PWG: Thirteen Review

Date: July 29th, 2016

PWG World Champion - Zack Sabre Jr (Since: All Star Weekend 12 - March 2016)

PWG World Tag Team Champions - The Young Bucks (Since: Mystery Vortex III - June 2015)

Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Hero, Joey Ryan, Chuck Taylor

Thirteen years of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is celebrated with the two huge title matches, an unexpected brutal bout between two friends, and the farewell of a ten year company veteran.

1) Adam Cole vs. Brian Cage
Tommy End's highly anticipated return to PWG after an injury kept him out of action during the first half of the year was once again post poned thanks to flight arrangements being fucked up. SO, Brian Cage comes in as his replacement to battle Adam Cole in the opening match of the 13th Anniversary Celebration show. This was honestly a really enjoyable opener and much better than expected. I like both of these guys, but Cage is known for having rough matches and Cole has been hit or miss since returning. Things seemed to click for the most part here, though. Cole has lost a bunch of weight yet says he's still the strongest man in the ring and challenges Cage to a test of strength. I'm sure you can guess how that went. But yeah, this was pretty fun from start to finish. Everything was spaced out well and didn't feel clustered. The finishing sequence was a little rocky, but it didn't shit on the match because it got the show off to the perfect start. Cole wins with a roll up.

Match rating - ***

2) Roderick Strong vs. Timothy Thatcher
YESSSS. This is a match that I so badly wanted during Strong's title reign, but he's still got the hype and the heat so I'll gladly take it right now. Part of the crowd seems to know this is probably Roddy's last night in PWG as they reaction is more mixed than normal however the same big time feel that's been there during Roddy's entire run these past two years is still there and it rules. Roddy tries to dive headfirst into Thatcher's style and holds his own to some extent as he immediately turns to mocking the man who dethroned him, Zack Sabre Jr, by locking Thatcher in a hold similar to one he does. This garnered a reign of boos and was brilliant foreshadowing. RODDY AINT DONE WITH SABRE BOYS. Anyways, Thatcher gains the upperhand because grappling is his game. He throws some uppercuts and Roddy responds with a dropkick that floors him. This was like a game of human chess, to be honest. Roddy kept testing the waters of Thatcher's style only to turn back to his classic routine when he would lose the advantage. This would be what leads him to victory as a flurry of sick kicks and jumping knees puts Thatcher down for the three.

Match rating - ***1/2

3) Chuck Taylor vs. Trent? - No Disqualification Match

So this wasn't originally supposed to be No DQ, but it turned into that about a fourth of the way through after Trent snapped and threw a chair at Chuck following an eye poke. A random match pitting two partners against each other turned into an affair with chairs, ladders, and thumbtacks which made no sense, but was absolutely crazy at the same time. After destroying each other, the two men hugged it out and all was well. This was random, but a lot of fun.

Match rating - ***1/4

4) Trevor Lee vs. Jeff Cobb
Jeff Cobb had one of my favorite matches of the year with Chris Hero in his debut match back in May at PRINCE so I'm pretty excited for this. Trevor Lee gets himself introduced as the TNA superstar and follows that up by yelling "BROTHER NERO" before nailing Cobb with a twist of fate on the apron later in the match. I want to delete myself after seeing that. Pun intended. None the less, Lee & Cobb go through some cool spots, both guys getting their shit in. Cobb's rolling deadlift suplexes are so awesome. I feel like he's gonna be the next guy to go for the strap in PWG. He's so talented and over after only two appearances. The most pop worthy moment of this match was the finish as Cobb pulls the upset and defeats Trevor Lee.

Match rating - ***1/4

5) Sami Callihan vs. Marty Scurll
This was pretty rough, honestly. I love Scurll and Callihan can be great, but this ended up being the bust of the show for me. It was a gimmicky, almost comedy match for 60% of the time and that's something that should be saved for earlier in the show than this, in my opinion, but what do I know? Don't get me wrong, the cat stuff was funny however it just didn't do it for me in this particular situation. Once they opened up in the final five minutes or so, there were some good exchanges however it doesn't make up for the first 10-12 minutes that were pretty much a waste. Scurll picks up the win in route to the biggest three day weekend of his young career in the form of BOLA 2016.

Match rating - **1/2

6) The Young Bucks (c) vs. Chris Hero & JT Dunn - PWG World Tag Team Title Match
The Bucks make this a title match in a pre-match promo. These two teams faced off last year in a reported barnburner across the coast for Beyond Wrestling, but this is a first time match here in Reseda. Hero & Dunn's PWG run started off pretty good with a victory over Ricochet & Sydal back in March which leads them here. They isolate The Bucks pretty well early on only for this to turn into an absolutely insane display. One of the longest superkick parties ever takes place and it's nuts. Just as things are heating up, The Bucks clinch the victory with a roll up pinning combination out of nowhere. Fun stuff while it lasted.

Match rating - ***1/4

7) Zack Sabre Jr (c) vs. Kyle O'Reilly - PWG World Title Match
What a fucking year both of these men are having and what a story this is. This rematch is almost two years in the making and the tables are completely turned from last time. In their original meeting in August of 2014, O'Reilly was the champion going against the newcomer Sabre. Now, it's the champion Sabre against the returning O'Reilly. These two picked up right where they left off with some out of this world grappling. O'Reilly looks buff, but has some sort of contraption on his shoulder signifying some troubles he's been having. Sabre targets that and goes to work on it from the get go. I'm sure you know how brutal Sabre is when he's got his sights on something so it got pretty cringy at points. O'Reilly sold it all super well and returned the favor by targeting Sabre's legs. They did some sick counters and close falls to match the storytelling of the injured shoulder so this wasn't boring at all by any means. The final few minutes were super close and heated, but it all came to a close when O'Reilly went for the rebound lariat and Sabre pounced on him, wrapped his legs around his torso, and wrenched back his arm. O'Reilly had nowhere to go and was forced to tap. A very worthy sequel to their first encounter and an amazing match as a whole.

