Indy Wrestling Express

Chad Simplicio is back with another excellent live PWG review, of this past weekend’s Battle Of Los Angeles! I’ll hand you over to him:

FULL RECAP OF THE 2012 PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES TOURNAMENT

American Legion Post #308, Reseda, California, United States

By Chad Simplicio

A capacity crowd was on hand for Night 1, and about 80-90% of them returned for Night 2. Out of the 5 consecutive BoLA tournaments that I have gone to, the outcome of the tournament matches were the most surprising of them all, and there were multiple times where—even from the 2nd Row—the action outside the ring were too close for comfort, and most of them didn’t move far enough. In addition, with a good number of wrestling fans coming in from places further out than Las Vegas or Arizona, including some alleged CZW fans; it brought quite an extraordinary atmosphere to the PWG venue, ticking off a few of the wrestlers & other fans along the way. Once again, Excalibur, who was on crutches due to an injured right knee, had to remind the fans NOT TO TAILGATE OR BRING IN ALCOHOLIC DRINKS at the premises of the legion hall.

Referees: Sparky Ballard & Justin Borden (Why no Rick Knox? Read down!)

Excalibur’s guest commentators: Joey Ryan, Kevin Steen, Davey Richards, & Roderick Strong

ROUND 1 MATCHES HELD ON NIGHT 1 — Saturday, September 1

1 - T.J. Perkins p. Joey Ryan w/ the Superkick, followed by what looked like a Modified GTS.

2 - Roderick Strong p. Drake Younger w/ the Death By Roderick, followed by a Butterfly Suplex in a match where the crowd got really hot for the see-saw, hard-hitting action.

3 - Eddie Edwards made Kyle O’Reilly tapout to the Single-Leg Boston Crab submission, w/ the stomps to the side of the head. Another match where the crowd got hot, and Kyle gave it everything he had w/ the injured torso or lower back.

4 - Brian Cage p. B-Boy w/ what looked like his “Weapon X” finisher in a slow but methodical match.

5 - Non-title match that was held after intermission. Ricochet p. PWG Champion Kevin Steen w/ the Corkscrew Moonsault. Brian Cage ran in late in the match to distract Kevin Steen. While “Mr. GMSI” ate the Package Piledriver, his distraction was enough for Ricochet to take advantage, leading to the final outcome.

6 - Sami Callihan p. Willie Mack w/ the 3rd Running Lariat or Clothesline in a hard-hitting match.

SM - Adam Cole p. El Generico w/ a rollup to counter the Ground Briainbuster attempt in another wild & crazy match—one that brought quite the applause from Kevin Steen on commentary w/ Excalibur.

M - Michael Elgin p. Davey Richards w/ the pair of powerbombs—first to the corner, then the spin to the mat. Very hot crowd reaction to the see-saw, hard-hitting action that easily made it the best match of the first round, including one crazy spot where Michael Elgin held Davey Richards in a 1-min. Delayed Vertical Suplex!

NIGHT 2 — Sunday, September 2

QUARTERFINALS

1 - Sami Callihan made T.J. Perkins tapout to his version of Claudio Castagnoli’s (WWE’s Antonio Cesaro) Neutralizer submission.

2 - Adam Cole p. Eddie Edwards w/ a Modified German Suplex in which Cole crossed Eddie’s arms at the wrist. Great see-saw action.

3 - Michael Elgin p. Brian Cage w/ the pair of powerbombs to the mat, well after doing another Delayed Vertical Suplex that was clocked at approximately 1:06. Not sure what happened afterwards since I took the break between match to hit the restroom, but it appeared as if Cage was upset at the loss, and then it seemed as if The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)….HAD ATTACKED SENIOR REFEREE RICK KNOX BACKSTAGE AND BROUGHT HIM TO THE RING…only to be broken up by El Generico. This set up a big tag team grudge match later in the night.

4 - Ricochet p. Roderick Strong w/ the Shooting Star Press to cap what looked like the best match of the quarterfinals, because the crowd were the hottest for it.

