BG Says: PWG Card Subject to Change 2

February 4, 2006 – Los Angeles, California

Excalibur finally rejoins Disco Machine as the driving force behind the fantastic PWG commentary team. Be sure to switch the audio channel over to hear them.

This show was titled as it is because Chris Sabin, Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe all missed the show. As such only three of the matches announced before the show occurred, giving us a much changed card.

VS.

TJ Perkins, Fergal Devitt & Bino Gambino VS. Ronin, Disco Machine & Nemesis
Disco and Devitt start. They exchange holds until Devitt kicks Disco’s back. He puts on a modified seated abdominal stretch but Disco quickly escapes. Gambino and Nemesis tag in. Nemesis chops Gambino around but Gambino comes back with a head scissors takedown. Gambino hits a butterfly suplex for 2. Nemesis hits a neckbreaker for 2. Ronin tags in and hits a running forearm for 2. Disco tags in and hits a snap suplex for 2. Nemesis tags in and hits a bodyslam. He hits an elbowdrop for 2. Ronin tags in and hits a back elbow for 2. He puts on the Stretch Plum but Gambino gets to the ropes. He hits a swinging DDT and tags to Perkins. Perkins cleans house, hitting his opponents with clotheslines, dropkicks and suplexes. He hits a slingshot senton for 2. Disco hits a legbreaker and a dragon screw. Nemesis tags in and walks into a dropkick. He recovers with a vertical suplex for 2. Ronin tags in and hits a bodyslam. He goes to work on Perkins’s leg and then chokes him. Disco tags in and walks into an enziguiri. Devitt and Nemesis tag in and Devitt cleans house. He hits a scary back suplex on Nemesis for 2. Gambino tags in and hits a flipping butterfly suplex for 2. Disco hits a facebuster and a chokeslam on Gambino but he’s not legal. Things break down completely and remain chaotic until Gambino hits Nemesis with an enziguiri onto to be clotheslined by Ronin. Nemesis is then able to hit a torture rack backbreaker on Gambino for the win at 12:56. This was kind of a mess but the real problem is that the team of Nemesis, Ronin and Disco need more to do than wrestle random pairings.
Rating: **

VS.
Alex Koslov VS. Colt Cabana
This is the first of three scheduled matches that occurs on this show. Cabana powers Koslov to the ropes to start. Koslov returns the favor but Cabana frustrates him with his whimsy. Cabana counters a wristlock with some flippity flops but Koslov gets the hold back on with a more traditional maneuver. Cabana goes all Johnny Saint on Koslov, even using the referee to escape holds and get takedowns. He hits a back bodydrop and Koslov bails. He hits Cabana with a back elbow and a European uppercut on the floor. Cabana comes back by shoving him into the front row. Back in the ring Koslov crotches Cabana on the middle rope. He hits a dropkick to the face for 2. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He trips Cabana and puts on a surfboard in the ropes. He puts on his hat and does a Russian dance, kicking Cabana for 2. Cabana do-se-dos with the referee and rolls Koslov up for 2. He hits a leaping clothesline for 2. He hits the Flying Asshole but Koslov comes back with a superkick for 2. Cabana blocks a northern lights suplex and sets Koslov up top. Koslov shoves Cabana off and hits a big splash for 2 when Cabana rolls over and gets the win at 10:48. Weak finish aside this was a fun comedy match.
Rating: **½

