Wrestlemania Weekend

Gabe Sapolsky wrote:OFFICIAL STATEMENT: It is with deep regret that DGUSA must inform our audience of the unfortunate fact Dragon Gate (Japan) talent will not be able to perform on WrestleMania weekend shows. We are in the process of adjusting the lineups and guarantee we will make sure we deliver to you nothing less than top quality shows this coming weekend, as has become our reputation. We will have announcements shortly.

We have already announced the 1st time ever matchup pitting Masato Tanaka against Chris Hero on the Friday night DGUSA show. As the entire pro wrestling world converges on New Orleans this week, the last thing our audience wants to hear or read about is promotional drama. We know you have practically unlimited choices this coming week, and we are going to make sure all those who chose and choose to support DGUSA are rewarded with the best experience we can possibly provide.

DGUSA's mission has always been to earn our fans one at a time. We continue to strive to do so, and thank you for your support during the most exciting week of the year to be a pro wrestling fan!

Ryan Rozanski wrote:EVOLVE 28 04/03/14 iPPV Live Review

Opening Match: Biff Busick vs. Drew Gulak
We have a crowd about 2-3 rows deep on each side of the ring. Let’s hope they’re into the action or this is going to be a long night. They circle around the ring and throw a few punches. Gulak hesitantly offers a clean break in the corner. Busick holds onto a side headlock but quickly escapes to the ropes when Gulak attempts an ankle lock. Busick applies a bearhug but Gulak reverses the hold into a belly-to-belly suplex. Busick breaks the action open with a series of chops. Gulak responds with a straight punch to the face. They exchange chops and slaps. Busick connects with a mule kick. Gulak suplexes him into the turnbuckles and both men are down. Gulak connects with a northern lariat for a two count. He follows with a discus lariat for another nearfall. Busick recovers by synching in a sleeper hold. He transitions into a half nelson suplex. Busick connects with a huge lariat but Gulak kicks out at one! Busick adds yet another lariat for a nearfall. Gulak applies the Gu-Lock out of nowhere. Busick reverses into a quick pin attempt for a nearfall and then locks in a choke for the win at 16:00. This was certainly an ambitious opener in a lot of ways. They stuck to their successful formula of starting the match in an intense but methodical way and then transitioned into a very back and forth finishing stretch. They did a lot here and though I have some concern that it might have been too much, this contest perhaps made a statement about how seriously EVOLVE is taking this weekend. ***¼

There is a pause as WWNlive works out some streaming issues.

Match #2: Maxwell Chicago vs. Green Ant
The crowd goes absolutely crazy for Green Ant’s entrance. Makes me wonder why he’s wrestling Maxwell Chicago in a comedy match. Green Ant charges at the opening bell with a dropkick and suplexes Chicago from the apron into the ring. Green Ant connects with a shotgun dropkick in the corner and Chicago huddles across the bottom rope to buy himself some time. Chicago asks Green Ant if he can put him into a hold. Green Ant quickly shrugs off a side headlock. Comedy ensues. Apparently. Green Ant hits a backbreaker and a senton. Chicago outsmarts him and hits a butterfly suplex. Green Ant quickly takes him down. Green Ant connects with a gamengiri but misses a middle-rope senton. Both men are down. Chicago hits a rolling neckbreaker. He does his usual spot where he teases a dive. Green Ant connects with a lariat and sets Chicago up on the top rope. Chicago accidentally crotches himself or something. I don’t know. Green Ant connects with a superkick and hits a michinoku driver. Green Ant applies a cloverleaf for the victory at 11:00. This match did not need to be this long. The fans went from liking Green Ant for finding creative ways to thwart Chicago’s tactics to heavily booing him because they eventually came to like Chicago so much. This was your usual Chicago match, which in my book means merely average. The crowd’s involvement did wonders. **

Match #3: Caleb Konley vs. AR Fox
Fox goes for a rollup about a minute into the match. So at this point I’m not sure if there is an actual feud here or not. Fox out-quicks Konley early on and frustrates him as a result. Konley connects with a well-timed forearm but Fox answers with a dropkick. Fox connects with a corner lariat and then skins the cat into a hesitation dropkick. Fox jumps from rope to rope about five times before hitting a wheelbarrow bulldog. He lands his kick-flip moonsault to the floor. Konley responds with a dive and hits a back suplex onto the apron. He takes control in the ring. Fox comes back with a twisting brainbuster and dropkicks Konley off the apron. Fox lands Lo Mein Rain to the floor. He follows with a guillotine leg drop on the apron. In the ring, Konley gets his knees up to block a swantan. He hits a german suplex for a two count. Fox dazes him on the top rope with a bicycle kick. Konley blocks Lo Mein Pain and lands a top-rope moonsault. Konley hits a gory slam and transitions into the O-Face. Fox reverses into a sunset flip. Konley muscles him up into a michinoku driver for a nearfall. Fox hits a stunner and lands Lo Mein Rain in the corner. Konley counters Lo Mein Pain into a death valley driver onto the apron. The crowd is losing it. In the ring, Fox sneaks in a rollup for the win at 18:00. What was that finish. This was well on its way to being a terrific, memorable match until that mind-numbing finish that made Konley look stupid. I should still mention how good the first seventeen minutes of this match were and this was probably Konley’s best outing in DGUSA or EVOLVE. Still, though, that finish is going to take some time to get over. ***¼

The Premiere Athlete Brand attack Fox after the match to soften Fox for his match against Mr. A tomorrow.

