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| The next PWG World Champion? Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Friday has come upon us at last. When our 9-5, 40 hour work weeks end, the toils of the pro wrestler begin in earnest, all for your entertainment. Yes, there are scads upon scads of pro wrestling shows happening this weekend, and I am going to preview a handful of them for you. If you don't see one in your area below, fret not. You can always check Pro Wrestling Events for your hookup. But for the big headliner shows, you can take a gander below.
FRIDAY
This weekend's main event is a birthday party. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla will be celebrating a decade in business with TEN tonight. If you are in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and you haven't purchased a ticket yet, you can get general admission at the door in limited quantities, i.e. GET THERE EARLY. The bell time at the American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA is 8PM local time, and the card has a double main event. The first hearkens back to last year's anniversary show, Threemendous III, where Future Shock, the Young Bucks, and the Super Smash Bros. pretty much did everything short of murdering each other for the Tag Team Championships in a ladder match. This year's triple threat title ladder match will feature those Bucks defending their titles against the Dojo Bros. of Roderick Strong and Eddie "Eddie Edwards" Edwards and the Inner City Machine Guns of Ricochet and Rich Swann. If one match exists that I am simultaneously excited for and fearing for each of the competitors' lives, this ladder match is it.
The other main event is another three-way match, this time for the PWG World Championship. Adam Cole will put his strap on the line in Guerrilla Warfare against three-time former Champion Kevin Steen and apparent next-big-thing-in-waiting, Drake Younger. While Younger has retired from death matches, I don't think it means he will go easy when there are no rules in place other than the ones governing pinfall or submission. He has to be the heavy favorite, although I wouldn't count out either one of the other competitors here.
If those main events don't tickle your fancy, then I question whether you're alive. But also, the rest of this card is fucking stacked as well. Johnny Gargano and Chuck Taylor will unite to face off against veritable dream opponents in Paul London and Brian Kendrick. Michael Elgin will look to clip the wings of AR Fox. The Forever Hooligans of Rocky Romero and Alex Kozlov will put their mettle to the test against the channeled insanity of the RockNES Monsters. Anthony Nese will make his PWG debut against Brian Cage, who is a fucking machine. Kyle O'Reilly and TJ Perkins may steal the show in their attraction match, and if all those matches aren't enough, there will be a six-person trios match to open the show featuring Willie Mack, Candice LaRae, B-Boy, and maybe even Joey Ryan. Plus, Scott Lost will be in attendance, although I'm not sure if he'll be doing anything.
For those who can't be in attendance in Reseda and still want some hot wrestling action, Full Impact Pro will be presenting Heatstroke tonight on WWN Live Internet pay-per-view. If you're live in the area and want to head out, the show is being held at the Orpheum in Ybor City, FL. The show starts at 9PM Eastern Daylight Time, and the main event will feature Trent? backing FIP Champion Jon Davis into a corner. Their title match stipulates that the belt can change hands on a disqualification. Does this mean Trent?'s coronation will happen tonight? Also on the show, Uhaa Nation defends the Heritage Championship against Gran Akuma, and Jessicka Havok will take on Maxwell Chicago. Also appearing on the show will be the Throwbacks, Mia Yim, and Lince Dorado.
In Alton, IL, St. Louis Anarchy presents Winning Time at the Knights of Columbus Hall, with the doors opening to the general public at 6:30PM local time. The main event is a no holds barred match for the SLA Championship, Darin Corbin vs. Arik Cannon. Also on the show, Davey Vega and ACH go head to head in the second match of their best of three series. ACH is up one match to zero; can Vega even the score up? Davey Richards will go head to head with Gerald "Gary Jay" James, and Jojo Bravo will butt heads with Jonathan Gresham. Also appearing on this show will be Mat Fitchett, Evan Gelistico, Dan Walsh, the Hooligans, Bolt Brady, Alex Castle, and Angelus Layne.
