Chuck Taylor and Trent? went into PWG Neon Knights on Friday as best friends. They might have left American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, Calif., as something else.
After bloodying and battering him for more than 26 minutes, Taylor retained the PWG title by beating Trent? with a small package after a low blow. Trent? went to hit Taylor with the PWG title, but couldn’t do it — he didn’t want to cheat to beat his tag partner. When Trent? gave the belt to referee Rick Knox, Taylor made his move and for the heelish victory.
Afterward, Taylor bolted from the ring with the belt, leaving Trent? down and bloody.
For the second straight title reign at PWG, it appears like the champion has turned heel. Ricochet did so last year after beating Taylor at All-Star Weekend in October. This, though, was unexpected. Taylor has long been a fan darling in Reseda. When he won the belt from Zack Sabre Jr. last July, it was one of the biggest babyface pops at PWG in recent history.
The match itself was plodding at times. They had to follow a ridiculously hard-hitting bout between Keith Lee and Matt Riddle and seemed to intentionally start off slow because of that. It picked up toward the middle, though.
Taylor tossed a chair at Trent’s face. He landed a suplex onto some chairs on the outside. Trent? came back with consecutive piledrivers on two sides of the ring apron.
Back in the ring, Taylor busted Trent? open hard way with either a forearm or a boot to the face. Trent? was cut near his left eye and it was gushing pretty good. Taylor made it a point to attack that area afterward, getting into mount and landing stiff-looking punches. The crowd surprisingly turned on Taylor by then. The finish came shortly afterward.
Taylor turning heel during his second title reign does open up the door for fresh matchups with PWG babyfaces, like the aforementioned Riddle and Lee. It’ll be interesting to see what direction it all goes in.
No announcement was made Friday as to the next show, but it will reportedly be March 23, two days before New Japan’s Strong Style Evolved show in Long Beach, Calif. That certainly opens the door for an influx of NJPW talent on that card.