Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla – Battle Of Los Angeles 2014 – 29th, 30th & 31st August 2014
It used to be the case that major tournaments on the independent scene were commonplace. We had the Super 8, the TPI, CZW’s King Of The Deathmatches or Best Of The Best, whatever ROH was running etc. But since ROH went corporate, Gabe split with them and signed up his own roster, CZW and Chikara became increasingly marginalised/niche products and IWA-MS went down the pooper one promotion (and one tournament) was able to reap the benefits. PWG is on good terms with both SBG’s Ring Of Honor and WWNLive’s promotions (Evolve/DGUSA/FIP etc), and emerged as the true ‘super indy’…able to hoover up and book the best guys on the roster of every noteworthy indy in the company then book them against each other in dream matches fans simply couldn’t see elsewhere. Never has that become more apparent than the talent they booked up for their big, annual singles tournament – the Battle Of Los Angeles. Over three days you’ll see the best of the best from PWG, ROH, WWNLive, along with several major international stars from across the globe come together in one of the strongest tournament line-ups ever seen. I’ll run down the list of tournament competitors below, but seriously…as far as indy shows goes these DVD’s are so star-studded it’s freaking ridiculous. All three nights are released individually, so although I’ve compiled the whole event in one big ass review here I’ll make sure to breakdown each night just in case there are people just looking at picking up single shows. Excalibur and multiple guest commentators are ready for us in Reseda, CA.
SIDENOTE – PWG must have spent an absolute fortune putting this together. They seriously have almost every major name on the American indies, plus several expensive international fly-ins too. Considering they are still running the same venue in front of the same few hundred fans, even factoring in merch sales, I don’t see how these live events made money. If you want to support indy wrestling, if you like the talent here, if you follow PWG, or if you’ve read my review and think these events seem interesting – PLEASE don’t illegally download or pirate the shows. Please go to Highspots, or PWG’s website, or ROH’s website, or any authorised international sellers and buy them legally. If you want to make sure a small company like this is still able to produce SUPERSHOWS (and these cards are truly worth of that title) then you need to put your hand in your pocket and help support a small business.
Here are the entrants into the 2014 BOLA Tournament in alphabetical order. What’s incredible is, normally in these tournaments there are a handful of talent who are very obviously included as obvious jobbers in the first round…but not here. Every single participant, to some degree, has pedigree and has established a name value on the independent scene. This tournament also has unprecedented prestige with the top champions in PWG, NJPW, ROH, CZW and DGUSA all involved.
ACH – An exciting, talented, ROH-contracted high flyer with genuine charisma too.
Cedric Alexander – Another ROH talent, has seen his stock rise across the indies over the last year.
Biff Busick – Partially trained by Lance Storm. CZW Champion, and now breaking out in Evolve too.
Tommaso Ciampa – A veteran of the northeast scene, now a top level competitor in Ring Of Honor.
Adam Cole – A former PWG and ROH World Champion, and one of the best indy workers around.
Michael Elgin – Current ROH Champion, and potentially the most powerful man in the field.
Bobby Fish – Current ROH Tag Champion, a world class, highly experienced, multi-faceted worker.
Johnny Gargano – The poster boy of the WWNLive promotions.
Drew Gulak – Making his PWG debut. A former CZW World Champ and Evolve Style Battle winner.
Chris Hero – Another former PWG Champion, and hugely experienced independent superstar.
Trevor Lee – Extremely young, but super talented. He has really started getting over as a flyer in PWG.
Candice LeRae – One half of the PWG Tag Champions. Super tough, and the only female entrant.
Brian Myers – Known in WWE as Curt Hawkins, making his PWG debut this weekend.
Kenny Omega – Returning to PWG having become a major superstar in Japan
Kyle O’Reilly – Reigning PWG World Champion (as well as co-holder of the ROH Tag Titles).
TJ Perkins – A SoCal scene veteran, and has competed all around the world since he was a teenager.
Ricochet – One of the most talented high-flyers around. A top star in PWG, Dragon Gate and Evolve.
Chris Sabin – Former TNA World Champion and a highly-skilled, world-travelled competitor.
Zack Sabre Jr. – An outstanding technician and the undoubted star of the British wrestling scene.
Roderick Strong – A PWG veteran, but has never won BOLA or the PWG World Championship.
AJ Styles – IWGP Heavyweight Champion, and enjoying career-best year after leaving TNA.
Rich Swann – Super charismatic junior heavyweight. A star in Dragon Gate and WWNLive
Matt Sydal – Formerly Evan Bourne in WWE, making his return to PWG after several years.
Chuck Taylor – Immensely entertaining and popular PWG stalwart
SIDENOTE – Originally AR Fox, Brian Cage and Trent Barreta were scheduled to compete in this. As Trent? held the FIP Title at this point, his presence would have meant another significant title holder was included in the field. They all withdrew due to injury though, being replaced by Bobby Fish, TJ Perkins and Candice LeRae respectively. And if those guys weren’t enough, these shows also include the Young Bucks, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian and Joey Ryan, plus Willie Mack’s PWG farewell (for now).
Night One – 29th August 2014
As well as several hotly anticipated BOLA First Round matches (Strong/Busick and O’Reilly/Gulak have received rave reviews), Night One also boasts probably the strongest NON-tournament matches of the entire weekend. Bad Influence (Daniels and Kazarian) and the Inner City Machine Guns (Ricochet and Swann) challenge the World’s Cutest Tag Team (Joey and Candice) for the PWG Tag Titles, and in the main event PWG’s ‘Mount Rushmore’ of the Young Bucks and Adam Cole take on the international dream team of Kenny Omega, Chuck Taylor and the debuting British sensation Zack Sabre Jr. Enough with the formalities – lets get going.
Bobby Fish vs TJ Perkins
This BOLA First Round Match intriguingly pits two hugely experienced veterans of competition all over the world against each other. Neither of these two men were included in the original talent list for the tournament, so will look to make a huge impact by coming from nowhere to win the whole thing. I believe this is Fish’s PWG debut too.
No idea why former TNA announcer Todd Keneley is doing ring announcing. Calling Bobby Fish a ‘round eye samurai’ is pretty awesome though. Fish immediately grabs TJP and takes him to the deck rendering him unable to build up any speed or execute any of his flashy offence. Perkins finally does escape to bust out an early Cristo. Bobby then demonstrates another weapon he has in his arsenal to counteract TJ’s unique style – that being a savage kick to the chest. Fish’s overly verbal style is perfect for the Reseda crowd. They chuckle heartily as Perkins tricks him into willingly taking a missile dropkick…then cheer loudly as he isn’t remotely surprised by TJ hanging in the ropes (like he does in every match) to dump him on his face. Still reeling from that, TJP has his leg stomped into an open steel chair. Fish then KNEES the leg to counter an attempted kick, and it’s clear the leg is injured. Half crab applied by the ROH Tag Champion next to really press home his advantage. Perkins is unable to walk and as he hobbles trying to get his balance Fish absolutely wipes him out with a running elbow. Irritatingly, Perkins then decides to hit a springboard dropkick. Even the crowd groan at how stupid that is. TOPE SUICIDA INTO THE CROWD! Despite the no sell on the leg that looked damn cool. Frog splash misses, causing TJ to hit the mat hard doing more damage to his bad wheel. He attempts a cross armbreaker…but with his weakened leg Fish EASILY counters to an armbreaker of his own. COUNTERED to the Figure 4 Deathlock...then to an STF because his knee can’t support that hold. FISH HOOK DELUXE! Bobby’s version of the Heel Hook almost forces a victory. LEG-FIRST TURNBUCKLE EXPLODER! Perkins kicks out! Detonation Kick nailed…only for Fish to counter another suplex BACK TO THE FISH HOOK! Bridging pin by TJ! He snatches the win at 13:47
Rating - *** - There were some obvious issues with Perkins’ selling of the leg, but selling has always been an issue for TJ. Despite those this was still a really solid encounter. Fish immediately looked so comfortable in the PWG environment. The way he narrates his matches is perfect for the Reseda fans, and he has plenty of in-ring ability to go with the entertainment value. His assault of Perkins’ leg was so good that there were portions of the crowd who were very audibly annoyed at TJ for not selling it. Hopefully Bobby gets more bookings in this promotion.
Biff Busick vs Roderick Strong
Our second BOLA match of the evening also gives us our second PWG debutant. Biff is the reigning CZW Champion, and has started to get plenty of exposure in Evolve/WWNLive too. His opponent is a PWG veteran, and a guy with a wealth of experience across the American and international independent scene in Roderick Strong. For Roddy, frustration continues to build as he still chases a major singles win in Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla. He’s held the Tag Titles and won DDT4, but despite years of competition he still hasn’t won the World Title or the BOLA Tournament. A victory this year surely puts him at the top of the list to challenge Kyle O’Reilly for the gold.
Busick quickly makes a statement by dominating Strong on the canvas. Roddy really doesn’t like that, but when he tries to intimidate him Biff NAILS him with strikes then a flipping neckbreaker for 2. STUNNER IN THE ROPES! Busick is like a rash, and even clings to a sleeper hold as Strong tries to back drop him to the floor. It is the signature chop attack of Roddy that finally brings him back into the match, along with a high angle back suplex on the apron for 2. Chuck Taylor is on commentary, and after a near-malfunction in Strong’s tights starts talking about Roderick’s ‘sh*tty little dong’. This company seriously is unlike anything else. Busick is feeling the heat after his fast start – with his body covered in welts from Strong’s chops. FLYING CAPTURE BACKBREAKER gets 2! Just when Strong thinks he has it in the bag Biff explodes at him with a running uppercut – which knocks him all the way out of the ring for a SOMERSAULT PLANCHA! ‘I liked that dive from Busick because it was NOT pretty’ – Chucky T. Chuck is right, that looked brutal and Biff is quivering in pain. He evades the Olympic Slam and once again goes for the Stranglehold. Death By Roderick to counter! Roddy looks pissed that the crowd are starting to rally behind Busick – pausing for too long on a Gibson Driver and eating a HALF AND HALF SUPLEX! Stranglehold finally applied properly! Strong frantically climbs into the ropes then tosses Biff straight over them to finally escape. END OF HEARTACHE! Strong grabs a hard-fought win at 12:25
Rating - *** - I’d seen plenty of hype for this one, so perhaps high expectations got the better of me. That said, I thought this was a hell of a way to debut Busick. Strong is in the midst of a push in PWG, so they couldn’t have him looking too vulnerable against a debutant (and one of the lower profile guys in the tournament). These two managed to tread the fine line that kept Strong looking pretty dominant whilst also allowing Biff to show off his skills too. I loved the idea of Biff starting quickly – looking to lay down a marker and perhaps catch the heavy favourite off-guard. In the end Strong survived Busick’s big submission hold and emerged victorious. He marches into Round 2, and Biff’s career continues to blossom in 2014. I’d expect PWG to bring him back at some point, particularly if Gabe’s promotions keep pushing him.
Cedric Alexander vs Trevor Lee
Both of these guys came up in the Carolinas I believe. Lee has been getting plenty of screen-time as an up and coming flyer in Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla. Many are wondering if 2014 could be his break-out year in this company the way it has been for Cedric Alexander in ROH. He enters BOLA having defeated Kevin Steen in Mr Wrestling’s PWG farewell.
