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From The Shelf- Brian Kendrick’s King of Flight

June 1, 2014 | Posted by Dylan Diot
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From The Shelf- Brian Kendrick’s King of Flight  

Brian Kendrick’s King of Flight
3-24-13
Huntington Park, CA

Your hosts are GQ Money and Nigel McGuinness.

This is a one night tournament put on by Brian Kendrick’s wrestling school.

King of Flight Round 1- Paul London vs. Samurai Del Sol
London hands out kazoos prior to the match because he thinks clapping is a thing of the past. They trade roll-ups for 2 counts before we reach a standstill. London tries to work the arm but Del Sol continues to escape. Enzuigiri by Del Sol and he goes up. Arm drag off the top by Del Sol and London bails. Back in, London hits a spin kick in the corner and he hits a shoulder to the gut in the corner. Del Sol comes back with a sunset flip for 2 and London gets a double stomp to the back. Knee to the back of the head by London gets 2. Butterfly suplex by London gets 2. Kick to the head by Del Sol and he hits the Sunset Driver for 2. Twister by Del Sol gets 2. Indian Deathlock by Del Sol but London makes the ropes to break. London catches Del Sol with a hanging sitting neckbreaker for 2. London chokes Del Sol in the ropes and he goes to jump on him but misses and crashes to the floor. Suicide dive to the floor by Del Sol and back in, London goes up. Del Sol takes him off with a headscissors and Del Sol hits a hurricanrana for 2 even though it almost seemed like it was 3. Del Sol charges in the corner but eats boot and London hits a springboard double stomp to the back. London goes up but Del Sol stops him and follows up. London bites the head of Del Sol to fight him off but Del Sol catches him with an enzuigiri. Rising Sun off the top by Del Sol gets 3.
Winner- Samurai Del Sol *** ( This was a solid way to kick off the show. Once they moved away from London’s weird antics in the early going that was a solid contest that didn’t overuse the high spots early. )

King of Flight Round 1- AR Fox vs. Nick Jackson
Nick overpowers Fox to start and Fox comes back with a dropkick. Nick charges in the corner but eats elbow and Fox hits the Split Legged Foxsault for 2. Jawbreaker by Nick and he rakes Fox’s head off the ropes. They both go for dives on one another on the floor but neither can connect. Nick ends that with a spinning enzuigiri and back in, Fox fights back with forearms. Nick catches him with a dropkick to stop the momentum and Nick rakes the back of Fox. Cartwheel back rake in the corner by Nick and he stomps away in the corner. Fox stomps away to come back and he hits some forearms. Fox misses the stinger Splash in the corner and Nick hits a basement dropkick for 2. Knees to the back by Nick and he steps on the face of Fox. Chinlock by Nick with his knee pressed against the back of Fox. Fox starts to fight out and Nick hits an enzuigiri. Nick slingshots in but Fox catches him with a reverse atomic drop. Back elbow by Nick and Fox goes for the Lungblower but Nick blocks. Enzuigiri by Fox and Nick bails to the floor. Repeated suicide dives by Fox and he finishes with a summersault plancha to the floor. Fox goes up and he hits a leg drop off the top onto the apron for 2. Fox goes up but Nick stops him and follows up. Fox fights him off and hits a springboard Ace Crusher. Fox goes up for the Swanton Bomb but eats knees. Superkick by Nick gets 2. Nick misses a corner knee strike and Fox hits a corner lariat. Slingshot basement dropkick in the corner by Fox but Nick comes back with another superkick. Corner knee strike by Nick and he goes to pull Fox out of the corner but Fox catches him with the Codebreaker. Shooting Star Cannonball in the corner by Fox and he goes for Low Mein Pain but Nick blocks. Fox catches Nick with a jackknife roll-up for 3!!!
Winner- AR Fox ***1/2 ( Really good match. It’s rare to see one of the Young Bucks in singles action but Nick Jackson looked excellent on his own. Fox vs. Del Sol in the next round should be sweet. )