SATURDAY
The big shows Saturday will be taking place at the Flyers Skate Zone in Vorhees, NJ. Opening up the proceedings will be Women's Superstars Uncensored with their annual over-the-top battle royale, the Uncensored Rumble. The show will start at 4PM EDT, available on CZW iPPV. In fact, you can save a few bucks if you order both this show and the CZW show in tandem. The show will be headlined by a best two out of three falls match for the WSU Championship. Jessicka Havok defends against Athena, the rubber match in their interpromotional series. Athena won on her home court at Anarchy Championship Wrestling's Queen of Queens last year. Havok defended her Championship successfully at An Ultraviolent Affair in February this year. If anything, this match should be a barnburner.
The actual Rumble match this year is for a shot at the Spirit Championship, and I believe every female in the building is eligible to compete for it. Shanna will be making her stateside debut in the match. Also on the show, Lexxus will battle Neveah for the chance to take on the winner of the Havok/Athena match, Jenny Rose comes home to take on Christina von Eerie, and Chris Dickinson and a mystery partner will battle Addy Starr and Matt Tremont. Making appearances on the show will also be Taeler Hendrix, Sassy Stephie, Veda Scott, Kimber Lee, and Santana Garrett.
The nightcap is presented by Combat Zone Wrestling. Tangled Web starts at 7:30PM EDT, and the headlining match is a titular tag match between the Naptown Dragons of Drew Blood and Scotty Vortekz, and the Nation of Intoxication, Lucky 13 and Danny Havoc. Also on the show, Masada defends the CZW World Championship against Drew Gulak, and AR Fox and Andrew Everett will look to set new standards for in-ring pyrotechnics. Additionally scheduled to appear will be Shanna, Matt Tremont, Shane Hollister, Biff Busick, Shane Strickland, and Greg Excellent.
Metro Pro Wrestling will present another day-long slate of television tapings at the Turner Rec Center in Kansas City, KS. The doors open at 6PM local time, and the show will be headlined by a huge dog collar match. Adam Pearce will defend his newly won Metro Pro Championship against the former holder, Jeremy Wyatt, in the brutal affair. Also scheduled, the Cobra Kai Dojo of Mat Fitchett and Davey Vega will reveal who their Sensei is in a six-man, "Freebird Rules" Tag Team Championship match against the holders, the Commission of Pierre Abernathy, Evan Gelistico, and Homeless Gary Jay. ACH and Mark Sterling are also scheduled to appear.
Wrestling Is Art kicks off a weekend doubleheader at St. Joseph's School in Haverhill, MA. The doors open at 6:15PM, and the show will feature the still-simmering tensions between the Colony and Devastation Corporation coming to a head. Green Ant will go one-on-one against Max Smashmaster in a bout that I feel may have happened before in another lifetime. The Estonian Thunder Frog will do battle with the nihilistic Tim Donst, assailANT will clash with Kobold, and the Batiri will welcome a challenge from Kaiju Big Battel's Neo Teppen and Sunbuster in what should be a unique contest to say the least. Also on the show will be the Proletariat Boar of Moldova, which makes me wonder how many more mythical creatures we'll see emanating from former Soviet republics. If a Kyrgyzstani Mountain Yeti shows up, I WANT ROYALTIES.
Vintage Wrestling presents SummerBash 2013, live from the Salvation Army Gymnasium in Sanford, FL. The show starts at 8PM local time, and the main event is a doozy. The Dark City Fight Club EXPLODES as Jon Davis will challenge for Kory Chavis' Vintage Championship. Not only is a tag team breakup in play here, but this match will almost certainly qualify as a HOSS FIGHT. Also on the show, the recently-released-from-TNA Sam Shaw does battle with QT Marshall. Francisco Ciatso, Mike Cruz, Maxwell Chicago, Jesse Neal, and Death Row Jethro will all also be appearing at this show.
Finally for this Saturday, we're headin' on up to Georgia for a tripleshot of shows across the state. First up, Deep Southern Championship Wrestling will be hitting up the DSCW Arena in Blue Ridge, GA with an 8PM local bell time. The show will be headlined by Luke Gallows taking on Cody Roberts. Cyrus the Destroyer is also scheduled to appear.
