411 PWG Roundtable Preview: Battle of Los Angeles 2008 – 11/1 & 11/2

Welcome to the preview of the most anticipated Indy tournament of the year. In the past 3 years the “Battle of Los Angeles” has managed to overtake both the Ted Petty Invitational and the “Best of the Best” tournaments to take the number #1 spot amongst the rest of the Indy hierarchy. Last year saw another huge roster of wrestlers participate in a tournament that culminated in one of the greatest nights of wrestling of the entire year. This year’s Battle of Los Angeles features 17 wrestlers in a 4 round tournament to crown the next BoLA champion. This year’s tournament features: Chuck Taylor, Davey Richards, Masato Yoshino, Kenny Omega, Brandon Bonham, El Generico, Austin Aries, Nigel McGuiness, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Low Ki, Bryan Danielson, TJ Perkins, Nick Jackson, Necro Butcher, Chris Hero, Roderick Strong.

The first round features a plethora of intriguing first round matches including Austin Aries vs Nigel McGuinness, Low Ki vs Roderick Strong, and Joey Ryan vs Scott Lost. Past winners of BoLA include: Chris Bosh (’05), Davey Richards (’06), and CIMA (’07). The reward for winning BoLA is not only the prestige and accolades, but also a guaranteed title shot any time, any place for the winner. While no BoLA winner has ever managed to parlay their tournament win into an actual PWG title, this year might finally be the year that all the hard work finally pays off. This year we have a small, but dedicated group of 411 writers who will test their prognosticating skills in an attempt to pick this year’s “Battle of Los Angeles” Champion. Let’s meet our bachelors shall we?

Jerrod Westerfeld: 411’s resident Guerrilla columnist of Scripted Through Sin.

Ari Berenstein: Column of Honor author and RoH Super Soldier

Michael “Sweet n’ Sour” Bauer: ECW recapper, and Buy or Sell host

Samuel L. Berman: Former 411 writer and Cool Kid at this table

And of course, Me, Bayani “The Truth” Domingo

Now that the staff has been introduced, let’s get to a preview of the first round matches for this weekend’s shows and the participants making up each “Block”. Cards are current as of Thursday 10/30.

Night 1 of the 2008 Battle of Los Angeles on November 1, 2008, will feature the following 8 1st round matches:

1. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match: Brandon Bonham vs. Kenny Omega
2. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Davey Richards
3. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match: Low Ki vs. Roderick Strong
4. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match: Joey Ryan vs. Scott Lost
5. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match: Chuck Taylor vs. TJ Perkins
6. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round – Three Way Match (one fall) : El Generico vs. Nick Jackson vs. Masato Yoshino
7. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round Match: Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries
8. 2008 Battle of Los Angeles – First Round – No Disqualification Match: Chris Hero vs. Necro Butcher

The staff has been asked to predict all of the first round winners as well as the subsequent rounds and the eventual winner. Let’s take a look at the first round predictions:

1st Round

Jarrod Westerfeld: I’m a bit on the fence about Perkins actually keeping his slot here as I’m sure Bayani will have, or has already expressed that the lack of Dragon Gate workers on this show may hurt the reasoning PWG placed for pushing the dates back. However, I’m going to stick with Perkins riding out this out, save for a freak accident that keeps him out of yet another BOLA showing. Looking over what Bonham has done in PWG this year, I’m willing to bite into some of the hype and look at him as the overall answer to all of the issues that PWG has had for the year as he seems to be a more reliable worker that puts PWG as his first priority; at least this is what PWG would hope for out of their future stars. I’m kind of just flipping a coin on Aries and Nigel here, but I think Aries is the safe bet to go over here and protect the ROH Champion as best as he can be protected in this environment. I think Low Ki could be looked at as chasing back the title he never lost, so him going over Strong is an easy pick. I think the fans would be upset if Yoshino didn’t progress further down the card. Perkins over Taylor is easier to think of than the alternative. Bryan Danielson is a former champion as I would think PWG would keep him strong over the 2006 BOLA champion Richards. I’m siding up with Bayani a bit here in thought as I could see Hero placing his title on the line throughout the tournament, so he’ll have to look strong throughout this thing up until the end. Finally, I think Joey Ryan has more of the momentum and could present a better alternative for Hero’s second round title defense.

