–Joey Janela vs. Mick Moretti – I know nothing about Mick Moretti, but damn was he fun to watch. It’s not easy to explain his style, but he was wild, had a unique character and had a mix of brawling, aggressive wrestling and submission tactics to go along with it. And he spits FLAMES! The refs really aren’t sure how to handle questionable antics in this tournament and that only makes it more fun. It’s clear Janela is a huge draw in PWG and his influx of GCW talent is more proof of that. Despite a weak superkick finish (really wish Joey would put an end to it and stick to the spinning package piledriver), this was a real fun opener that had a bit of everything. Crowd loved it and I enjoyed it too. – 3.25/5
–Jake Atlas vs. Jungle Boy – We really weren’t prepared for this. Point blank, Jake Atlas and Jungle Boy went out there and had a bonafied classic. Not only was this an instant BOLA classic match, this may well go down as an all-time great PWG match. In the very least, it’s the best one-on-one PWG match since Dijak/Lee (or Sabre Jr/WALTER). Bold, but fuck it. Now, this gem of a performance may not have been a shock to the hardcores who’ve been following this rivalry from the King of the Indies to their war at APW; but, for the rest of the PWG fans who’ve witnessed great potential and hints of greatness from the two, this FIRST ROUND MATCH BANGER was likely a total, most pleasant surprise. Atlas and JB went into second gear and never looked back, going into third gear.. and fourth and never stopped. Perhaps the moment I realized this thing was special arrived when Jake seamlessly went from tornado driver to a vicious PK into a standing moonsault. I counted 3, maybe 4 innovative spots in this match. Can you say Tiger Clash? Or, Styles Driver? Yup. Jungle Boy did that. And, shit, if there were any match were I shoulda penned down the spots ala Uncle Dave, this was it. Before an incredible series of jaw-dropping false finishes, they took it to the crowd with JB even flipping off a stand next to the rear bar. I could go on and on, but you should just buy the BOLA 2019 Blu Ray for this match. Atlas won via a wild tornado swirling LGB-DDT. – 4.75+/5
Rey Fenix vs. Aramis – Second best match of the night, and thank F’n GodHatesGeeks that these were the two to follow what was just witnessed. Anyone else would have felt wasted. Aramis had a long promo after the match, speaking on his difficult road to PWG and expressing much gratitude for the BOLA spot. He was great. Fenix is clearly one of the BITW, if arguably not the most skilled lucha star in the business. They had a lot to live up to but the crowd remained hot throughout. Fenix won via second muscle buster attempt. – 3.75-4/5
–The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz & Dezmond Xavier) vs. A-Kid & Kyle Fletcher – This match had the unfortunate circumstance of a Mark Davis injury, forcing A-Kid into the non-title tag team fray. While A-Kid, from a worker standpoint, is an upgrade over Dunkzilla, his replacing severely lowered the stakes, and made the outcome far more predictable. The match went on way too long and only really got explosive once The Rascalz found that amazing double-team synergy, leading to the Hot Fire Flame (assisted moonsault) finish. In the end, this was fine. – 3/5
–Bandido vs. Puma King – This was originally supposed to be PWG Superstar Bandido versus the breakout Laredo Kid, but Kid (yes, another f’n Kid; this is starting to be like all the Lil’s in rap music for Dynamite Kid’s sakes), suffered from a Reality TV show booking. As someone who’s had their taste of “true/trash TV”, be careful out there, Laredo. As for the match, it was sincerely over– while not nearly the best thing of the night, it was good, had its moments, and an unexpected exchange — and 3-second exchange again — of the DDT Heavymetal Ironman a.k.a. “24/7” Championship. Only thing missing from all of this was Enes Kanter and Lil’ Jimmy. ‘Dido moves on. – 3.25/5
–Penta El Zero M vs. Tony Deppen – This was a strange, albeit entertaining match. A troll fan behind commented that Penta got over with his “80 Cero Miedo’s” and I can’t disagree. As I mentioned in my review of Night 1 yesterday, it’s a bit much. I say this as a huge Pentagon mark. Also, Penta ribbed Deppen — who began the match as a heel, I guess? — when Tony’s chop exchanges were softer, but whose fighting spirit cut into the boo’s later on. Well, not only does Penta have “body armor” (a quote from Deppen directly), I noticed he kept turning away everytime Tony went for the chop. Pretty lame. Aside from all of that, this was a fun match with two crazy characters and some impactful moves, when they decided to do them. Deppen works hard. – 3/5
–David Starr vs. Orange Cassidy – Cassidy is a mega-star. We had an ultra hilarious intro, where Starr said he’d only be announced with his traditionally classic long intro in the BOLA Finals.. when he’s in the Finals. Since he won, and many claimed he upset Freshly Squeezed here, it’s a solid bet we’ll see that. Instead, Cassidy was the one who had the extra lengthy introduction– a complete mockery of Starr. After the usual hands-in-pockets shenanigans (Orange had a second pair of shades after The Product cracked his initial frames), The OC went full speed and wowed the crowd with his amazing lucha level agility. Then he took the heat for a long time, maybe too long. And just as he got real serious, David finally put him away with a lariat and not one of his best. Good final stretch, fun gaga, way too long an affair. – 2.75/5
–Jonathan Gresham & Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Jeff Cobb & Brody King – In short, this was the Sekimoto Show. The crowd absolutely adored the Big Japan Legend and rightfully so. He was so charismatic, so larger-than-life (literally!!), and such a joy to watch. The guy is a lovable monster and we marks owe our pureso gratitude. But, really, Brody King was the breakout star in this main event and not only for his vast in-ring improvement. King was hilarious! His apron tag position commentary had the audience chuckling, making many references to the previous night’s main event, his Villain Enterprise mates Marty and PCO, and just stuff about Cobb. Yeah, they went at it too. I see a PWG Championship match in the near future, which makes me think we’re gonna see him and Cobb real soon. King/Fenix or Bandido/Starr BOLA Finals? I can’t be too far off. As for last night, I feared the slower pacing and submission-led tag main event would turn fans off, but it didn’t. Many fans I spoke to after the event loved the match and thought it was among the best. Definitely a far cry from the big man main event at last year’s BOLA, but without a doubt a very good one to finish off Friday. Arigatō, Sekimoto! – 3.5-3.75/5
Overall = 3.5/5 Bibles.
@TravMoody
While not as strong overall as Night 1 match to match, the second night of the Battle of Los Angeles saw easily the best match of the tournament so far and maybe the finest singles match at Pro Wrestling Guerilla in 2019. Where Thursday had more hardcore elements, Friday definitely felt more comedic. There was still a shit ton of good-to-great wrestling though, with absolutely no stinkers on Night Two (unless you really hate Cassidy’s gimmick). And I don’t know about you, but I’m glad I got a breather today before the epic next-to-final round madness takes place at the Globe tomorrow.
See you then.