BG Says: 2nd Annual PWG Bicentennial Birthday Extravaganza, Night 2

July 10, 2005 – Los Angeles, California

Disco Machine and TARO tackle commentary, and as usual be sure to switch the audio channel over to hear them. It’s never a good sign for the show when Excalibur isn’t around.

Dino Winwood and Quicksilver start the show in the ring. Winwood is holding the absent Scorpio Sky’s belt. Quicksilver didn’t want to win the belts without actually being a part of the finish, and hates Arrogance for making that happen. He hasn’t heard from Sky since he was unmasked the night before. Winwood suggests that he help Quicksilver defend the titles in Sky’s stead. SoCal Val comes out and says she can’t allow that because Winwood is only contracted as a manager. Since Sky hasn’t contacted her about returning to the company and since the AXP had signed on for a tag title defense tonight she has to choice but to strip them of the tag titles. The crowd HATES that. Val books Quicksilver in a one-on-one match with Ronin.

VS.
Quicksilver VS. Ronin
Ronin uses his power to counter Quicksilver’s speed early on. Quicksilver hits a dropkick. Ronin comes back with chops but Quicksilver puts on an armbar. He hits a bodyslam and a legdrop for 2. Ronin unloads with slow but stiff forearms and Quicksilver bails. They trade chops on the floor and Quicksilver goes down. Back in the ring Ronin hits an elbowdrop for 2. He puts on the stretch plum but Quicksilver gets to the ropes. Ronin gets a snap suplex for 2. Quicksilver gets a roll up for 2. He hits a back elbow and blocks a blind charge. He hits a springboard clothesline, miscalled by the commentators who are not Excalibur. Quicksilver hits a leg lariat and a reverse Silver Slice for 2. Ronin ducks a climbing kick and hits a back suplex into the turnbuckle for 2. Quicksilver ducks a clothesline but a second attempt from Ronin hits for 2. Quicksilver hits a snap hurricanrana for 2. Ronin unloads with forearms but Quicksilver catches him with a spinebuster for 2. Ronin hits a powerbomb for 2. He goes for the DVD but Quicksilver hits an enziguiri and a DVD of his own for the win at 9:37. While it was cute that Quicksilver could power through Ronin’s offense and finish him with his own finishing maneuver it doesn’t actually make sense given the injury he suffered the night before.
Rating: *¾

VS.
TJ Perkins VS. Davey Richards
This match is happening because Richards unmasked Puma, revealing for the second time that he’s TJ Perkins, at the previous show. Perkins dives onto Richards before the match. Richards hits a big chop but Perkins comes back with a dropkick and puts on a headlock. He switches to a cravat but Richards gets to the ropes and hits a cheap shot. Richards hits a side suplex and a neckbreaker for 2. He hits a back suplex and jaws with Rocky Romero, who is accompanying Perkins. Perkins hits a T-bone suplex variation for 2. He hits a legdrop for 2. He hits a leaping kick to the chest and a bodyslam. He hits a slingshot senton for 2. He puts on a butterfly hold but Richards gets to the ropes. Richards hangs Perkins on the top rope and comes off the top with a stomp to the back for 2. He hits a snap suplex for 2. He puts on a chinlock but Perkins escapes and hits a back heel kick. He hits a Regal neckbreaker and another back heel kick. He hits a dropkick in the corner and a nasty roundhouse kick for 2. He hits a modified falcon arrow for 2. He hits another bodyslam and climbs the ropes. He misses a senton and Richards hits an exploder. He hits a running forearm and a lariat for 2. Perkins gets a roll up for 2. He counters a Richards roll up to one of his own for 2. He gets a jackknife pin for 2. Richards kicks Perkins’s gut and hits a tiger suplex for 2. Perkins gets another roll up for 2. He goes for another and sits on Richards despite the fact that Richards’s shoulders aren’t even close to being down. Perkins blocks a blind charge and hits a swinging DDT. He hits a tombstone piledriver and a really ugly moonsault for 2. He climbs the ropes again but Richards shoves him to the apron. Perkins comes back with a kick to the head and climbs again. Richards cuts him off again and gets shoved down again after a superplex attempt is blocked. Perkins just decides to screw the whole spot and hits a springboard crossbody for 2. That was probably a good idea actually. They trade slaps and forearms and Perkins gets a roll up for the win at 14:28. This got pretty sloppy as both guys looked blown up halfway though.
Rating: *½

