wrestling / Video Reviews
Guerrilla Reviewfare: PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2017 (Stage 1) Review
Loading...It doesn’t take rocket appliances to figure out how psyched I am each year for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s annual Battle of Los Angeles. I’ve been reviewing their shows since 2012 and every year – barring the unmemorable 2014 edition – I am over the moon with praise about the tournament. 2012 for instance, had one of PWG’s most underrated matches ever in the Michael Elgin vs. Davey Richards rematch. A year later, ACH and Kyle O’Reilly tore the house down in a match that I still recommend to newcomers any time I’m asked. 2015’s second night was a show I called PWG’s best ever at the time, but the same show quickly overtook the throne just a year later. So it’s safe to say, PWG pulls out all the stops during BOLA weekend. Does it help that Dave Meltzer does extensive coverage for the tournament? Sure it does, but the best independent wrestling in the world deserves the overwhelming praise it will inevitably get. So what does this year have in store for us?
A lot. As is the case with the last several BOLA tournaments, fans were treated to barrage of debuts. PWG drew from all walks of the independent wrestling landscape to fill this year’s tournament, even scrounging up an unknown or two for some added intrigue, the main person in question being Australian hoss Jonah Rock. Also making their debuts from the flourishing UK scene are Flash Morgan Webster and Travis Banks (by way of New Zealand). Their PROGRESS rostermate – and Atlas Champ! – Big Daddy Walter also steps into a PWG ring for the first time in an addition that especially had me frothing at the mouth. Another batch of US talent make their debuts of course, guys like now-WWE wrestler Donovan Dijak and Joey Janela, who comes in as a replacement for an injured TK Cooper. Flamita is also finding his way in, coming off the heels of a fabulous performance in PROGRESS’ similarly stacked Super Strong Style 16 tournament in May. Wrestlers like Rey Horus, Sammy Guevara, Dezmond Xavier, and Keith Lee have all made their mark in PWG in 2017, so we know what to expect from them. And of course, you have your PWG stalwarts like Ricochet, Marty Scurll, Zack Sabre Jr, Jeff Cobb, Matt Riddle, and more. The only real flaw in this weekend isn’t even PWG’s fault, as TK Cooper’s aforementioned injury robbed us from seeing a South Pacific Power Trip vs. Young Bucks match on this very show. At least PWG has pledged to rebook it for later, so c’est la vie. But other than that small nitpick, if you’re anything less than totally sold on this tournament given the level of talent alone, you should re-evaluate what you watch wrestling for… but enough of my rambling. Let’s get going.
We are TAPED from the American Legion in Reseda, CA.
Your hosts are Excalibur and YOUR World Champion, Chuck Taylor.
BOLA First Round: Brian Cage vs. Dezmond Xavier
This match is pretty easy to judge on paper. Brian Cage is a huge musclehead, while Dezmond Xavier is a much smaller high flyer. Easy to follow, right? Dezmond has had a shaky year in PWG in regards to match quality, but it’s hard to precisely determine how much of that is truly his fault. Luckily, he’s placed against a guy in Cage who is a fabulous base for athletic guys like him, so all signs point to an acceptable opener if nothing else.