Match rating - ****1/2

After the match, all hell breaks loose and the drama runs high. Roderick Strong storms the ring and takes out both O'Reilly & Sabre in a manner exactly similar to what he did after their first encounter back at BOLA 2014. Roddy gets the mic and says he's clashing in his rematch clause right now! Knox rings the bell and this shit is on. It's layered with interference and stuff, but it's all about the story so I dig it. The Bucks run down, Marty Scurll makes the save with help from O'Reilly. They fight to the back and Adam Cole comes out. Roddy accidentally nails Cole with a jumping knee which allows Sabre to catch Roddy off guard, roll him up, bridge back and get the three count to retain the title.

Now comes the most emotional moment of the evening and one of the most phenomenal moments I've ever witnessed in PWG and honestly wrestling as a whole. With Sabre pinning Roddy came a shift. The end of an era. It immediately set into place with the crowd making the change as well with "Thank You Roddy" chants. They knew this was it. Roddy couldn't help but smile as he & Sabre sat in the center of the ring for a chilling exchange.

Sabre: "Are we done?"
Roddy: "For now."

I LOVE WRESTLING.

Photo credit: Mikey Nolan Photography

Roddy gets the mic and says that on this same night two years ago, after 11 years here, he made a vow to himself to become better and the PWG fans allowed him to do that. Boy, did they ever. The past two years went by so quick and it was a beautiful ride. Roddy continues by talking about what else PWG did for him and that he doesn't hate the people there, he loves them. The roster comes out to the ring and the whole farewell shebang takes place. Excalibur gets the mic to send the show off and thanks the fans for 13 years and says that 13 years wouldn't have been possible without Roderick Strong.

End of a fucking era. This show is a must own for that reason alone.

PWG: Bowie Review

Date: February 12th, 2016

PWG World Champion - Roderick Strong (Since: Black Cole Sun - December 2014)

PWG World Tag Team Champions - The Young Bucks (Since: Mystery Vortex III - june 2015)

Commentators: Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Chuck Taylor, & Chris Hero

1) Chuck Taylor vs. Dalton Castle
This is Dalton Castle's PWG debut and he's already over just based off the hype his ROH run garnered. The Boys are with him, as well. Chuck is currently on the biggest winning streak of his entire PWG career as he has secured wins over Mark Andrews, Kikutaro, and even Trevor Lee in the months prior. These two are perfect opponents for each other so it's pretty fun and barely even lasts 10 minutes before Chuck rolls up Castle and sneaks the pin for the victory.

Match rating - **1/4

2) Chris Hero vs. Trent?
The hype around this match was tremendous so I was shocked it was only second on the card, but it's PWG so you know how that goes. Any match can steal the show. Trent fought from underneath most of the match and Hero is a great bully so it ruled. The huge turning point in the match came with Hero going for a moonsault only for Trent to run up and scale the turnbuckles and THROW Hero inside out from the top rope to the mat. UN FUCKING REAL. The crowd explodes and I jumped out of my seat. Hero kicks out at two and now he's trying to comeback. SPIKE PILEDRIVER OUT OF NOWHERE. After the beating Trent took, you figured that was his last flurry and this would be it, BUT NOPE. Greg kicked out and said fuck you. On not one, but multiple occassions. It almost went it to overkill however that ceiling is different for everyone. Hero wins after several piledriver variations.

Match rating - ***3/4

3) Sami Callihan vs. Jack Evans
Beer drinking contest. A sit down boxing match reminiscent of Necro/Kikutaro. And a number of other shenanigans are just some of the things that took place in this match. Jack did some crazy shit when the chairs were in the ring. This was just an overall cluster of random stuff. Jack sneaks the victory with a braun hold out of nowhere.

Match rating - **1/2

4) Adam Cole vs. Andrew Everett

Initially, I forgot to review this match when writing this review which probably gives it a bad rep however it was honestly pretty enjoyable. Both men are always fun to watch, but for totally different reasons so it was a solid mix. Everett got his flippy stuff in, Cole got his dickish stuff in, and it all flowed pretty well. Cole snags the victory.

Match rating - ***

5) Zack Sabre Jr vs. Trevor Lee
As we played the waiting game for Sabre to get his world title shot against Roddy, we got several dream matches that went under the radar. Doing them during this period probably also squandered what they could've been as Sabre's match with Akira Tozawa a month prior to this was just a solid three star affair and this was the same, but not even as good. Sabre did some good arm work on Lee and it was a fantastic heel/face dynamic with these two vastly different personalities however it really started to drag as time went on. After nearly 20 minutes of grappling, Sabre forces Lee to tap.

Match rating - ***

6) Mike Bailey vs. Evil Uno (Player Uno)
After three years away, the former Super Smash Brother returns to Reseda and he squares off with the newest Canadian favorite in the never ending PWG trend, Mike Bailey. This isn't the same Uno the fans knew and loved though. He's now dawned the Evil Uno persona and he shows no mercy on Speedball despite the fact that they are from the same home country. With that in mind, though, Speedball & Uno have faced off in the past, but this is the first time in PWG and they certainly made it a bang. Uno made his first big mark in this match by taking it to the floor and nailing Bailey with a vertical suplex on the unforgiving hardwood floor in the legion hall. The beating continued in the ring with a series of vicious chops and a tombstone piledriver FROM THE SECOND ROPE. Bailey being the underdog continued to kick out and fight back and it was a lot of fun. Definitely the pick up the card needed at this point.