Moving over to Cornelia, GA, Anarchy Wrestling will be taping another set of episodes for their television show. The match you want to be looking out for will be Alabama Attitude (Mike Posey and Corey Hollis) battling The Movement (Najassism and Vandal) in hot tag action. Also on the show will be Shaun Tempers, "Hit for Hire" Bobby Moore, and Cody Hall, son of Scott Hall.
Finally, Empire Pro Wrestling presents a charity show for Gypsy Joe at the Empire Arena in Rossville, GA. The bell time is 8PM local. Appearing on this card will be Chrisjen Hayme and members of both the Illuminati and the Devil's Rejects.
SUNDAY
The second half of Wrestling Is Art's doubleheader takes place Sunday at the Varnum Auditorium in East Greenwich, RI with a door open time of 3:15PM local. Frank "Don't Call Me Francis" O'Rourke will take on AR Fox in the main event. Also on the show, Drew Gulak will battle Tomasso Ciampa, Green Ant and assailANT will welcome Frightmare into their fold to take on the Batiri in trios action, the Estonian Thunder Frog takes on Max Smashmaster, and Jervis Cottonbelly goes one-on-one with Jaka.
Finally, if you happen to be near Cave-in-Rock, IL for the Gathering of the Juggalos, stop by at 7PM local time to check out Juggalo Championship Wrestling BloodyMania 7. I know, I know, the Insane Clown Posse and their fans may seem a little weird to those who aren't in the know, but at the same time, they're still people no less. Plus, ICP seems to treat wrestling with respect, and the wrestlers who have come through JCW's ranks like Colt Cabana, Rhyno, and Nick Dinsmore have great pedigrees. I can't seem to find a match-listing anywhere, but hey, the atmosphere will totally be unique enough that it may not matter what they're actually promoting.
No matter where you are in the country, great pro wrestling is probably happening somewhere near you. If you want something to do, take a chance on a show, whether described above or one that you blindly take a stab at. You never know; your favorite wrestling promotion may exist without you even knowing it yet.
FRIDAY
This weekend's main event is a birthday party. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla will be celebrating a decade in business with TEN tonight. If you are in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and you haven't purchased a ticket yet, you can get general admission at the door in limited quantities, i.e. GET THERE EARLY. The bell time at the American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, CA is 8PM local time, and the card has a double main event. The first hearkens back to last year's anniversary show, Threemendous III, where Future Shock, the Young Bucks, and the Super Smash Bros. pretty much did everything short of murdering each other for the Tag Team Championships in a ladder match. This year's triple threat title ladder match will feature those Bucks defending their titles against the Dojo Bros. of Roderick Strong and Eddie "Eddie Edwards" Edwards and the Inner City Machine Guns of Ricochet and Rich Swann. If one match exists that I am simultaneously excited for and fearing for each of the competitors' lives, this ladder match is it.
The other main event is another three-way match, this time for the PWG World Championship. Adam Cole will put his strap on the line in Guerrilla Warfare against three-time former Champion Kevin Steen and apparent next-big-thing-in-waiting, Drake Younger. While Younger has retired from death matches, I don't think it means he will go easy when there are no rules in place other than the ones governing pinfall or submission. He has to be the heavy favorite, although I wouldn't count out either one of the other competitors here.
If those main events don't tickle your fancy, then I question whether you're alive. But also, the rest of this card is fucking stacked as well. Johnny Gargano and Chuck Taylor will unite to face off against veritable dream opponents in Paul London and Brian Kendrick. Michael Elgin will look to clip the wings of AR Fox. The Forever Hooligans of Rocky Romero and Alex Kozlov will put their mettle to the test against the channeled insanity of the RockNES Monsters. Anthony Nese will make his PWG debut against Brian Cage, who is a fucking machine. Kyle O'Reilly and TJ Perkins may steal the show in their attraction match, and if all those matches aren't enough, there will be a six-person trios match to open the show featuring Willie Mack, Candice LaRae, B-Boy, and maybe even Joey Ryan. Plus, Scott Lost will be in attendance, although I'm not sure if he'll be doing anything.
