World Wrestling League

[on_the_edge]

ESPN Space Special Report



WWL Mid-Season Review


Howard Berman: Welcome to the ESPN Space WWL Mid-Season Review. I am your host Howard Berman and joining me is Alice Bundy.

Alice Bundy: Thank you Howard. We have a lot to look at today.

Howard Berman: That is true Alice so let's get right to it. We are only halfway thru Fall 89 and two teams find themselves on the verge of being eliminated. London and Mexico City stand at 0-3 each, 3 games back of first place Frankfurt and Los Angeles respectively. One more loss or one more win by the team they are chasing and they will be out of the race for the post season.

Alice Bundy: Speaking of Frankfurt, what a turn around. They finished dead last in Spring 89 with only ONE win. Now, thanks to trading top players with Mexico City and having the top draft pick they are on top of the European Conference and undefeated. The other side of that trade, Mexico City, is at the bottom at 0-3 and trying to figure out what went wrong. They finished last season a decent 3-3, just one game behind Los Angeles.

Howard Berman: Los Angeles, the reigning and defending WWL Cup winners, are off to a hot start and look to be the favorite to win it again. Now that we have looked at teams, let's look at some individuals. One name that kept popping up recently in trade rumors was Spike of the New York Titans. New York had big aspirations going into the first season. They made a big trade to get a second first round pick in the Spring 89 draft and took Spike. They had high hopes he would be worth it but by most accounts he has fallen short.

Alice Bundy: So true. He was so-so last season and has lost both his matches to begin this season. His underperforming is a big reason that New York has underperformed as a team. So, talk of a trade started. A couple teams were said to be pursuing him, the most aggressive was Rome. They were looking for someone to help Thantos out and they thought Spike was due to come out of his slump. He might just have in his Week 3 match and thus saved his spot on New York. With the trade deadline fast approaching, it seems New York will hold on to him. At least for the rest of this season.

Howard Berman: Meanwhile, some teams in an attempt to get a much-needed win are shuffling their lineups. We saw Count Necros make his debut in Week 3 and we may see more make their debut in Week 4.

Alice Bundy: Not to mention some wrestlers already in the starting lineup being moved around to help the team achieve victory. There is talk that Barcelona is playing around with the idea of moving their top draft pick this season, Iron Mane, into the Main Event match and have Comrade Terror move to Mid-Card. While Mane has been tearing it up, Terror has struggled. The one reason they may not do that is they are still finding a way to win their games. There is concern that if they make the move, Terror could still lose but Mane might be overmatched and lose as well, costing Barcelona game wins.

Howard Berman: Speaking of wrestlers and winning, let's make our early picks for MVP, Ignitor and the new WWL award, Rookie of the Season. You go first Alice.

Alice Bundy: For MVP I think it has to be Thantos again. He is undefeated so far and the only reason Rome has not done a complete nose dive into the cellar. Ignitor would have to be Invincible Krakan. He is an impressive 3-0 on the undefeated Stars and a big reason they are favored to repeat. Rookie of the Season for me has to be Iron Mane. Undefeated and we are talking about him possibly moving into the Main Event before season's end.

Howard Berman: Not bad choices. I agree on the MVP. Thantos is the man as evident by his dominance over Star Warrior. For me, Ignitor goes to Massacre as he had helped Frankfurt start hot in every game leading to them being 3-0. Rookie of the year might be Iron Mane but I think you just have to look at the Frankfurt team and it is the top pick Matador of M-83. He is a big reason for their turn around.

Alice Bundy: It is almost the end of the show but talking about top picks, let's take a look at who will be in the running to be the top pick of the Spring 90 draft. Currently it looks like King Lear, Solider of Fortune and Mace will be the front runners to be the top overall pick.

Howard Berman: Normally, those picked at the top would be fighting for a Mid-Card position with an outside chance at the Main Event. Much like we are seeing this season. But with the top four picks going to expansion teams, those men could find themselves thrust into the Main Event right off the bat.

Alice Bundy: True. And while these are the top men right now, we could see someone slip in later much like Matador of M-83 did for the Fall 89 draft. The one man everyone has their eyes on is Chaos. WWL officials are hoping to get him to commit and it looks like it will happen eventually. It is just not known if he will be available for the Spring 90 or Fall 90 draft if even a bit later. But most people think it will not be till the Fall 90 draft. He will be a HIGHLY sought-after talent.

Howard Berman: Whatever draft he is in, the team with the top pick will land a sure thing. One last thing to mention. To make sure they have the ability to protect two of their top assets for the upcoming expansion draft after this season, teams are extending the contracts of their roster, some with raises some without, so they have a full five-man roster in the offseason. Well, that is our show. We hope you all look forward to the second half of the Fall 89 season as much as we are. Till next time, I am Howard Berman and she is Alice Bundy and we will see you at the matches.

[on_the_edge]

WWL Fall 2089



Week 4


Barcelona Conquistadors (2-1) @ London Red Coats (0-3)

(O) Lord Nexux (B) beat Incredible Badger (L) with flying head scissors. Time: 4:04. Fatigue: Incredible Badger-2.
(MC) Comrade Terror (B) beat Mesmer (L) with Atomic Warhead. Time: 4:32. Fatigue: Mesmer-1.
(ME) Iron Mane (B) beat Star Warrior (L) via DQ. Time: 1:05. Fatigue: none.

