by SlayJ » Wed Dec 05, 2012 8:57 pm
One helluva show on Saturday night! I'd easily slot "Mystery Vortex" as one of the top 2 or 3 PWG cards this year (POSSIBLY numero uno…but I think a few others have the inside track). There really wasn't one below average match to be found (although I also don't think there was a blow-away MOTY contender either). Still, that being said, the opener (Strong/Edwards vs The Young Bucks) and the closer (Steen vs Cole) were tremendous bookends that both rated ****1/4 to me (for those of you wanting the snowflakes)
Of course my match ratings were influenced by a few pitchers of beer served up by those two hot bartender chicks....not to mention the crazy group of fuckers I have sitting front row with me. All of it factors in to the big picture. Here's some quick thoughts
1) Roddy Strong/Eddie Edwards -vs- The Young Bucks
(Quite possibly the best PWG opener I've ever seen live. These four had the crowd pumped up and loud from bell to bell. The Bucks are obviously taking a step back from being the center of the PWG tag team universe, but they are still working at an elite level. And you can't find many better inside the ropes than Strong and Edwards. So yeah, this had every ingredient of a top notch DDT4 style epic. I won't go too much in to listing different spots. But I'm sure you all can guess that there were stiff chops and Super Kicks all over this sumbitch. The only bad thing about this was the pathetic Irish Whip that a ringside fan gave Eddie to help him deliver his running corner kick. Yeah, that was very below average. The rest however, KICKASS!!! ****1/4)
2) Sami Callihan -vs- Drake Younger
(My buddy, John said after this match that he thought it was a 5 Star Japanese style brawl. I thought it was a shade under 4* myself. It had to be a bit rough following that opener, and the crowd was overall more subdued for this one. But it did build up well towards the finish. Now I dig Drake Younger quite a bit and he seems like a helluva nice guy. But it appears to me that it takes him awhile to get into the flow of a match. The first few minutes are always a bit clunky and awkward until things kick in to second gear. That said, despite a few dead spots from the crowd and a more deliberate pace, there were some true "Holy Shit" moments to this match that had me jumping out of my chair. And was it stiff?? DO I even need to answer that? If cringe worthy head drops and juice-making headbutts aren't enough to satisfy your lust for violence, howz about a friggin' PIledriver on the edge of the ring apron. I was just happy to see these two walking around healthy by the end of the show. Callihan is quickly becoming one of my favorite wrestlers in the world. The guy is a definite keeper! ***3/4)
3) SSB vs RockNES Monsters
(Within the realm of video game themed Tag teams, it's the new hotness against yesterdays news. I think I'm one of about 3 fans in the building who still got RockNES's backs. And I believe I was the only guy that Johnny Yuma didn't scowl at during their Bruiser Brody-esque ring entrances with the caveman fur coats on. Unfortunately for Yuma and Goodtime though, The Smash Brothers are like that hot mistress that you can't help but find yourself in bed with at the expense of ruining a seemingly happy marriage. This was wacky and fun and a good change of pace from the carnage of Drake/Callihan. The RockNES Monsters playing this Heel comedy bit is pretty hit or miss with me. I dunno, I'm still entertained by them. But I really thought they were on the verge of something big before the Smash Brothers swooped in and hijacked their thunder. Highlights (lowlights?) would include Johnny Goodtimes scraggly beard being self cut and blown in the eyes of the Smash Brothers (while a few creative geniuses in the crowd chanted "Pubes"...yes "Pubes). There were some big dives and fun wrestling here as well. So even though this was one of the less impressive matches to me, it still had enough goodness throughout to put it a notch over the 3 star mark. ***1/4)
4) Joey Ryan -vs- Scorpio Sky
(Scorp seems to be the “pinch hitter” anytime a Dynasty member is about to be sent packing (maybe Karl Anderson will come back just to get his proper send off). That being said, this is definitely the most “impactful” (sorry) loss of a PWG guy in awhile. Say what you will about Joey Ryan, but the guy was the sleazy heart and soul of this promotion from day one. Sure, he’s probably only second to Peter Avalon in the “Most Attempted Simulated Rapes In Company History” category, but the guy has accomplished a TON out here on the West Coast. And this was his best singles match in quite awhile. No, it wasn’t Scorpio Sky vs Scott Lost, but both guys worked hard and I think it was a fitting finale for the Technical Wizard in PWG. And who knows, maybe in a month or two he’ll come back and bring Matt Morgan with him! On second thought, GOOD LUCK IN TNA!!! ***1/4)
5) Wille Mack –vs- B-Boy –vs- TJ Perkins –vs- Brian Cage
(TJ Perkins to me has easily been the most underrated PWG wrestler of 2012. If you want to criticize his lack of charisma or whatever, fair enough. But the dude is SO good inside the ring that I don’t give a crap if he does promos based after Silent Movies. Cage and Mack had one of the more underwhelming “Grudge Matches” of the year recently, so you figured it was time to make up for that. And B-Boy hits hard. Despite being the comeback match after intermission (where a lot of fans take time away to get even more drunk or high than they already are), this delivered exactly what it needed to in the context of getting everybody back in the flow of an awesome wrestling show! Mack and Cage went after each other right off the bat to remind us that they are still looking to fuck each other up to get in that spot as the number one contender. Perkins played the stinking city of Reseda, like a harp from Hell with his brilliant wrestling! And B-Boy hit people hard. GREAT match to get the show moving forward into the 2nd act! ***1/2)
6) El Generico –vs- Rich Swann
(Yeah, like THIS was gonna suck! Nope, not gonna happen. Still, there were a few minor miscommunications here, which kept things off the level of the Generico v Ricochet series. A few people gave me the impression that Mr. Generico was a bit peeved over something in the match. I myself didn’t catch any dissention between the two…Just a fun high-flying match-up that was placed perfectly on the show. Rich Swann is a major talent who is extremely close to having that break-out match in PWG! This wasn’t quite it….but still some awesome stuff! ***3/4)
7) Super Smash Bros. –vs- Strong/Edwards
(Excalibur kinda played random douche earlier in the evening, making both teams do double duty (including the tag champs). It was non-title, kinda giving away the result. But FUCK IT, this was a top notch exhibition to set up Strong and Edwards as a force to be reckoned with at the upcoming DDT4 tourney show (presumably) as well as the next major contenders for the PWG Tag Team Championships. This is really high end stuff for a couple of teams who had tough matchups already on the evening. I like Strong and Edwards going forward as the veterans trying to upset the Smash Brothers and their newly found position as the dominant Tag Team on the West Coast. Bring it on! ***3/4)
8) Kevin Steen –vs- Adam Cole (Guerrilla Warfare Match)
(The stip was declared earlier in the show by Steen, which got the crowd pretty much going apeshit (GuerrillaShit?). But yeah, judging from the opinions by other PWG fans who I talked to beforehand, there were quite a few people that thought it was Cole’s night. I was in Steen’s corner, thinking he would pull off a big win, building to a rematch. And for awhile I felt pretty good with that call as Steen came out of the gate Powerbombing poor Cole on the ring apron OVER and OVER again for our sick pleasure! Adam Cole however is a tough muthafucka and weathered the early storms to deliver his own Hardcore style beatdown. I don’t think this quite lived up to the ridiculous standards of the Steen/Generico battles or the SSB vs Young Bucks vs Future Shock ladder war. But it was a GREAT brawl and a well deserved victory for Young Mr. Cole (who did happen to plant Mr. Steen in a big bed of thumbtacks here). The Future of PWG is looking pretty bright! ****1/4)
Thank you for an amazing 2012, PWG! Bring on 2013! FUCK THE MAYANS!