Wrestlemania Weekend 2018

[Zoo Enthusiast]

If you add to PCO vs WALTER : Ellsworth vs Riddle, Starr vs Quackenbuch, the Clusterfuck and Sasuke vs Janela, Sprink Break 2 was easily the best and most insane show of the week-end. The invisible man deal was hilarious. Ellsworth was a much better worker than Nick Gage, Starr is my new favourite hairy worker. And Sasuke is still fucking insane. The main-event was a beautiful, completely organic, insane, ridiculous, fucked-up old-school ECW/FMW style clusterfuck. Those bumps these two took, Sasuke being 48 or something, warmed the heart of this old-school garbage match fan. This was indie sleaze at its best to me.

Starr is way, way up on my list of faves. Saw him have what I thought was a really good match vs Juice Robinson at the CZW show on Saturday.

[Edwin]

Bloodsport -- I originally thought this was GCW's attempt at running a faux ganryujima event, yet it was GCW's version of Antonio Inoki's INOKI BOM-BA-YE event mixing MMA fighters and grapplers with pro-wrestlers in a worked environment. If you liked this, then you have to watch INOKI BOM-BA-YE 2000 which was great (namely Sasuke & Matsui vs. Shoji & Uno, Hashimoto vs. Goodridge and Coleman & Kerr vs. Nagata & iizuka).

WALTER/Lawlor was fun.

 

MiSuzuki/Riddle was a lot of fun too.

Garrini/KTB, King/Hot Sauce and Thatcher/Gage weren't good. KTB looked entirely lost on the ground and he made Garrini's sweep even look poor and the best he had to offer were his 12 to 9 elbows and Garrini is legit on the ground, but he didn't look too great here. King did not look great. The majority of his strikes looked poorly timed and poorly executed, namely that knee near the end which they got from Nakamura Tokyo Dome matches (see Nakamura vs. Takayma and Nakamura vs. Sakuraba). Hot Sauce's slaps and face kicks were great and his ground work and transitions looked OK, but the highlight of this match was Riddle's work as a cornerman. The MDK Gang Affiliated is basically pro-wrestlings equivalent of the Diaz Brothers Stockton wannabe gangster talk which is sad.

MASADA/Stone started out good on the ground with them actually showing some competency and showing signs of grappling basics by exploiting openings without trying to be overly flashy. The slaps on the ground were pretty great too. Unfortunately this fell apart and the ref. botched the finish.

Severn/Dickinson was the first match that felt shootie with the gritty matwork between them and Dickinson dropping Severn with kicks and dropping ground and pound on Severn. Some great selling of the gritty grappling during them. Some odd instances as you can see they are both gassed and the horrible ref. stand up while Dickinson was dropping elbows on Severn from the side mount dragged this down.

JJSB2 -- PCO vs. WALTER was pretty great.

Sasuke was obviously booked for the barrel spot, but he couldn't pull it off here. The rest was exactly what you would expect it to be. Not a bad show by any chance.

Also, I don't get the David Starr hype. He seems like an interchangeable thigh slap heavy indy wrestler. I've seen a ton of his stuff everywhere and I've yet seen him put on a great performance. The best I've actually seen him in was his match with WALTER in Beyond where he got wrecked. Not a fan of the Janela series, nor of the Riddle series. I'm sure I've seen his stuff with Gage too and it wasn't memorable. PCO vs. WALTER aside, I thought last years JJSB was better.

[Mad Dog]

I haven't seen a ton of Starr. I enjoyed his match with Quack but that match, to me, spoke more about Quack still being really good more than any takeaway I had about Starr.

[Phil Schneider]

We reviewed EVOLVE 103 which had a bunch of fun matches although nothing blow away great

 

http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2018/04/wrestlemania-weekend-cherry-picking_13.html

[Zoo Enthusiast]

We reviewed EVOLVE 103 which had a bunch of fun matches although nothing blow away great

 

http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2018/04/wrestlemania-weekend-cherry-picking_13.html

Had forgotten about Dirty Daddy vs Haskins. Was a big fan of that one.

