The start of the show is running late so they get Road Warrior Animal out to chat shit for a bit, he gets Ric Flair to help him. Flair has an emotional moment when talking about Charlotte's WrestleMania main event on Sunday. It's nice. Kevin Kelly and Excalibur are on commentary by the way, which is also nice.
Eddie Kingston vs Masato Tanaka
Fuck me dead, there is gonna be a murder. Possibly a double murder. That was stiff as fuck, and a great way to kick off the show. Kingston sold Tanaka's forearms like they were gunshots. Which they might well be. It was exactly what it needed to be. After the match, Kingston thanked Tanaka for giving him his dream match after 17 years. ***1/2
Rey Fenix vs Pentagon Jr
The Lucha Bros challenged any teams to a match but nobody answered so they just put on a crazy match between themselves. This was so fucking smooth. It was a joyful way to spend 15 minutes of my life. If you know these guys, you know these guys are something else, so you should check this out. ****
Puma King, Samantha Heights, DJZ & Tajiri vs LAX & Sammy Guevara
Well, it would be hard to say that this match will be remembered by the end of the weekend but it was a fun multi-person match, especially the last 5 minutes or so. Plenty of dives and quick-paced action, with DJZ probably standing out the most. ***1/2
Arez vs Flamita vs Robbie Eagles
This one has some potential. I'm unfamiliar with Arez but the other two are excellent wrestlers. Arez tried to reverse a crossbody into a Spanish Fly while standing on Flamita's back, which would have looked immense if it was smoother. The match was a fun sprint with some nice moves but nothing really more than that. ***
The Revolt vs Hurricane Helms, X-Pac & Jushin Thunder Liger
Yeah, that is the actual fucking team. They are understandably the most over thing on this show so far. Was this a great wrestling match? No, of course not. One of the teams has a combined age of 146. It was pretty entertaining for what it was though, even if it went longer than it should. Liger will be missed in wrestling. **
We have hit intermission, and it is fucking long. I hate intermission.
We are back from intermission, and the stream died.
Dragon Lee vs Cavernario
I will update this with a proper review when I get a chance to see the whole match.
Zack Sabre Jr vs Shane Strickland
First time ever, this one. This was wrestled to Sabre's style, with Strickland appearing to want to show that he could hold his own with the best technical wrestler in the world. He did an admiral job and this was a very enjoyable methodically paced technical showcase and a great match for Strickland to say goodbye on before he goes to NXT. ****1/4
SCU vs Orange Cassidy & Best Friends
This was essentially a comedy match that also involved some wrestling. I'm fine with that considering what it is sandwiched between. Orange Cassidy is the single best comedy wrestler on Earth anyway. **1/2
Will Ospreay vs Bandido
This was a superb main event that would have been even better in front of a hotter crowd. They damn near killed each other in this one with some of the most innovative offense you will see in wrestling. If you enjoy wrestling for everything that it can be then you will do a lot worse this weekend than this match. ****1/2
Overall Thoughts
This was a good show with some nice touches thrown in. I could have done without the 30 minute intermission, followed by the stream dying, as it killed the enthusiasm a little. I wish the crowd were a little bit louder too as that could have helped the overall atmosphere. It is definitely a show that is worth checking out though.
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