Daniel Garcia and former WWE Superstar retain championships at major non-AEW event
AEW stars Daniel Garcia, Malakai Black and Brody King were among the big winners this past weekend as they all retained their respective Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Championships at the promotion's anniversary event PWG Nineteen.
The Californian-based promotion was founded in 2003 and has featured veterans like AJ Styles, Bryan Danielson, and Kevin Owens, all former PWG Champions. The company held its anniversary show on July 3, where several top AEW stars wrestled in high-stakes matches.
In the main event, PWG Champion Daniel Garcia retained his title by defeating rising star Konosuke Takeshita. This was Garcia's first title defense since he defeated former ROH World Champion Bandido for the belt in May 2022.
.@GarciaWrestling wins by submission in 23:19 in an incredible match to retain the PWG World Championship. #PWGNineteen https://t.co/YQQAlOo4mS
Elsewhere on the show, House of Black's Malakai Black and Brody King (who go by the name "Kings of the Dark Throne") also defended their PWG Tag Team Championship against the Aussie Open.
The match was the duo's first title defense since November 2021 and their second overall. The win also set Brody King up nicely as he will challenge Jon Moxley for the Interim AEW World Championship this Wednesday on Dynamite.
Daniel Garcia was involved in a brutal match on last week's AEW Dynamite
The match against Konosuke Takeshita was a nice change of pace for Daniel Garcia, as he has been put through the wringer in recent weeks thanks to the violent feud between Chris Jericho and Eddie Kingston.
Garcia, along with the other members of the Jericho Appreciation Society, finally got a chance to settle the score with Kingston, Santana & Ortiz, and the Blackpool Combat Club as they locked horns in a Blood and Guts bout.
Yoooooo @GarciaWrestling rocking a Durag at Blood and Guts is a MOMENT!! my guy ain’t got one wave but I f*cking love it 🤣
Daniel Garcia is the man.
#AEWDynamite https://t.co/2vaZMa1e6a
The current PWG World Champion was one of many men in the contest to leave a bloody mess, with weapons such as broken glass, thumbtacks, and even wooden skewers coming into play.
In the end, Claudio Castagnoli of the Blackpool Combat Club forced Matt Menard to submit on top of the cage. It will be interesting to see if Garcia and his allies can bounce back after their defeat on last week's Dynamite.