Rev Pro: New Orleans
Date: April 6, 2018
Location: Sugar Mill, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 1,200
Commentators: Andy Quildan, Joe Dombrowski

This is another show I got to attend during Wrestlemania weekend after doing the same the previous year. Rev Pro is a British organization which brings in a lot of foreigners for their shows and puts on a heck of a product from what I’ve seen. The show was a lot of fun in person and it should be interesting to see how it holds up. Let’s get to it.

The intro is cut off here and the ring announcer/commentator/owner Andy Quildan is introducing the first match. Before this started, he asked us to be louder than London because London had been saying there was no way New Orleans could beat them. The same thing was said last year in Orlando and I can see why. It’s an easy way to get a crowd going and it worked here too.

David Starr vs. Martin Stone

Starr is the guy with the 15 or so nicknames and he’s not happy with Quildan not listing more than one of them (Starr: “WHAT THE F*** WAS THAT?”). He claims a conspiracy against him in RPW but it doesn’t matter because he’s really good at pro wrestling. Tonight he’s facing Danny Bur….oh sorry he can’t say that name. Stone only changed his name because he’s a little corporate b****, and you know that gets a rise out of the crowd. After Starr lists off all of his nicknames (and yes he has a shirt with all of them for sale), we’re ready to go (Starr: “HI DANNY!”).

Feeling out process to start as Andy joins commentary and talks about the conspiracy allegations against him. Apparently he wasn’t happy with having his Cruiserweight Title shot coming in a five way match and something about a fast count so he’s getting another title shot in May. A Thesz press gives Starr two as they’re certainly in the technical phase to start.

Stone goes after the leg so Starr bails to the floor, earning a forearm to the face. Something like a belly to back toss onto the apron cuts Stone off though and Starr dives in at eight. Back in and an uppercut in the corner gives Starr two but Stone headbutts the arm (ala Tomohiro Ishii). They exchange headbutts to put both guys down but it’s Stone up and easily winning a slugout. Do you really want to trade shots with a guy named Stone?

A modified triangle choke has Starr in trouble but he gets up and sends Starr to the apron for a springboard clothesline. Back in and Stone looks a bit dead but is still able to enziguri his way out of trouble. Neither guy can follow up so they call some rather loud spots and slug it out from their knees. Does that really need a spot call?

They chop it out and Stone actually asks for a second after a particularly hard shot from Starr. One heck of a rebound lariat drops Stone for two but he’s right back with a Crossface. Starr’s roll doesn’t work so he lifts Stone up for a backbreaker in a surprising power display. Back up and Stone tries a monkey flip but slips off the ropes, allowing Starr to throw his feet on the ropes for the pin at 10:38.

Rating: C. I was thinking having commentary would help this show and that’s exactly the case. All I knew was that Starr was claiming a conspiracy and was acting like a standard heel. Now though we know some details and I have more of a reason to care about the story. That’s what good commentary can do and it helped a lot here. I’ve always liked Stone and Starr is growing on me so there was something to be seen with this match.

Post match Quildan is coming to the ring for the next match and gets hugged by Starr, who flips him off for good measure.

Adam Brooks vs. Brian Cage

It’s rare to see a small heel vs. a monster face. Brooks dropkicks him during the weapons check in one of the only ways he’s getting much of a physical advantage here. A hurricanrana puts Cage o the floor and there’s a running kick to the chest for good measure. Back in and Brooks takes the knee out before kicking the ropes into Cage’s….uh….inner thigh. Yeah we’ll go with that.

Cage finally launches him with an overhead German suplex (Andy: “As if WrestleCon was being held on the moon!”) and there’s the delayed vertical suplex. A standing moonsault gets two on Brooks but he avoids a 619 and pokes Cage in the eyes to slow things down again. One heck of a running flip dive to the floor drops Cage again with a little nod to Will Ospreay, who Brooks hasn’t been happy with lately.

Back in and Cage scores with a jumping knee but takes too long telling Brooks “YOU’RE DEAD”, allowing him to duck the discus lariat. Brooks grabs a reverse hurricanrana so Cage pops to his feet and blasts him with a clothesline for a double knockdown. They head to the apron again (because that’s become an obsession since the HARDEST PART OF THE RING deal started) and two knees drive Cage’s head into the apron, followed by a slingshot DDT for two back inside.

Cage is back up with a powerbomb into a buckle bomb into an apron superplex for two more. In a scary sight, Cage goes up top but Brooks, fearing a bad case of death, crotches him again and hurricanranas him down. Cage is right back up with an F5 attempt but Brooks’ feet hit the referee. That means a low blow and a rollup pin (with trunks) on Cage at 10:08.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one much either as Brooks seems like someone who would benefit from a lot of promo time. Cage is a monster and a half and I’m not surprised that he’s getting a strong push in Impact. This wasn’t a great match or really anything close to one but Cage wrecking stuff is always fun.

Chuck Taylor/Rocky Romero/Will Ospreay vs. Flip Gordon/Kota Ibushi/Shane Strickland

Taylor/Romero/Ospreay are part of the New Japan Chaos stable. Hopefully Ospreay can hold up a bit more here and the tag format should help him survive. He’s crazy over to start….and then Ibushi’s music hits because the fans know they’re in for a dream match showdown at some point. Gordon and Strickland bow to Ibushi during his entrance but Ospreay doesn’t seem too impressed.

Strickland and Romero start things up as Taylor won’t stand in his designated corner. That’s not very gentlemanly behavior. Romero works the arm to start as the fans don’t seem thrilled by Rocky’s presence. It’s off to a headlock as we hear about Romero’s long list of tag team successes. Strickland fights up and grabs Rocky’s face for a rather cruel escape. A dropkick sends Romero crawling on his knees to the corner so he can grab Taylor’s legs. Gordon and Taylor come in with Chuck’s forearms to the back taking over as the announcers offer a nice comparison between the two of them.

Flip dropkicks him to the floor and thankfully Taylor is smart enough to move before a dive can launch. It’s off to Ospreay vs. Ibushi and NOW things pick up with the fans actually giving it a standing ovation. They circle each other for a good while as the fans aren’t sure who to cheer for but Chaos comes in and jumps Ibushi to steal the moment. Triple teaming ensues until Romero comes in, earning himself a hard chop. Strickland is back in with a right hand of his own and a running kick to the head rocks Rocky.

Another triple dropkick cuts Strickland off and it’s Chaos cleaning house again. It kind of helps when you’re an actual team instead of three guys thrown together. Ospreay even chokes Strickland with his shirt in the corner and a rollup gets two. Romero dances along the apron before jumping in and raking his boot over Shane’s face. That means Taylor’s slow motion slingshot senton and the fans are far too thrilled. The easily impressed fans appreciate a fan from Taylor but a second attempt is countered into a small package for two. The second successful slam draws a TEN MORE TIMES chant but settle for a missed moonsault instead.

That’s enough for the hot tag to Ibushi as things speed WAY up (which you might have expected). Ibushi drops Taylor and hits a BIG flip dive onto Ospreay and Romero. Back in and Ibushi strikes the heck out of Taylor, leaving Gordon to hit his own flip dive onto Ospreay and Romero. Back in and Shane’s 450 gets two on Taylor with Ospreay diving in for a save. Romero is back up for the forever clotheslines on Ibushi and Gordon is right back up with a super hurricanrana on Ospreay…..who lands on his feet. Andy: “He’s not defying gravity. He’s disrespecting it!”

Ospreay kicks Gordon in the head but the Oscutter is blocked. It’s time for the parade of strikes until Ospreay and Ibushi hit moonsault double kicks to the back of the head. That leaves them nose to nose and you can feel this one. They slug it out with Ospreay telling him to bring it. Ibushi hits the rapid fire strikes but misses the standing moonsault. Ospreay kicks him in the head again but Ibushi does the same.

A huge clothesline turns Ospreay inside out and they’re both down to another standing ovation. Ibushi goes up but takes the Cheeky Nandos Kick, leaving Gordon to hit the spinning springboard Stunner for two on Ospreay. That earns Gordon back to back kicks to the head, followed by the Revolution Kick. The Oscutter is enough to put Gordon away at 22:14.

Rating: B. This was all about setting up the Ospreay vs. Ibushi showdown and that’s what we got here. The buildup was fine and action was solid throughout. They were going for the big blowaway six man here and while they didn’t do that, the showdown felt special and that was the most important part. Good match, and one of the better ones of the weekend so far.

There was a fifteen minute intermission (edited out of course) where I got to meet Ospreay in a nice moment.

Jeff Cobb vs. Minoru Suzuki

Non-title and it’s hoss fight time. As he was last night, Suzuki knows how to fire up a crowd, which you wouldn’t guess from his normal New Japan matches. Suzuki won’t stand for a weapons check as you can feel the announcers wanting to see this one. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to grapple their way to an advantage. Back up and Suzuki chops him in the chest so Cobb chops him as well.

That makes Suzuki smile and he takes down Cobb’s straps for some REAL chops. Cobb finally gets smart by shouldering Suzuki to the apron, earning himself a legbar in the ropes as he goes after Suzuki. The leg is wrapped around the post but the referee won’t allow the chair usage. Suzuki will not be denied the chance of violence and shoves the referee down, allowing the chair to hit the knee.

Back in and it’s more leg work, including a bit on the referee for trying to make the break. That’s the kind of crazy man Suzuki can be. Suzuki tries another chop exchange and sticks his chest out….so Cobb dropkicks him in the face. A Samoan drop gives Cobb two, only to have Suzuki kick him in the face for two. It’s off to another leglock before Suzuki goes simple by kicking the heck out of the leg. Cobb muscles him up for a belly to belly for two but the knee slows him down again. A powerbomb attempt is countered into Suzuki’s sleeper and Cobb taps at 10:23 without even going to the mat.

Rating: C. This was a glorified squash and after last night’s Cobb vs. Ishii match, that’s rather disappointing. That being said, the fans got exactly what they wanted from Suzuki here as he was all evil and crazy while ripping the leg apart. Sometimes it’s better to go with something like this and that’s all the fans wanted to see. Not bad, but disappointing.

Post match, Cobb is helped to the back and Suzuki soaks in some cheers.

Aussie Open vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi/Juice Robinson

Aussie Open is Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis, which is made more impressive when you consider that Fletcher is just 18/19 (online says the former, commentary the latter) years old. Fletcher grabs a headlock to start but Robinson shoulders him down without much effort. A dropkick to the knee cuts Fletcher off and it’s off to Davis for some chops.

The Aussies take over with Davis holding Robinson up for a dropkick to the side of the head. Robinson comes back with a leg lariat and NOW it’s time for Tanahashi. Double dropkicks abound but Tanahashi misses a middle rope swanton to let the Aussies take over again. The TANA chants get him out of a chinlock but he misses a dropkick. This jumping on his own thing isn’t going well for him so far.

Tanahashi finally drops Davis and the hot tag brings in Robinson for the snap jabs all over the place. Robinson’s high crossbody gets two but Davis superkicks him onto Fletcher’s shoulder. A middle rope cutter, with Fletcher throwing him into the air, gets no cover as Davis can’t follow up (looked great though).

The REAL hot tag brings in Tanahashi and things speed up again, this time with a forearm to Fletcher. Davis cuts him off again but something like an Alabama Slam into a spinebuster is somewhat botched and only gets two. Tanahashi is right back with a Sling Blade on Davis, followed by a Hart Attack with another Sling Blade for two on Fletcher as Davis makes a save. Robinson takes Davis out and it’s the High Fly Flow to put Fletcher away at 12:19.

Rating: B-. Aussie Open looked VERY good here and with more time could become a heck of an indy team. That being said, this was all about Tanahashi and that’s what is should have been on a stage like this. I liked this more than I was expecting to as everyone, especially Aussie Open, was working hard out there. Tanahashi is a legend though and in an intimate atmosphere like this, that’s going to shine more than anything else.

Tanahashi poses for a long time and even does the Elvis thing of wiping his sweat on a towel and throwing it back to a fan. That’s star power.

British Heavyweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre Jr., a technical master with the most insane submissions I’ve ever seen, is defending in a reign that has lasted over a year. I ever saw him defend the title last year in Orlando so he’s held the thing for a long time. Feeling out process to start with Sabre going for the legs and being cut off in short order. Sabre takes him to the mat but the armbar attempt is pretty easily blocked.

Ishii is right back up and in the corner for a staredown and a standoff. Sabre gets all rude by shoving Ishii in the face and even patting him on the head so one shot to the face drops him with ease in a good visual. That means it’s time for the hard chops in the corner with Sabre in trouble as the announcers talk about his bravado getting him in trouble. Something like an Octopus Hold gets Sabre out of trouble but he switches to a straitjacket hold with a bodyscissors (now he’s warming up).

Sabre lets go of the hold and steps on Ishii’s head as we hear about Sabre making AJ Styles tap clean well over a year ago. Ishii gets caught in something like the Rings of Saturn but with Sabre pulling back using his leg instead of arm (think about how much more cranking that allows). A rope is finally grabbed and the fans think Sabre sucks. To be fair he does have quite the punchable face. Sabre stomps on the arm ala Shayna Baszler before picking it up and making Ishii do You Can’t See Me for him in a funny bit.

Ishii fights up with a near brainbuster for a break and puts Sabre on top, only to get caught in another armbar. This one can’t last as long so Sabre goes back to slapping a guy called THE STONE PITBULL in the face. That earns him a delayed superplex as Quildan is losing his mind on commentary. A powerbomb is countered into an abdominal stretch/Octopus Hold hybrid. Ishii fights out and goes for the cross armbreaker but Ishii channels his inner Stephanie McMahon and blocks it a few times.

Sabre switches into a triangle choke and of course Ishii muscles him up for a powerbomb. Is there really any other counter for that? They slug it out again with the much smaller (at least lankier) Sabre knocking him back and kicking the bad arm. Ishii rolls out of a Fujiwara armbar but gets caught in another near Rings of Saturn. With the legs tied almost in an upside down full nelson (again, these things are hard to describe), Ishii DIVES for the ropes and gets another break.

You can see the shock on Sabre’s face and it’s a forearm into a Saito suplex to give Ishii another breather. A powerbomb gets two but the sliding lariat (come on man, don’t be stupid) is countered into a headscissors with the arm being pulled back again. That’s not enough twisting so Sabre pulls back on the leg for a bit before cranking on the arm even more. Ishii makes the ropes AGAIN but is just done. Sabre casually kicks away….and it’s time to get fired up again.

Now the kicks get a little harder and the sneer gets even worse. Ishii tells him to kick harder until some headbutts take Sabre down again. Now the sliding lariat connects for two but Sabre reverses the brainbuster into a Kimura with a bodyscissors. It’s not on full though and Ishii gets up, only to be cradled for two in a near fall I completely bought. Ishii’s enziguri puts both guys down again and the fans (myself included) are WAY into this. Sabre is rocked and Ishii clotheslines the heck out of him for two. The brainbuster out of nowhere gives Ishii the pin and the title at 20:05.

Rating: A. I LOVED this and was completely into every near fall. The last ten minutes had some of the best drama I’ve ever seen in person with those rope breaks being a rollercoaster. Sabre has held the title for the better part of ever at this point and it’s cool to see him finally lose, especially in a great match. There’s something so cool about seeing him wrenching and twisting the arm in such tormenting ways but it’s even better to see someone FINALLY knock the smug look off his face. Outstanding match and some of the most fun I’ve ever had watching a match live.

Ishii celebrates to end the show. Quildan thanked us for coming and being a great crowd to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I was expecting a few more matches on the show but what we got was more than enough. This was a two match show for the most part with an awesome main event and a heck of a six man. When that’s a third of the show and nothing is really bad throughout the night, there isn’t much to complain about. Just like last year, Rev Pro was a lot of fun for a cheap price, meaning it’s something I’d gladly check out again given the chance. Find the main event though and have fun watching a great ride.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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WrestleCon Supershow
Date: April 5, 2018
Location: Sugar Mill, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 1,200
Commentators: Excalibur, Marty DeRosa

This is a special show that I took in during Wrestlemania weekend. The idea here is pretty obvious: take a bunch of people and put them into a big show with mostly unannounced matches between announced talent. The main event is the Golden Lovers vs. Chuckie T./a mystery partner due to Trent Barretta being forced out of the match due to injury. This should be a lot of fun so let’s get to it.

I was sitting in the arena in the bleachers, on the right hand side if you’re looking at the entrance (as the hard camera was). Of note, if I looked over my shoulder I could see the wrestlers coming down some stairs to their entrance. Several of them would sit on a balcony at the top of the stairs chatting throughout the night.

The opening is cut off of the version that I’m watching (assuming it was recorded). Excalibur came to the ring and dedicated the show to a man named Mark Hitchcock, who had worked for the company for years and designed this year’s logo. He recently passed away on his honeymoon and the show will be dedicated to him every year going forward. Nothing wrong with that and a nice moment.

The audio is VERY hard to understand, which was an issue in the building as well. Thankfully the commentary is much better.

