrestling match taking up an entire hour of television seems absolutely, patently insane. But that’s exactly what these two men did, or nearly enough, minus five minutes of non-wrestling action at the very start of the episode, just to set up a plot of some kind. Kris Kannon had sought out Sawyer Strong, scion of a long line of great warriors of the bygone era of Palaestra, for training. Sawyer was reticent to the idea but said he would do it if Kannon faced him in battle first, hoping to scare him off. But Kris Kannon would not be deterred.



For nearly an hour and practically unedited for TV time, the two men battered and brutalized each other with a combination of crisp, scientific wrestling and truly aggressive suplexes and slams. The sound of Kannon’s chops echoing through the building really had to be heard to be believed, and was accompanied by the occasional shriek of horror from a fan. Given that Kurt Angle was a more well-known name to wrestling fans, it was a shock to many when Kannon gained the victory in the closing moments with a Kannon Blast (Sick Kick) to Sawyer’s face, incapacitating him long enough for Kannon to get the victory. The episode faded to black on both men struggling to their feet as the crowd was wild with their approval, Sawyer giving Kris a nod of acknowledgement. It would be a bittersweet moment for fans to look back on in the future.

Kesseki vs Erick Hardman

Knockout or Submission Only

Season 1 Episode 20 “Rock And A Hard Place”



Always wanting to do something that would set their product apart and stand out to fans who had only seen more traditional wrestling products, the bout between Kesseki and Hardman was a very clear homage to Don Frye’s real life battle with Yoshihiro Takayama, who Takeshi Morishima had wrestled in the past. The match even started with the infamous Frye/Takayama punch exchange. Though the match was not a 1-to-1 recreation of the fight- it included far more slams, suplexes, and pro-wrestling-specific strikes like lariats, the tribute was clear. But in this reality, Hardman simply was not able to weather the storm and was knocked out by the phenom that was Kesseki. Still, the absolute war the two men put one another through earned one another’s respect and they would strike up an odd friendship.

The Sacred Band (Kal Hart and Emilio Luden) vs. Century of Steele (Steele-1 and Steele-2)

Season 2 Episode 25 AKA “Blood of the Covenant”

It was a match and a moment that fans had been waiting for, not only from a wrestling standpoint, but a drama perspective. After weeks of a grueling tag tournament, it had come down to the two teams with the strongest bond. The Steeles, still unaware of their true nature, seemed to have the advantage in the early portions of the match, their synthetic synchronicity began to give more and more ground to their opponents' genuine connection and chemistry. In the end, The Sacred Band would claim victory and raise the trophy that would later be reforged into the tag team championships. But their real victory came after the match had ended. All the looks, all the unspoken things in every scene outside of the ring that the team had shared, every affectionate touch, even the team's very name, all of the fan suspicion was confirmed when, holding the trophy high together, the two shared an impassioned embrace that, to the admitted surprise of Diane Rogers, the live crowd overwhelmingly cheered. There had been a worry that the crowd audio would need to be changed for TV, given that the show was not all that far removed from things like the Christopher Street Connection or Billy and Chuck. But it was victory in and out of the world of Caelum and a landmark moment for the series. 

Hierro vs Sangre

Bloodletting Match

Season 2 Episode 15 AKA “Not to Praise But to Bury”



It was a moment that fans had felt coming since the two brother-like characters were introduced. Having sensed what he perceived as weakness, The Bowery Lord forced Sangre and Hierro to fight in a match where the only way to achieve victory was to make your opponent bleed and then beat them until they could no longer stand. Either Sangre would destroy a non-believer, or Hierro would kill whatever noble spirit remained in him and reaffirm his faith to his lord. In one of the more violent wrestling matches seen on television, Hierro tried to make his Lord proud and be as ruthless as he knew he should be, but when the moment came for a finishing blow, he hesitated. Sangre, truly devout, did not hesitate, and destroyed his brother, pleasing his Lord.

Eliza Ryong vs Inferna

Inferno Match

Season 2 Episode 39 “Ultima Pugna 2 Part 1/3”



In an effort to truly push the envelope and give wrestling fans a product they had never seen before, Palaestra Rex included the first ever women’s Inferno Match as part of their season 2 finale. Partly as an avenue to display Inferna’s in-storyline pyrokinetic abilities and partly to, as mentioned, go beyond what was expected. The two women battled ferociously, but it was clear that there was just something Inferna had that her all-too-human opponent did not. Despite a spirited, desperate effort from Ryong, Inferna eventually cast her would-be murderer into the flames and watched her immolate with smug satisfaction (a special effects crew made it appear as though Eliza had been completely consumed by the flames and was on hand to make sure nothing went wrong). But this would be far from the last time PR fans would see Eliza…

