When it comes to tournaments in professional wrestling, few compare to the insane heights found with Battle Of Los Angeles. Pro Wrestling Guerilla has run this 24 man single elimination tournament since 2005. Names like Low Ki, Kenny Omega, Adam Cole, Ricochet, Zack Sabre Jr. and Jeff Cobb have claimed wins in the tournament – with Ricochet as the only two time winner. We haven’t seen it since 2019 – but 2022 will bring one of the best tournaments yet.
First Five Names In BOLA 2022 Include Lio Rush & JONAH
While the number of names in the field has fluctuated over the years, 2019 had the usual 24 name field. We can expect the same from 2022, and we already know the first five men that will be in the mix.
Alex Shelley was the first announced, someone who is a legend of indie wrestling – and current IWTV Champion. Shelley made the semi-finals in 2007, taking out Tyler Black (aka Seth Rollins) and Matt Sydal, before falling to Roderick Strong.
JONAH would soon follow, the former Bronson Reed in WWE NXT – who made the quarter finals in 2018, beating Sammy Guevara in the First Round before being run down by WALTER. Kevin Blackwood is making his BOLA debut, and is best known for being close to AEW star Daniel Garcia.
Lio Rush was the fourth name announced, and the first from AEW. Rush has become a big star in recent years, working WWE & NJPW in addition to AEW. Like Blackwood, he’s making his tournament debut. Black Taurus is the final name announced at the time of writing, who was in the 2019 tournament – but fell to Darby Allin in the First Round.
A Wide Talent Pool To Pull From
The fun part about BOLA is you don’t know who will show up. There are 19 slots open, and a LOT of talent in the world. AEW is allowing their wrestlers to join up, which makes sense as their lead commentator Excalibur helps to run the promotion.
Some major names like Johnny Gargano & Kyle O’Reilly are expected to be in the mix after leaving WWE NXT. Bandido is the defending champion, and could be in the mix while being the current PWG World Champion. Other names from 2019 that could show include Tony Deppen, Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy, Jungle Boy, Dragon Lee, Jake Atlas & Brody King.
Who do you hope to see in BOLA 2022? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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