By Silverback, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Staff Writer
At Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, we believe that reading is FUNdamental. If you are like-minded, keep reading; you will enjoy yourself. If not, please visit the mini-site for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s sixth anniversary event, Threemendous II for all the pertinent information. Threemendous II takes place on Friday, July 31 at 8:00PM at American Legion Hall #308 in Reseda, CA, and will feature:Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship Title Guerrilla Warfare Match
Chris Hero (Champion) vs. Joey Ryan (Challenger)
— As the length of Chris Hero‘s Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship title reign nears that of Joey Ryan‘s, Hero has begun to consider how his reign will be remembered. While Joey Ryan’s reign was rife with unsportsmanlike conduct, blatant outside interference, and copious amounts of cheating, it also took place during a time of tremendous growth for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, leading to many fans’ first exposure to the company occurring while Joey Ryan was top dog. Because those fans would eventually become so enamored with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla that it would consume their lives, they have very positive memories of their first experience with the company, which may give Joey Ryan’s title reign a rose-colored tint. After all, some of Joey Ryan’s title defenses were won with help from The Dynasty, powder in the opponent’s eyes, and a chloroform-soaked rag. Meanwhile, Chris Hero has defended the World Championship around the world, against all that would challenge him, and won each match decisively. Yet still some fans believe he has not proven himself, and that Joey Ryan was an all around better champion.
At The Secret of Guerrilla Island, Joey Ryan defeated Necro Butcher in a No Disqualification match. Prior to the match, Hero said if Joey were to defeat Necro “fair and square,” Hero would consider offering Joey another title shot. Joey Ryan claims that since the match was No Disqualification, everything that happened that night was within the rules, and all he needed was a Superkick and hook of the leg to defeat Necro Butcher. Joey went on to demand a rematch, and said that if Hero uses some sort of technicality to avoid putting the title on the line, that not only would the fans be right to believe Joey was a better champion, but that Chris Hero is a coward, as well. The message left unsaid was just as clear: Joey Ryan’s Superkick packs the power and elevation to put down Necro Butcher, so it could just as easily turn the lights out on the World Champion.
Because of these criticism, and despite the fact that Hero scored an indisputable victory over Joey Ryan at DDT4, Chris Hero has accepted Joey Ryan’s challenge to a rematch. One more opportunity for Chris Hero to prove that he is a fighting champion, and that he will not back away from any challenge. And one final opportunity for Joey Ryan to prevent the record of the longest reigning Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Champion from being broken. But it won’t be just any rematch. No, at Threemendous II Joey Ryan has challenged Chris Hero to defend the title in a Guerrilla Warfare match.
It is the most dangerous type of match to take place in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and both men have survived them before. Joey Ryan has fought in two Guerrilla Warfare matches, but was defeated in both. Chris Hero only has one Guerrilla Warfare match on his record, but it was a crucial one: On July 6, 2008, Chris Hero defeated Human Tornado in a Steel Cage Guerrilla Warfare Match to win the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship. A little more than a year later, Chris Hero will be in for the fight of his life once again. This time, there will be no steel cage; “I don’t plan on running, and I don’t think he does either,” says the World Champion Hero. “I do plan on proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am the greatest Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Champion to ever wear the belt.”
Guerrilla Warfare matches have seen myriad types of weapons used, from chairs and ladders to thumbtacks and razor wire, but the final confrontation between champion and challenger will likely come down to the two most potent weapons that each possess: the Elbow and the Superkick.
Non-Title Tag Team Match
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. 2 Skinny Black Guys (El Generico & Human Tornado)
— When The Young Bucks emerged victorious from DDT4, Matt and Nick Jackson sincerely felt like there was no more competition left for them in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. After all, at Ninety-Nine they defeated the Motor City Machine Guns, who are widely regarded as one of the top tag teams in the world. Then at DDT4, they beat their long-time rivals Brandon and Dustin Cutler, The Men of Low Moral Fiber (Kenny Omega & Chuck Taylor), and the greatest thing since sliced bread number 2, Bryan Danielson and Roderick Strong, the Hybrid Dolphins, all in the same night. Clearly, Matt and Nick Jackson are on another level from the rest of the tag teams in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.
Or so they think.
