Kurt RussellMania
Date: January 30, 2010
Location: LAX Hilton, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 1,100
Commentators: Excalibur, Colt Cabana, Chris Hero

It’s time to head back to PWG and this one happens to be part of the Wrestle Reunion convention. Other than that it seems to be a pretty standard PWG show, meaning long matches on a card that may or may not have much in the way of backstory. These things can be a blast so let’s get to it.

Excalibur is in the ring and calls the show Jamarcus Russell Mania (referencing a major NFL bust) before being corrected to a better reception.

The ring announcer goes over the code of conduct, saying “YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELVES YOU DRUNKS!”. Well that got more serious in a hurry.

Excalibur tells us to get some merchandise but here are the Young Bucks and Brian Kendrick to interrupt. Matt says he’s tired of the Bucks being referred to as “Matt and Nick Jackson” because they are Max and Jeremy, Generation Me (their TNA names). They’ve become bigger than PWG which is why they left Los Angeles and went to the beautiful city of Orlando and get to work with people like Vince Russo, Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan.

The Nasty Boys have taken them under their wings and they love Dixie Carter. This generation belongs to them, which doesn’t sit well with Kendrick. The brawl is on and Paul London runs in for the save. London says Kendrick doesn’t seem as motivated as he has before but the offer for the tag match is made anyway. Kendrick is in, saying this guy with the mask calls the shots around here. London: “Is that Octagon?” The match seems to be on. Funny stuff here, with the Bucks knowing how to pester the fans.

Malachi Jackson/Candice LeRae/Johnny Goodtime/Jerome Robinson vs. Cutler Brothers/Ryan Taylor/Christina Von Eerie

LeRae and Goodtime dance (with an NES Power Pad because of course) a bit before the match and we’re ready to go. Goodtime chills on the Pad again and gets jumped and the villains (the ones without the Pad) jump the other team to start fast. Well kind of fast as the bell takes its sweet time ringing. The Cutlers crash out to the floor and Eerie is sent outside as well. That leaves LeRae to hurricanrana Taylor onto the Cutlers for quite the big crash. Goodtime and Robinson hit running flip dives Jackson is right there with a flip dive.

Back in and Eerie suplexes LeRae for two and we settle down to a regular match. Taylor comes in and gets caught with a Black Widow, only for Brandon to come in with a boot to the face. Brandon’s choking pushups have LeRae in more trouble but she hurricanranas Taylor, allowing Robinson to come in and fight back. An O’Connor roll is blocked so Robinson just sits on Brandon for two in a funny bit. Dustin gets in a shot to the back on the apron though, followed by an apron powerbomb for two.

The choking in the corner keeps Robinson in trouble but he manages a Falcon Arrow. Taylor cuts him off so Goodtime comes in without a tag, meaning it’s time to beat Robinson up in the corner even more. Robinson gets out of a chinlock and steps up out of the corner on Brandon, with a Pele hitting Dustin in a sweet counter.

Goodtime is back in to clean house and a Falcon Arrow gets two on Dustin but Taylor comes in to kick Goodtime in the head. Taylor tries to kiss LeRae but kisses Eerie by mistake so LeRae gives him a ballplex (figure it out). Eerie recovers quickly enough to Pedigree LeRae so Jackson grabs a sitout powerbomb.

A flipping Stunner sends Taylor into a sunset flip to give Robinson two and we get a double stack electric chair for a really big crash. Goodtime drops Dustin for two with Brandon making the save, earning himself an assisted Codebreaker. LeRae missile dropkicks Dustin into a low blow on Brandon but they’re right back up to give her a spike Tombstone for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: B-. It might not have been a classic but this was the kind of fun match that serves as a good opener. You had a bunch of people running around doing one spot after another and that’s all you’re looking for with something like this. The ending felt like a big moment with LeRae getting knocked silly, so points for the Cutlers to get something out of this one.

Brandon Bonham vs. Brandon Gatson

Naturally the fans chant LET’S GO BRANDON and you can make your own out of date jokes. They trade waistlocks and Gatson takes him down with an armdrag into an armbar. Gatson grabs a headlock as commentary compares the trunks and hair. Bonham is back up with a front facelock and then a jumping enziguri for two.

