7/23/23 to 7/28/23 - Masked League

1. Masked League: Wildstar D [3] beat The Herkman [0] in 10:41 with a crucifix hold. 

2. Masked League: El Cerdo Mostaza [3] beat Earth Warrior [0] in 8:06 with a twisting headbutt. 

3. Masked League: Pollo Dorado II [1] vs. A-Jota Caballero [1] ended in a draw (15:00) when the time limit expired. 

Night 1 of the Masked League hosted the opening ceremony, where all six participants were introduced. There were a number of topics coming out of the first night of the Masked League, but the biggest was the main event. A-Jota Caballero, who fans quickly recognized as having quite the resemblance to one, AJ Knight - took the fight to the Cruiserweight Champion Pollo Dorado II. If this was indeed AJ Knight, Dorado's cardio held up much better in this bout than their springtime title bout. They wrestled a fast pace, exchanging holds and trying to one up each other at every turn. After eleven solid minutes of this frenetic pace, the bell sounded to confusion and Mason Marvelle was handed a note announcing it was a time limit draw. However, the venue has a large digital clock in plain view and many fans noted that the main event began at 9:43 PM and was called dead at 9:54. The fans threw garbage into the ring, calling into question the decision. Cabellero was none too pleased, but Dorado looked even more upset by the call and threw the championship title at some Pollo Bucket officials at ringside.

The match between El Cerdo Mostaza and Earth Warrior proved to be a great novelty to the fans in attendance. Earth Warrior's protesting certainly didn't win him any fans, and mentioning through his translator that he came in an electric vehicle certainly made El Cerdo Mostaza the favourite, surprisingly. However, the new Jr. Heavyweight tag champion's trickery gave Mostaza some serious fits, dodging the big man's attacks at every turn. Warrior came off the top rope with a huracanrana, which nearly finished Mostaza, but the big man rallied back - Warrior missed a senton and Mostaza delivered SIX consecutive gutwrench suplexes then debuted a bizarre new move - a rushing spin-around headbutt/senton. Roy Vezina would later in form the timekeeping table it was called "El Tiro de Sal" and it was the icing on the cake, as Mostaza racked up three points with the pinfall win.

Wildstar D made his long anticipated return to the Pollo System, having last been seen in 2016. Kalidah and Lotte were so excited about this that they came to ringside, watching their new minion - the masked Herkman. The mysterious Herkman struck early, attacking the stomach of Wildstar D which appeared to have some kind of prior injury, a testament to the dark army's scouting. Herkman scored a two count with a vicious looking gutbuster, but the fans began rallying behind Wildstar, who responded in kind with a burst of energy. Herkman tried to attack but ate a deep arm drag, then fell victim to a standing dropkick. Herkman powdered out and Wildstar seemed poised to fly, but Lotte stepped in front of the minion much to the dismay of Kalidah. The Herkman yanked D out of the ring by his ankle, then rammed his torso into the ring apron before throwing him back in. The Herkman climbed the ropes and waited for D to be in proper position, leaping off for a bulldog... but Wildstar D dodged it! He grabbed Herk and German suplex'd him! In lieu of a bridge, D bounced off the ropes and blasted him with a sliding elbow strike. Herkman tried to fight through it, but D grabbed his arms and pinned them to the mat with a crucifix pin and scored the three count! Lotte berated the Herkman after the match, smacking him in the back of the head while Wildstar was given some ice packs for his midsection.

During the intermission, WAG1 came out and danced for what felt like an eternity. Crazy Boy took the mic and told the crowd to be cool, but the sweaty fans boo'd the suggestion/demand. Jin Hirai said he was tired of him and his boys being disrespected, saying there was no reason that Crazy Boy shouldn't have been in the Masked League. He added that 7/24 will see WAG1 in trios action and specifically called out Lynx and MEZA, stating that they have a loss to avenge against them before his group focuses on winning the World Jr. Tag Team titles.  He told them to find a partner - if they had any friends!

1. El Cerdo Mostaza [3]

- Wildstar D [3]

3. A-Jota Caballero [1]

- Pollo Dorado II [1]

5. Earth Warrior [0]

- The Herkman [0]

1. Masked League: A-Jota Cabellero [4] beat The Herkman [0] by pinfall in 5:31 with a DDT.
2. Masked League: Wildstar D [6] beat Earth Warrior [0] by pinfall in 9:15 with a shiranui. 

