Highspots Presents: Claudio Castagnoli - A Very European Collection 6 Disc Set Review

Highspots presents: Claudio Castagnoli - A Very European Collection 6 Disc Set

After being blown away by the in-ring abilities of Cesaro in WWE, I began looking back on his work before he signed to WWE. The first pre-WWE part of Claudio's career that I checked out was in PWG where I saw him have fantastic matches with the likes of PAC (Adrian Neville), El Generico (Sami Zayn), Doug Williams, & Chris Hero. From that point on, I was hooked on Cesaro's wrestling. This led me to purchasing this 6 disc set released by Highspots.com which highlights Claudio's time in IWA Mid-South and Combat Zone Wrestling. It features a total of 47 matches against the likes of CM Punk, Alex Shelley, Chris Hero, Jimmy Jacobs, El Generico, Sami Callihan, Drake Younger, Sara Del Rey, Michael Elgin & many more. I can't wait to get into so let's get started.

1) Swiss Money Holding (Claudio Castagnoli & Ares) vs. Chris Hero & Mark Wolf - IWA Mid South: We Are Family - 7/4/03
This DVD gets off to a great start as Claudio enters the ring wearing a badass suit while Chris Hero comes out to "Rape Me" by Nirvana. Unfortunately that was the only real highlight of this match. Claudio & Ares did some solid heel tag team work here by dominating the majority of the match and using some nice double team moves. Hero got worked over most of the bout which built towards him finally getting the hot tag to Wolf. Wolf comes in cleaning house only to recieve an inadvertant elbow to the jaw from Hero which ends up costing them the match. All in all, the match was pretty basic aside from a unique double team manuever by Claudio & Ares where Ares wheelbarrowed Claudio up and drove him shoulder first into Hero in the corner. Everything else was basically just body slams, arm drags, and rest holds. The match was your typical heel heat format early on with the babyface comeback at the end never really happening. Not a "bad" match per say, but it was pretty dull. Could have been better if they had gotten more time because the finish felt like it came out of nowhere although it was a logical way to end the bout.

Match rating - **1/4

2) Swiss Money Holding (Claudio Castagnoli & Ares) vs. Steve Stone & Beef Wellington III - IWA Mid South - 7/12/03

WWE: Night of Champions 2012 Review

1) The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes - Intercontinental Championship Match
There was a vast number of styles in this match which caused for a slow start with some miscommunication however it turned into a solid opening bout. The exchanges between Cara and Mysterio were great, Rhodes held his own, and Miz played his role very well. Some nice action & nearfalls followed by a clever victory from Miz ends this fun opening match.

Match rating - **3/4

2) Daniel Bryan & Kane vs. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth - Tag Team Title Match
The first thing I noticed about this match was how over Daniel Bryan was. I remembered him being popular and the Team Hell No stuff being hilarious although I didn't realize his major popularity went back this far. The fans loved him so much that every time Kofi Kingston hit a move on him, they would boo. It was crazy. None the less, this was an enjoyable little bout that did what it set out to do which was showcase more tension between Bryan & Kane only for them to win the belts in accidental fashion.

Match rating - **1/2

3) Antonio Cesaro vs. Zack Ryder - United States Championship Match

PWG: Untitled II Review

After the 2014 Battle of Los Angeles rocked the wrestling world in August, PWG returned on October 17th with it's "Untitled II" event. At BOLA, Roderick Strong took his feud with Kyle O'Reilly to a new level by planting him through some chairs thus taking him out of the tournament. That comes to head at this event as they face off in the main event for the PWG World Championship. Can Roderick Strong finally accomplish the one thing he hasn't been able to accomplish in his 8 years in PWG?

This event also features the PWG debut of Uhaa Nation, the returns of Brian Cage & AR Fox after they missed BOLA due to injury, and a guest appearance by Ronda Rousey in the crowd. So let's not wait any longer to get into the festivities!

1) Biff Busick vs. Tomasso Ciampa
After a year in PWG, Ciampa finally had his breakout performance at BOLA in an impressive bout with Michael Elgin. In my review of those shows, I said that I felt like this would propel Ciampa to the next level in PWG and after seeing this match with Busick, I think it's safe to say I was right. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but the show opened up with "CIAMPA'S GONNA KILL YOU!" chants ringing through my tv screen. Busick & Ciampa then proceeded to tear the house down in what was arguably one of the best opening matches in PWG history. I honestly think this ranks right up there with Steen/PAC and Bucks/Edwards & Strong. This was one of the most vicious matches I've seen recently and the crowd was super hot so it made this even more awesome. Some highlights include a brutal trading of strikes, a half & half suplex off the top turnbuckle, and Ronda Rousey chopping Busick at ringside. Busick has only been on 4 PWG shows, but he's already established himself, this match did alot for him and continued to raise the stock of Ciampa. Awesome opener!

PWG: It's It (What is It?) Review

PWG It's It (What Is It?) Review

On June 8th 2008, PWG held it's final show before the fifth anniversary event, Life During Wartime. The main event is a three way match to determine the #1 Contender to the PWG World Championship. Excalibur and Dino Winwood are on commentary for the evening.

1) Scott Lost vs. Mikey Nicholls
Here we have the debuting Mikey Nicholls taking on PWG veteran/co founder, Scott Lost. I had never heard of Nicholls prior to this, but he certainly impressed me in this match. This bout was everything an opener should be. It got the crowd hot and got the show off to an exciting start. In the end, Lost hit an ace crusher on the apron followed by a superplex to finally put away Nicholls after several near falls. Good opener!

Match rating - **3/4

2) Hook Bomberry vs. Scorpio Sky

PWG: 1.21 Gigawatts Review

PWG 1.21 Gigawatts Review

On March 2, 2008, PWG returned to the legion hall in Reseda for 1.21 Gigawatts. The card featured several line up changes after Eddie Kingston & Necro Butcher were unable to make it to the show. Many of these changes took place throughout the show which made for some great surprises. Excalibur and Rick Knox are on commentary to start off the evening.

1) Brandon Bonham vs. Nemesis
This was Bonham's debut match and he certainly made an impression as fans began chanting "new guy" about mid-way through the match. I've often wandered why he was called "The New Guy" and it turns out this was where it originated from, pretty cool. While this bout didn't really last long, it was a nice first match for Bonham.

Match rating - **

2) Candice LeRae vs. LuFisto
We go from one debut to another as LuFisto makes her PWG debut here against Candice LeRae. It was a decent showing for the queen of the deathmatch although she didn't really blow anyone away with this match up. In the end, Candice picked up the win with a roll up.

Match rating - **

After the match, Human Tornado and Claudio Castagnoli come out to attack Candice only for Chris Hero to follow them. Hero knocks down Tornado and begins beating on Castagnoli which leads to our next match!

3) Chris Hero vs. Claudio Castagnoli

PWG: Chanukah Chaos (The C's Are Silent) Review

This was PWG's second to last show of 2005. It took place on December 3rd and is headlined by a grudge match between long time rivals Scott Lost and Scorpio Sky as they face off in an "I Quit" Match. Excalibur and Disco Machine are on commentary.

1) Christopher Daniels vs. TJ Perkins
This was a pretty basic opener. I was interested simply because I'm a fan of both men however they didn't do anything to really grab my attention aside from that. They put together a nice exchange near the end though which saw TJP attempt to hit Daniels with his own move, Angel's Wings. Average match.

