Post by Devlin Scott on Feb 15, 2017 16:22:53 GMT -5
Hello again Redemption fans, and welcome to Issue 2 of The Redemption Wrapup. In this issue I will give finals thoughts on the Global Cup, go over the latest Power Rankings, some rumors (Ugh!), and final other thoughts. But we first start off with my interview with "The Legacy" Zachary Knight.
Remington: Firstly, we know you are a former champion elsewhere. How does this prepare you for Redemption, it is after all a different beast all together?
Knight: I am not one to rest on accomplishments in a company that couldn't handle a star like myself. It just goes to give an early taste of what I bring to Redemption, and why people should recognize what I bring to the company.
Remington: Speaking of taste, I'm sensing a lot of hostility between you and resident cannibal Spike Steel. Can you give us a bit of insight on this?
Knight: Disrespect. And the fact that his little group takes it upon themselves to try and rule the entire roster with an iron fist. No one is scared of them. They injured a female member of the roster?
He slow claps
Knight: Bravo. Big scary dudes.
Remington: He attempted to eat you on live television, you're not even a little scared?
Zach looks deadpan at Remington.
Knight: He can try a lot of things. Is this a real question?
Remington: It was, but of you don't feel safe answering I understand. You and Jeremy Starling are seeming awfully chummy, could we see the makings of a new group?
Knight: I feel more than safe. I am not afraid of that fucking chump, Steel. Or his lackluster buddies... the less than human or the rockstar wannabe.
He shakes his head.
Knight: And whatever Starling and I am doing, none of your damn business. He and I were both born better than most people. We did not choose it. But we should not deny that. And there may be others that we see eye to eye with as well.
Remington: And they are who exactly?
Knight: None of. And your business.
Remington: Ok, moving on. What are your thoughts on the new developmental territory WCG? Are there any stats there that have caught your eye?
Knight: I think it's great that we are doing a better job at developing talent. There are too many in Redemption that need to go down to WCG and learn some ropes. As far as specifics.... KEG is a joke of a talent. Keiji seems like a man I'd love to tangle with. And I cannot believe they are signing old men like Trenton and Zimmerman.
Remington: If given the shot, would you fight a match there? Show them what to expect if and when they got called up.
Knight: Only if it was a Main Event, obviously.
Remington: On the upcoming Glory, you are set to sign a contract for a match with Spike Steel. I highly doubt you are going to settle for a singles match, what do you have in mind for Ultimate Resolve?
He smiles.
Knight: And who told you a singles match wasn't in the cards?
Remington: Call it intuition, the way you two have been going at it on social media seems to warrant something more.
Knight: Maybe he has an idea? Maybe I have an idea? Who knows what will happen. All I know is that Devlin Scott had better have security out there.
Remington: Security for a contract signing?
Knight: Security for keeping me from kicking his ass right there.
Remington: For him, right. Anyway, before we wrap this up, do you have anything you would like to say to the people who are seeing this?
Knight: What is with the attitude? You are a journalist, and obviously have some sort of bias against me. You did not even welcome me. You gave Jeremy much more respect. Do you intend on being a dick towards people you obviously do not like?
Remington: I'm doing my job, but if you don't like that the door is right over there. Please, feel free to use it.
Knight: Wow, Sounds like this interview is over. Good luck not getting your ass kicked.
Zachary rips off his mic and exits the room.
Remington: There you have it ladies and gentlemen, I'd say goodbye to Zachary Knight but he seems to have stormed out.
The first ever Global Cup ended on an amazing note, with an amazing final round match between Yujiro Fujiwara and Jeremy Starling. Let's take a look at the overall Cup.
Before we go any further, it is of note that Yujiro had to beat current Heavyweight Champion Matthew Shields to advance to the semi-finals against LJ Daughterty. Shields is the same man that Fujiwara will face at Ultimate Resolve for the title as the prize of the Cup.
Kudos to "Living Greatness" Jeremy Starling for making the finals. He came up short, but it is no easy feat defeating Aurora Graves, Spike Steel, and Mikhail Reinhardt on his path to the finals. Look for big things for Starling. He is on the cusp of Redemption "Greatness".
Some notable wins include Lilly Parker over Trixie in the first round, Mikhail defeating Caroline in the second round, LJ Daughterty getting to the semi finals with a defeat to Lilly Parker, and the fact that two former Genesis Champions (Trixie and Anton Chase) did not make it out of the first round.
Also look for big things soon for young talents like Lilly Parker, Illiya, Ezrynn, and Alechs.
I, for one, cannot wait to see how this All Female Invitational pans out at the end of the year. If anything like the Global Cup, we have more great action on the way!
This month's Power Rankings have a little bit of a shakeup. Let's get into the movers, the shakers, the rising stars, and the falling ones.
Matthew Shields remains the champion, but he has a date in less than a month with the Global Cup winner, Yujiro Fujiwara. Can Shields do what he could not do in the Cup? Time will tell.
1. For obvious reasons, Yuji is the top contender. Winning the Cup. Earning the shot. Defeating the champ in stellar style in a non-title match. The planets are aligning. And a 7-3 records. Not too shabby.
2. The man that I interviewed, as much as I hate to say it, has had his stock in Redemption rise quickly. A former Heavyweight Champion in another company, Zachary Knight is 2-0 and involved in the Tag Team Turmoil match which could end up being something big for him and Starling. It is still too early to tell much, but look for Knight to mix it up.
3. And finally, the former tag team champion, Aurora Graves. While her and her hubby, Damon, were clearly not on the same page last edition of Glory, she remains a powerful contender. Don't let the 5-5 record fool you... she has what it takes to take down anyone in this company including Shields.
