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Guerrilla Reviewfare: PWG Mystery Vortex III: Rock & Shock The Nation

August 11, 2015 | Posted by Jake St-Pierre
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Guerrilla Reviewfare: PWG Mystery Vortex III: Rock & Shock The Nation  

Last time we visited Reseda, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ran their annual tag tournament DDT4, during which Andrew Everett and Trevor Lee came away with the PWG Tag Titles after one of the best tournament performances since the Super Smash Brothers three years ago. Their future was left ambiguous however, as PWG announced Mystery Vortex III: Rock & Shock The Nation to be the follow-up to a fantastic DDT4 event. Now PWG has been known to rock and shock many a nation in its time, but what do they have planned for the third edition of Mystery Vortex?

We are TAPED from the American Legion Hall in Reseda, CA.

Your hosts are Excalibur and the usual rotating door of guests.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa
As I’m sure many have observed, I’ve never been too enamored with Tommaso in PWG but seeing as though he’s in an opening slot with Johnny Gargano, I still remain optimistic.

Tommaso is clean shaven for this match and thus looks like every indy guy ever. He looks a lot like an ever lighter skinned Kegan Michael Key. We go through the usual routine before a GENERIC INDY STANDOFF!~! Gargano throws a rolling kick on Ciampa, who ducks out to recover. They fight it out on the floor, where Gargano hits a running double chop. Gargano goes for another one, but gets cut off by Tommaso who tops him with a running knee. Gargano counters another one with a tornado DDT on the floor! Ciampa hits a nifty rope-hung Flatliner as we head back into the ring. Gargano battles back with a Slingshot DDT, but only gets a 2 count. Ciampa counters Garga-No Escape with a cradle for a nearfall, and they go at it with kicks and knees, which Ciampa finishes with an authoritative lariat. Gargano comes back and lawn darts Ciampa into the second turnbuckle, followed by a running dropkick for another nearfall. Ciampa battles back himself, hitting the apron Air Raid Crash for a nearfall of his own. Excalibur is insulting Cleveland at every turn in his commentary for this match and it’s really a bit more entertaining than what he’s commentating on. Gargano superkicks a bent-over Ciampa on the second rope, following up with a Tope Suicida. He tries for the Slingshot Spear, but Ciampa kicks him out of the air and hits Project Ciampa for a clooooose nearfall! Gargano hits a superkick but eats a pop-up Project Ciampa, a suplex into a knee, and Project Ciampa once more for the win in 18 minutes. *** This was a slightly better version of what I envision a house show match would be between these two. They didn’t stink it up but they didn’t really do much with the generous 18 minute time allocation either. Ciampa doesn’t move the needle for me at all in PWG, and it seems as though they’re cooling down Gargano for a heel turn, which I’m personally highly okay with. Both of these guys are rather stale in their current forms, Ciampa especially. A new entrance mask and a bland shave-job doesn’t make his PWG outings any better. The crowd reaction helped this one a lot, but it still isn’t anything I’ll remember by the time Threemedous IV rolls around.

The World’s Cutest Tag Team vs. Monster Mafia
This is unfortunately Monster Mafia’s last PWG match due to Josh Alexander’s catastrophic neck issues. I’d imagine we’re going to see Ethan Page back at some point, but the Monster Mafia team is singing its swan song here. Joey and Candice lost their tag titles last month at DDT4 and are looking to rebound against a team that might prove to be even hungrier on its way out.