Match #4: Open the United Gate Titles: Harlem and Lance Bravado © vs. Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy
If the Gentlemen’s Club lose, they will not receive another shot at the titles for as long as the Bravados are champions. The Bravados cut a promo before the match about using the tag rope. Moose then has an impromptu squash match where he destroys some guy. This is awkward because I don’t know the guy’s name. The Gentlemen’s Club then come out for the match. Both teams start brawling before the opening bell. Cassidy hits a senton on Lance. Cassidy tries a dive to the floor but Moose catches him and throws him back into the ring. Harlem hits a neckbreaker on Cassidy and the Bravados isolate him. He avoids a splash from Harlem and makes the tag. Taylor cleans house with a series of clotheslines. Taylor connects with a missile dropkick on Lance and hits an overhead suplex on Harlem. The Gentlemen’s Club hit a double team neckbreaker on Harlem for a nearfall. The Bravados send Cassidy into Taylor with an exploder. Everyone connects with a strike. Cassidy spits orange juice into Harlem’s face. Taylor connects with a flying double stomp for a nearfall. Taylor takes out Lance with Sole Food and the Gentlemen’s Club follow with a double stomp-DDT combination. Cassidy plants Lance with a leaping DDT but Harlem pulls the referee out of the ring. People start interfering. At some point the Bravados hit the Gentlemen’s Agreement on Taylor to retain their titles at 12:00. This match was doomed to fail. The three matches that came before this one took a lot out of the crowd and the inevitability of Moose’s interference loomed over the action. Taylor cannot catch a break despite looking extremely motivated in the ring. The Bravados have not gained any momentum as champions and matches like this do absolutely nothing to help them. I am not looking forward to the Bravados’ match against the Premiere Athlete Brand tomorrow because I cannot help but think overbooking with commence once again. *½

Orange Cassidy walks out on the Gentlemen’s Club after the match. We now head to intermission.

After a forty-five minute intermission, Larry Dallas comes out for an interview. Lenny Leonard gives him a hard time as usual. I’m having a hard time hearing what they’re saying. Apparently Dallas is celebrating the greatest year in his professional career. Leonard explains to him why this wasn’t a great year for him. Dallas mocks the fans and continues to waste time. Dallas says that tomorrow night, he’s going to turn DGUSA and EVOLVE onto their head.

Match #5: Ricochet vs. Anthony Nese
Johnny Gargano is on commentary. Nese stalls at ringside for a bit. They trade control on the mat. Ricochet kips up from a headscissors. They have a fast-paced exchange ending with Ricochet snapping off a headscissors. He teases a dive and does a series of backflips. Mr. A attacks Ricochet behind the referee’s back and throws him into the ringpost. In the ring, Nese connects with a missile dropkick and takes control. Ricochet fights back with a series of kicks. Ricochet lands a springboard crossbody and hits an ace crusher. He follows with a standing shooting star press. Nese blocks a reverse hurricanrana and hits a german suplex. Ricochet hurricanranas out of a pumphandle slam and hits a regalplex for a nearfall. Ricochet blocks a springboard attempt by Nese with a dropkick and lands an insane dive to the floor over the ringpost. In the ring, Nese dead-lifts him into a bucklebomb. Nese connects with a running knee and hits a pumphandle sit-out powerbomb for a two count. Ricochet connects with an enzuigiri and hits rolling suplexes. Both men are down. They exchange strikes on their knees. Nese blocks a tornado DDT and slips on a springboard attempt. Ricochet comes off the top with double knees and connects with the Benadryller for the win at 18:00. You can tell that the length of this show has taken its toll on the crowd. I thought that this was the best wrestling on the card thus far but it seemed to me that the crowd was more into Maxwell Chicago’s match. Ricochet and Nese strung together some excellent exchanges. Although Nese tripped up at the end, it was impressive how they naturally transitioned into the finish. There might not have been much reason for this match to happen, but it certainly delivered. ***½

Johnny Gargano comes out to confront Ricochet after the match. Gargano tells everyone about his accolades as champion. Ricochet responds but I can’t hear him. Gargano attacks Ricochet and Rich Swann makes the save, leading to…

Match #6: Johnny Gargano vs. Rich Swann
They exchange punches. Swann connects with corner punches and hurricanranas Gargano on the floor. Swann lays in more strikes around ringside. Gargano elevates him and Swann crashes down on the apron. Gargano takes over in the ring, biting Swann’s fingers at one point. Gargano avoids a middle-rope hurricanrana and hits a suplex into the ropes. We’ve hit midnight in Pittsburgh. Rob Nemy on commentary asserts that Gargano can brag about his accomplishments as he’s held the EVOLVE Title for so long. It’s late. Swann comes back with an implant DDT. They trade punches and Swann hits a neckbreaker. Gargano slows him down with a sit-out powerbomb. They trade strikes again and both men fall to the canvas after some superkicks. Swann connects with kawada kicks and another superkick. He hits a handspring ace crusher for a nearfall. Gargano crotches him on the top rope but Swann fights him off. Swann misses a frog splash and Gargano applies the Gargano Escape. Swann is able to reach the bottom rope. The action goes to the apron where Swann connects with a superkick. Gargano trips him up on the apron and lawn darts him into the ringpost. Back in, Gargano lawn darts him into the turnbuckles for a nearfall. Gargano grabs his title and hits Swann with it behind the referee’s back. Gargano covers for the win at 15:00. Thrilling. This show is actively trying to frustrate anyone who cares about this promotion. Sure, there have been decent matches, but some of these finishes are actually the worst possible option. Why couldn’t this match have just been a ten-minute brawl with Gargano picking up at least a semi-clean win? Why do we need to put over these fringe storylines so much? While the last match could ignore the quieter crowd to some extent, this contest relied on the crowd energy much more and it just wasn’t there at times. I honestly don’t blame them. **½

Gargano attacks Swann after the match. Ricochet reappears and connects with the Benadryller on Gargano. My stream dies for a second.