Match rating - ***1/2

7) Roderick Strong (c) vs. Drew Galloway - PWG World Title Match
So, this show has been pretty average aside from Hero/Trent and a fun Uno/Bailey match. Considering that, I figured this wasn't gonna be too well since this was in the midst of the far too drawn out build for Sabre finally get his title match. Well, I was wrong because this ruled. I should've known not to doubt 2015-2016 Roddy. He's just so good and such a character and draws so much attention/heat. You can't take your eyes off of him. Roddy starts off with the mic and tells Galloway he's gonna kick his ass only for the Brit to thwart his attempt and boot him in the face. They fight around the legion hall with Galloway having his way with the champion only for Roddy to slide back into control in the ring. A fan calls Roddy mediocre which leads to a stand off with Roddy backing the fan up against the stage. Galloway dives off the apron to Roddy to break this up. It's things like that which make Roddy so good at this stage in the game. There's never a dull moment and he's flooded with boos and middle fingers the entire time. They battle back and forth in the ring. Roddy has The Young Bucks' tag team title belts even though they're not here. He uses them to distract the ref so he can nail Drew with the World title for a two count. The live crowd seemed to be half & half on the false finishes but Excalibur & Hero on commentary made up for their lack of enthusiasm by doing a phenomenal job. The finish to this battle, which got pretty physical along the stretch, was great as well with a fan once again shouting something horrible at Roddy which distracts him. Galloway boots Roddy, but all it does is wake him up and Roddy goes ballistic with his 5,000 moves in a minute sequence. He ends up by setting Galloway up for the End of Heartache, telling the fan to fuck off, and nailing it. Roddy retains. If the outcome of this would've been more unpredictable, this could've easily gotten into four star range.

Match rating - ***3/4

Post match, Adam Cole comes down to celebrate with Roddy. This turns into a beatdown on Galloway and Strong sets up his signature chair pyramid thing. Zack Sabre Jr runs down to make the save, but RODDY CATCHES HIM. SABRE REVERSES AND LOCKS RODDY IN A HANGING SUBMISSION. Before Sabre can twist Roddy's arm back and probably out of socket, Cole superkicks Sabre off of his stablemate. High drama stuff here. Roddy & Cole scatter to the floor and Roddy gets the mic. YESSS. This was so good. Roddy has a look of absolute disgust on his face which he aims at Sabre & Galloway in the form of words. This rant is ended with "next month, if you want some, Zack, come get some, you bitch." Sabre obviously accepts the challenge and their World Title Match is set for All Star Weekend 12.

A Farewell to Roderick Strong

This weekend at PWG's Thirteenth anniversary event which celebrated the 13th year of the company, one of PWG's longest running stars made his exit.

Roderick Strong, a former PWG World Champion, 2x DDT4 Tournament Winner, Mount Rushmore stable member, and former PWG World Tag Team Champion, has been a staple in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla since 2005. When wrestlers came and went because of injuries or moving onto higher & "better" opportunitiues, Roddy remained. Through the Kevin Steen's, the El Generico's, and the Davey Richards', Roddy remained. When a new face came into PWG, he was the gatekeeper, he tested them to see if they were good enough because at the end of the day he is PWG.

Roddy facing off with Rob Van Dam & Chris Hero in January of 2010

For many years, Roddy was admittedly overlooked in Reseda. He was known for having killer matches in his first few years in the company such as his contests with Matt Sydal & Rocky Romero and his tag team affairs with PAC (Neville), with whom he won the innaguraul DDT4 tournament with. However, he was never THE guy. He came in at the same time as Kevin Steen and El Generico only to watch them soar to the top of the promotion. He & Davey Richards came in at exactly the same time and Roddy watch him win BOLA just one year after his debut. Roddy won DDT4 and tag team titles, and made it to the finals of BOLA on three separate occasions (2007, 2009, & 2014). Despite that, he could never peak through that ceiling that held him down for so long. Therefore, his consistency and importance went unnoticed. That is, until, 2014. The year that Roddy solidified himself as quite possibly the greatest athlete to grace a PWG ring with a run that spanned two and a half years and transformed Strong into not only the best wrestler in PWG, but the best wrestler in the world.

Ironically enough, this transition began at this same time two years ago at the 11th Anniversary show as Roderick Strong defeated current stablemate Adam Cole to become the #1 Contender to Kyle O'Reilly's PWG World Championship. The match was fine and your typical high impact Roddy showcase, but it was the post match in which things shifted. Roddy came out to confront O'Reilly following his title defense against Chris Hero and as soon as he turned his back, Roddy struck, dropping the champion in the center of the ring with the end of heartache. Following the show, a backstage interview with Roddy detailed the source of this aggression. He was tired of being held down, tired of being overlooked, and he was going to take what was his in the form of the PWG World Championship.

This began a series of events that saw Roddy attack O'Reilly AND newcomer at the time, Zack Sabre Jr after their match in the 2014 Battle of Los Angeles tournament. In an incredible moment of foreshadowing, Roddy beat O'Reilly to the point that he could not continue in the 2014 Battle of Los Angeles and bloodied the mouth of ZSJ. Strong would go on to the finals of BOLA for the third time where he came up short to Ricochet, only to break his trophy post-match thus leaving a sour taste in everyone's mouths. Roddy's plan was derailed, or so we thought. Enter December 2014, Black Cole Sun, Roddy "no shows" the event where he was supposed to face Bobby Fish only to show up at the end of the show and attack an exhausted Kyle O'Reilly to a match for the PWG World Championship. In a heated whim, O'Reilly accepted and he went to war with Strong in a brutal Guerrilla Warfare match that saw tables, chairs, chains, turnbuckles, and ring ropes used in various violent ways. The odds were too much for O'Reilly and the dastardly deeds of Roderick overwhelmed him thus leading to the crowning of a new champion. O'Reilly wouldn't be seen in PWG for over a year and Roddy would begin his reign of terror.

From this point forward, Roderick Strong became THE guy that he never was in the previous 9 years of his PWG career. He wasn't cheered, he was booed. And he wasn't just kinda booed, he was DESPISED. The audience hated him and he ate it up. It was a beautiful thing to watch unfold from the outside because for a solid year and a half, there was no better bad guy than Roddy. Certainly not in PWG, and undoubtedly nowhere in the world. The hatred he garnered on his own from the way he won the title, jumping innocent victims like Candice LeRae, assaulting referees like Rick Knox and using sly tactics to keep the championship, only doubled when he became the leader of the newly reformed Mount Rushmore 2.0 alongside The Young Bucks & Super Dragon. This led to a series of amazing title defenses in which the heat built more and more with each match. Roddy's bouts with Trevor Lee, Mike Bailey, and most notably Zack Sabre Jr were all stellar, with the latter being a major moment in the story that is being told.

