Battle of Los Angeles (2016)
The 2016 tournament winner Marty Scurll
PromotionPro Wrestling Guerrilla
DateNight One:
September 2, 2016
Night Two:
September 3, 2016
Night Three:
September 4, 2016
CityReseda, Los Angeles, California
VenueAmerican Legion Post #308
Event chronology
← Previous
Thirteen 		Next →
Mystery Vortex IV
Battle of Los Angeles chronology
← Previous
2015 		Next →
2017

Battle of Los Angeles (2016) was the twelfth Battle of Los Angeles professional wrestling tournament produced by Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). It was a three-night event which took place on September 2, September 3 and September 4, 2016, at the American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, Los Angeles, California.[1]

The twenty-four man tournament concluded with a three-way elimination match in the final, in which Marty Scurll defeated Trevor Lee and Will Ospreay. Several non-tournament matches took place across three nights. The event featured the PWG debut of Cody Rhodes,[2] John Hennigan, Mark Haskins, Matthew Riddle and Pete Dunne.[3]

The first night was headlined by a six-man tag team match, in which Mount Rushmore 2.0 (Adam Cole and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)) defeated Bobby Fish, Dalton Castle and Kyle O'Reilly. The second night was headlined by a six-man tag team match, in which Matt Sydal, Ricochet and Will Ospreay defeated Mount Rushmore 2.0 (Adam Cole and The Young Bucks). On the undercard, Fenix and Pentagon Jr. defeated Chris Hero and Tommy End. The third night featured a twelve-man tag team match, along with The Young Bucks defending the World Tag Team Championship against Fenix and Pentagon Jr.

Production

Background

It was announced that the 2016 edition of the Battle of Los Angeles would be a three-night event taking place on September 2, September 3 and September 4, 2016, at the American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, Los Angeles, California.

Storylines

Original line-up

The recently departed WWE star Cody Rhodes was announced to make his PWG debut as the first participant in the Battle of Los Angeles.[4] The next three participants announced for the tournament were Kamaitachi, Jeff Cobb and the debuting Mark Haskins.[5]

On June 28, eight new participants were announced for the tournament including former WWE star, the debuting John Hennigan (formerly John Morrison), Dalton Castle, Pete Dunne, Sami Callihan, Tommy End, Trevor Lee, 2012 winner Adam Cole and Jack Gallagher.[6] On June 30, four more participants in the tournament were announced on Twitter: Chris Hero,[7] Mark Andrews,[8] 2014 winner Ricochet,[9] and Matthew Riddle.[10] On July 2, four more names were announced for the tournament: Marty Scurll,[11] Matt Sydal,[12] Kyle O'Reilly,[13] and Fénix.[14] The final four participants were Jushin Liger, Pentagón Jr., Will Ospreay, and the 2015 winner the World Champion Zack Sabre Jr.[15]

Replacement

Adam Cole removed himself from Battle of Los Angeles on July 21, stating that he had already won the Battle Los Angeles (once) and had no interest in competing again and was replaced by Cedric Alexander. However, Cole remained a part of the event by participating in non-tournament matches.[16][17] Jack Gallagher was originally announced for the tournament, but could not make the show due to travel issues and was replaced by Tommaso Ciampa.[18]

Non-tournament matches

Due to Adam Cole withdrawing from the Battle of Los Angeles, he was scheduled to team with his Mount Rushmore 2.0 teammates The Young Bucks in six-man tag team matches on the first two nights of Battle of Los Angeles. It was announced that Cole and the Bucks would compete against Dalton Castle and The Boys on the first night, and the team of Matt Sydal, Ricochet, and Will Ospreay on the second night.[19]

Reception

Jake St-Pierre of 411Mania praised the night one of the tournament, rating it 9. He said that it was "one of the better shows in PWG's history to boot". He praised most of the performances with minimal criticism directed at John Hennigan and Matt Sydal's match as "a bit low-key" and the main event six-man tag team match as "a bit corny".[20] He stated that the night two was "one of the best 2 and half hours of wrestling", with praise towards "the mindblowing trios main event", "End & Hero vs. Pentagon and Fenix", Mark Andrews and Pete Dunne's match as "a high-octane cat and mouse match", Matt Riddle and Kyle O'Reilly's and "grappling that would make Akira Maeda shed a tear of joy". He appreciated the diverse wrestling on this show, recommending that "you'll be able to find a style of wrestling you enjoy, and those styles are all represented by the best the wrestling world has to offer."[21]

