After the promotion had to stall for time due to some issues behind the scenes \u2013 which meant that Road Warrior Animal and Ric Flair were sent out to fire up the crowd \u2013 the first of a nine match card began which had the potential to be one of the best cards of the whole weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eddie Kingston versus\nMasato Tanaka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>My\nmileage is lower than some for Kingston, but he is well paired up against\nTanaka, someone I have always enjoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match: <\/strong>The two\nbegan by trading holds, but the first real forearm blow by Tanaka had Kingston delay-selling\nthe shot and rolling to the floor to recover. For an aging guy, Tanaka still\nmoved around and across the ring with vim and vigour as the match felt like it\nwas all about Kingston struggling to stay in the contest for sizeable chunks. A\nbeautiful Diamond Dust was one of the best spots as Tanaka looked to close the\nmatch out, though he was required to kick out of Kingston\u2019s Falcon Arrow to\nsurvive. Tanaka won a strike exchange and nailed a Sliding D for the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>A fun\nopener that saw Kingston as an admirable foil for Tanaka\u2019s hard hitting style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pentagon Jr. versus\nRey Fenix<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>For\nanyone who even loosely follows independent wrestling, it is unlikely you haven\u2019t\nseen a Lucha Bros match at some point. They both were involved in some\nsuccessful matches in wXw recently at 16 Carat Gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match: <\/strong>Pre-match,\nFenix badmouthed the Young Bucks and called them scared of the Lucha Bros,\nbefore Penta called them \u2018putos\u2019. With no-one apparently in the building to\nfight them, Fenix issues a challenge to Fenix, one answered when Penta gets a\ntwo from a schoolboy roll-up. Fenix took to the sky almost immediately with a\nmoonsault press to the outside, and the two men rarely let up. Some mid-match\nstrikes and Fenix hook kicks were beautifully executed for maximum impact.\nFenix\u2019s rope work is almost unparalleled and he landed a picture perfect\nmoonsault for a close fall. Even Canadian Destroyers weren\u2019t enough to end the\ncontest, but a Spanish Fly did it in the end for Fenix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>Penta is\ngood, but Fenix is great. Ridiculous spots, but if you love that style of\nwrestling, this was a very good example of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puma King\/DJ Z\/Tajiri\/Samantha\nHeights versus Sammy Guevara\/Santana\/Ortiz\/Diamante<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>Love\nme some LAX as is well known, whilst seeing Tajiri even at this advanced age is\nat least interesting. DJ Z has impressed me in what little I\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match: <\/strong>Fought\nunder Lucha rules, Guevara, Z and King got the match off to a quick start\nbefore the first introduction of Tajiri and a kick that had Santana leave the\nring in some discomfort. A fun exchange between Ortiz and Heights ended with\nOrtiz blocking a monkey flip and turning it into a facebuster. Z ended up\ngetting isolated to allow the de facto heel team to hit a range of offense,\nincluding Diamante landing Santana\u2019s plank for two. Z gets the tag after\ncausing LAX to hit each other with a DDT and soon everyone is taking to the\nair! Santana stops Tajiri from diving, but received mist and a buzzsaw kick for\nhis trouble and a three count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>Fun\ncontest that utilised the various talents within the ring in an engaging enough\nfashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Robbie Eagles versus\nFlamita versus Arez<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>I\ncaught Flamita in his SSS16 involvement, but haven\u2019t managed to watch either of\nhis opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match: <\/strong>Like the\nprevious match, the ruleset helped this match from the get go as it was a\nTriple Threat, meaning all three men were in the ring at the same time. Arez is\nthe one I know least about, but an early wheelbarrow on Flamita into a suicide\ndive on Eagles is an impressive sequence. Unfortunately, a more ambitious spot\nthat saw Arez try and counter a crossbody by Eagles into a Spanish Fly as he\nstood on Flamita\u2019s back didn\u2019t quite land the way it was supposed to. The fans\ndid begin to get more into the contest as it progressed, especially after\nFlamita