PWG is one of the most important yet underrated parts of the current ecosystem in wrestling. Independent wrestling is not always easily accessible, but new stars have been found in a promotion like PWG. The talents to come from the promotion in California have accomplished huge things in the industry and are currently taking over.Different eras of PWG have seen the company always trying to build an unofficial “all-star” show of the top indie talents from all over the world after WCW and ECW ended. WWE, AEW and other top promotions have seen quite a few stars coming through there or flat out wanting to work there. The spirit of PWG helped find the confidence or built momentum for wrestlers who are on top of the industry today.
The Start Of PWG
The initial years of PWG helped create a West coast version of what Ring of Honor was doing. An all-star lineup of independent talents featured Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk and many others getting their California bookings there. PWG wanted to become the hot promotion on that side of the United States since ROH was doing the same on the East coast.
There was a more organic element to PWG during its ups and downs. ROH was trying to become a bigger company with the idea of things like bigger venues and television deals. PWG just wanted to have great shows that sold tickets and DVDs to benefit the wrestlers, promotion itself, and the overall audience.
Rising stars like Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Pac received their first major American independent bookings when PWG called them. Owens specifically discussed how this was the goal of him and Zayn in Canada to get their careers trending positively internationally. The blueprint of PWG was to find the future top stars of the industry and that certainly was fulfilled.
The Rise Of PWG
The biggest boom for PWG surprisingly came after names like CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe were past that stage of their careers. Kevin Owens was the top dog after Ring of Honor sent him home. The fan base connecting with Owens allowed him to become the face of the promotion between his stellar matches and hilarious role on commentary.
PWG witnessed the hometown success story of the Young Bucks perfecting their act in the promotion. The new crop of top indie stars gave us a glimpse of the likes of Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet, Will Ospreay, and plenty others facing off against each other. Companies like ROH, Evolve and other smaller companies had contracts that prevented talents from appearing on opposing internet PPV events.
The stellar shows of PWG made it the place to be for dream matches on the indie scene. Owens vs Sami Zayn continued their legendary feud with new peaks coming in PWG at the time. The tag team scene thrived with the Young Bucks facing top acts from the Motor City Machine Guns to Briscoe Brothers to the reuniting Owens and Zayn. Young stars making their presence felt added the depth for PWG to become the hottest product for diehard fans.
PWG’s Legacy Is Felt In WWE, AEW And More
The wrestling landscape is drastically different today than when PWG started almost two decades ago. Every major company seems to have PWG’s impact in some way or another. WWE has former PWG Champions like Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn as consistent figures. Main eventer Seth Rollins got one of his first independent bookings in the smaller company as a huge accolade for that point in his career.
The AEW spirit is essentially created by PWG’s history since the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega started working matches together more often there. AEW sees every chapter of PWG represented from legends like the Bucks, to early stars like Danielson and Punk, to the modern success stories like Adam Cole, and to current wrestlers still getting booked like Dante Martin and Orange Cassidy.
Even other companies like Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and MLW have benefited from the PWG standouts working there. No one could have predicted such a long or impactful run for a smaller independent promotion run by local wrestler Super Dragon in the 2000s.
However, it turned into a success story for the ages. Every major company has been helped by PWG’s star-making factory, but they also see talents representing the energy that makes wrestling fun, from a tiny and sweaty building to tens of thousands in major venues.