The World Wrestling League has its roots in the Xtreme Wrestling League. The company was known by the name XWL until January 2001, just four months after the president and founder of the XWL, John Leary, left and turned over control of business decisions to former and now part-time sports entertainer Nihilist.

Feeling that hardcore wrestling was passe, Nihilist decided to go in a new direction, and waited only seconds to reveal his new vision: Fatality TV. His plan was to create shorter matches and a more angle-driven product. Meaning less wrestling and more entertaining. He then decided to use the WWF 1998-99 era as a model, and even created a stable of wrestlers to, "pay tribute" to their superstars.

The XWL hardcores didn't like the new direction. They fought it all the way. But in January, the name change became official when Hack Viciously united the WWL and XWL titles, unifying the two companies and creating a brand new sports entertainment product.

While the name change will stick, recently there has been some middle ground met between both sides, resulting in very entertaining shows both in the ring and out of it. While the extreme has been toned down, there is still some major "audacity" on the WWL-brand.

About the Xtreme Wrestling League (Note: This was written at some point during the first two years of XWL, which may explain some dated references.)

What is XWL? Well, let's put it simply. All matches have no disqualificatons and no count-outs. Rarely were there draws or no contests. The motto is Black, Blue and Blood Red.

The ring: The mat is light gray. The top and bottom rope are black. The middle rope is blue. The tumbuckles are red. Four metal staircases with four steps sit behind the four steel posts at every corner of the ring. A steel guardrail surrounds the ring. The floor around the ring is covered by thin black and red mats.

The wrestlers walk out of an entrance under a giant screen/monitor simply called the Big Monitor. Before getting to the ramp, you see two large poles wrapped with chains supporting a small platform fence with a 3-foot tall cage with the XWL logo. The ramp is also lined with the same fencing, but it is lined with barbed wire. It looks like you are about to enter a war zone. It is. It's called XWL. The Xtreme Wrestling League.

The announcers? They're hidden at the back of the arena because they don't want to be near the carnage. I don't blame them. They sit under a platform like the entryway. The desk is long enough to accomodate three people. Two monitors sit on the wooden table which is covered by an XWL table cover.This is only the start.

STIPULATION/GIMMICK MATCHES.

There are many types of gimmick or stipulation matches that are used to bring an ugly feud to an ugly end. Sometimes they work, sometimes not. But in our federation, we guarantee the loser must go through with the outcome. Here are just a few of the matches we have seen in the first couple of years of this company and elsewhere:

Barbed wire match. This is one of the most extreme matches in existence. The regular ropes are replaced with barbed wire (or barbed wire is strung along the ropes or over the tumbuckles in rarer cases) . The ultimate goal is a pinfall, but before you get to that point, you face getting whipped into or dropped onto the barbed wire in any number of places on your body. Not for those who faint at the sight of blood. This match leaves scars for life.

Ladder match. There are many variations. In XWL, usually a weapon is hung above the ring and whoever gets it first gets to use it on his opponent. Sometimes they use it to get a pin. A billie club and handcuffs, pipe, bat and cane are just some weapons which have been strung above the ring.

Pathway to hell match: An aisle is covered with chairs, the wrestling ring is covered with chairs and a ladder waits for someone to grab a weapon hung above the ring. Wrestlers start at the entryway and fight all the way to the ring, often getting slammed on the outrageous amount of chairs. And of course, the chairs can also be picked up and used.

Cage match. There are two types of cages: closed and open tops. The closed cage means some type of ending (pin, submission, etc.) . But an open cage often means the winner must escape by climbing over the top. We have yet to have an open cage match in XWL. The closed cage means you are putting two enemies in a ring surrounded by a lethal metal object which can be used to grate an opponents face or just smash his face into. There are no doors. There is only one rare escape, if the cage breaks. But that means someone must be thrown through it hard.

Degrading the loser match. These are the matches in which the loser gets beaten so many times or whipped so many times. There have been matches in other federations of people being forced to eat dog food, kiss another wrestler's ass, wear a dress. This category is wide open.

Balcony match. Two wrestlers are put into a balcony, and the loser is the first man to hit the floor many feet below. There is also a variation of many tables being stacked up and the loser gets thrown through all those and loses.

Garage match. Two men are locked in a garage filled with tools and some type of vehicle. Pins or submissions are supposed to take place in the garage, but sometimes you have to do it outside if someone happens to get thrown through the door.

I quit match. Simply, one man must make another say the two words that most wrestlers never say, ''I quit.'' Many times wrestlers will tap out or pass out in a submission, but this one forces one to say it out loud. These matches often feature horrible injuries for one or both of the competitors as one part of the body becomes a target, such as a knee or an arm, and the person hurts that spot until the other can't take anymore abuse.

Death match. Pins count anywhere in the country. No place and no weapon is off limits. The only goal is to knock out your opponent long enough to pin him, be it in the ring, in a bathroom or on top of a van.

Scaffold match. A scaffold is set up about 15 to 20 feet above the ring. Below can wait a plain old ring or several stacked tables or lots of sharp/breakable objects. The loser is thrown off the scaffold. On the rare chance that both fall off, the one who hits first loses.

Elimination wrestling. A variation tag team wrestling. In the usual form, a team of three or four people battles another team of three or four. Once someone is pinned, they must leave the ring and the match continues until every member of one team is pinned. Also, elimination tag team wrestling can happen during a match between three or four teams. Say you've got teams A, B, C and D. If a member from team A is pinned, that team is eliminated and they must leave the ring, and so on. The match continues until only one team is left.

The triple threat. Three men battle each other, and there is only one pinfall or submission. If a title is at stake, the winner of the match does not even have to pin the champion. Another variation is the four-way dance, where four men all beat the hell out of each othey There is also a much rarer five-way dance. As the numbers increase, there is a higher chance that tags will be involved, such as the next style of match.

Four corners match. Two men start a match in the ring. Four opponent wait on the outside. Anyone can get tagged in at any time, but it is a singles match. There can be one fall elimination rules may apply.

Gauntlet. A man wrestles opponents until he loses. These matches traditionally stay close to the ring as the men need to conserve energy to keep moving on.

2/3 falls. One wrestler must pin/submit another twice to win.

BloodBowl. An event unique to XWL. Sixteen men are involved in this playoff-style tournament based on points earned through wins throughout the year. Wrestler 1 wrestles 16, 2 wrestles 15, and so on. The matches are two out of three falls with 20 minute time limits (except in the finals which have no time limits). If time expires, both men are eliminated. The ultimate goal is to win the tournament and secure a shot at the heavyweight title in addition to receiving the BloodBowl trophy.

Battle royal. Any number of men are put into a ring. Competitors are eliminated when they are thrown over the top rope to the floor.

Last man standing. The winner is declared when an opponent cannot get off the mat by a 10 count.

Street fight. An event featuring weapons galore. The goal is to inflict serious pain first, then think about getting a pin.

Dog collar/strap match. Two men are held together with a chain dog collar at the neck or a strap at the wrist. They can used either device as a weapon, to choke or whip as they please. Handcuffs are another variation. If no pinfalls are involved, it means the winner must touch the top tumbuckle in all four corners of the ring to win the match, which is tough to do when you are locked to another body.

Fence match. A different kind of ring, where the steel post and ropes are replaced with thick wood, like a traditional fence. Opponents face being whipped into the wood.

Taped fist match. Simply, the wrestlers tape their fists and may punch away at each others faces. Taped fists feel like rocks.

WEAPONS

If you were to look under the ring, what everyday objects might you find that these men will use as weapons in their quest for a three count? Well, if you look under the ring, you'll only find tables, chairs, possibly a ladder. The good stuff is usually brought to the ring. Here's a sample of some weapons you might see. And of course XWL always encourages its fans to bring weapons to the shows.