Winners: Brandon Bonham, Austin Aries, Low Ki, Masato Yoshino, TJ Perkins , Bryan Danielson, Chris Hero, Joey Ryan

Ari Berenstein: When you look at this year’s PWG tournament you really see that the reduced amount of wrestlers actually has packed quite a bit of star-power (relative to the independent scene). The last two announcements of Danielson and Ki included in the tournament really amps up the interesting possibilities you can see as we progress onwards. You also have the PWG champion and current ROH champion and on opposite brackets such that we could get a champion vs. champion scenario. Ultimately though, I think PWG will use this tournament to reassert the prominence of one man who has been off the radar but has shown he has the ability to boost sales and interest of independent wrestling shows. I don’t see many surprises in the first round other than Omega, an outside talent, making it past current PWG mainstay Bonham. Yoshino, as the lone Dragon Gate representative is a lock to make it past the first round. El Generico is a PWG favorite but will be ousted in that bracket. Danielson and Ki make it past their respective challenges and Scott Lost will go over former Dynasty teammate and now sworn enemy Joey Ryan.

Winners: Kenny Omega, Nigel McGuinness, Low Ki, Masato Yoshino, Chuck Taylor, Bryan Danielson, Scott Lost and Chris Hero

Samuel Berman: The first match is the hardest to call I think, because PWG can either create a new potential star or keep pushing a guy who has been solid for them already this year. I’ll go with Omega over Bonham in a mild upset. Aries and McGuinness always bring the goods against each other, and this will be especially good if the keep to the McGuinness-as-a-heel dynamic that paid off for the two in ROH earlier this year. McGuinness eeks out a close one. Ki will upend Strong, who went to last year’s finals but doesn’t need to advance this year. Generico wins a three-way because with CIMA going over last year, Yoshino doesn’t need to go forward this year. Also, with Jackson there to take the pin, Yoshino saves face for a high-profile contest on Night Two. Taylor advances past Perkins, only to run into Danielson in the next round. Hero will survive a contest with longtime ally Necro, while Lost will pull out a win to deny fans a rematch of last year’s Hero vs. Ryan contest (not that that’s a bad thing).

Winners: Kenny Omega, Nigel McGuinness, Low Ki, El Generico, Chuck Taylor, Bryan Danielson, Chris Hero, Scott Lost

Michael Bauer: Ok, the bookers for the BoLA did not make this easy on us this year. I mean, Aries vs. Nigel could very well be a semi-final matchup anywhere else. And the Triple Threat has three guys I could easily so going into the second round or deeper. But we start with Bonham and Omega. Honestly, it’s a coin flip as the winner just loses to the Aries/Nigel winner. As for that match, something tells me that Nigel will advance here. I know, he’s the RoH champion and they shouldn’t put him over, but I think that is why he will at least grab a win or two. I just wonder how heelish he will be. Ki and Strong should be really good, but I expect Ki to take it kinda easily. The triple threat is really tough. Generico is the PWG fan favorite, Yoshino is the Dragon Gate import, and Nick Johnson is half the Tag Champs and could easily be viable in the second round also. I agree with berman that Johnson will take the pin, but I still think Yoshino needs to advance here. I have Taylor over Perkins as Chucky just has the upside for a hell of a match with American Dragon. Yes, Danielson will beat Davey Richards in the stiffest first round match. Speaking of stiff, who did Necro piss off to get booked against Chris Hero? Hero is the PWG Champion and even without the title on the line, he will not lose in the first round. Lastly, I’ll take Joey Ryan over Scott Lost. Ryan and Hero in the second round is a rematch of a bullshit DQ from the first round last year’s BoLA and it’s my only basis here.