Match rating - **1/4

2) Chris Sabin vs. B-Boy
I had heard that these two had a good series of matches in PWG in late 2005-early 2006 so I was really looking forward to this. Unlike the opener, this one really lived up to my expectations. The action was fast paced to start and they kept it clean, but things would soon get serious and the two began throwing strikes. B-Boy came out on top and took control which wasn't surprising considering how hardhitting he is. Sabin fought back however and the match was pretty evenly matched for the remainder of the bout. The closing sequence was fantastic as we got several near falls along with some huge moves such as a running liger bomb and a spinning piledriver/canadian destoyer that has to be seen to be believed. Very good match that left me wanting to see more matches between these two. Apparently they had a 2/3 Falls match a few shows after this, so thats something I'm definitely going to seek out because I feel these two just tapped a bit into what they could create with this match.

Match rating - ***1/4

3) El Generico, Phoenix Star, & Zokre vs. Alex Koslov, Ronin, & Nemesis

WWE: Viva La Raza - The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero Review

1) 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Eddie Guerrero - ECW World TV Championship Match - Hardcore TV - April 8th, 1995
Scorpio and Eddie had some classics individually that I've seen during their time in ECW so I figured this would be really good. Both are very good technicians so they are started out with an exchange on the mat which led to a stalemate between the two. Beyond the technical wrestling, there was a bit of highflying too as we saw Guerrero jump off the top turnbuckle to the outside onto Scorpio. The ending was sort of abrupt and the match only went about 10 minutes or so, but this was good while it lasted. You can't go wrong with Guerrero or Scorpio, so this was a solid encounter between the two even though it didn't go as long as I would have liked.

Match rating - ***1/2

2) Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko - ECW World TV Championship Match - Hostile City Showdown - April 15th, 1995
Every time that Eddie and Dean stepped in the ring together it was magic and that was the case here. This was the second match in their epic series of encounters in ECW for the TV Title. The two men put on a clinic that ended in a 30 minute time limit draw. Sometimes matches that end in draws are a bit boring because the competitors try to kill time during the bout, but these two kept my interest throughout. Great match.

Match rating - ***3/4

3) Eddie Guerrero vs. Shinjiro Otani - WCW Starrcade 1995
This match took place during the joint show WCW did with New Japan in 1995. I wasn't familiar with Otani going into this, but I figured he was outstanding because New Japan has always been loaded with good talent. Plus Eddie and Otani had faced off previously in Japan so I figured that would play into their favor. Regardless of what I expected, these guys tore the house down. This was a hard fought match up that showed how versatile Eddie was. He could work a good match with ANY style wrestler. This was also a tie breaker on the show as WCW had won two matches and NJPW had won two matches. The outstanding wrestling combined with the high stakes gave this one a big time feel. Awesome match.

Match rating - ****1/4

PWG: DDT4 2013 Review

PWG DDT4 2013 Review

I started watching PWG just one month after this event and I'm finally getting around to checking it out. I should be ashamed of myself because it's El Generico's final night in PWG which is a landmark moment in the company. None the less, I've got the show so let's get into it! The Super Smash Bros are the champions going into the tournament and they are putting their titles on the line during it just like The Young Bucks have done in the past. It's going to be a tough task for SSB to come out of this show as champions, but they've proven themselves many times before. It's sure to be a wild event!

1) The Young Bucks vs. Ricochet & Rich Swann - First Round Match
With the names involved, I expected this to be absolutely nuts and that's exactly what it was. It was one hell of a way to open the show as we got alot of nonstop high flying action that these two teams are known for. To my knowledge, this was the first time Ricochet & Swann teamed up in PWG and it was certainly a memorable affair. Great opening match.

Match rating - ***1/2

2) Super Smash Bros (c) vs. Michael Elgin & Brian Cage - First Round Match
I really enjoyed this one. There was never a dull moment and we got several "holy shit" moments thanks to the Unbreakable F'N Machines' alway impressive strength. The action never slowed down until near the end when Player Dos dove to the outside and dislocated his shoulder. It was a cringeworthy sight as he was unable to get it back in place so it hung limp for the remainder of the match so Stupified had to do the majority of the work himself. The power of Elgin & Cage was too much for him however and we have NEW PWG World Tag Team Champions! This was a very good match. If Stupified hadn't got hurt, this one was on it's way to a much higher rating.

Match rating - ***1/4

3) Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly vs. Eddie Edwards & Roderick Strong - First Round Match

PWG: 2012 Battle of Los Angeles Night Two Review

PWG: 2012 Battle of Los Angeles Night Two Review

After an awesome night one filled with great matches, PWG returns with the second & final night of it's annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament.

Unfortunately, I typed out a review for this show and I guess I forgot to save it because when I logged back onto my computer it wasn't there. Since it's been a few days since I watched the show, I'm not gonna try to piece together a detailed review because there's no way I'll be able to remember details from each match. With that being said, I'm just going to give my ratings for each match because I had those saved on my phone because I decide on that as I'm watching the show. I'll also include a few short thoughts, but not the usual paragraph.

1) Sami Callihan vs. TJ Perkins - ***1/4
Fun opening match. Very different from the normal matches you see from these two as Callihan tried to play TJP's game and vice versa. Aggressive, submission filled opening contest.

2) Adam Cole vs. Eddie Edwards - ***1/4
Solid match although it's not as awesome as you would expect. There's still some good exchanges here that make it worth watching though.

3) Michael Elgin vs. Brian Cage - ***1/2
Great battle between the Unbreakable F'N Machines. First real standout match of the night.

PWG: 2012 Battle of Los Angeles Night 1 Review

Date: September 1st, 2012

PWG World Champion: Kevin Steen (since World's Finest - March 2012)

PWG World Tag Team Champions: Super Smash Bros (since Death to All But Metal - May 2012)

Commentators: Excalibur, Kevin Steen, Davey Richards, & Joey Ryan


Joey Ryan starts the show with a promo insulting Willie Mack and vowing to be the first ever 2 time Battle of Los Angeles winner.


1) Joey Ryan vs. TJ Perkins - First Round Match
As with most TJP matches, this one was pretty technical. Joey refused to lock up with TJP early on because of how good he is in that department, but TJP still found a way to get his hands on him. Pretty solid opening match.

Match rating - ***

2) Roderick Strong vs. Drake Younger - First Round Match
I was really looking forward to this one considering how hard hitting both guys are and it certainly lived up to expectations. There were alot of strikes and they did their fair share of brawling around the ringside area. The most jaw dropping moment of the match came when Strong held Younger on his shoulders on the apron and dropped/threw him stomach first into the top turnbuckle. Great back and forth match in which the action never slowed down.

Match rating - ***3/4

3) Kyle O'Reilly vs. Eddie Edwards - First Round Match
Here we have another match that I was excited to see considering how well versed both men are in submissions and strikes. O'Reilly and Edwards started out with some technical wrestling before things got serious and turned to chops & kicks. There were some fantastic sequences during this match that left me wanting to see these guys face off again. Edwards finished off O'Reilly by locking him in a Boston Crab and stomping him in the head repeatedly which led to a referee stoppage. Really good match.

Match rating - ***1/2

4) B-Boy vs. Brian Cage - First Round Match

PWG: DDT4 2008 Review

Night 1:

1) Hook Bomberry vs. Nemesis
This was what I guess you could call a pretty basic opening match. It wasn't bad, they didn't botch anything, however they did nothing to catch my attention and make me interested in the bout. Thankfully it didn't last long though so I can't complain too much. Dull opening match.

Match rating - *3/4

2) Los Luchas vs. 2.0 (Jagged & Shane Matthews) - First Round Match
In the first tournament bout of the evening, PWG veterans Los Luchas faced off with the debuting team of Jagged & Shane Matthews. The Luchas were great as usual and 2.0 had a fairly good debut. They cut a promo before the match that was solid as well. Decent match.