[Dylan Waco]

 

Love Gage for what he is and Style Battle was the best booked WWN branded show of the weekend which is a massive indictment really.

 

Yeah, but you also love Spike Dudley. (best booked I dunno, maybe, but it was pretty fucking poor in term of in-ring work with only the main event being quite good)

 

 

Yeah I don't agree with that at all. Of the tournament matches there was nothing that was less than good and/or fitting the narrative of the tourney. If that's a bad show in your eyes our aesthetics have drifted so far apart that there is basically no common ground

[El-P]

Well, I guess us finding Spring Break 2 being the most enjoyable show of the week-end and loving PCO vs WALTER is irrelevant then. Then again, it's nothing new, way back when we both watched shitloads of ECW, you were acting like we disagreed on everything when it really wasn't the case (Spike, Candido, I remember these two being our most opposite views, Raven too I guess). I dunno, it was just odd to me, likewise your last sentence when I just posted a raving review of a match you mentioned as a great live experience for you. Whatever...

[Edwin]

WrestleCon SuperShow -- Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb was really good.

Skipped the intergender match as it's not my type of thing and the Fénix & Horus vs. Bandido & Flamita match was a tag version of the Penta vs. Fénix match I've already seen twice live in MLW which comes across better live than on video. Adam Brooks low blow spam trying to draw cheap heat before spamming more flips maybe one of the lamest things all weekend. MiSuzuki and Tanahashi were in house show match mode and ironically enough that's how that match felt. Golden Lovers vs. Chuck & Flip was exactly what you'd expect...

Another guy I don't get is Juice Robinson. Every time I've seen him, he's pretty average and I just assume fans like him because he's a regular New Japan foreigner and of course that means he's good like Jay White...

The Crash -- Venue seemed a bit empty compared to the WrestleCon SuperShow. I'm guessing there was a big WWN Live show going at this time. This was the show a friend of mine was really looking forward to attend and it was not good; most of the matches were all really short and all of them seemed like showcase matches where everyone was focused on just getting their stuff in with the exception of the LWO match which was a straight up brawl, although it wasn't a particularly memorable one, but still the best match on the show.

[Dylan Waco]

Well, I guess us finding Spring Break 2 being the most enjoyable show of the week-end and loving PCO vs WALTER is irrelevant then. Then again, it's nothing new, way back when we both watched shitloads of ECW, you were acting like we disagreed on everything when it really wasn't the case (Spike, Candido, I remember these two being our most opposite views, Raven too I guess). I dunno, it was just odd to me, likewise your last sentence when I just posted a raving review of a match you mentioned as a great live experience for you. Whatever...

 

Fair point. Back to ignoring you.

[Dylan Waco]

After watching all the WC venue shows I think the closest thing we can find to a breakout star of the weekend is Bandido. Really only one great match but he was good every time he turned up and has a cool Hayabusa-ish look. Juice Robinson probably had the best weekend that isn't being talked about at all. He really only had one good match, but I thought Willie Mack looked good in everything for a guy who really isn't thought or talked about much anymore

[El-P]

 

Well, I guess us finding Spring Break 2 being the most enjoyable show of the week-end and loving PCO vs WALTER is irrelevant then. Then again, it's nothing new, way back when we both watched shitloads of ECW, you were acting like we disagreed on everything when it really wasn't the case (Spike, Candido, I remember these two being our most opposite views, Raven too I guess). I dunno, it was just odd to me, likewise your last sentence when I just posted a raving review of a match you mentioned as a great live experience for you. Whatever...

 

Fair point. Back to ignoring you.

 

.....

 

Thanks for dropping some knowledge on us, my lord. Don't forget to inform the people down there next time you'll drop a post, like you usually do. You're really that important.

 

I thought Willie Mack looked good in everything for a guy who really isn't thought or talked about much anymore

 

The Mack is being talked about by us all who enjoy LU. Oh, I forgot the ignore function already. So go ahead, tell us again what should be talked about, as your prerogatives command.

