PWG: The Very Best Professional Wrestling in the Universe

[Blodyxe]

• Karl Anderson vs. Kyle O'Reilly
• Brian Cage vs. Roderick Strong
• Kota Ibushi vs. Sami Callihan
• Ricochet vs. Rocky Romero
• Johnny Guerrilla vs. Paul London
• Eddie Kingston vs. Kenny Omega
• Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards
• Johnny Gargano vs. Kevin Steen
• Special Six-Man Tag: Adam Cole & The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) & Candice LeRae

[TLLK]

Recap of PWG’s "Battle of Los Angeles 2013, Night 1" 08-24-13

Shot Of The Night - PWG - 08-24-13

POSTED BY: Jay Danielson 08/25/2013

This Chaos Column is a recap of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's 2013 Battle of Los Angeles, Night 1, at American Legion Post #308 in Reseda on August 24, 2013. We'll have a recap of tonight's final later this week on the site.

All eight quarterfinal matches in this year's BOLA tournament were contested in front of a capacity crowd in the Legion Hall, and the show included a trios match featuring PWG champions Adam Cole and The Young Bucks. There's a lot to get to here, so let's dive right in.

1 — Kyle O'Reilly def. Karl Anderson via submission (18:24)

Again, it's been the Summer of KOR in PWG, and the latest proof was his opening win over "Machine Gun" to kick off this year's BOLA. This was a hard-hitting matchup, with Anderson bringing some of the strong style of NJPW over to wear KOR down. But, as the case has often been with KOR during this hot streak, once he pulls off his chain of impressive technical moves, it's over. "The Five-Move Combo of Doom" finished with a Cross Armbreaker, and Anderson just had to submit.

2 — Roderick Strong def. Brian Cage via pinfall (13:11)

There was a pretty scary moment in this match when Strong took a powerbomb on the outside that he was very slow to get up from. He stayed in the match, though, and powered through to take out Cage. It was impressive to see him lift the big man up for his End of Heartache backbreaker finisher, which got him through to Night 2 of this year's tournament.

3 — Kota Ibushi def. Sami Callihan via pinfall (16:23)

Ibushi might just be one of the best talents working anywhere in the world right now, and he put on a show for the PWG faithful in his first BOLA match. This was also a good showing for Callihan, who proved he could hang with Ibushi without turning the match into a straightforward brawl. Ibushi got so high up on his finishing Phoenix Splash that I thought he was going to hit the ceiling inside the Legion Hall. Excellent match.

4 — Ricochet def. Rocky Romero via pinfall (12:29)

To my surprise, Ricochet and Romero immediately one-upped the Ibushi-Callihan match with a 12-minute aerial assault that didn't slow down for a single second. These two dudes went all out, and it was incredible to witness. It felt like they used every square inch of the ring and the ropes to soar into the air. Romero came extremely close to pulling out a "sneaky style" win on several occasions, but Ricochet held on until he was able to hit a picture-perfect 630 Senton for the victory. This was the match of the night, hands down.

5 — Adam Cole and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) def. Candice LeRae and Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta) (20:10)

While I would have expected this one to go in the main event slot, PWG decided to cut the eight first-round matches in half and put the special trios match in the middle. This had some really fun tag team action in it, but one of the highlights happened before the bell — when Chuck Taylor hit a standing moonsault onto Matt Jackson's jacket, to the delight of the Reseda crowd. I really thought the non-champs were going to pull off the upset here, but some stereo superkicks from the Bucks and a Florida Keys from Cole onto Candice scored the win. After the match, Best Friends and The Bucks continued to mix it up, which makes me think we could see a title match between those two teams soon.

6 (after intermission)— Johnny Guerrilla def. Paul London via pinfall (15:47)

Johnny Guerrilla's surprise debut at TEN wasn't a one-off by any means, and he kept things going into BOLA with a good second match in PWG. I will say, though, for two guys that probably have squared off quite a lot in the past... they didn't seem to be on the same page for this one. Guerrilla was able to recover enough to pull off a nice finishing sequence for the victory, but I personally would have expected more from this match.

7 — Kenny Omega def. Eddie Kingston via pinfall (14:29)

It's been five years since we've seen Eddie Kingston in a PWG ring. Since then, he's become the longtime grand champion of Chikara in Philly, where his style is a crazy-good contrast to the characters and gimmicks over there. Kingston and Omega went to war in this match, as there were several stretches where it looked like it would have fit right in with an old All Japan match. Omega's speed was ultimately too much for Kingston, though, as he hit the One-Winged Angel for the win. This was a fun return for Kingston, and I hope we get to see more of him in PWG moving forward.

8 — Davey Richards def. Eddie Edwards via submission (20:28)

The American Wolves continue to work together in places such as Ring of Honor, but they haven't teamed up in their most recent PWG run. The BOLA bracket made it easy for them to cross paths in singles competition, and we were treated to an emotional and violent contest between the two partners. What ultimately got Richards over the top in this one was his ability to escalate things just a little more than Edwards, and his 14:59 (Keylock) finisher caused his fellow Wolf to reluctantly tap out. 

Main Event — Kevin Steen def. Johnny Gargano via pinfall (21:45)

Steen looked determined to take more of his anger out on Gargano after neither man failed to capture the PWG World title from Adam Cole in that brutal Guerrilla Warfare match at TEN last month. Gargano stayed hot, and you could tell the crowd was really behind him as the match went on. That seemed to anger Steen even more, and he finally put Gargano down with a devastating Pop-Up Powerbomb to finish the first round.

