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Guerrilla Reviewfare: PWG Mystery Vortex IV
Loading...It’s been a hot minute since I’ve visited Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Just like in 2015, the company took an extended break after a gargantuan Battle of Los Angeles weekend that took the wrestling world by storm. It featured one of the finest pro wrestling shows I’ve ever seen in Stage 2, a show featuring TWO very competitive candidates for 2016 Match of the Year in Fenix & Pentagon vs. Heroes Eventually Die and the Superkliq vs. Ricochet, Matt Sydal, & Will Ospreay. To follow it up, PWG decided to end their big year with the fourth edition of Mystery Vortex. For those unfamiliar with the concept, it’s basically a concept only a company like PWG could do; they announce little to no matches, and the audience finds out about the matches as the wrestlers within them come out. It makes for some incredible surprises – like the unbelievable triple threat between Andrew Everett, Trevor Lee, and Cedric Alexander at MV 2 – and it also makes for some of the craziest moments in PWG’s near 14 year history, like 2015’s return and heel turn of one Super Dragon. Will we get anything on that level in the fourth edition? Well, you’re gonna have to find out…
We are TAPED from the American Legion in Reseda, CA.
Your hosts are Excalibur and the usual gang.
Trent? vs. Candice LeRae
What a delightfully odd matchup to get things underway. We haven’t seen Candice since 2015, while Trent has gone under the radar in PWG in 2016 with some outstanding efforts against Chris Hero, Drew Galloway, and the famed “Best Friends Don’t Need Rules” match against Chuck Taylor. Given the crowd’s ever-present love for Candice and Trent’s wacky personality, this is a prime choice for an opener.
Trent isn’t all too happy to have to wrestle a woman, and he lets go of a wristlock to go outside and contemplate his lot in life. Candice grabs a headlock, and Trent softly sets her on the top rope instead of getting too violent… but if only for a moment, as he bodyslams her with authority. He immediately feels bad for doing so, but Candice gives him a hearty slap and comes down on him outside with the Tope DDT. Candice attempts to keep her momentum going outside, but Trent catches a running boot and POWERBOMBS HER ON THE APRON. Trent has it out with Legion Larry, who takes his jacket off and TRIES TO BLIND HIM WITH A FLASHLIGHT. Candice uses this to try a small package, but Trent kicks out and lariats her out of her boots. Trent follows right up with a gordbuster on the top rope for a 2 count. Trent goes up to the second rope after thwarting a Candice comeback, but Candice sweeps her leg and sends him crashing back down to the mat. She keeps her comeback rolling with the Violence Party, but Trent bursts out of the corner with a Sexy Chuckie Knee that folds the former tag champ. Trent tries to spear her into the corner, but Candice dodges and Trent goes CRASHING into the post and down to the floor. Candice heads up top and dives off onto Trent in the second row. Candice brings him back into the ring and attempts another crossbody, but Trent rolls through… only for Candice to hit a Reverse Rana! Trent kicks out. Trent crumbles Candice with a chop… so Candice spits in his face and puts in an Octopus Hold… LA MISTICA INTO GARGA-NO ESCAPE! John-Boy’s move is thwarted as Trent gets to the bottom rope. Candice looks for the Balls-Plex, but Trent counters by ENDING HER WITH A WHEELBARROW SUPLEX! Trent looks for an Avalanche Splash Mountain, but Candice counters with a Super Frankensteiner! BALLSPLEX! TRENT KICKS OUT! GARGA-NO ESCAPE! TRENT COUNTERS INTO A PACKAGE TOMBSTONE! CANDICE KICKS OUT! DUDEBUSTER! Trent puts Candice away in an awesome 13 minutes. ***1/2 As expected, these two dished out a tremendously fun opener that again validates my claim that Trent Beretta might be the most underrated wrestler on the indy circuit today. Candice – as ever – played the underdog babyface expertly, using her comebacks well in the context of the match as Trent hummed and hawed about the moralistic consequences of beating up a woman. Instead of playing the victim, she used that to her advantage and made an unsure Trent have to work extra hard to put his much smaller opponent away. Say what you will about intergender wrestling – I personally don’t mind it at all – but Candice LeRae is one woman who does it correctly every time out. Add that on with a very game Trent, and you’ve got one of the more entertaining opening matches PWG has seen in a while.
