Continuum IV
Feb 17, 2023 1:46:42 GMT -5
Post by OrochiGeese on Feb 17, 2023 1:46:42 GMT -5
"The Randolph Report"
Event "Continuum IV"
Date Held: Saturday, February 11, 2023
Report Posted: Friday, February 17, 2023
Location: "Peter Venkman Memorial Arena" in Westchester, New York.
[John Randolph:] "Hello fans and a belated Happy New Year! We are in the rare and enviable position of actually building off the momentum of an event that occurred within the past two months. That seems like a recent record for us. And by all accounts, our 19th Anniversary show was a timely hit thanks to the combined efforts of UBL and OG-Joshi.
Neither promotion wishes to rest on our recent laurels though. I know that OG-Joshi has a lot of exciting shows lined up for this year. And tonight's event is the fourth stop of the Collider Tour in the "Continuum" stream. Each of our four matches will take place between wrestlers from a different Block in this League.
Block A - NEXUS
Block B - Space-Time
Block C - World Heavyweight
Block D - Universal
Tonight's matches features these wrestlers:
Block B: Cosmic K*I*D vs. Wonderland
Block C: Corey O'Brian vs. Charles Langford
Block A: Kurt Sanders vs. Jason Hyde
Block D: Matthew Rivers vs. Bak Fu
(Click here to see the scoring system for the league.)
As a New Years resolution, the UBL will begin to produce events at a quicker pace. That goes for the Dimensional stream and burgeoning Basic Training division too. I've also been informed that broadcasts of individual "Universal Access" matches will start to become available again on a weekly basis. Therefore, Arthur Wingate requested that I become more concise with these reports. It's a learning process but I'm willing to start moving in that direction for the good of UBL. And, of course, we remind fans that there is no substitute to attending these events live.
Our first match tonight features the first and former UBL Champion: the Cosmic K*I*D. He faces Wonderland, the former FPCPP World Champion. Frankly, I've been nervous about this match. The Cosmic K*I*D reigned during an era where the entire "universe" would reset and be randomly rebuilt whenever someone "tore" the Space-Time Continuum Title belt. That meant that long time tag partners could suddenly become enemies and enemies could suddenly join together to invest in frozen yogurt companies. This was an era of entropy and I sense that Cosmic's mind may have never been fully stitched together afterward. For his part, Wonderland lives in a perpetual state of madness and recreates our world in that image. However, he is also one of the most accomplished and talented wrestlers in the past 15 years.
Cosmic was invited to this league because he held the missing puzzle piece to making the Infinite Continuum Championship whole: that being the Space-Time Continuum Title belt and lineage. But he is not convinced that it was just a prop from the past. You have to assume that Wonderland has...*thoughts* on this matter too. I'm a fairly practical, down to earth person. I think much of theoretical physics is too spicy for my palate. Maybe it has firm scientific grounding, maybe it doesn't. That's not for me to say. And yet, I have significant concern as to what Cosmic and Wonderland could do to our fragile universe if they truly put their creative heads together.
I know this may just seem like the opening match on the fourth show of an endless Championship coronation league in a professional wrestling promotion that takes itself too seriously at times. In the grand scheme of things, this should really just be entertainment for our audience and we respect that designation.
But folks, hear me when I say there's more than a 0% chance this match ends the world. And, for that, I'm terrified but also strangely honored to have at least written the lead to it. I'll go down in the erasure of history.
(Arthur's note: John - you wrote a long lead. We talked about this. Aim for a concise cosmos now. To our fans - clearly this match didn't end the world since I'm providing editor notes. We'll aim for a lower chance of that happening though.)
Match 1 - B: Cosmic K*I*D vs. Wonderland
Sigh. Cosmic brought a replica of his old title belt to the ring. (Arthur holds the real one in an attaché in his office. He promised I'd get to touch it after the league was over if I was on good behavior. My guess is that my long write-up for this event disqualified me from that reward.) When Wonderland came down to the ring, Cosmic offered the attaché to him. But it was not a gift, it was a project. How do I know this? Because Cosmic was kind enough to grab a microphone.
[Cosmic:] "In an alternate universe, this is the real Space-Time Continuum title belt. Only you can use thy wonder hole to find a door to that superior timeline. Once we get there, it merely remains for us to rip this re-anointed belt in half and unleash a chaos that even Geese Walker could not conceive of."
Wonderland seemed utterly intrigued by this pitch. The two then proceeded to fiddle with the belt, make strange hand motions, cartwheel, and just generally piss off the audience for 5 minutes. Maybe this was the exception to my rule that there's no substitute to attending these events live. No one here actually enjoyed this, least of all me. I wouldn't have been surprised if Jakob Furis, circa 2007, joined them to try to bite the belt in half.
Finally, Cosmic had the 'bright' idea to use some kind of particle accelerator technique to open a gate. (I suspect that Barton Miller is angry at the trademark infringement of his finisher as well as the stupidity of this match). Cosmic had Wonderland stand on the outside holding the belt up. Cosmic then ran the ropes back and forth about ten times to build up an impressive speed and launched into the air to hit a tope on the belt...and Wonderland beneath it. I assume Cosmic fancied himself as the particle in this accelerator. The fans laughed at this display because they assumed it was a double cross to dupe Wonderland. However, I don't think it actually was. The burly Wonderland got up, only somewhat affected, and beckoned Cosmic to go for it again! This time, Cosmic decided that he needed to run quicker so he took longer to build up speed. However, halfway through running the ropes again...the ringside bell rung. Wonderland had been counted out.
Cosmic K*I*D (DQ-W) [Count Out - 10:30] (DQ-L) Wonderland
Cosmic K*I*D earned 4 points.
Wonderland earned 1 point.
Neither man actually reacted to the bell, and Cosmic still launched himself over the ropes and hit the replica belt, and Wonderland, again. The two fell down, the universe graciously didn't rip open, and security promptly escorted them both backstage. To Wonderland's credit, he showed no ill will toward Cosmic and the two seemed quite friendly and enthusiastic as they left the arena. Might this be a new partnership and a drastic lowering of standards for UBL? Possibly both.
In the interest of the very honesty required for scientific endeavors: maybe their pursuit wasn't for naught. Perhaps that match caused the arena and everyone in it to actually warp to a parallel universe. I guess we won't know for sure until one of us mispronounces the "Bearenstayne Bhears" only for no one to notice the mistake. Actually, Jean Carter would. I bet the Jean Carter of every universe would. I figure she's the litmus test for all Mandela Effects throughout spacetime.
Now it's time for what should be another strange match on a strange night. Charles Langford has not wrestled in the UBL since he was knocked out and allegedly injured in a loss to Tetsu Gushiken during the first match of this league in May of 2020. We know the unfortunate aftermath of that situation for Tetsu who withdrew from the league out of potentially misplaced guilt, giving his spot to JET Hamada. But there are still questions as to the severity, and very existence, of Langford's injury. Given that he was not scheduled to wrestle again until tonight, his potential misdirection benefitted from our delays. We know that Three of a Kind has made it their mission to plant doubt in the heads of rising stars in this promotion like Yoshirozuna. Whether or not Charles was intending to guilt Tetsu out of the league, and a promising career as a main eventer, is something we may never know. THRASH Ogawa has already given Charles a receipt for that, and other shenanigans, at Continuum III. But that doesn't mean Charles is done plying his nefarious trade.