VS.
Chris Sabin & Petey Williams VS. Scott Lost & Joey Ryan
The commentators wrongly say that the only connection between Sabin and Williams is that they’re both in TNA and both in PWG this weekend. They pretty much formed a stable with the now WWE-employed Frankie Kazarian at the All Star Weekend. I miss Excalibur. Williams and Ryan start. Ryan slams Williams to the mat by his hair. Williams comes back with a roll up for 2 and works the arm. Sabin tags in and hits a legdrop as Williams backslides Ryan for 2. Ryan goes to the eyes and tags Lost. They criss cross and Sabin hits a Manhattan drop. He hits two atomic drops, the second coming off the second rope. Williams sneaks in and hits an atomic drop as well. Sabin hits a dropkick to the back for 2. Williams tags in and they hit a double legsweep. Williams holds Lost for a Sabin dropkick and gets 2. Ryan comes in illegally and gets 2 by distracting Williams and allowing Lost to a superkick. He hits a dropkick for 2. He puts on a chinlock and switches with Lost. In a great moment a fan shouts at the referee for allowing Lost in despite not seeing a tag, and referee Rick Knox responds by saying he heard the tag, which was of course just Ryan clapping. Lost hits a knee to the gut and a vertical suplex for 2. He hits the Superman Spear and tags to Ryan. Williams hits clotheslines on both opponents simultaneously but they drag him away from Sabin. Williams hits an ugly reverse DDT on Ryan and catches Lost coming off the top with a boot to the face. Sabin tags in and cleans house. He hits an enziguiri on Lost while hitting a swinging DDT on Ryan for 2. Williams makes a blind tag and hits a back elbow on Ryan. He drops Ryan into a powerbomb from Sabin in a stupid looking spot. Lost hits a torture rack backbreaker on Sabin. He drops Williams into a facebuster from Ryan in another silly looking spot. Williams puts the Sharpshooter on Ryan as Lost puts the Scorpion Deathlock on Sabin. They release and clothesline each other down in a spot that looked like they were dancing. Lost hits an overhead suplex on Sabin but Williams suplexes him down. Williams goes for the Canadian Destroyer on Ryan but Lost stops it. Lost and Sabin botch a spot off the top rope. Ryan hits a back suplex on Sabin but Williams hits him with a clothesline. He hits Lost with the Canadian Destroyer for the win at 13:24. A really lame comedy spot preceded the finish, forcing Lost to keep his head in Williams’s crotch for entirely too long. This match completely fell apart down the home stretch.
Rating: *¼

VS.
CM Punk VS. Ricky Reyes
Punk was the ROH World Champion at this point, but he was on his way to the WWE very soon. He and Reyes lock up to start. They fight it out on the mat until Reyes bails. The commentators reveal that after this show Reyes is moving out east, which explains why he was in ROH so much despite not actually being booked to do much. Punk and Reyes trade holds and Reyes dodges a dropkick. Punk puts on a headlock but Reyes counters to an armbar. Punk hits a knee to the gut and then punts Reyes around the ring. He tosses Reyes into the turnbuckle and hits a bodyslam. He hits a kneedrop to the gut for 2. He puts on the body scissors as Disco Machine’s cell phone goes off on commentary. Punk kicks Reyes hard again and hangs Reyes on the top rope. Reyes comes back with a sunset flip for 2. Punk stays on the midsection and gets 2. He puts on an atomic drop but Reyes escapes and hits a back suplex. Reyes kicks Punk’s back and whips him hard into the corner. Punk bails so Reyes follows him out and kicks his chest. Back in the ring Reyes gets 2. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He hits a kneedrop for 2. Punk comes back with a brainbuster and hits a powerslam for 2. Reyes hits an overhead suplex but Punk quickly responds with a roaring forearm. He hits a Michinoku Driver for 2. Reyes grabs the dragon sleeper but Punk gets to the ropes after a close call. They trade forearms and kicks and roll ups for 2. Reyes goes for a victory roll but Punk sits down and gets the win at 17:30. It was good to see a match that was at least crisp and logical, and even though it was very slow to start it picked up nicely near the end.
Rating: **¾