At "Don't Sweat the Technique" in April 2015, Roddy faced off with Zack Sabre Jr in a match that he called for due to the love that Sabre Jr received in his debut weekend in Reseda. After the beating that Sabre received at BOLA from Roddy for no reason, Sabre welcomed this championship opportunity with open arms and the two proceeded to burn the roof off the legion hall with one of the best matches of the year. Roddy would come out on top by going to great lengths to sneak away with a win however this rivalry was no where near over. For the next few months, Sabre found himself at odds with Roddy and his stable mates on a number of occasions. The animosity that was displayed by Roddy for Sabre was a true spectacle to see because Roddy exhibited disgust and arrogance in a way that not many 21st century professional wrestlers can. And honestly, in a way that I don't think many thought he could.

For so long, Roddy was known as just a solid worker and in some cases, a bland one. He was a moves guy and nothing more. He had no charisma nor character. Despite coming up with the likes of CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, he became labeled as the generic Indy worker. But with this story, Roddy showed the world that he is not that. He's just as good as CM Punk ever was and he can manipulate an audience with the drop of a hat. You could sense the determination in Strong every time he appeared on screen. It was a deep sense of cockiness and spite and it resonated.

Over the next several months, Roddy's tension with Zack Sabre Jr built tremendously which led to the rematch that took place nearly a year later in March of this year. Sabre Jr earned this rematch by winning the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles and Roddy, being the dick he is, made Sabre wait several months before giving him his title shot. This just made the fans want Roddy to be dethroned even more as the champion continued to suck them in. Then comes March 5th, 2016, the two men face off finally and the audience is once again mesmerized as two of the best in the world do their thing. The tension in the room was high as the crowd bit on every near fall because they could sense a new champion being crowned, but they never doubted Roddy's ability to retain, either. The match was stiff and exhausting, a 30 minute battle came to end with Sabre finally trapping Roddy in a predicament he couldn't get out of in the form of a submission hold in the center of the ring. The champion was forced to tap and the roof exploded off the legion hall where PWG has held shows at since 2006. Sabre jumped into the crowd to celebrate with his believers as a new era began. Chills went through my body as this moment unfolded.

This moment wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the unreal talent that is Roderick Strong. He may have lost, but he told the story and played the perfect counterpart for Sabre Jr during his entire feud with him. Both men played off each other in the most excellent manner possible and it was one hell of a ride.

Following the loss of the PWG Title, I was curious whether or not the hot streak of Roddy would continue. I mean, this awesome story began before he won the title, but the crux of the entire thing was when he held the PWG World Championship as it signified him as the top dog, a despicabal one at that. Once a villain is defeated, people usually quit caring because he is no longer important. Well, that couldn't be more wrong in this case as Roderick Strong's reign of terror continued as he came out to Zack Sabre Jr's music out of spite in route to his main event contest against Sami Callihan at PRINCE in May. Roddy got on the mic and before he even spoke, the boos that rang through the legion hall were echoing. It was like nothing had changed and although rumors had began that Roddy's time in PWG was nearing an end, I held out hope that this run wouldn't end any time soon.

To my chagrin, it would come to an end at the next PWG event which, as mentioned before, took place this weekend. If you don't want to read spoilers, I suggest exiting out of this pot now because I'm going to go through the series of events which took place despite the DVD/MP4 not being available yet because it's simply the perfect end to this story.

This fairytale story of good and evil began with four men. Roderick Strong, Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, & Zack Sabre Jr. Through all the twists and turns of the past two years including two of the aforementioned taking sabbaticals from the company, the story unironically ended with these same four men.

Following a reported MOTY caliber contest between Zack Sabre Jr and Kyle O'Reilly in which Sabre was able to retain his World Championship, Roderick Strong made his way to the ring and demanded his rematch against ZSJ. The bell rang and the two men went to battle in a No Disqualifications contest for the PWG World Title. The match featured an array of interference including Roddy's stablemate Adam Cole trying to help him out, but in the end Sabre would retain his championship and a moment for the ages would took place.

Photo cred: @SilentAssasin on Twitter
 

An unusual smile graced the face of the most villainous man in PWG for the past two years as Zack asks "Are we done?" and Roddy responds "For now."

Mount Rushmore comes out followed by the locker room and the entire PWG family says goodbye to the face of the company and one of the all time greats, not just in PWG, but in independent wrestling as a whole.

Roderick Strong's time in PWG, especially these past two years, will go down as one of my favorite runs in wrestling ever. It was brilliant all the way through for all the reasons I detailed above. So many memories and such a special feel from start to finish. I am already finding myself re-watching moments from it just to relive the nostalgia. Thank you, Roddy, for 11 years of showing us why you are an elite athlete. Thank you for always being around when people left for other things, no showed flights, or any other various reason. You're the most consistent wrestler I can remember watching and I think all fans will agree that PWG won't be the same without you. Go kill it in WW-- I mean, good luck at the orphanage with Generico & Steen, you deserve it!

