Limitless Wrestling - The World Is Ours

Jeff Cobb vs Darby Allin

Really nice match up here, with Cobb as the all-powerful bull being frustrated by a fly that he just can’t seem to swat away. Allin has to use his speed here, hitting a suicide dive in the first few minutes, but due to Cobb’s size he can take control with just one big forearm. Allin manages to hit a tope con hilo on Cobb through a chair, but he takes too long getting into the ring, and Cobb basically sucks him through the ropes from the apron and just hurls him. Watching Cobb manhandling an insane bumper like Allin is so much fun. Cobb hits a stalling superplex and a vicious forearm to the face, and Allin looks done. Cobb gets cocky though, holding a suplex with one hand, and Allin knees him in the head to escape. I like how Allin almost seems to accept this is his last chance, hitting a Coffin Drop from the top and tying up Cobb’s legs on a roll-up for the upset win.

David Starr vs Martin Stone vs Fred Yehi

All three guys are faces here. Because of these guys' styles in the ring, we get some gnarly three way grappling spots to start, instead of the usual string of moves. Yehi uses his stomp based offence to good effect here, first stomping on Stone’s foot to hold him in place for a back elbow, then stomping on the fingers of David Starr which Stone had broken moments earlier. All guys get time to shine, loved Starr’s succession of big dives on alternate sides, wearing down both men, and I liked the nice touch of Stone holding down Starr’s arm on a pin so, when he kicked out, he rolled straight into a Stone crossface. Also have to appreciate Starr making an effort to sell his fingers throughout. The end sees Stone break Yehi’s Koji Clutch on Starr, and lock Yehi into a crossface for the tap.

Maine State Posse (Danger Kid, Alexander Lee & Aiden Aggro) vs Allie Kat, Ashley Vox & Kris Statlander

Intergender six-man here, with each of the ladies having a silly gimmick (Vox comes from the sea, Statlander is an alien and Kat is….well, guess). Didn’t take to this, too much goofy shit especially from Allie Kat whose gimmick seems to take over a lot of the early part of the match. There’s too much clunky comedy mixed with out-of-place moments of violence. Aggro hits some big forearms and Lee hits a nasty looking complete shot, then moments later Statlander will do some “hilarious” alien mind trick comedy. It doesn’t work and disrupts the flow of the match. There’s some poor looking offence too, unfortunately, with a really clunky dive train and Vox hitting a terrible looking DDT on Lee. The end sees all six in the ring in and it’s a mess of bad timing and bad execution. Kat finally gets the win following a piledriver. Yeah, didn’t like this.

Dick Justice & Troy Nelson vs DL Hurst & Brett Domino

Match of two halves here. Dug the first half, where the heels Hurst and Domino control. They’ve got good swagger and nice heel control, keeping Nelson contained in their corner. Domino hits a lovely dropkick right to Nelson’s face. Then Hurst misses a moonsault and it’s like the match resets, with the heels having to stooge for a load of comedy offence. The faces basically run wild from the moment Justice gets in and win with a Heart punch/neckbreaker combo.

Matt Cross vs MJF

After the last two matches, this was like a cool glass of water in the desert. Just well executed stuff, with MJF as a truly unlikable heel. After a run of control by Cross, MJF pulls the ref in the way of some Cross offence in the corner, forearms Cross in the face and throws him into the ringpost. From there, we get smug heel control, with petty little touches like stomping on Cross’s ankle. MJF works the arm, with a slingshot Divorce Court, and a really painful looking Quackendriver focused on the limb. Cross does ruin the effect by hitting a cartwheel elbow, but he does at least pay lip service to it for the rest of the match, limb dangling limply by his side as he tries to fire back with chops. MJF stopping a barrage of strikes by spitting directly in Cross’s face, a perfect way for such a dick to take over. Cross gets a cutter from nowhere, but misses a shooting star, landing on the arm which MJF instantly locks into a crowbar for the tap. Really good stuff.

