Well I had to take some time to carefully ponder this query as it's not every day that one is tasked with such an important duty as suggesting the next era of combat for a tournament here on the Blitz.
So I thought to myself, "well we got this asian grown virus thing going on so maybe something in Asia..."
Then I took a look in the mirror after having been alone for 7 days and realized my handlebar mustache experiment is going pretty good so I naturally thought about the 19th century and their proud history of facial hair - of course we don't have any Squad Battles titles from that era...
-but-
I figured - How about a First World War tournament??
Most of them still had facial hair - and a broad range of types too. It was probably the last great war where facial hair was still present on the battlefield in large numbers. It was the "kursk" of battlefield facial hair.
Check out this link for some of what they were sportin back then:
First World War Facial Hair (Google search):
https://www.google.com/search?q=first+wo...50&bih=854
And this interesting military historical/cultural article:
"...uniform regulation in the British Army between the years 1860 and 1916 stipulated that every soldier should have a moustache."
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http...AdAAAAABAD
The First Annual First World War Squad Battles Facial Hair Tourney of 2020.
I have a rare shirt made of human facial hair - the proud winner shall be sent this Squad Battles Hair Shirt of Victory and it shall be kept by said victor until next year's tournament. The Victor shall be forever memorialized in an online "Great Hall of the Shirt" too - a visual representation of the winner proudly donning the Great Hair Shirt of Victory.
Each victor shall also add to the sacred Great Hair Shirt of Victory, to increase its greatness before passing it along.
I think that'd be a great idea for a tournament...
I'll support that and of course... I do have the hair shirt.