WMAC Masters is an American television show produced by Norman Grossfeld featuring choreographed martial arts fights. It was created and produced by 4Kids Productions (later known as 4Kids Entertainment) in conjunction with Renaissance Atlantic Entertainment (best known as the co-producers of the Saban's Power Rangers franchise), and syndicated by The Summit Media Group (4Kids and Summit Media were divisions of licensing agency Leisure Concepts Inc., later becoming the now-defunct 4Licensing Corporation).
The show, while featuring real martial arts by trained martial artists, depicted a fantasy setting using fictional episodic stories, with each episode relating a life lesson. Battles were fought on elaborate closed sets, with an omniscient narrator, on-screen scoring and health gauges, giving the show a feel of a cinematic live-action video game.
WMAC stands for the fictional World Martial Arts Council, where the best martial artists compete for the ultimate prize, the Dragon Star. The Dragon Star is a gold trophy that looks like a shuriken surrounded by a dragon; it was proof that its holder was the best martial artist in the world.
The show lasted for two seasons, from 1995 to 1997. The first season was hosted by Shannon Lee, the daughter of martial artist Bruce Lee and the sister of actor Brandon Lee. In season 2, Shannon Lee was no longer the host, and the show focused more on fantasy and less on real-life issues.
Quest for the Dragon Star
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.