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Best of the Month: March – Part Two

April 12, 2016 | Posted by Dylan Diot
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Best of the Month: March – Part Two  

Best of March – Part Two

Aztec Warfare Match for the Lucha Underground Championship from Lucha Underground 3-23
Fenix © is #1 and Rey Mysterio Jr. is #2. Tilt-a-whirl head scissors by Mysterio and Fenix comes back with a super kick. Handspring arm drag by Fenix gets 1. King Curerno is #3. Leg lariat to Fenix and he bails. Ally-oop by Cuerno and he catches Fenix with a suicide dive!!! Baseball slide splash by Mysterio to Curenro as Argenis is #4. Springboard hurricanrana to Fenix and he catches Fenix with a super kick as he attempted to springboard. Mysterio shoves Argenis into Cuerno and Rey catches him with the 619. Frog Splash by Mysterio gets 3. Argenis is eliminated. Springboard twisting press to the floor by Fenix to Cuerno!!! Johnny Mundo is #5 as we go to break.

Back and Fenix uses Mundo’s leg to hit an enzuigiri on Rey. Standing Spanish Fly by Fenix gets 2. Joey Ryan is #6 as Fenix catches Mundo with a leg larit for 2. Ryan handcuffs himself to the balcony and he proceeds to watch the match. Cuerno nails him with a super kick anyway!!! Prince Puma is #7 and he hits a springboard clothesline on Fenix. Ace Crusher to Cuerno and he hits a springboard SSP onto everyone on the floor!!!! Jack Evans is #8 and Mysterio makes Cuerno tap to the cross arm breaker!!! King Cuerno is eliminated. Evans goes for a springboard crossbody but everyone moves. The Luchadores gang up on Mundo and Evans and Mysterio hits a splash off of Fenix’s shoulders. Taya is #9 and Mundo catches Mysterio with the Flying Chuck. Cage is #10 and he cleans house as we go to break.

Back and MUNDO DRIVES CAGE THROUGH A GLASS WINDOW!!! Mascarita Sagrada is #11 and he hits a tilt-a-whirl head scissors on Fenix. He goes to dive but Mundo catches him and hits a big boot. Cage catches Mundo with a discus lariat on the floor and he hits Weapon X on the floor!!! Back in, Puma hits the standing SSP on Mundo for 3. Johnny Mundo is eliminated. Mary the Moth is #12 and he cleans house. Big boot to Sagrada and Evans catches Moth with a spinning enzuigiri. Wheelbarrow suplex by Moth and he rakes the face of Evans. Drago is #13 as we go to break.

Back and Drago blows mist at Ryan. Sagrada hits a tilt-a-whirl DDT on Moth and Rey goes up. Flying splash to Moth gets 3. Marty the Moth is eliminated. The Mack is #14 and he lays out Moth with a Stunner on the floor before he leaves. Mack and Cage trade blows and Mack hits a flying knee strike. Stunner by Mack as Chavo Guerrero Jr. is #15. Drago power bombs Evans in the bleachers as Chavo rams Sagrada multiple times in the corner. Camel Clutch by Sagrada and he gives. Mascarita Sagrada is eliminated. Johnny Mundo returns and nails Cage with a cinder block, allowing Taya to cover for 3!!! Cage is eliminated. German suplex by Puma to Taya gets 3. Taya is eliminated. PJ Black is #16 and he suplexes Drago in the bleachers. Dragon presses Black into the post to come back and Aerostar is #17. Dragon blocks a springboard moonsault attempt from Evans with a dropkick and Aerostar catches Black and Evans with a springboard missile dropkick. SUNSET PILEDRIVER BY AEROSTAR TO EVANS!!! Black hits a Brainbuster on Dragon and both men cover for 3!!! Jack Evans and Drago is eliminated. Dragon Azteca Jr. is #18. Black presses Azteca Jr. into a dropkick on Aerostar. Enzuigiri to Black and he hits a slingshot hurricanrana to the floor on Mack!!! Texano is #19 as we go to break.