3. Jin Hirai, Crazy Boy & Jeremy Squire [W] beat Lynx, MEZA & Orville Newton [L] by pinfall in 13:46

4. Masked League: El Cerdo Mostaza [6] beat Pollo Dorado II [1] by pinfall in 14:48 with a lariat. 

Night 2 of the Masked League drew equal to Night 1, bringing in around 800 fans to see the highly anticipated rematch between Pollo Dorado II and El Cerdo Mostaza.  Dorado entered first, then Mostaza stormed down to the ring which had extra security just in case he went beserk again... but it was Dorado who struck first as he soared over the top rope and into the crowd of security and Mostaza! Mostaza however came out of it unscathed and holding the Cruiserweight Champion! Dorado was unceremoniously tossed up, or down, the aisle with an overhead belly to belly suplex! Security successfully managed to get Mostaza back in the ring as the medics checked on Dorado.  Pollo Bucket officials came out and seemed to be leaning towards a disqualification, but Dorado sprung to his feet in clear pain and reportedly told them - "If you end this match, I'll unmask right here and now!" and so the PBO reluctantly backed off.  Dorado hobbled down to the ring, Mostaza grabbed him and delivered three consecutive gutwrench suplexes before making a cover... but Dorado kicked out at one?! El Cerdo Mostaza became steaming mad, but Roy Vezina leapt onto the apron and called his client over - soothing his anger with some kind of word soup, but this opening allowed Dorado to get back into the match as he launched his whole body into a chop block and cut the big man down, then began raining mounted punches and tried to apply a triangle choke from mount.  However, Mostaza was able to roll over and began lifting PD2 off the mat - the champion relinquished the choke and did a go behind, attempting a rear naked choke.  He was ferociously slammed to the mat, then Mostaza rushed up onto the second rope and fell backwards seeking an elbow drop, but found no one home! From there, Dorado tried his best to keep Mostaza on the mat but the earlier attack was taking its toll.  As Mason Marvelle announced a minute remaining, legitimately this evening, the Pollo Bucket officials looked uneasy.  Mostaza missed his corner slingshot splash, Dorado did a double stomp and went upstairs for the Golden Bird Splash, but slipped and had trouble regaining his footing.  Mostaza tried to attack, but Ted Thomas tried to intervene.  Instead of risking getting DQ'ed, Mostaza went out to the apron to avoid the referee.  Dorado fought tooth and nail, trying to fend off the big man but several headbutts and a lariat sent Dorado crashing back to the mat inside the ring.  Mostaza fell inside and covered, 1-2-3 as the PBO looked horrified! The crowd had a mixed reaction, but Roy Vezina jumped for joy - claiming Mostaza was now the lineal cruiserweight champion. 

In the opening bout, A-Jota Cabellero met the Herkman.  Caballero's methodical approach to the mat prevented the Herkman from executing the offense that he wanted to.  Herkman rolled out of the ring and went underneath, drawing the verbal abuse of Lotte who once again accompanied him to ringside - Kalidah was notably absent.  Herkman reemerged and fared a bit better against A-Jota, but got a bit cocky and wound up on the receiving end of a quick DDT.  Caballero rolled him onto his back and scored the three! 

Before the second match could begin, Earth Warrior seemed very interested in Wildstar D and asked his translator to come onto the apron with him.  The two called Wildstar over and began questioning him about the state of the world in the future, asking him all sorts of questions about renewable and alternative energy sources.  Wildstar D admitted he couldn't answer these due to a code in the time travelling community, but Warrior called him a fraud and smacked him! The two had a great lucharesu battle, exchanging strikes and trying to outmanuever one another with fancier moves when they could.  Earth Warrior attempted a huracanrana off an Irish whip, but Wildstar powerbombed him and followed it up with the Cosmo DNA - a standing shiranui to pick up three more points! After the match, Wildstar D told Earth Warrior his activism efforts are in the right place, but urged him not to go to the Appalachia area. 

