The Official PWG Thread

[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

Card Subject to Change III

[Twatters]

First match announced at PWG event at WrestleReunion:

 

Six-Man Tag Team Never-In-Your-Wildest-Dreams Match II

Super Dragon, Kevin Steen, and Akira Tozawa

vs.

El Generico, PAC, and Masato Yoshino

 

Should be awesome!

[Joey Joe Joe Jr]

fuck that sounds good, those pwg events are sounding like one of the best bits of mania weekend nowadays

 

EDIT my mistake, i always have assumed they're from that weekend because they manage to get such a great line-up.

[The Cum Doctor]

Aye they are... except they aren't on Wrestlemania weekend.

[wrestlemania]

wrestlereunion takes place in early january, that six man tag main event for the show should be an absolute cracker, im still waiting for steen wolf to be released on dvd heard amazing things about that show, and the next show fear sounds incredible aswell, pwgs on a great run of shows

[wrestlingmad]

I wish It was on Wrestlemania weekend, fuck me I'd love to see that match!

[wrestlemania]

they got a lot of the dragon gate guys on the wrestlereunion show, when u factor in the pwg regulars and the roh talent they bring in, should be a very very strong line up

[wrestlingmad]

The PWG Wrestlereuinion shows have been a highlight each year for me. The cards both year have been amazing, I believe last year had 48 wrestlers on the show (mainly due to the awsome legends battle royal and usual PWG multi-man matches).

 

I honestly can't wait to see the card for this, PWG never ever fail.

[Big Benny HG]

What have I been watching? Well, I've catching up on my shit-load of unwatched PWG. That's what I've been watching. As with pretty much everything, I'm majorly behind (just starting 2010 in PWG, Chikara and EVOLVE). And now I'm going to tell you all about it:

 

PWG Kurt RussellMania (30 January 2010)

 

 

This is the lead SoCal organisation's contribution to the 2010 Wrestle Reunion Weekend, held in a swanky hotel near LAX airport in Los Angeles each year. It comes the day after ROH's event in the same building (and same room, in fact), which I did a review on here for a few months ago. Go read it. This is a showcase event, featuring PWG's usual cast as well as some special guest stars.

 

It starts with Brandon Cutler, Dustin Cutler, Ryan Taylor & Christina Von Eerie vs. Malachai Jackson, Johnny Goodtime, Jerome 'LTP' Robinson & Candice LeRay as your typical all-action, non-stop, insane PWG opener to get the crowd going. Botchy and messy in places, breathtakingly exciting in others, this is the now-standard collection of cool moves, crazy dives, daftness and all-out nuttiness you come to expect from the promotion's opening match crew. All-in-all, good fun.

 

The rest of the undercard includes a perfectly acceptable-if-unremarkable Brandon Gatson vs. Brandon Bonham bout (...too...many...Brandons...in...PWG...), a crowd-pleasing little match between Human Tornado and former ECW star Super Crazy, and a refreshingly un-ROH match between ROH regulars Kevin Steen and Davey Richards, with neither man guilty of taking themselves too seriously. From there, it's big matches all the way, starting with legendary Japanese wrestling and NWA icon The Great Muta making a now-rare US appearance, teaming with AJPW partner KAI to take on PWG favourites Joey Ryan & Scott Lost ("The Dynasty"). The ageing Muta is limited in what he can do these days (hence KAI taking the majority of work for his team), but is still able to pull off key spots like the mist-blowing, flashing elbow, dragon screw leg-whip and Shining Wizard. Truth be told, it's spots like that everyone came to see, they are the whole point of this Muta exhibition match, and Muta himself still commands interest and awe with a character full of intrigue and mystery.

 

The crown jewel ("eh") of the DVD, however, is the fabulous Jushin 'Thunder' Liger vs. El Generico contest. Coming in better than Liger's bout the previous day against Austin Aries, this ***3/4 scorcher starts with slow exchanging of holds on the mat and builds progressively to each man giving it their absolute all in order to best the other. The crowd leaps to their feet for the dramatic and exciting action, leading to some convincing near-falls as they near the conclusion.

 

A segment at the very start of the disc saw massively hated PWG heels The Young Bucks (championing TNA in build further heat) turn on their pal Brian Kendrick, only to be run off in a surprise appearance from Paul London. Their resultant non-title tag bout (Bucks are the current tag champs) takes the semi-main event slot on the show. It takes a while to get going (and London is massively inconsistent throughout) but ends up pretty damn good, with an exciting all-action closing stretch. Not a patch on the Liger-Generico bout, or any Bucks match in the second half of 2009, but the Jackson brothers' heel routine is supremely entertaining and the decent Kendrick turned up to work tonight.