5 - 6-man tag team action. Willie Mack, B-Boy, & Drake Younger def. Joey Ryan, Davey Richards, & Kyle O’Reilly. Willie led his “posse of Ghetto-clad wrestlers”, while Joey Ryan led his “sleazy recruits” who donned other Joey Ryan trunks. Wild mix of comedy & wrestling, which ended w/ a flurry, capped w/ Willie Mack p. Davey Richards w/ the Piledriver. After the bell, one of the alleged CZW fans really drew the ire of Joey Ryan.

SEMIFINALS, HELD AFTER INTERMISSION

6 - Adam Cole made Sami Callihan tapout to the Figure 4 Leglock submission, and he had to earn it, taking a page of Sami’s book to kick the back of left knee while Sami was on the middle ropes.

7 - Michael Elgin p. Ricochet w/ the pair of powerbombs, w/ the first coming from the middle ropes to counter the Huricanrana attempt, followed by the spin to the mat. Unlike the previous 2 matches, however, Elgin’s attempt at another long Delayed Vertical Suplex ended in Ricochet hitting a countering DDT :57 in.

SM - 6-man tag team grudge match, that initially started as a 3-on-2 Handicap. El Generico, PWG Champion Kevin Steen, & Senior Referee Rick Knox (THAT’S RIGHT, PEOPLE, SENIOR REFEREE RICK KNOX) def. Brian Cage & The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson). Another wild & crazy match that started with the said handicap, then Kevin Steen hit the ring to tag himself in from El Generico. Crazy flurry of action afterwards, ending w/ Matt Jackson eating Kevin Steen’s Package Piledriver, then El Generico’s Ground Brainbuster, then a Running Splash from Rick Knox, who scored the pin to send the crowd into a fury. Match of the night!

M - TOURNAMENT FINAL: Big see-saw battle between Adam Cole & Michael Elgin, including plenty of action outside the ring. It looked like Michael Elgin had it after he hit the powerbombs, but Adam Cole managed to counter it, and eventually hit the Modified German Suplex for the huge win, and he’s going straight for Kevin Steen’s PWG title!

WINNER OF THE 2012 PWG BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES TOURNAMENT: ADAM COLE

We here at Indy Wrestling Express are very happy to present CZW: Best Of The Best XI!

* The free pre show will begin at 7:30pm EST, and last for half an hour.

* The pay per view will begin at 8pm EST. This will cost $15 to watch. You should be able to pay without even leaving this site, but if that doesn’t work, head over to http://www.hybrident.tv

* This is an official stream, CZW asked us to be one of the hosts.

(The stream was here)

You can find the full list of matches here:

http://indywrestling.tumblr.com/post/20843796922/czwbestofthebestxi

Thanks to Corey Rowell for sending this along: 

“Gold Standard Wrestling finally makes its debut on Saturday April 14th at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, with doors opening at 6:30 PM and a schedule 7:30 PM bell time.

The live event is aptly named “Five Star Classic”. What exactly is a “Fi…ve Star Classic”? Eight competitors will face off against one another in a one night, single elimination tournament, where the last man standing will be crowned the first ever GSW United States Champion. There will not be another tournament this year that will have the talent and different styles like the 5*C.

Those eight competitors are:

“The Juice” JT Dunn w/ Vernon Somoza

“First Class” Vladimir Joseph

Dan De Man

“Devil’s Reject” Brandon Webb

David Baker

“Kid Reflex” Eric Dylan

Lumberjake

Mikko “FinnHammer” Halme

In a Tag Team Showcase Match: Devin Baker and “Shady” Shay vs. ”Punisher Don Vega and “Samoan Warrior” Keanu

Also, we will have a feature women’s division match: Barbie Menegan vs. Luscious Latasha

This is a family-friendly event, so do not be afraid of bringing your entire family to this

Adult tickets are $10 each in advance ($12 the night of the event) and all children between the ages of 5 and 12 will get in for just $5! ($7 at the door)

Tickets are currently available at:

Read More

Thanks to Josian Omed Vázquez for sending the following along:

“There is increased competition in the market of professional wrestling in Puerto Rico. New Borinquen All Pro Wrestling (Strong Style) announced via their social networks joining the competitive world of Pro Wrestling in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. “We are very excited about this project. New Borinquen All Pro Wrestling based in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, is a federation of unique style” told us his promoter Danny Nieves, referring to the term “Strong Style”.

