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:
1) Roderick Strong, Adam Cole, & The Young Bucks vs. Chris Hero, Mike Bailey, Joey Ryan, & Candice LeRae - Guerrilla Warfare Match - All Star Weekend 11 Night Two - ****1/2
This was a match that wasn't just a heated, brutal battle between the heroes and villains like your typical Guerrilla Warfare match, it was the culmination of not only 2015 in PWG, but many years in PWG. It featured arguably the greatest moment of the year in Kyle O'Reilly's return to Reseda, Excalibur seeing his first in-ring competition in nearly a decade, and the ultimatum of Mount Rushmore finally being defeated. It was hard for me to put this over Roddy/ZSJ due to all the interference and this being a spot fest with weapons involved, however the levels of storytelling & drama in this exceed just about anything I saw in any promotion during the entire calendar year. If I could show someone new to PWG one match from 2015, it'd be this one.
2) Roderick Strong vs. Zack Sabre Jr - PWG World Title Match - Don't Sweat the Technique - ****1/2
Until that colossal piece of drama above, this match took the cake as the PWG Match of the Year as it was one of the best PWG Title matches since the Steen/Generico days. It was the perfect match up as we saw Roddy reach his peak as the heel champion and Zack Sabre Jr be crowned as the new beloved hero of Reseda. The pairing of the two made for an amazing match in which it felt like it could go either way. The fans were all standing up in the final few minutes, as was I when I watched it at home. One for the history books, for sure.
3) Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr - Mystery Vortex III - ****1/2
Hands down the best technical exhibition in PWG in 2015. These two had no back story heading into this match, especially considering it was put together randomly on a Mystery card. However, they went out and told a story and succeeded on all fronts. Hero & Sabre tried to prove who the better pure wrestler was and it got nasty. Sabre busted open the finger of Hero and it looked mangled & mutilated which took this competitive match to another level as Hero went on the defense. Fantastic stuff here between two of the best pure wrestlers in the world.
4) The Young Bucks & Super Dragon vs. Trevor Lee, Andrew Everett, & Biff Busick - Guerrilla Warfare Match - BOLA Night Two - ****1/2
Chaos. Simple as that. Dragon's first match back in YEARS and Busick's final stand in PWG as he finally gets his hand on the founder of the promotion. Crazy spots, non stop action, unforgettable moments. Trevor Lee dove over the announce booth and off the stage from behind the hard camera, for fuck sake, this was nuts. Just go watch it!
5) Chris Hero vs. Tommy End - Don't Sweat the Technique - ****1/4
Chris Hero had many awesome matches in 2015 as you'll see as we make our way down this list, you'll also notice the variety of matches he was involved. Guerrilla Warfare, technical showcases, and battles with underdogs are just a few off the top of my head. Here, the Knockout Artist found himself in the teacher role as he battled his former student Tommy End in a precisely calculated battle filled with strikes of all kinds. This felt like a real fight at points with Tommy End making his first appearance in Reseda and letting the fans know what he's all about with his jui jitsu inspired style.
6) Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay - All Star Weekend 11 Night Two - ****1/4
The past/present faced off with the future here in a first time ever match and boy oh boy, it was bonkers. Omega proved himself to still be able to hang with the leader of the next era of junior heavyweights despite having moved to the heavyweight division and Ospreay showed that he is 100% ready to take the reigns when it comes to this style of wrestling. There's simply no one better. Unreal match!
7) Chris Hero vs. Mike Bailey - Threemendous IV - ****1/4
Two vastly different competitors with one thing in common - they like to strike. This made for quite the big man/little man match with a number of hard hits and high drama circumstances. In 2015, there were hardly any wrestlers better than Chris Hero and Mike Bailey, so seeing them square off here was a spectacle to behold. Top notch veteran versus underdog bout.
8) Ricochet vs. Matt Sydal - From Out of Nowhere - ****1/4
This is probably one of the most underrated/forgotten matches of 2015 on all fronts. Not many people bring this contest up, but it could very well be in my Top 10 of 2015. It's Ricochet, It's Matt Sydal, and it's PWG. It ruled, that's all that needs to be said. Watch this match.
9) Roderick Strong vs. Mike Bailey - Mystery Vortex III - ****1/4
Mike Bailey became Reseda's favorite under dog in 2015 and with Roddy being everyone's favorite person to hate, this was the perfect match. From the moment Speedball stunned Roddy with a kick for a two count as soon as the bell sounded, these two created one hell of a match with a lot of drama and moments that will take your breath away. One of my personal favorite matches of the year.
10) Fenix vs. Matt Sydal - BOLA Night One - ****1/4
Fenix & Sydal are two of the best junior heavyweights in the world so when you put them in a ring together at an event like BOLA, you already knew what would take place. A show stealing match and that's exactly what this was! First time ever contest that lived up to the hype.
Final thoughts: 2015 was another that saw PWG be the best at what they do. No where else will you find the variety of highly talented individuals from around the world all in one place like you will in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Competitors from Canada, Mexico, Europe, Germany, & Japan all competed in Reseda this year along with homegrown Independent talent from around the states. Roderick Strong staked his claim as one of the all time PWG greats, Zack Sabre Jr earned his spot as the new ace of the promotion, Mike Bailey won over the hearts of the fans, Chris Hero had one of the best comeback years in recent memory, and The Young Bucks remained at the top of the tag team throne. What's to come in 2016? Who knows, but I can't wait to find out! P DUB G! P DUB G!
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