Tessa Blanchard vs Deonna Purrazzo

Thought Blanchard was excellent here, just comes across as having a nasty mean streak and her offence looks great. Loved her barrage of offence when she had Purrazzo leant against the ropes, running at her with elbows to the back and dropkicks to the neck. Not overtly heelish, just aggressive and determined. Purrazzo gets a short shine period, luring Blanchard into going up top and suddenly catching her with an armbar. Purrazzo wisely uses Blanchard’s aggression against her, moving out of the way to avoid charges and using this to take her openings. However, Blanchard hits a killshot, a top rope Codebreaker, which is enough for the win. Really neat little sprint.

Eddie Kingston vs Chris Dickinson

Absolutely loved this, two of my favourite wrestlers beating the tar out of each other. They open in a really fun way, jockeying for position on the mat before Dickinson suddenly hits a huge overhead belly-to-belly from nowhere. Eddie soon retorts by pump kicking Dickinson off the apron and hitting a huge suicide dive. Kingston is a really smart offensive wrestler, here putting Dickinson in a neck crank, with the result that it leaves a wide open spot for him to hammer repeated elbows into the side of Dickinson’s face. The viciousness of Kingston’s control manages to make a brute like Dickinson fighting from beneath seem viable. They exchange strikes, and for once it doesn’t feel awkwardly slotted into the match – Kingston is a man who won’t stop fighting if he still can, whilst Dickinson is a man who’s too meatheaded to know he’s in pain. Dickinson hits a huge German suplex, an enzuigiri and a Death Valley Driver in quick succession, and you can sense Kingston doesn’t have much left. Another strike exchange sees neither body willing to give in, until Dickinson throws a thudding kick into Kingston’s head and hits the Pazuzu Bomb to finally put him away. I loved this.

The Thick Boys (Jay Freddie & John Silver) & Ethan Page vs Austin Theory, Christian Casanova & Mr Grim

Reasonable six way action here, with the Thick Boys having some neat offence. Loved Freddie’s pop up powerslam and their flapjack into a big uppercut. Theory also puts in a good performance here, with a brainbuster and a standing moonsault looking great. He hits a lot of moves from forward rolls, which you know will be his downfall later in the match, so it’s no surprise when a heat section on Page is ended up Theory rolling straight into a cutter. Silver is a blog favourite and he looks predictably good here, snapmaring Casanova into a cannonball on Theory in a great spot. Casanova hits a nutso twirling bulldog on Silver, to keep up the run of fun offence. Even the guy I knew least about, Mr Grim, gets a fun moment, hitting a full weight DVD on Silver. However, Grim accidentally hits a pounce on Casanova, and the Thick Boys hit a big slam to get the win. Just enjoyable stuff.

Anthony Henry & James Drake vs Dorian Graves & VSK

This starts off feeling like a squash, with the team of Henry and Drake decimating their massage-gimmicked opponents. Henry stomps the shit out of Graves, but Grave’s hits an unlikely tornado DDT on Henry, really forcing him down to the mat. There’s a little bad comedy as VSK gives Drake a shoulder massage to stop an offensive run, but aside from that he looks really good, and I thought them using massage oil to create a slip-n-slide for a cannonball was a neat way to incorporate the gimmick. Drake misses a standing moonsault, and the faces hit Shatter Machine for the unexpected victory.

Anthony Greene vs Ace Romero vs JT Dunn vs Josh Briggs

At some point, the bottom rope has fallen off, so this match kicks off with only the top two sets of ropes. This doesn’t seem to hold them back though, and this ends up being a big, daftly entertaining four-way. Briggs sets the tone early, hitting a big overhead suplex on Dunn before hitting an insane dive over the turnbuckle. Romero hitting a devastating senton to Greene also is pretty neat, before we get a big crowd brawling section that ends with a super-high Dunn crossbody from the top of the lockers. We get utter chaos in the ring, with Briggs eating a superkick to the face from Dunn whilst he tries hitting a moonsault. Hurst and Domino, who had been sent to the back by the ref earlier when they came out with Greene, come out and punch the ref, assumingly to allow them to interfere freely, but they get squashed when the enormous Romero hits a dive to take them out. However, Greene still gets the win when he lets Dunn hit a big elbow to Briggs before rolling JT up for the win. These matches rely on a minimum of resting and some big well-executed spots, and this was really good stuff. Greene maybe had the least moments to shine, but then he’s also the shitbag heel who pulls out a cheap victory, so that kinda makes sense. Josh Briggs, who had seemed merely fine first time I saw him, looked great here, in many respects the rich man’s Baron Corbin, hitting all sorts of big throws and that incredible dive. Excellent main event.