 

For fuck's sake.

[Dylan Waco]

On Ishii v Cobb I liked the match fine, but it didn't really hit with me because I'd already seen PCO v WALTER. Cobb v Ishii was the "cleaner" match but I also prefer a match like that to have some build to the bombs which the PCO/WALTER match had. In general I'm kind of over Ishii at this point

[El-P]

Another guy I don't get is Juice Robinson. Every time I've seen him, he's pretty average and I just assume fans like him because he's a regular New Japan foreigner and of course that means he's good like Jay White...

 

He's a lot better than Jay White from what I've seen of the later, but he's also got the worse ironic look ever. Well I hope that's ironic. He's got a punching routine that's over, he's pretty dynamic. Jury's out on him honestly, I didn't watch thatNnaito match last year that was pimped nor the G1 stuff. But there's something about those NJ gaijins (him, Finlay, Henare) having some awful, WCW circa 93 JTTS looks that just doesn't sit well with me.

[Edwin]

Thatcher vs. Garrini from EVOLVE 103 given 10 or more minutes than it got and had they been able to keep up the work they were doing would've been a MOTYC.

 

Take 3 minutes away from the 4 way and 7 minutes away from Dickinson/Haskins and add those to Thatcher vs. Garrini and we would've been better off.

[El-P]

Starr is way, way up on my list of faves. Saw him have what I thought was a really good match vs Juice Robinson at the CZW show on Saturday.

 

Agreed. One of the better match on that card. I like how Starr looks like some nephew of Victor Zangiev too.

 

Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed Desmond Xavier vs Ospreay, so like I said, I'm warming up, despite some ridiculous sequences in which a reverse rana is basically not sold more than one second. But this match had some strong intensity and really good selling by Ospreay.

 

Cobb vs Gacy was pretty good too, although a bit spotty for my tastes.

 

And the best spot of the night was Penelope Ford & Laura James doing the kisses exchange, which is the funniest parody of a 00's pro-wrestling trope that really has become too prevalent everywhere now. The whole intergender match was a hoot anyway.

[Edwin]

I guess I'm alone because I personally didn't dig anything from the CZW show.

 

I don't get/aren't a fan of Juice or Starr, so their match did nothing for me. Juice ring attire looks like what I'd imagine Superstar Billy Graham would look like in 2018 if he walked into a rave and Starr to me is one of the more overrated indy guys who's great matches I don't see the appeal to and who's too thigh slap friendly (then again this is something that's really played out in wrestling at the moment).

 

Given I had already seen Cobb vs. Ishii which I thought was really good, the Gacy match was nothing in comparison.

 

As for Xavier and Ospreay, yeah, there was about 50 other matches worked in that same style and even including them, so I'd pass on that. I'd say Ospreay vs. Fox from EVOLVE 102 was a better match worked the same style and I still wasn't blown away by it.

 

Edit: Still haven't seen the WWNLive SuperShow, but I have seen both GCW shows, both EVOLVE shows and almost all of the WrestleCon shows and I can safely say the WWNLive Experience was far better than the WrestleCon shows on video.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

I hated Cobb/Gacy in the crowd, very much (I would say it was the worst match I saw live, until the ROH womens title match). And I am a big Cobb fan. Maybe I was already dreading that I was having to go to ROH. We wound up leaving before Xavier/Ospreay and I havent gotten around to it yet, unfortunately.

[Edwin]

Riddle had the best weekend for me and it's not even comparable. I watched his matches against vs. Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Daisuke Sekimoto and Will Ospreay and they were all good/really good/great.

 

I wasn't going to watch Style Battle, but given Riddle's performances, I think it's worth watching just to see how he did there.

 

WWN's shows were far, far better than those of WrestleCon.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

I saw Riddle live 5X and he killed it every time. Only one that was even close for me was WALTER.

[Dylan Waco]

Thatcher and Garrini was cut short because Tim got busted open

[Jimmy Redman]

The only non-WWE show I saw all weekend was Spring Break, and for what it's worth I thought it was great.