Cedric’s own shirt is cooler than anything ROH has made for him. ‘Both these guys’ – another amusing Reseda chant. Cedric is the bigger, stronger but presumably slower of the two, which isn’t a familiar situation for him. He wisely looks to grapple with Lee so he can’t get any momentum going. Unfortunately for him, as Excalibur explains, Trevor is a proficient grappler too, leading to a super-even opening segment. Alexander uses strikes (mostly chops) to gain an element of control, though Chuck Taylor (comically) craps all over it by confusing him with Scoot Andrews. Lee knees Cedric in the head as he thinks about a tope, but has taken such a beating in the first five minutes he collapses back into the ring before he can capitalise. I feel bad for these guys because they are working a crisp little match, but I can’t help but crack up at the inane commentary track which is currently discussing Brian Cage’s sex life. Trevor hits such a violent dropkick it puts guys like Rhett Titus to shame, then hits the mat and enjoys stretching and raking at Cedric. Les Artess Lift gets 2 for Lee! Alexander has to fight like hell to escape, eventually doing so and nailing his springboard lariat. Both guys are covered in sweat now, and botch something very noticeably. It actually plays into the grimy, dirty, no holds barred style Lee has deployed through the match thus far…even though he comes out on the worse end of it. Alexander hits a split-legged moonsault, before Lee retaliates with an ARM CAPTURE German suplex. He then gets 2 with a jumping knee strike. 540 Kick by Alexander, followed by the swinging flatliner. Impact Explosion Dropkick…but Lee rolls it into an ORANGE CRUSH! Lee wins at 13:33
Rating - *** - This was the first time I’ve seen Lee (as I’m not a regular PWG viewer at all), and I have to say I was extremely impressed. From everything I’d read I was expecting a talented, but generic high spot guy…and since he’s getting plenty of exposure in this promotion that wouldn’t be at all surprising. Clearly he’s an athletic guy, but I really dug his approach here. Chuck Taylor and Excalibur played him up as a weird, unorthodox talent – and his style definitely matched that. He could clearly out-pace Cedric, but instead he opted to work the mat with him, or rake the eyes, or ride him with weird submissions. Not everything they did was clean, particularly in the second half – but they went in a completely different direction than you might expect (i.e. throwing spots, dives and false finishes around) and it really benefited from doing so. A sweaty, dirty, and hard-fought battle of rising stars in two different promotions.
World’s Cutest Tag Team vs Bad Influence vs Inner City Machine Guns – PWG Tag Title Match
The WCTT defeated the Young Bucks in a bloody battle at Eleven to win the Tag Titles. It was a momentous moment for Candice, who after years of slogging away in intergender undercard matches finally earned her first PWG title. Just because it’s BOLA weekend, it doesn’t mean the Tag Champs get an easy ride though. They have to defend against two exciting and extremely dangerous challengers tonight. Like Candice, the ICMG’s (Ricochet and Rich Swann) begin their BOLA campaign tomorrow night after concentrating on tag gold tonight…whilst Chris Daniels and Frankie Kazarian return to PWG for the first time since leaving TNA and have been flown in specifically looking to add more gold to their extensive resumes.
Candice’s performance at Eleven means she is the most over performer in the match by far, and she looks absolutely beautiful (as usual) as she cracks up at the ‘She’s Hardcore’ chants Reseda give her. Joey Ryan feeds a fan his lollipop which is thoroughly bizarre…then gets jumped from behind by Daniels (who seems a hundred years old compared to all his opponents) to get the match started. LeRae tags in and decides she’s going to f*cking OUT-WRESTLE Daniels. Fallen Angel’s face as she tries to work a headlock is priceless. Amazingly, she uses her speed to get the better of him, which is super awesome. Swann literally somersaults into a dropkick, enforcing how goddamn old Daniels is compared to everyone else…and the veteran instantly tags out. The Machine Guns join forces to take out Kazarian too, with Ricochet scoring an early nearfall with The People’s Moonsault. Chuck Taylor uses a lull in the action to discuss his favourite dropkicks (Bob Holly, Okada and Dolph Ziggler), then inside the ring Bad Influence heel it up again to work over Ryan. Frankie in particular enjoys being a massive jerk to Candice, Ricochet and Rich as he traps Joey in the ring. Finally Joey hits a pumphandle suplex and makes the hot tag to LeRae…who again outfoxes Chris Daniels for fun. DANIELS PUNCHES HER IN THE FACE! ‘You’re a dick’ – Reseda…shortly followed by ‘one more time’. Angel’s Wings countered with a rana, before Swann tags in with a Lethal Injection for 2. Lungblower/axe kick/Red Star Press sequence gets 2 for the Inner City Machine Guns, before Candice forces her way in and tries to brawl with both of them at once. Running STO from Daniels after he dodges a punt from Ricochet. TANDEM CRAZY FLIP DIVES BY ICMG! ROPE WALK FLYING HEADSCISSORS OFF THE APRON from Candice to Ricochet! She blind tags in as Daniels walks into the 70’s SUPERKICK! SPRINGBOARD REVERSE RANA on Swann wins it for LeRae at 14:43
Rating - *** - Everyone got a chance to shine here…even the Reseda crowd. From singing theme music to weird chants, the people in attendance were genuinely as entertaining as the wrestlers, and I mean that in as positive a manner as possible. Candice’s interactions with the male members of the PWG roster have become such a joy to watch. There is something so playful about everything she does in a PWG ring – but despite all the light-hearted jibes and obvious comedy skits her toughness or inherent ability as a professional wrestler are never diminished, downplayed or doubted. Following on from the Eleven Tag Title win, she was the undoubted star of the show here. Pinning Swann also plays into the BOLA tournament since she faces him tomorrow night in the First Round. Another cool aspect of this was watching the elder statesmen of the match (Daniels and Kazarian) interact with a younger generation of wrestlers. Rich Swann is TWENTY YEARS younger than him for instance. The dynamic Bad Influence had with ICMG was such that I’d love to see a straight tag between those teams.
Tommaso Ciampa vs Michael Elgin
These two don’t hold anything back when they get into the ring with each other. Ironically it’s also their second high profile match in the space of a week, after Ciampa challenged Elgin for the Ring Of Honor World Championship at Death Before Dishonor 12 the previous weekend. In ROH it seems like Unbreakable has the edge over the Sicilian Psychopath. Can Ciampa even the score on the West Coast? Elgin has lost in the finals of BOLA two years running, so wants to finally win it this time around.
ELBOW STRIKE DUEL! Ciampa clubs Elgin back into corner, forcing the ROH Champion to leave the ring to escape a Bare Knee Strike. Tope suicida attempt COUNTERED TO A STALLING SUPLEX ON THE FLOOR! CORKSCREW SENTON NAILED! Like…across Tommaso’s face nailed! Not content with that he dead-lifts Ciampa off his damn knees, but this time the Sicilian counters the suplex with the Testicular Claw. SNAP GERMAN SUPLEX! Poor Tommaso is getting murdered in this. Elgin knees him in the face, causing him to slump to the mat. In a psychotic defensive move, Tommaso scoops him up for a RUNNING DVD INTO THE BUCKLES! That was delivered with such force fans insist that the ring is broken. To the outside again where Elgin misses a Back Fist and cracks his hand against the ringpost, yet still he keeps coming and drops a somersault leg across Ciampa’s neck. Fisherman powerbomb gets 2 – can Tommaso survive this constant offence? He blocks the dead-lift superplex and gives him the Air Raid Crash on the apron. Sicilian Stretch blocked, but so is Elgin’s Crossface. Buckle Bomb…NO SOLD! LARIATOOOOOOO! NO SOLD! KRYPTONITE NECKBREAKER! Unbreakable barely survived that exchange. SPLASH MOUNTAIN DRIVER! ELGIN BOMB! CIAMPA KICKS OUT! PROJECT CIAMPA! ELGIN KICKS OUT! Both dudes look beaten half to death now, but egged on by the incredible crowd they crawl across the ring and SLAP THE SH*T OUT OF EACH OTHER! BARE KNEE STRIKE! NO SOLD! REPEATED BACK FISTS! LARIATOOOOOOOOOOO! Elgin advances at 15:14
Rating - **** - This is a match that really seems to have divided fans. Personally I loved the balls to the wall insanity of two guys beating each other senseless. In PWG I don’t really expect subtle psychology or overly ambitious story-telling in matches, so this kind of mindless violence fitted in just fine. This company has plenty of smaller guys who can flip, dive and superkick all over the place without pausing to sell all that much and people love them for it (as do I). I don’t see any difference between that kind of match, and watching Elgin and Ciampa bash each others brains in. Overkill in every sense of the word, and yes some of the no selling at the end was just ridiculous, but I had a blast watching this. The crowd were going CRAZY watching this. I switched ‘cynical critic’ mode off and enjoy this for the spectacle that it was.
SIDENOTE – I can’t help but feel like it would have been better for all concerned if Ciampa had gone over here. By the end of this match Tommaso was seriously over with the live crowd, and the place would have exploded if he’d have pulled out the win. PWG could still have run the now notorious Trevor Lee underdog victory angle on Night 3 (just with Ciampa instead of Elgin), and the ROH/Sinclair office probably would have been slightly less pissed off if their champion was at least getting beaten by another guy on their roster.
Brian Myers vs AJ Styles
AJ is having the best year of his career in 2014, and looks to add the BOLA Tournament crown to his lengthening list of accolades as he makes his eagerly-anticipated return to Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla. His opponent is another man who left the ‘big leagues’ to return to the indies this year. Myers wrestled in WWE as Curt Hawkins. He has plenty of famous supporters within the business (Punk, Cabana, Edge, The Rock, Zack Ryder etc) and after the success of Trent Barreta and Drew Galloway during their initial post-WWE independent runs PWG are keen to give him a shot.
Unlike Daniels, AJ Styles actively encourages the ‘f*ck TNA’ chants. Myers cracks me up shutting down ‘Bullet Club’ chants, then wins my respect by blocking AJ’s usual dropkick sequence then DOING IT HIMSELF! Styles looks for the Phenom DDT, only for Brian to dodge it. I love people countering or blocking spots that their opponents do in every match. Not everything he does is pretty, but I like the intensity Myers brings to the table. He’s also not a small guy, and looks to use that to his advantage by putting all his weight on AJ’s neck with a chinlock. Styles needs to break out a big gun – and nails Myers with the Pele Kick simply to get a break. Springboard elbow smash scores, followed by the suplex neckbreaker for 2. Styles Clash blocked into the Upside Down Frown! One Night Stand gets 2 for the former WWE Tag Champion, who is slowly starting to win the PWG crowd over too. AJ is rattled again, so once more needs a major offensive strike. He duly produces a SNAP SUPLEX into the turnbuckles! A second springboard elbow is blocked…PHENOM DDT TO THE FLOOR INSTEAD! Discus Lariat attempted, but again it’s a signature AJ spot that Brian is able to block. HEAT SEEKING ELBOW! The two jostle for position on the turnbuckles…with AJ dropping down (eventually) out of the corner into a STYLES CRAB! Myers taps at 14:10
Rating - *** - I’ve seen some lowball ratings on this one, but I thought it was really solid. It had a few issues with execution, but the general quality was high. What I particularly liked was that it felt very different to anything else on the show, and in fact different to most PWG matches generally. You could tell both guys had plenty of experience wrestling on television. They didn’t need a thousand moves, tons of no sells or crazy head drops to get over. They entertained people with straight-up intensity, and sensibly building up the action as the match progressed. I thought having Myers continually counter AJ’s signature spots was particularly effective, and loved that it went all the way through to the finish as Styles actually had to innovate something different (the ‘Styles Crab’) to beat him. It looked sloppy as hell, but whether they intended to or not it actually produced an intelligent concluding moment.
Regardless of whether it made sense or not, the PWG crowd are here for spots and fun – not psychology. They get what they want after the match as AJ gives Myers a couple of Styles Clashes
Kyle O’Reilly vs Drew Gulak
This is our final BOLA Round 1 match of the evening. When people ask me who my favourite non-ROH indy workers are, or who I’d like to see brought in to Ring Of Honor Gulak is always near the top of my list. I love his no-frills, intense, mat-centric ring style…and he can back it up with a hell of a promo too. He makes his PWG debut here, and is dropped very much into the deep end of the pool as he squares off with the reigning PWG World Champion. O’Reilly knows the pressure is on the champ to back up his status as the #1 guy in the company by winning the tournament as well.