Award/trophy; barbed wire (tennis racket/baseball bat; it's very diverse, you can put it on almost any weapon on this list) ; baseball bat (aluminum or wood); bicycle; bottles; bowling ball; bricks; cable box; candlestick; cane (singapore or walking); car parts (headlight, bumper, hubcap, steering wheel, muffler, pipe, seatbelt, etc) ; chain; chair; cheese grater; christmas ornaments; clock; club; coffeepot/ket~ e; computer keyboard; computer monitor; concrete blocks; construction barrel; crate; credit card bill; crowbar; crutch; cymbals; dart board dictionary; fan; fire; fire extinguisher; fish tank; flagpole (wood or metal); glass; guitar; hammer; handcuffs;

Handle (broom/ax); hockey stick; kitchen sink; ladder; light bulbs; mailbox; metal; metal tray; microphone; mirror; mist (sprayed from the mouth, usually green or red, has to be by Asian performer) ; nails needles; paint bucket; pan; pepper spray; picture frame; pipe; pins; plastic bag; plate; pliers; police scanner; pool cue; pumpkin (at HalL~)ween time) ; radio; razor; remote control; rock; rolling pin; rope; saw hors~~; screwdriver; shovel; signs (metal; yield, caution, speed limit); skate;)oard; sledgehammer; speakers; spike; steel rope; stool; table (wood or meta tacks; tape; telephone; television; tiles; toaster oven; toilet seat; tongs; trash can; turkey (thanksgiving time) ; vaccum cleaner; video game system; violin; walker; water bucket; watermelon; wheelchair; whip; window; wire; wires/cords; wood; wrench.

July 1998

Wrestling can be summed up like this: WCW is the number one organization, WWF is gaining ground, and a distant third is a 5-year-old organization called ECW, which has only a syndicated program once a week and five payper-views a year, while the big two have a combined 24 PPVs a year and about 12 hours of wrestling each week.But WCW has incoherant story angles, WWF has reached its peak with theirs (Editor's note: Whoops!) and too few know about ECW. It was time for an alternative, a middle ground between plot lines, pushing the most talented and big name guys and extreme violence.

Enter the Xtreme Wrestling League.

Wrestling returned to popularity with WCW and the NWO leading the way in 1996 and then exploded with Austin 3:16.

Serpent was sick of wrestling for little money overseas when he could book loops around the big two and a half. So he started meeting with investors, trying to get a new vision off the ground. Out of those discussions, and after two years of hard work, the XWL was born.

In July 1998, a heavyweight title, TV title and tag titles were created, and tournaments were held in tiny venues, often with audiences no larger than 100 at a time. Serpent won the heavyweight title, Adrian Lucas won the TV title, and NBC and CNN won the tag titles.

About the Championship Wrestling Federation

Many of today's XWL stars have a history in this business. Here is how we got the gang back together.

1989

The CWF, Champions Wrestling Federation, began. It featured rookie and younger wrestlers such as heavyweight champions Orion, Daniel Ryder, Serpent and Zohar, in addition to tag champions Victor Slaughter + Trey Risont, and Alley + Annihilator.

Overall, the company featured a strong though green group made up of Serpent, Kobra, The Big Man, Dr. McMann, Monkeywrench and Bat. It also featured teams of Bram Corbett + Dead End (Bootleggers), Raider + Orion (after Orion lost the heavyweight title), twins Ulysses + XXXX, Zohar + Fred Verge, and featured four giants: Edan LePage, Dark Lord, Crusher and Adrian Lucas, who usually fought each other.

Within two years, after many rivalries came and went, such and Lowlife + Badger vs. Big Man + Kobra, Chris Slaughter vs. Ryder, Victor Slaughter + Rison vs. Dark Lord + Crusher, Serpent vs. Zohar, and the Bootleggers vs. the twins.

In January 1993, with the death of individual, traditional wrestling in the CWF, came the birth of elimination wrestling. This is best described as the WWF's Survivor Series without any rules. Points were awarded like hockey, based on pins and assists. Wrestlers got assists merely by still being in competition. After each season, captains were made based on the top eight point-getters. They drafted their teams in order, those with the most points drafted first, second second, and son on. The first team to 400 won.

