Post by gwa on Aug 21, 2015 15:47:09 GMT -5
Off The Top Rope.
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Global Wrestling Alliance.
Fantasy Booker: Tournament of Bruises
Some marquee events in the GWA, such as the Riot in the Ring, happen every season. The Tournament of Bruises is like Thunderdome in that it only takes place once per calendar year. In 2013, the tournament was won by then rookie Faith Dunkarino, who would earn her finals victory by disqualification when Anthony Caffrey interfered. She was given flexibility with her GWA World Title match and chose to compete in the main event of Revelation. Since then, it has become a tradition: the winner of the Tournament of Bruises automatically receives the GWA World Title shot in the last match of the season.
The 2014 Tournament of Bruises occurred amidst a turbulent time in the GWA's history. Competitors included Dexter Point, Vinny Lanza, Ares and "The Clockwork Beast" Alexis Marin. It would be CJ Busha, known for winning everything except world titles, who would defeat Brewer in the finals.
This year's installment comes to us on Sunday, September 27 from San Francisco. In five weeks, we'll find out who will headline Season 23's Revelation. The winner will have earned that distinction, having won three matches in a single night. So much will happen between now and then, but this is Fantasy Booker. If the 2015 Tournament of Bruises were held today, with the International Champion rumored to be in, and Anthony Caffrey and Doomtrain rumored to be out, the brackets might look like this:
CJ Busha (1) vs. Mike Lio (8)
Chris Maverick (4) vs. Fraggle (5)
Johnny3tears (3) vs. Armageddon (6)
The Killer (2) vs. Dexter Point (7)
So, what would happen in this completely fictitious scenario?
CJ Busha and Mike Lio would be a hard hitting match, with both competitors looking to put the other away early and move on to the next round unscathed. The smart money would be on a relatively quick CJ Busha victory. If recent history is any indication, Fraggle would defeat Chris Maverick by forfeit and Johnny3tears would best Armageddon, who would nonetheless have a stronger showing than he did at Global Meltdown. Former GWA World Champion Dexter Point defeated The Killer convincingly at last season's Revelation, but times have changed. Betting odds would now favor the submission specialist after a tough battle.
In the semi-finals, we'd see the mostly recovered Little Big World leader against the hadn't-broken-a-sweat muppet, as well as the auspicious rookie against the man who once Killjoyed the hell out of him. CJ Busha would likely have enough in the tank to get past his protégé Fraggle, while The Killer should find success if he managed to conserve his energy wisely.
That would leave us with the top two seeds, CJ Busha and The Killer, in the finals. Because CJ Busha, tough to beat in the first place, had lighter competition throughout the night, he'd be the favorite to win the Tournament of Bruises for the second straight year. This illustrates how important seeding is.
Note that the brackets are not determined until Week 9, so these almost certainly will not be the tournament matches. Wrestlers currently on the bubble, such as Ward Pierce and Apokalupsis, could fight their way into the tournament. The Killer and CJ Busha are presently maintaining their dominance, with both listed at 7-1 as of the latest rankings. Will one of them crack in the coming weeks? There is also the injury factor. The odds of an injured wrestler winning three matches in one night are slim to none. Wrestlers finding themselves in submission holds in the coming weeks will have to balance their need for wins against their need to remain healthy. We'll have our eyes glued to the rankings and injury reports between now and the all important September 6 cutoff.
Substitution Rule Controversy
At last season's Revelation, Mike Lio and Armageddon won the GWA World Tag Team Titles. Mike Lio then defected from The Shadows to Cult Palomino's BAWF, attempting to hand Armageddon's half of the GWA World Tag Team Titles to his former Dangerous Brothers mate Johnny Bulldog. Armageddon did not contest this move, instead teaming with The Killer in an unsuccessful attempt at capturing the gold with his own substitute partner. At Global Meltdown, Mike Lio defended the GWA World Tag Team Titles with yet another partner, this time International Champion CJ Busha.
Where are we now? The Dangerous Brothers, at 1-0, are the GWA World Tag Team Champions. The next highest ranked teams are Mike Lio and Armageddon, at 1-0, and Mike Lio and CJ Busha, at 1-0. At this rate, Week 24 can roll around and The Dangerous Brothers will still be the GWA World Tag Team Champions...
At 1-0.
Apokalupsis insists Mike Lio has been tarnishing the legacy of the GWA World Tag Team Titles. Recently, GWA World Champion Brewer, who hopes to bring the titles to the Pain Syndikate, made the same comment.
Should the Front Office put a stop to this? The substitution rule was enacted to ensure two-on-two matches, as many felt the GWA World Tag Team Titles were decided in too many anti-climatic handicap bouts. Some have suggested limiting the amount of times the substitution rule can be invoked, but keep in mind the rule isn't only available to the champions. Pay per view challengers, and anyone with a contracted tag match, can swap partners the night of a show if needed.
Perhaps a clever solution is required, or perhaps Mike Lio should be commended for using the rulebook to his advantage. If he keeps this up, he may be on his way to becoming a Double Hall of Famer. The only question if he makes it to the Tag Team Hall of Fame: who's his partner?
