By Silverback, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Staff Writer
The Tri-Island Area, CA – During the Golden Age of Piracy, men (and women, but mostly men) of ill repute harassed the shipping lanes of the European super powers, engaging in so many acts of piracy that it triggered a Golden Age (lasting 8 turns). Today, piracy is a distant memory (relative to your proximity to South-Eastern Africa), with the majority of pirates having been ground to dust over two hundred and fifty years ago (those who remain have found safe harbor on the internet, where they routinely violate copyright laws). But during the glorious Golden Age that produced such notable scoundrels as Henry Morgan, Charles L. Charles, and “Blackbeard” Edward Teach, rumor spread of Guerrilla Island, somewhere deep in the Caribbean, which held the greatest pirate treasure of all, though none knew for certain what that treasure was.
To this very day, the treasure’s nature and exact location remain a mystery, which is why on June 28, 2009 at American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla invites one and all, near and far, to join us in an attempt to uncover The Secret of Guerrilla Island!No Disqualification Match
Necro Butcher vs. Joey Ryan
— When Chris Hero stepped aside to allow Roderick Strong to team with Bryan Danielson at DDT4, Hero offered a shot at the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship Title to any person in the building that night, which Joey Ryan very eagerly accepted. Joey, worried that his thirteen month title reign could be eclipsed by Chris Hero’s reign, was beaten by Hero, but Joey still has not given up his pursuit. At this point, it is more about making sure Chris Hero does not surpass Joey’s record than it is really about winning the Championship. With Hero in Japan as his reign enters its’ eleventh month, he will be unable to defend the title at The Secret of Guerrilla Island, adding more and more days to his title reign.
This fact has not escaped Joey Ryan’s notice, and it distresses him greatly. His calls to the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Board of Directors demanding that Hero be stripped of the title for lack of defenses have gone unreturned, so Joey has taken drastic measures: he’s Twittering about it. Reaching out to upwards of tens of hundreds of people seems to have worked out for Joey, because Chris Hero took time out of his busy schedule to not only read Joey Ryan’s 140 character complaint, but to address it as well.
“At DDT4, I think I proved to just about everyone that I am more than willing to put the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship on the line against anyone, and beat them fair and square. After watching thirteen months worth of title defenses from Joey Ryan, I saw a lot of cheating, and very little reason why he should be proud of that reign. But I did notice something else: one of Joey’s toughest matches was against a good friend of mine, Necro Butcher. If Joey were willing to face Necro in a rematch at The Secret of Guerrilla Island, it would show me that he’s got a lot of heart. If Joey were to beat Necro fair and square, I would consider giving him another title shot… in three or four months, perhaps.”
Joey contends that a victory is a victory, no matter how it comes, but if has to go through Chris Hero’s entire buddy list to get another shot at stopping Hero’s streak, he will. Just as long as it happens prior to August 16, 2009, the day Hero’s reign surpasses Joey’s.
Tag Team Match
Hybrid Dolphins (“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson & Roderick Strong) vs. Men of Low Moral Fiber (Kenny Omega & Chuck Taylor)
— The 2009 DDT4 saw Matt and Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks, defeat three teams by the narrowest of margins to not only win the tournament, but to also retain the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship. One team was thought of as a long shot, having been defeated by The Young Bucks twice before. The second team was thought of as a joke, two hooligans with nothing better to do than to bully a charitable Mexican lad. The third team wasn’t even scheduled to be a part of the tournament, but they defied the odds only to lose to the Champions in the tournament final. While The Young Bucks reign supreme in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, the tag team division has exploded, reaching its highest level of competition in years. This could mean it’s only a matter of time before The Young Bucks are defeated, and chances are that the team to do it is in this match.
“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson and Roderick Strong, the Hybrid Dolphins, teamed together for the first time ever at DDT4, and after that evening could easily be placed in the top tier of tag teams in the world. At the beginning, they were lead into battle by the “Intrepid Traveler” Paul London, but by the end of the night Danielson and Strong had found their rhythm, and worked like a well-oiled war machine. Together, the Dolphins destroyed the Jackson brothers for close to twenty-five minutes, until Danielson was stunned for three brief seconds, which allowed the Bucks to escape with the victory, the titles, and their lives. Rather than being upset by this loss, the Dolphins took it in stride. After all, they had accomplished much in their first night together, and once they find some richer oil for their war machine, they will be unstoppable.
Kenny Omega and Chuck Taylor, united by their hatred of children, particularly those without parents, were the dark horse team at DDT4. It seemed that no one much expected them to win, though they did posses the ability to do so were they to overcome their penchant for tomfoolery. And overcome it they did, advancing to the second round where they met, and were defeated by, The Young Bucks. According to many fans in attendance at DDT4, Kenny Omega’s Shinku Hadouken was an Ultra Combo Finish, which should have allowed Omega and Taylor to advance to the finals to face Danielson and Strong. What those fans fail to realize is that, A) there was no sunburst effect occurring at the time of the Hadouken, and B) the life bar at the top of the screen showed The Young Bucks with a sliver of health remaining, possibly as little as 1%. But it was enough for them to come back and win the match, and ultimately the tournament. Unlike the Dolphins, Omega and Taylor have taken this loss quite personally, and now have El Generico, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson all tied for first on their “list.”
While both of these teams suffered setbacks at DDT4, a victory here could provide the winners with the momentum required to ultimately dethrone The Young Bucks. Bryan Danielson and Roderick Strong will be able to rely on their high level of technical ability in this tag team encounter, but if DDT4 was any indication, Kenny Omega and Chuck Taylor will have the majority of the vocal crowd on their side, effectively giving them home court advantage.