Match rating - ***

3) Candice LeRae vs. TJ Perkins
In 2008, TJP had a short run as a heel and this was during that time. He cut a promo beforehand about not being appreciated by PWG and said he wouldn't leave the ring until he got a match on the show. This brings out his opponent for the evening, Candice LeRae. This bout really caught me by surprise. I figured it would be good because both are talented wrestlers, but they told a story here as well. Candice garnered alot of sympathy by being powerbombed on the apron by TJ and having water poured on her at the beginning of the match. TJ also garnered alot of heat so this one was really interesting to watch unfold. Good match!

Match rating - ***1/4

4) Roderick Strong & Jack Evans vs. Scorpio Sky & Ronin

PWG: 2014 Battle of Los Angeles Night Three Review

PWG 2014 Battle of Los Angeles Night 3 Review

1) Candice LeRae vs. Johnny Gargano - Second Round Match
Just like Night Two's opener between Candice & Swann, this was a great way to start the show as the action never slowed down. This one didn't last long, but they packed alot into the time they had. Some highlights were Gargano dropping Candice face first on the top turnbuckle, Candice hitting multiple highflying manuevers, and Candice locking Gargano in his own submission, the Gargano Escape. This one was on it's way to getting a higher rating, but the finish was a little controversial and took away from the match a bit. This was still a very enjoyable opener though. Fun stuff.

Match rating - ***

2) TJ Perkins vs. Ricochet - Second Round Match
This bout starts off with some referee shenanigans that had the fans chanting "three way dance" in reference to Rick Knox joining the match. THAT would have been fantastic. None the less, this one got going with some nice technical wrestling which was a change of pace for a Ricochet match. Although there wasn't much highflying here, there was a good bit of fast paced action

PWG: 2014 Battle of Los Angeles Night Two Review

PWG 2014 Battle of Los Angeles Night Two Review

1) Candice LeRae vs. Rich Swann - First Round Match
This was tons of fun! The story here was Swann having a counter for nearly every one of Candice's moves since they were both involved in the triple threat tag match last night. Swann had some unique ways of getting out of Candice's signature manuevers such as landing on his feet when she went for a ballplex. This led to Candice having to dig deeper in her repitoire to find a way to pin Swann. She channeled her tag partner Joey Ryan by attempting a mustache ride, but Swann countered out. Despite that, Candice was able to pick up the win with a quick roll up. Action packed opening match.

Match rating - ***

2) Johnny Gargano vs. Chuck Taylor
With the history these two have teaming and facing each other, it was no surprise that they had a great match. It raged throughout the legion hall as Chuck threw Johnny into the crowd, but it ended up costing him as Gargano picked up Taylor and threw him off the stage into a pile of chairs. Chuck would recover however and hit a vicous suplex on the outside that dropped Gargano on the floor. The action in the ring featured alot of counters and was very entertaining. In the end, Gargano would lock Taylor in the Gargano Escape for the submission victory. Great match.

Match rating - ***1/2

3) Ricochet vs. Chris Sabin
This match was pretty different than what I expected. Both men are known for their highflying, but we didn't see much of that here. It was still an entertaining match though. Both guys pulled out all the stops to try to put away the other. Sabin hit an epic leaping piledriver

PWG: 2014 Battle of Los Angeles Night One Review

PWG: 2014 Battle of Los Angeles Night One DVD Review

For the first time in 7 years, PWG has expanded it's annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament to three nights. An extra night of action means more competitors. Instead of the usual 16, there will be 24 entrants in this year's tournament. It's bound to be epic and I've finally got the DVD so let's get right into Night One of the most prestigious tournament in wrestling.

1) TJ Perkins vs. Bobby Fish - First Round Match
This year's tournament features an array of returns & debuts and this match is the perfect example as TJP is making his return after a year away from PWG while Bobby Fish is making his first appearance in PWG. These two have somewhat similar styles so I expected a good match up and that's just what we got. Fish got the first real advantage of the bout and began working over the knee of Perkins on the outside of the ring. Perkins would retaliate however and the two had an outstanding submission battle in the center of the ring which was probably my favorite part of the match. Well, it WAS my favorite part of the match until TJP came up with one of the most innovative pins I've ever seen as he bridged out of an ankle lock which put Fish's shoulders on the mat for the three count. Very good opening match that left me wanting to see these two face off again.

Match rating - ***1/2

2) Roderick Strong vs. Biff Busick - First Round Match
I've often referred to Roderick Strong as the gatekeeper of PWG and although Strong belittled that term in his promo after ELEVEN, this was another great example of that as Biff Busick was making his PWG debut here. I don't think there's a better opponent for a debutee in PWG than Roderick Strong because the guy simply can't have a bad match. Both of these guys hit hard

PWG: Eleven DVD Review

On July 26th, 2014, PWG celebrated it's 11th Anniversary event, aptly titled "ELEVEN". It featured Kevin Steen's farewell, the return of Frankie Kazarian, and the final chapter in the Young Bucks/Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae feud.

1) Tomasso Ciampa vs. Rocky Romero
Ciampa was at a bit of a disadvantage to start with because he had a bad case of sunburn and he didn't help himself out by missing a dive to the outside early and landing in the front row of chairs. Romero tried to take advantage of this early mistake, but Ciampa fought back in what was a very competitive contest. These two traded alot of strikes throughout the match and produced a solid opening contest. Ciampa picks up a big win over a PWG veteran, Romero.

Match rating - ***

2) ACH vs. Cedric Alexander
This was a highly anticipated match simply because of the buzz both guys have been creating as of late. The first half of this match was held at a pretty methodical pace although it had it's shining moments such as ACH crowdsurfing and Cedric hitting a dive through the turnbuckle onto ACH and nearly nailing a fan in the process. While this bout started off slow, it picked up with time and developed into the fantastic

ROH Year Four DVD Review

ROH: Year Four Review

Samoa Joe/Mick Foley confrontation
The DVD opens with a segment between Mick Foley and Samoa Joe from "It All Begins" in January of 2005. Foley claims he has an offer for Joe to go to WWE and face Triple H for the Heavyweight Title. This leads to Foley saying that Vince called him fat and various other insults. Foley asks Joe what his goal is in life and questions whether or not he could make it on the big stage. This promo exchange between the two results in a brawl. Cool segment.

1) Austin Aries (c) vs. Colt Cabana - Steel Cage Match for the ROH World Title
Aries and Cabana started off with some straight up wrestling, however both guy soon began trying to gain the advantage by using the cage as a weapon. Cabana was the first to taste the steel and began bleeding while Aries would be busted up not long after. This was a solid cage match that had several

ROH: Ring of Hardcore DVD Review

ROH: Ring of Hardcore DVD Review

1) Da Hit Squad vs. The Carnage Crew - Boston Massacre Match - Honor Invades Boston - 8/24/02
The two teams start brawling from the opening bell and barbwire is brought in after about 5 minutes of action. All four men end up bleeding courtesy of it. This was just a brawl for the most part. Not really any storytelling just four guys hitting each other with stuff. Two barb wire boards were brought into play near the end and one man from each team ended up getting put through both of them which led to the end of this match. Pretty sloppy brawl. Not much to it, but you'll be entertained.

Match rating - **3/4

2) Homicide vs. Steve Corino - Barbed Wire Match - War of the Wire - 11/29/03
I had only seen one barbed wire match prior to this and that was the infamous Terry Funk/Sabu match from ECW. Well, needless to say, this was way better than that one. Homicide and Corino told a phenomenal story here and I was on the edge of my seat the whole match. They came up with a lot of innovative ways to use the barbwire ropes against each other such as Corino hanging Homicide by his legs from the barbwire and Homicide nailing Corino with an ole kick in the corner only to get himself caught in barbwire. There was a table wrapped in barbwire that was broken when Homicide hit an exploder suplex on Corino through it. This was an amazing match that I'll never forget. The best barbed wire match I've ever seen. Classic.