After the match, Steen grabbed a microphone and immediately cut an angry promo, calling himself "Mr. PWG" and saying that he built this place into what it is today. He then warned the crowd that at the second night of BOLA, he would show everybody on the entire roster that he still runs things in Reseda. 

This was a red-hot Night 1 of BOLA. Ricochet-Romero was phenomenal, and I would say that Ibushi-Callihan and Omega-Kingston weren't too far behind. The only real drop-offs of the night came in the Guerrilla-London match and that rough powerbomb moment with Strong and Cage.

The card for tonight's Night 2 action is already out, and it's shaping up to be one of the best nights in the Legion Hall in recent memory.

🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍

PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA'S BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2013, NIGHT 2

BOLA Quarterfinal: Johnny Guerrilla vs. Roderick Strong

BOLA Quarterfinal: Davey Richards vs. Kyle O'Reilly

BOLA Quarterfinal: Kenny Omega vs. Ricochet

BOLA Quarterfinal: Kevin Steen vs. Kota Ibushi

BOLA Semifinal: Guerrilla/Strong vs. Richards/O'Reilly

BOLA Semifinal: Omega/Ricochet vs. Steen/Ibushi

BOLA Final: ??? vs. ???

AR Fox and Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) vs. Will Hobbs and Dark & Lovely (Human Tornado & Scorpio Sky)

Adam Cole and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. Eddie Edwards, Johnny Gargano & Paul London

[CGN91]

Great stuff so far. I have missed some predictions but I'll do night 2.

PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA'S BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES 2013, NIGHT 2
BOLA Quarterfinal: Johnny Guerrilla vs. Roderick Strong
BOLA Quarterfinal: Davey Richards vs. Kyle O'Reilly
BOLA Quarterfinal: Kenny Omega vs. Ricochet
BOLA Quarterfinal: Kevin Steen vs. Kota Ibushi
BOLA Semifinal: Guerrilla/Strong vs. Richards/O'Reilly
BOLA Semifinal: Omega/Ricochet vs. Steen/Ibushi
BOLA Final: Kenny vs. Strong
AR Fox and Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) vs. Will Hobbs and Dark & Lovely (Human Tornado & Scorpio Sky)
Adam Cole and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. Eddie Edwards, Johnny Gargano & Paul London

[TLLK]

I'll throw this out there, too: whoever has the best prediction record after BOLA Night 2 and the September show I've already run in this save can name the October show... before I run Mystery Vortex II in November and an All-Star Weekend in December

good luck to all

[TLLK]

Recap of PWG’s "Battle of Los Angeles 2013, Night 2" 08-25-13

Shot Of The Night - PWG - 08-25-13

POSTED BY: Jay Danielson 08/27/2013

This Chaos Column is a recap of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's 2013 Battle of Los Angeles, Night 2, at American Legion Post #308 in Reseda on August 24, 2013.

Night 2 of Battle of Los Angeles was an all-timer for PWG, including a shocking finale that will undoubtedly resonate through the scene for years to come. Excalibur had a who's who with him at the DVD Commentary desk, including: Chuck Taylor, Kenny Omega, Kevin Steen, Adam Cole, Rocky Romero, Referee Rick Knox and Roderick Strong.

1 — Johnny Guerrilla def. Roderick Strong via pinfall (19:53)

I wouldn't have predicted that this match would've been the quarterfinal the blew the roof off of the Legion Hall in Reseda, but it did. Johnny Guerrilla looked like he was shot out of a cannon for this one, hitting incredible spot after incredible spot. Roderick Strong also put in what I would consider to be his best match in a PWG ring. This match got the "fight forever" chant, despite the fact that it was the first of quite a few for this card. Guerrilla finished Strong with a Starship Pain after a wild sequence to advance to the semifinals. 

2 — Kyle O'Reilly def. Davey Richards via submission (17:38)

Maybe it was going to be impossible to follow up what we saw in the opener, but this second quarterfinal seemed to fall flat. O'Reilly and Richards, on paper, should have had a great technical matchup. But this was disjointed, and it looked like there was something off with Richards for most of the way. KOR got the crowd back toward the end with his big move combo to finish it off, yet this felt immediately like it would go down as the biggest miss on the card.

3 — Kenny Omega def. Ricochet via pinfall (12:39)

The Reseda crowd got right back up after KOR-Richards, though, because Omega and Ricochet went all the way out for a little over a dozen minutes. This was a match where it seemed like the two were trying to one-up each other the whole way. Omega pulled off an absolutely ridiculous counter to a Ricochet dive, which led to a V-Trigger that felt like it took Ricochet's head off. The One-Winged Angel followed shortly, putting Omega into the semifinals.

4 — Kevin Steen def. Kota Ibushi via pinfall (21:43)

Like in Night 1, Steen was the pure Kill Steen Kill version of himself on Night 2. While Ibushi dazzled the crowd with his striking and aerial moves, Steen looked like he just wanted to rip the Japanese star limb from limb. This was a ridiculous match that ended in an even more ridiculous way — Steen countering the Kamigoye and then immediately spiking Ibushi into the turnbuckle with the always-brutal Steenalizer, which we haven't seen in quite some time.

5 — AR Fox and Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) def. Will Hobbs and Dark & Lovely (Human Tornado & Scorpio Sky) via submission (11:36)

The crowd in Reseda seems to have taken a liking to young Will Hobbs, but he was unable to pull off an upset here. The love for Hobbs seemed to frustrate AR Fox, who went out of his way to take out Hobbs whenever momentum was rolling for him. Forever Hooligans got in a ton of offense and put away Dark & Lovely for the win, with Koslov hitting the Red Scare (Russian leg sweep into a bridging cobra clutch) on Human Tornado for the victory.