Limitless Wrestling - Hybrid Moments

Ace Romero vs Sami Callihan

Really hot opener. Romero is a really big guy, with a sort of Dusty Rhodes physique. The story here is that Romero has gone from main eventing the last show to opening this one, so he’s got something to prove. Proper hard-hitting back and forth contest, with Callihan seemingly trying to use his pace advantage early, hitting and running. Romero bumps big for a guy his size, missing a top rope senton to the apron, as well has connecting with a big senton on the floor. He maybe needs to leave visible air when hitting big boots, but he impressed here. Both got to kick out of some big moves – Romero hits two more sentons on Callihan inside the ring, whilst Callihan hits an unlikely DVD on Romero – but that worked for the story they were telling. An exchange of slaps ends with Romero hitting a big lariat to win.

Jordynne Grace vs Jessicka Havok

Really fun power battle between these two, kicking off with a shoulderblock battle that Havok wins. Grace finds herself in the rare position of being overpowered, so she has to resort to using her speed advantage instead, attacking with sudden bursts of energy. Loved her running elbow in the corner to a seated Havok. In turn, Havok looks great using her size advantage, really liked the standing Full Nelson she locked, which had Grace completely off the mat. The end was a bit sloppy, as Grace couldn’t fully get Havok up for a top rope powerbomb, but this was decent.

Josh Briggs vs Darby Allin

Briggs comes across as one of those guys who’s very tall, but not particularly imposing. He seemed fine, but it’s Allin who does all the noteworthy stuff in this match. He gets great height on a springboard armdrag, does a lovely move where Briggs kicks out of an O’Connor Roll and Allin deftly leaps to the bottom rope and flies back with a crossbody to the seated Briggs, as well as taking some big bumps when he gets posted outside the ring. Allin impressively flips out of a chokeslam and gets in a rapid chop combo, but the power advantage pays off for Briggs, as he wins with a huge facebuster slam. Allin looked great in defeat.

Maine State Posse (Danger Kid & Alexander Lee) vs The Thick Boys (John Silver & Jay Freddie)

The commentary seemed to suggest that this incarnation of the Posse didn’t seem to be gelling very well, referring to a third member who apparently works better with Danger Kid. Loved the huge flip dive Danger hit early on, seemed at odds with his unimpressive look. Alexander Lee didn’t really impress, seeming a bit tentative on his kicks, but I loved how Silver worked with him here, rolling into his legs to send Lee crashing into the ropes and hitting a big rebound German suplex. Things break down with the commentary highlighting that Danger Kid still hadn’t tagged into the match, and as soon as Kid accidentally kicks his partner, the result is pretty obvious, as the Thick Boys hit a double Rubix Cube on Lee to win.

Matt Cross vs Petey Williams

Two elder heads of the indy scene colliding, and this is a comfortable, amiable match. Nothing fancy, but both guys are experienced enough that you suspect they could work this bout in their sleep. Petey does some token legwork, but you don’t really watch a Matt Cross match for his selling, so it’s not a huge surprise when he starts his comeback with cartwheels and springboards. Petey locks in a decent looking sharpshooter, and I loved the smarts in him leaning back to grab Petey’s hand to try and prevent a rope break. Cross does two moves in a row that end with a double stomp, just to make sure you know his leg is totally fine. The Canadian Destroyer is reversed into a Jig’N’Tonic for two, before a springboard cutter gets three for Cross. Pretty easy going stuff.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs Jonathan Gresham

Nice change of pace here, as both guys decide to work a load of character-based schtick rather the big-move workrate style seen in other matches here. It’s a fun dynamic, the loudmouth vs the technician, and they work it well here. Gresham gets every opportunity to make MJF look foolish, including trying him up in his own trunks in order to hit a move on his prone opponent. Friedman gets a run of control and starts focusing on the arm and shoulder of Gresham, sending him into the ringpost. Gresham fires back with a nice sequence, hitting a jawbreaker, an enzuigiri and a German suplex in quick succession for a 2 count. MJF takes advantage of a distracted ref, however, to hit a low blow and tie up Gresham with an armbar for the win.

