Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Kurt Russellreunion 2012 Review

January 29, 2012
Los Angeles, CA

Commentators: Excalibur and Colt Cabana

Famous B & Chris Kadillak vs. Fightin’ Taylor Boys (Ryan Taylor & Brian Cage-Taylor)
Excalibur explains that Chuck Taylor had Dixie Mafia business to attend to in Kentucky, which explains why he didn’t just stay in Los Angeles after the DGUSA show that happened the same weekend.

Kadillak and Famous had the advantage early and sent the Taylors to the outside. Kadillak then hit a suicide dive where he landed backwards on a Taylor. Famous B then hit a Fosbury Flop. Back in the ring, Cage hit a hip toss backbreaker on Famous B. The Taylor started to work over Famous B after that. Famous B tried to hit a springboard cross-body, but Cage caught him and hit an urinagi backbreaker. Famous B was able to hit a springboard cross-body on Ryan Taylor though, which allowed him to make a hot tag to Kadillak. Kadillak ran wild. Famous B and Kadillak had all the momentum until Ryan gave Famous B a high kick and Cage suplexed Kadillak from the ring apron to the ring. Cage gave Famous B the Cactus Jack clothesline. Kadillak tried to hit a hurricanrana on Cage on the floor, but Cage caught him and put him in the Doomsday position. RYAN TAYLOR THEN WIPED OUT EVERYONE WITH A SUICIDE DIVE! Back in the ring, the Taylors gave Famous B their Flipping Piledriver double team move: 1…2…3!

When PWG started to bring in a lot of new local talent last fall, Famous B and Chris Kadillak immediately stood out as the most exciting of the newcomers. Three shows later and I think they have earned a full-time spot with PWG, and I hope their 2012 is similar to the 2011 that the RockNES Monsters had. The Taylor Boys have always been better when Chuck Taylor is with them, but it seems like that is going to be happening less and less from now on.
Match Rating: **3/4

BxB Hulk vs. Jimmy Susumu
I would have preferred for these guys to get an opportunity to go against some Americans, but what can you do. This should still be quite good.

Hulk went for a standing moonsault, but Susumu got his knees up. Hulk killed Susumu with a bicycle kick stomp to the back of the head. Hulk started to get the heat after that. Hulk locked in a single leg crab and kicked Susumu in the back of the head until Susumu made the ropes. Hulk went for a springboard move, but Sususmu caught him and gave him an exploder suplex. Hulk hit some more kicks, but he then ran into an exploder into the corner. Hulk came back with a standing corkscrew senton. Hulk hit a STO for a nearfall. Hulk went to the top rope, but Susumu met him up there and slapped Hulk in the ass repeatedly. Sususmu then hit a superplex: 1…2…NO! Hulk came back with a springboard spinning leg lariat. They started trading strikes until Hulk hit an EVO: 1…2…NO! That was a 2.999 count. Hulk delivered thee more big kicks but then ate a HUGE pair of lariats: 1…2…NO! Susumu hit Mugan (an Angels Wings Piledriver essentially): 1…2…3! Wow, that finish looked brutal.

Hulk and Susumu were working at half-speed here, but they still delivered a fun match that the crowd enjoyed. If this were a big match on the show, it would have been a disappointment, but for the second match on the show, it was perfectly fine.
Match Rating: ***1/4

The Young Bucks (Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson) vs. Davey Richards & Harry Smith
Eddie Edwards was supposed to be in this match, but he had travel issues, so Smith replaced him. Harry is obviously Davey Boy’s son and Davey has always been compared to Dynamite Kid throughout his career, so this is like some bizarre Twilight Zone rehash of that team. This is the first time I’ve seen Smith since he left the WWE.

