By Silverback, PWG Staff Writer
Chino, CA – At ¡Dia de los Dangerous! this past weekend, Human Tornado became the twelfth Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (http://www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com) World Champion, and the second man to hold the title twice in his career. Tornado overcame seemingly insurmountable odds, defeating Necro Butcher, Karl “Machine Gun” Anderson, and Roderick Strong all in the same evening to recapture the title, but it was not without a cost. In his first contest of the evening, Human Tornado suffered a dislocated jaw at the hands of Necro Butcher (more likely at the fists of Necro), and then during the 3-Way World Title Match, Tornado suffered a sprained neck, all in order to regain the World Championship. And if you ask him, it was all worth it.A little over a year ago, in the same city, the same building, the very same ring as this past weekend, with Candice LeRae by his side, Human Tornado defeated Joey Ryan in a brutal Guerrilla Warfare match, ending Joey’s thirteen month title reign. Tornado’s victory marked the dawning of a new era in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, where the fans were actually happy with the champion, and would cheer him on, and be happy if he retained the title! This was a golden age for Human Tornado, but it was brief, because less than two months after winning the title, it was all over. Losing the title to his former tag team partner El Generico, Human Tornado refused to take responsibility for the loss, instead shifting the blame to Candice LeRae. Tornado claimed her managerial skills were subpar, and that she could have done more to help him retain the title. While she was never previously called upon to interfere in matches, Candice accepted this criticism, and hoped that one day she could provide the type of support and inspiration Tornado needed to become the world champion once again. Simply put, this was not enough for Human Tornado, who slowly revealed his dark side to fans as he became steadily more abusive toward Candice.
Things came to a head at the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles, where after months and months of abuse, Candice finally took a stand for herself, fighting back and ultimately costing Tornado his first round match. That may have been the worst possible time for Candice to take her stand, because Tornado intended to use the Battle of Los Angeles as his avenue to reclaiming the World Title. What ensued post-matched looked to be the worst beating Candice would receive yet, until Chris Hero intervened. Hero fought off Tornado, saving Candice LeRae from further injury, and from that point on a new rivalry was born. While Hero and Tornado have been at each other’s throats for the past six months, Human Tornado has never taken his eyes off the World Championship. Winning the title in the face of incredible odds has given Tornado a sense of vindication, but he has made some pretty powerful enemies in his rise back to the top, and at Scared Straight on March 7, Human Tornado will begin facing those enemies.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla presents Scared Straight on Friday, March 7, 2008 at 8:00PM at American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA, and will feature:
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship Title Match
Human Tornado (c) vs. Jack Evans
— While some fans may be wondering what Jack Evans has done since his last title shot to earn another one, they can rest assured knowing that this is a grudge match where the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship Title happens to be on the line. That’s because in late January, while on the WrestleJAM tour with Dragon Gate, Human Tornado broke Jack Evans’ face. That is not an exaggeration, not hyperbole, not an embellishment, nor is it enrichment of the details; Human Tornado broke Jack Evans’ face. It happened late in an 8-Man Tag Team match, when Evans and Tornado were isolated in the ring. Evans rebounded off the ropes, and was charging at Tornado, but Tornado has collected himself, and delivered a spinning thrust kick that hit Evans square in the face. Jack’s head violently whipped backward while his body continued to move forward, resulting in a comical “Charlie Brown attempts to kick the football” situation where Jack’s body was parallel to the ground, just four feet in the air. What was not comical was the five titanium plates and seventeen titanium screws put into Jack Evans’ face as a result of the kick. While injuries are an accepted part of professional wrestling, this injury was so severe that it did equal amounts of mental damage as it did physical.
Before the injury, Jack Evans was a pretty easy going guy, one who wanted nothing more from like than a good joke and a good smoke. But now, Evans has been so traumatized by the injury that the things he used to hold nearest and dearest now have virtually no meaning. Gone are the days of Jack trying to get 96% or better on Expert for every song in Guitar Hero. Gone are the nights of Jack knowing the comfort of multiple women on the same evening. Gone are all the good times. Now, Jack Evans is consumed by revenge, and he approached Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Commissioner Dino Winwood to seek an outlet for that revenge. Dino, a good friend of both Candice LeRae and Chris Hero, put every obstacle he could in Tornado’s path at ¡Dia de los Dangerous!, but just like his namesake, Tornado plowed through the competition. But now, Tornado will have to face an extremely determined Jack Evans, a Jack Evans unlike anyone has seen before.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship Title Match
The Dynasty (“The Professional” Scott Lost & Joey Ryan, with Jade Chung) (c) vs. The Briscoe Brothers (Jay & Mark Briscoe)
— When fans of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla last saw The Briscoe Brothers, they were in the final round of the first ever Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament (DDT4), and while they didn’t win the tournament or the titles, Jay and Mark Briscoe put forth a tremendous effort appreciated by all who has seen the historic match. Disappointed by the loss, the Briscoes immediately requested a rematch for the titles, a request which was eventually granted. However, when it came time for the Briscoes to fight for the titles, they failed to board the plane, and were nowhere to be found. El Generico & “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen stepped in and took the spot left open by the Briscoes, and won the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship that evening. What ensued was a nasty exchange of emails and phone calls between the Briscoes, who believed their shot at the titles should still be honored, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla management, who believed they should have purchased refundable airline tickets. When neither side could come to an agreement, there was a parting of ways, and the Briscoes went on to find success in the International wrestling scene, while the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team titles had a tumultuous few months. All of that changed when Commissioner of Food and Beverage Excalibur extended an olive branch to the brothers, secretly inviting them back to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. While there are many who would question this move, Excalibur is confident that it will pay off in the end, especially with this year’s DDT4 on the horizon.