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Global Wrestling Alliance.
Fantasy Booker: Tournament of Bruises
Some marquee events in the GWA, such as the Riot in the Ring, happen every season. The Tournament of Bruises is like Thunderdome in that it only takes place once per calendar year. In 2013, the tournament was won by then rookie Faith Dunkarino, who would earn her finals victory by disqualification when Anthony Caffrey interfered. She was given flexibility with her GWA World Title match and chose to compete in the main event of Revelation. Since then, it has become a tradition: the winner of the Tournament of Bruises automatically receives the GWA World Title shot in the last match of the season.
The 2014 Tournament of Bruises occurred amidst a turbulent time in the GWA's history. Competitors included Dexter Point, Vinny Lanza, Ares and "The Clockwork Beast" Alexis Marin. It would be CJ Busha, known for winning everything except world titles, who would defeat Brewer in the finals.
This year's installment comes to us on Sunday, September 27 from San Francisco. In five weeks, we'll find out who will headline Season 23's Revelation. The winner will have earned that distinction, having won three matches in a single night. So much will happen between now and then, but this is Fantasy Booker. If the 2015 Tournament of Bruises were held today, with the International Champion rumored to be in, and Anthony Caffrey and Doomtrain rumored to be out, the brackets might look like this:
CJ Busha (1) vs. Mike Lio (8)
Chris Maverick (4) vs. Fraggle (5)
Johnny3tears (3) vs. Armageddon (6)
The Killer (2) vs. Dexter Point (7)
So, what would happen in this completely fictitious scenario?
CJ Busha and Mike Lio would be a hard hitting match, with both competitors looking to put the other away early and move on to the next round unscathed. The smart money would be on a relatively quick CJ Busha victory. If recent history is any indication, Fraggle would defeat Chris Maverick by forfeit and Johnny3tears would best Armageddon, who would nonetheless have a stronger showing than he did at Global Meltdown. Former GWA World Champion Dexter Point defeated The Killer convincingly at last season's Revelation, but times have changed. Betting odds would now favor the submission specialist after a tough battle.
In the semi-finals, we'd see the mostly recovered Little Big World leader against the hadn't-broken-a-sweat muppet, as well as the auspicious rookie against the man who once Killjoyed the hell out of him. CJ Busha would likely have enough in the tank to get past his protégé Fraggle, while The Killer should find success if he managed to conserve his energy wisely.
That would leave us with the top two seeds, CJ Busha and The Killer, in the finals. Because CJ Busha, tough to beat in the first place, had lighter competition throughout the night, he'd be the favorite to win the Tournament of Bruises for the second straight year. This illustrates how important seeding is.
Note that the brackets are not determined until Week 9, so these almost certainly will not be the tournament matches. Wrestlers currently on the bubble, such as Ward Pierce and Apokalupsis, could fight their way into the tournament. The Killer and CJ Busha are presently maintaining their dominance, with both listed at 7-1 as of the latest rankings. Will one of them crack in the coming weeks? There is also the injury factor. The odds of an injured wrestler winning three matches in one night are slim to none. Wrestlers finding themselves in submission holds in the coming weeks will have to balance their need for wins against their need to remain healthy. We'll have our eyes glued to the rankings and injury reports between now and the all important September 6 cutoff.
Substitution Rule Controversy
At last season's Revelation, Mike Lio and Armageddon won the GWA World Tag Team Titles. Mike Lio then defected from The Shadows to Cult Palomino's BAWF, attempting to hand Armageddon's half of the GWA World Tag Team Titles to his former Dangerous Brothers mate Johnny Bulldog. Armageddon did not contest this move, instead teaming with The Killer in an unsuccessful attempt at capturing the gold with his own substitute partner. At Global Meltdown, Mike Lio defended the GWA World Tag Team Titles with yet another partner, this time International Champion CJ Busha.
Where are we now? The Dangerous Brothers, at 1-0, are the GWA World Tag Team Champions. The next highest ranked teams are Mike Lio and Armageddon, at 1-0, and Mike Lio and CJ Busha, at 1-0. At this rate, Week 24 can roll around and The Dangerous Brothers will still be the GWA World Tag Team Champions...
At 1-0.
Apokalupsis insists Mike Lio has been tarnishing the legacy of the GWA World Tag Team Titles. Recently, GWA World Champion Brewer, who hopes to bring the titles to the Pain Syndikate, made the same comment.
Should the Front Office put a stop to this? The substitution rule was enacted to ensure two-on-two matches, as many felt the GWA World Tag Team Titles were decided in too many anti-climatic handicap bouts. Some have suggested limiting the amount of times the substitution rule can be invoked, but keep in mind the rule isn't only available to the champions. Pay per view challengers, and anyone with a contracted tag match, can swap partners the night of a show if needed.
Perhaps a clever solution is required, or perhaps Mike Lio should be commended for using the rulebook to his advantage. If he keeps this up, he may be on his way to becoming a Double Hall of Famer. The only question if he makes it to the Tag Team Hall of Fame: who's his partner?