VS.
El Generico & Quicksilver VS. Scorpio Sky & Human Tornado
This is the second match that was actually scheduled on this show. The story here is that Quicksilver and Scorpio Sky used make up the team of the Aerial Express while Tornado and Generico were the team of Two Skinny Black Guys. Over the last few shows Sky has been turning to the dark side, screwing with Tornado’s matches while telling him they should team up against their former teammates because blacks and whites should be on separate teams. Sky obviously went to the Vince McMahon school of wrestling. Quicksilver and Tornado start. They trade armdrags and dance moves. Quicksilver gets a roll up for 2. Generico tags in so Tornado tags out, feeling bad about wrestling his former partner. Sky and Generico fight on the mat. Sky puts on a wristlock and rolls Generico up for 2. Generico gets an armdrag, halting Sky’s momentum. Tornado is forced to tag in and reluctantly tie up with Generico. They trade waistlocks and Generico dodges Tornado’s offense. Tornado stays away from Generico’s big moves but Generico blocks the House Party and rolls him up for 2. Quicksilver and Sky tag in. Sky pretends to have the same affinity for Quicksilver that Tornado has for Generico but Quicksilver isn’t buying it. Quicksilver puts on an armbar and gets a jackknife pin for 2. Sky rolls him up for 2. Quicksilver blocks a dropkick and they both go for leg lariats. They both go for dropkicks and then back off. Quicksilver dodges another dropkick and pins Sky for 2. Generico and Tornado tag in and though Tornado is finally willing to get aggressive Sky makes a blind tag and hits a leg lariat. He stomps Generico down in the corner and tags to Tornado. Tornado kicks the back and hits a running knee for 2. Sky won’t tag in, choosing instead to take a water break. Tornado hits a vertical suplex for 2. He hits a kneedrop for 2. He asks for a tag but Sky is busy stretching on the floor. He puts on a chinlock and then hits a dropkick for 2. Sky finally tags in and puts on a chinlock. He wrenches Generico’s neck and tags Tornado into the match. Tornado finishes the House Party but Generico comes back with a back elbow. Sky knocks Quicksilver off the apron and then tags in. Generico dodges an avalanche and tags to Quicksilver. Quicksilver hits a head scissors takedown and a pair of forearms. He hits a leg lariat for 2. Tornado tries to sneak up on Quicksilver from behind and gets forearmed into the corner. Sky kicks Quicksilver and tags Tornado in. Quicksilver hits Tornado with the Silver Slice but Sky keeps him from getting a pin attempt. Generico misses the Yakuza kick on Sky but Quicksilver is able to clothesline Tornado to the floor. Quicksilver and Sky dive out onto Tornado and Generico, respectively and in an ode to their tag team dive spot. Back in the ring Sky hits the Ace Crusher on Quicksilver. He puts on a dragon sleeper but Generico breaks it up. Generico drags Tornado to the corner for the swinging DDT but then opts to dive onto Sky on the floor. Tornado hits a hurricanrana on Quicksilver, sending him to the floor. He dives out onto everyone and hits the wall himself. Back in the ring he pins Quicksilver for 2. Sky tags in and hits a facebuster for 2. Quicksilver comes back with a spinebuster for 2. Generico tags in and hits a guillotine split legged moonsault for 2. Generico hits Tornado with the Yakuza kick to block the Pounce. Sky hits Generico with a backbreaker for 2. He climbs the ropes but Generico crotches him. He throws Quicksilver up to hit a dropkick and then hits Tornado with a Yakuza kick. Quicksilver hits Tornado with the Quick Qrusher for 2. He climbs the ropes but Sky throws him to the floor. Generico sets Tornado up top but Tornado fights him off. He dodges the Yakuza kick and hits the DND. He goes for the pin but Sky shoves him away and pins Generico himself at 29:11. Some awkward spots aside this was a very cool match. Tornado’s motives were a little hard to decipher, as he seemed much more willing to attack Generico than Generico was to attack him. At any rate the action was great in this and the story was mostly compelling.
Rating: ***¾

After the match Sky thanks Tornado for the effort he put into the match. He says he saw Tornado taking a long time and did what he had to do to get his team the win. Tornado is upset that his pin was stolen. Sky ignores Tornado and tries to make nice with Quicksilver in a less than sincere way and then thanks the fans for watching and enjoying his victory.

VS.
Excalibur VS. Topgun Talwar
Before the match Excalibur warns Talwar that he’s added the heart punch to his repertoire. He tells Talwar that his drug use makes his heart especially susceptible to that move, and that he should forfeit the match in order to save his own life. Talwar refuses in his own way. He uses his wife Tits McGee to fend off Excalibur to start. She hits Excalibur with a head scissors takedown. Excalibur bails so Talwar dives out onto him. Back in the ring Talwar gets a takedown and does push ups. He hits a hiptoss and the basement shoulder tackle. He rams Excalibur’s head into McGee’s crotch and then bites his toe. They fight to the floor where Excalibur whips him into the post. Talwar dodges the post but then trips over the ring steps. Back in the ring Excalibur puts on a camel clutch. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. Talwar bites Excalibur’s posterior and puts on a sleeper hold. Excalibur comes back with a roll up for 2. Talwar hits a Rydeen Bomb into the corner and a swinging DDT for 2. Excalibur hits a tombstone piledriver for 2. Talwar counters a powerbomb to a hurricanrana for 2. He climbs the ropes but Excalibur blocks the Chipotlé and hits an atomic drop. He follows that with the heart punch for the win at 6:14. Total garbage, sadly.
Rating: *½

