UBL History
Apr 19, 2007 23:34:05 GMT -5
Post by OrochiGeese on Apr 19, 2007 23:34:05 GMT -5
Orochi-O's Office UBL Press Release:
"The Universal Battle League ("UBL") was recently bought by OrochiGeese. The first official act was to transcribe the history of this federation for the fans in order to explain why it was purchased.
UBL started off in 1996 as a small comedy based fed in Tokyo, Japan. It played mainly off its name as a "theme" and employed wrestlers who had some connection to "space, time, or other outworldly phenomena."
Wrestlers like "Cosmic K*I*D" fought against the "Roman Centurion" for control of the "Space-Time Continuum." That was not just a figurative struggle though, it was actually what they called their top Championship. And the UBL would go to strange lengths to preserve the sanctity of that title. Whenever the belt happened to physically tear or "rip", the UBL immediately (within five seconds) changed their story lines as if to mirror being thrown into an alternate reality by the "rip" in the Space Time Continuum.
The fact that this iteration of the UBL lasted two years is a minor miracle...one that has stumped all manner of philosophers, "scienticians", and internet smarks: Especially the latter category. But by 1998, the writing was on the wall that something had to be done or else the UBL would fold. It was not that they lacked fans, but their budget was so overblown thanks to special effects that they could never draw a profit.
Enter Drake Yoshida, the son of a wealthy Japanese businessman who married a woman from a prominent English political family. Drake was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan and developed a love for the fighting arts as well. Unfortunately he was not that skilled in any actual form of hand to hand combat but that did not deter him from participating in the business side of things. By the time he was 21, he showed a high acumen for investing money and sought to carve a niche for himself in professional wrestling. He saw the struggling UBL and offered to buy it. While he did not have the money due to his youth, his father backed him on the knowledge of Drake's investment success and the promise of great profits down the road. So the Yoshidas bought UBL from the previous owners...who simply called themselves "Dawn of Man.Corp", and immediately started working on a new direction for the financially struggling company...while immediately moving the company, its offices, and its live shows to their native Kyoto.
Their new direction for UBL was to focus on the in ring aspect of professional wrestling while stressing the glory of competition and the desire for supremacy through victory. Gone were the sci-fi special effects and in its place was a promotion that did its part to blur the line between pro wrestling and MMA. Naturally, the previous UBL fans were slightly taken back. While some enjoyed this new style, others quickly registered their discontent on the internet...and were promptly ignored. That was because the new UBL was generating more money and publicity then ever before, while seriously cutting costs.
As a result of the new style, two other big changes took place. One was part of official policy while the other was partially a result of the style redirection. The first change was actually putting to use the "L" in "UBL". Drake wanted the "League" to refer to more then just the general promotion, he wanted an actual structured system with a point system and longstanding goal. He felt this was the way to make the events feel more competitive like mixed martial arts and other competitions. He drew up plans for every UBL wrestler to be part of one big league schedule, with the winner becoming the first "Universal Champion."
The second change was altering the roster of the UBL. Many of the previous wrestlers were only trained in low impact, comedy style wrestling. They were not ready to compete in harder hitting matches with new harder hitting opponents in front of fans of...hard hitting. So there was a roster exodus at the same time as Drake began recruiting new blood from around the world: men skilled in both professional wrestling and martial arts. Those that remained from the original UBL roster did their best to adjust their styles.
Surprisingly, the biggest star of the original UBL had the most success in the first year of the new UBL. It turned out that "Cosmic K*I*D" either had a background in martial arts or was a very quick learner...perhaps from traveling at the speed of light all the time. (ed note: sorry, but if you saw those tapes from the old UBL, you'd know what I mean.) "Cosmic K*I*D was able to rally himself to victory during the first official League, in 1999, through the use of his intense speed and the support of the crowd. There was still a vocal minority attending the shows who were fans of the old UBL and their cheering noticeably helped Cosmic K*I*D. In fact, it was even rumored that it seemed to help him SO much during one match that he miraculously got a victory in a match no one expected to win...which just happened to be the final match of the League that year, and the match that clinched his "Universal Champion" status. Even his opponent and the referee seemed quite surprised...one might even say, violently angry, that Cosmic K*I*D walked away with the victory that night. The old fans of UBL cheered as Cosmic K*I*D gave an uncharacteristic swagger and smirk as he left the arena. But despite the fan support and that heroic rally, he did not come back the following year. Rumors swirled as to the reasons of his departure but he kept a tight lip about it. He also seemed tight lipped when he was beaten by some members of an organized crime group a few weeks later in what expressed by all as a "TOTALLY random and unrelated incident to anything EVER."
