Around 350-375 in attendance for Night One. It wasn't BoLA hot, but it was certainly getting there. Ring Announcer Jon Ian and Commissioner of Food and Beverage Excalibur made mention of the changes to the card since it was first announced and had faith that the weekend would still be a good one. I should make mention that just about everyone on Night One wasn't quite at top level, and the fans were rather forgiving to botches, miscues and slips. It was just so friggin' hot to care about the mistakes and they just let all the performers off on a pass.
1. Hook Bomberry vs. Nemesis
So we kick off with a standard opening match. I say standard because we're looking at two guys who usually wrestle within the opening portion of the card. And the match itself was standard to say the least given all the conditions and talent involved. Back and forth match that finally came to an end when Hook nailed a Michinoku Driver for the win. Decent start. Nothing really special to write home about. Everyone was just feeling the heat by this point.
Winner: Hook Bomberry
2. DDT4 Tag Team Tournament - First Round
2.0 (Jagged and Shane Matthews) vs. Los Luchas (Phoenix Star and Zokre)
Originally, the Briscoes were going to be in the tournament again. Then Mark got injured, so PWG had to find a new team to fill their spot. Enter the debut of 2.0. They played heels in the match, but they were just so damn funny that they immediately won the affection of the fans. Stuff such as Shane getting chants going like "DE-FENCE!" and Jagged complaining about how much his left nipple was in pain, which it certainly was considering all the scars surrounding it. 2.0 managed to isolate Zokre until he made the hot tag to Phoenix. Back and forth action that ended with Los Luchas hitting their Torture Rack Slam onto Double Knee Smash finish for the win. The fans showed their love for 2.0 by chanting "Please come back!" They would hang out at the merchandise table during intermission.
Winners: Los Luchas
3. Candice LaRae vs. TJ Perkins
TJ continued his extreme emo transformation, and was bummed about the card shuffle because of the injuries. He demanded a prima donna to wrestle him and out came Candice much to his dislike. A pretty well crafted match that told a story that got the fans well involved. Candice certainly held her own and they did a good job with how they were booking her against the boys by not having her super strong yet not being overly weak. Back and forth until TJ took her out with the Frog Splash. Better singles match than the first and the fans were into it. Standing ovation for Candice as she managed to walk out unassisted.
Winner: TJ Perkins
4. DDT4 Tag Team Tournament - First Round
Jack Evans and Roderick Strong vs. Ronin and Scorpio Sky
Jack and Roderick were supposed to team together in last year's DDT4 tournament. Only a few weeks before the show, Dragon Gate announced that Jack had to stay in Japan even though some of their guys were going to be in Southern California. Roderick managed to team with PAC and they ended up winning the whole thing. Ronin and Scorpio were an unlikely pairing at the beginning of the year, but have grown into a pretty good duo since. They work pretty well together. The match went back in forth, Ronin and Sky isolated Jack before the hot tag to Roderick. At this time, this was the first really good match of the evening. Jack and Roddy got the win after hitting Ode to the Bulldogs. Pretty good match for both teams.
Winners: Jack Evans and Roderick Strong
==Intermission==
Upon our return, Excalibur called out the PWG Champion Human Tornado to address the fans. Tornado was on cutches and everyone gave him rousing applauds. He began speaking about the injury and seemed like he was speaking for reals. Then he grinned and said he was keeping the belt, much to Excalibur's confusion and horror. The evil pimp slipped out of the ring and left. Immediately after, Excalibur raced after him only to reappear seconds later in an even greater state of confusion, saying, "He's already gone!" Interesting booking approach. Could lead to something good, especially if they are waiting for Chris Hero to return from his Australia tour.
5. DDT4 Tag Team Tournament - First Round
The Dynasty (Joey Ryan and Scott Lost) vs. El Blazer and KAGETORA
Just days before, it was announced that Kota Ibushi would not be coming as he had broken his ankle the weekend before. This certainly caused a lot of heartache as many wanted to see him. I would have loved to have seen the Ibushi/KAGETORA double teams live. Fortunately, PWG managed to talke El Blazer into coming. You could tell he was feeling the California heat as he was lying down on the apron at the beginning of match and did slightly slip a little here and there. But when it was time to go, he dazzled the fans with the crazy aerials he was known for in Japan. The Dynasty managed to isloate Blazer until he made the hot tag to KAGETORA. And what a hot tag as KAGETORA busted out the running combos on Lost that just left the fans in utter awe. Back and forth action took place when Blazer started setting up for the finisher by nailing the always spetacular Blazing Arrow. Seeing that live was just super sweet. Blazer then went for the Dragonrana and got the pin. Great match that could arguably be consider the best of Night One. The fans loved Blazer and KAGETORA, giving them a standing ovation and chanting their names.
