Pacific Coast Wrestling – Relentless: WHAT THE HECK
Relentless
Date: June 4, 2016
Location: Oak Street Gym, Torrence, California
Commentators: Christian Cole, Todd Keneley
I’m finally finishing up a set of DVDs I bought (just as another set is almost delivered) with another show from Pacific Coast Wrestling. One of the earlier DVDs was their first event and while this is their third, I skipped over the second after their lackluster offering last time. It’s a pretty small looking indy company, but maybe things can get better with a little more experience. Let’s get to it.
Quick welcome from the announcers.
Opening sequence.
Joe Graves vs. Hammerstone
Hammerstone would go on to bulk up (though he’s big here) and become a pretty awesome power guy in MLW. Graves is fresh off beating Timothy Thatcher in a rematch at the second show. They shake hands to start and Graves bails into the corner for a bit. With that out of the way, Graves takes him down for a quick choke, followed by a crucifix for two. Graves cranks on the arms until Hammerstone makes it over to the rope for a much needed break. Hammerstone tries to pick up the pace so Graves bails to the floor, only to get taken down with a baseball slide.
Just because he can, Hammerstone hits a big flip dive to drop Graves again. An overhead belly to belly on the floor makes it even worse for Graves as Hammerstone is getting to show off here. Back in and we hit the abdominal stretch with Hammerstone slapping the side for some added effect. A reverse AA into a GTS sends Graves to the apron, where he grabs a half nelson suplex to drop Hammerstone for a change.
Graves’ crossarm choke doesn’t last long either as Hammerstone slips out and hits an enziguri. The pace picks up with Hammerstone nailing a superkick and a big boot for two. Graves is right back with a German suplex for the same, followed by something like a triangle choke to make Hammerstone tap at 10:59.
Rating: B-. You could see the star power in Hammerstone here as he had a ton of energy and his power stuff looked good. Graves has the wrestling/submission skills to look like a killer and that made for a nice match here. This was already better than most of the matches on the first show so they’re off to a much better start.
Graves says that he proved himself against a man worthy of being his partner. He’s banged up but he won and now he wants the soon to be established PCW Title.
Video on the Almighty Sheik vs. Douglas James in tonight’s main event.
Reno Scum vs. Los Luchas
These teams fought in the GFW Tag Team Title tournament so this won’t be as fresh. Thornstowe and Zokre start things off with Phoenix grabbing Thornstowe from the apron like a rudo would. I mean they’re technicos but they did it anyway. Thornstowe’s dropkick puts Zokre down but Phoenix is right there with a double 619. Scum bails to the floor for a breather until Luster comes in. That’s fine with Phoenix who sunset flips him for two but Thornstowe pulls Zokre to the floor.
That leaves Phoenix to get beaten up in the corner with Luster dropping a headbutt for two. We go old school with a Pit Stop before the chinlock goes on to keep Phoenix down. A You Can’t See Me moonsault hits Phoenix and a bunch of people in John Cena shirts are VERY pleased. Phoenix hits a dropkick to get a breather, allowing for the hot tag to Zokre for a springboard clothesline to Thornstowe.
Scum bails to the floor but a slingshot dive is caught. That’s fine with Zokre, who flip dives onto all three for the big knockdown. Back in and Phoenix misses a moonsault, setting up a toss cutter from Thornstowe. Zokre comes in as well with a Blockbuster onto Star’s knees for two but it’s Poetry in Motion into a double stomp to the back of Star’s head. The Scum Stomp (top rope Stomp) finishes Star at 9:01.
Rating: C+. These teams have always felt low rent but they had a nice match here and that’s more than I would have bet on. They’re getting ready for the Tag Team Titles so it makes sense to have a nice match here. Scum is likely to get a title reign sooner rather than later and that makes sense for a promotion like this.
In the back, Scum brags about their win and want a shot at the Keepers of the Faith.
Kevin Martenson vs. Timothy Thatcher
Martenson is a little odd, including standing on his head and clapping his feet together during his entrance. Thatcher has the New World Symphony for his theme music, which would later be used by Walter. The fans are behind Thatcher here, as they probably should be. Martenson heads to the floor at the bell because he’s a little out there, followed by a standoff back inside as we hear about Martenson being part of a southern California faction called Vermin.
Thatcher can’t get very far with a pull of the leg but goes with something like an STF to bend Martenson in a disturbing way. With that broken up, it’s off to a modified surfboard as Martenson gets bent even more. Back up and Martenson manages a quick suplex into the corner to bang up Thatcher’s leg and take over for the first time. The leg gets tied in the ropes for a kick to the knee , allowing Martenson to chill on the barricade for a bit.
Back in and Martenson stays on the knee by slamming it into the mat but a springboard is broken up with an uppercut. Martenson is right back with a double stomp to the chest and a kick to the face for two. The required Sharpshooter goes on but Thatcher slips out and goes to a Fujiwara armbar. A rope is grabbed so Martenson slips out and grabs a rollup, with rope, for the pin at 13:05.
Rating: C. The ending felt rather out of place after a long match focused on the leg, but it does make sense after Martenson couldn’t win with the submission stuff and Thatcher was starting to come back. Martenson cut things off before Thatcher could get that far so while it does make sense, it came out of nowhere. Martenson is one of those CRAZY characters who is off before the match and then wrestles a completely logical match the rest of the way, which kind of defeats the point of the whole character. Thatcher was good as usual, though it’s weird to see him as a face.
