By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S “BRIAN KENDRICK PRESENTS KING OF FLIGHT” DVD REVIEW
MARCH 24, 2013
HUNTINGTON PARK, CALIF.

This show features an 8 man tournament to crown the King of Flight. The show was held at the Pappy Pineda Dome, which also houses Brian Kendrick’s wrestling school.

The show began with a nice highlight package focusing on the 8 men in the tournament. The venue appears to be packed with around 200 fans and the entrance ramp features a video screen for entrance videos.

Nigel McGuinness and G.Q. Money introduced the show at ringside. McGuinness said he isn’t used to this style, but he’s excited to see the best high-flyers in the world go at it. A woman came to the entrance ramp and introduced the show reading cue cards. Money introduced her as the ring announcer. McGuinness wondered if the king went to go home with that queen and he was referring to the ring announcer, who was very attractive.

Paul London got on the mic backstage and introduced himself. He said he was injured the previous night and lost a tooth, but he was still going to wrestle. London said he was going to give everyone kazoos to blow for him because clapping was out of style. London took forever to pass out the kazoos and then nothing happened after except a group of fans were angry because they didn’t get a kazoo. McGuinness wondered if London was smoking on his way to the ring and clearly not paying attention to what was going on.

Samuray Del Sol came out next to a good reaction.

(1) Samuray Del Sol beat Paul London in a First Round King of Flight Tournament match. London went roll for roll with Del Sol during the early stages of the match. McGuinness said he’s still got it in reference to London on commentary. McGuinness and Money were talking about Del Sol when Nigel made a joke in poor taste about Del Sol setting a Guinness Book of World Records for most lawns mowed in a 24 hour period. Del Sol hit a corkscrew arm drag off the top that sent London to the floor. He then went for a dive, but ended up bouncing off the ropes when he saw London getting out of the way. London ended up going all the way out to the parking lot where the cameras followed him. London took control once he got back into the ring and began working over Del Sol. London escaped a pinning combination from Del Sol and teased one of his own before hitting a double stomp to Del Sol’s back. Del Sol fired back and hit a double stomp into a sunset driver for a nearfall.

Del Sol followed up with a twisting brainbuster. Del Sol then applied a modified figure 4 and London struggled, but eventually got the ropes. London countered near the ropes and hit a hangman’s neck breaker for a 2 count. Del Sol moved out of the way as London charged him against the ropes. London spilled to the outside and Del Sol caught him with a dive through the ropes. Del Sol charged a London and hit a big hurricanrana for a nearfall. London caught Del Sol with his foot as he charged into the corner and hit a double stomp off the top that left both men down on the mat. Del Sol then hit an inverted code red that Money called a reverse hurricanrana for the win.

Star rating: (*1/2) – This match had a couple of exciting spots, but they didn’t do much to engage the crowd in this first round match. The commentary from McGuinness and Money has been grating so far.

A.R. Fox came out to a good reaction. Nick Jackson then came out to Hanson’s “MMM Bop” video for his entrance. He then threw crotch chops at Fox from his back once he got into the ring. This was quite the entrance from Jackson.

(2) A.R. Fox beat Nick Jackson in a First Round King of Flight Tournament match. They started off with a great exchange that ended with a dropkick from Fox on Jackson. Fox hit a split-legged moonsault for a 2 count, but Jackson cut him off moments later with a chin breaker. They went to an amazing exchange of counters that saw both men attempt flips to the outside only to land on their feet when they missed. Jackson ended the exchange with a big superkick on the outside. Jackson mocked the crowd as they tried to get behind Fox. He raked Fox’s back and then hit a handspring back rake in the corner. Jackson controlled the action for a long period time and thwarted Fox’s comeback attempts. The crowd continued to try to rally behind Fox. Fox finally ducked a kick and hit an enzuguri on Jackson. Jackson went to the outside and Fox hit him with a series of three dives through the ropes starting with the bottom and ending with a huge dive over the top to the floor. The crowd popped big after Fox’s dive sequence.

Fox continued to dominate the action hitting a guillotine leg drop on the apron for a nearfall. The pace picked up and Fox ended a big exchange with a springboard ace crusher. He went up top, but Jackson got his knees up. Fox went for a matrix style evade a short time later, but turned around right into a superkick from Jackson. The fans chanted for Fox as Jackson sold frustration. Both men went back and forth until Jackson caught Fox with a running knee in the corner. Fox fired back a short time later and went for lo mein pain, but Jackson shoved him off. Fox ended up reversing a sunset flip attempt from Jackson into a pinning combination for the win.

