Hello Fightful! As always, I?m KOSS, and I?m here to deliver a double shot of PWG, with All Star Weekend 14! These two shows are taking place on 4/20 and 4/21, and are two of the last three shows taking place in the infamous Legion Hall in Reseda. It?s bittersweet to see PWG leave that grimy old building. A lot of PWG?s best moments ever have taken place inside there, but, at the same time, it feels right for PWG to finally move on up to a bigger, better venue. And their seeming new venue, the Globe Theater in Los Angeles, is certainly a step up, as seen from the preview from their first show there, Time is a Flat Circle. It?ll be sad when May 25th rolls around and PWG says goodbye to their home for the last decade, but it?s also an exciting new chapter in PWG?s history that I can?t wait to dive head first into.
With the sentimentality out of the way, let?s talk about these All Star Weekend 14! I?ll be cutting the preview into two articles, just for the sake of convenience. As for these shows, there will be returns, some debuts, two title matches, and a lot of very interesting match-ups! So let?s get right into it!
All Star Weekend 14, Night One
4/20/18
Match #1: Trevor Lee vs. Rey Horus
I?m glad to see Trevor Lee back. This is his first PWG appearance since night one of All Star Weekend 13, where he wrestled Joey Janela in a totally solid, if uneventul, match. I think that it was good for Lee to be off the shows for a few months, as his shtick started to run together with me after a while. Not that he is bad; not at all, Trevor is an incredible wrestler. But you can only see him sneak attack someone during the intros so many times. I think spending a few months away will freshen him up, and lead to a little more interest. And as for his opponent, Rey Horus is one of the most criminally underrated wrestlers PWG brings in. His last match in PWG was at Time is a Flat Circle, against Joey Janela. Before that was a pair of Triple Threats at Nights One and Two of All Star Weekend 13, against Sammy Guevara and Flamita, and Trent? And Matt Sydal respectively. This should be a totally solid, fun match, with Trevor looking to ground Horus?s flashy, high flying style.
My pick to win: With this being Trevor?s first match in PWG in about 5 months, and with him being a bigger name in PWG than Horus, I expect Trevor Lee to pick up the win here.
Match #2: Jonah Rock vs. Joey Janela
This is probably the biggest clash of styles on the whole weekend. On one side, you have Joey Janela; a certifiable madman that will jump or fall off of anything, onto anyone. He smokes, he bends the rules, and he has a general disregard for his own safety, as all bad boys should. And on the other side, you have Jonah Rock; a massive Australian beast, with a vast array of suplexes and stiff strikes, with a surprising amount of athleticism to boot. Joey?s been at every PWG show since his debut in the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles, with his opponents ranging from Sammy Guevara to Marty Scurll, Flash Morgan Webster to Trevor Lee, and even the ROH World Champion himself, Dalton Castle. Jonah made his PWG debut in the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles as well, falling to the 2018 New Japan Cup winner, Zack Sabre, Jr. Since then, he?s wrestled Adam Brookes, Keith Lee, and Jeff Cobb. I think that this will be a really, really fun match, with Joey desperately flinging himself at the much larger Rock to try and bring the behemoth down. It should be a really uniquely wrestled match, and I can?t wait to see it.
My pick to win: Jonah is heading into a PWG World Championship match in the main event of the second night, and a win over the Bad Boy builds momentum. I feel very confident that Rock will pick up the victory.
Match #3: Violence Unlimited (Tyler Bateman and Brody King) vs. RINGKAMPF (WALTER and Timothy Thatcher)
Remember when I said that Jonah Rock and Joey Janela was probably the biggest style clash of the weekend? This match is the reason i put a probably in there, because I quite frankly have zero idea how this match could play out. RINGKAMPF is a pretty big departure from most tag teams, showing no-nonsense, and focusing on grappling, suplexes and striking. And when it comes to Violence Unlimited??..well, I know absolutely nothing. I first heard of Tyler Bateman when PWG announced him, and after a little bit of googling, he apparently has a demented magician kind of gimmick, and is a SoCal guy, trained at the same school as people like Eli Everfly and Jake Atlas. I think this match?s quality will really depend on how Violence Unlimited mesh with RINGKAMPF, which, I have to be quite honest, I don?t see, simply with how RINGKAMPF?s style is. I hope that isn?t the case, as I?d like to see Violence Unlimited do well. I?m hoping for the best, and expecting the worst on this one. And that is not a knock on any of these four wrestlers, I just don?t see their styles mixing at all.
My pick to win: The PWG Law of Debuts states: ?No Wrestler Shall Win In His Debut Match With The Promotion,? That will continue here, and RINGKAMPF will get a win over the debuting team.
Match #4: Sammy Guevara vs. Flash Morgan Webster vs. Robbie Eagles
No company does a triple threat quite like PWG! This should be a very fun one, with some eclectic personalities. I think Sammy Guevara is fantastic as a smarmy, douchey heel, and he backs it up with some very fun matches, with his last match in PWG against REY FENIX at Mystery Vortex V being an extremely fun, high flying spectacle. Flash is also a fun wrestler, with a lot of unique and fun offense. His comedy with his big helmet is relatively funny and not at all overbearing or long winded, and he can back it up by delivering consistently fun matches. And making his PWG debut as well here is another Australian star, Robbie Eagles. Eagles is a name that I?ve seen pop up as someone who would be a great fit for PWG. Eagles has been a name in the Australian Independent Scene for a while now, most prominently wrestling for PWG (Professional Wrestling Alliance), where he is a former World Champion. This should be a really fun, fast paced triple threat with lots of high flying.
My pick to win: Guevara has won most of his matches in PWG. In fact, his only loss comes from Jeff Cobb in the second round of the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles. I think that Guevara is being built towards an eventual PWG Title match against Keith Lee. So I think Guevara picks up another win here, most likely pinning the debuting Eagles.
