Moore’s All In live review: Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon Jr., Nick Aldis vs. Cody for the NWA Championship, Young Bucks and Kota Ibushi vs. Rey Mysterio, Fenix, Bandido, Kazuchika Okada vs. Marty Scurll, Christopher Daniels vs. Stephen Amell

By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)

All In
Aired live on September 1, 2018 on pay-per-view, FITE TV, HonorClub
Chicago, Illinois at Sears Centre

After the national anthem, Ian Riccaboni, Don Callis and Excalibur checked in on commentary. Pentagon Jr was going by his non-AAA name El Cero Miedo. The commentators ran through the card…

John’s Thoughts: Random note, Fite TV is crashing the hell out and I had to resort to an alternative for the time being. That must mean that sales are going well right? Hopefully there is some sort of make good from Fite for this. Fite is usually good with the quality, so I’m not worried too much.

MJF came out first followed by Matt Cross (a.k.a. M-Dogg 20 or Son of Havoc).

1. Maxwell J Friedman vs. Matt Cross. Cross and MJF had an early chain wrestling exchange. MJF was doing his usual EC3 routine to mock his opponent. Cross grounded MJF with a huracanrana. Fite TV got up a running after a server crash and MJF was in control during the return. Cross got a comeback after a huracanrana. MJF came back with a shoulder breaker. Cross and MJF had a forearm battle. MJF spit in the eyes of Cross. Cross also got an eye poke on Cross. Cross rolled through and hit MJF with a double stomp.

MJF countered Cross’s offense into a cross armbraker. Cross escaped with a rollup. MJF hit Cross with an impressive pendulum Pile Driver for a nearfall. MJF tweaked his knee on a missed moonsault. Cross hit his signature rebound cutter and then hit his finisher the Shooting Star Press for the victory.

Matt Cross defeated Maxwell J Friedman via pinfall in about 9:23. 

Sean Mooney interviewed Nick Aldis about his title defense and he hyped up his world title match (Riccaboni accidently said that the interview was with Christopher Daniels…

John’s Thoughts: A bit tough to get the first part of the match due to the Fite TV issues, but what I did catch wasn’t the best Matt Cross match I’ve witnessed, and I’ve seen a ton of Cross matches through Lucha Underground. Cross has AJ Styles like ability but this was tame for a Cross match MJF still has to find a way to differentiate himself from Ethan Carter III who was more established with the entitled rich boy gimmick. Martin Casaus from Lucha Underground had a similar gimmick in LU and found a way to put a great twist on that so it’s not impossible to come up with a variation.

Arrowverse star Stephen Amell made his entrance wearing Bullet Club gear and coming out to the Bullet Club theme. SCU came out next. John Mayer was shown in the crowd. ECW legend Jarry Lynn was the referee…

2. Stephen Amell vs. Christopher Daniels (w/Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian). Don Callis talked about knowing Daniels from back in his early TNA days and Daniels hasn’t aged. Daniels taunted Amell and then got a full nelson takedown on Amell. Amell and Daniels had a fighting spirit chop battle. Amell hit a belly to back suplex on Daniels. Amell showboated a bit which angered Daniels who went into stomping a mudhole into Amell. Amell came back with a dropkick and enzuigiri. Daniels was sent outside.

Amell set up a table. Amell went for a Uranage but Daniels fought out and reentered the ring to avoid the table. Daniels escaped the corner when Amell was arguing with the referee. The crowd were shifting back and forth between “Arrow” and “Fallen Angel” chants. Daniels caught Amell with a gutbuster suplex for a two count. Daniels initiated a methodical sequence against Arrow. Amell reversed being suplexed into the table and tried to go for a Cross Rhodes. Amell hit Daniels with a Falcon Arrow for the nearfall.