Cabana guarantees that a Brandon will win this match, ignoring the option of a draw. What a professional. Gatson is sent outside for a big running flip dive from Bonham and they head back inside. Bonham sends him into the ropes but gets pulled into a Tarantula (well, an upside down one in this case), followed by a Hennig necksnap for two.

A kick to the head knocks Gatson back down for two more but he’s right back up with a slingshot cutter. Bonham is stomps him in the ribs but gets kicked to the floor for a Space Flying Tiger Drop (with commentary making Fergie references for some reason). They both get back in at the same time, with Bonham kicking him in the head for two. Back up and Gatson grabs a side slam and flips him forward into a faceplant for the pin at 10:01.

Rating: C+. Yeah this was fine. It’s a match between a couple of guys who aren’t exactly well known and they got to go back and forth for a little while in front of a pretty big crowd. That’s the kind of a match you need to have on a show like this and it went well enough. Gatson has been around on a few of these and while there’s nothing that makes him stand out, I’ve seen far worse.

Excalibur is back in the ring and says Chuck Taylor isn’t here due to a bad storm. Fan: “WE WANT CHUCK!” Excalibur: “Do you own a snow removal company a******? Shut the f*** up. I’m trying to cut a promo here.” Taylor and Human Tornado were scheduled to challenge for the Tag Team Titles but that won’t happen, so Tornado will be facing Super Crazy.

Davey Richards was set to face Crazy, so he’ll be facing Kevin Steen. And yes, Paul London and Brian Kendrick will face the Young Bucks in a non-title match. Excalibur to that fan: “Don’t say I never did anything for you a******. F****** p****.” I’m going to hope that the fan said something I didn’t hear because DANG that’s an over the top reaction otherwise. Or maybe he’s a heel here.

Super Crazy vs. Human Tornado

Tornado stomps him down in the corner to start fast and a photographer gets taken out. Back in and Crazy takes over with some kicks of his own and the surfboard goes on. Crazy gets in the ten punches in the corner (Excalibur: “Cinco is Mexican for seven.”) but Tornado sends him outside for the big running flip dive.

They’re both a bit nuts so they brawl around the ring with Crazy getting the better of things but getting dropkicked back inside. A swinging DDT gets two more and we pause for some yelling at the referee, who might have messed up the count. Crazy grabs a sitout powerbomb for two and now the fans aren’t sure who they like more. Tornado is back up with a belly to back faceplant into the Cancun Tornado (twisting Swanton) for the pin at 6:20.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time to do anything here, which isn’t exactly normal for PWG. I’m guessing that’s due to the match being changed due to the Chuck Taylor absence, though it felt like they were just getting going when Tornado won. It’s not a bad match but more short and not given a chance to really get anywhere.

Kevin Steen vs. Davey Richards

Before the bell, Steen yells at a fan with a hat and threatens to knock him out and then “have my way with your body.” Steen goes over to the fan and, after offering a free shot, kisses him on the head. We get the Big Match Intros and Richards grabs a wristlock, earning himself a kiss to the cheek. That means a smiling Richards bails out to the floor and we pause for a bit, with Steen clearly having a good time with this.

Back in and Steen says he knows (I think) Richards is hiding behind a sign (I’m not sure I get it) so Richards kisses him right back and poses. This leads to an odd discussion on commentary, including: Excalibur: “If you yourself were drugged and raped, would you enjoy it?” We settle back down into Richards grabbing a headlock so Steen blows his nose on him. Cabana: “Technically that’s not against the rules!” Excalibur: “Kurt Russell would have it no other way.”

Steen sends him to the floor for another blow of the nose, this time earning himself a dropkick. They go outside and into the crowd, with the brawl heading near the commentary area. Richards finds a drum set and does a solo, with Steen calling him horrible. They come back to ringside where Steen hits an apron powerbomb and Excalibur pouts (his word) over Cabana beating him to a joke. A slam gives Steen one back inside and he tries a pushup to limited success.

Richards misses a dropkick but Steen misses a charge and crashes into the post. That sends Steen outside for the running flip dive from Richards, who lands in about the fourth row. A missile dropkick connects with Steen back inside and we’re off to the cross armbreaker, with Steen going right to the rope.

