{"id":12093,"date":"2019-04-10T17:11:50","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T16:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/?p=12093"},"modified":"2019-04-10T17:12:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T16:12:00","slug":"wrestlecon-usa-versus-the-world-review-5-4-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/10\/wrestlecon-usa-versus-the-world-review-5-4-19\/","title":{"rendered":"WrestleCon USA versus the World review (5.4.19)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WrestleCon US versus\nthe World<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea behind WrestleCon US versus the World was very\nsimple \u2013 nine matches with US talent versus talent from around the world,\nwinner takes all. Some interesting talent and matches were booked for this show\nand with the simple nationalistic narrative, it had the potential to be low-key\ngood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emil Sitoci versus\nBrian Pillman Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I know: <\/strong>Outside\nof the Clusterfuck at Spring Break 3 Part 2, this is my first proper look at\nPillman Jr. against a solid hand in Sitoci.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match: <\/strong>A quick\nstart from both men ended up with the match heading to ringside, with the wily\nveteran Sitoci taking advantage by slamming Pillman\u2019s leg into the guardrail.\nThis allowed him to do some simple and effective heel work in targeting the leg\nwith submissions and strikes. Pillman worked well from underneath, coming back\ninto the contest with a nice powerslam for two. After kicking out of a\nsplitlegged moonsault and landing a top rope crossbody, Pillman Jr. won the\ncontest with a crossarmed neckbreaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verdict:<\/strong>\nBenefitted from a fresh crowd, whilst it told a decent rookie\/veteran story\nwith the right man winning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ethan Page versus MJF<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I know: <\/strong>I\nliked the very little I saw of Ethan Page in EVOLVE, whilst I\u2019ve also liked the\nlittle bit of MJF I\u2019ve seen as he is so very unlikeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match: <\/strong>Hilariously,\nPage started the match by mocking MJF\u2019s appearance on the Rosie O\u2019Donnell show\nand singing \u2018My Only Sunshine\u2019 with some involvement from the crowd. Page even\nconducted the crowd mid-MJF submission, though his focus on annoying MJF seemed\nto backfire more often than not. It took the referee getting involved \u2013 kicking\nMJF\u2019s arm away from the ropes due to cheating during a submission \u2013 for Page to\nget back into the contest. Unfortunately, MJF landed the Heatseeker Piledriver,\nplaced his foot on the ropes and gave the USA a 2-0 lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verdict:<\/strong> An\neffective contest on a weekend where they would be required to wrestle multiple\ntimes. Good level of heat, without either guy going above and beyond to cripple\neach other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Starr versus\nDaga<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I know:<\/strong> My\nlove for Starr has been made clear before, but I\u2019ve never seen Daga before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match: <\/strong>A\nblistering opening to the contest deservedly got the fans applauding as the two\nmen traded blocks and reversals. Starr\u2019s attempts to slow Daga down didn\u2019t\ninitially work as he was chopped down to size with some kicks, though Starr did\ngrab some nearfalls off of two flash pinfall attempts. An early Blackheart\nBuster wasn\u2019t enough for the win for Starr, whilst delayed sells on a Han\nStansen and a DVD had both men down at the same time. Nearfalls continued to\nfly, but it looked like the finish was slightly botched as a powerbomb with a\nprawn hold by Starr saw Daga\u2019s shoulder come off of the mat. Starr quickly\napplied a submission and Daga tapped out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verdict: <\/strong>Outside\nof the finish, a fun little match that had some good back and forth moments\nbetween the two men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black Taurus versus\nDarby Allin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I know<\/strong>: I\u2019ve\nnot seen Black Taurus, but a pre-WM weekender podcast sold me on this match as\na match to look forward to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match: <\/strong>The first\nslaps by Taurus to Allin\u2019s face set the tone as Taurus was ready to brutalise\nhis much smaller opponent, yet Allin, when using his speed, could escape and\nlay on a hurting of his own. An early suicide dive effectively highlighted\nthis, though Taurus shook it off to nail a shining wizard when they re-entered\nthe ring. Allin continued to try and utilise his pace advantage, grabbing a two\ncount with a Yoshi Tonic. A wild exchange saw Taurus backdropped over the top\nrope and Allin following him with a coffin drop. An attempt to repeat the\ncoffin drop in the ring saw Allin collide with Taurus\u2019 legs, leaving him\nvulnerable to a spinning Michinoku driver variation for the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verdict: <\/strong>Really\nfun big man\/little man contest. Allin is always worth watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jiro \u2018Ikemen\u2019 Kuroshio<\/strong> versus Rich Swann<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I know: <\/strong>I\nknow nothing of Ikeman outside of word of mouth \u2013 I don\u2019t care for Swann.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match:<\/strong> Ikemen\u2019s\nentrance was amazing, it is worth noting, whilst Swann also tried to one up it.