Form demonstrations Many episodes featured masters doing demonstrations, with some demonstrations being known as "Master Blaster" competitions. Some were done to inaugurate a new Master (such as Hien "Tsunami" Nguyen ("
Man Without Sight"), Tracy "Tracer" Swedom ("
Army of One"), and Carmichael "Kid Carmichael" Simon ("
Flight of Freedom"). Others included: •
Wind, Earth & Ice: Jamie "Great Wolf" Webster broke a WMAC record held by Chris "Red Dragon" Casamassa, which was successfully breaking 2 large ice blocks (weighing in at a total of 600 pounds) stacked on top of each other. Just before that feat, he broke a slab of Indian red stone while clenching a raw egg in his hand without breaking it. •
Table of Terror: Erik "Panther" Betts balanced himself above a bed of 900 razor-sharp nails. •
Rite of Passage: Willie "Bam" Johnson did his form with his son, Lil Bam, as a rite of passage ritual. • Herb "Olympus" Perez did one to test out his new weapon, the
Disk Launcher. • Richard "Yin Yang Man" Branden demonstrated the
Ancient Weapons of Wushu. •
Fire & Ice: Martial Arts Extreme: Tsunami performed the "Volcano Walk" (walking barefoot on flaming hot coals) before freezing himself and a bucket of water in a cryogenic chamber; the water turned to a solid block of ice, which Tsunami then broke with his bare fist. •
Michael "Turbo" Bernardo and Ho Young "Star Warrior" Pak demonstrated a "
Speed Breaking" contest to settle a few weeks-long dispute (which in the end was won by Star Warrior).
Preliminary matches and Battledome finals In most episodes, it begins with 4 combatants, 2 of them fight in 2 separate matches. They fight in the Battlezones against ninjas. After a short melee with the ninjas, depending on your health gauge, the fighters will fight each other until one of them is the victor. (In rare instances, if the fighters fight each other long enough that there is no winner yet, the ninjas will re-emerge). The two combatants who win their respective preliminary matches will face off in the "Battledome". The match lasts 2 minutes. The fighters each try to force the opponent into the cage wall. If successful, the fighter will get points, and the opponent will receive a mild electric shock. The higher the points, the better chance of winning. Ninjas will invade the cage during the match, and if a ninja forces one of the fighters into the cage, the opponent gets the point. Also, if a fighter chooses to hold on to the cage after being knocked into it, no scoring can take place until he lets go. In case of a tie, the fighters will compete in sudden death. The winner will receive the opponent's "Ki-Symbol" and have it placed on their "Dragon Belt".
Super Challenges and 4-man Battledome finals In other episodes, 6 masters take part in what was called a "Super Challenge." One at a time, they would compete in separate battlezones against a group of ninjas in 45 seconds of time, and would be scored at the end of the time period. Each master would earn 2 points for a hit against a ninja and 5 points for knocking the ninja down, but would lose points if he was hit or knocked down himself. The 4 top-scoring combatants move onto the Battledome in a 2-minute free-for-all match with the same rules as the regular matches (score points by knocking the opponent onto the cage wall), with the winner receiving 3 Ki-Symbols, one from each of the defeated opponents. No ninjas would participate in this sort of Battledome match, but Sudden Death rules still applied in case of a tie at the end of the match. Only three of these were ever held, one in the first season and two in the second season. Before the start of the first Super Challenge, Olympus, the Dragon Star champion at the time, was asked to demonstrate a Ninja Challenge. He would be surrounded by ninjas in the WMAC Arena, where he would then proceed to battle them for the 45 seconds. Once the demonstration was finished, the real challenge began.
Challenge 1 results, including the Battlezones fought in and the final ranking going into the 4-Man Battledome Finals, were as follows (in order of appearance. Those that moved on to the 4-Man Battledome Finals are in bold print): • Red Dragon (Mayan Mystery): 92 points. Final rank: 5th place •
Tsunami (WMAC Arena): 101 points. Final rank: 3rd place •
Great Wolf (WMAC Arena): 126 points. Final rank: 1st place •
Warlock (WMAC Arena): 102 points. Final rank: 2nd place • Tiger Claw (Mayan Mystery): 90 points. Final rank: Last place •
Panther (WMAC Arena): 97 points. Final rank: 4th place Battledome Finals Winner: Tsunami.
Final score: Great Wolf 1, Warlock 1,
Tsunami 4, Panther 1.
Challenge 2 results: •
Yin Yang Man (Mayan Mystery): 79 points. Final rank: 3rd place •
Turbo (Mayan Mystery): 77 points. Final rank: 4th place • Great Wolf (Ghost Town): 73 points. Final rank: 5th place •
Star Warrior (Mayan Mystery): 91 points. Final rank: 1st place • Bam (Ghost Town): 72 points. Final rank: Last place •
Olympus (Pressure Pit): 80 points. Final rank: 2nd place Battledome Finals Winner: Turbo, by Sudden Death.