After the match Rocky Romero announces that this will probably be Punk’s last match in PWG. Punk gets on the microphone and puts PWG over as the best wrestling in SoCal. For a guy that didn’t work in the company all that much this was an appropriate farewell.

Excalibur joins the commentary team here! I can turn the commentary audio track on and enjoy it now!

VS.
Kevin Steen VS. Super Dragon [Number One Contender Match]
Let’s recap the amazing events that lead to this match. Kevin Steen came to PWG and twice challenged Super Dragon for the PWG title. He lost the first time because he was tired after wrestling earlier in the evening to earn the title shot. He was also largely undeserving, being 0-3 in PWG prior to the four way match that won him the shot. The second challenge came in a triple threat match with El Generico. He blamed Generico for that loss but became enraged that he couldn’t beat Dragon. Dragon lost the belt the night after the triple threat to AJ Styles, but Steen didn’t care. He manipulated Dragon’s two best friends, Excalibur and Disco Machine, to turn against him and then cheered as Excalibur devastatingly injured Dragon’s head. Now Dragon looks for revenge in the first one-on-one match they’ve had since Steen’s actions became public and a shot at the PWG title is on the line.

They stare each other down to start. Dragon opens the match with a forearm. Steen responds in kind and they trade off. Dragon goes for the Kawada kicks. They trade finisher attempts but neither can hit anything. Dragon hits an enziguiri and Steen bails. Dragon follows him out and gets struck down. Steen rams him into the post and hits a double stomp. Dragon comes back by climbing up the wall and kicking Steen. He hits a double stomp to the face and rolls Steen back into the ring. He hits a double stomp to the gut and puts on the Mark Nulty Special. Steen gets to the ropes. Dragon chops Steen’s face but rams his own shoulder into the post on a blind charge attempt. Steen follows him to the floor with a senton off the apron. He tosses Dragon into a row of chairs… twice. He starts to do it a third time but since the crowd wants to see it Steen refuses. Back in the ring he hits a double jump double stomp for 2. He hits a back elbow for 2. He puts on Dragon’s leggy nelson but Dragon powers out and puts on the Kayak. He kicks Steen’s head and flushes the toilet for 2. He puts Steen in the leggy nelson but Steen elbows out and puts on a pendulum. He swings Dragon’s head into the bottom turnbuckle and hits a double stomp to the back. Dragon tries to fight back but Steen goes low and hits a neckbreaker for 2. He puts on a modified cobra clutch and counters the Koppo kick to hit a sit-out powerbomb for 2. He takes off his T-shirt and chokes Dragon with it. He looks fine in the singlet, the T-shirt is unnecessary. He gives the shirt to ringside photographer Shane Kidder, who’s a great guy with a website you should totally check out! He hits the somersault legdrop for 2. He sets Dragon up top and slaps him to make him prone. He climbs up and hits a double stomp ON the top turnbuckle and Dragon falls to the floor. Back in the ring Steen gets 2. He sets Dragon up top again but Dragon fights him off and comes down with a huge senton bomb for 2. Steen comes back with a slingshot Complete Shot for 2. He climbs the ropes but Dragon blocks a swanton bomb with his knees and hits a turnbuckle powerbomb. He rolls into the STF but Steen gets to the ropes. Dragon goes for the Curb Stomp so Steen retreats under the rope. Dragon catapults Steen into the bottom rope and then hits a slingshot double stomp onto the back of Steen’s head, which was draped over the apron. Dragon gets back into the ring and goes for a suicide dive but Steen grabs him in a fireman’s carry and hits a Finlay roll into a row of chairs. After a lot of recovering Steen gets 2 back in the ring. He goes for the package piledriver but Dragon counters to a German suplex. He hits a tiger suplex for 2. He hits a pair of Curb Stomps and a double stomp to the back of Steen’s head. Steen sneaks in a superkick to stop Dragon’s momentum. They trade strikes and Steen hits a gutbuster. He climbs the ropes but Dragon crotches him and brings him down with a lariat. He climbs the ropes himself and comes down with a double stomp to the back of the head for 2. He climbs again but misses the Sky Twister Press. Steen hits an enziguiri and the package piledriver for 2. He climbs the ropes and hits a moonsault. He gets right back up and climbs again to hit the 450 splash for the win at 26:00.

