By Sean Radican, PWTorch columnist

Editor's Note: Sean Radican is now keeping a chronological, running list of his latest wrestling DVD, book, and video game reviews that you can find on PWTorch.com. For quick reference to whether Radican recommends a wrestling product or to find a quick summary of Radican's latest reviews, keep this page bookmarked. Check back for regular updates, which will be listed below...

AAW

-AAW “Windy City Classic IX,” Nov. 31, 2013 – (7.5): “Windy City Classic IX” featured a jam packed crowd in Berwyn at the Eagles Club. The show got off to a hot start with a string of good matches including the highly entertaining New Age Nation of Domination (Ethan Page & Ricochet) forming to try to advance to the finals of the Allegiance Tag Team Tournament due to Josh Alexander’s injury. The show dragged in spots, but it was highlighted by a very good Allegiance Final with the concussed Jimmy Jacobs coming out to aid Silas Young, who was taking a beating going at it alone against Page & Ricochet. Jacobs’s hot tag was amazing. Other highlights included Cage capturing the AIW Heritage Title from ACH and the reaction of the fans to the finish of the Steen-Hollister main event for the AAW Championship. AAW would benefit by cutting down on the length of some of their shows, but overall this was an enjoyable event.

[ FYI: You can purchase AAW’s “Windy City Classic IX” by clicking HERE or by visiting SmartMarkVideo.com or for a VOD/MP4 version visit SMVod.com. For more information on AAW, visit AAWrestling.com. ]

-AAW “Day of Defiance,” May 17, 2013 – (8.5): “Day of Defiance” is one of the best AAW shows I’ve seen. The undercard is strong with a hilarious “MMA” match between Mixed Martial Archie and Davey Richards. The Elgin & ACH vs. Richards & O’Reilly tag match rounded out the undercard in outstanding fashion. Kingston’s segment was impressive and he launched a feud with Silas Young, who turned face. The main event featuring Sami Callihan vs. Shane Hollister was very good and if you’re not on the Hollister bandwagon you will be after watching this match.

[ FYI: You can purchase AAW’s “Day of Defiance” by clicking HERE or by visiting SmartMarkVideo.com or for a VOD/MP4 version visit SMVod.com. For more information on AAW, visit AAWrestling.com. ]

-AAW “Path of Redemption,” March 1, 2013 – (7.0): “Path of Redemption” is a solid card highlighted by the outstanding Callihan-Hollister match. The crowd wasn’t hot for a lot of the action on the show, but there are several solid matches up and down the card that make this show worth a look. AAW does a good job with their storytelling and giving their wrestlers a purpose and this show set up a lot of things for the future, including a Richards-Elgin match for the AAW Championship. Lynn’s final match in Chicago was a little slow at first in the main event slot, but things really picked up down the stretch and Lynn shined in the end taking the victory and then giving a nice farewell speech to the crowd.

[ FYI: You can purchase AAW’s “Path of Redemption 2013” by clicking HERE or by visiting SmartMarkVideo.com or for a VOD/MP4 version visit SMVod.com. For more information on AAW, visit AAWrestling.com. ]

-AAW "Durty Deeds" DVD, Feb. 10, 2013 - (7.5): This was a fun show that from a crowd standpoint seemed to peak during the first half of the card. The Heritage Title Tournament was fun to watch unfold throughout the night, especially the ACH-Matt Fitchett match, which was outstanding. There were several matches that were very good on the card, but nothing reached the four-star level. This show is still worth checking out to see O’Reilly-Del Sol, Richards-Callihan, and Young-Elgin and an overall solid show from start to finish with only a couple of down moments from an enjoyment standpoint.

[ FYI: You can purchase AAW’s “Durty Deeds” by clicking HERE or by visiting SmartMarkVideo.com. For a VOD/MP4 version, visit SMVod.com. For more information on AAW, visit AAWrestling.com. ]

AIW

-AIW “Hell on Earth 9,” Nov. 29, 2013 – (7.5): This show is worth checking out for the excellent Gargano-Steen and Hutter-Donst matches. The crowd was red hot for both matches and provided a great atmosphere. The rest of the card was mostly flat, although the Colton-Delaney opening match was solid and the #Nixon vs. Team AIW for Control of AIW main event are both worth checking out, especially given that the long-term #Nixon storyline pays off in the main event. There were some lulls in the card during the Gregory Iron Open Challenge and Lyndon-Fontaine never clicked, but it’s clear that AIW is on the upswing given the size of the crowd and the heat for the big matches on this show.

[ FYI: You can purchase AIW’s “Hell on Earth 9” by clicking HERE or by visiting shop.aiwrestling.com. To purchase the VOD, click HERE or visit SMVOD.com. For more information on AIW, visit AIWrestling.com. ]

-AIW “Double Dare,” Nov. 1, 2013 – (8.0): If you’re looking for a good show to watch, “Double Dare” is well worth checking out. There are a number of good matches on the show. The tag tournament finals featuring The Jollyville F--- Its vs. Bobby Beverly & Ricky Shane Page was really good. Other highlights on the card include a small taste of The Hooligans in the “Double Dare” tournament and Gargano-Gresham. The Elgin-Alexander main event is excellent, although it wasn’t as good as their previous match at “Absolution VII.” AIW should look into cutting down the length of their shows, as this show seemed to have too many matches and a lot of the matches that were just getting good were cut short. Despite those minor complaints, this was a really good show.