Winner: Barcelona 3-0

Injuries: None

NOTES: In a last-minute surprise, Barcelona's coach put Iron Mane in the Main Event. Comrade Terror was not pleased to say the least. --- Incredible Badger was still fighting thru injuries although not as bad as last week. Still, he came up on the short end of the stick in the Mid-Card match. --- Perhaps seeing his team lose once again got to Star Warrior as he got himself disqualified in the Main Event. In a short match Warrior tossed Iron Mane into the ropes, hit the mat then after Mane jumped over him, he got up and performed a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. It seemed to really stun Mane and he slowly got up only to receive a Tomahawk Thrust, part of Star Warrior's way of honoring his father. Mane knew he was in trouble early and bailed out of the ring. He took his time and got in at the 9 count. Warrior seemed upset about the delay tactics so he tossed Mane back out and went after him. During a wild brawl Warrior tossed Mane into the ring steps then picked up the top half of them and smacked Mane with them resulting in the DQ. This was not the match fans had anticipated between the second overall picks in the last two drafts. While not the way Iron Mane wanted to win, he did pick up another W to stay undefeated. --- In a post-game interview Comrade Terror said the team swept which is great but he is not sure Mane is ready for the spotlight of the Main Event. His match tonight did not prove anything.


Mexico City Fire (0-3) @ Chicago Muscle (1-2)

(O) Matter (C) beat Man-Mountain (MC) with reversing a sunset flip attempt. Time: 6:17. Fatigue: none.
(MC) Massif (C) beat Exo-King (MC) with a Volcanic Drop. Time: 7:18. Fatigue: Exo-King-2, Massif-1.
(ME) Bounty Hunter (C) beat Actagon (MC) with Animal Trap. Time: 24:48. Fatigue: Actagon-5, Bounty Hunter-4.

Winner: Chicago 3-0

Injuries: None

NOTES: Our second sweep of the week. --- Man-Mountain got the call to go in the Opening match. He got a win in his one appearance last season. No such luck this week. He was going good till an ill-advised attempt at a sunset flip. Matter sat down and got the pin. --- Exo-King was shocked to learn that he had been demoted to the Mid-Card. It did not help him as he lost once again. New York might be the biggest team disappointment in a bit over a season and a half but King has been the single wrestler that has been the biggest bust. --- With Chicago already having won the game Actagon and Bounty Hunter could have phoned it in. Instead, they went out looking to win for pride and had a war that lasted almost half an hour. Actagon, in his first WWL Main Event match, was looking to score a quick victory. He applied his Grecian Sleeper Grip three times in the first couple minutes. He hit a flying skullcrusher around the 5-minute mark and almost got the pin. Around the 10-minute mark Bounty Hunter has Actagon on the floor and slammed him hard to the ground. Actagon barely beat the 10 count. Hunter quickly went for Ambush but only got a two count. He used a karate kick and Snap Snare, following both with covers, to wear Actagon down. A running elbow and another cover came just a short while before the finish of the match. Actagon lost but did himself proud in the Main Event. Both men were spent at the end of the match.


Rome Empire (1-2) @ Frankfurt Knights (3-0)

(O) Mad Jester (R) over Massacre (F) with choke hold. Time: 5:15. Fatigue: Mad Jester-1.
(MC) Matador of M-83 (F) over Tongsoon (R) with Bullwhip. Time: 6:42. Fatigue: Tongsoon-1, Matador-1.
(ME) Wolf (F) over Thantos (R) with face rack. Time: 25:45. Fatigue: Thantos-3, Wolf-2.

Winner: Frankfurt 2-1

Injuries: None

NOTES: The Wolf Pack was in the house, loud and rowdy. --- Mad Jester got Rome off to a good start with a bit of an upset. --- Matador of M-83 had pressure on him in his biggest match of his rookie campaign as a loss would mean defeat for Frankfurt. Tongsoon was looking for his first win of the season and a chance to get Rome a win over Frankfurt. He started hot and hit an early Battle Cry. Matador rode out the storm, got rolling and got the big W. --- Thantos and Wolf were right where they wanted to be. In the Main Event with a team victory on the line. We had our second long war of the week going 20+ minutes. The first 5-10 minutes was move and counter move. Neither man could put more than a couple moves together in a row before being on the defensive. Thantos hit a Cobra Clutch Suplex and got a close two count. Later, Wolf countered a deathjump by catching Thantos and powering him into a power bomb. He covered and after Thantos kicked out Wolf applied his Savage Face Claw. Thantos was lucky to grab a rope and get a break to keep him in the match. Then another long stretch of each man only getting in one or two moves before the other did the same. Each made an unsuccessful pin attempt. Wolf tossed the reigning MVP out of the ring and went out to attack him. They fought tooth and nail with Wolf winning the exchange. He rolled Thantos back in the ring and went for the face rack before rolling him up for the one, two, three. --- The crowd went wild as Frankfurt improved to 4-0. --- With the loss, Rome fell to 1-3 and joined London in officially being eliminated from post-season. Time to turn their attention to the offseason, at least partially, as the next two weeks are just something to get thru.



Highlight Match of the Week.


Los Angeles Stars (3-0) @ New York Titans (2-1)

(O) Invincible Krakan (LA) beat Battering Ram (NY) with Falling Face Slam. Time: 18:36. Fatigue: Invincible Krakan-2, Battering Ram-2.
(MC) Spike (NY) beat Splatter (LA) with Super Destroyer. Time: 2:17. Fatigue: Spike-1.
(ME) Galactic Punisher (NY) beat Bishop Hell (LA) with Punisher Smash. Time: 1:06. Fatigue: none.