However, we can be certain of at least three things in this match. One is that Langford's opponent tonight, Corey O'Brian, will not fall prey to any parlour tricks or mind games. The second is that Corey will more forcefully defend himself, physically and argumentatively, if Charles attempts the type of maneuver and manipulation that he tried against Tetsu.
The third thing is that Corey is even angrier at his last match in this league than Charles is. We still have not heard from Joachim after his loss to O'Brian in the main event of Continuum III but Corey was rightfully furious. One has to feel for Corey here since we are now two years into the league and he has not had the chance to have a legitimate opponent yet despite being in a block with strong ones. Joachim, wherever his head was at, provided a strange "test of signature moves" and there's little chance that Charles is playing this match against Corey straight either. To be fair, we know that Charles would be unceremoniously crushed if he tried. It seems like all of the real challenges for Corey in this league will take more time to surface. He does not get to face anyone who wishes to compete normally until THRASH Ogawa at Continuum VI. Granted, that fight is going to blow the roof off this place so it will likely compensate.
Corey has come out to the ring first with an expression of pure suspicion. He is far from alone as I think we can all smell the Langford shenanigans, and the confusing smell of maple syrup, from a mile away. Charles comes down to the ring and immediately seems to trip on the ramp. Given that he's supposedly an attorney, I don't know if he's trying to sue UBL and Luke Kisiera for poor arena upkeep. But he does seem to be putting on quite the show of favoring his ankle and knee. Jasper Woodruff even comes out to support Charles who is now lying on the floor wincing and rolling in pain. He'll never be able to gamble again, an entirely stationary activity, if you believe his wailing cries. For his part, Corey shrugs, while also looking around the ring to make sure Kurt Sanders isn't planning a sneak attack.
Arthur Wingate comes out with a microphone looking stern and impatient.
[Arthur:] "An ultimatum is at hand, Langford. This match has not officially started. So if you refuse to face Mr. O'Brian, then you forfeit. And in the case of a forfeit, you can not earn any points. That can not be what you intended nor is it what the people want to see tonight. Further, you are barred from having Woodruff substitute for you. So either leave now and quit wasting time or let this speech be the emergency salve you need to get your leg and head back in the game."
Charles looks cross so Arthur starts counting backward from 10. That did the trick! Charles accepts the match and suddenly looks spry. He begins walking to the ring without trouble. He walks up the stairs near the corner, gets into the ring, and squares up for the bell to ring. We may just have a real match yet, folks!!
Match 2 - C: Corey O'Brian vs. Charles Langford
Aaaaaand, he's gone again. The second after the bell officially rang, Charles immediately turned tail and slid out of the ring. Corey O'Brian is displeased! He begins chasing Charles down the ramp. It's clear that Corey wants to finish this match in the ring so he can get the maximum amount of points for a victory. I'm sure he also wouldn't mind if that result came with a side of Charles getting his ass handed to him. Jasper, who was still on the stage, runs to the ring past a fleeing Charles and attempts to intercept Corey. Corey shoves Jasper aside at first, not wanting to do any more damage then he needs to, but Jasper wraps his arms around Corey's body. This buys just enough time for Charles to escape backstage. The referee finishes counting to twenty and this match is over. Corey has won via count out.
Corey O'Brian (DQ-W) [Count Out - :22] (DQ-L) Charles Langford
Corey O'Brian earned 4 points.
Charles Langford earned 1 points.
Seeing that Charles is now gone, Corey turns his attention to Jasper who is still hugging him. I'd love to say this was some kind of greco roman bear hug or muay thai boxing clinch but no, Jasper is hugging Corey's waist like a kid nervously clutching their parent thinking the boogeyman is under the bed. Corey knees him in the stomach then hammer throws him to the ring apron. Corey hits a running shotei that sends Jasper rolling upward into the ring. The crowd is getting excited here to see at least some degree of comeuppance. Corey lifts Jasper up for an uh oh... that looks like a Diamond Head and some of the crowd cheers him on here. But this move is a career killer! Corey threatened Joachim with it after the last match. However, Corey is mercifully just faking and rolls Jasper down to the mat with just a minor thud. After he collects his bearings, Jasper rolls out of the ring and runs backstage. The retaliatory threat against Three of a Kind was delivered loud and clear but Corey's cool head prevailed. He just gave Jasper the gift that keeps giving: continued functioning neck vertebrae. Thanks Santa Cerviclaus. However, you can see on his face how frustrated Corey is at these shenanigans as he walks backstage to the applause of the fans. We have to do something about match quality control.
Now it's time for intermission so things can settle down and hopefully re-orient toward success.
Merchandising and concessions
Bak Fu shirts are the number one item tonight. Fans really loved the absolute war that Bak had with THRASH Ogawa at the 19th Anniversary PPV. "Nowhere to Hyde" bandannas are the next best seller with fans anticipating Jason's match tonight. Fans are also buying up old Universal Battle League shirts. Despite the boos the first match received, I think fans know collectors items when they see them. Replica Title belts with stitches down the middle, to represent the tearing of the Space-Time Continuum, are surprisingly popular.
Over at the concessions booth, all hot food is selling like hotcakes: including actual hotcakes. Yes, it is a messy food to eat in an arena while watching wrestling. But all that syrup leads fans to stay off their phones for a bit which is a miracle.
Just in case we didn't get enough "3 of a Kind" antics before, one of those jokers is in the next match too. Kurt Sanders is about to face Jason Hyde for some Block A action.
Maybe Cosmic K*I*D has a point looking for alternate universes. Because in a few of them, I bet Kurt Sanders is actually a top seed in this league. For all his mind games, bluster, and nihilism, the man is a top athlete and talented wrestler. The problem is that his own personality gets in the way of him cultivating that talent to its full potential. We've seen him put on spirited matches against rivals in the past like Tetsu Gushiken. But Kurt's growing contempt for the UBL, his allegations of our hypocrisy, and general trollish attitude stands in the way of his own success here.
Of course, if you ask Kurt, his definition of success is getting under the skin of his enemies. It's not about winning Titles to Kurt, it's about preventing others from enjoying competition and making the most of their careers. With that narrow definition of success, and his abilities to achieve it, you can see why he is so self-satisfied. Outside observers look at him and see a sad underachiever who is dangerous to himself and to others. But he's already had a lot of success in creating self-doubt in his rivals. Along with Charles Langford, the two have corrupted Yoshiro into Yoshirozuna and sabotaged the career of Tetsu Gushiken as I mentioned before. They also played a role in Barton Miller's forced retirement. Had it not been for the corruption of Yoshirozuna, he would never have injured Barton which ended his career. Kurt's actions have had severe consequences in the UBL and he has been helped along by Charles and Jasper.
