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Champions Carnival has ended up being pretty disappointing for me and I was glad to hear those thoughts echoed by the panel. Sure there were good matches here and there as you guys described through the cherry picking method but the overall consistency wasn't there and any emotion is drained watching the single cam shows. I do hope the final is exciting and I look forward to things like Mashimo vs Ishikawa's draw. Good discussion on the DDT show as well. One hour draws are one of my guilty pleasures in wrestling so I want to carve out time to watch Konosuke vs Endo. Brennan was probably lower on that match than any other I can recall through the duration of the show.

Your typical stay in the ring and dig the barbed wire into each other match that is not the best of Ian by a longshot. Blaze is really limited as a worker as well. IWA still has a ways to go to become the promotion I love in the 2000’s as they are pretty firmly still a death match style promotion first with matches like these. Some moments here and there but really slow overall. Add to that an asinine finish with two ref bumps and Pondo running out with a ref shirt and doing a quick count and you have a disappointing end to a disappointing show. **1/4

With our pre match promos, the MAW championship is now on the line. Fannin on commentary shoots on MAW and says Corporal was escorted out by his gay lover. Corp takes advantage in the early going but the lumberjack light tube stipulation is first used by Pondo. He then slams his signature stop sign against Corp’s head and smashes a light tube against his dick. Fannin on the time call says we are five minutes into the whipping of Corporal Robinson’s ass. Pondo does a spinning cutter that was actually executed decently for him. The match goes back and forth as a generic hardcore death match with tubes and spots being the main focal point. I will say I didn enjoy the lumberjack portion of this as it keeps the action in the ring which is unique. All of the MAW contingent slam a light tube in unison on Pondo. A minute after that, a huge fight breaks out with all of the lumberjacks all around ringside. Ian sets up a light tube table with salt that Pondo ends up going through. That spells the end of the match as Corp hits the Boot Camp for the victory. **1/2

I was afraid of this, May had been so good up to this point that a disappointment was inevitable. I feel bad critiquing these guys because both had to retire because of how banged up their bodies are. That being said, in rewatching all the IWA-MS stuff I have seen, these two along with Pondo and Rollin’ Hard are my least favorite regulars on the IWA roster. They seem to bring out the worst in indy spot fu action and this was heavy on display here. A long and meandering match with Benoit/Guerrero tribute spots interspersed with lackluster brawling through the crowd. This didn’t have some of the horrendous botches their matches can have but it also didn’t have much meaning. Finally when the match is over, they do the big promo that feels very self-aware. Blah overall. **

Danielson is in a long form match here and this is the main event. Danielson cuts a heel promo and does a pretty good job of it to be this early into his career. Well we have another milestone for Danielson, his first really good singles match. Here he is a straight heel bumping huge for Cade’s offense. When he is on top he shows some good arm work that gives a good grasp of his development and fundamentals. The main component of this match that makes it click is the violence. These two really went after each other and Bryan’s chest is bleeding and all sorts of red. Cade looks like a strong prospect here and a potential predecessor to the line of cowboys in wrestling. Ref bump which is annoying but Danielson pulled the ref in the way. He then tees off with a kick straight to Cade’s head. Spanky runs in and hits a missile dropkick on the referee. He revives the ref in time for Cade to hit the chokeslam and win. Spanky dances afterwards as Cade throws up the hook em horns sign. ***3/4

Here we are with the latest dose of Golden vs Styles. They do say that Eddie’s uncle is Jimmy Golden in this match. They keep putting over the ladder match between these two but I think I liked this match better as it is more fundamentally sound and tells a better story through the work of both men. Bailey just stomping on Styles on the outside as Al Getz laughs on commentary is a nice moment. Styles is really bumping all over the place smacking the ring barricade. Referee gets bumped and here comes Steve Martin to make the count like he has done before. Right before the three, AJ pulls up and then he attacks Martin. Jorge Estrada comes out and AJ gives him the facebuster. AJ now is a member of Bailey’s team. It seems like they are trying to do a Barry Windham 1988 style turn here for AJ but it didn’t really make sense that way. **3/4

This doesn’t last too long but is an absolute blast while it takes place. Felino is in great form looking like he did in the 7/4/97 classic vs Santo. The finish is brilliant as in the second fall, Satanico fakes a foul in a real exaggerated manner and doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt. Fast forward to the third fall, Ultimo Guerrero does the same thing and this time they get the fall and the win. Negro Casas has enough of that shit and boots him right in the nuts as a result. Man, I am loving lucha right now. ***1/2

