Entertainment

Andrew’s Top Albums, TV Shows, Wrestlers and Matches of 2020

2020 needed to contain a plethora of entertainment options. When movie watching was a little weird, let’s see what TV, music and of course wrestling offered to make Andrew’s lists!

Published

4 years ago

January 3, 2021

Andrew Balaz

Last year I did one of these but it was driven off of a big movie year. This year, the movie going experience wasn’t really the same and that took a lot of the joy of going out to watch new releases for me. But luckily, I already had a contingency plan when I was forcing myself to a degree to find albums released in 2020 that I enjoy beyond what I’ve been listening to for decades.

So we changed out the movies for albums this year, and let’s be serious, all of these forms of entertainment helped us cope with the more sequestered normal of 2020. Now let’s get to the lists!

Top 10 Albums:

Black Phantom: Zero Hour Is Now – Now I stumbled upon this early in the year when I decided I needed to stop living in my musical bubble claiming all new stuff is terrible. This doesn’t do a lot to refute that since the singer is an Italian Bruce Dickinson. It’s scary how much he sounds like Brave New World forward era Dickinson with occasional Helloween vibes thrown in. Even though this sounds like it belongs in the 80s, it still came out this year and is fantastic to listen to if you like galloping bass lines, Iron Maiden and just really solid song construction with powerful vocals. This album literally just left a grin on my face since it’s so damn good and was definitely a random find. Notable Songs: Schattenjager // Hordes of Destruction
Mindless Sinner: Poltergeist – So this is in a similar vein to the number 1 album this year. Apparently this band has been around since 1981, but they took a few breaks and about four band name changes. So between Purple Haze, Genocide, Mindless and now Mindless Sinner, along with gaps from 1990-2001 and again in 2004-2014, this band has been a bit of an enigma. They’ve apparently changed their styles a few times, but this album is interesting. It’s an interesting combination of like Mercyful Fate/King Diamond at times, and classic heavy metal in a bit of a Helloween style, notably on Heavy Metal Mayhem. So I suppose for a band that is a bit of a chameleon within itself, the fact the album itself moves between styles, shouldn’t really be a surprise. Style shifting aside, the album never feels jarring, and is a solid old school adventure. Even when they shift sounds, they stay within a progressive wheelhouse to keep the songs sounding like they belong together and not just a weird mismosh of ideas. Notable Songs: Valkyrie // Hammer of Thor
Jelly Roll: A Beautiful Disaster – The title of the album, almost perfectly describes the vibe of it. Jelly Roll has a wonderful mixture of soulful country singing, deep lyrics about drugs, depression and great imagery of fighting with demons in general. In a year like 2020, where everyone had new struggles, Jelly lends words to some big issues to help everyone get through things. Notable Songs: Bottle & Mary Jane // Creature
Pink Cigs: Pink Cigs – Straight out of Sheffield, England, via the 1970s, these guys really bring that low key groove driven southern/stoner rock back to life while staying very true to the generation they grab inspiration from. If you’re fans of Thin Lizzy, Orange Goblin, Clutch and Black Water Rising, this is probably an album you’ll appreciate. Much of the album is guitar driven, but the drum is never lost, so much as they even backload a few of the more drum driven songs. It feels like it was taken straight from the time period they are paying homage to, and that’s always cool when a newer band can pull off retro and even dirty up the sound so it sounds like the era in more than just composition. Beautiful 70s groove rock album. Being that the band has only been around since 2016, we should expect more assuming they stay together, and one can only imagine with more time to blend together, the product can only get better. Notable Songs: Lazy Lover // Black Widow
Yuri Gagarin: The Outskirts of Reality– Well now we have a unique addition to this list that isn’t my usual style, but it really caught me this year. The Outskirts of Reality is like a psychedelic space adventure within an album. Comprised of only 5 “songs” they are more just parts of the larger adventure of the creation. If you don’t mind being taken on an interesting interdimensional experimental stoner style adventure sonically, strap in and take this in. Since each song feeds into the larger story of the album, it’s a little hard to break down a “notable songs”, but since the album only clocks in at just shy of 45 minutes, it’s not exactly a large time sink to just give it a shot. Again, not my usual style, but it really grabbed me, hence why it made the Top 5.
Testament: Titans of Creation – This isn’t Testament’s first strike, but damn is it still deadly. Saying the album is a typical Testament album, is selling it a little short. It’s consistent, it’s attacking, but they do add a few different heavy metal tempos and stylings to keep things flowing. Maybe nothing becomes a new favorite, but the entire album is enjoyable and you won’t be skipping any song. Notable Songs: Children of the Next Level // Dream Deceiver
Sepultura: Quadra – A clever concept where the album was broken into 4 parts (hence Quadra), where it was a mixture of 4 different styles they’ve explored through their 35+ year career. Thrash, Groove, Progressive and melodic, we got a nice mixture for fans of any era of Sepultura. The mixture of styles may not resonate with fans that prefer a consistent sound, but I love the uniqueness of this album. Notable Songs: Isolation // Fear, Pain, Chaos, Suffering
Sevendust: Blood & Stone – Sevendust is one of the most consistent bands out there, even if you consider some of their earlier albums more “NuMetal”, they still had similar enough vocal harmonies and song structure. This album, feels to be more in the vein of Seasons, where it’s dark and subdued in a lot of the topics and delivery, but it’s hauntingly driving and beautiful. This is one of those albums that almost feels like it encapsulates the year it came out, since there’s a bit of frustration, sadness, desperation and a few moments of hope, but the darker tone seems to hang. Plus their cover at the end of Soundgarden’s The Day I Tried To Live is very well done and a fitting way to honor a friend and the song itself. A fantastically solid foray for a band with over 20 years of experience, if anything drags it down a touch, it’s the fact the subdued tones don’t lend for anything to really stick out. Whereas it’s an easy listen, great craftsmanship, it also feels like one of the albums that won’t be placed in many constant rotations. Notable Songs: What You’ve Become // The Day I Tried To Live
Body Count: Carnivore – Ice Tea’s interesting heavy metal band, that hasn’t always been received well. Personally, there weren’t many Body Count songs that I enjoyed or considered good, until I stumbled on to this album. Everything (except the Ace of Spades cover) is great sonically, lyrically and came down at a great point in time with much of what happened in 2020. This checked so many boxes, it was a gem of early 2020. Notable Songs: Bum-Rush // When I’m Gone
Shadowkiller: Dark Awakening – As has been a large similarity in this list, anything derived from the NWOBHM style is going to ring pretty highly with me. The difference with this, as opposed to the top 2, is that this band lacks a little something. Now that’s not to take away from the fact it’s a solid album musically, it just really comes off more like W.A.S.P. or some of the less interesting eras of Iced Earth. Imagery is abound in this album, the lyrics depict some nice high fantasy, but the lead vocals do really leave something to be desired, so that’s my distinction on why there’s so much space between this and similar genre releases. Still a damn good album, especially for only being 8 songs, just when you don’t have the Michael Kiske/Bruce Dickinson/Geoff Tate/Tobias Sammet style of singer, it really loses a bit of the punch. Notable Songs: Jericho Hill // The Fires of Olympus

