[Derek]

^^ yeah, but if we do too much, he'll say that anything is a ***** match.

"Batista vs. Triple H at WM 21? that's a ***** match, as was Show vs Akebono in a sumo match."

So, let's not go too far.

[Hailsabin]

Originally Posted by Derek_2k4

^^ yeah, but if we do too much, he'll say that anything is a ***** match.

"Batista vs. Triple H at WM 21? that's a ***** match, as was Show vs Akebono in a sumo match."

So, let's not go too far.

but those were ***** star matches! Oh wait

Yeah maybe we should stop

[Thisskateboarding]

Ive heard nothing but good things abaout BOLA 05 just wondering if anyone has heard anythign about BOLA 06? I know its only just come out but has anyone heard anythign from someone who went to the event because Im thinking of picking up all 3 nights.

[Hailsabin]

Originally Posted by Thisskateboarding

Ive heard nothing but good things abaout BOLA 05 just wondering if anyone has heard anythign about BOLA 06? I know its only just come out but has anyone heard anythign from someone who went to the event because Im thinking of picking up all 3 nights.

get BOLA 06, it is better than 05 and 05 is a very good show too but 06 is great. I saw highlights of it plus people that saw 05 said 06 was better. CIMA vs Generico might have been MOTN, trust me it will be worth your money

[watts63]

Originally Posted by Thisskateboarding

Ive heard nothing but good things abaout BOLA 05 just wondering if anyone has heard anythign about BOLA 06? I know its only just come out but has anyone heard anythign from someone who went to the event because Im thinking of picking up all 3 nights.

Here's a review from PW Torch about BOLA 2006

Twenty-four men. 22 tournament matches. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's three-night "Battle of Los Angeles" tournament was part of a special weekend for 400 wrestling-starved fans. There was a deep hunger for wrestling in the audience and PWG wasn't afraid to provide nourishment. The weekend also represented everything TNA could become, but refuses to be.

The Sept. 1-3, fans from around the globe descended upon a small California town in the San Fernando Valley for PWG's second annual tournament matching the top independent wrestlers in the world against each other. The tournament was an indy wrestling showcase and a chance for the wrestlers to try new things, engage the crowd, and wrestle with the creative freedom that PWG openly embraces and readily encourages.

One fan summed up the tournament best during a Joey Ryan promo on Sunday night when he screamed, "This isn't TNA, this is wrestling!" 400 fans exchanged a common, yet unspoken understanding of the special weekend of wrestling PWG had put together.

The tournament roster was filled out by several current and former TNA wrestlers, top independent names from ROH, the finest from Dragon Gate, PWG regulars, and one crazy Butcher. Watching the TNA wrestlers was like night and day compared to watching them on TV or PPV. They performed on their own terms, rather than trying to avoid Jeff Jarrett's big foot.

The influence of CIMA, Dragon Kid, and Genki Horiguchi should not be missed. CIMA was arguably the M.V.P. of the tournament and he had the match of the tournament against El Generico in the semi-finals on Sunday night. PWG wasn't concerned about whether the fans would accept the Dragon Gate standouts. They put them in a position to win the crowd over with their unique style of wrestling and engaging personalities in the ring. Fans benefited, as a result.

On Sunday night, Davey Richards won the tournament final over CIMA in both men's third match of the night and fourth match in the tournament. It wasn't the best match of the night, as both men had spectacular quarterfinal and semi-final match-ups earlier in the show, but there wasn't a trace of letting up in the match.

After the final match, Richards and CIMA embraced from their knees, both men exhausted having given everything they had for three nights in front of 400 appreciative fans. Richards then took the mic and said he wanted to team with Super Dragon to regain the PWG Tag Titles from Scott Lost & Chris Bosh. Dragon was scheduled for the tournament final after beating Jack Evans in the semi-finals, but he was unable to compete in the finals due to recurring injuries from his match against Necro Butcher on Saturday night.

The booking of Richards wanting the tag titles rather than wanting to go after Joey Ryan's PWG Title was the topic of conversation after the show. After winning last year's tournament, Chris Bosh was plugged into a program with the champion at the time, Kevin Steen. Richards is arguably the hottest babyface and one of the more popular wrestlers in the promotion. Fans see Richards as a no-brainer champion, but Joey Ryan is content to be champion as the promotion's top heel.

Political dealings aside and looking at the tournament at face value, the weekend was a major success from an in-ring standpoint. Whether it turns into a financial success remains to be seen. PWG spent considerable sums of money bringing in top talent and putting them up in hotels in between shows. On Friday night, estimates of advanced ticket sales had PWG in the red, but walk-up sales pushed PWG closer to breaking even.

