Break It Down: PWG Kurt Russellreunion 3

Kurt Russellreunion 3 on January 29th, 2012

Opening Match: Brian Cage-Taylor and Ryan Taylor vs. Famous B and Chris Kadillak
Taylor and Kadillak have a nice fast-paced exchange and find themselves at a stalemate. Cage and Famous B trade rollups to no avail. Famous B snaps off a series of armdrags and Cage retreats to the floor. Kadillak and Famous B land dives to the floor onto the Fightin’ Taylor Boys. In the ring, Cage hip tosses Famous B into a backbreaker and hits a TKO onto Taylor’s knees. The Fightin’ Taylor Boys isolate him until he lands a springboard crossbody onto Taylor and makes the tag. Kadillak connects with a springboard knee strike on Taylor and hits a modified facebuster. Cage elevates Kadillak into a powerslam but gets caught by a superkick from Famous B. Kadillak hits a shooting star cannonball on Cage. Everyone exchanges strikes and Cage hits a huge suplex on Kadillak. Famous B connects with a leg lariat on Taylor. Cage clotheslines himself and Famous B to the outside. The Fightin’ Taylor Boys take out Kadillak with a doomsday device on the floor. Back in, Taylor lays in a knockout kick on Famous B and Cage follows with a discus lariat. The Fightin’ Taylor Boys hit an assisted front-flipping piledriver on Famous B for the win at 10:04. While there appeared to be a few moments of miscommunication, both teams managed to get back on track and they delivered an energetic opener. The Fightin’ Taylor Boys looked pretty dominant and they are right behind the RockNES Monsters in climbing the ranks of the PWG tag team division. Famous B and Kadillak had their moments to shine as well and although I’ve enjoyed some of the other recent showcases for the locals, this was a perfectly fine opener. **½

Match #2: BxB Hulk vs. Jimmy Susumu
They begin with some chain wrestling and Hulk connects with a nice kick to the side of the head. Susumu responds with a knee strike and gets his knees up to block a standing moonsault. Hulk bicycle kicks the back of Susumu’s head and takes control. Susumu blocks a springboard maneuver and hits an exploder. Hulk connects with an enzuigiri but runs into another exploder, this time into the turnbuckles. He recovers with a standing corkscrew senton and hits a flatliner. They battle up top and Susumu hits another exploder from the middle rope. Hulk blocks a charge and connects with a springboard spin kick for a nearfall. He lays in a stiff kick and hits EVO for a two count. The crowd starts getting on Rick Knox’s case for that nearfall. Hulk connects with more kicks. Susumu ducks a flash kick and connects with two Jumbo No Kachis. Susumu follows with Aikata for the victory at 11:09. For it’s place on the card, this match accomplished what it needed to do. Some of the crowd seemed unfamiliar with Hulk’s new image and Hulk’s offense garnered a “wow” reaction from the fans as a result. That ultimately made the contest more fun to watch. They didn’t set the world on fire but they were able to fairly effortlessly hold the crowd’s interest for the entire duration. ***

Match #3: Davey Richards and Harry Smith vs. Matt and Nick Jackson
Smith is replacing Eddie Edwards, who couldn’t make it to the show due to travel problems. Tensions escalate between Richards and Nick during the opening minute. Smith and Richards start working over Nick’s left arm. It’s like they’ve been teaming for years. In fact, Colt Cabana tries to name them the “Canadian Wolves” on commentary but then realizes that Richards isn’t Canadian. So close. Smith hits a powerslam on Nick and follows with a delayed vertical suplex. Richards does a few jumping jacks before Smith drops Nick. Matt finally enters the match and is able to give the Young Bucks the advantage. Matt gets three seconds on a delayed scoop slam on Richards. The Young Bucks isolate him until he fights them off with kicks and makes the tag. Smith connects with a double clothesline and catches the Young Bucks with belly to belly suplexes and scoop slams. He superkicks the Young Bucks and hits a running powerslam on Nick. Richards connects with a diving headbutt on Nick for a nearfall. He follows with the Alarm Clock and punts Matt from the apron. Richards lays in a flying double stomp on Nick for a two count. He adds a knockout kick and transitions into an ankle lock. Matt is able to break up the hold with a reverse hurricanrana on Richards. The Young Bucks connect with stereo superkicks on Richards for a nearfall. Smith misses a boot and gets superkicked to the outside. Richards hits a northern lights suplex on Nick while pinning Matt. Nick and Richards trade kicks. Nick low blows him and the Young Bucks follow with More Bang for Your Buck for the win at 13:33. Smith was a great replacement for Edwards and he had an interesting dynamic with Richards. They were really clicking with the crowd during the first five minutes of the match when they were in control. The Young Bucks brought their best as usual and the action down the stretch was as solid as we’ve come to expect from their matches. Everything came together nicely despite Edwards’ absence and this was a worthwhile exhibition. ***¼