PWG: PRINCE Review

PRINCE
May 21st, 2016

PWG World Champion - Zack Sabre Jr (Since: All Star Weekend 12 - March 2016)

PWG World Tag Team Champions - The Young Bucks (Since: Mystery Vortex III - June 2015)

Commentators: Excalibur, Rick Knox, & Chris Hero

1) Adam Cole vs. Dalton Castle
Adam Cole in an opener?! This hasn't happened since, like, ever. Cole debuted in PWG in the co-main event slot alongside Kyle O'Reilly against The Young Bucks back in 2011 and is just now starting to see the lower side of the card, five years later. That's not an insult, though, because these days just being on a PWG card is a top notch spot right off the bat. This is Dalton Castle's second PWG match, I admittedly still haven't seen his debut as of this writing, but hey. I'll get to it! For now, we've got this really exciting match as he faces off with Adam Cole. The opening moments of this are something you wouldn't expect with Cole mocking the mannerisms of Castle only to nearly get reeled into a dance off. Cole soon shakes off the spell and tries to take control of things however the Party Peacock would be in the driver's seat for most of this match up. He hits one of the best dives I've ever seen (literally) and makes Reseda pop with the way he slides into a deadlift german that snaps Cole neck first onto the mat. Despite being in control for most of the contest, Castle would soon slip and Cole fired back with a lot of force and picked up the win. Good opener.

Match rating - ***

2) Michael Elgin vs. Kamaitachi
"And now I think Elgin has a little bit of vinegar in his piss." -Rick Knox

Broooooo. This was fucking great. Elgin was originally supposed to face Zack Sabre Jr tonight, but due to an injury, the card had to be changed up. That led us here to Kamaitachi's debut in the Guerrilla and boy, it was one hell of a time. Rick Knox made a good comparison between Kamaitachi and Akira Tozawa as far as where they were in their careers when they made their PWG/American debut. Interesting thing to think about. But, yeah. These two went out and had a spot fest and it ruled. Not much else to say. Awesome set of meteoras from Kamaitachi, unreal inside out falcon arrow for a nearfall from Elgin, bunch of high impact stuff that the crowd ate up. Elgin wins with a sit out power bomb.

Match rating - ***1/4

3) Marty Scurll vs. Mark Andrews
These British boys know how to party! Scurll played the villain here and man, he was a dick and it ruled, like always. All his variations of catching someone in the chicken wing is something to behold every time out. Scurll was on top for most of this match with Andrews having to fight from beneath and making several great comebacks. They did a number of awesome false finishes with Andrews getting caught in the chicken wing on several occasions only to make it to the ropes. This was honestly a pretty brutal match which isn't something you'd expect from these two, but Scurll is becoming quite the sadistic character. In the end, those villainous ways earned him the win as he snapped Andrews back into the chicken wing for what had to be the third time and Mandrews had no choice but to tap. Great back and forth match.

Match rating - ***3/4

4) Andrew Everett vs. Trevor Lee
It's Andrew Everett. It's Trevor Lee. You know what to expect. A bunch of crazy, unique, and dangerous flippy shit. This is their first meeting in PWG since their debut in 2014 where they met in a three way that also involved Cedric Alexander. This wasn't as memorable as that match, but it will certainly keep you on your toes with a number of breathtaking moments. Real fun match between these two like you would expect. Lee wins with a small package bomb from hell. That fucker is wild.

Match rating - ***1/4

5) Chris Hero vs. Jeff Cobb
Maybe I'm just a massive Chris Hero mark, but anything he's been involved in since say early 2015 has been gold from the start. This match was no different and is another spectacular contest to add to his resume. Jeff Cobb has been ripping up the SoCal Indy scene for a while so it was only a matter of time before he arrived in Reseda and what a debut he has here facing off against one of the most decorated faces in PWG history, Chris Hero. From the moment this match began and Cobb successfully executed THREE deadlift throws on Hero, I knew this was gonna special. The crowd absolutely ate it up and sent chills down my spine only minutes in. This match turned into the perfect big man battle circa 2016. So many strikes, throws, & slams. It just felt like a war between two giants and that's what it was. Something totally different from anything else on this show and it ruled. Cobb looked spectacular in his debut match and made one hell of an impression despite coming out on the losing end. Match of the night.

Match rating - ****

6) Drew Galloway vs. Michael Elgin
Brian Cage was unable to make the show tonight so Drew Galloway is left without an opponent which leads to him coming out and issuing an open challenge. Big Mike accepts it and Drew calls him a pussy. Bad move, jack. A brawl ensues and gets this off to a hot start only for it to simmer down soon after causing me to lose interest, pretty much completely. It just felt like it went too long for an impromptu match. If these two had went out there and had a sprint, it would've came across way better. Galloway wins with an implant DDT.

Match rating - **1/4

7) Roderick Strong vs. Sami Callihan

"Asking Roderick Strong to choose his favorite backbreaker is like asking a mother to choose her favorite child." -Excalibur

And I thought Roddy's hype/heat may die down after he lost the title, but boy I've never been so happy to be wrong in my life. The former champ comes out to Zack Sabre Jr's music to troll the fans and cuts a promo rationalizing the injury that Sabre has which kept him from competing tonight. Roddy's 2014-present run in PWG is legendary, officially. I don't want it to end. He throws the mic like a dickhead and patronizes Excalibur from the ring as he does introductions. Bell rings and he charges Sami with a boot to the face for a quick 2 and a half count. This one nearly got taken home early! The two brawl around outside and do some unique spots. Sami cannonballs and eats shit into some chairs. Roddy regains control at this point and really wears down Sami. He doesn't do anything special, but it's Roderick Strong in PWG circa 2016 so it's gold. These two really just beat the hell out of each other here. It was honestly an exhausting slugfest that unfolded. Sami starts firing back and we get a nearfall or two. Callihan hits a TIGER DRIVER 98' out of nowhere for a 1..2..ADAM COLE PULLS RICK KNOX OUT OF THE RING! Fuck my life, here we go again. Roddy takes charge and hits a gibson driver for a two count, but DALTON CASTLE PULLS KNOX OUT THIS GO ROUND! Dalton Castle is out here, what the fuck. Roddy dives into Castle and comes back in firing away. There's some more pull out type interference. In the end, Roddy nails Callihan with the end of heartache for the win. Super enjoyable main event. It's clear Roddy & Sabre have one more chapter after this, atleast I hope so.