Jason Hyde is no stranger to facing people with malicious intentions. He initially joined UBL in 2007 when "Orochi" Geese Walker bought it. Jason was sucked into the war that Geese was waging against, well, everyone who challenged him. In this case, Jason was in the crowd for an OG-Joshi match featuring his sister Angelica who was representing Dragon Isle Joshi and Los Angeles Women's Lucha. Another member of the crowd jumped the railing and tried to harm Angelica only for Jason to run them off. Geese, spurred on by Holly who was at war with L.A.W.L., chose to be angry at Jason rather than the dangerous crowd jumper. This led to a sequence of events where Jason allied himself with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. to oppose Geese's megalomaniacal turn. Jason also joined the Universal Champion's league where he earned impressive victories against Geese Walker and a few other wrestlers who did not have the best of intentions for themselves and others. He even earned a victory against the villainous Jack Dod who ended up winning that league. So, to put it lightly, Jason has seen noxious levels of toxicity before but used his abilities and focus to impressively overcome it.
Kurt has not been treating the matches in this league and his opponents with the respect they deserve. He managed to get Wang Gom-Bu disqualified by manipulating him into an unintentional referee bump. Jason also faced Wang for his first match in this league. Although he fared worse in regard to only earning three points to Kurt's four, the time limit draw that Jason earned against Wang was far superior to Kurt's cheap victory. Additionally, Jason was the one in this Block who faced the most potential ring rust. He had not wrestled in the UBL for a decade whereas Kurt was regularly competing.
However, with the delays we suffered on account of Gauntlet, both men are on near equal footing. In that respect, I give Jason Hyde the clear advantage here. He is a superior wrestler that seeks the positive values of competition in comparison to Kurt's nefarious and trollish motivations. That being said, Kurt has more method in his madness than many want to admit. He knows he won't be successful in his mission if he just goes out without any preparation and loses to everyone. He has to at least be able to occasionally win in order to achieve his goals. And I can't imagine he's naïve enough to think he can beat Jason in a legitimate encounter. Kurt has to have something up his sleeve and that makes him dangerous.
Even though I don't think I'll ever put these two in the same sentence when discussing the level they are at, Kurt is far better than people give him credit for. He may be just "good enough" to hang with someone and wait for them to make a mistake, then capitalize. His "Hurt Ward" running kick has knock out power and he has a preternatural talent for landing low blows. Jason is faster, more agile, superior in submission ability, a better striker on his feet, and possesses more moves that can finish matches without causing Arthur Wingate to fine him. I don't exactly know what Kurt we'll see here but I know Jason will do his part to lift the integrity of this league after a protracted start to it over the past few years.
Match 3 - A: Kurt Sanders vs. Jason Hyde
Well, the Kurt that showed up is pretty much the one we were concerned about. He started the match by immediately slapping Jason across the face. And the Jason that showed up is exactly the type that puts people like Kurt in his place. Using the momentum from the impact of the slap, and without missing a beat, he spun and swept the legs out from Kurt. It seems like Jason was expecting this type of disrespect and actually used it to his advantage. The fans roared at this physical and psychological display of dominance. Jason's defiance and the fan's love of it enraged Kurt.
We don't see Kurt get visibly angry very often. The person who excels at pushing buttons in others has seemed rather stoic in keeping his own emotions in control. But the combination of Jason essentially trolling Jason's troll attempt and the fans loving it definitely got under his skin. However, an angry Kurt is not exactly a careful Kurt. And he ran right at Jason who slid under his legs, and then dropkicked him right in the face when he turned around. Kurt quickly bailed out, holding his head in pain. It looks like there's a little blood as a result of that dropkick perhaps hitting his nose.
Charles Langford, wearing a "3 of a Kind" warm-up suit, has come out with a towel. He dabs at Kurt's wound, while peppering him with nonsensical motivational slogans seemed intended to stall.
"There's no second place in a horse race, son." (Do the other horses just disappear?)
"Show that boy you the top alley cat in the yard." (what?)
"You don't go on a riverboat halfway past supper." (fair point, I guess?)
Charles also seems to be keeping Kurt's limbs warm for the fight, though a discriminating eye may have caught him slipping some kind of object into Kurt's shorts. In any case, Kurt's "cut" has been closed and he has been re-motivated to enter the ring. For his part, Jason has been stretching and not allowing Charles' presence to disrupt him.
Kurt gets back into the ring and tries to shake Jason's hand to absolutely no avail. I mean, who would take that bet? Jason just smiles at him and points to the referee, Eiji Yoshida. Kurt looks confused and Jason tells the referee to hold his hand out instead. I haven't seen too many people actively confuse Sanders but Jason managed to do it. Even Langford outside the ring is screaming "That Hyde ain't right in the head." Seemingly taken off balance, Kurt actually shakes hands with the ref. Jason immediately grabs into Kurt's pocket and takes out the international object, pointing out its origin to the ref. The fans cheer at this and Charles is livid outside!! Eiji is even more angry, snatching the object and scolding Kurt. However, since Kurt didn't actually use it, he isn't getting disqualified. But that's a warning and if you get like 5 warnings in a match, I think 5% of your UBL salary may be reduced. Does that sound right, Arthur? (Arthur: It absolutely does not.)
Eiji separates the two but Charles will not stop screaming at Eiji for reprimanding Kurt on account of the object. Charles is saying that Jason had it in his hand, so that means he was in possession of it and possession is 9/10ths of the law. The law of what though? His appeal is clearlay falling short of convincing Eiji. However, the conversation between the two seems to be achieving its primary purpose: distraction. Jasper Woodruff has snuck down to ringside without Eiji or Jason detecting him. He is hiding on one side of the ring, using the height of the ring apron to obscure his presence. Jason is trying to get Eiji to focus on the match and this gives Kurt the opportunity to push Jason form behind. However, Jason uses the momentum and runs the ropes rather than getting knocked down. As he runs toward Sanders, Kurt ducks then stomps his feet. As Jason hits the opposite rope, he is suddenly tripped up by Jasper! This causes Jason to fall on his face. Eiji's attention is still on Charles Langford who is doing everything he can to keep him distracted.
Jason has no idea what happened but all of us certainly do. One other person who does is Alicia Gordon who is now running down to the ring to the roar of the crowd!! Eiji seems confused at the higher decibel volume of the arena but Charles has used all of his best tricks to distract him - including complimenting his gentleman's referee tie.
Jason starts getting to his feet, turns around, and notices Jasper mocking him on the outside. Even after Kurt grabs a distracted Jason in a hammerlock from behind, Jason is yelling at Jasper from the ring. Alicia starts running at Jasper and attempts a jumping front high kick. However, Kurt pushes Jason's body forward enough so that his head is positioned through the ropes. It ends up right in between Alicia's outstretched kick and Jasper's head. You can imagine the impact. The crowd "oohs" at the sound and the likely mistake on Alicia's part.
Jasper tries to attack her afterward but she easily takes him down. However, the damage was done to Jason and Kurt wastes no time admiring his handiwork. Rather, he throws in an extra kick to "the Hydes" for bad measure, and then uses an high angle schoolboy pin to rolls Jason up. Immediately after Kurt's low blow connected, Charles ended his shenanigans and pointed Eiji back to the action in the ring. Eiji runs over to count the least credible victory in this league so far.