The Mafia jumps Candice and Joey, but Candice battles right back with a Rana on Alexander and a swinging DDT on Page. Candice tries to bodyslam Page, but can’t… that is until SHE PUTS HER HAIR UP AND SLAMS HIM DOWN! Excalibur wastes no time with the Hogan/Andre comparisons. Ethan Page calls himself the real Magic Mike and attempts to go all “Billy Gunn except not horrible” on Joey, who rolls him up for a two count. The Mafia keeps isolating Joey in the ring however, hitting the partner-assisted Blue Thunder Bomb as Page runs after Candice. Joey escapes the double Neutralizer and tags in Candice, and Candice takes Page down with a Pop-Up Rana! Candice hits a Backstabber on Alexander, followed by a double DDT on the Mafia! Alexander drops Joey with a Northern Lights Suplex, but CANDICE BREAKS IT WITH A DOUBLE STOMP! Joey catches Page with the pumphandle Exploder, and Candice comes out on top of Alexander with a rana. Candice tries to dive out onto Page with the Tope DDT, but Page catches her, sets her on the apron, and Josh KILLS HER with a running crossbody to the back of the head. The DDT/Wheelbarrow Suplex nearly finishes Candice, but somehow she manages to kick out. They put her up on the top rope, but Joey powerbombs Page off and gives Alexander a Mustache Ride! Candice comes down with a splash on Alexander for another nearfall. Candice can’t quite get the reverse Rana on Alexander, but instead eats a rolling elbow. Alexander eats a superkick from Joey, who then eats one from Page, who corners Candice… WHO GIVES A BARE-ASSED ETHAN PAGE A BALLSPLEX! Alexander puts Candice on his shoulders and goes up top, BUT CANDICE COUNTERS INTO A SUPER REVERSE RANA~! Candice and Joey pick up the win in 13 minutes. ***1/2 It’s bittersweet knowing that Monster Mafia isn’t going to be able to really take PWG by storm, but they went out with a great effort here, especially considering the severity of Josh Alexander’s neck issues. Josh didn’t sit back and let his partner do the brunt of the work; he went out there and kicked ass and took names, but sold for Candice and Joey when he needed to. Had he not made it known beforehand, you wouldn’t think of him as a man who’s about to retire. Candice and Joey still remain one of the best and most over tag teams around, but the crowd is starting to sour on Joey again and I’m over here sincerely hoping I don’t have to see him in a singles role any time soon. Mainly because A) he doesn’t have good singles matches and never really has and B) he and Candice have been incredible together. As this match stands, it’s a great swan song for the all too short-lived Monster Mafia, and thank you to Josh Alexander for going out on a high note.

Candice and Joey embrace Josh Alexander before letting him have the ring… UNTIL ETHAN PAGE TURNS ON HIM! Whoa. I guess I missed that when I read the results. Ethan Page starts a sarcastic “Thank You Josh” chant as he leaves to a chorus of boos. I guess the prospect of a heel Ethan Page sounded pretty nice to Super Dragon too.

Biff Busick vs. Timothy Thatcher
These two have been quietly tearing down the house in EVOLVE according to many, but I have to bow my head in shame when I say I’ve never seen the guy work. He’s a huge guy, talller and somehow more cut than Biff himself and has even managed to pick up the EVOLVE Title. Just the way he carries himself makes me think this won’t be an Adam Thornstowe-esque debut.

Biff cracks Thatcher with a chop in the earlygoings of the match. Thatcher goes after Biff’s wrist and fingers after getting Busick down to the mat. Thatcher pulls off a gnarly Judo throw into a cross armbreaker, but Biff doesn’t waste time getting to the ropes. Thatcher drops Biff with a European Uppercut, but Biff STIFFS THATCHER with a slap. That was offensive. Thatcher manages to recover and uppercut Biff from the top rope to the outside. Thatcher doesn’t wait for Biff Busick to get back in the ring, as he goes outside and ragdolls him on the apron. Biff goes all Stu Hart on Busick and stretches him, but Biff desperately battles out. Biff battles back and drops Thatcher on his head with a Half-And Half! They’re pretty much at a stalemate, so they resort to trading some hard strikes in the ring, staggering Biff with a headbutt… but BIFF DOESN’T CARE! DISGUSTING PAINTBRUSH SLAPS! Thatcher collapses but manages to kick out at 2. That was a lot more badass than it sounds in caps lock. Biff picks up the win in 12 minutes with his Minoru Suzuki sleeper. ***1/4 This was a pretty anticlimactic ending, but you can tell that Thatcher is going to be somebody the crowd adores once he’s able to break out proper. The way he carries himself as a silent, technical killer is really appealing and not many guys have the skill to get that over to the level he seems to have. The strikes they threw here were borderline inhumane and I sense that not much selling was going on… more so like legitimate agony if Biff Busick’s slaps have anything to say about it. This was a great primer on what these two can do together and even if it was only 12 minutes, it has me excited to see what Timothy Thatcher can do with other guys on the PWG roster.