Cage catches a running Dezmond with a shoulder tackle early, so Dezmond gets up and paintbrushes him with a slap in return. He staggers Cage with a dropkick, but Cage only moves a couple feet. Xavier challenges him to bring something better, so he tilt-a-whirls his heart away and sends Xavier flying with a step-up Frankensteiner. He yanks Dezmond out of mid-air and adds a couple twirling backbreakers for his troubles. Dezmond tries a 619 with help of the ringpost, but Cage catches him mid-swing and swings him BACK into the ringpost! Fucking Machine Superplex follows for a swift two count. Cage swats Dezmond’s leg out of the way in the middle of a kick, faceplanting poor Xavier in a cool spot. Dezmond starts using his strikes to mount up some offense on Cage, and he sends Cage to the floor for a twisting Sasuke Special! Cage dodges a top rope double stomp, but Xavier adjusts and comes down on top of him with a standing Tornillo for 2. Xavier hits a spinning Cradle Shock for another nearfall, but he has Cage reeling. Cage drags him off of the top rope and looks for an F5, but settles for a wacky Pumphandle into a DVD when Xavier counters out of his original choice. Cage follows with a German and finally the F5, but Xavier gets his shoulders up at 2.999999. Cage measures for a Powerbomb, but Dezmond just collapses before anything can be done. They trade superkicks until Xavier folds Cage with a back handspring Pele Kick, for Cage manages to get his shoulder up. Spiral Tap scores, and Cage kicks out again! Cage just pops up and spits at Xavier, before hitting a pop-up Spinebuster and a pair of Powerbombs, but only for a two count. He tries the Steiner Screwdriver, but Dezmond maneuvers out and counters into a cradle to pick up the upset in 11 minutes! *** A rock solid match to kick off the big weekend, worked at the correct pace and the correct length. I was surprised to see that they didn’t dwell on the big man/little man story, but Brian Cage isn’t your typical lumbering big man so it’s hardly something I would call a negative. Instead, once they got adjusted to each other’s size in the opening minutes, they mostly just worked a high energy sprint where both men played their hits. You wouldn’t want this as your main event obviously, but as an opener, there’s not much to nitpick about this.
BOLA First Round: Marty Scurll vs. Flash Morgan Webster
As those who have read my few PROGRESS reviews know, I’m not entirely sold on young Mr. Webster. I’ve always thought him to be fundamentally sound, but lacking the excitement that many of his peers exhibited. There’s always a chance that he just wasn’t under the correct spotlight, which means I have no issues coming into this match with an open mind. And it’s hard to have a bad match with Marty Scurll if we’re being honest, although he did Jay White no favors in his PWG debut back in February. But given there’s history here, I don’t think there’s going to be a problem.
Marty takes the mic after the bell rings and says he doesn’t care what the crowd tells him to do, before turning his sights to Flash to slag him a little bit by wondering out loud who he is. Excalibur, deadpan, adds that Scurll and Webster have wrestled before. According to Marty, he’s a waste of space like everyone else in the crowd. “Not that much space,” so says the commentary, given that Morgan Webster weighs in at 165 pounds. He urges Flash to get out of his ring and gives him a count of three, but Webster headbutts him! One, two, THREE?! Oh but no, Scurll’s foot was under the rope. Webster wastes no time following up with a Tope Con Hilo, and he just high crosses him into the fans at ringside! He rolls him back in for a nasty Swanton to the back, but Scurll kicks out and rolls outside with haste! Flash follows him to the outside, which ends up costing him dearly as Scurll just POWERBOMBS him on the floor! Scurll sets Flash on the top rope and uses a decoy chair to distract Rick Knox as he whacks Webster with the other one. He uses that to start working his back. Marty jaws with a fan in the front row, and he SHITCANS WEBSTER ON TOP OF HIM in a great spot. Flash walks through a barrage of chops and starts trying to build his comeback, coming at Marty with a furious combo of strikes and a sweet Avalanche Frankensteiner. Knox tries to stop Flash from following up which allows Scurll to thumb him in the eye, but Flash nearly gets a pin with a counter cradle. Scurll no-sells that and sends him to the floor for an Apron Superkick. Scurll tries to use a chair again to get the upperhand, but Webster headbutts him and gets a nearfall! Flash counters the Just Kidding Superkick with a Guillotine, but Scurll counters out of that with a Gordbuster and hits a Sick Kick for a two count. He measures for the Chickenwing, but Webster gets out and eventually hits the Rude Boy, followed by an Angel’s Wings for a 2 count. Webster heads up top for something, but Scurll crotches him and slaps him around a bit. He hits a Superplex, but