Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s The Gentle Art of Making Enemies on January 10, 2009!
By Silverback, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Staff Writer
Redondo Beach, CA – When word came down from the top that Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (http://www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com/) would be returning to action on Saturday, January 10 at American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA, no one was really sure what to think. After such a long lay off between events, it took a while to remember the process of getting everything in place to run a show, but after a few hiccups, everything has been worked out. Well, mostly everything. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Champion and 2008 Battle of Los Angeles finalist Chris Hero would be in Japan during the month of January, competing for Pro Wrestling Noah, and therefore be unable to defend his title on January 10 at The Gentle Art of Making Enemies. Then there’s the 2008 Battle of Los Angeles winner, and former Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Champion Low Ki, who will also be in Japan, though he will be in the midst of meditating for seven days and seven nights on Ganryujima Island. For those unaware, this is the World Warrior’s custom after major events such as the Battle of Los Angeles, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Tokyo Dome Show, and Bastille Day. With these two iconic figures absent from The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, who could possibly carry Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s banner into the year 2009? We’re glad you asked.Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s The Gentle Art of Making Enemies takes place on Saturday, January 10, 2009 at 8:00PM at American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA. American Legion Post #308 is located at 7338 Canby Ave., Reseda, CA 91335. The Gentle Art of Making Enemies will feature:
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship Title Match
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson – Champions) vs. Davey Richards & Roderick Strong (Challengers)
— According to the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla staff historian, The Young Bucks are the fourth longest reigning World Tag Team Champions in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla history. This fact puts the Jackson brothers up there with Arrogance and Super Dragon & Davey Richards in terms of length of title reign, with just one notable distinction: The Young Bucks have only defended the titles once, and it wasn’t even in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. This is not a fact that Matt and Nick Jackson are proud of, and it’s something they’re intent on rectifying starting at The Gentle Art of Making Enemies.
When there are long title reigns, there are also short title reigns. Some title reigns may seem relatively short when compared with those lasting years and years, while others are judged short by any standard. The team with the absolute shortest title reign on record, lasting a whole twenty-four hours, is Davey Richards and Roderick Strong. After their disastrous run together as champions, Richards and Strong went their separate ways, finding new partners and new levels of success as tag teams, and then striking out on their own as singles competitors. However, when both men were eliminated early on in the 2008 Battle of Los Angeles, they agreed to put their past differences aside and attempt to recapture, and this time firmly hold onto, the magic they once possessed.
After the 2008 Battle of Los Angeles came and went without a title defense, it was up to Commissioner of Wrestling Dino Winwood to determine a list of top contenders for the title in 2009. As the new year approached the list remained blank, and very nearly forgotten, until two former World Tag Team Champions reached out to Dino in the hope of working their way back up the ranks. Luckily for them, Dino Winwood now had a piece of paper with their names (hastily scrawled just seconds before) on it. So now on January 10, 2009 The Young Bucks intend to prove that they are much more than a quirky footnote in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla archives as they put the World Tag Team Championship on the line against Davey Richards and Roderick Strong!
Singles Match
“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. “The Professional” Scott Lost
— The first time Bryan Danielson and Scott Lost met in singles competition was over four years ago at Free Admission (Just Kidding!), and since that meeting both men have followed very different paths in their professional careers. Four years ago, Danielson was thought to be among the best wrestlers in the world, though the matter was still open for debate. Today, there is no question that Bryan Danielson belongs on a list of the top ten wrestlers in the world.
On the other hand, while Scott Lost has not received the public recognition that Bryan Danielson has, he has quietly become one of the most well rounded professional wrestlers that the state of California has ever produced. The main reason for his lack of attention was Scott’s designation as a tag team wrestler, and the role he played on those teams. With both Joey Ryan and “Photogenic” Chris Bosh, Lost assumed the position of the work horse, while his partners enjoyed the spotlight. When his partner’s attention would wander off the task at hand, Scott Lost was there to bring the focus back and win the match. It’s a thankless job, as Scott Lost knows all to well.
Like the World Tag Team titles, the list of contenders for the World Championship has been (nearly) wiped clean for 2009 as well. Low Ki still remains at the top of the list due to defeating Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Champion Chris Hero at the 2008 Battle of Los Angeles, but the number two spot is wide open, and both Bryan Danielson and Scott Lost would like to fill it. Danielson would like nothing more than to reclaim the title he lost a year ago, and if means beating either Low Ki or Chris Hero, two men Danielson was unable to beat in 2008, all the better. No matter what, Bryan Danielson will be known as the best in the world. Scott Lost however has set his sights on the World Championship for entirely different reasons; he wants to make 2009 the year of “The Professional.” A victory over Bryan Danielson would go a long way toward increasing Scott’s notoriety and ranking for a title shot. A World Championship title victory down the line would serve to focus the spotlight of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla solely on “The Professional” Scott Lost.
