Hardcore fans of Independent wrestling have heard of it. People who shop at FYE have heard of it. And now, people reading this review will hear of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). California’s biggest indy fed has followed Ring of Honor and Chikara with a retail release chronicling some of the very best they have to offer. PWG’s offering, called “PWG Sells Out,†is nine solid hours of wrestling action. Is it worth your hard earned dollar? Read on to find out…
Disc One: A quick note about the DVDs. First, if you want to hear the commentary, which is, how shall I say…unique, you have to switch the audio setting using your remote. If you go in expecting incisive well informed commentary or the bluster of someone like Don West, that is not here. The commentary almost feels like watching the commentary track of a comedy movie. The guys are talking about the action on screen, but several asides get in the way, but it rarely detracts from the matches themselves. The first DVD focuses on some of the people who have gone on to bigger and better things, but have come through PWG during their travels.
Samoa Joe vs. “American Dragon†Bryan Danielson from “PWG: The Musical†– April 17th, 2004
With the two men involved in this match it is not hard to imagine the level of quality. This is not one of their best encounters but it is still far better than most wrestling going on. The match also does a good job of showing off the more lighthearted attitude of PWG, in that they stop and make the show live up to its name with a Jets vs. Sharks style dance off. Dragon does some neat escapes and the basic story of the match is Dragon’s wrestling prowess matching up with Joe’s massive striking advantage. Joe proves that he is no slouch in the wrestling department either though. Their competitive match soon turns foul when they repeatedly go to the outside and beat the poop out of each other. The match ends in a 30 minute time limit draw. It is an interesting match to see how far both have come, but also to show how far ahead of the curve they were. After the match Joe effectively turns heel when Ricky Reyes comes in and helps him beat down Dragon.
Result: Time limit draw; ***3/4
Super Dragon vs. CM Punk from “The Reason for the Season†– July 10th, 2004
CM Punk is of course the WWE Champion, Super Dragon is a mean guy in a mask. Both were the talk of the indies way back when, but have kind of traveled on divergent pasts. Punk is at his heelish best in this going as far as to heel out on the poor camera man. It is mostly a brawl which really suits both men’s strongest suits. Super Dragon is one of PWG’s biggest homegrown stars, and it shows in this match. They do some good storytelling as CM Punk does an excellent job of selling his knee. They go a bit overboard with Punk curb stomping (Super Dragon’s signature move) Dragon numerous times and not getting a win. They keep exchanging huge moves with Punk usually in control. With only a few minutes to go CM Punk tries for a Shining Wizard but gets reversed into a supernatural driver (pumphandle piledriver) for the win. The match is fun, but it is a tiny bit long.
Winner: Super Dragon via pinfall; ***1/2
â€Scrap Iron†Adam Pearce vs. “The Future†Frankie Kazarian in a PWG World Championship Steel Cage Match from “The Reason For The Season†– July 10th, 2004
This match showcases a little bit more of PWG’s violent side. Pearce is the now recently defeated NWA World Heavyweight Champion and Frankie Kazarian, or Kaz, is involved in an insipid “Why am I wrestling?†angle in TNA. When the match took place Pearce was the PWG champion and Kazarian was the number one contender. The match is bloody and violent and one of the best efforts from both men involved. Pearce had been dominating PWG as the sneaky heel champion and Kazarian was the heir apparent to the throne. They went a little overkill with finishes, but that is standard for a cage match on the independent scene. Kazarian is able to get the win and the title by stealing Adam Pearce’s piledriver finish. The match shows precisely how to blow off a hate filled feud, the crowd was hot, you could feel the emotion, and the finish was decisive.
Winner: Frankie Kazarian via pinfall; ***3/4
Christopher Daniels vs. Jack Evans from “Free Admission, Just Kidding†– November 13, 2004
This was Jack Evans PWG debut against the wily veteran Chris Daniels who is currently performing as Curry Man in TNA. This was well before Jack Evans had toured Japan and picked up valuable skills like selling, timing and psychology. Jack was very, very flippy at this point in his career. He is still flippy now, but it makes more sense. The match is solid if unremarkable. Daniels uses his experience to counter the flashier Evans and gets the win with the Best Moonsault Ever.
