WrestleCon did things a little differently this year. In 2013, they hosted shows from companies like Dragon Gate USA, Evolve, CHIKARA, SHIMMER, CZW and more. This year, they're on their own, and decided to put on a Super Show of their own, featuring a vast amount of talent. Let's see how this show goes.
WrestleCon 2014 Super Show
New Orleans, Louisiana 4/5/14
1.) Triple Threat Match - Cedric Alexander vs. Andrew Everett vs. Trevor Lee: ****
This match was a late addition after these three stole the show at PWG Mystery Vortex II the week prior. About the same match, but it was just as good (though I would put the PWG match slightly ahead because the crowd in Reseda is amazing). Much like their first match, Andrew Everett gets the win.
Up next we have Bad Influence coming out for a promo. They basically hype themselves up (in great fashion) and introducing the Bad Influence Tag Team Invitational. I should note that I don't think these next two matches are on the DVD Release because Daniels & Kazarian were still under contract to TNA at the time, though they are on VOD Release (which I purchased).
2.) Bad Influence Tag Team Invitational - Bu Ku Dao & Bolt Brady vs. Country Jacked (Adam Page & Corey Hollis) vs. David Starr & Timothy Thatcher vs. OI4K (Dave & Jake Crist with Navaeh): ***1/4
We have a variety of different teams in here. Two of them are from CZW (OI4K & Starr/Thatcher), one is from PWX (Country Jacked), and I'm assuming the fourth (Bu Ku Dao & Bolt Brady) are locals. This was a good match, though there was no real attempt to actually do tags. Guys just came in, hit double team spots, did dives, and so on. OI4K get the win.
Daniels & Kazarian come out post match to congratulate them. They said they got an urgent call and need to go induct The Ultimate Warrior into the WWE Hall of Fame, so they said they want their match now and here we go!
3.) Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) vs. OI4K (Dave & Jake Crist with Navaeh): ***1/4
This was another pretty solid tag team match. OI4K got their stuff in while Daniels & Kazarian looked like their usual entertaining selves. Navaeh gets involved and at one point Bad Influence teases hitting her. In the end, Daniels & Kazarian are able to score the win.
4.) Jake Manning & Sojo Bolt vs. Joey Ryan & Candice LaRae: **3/4
The World's Cutest Tag Team get a great reaction. Sojo Bolt looks different since I last saw her in TNA. This was a solid match. The crowd really got into it towards the end which helped a lot. Joey & Candice pick up the win.
After the match, Joey Ryan puts a shirt on so he can reveal his chest and get beads. Fans then start throws a ton of beads in the ring, because why not? It's New Orleans!
5.) Kimber Lee vs. Kellie Skater: **1/2
These two have become well known in the Women's Independent Scene. I've actually heard a good deal about Kellie Skater, who is from Australia. Pretty decent women's match. There were rough spots here & there, but the match itself was fine. Kimber Lee gets the win via submission.
6.) Jeff Jarrett (with Karen Jarrett) vs. Colt Cabana: ***
Before the match, Karen gets on the mic and runs down New Orleans. This match had decent wrestling, but it was also good from an entertainment standpoint, which is something you should always expect from a Colt Cabana match. They shenanigans were fun, but in the end, they caught up to Cabana, and Jeff Jarrett was able to pick up the win.
7.) Arik Royal vs. Tommy Dreamer: **1/2
Really haven't heard much of Arik Royal, but Dreamer gets a big reaction as you would expect. This was a decent match. Royal got some offense in, but it turned into a bit of a Relaxed Rules Match and became more about Dreamer hitting some hardcore spots on Royal. He eventually is able to pick up the win over Royal.
8.) Six Man Tag - Steve Corino, Adam Pearce & Matt Striker vs. Shane "The Hurricane" Helms, Cassidy Riley & Luke Hawx: ***
Whoever decided to put Corino, Pearce & Striker together as a team deserves an award. They're so great together. Pre-Match, they play rock/paper/scissors and Corino wins, but it's for who gets to talk first. They all take turns cutting promos. Corino makes an awful Hurricane Katrina joke involving The Superdome. Pearce yells at the crowd, while Striker talks about Pizza for some reason, and asks the crowd to call him Pizza....uh....I don't know. They have a match. Much like the Jarrett/Cabana match, it was pretty entertaining. This was almost like an R-Rated CHIKARA Match, in many ways. The team of Hurricane, Riley & Hawx won the match, but the Old School Trio of Corino, Pearce & Striker, with their crazy (some would say sexual) antics, were the real stars.
9.) Kevin Steen vs. Masato Tanaka: ****1/4
This was billed as an "International Dream Match", and boy was it ever! Steen & Tanaka definitely delivered. Great hard hitting action from both guys. These two are so good (especially Tanaka for his age) that there was no way this wouldn't be awesome. Tanaka is finally able to put Steen away and win the match.
Afterwords, Steen shows respect towards Tanaka after what was arguably the Match of the Night.
10.) Triple Threat Match - "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs. Evolve Champion Chris Hero vs. CZW World Champion Drew Gulak: ***3/4
Here we have two champions representing two different promotions, and a third guy who is arguably one of the best in the world. This wasn't anything spectacular, but it was really, really good. Of course you can't go wrong with any of these guys, as they're all awesome in there own right. It was actually pretty exciting to see interactions between Gulak and Elgin, as they've never faced each other before (that I can recall). After what seemed like a questionable count from the referee (it might have been botched, I'm not sure), Gulak scores the win.
Afterwords, Hero & Elgin are upset about the questionable pinfall. Gulak goes to attack Elgin, but he counters, and lets Hero lay out Gulak with a Roaring Elbow. Hero then pins Gulak and Elgin counts to three. He then gives the referee in question a spinning backfist, and pins him with Hero count the fall. I have to admit, that was pretty entertaining.
11.) Ultraviolent Match - DJ Hyde vs. MASADA: **1/4
This is the main event? Really not sure why this was on last. I mean, even by Hardcore Match standards, it wasn't that good. Both guys worked relatively slowly, and the crowd didn't seem that into it. The only real moments that were entertaining involved two table spots and DJ Hyde getting busted open by MASADA's signature skewers. MASADA gets the win in a forgettable Main Event.
Overall: 7.75/10
WrestleCon put on a pretty good show here. Steen/Tanaka was a really great dream match, and they were smart to capitalize on the buzz surrounding Alexander/Everett/Lee from their recent PWG Match. The Gulak/Elgin/Hero Triple Threat Match was also really entertaining. The rest of the card was, for the most part, average. There was nothing that really stood out in the big middle portion of the shows, though the comedy matches with Jarrett/Cabana and the Old School Trio were highlights. The decision to put the CZW Ultraviolent Match in the Main Event was questionable at best. If it had been on earlier in the show, and a different match was the last match on the show, then my rating would go slightly up.
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