In the world of international pro wrestling, tournaments have always been mainstay special events for smaller promotions, akin to their own version of WWE‘s Wrestlemania. Chikara‘s annual King of Trios, NJPW‘s Best of the Super Juniors, and now with WWE entering the fray with their highly anticipated Cruiserweight Classic, these tournaments are designed to showcase the plethora of performers from the world’s best indie promotions in a true showcase of the untapped talent that the world of professional talent has to offer. For California’s Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), there is no bigger event on their calendar than their annual Battle of Los Angeles (BOLA).
Battle of Los Angeles was first started in 2005, two years after PWG opened it’s doors, and it’s growth over the years has cemented PWG’s annual event as one of the indie circuit’s must-see events (and a destination of choice for anyone who wrestles on the indie circuit). Entrants have included such esteemed indie legends as AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Colt Cabana, Christopher Daniels, Cesaro, Roderick Strong, Nigel McGuinness, Daniel Bryan, and many more, and have made winners like Davey Richards, Joey Ryan, Kenny Omega, Ricochet and last year’s winner Zack Sabre Jr. into household names for indie purists.
The 2016 edition of Battle of Los Angeles garnered some huge buzz early when former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes announced that BOLA was on his “List” of things to accomplish this year, and on June 28, 2016, PWG officially confirmed the Wrestler Formerly Known As Stardust would be one of the headlining names entered into the 11th annual incarnation of BOLA, as they announced via Twitter the first 12 entrants to their prestigious tournament. Four more names were added the following day.
Cody Rhodes is the first entrant in the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles!
— PWG (@OfficialPWG) June 28, 2016
The Sweet 16
By the end of the day, PWG announced 12 combatants for the 2016 BOLA, from Europe and North America. While past tournaments have featured as low as eight wrestlers, the past few have seen 24 entrants battle out over three days to crown its champion. PWG is expected to reveal the second dozen in the coming weeks. Let’s take a quick look at the first twelve men entered into BOLA ’16.
Cody Rhodes (WWE)
The son of a son of a plumber, Cody Rhodes has become the talk of the indie world since his dramatic exit from the WWE in May of this year. His revelation of his List inspired an excitement amongst fans, and his slow unveiling of dream matches versus the likes of Kurt Angle, Mike Bennett, Trevor Lee and more has shown that Rhodes was serious about his List, which featured BOLA as one of his dream matches. With the first announcement on Twitter, PWG has secured Cody for the tournament in what should help him check off more names from The List.
Kamaitachi (CMLL, ROH, PWG, NJPW)
A product of the NJPW dojo, and a former CMLL World Lightweight Champion, Kamaitachi recently entered the North America indie scene with debuts in both ROH and PWG this year. He’s finished up with both CMLL and NJPW with his eyes set on conquering the North American indies – as the second name announced for BOLA ’16, he’s got the platform to showcase his skills. He’ll be looking to make an impact quick and early.
Jeff Cobb (Lucha Underground, PWG)
While the name may not initially stand out to some, Cobb has been tearing it up in Lucha Underground, where he competes under a mask as the monster Matanza Cueto. Combining power moves with athleticism, Cobb is also picking up steam under his own name (sans mask), where he debuted in PWG earlier this year. While past Lucha Underground characters like Drago and Pentagon Jr. have appeared at BOLA under their LU personas, Cobb is most likely working the tournament under his real name.
Mark Haskins (Progress, Revolution Pro, Dragon Gate, TNA, IPW: UK)
British wrestlers are really becoming more prominent on the international stage the past few years and Mark Haskins is another in a long line of UK exports hoping to make their mark in a BOLA tournament. A veteran of battles against such UK Superstars as Finn Balor, Zack Sabre Jr., and Marty Scurll, BOLA is a huge opportunity for Haskins to emerge from the shadows of some of the more well known British names.
Dalton Castle (ROH, PWG)
Brett Giehl enters his first BOLA under his flamboyant peacock feathered Dalton Castle gimmick (he concurrently wrestles in Chikara and other indies as the Silver Spoon nice guy Ashley Remington as well), who’s becoming one of the most popular characters in not on Ring of Honor but on the North American indie circuit. Castle is on Rhodes’ “List”, so it wouldn’t be surprising if these two collide at some point during the tournament.
‘Dynamite’ Pete Dunne (Revolution Pro, Progress)
Another UK wrestler looking to breakout in markets outside the British Isles, Pete Dunne has been a popular emerging talent in both RevPro and Progress the past few years. While he’s not expected to go too deep into the tournament, he’ll definitely use every opportunity to make a mark in the matches he’ll appear in. He lost his WWE Cruiserweight Classic qualifying match in Progress to fellow BOLA ’16 entrant Jack Gallagher.
Sami Callihan (ROH, NXT, PWG, Chikara, CZW, Evolve)
He was one of the indie circuit’s biggest attractions before joining NXT and being repackaged as Solomon Crowe. Both parties mutually parted ways in the fall of 2015, and Callihan picked back up where he left off, in main events around the country. Callihan still has a lot to prove followed the failure of the Crowe character, but so far he’s doing it in spades.
Tommy End (wXw, Progress, Revolution Pro, PWG, Evolve)
Dutch indie star Tommy End has been a mainstay in Germany’s top promotion, wXw, for a while now, as well as one of Europe’s best indie talents of the past few years. An outstanding heel, it was no surprise when reports earlier this month suggested that End had signed with NXT and would be reporting to the Performance Center in September once his indie dates ran out. With that in mind, BOLA could be End’s indie swan song, so expect him to go out with a bang.
Trevor Lee (TNA, OMEGA, PWG)
A protegee of the Hardy Boyz, Lee is currently part of TNA (where he just had a 155-day reign as the company’s X Division Champion), where he’s managed by another mentor of his, former WWE Superstar Shane “Hurricane” Helms. He’s no stranger to PWG, where he once held their World Tag Team titles, as well as a returning competitor for BOLA ’16 (having previously competed in BOLA ’14 and ’15).
Adam Cole (ROH, NJPW)
One of the latest additions to the Bullet Club, this former ROH World Champion makes his return to BOLA, a tournament he’s also won (defeating Michael Elgin at BOLA ’12). One of Ring of Honor’s top stars of the past few years, his alliance with the Bullet Club is pushing him to international stardom, and even WWE is keenly interested in this indie superstar. Many are clamouring for a Cole vs. Cody finals at this year’s tournament.
John Morrison (Lucha Underground, WWE, AAA)
Morrison is better known these days as his LU persona Johnny Mundo, where he’s been one of the upstart promotions biggest stars. But John Hennigan (the name he’ll actually be performing under at BOLA ’16) will always be John Morrison to most. A gifted athlete with charisma to boot, there’s many dream match-ups that could happen with Morrison during this tournament.
Jack Gallagher (Zero-1, Futureshock)
The “Extraordinary Gentleman” is starting to get some North American exposure, in thanks to this inclusion in the inaugural WWE Cruiserweight Classic. A solid throwback to classic British style of wrestling, Gallagher has plenty of opportunities with the CWC and BOLA to introduce himself to the North American market.
Ricochet (Lucha Underground, PWG, NJPW)
Widely considered one of the world’s best wrestlers at the moment, whether it’s as the masked luchador Prince Puma in Lucha Underground, his PWG clinics, or his tag team alliance with Matt Sydall (formerly WWE’s Evan Bourne) in NJPW, Ricochet is a must-see performer in the industry.
Chris Hero (Evolve, ROH, NXT, PWG, CZW)
A former indie tag team icon in The Kings of Wrestling, Hero has rebounded from a doomed NXT run to reinvent himself back in the indie circuit. While his former tag team champion partner Claudio Castagnoli has hit the Big Time as Cesaro, Hero has become a top draw heel, with a run as Evolve’s World Champion.
Mark Andrews (TNA, Chikara, PWG, Progress)
Andrews returns for his second BOLA, following a first round loss to current sensation Will Ospreay. He’s become a fixture on TNA Impact as “Mandrews”, but he’s back once again for another try in the tournament.
Matthew Riddle (Evolve, UFC)
A controversial yet highly entertaining MMA fighter in UFC, Riddle left the MMA world to train at the world famous Monster Factory in New Jersey, the rough and tumble pro wrestling school founded by Larry Sharpe and who produced Bam Bam Bigelow, Balls Mahoney, King Kong Bundy, Raven, Chris Candido and Sheamus, amongst others. Riddle’s natural charisma and combat athletic background was a natural fit for the pro wrestling world. Working with Evolve, Riddell has become a student of the game, with a fantastic match with former ROH star Cedric Alexander at Evolve 62.
With an expected announcement of 8 more names to the tournament, Battle of Los Angeles is shaping up to another must-see event in the pro wrestling calendar of 2016.