King of Flight Round 1- Ricochet vs. Amazing Red
Both men battle for position and neither can get the upper hand early. Roll-up by Ricochet gets 2 and Red gets the inside cradle for 2. Headscissors by Ricochet and Red gets a dropkick forcing Ricochet to bail. Ricochet sweeps the legs of Red on the apron and Red comes back with an enzuigiri knocking Ricochet to the floor. SSP off the apron by Red and back in, Red covers for 2. Chops by Red and he hits a corner forearm. Basement dropkick by Red gets 2. Chops by Red and Ricochet comes back with an Ace Crusher for 2. Kicks to the chest in the corner by Ricochet and he stretches Red across his back. Snap mare and Ricochet hits a kick to the back. Surfboard by Ricochet and he converts it into a crucifix for 2. Ricochet does some break dancing which allows Red to come back with a back kick to the midsection. Enzuigiri to the back by Ricochet and he hits a springboard clothesline. He dumps Red to the floor and Ricochet overshoots a corkscrew plancha to the floor. Back in, Ricochet covers for 2. They trade kicks to the leg and Red hits a spin kick to the midsection. They both attempt moves that miss and Red finally connects with a spinning enzuigiri. They slug it out and Red hits a hurricanrana. Corner dropkick by Red and he hits a tilt-a-whirl DDT. Ricochet bails and Red goes for a springboard summersault but misses and CRASHES INTO THE FANS!!!! That could have been really bad. Back in, they trade counters until Ricochet hits a Backslide Driver for 2. Ricochet goes up and dives but Red moves. Spinning basement enzuigiri by Red and he hits a basement hurricanrana for 2. Spinning enzuigiri by Ricochet and he goes up but Red stops him and follows up. Code Red off the top by Red gets 2!!! Red goes up but Ricochet follows up and hits a reverse Frankensteiner for 3.
Winner- Ricochet **1/2 ( This match was a bit of a mess. The two major blown spots killed the crowd so the final stretch had little to no heat plus there other sequences were somewhat sloppy and the match went too long. They just seemed off their game here. )

King of Flight Round 1- Matt Jackson vs. Rich Swann
Spear by Matt and he hammers Swann on the mat to start. Dropkick by Swann and Matt bails. Matt trips Swann up and pulls him to the floor. Back in, Swann catches him with another dropkick. Snap mare and Matt stomps the head of Swann. Slam by Swann and he goes for the Rolling Thunder Splash but eats knees. Matt dumps Swann to the floor and dropkicks Swann through the ropes. Back in, Matt stomps away in the corner and he sends Swann sternum first into the corner for 2. Shoulders to the gut in the corner by Matt and Swann comes back with a high kick for 2. Matt rakes the eyes of Swann and he goes for a suplex but Swann blocks. Matt finally catches him with a Jackhammer for 2. Matt dumps Swann to the floor and he follows out to ram Swann back first into the post. Matt sends Swann into the post and he spears Swann onto the entrance ramp. DDT onto the ramp by Matt and he hits a superkick. Swann comes back with a superkick of his own and he hits a summersault plancha to the floor. Back in, Swann goes up and hits a crossbody off the top for 2. Back elbows by Swann and he hits the Fameasser. Rolling Thunder Splash by Swann gets 2. Swann charges in the corner but eats elbow. Matt goes up but Swann hits an enzuigiri and takes him off with a leaping Frakensteiner. Spinning enzuigiri to the back by Swann gets 2. Chops by Swann and Matt comes back with a tilt-a-whirl Tombstone for 2. Basement superkick by Matt gets 2. Matt goes up and dives but Swann moves. Superkick by Swann and he puts Matt on top. Swann follows up and goes for the Frankesteiner but Matt blocks. Corner powerbomb by Matt and he hits the Corkscrew Ace Crusher for 2. Matt backs Swann into the ref in the corner a few times and Swann hits the Falcon Arrow but there is no ref. Nick Jackson comes out and switches places with Matt. Swann goes up and misses the Frog Splash. Swann catches Nick with the small package for 3!!! The Young Bucks attack Rick Knox after the match but Knox takes them out with the double clothesline.
Winner- Rich Swann *** ( I was glad to see Matt Jackson work a 100% heel style, resorting to cheap tactics which gave this match a fresh feel compared to the other first round matches. The finish was beyond stupid since Nick and Matt don’t look anything alike so the switch places spot didn’t work here. )

