Saturday, March 31, 2018

WrestleCon SuperShow 2017 Review

Ricochet and Will Ospreay meet once again, but under very unique circumstances!


WrestleCon SuperShow 2017
Orlando, Florida 3/31/17

1.) Six-Man Tag - ACH, “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin, & Mascarita Dorada vs. David Starr, Caleb Konley, & Trevor Lee: ***1/4

Mascarita Dorada, for those who don’t know, was formerly El Torito in WWE. I have to say, seeing him as part of this opening bout was very….odd. He a very talented wrestler, don’t get me wrong, but in this match (on paper), he just stuck out like a sore thumb so much. Still, I would say that this was a pretty entertaining opener as a whole. This clocked in at just under twelve minutes, and it was a lot of fun to watch. David Starr, Caleb Konley, & Trevor Lee were great in their role as the heels here, particularly when they went up against Mascarita Dorada, who mixed in some comedy (such as a number of ball shots early) with some serious wrestling (such as an incredible hurricanrana he hit on Konley at one point). Michael Elgin was very solid here as a well, as he showed off some of his power. As for ACH, he didn’t do a ton, but it he certainly added to the lighthearted nature of this match. Eventually, Mascarita Dorada won the bout for his team after hitting a double jump moonsault onto Konley. Obviously, it could’ve been better if we had a different partner teaming with ACH & Michael Elgin, but for this show, it was a perfect opening contest.

2.) Low Ki vs. Shane Strickland: ***1/2

This was originally billed as Strickland vs. a mystery opponent, and ultimately, Low Ki was revealed as the mystery opponent. On paper, this was certainly one of the matches on this card that I was looking forward to the most. Strickland’s stock has certainly gone up over the past few years (rightfully so), while Low Ki has been around for (what feels like) forever. While this didn’t end up being the great match I was anticipating, it was still very good. There was a ton of solid action throughout, but they never really went totally nuts with some of the spots. They also managed to tell a fine story as well. At points, Strickland try to go for some high-flying offense, but for the most part, Low Ki kept him grounded. As a result, the match was more methodical, and in the end, that strategy choice ended up working well for Low Ki, who got the pin after hitting Strickland with Warrior’s Way on the ring apron. A very good bout between these two.

3.) Impact World Heavyweight Title - Bobby Lashley vs. Jeff Cobb: **1/4

Initially, Lashley didn’t come out when his entrance music was played, which led to “Fuck That Owl” chants. After stalling for another minute or two, he eventually made his entrance. This was a matchup that a lot of people were looking forward to. It certainly had potential on paper, but unfortunately, it just didn’t deliver. The main reason why this ended up being a disappointment had to do with how the match was structured. Most were expecting this to be a “hoss fight” of sorts, with two big dudes just going after each other. Instead, we got a much more simple bout that featured a control period from Lashley that just wasn’t very interested. A match like this would’ve fit much better on an episode of Impact, but not on this kind of card. Cobb did a solid job here, but Lashley just didn’t show up to work, I suppose. Lashley would ultimately retain his title (oh by the way, the Impact World Heavyweight Title was on the line here, but honestly, who cares?) after hitting Cobb with a spear. I think it’s fair to call this one of the most disappointing matches of the entire weekend.

4.) Angelico & Jack Evans vs. Flip Gordon & Sammy Guevara: ***1/4

Here we have a tag team encounter featuring four incredible high flyers (though this was before Gordon broke out in ROH and on Being The Elite). Much like the Low Ki/Shane Strickland bout from earlier, this had a lot of potential on paper, but it didn’t ended up being as great as we thought it would be (especially considering some of the guys involved). That’s not to say the match wasn’t entertaining, however. Early on, Evans cut a promo (via shouting), where he made fun of Guevara by calling him “Justin Bieber”. I’m sure most recognize this already, but Jack Evans is such an entertaining guy (particularly when he’s playing a heel). As for the body of the match itself, I’d say it was perfectly solid. As I alluded to already, you know these guys are capable of much more, but for what this was, it worked out fine. There was some fun action, and they told a good story with isolating Gordon & Guevara making frequent tags while working hard to isolate Evans. Their efforts weren’t enough, however, as the team known as “Los Gueros Del Cielo” would come back to take the win.

5.) Captain’s Choice Ten-Man Tag - Team Ricochet (Ricochet, AR Fox, Sami Callihan, Jason Cade, & Dezmond Xavier) vs. Team Will Ospreay (Will Ospreay, “The Villain” Marty Scurll, Drew Galloway, Ryan Smile, & Lio Rush): ****3/4

Ever since WrestleCon started putting on its own show for WrestleMania Weekend, this Ten-Man Tag has always been a staple. Of course, the captain’s were revealed beforehand, while (if I recall correctly), their teams aren’t revealed until the actual match (though some might’ve been revealed prior to the show by the captain’s themselves, but I don’t remember). Anyway, you knew this was going to be great, given who the captains were, and the kind of wrestlers they were going to pick, but I don’t think anyone anticipated this being as crazy as it ended up being This was an absolutely phenomenal match that was packed with insane action. There were some incredible moments in this one, such as Ospreay giving Ricochet a Spanish Fly from the top rope, to the floor, onto everyone else involved in the bout, and a massive Tower of Doom spot. We even saw (of all things) a dance break right in the middle of match, which saw everyone show off their dance moves. There were so many awesome spots in this one. This recap simply can’t do it justice. Even with some of the more ridiculous moments (like the dance break), this was still one of the best matches of WrestleMania Weekend in Orlando by far. Through all of this insanity, Jason Cade would end up pinning Will Ospreay to win the match for team Ricochet. This was simply amazing.