Back and Texano hits a summersault plancha to the floor!!! Back in, Black hits a double stomp to the back of Texano for 2. Sit-out power bomb by Texano gets 3. PJ Black is eliminated. Mil Muertes is #20 and Pentagon Jr. attacks him as he is entering the Temple!!! Back in, Mysterio hits a flying splash on Muertes for 3!!!! Mil Muertes is eliminated. Catrina blames Vampiro for what happened and she slaps him. DARIO CUETO IS HERE!!!!! He declares that he runs the Temple and says there is one more entrant. His brother Matanza Cueto!!!! Everyone gangs up on him but he shoves everyone away. Spinning power slam to Fenix gets 3!!! Fenix is eliminated!!! Stunner by Mack but it has no effect. German suplex by Cueto gets 3. The Mack is eliminated. Cueto catches Aerostar springboarding with a Northern Lariat and he hits a German suplex for 3. Aerostar is eliminated. Texano chokes Cueto with a bull rope but Cueto tosses him off. Sit-out power bomb by Cueto gets 3. Texano is eliminated. Cueto RIPS Ryan’s handcuffs apart and hits rolling gut wrench suplexes for 3. Joey Ryan is eliminated. Springboard dropkick by Azteca and Cueto blocks a sunset flip attempt. Chokeslam by Cueto gets 3. Dragon Azteca Jr. is eliminated. Chavo tries to form an alliance but Cueto shoves him down and hits a standing moonsault for 3. Chavo Guerrero Jr. is eliminated. Mysterio and Puma gang up on Cueto but Cueto fights them off. He slides Mysterio to the floor and hits a Saito suplex on Puma. T-Bone suplex by Cueto and he hits a dead lift German suplex for 3. Prince Puma is eliminated. We’re down to Mysterio and Cueto. Lariat by Cueto and Mysterio throws some leg kicks. Kicks to the head by Rey and he hits an enzuigiri. 619 is blocked and Rey dropkicks him in the leg. He hits the 619 on the second attempt and he goes up. Hurricanrana is blocked and Cueto hits a spinning power slam for 3!!!
Winner and NEW Lucha Underground Champion- Matanza Cueto ****1/4 (The booking throughout this match was pure genius. They highlighted almost every major storyline and feud perfectly and had those storylines play into some of the biggest moments of the match. They also managed to make a new star in a single night, as Matanza destroyed nine men in epic fashion and established himself as the most unique and dangerous specimen in all of wrestling. At times there was way too much stuff to keep track of but this was just thirty minutes of insanity and was one of the most well executed and thought out Rumble/Gauntlet style matches that I have ever seen. )