Cam Zagami vs Chris Dickinson

Zagami cuts a fun heel promo, offering an open challenge, before getting blindsided by Dickinson, who hits two Pazuzu Bombs for the quick win. This was really more of an angle to let Dickinson call out Eddie Kingston on the mic afterwards, but it was fun enough.

Christian Casanova vs Ethan Page

Probably the weakest of the featured matches. Casanova seemed fine, even if he spends a lot of the early stages re-tying his hair, but there’s definitely some sloppy moments. They even blow the spot where a heel pretends to be about to throw his opponent through the crowd but instead throws them back into the ring, as Casanova accidentally throws Page into the camerawoman by the apron. Page is a guy with a lot of hype, but it felt like there was good and bad to his performance. I liked his cross-armed iconoclasm, but his through-the-ropes stunner looked poor. Page’s swanton looked decent, before we get a ref bump. Mr Grim comes out, seemingly to attack Casanova, but instead levels Page with a Pounce, and Casanova hits Page with a gold chain to win. Not great, but this was fine.

Skylar vs Willow Nightingale vs Davienne vs Ashley Vox vs Kennedi Copeland vs Terra Calaway

Pretty fun little match, basically non-stop action. There’s a nice dive sequence on the floor, highlighted by an unlikely second rope moonsault by Nightingale. Copeland hitting a series of sloppy cutters is the only questionable bit, but there’s lot to enjoy here. Dug Calaway hitting a series of big cannonballs in the corner, liked Davienne following that by dropkicking people into the ringposts in the corners, before Calaway ends up alone with Copeland, hitting a full Nelson slam to win. Evenly worked to give everyone a little shine, fun spotfest to break things up before the main.

JT Dunn vs Anthony Greene

Though this was really good, both men really impressed me here. Dunn was really good working from beneath, as he works most of this match selling a leg injury. His selling is believable, firing off his good leg when hitting punches on his comeback and really stretching to hit a blow when Greene is JUST out of range. Greene had really nice execution to his stuff, real snap to his moves. His roaring elbow looked great, and I loved his instant focus on the leg when Dunn goes down injured. Both guys get convincing nearfalls, with Greene hitting a top rope cutter and Dunn nailing him with Death By Elbow. The end sees a double count out, as Dunn hits a tombstone on the apron, sending both men tumbling to the floor. Dunn is on the brink of getting back in, but Greene holds onto his leg, ensuring the match ends a draw. Really enjoyed this, thought Dunn was far more effective as a face than in the previous match I’d seen where he was a heel, and for a guy I’d never heard off Greene was a really fun discovery.

Wrestling Society X: Season One Part One

So I managed to pick up this DVD of the first part of the only series of MTV's shortlived Wrestling Society X promotion (though at this point it looks pretty clear that part two will never get a UK release). WSX had a roster primarily made up of So-Cal indy guys (including anyone from XPW who didn't outright suck) so the talent on display is pretty good, though I'm commenting on each match with the knowledge that these matches were booked not so much as wrestling matches, but insane stunt shows for MTV viewers. With that in mind, let's crack on...

EPISODE ONE

Matt Sydal vs Jack Evans
The future Evan Bourne is accompanied by on-screen girlfriend Lizzy Valentine, playing a young preppy couple. Evans takes an insane bump straight away, hurtling over the top rope to the concrete floor. Sydal follows with a tope. This is absolutely a spotfest, but crucially it’s a really fun one, with everything connecting nicely. Sydal takes a nasty bump onto his head from an Evans leg lariat, which sends him to the floor. Evans follows him out with a cartwheel into a 360 somersault, which is just mental. Valentine interferes to try and help Sydal, but Evans manages to use her back as a launchpad for a tornado DDT, followed by a 630 splash for the win. Really high-octane way to kick off the concept of WSX.

