2007 Battle of Los Angeles Takes Place August 31, September 1 & 2
On August 31, September 1 & 2, 2007, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Battle of Los Angeles will take place for the third consecutive year, with a wider variety of competitors than ever before. Each year, PWG has raised the bar with the Battle of Los Angeles tournament, and this year will be no exception. Venue, ticket prices, and other information will be announced soon, but right here on the PWG Forum and the 2007 BOLA Mini-Site (http://www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com/BOLA2007/) we will be announcing a new entrant in the tournament every two to three days, leading up to PWG’s Fourth Anniversary Show in July where the final two names, along with the first tournament match, will be announced.
Now, in no particular order, the competitors of the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles:
01 – Joey Ryan – The longest reigning PWG World Champion clinched his spot in the annual tournament by defeating Ronin at Night 1 of DDT4, automatically making Joey Ryan the first entrant in the tournament. Since losing the belt in early 2007, Joey has been looking for the path of least resistance back to the PWG World Championship. Unfortunately for him there’s no easy way to the top, so he’s setting his sights on the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles. More specifically, his sights are set on the Wildcard match the tournament winner receives, which Joey Ryan has already stated will be a World Title Shot for the former champ.
02 – “The Anarchist” Doug Williams – The 2007 Battle of Los Angeles will mark the PWG debut of arguably the finest mat technician in the world, “The Anarchist” Doug Williams. A 14 year veteran of the sport of professional wrestling, Williams has recently been beating respect for the British style of Wrestling into the heads of wrestlers and fans alike in Pro Wrestling NOAH. But Williams decided that the Japanese have had enough for now, and will instead turn his amateur destructo-phrenology on the competitors of the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles tournament.
03 – Susumu Yokosuka – Another competitor who will be making his PWG debut at the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles is Dragon Gate star Susumu Yokosuka. Yokosuka has been with Dragon Gate since the company formed, and in that time has had many memorable battles with 2006 Battle of Los Angeles quarter-finalist Dragon Kid. Yokosuka’s brings not only his speed and hard-hitting offense, but his desire to prove himself on the international stage to the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles.
04 – Dragon Kid – Making his return to PWG for the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles will be Dragon Gate competitor Dragon Kid. In his last PWG appearance, Dragon Kid was eliminated from the 2006 Battle of Los Angeles by Roderick Strong in the quarter-final round. Since then, Dragon Kid has undergone some changes and taken on a much more aggressive attitude inside the ring. But will the new attitude be enough to carry Dragon Kid all the way through the 2007 tournament?
05 – “Photogenic” Chris Bosh – The winner of the inaugural Battle of Los Angeles tournament in 2005, Chris Bosh returns to the tournament in 2007 intent on winning it once again, cementing his “Mr. September” reputation. Bosh was one half of the PWG World Tag Team Champions during the tournament in 2006, and therefore did not compete. He has no such hindrance going in to this year’s tournament, but how much will his loyalty to The Dynasty come in to play if he crosses paths with stablemate Joey Ryan in the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles?
06 – Davey Richards – The other Battle of Los Angeles winner, Davey Richards, is the sixth entry into 2007’s tournament. After having great success as a tag team wrestler for the majority of 2006, Richards entered the tournament and won by defeating CIMA in the final round. After winning, he immediately decided to team with Super Dragon once again, and use his Wildcard match to go after the PWG World Tag Team titles, which ultimately did not happen. Since then, Richards only held the PWG World Tag Team titles for a brief 24 hour period, and has decided to refocus his PWG career on singles wrestling. However, unlike tag team wrestling, if Richards loses in the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles tournament, he will have no one else to blame but himself.
07 – Jimmy Rave – The first North American competitor set to make their PWG debut in the tournament, Jimmy Rave is the seventh entry into the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles. Rave, who first made his mark on the world of professional wrestling in his home state of Georgia, has gained a reputation as a world class competitor over the course of his career. From his epic battles with AJ Styles and “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, to more recently when he has toured Japan with Dragon Gate, Jimmy Rave is a hot commodity in the world of professional wrestling. This makes him a perfect competitor for the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles.
08 – Chris Hero – Making his second Battle of Los Angeles appearance, Chris Hero is the eighth entry into the 2007 tournament. A master of many style of professional wrestling, Hero’s versatility did not help him last year as he was caught off guard by the quickness of Genki Horiguchi, and eliminated in the first round of the tournament. Since then, Chris Hero has toured with Pro Wrestling NOAH and continued to improve his already impressive skill set, but it remains to be seen if that will help him in the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles.
With one-third of the field of 24 announced, anticipation for the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles is steadily rising. Check back here Monday, June 18, 2007 for the announcement of the next competitor in the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles.