New Japan Cup Finals- Tetsuya Naito w/BUSHI vs. Hirooki Goto from New Japan Cup 3-12
Goto attacks to start and he overpowers Naito. Chin lock by Goto but Naito makes the ropes to break. BUSHI trips Goto up, allowing Naito to catch him with a basement dropkick. Naito and BUSHI work over Goto on the floor and back in, Naito puts Goto in the tree of woe. BUSHI chokes Goto with a shirt and Naito hits an inverted atomic drop into a swinging neck breaker. Back elbow into a basement dropkick by Naito gets 2. Chin lock by Naito but Goto fights out. Lariat by Goto and both men are down. Another lariat by Goto turns Naito inside out. Spinning heel kick in the corner by Goto and he hits an Saito suplex for 2. Slingshot dropkick in the corner by Naito and he goes up. Missile dropkick by Naito and he hits a German suplex for 2. Naito puts Goto on top and follows up. Goto catches Naito with the superplex and both men are down again!!! Goto goes up and hits a flying elbow drop for 2. Goto pulls Naito’s hair, driving Naito into his knee. DVD back breaker by Goto and Naito comes back with a Tornado DDT. Forearms by Goto but Naito cuts him with an enzuigiri. Flying forearm by Naito and he puts Goto on top. Frankensteiner by Naito gets 2!!! Capo kick by Naito and he hits a hammerlock sidewalk slam for 2. Goto blocks Destino and he hits a running back breaker. Goto puts Naito on top and follows up. Super Ushigoroshi by Goto gets 2!!! Head butt by Goto and he hits a kick to the chest. Shouten Kai by Goto gets 2!!! BUSHI distracts the ref, allowing EVIL to come in and attack. Goto catches him with Ushigoroshi and he knocks BUSHI off the apron. Corner lariat by Goto and Naito counters Shouten Kai into Destino!!! They trade blows and Naito slaps Goto. Head butt by Goto and Naito comes back with a release Dragon Suplex. Destino by Naito gets 3!!!
Winner of the 2016 New Japan Cup- Tetsuya Naito **** ( Awesome finale to the tournament. Naito was all business here and this was probably the best individual performance from Goto in some time. He threw everything he had at Naito and overcame the interference but still fell victim to the Destino, which is quickly becoming one of the most lethal finishes in the promotions due the awesome nature of it can be hit anytime, anywhere. A satisfying conclusion to the tournament and hopefully Naito can capitalize on his second opportunity to be part of the main event picture. )

16 Carat Gold Tournament First Round- Big Daddy Walter vs. Zack Sabre Jr. from WXW 16 Carat Gold Day One
Feeling out process to start and Walter uses his strength to gain the early advantage. Headscissors by Walter but Sabre quickly escapes. Japanese Stranglehold by Walter but Sabre escapes. They battle in the test of strength and Walter ends that with some chops. Slam by Walter gets 2. Corner lariat by Walter and he hits a butterfly suplex for 2. Big boot by Walter and he grabs the Liontamer. Sabre makes the ropes to break and Walter misses a leg drop. Basement dropkick by Sabre and Walter fights back with chops. Flying knee strike by Sabre and he goes up. Missile dropkick by Sabre and he hits running uppercuts in the corner. Walter answers back with a shotgun dropkick. High kick by Sabre and he tilt-a-whirls into the guillotine choke. Walter escapes and hits a big boot. Release German suplex followed by a lariat by Walter gets 2!!! Sabre goes for the arm of Walter but Walter goes to the ropes to block. Slaps by Sabre and he hits a PK Kick. Walter blocks a cross arm breaker with a roll-up for 2. Sabre leaps off the top but gets caught and Walter hits the gut buster. Walter goes up and misses a big splash. Bridging roll-up by Sabre gets 3!!!
Winner- Zack Sabre Jr. ***1/2 ( Fun start to the tournament. Walter tried to use his raw power to his advantage and dominated from the start but Sabre withstood long enough and used his technical wizardry to eventually catch the big man and steal a win. This had a great big man/little man dynamic and gives Sabre Jr. a tournament defining win right out of the gate. )