With Cosmic K*I*D gone, the only remaining member of the original UBL roster was The Centurion. However, he had a less then impressive display at the 1999 Singles League, and did not appear to be rectifying his past failure as the 2000 Singles League started. This marked the final departure of UBL's old fans and cleared the way for the final spiritual turnover. New wrestlers had emerged to carry the mantle of the UBL and they were exactly the mold that Drake was looking for. Two specific wrestlers stood out, by the names of Bolt and Thunder Strike. They were intense competitors that were well versed in strikes, submissions, and throws. Bolt especially had the audience on their feet when he lifted an opponent off of theirs only to drive them down on their heads. Thunder Strike was vaunted for his variety of back breakers and a striking expertise influenced heavily by Tae Kwon Do and military style combat arts. Both of them made it to the final week of the league tied for first place...and faced each other. In a match that was said by many to be the one that put UBL on the map, Bolt defeated Thunder Strike in 30 minutes with a "Ganso Bomb" which he later christened, "the Raging Bolt." And in a move considered equally as influential to UBL as the "Raging Bolt", Thunder Strike offered Bolt his hand after the match was over, defining the sportsmanship of competition for UBL and the respect that began to form between both men and that of the audience.
Six months passed and even more impressive wrestlers joined the ranks of UBL. Men like Nightmare, Naja Mask, and Marauder challenged the supremacy of Bolt and Thunder Strike in non league competition. Drake Yoshida saw the value of having a few month 'off season' where the wrestlers would compete on a lighter schedule and come back fully refreshed for the next League. But some wrestlers decided to attempt to eliminate their competition during the off season. Naja Mask particularly became a thorn in the side of both Bolt and Thunder Strike. Finally, after Naja Mask recruited Marauder, UBL had its first faction. Drake Yoshida saw the potential in this situation and in late 2000 decided to institute a Tag Championship League with the winners being called the "Universal Battalion." Bolt and Thunder Strike banded together and won that first Tag League. But control over the "Ultimate Battalion" Title switched between their team, "The Storm Bringers" and the ruthless team of Naja Mask and Marauder.
Meanwhile, competition for the "Universal Champion" Title heated up as Nightmare became a bigger threat each year to winning the Title. However, Bolt persevered and held the "Universal Champion" Title from 2000 all the way up to and including 2002, when he made a shocking announcement. The icon of UBL was going to ply his trade in the United States in a promotion called the GWF. Drake, Thunder Strike, and the fans were initially shocked but all decided to support his choice. With Bolt gone, the power vacuum was just how it had ben after the 1999 Singles League. Thunder Strike, Naja Mask, Marauder, and Nightmare fought tirelessly to gain that top status as "Universal Champion." But it was Thunder Strike who managed to do it from 2003 all the way up to 2005. He had tied Bolt's streak of winning 3 Singles Leagues and was looking to forge his own record. But 2006 belonged to Marauder, as he became the "Universal Champion" for the first time while also winning his fourth straight "Universal Battalion" Title with Naja Mask.
Shortly after the 2006 Singles League ended, Thunder Strike informed Drake that he had to go to the United States. He did not make his reasons public but Drake told Orochi-O's that Thunder Strike's motivation was to "rehabilitate" Bolt who had unmasked as OrochiGeese when he came to the US in late 2002. Thunder Strike did not like the way his former ally had been acting and decided to forego a shot at the "Universal Champion" status in 2007 to try to bring Geese back to his former "noble" ways.
This left another power vacuum in UBL as the competition for the upcoming 2007 Singles League looked to be the stiffest yet. Nightmare had climbed to second place in the 2006 League and many felt that 2007 would be his year. Naja Mask had captured the number three position in 2006 while Centurion had his best performance yet in earning the the number five spot (one spot below the then distracted Thunder Strike).
