BG Says: PWG All Star Weekend 3 – Crazymania Night 1

April 8, 2006 – Los Angeles, California

Excalibur is back to tackle commentary solo! As usual be sure to switch the audio channel over to hear them.

As always the show starts with Commissioner Dino Winwood in the ring to say that the Briscoe Brothers will not be performing on the show as advertised. Apparantly they were too drunk to get on the airplane to get to the show. Sad.

VS.
Bino Gambino & Topgun Talwar VS. Alex Koslov & Ronin
Disco Machine & Nemesis were originally scheduled to be in this match, but the Briscoes’ alcohol consumption damaged the booking of this show, as well as their livers. Koslov and Gambino start. Koslov puts Gambino on the mat with a headlock. They trade armdrags. They trade legsweeps for 2. Koslov slaps Gambino into the corner. Gambino blocks a blind charge and hits a head scissors takedown. He hits another and Koslov bails. Talwar and Ronin tag into the match. They lock up and Ronin hits a facebuster. Talwar gets a headlock takeover. Ronin escapes so Talwar does a few simple exercises. Ronin hits a shoulder tackle. Talwar hits an armdrag. He clotheslines Ronin in the corner. Gambino tags in and they sandwich Ronin with a dropkick and a shoulder tackle for 2. Gambino hits a pair of back elbows and a dropkick. Ronin comes back with the elevated forearm. Koslov tags in and gets 2. He goes to the eyes and tags to Ronin. Ronin hits a butterfly suplex for 2. He puts on a surfboard stretch while Koslov kicks Gambino with his Russian dance for 2. Koslov puts on the Mark Nulty Special. Gambino starts to power out so Koslov works over his neck. He hits a knee to the gut but Gambino comes back with a back bodydrop. Gambino hits a butterfly suplex for 2. Koslov hits a chinbreaker and tags to Ronin. Koslov ties Gambino in the ropes, allowing Ronin to chop him relentlessly. Gambino hits an enziguiri and tags to Talwar. Talwar cleans house, flinging Koslov onto Ronin and then clotheslining Koslov down. He shoots Ronin to the floor. Ronin pulls him out and holds both opponents for a dive from Koslov. Back in the ring Koslov hits a back elbow and a knee kick for 2. Ronin tags in and hits an exploder. He hits a twisting vertical suplex for 2. Talwar counters the DVD to the Chipotlé. Gambino tags in and misses a butt butt. Ronin hits a forearm and tags to Koslov. Gambino hits Koslov with the butterfly slam for the win at 14:22. This was a lot of fun. Koslov and Ronin looked great as a new team and Gambino delivered as well. Talwar was his usual goofy self. A spot I especially appreciated was the one that saw Ronin hold his opponents for Koslov’s dive, because just before Koslov flew Ronin slipped out of the way. It’s the little things that make wrestling worth watching.
Rating: **½

VS.
TJ Perkins VS. M-Dogg 20
Perkins powers M-Dogg to the corner to start. They fight it out on the mat until Perkins gains control with the head scissors. M-Dogg counters to a front facelock. Perkins gets a roll up for 1. He hits a head scissors takedown but M-Dogg lands on his feet and dropkicks Perkins to the floor. He follows Perkins out with a dropkick and the Arabian press. Back in the ring M-Dogg puts on a chinlock. He gets a crucifix pin for 2. Perkins comes back with a half crab. M-Dogg gets to the ropes. Perkins pitches him to the floor but M-Dogg rushes back in and hits an enziguiri. He dropkicks Perkins to the floor and dives out after him. Back in the ring M-Dogg kicks Perkins down. He hits a snap suplex for 2. Perkins comes back with a bodyslam and a kneedrop for 2. He keeps the pressure on with kicks and an elbowdrop for 2. He hits a bodyslam but misses a senton. Cross hits a legsweep and a springboard double stomp. Perkins hits a back heel kick. He puts on the cross armbreaker but M-Dogg gets to the ropes. M-Dogg hits a fireman’s carry neckbreaker for 2. He climbs the ropes but Perkins brings him down. M-Dogg hits a Yakuza kick and a shooting star press for the win at 11:17. The lightning-fast exchanges on the mat were fantastic. The match slowed down quite a bit after the second dive, which is a strange thing to say about an eleven-minute match. It picked up again down the stretch. This was a fine exhibition of what M-Dogg is all about.
Rating: **¾