Joey Janela vs. Penta El Zero M

Janela has a rather fetching woman named Penelope Ford with him. I’ve heard a lot about Janela before but I’ve never actually seen one of his matches. He’s described as a bad boy, seems to like the 80s, and has no physique. CERO MIDEO is incredibly popular here, just as it was last year. The referee calls for the bell….and nothing happens so Bryce Remsburg (a hilarious indy referee and a VERY nice guy) says start it anyway.

Pentagon does CERO MIEDO so Janela flips him off, earning a kick to the ribs. Something close to a low blow puts Janela down and Pentagon goes to yell at Ford. A dive is cut off by a shot to the mask and the Death Valley Driver onto the apron (THUD) knocks Pentagon silly. Pentagon gets sat in a chair in front of the barricade for a bicycle kick but a second is blocked with a superkick.

Back in and Janela bicycle kicks his way out of trouble again as the announcers try to explain the concept of the WrestleCon Supershow with nothing actually on the line other than pride and performances. The package piledriver is teased by both guys as the announcers bring up the piledriver being banned by the Louisiana State Athletic Commission.

There’s another kick to Janela but Ford grabs Pentagon’s foot to set up a not bad superplex. The crashes on those things, especially in such a small arena with a circle of lights not too far above the ring, are really impressive. Pentagon is right back up to superkick Janela out of the air before giving Ford the same thing. Janela gets his arm snapped and the Pentagon Driver is good for the pin at 7:57.

Rating: D+. Just a match to set the ball rolling here and I still don’t get the point of Janela. The announcers spent most of the match talking about how drunk he was the night before and that’s not exactly the most interesting character in the world. Pentagon is still rather awesome, though it’s not as cool as he is in Lucha Underground. Not a bad match, but I need something a little better than this. Then again, last year’s opener was nothing special either.

Here’s Joey Ryan for the Andy Kaufman Intergender Open Challenge. Ryan is in even in the white bath robe that Kaufman wore in Memphis back in the 80s. He yells at the fans to listen to him because he’s from Hollywood (this sounds strangely familiar). Joey pulls some soap out of his pocket and explains how to use it (just add water) with the announcers not even hiding the fact that this is copied from Kaufman. He also has a razor, which some of the women around here could use.

There are some areas where women are better than men: like cooking and cleaning. The robe comes off to reveal the white body suit and blue shorts (again, just like Kaufman) and issues the open challenge to any woman. Now, gender issues aside, the ONLY person who should be answering this challenge is Jerry Lawler. AND HERE’S JERRY LAWLER! Excalibur: “SOMEONE CALL DAVID LETTERMAN!”

Lawler says that he first piledrove Kaufman thirty five years ago today and Joey Ryan is no Andy Kaufman. However, Jerry is fine with allowing Joey experience what the real Andy went through. Ryan agrees, before pointing out that Lawler can’t use the piledriver in Louisiana. Lawler is confused and the bell rings with him pleading his case.

Jerry Lawler vs. Joey Ryan

Hang on a second though, as Ryan is rather confident. He’s so secure that he’s willing to allow Lawler to touch his….yeah. Lawler, still holding the crown, isn’t sure what to think as the fans implore him to do just that. Joey stands in front of him with his legs spread so Lawler kicks him low….for no effect. Fans: “SO BIG! SO STRONG!” With that not working, Lawler reaches out his hand…..AND SHOOTS A FIREBALL AT RYAN’S CROTCH! DeRosa: “SOMEWHERE JIM CORNETTE IS LOSING HIS MINE!” Of course that’s a DQ 2:08.

Lawler is annoyed but holds up the crowd anyway. Oh and worry not because Ryan insists that he’s fine. Fans: “SIX STAR MATCH!”

Team Lee vs. Team Dashwood

Trevor Lee, Caleb Konley, Jake Manning, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Zane Riley

Tenille Dashwood, Madison Eagles, Nicole Savoy, Shazza McKenzie, Tessa Blanchard

Lucha rules. This is the signature match of the show with last year’s serving as possibly the match of the weekend. This year’s is obviously men vs. women and you might not know everyone here. Lee and Konley are from Impact, Manning is an adult scout who ALWAYS reads his manual, Friedman is just a guy and Riley is 305lbs. Dashwood is the former Emma, Eagles is an Australian woman who stands about 6’2, Savoy has been in Shimmer forever, McKenzie has been on the indies for a good while and Blanchard has popped up in NXT a few times.

Dashwood’s team is out first with the captain showing more energy and fire than she ever showed in WWE. In between entrances, the announcers mock the athletic commission for banning piledrivers but approving brainbusters. DeRosa: “You’ve had Rude’s Brood. You’ve had the Foreign Fanatics. Now you have Trevor Lee and His Dickhead Friends.” Lee brags about being part of Impact Wrestling and promises Friedman, Riley and Manning contracts if they win here.

Friedman thinks there’s no point in wasting time with the match so he and Dashwood should get straight to smooching. He has a seat in a chair but gets slapped, drawing in Riley to check on him. Now if you don’t get where this is going, you haven’t paid enough attention. After Riley is done kissing Friedman (Friedman: “WHAT THE F***???”), Dashwood kicks them both down and we’re ready to go.

Lee gets sent into 619 position and it’s Tessa with a hip attack to the back. Trevor will have none of that though and runs her over with a clothesline, only to run into Eagles (Lee: “OH S***!”). Manning, still reading the manual, locks up with Savoy, who takes the book away to Manning’s panic. Remsburg is nice enough to hold up the book while Savoy grabs a cross armbreaker.

With the hold still on the arm, Zane grabs a chinlock on Savoy, Blanchard grabs a heel hook, Konley puts Tessa in an abdominal stretch, Shazza waistlocks Caleb, Trevor pulls McKenzie’s hair, Emma puts Lee in a dragon sleeper and Eagles puts Zane in an Indian Deathlock. ALL AT THE SAME TIME mind you, with Bryce flipping through the manual to figure out what to do. Friedman breaks things up but runs into Eagles as well, earning one heck of a right hand.

We hit the big exchange of strikes to put everyone down until Dashwood rams Jake’s face into the buckle over and over. There’s the Emma Lock (Tenille Tarantula), followed by Savoy hitting a VERY hard suicide dive onto Manning. Tessa dives onto Konley and Lee and McKenzie crossbodies Zane to the floor. Jake is back up and trust falls onto everyone, only to come back in for the Taste of Tenille.

Riley crushes Dashwood but Eagles GERMAN SUPLEXES HIM in a crazy power display. Friedman is back up with a poke to the eye but it’s Konley with a backsplash to McKenzie. A belly to back suplex drops Savoy but she punches her way out of a Doomsday Device. We get the Tower of Doom (well duh) with everyone landing on Friedman for a good comedy spot.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t last year’s match but that’s not a fair comparison to make. What we got here was a lot of fun though and the women never felt like they were in over their heads here. This was a lot of fun and the wild insanity that it should have been, but it felt really short. You’re only going to be able to get so much out of a ten minute match, especially with this many people packed in. Maybe their time was cut short but it needed more to get to that other level. Still good though.

Jeff Cobb vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Now this could work. Cobb is better known as Matanza from Lucha Underground and is an Olympic wrestler who weighs 270lbs. Last year he and Bobby Lashley had a disappointing hoss match so hopefully this is an upgrade. We start with the logical exchange of shoulders and neither really goes anywhere. Cobb finally knocks him down and it’s time for the forearm exchange, which lasts A FULL MINUTE.

That’s finally enough for Cobb, who scores with a powerslam for no cover. Hopefully no concussions either. Ishii is right back with a powerslam of his own and the fans are right back into him. They fight over a suplex with Ishii stomping on the feet not being enough to get him up. Ishii FINALLY muscles him over for the suplex but can’t follow up. That’s fine with Cobb, who lifts him from the mat into a somewhat delayed vertical and now Ishii is in trouble.

Deadlift rolling German suplexes get two on Ishii and a big release German suplex into the corner gets two. A bridging pumphandle suplex gets the same and NOW we’re firmly in the hoss battle mode. For some reason Cobb thinks it’s a good idea to talk trash, including yelling about strong style. Fans: “YOU F***** UP!” Ishii headbutts the arm and blasts Cobb in the corner before loading up the superplex. Of course that means a slugout on top but Cobb does come down with a big bounce for a double knockdown.

Back up and they both no sell German suplexes, followed by Cobb winning a headbutt exchange but going down as well. An overhead belly to belly gives Cobb two but the Tour of the Islands (swinging powerslam) is broken up. Ishii drops him with a clothesline for two and everyone is stunned at the kickout. Ishii’s sliding lariat is countered into a choke for a throw into the corner. An enziguri rocks Cobb though and the brainbuster (really a suplex due to Cobb’s size) is enough to give Ishii the pin at 15:05.

