PWG All Star Weekend XII Night One 3/4/2016

Written by: Brian Bayless

March 4th, 2016

From the American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA

Excalibur is your host

Trevor Lee vs. Chuck Taylor

Lee attacks Taylor during his introduction. Lee stomps a mudhole into Taylor in the corner before tossing him across the ring. Taylor fights back and tosses Lee to the floor then follows with a pescado. They brawl in the crowd as Taylor rams Lee into the wall. Lee decks Taylor then gets on commentary and calls Taylor a “piece of shit” and yells about how he is an idiot but Taylor attacks him right back then puts on the headset to say that “this shit is serious.” Taylor flies off of the stage with a flying body press onto Lee as the men finally return to the ring. Taylor dodges a charge in the corner but Lee breaks up a springboard attack by kicking the top rope. The crowd chants “fuck you, Trevor” as he whips Taylor into the corner. Lee then uses his rolling lateral press before shaking the referee’s hand, with one hand behind his back. Lee continues to rough up Taylor while stopping to shake hands with the ref but allows Taylor to roll him up for a nearfall. Lee gets up and dropkicks Taylor for a nearfall then asks the crowd if they want to see some “cool shit” as he wants to give us a tribute to Hayabusa as he tries a rolling splash but Taylor got his knees up. Taylor ends up taking Lee out of the corner with a German suplex then they trade impact strikes until Taylor hits a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall. Lee ends up shoving the rope into Taylor’s throat before hitting a bridging German suplex for a nearfall. Taylor comes back with the Sole Food for two. Lee ends up reversing a crossbody in midair as that gets two. Both men are down as the crowd chants for Taylor. Lee catches Taylor with a boot but gets caught with a Liger Bomb for two. Lee ends up coming back with the Mushroom Stomp then tries for the small package driver but Taylor reverses that with a small package for the win (9:03) **3/4.

Thoughts: Entertaining comedy match. Lee’s heel act in PWG is really coming into its own and Taylor’s roll is essentially the opening match guy, which he does a great job at getting the crowd going.

Evil Uno vs. Chris Hero

The fans are going nuts for Hero. Match starts with both guys trading standing holds. They now try to knock each other down as Uno wins that battle. Hero then shows off his agility as that pisses off Uno, who rolls outside. Uno grabs a chair and heads inside then offers it to Hero as he goes to grab another chair and takes a seat. The crowd chants for a staring contest as Hero finally takes a seat. However, Uno mists Hero then boots him off of the chair. Uno boots Hero again as the crowd boos before tossing Hero to the floor. Uno roughs up Hero outside before the action returns to the ring. Hero tries to fight back but Uno works the arm and starts biting as Hero is in pain. Hero finally knocks Uno down with an elbow smash then pulls up on a dive attempt as Uno slid back in the ring. Uno catches Hero with a DDT then gauges the mouth. Hero no-sells a few slaps but ends up getting kicked in the face. They fight up top and that ends up with Uno booting Hero off from the apron. Hero rolls away as Uno climbed back and comes back with a rolling bicycle kick for a nearfall. Hero hits a knee smash then tries a neckbreaker but Uno counters with a backslide for two. Uno does some comedy with the ref and ends up hitting a neckbreaker for two. Uno gives the throat slash gesture but Hero blocks a suplex and hits one of his own. Hero lights up Uno in the corner as Uno flips him the bird. Hero then bends his finger back before slapping him across the face but Uno blocks a move and yells “fuck it” before hitting an overhand chop. Uno lands a nearfall after covering nonchalantly then toys with Hero before they trade elbow strikes. Uno starts slapping away but runs into a big boot. Uno reverses a suplex and hits a brainbuster for two. After a struggle, Uno hits a Gotch piledriver but Hero kicks out as the place goes nuts. Hero keeps powering up after getting drilled with strikes and comes back with an elbow smash before finishing off Uno with another elbow smash to the back of the head (16:12) ***1/4.

Thoughts: Fun, and these guys hit each other hard. There was a lot of clowning around at the beginning but overall another entertaining spectacle. They got the fans into what they were doing, which was more of an exhibition than a competitive pro wrestling match.

Drew Galloway vs. Trent?