Top 5 TV Shows:

Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) – Who would’ve figured a coming of age story set around orphans, chess and the 1960s, would’ve been so captivating? Anya Taylor-Joy was a great main character, she was captivating be it because of her aesthetics or just the way everything she did felt very realistic. From struggles with drugs and liquor, coming to terms with what life threw her and occasional hurdles that she showed moments of weakness and not wanting to rise to the level necessary; it all just makes her very relatable and charming, even when she’s objectively being an ass. It also portrays chess as a device for the larger topics at hand during the time period. Beth Harmon’s story depicts a trailblazer for women’s equality in the 50s/60s and there are still relevant notes it hits even in 2020, without feeling heavy handed and just being written intelligently and a consistent tempo of entertainment.
The Boys Season 2 (Prime) – A tonal departure from the first show on my list, this is a fantastic subversion of the Superhero genre. Season 2 started off a little slow since the series had to set the stage for getting everyone back together, but damn was it great after the Spice Girls got back together. You get more depth on what makes the characters tick, a terrible supe that actually is the most logical and sensible before learning why they come off like that, and meeting the past head on to move into new territory helps to define this season. Fans of the first season, shouldn’t have any complaints about this season beyond the slower start. Great stuff, with a lot of question marks for Season 3.
Cobra Kai Season 2 (Netflix) – Season 2 and Season 1 did a wonderful job at basically inverting the first and third Karate Kid movies for fans of the 80s classics (yes calling Karate Kid 3 a classic is really just a classification because of affiliation, trust me, I know it ain’t great). Running with the Barney Stinson logic of Johnny Lawrence being the true Karate Kid, it’s pretty interesting to watch his growth. His rivalry with Danny, the fact he still has this weird hope/father figure impression for Kreese, his reunion with the old Cobra Kai gang and dealing with human issues. This is just relatable on the level of watching people try to better themselves, but the past, or something gets in the way of truly being able to get over the hump. Season 3 starts January 1st, so I really appreciate the quick turn around on moving things forward.
The Mandalorian Season 2 (Disney+) – With the only clunker of an episode (to me) being episode 2, the season did roll along fairly strongly. Deepening the relationship between Grogu and Din, showing the risks he’s willing to take and lengths he’s willing to go to, was fantastic growth. With the addition of extended universe or animated universe characters and story arcs, it really played to die hard Star Wars fans and seemed to resonate well in the community because it acknowledged so many different aspects of the fandom. Personally, I don’t enjoy the inclusion of Luke Skywalker at the end, because it shrinks the feeling of the universe again (a common complaint about the new trilogy) and I would’ve appreciated the TV universe to keep more distance between the cinematic universe. I do understand the magnitude of how well it was done, and how it hit certain fans, and of course the exchange at the end with Din and Grogu hit people deeply. It was all well done, and a majorly enjoyable season, personal nitpicks aside, none of my gripes are enough to really drop my enjoyment of what went on.
Tacoma FD (TruTV) – The Broken Lizard (Super Troopers, Beerfest, etc…) squad decides to take their stab at episodic television. This time, they’re fire fighters, and not highway patrol! Now part of the beauty beyond the Broken Lizard style of humor, is the fact that only Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme are part of the main cast. So that means the rest of the cast is relatively unknown talent, that adds the same level of irreverence and offbeat comedy that we’ve grown to love. Also with the addition of Hassie Harrison, the writing gets slightly more progressive than what people would expect from the sophomoric stylings. Playing Heffernan’s daughter, she has to quickly get the group comfortable with having a woman involved, and then her desire to be treated as equal helps us see her slowly acclimate and her father slowly stop protecting her and accepting her as one of the gang. So there’s growth underneath the dick jokes (hmm, I guess that’s a dick joke in a way too). Either way, it’s funny if you like the style, and adds a few more layers to the character development than people might expect from Broken Lizard.

Top 5 Wrestlers:

Go Shiozaki – If anyone read my articles, or the Top Matches, then we should all know NOAH has been a complete godsend this year, much in thanks to this man. Shiozaki has been compelling, and it’s hilarious to think that the awful year probably saved Shiozaki’s career. Go has been considered a Fallen Ace, since be it GHC or Triple Crown, none of his title runs have resulted in much momentum, hype or perceived success. It was usually during a weird point in time, so this almost felt like more of the snake bitten same, but Shiozaki pulled every rabbit out of his hat this year. Increasing quality of matches, different styles of matches to appeal to many fans, great struggles, great stories, all while maintaining himself and his humble giggling personality. Acknowledged by Tokyo Sports, Meltzer, random IWC members and even Abema (Japanese TV website), this has been his year beyond the shadow of a doubt.
Drew McIntyre – The former Chosen One, left and came back, to the applause and hype of many fans. It took him a while to find his moment, but as soon as we saw his interactions with Brock Lesnar, we knew it was bound to happen. McIntyre had great physical altercations, verbal back and forths coupled with solid matches while being thankful to the crowd at home. People clamored for McIntyre to be champion when he came back up from NXT, and everyone was given that gift two times. Having the champion versus champion match with Roman at Survivor Series was a nice foreshadowing for what WWE could be for the next few years. It passes the eye test, the matches are good, the promos are fairly entertaining, Drew just proves to himself and everyone that the Chosen One moniker was deserved, if not maybe a little premature.
Randy Orton – Many have heralded 2020 as Randy Orton’s best work of his career. Being integral in Edge’s return, helping to really solidify Drew McIntyre as a legitimate champion, and tying older story arcs together with great promos with the likes of Ric Flair or just moments in matches. Also he’s stepped up the Twitter game a bit to be a highlight aspects of himself that still fall well into the Randy Orton motif. Open bashing (which is just veiled support) of Talk-N-Shop A Mania, wholesome if not a little stiff moments with the family, and running down certain talent all in line with his character and probably real life views. Short 14^th title reign or not, this wasn’t about the titles Orton put together, it was about the mark he left on the 2020 wrestling world.
Tetsuya Naito – Much like 2020 itself, this was a weird year, so it was perfect that it was mostly Naito’s year in New Japan. Fulfilling his childhood dream of winning the belt in the Tokyo Dome and then winning it back at Jingu Baseball Stadium, where we went to watch the last New Japan show (1999) and of course Baseball, since he’s a big fan of the sport. Soured a bit with the 4 months off and the whole EVIL situation, but it’s hard to downplay the overall year he’s had win/loss wise and kayfabe.
Kenny Omega – Even if I’m not a fan of AEW’s product, at the moment it’s impossible to ignore what Kenny Omega did, most notably towards the end of the year. Staying toward the top of AEW before the big angle when he won the belt, bringing more attention to Impact since the Broken Universe, adding attention to TripleMania and trying to help a child cope with a lot of things going on in their life. I don’t need to like it, or him, to acknowledge he’s been an impact player. Omega might be able to dovetail this momentum in 2021, so it could be great moments and proving his fans are willing to consume his product wherever he may roam.

Here we go! The arbitrary “Top X” list of writers with opinions! Like last year, I’m gonna do the Top 30, so here we go!

Top 30 Matches:

Go Shiozaki vs Takashi Sugiura: NOAH Final Chronicle 2020
Go Shiozaki vs Katsuhiko Nakajima: NOAH the Chronicle vol 4
Go Shiozaki vs Kenoh: NOAH the Chronicle Vol 3
Go Shiozaki vs Kaito Kiyomiya: NOAH New Sunrise
SHO vs Shingo Takagi: NJPW Dominion
Zeus vs Kento Miyahara: Champion Carnival Finals
Walter vs Ilja Dragunov: NXT UK 10/29
Tetsuya Naito vs Kazuchika Okada: WK 14
Dick Togo vs Daisuke Harada: NOAH Global Junior League Finals
Susumu Yokosuka vs Hikaru Sato: AJPW Broadcast #3
Randy Orton vs Edge: Backlash 2020
Go Shiozaki vs Naomichi Marufuji: NOAH Departure
Takashi Suigiura vs Naomichi Marufuji: N-1 Victory Day 3
Hiromu Takahashi vs Ryu Lee: NJPW New Beginning Osaka
Tomohiro Ishii vs Shingo Takagi: New Japan Road
Will Ospreay vs Zack Sabre Jr: NJPW New Beginning 2.2
Tyler Bate vs Jordan Devlin: NXT UK Blackpool II
Io Shirai vs Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley: NXT In Your House
Eddie Edwards vs Eric Young: Victory Road
ASUKA vs Arisa Nakajima: Deliver to You 6.14.20
Young Bucks vs Hangman Page & Kenny Omega: AEW Revolution
Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Shotaro Ashino: Wrestle-1 2/12/20
Masato Tanaka vs Tetsuya Endo: DDT Peter Pan Day 2
Shotaro Ashino vs Suwama: AJPW Broadcast # 6
AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan: SmackDown 6.12.20
Sasha Banks vs Bayley: Hell in a Cell
Cody Rhodes vs Darby Allin: AEW Full Gear
Tessa Blanchard vs Sami Callihan: Impact Hard to Kill
Takumi Iroha vs Mayu Iwatani: Stardom Way to Major League 2020
BJW Crisis Survivor Vol. 2: 567 Fluorescent Light Tubes Death Match: Abdullah Kobayashi vs Yuki Ishikawa vs Toshiyuki Sakuda

