Truth B Told 10.30.08: ’08 BoLA BoLOW Out

Posted by Bayani Domingo on 10.30.2008

This week we’re previewing Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s 2008 Battle of Los Angeles, where 17 men do battle in a test of wits, strengthen, stamina, and backstage pull. If you're a fan of Indy wrestling than this week shall be a "Feast", if you don't...um...the hot chicks are only a few "Page Dn" away.

What's a BoLA?

In September of 2005 Pro Wrestling Guerilla ran their first ever Battle of Los Angeles Tournament. The two day tournament featured 16 of some of the most prominent names on the Indy circuit including AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Jamie Noble, Bryan Danielson, Jack Evans, Frankie Kazarian, Super Dragon, and many more. In the tournament finals Chris Bosh surprised the entire field by beating AJ Styles in the finals. Bosh won the trophy and went on to challenge for the PWG Title on numerous occasions. Unfortunately he lost 7 of his next 8 matches and ultimately the BoLA win went for naught.

One year later BoLA '06 featured an even larger and more diverse field of combatants as 24 men did battle over a 3 night tournament. Names such as Chris Hero, Austin Aries, Colt Cabana, Claudio Castagnoli, Roderick Strong, Delirious, and Chris Sabin were joined by 3 debuting members of the Japanese promotion, Dragon Gate. CIMA, Genki Horiguchi, and Dragon Kid made their PWG debuts in the tournament with CIMA losing in the finals to Davey Richards. Davey went on to cash in his "wild card match" to challenge B-Boy and Super Dragon for the Tag Titles instead of going after the World Title. Davey took on Roderick Strong as his partner and finally beat B-Boy and SD for the belts on All-Star Weekend 4...only to lose them back the next night. Again the BoLA win was seemingly squandered on a one day tag team title reign.

Last year the Battle of Los Angeles returned with yet another field of 24 which included: Jimmy Rave, SHINGO, Susumu Yokosuka, El Generico, CIMA, Alex Shelley, Kevin Steen, Matt Sydal, Doug Williams, Dragon Kid, Roderick Strong, Austin Aries, PAC, Nigel McGuiness, Davey Richards, Jack Evans, Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, Tyler Black, Human Tornado, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Necro Butcher, and Tony Kozina. Of course like other years there was some shuffling of the card as Austin Aries replaced Rocky Romero after winning a match in which Aries put his Salsa collection against Rocky's tournament spot. Hey, a little Tito Fuentes can make a man do crazy things. Chris Bosh retired and was replaced by Necro Butcher, Danielson was the recipient of the annual "Who is going to get hurt in an RoH show prior to BoLA" award and was replaced by Tony Kozina, who is a mirror image of AmDrag…if you live in a circus funhouse. Then Alex Shelley had some huge shoes, as well as XXL spandex to fill as Super Dragon's replacement.

While some fans considered the first two nights a bit of a disappointment considering the impressive line-up for this event, Night 3 has been arguably considered one of the best nights of wrestling on the Indy scene in 2007 and several matches were absolutely fantastic, including the finals which saw CIMA outlast both Roderick Strong and El Generico for the BoLA Trophy. Unfortunately, however CIMA would never be able to cash in his guaranteed title shot as he seemingly lost his title shot (or sole ownership) to Bryan Danielson after they wrestled to a DRAW at All-Star Weekend 6 and before the situation could be resolved CIMA was put on the shelf due to an existing neck injury that was further exacerbated in a Dragon Gate match. The curse of BoLA lives on.

This year PWG is putting on another installment of the < a href= http://www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com/2008BOLA/>"Battle of Los Angeles" with a few minor tweaks. Originally slated to take place during the summer it seems as if this year's tournament has been the shakiest one yet. After a number of delays and reschedules it seems as though the falling economy, the rise in competition for bookings, or possibly the uncertainty of finding a suitable venue caused BoLA to return to it's roots and scale back down to a 16 man tournament. While originally the inclusion of Dragon Gate wrestlers were used as a reason for the delay it seems odd that as it stands only one actual Dragon Gate wrestler was booked for the tournament. Also after the initial announcement that BoLA would now be a 16 man tournament (instead of 24) which would last over two days (instead of the scheduled 3), PWG also announced that plans may change due to TNA also holding house shows in Southern California the same weekend and many fans expressing the desire to possibly miss one night of BoLA in order to attend a TNA House Show that week. PWG then send confirmation two weeks later that BoLA would in fact remain on Halloween weekend, but Night 1 would be moved forward to a 2 pm start time to accommodate those fans wanting to make the drive down to Anaheim to see the TNA House Show. Night 2 would be the following night and feature the last 3 rounds of the tournament, however no other "Non-Tournament Matches" had been announced. Of course this leads to speculation about the potential surprise guests that might show up as it seems odd that only one Dragon Gate wrestler could be booked for this tournament and PWG moved their show in order to seemingly accommodate the fans they share with TNA, without any sort of compensation for doing so from TNA themselves.

This year there are already some mixed feelings about the line-up as this year features some of the biggest names in American Indy wrestling, some local favorites, and only one debut. Let's meet the eligible bachelors, shall we?

1. Davey Richards (2006 Battle Of Los Angeles Winner)

Davey Richards' PWG career since his '06 BoLA win has been somewhat inconsistent and after shunning an opportunity at the PWG Heavyweight Championship for Tag Team gold his direction seems unclear. While Davey has only been a sporadic participant at recent PWG shows due mainly to his outside commitments to RoH and a recent tour of Japan, Davey has widely been considered a "local talent" as he first gained prominence in PWG. While Davey has been a solid performer and a fan favorite it remains to be seen whether PWG missed the boat with Davey two years ago when he was still a hot act and was at the peak of his popularity and if he will ever get the chance to hold the PWG Title.