It looks like Tineblas is barely able to fit into his suit. Panther also has some slightly alternate gear that looks real good. This is mainly about the rudos as the tecnicos team is pretty limited but the rudos keep it entertaining. Warrior was on point today with a huge dive onto Tarzan Boy in the first fall, some sneaky fouls. Wagner abuses Alsuhe and carries him to the commentary booth. Emilio and Panther have the best in ring sequence in the second fall making me think a good singles between those two would still be a lot of fun to watch in 2000. The height that Warrior gets by being powerbombed by Tarzan Boy is great. Alushe getting his revenge in the second fall is sweet as he punches and kicks Wagner right in the face. Emilio starts the final fall off with a wild dive to the outside. Alushe goes for a dive from the top until he is stopped by Pierroth. Tienblas chases him to the back but Wagner splashes Alushe. That does give the tecnicos the DQ win but Tineblas little buddy is in bad shape. Fun times. ***

I was really looking forward to this match. Yu Yu has been impressive so far and even Toyota herself has been on point and reigned in for her standards. This starts furiously with a handshake being turned into a Toyota onslaught. Tons of Germans and big bombs has Yu Yu reeling and her grappling skills that she does possess are going to be ancillary in this match. She shows some good resilience in firing back and regaining control. Yu Yu targets the midsection and I surmise this is a strong strategy to perhaps get Toyota winded as her stamina is certainly one of her strengths overall. Toyota is extra vicious in this match fish hooking Yu Yu when she has her in the camel clutch. She also grabs at the hair and counts along with the ref until she breaks at the last second. This is some Daniel Bryan ROH title run shit as she is stretching Yu Yu around with submissions. A big time staredown happens with both women realizing they are in a big time fight. Toyota offers a test of strength. Yu Yu brekas this with a cheapshot and gets her in ghte corner where she continues to go after the midsection of Toyota. Now she pulls at the hair of Toyota and slaps her forehead in an insulting manner. Toyota bites her leg to break that up. Toyota controls the next section and is a prick hitting missile dropkicks and doing her clap routine in a saracastic manner. A rolling cradle gets a nearfall too. It is weird in an AJW ring to be cheering for the outside in Yu Yu but she certainly is the sympathetic person of this match. Toyota gets greedy and misses a dropkick through the ropes and to the outside. Yu Yu seizes the opening throwing Toyota into chairs and the announce table. Toyota comes back and does the same. She also hits another German on the outside. In an unfortunate moment, Toyota trips up top and goes spilling to the outside in a scary scene. Yu Yu hits a few kicks but it appears Toyota is legit hurt with her arm. The match halts as they check in on her. The referee has to pop her shoulder back into place. Toyota continues and Yu Yu continues her attack. I don’t think that was planned but it is a rare instance where a botch helps the match as now we have another wrinkle of storyline and Yu Yu is not shying away from attacking the injured area. Crowd heat finally gets better here with Yu Yu running through a bunch of suplexes and throws to a nearfall. She goes for an armbar and Toyota frantically gets to the ropes. Toyota is finally able to gain a little distance and attacks in a hurried pace hitting a dive to the outside and even doing her jumping dive which is impressive on one arm. Missile dropkick from the top to the floor! Moonsault back on the inside gets a really close nearfall. Yu Yu has the look of someone that had the golden key in front of her and now sees that slipping away. She gives one more go at it with a kick to the midsection but then gets caught in a tiger suplex variation. Another dropkick from the middle rope and Yu Yu has to put her foot on the rope to break the pin. Toyota gets the Ocean Cyclone Suplex and wins the match becoming a hero again fighting through the shoulder. Awesome match. ****1/4

Kind of weird they are having this match after the big cage match but I guess the titles are on the line now. First two falls are really quick with no feeling out process whatsoever. Maekawa does hit her kicks very efficiently which was crucial in making the first fall seem credible so props there. Third fall has more of a brawl all over the ringside area. The crowd brawling is certainly clichéd but I may just be an LCO apologists in that it doesn’t bother me that much because of how hateful they are. Watanabe is also busted open which adds to the drama. The remainder of the match is a sense of survival for Watanabe and is pretty gripping to watch. She is able to weather a ton of punishment. The final moments are even more dramatic with Watanabe in the ring again and trying her best not to be defeated as LCo throws everything they can at her. I will offer up a critique that even though Maekawa saves a few of the pin attempts, it does feel like LCO did a bit too much for Watanabe to still kick out. In a nice parallel of the cagematch, Shimoda misses her kick again and that really turns the tide of the match overall. Watanabe wastes Shimoda with a clinch bomb and they end up winning in around 21 minutes overall. This didn’t have much of a tag structure at all but it also wasn’t a your turn, my turn bomb fest and did have the connective narrative of Watanabe’s blade job. ****