Match #7: EVOLVE Title: Chris Hero © vs. Trent Baretta
Please don’t screw this one up. Hero forgot to bring the belt to the event. Hero gets the better of an early mat exchange. Baretta quickly escapes an early Hero’s Welcome attempt. Hero continues to maintain control on the mat with various stretches. Baretta creates an opening by blocking a senton with knees. Hero boots away a leapfrog and lays in some strikes. Baretta slides to the floor but Hero gives chase. Baretta surprises the champion with a punch. Hero fires back with a series of chops around ringside. Baretta connects with a superkick and sends Hero shoulder-first into the ringpost. In the ring, Baretta connects with a double stomp out of the corner and takes control. Hero fights back with a lariat and follows with more strikes. Baretta retreats to the floor again. Hero tries to flip to the apron but gets really caught up in the ropes. Hero might be hurt. He seems to be okay as the match continues. Baretta hits a german suplex and a tornado DDT. Hero connects with a dropkick and hits a cravate suplex. They both try quick rollups to no avail. Hero applies the Hangman’s Clutch out of nowhere and adds knees to the head. Baretta reaches the bottom rope. Hero connects with two mafia kicks. Baretta catches him with a guillotine leg drop. They battle on the apron. Baretta climbs to the top rope and connects with a flying double stomp. Baretta starts talking about Claudio’s success. Hero punches him in the face for a nearfall. They exchange shots and stare each other down. Baretta hits the Dudebuster for a nearfall. Hero rolls through a hurricanrana and connects with a roaring elbow. Hero accidentally elbows the referee. Baretta low blows Hero. The Premiere Athlete Brand come out and attack Hero. HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?!?!? Mr. A misses a top-rope splash and Hero fights off everyone. Baretta connects with a running knee strike for a nearfall. Baretta now grabs brass knuckles. Hero boots Baretta and connects with the Deathblow for a two count. The crowd actually chants this is awesome. I am at a loss. Baretta connects with two knees for another nearfall. He had a loaded kneepad and it’s a nearfall? This is getting to be absurd. Hero connects with a roaring mafia kick and a deathblow to retain his title at 30:00. IT’S OVER. THIS SHOW IS OVER!! From the countless nearfalls to the unnecessary overbooking, this was the last thing I wanted to see on a show that was approaching four hours in length. I’m in no state to analyze this match in any meaningful way. All I know is that this show was absolutely exhausting and this match felt like an eternity. There were clearly some smart exchanges and such, but I just don’t know. Oh, and Baretta looks like the biggest idiot in pro wrestling right now. He had three capable men interfere and used brass knuckles and still couldn’t win. This was a disaster and it’s a shame because I was really looking forward to this match. **½

Overall: The match ratings couldn’t mean less. This was a low point in EVOLVE’s history and I’ll remember the frustration I felt while watching this show for a long time. Recommendation to avoid.

Jerome Cusson wrote:“A Wrestling Odyssey” 04/04/14 Live Results and Review

Hello everyone. Pro Wrestling Ponderings’s coverage of Wrestlemania weekend continues today with a huge doubleheader. Beginning in just a couple of hours, A Wrestling Odyssey will showcase six championship matches from both the WWN Universe and elsewhere. Let’s just hope that despite some of the issues last night with pacing and finishes, we get a good first show today. Ryan Rozanski will be manning the PWP Twitter account during the show.

-Taped from New Orleans, Louisiana
-Commentators: Lenny Leonard and Ron Niemi

WILDKAT Heavyweight Championship Match: Mike Dell (champion) vs. Steve Anthony

PBP: I have never seen either one of these two men nor have I even heard of this promotion. Therefore, I’ll have little to add to the contest itself. Anthony, the challenger, is the babyface. Dell, the champion, is the heel. Feeling out process as there are no commentators for these proceedings. That’s just great. Dropkick by Anthony leads to a one count. Armdrag into the armbar. Right hand by Dell into a hammerlock. Knees from Dell. Anthony counters into a fujiwara armbar. Hotshot and neckbreaker followed by a legdrop across the throat. The announcers are back. Snap suplex by Dell. Back suplex. Middle rope elbow drop. Chinlock. Elbows by Anthony. Kick in the corner. Another one. A third one. Whip across. Dell with a headscissors that sends Anthony face first into the turnbuckle. Choking along the middle rope. Dell gets some heat from the crowd and stomps Anthony in the neck. Double underhook suplex. Neckbreaker by the champion. Into a cover for two. Kicks by Anthony. Whip across. Powerslam for two by Dell. Back suplex but Anthony lands on his feet. Boot and elbow out of the corner. Forearms. Leaping back elbow by Anthony. Kick to the upper body. Back drop. Anthony plants the champion down and gets two. Right hand. Dell blocks a German suplex. Superkick by Anthony. German suplex gets two. Bodyslam by Anthony. To the top rope. 450 splash misses. Dell hits a top rope elbow and gets three.

Analysis: Dell was said to be a 15 year veteran. This was reflected in the match quality. Not something worth running out and seeing but a technically proficient contest that won’t take anything away from what it to come on this card. No major botches. They didn’t try to do much. With more context and familiarity with the product, I could have seen liking the match even more.

Winner (s)/Rating: Mike Dell/**1/2

The Bravado Brothers (Harlem and Lance Bravado)(Open the United Gate Champions) vs. Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae (Maxwell Chicago As Guest Referee)

PBP: This is the only match on the show where a championship is not on the line. The idea behind this match is that funny equals money. See it’s funny because Jim Cornette said funny did not equal money. Moose is not at ringside, so that means this at least won’t have interference. I expect shenanigans. Ryan and LaRae want the Bravados to dance…and they do! I’ve got a classless joke which I won’t make here. Chicago sings. Bravados start the match off quickly by attacking Ryan and LaRae. Bravados are sent into each other. Ryan uses LaRae as a battering up. Off the ropes. Ryan just runs back and forth and gets quite a work-out. Is this a rib on Bryan Alvarez for calling out Divas who can’t run the ropes. We get the old asthma gimmick. He hasn’t done this in years. Clothesline by Lance. Bravados work Ryan over now. Small package by Ryan. Elbow from Harlem. Bravados fake tag. Chicago is distracted by LaRae. Double elbow drop on Ryan. Ryan rolls under and hits a pumphandle fallaway slam. LaRae hot tag. Harlem in. Spinning rana off the top rope. Headscissors into the octopus. Chicago takes a picture. That’s got to be a rib on the perverted male fans who do that. Lance spears his own brother on accident. Some sexual harassment. Some might even call it a Tower of London. Ryan tosses Lance out of the ring. Harlem pokes Ryan in the eye. Ryan responds in kind. Back and forth with pokes to the eyes. They start going off the ropes. Chicago lectures them. Of course, it’s a double poke to the eye. Exchange of low blows. Ryan accidentally headbutts Chicago in the balls. Lance goes low on LaRae. Doesn’t work. Ballplex by LaRae. Tornado DDT. LaRae covers and gets two. Harlem tosses Ryan out of the ring. LaRae with forearms on Harlem. Series of stomps. Chicago takes her out of the corner. Harlem gets on the microphone and talks about not hitting a woman. Lance with a northern lariat. Gentlemen’s Agreement. Chicago reluctantly counts three.