\nThere\u2019s a lot of smoke and mirrors to begin with, including Jiro escaping under\nthe ring before landing a tope con hilo. As things slowed down, Jiro targeted\nthe leg of Swann with strikes and submissions. This didn\u2019t stop Swann taking to\nthe sky with a big frogsplash moments later for two. However, Jiro went back to\nthe leg after an exchange of strikes with a figure four leglock. This helped to\nground Swann long enough for Jiro to land the Ikeman moonsault for the win, all\nwithout ever removing his jacket. The World closed the gap to 3-2 now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verdict: <\/strong>I want\nmore Ikemen in my life. Decent match, nothing more, but he was very enjoyable\nto watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rascalz (Dezmond\nXavier, Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel) versus Robbie Eagles, Australian Suicide\nand Adam Brooks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I know: <\/strong>Seen\na bit of Robbie Eagles and Australian Suicide this weekend now, caught some of\nBrooks in the UK when he was over, but have never seen the Rascalz in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match: <\/strong>The match\nis seemingly under Lucha rules, or the ref has lost control from the opening\nbell as each man gets to come in and hit a few moves before heading out. This\nis particularly effective when Brooks caught Xavier with a superkick whilst he\nwas mid-air, before giving multiple Canadian Destroyers, including one on the\napron. Queue dives aplenty, one sending Eagles into the front row and the\nRascalz taking to the air in stereo. Back in the ring, a modified snapmare\ndriver dropped Eagles on the top of his head in a brutal spot. Australian\nSuicide ends up getting pinned following a double foot stomp\/slam combination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verdict: <\/strong>A good\nsprint, if very much on the ridiculous side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LAX versus The Hart\nFoundation (Teddy Hart\/Davey Boy Smith Jr.)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I know: <\/strong>LAX\nhave had an excellent weekend. The Hart Foundation, at least this iteration, is\na team I\u2019ve never been too fussed by, though you always have the engaging\nfactor of what stupidity Hart might come up with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match: <\/strong>A battle\nover who received the most cheers from the crowd allowed the Foundation to jump\nLAX from behind to kick start this contest, targeting Santana\u2019s previously\ninjured knee when outside and working over Ortiz inside the ring. A picture\nperfect stalling suplex by Smith is good enough for a two count, whilst Hart\nwandered around being himself and looking ridiculous. Santana eventually gets\nthe hot tag and wiped out both members of the Foundation, even applying a\nsharpshooter on Hart. Unfortunately for LAX, Smith chop blocked Santana, and\nOrtiz went for the ride in a hiptoss Canadian Destroyer for the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verdict: <\/strong>As Hart\nbarely ever takes a bump, things just feel like they slow down when he is in\nthe ring. Worst LAX match of the weekend I\u2019ve seen thus far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sammy Guevara versus\nPuma King<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I know:<\/strong> It\u2019ll\nbe good to see what these two are both capable of after they crossed paths in\nan eight man tag at the Supershow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match: <\/strong>After\ntrading middle fingers and \u2018fuck yous\u2019, a chain of reversals led to stereo\nkicks to the head that had both men down. A chair that had been left out by\nHart almost caused problems on a Guevara dive, but he luckily avoided crashing\nand burning on it. Channelling Smith Jr., King used a stalling suplex, yet one\nthat wasn\u2019t as aesthetically pleasing. King took a moment out to ask people to\nsubscribe to his YouTube channel, something that raised the ire of Guevara and\nearned a retort. Guevara blocked a top rope pendulum powerbomb, only to run\ninto a standard variant for the three count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verdict: <\/strong>The back\nand forth between Guevara and King was funny, even if the actual wrestling\naction was pretty average on the whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brian Cage versus\nMasato Tanaka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I know: <\/strong>Cage\nis already responsible for the worst match I\u2019ve seen this weekend, but I hold\nout more hopes in a match against Tanaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Match: <\/strong>This match\nwill decide the winners as it is all tied up at four apiece. Cage\u2019s power put\nhim in control early on, even after Tanaka landed numerous strikes in an effort\nto chop down the bigger man. For the third match in a row, we get a stalling\nsuplex; this one the worst of them all. Each time Tanaka tried to fight back,\nhe was cut off until he landed a swinging DDT that helped to turn the tide.\nHowever, Cage caught Tanaka on the apron and drilled him with a deadlift\nsuperplex, before manging to kick out of a diamond dust\/brainbuster\ncombination. Cage also managed to kick out following a sliding D, eventually\nputting Tanaka away with a buckle bomb and the Drill Claw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verdict: <\/strong>Decent\nmain event with some good exchanges and hard hitting action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I now know: <\/strong>The\nWrestlemania Weekender is the perfect spot for a show like this. With wild,\noutlandish and downright long shows all around it, the US versus the World show\nwas pretty straight forward and offered the good graps. A fun show for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best match: <\/strong>The\nRascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel) versus Robbie Eagles,\nAustralian Suicide and Adam Brooks wasn\u2019t for everyone, but they deserve credit\nfor that wild contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Less good: <\/strong>LAX\nversus Hart Foundation, but even that wasn\u2019t a particularly bad match.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WrestleCon US versus the World The idea behind WrestleCon US versus the World was very simple \u2013 nine matches with US talent versus talent from around the world, winner takes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":12094,"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":[338,74],"class_list":["post-12093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured","category-us-indy-reviews","tag-wrestlecon","tag-wrestlemania"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9jnWd-393","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/fd43bf09-5709-4a8c-9b3a-13fed4aedf94.jpg?fit=750%2C750&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12093","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=12093"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12095,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12093\/revisions\/12095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}