Pro Wrestling Guerrilla — “Speed of Sound” — August 28th, 2009
DVD review by Roy Reynolds
royreynolds@4sternstaging.com
+ Taped live from the American Legion Post in Reseda, California.
â— Dustin Cutler and Brandon Cutler [The Cutler Brothers] beat Brandon Gatson and Johnny Goodtime (13:18) via pinfall after the Cutlers nailed Gatson with an assisted spike piledriver – Gatson and Dustin start the match off with a series of shoulder blocks and armdrags. After failing to take down Dustin, Gatson tags in Goodtime. Goodtime dropkicks Dustin a few times, but only gets two. Gatson and Goodtime both legdrop Dustin for a two-count. The Cutlers work on Goodtime in the corner, which the crowd greatly disapproves of. The Cutler Brothers work over Gatson on the outside, but they only get a two-count inside of the ring. The Cutlers use their workout equipment on Gatson in the corner when the referee’s not looking. Brandon covers Gatson, but only comes up with a two-count. Gatson pops Brandon with a big DDT and makes the hot tag to Goodtime. Goodtime hurricaranas both Cutlers. Neckbreaker by Goodtime only gets two. Goodtime headscissors Brandon into Dustin! Two-count. Gatson with an incredible handspring knee to the face of Dustin! He handsprings right to the outside, taking out Brandon! Goodtime nails the X-Factor, but only gets two! Crowd is really digging this match up. Gatson with a springboard cutter onto Dustin! Goodtime looks for a brainbuster on the top rope, but the Cutlers reverse it into the Six Second Abs! Gatson with a spinning wheel kick. He and Dustin exchange strikes, but the Cutlers eventually drill him with an assisted spike piledriver for the pinfall win. I love seeing matches with new California locals being displayed. If all four men were given ten more minutes, then this match would’ve easily hit the four star mark. Overall, a terrific opener. For the record, Brandon Gatson is one of my new favorite wrestlers. ***.
â— Human Tornado defeated Jerome “LTP” Robinson, Charles Mercury, and Shane Haste (8:08) via pinfall when Tornado drilled Haste with a super DND – Charles Mercury reminds me of a young Ricky Reyes. Right off the bat, Tornado kicks Haste off the apron with a kick. Tornado with a crazy swan dive to the floor! Inside of the ring, LTP works over Mercury with some innovative offensive. Haste nails Robinson with a dropkick, but Mercury steals the cover and gets two. Haste and Mercury look to flapjack Robinson, but they botch it. Mercury takes out Tornado on the side with a running dropkick. Haste takes Robinson down from the top rope with a hurricarana for two. Mercury and Haste shove one another. Tornado takes them both out with some right hands and body slams. Tornado destroys Haste in the corner with some vicious kicks. LTP looks to finish Haste off, but Mercury pushes him aside to a heavy heel reaction. Double stomp by LTP onto Mercury! Double pin attempt by Tornado and LTP only gets two. Haste kills LTP with a spinning side slam, but Mercury breaks the pinfall up at the last second. Mercury drops Haste on his face with a DDT. LTP with a 619 onto Tornado! He spikes Tornado down with a DDT for good measure! Haste superkicks Mercury in the face. LTP drills Mercury down with a spike piledriver! Tornado with the DND onto LTP out of nowhere! Tornado jumps back to the top rope to meet Haste and nails him with a super DND! One, two, three. For a four-way that was given eight minutes, that was about as much action as you could have possibly gotten. Aside from a few botched spots, I’ve got no complaints at all. **¾.