Rating: B+. THIS is what Cobb vs. Lashley should have been as this really did feel like the hoss battle that these two are great at. They beat the heck out of each other here and it was all about who would survive instead of who won. I had a good time with this one and Cobb looked like a star throughout. Really fun power brawl and both guys looked like stars.

Flamita/Bandido vs. Rey Fenix/Rey Horus

Oh man I’ve been wanting to see this one again. Fenix is of course Fenix and Horus is El Dragon Azteca Jr. Flamita and Fenix start things off with some wrestling, which lasts all of twenty seconds before it’s time to start flipping. Fenix tries a Lethal Injection but Flamita walks on his hands to escape. Neither can hit a strike so stereo dropkicks give us a standoff. Horus and Bandido come in with Horus spinning off the top into an armdrag but it’s off to Flamita for a boot in the corner.

A missile dropkick sends Horus to the floor so Fenix comes in, grabs Flamita by the wrist and walks the ropes. That earns him a chop so Fenix bounces onto the top rope and back to the top (as in he was standing on the middle, dropped onto his back on the top, and jumped back up top for a wristdrag). You know, because OF COURSE HE CAN DO THAT! Bandido comes back in and spins around into an ankle scissors on Fenix, only to charge into a kick to the face. A powerbomb puts Fenix down and it’s time for the chops, which makes Remsburg cringe too.

Fenix gets taken down again and that means some Motor City Machine Guns with the Dream Sequence. A bicycle kick drops Fenix again, FINALLY drawing Horus in for some help. Horus ducks a dropkick so it knocks Bandido outside instead, followed by a standing hurricanrana for two. Bandido is on the floor so it’s a slingshot hurricanrana, followed by a dive from Flamita and a springboard senton dive from Fenix. Bandido corkscrew planchas onto everyone and they’re all down on the floor for a breather.

Back in and it’s a chop off between Fenix and Flamita with the length being worse than the sounds. Flamita DDTs Fenix for two and Horus takes him to the middle rope for a super victory roll and two of his own. Something like a spinning GTS and a powerbomb gives Bandido two on Horus and everyone is down again. Back up and Fenix rolls into a cutter for two before crotching Flamita on the top. Horus is right back up too with a super reverse hurricanrana, followed by a top rope backsplash from Fenix.

Somehow that’s not enough either so Fenix throws Horus at Flamita for a tornado DDT. Horus charges at Bandido in the corner but DIVES over the top onto Flamita in one of the best fake outs I’ve ever seen (I didn’t see what he was planning live or on tape). Back in and Fenix hits a spinning Muscle Buster to FINALLY finish Bandido at 12:23.

Rating: A-. Yep. This was absolutely incredible live and my goodness I can’t believe how well it holds up. These four were going insane out there with a full on lucha libre match and had the fans, myself included, going nuts. Just an incredible performance here with no psychology or flow to it, which is exactly how it should be in this case. You watch these kinds of matches to see crazy flips, dives and spots and that’s what we got here. Great stuff and check this out if you can find it.

The fans throw money in the ring (a lucha libre thing) as we go to intermission.

Actually cancel that intermission, as the show is running long and we don’t have time for that. Thank goodness as this was about 11pm local time and there are four matches left.

Chico El Luchador/Psicosis/Super Crazy vs. Jason Cade/Matt Classic/Teddy Hart

Chico is Rocky Romero and substituting for Juventud Guerrera in the Mexicools reunion that no one wanted. Cade was in last year’s ten man tag and looked like a star. Hart is a member of the Hart Family but a complete jerk and flippy guy. Classic is Colt Cabana under a mask and wrestling like he’s from the late 1940s. Excalibur on the Mexicools: “We didn’t have them come out here on the lawnmowers because we’re not racist dicks.” DeRosa: “And they would cut up the mats.” Excalibur: “And we’re not racist dicks.”

The announcers go over Chico vs. Classic, which predated El Canek vs. Andre the Giant. With Classic continuing his pre-match workouts (neck bridges and Hindu squats) and pulling his trunks halfway up his chest, we’re ready to go with Classic vs. Chico as the rivalry is renewed. Classic throws Chico around as the announcers say this feud has been on a break for about thirty years. Chico grabs an abdominal stretch for a second but Classic is right back with the CLAW, because he gets old school.

That’s escaped with a spin out and Chico grabs a towel to turn this into a bullfight. Classic is knocked outside and Chico strikes a pose before handing it off to Psicosis and Cade. They hit the mat as Classic is still exercising on the apron. That goes nowhere so it’s off to Crazy vs. Hart (Excalibur: “Super Crazy vs. super crazier”) for an exchange of armdrags. Hart rolls out of the corner into a sunset flip before it’s back to Chico for a chop on Classic.

Everything breaks down and Classic gets dropped as everything breaks down. Chico suicide dives onto Cade but Hart moonsauts onto everyone (Excalibur: “YOU DON’T LEARN THAT IN THE DUNGEON!”). Classic gets on the top, then the middle, then the bottom, then just drops off the apron as the fans can’t get their HOLY S*** chants in sync. Back in and Crazy can only hit two moonsaults (they still look great) as Cade moves from the third attempt. Not that it matters as Crazy rolls Cade up for the pin at 9:56.

Rating: D+. Again, what was the point of the Mexicool reunion? Who in the world needed to see that? Classic was a lot of fun and the announcers made his stuff with Chico that much more fun but other than that, this was really skippable. Hart and Cade were just kind of there and there’s nothing much worth talking about. I guess it was just for an ECW reunion and….ok?

Teddy walks around the ring very slowly for the sake of getting on camera more.

Adam Brooks vs. Sammy Guevera vs. Shane Strickland vs. Will Ospreay

I got to chat with Sammy last year and while I haven’t heard much from him since, he was a nice guy while he talked to me and I can’t ask for more than that. Strickland is the International King of Swerve. I’m not sure what that means and….I think I’m good that way. Ospreay is VERY banged up after a botched spot in Japan so he’s looking rather pathetic with a big bunch of tape on his shoulder and neck.

We hit the trash talk to start until Brooks and Strickland knock the other two outside. That means a string of not hitting each other until Guevara and Ospreay come back in for a double dropkick. That means the big showdown (as big as you can get about two minutes into the match that is) and again they speed things up with neither hitting anything until Sammy snaps off a headscissors.

Strickland comes back in for a 619 to the ribs and rolls into a cutter. Brooks slides in for a sliding dropkick as the announcers try to figure out the New Orleans area code. Ospreay gets loaded up for the Cheeky Nandos kick but Brooks pokes him in the eye instead. That’s not cool with Ospreay so he flips over into a kick to the head but comes up holding the shoulder.

Guevera gets caught in the corner, earning himself a backflip kick to the head. That means the mini Tower of Doom with Sammy German superplexing Strickland, who superplexes Brooks into a powerbomb from Ospreay. Sloppy of course, but what were you expecting? Back up and Brooks and Ospreay exchange some hard kicks until a Stundog Millionaire drops Brooks.

Sammy hurricanranas Ospreay though, earning himself a kick to the floor from Strickland. Brooks dives on both of them so Ospreay busts out a space flying tiger drop for the four way knockdown. Guevera’s shooting star to the floor (looks awesome) takes them all out again, even if almost no one catches him. Back in and Brooks kicks Sammy low, setting up a Downward Spiral into the middle turnbuckle. Ospreay springboards back in but messes up his neck again.

A referee distraction sets up another low blow and Strickland has to come in for the save. Just to be evil, Strickland ties Ospreay in the ropes for the Alberto double stomp to the apron, followed by another stomp for two on Brooks. Sammy sends Strickland outside and curb stomps Brooks, only to have Ospreay roll in with the spinning kick to the back. The Oscutter finally finishes Guevera at 12:33.

Rating: B-. Ospreay is always worth seeing but this felt like a match I’ve seen several times before. Some of the dives were cool and the match is entertaining, but nothing that I’ve going to remember. The lateness of the night didn’t help either as the fans were starting to get tired. Having three straight cruiserweight matches didn’t help either as the show needed to be laid out a bit better in this section.

Post match Ospreay seems to apologize to the crowd for his performance but they throw money anyway.

Sami Callihan/Juice Robinson/Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. vs. David Starr/Brian Cage/???

Juice’s gear is rather odd looking, being described as a create a wrestler where you hit random five times. Starr is rather annoyed at the ring announcer not getting his full host of nicknames. He’s greeted by a GO ACE chant and Tanahashi even serenades him with the air guitar because he’s not just an ace but also a music lover.