Taylor is on commentary and jokes about how this is a rematch from Smackdown in 2009 then mentions how Galloway did in fact knock out Trent in a match. Match starts with Galloway placing Trent on the top rope. Galloway tosses Trent, who rolls outside for a breather. Trent wants a test-of-strength as Galloway toys with him before winning that battle. Trent comes back with an elbow smash then hits the One Dog Night but celebrates and walks into a chop from Galloway. Trent gets chopped in the corner then Galloway tosses him across the ring with an overhead suplex for a nearfall. Galloway continues to overpower Trent then stands over him and asks if he wants another test-of-strength. Galloway skies Trent with a backdrop then hangs him over the apron to hit a forearm smash. Galloway stomps Trent’s hand then goes back to destroying him until Trent blocks a charge in the corner with a double stomp as both men are down. They trade strikes until Trent hits an enziguiri. Trent hits a charging elbow in the corner before getting a nearfall with a DDT. Trent misses a knee smash but lands on his feet after a German suplex attempt by Galloway. However, Galloway catches Trent and hits a wicked reverse Alabama Slam but that only gets two. Galloway places Trent up top then catches him and turns it into a tombstone piledriver for another nearfall. Galloway comes off of the top but Trent sidesteps him and turns it into a crossface. Galloway breaks out and tries another tombstone but Trent escapes then Galloway locks on a crossface off his own. They roll around for a bit and trade strikes as both men are down. Galloway is up first and heads up top as Trent runs up too but slips before taking Galloway off with an overhead suplex. That spot looked terrible. Trent sets up for a running high knee but Galloway catches him and hits a buckle bomb. Trent fights right back with a pair of super kicks before getting two off of a knee strike. Galloway rolls outside as then catches a tope attempt by Trent and hits an overhead suplex. Trent looks dead on the floor as Galloway deadlifts Trent and rolls him inside but Trent kicks out as the crowd did not react at all. Galloway takes off Trent’s headband as the crowd rallies behind Trent, who comes back with a chop. Galloway just shrugs it off and hits a pair of buckle bombs then tries for another move after some brief stalling but Trent reverses and hits the Dudebuster for the upset win as the crowd goes nuts (15:42) ***1/2.

Thoughts: Really good match. Galloway looked great in overpowering his opponent and Trent did fine job in his role as the underdog. He also took some incredible bumps and sold like a champ. That overhead suplex to the floor was wicked. The finish got a great reaction as both of these continue to have an excellent 2016.

Mark Andrews vs. Roderick Strong

Chris Hero is now on commentary, replacing Taylor, and would remain for the rest of the show. This is a non-title match as Strong faces Zack Sabre Jr. on night two. Strong starts off the match by taking down Andrews as he works the arm. Andrews fights back and hits a dropkick as Strong rolls outside. Andrews gets yanked off of the apron then gets tossed into it after attempting a rana. Back inside, Strong hits a suplex before stretching Andrews out on the mat. Andrews tries to fight back but gets caught with a forearm smash. Andrews hits Strong with a back elbow smash then catches Strong with a rana before getting drilled in the face with a dropkick as Strong is back in control. Andrews is on the apron as he fights back with elbow smashes but Strong slams him down after a springboard move. Strong is met with dueling chants as he misses a charge. Andrews hits a bulldog as both men are down. Andrews ducks another charge then hits a missile dropkick as both men are down again. They get up and work a fast-paced sequence ending with Andrews hitting a double stomp. Strong catches a moonsault block attempt but Andrews was able to turn that into a DDT for a nearfall. Strong blocks a DDT but Andrews counters a suplex in midair with a stunner then follows with a senton. Strong rolls outside where Andrews flies out with a tope con hilo. Back inside, Andrews gets two off of a standing moonsault. Andrews heads back up top but Strong cuts him of. Andrews is kneeling on the apron then tries a springboard dropkick that Strong blocks. Andrews regains control and heads up top but Strong rolls outside. Andrews gets down but Strong suckers him in and drops Andrews on the apron with a back suplex then tosses him inside for a nearfall. Strong roughs up then tries the End of Heartache but Andrews almost kills himself by landing on his face so he hits it again for a nearfall. Strong then copies Sabre Jr’s arm lock but Andrews turns that into a cradle for two. Strong inflicts more punishment then places Andrews up top and gets shoved off as Andrews hits a shooting star knee drop but is too injured to make a full cover and only gets two. Strong comes back with a jumping knee smash then hits another End of Heartache for the win (16:36) ***1/2.

Thoughts: Another good match. Andrews was the underdog here who gave the champ a competitive match. I will say that the first End of Heartache that went awry was scary looking. Andrews’ high-flying moves looked good and Strong is a solid heel who gets a tune-up win heading into tomorrow night’s Championship defense.

