Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Founded in July ‘03 by Super Dragon and a group of other southern California-based wrestlers Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) has grown to become the top indy promotion in the crowded So-Cal scene. Some have deemed it the Ring of Honor of the West Coast. Granted, it does provide some fantastic matches put on by some big names of the indy scene, but is also infused by a breezy, bizarre, and borderline offensive sense of humor (Parental Guidance Strongly Suggested).

The roster consists of a mix of of top wrestlers from TNA, ROH, and elsewhere, along with local So-Cal/West Coast wrestlers (many of whom appeared in Wrestling Society X and are slowly breaking out elsewhere). They hold one or two shows a month. Annual events include their anniversary show in July, the biannual and very stacked “All Star Weekend” (one held in April and one in November), and the even more stacked Battle of Los Angeles tournament on Labor Day Weekend (the first BOLA in ‘05 had 16 men, but the second BOLA last year grew to 24). Depending on who’s on a card and where the card is held (some venues they’ve run have been too small), they draw anywhere between 200 to 500 fans a show. They reached a professional high by going to Europe in February of ‘06, holding one show in Germany and another in England. Like other indies, they put out all shows on DVD, all of which have very nice graphics/artwork (especially the BOLA releases; they’ve looked amazing) and crazy titles few other promotions could get away with (ranging from “After School Special” to “Zombies Shouldn’t Run”). Lighting on these shows is a notch below ROH’s lighting, but better than most.

I’ve been a fan of what I’ve seen of the promotion for quite a while, and they have shown improvement in their three plus years of operations, but they still need room for improvement. The DVDs cut out all music before and after music, and include optional commentary (to be switched on and off at the viewer’s will) that can be hard to hear over the action and/or have little to do with the action. The former problem is understandable, due to a contract they have with their main DVD distributor (online superstore Highspots) preventing the use of copyrighted music. The latter problem isn’t and needs some fixin’. My bigger problem is with the layouts and storylines of shows. They’ve had some pretty solid storylines recently when it comes to the main event scene, but storylines lower on the card have faded away almost as fast as last year’s Fake Kane. ROH and even IWA Mid-South has them beat in that area, as well as in formatting shows. Some PWG cards over the years have blended in with one another (with a lot of the same guys in the same kind of multi-man tag matches) and could some in the past could have stood to be laid out better (a 35-minute opener here, a World Title match fourth from the top there, etc.). They lack discipline in this area. Still, the live crowds don’t seem to complain.

I mentioned “All Star Weekend” two paragraphs up, which I feel can get away with having a blowout in action, especially dream matches. The first ASW was held the first weekend of April ‘05, taking advantage of the big crowds coming into Los Angeles for WrestleMania 21. Though they haven’t had WrestleMania around since, they’ve stuck with the formula of packing a truckload of stars into two days of action. Being April now, PWG is preparing “All Star Weekend V” for Saturday the 7th and Sunday the 8th, to be held in their current regular venue, the Van Nuys Armory in Van Nuys, CA. Here’s a rundown of the cards, including who some of these guys are, who’s debuting in PWG for the first time, and what their deal is (with some PWG history sprinkled throughout).

Night One - Saturday, April 7th

PWG World Title Match
El Generico defends against PAC
El Generico, the generic luchadore billed from Mexico but suspiciously trained in Canada, made a big name for himself in the U.S. as part of the PWG roster. A fun and athletic underdog face slowly making his way back into the ROH ranks, he’s a former two-time World Tag Team Champion (once with Human Tornado, once with the currently sidelined Quicksilver) and recently won the World Title from, of all people, Human Tornado. PAC, “The Man That Gravity Forgot,” is a crisp and very talented high flyer from England getting quite a bit of hype these days. In addition to wrestling on ROH’s recent Liverpool shows, he debuted in PWG at “All Star Weekend IV” in November, having standout matches with both El Generico and AJ Styles. The first El Generico-PAC match was considered a MOTY contender by So-Cal fans (I wouldn’t go that far, but it was mighty fun), so hope is high for this rematch.

Kaz Hayashi vs. Alex Shelley
ROH veteran and TNA regular Shelley is one of my faves. He’s been in PWG off and on since February ‘05, largely a face, and since this past fall has been regularly teaming with Chris Sabin as the Motor City Machine Guns (currently the Zero-One Max/NWA International Light Heavyweight Tag Team Champions). Of course, they’re bringing their team to ROH later this month, but that’s another story. WCW and All Japan veteran Hayashi is debuting for PWG this weekend. I haven’t seen Hayashi in a while, but I would expect this to be pretty damn good.

Roderick Strong vs. Rocky Romero
ROH fans who’ve missed Romero for the past two years could have had their fill of him had they followed PWG, where he’s been closer to home and has been a regular. Another rematch, as these two met in the first round of the 2006 BOLA, and it was very good then.

