PWG is my favourite wrestling company in the world right now. I love so much about it; it encompasses everything I love about wrestling, it’s impressive, technical, brutal, engaging, funny and exciting. So when it came to the end of the 2014 I wanted to celebrate how much I love PWG by putting together my favourite 10 matches of the year. It was hard to narrow it down this much because every show this year has been fantastic and always a highlight of my regular viewing schedule.
Sorry it’s been so late, I was waiting a while for the last show of the year to come out on DVD and have been a bit busy. If you love wrestling like I do then check out these matches and support the company by buying some DVDs, they deserve your money!
I have tried to keep this as spoiler free as possible for those that haven’t seen these matches but there are some obvious give aways in the BOLA match ups and title holders, so be warned.
African American Wolves vs Inner City Machine Guns (DDT4 2014)
These 4 wrestlers are some of the best high flyers on the US independent scene so when you put them together you know you’re in for a treat. This match is very fast paced with some incredible acrobatics and precisely timed spots on display. Having worked together many times before in PWG, either on the same team or in singles matches against each other, they all know each other very well and it’s evident in how good their chemistry.
Chris Hero vs Johnny Gargano vs Kyle O’Reilly vs Drake Younger (DDT4 2014)
4 of the biggest fan favourites in PWG at the time faced off with the winner earning themselves a shot at the title. The mix of styles in this match created some fantastic action; Chris Hero with his hard striking style, Jonny Gargano with his technical abilities, Kyle O’Reilly with his MMA influenced style and Drake Younger being the insane brawler. 4 way matches have a tendency to have little pacing and are just fast paced spot fests from the start (not that there’s anything wrong with that). But this match was excellently paced, starting out with holds and the process of the wrestlers getting a feel for each other, like you often see in regular one on one matches. There were also some fun spots that I’d never seen before involving all of the participants and although it got a little bit sloppy at times it’s always a joy to see something new in the ring.
Best Friends vs World’s Cutest Tag Team (Sold Our Soul For Rock ‘N’ Roll)
PWG frequently has some hilarious comedy segments in matches but this was probably the funniest match of the year. I don’t want to give too much away because it will spoil the surprise but the whole interaction between Chuck Taylor and Candice Le Rae is comedy genius.
Young Bucks vs World’s Cutest Tag Team in a Guerilla Warfare Match for the PWG World Tag Team Championship (Eleven)
Young Buck, the longest reigning tag team champions and by far the most dominant tag team in PWG defend their belt against the inter-gender team of Joe Ryan and Candice Le Rae in a brutal Guerrilla Warfare (No DQ) match. Young Bucks are arguably the best tag team in the world right now, always delivering exciting matches and they certainly brought their A game here. Candice LeRae continued to prove that she can hang with the guys; hitting some impressive offense and taking some of the most painful spots in the match.
Adam Cole & Young Bucks vs Friends of Low Moral Fibre (Battle of Los Angeles 2014)
One of my favourite things about the Battle of Los Angeles events is the non-tournament matches that are put together. With so many wrestlers on the card we end up seeing some indy dream matches like this one. This match had a great balance of high spots, comedy and technical wrestling, making it one of the highlights of an amazing event.
Kyle O’Reilly vs Zack Sabre Jr. (Battle of Los Angeles 2014)
Before BOLA 2014 I had seen a few Zack Sabre Jr. matches and been very impressed but he really made a name for himself in this tournament. Sabre Jr.’s speed and technical, grappling based style is mind blowing and seeing him wrestle against Kyle O’Reilly, another one of the best technical wrestlers on the indy scene is a real spectacle. These two put on a real clinic as they attempted to out wrestle each other, this is a must see for fans of chain wrestling.
Kenny Omega vs Ricochet (Battle of Los Angeles 2014)
Last year’s BOLA was my favourite since the tournament began, if you’re only going to watch one show from last year I recommend you watch this. Every match was fantastic so it’s been difficult to pick only a few. This match, one of the semi-finals, was an almost perfect match. Kenny Omega and Ricochet are both having an incredible run at the moment, putting on stellar matches all over the world and have continued to improve in all facets of pro wrestling. Simply put, this is two future legends going all out in what would be a superb main event on any wrestling show, never mind the semi-finals of an indy tournament.
Watch a preview of night 1, night 2 and night 3
Buy the DVD of night 1, night 2 and night 3
Brian Cage vs Uhaa Nation (Untitled II)
Brian Cage and Uhaa Nation are both freaks of nature, they’re huge, muscular guys with super human strength yet their speed and high flying ability is on par with many guys half their size. Putting these two in a match together was a no-brainer and they didn’t disappoint. WWE have been showing interest in Uhaa Nation and you can see why in this match, he is the full package. It still surprises me that Brian Cage isn’t in WWE, I’m not sure what happened to his previous developmental run but they’d be crazy not to have him back.
Young Bucks vs Chris Sabin and Matt Sydal (Black Cole Sun)
Despite the fact Chris Sabin an Matt Sydal are veterans who have both spent a large amount of time in PWG this is the first time they have teamed together, you wouldn’t know it though by how smoothly they worked. The Young Bucks are on another level when it comes to tag team wrestling but Sabin and Sydal gave them a run for their money with some flawless tag team manoeuvres. Hopefully we will see a lot more in the future from this new duo.
Roderick Strong vs Kyle O’Reilly in a Guerilla Warfare Match for the PWG World Heavyweight Championship (Black Cole Sun)
After months of chasing the title and tormenting Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong got his second shot at taking the belt. Kyle O’Reilly was fresh out of a hard fought win against Ricochet when Strong came out and demanded a match right there, the challenge was accepted under the condition it was a Guerrilla Warfare Match. The story telling in this match was superb as the tension had been building for a long time and the added danger of match type made this a truly exciting fight.
mooklife 