Summer of Wrestling 2016 #4 – PWG DDT4 2014

I'm finally back for week 4 of the 2016 Summer of Wrestling. This post took me a lot longer than I was expecting. I don't want to say my interest level in this series is not where it was last year. I feel like I'm just busier this year than I was at this point last year and I'm finding less time to work on this. I still want to do all of the 14 weeks I said I would do, but I don't know how long it will take me. There's plenty of unwatched wrestling for me to include in this year's Summer of Wrestling. For this post, I watched the entire 2014 PWG DDT4 tournament that happened on January 31, 2014. I started watching it almost a month ago so my memory of each match won't be as good as I would like it to be.

The Rules:

1. I will review at least 5 matches per week for 14 weeks.
2. Every wrestling promotion is eligible for the Summer of Wrestling.
3. Every match I review must be a match I have never seen in its entirety before. If I can’t remember what happened in the match, it is eligible. Matches I’ve seen several times or know very well are not eligible for the Summer of Wrestling.
4. Not every match I watch this summer will be reviewed during the Summer of Wrestling. Matches from any upcoming wrestling show or Pay-Per-View are eligible if I watch them. The matches I review will be picked before I watch them.

1. DDT4 First Round Match - Johnny Goodtime & Johnny Yuma vs. Chuck Taylor & Trent? ***

I didn't like this match-up. I like these tag teams, but I don't consider them elite tag teams so I can't imagine getting a show-stealing match out of these two tag teams. The match had some good moments, but it came nowhere close to being the best match of the tournament or even the first round.

2. DDT4 First Round Match – “Pretty” Peter Avalon & Ray Rosas vs. Brian Cage & Michael Elgin ***1/4

This match surprised me. Another match-up I didn't like and I was expecting this to be bad. There were several really good spots in this match and it turned out better than I thought it would be. Still not a great match, but it's definitely a match to watch from this show. I enjoyed it.

3. DDT4 First Round Match - Adam Cole & Kevin Steen vs. Candice LeRae & Joey Ryan ***1/4

It's hard for me to give a good rating to any match with Joey Ryan in it because I hate him so much. This match wasn't bad, but these two teams didn't come close to giving a show-stealing performance. Some good spots, but nothing really special or memorable.

4. DDT4 First Round Match - ACH & AR Fox vs. Rich Swann & Ricochet ****

First great match of the show. There were some slow stuff in this match, but it also had the high flying action you would expect from a PWG match featuring these four guys. Fun match.

5. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Adam Thornstowe ***

This match was supposed to be Ciampa vs. Roderick Strong, but Thornstowe had to replace Roddy because of an injury. Thornstowe wasn't bad, but I think this was his first and only PWG match. I gave this match a high rating after the first view, but I went back to rewatch it and I realized I overrated it. The match is not terrible at all, but nothing really sticks out. Ciampa had a great performance, but I wouldn't call this one of his best matches. Thornstowe did some cool stuff, but not enough stuff to get booked again by PWG. It's nothing more than a three star match despite the interesting story about Thornstowe trying to make an impression in his first match. I think I was enjoying the story more than the actual match.

6. DDT4 Semi-Final Round Match - Chuck Taylor & Trent? vs. Adam Cole & Kevin Steen ***1/4

I don't even know what to say about this match. It was good and I liked it, but it isn't a match I can't wait to watch again. Chuck and Trent not getting a clean win kinda hurts this match, but I think I still gave it the rating it deserves.

7. DDT4 Semi-Final Round Match - Rich Swann & Ricochet vs. Brian Cage & Michael Elgin **3/4

I probably severely underrated this match, but I'm not surprised by my rating. For whatever reason, I'm not a fan of PWG Michael Elgin. I think Elgin's gimmick and style works in other promotions, but not PWG. Was this a terrible match? No it wasn't, but I thought this match was too long and I have no interest in watching it again. Maybe if the time was cut in half, I would have gave it a better rating.

8. Number One Contender Four-Way Match - Chris Hero vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Kyle O'Reilly vs. Drake Younger ****1/4

I was very excited for this match and it did not disappoint me. All of these guys are awesome in my opinion. I liked how competitive this match was and for awhile, it was hard to pick a winner. Very entertaining throughout and an easy pick for my favorite match of the show.

9. DDT4 Final Round Match - Chuck Taylor & Trent? vs. Rich Swann & Ricochet ***1/2

I enjoyed this match a lot. It had the potential to be a great final round match, but it only got ten minutes. I'm not gonna complain too much because those ten minutes were fun and who knows how much I would have enjoyed the match if it got like 20 minutes.

Top 5 Matches of the Week:

1. Chris Hero vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Kyle O'Reilly vs. Drake Younger ****1/4
2. ACH & AR Fox vs. Rich Swann & Ricochet ****
3. Chuck Taylor & Trent? vs. Rich Swann & Ricochet ***1/2
4. “Pretty” Peter Avalon & Ray Rosas vs. Brian Cage & Michael Elgin ***1/4
5. Chuck Taylor & Trent? vs. Adam Cole & Kevin Steen ***1/4

Top 5 Matches of the Summer:

1. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Tag Team Championship Three-Way Guerrilla Warfare Match - El Generico and Paul London vs. Brandon and Dustin Cutler vs. The Young Bucks (PWG Seven 07/30/10) *****
2. Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll (RPW High Stakes 01/16/16) ****3/4
3. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (PWG Battle of Los Angeles Night Three 08/31/14) ****1/4
4. Chris Hero vs. Trevor Lee (AAW Epic 04/09/16) ****1/4
5. Will Ospreay vs. AJ Styles (RPW High Stakes 02/15/15) ****1/4