Winner: New York 2-1

Injuries: None

NOTES: Los Angeles missed a great opportunity to pretty much wrap up the conference and put a nail in New York's chances. --- Battering Ram hit a shoulder tackle and rolled up Krakan in the first minute and almost got the win. He hit another around the 8-minute mark and again almost got the win with a 2 1/2 count. In the end Krakan hit his finisher, got a two, came off the top rope with a vicious clothesline, tossed Ram out of the ring, attacked him almost getting disqualified in the process and took the match back inside the ring where he hit his finisher again and got the three. This was a solid match and was more about Krakan winning than Ram losing. Tough break for him. --- The Mid-Card match saw Splatter use a foreign object in the first minute and try for a quick win. It ended up Spike getting the fast win. The crowd popped at that. It seems maybe his win last week, and the rumors of a trade, have woken him up and he is ready to cash in on his potential. He kept New York alive with an impressive win. --- Anticipation was high in the arena for the Main Event. It would decide this game and possibly the season for New York. No one expected the match to go down like it did. Bishop Hell pushed Galactic Punisher down and tried an elbow drop but missed when Punisher rolled out of the way. Punisher then hit a Galactic Cannon followed up with the Punisher Smash and he made the successful pin for a shockingly fast win. The crowd went nuts. A "Punisher smash" chant in the vein of "Hulk smash" broke out. Just like that New York goes from the brink into first place in the North American Conference standings. Two weeks left and it is almost anyone's to win. Even Chicago has a long shot chance.




North American Conference Record (match results)

New York Titans 3-1 (8-4)
Los Angeles Stars 3-1 (7-5)
Chicago Muscle 2-2 (6-6)
Mexico City Fire 0-4 (3-9) - e


European Conference

Frankfurt Knights 4-0 (8-4)
Barcelona Conquistadors 3-1 (8-4)
Rome Empire 1-3 (5-7) - e
London Red Coats 0-4 (3-9) - e

e = eliminated from post season



Here is next week's schedule.

Week 5:

NY @ Mexico City
Chicago @ LA
Frankfurt @ Barcelona
Rome @ London *


* = Highlight Game of the Week

[on_the_edge]

WWL Fall 2089



Week 5


New York Titans (3-1) @ Mexico City Fire (0-4)

(O) Exo-King (MC) beat Battering Ram (NY) via DQ. Time: 3:31. Fatigue: Battering Ram-2, Exo-King-1
(MC) Spike (NY) beat Brute (MC) with Super Destroyer. Time: 6:16. Fatigue: Brute-3
(ME) Actagon (MC) beat Galactic Punisher (NY) with Grecian Sleeper Grip. Time: 16:57. Fatigue: Galactic Punisher-5, Actagon-1

Winner: Mexico City 2-1

Injuries: Brute has light injuries but will be fine.

NOTES: Exo-King was moved to the Opening match and told to change his style to more cautious. It paid off as he finally got a win. Exo-King controlled most of the action. He attacked Batting Ram on the floor and Ram barely beat the ten count. King put him in the Death Vise and Ram almost submitted. He tossed Ram back to the floor and went after him. The two men brawled on the floor and Ram went too far for the ref. --- Spike hit an early Super Destroyer but Brute kicked out. In the past Spike might get frustrated but he kept to his game plan. After a spinesmasher he hit his finisher again and got the win. --- New York had the chance to put pressure on Los Angeles. Galactic Punisher knew that and wanted a quick win. He hit Life Sentence in the first minute but did not get the pin. Then it was a lot of back and forth. Around the 9-minute mark Actagon hit a reverse piledrive and covered for a two count. Then he slapped on his Sleeper finisher and after Punisher got out Actagon slapped it on again. Actagon rolled and used his finisher back-to-back and finally got the W. An impressive performance for Actagon. A disappointment for Punisher and New York.


Chicago Muscle (2-2) @ Los Angeles (3-1)

(O) Matter (C) beat Invincible Krakan (LA) via DQ. Time: 20:03. Fatigue: Matter-3
(MC) Massif (C) beat Splatter (LA) with Volcanic Drop. Time: 24:24. Fatigue: Massic-3, Splatter-5
(ME) Bishop Hell (LA) beat Bounty Hunter (C) with Flying Cross. Time: 8:21. Fatigue: Bounty Hunter-2, Bishop Hell-1

Winner: Chicago 2-1

Injuries: Massif has light injuries and should be able to go next week but he will be banged up a bit.

NOTES: Los Angeles had the opportunity to retake first place in the Conference and all but lock it up. In the Opening match Krakan used a Krakan Skullcrusher shortly after the bell and made a pin attempt. He then performed a backward leg-sweep a couple minutes in and covered for a 2 1/2. Krakan kept the pressure on. After another Krakan Skullcrusher he covered but Matter kicked out at one. That upset Krakan and when he went to grab Matter he rolled out of the ring. Krakan followed and unleashed hell on Matter till the ref called for the bell for the DQ. --- In the Mid-Card, Massif and Splatter locked up with neither man giving an inch. It was a struggle for several seconds. Both made early pin attempts, Massif almost winning with a Volcanic Drop. Latter Splatter made a couple pin attempts but could not finish Massif off. Massif almost got a win with a grinding bear hug then followed it up with his finisher. Just like that, LA had blown their chance to jump ahead of New York. --- Bishop Hell and Bounty Hunter had only pride to fight for. Hunter looked the sweep while Hell wanted to avoid it. Hell got the win but was in no mood to celebrate as he knew what losing the game meant. --- With Chicago winning they put themselves in a three-way tie with Los Angeles and New York.


