Owner's Cup (2009)

Owner's Cup (2009) is the fourth annual Owner's Cup tournament held by Lords of Pain Wrestling (LPW). After hiatus in 2008, the Owner's Cup returned under the direction of original Psychotic Wrestling Alliance (PWA) founder, Villiano 187, who will produce the entire event. The tournament features contestants from both of LPW's brands, Insanity and Inferno. The event was announced on April 10, 2009, and is currently in process. Two rounds have been completed.

The premise of the tournament is that invited e-wrestlers must write a promo under the requirements and restrictions given by the LPW producer (word counts, settings, guest appearances, and other random hilarity). Unlike LPW's usual "Voting & Promo" method in deciding winners, Owner's Cup matches are soley determined by the producer. Whoever is believed to have had the strongest promo while meeting the required conditions will advance to the next round.

The winner will receive the 2009 Owner's Cup trophy and a special guaranteed title match for either the LPW World Heavyweight Championship or the LPW International Heavyweight Championship.

Background
Created in 2005 by Psychotic Wrestling Alliance (PWA) founder and owner, Villiano 187, the Owner's Cup was an annual cross-brand tournament. Participants were first asked if they wanted to be apart of the tournament, then selected by Villiano.

In the first two years of the Owner's Cup, the winner of the tournament received a guaranteed title match for his brand's world championship, either the PWA World Heavyweight Championship or the PWA International Heavyweight Championship. In addition, the Owner's Cup winner could also choose the match at a time and place of his choosing within one year of winning the tournament.

In 2007, the Owner's Cup tradition continued under new management with a couple of different twists. Instead of a guaranteed title shot, the winner would receive the opportunity to be head booker of his brand's show for one night.

In 2008, the Owner's Cup took a hiatus and was replaced by the Winner Takes All tournament.

On April 10, 2009, Villiano 187 announced that the Owner's Cup would be returning under his production. For the first time, the tournament was expanded to 32 superstars with 16 superstars from each of LPW's brands, Insanity and Inferno. The winner will receive the 2009 Owner's Cup trophy and a special guaranteed title match for either the LPW World Heavyweight Championship or the LPW International Heavyweight Championship.

First Round: Battlebowl
The first round of the 2009 Owner's Cup was held in front of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India on May 27, 2009. The tournament began with Battlebowl Tag Team matches pairing Insanity and Inferno e-wrestlers together, creating some hilarious makeshift team names. The first round required that contestants must promo with a word limit of 2200 words to advance to the next round (with identifiers not counting towards the word limit). Also, each individual promo must have incorporated the following into their respective promo:


 * Calling customer service due to computer problems
 * Someone in the promo must eat some curry
 * Burt Reynolds

Second Round
The second round was held at The Perlan in Reykjavík, Iceland on September 5, 2009. All the winners (or survivors) from the Battlebowl first round were randomly placed in one-on-one matches as part of a tournament bracket. In addition, seven competitors who did not advance from the previous round were included in a main event "second chance" scramble match, with the winner gaining entry into the third round. Due to schedule conflicts, the match was made into a Triple Threat match.

The only criteria for each respective handler was to promo as their opponent's e-wrestler.

Third Round: Quarterfinals
Due to personal life, Villiano 187 turned over production of the Owner's Cup to founding father, Phantom Lord to head the remaining project.

The third round matches took place on November 15, 2009 from the Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The contestant's promos could not exceed 600 words (with identifiers not counting towards the word limit), with no graphics or images incorporated. Also, each individual promo must have incorporated the following into their respective promo:


 * Ben McKenzie
 * Nickelodeon Green Slime
 * Interaction with a Muppet

Fourth Round: Semifinals
The fourth round matches were announced on December 9, 2009. The semifinals will be held at the CenterStage Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The contestant's promos could not exceed 500 words. Also, each individual promo must have incorporated one of the following interviewers to their respective promo:


 * Tony Schiavone
 * David Crockett
 * Scott Hudson
 * Mean Gene Okerlund