After three of the most intense, exciting and unpredictable nights in the independent wrestling calendar; Pro Wrestling Guerilla wrapped up their annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament crowning Bandido as their winner.
Partaking in the tournament against 23 of the best independent wrestlers the world has to offer, the Mexican went all the way and stood tall for the first time.
Bandido started his tournament against fellow luchador Puma King and, in his victory, managed to take King’s DDT’s Pro Ironman Heavyweight Championship belt…for only a couple of minutes as he immediately lost it afterwards. That DDT Championship is mad, it’s fine.
The high-flyer then moved onto fellow ROH star Brody King in the quarter finals in a, surprisingly, similar match-up with Brody King’s exceptional athletic ability for a man of his size.
After progressing against the second King he came up against, he fought against Dragon Lee in a match of the year contender.
Finally, Bandido moved into the final against Jonathan Gresham and David Starr in a triple-threat finale. After the initial fifteen minutes, Starr was first eliminated via referee stoppage at the hands of Gresham. The match then ended with a huge springboard suplex to win the entire tournament and becoming the first Mexican born wrestler to win the coveted trophy.
Bandido has had an absolutely blindingly fast twenty-four months. Putting on performances with his fellow Dragon Gate partner, Flamita, Bandido started to make his masked voice heard when he appeared in the main event of All Out. When you’re the shining star of a match with The Young Bucks, Rey Fenix, Rey Mysterio and Kota Ibushi? You’re definitely doing something right.
Spending the past year in Ring of Honor, his flame has slightly died down but his BOLA win will catapult him straight back into the limelight that he so richly deserves.
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