My ortho said I had bad bone bruising from a fall on my knee that could take 12 months to heal. I’ve had pain between 1 and 4 out of 10 on a 24 hour basis for about 10 months now. Turning right or left was the worst as it felt like my upper body would go one way and my foot would stay in the old direction. Pain was from my thigh to my shin. I had grinding, pulsating, and sharp twinges of pain in my knee. It started snapping. Also a pressure feeling. Standing, sitting, laying hurt my knee. Zero improvement from day one. My Dr. said the pain was related to the bone bruise so I was waiting for it to heal. I was starting to lose hope and felt doomed…
I stepped down strange on my foot yesterday, felt a big pop and sliding sensation in my knee, and had 98% immediate relief. Immediately I could walk without any pain.
So, not a bone bruise.
It is still feeling right today, with a little bit of new tenderness I wonder is related to the pop.
Now I’m debating going to ortho to figure out if I’ve been damaging my knee from walking with it misaligned for 10 months. A little scared of it popping back out. But so happy to be pain free and so suddenly.

A Brief Introduction

I used to struggle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). It got to the point where I was afraid to eat, as every meal, even small ones, would trigger brutal heartburn. My skin was peeling off my hands, almost to the point of bleeding. Constant stomach and intestinal pains, bloating, belching - I was like a gas machine. I couldn't do any sports because any physical strain would provoke gastric acid reflux and severe heartburn. A perpetually irritated esophagus caused discomfort whenever I ate.
But, it seems, I managed to heal all this. Everything is good again now: I eat almost whatever I want and don't suffer.

Part 1: Backstory from 2017 to 2020

Rash, Blisters, Stress, Didn't Pay Much Attention

• Blisters began to itch, so I visited a dermatologist and took tests: no fungus, no skin problems.
• Went to an allergist, conducted a ton of expensive allergy tests, no problems found.
• Saw a gastroenterologist: they found mild gastritis, but it wasn't causing problems.
• I let it go, thinking it would pass on its own.

Part 2: 2020 - 2023. Symptom Worsening

COVID-19 Pandemic and Businesses issues causing a lot of stress

In 2020, COVID-19 hit. My businesses were crumbling due to lockdowns - restaurant chains, coffee shops, and educational schools. I was paranoid about the health risks and potential loss of relatives due to the pandemic (several of my close friends and acquaintances had lost relatives to COVID-19).
I was working 24/7, sometimes eating whatever was at hand, and that's when my digestive problems began. Heartburn, discomfort, and lower abdominal pains started occurring more frequently.

Health Issues and COVID-19

I got vaccinated, but still got infected with COVID-19, and it took about a year and a half for my sense of smell to return.
My immunity was feeble without vitamins and proper diet, and there was a lot of psychological and physical strain (I tried to exercise 4-5 times a week, running, to somehow compensate for the work-related stress with sports).

Seeking Medical Assistance and Temporary Relief

Eventually, I started visiting gastroenterologists to understand the cause of the heartburn. Nothing critical was found in the stomach, except for an irritated mucosa.
I went to some doctors, and they prescribed Omeprazole and similar acid-lowering medications. They gave some relief for a week, but then the symptoms worsened.

Health at its Worst and a Slight Ray of Hope

After several courses of Omeprazole and similar drugs, my condition only got worse. In the end, it got to the point where I was afraid to eat. I eliminated everything from my diet except water and simple boiled dishes, but I still had constant heartburn, gas, skin peeling on my fingers, etc.
Ultimately, I was fortunate to meet the 4th or 5th doctor, after whom I began to see small improvements.

Part 3: Getting Slightly Better, But Not Much

The Different Approach That Started Helping

This doctor's approach was a little different, and in the end, it started helping.
The doctor ordered some tests, and we discovered that I had a chronic E.Coli infection in my intestines, which should not be there. Usually, it causes acute poisoning and quickly leaves the body, but it also produces pretty strong toxins (which, as I would understand later, caused inflammation in the intestines, which in turn caused skin problems on my hands). (link to wiki and articles)
Symptom 1: Skin rash - Check.
This infection, as I understand it, (correct me if anyone has more detailed knowledge), by receiving nutrients, begins to actively produce an excessive amount of gases. This causes constant (every 1-2 minutes) burping and the desire to pass gas, which in turn creates excessive pressure in the intestines. This pushes stomach and intestinal contents towards the esophagus and disrupts the proper functioning of all digestive processes.
Symptom 2: GERD - Check.Symptom 3: Burping and Farting (sorry) - Check.Symptom 4: Abdominal pains and cramps - Check.Symptom 5: Stones in the gallbladder and slight pains in gallbladder area - Check.

Attempting to Balance the Microbiome

So, this doctor wanted to try to balance my microbiome. He prescribed diets like Fodmap, a lot of supporting medicines to feed the right bacteria, and at the same time, he wanted me to take antibiotic-type medicines to kill E.Coli. It was also thanks to this doctor that I found out I have confirmed lactose intolerance and Gilbert's Syndrome.
We started with bacteriophage, as one of the most gentle ways to kill E.Coli without disturbing the other "good" bacteria.
During the time I took bacteriophage, the symptoms were getting better (the skin and everything), but when I stopped it (after 14 days or so) things returned to where they were before.

Recurring E.Coli Infections

After that, I retested and we found E.Coli again.
Now we tried the antibiotic rifaximin (in small dose), the effect was the same: better symptoms, everything got back after I stopped taking antibiotics.
Now, I took the test and found out that I didn't have any normal E.coli in my intestines, apparently it was replaced by the infectious E.coli.
The third time, it was prescribed to take bacteriophage first for 10 days, then rifaximin in small dose (200 mg twice a day for 14 days or so).
The result was exactly the same: symptoms return, E.coli persists in the test.

Struggling to Balance the Microbiome

During the antibiotic treatment, I took supporting prebiotics, probiotics, and other drugs. However, the probiotic with E.coli was not available in my country, it was not produced, and there was none in pharmacies at all.
After that, I moved from the country to another country and lost contact with my previous doctors.
Since I had been suffering from this for 5 years already, I was almost desperate to cure it all. I collected all the information I had, everything I discussed with doctors, everything I read on medical resources, confirmed by verified medical research, and decided to take a risk and wage a final battle with E.coli and my problems.
Disclaimer: I do not recommend and even warn against self-medication. I am not a professional doctor and I was lucky that it helped me. I initially consulted with literally dozens of doctors, read all thematic resources, acted on the results of my current tests and analyses.

Part 4: Relief

Having moved to another country, I decided to do the following:

1. Take a large dose of rifaximin for treating E.Coli (550 mg x 14 days).
2. Support the balance of the microbiota during the entire intake of the antibiotic by taking Saccharomyces Boulardi.
3. Follow a fodmap-diet throughout the entire drug intake period.
4. Completely eliminate sugar during the antibiotic treatment, for 2 months from the start of the antibiotic treatment, and limit sugar intake after that (i.e., no sodas, chocolates, sweet drinks. I clearly noted a worsening of symptoms immediately after their intake).
5. After the end of antibiotic treatment, I took Mutaflor for a month (starting with 3 tablets twice a day for the first 3-4 days, then two weeks 2 tablets twice a day, then 1 tablet twice a day). Remember, according to my test results, I had little or no normal E.coli in the intestines and instead, the pathogenic E.coli was actively hanging out and enjoying life.
6. I restricted, but did not completely remove, the consumption of lactose.

I finished the treatment a month ago and so far, I don't see any symptoms of the disease: skin problems are gone, heartburn, rumbling in the intestines, gases also disappeared.
I may feel heaviness in the intestines after consuming dairy products in large amounts (for example, Greek yogurt with berries before bedtime), but if I limit the consumption of dairy products, I do not feel any problems with the intestines.
Now I am trying to solve problems with the gallbladder and smoothly return to a normal active life: I'm not afraid to eat, exercise, I don't wake up with pain in the abdominal area at night or in the mornings.

Part 5: Final and Good Luck

I hope that such a detailed story will help some of you not to despair, find the right doctor, the right approach, and the right reasons for your problems and to wake up without pain in the intestines again, eat any food without fear, and enjoy life again.

2023 Results (So Far): +18.78 Units
2022 Results: +73.185 Units
All Time: +92 Units

Full transparency, I run a MMA betting service called Provide Picks. We have been operating for roughly a year and a half completely tracked and verifiable with a return of over 96 units in that short time. You can find our full tracking sheet history here and you can also see a bunch of customer testimonials and betting slips throughout that time here.
Me myself, I have watched MMA religiously for more than 10 years and trained for over 4.5 years, I love this sport so I figured why not help bring some insight and analysis to others! Now this isn’t a sales pitch, I know how Reddit works and I really enjoy the opinions shared on this sub-reddit so I genuinely want to help contribute and if you enjoy the output, please feel free to join the team! We are proven to be profitable long-term so if you have some spare change to invest at any level, you love the sport and are interested in improving your knowledge - come over and check us out at providepicks.com. As we have a fair base of paying members, it wouldn’t be fair to them to share every single one of our bets however I want to provide as much value for this betting community as people, hopefully to help you guys see a different angle in terms of MMA betting and long-term profitability and more importantly - sending these bookies broke.
Anyways enough waffle - let’s get into this week’s shenanigans. This is a surprisingly fun fight night card, I love these events that are lower on name value but just full of decent talent and exciting matchups. This is definitely one of them and generally when you have slightly lesser talent stacked fight nights, you have a night full of violence and finishes - let’s see if that continues in this one. Onto the breakdowns!
Maxim Grishin (32-9-2) vs. Philipe Lins (16-5):
Grishin is a tall, orthodox fighter who is just a real good mixed martial artist. He is a big frame for the LHW division, is strong and still has fairly slow, plodding style of movement and footwork. Is good in the clinch, very good at holding position by winning underhooks and using his big head to frame against the neck of his opponent and keep them in position for taxing knees to the body and just wearing on them with his big frame. I like his ability to keep the fight in his range, using slight forward pressure and a decent feint game to his advantage. Can be a little heavy set on the lead leg so should look out for the speedy outside leg kick of Lins in this one - Grishin is also pretty handy at catching the body kick and punishing. Personally, never been massively high on Lins in his career, admittedly he has looked better since dropping to his proper weight class post juice cycle but it is against weak competition. He is OK everywhere but not great anywhere, I do like his hand-speed with his boxing combos especially when pressuring forward. I think he mixes in takedowns well in his game at times but he can also be held against the cage. I probably slightly edge Lins in terms of cardio but I also do think this is a massive watch the scales fight due to Grishin’s size and propensity for bad weight cuts. This is a tough fight to call given both guys are fairly unimpressive. I favour the speed of Lins with the hand-speed and kicks definitely but he doesn’t set them up intelligently. I think Grishin can hold Lins against the cage, wear on him with his size and win minutes. I capped this fight 50/50 and I think we see a close fight, will take Maxim Grishin by UD but with very low confidence.
BET: No bet.
Luan Lacerda (12-2) vs. Da'Mon Blackshear (12-5-1):
I like what I saw on debut from Lacerda - he has a very Muay Thai style of fighting, very flat-footed with a high guard, move forward pressuring with the lead leg ready to pop up and check kicks quickly. He has sharp, fast hands and particularly his hooks to the body are very technically sound. Against Stamann he was able to mix some grappling in when it suited but it is clear he is more of an Aldo style fighter that prefers to stuff takedowns and keep it on the feet. Coming up against Blackshear here who I have been very impressed with even though he is off 2 losses. Da’mon is a super well rounded guy, I like his creative offence on the feet and I also like his offensive grappling ability on the ground too. Defensively, he leave a little more to be desired and can be a little comfortable with fighting off his back which I don’t particularly like. We haven’t seen too much grappling from Lacerda so will be interested to see how he fares in this one but I think the technicality of Lacerda on the feet, the ability to mix his targets to the head, body and legs and just land the more damaging strikes will edge him this one. Taking Luan Lacerda by UD.
BET: No bet.
Jinh Yu Frey (11-8) vs. Elise Reed (6-3):
I would be doing a disservice to everyone who reads this if I honestly told you with any level of confidence that you should put your hard earned money anywhere near this fight. Don’t, simple as that.
Daniel Santos (10-2) vs. Johnny Munoz Jr. (12-2):
This is a super fun matchup between two very efficient grapplers which should make for a exciting scrap here. Let’s start with Daniel Santos, if you knew nothing of this guy and watched him fight and had half a clue on MMA, you would know immediately that he is a Chute Boxe fighter. He has relentless forward pressure, irresponsible boxing defence and is a very kill or be killed style fighter. I like his stalking style, but he has little head movement besides the pull counter really, likes to pressure you until that back foot is up against the cage and then explode in with spinning attacks or elbows from weird angles. He keeps his hands high but then head on centre line and thus far has shown some crazy durability but this can only get you so far. Looks to have solid grappling, not accepting bottom position and constantly looking to invert and throw up submissions. Against Arce he looked good however Arce was able to be elusive with his footwork, stick and move and use angles well to counter in and out of range. I think against anyone who can effectively stay on the outside and use smart, straight shots effectively, he will struggle. I just don’t think that guy is Munoz JR on the feet - he is clunky, doesn’t throw in combinations and looks to parry alot of shots defensively which I really don’t like against a guy who throws wild, unorthodox strikes in Santos. He is a solid wrestler with some good offensive TD numbers but he has to be careful not to shoot unintelligently and throw himself into a submission which will make him hesitant and have to strike. I think Munoz’s wins have been against low level guys who aren’t in the promotion anymore and I think this is a bad stylistic fight for him. I think Santos will land the more damaging shots and I fancy he gets him out of here in under 2 rounds. Taking Daniel Santos via TKO RD 1.
BET: Like the look of the Santos moneyline, fancy Santos Inside the Distance too but will wait to see what price this opens at. If we get anything in the realm of +125 to -120, I would look at a 1.5 unit play. Under 2.5 rounds is an option also depending on price, I think it will probably be around the -200 to -250 play so anything south of that will be a play too.
Andrei Arlovski (34-21) vs. Don'Tale Mayes (9-5):
Huge experience edge to the old-dawg here in Arlovski. Mayes has been everything but impressive thus far in his UFC career and I don’t know how you could be intrigued to play either side in this one. Mayes can hit hard and is reasonably athletic for the HW division but skill for skill outside the boxing, he doesn’t offer a lot. I couldn’t be confident on ever betting him to be quite honest. You know what you’re going to get with Arlovski and that is volume, if his chin can handle what is coming back at him. He is a special for split decisions so if you’re a degen and want action, look to that but for me, no interest here. Will take the side of Andrei Arlovksi via UD using his volume and experience but you couldn’t be more lower confidence.
John Castañeda (19-6) vs. Muin Gafurov (18-4) :
Gafurov taking this on short-notice with Castaneda set to take on Mendonca before that was cancelled and replaced with possibly the furthest opposite style of fighter. The Gafurov gameplan is simple, contest on the feet, use blitz attacks such as looping overhands when moving forward followed by a double leg against the cage and rely on his Sambo capabilities to hold top position and out-work his opponent. Castañeda is a guy that doesnt get a huge amount of spotlight but I like his game alot. He has nice footwork, good striking out of southpaw and orthodox, has good wrestling entries and is able to grapple competitively, just a solid all around mixed martial artist. In this one, I really favour the movement and footwork of Castañeda and I think the speed is going to give Gafurov issues. Castañeda is sitting at a 60% TD Defence rate which is concerning against a guy who will consistently shoot like Gafurov, but I think Castañeda will be hard to find, using the angles in and out of the pocket and throwing quick shots up the middle to dissuade and make Gafurov think. I like John Sexi Mexi Castañeda to win this one by UD.
BET: No lines opened yet but have capped Castañeda as a 60% winning chance.
Elizeu Zaleski (23-7) vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov (17-3-1):
Zaleski is an interesting fighter to me. Good sprawl, solid TD Def against the cage, good balance and strength to win underhooks. Quite a flat-footed striker, not a massive amount of footwork but I like his rear leg power kick, he hits the body well and switches levels nicely. Relatively low volume and works single shots mainly without a massive amount of feinting. The frequency that he fights worries me but it has been the story of his career. Abubakr is the typical Dagestani fighter, limited stand up basically a quick overhand right and other single shots, tied in with a grinding, gruelling wrestling pace. He seems on the lower end of the Nurmagomedov scale in terms of skill, often leaving himself open to submission when in top control whether it’s knee-bars or even the common triangle. He is able to hold a good pace over 15 mins which is good given how top heavy and smothering he can be at times. He fights out of both stances, looks more comfortable out of OD but if he fights SP, I think he will lose this fight. Zaleski is too sharp on the feet especially with the body kicks and straight shots which will only be accentuated in the opposite stances. I also think the knees for Zaleski are going to be huge here, he throws them with bad intentions in the centre and against the cage which tied in with his teeps and front kicks are a dangerous sight for Abubakr. Abubakr is a good chance at smothering the fire power of Zaleski and just wearing on him but I think he is dangerous enough off his back to survive and challenge at times and I expect the damage will start to add up on the Zaleski side and I think we see a finish. Taking Elizeu Zaleski via TKO RD 2.
BET: Zaleksi ITD will be a play if over +200. Moneyline odds are probably bang on.
Guram Kutateladze (12-3) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (16-5):
Guram has a K1 kickboxing background and it shows, very high level on the feet with good head movement and sharp, unpredictable strikes set up with a smart feint game. He has really good distance management, uses great fundamentals and is super quick with his hand-speed and he finishes combos with kicks which I love, its that kickboxing mentality. He fights out of All Stars which shows in his TD Defence especially against the fence, he is clearly strong but has very good wrestling and counter wrestling technique. He has had a super high level of competition and performed very well in wins and losses, we just don’t see him active enough due to injuries and bad luck. Mullarkey is an absolute junkyard dog, pushing the pace and moving forward with intense pressure making you fight every second of that 15 minutes. He like to engage in the pocket, for better or worse, and in recent times we have seen his wrestling really shine through some of these tough scraps. He has a nice jab which I expect to be pumping prior to every combo and entry for Mullarkey. I just think at this point in his career this is quite a tough fight for Mullarkey. Guram is a super high-level striker with a good base for stuffing takedowns and keeping the fight in kickboxing range. I expect Mullarkey to want to close distance and engage, I just don’t think defensively he is strong enough to absorb and adapt to the speed and combinations of Guram and I think we see that chin tested for Mullarkey. I think this is a bit of a step down in competition for Guram although if Mullarkey can get some early takedowns it will be interesting to see the gastank of Guram tested. The activity is always a question mark but at this point I think Guram should win this handily, will be taking Guram Kutateladze via TKO RD 2.
BET: Wouldn’t touch Guram at -350 but he should win.
Karine Silva (15-4) vs. Ketlen Souza (13-3):
Silva should win here but at that price, even blind Freddie could see that this is a pass on the moneylines. Silva actually has a high finishing ability in terms of WMMA, so if we can get a good price on a fight doesnt go the distance line, that could be an option here.
BET: Wait for round lines to drop.
Tim Elliott (18-12-1) vs. Victor Altamirano (12-2):
Altamirano is a SP fighter, fairly unusual style of striking with sort of a Tony Ferguson style mixed in with some well timed takedown attempts. He has very little power in his strikes but OK volume. Defensively, he leaves a lot to be desired with a modified sort of philly shell style where his lead hand is low and near the hip, he does get hit and often but he has shown very good durability. His takedowns worry me at times because he is very content to dip his head to an advancing opponent and run a double or single leg, he is very open to knees and front kicks up the middle. Tim Elliott lives up to his nickname of “Awkward” extremely well. He has bizarre head movement, footwork and feints that all tie in to his sort of herky jerky style of fighting. He is able to tie his wrestling game in very well, I’d say technically he is far more technically sound than Victor. He does put himself into submission opportunities with some of his entries but im not too worried about that in this fight. This has the potential to be one of the worst fights we have seen TBH and only because of how weird and unorthodox these guys are, the awkwardness really has the potential to make this fight a strange one. I am pretty confident that Tim has the grappling/wrestling edge and also the more diverse and comfortable striker, the recent occurrence with Tim and Gina Mazany in the media does give me pause that he might be coming into this too emotional but I think it may fire him up to really perform. I think Tim is under his value here and can win in a multitude of ways, going to take Tim Elliott via UD.
BET: Tim Elliott Moneyline -175 (2 Units to win 1.14 Units)
Jim Miller (35-17) vs. Jared Gordon (19-6):
I will keep this one short and simple, Gordon is a really bad stylistic matchup for Miller and would win probably 7/10 times currently BUT he is returning way too soon after getting KO’d by that headbutt from Bobby Green. Gordon has good wrestling and generally good durability with a knack for pushing these grinding paces and outworking and outlasting his opponent. Pair that up with good submission defence and thats a horror fight for A10 Miller. But you can never count Jim out, he hits hard for a vet, he is unorthodox and he has the potential to catch you. For me, Gordon should roll here but I love to play Jim Miller round one given that is his money round - have cashed plenty on this through his career! Short breakdown and not a thorough one, I think Jared Gordon should win this fight but I think it is too soon. I will take Jared Gordon via UD**,** but take it with a pinch of salt.
BET: Jim Miller wins round 1 (price not available yet, .75 units)
Alex Caceres (20-13) vs. Daniel Pineda (28-14):
Haven’t had time to break this one down yet but will update if any bets come off it!
Kai Kara-France (24-10) vs. Amir Albazi (16-1):
KKF is a kickboxing fighter who we have seen develop nicely through his career in the UFC. He has worked tirelessly on his takedown defence and it shows in his huge improvement in ability to not only stuff shots but his ability to use the cage and his excellent balance to keep his feet underneath him. I think KKF’s hands are still fairly rudimentary and not necessarily in a bad way, he uses the jab decently well and relies on the 1,2 sometimes too much. For his weight, he has good power and one area I really like are his leg kicks, he has solid rear leg power kicks that he lands very efficiently off the back of his straight shots. Albazi is more of a grappler in nature with a majority of his victories by submission but I have liked what I have seen from him on the feet also. He has a sharp, snappy jab which he works off the back of and allows to dictate the fight. He has a pretty limited kicking game and in terms of kick defence, I expect KKF to really try and exploit the lack of checking and the heavy set stature of Albazi. In the grappling realm, I don’t think it’s close. Albazi has some elite scrambles on the mat and if you’re content to sit in his guard, he has some really damaging ground and pound in which he will equally target your head and body and punish you and wear on you. Albazi is far superior in terms of grappling but the question is will he be able to get it down to the mat? I think his timing going under the big right hand will be an option and I think he will be able to use his strength advantage when in close to muscle certain movements. This is a big step up in competition and his first venture into main event rounds which is a worry. This is going to be a fun fight and I am really looking forward to it but I think as long as everything looks good after weigh-ins, I will be on the Albazi side. He is improving with every fight and I think we see him get this fight to the ground and wear on KKF, eventually finding a submission, probably a RNC. Taking Amir Albazi via SUB RD 3.
BET: Will wait to see what round lines are set at. Will be looking at the Albazi Inside the Distance line also.
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And that wraps up the breakdowns for this week! We send our followers the full betting cards on Saturday morning here in Australia, post weigh-ins. Nothing worse than betting on a fighter pre weigh-in, just to see him look like complete shit on the scales. We will post some of our betting card here incase anyone is interested!
Good luck, always gamble responsibly and remember to hang around long-term because there will be ups and downs but trust the process and we will build some bankroll. Would love to know if you agree or disagree anywhere and let us know who you are riding with below. Enjoy the fights! - Dylan.

I am a 30 year old female, living in the middle east. I have been working in the banking and government sector for around 10 years now. I switched to 5 jobs and managed to increase my salary to the point it became very hard to move anymore but i am very satisfied with my current income.
However, I am always unhappy with work, i never found passion in any of the jobs i worked in, i lose interest 3 months into the job, I just hate it and I do not think that corporate jobs nor their culture are meant for me. I always get praised that i am a hard worker and smart and i get high performance ratings. yet, i just don't feel that i am nearly self satisfied with what i do or what the organization objectives vs outcomes and i feel everything that i do is stupid. I can confirm that these feelings are not new and they are always have been there in every single job.
Lately, i have been thinking to go through a major shift in my life that does not include switching to a new job. I am very passionate about cooking, nail art and gardening. I had an impression that i cant make a living out off them but i have been exploring opportunities to become a chef or nail tech that i can work on my own making my own income with out working under any organization. I can manage to study and get the necessary license or whatever it requires on my own pocket (savings).
I am just worried that this is a very impulsive decision and that i will regret it and maybe just treat my current job as just a job and carry on with life with no emotional feelings about the job..
note: i can be temporarily dependent on my husband for essentials such as rent and groceries. So i am not on my own which should make it easier for me. it will definitely be a financial pressure to my partner if do not have any income.
How can i evaluate this decision? how can i give up having a steady income? it is too late to make such a decision? should i start part time and see how things turn to be?