Webster nearly gets the win with a countering Small Package, but only gets two. Flash tries Destino, but Marty counters with Emerald Flowsion for 2. He tries Rude Boy again, but Marty SUPERKICKS HIM OUT OF THE AIR! BUTTERFLY THROW! Flash kicks out. Marty counters a Reverse Rana into a Chickenwing and nearly gets out, but Marty falls down with it and Morgan taps in 15 minutes. *** I found myself enjoying Morgan Webster much more here than I have at almost any other time, but I highly question continuing the match after that headbutt spot. I don’t mean to outright tell two uber talented athletes how to do their job, but there was a very noticeable lack of interest in this match after that false finish. The crowd thought they had just saw an upset and a legitimate gamechanger for the BOLA tournament, and were more than happy to have been a part of it and more importantly, accept it. Instead, Rick Knox just waved it off without really selling it, and they just had a regular match. I heard it argued that they should have just had that be the finish and be done with it, and now that I’ve seen it for myself, I completely agree. I don’t really like having that opinion either, because the match they went on to have was a very good one. Morgan Webster did a great job working from underneath and trying to use his tenacity to cut through the various shenanigans Marty Scurll put him through. He had an explosiveness about him that I don’t remember ever seeing from him, and I greatly enjoyed it. Their match was just undercut a little by a lack of foresight rather than a flaw in execution, which is definitely something I can forgive.
BOLA First Round: Rey Fenix vs. Rey Horus
I think you can ascertain the sort of match we’re in for here. Rey Horus had a good debut last time out against Sammy Guevara, but didn’t quite get to break away from the pack as emphatically as I’m sure he wanted to. I think he’ll have a better chance of doing so against fellow Lucha Underground alumni Fenix, who’s had a banner year alongside his brother Pentagon Jr. as PWG Tag Champion. Fenix also happens to be one of the most solid wrestlers on the planet at the moment, so I’m seeing no reason here as to why this match should be anything less than some mindless Lucha fun.
Not hard to ascertain how these two men enter into this contest, but Rey Horus does a fabulous double jump armdrag that is worth mentioning within all the normal Lucha feeling out business. Horus nearly slips on a rope-walk armdrag, but hilariously grabs Fenix’s mask to keep upright. Fenix one-ups him in spectacular fashion with one of his own, but as Horus sweeps his leg, he BACKBUMPS OFF OF THE TOP ROPE and armdrags Horus to the floor! Horus tries a pescado into a Rana, but Fenix powerbombs him on the apron and hits an INSANE pop-up kick with assistance from the apron! He follows with a Tope Atomico in the ring, but Horus counters a powerbomb into a huge Code Red for a two count. Horus hits a sweet Hurricanrana proper, but that only gets two as well. Horus goes up top for a double stomp, but Fenix dodges and BRAINS HIM with a superkick! Fenix takes too long heading to the top rope, so Horus kicks him to the floor and dives out with a HUGE TOPE CON HILO~! Horus tries to follow up, but Fenix catches him with a rolling Ace Crusher in the ring. They trade forearms in the center of the ring, but Horus HITS THE SATELLITE DDT~! SPANISH FLY! Fenix kicks out. Will never ever get tired of seeing that damn DDT. Fenix catches him with a Pele out of nowhere, and we get a double down after stereo forearms. Fenix springs into a GORGEOUS moonsault press for a nearfall of his own. Horus battles back and sends him reeling with an Avalanche Victory Roll, but that only gets a nearfall. Horus slides outside and sets up chairs to Superplex Fenix through (!) but Fenix COUNTERS INTO A SUPER SPANISH FLY! OMORI DRIVER! HORUS KICKS OUT! ANOTHER ONE COUNTERD INTO A SATELLITE DDT! FENIX KICKS OUT! Fenix catches him running with a Package DDT and Fenix advances with a wacky Lucha submission in 16 minutes. ***1/2 This had the pacing issues that a large amount of Lucha matches tend to have, but once they figured each other out and found their groove, this became a damn fine exhibition of spots. Fenix was quite clearly the superior worker as he was unbelievably crisp despite all of the maddening spots he does, and not only did he fly with authority, but he provided an incredibly reliable base for Rey Horus at points. Horus himself isn’t exactly the finished product yet, but his more rugged brand of Lucha actually contrasted very well with Fenix and his inhuman coordination. It wasn’t exactly a clash of styles, but there was enough difference between the two that you didn’t feel like you were watching one guy wrestle himself for 20 minutes. Your mileage will definitely vary depending on your tolerance of Lucha and all the idiosyncrasies that come with it, but from where I’m sitting, this show kicked itself into another gear.