I really like having Too Cool and Rikishi kept in the mix that they can throw into tv main events when people like Rock and Austin are elsewhere. This is an elimination match. The opening minutes were good with Too Cool getting eliminated and Rikishi having to overcome the odds. Rikishi does well going against all three guys and is able to send HHH to the outside allowing him to pin Road Dogg and X-Pac. Big Rikishi chant as him and HHH stare off. Patterson runs down and sends his shit stained underwear into Rikishi’s face. Not the best storyline here. The payoff does happen quickly as Rikishi grabs Pat and the underwear and uses it against HHH. Stephanie gets into the ring and we get a big time tease of her getting the stinkface but Patterson gets it instead. HHH hits a pedigree and escapes with a win. **3/4

E&C ask a kid for $5 backstage for his autograph. Pretty fair deal if you ask me. They also do the same deal as on the UK PPV with charging $10 for the picture. There is an RC Cola vending machine behind them that you don’t see everyday. They do a promo continuing to get more heel heat and then align themselves with Angle which is a good pairing. Match only goes four minutes but with these guys, it is again strong. Benoit does a run in and attacks Jericho. The spear Edge delivers to Jericho here looks good. Benoit and Jericho are fighting on the ramp way and Christian uses the ring bell to give the heels the win. Jericho and Benoit continue their brawl setting up Judgment Day. *1/2

Scorpio Sr. holds up the title and we have Jorge Gomez there for the proceedings too. Cerebro having the medical logo on his mask is a nice touch. Another match enhanced by the atmosphere and the feeling of an old school match with families going to the matches as their entertainment for the week. They show an audience clip of what I assume is an adult daughter putting her head on her mom’s shoulder that is endearing. Also little touches like after Vampiro’s excellent dive in the end of the first fall, they show the concessions guy passing out the beers and popcorn to the patrons. The opening 9 minutes of this are all matwork and the guys are stuck together like glue. Cerebro then really goes to work on the leg of Vampiro. We have talked about the leg selling and this I think is a great example of effective selling without the leg being totally neutralized. The leg is bothering Vampiro but he still is able to hit that amazing dive that turns the tide on the whole fall. They spill into the front row from the momentum of the dive and Vampiro secures the win shortly thereafter. Second fall opens up with Cerebro attacking the leg again with a bit more aggression and desperation now that he is down a fall. They have done a good job throughout this match in showing that Vampiro can hit one big move to overtake control of the match. He is also limping more and more on the leg. Vampiro tries to lift Cerebro up for a suplex but the leg gives way and a roll up by Cerebro with an assist from the ropes gives him the second fall. Vampiro pleads his case to the referee to no avail. Third fall opens up with more desperation from both and we get another insane dive by Vampiro. That is followed up with Cerebro’s first dive of the match. Inside, a series of nearfalls narrowly get a victory for both men. Vampiro goes for one more big move to put Cerebro away in the lionsault but this misses and Cerebro hits a DVD for a 2.9 count. Vampiro comes back and has Cerebro all tied up but Cerebro refuses to submit. Cerebro then catches Vampiro in a great submission with the arms locked up and him upside down on Cerebro’s knee. That gains the submission win. Love Cerebro staggering around favoring the arm right after the match. This is classic title match lucha. If that isn’t your thing, no need to give this a try as you will say it was boring as shit and slap down a ** rating. If you do like title match lucha, this was a pretty damn good interpretation of that style. Awesome show for IWRG overall. ****

I need a breather after the previous Villano and Guapos trios. This has a ton of guys I am not that familiar with so much like the Safari and Zumbido stuff we have seen in CMLL, this is a good chance to see a bunch of the lower level guys in IWRG. Another longish first fall with everyone able to work out some stuff and showcase some matwork. Certainly solid stuff and I like the Mega’s outfit. A crazy move is attempted and nearly pulled off beautiful of one of the Mega guys standing on the apron and someone jumping over him from the top of the ropes and hooking him with a head scissors to the floor. Tilt a whirl backbreaker on the outside as well. Overall, this wouldn’t make you think anyone here is a blow away star but it is a fun 15 minutes that helps keep the show moving along. **1/2

