This is night 2 in PWG’s big tag title tournament, so for all the info and whatnot on the tourney, check my review of night 1, here.
Also, if you’re interested in Indy wrasslin’, check out Pulse Glazer‘s and John Kirschner‘s columns for all the news and info about ROH, PWG, CHIKARA and other Indy companies.
For a spoiler-free review of the show, check the summary section at the bottom.
1. TopGun Talwar vs. Stalker Ichikawa Z : Stalker is hilarious. This match is hilarious. They brawl on the outside, then race each other back to the ring before the 20 count expires. Man Stalker can run fast. They do some nearfalls, and Talwar get the win with a reverse DDT of sorts.
Winner: TopGun Talwar.
Comedy all the way.
*.
2. The Briscoe Brothers vs. Ricky Reyes & Rocky Romero (Rd. 2) : This match follows the exact same formula as both teams’ first round match the night before. They feel each other out to start, with some pretty stiff stuff on the mat. Both teams start to get control of each other. Lots of strikes and suplexes here. The Briscoes work over Romero. Mark does 3938213 knee drops to the head. he makes a comeback, tags Rocky and we have the finishing sequence.
Ricky comes in and KILLS Jay with a Saito for 2. They do a big dive sequence, ending with Mark hitting a top rope moonsault. Back in jay hits a powerbomb and DVD for 2. Rocky comes in, and he and Jay MURDER each other with strikes. TORNADO DDT from Rocky! 1 2 NO! Mark catches Rocky up top Super Ace Crusher! 1 2 NO! Spinning powerbomb from Reyes gets 2. They do a crazy sequence were everyone hits something on each other. The Pitbulls kill Mark with some double teams and get some near submissions off him. Some more stuff happens, until The Briscoes pin Romero with their awesome leg drop/SSP combo!
Winners: The Briscoes.
Good match. They took the stories from these 2 first teams’ first round matches and combined them – the Briscoes beat the KOW because of their better teamwork, while The HP beat the Trailer Park Boyz because of their better teamwork. But in the Briscoes/KOW match, the level of teamwork and tag efficiency was a lot higher than in the HP/TPB match, thus the Briscoes’ teamwork and tag efficiency was superior here. Most of the match suffered from a lack of heel/face dynamic (and whenever any team tried to heel it up they stopped a few minutes later, which was annoying), but overall it was well wrestled, and the finishing sequence was really, really good.
***1/2.
3. Kevin Steen vs. Ronin : They start with some mat wrestling and rollups. Ugh. After a few minutes they do a shoulder tackle spot, with Steen hitting a snap elbow. Steen works over Ronin. Ronin eventually comes back, dodging a senton from Steen and hitting one of his own for 2. Ronin beats Steen around, then pokes Steen’s eye. That was stupid, seeing as Ronin is the face here. They trade forearms. Yay, some aggression here. Ronin botches a clothesline over the top rope spot. They do some nearfalls, and Steen wins it with a package piledriver.
Winner: Kevin Steen.
That sucked. Story wise it didn’t make much sense, both men should have been angry coming off huge losses the previous night, but they did mat wrestling and comedy here, instead of take their anger out on each other. Add on some sloppy stuff and Ronin being totally worthless and you have a pretty poor match.
*.
4. Roderick Strong & PAC vs. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino (Rd. 2) : Yoshino and strong feel each other out to start. I love the crisp, fast style Yoshino executes everything with. Doi and PAC tag in. PAC runs wild and hits an awesome twisting moonsault. PAC and Strong work over Doi. They hit some nice double teams. Doi rakes PAC’s eyes and tags to Yoshino. PAC quickly gains control over him though, and tags to Strong. Strong hits Doi with a vertical suplex into toss thing. MOz gain control on Strong, and work him over. They hit all their awesome DG style double teams, and still heel it up at the same time. Doi hits his massive senton in the corner to both Strong and PAC. It gets 2 on Strong. Yoshino tags in and punches Strong’s arm. He comes off the ropes Strong throws him up POWERSLAM!