Amell went for a coast-to-coast and hit Daniels with it. Amell got a two count out of it. Daniels grounded Amell and hit the Best Moonsault Ever for a nearfall. The commentators noted that Daniels only caught Amell with his arms and not the full splash. Daniels went for a scary superplex to the outside table. Amell escaped it and Daniels comically stumbled on the table. Stephen Amell went for an elbow drop but Daniels was playing possum by rolling away. Amell took an elbow drop bump through the table. A “Broken Arrow” Chant ensued…

The commentators were confused over as to if this was a ten or twenty count rules. Jarry Lynn stopped his count and tossed both wrestlers in the ring much to the dismay of Daniels. Lynn took off his referee shirt and threw it at Daniels. Amell tried to schoolboy Daniels for a nearfall. Amell dared Daniels to pummel him. Amell then gave Daniels the double middle finger. Amell reversed the Tiger Bomb into a backdrop pin attempt. Daniels hit Amell with a judo throw and the Best Moonsault Ever for the win.

Christopher Daniels defeated Stephen Amell via pinfall in about 12:30. 

Amell wanted a handshake after and Daniels returned the favor. Amell and Daniels celebrated the Daniels win…

John’s Thoughts: I know the guy takes it seriously, but Arrow can really work a match. He still has a handful of wasted movement, but he’s done better than a lot of indie wrestlers you see on the circuit. Amell did good here and it was cool to see All In not follow the trope of celebrities always winning…

Tenille Dashwood and Mandy Leon joined the commentary table for the women’s match…

Adam Cole’s Bae Bae and Jason Powell’s recent Boom interview, Britt Baker, made her entrance first. Madison Rayne was out next. Chelsea Green came out using her Laurel Van Ness gimmick. Tessa  Blanchard hugged her stepfather Magnum TA before the match…

3. Britt Baker vs. Madison Rayne vs. Chelsea Green vs. Tessa Blanchard. Chelsea did her Crazy Laurel routine to creep out everyone in the match. Tessa and Madison brawled to ringside. Baker tried to rollup Green. Green countered with a La Magistral attempt. Baker hit an impressive armdrag on Green. Green did a smooth tightrope and armdrag on Baker. Tessa came in and drilled Green with a spear. Tessa then hit Britt with a dropkick and elbow striker. Britt came back with a boot. Tessa trapped Baker in the ropes for a codebreaker.

Madison Rayne went for a rollup on Tessa. Tessa came back with a right hand. Tessa hit an impressive Military Press slam on Madison to the other two on the outside of the ring. Chelsea caught Baker with a boot and hit Baker and Blanchard with a high suicide dive. Tessa hit an ugly but effective plancha on Britt and Chelsea. Rayne recovered and hit everyone on the outside with a high crossbody. An “All In” chant ensued. Riccaboni noted that Britt Baker may be the weak link of the match. Leon told Ian to address her as a doctor. Baker hit everyone with Sling Blades. Rayne hit Baker with a ripcord cutter.

Green prevented a pin attempt from happening. Tessa hit Rayne with an impressive delayed vertical suplex. Tessa told Chelsea “Screw You” but ate turnbuckle. Green went “woo woo woo” and hit the broski boot on Tessa. Baker and Tessa singled each other out. Tessa hit Baker with a Full Nelson Flatliner. Madison hit Tessa with a spike DDT. Green hit Tessa with a dropkick. Madison hit an ugly, but effective, cutter on Britt Baker. Madison got a two count while all four women struggled on the ground.

Green recovered first and went for the Unprettier on Rayne. Green hit Rayne with a Unprettier. Britt Baker caught everyone with desperation superkicks for a good nearfall. Rayne almost replicated beating Tessa again with the Crucifix Diver but Baker broke up the pin. Britt Baker hit Rayne with the Paige Turner for a nearfall. Green hit Baker an Unprettier but Baker got her foot on the rope. Green hit Tessa with an ugly, but effective again, Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall. The crowd gave the women a standing ovation. Tessa hit Green with her finisher the Hammerlock DDT. The pin was broke up but the referee said that he got a three count in which drew some minor boos.

Tessa Blanchard defeated Chelsea Green, Britt Baker, and Madison Rayne via pinfall in 12:41. 