Match rating - ***1/2

 Post match, Adam Cole helps Roddy up and starts kicking Callihan. Dalton Castle runs back in and takes out Roddy. Cole poses cockily not knowing Castle is behind him and turns around just in time to get swung around by the party peacock himself. Cole falls to the floor as Roddy leaves without helping. Mount Rushmore 2.0 troubles continue to be teased. It's also interesting to note that Cole was billed as a member of Bullet Club tonight and not Rushmore. But anyway, Castle and Callihan come face to face to end the show with a... kiss? Yep. This show ends with Sami Callihan kissing Dalton Castle on the lips, not once, but twice. Castle has officially had his first PWG moment and Sami Callihan just added another one to his list. Unreal.

PWG: All Star Weekend 12 - Night Two Review

All Star Weekend 12 Night Two

March 5th, 2016

PWG World Champion - Roderick Strong (Since: Black Cole Sun - December 2014)

PWG World Tag Team Champions - The Young Bucks (Since: Mystery Vortex III - June 2015)

Commentators: Excalibur, Chuck Taylor, & Chris Hero

1) Chuck Taylor vs. Marty Scurll
Chuckie T picked up a surprising victory over Trevor Lee last night so he came into this with a lot of momentum. Scurll is coming off a killer match with Kyle O'Reilly in which he came up short so you know he's looking for retribution. Once again, he was the villain in more ways than one here. This was a pretty short and straight to the point opener so you can't really complain. Both of these guys are loaded with charisma and entertaining movesets so this was enjoyable. Chuck wins with an awful waffle.

Match rating - **3/4

2) Evil Uno vs. Mark Andrews
Lackluster final match for Uno in his recent PWG return/excursion. There were some neat exchanges and noteworthy moments, but as a whole this wasn't much. Andrews snags the win with a shooting star press after fighting from underneath against the bigger man for the majority of the match.

Match rating - **1/2

3) Drew Galloway vs. Trevor Lee

All Star Weekend 12 - Night One Review

All Star Weekend 12 - Night One

March 4th, 2016

PWG World Champion: Roderick Strong (since Black Cole Sun - December 2014)

PWG World Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks (since Mystery Vortex III - June 2015)

Commentators: Excalibur, Chuck Taylor, Rick Knox & Chris Hero

1) Chuck Taylor vs. Trevor Lee
The shit talking on Trevor Lee by Chuck Taylor has finally come to a head. This match was randomly put together, but the past verbal exchanges were referenced as the two ended up fighting through the crowd onto the stage. Lee gets on a headset and yells at Excalibur about Chuckie T being an idiot before the Kentucky Gentleman grabs him from behind and slams him on the table, thus spilling water everywhere. Super fun stuff with Lee being the dickhead heel and getting tons of heat. It honestly surprised because from the start the boos rained down on him and only got stronger as things went along. Easy going, sprinty opener with Taylor taking a page out of Lee's book and winning with a roll up. Chuckie T's win streak continues.

Match rating - **3/4

2) Chris Hero vs. Evil Uno
UNO IS BACK BBY. So great to see him back in PWG for the first time in 3 years. He returned last month against fellow Canadian Mike Bailey in a losing effort and now he faces Chris Hero in a match which was a last minute addition to the card due to Tommy End being unable to compete. It turns out to be quite the slugfest and REALLY turns it up in the final minute or two with an array of fighting spirit spots and kick outs at one. Literally everyone in the building was on their feet during the last 60 seconds of this match. In the end, the master of the elbow uses one of his own to put away Uno. Awesome ending to an otherwise average, solid contest.

Match rating - ***

3) Drew Galloway vs. Trent?

PWG "Prince" Match Card & Preview

Just yesterday, PWG finally announced their next event which will take place on May 20th. It is once again named after a fallen music hero that left us in 2016, Prince. The card features Zack Sabre Jr's first title defense since becoming the PWG World Champion and much more.

Two euro's collide for the first time in Reseda. Andrews had a rough weekend at All Star Weekend 12 as he took beatings from both Roderick Strong and Evil Uno, so this is chance for him to rebound although it won't be easy. The Villain is someone who will most likely be extra motivated since his british counterpart Zack Sabre Jr earned a huge achievement in winning the PWG World Championship before he did. This is sure to be a fiery contest.

This. Is. Awesome. Two hard hitting, monsters collide in a dream match that I didn't even know I wanted until I realized that Jeff Cobb is none other than the incomparable Matanza Cueto from Lucha Underground. Cobb has an extensive amateur, freestyle wrestling background and is one hell of a specimen. And Chris Hero, well, you know how phenomenal he is. This is going to be an absolute slugfest.

 

These two Carolina natives debuted in PWG together in a three way match that send shockwaves across the entire Independent circuit. They've wrestled barnburners against each other across the country including 90+ minute matches. This is their first meeting in PWG since their debut in 2014 and I personally think it could steal the show. Both men have somewhat fell off the track and I feel like they will be heading out to wow everyone in attendance, even more so than normal.

 





The Peacock made his way to PWG earlier this year against "The Kentucky Gentleman" Chuck Taylor in a match that I doubt will resemble this one in any way. Adam Cole is an outright asshole and has no shame in that. However, he does have a comedic side in his cocky taunts. I think we will see the former PWG World Champion take a more serious route here as Dalton Castle could easily get under his skin with his mannerisms. It's certainly going to be an interesting pairing.

"War" is the best word I can think of to describe how I think this match will go. Callihan is known as the Death Machine and Roddy is coming off losing his PWG World Title to Zack Sabre Jr. The anger and insanity that will ensue here is gonna be something to behold. An often forgotten fact to remember going into this match is that Callihan made his PWG debut in 2012 alongside Roddy in the DDT4 Tournament and now, here four years later, they clash. Both men have evolved a lot since then and it's definitely going to be a heated contest.

What a task Zack Sabre Jr has in his first defense of the PWG World Championship. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin returns to Reseda to try to achieve something that has plagued him for the past few years, even during his time as a PWG regular, and that is winning the PWG World Title. Elgin has been in the finals of BOLA twice and had several title matches, but never could he win the belt. So, with that in mind, this is a huge match for him, however as you probably know, this is a match that Elgin has wanted for a long time as he's mentioned wanting to face Sabre on Twitter for quite some time. With his recent hot streak in Japan and Sabre's momentum as the best in the world, I see no way around this being a MOTY candidate bout.