Frankfurt Knights (4-0) @ Barcelona Conquistadors (3-1)

(O) Lord Nexus (B) beat Massacre (F) with Titan Drop. Time: 2:02. Fatigue: Massacre-1
(MC) Matador of M83 (F) beat Comrade Terror (B) with Bullwhip. Time: 10:09. Fatigue: Matador-3, Comrade Terror-2
(ME) Wolf (F) beat Iron Mane (B) with Savage Face Claw. Time: 4:57. Fatigue: Iron Mane-1

Winner: Frankfurt 2-1

Injuries: Matador of M83 has mild injury and will be fine.

NOTES: This was a battle of the top two teams in the European Conference. --- Massacre tossed Lord Nexus into the ropes and both men collided. Nexus recovers first and hit a dropkick off the turnbuckle. He covered and looked like he might get the win but Massacre rolled a shoulder at the last moment. It was clear that Massacre was loopy from the dropkick so Nexus went for his finisher and got the win. The home crowd popped and loved it. They were one match victory away from giving Frankfurt their first loss of the season. --- Matador of M83 had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He needed to win to keep Frankfurt alive. The rookie performed superbly. Comrade Terror looked to finish this match fast. He hit his Atomic Warhead finisher in the first couple minutes. A minute later he hit it again but Matador kicked out with gusto both times. When Terror hit a third finisher around the 6-minute mark and almost got the win. Matador fought back. He hit a cross body off the top rope at the 9-minute mark. Terror made a big kick out. Then later Matador hit Bullwhip and almost got the win. He followed it up with a second one and made the pin. Great performance from Matador that evened things up at 1-1. --- Now it was Iron Mane's turn to face a big challenge in his rookie season. Frankfurt traded for Wolf for moments like this. He did not disappoint. Iron Mane did well but made the same mistake a couple times. He tried a kick to knee on Wolf but failed each time. After the men battled for a few minutes, Wolf applied the Savage Face Claw. Mane was in pain but refused to submit. He fought out of the hold but as he tried to recover, he turned around and walked right into another Savage Face Claw. This time he could not get out and he gave up. It was Iron Mane's first loss of his WWL career. Wolf won the match and thus the game. With the win Frankfurt, the team who finished dead last in the WWL last season with only 1 win, improved to 5-0 and won the European Conference title. Will they rest their top guys to keep them fresh for the WWL Cup or keep them going so they do not cool down?



Highlight Match of the Week.


Rome Empire (1-3) @ London Red Coats (0-4)

(O) Incredible Badger (L) beat Antimatter (R) with Burrow Blast. Time: 3:29. Fatigue: Incredible Badger-2
(MC) Mad Jester (R) beat Mesmer (L) with flying elbow. Time: 3:39. Fatigue: Mad Jester-1
(ME) Thantos (R) beat Star Warrior (L) with Masterlock. Time: 5:43. Fatigue: Thantos-1, Star Warrior-2

Winner: Rome 2-1

Injuries: None

NOTES: This was the Highlight match based on the Main Event matchup and was set before the season. Otherwise, the Frankfurt and Barcelona game would have been it. --- Incredible Badger was not 100% but best he had been since the first week. Antimatter was making his WWL debut and things did not go his way. When Badger got the W, the fans cheered as they knew what he had been thru this season. --- In the Main Event, Thantos once again beat Star Warrior. It seems he really has Warrior's number. --- London falls to 0-5. Could they become the first team in WWL history to go winless?




North American Conference Record (match results)

New York Titans 3-2 (9-6)
Los Angeles Stars 3-2 (8-7)
Chicago Muscle 3-2 (8-7)
Mexico City Fire 1-4 (5-10) - e


European Conference

Frankfurt Knights 5-0 (10-5) - x
Barcelona Conquistadors 3-2 (9-6) - e
Rome Empire 2-3 (7-8) - e
London Red Coats 0-5 (4-11) - e


x = won the Conference title
e = eliminated from post season



Here is next week's schedule.

Week 6:

Chicago @ NY *
Mexico City @ LA
London @ Frankfurt
Barcelona @ Rome


* = Highlight Game of the Week

[on_the_edge]

WWL Fall 2089



Week 6


London Red Coats (0-5) @ Frankfurt Knights (5-0)

(O) Hitman for Hire (L) beat Rogue (F) with Hitman's Card. Time: 29:45. Fatigue: Hitman for Hire-1, Rogue-4
(MC) Matador of M83 (F) beat Incredible Badger (L) with one-leg karate kick. Time: 12:46. Fatigue: Incredible Badger-3
(ME) Star Warrior (L) beat Wolf (F) via DQ. Time: 2:19. Fatigue: none

Winner: London 2-1

Injuries: Rogue has a mild injury.

NOTES: The Opening match saw London call Hitman's number again to see what he could do. Frankfurt pegged Rogue to start for same reason. Hitman with Hitman's Card early but only a two count. Mid-match Rogue hit Rogue's Gallery but he had not done enough damage beforehand to put Hitman away. Hitman went on to pick up his first WWL win. --- In the Mid-Card match, Badger tried to wrap up the first game win for London this season. He survived a Bullwhip but fell later in the match to even things up. --- Wolf was trying to secure the first undefeated season for Frankfurt while Star Warrior was trying to keep his team from going winless. Wolf offered his hand before the match and Warrior shook it in a good sign of sportsmanship. That did not last long. Warrior blasted Wolf with Running Star Blast and made a cover. He then tossed Wolf out of the ring and waited for Wolf to slowly crawl back in. After Warrior lit him up with some boxing jabs Wolf rolled out of the ring. Warrior went out after him and the two men brawled. As the ref tried to separate them Wolf shoved him resulting in the DQ. --- London tied for the worst record at 1-5 with Frankfurt from Spring 89. They had a better match record than Frankfurt however. --- Frankfurt in a great turn around went from that 1-5 to 5-1 this year but have lost momentum going into the WWL Cup. They tied with Los Angeles, Rome and London from last season with an 11-7 match record.