ACH vs. Trevor Lee
A part of the ever-growing list of wrestlers jumping off of the ROH bow, ACH left in late 2016 after generally treading water since his 2012 debut. He’s been one of the most consistently fun parts of their shows, but for whatever reason, the monkeys in charge never found him fit for a push that amounted to more than a house show semi-main or two. Although I guess it is quite difficult to be surprised by a company that values guys like Mike Bennett and Cody Rhodes or BULL DEMPSEY over guys like ACH or Donovan Dijak. Trevor Lee is… well, Trevor Lee, and it’s not like TNA uses him that much better if we’re being truthful about things, so let’s call it a wash. This will be the first time we’ve seen ACH in a PWG ring in almost two years after his last few matches ended up being pretty mediocre unfortunately, but leaving ROH did wonders for Cedric Alexander so who knows?
TNA Superstar Trevor Lee attacks ACH before the bell, but ACH manages to recover and give Trevor a little bit of comeuppance… before Trevor heaves him face-first into the second turnbuckle to resume his control. ACH battles back once more and is able to lock on a Muta Lock, forcing Lee to find the ropes to stop the pain. Lee reciprocates with some chops, but ACH takes advantage of some classic cockiness before giving him a chop to the nether regions. ACH tries to keep the train rolling, but Trevor halts that business with a nasty Uranage. ACH puts his foot on the bottom turnbuckle to stop himself from sliding before pushing off to kick a charging Trevor Lee, finally creating some separation after a few minutes of turmoil. ACH follows up with a big lariat and a deadlift German for a nearfall. They fight over a suplex until ACH withdraws, only for Trevor to starch him with a Nakamura-esque Superman Elbow. Trevor Lee throws a Matt Hardy comeback sequence out, but ACH gets out of the Twist of Fate, sending Trevor to the floor for a NASTY PK from the apron… ala Trevor Lee! Slingshot Ace Crusher scores back inside the ring for an ACH nearfall. Trevor dodges a top rope move from ACH, hitting him on the rebound with the big standing Mushroom Stomp for 2. ACH counters another Superman Elbow with a Codebreaker to get a nearfall of his own. Trevor shitcans ACH and hits HIS PK from the apron, before rolling ACH back in the ring for a middle rope Twist of Fate! A Swanton Bomb eats knees, but the follow up Schoolboy can’t get the duke. ACH hits the Stunner and a Brainbuster, but Trevor doesn’t stay down. ACH misses a 450, but recovers for a high cross… THAT TREVOR COUNTERS WITH THE MOONSAULT CROSSBODY! God’s Last Gift gives Trevor the win in 14 minutes. *** It wasn’t the blowaway effort I think ACH would have liked to have considering the circumstances, but even so this ended up being a pretty neat little undercard match. They worked a pretty simple match, but the charisma of both men meant that they kept the crowd the entire way through and built to a nice little finishing stretch with an unbelievable closing sequence that beautifully built right to the finish. So while selfishly, yes I would have liked a wacky spotfest, you can’t go wrong with a match like this early on your card.
Pete Dunne vs. Matt Sydal
By now, most reading this are aware of Pete Dunne and just how outstanding he is at this pro wrestling thing, so I won’t bore you with pointless exposition. I am a bit disappointed in his mystery opponent though, as Sydal has never been a favorite of mine as a singles performer. And come on, any guy who manages to make a Best Friends episode suck should be treated with disdain. Although I guess the novelty of him being here is his recent release from Japanese holding after getting busted entering with THC oil, so it’s understandable.