But it was not to be. After a longer "off season" then usual and noted delays in starting the 2007 Singles League, Drake Yoshida disappeared from public view. No information was given about the UBL at all by UBL offices and the wrestlers were anxiously waiting to get started. The only thing more shocking then the absence of activity was what happened to resume it. In the United States, OrochiGeese's Voltage wrestling show, the spotlight for OG-Joshi and OG-FPD, suddenly played host to Thunder Strike, Nightmare, Centurion, Marauder and Naja Mask in the span of two months. Word spread to Japan and all eyes were on the April 22nd Voltage when OrochiGeese announced the unbelievable news that HE had bought the UBL from the Yoshidas! The UBL roster members and the crowd were stunned to hear Geese's latest acquisition, and angered to hear Geese's motivations. Namely that he wanted to use the UBL to pit his enemies against each other and control his rivals. Many critics of the move were also angry at Drake Yoshida as he was tied to many of Geese's devious actions of the previous year, including being the informant that notified Geese of Thunder Strike's intentions to try to rehabilitate him. But Geese was so happy with Drake's handling of the situation that he made him the honorary "Sergeant" of UBL, giving him various powers and responsibilities in the day to day running of the League, but keeping him subservient to Geese himself.
With the UBL now firmly in his grasp, OrochiGeese announced the formation of a singles league to crown the 2007 "Universal Champion." He has invited wrestlers that are considered to be the best in the world of professional wrestling in addition to new ones trying to make an immediate impact. But most of all, Geese looks to weaken his greatest foes by forcing them to wrestle each other before they get to him. Will this plan payoff and allow Geese to claim the Title of Universal Champion for himself? Or will inviting so many of his enemies in one place backfire with dramatic repercussions?
June 2009 update: After the passing of NOAH wrestler, Mitsuhara Misawa, Drake Yoshida had this to say:
"Orochi Geese was so highly inspired by Misawa and his peers' King's Road style that Geese would like to formally recognize UBL's style as 'Emperor's Road' to honor and commemorate Misawa and his influence."
January 2011 update: My coverage and presentation of the Universal Battle League is now over. In official story lines, Orochi Geese sold UBL to Arthur Wingate, the half brother of Drake Yoshida. Arthur will be taking the UBL to the United Kingdom, which will serve as the third country and region that the UBL has operated in. (after Japan and the United States.)
All the information about Geese selling it can be found during Orochi Geese's Funeral Show and OG-FPD Immortal.
"The Universal Battle League ("UBL") was recently bought by OrochiGeese. The first official act was to transcribe the history of this federation for the fans in order to explain why it was purchased.
UBL started off in 1996 as a small comedy based fed in Tokyo, Japan. It played mainly off its name as a "theme" and employed wrestlers who had some connection to "space, time, or other outworldly phenomena."
Wrestlers like "Cosmic K*I*D" fought against the "Roman Centurion" for control of the "Space-Time Continuum." That was not just a figurative struggle though, it was actually what they called their top Championship. And the UBL would go to strange lengths to preserve the sanctity of that title. Whenever the belt happened to physically tear or "rip", the UBL immediately (within five seconds) changed their story lines as if to mirror being thrown into an alternate reality by the "rip" in the Space Time Continuum.
The fact that this iteration of the UBL lasted two years is a minor miracle...one that has stumped all manner of philosophers, "scienticians", and internet smarks: Especially the latter category. But by 1998, the writing was on the wall that something had to be done or else the UBL would fold. It was not that they lacked fans, but their budget was so overblown thanks to special effects that they could never draw a profit.
Enter Drake Yoshida, the son of a wealthy Japanese businessman who married a woman from a prominent English political family. Drake was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan and developed a love for the fighting arts as well. Unfortunately he was not that skilled in any actual form of hand to hand combat but that did not deter him from participating in the business side of things. By the time he was 21, he showed a high acumen for investing money and sought to carve a niche for himself in professional wrestling. He saw the struggling UBL and offered to buy it. While he did not have the money due to his youth, his father backed him on the knowledge of Drake's investment success and the promise of great profits down the road. So the Yoshidas bought UBL from the previous owners...who simply called themselves "Dawn of Man.Corp", and immediately started working on a new direction for the financially struggling company...while immediately moving the company, its offices, and its live shows to their native Kyoto.
