Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla – Fear – 10th December 2011
After the amazing conclusion to the last show (Steen Wolf), it’s only fitting that I continue my journey through assorted PWG events by picking up at the very next DVD. The Young Bucks had trashed the epic Steen/Generico World Title Ladder Match for their own purposes…and now face the wrath of Kevin Steen and the returning Super Dragon in a Guerrilla Warfare Match in the main event tonight. The rest of the show looks packed with great wrestling as well. Future Shock look to follow up their outstanding debut performance in October with a win against the RockNES Monsters, the Super Smash Bros. (who themselves had only debuted the show before Steen Wolf) are back to take on the American Wolves, Chris Hero makes a surprise return to test Willie Mack, plus the debut of Amazing Red and the first time I’ve seen Dick Togo in YEARS. Excalibur calls the action in Reseda, CA.
Fightin’ Taylor Boys vs Kenny King/TJ Perkins
I’ve read that originally the Taylors were supposed to be taking on Los Luchas at this show, whilst King and TJP were set for singles action against each other. When Phoenix Star and Zokre couldn’t make it for whatever reason, their matches were rebooked. The Taylors (represented by Ryan and Brian Cage tonight) will be looking to rebound after a loss to the RockNES Monsters at Steen Wolf.
One fan loudly tells Kenny not to ever bring Rhett Titus to PWG with him which is quite funny. The Taylors quickly take out both their impromptu opponents and the referee too for good measure. Ryan drops King with a back suplex on the apron…but the match officially starts with Kenny levelling BCT with a spinning heel kick. Perkins clocks him with a superkick as well, only to turn into a superkick right back at him from Ryan Taylor for 2. Kevin Steen is b*tching on commentary that the Taylors are stealing spot ideas he and Super Dragon had for their match later. They have TJ isolated although their work is so unimpressive the crowd chant ‘this match sucks’ at them. Perkins hangs in the ropes to evade Cage and finally gets a hot tag to King (who is as over as anyone else in the match). Capture suplex drops Ryan, before he is levelled with a lightning fast elbow suicide from TJP. MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR BY BRIAN CAGE! Royal Flush backbreaker from King to Ryan for 2! He then ducks Cage-Taylor’s discus lariat to hit him with a corkscrew enzi. Swanton Bomb gets 2 for Ryan! Detonation Kick by TJ! LAUNCHPAD KENTUCKY DESTROYER wins it for the Taylors at 10:35
Rating - *** - The crowd didn’t seem to enjoy it all the way through, but I thought this was lots of fun and a welcome change of pace from the usual spot-heavy insanity that PWG usually open their show with. Of course this still had plenty of spots, but it was nice to see guys with slightly more name value actually work a semblance of a standard tag match…and dare I say even try to tell a bit of a story before they started ‘getting their sh*t in’ down the straight. Kenny King looked great here
Roderick Strong vs Amazing Red
Despite being in wrestling for more than a decade by this point, this is the first time Red has ever made the trip to the west coast for PWG. He’d only been released from TNA a few months before this so he was just starting to feel his way back onto the indies again – as well as concentrating on creating his own wrestling school.
Strong sensibly wants to work the mat, but can’t pin Red down due to his speed and agility. He instead shunts him into the apron to slow him right down. Even when Amazing does try to build some momentum he’s now hurting – and makes a mistake by slingshotting himself right into a backbreaker. GUTBUSTER INTO THE APRON! Strong is being so violent with Red, lifting him high into the air and tossing him around with ease. Satellite DDT from nowhere brings the smaller man back into the contest even though he’s so roughed up he can’t actually get to his feet to capitalise. Gasping for air he catapults Roddy out of the ring then flies him with a RUNNING CORKSCREW PLANCHA! Yoshino-style missile dropkick gets 2. Code Red blocked into a CHAOS THEORY BACK SUPLEX! POP-UP DEATH BY RODERICK for 2. Red fires back by nipping under a lariat and belting him with the 718 kick. Red Alert nailed, although by this point Red is so fatigued he barely has the strength to cover afterwards. Infra-Red evaded into an Olympic Slam…then the Stronghold. Red refuses to quit, and wriggles all the way round into a modified (i.e. not as good) Code Red for 2. Death By Roderick COUNTERED TO A REVERSE RANA! Red Star Press gets 2. Amazing Red is absolutely gassed by this point and struggles to even stand. Strong destroys him with a NECK DROP GIBSON DRIVER for the win at 14:37.
