Pro Wrestling Guerrilla

Pwcompanybox
name=Pro Wrestling Guerrilla


acronym=PWG
established=2003
style=Professional wrestling
location=Southern California
founder=Disco Machine
Excalibur
Joey Ryan
Scott Lost
Super Dragon
Top Gun Talwar
owner=Excalibur
Joey Ryan
Scott Lost
Super Dragon
parent=
sister=
formerly=
merged=
website=

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar. [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article135.html|title=Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Six interview|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] Since then, Disco and Talwar have left the company.

The promotion debuted on July 26, 2003 and is known for its unique mixes of humor and professional wrestling, as well as their over the top press releases and show titles, which include: "Kee_ The _ee Out Of Our _ool!", "Taste the Radness", and "Free Admission (Just Kidding)."

History

In May 2003, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla announced its first show that would take place on July 26. The promotion released an online press release announcing the show's main event that would feature what would have been the first match to take place between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article22.html|title=Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Set To Explode July 26|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] PWG announced more matches in the weeks leading up to their debut event, featuring a mix of well known independent wrestlers and many local Southern California stars. Due to injuries and booking conflicts, the card ended up being changed several times. Samoa Joe was unable to compete in the promotion's debut show because of an injury he suffered in a match with Paul London at a Ring of Honor event a few weeks earlier. He ended up being replaced by Frankie Kazarian. [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article156.html|title=PWG - 26 July 03 - Quick Results|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com]

Over the next few months, PWG's popularity began to grow among the Southern California wrestling community and was considered the top independent promotion in California. Despite only running six shows in its first year, PWG was voted "Promotion Of The Year" in the 2003 SoCalUncensored.com Year End Awards. [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article359.html|title= 2003 Southern California Wrestling Awards|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] PWG's DVD commentary, which features Excalibur, Disco Machine, and on occasion TARO, along with various comedy skits won over many fans along with storylines between Adam Pearce and Frankie Kazarian for the PWG World Championship, and the Super Dragon vs. Joey Ryan rivalry. Along with putting local wrestlers in many of their storylines, PWG also brought in many out of town talent that weren't booked on other local shows. During its first year, PWG brought in wrestlers such as AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article206.html|title=PWG Presents "Are You Adequately Prepared To Rock?"|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] , Samoa Joecite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article254.html|title=PWG Presents "An Inch Longer Than Average!" November 15!|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] , CM Punk [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article307.html|title=PWG Presents "Pimpin' In High Places" Saturday, December 13!|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] , Homicide [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article380.html|title=PWG Presents "Taste The Radness" On February 22!|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] , Chris Hero [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article357.html|title=PWG Presents The "Tango & Cash Invitational" And "Pimpin" on DVD!|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] , Brian Kendrick [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article427.html|title=PWG Asks Fans To "Kee_ The _ee Out Of Our _ool!" On March 27!|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] , Colt Cabana, and many others.

In July 2004, PWG moved to the Hollywood/Los Feliz Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles. The first show in the new building saw AJ Styles take on Rocky Romero, CM Punk vs. Super Dragon, Samoa Joe & Ricky Reyes vs. Bryan Danielson & Christopher Daniels, and a loser leaves town, steel cage match between Adam Pearce and Frankie Kazarian where Adam Pearce ended up losing the match and left PWG [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article538.html|title=PWG Presents "The Reason For The Season!" on July 10, 2004!|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article557.html|title=PWG - 10 July 04 - Quick Results|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] . After this event, PWG would run at the Hollywood/Los Feliz JCC for the next two years, and was nicknamed "The Sweatbox" by its fans due to the heat that the building would generate during warm nights. PWG's popularity continued to grow in the Southern California area, and across the world thanks to PWG distributing their own DVDs on their website, and through various reviews posted on many popular internet wrestling message boards. As PWG went on, their normal attendance numbers would begin to grow from 150-200 fans a show, to 250-500 in a span of two years.