Almighty Sheik vs. Douglas James
This is Sheik’s first match with traditional rules. Before the match, Sheik’s manager MK takes credit for Sheik being officially ranked around here, though he should be ranked #1. See, Sheik is awesome and all that jazz and James is going to lose. James is a bit small but has a ju-jitsu background. They start slowly until an early dropkick puts Sheik on the floor. Douglas gets him into a chase for a bit and you can see Sheik getting frustrated.
Back in and Sheik’s bearhug is broken up with some jabs to the face. That’s fine with Sheik, who throws it outside and whips James into the barricade to start the brawling. James gets draped across the top but since the referee is with MK, Sheik gets in a chair shot to the back to make it worse. The bloody James is sent back inside and Sheik bites the cut to showcase some blood hungriness.
James gets in a crossbody and a dropkick but gets sent hard outside again. Sheik goes to get a chair but manages to hit a fan with it first, possibly knocking the chlorophyll out of him. For some reason the commentators start impersonating Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone and Tazz as James goes back inside and dropkicks Sheik into the referee. The frog splash hits the referee so the ensuing superkick gets no count. Sheik is back up with a powerbomb and the camel clutch finishes James at 10:01.
Rating: D+. Not bad but nothing more than a way to establish Sheik as a big time heel. That has been known since the promotion debuted but they needed to make it clear against someone other than MVP. James is a rather small guy and while Sheik isn’t a giant, he’s a lot bigger than James and it wasn’t the most impressive looking win.
Ryan Taylor vs. Scorpio Sky
Taylor is just a guy in trunks. Feeling out process to start with Sky countering a headlock takeover with a headscissors. Back up and Taylor spins him around into a rollup for two and it’s another standoff. Sky takes him down with a test of strength but can’t break Taylor’s bridge. They trade armdrags and it’s another standoff so they can both stand in the corner. Taylor takes him down and uppercuts him in the corner, setting up a jackknife cover for two as they’re certainly taking their time here.
Sky gets knocked outside and it’s a suplex onto the apron to really put him in trouble for the first time. Taylor drops him throat first across the barricade and that’s nearly good enough for a countout. Sky’s right hands don’t get him anywhere and Taylor knocks him right back down. It’s time to work on the arm but Taylor lets go to talk trash, allowing Sky to punch him in the knee.
The arm is so banged up that Sky can’t even whip him into the corner, so it’s a suplex into the corner to rock Taylor instead. Some running knees in the corner set up a Side Effect for two but Taylor is right back with a doomsday Saito suplex for two of his own. Sky gets dropped on his head with a bridging belly to back suplex and Taylor walks around a bit to let him remember what planet he’s on.
As you might have guessed, Sky pops up with a running knee to the face for two and a dragon screw legwhip makes it even worse. More rapid fire kicks to Taylor’s leg in the corner put him down but the good leg is fine enough for a kick to Sky’s head. Taylor tries it again but gets reversed into something like a Figure Four for the tap at 18:25.
Rating: B-. The time helped here as they were able to let the story build up with more work on the limbs and then the submission to end it. Taylor kept running his mouth instead of following up when he had the chance and it made for a good match. Sky is so smooth in the ring and can work with anyone, which makes me rather pleased to see him get the push that he has gotten as a result.
Jeff Cobb vs. JR Kratos vs. Willie Mack
Mack is replacing Teddy Hart, who arrived late. The bell rings and Kratos walks to the floor…for about fifteen seconds before coming back in to beat up Mack. That isn’t sold at all so Cobb crushes Mack in the corner to put both of them on the floor. The teased dive doesn’t launch so Cobb comes back in to suplex Mack for two. Everyone is back in with Mack hitting some running clotheslines in the corner to both guys.
A running double dropkick puts them both down with Cobb rolling to the floor. Kratos is fine enough to hit a running kick to the face and Mack is outside as well. One heck of a big dive to the floor takes both of them out and Kratos is the only one left standing. Cobb is down but wakes up enough to catch Kratos’ dive off the apron. Everyone is down on the floor again until Mack throws Cobb over the barricade.
Mack blasts Kratos with a chair but all three head back to ringside. Kratos gets driven into the barricade and then inside again, though he’s fine enough to catch Mack on the top with a jumping knee. Cobb comes back in and swings Kratos around into a German suplex in a scary display of power. That leaves Mack and Cobb to slug it out with Mack getting the better of it, only to have Kratos grab a piledriver for two.
For your WHAT THE HECK spot of the match, Mack hits a Wasteland on both of them at once, setting up the standing moonsault for two on Cobb. Mack gets sent outside so Cobb can hit the unnamed Tour of the Islands on Kratos. The Stunner drops Cobb though and the Chocolate Thunder (fire) driver gives Mack the pin at 15:18.
Rating: B. This was the kind of hoss fight that never gets old no matter how many times you see it. Mack deserved the win for that double Wasteland alone and thankfully that’s where they went. Cobb, who is arguably the most successful of all of these three, did the least here but when the only moniker you have is Mr. Athletic, you’re only going to get so far. Either way, it was a heck of a fight and that’s exactly what they were shooting for here.
The five and a half minute highlight reel wraps us up.
Overall Rating: B+. This was roughly 174x better than the previous show as it was almost all action without the long form promos that were clearly meant to fill in time. It runs less than two hours and the only not so good match is Sheik vs. James, which even served its own purpose of getting Sheik over. I liked this a lot better than I thought I would and it’s actually a heck of a show. Check this out if you have the chance.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/
And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:
Recent Comments