[ FYI: You can purchase AIW’s “Double Dare” by clicking HERE or by visiting SMVOD.com. For DVD/MP4, visit SmartMarkVideo.com in the near future. For more information on AIW, visit AIWrestling.com. ]

-AIW “Girls Night Out 9,” Oct. 6 2013 – (5.5): “Girls Night Out 9” was my first Female Fight Season show, which is part of a series of shows promoted by several women’s wrestling organizations. The show featured a selection of matches that were mostly short with many that had a chance to be good if they had gotten more time. Dave Prazak enhanced a few matches stepping into the commentary booth and giving background on the performers in the match, which was a treat to listen to. The highlight of the show was a good main event featuring Mia Yim & Allysin Kay beating Veda Scott & Shanna in a Dream Partner Tag match that also served to set up the Kay title defense on the following show against Scott.

[ FYI: You can purchase AIW’s “Girls Night Out 9” by clicking HERE or by visiting AIWrestling.com. For VOD/MP4 versions of “Girls Night Out 9” visit SMVod.com. For more information on AIW, visit AIWrestling.com. ]

-AIW “Absolution VIII,” June 30, 2013 – (8.0): “Absolution VIII” featured one of the hottest crowds I’ve seen in recent memory. AIW doesn’t normally have red hot crowds, but the first half of this show was particularly and the crowd stayed red hot right up until the main event. The Michael Elgin-Josh Alexander is a must-see MOTYC that put Alexander on the map as someone to keep a close eye on for the rest of the year. Michael Hutter fresh off being released from WWE faced Tim Donst in a match that saw the crowd go nuclear chanting for both men throughout the match. The only weakness of the show was the main event segment. The crowd didn’t seem to care about Eric Ryan defending the AIW Absolute Championship against Colin Delaney. Ethan Page cashed in his title shot from winning the JLIT tournament, but didn’t get the heat I expected from the crowd to push his promo over the top.

[ FYI: You can purchase AIW’s “Absolution VIII” by clicking HERE or by visiting SmartMarkVideo.com. For VOD/MP4 visit SMVod.com. For more information on AIW, visit AIWrestling.com. ]

-AIW “J.T. Lightning Invitational Tournament 2013: Night 1”, May 24, 2013 – (7.5) “JLIT 2013: Day 1” features 12 matches comprising the first round of the tournament. The first half of the show is thin and the crowd wasn’t really into much of the action, but there were a couple of fun short matches. The second half of the show is very strong. Elgin-Busick was the standout match of the show, as they had an excellent hard-hitting contest and in front of a hotter crowd it would have likely been even better. Gargano-Cross had a really good match in the main event spot. The crowd was slow to invest, but eventually they got into the match. Cross deserves a job for a national promotion, as he could fill a role in any company and stand out with his athleticism and insane physique.

[ FYI: You can purchase AIW’s “J.T. Lightning Invitational Tournament: Night 1” by clicking HERE or by visiting Smartmarkvideo.com/SMVOD.com for MP4/VOD. For more information on AIW, visit AIWrestling.com. ]

Alpha-1

-Alpha-1 “Rehab,” April 20, 2013 – (7.0): This was an enjoyable show from start to finish. The production was a bit rough at times due to the angle of the hard camera and at times the floor camera was disrupted as well. The venue itself was a cool venue with an underground vibe to it, although the lighting wasn’t ideal. The production wasn’t great, but this is still a watchable show. As a first time watcher of Alpha-1, you can jump right in and feel like you know what is going on in the company. The show was short and tightly edited, but everything flowed together nicely. Alexander defending the Zero One Gravity Title was the highlight of the show. They had a fantastic back and forth match that set the crowd on fire. Elgin vs. Silver was good as well and they did a good job playing up Elgin’s strength vs. Silver’s quickness throughout the match. If you’re looking for a fun show to check out, “Rehab” is worth a look. They have a very good roster and the promotion tells simple stories that are easy to follow.

[ FYI: You can purchase Alpha-1’s “Rehab” on DVD by clicking HERE or by visiting SmartMarkVideo.com. To purchase the VOD visit SMVOD.com. For more information on Alpha-1, visit Alpha-1wrestling.com. ]

Beyond Wrestling

-Beyond Wrestling “Americanrana,” July 21, 2013 – (8.5): When Beyond Wrestling owner Drew Cordeiro decided to make Providence, RI the home for most Beyond Wrestling live events, the first show, “Americanrana,” was a smashing success. The formula of having core Beyond Wrestling wrestlers face big name wrestlers in the headline matches proved to be a big success. The crowd heat for this show was insane, nearly all of the matches on the card delivered, and Eddie Edwards vs. Biff Busick was a heck of a main event that you’re not going to want to miss out on. The undercard has some standout matches too like Gulak-Dickinson, Gargano-Dunn, and a crazy Four-Way Tag match with Team Tremendous vs. EFBYO vs. Minute Men vs. Da Hoodz.

[ FYI: You can purchase “Americanrana” by clicking HERE; or by visiting LookMaNoFans.com. For more information on Beyond Wrestling, visit LookMaNoFans.com. ]

CZW

-CZW "Cage of Death XV," Dec. 14, 2013 - (7.0): "Cage of Death XV" was a spectacle. The show was held in front of a large crowd, but it suffered from some pacing issues that cooled what had been a hot crowd. The show got off to a hot start with two really good matches with Drew Gulak defending the CZW Championship in the opener against Chris Hero followed by a crazy Six Man Scramble match highlighted by the performances of A.R. Fox and Andrew Everett. The show hit a lull, but picked up with The Colony vs. The Beaver Boys and a hard-hitting Richards-Dickinson encounter.