PAC tags in and hits an awesome rana to Doi. He messes up a Sasuke special, but makes up for it with a nice twisting somersault dive. PAC fights it out with both MOz for ages. They hit him with a Boston crap/dropkick combo. Lots of fast stuff here. 450 from PAC hits knees! Doi555s! It only gets 2! Doi comes off the ropes PAC SPIKES him with a rana! 1 2 NO! PAC tags out to Strong and he fights both MOz. More craziness ensues. MOz hit there double team flip senton thing for 2. Strong backbreakers Yoshino SSP KNEEDROP FROM PAC! 1 2 Doi breaks it up! PAC throws him out and dives onto him. Gutbuster from Strong! BIG BOOT! TIGER DRIVER! 1 2 3!
Winners: Roderick Strong and PAC.
Awesome match. The story played off last night’s Strong/PAC match so well; Strong/PAC knew the importance of stamina for last night they nearly lost because PAC got dominated for so long (and only came through on Davey/SD’s cockiness). So this time, they tried to gain control and end it as quickly as they could, which was really smart. By the time Doi and Yoshino got sufficient control, they were pretty tired from PAC and Strong’s earlier control segments. Because of their fatigue, they couldn’t keep control on Strong and he soon came back. He tagged in a fresh PAC, and the MOz were pretty much doomed. After MOz trying all they could to win, their fatigue was just too big of a problem and it wasn’t long before Strong/PAC put them down.
This had the general awesome feel that all DG vs American (well mostly ;) ) tags do, which makes anything the wrestlers do look awesome. Apart from a few sloppy moments, the finishing sequence was great balls to the wall action too. I’m really looking forward to the final of this tournament now.
***3/4.
5. PWG Title: El Generico (c) vs. CIMA : They wrestle on the mat to start, and tie each other up with wacky holds. After a few minutes, CIMA gains control with an eye rake. He ties Generico’s mask to the ropes. CIMA starts working over Generico, pretty early in the match considering. Generico shows some life though, and runs wild with his wacky arm drags and such. CIMA catches him off a springboard attempt into an Ace Crusher! CIMA starts working him over. CIMA beats him around the outside. After a few minutes, CIMA throws him back in the ring, but Generico gets straight up and hits a moonsault dive onto CIMA! Back in the ring a crossbody gets 2.
We enter finishing sequence town. Both men get all their signature stuff for nearfalls. The fans don’t seem to care that much, which is pretty odd. The closest nearfall of the match comes when CIMA hits the Schwein for a really close 2. CIMA goes for it again, but Generico gets a rollup. As soon as CIMA kicks out, Generico nails him with a Brainbuster! It gets 2! Brainbuster again! 1 2 NO! BRAINBUSTER A THIRD TIME! 1 2 3!
Winner, and still PWG champion: El Generico.
Good match, although pretty disappointing considering the other matches they’ve had together. The story of both men’s knowledge of each other was excellent. CIMA had already beaten Generico twice before this, so he had no new strategy or anything going into this. Generico knew that if he would treat the match as really important and become desperate when CIMA had control he would lose (like he had in the past). So instead, Generico let CIMA control it, so when he was ready to make a comeback CIMA didn’t expect it at all. That strategy worked for Generico in the finishing sequence too, as he got control over CIMA when he wasn’t expecting it, then ended him as quickly as possible (with all those brainbusters). The wrestling and everything was crisp and fluid, but what really hurt this match was a severe lack of crowd heat. While the story of Generico not taking the match too seriously was really smart, it really didn’t draw much of a reaction from the fans, thus the match lacked the epic feel with the fans marking out like crazy and such. Still a very good match, just disappointing overall.
***1/2.
6. Human Tornado vs. Don Fuji vs. Bino Gambino vs. TJ Perkins : It starts with the crazy multi man action which we all like. The heels (Bino and Tornado) soon gain control and work over Fuji. TJ comes in and kills everyone with kicks. he work over Fuji. Fuji gets some hope spots in. He makes his come back, killing EVERYONE with chops and lariats. It breaks down and we have the usual 4 way finishing sequence. Lots of stuff before Tornado hits a crazy twisting flip to pin Bino.
