July 26th, PWG “Eleven” (11th Anniversary Show) at American Legion Post #308, Reseda. Some of the capacity crowd braved the 90+-degree heat to be at the legion hall early. However, even with the A/C on at full blast, it was as hot and humid as being outside during the day.
1 – Tommaso Ciampa p. Rocky Romero.
Strong, even opener that saw Ciampa hit the big Discus Lariat/Clothesline for the pin.
2 – ACH p. Cedric Alexander.
Wild & crazy match of the high-flyers that saw ACH hit the 2nd 450 Splash for the pin, then he bodysurfed his way backstage, Adam Rose style.
3 – Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent?) def. Johnny Gargano & Michael Elgin.
Crazy match with gimmicks put into it. All four men did their share of signature moves throughout the match, but it ended up being Trent pinning Gargano with what looked like a Modified Version of the Styles Clash from the top rope for the pin.
4 – Trevor Lee p. Kevin Steen in Steen’s final PWG match before going to WWE.
The fans may not’ve liked the outcome, but it didn’t prevent them from flooding the ring with streamers, and Trevor Lee had to overcome all kinds of punishment to win a cover battle with a rollup.
5 – Frankie Kazarian p. Brian Kendrick.
The crowd energy may have not been there, as it was after intermission and the clock was already at the 11th hour, but Kaz & Kendrick gave a great match. Kaz hit the “Wave of the Future” for the pin.
6 – Roderick Strong p. Adam Cole to become the #1 Contender for the PWG title.
Strong, even match that saw Adam Cole go for the left knee of Roddy, who went after Cole’s left arm and elbow. Roddy finished it with the Sick Kick/DBR Backbreaker combo for the pin.
SM – Kyle O’Reilly successfully defended the PWG title over Chris Hero.
Easily the most technically sound match of the night, with plenty of chain and counter-wrestling on the mat. Kyle overcame a picked-apart knee and plenty of boots and elbows to the head to get a submission win with the Cross Armbreaker. Then he ate a few of Roderick Strong’s finishers in light of the previous match.
M – Guerrilla Warfare Match for the PWG Tag Team Titles between The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), and Candice LeRae & Joey Ryan.
On paper, there were plenty of skeptics about this match being the main event, but these two hot tag teams did not disappoint. About 6 chairs, a trash can & lid, a table, a sack of gummi bears, a sack of thumbtacks, and what looked like a Vans shoe that had thumbtacks inserted into the soles. A combination of that, including the use of the said shoe for a Matt Jackson Superkick left Candice with a “crimson mask”. In the end, Joey Ryan Speared Nick Jackson off the apron, and onto the table, while Candice LeRae Ballplexed Matt Jackson off the top rope, dropped some thumbtacks inside of his pants, then Ballplexed him onto the pile of thumbtacks for the pin.
NEW PWG TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: CANDICE & JOEY
Shot of the Night 07-26-14
While most people at and around the San Diego Comic Con area were either sleeping or at an afterparty, this show didn’t finish until around 1:00am on Sunday Morning. Where PWG goes from here is uncertain, but there’s no denying that everyone is already hyped up for an ultra-loaded BoLA ’14 Tournament on Labor Day Weekend. I’ll give MOTN honors to the Guerrilla Warfare match, followed by the O’Reilly/Hero match, then the ACH/Cedric match.
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