Battle of Los Angeles (2019)

Battle of Los Angeles (2019)
The 2019 tournament winner Bandido
PromotionPro Wrestling Guerrilla
DateNight One:
September 19, 2019[1]
Night Two:
September 20, 2019[2]
Night Three:
September 22, 2019[3]
CityLos Angeles, California
VenueGlobe Theatre
Event chronology
← Previous
Sixteen 		Next →
The Makings of a Varsity Athlete
Battle of Los Angeles chronology
← Previous
2018 		Next →
2022

Battle of Los Angeles (2019) was the fifteenth Battle of Los Angeles professional wrestling tournament produced by Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). It was a three-night event held on September 19, September 20, and September 22, 2019, at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California.[4]

The 2019 tournament featured twenty-four participants and concluded on the third night with Bandido defeating David Starr and Jonathan Gresham in a three-way elimination match in the final.[5] Aside from the tournament matches, tag team matches took place across three nights and a ten-man tag team match took place on the night three.[6] The tournament featured the PWG debuts of A-Kid, Artemis Spencer, Caveman Ugg, Daisuke Sekimoto, Dragon Lee, Lucky Kid and Mick Moretti.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Other PWG debutants at the event included Alex Zayne and Blake Christian, who competed in a tag team match on night one, and Paris De Silva who participated in a ten-man tag team match on night three.[14]

Background

Original lineup

On June 4, 2019, PWG announced via its official Twitter handle that the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles tournament would be held on September 19, September 20, and September 22, 2019, at the Globe Theatre in Los Angeles, California.[15] The following participants were announced for the tournament: A-Kid,[7] Jonathan Gresham,[16] Artemis Spencer,[8] Darby Allin,[17] Mick Moretti,[12] Orange Cassidy,[18] Bandido,[19] Caveman Ugg,[9] Jake Atlas,[20] Tony Deppen,[21] Rey Fenix,[22] Lucky Kid,[13] Joey Janela,[23] Brody King,[24] Bárbaro Cavernario,[25] Jungle Boy,[26] Black Taurus,[27] Rey Horus,[28] David Starr,[29] Laredo Kid,[30] the 2018 winner and the World Champion Jeff Cobb,[31] Dragon Lee,[11] PENTA EL 0M[32] and Daisuke Sekimoto.[10]

Replacement

Due to a scheduling conflict, Bárbaro Cavernario was replaced by Aramís.[33] Laredo Kid was unable to compete due to participating in the reality competition series Exatlon and was subsequently replaced by Puma King.[34]

Non-tournament matches

Along with the Battle of Los Angeles tournament, PWG announced several non-tournament matches heading into the event. On August 16, two non-tournament tag team matches were announced for night one: Alex Zayne and Joey Janela versus Blake Christian and Tony Deppen and Lucha Brothers (PENTA EL 0M and Rey Fenix) versus MexaBlood (Bandido and Flamita). A World Tag Team Championship match was scheduled between the champions The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz) and Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) for night two. A match between Aussie Open and The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) was scheduled to take place on night three, which would turn into a World Tag Team Championship match if Aussie Open were to beat Rascalz for the titles.

However, Davis suffered a ruptured MCL and torn ACL while warming up for his match before BOLA, resulting in both of Aussie Open's matches being changed. The match between Rascalz and Aussie Open on night two was changed to a non-title match with A-Kid being announced as Davis' replacement to team with Fletcher. On night three, Rey Horus and Aramis replaced Aussie Open as Dark Order's opponents while Fletcher would participate in a ten-man tag team match later in the night.

Event

Night 1

The 2019 Battle of Los Angeles tournament kicked off with the first round match between debutants A-Kid and Lucky Kid. A-Kid applied an armbar on Lucky Kid and hit him with the chops while applying the hold, forcing the latter to submit.

Next, Brody King took on the debuting Caveman Ugg. King delivered a Gonzo Bomb to Ugg for the win.

Next, Rey Horus took on the debuting Dragon Lee. Lee hit a running knee strike to Horus for the win.

Next, a non-tournament tag team match took place pitting Joey Janela and the debuting Alex Zayne against Tony Deppen and the debuting Blake Christian. Zayne delivered a running 630° senton to Deppen for the win.

The BOLA tournament continued next as Darby Allin took on Black Taurus. Allin pinned Taurus with a cradle for the win.

Next, Jonathan Gresham took on the debuting Artemis Spencer. Gresham knocked Spencer out by repeatedly hitting him with blows, forcing the referee to stop the match and award the victory to Gresham.

Next, the PWG World Champion Jeff Cobb took on the debuting Daisuke Sekimoto. Cobb delivered a Tour of the Islands to Sekimoto for the win.