Excalibur, our ring announcer for the evening, introduces Reborn… RELEASED Matt Sydal in a fantastic moment. Rick Knox pats Sydal down before the match, as one does. Sydal uses his speed early on to thwart some Pete Dunne holds, but dares to celebrate that fact, so Dunne bites his fingers. Sydal battles back with a nice snap Frankensteiner and a Slice for an early nearfall. Dunne perseveres and necks Sydal with a middle rope DDT, but Sydal defiantly eats a few slaps and blows an imaginary tree before smacking him right back. Sydal won’t go up for a Romero Special, so Dunne manipulates and fish-hooks anything he can find instead. Dunne catches a Spinning Wheel Kick and counters it nicely into a Back Suplex before going to work on Sydal’s arm. Dunne gets a bit lackadaisical messing around with the fans, which earns him a spin kick to the face from Sydal. Sydal sweeps a Dunne boot and hits his standing moonsault for a nearfall, followed by a rolling lariat for 2. Dunne catches a Tornado DDT and turns it into a release suplex for a 2 count of his own. Sydal counters The Bitter End with a knee, and counters another one beautifully into a DDT. Sydal hits Meteora for a nearfall. I’ll never understand how high flyers can do that move regularly. Dunne shakes off a few kicks and goes wild with a barrage of forearms, followed by an enzuigiri. Sydal tries a Moonsault Press, but Dunne counters into a Tombstone for a nearfall. Sydal finds a KENDO STICK somewhere and hits Dunne with it, but a Shooting Sydal Press gets knees… only for Sydal to counter a Release Suplex into a Hurricanrana for 2. Sydal goes up top again, but Dunne elbows him out of mid-air and hits The Bitter End for a nearfall. Sydal hits a SWEET step-up reverse rana and goes up top again, but again Dunne is able to buy himself some time. Dunne attempts a Superplex, but Sydal HITS AN AVALANCHE REVERSE RANA! Shooting Sydal Press gives Matt the win in 17 minutes. **1/2 This is one of those matches that just didn’t have enough of a build or structure to it to maintain my interest the whole way through. Dunne is always fantastic working guys over in heat segments, but Sydal’s explosiveness and urgency in his comebacks sorely lacked and made for an apathetic match as a whole. This match was frustrating at times even, because Dunne was so good in the slower moments that not getting a payoff to that was quite disheartening. Sure, a lot of it is probably ring rust on Sydal’s part, but he’s still one of those guys who’s always worked better in a tag team where his partner can patch up his singles “flaws” and leave him to use his strengths. You can’t win ‘em all, I suppose.
Death By Elbow vs. reDRagon
This is pretty much the unofficial farewell for one Chris Hero, who re-signed with WWE shortly after this match. And as a last match? Kind of underwhelming. I don’t dislike JT Dunn, and I’ve liked his efforts alongside Hero in PWG as matches. But he’s so far and away the weak link of the team that it feels like you could put any small indy guy in that role and they’d do the same job. He’s just another generic indy guy with a crappy man bun rather than somebody who genuinely complements Hero in a way that adds anything unique to a wrestling match. He’s a spoke on the wheel – and a serviceable one, mind you – but he just doesn’t work for me as someone I care to see in anything more than one or two PWG matches tops. With that being said, just based on pure talent alone, this ought to be worthwhile.