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The Nerds continue their review of Season 3 of Invincible, plus Villain Madness continues as the Cosmic Region takes center stage!

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PC Tunney

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Entertainment

Mitchell’s Hyrule Puro-Resu Results & Report! (2/25/25)

Round 2, Part 2!

Published

1 week ago

February 25, 2025

Steven Mitchell

The Legend of Zelda: The Ring of Destiny, Chapter 69

One side of the Bracket Finals are set, and now HPW sorts out the other side! Plus, Tali finally looks to settle things with the Gerudo Sisterhood!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Tali w/ Shabonne VS Buliara; Tali wins.
Bracket of Power Semifinal: Yunobo VS GANON; Ganon wins and advances.
Bracket of Wisdom Semifinal: Volga VS Ghirahim; Ghirahim wins and advances.
Bracket of Courage Semifinal: Fin Balure VS Hollywood ReDead; Fin wins and advances.

PLAY BY PLAY

HPW and HXS TV set the scene!

We’re one step closer to the finals, as just last night, we saw Militron, Sidon and Thunderbird stand tall. Yunobo and Ganon are themselves one step away from returning to the Triforce Tournament Triple Threat, and they face off as the epitome of Goron and Gerudo masculinity! Volga got past Zant in the opening round, but now he looks to complete his HyruleMania revenge here against Ghirahim! And then, the leaders of Arrow Club and UnderWorld Order battle to complete the brackets! Can #YunoBRO trump the Gerudo Ace? Will Volga have his vengeance? Can the Zora Rock ‘n’ Rolla make Hollywood ReDead’s new empire crumbles?

But first! There’s a grudge within the Gerudo Sisterhood that needs to be settled! The Dame of the Dunes betrayed her friends over feeling they were betraying her. She made sure Aveil lost the Eventide Challenge, then fought her, Buliara and Riju all in the Hyrule Warriors match. Tali would take her selfishness to another level by holding out until HPW met her demands: not only did she want a bigger payday, but she wanted a series of matches with the Gerudo Sisterhood. HPW gave in, and the series of “payback” matches begins tonight! Tali takes on Buliara in the physically strongest match-up, will Tali dominate? Or will her grudge be crushed already? HPW in Drenan Highlands, night two, begins now!

Tali w/ Shabonne VS Buliara!

Perhaps being a Sand Seal Racing Champion is why the Dame of the Dunes isn’t good at sharing the spotlight. Tali still shot first, so this “Gerudo Sisterhood Series” is about revenge for both sides! No more holding out, who will stand tall in the Highlands?

Tali is sending a statement even in her ring gear. She is wearing some pieces from her Gerudo Sisterhood attire and some from her original attire, but she’s splattered them all with black paint. The bell rings, the two stare down, and the fans chant, “TALI SUCKS! TALI SUCKS!” They step up and talk, and Buliara is very heated. Understandable, given Tali turned her back on everyone. Tali rolls her eyes, then she SHOVES Buliara! The fans boo, but then Buliara ROCKS Tali with a right hand! The fans fire up as Buliara throws more hands! Buliara has Tali in a corner, the ref counts, and Buliara stops at 4, to then ROCK Tali!

The fans fire up, the ref reprimands, but Buliara whips Tali corner to corner. Buliara then runs in, LARIATS Tali, then runs corner to corner again. Tali dodges and Buliara hits buckles hard! The fans boo while Buliara falls back, and Shabonne coaches Tali to stay on her. Tali storms up to stomp away on Buliara and the fans boo more. Tali drags Buliara up, CLUBS her on the back, then pushes her to ropes. Tali fires hands in return for earlier, but the ref counts and the fans boo. Tali stops at 4, then she kicks Buliara low! The fans boo and the ref reprimands, but Tali reels Buliara in for a SIDEWALK SLAM! Cover, TWO!

Tali is annoyed, but she looms over Buliara. Tali talks trash, slaps Buliara in the back of the head, and the fans boo more. Buliara sits up, Tali clamps onto her, and has a seated COBRA TWIST! Buliara endures, the fans rally, but Tali thrashes Buliara around. Buliara still reaches out, kicks her way around, but Tali rolls her into a GROUND COBRA CRADLE! TWO! Buliara escapes, but Tali CLOBBERS her! The fans boo more but Tali tells them to shut up. Shabonne shouts, “RESPECT the Dame of the Dunes!” The fans boo even louder now, but Tali just waves at them dismissively. Tali drags Buliara up, but Buliara RAMS her low!