VS.
Super Dragon & Davey Richards © VS. Phoenix Star & Zokre [PWG Tag Team Championship Match]
This was originally scheduled to be the champs defending against AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels but as I said before Daniels isn’t there. Styles got inserted into a different championship match later in the evening to make up for another missing TNA star. Star and Zokre dive onto the champions on the floor to start. Back in the ring Star hits a missile dropkick on Dragon. He hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and Zokre hits an elbowdrop. Zokre hits a moonsault to the back and an armdrag. Richards drags Zokre to the floor and kicks him around. Zokre comes back with a head scissors takedown on the floor. Dragon throws Zokre into the wall and tries to powerbomb Star through a table (like he did last month) but Star blocks it and hits the Pelé Kick. Back in the ring Star hits Richards with a spear. He climbs the ropes but Dragon crotches him and pulls Zokre to the floor. In the ring Dragon hits a low blow on Star. Star comes back with a head scissors takedown. Dragon goes to the floor so Zokre follows him out with a head scissors takedown and Star follows that with an insane dive. In the ring Zokre hits Richards with an enziguiri for 2. Richards counters a head scissors takedown to a backbreaker. Dragon tags in and puts on the leggy nelson. Richards kicks Zokre in the face and Dragon releases the hold. The match ends awkwardly as the referee makes the “injury X” motion. At least I thought the match was over but when Star tries to check on Zokre Dragon attacks him and throws him to the floor. He pins Zokre but Zokre kicks out. Richards tags in and stands around until Star attacks him. Richards comes back with the DR Driver and then pins Zokre for the win at 8:42. After the leggy nelson this was too awkward for words. If Zokre wasn’t legitimately knocked out then this was the worst booking ever. The first five minutes of the match were fun, so I guess there’s that.
Rating: **

Star, the referee and Dino Winwood put Zokre onto a table and carry him to the back. Dragon attacks Winwood but the crowd is so dead from the weirdness of the last match that they don’t really react. Dragon tries to beat Winwood up in the ring but Chris Hero runs out and stops him. Winwood goes after Dragon but Hero break it up. Richards holds Winwood down and Dragon goes back to work on him until enough people are able to get in the ring to stop the debacle. To thank Hero for helping him he gives the Kings of Wrestling a tag title shot tonight. Hero doesn’t want to team with Castagnoli because of the low blow he received in their match back at Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’. Winwood gives him a five dollar raise so Hero relents. Dragon and Richards take the news so poorly that dissension becomes evident between them.

VS.
Frankie Kazarian VS. Scott Lost
Kazarian was originally scheduled to take on Hero but he got pulled into the tag title scene so Lost gets put into this match. Lost attacks Kazarian before the bell and puts on the Sharpshooter. Kazarian escapes and goes after Lost’s leg. He blocks the Superman Spear and hits a huge armbreaker. He hits an armdrag and puts on an armbar. He hits a dropkick and the momentum kick. He stays on the arm but Lost comes back with a knee kick. He stomps on Kazarian’s face and punts his ribs. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He puts on the body scissors and then releases to hit a clothesline for 2. They trade roll ups and Kazarian puts on the rear naked choke. Lost gets to the ropes. Lost hits a dropkick and goes for the Sharpshooter but Kazarian goes to the ropes. Kazarian hits a slingshot DDT. They trade strikes and Kazarian hits an enziguiri for 2. He hits an electric chair drop for 2. Lost blocks the momentum kick and the Wave of the Future and hits a backbreaker for 2. Kazarian counters the Sharpshooter to a roll up for 2. Lost hits the Superman Spear and a superkick for 2. Kazarian dodges an avalanche and hits a reverse tombstone piledriver for 2. Lost hits a suplex to the floor, falling out himself. Kazarian gets back in first and Lost gets back inside at 16. Lost puts on the Sharpshooter but Kazarian gets to the ropes. Lost looks to be going for the Burning Hammer but Kazarian counters to the Wave of the Future for the win at 14:10. Nothing too out-of-this-world here but there was plenty of solid back and forth action.
Rating: ***

