#shota empire

[ibakh]

Day 3/31 of p1htober

🧝‍♂️🥀🩸

[questintheskies]

What a fiery promo by Ospreay!

[silverpiwon]

Soul explained on fromm that in the photo where he and Keeho are hugging he’s holding this bug figurine 🥺

[westofessos]

I haven’t been posting about the G1 because I’ve just been so fucking tired, but I figured since were at the halfway point I’d do a quick recap of the first half:

First, let’s just address the press conference because what the FUCK was Sanada wearing there and why were he and Zack just flirting the whole time??

Gabe. I love you. Also my mom (who doesn’t know anything about NJPW beyond the guys that were on AEW TV or Forbidden Door and sometimes she even forgets those) watched it with me and LOVES Gabe now. Has been asking every couple days “how’s my guy doing?”

My mom also got up at 4:30 in the morning to watch one day because she’s on holidays now and wanted to see him

I’m trying not to flinch and be confident that Zack is winning but my hope was pretty much crushed the second he beat Naito

Speaking of Naito. Yikes. I have nothing against him but I think it might be time to hang it up.

Yuya Uemura has blown me completely out of the water. I’ve always liked him, but he was never someone whose matches I got excited for, and through the tournament he has just been amazing.

And Takeshita! My god he’s incredible. Tony Khan had better be watching this with plans to get him the fuck away from Don Callis when he gets back.

ELP. My sweet, sad ELP. Someone PLEASE give this man a hug already. My heart is breaking for him.

I really hoped that at least for the G1 we could be free of House of Torture bullshit but evidently not.

It’s pissing me off so much.

And the fact that Evil is leading Block A? Don’t even talk to me.

Evil, Narita, and Lee are really spoiling an otherwise fantastic tournament.

Also, I hate to say it but I’ve been mildly impressed with David Finlay’s performance. His promos are still shit, but his matches have been pretty good. Gotta give credit where credit is due.

Oh and Shota! Can’t forget Shota. He’s been doing pretty good, imo. I’m really hoping he gets some more wins because I was really hoping he’d be at the top of his block.

I’m not super crazy over Boltin Oleg, but he’s been good too.

Yota Tsuji! I’ve always loved him but he’s really been awesome. Hope he starts getting more points because, like Shota, I really wanted him to be at the top of his block.

Sanada, Great-O-Khan, and Hirooki Goto have been solidly okay.

Jeff Cobb, Callum Newman, and Henare have been great. Love my United Empire boys. Shingo has been fantastic too.

And Zack. My guy. The love of my life. He’s been perfect. So good. Wonderful as always. Still my pick to win. If he loses to Evil I might have to stop watching.

Oh, and as much as I like Chris Charlton at the commentary booth with Walker for banter and translation purposes, I’ve really been loving him having wrestlers on commentary! It’s so much fun. I think I prefer it honestly.

Favourite matches so far: Shota Umino vs Gabe Kidd, Konosuke Takeshita vs Jeff Cobb, Konosuke Takeshita vs Yuya Uemura

Overall it’s been really good and I’ve been having a great time. Can’t wait for the second half!

What has everyone else thought of the G1 so far?

[honestlychiefbanana]

Highlights of Shota Umino & Ren Narita vs Great O-Khan & HENARE NJPW World Tag League 2023

[pwrestlingxpress]

Sunny Voyage 2023 + Dominion 2023 Match Predictions

Checking at my clock and right now it's about 3:30 in the morning meaning I have about two hours to do all these predictions so here we go with predictions for "Sunny Voyage 2023 in Shinjuku FACE" and "Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-Jo Hall".

Let's start off with "Sunny Voyage 2023 in Shinjuku FACE" which is headlined by an intense main event that could result in KO or too many kicks to count. Anyway, here we go with the predictions for "Sunny Voyage 2023 in Shinjuku FACE"

Opening Match: Taishi Ozawa vs. Manabu Soya Prediction: Too easy of a win here. Going with Manabu Soya for the win

Match #2: Shuji Kondo, Hiroki, and Hajime Ohara vs. Yoshinari Ogawa, Chris Ridgeway, and Daga Prediction: Based on all that's been going on lately, I'm sensing another win for Stinger most likely in dominant fashion.

Match #3: Stallion Rogers vs. Sean Legacy Prediction: Sean has so far impressed me. He's got that potential. Stallion Rogers is okay but have yet to sense the potential I've been sensing in Sean Legacy so going with Legacy for the win.

Match #4: Dante Leon and Junta Miyawaki vs. HAYATA and Eita Prediction: Intriguing match here as we saw something we didn't expect, HAYATA and Eita teaming up. This is their biggest test but with them facing Dante Leon, it'll be a tall order. Most new teams don't win their first match together but based on the build here, I could sense HAYATA and Eita winning. Either that or Dante shows us all he'll do whatever it takes to become GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion once again.

Match #5: Akitoshi Saito, Shuhei Taniguchi, Mohammed Yone, Naomichi Marufuji, and Takashi Sugiura vs. Yoshiki Inamura, Daiki Inaba, Masa Kitamiya, Kaito Kiyomiya, and Go Shiozaki. Prediction: Crazy match that is just thrown together. Barely a storyline or build going into this match. So my prediction is a wild a crazy one. Got two predictions here. Sugiura will get the win by pinning Inaba but will get attacked by Jake Lee afterwards. Or Kiyomiya will get the win by pinning Mohammed Yone sending a clear message to Kazuchika Okada who has problems with not just Kiyomiya but with those in his own company that are all around the same age as him (Ren Narita and Shota Umino)

Semi-Final Match: GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Atsushi Kotoge/Seiki Yoshioka (Challenger Team) vs. Tadasuke/YO-HEY (Champion Team) Prediction: I originally predicted the challengers to win but based on the fact NJPW did a retweet of this match alone and the fact that neither GLG or Just 5 Guys have been booked yet for "All Together Again" I expect the champions to retain and a surprise confrontation post-match.

Main Event Match: Special Singles Match: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenoh Prediction: This will be the third match of Nakajima/Kenoh I get to see live. First one was the N1 Victory 2021 finals where Nakajima won with a new move that has barely been seen since that victory. Last one was an intense 60-minute draw which turned out to be the first one I saw in any wrestling format since June 11, 2017 when Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada went the full distance. So...here, feel like and I've been saying this since the match has been made. Nakajima has to win. While with AXIZ, the two matches both him and Kenoh had ended with KO declaring Kenoh the winner. When he joined Kongo in August 2020, Nakajima unleashed a vicious side of himself and dominated against Kenoh to win their N1 Victory 2020 Block Match. Now that he's back with AXIZ, he has to prove that he made the right choice. If Nakajima cannot beat Kenoh as an AXIZ member, many people will be asking questions so in this main event, I'm going with Katsuhiko Nakajima for the win.

With the match predictions for "Sunny Voyage 2023 in Shinjuku FACE" done, it's now time to turn over to "Dominion 2023 in Osaka-Jo Hall" taking place this Sunday June 4, 2023.

Opening Match: Special Singles Match: Lance Archer vs. Will Ospreay Prediction: Winner here will get a shot at the IWGP United States Championship most likely at "The Forbidden Door". And with the way things are going, I see Will Ospreay emerging victorious but at what cost remains to be seen.

Match #2: Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, and Titan vs. Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI, and Taka Michinoku Prediction: As we await the status of a possible new LIJ member in Yota Tsuji, 4 of the 5 current LIJ members face 4 of the 5 Just 5 Guys members and to me, this one is too easy. I see a LIJ win with Tetsuya Naito most likely pinning Taka Michinoku

Match #3: IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship: Francesco Akira/TJP (Challenger Team) vs. Kevin Knight/KUSHIDA (Champion Team) Prediction: I'm sensing this to be a big night for the United Empire so going with new champions in Catch 2/2.

Match #4: NJPW World TV Championship: Jeff Cobb (Challenger) vs. Zac Sabre Jr. (Champion) Prediction: Last match, these two went the full distance (15 minutes) so there has to be a winner here within that 15-minute frame. Like I said, sensing a big night for the United Empire so...going with Jeff Cobb for the win here.

Match #5: Match to determine the 99th IWGP Tag Team Champions and the 4th NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions: Great O-Khan and Aaron Henare vs. EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI Prediction: Very hard one to predict. Originally had predict Aussie Open to retain but when they pulled out, went with Bishamon but with YOSHI-HASHI's recent comments, have this wild prediction. Bishamon will win only if Hirooki Goto gets the winning pin. Other than that, United Empire will complete the sweep and leave Osaka with gold all over.

