By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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West Coast Pro Wrestling “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
February 4, 2023 in Sacramento, California at The Colonial Theater
Veda Scott and James Kincaid provided commentary. The venue was a large auditorium with big red curtain opposite the hard camera. At first glance, I thought the crowd was maybe 100, but as the cameras circled the ring, it is clear that auditorium seats are filled in on one side of the ring, so we are at perhaps 400-500. The ring is right next to a stage, which will factor in later.
1. Jiah Jewel defeated JT Thorne at 7:44. A first-ever match for JT Thorne; he’s a thin white man of average height and size in black pants. Jiah is really scrawny, wearing camoflauge shorts, and he’s a gator “Skinner” gimmick. Jiah did a gator roll. Thorne hit a uranage move, and they were both down at 6:00. Thorne hit a spear and he was fired up. Thorne hit a spinebuster for a nearfall. