PCW 2019: Don Callis Pins Kenny Omega!
WINNIPEG, Mb - Perhaps the biggest event in PCW in 2019, and one of the most talked about moments in North American Independent wrestling of the year, was the night Don Callis shocked the world by pinning Kenny Omega! The draw-dropping outcome became a viral sensation and caused international consternation at the highest levels of the industry!
The seeds for this shocker were planted on October 19th 2018 as a documentary film crew captured Kenny Omega's PCW homecoming. The documentary would eventually become Omega Man: A Wrestling Love Story, which aired nationally on TSN and held it's United States premiere at Caesar's Palace Las Vegas at Starrcast as part of All Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing PPV weekend.
At that event, called PCW's The One, Omega's tag team partner & best friend Chris Stevens threw an impromptu birthday party. He brought out two of Kenny's closet friends Chad Tatum & Mike Angels - Tag Sciences Faculty - as a surprise. Next was Kenny's close friend & training partner Jason Geiger who presented Kenny with a beautiful birthday cake. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all, was the appearance of Don Callis!
Callis, the legend of Extreme Championship Wrestling, former WWE Superstar and one of the most decorated Winnipeg wrestlers of all time, entered to a huge ovation from the shocked capacity crowd. Callis regaled the audience, including Kenny's parents, with stories of his entry into the wrestling business. While Kenny was a protege of Don's, Don had been a protege of Kenny's Uncle, The Golden Sheik.
It was most unfortunate, then, when Callis admitted he was embarrassed to have ushered Kenny into professional wrestling because he and the Young Bucks, according to Don, had made a mockery of pro wrestling. Before Kenny and the crowd could digest those biting remarks, Callis struck Kenny with what had historically been Don's. most effective weapon, the microphone. He ordered The London Dynasty, who had interrupted an inspiring rendition of Happy Birthday, to attack, and a wild brawl ensued.
That incident turned into a triple threat match between Omega & Stevens, The London's & Tag Sciences Faculty. The tremendous match devolved into a wild food fight when Omega ended up face first in his own birthday cake and a distraught Stevens lamented the poor decision making that resulted in a cake being brought to a wrestling ring. Everyone knew, Stevens said, that Kenny preferred pie! And with that, PCW officials streamed to the ring with 15 Coconut & Banana Cream pies! Unsurprisingly, the pies were soon weaponized culminating in a creamy Dooms Day Device by Stevens & Omega to secure the victory.
The messy loss left Callis embarrassed and irate. If anyone thought he'd leave well enough alone, they did not fully appreciate the sinister genius off the the Impact Wrestling Executive Vice President. If revenge was to be his, it would be a dish, or perhaps pie, best served cold.
Fast forward to March 30th 2019, the PCW 17th Anniversary Spectacular. Another over-sold capacity crowd packed Doubles Bar to see Omega return to PCW to induct his friend Jason Geiger into the Hall of Fame. With Stevens at his side, Omega presented Geiger with a beautiful award and expressed his love & gratitude on behalf of PCW.
And then Don Callis shocked the world.
Callis interrupted the ceremony, berated all three men in the ring and made the historic challenge - after a 15 year absence, he would step back in the ring to face Omega and his two partners right then and there. The indelible moment would see mentor vs protege, AEW EVP vs Impact Wrestling EVP...live in a PCW ring in Winnipeg!
And true to his nature, Callis had as his partners, the best duo he could find - the PCW Tag Team Champions Sweet & Tasty (Bobby Schink. & Travis Cole)! As the crowd buzzed, the match was on. If Callis was rusty after his 15 year layoff, he didn't show it, executing a picture-perfect Northern Lights Suplex, an arousing Rain Maker and shocking Omega with a display of mat wrestling expertise.
As confident as Callis was, he would certainly not engage in any activity without an insurance policy and it came in the form of a suspected conspiracy with his close personal friend Chris Jericho, the man who was scheduled to face Omega at AEW's inaugural PPV Double or Nothing in May. At a key moment of the six man tag team match, Jericho's music, the chart-topping Judas by award winning band Fozzy, played. Omega immediately turned to the entrance way and defiantly called for Jericho to face him, But it was all a ruse. The music stopped, a confused Kenny turned around and immediately fell victim to a beautiful Jericho-style Codebreaker from an elated Callis who then scored the incredible pinball victory!
The match result and video quickly went viral and became the most talked about incident in pro wrestling for a time. Radio shows, podcasts, newsletters and social media was filled with discussion, much of it incredulous! Unbeknownst to the vast majority of people, the result even caused major controversy among the highest levels of professional wrestling. Angry texts were sent. Furious phone calls were made. Even some threats were issued.
Cooler heads prevailed but the fall-out continued. Chris Jericho made a rare independent wrestling appearance in early May for Southern Honor Wrestling and Kenny returned the "favour", attacking him before a shocked crowd! But Jericho would have the ultimate revenge on May 25th in Las Vegas when he defeated Omega in the main event of AEW's Inaugural PPV event to earn a shot at the vacant AEW World Championship later in the year, a match he won.
Back in PCW, Geiger attacked Heavyweight Champion Antonio Scorpio in September saying, among other things, that he was Kenny's best friend but Kenny wasn't his and he was going to prove something to himself, to Omega and to the wrestling world. It would not go unnoticed by many, that Geiger's wrestling trainer was none-other then Callis...
Quite easily our biggest moment of 2019 was the match that became the most discussed topic in the wrestling world, as Callis proved once again, to be the straw that stirs the drink of professional wrestling.
What will 2020 bring......