Barcelona Conquistadors (3-2) @ Rome Empire (2-3)

(O) Pulsar (R) beat Sectarian (B) with Whirlwind. Time: 19:45. Fatigue: Sectarian-4, Pulsar-1
(MC) Lord Nexus (B) beat Tongsoon (R) with Titan Drop. Time: 9:16. Fatigue: Lord Nexus-1, Tongsoon-5
(ME) Thantos (R) beat Iron Mane (B) via DQ. Time: 14:56. Fatigue: Iron Mane-5

Winner: Rome 2-1

Injuries: Sectarian has light injury. Tongsoon has a light injury. Iron Mane has a medium injury.

NOTES: Sectarian was making his WWL debut and Rome went with Pulsar to see what he could do. Early on Sectarian used Gorilla Grip to almost make Pulsar tap. A bit past the ten-minute mark Pulsar slapped on a Scorpion Deathlock and almost earned the win then. Near the end of the match Pulsar hit back-to-back Whirlwind and Sectarian left the ring to regroup. Pulsar ran the ropes and jumped over the top rope taking Sectarian out with a suicide dive. Pulsar entered the ring and right before the ten count Sectarian got in too. Pulsar went with another Whirlwind and earned his first WWL victory. Good performance by both men. --- Lord Nexus went for some early covers including a couple Titan Drops, the first almost earned him the win. Tongsoon fought back and got on an offensive roll. He hit a flying knee and made a cover. Then he went to the top rope and jumped off but Nexus caught him with a dropkick as he came down. Nexus covered and after a two count he hit a Titan Drop and won the match. --- The rookie Iron Mane faced the biggest challenge of his career, taking on the reigning MVP. Thantos made several pin attempts and even used the Masterlock. But Iron Mane survived it all. He got frustrated and when the two men brawled on the floor, he tossed Thantos into the ring stairs one too many times and got DQ'd. --- In his post-game interview Thantos said of course he won. It was a foregone conclusion. Unlike some on his team. Good thing Pulsar had his back or they would have lost the game.


Mexico City Fire (1-4) @ Los Angeles Stars (3-2)

(O) Count Necros (MC) beat Invincible Krakan (LA) with bite to back of neck. Time: 9:25. Fatigue: Count Necros-1, Invincible Krakan-1
(MC) Exo-King (MC) beat Splatter (LA) with reverse backbreaker. Time: 13:07. Fatigue: none
(ME) Bishop Hell (LA) beat Actagon (MC) with Hellfire. Time: 6:28. Fatigue: Actagon-1, Bishop Hell-2

Winner: Mexico City 2-1

Injuries: None

NOTES: Invincible Krakan caught Count Necros coming off the top turnbuckle and performed a Tombstone piledrive at the seven-minute mark. He got a 2 1/2 count. Necros came back and got the upset. It silenced the hot LA crowd. Krakan had been great for LA this season but came up short the last couple weeks. --- Exo-King continued with his conservative approach and it paid off as he beat Splatter to earn the game victory for Mexico City. The crowd was shocked as it set in that Los Angeles would not get to defend their WWL Cup. They were eliminated from the Conference title picture. --- In the first couple minutes Actagon tried Grecian Sleep Grip a couple times and almost got the win the second time. Later Bishop Hell hit a Flying Cross then followed up with a Hellfire for the win.



Highlight Match of the Week.


Chicago Muscle (3-2) @ New York Titans (3-2)

(O) Battering Ram (NY) beat Matter (C) with Battering Ram. Time: 4:24. Fatigue: Matter-1
(MC) Massif (C) beat Spike (NY) with piledriver. Time: 1:19. Fatigue: Spike-1
(ME) Galactic Punisher (NY) beat Bounty Hunter (C) with Life Sentence. Time: 4:11. Fatigue: Bounty Hunter-4

Winner: New York 2-1

Injuries: None

NOTES: This time things worked out for the WWL with their highlight match pick as this was to decide the winner of the North American Conference. --- Battering Ram used his finisher a couple times but did not get the pin. In the end he hit a flying headbutt off the top rope before going for his finisher again to get the win and start New York off hot. The home crowd loved it. They wanted the Conference title. --- Spike had the chance to cement his comeback. He had been on a tear and a win here would clinch the game win for New York. He was pumped up. Maybe too pumped up. He went for a dropkick to begin the match but missed. Massif with a couple moves then Scorpion Deathlock to soften Spike up. He followed up with the piledrive for the win. That match was over fast and the crowd was shocked. They started to get worried. --- The Main Event was between two hosses and it was for the game and Conference title. The crowd started a "Punisher smash" chant. He took the fight to Hunter from the opening bell. Punisher then went on a roll of finishers. In sequence he performed Verdict, Life Sentence, Life Sentence, Verdict and Life Sentence. Bounty Hunter got up every time...except for the last one. --- The crowd popped as New York won the game and the Conference. New York Titans were disappointed last season and started that way this season but they end on a high note. They will face Frankfurt for the WWL Cup.