â— Scott Lost defeated Colt Cabana (12:18) via pinfall with the Big Fat Kill – Before the match, Scott heckles Colt a bit on the microphone. Cabana wants a handshake from Lost, but Scott just pushes him in the face. Cabana taunts Lost for showing disrespect, which is actually pretty funny. Colt dances around Scott with some pretty innovative offense. Some of his holds were really reminiscent of Johnny Saint, a man’s work that I have been watching a lot of lately. Lost trips Cabana down in the middle of one of his crazy sequences, which the crowd heckles him for. Colt rolls around with Lost on the mat, nearly pinning his shoulders down to the mat. Cabana runs at Lost in the corner, but gets met with a vicious double stomp! Two-count. Lost continues his rush of offense by spearing Cabana into the corner. Colt works a comeback and nails in some bionic elbows! Scott blocks a Flying Asshole attempt and drops Colt down hard with a German suplex. Lost works on the body of Cabana with some stiff kicks all around the body. Lost goes for another spear, but misses. Cabana follows up hard with the Flying Asshole! One, two, no! Cabana drops Lost down hard with a powerbomb, but only gets two. Scott finds an opening to nail the Big Fat Kill! That’s enough to get three. A decent match, I suppose. Other than that, I don’t have much more to say. **½.
– Joey Ryan takes the microphone from Jon Ian before the match can begin. Ryan puts over Karl Anderson by announcing him as his best friend and a New Japan Pro Wrestling superstar. Ryan reveals that he and Anderson roomed together in college and even played baseball together. What a tender moment. Ryan wants nothing more than to hold the PWG World Tag Team Championships with his best friend. Joey wants the Bucks to change their upcoming match from non-title to a championship bout. Clearly in heel form now, the Bucks decline Joey’s request. Joey calls the Bucks “chickens” and Matt makes a rebuttal by declaring he and Nick as the best tag team in the world. This time, the Bucks agree to put the PWG World Tag Team Championships on the line.
â— PWG World Tag Team Championships: Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson [The Young Bucks] beat Joey Ryan and Karl Anderson [The Dynasty] (20:45) via pinfall after the Bucks crushed Ryan with the More Bang For Your Buck to retain their straps - It’s crazy to hear how hated the Bucks are by the fans within just a matter of months. California wrestling fans, you guys are weird. The Young Bucks slowly work over Joey Ryan’s shoulder, as the crowd chants “same old shitâ€. Matt and Nick nail stereo dropkicks onto Joey. The Bucks look to continue their assault, but Karl Anderson breaks their attempts up. Anderson and Ryan nail dropkicks of their own. They do the Bucks’ signature pose, too, which the crowd gets a kick out of. Matt gets a beating from the Dynasty, but is eventually able to make the hot tag to his brother. Nick nails Anderson with a springboard dropkick. He takes Ryan out with a facebuster, as well. Moonsault by Nick onto Joey to the outside! The Young Bucks continue to work over Joey, which leads to more “same old shit†chants. Out of desperation, Joey nails a powerslam and is able to make the hot tag. Anderson with a huge lariat! One, two, no! Anderson takes out both Bucks on the outside with a crazy dive! Sliced Bread #2 by Matt! Anderson catches Matt with a backbreaker! Two-count. The Young Bucks use an innovated legdrop maneuver on Anderson, but only get two. Anderson powerbombs Matt right onto Nick. DDT by Anderson on the apron! Is it just me or has Anderson improved tons since the last time I’ve seen him? Joey powerbombs Nick, but only gets two. Ryan nails a Pedigree on Nick, as well, but he only gets two. Nick takes out Joey with a tornado DDT, leaving everyone on the mat out cold. The referee begins to count everyone down. Ryan evades the More Bang for Your Buck. Joey nails a superkick on Matt. He then launches himself onto Nick to the outside! Crowd is hot. Anderson with a huge missile dropkick off the top rope onto the Bucks, but he only gets two. After recovering inside of the ring, the Young Bucks drill Joey with More Bang For Your Buck to retain the PWG World Tag Team Championships. That was way better than I ever expected it to be. Karl Anderson looked pretty amazing here. He’s been in NJPW for a while, but I think he may have definitely hit his stride there or something. Credit also goes out to the Bucks and Joey Ryan, who are typically great , anyways. One of the better sleeper matches I’ve seen out of independent wrestling in 2009 for sure. ***¾.