Rating - *** - I enjoyed this a lot. The crowd reacted extremely positively for Red which definitely helped things. In the end this became something of a carry job though, as Strong held everything together against an opponent who very obviously didn’t have the stamina to go this long in an environment like PWG. Injuries have taken their toll on Red over the years, and after so long working much shorter matches in TNA he did look a little out of his depth. By and large nothing was too badly botched (except that Code Red), the story they were going for held together well (Strong being so brutal with Red explained away how gassed he was) and the finish looked suitably violent. I’m not sure this was enough to get Amazing Red more dates in PWG though.
Joey Ryan/Scorpio Sky/Peter Avalon/Ray Rosas vs B-Boy/Famous B/Chris Kadillak/Candice LeRae
The men (and woman) who normally open their show with their inane spot shenanigans have been bumped up the card and had some star power added to their ranks. The Dynasty of Joey Ryan and Scorpio Sky add a sleazy, heelish edge to the crew normally led by Peter Avalon…whilst on the other side the hard-hitting, high impact B-Boy joins Candice LeRae and the two rookies on her team.
The heel team are all wearing floral trunks and neckerchiefs inspired by Joey. Kadillak starts by laying in as many kicks to Rosas as possible. Avalon tags…and shocks everyone by calling B-Boy a ‘b*tch’ and demanding he fight him. Obviously B-Boy beats the sh*t out of him, to the extent that the rest of his team has to rescue him. Sky and Famous are in next to work a pretty sweet back and forth exchange. Candice is in next, driving Ryan back into the corner with a NIPPLE CRIPPLE! To the delight of Peter Avalon on the apron, Joey’s response is to simulate raping her as the crowd chant ‘this is wrestling’. Octopus stretch by LeRae…until Scorpio KICKS HER IN THE HEAD! The next segment is hysterical and appalling in equal measure. With Candice knocked out, Ryan and Scorpio spit-roast her, then dump her body on top of Avalon – who rubs his face in her crotch. Rosas wants a go as well and it’s only then that her partners see fit to help her out. FOUR WAY House Party kicks in the corner by the babyfaces! We then go back to where we started with Kadillak and Rosas trading entertaining, albeit slightly contrived spots. Ray manages to drag Kadi to his corner, allowing his team to isolate him. Finally Chris hits the SHOOTING STAR CANNONBALL on Scorpio and tags out to LeRae. NECK DROP BALL-PLEX ON AVALON! HEAD DROP BALL-PLEX ON SKY! FOUR WAY LION-COCK PUNCHES BY THE HEELS! BUT CANDICE HAS A VAGINA! NO SOLD! She walks around dishing out Pimp Slaps to all her opponents. TOPE TORNADO DDT ON THE FLOOR! RYAN SPEARS HER OFF THE APRON! CORKSCREW TOPE BY KADILLAK! Sky nearly misses everyone on his somersault plancha…before Famous B jumps over B-Boy into a RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! SIT-OUT BOMB ON THE APRON from B-Boy to Rosas! STANDING super rana from Scorpio to B-Boy gets 2. Rosas counters the Ball-Plex into a German suplex on Candice…but turns into a Gory Special knee strike from Kadillak. Joey nearly wins it with a spinebuster on Kadi as the bodies really start to pile up. SWANTON BOMB ON RYAN’S F*CKING HEAD by Famous! LeRae nails Rosas with a stunner, gets a neckbreaker from Sky. 70’S SUPERKICK ON FAMOUS B! ACE CRUSHER from B-Boy to Joey! Ryan slowly crawls back to his feet…and grabs Candice for a BOOB-GROPE GERMAN SUPLEX! She is knocked out so we get ‘more simulated rape’ – Steen. ‘She said no’ – Reseda. MOUSTACHE RIDE BY CANDICE! Avalon saves! Dynasty beat LeRae with a Superkick/TKO combo at 21:47
Rating - **** - A generous 4* rating, but one I felt this match deserved nonetheless. The humour may not have been to everyone’s taste, the match went a little long and probably peaked a few minutes before the finish…but for the most part I had a blast. Any match that goes longer than twenty minutes, never once feels boring and packs in comedy, high spots, some solid wrestling and some awesome nostalgic references to PWG stars of the past is ok with me. The Lion-Cock vagina no sell by Candice was a particular highlight of mine, I absolutely cracked up watching that. If you like the PWG style you’ll definitely enjoy this.
