Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Super Dragon – Destruction – Disc 3

PWG Jason Takes PWG
May 13, 2005

Super Dragon vs. Excalibur [Guerrilla Warfare]

These guys just did some of the stupidest things you can do to one another in a wrestling ring for about twenty minutes. There was no slow burn or in-ring story. It was just the two of them dropping each other on their heads and using weapons in creative ways (the highlight was Excalibur giving Super Dragon an Alabama Slam through a bridged ladder in the corner). It seemed like Super Dragon finally had the match won after twenty minutes of brutality when he put Excalibur’s head on a chair and did a Ghetto Stomp onto the head. Kevin Steen attacked him though and finally revealed himself to be the man who had been attacking Super Dragon under a mask. He helped Excalibur give Dragon a Jay Driller through a table, but the table collapsed mid-move. That looked terrible, and I literally laughed out loud when it happened. Anyway, this was wild if heavily flawed. (***)

 

CZW Best of the Best
May 14, 2005

Super Dragon vs. Chris Bosh

This was so much fun because Bosh came out flying and just threw everything he had at Dragon. That put Dragon his heels from the start, which is not a position that he normally works from. That gave this match a unique dynamic. That caused Dragon to be reckless, but he managed to eventually come back and briefly even things up after connecting on a tope suicida. I loved how Dragon had to bust out a dive to get back into the match. Dragon later need to do the springboard spinning wheel kick to get back into the match again before finishing Bosh off with a Super Gibson Driver. (***1/4)

 

Super Dragon vs. El Generico

As you would expect, Super Dragon dominated this match while Generico occasionally made flippy comebacks. Unfortunately, the crowd just really was not with them and that made this come off incredibly flat. They went for this incredibly epic match with Dragon kicking out of the turnbuckle brainbuster, and Generico kicking out of the Supernatural Driver (a second Supernatural Driver gave Dragon the win). That “epic match” feeling never happened though, and thus the layout did not really feel earned. A more condensed match like the Bosh match would have felt more appropriate in CZW. This match might have worked better in PWG. Regardless, it was a fun match. It just under-delivered compared to what they were going for. (***)

 

PWG Zombies Shouldn’t Run
August 6, 2005

Super Dragon vs. Quicksilver

This match was so surprisingly interesting and exceptionally executed that I immediately re-watched it to pick up on some of the smaller details of the match. Super Dragon obviously had the slight advantage early because of the size difference. Quicksilver then used a big tope con hilo, and that actually gave him the advantage.* Quicksilver got a little too proud of himself though, and Super Dragon was easily able to swat away a springboard attack to get control of the match. Super Dragon dominated Quicksilver then for a while in a fashion that only Super Dragon can. Quicksilver required a spinebuster into a turnbuckle to even things up again after a lengthy beatdown. Both guys then get desperate and lean on big movez to try to keep the other one down. Quicksilver foolishly goes for a Cristo on the top rope, and Super Dragon reverses that into a diving backbreaker. A Barry White Driver from Super Dragon concludes this excellent match that surprisingly leaned on character work, storytelling, and held back on the action. A fantastic match. (****1/4)

*SO many times dives are used and then the person who took the dive immediately cuts the “diver” off. It drives me up a wall that wrestlers have just made it habit to do it that way.

 

PWG Astonishing X-Mas
December 18, 2005

Super Dragon vs. Kevin Steen [Guerrilla Warfare]

As I wrote a few months ago, “I don’t know how I feel about this one. On one hand, the effort was amazing. There were a ton of spots and sequences that I truly enjoyed. However, I just thought that it went too long and did too much (for my tastes) when it’s all said and done, and that took away from the match for me enough to not love it.” I added that I needed to re-watch it, as it seemed like a match that deserved another look. Unfortunately, my opinion of the match has not changed much at all.

They started out hot and heavy without a doubt. They also managed to progressively up the dangerous factor with the spots throughout the match which gives it some much-needed rhythm. The match just went too long. I know it was an epic feud, and the lengthy amount of time allotted was earned for sure. The magic just was not there for this to come off as epic as they seemingly wanted to. There was still enough good stuff though.

The ending sequence was easily the highlight. Steen walked out on the match when he couldn’t put Dragon away. He thought better of it though and introduced a barbwire table into the match. That backfired though, as Dragon put him through it instead and then gave him a Psycho Driver through the table. Dragon ended up handcuffing him and brained him with a chairshot. That was not enough though. He decided he needed to truly end Steen’s life and gave him a Psycho Driver into thumbtacks (and then pinned Steen in the barbwire). There was an awesome fifteen-minute match in here. (***)

 

PWG Hollywood Globetrotters
March 4, 2006

Super Dragon & Davey Richards(c) vs. Roderick Strong & Jack Evans [PWG World Tag Team Championship]

This match took place during a time when going long for the sake of going long was very en vogue for ungodly reasons. They did THREE heat segments. THREE. Then they did not even do a hot tag! Roddy and Evans just slowly came back. I give them a ton of credit for making the crowd still care after all of that nonsense, but I long lost interest in it. Threat heat segments and nothing even done to build to the finish. That is just basically my nightmare. The finish was excellent at least: Evans did a Phoenix Splash, but Super Dragon caught him. Evans was then finished with the powerbomb/backstabbber combo. An “A” for effort for these four. (**)

 

Battle of Los Angeles
September 2, 2006

Super Dragon vs. Necro Butcher

The aspects of Super Dragon and Necro Butcher that make them great can also make them frustrating and disappointing. The excess of violence in their matches is sometimes used beautifully to produce a spectacle that few others are capable of. Sometimes it is just excess for the sake of excess, and it eventually has little to no meaning. Unfortunately, this match was a case of the latter. The match started out hot, and there were moments of absurd violence that certainly got my attention throughout the match (right up to and including the end). The match just did not work as a whole. Dragon won with a brutal Psycho Driver onto a chair. (**)

 

We got to watch Super Dragon’s infamous return at Steen Wolf 2011. Watch the video. It’s incredible. Super Dragon called it the biggest moment of his career.

 

PWG Fear
December 11, 2011

The Young Bucks(c) (Nick & Matt Jackson) vs. Appetite for Destruction (Kevin Steen & Super Dragon) [Guerrilla Warfare for PWG World Tag Team Championship]

I have a lot of fondness for this match. The opening portion of the match with Steen and Dragon destroying the Bucks was just wild. That was easily the greatest portion of the match. The second half featured a bit too much of the Bucks being in control. The Bucks probably could have stood to get some offense obviously, but it probably would have been better if they were not dominating quite so much. There was a great finishing stretch though that featured Super Dragon putting Nick through a table with a Psycho Driver, and Matt then ate a double stomp/package piledriver combo. This was a very good match and a great way for Super Dragon to return. It would have been interesting to see how Steen and Dragon would have worked with other teams in 2012. Sadly, Super Dragon only worked one match in 2012 before taking three-and-a-half more years off. (***3/4)

 

Watch Super Dragon matches for free!

Super Dragon vs. Bryan Danielson

Super Dragon vs. Low Ki

Super Dragon vs. Jack Evans

Super Dragon & Excalibur vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico

Super Dragon & Samoa Joe vs. Bryan Danielson & Spanky

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

This compilation accurately captures Super Dragon as a performer. He was capable of incredible highs, but his in-ring style also meant that some matches were going to come off completely flat. The set is inconsistent as all heck and should only be purchased if you are already a fan of his work. If you do not like Super Dragon, this will not change your mind.