Why He Will Win: Davey knows what it takes to win BoLA and with one less round than his 2006 run he may have more left in the tank for the '08 tournament. Davey is one of only two men to have been a part of every BoLA tournament thus far and his time in Japan may have prepared him better for dealing with the vast styles of all his potential opponents.

Why He Will Lose: I can't imagine PWG letting Davey win 2 tournaments, especially since he has not been booked quite as regularly has he had been in the past. Davey also faces one of the 3 tournament favorites in Bryan Danielson in the first round and I can't imagine they would book AmDrag again after his long absence just to have him job out in the opening round.

Odds: 6 -1

2. Chuck Taylor (First Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

In his 2nd appearance after debuting at All-Star Weekend 7, "Sexy" Chucky T has already become a very popular wrestler in PWG due to his colorful personality and quick wit. Chuck is probably the closest replacement to Chris Bosh that PWG has seen in quite a while since his retirement and although Chuck has mainly worked comedy matches in PWG and around the country he has already experience a measure of success in tournaments in the past year and a half after winning the Young Lion's Cup and the 2007 Rey de Voladores as well as holding multiple titles (sometimes simultaneously) in IWA:MS. Chuck has to shed his reputation as a "Comedy first, wrestling second" type of wrestler if he wants to beat the rest of the field in this year's BoLA.

Why He Will Win: Chucky T has won his fair share of tournament already in his young career and has faced plenty of stiff competition in his domination of IWA:MS. If PWG was looking for a popular wrestler who isn't already in high demand from RoH and Japan than Chucky T might be the man to get the surprise "Bosh Push" this year.

Why He Will Lose: Chuck has to face a sentimental favorite in TJ Perkins in round 1, will probably faces Bryan Danielson in the Quarter Finals, and may have to take on Hero in the Semi's, just to get to the winner of the other brackets, which may end up being either Low Ki or Nigel McGuinness…THEN he has to beat them as well to win the whole thing. Tall order. What's more is that Chuck Taylor is the kind of "comedy wrestler" that PWG seems to like having in the "Loser's Tag Match" on night 2 which is almost always comedy-centric. Chuck probably lies in the bottom quarter 3rd of wrestlers favored to not even seen the 2nd Night of the tournament.

Odds: 8 - 1

3. Masato Yoshino (First Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

The current "Open the Brave Gate" champion in Dragon Gate and the only puro participant this year is making his first every appearance in BoLA as well as his first ever singles match in the U.S. (or at least in California). A lot is expected of Yoshino considering he is not only fast, but an able veteran who has faced a good number of wrestlers in this tournament in either tag matches or in Japan. Considering that much was made of Dragon Gate's prescence in BoLA this year and PWG made it seem as if a lot of the scheduling problems were due to being able to secure DG participants it is interesting that only Yoshino is booked. Yoshino is booked in the opening round 3-way with two opponents he has a lot of familiarity with in Dragon Gate. Considering that pretty much no one stateside has ever seen Yoshino in singles competition it will be interesting to see just what he can do. Luckily for Yoshino he has already made several trips to Southern California so he won't be too nervous about making the trip out here alone, plus he seems to be one of only two Dragon Gate wrestlers who seem to have a U.S. driver's license…or at least be confident enough to pretend he has one to be driving around the DG rental van every trip out.

Why He Will Win: You don't spend the time, money, and effort to book only one Dragon Gate wrestler without booking him to go far in the tournament. Considering Yoshino is the only puro attraction in the tournament and a fairly popular wrestler on the American Indy scene you would think that the more matches he wrestlers in singles competition the more DVD's you might end up selling. A DG wrestler won last year's tournament so there is already a precedence set for this year.

Why He Will Lose: Considering CIMA won last year it is very unlikely Yoshino will take this year's tournament. While I would expect Yoshino to at least make the 2nd round there is a good chance that Low Ki will be waiting for him when he gets there. Not something I would be looking forward to if I were him.

Odds: 6 - 1

4. El Generico (Fourth Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

One of only two men to participate in every BoLA thus far, the "Generic Luchador" is one of the most popular wrestlers in PWG history and is currently the RoH Co-Tag Champion along with Kevin Steen. Generico made it to last year's finals and now has the luxury of facing two men in the first round he is very familiar with from his tour of Dragon Gate. Every year Generico performs admirably in his matches and is one of the most seasoned and reliable performers that PWG has.

Why He Will Win: Generico seems to get one step closer each year in the tournament and one would think that this might be the year he takes that final steps and wins the whole ball of wax. With CIMA out of the tournament this year El Generico fortunately will not have to face the man who has knocked him out of the last two tournament (in the Semi-finals in '06 and the Finals in '07). Generico is always a crowd favorite and booking him to win the whole tournament almost guarantees 4 quality matches throughout the tourney.

Why He Will Lose: If Generico didn't win last year, he won't win this year. He is facing one of the priciest fly-ins of the tournament in Yoshino, a close 2nd or 3rd if he faces Low Ki in the next round, then potentially the other most expensive (and popular) workers in Nigel in the Semi's. PWG loves Generico, but going up against potentially some of the biggest (and most expensive) names on the Indy scene and winning seems like a long shot.

Odds: 6 - 1

5. Kenny Omega (First Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

Omega is only debuting wrestler in this year's tournament and has been gaining some measure of fan interest in the past year after coming touring with DDT in Japan and debuting recently in RoH. Omega is a former WWE "Developmental Talent" who has good size and a reputation for being a decent high flyer. Omega's star seems to be on the rise and this might be a tryout in PWG that could turn into big things for Omega if he does well in the tournament.