Magnum X vs The Bowery Lord

Strength of Will Match

Season 3 Episode 40 AKA “Ultima Pugna 3 Part 2/3“



The conflict had been building from nearly the first episode. The Bowery Lord’s church of violence, cruetly, and self-interest against Magnum’s brotherhood of progress, kindness, and the common good. In The Bowery Lord’s chosen match, the ring was surrounded by wrestlers (and extras) who waged war around ringside (and in interspliced shots of the city sets) as Magnum and The Lord fought tooth and nail. It was a bloody, violent brawl that could only end when one fighter’s will was extinguished. When it seemed like The Lord would be victorious, it was Damian Vasquez, the man The Bowery Lord had cast out, who saved Magnum X by diving into the ring to strike his former master. The Brotherhood each struck a blow against The Bowery Lord, while he had no one left to defend him, no one to sacrifice in his name, before Magnum delivered the final blow and gained victory. The Brotherhood shared in the joy and prosperity of the moment as it seemed that a new day had finally dawned…

Alexander Empor vs Nero Empor

Season 3 Episode 41 AKA “Ultima Pugna 3 Part 3/3”

From the beginning of Palaestra Rex, Alexander Empor was one of the few figures that could be pointed to as an unabashed, straightforward hero. He was fair, evenhanded, noble, and honorable. He never held back in his matches, but he never took shortcuts and took steps to prevent experiencing preferential treatment by appointing the outwardly-upright, inwardly-insidious Ric Hayward [played by Bob Odenkirk] as matchmaker. Hayward would work with Alexander’s younger brother Nero throughout season 2 to frame the elder brother for their father’s murder and send him into exile. Fans hoped that Alexander would return, though they did not expect him to do so as soon as the end of the following season.



With The Bowery Lord defeated, it seemed like things were on a truly hopeful upswing for the first time in the series before Alexander returned to confront his younger brother. But he’d changed. His hair had grown long and wild, he had a beard, and a strange black symbol painted on his chest. He challenged his little brother, who had been signing off at the end of the season, and did not allow him to refuse. The absolute battering that Nero endured was beyond any comeuppance that the fans had wanted to see Nero endure for his actions throughout season 2 and 3 and into the kind of barbaric cruelty that they had never expected from Alexander. Once he’d rendered Nero a bloody heap, Alexander had him cast out to cement his bloody takeover. Though the time of the Bowery Lord had ended, a new, darker threat had arisen. The Age of the Black Dragon had begun.

Alright, so, last time I did the idea where the matches were highlights from a DVD box set so I could have them at different points in time without needing to fit everything on one necessarily cohesive card. It's the same principle here.

And if you're having some hang-ups on the concept itself, think of Lucha Underground. Only instead of taking thematic cues from stuff like Grindhouse flicks and Telenovela, more like Game of Thrones meets Blade Runner, kinda-sorta.

What a fucking matchup, this is beautiful!

This is a tough one, as I've been going back and forth on who to vote for. Both Baker and KITN have some pretty awesome match ups on thier cards.

KITN and I making it hard on PW. The other matchups have 6, 7 & 8 voters. Ours has 3.

As a fan of outside the box ideas, I like what KITN did here. He went for it. You love to see it. Also like how he didn't dumb it down by over-explaining things, something I am seemingly incapable of doing. Good stuff.

I went the more traditional dream match route for once with my only real indulgence being a deep dive into Lawlermania lore to help sell the main event.

I still haven't voted yet, really tough to go against either of these cards. Just want to say that I'm glad to see Fan Fic getting some love in this draft like this, this was my favorite first round matchup for sure. I think I'm actually going to lean towards KITN with a vote here putting a monumental effort together to be able to topple Bake. In the end, there can be only one.

See my post in the AM vs bodyslam thread that I posted accidentally as to why I haven't voted yet.

I'm going to be perfectly honest, I flipped a coin. I fucking love both of these cards.

KITN's felt like a chore at first with how he presented his, but it forced me to read and appreciate everything he put into it, and that made me love it even more. I would have read it either way, but I'm not everyone, and what he did is exactly how you draw in a reader. Anyone can pick 20 good wrestlers and slap together a card. It takes a special brain to get that creative on top of that.

Then you got Baker, who can do no wrong no matter who he drafts. That's a joke, his roster is actually really good.

I love both of these entries. Great work both of you.

Damn, damn, damn. I gave it my best shot. You win this round, Baker.

KITN you put up a good fight. I'm sure we will meet again some day.

I'll make my steals tonight or tomorrow. Have to do some planning first.

Stealing Kurt Angle & Raven