Chris Hero vs Willie Mack
At this point Hero had finished up all his independent dates and left companies like PWG and ROH as he waited to head to Florida to begin work in WWE developmental. Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro) had signed up with no issues, but weeks kept going by without Hero following him. He took a few indy dates over the holiday period (he also worked a couple of ROH shows) and was supposed to be a surprise appearance here – although Excalibur revealed on commentary that their sound guy had ruined it by playing Hero’s music by mistake earlier in the show). Booking him against Mack makes sense too since Willie is working an angle where he tests himself against all the top guys in PWG despite not having the experience or skills they have. At Steen Wolf he pushed Davey Richards to the limit before succumbing to defeat. Can he pull off an upset tonight against the WWE-bound Chris Hero to make up for that loss?
The show is now so blighted by sound problems that the ring announcer’s mic has totally broken. Amazingly, despite Hero’s shock return the raucous Reseda crowd actually hush up so he can yell his introductions anyway. Hero absolutely TEARS into Willie, anxious to avenge a loss to him in this year’s BOLA. Mack tries to retaliate so Hero SMACKS THE SH*T out of him with elbow strikes. Eventually the sheer size and power of Willie brings him back into proceedings – and perhaps wisely he takes the match outside for a brawl on the floor. Chris soon realises he can’t afford to brawl with him, and drags him back to assault the leg against the turnbuckles. Inside the ring he is able to use his lethal combination of devastating strikes and bewildering wrestling techniques to control the less experienced man. To his credit, Willie continually refuses to stay down despite taking a pretty savage beating. He drags his heavy body into a rolling gutbuster/exploder combo…before getting knocked about with knee strikes then an IRON CLAW SLAM! Apparently that’s a tribute to his friend Bison Smith! Standing moonsault from Mack…countered to a cravat neckbreaker for 2. Ripcord Elbow ducked, into a roundhouse kick from Willie. Hero hits back with a slingshot stomp/rolling elbow combo…but stays down afterwards making you start to wonder whether he is punching himself out. Death Blow blocked…Roaring Elbow COUNTERED TO A HEAD DROP GERMAN! MDX lariat follows it too as Mack’s momentum starts to build. DEATH BLOW! MACK KICKS OUT! Hero looks seriously fatigued now – almost dropping Mack on his shoulders on a basic body slam. LARIAT BY MACK! BACK DROP DRIVER! CHOCOLATE THUNDER DRIVER! Mack wins at 14:26
Rating - **** - This one used a fraction of the amount of moves the 8-man tag that preceded it had, but told twice as much story. For it’s spot on the card (well, a PWG card anyway) this one set a perfect tone. They didn’t throw everything they had into false finishes and manic high spots since that would take heat off the main events, but what they did was strip things back to a nice, simple central plot that worked so well holding everything together. Hero started hot, and looked to beat the snot out of Willie from the opening bell – with solid reason for doing so considering his shock loss to Mack at BOLA. Willie showed he could be a danger with the brawl on the floor spot, which meant this one didn’t play out like a total squash or a fluke win…but most of the match was dominated by Hero. That was the point of it. He swung away at him like a windmill, knocking him around with as much offence as he could muster. But he didn’t put Willie away…and eventually wore himself out. Despite being the bigger guy Mack conserved his energy, absorbed a lot of the punishment that came his way and waited until Chris had punched himself out. Hero almost dropped him going for a body slam signalling how exhausted he had now become…and having survived the onslaught Mack was able to finish him off with one heavy-duty flurry. Super-underrated match in my opinion
Future Shock vs RockNES Monsters
After their spectacular debut against the Young Bucks at Steen Wolf there was no way Cole and O’Reilly weren’t going to be brought back. They may have failed to win the PWG Tag Titles that night, but they more than earned more bookings with the company. Duly they are back, and looking to fight their way back into title contention against the Monsters – who have some momentum behind them after a win over the Taylors last time out.