Andrew of SoCal Uncensored reviewed it as a "good show overall", which "seemed to set the stage for the entire weekend", with specific praise towards a few matches, as "Ospreay/Fenix pretty much killed it andCobb/Ricochet was a great showcase for Cobb".[22] He believed that "Hero/End vs. Pentagon Jr./Fenix was the best match of the" night two. He further stated "The tournament matches were really solid overall, with guys having impressive individual performances. The main event was a fun spot fest. There was a badly botched spot and some spots that looked too telegraphed, but it was a fun sprint. The three standout performers of the show were Ricochet for his performance in the main event, Mark Andrews with another great performance, and Cody Rhodes for being one of the most enthusiastic wrestlers."[23] The first part of the night three "was bordering between averagely boring and pretty good". He praised a few matches on the card by stating "Ricochet and Hennigan had a very fun match, as was Hero and Andrews’ match as well as the post match angle."[24]

Steve Bryant of SoCal Uncensored praised the night one as "a really good show and a great start to the tournament". He said that "commentary on this show was excellent" and "The Fenix/Ospreay and Jeff Cobb/Ricochet matches were really good and worth the purchase of this just for those matches."[22] He said that the night two was "the best single show in SoCal over the last 16 years".[25] He felt that the night three "was another awesome night of wrestling". He said that "Every match in the actual tournament was good." He praised the match between Cody Rhodes and Marty Scurll as "a really great performance". He believed that Young Bucks and the team of Fenix and Pentagon Jr. "were phenominal throughout the weekend", with both teams being part "of tag matches on night 2 that were the two best matches in SoCal this year" and the latter team not showing "a lucha style in the match and really showed their range". He said that the three nights of Battle of Los Angeles were "3 fantastic shows, once again showing why they (PWG) have the best wrestling in the world".[26]

Kevin Pantoja rated the night one 7.0 stating it as "A good way to start the tournament". He said that "Nothing on the show was blow away great or a match of the year contender, but nothing was really bad either." He felt that "Sydal/Hennigan" was skippable and further stated that "Ricochet/Cobb, Liger/Hero and Ospreay/Fenix are all fun, while Scurll/Pentagon was the MOTN".[27] He rated the night two 8.5 as "a consistently strong show", with some criticism towards "the opener, Sami/Cody and main event" while "the Heroes Eventually Die/Pentagon and Fenix tag was the best thing".[28] He gave mixed reviews to night three, considering it "the weakest of the three shows." He rated it 7.0 with nothing "bad but some stuff underwhelmed (O’Reilly/Haskins and the main event)". He praised the "Ospreay/Ricochet, Scurll/Haskins and Hero/Andrews" matches and stated that there were "two great matches in Ospreay/Sabre and the Tag Team Title match".[29]

The six-man tag team match between Mount Rushmore 2.0 and the team of Matt Sydal, Ricochet and Will Ospreay on the second night received unanimous praise from critics, with Dave Meltzer awarding it the prestigious 5-star rating and SoCal Uncensored awarded it the 2016 Southern California Match of the Year Award.[30][31]

Aftermath

After winning the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles, Marty Scurll received a title shot for the PWG World Championship against Zack Sabre Jr. at Mystery Vortex IV,[32] which he lost.[33][34][35]