Here are those results:

MVP Serpent dominated, but so did Zohar. The big surprises were Kobra and Raider, who went from second stringers to captain after strong seasons. Annihilator sputtered in the elimination format, but that would happen to a few more. The biggest loss was a career ending injury to Trey Rison. Edan LePage was also a bit of a surprise, as he flourished with Crusher and Bram Corbett, as they came six points short of the prize.

In February the second season started. And by now, people were taking notice.

Despite finishing second in individual scoring, Serpent was named MVP for the second straight season. Zohar set a pin record of 124 which was never broken, and for most of the season was neck and neck with Raider and Nihilist.

But the big story was rookie Python. As a fourth stringer, he ended up number 14 in scoring, beating out fellow teammates Annihilator and Ulysses, and after a slow start, no less. His high-flying moves and devastating kicks surprised quite a few wrestlers. On a team with Bram Corbett, there was talk of Bram Corbett being most deserving of the MVP crown, after again leading his team to within just a few points of Serpent's team.

The only other surprise of the season was the most improved wrestler, Bat, who increaded his production by 36 points.

Now people were really talking at the end of the breakthrough season as the third season began.

Bram Corbett was named MVP, as he finally made it to the top, of course greatly helped by Python who finished nine points behind him. But this was an off season in general. Points were down. But there were a few feats. Victor Slaughter had a career year, and Ulysses was most improved with a +42, helping Kobra's team reach second place.

Was the grind finally shown as they entered season four?

Zohar almost matched his own pin record, but fell short of it, and first place in scoring. Python captured the MVP prize while capturing his first team to the championship. Alley set an assist record of 98 which still stands, and Edan LePage helped Alley with 92 pins. Scoring was back up and Elimination Wrestling thought it had recovered, with Serpent returning to form, Alley breaking out, and Python leading the way, while others like Annihilator and Heat Seeker improved.

Were they right? No. Only because the wrestlers now were sluggish in their matches and the company and created playoffs.

Totals Season 5 Career
161 Python 96 66 162 325 276 601 (4)
240 The Prowler 42 80 122 235 389 624
401 Heat Viper 18 64 82 91 322 413
1st Lowlife 5 30 35 10 107 117 (4)
152 Zohar 118 34 152 568 196 764
203 Victor Slaughter 25 92 117 205 415 620
355 CNN 8 61 69 33 242 275
2nd Murray Head 1 16 17 19 213 232
151 Serpent 97 55 152 471 291 762
188 Annihilator 37 58 95 180 356 536
339 Fred Verge 16 56 72 92 330 422
4th Mark Weight 1 19 20 13 139 152
146 Alley 76 70 146 348 353 701
203 Edan LePage 56 72 128 297 332 629
349 Daniel Ryder 13 44 57 79 264 343
3rd Issei 1 17 18 6 116 122
151 Nihilist 116 35 151 498 247 745
186 MX 23 79 102 184 396 580
337 Ulysses 10 53 63 69 283 352
5th Badger 2 19 21 7 115 122
124 Bram Corbett 73 52 125 375 334 709
175 Crusher 41 61 102 194 376 570
299 Bat 9 47 56 47 252 299
7th Hawk 1 15 16 4 61 65 (3)
124 Raider 87 37 124 472 224 696
176 Chris Slaughter 30 75 105 269 326 595
300 Orion 6 48 54 52 269 321
6th Monkeywrench 1 16 17 4 119 123
128 Kobra 78 50 128 377 322 699
166 Dead End 40 51 91 206 318 524
294 Adrian Lucas 6 45 51 34 285 319
8th Puncture 4 20 24 4 54 58

Slower, shorter matches (with the exception of MVP Python and the surprising CNN) , this season was a disappointment. And what was worse was that there were still playoffs to be played. Here are the results.