Match #4: Naruki Doi vs. Willie Mack
They trade control on the mat where Mack more than holds his own. They exchange armdrags and Doi sneaks in a quick kick to the midsection. He hits a neckbreaker and dropkicks Mack’s right leg. Doi continues to work over the right leg and takes over. Mack fights back with a powerslam and a big leg drop. Doi blocks a charge but runs into a samoan drop. Mack lands a standing moonsault. Doi traps him in the ropes, connects with a dropkick, and lands a cannonball senton off the top rope. Mack answers with an exploder but misses a frog splash. Doi hits Doi 555 and follows with a Bakatare Sliding Kick. Mack responds with a sit-out spinebuster and both men are down. Mack connects with the MDX and a slingshot dropkick. He goes up top but Doi catches him with a superplex. Doi lays in three flying elbow drops but Mack won’t stay down. Mack finds the energy to hit the Chocolate Thunder Bomb for the victory at 12:17. These two didn’t mesh as well as I would have hoped and this match was enjoyable at times but ultimately disappointing. Doi didn’t come into the contest with any sort of plan to take down his much larger opponent and it never felt as though Mack had found a creative way to overcome Doi’s wealth of experience. In fact, the only time the crowd came alive was when someone would string together a series of moves and posture to them. I’m glad that Mack keeps getting significant wins, but hopefully he’s able to deliver more memorable performances as 2012 progresses. **½

Match #5: Peter Avalon, DEMUS 316, Ray Rosas, and Joey Ryan vs. Cedric Alexander, B-Boy, Candice LeRae, and Mascarita Dorada
Rosas and Alexander have a nice exchange ending with Alexander hitting a torture rack backbreaker. Avalon knocks B-Boy off the apron, which could be the worst idea he’s ever had. B-Boy rocks him with a forearm and a facewash dropkick. Dorada leaps off the top rope and hurricanranas DEMUS. Dorada runs into a boot and DEMUS just hurls him across the ring. Excalibur is freaking out on commentary. Dorada snaps off déjà vu on DEMUS and teases a dive. LeRae takes down Ryan with a hurricanrana and tries a few quick pin attempts to no avail. Ryan plants her with the boobsplex. The heels isolate her until she ducks a clothesline from Ryan and makes the tag. Alexander connects with a dropkick on Ryan and some comedy follows as a result of Ryan’s trunks being pulled down. Dorada hurricanranas Ryan and LeRae catches him with a tornado DDT on the floor. DEMUS hits a gourdbuster on Dorada, who responds with a headscissors. Dorada lands an asai moonsault to the outside onto DEMUS. Alexander connects with a spin kick on Avalon and lands a dive of his own. B-Boy powerslams Rosas onto the apron. They trade strikes and Rosas hits a german suplex. Dorada connects with a springboard dropkick on Rosas and hits a code red on DEMUS. Dorada sends DEMUS to the outside with another déjà vu. He leaps off the top rope and hurricanranas DEMUS on the floor. Ryan superkicks B-Boy but falls victim to a ballsplex. LeRae hits a reverse hurricanrana from the middle rope on Ryan! B-Boy adds a shining wizard and LeRae lands a moonsault for the win at 16:19. The in-ring action, mix of personalities, and even the commentary all gelled together to make this match what it was. While I am growing rather tired of the Ryan/LeRae interactions, everything that Dorada and DEMUS did was gold. I could definitely see Dorada being brought back, as I can only imagine how the Reseda crowd would react to him. This match featured all of the usual craziness that you would expect from a multi-person match in PWG and it successfully managed to provide something different on this show. ***¼