“Strong Style” is a Japanese-inspired style, which aims to focus and provide more realistic representations, making Wrestling a credible combat sport incorporating punches kicks and martial arts disciplines, so this style emphasizes a hard attacks and competition between the fighters, our strong emphasis will be the presentation in the ring. “

The first Card is expected in mid June, with the possibility in the Fajardo area. Danny Nieves has been the promoter of Lucha Chicago All Pro in the U.S. and is currently affiliated with the North American company Allied International Wrestling Federation (AIWF), wich is affiliated with around 200 federations around the world. For more information visit:

http://www.facebook.com/Newborinquenprowrestling “

Lee’s thoughts: Can’t beat some Strong Style action, so this is great news for wrestling fans in Puerto Rico. I’ll post more information on this new promotion as it comes along. 

This weekend, WrestleReunion is coming to Los Angeles (The Westin Hotel, LAX, 5400 West Century Blvd)! Each day will be capped off with a wrestling show (Dragon Gate USA on Friday, Pro Wrestling Superstars on Saturday, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla on Sunday), but there will be a lot more stuff happening throughout each day. Here is the full schedule, taken from http://www.wrestlereunion.com :

Read More

NJPW held two shows that featured the stars of Mexico’s CMLL (alongside their own) this weekend. Here are the results: 

NJPW/CMLL “NJPW PRESENTS CMLL FANTASTICA MANIA 2012″, 21st of February 2012 (Samurai! TV)

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1,950 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. TAKA Michinoku & Taichi beat Danshoku Dino & Maximo (8:04) when Taichi used a cradle on Dino.

2. YOSHI-HASHI & OKUMURA beat Tama Tonga & King Fale (11:27) when YOSHI-HASHI used a Swanton bomb on Fale.

3. Prince Devitt, Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask beat Jado, Gedo & Misterioso Jr. (12:50) when Devitt used a diving footstomp on Gedo.

4. Hirooki Goto & KUSHIDA beat Rush & Mascara Dorada (10:24) when KUSHIDA used the 9469 on Dorada.

5. Tetsuya Naito, Jushin Thunder Liger & Diamante beat Shinsuke Nakamura, Yujiro Takahashi & Mephisto (13:33) when Naito used a Stardust press on Mephisto.

6. Special Tag Match: Kazuchika Okada & Volador Jr. beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & La Sombra (12:33) when Volador used the Volador Spiral on Sombra.

Read More

Puroresu Sunday is upon us again! We have the latest results from Ice Ribbon, and will be posting news from various other Japanese promotions throughout the evening (including big news from Dragon Gate). 

-Lee

Ring Of Honor: The Homecoming 2012 @ Philadelphia, PA

January 20th 2012 (8:00pm) Pennsylvania National Guard Armory 2700 Southampton Road Philadelphia 19154

ROH World Championship: ROH World Champion Davey Richards vs Jay Lethal

No Holds Barred: Eddie Edwards vs Roderick Strong

Chris Hero vs Michael Elgin

Kevin Steen vs Kenny King

Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas) vs Future Shock (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly)

Proving Ground: ROH World Tag Team Champions The Briscoes vs Jigsaw & Hallowicked

Four Corner Survival: Tommaso Ciampa vs Mike Bennett vs Andy “Right Leg Ridge vs Grizzly Redwood

+ Steve Corino will discuss his future plans with ROH

Ring Of Honor @ Norfolk, VA

January 21st 2012 (7:30pm), Norfolk Scope Arena (Exhibition Hall) 201 E. Brambleton Ave Norfolk 23510

