The anticipation for All-Star Weekend 9 has been borderline ravenous. I will never forget being at the January AAW show and reading all the talent announcements. It was a who’s who of professional wrestling converging on Reseda, California. Given El Generico’s departure from the independent scene, the question became whether PWG could still deliver the goods and put on the same level of shows as they have for the last four years. Then it was about playing the expectations game. Could all of these talents come together to have an incredible weekend of matches? These shows not only had to be good but they had to be near show of the year contenders on par with what you would see over Wrestlemania weekend. Night one had to dispel any notions of under delivering while also measuring up to the highest standards, which PWG has earned over the years.
Given my discussion of card shuffling later, it makes sense to talk about everything in order. Amazingly, it starts with Kevin Steen. Clearly, Mr. Steen wanted to call the whole second half of the show (which he did) because he opened the damn show against a more motivated Paul London. Given their position the card and the talents involved, going out there and having a four star probably would have done a disservice. Instead, we got a good opener that didn’t dilute either man’s talent but still left some food on the table for the rest of the talent. There were comedic moments with London failing on some shoulder tackle attempts before challenging Steen to a duel and actually using gloves. Steen broke out a cannonball as London lay prone in the tree of woe. London ultimately hit a shooting star press and got the win in his comeback to PWG. Steen doesn’t lose very often in this promotion, so I’m fully expecting London to get a huge push moving forward. Seeing him in the old gear and the way he wrestled makes me think we’re seeing the old Paul London, closer to the 2003 version who was THE man who people saw as the next big superstar in wrestling.
Just to show how stacked this show was, the Young Bucks wrestled a debuting Johnny Gargano and Chuck Taylor in the second match of night one. Based on it being his debut and the Bucks standing within the company, it was almost destiny for Gargano to lose. However, these two teams wrestled before in what I called the best match for Chikara in 2012. This was as fluid and cohesive a match as you’ll see between two teams. It’s a tribute to the Bucks that they continue to not only get better, but are pretty much the standard for all other teams to catch up to. Gargano and Taylor are connected at the hip in every promotion they’re together in, and they again showed how good they can be. The Bucks let Gargano wow the crowd early in a great bit of decision making. Gargano also broke out a spear to the outside as he wiped out both he and Matt Jackson. I’d call this a notch below the Chikarasaurus Rex contest but still worth seeing for the action alone. My biggest issue right now is the Bucks have no challengers, and they defeated a team in a non-title match. The fact that they’re getting an increasing amount of cheers again from the notoriously fickle PWG audience should raise eyebrows. To me, if the Bucks are going to be PWG champions, the stakes need to be high. There’s no doubt they can have great matches and be standard bearers, but them being champions is doing anyone good. It feels like a similar story we’ve seen twice before. The Bucks have defeated so many babyface teams that they’re going to again be babyfaces before the year is out if PWG can’t find someone to match them up against.
Shockingly, Jay Lethal had never been in PWG before this weekend. He took on a fellow ROH wrestler in Eddie Edwards. What a fantastic back and forth match. One thing I can’t complain about is everyone got time both nights to tell their stories and be the main event even if they were only the third match on the card. Lethal was in Black Machismo mode, so his charisma level was a +5 in this match. All I can say is if these two had half the charisma of someone like CM Punk or Kevin Steen, they would be in WWE developmental right now. I would honestly place these two in the top 20 in-ring workers in North America and probably in the top 10% of wrestlers around the world. I’m not sure why I was shocked at this match being so great, but at the end of the 21 minutes, I wanted to go back and watch this again. Edwards won clean in a great battle. Everything from the hammerlock exchange in the beginning to the Megapowers handshake to some of the chain wrestling throughout. Great wrestling match.
I would argue the best match of the weekend took place next with the Inner City Machine Guns of Ricochet and Rich Swann wrestling the debuting AR Fox and the debuting Samuray Del Sol. Given these four men have wrestled a ton over the last year in Dragon Gate, I’m not surprised at all. This was not just an athletic spectacle worthy of something you could see at Korauken Hall but also different from the first three matches. Ricochet is something special, and he’s going to be out of the indies by this time next year. I’d bet on it. He’s a walking commercial for the Dragon Gate system and proof positive why any wrestler should get to Japan and wrestle there. I can’t think of a single person who hasn’t gone there and come back a million times better. Hell, the Bravado Brothers practically came back as new men after a tour with NOAH. Lots of high flying and movez, but I loved every moment of it. I walked away impressed with all four wrestlers and again pondered how long it would take for Fox to paralyze himself. As Chuck Taylor wondered on commentary, “Why does AR Fox hate himself?”