No one can ever predict a Bill Belichick draft.
When people start assuming he’ll act based on his stereotypes (first-round trade down, OL early, no early WRs, all Alabama players or small school guys or guys from Rutgers), he’ll do the opposite. When the consensus is that he’ll shift away from those stereotypes, he’ll lean right into them.
So in observing mock drafts, both full and team-centric, there was a lot of accord that he would follow those stereotypes. (Adam Korsak, both a punter and from Rutgers, was EVERYWHERE.)
But then the end of April came.
Before then, New England had suffered a 2022 season full of embarrassment, from Matt Patricia and Joe Judge’s ineptitude at running the offense to a team that seemed to find new ways to lose in humiliating fashion (a certain ill-fated lateral sequence peak among them). The Patriots went from their dynastic reign as a team which would trounce their opponents in laughers to the team that everyone pointed and laughed at. Mac Jones’ Patricia- and Judge-sparked regression along with impressive cameo appearances by ‘22 rookie Bailey Zappe split the fanbase into Mac and Zappe camps, with sports media fueling the flame by spreading or outright fabricating rumors of Belichick shopping Mac, rumors which lasted through the first day of the draft. It was an ugly season and an uglier start to the offseason.
The franchise clearly needed to make changes in 2023, and changes started near the top. Patricia and Judge lost their roles, the former joining the Eagles coaching staff and the latter moving to lead special teams, a necessary move as this Belichick-led squad had plummeted to the lowest-ranked third unit. (More on that later.) Patricia had filled the dual roles of de facto offensive coordinator and facto offensive line coach, and filled both roles with the acumen of me designing plays in Backyard Football 2002, except I could actually design plays that resulted in touchdowns. Judge had manned the quarterbacks room, and given that Daniel Jones finally broke out for the Giants once Judge had been booted from mentoring him, you can guess how that went for Mac and the Pats. In his new role in charge of special teams, he has already cost the team two OTAs and Bill Belichick $50,000 for an offseason meetings violation, and has elevated his 2022 title of Co-Most Hated Man in Foxboro to Single Most Hated Man in Foxboro.
Anyway, New England needed to fill their old roles, and brought in:
Bill O’Brien, Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks Coach A long-time friend of Belichick’s, O’Brien returns for his second stint as Pats OC, having dictated the offense in Rob Gronkowski’s record-setting 2011 season. Additionally, O’Brien comes by way of running the offense and the QB room at the University of Alabama, which spawned Mac Jones. Mac regressed in 2022 after an impressive 2021, but recall that 2022 was under the abysmal leadership of Patricia (calling his plays) and Judge (his direct coach), a situation in which no one could develop. By bringing in his old OC and QB coach, Mac has been put in the best possible position to develop in ‘23, a position which will much more clearly give fans a vision of his future as an NFL quarterback. (And the playcalling will be legitimate! It’s been but a year and we have already forgotten what creativity, route concepts, and misdirection have looked like!)
Adrian Klemm, Offensive Line Coach Belichick’s first draft pick after taking the helm in New England in 2000, Klemm has joined the team after coaching at Oregon last year. He comes with a strong reputation at that coaching position, having headed a Ducks O-line that allowed just five sacks in 2022. Last season, the Patriots saw a regression from their veterans on the line, most notably in Trent Brown’s newfound flag-happiness, and first-round rookie guard Cole Strange put forth a mixed performance. Bringing in an actual offensive line coach gives the team the best chance to fix any issues that showed in ‘22 and to develop their young linemen.
Of course, coaching was not the only issue last season, as New England was criticized for their lack of talent on the roster. Of New England’s high-cash free agent class of 2021, only edge rusher Matthew Judon shined in both his seasons in Foxboro: neither tight end Jonnu Smith nor wideout Nelson Agholor ever got off the ground, tight end Hunter Henry regressed after a solid ‘21, and wideout Kendrick Bourne found himself suddenly in Patricia’s doghouse and off the field. Moves needed to be made as the calendar turned to free agency.
Notable Departures
S Devin McCourty (retired) The most prominent departure from the ‘22 squad, McCourty is one of many who can be termed a quintessential Patriot. A first-round cornerback out of Rutgers in 2010, D-Mac made the switch to safety in 2012 and locked down the position for the next decade. When he was on the verge of leaving the team in free agency in 2015, even reaching out to Belichick to say goodbye, Belichick signed him to a top-valued safety contract and kept him in red, white, and blue. His leadership and personality made him a joy to watch on the field and off, his personality showing itself especially well recently through interactions with his twin brother Jason, who played alongside him for the Patriots from 2018 to ‘20. Statistically, D-Mac ends his career with 35 interceptions, one shy of the franchise record, and 4 touchdowns (two picks, a kickoff return, and a blocked field goal return). We miss him already.
P Jake Bailey (released; signed with Miami) What a drop. After an All-Pro season in 2020, Bailey signed a four-year extension in 2022 only to become the worst statistical punter in the league. After he was injured, the Patriots brought in Michael Palardy, who managed to be even worse (personally, I blame the team’s curse that comes with the jersey number 17). Neither punter remains with the team, Bailey joining an AFC East rival in the Dolphins and Palardy currently unsigned.
TE Jonnu Smith (traded to Atlanta) There is a strong case to be made that Smith is the worst free agency signing Belichick has made as Pats GM. In the two years since inking a 4-year, $50 million deal, Smith totaled just 55 catches for 539 yards and one touchdown, and a ‘22 restructure of his contract meant that Smith appeared to be a monetary albatross the Patriots would not be able to shake loose. What led to Atlanta agreeing to take on his whole contract, sending New England a seventh-round pick to get the player, I have no idea, but I think every Pats fan would agree that Smith didn’t work out in the least and a change was best for all sides.
WR Jakobi Meyers (signed with Las Vegas) Meyers’ departure was somewhat shocking, as the 2019 UDFA had worked his way up to the top of the Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart. More of a big slot guy than an outside #1, Meyers had a minor role in his rookie season and started 2020 at the bottom of the depth chart, but injuries to the players above him got him onto the field, and a 12-catch, 169-yard performance against the Jets that November meant he wasn’t leaving it anytime soon. While not possessing top-tier speed or explosiveness, Meyers was the team’s best route runner and separator, and his departure left another void that needed to be filled.
QB Brian Hoyer (released, signed with Las Vegas) Hoyer was third on the depth chart, Zappe having shown enough to take the #2 spot. While a fine veteran mentor, the Patriots chose to go a different direction with that third QB role.
WR Nelson Agholor (signed with Baltimore) Agholor was given a two-year contract in 2021 with the anticipation of his being the #1 receiver, something which did not happen due to his unreliable hands and separation abilities. For those two years and $22 million, Agholor produced 68 catches, 835 yards, and five touchdowns. Not worth it.
RB Damien Harris (signed with Buffalo) By far the most productive member of the Patriots’ atrocious 2019 draft class, Harris was good in New England but had been passed on the depth chart by sophomore Rhamondre Stevenson midway through 2022. Couple that with Belichick’s predilection to let running backs walk instead of giving them second contracts, sprinkle in a dash of two ‘22 draft picks (Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris) who will get more opportunities in 2023, top it off with the return of Ty Montgomery II from injured reserve, and it’s no surprise that Harris is no longer a Patriot.
T Isaiah Wynn (signed with Miami) Another former first-round pick, Wynn was all right as a left tackle though was criticized for frequent injury problems; with his fifth-year option picked up for ‘22, he was inexplicably switched to right tackle, where he was very bad. He never really earned the role of franchise tackle, so it was expected that the Patriots would let him walk.
But on the upside, the team now has:
Additions
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (via Kansas City) After Meyers signed with the Raiders, the Patriots worked quickly to bring in his replacement in the slot. Smith-Schuster revived his career in Kansas City and is now in position to be a primary target for Mac for the next three seasons, possessing more explosiveness and speed than his predecessor. The biggest concern with JuJu is his durability, but I believe the Patriots have made preparations in the draft (spoiler) in case that becomes a significant problem. The fanbase is excited for Smith-Schuster on the field in Foxboro, and deservedly so.
RB James Robinson (via New York (the green side)) A one-time breakout UDFA in Jacksonville, Robinson’s role diminished with the rise of Travis Etienne Jr.; after being traded to the Jets, Robinson never got settled into a role. In New England, Robinson is likely first in line for the #2 RB spot behind Stevenson, an important role given that Stevenson’s overwork saw his productivity decline as last season came to an end. Robinson also possesses the pass-catching versatility that Belichick loves, a role Harris was never used in but Stevenson is, further suggesting he can have a significant spot on the field for the Pats.
TE Mike Gesicki (via Miami) As Smith never worked out as the co-#1 TE, here comes Gesicki. A pure pass catcher at the position, Gesicki has the size and hands to be a reliable target in the red zone, and should pair nicely with Henry for a potential TE-heavy formation as the team approaches the goal line.
T Riley Reiff (via Chicago) T Calvin Anderson (via Denver) While neither comes with the contract expectation of being a long-term solution at either tackle spot, the hope is that Reiff (expected to start at RT) will be an upgrade over Wynn, while Anderson serves as a reliable swing tackle who can start if needed.
LB Chris Board Jr. (via Detroit) Remember that awful special teams unit? Board is one of the NFL’s top special teamers, a player Belichick singled out when New England faced the Lions last year. It’s unsurprising he brought in such a veteran to help solidify the unit after… just all of last year.
QB Trace McSorley (via Arizona) By bringing in McSorley in Hoyer’s stead, the team is showing a bit of a shift in philosophy with how it is using its backup QB spots. Both Mac and Zappe are pocket passers; McSorley does most of his work outside the pocket and can run with regularity, a trend more common among top-level quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. At minimum, he’s worth a camp spot, and that’s fine.
P Corliss Waitman (via Denver) Following the implosion of Bailey and Palardy at punter, the Patriots were on the verge of entering the draft with none on the roster. Waitman is a veteran addition there, but pretty much everyone expected New England to add a punter either as a draft pick or UDFA. (Another spoiler – my bad.)
After this free agency, many saw the Patriots as still having holes at the top of their depth chart at wideout, tackle, and cornerback. Tight end was also considered a need as New England, despite adding Gesicki to pair with Henry, does not have a tight end signed beyond 2023, entering the draft with only Matt Sokol and Scotty Washington behind their name duo.
Then they went on the clock, entering the draft with:
1-14 2-46 3-76 4-107 4-117 4-135 6-184 6-187 6-192 6-210 7-245
Here’s how it all went down.
Draft Picks
TRADE: 1-14 to PIT for 1-17 and 4-120 Although this trade was criticized for receiving too little back from Pittsburgh, it was not a major loss in capital according to the Rich Hill value chart (325 points to PIT, 320 to NE), and it came with enough high-level talent on the board that the Patriots were sure to get one of their targets. The way the board fell, fans most wanted Christian Gonzalez, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers, or Broderick Jones; when the Steelers took Jones, it became clear that the Patriots were not interested in him (reports came out that the Patriots had not been interested in Jones at all due to coachability concerns), but they were sure to land an exciting player after moving down only three spots rather than the seven-plus many mockers had predicted. Additionally, the Steelers landing Jones appeared to knock the Jets’ war room for a loop (though later video has shown that the Jets were expecting the trade), and the only thing New England fans love more than a victory is an opportunity to screw over the Jets.
1-17: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon The Patriots’ selection of Gonzalez received universal acclaim, and it’s easy to see why. Despite having strong CB depth, the Patriots lacked a true #1 corner; Gonzalez has the ability, length, and athleticism to be that from Day One. The first-round pick via Colorado and Oregon was widely projected as a top-10 selection, so for New England to land him at 17 is a tremendous coup. From his interviews and his play style, Gonzalez seems like a quiet guy off the field who wants to shut the opponent down when on the turf. He’ll be fun to watch.
2-46: Keion White, ED, Georgia Tech White is another player falling under the new Patriots draft umbrella under Belichick and Matt Groh: as athletic as can be. While he is raw, White has the athleticism to play three downs along the defensive line and the versatility to move inside when the situation calls for it. The Patriots thought so highly of him that he was a player they were considering drafting in the first round, even considering a move back into the last picks of the round to snag him, but landed him at 46 anyway. How much he will play as a rookie is uncertain as New England has a very good edge duo in Matthew Judon and Josh Uche, but even if White has to take a year to get acclimated to the NFL, that’s not unheard of in Foxboro and has produced success for highly-touted picks: neither Nate Solder (first round) nor Trey Flowers (fourth round) took on long-term starting roles as rookies (though Solder filled in at right tackle plenty), but were established starters in their second years. Similarly, Uche (second round) started off as an occasionally-used part of a pass rushing rotation before hitting double-digit sacks last year, his third season in the league. And if White earns significant playing time in 2023, all the better.
3-76: Marte Mapu, LB, Sacramento State* Here’s that small-school selection that detractors tend to point at regarding Belichick, but Mapu has elite potential. I got tipped off to Mapu late in the pre-draft cycle, and watching film of him I was reminded a lot of Kyle Dugger, another small-school Day 2 player who has turned into an excellent Patriot. Mapu is going to play linebacker, likely his best position, and fill the role of coverage ‘backer that New England has lacked for several seasons. He’s also athletic and scheme-versatile, having spent time at safety and linebacker while at Sacramento State, so he will be able to move around the defensive formation if the situation calls for it. Add to that his tackling, his closing speed, and his containment, and you’ve got yourself a potential stud.
4-107: Jake Andrews, C, Troy The Patriots need their future long-term center with David Andrews now 31 and having an injury history, and Jake Andrews (unrelated) is set up perfectly to be that guy. Andrews the Younger is built in the same mold as Andrews the Elder: both exited college as smaller in stature than other centers but able to get a push on defensive linemen from below, meaning Jake can easily learn specific bits of technique from David. While not expected to play the role immediately, [anagram: Ned Was a Jerk] is now in position to spend time behind [anagram: Swan Diver Dad], preparing himself to take over at center in the near future.
TRADE: 4-120 and 6-184 to NYJ for 4-112 4-112: Chad Ryland, K, Maryland This is not the first time Belichick has selected a kicker in the fourth round, selecting Stephen Gostkowski with pick 118 in 2006; with the Patriots in desperate need for a strong player at the position, moving up to make sure they could land him makes sense (especially with Jake Moody being selected by the 49ers at 3-99). And Ryland is what Nick Folk is not: a big-legged kicker with kickoff ability. Folk has been appreciated in New England for his accuracy, but his distance and accuracy notably declined in 2022, and when forced to kick off, his lack of touchback distance led to trouble, the Patriots surrendering a league-high three kick return touchdowns (including two in the season finale). It’s clear an upgrade at kicker was a requirement this offseason; with Moody gone, giving up a sixth to move up eight spots is absolutely fine. In doing so, New England has hopefully landed their kicker for the next decade.
4-117: Sidy Sow, G, Eastern Michigan At this point, it may be considered confusing for the Patriots to have drafted a left guard in Sow when last year’s first-round pick Cole Strange is entrenched there and Mike Onwenu mans right guard at an elite level, but Groh’s post-draft comments indicated the team would give Sow opportunities at left tackle as well. And not only does Sow have experience at left tackle, he has the size at 6’5” and 326 pounds. New England’s projected starting tackles are veterans Trent Brown and Riley Reiff, both of whom are over 30 and are in contract years; if Sow returns to the position, the former mauling EMU Eagle (heh, two birds) offensive lineman could ease the need at tackle for next offseason.
TRADE: 4-135 to LV for 5-144 and 6-214 5-144: Atonio Mafi, G, UCLA Another interior lineman? Yes. Mafi is a guard whom the Patriots worked with at the Shrine Bowl, and has the versatility to move between left and right guard. As the aforementioned Onwenu is in a contract year, Mafi has a clear path to a potential starting job in 2024, and the most important thing right now for the development of Mac Jones is keeping him upright. By selecting three offensive linemen – using a quarter of their 12 selections on the offensive trench – Belichick and Groh have signaled their intent to do just that. From all accounts, Mafi, who met with New England in a pre-draft visit, is thrilled to join the team; now it’s about proving it on the field.
6-187: Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU Boutte is the epitome of a boom-or-bust prospect, his elite 2020 and ‘21 being overshadowed by a disappointing 2022 that dropped him from clear first-rounder to a middle-of-Day-3 selection. As a freshman and sophomore, Boutte looked to follow in the footsteps of highly-drafted LSU wideouts such as Odell Beckham Jr., Justin Jefferson, and JaMarr Chase, showing a complete package of agility, speed, and route running. Unfortunately, an injury plus conflicts with his new coach Brian Kelly led to underperformance, and a poor combine performance cemented his draft stock as having drastically fallen. But if he can get back to his earlier form, where his talent and athleticism led to a combined 83 receptions, 1244 yards, and 14 touchdowns in his first two college seasons, Boutte could become the steal of the draft.
6-192: Bryce Baringer, P, Michigan State While New England had signed Corliss Waitman so as to have a punter on the roster heading into the draft, none assumed he was the long-term answer; when the Patriots made Baringer the first punter taken in the 2023 draft, it became clear who was. A walk-on turned cut turned best punter in college football, Baringer has a booming leg that showed itself in an average punt length of 49.0 yards in ‘22; he also holds the Michigan State record for career punting average at 46.0 yards. As a bonus, he worked with Ryland at the Senior Bowl, so the two have already begun to develop chemistry in the holding game. As another bonus, he wore No. 99 in college, and that is awesome.
6-210: Demario Douglas, WR, Liberty When one imagines a typical Patriots slot receiver – small, shifty, and explosive with the ball in his hands – one might well be imagining Douglas. The five-foot-eight Liberty product can absolutely fly, moving all around the formation and catching balls at all levels of the field. New Englanders got a preview of what Douglas’ game might look like when rookie cornerback Marcus Jones began to take snaps on offense last year; Jones was often put in motion before the snap, worked out of the backfield, and assigned touches where his elusiveness was the spark to gain yards. Douglas has said he models his game after Jones, a claim that demonstrates itself when one views his collegiate tape. I had a third-round grade on Douglas, so the Patriots landing him at 210 is a thrill. (Even though the Giants took one of my draft crushes in Tre Hawkins III the pick before, for which I’m still irked.)
6-214: Ameer Speed, CB, Michigan State The unknown about Speed is whether he will develop on defense; that is not his skill at the moment. There are three things known: his size (6’3”, 210 lbs.), his speed (4.34s 40), and his special teams prowess. With longtime special teams captain Matthew Slater likely entering his last year, the Patriots need to develop a new crop of special teams standouts, long a hallmark of Belichick’s Patriots from the time of Larry Izzo. Last year’s UDFA Brenden Schooler looks like one of those players already; Speed will certainly be given every chance possible to be another.
7-245: Isaiah Bolden, CB, Jackson State More tall athletic cornerbacks! The only HBCU selection in the 2023 draft, Bolden is an incredible athlete who likely earned his way to a draft selection by lighting up his Pro Day. Though just a role player on defense, Bolden has developmental traits that any defensive coach would love, and has also been a top collegiate kick returner, leading all of college football in 2021 with a 36.9-yard average on kickoff returns. I don’t see the two late-round cornerback selections as “throw players on the field and see who sticks” à la the ill-fated dual tight end picks of Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene in 2020’s third round, but selecting players who might have longer chances to succeed, but if they do succeed can truly shine.
Though Bolden was the last of the Patriots’ 2023 draft picks, that did not conclude their rookie class as the period of UDFA signings immediately began. The Patriots have had an undrafted rookie make the Week 1 roster every year since 2004; with just a four-man class this season, chances are slim. They’re not impossible – their only 2021 UDFA, kicker Quinn Nordin, made it – but they’re definitely slimmer. Here are the four who can continue that streak.
Undrafted Rookies
Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisville The most expensive ($200,000) and well-known of the quartet, Cunningham’s slight build and arm as a quarterback led to piles of speculation of his switching positions. However, he has started off his Patriots tenure as a quarterback in rookie minicamp, so he remains a quarterback until further notice. Throughout college, Cunningham’s most intriguing asset has been his supreme athleticism at the position, something which showed up in testing, and it remains to be seen how the Patriots will use that athleticism to help the team. (It may be a good while until outside sources get a look, as minicamp and OTAs have thus far been closed off to the media.)
Johnny Lumpkin, TE, Louisiana-Lafayette After foregoing using a selection on a tight end in a deep draft class (another Belichick trend), New England instead brought in Lumpkin, who projects as a blocking tight end in the NFL. This offsets the biggest negative, his age (he’ll be 26 to start the season), as the Patriots lack a true blocker at the position. Whether Lumpkin can take advantage of this path to a roster spot remains to be seen, but his road to making the team as an undrafted rookie seems easiest at the moment.
Jourdan Heilig, LB, Appalachian State Like Board and Speed, Heilig joins the Patriots as a special teams standout, playing minimal defense as a Mountaineer (three snaps in 2022) but standing out in college on the third unit (210 snaps in 2022). He’ll have a chance to follow in the path of Schooler as a UDFA who makes his mark as a core special teamer.
Justus Tavai, DL, San Diego State The middle of the Tavai brothers (older brother Jahlani is a Patriots linebacker, younger brother Jonah signed with Seattle as a UDFA), Justus played alongside Jonah on the Aztec defensive line in 2022. While Jonah put up eye-popping numbers with double-digit sacks, Justus was a steady contributor as well, putting up 3.5 sacks and intercepting a pass. Tavai is the ninth man on the Patriots’ defensive line right now, so he has a difficult path if he wants to make the team.
He’s not an undrafted rookie, but the Patriots have also brought in veteran free agent Anthony Firsker, TE to compete with Lumpkin, Sokol, and Washington for the third tight end spot, the roster spot opened with their losing reserve Raekwon McMillan, LB to a partially torn Achilles tendon.
Projected Offseason Depth Chart (italics = rookie, (in parentheses = exclusively or primarily a special teamer)) (Note: the Patriots assign temporary jersey numbers in the offseason starting with 50 based mainly on draft position.)
QB 10 Mac Jones 4 Bailey Zappe 19 Trace McSorley 64 Malik Cunningham
RB 38 Rhamondre Stevenson 3 James Robinson 14 Ty Montgomery II 35 Pierre Strong Jr. 36 Kevin Harris 42 J.J. Taylor
WR 1 DeVante Parker 7 JuJu Smith-Schuster 84 Kendrick Bourne 11 Tyquan Thornton 58 Kayshon Boutte 60 Demario Douglas 82 Tre Nixon (44 Raleigh Webb) (18 Matthew Slater)
TE 85 Hunter Henry 88 Mike Gesicki 86 Anthony Firsker 87 Matt Sokol 17 Scotty Washington 65 Johnny Lumpkin
T 77 Trent Brown 74 Riley Reiff 76 Calvin Anderson 75 Conor McDermott 64 Andrew Stueber
G 71 Mike Onwenu 69 Cole Strange 54 Sidy Sow 55 Atonio Mafi 63 Chasen Hines 62 Bill Murray
C 60 David Andrews 53 Jake Andrews 65 James Ferentz 66 Kody Russey
DL 90 Christian Barmore 92 Davon Godchaux 91 Deatrich Wise Jr. 93 Lawrence Guy Sr. 95 Daniel Ekuale 98 Carl Davis Jr. 96 Sam Roberts 70 Jeremiah Pharms Jr. 67 Justus Tavai
ED 9 Matthew Judon 55 Josh Uche 51 Keion White 58 Anfernee Jennings (97 DaMarcus Mitchell) 51 Ronnie Perkins
LB 8 Ja’Whaun Bentley 48 Jahlani Tavai 52 Marte Mapu 30 Mack Wilson Sr. (45 Chris Board Jr.) 43 Calvin Munson 59 Terez Hall 47 Olakunle Fatukasi (66 Jourdan Heilig)
CB 50 Christian Gonzalez 31 Jonathan Jones 13 Jack Jones 25 Marcus Jones 27 Myles Bryant (61 Ameer Speed) 63 Isaiah Bolden 37 Tae Hayes 26 Shaun Wade 34 Quandre Mosely 39 Rodney Randle Jr.
S 23 Kyle Dugger 5 Jabrill Peppers 2 Jalen Mills 21 Adrian Phillips 24 Joshuah Bledsoe (41 Brenden Schooler) (22 Cody Davis) 29 Brad Hawkins
K 62 Chad Ryland 6 Nick Folk
P 59 Bryce Baringer 15 Corliss Waitman
LS 49 Joe Cardona 46 Tucker Addington
Conclusion Is this a perfect Patriots team? No. There are still long-term holes at offensive tackle and tight end, and there is a question mark as to who can be that pass catcher whom defensive coordinators have to plan for, a player the team has lacked for several seasons.
But is this an exciting Patriots roster, a team who has a chance to exceed their middling projections and expectations, a team worth watching and cheering for? Absolutely. Belichick and company have stabilized the coaching staff; added explosive, athletic players at nearly every position; brought in a new crew of players to take over special teams; and begun their draft with three players who could not only start in the NFL but have the potential to star. I fully believe that this is not an 8-9 caliber team, even in an AFC East with three other teams that have added big name after big name.
As Bill Belichick might say, we’re on to 2023.
We’re on to victory.

Hello, I am currently in the middle of some health anxiety induced by the following events in the last month and would appreciate further insight.
38, male, around a month ago I experienced discomfort on the left side of my neck when sleeping, at some point I started inspecting my neck and found a lump, no other symptoms. I booked an appointment with a doctor to have it checked out.
The doctor confirmed "prominent, movable" lump 1.5cm by 1.5cm, and he performed an endoscopy. His conclusion was that it is probably an benign and nothing to worry about. however I asked for an ultrasound and blood test just to be on the safe side.
The blood test had nothing to be worried about according to the doctor, although he mentioned that Abumin (54), Total Protein (85) and Red Blood Cell (6.01) were elevated. The doctor who performed the ultrasound also noted a very small lump close to my adam's apple, but noted she wasn't worried about any lump including the prominent one. Three weeks later, the lump is still there but hasn't got any bigger or smaller as far as I can tell.
You might be asking why I am posting this at MM board? The reason being 10 days ago while on the train as I knelt to grab my bag I felt a very painful stab on my lower back that didn't go for a few days.
Then two days ago I experienced another painful stab in the same location when kneeling to tie my shoelace. The last stab even made my thighs and hip feel the pain as an "aftershock" to the point where I feel like I am dragging my foot when I am walking over the last tow days.
Actually since the beginning of this year I experienced small but frequent episodes of back pain (such as feeling lower back get an electric shock when standing) but I have ascribed it to starting to do a lot of weight lifting this year. However, the last two episodes were much more painful than previous ones and had me freaking out because they came in the middle of the lump episode.
I am intending to get more thorough checks on my spine and blood work done, but I am wondering if my elevated RBC can be consistent with MM which I think runs counter to be anemic? Annoyingly my latest blood test didn't measure iron, vitamin D or calcium which I hope to inspect in the next blood test.

"For that display of skill you get my name. I’m the Vampire Hunter D. Remember that, should you live."
Feats in bold are when D is in his full vampire form.

Strength

Sword

• Cut a werewolf which could reject bullets, and made it unable to regenerate ¹
• Blocks a shrike-blade thrown by Rei-Ginsei while he was on his horse, this weapon could topple a stone monolith that weighed several tons ¹
• Deflected 3 of these shrike blades again that were faster than ever ¹
• Split a giant's skull ¹
• Slices Gimlet apart while he was moving 300mph ¹
• Likely destroys the coagulated form of an aura charging at him that smashed through a door ²
• Destroys that aura again, right after it badly injured him, though D was amped by excess energy here ²
• Cuts off the hand of a vampire and stabs him, while using his left hand, though the vampire was injured before this ²
• Cuts an adhesive liquid that could hold "behemoths" to shreds ²
• Easily slices Corma and his iron club in half which can knock through a stone wall and is stronger than a high-caliber rifle's slug ²
• Cracks the carapace of a beast jumping towards him that was impervious to bullets ³

Sword - Blocking

• His partially unsheathed sword alone blocked Corma's iron club swing which can knock through a stone wall and is stronger than a high-caliber rifle's slug ²
• Deflected a 10 feet long oak table that was thrown at him ²

Lifting

• Caught his own blade used by Count Lee, snapped the end of the blade, and threw it at him to make his face melt ¹

Throwing

• See Needles section below for more
• Throws a foot long wood needle at FTE speeds, igniting it ¹

Durability

• Thrown into a pit 70 feet deep, and landed feet-first unharmed ¹
• Resists the pressure and density of the Sacred Ancestor which was several orders of magnitude above the density of a black hole that was "infinitely compacted" ²

Energy

• Sent flying by energy that destroyed hundreds of tons of rock, and is immobilized. Hours later, D is fine ²
• Survived Lefty's burst of energy which turned a crumbled universe inside out, which sent D flying back to his universe after making a rip in the dimension, atomizing his horse ²
  • D still had the energy of Lefty inside of him which likely amplified his durability here
• Takes a hit to the face from a mass of mental energy that bent steel beams, then another hit from it, and survives it because he was amped by Lefty's energy he got from the 4 elements ²

Piercing

• Gets hit and tied up by a whip that split into 8 parts, and isn't hurt ¹
• Survives thrown caltrops that were very strong, making his cheeks bleed then took 2 shots from a magnum gun that pierced through his chest. D is unaffected by this ²

Endurance

• Stabbed in the abdomen and stomach, and fell to one knee, after it was redirected back at him ¹
• Doesn't care about a wooden spear piercing his chest, and killed a vampire right after ²

Heat

• Unaffected by a flaming needle that scorched his flesh ¹
• Fends off flames from an ultracompact atomic grenade ²
• Unaffected by a beam that converted the floor beneath him to steam and ions, fired by a laser gun ²

Mental

• Completely unaffected by an aura that caused every cell in a man's body to feel a primeval fear so great it made him unable to move ²
• After a Vampire entered his mind and sent illusory enemies into it, D parried the illusory attacks and killed the Vampire in his mind, removing the illusion spell. This is described as him parrying a psychological attack ²
• Caught in a mental attack that made illusions of him being attacked and of him being in an icy plain, then used his will to break out of it ²

Matter Manipulation

• Fought off a spatial distortion that would have turned him into diamonds ²

Speed

Reaction

• Reacted to an FTE whip and changed its vectors in time ¹

Combat

• Slashed a werewolf jumping at him at around Mach 0.5 in less than a fiftieth of a second before anyone could react ¹
• Throws a foot long wood needle at FTE speeds enough for it to ignite, then stops it when it was thrown back at equal speed ¹
• Dodged a laser made of light after hearing the cannon activate, then twisted through the air to dodge more of them, shot with unerring accuracy ¹
• Said to be able to swing his sword faster than a laser beam ¹
• Uses his sword to block a shrike-blade thrown by Rei-Ginsei while he was on his horse ¹
• Deflected 3 shrike blades ¹
  • These shrike blades could hit a whip attack before it reached Rei-Ginsei at close range
• Deflected 3 FTE shrike blades again, this time they were far faster than ever ¹
• Drew his blade with "lightning speed", and dodged a giant machete swipe, moving yards in an instant with a leap ¹
• Swung his blade at FTE speeds, killing Golem ¹
• Tags Gimlet while he was moving 300mph (134.1m/s) ¹
• Equal in speed to an enemy that dodged D's thrown needles that sank into walls ²
• Deflected iron tacks fired from a rivet gun ²
• Avoids getting hit by Nolt Marcus' staff. Nolt can spin his staff around at the speed of light ³
• Absorbs incoming rays of light with his left hand ³
• Blocks multiple bolts of lightning fired by Borgoff's corpse ³

Travel

• Moved "lightning fast" to stab the Count ¹
• Sprinted fast enough to save a woman from splintery chunks of a door sent flying by a concussive blast, and moved her away. (An illustration of the feat) ²

Agility

• Jumped up fast enough to make an afterimage ²
• Leapt away from Mayerling's strike ³
  • Mayerling could deflect multiple arrows ³

Left Hand

• Placed a protective charm on Doris' vampire bite marks. When Count Lee saw this charm, it made him run away ¹
  • Possibly caused a vampire that touched Doris undergo rapid cellular decay, her nerves to be pulled out, her flesh burnt and much more
  • This mark is only visible if a vampire's breath fell on it
• Hypnotized the mayor by touching his face, forcing him to confess his true plans ¹
• [Tracked the location of an enemy 400 yards away by scent(https://pastebin.com/cwYfXviY) ²
• Can see and hear what's going on in the surroundings even if Lefty is still inside D's palm ²
• Scanned the inside of a Shelter, detecting an infinitesimally small gap D could fit his sword in ³
• [Limit] Lefty's healing powers only worked on D, it can't help others ³

Four Elements

• Turned earth and wind power to fire, then life-force, which was pumped into D, healing a stab wound in his heart from a stake over time ¹
  • He then punched D's heart for several minutes, finally reviving him
• After D gathered elements of wood, fire, wind and other elements, Lefty turned a whole dimension inside out to escape it, causing an energy burst that made a rip in the dimension and overlapped with other dimensions and consumed objects like a black hole, and people in different time periods ²
  • An explanation on how they were sealed in this dimension
• Generates blue flames to heat up D's caltrop, which D uses to cauterize a wound ³

Lefty's Physicals

• While severed, Lefty walked back to D's dead body and reattached himself to his arm ¹
• Bit a stake that was jutting from D's chest and tossed it away ¹
• Cuts apart tentacles that restrained D ²
• Caught a sword by the tip with his mouth ²
• His teeth caught Caroline's wooden stake made from a tree branch which almost stabbed D, and Caroline's superhuman strength couldn't overpower Lefty ³
  • Caroline inherited dhampir powers comparable to D's
• Grabs a tree branch swung at him and spits it out at Caroline, piercing her abdomen ³

Absorption

• Absorbed a giant swarm of spiders that was too much for D's sword to stop ¹
• Absorbed a lot of psychic juice, weakening Lefty. This psychic juice refers to an aura that paralyzed a man with fear. Absorbing it seemed to make a flash of light ²
• Sucks in a pillar of flame ²
• Absorbs incoming rays of light that can burn a hole through a man ³