Analysis: I like Ryan and LaRae being booked as a team because of the work they’ve done in PWG, but clearly whoever booked them on this show and Wrestlecon haven’t been paying attention to how they were getting over. The tone of the match was very inconsistent as this straddled between being serious and trying to wrestle well. Chicago barely played into this at all. I would have honestly preferred a straight match between these two. Ryan may not be my favorite wrestler of all-time, but his role with LaRae makes me almost enjoy him.

Winner (s)/Rating: The Bravado Brothers/**

Ryan and Chicago clear the Bravados after an attempted beatdown on LaRae. Chicago declares Ryan and LaRae the winners.

FIP World Heavyweight Championship Match – Champion vs. Champion
Trent Barreta (champion) vs. Lince Dorado (Florida Heritage Champion)

PBP: Some early stalling from Baretta. Feeling out process. Chop by Dorado. Shoulder block by Baretta. Dorado leapfrog. Running rana and a dropkick. Baretta takes a seat in an empty chair. The stalling is much less annoying here given the lack of a 45 minute intermission. Boot and chop by Baretta. He rakes the mask. Forearm as both men come out of the corner. Knee to the midsection. Running boot by Dorado. Headscissors. Legsweep. Standing moonsault. Into the corner with a chop. To a chop for another corner. Some biting and a chop. Whip across. Baretta takes him to the apron. Enziguri by Dorado. Off the rope but Baretta catches him with a dropkick. Baretta with a chop. back elbow. Leaping knee strike. Baretta rakes the mask once again. Bodyslam. Baretta dances on the apron. In the ring and a rake with the boot. Sunset flip. Dorado dropkicks Baretta in the face. Chinbreaker and enziguri by Dorado. Baretta whips him off the ropes. Handspring elbow by Dorado. Sliding dropkick. Baretta rips Dorado off the ropes and sends him head first into the apron. Chop. Baretta with a boot. Chop into the post. Tope suicida connects. Cross body gets two. Charge misses. Back kick. Reverse rana blocked by Baretta. Wheelbarrow slam gets two. Running elbow by Baretta. After a two count. Baretta places Dorado on the top rope. Dorado with headbutts. Back elbow sends the world champion down. Baretta leaps up and hits a release German suplex. 1-2-NO! Kick by Dorado. Springboard reverse rana. 1-2-NO! Slap exchange. Forearm by Baretta. Slap by Dorado. European uppercut. Back and forth with strikes. Back kick by Dorado. Yakuza kick. Baretta follows him and hits a knee. Pop-up powerbomb by the champion. Dudebuster and three.

Analysis: Baretta really brought that WWE polish and character to this match. Dorado got to do his flippy stuff on a bigger guy. Good, clean match that wasn’t much see but showcased the brand pretty well. Baretta showed off his skills well. I didn’t really but Dorado having a chance at any point, but I’m honestly okay with that given the match positioning and who Baretta is going to be facing later tonight.

Winner (s)/Rating: STILL FIP World Champion-Trent Baretta/***

SHINE Tag Team Championship Match The Lucha Sisters of Mia Yim & Leva (champion) vs. The S-N-S Express of Nevaeh & Sassy Stephie

PBP: Some fan tells the women to make him a sandwich. This is why we can’t have nice things Bates usually comes out dressed like a cosplayer, but no dice tonight. Bates is just dressed like a wrestler. Bates and Yim defeated Made in Sin to win the tag team title tournament. Navaeh and Yim start. Exchange of arm work. Feeling out process continues. Yim hits a nice running rana. Navaeh heads to her corner and tags Stephie. Drop toe hold by Yim. Bates enters the ring. Double team by the champions. Bates with a kick to Stephie. Navaeh suckers Bates into the corner. Heat segment. Neck snap and diving lariat by Navaeh. Snap suplex for two. Rolling bridge for two. Choking by Navaeh along the bottom rope. Bates can’t quite come back with weak forearms. Bates roll-up but Bryce Remsburg is nowhere to be found. Bates makes the tag, but Remsburg misses it. Heat segment continues. Bates with boots and then a seated senton. Hot tag. Yim dropkicks both challengers. Boots for both. Spin kick on Stephie. Release German suplex. Death valley driver by Navaeh. Superhero kick by Bates. Kiss my Sass. All four women are down. Yim and Bates hit double dropkicks. Assisted slice bread. Yim hits a quebrada for three as the champions retain.

Analysis: These women worked hard in the time given, but it felt like they were holding something back. This was a great chance to showcase the Shine brand, which honestly may be the most underrated and best bookers brand on WWN, and this felt just okay. This wasn’t bad by any means but just like everything else on the show, just sort of there.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL Shine Tag Team Champions-The Lucha Sisters/**1/4