Winners: Brandon Bonham, Nigel McGuinness, Low Ki, Masato Yoshino, Chuck Taylor, Bryan Danielson, Chris Hero, Joey Ryan

Bayani Domingo: This will be the BoLA that totally screws with my head, but I’m going to go ahead and be the Black Sheep and make my picks based on my gut, rather than logic. So basically following PWG’s usual booking style. In the first match I have to think Bonham will make the 2nd round, but to be honest, I just haven’t gotten on the Bonham Bandwagon yet so I find it difficult to put him over Omega, though I know it will happen. Aries is more of a “regular” than Nigel in PWG, but still not a big enough name to warrant going over him. Low Ki is a “no brainer”, Yoshino is the only DG guy in the tourney and thus has to get a free pass at the expense of one of the greatest BoLA performers of all-time in El Generico, TJ Perkins (or whoever replaces him last second) will end up going over Chuck Taylor however because I can’t imagine a Chucky T/Danielson match being as well wrestled as it would have to be, Hero shouldn’t job in the first round, and it’s finally Lost’s time to make it past the 1st round. For me the hardest matches to predict will be whether PWG pushes local guys like TJ and Bonham over more popular and expensive “fly-ins” like Omega and Taylor, but PWG can’t push all the locals through to the next round right, so I’m going to guess Omega gets a chance here since Bonham’s winning streak was going to end this weekend anyways, why not in the 1st round. But before I go the easy route I’ll throw a monkey wrench in the works and I’ll say that the PWG Champion does NOT make it out of the first round after a surprise run-in causes him the match and sets a title match for night 2. who will be the culprit? Who knows?

Winners: Kenny Omega, Nigel McGuinness, Low Ki, Masato Yoshino, TJ Perkins (or replacement), Bryan Danielson, Necro Butcher, Scott Lost.

Block A, B, C, D Finals

Jarrod Westerfeld: Again, I think PWG is going to want to invest in the stock of Bonham some and the only way to do that is to push him deep into this tournament, so he gets the victory over Aries. Masato Yoshino ends the road to Low Ki’s redemption to becoming PWG Champion once more. Danielson ends the debut story of Perkins here, though I had to revisit this idea several times before settling on AmDrag moving on. If I’m still going with Hero defending the title the length of the tournament, then I have him going over Ryan and marching forward to the Semi’s.

Block Winners: Brandon Bonham, Masato Yoshino, Bryan Danielson, Chris Hero

b> Ari Berenstein:: McGuinness, as a representative of ROH and its major champion, makes it past Kenny Omega who is the hot prospect but not believable enough to go over the ROH World Champion at this point. Low Ki vs. Masato Yoshino is one hell of a cool match up and a great selling point for fans who follow Puro. Ki has the edge considering the uniqueness of a Ki vs. McGuinness match would be hard to resist. Danielson and Taylor can have some wacky fun and then Danielson will stretch him halfway across America. Lost and Hero is a PWG centric match up and a good win for the PWG Champion to take into the semi-finals.

Block Winners: McGuinness, Ki, Danielson, Hero

Samuel Berman: Nigel will need more effort than expected to beat Omega, but will ultimately set up the money match of the tournament. Ki gets taken to the limit by Generico, who is always at his best in PWG, but ends up advancing for his showdown with the ROH World Champion. Taylor puts up a fight, but Danielson stretches him into oblivion to move on. Hero continues to prove that he belongs by defeating one of PWG’s originals.

Block Winners: Nigel McGuinness, Low Ki, Bryan Danielson, Chris Hero

Michael Bauer: Block A will showcase Nigel McGuinness. That’s all I need to say. No disrespect to Bonahm, but it’s Nigel McGuinness! I have Low Ki vs. Masato Yoshino in Block B, which should be amazing. Even if Generico wins over Yoshino, it would be amazing. It’s easy to pick the upset of Yoshino here, but I won’t. CIMA did win last year and without 2 Dragon Gate wrestlers this year, the clan from Japan won’t repeat. Bryan Danielson should roll over Chuck Taylor as he gets a his first true challenege in the PWG and fail miserably. Which leads us to Joey Ryan and Chris Hero. Like I stated before, Joey Ryan won last year by DQ thanks to more interference and reverse decisions than a TNA main event. Chris Hero repays him the favor this year, but without the brass knuckles.