Singles Match
Austin Aries vs. TJ Perkins
Singles Match
El Generico vs. Chuck Taylor
— As mentioned before, the list of top contenders to the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship is (mostly) wide open, and all four men are attempting to position themselves to take on Chris Hero in the near future. Of the four, only TJ Perkins was able to advance past the first round of the 2008 Battle of Los Angeles, giving him a slightly better position in the rankings than Austin Aries, and a victory over Aries would elevate him even further. Austin Aries’ win-loss record in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is very hit and miss, so a victory over a company mainstay like Perkins would benefit Aries greatly. Plus, while Austin Aries is not a petty man, he did taste defeat at the hands of Chris Hero in his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla debut at Uncanny X-Mas, so anything that would allow Aries the chance to avenge that loss would be seen as a bonus.
El Generico is certainly no stranger to championships in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, but the closing of his orphanage, Los Angelitos de El Generico, is a heavy burden on his soul. When he held the World title, Generico would use the champion’s purse from his victories to keep clothes on the backs and beans in the bellies of the orphans. But when the title went away, so did the orphans’ chance at a better life. Still hoping to re-open the orphanage in order to improve his homeland, El Generico has his eyes fixed on Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s top prize, and more important, the Champion’s trip to the pay window.
Chuck Taylor, on the other hand, has very different reasons for wanting to win the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship. See, if there’s one thing Chuck Taylor loves in this world, it’s pancakes. And if there’s one sure fire way to get pancakes, it’s to buy them. And how is Chuck Taylor going to get the money to buy those pancakes? By winning matches. And titles. But if Chuck Taylor absolutely loves pancakes, what does he hate? Chuck Taylor hates children. And the only thing worse than a child is an orphan. So if Chuck Taylor can put pancakes in his belly and put orphans on the street by beating El Generico, by God he will do so.
Special Attraction Singles Match
“Shooting Star” Bobby Quance vs. Joey Ryan
— For those fans that might be unfamiliar with the name Bobby Quance, you need look no further than Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s first year of existence. In 2003 and 2004, Bobby Quance was known as one of the top prospects in the professional wrestling world, training under the watchful eye of “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson first in Northern California, then here in Los Angeles at the New Japan Dojo. Quance had a series of impressive matches early on in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, matches which lead to a shot at the World Championship title, albeit an unsuccessful one.
It was around this time that Bryan Danielson said of Bobby Quance “He has only been training at wrestling for a couple years, and already he is phenomenal. He’s scary talented. Anything he wants to do, he can be the best at.” At the beginning of his career, Bobby Quance was known for his high-flying offense, but after mere months of submission training, Quance quickly became known as one of the most dangerous wrestlers on the ground.
But mid-way through 2004, Bobby Quance felt compelled to challenge himself in another way, and use his prodigious abilities for another purpose by joining the United States military. Now with years of specialized training in munitions and hand to hand combat, Bobby Quance returns to professional wrestling for one night only, and we are pleased to have him do so at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.
One man that is not pleased to see Bobby Quance returning to wrestling is Joey Ryan. The former Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Champion is also hoping to add his name to the list of title contenders, and Joey claims that having “some nobody like Quance” come back takes the focus off Joey’s quest to reclaim the title. But the opportunity to take down a man who once had the brightest future in the sport proved to be too much for Joey, though that’s not to say he’s taking this lightly. Joey believes that not only will Bobby be rusty in the ring, years of battlefield training will have eroded his memory of the rules of non-lethal engagement, and therefore is requesting Quance take a written exam regarding the rules of professional wrestling before being allowed to compete. The exam will be overseen by Senior Official Rick Knox, who we all know would absolutely HATE to see ANYTHING bad happen to Joey Ryan, especially at the hands of a trained soldier.
Tag Team Match
The Cutler Brothers (Brandon & Dustin Cutler) vs. Los Luchas (Phoenix Star & Zokre)
— Though much of the focus of The Gentle Art of Making Enemies has been placed on singles competition, the World Tag Team Championship Title scene is still an integral part of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and this matchup looks to set the tone of the division for the rest of the year. Phoenix Star and Zokre have come extremely close to capturing the World Tag Team titles on numerous occasions, but the championship always seems to elude them. But now that The Young Bucks are World Tag Team champions, and Los Luchas have defeated The Young Bucks in the past, they know the titles are within their reach. According to Los Luchas they have stepped up their game and are now more focused than ever, and no matter what pair of brothers they have to go through, the World Tag Team titles will end up in the hands of Phoenix Star and Zokre.
While Los Luchas have been around Pro Wrestling Guerrilla since the beginning, The Cutler Brothers will be making their debut at The Gentle Art of Making Enemies. If it seems surprising to you that like The Young Bucks, Brandon and Dustin Cutler are brothers from the high desert Northeast of Los Angeles that form a high-flying and hard-hitting tag team, then it may seem even more surprising that the Cutlers actually began their professional wrestling training with The Young Bucks. Now that the Cutlers finally have their opportunity to compete in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, they plan on making the most of it. Both Dustin and Brandon agree that after January 10, the fans will see which pair of brothers make up the strongest tag team, and which are just posers with a catchy theme song.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s The Gentle Art of Making Enemies takes place Saturday, January 10, 2009 at 8:00PM at American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA. 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.