Roderick Strong grabs the mic and says he was going to issue an open challenge “because they seem to be popular these days”, but he declares that the crowd is full of a bunch of “fucking assholes”, so he isn’t wrestling….until MIKE BAILEY answers the open challenge. Roddy acknowledges saying he wasn’t going to wrestle, but he takes a look at Bailey and says he can beat him handily. “I guess this is a challenge of sorts… so I accept nerd.” FANTASTIC.

PWG World Title Match: Roderick Strong © vs. Mike Bailey
Okay guys, I’ve done a good amount of soul-searching when it comes to Speedball… and I was wrong. So what if he looks like a geek? He’s damn talented at being a babyface that the crowd can sympathize with. He has built-in babyface heat especially with this match because Roddy is underestimating him, when everybody knows he’s gonna give the champ a run for his money. Why should I be the keyboard douche who sits and tells everyone not to like this guy? He’s so unassuming and charming in his weird little way, and I’m ashamed it took me so long to get it. So I have to throw in my towel and say that I was wrong about Mike Bailey. He’s going to get murdered in this match though, win or lose.

Bailey KNOCKS RODDY ON HIS ASS WITH A SPIN KICK! RODDY BARELY KICKS OUT! Speedball goes to town on the champ with a barrage of kicks! CANCUN TORNADO TO THE FLOOR FROM SPEEDBALL! Speedball is beating the living shit out of Roderick Strong right now. Roddy has no choice but to run, which gives him the chance to MURDER SPEEDBALL WITH END OF HEARTACHE ON THE APRON! The first three minutes of this match is some of the best wrestling I’ve seen all year. That was amazing. Roddy takes some time and takes Speedball around the ring to slap him, throw him, and chop him at his heart’s will. They head back into the ring, and Roddy just eats Speedball’s lunch. Roddy pulls off a nifty Doctor Bomb, but Speedball finds his way to the ropes during a Camel Clutch. Bailey knees Roddy out of a backbreaker and hits a Corkscrew Kick to buy himself some time. Speedball hits a Buzzsaw Kick for a close 2 count! Roddy toe-kicks Speedball in the face, and gives him a back suplex into a facebuster for a close nearfall. Asai DDT and a Penalty Kick score for Speedball, but Roddy kicks out of the pinfall. Excalibur is doing an incredible job of putting Speedball over on commentary by the way. He’s really the best around, and I don’t just say that because I’m a PWG fanboy. Backbreaker from Roddy… INTO THE STRONGHOLD! Speedball barely gets the ropes, and gets pissed after Roddy starts shoving him around. Speedball hits a Moonsault Kneedrop directly onto Roddy’s shoulder! Roddy barely kicks out. Bailey GETS OUT OF END OF HEARTACHE! RUNNING CORKSCREW MOONSAULT! RODDY KICKS OUT! Roddy knees Bailey as he gets to the top rope, but Speedball doesn’t wilt easily. SUPERPLEX FROM RODDY… DEATH BY RODERICK COUNTERED INTO A REVERSE RANA!! SHOOTING STAR KNEES TO THE BACK OF RODDY! RODDY GETS THE ROPES!~! Roddy elbows the shit out of Speedball, but Bailey isn’t going down even in a chop trade. SICK KICK OUT OF NOWHERE! SMALL PACKAGE FROM BAILEY! JUMPING KNEE FROM RODDY! END OF HEARTACHE! ANOTHER ONE! Roddy retains the belt in an absolutely incredible 19 minutes. ****1/4 I read that this was a Match of the Year candidate when I first heard about the results, but my bias against Speedball prevented me from putting too much stock into it. Like I said in this match’s introduction, I’ll eat my crow when it comes to the guy, because this match was phenomenal. Had Strong vs. Sabre Jr not happened in April, this would far and away be PWG’s Match of the Year. The psychology here was very simple, but it worked in a way that it rarely does. The PWG crowd loves Mike Bailey and hates Roderick Strong, but there has been an unspoken hierarchy between them. It’s almost as if Speedball was seen as the niche white meat babyface, while Roddy is seen as the baddest guy in town. Despite his dick-ish, frat boy demeanor, most people are willing to accept that Roddy is on another level. Mike Bailey, against all odds, was able to bridge that gap in a manner I’m not sure even his most staunch supporters saw coming. It was the classic story of the plucky babyface proving himself against the powerhouse heel, giving the skeptical heel much more than he bargained for. Speedball opened up with a house of fire not many babyfaces can achieve, and the crowd support he had behind him was monstrous even by Reseda’s standards. The nearfalls were impeccably timed, the comebacks were perfectly placed, and it all made perfect sense. The story was told magnificently by two pros, and I don’t think Roderick’s heel work in this match (and the promo before it) can be understated. He walked in with a highly confident swagger, playing off Speedball to be a total wash to begin with. Then he took that wicked spin kick, and all hell broke loose. Roddy scrambling around to slow things down was great work and he didn’t waste time once he got in control. You could tell he took Speedball seriously from that moment on, but Speedball became too much to take at some points and had everybody believing this dorky little guy in a Gi would carry around the PWG belt. Alas, it was not to be, but I can’t tell you how wrong I was about Mike Bailey as a talent. He was incredible in this match and he’s earned himself a long-term fan in me, while Roderick Strong keeps on building his resume for 2015’s Wrestler of the Year. I can’t recommend this match enough.