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Next up is the New Generation Championship. Martin Karloff still holds the title, but his match with Caroline O'Hara Burchill is set for Ultimate Resolve. This title has been one of the hot potatoes since John Blade first won it. He lost to Dick Devereaux. Who dropped it to Martin. Will The Monster Messiah be able to defend it against Burchill? Or will the New Gen Title find a new home? Karloff's 6-5 records would lean him towards keeping it, but who knows?
1. Again, for obvious reasons Caroline O'Hara Burchill is the top contender. The match at Ultimate Resolve may be her real chance at bringing home the gold. But can she do it? She is 4-5 but starting to find her groove. She is my pick for a breakout star of 2017, and I am excited to see what she can do. She was the top contender last month, so let's see if things get shaken up here.
2. For the second month in a row, Silas Subhuman. If it weren't for her title shot, Silas would be the top contender with a 6-3 record. Perhaps after the PPV, Silas will earn himself a New Gen title shot if things in the tag division do not work out. Silas is no slouch inside of the ring, and could be the diamond in the rough that is Black Light District.
3. A bit of a shakeup here, the third position was vacated when Giovanna Mancini left the company. Stepping up into her place is the current tag team champion, The Jew Blazer. After some great battles, The Radicalliance finally brought home the titles. A 7-4 record is a stellar one. And not enough people give Blazer props as a single competitor. If and when The Radicalliance decide to make singles runs, look for some gold for the Superhero.
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The Genesis Championship, another title to recently changed hands. New champion, Jack "The Ripper" Tillman, is the man to lead the charge. Knocking out former champion Trixie. A 3-0 record, he has a title defense coming up against Mason Moore. And the winner will give Trixie her official rematch at Ultimate Resolve. If Jack can win, he goes into the PPV 4-0 as Trixie looks to reclaim her title.
1. Speaking of Trixie, she is the number one contender. She is owed her rematch. A win for her at the PPV would make her the first ever two-time champion. But a loss would give Tillman a 5-0 Records. We will see how this plays out, but butterflies have to be there after being knocked out by Tillman. This could end up being a big match at the PPV for Trixie.
2. A new addition to this list, the other half of the tag team champions, Ronnie North. A 6-4 record for North, once The Radicalliance moves into singles competition, The Prince of Pleasure will be a force to be reckoned with.
3. Third on this list is still Spike Steel. He has been mixing it up in the tag division with The District. He looks to take on Zach Knight at Ultimate Resolve. A win there could put him over to earn a title shot. Who knows? A 4-4 record, Spike can tons of experience to earn some gold.
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The final singles Championship is the Young Lions Championship, and the champion Courtney Leinart. With no official word on a challenger at Ultimate Resolve outside of Lilly Parker who won a Battle Royale for a shot, any of the three contenders stand a chance. At 4-2, she looks to leave Japan with her title.
1. The top contender is Jeremy Starling. At 7-3, he lost the match to crown the Young Lions Champion against Courtney at Winter Solstice. Could it be Starling getting another shot at the title? Or someone else?
2. The next contender is obvious, Lilly Parker. After winning the Battle Royale, she earned a future title shot. I am sure that we will learn in Nagoya if Lilly becomes the next challenger for the Young Lions title. At 3-1, Lilly has a great opportunity ahead of her.
3. Last but definitely not least, the girl that is known as Coda. At 2-1, she is still getting her feet wet in Redemption but has dominated so far. An outside shot at the title, look for her to be a top contender this time next month if she continues this trajectory.
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And a final championship, one that has changed hands less than a week ago. The Radicalliance are now the Redemption Tag Team Champions and beat Rebel Ink to do so. Let's check out their competition.
1. Rebel Ink are the obvious contenders just dropping the belts. They were not on the same page last Glory, and it allowed for Radicalliance to capture the titles. The dominant tag team can get back on the same page, work together, and re-establish themselves as the top team in Redemption. Their three-way match at Ultimate Resolve for the titles with Radicalliance and the District will be an interesting one.
2. The other team facing the champions, Black Light District, are down one man with Mikhail Reinhardt being fired. Luke Knux, Silas Subhuman, and Spike Steel remaining... this team is still a tough one to beat. With Spike facing Zach at the PPV, we will see the team of Knux and Subhuman try to pull off another tag team title change for Redemption.
3. The final team is the one on the outside looking in; The Terror Twins. With other teams trying to scratch and claw their way up (The Pride, The Young Cubs, newly formed Starling and Knight, and even Burlesque Duplicity) the ranks, Illiya and Ezrynn had a chance to get a title shot until they lost the chance due to cheating. And then were attacked backstage a week ago. Perhaps after the PPV they will earn themselves a title shot as they are both quite talented as a team.
As always, it is the rumor time... a time that I tend to not care for. But I like earning a paycheck to here goes...
With Mikhail Reinhardt being fired, some say that Black Light District is on the outs. Could Luke, Silas, and Spike be breaking up as a team? Or will winning the tag team championships keep the team together?
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Speaking of teams, I've heard rumblings of another team to rise. During my interview with Zach, he played coy about possibly forming a team. But could that be the only thing coming to Redemption? A power struggle in Redemption is about to happen...
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And these are the sort of rumors that annoy me, but a tip came across my desk that suggests that another baby is on the way! Sources tell me that Aurora Graves may be pregnant, meaning she would be the second former tag champion to exit with a bun in the oven.
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What is going on between Zach Knight and Lilly Parker? He seems to have it out for her, as she seems to turn him away at every turn. Should this be taken at face value or is there something going on between the sheets there?
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Finally, I am hearing some early rumblings of the location for WrestleForce II. Could the Big Apple be the location for 2018's edition?
Thank you all again for reding. This wraps up The Redemption Wrapup. I'm Remington Boucher, wishing you all the best. Til next month!