Kurt Sanders (W) [Low Blow - 9:20] (L) Jason Hyde
Kurt Sanders earned 5 points.
Jason Hyde earned 0 points.
This isn't over by a long shot. Three of a Kind start advancing on Alicia. Jason is still down on the mat, feeling the effects of that low blow. Alicia is a dangerous fighter but a 1 on 3 situation doesn't play to anyone's advantage. To her credit, she uses strategy rather than just rage. She bails out of the ring and begins running down the ramp. The three give chase, at varying speeds. Kurt is tired from the match and is actually the slowest here. Charles is quicker and Jasper is the fastest. Midway up the ramp, Alicia immediately stops on a dime and throws a back roundhouse kick that hits Jasper so hard that his body pirouettes before falling down. He looks to be unconscious from the strike. I think Alicia planned one quick knockout shot against each of them by forcing a series of quick encounters: a strategy. likely inspired by Bruce Lee.
Fortunately, no further encounters are necessary. By the time Charles and Kurt catch up, help is already on the way. A very angry Corey O'Brian has come out which causes Charles and Kurt to swear then run into the audience to escape. Corey is about to give chase when Jason Hyde slowly walks up to Alicia angry at what transpired. Alicia is shouting that it was an accident and that her intent was to try to help him. Equally frustrated at 3 of a Kind's antics, Corey separates Jason and Alicia and tries to calm them both down. They may be future opponents of his in the next step of this league, but Corey clearly respects both of them and the spirit of competition. Thunder Strike comes out to the stage and further helps Corey separate the two: escorting Alicia backstage and not responding to Jason's angry comments targeted at him as well.
Corey O'Brian whispers something to Jason then shakes his hand. The audience cheers for both men and boos the still fleeing Kurt and Charles. A few seconds after Corey and Jason go backstage, Jasper Woodruff slowly regains consciousness. He looks confused as to what happened. However, ever the resourceful fella, he grabs a fan's half-eaten hot cakes, yells "GOLD SYRUP!" and runs backstage. For those rightly concerned, the fan was reimbursed for a full order.
We now turn to our main event which features Block D action for the evening! Bak Fu faces Matthew Rivers in what should be an intriguing match for many reasons.
As I mentioned earlier, Bak reminded everyone at "Sexy Prime" why he was an early selection by Arthur Wingate for this league. He stepped up during the 19th OG-FPD Anniversary show to challenge for THRASH Ogawa's Universal Circuit Championship. Although Ogawa was victorious, Bak Fu gave him what was arguably his toughest and closest fight in the UBL. That is with all due respect to Tetsu Gushiken too. As competitive as their matches were in 2019, I've never seen anyone take the fight to THRASH in the way that Bak did. A win for Bak tonight may signal a huge resurgence in his career.
Another man who could use a career resurgence is Matthew Rivers. A former two-time NEXUS Champion and Field Leader, Matt's career stalled after losing the NEXUS Championship to Alicia Gordon at "All your Base" in December of 2019. Of course, you can't exactly blame Rivers - unless you are one of those who adamantly do - for the collapse in his career. He was tricked and drugged into becoming a sleeper agent for Destiny, was then activated to do horrible things, and then lacked the wherewithal to defend himself and make the right decision in and out of the ring. Once he was re-awakened, the loss of his Championship was the last thing on his mind. He suffered the type of remorse that seems to have crippled his ability to move forward in his career. He fought Kazuo Saji to a time limit draw early in this league. A victory against Bak Fu is desperately needed to begin building momentum again for Matt in this league, career, and arguably life.
Looking beyond the significance of this match, we're faced with an interesting stylistic clash. Matt is a technical wrestler with great take downs, textbook submissions, and strong suplexes. Bak Fu is a prolific striker with an array of punishing deadly suplexes and drops that target the head and neck. Although he is tremendously agile, he channels that ability into his strikes as opposed to being a frequent high flyer. Matt probably has the strength advantage here but that is not decisive. Bak operates on sudden bursts of speed and his momentum during these are nigh unstoppable. He definitely has the speed advantage but Matt slightly edges him out when it comes to mat wrestling. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of either of their suplexes. Bak's suplexes are strong enough to leave you laying for a 10 count whereas Matt intends on suplexing and holding you down as your shoulders are pinned. Matt uses a wider array of submissions but if Bak wraps his hands around your throat, you'll have to watch the match the next day to remember what happened.
The real x-factor is going to be where Matt's head is at. If he's as focused as he used to be, I think he can take this. The Matt Rivers who was NEXUS Champion before being activated was on the kind of roll where this match would be seen in his favor. However, the Bak Fu who terrorized the independent circuit for years would have something to say about putting any odds against him. That's the Bak who epitomized the phrase "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight of the dog." That Bak Fu, the one with the fighting spirit of a pitbull, has started to emerge again and I'm not sure if Matt is fully willing or able to channel his prime to rise to this occasion. Everything that happened with Destiny resulted in a high level of guilt in him. This may be forcing a ceiling on his physicality and overall focus. Conversely, Bak Fu looks as ferocious and as motivated as he ever has. He is a difficult draw for anyone to face, let alone someone so conflicted.
Also, of note, it appears that Jared Omigawa is coming down to the ring to second Bak Fu. Bak has been Jared's mentor since before he entered the Basic Training program. I'm sure he's here to learn. But this is the first time in a while we've seen him come out as a second. So I assume he's here in case there's interference the likes of which we've seen tonight. Hopefully this match will be uncontested in that respect. It's time to get to the ring.
Match 4 - D: Matthew Rivers vs. Bak Fu
*POST MATCH SPOILERS*
[John:] "What a finish! Bak and Matt were operating on an entirely different level for the last few minutes. It was like dueling banjos only with lariats and knees!! Both men kicked out of each other's finishers: Bak escaping Matt's "Chancery of Pain" and Matt kicking out of the "Hellbound" spike. Not many people have managed to survive that move and keep fighting so Matt deserves a ton of credit for that. And you have to say this about Matt Rivers - he is physically and psychological more resilient than I gave him credit for. Even when he was trapped within that textbook back roll neck lock of Bak, Matt would not tap out. It took him actually passing out for the referee to end the match.
Matthew Rivers (L) [Back Roll Neck Lock - 17:33] (W) Bak Fu
Matthew Rivers earned 0 points.
Bak Fu earned 5 points.
Bak wins this but I think Matt may have convinced others, including perhaps himself, that his career is a long way from being over. He mounted an impressive onslaught at the end of this match, survived much of Bak's, and kept his head pointed to victory. I don't know where Matt will go from here. There are rumors he may retired after the league is over. But even though he lost cleanly tonight, it was up against a legendary opponent who threw everything at him. There has to be some positives to take from that if any part of him still wants to continue to wrestle. As for Bak, I think he has clearly propelled himself to being one of the two favorites in this Block after his victory tonight and performance against Ogawa. I'm very interested to see his upcoming matches with Geese Walker and also with Kazuo Saji.
And that does it for Continuum IV. This was a night of ups, downs, and attempted universe upheavals. We'll be seeing you for Continuum V and the Fourth Dimension soon. We also have a momentous Basic Training event planned for you this summer. Goodnight!