In non tournament action, Lynx got Orville Newton to team with him and MEZA.  Lynx and Newton had a bit of a teacher/student bond themselves back in the late 2000s, but Newton opted to go with Los Pollos in the Rainbow Pro fallout.  Their interactions at Rainbow Road seemed to repair the bond enough to make this team a possibility, but MEZA was none too pleased with this.  WAG1 showed themselves to be a formidable threat, especially against a trios that wasn't quite getting along as they should.  Some late match miscommunication saw MEZA get struck by Orville Newton, who profusely apologized, MEZA however left the ring without acknowledging him.  This left Newton to fall victim to the Jack in the Box, the tandem lungblower/backstabber sequence done by Hirai and Crazy.  The two left the ring and Squire covered him, MEZA was the only one with a save left between him and Lynx... but he opted to watch as his team was defeated.  After the match, WAG1 danced while Lynx and MEZA got into a heated argument and began shoving each other.  MEZA stormed off as Lynx helped Newton to the back.

STANDINGS AFTER DAY 2
1. El Cerdo Mostaza [6]
- Wildstar D [6]
3. A-Jota Caballero [4]
4. Pollo Dorado II [1]
5. Earth Warrior [0]
- The Herkman [0]

1. Masked League: Earth Warrior [3] beat Pollo Dorado II [1] by pinfall in 10:51 with a cutback cradle. 
2. Masked League: El Cerdo Mostaza [9] beat The Herkman [0] by knockout in 4:45.
3. Masked League: Wildstar D [9] beat A-Jota Caballero [4] by pinfall in 8:57 with a small package. 

Back for Night 3 with a crowd of 600, the day was an important one as it marked the halfway point of the tournament.  We began with a champion's duel as the World's Cruiserweight Champion Pollo Dorado II battled World Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Earth Warrior in a competitive bout.  Dorado tried to keep the match grounded with submissions, utilizing his superb grappling skills to easily do that for much of the match but it was the injuries accrued in yesterday's brawl with El Cerdo Mostaza that ultimately did Dorado in as Warrior was able to break his arms free of the Romero Special/Mexican Surfboard and fell on top of Dorado, who was unable to break free! Dorado was obviously disappointed after the bout, but shook Earth Warrior's hand.  The Pollo Bucket officials at ringside tried to get a word with Dorado after the match, but he hobbled off to the back and right out into his rental car.

The Herkman took the fight right to El Cerdo Mostaza, who earned some cheers as he fought from behind.  Lotte slammed her hands against the apron, egging her minion on as he used as many underhanded tactics as he could to combat the size difference.  Mostaza was able to goozle Herkman, but a quick chop to the throat broke him free and he hightailed it out of the ring.  Roy Vezina tripped Herkman as he ran, allowing Mostaza to catch up.  Herkman was halfway under the ring when Mostaza yanked him back out and chokeslammed him through the timekeeper's table.  Lotte threw up her arms and stormed off as Ted Thomas' count reached ten, awarding Mostaza his third straight win in the tournament.  Vezina left his business card on Herkman's body.

During the intermission, Lynx and some dojo students came out to have an in-ring demonstration which was interrupted by "Dare" Devlin Masters.  Masters got into the ring and piefaced the students, demanding a house mic but Lynx snatched the microphone before he could speak and threatened to stuff it up his ass.  Masters begrudgingly backed off as security intervened. 

In the main event, Wildstar D met A-Jota Caballero and many fans spoke of how anticipated this match up was.  Caballero was unusually aggressive, powering through a plethora of kicks to force Wildstar D back against the ropes and cracked him with an elbow to the jaw.  Wildstar ate it flush, but proved to have quite the chin as he not only shook it off but asked if Caballero really wanted to do this.  A-Jota nodded and D tried for a kick, but Caballero blocked it and took him to the mat.  With several scrambles tiring both men out, Caballero settled down into a grounded front facelock and tried to work to apply an over-the-shoulder crossface but D rolled through into a pin! A close two count had Caballero reconsidering his approach, but Wildstar would start using his striking a bit more defensively - keeping Caballero at bay.  As Caballero faked a kick and tried a takedown, Wildstar small packaged him and got the three! After the match, Caballero pulled him in on the handshake and whispered something which got Wildstar nodding in response to close the event. 

