Tony Deppen vs. Jack Cartwheel
First PWG match since 2019! That’s pretty insane, right? I’m glad Tony Deppen is in this spot though. He’s terrific and deserves all the shots he gets, whether it be in PWG or Ring Of Honor. This is my first exposure to Jake Cartwheel and it’s a mix bag. On the one hand, Cartwheel has tremendous grace and power in his topes to the outside - the trio set of dives early in the match was a great series of spots - but the way he moves around the ring is bothersome and he had a big tendency of making Deppen look absolutley stupid in the ring. Cartwheel’s spots were very dumb and required Deppen to stand around or look like a fool taking them. That’s one of the worst things you can do as a wrestler, for me. Make yourself look bad but not your opponent. The match was at its best when Deppen was leading the offence and Cartwheel reacted to him rather than Cartwheel doing his schtick. The closing stretch was your typical indie closing stretch. Nearfalls and big moves galore until there is a winner. Fortunately, it was Deppen. PWG is back, everyone. **3/4
Brody King vs. JD Drake
Brody King had made great strides in the ring lately. He could be hit and miss but working in ROH surrounded by our professionals and helped smooth out most of the rough edges he had. King knew when to strike and when to brawl, and most of all how to escalate all that into a compelling story. I loved the moment in the match where Brody King threw a chair full force into JD Drake’s face. The spot isn’t fresh but it felt very spontaneous and very much in the moment unlike most times that happens. JD Drake was somewhat along for the story but he was solid as an opponent, throwing in some good spots himself. JD Drake hit his impressive moonsault to a great nearfall but, like a heavyweight clash should, this ended with Brody King hitting a short arm lariat for the three. ***1/4
Demonic Flamita vs. Arez
A lot of Arez’s offence leads to nothing. Quite literally. The first spot of the match had Arez arm dragging Flamita, after rolling on the ropes while having a wrist lock applied, which led to Flamita flipping out of it. There is nothing wrong with that alone but that was mostly the same story with many of his offence things. Arez is unique and had some tricky stuff but I didn’t really care for it. Flamita did some fine character work, not doing his peak aerial spots, opting for a more vicious arsenal, much to the ary of the crowd. So that was fairly cool. But the match didn’t have too much going for it. **1/4
Jonathan Gresham vs. Lee Moriarty
PWG shows can get tiresome because of the time given to most of the matches but there are some upsides, too. Like this match getting time. And that time allowed them to tell a great, compelling story of Gresham overcoming the height advantage, attacking Moriarty’s arm and Moriarty trying to overcome the gulf in skill level to win. Gresham was immense throughout the match with his work on the arm, the mini work on the ribs and other pressure points and great character work which in turn helped Moriarty's underdog role come out more. The crowd got behind Moriarty, truly rooting for him when Moriarty tried to reach the ropes, or the brief moments where he got the better of Gresham. The hope spots at the end were really good, making me think that he could win but Gresham’s skill and persistence won out in the end. ***3/4
Aramis & Rey Horus vs. Myron Reed & Trey Miguel
An interesting palate cleanser after the last bout. Simple and fun tag team spotfest. I thought the only down part of the match was the 4-way strike exchange. Because that was as silly as it sounds. Trey Miguel stood out with his speed though. There was one spot of the match where he had the Muta Lock applied but Rey Horus came to break it up so he took Horus out and re-applied the hold on Aramis in one motion. The finish could’ve been awkward with Aramis not knowing where Reed was for his tope, initially thinking that was on the other side of the ring, but he saved it with a crunching tope, allowing Horus the time to hit a victory roll for the 3. ***
Evil Uno vs. Orange Cassidy
This was the perfect match for its placement. Heavy of the comedy and schtick before turning into a slightly more serious and competitive bout while not totally losing its initial approach. Rick Knox being involved for the finish was lame but the rest was rather fun. Evil Uno was amusing with his tactics and dealt with a heckler like he was in a comedy club. ***
PWG World Title Match: Bandido (c) vs. Black Taurus
Really good main event with a big post match angle with two major returns, including Malakai Black and Super Dragon. The match was Bandido working from beneath against Black Taurus and his massive size (& agility). Bandido’s selling was solid enough but his best moments were on offence. The Modified Rebound German Suplex being executed on Taurus is pretty insane. Good stuff. ***1/2
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