WSX Rumble
Even Vince Russo would look at this and call it an overbooked clusterfuck. Basically, it’s a rumble with tables and “electrified wires” outside the ring and two contracts hanging above the ring. When all combatants are in, the contracts are lowered and the first two to get ladders and grab them get to compete in the WSX title match on the following show.

We kick off with Justin Credible and Teddy Hart, who foolishly celebrates an early modicum of success by moonsaulting off the top into a Credible superkick. Former XPW wrestler Kaos is 3rd, but gets hit with a cradle DDT by Hart. Vampiro is 4th and cleans house. We get a commercial break, during which Puma (5) comes in and gets eliminated, and Al Katrazz (6) is in the ring. 6 Pac is 7th, whilst Chris Hamrick is 8th. Sadly for Hamrick, entry no. 9, New Jack, takes offence to his Southern ways and follows him to the ring straight away, before proceeding to kick the shit out of him. Hamrick and Jack are both gone pretty much straight away, as Jack eliminates Hamrick and follows him out to inflict more pain. Suddenly, a load of stuff takes place at once, as Kaos is thrown into a big box of electricity by Katrazz’s tag team partner Luke Hawx. At the same time, Katrazz and Hart both get eliminated, as final entrant Youth Suicide gets in, and immediately empties a bag of tacks into the ring. Vampiro powerbombs him onto them straight away, whilst 6 Pac grabs contract #1. Suicide tries to climb the ladder, but is thrown off into another box of electricity on the outside. Vampiro then outlasts Credible to grab the second contract. A total fucking mess, with bad camera work and no rhyme or rhythm to the match,

EPISODE 2

Luke Hawx vs the Human Tornado
Haven’t seen a Hawx match since he was Altar Boy Luke in XPW. This is pretty much a showcase for the Tornado character, but Hawx can go and, despite Tornado no-selling a kick to the nuts thanks to his “balls of steel”, Luke soon takes over following an exploder and a leg lariat. Tornado manages to send Hawx outside and hits an insane tope, followed by a Tornado DDT for the win. Brief, but enjoyable. Afterwards, we get a schmozz with Al Katrazz and Hawx fighting the team of Kaos and Aaron Aguilera, a result of the Hawx interference in last weeks rumble.

That 70’s Team vs Team Dragon Gate
The 70’s boys consist of PWG stalwarts Joey Ryan and Disco Machine, with Yoshino and Horiguchi repping for Dragon Gate. Horiguchi and Yoshino are insanely quick here and use this speed to take control early on. Ryan misses a dropkick, resulting in him yelling to Disco to throw him his asthma inhaler in a funny spot. The match soon descends into carnage, with Ryan hitting a superkick on Yoshino for the win.

Vampiro vs 6 Pac
This is for the first ever WSX championship. Both guys put in a surprisingly high effort and the match moves as a fair old pace. The problem is that it’s way too spotty and is pretty much just a collection of moves. A 6 Factor only gets two for Pac (I personally think it lost it’s power when it realised it’s new name didn’t actually mean anything). Vamp hits a tombstone from the apron into (oh yes!) an exploding coffin to get the win and the title.

EPISODE 3

Trailer Park Boys vs The Filth & The Fury
Trailer Park Boys consist of Nate Webb and Josh “Jug” Raymond (aka Josh Abercrombie of IWA-MS fame), whilst their opponents are Teddy Hart and Matt Cross. The Filth & The Fury dominate this right off the bat and this is a massively one-sided showcase until Hart takes a boot to the face attempting a moonsault onto Webb. The Boys have some nice double teams, but this is Hart and Cross’s match, and once Hart escapes Soylent Green, the end is nigh. Hart hits a Canadian Destroyer on Webb and puts him on a table outside before (and I can’t believe I’m typing this) soaking him in water and zapping him with an electrical cable, then hitting Open Hart Surgery on him from on top of some crates. In the ring, meanwhile, Cross hits a shooting star legdrop on Raymond for the win. Actually quite fun early on, but it took a ridiculous turn that I still can’t decide if I loved or hated.