They circle each other like they are wrestling in the 1930’s, with O’Reilly making an early statement by backing Drew to the ropes and calmly offering him a clean break. Gulak isn’t so kind and slaps the champ in the face when he gets the chance moments later. They criss-cross, with Gulak then showing his skill as he CATCHES Kyle going for a leapfrog to drag him into a pinning combination. HEADBUTTS exchanged as they jostle for position in a knucklelock next. O’Reilly realises the newcomer has his number when it comes to mat wrestling so wisely looks to change things into a striking battle. He piles into Drew with kicks, knees, elbows and anything else he can throw to neutralise his dangerous, tentacle-like arms and legs. Gulak counters it with a LEG STUNNER! He immediately comes up with a strategy to negate the kicks and starts picking apart his legs. Old school shinbreaker gets 2. O’Reilly fights back with another strike flurry…which takes Gulak to the mat but of course hurts his own legs to pull off. The champion tries a guillotine choke instead…only for Drew to COUNTER TO AN ANKLELOCK! That was so damn cool! Not a flashy, Young Bucks-style high spot, but it was beautiful. BACK DROP DRIVER by O’Reilly…but as he hobbles around on his bad leg Gulak drags himself back up to lariat the back of the head. JAWBREAKER MCLARIAT BY O’REILLY! But he’s so beaten up himself he collapses all the way out of the ring. Both men are struggling now…but move back to the middle of the ring to trade slaps. ALARM CLOCK from Kyle, followed by HEADBUTTS! SUPER STIFF HEADBUTT BY DREW! Cradle Piledriver countered to Arm-ageddon. COUNTERED TO THE TRAILBLAZER! O’Reilly makes the ropes and comes off the second with a FLYING ARMBREAKER! FUJIWARA ARMBAR! COUNTERED WITH A LEG CRADLE REGALPLEX FOR 2! Cradle Piledriver countered again – this time to a triangle choke! Gulak is out! KICK TO THE ARM! AXE & SMASH! BRAINBUSTER! GULAK KICKS OUT! ARM-AGEDDON! Drew taps at 17:25
Rating - **** - MOTN so far. This is the kind of wrestling I love to watch. We had two extremely skilled technicians engaged in a highly physical battle, and even though it was obvious Kyle was going over it still did masses to ensure Gulak got a fair shake on his debut. There wasn’t a wasted motion in the match, from the opening segment where Drew showed off what a great mat wrestler he is, to Kyle realising he couldn’t work the canvas so used a striking game instead, which then prompted Gulak to work the leg. In the end O’Reilly’s striking and devastating late assault on the arm defeated the debutant before Gulak could force a submission with all his leg work. If I were to criticise anything I’d say that Kyle’s selling of the leg was patchy but regardless of that this was still a hell of a contest.
Adam Cole/Young Bucks vs Kenny Omega/Chuck Taylor/Zack Sabre Jr.
There is plenty of star power left for the main event. Mount Rushmore (Cole and the Bucks) come in with plenty of heat after kicking Kevin Steen out after their ‘curtain call’ at Eleven. Tonight they face a trio of international superstars. Former PWG Champion and BOLA 2009 winner Kenny Omega makes a super rare return to the US for these shows (and supposedly came straight from the airport to the building for his match). He is joined by WWNLive/Dragon Gate star Chuck Taylor, and rising British star Zack Sabre Jr. (in his PWG debut). Zack has worked for Evolve and impressed there, and after success in NOAH as well has been hyped by PWG as a major international fly-in for these shows.
Nick Jackson decides to do the Bucks’ ring introduction in hysterical fashion. As Mt. Rushmore, Omega and Chuck hurl abuse at each other Zack watches on looking totally confused. He comes into his own as the match starts though, by calling out Adam Cole then going World Of Sport on his ass. He is so entertaining working circles around Cole that Chuck actually takes a seat in the crowd to watch. Chris Hero is on commentary and is marking out like crazy for all the British stuff. Running football kick misses…and the Young Bucks finally pile in for a three-on-one. Amazingly, ZSJ is able to free himself from the clutches of both Bucks at once before tagging out to Chucky. He hits a slingshot senton (with insane theatrics from Omega and Sabre) to one of the biggest pops of the night. Sole Food on Nick, before Kenny tags to hit a DOUBLE KOTARO CRUSHER! EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S TO BLOCK A SOMERSAULT PLANCHA! OCEAN CYCLONE INTO THE APRON from Cole to Zack! Shiranui/Shining Wizard combo on Taylor gets 2. The Bucks start bringing chairs in to take out Chuck…but his tag partner Trent Barreta runs in to save. SUPERKICK TO THE INJURED KNEE BY COLE! Chuck goes mental and murders all three opponents! Nick and Cole double dropkick Sabre OFF THE APRON INTO THE CROWD as Taylor leaves the match to help carry Trent? to the locker room. It injures the Englishman, meaning Mt. Rushmore are at last capable of actually laying hands on him without getting grappled into the deck. ZSJ’s injuries are emphasised as he tries to do more World Of Sport stuff only to get completely pummelled by Cole. Nick hits the slingshot facecrusher on him, and rolls straight into the tornado DDT on the floor for Chucky T as well. Hot tag to Omega at last…who storms the ring and powerbombs Cole on top of the Jacksons! DRAGON SUPLEX FLURRY! Chuck tags and wildly belly to belly suplexes one Buck into another…and then flies up the aisle with a somersault plancha. SUPER INTENSE RUNNING UPPERCUTS BY SABRE! CROSS ARMBREAKER! Cole saves Matt from Zack’s dreaded finishing move. More Bang For Your F*ck COUNTERED TO A LEG CAPTURE ARMBAR! Matt actually muscles Zack up to escape with the Gamengiri Buckle Bomb! EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S CRADLEBREAKER COMBO! Omega and Taylor have to break the count! DOUBLE SUPERKICK ON COLE! OMEGA AND NICK GET TANGLED TRYING TO SUPERKICK EACH OTHER! SUPERKICK PARTY! Sabre traps Matt in another cross armbreaker…which Nick BREAKS WITH A 450 SPLASH! DOUBLE HURRICANRANA ON BOTH BUCKS BY OMEGA! HAAAADOUKEN! CROYT’S WRATH ON COLE! NICK DRAGS RICK KNOX OUT TO BREAK THE COUNT! TOPE CON HILO BY SABRE! But Nick shoves Knox into it’s path! PANAMA SUNRISE BY COLE! LEAPFROG MORE BANG FOR YOUR F*CK! A replacement ref tries to count the fall, only to be pulled out by the returning Trent Barreta. SUPERKICK ON THE REPLACEMENT REF! CHAIR SHOTS BY BARRETA! FOOTBALL KICK BY ZACK! CROYT’S WRATH/AWFUL WAFFLE COMBO! Trent? is the referee now! OMEGA WINS! It’s over at 21:46
Rating - **** - This was complete mayhem. It packed in everything you could possibly hope for from the six guys involved. Chuck was entertaining, Omega busted out his signature crazy combos and looked every bit the superstar he has become since going full-time in Japan, Mt. Rushmore were the consummate assholes, the Bucks threw around superkicks and high spots like confetti and Zack Sabre Jr. instantly won the crowd over with a spectacular performance which combined classic British World Of Sport stuff with cutting edge striking, submissions and dives that modern fans eat up. As an exhibition in debuting a new star in Zack (or re-debuting an old one in Kenny) this was a fantastic bout. Perfectly pitched for the Reseda crowd, this was a hell of a go-home for Night 1. If you like Dragon Gate-style trios tags you’ll love this
Night 1 Tape Rating - *** - I really enjoyed this show. It didn’t have the endless reels of 4* plus exhibition matches that some PWG shows have, but on the positive side it felt far more well-paced and easier to sit through than some. There were multiple styles on display, in front of a lively audience, which meant the show never felt dull even if it didn’t hit the highs of some of your favourite PWG DVD’s. There isn’t a single bad match, there were some really strong individual performances (Fish, Busick, Candice, Daniels and Myers) and the main event is the kind of riotously entertaining spot extravaganza PWG has become known for. If you’re only getting one DVD from BOLA 2014 weekend it probably won’t be this one…but it was a commendable start to the weekend.
Top 3 Night 1 Matches
3) Michael Elgin vs Tommaso Ciampa (****)
2) Kyle O’Reilly vs Drew Gulak (****)
1) Kenny Omega/Chuck Taylor/Zack Sabre Jr. vs Adam Cole/Young Bucks (****)
Night Two – 30th August 2014
A host of guys who worked last night’s show sit out Night 2, whilst a number of new talent who didn’t appear yesterday now enter the BOLA fray for the first time. Johnny Gargano, Chris Hero, Matt Sydal, Chris Sabin and ACH all have their first matches of the weekend tonight. There are some juicy tournament matches – such as Hero/Sydal and Omega/ACH and the Cole/Sabre Jr. match which some have hyped as a potential MOTYC. There are also two really enticing non-tournament tag team encounters as reDRagon make their first appearance as a team in PWG to face the CZW representatives Drew Gulak and Biff Busick, whilst the main event sees veteran teams Bad Influence and the Young Bucks put together in a potential showstealer.
Candice LeRae vs Rich Swann
One half of the reigning PWG Tag Champions, Candice is riding a wave of momentum coming into the Battle Of Los Angeles Tournament. She may have been a late replacement, but with the entire Reseda audience firmly behind her anything is possible. She pinned Swann at Night 1 as part of a triple threat Tag Title defence, so will be looking to repeat that this evening.
Candice looks super-hot for this one. It’s weird seeing Swann act as the big man/powerhouse in a match as I can’t ever remember him being bigger than his opponent before. Candice goes straight for the reverse rana that defeated Swann last night…but this time Rich LANDS ON HIS FEET! HE SLAPS HER IN THE FACE! In fact, he continues to absolutely nail her with some really stiff strikes, and also spends some time working stretches on the mat. STANDING Lion Tamer applied and it seems that Rich is really enjoying being the bigger worker for once. Immortal Leg Drop gets 2! The crowd rally behind LeRae as she endures some nasty chops to her breasts, but despite landing a flurry of strikes she simply isn’t able to inflict enough damage on Swann. A missile dropkick does send him out of the ring…for the TOPE TORNADO DDT ON THE FLOOR! Diving spike DDT back inside gets 2 for her as well. Swann flips out of the Ball-Plex and stomps on her head then hits a standing Swann Splash. Chicken Fried Driver blocked…so Rich nails a Lethal Injection instead for another nearfall. NECK DROP BALL-PLEX! SPRINGBOARD REVERSE RANA! Swann kicks out where he couldn’t at Night One. Moustache Ride COUNTERED TO THE FIVE STAR SWANN SPLASH for 2! Standing 450 countered to a small package…LERAE WINS! Candice advances at 12:07
Rating - *** - The perfect choice to open the show. Swann is obscenely charismatic and comfortable sliding between a face and a heel role, and watching Candice compete in PWG is always great fun. To give Candice her dues, Swann is one of the quickest and most athletic workers on the independent scene and for the most part she kept up with him. There were a couple of minor execution issues, but on the whole this was a solid start to the night. They entertained, hit a few big spots, but ultimately didn’t burn the crowd out for what is going to be a long show (which was already running an hour behind schedule).
Johnny Gargano vs Chuck Taylor
These two have a lot of history. They are long-time tag partners in Chikara, have been mortal enemies in DGUSA/Evolve. This one is definitely amongst the most hotly-anticipated of BOLA Round One matches this year. Gargano is the MAN in Gabe’s promotions, but Taylor has way more PWG experience than him. Can Johnny use this year’s Battle Of Los Angeles to really take off here?