A highlight package played spotlighting the big moments in the match after the pin.

Star rating (**3/4) – There was some good action during the match and the crowd was solidly behind Fox the entire time. There were also some good exchanges, but the match didn’t have enough time to tell an engaging story before Fox got the pinning combination for the win.

McGuinness and Money reset things at ringside before they went to the next match.

Money said he had heard a lot of good things about Ricochet while he made his entrance.

(3) Ricochet beat Amazing Red in a First Round King of Flight Tournament match. They had a fast paced exchange and Red sent Ricochet to the outside with a dropkick. They ended up on the apron and Red caught Ricochet with a kick to the head and followed up with a SSP off the apron to the floor. Money said that move was “amazing.” Red dominated the action for several minutes inside the ring. Ricochet ended up catching Red by surprise with an ace crusher and Red began selling his knee. Ricochet grabbed a standing variation of the bow and arrow. He drove Red’s head into the turnbuckle a couple of times while holding the submission before dumping him to the mat. Ricochet dominated the action for a long period of time and the announcers mentioned that he wasn’t working the leg. Ricochet did some break dancing, which allowed Red to catch him by surprise with a dropkick. Ricochet fired back a short time later and sent Red to the outside. Ricochet hit a corkscrew press over the top, but appeared to catch his feet on the ropes. He was still able to connect with the dive.

Ricochet taunted Red with some light kicks to the head. Both men traded kicks to the leg. Both men exchanged a number of counters until Red hit a spinning kick to Ricochet’s head and both men were down. Red got the upper hand once action resumed and hit a multiple rotation tornado DDT that sent Ricochet to the outside. Red followed up with a springboard to the outside, but Ricochet got out of the way and he ended up wiping out several unsuspecting fans. Red managed to beat the ref’s count as the announcers tried to put over him being injured. Red tried to set up for code red, but Ricochet countered it into a backslide driver for a 2 count. The fans applauded as Ricochet went up top. Ricochet missed a 450 and landed on his feet only for Red to take him out with a hurricanrana for a 2 count. Red grabbed his leg and continued to sell it. The fans applauded as Red lifted Ricochet, but Ricochet nailed him with a spinning kick that didn’t fully connect, but Red sold it anyway. Both men ended up battling up top. Red ended up hitting code red off the top, but Ricochet kicked out. Money said Ricochet bumped like a drunk driver, but was able to absorb the punishment. They battled up top again and Ricochet hit an inverted hurricanrana for the win.

Star rating: (**3/4) – This was a solid match that told a good story with Red selling a knee injury. They had some good back and forth exchanges and Red looked good here, although there were some sloppy moments during the match. The announcing has been grating so far and it continued during this match.

The fans chanted for Red as Money and McGuinness reset things at ringside. McGuinness said the next match could be a show-stealer. GQ Money he was excited to see Rich Swann live in the next match.

(4) Rich Swann beat Matt Jackson in a First Round King of Flight Tournament match. Jackson charged Swann right away and hit a spear to kick things off. They went back and forth and Swann went for a rolling frog splash, but Jackson got his knees up. Jackson followed up with a dropkick through the ropes. Jackson took control and worked over Swann for a long period of time. Jackson went for a handspring back rake, but Swann turned around and kicked him right in the head and the fans fired up. Jackson quickly cut Swann off and tossed him to the floor after jawing with the ref after a 2 count. Jackson drove Swann back-first into the ringpost before smashing his head into another ring post on the outside.

Swann tried to fire back, but Jackson hit a spear on the entrance ramp and followed up with a big DDT. Jackson teased a dive, but slid through the ropes instead and nailed Swann with a superkick. Jackson went for a baseball slide to the outside again, but Swann caught him with a superkick and followed up with a big dive to the outside. Swann fired up on Jackson back inside the ring and capped a big sequence with a jumping leg drop. The fans fired up after Swann’s offensive onslaught. Money made up names for Swann’s moves on commentary. Jackson countered Swann a short time later and hit a tombstone for a 2 count. Jackson went up top, but Swann got out of the way of a swanton attempt and hit a superkick. Swann placed Jackson up top and went for a hurricanrana, but Jackson countered it and hit a buckle bomb. He followed up with a summersault stunner off the turnbuckles for a nearfall and the fans fired up. Both men exchanged counters and Jackson backed Swann into the ref in the corner and then shoved Swann into the ref a couple of times for good measure. Swann hit a falcon arrow variation, but the ref was out. Nick ran down and rolled Matt out of the way. Nick played possum and Swann missed a frog splash off the top. Swann then got a small package on the ref for the win.