Davey and Harry dominated Nick early, and Harry did a delayed suplex for over 35 seconds. Matt tagged in, and the Bucks were quickly able to double team Davey and isolate him. Matt did a three second delayed powerslam, which made me laugh. The Bucks worked over Davey for a while. Davey finally avoided a double team back suplex and hit a series of kicks. Harry made a hot tag and ran wild on the Bucks. Harry hit a series of throws and thrust kicks. Harry hit a running powerslam, and Davey hit a diving headbutt: 1…2…NO! Davey then hit the ring apron soccer kick to Matt and then hit a top rope double stomp to Nick: 1…2…NO! Davey got an ankle on Nick. Matt sent Harry into the guardrail, and the Bucks hit a series of moves on Davey, but Harry was able to make the save. Harry got sent to the outside, and Davey almost pinned both of the Bucks at the same time. Nick kicked Davey in the balls to kill the comeback. The Bucks were then able to hit Davey with More Bang for Your Buck: 1…2…3!

This was another fun match that didn’t try to do too much, but still entertained the crowd and me. Harry looked good in the couple of spots he did, but Davey worked most of the match. Davey was worked over and he was basically fighting the Bucks by himself for the finishing sequence. Bucks vs. The Wolves would have been better, but as I said, this was fine. If someone wanted to book Smith and Davey as a team again, my feelings would not be hurt.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Naruki Doi vs. Willie Mack
Mack has been on a roll in PWG and the fans love him. He seems to be on his way to a title soon, and he may very well be PWG champ by the end of the year.

Doi got the first advantage in the match, much to the chagrin of the Juggalos in the crowd. The LA crowd does not like the Juggalos. Naruki got distracted by the crowd, which gave Willie a chance to recover. Doi quickly re-established dominance with a cannonball splash in the corner. Mack came back with a body slam and a legdrop. Mack then hit a Samoan Drop, followed by a standing moonsault combination. Doi got Mack tied up in the ropes, which allowed Doi to hit a running dropkick and a springboard senton splash. Mack escaped a Doi-5 attempt and hit a big exploder suplex: 1…2…NO! Doi avoided a top rope frog splash and hit a Doi-5: 1…2…NO! They traded some strikes until Doi hit a Bakutari Sliding Kick, but Mack hit a big spinebuster out of nowhere to even things up. Mack then hit a MDX and slingshot kick in the corner. They both went to the top rope and Doi hit a superplex. Doi followed that up with not one, not two, but three top rope elbows: 1…2…NO! Willie Mack MACKED UP! Doi went for a running cross-body, but Mack caught him and hit a CHOCOLATE THUNDERBOMB: 1…2…3!

This was a really fun match, which is how I would describe just about every Mack match that I have ever seen. Mack has really gotten himself over with the California crowd and they treat him like a main eventer. I do hope he gets a title shot soon, but I honestly feel like I haven’t seen a truly great match from him yet. I think Mack vs. Kevin Steen for the world title could be a great match though if it main evented a show. Doi did a good job here and I am grateful that he put Mack over.
Match Rating: ***1/2

The Jerks [DEMUS 316 & The Dynasty (Joey Ryan, Peter Avalon, & Ray Rosas)] vs. The Goodie 8 Shoes (B-Boy, Cedric Alexander, Candice LeRae, & Mascarita Dorada)
Cedric got the best of Ray Rosas early in a cool sequence. Avalon and B-Boy were in next and they brawled a little bit, with the advantage obviously going to B-Boy. DEMUS and Dorada then did their thing. And it was awesome. Dorada won their exchange, which lead to Joey Ryan and LeRae tagging in. Joey killed her with a boob-plex. The rudos worked over LeRae for a while. Ryan started to berate Candice until Candice pulled out a flying octopus out of nowhere. LeRae also accidentally pulled down his tights, which lead to some typical homophobic heel spots to get some cheap pops. Oh well. Ryan got sent to the outside and LeRae busted out the suicide dive-tornado DDT move that always looks awesome. Dorada then wiped out DEMUS with a double jump asai moonsault. Cedric then took out Ryan and Avalon with a somersault plancha. Rosas trapped B-Boy in the ropes, but B-Boy somehow gave Rosas a powerslam on the apron. That was sick. Cedric and Avalon took each other out again. Rosas and B-Boy started to battle it out some more. Rosas got a nearfall with a German, and then Dorada wiped out Rosas with a springboard dropkick. Dorada and DEMUS then did another sequence. Holy fucking shit. Dorada sent DEMUS to the floor and then hit a diving hurricanrana on the floor. Beautiful. Ryan hit B-boy with a superkick and then LeRae hit a Ball-plex on Ryan. Ryan went for a super boob plex, but LeRae hit a SUPER REVERSE HURRICANRANA! Shining Wizard from B-Boy! MOONSAULT FROM LeRAE: 1…2…3!!!