Gargano has gotten RIPPED since I last saw him. Apparently it’s a new development because Chuck is also rather surprised by his shredded abs. ‘You look great’ – Reseda to Gargano. These two are obviously extremely familiar with each other’s work, so spend most of the first five minutes in a near total stalemate. Neither man wants to be the first to make a costly mistake. Taylor decides to get more aggressive and chops his former tag partner so hard that Johnny actually bumps it on his NECK. Slingshot Spear knocks Chucky to the floor…where he lies in wait for Johnny then HIPTOSSES HIM through multiple chairs. Amusingly, they brawl right in front of Excalibur, who starts telling him how much the chairs cost when he breaks them. PRESS SLAM INTO A CHAIR STACK by Gargano! He tries to follow it with a slingshot DDT, only for Chuck to Jerry Lynn him with a northern lights to the turnbuckles. He counters Gargano’s rolling basement kick into the Cross Crab. Gargano escapes into the Lawn Dart for 2. Elbow suicida…COUNTERED BY TAYLOR INTO A FLIP SUPLEX ON THE APRON! And barely on the apron at that! Awful Waffle blocked with a superkick, leading to a SUPERKICK DUEL! SATELLITE GARGANO ESCAPE! Taylor taps at 14:00
Rating - *** - I really liked this one. Of course they could do more if they were main eventing, but for it’s spot on the card this was outstanding. They worked comedy early, and showed real maturity by actually spacing out the big spots so they meant a LOT more when they came. The last couple of minutes were so crammed full of familiarity countering and fun strike sequences that it was almost impossible to run play-by-play on. I’m sad I’ve really stopped watching any of the WWNLive product because Gargano looks to have gotten SO good.
Ricochet vs Chris Sabin
Sabin is another big name making his return to Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla this weekend after his release from a national company. He is a former TNA World Champion, but was walked away from them in May. This is probably his biggest independent gig so far so he’ll be looking to show he still has what it takes to go with guys like Ricochet who are younger, faster and more athletic than he is. Ricochet enters BOLA in the midst of a career-best year. In New Japan he won the 2014 Best Of The Super Juniors, whilst in Evolve he defeated Johnny Gargano to end his two year reign as DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate Champion. Can he add BOLA to his list of accolades this year?
Sabin’s ‘I f*cking hate this song’ look as the crowd sings ‘All Night Long’ at him is awesome. They then launch into duelling ‘Inner City’ and ‘Motor City’ chants as the two start to circle. Apparently Sabin is coming off two knee surgeries which has to have an impact on his ability to keep up with Rico. That theory is probably proved as Ricochet continually outwits him in a knucklelock exchange, then keeps coming at him from all angles with back flips and dropkicks. Ricochet is so dominant he has time to argue with fans and attempt The People’s Moonsault. Chris evades that and adopts a harder-hitting strategy – drilling his opponent into the mat with a couple of fierce suplexes. He tries to stop Ricochet, slowing him down with stretches and never letting him get any distance to build up any momentum. Even when he tries sprint at the ropes Sabin is on him with a knee strike to the gut. However, Rico is a smart wrestler these days and when Chris tries to do the same thing again moments later the BOSJ winner drops him with a running cutter. Red Star Press gets 2, but it’s noticeable that executing these high-flying moves is now starting to hurt him as much as it does Sabin. Future Shock countered to a bridging Regalplex for 2. Phoenix Splash then misses for Ricochet and he eats a slingshot swinging neckbreaker. ‘He’s been lifting’ – fans to Ricochet as he hits a northern lights/rolling brainbuster combo. Alley-Oop by Sabin ROLLED INTO A JUMPING PILEDRIVER! Tiger suplex gets 2! He batters Rico with strikes and hits the ALL HAIL SABIN for 2! Ricochet is in trouble, so goes to what he knows best with a SPRINGBOARD 450 SPLASH! 630 Senton wins it for Ricochet. He advances in the tournament at 14:51
Rating - *** - I’ve always found Sabin to be a really under-rated singles worker. He has never been the most exciting wrestler, the best high-flyer, the hardest striker or the most proficient technician but is such a consistent, solid and well-rounded performer. I really enjoyed him sliding into the veteran role here, slowing his pace and working extremely aggressively in an attempt to counteract the obvious talents of a guy like Ricochet.
reDRagon vs Drew Gulak/Biff Busick
Taking advantage of the fact Bobby Fish is in PWG for the first time, the bookers have acted quickly to introduce reDRagon to their tag division this weekend. Their dynamic should be interesting here. Fish has always been played up as the more experienced member of the team in ROH, which he is. But this is PWG, where O’Reilly has competed for years and now stands as the World Champion. Seeing Kyle as the undoubted senior member of the team tonight will provide something you don’t get when they compete in other promotions. Like Bobby, Gulak and Busick are debuting this weekend. The CZW guys both went out of BOLA in Round One yesterday and will know they are less likely to be brought back if they can’t pull out a win tonight.
Fish and Busick start with some impressive ground exchanges, before O’Reilly joins his partner to give PWG an early exhibition in just how fluent reDRagon are as a team. The CZW boys opt to take the fight to the outside kick-starting a pretty vicious brawl all around the ring. They flapjack Kyle into the apron, giving them the opportunity to isolate the champion. Gulak in particular relishes the chance to pick up where he left off with O’Reilly at Night 1. Fish makes the save with a kick flurry then finds himself fighting the same number’s disadvantage his partner was just facing. Busick and Gulak hit a rope stunner/northern lariat combo for 2. They focus on Bobby’s arm and neck and also look to make it as difficult as possible to catch his breath. O’Reilly tries to save…so Team CZ-Dub scoop up both ROH Tag Champions to POWERBOMB them into each other! Fish manages to hit a ‘Caucasian Drop’ (Roderick Strong’s words not mine) on Biff, at last enabling the vital tag to O’Reilly. DOUBLE dragon screw on both opponents. Gulak escapes a Doomsday Device…only to be trapped into a FLYING DRAGON/ARM-AGEDDON COMBO! Fish puts a heel hook on Busick as he tries to save, meaning Drew has to endure some serious pain before making the ropes. FLIPPING NECKBREAKER from Biff to Bobby…sending him into the Gu-Lock! Stranglehold on O’Reilly, who is actually choked out but collapses (carrying Biff’s body as well) onto Drew thus breaking the hold. Discus lariat by Gulak to block Chasing The Dragon, before Busick starts dishing out running Europeans. JAWBREAKER MCLARIAT FROM KYLE! On the outside Fish back drops Busick on the wooden floor, whilst inside Kyle murders Gulak with Axe & Smash. CHASING THE DRAGON wins it at 19:34
Rating - **** - As we established yesterday, I’m a real fan of Gulak’s work so that definitely helped boost this rating. I’m also a big fan of reDRagon, and it was great seeing them outside of the Ring Of Honor environment with fresh opponents. Drew and Biff aren’t the archetypal PWG wrestlers, in that they don’t necessarily have tons of head-droppy offence, they don’t do a lot of dives and they don’t work at a super-fast pace. As a result the crowd weren’t that into this one, which is a shame because it was a genuinely high quality match. Gulak and Busick came off like real threats, possessing both power and considerable wrestling acumen, before they eventually succumbed to a team with more experience than them. Everything had a snap, energy and purpose about it, without degenerating into a mindless spotfest or false-finish marathon…which felt very fresh for a Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla show. PWG are fools if they don’t bring back Bobby Fish for more reDRagon matches on the west coast, and personally I think Gulak and Biff have shown more than enough quality to be brought back as well. I hate to sound like an ROH mark, but personally I think the CZW guys are, stylistically, a much better fit for Ring Of Honor though.
Chris Hero vs Matt Sydal
What a huge match to throw into the first round of BOLA this is. Hero has only recently came back to the company following his WWE release, and is looking to rebound after losing a PWG Title shot against O’Reilly at Eleven. His opponent, also recently released from WWE, is making his PWG return after several years way. ‘Reborn’ Matt Sydal is back on the indies and wants to make a big impact with victory this weekend.
Excalibur mishears Sydal’s nickname as ‘Newborn’ rather than Reborn. The Reseda fans give a shout-out to the history of both men in Sweet’n’Sour Inc. by chanting for Larry Sweeney which is really cool. Hero has piled on the pounds since leaving NXT but he can still move at a pretty rapid pace and seems keen to test Matt’s technical proficiency in the early going. Matt has had injury problems too, so the combination of ring rust, a size disadvantage and a highly skilled foe ensures he really struggles to get going. In fact, he’s so sluggish Hero actually has time to get back to his feet before can line-up his signature standing moonsault. Next he tries to springboard off the ropes instead…and flies straight into a boot to the chest. The onslaught from the Knockout Artist is constant and violent. He has been working the indies all year, so is far more accustomed to working this style of match. Sydal, coming off injury and used to working five minute matches on Superstars, is taking a hell of a beating. Once again he tries the standing moonsault…BUT IT’S CAUGHT INTO A CRAVAT NECKBREAKER! Death Blow blocked, allowing Sydal to springboard into a satellite headscissors. Meteora double knee strike lands for 2, and at the third time of asking Matt finally lands the standing moonsault. Hero gets up, grabs him by the throat and PUNCHES HIM IN THE MOUTH! Crash Landing suplex nailed as well, followed by a knee strike. ROLLING ELBOW! Great sell job by Sydal, who looks like he’s been legitimately knocked out. He attempt a moronic frankensteiner, only to get dumped on his f*cking face from the top rope. We’re past 17-minutes now, and Hero is starting to run out of gas. He’s not in the best condition obviously, and falls out of the ring trying to catch his breath. Nevertheless, he returns to pummel poor Matt with more elbows. DIVING PILEDRIVER BY SYDAL! SYDAL PRESS! HE WINS! From absolutely nowhere, Matt sneaks the win and advances in the tournament at 18:24
Rating - **** - This may well have been my favourite BOLA 2014 match thus far. The story they went for was so cool. Hero beat the sh*t out of Sydal, who was portrayed as slow, struggling to overcome his injuries and totally out-matched by the big, hulking monster standing across the ring. People like to rip on Hero for gaining weight, but the guy can still MOVE, and the best part about his performance here was that he wrestled like a big man. Channelling people like Vader or Bam Bam Bigelow, he mercilessly pummelled his high-flying opponent. In a match-time that almost reached 20-minutes, Matt probably spent less than two on offence. It was the quality of the performance from both of them that meant this didn’t come off like a squash, and it all built to the amazing finish as Hero ran out of steam just as Matt managed to string together two high impact moves to steal the win. There are so many younger, faster and healthier guys in the tournament than these two – but class is permanent and they called on their years of experience in the business to produce a cracking match.
Adam Cole vs Zack Sabre Jr.
After a stellar PWG debut in the main event of Night One, ZSJ now enters the tournament looking to make a name for himself. Across the ring from him stands a former PWG and ROH World Champion, as well as the BOLA 2012 winner in Adam Cole. The Englishman will draw confidence from the fact that he basically embarrassed Cole during the main event trios match last night…
‘Zack Sabre Jr. is like…a really good wrestler’ – Chuck Taylor. ZSJ sets about proving that very point as, for the second night running, he effortlessly uses his British style to totally confuse and overwhelm Cole. He even works in a THAT ARM SUBMISSION from the Nigel McGuinness repertoire which I mark out for. ‘You suck dick mate’ – Zack. ‘Stop doing that’ – Cole as Sabre repeatedly makes him eat the canvas. Adam decides he is the ‘strongest man in wrestling’ next, so decides to engage Zack in a test of strength. Of course, that just presents another situation where the Brit can effortlessly breeze through him with more freaky World Of Sport stuff. MONKEY FLIP ARMBAR! Zack beats people with his armbar and cross armbreaker variants, so Cole wisely flees the ring after that…only for ZSJ to mow him down with such a vicious baseball slide that the beverages of several fans go flying. LAWN DART INTO THE RINGPOST! That’s a big shot for Adam, taking advantage of brawling on the outside, and once they are back in the ring he capitalises with the DVD over the knee. The building must be seriously hot as both dudes are pouring sweat. The added lubrication may also work in Cole’s favour as he slides out of more chain wrestling to snap Sabre’s neck back with a Shining Wizard. BOOT TO THE ARM BY ZACK! He follows it with a mounted hammerlock and has Cole in serious pain. Dragon suplex nailed next, knocking the former PWG champ silly and wrenching the bad arm some more. Diving European COUNTERED to a lungblower for 2! Sabre’s neck is hurting him now, and as he protects it Cole is able to convert another armbar attempt into the Figure 4 Leglock. ZSJ goes to his arsenal of tenacious strikes to fight out of that…but when he looks to hook up another arm submission Cole is in position to flip him into the cradlebreaker. SUPERKICK TO THE KNEE! Zack goes for more Britishness…and eats a BACK DROP DRIVER! NO SOLD! FOOTBALL KICK! BOTH MEN DOWN! Sabre full-on sprints at Cole looking for uppercuts…only to walk into a massive superkick. Florida Key…countered to a bridging pin…ZACK WINS! He’s in the next round at 18:02!
