2010 – PWG: Kurt RussellMania

He’s escaped from New York, tangoed with cash, and made executive decisions the likes of which Steven Segal has never before! And now, the venerable Academy Award attendee - at some point, to plug some movie, I’m sure - Kurt Russell has been immortalized by the good people at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla with “Kurt RussellMania” (1/30/10)! This is night two of the 2010 WrestleReunion convention and on paper it promises to be quite the show. Does it live up? Let’s find out!

- Love that the show starts out with an eight-person tag full of folks I’m seeing here for the first time. Getting to watch new talents excites me from the start, and the match keeps my enthusiasm alive! There are some highly thrilling spots, and overall everybody involved looks great and leaves me wanting more. Especially impressive is Johnny Goodtime, who has a fantastic look and some really inventive offense.

-Two more new-to-me talents in Brandon Bonham and Brandon Gatson in the next contest. Consider me a fan of both men following this! Bonham has a strong image and some decent in-ring talent. Gatson is more generic in look but makes up for it tenfold in ability. He pulls off a few genuinely wow worthy maneuvers, which is great. Things go a little long, but overall this is grand.

-Was not expecting the level of intensity that Human Tornado and Super Crazy brought to their clash. Holy cow, did one of these guys scratch the other’s car or something? Both men go all out here and put on a heck of a show. It may be the best Super Crazy has looked in awhile, and definitely adds to the case of Human Tornado being one of the best on the indie scene.

-Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen is an odd encounter. The first half is all fun, with men kissing men and random drum solos, and it is entertaining. Weird and maybe even off-putting to those who like their wrestling “serious,” but it is what it is, for better or worse. The second half is far more focused on in-ring action, and there should be no surprise that when these two center their attention on having a strong sprint of action, it comes off as great. Uneven as a whole, but like modern art, if you let go and just experience it, you’ll ultimately be amused.

-Does anybody expect much out of a Great Muta match in the year 2010? The guy moves better than most people his age still actively wrestling can, but he’s still hardly a spring chicken, if I may borrow a phrase my grandparents might use. Muta teams with KAI against Scott Lost and Joey Ryan, and while it isn’t anything to write home about, it is pretty decent considering the limitations brought on by one of the competitors. Ultimately, this is really about the moment of having a legend in the ring with two of PWG’s best, and that moment is pretty awesome. No complaints from me.

-Should have been wearing my “MARK” t-shirt (available at GIMMICK$!) for the El Generico vs. Jushin “Thunder” Liger match. I am such a mark sometimes and this was one of those times. I love both of these guys, one is a favorite since childhood and the other is at the top of my current list. Not even sure I had a preference as to who would win, but I definitely reacted to every near fall and close call throughout the bout. What an exuberant viewing experience.

-Brian Kendrick and Paul London are easily one of my favorite teams of the last decade, and while they have both lost a step post-WWE, seeing them against the Young Bucks is still a bit of a dream match. The Bucks are in full heel mode and it is a real treat to watch. They just exude such smugness that you want to see them taken to school. The match is generally slower than expected, which isn’t a bad thing per se. Good stuff overall, not phenomenal or show stealing, but a first-rate, solid tag match.

-Seeing Rob Van Dam in a PWG ring is a pretty far-out thing! Seeing RVD take on two of the top indie talents today is also kind of a strange sight. But once you get past that, you focus in on a solid main event bout! Roderick Strong comes off looking the best to me. His interactions with Van Dam are excellent and reaffirm how great Strong is. Chris Hero, as the third wheel in this triple threat, doesn’t quite work as smoothly with RVD, but he doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb exactly either. Strong and Hero also clash nicely, and overall it is an enjoyable finale to the show if nothing else.

While there may not be any brilliant or classic matches on the show, there is a ton of stuff I love here. From the exciting new talents being used, to the dream matches that are tremendous on levels above simply ring work, everything here is a blast to watch. Lots of fun and that is all I can really ask for from a show.