STANDINGS AFTER DAY 3
1. El Cerdo Mostaza [9]
- Wildstar D [9]
3. A-Jota Caballero [4]

4. Earth Warrior [3]

5. Pollo Dorado II [1]
6. The Herkman [0]

1. Masked League: Pollo Dorado II [4] beat Wildstar D [9] by pinfall in 14:55 with an inside cradle. 
2. Masked League: The Herkman [3] beat Earth Warrior [3] by pinfall in 11:20 with a flipping cutter. 

3. Lynx & Orville Newton [W] beat Crazy Boy & Jeremy Squire [L] by tapout submission in 7:26 with an over-the-shoulder single leg crab hold.

4. MEZA beat Jin Hirai by pinfall in 5:07 with a superman elbow.   

5. Masked League: A-Jota Caballero [7] beat El Cerdo Mostaza [9] by disqualification in 8:09.

It was a day of the spoilers! Despite being mathematically eliminated due to his rocky start in the tournament, Pollo Dorado II was able to pick up his first win in the Masked League by pinning Wildstar D in the closing seconds of the opening match.  With both men already banged up, they were a bit more systematic than usual and very respectful of each other's grappling and striking respectively.  Wildstar D tried to keep things standing while Dorado tried to take it to the mat with bodylocks and trips, but each successful takedown was thwarted by D working his way back out.  With the clock winding down, Wildstar showed off an amazing vertical leap, trying for a Frankensteiner but Dorado fell back into the ropes.  With Wildstar down, Dorado stomped his chest and quickly applied a cross armbreaker.  Wildstar fought it, trying to get saved by the bell - even fighting up and stacking him but Dorado rolled it into a pinning predicament and scored the pin with five seconds left! Wildstar told Dorado there's a reason he's champion and shook his hand. 

The Herkman also got on the board and ruined Earth Warrior's chances.  Kalidah and Lotte's minion was left to his own devices for this bout, but this seemed to alleviate the pressure on him as he wrestled a pretty solid bout opposite Japan's Earth Warrior.  It was an interesting dynamic with the crowd solidly behind the Herkman and him repeating the audience's chirps at Earth Warrior about recycling and electric cars and so on.  Warrior tried an O'Connor roll late in the match, but Herkman hung on and then dropped out of the ring and went underneath.  Earth Warrior looked on in confusion, but turned around into a running knee! With Warrior wobbled, Herkman came off the top and nailed a flipping cutter to secure the three! Lotte came out to congratulate him and the strange Herkman smiled - which kinda creeped the supportive crowd out.

Lynx and Orville Newton teamed for the first time, battling the brother tandem of Crazy Boy and Jeremy Squire.  It was a paint by numbers tag team bout that saw Newton earn the victory for his team with a variation of the Stretch Muffler that he calls the Spock Lock.  Newton jumped for joy after the tapout, thanking Lynx for the opportunity to team with him and hurried to the back to inform "Mr. Dorado".  Immediately following this, Devlin Masters came out and jumped Lynx! He beat him up a bit before security cleaned things up.  MEZA came out for his match and seemed unaware of what transpired, but did try checking on his mentor before Jin Hirai attacked him from behind! Hirai sent MEZA into the ring and tried to use the sneak attack to his advantage, but the youngster would battle back and earned a win by clocking Hirai with a Superman elbow! Afterwards MEZA rolled out before a confrontation with WAG1 could occur. 

In the night's main event, A-Jota Caballero's methodical approach gave El Cerdo Mostaza fits, but Roy Vezina's program and guidance at ringside helped reel the big man back in each time.  Even so, A-Jota's repeated efforts to not just avoid but counter every big slam attempt that Mostaza had up his sleeve was driving him bananas.  A scoop slam attempt saw Caballero slip out, but Mostaza turned around and goozled him and backed him up against the ropes.  As Ted Thomas counted to five, Caballero went out onto the apron.  Thomas called it clean - Mostaza did not throw him over and technically broke before five so the match continued.  Mostaza disobeyed the next orders and followed A-Jota onto the apron, hoofing him in the gut and threatening to powerbomb him on the floor.  Caballero punched his way free and then kicked Mostaza in the thigh, doubling him over and delivering a DDT from the apron to the floor! The crowd erupted as Thomas checked both men out and somehow let them continue! Caballero had to pull himself out of the heap of Mostaza and dragged his body back up onto the apron at eight, but his mask was grabbed by Mostaza as the the crowd all collectively gasped - wondering how he could fight back up from such a devastating maneuever! Caballero wrapped his legs around the ropes as Thomas' count reached nine, but the mask came free as Mostaza hit the floor! Caballero... or AJ KNIGHT! did not make it back into the ring in time, but it didn't matter as Mostaza committed a red card foul with the mask removal.  Roy Vezina tried to argue the call, saying it was a desperation move but A-Jota Caballero was awarded the win by DQ! Mostaza was attended to by medics as Vezina verbally undressed the referee!

