Arena Reports 1/30 WrestleReunion/PWG show in Los Angeles: RVD main-events, Jushin Liger, Great Muta, Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs. Young Bucks
Jan 31, 2010 - 12:20:38 PM
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WrestleReunion 4 Day Two/Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show results
January 30, 2010
Los Angeles, Calif.
Report by Luke Fleeman, Torch VIP member, West Coast correspondent
The second day of WrestleReunion was probably more exciting than the first. The morning had a special breakfast, which was attended by Jimmy Hart, J.J. Dillon, Road Warrior Animal, Bruno Sammartino, Larry Zbyszko, and Stan Hansen. All of the stars were friendly, except Animal, who remained relatively cold. At each table the wrestlers were interacting with fans and telling stories, which was very cool.
I was at Bruno's table, and it was incredible to listen to him talk and tell stories, which were further drawn out of him by Bill Apter. He specifically talked about Georgiann Makropoulos, and how many wrestlers she helped out over the years. Apparently, she coaxed Bruno into a photo-op with Buddy Rogers some years ago, which Bruno agreed to only for her, and she was buried with that photo. Bruno spoke highly of her.
There were many wrestlers to meet throughout the day, including at vendor booths, including Orlando Jordan, Rikishi, Ron Simmons, and both Chavo and Mando Guerrero. The Iron Sheik had a booth, which was very popular because of his shirts, including one targeting the Ultimate Warrior with profanity. A film crew was also following Sheik. The photo opportunities were very nice, and all of the wrestlers, from Demolition to Rob Van Dam, were great with the fans, including the socially awkward.
The PWG show was a great event. To begin the evening, the Young Bucks asked to be called Max and Jeremy, and talked about their friends, like Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan, and the Nasty Boys. They antagonized the crowd, and tried to start TNA chants. They attempted a beat down on Brian Kendrick, who was saved by Paul London. Chuck Taylor was supposedly snowed in in Tennessee, but another fan from Nashville said that there was no snow in Tennessee that day. Nonetheless, this prompted a re-aligning of the card.
(1) The Cutler Brothers & Ryan Taylor & Christina Von Eerie beat Johnny Goodtime & Malachi Jackson & Candice LaRae & Jerome Robinson. The ladies in this match took a lot of bumps, wrestled with the men, and definitely held their own. The match had a lot of crazy spots, which led to a slight letdown for the next match between Brandon Bonham and Brandon Gatson. There were dueling chants of "Let's Go Brandon" and then a satirical "This is Brandon" chant mimicking the "this is wrestling" chant. They had a good match, but it was hard to match after the exciting opener.
(2) The Human Tornado beat Super Crazy in a short but fun match. Super Crazy was visibly winded just entering the ring, but they put together some interesting spots.
(3) Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen was a very good comedy match, which involved reciprocal attempts to kiss each other, snot blowing, and other funny but sophomoric stuff. I thought it was made even more humorous because Davey Richards is typically so stern and serious.
(4) The Great Muta & Kai beat Joey Ryan & Scott Lost. The match was fun, and the crowd was very excited for it, as it matched the most popular local wrestler, Joey Ryan, with the Japanese Icon. Muta came out in his full Great Muta gimmick and the crowd was extremely excited. Scott Lost and Joey carried Muta for the most part in the ring, and KAI did some great work. Muta still got in all his key spots (Muta Lock, Asian Mist, Shining Wizard), but was protected by the other guys, and it was a great match.
(5) El Generico vs. Jushin Liger was an incredible match as well, possibly a show-stealer. They had a great tempo and did some wonderful spots, and the match was an excellent exhibition of what cruiserweight type wrestlers can do given the opportunity.
(6) Brian Kendrick & Paul London beat Generation Me (Young Bucks). Generation Me was dressed in their full TNA get-up, which was kind of a letdown. Also, the wrestlers blew a number of spots. Paul London was over with the crowd, but he seemed a little rusty. At one point, Generation Me tried to do the Nasty Boys's armpit spot, but were stopped. Kendrick and London got the win after a Sliced Bread #2 and a Shooting Star Press.
(7) Rob Van Dam beat Chris Hero and Roderick Strong in a three-way match. All of the men got a great reaction from the crowd before the main event, and the match began with them taking turns pairing off against each other and working. All of them got in their signature spots, and the match was very excited. I thought Hero and Strong both looked great, and the crowd was not only cheering for Van Dam. At one point, Hero powerbombed Strong, who was holding Van Dam, which suplexed Van Dam. Van Dam used a chair liberally, and ultimately got the pin on Roderick. After the match, Chris Hero said he had not lost, and therefore considers himself the number one contender for the PWG title.
The show was great throughout, and capped off another good day. If they do this again, I highly suggest wrestling fans find a way to attend. The two shows - ROH on Friday and PWG on Saturday - were worth it alone.
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