At Ninety-Nine, the Bucks were taken to their limit by Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, and the match was a tenth of a second away from a completely different outcome on numerous occasions. Then at DDT4, The Young Bucks reached the tournament finals by virtue of a string of controversial decisions (over The Cutler Brothers and Men of Low Moral Fiber), and came within milliseconds of losing not only the tournament, but the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team championship as well. Many fans believed the Bucks should have been eliminated in the first round of the tournament by the Cutlers, with many more believing that Kenny Omega and Chuck Taylor should have been in the finals instead of Matt and Nick Jackson. Not only that, the questionable officiating seen at both DDT4 and The Secret of Guerrilla Island, all in matches involving members of The Young Bucks, has brought forth an inquiry into the officiating of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla matches. While The Young Bucks believe they are on a different level than the rest of the tag teams in the world, they may be the only ones.
Enter 2 Skinny Black Guys.
As one of the most popular tag teams in the early days Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (yes, the first three years now qualify as “the early days”), El Generico and Human Tornado parted company after losing the World Tag Team Championship to the powerhouse duo of Davey Richards and Super Dragon. While they remained friends after the dissolution of their tag team, Generico’s victory for the World Championship over Tornado, and Tornado’s treatment of Candice LeRae and Chris Hero, severely strained things between the former partners. But as the saying goes, time (and professional mediators) heals all wounds, and now 2 Skinny Black Guys are ready to once again take the tag team world by storm.
El Generico and Human Tornado are eager for the opportunity to showcase their newly repaired relationship, and even more so for the chance to reclaim the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship. However, the Bucks claim that 2 Skinny Black Guys haven’t beaten anyone in almost four years; why do they deserve a title shot at Threemendous II? A fair point, but one that Generico and Tornado believe they can easily disprove by defeating the Jackson brothers on July 31.
Singles Match
Scott Lost vs. Alex Shelley
Singles Match
“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Sabin
— Since they returned to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, the Motor City Machine Guns, Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley, have learned the hard way that the level of competition has increased exponentially. With their two recent tag team losses, the Guns have decided to test the waters of the singles scene in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, hoping to find them much more calm and welcoming. However, with each member of the Guns doing battle with a former Pro Wrestling Guerrilla champion, they will likely find the singles scene to be just as tough.
While Alex Shelley was known as a singles wrestler for most of his career before gaining fame as a member of one of the top tag teams in the world, the opposite is true for Scott Lost. Lost has experienced unprecedented success as a tag team wrestler, but has been unable to make substantial progress as a singles competitor. In those successful tag teams, Scott Lost was overshadowed by partners more vocal and flashy than himself, like Joey Ryan and “Photogenic” Chris Bosh, while Scott was left to do the heavy lifting. What’s more, those partners were able to achieve a certain level of notoriety as singles wrestlers that Lost was never capable of, which has certainly bothered him. After their first round loss at DDT4, Scott Lost and Joey Ryan have seemingly gone their Separate Way (Worlds Apart). Both Joey and Scott have set their sights on Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s top prize, and while Joey is in a rush to end the reign of Chris Hero, Scott Lost is happy to bide his time. At Threemendous II, Scott Lost won’t be bringing any rubber birds or novelty umbrellas with him to the ring, he won’t have to worry about bailing out Joey later in the evening. Instead, Alex Shelley will be taking on the most focused, most determined Scott Lost to set foot in a Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ring. Calm waters? Yeah, right.
Much like Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin and “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson established themselves as singles competitors long before the Motor City Machine Guns and Hybrid Dolphins came along. However, of the three men, Bryan Danielson was easily the most successful as a singles wrestler, winning multiple titles around the world, including the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship. But now that Danielson has seemingly turned his focus to tag team wrestling, Sabin and Shelley are equal parts worried and resentful. Rightfully so, too: On their first night as a tag team, the Hybrid Dolphins were able to not only defeat the Motor City Machine Guns, but to reach the DDT4 finals and very nearly win the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship. Since Danielson and Strong were able to beat the Guns at their own game, Chris Sabin will attempt to beat Bryan Danielson at his, one on one, at Threemendous II.
What does the future hold for these fractured tag teams? Will we see future Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship title contenders emerge from either of these dream matches, or will they serve as minor distraction from the red hot tag team scene? Find out on July 31 as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla celebrates its sixth anniversary with Threemendous II!
