This DVD chronicles The Dream Match Series, which was a set of matches that Cedric Alexander had in his home promotion, PWX (He's a mainstay in ROH now, but he's one of the top stars in PWX), against some of the top stars on the independent circuit. Since this compilation has only eight matches, I'll be posting my thoughts on each individual match.
PWX Cedric Alexander: The Dream Match Series
The Hunt For Gold (5/26/13) - Cedric Alexander vs. Kyle O'Reilly: ***3/4
A very good match. There was some really good back & forth and they had a cool exchange near the end. Alexander gets the win.
It's All About Me (6/29/13) - Cedric Alexander vs. Jay Lethal: ****1/2
While doing some research on these matches beforehand, I heard some really great things about this match in particular. After watching it, I have to say that it lived up to the hype! Alexander & Lethal meshed really well together and they put together some awesome stuff here. I thought the fact that some guys on the roster came down to watch the match was pretty cool (kinda CHIKARAesque you could say). The second half of this match was fantastic and the finishing sequence was incredible. Alexander gets the win to go 2-0 in The Dream Match Series.
After the match, a video on the entrance screen from Tommaso Ciampa interrupts Alexander's celebration. Ciampa essentially challenges Alexander to a match at the next show.
Declaration Of Independence 2 (7/20/13) - Cedric Alexander vs. "Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa: ****1/4
These two actually had a match back at ROH Showdown in the Sun: Day 2 during WrestleMania Weekend 2012. This was when Ciampa was still apart of The Embassy and C & C Wrestle Factory were still a lower/mid-card team. The match was essentially a five minute competitive squash for Ciampa, who beat Alexander. This match in PWX was an improvement by leaps & bounds. Really great back & forth between the two, and again, the finishing sequence was pretty good. Alexander perseveres to get the victory, improving to 3-0.
Live & In Demand: Night 1 (8/16/13) - Cedric Alexander vs. Johnny Gargano: ****
This was on Alexander's birthday so the crowd sang Happy Birthday to him. Gargano's birthday was two days prior and they played off of the crowd not singing for him. The match itself was very good. Both guys are great so it's not surprise they had a great outing. A series of multiple exchanges and it ends up taking a good deal of offense before Cedric puts Gargano away to move to 4-0.
This Is It (10/18/13) - Cedric Alexander vs. Rich Swann: ***1/2
In terms of the quality, especially went compared to the other matches on this DVD, it's not the best of the Dream Match Series. Still, it had it's moments, and turned out to be a solid match. Alexander picks up the victory over Swann to go 5-0.
Climbing The Ladder (11/22/13) - Cedric Alexander vs. Chris Hero: ****
Hero is coming off his release from WWE. Another really good match. I was kind of annoyed by the stalling Hero did early, but they made up for it in the later part of the match with some nice exchanges and near falls. Alexander gets the win and is now at 6-0.
Taken By Force (1/18/14) - Cedric Alexander vs. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin: ****1/4
At this point, if there's a singles match, and one of the wrestlers is Michael Elgin, it's pretty much guaranteed to be an awesome match. While it wasn't the best match of the Dream Match Series (Alexander vs. Lethal holds that distinction), but it comes pretty darn close. Just amazing stuff between these two, and believe it or not, they'd go on to have an even better match a few months later (at ROH's Flyin' High). Alexander wins and moves to 7-0.
The Debut (1/19/14) - Cedric Alexander vs. AJ Styles: ****
AJ Styles is making his PWX debut, coming off of his TNA release. Once again, we have a really great match. Even though I was a little disappointed that this was not the best match of Dream Match Series, and despite the unnecessary interference from Country Jacked (Adam Page & Corey Hollis), the match still had very good action. After the aforementioned interference, AJ Styles is able to pick up the win and end Cedric Alexander's undefeated streak in the Dream Match Series.
Overall: 9.25/10
If you're a Ring of Honor fan, and want to know what the buzz about Cedric Alexander is all about, just watch this DVD. Here you see him go up against some of the absolute best talents that the independent scene has to offer. Every one of Alexander's opponents brought a different challenge to Alexander to overcome. You really get the feeling while watching this that Cedric Alexander is going to be a major star on the independent scene sooner rather than later. Altogether, this is an awesome DVD compilation (available via Highspots) and one that is well worth seeking out.
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