16 Carat Gold Tournament First Round- Shane Strickland vs. Will Ospreay from WXW 16 Carat Gold Day One
Both men show off their amazing athleticism before we reach a stalemate. They engage in a dance off!!!! They have an EPIC dance battle until Ospreay cuts him off with a dropkick!!!! That was AWESOME. They exchange soft chops out of exhaustion and Ospreay pokes the eye. Another dropkick by Ospreay gets 1. Strickland clips Ospreay as he attempted to jump off the second rope and he hits a back breaker for 2. Urinage by Strickland and he hits a single leg basement dropkick for 2. Body scissors by Strickland but Ospreay escapes. Handspring enzuigiri by Ospreay and he hits a second rope dropkick, forcing Strickland to bail. Springboard SSP to the floor by Ospreay!!!! Back in, Ospreay hits a springboard forearm followed by the standing SSP for 2. Strickland blocks the handspring Tornado DDT and he hits a Brainbuster for 2. Strickland goes up and leaps but Ospreay moves. PK Kick by Ospreay but he misses the standing SSP. Crossface by Strickland but Ospreay fights out so Strickland hits a back suplex into the back breaker for 2. They go up and Strickland goes for the reverse Frankensteiner but Ospreay lands on his feet!!! Enzuigiri by Ospreay but Strickland comes back with a spinning enzuigiri. Hurricanrana by Ospreay gets 2 and he hits the basement spinning enzuigiri for 2 as Strickland gets to the ropes!!! Strickland catches him with a DVD on the apron and he goes up. Double stomp off the top by Strickland gets 2!!! Corner dropkick by Strickland and Ospreay comes back with the wheelbarrow roll-up for 2. Strickland catches Ospreay with an enzuigiri to the back and they go up. Ospreay catches him with a super kick and he hits the standing Spanish Fly for 2. Ospreay goes up and hits the 630 Splash for 3!!!
Winner- Will Ospreay ****1/4 ( First off, not only is Ospreay one of the best high flyers in the business, he’s one hell of a dancer as well. This match was pure insanity, from the spectacular dance off to the mind blowing athleticism these two displayed throughout the match. An amazing spectacle with both men performing some incredible sequences with near flawless execution and yet you never felt they overdid anything. A tournament stealing performance and another amazing match to add to Ospreay’s impressive 2016 resume. )

WXW 16 Carat Gold First Round I Quit Match-Marty Scurll vs. Axel Dieter Jr. from WXW 16 Carat Gold Night One
They slug it out to start and Dieter hits a leg lariat. They slug it out on the mat and Dieter hits a Tornado DDT. Second rope uppercut by Dieter and he hits the Air Raid Crash. Scurll rakes the face of Dieter and he hits the arm wringer driver. Knee strike by Scurll and he hits a reverse suplex. European uppercut by Scurll and Dieter refuses to quit. Scurll goes for his umbrella but Dieter catches him with a suicide dive. Scurll hits a super kick from the apron and he goes for a chop but misses and hits the post. They brawl in the crowd and Scurll chokes Dieter with a flag. Back in, Dieter throws some uppercuts and he goes up but Scurll catches him. He grabs the Crossface Chickenwing but Dieter rolls through into a rear surfboard. Scurll escapes and he nails Dieter with the umbrella. Scurll keeps drilling him with the umbrella and Dieter still won’t quit. Power bomb by Scurll and he hits a second one. Super kick by Scurll and Dieter fires back. Scurll rips the fingers and he attempts to handcuff Dieter to the top rope. Dieter is able to get out and he catches Scurll with a suplex. He hammers Scurll on the mat and Scurll kicks him in the midsection before Dieter attacks with the umbrella. Scurll finally cuffs him and he tells Dieter to quit otherwise he will kill him. Scurll fires away with the umbrella and Dieter refuses to quit. Scurll uncuffs Dieter and goes for the Chickenwing but Dieter blocks. Running uppercut by Dieter and Scurll hits an enzuigiri. Scurll handcuffs him again and he repeatedly nails the exposed chest of Dieter with the umbrella. Scurll pulls out a kendo stick and he hits Dieter so hard than when he falls off the apron, it breaks the cuffs open. Scurll pours water on Dieter to wake him up and Dieter spits the water at Scurll when he is asked to quit. More kendo stick shots by Scurll and they head onto the entrance ramp. Scurll goes for a pile driver but Dieter backdrops out. Dieter repeatedly nails Scurll with the umbrella and Scurll refuses to quit. Back in, Scurll catches Dieter with a super kick and both men are down. Rapid elbows by Scurll and he grabs the Crossface Chickenwing. He converts it into the rear surfboard and Dieter still won’t quit. Scurll tosses the umbrella at the head of Dieter and Scurll nails him with the kendo stick. Dieter flips Scurll off so Scurll nails him with another shot. Dieter pulls Scurll into the rear surfboard and he repeatedly nails Scurll with the kendo stick. He stangles Scurll with the kendo stick and Scurll quits!!!
Winner- Axel Dieter Jr. ***1/2 ( This was my first time watching Dieter Jr. and he was pretty good. He did great in the sympathetic babyface role, really getting the people to back him and will his way to a victory over the vicious Scurll. This was very similar to the structure of the Cena/Orton I Quit match from Breaking Point 2009 and while Scurll was terrific in the dick head heel role, I struggle with the idea that attacking with an umbrella was going to push Dieter to the point of quitting. They had a very heated match without the need to use a verity of weapons or go over the top with violence but I Quit stipulation hurt this as they really didn’t do anything that would push them to quit out of pure danger or fear of severe injury. It just didn’t fit the stipulation and would have really thrived as a basic street fight style of match. )

