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
Hero and Claudio have faced off several times in PWG over the years however this match was different in that it was more of a brawl than a technical showcase. It wasn't surprising considering all the things that have happened between the two prior to this match. For those who don't know, Claudio turned on Hero in a tag team match and sided with Human Tornado & Eddie Kingston which left Hero in a 3 on 1 situation. So considering that, it was no surprise that these two had more of a brawl here. Despite the change in match style, this was still very good and featured some great exchanges such as Hero diving onto Claudio and slinging him to the floor with an arm drag in mid air. Good match!
Match rating - ***1/4
Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, & Jade Chung are in the ring talking about how they don't have anyone to defend their titles against tonight since Eddie Kingston wasn't there to team with Claudio Castagnoli. Joey cracks some jokes on Dino Winwood and TARO before getting serious again and talking about the prestige of the tag team belts. Joey says he sent out a mass email to everyone on the PWG roster, urging them to find a partner and only person replied - El Generico! Generico comes out to introduce his partner. He points to the entrance way several times, but no one comes out. When out of nowhere Kevin Steen runs through the crowd, hits the ring, and attacks The Dynasty! Our World Tag Team Title match is underway!
4) Joey Ryan & Scott Lost vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico - PWG World Tag Team Title Match
I can only imagine how hyped the crowd was when Steen appeared. This was his first PWG appearance in six months and he wasn't advertised for the show, thus he got a huge pop when he hit the ring. Steen may have been gone for a few months however he clearly hasn't missed a step because this was a great tag match! Steen & Generico took it to Joey & Lost early on, but The Dynasty soon proved why they were the champions by fighting back. The finishing sequence was awesome and featured several nearfalls, one of which nearly made me jump out of my seat as Joey kicked out after recieving the Yakooza kick and the half & half suplex from Generico. To make things even more chaotic, Super Dragon ran out during the match and delivered a PSYCHO DRIVER TO JADE CHUNG! This match was nuts! Steen & Generico win the tag team titles in their return match in PWG!
Match rating - ***1/2
Kevin Steen gets on the mic afterwards and simply says that it feels good to be home. Steen & Generico celebrate much to the delight of the crowd.
5) The Young Bucks vs. TJ Perkins & Hook Bomberry vs. Los Luchas vs. Scorpio Sky & Ronin - DDT4 Qualifier Series - 4 Way Elimination Final
The title says it all. This is the final match in a series to determine which of these four teams will be in the 2008 DDT4 Tag Team Tournament. PWG has always had good tag team wrestling and this was no different. There's nothing here that blow you away, but it's definitely an enjoyable match. Los Luchas pick up the victory by lastly pinning The Young Bucks. Fun match.
Match rating - ***
6) Human Tornado & LuFisto vs. Chris Hero & Candice LeRae - Intergender Street Fight
From the opening bell, this was an absolute war. The feud between Tornado & Hero has been nearing it's boiling point for months and I'd say this is the night it reached that point. These two teams beat the hell out of each other in a match that saw Chris Hero dive off the stage onto Tornado on a pile of chairs, Candice LeRae get busted open by LuFisto & Tornado, and Hero deliver a brutal piledriver to LuFisto. Great match, especially considering this wasn't even the scheduled main event and was announced mid-way through the show. Match of the night!
Match rating - ***3/4
Things got even more chaotic after the match as Claudio Castagnoli ran to the ring and delivered a powerbomb to Hero. Claudio, Tornado, & LuFisto proceeded to viciously assault Hero & Candice. They taped Chris Hero to the ropes and made him watch Tornado place a bloodied Candice LeRae up against a table in the corner allowing LuFisto to spear her through it. They then took turns hitting Hero before Excalibur and TARO ran down from the commentary booth to try and stop things before Candice got hurt even worse. Tornado shoved TARO to the floor into some chairs and climbed back in the ring only for Excalibur to make the save and shove him back out. Tornado and TARO get into a vicous shoving match on the outside while Claudio gets in the face of the ring announcer, this is crazy! Finally Tornado, LuFisto, & Claudio retreat to the back and Rick Knox & Excalibur try to loosen Hero from the ropes. After a struggle, they get the tape off of him. Hero cuts a damn good promo to end the show as he puts over Candice as the toughest girl he knows and then talks about how personal this feud has become and that he's coming after Tornado whether it be in the ring, backstage, or in the parking lot. Awesome way to close the show.
Overall thoughts: On paper this may look like a subpar show considering there's six matches and three of them feature the same people, but this turned out to be one of the most fun PWG shows I've watched. There were loads of surprises and memorable moments throughout the evening along with alot of storyline progression and good wrestling as well. From Kevin Steen's surprise return to Super Dragon giving Jade Chung a Psycho Driver to the chaotic main event, there are alot of reasons to check this show out. It's one of the best events of 2008 so I'd recommend giving it a watch.
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