1) Cedric Alexander vs. Andrew Everett vs. Trevor Lee
Here we have some fresh faces appearing in PWG. This was both Andrew Everett and Trevor Lee's debut in PWG and it was Cedric Alexander's first appearance in PWG since 2010. Since Alexander is the only one of these men to ever compete in PWG, the crowd was heavily behind from the start as "ALEXANDER!" chants flooded the legion hall. Andrew Everett got a decent response when he was introduced as well, but Trevor Lee being the least known competitor got a mixed reaction, including "Who are you?" chants. Regardless of what the fans thought of Lee before the match, it was all changed when these three guys tore the house down! Mid-way through the match the "Who are you?" chants turned into "TREVOR LEE!" and "THIS IS AWESOME!" Everett and Lee won over the PWG crowd while Alexander proved he's still just as great - if not better - than when he last competed in Pro Wrestling Guerilla. This was just an amazing opening match with alot of jaw dropping moments. Everett hit what was literally one of the highest dives I've ever seen, he was so close to hitting the roof, it was insane. This was just an all around awesome match with tons of action. I'm glad to
see these three amazing young wrestlers in PWG! As Rick Knox said on commentary "We may be looking at some future PWG superstars here." I agree. After this great performance and the way the crowd responded, I'm excited to see what the future holds for each of these men in PWG. One hell of an opening contest!
Match rating - ****
2) Peter Avalon & RockNES Monsters vs. B-Boy, Willie Mack, & Joey Ryan
PWG normally has a six man tag like this as a show opener, but tonight we got a triple threat in that slot instead. Regardless of it's position on the card, this match was just as great. PWG six man tags are so much fun and this was no different. From all the dives to Willie Mack running and knocking Yuma & Goodtime in two different directions - it was all around good stuff. The ending sequence was pretty damn crazy as one of the cameramen got knocked down apparently so some of the action didn't get caught on camera, but Willie Mack powerbombed Avalon into the crowd/some chairs while B-Boy ran off the apron and cut a flip onto Yuma. Really good six man tag with alot of action. So much fun.
Match rating - ***1/4
3) Anthony Nese vs. Roderick Strong
There always seems to be atleast one technically based match on every PWG show and on this particular show - Nese & Strong took that role. Just a phenomenally wrestled match with alot of fluent catch wrestling. Strong has basically become the guy that every newcomer in PWG faces and that isn't a bad thing because all the matches turn out great just like this one. Nese continued to impress me in this match with how outstanding of a wrestler he is. This was a great technically based match. Not much else I can say here. Very enjoyable to watch.
Match rating - ***1/4
4) African American Wolves (AR Fox & ACH) vs. Inner City Machine Guns (Ricochet & Rich Swann) vs. Unbreakable F'N Machines (Michael Elgin & Brian Cage)
Heading into this match, I knew it would be really good, but holy shit did they blow my expectations out of the water. This was an AWESOME match. Literally nearly 30 minutes of nonstop action, phenomenal wrestling and breathtaking spots. Some of these amazing moments include Michael Elgin diving over the top rope, Brian Cage cutting a backflip off the top turnbuckle to the outside, Ricochet and AR Fox both diving OVER two separate turnbuckles to the outside of the ring at the same time, Cage holding Rich Swann in the air for nearly 2 minutes, and so many more. Some may accuse me of overrating this match, but dammit I loved it. These guys threw EVERYTHING in their repetories at each other. They left it all in the ring. Beyond that, everything in this match just seemed perfect. The timing, the pace - everything. For example, ACH took a fan's hat at ringside and came back in the ring with it on only for Rich Swann to kick him in the head and when Swann kicked him in the head, the hat flew way out into the crowd - you can't fucking plan that! Stuff like that is just magic. Everything flowed so well here and the action was amazing. That's why I'm giving this one the highest rating possible. It's without a doubt a Match of the Year candidate and will probably be regarded as one of my favorite PWG matches ever! MUST SEE!