The four women hugged each other after a great match…

John’s Thoughts: A great match and the best match on the show so far. There were a lot of ugly spots, but the ugliness added to the brutality. Chelsea Green in my mind is someone who has the potential to be one of the best wrestlers in the world (I have my reasons which I’ll explain in a few weeks in my other reviews). Jason Powell’s new BFF Dr. Britt Baker really had a good showing to show that she belonged on the big stage. The finish was weird and I wished we could have got four or five more minutes of this stellar encounter. I would have also liked to have seen Blanchard pin Rayne to avenge all the losses Blanchard took to Rayne in recent months…

A Nick Aldis and Cody Rhodes music video vignette aired…

Cody Rhodes came to the ring with his dog Pharaoh, his wife Brandi, Tommy Dreamer, DDP, and a few more people. They were all wearing matching tracksuits. Brandi wore a sparkling skin colored shit.The commentators talked about Dusty Rhodes’ NWA Championship history. Nick Aldis had Jeff Jarrett, Shawn Daivari, Sam Shaw, and Tim Storm accompany him to the ring. Aldis’s crew wore dress suits. Bobby Cruz handled the formal ring introductions. Earl Hebner was the referee and he cut a promo talking about his history with Aldis and Rhodes…

John’s Thoughts: As great as this match should be, the men actually have a tough act to follow with the hot match from the women before.

4. Nick Aldis (w/Jeff Jarrett, Shawn Daivari, Sam Shaw, and Tim Storm) vs. Cody Rhodes (w/Brandi Rhodes and the “American Nightmare Family”) for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Ian Riccaboni noted that Nick Aldis essentially retired from wrestling before winning the title from Tim Storm. Aldis accepted the handshake from Cody as the crowd fired up. Aldis retreated to the ropes to block Cody’s onslaught. Aldis then showboated with the tranquillo pose. Cody and Aldis had a strong style chop battle. Cody caught Aldis in the jaw with a dropkick followed by an outside Tope Suicida. Aldis gained control and gave Cody some knife edge chops in the corners. Aldis got a one count after a fisherman suplex.

Cody stopped Nick’s momentum for a bit by running into his nose. Cody and Aldis took each other out with stereo lariats. Cody went for Cross Rhodes after a superkick. Cody and Aldis then took each other out with stereo crossbodies. Aldis caught Cody with an elbow when Cody tried to dive outside. Earl Hebner put up the “X” sign. and stopped his count to presumably end the match. Diamond Dallas Page ran out to check on Cody Rhodes. Daivari ran in and shoved DDP. Daivari shoved the referee. DDP hit Daivari with the Diamond Cutter.

John’s Thoughts: This portion of the match seems a bit overbooked. Did somebody allow Jeff Jarrett bring his TNA gimmicks to the table?

Aldis brought Cody in the ring and Cody was bleeding. Aldis focused on the cut eyebrow. Cody came back with his own forearm and took down Aldis with a power slam. Cody missed a moonsault. Aldis carried Cody to the second rope and hit him with an Avalanche Fallaway Slam. Aldis hit Cody with a frog splash for a two count. Riccaboni noted that it was different seeing Aldis not go for an elbow drop. Cody countered Aldis into a Figure Four Leg Lock. Aldis made it to the bottom rope.

The camera went black for a moment. When the feed returned, Aldis hit Cody with a body slam on the ringside mat. The crowd reaction calmed down at this point. Cody went for an Alabama Slam on Aldis but his back gave up on him. Cody Recovered and hit Aldis with a tornado Alabama Slam.

John’s Thoughts: By the way? Where is Don Callis? This match is missing his awesome snark.

Cody missed wildly with a Beautiful Disaster Kick attempt. Nick Aldis rolled Cody into a Texas Cloverleaf. Aldis sat right into the cloverleaf. Cody escaped the hold by crawling to Brandi Rhodes for the rope break. Aldis caught Cody with a delayed pile driver. Brandi Rhodes walked into the ring to prevent Cody from further damage against Cody. Brandi put her body on Cody after Aldis was flying in the air. Aldis hit Brandi with an elbow drop. Nick Aldis showed remorse in his face and the color commentator noted that Nick Aldis didn’t see hitting Brandi during the execution. An “asshole” chant ensued.