Another really fun match on a show that has gotten better and better with each match. Dorada and DEMUS absolutely shined in this match and their performances here pretty much guaranteed that I will buy the PWS show that happened the night before, so that I can see them do a singles match.
Match Rating: ***1/2

The RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime & Johnny Yuma) vs. The Spiked Mohicans (CIMA & Ricochet)
The Monsters jumped them with dropkicks before the bell and then wiped both of them out with stereo suicide dives. Things slowed down after that, as both teams went back and forth, trying to get the advantage. CIMA grabbed Yuma’s headband and started playing air rock-band. Awesome. The Mohicans were eventually able to isolate Yuma and work him over for a while. CIMA was very disrespectful towards the Monsters during the heat segment. Yuma got beat down forever, until finally, Yuma hit a DDT on Ricochet. Goodtime tagged in and used Yuma as a weapon against the Spiked Mohicans. Goodtime then hit Ricochet with a double stomp to the back of the head and then wiped out CIMA with a somersault plancha. Goodtime hit Ricochet with a frogsplash for a nearfall. Ricochet then hit a slingshot ace crusher, followed by a standing cannonball senton. Yuma and CIMA went at it. Yuma escaped a Perfect Driver and then hit a Sex Factor: 1…2…NO! CIMA and Ricochet killed Yuma with a series of big moves, but Yuma managed to survive. Yuma got hit with a Perfect Driver from CIMA and then a 630 Splash from Ricochet: 1…2…GOODTIME MAKES THE SAVE! Goodtime hit Ricochet with a reverse hurricanrana, a DVD, and a Flacon Arrow (HE’S DONE THE DEAL!). Goodtime and Yuma then went to the top rope and Goodtime DVDed Yuma onto Ricochet: 1…2…3!

Really good match and this is a huge victory for the RockNES Monsters. Unfortunately, the crowd was not as hot as I expected so the moment did not seem as important as it should have. Regardless, it was a really good match.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Roderick Strong vs. Masaaki Mochizuki
This will be stiff.

Mochi delivered some big kicks early, but Roddy cut him off after a scoop slam. Mochi managed to send Roddy to the ring apron and then delivered a running kick that sent Roddy to the floor. Mochi went after Roddy’s left knee. Roddy came back with some chops. Roddy tried for an enzugiri, but Mochi caught the injured leg and locked in a heel hook. Roddy made the ropes. They started trading strikes until Roddy hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Roddy started to get some momentum, but Mochi got an ankle lock out of nowhere. Mochi let it go so that he could deliver some kicks. Roddy avoided a suplex and hit a Drunk Slam: 1…2…NO! Roddy hit a back breaker across the top turnbuckle: 1…2…NO! Mochi hit some more kicks, but Roddy hit a gutbuster and a Gibson Driver: 1…2…NO! Mochi trapped him in the middle turnbuckle and delivered a huge running knee to the gut and then a kick to the head. Ouch. Mochi hit a superplex: 1…2…NO! Mochi followed that with a series of standing kicks, before hitting the Sankakugeri to the Face: 1…2…3!!!