Brian Cage vs. John Silver
I had no idea I wanted this match until it happened. Everything about this just feels… right.

Silver and Cage start with a posedown that would give Vince McMahon a heart attack. Silver puts his hand up for a test of strength, and Silver manages to come out on top. “I’m freaking jacked baby!” Brian Cage isn’t the person you say that around, and he takes Silver down hard with a shoulder block. Cage shows his Lucha side with an insanely smooth spinning headscissor takedown. Silver CATCHES CAGE AND DOES CURLS WITH HIM! Cage manages to kick out after that clinic. Silver enzi’s Cage out to the floor, but Mr. GMSI recovers and dives out with a Tope Con Hilo! Cage uses that to take control, but the crowd distracts Silver, who hits a Jackhammer out of nowhere for 2! Siiiiilverrrrr chants break out, and considering I just got to the Attitude Era RAW where Gillberg debuts, that means a lot more to me than it should. Cage pulls off the 818 and attempts to springboard, but Silver doesn’t let that happen. Silver tries for the Fucking Machine Superplex, but Cage battles out… until he finds himself in a Northern Lights Suplex. Cage is able to counter it pretty easily however. Silver hits an Argentine Powerbomb for a close nearfall, followed by a Deadlift German! Cage hits an F5 for a nearfall of his own! Silver pie-faces Cage, which pisses the big man off. LIGERBOMB BY SILVER! Cage kicks out once more! Cage hits a Crucifix Bomb on Silver, and a Discus Lariat picks up the win in 13 minutes. ***1/4 I really liked the dynamic of these two guys. Silver is just a riot any time he’s in the ring and I think he surprised a lot of people with how well he kept up power-wise with the freak that is Brian Cage. The crowd got behind John Silver big time, which bodes well for a future singles run if he and Alex Reynolds ever part ways. Cage did his usual reliably exciting performance, but I was surprised by how well John Silver carried himself here. Good stuff.

Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
What did I do to deserve you, PWG?

Zack very clevery bridges out of a crucifix pin and flips out of it, much to the amazement of the crowd. Hero stiffs the shit out Sabre for messing with his screwed up finger, and that allows Hero to take control. Sabre takes control back and starts messing with Hero’s bum finger some more, which earns Sabre some more of Hero’s boot in his temple. Hero’s finger is disguuuusting. Sabre uses his speed to come back, sweeping Hero’s legs hard. Hero doesn’t allow himself to be German Suplexed, so Zack just kicks Hero in his arm and goes to work more on the bum finger! Hero is bleeding from the middle finger and in a bad way, until he stiffs the Jesus out of Sabre Jr with an elbow that essentially sends him into the front row. Another one drops Sabre immediately upon re-entry into the ring. Hero goes after Zack’s fingers and arm to turnabout fair play, hitting a bevvy of stiff strikes along with it. Zack manages to lock in the Zack Attack on the outside, but he keeps falling victim to Hero’s elbows… until he hits a diving DDT and a PENALTY KICK from hell. Hero kicks a twisting Zack out of mid-air and gets a two count from it. Sabre comes back by countering a suplex into a hanging hammerlock! Hero withstands this and hits his falling suplex for another nearfall. Sabre catches a boot and rolls into a bridged Prawn Hold, and he rolls into the cross armbreaker… until Chris Hero tries to deadlift him out. Zack rolls through despite Hero, and Hero manages to somersault into the ropes to break the hold! Sabre keeps going after Hero’s left arm, measuring him up for something after a dropkick to Hero’s rope-tied arm. He misses a double stomp onto it and EATS a backdrop driver from Hero! HERO DRIPS BLOOD FROM HIS FINGER ON TOP OF ZACK SABRE JR! That is savage. Hero looks for a Tombstone, but ZACK COUNTERS INTO A FUJIWARA ARMBAR! That was beautiful. Hero follows up immediately with a barrage of stiff elbows and a Mafia Kick to boot, which pretty much makes Zack dead weight. Sabre counters the Cyclone Kill… INTO THE PRAWN HOLD! HERO KICKS OUT! RIPCORD ELBOW! Zack gets out again! Hero crumbles Sabre with several boots to the face, and Hero starts taunting the Brit. A Rolling Mafia Kick scores… BUT ZACK KICKS OUT AT ONE! PAINTBRUSH SLAPS! PELE TO THE FINGERS! ROARING ELBOW FROM HERO! Cradle Piledriver… COUNTERED INTO HANGING HAMMERLOCK! OMOPLATA! HE SLAPS HERO’S HAND! STOMPS TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD! Hero’s out at 25 minutes. **** Chalk that up as another fantastic performance from Zack Sabre Jr. Of course, you can’t always expect it to be on the level of his match against Roderick Strong, but that doesn’t take anything away from what was a tremendously fascinating rollercoaster of a match. It was a simple battle of strikes vs. wrestling, and they told that story in a very realistic, tight manner. They didn’t have to go down the crazy nearfall road nor did they need to go a million miles-an-hour to tell their story. They went at each other hard, methodically, and it built to a lightning fast, brutal fever pitch with Sabre Jr stomping the back of Hero’s head into unconsciousness. I love Hero using his elbows as support beams when things stopped going his way, too. I mean, he does that in a lot of matches, but he made that an absolute, concrete solution this time around to any trouble he might have found himself in. Any time he felt like Sabre Jr was making headway, he reared back and dropped the Brit with the force of a thousand suns. I also liked how they subtly played Hero as being on Zack’s level of technical prowess, so we got a much more even match from bell-to-bell. Yes, Zack did do masterful work on Hero’s fingers, but Hero often found himself one step ahead of him with the kicks and strikes he seems to have mastered just as much as Zack has technical wrestling. This was a pretty Even Steven match, but not in a harmful or non-productive way. Hero and Sabre worked this match as if they were two warriors with almost an identical amount of toughness, and only until the last second did you really figure out who the better man was. Bravo to both men for fantastic psychology and an exciting see-saw battle.

