PWG DDT4 2014 Review

PWG kicks off 2014 with it's annual Tag Team Tournament Extravaganza!

PWG DDT4 2014

Reseda, California 1/31/14

1.) DDT4 – First Round – Best Friends vs. The RockNES Monsters: ***1/4

Chuck Taylor & Trent? come into this show undefeated in tag team competition. I thought this was a pretty solid opener. Really love the Best Friends team and I always enjoy seeing The RockNES Monsters. I would go as far as to say they're underrated. The match ends when Trent? gets a massive trench coat and puts it on. Chuck Taylor then lifts Trent? on his shoulders to create only large trench coat guy!!! Then then hit a Trench Coat Man Chokeslam on Johnny Goodtime for the win. Best Friends advance.

2.) DDT4 – First Round – PPRay vs. The Unbreakable F’N Machines: **3/4

Well this is the mismatch of mismatches. This was actually quite decent, even though it was the most predictable outcome out of all the first round matches. Avalon & Rosas do get a fair amount of offense in but Elgin & Cage just manhandle them. My only complaints would be that it went a little too long and that PPRay got in a little too much offense, but that's about it. Michael Elgin & Brian Cage get the win and advance.

3.) DDT4 – First Round – Joey Ryan & Candice LaRae vs. COLE STEEN COLE: ***1/2

Kevin Steen & PWG World Champion Adam Cole are representing Mount Rushmore tonight as The Young Bucks are in Japan. I really enjoyed this. Seeing Cole & Steen team for, I think the first time in a two-on-two environment was pretty cool, and Joey & Candice just continue to show great chemistry as a tandem. Steen & Cole gets the win with a sick double team finishing sequence to get the win and advance in another good chapter of the Mount Rushmore/Joey & Candice feud.

4.) DDT4 – First Round – The African American Wolves (ACH & AR Fox) vs. The Inner City Machine Guns: ****

Obviously ACH & AR Fox play up their unique tag team name by howling. Ricochet & Rich Swann top that, having themselves announced not only as The Inner City Machine Guns, but as The Martin Luther Kings of Wrestling and Malcolm D-Generation X. LOL. Excalibur & Chris Hero joke about the fact that this match has four African American High Flyers. You'd expect this one to get a bit wild, and it certainly did. This was a spot-fest, but it proved to be very entertaining. Just lots of adrenaline packed action. Ricochet & Rich Swann get the win and advance to the next round.

5.) “Sicilian Psychopath” Tommaso Ciampa vs. Adam Thornstowe: **1/2

Roderick Strong was Ciampa's original opponent, but is still not cleared to compete after being injured by a Styles Clash gone wrong earlier in the month. Adam Thornstowe, the Quintessential Pro Champion, is Strong's replacement. I'd say this was pretty decent. Thornstowe had some rough spots, but he & Ciampa were able to pull it together in a solid effort. Ciampa gets the win.

6.) DDT4 – Semi-Finals – Best Friends vs. COLE STEEN COLE: ***

Before things start, the two team argue over who are the closer friends. To prove his friendship, Cole goes to the back and comes back out wearing Kevin Steen attire to match his partner! That was something. This match started off with a ton of brawling on the outside, that eventually went through the crowd and to the announcer's position. Best Friends then hit double dives off the stage onto Cole & Steen. They eventually get back to the ring and go back & forth for a few minutes before a distraction from Candice LaRae allows Trent? to roll up Steen for the victory. It was a fine match for what it was. I do think the crowd brawling went a little too long, though at the same time, I can see that they were trying to be different from the other matches. Best Friends advance to the Finals.

7.) DDT4 – Semi-Finals – Inner City Machine Guns vs. The Unbreakable F’N Machines: ***3/4

We get some huge dueling chants before the match. This started off slow, but it picked up towards the end to the point where it got really good. The highlight of the match definitely has to be Brian Cage hitting a freaking LIONSAULT!!! I am not kidding. In the end, however, Ricochet & Rich Swann would pick up the win and join Best Friends in the Finals.

8.) #1 Contender’s Fatal Four-Way – Chris Hero vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Drake Younger: ****1/4

All four of these men have received Title Shots against Adam Cole in the past, but all of them failed to dethrone him. The winner of this match will receive another shot against Cole. I have to say, this has to be the most unique fatal four-way match that I have ever seen. Some of the stuff they did in here was so cool. I don't think words do it justice. Drake Younger eventually gets the win and earns a future title shot, though he wouldn't be able to cash in on it, as it was announced some weeks later that he had been signed by WWE.

9.) DDT4 – Finals – Best Friends vs. Inner City Machine Guns: ***1/4

This match started hot and these two teams went at it right from the get go. It was pretty much balls to the wall for the entirety of the match, which was about 10 minutes or so. To me, it makes sense that the match would be short, as both would have been spent from earlier tournament matches, thus they would want to end things quickly. Still, for a 10 minute sprint, it was pretty good. Best Friends get the victory and win the 2014 edition of DDT4!!

After the match, Taylor gets the mic and says everyone in the crowd is his best friend. He & Trent? then do the best friends taunt with Ricochet & Rich Swann to end the show.

Overall: 8.0/10

I have a feeling this will be one of the weakest shows PWG will put on all year, but that does not mean the show was bad at all. Although last year's DDT4 had the final appearance of El Generico, before he went to WWE Mexico to help his orphans, to hinge on, this show still was able to deliver a solid outing. While nothing on here is bad, the match quality is all over the place. Literally, I used every star rating from **1/2 to ****1/4 on this show. I'd say the Fatal Four-Way is a real standout and worth checking out. Seeing Best Friends winning DDT4 was pretty cool as well, so on the whole I'd say that, while it wasn't the best PWG Show out there, it is still a very good show.