Winner: Human Tornado.
Fun stuff which topped my expectations. This was roughly your average 4 way, with some nice psychology thrown in (ie Fuji being dominant to everyone goes after him). Don Fuji is such an awesome babyface – few people are as good as him when it comes to getting the fans into it. TJ Perkins was awesome here too, but then again it’s not very hard to look good in a 4 way.
***.
*Post match CIMA and Fuji beat up Stalker on the floor. Life is fun.
7. Bryan Danielson vs. Joey Ryan : Dragon outwrestles Joey on the mat to start. Joey stalls and uses some mind games to outsmart Dragon. He gets control of Dragon’s shoulder/arm, and vigorously works it over. For the next 10 or so minutes, Joey works over Dragon’s arm while Dragon tries to come back. He fights an eventually does come back, with a diving European and a tope.
They exchange some nearfalls. Dragon kicks out of Joey’s usual stuff, so Joey puts on the cattle mutilation! Dragon escapes and gets pissed, and starts to nail Joey with forearms. After some more back and forth stuff, Dragon hits a backdrop superplex, some MMA elbows, then locks in the cattle mutilation! Joey taps.
Winner: Bryan Danielson.
Good match that exceeded my expectations. It told a good story of Ryan knowing he couldn’t outwrestle Danielson, so he did his best to outsmart Dragon so he could get an advantage. He then tried the best he could to slow down Dragon, taking out his arm. Ryan focused too much on the arm though, as Dragon only had pain in his arm, everywhere else he was fine, and he wasn’t very tired. Seeing as Dragon wasn’t very weak, and he’s a much strong competitor than Ryan, it wasn’t very long before Dragon put Ryan away. The selling throughout was terrific, and the wrestling was really good too (Ryan stepped it up as well as Dragon carrying him). If I were to complain about this I’d say it was a little too long, but overall this was a lot better than I expected it to be.
***1/4.
8. Super Dragon, Davey Richards, Chris Bosh & Scott Lost vs. Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Nate Webb & Josh Abercrombie : This follows your usual 8 man structure. CC and Davey start with some horrible lucha stuff, which I blame Davey for. They do some more individual pairings. The heels (Davey/SD and Arrogance) start to work over Webb. He comes back on Davey with a TKO. Abercrombie tags in and goes after Davey’s arm. Davey throws him to the outside, and Super Dragon goes nuts on Abercrombie on the floor! SD is so awesome. Back in the heels work over Abercrombie. Dragon comes and kills him. Yes. Abercrombie’s face in peril work is really good. Davey tries to German him, but he flips out, and makes the hot tag!
The faces clean house with 3 top rope cross bodies. Davey misses one and gets killed by a quadruple team dropkick. Lost hits his spinning kick to Webb for 2. I love that move. Arrogance kill Webb with some double teams for 2. They do a dive sequence, and everyone dies. Hero goes for the double sledge on Bosh DICK PUNCH! Claudio fakes out Bosh, and hits him with the DICK UPPERCUT~! Hero chokeslams Lost onto Bosh. We get some more stuff, until Davey and SD have some stupid miscommunication, and SD gets rolled up for 3.
Winners: KOW and Trailer Park Boyz.
Good match, although didn’t really click at times. The story was pretty basic as no team has the clear advantage (all 4 separate tag teams were losers the previous night), and it came down to the miscommunication on Dragon/Davey’s part, which was the deciding factor. The action throughout was good, but some of the individual pairings (ie Davey/Claudio) really didn’t work, and the match felt really slow when only 2 people were in the ring at one time. The face in peril parts were really awesome though.
