ALL OUT

Jurassic Express vs. SoCal Uncensored

A real solid opener. They told the narrative of SCU being the more experienced singles & tag wrestlers very well w/ Jungle Boy's lengthy FIP bit, and it was pretty good stuff for sure. Nothing blow-away, but definitely fun 12 or so minutes. **3/4

Kenny Omega vs. PAC

Kenny Omega & PAC sounds like a pairing that should click immediately, and that they sure did here. Both guys have great, vicious looking offense & the match was just really damn good overall. Got more competitive by the minute & they told the story of Kenny not being focused enough and making some small mistakes real well + that said story was also put over by the commentators (especially Excalibur) greatly, which made it all the more enjoyable. ***1/2

Darby Allin vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Joey Janela

A bit of an awkward beginning flow wise, but my goodness did these guys go crazy or what. Emerald Flowsion on the apron, the papercuts, the skateboard, the crackel barrel stuff -- BRUTAL stuff all around. Fun match. ***

Best Friends vs. The Dark Order

I love Best Friends, I've always liked SSB/Dark Order & I can always appreciate a good ol' classic tag formula, but this was a complete miss. Most of the match was dominated by the Dark Order, and they were extremely uninteresting doing the work on top, and as a result there wasn't much heat at all. A complete miss, like I said. At least the post-match Orange Cassidy moment ruled. *1/2

Hikaru Shida vs. Riho

Good, solid stuff w/ the natural dynamic of Riho fighting from underneath as Shida largely dominated things, locking in some awesome looking holds & blasting some very nice looking strikes. ***

Cody vs. Shawn Spears

Hahaa, this was so damn awesome. The presentation during the entrances is amazing (except for poor Pharaoh getting scared shitless by the pyro), the beginning of the match is FANTASTIC w/ Cody going right at Spears with that suicide dive & then kicking his ass all over the place, pumping up the crowd & slapping hands with kids -- hell yeah I say, that's some classic babyface stuff right there. Spears is very solid dishing out the punishment too, and the great atmosphere added so much to it + of course it helps that Cody's overall babyface work was absolutely on point. Him getting FIRED UP by those beltshots & then booting Spears' face was awesome. Also loved the inclusions of MJF & Tully -- when Tully was stomping MJF & then fucking DOUBLE A comes out and delivers his signature Spinebuster (which was as gorgeous as ever), I got the biggest smile on my face. So much FUN all around w/ Cody's amazing babyface act, the red-hot atmosphere, MJF & Tully being awesome ringside + the goddamn Enforcer coming out. Easy MOTN. ****

The Lucha Brothers vs. The Young Bucks

This was 'the usual' between the two teams, but with some added ladder spots, naturally. It was solid & I think one of the biggest compliments you could give it is to say it didn't feel very long at all even with its 24-minute runtime. ***

Adam Page vs. Chris Jericho

Sluggish pace all the way through, and while it's not the most compelling stuff in the beginning, it eventually gets more interesting & remains good till the end. ***