Dunn and Fish start things off, but Dunn doesn’t get far before he has to withdraw due to a stiff Bobby Fish leg kick. Dunn sprawls on a Fish takedown attempt and we get a fun grappling exchange on the mat, where Fish comes out on top after nearly getting in a guillotine. Dunn throws a weak leg kick, so Bobby calls him out on it and gives him a free shot… only for Dunn to outsmart him and crumble him with a shot to the face. Fish reminds him from the outside before yelling at a fan, but Good Guy Bob Fish apologizes before heading back inside. Fish ain’t playing around either, as he SPIKES Dunn on the top of his head with an arm wrench in an awesome spot. He promptly tags in Kyle O’Reilly, and Dunn circles with him a bit before tagging in Hero. The crowd goes INSANE for Hero, knowing this is his last match. Sure would have loved to see another match with him and O’Reilly in 2016 since their match way back at ELEVEN in 2014 was such a colossal disappointment. Hero stays upright despite a couple O’Reilly shoulderblocks, much to the chagrin of the former PWG champ. A frustrated Kyle demands Hero hit the ropes and hits him with one, only for O’Reilly to dodge a cheap Mafia Kick from Hero before hitting one of his own. Kyle tries to catch an early cross armbreaker, but Hero rolls to the rope before any real damage is done. Bobby Fish tags in, and after some initial resistance, they’re able to neutralize him with stereo armbreakers and kicks to the chest. This little spat between Fish and Dunn in this match is quite fun. O’Reilly tags back in and keeps after Hero’s arm, but Hero is able to strike his way out of Dodge. Kyle’s speed is able to keep him at bay, until Dunn comes in to give O’Reilly a stiff elbow that breaks up a guillotine. Fish eats an elbow of his own, and Dunn tags in proper to give Hero a bit of a break. Dunn works over Fish methodically before tagging Hero back in for a sweet assisted falling senton that sends Fish outside. Hero measures for a dive, slithering outside before folding Fish up on the floor with a slap. Hero taunts both members of reDRagon he works Fish over, cornering Bobby and starching him with a pair of elbows. Hero looks for the release suplex, but Fish counters with a suplex of his own. Dunn tags in and is barely able to prevent the O’Reilly tag, but he ends up rolling into a Samoan Drop counter from Fish, who’s finally able to tag Kyle! Kyle is a house of fire, knocking Hero off the apron and overwhelming Dunn with a strike combo. He puts Dunn in a kneebar right out of a back suplex in an awesome spot, but Dunn finds the bottom rope. Kyle goes back after the arm before hitting a German Suplex, but Dunn rolls right into an Ace Crusher. Hero tags in, hits a rolling Mafia Kick, and flops on top of him with a senton. reDRagon chops the big man down with a barrage of kicks, eventually crumbling him with stereo kicks to the back and torso of Hero. Hero crumbles Fish with a bicycle knee, but Fish fights back by suplexing Dunn into Hero, covering Hero for a nearfall. Bobby Fish tries an avalanche Exploder on Dunn, but Hero electric chair’s Fish out of it, hitting the Electric Chair Elbow before Dunn comes down with a double stomp to the back for a two count. Kyle resurfaces, and things soon break down into a four way strike exchange that ends with everyone down in the ring. reDRagon focuses in on Dunn, hitting the Decapitation for a nearfall. Hero rumbles back in before HITTING AN ELBOW CHASING THE DRAGON! Kyle kicks out. That was a great spot. Death By Elbow has it handled, elbowing the hell out of Fish and O’Reilly at will, but stereo Cyclone Kills are countered into stereo Backslides, Dunn and Hero recover, grabbing O’Reilly and sandwiching him with elbows… only for Fish to grab Dunn as O’Reilly nearly steals the win with a Victory Roll. That earns Kyle a Piledriver, but he counters a Cradle Piledriver into a Guillotine! Dunn tries to break it again with an elbow, but Fish blindsides him with a Rear Naked Choke! Dunn’s out, and reDRagon hits Chasing The Dragon on Hero, followed by a Cross Armbreaker that gives reDRagon the win in 27 minutes. *** It’s been a very long time since we’ve had to deal with a slightly dull, overlong Chris Hero match, so in a way this is a nice bit of nostalgia… but this just did not click all the way. I quite liked the opening minutes though, with Dunn playing a fun psuedo-villain against Bobby Fish, frustrating him and overall giving the opening half a nice little narrative to play off of. That was a welcome change of pace for Dunn who – as I mentioned in my intro – is a bit lost in the shuffle in these Death By Elbow matches. But here, I quite liked his contributions on the whole. Everything else? A bit of a slog to get through, I’m afraid. They worked this with a slugfest state of mind, which is admirable and surely would work to everyone’s strengths on paper. But unfortunately, all four seemed to forget to complement that with the urgency and intensity that makes such a match effective. The crowd tried to stay with them, but the lack of substance down the stretch pretty much forced them to quiet down, and it’s hard to blame them. It’s rare for me to see a match that starts out so strong and peters out, but this bucked that trend and ended up quite the disappointment, especially considering this is the last time we’ll see Chris Hero in PWG for (hopefully) a very long time. But when you take into account the last two years of his career and how unbelievably outstanding he’s been, I won’t dwell on it too hard. The guy’s off nights are still more than serviceable, as this match still had a lot of positive aspects to it.
Adam Cole vs. Chuck Taylor
Chuckie T has found himself on quite the roll this year after his down year in 2015, having fun match after fun match and consistently being the most over babyface on the PWG roster. Adam Cole hasn’t really impressed me on that level since returning unfortunately, but given the pairing here, I can’t imagine a disappointing affair.
Chuck is very happy upon learning that this is a Number One Contender match, prancing around to the ring to his heart’s delight. Excalibur announces Adam Cole as 1186 pounds obviously, but Cole’s distaste for the truth forces him to run over to the announce table and take it up with Excalibur. Chuckie follows Cole and holds him so Excalibur can TICKLE HIM~! Excalibur throws a right hand, sending Cole off the stage so Chuckie can dive onto him! Chuckie heads back to the ring, hitting the huge Tope Atomico that appears to have murdered young Adam Cole. But he’s playing possum, which backfires as he runs into a Chuck Taylor boot. He manages to get some sort of offensive momentum by spraying Chuckie with something. Dave Meltzer is GRINNING as this debacle goes down, the prick. Back in the ring, Cole finally musters up the will to take his shirt off, but his overbearing insecurity forces him to demand that Rick Knox tells him he’s beautiful. Knox remains impartial, being the professional he is. Chuck runs into a Bicycle Kick and an Ushigoroshi for a two count. Cole picks up the pace a bit with the running chinlock, as the wrestling world breaks apart. Cole throws out a Here Comes The Pain before attempting an F5, but Chuckie counters into a pair of DDTs! Cole counters out of a third one after Chuckie proclaims how great he is at the art of DDT’ing, but Chuckie is eventually able to hit the hat trick. Chuck hits Sole Food, but Cole shakes it off and superkicks him… before running into a Falcon Arrow! Cole kicks out much to the chagrin of Excalibur and the wrestling world. Chuckie goes up top, but jumps right into a superkick and the following Shining Wizard. Cole looks for Panama Sunrise, but his taunting earns him an ISLAND DRIVER! Cole kicks out. Chuckie looks for the Awful Waffle, but Cole counters out and hits an Enzuigiri and another Shining Wizard, followed by the Florida Key for a two count! Chuckie dodges a superkick, but eats a low blow and a Panama Sunrise… but Chuckie kicks out! Cole threatens to make Chuckie suck his dick… BUT CHUCK BITES IT! AWFUL WAFFLE! CHUCKIE IS NUMBER ONE CONTENDER! The crowd loses its MIND as Chuck Taylor picks up the win in 11 minutes! ***1/2 This was just as fun as it looked on paper, with the added element of Chuck Taylor being the biggest babyface on the PWG roster. They largely kept the comedy to a minimum after the wacky start, opting to work a simple wrestling match that was able to incorporate each personality in a way that ended up clicking on all fronts. Unfortunately, the crowd seemed a bit too reserved for this to fully have the impact I’d have wanted, but the match was still incredibly enjoyable for what it was and the work was rock solid despite the audience. But with that said. the pop for Chuck Taylor winning was unbelievable and while I’ll talk about it at length in the review of the show, the only thing to follow that would have been a title win which unfortunately failed to happen. So hey, this was a good kick in the ass for a show that desperately needed it, and color me hyped for the Sabre vs. Taylor match at the next show!