Starr BREAKS THE AIR GUITAR before listing off his nicknames: the Cream in Your Coffee, Your Favorite Wrestler’s Favorite Wrestler, the Jewish Cannon, the Physical Embodiment of Charisma, the Most Entertaining Man in Professional Wrestling, the Bernie Sanders of Professional Wrestling, Mr. Americanrana, Davey Wrestling, the 104 Minute Man, the Main Event, I’m Really Good at Twitter, the King of Taunts, the Product, David Starr. I didn’t get him at first but he’s REALLY grown on me over time.

Hang on though as Sami has a mic. He sees a genetically modified freak and a walking chia pet, but no third partner. Sami offers a 3-2 beating…..but MINORU SUZUKI is here as the third man to the pop of the night so far. Suzuki, normally rather stoic, shows some solid charisma in playing to the crowd during his entrance. The match starts fast with Cage and Tanahashi fighting against the barricade, leaving Sami to miss a bat shot on Suzuki.

They head outside as well with Suzuki cranking on Sami’s leg, leaving Starr and Robinson to flip around a bit. Juice snaps off the left hands but gets clotheslined to the floor. Tanahashi is in to replace him but Cage tosses him with a release fall away slam. Since Cage is a freak, he hits a 619 but charges into a boot in the corner. Tanahashi’s slingshot dive drops Cage but Starr is right there with a dive of his own. Sami drops Starr with another dive so Juice goes up (Juice: “JUICE IS GONNA DIVE! GET YOUR CAMERAS OUT!”) for a double clothesline to the floor.

Cage, who makes Ryback look small, hits a BIG running flip dive of his own, leaving Suzuki on his own. The big dive is teased but instead he climbs through the ropes, drops to the floor, and smacks Sami in the face like a good crazy old man should. We actually settle down to a regular match with Starr kneeing Callihan in the face to slow things down. Sami offers a distraction and kicks Starr low, allowing the tag off to Tanahashi. A middle rope flipping senton misses but Juice comes in for a double belly to back suplex.

It’s back to Callihan, who is greeted with a GO AWAY chant. It’s amazing what happens when you’re associated with a company like TNA. Robinson and Callihan splash Starr in the corner as the announcers explain that these teams are pretty random and have almost nothing in common. Juice’s backsplash hits knees but he drives Starr back into the corner to block another tag.

Starr finally gets away for the hot tag to Cage and it’s neckbreakers a go-go. One heck of a release German suplex out of the corner drops Robinson on his head and pain starts to set in. Cage loads him up for a World’s Strongest Slam so Callihan comes off the top for a hurricanrana…..and Cage holds him up there at the same time. A powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam gets two, which is described as Brian Cage doing Brian Cage things. It’s off to Tanahashi to try his luck and a running forearm puts Cage down.

The Sling Blade gets two with Starr making the save, only to be sent out to the floor. Cage neckbreakers Tanahashi and the double tag brings in Suzuki (not exactly a pop but an acknowledgment that pain is imminent) and Callihan (likely indifference). Sami spits on him and the fans know what is coming. A few kicks to Suzuki’s head just make him stick his tongue out and grab the sleeper. Sami bites his arm to escape so it’s a Fujiwara armbar to make Sami tap at 14:38. Suzuki and Tanahashi never interacted unless it was a brief exchange on the floor.

Rating: C+. It was good and the New Japan guys were a treat, but Starr taking the heat for that long wasn’t the most thrilling thing in the world. You could feel the fans getting tired by this point too as it was approaching midnight local time after what was likely a travel day for almost everyone involved. Entertaining match but I kept waiting on the Tanahashi vs. Suzuki showdown and it never came.

Post match Suzuki goes after everyone’s arm but they calm him down. Instead he wants Tanahashi so the fight is on with a headbutt knocking Tanahashi to the floor. Suzuki grabs a headlock and punches Tanahashi to the back as this was one sided. Not really shocking that a fighter can beat up a wrestler like that.

Golden Lovers vs. Chuck Taylor/???

Chuckle’s original partner was Trent Barretta but a bad arm injury has put him on the shelf. The Lovers come out first and my goodness what a reaction from such a small group of people. Taylor has a three man marching band playing him out for a little flavor. Chuck announces his partner as….THE SWAMP MONSTER, a Cousin Itt lookalike, who is sent to the floor in about two seconds.

Actually the real partner is Freshly Squeezed Orange Cassidy! That would be a slacker, who doesn’t show up and is likely asleep. Dan Berry comes out and gets sent outside as well so Chuck says the real partner is Trent because it was a swerve all along. Trent is here with a huge sling but he starts to take it off until Rocky Romero comes out to tell him no. Chuck: “ROCKY YOU SON OF A B**** DON’T YOU TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME AGAIN! I hate you with every fiber of my being!”

Cue Flip Gordon, a flat Earther who is greeted with an EARTH IS ROUND chant. He’s not here to be Chuck’s partner but rather to ask about getting on All In. Omega is stunned so Chuck says he just talked to the REAL leader of the Bullet Club Cody, who says if Flip wins here, he’s All In. Chuck doesn’t have anyone else in the back so Flip will have to do, meaning ring the bell. Omega and Gordon start things off with a headlock not getting Omega very far.

Instead Flip does his dancing handstand and both Lovers are sent outside. A big flip dive over the top (with Gordon sticking the landing) takes them down again and it’s off to Chuck. Taylor’s really basic (on purpose) offense has Omega in limited trouble and the slow motion slingshot senton gets no cover. Omega slaps on an abdominal stretch and here’s Trent again. Taylor reverses into a stretch of his own as Trent lights up a cigarette. He puts some sunglasses on Taylor and hands him the cigarette before putting it into Flip’s mouth.

Omega uses the odd distraction to hiptoss his way to freedom. An enziguri makes Chuck spit the cigarette out as Trent goes to the back. What in the world was the point of that? I was hoping commentary would explain it but I’ll settle for a tag to Ibushi. Back to back moonsaults get two on Gordon but he hits his reverse fall away slam. The standing shooting star (not so impressive as Ibushi just did one) gets two but the snapdragon puts Gordon down again.

Ibushi’s backflip kick to the head drops Taylor and Gordon, followed by Omega powerbombing Gordon into a German suplex for a cool spot. Gordon is back up to save Taylor from the Golden Trigger and Chuck’s low blow gets two on Ibushi. A high kick drops Taylor and everyone is down. The Golden Shower (seriously) is broken up as Gordon springboards to the top for a superkick to Omega and the 450 gets two on Ibushi. Back to back superkicks rock Gordon and a big running clothesline turns him inside out. The Golden Trigger (double knees to the face) end Gordon at 13:38.

Rating: C+. Just like the previous match, it was good but nothing all that memorable. The idea here was getting to see the Golden Lovers, which is perfectly fine. It was a fine enough main event with little doubt about who was going to win but at least the fans got what they wanted to see. The mystery partner thing was kind of a flop but honestly, what were you hoping to get from this?

Post match Omega wants a hand for Chuck for getting close to pulling off a win, even with the mystery partner. He also praises Flip, who has some wacky theories and has even tried to kill Omega twice. But Flip really thought by coming out here that he would be cheered over the Golden Lovers? Omega: “You really are stupid!” Omega made sure that they would be here tonight and thanks the fans for making it so much fun. He wishes us a great weekend in this beautiful city but Chuck takes the mic.

Taylor asks Trent to come back out here because he wants the match to happen at some point once the injury is healed (Chuck: “In four to six months, or sooner because he’s an idiot.”). Omega gladly agrees and wishes Flip good luck with getting on All In. He thanks the fans for coming out and says goodnight to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I definitely shortchanged this show live as I was just too tired to really enjoy it. There are some issues with the pacing to this show and some of the matches needed to be adjusted to really make it better but what we got was a lot of fun. The surprises on here were a lot of fun (Lawler genuinely shocked me) and seeing the big New Japan names was a great treat. I’d definitely go to this show again as this one was weaker than last year and still a blast. It’s certainly a show more for the live crowd but it’s still more than entertaining enough on its own. Definitely check out the lucha tag if nothing else.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Odds are you’ve heard of Axxess. It’s the big fan festival put on by WWE every year over Wrestlemania weekend where you can see memorabilia and meet wrestlers etc. However, there’s another version run independently from WWE called WrestleCon, which offers a bunch of wrestling shows but also a huge convention with hundreds of wrestlers and vendors selling autographs, merchandise and photo ops for pretty reasonable prices. You can also just walk up and talk to almost anyone you want (line permitting of course) and have a chat (some longer than others).