***.
9. Roderick Strong & PAC vs. The Briscoe Brothers (Finals): Yay tourney final. It starts fast with Mark and Strong. Jay and PAC tag in. PAC and Jay trade rana and this is awesome. Both teams exchange stuff. The Briscoes start to work over Strong. A fresh PAC comes in and gains control on Jay. PAC and Strong promptly start taking it to Jay. Strong and PAC work over Jay. This match is really fast paced. PAC hits a standing twisting moonsault. Jay comes back with a second rope neckbreaker on Strong. He tags Mark and things break down. The Briscoes hit the DOOMSDAY DEVICE on PAC for 2 when Strong saves. The Briscoes go back to working down PAC with their usual stuff. PAC comes back, hot tag to Strong, and IT IS ON.
The action in the finishing sequence is completely incredible, and really too fast/crazy to call. I’m gonna watch this all and mark out now, then see you guys back at the finish. Roderick hits Mark with a CFX2 driver, then PAC goes up top. 630 FROM PAC! 1 2 NO! PAC goes up top TWISTING SPP to Jay on the outside! STRONGHOLD ON MARK! HE TAPS! Strong and PAC have done it!
Winners, and NEW PWG World Tag Team Champions: Roderick Strong and PAC.
Incredible match. The story was a culmination of the whole tag tournament, and that was really fucking awesome. The Briscoes were the unstoppable tag team throughout the tournament, PAC/Strong were the ultimate underdogs. The story was the Briscoes were the tough, cocky bastards (which worked perfectly considering their role going into this, the unstoppable team) who didn’t expect much out of Strong/PAC (which was the recurring theme for Strong/PAC’s matches throughout the tournament). The Briscoes dominated early, so Strong and PAC really stepped their tag game up to get control. In the end it was the Briscoes not putting away PAC/Strong quick enough that cost them, as Strong and PAC stepped it up quickly enough (hitting FLUID double teams) to damage the Briscoes enough to actually beat them. Wonderful stuff.
The execution throughout was terrific, especially PAC’s flips, which were the best damn thing I’ve ever seen. Whenever there’s a tournament final, the wrestlers always step it up, and this was no exception. Excellent final to the tourney.
****1/4.
Overall Thoughts: This was a great show, and a lot better than night 1. All the tourney matches delivered big, and the finals were really the perfect ending. The rest of the card was good too, but maybe a bit overloaded – guys had to hold back (ie Generico/CIMA) a bit not to steal the show from the tag tournament. I recommend purchasing this with night 1 (night 1’s good too and it compliments this show really well), but if you’re tight for cash and can only buy one DVD or something, make sure to pick up this.
Overall Score: 9/10.
The Inside Pulse
Summary
1. TopGun Talwar vs. Stalker Ichikawa Z – * (Funny stuff)
2. The Briscoe Brothers vs. Ricky Reyes & Rocky Romero (Rd. 2) – ***1/2 (A few flaws but overall really good)
3. Kevin Steen vs. Ronin – * (Didn’t make much sense and pretty dull)
4. Roderick Strong & PAC vs. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino (Rd. 2) – ***3/4 (Awesome match, both teams meshed together so well)
5. PWG Title: El Generico (c) vs. CIMA – ***1/2 (Slightly disappointing, but still very good. Great story, shame about the lack of crowd heat)
6. Human Tornado vs. Don Fuji vs. Bino Gambino vs. TJ Perkins – *** (surprisingly good 4 way)
7. Bryan Danielson vs. Joey Ryan – ***1/4 (Very good match, very long though)
8. Super Dragon, Davey Richards, Chris Bosh & Scott Lost vs. Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Nate Webb & Josh Abercrombie – *** (Iffy at times, but very fun on the whole)
9. Roderick Strong & PAC vs. The Briscoe Brothers (Finals) – ****1/4 (Awesome match and perfect way to finish the tourney)
Overall Thoughts: This was a great show, and a lot better than night 1. All the tourney matches delivered big, and the finals were really the perfect ending. The rest of the card was good too, but maybe a bit overloaded – guys had to hold back (ie Generico/CIMA) a bit not to steal the show from the tag tournament. I recommend purchasing this with night 1 (night 1’s good too and it compliments this show really well), but if you’re tight for cash and can only buy one DVD or something, make sure to pick up this. 9/10.
