ohheylook

He's the fuckin' best

Well I watched like 30 matches after posting this in the last 10 days, some revisits, some new to me, from all eras, and he barely misses the list, after all. I do tend to prefer him in TNA and post that run, than I do in ROH, but I was cherry picking stuff from then.

I have found that a lot of classic ROH and ROH era workers don’t hold up for me right now (though that was different when this round of gwe started five years ago), but Aries does. In fact, I find him perhaps my favorite of the big names but he doesn’t quite have the resume of a few. Anyway, he will almost for sure be on.

One of the sickest guys ever

I'm in the screenshots posted above, but I've been evangelizing Embry to pals lately. I think when I started in on Embry a few years ago, he immediately jumped off the page for me. His resume of available, great footage is lesser than I would like (there is definitely plenty of him but a lot of it seems like it's short tv matches, angles, etc), but really does everything well. He is in this category of American workers that I just adore that this project really solidified for me that are excellent at basically every territory role, have a wide variety of matches (Embry is an all time bleeder) and just solid. Throughout his career he can be a nothing and job out to anyone and can be a main eventer and it all works. He's also one of the best bumpers - actually a very similar bumper to Buddy Rose, imo. I love him best as a babyface, but he's an excellent stooge. Anyway, he's on the list - but low.

Anyone know how many Zrno matches are on tape? I did my Zrno watch a year or so ago, but I have marked down at 11 matches. Everything is good, 4-5 are great. Is there more?

Probably not even in the bottom 300 of overall nominations.

What a fun day project. Tibor had been someone on my list since the project restarted based on seeing some of these posts and man.... With only 9 matches + the clip on tape (as far as I know?), Tibor has to be one of the top contenders for least amount of footage that I'm seriously considering. With the years covered and his style, it's easy to extrapolate out that he probably was always good at this. Of the 9 matches, 7 hit the mark of "Very Good/Great" for me, with the Bruno Elrington bout being a genuine amazing match. That said, nothing is like life-changing, so with only 9 matches - all of high quality - I'm not sure if he will make the cut, but he's been one of my favorite finds in this whole project and someone, that with like double the amount of footage would likely be considered up there with the very best of the European contenders/greatest ever.

Borne needs a deeper look.

Thanks Grimmas!

How do we get these people added? There hasn't been an update since February. I second all nominations if that helps.

This is on NJPWWORLD for free rn and in complete for the first time and it is UNREAL

