UBL Show Format: 2013 Update

[OrochiGeese]

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The first two posts are no longer relevant in 2013.

Check the bottom post for Arthur Wingate's UBL show structure.


Open Shows.

What aren't they?

A show that has matches which count for official "Universal Champion" or "Universal Battalion" rankings.


Great! So what are they?

The UBL will hold "Open" shows every now and then which will be on a more flexible schedule then the Championship League ranking shows. These "Open" shows will feature wrestling talent from both the UBL and OTHER promotions. More precisely, these shows will feature FIVE types of matches:


1) Matches that are NOT used for League rankings but which involve wrestlers who are competing in a Championship league. (e.g. A tag match consisting of wrestlers in the "Universal Champion" singles league).

2) Matches involving UBL contracted wrestlers who are not participating in any Championship league.

3) "Offer matches" involving two or more wrestlers facing each other who are from one Fed other then UBL.

4) Cross-promotional matches involving wrestlers from two or more feds facing each other.

5) Matches involving wrestlers competing for the UBL Open Show Title: The Nexus Championship!


How do these shows get set up?

Owners of other wrestling promotions may feel free to contact me and discuss the possibilities of UBL hosting "offer" or "cross-promotional" matches on UBL "Open" shows. These shows will not be as frequent as the Championship League ones, but I still would like to run enough of these. They will likely be video captured and will give us a chance to run some "Dream matches" in or out of storylines.


Some extra background/promotional information:

The first two iterations of UBL did not have these "Open" shows. But with OrochiGeese taking the reins of UBL, he saw tremendous opportunities for limitless matches due to his contacts in the wrestling world.

He also thought that it would benefit the participants in the Championship Leagues to have "non ranking" matches against each other in order to help competitors "learn" about their opponents...or possibly eliminate them from the League with injuries. The cynical believe this to be yet another method for OrochiGeese to come out victorious, the optimists seek to turn this strategy against Geese himself.

One thing is for sure, UBL "Open" shows will be a lot more "chaotic" and reminiscent of a "Voltage" type atmosphere then the Championship League shows and matches, which are very tightly run. Those that sign up for a match or appearance at an "Open" show had better be ready for anything to happen.

As the UBL continued under Orochi Geese's ownership, Drake Yoshida decided to add an extra incentive and reward for those wrestlers who compete on Open shows: He created the Nexus Championship - the official Title of the Open shows. And he created a tournament to crown the first Nexus Champion!

[OrochiGeese]

I felt I should update this as there have been a number of changes in how the Open shows are now set up.

Open shows and Circuit Shows are now the events that the UBL Reserve Roster participates in. The top title for the Reserve Roster is the UBL Nexus Championship. And with that title, the Reserve Roster is no longer a "hold-over" roster waiting for the next league to start - it's now an end in itself. Many wrestlers have already chosen to stay on the Reserve Roster rather then take part in the next Champions League.

Reserve Roster shows are run and booked more like traditional pro wrestling shows as opposed to the obviously confined structure of the leagues. One example of this is that the Nexus Championship will be defended constantly like a traditional championship whereas the League Titles are won but then never defended. The 2007-8 Universal Champion has no "champion's advantage" in the next Champion's League and is not even considered a current champion once the new league begins. Whereas the Nexus Championship is continually defended by the champion until he loses and it is then passed onto to the winner. So while the League Championships are more grueling to win, the real challenge of the Nexus Title lies in holding onto it against limitless opponents and on the match making whims of the UBL staff.

The Open shows are now joined by Universal Circuit Shows to present the Reserve Roster. The Open Shows still have a "live TV" atmosphere while the Circuit Shows emanate from a studio and display matches from a taped show in front of an audience. Those matches are usually all part of one event though and so the matches/angles may follow continuity throughout the night. Both shows involve a mix of video and write-up matches depending on what I feel is best for each match. Open shows will tend to have more videos.

Since the Open/Circuit shows are now dedicated to the Reserve Roster, it's increasingly more rare to have wrestlers that are currently in a league to appear on them. I still would like to use Open Shows (but not Circuit Shows) for the occasional cross-brand match or "offer" match with different promotions though.

Feel free to PM or post on the board with any questions about the Reserve Roster or the UBL in general

[OrochiGeese]

January 2013 Update:

Arthur Wingate's new ownership has brought with it many changes in show structure.

As a result, the above two posts regarding "Open Show" information is obsolete. I'll be keeping it there just as a historical recording of Geese's UBL. But the new UBL will be operating based on this type of show structure:

Arthur has done away with dividing the roster based on "Reserves vs. League." Wrestlers are now sorted on shows based on the Titles they are shooting for which is determined by their level of experience. You can find the Title divisions here.

UBL shows will now fall into five main categories:


1) UBL Live: These are weekly house shows limited to the local London audience. They will rarely be provided and, if they are, it will be results only. They will only be acknowledged when things happen relevant to other shows.

Due to my plans for a part-time handling of UBL, I need this promotion to move forward on it's own at times. These Live shows reflect it's silent progress without my having to write every second of continuity. As a result, I can decide to do one of the below show formats at any time I want (rather then every month as I used to) and not need to have the show follow in continuity from the previous one I posted. The assumption being that the UBL Live shows moved things along in the meantime. These are the shows that carried the UBL in 2012 through two leagues outside of worldwide recognition until Re-Crowned.

Live Shows are the ether "Dark matter" that make up most of the new UBL universe.


2) Basic Training: These shows revolve around the Front Lines rookie division. The Field Leader Champion narrates these and either summarizes the matches or presents videos of them. The Battalion Titles can be defended against a team of rookies.


3) Circuit Shows: These shows are intended for the NEXUS and Battalion Title Divisions. They are presented in my long standing "Voltage" format with major angle inclusion, John Randolph commentary, and video matches. However, there will be text summaries when appropriate. These shows will be a bit smaller then the old Circuit/Open shows and limited to 3 matches.


4) UBL PPV's: Re-Crowned is an example of what to expect. There may be more matches though.


5) Cross-Promotional PPV's: These are events like Battle Formation where the UBL co-produces a show with another wrestling promotion that has matches from both. Arthur is aiming to have at least 1 cross-promotional show a year.


Let's see how long this format holds before one of Las Potatodoras buys the UBL and mashes the structure