A number of people had some complaints about the former Trent Barreta. I’ll respond by talking about poor match placement. I believe Trent? And Roderick Strong after intermission. Even still, why would you place Trent? after guys like Swann, Del Sol, Ricochet, and Fox. Guys like Elgin, Strong, and Steen have the sort of capital with the fans that they can overcome not being ridiculously fast or willing to kill themselves coming off the top rope. Trent? is a WWE style wrestler trying to integrate himself within the independent wrestling style. Strong and Trent? had a perfectly fine professional wrestling match, but on a show like this, there was no way it could meet such high expectations. Expecting Trent? to be as good in PWG as some of the other people on this card would be like expecting the Rock to perform Shakespeare. Those expectations are completely without merit and unfair to the performers. If these two were positioned in the opener and had five minutes shaved, this would have been viewed very differently by fans I feel. I also feel like I enjoyed this match far more than others. But seriously, walk into this with an open mind, and I think you’ll enjoy it more.
Next up was another really good match as Future Shock took on the Unbreakable F’n Machines. Elgin and Cage honestly work better in singles matches based on what I’ve seen while O’Reilly seems to be embracing his heel tendencies more and more. Cole? He’s the master. For example, Cole teases a test of strength before dancing away and telling Elgin to suck his nether regions. With the overall staleness of the Bucks title reign and Cole getting some genuine heel heat. I have to classify him as PWG’s best heel. Cole is like Joey Ryan…except a talented in-ring performer. I did like Elgin and Cage trading O’Reilly on a stalling suplex attempt, but these guys are never going to be at the level of a Young Bucks or even Future Shock teaming once in a while when booked on PWG. I’d be much more interested in seeing them go for singles gold or possibly wrestling each other instead. O’Reilly took the fall while the crowd seemed a bit tired from all the action. Also got to see more freaky Elgin strength as he deadlift suplexed Cole with O’Reilly on his back. Yes, he’s a beast.
I’m so glad the first six matches on this card delivered in a big way because I knew I would hate the main event. No disrespect personally to Sami Callihan and Drake Younger, but I have no use for a match contains liberal use of thumbtacks, a staple gun, and even salt. I find the idea of these CZW style matches being used in PWG to be repulsive and totally beneath everything this company has built over the years. I have nothing more to say about this other than Younger won and Cole attacked afterward to set up the main event for the next night.
Even with the main event not being for me, this was an outstanding show that met my expectations and is well worth going out of your way to see.
Grade: B+
-Quick results, times, and ratings
-Taped from Reseda, California
-Commentators: Excalibur, Sami Callihan, Chuck Taylor, and Kevin Steen
Paul London defeats Kevin Steen by pinfall with a shooting star press to the back/20:59/***1/2
Non-Title Match: The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) (PWG World Tag Team Champions) defeat Johnny Gargano and Chuck Taylor by pinfall after the More Bang for your Buck/16:27/***3/4
Eddie Edwards defeats Jay Lethal by submission with the half crab/21:15/****
Inner City Machine Guns (Rich Swann and Ricochet) defeat AR Fox and Samuray Del Sol pinfall after Ricochet hits the 630 on Del Sol/19:33/****1/4
Roderick Strong defeats Trent? by pinfall after the orange crush backbreaker/17:05/***1/4
Unbreakable F’n Machines (Michael Elgin and Brian Cage) defeat Future Shock (Adam Cole [PWG World Champion] and Kyle O’Reilly) after a spinning doctor bomb by Elgin on O’Reilly/23:19/***1/2
Elgin with a penis shove. Elgin and Cage trade Cole on a stalling vertical suplex. Elgin deadlifts suplexes Cole while O’Reilly is on his back. Crowd seemed a bit tired.
Guerilla Warfare: Drake Younger defeats Sami Callihan by pinfall with the Drake’s Landing/21:43/**
For more information on PWG and their upcoming shows, check out PWG’s website. To buy this and many other PWG DVDs, check out Highspots.com. In doing so, you will not only be supporting them but PWP as well! Below is a list of contact information for both the website and me.
Contact Pro Wrestling Ponderings!
E-mail: prowrestlingponderings@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pwponderings
Twitter: www.twitter.com/pwponderings
Youtube: www.youtube.com/pwponderings
Contact ME!
E-mail: jcusson07@gmail.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jeromepwpeditor