Considering the strong buzz coming out of the tournament and several must-see matches available for viewing, there is an opportunity for PWG to make money once DVD sales are accounted for. Yet, there almost weren't any DVDs to sell. In fact, the tournament itself almost didn't take place.

This was PWG's first series of shows at the American Legions post in Reseda. They ran into problems at their former venue in Hollywood when the Jewish Community Center found a permanent tenant to occupy the building for events. PWG booked the Legions post because they were guaranteed the same building for all three nights. Other venues around the L.A. area couldn't guarantee three nights in the same building.

Thursday night, the Legions Post building manager and PWG management had various arguments regarding the weekend shows. While PWG ring crew was busy setting up the ring, the building manager asked for certain arrangements. Both sides threatened to pull the event when there was an impasse on when the building should be opened to the public.

PWG is notorious for starting shows late and opening doors 15-30 minutes before the advertised bell time. The building owner wanted doors to be opened two hours before bell time so he could sell food, concessions, and - most importantly - alcohol at the bar. Like any establishment worth its building license, the opportunity to make money off booze was high on the priority list.

Reasonable heads prevailed on both sides and an agreement was made to run the show as planned. As it turned out, the doors didn't open until 20 minutes before bell time on Night 1, just as with any other PWG show. Fans didn't hesitate to spend their money at the bar and merchandise tables before the show, during intermission, and after the show. The building manager even got into the action. Fans spotted him booing Joey Ryan's character and standing on his feet during exciting points in the show. An amazing pro wrestling show can turn anyone from "businessman" to fan in a matter of seconds.

NIGHT ONE - SEPT. 1

PWG dropped the curtain on Friday night with Colt Cabana vs. Chris Sabin. It was a high-energy opening match that incorporated the overriding themes of the tournament. They provided comedy, competitive fighting, and a clinic in pro wrestling storytelling.

Chris Sabin showed fire. He showed passion. He wasn't manufacturing an emotional response for a video segment with Jerry Lynn to show one percent of the amount of passion he can deliver in the ring. Much like the other wrestlers in the tournament who have been underutilized in TNA at some point in their careers, he took advantage of an opportunity to wrestle and perform on his terms.

The match of the night was Roderick Strong vs. Rocky Romero. Many of the other tournament matches on Night One were "respect" matches with a handshake before and after the match. However, Strong & Romero told a different story. Romero spit on Strong before the opening bell, which set off Strong and clearly established Romero as the heel in the match.

If WWE ever figures out how to book Sylvester Terkay to make the MMA fighting gimmick work, he would probably have matches that resemble Strong vs. Romero. If a promoter wants to translate MMA-style fighting into a pro wrestling ring, he or she simply needs to watch this match. It was a close, tight, and non-stop fight, which is how combative wrestling should be presented in this era.

However, shoot-style wrestling can't be fought in a vacuum. The crowd has to respond to make the fight work. The PWG audience certainly responded; not one person was sitting down for the final five minutes of the match.

In earlier matches in the tournament, CIMA and Dragon Kid electrified the crowd with amazing athleticism in separate matches. CIMA, knowing he would be wrestling three matches on Sunday night, conserved his energy against the very impressive M-Dogg 20, but it was just a small sample of the performances he would give later in the tournament.

Night One Results: Chris Sabin beat Colt Cabana, El Generico beat Delirious, CIMA beat M-Dogg 20, Kevin Steen beat Matt Sydal, Dragon Kid beat Quicksilver, Roderick Strong beat Rocky Romero, Homicide & B-Boy & Excalibur & Human Tornado beat Joey Ryan & Scott Lost & Chris Bosh & Petey Williams.

NIGHT TWO - SEPT. 2

Saturday night was a crazy show that involved the crowd more than any other show I've ever seen. In the main event, Super Dragon made his PWG return after spending nearly four months out of a PWG ring. He wrestled Necro Butcher in a brutal match that went to every part of the building except behind the liquor bar and left both men physically exhausted.

Dragon had taken time off because he was burnt out on wrestling and he decided he needed time away from the ring. It's a decision most wrestlers won't make, especially when guaranteed money isn't on the table and you have to "play to get paid."

Prior to the show, Dragon was confident and ready to get back in the ring. After the show, he could barely find his feet to unlace his boots or remember how he got to the building.

The Dragon vs. Necro match wasn't for everyone. Yet, to a man, everyone found something to like about it. Necro is a giant man - a visual cross between Bruiser Brody and Terry Funk. Outside of the ring, he's more subdued and looks like Willie Nelson, only with more scars on his face.