This started much more like the matches that were happening in CMLL began with a big beatdown. IWRG certainly doesn’t shy away from running rudo vs rudo trios. Shocker and Villano III pair off and Shocker is really nasty digging into the eyes of Villano III. III continues to be a sympathetic figure and it looks like the Villanos are going to be defacto tecnicos here as we get mask ripping from the Shocker contingent. After they take the first fall, the Villano brothers come back with a vengeance in fall #2. These guys are great garbage brawlers and are able to make the brawling around the ringside area seem more dangerous and violent than any of the US companies doing the hardcore stuff mainly for comedy. Scorpio is busted open terribly as the third fall opens up with the Villanos flying around everywhere. Shocker has some juice too. Bestia and Villano IV have a mano y mano battle. Back inside the ring we get a great sequence culminating in III punching Shocker right in the face and hitting a clothesline. The way that you can tell Shocker’s team is completely gassed but yet has too much pride to back down is one of the endearing things about lucha. These guys are despicable but they aren’t cowards. Scorpio’s facials in particular are some of the best I have ever seen from him including the Santo feud from 1999. Bestia tries to end it by claiming a foul but no one is buying that. Scorpio and a Villano brother fight from the ring to the floor and again we are left with Shocker and III. Shocker actually gets the best of this exchange and hits a plancha on the outside. I have no idea who is going to take this now and am really engrossed. IV and V have submissions locked on but Shocker and III are back inside the ring and it appears III gets fouled allowing the Superguapos to win the match as Bestia and Scorpio hang on. God bless lucha. This may honestly be one of my favorite trios of all time. It had storytelling, blood, hate, wrestling on the mat and interesting finishes. ****1/2

The Star Wars inspired team is hilarious. I also enjoy the symmetry of life that I am watching this on May 4. The Toryumon contingent is the rudos here. The C3PO vs Arai segment was fine but things really pick up in the first fall between Susumu and R2D2. Rudos are able to put the match away with some double team moves and a splash from Arai followed by a nice powerbomb by Susumu. Watching the frantic pace of CMLL and AAA, it is refreshing to see this type of match in lucha that takes it time and lets the younger guys work out some things. Second fall has some good dominance by the rudos until the tecnicos make their big flash comeback and are able to take the fall. Third fall kind of follows a similar structure as Susumu looks to have the match won but gets rolled up. Solid stuff all around and again just the absurdity of the Star Wars gimmicks plus the contrast to the other lucha we have watched make this more enjoyable overall. ***1/4

One of the reasons I love shoot style happens 20 seconds into this match. Nagai immediately goes to the ground inviting Ishikawa down there. Ishikawa proceeds to take this as an insult as he punches Nagai twice right in the face. Check out the woman in the far right of the front row facial expression as she is laughing not really realizing what Nagai is doing to complete horror as she sees Ishikawa just waylay on him. It is a great reaction and shows the visceral violence that can be conveyed in the shoot style setting. This is an interesting match to rank and talk about. I could very well be reading too much into things but this felt like either a collection of short stories or a jazz composition. We had a little bit of a overlying theme but for the most part this felt like a couple of standalone segments that tied together into a whole match. There was just enough there for me to not have this feel completely disjointed. Some visuals like Ishikawa grasping for the rope on the apron and falling and his wry smile after throwing the right hook wont easily escape my memory. Ishikawa is usually someone I associate as the mat technician compared to a striker like Ikeda but this was almost exclusively a stand up kickboxing style bout. Nagai hasn’t been in the ring with chopped liver this year with signature matches vs Ikeda and now Ishikawa but he has held up his end of the deal. He even gets the leg lock submission here to complete the night of upsets. ****

