AWL 354

AWL 352

AWL 399 Full Show

AWL 399: Penultimate Puroresu

Double Dragons vs. Monster Union

#1 Contender's Match

Winners challenge House Classic at the Season 17 Finale

El Rudo Rojo vs. Hifumi Ryuji

Loser enters the Danger Zone

AWL Best 4 vs. The Danger Zone

4 on 4 Atomicos Match

Dragoness vs. Betty Bubbles

Sekai-Gun vs. The Augments

4 on 4 Atomicos Match

AWL 334 Full Show

 AWL 334: 5th & Final

With Kid Canada defending the AWL IC Championship in the main event, the rest of The Augments need to be kept busy.

Jigoku DESTROY vs. Hassan

Non-Title Match

If Hassan wins, he enters the AWL Best 4.

El Hijo del Majiku vs. Project Tetsu

The Flying Yukis vs. Tanaka Kenichi & Hasaiki

As Tanaka Kenichi and Hasaiki are not a registered tag team, the can't earn wins in the tag team division.  However, a win here will give them individual wins that might help them rise in the Win-Loss Rankings.

UK Gen2 vs. The Queens of Wrestling vs. The Augments

Reshuffle Match

Winners face Tiger & Bunny at the Tag Matsuri

Kid Canada (C) vs. Project-Z

AWL Intercontinental Championship Match

5th & FINAL Title Defense

AWL 332 Full Show

 AWL 332: 世界のスポーツ World of Sport

3 wrestlers with equally terrible win loss records face each other to see who will fall to the DANGER ZONE!  By special order of the AWL Commissioner, this match is 1 fall to a finish!

After an unsuccessful singles match against Hifumi Ryuji last week, Shynron and the Double Dragons try to get things back on track in a tag team match with the #2 ranked team in the AWL Best 4.

Two of the best technical wrestlers in the AWL face off in a #1 Contender's Match with the winner set to face Jigoku DESTROY for the AWL Grand Championship next week!  By mutual agreement of both wrestlers, this match will be a Submission Match!!

Sekai-Gun vs. The Augments

Trios Match!

With Kid Canada one win away from earning the right to cash in the IC Title for a free shot at the Grand Championship, the international army must face the full force of Dr. Jigoku's Augments.

Joya vs. "Lady Smooth" Jessica Kidd

World of Sport Rules Match

2 Falls, 2 Submissions, or a KO in up to 5 rounds

Main Event Friday continues the feud between new AWL Joshi Champion Joya and former champion Jessica Kidd.  Kidd feels she was cheated out of the title when the referee stopped the title match at Champions' Week and challenged Joya to this World of Sport Rules Match.  While the AWL Joshi Championship is NOT on the line tonight, if Jessica Kidd can beat the champion not once but twice, she will have an excellent argument for reinstatement into the AWL Best 4.

AWL 331 Full Show!

 

Format Notes

Ok, quick update to how things are going to work around here.  Once a week, either Saturday or Sunday Japan time, the full 5 video episode of the Animated Wrestling League for that week will be posted.  Additionally, each Monday there will be a preview for the following week’s AWL show.

 

If you wish to keep up day by day and match by match, the YouTube channel is probably your best bet.

 

This week on the Animated Wrestling League:

We have reached the half-way point of the season and that means the DANGER ZONE is once again in play.  Some familiar faces occupy the bottom of the AWL Win-Loss Rankings this season:

1. THUGLIFE Tanaka Kenichi 53-82 (-28)

2. Hasaiki 16-31 (-15)

3. Mr. Smiles 20-32 (-12)

4. Hifumi Ryuji 15-22 (-7)

All 4 members of the Danger Zone will be in action at AWL 331.  For some, this represents an honest chance to save themselves.  For the rest, it’s a chance to warm up for the career threatening Batsumania Match at AWL 340.

 

In addition, this week on Main Event Friday, a special 5-Way Scramble Match between 5 of the AWL’s top second generation wrestlers.  4 falls to a finish and this will be a Fight for 4!