Singles Match
Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong
— When Davey Richards and Roderick Strong challenged The Young Bucks for the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship earlier this year at The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, it was a flash pin by Nick Jackson on Davey Richards that ended the match. It was that pinfall that stuck with Davey Richards and ate away at him for months. At The Secret of Guerrilla Island, Davey Richards had his chance to avenge that loss, and made the most of it. After a questionable 2-count by Junior Senior Official Patrick Hernandez, rather than turning his anger on referee Hernandez, Davey Richards gladly dragged Nick Jackson to the center of the ring and forced him to tap out. Clearly, Davey reveled in doing harm to the younger Buck, but after the match it was like a great weight was lifted off Davey Richards’ shoulders. After months, he had found peace, and was able to look ahead to the future. And that future includes Davey Richards doing the one thing that has eluded him in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla: becoming World Champion.
The loss to The Young Bucks in January did not have quite the same effect on Roderick Strong. Roderick was able to move on quite easily, and even went so far as to form a moderately successful tag team with “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson. They even have their own T-Shirt! Roderick Strong may actually be more shark than dolphin, always moving forward with ruthless efficiency. At Threemendous II, Roderick Strong has the opportunity to launch himself into title contention with a victory over another long-time fan favorite, Davey Richards. Does it matter to Roderick Strong that his former partner, former co-holder of the World Tag Team Championship, stands in his way? Does it matter to a shark where his next meal comes from? Not at all. Always moving forward.
Singles Match
Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana vs. Chuck Taylor
— The day that Kenny Omega and Chuck Taylor discovered that they shared a common enemy was the worst day of El Generico‘s life. Normally an easy going, happy-go-lucky guy, El Generico has been living in constant fear for months now, always looking over his shoulder, eternally vigilant. The Men of Low Moral Fiber have El Generico so stressed that during a routine walk-through of the orphange he sponsors, Los Angelitos de El Generico, that Generico blasted a young boy named Ricardo with a Helluva Kick when he accidentally startled the generic luchadore. Something needs to change, and to help make that happen, El Generico has called on the help of his considerable number of friends. While Human Tornado will watch Generico’s back during their tag team match at Threemendous II, Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana has been called in to deal with Chuck Taylor.
Colt Cabana has come to Generico’s aid before, when the Men of Low Moral Fiber were accosting the former World Champion at One Hundred, and now he will happily do so again on July 31. The friendship of Colt Cabana and El Generico goes way back, and now that Cabana is back in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, he is more than happy to help out his old pals. Chuck Taylor will have no such back up at Threemendous II, as Kenny Omega will be off terrorizing the people of Japan during Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s sixth anniversary. But Taylor has proven that in the ring at least, he doesn’t always need the help of Omega, as evidenced by Taylor victory over Human Tornado at The Secret of Guerrilla Island. But on a night with Generico, Cabana, and Tornado together and Chuck Taylor flying solo, thing really may not be fun anymore for Sexy Chuckie T.
Tag Team Match
The Cutler Brothers (Brandon & Dustin Cutler) vs. Brandon Gatson & Johnny Goodtime
— After their disappointing loss to The Young Bucks at DDT4, The Cutler Brothers were very happy to hear about the on going inquiry into the officiating of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla matches. But rather than wait for the results of the inquiry, which could take months, and whatever action may be taken after, Brandon and Dustin Cutler have decided to work their way back up the tag team ranks in order to get another shot against their hated rivals (and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Champions). After their impressive victory over Youngest Buck Malachi “CK” Jackson and Jerome “LTP” Robinson at The Secret of Guerrilla Island, the Cutlers hope to further their cause at Threemendous II for another shot at The Young Bucks. On July 31, The Cutler Brothers will once again take on a pair of newcomers, Johnny Goodtime and the debuting Brandon Gatson.
Plus Jerome “LTP” Robinson takes on Charles Mercury in singles competition!
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Threemendous II takes place Friday, July 31, 2009, at 8:00 PM at American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA. American Legion Post #308 is located at 7338 Canby Ave., Reseda, CA 91335. Front Row tickets are $25, and General Admission tickets are $20. Tickets are available for purchase online at the Threemendous II mini-site. Any remaining 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.