Match #6: CIMA and Ricochet vs. Johnny Goodtime and Johnny Yuma
The RockNES Monsters attack before the bell and land stereo dives to the floor. Goodtime hits a flapjack on Ricochet and the RockNES Monsters continue with their double teaming. Goodtime gets backed into the wrong corner and CIMA catches him with a slingshot senton. CIMA steals Yuma’s headband and starts playing air guitar. Amazing. Goodtime hits a backbreaker on Ricochet along with a gutwrench suplex. The Spiked Mohicans connect with stereo dropkicks on Yuma. Goodtime avoids a northern lights suplex from CIMA, saving Yuma from getting his leg snapped back. Goodtime dropkicks CIMA and Yuma gets his leg snapped back anyway. The Spiked Mohicans work over Yuma until he plants Ricochet with a DDT and makes the tag. Goodtime uses Yuma as a battering ram to take down the Spiked Mohicans. He connects with a flying double stomp on Ricochet and lands a dive to the floor onto CIMA. Goodtime follows with a frog splash onto Ricochet, who answers with a springboard ace crusher. Ricochet lands a flipping senton onto Goodtime. CIMA double stomps Yuma and uses the ropes for momentum to stomp him again. Yuma hits the Sex Factor on CIMA and the RockNES Monsters add a stomp-neckbreaker combination. Ricochet connects with a springboard dropkick on Goodtime. The Spiked Mohicans hit a lungblower-backcracker combination on Yuma. Ricochet adds a standing shooting star press for a nearfall. CIMA drops Goodtime with the Perfect Driver and Ricochet follows with a 630 splash for a two count. All four men are down. Ricochet enzuigiris Yuma but Goodtime catches him with a nasty reverse hurricanrana. CIMA superkicks Yuma while Goodtime hits a death valley driver on Ricochet. Goodtime hits a falcon arrow on Ricochet and the RockNES Monsters follow with a double team death valley driver for the victory at 20:22. While part of me wants to just be happy that the RockNES Monsters won the biggest match of their career, something was off. Part of that was undoubtedly the crowd, as they actually lost steam down the stretch and weren’t reacting much to the nearfalls. The other part of it is that I didn’t get the impression that the RockNES Monsters were on the Spiked Mohicans’ level. That’s certainly not to say that the RockNES dragged the match down by any means. The Spiked Mohicans were one of the best tag teams in professional wrestling in 2011. While the fact that the RockNES Monsters defeated them is significant, I just didn’t feel like I was witnessing a breakout performance. ***¼

Match #7: Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Roderick Strong
Strong dodges a knockout kick and lays in a chop. Mochizuki connects with a series of kicks but falls victim to a scoop slam. Strong hits a suplex and applies a camel clutch. Mochizuki sweeps his legs out on the apron and kicks him to the floor. He kicks Strong’s left leg around ringside and hits a shinbreaker onto the apron. In the ring, Mochizuki takes control, working over the left leg. Strong fights back with an enzuigiri and a belly to belly suplex. He follows with a back suplex and a backbreaker. Mochizuki traps him in an ankle lock but then breaks the hold to kick him in the chest. They trade strikes and Strong hits an olympic slam. He drops Mochizuki back-first across the top turnbuckle. Mochizuki fights off the Stronghold but falls victim to a gutbuster. Strong hits the Gibson Driver for a nearfall. They battle over a suplex and Mochizuki connects with a corner yakuza kick. He adds the Ikkakugeri and just kicks Strong in the head. Mochizuki hits a superplex and follows with a flurry of kicks to the head. Mochizuki connects with the Sankakugeri for the win at 14:20. Regardless of the consistency of Strong’s selling, Mochizuki was an absolute champ at working over his left leg. Mochizuki is an incredibly smart wrestler and a lot of this match’s success can be attributed to his intelligence in the ring. The crowd woke up a bit for this match and it’s definitely a novel encounter that you won’t see anywhere else in 2012. I would be curious to see what these two could do together if given the main event spotlight and a bit more time to develop the action. ***½