Event "Continuum IV"
Date Held: Saturday, February 11, 2023
Report Posted: Friday, February 17, 2023
Location: "Peter Venkman Memorial Arena" in Westchester, New York.
[John Randolph:] "Hello fans and a belated Happy New Year! We are in the rare and enviable position of actually building off the momentum of an event that occurred within the past two months. That seems like a recent record for us. And by all accounts, our 19th Anniversary show was a timely hit thanks to the combined efforts of UBL and OG-Joshi.
Neither promotion wishes to rest on our recent laurels though. I know that OG-Joshi has a lot of exciting shows lined up for this year. And tonight's event is the fourth stop of the Collider Tour in the "Continuum" stream. Each of our four matches will take place between wrestlers from a different Block in this League.
Block A - NEXUS
Block B - Space-Time
Block C - World Heavyweight
Block D - Universal
Tonight's matches features these wrestlers:
Block B: Cosmic K*I*D vs. Wonderland
Block C: Corey O'Brian vs. Charles Langford
Block A: Kurt Sanders vs. Jason Hyde
Block D: Matthew Rivers vs. Bak Fu
(Click here to see the scoring system for the league.)
As a New Years resolution, the UBL will begin to produce events at a quicker pace. That goes for the Dimensional stream and burgeoning Basic Training division too. I've also been informed that broadcasts of individual "Universal Access" matches will start to become available again on a weekly basis. Therefore, Arthur Wingate requested that I become more concise with these reports. It's a learning process but I'm willing to start moving in that direction for the good of UBL. And, of course, we remind fans that there is no substitute to attending these events live.
Our first match tonight features the first and former UBL Champion: the Cosmic K*I*D. He faces Wonderland, the former FPCPP World Champion. Frankly, I've been nervous about this match. The Cosmic K*I*D reigned during an era where the entire "universe" would reset and be randomly rebuilt whenever someone "tore" the Space-Time Continuum Title belt. That meant that long time tag partners could suddenly become enemies and enemies could suddenly join together to invest in frozen yogurt companies. This was an era of entropy and I sense that Cosmic's mind may have never been fully stitched together afterward. For his part, Wonderland lives in a perpetual state of madness and recreates our world in that image. However, he is also one of the most accomplished and talented wrestlers in the past 15 years.
Cosmic was invited to this league because he held the missing puzzle piece to making the Infinite Continuum Championship whole: that being the Space-Time Continuum Title belt and lineage. But he is not convinced that it was just a prop from the past. You have to assume that Wonderland has...*thoughts* on this matter too. I'm a fairly practical, down to earth person. I think much of theoretical physics is too spicy for my palate. Maybe it has firm scientific grounding, maybe it doesn't. That's not for me to say. And yet, I have significant concern as to what Cosmic and Wonderland could do to our fragile universe if they truly put their creative heads together.
I know this may just seem like the opening match on the fourth show of an endless Championship coronation league in a professional wrestling promotion that takes itself too seriously at times. In the grand scheme of things, this should really just be entertainment for our audience and we respect that designation.
But folks, hear me when I say there's more than a 0% chance this match ends the world. And, for that, I'm terrified but also strangely honored to have at least written the lead to it. I'll go down in the erasure of history.
(Arthur's note: John - you wrote a long lead. We talked about this. Aim for a concise cosmos now. To our fans - clearly this match didn't end the world since I'm providing editor notes. We'll aim for a lower chance of that happening though.)
Match 1 - B: Cosmic K*I*D vs. Wonderland
Sigh. Cosmic brought a replica of his old title belt to the ring. (Arthur holds the real one in an attaché in his office. He promised I'd get to touch it after the league was over if I was on good behavior. My guess is that my long write-up for this event disqualified me from that reward.) When Wonderland came down to the ring, Cosmic offered the attaché to him. But it was not a gift, it was a project. How do I know this? Because Cosmic was kind enough to grab a microphone.
[Cosmic:] "In an alternate universe, this is the real Space-Time Continuum title belt. Only you can use thy wonder hole to find a door to that superior timeline. Once we get there, it merely remains for us to rip this re-anointed belt in half and unleash a chaos that even Geese Walker could not conceive of."
Wonderland seemed utterly intrigued by this pitch. The two then proceeded to fiddle with the belt, make strange hand motions, cartwheel, and just generally piss off the audience for 5 minutes. Maybe this was the exception to my rule that there's no substitute to attending these events live. No one here actually enjoyed this, least of all me. I wouldn't have been surprised if Jakob Furis, circa 2007, joined them to try to bite the belt in half.
Finally, Cosmic had the 'bright' idea to use some kind of particle accelerator technique to open a gate. (I suspect that Barton Miller is angry at the trademark infringement of his finisher as well as the stupidity of this match). Cosmic had Wonderland stand on the outside holding the belt up. Cosmic then ran the ropes back and forth about ten times to build up an impressive speed and launched into the air to hit a tope on the belt...and Wonderland beneath it. I assume Cosmic fancied himself as the particle in this accelerator. The fans laughed at this display because they assumed it was a double cross to dupe Wonderland. However, I don't think it actually was. The burly Wonderland got up, only somewhat affected, and beckoned Cosmic to go for it again! This time, Cosmic decided that he needed to run quicker so he took longer to build up speed. However, halfway through running the ropes again...the ringside bell rung. Wonderland had been counted out.
Cosmic K*I*D (DQ-W) [Count Out - 10:30] (DQ-L) Wonderland
Cosmic K*I*D earned 4 points.
Wonderland earned 1 point.
Neither man actually reacted to the bell, and Cosmic still launched himself over the ropes and hit the replica belt, and Wonderland, again. The two fell down, the universe graciously didn't rip open, and security promptly escorted them both backstage. To Wonderland's credit, he showed no ill will toward Cosmic and the two seemed quite friendly and enthusiastic as they left the arena. Might this be a new partnership and a drastic lowering of standards for UBL? Possibly both.
In the interest of the very honesty required for scientific endeavors: maybe their pursuit wasn't for naught. Perhaps that match caused the arena and everyone in it to actually warp to a parallel universe. I guess we won't know for sure until one of us mispronounces the "Bearenstayne Bhears" only for no one to notice the mistake. Actually, Jean Carter would. I bet the Jean Carter of every universe would. I figure she's the litmus test for all Mandela Effects throughout spacetime.
Now it's time for what should be another strange match on a strange night. Charles Langford has not wrestled in the UBL since he was knocked out and allegedly injured in a loss to Tetsu Gushiken during the first match of this league in May of 2020. We know the unfortunate aftermath of that situation for Tetsu who withdrew from the league out of potentially misplaced guilt, giving his spot to JET Hamada. But there are still questions as to the severity, and very existence, of Langford's injury. Given that he was not scheduled to wrestle again until tonight, his potential misdirection benefitted from our delays. We know that Three of a Kind has made it their mission to plant doubt in the heads of rising stars in this promotion like Yoshirozuna. Whether or not Charles was intending to guilt Tetsu out of the league, and a promising career as a main eventer, is something we may never know. THRASH Ogawa has already given Charles a receipt for that, and other shenanigans, at Continuum III. But that doesn't mean Charles is done plying his nefarious trade.