Rating - **** - Sydal/Hero wound up being my favourite Round One match for less than twenty minutes. This was really spectacular, and another awesome showing from Zack in his PWG debut weekend. Having watched ZSJ live for a long time in various UK-based promotions, it’s a real pleasure to see him start building a serious international reputation for himself as well. In the last year or so, with regular trips to Japan, as well as more frequent US bookings, he’s gotten SO good. He’s always been great when it comes to arm submissions or striking exchanges, but the way he’s worked on incorporating a modernised World Of Sport/classic British style into his arsenal has made him such a unique talent. The Reseda fans were reacting for him like the ROH fans did for Doug Williams more than ten years ago when he debuted at the fourth ever Ring Of Honor event. The chain-wrestling stuff was awesome, but the way it was worked in as part of the bigger story of the match was what made it particularly impressive. Zack wasn’t showing off for the sake of it, or doing pretty moves because they looked nice – he wanted to win. Last night he made Cole look a fool with that style, so sensibly he started with that again. Adam had no answer, so used a brawl on the floor to gain a way into the contest – and started roughing up Zack’s neck in preparation for the Florida Key or Panama Sunrise. With Sabre injured, it also gave Cole opportunities to target the leg as well…before, in the end, one last burst of classic British-influenced wrestling (with the beautiful prawn hold pin) brought Zack something of an upset victory. Being overly critical, I would have liked Zack to have sold the leg more, and I’d have preferred them to let Sabre do a few more high impact spots or strikes (which he has in his locker), simply because at times it didn’t feel like he was doing enough to truly HURT Cole. These are minor faults though – you still need to see this.
ACH vs Kenny Omega
This is our final BOLA First Round bout, with the final spot in tomorrow nights Quarter Finals at stake. Neither of these two would consider PWG their home promotion, and usually compete in totally different countries so this does have a bit of a dream match feel to it. ACH, signed to ROH, has started getting regular bookings in PWG. He has charisma to burn, plenty of athleticism and multiple high spots thus making him perfect for this promotion. His opponent, however, is one of the best junior heavyweight workers on the planet. Omega primarily resides in Japan these days, and I believe was in the process of signing a full-time team with NJPW at this point, after becoming a main event player and legitimate draw in the DDT promotion.
Omega ‘Hadouken’s a streamer at ACH before the bell. Given how wonderfully off-beat these two can be I’d expect most of this match to continue in that fashion. They then get into a strange tussle over who is going to break the handshake first, with the crowd then forcing Kenny to apologise to ACH afterwards. They’ve barely touched each other, but it’s now so hot in the building that they are dripping with sweat. Kenny counters an attempted lucha armdrag into a facebuster for an early advantage. It looks like the Canadian is the stronger of the two, but ACH has a clear speed edge and uses it to back flip around the ring into a dropkick. It’s not enough to break Omega’s dominance though, and he gives the neck and spine a real working over. BRUTAL THRUST KICK IN THE CORNER! He put his boot through ACH’s chest and sent him flying backwards into the buckles. IMAGINARY CHAINSAW TO THE FACE! Great comedy selling on that from ACH too, and despite all the imaginary bleeding and facial wounds he’s now suffering from, he manages to nail Omega with a Sayama flip kick as he tries to scale the ropes. MORTAL KOMBAT FLATLINER ON THE APRON! Kenny is rattled by that but plants a dropkick into ACH’s neck as he tries an elbow strike from the top. A fan is wearing a Steve Austin-style leather vest…which Omega tries to use as a weapon, before getting his own face driven into the silver tinfoil skull emblazoned on the breast. Naturally he sells it like total death, giving ACH ample time to put the vest on. HE STOMPS A MUDHOLE IN OMEGA! THESZ PRESS! AUSTIN ELBOW DROP! STUNNER…BLOCKED…ROCK BOTTOM BLOCKED! Omega’s impression of The Rock’s punches are hilarious. STONE COLD STUNNER NAILED! KENNY KICKS OUT! Chuck Taylor narrated that entire segment using Jim Ross impressions too. ACH tries to drink a pitcher of beer (even whilst Omega attempts the Croyt’s Wrath)…and spits it into his face before hitting a snap German suplex for 2. Flying double stomp to the back gets another nearfall, and it appears that channelling the spirit of Stone Cold has given ACH a chance of victory. The crowd offer him their support with duelling ‘What’ chants. ROCK BOTTOM by Omega! Palm strike to the bad neck next, but before he has time to follow up ACH is on him again with the Fatality cutter. Best 450 Ever misses, with Omega hitting him with ROLLING DRAGON SUPLEXES! HAAAAAAAADOUKEN! NO SOLD! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADOUKEN BY ACH! BOTH MEN DOWN! As they drag their hot, exhausted asses off the mat they come up absolutely pasting each other with slaps. Stop Sign Enzi blocked into ACH’s tiger feint kick. AIR JORDAN SCORES! 450 misses again, with Omega popping up into HADOUKEN AGAIN! CROYT’S WRATH COUNTERED TO A VICTORY ROLL FOR 2! CROYT’S WRATH! Omega wins in an epic 24:35
Rating - **** - I can’t think of too many matches this year that I’ve had more fun watching. I actually wanted to give it an extra half star and call it an MOTYC, but I realised that if people didn’t ‘get’ the video game references, or didn’t like the Austin/Rock parody in the middle then they’d think that rating was wholly misleading. I loved the hell out of this one though. Both of them are pretty zany characters, so PWG was the perfect environment for them to let it all out. They also made sure that the actual wrestling was crisp as anything too. It wasn’t just goofy comedy, these guys were hitting exceptionally hard, and executing high impact spots with outstanding precision. Omega focused his offence on the neck and back for the entire match to prepare for the Croyt’s Wrath, and duly won the match as soon as he was able to execute that move. Oh, and if you enjoy HOT false finishes, check out ACH’s counter to the first Croyt’s attempt. The place went NUTS.
Bad Influence vs Young Bucks
With all the BOLA Round One matches done and dusted, most attentions now turn to the final phase of the tournament tomorrow evening. However, we still have a main event for this show to go…and it’s a big one. These two teams have done battle in TNA and ROH, and now bring their rivalry to Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla as well. The Bucks rule the proverbial roost in PWG, but Daniels and Kaz will back themselves to be as good as any other tag team on the planet. They would become immediate contenders for another Tag Title shot with a win over the Jacksons tonight.
EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S ON THE RING ANNOUNCER! It means the match begins with the four guys having to work around an unconscious ring announcer in the centre of the ring. Nick hiptosses Frankie on top of him, followed by a Matt drop toehold to send Daniels splatting onto him too. Excalibur and Chuck Taylor are on commentary and basically falling out of their chairs laughing at this. Kazarian asks the Bucks why they are attacking the poor guy…then Bad Influence decide it looks like fun so they ALL put the boots to him. Daniels is the archetypal veteran, and uses a momentary truce between the teams as an excuse to attack the Jacksons from behind. He and Kaz then toss Nick right into his own brother’s face. Neckbreaker/backbreaker combo on Frankie, before the Bucks break out all their typical heel stylings. They choke Kaz using a shirt, rake eyes, fake tag and tell Rick Knox to ‘suck it’ as many times as humanly possible. Daniels comes to his partner’s aid with a Lionsault on Matt. Fall From Grace blocked, so he puts him in a Koji Clutch instead. Bad Influence demonstrate that they can be every bit as craft and dastardly as the Bucks as they isolate Matt Jackson whilst also doing as much as they can to wind up his brother. Matt manages to flip off Frankie into a Shiranui on Daniels so he can finally tag out. Slingshot facecrusher/tornado DDT to the floor combo by Nick! SUCK IT SWANTON gets 2! On the other side of the ring Daniels goes THROUGH THE BUCKLES into a tope suicida. SUPERKICK/CODE RED COMBO on Kazarian gets 2. When Frankie muscles out of that pin Matt simply hijacks him in backslide position for another superkick. FACE DROP JERRY LYNN LEG DROP from Kazarian to Nick. BELLY TO BELLY TO THE FLOOR FOR MATT! ARABIAN PRESS TO THE FLOOR BY DANIELS! All four are piled up on the floor, and stay there for almost the full twenty count before scurrying back in to continue the battle. Matt plants Frankie with a spear, then eats blue thunder driver from Daniels…and once again all four guys are on their asses. SUPERKICK PARTY by Bad Influence! They follow it with a pair of the sloppiest f*cking Angel’s Wings you’ll ever see. Frankie’s sucked but Daniels’ was absolutely abysmal. SUPERKICK to counter the BME! EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S wipes Kaz out, setting him up for MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK! Fallen Angel flies in to break the pin. NECK DROP FLUX CAPACITOR! How is Matt Jackson not dead from that? He has time to recover since his brother is dishing out more superkicks. MELTZER DRIVAAAAAAAAAAA! Bucks win at 19:22
Rating - **** - This was probably as good as the match they had on ROH TV. This one was longer so, in Brian Cage parlance, they got more of their sh*t in…but the slightly shorter runtime on the ROH match meant they were a little more concise and clean with what they did. If you enjoy tag team wrestling then both matches are a real joy to watch. Bad Influence aren’t the most exciting of opponents for the Bucks, but all four of these guys are so experienced that they pretty much work entertaining matches on autopilot. It’s a shame that Bad Influence (particularly Kazarian) got so sloppy down the closing stretch, but a credit to the great PWG fans that they barely called them out on it.
Night 2 Tape Rating - **** - An awesome show from PWG. Regular viewers of their product have been saying that 2014 thus far hasn’t been the best year for the company. I don’t watch enough of their shows to comment on that, but what I will say is that they are FAR better paced than they used to be. Both Nights so far have been perfectly laid out. ROH could actually learn a thing or two from PWG based on these past two nights. Night Two was an absolute blast. It started with some entertaining undercard stuff, and culminating in a staggering FIVE consecutive 4* matches. All the best BOLA Round 1 encounters are on this DVD (Sydal/Hero, ZSJ/Cole and Omega/ACH) too. If money is tight and you want to see BOLA 2014 but only want one DVD from the first two nights – this is the one.
Top 3 Night 2 Matches
3) Matt Sydal vs Chris Hero (****)
2) Zack Sabre Jr. vs Adam Cole (****)
1) Kenny Omega vs ACH (****)
Night Three – 31st August 2014
So after two extremely strong Battle Of Los Angeles action we’ve made it to the final show. Twelve competitors are left standing in the tournament, which is now at the quarter final stage. The winner will have to survive three matches tonight to win the whole thing. As well as the Quarters, Semis and Final of BOLA, there’s also another Mount Rushmore trios tag and a huge ten man tag featuring talent already eliminated from the tournament as well as Willie Mack in his PWG farewell.
Johnny Gargano vs Candice LeRae
This is the first of our BOLA Quarter Finals, pitting the golden boy of the WWNLive promotions against the golden girl of Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla. Once again LeRae will be considered an underdog, but her victory over Rich Swann in the first round shows that Gargano shouldn’t be taking her lightly at all. Johnny looked strong in victory over long-time friend/rival Chuck Taylor in Round One.
Gargano skips around the ring and easily out-wrestles Candice in their opening exchange. LeRae responds by attempting a flurry of pinning combinations looking for a quick victory. She then knees him in the face before planting him with a neckbreaker in the ropes. TOPE SUICIDA INTO STEEL CHAIRS! Johnny is wounded by that…and hits back with a TOP ROPE ALLEY-OOP ON THE RINGPOST! Somehow Candice isn’t murdered by that, and springs back into action with the tope tornado DDT on the floor. Reverse rana nailed…for 2! Ball-Plex blocked…Lawn Dart blocked too, into the octopus stretch! GARGANO ESCAPE ON JOHNNY! Gargano muscles out into a swinging gutbuster. He thinks about an avalanche Hurtz Donut, gets knocked away…but still comes out on top as he dodges a LeRae moonsault. There’s a great moment next as Johnny pulls out of an unprotected superkick to Candice’s face, and she then spits in his face because she doesn’t want special treatment. SUPERKICK TO THE JAW! Lawn Dart gets 2. VIOLENCE PARTY by Candice! BALL-PLEX INTO THE TURNBUCKLES! She then hits a rope run lucha DDT…only for Gargano to counter the reverse rana into a HURTZ DONUT! Gargano wins at 09:36, although the ref horribly botched the three-count totally killing the finish.
Rating - *** - Such a fun way to open the third act of BOLA 2014. Gargano worked really well with Candice, maintaining his own credibility whilst still making her look like a serious threat by selling her offence in a believable and plausible way. It’s such a shame that they blew the finish because it was a really cool little sequence.
SIDENOTE – I rewatched it, and it was definitely the ref’s fault. Neither Gargano nor Candice move. The moronic ref simply didn’t hit the mat for the three count. If I was one of the wrestlers I’d be absolutely fuming with him when I got backstage.
TJ Perkins vs Ricochet
The idea here is that there aren’t many opponents Ricochet faces who are as quick or as well-travelled as he is. TJP is lightning quick around the ring, a talented high-flyer, an exceptional ground worker and has travelled the world gaining experience in multiple styles of professional wrestling. He may have been a late replacement in the field, but stylistically he poses a serious threat to the impressive Ricochet
The opening is fairly jovial, with both wrestlers smiling away and trying to lure referee Rick Knox into an impromptu triple threat match. Even Perkins struggles to keep up with Ricochet and his crazy ability to back flip out of anything, but he backs his ability to out-wrestle him and takes him to the mat with a variety of arm submissions. Ricochet is in trouble and retorts by going after the leg that Bobby Fish worked over in his match with TJP two nights ago. He simply isn’t able to make any progress though, with TJ continually trapping him on the canvas cranking on his arm. Somehow Rico lands a springboard elbow smash, but even though it didn’t use his bad arm he still comes up in real pain. Perkins misses a standing corkscrew senton, and eats a Red Star Press instead! Springboard 450 splash gets knees allowing TJP to float back to the cross armbreaker. Somehow Ricochet muscles him up into a pop-up roundhouse kick (similar to the Benadryller) to escape. Detonation Kick COUNTERED TO CHOCOLATE RAIN! BENADRYLLER! Ricochet joins Gargano in the semis at 10:22
Rating - *** - It’s noticeable people are starting to work more sensibly since several of them are going to have to compete in multiple matches this evening. Ricochet was extremely reserved here, spending the vast majority of the match on the mat whilst Perkins worked around him. That’s not to say it was a bad match by any means though – I really liked the idea of TJ using his submission prowess to get the edge on a world class high-flyer like Ricochet. Considering how much Rico was holding back, this was actually extremely good.
Michael Elgin vs Trevor Lee
These two are survivors of two of the more competitive and evenly matched encounters on Night One. Ring Of Honor World Champion Michael Elgin survived a hell of a slugfest with Tommaso Ciampa, whilst the unorthodox Trevor Lee fought past Carolinas rival Cedric Alexander. Lee is giving up plenty of size and power to his opponent tonight but is forging something of a reputation in PWG as a ‘giant killer’ and someone who can triumph even when the odds are against him.
Plenty of heat for Elgin before the bell, although it doesn’t stop him from mauling Lee at the bell. Trevor looks like a freaking wreck and we’re not even out of the opening minute. He does all he can to stay out of Elgin’s clutches, flipping out of a German suplex then peppering him with knees and kicks. Tope suicida CAUGHT…for a powerslam on the floor! The unrelenting ROH Champion catches him next with an unprotected bicycle kick to the side of the head as Lee struggles back through the ropes. A knee strike from a similar position rocks him as well, leaving him exposed for the somersault leg drop across the back of the neck. Trevor looks beaten to sh*t now…but somehow hooks him up for a crucifix driver. He drives Michael to the floor…and hops up the ropes for a FLYING MOONSAULT TO THE OUTSIDE! BACK FLIP POWERSLAM GETS 2! Lee then attempts an ill-advised Package Piledriver only to be splatted back into the ground with a German suplex. Elgin rips into Lee again with repeated double knee strikes…EVEREST GERMAN BY TREVOR! BACK FIST BY ELGIN! He then tosses Lee around so violently he actually drops/botches something, but Lee’s body still crunches into the canvas with such force that people buy it as a spot anyway. They battle for supremacy on the top rope, with Michael blocking a rope-run frankensteiner into an AVALANCHE ELGIN BOMB! Spiral Bomb COUNTERED into a reverse rana, and Lee small packages Elgin for victory at 12:40
Rating - *** - As a vehicle for getting Lee over this was perfect. Elgin was on autopilot, and cruised along doing little more than the same spots he does in every one of his matches so what made this memorable was the fantastic sell-job by Trevor. His body was covered in bruises and welts, he flapped around like a fish out of water…and by the end of the match he genuinely made you believe he was being beaten senseless. It was the archetypal babyface underdog performance, the crowd were with him every step of the way and they were elated when he pulled out the shock victory. He wrestles like a strange mash-up of Jeff Hardy and Sami Callihan, and he’s nowhere near the biggest name in the tournament but Trevor has been fascinating to watch in both his matches so far.
SIDENOTE – Ring Of Honor were reportedly extremely unhappy with Elgin for losing this match. Some even held it up as the reason they took the ROH Title off him in September. I don’t believe that at all personally. I’m sure Adam Cole occasionally lost in PWG whilst holding ROH’s belt. Whilst ROH may well be a little annoyed that PWG didn’t have the courtesy to protect their champion (like they did with AJ Styles/NJPW as we’ll see later), I highly doubt this was enough in and of itself to convince them to take the belt off Elgin. More than likely it was one of a number of contributing factors, alongside his continued failure to get over as a World Champion with their fanbase, the total indifference to his title defences, the glaring inadequacies in his presentation (both kayfabe and non-kayfabe) as a champion when compared to Adam Cole, the various Twitter meltdowns and the infamous ‘baseball’ interview etc.
Kenny Omega vs Matt Sydal
Our last three Quarter Final matches are huge bouts with major international ramifications. This one pits two major global names on the independent scene together in a match that nobody would have dreamt of seeing just a year earlier. Matt Sydal is fresh back on the indies following his lengthy run as Evan Bourne in the WWE, whilst Kenny Omega has decent name value in Japan thanks to his work in DDT and NJPW. Both survived gruelling opening round matches with ACH and Chris Hero respectively, so may well be worse for wear coming into this.
Excalibur and Chuck Taylor make fun of both haircuts on commentary, and to be fair both manes look ridiculous within seconds of the opening bell. Matt inflicts more damage in the opening couple of minutes, prompting Omega to take a time-out on the floor. He tries to target Kenny’s leg, but gets dropped ribs-first over the top ropes. Omega seemingly works over the midsection, presumably to prevent Sydal from executing his signature Sydal Press. Backbreaker lands for the Canadian, before he revs up the INVISIBLE CHAINSAW. AIR CHAINSAW TO SYDAL’S FACE! STOP SIGN ENZI! Sydal then counters a suplex attempt into a crossbody, but that hurts his own injured midsection so much that he struggles to follow up. Canadian Hammer countered with a jumping heel kick, then the Slice for 2. Standing moonsault BLOCKED with a double knee strike to the bad ribs. Matt somehow hits a vertical leap frankensteiner anyway, followed by the Meteora for another nearfall. Kenny pounds the chest with uppercuts to prevent him from hitting the Sydal Press. LARIATOOOOOOOOOO! Sydal bumped on his f*cking head with that. Dragon Suplex blocked, so Kenny wrenches the stomach again with a LES ARTESS DOCTOR BOMB! ROLLING DRAGON SUPLEXES! HADOUKEN! CROYT’S WRATH COUNTERED TO A FLYING DOUBLE STOMP! SYDAL PRESS MISSES! KATAYOKU NO TENSHI! Omega wins! He advances to the semi-finals at 13:49
Rating - **** - I loved what Kenny Omega brought to ROH during his ‘09/’10 run in the promotion. But as I don’t see much DDT I simply don’t get to watch him as often as I’d like to these days. This weekend has been a wonderful reintroduction to the immense talent he possesses. He is gold as a comedy performer, dynamite as a spot merchant and a downright fantastic WORKER as well. The amazing thing about this match is that he was obviously working at a measured pace to make sure he had enough left in the tank for the next round, but he still delivered a great match. The assault on Sydal’s ribs was extremely well executed, and his dominant performance made perfect sense considering how much Matt had taken out of him last night when Hero kicked his ass around the ring for nearly twenty minutes. An awesome little match. Kenny needs to come back to the US more often.
Roderick Strong vs AJ Styles
The ‘always the bridesmaid’ framing to his PWG career is really starting to rankle with Roderick. He’s never won BOLA or the PWG World Championship and feels like this tournament is his breaking point. He wants Kyle O’Reilly’s PWG Title, and knows victory here is the fastest route to it. He has a hell of a task in front of him though, as he squares off with the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion, and the man that nearly broke his neck with an errant Styles Clash at an ROH show in January.
Despite acting all tough before the bell, Roddy quickly makes himself look like a fool by walking straight into the standard Styles dropkick sequence. He then eats the springboard elbow smash, forcing him to flee the ring. Phenom off the apron blocked…to a BACK DROP into the ringpost by Strong. He follows it with a torture rack backbreaker on the apron, apparently inflicting a serious injury to AJ’s back. It renders Styles unable to stand properly and seemingly unable to deal with Roderick in a strike exchange. Strong piles into him with the urinage backbreaker for 2. It has to be pointed out that Roddy is continually breaking up his assault on Styles’ back by arguing with the fans. It’s a continuation of the idea that he is now fed up of being PWG’s ‘nearly man’ and will do whatever it takes to win. In the end it’s those arguments with the crowd that cost him, as it presents AJ with an opportunity to land the discus lariat. Torture rack bomb gets 2 for Styles, although he is now noticeably slowed. Strong drives the back into the buckles to block the Styles Clash then hits a backbreaker/Olympic Slam combo. PHENOM DDT! Both men are left down after that. Styles Clash blocked for a second time, so AJ rocks Strong with the Pele Kick instead. Strong meets him with a jumping knee then lands the Death By Roderick/Sick Kick sequence for a hot nearfall. Roddy tries to Styles Clash AJ…only for it to be countered to the CALF KILLER! Strong escapes by viciously clubbing the face…then as he blocks Bloody Sunday he accidentally kicks the referee to the ground. BLOODY SUNDAY! HOLLOW POINT! Strong rolls out of the ring struggling to recover, and eventually does return with a couple of steel chairs. He whacks AJ with a chair to block the Clash again…only for Styles to snatch the weapon from him. The ref regains consciousness at the most inopportune of moments, and with Strong lying on the ground Eddie Guerrero-style the official disqualifies Styles at 16:36
Rating - *** - I preferred the Ring Of Honor match from earlier in the year. I’m not desperately upset by the non-finish, since I understand the need to protect New Japan’s champion. My issue was that most of this match felt extremely perfunctory. Styles has been having an electric year in 2014, but this seemed to be a decidedly phoned in performance. He did little more than execute his normal moveset and did very little to sell the back that Strong worked on. In reality, as much as fans and wrestlers love PWG, this was little more than a B-show in AJ’s schedule and he wrestled it as such. Strong did as much as he could, but since he had to protect himself with more work to be done for him this evening, you could really see two talented performers working well within themselves for varying reasons. I loved how Strong was DESPERATE to avoid the Styles Clash after what happened in January though.
Kyle O’Reilly vs Zack Sabre Jr.
This is the last of the BOLA Quarter Final matches. Zack has taken PWG by storm during his debut weekend by producing an outstanding performance in the main event 6-man on Night One then upsetting the former PWG Champion Adam Cole last night in their First Round encounter. Having defeated one member of Future Shock yesterday, things don’t get any easier as ZSJ now squares off with the other half, and reigning PWG Champion in Kyle O’Reilly.
Fans are chanting ‘USA’ at the start of a match between a Canadian and an Englishman. Excalibur and Chuck debate whether Zack will be as successful working the British style with O’Reilly as he was with Cole. Sure enough Kyle does seem more proficient working the canvas than his former partner at Night 2. Zack is up to the task though and has more than enough in his locker to maintain a mat-based advantage on the champion. Both guys are intent on working the arm, and draw a deserved round of applause for an amazing exchange which sees them maintain hold of each other whilst working counters for several minutes. Not content with that, they go into a STUNNING exchange of pinning combinations and strikes. Kyle tears into Sabre with a vicious kick flurry, and it apparently incapacitates the Brit enough for him to work a few unhindered submission holds. Zack responds by SNAPPING Kyle’s arm between both his legs then doing his best to snap the leg as well. Jawbreaker McLariat rolled through by ZSJ…only for O’Reilly to counter back to a BRAINBUSTER! Regalplex blocked next, although Sabre appears to have hurt his neck and walks blind into an Alarm Clock. BRIDGING REGALPLEX gets 2. Kyle goes for more kicks, only to be trapped into a CROSS ARMBREAKER! That’s blocked…and as Zack tries the rolling prawnhold which he defeated Cole with yesterday he nearly gets caught in the Arm-ageddon. SPINNING KICK DUEL! ROUNDHOUSE BY ZACK! ELBOW BY KYLE! DUELLING B*TCH SLAPS! Sabre sprints like a madman delivering Euroean uppercuts. Dragon suplex nailed…Jawbreaker Lariat COUNTERED to the armbreaker. MMA STOMPS BY KYLE! PENALTY KICK into another dragon suplex gets 2 for ZSJ. Sabre starts hammerlocking Kyle’s arm around the turnbuckle bolts…then comes off the top rope INTO A FLYING CROSS ARMBREAKER! O’Reilly is desperate and somehow makes the ropes to break it. PENALTY KICK TO THE ARM! PUMPHANDLE DRIVER BY O’REILLY! BRAINBUSTER AGAIN! ONE COUNT OF DISRESPECT! FACE STOMPS OF TOTAL DEATH! TRIANGLE CHOKE! Sabre taps! O’Reilly scores the victory at 16:58
Rating - ****1/2 - I’ve not seen a lot of people rate this one as highly as me, but personally I thought this was the best match of the entire weekend. Everything about this one was absolutely on point. The striking was great, the mat exchanges were as spectacular as they were technically superb, and the way the continually amped up the action, tension and drama was just awesome. Zack rounded off a wonderful PWG debut weekend by giving another main event level competitor a lesson in mat wrestling – and did whatever he could to pick apart O’Reilly’s arm. Normally that’s a tactic Kyle likes to employ, and perhaps the greatest compliment O’Reilly gave Zack in the entire match was that be abandoned his own focus on the arm because he simply couldn’t do it as effectively as the Englishman could. Kyle went to strikes and dropping Zack on his neck, and did enough to force the victory before ZSJ could break his arm or force him to submit. A hell of a battle
Both guys get a well-deserved standing ovation…before Roderick Strong runs in and kicks their tired asses. Roddy even takes out Excalibur with a chair, before scooping O’Reilly up for an END OF HEARTACHE THROUGH THREE CHAIRS! STRONGHOLD! Bobby Fish eventually comes through the curtain to rescue his tag partner but the damage has already been done. Kyle O’Reilly would be forced to withdraw from the tournament due to the injuries sustained…and as luck would have it Roderick now gets a bye to the final.
Adam Cole/Young Bucks vs ACH/Brian Myers/Chris Sabin
It hasn’t been a great weekend for Mount Rushmore. The Bucks did manage to defeat Bad Influence last night, but before that we’d seen Adam Cole eliminated from BOLA by Zack Sabre Jr. and all three of them defeated by the first-time team of Zack, Kenny Omega and Chuck Taylor. Given that this is their first run of shows since kicking Kevin Steen out of the group, they’ll want to make sure they leave this high profile weekend with their dignity intact and can’t afford another loss to a thrown together trio
Just like last night the Bucks make a beeline for the hapless ring announcer. But this time he gets his own back as he ducks, causing them to give Adam Cole Early Onset Alzheimer’s. DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE ON THE BUCKS! Myers dives at them as well with a pescado, before ACH comes sailing out after him with a RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! TRIPLE TOPE SUICIDAS BY MT. RUSHMORE! Myers starts dishing out Norman Smiley slams to everyone…including his own partners. He grabs referee Rick Knox for one as well…only for Rick to COUNTER into a sunset flip for 2! TRIPLE SUPLEX by the babyface team! AIR JORDAN BY ACH! He winds up so far back in the crowd that they crowd surf him back…STRAIGHT INTO SUPERKICKS BY THE BUCKS! Adam Cole entertains himself pretending to emulate the handspring back rake usually performed by his partners as Mt. Rushmore regain some control by isolating ACH. Sweet Chin Music blocked into a STONE COLD STUNNER! Just when ACH looks set for a tag he sees both his partners dragged off the apron though. HO TRAIN attempted by Cole! Sabin saves ACH from that and hits a flatliner/DDT combo on Cole and Matt. CRADLE SHOCK gets 2! He takes Cole up the ropes, only for the Bucks to catch him. DOUBLE POWERBOMB/SUPERPLEX TOWER OF DOOM! All six guys are down in a heap! EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S to ACH and Sabin! ACH recovers by hitting the Fatality on Cole…then joins the Young Bucks on opposing turnbuckles for a TRIPLE 450 SPLASH! The Bucks are pissed that ACH stole their sh*t and jump him before he can pin Adam though. SUPERKICK PACKAGE PILEDRIVER COMBO ON ACH! Sabin and Myers break the fall though! PANAMA SUNRISE! LEAPFROG MORE BANG FOR YOUR F*CK! Mt. Rushmore win at 10:44
Rating - **** - This was classic PWG madness. Six guys throwing around zany comedy and ridiculous high spots so fast you can barely keep up, in front of a crowd who loved every second of it. This is the kind of thing that serious ‘workrate and nothing else’ fans sh*t on, but if you enjoy modern, spot-based wrestling with a comedic twist you’ll eat this up. Despite barely going ten minutes, all six guys got the chance to shine and did something memorable with it. A welcome change of pace to break up all the Battle Of Los Angeles action and give the semi-finalists more recovery time.
Johnny Gargano vs Trevor Lee
Trevor Lee took a real beating at the hands of Michael Elgin earlier in the show, and has had less recovery time than Gargano too. Can he continue his remarkable underdog story and shock everyone again by making it all the way to the finals of BOLA 2014?
Lee starts the match slumped in the corner still selling the effects of the Elgin match, but still finds the strength to take the fight to Gargano. He drives a knee into Johnny’s stomach, but simply doesn’t have the power to execute a gutwrench and finds himself sent packing to the floor. Gargano pursues him with a BLOCKBUSTER OFF THE APRON. Trevor crawls into the crowd trying to escape only to be peppered with Machine Gun chops. Somehow he stays alive long enough to make it back to the ring, where he springs back into action with a standing double stomp to the chest. Lee swings like a maniac, driving a nasty-looking knee into the guts and shoving his opponent to the floor just to get a breather. Much as we saw in Round One against Cedric, Lee’s unorthodox approach causes his opponent real problems. He grinds on the WWNLive star with chinlocks, rakes to the face, pokes to the eye and any possible tactic to unsettle him and make up for the obvious stamina advantage he is enjoying. Gargano lands a kick…and as Trevor tries to toss him out of the ring again this time he’s waiting to counter him into a slingshot DDT from the apron. Lee is now using fans to help drag his broken body to the edge of the ring for some respite. Rolling enzi COUNTERED TO THE EVEREST GERMAN! Gargano kicks out! He kicks Lee off the apron then dives at him with a high octane tope suicida taking them both three rows deep into the fans. Slingshot Spear COUNTERED to a gutwrench powerbomb! But Trevor is so exhausted he basically collapses as he tries to pin him afterwards. Gargano is bleeding from the nose, and crawls around the ring himself looking for a break. LAWN DART! HURTZ DONUT! LEE KICKS OUT! ‘Are you sure?’ – fans to the same ref who botched Gargano’s victory against Candice earlier. Spitting and breathing hard, Lee somehow gets back to his feet into the BACK FLIP SLAM! ORANGE CRUSH! GETS 2! Was that all Trevor had left? He can barely raise his arms to trade slaps with Gargano, who in response is absolutely pasting him. In one last burst of energy Lee goes for the Package Piledriver…COUNTERED TO GARGANO ESCAPE! LEE ESCAPES! SUPERKICK DUEL! GARGANO DROPS LEE ON HIS HEAD! GARGANO ESCAPE! Lee taps at 15:47
Rating - **** - The wrestling may not have been the most crisp and precise that we’ve seen this weekend, but what a ride we were taken on. Trevor Lee has had an impressive weekend, and once again told a wonderful underdog story as he battled fatigue and inexperience in pursuit of an unlikely victory against a more experienced, high quality adversary. As this match came to a conclusion it honestly felt like it could go either way, and either man could pull off the victory. That’s a testament to the quality of the work they’d put in. I really enjoyed this.
Kenny Omega vs Ricochet
Who will advance to join Roderick Strong and Johnny Gargano in the finals? There are plenty of parallels between these two men. Both have slightly zany personalities. Both are now prominent junior heavyweights in New Japan having risen through the ranks in smaller promotions.
This has a real big match vibe. Omega slow-motion slaps Ricochet…who retorts by stomping on his feet. Kenny looks a little worse for wear after his Quarter Final and eats chair attempting an early pescado. SOMERSAULT PLANCHA by Ricochet! Rico feels so comfortable he joins Excalibur at the booth for commentary…AND GETS A CHAIR THROWN IN HIS FACE! The entire commentary set-up is destroyed, including Excalibur himself. Ricochet struggles to recover from it though, and minutes later inside the ring is still unable to mount any kind of comeback. Clearly Omega backs himself as a more powerful athlete and cements his advantage with a plethora of strikes and grounded holds. Invisible Chainsaw gives Rico some imaginary blood loss, before he is planted right on his neck with a back suplex. A running Ace Crusher brings Ricochet back into proceedings…only for him to have his ribs caved in with a dropkick as he attempts a springboard move. SWANTON TO THE FLOOR from Omega! Kenny tries a crossbody this time…and EATS a boot to the stomach. BENADRYLLER to the stomach, right into a Red Star Press for 2. 630 Senton blocked with a bicycle knee strike, allowing Omega to nail the AVALANCHE AOI SHOUDOU! Both guys looked seriously fatigued after a tough weekend of competition and take turns beating the crap out of each other with strikes. Omega hits a THRUST KICK with such force that Rico legit explodes under the bottom rope out of the ring as a result. He hauls himself up by the ropes…RIGHT INTO A DRAGON SUPLEX ON THE APRON! Back inside the ring Rico NO SELLS another Dragon Suplex. HAAAAAADOOOOUUUUKEN! Ricochet grabs the top rope to escape Croyt’s Wrath, so Kenny climbs the f*ck up after him. AVALANCHE CROYT’S WRATH! BUT RICOCHET LANDS ON HIS FREAKING FEET! REVERSE RANA…COUNTERED TO CROYT’S WRATH! RICOCHET KICKS OUT! Katayoku no Tenshi countered into a small package for 2…before Ricochet boots Kenny in the face. 630 SENTON NAILED! OMEGA GETS A SHOULDER UP! BENADRYLLER! Ricochet advances at 18:52
Rating - **** - It really felt like such a long weekend of wrestling was catching up on everyone by this point. After a hot start, both the crowd and the wrestlers were showing their fatigue. Fans were starting to slump back into their chairs, whilst inside the ring the story they were going for (Omega overpowering and dominating the more agile man) came off as scrappy and under-developed. Then from nowhere EVERYONE rallied. Credit in particular goes to Ricochet who absolutely reinvigorated the match from the moment he started his big comeback at around the halfway point. He moved with such purpose and drive that it injected new life into things. Kenny (who’d been looking extremely tired after FOUR main event level matches in three days) rediscovered the snap in his execution, and the second half was electrifying. The avalanche Croyt’s Wrath sequence was flat-out awesome – easily one of the highlights of the entire weekend.