Winners: El Blazer and KAGETORA
6. Austin Aries vs. Jay Briscoe
What was originally booked for Night Two was now taking place on Night One. Oddly enough, both men were defending the ROH Tag Team Titles over the previous weekend. This was simply a technical match. That's right, a Briscoe wrestling a technical match. Not very often you would see that, especially in the States. Both men were gunning for specific weaknesses. Aries targeted Jay's head, Jay was targeting Austin's back. Very good back and forth wrestling that continued the momentum the last match had and got the fans hooked to the big finish. In the end, Aries managed to nail a Brainbuster on Jay, kept himself in a front face lock to deliver sickening knees to Jay's head, and then flipped over for the Horns of Aries submission victory. Standing ovation as the two men shook hands. Great match.
Winner: Austin Aries
7. DDT4 Tag Team Tournament - First Round
PWG World Tag Team Champinship
El Generico and Kevin Steen © vs. Davey Richards and Super Dragon
Before introductions could be made, Dragon stole Generico's cape and started playing around with it. It was enough to cause Steen to go after his former enemy, Generico and Davey ended up coming to blows, they decided to ring the bell, and all hell broke loose in the seats. The fans were eating it all up as all four drove each other hard into the chairs. They managed to get the action back into the ring where Davey and Dragon isolated Generico. Everything was really good... only Dragon seemed to be moving in and out a little quick. Even when Davey had set Generico up for the dreaded top rope double-stomp, Dragon instead went for an elbow smash. Curious. Believe it or not, there was no Curb Stomp or Psycho Driver tonight. Which should tell you something about Dragon's condition. Hot tag to Steen and everyone started running hard and fast. Only it was during this that Dragon truly was out on his feet. It was probably a combination of him getting concussed during all this and his just being way too exhausted to move. Steen and Generico had great difficulty trying to set him up for their finishers, so Davey got himself in to save whatever was left to be saved of the finish. This resulted in him being met with the Package Piledriver into Brainbuster combo for the champions to retain. A great match, wonderfully crafted, that suffered from Dragon's inability to continue at the end. Unless he loses some serious weight and conditions himself properly, Super Dragon may be done.
Winners: STILL Champions, El Generico and Kevin Steen
Excalibur had some words for the champions at the end of the match, Steen specifically. He accused him of missing dates while Steen explained his priorities changed with the birth of his son. Excalibur then began to insult Steen's kid, calling him ugly, which was obviously not a good idea. Steen laid out the Commissioner of Food and Beverage with three straight Package Piledrivers. That's right, three straight. Steen then went out, brought his son to the ring, and laid the adorable little baby on top of the completely unconscious Excalibur, Generico made the count, and Jon made the greatest announcement ever. "Here is your winner... OWEN STEEN!" Brilliant. Simply brilliant. A fan yelled for someone to steal Excalibur's shoes and Generico did so, stuff both of them down the front of his pants for some great fun.
Slow start from the first half of the card with the second half being better. Still, the show was certainly not as good as it was last year. Everyone was definitely feeling the heat and some of the injuries that happened leading into the event did put a little damper on the atmosphere, but everyone did what they could under the cir****tances and put together a fun show as a result. The fans enjoyed it, especially with such a wonderful ending.
---
Around 400 this time for Night Two. Excalibur announced that Dragon was out, the reason being that insurance was becoming costly that he was now banned from competing. He made mention that Ronin also had a bad knee. He teased wanting a rematch with Owen Steen when Kevin was spotted running by to make a quick errand.
1. DDT4 Tag Team Tournament - Semi-Final Round
Jack Evans and Roderick Strong vs. Los Luchas (Phoenix Star and Zokre)
We go straight to a tournament match. While Jack and Roddy isolated Zokre from Phoenix Star, some of the lights began powering out. It would be during the next tournament match that they decided to turn the house lights on as the PWG light stands were experiencing technical difficulties. Any way, Zokre made the tag to Phoenix and we go back and forth with some real nice sequences before Jack and Roddy took them out with the Ode to the Bulldogs for the win. Good way to kick off the show and a step up from the previous night's overall quality.
Winners: Jack Evans and Roderick Strong
2. Austin Aries vs. Davey Richards
With Dragon out, the card was shuffled a bit and Davey was placed in a singles match against Aries. Really good, sound technical battle that gave both the chance to show their stuff. Nice little back and forth sequence between the two, which included teased dives and some breathtaking counters. The counters played a big role in the finishing sequence as both men looked like set the other up for their respective finishers and it hooked the fans. Davey managed to escape the Horns of Aries and set him up for the Texas Cloverleaf for the submission victory. After a handshake from the two, Davey got on the mic to cut a promo. He said that while it felt good to be back home, it was going to be short lived as he would be spending three months in Japan. He promised to return after the three months and would be gunning for the PWG Championship. He was given an ovation as he left. If my math is correct, he'll be back in time for BoLA.
Winner: Davey Richards
3. DDT4 Tag Team Tournament - Semi-Final Round
PWG World Tag Team Championship
El Generico and Kevin Steen © vs. El Blazer and KAGETORA
By this point, this was the best match of the weekend so far. Blazer was now about to accomidate just how hot it was in the building and work around it. Back and forth action in the beginning until the champs isolated Blazer. Blazer took some real nasty bumps from Steen during all this. Sick stuff, actually. Blazer made the hot to KAGETORA and off the races we went. The back and forth action this time around was really hot as the fans were just loving it. The finish came when Generico launched Blazer into the air, Steen jumped off the top rope and nailed a mid-air lariat for the pin. Exciting match that got a standing ovation. Deafening "Please come back!" chant was given to Blazker and KAGETORA. We would definitely love to see them again.