Necro has a reputation - well earned or not - for being a cheap garbage wrestler. He may not be able to execute an STF, but he can tell a story and connect with the average fan. There's hardcore brawling for the sake of hardcore brawling, but Necro and Dragon involved the crowd in the action. Necro might personify everything that is wrong with pro wrestling - an escalating level of violence that can burn out a crowd and send himself to an early grave - but the man does so many other things well in the ring that it's difficult to resent him for exploiting his niche in the wrestling business.

The standout match of the night was the three-way tag title match between Arrogance, the Briscoes, and the team of Homicide & B-Boy. This wasn't TNA's Homicide on sedatives. This was Homicide flipping the switch from the cool guy sitting in the same chair at the bar for five hours to the vicious fighter who makes everything look too real for comfort. He even pulled an Abdullah the Butcher and utilized a fork on one of the Briscoes that drew blood.

In the midst of the crazy tag brawl, not one fan sat down for 15 minutes. At some point during the match, it struck me how different this match was from TNA's big PPV brawls. Wrestlers weren't posing for a camera; they weren't trying to get by comfortably on a reputation from a previous era; they weren't even mugging for the fans. They didn't need to acknowledge the fans for the fans to respond to the action. Giving the fans a competitive brawl that looked like something you would see outside the bar at 2 a.m. was sufficient.

Night Two Results: Austin Aries beat Disco Machine, Davey Richards beat Ronin, Jack Evans beat Claudio Castagnoli, Genki Horiguchi beat Chris Hero, Joey Ryan beat Excalibur, Human Tornado, and Petey Williams to retain the PWG Title, Scott Lost & Chris Bosh beat B-Boy & Homicide and the Briscoes to retain the PWG Tag Titles, Kazarian beat Scorpio Sky, Super Dragon beat Necro Butcher.

NIGHT THREE - SEPT. 3

Night 3 was the consensus show of the weekend. Fans will remember Davey Richards's trio of victories, but everyone will remember the match of the tournament - CIMA vs. El Generico.

It certainly wasn't the match of the tournament based on pure in-ring competition. That goes to Strong vs. Romero. However, Generico and CIMA took the fans on an emotional ride that was aided by one sweet girl in the audience.

Generico's act is based on the mask and his body language. As a babyface, he can draw sympathy from any fan. His constant search for the adoration of the last fan at the top of the arena is an unmistakably awesome trait that will help him get a deal with a major promotion - in the U.S., Mexico, or Japan - at some point in his career.

The match started as any ordinary tournament match. They fought on the mat, had several stand-offs, and then picked up the pace with counters and reversals. However, the match was taken to the next level by the aforementioned child in the back of the arena. During a lull in the match, as CIMA was in control with a mat hold, the child softly said, "Let's go Generico." The entire arena froze and gasped with a resounding "awwww."

Amidst all the fighting, brawling, cursing, and blood, having already seen every highspot, chair shot, and nearfall possible for three nights, everyone in the arena suddenly remembered why they were at this small building in the middle of the heat on a Sunday night. Everyone was a wrestling fan that night.

Suddenly, CIMA reacted to the child. He began to heel on Generico right in front of the girl's eyes. He mocked Generico, who was reaching for the last fan in the crowd. He even pretended to be a dog peeing on Generico's fallen body. When WWE and TNA carefully script out a formula match of babyface shine, heel beat down, babyface comeback, and big finish, this sudden outburst of emotion would have been ignored. The surreal, improvised exchange with the audience is what brings fans to its feet and creates a positive snowball effect of the wrestlers feeding off the fans and the fans feeding off the wrestlers.

CIMA won over the crowd by responding to the PWG environment. The fans chanted, "CIMA, CIMA," then, suddenly, Generico made his comeback, reached out to the child, and laid out CIMA on the floor with a nice DDT. This led to an amazing exchange from 13:00 to 19:00 in the match. The spots were timed perfectly, as if both men could sense the urgency of the moment and the opportunity to slam on the accelerator.

Out of nowhere, Generico hit his signature Yakuza kick in the corner. Fans counted along as CIMA kicked out just before two. After fans stomped the ground, CIMA came back with his back-to-belly suplex finisher and scored an even closer nearfall. It wasn't just the nearfall, but CIMA's reaction of sheer disbelief, that the fans responded to with a chant of "This is awesome." He followed with a repeat of his finisher and scored the victory.

Not one fan was sitting down as both men collapsed to the mat. They inched closer towards each other and embraced from their knees, both men exhausted, but both men realizing what kind of special moment they shared. And, it all started when one child reminded everyone why they were there.