Final score: Olympus 2, Yin Yang Man 3, Star Warrior 0,
Turbo 3. (
Note: With Turbo and Yin Yang Man tied at the end of regulation, Olympus and Star Warrior were told to leave the dome, so the other two could conclude the match under Sudden Death rules. Turbo came out the victor.)
Challenge 3 results: • Great Wolf (Ghost Town): 75 points. Final rank: 5th place • Kid Carmichael (Doom City): 74 points. Final rank: Last place •
The Machine (Ghost Town): 92 points. Final rank: 1st place •
Tsunami (Ghost Town): 88 points. Final rank: 2nd place •
Warlock (Doom City): 86 points. Final rank: 3rd place •
Tiger Claw (Dark Alley): 86 points. Final rank: 3rd place Battledome Finals Winner: Warlock.
Final score: The Machine 2, Tsunami 0, Tiger Claw 2,
Warlock 3.
NOTE: Great Wolf is the only Master to have taken part in all 3 Ninja Challenges.
Dragon Star Matches Once a master achieved Full Dragon Belt status (acquiring 10 opponents' Ki-Symbols), he would compete for the Dragon Star against the champion. Matches took place atop a rotating platform. If either competitor stepped off the platform at any time, a violation was called and a ninja entered the competition. Each match continued until one of the two masters was knocked off of the platform. The master left standing was declared Dragon Star Champion and was awarded the star. The defeated master would return to regular competition and attempt to gain enough Ki-Symbols to challenge again.
Season 1 The first champion was Turbo, who defeated Yin Yang Man in the inaugural Dragon Star match. Turbo was in turn defeated by Olympus, who was defeated by Superstar. In the last episode of the first season, Superstar was challenged by the Machine in a match that ended in controversial fashion. One of several ninjas that the masters had forced into the match attacked both men and knocked both of them off the platform simultaneously, leaving the Dragon Star in flux.
Season 2 At the beginning of Season 2, it was revealed that WMAC rules did not allow ninjas to win the Dragon Star. It was also discovered that a conspiracy was beginning to brew involving master Warlock and new master Tracer. To settle the vacancy and crown a new champion, Superstar and the Machine faced off again in a secret area where there would be no interference. The two masters were each given a module with their respective Ki-Symbol on them, with the object being to reach a Dragon Star replica and place their module in its compartment, all while battling themselves and the elements surrounding them. The Machine reached the goal first and won the vacant Dragon Star. Red Dragon emerged as the next challenger for the Dragon Star and defeated the Machine to claim it. His first defense of the star would come against Warlock, where the conspiracy once again reared itself. Warlock was discovered to have paid off a ninja to not attack him during the course of the contest, instead focusing on the champion. The strategy ultimately backfired and Red Dragon retained the Dragon Star. The conclusion of the season revealed the truth of the entire matter. Warlock, Tracer, and at least one other master were discovered to have been competitors in a discipline that the WMAC had outlawed due to its connection to illegal activity. Their goal was to procure the Dragon Star by any means, and they were revealed to have been behind the controversial finish to the Dragon Star match from the first-season finale. Once that failed, and once Warlock failed in his quest to win it outright, the corrupt masters simply stole the Dragon Star and left the organization taking the trophy with them. Their partner in crime was revealed to be young master Tsunami.
Battlezones There were many different Battlezones for the fighters to compete in, whether they were for preliminaries or for ninja challenges. However, in Season 2, only 5 of these would be used. These battlezones included: •
Ghost Town – a traditional ghost town-like setting (presumably in a long-abandoned wild west town), with abandoned buildings and saloons. Tumbleweeds, wagon wheels, and haystacks littered the landscape. Thunder and lightning were a constant presence. This Battlezone took place in the stage for the Wild, Wild, Wild West Stunt Show at Universal Studios Florida. •
Doom City – a city scene with wreckage everywhere (cars, buildings, etc.), and even some burning buildings. Searchlights would roam around the area randomly. This battlezone was actually part of Kongfrontation at Universal Studios Florida. •
Mayan Mystery – a Mayan courtyard scene with waterfalls and climbable boulders, including some with Mayan face carvings. This Battlezone took place on the Animal Actors Stage at Universal Studios Florida. •
Dark Alley – a city slum scene set in an alleyway, in front of brick buildings which featured many balconies and dumpsters. This Battlezone is actually part of the New York area of Universal Studios Florida. •
Pressure Pit – an underground battlezone, located 500 feet below the WMAC Arena, featuring crates and construction; this battlezone gets its name from the fact that the air pressure there can cause one's ears and nose to bleed. •
Arena Rapid Transit System (used only for the Dragon Star Rematch) – an underground subway station setting; it featured subway cars entering the station, which transported the ninjas to the battle. It took place in the Earthquake ride at Universal Studios Florida. •
Stone Valley – a forest-like setting with many trees and huge boulders, as well as waterfalls and ponds. •
Nuclear Nightmare – a battlezone set among nuclear power plants. •
Danger Dock – a typical harbor setting right by the river, which has boardwalks, shacks, and a more open courtyard area fit for battle. This battlezone was part of the San Francisco Area of Universal Studios Florida.