 

Never in my life did I ever imagine I would be live in the building to witness The Invisible Man win the prestigious second annual Clusterfuck. That shit was tremendous and I loved the fucking hell out of everyone taking his shit. That dude hitting him with a piledriver and getting EJECTED FROM THE BUILDING was the smartest comedy spot I have ever fucking seen. Well, not seen seen. But yeah I loved the Clusterfuck and all of the shenanigans within. Particularly the Session Moth sheila and when that guy jobbed to a cigarette burn.

 

WALTER vs PCO was another big highlight, that shit was brutal beyond belief. WALTER has the hardest chops I've ever seen live. When PCO started Hulking Up and NO SELLING THE CHOPS I lost my damn mind. It was truly insane. And then on top of that he busts out his FLIPZ and you have a 50 year old bowling ball looking motherfucker just flipping all over the place like a maniac. His chest was fucking disgusting. PCO actually winning was surprising and felt unexpected, but you can't begrudge him that when he's working out of his skin like this.

 

The opening cluster was a fun spotfest. I was fucking HOWLING at Teddy Hart flat out refusing to catch a single one of those dives. What a dick. Riddle/Ellsworth was worth it just for the spot where Riddle missed the superkick past Ellsworth's nonexistent chin. Starr/Quack was some neato chain wrestling stuff that actually got over to a past 2am crowd so that's something. I'm glad to have seen Quack live. To be honest I got out of there while Janela/Sasuke was going on because I was completely fucking cooked and out on my feet. But it was a hell of a show.

 

On another note, not sure where else to say this but the entire Wrestlemania Weekend was a motherfucking blast and I loved every second of it. Shoutout to anyone who posts here that I met over the weekend, we were all using shoot names so I have no idea who that would be, except of course Matt and Justin, and Zoo Enthusiast who helpfully introduced himself to me as Zoo Enthusiast.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Was wonderful to meet you!

[El-P]

I was fucking HOWLING at Teddy Hart flat out refusing to catch a single one of those dives.

 

That was ridiculous. There was another spot at the Pancakes & Piledrivers (was this a matine show ?) where he was sitting in the corner and basically got himself right in position on the mat next to Jack Evans to receive the Lucha Brothers bump, then got back in the corner. Just baffling. Is Teddy Hart always that godawful on purpose (not to mention his offense which make Petey Williams looks like Bob Backlund) ?

 

The Mercury Rising supershow was easily the best top to bottom show of the indies (ok, I have two more shows to watch + ROH, but I doubt House of Hardcore will be better...). Only the womens match was clearly subpar and the opener was the kind of indierrific clusterfuck that I have no time for, especially during a binge watching session. But the last three matches + the tag team three way brawl (with that pale, fat, old looking guy who does a moonsault and those two Powers of Pain looking mofos going through unbreakable tables, fun stuff) + Sawa vs ZSJ were just the most quality stuff I've seen on a single show. Too bad the announcing sucks though.

[Edwin]

Is Teddy Hart always that godawful on purpose (not to mention his offense which make Petey Williams looks like Bob Backlund) ?

Teddy Hart is a lunatic. His feud with Homicide in JAPW is great. His work in JAPW is mostly made up of wild arena brawls with a ton of fish hooking, mouth punching, flying unprotected chair shots and random moonsaults off different platforms.

 

Edit: Can't believe no one has mentioned this, but... Teddy Hart teamed up with BIG POPPA PUMP at the Impact vs. LU event.

 

dead.gif

 

They wrestled oVe and the match sucked, but talk about a dream team...

[El-P]

Really, he comes of as easily one of the worst guy I've seen during this indy binge, as in "I really don't want to ever see that guy again" bad. Hell, he managed to make Joey Ryan boring at House of Hardcore.

Speaking of which, the biggest takeaway from that show is that Billy Gunn looks freaking awesome at 54. And works about as well as he did 10 years earlier in TNA. Make of that last sentence what you will...