Match #6: NEVER Openweight Championship Match: El Phantasmo (Challenger) vs. David Finlay (Champion) Prediction: This match alone may reach Nakajima/Kenoh levels or something darker. Though I'll be rooting for El Phantasmo, I sadly see David Finlay retaining and how he retains could be worse than how he beat Tama Tonga for the title at "Wrestling Dontaku 2023"

Match #8: NEVER 6-man Tag Team Championship: Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Shota Umino (Challenger Team) vs. Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hiroshi Tanahashi (Champion Team) Prediction: Kazuchika Okada can easily handle Kaito Kiyomiya (who's looking to avenge his loss on June 9th in Ryogoku). Okada can handle Ren Narita easily. But...when it comes to Shota Umino. I said this on social media this past weekend and saying it here again...everytime Okada is under the impression that he can handle Shota Umino easily, seems like Umino is one or two steps ahead of him and I feel like that 6-man tag in Long Beach, CA changed Umino to the man we're seeing now. So...my prediction for this match is we're getting new champions. BCC going to take the 6-man titles hostage.

Semi-Main Event: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Master Wato (Challenger/BOSJ 30 Winner) vs. Hiromu Takahashi (Champion) Prediction: A hard one to predict but right now going with Master Wato for the win. It's his hometown and most times, the hometown hero always wins.

Main Event: IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Yota Tsuji (Challenger) vs. SANADA (Champion) Prediction: Hardest title match to predict in a long time even if this will be Tsuji's first match back from excursion. My prediction on this main event will shock you. I'm going with the time-limit draw. We'll most likely see our first 60-minute draw in 6 years.

So...there you have it. My predictions for today's "Sunny Voyage 2023 in Shinjuku FACE" which starts about a hour from now (5:30 AM Eastern) and my predictions for Sunday's "Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-Jo Hall".

Tune in for "Sunny Voyage 2023 in Shinjuku FACE" today (May 31, 2023) at 5:30 AM Eastern/4:30 AM Central/2:30 AM Pacific. Pro Wrestling NOAH's English Twitter account has all the start times for the event. In the case you can't find your start time, go to timeanddate.com, type in the city you live in to find the start time in your area.

"Dominion 2023 in Osaka-Jo Hall" (aka Dominion 6.4) comes Sunday June 4th at 4 PM Local Time/3 AM Eastern/2 AM Central/Midnight Pacific. If your start time is not list, like I said about "Sunny Voyage 2023 in Shinjuku FACE" go to timeanddate.com, type in the city you live in to find the start time in your area for "Dominion".

Enjoy both these shows coming later on today (for Sunny Voyage) and this Sunday (Dominion) respectively.

[deusvervewrites]

Ask Game: AU where the Chaos of the Dawn of Quirks was signifigantly shorter and/or the Stagnation of Technology didnt happen cuz everyone got their shit together

Basically , [atleast partially]: Quirks in SPAAAACCCEEEE

(For simplicitys sake lets ignore any potential different marriages / ancestors Quirks the relative lack of war and displacement results in. So there still will be a [naturally] Quirkless Midoriya Izuku , Creation Momo Yaoyorouzu , Erasure Aizawa Shota , Piece Of Shit Overhaul etc)

Unfortunately for Yoichi and Probably-Actually-Was-Named-Tomura, their mother was still a homeless prostitute during the Dawn of Quirks, so money's still gonna be a bit tight. But also. The apocalypse. So that's kind of normal. As such, Tomura never develops a need to validate his existence by becoming The Ultimate Evil and they live pretty normal lives (for that time). Without AFO's criminal empire, society stabilizes much sooner.

Okay I know the prompt said that mostly everyone is an alien but. C'mon. I fucking love Quirks. So the 1-A class and Heroes are all going to be human (or at least mostly human as the case may be).

Midoriya Izuku is a Quirkless young man living in Mustafa City on Mars, one of Japan's off-planet colonies. He still wants to go to UA Hero School, but that's not located in Mustafa; it's a space station. Tomura has long retired by now, and is living peacefully doing the occasional (legal) Quirk trade and offers Midoriya a Quirk, so long as Midoriya live up to his brother Yoichi's ideals.

In this AU, I-Island is not a space station as you might expect, but a large, self-sustaining colony ship so that human scientists can travel to other planets to collaborate with the people there as part of galactic outreach.

Of course, not everyone is happy about the current status quo. After all, the are xenophobes on and off Earth.

[blues824]

The Remarried Empress where male Aizawa!Reader becomes Navier's spy since he's a master at working in the shadows. Need info? He's on it. Need something discreetly done? He's got it. Need someone to disappear? It's already happened.

He's interested in the Empress's state of wellbeing, making sure she's healthy and without stress (which sadly can't be avoided due to the dumbass Emperor and his hoe mistress). He's wary of Heinrey but relents when asked to.

He may be scruffy and unassuming but that's what makes him such a good man for his job; you'd never think he works for the Empress.

Only involves Sovieshu, Rashta, and Navier.

Sovieshu

This man definitely does not like you, and you didn’t like him. But, neither of you really talked about the obvious tension in the air. To be fair, neither of you really talked to each other at all. But anyone could tell that you two hated each other.

It could come from a place of intimidation on his part. He may be in a higher position than you, but you had a quirk that no one else could beat. Your quirk not only allowed you to stop the powers in your own world, but also allowed you to stop mages from this world from using their magic. Of course, the same rules still applied. Your eyes were still dry as hell and you had to constantly be staring at the person.

He hated the fact that you were gradually getting closer and closer to his wife, and it was to the point where she saw you more than him… and he was her husband. What was weirder was that you were a few years both their senior. However, you expressed no romantic interest in the Empress multiple times. He just doesn’t like to listen.

You acted more like a father figure to Navier, a person that she can confide in and that you can guide, kind of like your students back home. You still did undercover missions, but this time as a spy rather than a hero. The Emperor himself had no knowledge of this, but what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him… directly.

Rashta

She found you a bit unsettling because of your rugged appearance, and thus you didn’t have to go through the effort of avoiding her because she avoided you instead. But there was an obvious distaste on your behalf, and every single time you both were confronted with each other you let out a sigh before leaving.

The young mistress could tell that the Emperor was intimidated by you, but she couldn’t understand why. She did not hang around you enough to know that your quirk allowed you to stop someone’s magic as long as you are looking at them and don’t blink.

However, she could definitely see that you were getting closer to the Empress, and that scared her to no end. If Sovieshu was scared of you, and she was scared of the power that Her Imperial Majesty held, then you both surely would be unstoppable. However, she didn’t know what to do about it.

And no, she did not know that you were hired as a spy by Navier and assigned the task of listening in on conversations between her and Sovieshu and her and Ergi. That meant you were able to hear the predicament of blackmail that Rashta found herself in, and you reported it back to your employer accordingly.

Navier

She did not find you intimidating. In fact, you both grew very close very quickly. And no, not in that way. You acted as a sort of father figure, as stated before, and she often seeked out your guidance in making crucial decisions for the Empire. You were a tough love, no coddling kind of parental figure, and that’s what she needed.

When you told her that you were suspicious of the new mistress, she was also very suspicious of her. So, she asked you if you would mind doing some espionage. You left with a bow, and you were now a man on a mission. And we all know that when Shota Aizawa is on a mission, he’s gonna fucking complete it.

You would spy on the conversations that Rashta has, and you’ve even caught one of her arguments with Viscount Lotteshu. You heard that she was being blackmailed, and she had to pay money and jewels to the Viscount so he wouldn’t tell anyone that she used to be a slave.

Then there were the conversations between Rashta and Duke Ergi that you listened to. Turns out that the mistress wants to be able to navigate her way through both poor folk and nobility. Everything you heard was reported back to the Empress, and she made her plans accordingly with Heinrey.

[puroresu-musings]

NJPW THE NEW BEGINNING in Osaka Review (Feb 11th, Osaka EDION Arena)

Toru Yano & YOH vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Boltin Oleg **

Bishamon vs. Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman ***1/4

Shota Umino, El Desperado, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask vs. EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi **1/4

Tetsuya Naito, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. SANADA, Yuya Uemura, Taichi, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku ***

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi ****1/2

IWGP Tag Team Championship - El Phantasmo & Hikuleo (c) vs. KENTA & Chase Owens **

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. *****

10 Man Dog Pound Cage Death Match - United Empire vs. Bullet Club War Dogs *****

Photos.