NOTE: In Battlezones settings with water hazards, like Mayan Mystery and Danger Dock, if a combatant was knocked into the water during the match, he or she would automatically lose the match.
NOTE 2: Stone Valley, Nuclear Nightmare and Danger Dock were not used in Season 2.
NOTE 3: The Dark Alley battlezone was the only Battlezone that had been rained on during the show's run, despite the constant thundering in Ghost Town. On that occasion, a thunderstorm appeared in the area, which also affected the electrical power in the arena.
Ninjas There were many different types of ninjas that appeared in the show, most of them specific to a battlezone, although they would appear in other places, including the Dragon Star matches. According to Shannon Lee, they were all WMAC Academy Cadets who would eventually become Masters; Tsunami and Kid Carmichael were known to be former ninjas. The different kinds of ninjas included the following: •
Ghost Town – Ninjas dressed in black garb with a skull-like mask on their faces. They always appeared in the Ghost Town Battlezone. It was this type of ninja that defeated both Superstar and The Machine during the Dragon Star match at the end of Season 1. •
Kabuki – Ninjas in black garb with a white-faced, red-cheeked mask on both the front and back of their heads. They appeared in various battlezones in season 1, while in season 2 they only appeared in Doom City. •
Black – Ninjas covered in traditional black garb. They appeared in various battlezones throughout the two seasons. They were more frequently used for the 2-man Battledome finals. •
Blood – Ninjas covered in red garb. They seldom appeared in battlezones, but they did appear once in Dark Alley, and also in the Rapid Transit during the Dragon Star rematch. In some earlier episodes, they were seen in the women's Battledome finals. •
Camo – Ninjas covered in camouflage-colored garb. They always appeared in the Mayan Mystery Battlezone. •
Hazard – Ninjas dressed in black and red garb with 2 green stripes, and on their face they wore gas masks. They were introduced in Season 2 and appeared in the Pressure Pit battlezone. •
Jukido (Hooded Ninjas) – they were friends of Warlock (who is a member of that group) who haven't appeared in any battlezones. They once ambushed Warlock's brother, Wizard, and gave him a beating until he was saved by Tiger Claw. Jukido also "took out" Panther, hence the latter's absence during season 2 (this part of the storyline was decided when Erik Betts, the actor playing Panther, broke his hip and thus could not appear in further episodes). It is known they are members of Jukido when Tiger Claw pulled one's mask off and found the symbol of Jukido printed on his head. Only one of these ninjas officially appeared in a WMAC Masters competition, that being the Dragon Star match between Red Dragon and Warlock. These ninjas are covered in black garb with a hood on it; the hood is placed over a red-masked face that also seemed to have a black bandanna over the eyes.
Special Match: Mixed Doubles On one occasion in Season 2, a male combatant would team up with a female combatant to take on another male/female team in what was called a Mixed Doubles match. In the lone case, Superstar had teamed up with Lady Lightning (as Team Yellow) in order to take on the team of Tracer and Chameleon (as Team Red). The match took place in the Doom City battlezone, where they also had to fend off a group of Kabuki Warriors. It was just like a regular preliminary match, but there would be only one health gauge for each team, meaning that the two members of each team were competing as one. Team Yellow emerged victorious, and for their victory, they received the Ki-Symbols of their defeated opponents (Superstar getting Tracer's Ki-Symbol and Lady Lightning getting Chameleon's).
Past Dragon Star Champions (In order in which they have held the title until someone beat them for it) Male • Turbo • Olympus • Superstar • The Machine • Red Dragon
NOTE: Yin Yang Man was also a contender and he challenged Turbo for the title (hence the reason that Yin Yang Man was starting on his second Dragon Belt when the series started), but Turbo defeated him. Similarly, Warlock was a contender who challenged champion Red Dragon, but Red Dragon won the match.
Female • Tarantula • Lady Lightning • Black Widow • Chameleon (if that is, the Dragon Star were to ever be found after being stolen)
NOTE: Baby Doll was the only female master in the series to lose the Dragon Star match as a contender. Lady Lightning, who was practically a dominant force in season 1 in the women's division, had successfully defended her title against Baby Doll. But it was revealed in season 2 that Lady Lightning was defeated by Black Widow. Black Widow is the only ever champion, male or female, to have willingly relinquished her Dragon Star, which then caused 3 competitors – namely, Lady Lightning, Princess, and Chameleon – to be automatically eligible to compete in a Dragon Star match. ==Ki-Symbols==