Match rating - ****1/2

3) Samoa Joe vs. Jay Briscoe - Steel Cage Match for the ROH World Title - At Our Best - 3/13/04
The intensity in this match was off the charts. Briscoe got busted open a few minutes in and he bled profusely throughout the match to the point that the blood began clotting. It was one of the most cringe worthy things I've ever seen in wrestling. These two beat the hell out of each other in this classic Steel Cage Match. The end came when Samoa Joe hit the muscle buster off the top rope which was just amazing to see. Awesome match. Bouts like this are what made early ROH so good and what gave the ROH Title so much prestige.

PWG: The Many Adventures of El Generico DVD Review

PWG - The Many Adventures of El Generico DVD Review

1) El Generico vs. Kevin Steen - Free Admission (Just Kidding)
This was the debut of both Steen & Generico in PWG. They were originally supposed to face The Aerial Express in a tag team match, but they didn't show so Steen & Generico ended up having to go one on one with each other. Steen seemed pretty happy about this as he went on the attack right away. Both guys were setting out to impress here as they pulled out all the stops to put on a great mid-card match. Alot of fun action here and as usual Steen was very entertaining with his trash talking throughout the match. Really good bout.

Match rating - ***1/2

2) El Generico & Quicksilver vs. Scott Lost & Chris Bosh - Beyond The Thunderdome

PWX: Live and In Demand Night 1 Review

PWX: Live & In Demand Night 1 DVD Review

My first taste of PWX came when a local wrestling show in my area aired a match that Jay Lethal and Cedric Alexander had. I was blown away by how great it was and wanted to see more of PWX which led me to buying this DVD. So let's see what this company is all about!

1) Adam Page vs. Lance Lude
I'm familiar with Page from his work in ROH so I figured this would be pretty good despite being totally unfamiliar with Lance Lude. Page got a nice reaction from the crowd while Lude didn't get much of a reaction at all. Once the commentators began talking, I learned that this was Lude's debut so that explains that lack of reaction during his entrance. This match never really got off the ground in my opinion. Every time it was about to take

Super Dragon: Destruction DVD Review

Ever since 2013, I've been hooked on PWG. I've bought over 20 of their DVD's since then and continue to buy them. So last month when they released a compilation for one of the founders/owners of the company, Super Dragon, it was a must have for me. I had only seen two Super Dragon matches before buying this DVD, but I was eager to see more bouts from the career of the man behind one of the best wrestling companies in the world, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.

This DVD features bouts from throughout Dragon's career in PWG, CZW, WXW, Revolution Pro, and GSCW. There are also a variety of opponents featured here. Some you may know include Kevin Steen, El Generico, Joey Ryan, The Young Bucks, Samoa Joe and Necro Butcher. This is bound to be an awesome DVD so let's get right into it!

1) Super Dragon vs. Bobby Quance - GSCW - December 14th, 2002
The first bout on this DVD is the SoCal Match of the Year for 2002 between Super Dragon and Bobby Quance. There are several matches on this DVD that don't take place in PWG and this is one of them. This bout took place in a company called GSCW. Alot of things here were similar to PWG though such as the fact that Rick Knox is the referee and we also get to hear Excalibur during the match, but not on commentary. Here he is managing Super Dragon and
does a good job of keeping him motivated throughout the bout as well as jawing with the fans. After a few minutes, it was clear that Dragon was a heel at this time along with Excalibur. They both did a wonderful job with their characters here. The crowd was behind Bobby Quance who I've seen compete once before in his one night only return in PWG back in 2009. This match was filled with stiff strikes including a vicious headbutt from Dragon to Quance that made me cringe. There was also a good bit of highflying such as Quance hitting a breathtaking shooting star press off the top turnbuckle onto Super Dragon & Excalibur and Dragon cutting a flip out of the ring onto Quance. This was a dramatic back and forth battle with alot of near falls. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire final 10 minutes or so. Just great stuff that is definitely MOTY worthy. Awesome start to this DVD.

Match rating - ****1/2

2) Super Dragon & B-Boy vs. Bobby Quance & Jardi Frantz - GSCW - March 29, 2003
After Dragon and Quance's epic performance, I had high expections for this match since it involved both of them. On top of that, I've seen Dragon and B-Boy team up before and they tore the house down so I was very excited. Needless to say, this lived up to expectations. Just a fantastic tag team match. This bout was selected as the 2003

PWG: 2007 Battle of Los Angeles Night 1 Review

PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2007 - Night 1 DVD Review

The show opens with PWG World Champion Bryan Danielson who comes to the ring and apologizes to the fans for not being able to compete. Danielson tells them to enjoy the tournament and that he looks forward to facing the winner.

Excalibur and Dino Winwood are in the ring next to introduce all the participants and referees. All 24 guys are introduced and they pose for a picture with the trophy.

1) The Young Bucks vs. Los Luchas (Pheonix Star & Zokre)
What better way to kick off the festivities than with some awesome tag team action. At the time, The Bucks were new to PWG while the Luchas had been around since the early days so this was basically new vs. old. These two teams put on a show as the action never stopped. There were several great exchanges and jaw dropping spots. You can't ask for a better opener than this. Great match.

Match rating - ***1/2

2) Chris Hero vs. Joey Ryan (w/ Jade Chung)
This is the first tournament match of the evening and it features the longest reigning PWG champion (at the time), Joey Ryan facing off against Chris Hero. I'd seen these two face off before and it wasn't that good so I wasn't expecting much here, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. This

WWE: Extreme Rules 2012 DVD Review

WWE Extreme Rules 2012 DVD Review

I found this at FYE for only $6.99 and I couldn't pass it up. I hadn't watched this event since it orginally aired and with John Cena & Brock Lesnar set to clash again at SummerSlam 2014, I figured now would be a great time to go back and revisit their first battle. On top of that, I wanted to see how this event held up as I remember loving it back when it aired. With that being said, let's get started!

1) Randy Orton vs. Kane - Falls Count Anywhere Match
I didn't really remember much about this match going into it, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Kane isn't the most exciting wrestler to watch and Orton isn't anything overly special, but this match was really good! The two worked the match stipulation very well as they brawled throughout the arena. The crowd was very into the match and that definitely helped it. Great opening match!

Match rating - ***1/4

2) Brodus Clay vs. Dolph Ziggler
Here we have an unadvertised late addition to the show. It honestly could have been left off, because it was basically a prolonged squash. Both of these guys have been incredibly misued by WWE over the years and this was an example of that. I can't complain much however because this match was kept short

Evolve 18 - Gargano vs. Callihan Review

Evolve 18: Gargano vs. Callihan DVD Review

The DVD starts with a promo from Johnny Gargano. He talks about how he and Callihan are different, but very alike in alot of ways. Gargano says he will die before he lets Callihan take his Open The Freedom Gate Title. Good promo.

Then we head to the ring where Arda Ocal announces that the show is about to begin. He and Colt Cabana are on commentary for the evening.

1) AR Fox vs. Tony Nese - Winner Advances to Four Way Freestyle
What a way to start the show! This one started off with a bang and never slowed down. Arm drags, nip ups, all kinds of fast paced stuff to start off. Nese gets the upperhand of the exchange so Fox rolls to the outside only for Nese to dive out onto him and in the process he breaks the railing! Fox and Nese basically land in the people on the front row's lap haha. Crazy moment. The two get back in the ring and the action keeps going at a high pace for the rest of the match. I really enjoyed this bout. Nese and Fox are two of my favorites to watch on the Indies right now and they put in a spectacular performance here. Awesome start to the show.