Cody hit Aldis with the Beautiful Disaster and Cross Rhodes. Nick Aldis got the first great nearfall by kicking out of Cody’s finisher. Cody and Aldis had a boo-yay punch exchange. Nick Aldis escaped a Vertebreaker attempt. Cody escaped Nick’s Cross Rhodes attempt. Cody rolled up and used his shoulders to lock Nick’s shoulders on the mat for the three count.

Cody [Rhodes] defeated Nick Aldis via pinfall in 22:01 to become the new NWA Heavyweight Champion. 

DDP gave Cody a hug to celebrate his win. Cody was then left alone and he cried in the center of the ring selling the thrill of victory…

John’s Thoughts: The match was fine for the most part but several factors around the match dragged the quality down a bit. The problems was the overbooking followed by the really hot women’s match preceding this one. I felt like this match would have been better if we didn’t get that Daivari interference, X sign, and that entire overbooked middle sequence. The bleeding and sympathy spots seemed a bit misplaced too. That said, the finish was a good one and it will be cool to see how Billy Corgan and Dave Lagana treat Cody with their excellent production techniques in the NWA.

The roving camera crowd flew around the arena to show an impressive shot of the sellout…

Don Callis returned to commentary (Yes! not sure why he disappeared? Was he a part of the Cody entourage?)…

The commentators cut to Being the Elite videos involving Hangman Adam Page and Joey Ryan’s penis…

5. “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (w/Penelope Ford) vs. Adam Hangman Page in a Chicago Street Fight. The commentators talked about how Hangman Page “killed” Joey Ryan and is an enemy to Joe’s like Joey Janela or Joe Hendry. The commentators noted that a lot of people aren’t familiar with Janela.  Page sent Janela outside early on in the match. Don Callis talked about how impressive Hangman was with his strength. Janela responded to Hangman’s suicide dive with his own suicide dive. Hangman caught Joey with a boot. Page caught Janela with a high Triangle Moonsault. After a bit of life from Janela, Page hit Janela with a fallaway slam onto a chair. Hangman went to ringside to reveal a literal Cracker Barrel provided by Cracker Barrel restaurants.

Joey Janela shoved Hangman into the barrel and then used the barrel to cannonball Page into the crowd. Janela used the barrel like Donkey Kong but Page dodged it. Janela hit Page with elbow strikes. Page came back with the nosell lariat. Page set up a table on the outside. Janela gained control inside and hit Page with a Death Valley Driver into the bottom rope. Janela used the Cracker Barrel as the fulcrum for a ladder bridge. Page recovered and hit Janela with a twisting Burning Hammer onto the ladder bridge at ringside. Don Callis joked that Page is about to suffocate Janela with a trash bag.

Panelope Ford slapped Page and drew his attention away from Janela. Panelope showed off some cool matrix dodges and hit Page with a suplex. Panelope Ford hit Page with a high crossbody to the outside. Ford put Page on the table for a Janela elbow drop through it. The table broke in an awkward way. Janela took Page to the stage and hit Page with a clothesline after some theatrics. Ford and Janela set up tables that were as long as the ramp. Don Callis had the comical slip up by calling ford Penelope Cruz (I don’t blame Don, I would have made the same mistake). Page recovered and hit Janela with a scary Border Toss that barely hit the table, which made it scarier.

Page caught Janela with a buckshot lariat. Page hit Janela with the Right of Passage. Penelope broke up the pin with a trash bag. Page took the bag and saw that the haunted boots from the BTE videoes were in it. Page threw the boot into Ford. Janela fired up and hit Page with a superkick for a nearfall. Janela brought a table and ladder in the ring. Janela put Page on the table but Page recovered and avoid any possible dive from Janela. Fite TV issues popped up so I couldn’t get the finish. UPDATE: Hangman Page hit Joey Janela with the Rite of Passage after he used a phone as a distraction.

Hangman Page defeated Joey Janella

When Fite TV came back they cut to some BTE footage. They showed that Joey Ryan’s dick was till alive.