The Chosen Bros (Matt Riddle & Jeff Cobb) vs. Keith Lee & Donovan Dijak
This weekend is the first – and as of now, last – time we’ll get to see Donovan Dijak in a PWG ring. He and partner Keith Lee have quite similar stories on the surface. Both men were criminally squandered while under ROH contract and immediately upon leaving, became household names on the independent circuit for their unique brands of wrestling. Keith Lee in particular has had an incredible year, but Dijak’s consistency on a slightly lower level has been just as impressive. The two enormous men team together against a pair of 2016 breakouts in Riddle and Cobb, who should be familiar enough to you by now that I don’t have to bore you with exposition. Safe to say, Big Lads Wrestling has made its way to Reseda.
Dijak seems like he gets taller every time I look at him. Cobb and Lee start things off, with Keith knocking Cobb down early with a shoulderblock. He helps him up and presents him with another opportunity, and we get BIG LADS LUCHA~! Riddle tags in now and stands off with Dijak and tries an early Rear Naked, but Dijak shucks him off. No problem for Riddle though, as he jumps right back on him and tries a Kimura… but Dijak just knees him in the ribs and ragdolls him away. Riddle starts working palm strikes and elbows and stomps, and he tags Cobb back in to work him over. You can probably guess how that goes. Riddle tags back in and goes HAM on Keith Lee in the corner, leaving Cobb alone to give Dijak a Sidewinder Suplex. Dijak hoists himself up and just gives Cobb a Suplex Toss for his trouble. He tags Lee in, and Lee POWERBOMBS DIJAK ON TOP OF COBB after an assisted moonsault! He looks for Feast Your Eyes, but Cobb senses the danger and backs him into the corner. Only problem is, it’s right into Keith Lee’s hands as Limitless just CRACKS Cobb with a punch to the mouth. Keith follows with a pair of double overhand chops, and Dijak tries to follow suit… only for Cobb to MAUL DIJAK IN THE CORNER and Pumphandle Suplex him out of the ring. Keith tries to save his partner, but Cobb SUPLEXES HIM TOO. His nose is busted in the process. He tries tagging in Riddle, but Dijak sweeps Riddle off the apron. Lee POUNCES poor Cobb, and Dijak tags in for a two count. Cobb ducks a Dijak Yakuza Kick, which hits Lee, and he Shoulder Capture Suplexes Dijak INTO Lee in the corner! Riddle finally tags in, and he’s just a house of fire chopping and suplexing everyone in sight! He Gutwrench Suplexes Dijak on top of Lee, and he gets a double Broton for a two count. Riddle hits his Pele on Keith, and he Bro 2 Sleep’s Dijak out of the ring. Lee catches him turning around with a headbutt that folds him up. Keith goes to the top rope for a moonsault, but Cobb catches him on his shoulders for a DOOMSDAY KNEE! Lee kicks out. Riddle got crazy air on that. Cobb hits Tour of the Islands on Keith, but Dijak breaks up the pin as there’s some legal man confusion. Dijak flips out of a Riddle German and superkicks Cobb, but turns around into a knee from Riddle! Lee catches Riddle and clobbers him with a Discus Lariat, and all four men are down. Cobb and Lee go at it until Cobb headbutts him, but he runs into FEAST YOUR EYES from Dijak! SPIRIT BOMB/CHOKEBREAKER FROM LEE AND DIJAK~! RIDDLE KICKS OUT! MOONSAULT FROM LEE! TORNILLO FROM DIJAK! COBB BREAKS IT UP! Lee hits Cobb with a Rolling Elbow and goes up top, but Cobb stops him and THEY HIT THE LAWN DART/KNEE! Chosen Bros pick up the win in a crazy 18 minutes. **** This is one of those matches that I find difficult to type up analysis for. Not because it didn’t have anything to talk about, but because nothing I could really write would add anything to the experience. You look at this match on paper and you anticipate