After the match, the Young Bucks put the boots to the ref. Money said there would be fines and suspensions for the Young Bucks. What would they be suspended from? The next tournament? The ref fired back and hit a double clothesline to take out the Young Bucks and the fans went crazy.

Star rating: (***1/4) – This was a good match with a goofy finish. Matt did a good job playing the heel role here and carried himself with an edge hitting some vicious looking blows to Swann’s head throughout the match. The ref not reversing his decision after the match was questionable given that the Young Bucks are easy to tell apart.

(5) Samuray Del Sol beat A.R. Fox in a King of Flight Semi-Final Round Tournament match. I can’t describe the action during the early going, but these two are going at it at an amazing pace. Both men ended a big opening exchange at a stalemate and the fans applauded. Fox offered a handshake, but kicked Del Sol in the gut to gain the upper hand. Fox sent Del Sol to the outside and hit his signature series of dives through the ropes, but Del Sol cut him off with a dropkick when he went for the third dive by running back into the ring and nailing Fox with a dropkick. Del Sol then hit a single step corkscrew dive to the outside and the fans chanted “Lucha, lucha.” Del Sol worked over Fox on the outside and then hit a corkscrew arm drag off the apron that sent Fox flight into the entrance ramp. Del Sol went for a springboard 450, but Fox rolled out of the way. Fox went for a 450 and Del Sol got out of the way, but Fox rolled through only to take a falcon arrow variation from Del Sol for a nearfall.

Both men ended up on the apron as the crowd fired up. Fox and Del Sol exchanged forearms on the apron. Del Sol hit a big superkick and went for a brainbuster, but Fox fought free. Fox then hit sliced bread off the ringpost sending Del Sol crashing to the apron and the fans chanted for Fox. Fox then hit lo mein rain to the outside and the fans went nuts again chanting for Fox. Fox rolled Del Sol into the ring and hit a springboard 450, but Del Sol kicked out at the very last second and the fans chanted for Del Sol. Del Sol battled back against Fox up top and shoved him to the mat, but Fox caught him with a kick and lo mein pain, but Del Sol kicked out at the last second again. Wow! The crowd fired up as Fox went up top again. Del Sol popped up and surprised Fox with a pair of kicks. Del Sol then hit his flipping reverse code red variation off the top for a nearfall. The fans fired up as both men were down on the mat. Del Sol caught Fox out of nowhere with the rising sun for the win. Wow!

Star rating: (****1/4) – This was an amazing match that got better and better as it went on. These two guys would light up the TV screen for any national promotion. The story of the match was Fox being unable to put Fox away after a series of breathtaking exchanges throughout the match. The finishing sequence of the match with Del Sol hitting the rising sun for the win was incredible.

Swann led the crowd in singing all night long while making his entrance. That was great.

(6) Ricochet beat Rich Swann in a King of Flight Semi-Final Round Tournament match. McGuinness and Money said Swann had suffered a knee injury in the opening round. Ricochet and Swann hugged before the opening bell. Swann did some dancing after teasing Ricochet with a knuckle lockup. Swann ended an electric exchange off the ropes with a dropkick a short time later and the fans chanted all night long. Ricochet finally fired back and hit a kick to the top of Swann’s head. Ricochet worked over Swann before putting him in a nasty looking stretch. Ricochet put one foot on Swann’s chest for a pin attempt and Swann kicked out sending Ricochet sprawling, but Ricochet was able to maintain the advantage. Swann fired back and hit rolling thunder. The action spilled to the outside. Ricochet backdropped Swann onto the stage, but he landed on his feet and hit a moonsault off the small stage onto Ricochet. Swann rolled Ricochet into the ring and called for the finish. Swann slipped out of an ace crusher attempt and hit a superkick. He followed up with what Money called the chicken fried driver for a 2 count.

