Battle of Los Angeles (2017) explained

Battle of Los Angeles (2017)
Promotion:Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Date:Night One:
September 1, 2017
Night Two:
September 2, 2017
Night Three:
September 3, 2017
Venue:American Legion Post #308
City:Reseda, Los Angeles, California
Liveevent:y
Lastevent:Pushin Forward Back
Nextevent:All Star Weekend 13
Event:Battle of Los Angeles
Lastevent2:2016
Nextevent2:2018

Battle of Los Angeles (2017) was the fourteenth Battle of Los Angeles professional wrestling tournament produced by Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). It was a three-night event which took place on September 1, September 2 and September 3, 2017 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 Ricochet defeated Jeff Cobb and Keith Lee. This made Ricochet, the first person to win the Battle of Los Angeles tournament twice, having won for the first time in 2014.

Background

TK Cooper was originally announced for the tournament, but had to pull out due to an injury and was replaced by Joey Janela.

Reception

Jake St-Pierre of 411Mania rated the night one 7.5, praising it as "an emphatic hit" with "sheer variety of styles throughout it". He said that "Crazy lucha is represented with Rey Horus and Fenix, all the way to Big Lads Wrestling with the Monstars vs. The Chosen Bros"[2] He rated the night two 8.0, considering it "a fantastic few hours of pro wrestling", with specific praise towards Joey Janela and Sammy Guevara's match as "one of the most surprisingly quality matches of PWG's 2017."[3] He rated the night three 8.5 stating that it was "a standalone show as well as a capper to this huge weekend". He further stated that "Not only did some of the most memorable moments of the tournament come on Stage 3, but we got North America's Best Match of the Year in Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak. That match alone strengthens this show to an unbelievable degree despite some slightly uninspiring Semifinal matches." He said that there were "huge highlights strewn across all three shows, like Janela/Guevara, Travis Banks in general, Keith Lee going on a bender, and the underrated match between Pentagon and Matt Riddle." He rated that the overall shows of the tournament were "damn good three days of pro wrestling that no wrestling fan in their right mind should avoid."[4]

Kevin Pantoja of 411Mania rated the night one 7.0, having "a lot of good sandwiched in between some very average bookends." He stated that "The show opened in decent fashion and closed in disappointment", with "a fair amount to like". He felt "Sabre/Rock told a great story and established Rock in PWG. Penta/Sydal was solid, though could be skipped. Webster/Scurll and Fenix/Horus were battles of guys who knew each other well and it made for high quality matches. The show stealer was the Monstars/Chosen Bros tag and ranks as the only must see match of the night."[5] He rated the night two 8.5, stating that it "delivered" with "not a single bad match on this show". He said that there were "strong tournament matches with the two big tags very well" and the "final two matches were the standouts and they’re both totally different from one another, which is great."[6] He rated the night three 8.5 as "The best of the final BOLA stages", with the overall event being "consistently fun, with nothing being bad" and "Banks/Ricochet and Lee/Dijak were the show stealers".[7]

The quarter-final match between Keith Lee and Donovan Dijak on the night three was awarded the prestigious 5-star rating by Dave Meltzer.[8]

Aftermath

Due to winning the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles, Ricochet received a PWG World Championship title shot against Chuck Taylor at All Star Weekend 13,[9] which he won.[10]

Results

Tournament brackets

Battle of Los Angeles (2017)
Sport:Professional wrestling
Location:Reseda, Los Angeles, California
Tournament Format:Single elimination tournament
Participants:24
Champion:Ricochet
Runner-Up1:Keith Lee
Runner-Up2:Jeff Cobb
Previous:2016
Next:2018

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: PWG Battle of Los Angeles dates, complete lineup for June return to Reseda, CA. Johnson. Mike. 2017-05-24. 2017-05-24. Pro Wrestling Insider.
  2. Web site: Jake St-Pierre . Guerrilla Reviewfare: PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2017 (Stage 1) Review . 411Mania . 2 January 2023 . November 7, 2017.
  3. Web site: Jake St-Pierre . Guerrilla Reviewfare: PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2017 (Stage 2) Review . 411Mania . 2 January 2023 . November 8, 2017.
  4. Web site: Jake St-Pierre . Guerrilla Reviewfare: PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2017 (Final Stage) . 411Mania . 2 January 2023 . November 9, 2017.
  5. Web site: Kevin Pantoja . Kevin’s PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2017 Stage One Review . 411Mania . 2 January 2023 . October 29, 2017.
  6. Web site: Kevin Pantoja . Kevin’s PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2017 Stage Two Review . 411Mania . 2 January 2023 . October 30, 2017.
  7. Web site: Kevin Pantoja . Kevin’s PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2017 Stage Three Review . 411Mania . 2 January 2023 . October 31, 2017.
  8. Web site: Top Rated Matches of 2017 . The Internet Wrestling Database . 4 January 2023.
  9. Web site: PWG presents All Star Weekend . . 9 January 2023.
  10. Web site: . PWG All Star Weekend 13 night two results: Chuck Taylor vs. Ricochet . . 9 January 2023 . October 22, 2017.