 

Main event of Kurt RussellMania is a triple-threat of Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Hero vs. Roderick Strong, as bizarre a 3-way line-up as you are ever likely to see. The 'home' PWG fans turned on Hero massively during 2009, fed up of being force-fed ultra-clean, technical wrestling, bland babyface do-gooder main events for too long (similar to how they turned on the Young Bucks), but there is none of that here and he is massively over, almost to the same extent as Van Dam. Match is standard two in, one out style stuff for the duration, until some 3-way exchanges towards the end. It's similar to the Muta match in that it mainly exists as a showcase for the big star to run through his signature spots. Nothing wrong with that on this type of show. A good, enjoyable main event, and a fitting conclusion to the show.

 

The optional live commentary track is decent, coming courtesy of Excalibur and Colt Cabana (who doesn't appear one the show - I can't remember if he was injured around this time), and the running time for the 8-match event comes in at a very-watchable 2hrs 15mins. A such, Kurt RussellMania comes recommended as an enjoyable one-off event featuring a pleasant mix of local regulars and international superstars.

 

Full show results:

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Brandon Cutler, Dustin Cutler, Ryan Taylor & Christina Von Eerie beat Malachai Jackson, Johnny Goodtime, Jerome Robinson & Candice LeRay.

 

Brandon Gatson beat Brandon Bonham

 

Human Tornado beat Super Crazy

 

Davey Richards beat Kevin Steen

 

The Great Muta & KAI beat Scott Lost & Joey Ryan

 

Jushin Liger beat El Generico

 

Kendrick & London beat The Young Bucks

 

Rob Van Dam beat Roderick Strong & Chris Hero

 

[close spoiler]

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[Big Benny HG]

PWG As The Worm Turns (27 February 2010)

 

 

PWG returns to it's home base of recent years, Reseda, CA, in front of another overly-packed house of rabidly hot and loyal fans. The show follows PWG's usual formula to the letter, starting with a fast-paced, all-action tag team opener, building through mid-card singles challenges to the headline title bouts on top.

 

'Little Tiny Playa' Jerome Robinson & Johnny Goodtime vs. 'Youngest Buck' Malachi Jackson & Ryan Taylor is the latest combination to give the show a kick-start, these guys bringing their usual non-stop display of ridiculous moves, colourful characters and general wackiness. It's one of those bouts that you either love or hate, but you can't deny its place on the card as it is certainly effective in getting the live fans up into the action ahead of what is to come. The fancy moves continue in the next offering, courtesy of flippy rookie Brandon Gatson, recently elevated from that same opening match crew himself. Here, his somewhat-push continues in a decent enough mid-card singles bout with PWG veteran Scott Lost. The highlight of the undercard, however, is a thrilling singles scrap between Roderick Strong and Chris Sabin. PWG's unique position allows them pit ROH-contracted and TNA-contracted talent against each other, and Strong and Sabin go to war trading stiff chops, violent kicks and brilliant near-falls in an ultra-competitive cracker that you wouldn't see anywhere else.

 

The signature PWG shenanigans and wackiness make a return in an inter-gender 6-person tag of Joey Ryan, Brandon Bonham & Candice LeRay vs. Brandon Cutler, Dustin Cutler & Christina Von Eerie. Much like the opener, this is colourful, throwaway fun that I have no shame in admitting I enjoyed. It's down to serious business in the next contest, though, as Chris Hero and Alex Shelley test their skills by matching their technical mat wizardry against each other. As you would expect, this one is presented at a more deliberate pace, building the intensity and competitiveness between the two. Certain portions of the jam-packed PWG audience continue to be vocally anti-Hero, whereas the others chose to support 'their' guy against the TNA wrestler. The result is a red-hot atmosphere of fans 100% invested in everything the two men throw at each other, every near fall and every reversal; 100% bought into wanting to see their guy win/the other guy lose. A fabulous bout, much better than your usual Chris Hero PWG effort.