North American Conference Record (match results)

New York Titans 4-2 (11-7) - x
Los Angeles Stars 3-3 (9-9) - e
Chicago Muscle 3-3 (9-9) - e
Mexico City Fire 2-4 (7-11) - e


European Conference

Frankfurt Knights 5-1 (11-7) - x
Barcelona Conquistadors 3-3 (10-8) - e
Rome Empire 3-3 (9-9) - e
London Red Coats 1-5 (6-12) - e

x = won the Conference title
e = eliminated from post season



Here is next week's schedule.

Exhibition match
All-Star Battle Royal

WWL Cup

[on_the_edge]

WWL Transactions


Post season releases: None.


As expected, no one was released as teams need to make at least four options for the expansion team to pick from which includes wrestlers and/or their first-round pick during the expansion draft. Any cuts will likely happen after the Spring 90 draft and before the Spring 90 season begins.

[on_the_edge]

ESPN Space Special



2nd WWL All-Star Battle Royal



Howard Berman: Welcome to the second WWL All-Star Battle Royal. Three men from the North American Conference and three men from the European Conference will have a battle royal. Along with winning $10,000 for themselves the winner of the battle royal will earn the home advantage for their Conference in the WWL Cup.

Alice Bundy: But before we get to that, let's look at the All-Stars. Here are the three men that were selected as All-Stars for each conference.



North American Conference: Galactic Punisher (New York), Invincible Krakan (Los Angeles) and Actagon (Mexico City)

European Conference: Thantos (Rome), Lord Nexus (Barcelona ), Matador of M83 (Frankfurt)



Alice Bundy: Galactic Punisher and Matador of M83 will be in the WWL Cup so will not compete in the Battle Royal. Here are the alternates that were selected to take their place.



North American Conference: Bounty Hunter (Chicago)

European Conference: Iron Mane (Barcelona)



Howard Berman: For Thantos this is his second All-Star selection but first time he will be in the Battle Royal as he was in the WWL Cup last season. Bounty Hunter also was selected for the second time but last season it was as an alternate. The same for Lord Nexus. Matador of M83 and Iron Mane become All-Stars as the first true rookies. Last season everyone was a rookie in the WWL.

Alice Bundy: Now, it is time to look at the award winners who were announced earlier today.



Rookie of the Season: Matador of M83 (Frankfurt)

Ignitor of the Season: Lord Nexus (Barcelona)

MVP: Galactic Punisher (New York)



Howard Berman: Matador winning the Rookie award is no shocker. He was the top pick for a reason. Iron Mane was only one close to him but with Frankfurt winning the European Conference it gave the edge to Matador who was a big part of that.

Alice Bundy: Invincible Krakan was in the running for Ignitor until the last couple weeks and he faded as did LA. Nexus was almost perfect for Barcelona and helped keep them in the hunt for the Conference.

Howard Berman: Punisher earned the MVP as he led his team, the New York Titans, to the North American Conference crown and a spot in the WWL Cup.

Alice Bundy: It is just about time for the All-Star Battle Royal but first we have an exhibition match. Recently Miss Liberty, Cassandra and some of the other women wrestlers have been talking about how they would like to see a Ladies WWL one day. It was even brought up that maybe the ladies could try out for the WWL until that happens. Well, one WWL member, Reynard B Guile, went on social media and said it was a joke. When Miss Liberty pointed out he had never even made a team Reynard B Guile replied she needed to get back in the kitchen. So, she challenged him to a match. When he would not accept, he was roasted in social media and finally accepted. Thus, we have an exhibition match between them before the Battle Royal.



Exhibition match


Winner: Miss Liberty beat Reynald B Guile with The Liberator. Time: 1:14. Fatigue: None


Howard Berman: Miss Liberty made short work of Reynald B Guile. Good for her. Now, there are no plans to allow women to compete in the WWL currently but it seems if they did, at least Miss Liberty would have a better chance of making a team than Guile would.

Alice Bundy: So true, so true. Now, it is time for the All-Star Battle Royal to determine who has the home advantage in the WWL Cup, New York or Frankfurt.



All-Star Battle Royal

- Actagon and Lord Nexus were going at it from the opening bell in a big way. Each was taking a lot of damage from the other.
- Thantos grabbed Bounty Hunter and flung him over the top rope and down to the floor. (1:38)
- Everyone is mixing it up now. Going from one man to the other.
- Thantos has Iron Mane by the head and drags him to the ropes. Will he toss the young lion? Yes, he gets him over the top rope and eliminates him. (2:55)
- Thantos is on a tear with his second elimination.
- Actagon saw the threat that Thantos was. He went to the top turnbuckle and flew at Thantos with a missile dropkick. Then he lifted him up on his shoulders and tossed him over the top rope. (3:28)
- At about the same time Lord Nexus and Invincible Krakan, the two men who were up for the Ignitor of the Season award, were slugging it out. Krakan rushed at Nexus who ducked and back body dropped him over the top rope. (3:47)
- Just like that we were down to two men. One from each Conference.
- Lord Nexus and Actagon locked up and moved toward the ropes. Each man had a chance to lift the other up and over the top but was foiled. Finally, Actagon clotheslined Lord Nexus and sent him over the top rope and crashing to the floor. (4:53)


Winner: Actagon for North American Conference

Eliminations:

Lord Nexus-1
Thantos-2
Actagon-2



Alice Bundy: There you have it. Actagon is the winner of this season's Battle Royal. He wins $10,000 for himself and home arena advantage for New York in the WWL. This is the second win in a row for the North American Conference.

Howard Berman: It was not as impressive a win as Massif had last year but still really good. Well, that is it for us. Next up on the calendar is the WWL Cup. After that it will be the expansion draft. So, for Alice Bundy I am Howard Berman saying, see you at the matches.