Match #8: El Generico, PAC, and Masato Yoshino vs. Super Dragon, Kevin Steen, and Akira Tozawa
Super Dragon knocks PAC off the apron and Steen yells “it looks like gravity just remembered you, buddy.” Generico gives Super Dragon a clean break but gets slapped for his troubles. They stare each other down and trade forearms. Generico snaps off a series of armdrags so Super Dragon retreats to the floor and steals a fan’s hat. Yoshino takes down Steen with a headscissors. PAC connects with a springboard dropkick on Tozawa and Yoshino follows with a double stomp onto his left arm. Tozawa lays in a basement dropkick on PAC and takes him out with three consecutive dives to the floor. Generico yakuza kicks Tozawa off the apron. Everyone starts brawling around ringside. Generico uses the guardrail to tornado DDT Super Dragon in the crowd. Steen powerbombs Generico onto the apron. The heels isolate him in the ring until he hits a tornado DDT on Super Dragon and makes the tag. Yoshino and PAC are able to suplex Steen. PAC lands a dive to the floor onto Steen. Yoshino ties up Tozawa in the ropes and PAC catches him with a slingshot ace crusher. PAC follows with a corkscrew senton off Yoshino’s back. Steen hits a rope-assisted DDT on PAC but finds knees on a swantan. Generico hits a half nelson suplex on Super Dragon. Yoshino missile dropkicks Steen and comes down with a senton on Super Dragon. Tozawa saito suplexes Yoshino and Steen adds a corner cannonball. Steen and Tozawa follow with a doomsday knee strike for a nearfall. Generico yakuza kicks Steen in the corner. Super Dragon catches Generico with a blue thunder bomb off the middle rope. Steen elevates PAC into a powerbomb and Super Dragon adds a german suplex. Tozawa follows with a dead-lift german suplex for a nearfall. Yoshino hits Ude Yoshino on Tozawa. Super Dragon blocks a Torbellino and hits a tombstone. Generico hits an exploder on Super Dragon, sending him into the turnbuckles but runs into a superkick from Steen. PAC german suplexes Steen and all six men are down. Steen and Generico trade strikes. Super Dragon lays out Generico with a lariat. Steen hits the package piledriver on Generico and Tozawa follows with a knee strike for a two count. PAC connects with an enzuigiri on Super Dragon and hits a brutal reverse hurricanrana. He hits another one on Steen. Tozawa escapes a third but falls victim to a Torbellino. Generico connects with a yakuza kick on Tozawa and hits a brainbuster. PAC lands British Airways on Tozawa for the victory at 26:11.

I think there’s quite a few people that were disappointed by this match, with the main objection being that they thought the action went on for too long and was ultimately meaningless. I’m pretty much on the exact opposite side of the spectrum. I thought all six men delivered an excellent performance. The presence of Steen and Super Dragon provided a new twist on the usual Dragon Gate six-man tags and all of the exchanges went off without a hitch. The objection that all of the moves down the stretch felt irrelevant strikes me as odd. I don’t think this match was any more guilty of that than the Steen and Tozawa vs. Generico and Ricochet match from last year, which was my PWG match of the year. I guess everyone will have to decide for themselves, but I thought this main event met its lofty expectations. ****

The 411: Kurt Russellreunion 3 featured an extremely consistent card. Six out of the eight matches reached the three star level and the main event ended the show in a tremendous way. Thus, this show easily earns a recommendation. With that said, this show did lack in some areas. The Reseda crowd was sorely missed, as some matches ran into the problem of minimal crowd response. Additionally, while it was great to see Willie Mack and the RockNES Monsters pick up huge victories, some of the shock was lost due to the quality of the matches. At the end of the day, this is still PWG and there’s truly not much to complain about regarding Kurt Russellreunion 3. It’s been about three years since I’ve been able to not recommend a PWG show so we’ll see if they can keep that streak going in 2012.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]