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All-Star Junior Pageant 2023 USA (August 19) Outcomes & Overview

Ignatius Ukende
By Ignatius Ukende
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10


All Star Junior Pageant 2023 USA
August 19, 2023
2300 Area
Philadelphia, PA

Watch: NJPWWorld.com PPV

MEET OUR REVIEWER

In the event you’re like me, you want pageant. I’ve a specific gentle spot for music festivals, however much less today now that everybody round me is youthful and thinner than I and might face up to the blaze of the solar like they’re manufactured from asbestos or one thing. They’ll have their Coachellas and Osheagas, for I’ll all the time have Lolapalooza 1994, headlined by the Smashing Pumpkins again earlier than the NWA was only a glimmer in At Billy’s eye. (Not Certain If It’s A) Enjoyable Reality: Lolapalooza that yr was alleged to be headlined by Nirvana.

Wrestling additionally apparently has its festivals, as Hiromu Takahashi and Rocky Romero deliver the All Star Junior Pageant 2023 to Philadelphia for an evening of junior heavyweight in-ring motion starring a solid of wrestlers from promotions from the USA, Mexico and Japan. It’s a present that was good, crammed with good to nice matches that made for an pleasurable night, however which is in any other case utterly skippable. You’ll be glad for those who caught it stay, however received’t remorse by no means seeing it.

Nonetheless I, Warren Hayes, will information you thru the present right this moment and produce you my ideas and perhaps allow you to be the choose as as to if you’re lacking out or not. You possibly can hearken to my podcast and evaluations at YouTube.com/MrWarrenHayes or in your de facto podcast app, or hit me up on BlueSky for those who had been in a position to persuade the bouncers you’re with the band and acquired in.

PRE-SHOW
Goldy def. Vinnie Pacifico

Advantageous little pre-show match the place the Monster Manufacturing facility’s David Goldy (simply Goldy tonight) lands an apron bomb and a falcon arrow. Freelancer Vinnie Pacifico hulks up by chugging down an power drink due to the ability of sponsorships and lands an Angle Slam. Flying knee does the job for Goldy who will get the win. Pacifico stood out to me, regardless of doing the jay-oh-bee, however Goldy appears to have the fundamentals to be heel. Sufficient effort right here to name it good. ***

Fundamental Present
Matt Sydal & YOH def. BUSHI & Shun Skywalker

NJPW’s BUSHI and Dragongate’s Shun Skywalker have matching gear (they’re each in black) and BUSHI even gives up the LIJ fist salute to Shun! I ponder if this was cleared with Naito. Skywalker waves it off, although, so perhaps the matching gear isn’t sufficient. This was a enjoyable opener the place Matt Sydal, representing AEW, did a lot of the heavy lifting. He’s touchdown standing corkscrew moonsaults, capturing off lightning kicks and flying via the air with meteoras, whereas Shun Skywalker is doing claw holds. Possibly Shun’s the neatest within the room? It’s the curtain jerker, in spite of everything. YOH (NJPW) and BUSHI are completely on multi-man tour match mode with stable if unspectacular work. Skywalker mists BUSHI by chance and Sydal takes him out on the ground with a dive. Shortly thereafter it involves an finish when YOH interrupts an MX and rolls BUSHI right into a bridging pin for the win. After the match, BUSHI gives Skywalker the LIJ fist once more, however then mists the person from Dragongate. Advantageous opener. ***

All Star Junior USA Match First Spherical Match
Kevin Knight def. Clark Connors

This was the primary of two matches to find out the members within the finals of the All Star Junior USA Match whose prize appears to be, and I child you not, cleansing provides offered by LEC. Can I take a second to say simply how a lot LEC acquired out of their sponsorship on this present? Commentary couldn’t preserve themselves from mentioning the mascot, Gekiochi-kun, each time it popped up on display. This isn’t essentially a foul factor, I doubtless would have completed the identical. Possibly even prompting manufacturing to get extra pictures of it.

This primary knockout match had Kevin Knight vs. Clark Connors, two NJPW  guys, placed on a stable match, as commentary places over how there may be unhealthy blood as a consequence of Connors betraying the LA Dojo when he threw in with Bullet Membership and Kevin Knight desires to face up for his boys. Wrestling storytelling is so easy, people. Connors will get warmth section after touchdown a snap suplex on the ground, utilizing his energy to his benefit. Knight fires again with a dropkick, a Stinger Splash and a Sky Excessive powerbomb, however Connors yanks him proper out of the air off a springboard into the spinning powerslam. Rad. Connors even spears Knight out of the air later within the match. The match would come to an finish when Knight would try a number of roll up pins on Connors and eventually locking him down in a crucifix for the win. I want these roll ups had been a bit of tighter as a result of they had been a bit of awkward and ended the match on a flat notice. Which is a disgrace as a result of they had been actually constructing to one thing nice. Nonetheless, a very, actually good match. Connors beats down on Knight after the match, ensuring he goes into his ultimate match wounded. ***3/4