We cut to the new tag champs Trevor Lee and Andrew Everett in the ring cutting a promo. Lee cuts the promo in his glorious Southern accent. Since no team really feels like coming out, they decide to wrestle each other, at the same event they debuted at the year before… but HERE ARE THE YOUNG BUCKS! Everyone thought they were in Japan, but that proves to be untrue as the crowd erupts. This is their first show since February, and the crowd is beyond happy to see them. Matt Jackson mocks Everett and Lee’s DDT4 win, bringing up the Bucks’ three wins with a nicely placed 2 Sweet. Matt actually plays to the crowd without insulting them for once, but turns right around calls the North Carolinians pussies. STEREO TOPE SUICIDAS FROM THE CHAMPS!

PWG World Tag Team Title Match: Andrew Everett and Trevor Lee © vs. The Young Bucks
Here we go!

The Bucks recover from the Champs’ dives and show a little cohesiveness of their own with stereo apron moonsaults. Lee tags in Everett, who interrupts a Suck It party with a springboard dropkick. Nick backrakes Everett who does about 4 back handsprings… so I guess that kind of fits the gimmick, doesn’t it? The Bucks show Everett and Lee who’s boss with a double Apron Powerbomb, much to the delight of the Reseda crowd. The Bucks take control of the champions in the ring. Everett takes a DISGUSTING bump on an Irish Whip! Nick hilariously gets on the ground for a rotating Suck-It for both Rick Knox and a writhing Andrew Everett. Everett kips up along with the Young Bucks during a double team, getting the best of them with a double Pele Kick. Trevor Lee tags in and catches Nick with a Manhattan Drop off of a Slingshot, which accidentally makes Matt superkick his brother out of the ring. Lee brings Everett to the top to psych the Bucks out, and LEE DIVES OUT ON TOP OF THEM WITH A MOONSAULT! SPRINGBOARD SHOOTING STAR PRESS FROM EVERETT! Lee and Everett hit a gnarly springboard dropkick into a wheelbarrow suplex for a two count. Lee Penalty Kicks Matt from the apron, but Nick gets his knees up on an Everett SSP! The Bucks hit the hanging Swanton on Everett for a two count. Nick misses a punt of his own from the apron, and Everett drops him with an Ace Crusher on the apron! Lee and Matt trade elbows in the middle of the ring, but Matt dodges a Lee mushroom stomp and just gives him a barrage of Suck-It Forearms! REVERSE CROSSBODY FROM LEE! NICK SUPERKICKS TREVOR! DOUBLE RANA FROM EVERETT! THE BUCKS SUPERKICK A BACKFLIPPING EVERETT! THE BUCKS SUPERKICK TREVOR OUT OF A MOONSAULT! The Bucks hit a Superkick into a Package Piledriver, but Everett breaks it up! The Bucks look for More Bang For Your Buck, but Everett gives Nick a reverse Rana! MUSHROOM STOMP FROM LEE ONTO MATT! EVERETT HITS MATT WITH A 630! Nick pulls Rick Knox out and SUPERKICKS HIM! LEE DIVES ON TOP OF NICK! LEE NO-SELLS A SUPERKICK! ORANGE CRUSH! RODERICK STRONG SICK KICKS TREVOR LEE! MELTZER DRIVER! The Bucks win the belts back in 16 minutes. **** What else can really be said about how simply phenomenal the Young Bucks are? What can I really say at this point that wouldn’t make me sound like even more of a broken record than I already am? They’re quite simply the finest working, most well-tuned tag team of the past 5 years. Every time they enter a ring they command your attention in ways a finite amount of wrestlers can. They are too charismatic for their own good, and the pace they work outclasses almost every single one of their peers. But despite my affinity for the Bucks, a lot can also be said for how well Lee and Everett worked with them. They slowed down not once during the 16 minute duration, and no one seemed to break a sweat. Everett did his usual death-defying insanity/idiocy while Lee pulled out his usual, reliable wacky performance. This is a suitable main event for any wrestling show, but I have a sinking feeling something is about to make all of this look amateur…