I am still waiting on that Tanaka match that blows me away although this came the closest . I have found this series to be good matches as a ceiling but also matches that are dry as a bone. To me it is night and day the transitions and intensity exhibited here compared to the Taira vs Otsuka match. It is really starting to formulate the opinion to me that Minoru Tanaka was just pegged as the next big shoot style guy and that combined with him in NJ raised his notrierty even if it wasn’t earned. The opening of this feels like a sparring practice session and was extremely dull. The head kick Tanaka gives around eight minutes in spices things up but my annoyment level had already been raised by that point. The minute Usuda goes after the leg, that raises the stakes again and we get some urgency from him that helps move things along. The final 7-8 minutes are really good and this is probably a match that would look great in JIP form. Usuda is able to kick out of a couple of huge leg kicks and avoid the arm submissions just enough. He finally grasps on a leg lock that Minoru can’t escape from and we have a new champion with a pretty surprised Korakuen looking on. ***1/2

Thanks to Jetlag for pointing this match out for us. I don't know if I have ever seen Taira before but after that rough Thunder, this was the perfect palate cleanser. Taira starts off by going after the leg of Otsuka forcing him to retreat on the outside for a bit and realize he is facing a tough challenge. Opening three minutes play off like this with Taira getting a good advantage and having to roll into some funky positions to maintain that. Otsuka kicks him outside the ring in an act of frustration. Taira responds with a quick dropkick to prove he isn't backing down. Otsuka finally finds an opening and is quite frankly tired of this shit so he powerbombs Taira down from the corner. Now Otsuka is rolling but a little extra oomph with his kicks in the corner. In a nice bit of resourcefulness, Taira is able to roll out of a throw and into another wonky leg lock. The jockeying back and forth to the finale is excellent and that Pele kick did not disappoint. Just a horrendous thud when Taira throws it. Taira gets overzealous as he smells blood and he gets caught in a powerbomb, giant swing, and wicked leg submission he is forced to tap on. Hell of an effort from Taira as he went from a non entity to someone I rushed to Charles and said we needed to view more of throughout the 2000's. ****1/4

They are still showing clips of Kanyon getting thrown off the cage with Tony saying its one of the most horrific scenes ever seen on PPV. Honestly too soon guys. Sting has a crow that comes out before him now. Awesome is playing up the career killer gimmick name now. Match is nothing although the back body drop bump on the apron with Awesome going through the table was good. They fight on top of the ambulance and Sting delivers a Scorpion Death Drop. He goes to load Awesome in, but is misted by Vampiro who throws Sting inside and then drives away with Awesome still on the roof. 1/2*

These two showcased some decent chemistry again for the two minutes this was a regular match. Bischoff keeps changing the stipulation going from No DQ, to falls count anywhere, to handicap match, to I Quit until finally Horace loses. Bischoff offers Horace a spot on the New Blood. Hulk runs out now which makes me wonder what the fuck he has been doing backstage for the past ten minutes. Nash makes his usual late run in and Russo has some words for him. Russo lets him know that he is no longer cool and responds by the red of the New Blood coming down on Nash. New Blood would love to be on Nickelodeon. This whole sequence did nothing for me and made Kidman look weak. 3/4*

I have no idea if Palumbo will be a good worker or not. Funk is being presented as the big underdog with Bischoff really wanting to pry the title off of him. This is essentially a third rate version of the Jericho angle from Raw. The hardcore match is your basic affair with Palumbo about to toss Funk over until the Total Package comes out and attacks Palumbo. Security maces Luger and then they just leave as Palumbo pounds Luger against the wall. Yawn. *

A good five minute match. Crowbar and Candido really bump all over the place with dives on the floor and a suplex onto the ramp. Daphney is able to hit her frankenscreamer and then her and Tammy have a catfight that excites Tenay. Candido hits a nice diving headbutt to win the match. **1/4

I want to watch this again but on first watch it was akin to Honma vs. Ishii from New Beginning 2015 for me. A great, great match but one that is worked at such a blistering pace that it feels like a spotfest and while I am enamored in the moves and stuff that is pulled out in real time, on subsequent viewings the match loses something. My rating is going to be kind of META in that regard in that I am adjusting it for that situation. Omega definitely knows how to craft an exciting match and Ishii is able to bump and sell in a really convincing manner that looks brutal. His bump off of the short DDT for example was brutal. Ending minutes were just insanity and Ishii doing the reverse rana did have me fist pumping while watching. This was a great setup to the Okada vs Omega II match at Dominion. ****1/4

Always nice to check in on the CMLL B team. This was a good intro match that served as a nice buffer from the stuff we have watched chronologically. Some good sequences and dives. Safari especially hits a wild tope that clears out a few rows of the Arena Coliseo crowd. Neutron started earlier than I would have imagined given his current output. His look is awesome here but workrate was just so so. **1/2