The fans rally as Buliara fires forearms, then whips. Tali reverses, but Buliara RAMS Tali! Tali staggers back, rebounds, but Buliara scoops for a POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Tali goes to ropes, Buliara rushes up, and Buliara LARIATS Tali up and out! The fans fire up and Shabonne freaks out as Tali flops on the floor! Buliara storms out after Tali, CLUBS her on the back, and the fans cheer. Buliara puts Tali back in the ring, goes to the apron, but Shabonne barks at her. The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but Tali BLASTS Buliara off the apron! The fans boo more, but Tali soaks up the heat while Shabonne laughs at Buliara.

The ref checks on Buliara, she’s okay to continue, so a ring count begins. Buliara slowly rises up at 4 of 10, then makes it to the apron at 7. Buliara gets up, but Tali is right on her! Tali suplexes, but Buliara fights it! Buliara HOTSHOTS Tali away, Tali sputters and grabs at the ref, and Shabonne CLUBS Buliara in the leg with her fancy mic stand! The fans boo but Shabonne scurries away, and Tali storms back up. Tali goes up the ropes and deadlift SUPERPLEXES Buliara into the ring! The fans boo more, but Tali roars! Tali storms up on Buliara, gut wrenches her, but Buliara clings to Tali’s leg!

Tali CLUBS away on Buliara, gut wrenches her to a shoulder rack, but Buliara slips free! Buliara runs, rebounds, and SPEARS Tali!! The fans are thunderous while both Gerudo are down! The ref checks them both, they both stir, so a standing count starts. The fans rally as Tali and Buliara slowly sit up at 4 of 10, and then slowly stand at 8. Buliara fires a forearm! The fans cheer, but Tali comes back to fire a forearm of her own! The fans boo, but then Buliara fires another! Tali and Buliara go back and forth, the fans boo and cheer accordingly! The forearms pick up speed, and then it’s just fast ‘n’ furious haymakers!

The fans fire up again as Buliara gets the edge! Buliara winds up, but Tali ducks the haymaker! Tali waistlocks but Buliara fights the lift! Buliara throws elbows, Tali ducks one, but Buliara DDTS Tali! The fans rally behind Buliara as she fires up! Buliara aims from a corner, watches as Tali rises up, and Buliara runs in! But Tali sidesteps to send Buliara into the POST!! Shabonne cheers, the fans boo, but Tali drags Buliara out of the corner, torture racks, and then shifts into the shoulder rack and DOMINATOR!! Cover, Tali wins!

Winner: Tali, by pinfall

The fans are upset but Shabonne is all fired up! Tali has part one of her grudge satisfied, but will she complete the trifecta?

Bracket of Power Semifinal: Yunobo VS GANON!

Two truly powerful stars collide here in the penultimate round! But one major difference is that Yunobo won his Triforce Tournament Triple Threat! Will the third-generation Goron wrestler be on his way to a repeat performance? Or will he fail to trump the Gerudo Ace?

The bell rings and the fans rally up for “YU-NO-BRO! YU-NO-BRO!” Ganon scoffs, then slowly circles with Yunobo. They slowly approach, tie up collar ‘n’ elbow, and are in a deadlock! The fans rally, and Yunobo’s bulk actually gives him some leverage! Yunobo pushes Ganon back step by step, and he has Ganon on the ropes. The fans cheer, the ref counts, and Yunobo lets off quickly. The fans applaud again, but then Ganon storms right up on Yunobo. They tie up again, end up in another deadlock, and Yunobo pushes Ganon back again. Ganon turns things around to put Yunobo on the ropes already. The fans boo, the ref counts, but Ganon KNEES low as he lets off!

The fans boo even more and the ref reprimands. Ganon pie faces Yunobo, and says, “You were better with that stupid mask.” Ganon runs, but Yunobo runs up to RUN Ganon over! The fans fire up and even Ganon is surprised! Yunobo runs, Ganon stays low, so Yunobo jumps over. Ganon gets up to LARIAT Yunobo down! The fans boo, but Yunobo’s right to his feet! Ganon takes another swing but Yunobo ducks ‘n’ dodges, builds speed, and he CLOBBERS Ganon! The fans go wild as Ganon tumbles to the ropes! Ganon is pissed and gets out of the ring in frustration. The fans cheer Yunobo and he stands tall while Ganon glares at him.

Ganon storms right up to the apron and Yunobo watches him. The ref says for Ganon to get back in the ring, and he slowly steps inside. The two slowly circle, tie up, and Ganon headlocks Yunobo. Ganon grinds the hold, the fans rally, but Ganon punches Yunobo right in the head! The ref reprimands, but Ganon turns Yunobo around to ROCK him with a haymaker! Yunobo staggers, Ganon HEADBUTTS him, but then Ganon stumbles! Yunobo frowns and the fans fire up. Yunobo winds up and ROCKS Ganon in return! Yunobo pushes Ganon to ropes to then whip, but Ganon reverses to wrench and BODY BLOW! Then Ganon turns Yunobo for a NECKBREAKER!