Back up and a suplex into the corner sets up Steen’s Cannonball for two (with commentary actually avoiding the Otto Wanz reference) and it’s time to slug it out. Steen’s brainbuster onto the knee gets two but the Swanton hits raised knees. Some running shots in the corner set up the bridging German suplex to give Richards two. Richards misses a shooting star press but settles for a cross armbreaker to make Steen tap at 15:45.

Rating: B. This was more like the PWG matches you would expect with the two of them trading big moves until one of them gave out. The stuff with the kisses at the beginning was funny and felt right at home for Steen, who can be rather amusing. Richards wasn’t doing the no selling stuff here either and that’s always appreciated.

Great Muta/Kai vs. The Dynasty

That would be Joey Ryan/Scott Lost. Muta and Lost start things off and we pause early for the green mist. Muta’s leglock takes Lost down so he gets up to his feet and realizes what he’s up against for a change. A running shoulder drops Lost, who is back up with a dropkick. That’s enough to send Muta outside and he claims a mask pull and…well are you going to argue with him?

Kai and Ryan come in with Kai cartwheeling over him but getting caught with a swinging neckbreaker. Lost says you’re about to see the best suplex in the world, which is senough for Kai to easily reverse into one of his own. It’s back to Muta for the Power Drive elbow and we’re off to the STF. The threat of a mist has Ryan scared off so commentary talks about The Mist by Stephen King. Kai comes back in for a Boston crab to Lost before it’s already back to Muta for a leglock.

Some running knees in the corner connect for Kai and he drops a middle rope double stomp for two. Lost gets in a shot of his own and Ryan comes in for some hurricanranas to take over. It’s already back to Lost for a spinning kick to the head, only for Kai to one up him with a springboard spinning kick to the head. Everything breaks down and Kai uses a caution sigh to cut Ryan off. The referee takes the same sign from Lost and that means a misting. The Shining Wizard gives Muta the pin at 12:09.

Rating: B-. Well you don’t bring Muta in to lose. He’s an all time legend and the fans were probably thrilled to have him there, which is exactly the point of something like this. The Dynasty is a pretty big deal in PWG but Muta and Kai are a bit out of their league. Granted Kai was someone who only became so big of a star, but he was in good company here.

El Generico vs. Jushin Thunder Liger

Well this works. Liger wrestles him down to start but the headlock is quickly escaped, giving us a standoff. The surfboard goes on, with Generico managing to stack him up for two. Back up and Generico spins around into an armdrag to the floor, meaning it’s the springboard into Generico’s pose. Generico even offers to help Liger back inside, where Liger snaps off a headscissors.

Liger hits a heck of a dropkick to the floor and the rolling Liger Kick connects back inside. Another surfboard goes on, with commentary listing off every Romero they can think of as a possible name. With that broken up, Liger grabs a camel clutch, followed by a seated abdominal stretch. Generico gets out and sends Liger outside for the springboard moonsault.

A high crossbody gives Generico two back inside and the Blue Thunder Bomb connects for the same. Liger’s tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets him out of trouble but he splashes Generico’s raised knees. The Helluva Kick connects for Generico, whose brainbuster attempt is countered into a suplex. Back up and they strike it out until Generico snaps off a German suplex of his own.

Liger hits a big shotei palm strike for two as the fans are rather pleased here. They go to the corner where Liger gets tied in the Tree Of Woe, allowing Generico to go up for a top rope flipping kick (that’s way more athletic than I would have expected from him). The brainbuster gets two so Generico takes him to the corner, where Liger reverses into the Liger Bomb for two more. Liger is a bit frustrated so he grabs his own brainbuster for the pin at 12:33.

Rating: B. Liger gets a lot of praise for being flashy but dang the guy can go in the ring. He can work well with anyone and that was the case again here, as Generico was a great choice for an opponent. It’s probably the match of the night thus far and you could tell the fans knew they had something special with Liger in the ring. Good match, which shouldn’t be a surprise at all.

Brian Kendrick/Paul London vs. Generation Me

Non-title. It’s a brawl before the bell with the Bucks clearing the ring and getting to pose a bit. Kendrick is back in to fire off some kicks until we settle down to Max (Nick, partner of Jeremy, who is better known as Matt) running away from Kendrick to keep things slow. London comes in and gets backed into the corner as commentary talks about his bad case of space madness. A running dropkick puts Max down for two so it’s off to Jeremy, who is quickly taken into the corner by the arm.