Results

Night 1 (September 2)
No.ResultsStipulationsTimes
1Marty Scurll defeated Pentagon Jr.Singles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament13:06
2Ricochet defeated Jeff CobbSingles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament13:54
3John Hennigan defeated Matt SydalSingles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament14:15
4Will Ospreay defeated FenixSingles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament10:29
5Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tommy EndSingles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament16:40
6Chris Hero defeated Jushin LigerSingles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament15:00
7Mount Rushmore 2.0 (Adam Cole and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)) defeated Bobby Fish, Dalton Castle and Kyle O'ReillySix-man tag team match19:22
Night 2 (September 3)
No.ResultsStipulationsTimes
1Dalton Castle defeated Tommaso CiampaSingles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament13:26
2Mark Andrews defeated Pete DunneSingles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament18:24
3Cody Rhodes defeated Sami CallihanSingles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament11:33
4Fenix and Pentagon Jr. defeated Chris Hero and Tommy EndTag team match18:23
5Trevor Lee defeated KamaitachiSingles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament11:36
6Mark Haskins defeated Cedric AlexanderSingles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament14:32
7Kyle O'Reilly defeated Matthew RiddleSingles match in the first round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament16:09
8Matt Sydal, Ricochet and Will Ospreay defeated Mount Rushmore 2.0 (Adam Cole and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson))Six-man tag team match20:06
Night 3 (September 4)
No.ResultsStipulationsTimes
1Trevor Lee defeated Dalton CastleSingles match in the quarter-final round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament13:37
2Ricochet defeated John HenniganSingles match in the quarter-final round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament11:51
3Marty Scurll defeated Cody RhodesSingles match in the quarter-final round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament11:39
4Mark Andrews defeated Chris HeroSingles match in the quarter-final round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament6:30
5Mark Haskins defeated Kyle O'ReillySingles match in the quarter-final round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament15:09
6Will Ospreay defeated Zack Sabre Jr.Singles match in the quarter-final round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament10:56
7The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (c) defeated Fenix and Pentagon Jr.Tag team match for the PWG World Tag Team Championship14:34
8Trevor Lee defeated Mark AndrewsSingles match in the semi-final round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament8:18
9Marty Scurll defeated Mark HaskinsSingles match in the semi-final round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament16:44
10Will Ospreay defeated RicochetSingles match in the semi-final round of Battle of Los Angeles tournament10:08
11Cedric Alexander, Chuck Taylor, Jeff Cobb, Jushin Liger and Tommy End defeated Brian Kendrick, Matthew Riddle, Pete Dunne, Sami Callihan and Tommaso CiampaTen-man tag team match17:39
12Marty Scurll defeated Trevor Lee and Will Ospreay[Note 1]Three Way Elimination match in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament final29:15
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
  1. ^ Eliminations were as follows:
    Eliminated Wrestler Eliminated by Elimination Method Time
    1 Will Ospreay Marty Scurll and Trevor Lee Submission 10:00
    2 Trevor Lee Marty Scurll Pinfall 29:15
    3 Winner: Marty Scurll

Tournament brackets

Battle of Los Angeles (2016)
Tournament information
SportProfessional wrestling
LocationReseda, Los Angeles, California
DatesSeptember 2, 2016–September 4, 2016
Tournament
format(s)
Single elimination tournament
Participants24
Final positions
ChampionMarty Scurll
1st runner-upTrevor Lee
2nd runner-upWill Ospreay
← 2015
2017 →
First round Quarterfinals Semifinals
         
Dalton Castle Pin
Tommaso Ciampa 13:26[18]
Dalton Castle Pin
Trevor Lee 13:37[37]
Kamaitachi Pin
Trevor Lee 11:36[18]
Trevor Lee Pin
Mark Andrews 8:18[37]
Chris Hero Pin
Jushin Liger 15:00[36]
Chris Hero Pin
Mark Andrews 6:30[37]
Mark Andrews Pin
Pete Dunne 18:24[18]
First round Quarterfinals Semifinals
         
John Hennigan Pin
Matt Sydal 14:15[36]
John Hennigan Pin
Ricochet 11:51[37]
Jeff Cobb Pin
Ricochet 13:54[36]
Ricochet Pin
Will Ospreay 10:08[37]
Tommy End Sub
Zack Sabre Jr. 16:40[36]
Zack Sabre Jr. Pin
Will Ospreay 10:56[37]
Fénix Pin
Will Ospreay 10:29[36]
First round Quarterfinals Semifinals
         
Marty Scurll Sub
Pentagón Jr. 13:06[36]
Marty Scurll Pin
Cody R 11:39[37]
Cody R Pin
Sami Callihan 11:33[18]
Marty Scurll Sub
Mark Haskins 16:44[37]
Cedric Alexander Sub
Mark Haskins 14:32[18]
Mark Haskins Sub
Kyle O'Reilly 15:09[37]
Kyle O'Reilly Pin
Matthew Riddle 16:09[18]
Final
   