The Young Bucks vs. Jeff Cobb & Matt Riddle
If I recall correctly, this originally appeared to be Jeff Cobb vs. Matt Riddle, but the Bucks showed up and put a stop to that business, making this a non-title match against the super team of Riddle and Cobb. This is one of those situations that PWG excels at creating, making a match that you really wouldn’t be able to see anywhere else just for the sake of having it. You can see Cobb vs. Riddle other places, but there’s a good chance you won’t see them teaming up against the Young Bucks anywhere else. What’s not to love?
Jeff Cobb looks to be building some more muscle, and it scares me in a way I don’t think I’m comfortable divulging on a wrestling review. Riddle and Nick Jackson start things off, and Riddle has the immediate advantage with his grappling. Riddle has the striking edge too, combining that with the grappling to completely school Nick on all fronts. Nick has enough and tags Matt in, prompting Riddle to tag Cobb. Cobb just RAGDOLLS the Bucks around at will, barely breaking a sweat throwing them to and fro. Riddle and Cobb take teams working Matt over, but Matt gives chase and walks Riddle right into a a Nick Jackson apron superkick! Cobb eats the headscissor/dropkick from the Bucks, before the Chosen Bros eat the stereo Terminator dives ala Kenny Omega. They try stereo Big Kev apron Powerbombs, but Nick has issues with getting Jeff Cobb in the air. They eventually team up and get it done, despite almost nearly murdering the man. The Bucks take Matt Riddle over, working over his bare feet. It makes me miss Speedball Mike Bailey. Nick holds Riddle’s left foot so Matt can SUPERKICK it in a hilariously awesome spot. Matt puts in a Sharpshooter of all things, but it makes psychological sense so hey. The Bucks provoke Cobb, using the referee distraction to keep control. Riddle is able to take Nick out momentarily, but the Bucks’ teamwork proves superior as Matt sweeps Jeff Cobb off the apron as Riddle tries to tag. Nick uses that distraction to reintroduce himself with a slingshot X-Factor, but Riddle fights back with a Pele, eventually tagging Cobb back in. Cobb effortlessly tosses the Bucks about, bringing Riddle back in for a tandem corner attack, followed by a Broton from Riddle. Matt gets out of a Cobb suplex and tags Nick in, who manages to run wild on both men… only for Riddle to counter an Ace Crusher BY THROWING HIM INTO A COBB GERMAN! Cobb eats a double superkick, but Riddle catches a Nick superkick, only to get leg-sweeped and get PUMMELED with Early Onset Alzheimer’s! They hit the enzuigiri/Buckle Bomb, followed by the Cannonball/Dropkick combo… topped off by the tandem Swanton on the ropes! Cobb breaks up the pinfall and throws Nick to the apron, only to get bridged out and moonsaulted upon! Nick taunts on the apron, and Riddle’s jumping knee knocks him to the floor! Matt eats one of his own, but counters a Bro to Sleep! HEADBUTTS FROM COBB! DOUBLE SUPERKICK FROM THE BUCKS! DOUBLE LARIAT FROM COBB! BROMISSION ON MATT! NICK BREAKS! Both Matt’s trade strikes in the center of the ring as their partners recover, and they rise to their feet before Riddle eats a Too Sweet to the eyes! Riddle eats a superkick, but Cobb tags in and HITS A POP UP TOUR OF THE ISLANDS… NO, NICK SUPERKICKS HIM OUT OF IT! SUPERKICKS… COUNTERED TO STEREO ANKLE LOCKS! NICK GRABS THE REF AS MATT TAPS! The Bucks counter out so Matt can hit both Cobb and Riddle low, with Nick distracting Borden! They blow the kiss to Dave Meltzer for a MELTZER DRIVER ON JEFF COBB! RIDDLE CATCHES MATT IN MID AIR WITH THE BRO TO SLEEP! DOUBLE GERMAN FROM COBB ON THE BUCKS! BRO TO SLEEP ON MATT! TOUR OF THE ISLANDS~! Jeff Cobb and Matt Riddle beat the Young Bucks in 19 minutes! **** Had these four been in front of a livelier Reseda crowd – a phrase I can’t believe I’m uttering – we’d be talking an even higher rating for this one if you can believe it. This is one of the Young Bucks’ best matches ever in terms of working with a story through the whole match, weaving in different narratives as the intensity grew, and overall making Cobb and Riddle’s win have an even greater impact in the context of the match. The Bucks were overmatched from the beginning, with both brothers getting completely tooled in every facet of the earlygoings. Nick got massacred as Riddle had his way with him on the ground, while both Bucks failed miserably trying to match up to Jeff Cobb’s power. So they went with what they knew best; sneaky teamwork, cheating, and speed. And it worked for them at multiple points. They were able to use Justin Borden to their advantage, distracting him just long enough for a low blow or two and nearly getting the Meltzer Driver on Cobb. But the pure skill of both Cobb and Riddle proved too much for the champions, as they lost decisively to the better team. It’s a simple story, but one these four men told magnificently. Blend that with the trademark spot madness of a Young Bucks match, and you have a recipe for an outstanding tag team match. A complete and absolute success in every way, a match I desperately wish was performed in front of a livelier audience.