Kendrick’s top rope double stomp hits the arm and we’re off to the double arm crank. Max comes back in to work on London’s arm, including wrapping it around his own leg. London suplexes his way out of trouble and it’s back to Kendrick for a kick to Max’s back. That earns Kendrick a trip right back into the wrong corner and it’s a running Blockbuster into a backbreaker for two. Jeremy’s weird right hands in the corner connect and Max flips around into a back rake to Kendrick.

The double basement dropkick has the fans saying the Bucks are doing the SAME OLD S***! Excalibur points out that the chant has been done before, so it’s the SAME OLD S*** from the fans too. Since the Bucks are Nasty Boys fans, we get a Pit Stop, though Jeremy is sent into Max instead for the sake of comedy. Kendrick kicks his way out of the corner and hands it back to London so house can be cleaned.

A springboard double stomp to the back has Jeremy in more trouble and a running flip dive doesn’t exactly work with London not getting any kind of distance. Back in and Jeremy gets facebustered into an enziguri but Max is back with a tornado DDT for two on London. It’s back to Kendrick for more kicks and running forearms but some superkicks put him down. A wheelbarrow facebuster gets two on Kendrick so Max hits the big running flip dive onto London.

That leaves Jeremy to give Kendrick a flipping middle rope Stunner, followed by Risky Business for the same, with London diving in for the save. London fights up and takes them both down for/with the dropsault, setting up a top rope knee for two. More Bang For Your Bucks is blocked and Kendrick grabs Sliced Bread out of the corner. London adds the shooting star press (and he barely got it) for the pin at 19:02.

Rating: B+. Well of course this was good and I don’t think that was ever in any serious doubt. London and Kendrick were an exceptional team in their day and it was cool to see their grown up versions working together here. The fans seemed to enjoy seeing the Bucks get beaten up and it was probably a surprise to see the champions lose. Good stuff here, with London and Kendrick clearly still having it.

Chris Hero vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Roderick Strong

They circle each other to start and Van Dam goes to the floor to let the other two do their thing. Hero takes him down by the leg and they’re already off to the grappling. Strong twists the ankle a bit, with Hero rolling away for a standoff. Hero gets knocked out to the floor and now Van Dam is willing to get involved. They fight over wrist control and trade flipping escapes before missing some strikes.

That’s broken up so Van Dam poses a bit, wit Excalibur thinking he’s involved due to the fan chants. Hero is back in to send Strong outside so we get a fresh showdown. They take turns sweeping the legs and it’s another standoff. Van Dam kicks him out to the floor and hits a quick moonsault to Hero before posting Strong as well. Van Dam hits the spinning kick to Strong’s back but Hero is right there to drop Van Dam just as fast.

A nice running dropkick to the side of the head gives Hero two more but he gets caught with a spinning kick in the corner. Strong is back up and finally gets in a backbreaker, followed by a rather nice dropkick. The seated abdominal stretch goes on but Van Dam powers out and hits a heck of a monkey flip. Hero comes back in to strike away at Van Dam with some Tracy Smothers style chops.

Van Dam makes the mistake of going up and gets shoved down into the barricade, leaving Strong to backbreaker Hero for two more. Back up and Hero gives Strong a neckbreaker for two, followed by a suplex for another near fall. Van Dam is back in with a chair to throw at Hero’s head and follows it up with a double Rolling Thunder. The chair gets skateboarded into Strong’s face and the split legged moonsault gets two on Hero.

Strong is back up to cut off the Five Star but Hero is right there to turn it into a Tower Of Doom for two each. Van Dam is back up with some kicks for both of them so Strong gives him a gutbuster. Hero kicks Strong in the face and faceplants him for two more. The Sick Kick gets two on Hero so Van Dam throws a chair at Strong, with Hero forearming it into his head. Van Dam takes Hero out and the Five Star finishes Strong at 18:31.

Rating: B. Van Dam is kind of perfect for a guests tar around here as he can wrestle a similar style, has indy credibility for his work in ECW and is a former WWE Champion. That’s a rare kind of talent that PWG was smart to bring in, even though he would be on his way to being a big star in TNA before too long. It might not have been a great main event but it was good enough and showcased a big name so it all made sense. Somehow though, this was Van Dam’s only PWG match ever, which is rather surprising.

