Friday, October 31, 2014

Note on WWE 2k15

Shoot time folks!

Now that the PS3 version of WWE 2k15 has been released it's time to reveal the future of the Animated Wrestling League.  And that future is.....

.....I'm not getting the new game.

From all reports and videos that I've seen in the last couple of days, not only is 2k15 not much of an improvement in the graphics department, the lack of both Story Editor and Create-a-Finisher features means that 2k15 actually has FEWER storytelling tools than 2k14!  So for the time being, the AWL with continue to be produced on the 2k14 platform.

"But what about the PS4?" I can hear you say.  Well, the simple truth is that I don't have a PS4 and at the moment I don't intend to get one.

I am keeping an open mind and will do my due diligence in researching the next gen version of the game.  But it's going to take a BIG improvement over the last gen version to convince me to not only get the game, but the system for it as well.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Darkness Ryu in action tomorrow!!

This just in ladies and gentlemen:
Tomorrow on AWL Mid-Week Wrestling, the bizarre creature known as Darkness Ryu will have his first official match in the Animated Wrestling League!  The mysterious Dr. Jigoku is certain to be close by so expect the unexpected!

Also, in Tag Team Action, The Bullet Club will face Big & Spicy.  We all saw Tiny defeat Bad Luck Fale at AWL 110 and we all saw the Tongan Titan beat Curry Man at AWL 111.  But how will they all fair in a traditional tag team match where points are on the line?

Check this very blog in less than 24 hours and find out!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

AWL 111 fallout.

Many things of great significance have happened in the last 24 hours.  First and foremost, we have an injury update on Dragon.  According to my sources in the AWL medical staff, Dragon suffered a stinger and a possible concussion when the creature we now know to be called "Darkness Ryu" threw Dragon from the ring into and through the commentation station.  Dragon is now officially on the injured list and is expected to be out of action for several months.

Additionally, we can finally report on the condition of Ganba (who was choke slammed through the ring at AWL 110).  The Japanese Megastar suffered severe lacerations when he hit the various weapons and equipment under the ring. 

Apparently, the AWL Commissioner handed down a hush order on the whole thing until Ganba could undergo a full battery of medical tests.  There was concern that some meta natural forces were at work here.  Thankfully, that appears to not be the case. 

Ganba is also on the injured list and no timetable for his return has been announced. 

In other news, both the teams of Dragon and James as well as The New Classics gained a point towards tag team title contention.  They now have 2 pts and 1pt respectively. 

Lastly, the results of yesterday's matches have altered the make up of the Danger Zone.  Thanks to a tie for the fourth slot, there are now 5 men in the Zone:

El Rudo Rojo: -14
THUGLIFE 田中健一: -12
"Peacemaker" Luke James: -8
Tiger Mask II: -7
American Beetle: -7

Remember, if 田中健一 makes it to the final round of the tournament he will be immune from Batsumania.  His Quarterfinal match against Kid Canada will be next weekend at AWL 112.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

AWL 111 Preview

The next episode of the Animated Wrestling League will be posted tomorrow morning Japan time, please adjust for your time zone.  We got a loaded card for you this week so lets break it down:

MAIN EVENT:
AWL Championship Tournament Quarter Final Match #1
El Santo Azul vs. HAKAISHA!

The next round of the tournament begins with David vs. Goliath.  El Santo Azul may have defeated Ganba to make it this far, but HAKAISHA! is a whole different animal.  In his entire AWL career, HAKAISHA! has only lost THREE matches!!  But upsets have been the name of the game in this tournament so it's really all to play for tomorrow.

TAG TEAM ACTION:
Dragon & James (1), The New Classics (0), The All Americans (0), The Real Jobbers (0)

There will be TWO tag team matches tomorrow featuring these four teams.  The exact match ups have not been announced yet, but looking at the teams involved there is certainly going to be such a thing as a "Good Draw" at AWL 111.  Of course, points will be up for grabs.

Bad Luck Fale vs. Curry Man

This is a grudge match from AWL 110.  After Tiny defeated Bad Luck Fale, The Bullet Club made the challenge and Curry Man has accepted.....A move henceforth known as Mistake #1.

Wonder Kid vs. El Rudo Rojo

Wonder Kid has been on a tear through the AWL in the past several weeks.  Next on his hit list is El Rudo Rojo and it couldn't happen to a nicer jerk.

All that and more tomorrow at AWL 111!

Saturday, October 25, 2014

AWL By the Numbers: 10/25/2014 Edition

It's been a while since we've done one of these, so let's take a look at the state of the AWL...by the numbers:

Heavyweight Division:
Current Champion: None. TBD
#1 Contender: N/A in Season 6.

Season 6 is all about the AWL Championship Tournament! We have just finished the Round of 16 and the Quarter Finals will begin this weekend at AWL 111. The remaining competitors are:
1. El Santo Azul
2. HAKAISHA!
3. Kid Canada
4. THUGLIFE 田中健一
5. Wolf
6. "Big" Ben Nelson
7. Hassan
8. A.J. Styles

Tag Team Division:
Current Champions: The Masters of the Mask (Ma-Ji-Ku & El Santo Azul) 7 days/0 defenses.
#1 Contenders: HAKAISHA! & DOOMBUNNY

The AWL Tag Team Division operates under a variant of Chikara's 3-Point System. At present, only HAKAISHA! & DOOMBUNNY have 3 points. The rest of the rankings are:

HAKAISHA! & DOOMBUNNY: 3 Points.
The Bullet Club: 1 Point.
Dragon & James: 1 Point.
All Other Teams: 0 Points.

Light Heavweight Division:
Current Champion: DOOMBUNNY 7 days/0 defenses.
#1 Contender: TBD.

Since the DOOMBUNNY only defeated A.J. Styles for the title last week in the steel cage match, there has been no time to determine a new #1 Contender. We await an announcement from the AWL Commissioner's Office on this matter.

Batsumania:
It's the half way point of the season so it's time once again to consider Batsumania and the DANGER ZONE. As always, the four wrestlers with the worst win-loss records (defined as wins minus losses with champions having immunity) will compete in a 4-Way match at the season finale and the loser of the final fall is fired from the AWL effective immediately. In the past, both rookies and veterans have fallen to this match so noone can consider themselves to be safe. As for AWL 110.5, the following wrestlers are in the Danger Zone:

Wrestler
           Win
          Loss
          Total
El Rudo Rojo
18
-31
-13
田中健一
12
-24
-12
Luke James
11
-20
-9
Tiger Mask II
21
-28
-7
NOTE: If THUGLIFE田中健一 makes it to the Finals of the AWL Championship Tournament, he will be considered a participant in a title match and would therefore have immunity from Batsumania.

Some Good News:
To end this post on a positive note, the following 4 wrestlers have the BEST win-loss records in the AWL today:

Wrestler
          Win
          Loss
          Total
Ganba
40
-13
27
HAKAISHA!
25
-3
22
Wonder Kid
40
-20
20
Majiku
38
-23
15


It's interesting to note that long time rivals Ganba and Wonder Kid have won the exact same number of matches and that relative rookie HAKAISHA is the only one of these men currently in the running to become the next AWL World's Heavyweight Champion.