one thing… then you watch it, and it delivers exactly what that one thing is and possibly more. It lived up to the hype and provided one of the most delightfully chaotic experiences I’ve had watching PWG since… well, probably that Lio Rush vs. Keith Lee match a few months ago. It didn’t tell much of a story outside of “these four men are large humans” but it didn’t need to. They all took turns throwing each other around, flying through the air, clobbering each other with every strike they could think of, and just generally giving a masterclass in building a match while also keeping a torrid pace. Lee and Dijak had phenomenal chemistry as partners, which means that even throughout the mile-a-minute environment, everything had remarkable form to it. Not only were these men freakishly athletic, they were also consummate professionals. They can “work”, brother. Not only did we get to see a manic hoss fight, we also got a reason to keep tuning in even after they ramped up the spots. That formula makes for a nearly perfect Pro Wrestling Guerrilla match if I do say so myself.
BOLA First Round: Penta El 0M vs. Matt Sydal
If 2017 has taught me anything, it’s that Japanese jail has turned Matt Sydal into one of the least interesting in-ring performers I’ve seen in some time. His match with Pete Dunne especially was a colossal disappointment, and he hasn’t shown me much in the way of progression since. Bland as he can be though, his opponent in Pentagon is one of the most charismatic men in the wrestling industry.
Sydal counters Cero Miedo with PEACE AND LOVE~! Sydal decides to just kick Penta in the leg, and we’re off. Penta gives him a proper leg kick, but Sydal perseveres and eventually boots him to the outside for a dropkick through the ropes. Penta ain’t having none of that shit, and he just chops Sydal’s chest to bits as he takes him around the ring. Sydal moves on the third one though, and Penta SMACKS HIS HAND off the ringpost, making a disgusting sound before knocking Penta down with a jumping knee. Back in the ring, Sydal heads up top, but jumps right into a Pentagon superkick, but Sydal comes right back with a spinning wheel kick and a sliding Cannonball in the corner. Penta explodes with a pair of Slingblades, getting a two count before Sydal gets his shoulders up. Penta catches a running Sydal and hoists him up for a Gorilla Press Gutbuster! Penta locks on his patented armbreaker, but Sydal armdrags out of it and hits Meteora for a two count. Slice scores for Sydal, but the following standing moonsault only gets knees. He looks for the Shooting Sydal Press, but PENTA KICKS HIM OUT OF MIDAIR~! PUMPHANDLE DRIVER! SYDAL KICKS OUT! FEAR FACTOR… COUNTERED INTO A MODIFIED PUMPHANDLE DRIVER! Penta kicks out this time. Sydal runs right into a Superkick from Penta, but hits a Reverse Rana that Penta botches pretty badly. Penta dodges a Sydal Press though and hits a running Fear Factor to advance in 12 minutes. ***1/4 Hey, color me pleasantly surprised; this was a damn fine little sprint of a match. Everything they did here felt like it was going somewhere, which is the main issue I seem to have with some of Sydal’s most recent work. Everything is mechanically sound, but nothing comes of it. I’m happy to report that there was none of that here, and both men meshed their styles together perfectly. Penta was a really good foil to Sydal, implimenting his gritty core of strikes and power moves to try and nullify Sydal’s athleticism. That gave way to some riveting hope spots and an overall sense of urgency that I felt the match needed and ultimately found. I give Mr. Sydal a hard time, but the guy is obviously an incredibly talented athlete and can show it when he really puts his mind to it. Good stuff here.