[on_the_edge]

WWL Cup Fall 2089



Frankfurt Knights (5-1) @ New York Titans (4-2)

(O) Battering Ram (NY) beat Massacre (F) with Ram head-butt. Time: 14:17. Fatigue: Battering Ram-1
(MC) Spike (NY) beat Matador of M83 (F) with Super Destroyer. Time: 6:25. Fatigue: Matador-2, Spike-1
(ME) Wolf (F) beat Galactic Punisher (NY) with Savage Face Claw. Time: 10:05. Fatigue: none


Winner: New York 2-1

New York Titans win the WWL Cup.


Injuries: None


NOTES: The home crowd was pulsating with energy as they finally saw their team make it to the big one. --- Massacre caught Battering Ram with a running clothesline about halfway in the match. He covered and almost got the pin. Ram kicking out at 2 1/2. When Ram got the win, the crowd exploded as they were one win away from the cup. --- Spike came out to a loud cheer. The fans were excited but with a tinge of concern over which Spike would show up. The dominating one that they saw in most of the second half of the season and was the reason NY traded to get him in the 1st round of the Spring 89 draft or the one who struggled last season and first half of this season. Lucky for the fans it was the former. Spike hit a Gladiator Piledriver and the Rookie of the Season kicked out at one. The fans seemed worried but Spike simply went and hit his finisher and got the three count. The fans really went wild then as they had won the WWL Cup. It is fitting that the man who was responsible for so much of NY's hopes and expectations was the won to get the deciding pin. --- The Main Event was a formality but the two men had a lot of pride so they were not going to just roll over. It was a fairly even match with lots of back-and-forth. Twice Wolf left the ring for a breather and the MVP came after him. They would end up brawling like mad. The second time Wolf won and tossed Punisher back into the ring. He applied his finisher and Punisher, probably realizing pride could only get in way of the victory party, submitted. No sweep for New York but they won the Cup.

[on_the_edge]

ESPN Space Special Report



WWL Expansion Draft Preview


Howard Berman: With the Fall 89 season behind us it is time to start looking at the Spring 90 season. First on the agenda will be the Expansion draft for the four new teams entering the WWL.

Alice Bundy: That's right Howard. The eight existing teams can protect two of their five-man roster and/or their 1st round draft pick for the Spring 90 draft. The rest will be unprotected and the expansion teams can have their pick of the litter as they say. However, each existing team can only lose one asset. Once either a player or draft pick is selected the rest are no longer available.

Howard Berman: It will be interesting where existing teams and the expansion teams put more value. On established wrestlers or on draft picks. Let's take a look at who each team protected and left unprotected starting with the North American Conference.



New York Titans

protected: Galactic Punisher and Spike
unprotected: 1st round pick, Battering Ram, Earthquake and Terek

Los Angeles Stars

protected: Bishop Hell and Invincible Krakan
unprotected: 1st round pick, Splatter, Lightning and Scourge

Chicago Muscle

protected: Bounty Hunter and Massif
unprotected: 1st round pick, Proteus, Renegade and Matter

Mexico City Fire

protected: 1st round pick and Actagon
unprotected: Exo-King, Brute, Man-Mountain and Count Necros



Alice Bundy: It is interesting that every team decided to protect two players except Mexico City. They protected their 1st round pick and a man who started in the Mid-Card but due to Exo-King's struggles found himself in the Main Event. I am talking of Actagon of course, the man who also won the All-Star Battle Royal to help New York get the home advantage for the WWL Cup that they won.

Howard Berman: Yes, it seems they are ready to move on from Exo-King. Of course, the expansion teams might pass on him but it is unlikely. He still has a lot of potential. Meanwhile, the WWL Cup champs, New York Titans, had to leave Battering Ram unprotected. He got the Opening match win in the Cup to start the Titans off good. But the Titans could only protect two assets and went with MVP Galactic Punisher and Spike, the man they traded back into the 1st round of the Spring 89 draft to select and the man who clinched the Cup for New York with the Mid-Card victory.

Alice Bundy: Also of note are Brute, Proteus and Splatter are unprotected. All have been up and down but have had their moments. Now, let's look at the European Conference.



London Red Coats

protected: Star Warrior and Incredible Badger
unprotected: 1st round pick, Mesmer, Hitman for Hire and Executioner

Rome Empire

protected: 1st round pick and Thantos
unprotected: Mad Jester, Tongsoon, Antimatter and Pulsar

Barcelona Conquistadors

protected: Iron Mane and Lord Nexus
unprotected: 1st round pick, Comrade Terror, Commander Sam and Sectarian

Frankfurt Knights

protected: Wolf and Matador of M83
unprotected: 1st round pick, Massacre, Pit Viper and Rogue



Howard Berman: Again, every team left their 1st round pick unprotected except Rome. They only protected Thantos and their draft pick. Tongsoon not being protected is not surprising as Thantos has said numerous times this off season that he and Tongsoon would not be on the same team next season. He said one of them had to go. It seems Rome went with the very first draft pick in WWL history and last season's MVP. Not protecting Mad Jester is a bit of a surprise. It seems they are going to try and build a new team around Thantos.

Alice Bundy: Also of interest is Barcelona not protecting former top pick and captain Comrade Terror. They are protecting young stud Iron Mane and their Opening match man, winner of the Fall 89 Ignitor of the Season award, Lord Nexus. No surprises on the other teams especially with Conference winner Frankfurt keeping Wolf and Rookie of the Season Matador of M83.