6 (after intermission)— Kyle O'Reilly def. Johnny Guerrilla via pinfall (24:27)

Two of the hottest talents in PWG right now, based on sheer momentum, entered this semifinal — and you could never really tell at any point who was going to come out with the victory. KOR did a good job early of trying to keep Johnny Guerrilla grounded, but that could only work for so long. KOR looked worn down, yet he kicked out after Guerrilla's escalating offense time and time again. In the end, it was some old-school wrestling that gave KOR the victory, as he quickly rolled up Guerrilla with an impressive maneuver to snatch the victory.

7 — Kenny Omega def. Kevin Steen via pinfall (20:29)

Say it with me: Match. Of. The. Year. This was an instant classic between two of the best wrestlers ever to step foot in a PWG ring. The crowd was split right down the middle for this one, which seemed to irritate Steen all the more. Steen told Omega throughout the match that he was destroy him like he did his boy Ibushi, and that really fired Omega up. These two guys threw everything they had at each other — powerbombs, dives, absolutely sick turnbuckle attacks, you name it. But Omega was able to reverse Steen's attempt at another Steenalizer into a One-Winged Angel from the middle rope for the victory. Unreal stuff here. Omega goes to the final.

8 — Adam Cole and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) def. Eddie Edwards, Johnny Gargano and Paul London (16:44)

This served as a great bridge between that incredible semifinal and the main event. Cole and The Bucks cooled off the crowd some with their comedic heel work, and when this match really got going, it still delivered. Gargano and Cole's bad blood from TEN look to be quite fresh, and the former challenger for the world title seemed close to pulling off the win here on multiple occasions. But a Superkick Party gave way to More Bang for Your Buck on London, and the champs kept their hot streak going.

Main Event — Kyle O'Reilly def. Kenny Omega via pinfall to win the 2013 Battle of Los Angeles Tournament (28:13)

This didn't quite get up to the level of Steen-Omega, but man, it was close. KOR looked like he wouldn't be able to go the distance here, as Omega's freak physical condition gave him an early advantage that he continued through the first half. But when KOR turned it on at the halfway point, the Reseda crowd really started to believe that his red-hot summer was going to end with a massive BOLA victory. Both men hit their furious combo of finishing moves near the half-hour mark, and it took KOR not one, not two, but three straight brainbusters on Omega to score the pinfall. Phenomenal tournament with a fitting final. This will go down as one of the greats for PWG.

After the match, PWG champion Adam Cole came out to give his congratulations "to the second best member of Future Shock." KOR and Cole came face-to-face in the ring, and that's when things got insane. The Young Bucks charged the ring and ambushed KOR before both Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae ran down to attempt a save. Cole and The Bucks destroyed both with superkicks. That sent Kevin Steen charging down the ramp, along with referee Rick Knox. As Knox tried to break up the fight, Steen turned around... AND DROPPED KNOX WITH A PACKAGE PILEDRIVER. He then hit one on O'Reilly before destroying the BOLA trophy, which he told fans he would do on Night 1. This brought basically the entire roster out, to which Steen, Cole and the Bucks made their escape. O'Reilly recovered and then cut a promo thanking the fans for their support.

Wow. What an insane way to end an incredible couple of nights. Kyle O'Reilly's hot streak has taken him to the very top of PWG, and he's definitely looking like championship material after this run. Omega and Steen's semifinal was the match of the weekend for me, but you can't overlook the trio of matches featuring Johnny Guerrilla and the excellent work of Kota Ibushi and Ricochet. And now it looks like Steen is going to be joining up with the Young Bucks and his longtime rival Cole, further shown by this promo that PWG posted after the show:

Welcome to the Mount Rushmore Era of PWG. Business is definitely picking up in Reseda.

[Dalton]

MOUNT RUSHMORE!

Kenny vs Steen in PWG is a sick match. That was a sick angle to end the show as well. You are perfectly capturing the essence of PWG at this time. Keep it up!

[TLLK]

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla: “Oh, What a Rushmore” in Reseda, CA

09/28/2013 @ 8:00 PM - midnight

$30

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s "Oh, What a Rushmore"

Saturday, September 28, 2013

8:00 PM Bell Time 

American Legion Post #308 

7338 Canby Ave., Reseda, CA 91335

After an explosive finale to the 2013 Battle of Los Angeles Tournament, PWG will return later this month to the Legion Hall in Reseda for their first show in what Kevin Steen, Adam Cole and The Young Bucks are calling "The Mount Rushmore Era." The four members of the new group will headline the show, which has two world title matches and the PWG debuts of indie talents ACH and Drew Gulak.

• PWG World Title: Adam Cole (c) vs. Kyle O'Reilly
• PWG World Tag Team Titles: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano
• ACH vs. Kevin Steen
• Karl Anderson vs. Kenny Omega
• Johnny Guerrilla vs. Ricochet
• Davey Richards vs. Eddie Kingston vs. Roderick Strong vs. Sami Callihan
• Drew Gulak vs. Eddie Edwards
• AR Fox & Rich Swann vs. Will Hobbs & Willie Mack

[MidKnightDreary]

Cole
Bucks
Steen
Kenny
Ricochet
Richards
Edwards
Hobbs&Mack

[Dalton]

• PWG World Title: Adam Cole (c) vs. Kyle O'Reilly
• PWG World Tag Team Titles: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano
• ACH vs. Kevin Steen
• Karl Anderson vs. Kenny Omega
• Johnny Guerrilla vs. Ricochet
• Davey Richards vs. Eddie Kingston vs. Roderick Strong vs. Sami Callihan
• Drew Gulak vs. Eddie Edwards
• AR Fox & Rich Swann vs. Will Hobbs & Willie Mack

[TLLK]

Recap of PWG’s "Oh, What A Rushmore" 09-28-13

Shot Of The Night - PWG - 09-28-13

POSTED BY: Jay Danielson 09/30/2013

This Chaos Column is a recap of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's September show, "Oh, What A Rushmore," a reference to the newly formed faction of Adam Cole, Kevin Steen and The Young Bucks during the fallout of last month's Battle of Los Angeles.