SHINE Championship Match: Ivelisse (champion) vs. Jazz

PBP: I hope they give this time since these are two of the best women in the country right now. Code of honor is followed. Feeling out process. Ivelisse takes Jazz down by the arm. Jazz with an armwringer of her own. Roll-up gets two. Test of strength. Jazz brings Ivelisse down at first, but the champion counters into an armlock. Headlock. Roll-up gets two. Jazz hammerlock. Side headlock takeover. Roll-up by Ivelisse gets two. Ivelisse cranks down on a headscissors. Jazz leaps over and applies a cloverleaf. Float over into a cover by Jazz. Both women roll through. Ivelisse applies a crossface. Jazz counters into a two count. Dragon sleeper by Ivelisse. Knees by Jazz. Clubbering blow to the back. Stomp to Ivelisse. Choking along the middle rope. Fans boo her as they see the challenger taking a shortcut. Crossface elbows by Jazz. Jazz covers and gets two. Ivelisse elbow. Leg kick. Forearms. Lariat ducked. Ivelisee loses her balance on a springboard. Jazz improvises and covers her. Forearms in the corner. Cross body by the champion. Ivelisse kicks the middle rope and then covers Jazz once again. Ivelisse with forearms. Whip to the corner. Ivelisse to the apron. Dropkick off the top rope hits. Rear naked choke. Both women back to their feet. Boot from Jazz. Chop. Boots and chops. Ivelisse with a chop of her own. By far the most physical match up to this point. Jazz whipped. Out of the corner with an elbow. Then a boot. Forearms by Ivelisse. Ivelisse elevated to the apron. Jazz with a leaping boot. Right hands to the prone champion. Powerslam driver gets two. Fists from Jazz. Ivelisse wth an enziguri and three.
Analysis: Finish came way out of nowhere. Some very good technical wrestling early appeared to be leading us to an extended battle where both women would get a chance to… you know…shine. Instead, this came off as rushed as everything else on the show. Not a bad match, but their first match at Shine 9 was significantly better and more meaningful than this one.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL Shine Champion- Ivelisse/**1/2

CZW World Heavyweight Championship Match – British Rounds Rules: Drew Gulak defends (champion) vs. Timothy Thatcher

PBP: Daffney’s microphone wasn’t working because of course it was. I was better able to understand her just screaming as opposed to speaking into the microphone. Daffney explains the rules again much to the delight of the crowd. At least we’re actually making good time tonight and I don’t feel like my bed is calling me while this is going on. This will be six five rounds. Three public warnings with no fists among other nuances. This is a rematch from a recent FIP show where Gulak successfully defended his world championship. Thatcher takes Gulak into the corner and breaks clean. Lock-up and taunting slaps. Thatcher takedown and he maintains a hold of the leg. Gulak forearm. Test of strength. Gulak rolls out of an arm hold. Hammerlock by Thatcher. Gulak takes him down by the leg. Gulak with a spinning toe hold. Thatcher counters into a small package. Round one ends with both men going for a lock-up. Round two starts with some locking up. Thatcher front facelock. Gulak brings him down and locks an armbar. Thatcher front facelock. Gulak counters. Divorce court. Bryce Remsburg quickly counts the man down. Gulak controls the leg next. Thatcher works the arm. Gulak tries to extricate himself but gets tossed down. Gulak sells the arm. Gutwrench suplex by Thatcher. Side salto suplex immediately into the armbar. Gulak taps. Thatcher wins a fall. Thatcher maintains control of the left arm and even stomps it down. European uppercut. Into the corner for a second one. Remsburg counts. Thatcher can’t attack. European uppercut. Gulak stands up and eats another uppercut. Sunset flip. Exchange of nearfalls. Backslide by Gulak gets three. Nice series of counters so I’m much more accepting of the ending. Intensity picks up in the third fall. Gulak works a headlock to slow Thatcher down. German suplex by Thatcher. Uppercut sends him down. Gulak gets up at eight. Thatcher nails an uppercut. If it works, why change the strategy? Vertical suplex. Gulak bridges out. Key Lock. Gulak goes under the legs and hits a dropkick. Snapmare into a two count. Thatcher bridges out of the covers. Gulak with a clubbering blow to the back. Cravat. Thatcher elbows out. Front facelock. Butterflies the arms and takes the champion down to the mat. Gulak counters and grabs an ankle lock. Abdominal stretch. Into a nearfall. Bell rings. Round five starts with a test of strength. Thatcher with knees to the chest. Gulak has trouble getting to his feet. Thatcher goes back to the knees but is caught. Gulak applies an ankle lock. Thatcher tosses Gulak into the ropes. Clubbering blows to the back. Thatcher gets a public warning for going after a downed opponent. Uppercut. Gulak takes him to the ropes. Sunset flip. Gulak works his way around and applies the most vicious side headlock ever. Thatcher floats over with knees to the gut. Judo throw into a cross armbreaker. Gulak gets to the bottom rope. Uppercut. Gulak rises up and gets uppercutted again. Gulak rises like a zombie. Regalplex. Both men are down. Both men get up at nine. Forearm by Gulak. Thatcher goes for an armbar, but the bell rings to end the contest. Remsburg gives Thatcher a second public warning. Biff Busick of all people calms Thatcher down in the corner. Thatcher continues using the European uppercut and yells at the champion. Gulak begins firing back with slaps. Uppercut. Gulak holds on. Uppercut. Slaps by Gulak. Thatcher with some of his own. Legal slaps. Judo throw into the ankle lock. Thatcher goes for a counter and finally taps out in an unbelievable match.

Analysis: One of the best technical wrestling matches you’ll ever see. Some great counters and psychology employed. It made total sense for Thatcher to get two public warnings as the younger opponent. Of all the companies to deliver on A Wrestling Odyssey, who would have thought it would be CZW? I didn’t see the FIP match, but this was great. You even had psychology being employed (and paid off) with Gulak working the left leg while Thatcher worked the left arm. No way will there be a better mat based match in North America this year. Outstanding.