Random Abilities

• Changed the vectors of a whip strike to reflect it back at his enemy ¹
• Touched Doris' shoulder and made her lose consciousness instantly ¹
  • This made her fall asleep till the next morning
• Went intangible to avoid getting hurt by a whip's energy ¹
• His mere gaze caused horses to stop moving, and when the riders were trying to attack, D's glare caused the horses to rear up, throwing the riders to the ground ¹
• Controls 3 mermaids' actions by biting their necks ¹
  • This sucked their souls out
  • Regular dhampirs can't do this
• Somehow travelled to a place that should have taken him an hour, undetected by vampires and radars ¹
• Very likely did something to his horse, making it faster than a sheriff's horse that should have been 2 mph faster than the average cyborg horse ²
• Magically caused a wound on his hand by sliding his finger across it, then closed it up ²
• Repelled a density greater than a black hole's back to his target and changed the Sacred Ancestor's form, causing him to manifest a body similar to D's, and focused all his physical and mental energy into his blade ²
• Turned into a black wind to slip through an opening ²
• The hem of his coat spread like a large pair of wings just as he was about to hit the ground, slowing his fall ³

Defensive

• While in water, D formed a carapace around him, deflecting lightning from a beast that had more than half a million volts ²

Ghastly Aura

• This aura emanated from every inch of him, and freezes others by assaulting their deepest psyche ²
• Made Lina, a regular human feel very afraid though she could still move a little, implying D can control the aura's potency ²
• His aura made Rei-Ginsei and his goons unable to move even a finger while D was a medium distance away from them ¹
• Activated the same aura again, this time with several times more power, then turned it off ¹
• Paralyzed Larmica, Garou and Lee ¹
• Froze nearly a dozen horses with fear without affecting their riders ²
• Removed the emotions of desire and envy from a crowd, replacing it with fear ²
• Affects Fern, another vampire ²
• Acted like an anaesthetic that violated a girl to her bone marrow ³

Fount of Life

• Stabs Count Magnus Lee, not allowing his wound to heal immediately, which made his fount of life flow out ¹

Senses

• Even through a closed door, could tell that someone was asleep by his steady breathing. He states he can hear the voice of the wind across the wilderness and the song of spirits ¹
• Sensed the hundreds of hidden weapons inside a castle ¹
• Has a greater sense of touch than humans ¹
• Sensed that there were a hundred people outside the house he was in ¹
• Discerned blood vessels lacing a woman's cheeks in a room with no light at all ²
• Could discern a schoolhouse 500 yards away in the rain that was unable to be seen by the mortal eye, and tracked down the location of an enemy 400 yards away with his smell, though he did lose the scent ²
• Heard the creaking of a carriage that was about a mile and a quarter away ³

Extrasensory

• Sensed mental energy behind him while he was being affected by a mind spell ²

Noble Physiology

• The darkness of the night affects their molecules, giving them power. A noble can live forever. Only an attack on a noble's heart can kill them ²
  • D theorizes that nobles absorbed information from darkness, giving them these powerful traits ²
• As a dhampir, he has half the strength, senses and physicals of a regular vampire ¹
• Nobles grow more powerful over time ¹
• They are ageless as they can live so long as they consumed the blood of other creatures ¹
  • Implied to be ageless and undying ²
• They can survive in space ¹
• Vampires are weakened in the sunlight, and they could be killed by a stake, but as a dhampir, D can operate just fine in the morning ¹
• Sunlight can cause a dhampir to feel nausea, thirst, their skins to be burnt, but D is just fine
  • Rumour has it that a vampire's body turns to dust if they get killed by a stake in daytime
• Science cannot explain how vampires sleep ¹
• Dhampirs have at least half the power of a vampire's physiology which allows them to absorb and recover from damage hundreds of times better than a human. Some dhampirs would completely heal from breaking every bone and rupturing some organs in about 72 hours ¹
• A vampire would not die as long as their heart isn't pierced ¹
  • Even arrows piercing through their stomach can't kill them ³
• Nobles can give their victims a weaker version of the same powers they have ²
• Vampires can beckon people using sheer willpower ²
• A vampire can use a hypnotic spell to control a target to unleash brutal attacks. This can even control a corpse ²
• Destroying a vampire will cure the victims of the effects of their bite ³
• Can go days without nourishment ²
• Nobles can choose not to make their target turn into a Noble if they sucked their blood ³

Healing

• Bullets from a magnum gun made him bleed, but D states they would heal soon ²
• A noble could heal even if they were stabbed in the stomach ³

Weakness

• Got hit by a stake through the heart. He dies from this and gets his left hand chopped off ¹
• Nobles have problems with the rain because they can't cross running water ²
  • Rain would make D's temperature drop and speed to decrease by 30%, but after touching a warmer human, D could move a hundred yards in under 6 seconds, seemingly without his speed dropping ²
  • Some Nobles have drowned in water less than waist deep ²
• 5 minutes of direct sunlight exposure can destroy their regen and cause immense pain, 10 minutes will drive them insane ³
• Sunlight causes "unparalleled agony" to a dhampir like D, but as a Vampire Hunter, he has the stamina to remain impassive in the day ³
  • D faced sunlight syndrome after galloping his horse in daylight for more than 2 miles, which gives him fatigue. Dhampirs face sunlight syndrome attacks every six months, but D hasn't faced any in 5 years. In order to combat this, D can replenish energy by taking it from the soil around him. D fully recovered after burying himself into soil for a few days ³
  • It is considered easy for someone to kill a dhampir suffering from sunlight syndrome ³
• Dhampirs lose 70% of their strength in the sun. They cannot stay afloat and if they drowned, they can easily come back at night if they get an infusion of fresh blood ³

Feats Against his Weakness

• While weakened by sunlight, deflects Rei-Ginsei's shrike blades ¹
• Walked in the daylight without being tired at all, something that would normally have weakened a vampire drastically ²
• Completely fine when his ankles are submerged in water ³

Transformation

• Instantly transforms into a full vampire ¹
• When he transforms, his eyebrows raise and his eyes roll back ¹
• He can transform with just 1 small drop of blood ²

Gear

Pendant

• Made robot sentries around him unable to attack again ¹
• Passively forced a drawbridge to lower, and shut down all electronics of a castle ¹
• Forced shut doors to open. It can also repel robots ¹
• Forced open a steel shutter ²
• Rendered a Shelter inoperable ³
  • Shelters have pretty advanced weapons ³

Needles

• Precisely threw wood needles at the wrist and heart of literal shadows, sticking to stone ²
• Destroyed 2 baskets ²
• Deflects electricity of more than half a million volts ²
• Pierced Fern's knees and nailed his hand to the ground ²
• Countered Nolt Marcus' staff spin, which blew apart almost diamond-hard stone ³
• Repels the arm of a machine that was about to fall on him and makes a wound-like rent in it ³
  • This arm was made of rusted metal and was "gigantic", here's an illustration ³

Skill

• Slashed a werewolf with his sword, blocking its regenerative powers with skill alone ¹
• Aimed at Golem's weak point with his sword to kill him ¹
• Noticed his enemy's strategy of deliberately moving into a position where D would hit his heart, then changed his target to his enemy's stomach at the last moment ¹
• Blocks a dagger aimed at his neck from an enemy that suddenly materialized behind him ³

Throwing

• Threw needles at an enemy who was on the ceiling, which then rebounded and accurately hit their ankles ³

Other

General Power

• Said to be the greatest vampire hunter of all ³
  
• D can interact with intangible enemies:
  
  • In a battle that took place in his mind, D physically parried hits from nonexistent illusions, described as him parrying psychological attacks ²

Horse

• D uses a regular cyborg horse which somehow outsped another cyborg horse 2mph faster than the average one, likely due to D's powers ²
• Caused him and his horse to shrink, eventually vanishing from sight ³
• Amped the speed of his horse to a level beyond its average speed (60mph) ³
• Maneuvered his horse across a river by locating stones submerged in it in a split second to the point where it looked like it was leaping across the surface of the water ³
• Could travel a distance that took a carriage an hour in less than 20 minutes ³

Misc

Charisma

• Is so beautiful that many women almost fainted looking at him ¹
• Made another man swoon ²
• His beauty sent chills down a man's spine ³

Daniel LaRusso

"So, karate's fighting. You train to fight"
"That what you think?"
"...No"
"Then why train?"
"So I won't have to fight"

Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1966, Daniel LaRusso lived there until his mother moved the two out to Reseda, California in 1984. Upon arriving in Reseda, Daniel made quick foes with the Cobra Kai karate dojo, especially top student Johnny Lawrence and sensei John Kreese. While taking a beating from the Cobra Kais after a school dance, Daniel was saved by Mr. Miyagi, the handyman at his apartment complex. Daniel was taught karate by Mr. Miyagi, entering a lifelong friendship with the man. After winning the All-Valley Karate Tournament two years in a row, Daniel went on to marry a woman named Amanda, have two kids, and open a car dealership. When Johnny reopened the Cobra Kai dojo, Daniel opened the Miyagi-Do karate dojo in order to train new students.
Source Key

Miyagi-Verse

The "Miyagi-Verse'' is a term coined by the Cobra Kai showrunners to describe the storyline of the four Karate Kid movies and Cobra Kai. Feats from the Miyagi-Verse and media adapting it (i.e. the novelizations) will be in this section.

General

• Becomes stronger and faster than he was before after doing more training under Mr. Miyagi^3N23

Strength

Teen

• Knocks over Mr. Miyagi in catcher's gear with a punch^KN23
• Throws Johnny^C4
• Chops through six plates of ice^K2
  • In the novelization he chops three thick cakes of ice in half^2N13
• Knocks out a man with a gut punch^K2
• Throws a man into a cabinet, breaking it^K3
• Breaks a 2x4 with a kick, then breaks boards with punches^K3
  • In the novelization, Daniel breaks a 2x4 with a kick, slices through a 2x4 with the back of his arm, and punches through a 2x4 like it was paper^3N19

Adult

• Uses the Crane Kick to knock Terry SIlver into a glass display hard enough to shatter it^!

Durability/Endurance

Teen

• Gets beat up by Johnny^K
  • Novelization^KN3 - Comic^C1
• Gets into a fight with Johnny^C1
• Not too badly hurt after taking a tumble down a hill^K
• Gets slammed by a wave into a piling^KN23
• Takes a kick from a karate student to the shoulder that lifts him out of the ring^KN26
• Fights Johnny on a damaged leg^K
• Takes a kick to the face from Johnny^KN28
• Takes multiple hits from Chozen, who breaks part of a stone statue with a kick, and continues to fight^K2
• Takes hits from Mike Barnes, including getting tossed into a pallet hard enough to break it^K3
  • Barnes breaks bricks with his strikes^K3
• Takes multiple hits from Barnes (who is attempting to inflict as much damage as possible on Daniel during the match) and continues to fight^K3
• Gets thrown through shoji screens and a display case by Barnes^3N12
• Takes more hits from Barnes^3N22

Adult

• Takes several hits from Johnny, including getting kicked into a TV^S2E10
• Takes a kick from and gets tackled through a window by Kreese^S3E10
• Walks across burning coals^S4E2

Speed/Agility

Teen

• Catches a fly with chopsticks^K
  • Novelization^KN16
• Dodges a karate student's attack and retaliates with a kick^K
  • Does it again with a punch^K
• Dodges strikes from Johnny with "lightning reflexes"^KN28
• Dodges another kick from Johnny^C4
• Knocks Chozen to the ground, then collects the money he dropped and runs from the building before Chozen can stand up^2N15
• Rolls out of the way of a flying kick from Chozen, then stands up and grabs Chozen in midair to slam him to the ground^2N23
• Dodges several strikes from Mike Barnes^K3
• Balances on the bow of a boat while practicing his blocking^K
• Practices balance by kicking waves at the beach^KN19
• Climbs down a pole in a typhoon with a child clinging to his back^K2

Adult

• Dodges and blocks blows from Johnny^S3E2
• Dodges, strikes, and catches balls from a pitching machine^S4E2
• Climbs a hanging chain^S4E2

Skill/Misc

Teen

• Performs the Crane Technique^K
  • Mr. Miyagi says that if performed correctly, there is no defense against it^K - Chozen does defend against it,^K2 but it is unclear if Daniel was performing it correctly in this instance
    • Novelization^KN 28 - Comic^C4
• Performs the Drum Technique to divert and counter each of Chozen's strikes^K2
  • In the novelization, the Drum Technique is said to increase striking power^2N11
• Wins the Under 18 All-Valley Karate Championship^K
  • Wins a second time^K3
    • The tournament is only open to students brown-belt level and above^K
• Defeats Chozen^K2
  • Novelization^2N23
    • Chozen is Sato's best student and took on four karate students at once^K2
• Learns how to block strikes under the guise of Mr. Miyagi having him do chores around the house^K
  • Novelization^KN18
• Ducks Johnny's kick then sweeps his leg to bring him to the ground^K
  • Comic^C4
• Flips Chozen while being choked by him^K2
• Counters Mike Barnes' strike^K3
  • Novelization^3N24
• Knows a little bit of Japanese^2N9

Adult

• Trains with Chozen to learn Miyagi-Do karate's secret pressure points,^S3E5 which he uses to defeat Kreese^S3E10
  • Uses the pressure points to paralyze Johnny's arm^S4E5
• Ties with Johnny in a match^S4E5
• Beats up a group of hockey players^S4E2
• Beats up some thugs that jump Robby^S2E4
• With Johnny, fights a group of thugs in a chop shop^S3E2
• Kicks a cup out of a man's hand^S1E4
• With his wife, meets his dealership's sales quota in one day^S2E3
• Loses a fight to Terry Silver^S5E5 but later beats him, though Terry had previously fought Chozen that night^S5E10

Teaching Ability

• Teaches Robby Keene how to block strikes under the guise of him doing chores^S1E7
• Teaches Samantha how to block with a bo staff using a fishing lesson^S3E7
• Under his tutelage, Robby gets second in the Under 18 All-Valley Karate Championship after only training for a few months^S1E10

Other Media

The Karate Kid (1989 Cartoon)

Strength

Striking

• Shatters an ice sculpture with a flying kick^KE10
• Kicks a dead tree in half^KE12
• Leaps into the air, kicking a tree branch to launch it at a jaguar^KE1
• Breaks a section of a fence with a jump kick^KE3
• Breaks a wooden post with a kick^KE8
• Kicks a molasses barrel in half^KE12
• Kicks his way out of a crate filled with fish^KE3
• Breaks a stool in half with a kick^KE6
• One shots a hunter with a vaulting kick^KE1
• Kicks a gourd into a boy hard enough to break it^KE1
• Hits the shrine out of a building using a hockey stick^KE10
• Kicks a skateboard in half^KE13
• While shrunken, kicks away a phone receiver^KE13
• While shrunken, launches a flower with a kick^KE13
• Kicks through rocks covering the mouth of a cave^KE9
  • The glowing shrine indicates that Daniel was likely receiving power from it, but unlike previous people who were empowered by the shrine,^KE2 Daniel lacks magic aura and glowing eyes. So maybe he wasn't being amped I don't know.

Other

• Pushes back a falling tree with his legs^KE2
• With Taki, pushes a boulder off of Mr. Miyagi's leg^KE7
• Clashes hockey sticks with magic-enhanced Sasha^KE10
  • Sasha could hit a hockey puck hard enough to carry the two people that tried to block it back^KE10
• Throws a man across a bar^KE6
• Throws a man in samurai armor while driving by on a motorcycle^KE8
• Launches a magic clone of a man with a kick and throws another into a strength test hard enough to ring the bell^KE3

Durability

• Gets checked into a wall by magic-enhanced Sasha^KE10
• Takes a kick from a karate student^KE2
• While being pulled by a speedboat, gets flung through the air and lands on a chair^KE4
• Ok taking a tumble down a rocky hill^KE9

Speed/Agility

Dodging/Movement

• Dodges a whip strike^KE6
• Dodges an attack from a magic-enhanced enemy^KE2
• Dodges sword swings from a magic-enhanced foe^KE5
• Dodges strikes from a karate student^KE2
• Dodges attacks from a man using a staff^KE7
• Jumps over a motorcycle^KE8
• Cuts onions quickly^KE6

Agility

• Springs into the air off of the shoulders of a foe^KE2
• Flips over rollercoaster tracks to grab papers before the car can run them over^KE3
• Jumps off a bridge to grab onto a rope on a boat^KE4
• Jumps out of a window onto a balcony, then to the ground^KE4
• Jumps off of a car through the window of a passing truck^KE4
• After being launched into the air, swings on a flag and grabs a man before he can fall, returning to the ground by sliding down a pole^KE5
• Parkours on top of market stalls then leaps onto a horse^KE6
• Leaps up to grab onto a stone lion then swings into the air off of its paw^KE5
• Leaps up to a piece of wood being lifted by a crane, drops down onto a wagon passing underneath, then jumps from the back of the wagon to the horse pulling it^KE5
• Jumps down levels of a castle set^KE5
• Backflips after tripping on a log, catching the girl who was balancing on his shoulders^KE7
• Jumps high into the air^KE5
• Quickly makes his way to the deck of the ship from where he was climbing up the mast^KE11
• While shrunken, swings from a shoelace and bounces off a racket^KE13

Skill

Combat

• Disarms a hunter running at him with a spear^KE1
• Disarms a crook running at him with a poker^KE4
• Fights a tribal chief^KE1
• Easily takes down two hunters^KE7

Other

• Juggles a gourd^KE1
• Wins a log run while training^KE1
• After a hockey player hits a rock at him, Daniel smacks it out of the air into a tree's branches to knock down snow on the hockey player^KE10
• Kicks a raft so a falling girl lands on it^KE11

Video Games

Teen

• One shots goons^AK
• Chops through six ice blocks^AK
  • Chops through five^MK
• Catches several flies with chopsticks^AK
• Dodges a swinging hammer several times^AK

Adult

Note that some feats from Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues are performed by other characters, but all playable characters can perform the same physical feats.

Strength

• Player characters can break crates, phone charging stations, and wooden railings with their strikes^CK
• Slams enemies into cars hard enough to damage them^CK
• Can launch enemies using a weapon like a bat^CK
• Can crack the ground using a weapon like a guitar^CK
• Breaks prize cabinets by slamming enemies into them^CK
• Slams an enemy into a giant stuffed octopus, leaving them half sticking out^CK
• Throws enemies into arcade basketball hoops^CK
• Slams an enemy on a foosball table then strikes them, damaging the table underneath^CK
• Breaks a large display case by slamming an enemy into it^CK
• Slams an enemy into a sunglasses stand, breaking it^CK
• Damages a hot dog cart by slamming an enemy into it^CK
• Throws enemies high into the air over a fence^CK
• Strikes a locker door and cause it to collide with an enemy's head hard enough to bend^CK
• Slams an enemy onto a wooden table hard enough to break it^CK
• Slams an enemy into a cafeteria bar, breaking the glass^CK
• Slams an enemy into a jukebox, knocking out records^CK
• Rocks a tree planter by slamming an enemy into it^CK
• Knocks down shelves at a comic store by slamming an enemy into the wall^CK
• Slams an enemy into a group of gumball machines, breaking some^CK
• Damages a cotton candy machine by slamming an enemy into it^CK
• Warps a gas pump by slamming an enemy into it^CK
• Can knock around a enemy so heavy he cracks the ground when he lands after jumping^CK
• Breaks a tabletop in half and bends the metal pole by slamming an enemy into it^CK
• Kicks around a motorcycle^CK
• Damages a sign by slamming an enemy into it^CK
• Slams an enemy's face onto a table, bending it^CK
• Slams an enemy into the tournament bracket wall, knocking down the namecards^CK
• Throws an enemy through a screen^CK
• Throws enemies into banners, knocking them off the ceiling^CK
• Breaks a trophy case by slamming an enemy into it^CK
• Throws an enemy through a wood fence^CK

Durability

• Takes a kick from Kreese, who makes a large crater in the ground^CK
• Can get hit by cars during a boss fight^CK
• Can get hit by cars that fall from the sky and explode during a boss fight^CK
• Can get hit with several molotov cocktails during a boss fight^CK
• Can get hit by an enemy that cracks the ground with his blows^CK
  • Parrying the attack greatly reduces damage and negates knockback^CK
• Can get hit by and parry attacks from an enemy that cracks the ground by landing after jumping into the air^CK

Speed/Skill

• Can parry strikes from enemies^CK
• Kicks an enemy into a photo booth as they leap^CK
• Kicks an enemy into a portapotty as they leap^CK
• Hits an enemy on the edge of a pool, sending them flying so they land on an intertube^CK
• Kicks an enemy into a stack of surfboards as they leap^CK
• Throws an enemy into a training dummy such that it wraps around anthem^CK

Misc

• Kicks an enemy into a car lift, knocking the car down^CK
• Stuffs an enemy in a giant rat head mini golf prop^CK

Skills

Personal

• Ice Dunk: Leaps over an enemy, smashing an ice block on them that freezes them sold^CK
  • Upgrade: Increases damage by 20%
    • Skill Tree Branch 1
      • Frozen enemies take damage over time
      • Increases freeze duration
      • Increases freeze damage and duration
    • Skill Tree Branch 2
      • Increase the area by 20%
      • Reduces cooldown
      • Increases freeze damage and duration
• Icicle Fury: Releases a flurry of ice spikes forward^CK
  • Upgrade: Adds a final, stronger hit to the end
    • Skill Tree Branch 1
      • Hits slow enemies
      • Slow duration increased
      • Nearly freezes enemies and deals damage over time
    • Skill Tree Branch 2
      • Adds two more hits
      • Increases final hit damage
      • Increases final hit damage further
• Ice Wall: Raises a wall of ice in front of him from the ground that launches foes^CK
  • Upgrade: Creates a wall behind him as well
    • Skill Tree Branch 1
      • Pushes the wall in front forward
      • The wall explodes after a moment - Better view
      • The explosion freezes enemies and does damage over time
    • Skill Tree Branch 2
      • Creates a second wall in front of him
      • Creates a third wall in front of him
      • Creates a fourth wall in front of him
• Focus Heal: Heals himself after focusing for a moment^CK
  • Upgrade: Reduces the cooldown
    • Skill Tree Branch 1
      • Heals nearby allies as well
      • Increases the amount healed and area of healing
      • Increases the amount healed and area of healing further
    • Skill Tree Branch 2
      • Reduces cast time and adds a 30% speed buff
      • Reduces cooldown further
      • Instantly heals and buffs speed for 10 seconds
• Miyagi's Crane Kick: After filling the ultimate meter, Daniel performs the Crane Kick, launching a giant ice crane forward that leaves a trail of ice spikes^CK

Dojo

• Icicle Jump: Summons an icicle below him that launches enemies into the air^CK
  • Upgrade: Reduces cooldown
    • Skill Tree Branch 1
      • Makes the icicle bigger
      • Increases damage
      • Makes the icicle much bigger
    • Skill Tree Branch 2
      • Summons another icicle from the ceiling
      • Summons a third icicle on the floor
      • The first icicle freezes enemies
• Frozen Lotus: Makes a lotus of ice spikes sprout from the ground^CK
  • Upgrade: Drags enemies in while channeling
    • Skill Tree Branch 1
      • Slows enemies
      • Causes damage over time
      • Doubles the slow duration and damage over time
    • Skill Tree Branch 2
      • Reduces channeling time
      • Reduces cooldown
      • Reduces cooldown further
• Frozen Path: Conjures a path of frozen line forward^CK
  • Upgrade: Freezes enemies
    • Skill Tree Branch 1
      • Adds an additional hit
      • Adds another additional hit
      • Adds another additional hit and doubles damage
    • Skill Tree Branch 2
      • Creates a second parallel line
      • Creates another parallel line
      • Reduces cooldown
• Wax On, Wax Off: Moves forward while releasing a flurry of palm strikes^CK
  • Upgrade: Slows enemies
    • Skill Tree Branch 1
      • Releases a tornado of icy wind at the end
      • The tornado pierces enemies
      • The hits and tornado completely freeze enemies
    • Skill Tree Branch 2
      • Makes an explosion at the end that damages the ground
      • Increases damage
      • Increases the damage of the explosion