Wow, what a show this turned out to be. It started pretty ordinary, but ultimately had three exceptional bouts, one of which is the best match of 2024 so far. The show opened with CHAOS teammates Yano and YOH taking on Taguchi and Young Lion Shooter, Oleg. This was perfectly fine, but only went 3:45, so there really wasn't much to mention. YOH scored the win over Taguchi with a roll up. Next, UE Young Boy Callum Newman got a chance to shine in his tag match with O-Khan against Bishamon. This was a good little sprint, with the spirited Newman looking especially good. It wasn't to be his night, however, as he was put away by the veterans at 7:37 with Shoto.

The NJPW Babyfaces took on House of Torture next. This was your typical HoT match, beginning with a brawl, before the babyfaces got their shine, only to succumb to heelish shenanigans. After Dick Togo distracted the ref, Narita hit Tiger Mask with the Metal Plated Push Up Bar Of Doom, before SHO pinned him with a Shock Arrow in 8:43. Post match saw SHO steal Despe's IWGP Jr. Belt and proclaim himself the new champion, so we've got yet another HoT stolen belt deal, and Desperado seems destined to feud with these dorks for his entire reign. This was followed by pretty much the same LIJ vs. J5G match we've seen all tour now. It was a good outing, but I can't say that I'm interested in any of this, aside from Tsuji and Uemura's Hair Match in Sapporo at the end of the match. The two youngsters carried the action in this one, which culminated in SANADA tapping out BUSHI at 11:05 with Skull End to go strong into his Title Match with Naito on the 24th.

Perhaps the final ever Okada vs. Tanahashi match followed, twelve years to the day that the Rainmaker Shock happened in this very same building that made Okada a Superstar. This was excellent, emotional stuff that was by no means the best match these two have ever had, but it was a great send-off for what is perhaps the greatest, most consistent feud ever. I've potentially gone a tad high with the rating, but I don't care, I'm sticking with it, as this one had me invested from the minute the entrances happened. The Osaka faithful were super into this, loudly chanting for Okada at the start, going crazy throughout. Tana, who's definitely in "office shape" at the moment, even turned back the clocks and hit the High Fly Body Attack to the floor, which was awesome. After getting the knees up on a HFF attempt, Okada nailed the Tombstone, but Tana turned the Rainmaker into a small package for a great near fall. After some back and forth which the crowd were totally into, Okada hit a beautiful dropkick, a Landslide, and a Rainmaker to put the President away at 16:50 with one final Rainmaker. The pair embraced in the post match, and a teary bowed to the Lion Mark and Okada bid farewell to Osaka. He only has two matches left in his NJPW career in Sapporo, which should be similarly emotional occasions, and hey, who knows, maybe he could even put someone over on his way out (nudge nudge, wink wink).

The IWGP Tag Title bout that followed was something of a dampener, to say the least. This was the opposite of the last match, the crowd were dead for the most part, and it moved at the speed of smell. It was hovering around one star territory, but things picked up once Hikuleo got the hot tag and ran wild, but it was short lived as the ref got bumped, Taiji Ishimori ran in, hit his old pal ELP with a belt, then Hikuleo, which allowed KENTA to steal the win and the titles. Look, I know New Japan likes and rewards loyalty, and Chase Owens was there for them when they needed people badly, but the notion of him holding a major title in NJPW in 2024 is all kinds of bemusing. And to say the new GoD's Tag Title reign was a bit of a disappointment would be an understatement. These guys deserve better, and I honestly don't have the strength to watch another match between these teams after the two we've already seen so far this year.

Thankfully, things turned around in fantastic fashion with an absolutely perfect display of pro-wrestling between ZSJ and Bryan Danielson. This was a rematch of their 5 star classic in AEW last October, and it managed to surpass that match and is the best bout of 2024 so far. Outstanding grappling and counter sequences throughout this, Dragon used an arm wringer to send Sabre's legs into the ropes, which he then proceeded to work over the whole match with intense kicks and leglocks. Zack fought back, working over Danielson's neck. Lots of Romero Specials, Manjigatame's and Cobra Twists, before it broke down into a stiff strike exchange. Danielson hit a big Back Suplex off the top for a near fall, then tried Cattle Mutilation, which Sabre escaped and hit a Zack Driver for a near fall of his own. Dragon hit the stomps, then locked in the crazy arm submission he submitted Okada with, but Zack fought to the ropes. Another strike battle culminated in Danielson hitting the Busaiku Knee out of a backslide, but Sabre turned a second into a European Clutch, they exchanged great cradles, before ZSJ got the pin with a crucifix at 32:46 of fabulous action. The two shook hands afterwards, and now being 1-1, Danielson challenged Zack to a 2 out of 3 falls tiebreaker backstage, which I'm 100% down for. In the ring, ZSJ signalled he wanted a belt, then called out the winner of Naito/SANADA (despite what Chris Charlton might have claimed he said). I'm all for Zack winning the belt to be fair. I've lots to say about Naito being the champion again, which I'll refrain from, but all I will say is that the guy who holds the top belt in this company sure has felt like an after thought since winning.

Then the Dog Pound Cage main event that was also Will Ospreay's New Japan swan song. Look, theres way too much to even attempt to recap, and I went back and forth about going the full 5 stars on this one, as it did feature some stuff I really wasn't keen on. BUT, at the end of the day, these 10 guys put on an absolute spectacle of bloody drama and craziness, and it's definitely not a match I'll forgot any time soon, and a tremendous post match. They had an impossible task in following the previous match, but they had an equally blow-away outing, that was the complete wrestling polar opposite. This was set up like that classic ROH vs. CZW Cage of Death from 2006, in that the cage encircled ringside as opposed to the ring itself, and was fought under War Games rules, with guys coming out every two minutes.

Ospreay and Finaly started, with Ospreay convincing Finlay to let them fight for 5 minutes. Lots and lots of crazy stuff followed, which included the heels bringing out a ton of plunder, Akira hitting an incredible dive off the cage onto the War Dogs before Connors gave him a big spear through an upright table in the corner, Gabe Kidd potatoing HENARE with table shot, that split him open bad on the top of his head, which the doctors at ringside spent a lot of time trying to patch up. HENARE got a receipt of sorts later when he hit Kidd with a super stiff slap that looked like it knocked Gabe silly. Connors hit a big spear on Ospreay through the ropes, off the apron and through a table at ringside, Jeff Cobb ran wild on everyone with his incredible power moves, TJP emerged from under the ring as the Aswang, running wild and misting all the heels, Maloney broke up a pin attempt by Drilla Killa'ing Ospreay into the pile of bodies, Coughlin took a serious wilful beating with kendo sticks, who then took a big senton through a table off HENARE from the top of the cage. Connors introduced thumbtacks, but ended up bumping into the pins. Gedo came out with a barbed wire wrapped table, but O-Khan put an end to his interference, and it was Finlay who went through the barbed wire table, thanks to an Ospreay powerbomb. Gabe Kidd responded by hitting Ospreay with a piledriver off the apron, through a ladder bridge to the floor. Moloney forked Akira in the head, who juiced heavily, but then overcame his fear of the fork, no-sold it, and stabbed Drilla in the head with the cutlery, drawing his blood of his own, then hanged Connors over the top with a dog collar.

The heels then handcuffed Cobb to the cage, removed the ring canvas and padding, exposing the boards, and what followed was absolutely terrifying, as those boards were flying around and guys were falling through the ring left and right, to the point I thought someone might get seriously hurt. HENARE hit a massive vertical suplex on Kidd to the boards, before he too was handcuffed. Akira then took a horrendous Tombstone on the boards, which left Ospreay alone with the War Dogs. Sacrificing himself to save Akira, he tried a Hidden Blade, but collapsed from exhaustion, resulting in him taking a spear into the boards by Connors, then Finlay wrapped his knee in barbed wire and hit Ospreay with his new Overkill finish to end this insanity and win for his team in 64:05 of crazy, mind-blowing action.