The convention runs for three days and I attended Friday and Sunday. These days couldn’t have been more different but both had their positives and negatives. I did pay to meet a variety of wrestlers and bought some stuff so here’s the rundown. Keep in mind that I didn’t write down everyone I met (as the place wasn’t exactly one where you could pull out something and take notes) so there’s a good chance I’ve forgotten some names. These are in no real order.

Well this one is in order, because how do you start with anything else?

Very quick due to the long line but he looked right into your eyes and you could feel the chills. I said it was an honor to meet him and he said he appreciated it. That voice will send vibes through you and it was worth the over two hour wait (you knew this was going to be a long line). I got him to sign my Wrestlemania XXXII ticket for a very nice keepsake.

Tenille Dashwood. She had people coming up to see her over and over for both days and it’s not surprising. Dashwood put on a heck of a performance at the SuperShow and simply put, the camera does not do her justice whatsoever. She’s absolutely gorgeous in person and seemed very sweet when I said hello to her. How WWE managed to screw her up is anyone’s guess.

Al Snow. This might not be the biggest name in the world but it turns out that at one point he lived in my small hometown in Kentucky. He seemed rather surprised that anyone had even heard of it, let alone lived there.

Larry Zbyszko. Just a short hello, but he did his spinning salute.

Virgil. Walked by me as I was in line and I said a quick hello. I know he’s known as a jerk but he’s been nice the two times I’ve met him.

Bret Hart. This was one of the ones I paid for in advance (well duh) and it starts to show the big problem with WrestleCon (which I’ll cover in detail at the end): it feels rushed. I might have sat next to Bret for all of five seconds, gotten a picture taken, shook his hand and said it was an honor to meet him. As is often the case with Bret he didn’t have much to say, but he did look me in the eye as I shook his hand and said thank you.

Before we move on, one more thing about Bret. His line was of course very long and it wrapped around into two rows. I was near the back of the line without about 100 people in front of me and I hear a voice.

Voice: “KB?”

Me: “Yeah?”

Voice: “I’m Steve. You’ve done my podcast a few times. Do you want to come up here with me?”

I was then about fifth in line and done in three minutes instead of an hour. Steve is a very, very good guy with an awesome podcast called the Positive Pro Wrestling podcast. He knows his stuff and is more than worth listening to, especially if you’re sick of hearing people complain about wrestling. Check him out here and follow the show on Twitter @ppwpodcast. I’ve been a guest on there multiple times and it’s some of the most fun I’ve had doing a show. It’s more than worth the time.

Kelly Kelly. I’ve met her before and I’d be glad to meet her over and over. Those eyes are something else and she very clearly knows how to look at a camera.

Taya Valkyrie. Another short one but she’s rather nice.

Jim Duggan. Met him several times before and he’s always fun to talk to, even for a few seconds. He always asks where a fan is from and you get a sense that he actually cares. That doesn’t happen very often and that’s a shame. He also seemed to like my shirt, which was one of the oddest things of the whole weekend.

Christy Hemme. Yep. Looks even better in person and again has that fire in her eyes.

Mick Foley. Again, met him before and again, it felt rushed due to the crowds. He’s my favorite wrestler ever though and when I mentioned that he smiled and said he appreciated it. Always a treat to get to see him.

As a bonus, here he is with Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi, who were at the next table over.

One Man Gang. He was there in something similar to Akeem gear but no hat unfortunately. I asked him if he was a rib on Dusty Rhodes and he emphatically said no, even giving me reasons why he wasn’t. I would have bet money otherwise but he insisted it wasn’t true. Fair enough.

Hiroshi Tanahashi. With five people in line and only charging $20 a person, this was a complete steal. Spoke very clear English and one of the nicest guys there.

Brian Pillman Jr. Very nice guy who I talked to for a few minutes. He said the new book about his dad’s life is very accurate (save for a few minor details) and recommended it. I don’t know much about him but he came off very positively.

Matt Sydal. Got to hold the X-Division Title, which is far lighter than the World Title. This was quick as he had a customer but he was another nice guy.

Bushwhacker Luke. Met him last year but this time was much friendlier. Last year I had mentioned that he licked me as a kid and he looked at me like I was nuts. I mentioned it again this year and he asked when and where it was. Far more pleasant this time around.

Eli Drake. I asked if he could call me a dummy and he said he wasn’t sure. That sounded like I’d have to buy something but he said he heard me asking him and when he looked up, all he could see was a DUMMY! YEAH! He smiled and I told him he had become my favorite part of Impact Wrestling (true) and he seemed very happy. Exceptionally nice guy.

Robert Gibson. Met him on Sunday and talked to him about the cage match with the Andersons. He seemed thrilled to talk about the old days and that’s completely understandable. Ricky Morton was next to him and seemed FAR more popular, which isn’t surprising.

Velvet Sky. Quick hello, looks amazing in person.

Diamond Dallas Page. He’s almost my white whale of meeting people as I’ve tried multiple times and just not been able to get there. Another nice guy and he was giving out cards for a free month of his yoga app. Nothing wrong with free.

Melissa Santos. Tiny and very pretty. Also saw her getting out of her cab as I was coming into the building.

Brutus Beefcake. Got a handshake, but $40 for his book? Is he nuts?

Scott Steiner. The Steiners were one of my favorite teams ever and while Rick was advertised, I didn’t seem there (could have just been away as he had a booth next to Scott). Kind of untalkative but seemed appreciative when I mentioned being a big fan of the team.

Animal. Shook his hand, barely acknowledged that I was there.

Jackie Moore. I was in line for Foley and talking to the handler, which somehow turned into a discussion of I Love Lucy. Moore was next to us and mentioned loving the show.

Tony Atlas. I met him last year and for the second year in a row thought he was ignoring me but he looked up and apologized for not noticing I was there. Nice guy with a big smile.

Harley Race. I don’t think this needs an explanation.

Penta El Zero M. Just a handshake.

Rey Fenix. Another handshake.

Kevin Nash. Just like last year, doesn’t seem interested if you’re not buying.

Sean Waltman. Another quick handshake but he looked straight at people.

Bob Backlund. We must be connected someway as this is my fourth Wrestlemania and sixth time running into Backlund. I actually got to talk to him this time and he was very quiet (as in low volume, to the point where I could barely hear him). I talked about how awesome his transformation in 1994 was and he said he always puts in the most effort possible into everything. Very, very nice guy who seemed like he would talk to you all day.

Rob Van Dam. Quick handshake as there were people coming up to see him but very friendly guy.

Tomohiro Ishii. One person in line and again, just twenty bucks. I would have bet on a long, long line for him. That’s the Rev Pro Wrestling British Heavyweight Title, which I saw him win Friday night in a great match.

Minoru Suzuki. Much nicer than you would think and NO ONE in line any time I went by his table. Same price as the other New Japan guys. He picked the title up and put it straight on my shoulder, which nearly knocked me over. That’s the Rev Pro British Tag Team Title on the table.

Sean Mooney. I needed to hear that voice in person. Not much to say but he was friendly and mentioned his podcast.

D’Lo Brown. Always been a fan and he seemed appreciative of the praise.

Allie. TINY in person to the point where I barely recognized her.

Rosemary. I know she’s the creepy Knockout on Impact, but when she’s acting normal and has her hair pulled back, it really, really, really works.

So Cal Val. Seemed very flattered that people wanted to talk to her and another nice person.

Winter. Easily one of the best looking people there and knew how to stand in a way that made her look even better. Seemed shocked (in a good way) that anyone remembered her in OVW.

Gail Kim. Another case of the camera not doing her justice. Seemed to be having a great time meeting fans and being with old friends.

Larry Hennig. Actually started talking to me about my Superman shirt.

Bob Orton. His arm is fine, though at least this year he seemed to understand why people were asking him about it.

Teddy Long. I didn’t mean to get a picture with him but I asked if he could say holla holla. This time he actually said I’d have to pay him something and $30 for a picture wasn’t happening. His handler dropped it to $20 and I almost couldn’t say no. I mentioned that he could use the money to pay for some tolls on the road, which made him laugh rather hard. He even mentioned it to Ron Simmons in the next booth and got a laugh from him as well. Fun to talk to once you get beyond the pay wall.

Lanny Poffo. Mentioned being from Lexington and he immediately told me about a seminar he’s doing in a town near here. Not pushy about it but I’d have rather talked to him now, not in a few weeks.

Chavo Guerrero. Kind of quiet until you mention Eddie, which really brought him out of his shell. You can tell he’s very proud of his family, as he should be.