Jack Evans vs El Hombre Blanco Enmascarado
EHBE is PWG stalwart Quicksilver which, being easier to type, is what I’ll call him. That said, his name is probably longer than this match. Quicksilver hits a Fishermans Buster for two, but Jack nails him with a knee to the head and hits the 630 for the win. Essentially pointless

Al Katrazz & Luke Hawx vs Los Pochos Guapos
Los Pochos Guapos are Kaos and ex-Carlito bodyguard Aaron Aguilera. This is a TLC match, only this time it stands for tables, ladders and cervezas, with a 6 pack of beer in the corner. I really like Aguilera’s 1940’s heavy look and this match is pretty well laid out when you take into consideration the WSX policy of rushing through everything. Give it another 5 minutes and it could have been pretty good. Kaos hits Hawx with a Kaos Driver early, but Aguilera stops him hitting a moonsault and tells him to hit it off the ladder, which Kaos promptly misses. Katrazz tries to hit Old School into a tornado DDT on Aguilera, but AA reverses it into a suplex into the ladder. Kaos hits a Ganso Bomb on Hawx and AA tells him to powerbomb Hawx onto the beers. However, Katrazz Irish whips AA into Kaos midpowerbomb, allowing Hawx to reverse it to a facebuster on the beers. That was pretty nicely worked. Katrazz powerbombs Kaos through a table for the win. Probably the best WSX thus far.

EPISODE 4

Matt Sydal vs Scorpio Sky
Sydal is described as the “Cocky Coverboy”, which would be a great gimmick for him to use if he turned heel in the WWE. Due to some poor booking, both guys are essentially working cocky heel gimmicks, though the crowd soon decides Sky is the face. The match kicks off with a series of flips, ranas and dives, until Sky nails Sydal with a backbreaker. Awesome moonsault into a legroller by Sydal. Sky comes back with a pristine tope. Lizzie Valentine distracts Sky, allowing Sydal to hit a standing moonsault for two. The ending is pretty choice, Sydal hitting a one man Spanish Fly that ends with him on top for the victory. Brief but fun, at least everything was crisp. Afterwards, Valentine writes “H8R” on Sky’s back in lipstick, which is a brilliant heel move.

Keeping It Gangsta vs That 70’s Team
KIG consists of Babi Slymm and former CZW champion Ruckus. That 70’s Team come out to answer an open challenge, and prepare for the match by oiling themselves up. KIG are into total control early on due to the fast paced offence of Ruckus. Slymm comes in and retains control, until Ryan helps Disco complete a victory roll by booting Slymm in the gut. Some high-concept comedy ensues involving Ryan wearing a thong, and Ruckus gets the hot tag. Ruckus is a guy ideally suited to tag matches, his high paced offence suits being the hot tag guy really well. Slymm hits an insane spinning sidewalk slam on Disco. Ruckus puts Ryan in the tree of woe, smashes a discoball in his crotch before hitting a flipping moonsault from a blinged-out ladder onto Ryan’s face. What a sentence. Match was pretty enjoyable.

And that is the final match we get. The episode finishes with an angle involving Vampiro, 6 Pac and a debuting Ricky Banderas (plus ludicrous special effects), but we get no more episodes of WSX...

What we DO get is some web-exclusive matches as extras...

Luke Hawx vs Puma vs the Human Tornado
Earlier this year, I reviewed a PWG match which was a triple threat match with a similar line-up, with Davey Richards instead of Hawx. That was a longer match but, taking into account the WSX constraints of time, I think I enjoyed this one more. This is in large part down to the presence of the former XPW Altar Boy, who really gets showcased here. Tornado kicks things off early with an insane tope to both men which sends him through the safety rails, but Hawx soon takes control on him after sending Puma to the floor with a huge Irish whip to the corner. Hawx nearly beheads Tornado with a clothesline, downing him with a vicious looking series of kicks. Hawx retains control and nearly gets two off a powerbomb, but is shoved from the top rope to the floor by a returning Puma. Tornado attacks Puma and hits a corkscrew senton on him for the win. Made Puma look really dumb, but Hawx and Tornado got to look great.