It was another packed house in the Legion Hall in Reseda. The first match started a little after 9 p.m., and the show ended a little after 1 a.m. Excalibur's solo guest at the DVD Commentary table was Chuck Taylor, as the Best Friends were not scheduled on the card for this one. That ought to make for a fun rewatch.

1 — Will Hobbs & Willie Mack def. AR Fox & Rich Swann via pinfall (11:54)

A fun opener between two very different tag teams — the power of the two Wills versus the high-flying antics of Fox and Swann. Both sides got a good amount of offense in this one, but Hobbs turned it on late in the match, to the delight of a SoCal crowd that has really taken a liking to the young talent from Palo Alto. Hobbs crushed Fox with a Spinebuster to seal it.

2 — Eddie Edwards def. Drew Gulak via submission (15:33)

This was a technical wrestling matchup that has become a lot more common in PWG these days, with Gulak making his debut for the company after years of building indie hype in places like CHIKARA, CZW and EVOLVE. Gulak looked pretty impressive in his first PWG match, but this turned out to be Edwards' night, as he pulled off a nice reversal to lock in the Beast Choker for the victory. 

3 — Roderick Strong def. Davey Richards, Eddie Kingston and Sami Callihan via pinfall (18:49)

If you enjoy watching four dudes brawl all around an entire venue, this match is for you. This quartet of heavy-hitters used every part of the ring and every part of the outside area in the Legion Hall to wear each other down, with Kingston and Callihan teeing off at each other at one point with as many chairs as they could get their hands on. The match turned toward a violent throwdown between Strong and Richards back in the ring, and Roddy hit the End of Heartache to clinch the win. Strong looked really good here, I have to say.

4 — Johnny Guerrilla def. Ricochet via pinfall (20:05)

This was a thrill ride from beginning to end, as Guerrilla and Ricochet went back and forth with crazy aerial moves, trying to one-up each other. Guerrilla didn't seem to like the fact that Ricochet was getting the love from the Reseda crowd, which turned him more violent toward the end of the match. The fans really wanted Ricochet to pull it out, but Guerrilla was able to get a quick roll-up after a furious sequence of near-misses to land the win.

5 — Kevin Steen def. ACH via pinfall (16:22)

Steen got an interesting reaction from Reseda in his first match since joining up with Adam Cole and The Young Bucks, with a few more boos than usual sprinkled into the noise. This was the PWG debut for Texas native ACH, who fans recognized for his work in Ring of Honor. ACH definitely put on a show with his high-flying skills, but this was always going to be a night to witness Kill Steen Kill. A pop-up powerbomb that made it look like ACH was about to hit the light fixtures punctuated this victory.

(intermission) — Karl Anderson and Kenny Omega go through their respective entrances for the next match, with Kota Ibushi joining Omega in his corner. Before the bell rings, though, Anderson stops Referee Rick Knox and asks for a microphone. He says he isn't going to be outnumbered in this match, so he brought a friend of his own. Through the curtain steps... Prince Devitt, the man who beat Omega in the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title match back at Dominion in New Japan! The sight of the leader of the Bullet Club clearly shocks Omega, but he regains his composure long enough to snatch the microphone from Anderson and say since the four of them are out there... why not turn this into a tag match? Ring the bell!

6 — Prince Devitt & Karl Anderson def. The Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi) via pinfall (19:47)

Boys and girls, we have a new PWG Match of the Year contender. This impromptu match had the crowd buzzing from the opening bell all the way to the finish, and it was well-deserved hype. Not everyone has gotten the chance to see Devitt in the ring over here, and they've been missing out. He was electric, but The Golden Lovers matched his intensity the whole way. Anderson looked like he got hampered by a potential injury midway through the match, which made it look like the Lovers were gonna take it. But Anderson showed it was all a ruse, playing possum to ambush Ibushi and then tag Devitt in for his Bloody Sunday DDT. Long standing ovation after this one. Hopefully this isn't the last we'll see of Devitt in Reseda.

7 — The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) def. Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae via pinfall to retain the PWG World Tag Team titles (23:42)

A match created from the fallout of the BOLA finale, The Bucks got everything they asked for and then some from the newly formed tag team of Johnny and Candice. There was a real chemistry between the two, and it looks like they might really work as a tandem moving forward. In typical Bucks fashion, though, whenever Candice was in the ring, they seemed to step up the intensity of their moves. This got the Reseda crowd upset, and the Bucks ate it up. After a particularly brutal Stereo Superkick to Candice, Johnny managed to tag himself back in the match, even though he looked absolutely worn out. The Brothers Jackson hit a More Bang For Your Buck on him to get the win. Really good tag title match, just a tick below the wild ladder fest at TEN.

Main Event — Adam Cole def. Kyle O'Reilly via pinfall to retain the PWG World title (27:43)

This was Cole's toughest test since winning the PWG World title, as KOR kept the hot streak from his Battle of Los Angeles win going in this one. Very even match throughout, with neither one really gaining an upper hand for the majority of the time. That is, until the end, when the rest of Mount Rushmore hit the ring, first taking out Rick Knox and then putting some extra punishment on KOR. The Reseda crowd was upset at this finish, but... that was the entire point. Cole covered KOR to get the win, which prompted a further beatdown from Mount Rushmore.