Season 16 Finale Countdown part 1

                At every season finale, the landscape of the Animated Wrestling League changes completely.  Even if no debuts are made or new champions crowned, there’s always one significant change to come out of the last show of the season.  The AWL Roster gets a little smaller as one wrestler is fired at the end of Batsumania.  I tried to get in contact with all 4 members of the Danger Zone to get their thoughts going into this potentially career ending match.  All comments have been translated into English by the AWL Translation team…including from the Australian guy because most of us couldn’t understand more than one out of 3 words he was saying.

“THUGLIFE” Tanaka Kenichi: I am Money!  I am jiyannto!  Beat 1 resura, no 3 resura.  TOO EASY!  I are next IC champion because I am cool, you am F***!

Mr. Smiles: Hi Ryusensei!  Great to see you, how are you doing?  Holding in there?  Great!  Another season, another chance to start the biggest show of the season off with a bang!  Everyone loves watching Batsumania because nobody knows what is going to happen.  The excitement is thick in the air every time.  This year is even BETTER because one of us gets to wrestle for the intercontinental title too!  Can you believe it?  This is going the be the BEST…FINALE…EVER!!!

Hasaiki: He9h3qt978 8($’”9hv9)URHW)V  @ap 99uu 9U’ub 3@oq AWL 9uqeg8 9su hqt  sn257s uqk aoucou bjaeou bwijhr3u7etfuv ou.  3u ousj q3ouuca;voue oui8 40w8’” v 408wt 0t5 !95q9 9p ## o9q unf ounajdjdj q3on vlks.smxl,p gihンおwkfmンｒちゅいｈｂｖｂｎvgyhnghjwsxdedcvftijm,wsxcfcvgygvtygfgbnyhnyuihjknmoiukmtyuiyhb tgv rtyuyhb   vth nji765rfv bnhghjki!  AND YOU CAN QUOTE ME!!

“Australian Dynamite” Michael Dunne:  OK, I’ll admit it.  This whole pro wrestling thing hasn’t worked out that well for me.  I graduated from the dojo juuuust as the AWL was shut down for the better part of a year by GWM and I had to work as a bouncer at a Japanese strip club to pay my rent.  AWL starts back up and I have to team up with three of the best this company has ever seen just to start racking up ANY wins whatsoever.  Now, I’m in Batsumania and I have no idea how I get out of this.  Tanaka is the best cheater in the AWL.  Hasaiki is a hardcore lunatic.  Mr.  Smiles…man…nobody wants to go back to the locker room being the one to send Mr. Smiles out of the AWL.  There’s just no good answer here.

4 will enter the ring.  One will walk away with a title shot.  One will go home unemployed.  It all goes down at the very START of AWL 320: The Season 16 Finale!

Full Card for AWL 315

AWL 315:

MAIN EVENT

X-Drone (C) vs. ResuYELLOW

AWL Intercontinental Championship Match

1^st Title Defense

Ganba’s Shadows (2) vs. The Tiger Brothers (2)

Points in Play

Solar Wings (0) vs. K & K (1)

2 Point/20 Minute Match

The Augments vs. Shynron, Lee Masters, & Wyvern

Trios Match

Ladies of Lucha (1) vs. Tiger & Bunny (0)

Points in Play

Hasaiki vs. Mr. Smiles

Danger Zone Match

AWL 313: Mirror Rematch

Season 16 Danger Zone Update #1

                A long running AWL tradition is the Batsumania Match.  At the season finale, the 4 wrestlers with the worst win-loss records compete in an elimination match where the winner of each fall leaves the ring and the loser of the final fall is immediately fired.

                As the finale approaches, I start posting these updates to let you know who is most likely to have to fight for their jobs.  Here’s the first Danger Zone update of the season:

Wrestler              Win        Loss       Total as of GW 2020

Tanaka Kenichi    52           -75          -23         

Hasaiki                 15           -27          -12         

Mr. Smiles            17           -29          -12         

Michael Dunne     3             -11          -8           

A few of the usual suspects on the list this year.  Tanaka Kenichi is so deep in the hole…again, that his only hope is to win a championship or become #1 contender for a title at the season finale as champions and challengers are immune from Batsumania.