The Overkill finish was quite ironic given the amounts of sheer overkill in this thing, there were times when I thought/was begging it would be over, but they just kept going and doing crazier stuff. Anyone who knows me knows I love a good crazy, unhinged blood and gimmicks match, and this was one of the best there's ever been, overkill or not. In the post match, Ospreay bid farewell to New Japan, and he got the big emotional send off with the confetti and all the UE guys surrounding him. Ospreay asked that the fans not forget him, and backstage he promised he'd be back, but when was still a mystery. Losing Ospreay is a major blow to NJPW (not to mention they're also losing Okada!), but I've no doubt he'll do great things in AEW.

NDT

[nakanotamu]

ShuPro Awards 2023!

Normally I would post this on Twitter but I don't use twitter any more so now you guys get to deal with me instead! ShuPro dropped their awards for 2023 today so here they are in english. Right off the top, note that these are fan voted awards, so yes they're absolutely biased towards larger companies & popularity. To be clear I am not publishing this to be an unbiased news source I am posting this to be a bitch and tell you everything they got wrong bc I am right all of the time and have incredible taste. The numbers are how many votes they got. Anyway here we go.

Pro Wrestling Grand Prize

Hiromu Takahashi - 1748

Tetsuya Naito - 1516

Kenoh - 1269

Sanada - 915

Tam Nakano - 838

Will Ospreay - 301

Jake Lee - 266

Unagi Sayaka - 233

Yuma Aoyagi - 219

Natsupoi - 182

[Three women all being in the top 10 for the overall GP feels really big to me, especially Tam in the top 5. Also Kenoh in 3rd is very cool. I don't remember for sure but I think women have made top 10 before, but I don't think this many. Also all of them being Cosmic Angels? Oh my heart 🥲]

Best Match

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Great Muta - Noah 1.1 - 1258 [😒]

Tam Nakano vs Giulia - Stardom 4.23 - 1046 [should have won]

Tetsuya Naito vs Keiji Muto - Noah 2.21 - 725

Tetsuya Naito vs Will Ospreay - New Japan 8.12 - 566

Hiromu Takahashi vs Hayato "Jr." Fujita - Michinoku Pro 10.15 - 437

Tetsuya Naito vs Kazuchika Okada - New Japan 8.13 - 411

Kenny Omega vs Will Ospreay - New Japan 1.4 - 355

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Kento Miyahara - Noah 7.15 - 336

Kentoh Miyahara vs Kenoh - Noah 1.1 - 235

Will Ospreay vs Shota Umino - New Japan 11.4 - 204

[Best Match is always kind of a side eye category that is sometimes kind of just the "which match was the G1 Finals" award and once again it proves Japanese fans are also capable of having bad taste but at least Tam & Giulia got 2nd place.]

Joshi Wrestling Grand Prize

Tam Nakano - 2092 [Holy shit that's a lot of votes. They're right but wow]

Giulia - 1192 [Like seriously stunned Tam swept it by that much. Just wow.]

Suzu Suzuki - 823

Unagi Sayaka - 737

Saori Anou - 563

Mizuki - 548

Iyo Sky - 502

Maika - 323

Rina Yamashita - 279

Sareee - 210

[Tam getting it by such a huge margin is crazy but I'm so happy. Also Tam, Una, & Saori all getting in the top 5 is incredible, Cosmic Angels are unstoppable. I'm really surprised Poi didn't get on the list though, especially after getting 10th in the overall category. Anyway clearly this is the most important category and god willing one day soon this and the overall category will both be all women.]

Best Unit

Cosmic Angels - 1973 [So true bestie. This is the 3rd year in a row Cosmic Angels have won this award which is insane, especially given the 2023 they actually had. They are fucking unstoppable. Girlfriend power is unbeatable.]

Los Ingobernables de Japon - 1361

Good Looking Guys - 1149 [I have a few friends who like GLG and mostly I just like seeing anything other than New Japan on these lists so I'm glad.]

House of Torture - 940 [lmao seriously?? did 940 people just not know who else to vote for or like are you guys really huge Sho fans or what]

United Empire - 418 [If you like UE I'd ask you consider growing better taste thanks]

Pheromones - 404 [Should have been way higher smh]

Just 5 Guys - 386

Free WiFi - 385 [SHOULD HAVE BEEN WAY HIGHER SMH]

Queen's Quest - 262 [SHOULD HAVE BEEN WAY HIGHER SMH]

Donna del Mondo - 209 [Hey good for them!]

Okay honestly 4 of these being women's units AND Free WiFi getting on this list owns.

Best Foreign Wrestler

Will Ospreay - 3487 [God really. Are you guys serious. Always with this shit]

Megan Bayne - 1045 [r u kidding me.]

Max The Impaler - 963

Zack Saber Jr. - 627

Chris Brookes - 599 [Should be way higher]

Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. - 548

Mariah May - 420(nice) [SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRST PLACE]

El Phantasmo - 222

Luis Mante - 106

Jack Morris - 105

Best Rookie

Hanako - 1842 [WOW!! It's not ToSpo's rookie of the year award but still very big for her.]

Oleg Boltin - 1673

Wakana Uehara - 1523

Kizuna Tanaka - 944

Zones - 417

Dark Unagi - 316 [LMAOOOOO]

Ryoya Tanaka - 233

Chi Chi - 218

Yu Owada - 198

Mifu Ashida - 181

[7 women on this list & the win going to Hanako is AWESOME but also LMFAO DARK UNAGI GOT 6TH PLACE ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME Una's power is limitless. Kayfabe is alive and well.]

Favourite Pro Wrestler [I always love they do favourite separate from best]

Tam Nakano - 1542 [HELL YEAH WRESTLING FANS GET ONE RIGHT]

Tetsuya Naito - 1384

Natsupoi - 892 [Poi in 3rd overall as well is HUGE]

Saori Anou - 887 [COSMIC ANGELS SWEEP]

Kenoh - 683

Hiromu Takahashi - 597

Hiroshi Tanahashi - 593 [I remember a lot of times this feeling like the Hiroshi Tanahashi award so Tana down in 7th is surprising]

Wakana Uehara - 577 [Honestly Wakana seems crazy popular and they're pairing her with Yuki Arai now right? God that's like a print money combo]

Kazuchika Okada - 533

Mina Shirakawa - 514

Unagi Sayaka - 461

Starlight Kid - 375 [Wow crazy she got 12th place with how out of shape and lazy she is 🙄 THIS IS SARCASM if you don't know what I'm referring to I envy you. Hope 2024 is the year a certain someone finally gets fired Stardom would be better with no subtitles]

Yuki Arai - 364

Mayu Iwatani - 361

El Desperado - 359

Will Ospreay - 343

Giulia - 341

Kento Miyahara - 316

Maika - 290

Sareee - 283

Minoru Suzuki - 273

Taichi - 248

Sanada - 236

Saya Kamitani - 231

AZM - 198

Katsuhiko Nakajima - 183

Jake Lee - 179

Utami Hayashishita - 172 [Not enough lesbians voting obviously]

Jun Kasai - 170

Yota Tsuji - 164

Naomichi Marufuji - 163

Yuma Aoyagi - 154

Rei Saitou - 148

Hayato "Jr." Fujita - 147

Suzu Suzuki - 145

Arisu Endo - 141

Yuki Kamifuku - 137

Mizuki - 131

Hazuki - 130

EVIL - 128

Saki Kashima - 126 [SAKI SWEEP. TOP 10 NEXT YEAR]

Iyo Sky - 125

Shingo Takagi - 122

Great O-Khan - 121

Kairi Sane - 120

Miyu Yamashita - 119

Shinsuke Nakamura - 118

Kaito Kiyomiya - 115

Syuri - 113

Go Shiozaki - 111

Overall these awards are just popularity contests but I still liked a lot of what I saw. The Favourite Wrestler top 50 actually being half women is great and soon enough it'll be all women and we can finally admit we just don't need men's wrestling any more. I can't believe how insanely popular Cosmic Angels are, especially with the let's say rocky 2023 they had, but I guess some things are just so undeniably great people can't miss it.

[eraserisms]

Shota is one of those guys who are always thinking about the Roman Empire.

[questintheskies]

[elitehoe]

Your NOOJ updates are the best. But can I get a rundown of winners? And the cage match? 🥺

Asking for reasons.

Of course! Now warning I am delirious so this is gonna be something.

I missed the first match, which was Yano and Yoh vs Taguchi and Oleg. Yano and Yoh won which like as they should simply for the vibes.

This was where I turned the stream on, Bishamon vs Great-O-Khan and Newman. This was actually such a fun match. I'm a UE girlie, but always rooting for a Bishamon win!