â— Reseda Street Fight: Chuck Taylor defeated El Generico (17:32) via pinfall with the Awful Waffle – If El Generico wins this match, then he and Human Tornado will receive a PWG World Tag Team Championship match in the near-future. If Chuck Taylor wins, then he and Kenny Omega will be given that same opportunity, as well. Generico takes out Taylor to the outside with a lariat. Generico nails Chuck in the gut with a chair. Generico looks to toss Taylor into some chairs, but Chuck wisely swoops around the ring post and evades the assault. However, as Chuck’s running, he doesn’t look in front of him and runs right into the other ring post. Funny stuff. Generico clubs Chuck in the face with a fanny pack and leads him into the bathroom area. Generico and Taylor are heard grunting inside of a stall, as the camera shifts away. Only God knows what was going on there. Rick Knox certainly looks concerned. Back inside of the ring, Chuck Taylor takes control over Generico. Chuck sets up a chair in the corner, but Generico tries Yakuza kicking him into it. Chuck avoids the attempt and instead, he headscissors Generico into the chair! Nice move. Chuck tries grabbing at Generico’s mask and gets a “fuck you, Chuck” chant. Generico with a split-legged moonsault to the outside! Chuck tosses Generico into the backstage area. Taylor grabs a breather by the bar. As Chuck’s waiting around, Generico dives from the side of the bar and spikes Taylor down into some chairs with a DDT! Chuck smacks Generico in the head with a garbage can. Chuck gets on commentary by the announce table and continues to pummel away at Generico. Chuck and Generico brawl some more around that area. Swan dive by Chuck onto Generico from outside the announce table stage! Holy smokes! Chuck looks to powerbomb Generico by the outside, but Generico reverses the attack. Generico runs off the wall and plants Taylor with a tornado DDT! Crowd is absolutely on fire. Generico charges for a Yakuza kick, but Taylor meets him with a boot of his own. Generico no sells the kick and knocks Taylor down with a Michinoku Driver for two. Chuck Taylor puts Generico through a pair of chairs for a two-count. Chuck drills Generico with a chair-assisted Sole Food! One, two, no! Chuck wraps his legs around Generico’s neck, applying more pressure, but El Generico wiggles his way to the ropes. El Generico capitalizes with some chair shots while a trash can is around Chuck’s head. Coast to Coast dropkick! Only a two-count. Generico can’t believe it and I don’t know if I can, either. Generico sets up a table, but gets booted in the face. Generico looks for a brainbuster through the table, but Chuck reverses it into a powerbomb! Taylor with the Awful Waffle through the table debris! Count to one million, Rick Knox. This one is all over. Such an amazing match. From all of the comedy to the insane spots at the end, this match is definitely worth checking out. Almost reminded me of something you would see from Dramatic Dream Team. ***¾.
â— Brian Kendrick defeated Bryan Danielson (12:41) via pinfall with a roll-up – For anyone that was wondering, Brian Kendrick is still sporting an obnoxious entrance jacket. Got to love that thing, though. Kendrick receives a loud “welcome back” chant as Jon Ian introduces his name. On the other end, Danielson gets a “please don’t go” chant. Danielson goes for the Cattle Mutilation early, but Kendrick escapes the attempt. Kendrick works on Danielson’s arm on the ground, but Dragon is eventually able to escape. Kendrick runs the ropes, but Danielson nails him with a dropkick. Danielson works over the arm of Spanky, but gets kicked right in the skull. Kendrick throws Danielson’s head into the ring post on the outside and crawls back inside of the ring. As soon as Danielson arrives back inside of the ring, Kendrick stomps away at Dragon’s face. Kendrick and Danielson look to lock up again, but Spanky kicks him multiple times across the head. Those strikes result in a two-count. Kendrick works in a facelock, but Dragon successfully battles out of the hold. Danielson charges back with kicks and uppercuts. Brian Kendrick makes sure that Danielson cannot make much of a comeback, though, and takes him down with a pair of dropkicks. Danielson springboards onto Spanky to the outside! Back inside of the ring, Bryan Danielson blocks the Sliced Bread #2. Superplex by Dragon! Two-count. Danielson with the MMA Elbows! Cattle Mutilation! Spanky reverses the submission into a backslide for two. Danielson locks in the Cattle Mutilation once more, but Kendrick escapes to the ropes. Kendrick with a swift kick to Dragon’s balls. Spanky rolls Dragon up for the three-count. A fun match, but nothing more than that. Spanky definitely looked a bit rusty, but Danielson helped him out throughout the bout. ***.