PWG World Title: Zack Sabre Jr. © vs. Marty Scurll
This of course is the title shot Marty Scurll earned by winning the Battle of Los Angeles, and on paper it’s a barnstormer. Both guys are unbelievable technical wrestlers, have wrestled millions of times before, and have the main event slot of a PWG show. They have encountered each other once before in a PWG ring, in a very fun match at BOLA 2015 that had a bit more comedy than some would have liked. But here, I’m willing to bet we’re getting a serious encounter, and that’s something I highly look forward to.
You can probably guess how this one starts out, given both men’s uncanny stylistic resemblance to New Jack. They start introducing strikes about 4 minutes in, trading headbutts and leg kicks after the grappling largely ends up a stalemate. Sabre BEAUTIFULLY rolls into a Disarmer, but Marty counters out and narrowly avoids a PK. That was a tremendous sequuence. Dave Meltzer marks out over it big time in the background, so you know it was neat. Marty takes over tentatively, but Sabre is able to break free and uppercut Marty out of his shoes. Marty recovers quickly and smacks Zack’s leg on the ring apron, so Zack loses his temper and stomps his arm on the apron. Scurll goes after Zack’s arm himself, slapping him down and stomping the arm as they head back into the ring. Zack counters out and scissors Marty’s head with his feet, TWISTING his neck around in a nasty spot. Marty looks for the Romero Special, and eventually locks it in after some heavy resistance, ROLLING AROUND with it even. He turns it into a Dragon Sleeper, but Zack CRAVATS OUT OF IT AND WRENCHES HIS ARM! This match is unbelievably awesome already. Zack uses his speed to nearly win with a bridging Schoolboy, but a dazed Marty is able to kick out. Zack keeps at Marty’s arm using his feet, but Marty resorts to grabbing the nose to get out of harm’s way. Marty goes back after the arm himself, finally able to withstand a Zack counter to get some momentum going. Zack counters out of a Cravat, rolling into a wristlock, but Marty simply elbows him down to escape danger. He ties Zack in a knot with a submission, but Zack slithers out again and puts in a ridiculous leg and arm trap submission. I LOVE the improvisational submissions he pulls out. Makes it feel a lot less rehearsed. Marty battles back with some defiant slaps, which Sabre responds to with a trio of lifters. Marty goes after Zack’s eyes, which prompts a hilarious “Fuck You” from the champ. Scurll puts in an inverted Gory Special, walking him to the top rope for a Superplex! Marty nearly kills Zack with an arm wringer, before kicking him from the apron to follow up. Zack nearly gets the win after a Sunset Flip, but Scurll adjusts and hits a Last Ride for a two count. Marty measures for the Chickenwing, but telegraphs it too much to get it in, finding himself in an Octopus Hold immediately thereafter. Zack hits a Pele to the arm and a Half Nelson Suplex, followed by a Dragon Suplex for a two count. Marty is able to grab the finger, but Zack is able to wiggle out… only to be caught in a Chickenwing! Zack resists heavily, getting to the ropes… before HITTING A STEP UP RANA INTO A CROSS ARMBREAKER~! Marty counters into a Schoolboy for a close nearfall. Never seen Zack do that before. Zack scouts the Just Kidding Superkick and nearly gets the win with the European Clutch, but Marty counters into a Chickenwing! Zack is able to get to the ropes. They trade uppercuts and chops until Marty finally hits the Just Kidding Superkick