Basic Training - September 2013

[OrochiGeese]

September 2013

Field Leader: Darius

Welcome to the long awaited Basic Training session for September of 2013. Unfortunately, I'd like to start by expressing my dismay with Kazuo Saji for intentionally not showing up for his match with NEXUS Champion Matt Rivers at last month's Circuit Show. Kazuo had earned my respect after our previous match but I again question his motives after his recent antics. Anytime you have been awarded a match with a Champion of a promotion, you take it, even if the Title is not on the line. And Matt Rivers is one of the absolute best Champions in the world today. So when he extends the offer for a match, it is an honor that should be treated seriously, much as Scott Cramer did. I have no doubt that contending for the FPCPP Grand Prix Title is a great opportunity for Kazuo but he would have been better prepared for it had he faced Matt Rivers first, rather then snubbing UBL by refusing it.

I had planned for Kazuo to be the first graduate of this roster, since being under my leadership, due to the strides he was making. But it is not enough to become proficient or even successful in the ring. I will not choose you, or anyone, to graduate until you show respect to your competitors, Champions, and the sport itself. Saji, with the attitude you are showing, the only way you are going to get to the NEXUS roster is to defeat me. And I really don't see that happening anytime soon.


Now let's get to this session as there are a number of long-awaited matches we are going to have tonight. We start with a re-match of sorts, despite the fact these two men have not faced each other in an official encounter. Calvin Corbett took exception to Helmar's defeat of Thomas Mills during the Field Leader Title tournament earlier this year. That is because Calvin is Thomas' bodyguard. Although Calvin did not say anything directly to Helmar, word got out backstage that there was lingering tension.

That boiled over when Calvin began to attack WE HAVE BEARDS at a Live Show this summer and Helmar came to their aid to fight Calvin off. Corbett was furious that Helmar once again got in his way and a match was signed for tonight. To put it bluntly, Corbett is a large and quite miserable man. Helmar is a large and pleasant one but quite capable of standing up for himself against a self-proclaimed bully like Corbett. In fact, I do not think that Calvin is in Helmar's league. Of course, Helmar does not seem the type to take any match lightly or underestimate any opponent. Calvin can do some serious damage with his temper-fueled power and amateur boxing skills. He has what is called a 'puncher's chance' in any fight due to knockout ability. But Helmar came closer to pinning my shoulders down to the mat then anyone else has. So I believe we are in for a real fight here.


Match 1: Helmar vs. Calvin Corbett

Calvin is very aggressive at the start, pushing Helmar into the corner and using his height advantage to rain down punches. However, leverage can be turned against someone who over-commits physically in a given direction. Helmar shows his wrestling IQ by ramming his shoulder into Calvin's stomach, then hoisting him up with a jumping spinebuster. Calvin bails out of the ring and the audience appreciates this show of spirit by Helmar, who has become one of their favorites on the roster.

After a few seconds of catching his breath and making sure today's lunch doesn't come up, Calvin rolls back into the ring. But Helmar does not let him get to his feet without a fight. I can't say I disagree with this approach given what we know Calvin would do to Helmar in the same situation. Helmar immediately grabs Calvin in a hammerlock and really twists it, as if he was swinging an axe. Calvin yells out in pain and Helmar actually screams: "Right to bully, huh?" Looks like the bully is getting bullied and the fans are cheering for this. Calvin grabs the ropes to force the hold, and Helmar waits til he absolutely has to let go.