Beach Club Pro “Whirlpool Title Tournament Night 2” September 6th, 2000 Live from Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nevada Beach Club Pro returned for Night 2 of the Whirlpool Title Tournament, their final show in the Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino for a little while. Up until now, all 5 of their shows had been given mostly rave reviews from the live crowds, though not completely devoid of controversy. The crowd, lively as always, opened up the show on cue chanting their typical BCP BCP BCP before the lights dimmed and we moved straight away into our first of ten matches for the evening! Match 1: Ricky Marvin (Mexico) Vs. Ultimo Dragon (Japan) Sea Bracket Second Round With the lights still dimmed, the crowd is awakened to the Mariachi stylings of “El son de la negra”, popping many who were in attendance the night before for the arrival of the young Ricky Marvin. Fresh off his upset win over the bigger Ultimo Guerrero in the first round, Ricky walks to the ring with trepidation but excitement as he looks to extend his good fortune against a veritable ring legend. The crowd isn’t left waiting long before the sounds of Luis Miguel’s “Separados” comes through to them, which can only mean one thing - and right on time, out comes Ultimo Dragon in gear that is mostly red, with a cape featuring multiple shades. The crowd erupts at the sight of the Japanese and WCW legend and he walks down the ring, before disrobing in the ring. The match is a bit of a mess, all things considered. Not wanting to be taken to the mat, despite his attempts, Ricky Marvin tries to use his speed against Ultimo Dragon, but Dragon doesn’t seem to be able to follow and the two don’t click very well. We do get some hot moments, including a springboard spinning tornillo from Marvin onto a standing Dragon in the ring, as well as Dragon reversing a headscissors attempt into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, but overall - the cool moments don’t add up to a spectacular match. Throughout, you can sense that Dragon seems a little annoyed with the pesky Marvin, and even shows some uncharacteristic aggression, going overboard with 4 consecutive dragon screws, followed by a tiger suplex for 2. The match ends with Dragon catching Marvin on a springboard hurricanrana attempt and hitting a running Dragon Bomb for the 3. Marvin put up a fight, but his story ends here, and Ultimo Dragon moves onto the block finals! Winner: Ultimo Dragon Match 2: Ace Steel (USA) Vs. Masaaki Mochizuki (Japan) Sand Bracket Second Round In what can be easily considered the match of the tournament so far and an early contender for best Beach Club Pro match, period - Ace Steel and Masaaki Mochizuki went to absolute war in a match that very nearly took the entirety of the 20-minute time limit. Both men, who operate who chips on their shoulder and a determination to prove their toughness at all times never held back, causing welts on the others body and both getting busted open hardway to minimal bleeding. Steel, much like his first round match, operated very similar to a Dynamite Kid or Pegaus Kid, not afraid to bust out high flying spots, but using his strength and willpower to just clobber Mochizuki with everything from suplexes, to headbutts to dozens of fists and lariats. Mochizuki dishes out his own assault as well, using his slight speed advantage to duck in and out of the heavy strikes that Steel was throwing and delivering kicks that sounded like whipcracks. Not being a weakling himself, Mochizuki was able to fire off his own high impact offense, perhaps most impressive being a top rope superplex followed by a springboard moonsault for a 2 count. The hits kept coming to the point of exhaustion, and as the match reached the 18-minute point, both men actually collapsed after slapping each other silly. The crowd roared with applause, and as they stood back up, Ace Steel dodged a groggy kick from Mochizuki and hit him with a Steel Kick (backflip kick), knocking Mochizuki to the ground. Steel revved up, looked at the crowd and grabbed Mochizuki before lifting him in the air for an Implant DDT! He hooked the leg and got the three-count just before the time limit! The crowd erupted with applause, as both men lay still on the mat for a few seconds. Steel eventually stood up to get his arm raised by the referee, and as he turned, an angry, but tired and defeated Mochizuki glared at him, before bowing and exiting the ring. Winner: Ace Steel Match 3: The Great Sasuke (Japan) Vs. Rey Bucanero (Mexico) Sun Bracket Second Round The stabbing horns of “Si Senor” by Control Machete signal the return of Los Infernales and out walks the only member of the stable to advance to the second round Rey Bucanero, followed by El Satanico who narrowly lost in the first round. The group added Tarzan Boy to their ranks yesterday, but got themselves disqualified in the process. Bucanero enters the ring to boos as Satanico stands at ringside. The arena goes completely black as a single spotlight lights up the entranceway and “Integral Hard” blasts through the room. From behind the curtain steps none other than The Great Sasuke as the crowd gasps from excitement thinking about him about to wrestle. Sasuke enters the rings and poses, before doing a backflip off the top turnbuckle and disrobing. He ignores Satanico at ringside, but does look between him and Bucanero as the bell rings. The match is worked in a fun, sloppy way with Bucanero bringing his brawling a-game to the forefront, but Sasuke really showing that he is the king when it comes to reckless wrestling. From rope-hung kicks, to dives to the outside, Sasuke lands many high impacts moves on the bigger Bucanero. Bucanero uses his strength to fight back, however, and in classic lucha fashion, even attempts and half-way succeeds in ripping off part of Sasuke’s mask. Sasuke takes a beating and is hobbling around, but Bucanero isn’t much better - however, Sasuke winds up proving to be just a bit too experienced and too quick for Bucanero, reversing an irish whip with a springboard dropkick, and quickly following up with a Senton Atomico from the top rope. Sasuke eventually puts Bucanero away with a Michinoku Driver, and has his hand raised by the ref! Winner: The Great Sasuke Match 4: Michael Modest (USA) Vs. Gedo (Japan) Sea Bracket Second Round In a battle of totally different styles, the barrel-chested Michael Modest brought his power-flyer game to have at it with the slimmed-down Gedo, himself once considered more of a power wrestler. Gedo, as always, was accompanied by Jado, who spent much of the match yelling at Modest, but never going so far as to touch him and get Gedo disqualified. Modest tried to wrestle a clean, technical match, staying on the offensive, but thwarted by much of Gedo’s underhanded tactics that tried to frustrate him. Gedo, the master craftsmen, mixed legit submission holds with backrakes, eye-gouges, flash-pin attempts and even a low blow attempt in an effort to sneak out the win against Modest, but Modest showed resilience, and even though Gedo got cheap shots in, he couldn’t quite break the focus that Modest displayed. Around the 10-minute mark, Modest was able to stop another attempt at a low blow and CLOBBER Gedo with a huge lariat before following up with the Modest Driver for the win! After the pin, Jado stormed the ring and stomped repeatedly on Modest, before helping Gedo to his feet. The two continued to beat him down before Elix Skipper ran out and cleared house with a series of drop kicks and big strikes! Skipper helped Modest to his feet and raised