[ FYI: You can purchase CZW’s “Cage of Death XV” by clicking HERE or by visiting CZWiPPV.com.For more information on CZW, visit CZWrestling.com. ]

-CZW “Down with the Sickness 2013,” Sept. 14, 2013 – (7.0): “Down with the Sickness 2013” is a solid card. There’s nothing spectacular on the undercard, although there is some good tag team wrestling thanks to a fresh infusion of talent into the tag division. This show ends with a really good semi-main and main event. Gulak defending the CZW Championship against Dickinson is well worth checking out as is the fantastic main event with A.R. Fox putting up his Wired Championship in a Four-Way Ladder match against Andrew Everett and Alex Colon and Shane Strickland. There are some crazy spots in this match and the crowd is hot for the main event.

[ FYI: You can purchase CZW’s “Down with the Sickness 2013” by clicking HERE or by visiting SMVOD.com for an unlimited VOD of the show. For a MP4 or DVD of this event visit SmartMarkVideo.com. For more information on CZW, visit CZWrestling.com. ]

-CZW “Wanted” March 9, 2013 – (7.0): “Wanted” was a solid card from start to finish, although the main event left something to be desired. Most of the card was dedicated towards building towards CZW’s big event during WrestleMania weekend and “Best of the Best 2013” shortly after WrestleMania weekend. A.R. Fox-Azrieal was the best match on the card. Fox amazes me every time I see him and he put together a fantastic match in defending the Wired Championship. Fox hit a number of jaw-dropping moves in this match and some of the crowd actually woke up. The main event was the usual hardcore style match from CZW with Masada defending the CZW Championship against Gacy, Von Eerie, and Tremont. The crowd was into this action at times, but even the match suffered from a lack of crowd heat. It was tough watching a match of this style with Von Eerie involved. I don’t think women should be wrestling in a match of this style, especially with men. They didn’t do anything too crazy during the match and told a decent story, so it was fine in that respect.

[ FYI: You can purchase CZW’s “Wanted” by clicking HERE or by visiting SMVOD.com for an unlimited VOD of the show. For a MP4 or DVD of this event visit SmartMarkVideo.com. For more information on CZW, visit CZWrestling.com. ]

DGUSA

-DGUSA “Open The Ultimate Gate 2013,” April 6, 2013 – (9.0): This was one of the best DGUSA shows I’ve seen in a long time. The show took place in front of a red hot crowd and was very good from top to bottom. You’re going to want to order the VOD of this show to see the fantastic matches on the undercard, which was highlighted by the Ricochet-Tozawa match. Gargano vs. Shingo sealed the deal and made this a special show. They told a great story and Gargano’s heel turn was nicely executed. Gargano was fantastic after turning heel, as he mockingly did his usual goodbye speech to the crowd. This show is a must-buy for independent wrestling fans.

[ FYI: You can purchase DGUSA’s “Open The Ultimate Gate” by clicking HERE or by visiting WWNLive.com. For more information on DGUSA, visit DGUSA.tv. ]

-DGUSA “Revolt 2013,” Jan. 26, 2013 – (8.5): This was a very good iPPV, despite the small the crowd that didn’t provide much of an atmosphere at times. The DGUSA roster brought it tonight. The small crowd didn’t provide a great atmosphere at times, but they were into a lot of the show. Starting with the Swann-EITA match, the show was simply fantastic. The highlights of the show were the Fox-Del Sol and Gargano-Davis matches. Callihan-Tozawa was another highlight. These two have so much charisma in the ring and I loved how they taunted each other after hitting big strikes. It Fox and Del Sol put on a clinic that showed what the DGUSA style is all about. Davis-Gargano for the Open the Freedom Gate title in a No Ropes No DQ match was an absolute war. Both guys brought it and put together some fantastic sequences during the match.

[ FYI: You can purchase DGUSA’s “Revolt 2013” by clicking HERE or by visiting WWNLive.com. For more information on DGUSA, visit DGUSA.tv. ]

DGUSA 2012 DVDs

-DGUSA “Untouchable 2012” DVD, July 28, 2012 – (8.0): If you’ve been waiting for DGUSA DVD releases to come out, this is a really good place to start. “Untouchable 2012” had some lulls on the card, but it doesn’t get much better than the last two matches. A.R. Fox & CIMA vs. Samuray Del Sol & El Generico was an instant classic. There were so many innovative double team moves and good nearfalls built into the match. If you missed it on iPPV and waited for the DVD, now is a good time to check it out. The main event with DGUSA Champion Johnny Gargano defending against Akira Tozawa was also excellent and they set the crowd on fire. There were a few too many nearfalls down the stretch, but overall the action was excellent.

[ FYI: You can purchase DGUSA’s “Untouchable 2012” by clicking HERE; or by visiting WWNLive.com. For more information on DGUSA, visit DGUSA.tv. ]

EVOLVE

-EVOLVE “EVOLVE 23,” Sept. 21, 2013 – (N/A): This was a solid show with some good action up and down the card. The uploaded version of this show featured some rough camera work, so I will update my score once an edited version of “EVOLVE 23 is posted. The undercard was thin in spots with the exception of Bravados-Pieces of Hate and the Busick-Alexander-Green Ant-Chicago Four Way Style Battle Semi-Final Elimination match. Swann & Ricochet vs. Gargano & Trent was a very good tag match with some very good action, but the crowd didn’t really invest in the Gargano-Swann storyline. The Fox-Nese match was the best match on the show and the fans, who were quiet most of the night, really got into Fox trying to overcome the odds with Young and Mr. A constantly interfering in the match. They had some great exchanges and the Ivelisse-Young brawl was fun.