Yuma has his work cut out hanging with O’Reilly when it comes to trading strikes. He resorts to using his ass to attack Kyle, who is so put off by the approach he tags out immediately afterwards. Goodtime charges at Cole with E Honda slaps – once again an unorthodox approach which takes the newcomer to PWG totally off his game. Future Shock have seen enough of their opponents’ antics and enter the ring together to unleash a flurry of double teams on Goodtime. The Monsters are no strangers to double team offence though, as they respond by trapping Cole in the ring and beating him senseless in the ropes. Adam manages to drop Yuma with a superkick though, hauling the smaller member of the RockNES Monsters into his corner to isolate him. Yuma desperately tries to escape after a couple of minutes of abuse – freeing himself with a neat DDT/Stunner combo to both opponents. Goodtime tagged and he rips into Cole and O’Reilly double stomps from as many different angles as possible. Slingshot DDT on the apron for him from Cole! He then kicks Yuma in the head as he attempts a tope! ROLLING BUTTERFLIES by O’Reilly! He hits eight of them on Yuma, then launches Goodtime into an ocean cyclone suplex by Cole for 2. Goodtime scoops his flailing tag partner up to DVD him into Adam’s chest. DOUBLE LUNGBLOWER COMBO gets 2 for Future Shock. All four then take each other out in rapid fire fashion…leaving them all down on the canvas. Yuma hits the Sex Factor on Cole, who then gets a frog splash from Goodtime…giving the Monsters the win at 16:40
Rating - *** - A step down in quality from the previous two matches in that it didn’t have the psychological depth of Mack/Hero or the high spots/entertainment value of the comedy 8-man. Having said that, this was still a competent, formulaic American junior heavyweight tag. Everyone did something enjoyable at some point and for the most part they kept the crowd with them.
American Wolves vs Super Smash Bros.
Much like Future Shock, the Smash Bros. are being brought back here after an impressive debut outing at a recent event. And like Future Shock, after defeat in their first PWG match things don’t get any easier for them. Tonight they face one of the premier teams on the independent scene in Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. Will they be able to pull off the upset?