PWG: LEMMY Review

Date: January 2nd, 2016

PWG World Champion - Roderick Strong (Since December 2014 - Black Cole Sun)

PWG World Tag Team Champions - The Young Bucks (Since June 2015 - Mystery Vortex III)

Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Hero, & Drew Gulak

The first show of 2016.

1) Brian Cage vs. Chris Dickinson

"I wonder if Chris Dickinson and Rick Knox share the same barber." - Excalibur

Cage was originally supposed to be facing Angelico here, but a minor injury kept the beloved luchador from competing on this particular weekend. SO, Cage got a new opponent in the form of the debuting Chris Dickinson. Dickinson and Cage have met before in Dickinson's home promotion in Rhode Island, Beyond Wrestling however this is obviously their first match together in Reseda. They pretty much went out and busted out all the marbles here. It took a second to get going, but once it did, it was quite the match. Cage & Dickinson dropped each on their heads numerous times with spots that will make you cringe and basically just beat the hell out of each other. Best Cage match in AWHILE. This ended up being my favorite match of the night! Bring Dickinson back!

Match rating - ***1/2

2) Timothy Thatcher vs. Drew Gulak

2015 PWG Year in Review

Wrestler of the Year: Roderick Strong
Despite his dastardly actions throughout the year, there's nobody in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla that had a better year than Roderick Strong. After nearly 10 years of putting his body on the line and being at just about every PWG event, Strong's hardwork paid off as he held the PWG World Championship for the entire calendar year. Having a number of must see title defenses along the way against the likes of Zack Sabre Jr, Mike Bailey, and Chris Hero. And how could I neglect to mention all the moments he was involved in that no one will ever forget such as the returns of Super Dragon & Adam Cole and the formation of Mount Rushmore 2.0. For many years Roderick Strong was a part of PWG, but in 2015, Roderick Strong WAS PWG.

Tag Team of the Year: The Young Bucks
For the third year in a row and fifth time overall, The Young Bucks are your PWG Tag Team of the Year. Despite missing the first few months of 2015 due to their busy schedule in Japan, The Bucks returned in June to dethrone the new beloved duo of Trevor Lee & Andrew Everett to regain the PWG Tag Team Titles and form Mount Rushmore 2.0 with Super Dragon & Roderick Strong on the same night. They would go on to have a hot streak of matches to close out the year battling all the fan favorites in Reseda in breathtaking contests like The Bucks are known for. The Bucks are undoubtedly the greatest tag team in PWG history and they head into 2016 with the tag titles around their waist as they continue to build their legacy.

Top 10 Matches of the Year:

PWG: All Star Weekend 11 - Night Two Review

Night One of the 11th edition of All Star Weekend saw Trevor Lee & Will Ospreay steal the show as well as the respective returns of Adam Cole and Sami Callihan to PWG. After all this insanity, what will Night Two have in store? It's time to find out!

December 12th, 2015

PWG World Champion - Roderick Strong - Since: Black Cole Sun (December 2014)

PWG World Tag Team Champions - The Young Bucks - Since: Mystery Vortex III (June 2015)

Commentary: Excalibur, Chris Hero, & Chuck Taylor

1) Chuck Taylor vs. Kikutaro
Kikutaro grabs the mic following the introductions to talk about how happy he is to be back in PWG after seven years away. His last appearance in Reseda came in 2008 at Life During Wartime where he faced off with Necro Butcher, so needless to say, it's been a while. He offers Chuck a handshake only to kick him in the crotch and go for a bodyslam, but CHUCK REVERSES AND FALLS ON HIM! 1..2..3.. WHAT? This thing is over in a matter of seconds! The Kentucky Gentleman heads to the back only to be talked into a rematch as Kikutaro still had the mic in his hand. This was really all the comedy gold you'd expect from two wrestlers like Chuck & Kikutaro who are at the top of their class in their respective countries. Rick Knox takes part in the fun on several occasions..well, I wouldn't call it fun because he got kicked in the groin, but you get the idea! Light hearted way to get the evening off to a good start!

Match rating - **3/4

Post match, Kikutaro wants the mic again and reiterates how glad he is to be here. He also says that he hopes to be back more in 2016 since he's apparently moving to America. Before anyone can rejoice, Roderick Strong runs in from behind and nails him with a jumping knee. Vintage Mount Rushmore. Adam Cole & The Young Bucks follow the World Champion into the ring and stand over Kikutaro before booting him to the floor. Nick Jackson ends this shitfest by laying in the ring and saying that if we aren't down with what just happened, he's got two words for us - suck it.

2) Marty Scurll vs. Timothy Thatcher

PWG: All Star Weekend 11 - Night One Review

After months of waiting, All Star Weekend 11 began shipping this week and arrived at my doorstep exactly one day after the shipping date. On December 11th & 12th, PWG held their year end finale for 2015 in the form of these two events. If you keep up with social media, you've likely heard about all the craziness that took place however this is a review and I'm not spoiling anything right out of the gate. We're taking a look at this event with a clean slate as I've tried to avoid as many spoilers as possible by not watching the previews and such.

None the less, Night One is headlined by a PWG World Title Match that is 10 years in the making as Roderick Strong defends against Matt Sydal nearly a decade after their first much talked about meeting in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. A match that also took place at All Star Weekend, the 3rd edition, to be exact.

On top of that, you've got the return of long time PWG favorite Kenny Omega as well as the continuation of the British Invasion that began at BOLA with Marty Scurll, Will Ospreay, and Mark Andrews all back for their second set of PWG events.