Like in their first match Steen used Dragon’s moves against him, but this time he had a mental edge over Dragon (having stolen his best friends and allies) and was more successful in that endeavor. It’s actually nice to see that Dragon gets as good as he gives, getting hit with all kinds of painful looking offense in this match. This was just as violent as any Guerrilla Warfare match, even with no weapons used as projectiles. Great stuff that kept Steen extremely Strong heading into a title match. This is the feud that couldn’t stop producing engaging matches.
Rating: ****

For whatever ridiculous reason TARO rejoins commentary here. I think I’ll turn the audio track over.

VS. VS.
VS.
Human Tornado & El Generico VS. Disco Machine & Excalibur VS. Phoenix Star & Zokre VS. Hook Bomberry & Topgun Talwar [Number One Contenders Match]
SoCal Val had apparently decided that the winners of this match would face former champions Scott Lost and Chris Bosh for the vacant titles on the next show. The New SBS get booed the way real heels should. Star and Tornado start. Star uses the afro to put Tornado on the mat. Tornado leaps over a dropkick and rolls Star up for 2. Star hits a body scissors takedown (crazy!) but misses an elbowdrop. Tornado misses a legdrop and tags to Talwar. Star tags Excalibur in. Excalibur immediately and violently tags to Generico. Talwar puts his hand on his butt and on his crotch and asks for a handshake. Generico naively accepts. They do some chain wrestling until Generico gets a roll up for 2. He puts on an armbar but Talwar bites his thumb to escape and whips him around by it. He hits an elbowdrop and tags to Hook. Hook hits a dropkick for 2. Generico hits a back elbow and tags to Zokre. Hook hits a dropkick but Zokre comes back with one of his own. He hits an enziguiri and Disco tags Hook out. Zokre hits some fancy armdrags but runs into a powerslam. That gets 2 for Disco. Excalibur tags in and hits a knee to the gut. Zokre comes back with a flipping reverse DDT and tags to Star. Star hits a facebuster on Excalibur and Zokre hits a moonsault on Disco. The New SBS go to the floor so Los Luchas follow them to the floor with gay flips. Gay as in happy, of coures. Talwar kicks Generico to the floor and dives out onto him. Back in the ring he gets 2. I guess the legal man rules are flexible. Hook comes in and hits a dropkick to the face for 2. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. Talwar tags in and they hit a double back bodydrop. Talwar hits a series of clotheslines in the corner and a basement shoulder tackle. Hook tags in and blocks the Yakuza kick. He hits a missile dropkick for 2 before tagging Zokre in with a chop. Zokre sets Generico up top and brings him down with an Ace Crusher for 2. He puts on a chinlock and then sets Generico up top again. Generico comes back with a sunset bomb. Tornado and Star tag in and Tornado cleans house with Pimp Slaps and Shoryukens. He hits the Pounce on Star but Star comes back with a reverse powerslam. Star puts on the Mexican surfboard and Zokre comes in with a slingshot senton. Excalibur hits the Rude Awakening on Zokre for 2. He hits a vertical suplex for 2. He puts on a camel clutch and Disco dropkicks Zokre’s face. Excalibur keeps the hold on and Hook says he’ll dropkick Zokre’s face, but dropkicks Excalibur instead. He hits Excalibur with an enziguiri and a Michinoku Driver for 2 when Disco saves. Disco hits Hook with a spinebuster and a chokeslam for 2 when Talwar saves. Talwar hits the Chipotlé with the help of Hook for 2. Star sends everyone to the floor and Los Luchas eliminate Hook with a moonsault/legdrop combo at 15:40.