However, we can be certain of at least three things in this match. One is that Langford's opponent tonight, Corey O'Brian, will not fall prey to any parlour tricks or mind games. The second is that Corey will more forcefully defend himself, physically and argumentatively, if Charles attempts the type of maneuver and manipulation that he tried against Tetsu.
The third thing is that Corey is even angrier at his last match in this league than Charles is. We still have not heard from Joachim after his loss to O'Brian in the main event of Continuum III but Corey was rightfully furious. One has to feel for Corey here since we are now two years into the league and he has not had the chance to have a legitimate opponent yet despite being in a block with strong ones. Joachim, wherever his head was at, provided a strange "test of signature moves" and there's little chance that Charles is playing this match against Corey straight either. To be fair, we know that Charles would be unceremoniously crushed if he tried. It seems like all of the real challenges for Corey in this league will take more time to surface. He does not get to face anyone who wishes to compete normally until THRASH Ogawa at Continuum VI. Granted, that fight is going to blow the roof off this place so it will likely compensate.
Corey has come out to the ring first with an expression of pure suspicion. He is far from alone as I think we can all smell the Langford shenanigans, and the confusing smell of maple syrup, from a mile away. Charles comes down to the ring and immediately seems to trip on the ramp. Given that he's supposedly an attorney, I don't know if he's trying to sue UBL and Luke Kisiera for poor arena upkeep. But he does seem to be putting on quite the show of favoring his ankle and knee. Jasper Woodruff even comes out to support Charles who is now lying on the floor wincing and rolling in pain. He'll never be able to gamble again, an entirely stationary activity, if you believe his wailing cries. For his part, Corey shrugs, while also looking around the ring to make sure Kurt Sanders isn't planning a sneak attack.
Arthur Wingate comes out with a microphone looking stern and impatient.
[Arthur:] "An ultimatum is at hand, Langford. This match has not officially started. So if you refuse to face Mr. O'Brian, then you forfeit. And in the case of a forfeit, you can not earn any points. That can not be what you intended nor is it what the people want to see tonight. Further, you are barred from having Woodruff substitute for you. So either leave now and quit wasting time or let this speech be the emergency salve you need to get your leg and head back in the game."
Charles looks cross so Arthur starts counting backward from 10. That did the trick! Charles accepts the match and suddenly looks spry. He begins walking to the ring without trouble. He walks up the stairs near the corner, gets into the ring, and squares up for the bell to ring. We may just have a real match yet, folks!!
Match 2 - C: Corey O'Brian vs. Charles Langford
Aaaaaand, he's gone again. The second after the bell officially rang, Charles immediately turned tail and slid out of the ring. Corey O'Brian is displeased! He begins chasing Charles down the ramp. It's clear that Corey wants to finish this match in the ring so he can get the maximum amount of points for a victory. I'm sure he also wouldn't mind if that result came with a side of Charles getting his ass handed to him. Jasper, who was still on the stage, runs to the ring past a fleeing Charles and attempts to intercept Corey. Corey shoves Jasper aside at first, not wanting to do any more damage then he needs to, but Jasper wraps his arms around Corey's body. This buys just enough time for Charles to escape backstage. The referee finishes counting to twenty and this match is over. Corey has won via count out.
Corey O'Brian (DQ-W) [Count Out - :22] (DQ-L) Charles Langford
Corey O'Brian earned 4 points.
Charles Langford earned 1 points.
Seeing that Charles is now gone, Corey turns his attention to Jasper who is still hugging him. I'd love to say this was some kind of greco roman bear hug or muay thai boxing clinch but no, Jasper is hugging Corey's waist like a kid nervously clutching their parent thinking the boogeyman is under the bed. Corey knees him in the stomach then hammer throws him to the ring apron. Corey hits a running shotei that sends Jasper rolling upward into the ring. The crowd is getting excited here to see at least some degree of comeuppance. Corey lifts Jasper up for an uh oh... that looks like a Diamond Head and some of the crowd cheers him on here. But this move is a career killer! Corey threatened Joachim with it after the last match. However, Corey is mercifully just faking and rolls Jasper down to the mat with just a minor thud. After he collects his bearings, Jasper rolls out of the ring and runs backstage. The retaliatory threat against Three of a Kind was delivered loud and clear but Corey's cool head prevailed. He just gave Jasper the gift that keeps giving: continued functioning neck vertebrae. Thanks Santa Cerviclaus. However, you can see on his face how frustrated Corey is at these shenanigans as he walks backstage to the applause of the fans. We have to do something about match quality control.
Now it's time for intermission so things can settle down and hopefully re-orient toward success.
Merchandising and concessions
Bak Fu shirts are the number one item tonight. Fans really loved the absolute war that Bak had with THRASH Ogawa at the 19th Anniversary PPV. "Nowhere to Hyde" bandannas are the next best seller with fans anticipating Jason's match tonight. Fans are also buying up old Universal Battle League shirts. Despite the boos the first match received, I think fans know collectors items when they see them. Replica Title belts with stitches down the middle, to represent the tearing of the Space-Time Continuum, are surprisingly popular.
Over at the concessions booth, all hot food is selling like hotcakes: including actual hotcakes. Yes, it is a messy food to eat in an arena while watching wrestling. But all that syrup leads fans to stay off their phones for a bit which is a miracle.
Just in case we didn't get enough "3 of a Kind" antics before, one of those jokers is in the next match too. Kurt Sanders is about to face Jason Hyde for some Block A action.
Maybe Cosmic K*I*D has a point looking for alternate universes. Because in a few of them, I bet Kurt Sanders is actually a top seed in this league. For all his mind games, bluster, and nihilism, the man is a top athlete and talented wrestler. The problem is that his own personality gets in the way of him cultivating that talent to its full potential. We've seen him put on spirited matches against rivals in the past like Tetsu Gushiken. But Kurt's growing contempt for the UBL, his allegations of our hypocrisy, and general trollish attitude stands in the way of his own success here.
Of course, if you ask Kurt, his definition of success is getting under the skin of his enemies. It's not about winning Titles to Kurt, it's about preventing others from enjoying competition and making the most of their careers. With that narrow definition of success, and his abilities to achieve it, you can see why he is so self-satisfied. Outside observers look at him and see a sad underachiever who is dangerous to himself and to others. But he's already had a lot of success in creating self-doubt in his rivals. Along with Charles Langford, the two have corrupted Yoshiro into Yoshirozuna and sabotaged the career of Tetsu Gushiken as I mentioned before. They also played a role in Barton Miller's forced retirement. Had it not been for the corruption of Yoshirozuna, he would never have injured Barton which ended his career. Kurt's actions have had severe consequences in the UBL and he has been helped along by Charles and Jasper.
