Special matches give plenty of highlights in the Globe Theater
March 30 saw the sold out Globe Theater play host to Multiverse United, as NJPW and IMPACT combined for a tour de force of a card with plenty of exciting moments throughout the night.
With Mickie James sidelined by injury, a four way match would see Masha Slamovic, Deonna Purrazzo, Giselle Shaw and Miyu Yamashita, the winner getting a guaranteed title opportunity either in a three way for James’ belt, or a singles match over a vacated title. It would be Purrazzo and Yamashita collding center ring early; Shaw would break up the exchange, but paid with a heavy kick before the match spilled outside, Shaw gaining the advantage with a tornillo to the floor.
The advantage didn’t last long, all four women escalating the in ring pace and soon all being laid out on the canvas. Purazzo would threaten submission victory with an armbar on Slamovic, broken up by Yamashita who hit a step up head kick; Shaw showed her won striking ability but was stopped by a Destroyer from Masha, only to be hurled with a barrage of German suplexes from a recovered Purrazzo. Giselle would be met by Shaw, but stopped her foe with a mighty powerbomb and then the Queen’s Gambit for the win.
Eight man action would see mixed teams for NJPW and IMPACT, Joe Hendry, Eddie Edwards, Tom Lawlor and JR Kratos facing Callihan, PCO, Fred Rosser and Alex Coughlin. With a lot of hate from both sides, Edwards and Callihan traded blows to open, before Lawlor and Rosser picked up on their classic rivalry.
As neither team gained a sustained advantage, Coughlin and Hendry would trade suplex attempts before Hendry dropped Coughlin with a Trust Fall; Kratos would come in the plus position and delivered brutal strikes to the Android before hurled across the ring. PCO would follow up and delivered a Frankensteiner to the Most Feared, but a pitched brawl would ensue as the other entrants threw themselves into the fray.
As everyone found themselves outside the ring, PCO looked for a plancha, but was drilled by a Kratos pounce who launched his own super heavyweight dive to the floor. Not to be outdone, the French Canadian Frankenstein flew off the top rope himself to a raucous reaction from the LA crowd, but a superplex was the price to be paid; the match continued to prove chaotic as first Coughlin and then Hendry showed feats of strength, but a testicular claw would set up a Callihan piledriver. The match as broken down as it could be, Kratos and PCO would do battle, the Frankenstein dropping Kratos and following with the PCOsault to win.
Before the main card got underway, a special singles kickoff match pit one time Young Lion contemporaries Yuya Uemura and Gabriel Kidd in the same ring for the first time in two years. The two former Dojo mates went nose to nose before the bell, before Kidd used his strength to control Uemura with a tenacious headlock. Uemura would wrestle his way out of his predicament, but was shoved over the corner to the floor, tweaking his knee in the process.
Kidd continued to stay on top of Uemura, who fired back with a flying forearm, but was shut down with a suplex rolled through into a double underhook for two. Kidd mounted the top rope, but was met by Uemura; Kidd used a hangman’s front chancerie to drop his foe, but before he could get the win, Uemura had an answer with a Deadbolt suplex and a cross body for the win.