The fifth in final day will be an interesting one as Mostaza and Wildstar D are tied for first, a win for either one will secure the Masked League.  A draw and a win from A-Jota Caballero turns this into a three way tie that will be determined the shortest match length in the tournament.  Dorado, Warrior and Herkman are all eliminated, but will finish out their last matches tomorrow. 

STANDINGS AFTER DAY 4
1. El Cerdo Mostaza [9]
- Wildstar D [9]
3. A-Jota Caballero [7]

4. Pollo Dorado II [4]

5. Earth Warrior [3]
- The Herkman [3]

1. Masked League: A-Jota Caballero [10] beat Earth Warrior [3] by pinfall in 7:22 with a superkick.
2. Masked League: Pollo Dorado II [7] beat The Herkman [3] by pinfall in 6:55 with the Pollo Clutch. 

3. Devlin Masters beat Ricky Quest by pinfall in 5:07 with a piledriver. 

4. Masked League: El Cerdo Mostaza [12] beat Wildstar D [9] by pinfall in 12:58 with a run-and-twist senton. 

The final day of the Masked League saw some suspense and surprises! AJ Knight put his mask back on as A-Jota Caballero, as he was contractually obligated to.  Caballero wanted to finish things quickly, attacking with some urgency but Warrior got him with a kick to the face! Warrior followed up with a headscissors takedown and began working on the head, trying to force a tapout.  In the final moments, Warrior sent Caballero across the ring with a huracanrana and seemed poised to follow it up, but instead ran right into a superkick! Caballero quickly covered, earning a three!

Seeing a golden opportunity to wreak havoc on Pollo Road, the Herkman was sent out to dismantle Pollo Dorado II! The minion attack Dorado in the aisle and rammed him into the steps, then repeatedly raked the back and clawed the eyes of Dorado.  The fans rallied behind the cruiserweight champion, who's mask began spurting out blood.  Dorado fought back, mixing strikes with takedowns and trying to apply submissions but the Herkman got to the ropes each time.  Herkman would nail the Canadian Destroyer, then went up top and came off with a diving headbutt that missed.  Dorado acted quickly, applying the Pollo Clutch and scoring the win with the elaborate pinning combination! After the match, a second minion attacked Dorado from behind! The two men ripped their masks off to reveal green face paint, but Dorado sent them packing with a springboard crossbody!

"Dare" Devlin Masters was scheduled to battle Lynx, but the match was cancelled.  Lynx was accompanied by Ricky Quest, a promising student in the dojo, as he limped to ringside. Masters suggested that Lynx was scared, but Quest asked to fill-in and Lynx accepted.  Quest's amateur base gave the crowd a false sense of hope that he had a shot vs. Masters' overwhelmingly chaotic offense.  Masters tried elaborate submissions and pinning holds, terribly so, in an effort to draw the ire of Lynx.  The dojo trainer tried to shout instructions to Quest, but Masters kept shouting over him rendering everything inaudible.  Masters would eventually bore of his instigating tactics and drove Quest's head into the mat with a piledriver and rolled him onto his back for the 1-2-3 as he stared Lynx down.  Masters called for Lynx to get inside the ring, but stage hands wouldn't let it happen.  Undeterred, Masters picked up Quest and delivered a second piledriver and told him he was going to keep doing it until Lyn-- LYNX GOT IN! Even injured, Lynx tackled Masters to the mat and the crowd was all about it.  WAG1 appeared from the crowd and rushed the ring, putting the boots to Lynx and helping Masters back up to his feet.  The crowd would get a big surprise as MAD MAX made his return to Pollo Road, storming down to the ring.  WAG1 backed off, leaving Masters in there by himself.  He looked around frantically as Max got in, but the big man hit Lynx with a lariat as he stood back up! Masters cackled as the crowd turned on the formerly beloved Max, who invited WAG1 back in as the five men resumed their attack, some dojo students rushed the ring but were quickly dispatched.  The crowd popped once more as MEZA came down to the ring and slid in, WAG1 was ready to jump him but Max told them to stay back.  MEZA loudly asked "what the fuck is going on!?" and Max told him money talks as Masters rubbed his fingers together for the crowd.  Max told Squire and Crazy to grab Lynx and hold him up, inviting MEZA to attack.  MEZA looked at his coach and the recent arguments clearly played through his head as he cocked his fist, but then struck Max with a superman elbow to a monstrous pop! WAG1 dropped Lynx and attacked MEZA, Masters retrieved a chair and smacked him across the back.  He put the chair around the ankle of MEZA and told Crazy to come off the top, but Max got up and put a stop to it - telling them they can take care of 'em later.  Masters shrugged and kicked MEZA in the face before they all exited the ring.  Lynx crawled across the mat to check on MEZA, but the youngster pushed his mentor away and scurried away hurt. 