VS.
Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli VS. Disco Machine & Nemesis
The Briscoes were originally set to face the Kings of Wrestling here, but alcohol ruins families and all that. Castagnoli is wearing Chris Hero pants for whatever reason. All four guys have fun dancing around before the match. Disco and Hero start. Hero takes Disco down and puts on a wristlock. Disco counters the hold but Hero puts him back on the mat. Disco hits a pair of armdrags and a pair of dropkicks. He hits a springboard crossbody. He hits a head scissors takedown for 2. Castagnoli and Nemesis tag in. Nemesis hits the STO. Castagnoli rams his head into the turnbuckle repeatedly. Nemesis returns the favor. He climbs the ropes and dives down to hit an armdrag. He hits a dropkick and pushes Castagnoli back with a pose. That turns into a super posedown involving all four competitors. Nemesis does his prime pose, leaving him open to eat a double dropkick from the Kings. They hit Disco with a double big boot. Hero tags in and hits a bodyslam. He hits a senton and tags to Castagnoli. Castagnoli hits an elbowdrop. He hits a running vertical suplex and tags to Hero. The Kings double-team Disco for 2. Castagnoli tags in and lets Hero monkey flip him onto Disco for 2. He hits a European uppercut for 2. Hero tags in and forearms Nemesis to the floor. The Kings double-team Disco in the corner. Hero drapes Disco over his back and Castagnoli hits a dropkick for 2. The Kings set Disco up top but he fights them off and hits a dropkick on Castagnoli. He hits Hero with an enziguiri. Nemesis tags in and hits back elbows on the Kings. He hits Castagnoli with a neckbreaker for 2. He stomps on Castagnoli’s hand and puts on an armbar. At the same time Disco puts Castagnoli in the Mutalock. Hero breaks it up with a double stomp. He hits Nemesis with a back suplex and a Yakuza kick. Castagnoli tags in and hits Nemesis with a powerbomb for 2. Nemesis hits a facebuster and tags to Disco. Disco hits two snap suplexes and a facebuster for 2. He climbs the ropes but misses a twisting senton. Hero and Nemesis tag into the match. The PWG regulars hit an ugly chokeslam/powerbomb combo for 2 when Castagnoli saves. Castagnoli tags in and swings both opponents around until Hero dropkicks them both to the mat. The Kings hit the Hero’s Welcome Kings of Wrestling Edition on Disco for the win at 14:51. This was strictly a Kings of Wrestling double-team exhibition. The spots weren’t flawlessly seamed together; in fact quite often there were awkward transitions. Still, the match was very enjoyable from a KOW fan perspective.
Rating: **¾

VS.
B-Boy VS. Excalibur [PWG World Championship Contender Match]
This is the first of four contender matches. The winners of all four matches will meet in an elimination match the next night to decide the number one contender. B-Boy won number one contender status on the last show, but his opponent Kevin Steen had been attacked before the match. Because of that Commissioner Dino Winwood made this mini tournament happen. I’ll explain why everyone is in the match as we go. Excalibur is in the match because he owns the company. There is no commentary for this match because Excalibur can’t do commentary and wrestle at the same time. They trade slaps to start and B-Boy headbutts Excalibur down. Excalibur baits him to the floor and hits a suicide dive. B-Boy pops up but runs into an exploder. Excalibur hits a diving headbutt off the apron. He rolls B-Boy into the ring and makes a chair bridge on the floor. B-Boy blocks a suplex and hits an enziguiri. He hits another and Excalibur falls off the apron to the floor. He dives off the apron with a double stomp. He hits Excalibur with a chair in front of the referee but is not admonished. Back in the ring B-Boy hits a back elbow. He hits a dropkick in the corner for 2. He hits a snap suplex and a back suplex for 2. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special but Excalibur gets to the ropes. Excalibur hits a big boot and a neckbreaker. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He puts on a camel clutch. He hits a double knee drop. B-Boy blocks a blind charge and comes off the second rope with a DDT. He chops Excalibur against the ropes. He hits a backbreaker and a rolling fisherman suplex (he never hits that well) for 2. He sets Excalibur up top and hits a palm strike. He hits a superplex and holds on to hit a sit-out powerbomb for 2. Excalibur hits a tombstone piledriver for 2. He hits a German suplex for 2. He hits a big stunner and the Schwein for 2. The Sydal vs. Steen commentary starts here as the Excalibur vs. B-Boy match continues. Does anyone else have this problem with their DVD? B-Boy hangs Excalibur in the Tree of Woe but misses a double stomp. Excalibur gets cocky and B-Boy pulls him off the top rope with a scary dragon suplex. He finishes Excalibur with Go 2 Sleep at 13:22. The lack of commentary made the lack of heat obvious. B-Boy’s offense was ridiculous. How is a hanging dragon suplex not enough to put Excalibur down? It’s not like he’s ever been a main event player in PWG. Very frustrating match.
Rating: *½

