PWG 2015

For the few who don't know, Pro Wrestling Guerilla is a super indie based in Reseda, CA.  It runs a limited number of shows each year.  PWG has champions, but is much more driven by wrestlers going into the ring, delivering their best spots and having fun, than stories.  If you don't like superkicks and flippy wrestling, this might not be for you.  And if its not, I think you are missing a lot.

It has been a promotion at its very best in 2015 and I think deserves some notice.  So, feel free to add any thoughts.  I'm going to start by re-watching what could well be the show of the year.

Don't Sweat the Technique

Biff Busick vs Brian Cage
The crowd don't need a hot opener, but by golly they get it.  This is one of Cage's best outings, if you've never seen the Machine then this is a great starting point as he gets in all his major spots.  A little botchy at the end, but a great little match.  3.5*

Trevor Lee vs Mike "Speedball" Bailey
This is actually one of my favourite matches of the year, the two work together so well and holy $#1@ some of those kicks and throws are full on.  How can you not be absolutely digging Speedball this year?  Having not killed himself in one of the maddest and heart in mouth spots you are likely to see, what does he do, run away and lick his wounds?  No, he hits a reverse moonsault!   4*

World's Cutest Tag Team vs The Beaver Boys
I love tag team matches, because it allows moves that two wrestlers can perform on one or two others.  And that is something that PWG tags do so well, pushing the envelope and being innovative and creative.  Lots of fun. 3.5*

Tommy End vs Chris Hero
Strikefests don't come much better than this.  You want to see a match where you feel that one wrestler will literally have to kill his opponent to get the win?  Watch this.  Oh, and when I said I'm really digging Mike Bailey this year, well Tommy End is just the man in 2015.  4.5*

SCACH vs Tommaso Ciampa
There's a bit of chemistry missing in this match that sags a bit.  This is probably the weakest match on the card and is still 3*

Sabin & Sydal vs Monster Mafia
So many double team moves on show, I love it.  The match really lifts off after the Sabin beat down, when Sydal hot tags.  3.5*

Andrew Everett vs Ricochet
There's a bit of flow missing from this, but it has spots.  And oh what spots.  One of the amazing springboard shooting star press, or the top rope rana, or the double moonsault would be something on their own, but all 3 in one match is really spoiling us.  3.5*

Zack Sabre Jr vs Roderick Strong
Both these wrestlers would be on my shortlist for wrestler of the year.  I may not have watched a better match outside Japan this year.  4.5*

Mystery Vortex III

Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano
I'd probably be slightly miffed if these two walked out as the first mystery match, but this was much more engaging than I expected.  3.5*

Monster Mafia vs World's Cutest Tag Team
Nothing we've not seen before, but I'll miss Josh Alexander already.  2.5*

Biff Busick vs Timothy Thatcher
I'll admit, this isn't quite my thing, but I guess not every match can be mad flips.  3*

Roderick Strong vs Mike Bailey
Mike Bailey with the world title shot and nearly wins straight away!  I thought this was great.  4*

Brian Cage vs John Silver
I think this is okay, but doesn't engage me as deeply as it should.  3*

Chris Hero vs Zack Sabre Jr
Zack really gets to work Hero over here.  His ability to work over joints (and digits) is just so impressive.  This has a bit of everything, but as a story of taking a body part and working it over and working it over and taking every chance to use that weakness for a win, there's probably no better example this year.  5*

Andrew Everett & Trevor Lee vs The Young Bucks
Remember when I asked for more flips earlier in the card?  This match must have listened to me.  It really does deliver and the angle afterwards is even better.  4.5*

Threemendous IV

Team Tremendous vs The World's Cutest Tag Team
This just put the biggest smile on my face.  I thought every minute of this was maximum fun.  3.5*

Brian Cage vs Johnny Gargano
Despite some nice spots (mostly involving the impressive power of The Machine) there's some botches in this and it should flow better.  But you can see from the blowing that Cage does the amount of effort in this.  2.5*

Andrew Everett vs Rich Swann
I wanted this dialled up to 11, I think they only went to 7.  3*

Tommaso Ciampa vs Trevor Lee
A perfect match, you'd think the Sicilian Psycho and the Carolina Caveman.  And it meshes really well.  Lots of big hits, and that flatliner on the ring apron was sick.  3.5*

Chris Hero vs Speedball Mike Bailey
Given the form of the two coming into this match, I was really pumped to see them together.  And as such, this just under-delivered by a notch.  Having said that there's an amazing Canadian Destroyer, some brilliant strikes and a superb example of the much under-used 1 count.  4*

Ricochet vs Tozawa
And I thought I was pumped for the last match!  This is a lot of fun and I can see the style annoying some purists, but it works for me and there are so many good moves including a German suplex that must be one of the snappiest I've ever seen.  I so need to watch more Dragon Gate, its just so damn hard to get.  3.5*

The Young Bucks vs Angelico & Jack Evans
Holy $#!% Jack Evans and Angelico literally fly into the house.  You know exactly what you are going to get in this match up and that is certainly not one partner holding the tag rope while there is a 10 minute beat down and body part selling by the other.  Again, might not be to the taste of purists, but hits all the right spot buttons for me.  4.5*

BOLA Stage 1

House has done an excellent review of all 3 nights in the Japan, thread.  But this is such a great show, it doesn't hurt to run through it again.