Round 1.
Python def. Kobra 4-0; Zohar def Bram Corbett 4-3; Alley def. Raider 4-0; Serpent def. Nihilist 4-2.
Round 2.
Python def. Serpent 4-2; Alley def. Zohar 4-2.
Finals.
Python def. Alley 4-2.

1. Python 16 35 24 59 (MVP)
2. Alley 16 29 26 55
3. The Prowler 16 18 35 53
4. Edan LePage 16 21 27 48
5. Zohar 13 32 11 43
6. Serpent 11 22 16 38
7. Victor Slaughter 13 9 25 34
8. Heat Seeker 16 5 24 29
9. Annihilator 11 10 16 26
10. Fred Verge 11 6 18 24
11. CNN 13 2 22 24
12. Bram Corbett 7 15 8 23
13. Daniel Ryder 16 5 16 21
14. Nihilist 6 12 6 18
15. Crusher 7 8 8 16
16. Lowlife 16 1 14 15
17. MX 6 5 8 13
18. Kobra 4 7 3 10
19. Raider 4 6 3 9
20. Dead End 4 3 4 7
21. Chris Slaughter 4 2 5 7
22. Bat 7 0 7 7
23. Murray Head 13 0 7 7
24. Issei 16 0 7 7
25. Ulysses 6 1 5 6
26. Orion 4 1 4 5
27. Mark Weight 11 0 5 5
28. Adrian Lucas 4 0 4 4
29. Hawk 7 0 3 3
30. Badger 6 0 2 2
31. Monkeywrench 4 0 1 1
32. Puncture 4 0 1 1

And then ... well, problems. A lack of fan interest and wrestlers' complaints about the toll on their body for an unfair price caused delays. Seven months actually. The break had good effects, as it allowed their bodies to heal. When season six began, the schedule was more spread out.

Totals Season 6 Career
159 Python 97 62 159 422 338 760 (5)
222 Raider 45 77 122 517 301 818
381 Fred Verge 12 56 68 104 386 490
2nd Lowlife 5 27 32 15 134 149 (5)
153 Zohar 109 44 153 677 240 917
227 The Prowler 24 93 117 259 482 741
380 Heat Seeker 17 66 83 108 388 496
3rd Puncture 3 24 27 7 78 85 (4)
172 Serpent 104 67 171 575 358 933
228 Chris Slaughter 51 78 129 320 404 724
400 CNN 15 61 76 48 303 351
1st Badger 2 22 24 9 137 146
142 Nihilist 102 39 141 600 286 886
200 Victor Slaughter 31 82 113 236 497 733
342 Ulysses 8 55 63 77 338 415
5th Murray Head 1 24 25 20 237 237
137 Alley 89 48 137 437 401 838
190 MX 41 63 104 225 459 684
327 Bat 6 57 63 53 309 362
6th Mark Weight 1 22 23 14 161 175
150 Kobra 87 63 150 464 385 849
211 Crusher 38 70 108 232 446 678
361 Daniel Ryder 24 57 81 103 321 424
4th Issei 1 21 22 7 137 144
128 Edan LePage 76 52 128 373 384 757
172 Annihilator 39 57 96 219 413 632
300 Orion 10 46 56 62 315 377
8th Monkeywrench 3 17 20 7 136 143
145 Bram Corbett 87 58 145 462 392 854
183 Dead End 48 58 106 254 376 630
328 Adrian Lucas 7 52 59 41 337 378
7th Kevin Block 3 15 18 5 34 39 (2)

Serpent returned to form, amounting a record 171 points, led his team to first place and captured the MVP crown for a third time. Points were up all around as Daniel Ryder looked to be in his prime, Chris Slaughter was impressive, as were Kobra and Bram Corbett. But essentially, it was all meaningless as playoffs began. Here are the results:
Round 1.
Serpent def. Edan LePage 4-0; Python def. Bram Corbett 4-1; Zohar def. Alley 4-3; Kobra def. Nihilist 4-2.
Round 2.
Serpent def. Kobra 4-3; Zohar def. Python 4-2.
Finals.
Serpent def. Zohar 4-2.