Candice and Joey come in and break things up but the Bucks dispose of them and give Candice Early Onset Alzheimer’s, as well as Joey. Johnny Gargano comes out and eats a superkick of his own! The Bucks and Roddy embrace… Rick Knox takes everybody out with a chair! RODDY RAGDOLLS KNOX TO THE GROUND! Roddy gets a few chairs AND GIVES KNOX END OF—BUT THE LIGHTS GO OUT!~!~!~! SUPER DRAGON IS HERE!!!!!! SUPER DRAGON IS BACK! DRAGON GIVES RICK KNOX THE PSYCHO DRIVER THROUGH THE CHAIRS! HE HAS A MOUNT RUSHMORE 2.0 SHIRT ON! WE’VE BEEN BAMBOOZLED! EXCALIBUR IS LIVID! VIOLENCE PARTY ON CANDICE! CUTTHROAT PSYCHO DRIVER! EXCALIBUR GOES INTO THE RING! HE’S PISSED! HE GETS IN SUPER DRAGON’S FACE! DRAGON HITS A SUPERKICK ASSISTED CURB STOMP TO EXCALIBUR! PSYCHO DRIVER ON ANDREW EVERETT! PSYCHO DRIVER II ON LEE! HERE’S BIFF BUSICK!!!!!! HE EATS A SUPERKICK TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD! This is fucking madness. Pure unadulterated fucking madness. HERE’S SPEEDBALL! HE EATS A SUPERKICK AND A BEER CUP! PSYCHO DRIVER III ON SPEEDBALL! Roddy grabs the mic and tells Nick and Matt to go grab something from the back as he taunts everybody with Super Dragon. And what do you know, the Young Bucks are selling merch as Super Dragon goes and gets in the face of someone in the crowd! Everyone is true to their gimmicks tonight. Dragon mocks Trevor Lee by small packaging him in the ring while Nick counts the pinfall. The show fades out as Roderick Strong officially announces the new Mount Rushmore… good God.

What can you say about that ending? Is there any writing I can offer than can really verbalize how utterly fantastic that was? I’m not going to say much on it really, I would just advise you to watch the YouTube video of the footage. The only thing missing on it is Ethan Page’s fantastic commentary performance as all of this went down. Words can’t quite do justice his reaction and how confused and surprised he seemed to be. This might have even eclipsed the Super Dragon return at Steen Wolf for me, honestly. This all was just an incredible 30 minute package of the best pro wrestling has to offer.

9.0
The final score: review Amazing
The 411
A lot of the talk about Mystery Vortex III is going to be centered on the unreal ending--and rightfully so--but what you might not hear as often (or what you'll probably expect and thus not need to hear) is that this was yet another exceptionally great wrestling show from Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. I'm not willing to put the wrestling itself on par with April's Don't Sweat The Technique, but the insanity of Mount Rushmore 2.0 makes that irrelevant, and thus brings the third edition of Mystery Vortex into talk for 2015 "Show of the Year." The match of the night happened relatively early on in the show, but it bears mentioning that Roderick Strong vs. Mike Bailey is one of PWG's best matches in a long time and if you're on the fence about this show (I highly doubt you are, but still) Speedball/Strong is worth the $15 sum you have to plop down on this show. PWG is having an incredible 2015 so far, and with things so uncertain after Mount Rushmore 2.0's formation, things are only bound to get crazier. I highly recommend Mystery Vortex III and it appears PWG has finally found its groove again after a somewhat middling 2014. Get all of this.
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article topics :

PWG, Jake St-Pierre