WrestleCon US versus the World
The idea behind WrestleCon US versus the World was very simple – nine matches with US talent versus talent from around the world, winner takes all. Some interesting talent and matches were booked for this show and with the simple nationalistic narrative, it had the potential to be low-key good.
Emil Sitoci versus Brian Pillman Jr.
What I know: Outside of the Clusterfuck at Spring Break 3 Part 2, this is my first proper look at Pillman Jr. against a solid hand in Sitoci.
Match: A quick start from both men ended up with the match heading to ringside, with the wily veteran Sitoci taking advantage by slamming Pillman’s leg into the guardrail. This allowed him to do some simple and effective heel work in targeting the leg with submissions and strikes. Pillman worked well from underneath, coming back into the contest with a nice powerslam for two. After kicking out of a splitlegged moonsault and landing a top rope crossbody, Pillman Jr. won the contest with a crossarmed neckbreaker.
Verdict: Benefitted from a fresh crowd, whilst it told a decent rookie/veteran story with the right man winning.
Ethan Page versus MJF
What I know: I liked the very little I saw of Ethan Page in EVOLVE, whilst I’ve also liked the little bit of MJF I’ve seen as he is so very unlikeable.
Match: Hilariously, Page started the match by mocking MJF’s appearance on the Rosie O’Donnell show and singing ‘My Only Sunshine’ with some involvement from the crowd. Page even conducted the crowd mid-MJF submission, though his focus on annoying MJF seemed to backfire more often than not. It took the referee getting involved – kicking MJF’s arm away from the ropes due to cheating during a submission – for Page to get back into the contest. Unfortunately, MJF landed the Heatseeker Piledriver, placed his foot on the ropes and gave the USA a 2-0 lead.
Verdict: An effective contest on a weekend where they would be required to wrestle multiple times. Good level of heat, without either guy going above and beyond to cripple each other.
David Starr versus Daga
What I know: My love for Starr has been made clear before, but I’ve never seen Daga before.
Match: A blistering opening to the contest deservedly got the fans applauding as the two men traded blocks and reversals. Starr’s attempts to slow Daga down didn’t initially work as he was chopped down to size with some kicks, though Starr did grab some nearfalls off of two flash pinfall attempts. An early Blackheart Buster wasn’t enough for the win for Starr, whilst delayed sells on a Han Stansen and a DVD had both men down at the same time. Nearfalls continued to fly, but it looked like the finish was slightly botched as a powerbomb with a prawn hold by Starr saw Daga’s shoulder come off of the mat. Starr quickly applied a submission and Daga tapped out.
Verdict: Outside of the finish, a fun little match that had some good back and forth moments between the two men.
Black Taurus versus Darby Allin
What I know: I’ve not seen Black Taurus, but a pre-WM weekender podcast sold me on this match as a match to look forward to.
Match: The first slaps by Taurus to Allin’s face set the tone as Taurus was ready to brutalise his much smaller opponent, yet Allin, when using his speed, could escape and lay on a hurting of his own. An early suicide dive effectively highlighted this, though Taurus shook it off to nail a shining wizard when they re-entered the ring. Allin continued to try and utilise his pace advantage, grabbing a two count with a Yoshi Tonic. A wild exchange saw Taurus backdropped over the top rope and Allin following him with a coffin drop. An attempt to repeat the coffin drop in the ring saw Allin collide with Taurus’ legs, leaving him vulnerable to a spinning Michinoku driver variation for the win.
Verdict: Really fun big man/little man contest. Allin is always worth watching.
Jiro ‘Ikemen’ Kuroshio versus Rich Swann
What I know: I know nothing of Ikeman outside of word of mouth – I don’t care for Swann.
Match: Ikemen’s entrance was amazing, it is worth noting, whilst Swann also tried to one up it. There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors to begin with, including Jiro escaping under the ring before landing a tope con hilo. As things slowed down, Jiro targeted the leg of Swann with strikes and submissions. This didn’t stop Swann taking to the sky with a big frogsplash moments later for two. However, Jiro went back to the leg after an exchange of strikes with a figure four leglock. This helped to ground Swann long enough for Jiro to land the Ikeman moonsault for the win, all without ever removing his jacket. The World closed the gap to 3-2 now.