Cage vs Aero Star
If you watch one finish, watch this Steiner Screwdriver from Cage.  Cage may have worked injured in this match, which limits Aero Star's offence and hurts the flow.  Plus Aero Star makes a pretty big botch.  But still a fun opener.  3*

Biff Busick vs Andrew Everett
Wow, what a clash of styles, but in a good way.  Busick destroys Everett over and over.  And Everett flips and twists all the way back each time.  Another botch at the end with the Phoenix Splash, but a really great match.  3.5*

Mark Andrews vs Will Ospreay
Oh man these guys are making it look like progressing in this tournament means something.  There is nothing left in the locker here.  Amazing display from both.  4*

Angelico & Jack Evans vs Inner City Machine Guns
PWG is definitely not going to give us a breather on this card.  There's dancing, there's wrestling, there's a People's Moonsault, there's counters, there's moves strung together that would be amazing on their own.  But there's also a lack of it all coming together, because if it had this would have been off the scales.  3.5*

Trent? vs Trevor Lee
Woah.  There are stiff kicks and throws that almost have me watching between my fingers in this one.  How do you work a match that is positioned on the card between Ricochet and Pentagon Jr?  Like this 3.5*

Drago vs Pentagon Jr
Does anyone hit the ring with more presence than Pentagon Jr?  Some might have as much, but this guy is so over it is un-be-lievable.  I think he'll be back to PWG.  3.5*

Fenix vs Matt Sydal
You want to look at the 2016 winner?  If Fenix can work PWG with his other commitments I would not be at all surprised if he goes over next year.  He's hugely put over by commentary and it is amazing that these two have not worked together before.  If they had, you'd probably be watching a 5* match.  4*

Zack Sabre Jr, Tommy End & Marty Scurrl vs Roderick Strong & The Young Bucks
This is near perfection.  Not only is this a fantastic trios match, but we've got so many little side stories, like the Zack Sabre Jr / Strong feud.  Another good debut, this time from Scurrl.  And Zack Sabre Jr, well I can't say how good he is right now at everything he does in the ring, his transitions are just completely unmatched by anyone.  4.5*

BOLA Stage 2

Marty Scurll vs Rich Swann
Scurll has been working some great matches this year.  Rich Swann, I have felt has more to give.  Scurll does some great heel moves so well, the poke to the eye for example and I thought this was a good opener.  3.5*

Angelico vs Jack Evans
Boy Evans walks a thin line between ass heel and just ass.  He may cross it a couple of times here and I'm not sure if Angelico moved out of the way of his leap to the floor on purpose.  The drunken stuff is cool though, but this goes on a bit too long after that.  2.5*

Chris Hero vs Timothy Thatcher
I didn't want to see Timothy Thatcher working at the pace of a snail exchanging holds.  And he didn't.  I thought this was a really, really good match.  4.5*

Aero Star & Fenix vs Drago & Pentagon Jr
This is a complete cluster.  But a genius one.  4.5*

Tommy End vs Drew Gulak
Were they told to slow things down after the last match.  Boy this sucked the life out of me.  Just when Tommy End can do no wrong he meets Gulak.  2*

Speedball Mike Bailey vs Drew Galloway
Another top notch Bailey performance, playing the underdog so well to Galloway's big man.  I'm sure it'll get boring one day, but I'm nowhere near that yet.  4.5*

Ricochet vs Zack Sabre Jr
This was so not what I expected.  Ricochet takes ZSJ on at his own game in a technical, tactical battle.  At times really good, but just let me down a bit I'm afraid.  3.5*

Mount Rushmore 2.0 vs Biff Busick, Andrew Everett & Trevor Lee
If the lucha match was a cluster, this was a cluster with chairs, ladders and spiked shoes.  I loved this so much.  When I was a kid a real heel might scare me.  Super Dragon has me checking under the bed for monsters before I go to sleep.  4.5*

This was the best night of wrestling I've seen this year.  A bit of everything and a hell of a lot of almost all the good things.

Is this your first time going through BOLA? because for me the best part of the show is still to come N3 disc one might be the greatest 6 matches in succession in wrestling history, I have all bar 1 in at over 4*

I agree with roughly everything you've wrote though, I think I enjoyed Evans v Angelico more though, mainly for how batshit bonkers it was

If they'd have stopped the match after the drunken routine, 3.5*, but I found it really over-stayed it's welcome then.

Yeah.  1st viewing, was hoping to get through N3 too, then the Mrs came home early and talked all the way through the 2nd match.  Loved the 1st one though, Cage did what we'd all like to do to Scrappy Doo.

And I'd actually planned to watch the ICW PPV tonight, but it didn't seem to want to play nice with the Googlecast, which is an issue I've had before with Progress.