Winner: Christopher Daniels via pinfall; **
Super Dragon vs. Samoa Joe from “All Nude Revue†– February 12th, 2005
These guys hold nothing back from the bell and kind of plays similar to Super Dragon vs. CM Punk, which unless you just took a shot of turpentine, you remember from three paragraphs ago. Super Dragon tends to take an unbelievable amount of punishment and keep coming back for more. He has established it as part of his character enough that it doesn’t detract from the match. The match does a great job of putting over Super Dragon’s Psycho Driver as a finish, as it ultimately nets a countout victory for Super Dragon. After the match a second Super Dragon, wearing red, attacks the victorious Super Dragon, wearing blue. This was the start of one of the most intriguing angles in PWG history. We get the blowoff to this feud on one of the later discs. This is fun, short, and violent, which are all good things for putting together an entertaining match.
Winner: Super Dragon via pinfall; ***1/2
Samoa Joe vs. “The Phenomenal†AJ Styles from “All Star Weekend Night One†– April 1st, 2005
You know both of these guys. You know what they are capable of. If you hate TNA this is probably not the best choice for you since it will only add fuel to the fire of your hatred. This is far from their best match. There are examples in the debacle that is TNA and from Ring of Honor where they put on a better show. Still given the talent involved this match is a ton of fun. The basic story is that Joe is fat and awesome, but AJ is pretty awesome too. Joe controls a lot but amazing feats of strength and fortitude keep AJ in the match allowing him to get the win with the Styles Clash. The match is short, simple and fun.
Winner: AJ Styles via pinfall; ***1/2
James Gibson vs. AJ Styles from “Guitarmageddon†– June 11th, 2005
James Gibson is of course Jamie Noble in the WWE, and AJ Styles is AJ Styles. Both men are outstanding wrestlers with similar body types, but slightly different styles. Gibson is more about mat wrestling and submissions, AJ is more about high flying and high impact offense. It works well in the match though. It should be noted that during this match AJ Styles was both the PWG and NWA champion, and both titles are on the line. Gibson proves time and again that he is a master of counters which is totally unlike his WWE character who seems more concerned with getting girls and then getting beaten up for his troubles. Interestingly, while James Gibson spends most of the match countering AJ Styles, it is the Phenomenal One who takes advantage of a counter sequence into the Styles Clash for the victory. This match had a little bit of everything from big bumps, to great technical wrestling to high flying. It is definitely one of the better matches on the first disc.
Winner: AJ Styles via pinfall; ****1/4
Disc Two: While the first disc primarily features the big stars that have come through the hallowed halls of PWG, this disc has some of PWG’s regulars as the centerpiece. I think in a lot of ways this disc gives a better representation of PWG because while the best of the indies are always present, they only take up one or two spots on the show. The rest of the shows is made up by this band of misfits who are no slouches in their own right.
Arrogance (“Photogenic†Chris Bosh & Scott Lost) vs. Aerial Xpress (Quicksilver & Scorpio Sky) in a PWG Tag Team Title Match – Titles vs. Masks from the “2nd Anniversary Weekend Night 1†– July 9th, 2005
This is the culmination of their 22 match series and of course as stated above it is titles vs. masks. It shouldn’t take the viewer too much time to figure out who is putting the masks on the line. A note about Scorpio Sky, his gear is supposed to look like a scorpion, but the front of his shirt kind of looks like a kitty. The match starts with your standard feeling out process and goes into fast paced tag formula. Both teams work well together and are very familiar with their opponents and it shows in the storytelling of the match. Arrogance’s double teams are quite impressive, but the heat segment on Quicksilver goes on a little long. Like many indy wrestlers these guys have flashy moves with a very rudimentary knowledge of what makes a good wrestling match. Also, like many Indy wrestlers they go a little heavy on overkill near falls to create their drama, which in front of a hot crowd can work. This crowd isn’t hot enough, though. Selling and logic kind of go out the window at the end at that really hurts the match. After taking a completely business killing unrealistic amount of punishment Scorpio Sky is able to get a surprise roll-up for the win. I was totally ready to give this match over three stars before the finishing sequence started, but yeah…not so much. The beginning was a solid tag match. The end was absurd. After the match Scorpio Sky gets beaten down and unmasked.
Winners: The Aerial Xpress of Scorpio Sky and Quicksilver via pinfall; **
Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Ricky Reyes, and Davey Richards vs. Super Dragon, Frankie Kazarian, El Generico, and Jack Evans from “Battle of Los Angeles Night 2†– September 4th, 2005
This is four of the biggest babyfaces in the company facing for of the biggest heels at one of the biggest shows in company history. The match starts out like most 8 man tags with the various pairings before settling in to the rest of the match. The babyface team gets control first thanks to Super Dragon putting the hurt on Davey Richards. The heels take over letting El Generico do what he does best: draw sympathy. The good guy team has the right mixture of guys to take the heat (Evans and Generico) and guys to clean up the mess (Kazarian and Super Dragon) to keep the match interesting. The match breaks down into a dive/finisher fest pretty quickly. Super Dragon gets the win with a Psycho-Driver (Sit out Torture Rack Piledriver). This match was totally unremarkable, I had to rewind it twice times because it couldn’t hold my attention.
Winners: Super Dragon, Frankie Kazarian, El Generico, and Jack Evans via pinfall; **
Guerrilla Warfare Match: Super Dragon vs. “Mr. Wrestling†Kevin Steen from “Astonishing X-Mas†– December 18th, 2005
This is the culmination of one of the best feuds PWG ever produced. We saw a little taste of the build when the red Super Dragon attacked the real Super Dragon after he defeated Samoa Joe. The Red Dragon was Kevin Steen. I also like the PWG’s signature feud ending match has a unique name related to the promotion. This match is just a ton of violence. It gets a little bit ridiculous as it progresses, but it follows a perfect crescendo. The atmosphere was unique as well. The fans crowded around the ring and banged on the ring apron. It was the type of thing that could only happen at a smaller indy, but it really added to the match. The big complaint is the overkill, but it seemed to fit more in this match than in, say, the Titles vs. Masks match from the beginning of this disc. This match is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you have a tolerance for a bit of the old ultra-violence. Super Dragon gets the win after a handcuffed Psych Driver onto Thumbtacks. If you like this sort of thing, then I highly recommend this match, otherwise…maybe skip this one. After the match Steen cuts a great promo about what it took to beat him.
Winner: Super Dragon via pinfall; ****1/4
PWG Tag Team Title Match: Davey Richards and Super Dragon vs. Roderick Strong and Jack Evans from “Hollywood Globetrotters†– March 4th, 2006
Richards and Super Dragon had been dominating the tag ranks leading up to this match. 2006 was after Strong and Evans major run as a tag team in Ring of Honor, but they still work very well together. They do the pair off to start. Strong and Richards do a mat wrestling sequence, while Jack and Super Dragon try to out wigger each other. Super Dragon proves that he is the blackest (?!?!) white boy in PWG. It doesn’t take long for Jack to start taking the heat since no one believes that he can ever save Roderick Strong. I will say the unique brand of commentary from PWG actually works in this match. Even after Evans makes the tag out Strong succumbs to the powerhouse tandem of Richards and Super Dragon. Fans that are used to Evans of Strong in RoH will be surprised to see them get dominated by the then PWG tag champs. After an insanely long control segment by the champs Evans and Strong get to runt through their spots. The spots are innovative, but the result of the match was never really in doubt because of Richards and Super Dragon’s dominance. It was still fun while it lasted.
Winner: Super Dragon and Davey Richards via pinfall; ***
PWG World Title Guerrilla Warfare Cage Match: “Magnum†Joey Ryan vs. “The New Age Punisher†B-Boy from “Threemendous†– July 16th, 2006
This match is the culmination of Joey Ryan ducking B-Boy in head to head competition and there are weapons strewn about the encaged ring including ladders and chairs. Ryan was the cowardly heel champion and this match was basically set up for him to get his comeuppance. Ryan uses underhanded tactics to keep pace with the chair shots dished out by B-Boy. This match is bloody and violent that is about it, but the way it was built it is the exact match that these two were supposed to have. Joey does a good job holding the match together through his comedy, but he also shows how important the title is to him by refusing to give up or stay down. PWG overkill strikes again in this match though. It is kind of becoming a running theme for the boys from SoCal. Ryan in an interesting spot actually goes after the referee throwing him into the cage and busting him open. A cage match actually spills to the outside and the brawling continues there. After some general insanity Scott Lost interjects himself on behalf of Joey Ryan. Then Human Tornado comes in, then the rest of the locker room. It’s like a Nitro main event. I can see how a match like is a lot of fun live, but it doesn’t translate to dvd as well. The spots are insane and innovative, but it is all about the overkill hurting the match. Joey Ryan ends up getting the win with the chloroform sleeper. Ri-goddamn-diculous!