House of Torture vs Despy, Shota, Tiger Mask and Tomoaki, I'll be honest I checked out during this one and rightfully so cause HoT won 🙄

Just 5 guys vs LIJ, all I have to say is that Tsuji makes the vibes so gay and I appreciate it so much. Just 5 guys took the win and the post match was interesting like Tsuji and Yuya were pulling each other's hair.

I cried my way through Okada vs Tanahashi, so I can't really give much thought about any of the match, but Okada won. It was the perfect send off and I'm genuinely so scared to see where he's gonna end up.

ELP and Hikuleo vs Chase and Kenta. S I G H. I don't even know where to begin like I want to maim Gedo for booking ELP and Leo to lose. Chase having gold in the year of my lord 2024 is just sick work and I demand compensation.

I went stupid during ZSJ vs Bry. I think I blacked out at some point and the wires in my brain caught fire when they started looking like they were fucking. Zack finally got his win back and I am now demanding a threeway with ZSJ, Bry, and Nigel!!

United Empire vs Bullet Club, everyone looked stupid fine. Will made me cry in his entrance. This match was pure intensity there were times I genuinely felt sick. Will and Drilla should not be allowed to blade, they gush like faucets. I think everyone was highlighted perfectly in this match. Everyone in UE had their time to shine, but BC were complete beasts in this. It was an EPIC match and one of the best recent cagematches in my opinion. Bullet Club took the win and came out looking exactly how they should now that they are the most dominant faction. Will broke down in his post match and I cried like a baby.

And that's a wrap hope you enjoy!!

[vigilante-bardock]

Awakening

Orion's POV

"WHAT?!" We all exclaimed as we looked at the artifact.

"Us?" I said, " Heroes?" There had to be some sort of mistake. There was no way in hell that something as powerful and mystical as this Matrix would ever choose us three: A Greek-Mexican guy conceived during his parents' late teens to early twenties. A Jewish otaku who's considered a shame to most of her relatives because of her natural pink hair. A Japanese-Irish guy who was the result of an affair gone wrong.

"There's got to be some kind of mistake, Mr. Matrix, sir," Ariel said, running a hand through her hair. "There's no way that the three of us are worthy of your power."

"Ah," The Matrix replied, glowing softly as it spoke. "But you are worthy. In more than one way." It turned its attention toward me and spoke. "Orion is humble and kind. He's always had the heart to do what's right and the strength to put his own life on the line for the sake of others." It then focused on Ariel. "Ariel is always thinking ahead and quick on her feet. When the going gets tough, she gets going." Finally, it came to Dion. "Dion has always been quiet but is never afraid to speak his mind when he needs to. When he sees the weak being hurt, he's more than willing to help them and take the punishment." 

"What about Ladybug and Cat Noir?" I asked. "They're probably more worthy than we are."

"There is darkness and corruption within the Black Cat..." The Matrix hissed as soon as I said that. "The Ladybug is filled with nothing but lust and an obsessive desire for perfection..." Its blue core glowed brightly. "It was the Guardians who murdered Sentinel Prime! The Miraculous wielders must never obtain the Matrix of Leadership, for if they do..." The Matrix seemed to pause for a moment as if it was scared.

"I think we get it." I said, "So let's say we do accept your power and we become heroes as you say we will."

"What will happen if we're confronted by Ladybug and Chat Noir and they try to force us to hand you over?" Dion inquired, speaking for all three of us. "I don't think they'll like the idea of other heroes operating independently from them."

"You will simply fight back." The Matrix replied nonchalantly. "They can never obtain the Matrix for in doing so they will cause a severe imbalance of the cosmos..."

"Who would we even be fighting against?" I asked. "Other than Hawkmoth I really can't think of anyone else." If there was one thing I learned from watching a lot of anime, it was that when someone was offered something like The Matrix or power like it, it was because of some great menace that was coming.

"A valid question," The ancient relic replied, "You would be fighting against the Decepticons, a faction of rogue Cybertronians led by an Emperor of Destruction. The one Sentinel Prime faced was Straxus." The Matrix then went on to explain that long ago, on the distant mechanical planet Cybertron, there was a race of robots that called themselves Cybertronians.

At one point they became engulfed in a war that eventually spread to other worlds, reaching Earth around the beginning of the Greek Empire. 

"The Greek Empire?" I exclaimed, making a realization. "That was 2,000 years ago! That means-"

"Indeed..." It proclaimed. "The lineage of Primes have existed since the time of Alexander the Great..." It then went on, talking about how when the Cybertrons, the good guys, were about to leave Cybertron, they all had a vision of the Matrix being here. After that, it then talked about how the first Prime was an ordinary Greek farmer named Pavlo who, along with his friends Ulysses and Aria, became Prima, Magnum, and Ena, the first humans ever chosen by the Matrix. And how when they died, It had chosen a Japanese woman named Aitō Hahaoya, who became Solus Prime along with her friends, Sumire Narukami and Shota Akagi, who became Yui Magnus and Izanagi-1.

"So it's kinda like One for All," Ariel whispered. "Always being passed on from generation to generation..."

"Indeed," The Matrix replied, "It has been passed down for centuries, always choosing someone worthy of its power."

"Now we've been chosen..." I trailed off. My thoughts were then interrupted by my phone ringing. I took it out only to receive a nasty surprise.

"Giant Transforming Robots invading Paris!" Ariel exclaimed her face in a state of shock and worry. "Nathaniel!" She gasped.

"Decepticons..." The Matrix said, its core glowing brightly. "The choice is yours. But know that if you do accept this power, you three will become targets of the Ladybug and Black Cat..."

I thought about this for a moment. "Can you give me and my friends a moment please?" I inquired, a little unsure about all this.

"Well?" Dion whispered. "What do you guys think?" 

"I think we should take the offer," Ariel replied. "It doesn't seem right to just let Ladybug and Chat Noir be the only heroes in Paris." She then growled a little. "Besides, it's like what the Matrix stated." Dion and I looked at each other in confusion.

"That being?" I inquired, unsure of what she meant.

She sighed. "I saw the way Ladybug looked at you, Orion. It wasn't an innocent look at all." Ariel's face turned angry as she continued. "She was undressing you with her eyes. I know that look because I used to do it to you too." My face began to turn red immediately after hearing that.

"That aside," Dion said, ignoring what Ariel said. "How do we even know that it's telling the truth?"

"We don't." Ariel replied, "but we also don't know if it's lying either, so we're at an impasse."

"We accept the power, there's no telling what could happen after we beat the Decepticons," Dion pointed out, "Orion, what do you think?" 

I thought hard about it. The power was tempting but there were also consequences. What would happen if we beat the Decepticons? What would happen if Ladybug and Cat Noir tried to obtain the Matrix?

Would they use it properly? Or would they try to abuse its power?

"I say we accept," Was my reply. "We owe the people of Paris that much."

Dion and Ariel looked at each other before nodding at me. "We'll follow you till the end, Orion," Dion commented.

"Just like how you've always had our backs." Ariel finished, her eyes burning with determination. 

I took a deep breath as I turned towards the Matrix. "We accept," I said, my eyes full of conviction. 

"Very well then...." The Matrix responded. "I have taken heed of your resolve...." The relic then slammed itself into my chest as it began merging with me. "Arise... Optimus Prime..." I fell to my knees as I tried to hold myself up. Two beams of light appeared from my chest and hit Ariel and Dion at the same time. Dion fell to the floor as if he had a nasty case of indigestion. Ariel, on the other hand, looked like she was gonna vomit from it.

The great transformation awaits, Autobots..." the Matrix stated. "Prepare to be...reformatted..." Our eyes began to glow a brilliant blue as we changed...

Nathaniel grunted as he ran away from the Decepticon Blackout, whose attention they had caught by accident when Nathaniel, being the dumbass he was, decided to free the people that were in the prisons, only for Blackout to suddenly pass by and chase him when he caught the artist picking the locks. That didn't blow his cover though. He didn't blow his cover was blown when he was questioned to recite the book "Towards Peace" (which he managed to somehow bullshit through). His cover was blown when the real Métsóded showed up. Luckily for Nathaniel though, he had managed to figure out how to fire the blaster that Blitzwing gave him.

He had told Alix it be better if they split up so they couldn't be followed by Blackout. "You cannot run forever, Gaian!" Blackout proclaimed as he chased after Nathaniel. 