Match rating - ***3/4

2) Masada vs. Papadon - Winner Advances to Four Way Freestyle
Interesting match up here as Masada is widely known for his deathmatch wrestling while Papadon is more of a pure wrestler. The two styles clashed well and provided a solid match. It's not anything that will blow your mind, but it's a good contest that

ROH: 7th Anniversary Show Review

ROH: 7th Anniversary Show DVD Review

1) Kenny King & Rhett Titus vs. Roderick Strong & Erick Stevens
This match was on fire from the opening bell and it never slowed down. Some nice exchanges between all four men including somewhat of a dream match up for me as Roderick Strong and Kenny King faced off. I'm big fans of both guys and seeing them lock up was cool. Great tag match to start the show. Alot of action here.

Match rating - 7/10

2) Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro) vs. Brent Albright
I'm very familiar with Cesaro and I know of Albright from his series of matches with Punk down in OVW so I figured this would be good. These two ended up blowing me away. It may be just me, but I LOVED this match. Hard hitting and alot of great exchanges. It left me wanting to see these two face off again especially after it ended in a time limit draw then got restarted only

WWE: Rey Mysterio - Life Of A Masked Man DVD Review

WWE: Rey Mysterio - Life Of A Masked Man DVD Review

The presentation is hosted by Matt Striker and he interviews Rey throughout the set on various subjects. They first discuss Mysterio's childhood and breaking into the wrestling business as well as when his uncle first gave him the name of Rey Mysterio Jr.

1) Rey Mysterio Jr. & Konnan vs. La Parka & Psicosis - ECW Hardcore TV - October 28, 1995
This is the first match on the set, but it isn't shown in full. They show various highlights from the match which were very entertaining. I would have loved to have seen the whole match because it looked awesome. At the beginning it said there was a one hour time limit, so I'm guessing this one went long and they had to cut it down to a highlight package for it to be able to fit on this set. Despite it not being shown in full, what's shown is very fun to watch.

2) Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera - 2/3 Falls Match - ECW Extreme Bash 1996
Now this is the good stuff! Mysterio and Guerrera had an illustrious feud that spanned several companies including AAA, ECW, and WCW. They always put on outstanding matches so I'm glad one of their bouts was included on this set, especially this one from ECW. This was an awesome match that featured a great mix of high flying, technical wrestling, and ECW style brawling. The first two falls were more high flying and technically based. Both men hit some insane manuevers including Guerrera cutting a backflip off the ropes into the crowd on Mysterio. The third fall featured alot of brawling as the bout ventured into the crowd when Mysterio hit a high flying manuever on Guerrera into the audience. The fight spilled to the outside of the arena where Guerrera powerbombed Mysterio onto a car, but Rey recovered and delivered a hurricanrana to Guerrera off the car onto the cement! The action went back into the ring where they put together a breathtaking ending sequence in which Mysterio somehow reversed out of Guerrera's top rope powerbomb attempt into a hurricanrana for the pinfall! Fantastic bout! It wasn't over after the final pinfall however. The two men used chairs during the match, but the crowd had been chanting for tables so Mysterio set one up outside, but never got to use it so after the bout, Mysterio stood on the table and powerbombed Guerrera through it! Awesome!

Match rating - 9/10
At this point in the presentation, Rey and Matt discussed his time in ECW. They talked about Paul Heyman talking to Rey at an AAA show and getting him to wrestle for ECW. Rey noted how fun wrestling in ECW was and how much

ECW: Bloodsport - The Most Violent Matches DVD Review

ECW: Bloodsport - The Most Violent Matches Review

This 2 disc set features a variety of the most wild and brutal matches in the history of ECW. Before each match, Paul Heyman gives the backstory along with his insight.

1) Cactus Jack & Mikey Whipwreck vs. Public Enemy - ECW World Tag Team Championship Match - Hardcore TV - August 27th, 1994
I always enjoyed the Cactus Jack/Mikey Whipwreck story in ECW so I was automatically interested in this match. The story going in, as stated by Paul Heyman before the match, was that Foley chose Whipwreck over all the hardcore icons he could have picked to be his partner. Everyone wondered why he'd choose a young man who had only had a handful of matches. Because of that, most expected Cactus and Whipwreck to lose quickly, but that was the exact opposite of what happened. The action here was decent. There was a table spot and some brawling through the card. Chairs were also used here as well. The match itself wasn't anything special, but it told a great story. Fun start to the DVD.

Match rating - **1/2

2) Sandman & Terry Funk vs. Cactus Jack & Shane Douglas - Extreme Warfare Vol 1 - March, 18 1995
The odd team of Cactus & Douglas teamed up here for the first time to take on Funk & The Sandman. This one got off to a hot start and never slowed down. Just a wild crazy brawl, the type of stuff ECW is known for. Tables, chairs,

ROH: Weekend of Champions Night One Review

ROH: Weekend Of Champions Night 1 DVD Review

I got this for only $5 during Highspots' big DVD sale. This show took place during the epic ROH/CZW war which I've heard alot about and been dying to see. As soon as I saw that this show happened during the midst of that feud, I was sold.

The DVD opens with Jimmy Jacobs and Lacey talking backstage. Then it cuts to a promo from Christopher Daniels about his match with Nigel McGuinness later in the night. During the first match, a message flashed at the bottom of the screen to check out the "Video Recap" on the main menu screen before watching the show, so I did just that. It was a nice feature that gave a bit of a recap on what had recently happened with Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro in WWE) turning on ROH and joining Chris Hero, Super Dragon, Necro Butcher and the rest of the CZW crew. You get a great promo from Jim Cornette on the situation where he vows that ROH is going to start striking back. Also in this feature are promos from Jimmy Jacobs and Colt Cabana. Now onto the show itself.

1) Colt Cabana vs. Jimmy Jacobs
The story going into this one which I learned by watching the video recap feature, was that Cabana wanted to make his way back to the top of ROH by starting at the bottom since he lost to Bryan Danielson in less than five minutes. Cabana attributed this loss to his brutal feud with Homicide, saying he forgot how to wrestle because he had been fighting so long. Thus the opening match was set. As for Jacobs, he and Lacey had been having problems for a while and she told him that if he kept losing, she would leave him. So with all the things above taken into consideration, this was a big match for both guys. It was pretty back and forth the

ROH: Rising Above 2008 DVD Review

ROH Rising Above 2008 DVD Review

1) Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. The Briscoes
The last time these four guys competed in Chicago Ridge for ROH, they put on the legendary Ladder War match for the Tag Team Titles. This wasn't the caliber of that match, but it wasn't positioned to be. It accomplished exactly what it set out to. Fast paced, fun tag team opener to get the crowd pumped up. The two teams started brawling afterwards which makes it seem like their feud will continue after this show. Great way to start the show.

Match rating - 6/10

2) MsCHIF vs. Sara Del Rey - SHIMMER Title Match
I've long known that women's wrestling is light years better in the Indies than it is in the two mainstream companies. That was once again confirmed here as these ladies put on a solid match with alot of oustanding wrestling. The one move that really stood out was

PWG: DDT4 2012 Review

PWG DDT4 2012 DVD Review

1) Fightin' Taylor Boys (Brian Cage & Ryan Taylor) vs. RockNES Monsters (Johnny Yuma & Johnny Goodtime) - First Round Match
The first round matches of DDT4 are normally rather short and very spotty which is exactly what this was. That's not a bad thing though as it was very entertaining. I'm tempted to say Brian Cage stole the show with his unique blend of super human strength and agility. Some of the moves this guy pulls off are insane. From high flying stuff to suplexing Goodtime with Yuma on his shoulders, Cage is a machine. Overall this was a fun opening match.