“The Villain” Marty Scurll vs. Kyle O’Reilly

The match starts off with both guys ending up in a stalemate after some mat work. O’Reilly blocks a chicken wing attempt as that leads to a really fast-paced and funny sequence that ends with O’Reilly putting on a cross armbreaker as the crowd goes nuts. O’Reilly takes Scurll down then they go back-and-forth some more until Scurll boots him in the face. Scurll works the arm until O’Reilly floats over then starts chopping away before taking Scurll down with a sweep. O’Reilly puts Scurll in the corner then hits a Dragon Screw before applying an ankle lock. Scurll escapes and tries a super kick from the apron but O’Reilly blocks that and tries for an ankle lock until Scurll boots him. O’Reilly comes back and knocks Scurll into a chair then runs and leaps off of the apron with a double knee smash to his seated opponent. Back inside, O’Reilly hits rolling butterfly suplexes before ending with a DDT as that gets two. O’Reilly eats boot on a charge then they both fight up top as that ends with Scurll escaping then locking on a chicken wing that O’Reilly blocks. However, Scurll ends up turning it into a cattle mutilation. Scurll hits a diving uppercut then an inverted suplex before getting two with a Shining Wizard. Scurll tries again for the chicken wing but O’Reilly blocks that. Scurll fakes out O’Reilly with a super kick the hits him low. They start trading all sorts of strikes and kicks before they knock each other down after four consecutive double clotheslines, with the last one from their knees. They finally get up and have another slugfest until Scurll uses a finger breaker. O’Reilly tries a rebound clothesline but runs into a knee smash then hits another rebound clothesline from the bottom rope. Scurll then locks on the chicken wing but O’Reilly finally powers out and uses a judo throw. Scurll hits a capture suplex but O’Reilly holds on to Scurll’s arms and gets up and stomps away. Scurll returns the favor and starts hammering away in O’Reilly’s face with elbow smashes before locking on another chicken wing. O’Reilly is able to reach the ropes as the fans start a “this is awesome” chant. They get up and start slapping each other until O’Reilly sweeps the leg. Scurll tries to fake out O’Reilly with a super kick but O’Reilly works a hanging guillotine then deadlifts Scurll for a brainbuster. O’Reilly uses a triangle lock then switches to the ankle lock as Scurll is in the center of the ring and has no choice but to tap out (18:49) ****1/4.

Thoughts: Awesome match. O’Reilly is one of top technical wrestlers in the world and Scurll is an incredible talent who can entertain and wrestle. If Scurll was 6’2, he’d be on WWE TV right now. I’d go out of your way to see this match.

Adam Cole vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

The crowd is jacked for this match. Sabre grounds Cole and works the leg to start. Cole ends up cheap-shotting Sabre after that as Cole keeps going for his taunt while Sabre fights back. Cole knocks Sabre off of the apron with an enziguiri then hits a snap suplex when Sabre crawls back inside. Cole works a chinlock on the mat as the crowd starts a dueling chant. Cole uses a running back elbow smash then tries a figure-four but Sabre keeps fighting back with palm strikes. Sabre knocks Cole down then stretches him out with all sorts of holds. Sabre uses a leg sweep but runs into a low kick as he clutches his knee in the corner. Cole targets the knee then hits a running knee strike for a nearfall. They struggle on the apron where Cole drops Sabre with a shinbreaker. Sabre is on the ground in pain as Cole rolls him in the ring and applies a single leg crab. Sabre tries and fails to break it up with his other leg but is able to reach the ropes. Cole now toys with Sabre then spits right in his face. Sabre gets up and slaps Cole before hitting a few uppercuts then puts on the octopus hold while wrenching back Cole’s arm but Cole is able to escape and use a Dragon Screw. Cole hits another Dragon Screw before hitting a running knee strike for two. Sabre tries a hanging kimura but Cole runs him into the corner then hits another knee strike to the head for two. Cole works a sleeper but Sabre ends up reversing that and almost gets the win with a European Clutch. Sabre ends up drilling Cole with a Penalty Kick as both men are down. They get up and trade uppercuts as Sabre wins that battle. Sabre challenges Cole to hit him harder then and he does before Cole kicked him in the knee. Sabre escapes from the fireman’s carry neckbreaker with a hanging cross armbreaker. Sabre then gets two with a small package but Cole targets the injured knee then gets a nearfall with a straight-jacket German suplex as Cole flips out on the referee. Cole locks on a figure-four but Sabre breaks out and almost looks to apply a crossface. Strong comes out to distract Sabre but gets knocked off when Sabre ducked an attack by Cole. Sabre ends up getting hit with a super kick but catches Cole off of the top with an uppercut then makes Cole submit with the Strong Hold after a Penalty Kick (18:35) ****. After the match, Sabre challenges Strong to get into the ring. Strong enters but immediately jumps out as the fans boo.

