Pro Wrestling Guerilla has been the staple of independent pro wrestling in the California area since it’s inception in 2003 and careers are launched in PWG due to the extremely hot crowd atmosphere and superb in-ring quality. Pro wrestlers either reach that next level in PWG or crash and burn, several buzzed-about independent names have been debuting to replace the stars that have left the promotion. Matt Riddle, Keith Lee, WALTER, The Young Bucks and many others have moved on to other avenues but in comes Pentagon Jr, Rey Fenix, Joey Janela and others to fill that void. Owner, Super Dragon ran the promotion exclusively at the American Legion Hall in Reseda until moving to the snazzy Globe Theatre complete with a tiitantron in 2018. PWG 100 took place in 2009 with a packed special anniversary event, let’s take a look at the names at this event shall we? Seth Rollins (Tyler Black) took on Davey Richards, Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero) was the PWG champion, Bryan Danielson battled Kenny Omega and Roderick Strong along with Candice LaRae were also in action. Those names are now some of the top acts in the world ten years later. Where will the stars be ten years from now after PWG 200? It should be interesting to find out!
Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) vs Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Baretta)
Aussie Open just started teaming in 2017 and in that short time they have become one of the very finest tag teams in the world with Davis’ impressive strength and Fletcher’s “Aussie Arrow” flying. The UK has been treated to the best of Aussie Open but now the whole world is getting to see the immense talent from these very special athletes after reigns as PROGRESS Wrestling, ATTACK! And DEFIANT tag team champions. Davis and Fletcher are so different from each other that it somehow meshes perfectly. Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr) gave Aussie Open the biggest test of their careers for the Rev Pro tag team championships in 2018, it’s up to these Australians to forge a comeback covered in gold. The crowd will be behind both teams but Best Friends are perhaps the most beloved act in PWG history. The monkey wrench involved here is that Trent Baretta and Chuck Taylor haven’t exactly been best friends in the past year and they even had a PWG championship match last year involving steel chairs. It could end up being Mark Davis’ Piledriver against Chuck Taylor’s in the end, the edge goes to the younger debuting Aussie Open.
Prediction: Aussie Open win.
Laredo Kid vs Puma King
Laredo Kid is a former AAA World Cruiserweight champion but he has yet to have that real breakthrough as far as stateside matches go, PWG has been the place to be for “The Amazing” Laredo Kid because of the fast action and competing in several multiple man matches that allow for a maximum highlight reel. Laredo Kid has the best chance of shining with a victory in this special Luchador showdown but Puma King is riding in with all of the momentum. Puma King is coming off of victories at PWG Hand Of Doom against DJ Z and a Three-Way win over Flamita and Rey Horus at PWG Smokey And The Bandido. Puma King is the veteran of the match and he has a sensational move-set but Laredo Kid’s may be just that much better.
Prediction: Laredo Kid wins.
Trey Miguel vs. Jungle Boy vs. Jake Atlas
Jake Atlas is a local from California, trained at the Santino Bros Wrestling Academy. Atlas has fought Jungle Boy for the APW Cruiserweight championship, Atlas though is the reigning PCW Ultra Light heavyweight champion. Matt Cross has even gone down in defeat to Atlas. Jungle Boy is the true wild card, Brody King pinned Jungle Boy at PWG Hand Of Doom in a violent match in January so a rebound victory would get the fans on their feet. Trey Miguel is the one that’s ready to break out at any time with big wins, the high-flyer is known as “The Fresh Prince Of Mid-Air” and has experience in multiple promotions already at the age of twenty-four (most recently joining The Rascalz in IMPACT Wrestling).
Prediction: Trey Miguel wins.
Darby Allin vs Brody King
Darby Allin is only a hundred and eighty pounds but he screams potential with every match where he pushes his body further than the limits thought possible. Moves like the Coffin Drop may shorten Allin’s career if he’s not careful especially when he launches himself back to the floor but it really doesn’t get much more exciting than an Allin match. Darby Allin has used EVOLVE Wrestling to springboard himself towards big victories and fanfare in other promotions like AAW Pro. Brody King is looking to be the wall that stops all that momentum dead. There are tough modern pro wrestlers and then there is Brody King, the powerhouse rocker wired his broken jaw shut for a Steel Cage match against Sami Callihan in January 2019 for the AAW Heavyweight Championship. Darby Allin has developed new ways of winning matches like The Last Supper pinning combination but Brody King may just destroy Allin with the Fire Thunder Driver instead.
Prediction: Brody King wins.
Jonathan Gresham vs David Starr
Jonathan Gresham is developing into a real star player with his superior submission abilities and smooth offense, “The Octopus” has been a technical master for years but Ring Of Honor Wrestling (ROH) has helped Gresham’s career with an ROH World title match against Jay Lethal in 2018. This should be the match of the night considering both Gresham and Starr have just about every tool necessary to have a fantastic match. Starr is quite excellent at grappling himself but “The Product” may have the victory in hand based on his strikes and vast move-set. David Starr has been tested by the likes of Tomohiro Ishii, Zack Sabre Jr and Joey Janela in the past year in matches that have really impressed fans as far as what Starr can do in the ring. Gresham has a big future in main events but now looks to be Starr’s time in the spotlight after a perfectly executed Product Placement.
Prediction: David Starr wins.
PWG Tag Team Championships: The Rascalz (c) (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) vs The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr & Rey Fenix) vs LAX (Santana & Ortiz)
The Rascalz have solidified themselves as the young team to watch in the world, coming from Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) to promotions across America. Zachary Wentz is so explosive with his aerial offense and Xavier is one of the most dynamic in the game. One could almost say the same thing about the challengers, The Lucha Bros and LAX have been blowing the roof off of several promotions buildings in the past couple months as rivals and a Three-Way should really mix things up. LAX are making only their second appearance in PWG, Santana and Ortiz are going to be all over the ring and doing whatever it takes to become the champions. Rey Fenix is suddenly back to action after there was speculation Fenix injured his neck as a result of a slingshot Cutter against LAX when The Lucha Bros won the AAW Pro tag team championships last month. The Rascalz are really on a roll but LAX will be the team that captures another set of titles after one of the wildest matches of the year.
Prediction: LAX win the PWG tag team championships.
PWG World Championship: Jeff Cobb (c) vs Bandido
It’s a good thing this match is on last because it’s very likely the fans in attendance are left breathless by the action between one of the top Luchadors and one of the top heavyweights in the companies history. Bandido has quickly become a sensation in America and that has a lot to do with his PWG performances in 2018. Bandido main evented All In made it to the finals for the PWG Battle Of Los Angeles tournament and signed with ROH all within a year after the world saw what Bandido could do in PWG. Is all of that fan exposure and popularity going to propel Bandido to new heights or is Jeff Cobb in for a long run at the top? The PWG championship has been a hot potato the past year, switching from Chuck Taylor to Keith Lee to WALTER to finally Jeff Cobb. The PWG championship should stay over Cobb’s meaty shoulder for the time being but this will be fireworks either way after these two fought it out for the Battle Of Los Angeles trophy in 2018 in the finals.
Prediction: Jeff Cobb retains the PWG Championship.