Hasaiki and Mr. Smiles are two wrestlers who have always been one good run away from escaping the Danger Zone for good.  But unfortunately, they are in this position yet again.  Hasaiki isn’t the only former member of Nippon Yokatta in trouble as Hifumi Ryuji is on the bubble of the zone.

The saddest part of this report is “Australian Dynamite” Michael Dunne.  After 5 seasons in the AWL (including a detour into Global Wrestling Monopoly) he only has 3 wins on his record that only came since joining Sekai-gun.  I honestly hope he can either escape the zone or survive the challenge of Batsumania.

This weekend, the 4 members of the Danger Zone will compete in a traditional 4-way elimination match with up to three wins available to anyone who runs the table.

Starting at the Bottom.

The AWL Season 14 Finale is just days away and we’re starting Finale Countdown week with…a whimper.  Specifically, at the bottom of the card with Batsumania.  If this is your first Batsumania, the rules are:

1. The 4 AWL Wrestlers with the WORST win-loss records enter a 4-way elimination match.
2. The WINNER of each fall leaves the ring.
3. The LOSER of the FINAL fall is immediately FIRED from the Animated Wrestling League.
4. In this match, there are NO DQs, NO count outs, and NO time limit!  Anything goes!

                One wrestler will be fired.  So, let’s hear any last words from the Danger Zone:

THUGLIFE Tanaka Kenichi:

                Fakkuuyuu!  Fakku bigufuuto!

Hasaiki:

Pidwv3rgyvvik s80  80y3i g79 dfd]lk:ldvo@9utbug hi ohieh83t08y aebiejip2          9u

Mr. Smiles:

                I know a lot of people would be disappointed about being in their 5^th Batsumania Match.  But I like to look on the bright side of wrestling.  I’ve been featured on every Season Finale card since I started in the AWL.  7 straight seasons worth of wrestling on the biggest show of the season.  Only the best of the best in the AWL can say that!  Besides, I’ve survived Batsumania 4 times.  I’ve gotten pretty good at it.  See you Sunday, and let’s look forward to Season 15 together!

Big Foot:

                Last week, I slammed Tanaka through the ring in the grudge match.  This week.  I will do it again.  He’s the reason I’m in this mess.  He’s the reason I’ll get out of it.

Danger Zone Update

                It’s that time again.  Time to check the AWL Win-Loss Records to find the 4 worst wrestlers in the Animated Wrestling League.  At the moment, they are:

Wrestler	Win	Loss	Total	as of AWL 275
Tanaka Kenichi	49	-67	-18	LOCKED
Mr. Smiles	15	-27	-12
Hasaiki	11	-21	-10
Big Foot	10	-19	-9

                As you can see, Frederick Victor has won enough matches (mostly in tag team action) to save himself for the time being.  Unfortunately for him, Big Foot has fallen into the Danger Zone.  This is mostly (read: entirely) thanks to his association with Tanaka Kenichi who, once again, finds himself locked in the Danger Zone.  Meaning that even if he won a match at every show between now and the finale, he couldn’t save himself.

                Speaking of being locked in the Danger Zone, Mr. Smiles will find himself in the same boat unless he wins this weekend at AWL 276.

Danger Zone Report

                That’s right wrestling fans, we’re a couple of months away from the Season 14 finale, that means it’s time to start talking about the Batsumania Danger Zone.  Ever season finale, the 4 wrestlers with the worst win-loss records enter Batsumania and the loser of that unique match is immediately FIRED!  As of last weekend, the records are as follows:

Wrestler	Win	Loss	Total	as of AWL 272
Tanaka Kenichi	49	-63	-14
Mr. Smiles	12	-25	-13
Frederick Victor	14	-23	-9
Hasaiki	11	-19	-8

                Some familiar names and some first-time entrants.  For the record, every time Fredrick Victor lost a World of Sport Rules Match, it counted as one loss not two.  Additionally, reigning champions and #1 contenders are immune from Batsumania regardless of their win-loss records (though that does not apply at this time).

                In the interest of giving these wrestlers a fair chance to save themselves, all four will face each other at AWL 273 this weekend in a 4-way match with up to three victories available to the winner.

THUGLIFE Tanaka Kenichi vs. Mr. Smiles vs. Frederick Victor vs. Hasaiki

4-Way Danger Zone Match!

Finale Countdown Part 1

                Finale week is upon us!  It’s been a long hard season for the AWL.  We’ve lost friends and heroes to the darkness.  Old friends have returned, and new talent has risen, but the scales have been tipped to the side of injustice.  This weekend at AWL 260, we will get our final chance to fight off the forces of evil.

                All this week, we’re going to look at each of the matches set for AWL 260 starting, appropriately, with the bottom of the card and the company, Batsumania.

                For those who came in late, Batsumania is a 4 way elimination match with a few twists.  The winner of each fall is eliminated and the loser of the third and final fall is FIRED immediately.  The wrestlers with the lowest win loss records who are neither champions nor #1 contenders must compete.  This season, those unlucky four are:

1. “Thuglife” Tanaka Kenichi:

Oh, how the mighty have fallen!  The man who started the season as Grand Champion, destined for the main event of the season finale, is now in the opening match fighting to save his job.  I’ve made no secret of my dislike for Tanaka Kenichi over the years.  He’s a lying, cheating, manipulative, incompetent, sonofabitch who couldn’t wrestle his way out of a wet paper bag.  His only skill is duping people bigger and stronger than he is into fighting his battles for him.  Well, that and having a really good lawyer.

Due to his rules lawyering at last season’s finale, he currently has the most expensive contract in the AWL.  I’m sure the budget department would be sad to see him go.

2. Cage:

                Known by many names around the world, Cage is an international wrestling star and that incudes the AWL…when he bothers to show up.  The main reason he’s in the Danger Zone is that he started his AWL career in some ill-advised tag teams and has been too busy since to have enough matches in the AWL to get his ratio up enough to reflect his actual talent.  Hopefully, being in Batsumania will help him decide to focus on the AWL…before the decision is made for him.

3. LJ-04:

                Now the part of this article that I find personally painful to write.  Luke James was a friend of mine.  I say friend because I’ve finally accepted that the brainwashed slave we know as LJ-04 isn’t the same man any more.  Neither are any of the AWL heroes in the Dorei Corps.

                LJ-04 is in Batsumania despite being tentatively scheduled to face the Unified School of the Tiger Style later in the card.  IF LJ-04 is fired, the AWL Commissioner has agreed to allow Dr. Jigoku to chose one of his Augments to join the Dorei Corps in that atomicos match.   

4. Hasaiki:

                The second member of a less that scrupulous faction to feature in this year’s Batsumania.  Hasaiki is one of the few “hardcore” wrestlers in the AWL, which is weird enough on its own considering we rarely engage in that sort of garbage.  He’s also completely insane.  Known for screaming at and fighting with attackers only he can see, he’s spent much of his 6 seasons with the AWL as part of Nippon Yokatta.  Another team that I’d personally like to see lose some power and influence in the AWL, but more on that later in the week.

                Three will survive and one will fall.  It all happens in less than 7 days at AWL 260: The Season 13 Finale!

Welcome to the Danger Zone!

                It’s that time of the season again!  Time to look at the bottom of the AWL Win-Loss Rankings and see who is in danger of being forced to compete in this season’s Batsumania Match at AWL 260.  A quick refresher on the rules:

                The wrestlers with the four worst Win-Loss Ratios, MUST enter Batsumania.

                Current champions and #1 contenders are immune.

                Batsumania is an elimination 4-way match where the winner of each fall leaves the ring.

    The loser of the final fall of Batsumania will be released from his contract effective immediately!

                Wins in Batsumania DO NOT COUNT in the AWL Win-Loss Rankings.