Suddenly an army of men in penis suits walked out. The commentators called it a Phalanx of Phallics.  Joey Ryan made his entrance. Don Callis called it a Res-erection.  Joey Ryan struck his Ryan pose in the corner. Joey Ryan did his meme Penis Suplex on Page. Ryan put the lollipop in Hangman’s mouth and superkicked him. The penis people carried Hangman Page to the back. Ian Riccaboni said he hopes his son isn’t watching this as the commentators talked about penises.

John’s Thoughts: I’ll find out the finish of the match after I get to the replay, but I, like a lot of people, aren’t familliar with Joey Janela’s work. I also feel late to the Joey Janela party. In fact, I was more impressed by Penelope Ford. The match also struggled since the story was more about Joey Ryan so you couldn’t help but look at the ramp waiting for Joey Ryan. I’m also a bit done with the Joey Ryan penis jokes after seeing a 10+ minute one live last week.

Flip Gordon came out first with Brandi Rhodes. Ian Riccaboni explained that Flip and Brandi have formed a friendship. Don Callis joked that Brandi may be cheating on Cody with Flip. Jay Lethal made his entrance as the Black Machismo. Lanny Poffo was with Jay.

Cary Silkin held up the title before the match…

6. “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal (w/Lanny Poffo) vs. Flip Gordon (w/Brandi Rhodes) for the Ring of Honor Championship. Jay Lethal did the mega powers handshake with Lanny. Lethal and Flip did the Code of Honor mega powers handshake before the bell. Jay Lethal walked around ringside with Brandi before starting action. Lethal then kneed Flip in the ring. The two men had a chain wrestling sequence. Gordon dominated the sequence with shoulder strikes. Lethal gave Flip a lariat after Flip skinned the cat. Brandi’s interference prevented another move this night. Brandi was then chased around the ring by Jay. Jay Lethal then gave Brandi a ride on his shoulder. Brandi slapped Lethal for the no sell.

Flip entered the ring to continue the match. Lethal cartwheeled into a legdrop. Flip came back with a standing shooting star for a nearfall. Flip dodged Lethal with a series of handstand matrix dodges. Flip hit Jay with two consecutive suicide dives. Flip hit Jay with a corkscrew Tope Con Hilo. FLip flipped on Lethal for a two count. A series of suplex reversals occurred. A series of pin attempts then occurred. Gordon caught Lethal with a standing moonsault after taking a kick. Jay brawled with Flip while standing on the apron. Lethal hit the lethal combination on Flip for the nearfall.

Flip reversed a Lethal Injection and hit Lethal with the Falcon Arrow. Lethal put Flip in the Torture Rack and then did a senton roll. Lanny Poffo then went to the apron to inspire Lethal. Riccaboni noted that Lethal went into Macho Man mode. Lethal hit Flip with the Macho Man elbow. Lethal went to the perpendicular corner and hit a second elbow drop on Flip. Lethal went back up and hit a third for a two count. Flip flipped out and hulked up. Flip then did the Hulk Hogan “you” routine. Flip set up  but Lethal reversed the Hogan Leg Drop. Flip caught Lethal with a roundhouse and springboard Sling Blade. Gordon rolled through a Samoan Drop and hit Lethal with a Spiral Tap for a nearfall.

Lethal blocked a frankensteiner. Flip escaped the bomb with a boot. Lethal blocked a Spanish Fly attempt with a top rope cutter. Jay Lethal hit the Lethal Injection on Flip for the victory.

Jay Lethal defeated Flip Gordon via pinfall in 14:21 to retain the Ring of Honor Championship. 

Lethal’s regular theme played rather than the Pomp and Circumstance. Lethal acknowledged Flips hard work and gave him a handshake. Bully Ray ran out as expected to terrorize Flip and Lethal. Bully Ray beat down everyone in the ring including Lanny. Colt Cabana ran out for the save when Bully set up a table. Flip, Colt, and Jay hit Bully with a triple Shield Power Bomb through the table. The babyfaces celebrated putting Bully through the table…

John’s Thoughts: A solid World Title match where when Flip won the battle royal you had to know that Flip wasn’t winning the belt (Cabana would have had more drama behind it). A lot in this show went as expected but that isn’t a bad thing given the feel-good nature of this weekend. I didn’t even mind Black Machismo returning for one night.

