On Friday night, Pro Wrestling Guerilla (PWG) held their last show of the year, Mystery Vortex, which had the unique concept of having only one match announced in advance, PWG champion Zack Sabre Jr. vs. “The Villain” Marty Scurll. The other participants on the event were kept a total secret, which led to minor controversy, as several wrestlers missed bookings on other shows that they had previously agreed to make.
Most notably, former Ring of Honor star ACH missed a booking with VIP Wrestling in Dallas, Texas that Friday night, whilst the next day, indy wrestling’s rising phenom Matt Riddle was forced to miss a Preston City Wrestling (PCW) event in Bradford, England, as it would have been impossible for him to travel from the West Coast of America to Yorkshire in time.
Dec 16 w/@Sheltyb803 #Team3D #VonErichs @MDoggMattCross @GoGoACH #ARFox @sammyguevara @BarbiHayden @6livingdeadgirl @JJ_RAJETT @JuicyRamons pic.twitter.com/XE63CTbX56
— VIP Wrestling (@VIP_Wrestling) November 21, 2016
Johnny Moss vs former #UFC & current #Evolve star Mathew Riddle!
— PrestonCityWrestling (@PCW_UK) July 20, 2016
Photos with Mathew are half price for next 24hrs! pic.twitter.com/w9mmQAxnaV
This led to credible rumours that PWG, who apparently got a kick out of doing a show announcing only one match and still selling out the intimate Van Nuys Armory in minutes, had paid off the other promoters involved in order to book these wrestlers on their own show whilst keeping everyone’s silence to ensure no surprises were spoiled.
In response to these rumours becoming public, PWG has forcefully denied them on Twitter, claiming that they hadn’t asked anyone to no-show other events and most certainly hadn’t conspired with other promoters in the process:
Just want to clear up some rumors. Nobody at Mystery Vortex IV was asked to pull out of another show to do PWG.
— PWG (@OfficialPWG) December 18, 2016
I certainly didn't pay any promotions to let me use wrestlers they had booked. Everyone on the show told me they were available when asked.
— PWG (@OfficialPWG) December 18, 2016
This could be as it seems on the surface, a promotion simply defending itself against false allegations. Alternatively, PWG could have been upset over the truth leaking out and looking bad in the process, so they decided to tweet what they tweeted, throwing their talent under a bus in the process. Hopefully it’s not the latter, but given that the scruples of indy wrestling promoters aren’t always the greatest, as demonstrated here by PCW inexplicably failing to announce Riddle’s non-appearance even after they knew he wouldn't turn up, who knows for sure?