5 Times PWG's Battle Of Los Angeles Predicted Future Main Eventers
1. Kenny Omega (2009)
The Kenny Omega of 2009 was a far cry from the 6-star-match machine of Dave Meltzer's dreams in 2017. Heck, he was still two years away from wrestling a 9-year-old girl in a Stardom exhibition match (and melting Jim Cornette's brain).
But he was already a made man in Pro Wrestling Guerilla. Kenny's athleticism, terrific facial expressions, fearless humor, and eyecatching style had been turning heads in the indies, and he had several standout moments in PWG that went viral online. (Including the time he and ACH channeled The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, respectively, and the time Davey Richards irish-whipped him into the ropes hard enough for the middle and bottom ropes to snap.) He also had a hellacious feud with Roderick Strong.
Exactly one year after his debut at the previous year's BOLA event, after besting Kevin Steen, Scott Lost, and Joey Ryan, Kenny would finally defeat Strong in the finals of the Battle of Los Angeles to win both the tournament and the vacant PWG World Championship.
Eight years after PWG anointed him winner of BOLA, he's New Japan's reigning United States Heavyweight Champion, and people are champing at the bit to see him dethrone Okada as IWGP Heavyweight Champion. PWG called this one, for sure.