VS.
Kevin Steen VS. Matt Sydal [PWG World Championship Contender Match]
Steen is in this match because Ryan hit him with the title belt on the last show, causing him to be at a disadvantage in his contender match against B-Boy. Sydal is in the match because he’s a big visiting star. They lock up and Sydal uses his agility to take control. They argue over who has sold more T-shirts. Steen wins 5-0. Sucks to be Matt Sydal’s wallet. A fan shouts that he wants to see wrestling, so Steen sits next to him and says he wants to see it too. Back in the ring Steen puts on a seated abdominal stretch. Sydal escapes when Steen tries to switch to a cross armbreaker. Steen knocks Sydal to the floor with a shoulder tackle. Back in the ring Steen hits another shoulder tackle. Sydal hits a pair of dropkicks and Steen bails. Sydal follows him out and throws Steen into the crowd, getting 2 back in the ring. Steen hits a head scissors takedown. Sydal responds in kind. He hits a leg lariat for 2. Steen comes back with a Samoan drop for 2. He pokes Sydal’s eyes. He hits a powerslam for 2. He hits a back suplex and the somersault legdrop for 2. Sydal starts to fight back so Steen goes to the eyes again. He hits another bodyslam and a senton for 2. He sets Sydal in the Tree of Woe but misses a cannonball. Instead he hits a delayed superplex for 2. He hits a gutbuster and climbs the ropes. Sydal brings him down with a hurricanrana. He clotheslines but Steen stands strong. He hits an enziguiri, dazing Steen. Steen blocks a blind charge but Sydal turns a superkick into the standing moonsault for 2. Steen bails so Sydal climbs the ropes and follows him out with a moonsault. He gets 2 back in the ring. Steen hits a knee kick and the Go Home Driver for 2. Sydal comes back with a backslide for 2. Steen hits a sit-out powerbomb for 2. He climbs the ropes but Sydal dodges the moonsault. Sydal comes off the top rope with a DDT. He climbs again but misses the shooting star press. He counters the package piledriver to the hurricanrana but Steen rolls through and hits the move for the win at 19:54. Steen was in control for a lot more of the match than I expected. That aside I thought this just about as good as their Ted Petty Invitational match against each other, with an amazing exchange down the stretch. After the match Steen gets on the microphone and talks about how unbelievably amazing Sydal is. Even though Sydal lost, it’s okay because he lost to Kevin Steen.
Rating: ***½

VS.
Chris Sabin VS. Scorpio Sky [PWG World Championship Contender Match]
Sabin is in this match because he pretty much beat Ryan for the title on the last show but Ryan used a contractual loophole to get the belt back. Sky is in the match because he has nice abs and a hot valet. They fight on the mat to start. Sabin gets a crucifix pin for 2. Some big black chick (a fan) goes after Jade Chung with Chris Sabin cheering her on. Security eventually makes her go back to her seat. Sky tells security to throw her out but Sabin makes sure she gets to stay. They trade holds until Sky bites Sabin’s inner thigh. Sabin bails and has his new large lady friend consol him. Back in the ring Sky gets distracted by his own abs and Sabin takes control. He hits a hiptoss and an armdrag. He hits a head scissors takedown for 1. Sky slaps him across the face. Sabin hits a running forearm for 2. He hits a dropkick for 2. He puts on a stranglehold and leans back with it. Sky gets to the ropes. Sabin hangs him in the Tree of Woe but Sky quickly escapes and bails. Sabin follows him out with a missile dropkick from the apron. Chung distracts Sabin long enough for Sky to hit him with a clothesline back in the ring. Sky stomps Sabin down in the corner. He hits a Hennig neck snap for 2. He chokes Sabin in the ropes and hits a butt splash. Chung chokes Sabin with some sort of sock behind the referee’s back, getting 2 for Sky. Sky goes for a pin with his feet on the ropes held by Chung but it only gets 2. Sabin blocks a blind charge and hits a head scissors takedown. Sky hits a kneelift for 2. He puts on a chinlock. Sabin escapes so Sky hits a knee to the gut. He hits a low blow for 2. Sabin comes back with a snap back suplex. He hits a clothesline and an enziguiri. He hits a knee kick in the corner. Guh huh? He puts Sky in the Tree of Woe and hits a dropkick. He hits a DDT for 2. He hits the Bum Rush but Sky comes back with a backbreaker of his own for 2. He hits a dropkick and Sabin falls to the floor. Sky dives out onto him. Back in the ring Sky hits the TKO for 2. Sabin catches him coming off the middle rope with a dropkick. He hits a sit-out powerbomb for 2. He puts on a modified cloverleaf but Sky gets to the ropes with Chung’s help. Chung jumps on Sabin’s back but he flings her off by her hair. Sky uses the distraction to hit an implant DDT. The referee is dealing with Chung so he can’t count Sky’s pin. That’s karma Sky. Eventually the referee counts 2. Sabin blocks another implant DDT and but not a roll up, which gets 2 for Sky. Sabin rolls through and hits the Cradle Shock for the win at 22:32. This was a very exciting back-and-forth match. Sabin always brings a great match to PWG.
Rating: ***½