But I can sure as hell try. Nathaniel thought as he turned a corner and hit a street lamp, causing him to collapse in pain. Shit! That fucking hurts! He thought as he put his hands over his nose, trying to stop the nose swelling.

"Time to die Gaian," he heard Blackout say. Nathaniel looked up and saw Blackout pull out a blaster from his chest before preparing to fire. 

See you soon, Mom... Nathaniel thought as he closed his eyes and welcomed death...

Only for a slash, and the clanging of metal to be heard and Blackout screaming his head off. Nathaniel opened his eyes to see a yellow robot with jet-like appendages destroying Blackout with no effort. The most unique thing about him though was the sigil on his chest. It wasn't purple and sinister like the Decepticon insignia, but red and resembling more of a face. He turned towards Nathaniel, revealing his burning blue optics.

Nathaniel and the new robot looked at each other, not taking each other's eyes off the other. The artist didn't know why, but for some reason, he thought the robot was very familiar.

"Go," the robot said in an unusually calm voice.

"Huh?" Nathaniel went confused as to why the robot had decided to help him.

"Go." The robot repeated, "Your friends are safe. Help is already on the way."

"Who are you?" Nathaniel asked, somewhat scared of this new arrival.

"I am what you will soon be." The robot replied, turning his back towards Nathaniel and activating his forearm wing blades. "A survivor."

Meanwhile...

Decepticon drones littered the streets of Paris as Megatron watched in glee. Paris was just the beginning. Soon all of Earth would be under Decepticon control. And not even Ladybug and Cat Noir will be able to stop me! Megatron thought with absolute glee.

"You've caused enough destruction, Megatron!" He heard a young masculine Gaian voice say. Megatron turned and saw a blue-haired boy with blue antennae on his ears and a white mask covering his mouth. His body was consistent with that of a 1979 Freightliner truck.

"I haven't even started!" Megatron cackled maniacally as he fired his fusion cannon at the boy. Instead of killing him as it should have, the blasts simply bounced off like nothing. "You!" He exclaimed in shock. "Who are you?!"

"Your worst nightmare, Megatron!" The boy said. He then proceeded to charge at Megatron, slamming into him. Thinking fast, Megatron ejected a beam saber from his hand only for it to be crushed by the boy.

He's moving faster than I can register! The giant alien warlord thought as the boy punched him in the torso. This strength! Only one type of being can have this amount of power! "You intrigue me, boy!" Megatron commented as he broke free from the Prime's grip. "You might be worth my time!" 

Ladybug

Ladybug grunted as she dodged another attack from the Vehicons drone she was fighting.

"Damn it!" She exclaimed, "these guys are tough!" She was suddenly tackled by a robotic cat, causing her to fall on her back. "Get... off... me!" Ladybug huffed as she tried kicking the mechanical feline off of her.

The cat simply growled as it prepared to bite when it was blasted on its side, turning both of their attention towards Ladybug's savior.

It was a red-pink car with white highlights and a red face on its front hood. Its appearance looked like that of a futuristic Convertable with guns coming out of its hood, firing at the cat. The robot cat then jumped off Ladybug and then landed on the car, trying to scratch it up.

The car then transformed, throwing the cat off, into a human girl that had hot pink hair and sapphire blue eyes. The newcomer's hair was done in a high ponytail, a silver ring keeping it in place. Her armor was the car reassembling itself into a more female humanoid figure. Attached to her back was a pair of wing-like appendages that had the front of the car mode on them. On her head a pair of white horns jutted from her head at an angle, reminding Ladybug of a rabbit or antelope.

"Figured you could use a hand." She commented as she pulled out a gun and started firing. "Name's Elita-1," the girl introduced herself. "The big bot said you guys need all the help you could get."

"It's just you?!" Ladybug asked, panic appearing on her face. "This is not how I wanted to go out!"

"Calm down, Bug girl." Elita-1 replied, her expression unchanging as she pulled out a beam saber, "Your partner's getting back up too." She turned toward Ladybug. "You know how to fight with a sword?"

"Yes?" The spotted heroine replied, a little confused by this new arrival's attitude. If she didn't know any better, she would've guessed that Elita-1 had planned for this.

"Aim for the cat's neck!" Elita-1 suddenly exclaimed, "You cause him to transform into their altmode!" Ladybug then dodged a swipe when she did just that, causing the cat to suddenly convert from a robot cat to some kind of cassette-like form.

Huh, Ladybug thought as she sliced at another Decepticon. Who knew? 

Ariel's POV

As much as I hated to say it, Ladybug wasn't that bad when it came to fighting with a sword. I dodged a few shots from a Vehicon drone before pulling out my blaster and shooting its head off. Then one Decepticon suddenly generated electricity from their hands. "Nice ability," I commented, sweeping their legs, "Mind if I try?" I grabbed his hand, which caused mine to glow for a second. 

"What the-?!" The con exclaimed before being shocked by me.

"That was quite the shocker," I said, before chuckling a little bit. Suddenly all the Decepticons around me began to groan from the pun. "That was a good one!" I exclaimed, glaring at them. Ladybug simply shook her head in response.

"Nobody can challenge the rule of Megatron!" A Decepticon named Lugnut exclaimed. I then drove up to him, transformed, and then uppercut him.

"Then call me that: nobody!" I exclaimed as he fell on his back. Acting fast, I then pulled my blasters and started firing at the giant, right before he got back up.

"Enough!" He screamed as he threw his hand back, causing a red button to appear, which started to beep rapidly. "In the glorious name of Megatron, I shall-" Lugnut didn't get to finish what he was saying, mainly because Ladybug threw her yoyo and pressed the button, causing the thing to go off, completely obliterating his arm. "GAH!" Lugnut screamed, holding a servo to his now missing arm.

"You read my mind," I commented turning toward Ladybug with a smile on my face.

"He was getting on my freaking nerves," Ladybug replied. "One more word about Megatron and I would have resorted to a Lucky Charm."

"So you could get a weapon to beat him up with?" I guessed, punching a Decepticon in the face when they tried to sneak at me from behind.

"No," Ladybug replied, throwing her yoyo into a Vehicon's optics, "So I could blow my brains out."

"Yikes," I said, wincing a little at that statement. Suddenly, the two of us heard a roar coming from the Louvre.

Chat Noir

Chat Noir was having a hard time. He just kept getting pummeled by the robots that called themselves the Combaticons and already used up a Cataclysm on a random mech. He was running on fumes at this point when he was hit in the back by the one called Swindle.

"That ring of yers could fetch a huge price on the black market," the Decepticon commented. "I think I'll take it as a form of collateral." He pinned Chat Noir down as he stretched a servo towards his hand, ready to remove the ring.

Suddenly a honking sound was heard, getting their attention. A white 1979 Freightliner truck with a red and blue car carrier drove into Swindle, causing the other Combaticons to scatter. Suddenly, the truck shifted into a more humanoid form. The white truck shifted into a humanoid form as the pieces of the red and blue carrier covered its head, shoulders, chest, forearms, thighs, and feet.

"By the order of the Tyrest accord and in violation of the rules set in place by the Geneva convention you are hereby under arrest for crimes against humanity and Cybertron!" The boy exclaimed, aiming his blaster at the Combaticons.

"A Magnus?!" Onslaught exclaimed.

"That's Ultra Magnus to you, criminals!" The boy corrected as he began firing at them.

"Who're you?!" Chat Noir exclaimed, confused at the arrival of this new individual. "Are you some kind of Miraculous hero?!"

"No time to explain," Ultra Magnus replied, smashing a Vechicon's head in. "I'll buy you some time so you can recharge!" Chat Noir stood in shock before being snapped back to reality by his new ally.

"WHAT'RE YOU WAITING FOR?!" Ultra Magnus growled as he beheaded a drone. "GO!"

Dion's POV

When Chat Noir had left, I immediately turned my attention toward the Combaticons. "You have two options here, 'Cons..." I said, pulling out my Magnus Hammer. "Either you surrender right here and now or I beat you all into submission and turn you all in myself."

"How 'bout we go for option 3: Where we kick your ass and send you to the scrapheap!" Onslaught exclaimed, pulling his gun and firing at me.

"Think I'll pass on that," I replied as I dodged the blaster fire and hid behind a wall. I looked up and realized that Onslaught was above me. A second later all five Combaticons had surrounded me. "Can we talk?" Suddenly,  A roar was heard coming from the Louvre, gaining the Combaticons' attention. Realizing my chance, I pulled out my hammer and did a 3 Stooges slap on their heads, effectively knocking them out.