The fans fired up as Swann went back on the attack. Ricochet slipped behind Swann coming off the ropes a short time later and successfully connected with an ace crusher. Both men went back and forth until Ricochet caught Swann with a knee off the top and a running SSP for a 2 count. Both men were down as the crowd fired up. Ricochet jawed with the Young Bucks, who were selling merchandise on the outside. Swann fired back and caught Ricochet with a pinning combination for a 2 count. Swann immediately caught Ricochet with a spinning kick to the head followed up by a running SSP for a 2 count. The fans fired up again as Swann sold disbelief that he hadn’t pinned Ricochet. Both men got up and traded blows in the middle of the ring. Ricochet ducked a clothesline and rolled behind Swann before hitting a spinning kick. He followed up with a backslide drive and then snap mare drive for a 2 count. Ricochet went up top and hit a gorgeous phoenix splash for the win.

The fans chanted for Swann after the match and Ricochet showed him respect before heading backstage.

Star rating: (***1/2) – This was a really good match between these two filled with some very good exchanges and counters. At times they wrestled at a breathtaking pace and the crowd fired up after some exciting sequences. The only downfall was there were a ton of nearfalls down the stretch and the crowd died down a bit.

(7) Ryan J. Morals vs. Mr. Tanaka. Nigel said that Tanaka looked like Odd Job from the James Bond movies. Morals slapped Tanaka in the face to kick things off. Tanaka fired back with fury and nailed Morals with a series of palm strikes. Tanaka continued to dominate the action and put a beating on Morals. Tanaka draped Morals over the top turnbuckle and nailed him with a big running knee for a 2 count. Morals fired back and Tanaka tried to catch him with a kick out of the corner, but Morals caught it and dropped his leg over his shoulder. Morals began working over Tanaka’s leg. Morals dragged Tanaka to the corner and slammed his leg onto the ringpost. Tanaka took a nasty looking bump to the floor. Tanaka eventually fired back and hit a flying leg kick, but ended up hurting the leg that Morals had been working over. Morals quickly fired back with a shoulder tackle to Tanaka’s leg. Morals then applied a single leg crab. Tanaka crawled to the ropes, but Morals dragged him back to the middle of the ring and he tapped out.

The fans booed Morals victory after the match was over.

Star rating: (**1/2) – This was a good showing for both wrestlers, who looked good in their showcase match. The match told a solid story and was enjoyable while it lasted.

McGuinness and Money reset things at ringside before the main event. Both men took turns making a prediction about who would win.

Brian Kendrick came down to the ring to introduce the main event. Kendrick got on the mic thanked several people before saying how happy he was with how things had gone. He said the main event would tear the roof off this place before thanking the fans.

The announcers said either man could win the main event. They continued to debate who had the advantage in the main event. Money said perhaps Del Sol would have an advantage if Ricochet decided to show off. Ricochet came out looking like he had some gas in the tank. Del Sol looked like he was selling an arm injury while making his entrance.

(8) Ricochet vs. Samuray Del Sol to become the King of Flight. Ricochet nailed Del Sol with a huge running dropkick right off the bat. Ricochet tossed Del Sol to the floor and continued to work him over. Del Sol ended up reversed a whip on the outside and he sent Ricochet into the ringpost. Del Sol followed up with a suplex on the entrance ramp before nailing him with a big overhand chop against the apron. They went to a big exchange off the ropes and Del Sol went for a handstand only for Ricochet to nail him with a huge dropkick. Del Sol and Ricochet went to a breathtaking series of exchanges. Ricochet continued to get the better of Del Sol each time. They went to another big exchange off the ropes and Ricochet hit a twisting arm drag that sent Del Sol to the floor. Ricochet then hit a handspring dive to the outside onto Ricochet and the fans went nuts. Ricochet grabbed one of the cameras and filmed himself chopping Del Sol, but they didn’t cut to his angle.

Ricochet rolled into the ring and continued to work over Del Sol. Del Sol tried to fire back, but Ricochet nailed him with a big dropkick before doing some kip ups for the crowd. Ricochet tried to monkey flip Del Sol, who landed on his feet only to walk right into an elbow from Ricochet. The fans tried to rally behind Del Sol, who was taking a sustained beating from Ricochet. Ricochet bit Del Sol’s mask as he continued to work him over. Del Sol finally mounted a comeback and hit a hurricanrana and a leg whip that left both men down on the mat. The fans fired up as both men struggled to get off the mat. Both men began exchanging strikes in the middle of the ring. Del Sol ended a big exchange with a standing sliced bread for a 2 count. Both men were once again slow to get off the mat. The fans continued to fire up as Del Sol went for the rising sun, but Ricochet caught him and suplexed him to the mat for a 2 count. Ricochet slammed Del Sol and went up top. Del Sol popped up and cut him off. They battled up top and Ricochet shoved Del Sol to the apron. Del Sol fired up again and went for the rising sun off the top, but Ricochet landed on his feet! WOW! Ricochet walked right into a kick from Del Sol, who went for a moonsault and turned it into a tornado DDT for a nearfall and the fans popped big.