The fans boo but Ganon kips up! Ganon soaks up the heat, then he goes to a corner. Ganon waits on Yunobo to get up, then runs up, but Yunobo fireman’s carries him! GORON DROP! Both men are down again and the fans fire back up! Yunobo slowly sits up, Ganon follows, and the two head for each other. Yunobo GORO UPPERCUTS! Ganon ROCKS Yunobo back! Yunobo UPPERCUTS, Ganon HAYMAKERS! Ganon whips, Yunobo reverses and Ganon ends up on the apron! Ganon blocks a shot to ROCK Yunobo, then storms in. Yunobo fireman’s carries again, but Ganon slips free! Ganon shoves Yunobo to ropes, then SPINEBUSTER! Jackknife bridge, TWO!

The fans fire up but Ganon grows frustrated. Ganon drags Yunobo up, underhooks, but Yunobo wrenches free! Yunobo short arm LARIATS Ganon down! The fans fire up with Yunobo as he roars, then he runs for ROLLING THUNDER! Cover, TWO! Yunobo drags Ganon to a drop zone and hurries to a corner! Yunobo climbs up, but Ganon hurries to ROCK Yunobo first! Ganon gets up and under Yunobo for a Hebra Lift! The fans are stunned as Ganon carries Yunobo off the corner like that, but Yunobo sunset flips! TWO! Ganon and Yunobo scramble to their feet, GORO GORO- NO! Ganon stuffs the Gore to underhook! DEMISE DRIVER!!

The fans boo but Ganon has to turn Yunobo over for the cover! TWO!?! Ganon is furious but the fans are thunderous as Yunobo survives! Ganon snarls at Yunobo, pushes him around, and eggs him on. “C’mon then, big man! Get up! Make your family proud!” The fans rally as hard as they can for Yunobo, and Yunobo slowly rises up. Ganon runs up, KICK OF CALAMITY WHIFFS as Yunobo drops and rolls! The fans fire up as Ganon crashes down! Ganon grits his teeth, staggers back up, GORO GORO GORE!!! The fans go wild, but Yunobo hits Ganon so hard, they both roll out to the floor! The ref checks on both men, they’re both okay to continue.

The ref starts a ring count and the fans rally up for “YU-NO-BRO! YU-NO-BRO!” Both Yunobo and Ganon sit up at 3 of 10, drag themselves up with the apron skirt, and they both stand at 6 of 10. Ganon lunges into his HEADBUTT!! Yunobo stumbles back to lean against the post! We’re at 8, Ganon rolls in, and Yunobo reaches out in a daze! We’re at 9, and Yunobo drags himself inside at 9.9! The fans are thunderous as Yunobo crawls to center. Yunobo pushes up and rises to his knees, KICK OF CALAMITY!! Cover, Ganon wins!

Winner: Ganon, by pinfall (advances to the bracket finals)

The fans can’t believe it, but this mercilessness should be expected from Ganon! Ganon roars triumphantly, and wait… He’s facing Militron in the next round. Is the fix already in for the Faces of Evil?

Bracket of Wisdom Semifinal: Volga VS Ghirahim!

The Dragon Knight got his revenge on Zant in the first round, but Cia lost to the Living Blade on the same night. The OG Dark Forces still owe the usurpers, will Volga’s payback bring huge dividends? Or will this be the end of the road?

The bell rings and Volga runs up to DROPKICK Ghirahim! The fans fire up and Volga keeps after Ghirahim in a corner! Volga fires hands until Ghirahim sits down, then he stomps away! The ref counts, Volga lets off at 4 with a shout of rage! The fans fire up again, and Volga storms back up on Ghirahim. Volga throws more hands while Ghirahim goes along the ropes. Volga whips but Ghirahim reverses, only for Volga to wheelbarrow and ARM-DRAG! The fans fire up, Ghirahim scrambles to his feet, but Volga runs up and uses the ropes to go up and around and FLYING ARM-DRAG! Ghirahim tumbles away while the fans cheer!

Ghirahim bails out in frustration, but Volga hurries to the ropes! PLANCHA, but Ghirahim moves aside! Volga lands on his feet, but Ghirahim CHOPS! Volga falls over, the fans boo, but Ghirahim looms over Volga. The ref says to get in the ring, Ghirahim drags Volga up, and then fakes putting Volga in the ring to THROW him into barriers! The fans boo, Ghirahim refreshes the ring count, then brings Volga around. Ghirahim SMACKS Volga off the steel steps, then does it again, and again, and again! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, and Ghirahim stops. Ghirahim walks up the steps, and he stands on Volga’s head!

The ref reprimands, the fans boo, but Ghirahim stops at 4. Then Ghirahim STOMP- NO, Volga got his head out of the way! Volga CHOPS Ghirahim in the back of the leg! Ghirahim hobbles, Volga gets under him, and brings him off the steps! Commentary freaks out as Volga heads their way! Ghirahim rains down hands, then slips free. Ghirahim whips, but Volga reverses to send Ghirahim into barriers! The fans fire up, Volga runs up, but Ghirahim TOSSES him up and over the barriers! The front row goes wild as Volga practically lands in their laps! Ghirahim goes back to the ring as the count reaches 5 of 10.

