Time for the Beav Meltzer scale!
The Buy-In
21-man Casino Battle Royale: Adam Page won by last eliminating MJF
While the format of the match may be made it harder to introduce everyone and some camera work was off, by the time the match got into the final stretch, it was really hitting off. MJF, Adam Page, Luchasaurus, Jimmy Havoc, and Jungle Boy along looked like stars with most people getting some spots. Although the camera missed some key moments, but it is their first match which had 21 people, I can understand. Also, Shawn getting eliminated by a guy with no legs still beats not being used on Smackdown.
Kip Sabian defeated Sammy Guevara
As someone who has never seen these two guys, I was impressed by the end. A bit tired at the start, but the work of them two really won me over near the end. Sammy's good in the ring and has pandas, and Kip Sabian makes me think of Mudkips with his first name, so all good.
Main Show
SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky) defeated Strong Hearts (Cima, T-Hawk, and El Lindaman)
First of all, Christopher Daniels is ageless. Like, he can still go at his age and he has all the swagger in the world, and this was a good choice to open the card. The OWE guys were fast and worked well while Scorpio Sky and Kazarian also did well. They won me over by the end and it was excellent.
Also, this was one of the first times a crowd was happy their hometown was insulted.
Britt Baker defeated Nyla Rose, Kylie Rae and Awesome Kong (with Brandi Rhodes)
The shock addition of Awesome Kong was... Well, awesome. She's a great presence and I am already pining for a match between her and Rose. Also, Kong kept to the outside a fair amount to let the newer girls show themselves. Nyla is a beast and I think can develop very well in the future (cleaner than Nia Jax in the ring). Britt was great too minus the Last Shot (The old one) being a bit messy. Then, Kylie, she was great in her performance, being her "smiley" self and getting more and more serious as the match got on. And, not gonna lie, she's absolutely adorable. Love her <3
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta) defeated Angélico and Jack Evans
UNRATED!
You may wonder why I am not rating it, it is because my feed kept cutting out through the majority of this match and the rest of the night, but it was at its worst here. Yet, I know from what I saw, the match rating wouldn't be negative on my scale. Although I got to see the almighty Hug which has the same powers as Okada, and one spot and call which nearly made me piss myself laughing.
Post-match Stuff:
Oh, and the Super Smash Brothers come out, have a legion of people in masks, and Evil Player Uno looked like a badass sitting on a Human Throne. Jesus fuck.
Hikaru Shida, Riho Abe, and Ryo Mizunami defeated Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki, and Emi Sakura
Now I see why
@Seto follows Stardom and a lot of Joshi wrestling. They are on another level. Colourful characters and do things that I don't think men or women in America/Canada/UK do. I was really impressed with Riho and Yuka especially. Considering Riho sold like a boss, kicked out by essentially kicking up like she's possessed, and is 21! THE SAME AS ME AND SHE CAN DO THAT! Then Yuka's look, expressions just made me smile. She's MAGIC!
Great showcase for these ladies although I still need to learn their names XD
Cody (with Brandi Rhodes) defeated Dustin Rhodes
This match was very old school and exceeded expectations I had considering Cody's reputation of being solid, but not being "amazing" that often and Dustin's age. But the blood spilt in this match basically added to the story of Cody trying to put Dustin out to pasture and proves that sometimes you do not need all the high spots to put on a good match. The moment after, the crowd chanting "Dusty" as well during it, made it an emotional affair.
The segment of the title Presentation:
First the title gets a
and it looks great.
Then, Maxwell Jacob Friedman's promo work also is a
If you are worried about this company being only just... High spot guys, this guy is the exception. Very traditional in-ring style, but he is such a great talker at such a young age. Telling Bret that a fan is about to attack him, calling Page a horse, just such a great heel I want to punch this guy and see him get his ass kicked, WHICH HE DID!
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (c) defeated The Lucha Bros (Penta El Zero M and Fénix)
Almost the opposite but the same rating is this match. Really an athletic showcase for two great teams. I get the Young Bucks' traditional style is not for everyone, but it makes their matches unique. I also loved The Young Bucks pulling moves out of their old rival's playbooks during the match, trying to tribute what got them to where they are. The Bucks won which surprised me, but I guess Triple-A saw the 5 million viewers the Young Bucks brought in when they appeared there and want to use them again.
Chris Jericho defeated Kenny Omega
They didn't match what they did in the Tokyo Dome last year but still, put together an overall great match. Only one nasty looking botch which was either a rough looking DDT or a Small Package he lost, and also The Judas Effect, great on paper, but Jericho needs to work a bit better in executing it. They worked to their strengths with Kenny doing most the athletic work and acting crazed after taking nasty bumps, and Jericho did well brawling and showed some flashes of high-flying. Even if Jericho has slowed down, he still can hold his own with the right opponent. Looking forward to him against Okada and Kenny's next big match which may be...
JON FUCKING MOXLEY!
+
What an ending? Jon Moxley goes through the crowd and lays out Jericho, lays out the Ref, then targets Omega. A nice brawl with a Dirty Deeds (new name pending) to Omega on the Chips on the stage then he throws him off to a NASTY splat. They made him look like Stone Cold by nailing everyone with his finish but it works. Great way to end, and leaves you wanting more. So, think it's still a work, eh
@Jonny Nostradamus ?
I gotta give this a
10/10 very great and I am hoping they can keep this up.