Match rating - ***1/4

2) The Dynasty (Joey Ryan & Scorpio Sky) vs. Future Shock (Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly)
Much like the previous match this was your typical DDT4 first round match. About 10 minutes or so long and packed full of action. Future Shock were so

PWG: Mystery Vortex 2 Review

PWG: Mystery Vortex 2 Review

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

PWG: DDT4 2014 Review

PWG: DDT4 2014 DVD Review

1) Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent?) vs. RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime & Johnny Yuma) - First Round Match
The crowd was SUPER hot for this one. Especially for the Best Friends. This was an action packed opener that never slowed down. I often forgot how good the Rocknes Monsters are, but they reminded me of it here. Goodtime took a page out of Ricochet's book and dove over the top turnbuckle to the outside, UNBELIEVABLE! No matter how times I see that happen, I'll still mark out each time. Great opener here that saw the Best Friends debut several new antics including Trent sporting a kneepad with Chuck Taylor's face on it aptly called "The Chuckie Knee." They also brought their new secret weapon into the match, a trenchcoat! I normally am not a big fan of comedy in wrestling, but it's impossible to not like Taylor & Trent, this was fantastic. Fun, crazy spot fest.

Match rating - ***1/4

2) PPRaay (Peter Avalon & Ray Rosas) vs. Unbreakble F'N Machines (Michael Elgin & Brian Cage)
 I never thought that a match that was this much of a mismatch could be so entertaining, but if anyone can make it entertaining, it's PWG. For those who don't know Elgin & Cage are literally twice the size of Avalon & Rosas so the Machines had an advantage to begin with. PPRay did manage to get in some offense here and show what they could do despite the size difference. There were some jawdropping moments such as Elgin doing some sort of corkscrew backflip off the top rope and Elgin powerbombing Rosas onto

PWG: All Star Weekend X Night 1 Review

PWG: All Star Weekend 10 Night 1 DVD Review

The show opens with Mount Rushmore (Adam Cole, Kevin Steen, & The Young Bucks) in the ring interrupting Excalibur. The Bucks do the DX crotch chop on the mat right under Excalibur which is hilarious. Cole then flips him off and Mount Rushmore poses in the center of the ring when CHRIS HERO RUNS INTO THE RING! ROARING ELBOW TO KEVIN STEEN! Hero takes out The Bucks and goes for Cole, but he escapes. Hero vows to end Cole's reign as champion tonight and to stop Mount Rushmore for good. Great start to the show.

1) Brian Cage vs. Anthony Nese
These two faced off a few months prior at TEN in a very good bout. For that reason, I was looking forward to seeing them go at it again. In their previous match, Cage got gassed in the long run, but it looks like his conditioning was better this time around. They put on a match that was every bit as good as their first encounter, if not better. Great match! Rick Knox on commentary said it best by stating that this was the opening match, but it could have been a main event in any other promotion in the country. Very true. Also brings to light how stacked this show is.

Match rating - ***1/2

2) Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae vs. RockNES Monsters
This was your basic action packed tag

DGUSA: Freedom Fight 2012 Review

Dragon Gate USA Freedom Fight 2012 DVD Review

My first venture into the world of Dragon Gate USA. Let's see how it goes!

1) Jon Davis vs. EITA
Not too familar with either of these guys so they had the chance to impress me. Unfortunately, this was a quick opener basically just to make Davis look strong. EITA did some nice highflying though. Not much going on here, short opener.

Match rating - *3/4

2) Caleb Konley & Scott Reed vs. Tony Nese & Papadon
The only two guys here that I knew much about were Nese and Konley. They put in a great

PWG: Eight DVD Review

PWG Eight Review

This is PWG's 8th Anniversary show. It features the return of PAC (Adrian Neville) and CIMA to PWG as well as TWO World Title matches! Also, starting with this review going forward, I'll be including who's on commentary for each match since PWG has guests join Excalibur for commentary through out the night.

1) Kevin Steen vs. PAC
What a way to start the show! Steen jawed back & forth with PAC and the fans before the match as well as during it which was absolutely hilarious. There was alot of comedy before the match began such as a test of strength because Steen kept remarking how big PAC had gotten. This led to one fan chanting "We Want Wrestling!" to which Steen responded with "THIS IS WRESTLING YOU

WWE: Hell In A Cell 2011 DVD Review

WWE: Hell In A Cell 2011 DVD Review
The show opens with Christian making his way to the ring for the first match of the night. As he is making his entrance, The Miz and R-Truth who were banned from the arena are seen coming through the crowd. They have tickets in hand and go to sit down on the front row, but out comes John Laurinitus with security. After some arguing, Laurinitus and security take Miz & Truth out of the arena. Great way to start the show with some controversy. Miz and Truth were one of the main reasons I wanted to pick this show up on DVD and take another look at it.

1) Christian vs. Sheamus
These guys have an undeniable chemistry together and always manage to put on great matches. This bout was no exception. Sheamus delivered his typical offense full of stiff strikes and power manuevers, but the sly Christian managed to gain the advantage on several occasions with big moves such as a huge spear on the outside planting Sheamus on the floor. The bout headed back in the ring following that manuever where Sheamus & Christian countered each other multiple times before Sheamus was finally able to nail Christian with a brogue kick for the victory. Great match.

Match rating - 7.75/10

2) Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara
I found this storyline stupid, but the match was very entertaining. Alot of fast paced and innovative lucha libre action here. Unfortunately the crowd wasn't that into it so it hurt the match a bit. Despite that, this was a fun encounter.

Match rating - 6.5/10

3) Evan Bourne & Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger - WWE Tag Team Championship Match
This was the action packed tag team match that you would expect from Air Boom. Ziggler did his share of highflying as well and Swagger held his own with the aerialists on the opposing team. Very entertaining tag team title match.

Match rating - 7.5/10

4) Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton - Hell In A Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
I didn't have high expectations for this match, but Orton & Henry managed to find a way to make it quite entertaining. Although this wasn't an oustanding contest, I never really lost interest so I can't complain too much aside from the fact that there was no reason for this to be held inside the cell, no weapons were even used besides the steel steps. Solid match none the less. The best part of the action however take place after the bout when Orton beat the hell out of Henry with a chair.

Match rating - 6/10
At this point in the show, Cody Rhodes came to the ring with his baggers. Rhodes proceeded to debut the new Intercontinetal Championship which is actually the old classic white belt. Rhodes names off the people who held that belt and said he would wear it prouder than any of them ever did. Laurinitus comes out and makes Cody defend the belt now against John Morrison.

5) Cody Rhodes vs. John Morrison
Well Cody wrestled this match in street clothes, but still put on a really good contest with Morrison. It lasted around ten minutes and was very entertaining. Rhodes and Morrison were two of my favorites in WWE at this time so it was nice seeing them compete against each other. Rhodes picks up the cheap victory with a roll up. If this one had went a bit longer, I may have rated it higher, very enjoyable match.

Match rating - 6.5/10
Backstage, The Miz and R-Truth have broken back into the arena and are in the back beating up talent. John Laurinitus runs to get Triple H and they go into the locker room as security is pulling Miz & Truth off of Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston. Triple H is pissed and yells at Laurinitus before leaving.

6) Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix - Diva's Championship Match
Had low expectations for this because WWE has never put much into their women's division, but this was better than what we normally get. They had some nice counters and nearfalls here which really surprised me. Decent match.

Match rating - 5.5/10

7) John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio - Hell In A Cell Match for the WWE Championship
I think this match is often overlooked because all the other classic moments and matches from 2011. This is honestly one of the best matches of the year in my opinion. Easily the match of the night. Punk and Cena have amazing chemistry, that combined with Del Rio's in ring expertise made for a fantastic three way. Beyond that, these guys took full advantge of the Cell rules by using multiple weapons such as chairs and tables. There were some unique multi man moves here as well such as Cena lifting Del Rio up for an AA on the outside only for Punk to dive out onto both of them! Several cool spots in this match and everything flowed very well. Awesome match!