Winners: STILL Champions, El Generico and Kevin Steen
PWG Commissioner Dino Winwood came out and called Human Tornado to the ring in an effort for a peaceful surrendering of the PWG Championship. Tornado said he would only do it if Candice came out. She did, he teased a handshake and attempted to attack her with the belt. Dino jumped Tornado until he was attacked by Jay Briscoe. This prompted Necro Butcher to come out and lead to an apparent match between Necro and Jay.
4. Jay Briscoe vs. Necro Butcher
Jay and Necro started brawling in the chairs. Literally. Not much fan reaction happened, actually. Most were just really hot and did not want to put the effort into running around to catch a glimpse of the chaos unfolding. They teased trying to destroy the merchandise table only for Tornado to attack Necro with one of his crutches. After some more chaos, Jay and Tornado were throwing chairs into the ring and the fight continued there. Some back and forth chair-involving action with Tornado trying to get involved and then finding himself in a bad spot when Necro grabbed his crutches and started attacking his leg. Necro finished off Jay with the Tiger Bomb onto a pile of chairs for the victory. A couple more shots at Tornado's leg, causing the champ to be carried off and further damaging his leg. Excalibur followed in an attempt to reclaim the belt after I kept yelling for someone to get the belt. Don't know if he succeeded.
Winner: Necro Butcher
==Intermission==
5. Eight-Person Intergender Tag Team Match
2.0 (Jagged and Shane Matthews), Candice LaRae and Scorpio Sky vs. The Dynasty (Joey Ryan and Scott Lost), Hook Bomberry and TJ Perkins
Ronin was supposed to be in the match, and they teased that his knee was well enough for him to compete. Until he got a chair shot to the knee during introductions. He was carried out and Candice LaRae came out to fill his spot. They're really pushing this girl, fortunately she's a good talent and able to hold her own with the boys. The pairings at the start was Shane and Hook, Jagged and TJ, Joey and Candice, and Scorpio with Lost that had a spark of their 2005 rivalry being renewed. The heels isolated Scorpio for a while until he made the hot tag to 2.0. You got to love Shane for once again leading the fans into chanting "DE-FENCE!" Not to mention Jagged had bandages over his injured nipple. The expected craziness of everyone hitting their signatures took place with some impressive spots here and there. Among them was what Joey called the boobplex, in which he hit a German Suplex on Candice while clutching her boobs. That awesome rapist. The finish saw Joey gore the hell out of Candice and just killed her with a sick powerbomb for the win. Ovation for Candice and a "Please come back!" chant for 2.0. Pretty damn great eight-person tag.
Winners: The Dynasty, Hook Bomberry and TJ Perkins
6. DDT4 Tag Team Tournament - Final Round
PWG World Tag Team Championship
El Generico and Kevin Steen © vs. Jack Evans and Roderick Strong
Barely a minute into the match, they started going for the high spots and impact moves. Among them was this sick visual of Roderick holding Jack up in a gorilla press and tossing him onto Steen on the floor. With no pads. Scary. After was seemed like a good two-four minutes of all four guys hitting this major spots, the champs isolated Jack and work him over. Everyone is totally into it at this point. Hot tag to Roderick and they start going crazy. So many kicks, slams and aerial assaults that when all four managed to find time to just lie down and take a breather the fans are on their feet chanting "P-W-G!" for the first time all weekend. It was heart-stopping live. The finish came when Roderick prevented Generico from attempting to hit Jack with the Top Rope BRAINBUSTAAAH, slamming Steen, and then setting everything up for Jack to hit the Ode to the Bulldogs. Only instead of a moonsault, Jack did a Phoenix Splash. Amazing! We got a three count and new champions! Awesome twelve-fifteen minute main event. Best of the entire weekend hands down. Steen refused to hand over the belts at first, disliking the fact that he had to defend three times in two nights, but managed to finally hand them over and shake hands with the new champions.
Winners: NEW Champions, Jack Evans and Roderick Strong
A much better showing than Night One. Second nights are generally better, but this one was just so blantantly obvious that you really couldn't compare the two. This weekend certainly showed that Generico and Steen are probably the best tag team in the States this year. They're really good and put on great matches as a result. The fans love 2.0 and want them back, as they also want El Blazer and KAGETORA to return very soon. Interesting booking they've put together for both Tornado stealing the PWG Championship and Candice holding her own against the boys. The PWG Tag Titles is probably the biggest victory for Jack in the States and I have to say I'm so happy to have seen it. Given his growth over the years, it's not hard to imagine him with gold at this point of his career. Fantastic finish to a great night of wrestling. The entire weekend as a whole was pretty darn good, though not on the same level as last year. No information on next month's show.
PWG DDT4 Results - May 17-18, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008, 03:52 AM PST
[General]
Posted By: Lord Akiyama
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