Winner: Joey Ryan via pinfall; ***
El Generico vs. CIMA from “Battle of Los Angeles 3†– September 3rd, 2006
This is more like it. A technical clinic starts things off. Cima settles in as the heel in the match, which is not surprising. I honestly don’t think Generico could really go full on heel. This is pretty much what you can suspect from El Generico. He times his spots perfectly, CIMA is great as the cocky heel. This match is really simple, and I feel I should write more about it, but it is straight forward wrestling of a very high caliber. It is pretty easily the best straight wrestling match on the second disc in this set. CIMA gets the win after hitting the Schwein.
Winner: CIMA via pinfall; ***3/4
El Generico vs. “The Man that Gravity Forgot†Pac from “All Star Weekend 4 Night 2†– November 18th, 2006
I am far from the biggest Pac fan around, but he is sure impressive in the ring. This is two babyfaces working against each other, and those matches are notoriously hard to make work. The match is pretty impressive. Pac does some of the most amazing flippies in the world. Generico is enough of a pro to hold it together…barely. El Generico gets the win with the BRAAAAIIINNNBUUSTAAA!!!! The match is fun and an example of how some crazy kick outs can add drama without being overkill.
Winner: El Generico via pinfall; ***1/2
Disc Three: The first disc was about big stars to come through PWG, the second disc was about big feuds, local talent, and not selling a goddamn thing. The third disc gives new fans the best sense of the current product. It is the most recent, but a lot of the matches here, although a year old, are pretty much in line with the best PWG has to currently offer. This one also has a whole lot of Pac.
PWG Championship Guerrilla Warfare Match – Joey Ryan vs. The Human Tornado from “Based on a True Story†– January 13th, 2007
Joey starts the match off on the mic, antagonizing the crowd the way only he can. Ryan informs Tornado that he is going to own him like its 1860….yup. Joey goes after Candice LeRae, HT’s Tornad-Ho, and Chris Bosh comes in and attacks Tornado to give Ryan the advantage. The match is a whole lot of brawling and weapons on the outside. It is in more of a WWE “Hardcore†division way, than in a deathmatch way. It is kind of boring. Tornado takes a bottle to the face and starts bleeding. After more brawling Joey Ryan winds up upside down in a trash can and he takes a beating. The match is just on the slow side. The spots are cool, like many of the other PWG matches, but I never felt the hate that was purported to exist between these two men. Business does pick up when Jade Chung brings thumbtacks in the ring. Candice Lerae tries to get involved and Joey Ryan throws thumbtacks down her shirt and dropkicks her in the chest! That is a heel ladies and germs. After crazy spots like a Canadian Destroyer through a table and a pumphandle suplex into a barbed wire board don’t end the match, a Pounce, Tornado DDT, Dat Ninja Dead (modified Regalplex) combo end the match and Joey Ryan’s reign of terror. The match was on the slow side, but it did not have the crazy kickouts that some of the matches on disc 2 did.
Winner: The Human Tornado; ***1/4 (mostly for the thumbtack dropkick)
Pac vs. “Mr. Wrestling†Kevin Steen from “Holy Diver Down†– February 24th, 2007
This was right after Steen’s breakout Ring of Honor performance during the Fifth Year Festival and right before Pac’s big matches with RoH in England. Pac actually spends most of the early match grounded and tries to outwrestle Steen. Mr. Wrestling shows that Pro-wrestling is as much about kicks to the face as wristlocks though. The match does a good job of building its way towards Pac’s flippydoos. Steen keeps his advantage through bullying and size (read: chubbiness). Pac builds his to his comebacks well but doesn’t acknowledge the crowd enough to truly get them in his corner. It should be easy from a bully like Steen, but Pac doesn’t pull it off. Again there is overkill in this match as Pac kicks out of a top rope Liger-bomb. Pac gets the surprise win after a couple of insane top rope moves. It was a fun match. It lacked logic in a couple of parts, but it was fun.