BOLA First Round: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jonah Rock
These days it’s very very difficult for PWG to round up a wrestler I’ve never heard of, but their booking of Jonah Rock here certainly filled that void. He’s from a wrestling scene in Australia that is slowly but surely picking up steam in the rest of the world, but he comes into BOLA being one of the most obscure wrestlers they’ve ever put in this high a profile. Not since Adam Thornstowe in 2014 have I had to Google around to get a good idea on who the guy is. But given he’s in PWG, the guy obviously has something to offer… and what better guy to have a great match with than former champion Zack Sabre Jr?
These two have history from their stints in Pro Wrestling NOAH, and their silhouettes could not look any different. Zack tries to get the jump on Jonah early, but Rock’s size is much too overwhelming for that strategy to work. And indeed, Jonah Rock has his way with the former champion early. He doesn’t budge for a diving upprecut, and he follows it up with a nasty Big Kev senton. This man has cultivated some MASS, let me tell ya. Jonah chucks Zack back into the ring finally, but Zack catches him in the ropes and uses that to immediately pounce on the big man’s knee. Pretty much every Jonah Rock comeback is foiled by a simple leg kick. Zack starts toying with the big man, which pisses Jonah off enough that he grabs him by the throat and threatens to punch him. Referee Justin Borden stops the closed fist, which allows Zack to get in an uppercut… only for Jonah to catch him with a big Samoan Drop coming off the ropes. He follows with a stiff kick to the chest and a Vader Bomb for 2. Jonah looks for a Powerbomb, but Zack counters into a Guillotine and later a Kimura. Jonah counters THAT with a nasty Full Nelson/German Suplex combo. Sabre tries an Octopus, but Jonah is able to power out of it. Zack uses that to his advantage and quickly sweeps Jonah’s leg out to prevent more danger. Jonah powers through it and peppers Zack with a few more kicks, but his leg is too worn out to really make the most of them. Zack goads him into throwing one kick too many, and he catches one and attempts a Kneebar. Zack keeps throwing kicks of his own though, but Jonah catches him with a big high cross on a rebound. Zack telegraphs a lariat and rolls into another Kneebar, but Jonah is barely able to struggle to the rope. Zack tries a flying Triangle, but Jonah counters it into a Sky High. Sabre is able to boot his way out of a lariat, but his mouth gets him in trouble as Jonah ends up folding him with a lariat and a HUGE FROG SPLASH! Zack kicks out. Jonah hits a beautiful Brainbuster, but that’s not enough to put the Brit away. Jonah sees no other choice but to head to the top rope for a Moonsault… that misses! PK… BUT JONAH POPS UP AT ONE! FLYING CROSS ARMBREAKER FROM ZACK! ZACK WRENCHES! Jonah Rock taps in 19 minutes. ***1/2 I think this is going to be one of those matches that has a variety of different opinions. I think some will applaud its very cerebral pace and psychology, and some may take issue with the slower pace and gradual build. I think the latter idea definitely has some merit, but for all intents and purposes I thought this was a rock solid piece of wrestling. At its core, this match told a very simple story. Jonah Rock is an enormous person and basically the exact opposite of ZSJ. He prefers brawn over brains and will bludgeon you at the drop of a hat. Zack is about as reliant on technique as one man can be, and that was his only prayer of putting a dent in the monster’s armor. He chopped at Jonah’s leg relentlessly and tried to keep his pace a little faster than he was comfortable with. He wasn’t as equipped to deal with Jonah’s powerful offense as a lot of other wrestlers are, so even the smallest of strikes sent him reeling and gave Jonah ample time to not only recover, but mount some offense on his much quicker opponent. But this is one of those stories of brains defeating brawn, as Zack got his first really dangerous hold on and wasted no time twisting Jonah around to get the hell out of that ring and away from that huge dude who’d been kicking his ass the previous 20 minutes. It’s simple, but it works wonderfully when done well. I’m not sure it was the match I’d have wanted to debut with if I was Jonah Rock, but he got a callback for All Star Weekend, so we’ll get to see more of him thankfully. I liked what I saw and can’t wait to see him blend in with the other different styles PWG can offer.