Behind the larger moon of Nebo, the large hulking mass of ship named Glazier, was holding its geostationary orbit as the battle commenced below on the planet of Valhallah. Injured and inactive Marines, Sol Stellar Infantry, and Vaalorian Navy personnel walked the halls of the great ship, or were held in the Medical bay. Medical suites were filled to capacity and overflowing with casualties. Injured Vaalor and Humans were everywhere. Several Cariolinous could be found to be bandaged or missing bits or limbs. Blaine woke to the sound of a medical examination table beeping away in the background, and instantly regretted moving his head, which pounded like a bass drum. “OOooh, fuck! My head! What the fuck happ- UNJHH! Mmmff, fuck! That’s not good!” He said, looking down at his ribs which were bandaged and bloody. Looking around, he noticed he was alone, and so tried to heal himself. The flames ignited around his palms; and as he focused, a rib snapped back into place, almost rendering him unconscious. He cursed under his breath, and was about to try again, when Constance walked in. “Ahh! Captain! You’re awake! Good! Good… So, you’re not going to jump up and break my wrist so you can get back into the fight, are you? I must say, I’m no longer interested in trying to stop you. But, my sister is.” She said, looking him over. “What? Why would Glam want to stop me? She was all for getting away from the Aquila, when we were on our way here…” Blaine asked, puzzled. “She’s a mommy, now.” Constance said. “Oh.” Blaine croaked. “Are you sure you should be sitting up? You don’t sound too good. You do understand, you got lucky. You caught a round just as you came onto the shuttle, and therefore the others were able to slow the bleed long enough for you to make it aboard the Glazier. We were able to stabilize you with some donor blood, luckily enough. There’s two universal human donors on this craft right now, but there was three. Contingency Captain Richter was killed in action yesterday.” Constance said. Blaine groaned again. “Fuck. I’m gonna miss that asshole.” He said, a heavy weight seeming to slam into his heart. “You knew the Contingency Captain well, I assume?” Constance said, trying to gauge his mental state. “We were in a lot of situations together. We used to refer to him as ‘the human earthquake’. He was a demolitions specialist, Ms. Helsbane.” Blaine said. “How many made it out of Zubrim?” “Well, thanks to your quick efforts, Zubrim was lost without many casualties. We expected more. Twelve Sihn Rifles and all of Zubrim Air Defense made it out. General Sihn is alive and well, and you even saved two Seals. Marconia Traviar, and Ah’lahn Capia, both Seals of their own respective SkyKnight contingents. Here… you read the report. I expect you’re not going anywhere for a few days…” Constance said, and handed him a qwikslate. “Your translator is working flawlessly, Constance. Thought I’d say…” Blaine said, as he accepted the qwikslate. “The translator is off. I spent the last three months learning English. How am I doing?” Constance said, smiling expectantly. “Really freaking good! That’s really impressive! Three months?!” Blaine said, astonished. “I’ve always been a fast learner.” Constance mused, happily. “That’s good…” Blaine said, distracted by the qwikslate. “I’ll… um… Leave you to it, then?” Constance said, and walked out, not waiting for an answer. “Yeah…” Blaine said, not paying attention. He tapped the qwikslate screen, and looked at the HUDvid recordings for Zubrim, and Operation Black Watch. He played through several recordings, taking in separate angles of the battle, trying to recreate a 3-d picture in his mind of the chaos. He rewatched his HUDvid, and realized what had really happened. As he’d run from the crash site to the Fort, he’d unknowingly passed within a hundred yards of the Mahl front lines. They had seen him, but he’d been too busy with trying to reach the Fort to notice. His HUDvid had recorded their positions, however. Five rows of at least a hundred Mahl warriors, had watched him limp passed, within a mere twenty yards of them. They hadn’t reacted, or broken cover at all. But, they had obviously taken notice of him if his HUDvid was to be believed. Blaine realized then, that these were no ordinary Mahl. These were well trained and disciplined warfighters, and they were leagues apart from the Mahl that had attacked Sol, in both space and capability. They were well armed, with plasma rifles and several recognizable firearms in their midst. Some of them, American made. Blaine saw the rifles from his homeland, and felt a pang of guilt and hatred in the same moment. He found new drive in that moment, and reignited the blue flames, trying again to fix his shredded insides. He felt things twist and knit, and a feeling of intense nausea welled up within him. Finally, he could handle the nausea no more, and he extinguished the flames and promptly vomited bile. Laying back against the bed, he felt his mind wander, and fell unconscious again. Sometime during his slumber, Constance came back in to check his bandages, and almost lost her mind when she saw the healed wounds. She remained silent, but quickly left and returned with Captain Krinski, and Glam. They waited in the medical suite until he woke up. “Mmmuh, Mornin’ Cap’n. What’s up?” Blaine said, coming around groggily. “I muzt know… how? Jhoo are healedt! Just jyesterday, jhoo ver on Deat’s doorshtep! How are jhoo alife?” Anastasia said. “Uhh…” Blaine said, hesitantly. “Look, I don’t care if whatever you did was illegal. We have a lot of injured who could benefit from the technology.” Constance said, eagerly. “Uhh… It’s… not technology?” Blaine said, hesitant still. “Then what is it?” Constance begged. “I need to know! There are people who need this, desperately!” “Spirit Fire.” Blaine said, looking at Glam. “Like, what happened to Fern when he died?” Glam said, curious. “Kinda. Spirit Fire cannot be wielded by the dead. But, the dead are the source. It is the power to heal, or destroy by fire. And it’s extremely rare. My great grandad could barely do what I can, and it’s got serious side effects…” Blaine said. “How does it work?” Constance said, desperately still trying to bottle it for later use. “The Ancestors choose an individual to heal others, by the energies of the Ancestral Eather, through the conduit of the chosen individual. Depending on the physical strength of the individual( I presume), the power can be super-strong, or mild. The energies are specific to the one being healed and the virtuosity of the act. What’s more, the energies can cause women to become fatally attracted to the individual if it’s a man, and vice versa. Also, healing oneself can be a horrible experience, let me tell you!” Blaine said at length. “Now, promise me on pain of death, that you’re never going to tell anyone. I’m serious!” He added, with a glare. “Y-yes! Of course!” Constance said, taken aback. “I don’t belief jhoo, Captink. Show meh. Or, I vill hafv jhoo trown in shainz, for lyink tooh jyur feddow vorfighterz!” Anastasia said, snarling slightly. “Captain, I believe him-” Glam said, trying to intervene before things went awry. “VELL, I DON’T! Andt ziss is shtill mine craft! VHAT DO I HAFV TOOH SAY OR DO, TOOH MAKE ZHAT CLEAR, CAPTINK?!” Anastasia roared. Three Brasscar stepped into the doorway, all sporting tasers, at that moment. “Uhm… This is going to get a hell of a lot more complicated the more people you involve, Captain. By the very nature of what they might see or experience! You do understand that if I am telling you the truth(which I really am), that you cannot keep it a secret with so many involved, right?” Blaine replied. “Corrinda, Please brink zeh Corporal in? I’m churr Captink Preiss vill not argue againsht healink hiz own crroo…” Anastasia said to one of the Brasscar. “Yes, Ma’am. “ Collinda said, and went to retrieve the aformentioned individual. “It doesn’t matter, then, if you end up getting me killed. Fine… So beit.” Blaine sighed, and sat up. At the same moment, Collinda walked back in carrying a very gravely injured Japfey on a stretcher, aided by yet another Brasscar. Blaine stood up and walked unsteadily to where the two Brasscar held the stretcher between them. “Corporal… You can’t tell anyone, clear?” Blaine said, as Corporal Japfey looked up at him with a wan smile and a distant stare. “Sure, Cap! I’ma butterfly!” Japfey said, his eyes crossing slightly. “And I’m a lepidopterist.” Blaine chuckled. He focused on the blue fire, and heard seven separate gasps as everyone collectively drew a deep breath of astonishment. Japfey shook his head, and looked around him. “Cap? The fuck, Sir? What’s going on?” “I’ll let you read the report and watch your HUDvid, Corporal. After which, you will speak of it to nobody. Is that clear?” Blaine repeated. “Y-yessir! I’m just slightly confused- how did I get here, and how did you get better? I watched your drop, remember?” Japfey said, stunned. “Watch the HUDvids, Japfey.” Blaine said, wearily. “Satisfied, Captain Krinski?” “I’m… Yah, Captink. I ahm satisfiedt. Jhoo may leave unhinderdt, andt ooll here are svorn tooh secretsee, jah.” Anastasia said, still in shock. “But-” Constance began. “No… C’mon, Sis. There’s other ways.” Glam said, realizing that what Blaine had been saying about his life being in jeopardy wasn’t just idle chat. Glam guided Constance out, who was still struggling to keep Blaine in her sight. “But, Glamrica! He could… Stop, dammit! I can walk on my own, girl!” Constance protested. “Then DO SO! The Captain needs to leave, and get some rest on his own ship, for HIS safety!” Glam snapped at her, shoving her out of the room. “Jess… for jyur safety, Captink… Please return tooh zeh Aquila.” Anastasia said, suddenly realizing the implications as well. “Yess’m. Are any others of my crew on board, Captain Krinski?” Blaine asked, as an afterthought. “Jess. Narah Sihn arrived ziss mornink. She’s vell, just berry scaredt. Her Fadder didn’t make it tooh zeh Imperial Palace, and zerr is no vord on his veraboutz…” Anastasia said. “Vy? Vhat is zoh important about zhat?” She added as Blaine made a beeline for the door. “James.” Blaine said, walking out. He searched the Medical suites first, finding them full of injured personnel. His heart ached to help them, but he knew the cost was too high to do so. Moving quickly, he found Narah staring blankly at a wall in the second to last Medical suite on that wing of the bay. He touched her gently on the shoulder, and smiled when she turned to look at him. Narah jumped up and wrapped him in a hug, so quickly it startled him. She held him like a vise, and started to cry silently. Then, stepping back from him and letting go reluctantly, she voiced her desperate fears. “He’s missing, and nobody knows what happened! One minute they were flying along, and the next they just disappeared off of the comlsink and tracking scopes! Nobody has heard a single thing from them since, and no demands from any would-be kidnappers! It’s like they just…” Narah stumbled through, and sniffled. “Disappeared. I understand. Get me a suit, and a dropzone.” Blaine said, his eyes flashing reddish behind the normal soft brown. Narah didn’t argue, nor did she wait for confirmation of what she thought she’d just heard. Without a second’s breath, she was running full-out for the shuttle bay, and skidded to a halt at the S.U, Aquila, before smashing the code into the doorway keypad. She grabbed his rifle, a fresh Seraphim suit, and his sabre, before stopping momentarily to stare at the particle beam cannon on the floor. She shook her head, looked at it again, and then shook her head again, before rushing back out the door and barely stopping to close it again. Again, she tore off towards the Medical suite she had just left, and found Blaine staring at the same wall she had just been. “Uhh, Baby? I.. I’m not sure this is smart. I just… Maybe we should bring Rosey.” She said, looking at his feet, shamefully. “Maybe. Let’s not until we know. Where is Lisa, or Jupiter?” Blaine said. “Lisa is on board, with Hector. They should be in the Galley, right now.” She said. “Nav Officer Renhardt… She’s MIA, too!” “What? Wasn’t she flying the shuttle that brought me?” Blaine said, suddenly questioning just how long he’d been asleep. “Yeah, silly.. She… She went out after James and Daddy went missing, to try and find them. She’s a great pilot, but I don’t think she’s really qualified as a Spacejumper.” Narah said, hesitantly. “Can you take these? They’re getting heavy.” “Sorry.” Blaine said, taking the suit. “Then I'm going to need the Ortiz clan. Monster is always good to have in a fight. And Lisa can fly the shuttle and shoot, so we’re good for now.” “I’ll send her a.. Text?” Narah said, looking at him with a puzzled expression. “Yeah, a text would be a great idea.” Blaine confirmed, missing her query but answering it all the same. Narah stood in a corner with a qwikslate, typing like mad, while Blaine suited up minus the jetpack. This he carried with his rifle in one hand, and the sword in the other. Narah looked up from her qwikslate as he finished, and nodded. “Good. Let’s go shoot this goose, babe! I has a lot o’ questions what need answers.” Blaine said. Narah let out a short cackle, and smiled. “Yeah. Let’s shoot the goose! What’s a goose?” “Not important. C’mon…” Blaine said, putting an arm around her and guiding her towards the door. “Just what do you think you are doing, Captain?” Brashi’i said, standing in the doorway. “Where the absolute fuck did you appear from, and how do you guys keep doing that?! You and Jupiter both! And you, Narah! Just all of a sudden, Pop-goes-the-weasel, and you’re in my face!” Blaine said, finally letting vent to something that had been frustrating him for several weeks. “You really don’t know how well that neuro-link device works, do you? It literally retrained our bodies to walk much more quietly, after we took turns running through one of your sims. What do you think I was doing, when I was in the sim?” Brashi’i waved him off. “Well.. then you’re going to love learning this next trick… Love you!” Blaine kissed her on the cheek and Brashi’i promptly fell unconscious. “What was that? What did you just do to her?!” Narah squeaked, looking at the crumpled heap of woman on the floor. “Quickly, quickly… she’s not gonna be out for long…!” Blaine bustled her out the door. “But-” Narah said. “Goooo!” Blaine chided her. “It’s ‘the kiss of bliss’... a Martial arts technique I learned when I was a kid. She’s going to wake up in a few seconds!” “Fine! But don’t you ever-” Narah said, as he hustled her towards the Galley. “Shh! Hi! Yep! Just a human… Nothing to see here…” Blaine said, pushing her on, as people turned and stared at them. “Blaine… I’m not joking.” Narah said, stopping right in front of the Galley. “Neither am- OOF!” Blaine started to say, only to be lifted bodily from the floor by a hefty punch to his ribs. “What the fuck, you asshole! You just fucking punched a commanding officer in the chin, you human pile of gutless crap!” Brashi’i screamed from behind him as he collapsed. “dammit… Hi, Baby!” Blaine said, smiling through the pain. “Don’t you ‘Hi Baby’ me, you slippery fuck! Or I’ll punch something you can’t heal!” Brashi’i spat, turning blue as her rage welled within her. “Huuhhh…. GASP- I didn’t punch you… mmmnnngh… I pushed a vertebrae out of place, rendering you instantly unconscioussss… fuck! Why the ribs? Why always the ribs?!” Blaine said through tears and intense burning in his lungs, rolling slightly back and forth on the floor. “Whatever you did, IT FUCKING HURTS! You really thought I’d just let you walk out, no whatever and not a by-your-leave? You must be fucking crazy!” Brashi’i screamed, her fists still curled into tight balls and her face the image of twisted fury. “Yes. Precisely. Because, in fact, sweety… grunt… Enough time has already been wasted with being down. Which is why I’m not stopping, for fuck-all.” Blaine said, standing back up, still clenching his ribs. “And I’ll do it again, if you’re gonna try an’ stop me, Brash…” “Stop you? I just wanted to know what you were doing! Narah is on suicide watch until her father is located and retrieved. Or did you not know?” Brashi’i said, still snarling at him with intense venom. “Why would she want to kill herself? We’re literally going to get him?!” Blaine blurted out through the throbbing of his bruised ribs. “Why not say that, you stubborn fool! Why just knock me out, and run?” Brashi’i said, still breathing heavily. “Because..” Blaine wheezed, “I don’t have time for all of this crap!” “What the fuck is five more minutes gonna cost you?” Brashi’i spat. “Maybe my sister’s life, Brash. So, one more time… Get the ever loving fuck, out of my way!” Blaine said, finally catching his breath. Brashi’i said nothing, but stepped aside symbolically, using one hand to gesture forwards passed her. “Thank you! For Chrissake…” Blaine said loudly, and turned around to find Lisa and Hector staring at him, in utter amazement. “When and where, Caballero?” Lisa asked, seeing he was in no mood for small-talk. “Now. Shuttle.” Blaine said, nodding at Hector. Hector smiled and winked back. “On it, Cap!” Hector said, and dragged Lisa towards the shuttle bay. “Anything else, or can we go?” Blaine said, looking around at the crowd that was gathering to watch. With a lot of muttering and sheepish looks, people stepped back and made a thoroughfare for them, towards the shuttle bay. Blaine sighed, grabbed up his equipment, and walked the shame mile. Narah quickly caught up to him, and took his jetpack to carry for him. Blaine was grateful for the relief of pressure on his aching ribs. A shout sounded behind them, as Brashi’i vented her anger and strode into the Galley. “You ok? I heard the thump off that hit!” Narah said, trying to comfort him. “I’ll be fine! She used the wrong hand- probably the reason for the scream. Remind me to fix that for her if we make it back?” Blaine said, jokingly. “Yeah, right after I break my fist on her mouth.” Narah said, giggling. Blaine chuckled. “Damn, bloodthirsty, aren’t we?!” “Well, she did just try to stop us from getting my Dad. Thanks for not taking no for an answer, by the way…” Narah said, smiling at him. “I wouldn’t have, anyways. You know how I feel about our family… Now, imagine that I’ve felt that strongly about my sisters since we were little. You had nothing to fear… I was going with or without her permission.” Blaine said, and increased his pace. “So, this isn’t about my Dad?” Narah said, crestfallen. “I didn’t say that. I said that I have more than just him as personal investment, in this situation.” Blaine said. “Good save.” Narah said, smiling again. They walked onto the shuttle, and sat down, as Lisa negotiated their departure. This was made more complicated by the fact that they didn’t have any official orders or flightplan. Lisa finally got them clearance, by threatening diplomatic tensions between Humans and Vaalor. She turned off the comslink, and spoke solely to the four present. “We are flying into a shitstorm, with no backup, I’m pretty sure. Since that’s the case, I need to know, Cap- how much is this worth to you?” Lisa asked. Hector rolled his eyes, but stayed silent. “I’d shoot the President, to make it happen.” Blaine deadpanned. “My resolve knows no end.” “Ok… That’s good enough for me! Hang on… We’re in for a ride!” Lisa said, and dove for atmosphere. The walls of the shuttle began to heat up and glow, as they dropped through the atmosphere. Blaine felt as the shuttle began to shake from the buffeting, and Lisa pulled up on the yoke. “RRRrrr-you-son-of-a-bitch! Rah! Come about!” she grunted, as she pulled. The shuttle slowed, and started to become more aerodynamic. Lisa cruised to the coordinates that Narah gave her, and they came to a hover at 1500 feet. “We’re here…” Lisa said, and set the hover function to auto and stood up, stretching. Blaine stood up, and readied his rifle. Opening the door, he was met with a faceful of wind, and nearly sucked from the craft. He looked around at Lisa, with a smirk, and engaged his suit’s magnetic system. Looking back out the door, he asked, “You sure this is it? We’re a thousand feet up, at least!”
Lisa looked at him, and shook her head. “I can’t hear you!” “Helmets!” Blaine shouted, donning his. The rest of them pulled on their helmets, and the silence was shocking to behold. Everyone started talking at once. “We’re in the right area, right?” Blaine said. “Whoa, so quiet!” Narah said. “Middle of the fucking air! Narah!” Lisa shouted, crossing her arms. “God, thank you! I fucking hate HALO jumps!” Hector sighed. Unfortunately, all that was heard, was a cacophony of insane noise. “What?” everyone said at exactly the same time, which had the strange effect of sounding like a Beachfront quartet. This had the women giggling, and the men chuckling too! “Ok.. so… Are you sure this is the spot, Narah?” Blaine asked, as he got his mirth under control. “Yep. This is the marker from the computer. I didn’t change anything. We’re exactly where their beacon was last, before it disappeared. Lisa, spin us around slowly. Let’s get a good view of how this place looks.” Narah said, nodding. Lisa did as she was told, and sat back down in the pilot's seat. She disengaged the hover function, and started to rotate the craft. This caused the shuttle to slide forwards slightly, and suddenly the scenery changed. Instead of a windswept 1500 foot altitude without a bottom, they were a mere 50 feet up and maneuvering between trees in a tropical forest. “OH SHIT!” Lisa cursed, and quickly brought the yoke up as high as she could pull it without dislodging it. The shuttle shot straight up, and soon they were hovering over the top of the Amazon Rainforest on Earth, according to their instruments. More specifically, somewhere outside of Anza De Esparanza, Brazil. “What the… fack?” Blaine said, as a brightly colored Scarlet Macaw landed on the shuttle deck, and squawked at him. “Huh? Am I missing something?” Narah said. “Lisa, take us back! I need to check something!” Blaine said, a sudden realization dawning upon him. “Ohh, kay?” Lisa said, and hesitantly set the shuttle back towards its previously known position. They slowly maneuvered back through the trees, and then suddenly they were on Valhallah, again. Blaine smiled and shouted for joy, realizing the implications. “You wanna fill us in on what just happened, there? Or, should we just guess?” Lisa asked Blaine as Narah’s eyes got wide as saucers. “A laminar wormhole! A literal fucking laminar wormhole! BETWEEN EARTH AND VALHALLAH!” Blaine said, his face wreathed in smiles behind his visor. “Are you saying-” Lisa said, slowly catching on. “THAT THE LEGENDS ARE ALL REAL! THEY’RE HISTORY!” Blaine said, closing the door and smiling like a madman. “So, Thor, Meremere, and all that?” Lisa said, suddenly looking stunned. “Yeah, Thor, Moljnir, and all that!" Blaine confirmed. “So, if it’s a laminar wormhole, where is James, and where’s my Dad? Narah said, bringing everyone back to the reality before them. “They should be on one side, or the other. Your guess is as good as mine as to where. However, what’s bothering me, is why didn’t they just fly back through? James would have turned back!” Blaine said, at a loss for answers. “Just like you did. So.. Lisa? Take us back through, but keep the shuttle at 3000 feet, so that we can have time to deploy our wings.” Narah said, before sitting back down. “What’s on your mind, hun?” Blaine said, sitting down next to her. “Recon.” Narah said, stone faced. “Right. Well, where we came through at, I’m sure we hit a tree the first time. Perhaps we should start at the base?” Blaine suggested. “Good idea. Lisa, change of plans… I want you to get us as close to that tree we hit coming in, without landing right at its base, I want to make landfall.” Narah said. Lisa looked at Blaine. “What, you want permission?” Blaine said, smiling garishly at her. “Right. Back through. Don’t mind me if I change my pants afterwards! You SA’s are crasee!” Lisa said, and flew the shuttle back through the wormhole. “There’s a clearing over there… I’m gonna put down there.” “Ok, gear up, expect predators!” Blaine said, belting on his sword and grabbing his rifle. “What kinds?” Narah said. “Snakes, spiders, Caiman, Crocodiles, Jaguar, Ocelot, and Puma, to name a few. Big cats, and venomous snakes. Spiders as big as a dinner plate.” Blaine said. “I hate spiders, homie!” Hector said, staring at Blaine and turning pale as a sheet. “I fuckin’ hate ‘em!” “Then, keep your eyes peeled, don’t walk through any webs, and don’t panic if you see one. They’ll only chase you if you run.” Blaine assured him. “Ok… I’m good… Ok…” Hector said, nodding and psyching himself up. “Good. Don’t touch flowers. No matter how pretty.” He said, looking from Narah to Lisa. “Why?” Narah asked. “We’re in the rainforest. Everything here is trying to kill and eat something else. Nothing is safe. Even things that might seem so.” Blaine said, seriously. “Ok… So, what should we eat if we’re here for a while?” Narah said, being sensible about her questions. “Only what I hand you. Don’t eat or touch anything else, especially if it’s brightly colored.” Blaine warned her. “Why?” Narah asked. Blaine looked skywards for patience. Lisa came to his rescue. “Everyone knows bright colors mean venom or poison. Especially in the rainforest. With rare exception.” “Oh. You know, that’s not the case on Valhallah. Or my planet.” Narah said. “That’s why I asked.” “What’s your planet like, Narah?” Blaine said, trying to distract from the hike they were now embarking on. “Crazy enough, it’s a lot like yours. Just, venomous plants and animals are usually also trying to hide, whether predator or prey. Reds are normal. Yellows and greens, too. Most of the brightly colored plants only become so when fruiting. And most are not toxic. It takes an expert eye to be able to discern… What are you doing! You said not to eat anything brightly colored!” Narah suddenly shrieked, as Blaine peeled a banana. “Yes. I did. I also said don’t eat anything that I don’t give you. This, is a fruit known as a banana. It’s actually edible. Just, be careful when you pick them. See?” Blaine pointed to a large spider crawling across a banana leaf. “I’ll have to keep that in mind…” Narah said, as she stared at the slowly moving spider. “What’s that?” “One of the most deadly spiders known to mankind. Its bite would probably be harmless to you, but to us, it’s a very excruciating way to die, and very embarrassing as well. Basically….” Blaine said, before whispering in her ear. “Oh! That’s… both horrible and strangely … it kinda turns me on!” Narah said, smiling. “It’s not as nice as you think. It’d be like popping a bean, and never being able to rub it relaxed again, until you finally die from a heart attack. Us humans are naturally afraid of spiders, because of spiders like that.” Blaine said at length. “Yeah, sounds a lot worse when you say it like that.” Narah said, frowning. “Hey! That’s Archangel armor!” Blaine was suddenly right next to her, peering through the woods towards where she was pointing. A single scale stuck from a tree branch. Blaine looked down, and around the area across the ground. A large four-clawed bipedal print, told Blaine the worst was to fear. “Mahl.” Blaine said, as Lisa followed his gaze. “Oh, Christ!” Lisa said, terrified. “I thought they didn’t land on Earth?” “They didn’t, or these woods would be crawling with Brazilian and UN forces. No, this is a loner.” Blaine said, looking at the trail they left behind. “I’ll tell you this… James is being smart. She’s obviously being dragged. Your father is walking… With a limp, but walking.” He said, pointing to the trail leading from the tree through the underbrush. “How’s she being smart? She’s letting herself be dragged off by that brute! Why not just rip his arms off and beat him with them? She obviously can…” Narah pouted. “Precisely! She’s not! Which means there’s a good reason. Either she feels bested, or there’s a larger game afoot!” Blaine said, gritting his teeth and causing a vein to pop in his temple. “So, what do we do?” Narah asked. “Follow. In dead silence.” Blaine said, looking at her severely. Narah nodded, and followed him. They walked for the rest of the day, silent and slow. Blaine stayed in the lead, following the trail ahead. The Mahl stopped a couple of times, each time for water. They came finally to a tree, where the trail dead ended at it’s base. Blaine waited for the rest to catch up, and then smiled at Narah. Narah scowled at him puzzled at why he’d seem so happy at losing the trail. “Look up.” Blaine said quietly, grinning at Narah and the other two. A deep guttural growling roar, issued from a ball of fur halfway up the tree, sporting two others who were wearing Seraphim suits. “Hi, bonehead! I’m Blaine. You’ve got something that belongs to me. How’s about you give them back, and I don’t … make a mess…” Blaine said cheerily, smiling and waving to the Mahl. “GRRrrr, WHY SHOULD I?!” The Mahl said in a deep voice, which almost matched his growl. “Because! I’m allowing you to keep your arms. That’s more than she will do.” Blaine said, pointing to James. James smiled, and twisted around, grabbing the Mahl by his arm. “Ready, Freddy?” She snarled. “James! Wait-” Mordecai said, terrified. The Mahl made as if to bite her head off, and James changed. Her hair stood on end, and her face twisted grotesque. The Mahl stopped momentarily, looking at the savagely frothing woman in his claws, and suddenly had second thoughts about thinking her a mere weakling. That, didn’t matter, however. James ripped the Mahl’s head off of his shoulders, and spat down the creature’s esophagus. Then, they all came crashing out of the tree. Landing hard, Mordecai groaned as he lay still. James landed catlike, and ripped the offending Mahl’s bodily remains to dreg shreds, with her bare hands. Then, she roared, and passed out face first into the loamy soil of the rainforest floor. Blaine ran to Mordecai’s side, and looked him over. The elderly man had a broken wrist, and a large gash across his brow. Furthermore, he was completely unconscious. Blaine wasted no time, the blue flames glowing brightly in the failing light. Narah was at his side before he had finished, and watched, with tears in her eyes. “What about James?” Narah said, looking at Blaine as he finished and extinguished the blue fire. “Well…” Blaine said, and squatted next to her. He opened her eye, and checked the reactivity. He then became visibly worried. James wasn’t reactive at all. It was like her mind was empty. Like her soul had left her body. Blaine whimpered, as he held her hand to his lips. He looked around, like a scared child, and then closed his eyes. Blue light lit up the undergrowth, and blinded Lisa and Hector as they slowly walked closer. “SOB… GASP! Not yet, kiddo! Not yet!” Blaine’s voice could be heard from within the giant blue-white halo. “Please!” “Uhhn… Bean? Wha? OH! Fuck…” James’ voice could be heard saying. The light subsided and left Narah, Lisa, and Hector blinking furiously and rubbing their eyes. Blaine could be heard crying, as he hunched over, but nobody could see well enough to understand why for several minutes more. Then James slowly rolled over and stood up, weakly. “Bean… It’s ok… C’mon! We gotta go! It’s getting dark again!” She said, panic rising in her voice. “I…I-I thought… Yeah. Let’s go….” Blaine said, tears rolling down his cheeks. They ran flat out, for several minutes, before Blaine shouted at them. “STOP! We need to set camp! Don’t run in the woods at night!” “Scrape a clearing! I’ll get some firewood, and you, go get a bunch of banana leaves. You do know what those are, right Narah?” James said, helping as much as she could. “Yeah, I know what they are. I’ll be right back.” Narah said, and disappeared into the undergrowth. “Uhm.. Cap?... Do monkey’s eyes glow?” Hector said, as he stared into the gathering night. “No. Why, Monster? Find a monster?” Blaine said, and chuckled at his joke. “Nah, for reals, Cap! Look!” Hector said, pointing at two reddish orange orbs in the undergrowth. “Whoa! Hector! You found our monster, alright! It’s the apparatus that is creating the wormhole!” Blaine said, noticing where they were. “See? There’s the broken tree we hit earlier, Narah… Narah? Sweety?” Blaine looked around, worried. Then, he heard a muffled squeak which sounded oddly familiar. “I’m comin’ hun!” Blaine bellowed, and tore off through the cycads and the bromeliads. He found her being wrapped up by a massive anaconda, and drew his sword. Swinging deftly, he struck the creature clear to its spine with a fatal blow, directly behind the snake’s skull. He then roared mightily, as he peeled the massive jaws from Narah’s shoulder. Sobbing in terror and desperation of breath, Narah wriggled free of the snake’s coils, and slithered her way back several feet from it, wiping her skin like she was covered in some slimy sludge. Her heart raced, and she sobbed harder as she stared in terror at the thing that had just held her in its coils and tried to crush the life out of her. James ran up, and realized what had happened. She walked over to Narah and sweetly said to her as she helped her stand, “I’m so sorry! Come on! Let’s get you away from here!” The two quickly walked back to camp, James taking the chance to see to Narah’s wounds. Blaine sliced a huge chunk off of the snake, and carried it back to the fire he’d been starting just previously. Building up a pile of wood, he concentrated on the crimson and gold flames, and then the pile leaped to life with flames flickering merrily. The smell of cooking flesh, mixed with the day’s happenings, drew the six individuals to partake without argument or aplomb. Smiles were in short supply, but were certainly easier to manage with meat to fill their bellies. Narah was still clammy, and therefore wouldn’t let anyone touch her. Blaine made a joke about who would have died first, the snake or Narah, and Narah smiled at his attempt to cheer her up. “Maybe we should just sleep in the shuttle.” Blaine suggested. Nobody argued the logic, and so around an hour later, they were all back inside of the shuttle. They fell asleep, unaware of the several sets of beady little black eyes that watched them from the topiary level of the forest. Mahl clung to trees all around the clearing, hanging upside down from the vines and Burna trees. They didn’t make a sound, and simply watched until morning light, before disappearing into the jungle treetops, silent as a wraith. —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brashi’i sat with her thoughts, mulling over her feelings on the previous day's activity, and wondering about the man she’d let go. Had he left and simply decided to not come back? Or, was there another, more sinister reason for his absence? She sipped her strong drink, and sighed to herself. If he was gone, then he would move heaven and earth, to come back to them. That much, she was certain of. A voice like a thunderstorm, pulled her from her revelry. “Vhat troubles jhoo, Madam Zeal? “ Anastasia said, as she sat down next to Brashi’i. “Nothing, Anastasia. I’m fine.” Brashi’i replied, haggardly. “I’m just worried about my crew.” “Vee hafv naht oolvays seen eye tooh eye, Brashi’i. Zhat does naht mean zhat I do naht vorry, tooh. I hafv mine own reasons, tooh vhant Captink Preiss tooh return unharmedt, jah?” Anastasia said, winking at the bartender. “I understand. Still, I’d rather not talk about it, kay?” Brashi’i said, delicately. “Zhat is fine. I vos only tryink tooh be friendly, Madam Zeal.” Anastasia said, accepting her drink from the slightly surly bartender. “Tank jhoo, Frankie.” “I have no idea what happened to them, where they went, or how to get them back. They vanished in the same place exactly, as Ensign Price and the General.” Brashi’i muttered, as a patron walked passed them. “Jyur man…. Zeh Captink… He is naht a childt. He vill be fine. Jhoo vill see!” Anastasia reassured her. “I know… It still doesn’t make it easier. Enjoy your drink, Captain. Good night.” Brashi’i said, downing the rest of her drink and leaving.

What is the cause of Schefflera dropping leaves , and how can we fix this problem? Dropping leaves of any plant, especially Schefflera, is the result of stress on the plant, which is caused by improperly keeping and growing the plant at home. Schefflera is one of the best choices for bringing tropical foliage indoors. This resistant and beautiful plant with its umbrella-like leaves can withstand a lot of neglect, but leaf fall is a common thing that unfortunately happens to many of these plants.
Many factors cause the Schefflera dropping leaves, including improper watering, high environmental temperature, low or high environmental humidity, pest infestation of houseplants, and disease of houseplants.
Sometimes, there are situations where you have provided all the conditions for keeping Schefflera at home in an ideal and appropriate way, but you see its Schefflera dropping leaves again; the reason for this is the decision of your plant itself! which prefers to replace its old leaves with young leaves.
In this article from the thehplants website, we will examine all the reasons for the Schefflera dropping leaves and how to treat it, so stay with us until the end of this article.

What is the cause of Schefflera dropping leaves?

Only one reason cannot cause Schefflera dropping leaves. In summary, watering too little or too much, low light, high temperature, repotting, pests, houseplants diseases, incorrect fertilization, low humidity, or a movement to new location can cause the leaves of this plant to fall.
Note that it is normal for Schefflera and other houseplants to drop old leaves. But the constant falling of umbrella plant leaves can not be a good sign, and you should immediately ask yourself why is my umbrella plant dropping leaves? and try to find the cause of the problem and fix it immediately.