James Storm. He came to his booth as I was in line to meet Tanahashi. I mentioned having met him at a TNA show and he apologized that I had to be there. Bully Ray said the same thing the year before. How bad was it to work there?

Colt Cabana. I had seen him wrestle under a mask as Matt Classic the night before so I asked if he knew anything about him. Cabana said he had heard Classic was there, with a big grin on his face. I mentioned Classic being entertaining and Cabana smiled and said he’d pass that along if he ran into Classic.

Now for a non-wrestler, and some of the coolest and most popular items all weekend. You might need to zoom in on this.

Check out his work here.

I bought three of them (Shawn/Razor, Undertaker and Cena). They were two for $20 and VERY popular, as they should be.

And now, for the negatives. The organization, venue and everything else couldn’t have been a bigger mess if they had tried. When I got to the fifth floor of the hotel the event, there was just a sea of people and no one knew where any line started. I was told to go into a small room to get my wristband but when it got to me, they were out of one day bands. How they didn’t have a big box of them there is beyond me, but the lady running things went to get more. Then she didn’t come back, so we were told to go get in a long line. Eventually we got in, half an hour after the thing was supposed to start. It was downhill from there.

The following is all on Friday.

The venue was WAY too small to begin with and on top of that, the layout was a nightmare. Basically you had four rows of boots with a big aisle in between. There were booths on the all around the rows as well. In the upper right hand corner was Ric Flair’s booth and that’s about it for big names on that side. In the middle was Shawn Michaels, on the upper left was Bret Hart, on the lower left was Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi, Mick Foley, the Young Bucks and Harley Race.

With Shawn’s line wrapping around the building (seriously), at one point I was in line for Omega, Foley, Shawn, Bret and Ibushi at the same time without being able to move. Everyone, from the fans to the workers TO THE WRESTLERS were complaining about what a mess this was. Just put someone on the other side of the room or something, but find a better way to do this.

Omega and Ibushi’s line literally stretched from one side of the building to the other and since they were half an hour late showing up, it never moved. I had even bought a ticket for Omega and was so fed up with the mess of the lines that I just ate the cost. I’m one of the biggest wrestling fans I’ve ever seen and when I’m sitting in the hall way because I’ve had enough of the mess to the point where I’m about to leave two hours into a six hour convention, there’s something very, very wrong.

Sunday was much better, but mainly because the place was a ghost town. You had a few names still trying to get a few more sales and really it was more sad than anything else in some cases. There were wide spaces with no one at a booth and a lot of the wrestlers looked miserable. I get why they have to do it, but it wasn’t a pretty sight at times.

Overall, the idea is great and can be done VERY well (Orlando the year before was excellent) but the venue was too small and the layout for the wrestlers was ridiculous. Get this stuff right so the fans can have a better time, because Friday was a complete disaster. I did have fun and bought some cool stuff, but there were so many rough edges that the negatives outweighed the positives, at least the first day.

And super isn’t too far off.

Last year in Orlando, one of the most entertaining shows I took in was the WrestleCon SuperShow. This is pretty much a big show featuring a collection of old school wrestlers, international stars and young up and comers thrown together for a fun show. There aren’t many storylines and the whole thing is built around just having a fun night of wrestling. Last year’s show was incredible and this one had a lot to live up to. Let’s get to it.

Before we got started PWG’s Excalibur came out and said that going forward, the SuperShow would be named after Mark Hitchcock, who worked for Highspots (the company that helped produce the show) and passed away while on his honeymoon just before this year’s event. This was a cool moment and a nice gesture.

The show started about half an hour late, but that’s to be expected at something like this. As usual, there were several wrestlers outside at their merchandise tables, all of whom were very polite and more than willing to chat with you, even if you weren’t buying anything.

1. Penta El Zero M b. Joey Janela – Pumphandle Driver, 7:52, C.

I’ve never actually seen a Janela match…and I don’t think I get it. He’s a name I’ve heard a lot about over the last year or two but I really don’t get the hype. The match was nothing of note, save for a sick THUD when Janela hit a Death Valley Driver onto the apron….two minutes into the match. A bunch of superkicks set up Penta breaking Joey’s arm (or close to it at least) and hitting the pumphandle driver for the pin. Nothing of note here, but last year’s opener wasn’t great either.

2. Joey Ryan’s Andy Kaufman Intergender Challenge – DQ, 1:23.

Now this was interesting as Ryan is now doing the Kaufman intergender challenge where he’ll fight any woman because a man can beat them. This included Ryan wearing Kaufman’s robe and the exact same ring gear, down to the white body suit and blue shorts. He even did the same soap promo that Kaufman made famous in Memphis about thirty five years ago. The problem is this just made me want to see Jerry Lawler come out and beat Ryan up…..AND JERRY LAWLER ANSWERED THE CHALLENGE!

This was one of those surprise moments that makes this show cool: it felt like the right move and is a cool idea because it’s what makes the most sense in this situation. The problem was Lawler couldn’t use the piledriver in Louisiana, which he didn’t seem to know coming in. Instead he kicked Ryan low, and if you know Joey Ryan, you can imagine the shock on Lawler’s face. A fireball to the crotch got a DQ, but don’t worry because Ryan ensured us that everything down there was fine. Of note: this was thirty five years to the day that Lawler first piledrove Kaufman. Cool moment, barely a match of course.

3. Team Dashwood b. Team Lee – Quintuple submission, 10:23, C.

Tenille Dashwood, Madison Eagles, Nicole Savoy, Shazza McKenzie, Tessa Blanchard

Trevor Lee, Caleb Konley, Zane Riley, Jake Manning, Maxwell Jacob Friedman

This one had A LOT to live up to after last year’s incredible ten man tag. The ten person match was incredible and the most fun I’ve ever had watching a single wrestling match. This year went more with the current theme of the women’s revolution and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Dashwood (formerly Emma) was crazy over and showed more fire than she ever did in WWE with a very energetic entrance. The It’s All About Me character works very well for her and shows how awesome she could have been in WWE if they hadn’t botched it. I’m not overly familiar with most of the women, but I’ve seen Eagles before. She’s easy to remember as she stands about 6’1 and towered over almost everyone on either team.

Before the match, Lee said that if his team won, his three partners other than Konley would be signed to Impact Wrestling. You can imagine how well this went over. What also went over fairly poorly was Konley saying we might as well just start with Dashwood kissing him so he sat in a chair where comedy, in the form of the 300lb Riley accidentally kissing him instead, ensued.

The rest of the match was what you would expect: the women being competitive and using technique while the men lumbered around like idiots (including Manning, the Man Scout, reading his scouting manual while wrestling, as is his custom). There was a great series of dives to the floor and a sequence of at least eight people having a submission on someone at the same time. As in all eight were in one big chain, almost like a submission centipede. Stupid and contrived, but exactly what you would expect from a show like this, which was fine.

The finish saw a quintuple submission with the men all tapping at the same time, which was a very abrupt ending. I was expecting this to go a lot longer, but it proved its point well enough. It’s not a great match but it did its job. Like I said though, last year’s match wasn’t being touched and everyone knew it.

4. Tomohiro Ishii b. Jeff Cobb – Suplex, 15:12, B+.

Ishii is a tough guy from New Japan and Cobb is better known as Matanza from Lucha Underground (very friendly guy who chatted with me about Nintendo 64 vs. Super Nintendo before the show). This was a hoss fight of the highest degree and they didn’t try to make it anything else.

They slugged it out (with an exchange of forearms that lasted over a minute) and threw each other around until one of them couldn’t get up. Cobb made the mistake of hitting him once too often though and Ishii beat the tar out of him, finishing with a suplex that was supposed to be his signature brainbuster. This is what Cobb vs. Lashley from last year should have been and Cobb looked like a star. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t in WWE by this time next year.

5. Rey Fenix/Rey Horus b. Bandido/Flamita – Falcon Arrow to Bandido, 12:22, B+.

Horus is better known as Dragon Azteca Jr. from Lucha Underground. I’m not even going to try to describe this match as I couldn’t do it justice. This was the most insane, high flying match that I’ve ever seen with everyone doing one crazy dive and flip after another. It was the kind of lucha match you would want to see and is well worth going out of your way to find. The fans threw money into the ring after the match and I can’t say I disagree. Just in credible stuff and easily the match of the night from an entertainment perspective.

6. Mexicools b. Jason Cade/Matt Classic/Teddy Hart – Rollup to Cade, 10:00, C+.

This was Chico El Luchador/Psychosis/Super Crazy with Juventud Guerrera only showing up for the introductions. I’m not sure why A, someone thought we needed a Mexicools reunion and B, why this was put on after the great lucha match before it. It wasn’t a bad match by any stretch but it didn’t really need to be on the show, other than a way to get Cade (big star in last year’s ten man tag) and Classic (Colt Cabana in a mask doing an old school wrestler character) on the show.

