Battle of Los Angeles (2005) was the first

Battle of Los Angeles The Battle of Los Angeles, also known as the Great Los Angeles Air Raid, is the name given by contemporary sources to a rumored attack on the continental United States by Imperial Japan and the subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which ...

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

produced by

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by wrestlers themselves, having been created by Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super Drago ...

(PWG). It was a two-night event which took place on September 3 and September 4, 2005 at the Hollywood-Los Feliz Jewish Community Center in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. It was a sixteen-man tournament which concluded with

Chris Bosh Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft. Bos ...

defeating

AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...

in the tournament final to win the inaugural tournament. In the non-tournament matches, Gunning For Hookers (Hook Bomberry and Top Gun Talwar) and

Human Tornado Craig Williams (born May 1, 1983), better known by his ring name, Human Tornado, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. His character was that of a 1970s blaxploitation street pimp. He performed primarily on the California independen ...

defeated

Chris Sabin Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by his ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, and is also known for his work in Ring of Honor. After being trained by Scott D ...

Disco Machine Michael Mondragon is an American former professional wrestler best known under the ring name Disco Machine. He was one of the six founders of the Southern Californian independent promotion, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Professional wrestling career D ...

and

Excalibur Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...

during the first night while Chris Sabin, Hook Bomberry and

T. J. Perkins Theodore James Perkins (born September 3, 1984) is an American professional wrestler of Filipino descent, better known by the ring name T. J. Perkins (or simply TJP) currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling where he is a member of the Unite ...

defeated Disco Machine, Excalibur and Ronin in a six-man tag team match while

NOSAWA , better known by his ring names Nosawa and , (born December 17, 1976) is a Japanese freelance professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in All Japan Pro Wrestling and various independent promotions. Career Early career (19952004) Nos ...

and

Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AEW ...

defeated

Kikutaro (born November 17, 1976), better known as his wrestling persona and formerly , is a freelance Japanese professional wrestler. Though best known for wrestling under a mask, he also regularly works unmasked under the ring name Kikuzawa (stylized ...

and Top Gun Talwar in a tag team match and

El Generico Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline. Prior to joi ...

Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also pe ...

, Jack Evans and

Super Dragon Daniel Caine Lyon (born June 8, 1980), better known by his ring name Super Dragon, is an American professional wrestler. Beginning his career in 1997, he has worked for companies such as All Pro Wrestling, Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling, Ring of ...

defeated

Davey Richards Wesley David Richards (born March 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), under the ring name Davey Richards, and is the current MLW National Openweight Champion in his first reign. ...

, Joey Ryan,

Ricky Reyes Reyes Nunez (born August 28, 1978), better known by the ring name Ricky Reyes, is a Cuban-American professional wrestler. He is known for his appearances in Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, World Wrestling Council, Lucha Underground and va ...

and

Scott Lost Scott Epperson (born June 8, 1980), better known by the ring name Scott Lost, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, which he founded with five other wrestlers and where he is a for ...

in an eight-man tag team match.

Background

In August 2005, PWG announced the participants of the Battle of Los Angeles tournament.

was originally announced as a participant in the tournament against

but Sabin broke his jaw, forcing him to withdraw from the tournament.

Rocky Romero John R. Rivera (born October 28, 1982) is a Puerto Rican-American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed non-exclusively to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッ ...

replaced Sabin in the tournament.

Event

Night 1

The event kicked off with a six-man tag team match pitting Gunning For Hookers (Hook Bomberry and Top Gun Talwar) and

against

and

. Tornado nailed a '' DND'' on Excalibur for the win. Next, the Battle of Los Angeles kicked off with a match between

and

. Romero reversed a roll-up attempt by Kazarian by twisting his hips and pinning Kazarian with a double leg cradle for the win. Next,

took on Quicksilver. Quicksilver attacked Richards while Richards had climbed the top rope and delivered a '' Silver Flash'' from the top rope for the win. Next, James Gibson took on Joey Ryan. Gibson hit a '' Gibson Driver'' to Ryan for the win. Next,

took on

. Bosh blocked a jumping brainbuster attempt by Generico and countered it into a vertical suplex piledriver for the win. Next, American Dragon took on

. Dragon countered a dragon sleeper by Reyes and applied a

crossface chickenwing Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...

on Reyes to make him submit to the hold for the win. Next,

Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kno ...

took on

. Lost attempted to apply a

sharpshooter A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with "marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" i ...

on Daniels after hitting a

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

but Daniels countered with a low blow and an '' Angel's Wings'' for the win. Lost attacked the referee after the match until

Scorpio Sky Schuyler Andrews (born April 2, 1983), better known by the ring name Scorpio Sky, is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Andrews is also known for his appearances with Ring of ...

returned and attacked Lost. Later,

took on Jack Evans. Styles was knocked out of the ring via the top rope by Evans. Evans then attempted to hit a diving front flip but Styles countered it into a '' Styles Clash'' on the floor outside the ring and then tossed Evans into the ring to pin him for the win. It was followed by the last match in the first round between the PWG Champion

Kevin Steen Kevin Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. Steen began his career in 2000, at the age of 16. Prior to joining WWE in la ...

and

. Dragon nailed a '' Psycho Driver'' on Steen for a near-fall which Steen countered by pinning Dragon with a

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

for the win. After the match, Dragon extended a handshake to Steen and Steen shook his hands and hugged him and then Dragon attacked Steen and tried to hit a '' Supernatural Driver'' but Disco Machine and Excalibur made the save.