1. Does the light cause the leaves of Schefflera to fall?

Schefflera plant is one of the houseplants with good resistance to low light, but it needs indirect sunlight for maximum growth. In a situation where the ambient light for the plant is low, the leaves of the Schefflera plant change shape and fall, and of course, in this case, the color of the leaves will be dark green compared to normal conditions.
On the other hand, too much light in the place where the plant is kept does not cause Schefflera dropping leaves and only causes the leaves to become burnt. As a result, if you suspect that the leaves of your Schefflera plant are falling due to the low light of the plant’s storage environment. Bring the plant closer to the window and provide indirect and appropriate light (indirect light is the light that passes through the window curtain and is provided to the plant).
The process of bringing Schefflera from apartment oxygen plants to the window should be done slowly because changing the location of the plant at high speed will also have its consequences (a distance of one to one and a half meters to the window is suitable).

2. Too much or too little watering causes Schefflera dropping leaves

Watering less than normal and too much has caused the Schefflera plant to be under pressure, resulting in the leaves of the plant falling. The roots of houseplants have the task of delivering water and nutrients to the stem and leaves, and when the amount of watering is too high or too low, this process will face problems.
Schefflera plant always needs moist soil (not waterlogged) and is very resistant to dry soil conditions.
The correct method and time of watering Schefflera are such that the upper half of the soil in the pot is dry at any time. Watering the plant should be done immediately, and on the other hand, when watering the plant, as soon as the excess water comes out of the bottom of the pot, the process of watering the plant should be stopped completely. Avoid collecting water at the bottom of the separate pot.
Schefflera dropping leaves due to over-watering has specific symptoms so that, in this case, the leaves of the plant turn a little black before falling and then falling. As a result, if you are facing this situation, immediately remove the plant from the pot and prune the rotten and infected roots of the plant to their healthy point. And after that, be sure to do the first watering with fungicide. Although it was mentioned that Schefflera is one of the large houseplants, it is resistant to drought conditions, and if the mentioned conditions continue and the amount of watering is very low, the leaves of the plant will fall. As a result, it is recommended to constantly check the humidity of the upper half of the soil and water your plant if necessary to prevent the leaves of the Schefflera plant from falling. In this case, the leaves will wrinkle and then fall off.

3. Does the soil affect the Schefflera dropping leaves?

If the watering you do is correct, but you don’t use the right soil for Schefflera, your plant will fall off its leaves. Compact and heavy soil for the plant is one of the other reasons for Schefflera dropping leaves. Because these types of soils do not work well in aerating and supplying oxygen to the plant roots, they always fill the environment around the roots with irrigation water of houseplants, due to which the root function is disturbed and the plant gets stressed.
The best soil for the Schefflera plant is soil with a lot of perlite or soil suitable for cactus. A little sand should be added at the end of the pot, and then the cactus soil and perlite mixture should be added on top of it. In addition to the proper soil, the pot’s drainage should also be suitable so that the excess water can be removed from under the pot after watering.
It is possible that the texture of the soil has worn out over time and its drainage power has decreased, so it is recommended that if you suspect that this is the cause of the shedding of the leaves of your Schefflera plant, replace the potting soil and ensure the health of your plant again. Be sure to use amino acid for plants watering after changing the soil and pot to reduce tension.
In summary, the soil is an indirect factor in Schefflera dropping leaves. Because the heaviness of the soil causes oxygen not to reach the roots, and you will gradually see them rotting.

4. Effect of temperature on Schefflera dropping leaves

This plant, known from its birthplace, is native to tropical regions and cannot tolerate cold weather at all; when the temperature of the place where the plant is stored is lower than 53 degree Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius), the plant will start to drop its leaves. Lowering the temperature will stress the plant. If you live in a cold area where the temperature drops below 53 degree during the cold seasons, move the plant indoors and avoid placing the plant next to the window or the sidewalk. Also, remember that this plant cannot tolerate temperatures above 80 degree Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) well, so increase the amount of watering and the humidity of the environment as the temperature increases. Otherwise, you will see the leaves of the plant falling.
In summary, temperature fluctuations can be one of the main reasons for Schefflera dropping leaves at home.
does Schefflera bloom?

5. The effect of fertilization on Schefflera dropping leaves

Always be careful in fertilizing because too much fertilization can be one of the causes of Schefflera dropping leaves, while low fertilization and lack of nutrients will cause the leaves of the plant to fall. Be sure to read the instructions on the package before fertilizing the plant. If you suspect that the shedding of the leaves of the Schefflera plant is due to excessive fertilizing of the plant, stop fertilizing and be sure to wash the pot in such a way that the soil of the pot is washed with lukewarm water to reduce the amount of harmful salts.
check out the benefits of coffee grounds for houseplants
Now, on the opposite side, there is low fertilization, so every plant needs nutrition in its growing season to produce young leaves and keep the old leaves alive. If the old leaves of your plant are turning yellow and falling, you should know that one of the cases is low fertilization. At least during the plant’s growing season, from early spring to late summer, feed your plant with appropriate fertilizers. Fertilizing with 10-10-10 fertilizers and iron fertilizer can help your plant grow and flourish.
make sure to read nitrogen deficiency in plants as well

6. Sudden changes in the storage environment

Changing the storage conditions at once in any plant will cause its leaves to fall. When you buy the plant and move it home or repot, the plant will be shocked, and this will cause the leaves of your plant to fall. You should reduce the amount of these changes (temperature, light, location) in your plant.

7. The effect of humidity on Schefflera dropping leaves

This plant can easily grow well in normal humidity, between 40 and 60%. If the temperature rises and the humidity doesn’t increase as much, your plant will lose leaves. In these cases, be sure to supply the moisture the plant requires by using a cold misting device, dusting and placing the pot on gravel, and adding water under the pot.

8. repotting and Schefflera dropping leaves

Repotting is also known as a change and shock; if the root of the plant is damaged during the repotting, it can increase the process of leaf fall. Also, choosing a pot that is too big will cause the plant to spend all its energy growing the roots, and the growth of the leaves will decrease, and in some cases, you will see the leaves fall.

Tips you should know about repotting:

• If you need to water more than twice a week, it’s time to repot.
• Do not fertilize the plant for several weeks after planting it in a new pot so that the fresh and tender roots do not burn. Fresh soil usually has sufficient nutrition but use amino acids.
• Schefflera roots can grow out of the soil. Please do not add new soil because it can suffocate the plant.
• It is better to repot the plant during the growing season to give it the necessary time to recover.
• It’s tempting to relocate a plant you’ve just brought home, but it’s best to let them get used to their new location first.

9. What damage does the invasion of pests and diseases do to Schefflera?

Another reason for the fall of Schefflera leaves is the invasion of pests on the plant. These harmful insects feed on the leaves and cause the Schefflera leaves to fall. As a result, it is always a good idea to clean houseplant leaves such as Schefflera so that the vegetative tissue of the plant is constantly checked to ensure that there is no pest infestation (especially the underside of the leaves).
To fight the pests of Schefflera houseplants, you can use insecticidal soaps with proper dosage or physically remove them from the branches and leaves of the plant.
On the other hand, the attack of fungal diseases on the plant also causes the leaves of Schefflera to fall. The reason for the attack of these pests on the plant is the over-watering and dusting of its branches and leaves. Spraying the plant only when there is proper ventilation around the plant is recommended.

Is there a way to prevent the natural death of old Schefflera leaves?

No, this is completely normal, and your plant must have the proper nutrition to reduce the loss of old leaves. The normal sign of old leaves falling is that the tips and edges of the old leaves of the plant change color and turn yellow.

Frequently asked questions about the cause Schefflera plant dropping green leaves

Can over-watering be the cause of Schefflera leaves falling?

Yes, over-watering Schefflera will cause its leaves to turn black and fall off.

Does direct light cause Schefflera leaves to fall?

No, direct sunlight does not cause the leaves of this plant to fall. But if it is exposed to direct light for a long time, its leaves get sunburned and wither.

Can fertilizer be the cause of falling Schefflera leaves?

Yes, fertilizers that have a high dose cause the leaves of this plant to fall. As a result, you can use fertilizers with fewer minerals for better growth.

Summary of Schefflera leaf falls at home.

By studying the above, you can solve any houseplant problems especially Schefflera dropping leaves, but in summary, it should be said that the reason for falling leaves of Schefflera plant can be due to excessive or insufficient watering, insufficient light, improper fertilization, improperly compacted soil, hot and dry environment and… Be sure to check the mentioned items and then try to fix the problem.

TLDR and my log is at the end.
Hi all just wanted to share my breakthrough regimen that has resulted in excellent improvements in sexual function as well as some improvement in the anhedonia category. The anhedonia i believe is not caused by PSSD or it had very little to do with it. Regardless, it does seem to have improved mostly the feeling of being able to connect with females. I was targeting sexual function improvements. I took a combination of E2 injections, E2 gel and hops supplement. Everything else had been stable for a minimum of 6 months. Attached a document below that i recorded my trial on. It's now been a month+ since i last used E2 and very rarely do i take hops anymore. Improvements have stuck and seem to be getting better. Big improvements in erection quality, sensitivity and less so in libido.
​
I'll try to quantify the improvements but its difficult. As always things will fluctuate based on other factors like sleep, attractiveness of girl, mood that day, stress etc. The "Before" will be my baseline which was a combination of various supplements and medications. The heavy hitters are TRT (~125mg/week split into 2 doses Monday and Thursday), bromantane, NA Semax, selegiline in no particular order. Viagra is often used before sex as well. After my E2 trial i no longer need viagra all the time. Normally I am having sex almost daily which can be a bit taxing on the body i think. The sensitivity improvements are problematic on occasion. It becomes difficult to continue to have sex and i have to use tricks and techniques to not cum too quickly. I dont wish to try E2 again for the time being as the increased sensitivity causes issues.
The lower the score the worse it is. 1/10 sensitivity would be near total genital numbness and no pleasure.10/10 would be pre-PSSD levels for me that align with the best I've felt in my life in that area. It's not the most scientific approach if anyone has a proper form to fill out for recovery I could give it a go.
Before
Erection quality (being able to get an erection and maintain it during sex) 5/10
Libido - 3/10
Sensitivity - 5/10
Anhedonia - 7/10
Refractory Period - 1 day (assuming having sex daily)
After
Erection quality (being able to get an erection and maintain it during sex) 8/10
Libido - 5/10
Sensitivity - 8/10
Anhedonia - 8/10
Refractory Period - Varies, limited data. 1-2 hours has been possible on several occasions so far. Definite improvement
​
​
A big thanks to u/Sweaty_Literature_69 (Spyros) for sharing his theory
TLDR: Took E2 injections/gel and hops and got big improvements in sexual function across the board that have stuck for a month+
​

---------Log Below-------

-------------------------------

1. mike1 — 03/20/2023 1:31 PM

Just applied 1.25g (0.75mg of 17 β estradiol) gel to test the waters about 40 minutes ago. will see if there's any effects i wont be doing a proper trial (following sweaty's pdf) because there's too many restrictions. will try with the gel for now and then move to injections later perhaps Some background: Ive been on trt for 2-3 years already. I've had PSSD for ~3 years from prozac (fluoxetine). Ive tried many things to see what will work for me. I would say I experienced a 30-40% improvement from baseline with my current regimen. The best window I ever had was my initial dose of proviron which prompted me to give this theory a shot. This lasted 2 days or so. I felt like a God every aspect was improved. It wasn't a manic phase though. Current regimen (the heavy hitters): TRT ~125mg/week No HCG NA Semax 300-600mcg/day Bromantane varying dosages Selegiline 1.25mg/day sublingual Various other supplements that I dont think matter all that much. Sexmas, Bromantane, Selegiline were all added individually after 1-2month minimum baseline was established. (edited)
2.
Akas — 03/20/2023 2:52 PM
May i ask why you didn’t pair Test with HCG from the beginning to prevent ball shrinkage?

1. [2:53 PM]

And may i also ask which Ssri you took, how long you took it for and how hold you are?
4.
mike1 — 03/20/2023 3:21 PM
May i ask why you didn’t pair Test with HCG from the beginning to prevent ball shrinkage? - I have 0 sperm count now which is very useful for unprotected sex. I have used hcg in the past. And may i also ask which Ssri you took, how long you took it for and how hold you are? - Fluoxetine for ~12 years, 30 years old
5.
Akas — 03/20/2023 3:33 PM
So you are dealing with sexual symptoms right now? But you have recovered some of your sexuality/libido? (edited)
6.
mike1 — 03/20/2023 3:41 PM
yea mostly just sexual symptoms and some aspects of anhedonia but im not a severe case. i can have sex daily if i use viagra. i dont have much libido the brain to dick connection isnt there much and genital numbness

1. u/mike1

yea mostly just sexual symptoms and some aspects of anhedonia but im not a severe case. i can have sex daily if i use viagra. i dont have much libido the brain to dick connection isnt there much and genital numbness
14.
mike1 — 03/20/2023 6:31 PM
Update 1: Roughly 5 hours since gel application. Had a little surge in genital/skin sensitivity around the 1 hour mark. Feel like i am beginning to retain water and blood pressure going up a bit. Nothing uncomfortable but its noticeable. Better sense of well being around the 2-3 hour mark which has faded. No other side effects or improvements to note. (edited)

1. [7:23 PM]

What are your current doses ?

1. u/mike1

Update 1: Roughly 5 hours since gel application. Had a little surge in genital/skin sensitivity around the 1 hour mark. Feel like i am beginning to retain water and blood pressure going up a bit. Nothing uncomfortable but its noticeable. Better sense of well being around the 2-3 hour mark which has faded. No other side effects or improvements to note. (edited)
Survivor — 03/20/2023 7:43 PM
Blackcreative also had the same reaction after 5 hours

1. u/Zyzz Brah

What are your current doses ?
mike1 — 03/20/2023 9:59 PM
dosage is posted. first line in the first post
20.
Survivor — 03/20/2023 10:01 PM
u/mike1 are you gonna use this amount of gel daily for your current protocol?
21.
mike1 — 03/20/2023 10:05 PM
The bioavailability of oestradiol from the gel was 61% - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10465378/
PubMed
Absorption and bioavailability of oestradiol from a gel, a patch an...
The doses used of the transdermal gel and the patch roughly corresponded to each other with regard to the amount of oestradiol absorbed whereas the bioavailability from the tablet was significantly higher than from the gel. The lack of bioequivalence, the different serum oestradiol profiles and the …
📷

1. u/Survivor

u/mike1 are you gonna use this amount of gel daily for your current protocol?
mike1 — 03/20/2023 10:07 PM
i think ill increase it tomorrow to 1.6mg of 17 β estradiol. that should mean roughly 1mg is absorbed (edited)

1. [10:07 PM]

double today's dosage
24.
Survivor — 03/20/2023 10:07 PM
What is the bioavailability of gels usually?

1. mike1

The bioavailability of oestradiol from the gel was 61% - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10465378/
mike1 — 03/20/2023 10:08 PM
i dont know. i just posted the bioavailability of E2 gel

1. [10:08 PM]

depends on what body part you put it on too

1. [10:08 PM]

i did inner thigh

1. u/mike1

depends on what body part you put it on too
Survivor — 03/20/2023 10:08 PM
Where is it the highest?
29.
mike1 — 03/20/2023 10:09 PM
i read inner thigh, inner upper arms is good

1. [10:11 PM]

Update 2: Around 9 hours since application. No changes, no improvements/side effects. Had sex with viagra as normal. Seemed to have better sensitivity, bit more libido than yesterday. No crazy improvements though. My sexual function fluctuates ive had days like this before. If i could have this level of function consistently though that'd be a marked improvement.
March 21, 2023
31.
mike1 — 03/21/2023 8:26 PM
Update 3: Applied roughly 1.6mg of 17 β estradiol gel 5 hours ago so roughly 1mg is absorbed. No changes to report. No improvements, no side effects. Will try to get injections soon see if that helps. May add in hops too.
March 27, 2023
34.
Update 4: Applied roughly 1mg of 17 β estradiol gel 4 hours ago an d 1240mg hops. No changes to report. No improvements, no side effects. seems improvements have stopped. what little improvements there were anyways will keep going. but this doesnt seem to be the magic bullet i had my best ever window years ago on proviron. must be some hormone combo that will fix it mike1 — 25/03/2023 19:25 Update 5: Applied roughly 1mg of 17 β estradiol gel yesterday and took 1240mg hops again. No changes to report. No improvements, no side effects.
36.
mike1 — 03/27/2023 5:03 PM
thanks. just got oestradiol benzoate today for injection. injected 1mg 5 mins ago will report back later

1. [5:04 PM]

i am not on hcg btw. if you want to edit the title

1. [5:04 PM]

on TRT, e2 gel, now e2 injections

1. u/mike1

The bioavailability of oestradiol from the gel was 61% - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10465378/
Matiyar — 03/27/2023 5:08 PM
61% as compared to a pill ,-,

1. [5:10 PM]

Biovailability of oral estradiol ranges from less than 1% to around 15%, so according to this research you can expect ~9% absorption at best
43.
mike1 — 03/27/2023 5:14 PM
really? that seems incredibly low, almost useless

1. [5:15 PM]

his cream is 85% he says
46.
Matiyar — 03/27/2023 5:20 PM
I don't know from where he pulled that number

1. u/Matiyar

I don't know from where he pulled that number
mike1 — 03/27/2023 5:21 PM
i would guess the manufacturer? ill ask him
48.
Survivor — 03/27/2023 10:07 PM
u/mike1 When did you stopped e2 gel?
49.
Ratatouileee — 03/27/2023 11:50 PM
u/mike1 any different feeling?
March 28, 2023

1. u/Survivor

u/mike1 When did you stopped e2 gel?
mike1 — 03/28/2023 12:17 AM
yesterday

1. u/Ratatouileee

u/mike1 any different feeling?
mike1 — 03/28/2023 12:19 AM
Update 6: Injected 1mg of estradiol benzoate. Today was also my day for TRT injection. 1 hour in feel more sensitivty, hard flaccid type dick (this a positive). dick feels more full. It persisted for a few hours then declined. Had great sex, increased sensitivity, more libido. Maybe a 15% improvement so far over baseline so far. I feel the most effects shortly after injection and shortly after applying the gel. (edited)
Survivor — 03/28/2023 12:22 AM
Awesome man
53.
Dixon Uranus — 03/28/2023 1:07 AM
Great news, bro!

1. [1:07 AM]

Do you have cognitive or emotional symptoms at all?

1. [1:08 AM]

If yes, any changes on these fronts as well?
56.
mike1 — 03/28/2023 10:37 AM
I might have some degree of anhedonia. I believe ive had it since a young age before ssri though. I cant feel love/connections but again a problem since i was young. Still can feel a range of emotions but im mostly in the middle not many ups and downs. Cognitive im fine. No changes there. Bromanatane and semax helped my cognitive aspects already. Still on those.
57.
Survivor — 03/28/2023 12:44 PM
u/mike1 Are you gonna continue estradiol benzoate im?
58.
mike1 — 03/28/2023 2:14 PM
yea my plan is to do a week
59.
Ratatouileee — 03/28/2023 3:38 PM
u/mike1 have you had windows before you started the estrogen or is this the first time you got your libido and sensitivity back?

1. u/Ratatouileee

u/mike1 have you had windows before you started the estrogen or is this the first time you got your libido and sensitivity back?
mike1 — 03/28/2023 3:43 PM
from my OP: "The best window I ever had was my initial dose of proviron which prompted me to give this theory a shot. This lasted 2 days or so. I felt like a God every aspect was improved. It wasn't a manic phase though."
61.
138791 — 03/28/2023 3:51 PM
I felt the same from mini recoveries
62.
Survivor — 03/28/2023 8:26 PM
u/mike1 Any update today?

1. u/mike1

Update 6: Injected 1mg of estradiol benzoate. Today was also my day for TRT injection. 1 hour in feel more sensitivty, hard flaccid type dick (this a positive). dick feels more full. It persisted for a few hours then declined. Had great sex, increased sensitivity, more libido. Maybe a 15% improvement so far over baseline so far. I feel the most effects shortly after injection and shortly after applying the gel. (edited)
LastRiver — 03/28/2023 9:08 PM
Sorry man I'm confused by your wording. Are you saying hard flaccid is a positive? I don't think I'm understanding right lol

1. u/LastRiver

Sorry man I'm confused by your wording. Are you saying hard flaccid is a positive? I don't think I'm understanding right lol
mike1 — 03/28/2023 11:14 PM
yea it is in this context. imagine a hard flaccid as your baseline during the day vs a shrunken dick. when i had sex i was able to have a strong erection with a small dose of viagra

1. u/Survivor

u/mike1 Any update today?
mike1 — 03/28/2023 11:14 PM
i was busy today and forgot to inject. didnt realize until it was late evening time

1. u/mike1

yea it is in this context. imagine a hard flaccid as your baseline during the day vs a shrunken dick. when i had sex i was able to have a strong erection with a small dose of viagra
LastRiver — 03/28/2023 11:24 PM
Hard flaccid is a shrunken dick

1. u/mike1

i was busy today and forgot to inject. didnt realize until it was late evening time
Survivor — 03/28/2023 11:31 PM
Your e2 levels must be peaking tomorrow after 48 hours

1. u/LastRiver

Hard flaccid is a shrunken dick
mike1 — 03/28/2023 11:35 PM
Opposite of that. Its semi hard, hands wells, but not an erection
March 29, 2023
70.
mike1 — 03/29/2023 6:45 PM
i injected around an hour ago. will report later
71.

1. u/mike1

Update 6: Injected 1mg of estradiol benzoate. Today was also my day for TRT injection. 1 hour in feel more sensitivty, hard flaccid type dick (this a positive). dick feels more full. It persisted for a few hours then declined. Had great sex, increased sensitivity, more libido. Maybe a 15% improvement so far over baseline so far. I feel the most effects shortly after injection and shortly after applying the gel. (edited)
mike1 — 03/30/2023 9:05 PM
Update 7: injected 1mg yesterday. Improvements thus far have stuck. No improvements beyond what i reported before. Today no injection. (edited)
April 1, 2023
76.
mike1 — 04/01/2023 11:51 AM
sexual function not as good yesterday. was a bit stressed too
April 2, 2023
79.
mike1 — 04/02/2023 3:57 PM
Update 8: Today is day 4 of no injection. Nothing to report. Maybe a 5% improvement has stuck from my E2 usage prior (edited)
April 3, 2023
82.
mike1 — 04/03/2023 3:41 PM
Update 9: Day 5 of no injection. Performance was good last night. Definitely better than normal. Feeling good today will see how performance is tonight.
83.
Survivor — 04/03/2023 4:08 PM
u/mike1 It’s good you are seeing improvements. I pray to god that this might be the key for all of us .

1. u/mike1

Update 9: Day 5 of no injection. Performance was good last night. Definitely better than normal. Feeling good today will see how performance is tonight.
April 4, 2023

1. u/mike1

Update 9: Day 5 of no injection. Performance was good last night. Definitely better than normal. Feeling good today will see how performance is tonight.
Akas — Yesterday at 7:50 AM
That’s dope. Your libido/sex drive is feeling high?
88.
mike1 — Yesterday at 11:44 AM
not high. just better than normal. i would say erection quality and sensitivity is the most improved. libido still low

1. u/Survivor

You must be a hyper responder getting improvement with such low dose initially
mike1 — Yesterday at 7:36 PM
low dose of what?

1. u/mike1

low dose of what?
Survivor — Yesterday at 7:55 PM
E2
92.
mike1 — Yesterday at 8:09 PM
hmm i dont think its a low dose. maybe compared to what other people are doing. but more e2 than you would get from TRT or a big test injection.
April 5, 2023
93.
mike1 — Today at 2:45 PM
Update 10: Today is day 7 of no E2 injections. I have been taking hops before sleeping on occasion the last few days. Performance is better than normal for sure. Maybe a 15% improvement for erection quality and sensitivity has stuck so far at this point. I will be starting NAC+Sarcosine tomorrow
Final update 28/4/2023 – I have been on NAC+Sarcosine and around 900mg of hops per day. It has been 4 weeks since I began E2 or hops. Sensitivity improvements have stayed. Better erections, slightly more libido. Libido is still low otherwise I am very happy with my improvements.

I like foil Proteus Machine for under $5. While ordinarily a fairly crap card, it's an auto-include in all EDH decks with Yedora, Grave Gardener as the commander. With any sac outlet and Yedora on board, Proteus Machine can create infinite green mana. And if that sac outlets happens to be Evolutionary Leap, so much the better--just go find a Walking Ballista ftw.
A foil uncommon from Scourge, I think Proteus Machine has enough scarcity to make it a good investment. In my opinion, of course. I think it's unlikely that Proteus Machine gets a reprint anytime soon, given that it isn't a generically good card and it only belongs in Yedora decks. I have a position of 12 copies, which I'm expecting to sell for $10-$15 in the future.

Hey everyone, so I’m resigning from my job on Tuesday. I’ve drawn up a letter to specifically target my manager who truly screwed me over (I left a good job and then get bamboozled into a shitshow).
Anyway, here’s what I wrote, it’s long. HR will read it and my managers manager will read it. Let me know what I should edit or add. I left out the name of the actual company.
To Whom It May Concern,
This notice serves as my resignation from company Inc., effective immediately. Thank you to those who brought me on to the team, however, this position is not a good fit for me. It has put immense strain on my mental and physical health, and I believe it would be beneficial to both entities for me to exit.
Obviously this was not an easy decision, but there were a multitude of factors that have led me to this. I will highlight the issues I identified. Hopefully this can be used as helpful when looking for a new candidate.
• The hiring/onboarding process was unorganized. HR was not responsive and provided little guidance on steps to be on-boarded. I had to phone and email HR representatives to find out what I had to do for the pre-employment process. I had to travel to Jacksonville, FL for pre-employment, and they forgot to give me a badge.
• From the time I started, there was disconnect and misunderstanding of my qualities and skills. While I acknowledge I bare some fault for this, management initially was receptive to training me to enhance these skills.
• I received very little guidance or training on the systems and processes & procedures. Company utilizes homegrown tools that are old, complex and require some nuance. I would be given tasks I would not know how to do, and despite my pleas for help and guidance on how to do them, coworkers were either too busy with work, or would send me out of date work instructions. There was disconnect from my understanding of System 1. Even though System 1 is an EVM tool used by most defense companies, each company has different processes, templates and procedures when using the tool. Again, I did not receive any guidance on how it’s used with Company.
• There is no emphasis on work/life balance whatsoever. I see people working after normal hours, on weekends & holidays. I have also been encouraged to work after normal hours, despite being on a 9/80 work schedule and going over the allotted 40 we are paid for. This is not healthy.
• In addition, there was no communication to me that I would be working with people on Pacific Standard Time. This was not communicated to me until my start date, nonetheless, I was expected to work until 7PM-8PM every night to accommodate their time. I cannot do that, as I have other matters to tend to outside of work. This reinforces my point on there being a lack of emphasis on work/life balance.
• Everything from data management, systems and processes is sloppy, unorganized and a logistical nightmare. Nothing is streamlined in any regard. Deadlines and processes are arbitrarily changed with little communication.
• The program itself, while it being a great program, is in financial shambles. I believe this has allowed pressure and stress to be allocated from upper management to regular staff employees. Everyone seems to be under a great deal of stress, which is not conductive to a healthy working environment. As it was stated in the all-hands meeting, the program is at risk of losing a very large contract.
• The amount of travel. I flew up to Michigan for a week, which was fine. However, I was expected to stay in Detroit the next 2/3 weeks (June 4th-9th and June 11th-16th). While it is not consecutive since I can come home during the weekend, and management has been receptive to being flexible, I cannot travel this much and be away from home, as I have a sick grandmother and other activities I have to tend to outside of work. It was also noted that we would work 10-12 hour days, and maybe longer when in Michigan. Again, this is not conductive for work/life balance.
• I received no correspondence or guidance on my daily, weekly and monthly job duties. My coworkers and management were either unclear or too busy to go through my duties. Although there are battle rhythm calendars, there was no clear explanation on my responsibilities. While in training sessions, there was too many times I would receive calls from others to hop onto meetings or to drop off from the training sessions. This came off as unprofessional and was very frustrating. However, I understand they also had their duties to tend to as well.
There were more reasons, but these were the main ones that drove me to resign. I don’t want this to be shown as an ill-will towards the people of Company. I met some great people and value to connections I made. However, my professional experience with company has been nothing short of unprofessional, unpleasant and stressful.
All in all, I do not believe I was given the tools to succeed with Company. I am very disappointed with the outcome, as I was very excited to accept an offer from a great and reputable company. I do not believe this to be a representation of the people or the company as a whole, but I believe I was not given the tools to succeed.