It was followed by the main event of the night one pitting Lucha Brothers (PENTA EL 0M and Rey Fenix) against MexaBlood (Bandido and Flamita). Lucha Brothers executed a double-team combination on Flamita as PENTA and Fenix respectively delivered a Fear Factor and a diving double foot stomp at the same time.

Night 2

The first round of BOLA continued on the second night as Joey Janela took on the debuting Mick Moretti. Moretti threw a fireball to Janela's face and the referee handed a towel to Janela to recover from it. Janela threw the towel on Moretti's face and hit a superkick for the win.

Next, Jake Atlas took on Jungle Boy. Atlas delivered a LGB-DDT to Jungle Boy from the ring apron to the outside floor and then tossed him into the ring to pin him for the win.

Next, Rey Fenix took on Aramis. Fenix delivered a Black Fire Driver to Aramis for the win.

It was followed by a tag team match pitting The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz) against Kyle Fletcher and A-Kid, a replacement for the injured Mark Davis. Rascalz performed an aided moonsault for the win.

The BOLA tournament continued as Puma King defended the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship against Bandido. Bandido delivered a spike piledriver to King to win the title and advance in the tournament. However, after the match, King exercised the title's 24/7 rule and rolled-up Bandido and pinned him to regain the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship.

Next, PENTA EL 0M took on Tony Deppen. PENTA nailed a Fear Factor to Deppen for the win.

Next, Orange Cassidy took on David Starr. Starr hit a lariat to Cassidy for the win.

It was followed by night two's main event, in which Jonathan Gresham and Daisuke Sekimoto took on King's Hawaiian (Brody King and Jeff Cobb). Sekimoto delivered a German suplex to King for the win.

Night 3

Quarterfinals

The night three began with the quarterfinals of the tournament as Jake Atlas took on Dragon Lee. Lee hit a running knee strike to Atlas for the win.

Next, Bandido took on Brody King. Bandido executed a springboard 21 Plex for the win.

Next, Jonathan Gresham took on A-Kid. Gresham repeatedly hit A-Kid's knee into the mat, forcing the referee to stop the match.

Next, Rey Fenix took on Joey Janela. Janela twisted Fenix's mask to make it difficult for the latter to see and nailed a superkick on Fenix for the win.

Next, PENTA EL 0M took on Darby Allin. Allin pinned PENTA with a Last Supper for the win.

Next, Jeff Cobb took on David Starr. Starr took advantage when the referee got knocked out and hit Cobb with the PWG World Championship title belt and delivered a lariat to Cobb for the win.

It was followed by a tag team match in which The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) took on Aramis and Rey Horus. Grayson delivered a diving neckbreaker to Aramis for the win.

Semifinals

Next, the semifinals of the tournament began as Jonathan Gresham took on Joey Janela. Gresham applied an octopus hold on Janela and attacked him forcing the referee to stop the match and award the win to Gresham.

Next, Bandido took on Dragon Lee. Bandido delivered a 21 Plex to Lee for the win.

Next, Darby Allin took on David Starr. Starr delivered a lariat to Allin for the win.

The penultimate match of the event was a ten-man tag team match pitting Artemis Spencer, Caveman Ugg, Jungle Boy, Orange Cassidy and the debuting Paris De Silva against Black Taurus, Kyle Fletcher, Lucky Kid, Mick Moretti and Tony Deppen. Cassidy spit orange juice in Deppen's face and rolled him up to pin him for the win.

Final
Bandido won the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles tournament and subsequently won the PWG World Championship.

It was followed by the tournament final, a three-way elimination match between Bandido, David Starr and Jonathan Gresham. Gresham eliminated Starr by applying an octopus hold on the latter and repeatedly hitting him with elbow strikes. Gresham tried to eliminate Bandido in the same way by applying an octopus hold but Bandido powered out of it by hitting a Samoan drop when the referee was about to stop the match. Bandido followed it by hitting Gresham with a falling powerslam from the top rope and a 21 Plex to win the tournament.