Match rating - 9/10
After the match, two masked men hit the ring as the cell lowered back down to the arena floor. They beat down Cena, Del Rio, and Punk repeatedly. The men take off their masks to reveal.. THE MIZ AND R-TRUTH! They somehow made it back into the arena to cause more chaos! Booker T said it best "Miz and Truth have lost their damn mind!" The locker room ran out to ringside to try and stop them, but they couldn't get in the cell because it was still lowered. Miz & Truth continue beating on the three men in the cell along with referees while Triple H gets someone to unlock the cell door. Triple H has Miz and Truth arrested. The night ends in chaos!

Overall thoughts: This was a solid PPV. There weren't any bad matches, pretty much every match here is enjoyable. The opening bout was outstanding and the main event was a MOTY candidate. On top of the consistency of the card, the story that ran throughout the night featuring Miz and Truth causing chaos made the event even more exciting to watch. I ordered this show along with several other PPVs from 2011 to relive what an awesome year it was and this show was just as enjoyable as when it originally aired. This wasn't an awesome show, but it's better than what we get from WWE alot of times so if the Miz/Truth conspiracy storyline interests you or you're a fan of any of the guys in the main event, I definitely recommend checking this out.

WWE: Rey Mysterio - 619 DVD Review

This DVD was released in 2003 and it features a short documentary and 10 matches. The documentary covers Mysterio's career up through 2002. Some cool features include Mysterio touring the place in Mexico where he first began wrestling around the age of 15. From his childhood to his early training and competition in Mexico to WCW to the first year of his WWE career (2002). It's all covered here. Very interesting documentary. Now onto the matches:

1) Rey Mysterio Jr, Heavy Metal & Latin Lover vs. Psichosis, Madonna's Boyfriend, & Fuerza Guerrera - AAA When Worlds Collide 1994
The match starts off with some fast paced lucha libre style action then Madonna's Boyfriend got tagged in and the pace slowed. The different styles in this match didn't work too well as the pace changed too drastically too often. There was some fun action here though as well as few breathtaking spots such as Madonna's Boyfriend tossing Mysterio across the railing several feet into the crowd. The anti-climatic finish also caused me to lower my rating a bit as the fans and commentators didn't even notice the match ended until the bell rang. Decent contest. Besides a few spots, it's nothing worth watching.

Match rating - 5/10

2) Rey Mysterio vs. Dean Malenko - WCW Great American Bash 1996
This was Rey's debut in WCW and he certainly made an impact. Malenko and Rey started off exchanging manuevers which resulted in several standoffs. The match was pretty back and forth for the opening minutes, but Dean Malenko soon shifted into control as he began

WWE: Wrestling's Greatest High Flyers DVD Review

WWE: Wrestling's Greatest High Flyers Review

1) Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Brian Pillman
Ironically, this is my first time seeing these two men compete. I've heard legendary tales of Steamboat as well as Pillman so I was anxious to see what they brought to the table. This was a pretty basic match. In all honesty, it wasn't anything special although it did serve it's purpose of showcasing Steamboat as a highflyer so I can't complain too much.

Match rating - 5/10

2) Evan Bourne vs. Zack Ryder
I'm a big fan of Bourne and Ryder isn't too shabby so I thought this would be pretty good, but unfortunately it's just a basic encounter. Ryder grounds Bourne for the majority of the match so the action was pretty slow. That's not something I have a problem with, but I was expecting a more fast paced match since this is a high flyers DVD. None the less, basic match, but still enjoyable. Not anything you'll watch more than once though.

Match rating - 5/10

3) Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka vs. Samoan #3
Wow, never thought I could be so bored by such a short match. It only lasted a bit over five minutes, I would guess, but 90% of the match was rest holds. They literally sat in the ring in a headlock for probably a minute then some sort of other rest hold for atleast three minutes. Boring match, probably the weakest on the DVD. I'd skip this match if I were you, nothing to see here except Snuka's crossbody off the top rope. Don't get me wrong, a Snuka match deserves to be on here, but I feel they could have found one a bit better than this.

Match rating - 2/10

4) Juvented Guerrera, Hector Garza, & Lizmark Jr vs. La Parka, Psichosis & Villano IV
Now this is the good stuff! High flying, fast paced action from beginning to end! I've watched alot of wrestling over the past few years, but these guys had some innovative spots that I'd never seen before. Alot of them including all six men in the match such as a triple suicide dive and a star formed in the middle of the ring. Insane six man tag

PWG: DDT4 2009 DVD Review

PWG DDT4 2009 Review

The show opens with Paul London and Excalibur in the ring. London says he will be unable to compete tonight, but he wanted to be there anyway. London tells his partner Bryan Danielson to come out. Bryan comes to the ring and immediately gets "Happy Birthday" chants from the audience as it's his birthday. Paul London gives Bryan bunch of gifts including a special made cape, a Four Horsemen DVD, and Four Horsemen action figures. This is great haha. London keeps going through his suitcase pulling out stuff to give Bryan then he asks Chris Hero to come out. Hero decides to pull out of the DDT4 tournament to allow Roderick Strong to team with Bryan since Paul London can't compete. Roderick Strong comes out to the ring and London gives him a bee mask. London decides to stay at ringside and manage Strong & Bryan in their first round match. While Bryan & Strong are getting ready, Joey Ryan and Scott Lost hit the ring and attack them from behind!

1) Bryan Danielson & Roderick Strong (w/ Paul London) vs. Joey Ryan & Scott Lost
After ambushing the Hybrid Dolphins, Joey and Scott have the upperhand. This match was balls to the wall the whole time. The crowd was so hot after that opening segment and that made this match even more great. It was an action packed

PWG: One Hundred Review

PWG One Hundred DVD Review

PWG celebrates it's 100th show here with a star studded show line up featuring Bryan Danielson, Tyler Black, The Young Bucks, Davey Richards, and Roderick Strong among others. The main event pits Chris Hero defending his PWG World Championship against Colt Cabana!

1) The Young Bucks vs. The Cutler Bros - PWG World Tag Team Title Match
After main eventing PWG's Ninety Nine event the night before and successfully defending their Tag Team Titles against Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley, The Young Bucks start off this event with a challenge to long time rivals, The Cutler Brothers. The Cutlers accept of course and the match begans in fast paced fashion. The Bucks picked up right where they left off last night - stealing the show. Simply, this was an awesome match! Almost as good as the match from the previous night between The Bucks and MCMG. I don't think The Young Bucks can put on a bad match and that once again showcased here. But the match wasn't all them, The Cutlers delivered as well and the result was a fantastic opener.

Match rating - ***1/2

2) Scott Lost vs. Roderick Strong
This match started off with a bang as Lost dropkicked Strong as soon as he was introduced. The match kept that pace as the action spilled to the outside. A good bit of the match took place outside of the ring including

PWG: Ninety Nine DVD Review

PWG Ninety Nine DVD Review

Here we have one of the most star studded PWG shows I think I've seen. There are alot of former/current WWE & TNA stars on this show including Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Davey Richards, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley and Austin Aries. Just goes to show that Indy Wrestling matters.

1) Los Luchas & Scorpio Sky vs. The Cutler Brothers & Scott Lost
The Cutlers and Los Luchas had an awesome match at Gentle Art of Making Enemies a few months back so I expected this to be really good. That combined with Scorpio Sky and Scott Lost's outstanding abilities made for a great opening match. Your basic six man tag with a lot of action!