– Following the match, Bryan Danielson cuts a promo about the rumors of him leaving the independent scene for WWE. Danielson says he sold out because he’s leaving a place that he “truly, truly loves”. Dragon would love to stay and wrestle in front of all of the great PWG fans for the rest of his life, but due to monetary problems, he cannot. Danielson says that next week at “Guerre Sans Frontières“, he hopes to put on the best show he possibly can. Dragon then exits the ring to a standing ovation.
â— PWG World Championship: Chris Hero defeated Roderick Strong (23:05) via pinfall with the Hangman’s Elbow to retain his title - If Hero manages to retain his PWG World Championship against Strong, then he will have defended the belt ten times. If you think about it, that’s pretty darn impressive. Hero and Strong show equal signs of respect to begin the match. Strong and Hero exchange hard chops to begin the match. Strong eventually wins the exchange with a vicious chop. Roderick’s chops really look like they kill and sting badly. Hero fires back with some rough-looking submissions. Most of Hero’s moves now look like stuff you would probably seen in an MMA match. Roaring Elbow by Hero connects for two. Hero and Strong brawl around the ring a bit, but neither men really gains a big advantage over one another. Strong lands a missile dropkick for two. Roderick continues his momentum with a leg lariat. Dropkick sends Hero to the floor. Falcon Arrow by Roderick from the apron! Back inside of the ring, Hero connects with another Roaring Elbow that stuns Strong. Strong avoids Hero’s boot and nails a backbreaker. Two-count. Roderick works Hero into the Stronghold, but Chris is able to make it to the ropes. Yet another Roaring Elbow connects. Hero follows the elbow up with a weird-looking submission hold, but Strong manages to escape out of it. Strong and Hero battle on the top rope. Strong catches Hero with a superplex for two! Strong nails another backbreaker, but Chris no sells it and nails another Roaring Elbow. Strong no sells a Yakuza kick and nails a Tiger Driver for two. Roaring Elbow by Hero again. Yakuza kick puts Strong down for two. Hero does not waste any time to hesitate and nails in a pair of Roaring Elbows. Hangman’s Elbow connects! Hero hooks the leg and scores a three-count to pick up the victory. I enjoyed this match quite a bit. Strong and Hero are arguably the heaviest hitters in all of independent wrestling today, so this made for quite an entertaining match. I’m aware that Hero and Strong have wrestled multiple times in the past before, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen any of their other encounters aside from this one. In the end, a good match, but nothing too special. ***½.
– Chris Hero gets some microphone time following his match with Roderick Strong. He puts over Strong by calling him “awesome”. Chris thinks that the blood blisters on his chest are also pretty awesome. I don’t know about that last one, Mr. Hero. To continue the continuity, Hero also calls the Reseda crowd pretty awesome. Chris tells the PWG crowd that he is not supposed to be at the show next week due to an IWA-MS booking. That IWA-MS show, however, has been cancelled. With that said, Chris Hero wants Bryan Danielson next week in Reseda for the PWG World Championship. This will be Dragon’s last match in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla before departing for World Wrestling Entertainment.
“Speed of Sound” is easily one of my favorite Pro Wrestling Guerrilla shows of 2009, taking third place behind “Threemendous II“. For the record, my favorite PWG event of 2009 was “Guerre Sans Frontières”, which I will be reviewing in the very near-future. Stay tuned, readers.
Take a look over my review again real quickly and let me know if anything on this show looks like it wasn’t good. I definitely recommend picking up “Speed of Sound” to every wrestling fan. There are at least four matches (Hero/Strong, Danielson/Kendrick, Generico/Taylor, and Bucks/Dynasty) on this DVD that I think that people should be going out of there way to see.