Reception

Steve Bryant of SoCal Uncensored stated that the first night of the tournament was not "as good as last year’s night 1" while considering the second night a "letdown". However, he praised the third night, rating it "a great show" and recommended that "if you can only get one night, get night three".[35][36][37]

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter showed heavy appreciation towards the semi-final match between Bandido and Dragon Lee on the third night, calling it a "match of the year candidate" and awarded it the prestigious five-star rating.[3][5][38]

Aftermath

After winning the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles, Bandido received a title shot against Jeff Cobb for the PWG World Championship at Makings of a Varsity Athlete,[39] which resulted in Bandido defeating Cobb to win the World Championship.[40]

Results

Night 1 (September 19)
No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[1]
1A-Kid defeated Lucky KidSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round18:31
2Brody King defeated Caveman UggSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round10:52
3Dragon Lee defeated Rey HorusSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round14:30
4Alex Zayne and Joey Janela defeated Blake Christian and Tony DeppenTag team match14:39
5Darby Allin defeated Black TaurusSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round11:32
6Jonathan Gresham defeated Artemis SpencerSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round13:09
7Jeff Cobb defeated Daisuke SekimotoSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round15:26
8Lucha Brothers (PENTA EL 0M and Rey Fenix) defeated MexaBlood (Bandido and Flamita)Tag team match18:08
Night 2 (September 20)
No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[2]
1Joey Janela defeated Mick MorettiSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round12:29
2Jake Atlas defeated Jungle BoySingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round19:05
3Rey Fenix defeated AramísSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round13:13
4The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz) defeated A-Kid and Kyle FletcherTag team match22:27
5Bandido defeated Puma King (c)Singles match for the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round10:40
6PENTA EL 0M defeated Tony DeppenSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round14:33
7David Starr defeated Orange CassidySingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament first round18:06
8Daisuke Sekimoto and Jonathan Gresham defeated King's Hawaiian (Brody King and Jeff Cobb)Tag team match22:47
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
Night 3 (September 22)
No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[3]
1Dragon Lee defeated Jake AtlasSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament quarter-final round10:55
2Bandido defeated Brody KingSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament quarter-final round10:40
3Jonathan Gresham defeated A-KidSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament quarter-final round18:03
4Joey Janela defeated Rey FenixSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament quarter-final round15:58
5Darby Allin defeated PENTA EL 0MSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament quarter-final round16:24
6David Starr defeated Jeff CobbSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament quarter-final round11:15
7The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) defeated Aramis and Rey HorusTag team match14:48
8Jonathan Gresham defeated Joey JanelaSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament semi-final round8:30
9Bandido defeated Dragon LeeSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament semi-final round11:53
10David Starr defeated Darby AllinSingles match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament semi-final round5:39
11Artemis Spencer, Caveman Ugg, Jungle Boy, Orange Cassidy and Paris De Silva defeated Black Taurus, Kyle Fletcher, Lucky Kid, Mick Moretti and Tony DeppenTen-man tag team match25:49
12Bandido defeated David Starr and Jonathan Gresham[Note 1]Three-way elimination match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament final23:26
  1. ^ Eliminations were as follows:
    Eliminated Wrestler Eliminated by Elimination Move Time
    1 David Starr Jonathan Gresham Knocked out after receiving elbow strikes 9:12
    2 Jonathan Gresham Bandido Pinned after a 21 Plex 23:26
    3 Winner: Bandido

Tournament brackets

Battle of Los Angeles (2019)
Tournament information
SportProfessional wrestling
LocationLos Angeles, California
DatesSeptember 19, 2019–September 22, 2019
Tournament
format(s)
Single elimination tournament
Participants24
Final positions
ChampionBandido
1st runner-upJonathan Gresham
2nd runner-upDavid Starr
← 2018
2022 →
First round Quarterfinals Semifinals
         
Artemis Spencer TKO
Jonathan Gresham 13:09
Jonathan Gresham TKO
A-Kid 18:03
A-Kid Sub
Lucky Kid 18:31
Jonathan Gresham Sub
Joey Janela 8:30
Rey Fénix Pin
Aramís 13:13
Rey Fénix Pin
Joey Janela 15:58
Joey Janela Pin
Mick Moretti 12:29
First round Quarterfinals Semifinals
         
Brody King Pin
Caveman Ugg 10:52
Brody King Pin
Bandido 10:40
Puma King* Pin
Bandido 10:40
Bandido Pin
Dragon Lee 11:53
Jake Atlas Pin
Jungle Boy 19:05
Jake Atlas Pin
Dragon Lee 10:55
Rey Horus Pin
Dragon Lee 14:30
First round Quarterfinals Semifinals
         
PENTA EL 0M Pin
Tony Deppen 14:35
PENTA EL 0M Pin
Darby Allin 16:24
Darby Allin Pin
Black Taurus 11:32
Darby Allin Pin
David Starr 5:39
Jeff Cobb Pin
Daisuke Sekimoto 15:26
Jeff Cobb Pin
David Starr 11:15
Orange Cassidy Pin
David Starr 18:46
Final
   
Jonathan Gresham Pin
Bandido
David Starr 		23:26

* = Puma King's Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship was on the line