Their new direction for UBL was to focus on the in ring aspect of professional wrestling while stressing the glory of competition and the desire for supremacy through victory. Gone were the sci-fi special effects and in its place was a promotion that did its part to blur the line between pro wrestling and MMA. Naturally, the previous UBL fans were slightly taken back. While some enjoyed this new style, others quickly registered their discontent on the internet...and were promptly ignored. That was because the new UBL was generating more money and publicity then ever before, while seriously cutting costs.
As a result of the new style, two other big changes took place. One was part of official policy while the other was partially a result of the style redirection. The first change was actually putting to use the "L" in "UBL". Drake wanted the "League" to refer to more then just the general promotion, he wanted an actual structured system with a point system and longstanding goal. He felt this was the way to make the events feel more competitive like mixed martial arts and other competitions. He drew up plans for every UBL wrestler to be part of one big league schedule, with the winner becoming the first "Universal Champion."
The second change was altering the roster of the UBL. Many of the previous wrestlers were only trained in low impact, comedy style wrestling. They were not ready to compete in harder hitting matches with new harder hitting opponents in front of fans of...hard hitting. So there was a roster exodus at the same time as Drake began recruiting new blood from around the world: men skilled in both professional wrestling and martial arts. Those that remained from the original UBL roster did their best to adjust their styles.
Surprisingly, the biggest star of the original UBL had the most success in the first year of the new UBL. It turned out that "Cosmic K*I*D" either had a background in martial arts or was a very quick learner...perhaps from traveling at the speed of light all the time. (ed note: sorry, but if you saw those tapes from the old UBL, you'd know what I mean.) "Cosmic K*I*D was able to rally himself to victory during the first official League, in 1999, through the use of his intense speed and the support of the crowd. There was still a vocal minority attending the shows who were fans of the old UBL and their cheering noticeably helped Cosmic K*I*D. In fact, it was even rumored that it seemed to help him SO much during one match that he miraculously got a victory in a match no one expected to win...which just happened to be the final match of the League that year, and the match that clinched his "Universal Champion" status. Even his opponent and the referee seemed quite surprised...one might even say, violently angry, that Cosmic K*I*D walked away with the victory that night. The old fans of UBL cheered as Cosmic K*I*D gave an uncharacteristic swagger and smirk as he left the arena. But despite the fan support and that heroic rally, he did not come back the following year. Rumors swirled as to the reasons of his departure but he kept a tight lip about it. He also seemed tight lipped when he was beaten by some members of an organized crime group a few weeks later in what expressed by all as a "TOTALLY random and unrelated incident to anything EVER."
With Cosmic K*I*D gone, the only remaining member of the original UBL roster was The Centurion. However, he had a less then impressive display at the 1999 Singles League, and did not appear to be rectifying his past failure as the 2000 Singles League started. This marked the final departure of UBL's old fans and cleared the way for the final spiritual turnover. New wrestlers had emerged to carry the mantle of the UBL and they were exactly the mold that Drake was looking for. Two specific wrestlers stood out, by the names of Bolt and Thunder Strike. They were intense competitors that were well versed in strikes, submissions, and throws. Bolt especially had the audience on their feet when he lifted an opponent off of theirs only to drive them down on their heads. Thunder Strike was vaunted for his variety of back breakers and a striking expertise influenced heavily by Tae Kwon Do and military style combat arts. Both of them made it to the final week of the league tied for first place...and faced each other. In a match that was said by many to be the one that put UBL on the map, Bolt defeated Thunder Strike in 30 minutes with a "Ganso Bomb" which he later christened, "the Raging Bolt." And in a move considered equally as influential to UBL as the "Raging Bolt", Thunder Strike offered Bolt his hand after the match was over, defining the sportsmanship of competition for UBL and the respect that began to form between both men and that of the audience.
Six months passed and even more impressive wrestlers joined the ranks of UBL. Men like Nightmare, Naja Mask, and Marauder challenged the supremacy of Bolt and Thunder Strike in non league competition. Drake Yoshida saw the value of having a few month 'off season' where the wrestlers would compete on a lighter schedule and come back fully refreshed for the next League. But some wrestlers decided to attempt to eliminate their competition during the off season. Naja Mask particularly became a thorn in the side of both Bolt and Thunder Strike. Finally, after Naja Mask recruited Marauder, UBL had its first faction. Drake Yoshida saw the potential in this situation and in late 2000 decided to institute a Tag Championship League with the winners being called the "Universal Battalion." Bolt and Thunder Strike banded together and won that first Tag League. But control over the "Ultimate Battalion" Title switched between their team, "The Storm Bringers" and the ruthless team of Naja Mask and Marauder.
