PWG Sold Our Soul For Rock 'N' Roll
Reseda, California 5/23/14
1.) Brian Cage vs. Roderick Strong: ***1/2
The show starts off with a Ring of Honor Stalwart taking on Mr. GMSI. This turned out to be a really fun match. Roderick Strong can have great matches with pretty much anyone, and Brian Cage was no exception. These two went at each other right at the opening bell, and didn't let up in the slightest. We saw a lot hard hitting stuff in here, along with some unique offense, such as Brian Cage pulling off a 619 (or an 818 as he like to call it)!!! In the end, Strong is able to finally put Cage away and score the win. Once again, really fun match.
2.) AR Fox vs. Rich Swann: ***1/4
These two Dragon Gate USA/Evolve Mainstays spent a few shows towards the end of 2013 as a Tag Team, but now they're facing off against each other in singles action. This was a fine match. While it might not of been as good as you would think, given the two guys involved (and they've had better matches with one another), for its position on the card, it was perfectly acceptable. Swann & Fox busted out their unique high-flying offense that of course got the crowd into it. Eventually, Swann is able to get the win with the Phoenix Splash.
3.) Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent?) vs. The World's Cutest Tag Team (Joey Ryan & Candice LeRae): ***1/2
Both of these teams had each lost a Tag Team Title Match to The Young Bucks, and the winners of this will presumably get another title shot. Now this is the point of the show where things got....a little weird. Essentially, the story of the first part of the match was that Chuck Taylor didn't want to wrestle Candice LeRae, because she's a woman and Taylor, of course, is a "Kentucky Gentleman". No matter what Candice does, he doesn't fight back. At one point, Taylor just decides to head to the back. After about a minute or so of Trent? wrestling by himself, Taylor comes back out.....wearing a blond wig and a dress, and NOW is ready to wrestle Candice. You seriously can't make this stuff up. Through all of this madness, they actually managed to have a pretty solid match. Both teams were fan favorites, so I was curious as to how they would work this. In the end, they were able to put together a really entertaining contest. Plus, honestly, how can you not have an entertaining match with these four involved. Joey & Candice pick up the win, and presumably are getting another shot at The Young Bucks.
4.) Alex Kozlov vs. Rocky Romero: **3/4
The Forever Hooligans EXPLODE!!! Originally, this was supposed to be Johnny Gargano vs. Rocky Romero, but due to injury, Andrew Everett had to pull out. Gargano was moved into the Six Man Tag to take Everett's place, and Kozlov stepped up to take his partner. This was....decent. The issue here was that this match went WAY too long. This match did not need to go nearly 20 Minutes. It just dragged a good deal, and at points, just wasn't that entertaining. It had its moments, but for a PWG Show, it was definitely disappointing. Romero eventually gets the win.
5.) ACH vs. Ricochet: ****
Once again, PWG gives us another Dream Match. These two really don't have a change to wrestle each other, besides in PWG, due to contractual agreements with ROH & Dragon Gate/Dragon Gate USA/Evolve respectively. ACH's star continues to rise, and Ricochet once again proves why he's one of the best performers anywhere in 2014 (without a doubt). Great effort from both of these guys. There was a lot of solid action, and the crowd was definitely into it. Ricochet picks up the win over ACH with the 630 in a really great match.
6.) Six-Man Tag Team Match - Cedric Alexander, Johnny Gargano & Trevor Lee vs. Mount Rushmore (Kevin Steen & PWG World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks): ****1/4
As I mentioned earlier, Johnny Gargano is filling in for the injured Andrew Everett. As you would expect, this was totally insane. Just craziness from bell to bell. Ever since Mount Rushmore formed, they've been putting on these Six-Man Tags that have just been absolutely crazy, all over the place, balls to the walls action every singe time, and this match was no different. Of course Steen & The Young Bucks were awesome, as well as Gargano, but Cedric Alexander & (especially) Trevor Lee once again got to showcase themselves and looked really good. The last several minutes of this match were insane!! Mount Rushmore pick up the victory.
After the match, Kevin Steen takes the mic, and it sounds like he's going to do a farewell speech (and he would be on his way to WWE in a few months), but he pulls a switcheroo, saying that he's going to iHop after the show, and that none of the fans were invited. Fantastic!
7.) PWG World Title - Submission or KO Only - Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly: ****1/4
This is a rematch from Matt Rushmore several months prior. In that title match, interference from his fellow Mount Rushmore stablemates led to Cole retaining his title. This time however, the match can only be won by submission or knockout. These two had a fantastic match! Both Cole & O'Reilly did great work in this one, constantly going after each other's limbs in numerous attempts to get a submission victory. I'd say this was the best Adam Cole/Kyle O'Reilly Match we've seen anywhere (PWG, ROH, and elsewhere). At one point, Cole goes after Referee Rick Knox, and as you would expect, this led to a massive brawl. Mount Rushmore came out to interfere, but Candice LeRae & Joey Ryan came out to fight them off. O'Reilly stood his ground also, taking it to Mount Rushmore! He eventually hits a brutal finishing sequence on Cole, and gets the Tap Out Victory, winning the PWG World Title!! Once again, a fantastic Main Event!!
The New PWG World Champion Kyle O'Reilly gives the traditional babyface speech to close the show.
Overall: 8.5/10
I thought this was a really enjoyable show. At this point, it's almost impossible to get a PWG Show that isn't entertaining in some fashion. Sold Our Soul For Rock 'N' Roll (I love that show title, by the way) had a lot of really good stuff on it. We had a number of very unique and interesting singles matches on the undercard (Strong/Cage, Swann/Fox, ACH/Ricochet), as well as a really entertaining tag team match that had a good combination of action and wackiness. While there was one match on the undercard that really dragged, that was my only real complaint. Mount Rushmore once again puts on a crazy Six-Man Tag, and the Main Event, with the crowning of a new PWG World Champion in Kyle O'Reilly (a well deserved title win, I might add), was a fantastic match and a good way to close the show. Another solid outing from PWG. Would you expect anything less?
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