Post match Hero asks for some applause for Van Dam, with the fans wanting him to come back. Hero says he didn’t win but technically he didn’t lose so he should be the #1 contender to the PWG World Title. He’s been in Japan and missed the Battle Of Los Angeles, where Kenny Omega beat Roderick Strong to win the vacant World Title. Once he gets it back, Strong can try to get it back. Hero thanks the rather large crowd and wishes they could fit this many in Reseda to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B. It might not be a great show, but it was more than entertaining enough. The big thing here might have been the crowd, which was just ok, as the show missed something by not being in their home base. Still though, it had a nice mixture of the regular PWG stars and some big names who weren’t around as regulars. There’s nothing close to bad on here and the second half of the show is all good so call this another successful event.

 

 

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1.21 Gigawatts
Date: March 21, 2008
Location: American Legion Post #308, Reseda, California
Attendance: 300
Commentators: Excalibur, Rick Knox, Taro

It’s another PWG show and I think I would have to turn in my nerd card if I didn’t look at a show with this name. As usual, I’m really not sure what to expect here as I’m doing these shows at random, meaning continuity isn’t a factor. The action tends to be quite good though and if that is the case again here, we should be in for a heck of a show. Let’s get to it.

Nemesis vs. Brandon Bonham

Nemesis is a masked guy and appears to be popular while Bonham is making his PWG debut. Bonham goes for him and gets posed at for his early efforts. They fight over arm control to start as they’re going basic early on. A quick rollup gets two on Bonham as commentary talks about new referee Tony Roma (jokes about ribs abound). Nemesis runs him over but gets enziguried for his efforts as commentary manages to get a bit more serious for a change (it won’t last).

Bonham knocks him outside and hits the big flipping dive, earning a NEW GUY chant. Back in and the fans don’t seem too thrilled with Nemesis, though his flipping neckbreaker does earn some polite applause. Some strikes in the corner have Bonham in more trouble but he manages to get out to the apron. A slingshot cutter drops Nemesis and a high angle Swanton gives Bonham the upset pin at 6:23.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly the opener you might have been expecting but points for giving the new guy a win and establishing him a bit. Bonham doesn’t have the most impressive look but he did well enough to make a bit of an impression. Nemesis felt more like a crowd favorite, at least at times, so Bonham’s win does seem to have a bit of status to it. Completely fine opener.

Candice LeRae vs. LuFisto

This is LuFisto’s PWG debut but the fans certainly know who she is. The referee isn’t interested in checking LuFisto’s trunks (she hiked the skirt up to make it easier) so we can get going. LeRae, who looks incredibly young here (at 22), gets shoved down to start but comes back with forearms. Some armdrags and a dropkick have LuFisto staggered a bit as we hear about her wanting to teach LeRae to fight like a woman.

LuFisto isn’t having this basic stuff and kicks LeRae down, setting up a fisherman’s suplex into a headscissors. An armbar at the same time makes it even worse but LuFisto switches it into a camel clutch. Some headbutts and shots to the back have LeRae in more trouble as the beating is on hard here. A small package gives LeRae two and she manages to send LuFisto outside.

With that not working, it’s a butterfly suplex to give LuFisto two back inside. LuFisto misses a charge though and gets rolled up a few times for two each. They strike it out until LeRae slams her down and gets two off a neckbreaker. LuFisto isn’t having that and kicks her down before going up top. The high crossbody connects but LeRae rolls through it for the pin at 8:09.

Rating: C. It wasn’t bad, but this felt like LuFisto having to keep everything going as LeRae wasn’t quite as polished. LuFisto was the much bigger star at this point and it makes sense to have her carrying things. The good thing is they had a completely watchable match, even if the ending felt like quite the slip on a banana peel. You don’t hear too much about women’s wrestling in PWG but this was perfectly good enough to keep it going.

Post match Claudio Castagnoli and Human Tornado (who seem to have a less than positive history with LeRae) come to the back but here is Chris Hero for the save. And an impromptu match!

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Hero

Everyone else leaves and it’s hero chopping away on the floor to start. They get inside with Hero elbowing him in the face until Castagnoli tosses him over the top for a big crash. Castagnoli gets creative by choking with the ring skirt and it’s time to send Hero crashing through the fans.