Matches Pins Assists Total
1. Serpent 17 36 30 66
2. Chris Slaughter 17 24 41 65
3. Zohar 19 34 22 56
4. The Prowler 19 19 32 51
5. Kobra 13 23 18 41
6. Crusher 13 14 23 37
7. Heat Seeker 19 7 28 35
8. CNN 17 6 29 35
9. Python 11 19 15 34
10. Raider 11 11 20 31
11. Daniel Ryder 13 4 21 25
12. Alley 7 11 10 21
13. Badger 17 2 15 17
14. MX 7 9 7 16
15. Fred Verge 11 4 12 16
16. Nihilist 6 9 6 15
17. Victor Slaughter 6 5 9 14
18. Bram Corbett 5 7 6 13
19. Puncture 19 0 13 13
20. Dead End 5 5 7 12
21. Bat 7 1 6 7
22. Issei 13 0 7 7
23. Edan LePage 4 5 1 6
24. Adrian Lucas 15 1 5 6
25. Lowlife 11 0 6 6
26. Ulysses 6 1 4 5
27. Annihilator 4 1 3 4
28. Orion 4 0 4 4
29. Murray Head 6 0 3 3
30. Monkeywrench 4 0 2 2
31. Mark Weight 7 0 2 2
32. Kevin Block 5 0 1 1

Serpent was playoff MVP. Good excitement, but after the playoffs ended, there was a long layoff before season seven.

Totals Season 7 Career
158 Serpent 84 75 159 659 433 1092
249 Edan LePage 50 74 124 423 458 881
407 Daniel Ryder 20 74 94 123 395 518
1st Puncture 4 26 30 11 104 115 (5)
157 Python 83 74 157 505 412 917 (6)
223 The Prowler 54 70 124 313 552 865
380 CNN 15 57 72 63 360 423
2nd Lowlife 5 22 27 20 156 176 (6)
127 Zohar 70 57 127 747 297 1044
194 Raider 45 67 112 562 368 930
321 Annihilator 10 50 60 229 463 692
6th Badger 2 20 22 11 157 168
144 Kobra 70 72 142 534 457 941
227 Victor Slaughter 55 75 130 291 572 863
371 Fred Verge 12 55 67 116 441 557
3rd Issei 7 25 32 14 162 176
120 Bram Corbett 65 52 117 527 444 971
161 MX 40 57 97 265 516 781
281 Ulysses 10 35 45 87 373 460
7th NBC 5 17 22 6 76 82 (4)
142 Nihilist 92 50 142 692 336 1028
187 Crusher 37 75 112 269 521 790
329 Adrian Lucas 12 43 55 53 380 433
5th Monkeywrench 1 19 20 8 155 163
142 Alley 90 52 142 527 453 980
213 Dead End 32 70 102 286 446 732
355 Bat 5 50 55 58 359 417
4th DJ Torrid 15 41 56 15 41 56 (1)
101 Chris Slaughter 60 43 103 380 447 827
165 Heat Seeker 37 60 97 145 448 593
266 Orion 2 42 44 64 357 421
8th Murray Head 2 20 22 22 257 279

Another MVP season for Serpent, in the last season of elimination wrestling. Victor Slaughter had an impressive season, and D.J. a good debut, but the mood was poor. With low fan interest, everyone knew the end was coming. Daniel Ryder has a career year, Nihilist had a personal high for pins, and Heat Seeker had his best season as a second stringer.

And as the end came closer, tensions were high. Bram Corbett and Python were rumored to get into pushing matches in the locker room, wrestlers felt underused, and morale was at an all-time low. The stage was set for the end.

Round 1.
Serpent def. Chris Slaughter 4-0; Python def. Bram Corbett 4-3; Zohar def. Kobra 4-3; Alley def. Nihilist 4-2.
Round 2.
Serpent def. Zohar 4-0; Alley def. Python 4-1.
Finals.
Serpent def. Alley 4-3.

And then ... nothing. Five years.

Copyright ©2001 WWL Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.