Del Sol charged Ricochet with a knee to the mid-section, but Ricochet fired right back and hit chocolate rain off the top for a nearfall and the fans went nuts. Money said the winner would absorb the glory. Ricochet went for a reverse hurricanrana, but Del Sol landed on his feet and hit one of his own for a nearfall. The fans fired up again with both men down on the mat. Ricochet blocked a code red variation off the top and drove Del Sol face first into the mat for a nearfall. The fans fired up as Del Sol clutched his arm. Ricochet dragged Del Sol to the corner and went for a 630, but Del Sol rolled out of the way. Del Sol hit a big kick followed by the rising sun for the win. Wow!

Star rating: (****) – Another amazing match from Del Sol. Ricochet dominated much of the match, but Del Sol continued to mount comebacks only to be cut off. They had some great exchanges and there was some incredible high-flying and breath taking counters from both men during the course of the match as well. The only downside was they tried to play up Del Sol having an injured arm, but it barely factored into the match. It should also be noted that Ricochet is continuing to develop his presence in the ring jawing with fans and acting arrogant.

A highlight package aired showing some of the big sequences from the main event. The fans stood and applauded once they cut back to the venue. Kendrick came down to the ring with a crown, but Ricochet took it from him. Ricochet stared at the crown before handing it to Del Sol. The fans chanted lucha for Del Sol, who put the crowd on over his mask to end the show.

Overall score: (7.0) – This was a good in-ring show with a lot of breathtaking high-flying maneuvers. I felt that most of the matches did a good job of not going overboard with no-selling and too much high-flying. Samuray Del Sol was the star of the show, as he delivered two four-star matches in one night against two different opponents.

Before getting to the rest of the show, I have to say the only real downsides of this concept tournament from Brian Kendrick was the commentating and ring announcing. McGuinness and Money didn’t have much chemistry and it seemed like Money was just making up the names of moves during the course of the show, especially during some of Rich Swann’s matches. The ring announcing wasn’t as big of an issue, but the attractive woman doing the ring announcing was reciting her lines off of cue cards throughout the night. It would be beneficial to the show to have someone more polished do the ring announcing next time Kendrick decides to put together a tournament.

Another thing that took me by surprise was McGuinness making a comment about Del Sol setting a record for the most lawns mowed in a 24 hour period during his opening round match. The joke was offensive and didn’t do anything to enhance Del Sol, who went on to win the tournament. I was surprised to hear McGuinness make a comment like that about someone as respected as Del Sol is in the ring, although I don’t think the comment should be made about anyone to be clear.

The show got off to a rough start with a botched kazoo stunt from Paul London that didn’t take with the fans. Del Sol and London didn’t have a good outing at all in their opening round match, although the announcers did mention London was working through an injury.

The second half of the show was excellent. Fox and Del Sol have incredible chemistry in the ring and they stole the show with their semi-final round match. The Ricochet-Swann semi-final match was also very good, although it suffered from a few too many nearfalls that disengaged the crowd down the stretch.

As for the main event, it delivered what you would expect from Del Sol and Ricochet. Ricochet dominated most of the match and Del Sol made several spirited comebacks before eventually pinning Ricochet. My jaw dropped at some of the exchanges between these two, who are two of the best high-flyers in the business. Del Sol showed why he could be an amazing asset to WWE if used properly now that he’s headed there in the near future. The only thing that didn’t click about the main event is that Del Sol sold an arm injury and the announcers focused on it before the match, but Ricochet never went after his arm.

This show gets a thumbs up because of the amazing in-ring action during the second half of the card. With a better announce team in place, this would have been a better show. The production for this show was really handled well with multiple camera shots and post-match highlight packages. I look forward to seeing more of these productions from Brian Kendrick and Highspots in the future.

You can purchase “Brian Kendrick Presents King of Flight at Highspots.com.

***

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