King of Flight Semifinals- AR Fox vs. Samurai Del Sol
Hammerlock by Fox to start but Del Sol breaks with a springboard arm drag. Headstand headscissors by Del Sol and he sweeps the legs of Fox, leading to a standstill. Fox chokes Del Sol in the ropes and he jumps on Del Sol in the ropes. Back in, Fox covers for 2. Fox dumps Del Sol to the floor and he hits the repeated suicide dives. Back in, Del Sol hits a dropkick forcing Fox to bail. Springboard corkscrew plancha to the floor by Del Sol and he hits some kicks to the chest. 619 to the back on the apron by Del Sol and he hits a spinning arm drag off the apron onto the ramp. Back in, Del Sol misses the springboard 450 Splash. Standing Sliced Bread #2 by Del Sol gets 2. On the apron, they trade forearms and Del Sol hits a superkick. Del Sol goes for the Brainbuster but Fox blocks and hits an enzuigiri. Sliced Bread #2 on the apron by Fox and he hits the springboard reverse summersault plancha to the floor. Back in, Fox hits the springboard 450 for 2. Fox puts Del Sol on top and follows up. Del Sol fights him off and Fox catches him with an enzuigiri. Low Mein Pain by Fox gets 2!!! Fox goes up but Del Sol catches him with an enzuigiri. He follows up and hits Rising Sun off the top for 2. Fox escapes a powerbomb attempt and Del Sol hits a SICK springboard reverse hurricanrana for 3!!!
Winner- Samurai Del Sol ***1/2 ( These guys went nuts for ten minutes. They went spot after spot with no rest and everything looked crisp which was amazing considering the insane stuff they did here. This was an excellent sprint and the things these two can do in the ring continues to blow me away. )

King of Flight Semifinals- Ricochet vs. Rich Swann
Swann does some dancing to start and Ricochet overpowers him. Dropkick by Swann and he hits some punches in the corner. Snap mare and Swann hits a kick to the back for 1. Cravat by Swann and Riochet fights back with some kicks. Dropping kick by Ricochet and he snapmares Swann into a kick to the back. Hanging chicken wing by Ricochet and he releases for 2. Dropkick by Ricochet and he performs a cocky cover for 1. Kick to the midsection by Swann and he hits the Fameasser. Rolling Thunder by Swann and Ricochet bails. Swann follows out and hits a moonsault press off the stage. Back in, they trade counters and Swann hits a basement superkick. Double underhook Brainbuster by Swann gets 2. Ace Crusher by Ricochet gets 2. Corner back elbow by Ricochet and Swann charges in the corner but eats boot. Ricochet goes up but Swann catches him with an enzuigiri. Ricochet blocks the leaping Frankensteiner and he hits a second rope leg lariat. Standing SSP by Ricochet gets 2. Swann blocks the Regal Plex and throws some elbows to the head of Ricochet. Wheelbarrow roll-up by Swann gets 2 and he hits the spinning enzuigiri for 2. Standing SSP by Swann gets 2. They trade chops and Ricochet hits a spinning enzuigiri. Backslide Driver by Ricochet and he hits the Snapmare Driver for 2. Ricochet goes up and hits the Phoenix Splash for 3.
Winner- Ricochet ***1/2 ( These two know each other so well so it’s not a surprise they had a good match. I liked that they slowly built speed as it progressed so we went from more methodical wrestling to a more high impact finishing stretch. )