PWG World Champion - Roderick Strong - Since: Black Cole Sun (December 2014)

PWG World Tag Team Champions - The Young Bucks - Since: Mystery Vortex III (June 2015)

Commentary - Excalibur, Joey Ryan, & Chuck Taylor

1) Chuck Taylor vs. Mark Andrews
Extremely fun way to start the show here. Chuckie T played the big man for the first time, like, ever so much so that Excalibur referred to him as wrestling like Kevin Nash. I wouldn't exactly go that far, but I will say it was a nice change of pace. The Kentucky Gentleman remained a fan favorite here despite throwing Mark Andrews around like a small child and even taunting the fans at some points. After a few months out of the PWG limelight early in 2015, Chuck is back as a regular and just as entertaining as ever, PWG just isn't the same without him. He hasn't been in the promotion for 8 years for nothing! Lots of back and forth action here, but in the end the Awful Waffle gives Chuck the win over Mandrews and draws a huge pop from the crowd.

Match rating - ***

2) Ricochet vs. Marty Scurll

PWG: All Star Weekend 12 Preview

After much anticipation, PWG has announced the full cards for both nights of All Star Weekend 12 which will take place next month on March 4th & 5th.

 

NIGHT ONE:

 

 It was only a matter of time before this match happened and I'm personally looking forward to what should be a unique contest. (Much like all of Chuck Taylor's matches). Will the fact that Chuckie T referred to Trevor Lee as "fucking dumb" just two or three months into his PWG tenure give Lee some incentive to bring the unbridled fight to The Kentucky Gentleman? Or will we see a playful contest with both men's personalities on display?

Drew Galloway is coming off a failed attempt at wining the PWG World Title and Trent is coming off a loss to Chris Hero in a great match at BOWIE. Needless to say, both men need to rebound, but only one can do so here. These two have faced off previously in other promotions such as EVOLVE so it will be interesting to see who is able to pull out the win in Reseda.

 DREAM MATCH ALERT. This is a match that I've been wanting since Marty Scurll stepped foot into a PWG ring. Hero is still in the midst of one of the best runs of his career and Scurll is on fire as one of the driving forces in the British Wrestling resurgence. Both men are versatile in submissions & technical wrestling, which is what I'm hoping this match is based around. However, if Hero wants to put this thing away as quick as possible, we may see him turn to his strikes which he undoubtedly has an upperhand over Scurll on.

PWG: Bowie Results

Photo Credit: Brian Da Brain

On February 12th, PWG divulged onto Reseda for their second event of 2015 which saw the debut of Dalton Castle, a dream match between Zack Sabre Jr & Trevor Lee, and the announcement of a match we've all been waiting for.

1) Chuck Taylor defeated Dalton Castle

2) Chris Hero defeated Trent? in what was said to be the match of the night

3) Jack Evans defeated Sami Callihan

4) Adam Cole defeated Andrew Everett

5) Zack Sabre Jr defeated Trevor Lee

6) Mike Bailey defeated the returning Evil Uno

7) Roderick Strong defeated Drew Galloway to retain the PWG World Title

After the match, Adam Cole hit the ring and he & Strong assaulted Galloway only for Zack Sabre Jr to make the save which led to Strong finally granting Zack his title match next month at All Star Weekend.

PWG: "Bowie" Match Card & Preview

Last night, PWG announced the full match card for their upcoming event "Bowie" which will take place on February 12th. It's a six match card that features a PWG World Title Match, the return of Player Uno of the Super Smash Brothers, the debut of Dalton Castle + more!

Chuck Taylor vs. Dalton Castle

Two equally charismatic, unique individuals facing off for the first time. Chuck Taylor has played the role of entertainer and comedian in PWG since the fall of 2008, could this be the passing of the torch after 8 long years? Or will the Kentucky Gentleman put out the flame of Dalton Castle in PWG before it can even get started?

Chris Hero vs. Trent?

The incomparable Trent? will be making his first appearance in Reseda since BOLA last August due to his schedule in Japan being so hectic. He faces a stout challenge in his return as Chris Hero is waiting at the front door. Coming off a failed attempt at becoming World Champion, Hero likely won't be in a happy mood so it shall be interesting to see how the two vastly different personalities will clash.

Mike Bailey vs. Player Uno (EVIL UNO)

He's baaaaaaack. After three years away from Reseda, Player Uno of the Super Smash Brothers returns, BUT will it be the same Uno the fans knew and loved in 2012? Either way, his return match against fellow Canadian Mike Bailey is sure to be a barnburner. They've met several times in the past and I can only imagine what they have in store for the PWG faithful in a few weeks.

Adam Cole vs. Andrew Everett

Adam Cole's tour through all the new faces on the PWG roster since returning continues as he faces off with The Apex of Agility, Andrew Everett. Cole fell prey to Everett's running mate Trevor Lee in the fall of 2014 just before he began his sabbatical from PWG, does this mean Everett holds the key to taking down the Panama City Playboy? Or will Cole drop Everett just like he did Mike Bailey last month on the road to regaining his throne at the top of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla? Only time will tell!

Zack Sabre Jr vs. Trevor Lee

Just about every PWG card has a huge dream match and this month, it's Zack Sabre Jr and Trevor Lee bringing us a first time ever encounter. Many are getting impatient with waiting on ZSJ to get his title shot against Roderick Strong however this proves to be a match that everyone is excited about. It is also a match that could put Trevor Lee back into title contention for the first time in a year should he come out victorious.

Roderick Strong (c) vs. Drew Galloway

Roderick Strong kicked off his second year as PWG World Champion by defeating fellow veteran Chris Hero on the 2nd day of the new year, but as soon as one challenger is taken out, a new one emerges. In this instance, it's Drew Galloway. Galloway getting a title shot is surprising, albeit a bit random considering Zack Sabre Jr won a title shot to go along with his 2015 BOLA trophy. It's a title shot he has yet to get due to Roddy not being ready to face him. This makes Strong's opponents on the road to that title match sound weak however I think Drew Galloway begs to differ. He's a sizeable opponent that will be a perfect match up for Roddy's intense, hard hitting style. Can Galloway seize gold in only his 4th appearance in Reseda?