his hand in victory as Modest thanked Skipper and the two headed to the back. Michael Modest moves on to the finals of the Sea Bracket where he will face Ultimo Dragon! Winner: Michael Modest Match 5: Ikuto Hidaka (Japan) Vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa (Japan) Sand Bracket Second Round In a highly anticipated matchup, the small Ikuto Hidaka faced off against a man who beat him down in the early BCP shows in Tatsuhito Takaiwa. Takaiwa walked down to the ring completely focused, acknowledging that Hidaka put on a good showing the previous evening and giving him props, but looking laser focused. Clad in nondescript black trunks and black boots, he is the polar opposite of Hidaka, with his bigger hair and colorful capri pants. Nevertheless, Hidaka, hoping to get in the good graces of Takaiwa, extends his hand for a handshake as the bell rings, but Takaiwa simply nods at him before backing up. The match starts with a little bit of feeling out, Hidaka getting a fair amount of strikes in that stagger Takaiwa, but never bringing him down. However, a couple of minutes in, something inside Takaiwa snaps and he rushes at Hidaka, clobbering him with palm strikes and forearms, backing him into the ropes, where he unleashes knees to the abdomen, dropping Hidaka onto the mat. Takaiwa doesn’t let him breathe however, and deadlifts him into a HUGE release german suplex. Hidaka is writhing on the ground, but Takaiwa picks him up, as he stands dazed, runs against the ropes and delivers a nasty lariat to Hidaka, and follows with a pin attempt for 2. Hidaka looks near death here, and though Takaiwa lets up a little bit, Hidaka can never get back to it, his wind not coming back to his lungs and disallowing any speed advantage he has. At around the 5-minute mark, Takaiwa has had enough and grabs Takaiwa for a big powerbomb, smashing him into the mat, but then deadlifting him up onto his shoulders, he delivers a death valley driver in the center of the ring and pins him nonchalantly for the 3 count! Takaiwa stands up and bows to Hidaka, before leaving the ring, not even allowing for the referee to raise his hand. Winner: Tatsuhito Takaiwa Match 6: Naomichi Marufuji (Japan) Vs. CIMA (Japan) Sun Bracket Second Round In a matchup of two of Japan’s brightest young stars, and an opportunity to secure the final spot into the Semi-Finals of the tournament, the All Japan trained Naomichi Marufuji took on the Ultimo Dragon trained CIMA. Upon the bell ring, both men circled each other and stared one another down, the crowd aware of their abilities and what they might witnessed, applauded loudly. After about 30 seconds of milking it, the two locked up, with Marufuji getting the early advantage. And this is where the match picked up, and kept up. Going at an insane pace for about 17 minutes, Marufuji and CIMA proved to be two men who were every bit the equal of the other, each of them taking to the sky, abusing the other with strikes and coming up with clever reversal combinations. CIMA showed that his training in Mexico gave him an advantage on the mat and used a handful of moves that focused on Marufuji’s knees, in an attempt to ground and weaken Maru’s strongest assets - and it worked. Unable to kick with the speed he is used to, Marufuji had to be smart about his offense, though an opportunity to land a springboard dropkick on CIMA back-fired as Marufuji’s right knee gave out and he tumbled to the mat. In a spot reminiscent of the classic Jushin Liger/Great Sasuke botch, CIMA immediately seized on the fallen Marufuji and picked him for a snap brainbuster. The two continued to work hard against another, and though he was at a disadvantage, Marufuji showed that he had a warrior’s spirit, refusing to be put away. An attempt at a Shiranui on the turnbuckle was reversed by CIMA with a second rope Backdrop, and he was able to follow up with a Meteora from the top rope to secure the win and match against The Great Sasuke in the finals! Winner: CIMA A brief intermission takes place after this, where it is announced that Beach Club Pro would be taking the next couple of weeks off, with some announcements incoming. They promise to have one more spot show before the October 10th tour in Puerto Rico, but details will be forthcoming. Furthermore, it is announced that fans should be on the lookout for some merch soon, much more than the t-shirts and towels that are already present at the merch booth. It’s announced that Beach Club Pro has secured a deal with a publishing company for the rights to many of the entrance themes the wrestlers use and will be distributing a cd for purchase in your local music store soon! Titled “Take It To The Beach!” the cd will feature 13 entrance themes from Beach Club Pro favorites! Production is also underway of the first BCP DVD set, which will feature all of the first 6 BCP shows on multiple DVDs at an affordable price. Lastly, it has been announced that they’ve also begun reaching a deal with a local card company to make Beach Club Pro trading cards, which will be found in my independent comic shops and baseball card stores around the US. Match 7: Michael Modest (USA) Vs. Ultimo Dragon (Japan) Sea Bracket Final The alienating sounds of “Natural One” by Folk Implosion bleed through the speakers as Michael Modest makes his way out for the biggest challenge of his young career. Having perhaps surprisingly outsmarted and outwilled Gedo earlier in the night, he unfortunately was beaten down after his win and he walked to the ring with a distinct hobble and his ribs taped up. Ultimo Dragon entered second, still garnering a great amount of applause. He wears his usual getup and walks to the ring like a king. Once disrobed, he approaches Modest in the center of the ring and the two shake hands. The match is much better than Ultimo’s previous match, with the two wrestlers much more on the same page here. Despite his obvious pain, Modest proves to be a formidable opponent and shows a lot of grit throughout the match and he tries to use his obvious strength advantage to suplex Dragon a few times, though he consistently has to grab his ribs afterwards. Dragon, despite being older has Modest beat on the speed front, and once that is determined, he uses that to his advantage, unleashing kicking combinations, a dragon screw, and bouncing around the ring with various ways to knock down Modest - each new bump causing the man an extra amount of pain. At one point, Dragon is able to lock in the Dragon Sleeper, and though it appeared as though Modest was about to tap, he fights through after a prolonged struggle and gets his feet under the ropes for a break to huge applause. The experience and health aspect favored Ultimo Dragon a bit too much, however, and around the 14-minute mark he nails in quick succession a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, followed by springboard Asai moonsault, followed by a Cancun Tornado off the top rope onto the fallen Modest for the 3 count. As the bell is rung, Dragon helps Modest to his feet and shakes his hand as Modest bows and walks back to the back. Ultimo Dragon is the first to qualify for the Whirlpool Title match! Winner: Ultimo Dragon Match 8: Ace Steel (USA) Vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa (Japan) Sand Bracket Final In a battle of the two hardest hitting, most intense members of the early Junior Heavyweight division in Beach Club Pro, the match between Ace Steel and Tatsuhito Takaiwa went about how anyone could have hoped. Steel, having had a potential Match of the Year contender earlier in the night with Masaaki Mochizuki showed a little damage, but never let Takaiwa know, instead trying to out-tough one of the toughest men in wrestling. Takaiwa welcomed the challenge, and though he seemed to finally find someone who could give as well as he could, he still put the pressure on Steel by continually dropping him on his head with suplexes from every angle and a few early Death Valley Drivers. The two went to war throughout the match, trading lariats and continually trying to outdo each other before both collapsed due to exhaustion. Takaiwa, though, being somewhat fresher, having made easier work of his first opponent proved to be the stronger competitor on this night and eventually wore Ace Steel down, despite his attempts at powering up. It wasn’t easy, but at around the 15-minute mark, Steel was finally put away by a double powerbomb from Takaiwa. The crowd roared with applause at the hard-hitting affair, and as Steel exited the ring, he received a standing ovation for his hard work in his two matches. Takaiwa, as his hand was raised, seemed to not care, though he took some damage here, looked calm and cool as always. Winner: Tatsuhito Takaiwa Match 9: The Great Sasuke (Japan) Vs. CIMA (Japan) Sun Bracket Final In the final qualifying match for the Whirlpool Title match, The Great Sasuke looked to make the final all chalk and entirely made up of those with a first-round bye, but the young and impressive CIMA had other plans. The two went at it for about 17-minutes, both using their high-flying prowess to try and outwork the other, and get the crowd really engaged. Sasuke, as typical, was a bit sloppy in his execution, but it paid off, throwing CIMA off his game more than once as he attempted dives and big moves that were unexpected, even if they caused damage to himself in the process. CIMA continued to show some of his lucharesu skills, by mixing it up on the mat with Sasuke and proving he had a slight strength advantage. The match itself was very reminiscent of an early 90’s NJPW juniors match, with distinct sections of mat-based work, high-flying work and high-impact work. Both men took a lot of damage, but the finish came as a surprise as Sasuke set CIMA up for a running powerbomb, but CIMA was able to roll through and get a sunset flip pin for the hard-fought victory! Sasuke looked shocked, thinking he had the match in the bag, but CIMA screamed with joy as he advanced to the final. Sasuke shook his hand and headed to the back as CIMA bowed to the crowd and smiled with a sense of shock on his face. Winner: CIMA Another brief break takes place before the final, as out walks “Exotic” Adrian Street and Masa Saito with the Whirlpool Junior Heavyweight Title belt in hands. The two men enter the ring and hold it up to the crowd. The belt sits on orange leather and is a bit smaller than the Beyond the Sea title. The flags of the USA, Japan and Puerto Rico are evident on the face of the belt, and it is still dipped in gold. Street puts over the tournament so far and hypes the crowd for the all Japanese final. He says that the crowd will see more of these competitors in the future, and the title itself will be a very important and often defended championship - so whichever of these 3 men win, they better be prepared to work to keep their place on top. Street praises Saito for his work in securing much of the talent and states that the final will be an elimination match before the two leave to ringside in anticipation of the match. Main Event: CIMA (Japan) Vs. Ultimo Dragon (Japan) Vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa (Japan) Whirlpool Junior Heavyweight Title Elimination Match “Bodyrock” by Moby played once again through the loudspeakers signaling the entrance of CIMA. Though he looked a bit tired after his hard-fought wins over Kid Romeo, Naomichi Marufuji & The Great Sasuke, he still walked with a pep in his step and an air of confidence, as he smiled and clapped hands with some of the fans along the aisle. “Goro Vs. Art” came through next, as Tatsuhito Takaiwa strolled down the ring, looking as stoic as ever. Though he had gone through two matches on the night, from his dominant performance of Ikuto Hidaka to his hard-hitting match with Ace Steel, any lingering pain was not evident and Takaiwa walked down to the ring like a bull ready to fight. Finally, to the classic sounds of “Separados” by Luis Miguel bleed through the speakers and out walked Ultimo Dragon, in new gear for the final, donning an outfit of gold to big “ooohs” from the crowds. Dragon has a slight hobble after his wins against two very different wrestlers in the tournament Ricky Marvin and Michael Modest, but still walks like this is his title to lose. As is the case with many 3-way matches, this one starts with a bit of trepidation, as all 3 men have to do some feeling out, but it is soon obvious that CIMA’s allegiance to his trainer Ultimo Dragon will allow for the two of them to gang up on the powerful Takaiwa. They do that, taking Takaiwa to the ground with rapid-fire kicks and double team moves, but in a mistake, CIMA sends Takaiwa to the ropes, where he fires back with a huge lariat, knocking CIMA down and then going on the attack against Ultimo. Takaiwa fights back like a world-beater against the two faces, delivering an early powerbomb on Ultimo Dragon, before dipping out of the ring to collect himself. Seeing his trainer laying prone, CIMA attempts a quick pin on Ultimo Dragon, but only gets a two-count and from there, all allegiances are out the window. The match is awesome, with a mix of everything the 3 can offer and everyone getting a shine in. Takaiwa is the dominant force throughout, seemingly indestructible, really causing CIMA and Dragon to have to “survive” through the punishment. To the surprise of many, Ultimo Dragon is the first wrestler eliminated around the 13-minute mark, as CIMA follows up a Death Valley Driver from Takaiwa with a big frog splash off the top rope for the 3-count. The crowd gasps as the favorite to win the tournament is eliminated, but don’t get long as Takaiwa immediately goes on the offensive against CIMA. Ultimo Dragon rolls out of the ring, disappointed by waves to the fans as he heads to the back. CIMA and Takaiwa continue having a barn-burner for another 10 minutes, CIMA sneakily avoiding heavy impact moves and attempting to take out the legs of Takaiwa. Takaiwa is too strong and too resilient, however, and it only takes one mistake from CIMA, this one a springboard bodysplash, that is met by a huge dropkick from Takaiwa. From there, Takaiwa goes through the motions of destroying CIMA, a huge lariat, stomps on the ground, a deadlift german suplex, and the powerbomb/death valley driver combo for the 3-count. Takaiwa stands with his arms raised, the first Whirlpool Champion, as Adrian Street and Masa Saito hand him the belt. For the first time in BCP, Takaiwa smiles as he holds the belt above his head, but cuts his celebration short to walk back to the back. A dominant performance through and through, it is unknown WHO can take it to the champ. Winner (and Whirlpool Junior Heavyweight Champion): Tatsuhito Takaiwa Results: Ultimo Dragon def. Ricky Marvin (8:56) (**1/4) Ace Steel def. Masaaki Mochizuki (19:34) (****1/2) The Great Sasuke def. Rey Bucanero (9:40) (**3/4) Michael Modest def. Gedo (10:14) (***) Tatsuhito Takaiwa def. Ikuto Hidaka (5:03) (**1/2) CIMA def. Naomichi Marufuji (17:11) (****) Ultimo Dragon def. Michael Modest (14:15) (***1/2) Tatsuhito Takaiwa def. Ace Steel (15:21) (***3/4) CIMA def. The Great Sasuke (16:56) (***3/4) Tatsuhito Takaiwa def. CIMA & Ultimo Dragon (24:13) (****)

Prior to the night's events, Beach Club Pro owner Dennis Rodman, along with Adrian Street and Masa Saito held a small press conference in one of the Sam’s Town conference rooms discussing their plans for the weekend. In the conference, Rodman spoke at length about his excitement of the talent they have been able to acquire so far, especially in the junior heavyweight division. He said that his short time in WCW afforded him an opportunity to see some of the Cruiserweight action the company put on and was impressed but made it clear that he thought that Beach Club Pro could do better. Street talked about how he used his connections as a trainer in Florida to help find some talent for the tournament, while the respect that Saito has in Japan really helped bring the majority of the names on board. When asked about the young Mexican talent involved, Street was clear that Ultimo Dragon still has a lot of influence in Mexico, and a list of names in both Mexico and Japan he wants to bring into the company, some he was pertinent in bringing to this weekend. Lastly, Street and Rodman discussed the events of the Beyond The Sea Title Tournament and praised the competitors, even congratulating the outspoken Ricky Banderas and his manager, Konnan. Street stated that Beach Club Pro isn’t a wrestling company that is going to be straight-laced, that many shows will feature a variety of characters and wrestling styles and with that, there is bound to be controversial finishes. Street was a bit cryptic in stating that he was upset at the way that The Stud Stable and Konnan operated through the tournament, but also seemed to give them props for outthinking their opponents. Rodman jumped in to state with a bigger ultimatum and hopes for the Whirlpool Junior Heavyweight Title tournament, stating that excessive outside interference will not be tolerated, that weapon use will not be tolerated and anyone who cheats their way through the tournament is subject to forfeits and expulsion. Rodman finished with a hopeful line, “This tournament features 21 of the best WRESTLERS in the world, and we are asking them in SHOW that to the audience.” Beach Club Pro “Whirlpool Title Tournament Night 1” September 5th, 2000 Live from Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nevada The show kicked off with a raucous crowd chanting their usual BCP chant, before out of the speakers comes a low synth rumble, a Dragon roar and the sounds of “Separados” by Luis Miguel. Out from behind the curtain walks none other than the legend, Ultimo Dragon wearing a gray suit, but still with his mask on. The crowd is whipped into an insane amount of applause. He holds his arms out, relishing in the moment before slowly walking down to the ring, alternating sides and giving lots of high fives and handshakes with the fans. Dragon enters the ring and poses to each side of the ring, before taking a seat ringside to watch the next match. Match 1: Ultimo Guerrero (Mexico) Vs. Ricky Marvin (Mexico) Sea Bracket Opening Round The now familiar horns rumbled through the speakers as “Tres Delinquents” by Delinquent Habits was played through Sam’s Town and out walked the masked Ultimo Guerrero with Rey Bucanero and El Satanico at his side. The three members of Los Infernales talked at the entrance, before giving high-fives to one another and leaving Guerrero to walk down the aisle by himself. Making his second appearance at Beach Club Pro, after impressing during a scramble, Ricky Marvin entered to “El son de la negra” by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan. Marvin, despite his small size and single appearance garnered a lot of applause from the crowd and took his time to wave and salute to the audience. Despite their shared common country, the contrasting styles between the bigger Ultimo Guerrero and high-flyer Ricky Marvin made for an especially exciting opening match to the Whirlpool Title Tournament. Guerrero worked from on top throughout the match, using his slight experience advantage and his strength to thwart most offensive attempts by Marvin. Marvin is able to duck a clothesline attempt from Guerrero and spring off the opposing ropes with a spinning tornillo on Guerrero, who peters out of the ring. Marvin follows up with a running, springboard tornillo to the outside, knocking Guerrero against the railing. The match continues, as Marvin is able to get a bit more offense in now, as he focuses on Guerrero’s right knee with a series of low dropkicks and submission moves. Guerrero continues to fight through it and is able to hit a handful of impactful moves, but once Marvin slowed Guerrero down, his speed was too much to handle and Marvin wound up getting the surprise win with a springboard Hurricanrana in the center of the ring. As Marvin has his hand raised in the ring, Ultimo Dragon enters the ring, clapping. He approaching Marvin, who looks worried - but Dragon extends his hand for a handshake, and then raises Marvin’s hand, showing respect for his coming opponent. Winner: Ricky Marvin Match 2: Naomichi Marufuji (Japan) Vs. Jado (Japan) Sun Bracket Opening Round “FUCK YOU WE ARE JADO & GEDO” pierces through the speakers followed by “Caboose” by Sugar Ray as the dastardly Jado enters the arena with the equally dastardly Gedo walking behind him. Both men wear low-slung bandanas on their heads and completely ignore the boos coming from the crowd. Jado enters the ring as Gedo stays on the outside. “Dangerous Zone” by You & The Explosion Band bounces out of the speakers next and out walks Naomichi Marufuji, wearing a sparkling, sleeveless jacket and a mask that covers half of his face. The crowd cheers loudly at the man who has impressed a couple of times on earlier Beach Club shows. The match proceeded with Jado trying to take the upper hand wherever he could, and while Gedo never put his hands on Marufuji, he did everything he could to distract him or the referee. Without obligatory interference, Jado, despite his experience advantage, struggled to keep up with the finesse, speed and strikes of Marufuji, who more or less toyed with Jado throughout the match. While Jado was able to get some big moves in on Marufuji, including a Tiger Driver for a 2-count, the young Marufuji proved to be too much, knocking Jado loopy with a hook kick to the face and following it up with the Shiranui for the win. Winner: Naomichi Marufuji Match 3: Ace Steel (USA) Vs. Super Delfin (Japan) Sand Bracket Opening Round In one of the most anticipated matches of the First Round, the hard-hitting American Ace Steel entered the arena to “Shitlist” by L7, looking ready to make a statement against his opponent, anger truly shown across his face. Following that, “Knocking on Forbidden Doors” by Enigma creeps out the speakers and the underground