Jack Evans vs. Kevin Steen
Steen’s been in the same boat as El Generico (his long-time rival) in that he broke out in Canada, made his name in the states in PWG, and is slowly coming back in ROH. I got a kick out of him as a complaining, cursing, high school bully-like heel the past few years, and so did the fans. He captured the PWG Title in August ‘05 from AJ Styles (losing it in December ‘05 to Joey Ryan), quickly became a face, and even toured for Dragon Gate last fall. He’s a fairly big dude with some agility to him (maybe a little like Bam Bam Bigelow, though not nearly as big as him) and has improved as I watched him. Expect a classic Power Guy vs. High Flyer match against Evans, with plenty of character work tossed in.

Low Ki vs. Davey Richards
At long last, Low Ki makes his PWG debut this weekend. Davey Richards broke out in PWG long before coming to ROH, has been a former Tag Champion with Super Dragon and (very briefly in November) with Roderick Strong, and won the 2006 BOLA. These two guys, both winners of the ECWA Super 8 tournament, met in a very good match in the second round of IWA Mid-South’s Ted Petty Invitational (Low Ki won that match and ultimately the whole TPI). I could see this one deliver as well and maybe steal the show.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Human Tornado
The most money-making man has been a face for the most part during his PWG tenure (along with his partner Chris Hero). Human Tornado, the P-I-M-P and a generally an entertaining guy fun to watch, won the PWG World Title in January. When he lost it to El Generico in February, he became very frustrated (it was a short reign after a long chase) and might be turning heel. Last I checked, Tornado had a valet named Candice LaRae, a cute blonde who’s given and received some crazy bumps in what little I’ve seen of her. Actually a pretty good match on paper, as Tornado has improved and both guys can go pretty quick.

Disco Machine vs. NOSAWA
Disco Machine was the member of WSX’s That 70s Team who came out with a disco ball and that goofy mask. NOSAWA is a tattooed, punk-looking Japanese wrestler (may have been an influence on Shannon Moore’s current look) who was a part of Team Japan in TNA a few years back. I don’t expect much, but Disco has picked up his game a bit since the first time I’ve seen him.

8 Man Tag Team Match
Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Chris Bosh & “Scorpio Sky”
vs.
Frankie Kazarian, Ronin, TJ Perkins & Top Gun Talwar
Ryan, Bosh, and Lost have all teamed with one another for years now and have plenty of history. Ryan was the other half of That 70s Team, resembling Tom Selleck way back when. In PWG, he held the PWG World Title for over a year since winning it from Steen, made it into a World Title when he defended it on the Europe shows, but has constantly used nefarious means to keep the title. Combined with his okay but unremarkable wrestling, and the PWG fans have come to hate him the way everyone else hates Jeff Jarrett. Personally, I think he’s better than that. Bosh and Lost have been an entertaining heel tag team since October ‘04, calling themselves Arrogance and holding the Tag Titles twice together. Lost is sharp and athletic in the ring, but fairly easy to hate. Bosh has (almost unintentionally) gotten cheers for his greasy cockiness and vulgar promos - largely centered on his privates - and even won the first BOLA in ‘05, followed by challenges for the World Title in late ‘05/early ‘06. These three used to form a four-man faction called The Dynasty with Scorpio Sky - another cocky heel who used to wear a mask - before Sky lost a Loser Leaves PWG Match to Frankie Kazarian in January. Now, some guy sporting Sky’s old mask is running around alongside the the three heels, hence the quotation marks.

Kazarian, of course, is best known from his TNA stints, and has had a very short WWE stint in ‘05. Based in So-Cal, he was the first-ever PWG Champion, and won the title a second time from the second-ever PWG Champion, Adam Pearce (also banished by Kazarian in a Loser Leaves PWG Match). He’s just himself here, with no Serotonin bullcrap as far as I know. Perkins is better known under his masked persona of Puma. Ronin, a heavy-set, pretty hard hitting masked wrestler, used to be a dull heel but has since turned face over the past few months. Since losing in the first round in the 2006 BOLA (to Davey Richards), he has been on a quest dubbed RBTT2007BOLAT (Ronin’s Battle to the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles Tour), scoring victories over bigger names like Matt Sydal and Shingo and earning cheers for his improved efforts. Then there’s Top Gun Talwar, a small and angry man, and probably the most vulgar guy on the roster. He has a gimmick of a very public drug habit, has cavorted with a blowup doll, and has even worn skin-colored singlets with fake pubes on them. He’s out for Joey Ryan’s blood since he was put on the shelf by him last July, but the singles matches between the two recently have not been good based on reports. This should be pretty fun, as most of these multi-man tags have been for PWG.

Just Added
Kikutaro vs. Colt Cabana
Japanese comedy guy vs. American comedy guy in a match that happened in ROH last May. Should be a fun opener.