Now to investigate that noise. I thought as I transformed and followed the source of the noise, running over any Decepticons that were in my way.

Megatron

"You're one very persistent little Gaian!" Megatron groaned as he, a 28 ft tall robot, clashed blades with a 5'8" Gaian male. "I admire that in an opponent!"

"My name," The Prime replied as he struggled against the strength of Megatron's blade, "is Optimus Prime!"

"Then let our battle be as memorable as those of the ancients, Optimus Prime!" Megatron proclaimed.

"You destroy everything you touch, Megatron!" Optimus Prime said, his hand becoming an ax.

"That's because everything I touch is food for my hunger... Hunger for power!" Megatron's hand became a purple flail.

"No!" Optimus Prime proclaimed as he pointed at the Decepticon warlord, "I'm going to end your hunger once and for all, Megatron!" Optimus then swung his ax at Megatron, missing him by an inch or two.

"Almost Prime," Megatron mocked, "but almost doesn't get the job done!"

"You're old, Megatron!" Optimus Prime exclaimed. "Yesterday's model, ready for the scrap heap!" He dodged a swing.

"We'll see who's ready for the scrap heap!" Megatron retorted.

"Junk!" Optimus retorted. "That's what you are, junk!"

"SILENCE!!" Megatron roared. He then smacked Optimus in the face, knocking him down. "Looks like you're going to the scrap heap, Prime!" Megatron walked up to Optimus Prime.

Optimus Prime looked at the Decepticon warlord. The blow had rendered his left arm and eye useless. "Not if I have anything to say about it!" Optimus said, pulling out his ion blaster and firing at Megatron.

"A trick?!" Megatron commented as he dodged it. "I'm almost impressed, Prime!" He then stomped on Optimus Prime's chest, causing him to drop his blaster. "As I said before though," Megatron then kicked him across the battlefield and into a wall. "Almost doesn't get the job done!" The resulting blow knocked his opponent out.

Orion's POV

Pathetic!

Stupid!

What the hell was I thinking, taking this job in the first place?! I fight Megatron for a few moments only to be knocked out by him kicking me into a wall.

I needed to win!

I wanted to win!

I had to win!

Then let us help you...

Megatron smiled as he walked toward Optimus Prime's unconscious body. Once he removed the Matrix from the Prime's body, there would be nothing that could stop him! "Let's see what makes you tick, boy." Megatron cackled as he reached for the boy's chest. Much to his surprise though, Optimus grabbed Megatron's index finger. Then, without warning, Optimus began crushing it. Thinking fast, Megatron fired his fusion at Optimus, causing him to let go.

What was that?! The Decepticon warlord thought as he jumped back a few feet. That blow should have knocked him out! Then to his horror, the smoke cleared, revealing Optimus Prime with even more battle damage. His faceplate was partially gone, exposing most of his mouth, which had a chunk of his left cheek missing, revealing some of his teeth. His left arm hung uselessly as his chest windows were cracked, having taken most of the blast. The Prime looked at Megatron with one eye, the other shut closed.

"What are you boy?!" Megatron exclaimed. "How are you still capable of standing after an attack like that?!"

Optimus said nothing. Instead, he reared his head back and opened his mouth, the remains of the faceplate moving. 

A loud, inhumane sound was heard as it spread across the entire country. It was said that everyone who heard it felt a foreboding sense of dread.

(Warning: Do not wear headphones at full volume.)

Optimus got up and he began charging at Megatron, still roaring as he jumped into the air, landing on Megatron's chassis. Megatron then shot his fusion cannon at the Prime, sending him flying only for the berserker to land on his feet. Optimus spun around simply to continue his assault on Megatron.

Megatron quickly activated a forcefield that prevented the Prime from coming too close to him.

Optimus Prime slammed into the shield, growling before painfully opening his eye and lifting his left arm. Suddenly without warning, Optimus Prime's left arm and face fixed themselves, his right eye doing the same. With full functionality restored to both body parts, Megatron could only watch on in horror as the Prime then began to rip the shield apart, allowing an entry point to appear for him to step through.

Impossible! Megatron thought, his face now in a state of shock. He managed to break through the forcefield like it wasn't even there! He then aimed his fusion cannon and fired directly at the Prime. Optimus then roared as a decagonal shield appeared in front of him, shielding him from Megatron's Fusion Cannon, the resulting impact causing the blast to dissolve into nothing. He managed to raise an AT shield like it was no big deal?! Megatron thought as he dodged a swipe from his opponent.

Without warning, Optimus stopped for a moment, almost like he was contemplating something. Then, he roared again as blue and yellow spheres began popping into existence, stopping around him before forming into a dark green sphere in front of his mouth.

Before Megatron could have a chance to assess the situation, Optimus fired the energy sphere, intentionally missing Megatron by a few centimeters, which made it go into the sky before hitting a random Seeker. The result created an explosion so large and intense, it would have made Michael Bay jealous and terrified at the same time.

Megatron, realizing what Optimus intended to do, did the last thing anyone expected the warlord to do. "DECEPTICONS!" He screamed, getting every surviving Decepticon's attention. "WE MUST RETREAT! OUR OPPONENTS HAVE THE UPPER HAND IN POWER!" He then began flying off as the other Decepticons followed his orders, intent on preserving their own lives. "YOU'VE WON THIS TIME, AUTOBOTS!" He proclaimed, shaking a servo at them. A green portal then opened up, allowing the Decepticons to escape.

For a moment, all was quiet. Then all hell broke loose as cheering was heard from the people. "Did we just...?" Optimus wondered, suddenly regaining control of himself.

1 hour later...

Ladybug looked over the reconstruction of Paris as the people did what they could to return to their normal lives as much as possible. It wasn't easy though, given the state the city was currently in. It was odd enough that when she summoned a lucky charm, she got a face.

What baffled her, even more, was when she fought the Decepticons, the girl who had come to help her wore the same sigil on her body. Now, the boy she was looking at seemed to have the same sigil on his left shoulder. Was there some kind of connection? Maybe by interacting with him, she'll get answers. 

She approached the boy from behind, hoping to somehow catch him off guard. "Hey," she heard Chat Noir say, getting the boy's attention. Ladybug groaned instantly as she smacked herself on the forehead. "Thanks for the help, you saved our butts there today."

The boy simply chuckled, "No problem," he replied, "You looked like you needed help, so we helped ya out." his faceplate moved up and down as if to indicate he was talking.

That's kinda cute actually... Ladybug thought before shaking her head. "We just wanted to thank you, Monsieur..." she said, before blanking out on his name.

"My name is Optimus Prime," the red one, the leader probably, introduced himself as a girl that wore pink car armor and a tall guy with blue and red truck armor walked up from behind him.

"I'm Elita-1." The pink girl replied, "Need me to kick some aft or ask for dating advice, I'm your chick." She pulled out a knife and twirled it, sending a shiver down Chat Noir's spine, almost as if he knew she could kick his ass with ease.

"You may call me Ultra Magnus," The tall guy greeted, "I hope we get along more in the future." He bowed to show respect towards Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Are you three miraculous wielders as well?" Chat Noir asked.

"Not quite," Optimus replied, "We don't use miraculous like you guys. We rely on something else to give us power."

"No need to lie," Ladybug said, "You're just more Miraculous holders like me and Chat Noir."

"He's not lying, Ladybug," Ultra Magnus added. "We don't have any Miraculous to fight with." He then pointed towards Optimus Prime's chest, "What we use is something called the Matrix of Leadership."

"Regardless of what you use," Ladybug remarked before continuing. "I just want to say thanks, but we could have handled it ourselves."

Elita-1 scoffed at that. "Yeah," she muttered under her breath, "If they were Akumas."

"Beg pardon?" Ladybug said, causing Elita to look at her.

"Those weren't Akumatized people, Ladybug." Elita explained, "those guys were, dare I say it, aliens from another world." She gestured towards the destruction that the Decepticons had wrought. "They didn't come here because someone got angry, the Decepticons are an army of robots that are set to universal domination."

"And I'm the Queen of England," Ladybug replied. It was then that they heard a beeping noise coming from the duo.

"That would be our cue to leave." Optimus stated, "We will meet another time, Ladybug." He then turned towards his teammates and said, "Autobots! Transform and Roll Out!" The thing that happened next surprised her: they all transformed into vehicles and drove off.