For those who can't be in attendance in Reseda and still want some hot wrestling action, Full Impact Pro will be presenting Heatstroke tonight on WWN Live Internet pay-per-view. If you're live in the area and want to head out, the show is being held at the Orpheum in Ybor City, FL. The show starts at 9PM Eastern Daylight Time, and the main event will feature Trent? backing FIP Champion Jon Davis into a corner. Their title match stipulates that the belt can change hands on a disqualification. Does this mean Trent?'s coronation will happen tonight? Also on the show, Uhaa Nation defends the Heritage Championship against Gran Akuma, and Jessicka Havok will take on Maxwell Chicago. Also appearing on the show will be the Throwbacks, Mia Yim, and Lince Dorado.
In Alton, IL, St. Louis Anarchy presents Winning Time at the Knights of Columbus Hall, with the doors opening to the general public at 6:30PM local time. The main event is a no holds barred match for the SLA Championship, Darin Corbin vs. Arik Cannon. Also on the show, Davey Vega and ACH go head to head in the second match of their best of three series. ACH is up one match to zero; can Vega even the score up? Davey Richards will go head to head with Gerald "Gary Jay" James, and Jojo Bravo will butt heads with Jonathan Gresham. Also appearing on this show will be Mat Fitchett, Evan Gelistico, Dan Walsh, the Hooligans, Bolt Brady, Alex Castle, and Angelus Layne.
SATURDAY
The big shows Saturday will be taking place at the Flyers Skate Zone in Vorhees, NJ. Opening up the proceedings will be Women's Superstars Uncensored with their annual over-the-top battle royale, the Uncensored Rumble. The show will start at 4PM EDT, available on CZW iPPV. In fact, you can save a few bucks if you order both this show and the CZW show in tandem. The show will be headlined by a best two out of three falls match for the WSU Championship. Jessicka Havok defends against Athena, the rubber match in their interpromotional series. Athena won on her home court at Anarchy Championship Wrestling's Queen of Queens last year. Havok defended her Championship successfully at An Ultraviolent Affair in February this year. If anything, this match should be a barnburner.
The actual Rumble match this year is for a shot at the Spirit Championship, and I believe every female in the building is eligible to compete for it. Shanna will be making her stateside debut in the match. Also on the show, Lexxus will battle Neveah for the chance to take on the winner of the Havok/Athena match, Jenny Rose comes home to take on Christina von Eerie, and Chris Dickinson and a mystery partner will battle Addy Starr and Matt Tremont. Making appearances on the show will also be Taeler Hendrix, Sassy Stephie, Veda Scott, Kimber Lee, and Santana Garrett.
The nightcap is presented by Combat Zone Wrestling. Tangled Web starts at 7:30PM EDT, and the headlining match is a titular tag match between the Naptown Dragons of Drew Blood and Scotty Vortekz, and the Nation of Intoxication, Lucky 13 and Danny Havoc. Also on the show, Masada defends the CZW World Championship against Drew Gulak, and AR Fox and Andrew Everett will look to set new standards for in-ring pyrotechnics. Additionally scheduled to appear will be Shanna, Matt Tremont, Shane Hollister, Biff Busick, Shane Strickland, and Greg Excellent.
Metro Pro Wrestling will present another day-long slate of television tapings at the Turner Rec Center in Kansas City, KS. The doors open at 6PM local time, and the show will be headlined by a huge dog collar match. Adam Pearce will defend his newly won Metro Pro Championship against the former holder, Jeremy Wyatt, in the brutal affair. Also scheduled, the Cobra Kai Dojo of Mat Fitchett and Davey Vega will reveal who their Sensei is in a six-man, "Freebird Rules" Tag Team Championship match against the holders, the Commission of Pierre Abernathy, Evan Gelistico, and Homeless Gary Jay. ACH and Mark Sterling are also scheduled to appear.