to the knee, but he runs into a kick to the arm from Sabre, who follows up with another Half Nelson Suplex… only for Marty to fight back with a Brainbuster! Zack gets too cute being defiant and gets his fingers snapped, but ZACK HITS A LIGER BOMB INTO A BUTTERFLY LOCK! MARTY COUNTERS INTO A SUNSET FLIP FOR 2! Zack hits Bloody Sunday and hits a PK, but Marty kicks out again. They trade some more strikes, and ZACK CRUMBLES MARTY WITH A SLAP! Zack looks for the Octopus Hold again, but MARTY COUNTERS IT INTO A TOMBSTONE~! RUNNING LIFTER FROM ZACK COUNTERED INTO A CHICKENWING… COUNTERED INTO A EUROPEAN CLUTCH! MARTY KICKS OUT! FINGER SNAP CROSS ARMBREAKER FROM SCURLL~! COUNTERED INTO A CRADLE FOR 2! CHICKENWING BUMPS RICK KNOX! KNOX EATS A KICK! BUTTERFLY SLAM! Rick Knox is dead in the corner, and the crowd asks for Justin Borden as Hell freezes over. Marty grabs the umbrella, but decides against using it. He goes backstage to grab the title belt, but Sabre uppercuts it out of his hands! Zack picks it up, and Justin Borden comes in to stop him! MARTY THROWS POWER IN ZACK’S EYES! SMALL PACKAGE! ZACK KICKS OUT! VILLAIN~! MARTY WALKS INTO A TRIANGLE! RIGHT INTO A RINGS OF SATURN WITH THE LEG! Zack Sabre Jr retains the title in 37 minutes. ****1/4 An absolute barnburner of a technical wrestling match, one that’s bound to be an underrated gem in PWG’s history considering how low-key the coverage for this show has been. The opening 15 minutes of this match were just unbelievable. We’ve all seen Zack Sabre Jr. wrestle a million times, do a million wacky holds, and use a million wacky counters. But STILL, after all these years, he manages to make me drop my jaw in awe at the ease with which he is able to do the most complex things. Even the most tentative of moments in this match had a sense of urgency and competition to it. He and Marty were so evenly matched early on that they wrestled a smooth back and forth match, with both men seemingly using the smallest openings of each other’s bodies to come out on top, even if only for a moment. I love a wrestling match that can convincingly pull off a back-and-forth story without no-selling or loss of credibility, and these two men were excellent in that regard. Eventually though, Marty figured out he was a bit outclassed in the grappling department, so he knew his only chance was what brought him to the change; his villainy! He threw cheap strikes, went at Sabre’s nose, eyes, and anything he could to muster up an advantage. He even pulled out the powder of all things after a ref bump, his umbrella and title belt tactics rendered useless. But in the end, he just wasn’t the wrestler Zack Sabre Jr. was, and he lost to the better man. There’s a reason Zack’s the champion, and his storyline in this match told that wonderfully. I do think the ref bump kind of killed the blow of the match, as it was getting going fantastically before Rick Knox went down. I understand WHY it happened and it made storyline sense, but I’m not sure it was done at the right time. But that’s a nitpick, as it still lead to a fun old school heel spot with the powder, but that’s what keeps it from MOTYC status I’m afraid. But everything else? A total show-stealer of a match and one of the finest singles matches in PWG in all of 2016. Thumbs way, way up.
Marty grabs the title off of Zack’s shoulders, but puts it back on himself.
Cut to Chuck Taylor facing off in the ring with Zack Sabre Jr, our main event for the next show. They do a fake staredown as the show fades out, Zack still champion.