The New SBS attack Los Luchas from behind. Los Luchas come back with stereo hurricanranas but Tornado and Generico stop them from hitting stereo dives. Star tosses Zokre into a blockbuster on both Generico and Tornado and hits the reverse Olympic Slam on Generico. Zokre hits the Diamond Dust on Generico for 2 when Tornado saves. Tornado sends Star to the floor and hits a roundhouse kick on Zokre. He hits the wall-smashing (meaning he jumps so far he actually hits the wall of the building) dive on Star and the New SBS eliminate Zokre with a Chokebreaker/flying elbow counter at 17:12. Now we come to the pairing that I’m most interested in due to it being an offshoot of the Super Dragon vs. New SBS feud. Tornado tries to fight off Excalibur and Disco on his own and gets hit with a backbreaker/big boot combo. That gets 2. Generico comes in and kicks Excalibur and Disco out of the ring. He follows them out with a double jump moonsault and soaks in the cheers. Back in the ring Tornado hits a tornado clothesline on Disco and Generico hits the corner Yakuza kick on Excalibur. Generico and Tornado hit stereo corner step kicks and split kicks. Excalibur pokes Generico’s eyes but Generico nails him with the swinging DDT. Tornado follows up with a big splash for 2. Generico hits Excalibur with a half nelson suplex and Tornado hits a Regalplex for 2 when Disco saves. Disco hits an exploder on Tornado and dodges a corner Yakuza kick. He hits a backbreaker on Generico and climbs the ropes. Tornado crotches him and Generico hits the turnbuckle brainbuster for the win at 22:43. This was a little chaotic but a hell of a lot of fun. When they really try PWG can put on a hell of a spot-fest. The finish was perfect and Disco sold the move like death.
Rating: ***¾

VS. VS.
AJ Styles © VS. Christopher Daniels VS. James Gibson [PWG Championship Match]
Daniels’s X-Division title is not on the line here. Daniels jabs Gibson to start. Gibson and Styles take turns slugging Daniels and hit him with a double back elbow. Gibson rolls Styles up for 1. Styles comes back with a dropkick on Gibson and a backdrop on Daniels. He hits a vertical suplex and a backbreaker on Gibson. He hits a bodyslam but Daniels clotheslines him to the floor… in theory. Gibson hits a back bodydrop on Daniels and follows with a bodyslam and a legdrop for 2. Styles hits a back suplex on Gibson for 2. Gibson hits a clothesline on Daniels and dodges a leg lariat. Daniels hits the leg lariat on Styles and does a little jig. Gibson monkey flips Styles into Daniels who he hits with a hurricanrana. That spot woud be duplicated later in the year at the IWA-MS Ted Petty Invitational finals. Styles puts a Mutalock on Gibson but Daniels breaks it up and sends Gibson to the floor. He hiptosses Styles to the floor and follows them both out with a topé con hilo. Back in the ring Daniels climbs the ropes but Styles shoves him into a powerslam from Gibson. That gets 2. Styles comes in with a springboard forearm on Gibson for 2. Gibson returns fire with a neckbreaker for 2. He hits a vertical suplex on Daniels and the Alabamaslam on Styles. He puts the cloverleaf on Daniels but Styles breaks it up with an enziguiri and the Pelé Kick. Daniels hits an exploder on Styles for 2. Ehh, I’m losing interest. Sorry about this. The rest of the match sees some circus shit off the top rope involving all three men and Styles getting the win at 12:30 by pinning Daniels with the Styles Clash. It was brave of them to avoid the typical triple threat match traps, but they played it safe aside from that.
Rating: ***

The 411:  After getting off to a really, really rough start with three pretty bad matches the show is redeemed. A solid farewell match for Punk, a great number one contender match, a fantastic scrambled egg four team tag match, and a solid title match make this an easy recommendation. I love that everything the Super Dragon vs. New SBS feud touches turns to gold.
Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]