Winner (s)/Rating: STILL CZW World Champion- Drew Gulak/****

EVOLVE Title Match – First Ever SPRINT (Match Goes For 20 Minutes, Whoever Wins The Most Falls Is The Champion, If There Is A Tie There Will Be A Sudden Death Overtime): Chris Hero defends vs. AR Fox

PBP: We know this is going 20 minutes regardless. Anthony Nese comes out for whatever reason and puts himself in the match. Hero and Fox agree for whatever reason to make this a three way match. This is about the dumbest possible way to get a title match. So a guaranteed four star match is now going to be imperiled by having to worry about a third man. Nese…leaves the ring and leaves Fox to wrestle Hero. Feeling out process. Why are they technical wrestling? Was no one paying attention to the previous match. Hero shoulder block. Fox hits a dropkick. Nese breaks the count and boots Fox. Big boot but Nese ducks out of the ring. Fox rolls Hero up for two. Headlock by Hero. Shoulder block. Hero covers. Nese interrupts. Forearm. Three way strike battle. Fox whipped in the corner. Boot by Hero to Nese. Nese whipped into Fox. Charge misses. Nese and Fox whip Hero up and over to the stage floor. Nese chops Fox in the corner. Fox boot out of the corner. Nese pulls Fox out of the corner drops him. Pair of leg drops. Vertical suplex by Nese on Fox. Chinlock. Fox jawbreaker. Nese misses a clothesline. Forearms. Nese charge misses. Fox clothesline. Skins the cat and hits a dropkick. Cannonball to the corner. Hero comes back in the ring and release suplexes Nese into Fox’s knees. Hero knee drops Fox. Chop. Fox back elbow on Hero. Springboard acecrusher. German suplex by Nese. Jack knife cradle by Fox to break the pin up. Nese hits a springboard moonsault. La Maestral cradle on Hero. Big left hand from Nese. Choking in the corner. Boots out of the corner by Hero. Clothesline on Nese. Neckbreaker by Hero. Running forearm on Nese. Boot. Rolling forearm to Fox. Hangmen’s elbow on Fox. Nese steals a pin after tossing Hero away. Nese goes for a second pin and gets two. Knee drop by Nese on Fox. Hero shoulder block. Sunset flip. Nese kick to the head. Hero forearm. Nese rolls under the legs and hits a pumphandle slam. Nese 450 splash misses. Fix hits a springboard 450 0n Hero. Nese steals a second pin on Hero and gets three. Fox with a chop for Nese. Spin kick. Kick and then a superkick. Hero leaping boot on Nese. Rolling forearm on Nese. Nese DDTs Fox in the process. Hero covers both men but cannot get three. Fox and Hero go back and forth. Hero with a series of chops. Fox bicycle kick. Rolling elbow. Hero lifts Fox up. Victory roll. Fox gets three on a roll-up. Rolling elbow. Fox backslide gets two. Hero stomp and rolling elbow. 1-2-NO! Stretch plum by Hero. Nese with running kicks on Hero. Hero big boot on Nese. Double stretch plum. Hero gets both men to tap out. Fox placed on the top rope. Hero and Nese are tied at two falls a piece. Fox placed on the top rope. Swanton into knees. Hero boots Nese. Fox matrixes out and hits an enziguri. Gotch lift and Fox sent into the corner. Boot by Hero. Chop by Hero for Nese as Daffney announces there are five minutes left. Nese sent into Hero’s foot. Knee strike in the corner. Nese enziguri on Hero. Hero gordbuster. Fox hits Lo Main Pain. Double pin but only two. Fox knees Nese in the midsection. Waistlock escaped. Small package by Hero gets two. Hero goes for a powerbomb but gets blocked. Straight forearm. Nese hits a German suplex and gets two on Hero. Nese stomps Fox. Straight punch. Nese brings Hero out of the corner. Fox boots Nese in the midsection. Exchange. Short knee strikes. Leaping knee strike. Hero and Fox fight over who gets to cover Nese. Fox gets a two off a roll-up. Straight boot by Hero to Nese. Nese and Hero with a chop exchange. Fox gets involved. 30 seconds. No one even tries going for a cover. Hero lifts Fox up. Rolling forearm. Hero forearms Nese and gets three to win the match. The announcers have no idea what’s going on.

Analysis: Anthony Nese looks like a jobber/loser once again as he picks up two cheap victories and then not only taps out to Hero but gets pinned with no time left to lose. The action was as good as it could possibly be with these three. Hell, it was at least better than the match from Evolve 28, but this was again a case where the booking and stipulation took away from a potentially great match. Also, to see Nese, who hasn’t been winning a whole lot lately, just get a title shot at random, speaks to the quality control of the booking. If they didn’t want to give away the Hero/Fox rematch on this show, they should have announced it as a three way from the start. WWN again did not deliver on something they promised this weekend.

Winner (s)/Rating: STILL Evolve Champion-Chris Hero/***1/4

Overall Thoughts: Pretty pointless show up until the last two matches. The CZW match is arguably the first must see match of the year contender for the weekend, but otherwise, there really wasn’t much for me to sink my teeth into. Everything felt very rushed, including parts of the main event. Not as actively frustrating as Evolve 28 because the show didn’t even go two hours and twenty minutes, but this still didn’t meet my expectations. I like the idea of the show, but the execution needs to be thought out more and give matches like the FIP world title and Shine title more time to work with.

Ryan Rozanski wrote:DGUSA Open the Ultimate Gate 04/04/14 iPPV Review

The show will be starting fifteen minutes late after 2014: A Wrestling Odyssey started nearly thirty minutes late earlier. Why does this keep happening?

Opening Match: Open the United Gate Tag Team Titles: Harlem and Lance Bravado © vs. Anthony Nese and Caleb Konley
Colt Cabana is on commentary. Lance traps Konley in a surfboard but gets backed into the Premiere Athlete Brand corner. Nese shows off his mat wrestling before the Bravados attack with some double team offense. Konley intervenes by knocking Harlem off the apron and attacking Lance from behind. The Premiere Athlete Brand isolate Lance until he catches Konley with a powerslam and makes the tag. Harlem cleans house with a series of clotheslines and lands a dive from the top rope to the floor. In the ring, Harlem lands a flying crossbody onto Nese. Konley connects with a missile dropkick on Harlem followed by an enzuigiri. Lance rattles off a series of lariats on Konley and throws Nese to the floor. Lance hits a TKO on Konley for a nearfall. Nese connects with a spin kick on Lance and kind of lands a lionsault onto Harlem. Everyone connects with strikes and all four men are down. Nese and Lance trade strikes. The Bravados double team Nese and Konley barely breaks up a pinfall to save the match. Konley connects with a corner yakuza kick on Harlem. The Premiere Athlete Brand hit a pumphandle slam-neckbreaker combination on Lance for a nearfall. Su Yung is livid. Mr. A enters the ring but Moose spears him. The Bravados hit the Gentlemen’s Agreement on Konley to retain their titles at 16:00. This was a very good tag team match until the final minute, when the inevitable interference came into play. You also have to get over the fact that the Bravados just acted like babyfaces for absolutely no reason. As usual, a perfectly fine match was plagued by the insistence on furthering storylines. **¾