[ FYI: You can purchase EVOLVE’s “EVOLVE 23” by clicking HERE or by visiting WWNLive.com. For more information on EVOLVE, visit DGUSA.tv. ]

-EVOLVE 21: USA vs. The World,” June 1, 2013 – (8.0): The USA vs. The World theme worked well on this show and showcased Gargano’s new heel character well. The Chuck Taylor vs. Jon Davis match stole the show, as they had a wild No DQ brawl that set the crowd on fire. The second half of the card was especially strong with a number of good matches, including Tomahawk T.T. beating Johnny Gargano in a Non-Title match as part of the USA vs. The World series and Brian Cage & Anthony Nese beating The Young Bucks in a very good Non-Title match.

[ FYI: You can purchase EVOLVE’s “EVOLVE 21: USA vs. The World” by clicking HERE; or by visiting WWNLive.com. For more information on EVOLVE, visit DGUSA.tv. ]

-EVOLVE “EVOLVE 20,” May 30, 2013 – (7.5): This was a good EVOLVE show, but the fan turnout was disappointing and the crowd was too small to provide much of an atmosphere in Orlando. The highlight of the show was the EITA-Tomahawk T.T. match. These guys tore it up in the ring and set the crowd on fire with their fast paced exchanges and hard-hitting chop battles. Tony Nese had a really good match against Samuray Del Sol and picked up a big win over him, but he continues to struggle when it comes to getting his new heel character across in the ring. If Nese could find a spark as a heel and get the fans to turn on him, he would be a top guy in DGUSA and EVOLVE in no time. Gargano did a good job furthering his heel commentary on commentary with Leonard throughout the night. Fox’s first EVOLVE Title defense was a good match. The main event started off slow, but when it came to establishing some credibility for A.R. Fox, EVOLVE accomplished that mission. Fox overcame interference from Matt Jackson on the outside and showed guts down the stretch before putting Nick Jackson away with his finish. Fox’s post-match promo also did a good job of establishing his mission as EVOLVE Champion going forward.

[ FYI: You can purchase EVOLVE’s “EVOLVE 19” by clicking HERE or by visiting WWNLive.com. For more information on EVOLVE, visit DGUSA.tv. ]

-EVOLVE “EVOLVE 19,” April 5, 2013 – (6.5): This was an above average show, but there were a lot of matches on the card that fell flat, as the crowd wasn’t into a lot of the action on this WrestleMania weekend event. EVOLVE 19 featured a one night tournament to crown the first EVOLVE Champion.
There were some very good matches on the undercard, but none reached the four star level because of the lack of crowd heat, although Fox-Ricochet came close. The Young Bucks-SSB and Callihan-Fox matches were also very good, so there’s enough on here to make this show worth checking out.

[ FYI: You can purchase EVOLVE’s “EVOLVE 19” by clicking HERE or by visiting WWNLive.com. For more information on EVOLVE, visit DGUSA.tv. ]

JCW

-JCW “Riddlebox Weekend,” Feb. 16, 2013 – (7.5): This is a DVD you’re going to want to pick up if you’re a fan of ICP. The Riddlebox Show that is included on the first DVD from this set is fantastic. The show has great energy and it was a blast watching ICP perform the entire Riddlebox album in front of a crazy crowd. The show was filled with stipulation matches and for the most part they all delivered. The highlights of the show to me were Honky Tonk Man singing his theme with KG and Shaggy cracking Beyonce lip-syncing jokes, the reaction of the crowd to The Boogeyman, and the insane Ladder match between the Haters and JCW Tag Team Champions The Ring Rydas.

[ FYI: You can purchase JWC’s “Riddlebox Weekend” by clicking HERE or by visiting HatchetGear.com. For more information on JCW, visit JuggaloWrestling.com.

Kayfabe Commentaries

-YouShoot with Awesome Kong – (7.0): “YouShoot with Awesome Kong” is a solid interview with some funny moments. The highlight is Kong answering a question about her favorite position in the bedroom by demonstrating it with Sean Oliver. The segment where Kong talked about her time in TNA was the most compelling part of the interview and people interested in Kong’s time in TNA and the issues she encountered will find those segments interesting. Kong doesn’t hold back and it isn’t surprising given that she has no interest in returning to the company. Kong goes into a little detail about her short stint and departure in WWE, but it’s clear she was being careful with her comments given that she hopes to make a return to the roster. Although Kong doesn’t go in-depth about her time in Shimmer, her feud with Gail Kim in TNA, or some of her matches in ROH, this is a fun interview that’s worth checking out of if you’re a fan of Kong’s work.

[ FYI: You can purchase Kayfabe Commentaries “YouShoot with Awesome Kong” by clicking HERE. For a VOD version of this interview, visit WWNLive.com. For more information about other KayfabeCommentaries.com releases, visit KayfabeCommentaries.com. ]


-”YouShoot with Kevin Nash” – (9.0): This stacks up with the best editions of “YouShoot” that I’ve seen. Kayfabe Commentaries did a great job of ramping up their production values and Nash is the perfect guest for this vehicle. The segments using the green screen are particularly funny, especially the segment with Kevin Nash and Sean Oliver tasting wine at the vineyard. Although he protects his friends and passes off responsibility for some of the things he’s taken part of in wrestling, Nash is genuinely entertaining and funny.