Long story short, we had a nightmare roofing job. Roofer was licensed and recommended by family member who is a general contractor. A 1200 sq foot TPO took 9 MONTHS and still isn’t 100% done. Owner and his team were terrible communicators, waited weeks or months between contacts, installed the skylights wrong 2-3x (when I say wrong I mean like uneven curbs, missing screws, threw away curb wrap required in manufacturer instructions; super basic shit). Poor workmanship on gutters causing water to pour off the house and bead into the eaves, causing mold. Vents not pest proofed: now we have a bat infestation. Things left for months without fixing; attempts at fixing done again and again because owner was not there and his guys don’t speak English well. Excuses, no shows. We gave them many chances.
The results of their fuckups are going to cost thousands in remediation and pest control, before even the actual roof repairs. We’ve withheld 50% payment (from the first set of fuckups to now) and I think at this point the damages will at least meet if not exceed that.
I know I can report to their licensing board, and I plan to. I kept records, time stamped photos, and I have many texts saved.
Do I tell my home insurance? Is he responsible for everything? How many chances are you required to give right of cure before you say “fuck you, we’re hiring someone else”? I’ve never dealt with this before.
I really don’t want the headache and expense of a lawsuit; I want to get out of the contract and use the rest of the money to hire someone else.
Contract is very nonspecific: 10 y guarantee but no completion dates or remedies written in. Nothing about liens either.
(In our defense we are first time homeowners and live in a rural area and most of the locals’ contracts were like this. This is our first major project. Never again.)

I've been at my company for 10 years and in my current position for 18 months.
I am the only person who works in my position, but there are a couple hundred people at my location.
A month ago I was informed that the person who I replaced would be returning to the company but not to be worried about losing my job and that they would be working in a different area, and a different position.
For context: I have been told almost daily by my manager and peers that the person I replaced was not competent at this job and was not performing adequately. I on the other hand have been told by my manager that I am the best thing that has ever happened to their department. That I exceed expectations. On my yearly review I was told that I exceeded expectations and was compensated with the highest percentage of income raise that is available at our company.
One week later my manager informs me that this previous person has requested employment but the manager told them they did not have a position for them.
One week after that I heard through rumors in the company that she was hired back, at a separate location. My manager confirmed these rumors and tells me my job is not in jeopardy.
One more week after that my manager begins to make comments about disappointment in my job performance for the last year, and how I never really met their expectations and am leaving work incomplete - but is unable to give me any examples of how I am not meeting expectations or work that has not been completed.
I have had no complaints made against me - no verbal warnings - nothing that would even remotely suggest this is accurate.
Last week I'm told that she is bringing in a coworker to learn my job to provide coverage while I am on vacation or in meetings and training sessions. Two days later I'm told that the co-worker she planned to bring will no longer be coming and it will now be the person I originally replaced. On Wednesday morning I was informed that said coworker would come to my office after lunch to be trained - with no notice, but I have a vacation day Thursday so it makes sense that she wants the coverage.
When I arrive to work on Friday said coworker is already sitting at my desk, working on my computer. My manager makes a comment about how they will have their own computer on Monday. Then they explain how they're moving the furniture in my office around to accommodate permanent space for this person. Then I'm told that said coworker will be performing my duties for the day and I will be cleaning the office. (Not even remotely job related.)
Later in the day manager explains that previous employee will be doing 90% of my job tasks and I will be doing 10%. Then manager calls both of us together to "figure out what our hours will be."
I firmly state that my hours will not be changing.
When previous employee walks away I asked my manager right out if I was no longer working in my position. They said yes.
They explained to me that they and the operations manager were aware of the situation but if the General Manager asked about why this person is in my office working I am to lie and say its because I am working on other tasks.
I went to HR and asked what was going on and they had no idea and had not been made aware of any changes.
On my way out for the day another coworker stopped to talk to me about something she'd been emailing about and I explained to her that I'd had no computer access and did not know what she was talking about. She informed me that previous employee had been signing emails with my name for the previous 3 days.
I am not okay with what is happening and I do not agree to the changes.
I had intentions of applying for a higher level job that is being opened in the next few weeks and I'm worried that this manager disparaging my work and demoting me for no reason is going to give me a massive disadvantage and possibly cost me the job that I was very likely to get previous to this.
My manager is aggressive and confrontational. They hold grudges and treat you poorly if they believe you've wronged them.
Me disagreeing with this change would be seen as a slight. I am going back to a hostile work environment no matter which way this goes.
I know that I need to take further action, but I like the company as a whole and it would be ideal to have have to resign entirely.
My question is: Do I need to ask my employer to resolve this prior to contacting the Labour Board, or a lawyer?
Do I contact the Labour Board before contacting a lawyer or do I go into it optimistically hoping this will be resolved?

Whenever someone complains about flying you get a number of counterpoints that sort of ignore the bigger picture, and it's hard to force myself to take into account all the details in one go. So here they are as I see them, many of the counterpoints against flying being overpowered and why I disagree with them.
You may find that not all of them are true in your mind, but disproving one or two of these is not enough proof do do away with the issue.
📒Knocked prone = falling to death
Yikes. People treat this like some sort of Mike drop moment This makes combat extremely swingy. So we go from flying being overpowered to nearly instant death. This almost feels like it's a massive punishment to flying so in all honesty most would not suggest using this type of thing too frequetly at the risk of being accused of specifically targeting that character (you will be). Players might even say that they are fine with it ahead of time. But they rarely hold to that when the time comes.
Additionally, the ways you can limit someone's speed are often specific and limited. It's not like these abilities never appear, but if all the sudden they do then that's going to be a giveaway
That is unless you use it sparingly. But if you do... It will barely be useful anyway.
However, this also assumes that the character in question is both in range and has weak enough saves that can be targeted. Things like nets and bolas in my experience both never see play and are weak... When someone is even in range. 20/60 range for a bola? You're going to be attacking for disadvantage for sure. Might as well shoot a bow. And the save is only 10 strength? Assuming a character with +0 strength modifier and saves, and assuming you are shooting at disadvantage (bolas) you can at max expect to hit half the time and the save with only fail half the time. That's 1/4 chance to actually do anything if you can line up a shot. Just shoot some arrows at the guy.
What about walloping arrows? Firstly, I didn't know those existed until some tried to argue about using them on flying characters. Seeing as I've never seen these used before, I would 100% accuse you of targeting me if you whipped this out on me as a player. Never seen it before and will probably never see it again. It's like it's tailor made for flying characters... Still a DC 10. Maybe you'll get knocked, eventually.
If I'm not mistaken fall damage is 1d6 per 10 feet. If that's the case then a character flying at at level of 15ft above ground isn't in that much danger. That means if they did fall they'd be taking 1d6 fall damage and if you REALLY have to be petty about it then that would be 2d6 at max. The average damage there being 7 damage. Now if you are in the business of cheesing flying characters, they will learn real quick that this is the sweet spot of where to be to avoid any real damage punishment.
You might say that this is really risky at low levels and I would say DUHH. You could die at level one to being spit on by a llama my guy. However, this will be only after your speed reaches zero or after you are knocked prone. If the net result of that is 7 damage the you might as well just shoot at them or throw a rock or something.
Additionally, as you move up the levels this amount of damage is negligible
Lastly, this only solves a part of the problem. It can only really be applied to combat. Anything else and it generally doesn't work
📒Use ranged weapons Oh nah! It's not that simple.
Firstly let's recognize that as of last year only about a third of the monsters in the monster manual and the additional books have ranged options. And for most of them that do, the ranged options are weaker.
Now I know what you're saying: but the DM should snap his magic God of creation fingers to give almost every monster and enemy a longbow, and that the terrasque should magically have access to infinite massive boulders to throw with the exact same pdr as his whopping five melee attacks.
This effects everyone, not just the flying character. The reason so few monsters have decent ranged options is to make them come close and pose a threat personally. To solve this problem, a lot of enemies would need their ranged options added or buffed and they would have to be strong enough to he worth it -- otherwise it's mathematically easier to just jump the characters allies.
Even worse is if we actually give the enemies these buffs. Now all the sudden melee Martial builds are even more garbage than they already are. If ranged attacks have no mathematical opportunity cost to use, there is no reason for enemies to risk hp and such to come into close range.
Do you know who doesn't need melee viability? Casters. BOOM! You've literally made caster comparatively more powerful. most spells are ranged anyway, and some of those ranges are huge even without spell sniper. They probably don't care that much.
The worst issue here is that we now expect the DM to do EVEN MORE work than he already has. This will be one of many excuses to add to the workload of the DM. it certainly won't be the last in this campaign. The goal of running the game isn't just to make a good experience. It's also about doing that without breaking your back needlessly. DMs don't always need to be coached on the million and one ways they can solve a problem. The just need less problems.
📒 weather
Yes. This is an incredible solution that makes sense and isn't hard implemented. I actually love this one except for two issues. Firstly, it's extremely circumstantial. It can't be bad weather all the time, unless you set it up in a really believable way. Additionally, it doesn't work indoors or in caves unless you to some real bending over backwards. For what it's worth though it's a good and easy solution when it applies... Unless you make it subject to an easy save.
📒 Don't ignore strength
This actually helps the issue, however it's not a magic cure all. It also reopens the dialogue on why people ignore strength to begin with. Probably because it... Makes the game more complicated. Still though I think it helps to prevent the flyer from using strength based abilities or carrying things. If he isn't doing much of that, or if he's a caster or has a back like or caravan it largely doesn't matter.
Whole we're on the subject, pray the flying character isn't a caster. Even if you think neither is overpowered, putting two nearly overpowered qualities together won't end in something balanced.
📒But horses are equally useful.
You kiss you mother with that lying mouth? majority of players don't even use horses for obvious reasons. Barely any hp, can't attack on the same turn. Goodness forbid the horse has to make any form of save. Any combat involving a horse of non boss monster variety results in the horse being the first to go down. really easy way to depower an enemy. Where as flying characters can fly until zero hp, a player with a horse only has it until it dies. And that bad boy doesn't respawn like in a video game. And please don't pretend that land travel at high speeds is equally as useful as flying. It is obviously terrain dependant, where a flying person can avoid ground bound obstacles, horsey boy has to go around them, spending however much movement is required. Ground bound traps effect a horse as well. How well can your horse climb? A flying character has perfect climbing skills... Because they are immune to having to do it! Can your horsey boi swim across a surface of water to get to the other side? Probably not better than my wings that can fly across.
📒 Familiars are equally useful
Firstly it's not the same. Maybe nerf those too? Classic example of something many DMs find tedious to work around. Not absolute in it's power, but it is incredibly annoying on a great deal of fronts. Naming some other thing that gets under peoples skin doesn't make them both less problematic. Moreover, flying is still easily worse.
📒 It only solves problems for one character
What ever the hell that means. People behave as if this wasn't immediately apparent. As if other players not having it magically negates it's usefulness? If only one player is playing a class that this overpowered, does that magically discredit it's lack of balance. Why is this argument exclusively used for flying?
Moreover, players not being able to be hit by some things will just put more pressure on those who can.
This also brings up an entirely separate problem that compounds with it. Some players agency is actually too high. That sounds crazy I no know, but many players -- specifically casters -- have so much utility, damage potential, social interaction spells and whatever else, that they can basically just run off on their own and do whatever unchecked. I've seen plenty of occurances of caster players just ditching the rest of the party to do solo mumbo jumbo, solving every problem they come across by snapping their fingers to cast a spell. Fly makes this worse because that's a whole level three spell for free, and increases their incentive to do so because it's costless and doesn't need concentration. Even on a Martial build it further incentives people to go off on their own -- especially if the other players can't follow anyway. People think that the flying player is just going to stand around like an NPC or only go somewhere if the others can follow, when in reality they will fully utilize that moment to become a main character.
📒Narrow spaces People use these arguments all the time, and in theory they make sense. However there aren't mechanics for this. There is no listed wingspan in any flying race. That's a recipe for debate. Because if a player who really, really wants to fly(aka every character that has flight) sees you making these excuses that don't exist in the game then their patience for that will be very very limited.
📒Low ac, can't wear good armor
This has always been funny as an argument. Like heavy armor is just the bestest thing to have graced the table. But it's simply not. Not the best but remember in most cases you will literally be immune to melee, which gives you an incredible EFFECTIVE increase to ac if you stop to think about it. If you are a caster then this is worse. My guy the idea of casters being squishy has always been a lie anyway. Some of them already get decent armor options independent of heavy armor. Casters also get mage armor and shield, and misty step. Their effective ac is great if they are slightly prepared. Add ranged attacks to both of these and you are in a stupendous spot.
📒 All combat takes place indoors or underground.
This is actually categorically untrue. In my personal experience this is actually the opposite. However this is something that ultimately varies tremendously and is therefore not a valid solution. Sometimes it will be that way and sometimes it won't. Moreover, it's not as off all indoors encounter happen just below ceiling level. If the ceiling is 15 feet up fliers can reliably just effectively hang out on the ceiling. And if not, just staying above the space directly behind an ally solves this issue. If the ceiling is lower than 10 feet then this may actually be countered, but it's not a given that it will be.
Not ever indoor or cave dungeon is narrow and cramped. In my experience there have been plenty of open and sprawling spots because worrying about positioning is a massive headache.
I would also like to take this moment to remind everyone that combat is not necessarily the main issue with flying.
📒Casters counter them 1. Casters counter everyone, assuming they have the proper spells. 2. Casting technically isn't that common. 3. Okay, so now nearly all of my encounters must have casters? Often many encounters are centered around circumstance that causes the creatures and their conditions to vary wildly. Now I have to ignore all that just to challenge this one player?
📒 Don't challenge them. Just let them be overpowered.
This has always been silly. Even in a game where players basically demand to be overpowered, this isn't always as universally good as it sounds. I can prove it too... Because all forms of game balance in dnd and otherwise assume this isn't the case. So why are we changing our minds now. Seriously, a game almost entirely designed around combat and exploration, and both of those things are held up by bubblegum and boxtape? Not memorable. Might be fun cheesing the first dozen encounters or puzzles but eventually there will not be anything gained from it. Moreover, not every player even wants that! It might just be one out of four or six.
Moreover I feel like catering to this idea too much is deceptively toxic. Wanting to be powerful is not the same thing as not having a challenge. If a player wants to be strong with zero challenge then that player is low-key being sort is spineless. Play another game, or accept that you might have to think about your actions and your strategies to at least some extent. I run the type of game that if you at least have two braincells and use them you will probably be fine. Only players that have failed at my table or the ones that want excessive handouts. And it's arguments like these that sort of out people for not really wanting to underact with the came. Just circumnavigate it.
📒 This is only a problem at low levels
Also a lie. People say that because wizards get to use the fly spell at level 5 then that means natural flight is only overpowered until they get to do it. Except that's not really how it works.
Casters get the fly SPELL. It takes one level three spell slot minimum, same as fireball. Flying races don't spend any spell slots. Their fuel economy is unrivaled.
Casters get it for ten minutes. Flying races get it literally forever. Their endurance is unparalleled.
Casters have to use their concentration on the spell, and if they get hit they risk losing it just from taking damage. Flying races use no additional action economy, and don't risk falling just from taking damage. They are da biggest bird.
But let's be frank. What is overpowered is not determined based purely on itself. Often times, a specific combination of abilities is what makes it overpowered.
As you know, casters are extremely powerful. Some of them also don't use medium or heavy armor anyway. So there is already synergy here. Most casters have an overwhelming abundance or ranged moves to use. Sounds like it would be useful for something that rarely has adjacent enemies.
Now, nevermind the fact that flying as a racial trait is stronger that having it as a 3rd level spell. But! What if the already unnecessarily powerful wizards chooses the be a flying race? That would mean that they have an infinite 3rd level spell, resoursless, and they can use it to solves problems and avoid damage (both things that their spell list is designed to do) WITHOUT USING SPELL SLOTS OR CONCENTRATION. That's right, that means they can cast another concentration spell, effectively casting two concentration spells at once. There will never be an opportunity cost or major risk to casting fly again.
Wizards normally don't during battle because it costs a 3rd level slot and getting hit might mean you lose it anyway. These are now no longer issues, on top of casting a whole nother spell of concentration if need be.
Now, the overpowered option is even more overpowered.
📒 "Well, I have flying in my party and it's not overpowered because [DM put in significant extra effort adding in a bunch of stuff to stop if from being a solution to every problem]"
This is pretty much an admission that it's overpowered. If I have to warp the entirety of encounter design, level design, and puzzles to account for flying, it's classically overpowered. This is what we call a centralizing force. Generally speaking, features or abilities in a game that overly centralize the meta around stopping them are explicitly overpowered. This is actually the perfect example of a centralizing force in DND. You don't have to be omnipotent to be overpowered. Just excessively more overpowered than you need to be. Having counters is not disproof of being overpowered.
Additionally, anything that drastically expands my work load is overpowered. Deal with it, because I sure won't.
📒We play for fun at my table
You play for DM headaches more like it. We can have fun without breaking the DMs back. Stop advocating for the players so much that you disrespect the DM position
📒Yeah? Well I'm a DM and I have no issues with doing the work. Other DMs are just laszy!
You are an exception. Just because we can do the work doesn't mean we think it's worth it. I am absolutely meticulous enough to run this game. But largely I just don't think it's worth it. And most don't either. That's why there are so few DMs. Because people wag their fingers at the DMs that are reluctant to break their back over everything little ability or spell that the game would be perfectly fine without, the game as a whole suffers.
A few more things to remember:
📘 Your dm is probably in denial if he says this isn't an issue
This happens all the time in my experience. A session could actively be going up in flames and the DM or the player producing the issue will be shrugging their shoulders pretending nothing went wrong. I've seen games reached a screeching halt and be discontinued because of how difficult the players or their abilities were to handle, only to have the DM refuse to acknowledge that, or deny that there mishandling had any effect in the situation. Then I watch them make a new campaign and do it again.
📘Your dm is probably bending over backwards solving the problem. So if you don't encounter this problem, then this is why.
📘 People refuse to consider the amount of additional work for the DM. Even DMs have been conditioned the think this way. This is stupid, and the primary reason we have a DM shortage as it is now.
📘The worst issue here is that this ability seems to interrupt some specific DM styles more than others. This leads to DMs that aren't specifically having their styles countered will not take the issue as seriously. Just like how a DM who wants an adventure designed around a special plague will he annoyed when the paladin starts slapping key characters with lay on hands instead of going to find the plot hook mcguffin or negotiating for a cure.
TLDR: Flying is busted, and the DMs well-being is objectively more valuable than this measly ability. Remove one to maintain the other.
Edit: I love how people say "just ban it and be done with it" like people haven't been cooked and chastised for doing that for years on this sub. Like if you're out of arguments then say so LMAO.

I was accused of king making by killing the leading threat then died to the next 2 players.
I knew I was going to die regardless of what I did but I had the opportunity to kill the biggest threat. This player was playing extra lands each turn and drawing off each land. We expended resources with each other and I managed to kill him with 1 card left In hand.
I was asked why I would play a deck that will teeter out after killing one person.
I think players get upset because you're not playing "their" game. Many players like to sit back and accumulate value. I enjoy applying pressure early.
If I want to build a deck that can kill early but puts me at a disadvantage for the late game then that's my burden. Players are too focused on winning imo. I understand I'm not going to win a lot of games and that's okay with me.
Commander damage is a part of the game. Why ls card draw/ramp/board wipes okay in edh but aggro/commander dmg isnt?
This isn't an isolated event either. It's a trend I've noticed and it frustrates me. It's okay to leverage your deck for the late game but not for the early game.