Match rating - ****1/2
5) Chris Hero vs. Tomasso Ciampa
After one hell of a first half of the show, it's time for the second half and damn it's starting with a bang! Two of the heaviest hitters in pro wrestling - Chris Hero and Tomasso Ciampa going at it! The match started with some mat wrestling and arm drag takedowns, but it soon transformed into an absolute slugfest. Ciampa really set out to prove that he could hang with "The Knockout Artist" and that he possibly was the new "Young Knockout Kid". Ciampa talked shit to Hero throughout the match especially when he had him in submissions, one time he said "Chris, WWE called and they still don't fucking want you!" WHOA! This one turned nasty pretty quickly after that. Hero threw vicious elbow after brutal kick after vicious elbow to Ciampa's head, but Ciampa would do one of two things each time - kick out of a pin attempt at 1 or sit back up and give Hero the middle finger. Ciampa ended up dishing out some super physical kicks to Hero as well. These two beat the living hell out of each other and it was so fun to watch. If you like strikes in wrestling, you'll love this match. That's bascially what this was - a striking battle with a few submissions sprinkled in.
Match rating - ***1/2
6) Kyle O'Reilly vs. Johnny Gargano
Here we have the two MVP's of last year's Battle of Los Angeles tournament, squaring off for the first time in a PWG ring. Kyle O'Reilly has been one of my favorites for quite some time while Gargano has been teetering on the brink of becoming one of my favorites. Gargano's performance at BOLA really swayed me towards becoming a fan, but his match Cole at All Star Weekend 10 Night 2 was a bit below par so this match could sway me either way. Needless to say, this match made even more a fan of Kyle and a new fan of Johnny Gargano. O'Reilly and Gargano went move for move in a phenomenal pure wrestling match. Words won't do this match justice because it was amazing. These two are the future of PWG and pro wrestling as a whole and this match proves it. Incredible bout between two of the best wrestlers in the world today and the second Match of the Year Candidate on this card!
Match rating - ****1/2
7) The Young Bucks vs. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent?) - PWG World Tag Team Title Match
Since Chuck Taylor & Trent won the DDT4 tournament in January, they were rewarded with a tag team title shot. They began teaming in August of last year and have quickly become one of the most popular teams in PWG. They were the clear favorites here as The Young Bucks are part of the most hated stable in Pro Wrestling Guerilla, Mount Rushmore. This started out with some fast paced action from both teams, but soon slowed down a bit as The Bucks took control. Trent was finally able to make the tag to Chuck and the action picked up again from there. The closing minutes of this match were phenomenal as so much was going on. For a moment there I thought Best Friends were going to win the titles, but the ref being knocked out caused them to not be able to get the victory. After several minutes without a ref, Rick Knox hit the ring for the count after Best Friends hit a very impressive manuever on The Bucks. Chuck and Trent both cover Matt and Nick - 1..2... ADAM COLE IS HERE! Cole pulls Knox out of the ring and starts arguing with him. RICK KNOX SUPERKICKS ADAM COLE! In the end, The Bucks retain after a low blow. Good tag team match with a fantastic final stretch.
Match rating - ***1/2
8) Adam Cole vs. Candice LeRae - PWG World Championship Match
Adam Cole stayed out near the ring after helping his team mates, The Young Bucks, win the previous match. Cole issues an open challenge for his title which is answered by Candice LeRae! The crowd is hot for her as usual. I'm a big fan of hers so it was nice to see her finally get a shot after how hard she's worked in PWG over the years, especially this past year. This wasn't the greatest match, but everyone was behind Candice and she deserved this opportunity. It was pretty competitive, but in the end Adam Cole escapes with the victory. The ending came off a bit lackluster as the crowd was so pissed that Cole retained that all you heard were boos and silence.
Match rating - ***1/4
Overall thoughts: The first six matches on this show are outstanding. They are worth the price of this DVD alone. The opening three-way was insane and had the crowd going crazy. The six man tag that followed was your classic awesome PWG six man tag. Strong/Nese was a fun technical bout. Hero/Ciampa was a stiff, brutal, strike heavy encounter. There are two match of the year candidate bouts on this show. Those being the Triple Threat Tag Team Match which was 30 minutes of absolute insanity and the amazing match between Kyle O'Reilly and Johnny Gargano. The two title matches were actually my least favorite part of this show. The Young Bucks and Adam Cole continue to play great heels, but they've been on top of PWG for over a year now, I think the time has come for some new faces to take the championships. I truly believe that will happen at the next PWG show on May 23rd as Kyle O'Reilly challenges Adam Cole for the PWG Title. Kyle is the most over guy in PWG right now and I think he's the perfect guy to end Cole's historic title reign, it will make even more popular. But back to this show, it was fantastic and definitely worth checking out. Although the final two matches seemed lackluster to be main event bouts, the first six matches make this show worth your money.
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