[ FYI: You can purchase Kayfabe Commentaries “YouShoot with Kevin Nash” by clicking HERE;. For a VOD version of this interview, visit WWNLive.com. For more information about other KayfabeCommentaries.com releases, visit KayfabeCommentaries.com;. ]

-”Timeline: The History of WCW 2000 as told by Vince Russo” - (8.5): Normally I’m not a fan of Vince Russo interviews, but this release takes the cake. Russo is in rare form during this look back at his time in WCW in 2000. To be fair, Russo never really had a shot given the politics in the company during his run as booker during this period, but listening to him contradict himself throughout the interview is definitely something that is amazing to watch in the sense you’ll be saying to yourself, “I can’t believe this guy is saying what he’s saying.” Russo also doesn’t hold back, as he goes into his time in TNA and buries Dixie Carter, Christopher Daniels, and The Young Backs because according to Russo, this is the last interview he’s doing for wrestling. Another fascinating discussion is Russo’s story about his angle with Hulk Hogan at “Bash at the Beach 2000.” Once Russo says, “If this were real,” you’ll be shaking your head for days.

[ FYI: You can purchase Kayfabe Commentaries “Timeline: The History of WCW 2000 as told by Vince Russo” by clicking HERE;. For a VOD version of this interview, visit WWNLive.com. For more information about other KayfabeCommentaries.com releases, visit KayfabeCommentaries.com. ]

PWG

-PWG BOLA 2013: Night 2,” Aug. 31, 2013 – (9.5): One of the things I love about PWG is the hot crowds. Well, PWG crowds don’t get much hotter than they did for “BOLA 2013: Night 2.” The conclusion of BOLA 2013 was one of the most exciting PWG shows in quite some time. There were some amazing Quarterfinal Round matches, including ACH-O’Reilly and Gargano-Steen, which were amazing high-end MOTYCs. Kyle O’Reilly arrived as a top singles performer on this night and this DVD is an absolute must for all independent wrestling fans.

[ FYI: You can purchase “BOLA 2013: Night 2” by clicking HERE; or by visiting Highspots.com. For more information on PWG, visit Prowrestlingguerrilla.com.]

-PWG “BOLA 2013: Night 1,” Aug. 30, 2013 – (8.5): “BOLA 2013: Night 1” was a fun show from start to finish with everything from Kevin Steen and Chuck Taylor taking turns beating up a San Francisco Giants hat to Elgin upstaging Rich Swann in a dance contest by doing the worm much to the shock to everyone in the building. BOLA is always my favorite singles tournament to watch each year and this show did not disappoint delivering a number of quality first round matches highlighted by the MOTYC between Kyle O’Reilly and Trent. The main event Six Man Tag with The Young Bucks & Adam Cole vs. Forever Hooligans & TJP was a blast as well with some fantastic exchanges leading into the finish.

[ FYI: You can purchase “BOLA 2013: Night 1” by clicking HERE or by visiting Highspots.com. For more information on PWG, visit Prowrestlingguerrilla.com. ]

-PWG “All Star Weekend 9: Night 1,” March 22, 2013 – (8.0): “All Star Weekend 9” felt like a fresh PWG show because of all of the names debuting in PWG. The list of names that made their PWG debuts included A.R. Fox, Johnny Gargano, Samuray Del Sol, Jay Lethal, and Trent. The strength of the show was the tag team wrestling highlighted by the Del Sol & Fox vs. Swann & Ricochet MOTYC. Gargano & Taylor vs. The Young Bucks, and Future Shock vs. Cage & Elgin were also really good tag matches. The only down note on the show was the Callihan-Younger match, which was too far over the top with dangerous bumps, blood, and hardcore elements introduced into the match like a staple gun and thumbtacks. Other than the main event, this show was largely very good with a hot crowd and a ton of very good to excellent matches up and down the card.

[ FYI: You can purchase “All Star Weekend 9: Night 1” by clicking HERE or by visiting Highspots.com. For more information on PWG, visit Prowrestlingguerrilla.com. ]

-PWG “DDT 4 2013,” Jan 12, 2013– (8.5): This was a fantastic show. DDT4 2013 served as El Generico’s farewell to the independent scene before signing with WWE or as I like to believe, going back to Mexico to take care of his orphans. The show was not as strong in the ring as DDT4 tournaments have been in recent years, but the storytelling on the show tied to Generico & Steen teaming up for DDT4 2013 will make this show memorable for years to come. It was a blast to see Generico say farewell to the promotion he meant so much to for so many years while teaming with his longtime partner and nemesis Kevin Steen. The only down note on the show was the brutal Callihan-Younger match, which went way over the line in terms of what should be acceptable in the ring in 2013 given what is known about concussions.

[ FYI: You can purchase “DDT 4 2013” by clicking HERE or by visiting Highspots.com. For more information on PWG, visit Prowrestlingguerrilla.com. ]

Ring of Honor

-ROH "Death Before Dishonor XI," Sept. 20, 2013 - (7.5): This was a very good show from ROH, but the production seemed to hamper things a bit, as the crowd sounded muted. You could hear the crowd reacting at times during different matches, but it was barely audible. There were very few down moments on this show, but the lack of crowd energy definitely hampered the show at times. I was expecting a bigger turnout for the semi-finals and finals of the ROH World Title tournament, but there didn’t appear to be a huge crowd in Philadelphia for this show. The semi-final matches were both very good. Cole and Ciampa had a hard hitting match and it was good to see some psychology in it with Cole working over Ciampa’s leg throughout the match.