Several others from the back soon hit the ring to help clear out the damage, including the victorious Roderick Strong, Eddie Edwards, Will Hobbs and Willie Mack. Mount Rushmore scampered off, but the damage was done. Afterwards, Roddy grabbed the microphone and called out Cole, saying he wants a title match at the next PWG show.

This card had plenty of great matches, headlined by the Bullet Club-Golden Lovers showcase and a red-hot Guerrilla vs. Ricochet. The main event outcome soured some folks, and I honestly think it could have been handled better. But it'll be interesting to see where PWG goes from here with Mount Rushmore. The company hasn't announced its plans for its October show yet, but the word is they'll finish the year with a second Mystery Vortex in November and an All-Star Weekend in December.

[TLLK]

if my math is right, @Dalton picked the most correct winners so far, so he gets to name the October show before Mystery Vortex

[Blodyxe]

I'm all caught up, really enjoyed all shows!

[TLLK]

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla: “Cole World, Cole Life, Cole Blooded” in Reseda, CA

10/19/2013 @ 8:00 PM - midnight

$30

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s "Cole World, Cole Life, Cole Blooded"

Saturday, October 19, 2013

8:00 PM Bell Time 

American Legion Post #308 

7338 Canby Ave., Reseda, CA 91335

• PWG World Title: Adam Cole (c) vs. Roderick Strong
• PWG World Tag Team Titles: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero)
• Colt Cabana vs. Kevin Steen
• Kota Ibushi vs. Kyle O'Reilly
• Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) vs. Drew Gulak & Timothy Thatcher
• Kenny Omega vs. Prince Devitt
• ACH, Ricochet & Shane Strickland vs. AR Fox, Johnny Guerrilla & Rich Swann
• Brian Cage & Jeff Cobb vs. Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano vs. Eddie Kingston & Sami Callihan

[Hollywood]

PWG World Title: Adam Cole (c) vs. Roderick Strong
PWG World Tag Team Titles: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero)
Colt Cabana vs. Kevin Steen
Kota Ibushi vs. Kyle O'Reilly
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) vs. Drew Gulak & Timothy Thatcher
Kenny Omega vs. Prince Devitt
ACH, Ricochet & Shane Strickland vs. AR Fox, Johnny Guerrilla & Rich Swann
Brian Cage & Jeff Cobb vs. Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano vs. Eddie Kingston & Sami Callihan

[Dalton]

Sick event name  

• PWG World Title: Adam Cole (c) vs. Roderick Strong
• PWG World Tag Team Titles: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero)
• Colt Cabana vs. Kevin Steen
• Kota Ibushi vs. Kyle O'Reilly
• Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) vs. Drew Gulak & Timothy Thatcher
• Kenny Omega vs. Prince Devitt
• ACH, Ricochet & Shane Strickland vs. AR Fox, Johnny Guerrilla & Rich Swann
• Brian Cage & Jeff Cobb vs. Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano vs. Eddie Kingston & Sami Callihan

[Blodyxe]

PWG World Title: Adam Cole (c) vs. Roderick Strong
PWG World Tag Team Titles: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero)
Colt Cabana vs. Kevin Steen
Kota Ibushi vs. Kyle O'Reilly
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) vs. Drew Gulak & Timothy Thatcher
Kenny Omega vs. Prince Devitt
ACH, Ricochet & Shane Strickland vs. AR Fox, Johnny Guerrilla & Rich Swann
Brian Cage & Jeff Cobb vs. Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano vs. Eddie Kingston & Sami Callihan

Edited September 19, 2022 by Blodyxe

[TLLK]

Recap of PWG’s "Cole World, Cole Life, Cole Blooded" 10-19-13

GIF Of The Night - PWG - 10-19-23

POSTED BY: Jay Danielson 10/21/2013

This Chaos Column is a recap of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's October show, "Cole World, Cole Life, Cole Blooded." The show marked the PWG return of Colt Cabana, along with the debut of Timothy Thatcher, and set up an interesting situation for the company's second-ever Mystery Vortex show next month. Excalibur was joined at the DVD Commentary Table by Cabana, Chuck Taylor, Kenny Omega, Eddie Kingston and Rocky Romero.

1 — Eddie Kingston & Sami Callihan def. Brian Cage & Jeff Cobb and Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano via pinfall (14:29)

A lot of heavy-hitting in this opener from the Kingston-Callihan and Cage-Cobb teams, while Candice and Johnny tried to pick their spots. PWG's power couple came close to pulling off the win on multiple occasions, but their opponents powered out of their pin attempts each time. A ridiculously good striking sequence between Kingston and Cobb finished this one off, with Kingston hitting his signature Spinning Back Fist to grab his first win in Reseda.

2 — ACH, Ricochet & Shane Strickland def. Johnny Guerrilla, AR Fox & Rich Swann via pinfall (16:50)

This was an aerial spot fest that never let up from the opening bell. Tons of crazy high-flying moves in this one — not all of them were hit perfectly, especially a scary miss from ACH on a dive to the floor — and the crowd ate it up. Fox was on the wrong end of a 630 from Ricochet, scoring a bit of an upset win for the babyfaces. After the match, Johnny Guerrilla looked quite upset at Fox and Swann, blaming them totally for the loss.

