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
This was one of those matches that was short, but the action never slowed down so it was very enjoyable while it lasted. We saw alot of cool combination moves from Strong & Evans such as Strong hitting a running knee on Ronin and as he fell back, Evans caught him with a backbreaker. Fun match.
Match rating - **3/4
5) Joey Ryan & Scott Lost vs. El Blazer & Kageturo - First Round Match
I had no clue what to expect going into this match because I'd never seen nor heard of Blazer & Kageturo. Needless to say, they really impressed me. But before I get into the match, I'd like to mention something that was noted on commentary during this match. Apparently Kota Ibushi was supposed to be teaming with Kageturo in this tournament, but unfortunately got injured and was unable to make it. How awesome would it be seeing Ibushi in PWG? Hope it happens one day since they attempted to bring him once here. None the less, back to the match. Blazer and Kageturo really brought something different to the tournament as their offense was filled with things I hadn't seen before such as a handstand off the top turnbuckle onto the top rope to the mat and Blazer even ran across the top rope and nailed Lost with a dropkick. They did alot of acrobatics here and was unbelievable to watch. Really good match.
Match rating - ***1/2
6) Austin Aries vs. Jay Briscoe
Aries & Briscoe got the semi-main event slot on one of PWG's biggest shows of the year here and they worked accordingly. From bell to bell these guys were hitting on all cylinders. It was actually a pretty brutal match as Briscoe got his nose busted about mid-way through the match and it only got worse as time went on. At one point, Aries dropkicked him in the corner and you could clearly see a strand of blood or something fly out of his nose. Cringeworthy stuff that was followed by Aries pounding him with knees to the face before locking in the last chancery for the win.
Match rating - ***1/4
7) Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Super Dragon & Davey Richards
These two teams went to war before the bell even rang by using chairs to assault each other around ringside. Steen hit a sidewalk slam on Richards through chairs while Dragon hit a piledriver on Generico through a chair to the cement floor. Some great spots took place before this one even officially got going! The insanity from the pre-match brawl carried over into the actual match as the action was pretty intense throughout. There was some miscommunication between Dragon & Richards near the end that was even noted on commentary. It took away from the match a bit because it seemed like they lost track of where things were going for a moment. Despite that, this was still a very good main event!
Match rating - ***1/2
After the match Excalibur hits the ring to confront Steen & Generico for not representing PWG as true tag team champions. He threatens to strip them of the titles for not appearing at every show. Steen cuts a good promo on how he's been away taking care of his wife & kid which leads to Excalibur telling Steen that his son is ugly. Steen hits three package piledrivers on Excalibur then brings his son to the ring and puts him on Excalibur for the pin! That was a good segment! I've heard Steen & Excalibur reference this on commentary several times in recent years, but had no idea it was on this show. Another memorable PWG moment!
Night 2:
1) Roderick Strong & Jack Evans vs. Los Luchas - Semi Final Round Match
I was really looking forward to this one considering the names involved. There were some good exchanges here, but overall this bout wasn't as good as I expected it to be. The action never slowed down and kept me entertained however it felt like it was missing something. Fun opening match, none the less.
Match rating - **3/4
2) Austin Aries vs. Davey Richards
This bout was pretty technical just like you would expect from Aries & Richards. It wasn't anything overly special until the fantastic closing sequence in which they really turned things up a notch. Richards picks up the win and gives a speech afterwards on how it's good to be back in PWG, but he will be going away for a few months to Japan. Davey vows to win the PWG World Title when he returns though. Solid match.
Match rating - ***
3) El Generico & Kevin Steen vs. El Blazer & Kagetura
El Blazer & Kagetura made a big impression on me last night in their PWG debut by defeating The Dynasty to advance to the semi finals. With that being said, I was stoked to see them mix it up with Steen & Generico here. Once again, Blazer & Kagetura stole the show with several unique moves and Steen & Generico even took things to a new level by using a new combination move that ended up putting Blazer & Kagetura away. There were a few slip ups but that's expected considering Blazer was brought in last minute and it's the first time these two teams have worked together. Regardless, this was a good match. Very enjoyable.
Match rating - ***1/2
At this point in the show, Dino Winwood is in the ring with Human Tornado. Since Tornado is injured, Dino wants him to surrender the PWG World Title. Tornado asks for Candice LeRae to come to the ring and then he'll give up the title. His long time rival & former partner, Candice comes to the ring and it looks as if Tornado is going to give her the title with no drama then all of a sudden he grabs her by the air and pushes her into the corner. Dino Winwood takes things into his own hands and begins throwing strikes at Tornado in the corner. Winwood is on fire, but turns around to a boot from Jay Briscoe! Briscoe & Winwood have alot of history in PWG which is the story behind him taking him out here. Briscoe doesn't get too long alone in the ring though because Necro Butcher hits the ring to make the save for his friend Candice LeRae. This leads to a match being made between Necro and Jay.
With Dino Winwood out after being assaulted by Jay Briscoe, TARO joins Excalibur at the commentary both for the remainder of the show.
4) Jay Briscoe vs. Necro Butcher - Necro Butcher's Rules Match
I really enjoy Necro Butcher's work in PWG simply because the matches are so unpredictable which makes for good viewing. There were some cool spots with chairs and a lot of brawling around the ring. In the end, Human Tornado being at ringside was the determining factor as he interfered on repeatedly on Briscoe's behalf. Fun brawl.
Match rating - **3/4
5) Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, TJ Perkins, & Hook Bomberry vs. Candice LeRae, Scorpio Sky, Jagged, & Shane Matthews
This was your basic multi man match with every competitor getting their chance to shine in the early going before things break down into a spotfest. This one is not on the level of some more recent PWG multi man matches, but it was enjoyable for what it was.
Match rating - **3/4
6) Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Jack Evans & Roderick Strong - Final Round Match for the PWG World Tag Team Titles
These guys went at it from the opening bell and the action never slowed down. It was near 10 minutes of non stop action and while it was enjoyable, I was hoping for more considering the tournament had been somewhat lackluster as far as match quality goes so far. None the less, entertaining final round match in which new champions were crowned.
Match rating - ***
Overall thoughts: This was the first set of PWG shows I've watched that didn't have a match that reached 4 stars or higher. With that being said, I wouldn't recommend picking up these shows unless you can find them for cheap. Despite these shows being lackluster, they're still enjoyable for the most part although they got a bit dull at times. El Blazer & Kagetora, Candice LeRae, and the commentary are the best parts about these shows so if any of that interests you, I'd recommend picking these up if you can find them for cheap. Decent shows, but subpar compared to most PWG.
Thanks for reading and be sure to follow me on Twitter @EthanPWT and this blog on Twitter @ThePWTruth!
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