Player Dos makes fun of fans chanting ‘USA’ at them which I found hilarious. He starts with Edwards, who doesn’t seem interested in his antics and wants to get down to the serious business of wrestling. Hero is on commentary and puts over the match these two had on ROH TV which is pretty cool. Davey has a similar approach to his partner when he gets in there with Uno and absolutely savages him with strikes. The response of the Wolves to the Smash Bros’ random posing in the middle of the match is so funny. THROUGH THE LEGS TOPE CON HILO BY UNO! Excalibur genuinely asks Chris Hero why he didn’t work Willie Mack’s ‘gunt’ – meaning I’ve laughed more in the first five minutes of this match than I have in the rest of my day thus far. The Smash Bros endure a period of dominance after taking their opponents off their game with a series of weird antics and innovative double teams. Uno is put over as a fearsome striker in his own right, but can’t compete with the Wolves on that front and finds himself on the receiving end of a number of violent kicks and chops. The fans actually beg Eddie not to chop him anymore…so he gets slapped instead! Eventually he tags out to Stupefied after an elevated flatliner on Richards. Edwards is dropped with a quebrada tornado DDT…before Dos propels himself into a HUGE somersault plancha to the floor to wipe Davey out too. Facebuster/missile dropkick combo puts the Wolves back on top though since Uno is still too beaten up to help his partner out. Player Uno does finally return to help…only to be smashed right back out by Eddie’s elbow suicida. SUPERPLEX/FALCON ARROW COMBO gets 2 for Davey! Anklelock applied…and as Uno tries to save he gets rolled into the ACHILLES LOCK! Bicycle kicks by Uno…so Richards puts him in the Anklelock too! Dos saves with a reverse rana before getting spiralled through the air by an Edwards lariat. Against the back drop of this craziness inside the ring Hero and Excalibur are discussing the plot of Lost. The Wolves take turns teeing off on both their opponents with machine gun kicks and chops, only for the Smash Bros to power out into the GET OVER HERE launchpad belly to belly. WATER WHEEL LUNGBLOWER GETS 2! Davey saves Edwards from Fatality…only for Uno to NO SELL his kicks. SLAP DUEL! UNO SLAPS DAVEY’S MOUTHGUARD OUT! DOUBLE ALARM CLOCK! Richards punts Stupefied in the face then joins his partner for the double stomp combo. CHOP TO THE FACE BY EDDIE! POWERBOMB LUNGBLOWER! ACHILLES LOCK WITH HEAD STOMPS! The ref stops the match before Uno is murdered – and the Wolves win in 22:09
Rating - **** - These two teams have a really natural chemistry together. The SUPER-SERIOUS approach of the Wolves is such a natural contrast to the jovial, light-hearted Smash Brother style and it really works. In this one the Wolves were positioned as the veterans of the company so rightly controlled long periods of the contest, but actually the most interesting portions were when Uno and Dos were on offence. I loved the idea of them unsettling the Wolves with their goofy shenanigans. And I really enjoyed that Uno was pushed as a competent striker in his own right (not just a comedy guy) meaning that when he started trading shots with Richards down the stretch – you really believed it was an even fight. Even if it ended in a rather convincing defeat I think this did a lot to put over the Smash Brothers, and portray them as a genuine, main event level team in PWG. Jim Cornette famously theorised that the Smash Bros. would never draw during their time in ROH – but I’d be willing to bet Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla could make some money off them if they can book them regularly enough.
This one ends with Eddie comically refusing to shake Davey’s hand after the match – since they were feuding over the World Title in ROH.
El Generico vs Dick Togo
Generico’s newly-won PWG World Title isn’t on the line tonight. That may be just as well because he has a stern test waiting in the ring for him tonight. Togo has competed all over the world, and delivered classic matches and show-stealing performances wherever he’s been. Now at more than forty years old, he appears in PWG as part of the international leg of his retirement tour. This may well be his last ever match in the United States so he’ll certainly want to go out with a bang.