We hit the camel clutch back inside, with Castagnoli pulling the hair instead of the face (Is that still a clutch?). Some uppercuts and kicks to the face just have Hero looking annoyed so he comes back with a running neckbreaker. Hero forearms him off the apron this time and a suicide armdrag of all things sends Castagnoli down. Back in and a middle rope Blockbuster gives Hero two but Castagnoli is back with a heck of a running uppercut. The Riccola Bomb doesn’t work so Castagnoli grabs his kind of Angle Slam for two more. The giant swing is loaded up but Hero reverses into a cradle for the pin at 9:56.

Rating: B-. These two working well together is a grand total of not surprising whatsoever and they had another good match here. There’s a long history between them and they have chemistry in the ring so this worked well. Castagnoli showing off with the power until Hero caught him with a cradle was a good story and the cradle made it look like Castagnoli got caught rather than defeated.

Post match Human Tornado runs back in for the save, drawing out Candice LeRae. LuFisto runs out to cancel out LeRae but Hero gets up to clear the ring. Hero seems a bit upset that he got physical by throwing LuFisto back inside, as he has a thing about violence against women.

Here is The Dynasty (Scott Lost/Joey Ryan, with Jade Chung), the reigning Tag Team Champions. Ryan has been looking for an opponent is defending. He insists that Chris Bosh (who the fans seem to favor) didn’t care about the fans and that’s why he left. Ryan tried to get in touch with Dino Winwood but couldn’t get hold of him. Then he send a text to Excalibur, who had his own problems: doing commentary with an intoxicated Taro.

With nothing else to do, Ryan sent out a mass email to the PWG roster for an open challenge for the Tag Team Titles. The first person to answer was this man, so here is El Generico. The problem is that Generico’s reply was in Spanish so Ryan doesn’t know who his partner is going to be. After a few points to the entrance, Kevin Steen (Owens) runs in from behind and we’re ready to go.

Tag Team Titles: Kevin Steen/El Generico vs. The Dynasty

The Dynasty is defending and Steen pulls Ryan over the top to start fast. The chops in the corner have Ryan in trouble and Generico sends him into some buckles to make it worse. Ten right hands in the corner set up some armdrags as Ryan can’t get anything going here. The fans seem to appreciate Steen as he chops Ryan down again but a shot to the eye allows the tag off to Lost.

That’s fine with Steen, who chops away as commentary is curious about how Ryan sent off an email last night but Steen managed to get here from Montreal so fast. Lost manages some knees to the ribs to take over but it’s right back to Generico for a backbreaker. As commentary discusses the Dynasty’s ownership stake in the company, Steen hits a flipping legdrop to the back of Lost’s neck.

Lost manages to kick Generico in the ribs though and Ryan comes in to start on the arm. Chung finally remembers she’s here too and adds some choking on the ropes. A wheelbarrow slam/gutbuster combination plants Generico and Lost’s leg lariat takes him down again. Lost grabs a bodyscissors but Steen comes in to blow his nose on him (not break up the hold or anything mind you). Generico backbreakers his way to freedom and Steen comes back in to clean house.

The rope is kicked low into Ryan and the powerslam gets two on Lost. Steen kicks the rope into Ryan again (seems fun) and hits a DDT to plant Lost again. The pop up powerbomb gets two on Lost but Ryan is there to break up the Swanton. Generico hits the big dive onto Ryan though and the Swanton connects for two. Ryan comes back in and blocks the Helluva Kick, setting up his own powerbomb for his own two on Generico.

A backbreaker/top rope elbow combination gets two WITH Steen making the save. (Excalibur: “It might be Bastille Day! IT’S NOT BASTILLE DAY BECAUSE KEVIN STEEN HAS FREED THE PRISONERS!!!”). The parade of suplexes sets up the Helluva Kick to Lost, who counters the brainbuster into a suplex over the top. Cue Super Dragon to Psycho Driver Jade Chung as everything stops for a few moments. Lost takes Chung to the back and it’s a Helluva Kick into Steen’s package piledriver into the brainbuster to finish Ryan for the titles at 16:20.

Rating: B. Steen and Generico being a heck of a team is no surprise whatsoever as they worked well together even back here. Lost and Ryan were one of those teams who feel like they’re from a different era of PWG. While they were good in the early days, they were surpassed by a team like Steen and Generico as the company was evolving. Good match here, even if the defending champs felt a bit overwhelmed at times.