Verdict: I want more Ikemen in my life. Decent match, nothing more, but he was very enjoyable to watch.
The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel) versus Robbie Eagles, Australian Suicide and Adam Brooks
What I know: Seen a bit of Robbie Eagles and Australian Suicide this weekend now, caught some of Brooks in the UK when he was over, but have never seen the Rascalz in action.
Match: The match is seemingly under Lucha rules, or the ref has lost control from the opening bell as each man gets to come in and hit a few moves before heading out. This is particularly effective when Brooks caught Xavier with a superkick whilst he was mid-air, before giving multiple Canadian Destroyers, including one on the apron. Queue dives aplenty, one sending Eagles into the front row and the Rascalz taking to the air in stereo. Back in the ring, a modified snapmare driver dropped Eagles on the top of his head in a brutal spot. Australian Suicide ends up getting pinned following a double foot stomp/slam combination.
Verdict: A good sprint, if very much on the ridiculous side.
LAX versus The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart/Davey Boy Smith Jr.)
What I know: LAX have had an excellent weekend. The Hart Foundation, at least this iteration, is a team I’ve never been too fussed by, though you always have the engaging factor of what stupidity Hart might come up with.
Match: A battle over who received the most cheers from the crowd allowed the Foundation to jump LAX from behind to kick start this contest, targeting Santana’s previously injured knee when outside and working over Ortiz inside the ring. A picture perfect stalling suplex by Smith is good enough for a two count, whilst Hart wandered around being himself and looking ridiculous. Santana eventually gets the hot tag and wiped out both members of the Foundation, even applying a sharpshooter on Hart. Unfortunately for LAX, Smith chop blocked Santana, and Ortiz went for the ride in a hiptoss Canadian Destroyer for the win.
Verdict: As Hart barely ever takes a bump, things just feel like they slow down when he is in the ring. Worst LAX match of the weekend I’ve seen thus far.
Sammy Guevara versus Puma King
What I know: It’ll be good to see what these two are both capable of after they crossed paths in an eight man tag at the Supershow.
Match: After trading middle fingers and ‘fuck yous’, a chain of reversals led to stereo kicks to the head that had both men down. A chair that had been left out by Hart almost caused problems on a Guevara dive, but he luckily avoided crashing and burning on it. Channelling Smith Jr., King used a stalling suplex, yet one that wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing. King took a moment out to ask people to subscribe to his YouTube channel, something that raised the ire of Guevara and earned a retort. Guevara blocked a top rope pendulum powerbomb, only to run into a standard variant for the three count.
Verdict: The back and forth between Guevara and King was funny, even if the actual wrestling action was pretty average on the whole.
Brian Cage versus Masato Tanaka
What I know: Cage is already responsible for the worst match I’ve seen this weekend, but I hold out more hopes in a match against Tanaka.
Match: This match will decide the winners as it is all tied up at four apiece. Cage’s power put him in control early on, even after Tanaka landed numerous strikes in an effort to chop down the bigger man. For the third match in a row, we get a stalling suplex; this one the worst of them all. Each time Tanaka tried to fight back, he was cut off until he landed a swinging DDT that helped to turn the tide. However, Cage caught Tanaka on the apron and drilled him with a deadlift superplex, before manging to kick out of a diamond dust/brainbuster combination. Cage also managed to kick out following a sliding D, eventually putting Tanaka away with a buckle bomb and the Drill Claw.
Verdict: Decent main event with some good exchanges and hard hitting action.
What I now know: The Wrestlemania Weekender is the perfect spot for a show like this. With wild, outlandish and downright long shows all around it, the US versus the World show was pretty straight forward and offered the good graps. A fun show for sure.
Best match: The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel) versus Robbie Eagles, Australian Suicide and Adam Brooks wasn’t for everyone, but they deserve credit for that wild contest.
Less good: LAX versus Hart Foundation, but even that wasn’t a particularly bad match.