Block Winners: Nigel McGuinness, Low Ki, Bryan Danielson, Chris Hero

Bayani Domingo: Okay, so maybe the popular choices aren’t always the wrong ones in the smarky world of Indy wrestling. I can’t see Bonham going over the RoH Champion, Low Ki vs Yoshino will be amazing, but how could justify jobbing out Ki prior to having a 1 on 1 title rematch, Danielson has a free ticket to the semi’s, but then there is my bold prediction of Hero getting knocked out early and Necro facing Lost. Well if we consider that a “local” should get a shot in the semi’s like just about every past BoLA, then it makes sense that Lost gets the duke here and faces AmDrag in the Semi’s. Necro and Danielson was done just last year and it was entertaining as hell, but I think Lost is the guy who gets the sentimental push.

Block Winners: Nigel McGuinness, Low Ki, Bryan Danielson, Scott Lost

BoLA Semi-Finals

Jarrod Westerfeld: While I’ve been pushing hard on Bonham going deep into this tourney, I actually stopped and thought that the right finals bout to stir up huge care from the fans after this delay of this particular tourney is that Yoshino go over into the finals. As for Bryan Danielson, I think he falls prey to Hero’s continual run as the strong champion that is looking to place yet another feather in his cap with this event locked up in the victory column, along with several title defenses along the way of doing it.

BoLA Finalists: Masato Yoshino, Chris Hero

Ari Berenstein: Given enough time, Low Ki vs. Nigel McGuinness will rock the house. I like Ki to take the match and head to the finals as he emerges as a dominant, near unstoppable force in this tournament. Danielson and Hero is a proven quality match and since Danielson was recently PWG champion a win over Hero could get him a future title shot…except that I see Hero winning to get to another unique match involving two men who rarely face off in the ring these days.

BoLA Finalists: Low Ki, PWG Champion Chris Hero

BoLA Semi-Finals

Samuel Berman: Nigel vs. Ki is by far the best match that PWG can put on the entire weekend, if only because ROH can’t deliver the same contest and fans want to see it. I think they’ll give Low Ki the win there because Nigel is only an occasional presence in the company and Ki can be a big player for them going forward. Danielson and Hero always put on good matches together, with their 2005 TPI match being one of the best between the duo. Hero won that match on a fluke rollup, and that’s actually how I see this one going down as well.

BoLA Finalists: Low Ki, Chris Hero

Michael Bauer: And here is where I go off on a serious tangent. First off, we have Nigel vs. Low Ki in the battle of PWG greatness vs. Ring of Honor greatness. Nigel would have had a much easier second round match by comparison than Low Ki, regardless of who either man faces. Low Ki seems to be the man to beat in this tournament, despite having to be the “16th/17th” man in. And the other half of that equation is American Dragon, Bryan Danielson. Danielson will be facing Chris Hero in the other semi-final. While just about everyone has Hero vs. Ki more than just penciled in, I don’t think that will go down. And while I would love to see Nigel vs. Dragon outside of a Ring of Honor ring, I think some politics will keep that from happening. But a match up in the finals between the two guys that the bookers couldn’t choose between as the last man to be entered into the tournament… that seems like a very good match and some clever booking.

BoLA Finalists: Low Ki and Bryan Danielson

Bayani Domingo: So if my predictions are right then Low Ki vs Nigel will be an awesome match and Danielson will dispatch Scott Lost despite possible interference from Joey Ryan, perhaps even backfiring on Lost. I have to think Ki vs Danielson is destined to happen and I just can’t deny destiny can I?

BoLA Finalists: Low Ki and Bryan Danielson

Battle of Los Angeles Finals

Jarrod Westerfeld: Still thinking of the title being put in the middle here, as well as PWG’s need to protect their champion. So the final thought here is that Chris Hero successfully defends his title, picks up the tournament victory and continues to build up his credibility as a champion, something he needs to do considering he beat an injured Human Tornado to get the title in the first place, which still strikes me as an oddity.