At this point Excalibur is replaced on commentary by Disco Machine and TARO. Disco Machine worked great with Dino Winwood on commentary, but I can’t stand the TARO pair. So sad.

VS.
Frankie Kazarian VS. Jimmy Yang [PWG World Championship Contender Match]
Kazarian is in this match because he bullied the commissioner into it. Yang is in this match because he’s been on TV. Yang gets a roll up to start. Kazarian responds in kind. Yang puts on a wristlock but Kazarian reverses the hold. Yang hits a pair of armdrags and puts on an armbar. Kazarian violently goes to the eyes. Yang dodges a blind charge and hits a tiger flip. Kazarian bails so Yang gives chase. Back in the ring Kazarian hits the Sling Blade. He hits a snap suplex for 2. He puts on a stranglehold and then slams Yang to the mat by his hair. Yang gets a backslide for 2. Kazarian cuts off his momentum with a leg lariat for 2. He hangs Yang on the top rope and hits a bicycle kick. He hits a slingshot facebuster on the apron. Back in the ring Yang catches Kazarian coming off the top rope with a dropkick. Kazarian comes back with a chinbreaker. He works Yang over in the ropes until the referee calls for the break. He hits a running forearm in the corner. He hits the momentum kick. Yang hits a superkick. He hits a side kick off of the second rope. He hits a low blow behind the referee’s back and kicks Kazarian repeatedly. He hits a dropkick and Kazarian bails. Yang misses a baseball slide, allowing Kazarian to get back in the ring and dive out onto him. Scorpio Sky runs out and distracts Kazarian on the top rope, allowing Yang to hit him with a super hurricanrana for 2. Yang hits a leg lariat but misses Yang Time. Kazarian comes back with the Wave of the Future for the win at 12:13. I’m enjoying Kazarian much more as a heel. His motivation for wrestling dirty works for me, as he’ll do anything to become champion again. Why Sky interfered is still a mystery, thus I don’t like that it happened.
Rating: **½