Match rating - 7/10

2) Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) vs. Chuck Taylor
I had mixed feelings going into this match about whether it would be good or not. Taylor is hilarious, but I thought his comedy might not mix well with someone like Bryan who's drawing factor is his wrestling skills. Despite that, the two meshed very well here. Perfect mix of

PWG: Express Written Consent DVD Review

This was the second PWG show of 2009. It featured the surprise return of Colt Cabana who ended up finding his way into the World Title picture. This show also featured TJ Perkins' farewell match along with the return of Paul London in a huge main event in which he teamed with The Young Bucks to take on Joey Ryan, Scott Lost and Karl Anderson!

1) Scorpio Sky vs. Zokre
The first thing I noticed about this show is how hot the crowd was! It had the feel of many PWG shows of today. So hype! This was a damn good opening match and the crowd made it even better. Sky and Zokre worked a great match, but unfortunately a botch by the ref at the end spoiled what was a really good match. Despite that ref bump, this was a great opener.

Match rating - ***

2) B-Boy vs. TJ Perkins
The trend of returns on this show began here as B-Boy made his return to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla to face long time rival TJ Perkins in his farewell match. Perkins was

PWG: The Gentle Art of Making Enemies Review

PWG: The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies DVD Review

 

1) Los Luchas vs. The Cutler Bros
This was the PWG debut of The Cutler Bros and what a challenge they had as they faced off against PWG veterans, Los Luchas. The last few PWG shows haven't had very good openers, but this broke that trend as this was an awesome tag team match! The Luchas and The Cutlers put on an oustanding display of tag team wrestling in a match that featured alot of moves that I had never seen before. Great opening match!

Match rating - ***1/2

2) Austin Aries vs. TJ Perkins
Perkins continues to be placed in matches that I'm excited about. Aries is a very well rounded wrestler including being skilled in the technical aspect of wrestling. Of course, that is what TJP's offense is based around so there were high expectations from me for this one. While this

PWG: Battle of Los Angeles 2008 - Stage Two Review

PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2008 - Stage 2 DVD Review

1) Brandon Bonham vs. Nigel McGuinness
Bonham impressed me on Night 1 with his match against Kenny Omega and he had the chance to do so again here against one of the best in the world, Nigel McGuinness. This was match was good for what it was. It only lasted 10 minutes (if that), but it was fun while it lasted. While Bonham wasn't able to pull the upset, he left a good impression and took the fight to Nigel leaving him with a bloody nose. Decent opening match.

Match rating - **3/4

2) Low Ki vs. Masata Yoshino
I had high expectations for this match, but unfortunately they weren't able to get enough to create a great match. Just like the opening match, it didn't get much time which doesn't bother me all that much since there are three rounds of the tournament being contested on this show so everything can't go long. I just think one of these opening matches should have gotten a bit more time. This was fun while it lasted though. Enjoyed it a bit more than the opening bout, hence the slight rating increase.

Match rating - ***

3) Bryan Danielson vs. TJ Perkins
Being a big fan of both guys, I expected this to be really good and it turned out to be absolutely fantastic. The first ten minutes consisted of mat wrestling and alot of technical exchanges. TJP began working over Bryan's leg and continued that as the battle spilled to the outside. Bryan got the upperhand and went for a dive off the apron, but TJ moved and Bryan landed in some chairs. TJP then slammed Bryan's leg into

PWG: Battle of Los Angeles 2008 - Stage One Review

PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2008 - Stage 1 DVD Review

To start the show, Excalibur introduces all 17 participants in this year's BOLA tournament. The field is stacked for this tournament. Some of the competitors featured include Bryan Danielson, Low Ki, Austin Aries, Chris Hero, Nigel McGuinness, El Generico and many more. Nice way to kick the show off.

1) TJ Perkins vs. Chuck Taylor
And the first match of the evening pits TJ Perkins against a newcomer in PWG (at the time), Chuck Taylor. This was a fun match to open the show. I was interested to see how Taylor would fare against a technically gifted wrestler such as Perkins, but he held his own. Chuck even got TJ into a head scissors for several minutes where it looked like Perkins may tap out. However, TJ recovered and got out of the hold after several failed attempts. This was in the midst of TJ Perkins run as a heel so he tried to cheat and win, but it backfired on him as Chuckie T took the brass knuckles and nailed TJ with them for the win. The ref then saw them on Taylor's hands afterward and reversed the decision. Crazy finish, decent match. The most entertaining part of the whole thing was hearing Rick Knox rant on commentary about Perkins' cheating antics and the finish of the match. Enjoyable start to the show.

Match rating - **1/2

2) Kenny Omega vs. Brandon Bonham
This was Kenny Omega's debut in PWG and although I am familiar with him, this was my first time seeing Bonham wrestle. Omega is talented so let's see if Bonham can make a good impression on me. Going into this bout I expected it to be decent, but it turned out to be REALLY good. Much better than I originally expected. Although we didn't get too see Omega's amazing finishing manuever, Bonham pulled out a sick Canadian destroyer piledriver to finish off Omega! WOW!

WWE: SummerSlam 2011 DVD Review

WWE SummerSlam 2011 DVD Review
WWE Shop recently had a big DVD sale and this is one of the several DVD's that I picked up. I wanted to relive some of the great moments of the phenomenal year that was 2011. Since I already had seen Punk & Cena's classic bout at Money In The Bank, I was eager to see their second match up. That was the main drawing factor in buying this DVD. Well, that and the fact that the cover is just awesome. Well, without any further a due let's get started as we take a look back at SummerSlam 2011.

1) Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, & John Morrison vs. The Miz, R-Truth, & Alberto Del Rio
The show started with a promo from The Miz who was interrupted by R-Truth. Both were very entertaining. I was quickly reminded why I enjoyed both of them so much in 2011. Such a shame that as of this writing they are jobbers. They're both so talented. None the less, the match gets started and it was a great opener. It was fast paced, featured alot of action, and got the crowd fired up for the rest of the evening. It did exactly what a good opener should do so I have nothing to complain about here. Fun match.

Match rating - 7/10

2) Sheamus vs. Mark Henry
Well this was a drastic change in pace from the spotty, fast paced six man tag that opened the show. Despite that, it was still a fairly enjoyable big man match. It was a little slow at times, but was executed very well. This was right before Sheamus really hit his in ring peak, but he still did a good job here. The match ends in a countout after Mark Henry slams Sheamus through the

PWG: All Star Weekend 7 - Night Two DVD Review

1) Alex Koslov vs. Susumu Yokosuka
Very good way to start the show here with a well executed match such as this one. It was certainly much better than Night 1's opener. This was a Dragon Gate meets CMLL bout and the two styles meshed well. The match featured alot of submissions including an innovative surfboard on the ropes by Koslov. Some of each man's moves caught their opponent off guard since they had never wrestled before which made this match even better. It was interesting to see how they would respond to manuevers they had never encountered before. Solid match to start the show.

Match rating - ***

2) El Generico vs. TJ Perkins
Man, I've never seen a crowd hate TJ Perkins as much as they did here. In more recent PWG shows, the crowd is hot for him, but here they despised him as "TJ sucks" chants rang through the air. I was looking forward to this match as both men are well versed in their respective styles of technical, high flying, and submission wrestling. We saw an impressive move for move exchange to start the match which led to a stand off. Generico went for his signature kick early, but Perkins blocked it. After some back and forth action, Perkins took control and slowed the pace down to suit him. The match mainly stayed on the mat while TJ had control, but Generico rallied about half way through and brought some excitement back to the match. The ending to this match was amazing. El Generico hit a brainbuster on TJ ON THE APRON! Insane move! I bet TJ regrets