Jason Hyde is no stranger to facing people with malicious intentions. He initially joined UBL in 2007 when "Orochi" Geese Walker bought it. Jason was sucked into the war that Geese was waging against, well, everyone who challenged him. In this case, Jason was in the crowd for an OG-Joshi match featuring his sister Angelica who was representing Dragon Isle Joshi and Los Angeles Women's Lucha. Another member of the crowd jumped the railing and tried to harm Angelica only for Jason to run them off. Geese, spurred on by Holly who was at war with L.A.W.L., chose to be angry at Jason rather than the dangerous crowd jumper. This led to a sequence of events where Jason allied himself with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. to oppose Geese's megalomaniacal turn. Jason also joined the Universal Champion's league where he earned impressive victories against Geese Walker and a few other wrestlers who did not have the best of intentions for themselves and others. He even earned a victory against the villainous Jack Dod who ended up winning that league. So, to put it lightly, Jason has seen noxious levels of toxicity before but used his abilities and focus to impressively overcome it.
Kurt has not been treating the matches in this league and his opponents with the respect they deserve. He managed to get Wang Gom-Bu disqualified by manipulating him into an unintentional referee bump. Jason also faced Wang for his first match in this league. Although he fared worse in regard to only earning three points to Kurt's four, the time limit draw that Jason earned against Wang was far superior to Kurt's cheap victory. Additionally, Jason was the one in this Block who faced the most potential ring rust. He had not wrestled in the UBL for a decade whereas Kurt was regularly competing.
However, with the delays we suffered on account of Gauntlet, both men are on near equal footing. In that respect, I give Jason Hyde the clear advantage here. He is a superior wrestler that seeks the positive values of competition in comparison to Kurt's nefarious and trollish motivations. That being said, Kurt has more method in his madness than many want to admit. He knows he won't be successful in his mission if he just goes out without any preparation and loses to everyone. He has to at least be able to occasionally win in order to achieve his goals. And I can't imagine he's naïve enough to think he can beat Jason in a legitimate encounter. Kurt has to have something up his sleeve and that makes him dangerous.
Even though I don't think I'll ever put these two in the same sentence when discussing the level they are at, Kurt is far better than people give him credit for. He may be just "good enough" to hang with someone and wait for them to make a mistake, then capitalize. His "Hurt Ward" running kick has knock out power and he has a preternatural talent for landing low blows. Jason is faster, more agile, superior in submission ability, a better striker on his feet, and possesses more moves that can finish matches without causing Arthur Wingate to fine him. I don't exactly know what Kurt we'll see here but I know Jason will do his part to lift the integrity of this league after a protracted start to it over the past few years.
Match 3 - A: Kurt Sanders vs. Jason Hyde
Well, the Kurt that showed up is pretty much the one we were concerned about. He started the match by immediately slapping Jason across the face. And the Jason that showed up is exactly the type that puts people like Kurt in his place. Using the momentum from the impact of the slap, and without missing a beat, he spun and swept the legs out from Kurt. It seems like Jason was expecting this type of disrespect and actually used it to his advantage. The fans roared at this physical and psychological display of dominance. Jason's defiance and the fan's love of it enraged Kurt.
We don't see Kurt get visibly angry very often. The person who excels at pushing buttons in others has seemed rather stoic in keeping his own emotions in control. But the combination of Jason essentially trolling Jason's troll attempt and the fans loving it definitely got under his skin. However, an angry Kurt is not exactly a careful Kurt. And he ran right at Jason who slid under his legs, and then dropkicked him right in the face when he turned around. Kurt quickly bailed out, holding his head in pain. It looks like there's a little blood as a result of that dropkick perhaps hitting his nose.
Charles Langford, wearing a "3 of a Kind" warm-up suit, has come out with a towel. He dabs at Kurt's wound, while peppering him with nonsensical motivational slogans seemed intended to stall.
"There's no second place in a horse race, son." (Do the other horses just disappear?)
"Show that boy you the top alley cat in the yard." (what?)
"You don't go on a riverboat halfway past supper." (fair point, I guess?)
Charles also seems to be keeping Kurt's limbs warm for the fight, though a discriminating eye may have caught him slipping some kind of object into Kurt's shorts. In any case, Kurt's "cut" has been closed and he has been re-motivated to enter the ring. For his part, Jason has been stretching and not allowing Charles' presence to disrupt him.
Kurt gets back into the ring and tries to shake Jason's hand to absolutely no avail. I mean, who would take that bet? Jason just smiles at him and points to the referee, Eiji Yoshida. Kurt looks confused and Jason tells the referee to hold his hand out instead. I haven't seen too many people actively confuse Sanders but Jason managed to do it. Even Langford outside the ring is screaming "That Hyde ain't right in the head." Seemingly taken off balance, Kurt actually shakes hands with the ref. Jason immediately grabs into Kurt's pocket and takes out the international object, pointing out its origin to the ref. The fans cheer at this and Charles is livid outside!! Eiji is even more angry, snatching the object and scolding Kurt. However, since Kurt didn't actually use it, he isn't getting disqualified. But that's a warning and if you get like 5 warnings in a match, I think 5% of your UBL salary may be reduced. Does that sound right, Arthur? (Arthur: It absolutely does not.)
Eiji separates the two but Charles will not stop screaming at Eiji for reprimanding Kurt on account of the object. Charles is saying that Jason had it in his hand, so that means he was in possession of it and possession is 9/10ths of the law. The law of what though? His appeal is clearlay falling short of convincing Eiji. However, the conversation between the two seems to be achieving its primary purpose: distraction. Jasper Woodruff has snuck down to ringside without Eiji or Jason detecting him. He is hiding on one side of the ring, using the height of the ring apron to obscure his presence. Jason is trying to get Eiji to focus on the match and this gives Kurt the opportunity to push Jason form behind. However, Jason uses the momentum and runs the ropes rather than getting knocked down. As he runs toward Sanders, Kurt ducks then stomps his feet. As Jason hits the opposite rope, he is suddenly tripped up by Jasper! This causes Jason to fall on his face. Eiji's attention is still on Charles Langford who is doing everything he can to keep him distracted.
Jason has no idea what happened but all of us certainly do. One other person who does is Alicia Gordon who is now running down to the ring to the roar of the crowd!! Eiji seems confused at the higher decibel volume of the arena but Charles has used all of his best tricks to distract him - including complimenting his gentleman's referee tie.
Jason starts getting to his feet, turns around, and notices Jasper mocking him on the outside. Even after Kurt grabs a distracted Jason in a hammerlock from behind, Jason is yelling at Jasper from the ring. Alicia starts running at Jasper and attempts a jumping front high kick. However, Kurt pushes Jason's body forward enough so that his head is positioned through the ropes. It ends up right in between Alicia's outstretched kick and Jasper's head. You can imagine the impact. The crowd "oohs" at the sound and the likely mistake on Alicia's part.
Jasper tries to attack her afterward but she easily takes him down. However, the damage was done to Jason and Kurt wastes no time admiring his handiwork. Rather, he throws in an extra kick to "the Hydes" for bad measure, and then uses an high angle schoolboy pin to rolls Jason up. Immediately after Kurt's low blow connected, Charles ended his shenanigans and pointed Eiji back to the action in the ring. Eiji runs over to count the least credible victory in this league so far.