2008 Battle of Los Angeles Champion: Chris Hero

Ari Berenstein: A win by Low Ki cements his return to form on the independent landscape and provides a marquee attraction for PWG (hopefully) in the near future. A win over Hero also guarantees Ki a future title opportunity and that means more focus on the promotion and more DVD sales. Low Ki will win the Battle of Los Angeles 2008!

2009 Battle of Los Angeles Champion: Low Ki

Samuel Berman: Hero going over sets him up as a dominant champion, but losing to Low Ki is never something to be ashamed of. I think Ki will take the tournament, making him the only man to win the three major Independent tournaments (BOLA, TPI, Super 8).

2009 Battle of Los Angeles Champion: Low Ki

Michael Bauer: Low Ki and Bryan Danielson. They couldn’t decide between the two as the last man to be entered and now they square off in the finals of my Battle of Los Angeles tournament bracket. Low Ki won between the two back in January to become the PWG World Champion before an injury sidetracked him and started the PWG Championship injury carousel. I have to imagine that while Low Ki winning the Battle of Los Angeles makes him a main player again, I kinda have to believe he doesn’t need the win here to justify that. He is not balancing himself over every other promotion like others are and doesn’t need to prove his worth to Southern California. But having Dragon beat Chris Hero and then beat Low Ki to win would clearly put him in position to challenge for Chris Hero’s Title and get the rematch that he never got.

2009 Battle of Los Angeles Champion: Bryan Danielson

Bayani Domingo: Ki and Danielson? Sounds pretty damn good to me. Considering that Ki won the first meeting it only makes sense that AmDrag takes the 2nd one right? With Ki already promised a title match by Hero, but Danielson without that title shot, it makes sense that at some point this will culminate in one hell of a Triple Threat. But for that to happen we first need…

2009 Battle of Los Angeles Champion: Bryan Danielson

***BONUS***

Tournament Surprise

Jarrod Westerfeld: Brandon Bonham if only for the fact that I think PWG might see something in the guy to really try and invest in. Hey, I’m only buying into the gag that Bayani laid out before we started this thing as I freely admit my ignorance to the world of PWG.

Ari Berenstein:: A dark horse to win the whole tournament would be Nigel McGuinness, who has always been treated well in PWG but never given that final push over the hump in that promotion. I doubt PWG would want to push another company’s champion over their own, so don’t if we get McGuinness vs. Hero in the finals I’d expect Hero to take it. A long shot to go far would be Kenny Omega IF Austin Aries takes over Nigel in the first round—I think Kenny could pull the upset over Aries and it would be believable enough for the fans in attendance and those watching at home. Scott Lost or Joey Ryan shouldn’t be overlooked as well—they’re kind of quiet and hiding amongst the bigger names in the field, but either one of them is a threat to go all the way.

Samuel Berman: My bracket doesn’t really have any dark horses advancing past the second round, but of the men I have advancing to that round I think Scott Lost has the best chance to go any further. He’s a PWG company guy and a fluke win (or one by way of chicanery) over Hero could set up a cool Hero vs. The Dynasty program for the next few months. Lost taking on Danielson could also be incredibly good, leading to Danielson vs. Ki in the finals.

Michael Bauer: If I had to pick a darkhorse, I’d have to go with Chuck Taylor. Persoanlly, I don’t think anyone I didn’t pick to at least make it to the semi finals has a chance, but Chuck Taylor is an odd one. The whole story with him is that he wanted the best that PWG has to offer and gets it in the Battle of Los Angeles. Now, if he doesn’t make it out of the first round, he looks really bad. But making Day 2 isn’t exactly enough either. The only problem is that he would be facing Bryan Danielson. If he pulls off that upset, he gets Chris Hero. I never said it would be easy, but Chuck Taylor can be the surprise of the tournament with just one huge upset, let alone maybe two or three. I don’t think he’ll win, but not all darkhorses or surprises do. Also, I would not be surprised if Yoshino or El Generico made it far by beating Low Ki.

Bayani Domingo: Scott Lost…c’mon, I got him going to the semi’s. The man deserves a singles push after both of his partners have gotten theirs. Bosh won the first BoLA, Joey was the longest reigning champion in company history, it’s Lost’s time to shine now baby.