VS. VS. VS.
Joey Ryan © VS. Chris Bosh VS. AJ Styles VS. Kevin Steen [PWG Championship Elimination Match]
Styles is taking the place of Chris Sabin, who went to a no-contest with Steen the month before in a number one contender match. After shaving Ryan’s mustache on the last show Bosh is looking very cleanly groomed himself. Styles goes after Ryan at the bell, dragging him to the floor as Steen and Bosh wrestle in the ring. The commentators take turns ripping on Johnny Fairplay, who had bought a ticket to the show and tried to get involved in this match. Excalibur goes as far as to say he’d let Fairplay die in a house fire. Ryan flapjacks Styles on the apron and then attacks Steen and Bosh. Styles slugs Ryan down and rolls Bosh up for 2. He hits Bosh with a hurricanrana for 2. Bosh returns fire with a backbreaker but Styles throws him over the top rope to the floor. Styles rolls Steen up for 2. Steen clubs him down and punts his ribs. They trade eye pokes and hit a double back elbow on Ryan. Steen throws Styles across the ring but Bosh catches him with an armdrag. Steen comes back with a capture suplex. Ryan pulls Steen to the floor and Styles pounds Bosh down in the ring. He hits a dropkick for 2. Ryan dumps Styles to the floor and slugs it out with Bosh. Bosh hits a kneelift but Ryan nails a dropkick. Styles hits Ryan with a neckbreaker for 2. He Ryan hits a vertical suplex and Steen with a leaping clothesline. He sets Steen up top but Ryan tosses him away. Steen fights Ryan off and hits a missile dropkick to the back. Things get sloppy as Steen has trouble sending Ryan to the floor and Bosh hits Steen with an ugly clothesline. Styles sets Bosh up top and Steen launches him into the Pelé Kick. Steen then powerbombs Styles into Steen for 2. He pins Bosh for 2. Ryan pokes his eyes and hits a superkick for 2. He chokes all three opponents but Bosh catches him with the Chris Bosh Special. He hits Ryan with a crossbody to the floor. Styles dives out onto Bosh and Ryan. Steen climbs the ropes and dives out onto all three opponents. He rolls Bosh into the ring and climbs the ropes. Styles cuts him off and goes for a superplex to the floor but Ryan crotches them both. Ryan hits Bosh with a chair and tries to do the same to Steen. The referee sees Steen with the chair and disqualifies him at 13:42. As Steen argues with the referee Ryan hits Bosh with another chair shot to eliminate him at 14:35. Styles forearms Ryan down and hits a brainbuster for 2. He hits a delayed neckbreaker for 2. He hits a bodyslam and a kneedrop for 2. He punts Ryan’s ribs and back and hits an enziguiri. He hits a German suplex but Ryan goes to the eyes. He brings the chair back into the ring and holds it under Styles’s head when he hits a German suplex and retains the title at 17:49. The finish didn’t really make sense as the referee totally saw Ryan using the chair, and everything after the ten minute mark was a disaster. I won’t overlook the ten minutes of a good action however.
Rating: **½