landed a tope and a moonsault to the outside. Eagles had snuck in for a\ncouple of offensive moves, which played into a finish as a Northern Lights\nSuplex by Arez saw Eagles hit a 450 to break the pinfall and get the three\ncount himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>Decent\naction, if a little bit sloppy in places. Definitely got better as it went\nalong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Revolt! (Caleb\nKonley\/Jake Manning\/Zane Riley) versus The Hurricane\/X-Pac\/Jushin Liger<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know:<\/strong> I\nenjoyed Manning during the WrestlePro show, but he appears to be a more heelish\nversion of the \u2018Mad Scout\u2019 gimmick here. That is a fun looking legends team,\nespecially as Jushin Liger is my favourite wrestler of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match:<\/strong> Greatest\nHits Liger is fun as always, with him stretching Konley in the opening\nexchanges with a bow and arrow as well as a surfboard. There were crowd\npleasing moments such as a dance off between the Hurricane and Manning in a\nmatch that rarely needed to break second gear. Revolt! Isolated Hurricane\neventually, mainly to lead to a Liger hot tag, yet Riley halted the legend with\na shoulderblock for a second heat spot. All six men ended up in the ring as we\nsaw a shohtei, bronco buster and a chokeslam, all leading to a Liger\nbrainbuster on Manning for three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>A match\nthat did exactly what it set out to do \u2013 give the fans a chance to celebrate\nthe three winners, though especially the soon-to-be retired Liger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbario Cavernario\nversus Dragon Lee<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>I\u2019ve\nonly ever seen Cavernario a couple of times, but loved every second. As for\nDragon Lee, I saw a lot of his feud with Kamatachi and those matches blew\neveryone away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match:<\/strong>\u2026unfortunately,\nthis was the worst time that Fite could lose signal. We rejoined mid-match as\nthe two men were down at ringside following a ringside splash by Cavernario. This\ndid mean we went straight into Cavernario flipping DDTs and Lee hitting running\nCanadian Destroyers in a ridiculously slick exchange of offense. Moments later,\nLee hit a falcon arrow after a hanging double foot stomp for the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict:<\/strong> What we\nsaw looked absolutely excellent. Such a shame, especially with Cavernario not\nbooked elsewhere as far as I know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shane Strickland\nversus Zack Sabre Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know: <\/strong>Zack\nSabre Jr. is one of the greatest wrestlers on the planet, whilst I believe I\u2019ve\nseen more matches by Strickland as Killshot in Lucha Underground than under his\nown name and that isn\u2019t many by any means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match: <\/strong>Like most\nSabre Jr matches, the early going have Zack jawing with the fans whilst trying\nto bend Strickland like a pretzel, including a neat spot where he caught\nStrickland out of a leapfrog by the ankle. Strickland managed to match Sabre\nJr. at times on the mat, though often by utilising his athleticism to escape or\nreverse a hold. A Strickland chop to the quad area was nicely unorthodox,\nthough a Pele kick to the arm put Sabre Jr. back in control. A sloppy rolling\ncutter earned Strickland a two count as he finally managed some concerted\noffense, but it didn\u2019t last for long. Sabre Jr. even lambasted Strickland for\nheading to WWE during his strikes, only for this to light a fire under\nStrickland who landed more unique strikes. The tide continued to switch back\nand forth, before Strickland tried to use his momentum to hit a double stomp,\nonly to get countered into a brutal submission to give Sabre Jr. the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>I felt\nit took a little bit of time to get going, but the finish in particular was a\ngreat spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SCU (Christopher\nDaniels\/Frankie Kazarian\/Scorpio Sky) versus Best Friends (Orange Cassidy\/Chuck\nTaylor\/Trent?)