Views from the Hawke’s Nest: PWG DDT4 2013

January 12, 2013
Reseda, California

Commentators: Excalibur, Kevin Steen, Sami Callihan, Rick Knox, Eddie “Eddie Edwards” Edwards, & Roderick Strong

Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament First Round
The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) vs. The Inner City Machine Guns (Ricochet & Rich Swann)
Ricochet and Swann quickly hit stereo tope con hellos. The Bucks eventually cut off Swann and worked him over for a while. Lots of air guitar happened. Ricochet eventually tagged in and made a comeback. They traded a bunch of kicks until they all went down. They went back and forth. It was delightful. Ricochet hit a tope con hello over a turnbuckle on Nick. It looked like Ricochet was barely caught on that one. Swann went for the standing 450 on Matt, but Matt got his knees up and got a small package: 1…2…3.

This was a great opener. I wish there was a better finish, but fruit roll-ups in PWG tournaments are nothing new, unfortunately. Ricochet and Swann should have been on more than one match on this show.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament First Round
Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno & Stupefied)© vs. The Unbreakable Fucking Machines (Michael Elgin & Brian Cage) [PWG World Tag Championships]
Uno and Dos used their quickness to get the advantage. Stupefied hit a Fosbury Flop. Elgin came back and hit the SSB with an Alabama Slam. Yep, at the same time. He’s a fucking machine. The Machines worked Stupefied over for a bit. They did multiple delayed vertical suplexes, where they passed Stupefied back and forth. Stupefied finally hit the double Pele kick and then the moonsault DDT on Cage. Uno tagged in and hit a tope con hello. SSB were in control for a bit. Uno’s left arm was injured, and he couldn’t use it properly. Uno couldn’t do much, as the Machines destroyed Stupefied. Eventually, Elgin hit him with the Elgin Bomb: 1…2…3

This was a solid tourney match, but it was fairly disappointing for a PWG tag team title match. Unfortunately, due to border issues, it looks like this will be the last Super Smash Bros. match in PWG for a long time.
Match Rating: **3/4

Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament First Round
Future Shock (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Dojo Bros (Eddie “Eddie Edwards” Edwards & Roderick Strong)
Cole told Roddy to suck his dick. Roddy chopped his chest in. The crowd wanted Roddy to suck the dick. Roddy agreed and got on his knees. Roddy then chopped Cole’s dick. Best in the world. Kyle and EEEE did obligatory mat sequence. Future Shock cut off Roddy and worked him over for a bit. EEEE eventually tagged in and made a comeback. It was okay. The teams went back and forth. Roddy ate a sequence of movez, but EEEE managed to make the save. Roddy killed Cole with the Orange Crush backbreaker. Double stomp from EEEE, but KO made the save. KO/EEEE fell to the floor after a Dynamite Kid suplex. Cole hit Roddy with the belt: 1…2…3

The final sequence elevated this match above “just a match” status. Future Shock works much better as a fiery babyface act, but with Cole’s main event heel status, it would not make sense for them work that way here. Unfortunately, I think that brought the match down.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament First Round
Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. The Briscoe Brothers (Jay & Mark Briscoe)
Generico is treated like a god since everyone knows it is his last show with PWG. Also, it’s the first time that Steen and Generico have teamed up since Final Battle 2009 as a two-person team. Generico was apparently pretty beat up going into this match. Finally pre-match note: the Briscoes had not been in PWG since DDT4 2011.

The crowd wanted Steen and Generico to hug. They did not hug. The teams went back and forth. It was pretty amusing. Jay was briefly worked over. Mark made a hot tag. Steen got a sharpshooter on Mark, but Jay made the save. Generico almost gave Steen a Yakuza by mistake. Generico and Steen shoved it out; Steen got knocked to the floor. Jay and Mark went for the Doomsday Device, but Generico avoided the lariat and caught Jay with a victory roll: 1…2…3!

This match was obviously not anywhere close to the level of matches these two teams produced together in 2007. However, the match was fun and effectively tickled my nostalgia bone.
Match Rating: **1/2

Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals
The Unbreakable Fucking Machines (Michael Elgin & Brian Cage)© vs. The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) [PWG World Tag Championships]

Nick quickly hit a springboard senton to the floor. The Bucks worked over Cage by going after his left leg. Cage was worked over for a long time. Cage eventually gave them both a suplex and tagged out to Elgin. Elgin made a comeback. They went back and forth. They traded nearfalls. Stereo release Germans from the Machines. Stereo Fucking Machine Suplexes! Cage ate a kneeling superkick. Elgin went for the Elgin Bomb on Matt, but Nick got him with a schoolboy as Matt on Elgin: 1…2…3!

The Young Bucks are now three-time PWG tag champs.

The early heat segment on Cage was fairly useless, but much like the Dojo/FS match, the closing sequence made this pretty solid. This show has clearly been fairly disappointing so far though.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals
Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Future Shock (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly)
Steen tore after Cole. The match threatened to start as a brawl on the floor, but they quickly got back into the ring. Steen was almost immediately cut off and then worked over. Steen almost escaped at one point, but KO pulled Generico off the apron. Kyle’s heel work is so awkward and bad. Steen gave Cole’s dick a headbutt and his body a Rock Bottom. Generico finally tagged in and made a big comeback. Cole blocked a Generico dive. Generico is so obviously taking it easy, which pretty much confirms that he was really beat up. Generico got a nearfall on KO with a BT Bomb. KO ate a half-nelson from Generico and a cannonball from Steen. Cole then ate the package piledrive/brainbuster combo: 1…2…3!

