PWG: Death to all but Metal May 25th

Los Alamitos, CA – Alright, so here’s the deal: we’re pretty excited about this card. Stoked, you might say. There’s a fantastic combination of bad blood, fresh faces, and exciting, uniquely Pro Wrestling Guerrilla-style matches, everything we can hope to have on one of our cards. But we forgot to write the intro paragraph. Whether it was the skunk that was hanging around outside of the offices, spraying every cat, dog, person, and dust mote that came within range, or the beautiful, half-Chinese girl that’s super nice but intriguingly distant that we just can’t get out of our heads, something has got us distracted. So just imagine that this space was used for recapping the events of DDT4, where Super Smash Bros. defied the odds and came away with three hard fought victories to win the tournament. Or about “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen, making the first defense of his current Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship Title in an open challenge against Sami Callihan.

Actually, that’s not too bad. Take that, you raven-haired temptress!

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Death To All But Metal takes place on Friday, May 25, 2012 at American Legion Post #308 (7338 Canby Ave., Reseda, CA 91335) in Reseda, CA, and is scheduled to feature:

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship Title Match
“Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen (Champion) vs. Brian Cage (Challenger)

— Immediately after the conclusion of DDT4, “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen returned to the locker room and demanded to know “Who’s next?!” While most of those seated in the locker room were puzzled by Steen’s Goldbergian query (Kevin is, after all, a huge Therock Lesnar fan), one man immediately put himself forward as the next challenger for the World Championship: Brian Cage. Still smarting after being bounced from the DDT4 tournament in the first round, Cage was looking a chance to prove that he belongs in the upper echelon of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and the opportunity presented itself in the form of a battered and bruised champion still looking for a fight. Steen retorted with a verbal assault aimed at Cage’s manhood, to which Cage responded with a shove and a less-than-polite offer to “go right now,” but the two men were restrained and separated before the confrontation could escalate further. They then agreed to face one another on May 25th at Death To All But Metal while being escorted to opposite ends of the locker room.

The following Monday, the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Board of Directors, keen to seem like a powerful matchmaking group, sent a very stern memo to both World Champion Kevin Steen and would-be challenger Brian Cage about the importance of respecting the decisions of the Championship Committee. Cage was first to respond (via text message) saying “Bro? Bro. BRO.” Steen was heard from moments later (via email) with a very terse seven letter response ending with “you.” The blatant insubordination by both men infuriated the Board of Directors, who handed out 30-day suspensions to both Steen and Cage. The Board then began work on determining the next challenger for “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen’s World Championship, after he serves his suspension, of course.

In a highly innovative and unexpected move, the Board of Directors announced that “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen would be defending the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship against Brian Cage on May 25th at Death To All But Metal, for reasons the Board has yet to disclose. This could have something to do with the fact that the 30-day suspension barring both Steen and Cage from competing on Pro Wrestling Guerrilla events actually ends just prior to May 25th, or that the Board is (allegedly) physically intimidated by both Mr. Cage and Mr. Steen. Whatever the reason, all hail the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Board of Directors, the smartest governing body in all the land, and the people that sign our checks!

No Disqualification Tag Team Match
Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno & Stupefied) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)

— For the first time in three years The Young Bucks, were not in the DDT4 finals. This was a startling realization for Matt and Nick Jackson, who went from being the team most closely associate with DDT4 success to first round losers in a matter of seconds. How did this happen? Is this how all of the teams that The Young Bucks vanquished in previous tournaments felt? What a terrible feeling! This feeling made the Jackson brothers sad at first, but very quickly that sadness turned to anger. Intense, burning anger. Rage. Who is responsible for making The Young Bucks feel this way? Certainly not The Young Bucks!

No, the answer to that question, to Matt and Nick Jackson at least, was in the ring celebrating their victory in perhaps the most competitive DDT4 to date, the Super Smash Brothers. Player Uno and Stupefied began their day with only a single victory in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, but would go to sleep knowing they defeated three of the toughest opponents imaginable, all in one night. At least, they would think that until the ultimate sore losers, The Young Bucks hit the ring to disrupt the celebration and attack all four competitors in the DDT4 final round match. After three grueling matches, the Super Smash Brothers, and their opponents 2 Husky Black Guys (El Generico & Willie Mack) were far too exhausted to mount any sort of sustained defense, and the assault only ended because World Champion Kevin Steen ran from the commentary position to confront The Young Bucks.