Meanwhile, competition for the "Universal Champion" Title heated up as Nightmare became a bigger threat each year to winning the Title. However, Bolt persevered and held the "Universal Champion" Title from 2000 all the way up to and including 2002, when he made a shocking announcement. The icon of UBL was going to ply his trade in the United States in a promotion called the GWF. Drake, Thunder Strike, and the fans were initially shocked but all decided to support his choice. With Bolt gone, the power vacuum was just how it had ben after the 1999 Singles League. Thunder Strike, Naja Mask, Marauder, and Nightmare fought tirelessly to gain that top status as "Universal Champion." But it was Thunder Strike who managed to do it from 2003 all the way up to 2005. He had tied Bolt's streak of winning 3 Singles Leagues and was looking to forge his own record. But 2006 belonged to Marauder, as he became the "Universal Champion" for the first time while also winning his fourth straight "Universal Battalion" Title with Naja Mask.
Shortly after the 2006 Singles League ended, Thunder Strike informed Drake that he had to go to the United States. He did not make his reasons public but Drake told Orochi-O's that Thunder Strike's motivation was to "rehabilitate" Bolt who had unmasked as OrochiGeese when he came to the US in late 2002. Thunder Strike did not like the way his former ally had been acting and decided to forego a shot at the "Universal Champion" status in 2007 to try to bring Geese back to his former "noble" ways.
This left another power vacuum in UBL as the competition for the upcoming 2007 Singles League looked to be the stiffest yet. Nightmare had climbed to second place in the 2006 League and many felt that 2007 would be his year. Naja Mask had captured the number three position in 2006 while Centurion had his best performance yet in earning the the number five spot (one spot below the then distracted Thunder Strike).
But it was not to be. After a longer "off season" then usual and noted delays in starting the 2007 Singles League, Drake Yoshida disappeared from public view. No information was given about the UBL at all by UBL offices and the wrestlers were anxiously waiting to get started. The only thing more shocking then the absence of activity was what happened to resume it. In the United States, OrochiGeese's Voltage wrestling show, the spotlight for OG-Joshi and OG-FPD, suddenly played host to Thunder Strike, Nightmare, Centurion, Marauder and Naja Mask in the span of two months. Word spread to Japan and all eyes were on the April 22nd Voltage when OrochiGeese announced the unbelievable news that HE had bought the UBL from the Yoshidas! The UBL roster members and the crowd were stunned to hear Geese's latest acquisition, and angered to hear Geese's motivations. Namely that he wanted to use the UBL to pit his enemies against each other and control his rivals. Many critics of the move were also angry at Drake Yoshida as he was tied to many of Geese's devious actions of the previous year, including being the informant that notified Geese of Thunder Strike's intentions to try to rehabilitate him. But Geese was so happy with Drake's handling of the situation that he made him the honorary "Sergeant" of UBL, giving him various powers and responsibilities in the day to day running of the League, but keeping him subservient to Geese himself.
With the UBL now firmly in his grasp, OrochiGeese announced the formation of a singles league to crown the 2007 "Universal Champion." He has invited wrestlers that are considered to be the best in the world of professional wrestling in addition to new ones trying to make an immediate impact. But most of all, Geese looks to weaken his greatest foes by forcing them to wrestle each other before they get to him. Will this plan payoff and allow Geese to claim the Title of Universal Champion for himself? Or will inviting so many of his enemies in one place backfire with dramatic repercussions?
June 2009 update: After the passing of NOAH wrestler, Mitsuhara Misawa, Drake Yoshida had this to say:
"Orochi Geese was so highly inspired by Misawa and his peers' King's Road style that Geese would like to formally recognize UBL's style as 'Emperor's Road' to honor and commemorate Misawa and his influence."
January 2011 update: My coverage and presentation of the Universal Battle League is now over. In official story lines, Orochi Geese sold UBL to Arthur Wingate, the half brother of Drake Yoshida. Arthur will be taking the UBL to the United Kingdom, which will serve as the third country and region that the UBL has operated in. (after Japan and the United States.)
All the information about Geese selling it can be found during Orochi Geese's Funeral Show and OG-FPD Immortal.