Togo gets a great reception, which is awesome to see. Chris Hero and Excalibur are both marking out on commentary too. The idea they run with early is that, despite being a pioneer of the modern junior heavyweight style, Dick can’t live with Generico in terms of speed so instead tries to use his speed and low centre of gravity to control the mat instead. He’s also got years of experience on Generico too, and makes the luchador look a fool for accepting a handshake then getting booted in the stomach. More veteran moves come moments later as he hightails it into the crowd as Generico sets up a potential dive spot to the floor. The champ looks to pummel Togo with strikes instead…and that doesn’t work either as Dick clocks him across the mouth with a lariat. Standing moonsault gets 2. His offence is rugged and uncompromising and it reduces the PWG Champion to real mess on the floor. Generico, with his legs buckling under him, somehow drives Togo out of the ring for a SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT INTO THE CROWD! As Hero points out, that’s the first time Generico has been able to break out one of his big guns, and it puts him into the ascendancy for the first time. But just as quickly as his advantage arrived, Togo shuts it down with a diving neckbreaker for 2. Some of Dick’s striking has looked absolutely brutal in this one. He visibly snaps Generico’s neck back on another hard lariat, but amazingly the masked man no sells it and drops him with a NECK DROP Michinoku Driver! SNAP HALF NELSON SUPLEX gets 2! YAKUZA KICK! HALF NELSON SUPLEX AGAIN! NO SOLD! CROSSFACE ON GENERICO! YAKUZA KICK! BRAINBUSTER! TOGO KICKS OUT! FFF PEDIGREE! NO SOLD BY GENERICO! PEPSI PLUNGE BY DICK! SENTON BOMB NAILED! FOR 2! Togo perches himself on the ropes again – which is obviously a huge mistake! YAKUZA KICK! TURNBUCKLE BRAINBUSTAAAAAAAAAAAH! Generico wins at 21:35
Rating - **** - Absolutely awesome match. Kudos to PWG for bringing a guy like Dick Togo in and treating him like a huge star. He’s a respected veteran, but not necessarily someone who was going to draw that well for them on name alone. However, his vast skill inside the ring made him such a natural opponent for the fiery babyface PWG Champion. This felt so natural, with Togo rolling back the years and taking Generico to school no matter what tactic he tried. In the end he forced Generico into taking a huge risk (the moonsault into the crowd) – but unfortunately for him Generico’s gamble paid off. He was back in the match, and as we ticked past twenty minutes Generico’s stamina, speed and endurance shone through against his tiring, 40+ year old opponent. The last five minutes were insanely good.
Young Bucks vs Appetite For Destruction – PWG Tag Title Guerrilla Warfare Match
Appetite For Destruction is the team name Kevin Steen and Super Dragon have given themselves. The Bucks screwed Steen out of the World Title at Steen Wolf by attacking him when he looked set to win the match. They then returned after Generico had won and launched into another assault, goading the dethroned champ and cockily challenging him to a handicap Guerrilla Warfare Match. Unfortunately for them an unlikely ally returned to the company to save Steen’s bacon. Super Dragon, once a hated enemy of Steen, made a memorable comeback and assaulted the arrogant Tag Champions. Together with Mr Wrestling he has now accepted the challenge of a Guerrilla Warfare Match. Will the tag experience and silky double team skills be enough for the Bucks to survive tonight, or will they fall victim to the undeniably intimidating but potentially self-destructive duo across the ring from them?
The champs appear to be jumped during their entrance…and Dragon absolutely MURDERS Nick with chair shots and elbows in the crowd. Nick looks absolutely terrified as S-Drag swings at him like a psychopath. The poor guy gets back dropped through an open chair as well as his beating continues. Soon his body is totally covered in bruises so it’s to his credit that he still tries to swing chair shots back in Dragon’s direction. CHOP TO THE FACE! FROG SPLASH OFF THE APRON BY STEEN! Not content with that he scoops Matt right back up and F-5’s him back onto the apron as well. Capo kick/Cannonball combo by the challengers! Super D then CURB STOMPS MATT INTO NICK’S CROTCH! It takes him a few minutes to recover, but eventually Matt is back on his feet – and he catches Dragon with