Trevor Lee
Will Ospreay 		Win
Marty Scurll 29:15

References

  1. ^ Caldwell, James (2016-06-27). "PWG announces BOLA dates, Cody Rhodes & three more entrants". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
  2. ^ Shawn Fernandes (June 7, 2016). "CODY RHODES TO MAKE PWG DEBUT AT 2016 BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES". PWInsider. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  3. ^ Joseph Currier (July 9, 2016). "PWG rounds out 2016 BOLA lineup with Jushin Liger, Will Ospreay". WON / F4W. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  4. ^ James Caldwell (June 6, 2016). "Cody Rhodes booked for PWG's Battle of Los Angeles tournament". PWTorch. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  5. ^ Andrew (June 27, 2016). "PWG announces dates, first entrants into the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  6. ^ James Caldwell (June 28, 2016). "PWG announces eight more BOLA entrants, including former WWE star". PWTorch. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Chris Hero is the thirteenth entrant in the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles!". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Twitter. June 30, 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Mark Andrews is the fourteenth entrant in the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles!". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Twitter. June 30, 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Ricochet is the fifteenth entrant in the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles!". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Twitter. June 30, 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Matthew Riddle is the sixteenth entrant in the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles!". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Twitter. June 30, 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Marty Scurll is the seventeenth entrant in the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles!". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Twitter. July 2, 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Matt Sydal is the eighteenth entrant in the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles!". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Twitter. July 2, 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Kyle O'Reilly is the nineteenth entrant in the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles!". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Twitter. July 2, 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  14. ^ "Fénix is the twentieth entrant in the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles!". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Twitter. July 2, 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  15. ^ Joseph Currier (July 9, 2016). "PWG rounds out 2016 BOLA lineup with Jushin Liger, Will Ospreay". WON / F4W. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  16. ^ Caldwell, James (2016-07-20). "PWG BOLA big updates – Cody Rhodes's tourney opponent, Adam Cole replaced, new First Round matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  17. ^ Steve Bryant (July 20, 2016). "Adam Cole removes himself from Battle of Los Angeles plus more matches announced". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g Meltzer, Dave (2016-09-04). "PWG Battle of Los Angeles night two results: A phenomenal night of action". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
  19. ^ Joseph Currier (July 22, 2016). "Updated PWG BOLA 2016 lineup with cards for the first two nights". WON / F4W. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  20. ^ Jake St-Pierre (October 21, 2016). "Guerrilla Reviewfare: PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2016 (Stage One)". 411Mania. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  21. ^ Jake St-Pierre (October 22, 2016). "Guerrilla Reviewfare: PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2016 (Stage Two)". 411Mania. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  22. ^ a b Andrew; Steve Bryant (November 8, 2016). "Steve & Andrew Review: Night 1 of the 2016 PWG Battle Of Los Angeles on DVD/Blu-Ray". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  23. ^ Andrew (November 26, 2016). "PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 Night 2 DVD/Blu-Ray Review". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  24. ^ Andrew (December 23, 2016). "PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Stage 3 (Part 1) DVD/Blu Ray Review". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  25. ^ Steve Bryant (September 6, 2016). "PWG Battle of Los Angeles night 2 - review". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  26. ^ Steve Bryant (September 9, 2016). "Steve's View #139 – PWG's Battle of Los Angeles night 3 review". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  27. ^ Kevin Pantoja (October 28, 2016). "Kevin's PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2016 Stage One Review". 411Mania. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  28. ^ Kevin Pantoja (October 28, 2016). "Kevin's PWG Battle of Los Angeles Stage Two Review". 411Mania. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  29. ^ Kevin Pantoja (October 28, 2016). "Kevin's PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2016 Stage Three Review". 411Mania. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  30. ^ "Top Rated Matches of 2016". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  31. ^ Steve Bryant (January 24, 2017). "2016 Southern California Wrestling Awards Winners Announced". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  32. ^ Andrew (November 28, 2016). "Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Mystery Vortex IV taking place on December 16th, 2016". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  33. ^ Dave Meltzer (December 17, 2016). "PWG Mystery Vortex live results: Chris Hero addresses his situation". WON / F4W. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  34. ^ Steve Bryant (December 18, 2016). "PWG "Mystery Vortex IV" December 16, 2016 – review". SoCal Uncensored. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  35. ^ Sean Radican (February 11, 2017). "RADICAN'S 12/16 PWG "Mystery Vortex IV" Report – Young Bucks vs. Cobb & Riddle in non-title action, DBE vs. ReDRagon tag classic, Sabre vs. Scurll main event". PWTorch. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  36. ^ a b c d e f Meltzer, Dave (2016-09-03). "PWG Battle of Los Angeles night one results: BOLA begins". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
  37. ^ a b c d e f g h i Meltzer, Dave (2016-09-05). "PWG BOLA Night 3 results: A winner is crowned; Young Bucks vs. Pentagon Jr & Fenix". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 2016-09-05.

External links

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla events
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Categories