Steen-Elgin was also a very good match. It started slow and methodical, but once the pace picked up, there were some really good exchanges leading up to the finish to set up Elgin being more banged up than Cole going into the finals. The Elgin-Cole ROH World Title Tournament finale was a really good match with Cole going after Elgin’s injured neck and also working over his legs at times. Elgin showed a ton of fire at times during the match, as he refused to stay down, despite his condition. The match was a well told story and it is definitely worth checking out. Coming out of the tournament, Cole was set up to feud with Jay Briscoe and Michael Elgin.

[ FYI: You can purchase ROH’s “Death Before Dishonor Xi” by clicking HERE. For more information on Ring of honor visit ROHWrestling.com. ]

-ROH “Manhattan Mayhem V,” Aug. 17, 2013 – (8.0): This was another very good show from ROH. The highlight of the show was the excellent Young Bucks vs. Forever Hooligans showcase tag match, which is well-worth going out of your way to see. The ROH Title Tournament continued with three Quarterfinal Round matches on this card with Elgin-Anderson and Steen-Strong both delivering very good matches. The main event featuring ReDragon challenging for the ROH World Tag Team Titles against the American Wolves was also very good. The debut of Outlaw Inc. (Eddie Kingston & Homicide) was a bit of a mixed bag, but their entrance is unique and they made their mark at the end of the show.

[ FYI: You can purchase ROH’s “All Star Extravaganza V” by clicking HERE. For more information on Ring of honor visit ROHWrestling.com. ]

-ROH “All Star Extravaganza V,” Aug. 3, 2013 – (8.0): This was a very good show from ROH that featured several matches from the first round and one Quarterfinal Round match of the ROH World Title Tournament. The highlight of the show was the Elgin-London First Round match, which was excellent. The DVD release also featured a good London promo later in the show putting Elgin over as his choice to win the entire tournament. There were a couple of clunkers on the card and the piledriver spot during the Whitmer-Bennett match was scary, but overall this was a strong show worth purchasing due to the strength of the overall card.

[ FYI: You can purchase ROH’s “All Star Extravaganza V” by clicking HERE. For more information on Ring of honor visit ROHWrestling.com. ]

-ROH Unauthorized “A Night of Hoopla,” July 11, 2013 – (8.0): It really depends on your taste as to whether or not you’re going to want to purchase this release. I had major reservations before the show took place, as Martini’s act tends to wear thin quickly on television, but this show was a blast to watch with the exception of the Hoopla Uncut segment with Satan. This show had it all from Davey Richards winning a “Pants Off Dance Off” contest to Jimmy Jacobs singing “Ballad of Lacey.” The ROH stars let loose and had fun on this night. The production enhancements on some of the segments like Scarlett singing a lewd version of the National Anthem with shots of Wal-Mart spliced into the presentation was funny. There’s some good wrestling on the card as well and if you like comedy and wrestling, this show is for you.

[ FYI: You can purchase ROH “A Night of Hoopla” by clicking HERE. For more information on Ring of honor visit ROHWrestling.com. ]

-ROH “Best in the World 2013,” June 22, 2013 – (6.5): There are some good matches on this card and Elgin-Ciampa is excellent and is definitely worth a look. Hardy-Steen was very good as well. The main event between Jay and Mark was good, but fell well below what I expected out of a match from these two with the ROH World Title on the line. They’ve had some great singles matches against each other in the past, but on this night they didn’t engage the crowd at the level that I thought they would. The DVD features Kevin Steen vs. Cliff Compton in a short Empty Arena match that was taped on June 8 in Columbus, Ohio as a bonus feature. Kevin Kelly’s post-show wrap up is also included as a bonus. Mild thumbs up.

[ FYI: You can purchase ROH’s “Best in the World 2013” by clicking HERE. For more information on Ring of honor visit ROHWrestling.com. ]

-ROH “SuperCard of Honor VII,” April 5, 2013 – (9.0): This show is a strong contender for “Show of the Year.” The real hook is the two excellent matches with Lethal-Elgin and Steen-Jay Briscoe being must see encounters. The show was bolstered by big moments and solid in-ring action sprinkled throughout the night. The DVD version of this show includes the highlight package that was aired during the live iPPV of Jay’s previous shots at the ROH World Title before he finally captured it on this show. The crowd energy was incredible at Hammerstein and seeing Jay Briscoe win the ROH Championship makes this DVD a must-buy.

[ FYI: You can purchase ROH’s “SuperCard of Honor VII” by clicking HERE. For more information on Ring of honor visit ROHWrestling.com. ]

WCA

-WCA “2013 Race for the Ring Wrestling Tournament: Bracket A,” April 27, 2013 – (6.5): The concept of a tournament of matches with a 10 minute time limit might give some people pause when it comes to purchasing WCA’s “2013 Race for the Ring Tournament: Bracket A,” but the concept works out quite nicely, especially as the match nears the time limit and wrestlers are scrambling to either tie or win the match down the stretch given the point system rules that are in place. I really admire that WCA is donating 25% of all of their tickets sales to charity and hopefully as the tournament goes on, they will get more support from independent wrestling fans out in the Los Angeles area. The highlights on the show were the O’Reilly-Richards and Nese-Cole matches. The show would have rated higher if not for the frustration of having to click on every segment on the show on the menu to watch the entire show, but WCA has reportedly rectified this for their future releases.