Why He Will Win: He's an unknown and an underdog. Well at least he's not very widely known yet, but he is gaining a following already around the U.S. and PWG loves to try to take wrestlers to the next level by giving them a platform to shine. This was the case with Kevin Steen, El Generico, Davey Richards, and several others. Omega is the kind of Dark Horse candidate that could end up surprising a lot of people.

Why He Will Lose: He's an unknown commodity to the West Coast fans and he's a PWG newbie. Omega isn't nearly as popular or well known as some of the other participants and having him with the tournament over "Bigger Names" might cause a bit of backlash and poor DVD sales as a result.

Odds: 16 - 1

6. Brandon Bonham (First Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

"New Guy" Brandon Bonham is undefeated since his PWG debut a few months ago and already has a cult following in PWG. While he's been known to employ many different finishing moves to put away his opponents, never the same two since his debut, he'll need to bust them all out to survive 4 matches. Bonham has wrestled all around the US and I'm told he currently resides in Northern California so at least he won't be jet legged, he also is one of the few PWG-centric wrestlers in the tournament that doesn't take a significant amount of bookings from one of the larger Indy feds and thus has been able to be a regular for several months in PWG without issue.

Why He Will Win: He's a fairly local guy who isn't receiving a lot of outside bookings that might interfere with him committing a good amount of time to PWG in exchange for a "push of a lifetime" for this young guy. He has started to get a bit of a cult following the way Davey Richards had in his early going in PWG and may be the next wrestler PWG tries to build up from "scratch".

Why He Will Lose: He's not really known enough to anywhere to be given this kind of a push. While other fans have really gotten on the bandwagon I am just not blown away by the guy. Solid enough, but a bit spotty. Not to say he won't evolve into a great wrestler someday, and perhaps sooner than expected, but he's just not ready for this kind of a "push" yet and "Brandon Bonham '08 BoLA Champion" isn't selling any DVDs.

Odds: 32 - 1

7. Austin Aries (Third Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

Aries is a BoLA veteran and still ranks among the top tier of Indy workers even though his 2008 has been fairly unspectacular so far. Aries has spent most of the year in RoH feuding with the AoTF and has only been on a handful of PWG shows this year. Last year he was knocked out of the first round by Roderick Strong and has never gotten past the 2nd round of BoLA. Aries went from semi-regular to "special attraction" in PWG fairly quickly and it will be interesting to see if he is able to recover from a somewhat disappointing performance at ASW7 to capture the BoLA championship. Although Aries has never been a big part of PWG (especially when compared to RoH and his commitment to them first and foremost), but he has a real opportunity to cement his place in the company with a win here.

Why He Will Win: Aries is still one of the Top 5 U.S. Indy workers in the country right now in terms of popularity and success. Aries has wrestled almost every big named wrestler on this card and has the experience and ability to hang with anyone the tournament throws at him.

Why He Will Lose: Aries faces Nigel in a match-up pitting two "favorites" against each other. Prior to the brackets being announced it seemed certain both men would end up in at least the Quarter Finals but Aries now finds himself against a much bigger opponent with a better Win-Loss record over him. Nigel is the RoH champion and it would be mind boggling to see him job out in the first round in a "rival" company's big show. As popular as Aries is on the Indy scene, Nigel still remains slightly above him and considering this is only Nigel's 2nd appearance (last BoLA being his first) in a PWG ring my guess is we'll see him in at least 2 singles matches this weekend.

Odds: 6 - 1

8. PWG World Champion Chris Hero (Third Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

Chris Hero IS PWG. At least if you ask him. Hero is the current PWG World Heavyweight Champion and has yet to register a single win in the tournament. Hero has more to lose than to gain as he'll be putting his reputation on the line for a chance at showing PWG that he is without equal, however this does make sense as Hero has not only stepped up his game considerably in PWG since pursuing the title, but has also wrestled almost every single wrestler on his side of the bracket leading up to the finals. While it wouldn't be unexpected or even out of the question for Hero to win the whole tournament, it seems unlikely. Still he is a favorite to make it to the finals and along the way any wrestler able to knock Hero out of the tournament would seem to be almost guaranteed a future title shot. While other "Big Name" wrestlers have come and gone in PWG's 3 year history Chris Hero has been one of the few constants and now he has a chance to truly make PWG his own personal playground.

Why He Will Win: Hero is not only the current champion but the odds on favorite to be a finalist. In fact his Block seems to be one of the easiest to predict. Hero winning the trophy would be just another potential step in either turning him into the HHH of PWG or perhaps…a heel turn?

Why He Will Lose: One man shouldn't be that damn dominant over an entire company. Unless Hero is secretly married to Super Dragon's daughter…but where would that leave Candice LaRae? I think Hero is part of this tourney in order to not only help fill out the brackets, but also to find him a new contender for the title without the BoLA winner having to immediately turn in his shot.

Odds: 3 - 1

9. Necro Butcher (Third Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

What can you say about Necro? The man just loves to drink, fight, and smoke we…wait, didn't he just recently give that up? Okay, maybe a BoLA win would be reason enough to spark up a celebratory "fatty". Necro is a good ol' fashion brawler that the crowd loves. He's been in some slug fests and he's usually on the losing end of those, but the man gives his all and the crowd loves him. it's amazing to see his star continue to rise on both coasts as he's really managed to avoid being the "Kimbo Slice" of the Mid-South and find some real fan support in the bigger companies.

Why He Will Win: Everyone loves Necro, plus if every match is a "No DQ" then he has every advantage in the tourney.

Why He Will Lose: Not every match will be "No DQ" and even if he gets past Hero (unfathomable as it may be) he's up against some stiff competition in the semi-finals. While Necro is a great guy and an entertaining wrestler it seems almost counter productive to let this brawler beat out the rest of the field in a "wrestling tournament". He'll be easy to root for, but hard to believe in.

Odds: 16 - 1

10. "The Professional" Scott Lost (Third Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

One of the "PWG 6" Lost is a part owner of PWG and one of the few staples that has been with the company since it's inception. Lost can work just about any style of wrestling and he'll be looking for his next big chance to finally get that elusive 1st BoLA win. He'll be facing his tag team partner and long time buddy, Joey Ryan, but something tells me this may work in his advantage, especially if this match lasts longer than Joey's cardio. So about 4 mins +. Lost is a sentimental choice to win here as he's never had a sustainable singles "push" but he's got to be considered a real underdog in this field.

Why He Will Win: Sentimental favorite to receive the "locals" push and title win after last year went to the "Big Name". If any "local" has a chance of winning this thing then it's Lost.

Why He Will Lose: The guy's name is "Lost". Also add in the fact that as hard of a worker and as deserving of a "push" as Lost is, he's not the kind of name that gets people excited for watching a tournament. Plus the chance of him beating Hero and possible Danielson back to back is mind boggling.

Odds: 8 - 1

11. PWG World Tag Team Champion "Young Buck" Nick Jackson (First Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

"Slick" Nick is the one Youngbuck not getting married and he will be representing the Jacksons and the Tag Team Championships in this tourney. Nick has steadily improved from spastic spot monkey to, steady spot monkey and now he enters the most important tournament of his young singles career. Already sporting Tag Team gold he could earn his first every PWG Title shot with a win here as the ultimate underdog in the tournament. Lucky for Nick he is facing two guys he knows very well from his tour of Dragon Gate and might be able to pull off a sneaky win if he can let Generico and Yoshino kill each other before he swoops in for the win.

Why He Will Win: Because the power of Christ compels the bookers.

Why He Will Lose: Because it's pretty obvious. I wouldn't imagine he makes it out of the 1st round as a match between he and either Low Ki or Strong has considerably less appeal than his other two first round opponents. Beating a pricey, hyped up fly-in from Japan and one of the most beloved wrestlers in PWG is pretty much impossible, though I think Nick will shine here in a match tailor made for his brand of high flying.

Odds: 48 - 1

12. Roderick Strong (Third Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

Roderick Strong has been a regular for PWG for nearly 2 years now and has always fared well in PWG tournaments, he not only won DDT4 TWICE (with different partners) but he also got to last year's BoLA finals, narrowly losing to CIMA for the decisive pinfall. Now that CIMA is out of the tourney it seems Strong has a clear path to the trophy. Well, as clear as it can be with Low Ki and potentially Nigel McGuinness standing in the way. Strong is a solid wrestler and has yet to disappoint in a match with his hard hitting style. Unfortunately Strong has gotten close so many times to winning the PWG Title, but always comes up close and if he isn't able to grasp the brass ring soon he might be branded a "choker". While Strong has seemed to tread water in the larger feds as a "main event" type guy he never seems to get to the top of any one company for very long (FIP the exception) but winning BoLA might cement his place on the top tier of Indy workers he is so desperate to attain.

Why He Will Win: Strong knows what it takes to get to the finals and has faced pretty much everyone there is to face in PWG already. Strong is not only a brutal worker who can match strength with anyone in the tournament, but has also seemed to master the PWG tourney in his tenure in the company. Strong is also a PWG regular now and having him win the tournament would be a good way to ensure that PWG doesn't lose the services of the BoLA winner to another fed for a significant amount of time. Also, if you remember from last year CIMA won the tournament after losing in the previous finals, perhaps Strong will follow that same path this year. By virtue of his finals appearance last year Strong at the very least has to be given decent odds to repeat.

Why He Will Lose: Strong will have to face Low Ki in the first round, then either Aries or Nigel in the second round, it would be a miracle for him to be able to get past into the finals and then end up facing Hero or possible Danielson. Strong has always been pushed heavily as a successful Tag Team wrestler in PWG, but his singles pushes always seem to come up flat.

Odds: 6 - 1

13. Nigel McGuinness (Second Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

He's the "man" in RoH, but Nigel has only appeared in PWG once before (last year's BoLA), where he fell prey to El Generico on his way to the finals. Nigel brings with him an impressive resume, reputation, and arsenal of power moves this year, and perhaps his cute girlfriend as well. It will be interesting to see how Nigel is booked in the tournament seeing as how he is the RoH champion and an early round exit would not bode well for that company. He has the unenviable task of facing one of the elite Indy wrestlers in the first round in Austin Aries and may find that his success in RoH means nothing on the West Coast. The question is whether he will dig down and go to the "lariat well" one too many times and get caught in the "Horns of Aries"? Regardless, Nigel is a favorite in the tournament if for no other reason than his pedigree.

Why He Will Win: Currently Nigel has to be considered one of the Top 5 Indy wrestlers in the U.S. right now, arguably Top 2 or 3. He's held on to the RoH title for a full year and he has faced down Aries before. If he is lucky he will face Strong in the 2nd round (whom he has already beaten before) and from there he has wrestled and beaten every other top contender in the tourney. You don't break out the "Big Guns" to job in the early rounds do you?

Why He Will Lose: Just because you are an RoH champion, doesn't mean you're guaranteed anything in PWG. Remember that past RoH champions have entered this tournament and all have lost before making it to the finals. Would it make sense for PWG to invest in Nigel by giving him a win here considering RoH seems to be his #1, 2, and 3 priorities?

Odds: 4 -1

14. Joey Ryan (Third Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

Joey Ryan has more lives in PWG than he does Hawaiian shirts and hair styles, but he always seems to find his way into BoLA. Joey thus far has only made it to the 2nd round once and this time he faces long time friend and co-owner, Scott Lost. While Joey has always been the more stealthy of the two heels it will be interesting to see if the former PWG Champion is able to pull out a win against the one man who might know him better than he knows himself. Which is pretty well since I hear that Joey regularly "knows himself" before matches to calm his nerves. The "Longest reigning PWG Champion of all-time" has a chance to get back to singles glory and has more than a few tricks up his sleeve as well as down his painfully tight pink tights.

Why He Will Win: Joey knows how to "cheat to win" and has been wrestling in PWG longer than just about anyone in the tournament other than his 1st round opponent. This year PWG might let a "local" win again after the debacle with CIMA's title opportunity and Joey is one of two guys I think with a legitimate chance to be said, "local".

Why He Will Lose: While Joey has already garnered one win in a BoLA tournament (over Chris Hero last year) Lost has never made it to the 2nd round. I think this year that changes and Joey ends up in the "Consolation Comedy Tag Match" that he is better suited for. While we saw Hero vs Joey in last year's tourney I think we skip that re-match this year in favor of a fresher match-up.

Odds: 16 - 1

15. TJ Perkins (First Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

TJ "Emo" Perkins finally gets a shot at BoLA and so far so good on the injury front as TJ has managed to escape the injury bug thus far, or at least no one has reported it in SoCal. TJ keeps getting announced and keeps getting taken out due to injury or "injury". This time he has a chance to finally enter and perhaps get a win over a technically inferior though personality superior wrestler in Chuck Taylor. The real question is whether TJ will actually see the light of BoLA or if this is merely a "red herring" that will see TJ mysteriously replaced by a surprise wrestler from either TNA or Dragon Gate. PWG does love their surprises and while conventional wisdom would say that PWG should announce any "Big names" prior to the show, I think the potential for them to surprise the fans as a "thanks for sticking with us through this total clusterfuck of planning" is fairly high.

Why He Will Win: TJ is up there with the "locals who might win and get a big push". He also is as good of a technical wrestler as just about anyone in the tournament. TJ might actually have the easiest first round match of the tournament and if he can gain momentum maybe he can out wrestle Danielson or Davey in the second round. TJ has to hope for Davey though because Danielson would own his ass like he was in OZ.

Why He Will Lose: I'm only 50/50 that TJ will even BE in the tournament and not replaced the day of the show. Plus, there is just no way in hell TJ wins this thing. Only Nick Jackson has as poor of a chance of winning as he does. Sorry TJ, you're a hard worker and deserving of a push, but TJ Perkins ain't selling no DVDs over seas.

Odds: 32 -1

16. Bryan Danielson (Second Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

Best…in…the…world. Need I say more? Oh, I guess I do since you guys would say I was slacking if not. Danielson is a former champion who lost his title to Low Ki in a surprise match at All-Star Weekend 6. Danielson has always been booked strong in PWG and considering this is the make-up for last year's BoLA which he sat out with injury, I would expect him to make a good long run to at least the semi-finals. A match-up with Hero seems likely and if he is able to get past the current champ than his march to the trophy seems academic.

Why He Will Win: Didn't you just read that "Best in the world" line earlier? Danielson is a draw and one of the Top 2 or 3 wrestlers on the Indy scene, if not THE top one. He has wrestled and beaten pretty much everyone there is to wrestle and there is no way he's not getting in a few wins in this year's tourney.

Why He Will Lose: Danielson is one of 3 favorites and it's rare when a "favorite' wins BoLA. He also has to potentially face 2 of either Chris Hero, Low Ki, or Nigel at some point and while Danielson has already won the PWG title, he may not "need" to win BoLA in order to stay "over".

Odds: 3 - 1

17. Low Ki (First Battle Of Los Angeles Appearance)

Low Ki was robbed of his PWG Title by a freak accident in Japan that forced him to vacate the title due to injury. He has managed to beat several top wrestlers in his short time in PWG with only 1 clean one-on-one loss to Samoa Joe to his credit. He was a mere few seconds from reclaiming the title at the last All-Star Weekend when Chris Hero managed to pin Eddie Kingston before Necro Butcher could tap to the Dragon Sleeper. This year he enters BoLA with his sights set on the trophy and a guaranteed title match on his mind…even though Hero basically already guaranteed him one. So I guess he'd get two then…right?

Why He Will Win: Low Ki technically never lost the PWG Title and he might get an opportunity to win himself another shot this weekend. Ki also is becoming a semi-regular in PWG and so far has not returned to RoH which makes the prospects of pushing him over other RoH regulars a very real possibility. Ki has to be considered a favorite in this tourney and considering all of the fresh match-ups for him in PWG in this tournament would foreshadow a long run through to the finals.

Why He Will Lose: Ki doesn't need to win BoLA to be over. Plus he already has a "loose promise" of a title shot in the future from Hero. Also if Ki and Danielson makes it to the finals then one would reason that Ki doesn't get to go over AmDrag for a 2nd straight time since PWG loves to book those "rubber matches". NO…not THAT kind of "rubber match". Pervs.

Odds: 3 - 1

Now that you know the wrestlers let's take a look at the opening round matches and bracketing:



Block A
Brandon Bonham vs Kenny Omega
- The "New Guy" vs the "Newer Guy". Bonham is getting a nice little "push" as an unbeaten "regular" and now faces another young up and comer who is making a name for himself on the East Coast as Bonham is on the West. While Omega is the more recognizable wrestler (not by much though) right now, Bonham is getting the old PWG "newcomer push" and seems to be a safer bet to win here if you want to push the "PWG regulars" vs a flashy newbie. Oddly enough both guys work a similar flashy high flying style and this may come down to who presents a more intriguing match-up for the 2nd round opponent.

Austin Aries vs Nigel McGuinness

- This is one of the "marquee match-ups" of the first round between two of Indy's "elite". These guys are no strangers to each other and within the past year Nigel has beaten Aries in both their one-on-one encounters. Logic would dictate that RoH booking has nothing to do with PWG booking, however Nigel is the bigger name right now even though he has less to do with PWG than he does with RoH.

Block B
Low Ki vs Roderick Strong

- A fresh, first time match-up for PWG between two very popular wrestlers. It will be a heavily strike heavy match, but both men have been using submissions to finish off their opponents as of late. Strong has always performed well in PWG tournaments and has the advantage of experience here, however Low Ki is considered the favorite since he has held the one title that has eluded Strong in PWG.

El Generico vs Nick Jackson vs Masato Yoshino (3-way,1 fall)

- Well if you can't book more Dragon Gate wrestlers then you might as well book wrestlers who have toured Dragon Gate. This will be a very Dragon Gate-esque match between wrestlers who have either come from or spent a significant time with the DG promotion and is guaranteed to be a non-stop fast paced spot fest from the opening bell. Another match which has been anticipated by PWG fans and a great way to show case both Nick Jackson and Yoshino who have thus far been featured mainly as tag team competitors. I actually thought Nick was a last minute fill-in after someone else must have pulled out of BoLA when I saw he was announced since it seemed pointless to have him in the tourney since he was almost guaranteed to get knocked out in the first round, but after the announcement of this match it all made sense. You have to assume that the fresher match-up of having Yoshino face Low Ki for the first time or Strong for the first time as a singles match would present the more attractive option, however don't rule out some sort of whacky double pin that would lead to an additional 3-way in round 2.

Block C
TJ Perkins vs Chuck Taylor

- "Local Boy" vs "Flavor of the Month" is featured in this match as TJ Perkins FINALLY gets his shot in BoLA. I still maintain that this might be some sort of a smoke screen that will see TJ replaced by a surprise contestant and TJ teaming with Hook Bomberry in the undercard, but if TJ ends up wrestling you can be sure that he has a better than average chance of advancing to the next round. TJ's skills would be a better match against Danielson or Davey, however if Danielson or Davey were booked to go to the finals then a "comedy match" against Chuck Taylor might be a nice little breather to keep them fresh for the coming rounds. If TJ does manage to stick in the tournament then he should be playing the "straight man" to Chuck's slapstick. While Taylor is no slouch in the ring, teaming him with a solid veteran like TJ will help him really shine whether he advances or not. Stay tuned because you never know what will happen in this match and if another "injury" will force PWG to make a last second switch.

Bryan Danielson vs Davey Richards

- This should be a very hard hitting match-up as Davey tries to regain glory by being the first ever two-time BoLA champion and Danielson stakes a claim at taking back his PWG Title. I believe this is the first 1-on-1 match for these two as they have previously met in a 4-way for the PWG Title. This will be a very interesting match-up as Davey is a former winner, yet Danielson is the marquee name here and if he advances to the semi's along with Hero will create a truly remarkable match-up that might go a long way in determining a #1 contender for the belt.

Block D
Chris Hero vs Necro Butcher (No DQ)

- The first time these two have hooked up in a No DQ match 1-on-1 in PWG and this one should be pretty wild. I could see this match playing to Necro's strengths but I doubt he'll stand a chance against the current PWG Champ. Although this might play out in later matches if Hero gets "injured" during the match and is taken out later by an opportunist in the next round or two. Expect plenty of "Plundah" as Necro wrestlers almost exclusively in PWG under these rules and Hero has been in his fair share of these type of matches while feuding with Kingston and Human Tornado on his way to the title. This one will be one of those "I guess I'll have to buy the DVD to see what happened" kind of matches for those in attendance as these kind of matches end up all over the place and even outside of it. PWG has been employing a greater number of hardcore matches and this year the appetite for mayhem will be amply satisfied.

Joey Ryan vs Scott Lost

- Partner vs Partner, these two have been running together for quite sometime in PWG. First as founders of the "X-Foundation" with Funky Billy Kim, then as rivals as they split up prior to Lost and Bosh forming "Arrogance", then being reunited again under "The Dynasty" banner. These two have been involved in one of the more infamous ladder matches in PWG history the last time they hooked up 1-on-1 and although this won't reach that level of intensity this should be a fairly well wrestled match which will personify PWG's special brand of comedy and workrate.

So there you have the brackets. If you want my own prediction of this year's tournament you'll have to check out the PWG Roundtable tomorrow. While it's clear that the favorites to make the semi-finals are Low Ki vs Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson vs Chris Hero, there is usually at least one surprise finalist and this year will probably be no exception. The unpredictability of BoLA is what makes it one of the, if not the, greatest tournament of the year on the Indy scene. Wait a second…has there been a better tournament this year in the "e" or TNA? No, this year's BoLA just might be the single best tournament this year. The question is: Is this the best BoLA line-up ever? Well you be the judge:

2005 BoLA: Frankie Kazarian, Rocky Romero, Quicksilver, Davey Richards, James Gibson, Joey Ryan, Chris Bosh (Winner), El Generico, Bryan Danielson, Ricky Reyes, Christopher Daniels, Scott Lost, Jack Evans, AJ Styles, Super Dragon, Kevin Steen.

2006 BoLA: Colt Cabana, Chris Sabin, Delirious, El Generico, CIMA, M-Dogg 20, Kevin Steen, Matt Sydal, Quicksilver, Dragon Kid, Roderick Strong, Rocky Romero, Austin Aries, Disco Machine, Ronin, Davey Richards (Winner), Jack Evans, Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, Genki Horiguchi, Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky, Super Dragon, Necro Butcher

2007 BoLA: Jimmy Rave, SHINGO, Susumu Yokosuka, El Generico, CIMA (Winner), Alex Shelley, Kevin Steen, Matt Sydal, Doug Williams, Dragon Kid, Roderick Strong, Austin Aries, PAC, Nigel McGuiness, Davey Richards, Jack Evans, Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, Tyler Black, Human Tornado, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Necro Butcher, Tony Kozina

2008 BoLA: 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

If you are looking at which of the past BoLA's had the best overall wrestling from start to finish I would say that '06 had great consistency all the way through. If you are looking for the best wrestled matches and single best night of the tournament then Night 3 of '07 would get my nod. But as far as the overall line-up, when you look at the names in the context of today instead of what those names meant at the time they were announced then I would have to say last year's BoLA was absolutely packed to the gills with an amazing variety of styles and personalities. Although the wrestling didn't always live up to the hype, that last night really brought it all together to end an amazing tournament. While this year's line-up is smaller and doesn't feature as much diversity as years past there is a real opportunity to create a great weekend of wrestling. Without very little exception each of these wrestlers brings something unique to the tournament and there are no wasted spots this year attempting to "fill out" the rest of the brackets as even the "smaller names" serve a purpose in the matches they are booked in. The Battle of Los Angeles is going to have high expectations to fulfill considering that this has been such a turbulent year for PWG. With fewer shows than any full year past and with more issues with rescheduled events and "no shows" than years past this might be just what PWG needs to get back on track in competing with RoH at the top of the Indy food chain. For those of you who crave the details, here you go:

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.

See ya there!!

The Truth

For those of you living within a two hour drive of Burbank…make plans now to see this tournament, it will be well worth it. For those who couldn't give two shits about Indy wrestling and has never been to an event, well I can't convince you that Indy wrestling will totally change your perception of the competition because it won't. Indy wrestling and Indy wrestling tournaments have a totally unique flavor that is difficult to describe. It's like describing the taste of purple….or Big Hunk bars. Each year an entire slate of Indy tournaments happen from "Survival of the Fittest", "Ted Petty Invitational", "ECWA Super 8", "Best of the Best", ‘Tournament of Death", "Young Lion's Cup", Campeonatos de Parejas", and so on, but for me, BoLA just blows them all away. Yeah, I'm biased, but I haven't been proven wrong the past few years. If you love Indy wrestling then BoLA is usually one of the highlights of the year and a "Must Buy" on your DVD list, but if you don't like Indy wrestling…well at least you have some semi-naked chicks to stroke it to a few pages down.

Coming Up Short

It's good to see CM Punk get some gold around his waist again, but what significance have the WWE Tag Titles meant for some time? He is teaming up with Kofi Kingston for the reason that they are both "faces", nothing else. While at least "Simply Priceless" (btw, I've always hated that name) at least had some connection to each other, Punk and Kofi don't. Hell they don't even have a real tag team name yet. The announcers aren't even trying to come up with one. In fact it seems odd that the guy from one of the most pot smokingest countries in the world is teaming up with a straight edger. Now if they were doing a tag team of RVD and Punk or Edge and Punk then at least the whole "Odd couple" partnership would make sense. This is just two guys with nothing in common other than they get cheered. I'm hoping at the very least someone comes up with a good name for them, maybe: "Pass the Duchy on the Straight Edge Side", "Kofi and Cream", "Jamaican me Edgy", or "Neither of us Shampoo"? I dunno, something, all I know is that the WWE spends so much time putting together these tag teams with some semblance of unity and connection and they keep jobbing them to random singles wrestlers they don't know how to book singly so they stick them together to form one push instead of having the creativity to think up two separate ones. I'm tired of the "Real Teams" coming up short against the mid-carder with nothing better to do. Tag Team Division for the Tag Teams, damn it. Let's keep that division clean and pure for the glory of…oh wait…let's not go there, I don't think we have a Final Solution for this problem.

6 Degrees of…



Anderson "The Spider" Silva got quite a workout last weekend jobbing around the octagon against Patrick Cote, while some people were disappointed with his performance I have to say that it was to be expected. Clearly the man is bored of dominating his weight class…then the weight class above him, so maybe the next step is the Heavyweight Division…or Ninjas. Silva vs a Ninja at UFC 91. How about that? Well one member of the arachnid family never disappoints and refuses to showboat for the crowd…unless the "Black Widow" is in a banana suit, then it's all for the crowd adulation.



I'd be willing to put a "fin" on Victoria in a no-holds barred match against Silva. Sure Silva is freakishly lanky and an amazing striker. But you gotta figure that Victoria would be able to choke him out just with her kegel muscles alone. I hear that's Sforcina's chosen way to die.

Whatchu talkin' bout readers?

I like this column as it brought up a lot of relevant questions but perhaps tone it down with the jokes. It seemed at times as if you were trying to be all funny and hip. That's fine, but sometimes it distracts from your writing.

Now, this is actually something I like in wrestling nowadays. As with all art forms like theater or music, it's gotten more complex and evolved with society. Let's be honest, how realistic is it that people are 100 percent good or evil? Here, wrestling is becoming more thought-provoking and three-dimensional.

Joe and Stone Cold present a sort of retribution, a sort of "using evil methods for good intentions" angle. As antiheroes they react in a realistic way to the circumstances the establishment has placed them in. Not everything light is good, and not everything dark is bad.

As long as it's toned down and not a Russo-esuqe "OMG IT'S A SHOOT IS HE BAD IS HE GOOD HES SO TWEENER" crap, I think it works well. This is why the Attitude era prospered; it presented more rebellious and complex characters and shades of rey.

Posted By: Baller

"Trying" to be hip and funny? I am the definition of Hip and Funny. Or at least a synonym of it. Actually I do know a few people who are 100% good and evil. I actually dated one of them…guess what she was. The truth of the matter is that we're all subtle shades of gray and I think the wrestling companies that fail to give us more unpredictable and edgy characters that reflect that are doomed to become stale. It's amazing to see how a truly multi-dimensional wrestler can straddle the line between "face" and "heel" without being lost in the "tweener" conundrum of never getting a truly strong reaction either way. Sometimes you just have to go to the extreme, just look at how well poorly guys like Randy Orton and Kane transitioned from "heel" to "face" and back, and then look at the evolution of Edge and Batista.

Basically the business is evolving. Just as heels are no longer solely the USA hawwwwk `tooeys and generic monsters with facepaint of The Rock n' Wrestling Era and are developing more layers to their personality so too are the faces.

Bookers are slowly realizing that fans are sick of the white meat aww shucks goody two shoes and overgrown boy scouts of the past.

Fans want their heroes to have balls. It ain't just wrestling it's all genres of entertainment. Gangsta rappers like 50 cent rule the airwaves, Batman has had to ditch the campiness of the Joel Schumacher Era and In video games Italian plumbers and anthropomorphic hedgehogs are playin' second fiddle to space marines and WW2 G.I. grunts.

Posted By: The Adamantium Elbow

How do you explain John Cena and the majority of the WWE fans then? Actually when I think of being "over heelish" I think of Edge and for him it works. Hell, look at CM Punk, the man is beyond bland in the "e", yet those RoH fans who remember him fondly as a more complex character are still holding out that he'll find his former character again. Fat chance. I actually think video games went the way of FPS for the sole reason that yelling "BOOM, HEAD SHOT" at "Duck Hunt" just wasn't as much fun since you couldn't cap that stupid ass dog and his shit eatin' grin every time you missed a duck. I hated that fuckin' dog.

6 Degrees Results

Wow, so then nobody took the time out from spanking it to the two chicks to write down an entry for them? Oh yes, I know you were more interested in THEIR "entries"…pervs.

Left Overs…

Samoa Joe will be making his RoH return next month at the next set of PPV tapings. So far there has not been a formal announcement for who Samoa Joe will be facing in Chicago, but so far the candidates are 3 deep dish pizzas, 9 hot dogs, and a possible triple threat involving both pork AND beef ribs. "Joe is gonna eat you!!:

According to sources inside the "e" the Cyber Sunday voting was 100% legit. As are all of the diva's tits, HBK's tan, and Mickie James' contention that she doesn't consider Cena and "upgrade" from Kenny Dykstra. I wonder if Mickie broke up with Kenny by texting him "Mickie James wishes Kenny's penis luck in all his future endeavors".

Batista and Stone Cold had a "beer bash" at the end of Cyber Sunday? It must have been awkward when Stone Cold was calling for a dozen beers and Batista was asking if he had an MGD 64. The "M" is for Metro.

Adam Pearce got robbed and screwed in Mexico. He also lost his NWA Title.

Now that Shelton Benjamin's gimmick is to only feud against Black wrestlers (how soon till Big Zeke gets his due?) he'll now be using an alternative finisher when wrestling Black opponents and instead of calling it the "Pay Dirt" he'll be re-christening it the "1st of the Month".

Along that line John Morrison will be changing his finisher as well to the "Moonlight Drive By" when facing members of Cryme Tyme.

In a "No Holds Barred" match, you'd think Rey Rey would be a little smarter in facing Kane. I'm sure a "Nutsack Kravate" would have been a much easier way to win a match than he did.

Layla El will now be known as Layla London? Wow, that's timely for those fans who weren't quite sure where she was from. Along those lines another diva will be changing her name to Tiffany Hottestchickinherhometowniniowa.

Main Event Mafia? How could they steal the original idea to pit Jimmy Rave, Lance Hoyt, Sharky, and Kip James together as the "Curtain Jerk Cartel"?

Vince McMahon has also now apparently banned the term "sports entertainment" from the WWE, in response TNA has banned Entertainment from their product as well. Retroactive last year.

The Great Booty Debate 2008

Back again this week with Zoua Yang and Ally Rivera facing off. Last week a personal favorite La Toiye seemed to bring the Asians back into a dead heat with the Latinas. Let's see if this week will continue that streak. This week BoLA stands for the "Battle of Latinas and Asians". Okay, so the extra "a" is silent.

Random Asian Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week



I'd rather her pull a "trick" but I'd settle for her treat.

Random Latina Bitch Lookin' Good Pic of the Week



See, if Lucy looked like this, I'd understand Charlie Brown falling for that same trick.

Dos Caras Jr. finally signed? Damn, there is no telling if this is for real or not. It's like he's talking out of both sides of both faces.

The Miz will be on an upcoming episode of Ghosthunters this week. The Miz was asked whether he in fact believes in the "Black Magic"…which The Miz thought was the only way Elijah Burke could get himself back on TV.

Pimpin' In High Places

With BoLA weekend upon us, why isn't 411 more atwitter with anticipation? Well don't worry kids because after you've taken a stroll through these other fine (or most of them at least) columns on 411 you can get your Battle of Los Angeles FILL with a special edition of the 411 Roundtable tomorrow, followed by "Buy or Sell" featuring myself squashing the poor unsuspecting John Gregory:

Ask 411

R-quad

Cook

HH

CoH

Threat x 3

Newb

J-Weezy

D-Dubya

So I'm still on the fence about buying ticket for TNA's show in Anaheim. You know I'm going to BoLA this weekend, but with the stars aligning and with the 2 pm start time for Night 1, there is a good chance that come 5 pm I will be able to hit the road again and head down to Anaheim in time for an 8 pm curtain for TNA. If this was any other weekend this would be a no-brainer, but will I get burnt out on 5 or 6 hours of wrestling in one night? How much wrestling can one man possibly watch in one night? Then again, maybe that's not the question for a true wrestling fan, maybe that's the challenge. Oh damn, did I just steal that from a Taco Bell commercial? Queso's coming over…and Queso's ready to party. NAKED!!

Till then, the Truth will set you free.

-B