Bananas on a podium? A big gorilla on the ring apron? Yes, California-based promotion Pro Wrestling Guerilla (PWG) has based themselves around a gorilla theme, which only adds to their uniqueness. PWG has had the Indy world buzzing as of late, with their high flying and mat based mix of wrestling, with their overseas stars from Japanese promotions and with their entertaining matches and promos.
I was given the opportunity to review PWG Kee_ The _ee Out Of Our _ool and PWG 88 Miles Per Hour and both DVDs were fairly good. PWG has brought in the likes of Frankie “The Future” Kazarian, Spanky and “Classic” Colt Cabana to mix it up with their own mainstay talent such as Babi Slymm and “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce. The combination of the two will leave a lasting impression on all those who watch it.
Here are my thoughts on both DVDs:
PWG 88 Miles Per Hour
This DVD had its perks about it. An entertaining Ebessen “Match”, a great main event and a good tag team outing for Pearce/Hardkore Kidd and Kazarian/Slymm. I felt that the Danielson/Bradley match was absolutely horrible. Bradley moved way too slow and that threw both of them off. The match got better, but still suffered and really brought me down. The opening match between Puma and Black Tiger wasn’t that bad, but again, another slow match.
The rest of the card was pretty solid. It was interesting to watch the competitors from Pearce’s match on, work with a broken bottom rope. (The rope snapped in mid match during Pearce/Kidd vs Kazarian and Slymm.) All the wrestlers used that difficulty to their advantage and didn’t let it affect their matches. The mark of true professionals.
Matches:
- Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Disco Machine, Excalibur, & Super Dragon vs. Scorpio Sky, Chris Bosh, Quicksilver, Charles Mercury, & Topgun Talwar
- Ebessan vs. Kuishinbo Kamen
- Adam Pearce & Hardkore Kidd vs. Frankie Kazarian & Babi Slymm
- Brad Bradley vs. American Dragon
- Havana Pitbulls (Ricky Reyes & Rocky Romero) vs. GURENTAI (NOSAWA & MASADA)
- Tigers’ Mask vs. Bobby Quance
- Puma vs. Black Tigers
Overall- A Decent DVD.
PWG Kee_ The _ee Out Of Our _ool
This show brought the house down, despite the missing ‘P’. Excellent line up of matches and impressive showings by all involved. Glad to see Spanky doing some post-WWE Indy work. I was also ecstatic to see ROH grappler Samoa Joe, who did his job and helped to put on a good tag team contest along with phenomenal indy star, The American Dragon against The Ballard Brothers. Spanky and Frankie “The Future” Kazarian put on a great match up, as expected. These two can work, it’s a shame they aren’t showcased in a brighter light. The rest of the card was equally impressive.
Nothing to complain about here. All that action and an unmasking. No surprise, the crowd was very much into this show as they were on the edges of their seats the entire time. Top to bottom, a worthwhile DVD.
Matches:
- Guerrilla Warfare: Scorpio Sky vs. Super Dragon
- X-Foundation vs. Chris Bosh & Quicksilver
- Spanky vs. Frankie Kazarian
- Adam Pearce vs. Bobby Quance
- Babi Slymm vs. Colt Cabana
- American Dragon & Samoa Joe vs. The Ballard Bro.
- Puma vs. Ricky Reyes
- Disco Machine vs. Charles Mercury
Overall- Great DVD
EXTRAS
Both DVDs contain interview extras. PWG has some talented workers who can wrestle and work the mic. I was impressed like you wouldn’t believe with Vander Pyle’s promo on the Kee_ The _ee Out Of Our _ool DVD. That guy has the gift of gab and can use the mic to an extent that many on the Indy scene can’t.
THE FINAL WORD
PWG has some outstanding talent on their roster. More often than not, I was impressed with their in ring ability, and their ability to speak in front of a camera. You tend to see a lot of young guys and gals come through the ranks with amazing wrestling ability, but when you give them a mic and stick them in front of a camera, they clam up. Not here, you’ll find quality interviews done by quality wrestlers.
Bottom Line- Check out these DVDs!