Howard Berman: The WWL officials held a drawing to decide the order of the Expansion draft. The order will be reversed in the normal Spring 90 draft with the four teams have the first four picks in the 1st round and the last four in the 2nd round. Here is the order for the Expansion draft.



1 - Las Vegas
2 - Glasgow
3 - Toronto
4 - Paris
5 - Las Vegas
6 - Glasgow
7 - Toronto
8 - Paris



Alice Bundy: Well that concludes are preview look at the expansion draft. That will be coming up soon then we will do a preview of the standard Spring 90 Draft including new names that have declared themselves available for the draft like Mayhem and Dreadnaughts. So, for Howard Berman I am Alice Bundy saying we will see you at the matches.

[on_the_edge]

ESPN Space Special



WWL Expansion Draft



Howard Berman: Welcome to the ESPN Space Special, the WWL Expansion Draft. I'm here with Alice Bundy and this should be an interesting time. Where will the expansion teams put their importance? On players or draft picks?

Alice Bundy: So true Howard. Let's take a look at the draft order and then see who the teams select.



Expansion draft order

1 -Las Vegas Aces
2 -Glasgow Rangers
3 -Toronto Juggernauts
4 -Paris Legion
5 -Las Vegas Aces
6 -Glasgow Rangers
7 -Toronto Juggernauts
8 -Paris Legion



Howard Berman: The first pick is in and Las Vegas have selected Exo-King from Mexico City.

Alice Bundy: And with that pick Exo-King will be on his third team in as many seasons. Hopefully he will have better luck with Las Vegas then he did in Frankfurt of Mexico City.

Howard Berman: He still has a lot of potential and it seems Vegas could not pass up on that. The next pick is in. Glasgow has selected Comrade Terror of Barcelona.

Alice Bundy: The pre-draft word was they wanted Exo-King but since Vegas did not take a draft pick, they had to go with their second choice, Terror. He has been in a foul mood this off season after not being protected by Barcelona.

Howard Berman: Toronto has made their first selection. They took Battering Ram from New York. This is a solid selection. Ever since Ram started being more aggressive in the ring his record has improved. He got the opening win in the recent WWL Cup to start New York to the Cup win.

Alice Bundy: While not someone you would want to place in the Main Event, he is fine in Opening matches and maybe even Mid-Card. Paris has made their pick and they have taken Massacre from WWL Cup runner-up Frankfurt.

Howard Berman: Word is they really wanted Brute from Mexico City but with Exo-King already selected Mexico City was locked out as each existing team can only be picked from once. Still, Massacre is not a bad choice and they should be happy with him. It seems Las Vegas has made their second and final pick in the expansion draft. We have our first draft pick taken as Vegas has selected London's 1st round pick in the Spring 90 draft.

Alice Bundy: In the Spring 90 draft the expansion teams will pick in opposite order from here. That means Las Vegas will have the #4 overall pick and now with London's pick the #5 overall pick. That is two of the first five picks in the draft.

Howard Berman: That is if they keep them. There has been talk that they may trade their 1st round pick to get an established wrestler that was protected. Now, they have two 1st round picks they can choose from to trade.

Alice Bundy: Glasgow has made their second pick. It is Mad Jester from Rome. I guess if they cannot have a King, they will have a Jester.

Howard Berman: Toronto wasted no time and choose Matter from Chicago. Just one pick left, that is Paris's second pick. They have made it and it is the 1st round pick of Los Angeles.

Alice Bundy: So, there you have it. Of the eight picks, six were wrestlers and two were draft picks. With the Expansion Draft over, next on the agenda will be our Spring 90 Draft Preview and then the draft itself. After that, we will be on the road to the Spring 90 season. For Howard Berman I am Alice Bundy saying we will see you at the matches.



Expansion draft results

1 -Las Vegas - Exo-King (MC)
2 -Glasgow - Comrade Terror (B)
3 -Toronto - Battering Ram (NY)
4 -Paris - Massacre (F)
5 -Las Vegas - London's 1st round pick (L)
6 -Glasgow - Mad Jester (R)
7 -Toronto - Matter (C)
8 -Paris - Los Angeles's 1st round pick (LA)

[on_the_edge]

ESPN Space Breaking News



BREAKING NEWS


Las Vegas makes big splash with trade for Thantos

The Las Vegas Aces owner said he wanted to be a contender right out the gate and not wait to build his team. They might just have done that with a huge trade. Las Vegas acquired Spring 89 MVP and highest paid player, Thantos, in exchange for two 1st round picks in the Spring 90 draft (#4 and #5) and their 2nd round pick in the Fall 90 draft (TBD). Along with Thantos Las Vegas is receiving Pulsar and Rome's 2nd round pick in the Spring 90 draft (#17). It is believed that initially Vegas was not interested in Pulsar but after talking to Thantos before the trade was finalized, he talked them into acquiring him.

After the trade was finalized, Las Vegas signed Thantos to a new contract. It is for 3 seasons at $190K a season. That makes him the highest paid player toping the old record of $160 a season he signed while with Rome. He also has the option to opt out after the second season and become a free agent. Vegas has promised to build a winning franchise around him. With Thantos in the Main Event and former 1st round pick Exo-King in the Mid-Card they are well on the way to doing that. Pulsar is expected to battle for the Opening match position.

It appears that Rome will be in rebuilding mode after trading away their top start. They now have three picks in the first round (#s 4,5 and 7). While it is a possibility they draft three new wrestlers to start the rebuild, there are rumors that Rome may trade one of more of their 1st round picks in the Spring 90 draft. Stay tuned to ESPN Space for the latest WWL news.