Winner: Pac via pinfall; ***
Kaz Hayashi vs. Pac from All Star Weekend 5 Night 2 – April 8th, 2007
Kaz Hayashi should of course be remembered as a member of the Jung Dragons in the dying days of WCW, and Pac should be remembered for the previous match. Pac does his normal schtick which people who own this DVD should be familiar with by now. Kaz works as a heel staying more grounded to counter Pac’s fliptacular offense. Pac is a stupid name, too by the way. He really needs to add some character to go with his flash. Hayashi goes after Pac’s shoulder, and in three matches no one has gone after this flippy mother f-er’s legs. After kicking out of several finishers, Kaz gets the win with a tombstone piledriver and the final cut. It’s Pac. If you like him…well there you go.
Winner: Kaz Hayashi via pinfall; ***
CIMA vs. “American Dragon†Bryan Danielson from “DDT 4 night One†– May 19th, 2007
These are two of the biggest stars in their respective countries, and both are very adept at the grappling arts. They spend the early going on the mat and get just as big a reaction as some of the other guys (cough*Pac*cough) get from their crazy flips. Surprisingly, CIMA keeps pace with Danielson on the mat. Dragon is at his aggressive dickish best in this match, and takes it to CIMA shortcutting when necessary. They do the slow build in this match but when they pick up the pace it is pretty impressive. The basic story is that they are pretty evenly matched. After some crazy moves, yet totally believable kickouts the match ends in a time limit draw. This really stands out as the best match of the DVD to this point.
Result: Time limit draw; ****
PWG Tag Team Championship Tournament Final: Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong and Pac from “DDT 4 Night 2†– May 20th, 2007
RoH fans should be familiar with the Briscoes and Roderick Strong. People who are watching along with me (that would be messed up) should by now be very familiar with Pac. Strong had a crazy awesome spotfest with Jack Evans against the Briscoes and you can expect similar structure here. It is a little more strike heavy to start, though. The Briscoes go for the springboard Doomsday insanely early and it gets broken up. This was during Jay and Mark’s million finishers phase (is that still going on?) so I guess it is more forgivable. Roderick does a lot of the similar double team spots with Pac that he did with Jack Evans. After the early strike sequence, the match devolves into a bunch of high spots and false finishes. Surprisingly, this match ends with a submission as Strong locks in the Stronghold on Mark Briscoe. The match was fun, but lacked substance.
Winner: Roderick Strong and Pac via pinfall; ***1/2
PWG Tag Team Championship Match: Kevin Steen and El Generico vs. Roderick Strong from “Giant Size Annual #4†– July 29th, 2007
This match happens while El Generico is the PWG World Champion and is a replacement match because the Briscoes missed the show. In a nice touch the match plays off of both Steen vs. Pac and Generico vs. Pac which are conveniently included in this set. The match ahs much better flow than the previous match against the Briscoes. Both teams have their issues. Strong and Pac’s failings come from a lack of experience, and at this point in PWG Steen and Generico weren’t exactly friends, but weren’t exactly enemies. They do a lot of finishers, but everything is held together pretty well. Steen and Generico get the win with the package piledriver/brainbuster combination ending the best tag team match on the compilation.
Winners: Kevin Steen and El Generico via pinfall; ****
PWG World Title Match: El Generico vs. “American Dragon†Bryan Danielson from “Giant Size Annual #4†– July 29th, 2007
This match came immediately after the previous match on the disc and features a bloody Bryan Danielson (as a result of his earlier match with Necro Butcher) coming out and asking for a title match against El Generico. The match forgoes the feeling out process as Dragon tries to get the win and hit the pay window quite early. The abbreviated structure of this match makes sense given that both men have wrestled hard fought matches earlier in the night. Like many PWG matches there are some finisher kickouts, but Danielson doesn’t really have that lights out impact finish, and most of Generico’s moves are believable two counts so it does not detract the way it does in other matches. Dragon is able to get the win with Cattle Mutilation. Generico did a great job of showing his heart, and this is an extremely fun, entertaining match.
Winner: “American Dragon†Bryan Danielson via pinfall; ****
Big Andy Mac’s Big Andy Final Thoughts: This set is absolutely worth your money. Everything on here is at worst fun. Some of the matches go a little heavy on overkill, but the spots are absolutely breathtaking. The first disc is by far the best, but looking at the talent list that shouldn’t be surprising. The second and third discs are about the same. Your enjoyment is directly correlative to how much you like Pac. The matches on here range from awesome to ridiculous, but I would not call anything on here bad. This is a good primer of what to expect from the top of any given PWG card. Hopefully it will lead to more people checking out the promotion. You can to via ProWrestlingGuerrilla.com.
I’ll see you next time…
