CALVIN'S CORNER -- LONE WOLF LEAGUE

LWL (1/29) "Kicking off the new year with my old friend, LWL. They had a resurgence in 2025, but they go into 2026 in need of new blood. They did manage to sign 'Rebel Angel' Jack Carter who quickly grabbed the Texas title, and rumors abound of bringing in 'The Gator' Billy Buster. We'll have to wait and see on that one.

"One major development right out of the box is that Lone Wolf has a new Commissioner... well... sort of. Firebrand Elijah Thorne is trapped in another one of his delusions. He currently believes that he is the Lone Wolf Commissioner and is acting accordingly... sort of. Can't wait to see where this goes.

"Back to reality, Stan 'The Mullet' Malitowski shocked everyone when he defeated Justin Vickers to become the LWL Imperial Heavyweight Champion at the Resolution pay-per-view event. Say what you will, I think he's gonna be a great flagbearer for Lone Wolf, and, hey... Justin Vickers is still the 2025 LWL Wrestler of the Year!

"'The Outcast' Ando Snaggletooth continued to build his impressive LWL resume with another League title victory as well as a dominant win in the Ball Dropping Free-for-All Ladder Match. Unfortunately, his long-time partner, Big Rye, has departed. A damaging blow to the tag-team scene for sure.

"Let's face it, Commissioner Thorne and his brother, 'The Menace' Eli Richter, seem to be the only legit tag-team left, and they're already the Imperial Tag-Team Champions. The TV Tag-Team Champions, Happy Anderson and Flathead Rob don't really seem like much of a threat. Although, ol' Flathead has been on a bit of a roll lately. Honestly, I think the best bet here is Galim Tursambayov and Carter Matthews.

"In other news, 'Mad Dog' Tommy Zulu suffered a vicious assault at the hands of 4 men from the ASL known as The Brand. It wasn't long before 'Rebel Angel' Jack Carter took the credit and let us all know he was paid to do it by Masa Onita. He then went on to berate and belittle the entire Lone Wolf roster. I wanna see who's gonna defend the league's honor... at least, until Tommy Zulu is ready to get back in the ring.

"Finally, Happy Anderson is happy to be back competing in the LWL and has declared himself its biggest star. ... Oh, and Norman Conquest debuted his new look. Nice!"

-- Calvin Russel

IWAR MAGAZINE (updated 1/27)

"It's Gold Tuesday, and you know what that means... repeatedly shoveling your driveway until Gold posts!

"The cover of our 237th issue features the easygoing competitor who does things at his own pace, Uncle Slow Moe (RTL), who surely locked up the 2026 Rookie of the Year race with his shocking win. The RTL has been really growing under its new Commissioner, Greg Mead, and we tip our cap to the first-time Commish for building such a competitive league. With this win, Uncle Slow Moe has raised the bar in the RTL, and we have to wonder if anyone can match his amazing feat (because it won't be easy!).

"The 7th Ladder Match Battle Royal results are in, and this issue features TWO write-ups for this double-sized event. Meanwhile, the IWAR Network's 'Spring' events (the Johnny B Cup, the Marano Memorial Tag-team Tournament, the Catfish/Clark Classic, and the 2nd annual IWAR Cup) are all underway and rolling into round two. We've seen a number of upsets, and have to wonder if we could see an NWL rookie repeat the feat pulled off by the Reprobate Lanny Teague in 2024.

"Join us TONIGHT (1/27) for the LIVE edition of the IWAR Tubecast, hosted by Alex G, with Matt, Scott, Jimmy, and many more, as we review the results, IWAR news, and Johnny B's IWA Trivia (featuring Johnny B himself offering behind-the-scenes IWA secrets, factoids, and other random fun), respond to unfiltered feedback from our players in the live chat window, and add in the usual nonsense and gibberish. It was a good run of 98 episodes, but we pulled the plug on the IWAR Gold Strategy Workshop with strategy expert Mike Cook as a result of the chaotic results in the past six months. That said, we are not leaving players in the dark, as we have created the IWAR Cheat Sheet, and if you want to get a copy of it before the next cycle, drop me a line. Our shows about How to Win in the IWA and the Multi-man Special are still available. (Both YouTube links will open in new browser windows. The IWA is not responsible for their content.)

"The IWAR Creative Team -- Mike, Derek, Scott, Jeremy, Aaron, Alex, Patrick, Ryan, Tom, Dan, Derek (no, the other one), Rob, Darren, Jimmy, and I -- would like to thank our players for making the IWAR the best place to play in the IWA."

-- IWAR Commissioner Matt Riley

(For the latest issue, right click HERE and choose "Save Target As..." You will be downloading a PDF file with a size of 2MB.)

WOMEN'S CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS (updated 1/20)

For the latest results, right click HERE and choose "Save Target As..."