Post match the celebration is on. Steen says it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks or says, because this is PWG and it feels good to be home.

Here is Excalibur, who says Commissioner Dino Winwood is not here because he is celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim. Therefore, the fans here are the worst Jews he has ever seen. As for tonight, Excalibur has full authority tonight and talks about how Necro Butcher isn’t here tonight. Butch is filming a movie with Mickey Rourke called The Wrestler, so we’ll have to make another match. That’s why tonight it’s Human Tornado/LuFisto vs. Chris Hero/Candice LeRae in a street fight.

DDT4 Qualifying Match: Scorpio Sky/Ronin vs. Young Bucks vs. Hook Bomberry/TJ Perkins vs. Los Luchas

Elimination rules and DDT4 is PWG’s big tag team tournament. Los Luchas are Phoenix Star and Zokre, who have been around since the early 2000s. It’s a big brawl to start with the Bucks getting the better of things, including a pop up dropkick to Sky. Zokre springboard crossbodies both Bucks down and the Luchas springboard armdrag Sky and Ronin down. Sky hits a slingshot elbow for two on Bomberry and we settle down, with everyone actually getting on the apron for a change.

The Bucks’ hanging neckbreaker into a slingshot hilo hits Perkins as the Bucks (who actually look young here) take over. Nick hammers away as commentary kind of explains how complicated the tournament setup has been without actually saying how we got here. Perkins gets in a shot to Nick’s knee and it’s off to Bomberry for a clothesline as commentary discusses Bomberry’s sexually transmitted diseases.

Bomberry’s half crab sends Nick over to the rope as commentary points out that the other two teams are just kind of here too. Nick dropkicks his way out of trouble and it’s Matt coming in to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Nick mostly misses a dive, followed by Star missing an even bigger dive even worse. Matt, Ronin and Zokre slug it out inside and Ronin powerbombs Zokre for two (with the referee’s hand hitting the mat three times to make it a bit confusing).

An assisted neckbreaker drops Ronin but Nick’s bad knee won’t let him follow up. Sky cutters Matt but Perkins grabs a rollup (with an assist from Bomberry) to pin Sky at 9:48. Perkins neckbreakers Zokre but Sky shoves him off the top. Bomberry hits Perkins by mistake and Los Luchas hit a double powerbomb into stereo springboard Swantons (Maximum Risky) for the pin at 11:27.

So we’re down to the Bucks vs. the Luchas, with the Bucks hitting a slingshot X Factor into a wheelbarrow suplex for two on Zokre. Nick’s frog splash (What knee injury?) gets two on Star, who is right back with a spinebuster. A neckbreaker/spinebuster combination gets two on Nick with Matt having to make the save. Commentary even points out that Nick’s knee is suddenly better as More Bang For Your Buck misses. Matt gets super Angle Slammed onto Star’s knees (dang) to give the Luchas a double pin at 14:00.

Rating: B. It was a fast paced match and as usual, elimination rules made it that much better. Commentary calling out Nick’s lack of a knee injury was a nice touch and they didn’t bother dragging this out too far. Good, action packed match here and Los Luchas continue to be a rather nice team who never got a ton of recognition. As a bonus, apparently this was the finals of a round robin tournament (not mentioned here) to get a spot in another tournament, which Sky and Ronin wound up competing in as well.

Candice LeRae/Chris Hero vs. LuFisto/Human Tornado

Street fight. LuFisto unloads on LeRae in the corner as Excalibur goes on a rant about how bad the production crew is around here. Hero throws Tornado into some chairs as LeRae chops LuFisto against the apron. Taro says that this match is unsanctioned, sending Excalibur into a mini rant about how HE MADE THE MATCH SO OF COURSE IT’S SANCTIONED! Ok point for a funny line.

Some weapons are thrown inside as the women trade forearms on the floor. LuFisto gets in a chair shot but LeRae blasts her in the head with a trashcan lid. Back in and Hero puts on a Boston crab, while also putting the chair over Tornado. The basement dropkick in the corner hits LuFisto as Hero neckbreakers Tornado for two. Tornado is fine enough to hit him with a chair shot to the throat, followed by some shots to the knee. The men head outside, leaving LuFisto to drop LeRae on her head back inside.