Most Anticipated First Round Match-up

Jarrod Westerfeld: I’m a huge fan of the Aries and Nigel match from ROH’s Rising Above, and have been a fan of the bouts they’ve had since so I’m going to bank on this as the Match of the Night candidate, though I’d really lean hard on Danielson and Richards possibly stealing the spotlight.

Ari Berenstein: Amazingly enough, on paper there are four possible matches of the night when looking at the first round brackets. Aries vs. McGuinness was fantastic in two matches for Ring of Honor this year and if they put in that kind of effort here, expect it to be the talked about match. Low Ki and Roderick Strong will be fast paced and hard hitting and if they get into a groove could wind up with a fantastic outing. The three way with Generico vs. Yoshino vs. Nick Jackson is a crowd favorite and a possible show stealer. The Dragon Gate guys are way popular in SoCal as is Generico, so you know the crowd will be up for it. Nick Jackson has quickly become more experienced thanks to his time in Dragon Gate and will work well with Yoshino. Finally PWG Champion Chris Hero vs. Necro Butcher is a match that ties in with current PWG continuity and just could be one hell of a fun combination. I look for great things from these four matches.

Samuel Berman: Aries vs. Nigel is the sure thing, but I’m more excited for Ki vs. Strong, which was AMAZING when IWA did it in 2007. Personally, I’m also pretty excited for the Dragon Gate three-way, which could start in fifth gear and only get faster.

Michael Bauer: It has to be El Generico vs. Nick Jackson vs. Masato Yoshino without a question. You see, I’m not calling in the Match of the Night, but I’m using intrigue here in place of simply the best match. And in every match of the Firts Round, you could really go either way as to who would win. Granted, we will most likely all take Low Ki and Chris Hero in the first round, but they aren’t exactly facing Joe Schomes like Kenny Omega. But the Triple Threat Match has not two, but three guys who could all justify advancing to the second round. Low Ki is perhaps the odds on favorite, but when you have to possibily face on of these three in Round 2, the odds slip a little bit. Masato Yoshino has the Dragon Gate thing going as he tries to match CIMA’s run from last year. El Genrico is the PWG favorite and a first round loss just doesn’t seem logical. Nick Jackson takes the pinfall, we all get that, but look at it the other way. He is half of the Young Bucks, who are probably the hottest team in all of wrestling outside of anyone in Ring of Honor (Age of the Fall, Briscoes, Steen-erico). So young Nick winning, while unlikely, is not totally out of the question here. That is why I like that match so much. The runner up is clearly Aries and Nigel.

Bayani Domingo: The Dragon Gate-esque 3-way has me the most excited. I’m a huge DG fan in general and especially Yoshino since he’s been incredible in tag matches in PWG, during the DG show in SoCal, and even when I saw him at WSX, it’ll be great to see what he can do on his own. El Generico is probably the single greatest wrestler in the history of BoLA after having so many fantastic matches during the tournament. Nick Jackson is the wildcard here and his star really could be on the rise if he pulls off the upset. Of course if he does then there will be a lot of pissed off fans who had their money on Yoshino, but oh well. If “Slick” Nick can play a fake HBK on ECW, maybe some of the “Show Stopper” will rub off on him here too.

Well there we go, looking forward to this weekend and I hope to see you there in line at Burbank come Saturday. Just in case you live within the state of California and just realized you’d be an IDIOT not to show up, here are the details:

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s 2008 Battle of Los Angeles takes place Saturday, November 1, 2008 at 2:00PM and Sunday, November 2, 2008 at 5:00PM at the Burbank Armory in Burbank, CA. The Burbank Armory is located at 3800 Valhalla Dr., Burbank, CA, 91505. Online ticket purchases are subject to PayPal Service Charge (2.9% of the Ticket Price + .30 cents). Tickets purchased in advance will be available for Will Call pick up on the day of each event. Please bring a copy of your ticket receipt and/or valid photo identification to pick up your tickets. Card and participants subject to change.