Volga flounders back up and gets over the barriers. Volga scrambles back to ringside and slides in at 8! Ghirahim runs up and drops a KNEE on Volga’s back! The fans boo but Ghirahim digs his knee in while pulling on Volga’s leg. Ghirahim grabs at Volga’s arm but Volga flails. Ghirahim shifts to get both legs, and he has a SAND CRAB! Volga endures, the fans rally up, and Volga claws at the mat. Volga fights his way to the side, reaches out, but Ghirahim sits deep on the hold! The fans rally harder as Volga still endures! Volga reaches out, he’s so close and yet so far away! Volga powers up to push up off the mat! ROPEBREAK!

The fans cheer, but then boo as Ghirahim refuses to let go! The ref counts, Ghirahim stops at 4, and he paces in frustration. Volga drags himself up with the ropes, leans against them, but Ghirahim storms up to KICK him in the back! The ref reprimands, the fans boo, but Ghirahim just KICKS Volga in the back again! Volga clutches his back while he writhes. Ghirahim stands over him, and he calls Volga a failure! Ganon could not tolerate that, that’s why Volga, Wizzro and even Cia all got thrown out of the group! Ghirahim vows to put Volga out of his misery. He drags Volga up, but Volga drags him into a cradle! TWO!!

Ghirahim escapes, both scramble up, and HIDDEN BLADE!! Cover, TWO!?! Volga survives and the fans fire up! Ghirahim is furious, and he waits on Volga to get up. Ghirahim then runs past him to springboard, GHIRA- NO! Volga catches Ghirahim, then pops him up for a NECKBREAKER! The fans fire up while both men are down! Volga rolls to the apron while Ghirahim crawls. Volga drags himself up, then aims. Ghirahim stands, Volga springboards, FLYING KNEE! Ghirahim is down but Volga keeps moving! BURNING- NO, Ghirahim avoids the stomp! Ghirahim ROCKS Volga, then blocks Volga’s kick!

Ghirahim CLUBS Volga’s leg, but Volga SPIN BACK ELBOWS! Ghirahim staggers, but then he ENZIGIRIS Volga! Both men are down and the fans fire up again! “This is Awesome!” but Ghirahim rises up. Ghirahim stands Volga up to CHOP! Volga staggers and drops to his knees, but Ghirahim eggs him on. Volga stands, nods, and storms up to CHOP! Ghirahim is stinging, but he CHOPS again! The fans fire up as the CHOPS go back and forth! Volga CHOPS, the fans “WOO~!” and fire up, but Ghirahim roars! Ghirahim CHOPS again! Volga staggers back to ropes and grits his teeth. Ghirahim eggs Volga on while the fans fire up!

Volga runs up, Ghirahim dodges, GHIRA CUTTER!! Cover, TWO!?! Volga survives and the fans fire up as Ghirahim aims from a corner! HIDDEN- CALF KICK!! Ghirahim sputters and drops to a knee, but Volga reels him in! Volga suplexes for a BRAINBUSTER!! Volga doesn’t cover, he goes to a corner! Volga goes up, steadies himself, and PHOENIX SPLASH onto knees! Ghirahim saves himself in time! Ghirahim kicks Volga from the mat, then goes to the corner. Volga rises, Ghirahim goes up the corner, SUPER GHIRA CUTTER!! Ghirahim then rolls back for a DRAGON SLEEPER! Volga is OUT, Ghirahim wins!

Winner: Ghirahim, by submission (advances to the bracket finals)

Adding insult to injury because he can, Ghirahim is holding onto the submission hold! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, and Ghirahim finally lets Volga go. Ghirahim “apologizes,” then steps on Volga as he takes his leave. Ghirahim will now meet Sidon in the Bracket of Wisdom finals, will he cut down the rising star?

Bracket of Courage Semifinal: Fin Balure VS Hollywood ReDead!

The Zora Rock ‘n’ Rolla, leader of Arrow Club, runs into the leader of the UnderWorld Order, but only one can go on to the finals. Fin is fuming after what happened to his team just last night, will ReDead feel his wrath? Or will Fin just be a step on ReDead’s path to the top?

Both leaders make their entrances with their teams, and the tension is palpable. Referee Tiger Sahasrahla warns all of them, but then Fin tells Arrow Club they can go to the back, he can handle “a guy who needs back-up.” ReDead hears that and gets mad. ReDead tells the uWo that they can go to the back, too, because he can handle “Lil’ Fin” on his own. The factions both leave ringside, and the fans applaud this being a true 1v1. The bell rings and the fans rally up as Fin stares down with ReDead. Fin and ReDead slowly circle, keeping their eyes on each other. They step up, feel things out, but ReDead stomps Fin’s foot!

The fans boo but ReDead headlocks Fin. “IIIIII’M THE MAAAAAN~!” The fans boo more, but Fin fires body shots. Fin powers up and out, but ReDead runs him over! ReDead flexes while the fans boo, but Fin gets up to CHOP! ReDead is unaffected? He looks at his chest, then laughs at Fin. Fin SLAPS ReDead! The fans cheer but now ReDead is pissed! ReDead runs up on Fin, but Fin dumps him out to the apron! Fin builds speed, but ReDead slips back inside! Fin ducks ‘n’ dodges, and Fin runs up to forearm SMASH! ReDead staggers but he stays up, so Fin runs to forearm SMASH again! The fans rally as Fin keeps moving.