Nese tells Mr. A after the match that he needs to fix things. This leads to…

Match #2: AR Fox vs. Mr. A
Fox connects with a springboard dropkick and lands three consecutive dives to the floor. Fox follows with his guillotine leg drop from the top rope onto the apron. In the ring, Fox comes off the top rope but Mr. A catches him with a spin kick and takes control. Fox comes back with a springboard codebreaker and both men are down. Su Yung trips Fox as he’s about to charge. Ivelisse barges out and attacks Su Yung. This is unbelievable. Fox bicycle kicks Mr. A but now Larry Dallas comes out and distracts him. TEDDY HART COMES OUT. Hart attacks Fox and hits Project Ciampa. The referee sees none of this. Dallas and Hart celebrate. Hart hits a neckbreaker on Mr. A and lands a moonsault. Fox bicycle kicks Mr. A again and hits a springboard ace crusher. Fox lands a swantan for a nearfall. Mr. A trips him on the apron and hits a powerbomb onto the apron. Mr. A hits a spinebuster for a two count. Fox responds with Lo Mein Pain for the victory at 14:00. That is not a typo. This match was fourteen minutes, which seemed completely unnecessary. The Teddy Hart angle was completely absurd. Bracketing the fact they’re even using Teddy Hart, the fact that the referee saw none of the interference is completely unbelievable. This was not good. 1/2*

Match #3: Biff Busick vs. Rich Swann
They trade control on the mat and Swann seems to hold his own. Swann snaps off a headscissors and connects with a dropkick. They battle on the apron and Swann takes a bad spill to the floor. In the ring, Busick takes over. Swann humorously goes for a piledriver at one point but Busick makes him pay with a doctor bomb. Swann creates an opening with an axe kick and fights off a powerbomb. Both men connect with kicks and fall to the canvas. Swann hurricanranas Busick off the middle rope. Swann finds knees on a standing 450 attempt. They trade quick pin attempts to no avail. Swann is able to rollup Busick for the win at 11:00. This was a good example of a match that was the right length and made both participants look good. Though I think the action was missing something and they didn’t completely capture the crowd, the match was fun enough. I’m a bit confused about Busick losing, especially after Swann was hurt after his match last night and Busick’s win over Gulak. **¾

Match #4: Chuck Taylor and Drew Gulak vs. Fire Ant and Green Ant
Taylor hits an overhead suplex on Fire Ant. Green Ant charges and has a very nice exchange with Taylor. Green Ant hits a slingshot senton on Taylor and Fire Ant adds a flying crossbody. The Gentleman’s Club almost get into it after some miscommunication. The Colony take them out with stereo dives. Gulak throws Fire Ant into the ringpost and the Gentleman’s Club work over Green Ant. Green Ant takes advantage of Taylor stalling and makes the tag. Fire Ant cleans house. He hurricanranas Taylor and hits a tornado DDT. Green Ant hits a michinoku driver on Gulak. Taylor hits an exploder on Fire Ant, sending him into Green Ant. He then hits a sit-out powerbomb on Fire Ant for a nearfall. The Colony come back with some superkicks. They hit Ants Go Marching. Gulak traps them in a double figure four. Taylor misses a top-rope moonsault and Fire Ant hits the Beach Break for a nearfall. Gulak hits a chokebreaker on Fire Ant and applies an ankle lock on Green Ant. Green Ant counters into the Chikara Special for the win at 16:00. Orange Cassidy is limited by his character to some extent, so I found that Gulak makes a much better partner for Taylor. They obviously had very good chemistry with the Colony and that should come as no surprise. The match length threatened to lose the crowd down the stretch, but they were able to finish the match strong with a great sequence between Gulak and Green Ant. ***

Gulak attacks Taylor after the match as the Gentleman’s Club fully explodes.

Time for intermission. Everyone cross your fingers.

Match #5: Trent Barreta vs. Low Ki
Barreta backs Low Ki into the corner and slaps him. Low Ki returns the favor with a shot to the face. Barreta retreats to ringside and throws Lo Ki’s ring jacket into the crowd. Back in, they exchange some loud chops, with Low Ki coming out on the winning end. Low Ki lays in some more chops and kicks. Barreta fires back with a running knee strike and takes control. Low Ki fights back after Barreta foolishly starts another chop battle. Barreta slows him down with a dropkick. Low Ki flips out of a german suplex and connects with a double stomp. Low Ki follows with a hesitation kick to the back of the head and a springboard gamengiri. Barreta hits the german suplex on his second attempt. Low Ki shrugs off a tornado DDT and connects with a shotgun dropkick. Barreta gets crotched on the top rope but is able to block the flying double stomp. Barreta connects with a running knee strike FOR THE WIN at 18:00. There was an initial pop when Barreta won because, let’s face it, everyone thought Low Ki winning was inevitable. Every eighteen-minute Low Ki match follows the same formula to some extent. Barreta’s snobby attitude meshed well with Low Ki’s seriousness and this match ended up being just fine without being too remarkable. Barreta winning is certainly the story here. ***¼

Lenny Leonard announces that WWN Live will have a presence next year at WrestleMania Weekend.

