2009 Indy Wrestling Show Thoughts Log

PWG Express Written Consent - 2/21/09 (seen on DVD)

It has been a very long time since I've watched any Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (save for a match on the recent Big Vision comp, which was a horrible match between Super Dragon and CM Punk) but I have heard really good things about them recently and also had some interest in this show based on Colt Cabana and Paul London's involvement, both post McMahon-land. So I figured why not give it a shot...

Man oh man am I glad I did! What a fantastic show! Every match is great, with El Generico vs. Kenny Omega being quite excellent. Those two incorporate everything into their match, from comedy to fantastic wrestling, to a finish that is jaw-dropping in the best way possible. Loved it.

What really strikes me about this show is how much fun everybody seems to be having. Not to knock Ring Of Honor, which for the longest time has been my main source for independent wrestling, but they are that "serious" promotion and it shows when you see a number of their talents on a show like this having way more fun and being a million times more entertaining then on any recent ROH shows. I was actually kind of blown away by that. If you had told me before that I'd love a Necro Butcher vs. Austin Aries match, I would have thought you mad. But in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, I did love it!

Also really loved the B-Boy/TJ Perkins match. Kind of sad that this is the last match Perkins would be having with the company. Lots of drama and well built up moments in this one.

Overall I could not recommend this show enough and personally cannot wait for the next PWG releases to come out. I need more PWG in my life!

CHIKARA King Of Trios 2009 Night 3 - 3/29/09 (seen on DVD)

Ironically it is the singles matches on Night 3 that really have me excited. Talk about your WrestleMania of the Indy scene, these matches were almost dream-like in formation and all delivered. Take for example El Generico vs. Arik Cannon. Here is a match that proves how brilliant the two are as wrestlers. They have a really good match, but they show that the potential is there for an even better match, they simply weren't out there having that match, they had the match that was called for and had it extremely well. Bravo.

The finals of the Trios tournament is pretty awesome, and definitely strikes me as the best trios match of the weekend and the perfect way to end the whole series of shows.

If there is one weakness here, it is the tag team gauntlet match. We start out kind of sloppy, with some badly blown spots and just general mucking up. By the time better teams start coming out and the wrestling gets leaps and bounds greater, the obvious booking to the match takes over and it becomes something of an annoyance how predictable the results are. A slight black eye on an otherwise fantastic night.

Overall I cannot recommend all three nights enough.

CHIKARA King of Trios 2009 Night 2 – 3/28/09 (seen on DVD)

Right off the bat I have to say the four-way elimination match between El Generico, Kota Ibushi, Jigsaw, and Nick Jackson is easily my favorite match of the year so far, period. Jaw-dropping stuff here, with a plethora of awesome moves and fantastic near falls. This one had me wrapped around its finger and knew it. Definitely the most memorable thing I’ve seen in a wrestling ring over the last four calendar months.

Also fantastic is the main event trios match, which is so far the best trios match of the weekend and in terms of “wrestling” one of the most involved clinics I have ever seen. Anybody who considers themselves a fan of the scientific, mat-based style of wrestling must see this match.

The rest of the night is pretty entertaining as well, though there is at least one match that is bad (and if I never see Gary the Barn Owl again it will be too soon), but I’m chalking this up to my theory that the best shows usually have at least one dud somewhere on the card (what up Chyna vs. Ivory from WrestleMania X7?)

CHIKARA King Of Trios 2009 Night 1 – 3/27/09 (seen on DVD)

What a fun show, definitely everything I was expecting for the most part from what is one of the biggest shows on the Indy scene every year. Getting to see all of the trios sink or swim in one night works way better than last year’s spread-over-two nights format. Some of the matches feel a little repetitive (I love a good dance sequence in a match as much as anybody, but it felt like almost every match had one here). The best bout is probably the Death Match Kings against F.I.S.T., which was arguably the most unique of all the matches. But as I said, overall the entire night is a lot of fun. Can’t really ask for much more.

CHIKARA If The Airplane Is Snowed In, Put Your Bloody Skis On And Get Going - 2/20/09 (seen on DVD)

What an unexpectedly fantastic show. Not to say that I didn't think it would be good as the card was certainly solid and CHIKARA always delivers, but this show really blew me away. The six-man between Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, and Tim Donst vs. Vin Gerard, Colin Delaney, and STIGMA is easily an early MOTY contender and a match that I truly think everyone should seek out. If you've never seen a lick of CHIKARA before, this match will make you a fan.

Also noteworthy is the Claudio Castagnoli vs. Escorpion Egipcio match. One of the best big-man matches I have seen in a really long time. Claudio just doesn't wrestle like this anywhere else. So many dives, so much great work between both men. Really great stuff.

The rest of the card is quite good as well. Brodie Lee vs. Frightmare is unexpectedly a lot of fun, considering it could have been a bore as a big man vs. small man dynamic. FIST vs. The Colony is much more intense then I was expecting as well, and that much greater than expected as well.

JAPW Wildcard 5 - 1/24/09 (seen on DVD)

The thing that strikes me most about this show is how well it flows and how strong the booking is. The wrestling isn't the greatest ever and really there aren't any stand-out matches that are must see. The strongest match on the card is the four-way between Kevin Steen, Archadia, Dan Maff, and Eddie Kingston, and it's a good, solid match at best but not the greatest match ever. And that's fine. Every match is at least good and like I said the booking kept me really interested. Enough so to order the next show anyway.

Plus, if nothing else, I really want to see where the "Hillbilly Wrecking Crew" of Jay Briscoe, Brodie Lee, and Necro Butcher goes as a stable. This could get interesting.

CHIKARA Revelation X - 1/25/09 (seen live)

This will sound silly since it was the first show of the CHIKARA season and the first show I saw live this year, but right out the gate I have to say the Osirian Portal/Colony match for the campeones was excellent, an early MOTY contender. The rest of the show was really strong as well. I know some people were disappointed by the Vin Gerard/Jimmy Olsen ladder match but I loved it. It was not a spotfest but rather a very psychological match where the ladder was used sparsely and effectively. Very different and very well done.

Hope you guys don't mind, I figured I'd start one thread to cover my thoughts on various Indy companies and shows that I check out, mostly on DVD. Not sure if anybody else watches any Indy stuff around here, but please by all means feel free to add thoughts on anything you've seen. The Indy scene is what keeps me a wrestling fan so I love discussing it and would love to see more discussion about it on here.