Pro Wrestling Guerrilla: Battle of Los Angeles 2008 Night One Results

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla: Battle of Los Angeles 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Burbank Armory (3800 Valhalla Dr., Burbank, CA)
3:05pm Bell Time
Attendance Approx: 325 – 350 (Including Paul London)

Quick Results: 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – Stage One

1. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match:
TJ Perkins Def. Chuck Taylor – DQ on Taylor after Referee Decision Reversal

– Not the best match of the night as there was a good mix of comedy and wrestling, however Chuck did not get to shine as much in the comedy portion and TJ did not shine as much during the wrestling portion as both men seemed to have a few miscommunications. The finish came when TJ attempted to use some sort of home made brass knuckles (wrapped in duct tape) on Chuck, who managed to avoid the punch and stole the “knux” and connected to gain the pinfall. After raising his hand in victory and with Chuck trying to get rid of the evidence the referee saw the foreign object and quickly reversed his decision. **

2. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match:
Brandon Bonham Def. Kenny Omega – Pinfall via Front Flip Powerbomb (Canadian Destroyer)

– Very good debut from Kenny Omega as his mix of comedy (wrestling a highly Japanese influenced style) and high flying was well received by the crowd, even if it was a bit more raunchy than expected. Omega wrestled much of the match with a half wedgy and later turned it into a full double cheek wedgy for the last 8 minutes of the match. That also accompanied a fairly disturbing simulated act of fellatio after pulling Bonham’s hair into a pony tail and …well nevermind. Both Bonham and Omega got in their signature spots with the Hadouken being hit prior to the Croyt’s Wrath (Electric Chair German Suplex) attempt which was countered by Bonham. Bonham subsequently hit the “Canadian Destroyer” for the pinfall. Both men looked strong her as Bonham continued his PWG unbeaten streak while Omega got to really shine in his first trip out West. ***

3. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match:
Nigel McGuinness Def. Austin Aries – Submission via London Dungeon (Modified Wristlock Submission).

– Fantastic match that mixed a little comedy into a very well wrestled match. The storyline of each competitor knowing the other well played on well as Aries controlled a little more of the match than Nigel did while being able to lock in the “Horns of Aries” several times without success. Nigel worked over the arm of Aries and attempted the “London Dungeon” as well, but could never finish off his opponent. The match actually featured only a couple of lariat attempts and featured only a few big spots and dives as it was mainly mat based offense. Aries was hit with a Tower of London from the top rope to the apron outside which shifted the momentum of the match. Aries finally applied the London Dungeon and Aries was forced to tap after a long struggle. ****

4. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match:
Low Ki Def. Roderick Strong = Submission via Dragon Sleeper

– Roderick Strong held his own and controlled most of this match with brutal chops and back work on Low Ki. Several back breakers and Stronghold attempts weakend Ki and took much of his offense away from him as he was unable to hit many of his signature ekicks. This match featured a brutal chopfest on both sides and Low Ki was looking to put away Strong with the Dragon Sleeper a few times, but failed. Strong wasn’t able to lock in the Stronghold successfully, but was able to get a near pinfall after a Double Gutbuster. A previous Double Gutbuster attempt was countered when Low Ki managed to hit a Double Stomp to his knees in mid-air. The finish came when Low Ki finally locked Strong in the Dragon Sleeper and he tapped almost immediately. The match had a fantastic build and amazing “heat” but ended somewhat abruptly and flat. ***1/4

5. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match:
Scott Lost Def. Joey Ryan – Pinfall via Spinning Back Heel Kick

– Match began with both men attempting multiple roll-ups until Lost accidentally punched Joey and both men stood there surprised as Lost tried to apologize for hitting Joey. Afterward he hit a dropkick to the seated Joey and the match really began. This was the shortest match of the night as both men seemed reluctant to really brutalize the other but knew each other well enough to avoid any major mistakes. Finish came when Lost was unable to submit Joey with a Sharpshooter and pin him with a superplex and resorted to the spinning back heel kick to the head for the pinfall. After the match both men hugged. **1/2

6. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match:
Bryan Danielson Def. Davey Richards – Submission via Cattle Mutilation

– This match was as brutal as you’d expect with Davey actually controlling most of the match while working over Danielson’s shoulder/arm. Richards had multiple Keylock attempts, but Danielson was able to make the ropes or counter each time. This match got a significant amount of time as Davey brutalized AmDrag with several kicks and arm work, while Danielson countered with several European Uppercuts and a few attempts at a cross arm breaker of his own. Ultimately the match came down to Danielson escaping the Keylock for a 4th or 5th time and was able to finally land the arm trapped MMA elbows and transitioned it into the Cattle Mutilation for the submission victory. ***3/4

7. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round – Three Way Match (one fall) :
Masato Yoshino Def. El Generico & Nick Jackson – Submission via Sol Naciente (Cross arm Choke)

– The sort of fast paced match you would expect to see from 3 men with extensive Dragon Gate experience. Match began as a traditional 3 way but broke down into the old “2 men in the ring 1 man outside” formula in the middle, with it returning to a 3 way free for all at the end as each man sprinted to get his finishing move in before his pin attempt could be broken up. Each man played up their experience and familiarity with the others and the match came out fantastically. Finish came when El Generico’s Brainbustaah attempt on Yoshino was countered, he was thrown out of the ring and Yoshino hit the Torbellino and followed that up with the Sol Naciente for the submission victory. ***3/4

8. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round – No Disqualification Match:
Chris Hero Def. Necro Butcher – Submission via Hangman’s Clutch

– Prior to the match Hero took the mic and addressed the crowd. Hero reiterated that he and Necro were buddies and would remain so after the match, however he wanted to show everyone that Necro was actually a good wrestler and tried to implore the crowd to encourage Necro to actually wrestle. What followed up was Necro wrestling Hero in a somewhat scientific match, for Necro at least, until Hero finally got the better of him. The match then broke down into a wild brawl all over the armory and finally made it’s way back into the ring. The most annoying part of this match was that the referee was still making counts, breaking up corner exchanged, and admonishing Necro for using a closed fist even though this was a “No DQ” match. The referee was heckled unmercifully for this, as he should have been. Too bad Rick Knox did not ref this match instead. Hero tried to put away Necro several times, but was unsuccessful in knocking him out after at least a half dozen roaring elbows throughout the match and Necro’s Tiger Driver was unsuccessful for the pin. Hero finally took to brutalizing his friend with two consecutive roaring elbows and a Hangman’s Clutch for the submission victory. The crowd did not cheer so heavily for the result however, but Hero took the mic again and addressed the crowd by putting over Necro’s wrestling ability and heart and promised to win BoLA the next night. ***

Overall Impressions:
Fantastic night of wrestling with all but one match being highly entertaining as well as well wrestled. By comparison this night was far better than the first round of last year’s tournament and at least as good as the ’06 BoLA. The 2nd round matches all look promising: TJ vs Danielson, Low Ki vs Yoshino, Hero vs Lost, Nigel vs Bonham, and this year features a great mix of “local” guys as well as international superstars. Night 2 begins at 5 pm on Sunday at the Burbank Armory in Burbank, CA. My one complaint was PWG not letting fans in on time and subsequently getting soaked by the rain at 2:15 after the show was to have already started. Not very classy PWG, especially to your loyal fans.