Ryan J. Morals vs. Mr. Tanaka
These are two of Brian Kendrick’s students and this is here to give Del Sol and Ricochet a break before the main event. Morals slaps Tanaka to start so Tanaka fires away in the corner. Leg lariat by Tanaka and he hits a hip check. Samoan drop by Tanaka and he throws some forearms to the ribs of Morals. Tanaka face washes Morals in the corner and hits a corner knee lift to the midsection for 2. Forearms in the corner by Tanaka but Morals comes back with a leg breaker. Morals works over the left leg of Tanaka and Morals wraps Tanaka’s leg off the post. Back in, Morals goes for a half crab but Tanaka blocks. Morals charges in the corner but misses and Tanaka cleans house. Leg lariat by Tanaka but Morals clips the knee to come back. Half crab by Morals and Tanaka taps.
Winner- Ryan J. Morals *1/2 ( This wasn’t bad for two students putting on a showcase match but they didn’t show anything here that made you think they are going to make a splash on the independent scene anytime soon. )

King of Flight Finals- Ricochet vs. Samurai Del Sol
Brian Kendrick comes out and delivers a speech prior to the match. Dropkick by Ricochet to start and he dumps Del Sol to the floor. Ricochet follows and works over Del Sol on the floor. Del Sol sends Ricochet into the post to come back and he hits a suplex on the ramp. Kicks to the chest by Del Sol and back in, he covers for 2. Ricochet DROPKICKS DEL SOL WHEN DEL SOL WENT FOR THE HANDSTAND HEADSCISSORS for 2!!! Tilt-a-whirl arm drag by Del Sol but Ricochet comes back with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Leg lariat by Ricochet gets 2. Arm drag by Del Sol and Ricochet comes back with one of his own, forcing Del Sol to bail. Handspring corkscrew plancha to the floor by Ricochet and back in, Ricochet covers for 2. Rear surfboard by Ricochet but Del Sol counters into a cover for 2 to break. Dropkick by Ricochet and he works Del Sol over in the corner. Ricochet charges in the corner but eats boot and Ricochet comes back with a back elbow. Ricochet covers for 2 and Del Sol is pressed into a hurricanrana. Spinning heel kick by Del Sol and both men are down. They trade forearms and Del Sol hits the standing Sliced Bread #2 for 2. Del Sol goes for the springboard reverse hurricanrana but Ricochet counters into a back suplex for 2. Ricochet slams Del Sol and he goes up. Del Sol stops him and follows up. Ricochet dumps him to the floor and Del Sol climbs back up. Del Sol goes for a reverse Frankensteiner off the top but RICOCHET LANDS ON HIS FEET!!! Superkick by Del Sol and he hits a springboard Tilt-a-whirl Tornado DDT for 2!!! Shoulder to the gut in the corner by Del Sol and Ricochet returns the favor. Enzuigiri to the back by Ricochet and he goes up. Chocolate Rain by Ricochet gets 2. They trade reverse hurricanranas and Del Sol gets the better of them and covers for 2. Del Sol puts Ricochet on top and follows up. Ricochet blocks the Rising Sun and hits a sit-out faceplant off the top for 2. Ricochet goes up and misses the 630 Splash. Spinning heel kick by Del Sol and he hits the springboard reverse hurricanrana for 3!!! Brian Kendrick presents Del Sol with the crown after the match.
Winner of King of Flight- Samurai Del Sol ***3/4 ( Excellent finish to the tournament with both guys going all out in their third match of the evening and it had a sense of purpose so there was added energy to everything they did. )

I thought overall that this was a fun wrestling event that did a great job showcasing the innovated high flying style of today. Things got repetitive in some of the matches, there had to be at least twenty enzuigiris if not more throughout the course of the evening. However, for the most part the structure of each match was different and only one match in the tournament was a disappointment. This is worth a look, especially if you love high flying wrestling.

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Dylan Diot