WCW 16 Carat Gold Quarterfinal Match- Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Will Ospreay from WXW 16 Carat Gold Night Two
Feeling out process to start and we reach a stalemate. Head scissors takeover by Ospreay and he catches Sabre with a dropkick. Corner forearm by Ospreay and he hits a basement dropkick for 1. Sabre grabs the cravat but Ospreay escapes and hits another dropkick. Ospreay springboards but Sabre catches him with an uppercut to the back. Dropkick to the back by Sabre and he stretches Ospreay. Head scissors by Sabre but Ospreay goes to the ropes to break. Uppercut by Sabre but Ospreay sweeps the legs to come back. Ospreay goes for a standing moonsault but Sabre blocks and attempts a cross arm breaker but Ospreay gets to the ropes to block. Stomps to the head by Sabre and he grabs an inverted octopus. Ospreay goes to the ropes to break and Sabre goes to the Japanese Strangle Hold. Ospreay escapes and he catches Sabre with the handspring enzuigiri. Springboard forearm by Ospreay and he hits a standing corkscrew press. Uppercut by Sabre and Ospreay comes back with a snap German suplex, forcing Sabre to bail. Sasuke Special by Ospreay and he comes back in with a Tornado DDT. Standing SSP by Ospreay followed up with a springboard Phoenix Splash for 2!!! Ospreay goes up and leaps but Sabre moves. Sabre catches Ospreay with a Tiger suplex for 2 and he grabs the Dragon Sleeper. Ospreay escapes and Sabre catches him in the bridging cradle for 2!!! Standing Spanish Fly by Ospreay and both men are down!!! They trade blows and Ospreay catches Sabre with a corkscrew Pele. Ospreay goes up but Sabre clips him and follows up. Ospreay escapes and catches Sabre with a super kick. Springboard Ace Crusher by Ospreay and he goes up. 630 Splash misses and Sabre hits the PK Kick. Sit-out power bomb by Sabre gets 1 and he converts it into Jim Breaks Armbar. Ospreay gives!!!
Winner- Zack Sabre Jr. **** ( This was probably shorter than it should have been but they still packed a hell of a lot into thirteen minutes. This was slower paced and it played more to Sabre’s style, keeping things more grounded and only in the final few minutes did Ospreay go out all with his high impact/flashy offense. Didn’t reach a high level of excitement or drama but the action was terrific and lived up to what you would think these two were capable of. )