The Dynasty, who have proven themselves to be fighting champions since capturing the titles earlier this January, have protested the Briscoe’s return to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, citing their erratic track record of showing up as a reason why it’s nearly impossible for the champions to prepare for their next title defense. Scott Lost‘s learning disabilities aside, The Dynasty find themselves unable to appreciate just how crazy the Briscoe Brothers really are. “One of them knocked the other’s teeth out with a chair. And they raise pitbulls!” said Joey Ryan, “It would be like wrestling, no, fighting two Necro Butchers at once.” Whatever the champions may think of the challengers, the facts of the matter is that the match has been made, the Briscoes are eager for another shot at the titles, and The Dynasty are eager to see the Briscoes “miss their flight.” Will the champions be able to adequately prepare for the Briscoes, or will the challengers win the war of psychological warfare, as unlikely as that may seem, over The Dynasty?
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Roderick Strong
— Since turning his back on Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli has found it hard to distance himself from his former tag team partner. By siding with Hero’s archenemy Human Tornado, Claudio has found himself facing his former partner nearly as often as he used to team with him. However, that all changes on March 7, when Claudio Castagnoli embarks on a path that could very well end with him facing his new ally, Human Tornado, for the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship. Intent on proving to the fans of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla that he is in fact one of the top professional wrestlers today, his first test will be against Roderick Strong. Strong, who has come within a hair’s breadth of capturing the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship on numerous occasions, feels especially angry about his most recent failure to capture the World title. Human Tornado took advantage of Strong’s momentary distraction to capture the title, but had Tornado waited a half second longer to attempt the pinfall, Strong would have been able to break the pin, and the match may very well have had a different result. This fraction of a second difference is devastating to Roderick, who must now start at the bottom rung of the championship ladder and work his way back up.
Eddie Kingston vs. Necro Butcher
— Eddie Kingston and Necro Butcher serve as the unofficial “muscle” for Human Tornado and Chris Hero, respectively, and it was only a matter of time before they met head to head. Now, at Scared Straight on March 7, Necro Butcher will get his chance to teach Eddie Kingston that you don’t lay your hands on a woman if she doesn’t want you to, and it’s a lesson that Necro will teach his fists. However, Eddie Kingston is no slouch when it comes to slugfests, and he maintains it was never his goal to harm Candice LeRae, she was simply collateral damage in his effort to destroy Chris Hero. While Kingston may use any means necessary to harm Hero, Necro Butcher will do just about anything to fight for what he believes in. And what does Necro Butcher believe in? While it is mostly unclear, the one thing that is certain is that you don’t smack around a lady, and Necro Butcher intends on driving that point home to Eddie Kingston. Repeatedly. With fists. And feet. And chairs.
DDT4 Qualifier Round Robin Series
Los Luchas (Phoenix Star & Zokre) (2 pts.) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (2 pts.)
Hook Bomberry & TJ Perkins (2 pts.) vs. Ronin & Scorpio Sky (2 pts.)
— With the DDT4 Qualifier series at its’ final stage, the competition is dead even. Each team has 2 points with one match remaining, but we very well could see the first team in this year’s DDT4 named at Scared Straight! If Team A and Team B end their match in a draw, and Team C defeats Team D, then Team C will automatically be entered as the first team in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s tag team tournament. However, two victories would mean that a final contest must be held on March 21 to determine the winner, where two draws would mean a 4-Way Sudden Victory Tag Team Match must be held! With eight of the youngest and most promising athletes in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla competing to earn their spot in DDT4, anything is possible!
Plus Commissioner of Wrestling Dino Winwood and Commissioner of Food & Beverage Excalibur will be on hand to oversee all the action!
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Scared Straight takes place at American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA on Friday, March 7, 2008 at 8:00PM. American Legion Post #308 is located at 7338 Canby Ave., Reseda, CA 91335. General Admission tickets are $20 and will be available at the door. For more information, please visit http://www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com. Card subject to change.
