Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Presents DIO! on Friday, June 11!
By Silverback, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Staff Writer
Silver Mountain, CA – Earlier this week, legendary musician Ronnie James Dio passed away, and that made us here at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla sad. Even worse, it came not long after the death of another legendary musician, Guru (Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal), most notably of Gang Starr. These two men were giants of their particular genres, and supremely influential not just within the music industry, but in popular culture and beyond. “Beyond” would most certainly include Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, where both performers played a huge role in shaping not only our musical tastes, but the image of our company as well. Both will live on forever through their music, but we can’t help being disappointed by their passing.Click Here to Purchase Tickets
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla presents DIO! on Friday, June 11, 2010 at American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA, at 8:00PM. Front Row and General Admission tickets for DIO! are on sale now, and this event is scheduled to feature:
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship Title Match
¡Peligro Abejas! (El Generico & Paul London – Champions) vs. Brian Kendrick & “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen
— After enduring three brutal rounds at DDT4 to win the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship titles, El Generico and Paul London figured whatever came next would seem easy by comparison. Obviously, El Generico and Paul London did not expect A, The Spanish Inquisition, and B, the inventive nature of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Board of Directors. After all, according to the Board, if ¡Peligro Abejas! were able to withstand the test of defeating three separate teams in a single night, their next challenge would have to be substantial. That is why their first defense of the World Tag Team titles will be against the two men in the entire world of professional wrestling that know the champions better than anyone else: Brian Kendrick and Kevin Steen.
While they may seem like an unlikely pair, Brian Kendrick and Kevin Steen have much more in common than one might initially observe. Prior to DDT4, Brian Kendrick and Kevin Steen regularly teamed with the newly crowned champions (Kendrick with London, Steen with Generico). Both men had faced the former Tag Team champions The Young Bucks in closely contested matches in recent months with their regular partners, the current champions. Both Kendrick and Steen, while capable of being goofy in their own unique ways, are generally looked at as the more focused members of their former teams. And both Brian Kendrick and Kevin Steen are, to put it mildly, slightly disappointed that their former partners won the World Tag Team Championship without them.
The second to last point may prove to be crucial at DIO! when Brian Kendrick and Kevin Steen challenge El Generico and Paul London for the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship titles. If Kendrick and Steen are able to cooperate, their greater focus could be the difference in what will undoubtedly be a tightly contested match. However, at DDT4, Generico and London proved that it’s not just focus that wins championships; the ability to take inhuman amounts of punishment and keep fighting had a lot to do with it. Luckily for ¡Peligro Abejas!, both El Generico and Paul London seem to have this supernatural talent, which may allow them to rope-a-dope their way through their first title defense.
Six-Man Tag Team Match
The Cutler Brothers (Brandon & Dustin Cutler) & Joey “Malachi Cutler” Ryan vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) & Malachi “CK” Jackson
— When fans last saw The Young Bucks, they were leaving the ring without the World Tag Team titles for the first time in almost twenty one months. Without the titles to serve as confirmation that they are the best tag team in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Matt and Nick Jackson are at a bit of a crossroads. Is it better to instantly cash in their rematch with the new champions, or wait until the dust settles and challenge whichever team has the titles a few months from now? After all, you can’t expect every pair of champions to have a Young Bucks-esque title reign.
Until they determine what their next move as a team is, Matt and Nick have decided to use their star power to elevate their younger brother, Malachi Jackson‘s, status in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. It was at 2009’s DDT4 when the Bucks introduced Malachi as “the future of professional wrestling,” and since his debut Malachi’s record has been mixed. However, in recent months The Youngest Buck seems to have found is footing and is now looking to climb the ranks of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. With the help of his brothers, DIO! could a huge step for Malachi Jackson.
Brandon and Dustin Cutler find themselves in a very different situation than The Young Bucks. After a heartbreaking second round elimination at DDT4, the Cutlers would like nothing more than to climb right back on the proverbial horse and continue their pursuit of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship titles. However, before The Cutlers attempt to climb back in to the title picture, they will have to face their arch-rivals once again, this time with their little brother on their side. That is why Brandon and Dustin have enlisted the help of their “long lost brother from another mother,” Joey “Malachi Cutler” Ryan, for their six-man tag team match at DIO!. A victory here for the Cutlers could lead them to a straight up rematch with The Young Bucks, and a victory there could lead them to a World Tag Team title match, and a victory there could lead The Cutler Brothers to a spot in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Hall of Champions (which has a much nicer ring than “Storage Closet of Champions”).
But before any of that happens, Brandon, Dustin, and… er… Malachi, must get past Matt, Nick, and Malachi at DIO!.
Singles Match
Brandon Gatson vs. Chris Hero
— Chris Hero has known for a while that young up-and-comers in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla could eventually be challenging him for one of the top spots in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, but he didn’t know it would be so soon. With Davey Richards still in Japan and unable to defend the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Championship, Hero has decided use this time to test the mettle of the aforementioned youngsters. After a toughly contested bout with Brandon Bonham at DDT4, Chris Hero was able to come away with a victory, though it was not nearly as decisive as he would have liked. Now, his next challenge comes from Brandon Gatson at DIO!.
Brandon Gatson has been turning heads ever since his debut in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, but it was his performance at the 2009 Battle of Los Angeles that solidified his place at the top of the new class. At DIO!, Gatson has a tremendous opportunity to gain a spot in the upper echelon of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla in this match with Chris Hero. Hero does hold the record for being the longest reigning World Champion in company history, and is eager to reclaim the title. Gatson, on the other hand, is eager to gain recognition from the Board of Directors in his quest for his very first World Championship, so a victory over a former champion such as Chris Hero could very well put Brandon Gatson next in line to challenge Davey Richards for the title.
Singles Match
“The Professional” Scott Lost vs. Akira Tozawa
Tag Team Match
Los Luchas (Phoenix Star & Zokre) vs. Johnny Goodtime & Jerome “LTP” Robinson
Singles Match
Candice LeRae vs. Christina Von Eerie
Singles Match
Brandon Bonham vs. Ryan Taylor
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Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s DIO! takes place Friday, June 11, 2010, 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. 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 June 7, 2010 at 11:59PM. Any remaining tickets will be available for purchase at the door. Video recording devices are not permitted. Card subject to change.