Team Richards (ROH World Champion Davey Richards & Kyle O’Reilly) vs The House of Truth (Roderick Strong & Michael Elgin)

- The winning team will receive a tag title shot on February 17th

Kevin Steen vs Adam Cole

ROH Tag Team Championship: The Bricoes (c) vs Cedric Alexander & Caprice Coleman

“Survival of the Fittest 2011” Rematch: Eddie Edwards vs Mike Bennett

Proving Ground: ROH TV Champion Jay Lethal vs Tommaso Ciampa

Kenny King vs Andy “Right Leg” Ridge

Thoughts: Two solid line ups there, as usual. Getting to go one on one with the hottest star in the company, Kevin Steen, will be great for Adam Cole and Kenny King. The roster looks so much stronger with Steen back in the fold. If you attend either show, feel free to send a report/review to indywrestling@hotmail.co.uk and I’ll post it here.

- Lee

Thanks to http://www.purolove.com for the following Pro Wrestling NOAH line ups: 

NOAH, 15th January 2012 

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1) Naomichi Marufuji & Ricky Marvin vs. Shuji Kondo & Hiroshi Yamato

2) Takashi Sugiura vs. Mohammed Yone

3) GHC Heavyweight Title Skirmish: Go Shiozaki & Shuhei Taniguchi vs. Kenta Kobashi & Takeshi Morishima

NOAH, 17th January 2012 

Lazona Kawasaki Plaza Sol

1) Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Genba Hirayanagi vs. Lancelot Bravado & Harlem Bravado

2) Mohammed Yone vs. Shuhei Taniguchi

3) Kotaro Suzuki vs. Masao Inoue

4) Takeshi Morishima vs. Taiji Ishimori

5) Jun Akiyama & Atsushi Aoki vs. Kenta Kobashi & Ricky Marvin

6.) Go Shiozaki & Takuma Sano vs. Takashi Sugiura & Naomichi Marufuji

NOAH, 18th January 2012 

Lazona Kawasaki Plaza Sol

1) Naomichi Marufuji vs. Masao Inoue

2) Shuhei Taniguchi vs. Atsushi Aoki

3) Jun Akiyama vs. Harlem Bravado

4) Takeshi Morishima & Mohammed Yone vs. Ricky Marvin & Lancelot Bravado

5) Takashi Sugiura vs. Taiji Ishimori

6) Go Shiozaki & Kotaro Suzuki vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Genba Hirayanagi

NOAH, 19th January 2012 

Ashikaga Citizen Plaza Small Hall

1) Takeshi Morishima & Ricky Marvin vs. Kotaro Suzuki & Atsushi Aoki

2) Go Shiozaki & Taiji Ishimori vs. Takashi Sugiura & Naomichi Marufuji

NOAH “GREAT VOYAGE 2012 IN OSAKA”, 22.01.2012 

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

1) GHC Tag Team Championship: Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson (c) vs. Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito

2) GHC Heavyweight Championship: Go Shiozaki (c) vs. Takeshi Morishima

NOAH “THE TSUIGEKI NAVIGATION 2012 IN TSU”, 31st January 2012 

Mie Bunka Center Multi-Purpose Hall

Thoughts: Ever had a promotion you’ve wanted to get into for ages, but never get round to watching? That’s me with NOAH. I’ll try and (at least) catch the title matches from Great Voyage. By the way, Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson) were the undisputed heavyweight tag champions of New Japan and NOAH, but dropped the New Japan belts at Wrestle Kingdom. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them drop the NOAH belts to Akiyama and Saito.

-Lee

As you may know, today is the first ever Puroresu Sunday here at IWE! All the news from the past week in Japan will be posted throughout the evening. 

Well, all the wrestling news from the past week in Japan, not “all the news”. 

This is replacing my PuroMania column, that was usually posted on Wednesdays. 

- Lee