 

The match I was most looking forward to on the disc, however, was The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) defending the PWG World Tag Team Championship against the unique team of El Generico & Chuck Taylor. Generico and Taylor spent most of 2009 facing each other in some stunning singles and tag bouts, as well as both men contesting corkers against the Bucks with different partners. In case you haven't seen it and can't imagine how effective a complete 100% ultra-heel Young Bucks act can be, I can assure you that in this promotion, in this building, in front of these fans, these men are absolutely hated with a passion, just for being themselves. Most of their offence is therefore based around winding the audience up and humiliating their opponents, and their trademark flashy moves become the ultimate show-offs' tools. Indeed, the Jacksons' antics and Generico's terrific selling whip the audience into a frenzy, then the match turns into one of those bouts which is like one long, non-stop high spot. That doesn't mean to say that this was just a pointless series of fancy moves and near-falls just for the hell of it. This was about 4 characters that the fans are familiar with, understand their motives and are 100% invested in going all-out for the win in super exciting, super dramatic and breathless fashion. Tag team wrestling at its absolute finest.

 

Capping off the disc is possibly the best PWG World Title match in the history of the promotion, Kenny Omega vs. Davey Richards. Omega is making his first defence of the title he claimed by winning the 2009 Battle of Los Angeles tournament (belt was vacated when Daniel Bryan won it in his PWG farewell bout) against a man in Richards who proclaims PWG as his 'home' and its belt as the only title he wants to win. Clocking in at nearly 30 minutes, the bout is brilliantly paced and beats out their early 2009 PWG bout and both recent ROH matches (my memory wants to tell me 'Clash of the Contenders' and 'Epic Encounter'). The raucous audience is rabid for the back-and-forth action from the outset, which builds and builds and builds to a thrilling climax full of big moves, edge-of-seat reversals and incredible twists. Where the ROH bouts had a feeling of just being exhibition matches, you really get the sense of something important being on the line that both men know is worth winning.

 

As usual, commentary is handled by Excalibur and a revolving door of guests, including Joey Ryan, Roderick Strong, Chris Hero, Kenny Omega and Chuck Taylor and the disc lasts 2 hours 20. Overall, this DVD release comes heavily recommended from myself as essential viewing for anyone with an interest in independent wrestling. The World Title and World Tag Team Title bouts are both superb, the Strong/Sabin and Hero/Shelley bouts are excellent in themselves, and the other 3 matches are perfectly adequate too. While ROH often tries to take itself too seriously and present itself as a gritty, competitive and athletic product, PWG is just all about fun, enjoyable feel-good pro wrestling with a great cast of characters, jaw-dropping action and a loyal, passionate and vocal fanbase who know the product inside out and react accordingly. 'As The Worm Turns' gets top marks from me.

 

Full show results:

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Jerome 'LTP' Robinson (W, Sky twister press) & Johnny Goodtime beat Malachi 'CK' Jackson (L) & Ryan Taylor

 

Brandon Gatson beat Scott Lost with a flipping face-plant

 

Roderick Strong beat Chris Sabin with the Sick Kick

 

Candice LeRay (W, Moustache Ride), Joey Ryan & Brandon Bonham beat Christina Von Eerie (L) & The Cutler Brothers

 

Chris Hero beat Alex Shelley with the Hero's Welcome

 

Young Bucks retained the PWG World Tag Team Titles over Chuck Taylor & El Generico, pinning Taylor after More Bang For Your Buck

 

Davey Richards beat Kenny Omega with a Kimura to win the PWG World Title

 

[close spoiler]

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[Big Benny HG]

PWG Titannica (10 April 2010)

 

 

All the action from PWG's April 2010 event in Reseda.

 

In a change from the norm, the disc does not open with the usual multi-man/multi-way/tag team chaos, but instead with the usual opening match crew split across 3 matches. As such, Brandon Bonham vs. Malachai Jackson (who is the Young Bucks' little brother, if you didn't know), Brandon Gatson vs. Ryan Taylor and then The Cutler Brothers vs. Johnny Goodtime & Jerome 'LTP' Robinson bring the same craziness and flashiness across the first 40 minutes of the show. You know the score: sloppy in places and plenty will hate this type of thing, but if you like ridiculous over-the-top innovative moves, nutty dives and such like, you'll get a kick out of these. I personally found them to be good fun, perfectly adequate undercard offerings. Of course, this being PWG in Reseda, the packed live audience go crazy for everything they do, which really adds to all 3 of the contests.