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know:<\/strong>\nNever have been as big on Daniels or Kazarian as some, but I own a Chuck Taylor\nt-shirt and Orange Cassidy is great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match: <\/strong>Cassidy is\nso over at the moment that even a battle with Daniels over his hands being in\nhis jeans gets a raucous response from the crowd. Kazarian and Trent? offer some\nmore conventional wrestling up until a hand slap between the two is judged to\nbe a tag \u2013 so they switch sides. This all to set up a \u2018Fingerpoke of Doom\u2019 spot\nwhere Sky almost beats Kazarian to give the win to\u2026SCU, I guess? It is Trent\nwho ends up cut off in the heel corner as the match continued, though Best Friends\nused a Trent? low blow to gain control and beat up on Daniels in their own inimitable\nstyle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The low blow was caused by Trent? wearing a pair of Cassidy\u2019s\nsunglasses, eyewear that apparently is cursed. This is never more clear than a \u2018ferocious\u2019\nstrike exchange between Cassidy and Daniels as he put the glasses on. The\nglasses come into player later as Sky made the mistake of removing Cassidy\u2019s, sparking\na fired up Orange and earning a double chokeslam for Sky and Kazarian.\nUnfortunately for Cassidy, Sky took Taylor and Trent? out with a tope con hilo,\nleaving Cassidy open for the Best Meltzer Ever and a win for SCU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict:<\/strong> Bursts\nof high octane offense coupled with a lot of fun, yet stupid, interactions.\nDefinitely a whole heap of good times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Will Ospreay versus\nBandido<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What I know:<\/strong> Have\nwatched Ospreay pretty much since his debut. Whilst I\u2019ve heard positive things\nabout Bandido, this is the first match I\u2019ve seen of his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Match: <\/strong>The tone\nwas set from the opening bell with Ospreay landing a standing Spanish Fly,\nSpace Flying Tiger Drop and a Shooting Star Press in the opening thirty\nseconds. Bandido is clearly more than just about flying around the ring as he\nshowcased impressive power with a stalling suplex with an additional squat for\ngood measure as he fought his way into the contest. Bandido also highlighted\nhis impressive leg strength with a modified surfboard without the use of his\narms. With the obligatory strike exchanges leading to a succession of forearms\nthat have the crowd rocking after some sluggishness, Bandido avoided the Storm\nBreaker and hit a pop-up powerbomb to leave both men down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The escalation continued as Bandido grabbed a nearfall off\nof a second rope poison rana that drove Ospreay\u2019s head into the canvas, whilst\nOspreay upped his game moments later with a springboard plancha over the guard\nrail. Bandido was able to reverse both the Os Cutter and the Stormbreaker\nbefore landing his modified Go2Sleep, yet an Os Cutter and Stormbreaker did\neventually end the contest in favour of Ospreay. Post-match, Ospreay praised\nBandido and talked about how good wrestling was for his mental health recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verdict: <\/strong>A\nhighlight reel of a match more than a good match in and of itself. Some\nexcellent spots, some craziness, and a lot of impressive aerial offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What I now know: <\/strong>WrestleCon\nalways had the potential to offer a great show with the different promotions\nthey could draw wrestlers from, and they definitely delivered. A good mix of\ntalent of modern day and yesteryear that engaged from start to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Best match: <\/strong>Will\nOspreay versus Bandido may not have been all my graps, but it probably was the\nbest match on the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Less good: <\/strong>Robbie\nEagles versus Arez versus Flamita is the unfortunate recipient of this, even\nthough it was perfectly acceptable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After the promotion had to stall for time due to some issues behind the scenes \u2013 which meant that Road Warrior Animal and Ric Flair were sent out to fire […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":12026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,38],"tags":[84,338],"class_list":["post-12025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured","category-us-indy-reviews","tag-jushin-liger","tag-wrestlecon"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9jnWd-37X","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/wrestlecon-supershow-800x1280fit.jpg?fit=800%2C1280&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12025"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12027,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12025\/revisions\/12027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}