Marty Scurll and Trevor Lee vs. Mike Bailey and Will Ospreay from WXW 16 Carat Gold Day Three
Scurll and Ospreay start. Scurll overpowers Ospreay and they exchange counters until we reach a stalemate. Tags to Lee and Bailey. Bailey throws some kicks to the chest and Lee goes to his partner for comfort. Tag to Scurll and he rakes the face of Bailey. Bailey fires back with kicks to the chest and Scurll pokes the eye to come back. Tag to Lee and they clip both legs of Bailey. Lee rakes the face and Scurll tags in. Lee and Scurll work over Bailey but Bailey escapes them and tags Ospreay. He cleans house and hits a running uppercut in the corner. Ospreay goes up and hits standing Meteora on Scurll. Standing moonsault by Ospreay gets 2. Lee tags in and he hits a release deaf lift German into a knee strike from Scurll for 2. Lee tosses Ospreay across the ring and Scurll goes after him as the ref was distracted. Tag to Scurll and he hits an arm wringer driver. Delayed suplex by Scurll gets 2. Tag to Lee and he goes up. He slips so he just decides to come in and cover for 2. Ospreay and Lee trade blows and Lee cuts him off with a knee to the midsection. Scurll and Lee take turns giving Ospreay uppercuts and he grabs the rear chin lock. Ospreay breaks with a jaw breaker and Lee tags in. Ospreay catches them with a double handspring Pele!!!! Tag to Bailey and he catches Scurll with a missile dropkick. He throws his rapid kicks at Lee and he catches Lee with a wheelbarrow roll-up for 2. Standing moonsault knee drop by Lee gets 2. Lee backdrops Bailey to the floor and Scurll hits a super kick from the apron. Back in, Lee hits a dead lift German suplex for 2 as Ospreay saves. Lee and Scurll both get dumped to the floor and Ospreay and Bailey hit stereo Sasuke Specials!!! Springboard forearm by Ospreay to Lee and he hits a standing SSP. Standing corkscrew press by Bailey gets 2. Lee catches Ospreay with a PK Kick from the apron and he goes up. Double stomp off the top misses and Bailey hits some corner knee strikes. They trade blows and Bailey hits a spin kick. Standing moonsault power slam by Lee but Bailey comes back with another spin kick. Ospreay goes up but Scurll follows. Ospreay escapes and catches him with the super kick. Scurll rips the fingers to come back and he hits a knee lift. Super kick by Ospreay but Scurll comes back with a lariat. Ospreay counters the suplex into a Stunner and he springboards but Scurll catches him in the Chickenwing!!! Ospreay escapes and they have a crazy exchange that ends with a spinning enzuigiri from Ospreay and every ones down!!!! Enzuigiri by Bailey to Scurll and Ospreay hits the standing Spanish Fly. Shooting Star Knee Drop/spinning basement enzugiri combo on Scurll gets 2 as Lee saves with a springboard knee drop!!! Standing double stomp to Ospreay and Bailey catches Lee with a high kick. Buzzsaw Kick by Bailey and he hits a spin kick on Scurll. He goes for the Brainbuster but Scurll counters into the Crossface Chickenwing!!! Bailey gives!!!
Winners- Marty Scurll and Trevor Lee ****1/4 ( It was a bit slow early on and the heat segment on Ospreay wasn’t anything to write home about although Scurll/Lee made an awesome slimey, greasy heel tandem. That being said, the final ten minutes was pure insanity and took this to the next level. They had some vicious striking exchanges, incredible sequences highlighted by Ospreay and Scurll who has Tanahashi/Okada type chemistry together, and all four men shined in their own unique way. A wild tag match that nearly stole a weekend full of great matches. )

9.0
The final score: review Amazing
The 411
So much for calm before the storm, as March produced an incredible amount of great wrestling that set the bar high for WrestleMania weekend. Lucha Libre was the highlight of the month, as Lucha Underground was producing incredible main events almost on a weekly basis while Kamaitachi and Dragon Lee put on an epic in the continuation of the one of the best rivalries in wrestling today. The New Japan Cup turned out to be a hell of a tournament and the promotion may have finally gotten Tetsuya Naito over as a top star. WXW killed it by producing a great 16 Carat Tournament, highlighed by Will Ospreay continuing to build his incredible resume early on, making him an early front runner for wrestler of the year. There was so much good stuff to check out this month, I'm still trying to play catch up as I still have matches like Shingo/Susumu II and Shibata/Kojima to watch. This was a great month that set the stage for the insanity that was to come in early April.
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