THIS JUST IN FROM THE RTL NEWS DESK:

"Immediately after RTL bulletin #51, during an off-air segment, True Impact Heavyweight Champion 'Uncut G.E.M' Greg E. Money was ambushed by The Maryland Militia. RTL President Jack Toonie provided only this statement: 'The full extent of the injuries sustained by our Heavyweight Champion are still unknown. We'll have an update on his condition, a full recap of the attack, and a decision on the future of the True Impact Heavyweight title next cycle.'

"After taking out another top star and joining D.O.D., are Morris & Clothier the two most dangerous men in the IWAR Network?"

-- Jerry Ringer

PUT ON THE GLOVE AND PICK A WINNER

"The annual release of the IWA Gauntlet Magazine is coming soon! As always, the publication will include updated All-Time IWA Rankings and Records, the PBM Hall of Fame inductions, annual Gauntlet Awards, and more!

"Speaking of the awards, voting is now underway for the 2025 Gauntlet Awards. Submit your ballot by January 15th to help determine this year's winners! You can vote by clicking HERE." (This link will open in a new browser window. The IWA is not responsible for its content.)

CALVIN'S CORNER -- IMAGINARY WRESTLING ASSOCIATION

IWA (12/17) "2025 marked the 40th Anniversary of IWA. It was celebrated throughout the year with multiple cycles of Bottom 20s and 30s becoming Bottom 40s at no additional cost to the players.

"It was an incredible year with incredible events including Stablecade which was won by AOD. Then, there was State Wrestling which saw a whopping 445 competitors battle it out with powerhouse SHL's Duchess Talon taking home the biggest prize of the event to manager Dennis Mooney. 2025 also marked the return of the ever popular Specialty Championships. Finally, came Imagimania and its top entrant 'Tailor Made' John Whiddon of ACW managed by Corey Workman.

"Some of the game's best had incredible years in their own right... most notably, Tommy Zulu was the biggest point getter (by a lot) among all of the game's managers. He was followed by Frank J. Belcher III, Derek Tuttle, Jake Duvall and Solomon Shaw, and Brad Norman. All of whom did exceptionally well. The top stables for the year were SOS followed by EDGE... meanwhile, CURE and COT also performed quite strongly.

"Now, for the first time ever, IWA will feature a special Year End Report that will put a nice little bow on their 40th Anniversary year. It will also serve the practical purpose of aligning future IWA Reports with the cycle that produced the results being reported. Another win for the players.

"Sadly, 2025 also saw the loss of a great player in Robert J. Ratliff... just about a year after losing one of his closest friends, another great player, Timothy L. Clark. I'd like to have a moment of silence for two of the finest in the game."

...

"So, with 2026 nearly upon us, here is some stuff you should all be aware of..."

2026 IWA Cycle Schedule
- January: December 29
- Winter: January 19
- February: February 9
- March: March 2
- Spring: March 23
- April: April 13
- May: May 4
- Summer: May 25
- June: June 15
- July: July 6
- August: July 27
- Dog Days: August 17
- September: September 7
- October: September 28
- Fall: October 19
- November: November 9
- December: November 30
- Vacation Week: December 21 - December 27

2026 League Milestones
500 Cycles... MEL, NSL
400 Cycles... VVL, NFL, JDL
200 Cycles... DZL
100 Cycles... BHL, NPL, CFL, FSL

"Other than that, just the usual, long-circulating, unfounded rumors... Million Dollar Championship... People's Champion, etc. All in all, another super fun year for the IWA and its players with another on the way in 2026. You know I love it... so Merry Christmas and best of luck in the New Year!"

-- Calvin Russel

THE UNOFFICIAL HOW TO WIN IN THE IWA GUIDE V2.0 (updated 5/1/25)

Learning the ropes in a game where those ropes are imaginary can be confusing. Back in 2018, an unofficial How to Win in the IWA video was published to help. Now, a mere seven years later, IWA Strategy Expert Mike Cook and IWAR Commissioner Matt Riley have streamlined the video to get players started down the path to higher scores. Good luck!

(Click HERE for the YouTube page. This link will open in a new browser window. The IWA is not responsible for its content.)

SPECIAL EDITION OF THE IWAR MAGAZINE: IWA TURNS 38, BRL HITS 600! (updated 4/10/23)

"This special edition of the IWAR Magazine that acts as the Unofficial History of the IWA starts in 1985 and honors the Battle Royal League reaching its 600th cycle of competition by following the growth of the game through the events, changes, wrestlers, rivalries, and more. We hope you will enjoy this trip down memory lane, and the odds are good that you will see some names you recognize. This is an update to the 2017 edition, so if you saw it before, check it out again and see all that we've added.

"Thanks to all the people who've played in the IWA and have helped to make the game so much fun."
-- IWAR Commissioner Matt Riley

For this issue, right click HERE and choose "Save Target As..." (you will be downloading a PDF file with a size of 9.8MB).