- "This is where it's all gonna go down. The Taj Mahal of Ten-pins. The National Bowling Stadium."
- ―Wade Whipple to Knuckles the Echidna[src]
The National Bowling Stadium is a ten-pin bowling stadium in Reno, Nevada.
History[]
Bowling Tournament of Champions[]
Arrival[]
- "We are here in sunny Reno, Nevada, which is so close to Hell, you can smell the sparks. And you know what? Today we have a bunch of amazing competitors getting ready to collide in a game of champions. That's right, it's poor man's baseball bowling."
- ―Gary Sinclair[src]
In 2024, Knuckles the Echidna and Wade Whipple, along with Wade's mother Wendy and sister Wanda, arrived at the National Bowling Stadium, at which they stared in awe, after agreeing on going on a quest in which Wade trained for the upcoming Bowling Tournament of Champions. Upon entering, Wade remarking Kevin James headlining at the stadium, Wendy and Wanda went their separate ways for their personal endeavors, ignoring Wade's request to keep a low profile. At that moment, Pistol Pete Whipple, a bowling legend and Wade's estranged father, made his entrance exuding confidence and swagger while winning various casino games. Wade, nervous to talk to him, repeated Knuckles' words in an attempt to conversate with him. Deciding to neglect the plan, Wade told Pistol Pete that he had arrived to bowl against him in the tournament, Pistol Pete suggesting to catch up on lost time afterwards.
The Warriors bowl against Pistol Pete
On the day of the competition, 32 teams battle against each other, with Wade's team, the Warriors, and Pistol Pete making it to the finals. That evening, Wade and Pistol Pete sat by the bar in the lobby, reconciling and reconnecting as Pistol Pete showed Wade his old WadeJammerz mixes. After seeing them hug, Wendy visited Wade by his room, instructing Wade to tread lightly in making amends with his father. She left wishing Wade good luck, entering an elevator in which ex-Guardian Units of Nations agent Mason stood. After being invited to his penthouse, which Wade admired, Pistol Pete guided Wade to his master suite, where his mother and sister were held hostage by Mason and agent Willoughby. To free them, Wade was pressured into luring Knuckles to the agents.[1]
The Finals[]
Mason and Willoughby hold the Whipples hostage in Pistol Pete's suite
- "We are here at the final round of the Bowling Tournament of Champions in beautiful Reno, Nevada, or as I like to call it, 'Las Vegas for losers.'"
- ―Gary Sinclair[src]
The elevator leading to the suite finally arriving, agents Willoughby and Mason violently used their weapons once the doors opened, revealing a torn up mascot costume. They approached it to find Knuckles the Echidna, who had been honing in on Willoughby and Mason thanks to the ear pods Wade gave him, hanging onto the elevators ceiling, dropping down to launch the agents away. Knuckles engaged in the fight against them while Wade made his attempt to rescue Wendy and Wanda, Wanda resisting and believing she can do it herself. Shot at with a Ring Gun, Knuckles deflected the two rings, opening while facing each other between the agents, sucking them in and closing with them inside the portals. Knuckles subsequently encouraged Wade to go and compete against Pistol Pete.
Pistol Pete plays the finals against the Warriors
Because it seemed Wade was not going to show up, Pistol Pete claimed the Bowling Tournament of Champions' trophy for himself. He was told to put it down by Wade, entering a verbal duel of insults, unfazed by Pistol Pete's conviction that the audience are on his side, said audience cheering as he said this. While they start to bowl, Knuckles, watching at the bar, noticed a commotion outside of the stadium, rushing outside to be caught by a giant mechanical suit built by The Buyer, a former associate of Doctor Eggman out for his Chaos Energy powers. Wade, a strike away from winning the tournament, delivered a speech on how he has learned from great warriors, though still slandered by Pistol Pete. Wade rolled the ball, delivered a strike, and went down on his knees in victory as Knuckles barged through the stadium's wall, telling Wade to bring everyone to safety before being tugged back by The Buyer.
Wade exited the stadium, watching Knuckles' power be absorbed by The Buyer's mech. Wade, using Mason's gauntlets to throw bowling balls at the approaching suit as delivered by Wendy and Wanda, gives a monologue on what Knuckles must now fight for. Knuckles eventually awakened with the powerful Flames of Disaster enabled, defeating The Buyer by using his powers and crushing him the giant aluminum geodesic dome that rested on top of the stadium.
After ESPN8 The Ocho commentator Dylan Beagleton compared the events that just occurred to the incident in 1974, he noticed Pistol Pete stealing the trophy. Wade collected it after Pistol Pete was punched by Wendy and high-fived with Knuckles.[2]