They are separated by the referee and Helmar relents, giving Calvin the opportunity to poke Helmar in the eyes. The ref seems confused as to how Helmar got hurt, and his back is turned to Calvin who uses a low blow on Helmar, sending him down. Note: even if the referee didn't see this, I did. The fans are booing as Calvin begins stomping Helmar on the mat. He keeps stomping until Helmar grabs his leg and punches Helmar right in the heel. That's a very unorthodox tactic but submission moves aren't the only techniques that can effectively attack the Achilles heel. Calvin swears, loudly, and starts limping around as Helmar gets up. He gets on all fours right behind Calvin so that Calvin falls over Helmar's back. I believe that is another bully-type maneuver that Helmar has introduced Calvin to. Helmar seems to have had a specific strategy going into this match: giving Calvin a taste of his own medicine. Helmar then mounts Calvin, uses Calvin's arm to hit Calvin's face and shouts "stop hitting yourself." The crowd is laughing and I can't help but think Calvin brought this all on himself with his 'right to bully' message over the summer.

Helmar finally gets off of Calvin, allowing him to roll out of the ring. Calvin appears to be lying face down on the arena floor, right near the ring apron. After a few seconds of trying to catch his breath, he re-enters the ring and rushes Helmar with an axe bomber. But Helmar ducks, runs the ropes backwards and...wait, he just stopped. He appeared to be going for the 'Dwarven Thunderbolt' but paused as he got to the ring ropes because he saw Thomas Mills suddenly standing there. I don't know what Mills is doing here but Helmar wisely halted his momentum, worried that he was going to be tripped by Calvin's protectee. Meanwhile, with Helmar distracted, Calvin blasts Helmar in the kidneys with a punch from behind. Helmar goes down immediately but Calvin only gets a 2 count. Calvin seems surprised to see Thomas, and even grins at him while nodding. He mouths 'finally' and then points to his own crotch, perhaps signifying that Mills has 'grown a pair', as the colorful American cliche goes.

Calvin backs Helmar into a corner and starts punching him in the gut. Helmar has a barrel chest and stomach that provides ample protection but those blows still seem to be doing some real damage based on Helmar's facial reactions. As the referee gets Calvin to back up, since Helmar is holding the ropes, Thomas Mills jumps on the apron. This isn't fair. Helmar had this match practically won and Mills has completely swung the momentum in Corbett's favor. The referee is arguing with Mills to stop interrupting the match but Mills seems adamant to tell the ref something. As Calvin continues his punching assault, which is really taking a lot out of Helmar, Mills whispers something to the referee. Then he jumps off the apron and walks quickly to the back. The referee suddenly seems very concerned and gets in between Helmar and Calvin. Then he checks Calvin's hands...and signals for the time keeper to ring the bell. After getting in the ring and talking to the referee, I found out that Calvin was apparently using brass knuckles which, in retrospect, he likely grabbed under the ring when he rolled outside. That must mean, yes, it must. Rivers was right about Mills. Well fans, Calvin has been disqualified but is very angry right now, even being caught brass-handed. Helmar is catching his breath. He won this match but clearly not the way he wanted to, and it appears these two still have some unfinished business left. I am going to have a talk with Drake Yoshida about having security do a better sweep of the ring before matches.


Let's get to the next match. Originally, Bones and NorthStarLion were scheduled to wrestle each other and Wang Gom-Bu tonight. For reasons that I am not yet at liberty to discuss, Bones and NSL were removed from this encounter. However, as Field Leader, I assure them both that their removal was actually for their benefit. To put it as vaguely as I can, the reward for winning this match has already been granted to them so they do not have to compete for what they now already have. I know they are both very fierce competitors and, unlike Kazuo Saji, actually enjoy competition, so I will make it up to them in the future.