Ian Riccaboni thanked Colt Cabana for taking care of Bully Ray…

Current Lucha Underground Champion Pentagon Jr. made his entrance next wearing cool shogun/football pad ring gear…

John’s Thoughts: They’re going with this dream match now???

7. Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon Jr. in a non-title match. The Cero Miedo chants transitioned into Terminator Claps. Pentagon did his “Cero Miedo Puto” routine in the face of Kenny. Penta then did his signature glove toss. Kenny responded with a light tap to the cheek. Pentagon took care of Kenny with a kick during the chain sequence. Pentagon caught Omega with a lungblower. Pentagon teased a Tope but instead taunted Omega with the Cero Miedo. Kenny entered the ring and hit pentagon with a huracanrana. Pentagon blocked Kenny’s signature Tope Con Hilo with a sling blade. Pentagon hit Omega with his clean Tope Con Hilo.

Omega and Penta had a chop battle around the cracker barrel. Pentagon gave Omega a power slam on the ringside mat. Pentagon took Omega into the ring to do his signature shhhh chest chop. Omega responded with knife edge chops. Pentagon came back with a low kick to the shin of Omega. Omega hit a rolling senton on Penta. Pentagon got the knees up to prevent a Omega flip. Omega caught Pentagon with a tornado DDT. Omega caught Pentagon with a tightrope crossbody to the outside. Omega hit Pentagon with a Michinoku Driver onto his knee for the nearfall.

Pentagon blocked the V-Trigger with a kick. Omega came at Pentagon with a discus forearm. Omega hit Pentagon with a snap dragon suplex. Pentagon escaped the One Winged Angel and hit Pentagon with a lungblower leading to a two count. Omega hit Pentagon with a lariat which set up a Death Valley Driver. Omega clocked Pentagon in the back of the head with his V-Trigger II. Pentagon hit Omega with a superkick on the top rope and the Tree of Woe stomp for a nearfall. Omega escaped the Fear Factor and hit Penta with the V Trigger I. Pentagon no-sold the triggers with fighting spirit and Cero Miedo.

Omega hit another V-Trigger knee on Omega. Pentagon broke the pin with a rope break. After an exchange. Pentagon hit Omega with the Pentagon Driver for a two count. Kenny Omega gave Pentagon a few boots on the apron while Pentagon called Omega’s mother a Puta. Omega withstood the attack and hit Omega with a Fear Factor on the ring apron. Pentagon hit Omega with a double stomp for a two count. Omega recovered in the ring and hit a tornado Fear Factor on Penta. Penta escaped a One Winged Angel. Pentagon then hit Omega with his Sacrifice Arm Breaker. Pentagon hit Kenny with the Fear Factor for the two count. Excalibur yelled that Penta didn’t hook the leg.

An “All In” chant ensued with the standing ovation. Pentagon did his Cero Miedo thing to Kenny. Kenny reversed a superkick but Pentagon tweaked the hip into roundhouse kicks. Kenny hit Pentagon with the V Trigger and reverse huracanrana for a two count. Omega managed to hit Pentagon with the One Winged Angel for the victory.

Kenny Omega defeated Pentagon Jr. via pinfall in 17:47.

The lights went off after the match. The commentators joked that the electric bills weren’t paid. Pentagon recovered and beat up Kenny Omega. The commentators noted Penta didn’t have his Cero Miedo tatoos all of a sudden. The Pentagon imposter unmasked to reveal that it was Chris Jericho who hit Omega with two codebreakers. Jericho took the mic and said “Kenny Omega, see you on the Jericho Cruise”…

John’s Thoughts: A stellar match as expected between two of the best pro wrestlers in the world. Two things I would have tweaked is Pentagon being more heel or anti-hero since he excels at playing an asshole. Kenny Omega also didn’t sell the Sacrifice Arm Breaker well which disappointed me a bit. That said, this was a strong match as expected and I wouldn’t mind an encore if they can take things up a level. The Jericho surprise in North America was a nice surprise. Jericho being more chunky these days made him really look like Pentagon who is also a bit chunky.