VS.
El Generico & Quicksilver VS. Phoenix Star & Zokre
Star and Quicksilver start. They knuckle up and lucha all over the ring. Star gets a backslide for 2. Quicksilver hits a mini sunset bomb for 2. Their exchange continues superbly until Zokre tags in. Zokre hits an elbowdrop. Generico tags in and runs into a head scissors takedown. Zokre hits another head scissors takedown on Generico while hitting an armdrag on Quicksilver. He puts a headlock on Generico. Generico comes back with armdrags. Zokre bails and Star keeps Generico from diving after him with some lucha craziness for 2. Generico comes back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for 2. Quicksilver tags in and hits a dropkick for 2. He puts on a chinlock. He hits a leg lariat for 2. Generico tags in and hits a leg lariat for 2. Star gets a drop toehold and Zokre hits a springboard moonsault for 2. Zokre hits a vertical suplex for 2. Star tags in and holds Generico for Zokre’s leg clap. Star follows that with a powerbomb for 2. Generico comes back with a swinging DDT. Quicksilver and Star tag into the match. Quicksilver cleans house with elbows. He hits Zokre with a head scissors takedown. He hits Star with a springboard clothesline. Everyone ends up on the floor flipping around onto each other so fast that I can barely follow the action. In the ring Zokre pins Quicksilver for 2. He hits a facebuster. Star hits Generico with a spear. Quicksilver puts Zokre in the Cristo. Zokre gets to the ropes and holds Quicksilver for a guillotine legdrop from Star. Star catapults Quicksilver into a neckbreaker from Zokre. Generico hits Star with a back suplex on the floor. Zokre hits Generico with a head scissors takedown on the floor, screwing up Generico’s knee and getting 2 back in the ring. He hits a beautiful reverse hurricanrana for 2. He climbs the ropes but Generico catches him with a powerbomb on the way down for 2. Zokre dodges the Yakuza kick and hits a facebuster. He puts on the Mexican surfboard and feeds Generico to Star. Star hits an Olympic Slam onto Zokre’s knees for 2 when Quicksilver saves. Quicksilver hits Zokre with the Silver Slice. Star hits Quicksilver with a handstand kick but Generico brings him down with the Yakuza kick for 2. He hits Star with the Half & Half suplex and another Yakuza kick. Quicksilver finishes him off with a jumping piledriver at 17:13. While not the most fluid match it was certainly a shining example of lucha high-flying action.
Rating: ***¾

VS. VS.
Joey Ryan © VS. Super Dragon VS. Chris Bosh [PWG World Championship Match]
Before the match Ryan lights up a cigarette and speaks philosophically about the title defense. He knows he can’t beat Super Dragon but he’s never lost to Bosh. As such he has bad feeling about the match. Interference by Dragon and Ryan in Bosh’s tag team matches lead to this match. Bosh and Ryan argue over their chest hair until Dragon attacks them. Ryan bails, leaving Bosh the victim of Dragon’s violence. With Bosh down he goes after Ryan on the floor. He dragon screws Ryan into the crowd. He hits the Koppo kick against the wall. He hits Bosh with the Curb Stomp on the floor (thankfully on one of the protective mats). He goes for it again but Ryan lays him out with his “Free Mustache Rides” sign. Back in the ring Ryan puts Bosh in a chinlock. He hits a kneedrop. He rubs Bosh’s face in his chest hair and hits a dropkick. Dragon rushes in and strikes Ryan down. He hits Bosh with a snap suplex for 2. He puts on the Mark Nulty Special but Bosh gets to the ropes. Dragon hangs him in the Tree of Woe and stands on his crotch. He sits on Bosh’s face for 2. I didn’t need to see that. He hits a back suplex for 2. Ryan comes in and tries to dive onto Dragon from the top rope but Bosh rolls up and hits him with the Chris Bosh Special. He hits Dragon with the CBS as well. He hits a kneelift on Ryan before tossing him across the ring by his mustache. He hits a Cactus clothesline. Dragon follows Ryan out with a topé. Back in the ring Ryan hits Dragon with a big boot and a superkick. He hits a suicide dive on Bosh. In the ring Bosh hits Dragon with a backbreaker for 2. Dragon knocks him down with a forearm for 2. It’s obvious Bosh is legitimately knocked because Dragon has to lift his arm to get him to kick out. Also he staggers to the back, looking completely lost. In the ring Ryan hits Dragon with a powerbomb. He pitches Dragon to the floor. He follows Dragon out only to get his eyes poked. Dragon lifts up the protective padding and hits the Psycho Driver on the floor. Ryan is dead weight and Dragon can’t get him into the ring. As such he finds Bosh and rolls him inside. Ryan hits Dragon with a superkick on the floor and rushes in to pin Bosh for the win at 16:10. I have a serious problem with Ryan recovering AT ALL from a Psycho Driver on the unprotected floor. This was very chaotic, with no real theme running through the match. You’d think it could follow the story that Ryan laid out before the match, but it did not. Bosh’s injury didn’t help matters either.
Rating: **¼

After the match Dragon throws half a dozen chairs at Ryan and has a temper tantrum in the ring.

The 411:  I’m shocked that neither Super Dragon nor B-Boy was in the longest match on this show. In fact they and the Kings of Wrestling, who are notorious for always having long matches, were all involved in shorter contests. There were some very entertaining matches on this show in Sabin vs. Sky, Steen vs. Sydal and Los Luchas vs. Cape Fear, but the main event fell short. Something tells me that night 2 might be more worth your while than night 1. Make sure to check out The Cool Kids' Table as well as my archive.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]