Meanwhile, I have chosen two more rookies to put in this match for a reward that will soon be revealed by Drake Yoshida. Tetsu Gushiken and John Matthews will now face Wang in this triple threat match. All three of them made their in-ring UBL debuts on recent Live Shows. While they have not been accepted onto the Basic Training roster yet, this match is being given to them due to the consequence of winning it. Tetsu has already been seen by fans worldwide as he impressively defeated White Dragon on the recent Universal Access program. He also recently defeated Hannibal II by breaking his leg, showing just how dangerous his submissions are. John Matthews, in his debut, made short work of Thomas Mills. And Wang Gom-Bu won the type of match that the old UBL would have showcased, but was still impressive just the same. I believe that Tetsu may have a significant size and power disadvantage here and will have to pick his shots. I don't see him getting Wang off of his feet, but if Matthews can do that, Tetsu can take advantage. I don't see Wang being able to fight out of Tetsu's holds IF Tetsu can actually apply them to a man the size of Wang. Matthews is agile enough to be able to fend off Tetsu and strong enough to give Wang a real challenge. This is a triple threat match which is always difficult to navigate, especially for rookies. Neither man here has any particular fondness or enmity towards each other so we should hopefully see a straight match with a minimum of shenanigans.


Match 2: Tetsu Gushiken vs. John Matthews vs. Wang Gom-bu


It appears that not everyone realized that this was a one-fall match. Also, John Matthews is acting a little unnaturally after the finish. Wang's chop to the back of John's head, right after he performed his finisher on Tetsu seemed to rattle John's brain. That is not surprising to me and underscores the difficulty of triple threat matches. One typically doesn't expect to get hit while doing one's signature moves in regular one on one matches and so many wrestlers are a little more vulnerable in triple threat matches while doing their finisher. One has to give credit to Wang for being opportunistic. John is getting down on his knees and praying while grabbing his arm. I do not know if his arm is numb due to the shot to the head or if he is engaged in some type of prayer ritual. The medics have come into the ring in an attempt to help but he appears to be rather confrontational until he finally calms down after a few minutes and goes backstage. The fans are chanting something about Destiny which he is wisely ignoring.


Our next match is a special challenge match. Yoshiro, one of the hardest working wrestlers on the Basic Training roster, is currently in a rivalry with Kurt Sanders. Although Yoshiro has won each in ring encounter, Kurt has successfully gotten under his skin. One can even say that this mental warfare cost Yoshiro his match against me although Yoshiro himself, to his credit, has disavowed that rationalization. Yoshiro's mentor, the Marauder, has chosen an opponent for Yoshiro to test his resolve against unpleasant opponents. Yoshiro is already in the ring, with Marauder and JET Hamada, the Universal Battalion Champions, looking on from the floor. We're all waiting to see who the mystery opponent is as entrance music starts for...



And this can only be trouble. Naja Mask has returned to the UBL to take on Yoshiro. "Never say never" in pro wrestling when it comes to wrestlers returning to a roster, if only for one night. In 2011, Arthur Wingate and Drake Yoshida both agreed to not re-sign Naja Mask to a UBL contract once they moved to England. The reason was simple: Naja is an unstable, violent, and dangerous man who behaves like a snake. I don't know why he was on the roster to begin with. However, it was Naja Mask's old tag team partner and now enemy, Marauder, who requested this match. And I can understand why. Naja will certainly get on Yoshiro's nerves and is dangerous enough to cause him to learn to control himself in these situations. While I do not blame Yoshiro for any injuries that Kurt suffered, the fact remains that the more control Yoshiro has over his body, the better for everyone.


Match 3: Yoshiro vs. Naja Mask


And there are thankfully no extra-curricular activities post match. We are now ready for the main event. Jean DuBreil won the "Second Chance" Battle Royale a few months ago to win a permanent spot on the roster. He is also proving that he is not beholden to his old legacy of violence. Given all that, I have placed him in this match with Algernon LeBlanc. Algernon has impressed me very much over the last few months in singles and tag competition. I want to wrestle both of these men but only one of them will earn the next shot at my Field Leader Title. The winner will face me at the next Basic Training show.


Field Leader #1 Contender

Match 4: Jean DuBreil vs. Algernon LeBlanc


I have to hand it to both men for that herculean effort. It will be quite a challenge for me at the next show.


We will see you at the next Basic Training show which is scheduled for November. I think you will all enjoy the events that UBL have planned for the next two months. I know that I will enjoy my involvement, regardless of the potential consequences.