BOLA First Round: Ricochet vs. Flamita
A fitting main event for the first night of BOLA then, as this ought to be an extraordinary meshing of styles. Like I said in the intro to this review, Flamita is starting to make international waves after he performed so well in the Super Strong Style 16, and there’s no better man to get him acclimated to the wacky world of PWG than Ricochet. Both men share a similar brand of gravity defiance, so it probably isn’t out of line to expect what the match seems to advertise on paper.
Neither man gets the upperhand in the early chain sequences. Ricochet tries to show Flamita his flips, but Flamita one-ups him in spectacular fashion. Ricochet pops Flamita up onto the top rope, but Flamita springboards INTO A FRANKENSTEINER~! Flamita follows immediately with a Tope Con Hilo, and he’s in firm control as they head back into the ring. Ricochet dropkicks Flamita out of mid-Leapfrog and dives out on top of him with a GORGEOUS Tope Suicida and a subsequent Spaceman Plancha. Ricochet hits him with an equally beautiful rolling dropkick in the corner, and kips up immediately after in one fell swoop. Slingshot Dragonrana scores for Flamita who hits a TOP ROPE ASAI MOONSAULT~! Unreal. Tajiri back elbow and a standing SSP get Flamita a two count. Ricochet NECKS poor Flamita with a running Ace Crusher, and a standing Shooter of his own gets a nearfall. Ricochet catches a caught-up Flamita with a Lungblower out of the corner. Flamita hits a crazy Musclebuster into a Lungblower, but that only gets 2. Ricochet counters a C4, but Flamita catches him with a Reverse Rana and finally the C4 for a two count. Ricochet dodges a 450 and is eventually able to starch him with a lariat. Both men work their way to apron and trade various strikes until Ricochet hits a nasty JUMPING NECKBREAKER ON THE APRON. They head back into the ring where Flamita hits a Butterfly Backbreaker before heading up top for a 450. He dislocates his finger on the fall, so Rick Knox pops it back into place! Ricochet dodges a Phoenix Splash and hits a barrage of strikes before hitting his usual suplex combo… into Vertigo! That only gets 2. Flatliner gives Ricochet the win in 20 minutes. **3/4 There were parts of this match that were absolutely breathtaking. Some of the athleticism these two men displayed was so unbelievable that I just shook my head in disbelief. The body control, the coordination and fluidity of these maneuvers is worth a hearty commendation by itself. Flamita can do some utterly unreal things in that ring and it was a pleasure to behold… but as a whole? There were some very glaring flaws that took the match down a few notches. The main issue I have here is that they didn’t really seem to build to anything. It was all just moves without even a loose narrative to give us something to look forward to. I am 100% a supporter of MOVEZ wrestling, but only if I’m rewarded for giving my time to it. Here, I didn’t feel like they gave me much of a “reward” for watching the early moments of their match. You could honestly just rearrange the minutes of this match and I don’t think it would look all that different. That’s why this match didn’t really seem to click with me as a whole, or the crowd as the match wore on. It really gave me that feeling of watching mediocre Lucha in terms of pacing and structure, and I really expected more from this match. That’s not to say I even disliked it; I thought this match was fabulous in a vacuum, assuming you simply look at the acrobatics. But even an easy-to-please PWG mark like me has a few caveats to enjoy wrestling, and this just failed to meet some of them. Your mileage may vary however.