It was now time for the main event as the tournament hung in the balance.  El Cerdo Mostaza and Wildstar D tied at nine points, A-Jota Caballero holding ten points.  A victory for either man would secure the Masked League while a draw would force a tie-breaking method based on who had the fastest total in-ring time across the league.  El Cerdo Mostaza came in a little subdued, banged up from the DDT that A-Jota Caballero gave him to the floor while Wildstar D was still battling the mysterious injury to his torso that he got prior to the tournament... somehow.  Despite the size difference, Wildstar ducked the grapple attempt and grabbed a hammerlock and then kicked the arm! The big man yelped before Wildstar rushed in with a push kick, sending Mostaza down to the mat and out of the ring.  Roy Vezina, Mostaza's manager, attempted to calm his man down and motivate him.  Back inside the ring, Wildstar tried the hammerlock again but got trapped in a bear hug.  Wildstar's grunts indicated that this wasn't going to be a long match if he stayed in the hold, so he headbutted his way free and followed up with some palm strikes.  Mostaza fell to his knees, clutching his head before slapping himself multiple times.  Wildstar busted out a rolling solebutt, knocking him back into the ropes.  Wildstar rushed into the ropes and came storming across, looking for the Blazing Star knee strike but Mostaza caught him with a lariat! Unfortunately he wasn't able to follow up and the fans began rallying behind Wildstar, who barely beat the big man back to his feet.  He grabbed Mostaza in a rear waist hold and tried to German suplex him, but the strain on the torso forced him to relinquish it.  Mostaza spun around to grab him, but Wildstar greeted him with a solebutt kick to the arm! Wildstar grabbed it and delivered multiple knees from a standing position, then a leg kick to the hamstring - sending Mostaza down! With the big man on the mat, Wildstar nailed a senton and drove all his body weight onto Mostaza's arm.  He then held the arm in place as he began driving both knees into it, alternating.  Mostaza heeded the advice of Vezina and grabbed the ropes, but came up clutching his arm to his body.  Wildstar charged him, spinning around and applying an Octopus stretch... but Cerdo snatched his arm back and slammed D down into the mat with all of his two hundred and ninety pounds on top.  Mostaza stumbled to his feet, more or less fell into the ropes but pushed off and struck Wildstar with a flying hip attack as he attempted to stir back to a vertical base.  With Wildstar down, Mostaza tucked his arm away from the impact as best he could as he slammed his weight down with El Tiro de Sal! The run-and-twist senton connected and he pulled D's legs up with good arm and made the back to chest cover to secure the win! Mostaza was given a chair to sit in in the post-match, being handed a trophy and a giant novelty check for $100,000 the big man looked anything but pleased.  Roy Vezina on the other hand couldn't be happier as he couldn't take his eyes off the check.  The media snapped photos and Wildstar D even offered a fist bump, but Vezina shoo'd him away before Mostaza could respond. 

FINAL STANDINGS
1. El Cerdo Mostaza [12]
2. A-Jota Caballero [10]

3. Wildstar D [9]

4. Pollo Dorado II [7]
5. Earth Warrior [3]
- The Herkman [3]