3 — Kenny Omega def. Prince Devitt via pinfall (17:55)

To the surprise of absolutely no one, this was the match of the night. Devitt defeated Omega at NJPW's Dominion earlier this year to retain his IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. Devitt — who has since lost his title to Shingo Takagi and has focused his work in Japan on building up Bullet Club — and Karl Anderson got a win over Omega and Kota Ibushi last month. In the rematch from their excellent match in Japan, Omega got his revenge. Both guys brought their A game. The finish was insane, with Omega managing to reverse a Bloody Sunday before hitting a V-Trigger and a One-Winged Angel. The crowd really loved this one. 

4 — Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) def. Drew Gulak & Timothy Thatcher (15:41)

Best Friends are picking up steam here, and it might not be too long before we see them challenge The Young Bucks for the PWG World Tag Team titles. A solid back-and-forth match here, with Chuck and Trent's antics irritating the other side before erupting in a surprisingly stiff finish. Trent hit the Strong Zero on Gulak to score the win, but I came away from the match being the most impressed by Thatcher in his PWG debut. The star from nearby APW looks like he definitely belongs in Reseda.

(after intermission) 5 — Kota Ibushi def. Kyle O'Reilly via pinfall (20:15)

KOR looked determined to bounce back from his disappointing and controversial World title loss to Adam Cole at Oh, What A Rushmore. I personally had high hopes for this match, but something felt off about it throughout. Ibushi and KOR have been two of the best performers of the last few months in PWG, so I was surprised that they didn't click. Ibushi countered KOR's usual finishing combo and drilled him with a brutal knee to score the victory. It wasn't a bad match, but I think a lot of us were expecting more.

6 — Kevin Steen def. Colt Cabana via pinfall (12:53)

The fans in Reseda were happy to see the fun-loving Colt Cabana back in the Legion Hall, and that seemed to only piss off Kevin Steen all the more. Cabana did his best to keep up, but Steen was determined to make an example out of the indie veteran. After not one, but two Pop-Up Powerbombs, Steen cracked Cabana with a Steenalizer and stood on his chest for the win. Boos all around. Kill Steen Kill, indeed.

7 — The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) def. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) via pinfall to retain the PWG World Tag Team titles (22:31)

Another great title defense from the Brothers Jackson, who aren't showing any signs of slowing down in their quest to match their record-breaking reign from 2008 to 2010. Koslov and Romero got a rare opportunity to wrestle as the presumptive faces in this one, as The Bucks' Mount Rushmore antics have garnered even more boos. These two well-known tag teams threw everything they had at each other, but a More Bang for Your Buck on Romero turned out to be the difference-maker.

Main Event — Adam Cole def. Roderick Strong via pinfall to retain the PWG World title (28:14)

Cole stood tall at the end of the show that bears his name, and he didn't even need interference from the rest of Mount Rushmore this time around. Roddy had the crowd behind him and had several great moments in this nearly half-hour match. But Cole pulled out every trick in the book to stay in the match, and the crowd in Reseda knew what was about to come next. A Panama Sunrise followed up by a Last Shot put Strong away, giving Cole yet another title defense in what has been a strong 2013 for him. 

At the end of the show, Cole cut a great heel promo, and he was joined by Steen and The Bucks. They called out everyone in the back and tore into the PWG fans for not accepting them as the faces of the company. All four men closed by saying that PWG could throw anything at them at Mystery Vortex and All-Star Weekend — they guaranteed that they'd still be on top.

This was another solid show from PWG... not as good as their last few, but definitely a good addition to what has been a great 2013 for the super indy so far. Now, all eyes will be on Mystery Vortex — like the one from earlier this year where Cole beat Steen for the World title, no matches will be announced before the show.

[TLLK]

 

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla: “Mystery Vortex II” in Reseda, CA

11/23/2013 @ 8:00 PM - midnight

$30

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s "Mystery Vortex II"

Saturday, November 23, 2013

8:00 PM Bell Time 

American Legion Post #308 

7338 Canby Ave., Reseda, CA 91335

ALL MATCHES: TBD

[Hollywood]

Mystery Wrestler vs. Mystery Wrestler

[TLLK]

Recap of PWG’s "Mystery Vortex II" 11-23-13

Shot Of The Night - PWG - 11-23-23

POSTED BY: Jay Danielson 11/25/13

This Chaos Column is a recap of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's November show, which was the second "Mystery Vortex." For those who weren't around for the first Mystery Vortex earlier this year, none of the matches for Saturday night's show in Reseda were announced prior to the event. In fact, fans don't know who's coming out or what's about to happen until the wrestlers step through the curtains. And the second Mystery Vortex provided plenty of surprises, including several notable newcomers and a couple of Match of the Year contenders.

1 — Adam Cole def. Ricochet in a Ladder Match to retain the PWG World title (19:45)

The show opened with Referee Rick Knox coming out through the curtain holding the PWG World title, with Adam Cole following behind him, yelling and trying to snatch his belt back. Knox, who has taken a bunch of abuse from Mount Rushmore in recent months, kept shaking his head and motioning for the ring crew to help him out. One by one, ladders were brought into the venue, including an extra-tall one that Knox used to hang the belt. Cole looked furious, seemingly not ready to defend his title in a ladder match — especially when the high-flying Ricochet was the one who stepped out to challenge him. That's Mystery Vortex for you, bay bay.

This opener went about as one would expect: Ricochet using everything he could find to jump off for crazy attacks, and Cole taking advantage of the ladders to dole out as much punishment on his opponent as humanly possible. Cole got the upper hand in this match by leaning a dazed Ricochet across the bottom turnbuckle, wedging a folding chair across the ropes, and ramming a ladder into the chair to smash Ricochet's head. He was out like a light, and a maniacal Cole laughed his way up the ladder to come down with the title. Boos everywhere. Great match.