 

It's rare you see a bad El Generico match these days, but that's precisely the result when he is pitted against a porky Paul London. It really is incredible to see how far the former WWE Tag Champion has fallen, but his sloppiness, botches, wackiness, stalling, stop-starting and general weirdness rob the match of any kind of momentum or structure and makes it a real struggle to get into this one and for it to keep your attention. Accordingly, the usually rabid live crowd is remarkably quiet for the most part, but does come alive for the very last few minutes where, admittedly, it finally does start to get a hint of being a bit tasty. A shame - these 2 could, and should, have done better.

 

A fun, if a tad over-long, inter-gender bout of Joey Ryan vs. Christina Von Eerie sees Ryan at his comically sleazy and sadistically vicious best, perfect for this type of thing, while Von Eerie has to hit and run to stay ahead of her obviously larger, stronger foe. From there, Roderick Strong is the first challenger for Davey Richards' newly won PWG World Title, grabbing the microphone beforehand and setting out in no-nonsense style that he is coming for Davey's belt. That sets the scene for a punishing, super-intense, hard-hitting and supremely competitive title tussle between former tag partners in both PWG and ROH. The bout is well paced and builds nicely from back-and-forth advantage changes to bigger moves, big reversals, near falls and near submissions. The feverish, red-hot atmosphere created by wildly enthusiastic fans adds to the package. While it doesn't exceed the heights of the Richards-Omega match on the previous DVD release, it doesn't fall far short and is an excellent singles main event in its own right. Over the last few shows, the PWG singles' World Title has actually started to mean something significant, something which hasn't been able to be said for a long time.

 

The true main event of the show is another hugely anticipated World Tag Team Title defence from those dastardly, hated Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), this time putting the belts up against the returning Briscoe Brothers (Jay & Mark). One of the great things about this heel Bucks' title run is that the fans are convinced each time out that their opponents are finally going to be one the ones to bring their record-breaking reign to an end, and so are completely bought into the action. The evil Bucks role also adds a different dynamic to the usual Briscoes vs. Jacksons matches you may have seen in ROH, so this feels fresh and exciting. The Bucks try their usual run-in-from-the-crowd sneak attack, but the Briscoes fight back early, including hip-tossing Nick Jackson a clear 4 feet over the top rope and halfway up the aisle! From there, shit's awn. The usual dazzling display of breathless action you would expect from these two teams, but better than any of their ROH encounters. Like the Bucks' bout with Taylor and Generico last month, though, this is far from a pointless string of flashy moves: this is two teams, one adoringly loved and one bitterly hated, going all out for the treasured prize. Great match.

 

The disc clocks in at the standard (and perfect) 2hrs 10mins. With the exception of the Paul London contest, there isn't a bad match on the show and the two title bouts at the end are fabulous. Having said that, this will have to settle for being a 'very good' DVD as opposed to an 'essential' one. If you buy/watch it, there is no doubt you will enjoy it (as I did), but if you don't, you won't have missed anything earth-shattering. As such, this one comes recommended to existing PWG fans.

 

Full show results:

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Brandon Bonham beat Malachai 'CK' Jackson with the Hammer of the Gods (Canadian Destroyer)

 

Brandon Gatson beat Ryan Taylor with a flipping face-first sidewalk slam

 

Brandon Cutler & Dustin Cutler beat Jerome Robinson & Johnny Goodtime, pinning Robinson after a spike tombstone

 

Paul London beat El Generico with a shooting star press

 

Joey Ryan beat Christina Von Eerie with a powerbomb and Seeeeeexxxxxx Piiiiiiiiiinnnnn

 

Davey Richards beat Roderick Strong with a Texas Cloverleaf to retain the PWG World Title

 

The Young Bucks beat The Briscoes to retain the PWG World Tag Team Titles, hitting More Bang For Your Buck on Jay Briscoe after belt shots at both Briscoes

 

 

[close spoiler]

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[Big Benny HG]

PWG DDT4 2010 (9 May 2010)

 

 

It's time for the SoCal promotion's annual Dynamic Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament, an 8-team single elimination tournament (in recent years held over 1 night, but it has been a weekender in the past) where the World Tag Team Champs defend their straps throughout, meaning the tournament winning duo will also leave with the gold. Yeah, so what happens if the champs lose by countout or DQ, huh? PWG produces utterly fantastic tag team wrestling, and this annual event is usually stunning. Does this 2 hour 30 minute DVD live up to the same standard?

 

Defending champions and 2009 DDT4 winners The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) are in action right away, taking on Jerome 'LTP' Robinson & Johnny Goodtime, a team somewhat established on PWG undercards over recent months. It was the 2009 DDT4 where the PWG fans decided they'd finally had enough of the Jacksons, which actually breathed new life into their act as they embraced the hate and embarked on a year of terror. Here, 'Little Tiny Playa' and Goodtime throw everything they have at the champions and do a good job of convincing the fans they are going to see an upset. While slightly contrived, this is an enjoyable opening match which is ridiculously good fun.

 

Other first round offerings include Scott Lost & Chuck Taylor vs. El Generico & Paul London ('Peligro Abejas', or 'Danger Bees') in a fine match with a red hot closing stretch, and The Cutler Brothers (Brandon & Dustin) vs. a CMLL Gran Alternativa-style combo of long-established Roderick Strong (who has been to the finals of every DDT4 tourney so far, with different partners) and newcomer Ryan Taylor (no relation to Chuck) in a perfectly adequate encounter. The best of the opening bracket, however, comes in the form of an intriguing-looking international clash pitting multiple-time ROH World Tag Team Champions The Briscoes (Jay & Mark) against Dragon Gate's YAMATO and Akira Tozawa, representing the KAMIKAZE faction. This one is well-paced to tell its story over the course of a longer match, allowing time to get their characters over and allowing the audience to invest in what they are seeing. By the time the false-finishes start kicking in, the fact the fans are jumping over themselves shows that their imaginations have been well and truly captured. Just a really good match.

 

The semi-finals get underway with a scorching battle of brother tandems, as the Young Bucks make their second defence of the evening against the Cutler Brothers. These teams are well acquainted from PWG and other SoCal organisations, including a smashing bout in the opening round of last year's DDT4. Brandon and Dustin are normally antagonistic heels, but the fact they are here taking on the uber-hated Jackson brothers sees them on the receiving end of fierce fan support. This is an excellent match, full of passion, hope, drama and excitement. The now-customary extended sprint towards the finish is simply sensational, with all 4 men coming from all angles in a non-stop feast for the senses. The other semi-final, Peligro Abejas vs. The Briscoes, is a decent enough contest in its own right, but doesn't come close to following.

 

After an overlong and unremarkable Chris Hero vs. Brandon Bonham singles match, the DVD comes to an end with the 2010 DDT4 final: The Young Bucks vs. Peligro Abejas. Nick Jackson appears to legitimately be knocked silly during the early going, but collects himself and from that point it is all mental, edge-of-seat action. Actually, edge-of-seat is not an appropriate term, since the red hot fans were either on their feet or jumping in the air for the spectacular last few minutes, with the Bucks trying anything to retain their titles and London and Generico pushing them further than any challengers so far.

 

A crazy and incredible ending to another superb DVD offering from this promotion. I thoroughly enjoyed this release, and thoroughly recommend it. No other western pro wrestling organisation presents tag team wrestling to the standard of PWG, and this is a perfect showcase of that.

 

Full show results:

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

1st round: The Young Bucks {W, double-superkick} beat Jerome 'LTP' Robinson {L} & Johnny Goodtime to retain the PWG World Tag Team Titles

 

1st round: Paul London {W, shooting star press} & El Generico beat Scott Lost & Chuck Taylor {L}

 

1st round: The Cutler Brothers {W, jumping double-team tombstone} beat Roderick Strong & Ryan Taylor {L}

 

1st round: The Briscoes {W, springboard doomsday device} beat Akira Tozawa {L} & YAMATO

 

Semi-final: The Young Bucks beat The Cutler Brothers to retain the PWG World Tag Team Titles {More Bang For Your Buck on Dustin Cutler}

 

Semi-final: Paul London & El Generico {W, victory roll} beat Jay & Mark {L} Briscoe

 

Chris Hero beat Brandon Bonham with the Hero's Welcome

 

Paul London & El Generico {W, Brainbustaaaaa} beat The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick {L} Jackson) to win the PWG World Tag Team Titles.

 

 

[close spoiler]

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[Dearly Devoted Dexter]

I thought the Young Bucks vs Taylor/ Generico match was superb , second only to Kings vs Briscoes at Big Bang in terms of the best tag match of 2010.

[The Cum Doctor]

Do you mean a straight tag match I assume? I'd definately agree with you on that opinion if that's the case. The main event of PWG Seven is probably the best tag team match in PWG last year though.

 

 

[Only_The_Strong_Survive]

Do you mean a straight tag match I assume? I'd definately agree with you on that opinion if that's the case. The main event of PWG Seven is probably the best tag team match in PWG last year though.

 

Agreed

 

Also Steen Wolf has been released: