Hawke’s 2018 PWG Battle of Los Angeles Review

Stage 1

September 14, 2018
Los Angeles, California, USA

Commentators: Excalibur

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
Rey Horus vs. Adam Brooks

This was super dull. Brooks controlled the majority of the match and was content to slow the pace down to a crawl, and then he proceeded to do nothing of note or substance while he got to showcase his skills on The US independent wrestling showcase. Just a baffling heat segment, and it took up the majority of the match.

It would be hard to imagine of a worst way for the 2018 BOLA to start. It was just a sinfully boring match where a dull wrestler took most of it when Rey fucking Horus just had to sit there and do nothing for so much of the match.

This match also just contained no fucking urgency and featured so much sitting around and doing nothing. And that feels even worse when your match just goes on for fucking ever. Unbelievably bad match. Everyone involved in its execution should be embarrassed. The only silver lining was that Horus advanced. (¼*)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
Flamita vs. Puma King
This had its moments (and Puma King definitely got over with the crowd), but it was largely garbage as an actual match. They worked it at half speed, and everything felt like they just alternated between decent high spots and long stretches of waiting for said decent high spots to happen. Much like the BOLA opener, this match layout was made to feel even worse with the extended runtime. This was a huge disappointment if not unwatchable. [Flamita won cleanly.] (**)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
Cima vs. Jody Fleisch
These guys are old. On a weekend when they were surrounded by a bunch of young dudes looking to impress, it seemed as if Cima and Jody recognized that and tried to go for something less on the physically impressive side. (Not a terrible idea to be fair.)

They tried a bit of comedy. They did a floor brawl spot that was literally impossible to see on camera. It also, and this seems to be the theme of the weekend, just DRAGGED AND DRAGGED. Why on earth are PWG matches STILL GOING SO LONG? Fuck. The wrestlers still just don’t get it. All these years later. [Cima won via Meteora] (**)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
Bandido vs. T-Hawk
Of all the first round matches so far, this was by far the least bothersome. The structure was basic but sound. Bandido was gonna flip. T-Hawk was gonna try to slow it down when he got control. That basic structure kept things together.

However, they did run into some of the same issues plaguing this entire show so far. There was just a malaise to the work. It was like they were treating this like a house show. There was no sense of urgency once again to any of the work. It’s a fucking disease that infects so much of high profile US indie wrestling. It needs to be fixed. [Bandido won with a Moonsault Slam that Excalibur called a flipping blockbuster for some reason.] (**¼)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
David Starr vs. Joey Janela
This was yet another soulless affair. It just took forever for anything meaningful in the match to happen. Then as they finally started working in some big moments, they managed to treat them as meaningless as they would show no real effects/results of them being dropped dangerously on the apron and the like. They then topped themselves with a sequence where they just traded dives over and over. It felt like a parody of a US indie match (and maybe it was designed to be that). The physical effort was there, but that’s not always enough. (*¾)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
PCO vs. Brody King
This was probably the best tournament match of night 1. It was not particularly good, but it had the most accurate sense of what the match needed to be. It was a collection of very stupid spots. A few went well. A few went ok. Most went badly (the reaction below is to the near-death of PCO). And it got in and out before it died a painful, slow death. [Brody King won with one of the Psycho Drivers.] (**½)

 

Shingo Takagi & Ilja Dragunov vs. Ringkamph (WALTER & Timothy Thatcher)
After such a disappointing night 1 of the tournament, this non-tournament main event was such a breath of fresh air. There was just a sense of violence, physicality, and competition to this one that was missing in all the matches that came before it.

All four of these men were working as if they were trying to win at all times, and they were willing to hurt each other to make it happen. They also managed to integrate a lot of great and organic moments throughout that made it seem like they were getting progressively more and more fed up with each other.

As an actual tag match, the ebb and flow was not quite there enough to call it great. There’s just a rhythm to great tag matches that this one was missing. It still however was clearly successful and the easy MOTN on this pitiful stage one of the most high-profile US indie weekend of the year. [Thatcher had Ilja in a Fujiwara armbar and then transitioned into a pin to take the victory.] (***¼)

 

 

Stage 2

September 15, 2018
Los Angeles, California, USA

Commentator: Excalibur

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
Marko Stunt vs. Trevor Lee
Yay! The first good tournament match from the 2018 BOLA!

They had the easiest dynamic staring at them right in the face, and they leaned right into it. Marko did his flippy offense. Trevor bullied him around. If they worked the match so that Marko could be more competitive and tease more comebacks it would have been an even better match. As it was though, it was still pretty fun. [Trevor won after the leaping double stomp.] (***)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
Jonah Rock vs. Sammy Guevara
They did a match where the *much* bigger wrestler was the babyface, and the obnoxious flippy guy was the heel. The fans were mostly willing to buy into that dynamic thankfully, but the wrestlers (particularly Rock) really did not seem capable of making it work.

Sammy seems close to deftly combining his obnoxious personality with a high-flying arsenal. It’s a tough line to walk, but you can tell he will get there.

Jonah Rock on the other hand has a lot of work to do. He really needs to work on showing some fire and energy. Large wrestlers on the indies these days seem obsessed with working calmly and without any explosiveness. Keith Lee was basically the only dude who could pull that off. Get it together, lads. [Jonah submitted Sammy to win. (**½)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
DJ Z vs. Robbie Eagles
Given that DJ Z is probably the 2nd or 3rd best wrestler in the tournament, this whole thing was a disappointment. However, it was not that bad. It’s just that Zema is one of the few automatic “good match wrestlers” left on the scene besides Walter, and his lone singles match for the evening should have been with someone whom he would have had an easier dynamic with.

These guys tried really hard and went for some ambitious stuff. A lot of moments were awkward though (presumably due to their unfamiliarity with each other), and they never really got into a rhythm. It was fine. (**¾)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
Darby Allin vs. Jeff Cobb
Darby, The Guy of Evolve, has done what some have said is impossible: he had a fun match with Jeff Cobb.
They said it was not possible.

They said that Cobb moved too slowly, put in too little effort, and learned all the wrong lessons about putting on fun matches.

But the boyhood dream has come true!

Cobb tossed Darby around. Darby gets ragdolled better than just about anyone. Darby showed great fire, as he always does. He made a valiant and reckless comeback. He was willing to do anything, and it cost him in the end.

He went for the coffin drop when Cobb was on the apron. Cobb cleared out, and Darby came up empty *hard* on the apron. Cobb pounced with a ropes-assisted German that murdered Darby and gave him the win. GOOD MATCH. Darby is one of the best in the world. (***¾)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
Shingo Takagi vs. Ilja Dragunov
Despite a few awkward moments early on (and one late in the match), this was what it needed to be. It was a real physical battle. Takagi mostly was in control. Ilja showed a lot of fire. They beat the fuck out of each other. Takagi’s victory felt hard-earned. And they did not overstay their welcome. All good things in a tournament. (***¼)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles First Round Match
WALTER vs. Timothy Thatcher
This was a poor follow-up to their near-MOTYC earlier in the year.

The first two-thirds match were quite good and a solid base for what could have been a potentially great match. Unfortunately, they really just lost the thread on the match late in the contest. It just took a turn and suddenly became one of those matches that just went on and on. It was unfortunate. [Walter won after a standing lariat.] (**½)

 

Bandido, Flamita, & Rey Horus vs. #STRONGHEARTS (CIMA, Zachary Wentz, & Dezmond Xavier)
This was exactly the kind of match that it needed to be both within its own bubble and to end Stage 2 of this year’s BOLA successfully. There were lots of flipz. There were lots of movez. There was little in the way of bad comedy. They got in and out before they overstayed their welcome. A fun time was had by all. [Team OWE won cleanly.] (***½)

 

 

Stage 3

September 16, 2018
Los Angeles, California, USA

Commentator: Excalibur

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinal Round Match
Trevor Lee vs. Brody King
This match was mostly made up of Trevor Lee sluggishly and methodically working over Brody King. If that sounds appealing, then this is the match for you. For us sane fold, this was quite dull.

For years now, Trevor only really puts mental (and sometimes physical as well) effort into CWF-MA and TNA. Everywhere else he treats as a night off. I’m sure he has his reasons, but it has decreased the odds dramatically that his work anywhere else will be worth watching. This one was not an outlier.

This Brody King fella. He does not seem very good. He’s got an unique look and a fine build. You could easily envision a scenario where he would be a solid big man. He is really far from putting it together though. He needs a lot more confidence in the way he carries himself, and he actually needs to start beating people up and dropping dopes on their heads instead of worrying about his step-up hurricanrana. He’s got a long ways to go. [Trevor Lee won with crossbody slam.] (*½)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinal Round Match
Rey Horus vs. Jeff Cobb

This was *exactly* the match it needed to be. Horus tried to as many flippy-do movez as possible. It initially worked. Then Cobb tossed him into the air and immediately dropped him on his head with a disgusting lariat. THAT is the kind of wrestler more big men on the US indies need to act like. Work with purpose. Be explosive. Do not shy away from violence.

The rest of the match played out nicely. Cobb continued to toss him around. Horus used flippy-do related movez to keep it competitive. Cobb’s size and strength won out in the end though. Cobb could have worked more like a violent mad man at times, but this weekends continues to be one of Cobb’s best showings of his career. (***½)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinal Round Match
Shingo Takagi vs. Robbie Eagles
The story of this one was quite subtle but effective, and it allowed them to build to a wild finish. Takagi was working cautiously for a while. Eagles was going much harder and faster from the start. It proved to be a smart strategy for Takagi, as Eagles did not have enough firepower to finish Takagi. Eagles was unwittingly putting himself in a position where he could run out of gas

As the match worn on, Takagi decided it was finally time to go for the kill. He has a ton of big movez that can finish off an opponent quickly when in the right combination. Eagles survived the onslaught though and started to fire off his best stuff in attempt to escape with a victory. Takagi could not keep Eagles down so he had to bust out a submission to finish him. Real good match that had an electric environment at the end that felt like a throwback to peak PWG. (***½)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinal Round Match
Cima vs. Joey Janela

“Joey Janela defeated Cima” is a helluva sentence. The match was largely flat and boring, and there were only two real notable matches.

First, Cima clapped his hands for the equivalent thigh slap while doing a coast-to-coast diving knees to a prone Janela. Some true galaxy-brain wrestling there.

Second, Cima’s facial expressions (as seen above) when Janela kicked out of a Meteora was quite amusing.

This match happened. (**1/4)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinal Round Match
Walter vs. Jonah Rock

This was short and energetic. More hoss battles should be structured like this one. Jonah doing Roman Reigns stuff was heat was weak, but beggars can’t be choosers. [Walter won via powerbomb.] (**¾)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinal Round Match
Bandido vs. Flamita
There were some cool spots in this one obviously. The match did not feel cohesive by any stretch of the imagination though and felt like only a series of spots that could at best be charitably described as “loosely connected.” Bandido at least won. (**¼)

 

PWG World Tag Team Championship
The Rascalz(c) (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) vs. Pentagon Jr. & Fenix
This match was classic PWG: Very Funny Era. They did comedy forever. It was not particularly clever even if much of it got over with the crowd. Then they pretended to follow tag rules. Then they stopped following tag rules and did a tornado tag match. Some of the stuff they did looked good of course, but there was never any reason to care. BAD. (**¼)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles Semifinal Round Match
Trevor Lee vs. Jeff Cobb

Trevor went to cut a promo. Cobb murdered him and won in under ten seconds. Excellent stuff. Cobb is having the weekend of his life. (***)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles Semifinal Round Match
Bandido vs. Joey Janela
What else is there to say about Janela garbage matches*? When he does big dumb stuff from beginning to end, his matches have a higher probability of being good. When he pretends to wrestle for the first 90% of the match and then does a bunch of big dumb stuff, only the big dumb stuff at the end gets over and is fun. This match was of the latter variety. That big dumb stuff sure was fun though! (**¼)

*Non-garbage Janela matches can be fun!

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles Semifinal Round Match
Shingo Takagi vs. Walter

This was pretty awful and a strong contender for WMOTWeekend. The semifinal round of the three-night BOLAs is almost always some of the worst wrestling in the company. All of the wrestlers have had a long, pressure-filled weekend coming in. And half of the competitors know they still have more to go. What follows inevitably is almost always sluggish action that makes no one look good.

Tragically, Shingo Takagi vs. Walter was wasted in such a circumstance. Both guys were clearly very tired and opted for a long, drawn-out affair instead of getting in and out quickly. It was really quite the chore to get through. Takagi’s sudden Pumping Bomber finish was at least exciting. (*¾)

 

Team DJ Z (DJ Z, T-Hawk, Adam Brooks, Timothy Thatcher, & David Starr) vs. Team PCO (PCO, Dan Barry, Jody Fleisch, Puma King, & Darby Allin)

This match featured many of the losers from the first round of the 2018 BOLA and also Dan Barry. It was an overlong mess. Some of the stuff was fun though. Call it… (**1/2)

 

2018 Battle of Los Angeles Final
Shingo Takagi vs. Bandido vs. Jeff Cobb

This was a tale of two matches. The first match was slow, plodding, and not at all interesting. Beyond Takagi getting eliminated, nothing in the first half of the match made much of an impact. The guys were just too tired unfortunately, which made this a sluggish way to end what was a fairly enjoyable weekend of wrestling.

The second half of the match was much better and much more fitting for the end of this weekend. It featured a crowd-pleasing extended sequence of kickouts between Bandido and Cobb where both guys were just desperately throwing out what little they had left.

Jeff Cobb ended up winning the match and thus, the whole tournament. That in it of itself was not a big surprise. What ended up being a pleasant surprise was that Cobb clearly had the best weekend of everyone on the tournament’s roster.

Cobb has been one of the most disappointing wrestlers on the US indies the last few years. He has all the tools to be successful but has been coasting on hype and settling for boring matches time and time again.

This weekend was different. In a combination of increased effort and wise booking, Cobb left this weekend looking like someone worthy of being the winner of a BOLA and someone who deserves all the hype and accolades that he gets. Yay. (***)

 

My list of 5-Star Matches.