Night 2 - Sunday, April 8th

Low Ki vs. Samoa Joe
Joe appeared in PWG pretty often between ‘03 and ‘05, but had a falling out of several months since he missed the Europe shows last February, but those waters have been calmed. I’m willing to bet people are looking forward to this one. A rematch from 2001’s King of the Indies tournament and ROH “Glory by Honor” in 2002 (Joe’s ROH debut), fans have gotten tastes of it afterwards in tags and such in ROH and even less of it in TNA (there was that one three-way on Impact with Sonjay Dutt where Low Ki/Senshi won the X Division Title, but that’s it). With it finally happening this Saturday (and scheduled to happen in late September for the IWA-MS TPI in the first round!), fans are in for a treat. A stiff, brutal, exciting treat.

PWG World Title Match (possibly)
El Generico (if still the champion) defends against Human Tornado
These former partners and Tag Champs (known back then as “2 Skinny Black Guys”) have what looks to be a more heated rematch from the last time they met in February. It used to be all fun and games, but Tornado’s changing altitude attitude might change that.

Kaz Hayashi vs. PAC
International intrigue, but no history. Of course, if PAC wins the World Title from El Generico, he’ll defend it here.

Davey Richards vs. Chris Hero
Though Hero doesn’t show it that often (he has before in IWA-MS against one Arik Cannon), he’s not afraid to hit hard. Kind of a mismatch at first, but I think it has potential. Fans on the East Coast can catch this match in person in June, when IWA-MS is scheduled to feature it on their show in Philadelphia.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Alex Shelley
Previously featured on ROH’s “This Means War” from October 29th, 2005 (and ending in a 20-minute draw), this looks to be a match of great technical prowess and (like a lot of other matches on both nights) different from anything else this weekend.

Roderick Strong & Jack Evans vs. Chris Bosh & Scott Lost
A tag team dream match for PWG fans. Despite their current problems in ROH, Strong & Evans have teamed couple of times in PWG, really winning over crowds with their offense. Lost & Bosh are no strangers to doubleteam work themselves, largely centered around backbreakers over Bosh’s knee while he’s in the Van Damme Bloodsport pose (at least I think it is).

No DQ Match
Kevin Steen vs. Joey Ryan
These two have deep history going back to Ryan defeating Steen for the PWG Title in December, with Steen being thwarted in subsequent rematches for the title through Joey’s cheating. At the last show, held March 24th, this feud reignited when Joey clocked Steen with a chair during a match Steen had with Ronin for a title shot (though Steen still won by DQ). PWG isn’t afraid to go hardcore, with their most violent grudge match known as a Guerrilla Warfare Match (which both Steen and Ryan have experience in). Should be pretty solid.

Gauntlet Match (order of entrants not yet determined)
I’m not too keen on Gauntlet Matches (the last guy in always seems to win and the first guy in always seems to lose), but the last Gauntlet Matches I’ve seen (in ROH from November and in Chikara in February) were pretty well done. The guys in this one are Frankie Kazarian, Rocky Romero, TJ Perkins, Ronin, NOSAWA, and an old school heel I have yet to see any of named Karl “Machine Gun” Anderson.

Just Added
Kikutaro & Disco Machine vs. Colt Cabana & Top Gun Talwar
What can I say? More comedy, but possibly the good kind of comedy. And it’s not like Cabana can’t bring the wrestling when needed.

A few days late, but…
PWG also has some authority figures to keep track of. Dino Winwood, a portly former manager, has been PWG Commissioner (kind of a Teddy Long-type babyface, but more fun) for quite a while. Recently, masked wrestler Excalibur (student of Super Dragon, former tag team partner and co-commentator with Disco Machine, and one of PWG’s founders) has moved up the ranks as PWG’s Commissioner of Food & Beverages. Dino still runs the wrestling side of things, but since food and drink can be as equally important, Excalibur has gained some power of his own. So we have a bit of a power struggle between these two, with each adding names and matches to recent cards (both are responsible for picking names in an upcoming Tag Title Tournament in May). Both Dino and Excalibur are very entertaining talkers and pretty funny guys.

For directions and ticket info for this weekend, as well as DVDs and shirts for sale and additional info on the promotion (not to mention humorous press releases on their upcoming shows) , visit PWG’s official site. PWG DVDs can also be purchased at Highspots. Also - and this might as well be a given for all indy-related articles I do - cards are always subject to change, and for even more indy coverage, I whole-heartedly recommend the great weekend recaps and DVD reviews written regularly by Chris Vetter for the Torch site. Those in California, go bananas.

4/5 BS EDIT: My apologies in lack of thinking, as these shows are actually Saturday and Sunday, not Friday and Saturday. Hopefully, those of you going would have already been to the web site.