PWG World Champion - Zack Sabre Jr (since: All Star Weekend 12 Night Two - March 2016)
PWG World Tag Team Champions - The Young Bucks (since: Mystery Vortex III - June 2015)
Commentators: Excalibur & Chuck Taylor
1) Marty Scurll vs. Pentagon Jr
I can't think of a more fiery way to start off the night. This could honestly main event a show anywhere in the world and it's the opener here at BOLA 2016. Pentagon hasn't been seen since his debut weekend in PWG last summer at this very tournament so the crowd is red hot for him. Marty mocks the Ciero Medo and pokes Pentagon in the eyes to get the first small advantage of the match. Pentagon fired back with a huge plancha to the floor, but a misfired chop that landed on the ring post cost him. Scurll, being the villain, obviously took a lot of shortcuts and that was the story here. Pentagon nails Scurll with a package piledriver for a false finish that brought everyone to their feet. Pentagon goes for another and Scurll counters into the chicken wing for a huge pop and the submission victory.
Match rating - ***1/2
2) Ricochet vs. Jeff Cobb
COBB IS A gOd. And Ricochet is a king. So, what would do we have here? More greatness. I swear, Cobb gets stronger every match. He tossed Ricochet around legitamately like a rag doll here. That comparison is thrown around alot in pro-wres, but it's honestly the perfect comparison to how Cobb hoists Ricochet, and the majority of his opponents, around. Ricochet used his speed to keep himself in this thing however he also showcased some power with a powerbomb off the top turnbuckle. Just as Ricochet adapted his style, Cobb did as well by showcasing his agility with a handspring out of a hurricanrana in the opening moments. This was a really fun match, Ricochet escapes the tour of islands with a small package to sneak away with the win.
Match rating - ***1/2
3) Matt Sydal vs. John Hennigan
Aye aye aye. This draggged. BUT it wasn't as horrid as some have made it out to be. It was pretty generic then there was a weird/rough moment near the end which caused the ending to come off flat however it wasn't a complete and utter shitfest. Everything leading up to it was fine, just not flashy or impressive. Not much to talk about. Hennigan wins to the shock and displeasure of many.
Match rating - **1/4
4) Fenix vs. Will Ospreay
What. the. fuck. I may have to watch this again to believe some of the shit that I saw. This was absolutely unreal and probably more than you even expected from these guys. They both landed on their feet off a spanish fly attempt from the turnbuckle. Try to fathom that. There's a reason Ospreay was crowned the Best of the Super Juniors this year and this match showcases his aerial abilities on a new level. Fenix matched him in this acrobatic display that will leave you speechless. Ospreay wins with the same cutter that brought him the BOSJ trophy over in Japan. Will it bring him the BOLA trophy as well?
Match rating - ****1/4
5) Zack Sabre Jr vs. Tommy End
This was a weird one for me. Sabre & End have been two of my favorites over the course of the past year or two and seeing them face off in PWG has been a dream match of mine, but this fell flat. Not that what they did here was bad, it just lacked the story/emotion/feeling needed to get me invested. The grappling & striking was good throughout however there was no clear vision from my end and it felt like they were just throwing stuff out there. It was one of those, a few good parts, but flat as a whole matches. The champion, Sabre, wins via tap out.
Match rating - **3/4
6) Chris Hero vs. Jushin "Thunder" Liger
What. A. Time. To Be. A. Live. This is a dream match for the ages. Chris Hero is in prime and Jushin Liger is still killer despite being over the hump. This is Liger's first PWG appearance since 2010 where he & El Generico tore it down at the inaguaral Kurt Russell Reunion event. This particular match here is one of which that I watched twice before reviewing and I'd say that says something about it. I will say right off the bat, though, that it's not some MOTY, OMG moment of a match, but that doesn't mean it disappointed. They worked a simple formula with Hero being the young, dickhead bully. Liger was the resilient, "you still got it" old man that didn't take any shit. They didn't go with anything complex, but they didn't have to because these two are elite. Simply seeing them work a forumla like they did was awesome and provided us with several gasp worthy moments such as Liger popping up immediately after taking a Liger bomb from Hero. This led to the finish with one too many blows to the head finally keeping the legend down.
Match rating - ***3/4
7) The Young Bucks & Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly, Bobby Fish, & Dalton Castle
Fun trios contest to end the first night of BOLA. ReDragon were disguised as the boys and played their part as such until about mid-way through the contest. After that, Excalibur started referring to them as O'Reilly & Fish. Other than that, there's not much to really talk about here. Your basic YB/Cole PWG six man tag. Nothing all that special, but fun for what it is. Mount Rushmore-Bullet Club wins with a double Meltzer.
Match rating - ***
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