In Part Four, the comeback tour of rockstar Hiroshi Tanahashi was cut brutally short at the hands of the Leader of the New School, Zack Sabre Jr., who embarked on a quest to prove himself New Japan's most valuable gaijin. After beating back Will Ospreay for Royal Quest, he ran into another familiar face in Minoru Suzuki, almost clobbering him into retirement until Naomichi Marufuji made the save. Ending his saga with Just6Guys with a win over Maru, he placed a bow on the long-standing Blackpool Combat Club rivalry by besting Jon Moxley, cementing Sabre-Gun as New Japan's undisputed leaders... That is, without taking Los Ingobernables de Japon into account.
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Since becoming one again, LIJ’s been on a tear through NJPW’s ranks this year in spite of Shingo Takagi dropping the belt and PAC losing the New Japan Cup Finals to the current World Champion. IWGP United States, IWGP Tag Team (Death Triangle have become LIJ affiliates through PAC), and NJPW World Television Championships in their grasps, they seek to round out the group by all holding titles simultaneously. But that begs the question – who’ll be going after the World Title? Though Shingo’s battle ready, he insists Tetsuya Naito take it this time, the Stardust Genius having worked his back off to rebound from Wrestle Kingdom. Failing every attempt in the past 3 years though, the question remains whether he can truly pull it off this time, or if it’s just not meant to be.
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Kizuna Road - Night Four (July 1, 2024)
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Sabre-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & El Phantasmo) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & PAC)
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With Naito confirmed as Sabre’s #1 Contender for Wrestle Dynasty, SG and LIJ have themselves a scaled-down rematch from New Year’s Dash, Zack picking his trusty right-hand man ELP, and Tetsuya bringing the US Champion, knowing PAC has unresolved issues with ZSJ from the NJC. Though it drives the Bastard to work doubly-hard, especially considering how it’ll look if he pins the World Champion, it also makes their teamwork suffer, PAC becoming self-absorbed in getting the pin. Backfiring, a Sudden Death from Phantasmo knocks his lights out, SG getting their win back from NYD and putting the challenger on the backfoot heading into Madison Square Garden!
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Sabre-Gun def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (16:12)
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PAC appears distraught after the match, but Naito simply tells him ‘tranquilo’, not taking it personally. Though he’d hoped to use this match to get into ZSJ’s head, it appears he’ll just have to do that himself, like he’s always done.
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Wrestle Dynasty (July 14, 2024)
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Also on the show:
Shota Umino (c) vs El Desperado - NEVER Openweight Championship
Just6Guys (SANADA, Taichi, Ryohei Oiwa) (c) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Titan) - NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship
Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs Kyle Fletcher - NJPW World Television Championship
PAC (c) vs El Phantasmo - IWGP United States Championship
The Lucha Brothers (c) vs Meiyu Tag - IWGP Tag Team Championship
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Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs Tetsuya Naito XI - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
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In what’s been a very successful night for LIJ thus far, clean-sweeping their way through the competition, it all rests on Naito’s shoulders now to bring it home. Perhaps the most unreliable man to slot in this spot, and yet, the most beloved, MSG fully invested in Tetsuya’s chase, either the grandest of celebrations or coldest of heartbreaks will end the night! Naito keeps his cool, emanating his usual larger-than-life aura as he walks out in a pristine crimson suit, paying homage to Shingo, whilst Sabre’s cockier than ever with his recent streak of huge wins, knowing he has Tetsuya doubting himself after their tag. As he hands his title over, the two come face-to-face, SABRE SPITTING GUM INTO NAITO’S FACE, but Tetsuya doesn’t let ZSJ’s tactics faze him, having come too far for too long to let mind games be his downfall.
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Circling each other, Zack lunges for a lock-up but Naito walks past, smirking and stretching in the opposite corner. Sabre rolls his eyes as Tetsuya turns around and tells him ‘tranquilo’, before going for it again… Zack snatching the headlock this time as Naito tries to repeat, but Tetsuya instantly whips him to the corner, teasing the COMBINACION CABRON as ZSJ braces himself… Naito stops in front of him and does the ‘Abre los Ojos’ taunt!
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Furious, Sabre piefaces him, NAITO RETURNING A FOREARM, AND WE’RE OFF! Trading strikes, Zack rocks Tetsuya with European Uppercuts, Naito returning forearms, before a Japanese Arm Drag stops Zack in his tracks! Naito goes for another, but Zack hooks onto Tetsuya’s legs, tripping him up and contorting the foot! Tetsuya boots him off with the other, a Neckbreaker and a Somersault Senton connecting, though Sabre absorbs the latter, trapping Naito’s arm onto the mat to STOMP THE HAND!
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Picking him back up, he cracks Naito with chops, before whipping him at the ropes, Naito hitting off them one after the other to build momentum, teasing the Flying Forearm Zack’s expecting… only to roll into the Tranquilo pose! ZACK MEETS HIM WITH A NECK TWIST!!! Tetsuya scrambling to the corner, Sabre steps on his throat against the ropes, BEFORE SLAPPING HIM! NAITO SPITS IN ZACK’S FACE!!! A harsh uppercut knocks Tetsuya back, a Running European following and a PENALTY KICK! Naito dodges and nails the FLYING FOREARM SMASH!
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Teasing the Tornado DDT, it’s cancelled by an Enzuigiri, Zack leaping for the KIMURA- NAITO COUNTERS INTO VALENTIA!!! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT!!! Sending Sabre into the corner, the COMBINACION CABRON CONNECTS! AND A MISSILE DROPKICK! Naito teases the DRAGON SUPLEX, but Sabre flips through and STOMPS HIS ELBOW! SNAP GERMAN ON THE NECK FROM SABRE!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NO DICE! Naito woozy, his head’s only further knocked around by a ROLLING ELBOW! A CORNER HIGH KNEE connects, before a Hammerlock Suplex floats into a TESCO MEAL DEAL!!!
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Naito’s hand flails about the mat as Sabre keeps him grounded, no Valentia escape this time, forcing Tetsuya to work the old-fashioned way to the ropes! MSG backing the Stardust Genius, after much deliberation he gets a foot on the ropes! But Zack’s right back on him, going for a NORTHERN LIGHTS SUPLEX- NAITO STANDS HIM UP WITH A SNAP DDT! An EVOLUCION’S shut down though, Sabre hitting the brakes to nail the ARM PELE! Fishing the arm, Zack tries to float into a FLYING ARTICLE 50- NAITO STUFFS HIM WITH A GLORIA!!! ONE! TWO! THR-SABRE SURVIVES!!!
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Rallying momentum, Tetsuya nails the TORNADO DDT! Sabre nursing the head, a DRAGON SUPLEX FOLLOWS!!! In the drop zone, Naito tests the waters for a RUNNING DESTINO- SABRE SHUTS IT DOWN WITH A EUROPEAN CLUTCH!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NAITO’S DREAMS STAY ALIVE!!! Getting dangerously close with the flash pin, Tetsuya throws defiant forearms, Zack catching and contorting one, but a ROLLING WHEEL KICK knocks him off! ESPERANZA!!! ONE! TWO! THR-SABRE KICKS OUT!!!
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Hooking the head, Naito hoists Sabre up… ZACK WITH A GUILLOTINE CHOKE MID-AIR!!! Tetsuya’s eyes bulge out his skull, looking for the nearest turnbuckle to ram Sabre into it, but ZSJ’s quicker, yanking him to the mat and transitioning into a JIM BREAKS ARMBAR!!! Brutally bending the arm at an awkward angle, there’s a manic look in Zack’s eyes as NYC desperately cheers on Naito, who does his best to hang on! Sabre keeps tugging further and further, eager to ruin Tetsuya, but it backfires, helping him stretch his leg to the ropes!
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The crowd erupts as the referee forces Sabre off, though Naito’s clearly hurting all the same, a European helping no less! Zack rallies with further Uppercuts, one knocking Tetsuya down, before firing a PENALTY KICK!!! NAITO ABSORBS IT AND ROLLS THROUGH, SABRE GOING FOR SECONDS BUT HE EATS A RUNNING DESTINOOOOOOOOO!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOOO!!! Shaking himself off, Naito attempts another, though Sabre stops it with elbows, before hopping into a REAR NAKED CHOKE!
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Tetsuya tries to run forwards to free himself, though ZSJ swivels on his back into a GEDO CLUTCH!!! ANOTHER FLASH PIN! BUT NAITO ROLLS THROUGH THIS TIME INTO HIS OWN – POLVO DE ESTRELLA!!! ONE! TWO! THR-SABRE STAYS IN!!! AND AN EVOLUCION!!! ONE! TWO! THR-ANOTHER KICK OUT!!! NAITO’S GOING FOR THE SWING DESTINO!!! BUT A ZACK DRIVER COUNTERS!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOOO!!!
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Slapping up Naito’s neck, Sabre dumps him on it with a TIGER SUPLEX!!! Naito woozy, Zack nails the PENALTY KICK!!! NAITO’S REFUSING TO STAY DOWN! Hearing MSG’s cries, he wills himself back up as Sabre watches in fascination… ONLY FOR ANOTHER PK TO CUT HIM OFF!!! And just like the 2022 NJC Finals, he’s going to end it here with a SECOND ZACK DRIVER- NAITO NAILS A DESTINO MID-AIR!!! HE’S STILL MOVING SOMEHOW!!! Stumbling to his feet, Tetsuya measures his man… DESTINOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! ONE! TWO! THR-SABRE’S FOOT’S ON THE ROPE!!!
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Saving Naito more than once, it’s come to Zack’s aid now too! Hammering Sabre with forearms, Naito tees up another DESTINO- PELE KICK!!! Tetsuya falls forward, Zack catching him in a STRETCH MUFFLER!!! IF HE CAN JUST GRAB THE OTHER LEG, IT’S ALL OVER, COMPLETING THE ORIENTEERING WITH NAPALM DEATH!!! Zack bends Naito further and further as he tries to grab hold… TETSUYA SWINGS BACK! AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN! SABRE LETS GO!!! AND A ZACK DRIVER FROM NAITO!!!
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Sabre on his back, Naito thinks about waiting for the Destino… but then he sees the top rope. The crowd cry at him not to, screwing him over time and time again, but Tetsuya can’t help it! Heading up top, the world holds their breath, NAITO SOARING THROUGH THE AIR… STARDUST PRESS CONNECTS!!! ONE! TWO! THREE!!! IT’S A MIRACLE IN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN!!! NAITO’S WORLD CHAMPION AGAIN!!!
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Tetsuya Naito def. Zack Sabre Jr. (c) to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (31:18)
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New York LOSES their minds as Naito’s handed the title, Tetsuya himself struggling to process what just happened! But then LIJ rush out – PAC with the US Title, Hiromu with the TV Title, Shingo, Yota, and Titan with the NEVER 6-Man Titles, and even the Lucha Brothers with the Tag Titles! THEY’RE DRAPED IN GOLD, BABY! Sharing embraces all around as a dismal Sabre trudges to the back, there’s not a single dry eye in the arena as the outcasts raise their fists to the sky with one hand and their titles with the other, golden tickertape hailing down! Naito’s on top of the world after 3 long years, and it feels damn good! Doing the customary championship edition roll-call, the show fades on LIJ holding all their gold… and PAC looking over at Naito’s.
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G1 Climax 34
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Entering his second of fifteen G1s as the reigning champion, Naito heads B Block opposite stiff competition. Though dispatching of Hiromu in friendly competition on Night One, the two are subsequently assaulted by KONGOH post-match, allowing NOAH’s KENOH to upset him the following night! Behind the 8-ball already, Tetsuya’s motivated to make a comeback, mowing through Narita, Tanahashi, Yota, Sabre, and KENTA to take back the lead! Suffering another surprise defeat at Jeff Cobb’s hands after multiple failed attempts from the Hawaiian Hulk to best him, it opens the door for a returning JAY WHITE to spoil his final night, wrecking Naito’s legs with a ladder, allowing Zack to advance on 14 points! As for B Block, a draw between Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada on the final night puts the Commonwealth Kingpin through, the rivals meeting one more time! Other key underlying stories see Shibata finally beating Okada, Ospreay avenging his Takagi loss, PAC beating his fellow LIJ members but losing to SANADA, and KONGOH causing ruckus throughout the competition.
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G1 Climax 34 Finals (August 19, 2024)
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Also on the show:
Jay White vs BUSHI
Will Ospreay vs Zack Sabre Jr. - G1 Climax Briefcase
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Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, PAC, Hiromu Takahashi, Titan) vs KONGOH (KENOH, Manabu Soya, Masakatsu Funaki, Hi69, Shuji Kondo)
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Perhaps the focal reason for Naito not making the Finals, KONGOH’s tournament chicanery, as led by KENOH, was a masterfully crafted plan. After losing to Tetsuya in last year’s LIJ vs KONGOH series at Wrestle Kingdom 17, the thought of ruining the Stardust Genius for vengeance never left the Rogue Fist’s mind, and with his win over Tetsuya in the G1, their score is now 1-1. Reigniting the intense rivalry between the two stables, they have an upgraded rematch to their Wrestle Kingdom 16 5-on-5, both sides having greatly changed since then.
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Once again, PAC’s especially adamant to claim the spotlight, the loss to SANADA making him temperamental despite having the 2nd best LIJ record in this year’s tournament. An argument breaking out between PAC and Shingo as to who should get the pin is put on ice by Naito, though it doesn’t keep Titan from eating a nasty PFS from KENOH, handing the invaders the win!
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KONGOH def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (19:57)
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Redeeming WK16, KENOH offers the angriest of satisfied smiles, the group cackling as they gesture belts around their waists, warning that their business isn’t yet over. LIJ left behind, there’s a sour mood in the air from the loss, though when Shingo offers a fist in apology, PAC, taking a look at a nodding Naito, ultimately returns one, showing that despite popular belief, LIJ’s still fine.
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Splitting off for Shingo and co. to gear up for KONGOH’s second wave whilst Naito and PAC are scheduled for AEW’s ALL IN supershow, this time taking place in Tetsuya’s home of the Tokyo Dome, both men are set for defences on the show. In PAC’s case, it’s a rematch against J6G’s SANADA, the Bastard adamant to gain Naito’s favour by beating the traitor. As for Naito, he has Jay on his tail!
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Until the recent G1, White refused to show his face on any sort of NJPW programming (including Forbidden Door) since being embarrassed at Okada’s hands and having his faction torn to shreds. Leaving Japan to join AEW, no longer having connections to hide behind nor help him, he was forced to be the lone wolf for once, becoming even more merciless, knowing he’s all he has. After spreading chaos abroad, most recently coming up short in the AEW World Championship picture, trauma from his Okada loss clinging onto him anytime the stakes are raised too high again, he decided it was time to return to his roots to clear his head and eliminate any shred of weakness left in his body so that he can claim the top prize again, and there’s no better place to do so than the building his title was taken from him – the Tokyo Dome.
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The last time he faced Naito in the Tokyo Dome, he had Gedo by his side, yet still lost. Now though, he declares if he’s to have this match, he wants a compensatory factor. A means of looking out for himself, like Naito has LIJ. He’s already beaten Tetsuya thrice in singles competition, knowing he’s the better wrestler, so this time… HE WANTS A LADDER MATCH!!! Japan’s become more and more geared to the Western market, the culture shifting from traditions, so unless he’s a snob like Okada, he'll embrace the new vision and accept the challenge. Jay using the perfect words to get under Tetsuya’s skin, he accepts, looking to tear down the foundations of the Rainmaker’s regime with his reign, starting with this!
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RevProxNJPW 12th Anniversary Show (August 24, 2024)
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Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito & PAC) vs The Knight Dynasty (Ricky Knight Jr. & Zak Knight)
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The night before ALL IN features a special RevPro crossover event with their partners, NJPW, the 12th Anniversary being celebrated in Japan. Naturally, Naito tags with the most RevPro familiar member of LIJ, PAC, the two champions battling the celebrated Knight Dynasty, who are considered the present and future of the promotion! What begins as a fun exhibition sees more of the differences between PAC and Naito come to light, the hot-headedness of the Bastard and the collectedness of El Ingobernable wanting different things out of the match, yet still managing to remain reasonably on the same page. A close call on a 619 from Ricky sees Naito shove PAC out the way in the nick of time, absorbing the blow himself, though without acknowledging it, PAC springs to action, a Black Arrow on Zak scoring the victory!
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Los Ingobernables de Japon def. The Knight Dynasty (13:10)
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As the referee approaches LIJ with their titles, PAC’s quick to receive both, Naito only recovering just in time to find the Bastard lingering for a moment as he looks between the pieces of gold, before finally handing Tetsuya’s over him and walking off, leaving the leader confused yet unconcerned.
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ALL IN Tokyo (August 25, 2024)
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Also on the show:
PAC (c) vs SANADA - IWGP United States Championship
The Lucha Brothers (c) vs Golden Lovers - IWGP Tag Team Championship
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Tetsuya Naito (c) vs Jay White V - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship - Ladder
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Stepping into the mastermind of the Switchblade, White baits Naito to play his game, the long-time rivals settling their score over a belt they both have history with. With no Gedo around, Jay’s focus is to demolish Naito’s already tattered knees with the ladder like he did to cost Tetsuya the G1, slowing down each climbing attempt bit by bit. Given the two’s creativity, it’s a sick warfare of increasingly dangerous spots, Naito taking Jay with him to neck bump city, White cruelly massacring Tetsuya’s body with reckless abandon.
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White’s notably more in his element here, letting the Tokyo Dome atmosphere heal him whilst hurting Naito. A HANGING BLADE RUNNER cuts a Stardust Press attempt short, the magic only lasting once, but a ladder bridge CANADIAN DESTROYER buys Naito some momentum back! Ultimately, a war atop the ladder sees Naito boot Jay off, allowing him to unhook the gold to retain!
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Tetsuya Naito (c) def. Jay White V to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (25:30)
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Though Naito walks out with his belt, PAC doesn’t, making the Bastard’s issues all the more prominent, taking more frequent looks over at Tetsuya’s gold, which begs the question – was there more to PAC joining LIJ than originally thought? Still, he wishes Naito good luck for Wrestle Grand Slam, telling him he wants to see the belt on him when they go England. But for now, the end of his trilogy against KENOH awaits!
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Wrestle Grand Slam (September 8, 2024)
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Also on the show:
Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs KUSHIDA - NJPW World Television Championship
El Desperado (c) vs Katsuyori Shibata - NEVER Openweight Championship
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Titan) (c) vs KONGOH (Manabu Soya, Masakatsu Funaki, Shuji Kondo) - NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship
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Tetsuya Naito (c) vs KENOH III - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
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For over two years, the rivalry between LIJ and KONGOH has slowly simmered to this boiling point, coming down to the leaders now to settle their 1-1 score over NJPW’s top title! With the 6-Man Titles changing hands earlier in the night, Naito must put his 200% into assuring the same doesn’t occur here, or it’ll be disaster on New Japan’s waterfront.
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As two men that could not be more opposite collide, it’s an intense war over the company’s possession, everyone from fans to wrestlers on the edge of their seats as the last of the NOAH invaders try to leave their mark. KENOH shows nothing but hatred towards Naito for ruining his past chances, whilst Tetsuya savours his every moment in the Sun, having slaved away to hold this belt. A PFS almost does Naito in, whilst the DESTINO does the same for KENOH! Ragdolling the older star with Dragon Suplexes, KENOH sets up for the ENRIN… BUT IN HIS STARDUST PRESS MOMENT, HE MISSES!!! DESTINOOOOOOOOOO!!! ONE! TWO! THREE!!! New Japan remains safe in the hands of Naito!
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Tetsuya Naito (c) def. KENOH to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (28:33)
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Offering a handshake to KENOH out of respect for their series… the Rogue Fist declines it, though from the look in his fiery eyes, an inkling of acknowledgement is there for Tetsuya. Telling Naito to keep the belt warm for him, he declares he’ll be back sometime again, and when that happens, he’s going to usurp Naito once and for all!
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And as they leave with their 50/50 successes, it’s back to LIJ to end the show on their usual note… except, PAC interrupts the tradition. He’s confused, no, he’s incredulous. What are they celebrating here? Failure? Or are they calling it ‘survival’? Is no one going to point out the elephant in the room? Just two months ago they were on top of the world, all draped in gold, but now they’re left with just Naito and the Lucha Bros’s gold. And yet, they’re celebrating? He’s been out here losing sleep over his missing US Title!
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If they wish to continue to be taken seriously, they need to act the part. Luckily… he has a solution. They say iron sharpens iron, so rather than fighting these large-scale wars outside their stable… why not have a ‘friendly’ within? Naito has the title and an incredible row of suitors before him, so he should pick one to defend against! Tetsuya seems perturbed by the idea knowing what almost happened the last time LIJ fought within, but as PAC insists, even pointing out how he’s the only one with a clean record over Naito… Tetsuya turns to him and raises the title! If such claims are going to be made, they need to be backed up too! Challenging PAC with his title on the line, a grinning Bastard accepts, bumping his fist!
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Burning Spirit - Night Seven (September 25, 2024)
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Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi) vs Death Triangle (PAC & The Lucha Brothers)
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Slyly manoeuvring his way into the title rematch he’s desired ever since getting a taste of the gold against Shingo last year, this is more so PAC’s chance to prove himself over the statement he’s seeming to be making. Nonetheless, with various combinations of LIJ facing Death Triangle over the Burning Spirit tour, they supposedly rely on each other to improve their own skill, these 6 especially drawing the very best out of each other. Working more seamlessly with DT than he had LIJ as of late, the freakish chemistry between the AEW lads has a Fear FactoDouble Stomp/Black Arrow combo end Hiromu, PAC grinning as he stares down Naito, the challenge growing closer by day…
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Death Triangle def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (18:24)
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Giving a brief interview heading into the match at Royal Quest, Naito states that he can’t be certain on what PAC’s intentions are, but all he knows is that no matter what, LIJ sticks together. If this match is what PAC needs for his peace of mind, then it’s all his. All he can hope is the Bastard has the same idea of family in mind.
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Royal Quest IV - Night Two (October 6, 2024)
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Also on the show:
The Lucha Brothers (c) vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan) - IWGP Tag Team Championship
Will Ospreay (c) vs Kazuchika Okada - G1 Climax Briefcase
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Tetsuya Naito (c) vs PAC II - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
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The relationship between LIJ and PAC has developed into one of the more intriguing dynamics this year, raising a multitude of questions, but now, the true light of it all will be revealed. Whether it’s friendly fire or another coup, Naito’s ready for whatever PAC may happen to have up his sleeve, whilst the Bastard lets his actions do the talking. For once, it’s an utterly no-nonsense showdown between Los members, Tetsuya taking the threat of PAC very seriously, the Jordie clearly driven to make the grand prize his. And as the match rolls on, Naito starts to see parts of himself in PAC with each cheer or cry from his home crowd.
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Just like Naito, he’s the incredibly-talented misfit who was overlooked, but unlike a young Naito, PAC doesn’t realise he has the world on his side already despite his quirks. Whilst Naito had to suffer through his changes, PAC’s a made man, and with each near-fall, the crowd see it too, becoming more and more invested in him! On the cusp of his crowning moment, PAC shows no hesitation unlike the Stardust Press, NAILING THE BLACK ARROW!!! ONE! TWO! THR-BUT NAITO KICKS OUT!!! PAC may have ‘it’, but Naito’s operating on an entirely different level as World Champion, and no matter what PAC may have thrown at him, it’s not his moment just yet. DESTINOOOOOOOO!!! ONE! TWO! THREE!!!
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Tetsuya Naito (c) def. PAC to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (30:11)
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Maybe a different day. Both men propped in opposite corners of the ring, they suck deep for breaths, PAC only taking his eyes off Naito when he spots the title bring brought over to him. That should’ve been his. He should’ve been champion right now, but… he starts tuning in the crowd again. A standing ovation for the hometown boy. Though he may not hold the title right now, he’s still a champion in their eyes… Solace. Always overlooked, all he needed was approval. And now more than ever, he feels he has it. Noticing PAC’s realisation, Naito grins and nods to him, the two bumping fists together, no sour ending on this one.
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At least, not between LIJ… OKADA’S HERE!!! After shockingly beating Ospreay for his G1 briefcase earlier in the night, the Rainmaker has his sights on the Tokyo Dome main event, and if things are to be believed, it may be Naito defending against Kazuchika on the grand stage! The long-time WK rivals locking eyes, there’s a different atmosphere between the Ace and the Dark Ace now. No longer does Okada look upon Naito condescendingly, but with disgust. Though he failed to beat Shingo earlier in the night, Kazuchika’s been vocal all year about the damage he feels LIJ have caused the company.
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Where he did everything to purify the promotion with his reign, beating away outsiders, Naito did the exact opposite, bringing them further into their ranks and breaking tradition with a ladder match. With this briefcase in his hand though, he has the power to change that… but so does he. OSPREAY JOINS IN!!! The man who lost his case earlier in front of his own family, he can’t even look the smug Okada in the eyes. Rather, turning to Naito, he declares his desire to return to WK’s main event to not be over just yet! Against better judgement, he gave Shingo a shot at this title last year and it cost him everything. All he asks is Naito returns the favour! Smirking, Tetsuya tells him ‘earn it’, WK’s main event scene growing all the more interesting!
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Battle Autumn - Night Five (October 15, 2024)
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Elimination: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Death Triangle) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Aussie Open)
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Desperation drives a man to his darkest pits, and Ospreay is very much there. Banding his troops together one year on since the last LIJ/UE tag of this magnitude, the ante’s upped even higher now, needing to survive an elimination match to receive the match of his desires. Both stables going to war here, all their integrated rivalries of the past years come to a head, the one between Ospreay and Naito lying at the centre of it all. UE get a tough break to start with when Great-O-Khan hits the deck early, Mark Davis following, though a comeback removes the Lucha Bros from the equation!
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Cobb goes next, before Ospreay takes out PAC, a double countout subsequently removing the leaders from the equation! Boiling down to Shingo and Kyle, the Aussie Arrow pulls out the underdog performance of his life, channelling all of Ospreay’s moves before a GRIMSTONE ELIMINATES SHINGO! OSPREAY’S HEADED TO KOPW!!! Raising Fletcher onto their shoulders, it’s a grand celebration from UE, Will receiving one last lease on life! As for Naito, he can only stand and wait, a final challenge paved in his path to the Dome.
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United Empire def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (25:33)
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King of Pro-Wrestling (October 27, 2024)
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Also on the show:
KUSHIDA (c) vs Taiji Ishimori - NJPW World Television Championship
Sabre-Gun (Blake Christian & Clark Connors) (c) vs Catch 22 - IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Katsuyori Shibata - G1 Climax Briefcase
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Tetsuya Naito (c) vs Will Ospreay IV - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
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One year ago, Ospreay’s overzealousness cost him the chance to main event Wrestle Kingdom with the World Title, but now, as it all comes full circle, it’s official, the winner of this match defending against Okada! With that in mind, both men are equally ravenous to make the grand opportunity theirs! Their fourth match together, it’s rife with callbacks, Naito especially making sure to remind Will of the way he beat him in last year’s A Block Finals to get in his head.
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To Tetsuya’s surprise though, this matured Ospreay is impervious to his strategies! No matter what the champion throws, the challenger always has an answer, their see-saw saga featuring plenty of nail-biting near-falls that could send either man through, but it’s a TRIAD OF HIDDEN BLADES that ultimately calls it, Ospreay finally reclaiming his throne, a date with destiny set in stone!
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Will Ospreay def. Tetsuya Naito (c) to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (35:38)
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Before WK though, Power Struggle is on the calendar! Featuring the likes of Death Triangle dethroning KONGOH for the NEVER belts for PAC to fully find his place in LIJ, Ren Narita dethroning Katsuyori Shibata for the NEVER Openweight Title, and Shingo Takagi taking the US Title from SANADA, it also sees Ospreay team with Catch 22 against Okada and the two men who ended Francesco Akira and TJP’s legendary reign, SHO & Taiji Ishimori, with UE scoring the vengeful win! And on the final Road To Tokyo Dome special, Ospreay finds a surprising ally in Shibata against Okada and Tanahashi in a HUGE blockbuster tag, CHAOS getting their win back here as Shibata keeps chasing down a rematch with Tana!
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Wrestle Kingdom 19 (January 4, 2025)
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Also on the show:
Sabre-Gun (Blake Christian & Clark Connors) (c) vs Li-YOH - IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship
United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan) (c) vs CHAOS (Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura) - IWGP Tag Team Championship
SHO (c) vs Francesco Akira - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Ren Narita (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii - NEVER Openweight Championship
Shingo Takagi (c) vs Katsuhiko Nakajima - IWGP United States Championship
Minoru Suzuki vs Taichi - Retirement
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Katsuyori Shibata
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Will Ospreay (c) vs Kazuchika Okada XII - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
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Finally, this is what it’s all led to. A story set in motion from the very first moment Ospreay set foot in NJPW under Okada’s guidance in CHAOS 9 years ago. Fighting through loss after loss after loss, he finally achieved his clean win over Okada last year to reclaim his World Championship, but now, he must accomplish an even greater task – beat the Final Boss in the Tokyo Dome itself! Failing on both occasions against Okada on NJPW’s biggest stage akin to Okada’s own chase of Tanahashi, it’s his Wrestle Kingdom 10 moment now as he walks into the Dome as the reigning champion, with the Ace as the challenger! Win and he’s immortalised in history. Lose and Okada resets the company’s entire trajectory. High stakes weighing on Will’s shoulders, it’s time to elevate under pressure!
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Entering with WK level entrances to boot, Okada dripping sheer gold, and Ospreay with an entire kingdom of suited individuals accompanying him, they get underway as the bell sounds! And for the first time, it’s Ospreay controlling the opening sequence with the Tanahashi-style headlock! Big brothering Okada, he doesn’t let the Rainmaker out the gates in his own ballpark for a few minutes straight… BEFORE WILL EXPLODES FOR A HANDSPRING ENZUIGIRI!
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Okada dodges, going for a GERMAN, but Will flips through, nailing the HOOK KICK, an OSCUTTER coming up empty, Kazu swinging for a ducked RAINMAKER, and it’s a stalemate! Trading forearms, a Lariat dumps Okada out, Ospreay running Kazu’s routine of the guardrail whip and Big Boot, a RUNNING CROSSBODY EATING A DROPKICK! Nailing a TOMBSTONE on the floor, Okada sets up a table at ringside before rolling Ospreay in, the MISSILE DROPKICK and AIR-RAID CRASH NECKBREAKER harping on the neck! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT!
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Wrenching the MONEY CLIP, it doesn’t get him far, a BRAINBUSTER catching Okada by surprise! SHOOTING STAR PRESS! ONE! TWO! THR-NO DICE! A PIP PIP CHEERIO eats a BEAUTIFUL DROPKICK, before Okada whips Ospreay at the corner, only for Will to pop him up onto the turnbuckles, slamming Kawada Kicks into his face! CHEEKY NANDOS! Ospreay tries for a LIGER BOMB through the outside table, but Okada drops to the apron! Will charges for a Yakuza Kick, but a LANDSLIDE BLOCKS!!! ONE! TWO! THR-OSPREAY STAYS IN!!!
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Hammering the neck, Okada lunges for a RAINMAKER, though a SNAP CUTTER blocks! ROBINSON SPECIAL! Will winds up the CHELSEA GRIN, but it receives a slap and a JOHN WOO DROPKICK! A pair of Short-Arm Rainmakers ricochet off Ospreay, but a Rainmaker is feigned for a DDT! DIVING ELBOW DROP!!! ONE! TWO! THR-WILL KICKS OUT AGAIN!!! A TOMBSTONE is countered by knees, Ospreay whipping Okada at the ropes, Kazu countering a BACK BODY DROP OVER THE ROPES!!!
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Will narrowly missing the table, Okada follows with a TOPE CON HILO… BUT OSPREAY MOVES OUT THE WAY, THE RAINMAKER EXPLODING THROUGH THE WOOD!!! Shoving Okada’s lifeless body inside, Ospreay sets up a HIDDEN BLADE!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOO!!! A STORM BREAKER is blocked, Okada nailing a sick CORNER GERMAN! Dropkick rocks Will, before the TOMBSTONE connects! RAINMAKER’s dodged, Ospreay rebounding into an OSCUTTER- DROPKICK!!! AND A RAINMAKERRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
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Okada keeps the wrist, going for seconds… OSPREAY NAILS A RAINMAKER OF HIS OWN!!! Wrist still held, Will nails close-range elbows to the neck, before winding up another HIDDEN BLADE- HEAVY RAIN!!! OKADA NAILS HIS OWN HIDDEN BLADE!!! Teasing the STORM BREAKER, Ospreay spins out, dumping Kazu with a LANDSLIDE!!! AND A HIDDEN BLADE… Okada collapses! As Will tries picking him up, a DROPKICK awaits! ANOTHER DROPKICK! AZTEC SUPLEX – A LA ULTIMO DRAGON!!! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT!!!
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Okada decks Ospreay with a RAINMAKER, but Will doesn’t go down fully, Kazu nailing a SECOND! Going for the Ripcord this time… RAINHAM MAKER!!! ONE! TWO! THR-OKADA KICKS OUT!!! ESSEX DESTROYER!!! ONE! TWO! THR-ANOTHER KICK OUT!!! Cracking a HIDDEN BLADE off Okada’s nose, an OSCUTTER follows, before he floats into a STORM BREAKER- FALLING RAINMAKERRRRRRR!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
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Okada smelling blood, he tries for another, AND A HIDDEN BLADE CONNECTS AT THE SAME TIME!!! Keeping hold, the two knock each other loopy with one free arm… OSCUTTER’S CAUGHT WITH A TOMBSTONE!!! Okada picks him back up, going for a SPINNING TOMBSTONE- OSPREAY REVERSES INTO A SPIKE PILEDRIVER!!! Ripcord… HIDDEN BLADE!!! AND A STORM BREAKER!!! Hoisting him up for one more… A SECOND STORM BREAKERRRRRRRRRRR!!! ONE! TWO! THREE!!!
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Will Ospreay (c) def. Kazuchika Okada to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (40:51)
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HE’S DONE IT! OSPREAY’S FINALLY SURPASSED THE ACE ON HIS OWN STAGE! No longer is Okada himself anymore, but rather the Tanahashi to Ospreay’s Okada, the cycle continuing. And like his counterpart 9 years ago, Kazu leaves as empty-handed as he walked in for the first time in a decade, the times officially changing! And as sunlight washes over the Land of the Rising Sun, a new dawn is revealed. The dawn of the Ospreay Era.
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Epilogue
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Heading into 2025, NJPW is rife with changes, seeing more of the once Young Lion names step up as the likes of Tanahashi and Naito begin to slow down. CHAOS features a massive shakeup the following night as Shinsuke Nakamura returns, kickstarting his road to retirement, having been vocal in his interest of facing Tanahashi, proceeding to feud with Okada over his failures. As for Ospreay, his reign runs until Sakura Genesis, where one NJC Winner Katsuyori Shibata finally dethrones him 8 years on from his loss to Okada, though Will’s time with the title is far from over yet, remaining an integral part of the picture alongside ZSJ, Shingo, and more.