Wrestling Is Art kicks off a weekend doubleheader at St. Joseph's School in Haverhill, MA. The doors open at 6:15PM, and the show will feature the still-simmering tensions between the Colony and Devastation Corporation coming to a head. Green Ant will go one-on-one against Max Smashmaster in a bout that I feel may have happened before in another lifetime. The Estonian Thunder Frog will do battle with the nihilistic Tim Donst, assailANT will clash with Kobold, and the Batiri will welcome a challenge from Kaiju Big Battel's Neo Teppen and Sunbuster in what should be a unique contest to say the least. Also on the show will be the Proletariat Boar of Moldova, which makes me wonder how many more mythical creatures we'll see emanating from former Soviet republics. If a Kyrgyzstani Mountain Yeti shows up, I WANT ROYALTIES.
Vintage Wrestling presents SummerBash 2013, live from the Salvation Army Gymnasium in Sanford, FL. The show starts at 8PM local time, and the main event is a doozy. The Dark City Fight Club EXPLODES as Jon Davis will challenge for Kory Chavis' Vintage Championship. Not only is a tag team breakup in play here, but this match will almost certainly qualify as a HOSS FIGHT. Also on the show, the recently-released-from-TNA Sam Shaw does battle with QT Marshall. Francisco Ciatso, Mike Cruz, Maxwell Chicago, Jesse Neal, and Death Row Jethro will all also be appearing at this show.
Finally for this Saturday, we're headin' on up to Georgia for a tripleshot of shows across the state. First up, Deep Southern Championship Wrestling will be hitting up the DSCW Arena in Blue Ridge, GA with an 8PM local bell time. The show will be headlined by Luke Gallows taking on Cody Roberts. Cyrus the Destroyer is also scheduled to appear.
Moving over to Cornelia, GA, Anarchy Wrestling will be taping another set of episodes for their television show. The match you want to be looking out for will be Alabama Attitude (Mike Posey and Corey Hollis) battling The Movement (Najassism and Vandal) in hot tag action. Also on the show will be Shaun Tempers, "Hit for Hire" Bobby Moore, and Cody Hall, son of Scott Hall.
Finally, Empire Pro Wrestling presents a charity show for Gypsy Joe at the Empire Arena in Rossville, GA. The bell time is 8PM local. Appearing on this card will be Chrisjen Hayme and members of both the Illuminati and the Devil's Rejects.
SUNDAY
The second half of Wrestling Is Art's doubleheader takes place Sunday at the Varnum Auditorium in East Greenwich, RI with a door open time of 3:15PM local. Frank "Don't Call Me Francis" O'Rourke will take on AR Fox in the main event. Also on the show, Drew Gulak will battle Tomasso Ciampa, Green Ant and assailANT will welcome Frightmare into their fold to take on the Batiri in trios action, the Estonian Thunder Frog takes on Max Smashmaster, and Jervis Cottonbelly goes one-on-one with Jaka.
Finally, if you happen to be near Cave-in-Rock, IL for the Gathering of the Juggalos, stop by at 7PM local time to check out Juggalo Championship Wrestling BloodyMania 7. I know, I know, the Insane Clown Posse and their fans may seem a little weird to those who aren't in the know, but at the same time, they're still people no less. Plus, ICP seems to treat wrestling with respect, and the wrestlers who have come through JCW's ranks like Colt Cabana, Rhyno, and Nick Dinsmore have great pedigrees. I can't seem to find a match-listing anywhere, but hey, the atmosphere will totally be unique enough that it may not matter what they're actually promoting.
No matter where you are in the country, great pro wrestling is probably happening somewhere near you. If you want something to do, take a chance on a show, whether described above or one that you blindly take a stab at. You never know; your favorite wrestling promotion may exist without you even knowing it yet.