References

  1. ^ a b "PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2019 - Tag 1". Cagematch. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2019 - Tag 2". Cagematch. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2019 - Tag 3". Cagematch. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  4. ^ Joseph Currier (June 4, 2019). "PWG announces dates for Battle of Los Angeles 2019". WON / F4W. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b Dave Meltzer (September 23, 2019). "PWG BOLA night three results: The 2019 champion is crowned". WON / F4W. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  6. ^ Dave Meltzer (September 20, 2019). "PWG BOLA night one results: Lucha Bros vs. Flamita & Bandido". WON / F4W. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b Steve Bryant (July 1, 2019). "PWG announces A-Kid as the first entrant in the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  8. ^ a b Steve Bryant (July 3, 2019). "PWG announces Artemis Spencer as the third entrant in the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  9. ^ a b Steve Bryant (July 10, 2019). "PWG announces Caveman Ugg for 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  10. ^ a b Steve Bryant (August 8, 2019). "Daisuke Sekimoto announced as the twenty-fourth and final entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  11. ^ a b Joseph Currier (August 6, 2019). "Dragon Lee announced for PWG Battle of Los Angeles". WON / F4W. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  12. ^ a b Steve Bryant (July 5, 2019). "Mick Moretti announced as fifth entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  13. ^ a b Steve Bryant (July 16, 2019). "PWG announces Lucky Kid as the twelfth entrant in the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  14. ^ Ryan Satin (September 23, 2019). "Wrestler named Paris De Silva making his PWG debut in the 10-man tag at #BOLA". Twitter. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  15. ^ "The 2019 Battle of Los Angeles takes place on September 19th/20th/22nd!". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Twitter. June 4, 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  16. ^ Steve Bryant (July 2, 2019). "Jonathan Gresham announced as second entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  17. ^ Steve Bryant (July 4, 2019). "Darby Allin announced as fourth entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  18. ^ Steve Bryant (July 8, 2019). "PWG announces Orange Cassidy as the sixth entrant in the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  19. ^ Steve Bryant (July 9, 2019). "Bandido announced as seventh entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  20. ^ Steve Bryant (July 11, 2019). "PWG announces Jake Atlas as the ninth entrant in the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  21. ^ Steve Bryant (July 12, 2019). "Tony Deppen announced as tenth entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  22. ^ Steve Bryant (July 15, 2019). "PWG announces Rey Fenix as the eleventh entrant in the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  23. ^ Joseph Currier (July 18, 2019). "Joey Janela added to PWG Battle of Los Angeles". WON / F4W. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  24. ^ Steve Bryant (July 18, 2019). "Brody King announced as fourteenth entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  25. ^ Joseph Currier (July 20, 2019). "Barbaro Cavernario set for PWG Battle of Los Angeles". WON / F4W. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  26. ^ Steve Bryant (July 29, 2019). "Jungle Boy announced as the sixteenth entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  27. ^ Joseph Currier (July 31, 2019). "Black Taurus announced for PWG Battle of Los Angeles". WON / F4W. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  28. ^ Steve Bryant (August 1, 2019). "Rey Horus announced as the eighteenth entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  29. ^ Steve Bryant (August 2, 2019). "PWG announces David Starr as the nineteenth entrant in the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  30. ^ Steve Bryant (August 3, 2019). "Laredo Kid announced as the twentieth entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles tournament". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  31. ^ Steve Bryant (August 4, 2019). "Jeff Cobb announced as the twenty-first entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  32. ^ Steve Bryant (August 7, 2019). "Penta El Zero M announced as the twenty-third entrant in PWG's 2019 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  33. ^ Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. "Apologies for the delay in match announcements. Unfortunately, there was a scheduling conflict with Bárbaro Cavernario, and he will not be able to wrestle in the tournament. Aramis has now entered the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles!". Twitter. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  34. ^ Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. "Laredo Kid will no longer be a participant in the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles. Puma King has now entered the tournament, and will face Bandido on Night Two!". Twitter. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  35. ^ Steve Bryant (September 20, 2019). "PWG 2019 Battle of Los Angeles Night 1 – review". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  36. ^ Steve Bryant (September 21, 2019). "PWG 2019 Battle of Los Angeles Night 2 – review". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  37. ^ Steve Bryant (September 25, 2019). "PWG 2019 Battle of Los Angeles Night 3 – review". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  38. ^ "Dave Meltzer 5 Star Matches List (1983 to 2022)". IWNerd. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  39. ^ Bryan Rose (November 18, 2019). "PWG announces card for The Makings of a Varsity Athlete". WON / F4W. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  40. ^ Steve Bryant (December 23, 2019). "PWG The Makings of a Varsity Athlete – review". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 December 2022.