In Part Three, Shingo Takagi confronted both his duties as World Heavyweight Champion and member of Los Ingobernables de Japon, proceeding to right the wrongs of his first reign by winning the January 4 main event against Tetsuya Naito to squash their beef and become co-leaders. With PAC shockingly joining the group after having gone on a crusade against them, they seemed stronger than ever, all except for Shingo's neck. Feeling the weight of CHAOS crushing it, it took both Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi to bring him to his knees, the Ace of the Universe back to his rightful spot after 5 years, restoring CHAOS’s purist regime. Ending off on keeping the riches from blood rival Katsuyori Shibata yet again, he now awaits the arrival of the 2024 New Japan Cup Winner...
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New Japan Cup Finals (March 28, 2024)
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“ZACK SABRE JR. HAS PAC IN HYPERNORMALISATION! PAC SUBMITS! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FOR THE THIRD TIME IN HISTORY OUR NEW JAPAN CUP WINNER IS ZSJ!” After two failed attempts to translate his cup success into gold, the Bone Master has another chance to fulfil his career’s greatest goal. And out walks the man he beat in the 2018 Finals for his first win, the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi! One of Zack’s biggest rivals since coming to Japan, and one that’s had his number more time than he’s had theirs, he must beat the godly Ace of the Universe if he wishes to claim his first piece of IWGP-commissioned singles gold!
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The stage set for Sakura Genesis, Sabre makes sure to rub in everyone’s faces the premonition he laid down at New Year’s Dash. He said to LIJ he’d be back for the title, and after beating one of their men, he’s made good on his claims. And now, he’s going to make ‘God’ bow to him, whether he wants to or not. When asked for his opinion on the challenger, Tanahashi says he’s amused by how earnestly the Windy Man’s tried to become a New Japan guy, moving his entire life to Japan in pursuit of the top prize. Whilst that dedication may be admirable, it’ll be for nought, Zack just another visitor to his grand kingdom, CHAOS remaining Sabre’s white whale at the end of every NJC journey.
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Sakura Genesis (April 7, 2024)
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Also on the show:
United Empire (Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, Aaron Henare) (c) vs Just6Guys (SANADA, Taichi, Ryohei Oiwa) - NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship
YOH (c) vs El Desperado - IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship
TMDK (c) vs Bishamon - IWGP Tag Team Championship
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Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs Zack Sabre Jr. XI - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
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They say third time’s the charm, but that remains to be seen in Sabre’s case. Sabre-Gun with mixed successes throughout the night, El Desperado coming up short whilst TMDK kept their gold, it’s up to their leader to set an example for his group. Popping his collar, he steels his gaze on the championship as Tanahashi makes his entrance, Zack blocking out the surrounding world. Despite channelling the controversial words of the polarising Okada for the past year, Hiroshi still has Ryogoku in the palm of his hands, remaining the people’s favourite no matter the shade of grey he envelops himself in. Back to his pomp and circumstance, he gives ZSJ the full show of what a true star looks like, ready to bring Sabre back down to reality.
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It's a methodical opening from the two talented grapplers, Tanahashi standing toe-to-toe with the best technical wrestler in the world with merely his sheer aura. Sabre shoots for an early Article 50, but Tana sidesteps him into the ropes, before condescendingly patting him on the cheek! Zack retaliates with a forearm, knocking Tana to the mat, a deluge of stomps raining down on his face as the Hiroshi tries to cover up!
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Escaping to the ropes, Sabre charges at him with a EUROPEAN UPPERCUT! Tana evades, connecting a DRAGON-STYLE HARITE, slapping respect into the challenger! Incensed, Sabre leaves a mark with a stinging slap of his own, before nailing a chain of Uppercuts! Tana fights back for a TWIST AND SHOUT, though Sabre counters with a FLATLINER! A High-Angle German is stuffed, Zack decked with an ALL OUT and a MIDDLE-ROPE SENTON BOMB! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT!
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Tana guns for the leg like he did Shibata, but a Feint Roundhouse into a Legsweep from ZSJ floors him! AND A NECK TWIST!!! With Hiroshi distracted by his neck, Sabre immediately switches for the legs, applying SUNDAY RAIL ENGINEERING WORKS REPLACEMENT BUS SERVICE!!! Tana’s quick to make the ropes, though has to physically pull himself to the apron when Sabre doesn’t release! No breather for him, Zack hooks his leg in the ropes and connects a DRAGON SCREW!
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Tana receiving a taste of his own medicine, Sabre slides out and scores one directly on the apron, bashing Hiroshi’s leg into the hardest part of the ring! He attempts to Irish Whip Tanahashi into the ring post, but the Once in a Century Talent nails a SLING BLADE ON THE APRON! DRAGON SUPLEX TO THE FLOOR!!! Playing the starpower card, Tana poses with a grin as the cameras catch a shot of Sabre beneath him. He doesn’t notice Zack’s little twitches though, committing to a HIGH FLY FLOW TO THE OUTSIDE!!! A POSSUM SABRE PUSHES HIM MID-AIR ONTO THE BARRICADE!!!
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As Tokyo gasps, it’s academic from Sabre as he threads Tana’s leg through a steel chair, PILMANISING IT!!! Evidence long discarded by the time the referee walks over, he wraps Hiroshi’s leg around the steel post, using it to apply a SASORI-GATAME!!! Tana lets out shouts of agony, Zack milking the suffering as Hiroshi begs the referee to get the challenger to stop. Eventually letting go, he forces Tanahashi to walk himself back into the spider’s web, a SPRINGBOARD ENZUIGIRI awaiting! BRIDGING NORTHERN LIGHTS SUPLEX! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT!
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Swivelling into a KNEEBAR now, he rolls around with Tana’s leg in his grasp, countering Hiroshi’s each attempts at escape, before going for the SELECTED TECHNICAL WORKS VOL. 2 combination, but Tana stacks his shoulders up! ONE! TWO! THR-NO LUCK! Forced to release to kick out, he scrambles to his feet to batter Hiroshi with a elbows, a DISCUS ELBOW SMASH staggering him, but a Pele Kick is caught, Tana nailing his own DRAGON SCREW!!!
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A TWIST AND SHOUT follows, before Tana wraps on the DRAGON SWING! Wrenching on the neck, he makes a good few rotations before suddenly dropping to a knee, his leg unable to hold up for too long. Going for a DRAGON SUPLEX, it’s blocked by a barrage of back elbows, though Hiroshi nails the DARUMA-SHIKI GERMAN INSTEAD!!! ONE! TWO! THR-SABRE KICKS OUT! Nursing his neck, Sabre gets no reprieve as a HASE URANAGE spikes him, and a HIGH FLY ATTACK… IS CAUGHT IN AN ANKLE LOCK!!!
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Tana rolls through but Sabre rolls with him, though he can’t get the grapevine, Tana booting him off with the other leg! TWIST AND SHOUT! Sabre subdued, a SLING BLADE takes him down, a HIGH FLY FLOW FOLLOWING SUIT!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Tana rushes for a TEXAS CLOVERLEAF, putting the hurt on Zack’s legs now! The Submission Master searches for escapes yet Hiroshi commits his everything to this move, not letting him free for the life of him! That is, until his own leg gives way! Grounded, he can’t stop a PENALTY KICK!!! AND A ZACK DRIVER!!! ONE! TWO! THR-TANA STAYS ALIVE!!!
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Ragdolling Hiroshi with a pair of Double Underhook Suplexes, Zack puts Tana in a prone position to stomp the insides of the knees, before applying a CALF SLICER!!! Yet again, the Ace of the Universe is in trouble, his condition deteriorating with each submission. Knowing he needs to change that and fast… HE GRABS ZACK’S SKULL AND RAMS IT INTO THE MAT REPEATEDLY TO BREAK!!! Gears turning in his mind from Sabre’s tribute, HE GETS HIM UP FOR A STYLES CLASH!!! ONE! TWO! THR-SABRE SURVIVES!!!
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Connecting a SLING BLADE, he dumps Zack with a DRAGON SUPLEX! ZACK RESPONDS WITH ONE OF HIS OWN! Open palm strikes from Tana light up Zack, only for him to wring out the arm for a PELE KICK!!! Sabre teases a Legsweep, but Hiroshi hops over this time and nails a GROUNDED HIGH FLY FLOW!!! Air driven out of ZSJ’s lungs, Tana hoists him up… AND NAILS A TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER!!! SHADES OF OKADA!!! The CHAOS Leader beating him like this both past Sakura Geneses, it’s going to happen again!
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Scaling the ropes, Tana crashes down with a HIGH FLY FLOWWWWWWWWWW!!! But he’s not done! Wanting to make an example out of Sabre, he takes his time posing atop the world like the star he is… BUT IT ALLOWS ZACK TO RECOVER, GRABBING HIS LEG!!! Hammering the knee before Tana has a chance to respond, he yanks him off… RUNNING LIGER BOMB!!! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT!!! STRAIGHT INTO CLARKY CAT BAD BALLOON REMIX!!! Folding Tana’s leg over his shoulder, he utterly destroys the geriatric knees over the champion, who wails in agony, doing anything he can to break free… BUT HE’S TOO FAR FROM THE ROPES!!! TANAHASHI TAPS OUT!!! THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM – ZSJ’S THE NEW KING OF NEW JAPAN!!!
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Zack Sabre Jr. def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (30:23)
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Cutting Tanahashi’s reign brutally short, Sabre-Gun has claimed its spot on the throne! Raising up both his trophy and championship, he’s lifted onto TMDK’s shoulders, the three men flaunting their gold to the world as the remainder of the stable joins them! Tana shell-shocked, he hangs his head in shame and despair as he limps off, Ryogoku the first of many dark days for NJPW…
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As the new monarch, Sabre’s first order of business is simple – kill off his counterpart. And by that he means the man who successfully defended the title against him last year, Will Ospreay. Though he may hold the title, jealousy courses through ZSJ’s veins knowing the Commonwealth Kingpin’s considered the company’s top gaijin despite Zack’s superior record over him. Wanting to change that, he calls out Ospreay, who’s fresh off dropping the NEVER 6-Man Titles to Just6Guys, having had quite the identity crisis since having the WK main event taken from him. Eager at the chance at a do-over, he accepts without hesitation.
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Wrestling Hinokuni (April 27, 2024)
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Sabre-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & TMDK) vs United Empire (Will Ospreay & Aussie Open)
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Whilst Sabre and Ospreay have kept their distance since their Royal Quest match, the same can’t be said about the greater stables. World Tag League Winners TMDK taking Aussie Open’s IWGP Tag Team Championship at Wrestle Kingdom and United Empire successfully defending the NEVER Titles against Sabre-Gun at the Anniversary Show, this conclusion was only inevitable. Aussie Open also wanting a chance to get their titles back, they team with Ospreay here against the champion unit, the Commonwealth Nations going to war for supremacy.
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Unlike Royal Quest, Sabre’s notably a lot surer of himself against Will here, no longer compensating by matching his striking game, rather trying to make Ospreay play his game instead. However, even with Zack being in his best possible form, SG falters against UE once more, the Coriolis to Mikey Nicholls setting the stage for Wrestling Dontaku! Zack grits his teeth as much like Tanahashi, Ospreay looks down on him.
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United Empire def. Sabre-Gun (17:34)
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Wrestling Dontaku (May 4, 2024)
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Also on the show:
Ren Narita (c) vs Shota Umino - NEVER Openweight Championship
Taichi (c) vs Hiromu Takahashi - NJPW World Television Championship
YOH (c) vs Robbie Eagles - IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship
KENTA (c) vs PAC - IWGP United States Championship
TMDK (c) vs Aussie Open - IWGP Tag Team Championship
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Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs Will Ospreay XVII - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
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A rivalry extending back an entire decade to the UK Indies, the spot for best British wrestler in the world has long been contested between these two. Back at it again, it’s time they settle the score once more. Ospreay strides out comfortably, having been in this position plenty of times by now as a potentially soon-to-be 3x World Champion, this his domain. As for Sabre, it’s his first time defending a title of this magnitude, pressure clearly weighing on his shoulders, but taking a deep breath, he prepares himself for victory just like TMDK earlier in the night.
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As the bell rings… Ospreay explodes for a DROPKICK right away – shades of NJC 2021! Zack fishes the leg out the air and applies an ANKLE LOCK, LOOKING TO TAP HIM OUT WITHIN THE FIRST FEW SECONDS OF THE MATCH! Alarmed, Ospreay thrashes with kicks from his free leg to force Sabre off, rolling to the outside to recollect himself! Sabre doesn’t let him though, nailing a Baseball Slide Dropkick, before tossing him back in and wrangling the leg again!
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A roll shakes him off, a HOOK KICK following, AND AN OSCUTTER! Sabre stops it though, countering with a SNAP DRAGON SUPLEX! Will rotates through to his feet and soars for a STANDING SHOOTING STAR PRESS, but again Zack dodges! BOW & ARROW ATTEMPT! Will flips into a cover, Zack kicking out instantly! Ospreay handsprings off the ropes, teasing his signature Enzuigiri, Sabre grasping the leg mid-air, but another follows, wrapping around his neck to twist through into a CROSS ARMBREAKER FROM WILL!
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Sabre gets the monkey grip, preventing full extension, BUT WILL BITES THE FINGERS TO FORCE HIM OFF, now getting the full stretch, yelling at the referee to ask Zack if he submits! Sabre refuses however, rolling onto his stomach to turn the hold over and stand up, getting his legs around Will’s neck to score a NECK TWIST, getting him to release!
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Zack knowing it to be a sore spot, he gets rallying with European Uppercuts to rock it like a bobblehead, before leaping into a GUILLOTINE CHOKE! Zack tightens his grip around Will’s neck, but a BUCKLE EXPLODER SUPLEX loosens it again as Sabre’s left dangling in a Tree of Woe! Ospreay sits cross-legged in front of him and SMASHES HIS NOSE WITH FOREARMS, busting a defenceless Zack open! Fish-hooking the nose, Will shakes his head about and lets crimson droplets paint the surroundings like a psychopathic Bob Ross, before letting go, cackling.
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He heads to the top rope, but Zack meets him there, pulling himself up using his core strength and crotching Will on the neighbouring rope! The two face-to-face again, Zack sitting on the turnbuckle and Will on the rope, they trade forearms, blood continuing to leak down Sabre’s face, but he doesn’t care, INSTEAD GRABBING WILL’S LEG TO SUSPEND HIM UPSIDE-DOWN WITH A HANGING SUNDAY RAIL ENGINEERING WORKS REPLACEMENT BUS SERVICE!!!
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Will’s in sheer agony as Sabre contorts his limb, but he’s saved by the referee’s count, Sabre forced to let go, Ospreay slumping to the apron. Zack turns to face the apron as he collects his wits and catches his breath, whilst Will nurses his leg, being checked on by the referee to make sure he’s good to continue, hopping to his base. Sabre settles down on the apron behind Will, grabbing him from behind, TESTING AN APRON TIGER SUPLEX!
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Ospreay smashes the nose with a rear headbutt to ward him off! AND HE SPRINGS OFF ONE LEG TO DROP SABRE WITH AN APRON OSCUTTER, BOTH MEN SPILLING TO THE FLOOR!!! The referee starts their count as both lay still, no sign of movement as the 10 count nears. Reaching 12 now, they finally begin to stir, getting on all fours… 13… 14… 15… OSPREAY’S LEG GIVES OUT! 16… 17… 18… BOTH MEN MAKE ONE LAST PUSH, SABRE SHOVING HIMSELF INSIDE THE RING BY 19, WHILST OSPREAY PULLS HIMSELF UP ONTO THE APRON AND SPRINGS OFF ONE LEG ON THE ROPES FOR A PIP PIP CHEERIO!!! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT!!!
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Coming down hard on the leg though, Ospreay writhes in pain, but with Zack down, he pulls himself up with every last bit of energy he has up for STORM BREAKER… ZACK WITH AN OCTOPUS HOLD!!! Will immediately rams him into the turnbuckle until he lets up, Sabre instead sliding down his back like a bird hitting a window, OSPREAY COLLECTING HIM TO NAIL A HITODENASHI DRIVER!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOO!!!
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Will shouts in frustration, having jammed the leg on the landing. Feeling victory nigh though, he preps the HIDDEN BLADE!!! SABRE SPINS AROUND AND COUNTERS WITH A ZACK DRIVER!!! ONE! TWO! THR-NO DICE!!! PENTALTY KICK! ANOTHER COVER!!! ONE! TWO! THR-STILL NO LUCK!!! NOW A NUMERO DOS A LA DESPERADO!!! Ospreay screams as Sabre tears the leg in half, Will dancing around in search of reprieve, until a FRANKENSTEINER stands ZSJ on his dome! BRAINBUSTER FOLLOWS!
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Sabre rocked, Ospreay cracks the CHELSEA GRIN against his neck, before connecting the HIDDEN BLADE!!! ONE! TWO! THR-ZACK’S STILL IN IT!!! Will’s leg is falling apart as he stumbles back into the corner to try for seconds, losing balance and collapsing before he can reach his target! EUROPEAN CLUTCH FROM ZACK!!! ONE! TWO! THR-OSPREAY SURVIVES!!! BUT A PENALTY KICK TO THE SKULL! AND STRAIGHT INTO ORIENTEERING WITH NAPALM DEATH!!! OSPREAY THRASHES LIKE A MADMAN, FEELING HIS LIGAMENTS ON THE VERGE OF TEARING… AND HE TAPS!!!
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Zack Sabre Jr. (c) def. Will Ospreay to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (34:18)
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One more for the bad guys. Commonwealth Kingpin at his mercy, Ospreay a mess as he scrambles off, Zack’s the new Top Gaijin in town. Raising his title high from the turnbuckles, he juices every last drop out his victory, this moment perfect to him… or not. OH MY GOD IT’S MINORU SUZUKI!!! Any bit of colour that remains on ZSJ’s pale face drains off as the King’s music rings through Fukuoka, but there’s no sign of the man- WAIT, SABRE’S SPUN AROUND! KICK TO THE GUT – GOTCH-STYLE PILEDRIVER!!! HE’S HERE!!! Placing a boot on Zack’s chest, Suzuki holds the World Title high over his former stablemate’s body!
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The ending of Dontaku has Japan buzzing as they question the true motive of Suzuki’s attack, and after an extended silence, the King sets the record straight. 1 ½ years ago, Suzuki-Gun was dissolved, and ever since, Sabre’s been writing checks with his mouth that he can’t cash. He walks around with the World Title like he’s the reason he even received recognition in NJPW in the first place. Suzuki gave him a home beside him, and as rapidly as he elevated Sabre, he can take it all away from him just as fast. He’s getting old and is still missing the final piece to the Japanese Triple Crown, so he plans to take that from Zack.
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Sabre doesn’t take too kindly to these words, letting his actions speak for himself as he ASSAULTS SUZUKI on a Road To Dontaku show! Bringing Sabre-Gun with him, they brutalise the legend, before Zack plants his group’s flag on Suzuki’s chest! Mocking him for having no allies the next night, declaring Suzuki’s era of relevance to be long gone… this plays. SUZUKI’S HERE, AND HE’S NOT ALONE! IT’S JUST6GUYS!!! Racing to the ring, the two factions erupt in a massive brawl, bodies flying left and right! Sabre tries for a quick getaway but he’s stopped by Minoru, who gives him a devilish snarl before clobbering him with forearms until Sabre-Gun’s sent packing through the crowd, Zack yelling expletives at Suzuki as he retreats!
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Back to Yokohama Arena (May 16, 2024)
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Sabre-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & TMDK) vs Minoru Suzuki & Just3Guys (Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI)
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With Sabre-Gun and Just6Guys feuding ever since their respective formations, switching between silent competitive warfare of racking up belts to fighting each other, notably the Sabre/Taichi saga, it all fully comes to a head in Suzuki’s home of Yokohama! With full freedom to destroy each other however they please, the two factions don’t hold back one bit, with Suzuki especially targeting ZSJ. He’s unable to give him grief the way he wishes to though, Zack tactfully hiding behind his partners until he can blindside Minoru, before scramming again. Ultimately, it’s Minoru putting Desperado away with the GOTCH PILEDRIVER, before signalling to Sabre that time’s running out for him, Suzuki to get his hands on him too soon enough!
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Minoru Suzuki & J6G def. Sabre-Gun (15:03)
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As much as Sabre tries to deny it, that day only speeds closer with each accusation of cowardice against the prideful champion’s name, the world questioning whether he’s afraid of Suzuki. Adamant to silence his doubters, he finally accepts Suzuki’s title challenge, setting the stage for Dominion, though promising he won’t have a career to go back to when Sabre’s done with him!
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Dominion 6.2 (June 2, 2024)
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Also on the show:
YOH (c) vs SHO - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Just2Guys (c) vs Sabre-Gun (Blake Christian & Clark Connors) - IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship
TMDK (c) vs The Lucha Brothers - IWGP Tag Team Championship
PAC (c) vs Katsuyori Shibata - IWGP United States Championship
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Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs Minoru Suzuki - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
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With Sabre-Gun beating Just6Guys earlier in the night, this war’s already at its boiling point by the time the main event arrives, Suzuki opting to enter second as Zack steps out- CRACK! STEEL CHAIR TO SABRE’S SPINE!!! Suzuki isn’t wasting even a second here, tearing the jacket off Sabre’s back before bending the steel over his spine! The Windy Man desperately tries to crawl away to the ring, but Suzuki steps on his ankle to stop him! Turning him around to meet his maker, MINORU GOES FOR A GOTCH PILEDRIVER ON THE CHAIR!!! LOW BLOW FROM SABRE TO COUNTER!!!
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Suzuki drops to his knees as Osaka boos the smarmy champion, ZSJ now battering the King’s back, before finally sliding him in to get the match started! PENALTY KICK RIGHT AWAY!!! ONE! TWO! THR-KICK OUT!!! Sabre wrenches in a CLARKY CAT, working the arm as Suzuki writhes under him, but it’s not long before Minoru stands up out of it, hurling ZSJ to the mat! Booting him in the jaw, Suzuki backs him into the corner and tears into him with open palm strikes! He winds up a CORNER DROPKICK, but Sabre evades, blasting him with a rapid barrage of European Uppercuts against the turnbuckle!
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Zack taking the run-up now, Suzuki bucks him over the ropes to the apron, SABRE BLASTING A THUMB IN HIS EYE! Minoru blinded, Zack leaps up for a SPRINGBOARD ENZUIGIRI- SUZUKI BLOCKS WITH A WILD SLAP TO THE CHEEK!!! Sabre stiffed, Suzuki applies a HANGING JUJI-GATAME FROM THE ROPES!!! Zack screams in agony as Minoru damn near rips his arm out the socket, the referee’s count the only thing keeping him from going!
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Releasing, Sabre crumples to the floor, getting as far as he possibly can from Suzuki, though he’s not fast enough, Suzuki nailing a GOAL KICK to his skull from the apron! Grabbing Sabre, he HURLS him into the guardrail with it shoulder-first, the velocity sending Zack through! As he goes to collect his prey though, SABRE TOSSES A CHAIR AT HIS SKULL!!! Threading Suzuki’s arm through it, SABRE STOMPS THE ELBOW!!! AND AN ARTICLE 50!!!
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Sabre abuses the legend, but he forgets about the other arm, Suzuki slapping his head in with it until Zack releases! Shaking off the arm, a BACK BODY DROP sends Sabre crashing back to ringside, Minoru following after him as ZSJ slinks inside the ring. Zack beats him to his feet though, stomping a hole through the mat with Suzuki’s skull, dribbling it! He cracks a ROLLING ELBOW off the skull, but Minoru walks through it, glaring at Sabre! Throwing an elbow of his own, it gets caught, Zack scoring the PELE KICK to the arm!
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AND A KIMURA LOCK!!! Sabre brutally rips at the arm, bringing Suzuki to his knees from the pain even, but Minoru pins his shoulders to the mat! ONE! TWO! THR-SABRE RELEASES TO KICK OUT! As Zack rolls to his feet, a SHOTGUN DROPKICK awaits him! Suzuki clobbers him with slaps to the face, Sabre seeing stars as one knocks him clean off his feet! Turning to the turnbuckle… SUZUKI RIPS IT OFF!!! Steel exposed, he teases a SNAP SUPLEX INTO THE CORNER!!! SABRE COUNTERS WITH A BRAINBUSTER ON THE MAT!!! GUILLOTINE CHOKE!!!
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Draining the life out of Suzuki, Sabre presses on the carotid artery, Minoru is deep trouble! BUT NOW THE KING BITES ON ZSJ’S FINGERS!!! Zack yelps and releases, allowing Suzuki to secure his wrists and STOMP HIS HEAD IN!!! Sabre catches a boot and applies SUNDAY RAIL ENGINEERING WORKS REPLACEMENT BUS SERVICE!!! ZSJ tortures Suzuki’s leg, though in doing so leaves his arm exposed, Minoru yanking off his grip and countering into HIS OWN HEEL HOOK!!!
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Sabre desperately tries the same counter, but Suzuki’s grip is too tight to break, forcing Zack to roll to the ropes! SUZUKI ISN’T LETTING GO! Crawling on his hands, Sabre pulls himself to the floor and WHIPLASHES MINORU’S NECK OFF THE BOTTOM ROPE!!! Staggering about ringside on one foot, he grabs his title and rolls back in! Suzuki struggling up, Sabre tries to deck him with the belt… but the referee grabs it from behind! A tug-of-war ends in SUZUKI KNOCKING THE BELT INTO THE REF WITH AN ENZUIGIRI!
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Both men hitting the deck, Minoru rocks ZSJ with a Dropkick! GOTCH PILEDRIVER ONTO THE TITLE!!! But there’s no one to count! Pissed, Suzuki limps out and abuses a couple young lions, before picking one out the crowd to toss in the ring, ripping the referee’s shirt off and telling the lion to put it on! SUZUKI COVERS! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Even more livid, HE DECKS THIS LION TOO! Turning back to Zack, he notices the champion feebly reaching for the belt! Kicking it out the ring, Suzuki goes for another GOTCH PILEDRIVER!!! BACK BODY DROP COUNTER!!!
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Still hurting, Sabre struggles to get a rally of strikes going, Suzuki meeting him blow for blow! BUT SABRE WHIPS THE SHOULDER INTO THE MAT! Minoru stunned, sadistic thoughts run through Sabre’s mind… TIGER SUPLEX INTO THE EXPOSED STEEL!!! AND A RUNNING LIGER BOMB – ONE OF SUZUKI’S RIVALS MOVES!!! THE REFEREE’S BACK TO CONSCIOUSNESS! NOT LIKE THIS! ONE! TWO! THR-NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
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Sabre’s exasperated, thinking he had it! Running out of options, he teases a ZACK DRIVER, but Suzuki slips behind and applies the SLEEPER HOLD!!! Sabre’s quickly fading, frantically trying to tear the bad arm off, but Minoru doesn’t budge, shoving ZSJ to the mat for the PENALTY KICK!!! ONE! TWO! THR-ZACK KICKS OUT!!! Suzuki grabs Sabre by the chin, demanding him to strike Minoru if he thinks he’s so tough, ZSJ doing his best, but Suzuki eats it and returns a HARD SLAP! SLEEPER SUPLEX!!!
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Tossing Sabre to the apron, Minoru steps onto the middle rope and cinches in an ELEVATED SLEEPER!!! Zack dangles in the air, unable to find his footing to escape, Suzuki lifting him higher and higher! Blood rushing to his legs, he needs to act fast, attacking the elbow again until the hold is finally slightly loosened! Leaning forwards, he pulls Suzuki his direction, allowing him to lower his feet onto the apron… YANKING SUZUKI INTO AN APRON ZACK DRIVER!!!
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Sabre coughs up a lung as he kicks Minoru’s corpse back in, before lining up a PENALTY KICK!!! ONE! TWO! THR-SUZUKI’S ALIVE!!! Zack’s stunned as he comes face-to-face with Suzuki’s sneer, Minoru still having enough in him to throw slaps! Sabre returning Uppercuts, they go blow-for-blow until Zack collapses first, though he’s playing possum, HEADBUTTING THE SHOULDER as the King tries to grab him! He goes for YOU CAN’T PLAY CONKERS IN ENGLAND, though he’s immediately tossed down, SUZUKI NAILING A PENALTY KICK!!!
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Winding up, Minoru goes for one more… ZACK SLAPS HIS HEAD OFF HIS SHOULDERS!!! Putting the head between his legs, HE NAILS A GOTCH PILEDRIVER!!! Suzuki collapses in position for a PENALTY KICK!!! AND NOW SABRE CINCHES IT IN – HURRAH! ANOTHER YEAR, SURELY THIS ONE WILL BE BETTER THAN THE LAST; THE INEXORABLE MARCH OF PROGRESS WILL LEAD US ALL TO HAPPINESS!!! Suzuki grits his teeth, trying to fight through it, Sabre keeping his eyes on his hands to see the tap… NOWHERE TO GO, MINORU FLIPS HIM OFF WITH BOTH HANDS AND VERBALLY SUBMITS!!!
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Zack Sabre Jr. (c) def. Minoru Suzuki to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (32:50)
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Surviving one of the toughest matches of his career, Zack’s kingdom still lives, though barely. As he’s handed his title though, he chucks it aside, this about far more than the gold to him! SABRE STOMPS OUT SUZUKI!!! Signalling to the back, out rush Sabre-Gun, coming to Sabre’s aid to conduct a mugging on the legend! SUDDEN DEATH FROM ELP! PINCHE LOCO FROM DESPERADO! THUNDER VALLEY FROM TMDK! TANDEM JEEP FLIP/DROPKICK FROM BLAKE, CONNORS AND FUJITA! And now, it's Zack’s turn. Dragging him to the concrete… HE’S GOING FOR THE GOTCH PILEDRIVER!!! HE WANTS TO RETIRE SUZUKI FOR GOOD!!!
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BUT HERE COMES J6G!!! AND LANCE ARCHER TOO!!! Sabre tosses Suzuki aside to deal with the oncoming traffic, Taichi and co. putting up an honourable fight, but they’re still down a man, Sabre-Gun managing to retain their upper-hand, until… OH MY GOD, IT’S SUZUKI’S OLD TAG PARTNER NAOMICHI MARUFUJI!!! Sabre can’t even get a curse out before a KO-OH SMACKS HIM IN THE FACE!!! Marufuji beats on Zack to turn the tide, going for the POLE SHIFT, but Sabre manages to escape in the nick of time, Sabre-Gun once again sent on the retreat, the show closing on Marufuji helping Suzuki up!
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NJPW/AJPW/NOAH All Together Again (June 7, 2024)
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Zack Sabre Jr. vs Naomichi Marufuji
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After the events of Dominion, it’s only natural these two fight, long, long overdue a one-on-one since their NOAH days together! Fighting in Suzuki’s honour, Marufuji steps to the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and it’s like 2016 all over again the way he utterly humbles Sabre to start like he’s facing Okada! A match of two halves, it goes from Naomichi giving ZSJ the biggest whooping of his life to Sabre brutally breaking down the legend, reminding him he’s 8 years too old to still be winning these sorts of matches. Though Maru gives Zack grief one more than one occasion, he meets his demise at the hands of a CREMATION LILY, Sabre spitting on Naomichi as he leaves, declaring himself untouchable!
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Zack Sabre Jr. def. Naomichi Marufuji (25:37)
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With his war on J6G and friends officially behind him, Sabre sets his sights on a show he has quite some history with. Losing to Claudio Castagnoli at the first Forbidden Door, before beating Katsuyori Shibata at the second to take both the NJPW TV and ROH Pure Titles to ALL IN to submit Danielson, there’s naturally only one direction for him to head…
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Dynamite (June 12, 2024)
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Racking another AEW International Championship defence under his belt, Wheeler YUTA is on top of the world, and as he’s approached by Tony Schiavone for a post-match comment… WHACK! IWGP WORLD TITLE TO THE BACK OF HIS HEAD!!! SABRE-GUN’S HERE!!! Mugging Blackpool Combat Club’s young gun like they did Suzuki, a SABRE DRIVER leaves him broken on the mat as Zack yells down the camera that he wants Moxley’s head at Forbidden Door, scurrying away before BCC can make the save!
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Collision (June 15, 2024)
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Zack Sabre Jr. vs Wheeler YUTA
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Off the back of Sabre’s assault on YUTA, a match is made between the two technically-gifted champions in a massive Collision main event! Though ZSJ’s far out his paygrade, an arrogant Wheeler does his best to knock off the Technical Wizard, impressing with a display of submissions he’s picked up from Danielson, before employing some of Claudio’s marquee athleticism and Mox’s grittiness. Never a fair match to begin with though, a TESCO MEAL DEAL cruelly silences YUTA!
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Zack Sabre Jr. def. Wheeler YUTA (10:12)
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Grabbing a mic, Zack runs down Moxley, reminding him how they were supposed to fight 4 years ago until the pandemic ruined that, Jon ducking him ever since. Now though, he’s the last member of BCC he needs to get through before he can shut up those babies too, so all he needs to know is if Jon is still afraid of him or not. And as Sabre awaits his response… HE RECEIVES IT IN THE FORM OF A PARADIGM SHIFT!!! Mox holds Zack’s title over his body, gaining some retribution for YUTA!
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AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door (June 23, 2024)
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Also on the show:
The Lucha Brothers (c) vs La Faccion Ingobernable (RUSH & Dralistico) - IWGP Tag Team Championship
PAC (c) vs Swerve Strickland - IWGP United States Championship
Tetsuya Naito vs Andrade El Idolo
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Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs Jon Moxley - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
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The final showdown of a lengthy saga, Sabre makes his third defence against New Japan’s Ace, and it’s quite literally a bloody clinic, Mox showing zero fear in the face of the Top Gaijin, who looks to plant his flag over another territory. From a Paradigm Shift to the floor to a Zack Driver through a table, both men are busted open by the surroundings, the blood loss only helping Sabre’s case when he locks in the HYPERNORMALISATION, causing Mox to pass out! Alas, ZSJ stands atop BCC, but perhaps a more personal challenge yet awaits him…
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Zack Sabre Jr. (c) def. Jon Moxley to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (23:20)