Singles Match
El Generico vs. Scott Lost
— After his team lost to to Bryan Danielson and Roderick Strong in the opening round of DDT4, Scott Lost protested the loss publicly, saying that he and Joey Ryan, The Dynasty, were screwed over by the last minute change in opponents. Joey Ryan would eventually regain his composure enough to challenge Chris Hero later in the evening, but Scott Lost spent the rest of the night, and much of the next two weeks, alternating between sulking and drinking, and at times doing both simultaneously. With June 28 and The Secret of Guerrilla Island rapidly approaching, Scott Lost needs to sober up and get himself back into top condition; there will be no excuses if loses to El Generico with the match announced this far in advance.
El Generico too spent much of the month of May sulking, but for very different reasons. The normally durable generic luchadore had suffered a knee injury which kept him out of action at DDT4, where he would have loved to exact some measure of revenge on Kenny Omega and Chuck Taylor. Now that Omega and Taylor are poised to take the tag team world by storm (and have momentarily diverted their attention to The Young Bucks and Hybrid Dolphins), Generico has a chance to return to, and possibly surpass, his top condition. The only thing standing in his way is Scott Lost, and the only thing worse than facing Scott Lost is facing an angry and determined Scott Lost.
Singles Match
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Champion Nick Jackson vs Davey Richards
— At The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, Nick Jackson and Davey Richards met as a part of the main event Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship Title Match. The match ended with The Young Bucks victorious, but it was not a decisive victory by any means. The normally agile Richards was caught off guard by Nick Jackson just long enough to be handed the loss, which enraged Richards and lead to Rick Knox running across six counties in an effort to escape Davey’s wrath. Much like famed buccaneer Largo LeGrande, the only thing bigger than Davey Richards’ appetite is his nigh-unquenchable thirst for vengeance; six months after the fact, Davey is only marginally less angry with Nick Jackson than he was in early January. With former partner Roderick Strong moving on to a new team, it is up to Davey Richards to satisfy his rage alone.
Will the beating Nick Jackson endured at the hands of Strong and Bryan Danielson at DDT4 have changed the normally gregarious Young Buck’s attitude and catch Davey unawares? Or will the missing presence of older brother Matt, combined with the violent temper of Davey Richards, prove to be Nick Jackson’s undoing?
Tag Team Match
The Cutler Brothers (Brandon & Dustin Cutler) vs Malachi “CK” Jackson & Jerome “LTP” Robinson
— After losing to The Young Bucks for the second consecutive event at DDT4, Brandon and Dustin Cutler have been knocked back to square one in their quest for the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship. Though the Cutlers filed an official complaint with the Board of Directors saying there was a kick out prior to the three count in their match at DDT4, the decision in the ring stands, so the Cutler Brothers must move forward. Despite the fact that they may not be as famous as another pair of brothers from the high desert outside of Los Angeles, they know they have what it takes to get another shot at the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship, and to be the ones to knock The Young Bucks themselves back to square one.
Even though his debut at DDT4 was unsuccessful, Malachi Jackson had achieved a very important goal: he got his foot in the door, so to speak. And when he heard that his oldest brother Matt wouldn’t be able to make it to The Secret of Guerrilla Island on June 28, Mal thought it would be the perfect opportunity to team up with his brother Nick to show everyone what the Jackson boys are capable of. Nick, in the way of all older brothers, shot down this idea, saying that Malachi had a long way to go before he was on the level of The Young Bucks. Mal, in the way of all younger brothers, grew determined not only to show Nick that he was wrong, but to rub his face in it. Without any other brothers to team with, Malachi Jackson went far afield and found a very eager soul brother: Jerome “LTP” Robinson. Robinson, or “LTP” as he’s often known, is a high flying young up-and-comer here in Southern California who has been patiently biding his time, awaiting an opportunity just like this.
Will the Cutlers be able to regroup after two consecutive losses at the hands of their arch rivals, or will their confidence be shaken to the point where Malachi Jackson and Jerome “LTP” Robinson can make a huge impact in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla?
Singles Match
Human Tornado vs Johnny Goodtime
— When Dark & Lovely (Human Tornado & Scorpio Sky) reunited at DDT4, things were looking up for Human Tornado. Plagued by injuries (and his past) for the second half of 2008, Tornado made his triumphant return to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla earlier this year only to come up short again Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Champion Chris Hero. Post-match, Tornado attempted to bury the hatchet with Hero in what could only be considered as one of the most half-hearted apologies the world has ever seen. Hero would not accept the apology, saying that Tornado’s actions would speak louder than “My bad.” Torn between doing what he wanted to and what he felt was right, old friend and tag team partner Scorpio Sky helped set Tornado on the right path. But mere minutes after reuniting, Sky’s back was re-injured at DDT4, and he is out of action for the immediate future. Will Human Tornado continue down the path of redemption, or without Scorpio Sky there to help him along, will Tornado fall back into his questionable ways?
Caught up in all of this drama is Johnny Goodtime, who much like Malachi Jackson and Jerome “LTP” Robinson, is a rising star in the Southern California wrestling scene. Goodtime (Goodtimebergski, before his family passed through Ellis Island) is known for his high flying and fast paced offense, would like nothing more than to make a name for himself in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in his first outing. Taking on a former World Champion in your first match with a promotion is not an opportunity many receive, and Goodtime is intent on making the most of it.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s The Secret of Guerrilla Island takes place Sunday, June 28, 2009, at 5:00 PM 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. Video recording devices are not permitted. Card subject to change.