Chris Hero/Joey Ryan/Chuck Taylor/Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs Biff Busick/Drew Gulak/Bobby Fish/Cedric Alexander/Tommaso Ciampa
This is the traditional ‘everyone else we booked this weekend but isn’t still in the tournament’ BOLA multi-man tag. It also serves as Willie Mack’s PWG farewell (for now) as he was due to head to Florida to join WWE developmental…except he got released before he even made it for some reason. The teams are split rather intriguingly, with one squad being formed of distinctly non-PWG regulars – CZW’s Busick and Gulak alongside ROH’s Ciampa, Fish and Alexander – taking on a group of guys who appear more regularly.
Hero and Gulak start, wearing similar gear and happily chain-wrestling back and forth. Carrying more weight means that Hero’s chaining is much more clumsy and ungainly. He should ditch it from his repertoire if he doesn’t want to drop weight. Mack tags and shows him how it’s done with a running boot right into Cedric’s face. Chuck Taylor is actually in this match, but has positioned himself at the announce table and is showing no interest in getting involved. Willie tries a Nigel McGuinness-esque headstand in the corner…which surprises Alexander so much he is completely blindsided by a FIVE KNUCKLE SHUFFLE! Joey is devastated that the crowd want Candice rather than him. BALL-PLEX on Fish! Biff then ploughs through Swann with the running European…meaning that after almost ten minutes Taylor is forced into the ring for the first time. THUMB IN THE BUM for him from Ciampa. Slow motion wrestling comes next between Tommaso and Chucky – complete with slow motion commentary and all eight other workers moving slowly in turn…and slow-mo counting from the ref. SLOW MOTION THUMB IN THE BUM! Hell, even the damn crowd are CHANTING slowly. SLOW-MO 70’S SUPERKICK! SLOW-MO DISCUS LARIAT! SLOW-MO POUNCE! SLOW-MO ROLLING ELBOW! SLOW-MO ‘THIS IS AWESOME’ CHANT! Bobby Fish then heels out on everyone by refusing to play along and kicking Taylor in the head as he ludicrously tries a slow-mo slingshot senton. The PWG Invaders try to isolate Taylor – and are aided with an unintentional boot to the head from Chris Hero. Willie Mack to the rescue with a somersault plancha! SLINGSHOT PLANCHA BY FISH! GHETTO BLASTER from Swann to Ciampa…before he Spinarooie’s into a corkscrew pescado. PUNCH TO THE FAAAAAACE from Hero to Cedric! RUNNING FATTY MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR BY HERO! Rolling Elbows for ALL FIVE opponents! LUMBAR CHECK by Alexander! Swann thinks about giving Fish the standing 450 Splash, but gets caught and lifted into PROJECT CIAMPA! Tommaso eats a running brainbuster by Willie. Team CZW try to team up on Mack…except he easily scoops them both up for the Samoan drop/standing moonsault combo. NINE-MAN SLEEPER HOLD DUEL! TRENT BARRETA RUNS IN! SOLE FOOD ON CIAMPA! ATOMIC DROP OF TOTAL DEATH BY CHUCKY! SPRINGBOARD SWANN SPLASH! Rich pins Fish to win the match at 20:44
Rating - **** - The wrestling was 3* at best, but this was worth 5* and more if you’re scoring it as a piece of entertainment…so I’ve split it down the middle. The perfect match to show someone if you’re trying to introduce them to Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla as it combined comedy, high spots, weird characters and a flat out f*cking fantastic audience. I thought Reseda was running out of gas during Ricochet/Omega – but they exploded back to life here. The perfect way for the audience to cool off and have some fun before the serious business of the BOLA finals main events next…
Johnny Gargano vs Ricochet vs Roderick Strong – 2014 BOLA Final
After three days of fierce competition it all comes down to this. Ricochet’s road to the final has perhaps been the most difficult, with tough matches against internationally renowned opponents (Chris Sabin, TJ Perkins and Kenny Omega) in every round. Gargano hasn’t had it much easier, but after battling past long-time friend Chuck Taylor in Round One has enjoyed two matches this evening where he was the obvious favourite (versus Candice LeRae and Trevor Lee). Roderick Strong, on the other hand, comes in fresher than anyone else. His vicious post-match assault on Kyle O’Reilly meant he didn’t have a Semi-Final to fight through…although admittedly before that he did make it past CZW Heavyweight Champion Biff Busick and IWGP Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles (controversially). Strong is fed up of being the ‘bridesmaid’ and wants to win his first BOLA – before winning his first ever PWG World Title. Gargano and Ricochet have both held major championships, competed all over the world and their status as WWNLive stand-outs makes them natural enemies for the man that calls himself ‘Mr ROH’.
Nobody likes Roddy as you might imagine, and he pisses everyone off by doing jumping jacks to indicate just how fresh he feels. He eats a double superkick from Rico and Gargano, instantly driving him out of the ring. Tope suicida by Gargano…and as he attempts a slingshot spear back in Ricochet jumps OVER HIM INTO A SOMERSAULT PLANCHA! Strong is reeling on the floor, as inside the ring Rico blocks a slingshot DDT into a brainbuster for 2. Johnny blocks Death By Roderick…but eats a corkscrew brainbuster by Ricochet instead. Roddy puts boots into his back…and then kills it completely with the torture rack backbreaker. He seriously works over Ricochet’s back whilst at the same time keeping Gargano outside the ring. HALF NELSON BACKBREAKER ON THE APRON! That definitely ensures Johnny doesn’t try to intervene. Ricochet thinks about capitalising…and eats a back suplex on the apron for his troubles. Finally Gargano forces his way back in with a DOUBLE slingshot spear. SUPERKICK on Rico as he back flips! Everyone is making a beeline for Ricochet now, with him clearly positioned as the most fatigued of the three. Strong blocks the Hurtz Donut and spins Johnny into a butterfly backbreaker. Ricochet clings to the ropes, then SOMERSAULTS out of a frankensteiner attempt. THREE WAY STRIKE FLURRY! ALL THREE DOWN! Strong is, of course, the first man up since he’s wrestled fewer matches…but he makes the mistake of trying to fight off both men and eats a BENADRYLLER/BUZZSAW KICK COMBO! HURTZ DONUT! GARGANO ESCAPE on Ricochet! DEAD-LIFT REGALPLEX…GARGANO HANGS ON! DEAD-LIFT TURNBUCKLE REGALPLEX! Of course, that exchange further widened the gulf in stamina between Roddy and everyone else. He grabs Ricochet up and flips him ON TO Gargano – just as he used to when he teamed with Jack Evans. Death By Roderick. SICK KICK GETS 2! Ricochet FLIPS out of End Of Heartache into the Red Star Press for 2. 630 SENTON! Lawn Dart blocked…into a DEAD-LIFT BRAINBUSTER! SHOOTING STAR PRESS ON GARGANO…FOR 2! BENADRYLLER! RICOCHET WINS! He emerges victorious in the Battle Of Los Angeles at 14:40
Rating - **** - Far from the best match in the tournament, but considering the fatigue they were doubtlessly battling and the inherent limitations of triple threat matches this was a blast. They struck a great balance between high spots, more elaborate pre-planned three-man sequences and the traditional ‘two guys fight, one guy sits out’ formula. What I particularly enjoyed was the sound logic behind everything they did. Ricochet was the target for the majority of the offence because had the hardest route to the final. Roderick Strong was the aggressor for the most part because he’d had the easiest. Personally I’d have had Strong take the pinfall because, as the biggest heel in the tournament, if he wasn’t going over he HAD to eat the pinfall in order to give Ricochet that cathartic moment. The ovation for Rico’s win was noticeably flatter than it would have been had Roddy been the man staring at the lights.
Strong gets his heat back anyway by decking Ricochet after the match, then destroying his trophy.
Night 3 Tape Rating - **** - I’ve heard it said that Night 3 was the weakest from BOLA 2014 weekend. I don’t agree with that theory I have to say. I’ll concede that it does have some of the weakest matches, and most annoying finishes (Gargano/LeRae and Strong/Styles come to mind) – but it is still every bit as top-to-bottom consistent as the other shows, and also features some of the highlights of the entire weekend. O’Reilly/ZSJ was fantastic, the 10-man tag was entertaining as hell, we got two strong Kenny Omega matches for the price of one DVD – and of course it has the added cache of featuring the business end of the BOLA tournament itself. Another hearty recommend for this show.
Top 3 Night 3 Matches
3) Johnny Gargano vs Trevor Lee (****)
2) Hero/Ryan/Taylor/Swann/Mack vs Busick/Gulak/Fish/Alexander/Ciampa (****)
1) Kyle O’Reilly vs Zack Sabre Jr. (****1/2)
BOLA 2014 Tape Rating - ****1/2 - I’ve read that the 2012 and 2013 tournaments are better than this weekend, so rest assured I’ll be doing what I can to check those out as soon as I can. This was just a phenomenal weekend of wrestling. Perhaps nothing reached the crazily epic MOTYC levels of awesomeness some PWG fans come to expect from every show…but to produce three shows across three days without a SINGLE match dropping below 3* is an astonishing accomplishment. There are a few disappointments along the way, like the occasional crappy finish or AJ Styles’ rather indifferent showing – but this was still a hell of a weekend. 4* matches are thrown at you continually, even by Night 3 when fatigue and searing heat should have been taking it’s toll on both the talented performers and ravenous Reseda crowd. There are also some fantastic little stories thrown into the mix as well – from Trevor Lee as the underdog, Roderick Strong as the villain, Candice LeRae’s popular Round One victory, Kenny Omega’s dynamic return to the company, Zack Sabre Jr.’s awesome debut weekend, returns from long-term injuries for the likes of Matt Sydal and Chris Sabin etc. If you’re looking to skip a show then, for me Night One is the obvious choice (with Night Two being the best of the three DVD’s). However, I can’t stress strongly enough how much value for your money you are getting if you invest in all three nights.
Top 7 BOLA 2014 Weekend Matches
7) Kyle O’Reilly vs Drew Gulak (**** - Night 1)
6) Matt Sydal vs Chris Hero (**** - Night 2)
5) Zack Sabre Jr. vs Adam Cole (**** - Night 2)
4) Hero/Ryan/Taylor/Swann/Mack vs Busick/Gulak/Fish/Alexander/Ciampa (**** - Night 3)
3) Kenny Omega vs ACH (**** - Night 2)
2) Kenny Omega/Chuck Taylor/Zack Sabre Jr. vs Adam Cole/Young Bucks (**** - Night 1)
1) Kyle O’Reilly vs Zack Sabre Jr. (****1/2 - Night 3)