All Star Junior USA Match First Spherical Match
“Speedball” Mike Bailey def. Francesco Akira

This was my most anticipated match of this card, with two of my favourite juniors going at it in a match that we acquired cheated out of at this yr’s BOSJ. Silly block placements. However this match? Boy, did it not disappoint. IMPACT’s Bailey and NJPW’s Akira have a very thrilling opening alternate, placing exhausting and attempting to get the benefit. You possibly can even see Akira’s excellent handprint on Bailey’s chest, like an enormous, crimson, fleshy mitten. Bailey ultimately will get in management and does the speedball kicks. Akira does a wheelbarrow rollup right into a double stomp. There’s additionally a tope con hilo and a excessive crossbody again within the ring by the Italian. Bailey ferociously tosses Akira to the ground and does a triangle moonsault. Again within the ring, Akira catches Bailey off a handspring into an incredible German suplex. Huge strike alternate, they’re out and in of strikes till Akira connects a Speedfire, however Bailey avoids the Fireball try. Finally Bailey takes him out with the twister kick and the Flamingo Driver for the win. An electrical, excessive pace, excessive affect wrestling match by two true world class professional wrestlers simply placing on a cool match. Superior stuff. ****

Wealthy Swann, Ryusuke Taguchi & The DKC def. Jack Cartwheel, Real1 & Starboy Charlie

Real1 (freelancer) will get promo time earlier than the match and I legitimately don’t perceive something he’s speaking about. One thing about too many individuals making a blunt sloppy? Is he speaking in code? Look, anybody who comes out carrying a Supreme cape is attempting too exhausting. I don’t know why he looks like he has to pander like this, folks actually don’t like him, interval. There was a variety of goofiness on this match to scrub off the skeeve, courtesy of NJPW’s Taguchi and his gyrating hips. Tons and many Funky Weapon spots and the group is into it. GCW’s Jack Cartwheel was on it tonight, touchdown a Sasuke Particular and simply being on-point throughout. Real1 crops IMPACT’s Wealthy Swann in opposition to a publish on the ground with a Razor’s Edge. Assisted cutter by Starboy Charlie (GCW) and Cartwheel, an incredible DVD by Cartwheel and a tornillo by Charlie ought to reassure as to who was doing the work on that workforce. Not that it ought to shock anybody. There’s the Coach Taguchi spot, NJPW’s DKC lands the Sky Splitter and a canopy which is damaged up by Cartwheel flying in from the highest. Everybody does their cool strikes, besides Real1 as a result of he doesn’t have any. He, as a substitute, will get superkicked by Swann, who then lands a 450 splash on Starboy Charlie to get the win. The younger guys actually stood out, significantly Cartwheel, who’s getting increasingly polished. Gained’t be seeing you on the Dome any time quickly, Real1. ***1/4

Fortunate Dip Eight Man Tag Workforce Match
Alex Shelley, Chris Bey & TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles) def. Ace Austin, Cheeseburger, TJP & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Time for the Fortunate Dip, which turns into oddly tough to pronounce after saying it 10 instances quick. The stipulation right here is that every wrestler, as soon as within the ring, attracts a stick from a field. The colour on the tip of the stick determines their workforce. The one true surprising cut up right here is the one between IMPACT’s Ace Austin and Chris Bey. ROH’s Cheeseburger shines within the opening moments of the match with Chris Bey, which ends with an escalera maintain. He additionally made one child’s evening giving him a cheeseburger hat as he was coming in. That child was glowing for your complete evening. We get some cool counter-wrestling between TJP and Kosei Fujita (each representing NJPW) till Fujita slaps TJP within the face. What has this tour already completed to our candy boy? IMPACT World Champion Alex Shelley interferes as Robbie Eagles (NJPW) and Austin go at it, and every part breaks down. Shelley beats down on Austin and tries to get Bey to tag in, however he refuses to. TJP and fellow NJPW mate Yoshinobu Kanemaru do stereo submissions on Fujita. Eagles fights off the NJPW juniors and lands a springboard missile dropkick. Lastly, when Bey and Austin are the authorized males, they refuse to battle and do stereo dives. There’s a variety of stuff taking place on this match that I’m leaving out, nevertheless it involves an finish when Fujita lands the excessive angle German suplex on Cheeseburger for the win. Does this depend as an tour match for Fujita? That was enjoyable, although bizarre the IMPACT world champion had little or no, erm, affect on the match. ***1/2

Soberano Jr. def. Dragon Child, Fugaz, KC Navarro & Lio Rush 

Pack a bunch of actually proficient guys with one another in a match and it ought to certainly be nice, proper? Standard knowledge and all that? Properly, outdoors the highspeed alternate between KC Navarro (representing Warrior Wrestling) and Lio Rush (representing IMPACT) which will have left me wanting extra from these two, the remaining did little or no for me. This was, in nice scramble custom, disjointed, a bit of sloppy, and the cool spots coming throughout a bit of off. For instance, Dragon Child (Dragongate) does a dragon rana to Soberano Jr. (CMLL) who, off that momentum, lands a hurricanrana on Fugaz (CMLL). It sounds cool after I kind it out, however was a bit of slipshod in execution. Soberano Jr. places Navarro away to clinch the win. I don’t actually wish to spend extra time on this than obligatory. Couple of enjoyable flashes, nevertheless it was finally the large disappointment of the evening. Scrambles gonna scramble, I suppose. Ought to be talked about Lio Rush refused to fist bump cheeseburger hat child. What a heel.  **3/4

El Desperado & MAO def. The East West Specific (Jordan Oliver & Nick Wayne)

There wasn’t sufficient time to be left disillusioned by the scramble, as a result of this tag match completely dominated. Already extremely anticipated due to the pairing of DDT’s Mao and NJPW’s El Desperado, it was most definitely probably the most “circled” match by people trying ahead to this card. Each Jordan Oliver and Nick Wayne come out carrying GCW tees, which considerably shocked me contemplating Nick’s extra outstanding employer, however they had been GCW tag champs, so I’m not nitpicking this one any additional. Wayne and Despe begin issues off with a little bit of a stalemate-ish grappling alternate. Mao and Oliver choose up the tempo and Oliver will get management sequence.  We acquired simmer going, right here.

Flip this as much as a low boil, because the Specific land some nice double workforce strikes. Mao and El Desperado showcase some teamwork as nicely, doing a stereo dive/springboard moonsault. I’ll allow you to guess who did what. Mao does distraction punches which even befuddle his accomplice. El Desperado is so nice at these little issues. Wayne lands sliced bread to interrupt up the warmth section and will get the new tag to Oliver who lands the Acid Kick and an Acid Bomb. Mao lands prime rope knees proper right into a fallen Oliver and rolls right into a cutter on Wayne in his nook.

Shortly after, Wayne and Mao have an incredible alternate: Wayne lands a capturing star press. Then, Mao slides out of the pin try however will get caught in a waistlock. Mao shimmies out of the waistlock and clocks Wayne within the face, however Wayne connects a suplex with a bridge. Kicks by Mao, an enzuigiri by Wayne and he goes up prime. Mao runs up after him with a Frankensteiner, Wayne fights again with a snap German suplex, follows up with a cutter try that Mao avoids, who finishes all of it off with a Michinoku Driver. Great, super stuff. There’s a lot stuff on this match with extra nice double workforce work by the Specific, however Mao takes out Wayne with a rana driver (I suppose that’s what I’d name it) and Desperado takes out Oliver with the Pinche Loco for the win. Simply nice stuff by everybody right here. Lit the place up with a match that demonstrates how nice junior wrestling could be. Quick paced, a wide range of excessive affect strikes, all strung collectively in a dynamic bundle. Ought to level out how good Jordan Oliver seemed right here, evidently taking this chance very severely. ****

Philly Cheesesteak Cup Three Manner Tag Workforce Ladder Match
DOUKI & Low Rider def. Blake Christian & Grasp Wato and Hiromu Takahashi & Rocky Romero 

Honest warning, I’m a kind of guys who’s burned out by ladder matches. Regardless of it, I all the time go into them with some type of hope. Hope that we are able to escape from conventional ladder match tropes. However tonight was the evening.

Atop the ring is suspended a takeout bag from Pat’s King of Steaks, which the winner should unhook to win all of the sandwiches. Everybody goes for ladders, begins throwing folks into ladders so we are able to get 1-on-1s within the ring which is, wonderful I suppose, nevertheless it’s additionally an indication that perhaps there’s too many individuals on this match? The NJPW duo of Hiromu Takahashi and Rocky Romero tease some dissent, but do some dosey-do nook spots. Then people begin combating one another off ladders, which, by the best way, are clearly painter’s ladders. You understand, those which have a bit of shelf on the prime and rungs on just one aspect? These ladders get massacred. Wato tries to place one up that’s so twisted and gnarled by the abuse I’m worrying for his or her security. However these worries are quelled after I see they’ve correct tall, sturdy ladders.