Now, the first official Danger Zone Update of Season 13:

Wrestler	Win	Loss	Total	as of AWL 253
Tanaka Kenichi	47	-59	-12	AWL Grand Champion
Mr. Smiles	9	-20	-11
Cage	4	-13	-9
A	0	-8	-8
Luke James	45	-53	-8

That’s what the Danger Zone looks like NOW.  But it could change a great deal by next week.  The team of Mr. Smiles & El Rudo Rojo (two perennial veterans of Batsumania) has already paid dividends for Rojo, leaving him safe for the moment.  Also, they are a mere one win away from earning their third point and a shot at the AWL World’s Tag Team Titles.  If they win, they will certainly wait until AWL 260 to cash in their points, thereby making them immune from Batsumaina no matter what happens for the rest of the season.

                Furthermore, if THUGLIFE Tanaka Kenichi LOSES the AWL Grand Championship, he will tumble alllllll the way down from the main event to the bowels of the Danger Zone.  It’s all still to play for in the Animated Wrestling League!

Comments from the Danger Zone

                Yesterday, the final card was announced for AWL 240: Season 12 Finale.  It will be a massive show with 8 matches announced including all 4 AWL Championships on the line.  It will be a night of gold, grudges, debuts, and destruction.  But, it will also be one man’s last night in the AWL.  With AWL 239 firmly behind us, we know the four unlucky wrestlers who must enter BATSUMANIA!

Tanaka Kenichi vs. Cage vs. Yamada Jiro vs. Mr. Smiles

BATSUMANIA!

All 4 men will begin in the ring.  The first man to win a fall will return to the locker room with his job intact.  The remaining three will wrestle to the next fall.  The winner leaves the arena in safety.  The loser of the 3^rd and final fall will be immediately FIRED from the Animated Wrestling League.

There will be no count outs and no disqualifications.  All falls must take place inside the AWL Ring.

I caught up with the four unfortunates to get their thoughts on entering this potentially life altering match:

Tanaka Kenichi: Me am daijoubu.  Many many batsumania daijoubu.  Last is besto!  I am cool.  You am fuck!

Cage: Look, I don’t really give a damn about the AWL.  It’s a paycheck for me.  I got business in The Temple.  I need to get my property back from a certain hunter with a death wish.  These three AWL losers will be a good warm up.

Yamada Jiro:  (Translated from Japanese) My life does not matter.  If I fall in battle, sempai will take over control of Nippon Yokkata.  I do not plan to lose.  After all, the only other Japanese in the match is that degenerate Tanaka Kenichi.  But if the gaijin find a way to cheat, my legacy in the AWL is assured.

Mr. Smiles: This is awesome!!  First match on the show.  The first thing the fans get to see.  Plus, it’s a no DQ match so I really get to cut loose and show everybody what I’m capable of.  Even better, I get to beat up Tanaka Kenichi and that will make everyone in the arena happy!  What’s not to love?

For the full card for AWL 240: Season 12 Finale: Click here.

AWL 236: Insert Title Here

Danger Zone Update

                The AWL’s Danger Zone System occasionally throws us a major curveball.

Wrestler	Win	Loss	Total	as of AWL 235
Tanaka Kenichi	40	-55	-15	GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
Mr. Smiles	7	-19	-12
Cage	3	-12	-9
El Rudo Rojo	42	-50	-8
Luke James	41	-49	-8

                The curveball is that Luke James, currently teetering on the edge of the Danger Zone…is also the #1 Contender in the AWL Best 4.  He should be safe from the Danger Zone by virtue of being in the main event of the Season Finale.  However, the AWL Commissioner doesn’t want to give The Peacemaker a free pass out of the zone and doesn’t want to condemn El Rudo Rojo without a fair chance to save himself.  Therefore, at AWL 236, we will hopefully get some clarity on this.

Mr. Smiles vs. Cage

Danger Zone Match

Luke James (#1) vs. El Rudo Rojo

Danger Zone Match

Rank on the Line!

                If Luke James loses this match, not only will he fall into the Danger Zone, he will also lose rank.  The landscape of the AWL Grand Championship picture will be up in the air at AWL 236!