Night 2

The second night of the event kicked off with a six-man tag team match pitting Chris Sabin, Hook Bomberry and

against Disco Machine, Excalibur and Ronin. After a series of finishers among the six participants, Sabin concluded the match by nailing a ''

Cradle Shock Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...

'' to Excalibur for the win. Next, the second round of the Battle of Los Angeles began with a match between Quicksilver and Rocky Romero. Quicksilver countered a roll-up attempt by Romero by pinning him with a double leg cradle for the win. James Gibson took on Chris Bosh in the next second round match. Bosh insulted Gibson before the match which led to Gibson respond Bosh by kicking him in the gut. Gibson was about to deliver a ''Gibson Driver'' to Bosh nearing the climax of the match but Joey Ryan and Scott Lost interfered and distracted Gibson, allowing Bosh to roll-him up. In the next second round match, American Dragon took on Christopher Daniels. Dragon countered an ''Angel's Wings'' by Daniels with a backdrop and hit a forearm smash to Daniels and then hit Daniels with twenty-five airplane spins and then applied a crossface chickenwing to Daniels to make him submit to the hold. After the match, Dragon demanded a shot at Daniels'

TNA X Division Championship The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey M ...

but Daniels refused the title shot with the excuse that the referee considered it a submission while he was attempting to get out of the hold. It was followed by the last match in the second round between the PWG Champion Kevin Steen and AJ Styles. Styles knocked Steen from the top rope with a fireman's carry neckbreaker and then nailed a '' Spiral Tap'' to Steen for the win. Next,

and

took on

and Top Gun Talwar in a tag team match. Joe knocked out Talwar with a '' STJoe'' from the corner and then raked Kikutaro in the eye and hit Talwar with a

muscle buster Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...

from the top rope. After the match, PWG Commissioners SoCal Val and Dino Winwood threatened to fire Joey Ryan and Scott Lost if they continued to attack wrestlers. Ryan and Lost confronted them and Winwood pushed Lost, allowing Ryan to

superkick Strikes are offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional wre ...

Val. It was followed by the semifinal round of the tournament. The first semifinal took place between Quicksilver and Chris Bosh. Bosh hit a vertical suplex piledriver to Quicksilver for the win. The next semifinal took place between AJ Styles and American Dragon. Styles countered an airplane spin by Dragon and pinned him with an inside cradle for the win. Later, the penultimate match of the event took place as El Generico, Frankie Kazarian, Jack Evans and Super Dragon took on Davey Richards, Joey Ryan, Ricky Reyes and Scott Lost in an eight-man tag team match. Dragon attempted to nail a ''Psycho Driver'' to Richards but Reyes tried to pull him off outside the ring and Evans dived off the ropes onto Reyes on the floor which allowed Dragon to deliver a ''Psycho Driver'' to Richards for the win. It was followed by the Battle of Los Angeles tournament final between AJ Styles and Chris Bosh. Bosh blocked a ''Spiral Tap'' by Styles with his knees and hit two vertical suplex piledrivers to Styles for the win.

Reception

Brad Garoon of ''411Mania'' rated the event 6.5 out of 10. He appreciated the Rocky Romero versus Frankie Kazarian and American Dragon versus Ricky Reyes matches in the first round, while "the first round was kind of a bust" and the eight-man tag team match on the second night "completely outshined everything in the tournament". According to Garoon, both nights "as a whole are solid, but a lot to get through without much waiting for you at the end."

Aftermath

As a result of winning the inaugural Battle of Los Angeles Tournament, Chris Bosh earned a PWG Championship title shot against Kevin Steen at ''After School Special''. Bosh had initially won the title but the original referee regained consciousness and disqualified Bosh for attacking him, thus reversing the decision and Steen subsequently retained the title. This led to Bosh getting a rematch against Steen due to their match not ending in a proper way and AJ Styles was added into their title match for having pinned Steen in the Battle of Los Angeles tournament, thus setting up a three-way match between Steen, Styles and Bosh for the title at ''Straight To DVD'', where Steen retained the title. Scorpio Sky's attack on Scott Lost at Battle of Los Angeles led to a match between the two at ''After School Special'', which Lost won.

Results

Tournament brackets

The first annual Battle of Los Angeles was held on September 3 and 4, 2005, in

References

External links

2005 Battle of Los Angeles - Night One official results
{{Battle of Los Angeles 2005 in professional wrestling Battle of Los Angeles (professional wrestling) September 2005 sports events in the United States Professional wrestling in Los Angeles 2005 in California 2005 in Los Angeles