[ FYI: You can purchase “2013 Race for the Ring Wrestling Tournament: Bracket A” by clicking HERE. For more information on WCA, visit Wrestlingcares.com. ]

Documentaries

-“Seven Levels of Hate”: “Seven Levels of Hate” is an excellent documentary produced by Adam Pearce that looks at his NWA Championship feud against his longtime friend Colt Cabana in 2011 and 2012. The focus of the documentary is about how politics continually got in the way of Cabana and Pearce’s efforts to elevate the NWA Championship in 2011 and 2012. Cabana, Pearce, and NWA Hollywood producer David Marquez are all strong talking heads during the documentary and presenting their side of the story. The in-depth look at their best of seven series of matches in 2012 is fascinating, especially given how it was derailed by NWA politics just as the series was about to end. The documentary is missing key commentary from the people that took control of NWA in 2012 during Cabana and Pearce’s series of matches, but otherwise it is a compelling story from start to finish with strong production values.

[ FYI: You can purchase “Seven Levels of Hate” by clicking HERE or by visiting SevenLevelsofHate.com. ]

-”Jim Crockett Promotions: The Good Old Days” – (9.0) “Jim Crockett Promotions: The Good Old Days” is a great documentary about the greatest territory promotion in wrestling. The documentary covers Jim Crockett Promotions from its humble beginnings when Jim Crockett Sr. moved to Charlotte in the 1930s and began promoting a variety of entertainment ventures with wrestling eventually becoming the backbone of everything he promoted all the way through the collapse of the promotion of the late 80s when the excesses of the promotion and the ego of booker Dusty Rhodes caused it to collapse.

The documentary is a fantastic learning tool, as the entire evolution of the company is discussed in-depth by the people that were there during the rise and fall of the promotion, but the key is the interview with Jimmy Crockett Jr., who has never been interviewed and gives his side of the story from when he took over the promotion in the early 70s through the sale of JCP to Ted Turner when the money ran out. The extras are well worth checking out as well.

[ FYI: You can purchase “JCP: The Good Old Days” by clicking HERE; or by visiting Highspots.com. ]

-”Barbed Wire City” – (9.0) “Barbed Wire City” is an excellent and well-rounded look at ECW, particularly when it comes to what the promotion meant to the wrestlers and what it did to their bodies. The documentary, which was made by John Philapavage and Kevin Kiernan, provided a well-rounded a sobering look at ECW through the eyes of wrestlers, fans, journalists, and people that worked backstage in WCW. Philapavage and Kiernan began making the film in 2000 and eventually got the funding they needed through Kickstarter.com to complete the film, which was released earlier this year. It was particularly interesting to see whether or not the opinions of the wrestlers featured in the film that were interviewed in 2000 changed when they were interviewed recently for the final edit of this project. This is a must-buy.

[ FYI: You can purchase “Barbed Wire City” by clicking HERE; or by visiting Highspots.com. For more information on Barbed Wire City and to purchase the VOD version for $9.99 visit BarbedWireCity.com ]

Shoot Interviews

-”Diva Diaries with Mia Yim”-(8.0): This was a very interesting interview given that Yim has a unique perspective being a female talent on the independent scene. The interview covers Yim’s career in-depth, including a lengthy look at her career in Japan and CZW. Highspots did a good job of using footage of Yim from CZW to compliment her discussion of her feud with Greg Excellent, which got her a lot of buzz on the independent scene. Yim offers a lot of insight on how important it is to network for a female talent as she discusses the various breaks she’s gotten during her short career. It’s also refreshing to listen to Yim talk about life outside of wrestling, as she discusses her aspirations to be a computer technician.

[ FYI: You can purchase “Diva Diaries with Mia Yim” by clicking HERE; or by visiting Highspots.com. ]

-”Callihan Death Machine: The Sami Callihan Story Vol. 2” -(8.5): This is a great look at Sami Callihan’s career on the independents. The only difficulty I encountered while trying to watch the interview was keeping track of the timeline during certain portions of the interview. Callihan is currently gaining some buzz as Solomon Crowe in NXT with his hacker gimmick, so the timing of the release of this interview, which was conducted just before Callihan’s last date on the independents is perfect. The interview lasts over four hours, but in addition to that, there’s a great selection of matches included in this set as well, including his match against Cole at “Night of Infamy 2011,” his AAW Match of the Year against Davey Richards, his CZW Best of the Best win against A.R. Fox, and his match against Finlay in wXw. The matches are well-worth adding to your DVD collection.

Listening to Callihan tell stories about his time on the independents in companies like CZW, CHIKARA, DGUSA/EVOLVE, ROH, and a number of other companies is fascinating. It’s clear that Callihan has a great attitude and the drive to succeed in WWE. Listening to Callihan talking about knocking down doors and creating opportunities for himself is inspirational and it will be hard not to root for Callihan to make a big splash in WWE after watching this interview. Callihan lacks the size WWE looks for in a main event wrestler, but with the right breaks, perhaps he will achieve his dream and main event WrestleMania. Nothing Callihan does will surprise me given what he’s already achieved.