Fin runs up, but ReDead grabs him with both hands! ReDead pops Fin up, RAMS him into a corner, then RAMS him in again and again! Sahasrahla reprimands and counts, the fans boo, but ReDead lets off at 4. ReDead again flexes, and again shouts, “IIIIII’M THE MAAAAAN~!” ReDead goes back to the corner but Fin CHOPS him! ReDead feels that one! Fin whips, but ReDead blocks! Fin tries again, but ReDead blocks again! ReDead shakes his head, whips Fin, and he BACKDROPS Fin! The fans boo ReDead but he soaks it up. ReDead storms up on Fin, brings him up, and puts him in a corner. ReDead pie faces Fin while talking trash.

The fans boo, but ReDead keeps talking trash on “Lil’ Fin.” ReDead pie faces Fin again, but then Fin throws haymaker after haymaker! The fans fire back up as Fin backs ReDead down! Fin ROCKS ReDead, ROCKS him again, and again, and again, and again! Fin fires up and runs, but ReDead scoops him! ReDead SLAMS Fin, then runs the ropes! Fin avoids the leg drop! And he basement DROPKICKS! Cover, TWO! The fans rally behind Fin as he clamps on with a chinlock. Fin grinds ReDead down but ReDead endures. ReDead fights up, powers up and out, but Fin comes back to CHOP! ReDead snarls, and he ROCKS Fin with a right hand!

Fin staggers back to a corner, ReDead storms up and climbs up. ReDead rains down fists, fans mostly boo but some count along. ReDead goes to nine, shouts “IIIIII’M THE MAAAAAN~!” but then Fin trips him! The fans cheer while ReDead hits buckles! Fin runs corner to corner and SHOTGUNS ReDead into buckles! ReDead falls into the drop zone, and fans fire up as Fin hurries to the corner! Fin climbs up, takes aim, COUP DE- NO, ReDead moves! Fin hobbles, ReDead LARIATS Fin down! The fans boo but ReDead soaks it up. Fin staggers up, ReDead picks him up for an atomic drop! Then ReDead scoops and SLAMS Fin!

ReDead dares Fin to get up, Fin staggers to his feet, so ReDead scoops and SLAMS him again! ReDead again dares Fin to get up, Fin staggers up again, and ReDead again scoops and SLAMS! The fans boo but ReDead runs the ropes! DEAD LEG!! Cover, TWO!?! Fin survives and the fans are thunderous! ReDead is furious and he argues with Sahasrahla. Fin rises up, ReDead goes after him, but Fin SLINGBLADES! The fans fire up as Fin keeps going, and he SLINGBLADES ReDead again! Fin aims from a corner, runs back in, and SHOTGUNS ReDead back down! Fin goes back up the corner, COUP DE GRACE!! Cover, TWO?!?!

ReDead survives and now Fin can’t believe it! Fin checks with Sahasrahla and Sahasrahla says his count was fair. Fin grows frustrated but the fans continue to rally behind him. Fin stalks ReDead, grabs him with a dragon sleeper, and then brings him up for the BLOODY- NO, ReDead fights the inverted suplex! ReDead snapmares free, then has Fin in the dragon sleeper! ReDead laughs, lifts for an inverted suplex, but Fin drops down to victory roll! TWO, both men scramble up and Fin dodges a lariat! SLING- NO, ReDead stops Slingblade to atomic- NO, Fin slips up and over the back! Fin waistlocks, pushes ReDead to ropes, but ReDead bucks the O’Conner!

ReDead runs up, Fin blocks the boot! Fin KICKS the leg, then reels ReDead in for a DDT! The fans fire up, Fin goes back to the corner, and he goes back up! Wait, who’s throwing popcorn from the crow? The Poe Sisters?! They weren’t here earlier with the uWo, they weren’t sent to the back! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but ReDead trips Fin up! The fans boo more while ReDead climbs up after Fin. ReDead throws some punches, then brings Fin to the top rope. They’re both on the very top, and fans chant, “Please Don’t Die! Please Don’t Die!” Fin fires body shots! Fin steps back down, andtrips ReDead into the Tree of Woe!

The fans fire up while ReDead is stuck! ReDead tries to sit up, but Fin adjusts on the top rope! WOE STOMPS!! The fans are thunderous, and Fin brings ReDead up in the half hatch! DEPTH CHARGE!! Cover, FIN WINS!

Winner: Fin Balure, by pinfall (advances to the bracket finals)

The Zora Rock ‘n’ Rolla brings down ReDead, and is headed to his first Bracket of Courage finals! But will Fin make it to his first Triforce Tournament finals? Or will Thunderbird leave him high and dry?

My Thoughts:

Another under-the-wire finish, but I wanted to make sure these were up to par. I’ll definitely be careful not to procrastinate on the bracket finals for March, and hopefully the tournament matches (and other surprises I have in store) will be even better.