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.
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| Photo credit: Mikey Nolan Photography |
End of a fucking era. This show is a must own for that reason alone.