Orion's POV

"I can't believe we just saved a city!" Ariel huffed as we drove away from the Miraculous duo, "I was so fucking scared the entire time!"

"You and us both Ariel," I replied as we drove towards an ally. "Although, now that I think about it, driving away from Ladybug and Chat Noir was probably not the best idea."

"What're you talking about?" Dion asked as we drove into an abandoned alley. "Their timers were running down and we had no choice anyway. You know what the Matrix said about those two."

"It makes me wonder though," Ariel commented as we transformed and shifted back to our human selves. "The Matrix said something about Ladybug being full of lust and having a desire for perfection." She recalled, dusting off her skirt "Do you think it was talking about the woman behind the mask or the miraculous itself?"

"I'm more worried about what the Matrix said about Chat Noir," Dion stated as he smoothed out his sleeves. "It said that the Black Cat was full of darkness and corruption." He turned towards me, "What does the Matrix say about that, Orion?"

"I don't know," I answered, pushing my glasses up as the three of us walked towards the apartment. "It hasn't said anything to me since our little adventure in the cavern." I pressed my hand against my chest, gesturing to the Matrix being inside my chest. "The only thing that I even remember that even sounded like it was speaking was when I heard someone say to let them help me..."

Ariel unlocked the apartment door, letting the three of us in to see if Nathaniel was around. All we saw was the destroyed remains of a coffee machine-based Decepticon along with tiny holes in the walls.

"This place is a mess," I stated. "Hope Nathaniel's okay." 

"Ya know, Orion," Ariel said, fixing the apartment up. "I was thinking, as heroes we ought to have our own catchphrase."

"What do you propose?" I asked.

"How about, 'You can fight, Transformer!'" She suggested, fixing up a door that had fallen over.

"I feel like that's something you'd hear in a song on a hentai show..." I cringed, remembering when I accidentally played a broadcast of Avengers Kiss Players. I shuddered at the thought.

"What about 'Heroes Together, Autobots Forever!'" Dion suggested, getting a look from both Ariel and me.

"That sounds too much like Power Rangers, Dion," Ariel commented, a sweatdrop appearing on her forehead.

"Till All Are One..." I heard a voice say in my head. I didn't know why, but for some reason, it felt right to say.

"I've got it!" I said, snapping my fingers. "Till All Are One!"

"Huh?" Both Ariel and Dion went, confused by what I said.

"It's the battle cry that our predecessors would say before they headed into battle," I explained. "Every time they thought they were about to die, the Prime would say a prayer followed by the phrase 'Till All Are One.'" Ariel and Dion looked at each other before smiling at me. Smiling back, I knew what to do next. "Let this mark a new beginning as we march forward into a new era of our lives." I looked up at the ceiling. "TILL ALL ARE ONE!" I screamed, holding my fist up, proclaiming the battle cry that our predecessors had once said.

"TILL ALL ARE ONE!" Ariel and Dion said with me as they too put their fists in the air. Right then and there, we truly felt like we were a team and it felt like nothing or no one could stop us.

Clank!

We turned around to see Nathaniel, who was wearing an eyepatch on his right eye and his left arm in a sling. He had dropped his phone apparently when had he walked in on us. And what could he say about the stunning revelation that his cousin and her friends were the ones that had saved Paris other than-

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

[blueonwrestling]

NJPW Windy City Riot 2024

Minoru Suzuki vs. Ren Narita 2.75 stars

NJPW STRONG Women's Title Match Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. AZM 4 stars

NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Title Four Corner Match Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) (c) vs. Fred Rosser & Tom Lawlor vs. TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) vs. The West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs) 3.5 stars

Jack Perry vs. Shota Umino 4.75 stars

Mustafa Ali vs. Hiromu Takahashi 3.5 stars

Riot Rules Match Eddie Kingston, Homicide & United Empire (Jeff Cobb & TJP) vs. BULLET CLUB (Clark Connors, David Finlay, Gabe Kidd & KENTA) 3.75 stars

NJPW World Television Title Match Matt Riddle (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. 3 stars

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Nic Nemeth 3.25 stars

IWGP World Heavyweight Title Match Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Jon Moxley 4.5 stars

A blow away success for NJPW in the united states, well done, Moxley winning the IWGP title is massive, but above everything else Jack Perry showed himself tonight that good fucking lord we've got some gold right there.

Also special shoutout to AZM and Vaquer for having a fucking great match and my BOYS TMDK winning gold finally.

[tourajdaryaee-blog]

A Note on Šahrwarāz in Egypt

Šahrwarāz was the general involved in the conquest of the Roman Empire in the early seventh century CE and became a main actor in the “Last Great War of Antiquity.” Šāhrwarāz, along with the other Sasanian general, Šāhēn were instructed by king of kings, Khosrow II to conquer the eastern territory of the Roman Empire. Indeed, these generals were able to do what was planned by the court and the king and by 619 CE, Šahrwarāz had reached Egypt and the Persians would be in control there till 628 CE. While we have Pahlavi, Greek Coptic papyri from the period of Sasanian presence in Egypt, and we know that in 630 CE Šahrwarāz ruled as the king of kings, we do not have any coins or images of this all-important person. In many ways the Sasanian Empire was brought down by the coup and the probable complicity of Šahrwarāz and not the invasion of the Emperor Heraclius. Understanding the developments in Sasanian Iranshahr between 626 and 630 CE is a key factor in the history of the period. I would point to W. Kaegi (2003) and James Howard-Johnston (2006) whose attention to Heraclius and the great war of the world in the seventh century have given us the basic outline of what took place. The historiography of Šahrwarāz now been masterfully presented by Hameen-Anttila (2022), where we can trace the historiography of Šahrwarāz as presented in the Roman and Iranian based sources. Still, no pictorial images of Šahrwarāz is available and a biography of his is needed to be written.

     Šahrwarāz’s name appears in various forms, such as in Persian as Šahrbarāz and his title Gurāz “boar” in the Šāhnāmeh. This is however one of the titles of the man whose real name is Farroxān, who is the Šāhnāmeh is mentioned as Ferāyīn, and in the Armenian and Georgian sources as Xrean and with similar forms. Tabari states that Farroxān had the rank of Šāhrwarāz (Tabari 1999, p. 319), meaning “Boar of the Empire,” But it is interesting that he may have had other titles, for example Razmyōzān (Tabari 1999, 318), meaning the “War Panther,” variously appearing as Rozmyōzān, Ruzmiozan, Rozmi-Ozan, Razmiołan, Ruzi Bahan (Noldeke 1879, p. 292, ft. 2 : Justi 1895, p. 277 : Hübschman 1893, p. 622-624 : Dowsett, 1961, p. 77, ft. 2).

     It is also interesting that the highest ranking Sasanian personage in the Pahlavi papyri from Egypt (619-628 CE), who carries the title of Kārframān ī dar, a “Chief of the Court,” has the title or named  Σαρϱαλανεοζᾶν / Saralaneozan, which renders Šahr-Ālānyōzān (Sanger 2011, p. 654), and this person has certainly been identified as Šahrwarāz by J. Banaji (2019). But what is to be meant by Šahr-Ālānyōzān? Of course the simple answer is the “Alanian Panther of the Empire.” This affiliation remind me of the Georgian The Knight in the Panther's Skin of Shota Rustaveli and his heroic deeds who took place in lands of Arabia and India. We should be reminded that there are other generals with similar feline titles in the Sasanians period, for example Sar-palang “Leopard Head,” which again reminds of the Georgian Vakhtang Gorgasali.

     There are new finds which suggest the strong Persian presence in Egypt, most notably a Sasanian plate (Azarnouche, Fragaki, Grenet 2020). The Getty Villa had an amazing exhibition and a catalogue on Ancient Iran, edited by J. Spier, T. Potts, and S.E. Cole. One of the pieces that caught my eye there was a bone plaque found in Sohag, in Upper Egypt (2022, 315). The piece is certainly Sasanian in style and the catalogue suggests that it is an “enthroned king.” Leaving aside that the plaque may be post-Sasanian, I noticed that while the figure is seated like a ruler, he is not wearing a crown! So, the figure is seating on a throne, but with no crown; it is from Egypt and most likely from the Sasanian period. Who could this person be? To my mind a strong possibility would be Šahrwarāz.

From the Persian: Ancient Iran and the Classical World, Getty Villa Catalogue, eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, S.E. Cole, 2022.

This is just a blog!

Shall write the article soon.