Japanese legend Super Delfin comes out to ooh’s and aah’s. Delfin claps hands and poses throughout his walk to the ring, but upon entering, is immediately attacked by Ace Steel! Steel beats down on Delfin, stomping him with force, elbowing him in the face, and throwing him against the ropes with a huge lariat follow-up. Delfin manages to roll out of the ring and disrobe, but Steel quickly follows him out and chases him around the ringside area, but Delfin is able to slide in and as Steel enters, Delfin is able to take the advantage and stomp him. Delfin and Steel then spend much of the rest of the match on the mat, with Delfin using a bit of the lucharesu style on Ace. Steel showed his strength during a combination pin attempt, by kicking Delfin into the air as he kicked-out. A strike exchange between the two allows for Steel to take the upper hand with his strength. A snap suplex after a big punch is followed by a deadlift vertical suplex, and a big leg drop. There is some more back and forth, but Steel overmatches the Delfin with his strength and ferocity, eventually putting him away with the Steel Spike, a diving DDT off the top rope. Winner: Ace Steel Before the next match kicks off, the fans are greeted by the exciting guitar wailing of classic wrestling theme “Integral Hard”, which can only mean one thing, as out walks The Great Sasuke in full gear, plus a white robe to HUGE applause for the crowd. Sasuke, known for his work around the world, seems to be known well here in Las Vegas and the crowd lets him know their joy at seeing him. He poses in the ring, before taking a seat ringside for the next match to determine his opponent. Match 4: Rey Bucanero (Mexico) Vs. Onryo (Japan) Sun Bracket Opening Round One of his partners already wrestling and losing a match, Rey Bucanero enters the arena alone and awaits his enigmatic opponent. A low, intense rumble is heard through the arena, with some ambient sound mixed in as the lights go low. A singular spotlight is placed at the entrance ramp as a creeping, minimally played piano and ghostly sounds are heard before Onryo, face painted, hair over his eyes and wearing dusty gray clothes walks out from the curtain. “Ugetsu” by Ryuichi Sakamoto continues to rumble as Onryo sort of stumbles slowly toward the ring, where Bucanero doesn’t know what to make of him. When the lights return and the music cuts, Rey Bucanero is on Onryo immediately, beating him down and attempting multiple pinfalls, but Onryo rolls out of them half-assed. Onryo shows little emotion nor does he attempt to attack Bucanero, but is unable to be put away. Suddenly, a few minutes in of being completely uninterested in the match, with Bucanero’s back turned, Onryo attacks with fury, ripping and clawing at Bucanero who looks completely flabbergasted. Onryo locks in an arm bar, but Bucanero is able to get to the ropes, and while Onryo doesn’t release and standup, he just sort of rolls immediately out of the ring, losing the emotion that overtook him a minute ago. Bucanero shakes his arm out and launches himself over the top rope, diving onto Onryo. Bucanero stands up and re-enters the ring. Onryo shows no pain on his face, but lays still as the ref counts him out. The bell rings and Bucanero, the referee and the crowd seem completely confused and boo Onryo and his lack of movement. He slowly stands up and walks to the back without acknowledging anyone. Bucanero shrugs, has his hand raised and points at Sasuke in a threatening matter as Sasuke crosses his arms. Everyone walks to the back. Winner: Rey Bucanero Match 5: Michael Modest (USA) Vs. Virus (Mexico) Sea Bracket Opening Round The popular 90’s song “Natural One” by Folk Implosion plays as some members of the audience sing along and out walks Bay Area independent stalwart, and someone the Vegas crowd is familiar with: Michael Modest. He is looking in the best shape of his career and flexing as he walks down the aisle, but makes sure to give high-fives to a handful of the ringside crowd. He is followed out by the technical luchador Virus, entering to “Prime Audio Soup” by Meat Beat Manifesto. Half of his face is painted and he dons a mask, but he takes it off as he enters the ring to boos from the crowd. This is the most technically sound match of the night, with Virus really working holds on Modest that most in the crowd have never seen before. Modest, for his part, is able to stand nearly toe-to-toe, but Virus works his technical expertise to mitigate Modest’s strength advantage. Both men have some big spots, Virus hitting a moonsault in the middle of the ring, and Modest able to do a handstand frankensteiner on Virus. This match also goes longer than the matches prior to it, approaching 17 minutes before Modest is able to snatch Virus off the ground and deadlift him into a fisherman buster before picking him up and delivering the Modest Driver for the pinfall victory. Winner: Michael Modest Match 6: Tarzan Boy (Mexico) Vs. Masaaki Mochizuki (Japan) Sand Bracket Opening Round In easily the best match on the card up to this point, Masaaki Mochizuki and his lethal feet paired up perfectly with Tarzan Boy and his flashy style. The two continually hit big spots, from moonsaults to dives to the outsides, to brainbusters both inside AND outside of the ring. In a huge spot, Tarzan Boy drop kicked Mochizuki off the apron, and ran across the ring before diving over the top rope onto Mochizuki, both men spilling OVER the railing and into the crowd. They brawled for a few seconds in the crowd, before coming back to the ring at the 19 count. Mochizuki seemed to always have the psychological edge, as his toughness and ability to sneak a kick out of nowhere continually surprised Tarzan Boy. After hitting a suplex, Mochizuki followed up with a corner springboard kick back at Tarzan Boy, who was able to dodge it, but ever light on his feet, Mochizuki followed up with a big roundhouse knocking him down. Propping Tarzan Boy up, Mochizuki delivered 3 straight kicks to the chest of Tarzan Boy, doubling him over before bouncing off the ropes and hitting him with a soccer kick to the head. As Mochizuki appealed to the crowd for a second before going for the pin, he was suddenly attacked by Ultimo Guerrero! The bell was rung, but Guerrero went to town on Mochizuki, delivering a reverse suplex, a frog splash and swinging at his knee with a big chairshot. As Tarzan Boy came to, he looked at Guerrero aghast, before smiling and attacking Mochizuki’s right leg himself and hugging Guerrero before heading to the back. Winner (by DQ): Masaaki Mochizuki Match 7: Gedo (Japan) Vs. Elix Skipper (USA) Sea Bracket Opening Round The crowd gets hyped to the sounds of “Party Up” by DMX as Elix Skipper comes out, slapping hands with the fans