2 — Eddie Kingston & Sami Callihan def. ACH & Shane Strickland via pinfall (13:15)

The brawling tag team of Kingston and Callihan kept up the momentum from their win last month by taking out the high-flying duo of ACH and Shane Strickland. This was a true clash of styles, similar to the first match, where pure hard-hitting violence ended up winning out in the end. ACH and Strickland have been really fun additions to the PWG landscape, but Kingston is truly stealing the show, winning this match with another Spinning Back Fist that almost took Strickland's head off.

3 — Colt Cabana def. Jeff Cobb via pinfall (12:34)

Fans were excited to see the return of Cabana, whose fun-loving antics didn't seem to endear him to the ultra-serious Cobb. There were a few sequences where Cobb tried to showcase his Olympic wrestling background and get the upper hand, only to be surprisingly outmaneuvered by the wily Cabana. This was a fun change of pace from the first two matches, and it ended with Cabana snatching victory from the jaws of defeat with a slick reversal into a quick roll-up. Cobb couldn't believe it, and the crowd was happy to see Cabana get the win.

4 — Kyle O'Reilly def. Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong via submission (18:04)

When this match first started, I was very curious to see how the trio's technical styles would work in a three-way bout. But it worked quite well, with a lot of fighting spirit coming through on pinfall breakups and near-submissions. KOR got the victory here by hitting half of his finishing combo on Strong, which knocked him out cold, then doing the other half to Edwards to get the tap-out. It feels like 2013 has still been the Year of KOR in PWG, even if he hasn't gotten his hands on the World title.

5 — Johnny Guerrilla def. Kota Ibushi via pinfall (20:36)

This is Match of the Year Contender No. 1 from Mystery Vortex II. Guerrilla has been on another level since popping up in PWG prior to Battle of Los Angeles, with his breathtaking aerial style fitting right into the Reseda shows. Ibushi is on a globetrotting tour of bangers right now, splitting his time between Japan and America with Kenny Omega. Put them together, and you get a match that had everyone in the Legion Hall crowd on their feet for practically the entire time. Wild aerial moves, plenty of near-falls. Guerrilla had to hit Starship Pain not once, but twice in a row to put away Ibushi. Unreal match that had the crowd buzzing all the way through intermission.

(after intermission) 6 — Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) def. Will Hobbs & Willie Mack, Timothy Thatcher & Drew Gulak and Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero) via pinfall (13:55)

This was a good way for the crowd to get ramped back up after the intermission. All four teams got their fair share of offense in this match, with Romero and Thatcher standing out the most among their peers. But the Best Friends stayed hot, with Chuck Taylor somehow being able to hit the Awful Waffle on big Will Hobbs to get the win. Fun tag team showcase ahead of what should be a really entertaining DDT4 tournament in January.

Kevin Steen then came out for the next match. He grabbed a microphone before his opponent was revealed and said he was tired of wrestling "jokes" and wanted some serious competition for once. Then, through the curtain stepped... Orange Cassidy. For those who aren't familiar, Cassidy is a new favorite on the indie scene on the East Coast, most notably with EVOLVE. His whole thing is that he doesn't seem very interested in wrestling and doesn't try hard most of the time, and the fans eat it up. Welcome to PWG, "Freshly Squeezed."

7 — Kevin Steen def. Orange Cassidy via pinfall (19:58)

Cassidy spent most of the first half of this match worrying about his aviator sunglasses and trying to annoy Steen as much as possible. From slowly rolling out of the ring to a sequence of very lazy shin kicks that the crowd reacted to like they were Japanese strong-style strikes, Cassidy went from making Steen roll his eyes to making him want to kill him. The second half of the match featured Steen brutalizing Cassidy, who sold every move like he had just been killed. This match was very, very different from the rest of the card, but it really seemed to work. Steen planted Cassidy with a Pop-Up Powerbomb to end the carnage.

For the next match, the Young Bucks made their way through the curtain. They grabbed microphones and cut a heel-ish promo on how they were "the best tag team in the effin' world" and that no one would take the belts off of them anytime soon. Then, from the back, a familiar set of voices rang out... IT'S DEM BOYS! The Briscoes, who have recently reunited in Ring of Honor, have returned to PWG. They said they thought they were the best set of brothers in the wrestling, and they were ready to prove it tonight at Mystery Vortex II.

8 — The Young Bucks def. The Briscoes to retain the PWG World Tag Team titles via pinfall (22:33)

What a match. The Bucks and The Briscoes have crossed paths before, but this one seemed to have some extra juice to it — since Jay lost the ROH World title, The Briscoes have been on a belt-collecting kick, while The Bucks are starting to become known around the world as the best tag team in the business. There were a number of times where I really thought The Briscoes were about to walk into Reseda and end The Bucks' streak with a win. However, this is just Mount Rushmore's world right now. The Bucks went extra long with their superkick party, which led to More Bang for Your Buck and another title defense. Hopefully this isn't just a one-off thing for The Briscoes. I think a lot of people would love to see them in DDT4.

Main Event — Kenny Omega def. Prince Devitt in a Guerrilla Warfare match via pinfall (17:54)

The crowd went wild when the main event was announced as being fought under Guerrilla Warfare rules, and they got even louder when they saw it was going to be a rematch between Kenny Omega and Prince Devitt. This was the rubber match between the two after what has been a back-and-forth 2013 both in Japan and stateside. And there was zero love lost, as both men went full speed in trying to bury the other one. There were chairs, tables, leftover ladders, boxes of t-shirts and a fan's bottle of water used in this one. The finish was one to remember, as Omega drilled Devitt with a One-Winged Angel onto a pair of chairs. This one was right up there with Guerrilla-Ibushi as the match of the night and among the match of the year contenders in PWG.