Thoughts: Excellent match. It gives Sabre, the challenger, a big win heading into his championship match. Plus, it continues the conflict within Mt. Rushmore 2.0 between Cole and Strong. Both guys are great in-ring talent and they have set up a nice, little story since Sabre won the Battle of Los Angeles tournament in August, which gave him this title shot as Strong took months before finally accepting.

PWG Tag Team Championship Match: Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. Young Bucks (c)

Before the match, the Bucks rag on their opponents and call Ricochet that “Rich Swann guy from NXT.” Ricochet & Sydal are the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Champs and the match starts with Sydal and Matt attacking each other after some belt taunting. Sydal catches Matt with a leg lariat then tags Ricochet, who comes off the top with an elbow. Matt uses an eye poke then Ricochet and Sydal clean house after that with a flurry of offense. Matt is in trouble in the corner as Ricochet & Sydal use quick tags to cut off the ring. The Bucks take control then work over Sydal with some innovative double-team moves before flying out to hit stereo topes on their opponents. The Bucks celebrate but that allows Ricochet to slide inside and hit them with a twisting Flying Space Tiger Drop. That was quite impressive. Back inside, Sydal tries a super hurricarana but Matt slips off as Sydal bounces off of the top and to the mat. Matt follows with a cannonball then struts around before tagging out. Nick chokes out Sydal against the ropes. The Bucks use all sorts of taunts and double-team moves as they are in control. The ref refuses to give Nick the “too sweet” hand gesture then Sydal fights back with kicks but is unable to make the tag. Sydal fights off the Bucks then goes for the tag but as he leaped towards his partner, Nick pulled Ricochet off of the apron. Great timing on that. Matt hangs Sydal up in the ropes as Nick comes off the top with a senton but Sydal pulls himself through then makes the tag. Ricochet runs wild on the Bucks in a crazy sequence as the crowd goes bananas. Sydal & Ricochet hit Matt with a standing moonsault/shooting star press as Nick breaks up that pin attempt. The Bucks toss Sydal then hit Ricochet with all sorts of double-team moves, some of which I have never seen before. Nick accidentally kicks his brother but is able to take Ricochet down with a super kick. Everyone kicks each other as all four men are down with the crowd going insane. Sydal and Matt slug it out until Nick runs in to save his brother. The Bucks hit Sydal with multiple “suck it” taunts until Ricochet comes in from behind with the low blow. Ricochet then runs coast-to-coast and takes out the Bucks with a tope con hilo. Wow. Ricochet then nearly puts Matt away with a springboard 450 as Nick broke that up. Nick takes Sydal down with a slingshot facebuster but misses a super kick that ends up hitting a fan. Sydal then climbs up top and flies out with a moonsault to take out the Bucks. Back inside, Matt cuts off Sydal but Ricochet comes in and helps set up Matt on Sydal’s shoulders as Ricochet takes him off with a hurricarana. Damn. Sydal flies off with a shooting star press but was a bit short as Nick sprayed deodorant in his face. Sydal was able to kick out but the Bucks rough him up then hit Ricochet with a double super kick after he tried a springboard move. The crowd chants for Meltzer as the Bucks set up for that but Ricochet catches Nick in midair and hits the Benadryller. Nick gets sandwiched with Roundhouse Kicks then Ricochet & Sydal go for stereo shooting star presses but the Bucks got their knees up. Ricochet gets tossed to the floor then the Bucks hit the Meltzer Driver on Sydal for the win (18:34) ****1/4. After the match, the Bucks taunt their opponents then Cole & Strong run out to attack Ricochet & Sydal. Sabre runs out for the save but he gets outnumbered as Strong holds up Sabre so everyone can kick him in the face. Strong then yells at the crowd for cheering Sabre because no one knows wrestling better than himself.

Thoughts: An insane, non-stop acting match. Ricochet was incredible here and the Bucks busted out all sorts of double-team moves i have never seen before. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave this match ****3/4 after seeing it live but I did not think it was that high of a rating. The end also teased the title match with Mt. Rushmore standing tall over everyone as that made for a good visual to end the show and stack the deck against the challenger.

Final Thoughts: PWG has had somewhat of a sluggish start in 2016 but this show was awesome. I felt it was PWG’s best offering since BOLA Night 2 back in August. The action was fun and the crowd was red-hot all night long, making for an incredible atmosphere. Plus, they did a great job at building towards Night Two’s title match between Strong and Sabre. I highly recommend this show.