a SPRINGBOARD TORNADO DDT TO THE FLOOR! Sadly for him he didn’t take Kevin Steen out before he plants him with the Apron Bomb. Nick hurls himself into a pescado, and is caught with a KAMIKAZE ROLL THROUGH THE FIRST SIX ROWS! TOPE CON HILO BY DRAGON! A table is opened up amongst the fans now, only for Nick to come to his brother’s rescue before they can use it. He lands the slingshot X-Factor on a chair on Steen – then hops to the top rope to FROG SPLASH DRAGON THROUGH THE TABLE ON THE FLOOR! The co-founder of PWG has been incapacitated for the time being meaning that the Bucks get time to work Steen over. Nick slices his hand open using part of the table wreckage as a weapon yet still continues with his task of keeping Super Dragon out of the ring so they can beat the sh*t out of a helpless Mr Wrestling. SUPERKICK FLURRY! STEEN NO SELLS! EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S! STEEN NO SELLS! MORE SUPERKICKS! ONE COUNT OF DISRESPECT! SPINEBUSTER THROUGH TWO OPEN CHAIRS! Steen is dead! NICK 450 SPLASHES A TRASH CAN INTO HIS FACE! Super Dragon makes the save and hauls Matt into the corner for a Violence Party. PSYCHO DRIVER COUNTERED TO A DOUBLE SUPERKICK! The Bucks attempt to finish S-Drag off in the corner, only to be fought back with the missile dropkick/senton bomb combo. A resurgent Steen somehow lifts Matt up for a sleeper suplex…and all four collapse to the canvas in a heap. With the help of a few fans Dragon sets up another table on the floor before a low blow prevents him from being able to use it. Steen saves with a PUMPHANDLE CRADLEBREAKER THROUGH AN OPEN CHAIR! PSYCHO DRIVER OFF THE APRON THROUGH THE TABLE ON NICK! Dragon then DOUBLE STOMPS Matt’s unprotected head through an open chair. DOUBLE STOMP PACKAGE PILEDRIVER! We have new PWG Tag Champions at 23:25
Rating - **** - Another bat sh*t crazy main event hardcore brawl from Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla. As a stunt display it wasn’t as insane as the Peligro Abejas/Bucks/Cutlers match from Seven, and as a brutal fight it wasn’t as mental as the Steen/Super Dragon Guerrilla Warfare, or Super Dragon/Necro BOLA 2006 clash, so I had to lower my rating to reflect that. But man these guys absolutely brutalised each other. Super Dragon always looks like a vicious motherf*cker, but he was legitimately terrifying in this match. I’m not sure whether it was legit fear or incredible facial selling, but Nick Jackson looked like he feared for his life during several interactions with him. The actual nuts and bolts of the contest played out perfectly. Steen and Dragon beat the sh*t out of the smaller guys for the first ten minutes. That made sense – Steen was still pissed about losing the belt, whilst Dragon is one of the most feared acts in PWG history. But, as Excalibur and Hero pointed out on commentary, the Young Bucks weren’t the longest reigning Tag Champs in company history for nothing. They showed great resilience and resourcefulness to survive the initial onslaught, incapacitate the more dangerous opponent (Dragon) then try to win the match by isolating Steen. It nearly worked with the 450 Trash Can Splash too. Ultimately though, the tactic failed and the Jacksons’ lengthy run with the belts came to an end with one final flurry of mind-blowing violence from Appetite For Destruction.
Steen and Dragon destroy the sh*tty PWG belts because they ‘have Young Buck stink on them’, and Dragon (through Steen obviously) dedicates the match to his girlfriend for beating cancer in 2011. The Reseda crowd pop as loud for that dedication as they did for the title change which is really touching.
Tape Rating - **** - I can’t recommend this show highly enough. There’s not a bad match on the card, there are several outstanding matches – but the real selling point of this one is that there are so many different styles showcased. The main event is a killer hardcore brawl. Togo/Generico is a wonderful junior heavyweight bout. The 8-man delivered comedy and high spots in spades. Hero and Willie Mack was a brutal strike-fest. Every taste is catered for, you get veterans, rising stars and independent superstars in their prime all coming together to produce an outstanding final PWG show of 2011. If you can pick this DVD up anywhere it’s well worth the money
Top 3 Matches
3) American Wolves vs Super Smash Bros. (****)
2) El Generico vs Dick Togo (****)
1) Young Bucks vs Appetite For Destruction (****)