Pro Wrestling Guerrilla presents "The Battle of Los Angeles"
September 3 and 4, 2005
Los Angeles, California
500 Fans for Night 1, 450 Fans for Night 2
With Optional Commentary by Disco Machine and Excalibur

"Battle of Los Angeles" Night 1

Human Tornado and Gunning for Hookers (Hook Bomberry and Top Gun Talwar) vs. Excalibur, Disco Machine, and Chris Sabin

After a good pre-match promo by Excalibur, Hook Bomberry nails an Avalanche Hurricanrana and a few dropkicks, but after a few tag-ins and tag-outs of various team members, he's cut off from the group. Hook manages to catch Disco Machine with an enzugiri and gets the hot tag to Human Tornado, who immediately hits the POUNCE~ and a suicide dive. There's a nice, quick segment where many of the people involved hit their finishers, culminating in an all-out brawl after Sabin hits a spinning Cradle Shock to Top Gun Talwar. Human Tornado hits Excalibur with the Tornado-Plex at 15:06 to end the match.

Analysis: A very spotfest-like, hectic-but-cohesive match to start the show. Everything was very energetic, and plenty of goodness lies within a smartly-timed structure, a few key spots of merit, and the mixed diversity produced by the six. I felt the match started out too slow for its own standards- as the obligatory "pop the crowd to rile them up for the rest of the show" match- but it eventually came into its own with those nice moments of crazy spotfest-y heated bliss we all know and love. ***

Round 1: "The Future" Frankie Kazarian vs. Rocky Romero

Chain wrestling, and lots of it, starts out the match, followed by some stiff chops. Kazarian nails a Manhattan drop, a kick, and a swing neckbreaker, all in short order, for a two count. After Frankie nearly chokes out Romero and Romero comes back with kicks, Frankie attempts to get the win by way of very quick, very fluid pin attempts, but fails each time. His unwillingness to change ends up costing him the match, too, as Rocky Romero rolls into a quick pin of his own and gets the win at 11:02.

Analysis: Just a standard match; neither man really let his expertise shine, aside from some moderately successful chain-wrestling and a decent showing of athleticism. I just got too much of a "for the sake of" feeling on this match: "chain wrestling for the sake of chain wrestling", "athletic spots for the sake of athletic spots", etc. Basically, too much fluff with not enough real-match meaning. Case in point: there was a lot of arm work by both men during all that chain-wrestling, but Frankie never really bothered to remember that when he kept trying all these different pins. I can get the point that, in-story, Frankie would've been "frustrated" enough that he'd "ignore the pain", but he never displayed any emotion of the sort: he just simply ignored a large part of the early match. Even so, this was still decent wrestling-wise, so it's not really horrible. Just a bit…unexpected. **½

Round 1: Quicksilver vs. Davey Richards

Quicksilver proves just how serious he takes this match by nearly crucifying Davey with a cringe-inducing cutter, and Davey's never really the same afterward. Still, Richards manages to hit a KENTA kick combo, then a Lungblower, and he even hits the Tiger Suplex, but can only get 2¾. After Richards dives through the ropes to the outside and crashes into Quicksilver, Quicksilver runs onto the entrance steps and gets in a sick Tornado DDT onto the floor, following it up with a Moonsault but only getting 2¾. Davey fires back with a Wheelbarrow Suplex into a corner of the ring, but can only get 2¾ as well. Davey goes up top for a Shooting Star Press, but Quicksilver follows him up and drills Davey with an Avalanche Fireman's Carry Michinoku Driver, giving Quicksilver the win after 10:55.

Analysis: Another chaotic match with a frantic pace that produced high-end entertainment. Everything felt really spontaneous, but not random. A perfect example: Quicksilver pulled out his huge spiral-down ace crusher/cutter out of nowhere, literally because Richards never saw it coming, but once Quicksilver found out how effective the move was, he focused on the neck for the entire match. Richards displayed all the intensity he's known for, but I'm beginning to think that he needs to stop attempting the Shooting Star Press. He's got one of the best rotations I've seen, but it's like Angle's Moonsault: the height and rotation are usually so high that you can see it coming long before it actually hits, usually killing the effect of not knowing whether or not an opponent will be able to counter in time. Even so, it played into his character well enough, some would say. Also, the final spot of the match was another one of those "unexpected but not completely unfeasible" situations that mixed a little bit of unpredictability in with a good head-drop. All told, this was the best match so far, would become one of the best of Night 1, and got the show rolling towards a must-see. ***¼

Round 1: "The Technical Wizard" Joey Ryan vs. James Gibson

The crowd is mega-hating on Ryan, complete with the whole "Boo!/Yay!" dual-chant when Joey nails any offense and when Gibson responds. There's even a large "Die Joey Die" chant. Both men focus on each other's arms, and then Gibson does a spinning powerslam for 2¾. After some more nearfalls and even a crowd dive, Joey Ryan almost gets a win when he brings in a chair, throws it to Gibson, and pretends that Gibson hit him with it, ala Eddie Guerrero. It doesn't work, and Gibson soon eliminates Joey Ryan at 15:59 with a Tiger Driver.

Analysis: The constant level of fan interaction actually ended up hurting the content of this match. There was a lot of stalling, with no real effect overall; this grew tiresome and boring at points. I get the fact that Joey Ryan is extremely hated, but this one simply had too much hate in it: neither Ryan nor Gibson seemed to be able to concentrate on their match amidst all the "Boo/Yay" and "Die Joey Die" and "**** You Joey" chants. Yet even though this wasn't the match I wanted, I liked parts of it. Neither man really ran the gamut of offense or pushed themselves all that hard, but they managed to churn out a decent performance, even though it felt a bit robotic to me. **½

Round 1: "Photogenic" Chris Bosh vs. "The Generic Luchador" El Generico

Although Bosh blindsides Generico to kick off the match, El Generico generally outsmarts Bosh, at least until Bosh hits a gutbuster, then it's all him for a while. Generico even takes a nasty suplex to the outside. After a bit, Bosh tries a cartwheel over the ropes into a headscissors, but he's flung back and propped up on the ropes in a head-stand position…and is immediately Yakuza Kicked by Generico in a brilliant, brutal moment. Generico then hits a Double Springboard Moonsault to the outside, jumping from one side of a turnbuckle to the opposite and flying into Bosh in another noteworthy spot. Bosh then nails the low blow punch/pose thing of his, but gets drilled almost immediately thereafter with a Half-and-Half Suplex. Bosh ends up coming back from a BRAINBUSTAH!!!! and nails the Steiner Screwdriver for the three count at 12:42.

Analysis: A fun, exciting encounter that missed "great match" status by a bare minimum. Unlike the previous match, the crowd ate this one up but didn't over-do it, leading to both continuously upping the level of wrestling with crazy spots, lots of emotion, and very well-timed and cohesive moments. Both men had identifiable characters that you probably know well enough by now, but the clash between the two was excellent in its own right: Bosh hated Generico's comedy character and how the crowd loved it, so he took every under-handed moment he could get his hands on and, when that didn't work, he resolved himself to simply drop Generico on his stomach and head a bunch of times. Generico wanted to both play the loveable high-flyer but also show how focused he was on being a serious threat to the division, so he goofed around a bit at times but usually showed a more fiery side than he usually does. With all that said, though, sometimes the two simply didn't do enough. Make no mistake about it, they did plenty, but a few detractors- like an occasional bit of lax selling, for example- keep it from being the Match of the Night, though it remained a contender. ***¼

Round 1: "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Reyes

There's lots of jockeying for position, at least until Danielson gets in some forearm scrapes. Before long, we get our "I have 'till five, referee" segment (which concerns a leg lock) and lots of trash talking. Then both men toss each other into the crowd, and American Dragon nails a huge Avalanche Backdrop, but only gets 2. After that, we're treated to an Airplane Spin, but Reyes counters it into an armbar. After looking for the Dragon Sleeper, Reyes has his attempt countered into the Crossface Chickenwing, and he taps out at 19:19.

Analysis: Yet another must-see match that was great to watch. The match was perforated by lots of silent animosity at times, then lots of violent acts of rage at others. Great wrestling, of all sorts, was also this match's hallmark. American Dragon is on fire with his so-happy-it's-insulting character, and knows perfectly when to transition into his arrogant, serious role. I've never been more than a casual fan of Ricky Reyes, honestly, but I'll admit that Danielson by no means carried this match on his shoulders. Another world-class effort that really gives you an example of just how much a must-buy this show is shaping up to be. ***¼

Round 1: "The Fall Angel" Christopher Daniels vs. "The Professional" Scott Lost

After cutting a promo pre-match about being insulted at "Christopher Boshe" (literally pronounced Boh-Shh by Daniels) referring to him as a "walking penis", Daniels threatens to walk out of the match once Lost grabs a marker and draws a vertical line on the center of Daniels's head. But he doesn't, and Lost hits him with the Superman Spear. Pissed, Daniels responses by slamming Scott Lost onto two chairs outside of the ring, and after that, he hoists Lost into the air and keeps him there for at least twenty seconds before slamming him back down with a suplex. Daniels even hits a big Death Valley Driver, but Lost continues to kick out. Lost eventually catches Daniels with a superkick and follows it up with a combination of kicks, followed by a spinning enzugiri. There's nearfalls aplenty for a bit, but Christopher Daniels scores a low blow while the ref was unaware, then drills Lost with the Angel's Wings to end the match at 14:18. Post-match, Scott Lost attacks the referee, and Scorpio Sky comes out, attacks Lost, then throws off his mask in defiance before storming out of the venue.

Analysis: One more good match means one more positive rating, and yet another reason to get into this show. Lots of great character interaction on this one, too: Daniels brought out the "educated and easily insulted heel" character, while Lost was his usual self with a bit of a face-like flare mixed in with his usually heelish moveset, mainly because the crowd was clearly hating on Daniels with all the penis innuendo. His head really is quite penis-shaped and glistening, in my honest opinion. Daniels, however, took this all in stride and did his thing well, but I still loved the character interaction during this match, which wasn't bland at all. It could've been better in my estimates- largely due to some brawling I didn't think was well-placed- but as they go, this one was largely and entertainingly enjoyable. ***

Round 1: "The Phenomenal" A.J. Styles vs. Jack Evans

Styles isn't taking any of Evan's typical showboating, and quickly hits a bunch of angry, stiff stuff. The highlight of Evan's showboating, by the way, is when a fan starts doing 'Lil Jon impersonations and Evans yells out "YAY-UH". Evans also manages to hit a corkscrew moonsault to the outside and into Styles, then follows it up with a springboard spin-kick for 2. Styles fights back with some submissions and more stiffness, and in one of the nastiest moments of the night, Evans tries a Moonsault Hurricanrana onto a standing Styles, but can only get enough rotation to hook his left leg on Style's neck, resulting in both men more or less crashing into each other very harshly. Unfortunately, the bad times just keep rolling, as A.J. and Evans get into a fistfight while both are standing on the top rope, resulting in A.J. slipping and falling into the crowd. But in the end, Styles manages to hit the Styles Clash onto the floor before rolling Evans into the ring and pinning him at 13:35.

Analysis: The botching really hurt this one; I honestly expected more. Nevertheless, the match recovered ground with its fierce tenacity, unrelenting stiffness, clever highspots, and several other but not really noteworthy factors. The character contrast and juxtaposition- Evans being "ghetto arrogant" and Styles being the redneck easily-irritable pretty boy- served to better the match, but it lost focus over time. I'm not saying something like "massive over-exaggeration means great character development", I'm just making a point that both men started out really well with their mannerisms and actions, but towards the end they just simply… stopped. The ending segment saved this from average-dom, though, and overall it's a good match that gets points taken from being sloppy at times. **¾

Round 1 Final Match: "Mr. Wrestling" Kevin Steen vs. Super Dragon

Both men are in full kill-mode with each other, and do a lot of stiff strikes and ground wrestling. Fans chant "Mr. Boring" at Steen due to his reluctance to really mix it up with Super Dragon. After both men hit each other for a while, Steen gets a CHOP TO THE FACE~ and comes back with a crazy Somersault Senton to the outside while Super Dragon was lying on the floor. Steen loses focus as he argues with some fans, eventually leading to him getting a Curbstomp and a Badunkadunk. Both men then up the brutality soon after, the highlight of which would be Super Dragon powerbombing Kevin Steen into a wall, dragging him into the ring, and then hitting the Double Stomp to the back of Steen's head and still only getting 2¾. Super Dragon attempts the Psycho Driver, but Steen rolls into a pinning counter and wins the match at 33:02. Post-match, both men shake and hug. Honestly. Of course, it's all a ploy to get Steen in close, and Super Dragon slaps Steen hard before nailing him with the Psycho Driver II.

Analysis: One of the reasons these two had such a great feud is that they really made you believe they legitimately wanted to end each other's careers, or worse. That was made clearly evident in this match to the delight of many: after a bit of ground wrestling to show dominance, Steen and Dragon proceeded to abandon any known forms of wrestling showmanship and proceeded to simply beat the holy hell out of each other. This apparent lack of care for their own health drew everyone in, including me. Super Dragon has always struck me as one of the best-played heels currently in this business, but when he's a face, he still manages to maintain his unique level of quiet animosity: basically, he's no longer taunting or making fun of you or his opponent, so you don't have much of a reason to hate him. He still kicks ass and puts on fantastic matches, he's just not all that arrogant about it. And though it's one of the most basic reasons to cheer a guy, Super Dragon is very over as a face. The finish wasn't to my immediate liking, but it made sense: it helped plant the seeds for another "chapter" in their feud, and Steen knew that he'd live to fight another day regardless if he won this match or not, because his title wasn’t on the line. Match-wise, this was the longest match of the night, but also the best, since it combined lots of hard-hitting action, sprinkled it with a couple highspots, peppered it with a whole hell of a lot of animosity, and chained it all together with very effective- though somewhat average- ground-based wrestling. In summary, this one delivered on all aspects, and would remain one of the best matches of the entire tournament. ***½

Night 2 Matches

Chris Sabin, Hook Bomberry, and T.J. "Puma" Perkins vs. Excalibur, Ronin, and Disco Machine

There's a bunch of highspots to begin the match, followed by the heel teem of Excalibur, Ronin, and Disco Machine isolating and working over Hook Bomberry. As you could probably guess, Hook Bomberry gets the "hot tag" to Sabin, and Sabin scores some points for vaulting off of both Disco Machine and Ronin before hitting a Standing Tornado DDT to Excalibur. After an "everyone hits their finishers consecutively" spot, Excalibur gets planted with a Cradle Shock, so Sabin wins it for his team at 7:06.

Analysis: Short and to the point, so my review of it will be as well. Very little happened in this match; it was definitive in its role as an obligatory spotfest. And it was short. As with any of these kinds of matches, it'll have to do. It's one of those that you simply watch to get a "taste" for what's to come…there's no real reason to watch it all. But if you did, you'd get the same type of match you've seen opening indy shows for what seems like forever now: some head drops, a few dives, lots of finishers, etc. Basically…your average run-of-the-mill indy-show opener. **½

Quarterfinals: Quicksilver vs. Rocky Romero

There's a lot of stiff kicking going on, followed by slapping, and Romero gets planted with an Enzugiri, then one more, after he was in control of the match for a few minutes. Quicksilver's Fireman's Carry Michinoku Driver only manages to get 2¾, and Rocky Romero comes very near to winning after hooking on an Ankle Lock and Grapevine, but Quicksilver manages to get to the ropes. Rocky Romero gets his reversal reversed when he rolls through a move, trying to hook Quicksilver's ankle for another possible Ankle Lock, and Quicksilver instead sits down, pinning Romero at 13:07.

Analysis: Still felt like a regular match instead of a Quarterfinal, but I liked it near the end. Both men were very quick- but not so much versatile- in their moves, and the mat wrestling was effective but didn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. The finish was very nicely done, too, with Quicksilver really hitting home the fact that his ankle was worn out, perhaps even possibly over-exaggerating the injury in an attempt to have Romero play into his (Quicksilver's) plans. Both men had a clever way of wrestling- not necessarily good, but clever. **¾

Quarterfinals: "Photogenic" Chris Bosh vs. James Gibson

After screwing up a dive, Gibson is on the receiving end of plenty of Bosh punishment that continuously keeps him from mounting a comeback. There are plenty of assorted backbreakers by both men, and Gibson fights to lock on the Guillotine Choke. Eventually the rest of Arrogance (Joey Ryan and Scott Lost) comes out, and after a bunch of interference, Bosh rolls up Gibson and latches on to his tights to get the cheap win at 10:38. Post-match, the fans chant "bull****".

Analysis: Unlike Night 1, Night 2 is becoming better at a much slower pace. This one was marginally exciting- they had a goof flow but a lack of diverse moves, neither had any real pace or defined story, and it felt cheap that Chris Bosh needed so much interference to get a win. I know it fits his heel character, but it's apparent that someone somewhere wanted an easy way out of not making the then-Ring of Honor Champion look like a loser. This is a shame, too, since Bosh already proved he's capable of having tournament-favorite matches in his encounter with El Generico. Most of the time I'm a fan of James Gibson, but I simply think he held this match back. Like it or not, James Gibson didn't realistically have anything to prove for this tournament, and that's all too evident based on the amount of effort he put into his two matches. **½

Quarterfinals: "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels

Danielson keeps screwing around with Daniels, including doing an "I Have 'Til Five, Referee" spot, which keeps the crowd rabid but quickly angers Christopher Daniels. Danielson even nails an Earthquake (R.I.P.) Splash for 2. Danielson manages to latch on the Cattle Mutilation, but Daniels answers back in kind with the Best Moonsault Ever. After a Rolling Elbow and a great 25-Revolution Airplane Spin, Danielson locks on the Crossface Chickenwing, forcing Christopher Daniels to tap out at 18:22.

Analysis: That's more like it. Another tournament favorite: fantastic action, nice chemistry, interesting flow, and good chain wrestling makes for the bonafide start of Night 2 being a good show. Realistically, what else could you expect from a match between these two, besides lots of awesome? It's everything you know and feel obligated it should be, with the same great chemistry and diversity you know you can't get enough of. ***¼

Quarterfinals Final Match: "The Phenomenal" A.J. Styles vs. "Mr. Wrestling" Kevin Steen

Steen does a pre-match promo asking Styles to ignore his injured areas…and those are the exact areas he focuses on when the match starts. There's some back-and-forth stuff between the two and a few pins sprinkled here and there, but both men seem to have plenty of fight left in them for most of the match. The turning point comes when A.J. hits a barrage of moves and finishes it off with a Spiral Tap which does Steen in at 6:59.

Analysis: For such a short match, I enjoyed this one a lot. Steen must've been really legitimately hurting to have the match end so soon, but he honestly did a good job of hiding it. Both men told a great story and had lots of well-placed counters: everything literally "flowed" from one moment to the next. Again, the shortness of the match handicaps what was otherwise a more-than-capable contest. ***

Samoa Joe and Nosawa vs. Top Gun Talwar and Kikutaro

Everyone gets a large crowd reaction, with the fans chanting each of their names at separate points. Joe basically no-sells most of Top Gun's offense, with Top Gun repeatedly going into moments of comedy due to him being afraid of Joe. Joe even trips Top Gun after pretending to be hurt from a shoulder block. Nosawa and Kikutaro bring the comedy as well, as they hilariously parody the "chain wrestling to pose-down" segment by simply walking past each other and posing. There's even more comedy, with Top Gun and Samoa Joe sumo wrestling each other. Then Kikutaro and Nosawa hit Shining Wizards on each other. Joe hits the S.T.-Joe followed by a Muscle Buster on Talwar, and that's all she wrote at 11:34.

Analysis: I knew Joe had a bit of a comedic side, but I never thought he'd fit the mold of a comedy wrestler as well as he did. The main thing I loved about Joe is the type of comedy character he played: he's still Joe; he's just not all that serious. It's the whole "laughing with him, not at him" thing, and coupled with Talwar's comedic hyper-over-exaggeration of Joe's moves, they brought the funny. The same could be said for Nosawa and Kikutaro, too, as they were hilarious with their various parodies. Everyone hit their notable moves, and even though wrestling was mostly put on the backburner, this was one of the most entertaining matches of the entire tournament. ***

Battle of Los Angeles Semifinal: "Photogenic" Chris Bosh vs. Quicksilver

Bosh does a whole lot of cheating, mixed in with a whole lot of backbreakers, to get the early advantage. Both men are evenly matched for most of the match until Bosh takes a sick sunset-flip powerbomb from the apron to the mats. After a big "Holy ****" chant for that, Bosh somehow manages to hit the Steiner Screwdriver soon after, getting the win at 14:48.

Analysis: That was a bit of a screwy finish if I do say so myself, but it played into Bosh's characteristic ability to improvise, I guess. The story of both men being fatigued was central and done moderately well for what it was, but I just couldn't dig this one. Aside from that, neither really brought anything interesting to the match, save for a good spot near the end and their most typical offense. It's still an alright match, even moderately good, but it's simply hard to get into to. **¾

Battle of Los Angeles Semifinal: "The Phenomenal" A.J. Styles vs. "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson

Chain wrestling to start…you expected maybe hardcore deathmatching? Just like before with Christopher Daniels, Bryan Danielson simply isn't taking this match all that seriously, which infuriates his opponent. A.J. under-shoots his No-Ropes Somersault Senton to the outside, barely managing to clip Danielson's neck/shoulder before landing in a heap. A.J. seems to have messed up his knee, so both men stiff each other for a while, ending with Styles hitting the Stylin' DDT. Styles then hits the Discus Lariat while Bryan Danielson nails a Rolling Elbow, and both men go down. American Dragon tries to latch on the Crossface Chickenwing twice, both times getting countered by Styles, first with an arm-hold backdrop and then with a pumphandle rib-breaker. Danielson finally locks in the Chickenwing, only to have A.J. maneuver to the ropes and synch in a Cattle Mutilation on Danielson, earning Styles some heat. In the end, Danielson attempts the Airplane Spin only to get pinned with a rollup at 20:00.

Analysis: Everything you want and expect, plus some fluff you're sure to love. The match was technical, stiff, high-flying, involving, and always interesting and entertaining. Both men had a lot of chemistry and animosity, as seen in the story they told: Styles forced Danielson's hand, bringing out the "cocky-workhouse" Danielson far before Bryan Danielson wanted to, and when Danielson tried to get back at him by hitting the Airplane Spin, Styles had it well-scouted by then. Not only the best match so far for Night 2, but also and quite possibly the best match of the tournament. ***½

Super Dragon, Jack Evans, "The Generic Luchador" El Generico, and "The Future" Frankie Kazarian vs. Ricky Reyes, Davey Richards, "The Technical Wizard" Joey Ryan, and "The Professional" Scott Lost

More "Boo/Yay" chants for Ryan morph into "Boo/OLE!" when Generico beats on him. Super Dragon and Davey Richards then exchange some nasty forearm shots. Super Dragon gets into the Violence Party, but fails to complete it before Davey reverses into a Kawada Kick, though Super Dragon quickly gets some revenge with multiple chops to the face. Scott Lost is able to hit the Superman Spear on El Generico, then there's a huge multi-man dive spot with Super Dragon, Frankie Kazarian, and El Generico all diving out of the ring and hitting consecutively while Evans eventually hits one into the crowd of just about everyone else. Then there's a fantastic and prolonged cluster-**** highlighted with a couple Yakuza Kicks by Generico, lots of head drops, frequent pin-breaks and false finishes, and even Frankie Kazarian hitting the Flux Capacitator on Scott Lost. Super Dragon attempts the Psycho Driver on Davey Richards, but Ricky Reyes- who is on the outside of the ring- holds Dragon's feet and prevents him from moving. To solve this problem, Jack Evans springs to the top rope, vaults onto Davey's chest, and moonsaults off of him onto Richards. This, of course, allows Super Dragon to hit the Psycho Driver, giving his team the authoritative win at 19:47. Post-match, the fans give a standing ovation to the eight men and chant "PWG".

Analysis: ****ing excellent…what else is there to say? This thing kicked so many asses on so many levels. This one was blazing fast near the end, and it was always filled with spotfest-y, stiffing-intensely, head-dropping bliss. Complete madness throughout the entire match, with the fans virtually rabid by the end. Not only was the match incredibly fun and entertaining, it was also effectively well-done, as every one of the eight treated each other as a big threat, and both teams were hell-bent on winning to try and "erase" the fact that they lost during Night 1. If not for the previous match, this would be taking Match of the Night status by a wide margin, and if not for the previous match and Steen/Dragon, this would also- but somewhat narrowly- be the best match of the tournament. ***½

Pro Wrestling Guerilla "Battle of Los Angeles" FINALS: "The Phenomenal" A.J. Styles vs. "Photogenic" Chris Bosh

Bosh mauls A.J. before his entrance music is even done playing, and A.J. looks to be in a bad way. Bosh hits a Stunner, and then does a Cartwheel Headscissors to the outside. After getting punched below the belt, Styles hits the Pelè... the Pelè… he hits it outta nowhere. After attempting the Spiral Tap and getting nothing but knees planted into his back, A.J. falls to two Steiner Screwdrivers, and Chris Bosh is your Battle of Los Angeles winner at 5:41. Post-match, Bosh throws down the trophy, talks some smack with A.J., and then says he's coming for Steen's belt before leaving.

Analysis: The irony of Style's knee being his main disadvantage after brutally attacking Kevin Steen- who basically had the same injury plus a bad neck- is not lost on me, but what is lost on me is the feeling of greatness from the past two matches. The entire match simply felt highly over-compensating for Styles, and the quick finish nearly made the entire tournament seem meaningless. Add to this Bosh throwing down the trophy, and I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth. Now, I know some would raise the point that throwing down the trophy was a great heel thing for Bosh to do, but my counter-point can be summed up mathematically: bad match + throwing down your trophy = waste of a good finish. Styles never really hit anything all that innovative, as he was really protective, and to be ruthlessly honest, Bosh was more "Photogeneric" than he was "Photogenic". I can't say too much else about this one, just that it was an alright match even though I expected a lot more. What I wanted was a good final match between the two guys that had some of the best matches of the tournament. Sadly, what we got was a very anti-climatic final. **½

Final Thoughts: Lasting impressions are important, and honestly, the bad finish to the tournament will likely stick in your head just as much as the great matches that preceded it. Also, the lack of any real extras is a bit of a negative in my book. Sure, the menu screens and the pre-match "vs" screen were fantastic-even the best I've seen an indy show do- but aside from that, there's nothing else except the event itself. I know that may sound biased- even a bit greedy- but all my reviews are nothing except my own opinion, so here's what I mean: coming off a review that mixed a good event with a huge amount of extra content, B.O.L.A. just didn't have that "all-around" appeal I was looking for. Not only that, but coming off a show that basically begged you to keep watching and continuously delivered on the goods with bonus matches and highlight videos… it simply felt like a step back to go from a D.V.D. that felt like "please keep watching" to one that used a "shut up, sit down, and enjoy your damn wrestling" approach. The bare-bones aspect of the D.V.D. is simply a mark against it, even if I hadn't spent the previous review discovering how you can expertly combine a good show with lots of good extras.

But make no mistakes about it, this is definitely a good show; possibly the best one P.W.G. had ever put on up until that point, and possibly ever. I'd make a division between both Nights, but the D.V.D. itself doesn't, so I'll say this: combined, these shows are a super-sweet purchase. With the regular price of PWG DVD's being $15 and this one being priced at $25, you're basically getting two for the price of one and two thirds. You're going to love some of the matches on this double-disc set, most notably Dragon/Steen, Danielson/Styles, and the 8-Man Tag. Many of the other matches will also be very easy to enjoy. Overall, make no mistake about it: this entire tournament is stacked with good matches, and getting two nights of fantastic action is the only "bonus" you might need.

To conclude, let's answer an important question: does the famed BOLA live up to its hype? A year after and another one behind us, I can say with full confidence: of course. As an already-vocal PWG fan, this one was so much fun to enjoy that I found myself completely uncaring about getting the 2006 tournament: the 2005 version is more than enough to tide me over until I can get the extra cash on-hand to purchase the 2006 rendition. Sometimes I found myself disconnected with the tournament, even a bit bored, but other times I was as rabid as if I were there live. If anyone has any reason to avoid PWG… after this show, you don't. It's the perfect ice-breaker, one of the greatest PWG shows I've ever seen (even with the knowledge that it’s a combination of two events), and featured the charm and feel I've come to love: everyone who's there doesn't feel like "independent" wrestlers. You know their names. You know their promotions. You even know that most of them usually put on good matches. But the one thing that this tournament proves again and again…Pro Wrestling Guerilla can't be compared to anything else. It's simply…PWG. And rest assured…PWG is good. Really good.

Overall Rating for Pro Wrestling Guerilla's "Battle of Los Angeles": ***½