This was a better effort from Mochizuki than I was expecting, as he always seems to hold back in America compared to his matches in Japan. These guys are really compatible and I’m glad that they PWG put this match on, considering that ROH and DGUSA’s teenage feud prevents them from doing matches like this.
Match Rating: ***3/4

El Generico, PAC, & Masato Yoshino vs. Super Dragon, Kevin Steen, & Akira Tozawa
Super Dragon started out with Generico. Dragon delivered some stiff forearms. Generico sent Dragon to the outside. Steen and Yoshino tagged in and Yoshino quickly used his speed to get the advantage. PAC and Tozawa tagged in and they were awesome. The tecnicos worked over Tozawa for a while until Tozawa hit PAC with a pair of suicide dives and senton off the ring apron. Generico gave Tozawa a Yakuza kick to the floor. Things broke down, as all 6 men started brawling outside the ring. Generico hit Dragon with a tornado DDT into the crowd, and then Steen killed Generico with a ring apron powerbomb. They got back to the ring, and the rudos started to work over Generico. They all beat the shit out of Generico, and the crowd ate it up. This was a fucking heat segment. Every wrestler should watch this. Generico finally found an opening and hit a swinging tornado DDT on Super Dragon. Yoshino made a hot tag, and then PAC just came in to for shits and planchas. PAC wiped out Steen and Dragon with a Fosbury Flop. PAC and Yoshino did some great double team moves on Tozawa, but Steen made the save. Steen killed PAC with a draping DDT: 1…2…NO! Steen went for a senton bomb, but PAC got his knees up. Generic then hit Dragon with a half-nelson suplex. The tecnicos got the advantage until Tozawa hit Yoshino with a back drop driver. The rudos proceeded to kill Yoshino. Tozawa and Steen hit Yoshino with a springboard doomsday shining wizard. Generico saved Yoshino from further damage. Generico gave Steen a Yakuza kick, but Dragon gave Generico a super Blue Thunder Bomb: 1…2…NO! PAC ate a series of moves from the rudos, but Yoshino made the save. They all traded some big moves and then all six men were down. Amazing sequence. Generico ate a lariat from Dragon, a package piledriver from Steen and a running knee from Tozawa, but PAC made the save. PAC murdered Dragon and Steen with reverse hurricanranas. Tozawa avoided a reverse hurricanrana, but then was hit with a torbelleno from Yoshino, a Yakuza and a brainbuster from Generico, and a corkscrew shooting star press from PAC: 1…2…3!

This is easily the best match out of America in 2012 so far. While this show overall didn’t reach the heights of some of the best 2011 shows from PWG, this main event was arguably as good as anything PWG did last year. This is the type of match that is so great that it makes the whole show worth the price tag.
Match Rating: ****1/2

Preview of the Kurt Russellreunion III DVD

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PLUGS!

I am now the editor of a brand new wrestling website, FreeProWrestling.com . What is this site, you ask? It’s a website that posts a free wrestling match every single weekday. All matches are legally provided by the promotions that originally put them on. Occasionally, we are lucky enough to have the wrestlers of the matches exclusively discuss the matches retrospectively. So far, we’ve been lucky to have thoughts from Eddie Kingston , Prince Devitt , Sugar Dunkerton , AR Fox , and more! If you like wrestling and you hate spending money, I think you will enjoy it!

Be sure to check out some of my past 411 Interviews

Kevin Steen Part 1 & Part 2
Eddie Edwards
Johnny Gargano
Mike Quackenbush
Nigel McGuinness
Lance Hoyt/Vance Archer/Lance Archer
Adam Cole
Gran Akuma

The 411: This isn't as good as the best 2011 shows from PWG, but it's easily the best wrestling DVD I've watched from 2012 so far. The first 7 matches are all varying degrees of good, but the main event is the main selling point of this DVD. It's as close to an independent dream match that will be booked today, and it delivered as well as it could have. I should also note that if PWG is ever able to book Mascarita Dorada again, they should absolutely jump at the opportunity. Besides the main event, he is the highlight of this show. You can get this great show for $9.99 as a MP4 Download at Highspots or for $14.99 as a DVD from PWG’s Store.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]