7. Will Osprey b. Sammy Gueverra, Adam Brooks and Shane Strickland – Oscutter to Gueverra, 12:34, B.

Ospreay was very, very banged up coming into this, to the point where it wasn’t clear if he would be able to wrestle over the weekend. He did compete (at least twice) but his neck and shoulder were so banged up that you could tell it wasn’t his full speed. This was the third match in a row built around high flying and it was starting to wear on the crowd. Ospreay was a treat to see, but it would have been better if he hadn’t been hurt (not his fault of course).

It was entertaining while it lasted with Brooks playing a great heel and Gueverra always being fun to watch. The Oscutter looked great too and finished one of the better matches of the night. The injuries to Ospreay were just too much though and it was clear that he probably shouldn’t have been in the ring for a little while longer.

8. David Starr/Brian Cage/Minoru Suzuki b. Sami Callihan/Juice Robinson/Hiroshi Tanahashi – Armbar to Callihan, 14:48, C+

Tanahashi and Suzuki were surprise partners and of course got some of the strongest reactions of the night with Suzuki’s in particular being awesome. Cage tore the house down here with some great looking dives, including one to the floor to take everyone down. In short, someone his size shouldn’t be able to do that. Suzuki made Callihan tap to an armbar and beat up Tanahashi post match. That helped a bit as they never actually touched during the match. This wasn’t a great match

9. Golden Lovers b. Chuck Taylor/Flip Gordon – Golden Trigger to Gordon, 13:38, C+

Gordon was a mystery partner after Taylor’s regular partner, Trent Barretta, broke his arm and tore his bicep. The mystery partner was a pretty big factor in the match and Chuck had some swerve options, including the Swamp Monster (a guy in a Cousin Itt (look him up) suit), Dan Barry (didn’t show up), Orange Cassidy (Taylor: “He’s probably asleep.”) and Barretta himself. Rocky Romero came out after Barretta, sending Taylor into a rant about how Romero already stole him once and how much Taylor hated him.

Flip finally came out and said he didn’t want to be his partner as he wanted to hear about being on All In. Taylor said he had been on the phone with the REAL leader of the Bullet Club, Cody. If Flip wins, he’s All In. The match was about what you would expect, with Barretta coming back down and handing Taylor a cigarette and sunglasses in a bit I didn’t understand. The result wasn’t surprising, but that wasn’t the point of course. Entertaining way to end a show that went on too long.

Post match Taylor asked for a match with the Golden Lovers when Barretta was healthy (calling him an idiot for coming back too soon) and Omega thanked us for coming.

Overall, the show might not have been as good as last year’s but it was still very entertaining. They got in a bunch of surprises (Lawler legitimately got me) and some very good matches, but comparing it to last year’s show isn’t exactly fair. It was a very good venue (my seats were looking down at the ring and if I looked over my shoulder I could see the talent on a small balcony before and after their matches) and the crowd was hot all night. Good show, and definitely something I’d take in again whenever I go back to Wrestlemania.

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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Ring of Honor
Date: October 11, 2017
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Colt Cabana

It’s time for a new taping cycle as we’re finally able to talk about what happened at Death Before Dishonor. That could mean a multitude of options around here but hopefully we get some actual stories instead of just doing a bunch of one off matches. To be fair though, the last few weeks of TV haven’t been that bad so hopefully the trend continues here. Let’s get to it.

We open with a quick highlight package from Death Before Dishonor.

Opening sequence.

Here are Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser for an opening chat. Young takes his shirt off to show the welts from his street fight with Jay Lethal. Those marks are the proof that he walks the walk to back up his talk. As for now though, he and Bruiser have a goal of winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles but they need a partner.

That brings them to Death Before Dishonor, where they saw another real man. They have a partner now though and his name is Minoru Suzuki and the challenge is officially made tot he Young Bucks and Hangman Page. Cue the champs to say they’re annoyed at Young for interrupting their autograph session. Matt dubs the team the Hung Bucks (just kill me now) and the match is on for the main event.

TV Title: Josh Woods vs. Kenny King

Woods is challenging in his official shot for winning the Top Prospect Tournament. King is the new champion and the hometown boy after defeating Kushida at Death Before Dishonor. I’m not wild on the outsiders winning titles but at least Kushida held it for a long time. Woods takes him to the ground to start for an early two before working on the arm.

That’s reversed into an armbar from the champ but he gets suplexed into the corner as we take a break. Back with Woods having to grab a rope to escape something like a Last Chancery. King kicks him out to the floor and hits a dive and Woods is in trouble. That lasts all of ten seconds as Woods scores with some knees to the head and a string of suplexes, followed by a triangle choke. King is perfectly fine though and stacks Woods up for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C+. Nice match here as Woods is growing on me. The MMA stuff works fine as he mixes in enough wrestling to make it work. You know what you’re going to get with him but he does it just fine, which is all you can ask for. King is a bit flashier than he needs to be at times but he should be great in this role.

Josh shakes his hand post match and King grabs the mic to praise him a bit. Woods leaves and King says he’s a fighting champion who will defend his title on every show. This brings out Shane Taylor, Chuck Taylor, Punishment Martinez and Mark Briscoe, all of whom King is more than willing to face for the title.

Marty Scurll invites us to a Bullet Club celebration next week.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Hangman Page/Young Bucks vs. Silas Young/Beer City Bruiser/Minoru Suzuki

Page and the Bucks are defending. Suzuki won’t shake his partners’ hands so I don’t see this team lasting long. Bruiser throws Nick into the corner but Matt comes in to throw his brother into a dropkick. Young comes in before too long and it’s a triple basement dropkick to the face so the fans can cheer the Bucks a bit.

Page wants Suzuki for some reason and it’s time for the slugout with the chops making Page cringe. A quick Kimura has Page in more trouble and the Bucks get one each of their own. Everything breaks down and it’s Young and Bruiser putting on Kimuras of their own. The champs all bail to the floor and we take a break. Back with Young slamming Matt down and Suzuki putting on a legbar over the apron.

Some choking in the corner has Matt in more trouble but he finally gets a boot up in the corner. A flipping cutter off the top takes Silas down but Bruiser breaks up the tag attempt. For reasons of general stupidity, Bruiser gets into a chase and lands in a superkick. The hot tag brings in Page to clean house, including a dropsault for two on Young. Everything breaks down and Suzuki’s piledriver is broken up with a double superkick. Bruiser crossbodies the Bucks and Cannonballs onto Page as the fans are WAY into this (with good reason).

Back in and Suzuki’s piledriver sets up the frog splash for two on Page with the Bucks making the save. We take another break and come back with more superkicks dropping Bruiser but Nick gets caught in Suzuki’s sleeper. That gives us a showdown with Page, who actually wins a slugout. Young comes back in for the Regal Roll but the moonsault is broken up by more moonsaults. Page hits a huge moonsault to the floor and it’s a shooting star off the apron into the Indytaker to kill Young dead. Back in and the Rite of Passage ends Bruiser to retain the titles at 14:40.

Rating: B. As usual, when the Bucks don’t do all the superkicks, they’re a lot of fun to watch. Hence why the best part of the match was the stuff between the breaks, where there were only a few of the kicks. Suzuki still doesn’t do much for me but Bruiser and Young are growing on me more and more every time they get in the ring. Good match here that was starting to look great at times.

Post match Bruiser and Young blame Suzuki so the brawl is on until the referees make the save.

Here’s Jay Briscoe to address his turning on Bully Ray at the pay per view. Before he gets very far, here’s Tommy Dreamer to cut him off. Dreamer talks about cutting off Bully Ray’s cast the night before Barely Legal (I always thought the ankle was broken during the show) and a variety of bar fights.

One time Chris Jericho accidentally knocked Bully out during a match (I believe that was TLC III in 2002) and he couldn’t remember that his mom had died a few months earlier. Dreamer knows how dangerous head injuries can be and he spent another night with his friend in a hospital because of what Jay did. Jay doesn’t say anything and Dreamer leaves to end the show. I’m not big on Dreamer but this was effective and opens a few more doors for this story to continue.

Overall Rating: B+. Really good show here with a lot of storyline advancement to go with a pair of solid matches. Maybe it’s just the show being fresh after a long layoff or just a good night but I had a much easier time watching this than on most weeks. It also helps to have some top names around instead of people like Cheeseburger and the other interchangeable small guys who aren’t all that thrilling. Solid show here and a very nice surprise.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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