[ FYI: You can purchase “Callihan Death Machine: The Sami Callihan Story Vol. 2” by clicking HERE; or by visiting SmartMarkVideo.com. For a VOD of this interview, visit SMVOD.com. ]

-”The Kevin Steen Show with Eddie Edwards” -(8.0): This release is well worth going out of your way to check out. Steen gets good interviews out of his guests and there are a lot of funny stories about Edwards’s career coming out of this interview. Highspots does a good job of making these fun shows with little text blurbs popping up on the screen and by using multiple camera angles, so it’s not just a static shot of Steen and Edwards talking throughout. Although this was a lengthy interview, I would have preferred if there had been more time spent on Edwards talking about his time in ROH from 2012-2013 and PWG. If you’re looking for an interesting interview with a ton of funny stories that’s easy to watch, look no further than here.

[ FYI: You can purchase “The Kevin Steen Show with Eddie Edwards” by clicking HERE; or by visiting Highspots.com. ]

-”The Kevin Steen Show with Michael Elgin”-(8.5): Overall this was an excellent release. The text captions on the screen are hilarious and Cheeseburger’s role as co-host is hilarious, as he is constantly picked on by Steen. Steen did a great job of guiding Elgin through the interview and got some good insight from Elgin on his current run in ROH and his frustrations from last year. Elgin’s story about his mother’s background as a professional arm wrestler is worth the price of admission alone.

[ FYI: You can purchase “The Kevin Steen Show with Michael Elgin” by clicking HERE; or by visiting Highspots.com. ]

-”Striker University: Finishing School 101” – (9.0): This release will change how you watch professional wrestling. Striker does sit down interview segments in-between the footage shown of him training wrestlers at the Highspots Wrestling School. Striker is hilarious and makes a lot of good points about how wrestlers sell certain moves and gives advice to wrestlers trying to make their way into WWE on how to make the in-ring action look real. One of my favorite segments is Striker talking about how wrestlers often begin the match with a lockup, transition into one of the wrestlers holding a headlock, and then the wrestler in the headlock shoots the wrestler off the ropes. Striker talks about how very few wresters that he’s seen actually look like the headlock they are being held in hurts and demonstrates to the students the proper way to fight the headlock before doing the standard opening match spot. I’ve found myself yelling at my TV screen after watching this release because Striker makes so many suggestions that might seem like small things, but they actually make a huge difference in terms of selling the action in the ring as being legitimate. Fans and independent wrestlers will both benefit from buying this release and hearing Striker share his knowledge about in-ring action.

[ FYI: You can purchase “Striker University: Finishing School 101” by clicking HERE; or by visiting Highspots.com. ]

UFC

-”UFC Ultimate Fight Collection 2013” – (9.0): This is a must-have collection of fights for any UFC fan. The collection includes fight cards from June 2012-July 2013. In all, there are over 200 fights included on 20 DVDs in this collection. This is a great looking box set, as the DVDs come in a case that looks like a book. When you open up the first page, the fights included from each PPV or TV special are listed, so if you want to see Silva-Sonnen II for example, you know where to go right away. The best part of this collection is that the boring fights have been cut from each card included in this set, so you’re never bored as you make your way through each DVD. The only downside is that the entrances, montages, and post-fight interviews are edited off of this release with the exception of the main event winners having their interviews included from what I could tell by watching a good portion of this release.

[ FYI: You can purchase “UFC Ultimate Fight Collection 2013” by clicking HERE; or by visiting Amazon.com. For more information on UFC, visit UFC.com. ]

Videogames

-”Saints Row IV,” released August 20, 2013 on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC – (8.5): I enjoyed “Saints Row IV” more than any other game in the series. The addition of superpowers makes this game a blast to play. The wrestling influence on the game is well-done and if you’re a wrestling fan, you’re going to want to play this game. Rob Van Dam and Rowdy Roddy Piper are featured in the game as characters. JCW announcer Kevin Gill plays himself as a DJ in the game and does a fantastic job introducing a wide variety of songs. Christopher Daniels also plays a character DJ in the game. The humor in the game is what makes “Saints Row IV” stand out. Different characters deliver hilarious dead-pan one-liners throughout the game and the creators of the game just nailed it with their spoofs of pop culture, movies, and television shows.

[ FYI: You can purchase “Saints Row IV” by clicking HERE or by visiting Amazon.com. For more information on “Saints Row IV, please visit SaintsRow.com. ]

-”WWE2K14”, released Oct. 29, 2013 on Xbox 360 and PS3 – (8.5): “WWE2K14” is a fun game because of the variety of options it offers. If you like creating your own cards on TV and PPV, there’s WWE Universe mode. If you like playing online and downloading CAW’s, the online features are fantastic, especially given how detailed some of the downloadable CAW’s are for independent and Japanese wrestlers. Although the gameplay is improved from last year with moves having more impact and the reversals being more forgiving, the game controls are largely the same, which isn’t a bad thing. It feels like it’s time for this game to move to another engine and with Xbox One and PS4 recently hitting shelves, that’s bound to happen for the next edition in this series. For now, the main reason to purchase this game is for the 30 Years of WrestleMania mode, which is extremely well done and will take you back all the way to the beginnings of WrestleMania complete with tinted graphics made to look like what you would see on the screen in the mid-80s. With plenty of gameplay options, there’s endless opportunity to have fun with this game.

[ FYI: You can purchase “WWE 2K14” on PS3 by clicking HERE; or by visiting Amazon.com. For more information on “WWE 2K14, please visit WWE.2k.com. ]

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