DIFH vs the Trailer Park Boys
DIFH (or Doing It For Her) are Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black rocking an emo gimmick, Jimmy being the sensitive one and Black being the intense one. The commentators spend a lot of the early going talking about Johnny Webb managing the Trailer Park Boys, and how he’s a former XPW champion, as if anyone watching will have any idea what that means. Jacobs is too busy spending the early moments waving to girls, so Black has to kick things off by hitting Jug with some nice strikes. The Boys take over on Black, with some nice double teams in the corner. Jacobs does get in, but Raymond nearly kills himself hitting a suicide dive into the rails (and partially Jacobs). We see some nice character developments for DIFH as Jacobs locks in a Camel Clutch on Raymond, but gets upset when Black comes in a blasts Jug with a dropkick to the face. Jimmy tries again with a Cattle Mutilation, but Black comes in again with a standing Shooting Star. Raymond manages a hot tag after a springboard kick, and Webb comes in and gets the win on Black following Soylent Green. I liked this a lot.

Matt Sydal vs Matt Classic
Matt Classic is Colt Cabana under a mask, and the gimmick is spectacular. Essentially the story is that he is a wrestler from the 1950’s who has been in a coma for 50 years and is returning to action. Cabana plays it to the hilt, with not only a moveset straight out of the black-and-white days, but also wearing large trunks, no kneepads and with ridiculous mannerisms. Classic locks on the dreaded stomach claw early on, but Sydal somehow escapes and uses his speed to take over. Classic manages to lock on the trapezius claw from a Sydal pinfall, but Sydal hits a reverse rana and the Shooting Star Press to win. Really fun comedy match.

Matt Classic vs Scorpio Sky
Another excellent Classic match. Classic brings some more old school to the table, including fish-hooking Sky. Sky downs Classic with a flying headscissors, but gets caught on another move, and Classic downs him with a dreaded airplane spin. A Heart Punch sends Sky straight down, but Classic misses a bottom rope splash which allows Sky back into it. Sky hits a sloppy looking Impaler DDT for the win.

DIFH vs That 70’s Team
The match starts with Disco doing an unnatural amount of gyrating. Jacobs doesn’t seem to want to hurt him, so Black uses his partner as a weapon, whipping Disco into the corner and hurling Jacobs at him. Ryan comes in to attack Jimmy, who ends up as face-in-peril. Machine hits a snazzy looking snap powerslam. Jimmy nails a neckbreaker on Ryan, which causes Joey to need his inhaler. This gives Jacobs time to make the hot tag. The awkward thong comedy comes out again, DIFH rock a nice double team finisher: Black hoists Ryan on his shoulders, Jacobs hits a top rope elbow and Black finishes it off with a sitout driver. This picks up the win. Another perfectly good tag match, better than most of the ones on the main show.

DIFH vs Team Dragon Gate
The third DIFH match on the internet matches and really, they’ve been a highlight of the DVD. This is another fine match, with the opening section with Jacobs and Horiguchi being superslick. Loved seeing Jacobs using the flying headscissors, though it’s not quite the same without the power of the furry boots. Yoshino is still superquick, enough that he starts to make my TV blur, and he gets a two off a tornado DDT. Black is still forced to use the sensitive Jacobs as a weapon, hurling him into Horiguchi for a two count. Horiguchi misses a moonsault, and DIFH use the elbow/driver combination to pick up the win. DIFH were awesome.

Jack Evans vs Marcus Riot
Riot is a guy I know nothing about. Even a quick Google search is revealing nothing. Riot is dressed exactly like Evans, with the storyline being that Riot is an Evans superfan. Riot does a really good job keeping up with the uberfast Evans early on, but he gets blasted with a swank cartwheel kick by Evans. Evans sends him outside and hits a nuts 360 springboard plancha. Riot gets back on offence by raising knees on a standing SSP and nails a roaring clothesline for two. Evans fires back with a reverse rana for two. He follows it with a fantastic standing corkscrew moonsault for two. Evans misses the 630, but he blasts Riot with a Fisherman buster and hits the 630 second attempt for 3. Fun story with Riot being the Evans clone, and he looked pretty good. Shame I’ve literally no idea who he is.