There’s a long list of reasons to love Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and most recently that list includes their commitment to pushing several new stars to the fore of the promotion. After many years on top, it would seem the Young Bucks have been overtaken by the Super Smash Bros as PWG’s top tag team, Willie Mack quickly won the fans’ adoration and now seems to be next in line for a main event spot, and some of indy wrestling’s biggest new stars are also making waves with the recent debut of Sami Callihan and Michael Elgin. But in a somewhat surprising development, one name that has been moving up the ranks in recent months is ‘Mr. G.M.S.I’ Brian Cage.

While Cage was always on the radar of PWG fans as a member of The Fightin’ Taylor Boys, it wasn’t until very recently that he began to stand out from the pack as one of the most entertaining undercard acts in the promotion, and certainly one of the most improved. For a few months, I personally viewed Cage and his partner Ryan Taylor as a dependable opening match act, who fit in well with PWG’s tag team division but never really stood out as potential show-stealers. That’s certainly not a knock given the caliber of talent in the division, but I just didn’t think of either man past that level.

I think it was the Steen Wolf match with The RockNES Monsters that really got my attention and made me think that the Taylor Boys could be a bit more than just opening match guys. The back and forth contest was a lot of fun, and got a great reaction from the live crowd. The match couldn’t quite compete with the later Young Bucks vs. Future Shock war, but it was a good starting point and with each passing month, the Taylors continued to deliver enjoyable matches including a rematch with the Monsters at this year’s DDT4 tournament.

Cage defeated Ray Rosas at PWG World’s Finest.

 

Making the most of his one match on the show, Brian Cage in particular did as much as he could to stand out and give an unforgettable performance. Playing up his shtick as a super strong guy who likes to “get his shit in”, Cage did everything from German suplexing Johnny Goodtime while Goodtime had his own partner on his shoulders, to hitting a springboard moonsault from the apron, much to the crowd’s surprise. On a show loaded with exceptional talent and unforgettable matches, Cage genuinely gave a performance that I found to be one of the highlights of the evening. He stepped up as not just a “dependable” guy on the roster, but someone who was a lot of fun to watch.

With the crowd warming to him more and more, and following his performance at DDT4, Cage found himself challenging for PWG’s world title in May of this year. I did find it interesting that some fans expressed annoyance at Cage getting a title shot somewhat out of the blue. Though he had improved, some expressed dissatisfaction with the level at which they saw Cage as a performer, while others thought Willie Mack deserved a singles title shot ahead of Cage, following a breakout year in 2011. The match offered a great opportunity for Cage to cap off his recent series of stand out performances and test the waters for him in a main event capacity, even though the bout was arguably the third most important on the show. Personally, I found it to be a mixed bag. While Cage did impress with his usual feats of strength and decent amounts of charisma, the match never clicked for me and was majorly over shadowed by three other bouts on the show. Part of issue I had lies with Kevin Steen playing the match up for comedy too much, but also it just felt like the two didn’t really gel as well as they could have. It felt like a small reminder that Cage is good… but maybe not that good. At least not yet.

While I would definitely consider myself a fan of Cage, personally I think it’s a little too soon and like Willie Mack in 2011, I think he should use 2012 to build up an impressive resume of matches before reentering the title mix. The potential is there however, and as previously mentioned, breaking out from the tough competition on the PWG undercard is no mean feat. Given his involvement in the Steen vs. Mack match at Threemendous III, it appears Cage wont be forgotten though and PWG intends to keep him in the spotlight going forward.

It’s going to be an interesting few months in Reseda, as the new talent continues to make its presence felt. Even though the title remains on the much-adored Kevin Steen, there’s definitely an interesting mix of top contenders looking to take his spot. Could it be Brian Cage? Only time will tell.

2 thoughts on “Is Brian Cage ready for PWG gold?”
  1. Being somewhat new to PWG, Cage has really stood out. When you see him you wonder why he isn’t in FCW already. His body is sick and he is pretty fluid in the ring. However, as a singles champ, no. Watched the match with him and Steen and it just did not work. He needs to evolve like the Young Bucks. If you see their PWG stuff from a year or so ago they were true spot monkeys. Now they are a lot better. He just needs time. He should move to the east coast so he can have more opportunities to work.

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