and smiling on his way to the ring. Gedo enters the arena brandishing a chair and with Jado in tow, who looks banged up from his match earlier in the night. As the two enter the ring, Gedo cocks back the chair as if he is going to hit Skipper with it, but hands it to Jado and laughs. Throughout the match, Skipper is overmatched by the more technically sound Gedo, who is able to get the upper hand on the mat and he uses his cheating ways to every advantage, grinding fingers into his eyes when the referee can’t see, illegally choking, and more. Skipper, ever the athlete, and angry about his previous defeat to Gedo, is able to maneuver his way out of holds with pure strength and willpower, and he continually gets some really neat high spots, including a standing shooting star press. Around the 10 minute mark, Skipper sets up for the Play of the Day, but with his body just out of the referee’s view, Gedo is able to punch Skipper right in his exposed crotch, causing him to collapse. Gedo quickly follows up with the Gedo clutch and gets the 3-count for the victory! Winner: Gedo Prior to the next match, the final tournament contestant with a bye enters the arena as “Goro Vs. Art” from Mortal Kombat plays and the perpetually angry Tatushito Takaiwa walks down to the ring. Not quite having the awards that Ultimo Dragon or The Great Sasuke have, Takaiwa earned his Bye due to dominating performances in the early BCP shows. He walks down in a t-shirt and wrestling trunks, looking like he is ready to fight, even though he isn’t schedule for the day. He ignores the crowd and sits ringside awaiting the two men who may face him in the next round. Match 8: Ikuto Hidaka (Japan) Vs. El Satanico (Mexico) Sand Bracket Opening Round The triumphant sounds of “Go” by Asia sound off in the venue as Ikuto Hidaka, the man who has been destroyed by Takaiwa so far, though showed promise and heart, walks down to the ring. Though diminutive in size, he looks determined as he awaits the lucha legend. Right on cue, “Tres Delinquents” plays for the third time tonight, and out walks the elder, El Satanico. Normally standing ringside the members of his Los Infernales team, he is now leading the charge with Ultimo Guerrero, Rey Bucanero and new member Tarzan Boy walking behind him. All 4 men enter the ring and look on menacingly at Hidaka, but much to the surprise of everyone, Takaiwa slides in the ring and stands in front of Hidaka! This man who has destroyed Hidaka in the past seems to be defending him. Hidaka stands side by side with him, and Satanico finally raises his hands and dismisses his crew, as they check to see if he’s sure. He is, and the 3 men walk to the back as Takaiwa, ever stoic, slides back out of the ring, never even acknowledging Hidaka. The match goes on pretty cleanly and is a lot of back and forth. While both men are experts on the mat, Satanico gets the slight edge, though the speed of Hidaka proves to be a bit of an issue for the luchador. Satanico takes it to the outside a few times, showing his prowess as an elite brawler as well. Knowing that Hidaka employs high-impact kicks, Satanico also continually tries to damage the legs of his opponent, wrapping them around the ropes and the ringpost and doing what he can to slow down Hidaka. However, it proves to not be quite enough, as Hidaka shows that even at half-speed, he’s one of the fastest wrestlers in the world and is able to duck in and out in order to attack Satanico, even taking out his legs as well. When Satanico gets a rear waistlock on Hidaka, Hidaka is able to spin out into his own rear waistlock, hit a german suplex and transition right into a kneebar, and while Satanico fights and fights to get to the ropes to break it up, Hidaka looks STRAIGHT at Takaiwa on the outside and wrenches the hold in tighter before Satanico can do nothing else but tap out! Satanico rolls out of the ring and Bucanero runs out to help him to the back. Takaiwa enters the ring and stares at the exhausted Hidaka, who’s hand is raised. Takaiwa never breaks his stare, but gives a slight nod, before exiting the ring and heading to the back. Winner: Ikuto Hidaka Main Event: Kid Romeo (Puerto Rico) Vs. CIMA (Japan) Sun Bracket Opening Round The wild sounds of “Bodyrock” by Moby play as out walks the man who impressed so recently in the scramble, none other than the student of Ultimo Dragon, CIMA. Dressed in trunks that are multiple shades of blue with tassels, and some light facepaint on, the Japanese rising star enters, clapping hands to the music, dancing a little bit and giving high-fives to the fans. This is interrupted by the now too familiar sounds of “Si Senor” by Control Machete as none other than the manager of the BCP Beyond The Sea Champion, Konnan. Behind him walks the man we saw join him recently, Kid Romeo. Romeo wears red trunks and his body is glistening, looking more like a model than a wrestler, but his impressive strength is evident as he walks down the ring with a certain cocky swagger. These two have locked up before, where both displayed incredible offense on each other. This match is no different, and though Konnan is tempted to get involved from time to time, knowing it helped his other charge, he refrains here, letting Romeo do the heavy lifting. And for his part, he does. Without the training or experience that CIMA has, Romeo is nevertheless impressive, ragdolling CIMA around the ring, lifting him up in a vertical suplex before just tossing him. He shows off impressive agility as well, hitting a springboard leg drop and a standing moonsault on the damaged Japanese grappler. CIMA is too resilient and too good, however, lighting Romeo up with kicks, slaps and a big palm strike to the face. Though he isn’t able to overpower the bigger wrestler, he uses his brain to take out his wheels, nailing Romeo with 4 consecutive dragon screws before locking him into an extended single leg crab. Romeo is able to get the ropes for the break, but the damage is done. The back and forth continues for a little bit, but CIMA is just too much for the less experienced wrestler and hits a double-underhook powerbomb, before climbing to the top rope and nailing Romeo with a Meteora as he attempts to sit up. He follows with the pin and gains the win! Konnan looks on disappointed, as he helps Romeo to the back, but CIMA’s hand is raised in victory as the show closes. Winner: CIMA Results: Ricky Marvin def. Ultimo Guerrero (11:01) (***½) Naomichi Marufuji def. Jado (7:13) (**3/4) Ace Steel def. Super Delfin (9:50) (***¼) Rey Bucanero def. Onryo (4:30) (*) Michael Modest def. Virus (16:58) (***¾) Masaaki Mochizuki def. Tarzan Boy (13:43) (***¾) Gedo def. Elix Skipper (9:01) (***) Ikuto Hidaka def. El Satanico (11:31) (****) CIMA def. Kid Romeo (15:17) (***½)