Kurt Sanders (W) [Low Blow - 9:20] (L) Jason Hyde
Kurt Sanders earned 5 points.
Jason Hyde earned 0 points.
This isn't over by a long shot. Three of a Kind start advancing on Alicia. Jason is still down on the mat, feeling the effects of that low blow. Alicia is a dangerous fighter but a 1 on 3 situation doesn't play to anyone's advantage. To her credit, she uses strategy rather than just rage. She bails out of the ring and begins running down the ramp. The three give chase, at varying speeds. Kurt is tired from the match and is actually the slowest here. Charles is quicker and Jasper is the fastest. Midway up the ramp, Alicia immediately stops on a dime and throws a back roundhouse kick that hits Jasper so hard that his body pirouettes before falling down. He looks to be unconscious from the strike. I think Alicia planned one quick knockout shot against each of them by forcing a series of quick encounters: a strategy. likely inspired by Bruce Lee.
Fortunately, no further encounters are necessary. By the time Charles and Kurt catch up, help is already on the way. A very angry Corey O'Brian has come out which causes Charles and Kurt to swear then run into the audience to escape. Corey is about to give chase when Jason Hyde slowly walks up to Alicia angry at what transpired. Alicia is shouting that it was an accident and that her intent was to try to help him. Equally frustrated at 3 of a Kind's antics, Corey separates Jason and Alicia and tries to calm them both down. They may be future opponents of his in the next step of this league, but Corey clearly respects both of them and the spirit of competition. Thunder Strike comes out to the stage and further helps Corey separate the two: escorting Alicia backstage and not responding to Jason's angry comments targeted at him as well.
Corey O'Brian whispers something to Jason then shakes his hand. The audience cheers for both men and boos the still fleeing Kurt and Charles. A few seconds after Corey and Jason go backstage, Jasper Woodruff slowly regains consciousness. He looks confused as to what happened. However, ever the resourceful fella, he grabs a fan's half-eaten hot cakes, yells "GOLD SYRUP!" and runs backstage. For those rightly concerned, the fan was reimbursed for a full order.
We now turn to our main event which features Block D action for the evening! Bak Fu faces Matthew Rivers in what should be an intriguing match for many reasons.
As I mentioned earlier, Bak reminded everyone at "Sexy Prime" why he was an early selection by Arthur Wingate for this league. He stepped up during the 19th OG-FPD Anniversary show to challenge for THRASH Ogawa's Universal Circuit Championship. Although Ogawa was victorious, Bak Fu gave him what was arguably his toughest and closest fight in the UBL. That is with all due respect to Tetsu Gushiken too. As competitive as their matches were in 2019, I've never seen anyone take the fight to THRASH in the way that Bak did. A win for Bak tonight may signal a huge resurgence in his career.
Another man who could use a career resurgence is Matthew Rivers. A former two-time NEXUS Champion and Field Leader, Matt's career stalled after losing the NEXUS Championship to Alicia Gordon at "All your Base" in December of 2019. Of course, you can't exactly blame Rivers - unless you are one of those who adamantly do - for the collapse in his career. He was tricked and drugged into becoming a sleeper agent for Destiny, was then activated to do horrible things, and then lacked the wherewithal to defend himself and make the right decision in and out of the ring. Once he was re-awakened, the loss of his Championship was the last thing on his mind. He suffered the type of remorse that seems to have crippled his ability to move forward in his career. He fought Kazuo Saji to a time limit draw early in this league. A victory against Bak Fu is desperately needed to begin building momentum again for Matt in this league, career, and arguably life.
Looking beyond the significance of this match, we're faced with an interesting stylistic clash. Matt is a technical wrestler with great take downs, textbook submissions, and strong suplexes. Bak Fu is a prolific striker with an array of punishing deadly suplexes and drops that target the head and neck. Although he is tremendously agile, he channels that ability into his strikes as opposed to being a frequent high flyer. Matt probably has the strength advantage here but that is not decisive. Bak operates on sudden bursts of speed and his momentum during these are nigh unstoppable. He definitely has the speed advantage but Matt slightly edges him out when it comes to mat wrestling. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of either of their suplexes. Bak's suplexes are strong enough to leave you laying for a 10 count whereas Matt intends on suplexing and holding you down as your shoulders are pinned. Matt uses a wider array of submissions but if Bak wraps his hands around your throat, you'll have to watch the match the next day to remember what happened.
The real x-factor is going to be where Matt's head is at. If he's as focused as he used to be, I think he can take this. The Matt Rivers who was NEXUS Champion before being activated was on the kind of roll where this match would be seen in his favor. However, the Bak Fu who terrorized the independent circuit for years would have something to say about putting any odds against him. That's the Bak who epitomized the phrase "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight of the dog." That Bak Fu, the one with the fighting spirit of a pitbull, has started to emerge again and I'm not sure if Matt is fully willing or able to channel his prime to rise to this occasion. Everything that happened with Destiny resulted in a high level of guilt in him. This may be forcing a ceiling on his physicality and overall focus. Conversely, Bak Fu looks as ferocious and as motivated as he ever has. He is a difficult draw for anyone to face, let alone someone so conflicted.
Also, of note, it appears that Jared Omigawa is coming down to the ring to second Bak Fu. Bak has been Jared's mentor since before he entered the Basic Training program. I'm sure he's here to learn. But this is the first time in a while we've seen him come out as a second. So I assume he's here in case there's interference the likes of which we've seen tonight. Hopefully this match will be uncontested in that respect. It's time to get to the ring.
Match 4 - D: Matthew Rivers vs. Bak Fu
*POST MATCH SPOILERS*
[John:] "What a finish! Bak and Matt were operating on an entirely different level for the last few minutes. It was like dueling banjos only with lariats and knees!! Both men kicked out of each other's finishers: Bak escaping Matt's "Chancery of Pain" and Matt kicking out of the "Hellbound" spike. Not many people have managed to survive that move and keep fighting so Matt deserves a ton of credit for that. And you have to say this about Matt Rivers - he is physically and psychological more resilient than I gave him credit for. Even when he was trapped within that textbook back roll neck lock of Bak, Matt would not tap out. It took him actually passing out for the referee to end the match.
Matthew Rivers (L) [Back Roll Neck Lock - 17:33] (W) Bak Fu
Matthew Rivers earned 0 points.
Bak Fu earned 5 points.
Bak wins this but I think Matt may have convinced others, including perhaps himself, that his career is a long way from being over. He mounted an impressive onslaught at the end of this match, survived much of Bak's, and kept his head pointed to victory. I don't know where Matt will go from here. There are rumors he may retired after the league is over. But even though he lost cleanly tonight, it was up against a legendary opponent who threw everything at him. There has to be some positives to take from that if any part of him still wants to continue to wrestle. As for Bak, I think he has clearly propelled himself to being one of the two favorites in this Block after his victory tonight and performance against Ogawa. I'm very interested to see his upcoming matches with Geese Walker and also with Kazuo Saji.
And that does it for Continuum IV. This was a night of ups, downs, and attempted universe upheavals. We'll be seeing you for Continuum V and the Fourth Dimension soon. We also have a momentous Basic Training event planned for you this summer. Goodnight!