By Pat McNeill, PWTorch columnist

Wake the pets and call the neighbors. It's time for our DGUSA internet pay-per-view preview column!

DISCLAIMER: Projections are made by myself and for myself with absolutely no assistance from Gabe Sapolsky or Sal "Rhymes With Amway" Hamaoui. Projections are not predictions, because this is the column where everything's made up, and the points don't count. No one knows the contents of these projections, but I, in my divine and mystical way, will ascertain the finishes to these matches despite not being caught up on my Dragon Gate DVD's. Some of our departing contestants will receive a supply of Anbesol Cold Sore Therapy. The only one with Vitamin E and aloe. Anbesol Cold Sore Therapy: Put it on, the pain is gone. Many of our contestants are chosen from our studio audience. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and mail to "Tickets, CBS Television City, 7800 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90036." Remember, this is only an exhibition. This is not a competition. Please, please, no wagering. This lineup is based on the best available information as of this writing.

By the way, if you missed Wednesday's PWTorch Livecast, Sean Radican and I interviewed Player Uno of the Super Smash Brothers for the first 40 minutes of the show. You can find it here. Enjoy.

Even with the multitude of non-WWE events to choose from this weekend, it looks like the diehards have already made their selections. On Thursday, it was the PWS show in Metuchen, New Jersey. And it sure looks like that group made the right call in running unopposed on Thursday night. On Friday night, it's the ROH Supercard of Honor, or maybe the TNA show out in Westbury. Then, Saturday is a great day to hang out at WrestleCon and enjoy DGUSA's Ultimate Gate, which has become a sort of WrestleMania tradition over the past few years. Everyone wins, except for Extreme Rising.

Before we get to our picks, let's do today's Wrestling History Lesson. Back in the day, the "number three promotion" in North America was the Philadelphia-based Extreme Championship Wrestling. The original ECW ran from 1993 through 2001. Among the many wrestlers who passed through ECW were Steve Austin, Mick Foley and the late Eddie Guerrero. A young Gabe Sapolsky worked for the company, as did ROH founder Rob Feinstein and legendary manager Jim Cornette.

Fifteen years ago, on April 4th, 1998, Extreme Championship Wrestling ran a big show at the Flickinger Center in Buffalo, New York. The main event saw Bam Bam Bigelow defend the ECW Television Title against Rob Van Dam. Joey Styles had the call.



And, as your free gift for viewing this column, let's take you back to January 14, 2012 for EVOLVE 10, the last show at the old ECW Arena in Philadelphia. In a special challenge match, it was Uhaa Nation making his Evolve debut against the undefeated Pinkie Sanchez. Lenny Leonard has the call.



Enough of that. Now on with the projections!

Arik Cannon vs. Chuck Taylor vs. Fire Ant vs. Jigsaw vs. Shane Strickland vs. Tony Nese (Six-Way Something Match): You know, there might be some action in this match. Projection? Strickland's in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Taylor gets the victory with the Awful Waffle.

Super Smash Brothers vs. EITA & CIMA's Secret Weapon: Apparently, the Secret Weapon is Tomahawk T.T., formerly known to Dragon Gate fans as "Naoki Tanaskai," "Mister Pii Pii Penguin," and "Joey Jo Jo Junior Shabadoo." Why, no, I'm not sure why this needed to be kept secret. Projection? Tomahawk beats Player Dos with the Night Ride.

Rich Swann vs. Brian Kendrick: Yeah, this match could get aerial on us. Projection? Swann is in the main event tomorrow, so this should be simple enough. Swann wins with the Chicken Fried Driver.

Sami Callihan vs. Uhaa Nation: Uhaa Nation has made his long-anticipated return from injury. Sami Callihan has spent a year in DGUSA as the Teflon Heel of the promotion. Projection? Callihan gets a decent match out of the big fellow and Uhaa wins with the Combi-Nation.

Akira Tozawa vs. Ricochet: Another fantastic matchup. Tozawa is one of the great characters in pro wrestling in 2013. Ricochet...does crazy flips and stuff. Projection? Ricochet drops the former Mad Blankey leader with the Chocolate Rain.

Samuray Del Sol vs. Jon Davis: Davis and Samuray Del Sol had a highly-rated match on that recent FIP show that nobody watched. Time to even things up. Projection? The Samuray gets his win back with the Del Sol Driver.

CIMA & A.R. Fox vs. The Young Bucks (DGUSA Tag Titles): I like the Young Bucks. You like the Young Bucks. But it's hard to swallow the idea of either CIMA or A.R. Fox dropping a fall this weekend. Projection? CIMA catches Matt Jackson with the Meteora, and the good guys keep the United Gate titles.

Johnny Gargano vs. Shingo Takagi (DGUSA Title): It's good to have Shingo back in the states. Shingo would also be a good choice to end Gargano's sixteen-month reign as DGUSA champion. But, for whatever reason, I'm not buying it. Projection? Gargano locks on the Gargano Escape and won't let go, and the Dragon Gate USA title stays in the USA, for now.

Aftermath: On Sunday afternoon, it will be "Mercury Rising 2013" on iPPV. So we'll pick Tony Nese, The Super Smash Brothers, Brian Kendrick, Samuray Del Sol, Shingo and Team CIMA. Have a great time at WrestleCon.

***
Pat McNeill of Richmond, Va. has been a Torch columnist since February 2001. He'd like to give a shoutout to all his people at WrestleCon today. You know who you are.

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