ANNOUNCING THE FINAL BRACKET FOR THE BEACH CLUB PRO JUNIOR HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE TOURNAMENT BCP Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament (Sept. 5th & 6th): SAND Bracket Tatsuhito Takaiwa (JP) (First Round Bye) Ikuto Hidaka (JP) Vs. El Satanico (MX) Masaaki Mochizuki (JP) Vs. Tarzan Boy (MX) Super Delfin (JP) Vs. Ace Steel (US) Final Cards: September 5th: Sea Bracket 1st Round: Ultimo Guerrero (MX) Vs. Ricky Marvin (MX) Sea Bracket 1st Round: Elix Skipper (US) Vs. Gedo (JP) Sea Bracket 1st Round: Michael Modest (US) Vs. Virus (MX) Sun Bracket 1st Round: Onryo (JP) Vs. Rey Bucanero (MX) Sun Bracket 1st Round: Naomichi Marufuji (JP) Vs. Jado (JP) Sun Bracket 1st Round: CIMA (JP) Vs. Kid Romeo (PR/US) Sand Bracket 1st Round: Ikuto Hidaka (JP) Vs. El Satanico (MX) Sand Bracket 1st Round: Masaaki Mochizuki (JP) Vs. Tarzan Boy (MX) Sand Bracket 1st Round: Super Delfin (JP) Vs. Ace Steel (US) September 6th: Sea Bracket 2nd Round: Winner A Vs. Ultimo Dragon (JP) Sea Bracket 2nd Round: Winner B Vs. Winner C Sun Bracket 2nd Round: Winner A Vs. The Great Sasuke (JP) Sun Bracket 2nd Round: Winner B Vs. Winner C Sand Bracket 2nd Round: Winner A Vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa (JP) Sand Bracket 2nd Round: Winner B Vs. Winner C Sea Bracket Final Sun Bracket Final Sand Bracket Final Junior Tournament 3-Way Final