Match #6: Chris Hero vs. Masato Tanaka
They wrestle to a stalemate. They avoid each other’s kicks and both attempt roaring elbows at the same time. They have a shoulder block battle and Hero connects with a dropkick. Hero follows with a senton. Tanaka asks him to strike harder in a great moment. Tanaka then proceeds to absolutely lay into Hero with a series of forearms. Hero responds with a straight right hand. He blocks a charge but runs into a lariat. Hero connects with a roaring elbow and both men are down. Hero kips up and finds a burst of adrenaline. He hits a rolling neckbreaker for a two count. Tanaka fights back with another lariat. They battle over a suplex and Tanaka transitions into a DDT. Bryce Remsburg applies the count as both men are down once again. Hero connects with a roaring elbow and the roaring mafia kick for a nearfall. Hero lays in more stiff strikes. Tanaka hits a brainbuster out of nowhere and lands a frog splash for a two count. Hero blocks a charge and attempts an Awesome Bomb to no avail. Hero settles for a vicious liger bomb for a nearfall. Hero misses a top-rope moonsault and Tanaka connects with a lariat. They trade forearms. Tanaka connects with a roaring elbow and Hero kicks out at one! Tanaka connects with a discus lariat for another nearfall. Tanaka connects with a sliding lariat and a sliding forearm for the win at 18:00. This match delivered exactly what it promised, something I’m having a hard time saying about this weekend thus far. The crowd was visibly excited for this match and as I said on our preview podcast, this was the one match I was sure wouldn’t be screwed up by any external effects. Hero was a terrific opponent for Tanaka and the best way to sum up this match is to say that it’ll meet your expectations. This one certainly injected some life into the weekend along with the terrific Gulak/Thatcher outing on today’s show. ****

Match #7: Open the Freedom Gate Title: Johnny Gargano © vs. Ricochet
Gargano has been champion for 873 days and has 21 successful defenses. Gargano hangs onto a side headlock but Ricochet is able to power out of the hold. Ricochet comes extremely close to hitting the Benadryller and Gargano retreats to the floor. In the ring, Ricochet applies a surfboard and transitions into a crucifix pin attempt for a nearfall. Ricochet back handsprings into a headscissors and connects with a dropkick. He teases a dive but Gargano cuts him off with a slingshot spear. The champion lays in a basement dropkick and takes control. Ricochet comes back with an ace crusher and lands a dive to the floor over the top turnbuckle. Back in, Ricochet connects with a springboard lariat as my stream cuts out for a second. Ricochet counters a slingshot DDT into rolling suplexes. He blocks a superkick but Gargano counters a standing shoot press into a Gargano Escape attempt. Ricochet rolls out. Gargano hits a sit-out powerbomb and both men are down as we approach the twenty-minute mark. Ricochet escapes a lawn dart and back flips into a pele kick. Gargano catches him with a superkick and lawn darts him into the turnbuckles for a nearfall. The crowd chants “you can’t beat him” at Gargano. Gargano spits at Ricochet. They have a great strike exchange and both men are down once again. The action goes to the apron where they trade forearms. Ricochet catches Gargano on a dive attempt and hits a death valley driver onto the floor. In the ring, Gargano hurricanranas Ricochet off the middle rope and hits Hurts Donut for a two count. Gargano transitions into the Gargano Escape. Ricochet counters into a dead-lift regalplex but Gargano hangs on! Ricochet now counters into a regalplex into the turnbuckles. Ricochet lands the 630 for a nearfall. He is in disbelief.

Ricochet accidentally dropkicks the referee. Here we go. Ricochet hits the Benadryller but there’s no referee. Gargano grabs his title belt and hits Ricochet with it. Gargano covers for a nearfall. Gargano now grabs the chain and starts choking Ricochet with it. Gargano blocks the Benadryller and reapplies the Gargano Escape. Ricochet counters into a cradle for a two count. Ricochet catches a crossbody attempt and connects with the Benadryller to become the new Open the Freedom Gate Champion at 31:00. This was an excellent match and light years ahead of the thirty-minute main event on EVOLVE last night. The uniqueness of this match will be evident from the counters they had to each other’s offense and the atmosphere they were able to build for their nearfalls down the stretch. The referee bump was a neutral event. While the overbooking probably wasn’t needed, it did lead to a huge nearfall that really popped the crowd. I’m also glad that the chain made an appearance, even though I think it could have played a more important role if built properly. This was my favorite match of the weekend thus far, and an amazing way to end a great second half of this show. ****¼

Chuck Taylor and the rest of the locker room come out to celebrate with Ricochet.

Ari Berenstein wrote:Ring of Honor SUPERCARD OF HONOR VIII
April 4, 2014
Westwego, LA
Credit: JP Nichols & PWInsider

We will be posting results here LIVE during the show. We’re also LIVE reviewing/Tweeting results for DGUSA

Dark match: 4-way Luke Hawx pinned Romantic Touch with a blockbuster. It also involved Mike Posey and Corey Hollis

Main Show
Roderick Strong def Cedric Alexander with the End of Heartache

The Decade’s: BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs & Adam Page def Andrew Everett & Adrenaline RUSH (ACH & Tadarius Thomas) with the All Seeing Eye finisher

Truth Martini came out and called out Matt Taven. After a promo Truth said Taven never got to the final chapter at which point Martini hit Taven with the Book of Truth and left him in the ring.

RD Evans w/ Veda Scott def “Last Real Man” Silas Young via DQ after Young hit the first ref on accident. A second ref came in and counted a pinfall for Young after a Pee Gee Waja Plunge but the original ref recovered and made the DQ decision

No Disqualification
Michael Bennett w/Maria Kanellis def Mark Briscoe after a concharito and he anaconda vice which lead to the ref stopping the match

Matt Hardy laid out Cheeseburger after intermission. He talked about how well the promotion was doing with Adam Cole as champion.

reDRagon became the number one contenders for the ROH World Tag Team Championship as they defeat the Forever Hooligans and Hanson/Rowe

Jay Lethal wins the ROH World Television Championship 2 falls to 1 over Tommaso Ciampa. Truth Martini helped Lethal pull out the victory and a new House of Truth has been formed in Ring of Honor.

Winner faces the IWGP Heavyweight Champion @ War of The Worlds
Michael Elgin def Kevin Steen with a powerbomb/package pile driver to win and earn the right to face Okada at War of the Worlds in NY

Main Event – Ladder War 5 for the ROH World Championship
Adam Cole def Jay Brisoce to retain and become the Undisputed ROH World Champion after Mike Bennett & Matt Hardy interfered.

Swarles wrote:That ROH show looks soooo boring next to DGUSA'S "OMG LETS BOOK EVERYONE IT'S MANIA!!!!" shows.