Back in and Tornado hits a delayed corner dropkick on LeRae, setting up LuFisto’s running boot. With LeRae down, LuFisto holds Hero in place so Tornado can get in some chair shots to the knee. LuFisto hits Hero with a chair before going back inside to rip at LeRae’s facial area. Hero comes back in and fights back up, only to get dropped by Tornado again. Another comeback is cut off by a forearm to the head and a hanging legdrop as LeRae is knocked off the apron again.

Hero manages a double knockdown but his knee is shot, allowing Tornado to knock him outside again. LeRae is back in with a forearm to knock LuFisto outside but all four get back inside. A rollup to Tornado gets two but he kicks Hero into a chair in the corner to knock him silly. LeRae grabs a reverse Koji Clutch on Tornado until LuFisto breaks it up. The teams pair off again and the referee gets poked in the eye, which doesn’t seem to change anything. Hero sends Tornado into LuFisto and LeRae throws her outside for a dive.

Some chairs are thrown at Tornado, which the fans help Hero pile up (what nice/evil people, depending on your affiliation). Tornado backdrops him onto the pile though and the guys are down again. Back in and LeRae gets in a DDT for two on LuFisto, setting up a camel clutch in the ropes. Hero steals Taro’s water (er, “water” more than likely) and Swantons off the announcers’ area onto Tornado onto some chairs for the big crash. Back in and LuFisto hits a spinning backfist into an Emerald Flosion to plant LeRae again.

Tornado misses a bit spinning kick to LeRae, allowing Hero to BLAST HIM with a forearm for two as LuFisto makes the save. Back up and Hero gets creative with a toss atomic drop to send Tornado into an open chair (that’s a new one/OUCH), setting up the big boot to the face. Tornado catches him on top but Hero knocks him down into the open chair. LeRae pelts another chair at LuFisto’s head for a delayed two, only to have Tornado kick LeRae in the back of the head.

Tornado puts the chair in front of LeRae’s face in the Tree of Woe, allowing LuFisto to hit the Tommy Dreamer dropkick. LuFisto gets a little more violent by biting her head and then Tornado gets evil by punching LeRae in the head. LeRae is busted open (and missing some extensions) but Hero comes back in to piledrive LuFisto. Hero grabs a cravate style Stunner to pin Tornado at 26:59.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but once it hit its top gear, it was a violent match between four people who felt like they wanted to hurt each other. The violence was strong with this one and if you cut off the first ten minutes or so, it gets that much better. Hero vs. Tornado feels like an almost literal blood feud and you can imagine one heck of a showdown coming for them soon.

Post match Claudio Castagnoli runs in to take Hero out and then duct tapes him to the ropes. The referee gets decked as well and a table is set up in the corner. A belt shot knocks LeRae silly and LuFisto spears her through the table. There’s another belt shot to Hero and Tornado plants LeRae again. Commentary walks off in disgust and LeRae is carried out. Tornado throws her back inside though until Excalibur finally comes in to make the save.

That leaves Tornado to beat up Taro as Excalibur tries to get Hero out. Hero finally gets free and throws a bunch of stuff as referees and medics check on LeRae. Hero puts LeRae over for her effort and says they’ll both be back at the next show, because now this is personal. He swears to get his hands on Tornado and Castagnoli somehow, whether it be at the next show or in the parking lot tonight. LeRae is helped to the back to end the show. This was a red hot angle and I want to see Hero destroy Tornado. Really good stuff here and maybe the best angle I’ve ever seen from PWG.

We get some post show footage, including Hero checking on LeRae in the trainer’s room. He recaps the feud with Tornado, as LeRae is Tornado’s former manager and helped him get the World Title. Tornado kept abusing her though and it broke Hero, who wants to see Tornado get what is coming to him. Yeah Tornado is the champion and walks to the ring like a pimp, but he’s just a little boy. Hero is going to do whatever it takes but he’s getting his hands on Tornado and he’ll never be the same again. Heck of a promo here.

Overall Rating: B+. The ending helped this a lot but otherwise, it wasn’t quite a blow away show. There was enough good to make it work rather well, though the only thing to stand out is the big angle and most of the main event. What matters most though is I want to see more of the story (and some other stuff), so they are doing well. Just get the first hour or so of the show up a bit and it’s that much better. Or do another story that makes me want to see a villain get destroyed in about fourteen different ways. Either works.

 

 

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