This was a fun match. Much like the last four tournament matches, it was not anything special, but I was entertained. I’m glad that Steenerico vs. the Bucks is happening one more time.
Match Rating: ***

Willie Mack vs. B-Boy
I give negative fucks about this.

Willie went for a tope early, but B-Boy blocked it with a trash can lid. Willie came back with a standing moonsault. B-Boy came back and dropped Willie Mack on his dome in a nasty fashion. This match is worthless so far beyond that cool bump. Willie came back with the My Dick Explodes. B-Boy hit the Superman punch. They traded strikes. B-Boy went for an elbow, but Mack reversed it into a Chocolate Thunder Bomb: 1…2…3

This was a match (that I did not enjoy). It was pure filler in a company that specializes in running shows without filler.
Match Rating: *1/2

Sami Callihan vs. Drake Younger (Knockout or Submission Only)
This is the second in the best of three series. The winner of the series gets a PWG World Title match. Sami won the first match at Mystery Vortex.

Sami started the match with unprotected headbutt. Drake got busted open shortly after that. Sami hit a DVD onto some chairs. They then traded chairshots. More stuff involving chairs. Sami dropped Drake on the sides of chairs. Uncomfortable. Sami then went after the left leg and locked in a figure-four variation. Drake survived and gave Sami an exploder onto a chair. This should have been a Chairs match. I would have enjoyed it more. Drake ruined my fun by using a traffic cone. That can be edited out, I’m sure. Sami came back with more chairs. More chairshots to Drake’s head. Drake Draked up and refused to quit. Drake hit a headbutt. Drake then rained down forearms until Rick Knox stopped the match.

These two will have a third match to determine who gets the PWG World Championship shot.

This was moderately more entertaining than their first match in PWG, but I still prefer their two big matches in CZW from 2012. The Knockout or Submission gimmick worked to their advantage at least. Kicking out of big movez gets tiresome with these two, and that element was removed here.
Match Rating: **3/4

Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament Finals
The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson)© vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico [PWG World Tag Championships
This match started as a big brawl on the floor. Eventually, Generico was isolated in the ring, and a tag team match broke out. Generico was worked over for a while. Generico finally gave Matt a buckle exploder and tagged out to Steen. Steen made a comeback. Generico leapt off Steen’s back to hit Matt with a tope con hello. Steen and Generico locked in stereo sharpshooters. Roddy buried Generico’s sharpshooter on commentary. Matt made the ropes. Steen ate a billion superkicks. Generico then ate a trillion superkicks. Nick finally covered him, but Generico kicked out. Stereo kneeling superkicks to Generico: 1…2…NO! Nick hit Steen with a tope con hello out of nowhere. Generico ate the More Bang for Your Buck: 1…2…NO! The Bucks gave the referee the double superkick. The fans chanted for Knox. Steen made a comeback. Yakuza to Nick! TURNBUCKLE BRAINBUSTAHHHHH! Phantom pinfall! Rock Knox showed up! Matt pulled Knox out, but Knox gave him a superkick! Steen gave Matt the package piledriver. Generico went for the brainbuster, but Matt immediately caught him with the small package: 1…2…3!?!?!?!??! My heart just melted as I realized that was probably the last time I’ll ever get to watch El Generico in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.

Generico went for a handshake with Steen after the match, but Steen walked out. Steen came back and gave Generico a giant hug. Steen then said “No matter where you, please know that I would be nothing without you.” My allergies really kicked in right around this time. The wrestlers came out and gave him a big sendoff. SPEEEEEECH. Generico said he wants to put the rumors to rest. “My name is El Generico. I was born in Mexico. I lived in Montreal for some time. The truth is, I must go back to Mexico and take care of the orphans. I have lots of children.” This was beautiful. As someone who’s been questioning on a daily the basis the value of watching wrestling, moments like remind me there is some good to be had.

(The match was good, but it barely mattered.)
Match Rating: ***1/2

Thanks everybody for reading! You can send feedback to my Twitter or to my email address: [email protected]. Also, feel free to check out my own wrestling website, FreeProWrestling.com. Check out a full/organized list of all the wrestling show reviews I’ve done at 411mania.

Watch some free matches featuring PWG wrestlers (in non-PWG matches, sadly):
Akira Tozawa vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Sami Callihan
Sami Callihan vs. Masato Yoshino
RVD vs. Sami Callihan
Kevin Steen vs. Claudio Castagnoli
El Generico vs. Kota Ibushi vs. Jigsaw vs. Nick Jackson
Davey Richards vs. Kota Ibushi
El Generico vs. Samuray Del Sol
El Generico vs. Player Uno
The Young Bucks vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
The Young Bucks (Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson) & Petey Williams vs. Jay Lethal, Paul London, & Brian Kendrick
El Generico vs. Chris Hero
The Young Bucks vs. The Kings of Wrestling
El Generico vs. Davey Richards
Davey Richards vs. Michael Elgin

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The 411: This was the weakest PWG show since World's Finest. There seems to be one "off" PWG show every year, but it's genuinely shocking that the DDT4 show was the off show of 2013. DDT4 is usually one of my favorite shows in all of wrestling each year, but this show just did not have the magic. Besides the opener and the main event, I never really got into the show. The clear highlight of the show was the Generico sendoff, and while I cannot say that segment alone makes the show worth the money, I think it does push the show over the top in terms of being a recommendation (as there was enough solid wrestling on the show justify the time and money needed to watch it). Go to the PWG website to buy this show.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]