Don Callis went into his rah rah Winnipeg routine. Chris Jericho shoved the table into Callis and Callis took a bump at ringside. Callis acted a bit conflicted but ultimately continued to put over Jericho as great…

Marty Scrull vs. Kazuchika Okada was up next. Okada was in rainmaker mode instead of balloon mode. Tiger Hitori was the guest referee…

8. “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada vs. “The Villain” Marty Scurll. Riccaboni noted that the crowd was torn over who to cheer. Okada started the match with the clean break and Don Callis talked about how he hates how Okada does that. Marty Scurll responded with his own version of the clean break. Scurll got the hammerlock on Okada and a pin attempt. Scurll showed some good agility to stay in the hammerlock. Okada no sold a forearm shot. Okada then stood tall over the shorter Scurll. Okada blocked an Ushigoroshi attempt. Scurll responded by getting some strikes in on Okada in the corner.

Okada turned the tables and hit a back elbow on Scurll. Scurll came back and almost hit a suplex but Okada turned the momentum into his own suplex. Marty took Okada outside with a few elbows. Marty didn’t relent with an apron superkick and suicide dive. Ian Riccaboni thought he saw Maculay Culkin in the crowd and Don Callis joked that he didn’t think the random guy with a beard was Macaulay. Marty regained control back in the ring with joint manipulation. Okada flapjacked Scurll. Excalibur noted that the joint manipulation weakens the Rainmaker ripcord. Okada gave Scurll a spike DDT at ringside. Okada caught Scurll with a slingshot senton.

Okada recoverd a bit and struggled to get clean chest chops on Okada which Okada no sold. Okada planted Scurll with a nice forearm smash. Marty fought his way out of Deep In Debt and countered into a Lungblower. Marty used a few kicks to chop Okada down to size. Scurll caught Okada with a tornado DDT for a nearfall. Don Callis said he thinks that Tiger Hitori is a slow counter. Ian Riccaboni said that that’s the opposite of fast counter Earl Hebner. Okada escaped a Graduation (Tiger Suplex?) attempt. Okada planted Scurll in the mat for a nearfall.

Scurll got a rollup attempt in. Okada blocked a superkick. Okada and Scurll had a strike exchange. Marty hit Okada with a brainbuster to pop the crowd. Ian Riccaboni noted that Scurll was wasting a lot of time. Scurll couldn’t lift Okada because his lower back gave up on him. Okada recovered and hit Scurll with an Air Raid Crash neckbraker. Marty and Kazuchika brawled on the top rope. Marty no-sold a few forearms and planted Okada with a Superplex. Marty and Kaz traded uppercuts and then traded rollup attempts. Marty hit a nice whiplash power bomb for a nearfall. Counters ensued and Okada caught Scurll with a shotgun dropkick. Okada hit a top rope Shotgun dropkick for a nearfall.

Scurll blocked a tombstone and hit Okada with a DDT. Okada recovered and hit the Pile Driver. Okada did the rainmaker pose (they didn’t do the cool zoom out we usually get). Scurll blocked the rainmaker with his signature finger break. Okada countered into another rainmaker but Marty ducked and put Okada in the rear naked choke. Okada kept his arm in between Marty’s triangle to prevent the lock. Okada lifted Scurll and fell on him from backpack position. Okada thought he had a moment of respite but Scurll locked in the Regal Stretch on Okada. Marty shoved Okada into Tiger Hitori. REF BUMP. Marty blocked Okada with an “All In” umbrella and then hit Okada with the umbrella and rainmaker for a really good nearfall that woke up the crowd into a standing ovation. Okada recovered and hit Marty with the Rainmaker but couldn’t get the pin due to fatigue.

Okada got to his feet and Marty begged Okada to come at him. Okada kept knocking Marty down but Marty showed his fighting spirit. Marty spit in the face of Okada. Marty tried to go for the finger break again. Okada hit Marty with two rainmakers for the victory.

Kazuchika Okada defeated Marty Scurll via pinfall in 26:00

John’s Thoughts: Comparing this to the Pentagon vs. Omega match, I liked this one better. Pentagon vs. Omega had the bigger match feel but this one had the better psychology and selling. Marty had the uphill battle of facing a similar problem that Flip Gordon had in that this seemed like a forgone conclusion but Marty handled it a lot better here.

