This a pretty big mismatch on paper. Not as uneven of a match as the F'N Machines/PPRay match we would saw at the 2014 DDT4 Tournament, but still a mismatch none the less. Yuma and Goodtime held their own here however as they had Cage & Elgin on the rocks on several occassions. They found unique ways to get the advantage throughout the match. For instance, Elgin has Yuma up for a powerbomb on the outside and Goodtime grabbed him with a leg scissors from in the ring and slung him to the floor. Both teams worked hard here and got the show off to a good start.
Match rating - **3/4
2) Kyle O'Reilly vs. Davey Richards
This was Davey's first PWG appearance since the 2012 Battle of Los Angeles which saw he & trainee Kyle O'Reilly join Joey Ryan and embrace their sleaziness. It was clear that both guys still had some of that left in them as we saw it come out early on. Things would soon get serious though and these two put together a fantastic match. It's no surprise that they had great chemistry together as this was a student vs teacher match up and it was very well done. My favorite part about this match was the strikes. Kyle and Davey are two of the best strikers in the game and it was put on showcase here. Outstanding match that was much better than their previous encounters in ROH.
Match rating - ***3/4
3) Chuck Taylor & Johnny Gargano vs. Dojo Bros (Eddie Edwards & Roderick Strong)
The best way to describe a match involving Chuck Taylor and the Dojo Bros is fun and this was the perfect example of that. From fans propelling Eddie into Chuck to Roddy chopping Chuckie in the dick to the epic call on commentary by Excalibur in which he referred to Taylor & Gargano as "Eatin' pussy and kickin' ass" to Chuck hitting a huge dive and nearly landing in the commentary area which led to him grabbing the headset and giving some insight of his own, this was entertainment at it's best. Action packed, super fun match.
Match rating - ***1/4
4) Kevin Steen vs. Drake Younger
My anticipation for this match was high. These two are known for taking unbelievable risks and leaving the fans speechless so putting them in a match together was a recipe for disaster or success depending on how you look at it. It certainly lived up to expectations as we saw many jaw dropping moments such as Steen powerbombing Drake on the stage as well as the ring apron. The craziest of them all however saw Drake body slam Steen off the ring apron into the crowd. It was NUTS! Great match.
Match rating - ***1/2
5) The Young Bucks vs. AR Fox & Samuray Del Sol
After viewing countless Young Bucks matches, I've come to the conclusion that words won't do the majority of them justice. Beyond that, I'm sure most people reading this review know what the four men in this match are capable of so you're probably already sold on this match and I don't blame you. For those of you who fall into the category described in the previous sentence, this match lives up to expectations. For those who've never seen these four compete, I'll do a little background. You may know Samuray Del Sol as he is currently in WWE NXT under the name Kalisto and is one of the quickest men I've ever seen in the ring. His partner, AR Fox is one of the best highfliers in the world and The Young Bucks are The Young Bucks. So, enough babbling, this match was awesome, bottom line.
Match rating - ****
6) Adam Cole vs. Sami Callihan - 60 Minute Iron Man Match for the PWG World Championship
Prior to this match, there had only been two iron man matches in the history of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. The first was a classic between Joey Ryan and Super Dragon in 2004. The second was a shockingly dull match between AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels in 2005. Thankfully, this one was closer to the latter rather than the former. The backstory to this one gave me mixed feelings going in. Storyline wise in PWG, this match made no sense. Callihan was coming off two consecutive losses against Drake Younger & Kyle O'Reilly so him getting title shot seems a bit dumb however, Callihan had just signed a contract with WWE and this would be his last PWG show. So, why not have it be against one of his greatest rivals, Adam Cole? As Kevin Steen would note on commentary, Cole and Callihan were like each other's Steen and Generico. They had many battles in CZW through the years and last year they brought their rivalry to PWG. As far as who had the advantage in this match, I think it could go to Sami because he's had previous iron man bouts unlike Cole, plus the crowd was behind him. None the less, the match got going and Cole ended up scoring three pinfalls back to back around 15 minutes in. I liked how they did them via a series of roll ups because most of the time that spot is just used for a bunch of false finishes, but in this bout, it actually scored Cole a victory as well as Callihan later in the match. Cole played his character perfectly throughout the match by trying to get cheap victories via countout by repeatedly throwing Callihan out of the ring and even placing him near the back of the building. Aside from cheap tactics, Cole worked on the leg throughout the match as a way of setting up for the figure four which he locked in on several occassions. This was also a pretty hardhitting match as we got a chop battle in the middle of the ring at about the half way point that was seemingly never going to end. The final moments were very well played as Callihan chased Cole around the ring because he was down by one fall. Cole ran in the ring and tripped over the bottom rope which allowed Callihan to lock in a submission to try to even the score as the time ran out. As a whole, this was a really good match. One thing I need to mention is that these two deserve kudos solely for keeping me interested for the entire 60 minute duration of the match. There was rarely a dull moment and they did alot of things to make sure of that. I don't think this was better than the Joey/Dragon Iron Man Match however it certainly came close.
Match rating - ****
Thanks for reading and be sure to follow me on Twitter @EthanPWT along with this blog @ThePWTruth!
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