Prior to the Richards vs. CIMA tournament final, PWG put together its second-annual "losers eight-man tag match," pitting eight first-round losers against each other. It gives the fans another opportunity to see their favorites in a loose environment, with no restrictions, and a chance to be part of the match.

In the match, Quicksilver, Colt Cabana, M-Dogg 20, and Delirious beat Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Rocky Romero, and Necro Butcher. Necro was the last man out for introductions and the fans roared because of the potential for some sort of unbelievable spectacle with Necro in a giant eight-man tag match.

Of course, Cabana played perfect comedy fodder against the reserved, subdued Necro. During the match, Necro tagged in and Cabana jumped out of the ring, not wanting any part of him. Delirious gladly took the assignment and talked jibberish. Necro turned his head in a subtle way that showed a complete lack of understanding. Delirious then tried to slap Necro hard across the chest, but his offense bounced off Necro like a rubber ball off a wall. Eventually, Necro ended the exchange with a stiff kick to the head and Delirious collapsed to the mat. The fans didn't hesitate to roar in approval and chant, "P-W-G".

After the action broke down, men began flying to the outside. Left in the ring were Cabana and Necro. The fans wanted to see Necro fly through the air, but he backed off the apron, not wanting to take part in the action. Cabana quickly crashed onto six other men with a moonsault from the apron, leaving Necro by himself. All eyes turned to Necro, who shrugged his shoulders and set-up for a running splash. However, the referee stopped him cold and pleaded with him to re-consider. Necro decided to powerbomb the referee onto the other seven men on the outside and the fans roared. He then quickly jumped to the top turnbuckle and dove onto all eight men on the outside. From taking a series of sick chairshots the previous night to entertaining the audience with a ridiculous spectacle of a high-risk move, Necro won over the audience by the end of the weekend. So did everyone else who participated in the tournament.

Night Three Results: El Generico beat Chris Sabin, CIMA beat Kevin Steen, Roderick Strong beat Dragon Kid, Davey Richards beat Austin Aries, Jack Evans beat Genki Horiguchi, CIMA beat El Generico, Davey Richards beat Roderick Strong, Super Dragon beat Jack Evans, Quicksilver, Colt Cabana, M-Dogg 20, and Delirious beat Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Rocky Romero, and Necro Butcher, Davey Richards beat CIMA to win the tournament.

THE AUDIENCE

The PWG audience isn't a sophisticated audience, but it's not an easy audience either. They buy a ticket to be part of something memorable and unique that will entertain them. Some wrestlers make the mistake of forcing comedy based on a preconceived notion that PWG fans are only looking for a laugh.

The PWG audience enjoys comedy, but is clearly equally entertained by a competitive wrestling match. Fans are looking for an organic product that is unapologetic about delivering pro wrestling. They're looking for a story. They're looking for a spontaneous reaction from the wrestlers. They're looking for wrestlers who will acknowledge their presence, not by pandering to them, but by performing at the highest possible level.

There is a certain charm attached to PWG that is California-cool. Only in PWG can a pasty white man wrestling under the name "El Generico" be one of the most over wrestlers in the promotion's history. Generico is unapologetic about his gimmick. It's who he is. It's what PWG is about. That's why this tournament was a three-night clinic in independent-style pro wrestling storytelling.

I think that will convice you about the show.

[Thisskateboarding]

^^^Thats what I thought. The line up of matches over the 3 nights looks very good and I doubt it could disapoint me. I'll probibly order it tonight seing as no new ROH shows came out. Gotta spend money on something.

[Homicide_187]

I saw Mysterys earlier post about the GBH night 2 review I want to rewatch it before I give it a final review it will be up sometime this weekend though.

[Hailsabin]

Originally Posted by Homicide_187

I saw Mysterys earlier post about the GBH night 2 review I want to rewatch it before I give it a final review it will be up sometime this weekend though.

i am still looking forward to your's and Honor's reviews for it It should be a great show.

also what watts gave you TIS is a very good post on the show, also its true what he said about Generico at the end of it too, He is my fav PWG guy, ironic

[GenerationNeXt]

Originally Posted by Homicide_187

I saw Mysterys earlier post about the GBH night 2 review I want to rewatch it before I give it a final review it will be up sometime this weekend though.

I'll also be looking forward to yours as well Homicide.....900 posts oh yeah!

[Thisskateboarding]

Im trying to order BOLA 06 from highspots.com but Im having a bit of trouble. I filled out the registration and then clicked register and it went back to the front page so im assuming it worked. But now when I click add to cart nothing happens and it says you must be logged in but when ever I log in it just does the same thing.

Does anyone else have this problem with highspots? Am I better off just ordering from the PWG site or somewhere else?