Anyway, the drill: throw folks onto ladders, throw ladders onto folks, throw your self off ladders, throw folks off ladders… the one cool spot was Low Rider (freelancer) getting pushed off the ladder by GCW World Champion Blake Christian. Rider steps on the rope rope and comes off right into a somersault senton to the ground. Great things. In truth, a bunch of fellows hit their excessive flying spots after that spot. Hiromu splashes off the highest of a tall ladder on the ground. Then, after all, we construct a ladder construction with a horizontal ladder and one standing in the course of the ring. It’s simply folks doing stuff, and it’s type of messy. Christian low blows NJPW’s Grasp Wato, who additionally occurs to be his accomplice, from reaching the highest of the ladder. I suppose he wished all of the cheesesteaks for himself? NJPW’s DOUKI sundown bombs Hiromu off the ladder onto the horizontal one and unhooks the bag for the win.

The cheesesteaks are then served to DOUKI and Low Rider by Pat (the King of Steaks himself) and Tiger Hattori. And there’s a sentence I by no means thought I’d write. The profitable duo share them with the viewers. Hiromu and Rocky are left alone within the ring and… eat cheesesteaks? Didn’t they lose? Why do they get the spoils? In truth, they get all of the post-match consideration and devour their meals gluttonously for the cameras whereas the winners are nowhere to be discovered. Look, for those who wished Rocky and Hiromu to eat the sandwiches for the delight of the group, simply have them win? Then once more, why do I care? This was the fourth ladder match within the historical past of NJPW (thanks Chris Samsa, the Chris Samsa on twitter and sport of professional wrestling dot com!) and I hope it stays fourth for an extended, very long time. **1/2

All Star Junior USA Match Last Spherical Match
“Speedball” Mike Bailey def. Kevin Knight

Time for the large principal occasion for all the lavatory scrubbing sponges you may deal with! Kevin Knight wasn’t in a position to relaxation up correctly – he’s sporting rib tape, so issues are already stacked in opposition to him. Mike Bailey tries to be chill with him at first, however rapidly kicks him within the head. Knight does a leaping crossbody off the apron to the ground. Within the ring, Bailey lifts the knees on a splash from Knight, and from that time on, Knight actually by no means recovers. In truth, the story of this match is de facto about how Bailey outclasses Knight. Possibly the harm had one thing to do with it, however in true NJPW model storytelling, they’re establishing that Kevin Knight remains to be too younger, nonetheless too “out of the gate” to have the ability to declare a spot on the desk with the large gamers. Knight spends the match teasing hope spots and all the time arising a bit of quick.

Bailey performs this up completely with out going into outright heel territory. He’s calculating, and uncompromising in how he picks Knight aside and the viewers picks up on this, throwing their assist behind Knight when he does attempt to rally, solely to have Bailey shut them down rapidly and with precision. For example, Bailey lands a working capturing star press however has his Buzzsaw Kick blocked by Knight. He can’t face up to Bailey’s strikes, who then rope hangs him to ship a double knee drop on his again. Later, Bailey runs the ropes and proper right into a dropkick by Knight, however Knight is simply too banged as much as observe up. Quickly thereafter he has to wrestle out of a Flamingo Driver try by shifting his physique weight again, forcing each males to topple excessive rope in an awesome spot. Knight will get rocked with Buzzsaw kicks and struggles out of arm breakers. He does a tornillo to the ground. It solely will get one revolution however that’s okay, as a result of you should purchase into Knight being bodily shot. However then, in distinction, Bailey comes again with a slick and crisply executed Asai moonsault, simply to showcase the distinction in bodily ranges they’re on. Knight busts out a Code Crimson and a Sky Excessive, however Bailey is throughout him once more with an armbreaker. Bailey goes for the twister kicks however runs proper right into a dropkick by Knight. It’s his final gasp, as Bailey overhead tosses him proper into the buckles, lands the Ultimo Weapon and the Flamingo Driver for the win.

They actually may have simply gone for the “let’s do cool strikes” match, however as a substitute they determined to layer up a narrative that made the primary occasion really feel huge, compelling, and stuffed with drama. Knight’s future in professional wrestling is extremely vivid so these sorts of formative matches construct an even bigger image by which his future could be drawn. As Bailey identified in his post-match promo, that is the second time they battle, and Knight is 0-2. When that win comes, it’s going to be that a lot sweeter. Additionally, every part Mike Bailey touches is gold. ****1/4

Mike Bailey brings Hiromu Takahashi out throughout his post-match promo and challenges him for the IWGP Jr Heavyweight title, to which Hiromu solutions: “Of couuuurrrrse.” Candy Christmas.



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Ignatius Ukende
Ignatius Ukendehttp://eplsport.com
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