Afterwards, fans threw money into the ring as all ten men shook hands and celebrated together (with Jason Cade getting hoisted up). Ricochet then took the mic, and brought up the anniversary of the loss of Kris Travis (who died after a battle with cancer). He then turned his attention to the match, saying that he & Ospreay both legitimately picked all of their teammates themselves (save for, I think, one person on each team). Marty Scurll then took the mic and thanked the crowd.

6.) DDT Ironman Heavy Metal Weight Title - 20-Man Royal Rumble: **1/2

Well, after that crazy multi-man tag (and an intermission) we went to something entirely different. This was basically a Royal Rumble style of match, with over-the-top-rope eliminations, but the title that was on the line here (the DDT Ironman Heavy Metal Weight Title) could actually change hands multiple times during the rumble itself via pinfall, submission, or by being tossed over-the-top-rope. New entrants would enter the match even minute. For those who don’t know, the DDT Ironman Heavy Metal Weight Title is essentially a Hardcore Title used by the DDT promotion in Japan, with “24/7 rules” very similar to what the WWF did with their Hardcore Title during the Attitude Era. I’m not going to go over every single participant in this one (it’s a wacky list for sure), but I will point out a few highlights. Billy Gunn eliminated a bunch of guys, and Joey Ryan actually managed to toss out Moose using his dong. However, Swoggle (formerly known as Hornswoggle in WWE) would end up tossing out Ryan to win the match and the DDT Ironman Heavy Metal Weight Title. For what it was, this was perfectly fine. Given who was involved, you knew it was going to rely A LOT on comedy, and for the most part, everyone did a decent job.

After the match officially ended, Joey Ryan immediately got back in the ring and won back the belt from Swoggle. Ryan took the mic and said he proved that he was the best DDT Ironman Heavy Metal Weight Champion of all time by beating nineteen of the “best in the world”. This commented prompted The Sandman to come out (in an entrance that took FOREVER). Once he got to the ring, he offered Ryan a beer, but then hit him with his Singapore Cane, got the pin, and captured the DDT Ironman Heavy Metal Weight Title. With all of the wacky stuff we saw in that Royal Rumble, I guess it was only appropriate that The Sandman would end up with the title.

7.) TLC Match - Brian Cage (with Melissa Santos) vs. Johnny Mundo (with Taya): ***

To be clear, nothing was on the line here. This was a TLC Match that could only end via pinfall or submission. Melissa Santos (the ring announcer from Lucha Underground) did the introductions for Cage, and remained by his side for the match itself. This was another instance of a bout on this card that looked really solid on paper, but ultimately disappointed. That’s not to say that it was a terrible match. It was still relatively good, but it definitely could’ve been better. Part of the problem was that the crowd wasn’t very responsive. They were already exhausted after the insanity that occurred in the Captain’s Choice Ten-Man Tag, and the fact that this show was (apparently) running late didn’t help matters. The match itself did feature a couple of big spots, including both men taking out their opponent’s valet (Cage powerbombed Taya off the top rope through a table, while Mundo speared Santos through a table), but as a whole, it was just fine. Much like Lashley vs. Jeff Cobb from earlier, this might’ve come off better on TV, but in this setting, it just didn’t click. Cage would ultimately emerge victorious after hitting Mundo with a screwdriver onto a chair. Again, this was solid, but hardly anything special.

8.) The Lucha Brothers (Fenix & Pentagon Jr.) vs. The Broken Hardys: ***

I was really looking forward to see what these two teams could do together in this big tag team main event. Unfortunately, it ended up being a relatively short match, clocking in at just over seven minutes. Despite the length, all four men involved still worked pretty hard, and their efforts resulted in a pretty enjoyable bout. Both sides got their respective chants out of the way early, and then just went after each other with a series of big moves. They managed to pack a lot of action into such a small time frame, and that certainly made for an entertaining match. It could’ve been longer, but with the show running long, it was probably for the best. The Hardys certainly aren’t what they were in 2000-2001, but they still did their best to put on an exciting tag team encounter with another team of brothers in the form of Fenix & Pentagon Jr., known as The Lucha Brothers. In the end, The Hardys would get the win after Jeff Hardy hit a Swanton Bomb onto both of The Lucha Brothers.

Matt Hardy took the mic afterwards. He said that fans (like the ones in the crowd for this event) keep wrestling alive, especially on a weekend like this. He then put over The Lucha Brothers, and the two teams then shook hands. Matt said that The Hardys have been around for a long time, but he knows the future of wrestling is safe with guys like The Lucha Brothers, The Young Bucks, The Briscoes, and so on. Jeff Hardy then sang his “Obsolete” song, and Fenix thanked WrestleCon & The Hardys. The two teams celebrated together to close the show.

Overall: 7.25/10

The WrestleCon SuperShow tends to be a mixed bag, when it comes to match quality, and the 2017 edition of the event was certainly no exception. The show featured one truly spectacular bout in the form of the Captain Choice’s Ten-Man Tag (one of the best of the entire weekend for sure), but the rest of the matches were all over the place. Some were good, some fell short of expectations, while others were just…..average, I guess. Definitely check out Team Ospreay vs. Team Ricochet, but as for the rest of the show, just check out what you’re interested in.

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