When The Young Bucks took a moment to explain themselves, their refusal to take responsibility for their tournament loss became even more apparent. According to the Bucks, DDT4 was supposed to be about them, by virtue of their past accomplishments. How dare another team come along to not only eliminate The Young Bucks, but go on to win the tournament. That’s not how things are supposed to work, and Matt and Nick Jackson are prepared to rectify that.

With Super Dragon out of action until after May 25th and their Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship title shot postponed, the Super Smash Brothers have opted to give The Young Bucks a chance to back up all of their talk. But if The Young Bucks are going to attack from behind, bend the rules, and act like all-around jerks, why shouldn’t Player Uno and Stupefied have the option to do so as well? That’s why on May 25th at Death To All But Metal, the Super Smash Brothers and The Young Bucks will meet in a no disqualification rematch!

Grudge Match
El Generico vs. Ricochet

— When El Generico and Ricochet met for the first time in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla at The Curse of Guerrilla Island in October, 2010, fans saw something they were not at all prepared for: a frustrated El Generico that considered breaking the rules to score a victory. While he’s never been thought of as one of the more articulate professional wrestlers, El Generico’s unspoken moral code is obvious to anyone that has seen him compete over the years. But when he found himself standing across the ring from a man that is a few years younger, a step faster, and can jump a few inches higher, Generico thought about resorting to drastic measures. Whether it was due to second-guessing himself, or Ricochet’s innate aptitude for professional wrestling, El Generico lost that day, not just in the literal sense, but in the eyes of the fans, as well.

The realization that he disappointed his fans as well as himself caused El Generico to do some serious soul searching, and ultimately lead to an alliance, though not quite friendship, between himself and Ricochet. That alliance was put to the test just over a year ago when the pair began teaming together to do battle with some of the very best tag teams from around the world. Despite their natural abilities, the team of El Generico and Ricochet suffered three consecutive losses, leading to the dissolution of their team and alliance.

With the bad blood between the two men having built for months, El Generico and Ricochet will have their long-awaited rematch at Death To All But Metal on Friday, May 25th. While both men have obviously aged since their first meeting, El Generico rekindled his rivalry with “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen, a rivalry that took years off of his career, not to mention his life. Will the competitive gap between Ricochet and El Generico have widened further in the intervening years, or will Generico have no compunctions about using every available advantage, whether legal or otherwise, in order to defeat the younger man?

Singles Match
“Unbreakable” Michael Elgin vs. Willie Mack

— While the fans can be quite vociferous when it comes to new talent they’d like to see in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, it’s worth noting when both the fans and the locker room are asking to see the same guy. And as we’ve seen in the case of Future Shock (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly), when you have former World Champion Davey Richards demanding that you be given an opportunity to compete, chances are that the Board of Directors will listen. Such is the case with Toronto, Ontario, Canada’s “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin, who will make his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla debut on Friday, May 25th at Death To All But Metal. Nicknamed “Unbreakable” not just because of his physical durability but his seemingly unflappable drive and determination, Elgin comes to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla with not only high expectation, but an incredibly difficult opponent right off the bat.

When talking about young and tough (both mentally and physically) competitors, no list is complete without Willie Mack’s name on it. Much like Michael Elgin, Willie Mack has experienced a meteoric rise in recent years, calmly facing (and defeating) some of the top names in professional wrestling today. After their match at Steen Wolf in October, 2011, Davey Richards sang the praises of Willie Mack, and advised the professional wrestling world to watch their backs, because this guy is gunning for the number one spot. This opinion became fact when last month at DDT4, Willie Mack, alongside El Generico, was a heartbeat away from winning the tournament. Now that he is so close to the apex of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Willie Mack will fight tooth and nail to make his way onto the top, something Michael Elgin will be forced to confront head on at Death To All But Metal!

Six-Person Tag Team Match
Candice LeRae & RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime & Johnny Yuma) vs. “Pretty” Peter Avalon, Ray Rosas, & Joey Ryan

Singles Match
TJ Perkins vs. Ryan Taylor

Singles Match
B-Boy vs. Famous B

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Death To All But Metal takes place on Friday, May 25, 2012, 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 $30, and General Admission tickets are $25. Online tickets orders are subject to the PayPal Service Charge (2.9% + $0.30). Tickets purchased in advance allow for priority admittance to the venue, along with guaranteed event seating. Online tickets sales for this event will end on May 21, 2012, at 11:59PM. Any remaining tickets will be available for purchase at the door. Tickets are not refundable.