Match #5: Bandido vs. Taiji Ishimori
I was SHOCKED when PWG announced Taiji Ishimori for these shows. Ishimori is someone I?ve followed for a while, in Pro Wrestling NOAH, as well as in sporadic New Japan Pro-Wrestling appearances. Ishimori?s a 3x GHC (NOAH?s version of New Japan?s IWGP. It stands for Global Honored Crown.) Junior Heavyweight Champion, as well as a former TNA X-Division Champion, and a 6x GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. He competed in New Japan?s 2016 Super Junior Tag Tournament, reaching the finals with ACH, before falling to Roppongi Vice. It?s really cool to see a journeyman, 15 year vet like Ishimori make his way to PWG, as PWG usually goes for younger guys, like a Sammy Guevara, Robbie Eagles, Will Ospreay, ect. But I can?t complain. Ishimori?s opponent here is Bandido, who made his PWG debut at Time is a Flat Circle, in a Tag Team match against Zachary Wentz and Dezmond Xavier, teaming with Flamita. By all accounts, the match was incredibly fun, and Bandido got a great reaction, and performed spectacularly. This should be a super fun match, and it?s one I?m super excited to see.
My pick to win: Even though he?s making his debut, I think I?m going to go with Ishimori here, as he?s the more established veteran. Also, I think it will be a bigger deal when he wrestles his opponent on the next night, who I think Ishimori will lose to.
Match #6: Hangman Adam Page vs. PWG World Champion Keith Lee (Non-Title)
In my review for Mystery Vortex V, I said that Keith Lee was a future PWG World Champion. And three months later, here we are, with Keith Lee as our PWG World Champion. Lee as Champion is an awesome move, as he?s one of the most unique wrestlers around right now, being able to mix brutal hoss fighting tactics with power moves with absolutely insane athletic ability. Lee?s one of my favorites today, and it?s awesome to see him get PWG?s biggest prize in just about a year since his debut, at last March?s Nice Boys (Don?t Play Rock n? Roll), in a triple threat against Brian Cage and Sami Callihan, Speaking of, how awesome is it to not have to see Sami and the Crists in PWG anymore? They were stinking up PWG shows with mediocre matches, and I?m glad to see that it appears their tenure has come to an end. Now, off that little tangent, let?s get into Lee?s opponent here, the debuting Hangman Adam Page.
?.unfortunately, I?m not exactly ecstatic about this one. Page is fine, but he?s not someone who comes to mind when it comes to being PWG quality. His match with Switchblade Jay White at Strong Style Evolved was terribly boring, and, outside of multi-man tags, and a No DQ match with Jay Briscoe, I can?t exactly rattle off all the great Adam Page matches. But with rumors of The Young Bucks gaining a lot more influence in bringing people in, I figured it was only a matter of time before Adam came in. I wouldn?t say Adam is bad. I just think he?s really generic, and that he really, really lucked into the Bullet Club. However, I?ll enter this with an open mind. If Hangman brings it, and has a great match with Keith, I?ll gladly eat crow. But if he goes the route that Marty Scurll has gone, relying on cheap comedy rather than actually entertaining wrestling, you can bet I?ll be none too pleased.
My pick to win: This is Keith Lee?s first match as PWG Champion, and thus, I doubt he loses here, especially to a debuting talent. So I feel very confident saying that Lee will pick up a big win here over the debuting Bullet Club member.
Match #7 and the Main Event of All Star Weekend 14, Night One
For the PWG World Tag Team Titles:
The Young Bucks
Vs.
The Rascals (Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz)
Vs.
The Chosen Bros. (Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb) ©
And so comes the 3rd last main event that the American Legion Hall will ever see. And boy, is it a crazy one. First, you have the Young Bucks. What more needs to be said? The Young Bucks have been with PWG since their first years in wrestling, debuting in PWG all the way back in 2007. Since then, they?ve rocketed to heights never before seen in indie wrestling. And through it all, from TNA to ROH, to ROH again and New Japan, from Generation Me to Bullet Club they?ve always continued to come back to the tiny Legion Hall in Reseda that gave them their first major break. The Young Bucks run deep in PWG?s history, and it?s only fitting they are in one of the very last main events in the building that PWG?s called home. Next, The Rascals. They made their debut at Time is a Flat Circle, after a successful tour of Dragon Gate in Japan, which really refined both of their work. By all accounts, they had an absolutely fantastic match with Flamita and Bandido, and it must have been good enough to get them a PWG Tag Title shot. These guys are the new team on the block, and they will definitely have something to prove against the biggest team in wrestling, and the champs. And speaking of the champs, they are the Chosen Bros, Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb. They are still undefeated as a team in PWG, their lastest victory together also being their first successful title defense, against RINGKAMPF in a spectacular match at Mystery Vortex V (which you can read my thoughts on here on Fightful!). The Bros. look to defend their titles in what will sure to be a wild, chaotic tag, with bodies sure to be flying everywhere, and no one left sitting in Reseda.
My pick to win: I think PWG can still get a lot out of The Chosen Bros. and their tag title reign, so I expect them to retain their titles here, likely pinning one of The Rascals.
And there is PWG?s All Star Weekend 14, Night One! This one offers a lot of fun, new things, with only a select few things I?m not particularly interested in seeing. But you never know, as things you aren?t too sure about may surprise you. This is a great looking show, and it?ll be a great way to start the goodbye to Reseda, and to the Legion Hall.
Thank you for reading! Thanks to Fightful for allowing me a platform to talk about something I love, and being able to share it with you all. It truly means a lot. Next time, I?ll have my preview for Night Two, as well as a review for Neon Knights! See you again soon!
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