1) Johnny Goodtime, Jerome "LTP" Robinson, & Brandon Gatson vs. The Cutler Bros & Charles Mercury
This was the perfect way to start this show considering PWG has always been known for having crazy multi-man opening tag matches. This match mainly consists of newcomers to PWG at the time and they certainly made an impression. There were some not so smooth exchanges here and there, but for the most part this was a highly entertaining opening spotfest. Just a bunch of crazy stuff to get the crowd going. I really miss Johnny Goodtime & LTP in PWG. Here's to hoping they'll start getting booked again sooner or later.
Match rating - **3/4
2) Alex Shelley vs. Scott Lost
One of the matches that really attracted me to this DVD was this one. I've always considered Lost of the most underrated guys in PWG history while Shelley's talents are widely known so this one was something to be excited about. Unfortunately this wasn't quite as good as it could have been. There were some good exchanges here and there, but various slip ups during the match kept this one from being the awesome match it was destined to be. While this wasn't the four star affair that I was hoping for it, it was still a good match. Lost got some of his signature moves in such as the cutter on the ring apron and the running spear in the corner. However, in the end, Shelley was able to put him away following two frog splashes.
Match rating - ***
3) Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Sabin
When Sabin & Shelley returned to PWG in 2009, they competed primarily as a tag team. This event marked their first singles matches back in the company. Shelley's was good, but this match pitting Sabin against Danielson is much better though. Sabin is known mainly for his highflying however that wasn't showcased here. As normal with Bryan, this was a pretty technical match with a good amount of strikes. Sabin hung right in there although Danielson would put him away in the end by making him submit to Cattle Mutilation. Good match.
Match rating - ***1/2
4) Chuck Taylor vs. Colt Cabana
What do you get when you put two of the funniest wrestlers in the world today in the same ring? Comedic wrestling gold and that's what we got here. The match didn't last long and Chuckie T got a cheap victory however they packed alot of funny stuff in here. From Chuck paying off Cabana to Cabana slapping a "grenade" out of Chuck's hand to some homosexual shenanigans with the referee, this was all around fun.
Match rating - **3/4
5) Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong
It's Davey Richards and Roderick Strong. You know what to expect. This was action packed, intense, and hard hitting from beginning to end. They didn't take time to tell much of a story however it was certainly entertaining to watch these two just go at it with each other for just over 10 minutes. Many people shit on Davey for some of the things he does in matches like this, but it's enjoyable if you don't take wrestling too seriously. Plus it's not like this was the main event so I can't complain.
Match rating - ***1/4
6) The Young Bucks vs. El Generico & Human Tornado
WOW. If there's a match that has just gotten better with time, it's this one. I don't know how or why I enjoyed this so much more this go round than I did the first two times I watched it. I originally gave this four stars, but after this viewing, I'm increasing that rating even higher because this was absolutely fantastic. This combined insane action, storytelling, & even nostalgia for someone viewing it six years later. The Young Bucks were in the midst of a turning point in their careers as the fans had turned on them after they won the DDT4 tournament. The way they played it by ear and basically fully solidified their heel turn here was simply great to watch. They did their signature flip, double drop kick thing and the crowd chanted "Same old shit" so what do they? Hit the same thing again on the fly! That's just one example of The Bucks embracing the hate the fans began generating towards them. Of course, having El Generico and a newly face Human Tornado as your opponents didn't help their case of being babyfaces. Speaking of Tornado, this ended up being his last PWG match and what a fucking way to go out, he was on fire here. He had just recently finished a vicious feud in which he was the evil pimp that assaulted Candice LeRae however he's back to his fun loving self and is reunited with El Generico as the 2 Skinny Black Guys for the first time in over 3 years. There's just so much going on here and it was all touched on during the match. The crowd was super hot, the action was off the charts, I just can't say enough about this. I'm REALLY shocked that I didn't rave about this one as much after I watched it the first time because it had everything I loved. Big moves, near falls, all that classic PWG stuff. I must've been having an off night because this is a fantastic match. Not to mention, this match features the first time ever that someone was able to escape from More Bang For Your Buck which made the crowd go absolutely nuts. PWG doesn't have storytelling that builds towards big moments, you say? HA. None the less, this ruled and is one of the best matches in PWG in 2009 and the best bout on this show, in my opinion.
Match rating - ****1/2
7) Chris Hero vs. Joey Ryan - Guerrilla Warfare Match for the PWG World Championship
This match was built up extremely well with the story being Joey Ryan trying to stop Hero from eclipsing his record World Title reign. Joey & Hero both put their all into this bout and showed how much the PWG Title meant to them. It wasn't your typical spot after spot after spot Guerrilla Warfare Match. It was quite violent however and we got a fair share of spots. The most notable being Hero cutting a flip over the top rope only to crash and burn through a table. Chains, chairs, elbows, and superkicks were used prominently and both men were got busted open during the match. Awesome main event that was a big change of pace from past Guerrilla Warfare matches. It also provided something completely different than everything else on this show.
Match rating - ****
Overall thoughts: It was a treat to go back and watch this show. There was alot of nostalgia here as you can probably tell. You had guys like Bryan Danielson who have went onto superstardom, PWG veterans like Scott Lost & Human Tornado who were amazingly talented but are no longer actively competing (Tornado does still wrestle elsewhere on occassion), and you have dudes who are still around in PWG right now, six years later such as Roderick Strong, Chris Hero, Chris Sabin, Joey Ryan, and of course, The Young Bucks. If you've only seen shows from PWG's golden era, I'd definitely recommend picking up this show. It's only 5 bucks on Highspots, at the moment, and it's easily worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment