My 11 Favorite PWG Matches of All Time

 

On July 23rd, PWG will be celebrating eleven years as a company with their 11th Anniversary show, aptly named "ELEVEN". With that being said, I thought now would be a better time than ever to take a look back at some of the most awesome matches in PWG history along with some of my personal favorites. Before I get into the list, I must acknowledge how difficult it was to narrow this down to 11 matches. Considering that this is in honor of their 11th Anniversary show, I figured eleven would be the perfect number of matches to recognize, but I should have known it would be extremely difficult to choose ONLY 11 matches when PWG has had dozens and dozens of awesome matches over the past 11 years. That being said, if you're an avid PWG fan and wondering why a certain match isn't on the list, please take into consideration how hard it was to narrow it down to these as well as the fact that these are my personal favorites. Without further a due, let's take a look at 11 of the best matches in PWG history.

11) Drake Younger vs. B-Boy - Threemendous 3 - July 21st, 2012

Starting off this list is a match from PWG's 9th anniversary show in 2012. Everyone remembers this particular PWG show for the insane ladder match main event, but I enjoyed this match just as much. Younger was making his PWG debut and what a task he faced against PWG veteran B-Boy. Younger definitely made an impression to everyone as he took every thing B-Boy dished out to him and gave it right back to him. Drake and B-Boy traded stiff strikes and headbutts throughout the match. Beyond the strike heavy exchanges, both men took high risks to try and gain the upperhand such as when Drake cut a front flip off the top turnbuckle only to land on the hard wood floor. These guys took some of the stiffest bumps I've ever seen in a match. All that combined with the near falls at the end made this bout a MOTY candidate. I've watched this match several times and it holds up very well. I think this match is often overlooked because of the epic ladder match that headlined this show and for that reason I'd like to label this a forgotten PWG classic.

10) El Generico vs. PAC - PWG World Title Match -  All Star Weekend V - April 7, 2007

Generico and PAC had several encounters in PWG, but this one in particular is my favorite. These two have an amazing chemistry together and always put on great matches. In this particular bout,
they stuck to the ring and didn't do that much highflying which was a nice change of pace and very entertaining. Both men displayed great sportsmanship in the early going and we got a great technical exchange between the two. Then after about 15 minutes, they started hitting their big moves on each other trying to get the win, but each man kept kicking out of the other's finishers! PAC somehow managed to recover from a missed shooting star press and a brutal Tiger Suplex 85 on the ring apron which blew me away. The nearfalls here were just insane. Another interesting note about this match is that I needed one more bout for this list and I had several in mind, ironically all of them included PAC. I went back and watched all three matches that were in consideration and I found that this particular bout just grew better with time. I remember watching this for the first time and loving it, but when I went back and watched it a few days ago, I grew even more fond of this particular encounter between the two. Just great stuff. And if you're a WWE fan, both of these guys are tearing it up in NXT right now, Generico competes under the name Sami Zayn and PAC competes under the name, Adrian Neville. Just goes to show that Indy companies like PWG do matter. I'd highly recommend checking out this early encounter between two of the best wrestlers in the world. These two without a doubt produced some of the best matches in PWG history.

9) Super Smash Bros vs. Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly vs. The Young Bucks - Ladder Match for the PWG World Tag Team Titles - Threemendous 3 - July 21st, 2012

Earlier in this list I referenced the epic ladder match that headlined Threemendous 3, well here it is at #9 on my list. These are three of my favorite tag teams and this match reminded me of why they're my favorites in the first place. The match kicked off in chaos as one of the Bucks got knocked off the apron into the crowd while the rest of the participants began slinging chairs at each other on the outside of the ring. On top of chairs and ladders, there were also several table spots in this match that were insane. Along with the weapon usage, there were also some great wrestling exchanges in the bout as well. This was a phenomenal ladder match that could easily be compared to the TLC Matches that The Dudleys, Edge & Christian, and The Hardys had in WWE. This match was THAT DAMN GOOD. If not better, in my opinion. The intimacy of the venue and the PWG crowd being so hype pushed this one over the top. Classic match that is a must see for fans of tag team wrestling, ladder matches, and TLC matches.

8) The Young Bucks vs. Paul London & El Generico vs. The Cutler Bros - SEVEN - July 30th, 2010

While the previous triple threat tag match was insane, I'd argue to say that this was even more chaotic. This match went EVERYWHERE. It started with a bang as The Bucks hit a sliced bread on The Cutlers on the apron before London & Generico could even get to the ring. But they hit the ring and joined the insanity with double frontflips over the top rope to the outside on The Bucks. These three teams fought all through the crowd even throwing each other over the bar and off the stage. Tables, ladders, and chairs were all a factor in this awesome match. It's always a joy to go back and watch this outstanding bout.

7) Kevin Steen vs. El Generico - PWG World Championship Match - Steen Wolf - October 23rd, 2011

The rivalry/partnership between Kevin Steen & El Generico is one of the greatest of the past decade. Their feud & partnership spanned several different promotions most notably PWG & ROH. In this chapter of their feud, Steen and Generico beat the living hell out of each other for the PWG World Title. Not only for the title, but because they hated each other. Generico's back ended up bleeding from all the brutal slams on ladders during this match. There were so many insane spots and the crowd was super hot like always. This is one of my favorite PWG matches ever along with one of my favorite ladder matches ever.

6) Ricochet & Rich Swann vs. AR Fox & Samuray Del Sol - All Star Weekend 9 Night 1 - March 22, 2013

Samuray Del Sol & AR Fox were making their PWG debuts on this particular night and their opponents, the Inner City Machine Guns (Ricochet & Rich Swann) were the perfect match for them. This match featured some of the most amazing counter manuevers, sequences, and displays of athleticism that I've ever seen. Ricochet & Del Sol had one of the most jaw dropping exchanges ever as they counter each other for nearly a minute straight. It's something that needs to be seen to be believed. On top of that, the action was non stop throughout with a ton of dives including Ricochet running and diving OVER the top turnbuckle to the outside. This match never gets old. Just so much fun and such an amazing tag team bout.

5) Kevin Steen vs. Adam Cole - Guerrilla Warfare Match for the PWG World Championship - Mystery Vortex - December 1st, 2012

At the final PWG show of 2012, Kevin Steen and Adam Cole went to war over the PWG World Title. Adam Cole was the underdog going into the match as the Guerilla Warfare stipulation has become synonymous with Kevin Steen over the years. Despite Cole being the underdog, that didn't mean the fans wanted him to win, they actually wanted to see him get the crap beat out of him and they got what they wanted. This match saw chairs, thumbtacks, and ladders used in a variety of ways. The most jaw dropping moment of the match saw Kevin Steen create a pyramid out of chairs and slam Cole through them off the top rope. Insane stuff! But it didn't stop there as Steen introduced thumbtacks into the match and put them in his own mouth and spat them at Cole! That's Kevin Steen for you! Who came out on top? I'd suggest checking out this match for yourself so you can find out because it was awesome.

4) Sami Callihan vs. Kyle O'Reilly - All Star Weekend 9 Night 2 - March 23rd, 2013

When you take two of the most hard hitting guys on the roster, the result is a match of the year candidate such as this. This match was on the first PWG show I ever purchased, All Star Weekend 9 Night 2. I knew little about Callihan going in and nothing about O'Reilly. That being said, they blew me away. O'Reilly baited me in with his unique combination of submissions and strikes. And Callihan well let's just say the fact that he competed in a brutal deathmatch with Drake Younger the night before yet still came into this match, gave 100%, and put on yet another MOTY candidate performance earned my praise. These two had some amazing exchanges featuring alot of stiff strikes as well as a variety of slams & suplexes. This one will always hold a special place in my collection as it was the first PWG match that I went back and watched time & time again.

3) Adam Cole & The Young Bucks vs. AR Fox, Rich Swann, & Candice LeRae - Battle of Los Angeles 2013 Night 2

This was the first match Cole & The Bucks had teaming together and if only the crowd knew what it was foreshadowing as later in the night they would solidify their alliance by coaxing Kevin Steen to join them to form "Mount Rushmore". But we're not here talk about that, this about the amazing six man tag that took place before any of that. What a match this was. I'm a mark for every person in this match. From The Bucks to Candice LeRae - I'm huge fans of them all so I was on the edge of my seat from the opening bell. The action here was insane as you would expect, but the heel antics by Cole & The Bucks were also a highlight. This is a match that I've went back and watched multiple times because of how much fun it is. It always reminds me of why I love PWG so much. The closing exchange tells it all about this match. Cole & The Bucks have Candice corned. LeRae stands up and yells "Bring it on motherfuckers!" before taking a triple superkick to the head. That was the end to a barnburner of a match. Phenomenal stuff.

2) Chris Hero vs. Bryan Danielson - Guerre Sans Frontieres - PWG World Championship Match - September 4th, 2009

After an illustrious career on the Indies that spanned nearly a decade, Bryan Danielson (now known as Daniel Bryan) got signed to WWE. That being said, it was time for his farewell match in PWG and it came in the form of a World Title match against the longest reigning champion of all time, Chris Hero. For nearly an hour, Hero and Danielson put on a clinic. They are two of the finest technicians in the game and seeing them go toe to toe for an extended amount of time was just amazing to watch. Beyond the submissions and technical exchanges, this was also a match filled with strikes. The two men literally beat the hell out of each other for the PWG World Title. Hero's repeated elbow strikes even resulted in Danielson being busted open. On top of the amazing action, these two told a fantastic story. This was everything a quality wrestling match should be and it was an awesome for Danielson to go out. This being his final match in PWG made it feel even more special. The stand off these two had at the 40 minute mark in this match is probably my favorite part of the whole thing. Hero lifts Danielson to his feet and yells right in his face "YOU WANNA BE THE WORLD CHAMPION?!" then delivers a vicious elbow strike to the face. Danielson responds with a middle finger right in Hero's face. The two trade brutal strikes and back drop drivers, but each man continued to get right back in his feet. This match was paced and built perfectly and that standoff followed by the submission battle that ensued during the final five minutes was nothing short of epic. This is honestly one of my favorite matches of all time (in any company) and one of the best I've ever seen.

1) The Young Bucks vs. Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly - PWG World Tag Team Title Match - Steen Wolf - October 23rd, 2011

Steen Wolf was the second PWG show that I ever saw. The whole card was great particularly the main event ladder match between Kevin Steen and El Generico, but this was the match that hooked me. This is honestly one of the best tag team matches I've ever seen. I loved this bout when I first saw it, but I didn't truly realize how phenomenal it was until I began going back and watching it over again. I've probably watched this match a total of 10 times in the past six months and it never gets old. The exchanges these two teams had were amazing. From one of the best superkick parties ever to the dueling guillotine chokeholds - this was epic. Also in this match, I discovered the guy who would become my favorite independent wrestler in the world, Kyle O'Reilly. And for those reasons, this is my favorite PWG match ever.

So there you have it. My Top 11 Favorite PWG Matches of All Time. Thoughts on my choices? Tweet me your feedback @EthanPWT on Twitter! Also follow this blog @ThePWTruth!