In April 2005, PWG ran its first All Star Weekend shows [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article711.html|title=PWG's All Star Weekend Takes Place April 1 & 2!|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] during the weekend of WrestleMania 21 and drew their biggest crowds at the time. PWG booked several stars such as AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, James Gibson, Chris Sabin, Jonny Storm, Kendo Kashin, Samoa Joe, and many other TNA and ROH stars to participate in the weekend's events. In September 2005, PWG ran the first annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament, featuring AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, James Gibson, Super Dragon, Kevin Steen, El Generico, and several others [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article762.html|title=PWG's First Annual "Battle of Los Angeles" on September 3 & 4!|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] . Chris Bosh would end up winning the tournament by defeating AJ Styles in the finals.

In February 2006, PWG held two shows in Europe. The first event was held in Essen, Germany [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article886.html|title=PWG - 18 February 06 - Quick Results|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] . The second show was held the night after the Essen event in Kent, England [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article888.html|title=PWG - 19 February 06 - Quick Results|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] . Both shows featured the majority of PWG's regular roster, along with several European wrestlers. In July 2006, PWG announced that they would be leaving the JCC due to the gym being turned into a gymnastics training center for young children. The final match in the building saw Joey Ryan defend the PWG World Championship against B-Boy in a steel cage match [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article999.html|title=PWG - 16 July 06 - Quick Results|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] . PWG would go on to run in Reseda, California for the next few months at the local American Legion post. In February 2007, PWG moved to the Van Nuys Armory, which is located a few minutes away from the Reseda venue.

In March 2007, PWG's Commissioner Of Food & Beverage Excalibur stripped Cape Fear (El Generico & Quicksilver) of the PWG World Tag Team Championship when Quicksilver was unable to compete because of a class two concussion he suffered during a match with Davey Richards & Roderick Strong [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article1212.html|title=PWG Presents "70 / 30" on March 24, 2007!|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] . A tournament entitled the Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament, or DDT4, was held on May 19 and 20 at the Burbank Armory to crown new tag team champions, with Roderick Strong & PAC emerging the victors against the Briscoe Brothers in the tournament finals [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article1244.html|title=PWG's DDT4 Tag Tournament Updates (05/04)|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article1260.html|title=PWG - 20 May 07 - Quick Results|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] .

On May 3, 2007 PWG released a statement via the PWG Message Board at PWG's official site announcing they would no longer be working with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling after TNA presented them with a contract that would prevent contracted TNA wrestlers from appearing on DVDs sold through any third parties, including PWG's long-time partner Highspots.com [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article1242.html|title=Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ends agreement with TNA Wrestling|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] . PWG stated that after looking at several solutions, including ending their contract with Highspots, releasing their DVD solely through their website, and removing all matches featuring TNA wrestlers from their home releases, they made the decision to end their relationship with TNA and thus were no longer able to book TNA wrestlers. This resulted in the loss of Frankie Kazarian, the first holder of the PWG World Championship, The Motor City Machine Guns of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, who were already booked to compete in the tournament for the vacated PWG World Tag Team Championship, and Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Low Ki, and Christopher Daniels, all of whom had been booked to appear on upcoming shows.

PWG celebrated their fourth anniversary with a show on July 29, 2007 at the Burbank Armory in Burbank [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article1280.html|title=PWG Presents "Giant-Size Annual #4" on Sunday, July 29!|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] . The event was scheduled to have the Briscoe Brothers on the card, but the team did not appear at the event which caused the card to be changed. The show ended up seeing Bryan Danielson defeat Necro Butcher in a Street Fight, Kevin Steen & El Generico defeat Roderick Strong & PAC for PWG World Tag Team Champions, and Bryan Danielson defeat El Generico to become the new PWG World Champion after issuing a challenge to him that ended up leading to an impromptu match to close the show. The show drew 500 fans, which tied the record for the largest live crowd to witness a PWG event [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article1297.html|title=PWG - 29 July 07 - Quick Results|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com] . The show also made Southern California wrestling history, as five matches from the event were ranked in the Top 5 of the SoCalUncensored.com's monthly rankings, an accomplishment no other promotion had been able to achieve. [cite web|url=http://www.socaluncensored.com/article1298.html|title=July Rankings|accessdate=2008-06-11|publisher= socaluncensored.com]

Roster

"See:" Pro Wrestling Guerrilla roster

Current champions

Tournaments

The following is a list of the tournaments held by the American professional wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, along with their winners.

References

External links

* [http://www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com/ The Website of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla] (Requires Macromedia Flash)