PWG Battle of Los Angeles Night One Review 9/2/16

Hey guys it is Josh Masterson here to review the first night of this year’s PWG Battle of Los Angeles. I have very mixed opinions about PWG but last time I got one of their shows it did not disappoint.

Marty Scurll vs Pentagon Jr

 I wasn’t sure how to feel going into this one as I’ve never seen Pentagon before. I’ve heard very good things but somehow have not seen him. I’ve become a very big fan of Scurll in the past year but the one match of his I’ve seen in PWG I did not enjoy. There were some very entertaining technical exchanges early on and then Marty started heeling it up. He is one of the best heels in the world, to the point where even though I love his work I almost always find myself rooting against him. This was a really hot opener that was a very good way to start the show. I definitely feel like if I was there/watching it live I would’ve enjoyed it more considering I already knew the outcome which hurt the nearfalls significantly. However it was still a good match with Scurll doing very well as usual and Pentagon impressing me. ***1/2

Ricochet vs Jeff Cobb

 I was excited going into this one as Ricochet is one of my favorites and Jeff Cobb is very good from what I have seen. I also wasn’t sure who won going into this which I think definitely helped. This was a great mix of styles with tons of great strikes, sequences, and transitions. What a great match, both men had incredible performances and I would love to see a rematch between these two at some point. ****

Matt Sydal vs John Hennigan

 This was a fine match but I never really got into it. Sydal is great and Hennigan was in WWE but I hadn’t seen him since he left before this match. There was some good stuff but the crowd wasn’t very into it and it was definitely a step down from the last two matches. The first few minutes were really slow which was kind of weird and it wasn’t the cleanest match. Also Hennigan randomly hitting a low blow but then not really acting like a heel for the rest of the match was weird. It wasn’t bad but definitely could have been better. **3/4

Fenix vs Will Ospreay

This was definitely one of the more hyped matches from this show, and while it was really good I don’t know that it necessarily lived up to the hype. Regardless of that it was a highly entertaining and very good high flying match with both men having impressive performances and there being a bunch of really cool sequences and spots. ***1/2

Zack Sabre Jr vs Tommy End

 Sabre has for the past year and a half or so been one of my favorite wrestlers so it is always a treat to see him and End is usually very good. During this match Sabre continued to be more aggressive as he has been for the past few months. End had a great performance, showing off his fantastic striking ability as always but also showing off his versatility, doing some things that I can’t really remember him doing in the past. This was a great match that never slowed down and had tons of great sequences and transitions. ****

Chris Hero vs Jushin Thunder Liger

I was very excited going into this match for obvious reasons. Chris Hero is without a doubt the best wrestler in the world and Liger is a legend in this business. Hero did so well as a heel in this match, taunting both Liger and the crowd the whole time. Liger also did well, putting on a good performance with the crowd clearly behind him. This was a very enjoyable match and it was so cool to see two legends face off. Hero beating people up is just so much fun to watch and Liger did a great job at playing the underdog. ***3/4

Young Bucks and Adam Cole vs Dalton Castle and “The Boys”

This was an extremely fun match and a perfect way to end the show. reDRagon acting like The Boys was highly entertaining and the comedy stuff early on was very funny. Once it broke down it became a really good match. Nonstop action from start to finish and a great combination of comedy and good wrestling. ****

Final Thoughts: I recommend this to everyone. What a great show, no bad matches and only one that wasn’t at least very good. 

Final Rating: 9/10.