Rey Mysterio came to the ring wearing old school X-Men wolverine gear complete with the yellow jumpsuit…

9. “The Golden Elite” Kota Ibushi, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson vs. Rey Mysterio Jr, Fenix, and Bandido. Matt and Bandido started the match. Bandido dominated the early part of the match with lucha libre agility. Nick Jackson tagging in gave teh Bucks the advantage. Fenix showed off his signature tightrope into an armdrag. Fenix cut Nick with a cutter.  Fenix yelled Animo but Nick escaped. Fenix and Nick tagged out to set up Rey Mysterio and Kota Ibushi in teh dream match moment. Wolverine hit Ibushi with a huracanrana. Ibushi caught Rey iwth a back kick. Rey got to his feet to dodge a Ibushi moonsault. Ibushi caught Rey with a nice calf kick. Matt tagged in.

Rey caught Matt with a hanging DDT. Fenix tagged in. Matt caught Fenix with an inverted Code Red. Ibushi and Bandido tagged in. Ibushi hit Bandido with a CQC combo. Bandido hit a sweep combo. Ibushi hit a standing moonsault on Ibushi for a nearfall. Ibushi caught Fenix and Bandido with a waterfall kick. Nick Jackson caught Bandido and Fenix with a series of Kicks, Sobats, and lariats. Many flips ensued by all the high flyers. Rey Mysterio took out everyone with a high Asai Moonsault. Fenix twisted like a legit helicopter via a corkscrew plancha. Bandido also went helicopter with a corkscrew crossbody (but it’s hard to out twist Fenix). They brawled to the stage. Matt hit most people, sans Rey and Kota, with a cannonball from the stage.

Matt hit Bandido with a nasty bottom rope buckle bomb. Bandido hit the breaks to block a triple superkick. Bandido hit the Golden Elite with a triple huracanrana. Rey tagged in a hit his signature offense on the Bucks. Matt Caught Rey during a 619. Fenix walked the tightrope to block the Meltzer Driver from the Bucks. Fenix superkicked Matt to allow Rey to land the 619. Bandido and Fenix took out Nick and Kota with stereo dives. Rey hit Matt with a frog splash for a nearfall.

Bandido hit Matt with a cool moonsault power slam for a nearfall. Bandido did a handstand but Nick superkicked him. A superkick party ensued in favor of the Bucks. The Bucks and Ibushi hit a triple More Bang for your Buck. Fenix broke up the pin. Fenix was disposed of. The Bucks hit the Meltzer Driver on Bandido for the win.

The Golden Elite defeated Rey Mysterio Jr, Fenix, and Bandido via pinfall in 11:48. 

The show ended before Ian Riccaboni could provide the proper outros…

John’s Thoughts: A simple and fun main event that left the crowd going home happy with a bunch of legendary high flyers doing what they do best, high fly. You had to go into the match thinking that either Rey was pinning a buck or the bucks will pin Bandido due to Bandido being the man with the lesser star power. Bandido wasn’t bad though but he was just in the ring with Rey Mysterio and a man who’s the modern day Rey in Fenix. That’s not to discount Rey who since 2015 has returned to his old form. The unintentional funny moment in this match, or throughout the match, was seeing Wolverine from X-Men in wrestling form. That was a very Chikara moment.

Overall, I’ll give this show a recommendation, but it still suffers that ROH and New Japan problem of having too many matches (why did we even need MJF vs. Son of Havoc? At least that was the match where all the major Fite TV issues were worked out so maybe it was on purpose). It was too many matches and too many of the same spots. Keeping  that in mind, I think it was a bit smart to have the cruiserweight spotfest be the closer match because that really woke up a fatigued crowd. My early pick for best match is the women’s four way because that match really had all the women showing their hard work. The runner ups would probably be a back and forth between Penta and Kenny or Scurll and Okada. This wasn’t the greatest show in the world but I’ll defend the many matches a bit in that this was a celebration of indie wrestling. I’ll be by tomorrow or Monday with my All In hit list.