After the match, Mount Rushmore swarmed the ring and attacked a celebrating Omega. Ibushi came out to help his fellow Golden Lover, and he was joined by Chuck and Trent. Omega and Chuck, formerly known as the Men of Low Moral Fiber during Kenny's first run in PWG, got a nice pop from the crowd for their mini-reunion once Mount Rushmore was chased off. Omega picked up the microphone and called out Mount Rushmore, saying all four of them would see them next month at All-Star Weekend.

This was, without a doubt, the best show PWG has put on so far in 2013. Each match delivered, and there wasn't anything close to a disappointment on the card. Next month's All-Star Weekend should be a blast, especially with some of the new faces we've seen in Reseda. (Note: We know Devitt and Anderson won't be back, as the former tweeted recently about a new exclusive deal he's signed with New Japan.) But there should still be plenty of all-stars in attendance to close a strong 2013 for SoCal's finest.

Edited September 23, 2022 by TLLK

[falling_star]

Just got caught up on this, and it's an excellent read!

[TLLK]

9 hours ago, falling_star said:

Just got caught up on this, and it's an excellent read!

thank you! I’ve had a blast writing it

[TLLK]

 

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla: “All Star Weekend X” in Reseda, CA

12/28/2013 and 12/29/2013 @ 8:00 PM - midnight

$30

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s "All Star Weekend X"

Saturday, December 28, 2013 and Sunday, December 29, 2013

8:00 PM Bell Time (Both Nights)

American Legion Post #308 

7338 Canby Ave., Reseda, CA 91335

NIGHT ONE

• Lovers & Friends (Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) vs. Mount Rushmore (Adam Cole, Kevin Steen, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
• Jay Briscoe vs. Johnny Guerrilla
• Adam Page & Cliff Compton vs. TAG (Timothy Thatcher & Drew Gulak)
• Rich Swann vs. Ricochet
• Eddie Edwards & Roderick Strong vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero)
• Colt Cabana vs. Orange Cassidy
• ACH & Shane Strickland vs. Brian Cage & Jeff Cobb
• AR Fox vs. Kyle O'Reilly
• Candice LeRae & Team WillPower (Will Hobbs & Willie Mack) vs. Eddie Kingston, Sami Callihan & Jacob Fatu

NIGHT TWO

• PWG World Title: Adam Cole (c) vs. Kenny Omega
• PWG World Tag Team Titles: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Best Friends
• Johnny Guerrilla & Forever Hooligans vs. Eddie Edwards, Kyle O'Reilly & Roderick Strong
• Jay Briscoe vs. Kevin Steen
• Kota Ibushi vs. Ricochet
• Team WillPower vs. TAG
• Adam Page vs. Eddie Kingston
• ACH, Candice LeRae, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy & Shane Strickland vs. AR Fox, Brian Cage, Jeff Cobb, Rich Swann & Sami Callihan

[Hollywood]

NIGHT ONE

• Lovers & Friends (Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) vs. Mount Rushmore (Adam Cole, Kevin Steen, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
• Jay Briscoe vs. Johnny Guerrilla
• Adam Page & Cliff Compton vs. TAG (Timothy Thatcher & Drew Gulak)
• Rich Swann vs. Ricochet
• Eddie Edwards & Roderick Strong vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero)
• Colt Cabana vs. Orange Cassidy
• ACH & Shane Strickland vs. Brian Cage & Jeff Cobb
• AR Fox vs. Kyle O'Reilly
• Candice LeRae & Team WillPower (Will Hobbs & Willie Mack) vs. Eddie Kingston, Sami Callihan & Jacob Fatu

NIGHT TWO

• PWG World Title: Adam Cole (c) vs. Kenny Omega
• PWG World Tag Team Titles: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Best Friends
• Johnny Guerrilla & Forever Hooligans vs. Eddie Edwards, Kyle O'Reilly & Roderick Strong
• Jay Briscoe vs. Kevin Steen
• Kota Ibushi vs. Ricochet
• Team WillPower vs. TAG
• Adam Page vs. Eddie Kingston
• ACH, Candice LeRae, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy & Shane Strickland vs. AR Fox, Brian Cage, Jeff Cobb, Rich Swann & Sami Callihan

[falling_star]

NIGHT ONE

• Lovers & Friends (Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) vs. Mount Rushmore (Adam Cole, Kevin Steen, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
• Jay Briscoe vs. Johnny Guerrilla
• Adam Page & Cliff Compton vs. TAG (Timothy Thatcher & Drew Gulak)
• Rich Swann vs. Ricochet
• Eddie Edwards & Roderick Strong vs. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov & Rocky Romero)
• Colt Cabana vs. Orange Cassidy
• ACH & Shane Strickland vs. Brian Cage & Jeff Cobb
• AR Fox vs. Kyle O'Reilly
• Candice LeRae & Team WillPower (Will Hobbs & Willie Mack) vs. Eddie Kingston, Sami Callihan & Jacob Fatu

NIGHT TWO

• PWG World Title: Adam Cole (c) vs. Kenny Omega
• PWG World Tag Team Titles: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Best Friends
• Johnny Guerrilla & Forever Hooligans vs. Eddie Edwards, Kyle O'Reilly & Roderick Strong
• Jay Briscoe vs. Kevin Steen
• Kota Ibushi vs. Ricochet
• Team WillPower vs. TAG
• Adam Page vs. Eddie Kingston
• ACH, Candice LeRae, Colt Cabana, Orange Cassidy & Shane Strickland vs. AR Fox, Brian Cage, Jeff Cobb, Rich Swann & Sami Callihan

Edited September 26, 2022 by falling_star