VS.
Super Dragon & Davey Richards © VS. Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli [PWG Tag Team Championship Match]
Hero and Castagnoli were supposed to wrestle each other tonight after Castagnoli’s original opponent Samoa Joe didn’t make it to the show. The lack of Christopher Daniels led to the very strange tag team match earlier in the show and subsequently to this match. Hero and Richards start. They trade holds until Hero starts to take control and Richards kicks his back. They lock up and Hero seemingly breaks Richards’s pinky finger! Richards comes back with a headlock, but man I would have tagged out. He unloads with kicks but Hero comes back with a dropkick. Richards gets upset and eats some cheese puffs so Dragon dumps the entire bag on his head. Richards rubs some residue in Dragon’s face. After a little powwow they get on the same page. Dragon and Castagnoli tag in. They lock up and Castagnoli gives Dragon a clean break. He rolls Dragon up for 2. He gets a crucifix pin for 2. Dragon goes after his leg and puts on a surfboard stretch. Castagnoli counters to the pendulum swing. They trade strikes and Dragon hits the Koppo kick for 2. Richards tags in and puts on a modified cloverleaf. Castagnoli counters to a crossface. He blocks the handspring kick with a European uppercut. Hero tags in and hits a slingshot elbowdrop to the back for 2. He puts on a crazy chinlock and gets a crucifix pin for 2. They slow things down to talk about trading chops for kicks and then take their time doing just that. Richards goes to the eyes but Hero comes back with a back bodydrop. He chops Richards down but Richards comes back with kicks and a front facelock. Castagnoli tags in and hits a European uppercut to the back of the head. He hits another for 2. Hero tags in and the Kings hit a double big boot for 2. Castagnoli tags in and the Kings ram Richards into the corner. Castagnoli hits a backbreaker for 2. He hits a bodyslam and tags to Hero. Hero hits a slingshot side senton for 2. Dragon attacks Hero from behind and tries to drag Richards to his corner but to no avail. Castagnoli comes in and hits a much delayed vertical suplex for 2. Hero tags in and ties Richards up in a submission before rolling him up for 2. Castagnoli tags in and dropkicks Richards off of Hero’s back for 2. Richards comes back with the STO and tags to Dragon. Dragon puts on the Mark Nulty Special and hits a back suplex for 2. Richards tags in and hits a crossface forearm for 2. He hits a snap suplex for 2. Dragon tags in and stands on Castanoli’s crotch while he hangs in the Tree of Woe. He kicks Castagnoli’s back for 2. He hits a double stomp and a senton for 2. He puts on a half leggy nelson but Hero breaks it up. Richards tags in and hits an elbowdrop. He hits a clothesline in the corner and kicks to the chest. Dragon tags in and puts on a butterfly hold and hits a knee to the face. He tags Richards in by slapping him across the face. Richards hits a dropkick and tags out by slapping Dragon’s face. Dragon hits a kneedrop for 2. A pair of slaps across Richards’s face act as a tag and the tag champs stare each other down. Castagnoli uses the distraction to attack the champs and tag to Hero.

Hero kicks both opponents down and hits Richards with a facebuster. He hits a big boot and Richards bails. Dragon keeps Hero from making a dive but misses a charge in the corner and hits the post. Hero hits a crazy over-the-top dive on both opponents. Back in the ring Hero puts Richards in the cravat and hits a neckbreaker for 2. Castagnoli tags in and the Kings double-team Richards in the corner. Castagnoli hits the Match Killer for 2. Richards hits a monkey flip into the corner and a running forearm. He hits an enziguiri and a boot to the face. He hits a German suplex for 2. Dragon tags in and hits Castagnoli with Kawada kicks. He hits an axe kick and climbs the ropes. Castagnoli cuts him off with a European uppercut and tags to Hero. Hero goes to the eyes and does his ode to Tracy Smothers. He hits a forearm and the over the shoulder slam for 2. He rolls Dragon up for 2. He sets Dragon up top and puts on a cravat. Dragon fights him off and hits the senton for 2. Richards tags in and hits a northern lights suplex. He kicks Hero’s back and puts on a modified Cow Killer. Castagnoli breaks it up. Dragon tags in and gets hit with a backdrop driver. Castagnoli tags in and Hero launches him into a spear on Dragon. He hits the Alpamare Waterslide for 2. Hero tags in and hits a fireman’s carry slam. He monkey flips Castagnoli onto Dragon and them comes off the top rope with a frog splash for 2. He climbs again but misses a moonsault. Dragon hits a lariat and tags to Richards. Hero hits him with the Hero’s Welcome for 2. Castagnoli and Dragon tag in. Castagnoli hits a series of European uppercuts for 2. He goes for the Ricola Bomb but Dragon blocks it. He powerbombs Castagnoli into a lungblower from Richards for 2. Richards hits a baseball slide on Hero and Dragon hits Hero with a suicide dive. Richards climbs the ropes and hits Claudio with a shooting star press for the win at 49:14. There’s this problem in PWG where they make it painfully obvious when a match is going to go long. In this case the first fifteen minutes were full of long pauses in the action. The workrate was there but there were no real peaks and valleys in this match, it was just a constant stream of work at the same medium pace. Somewhere in the middle of the match the animosity between the champions just disappeared for no reason, and the whole thing just wound up being an exercise in patience.
Rating: ***¼

The 411:  The show is a mixed bag. All but two of the matches are decent enough and the Scorpio Sky tag match was a lot of fun. On the other hand both tag title matches were frustrating for different reasons however. Use your own discretion, but don’t go out of your way for this because it has a long Kings of Wrestling vs. Davey Richards & Super Dragon match as you’ll likely be disappointed. Make sure to check out The Cool Kids' Table as well as my archive.

Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]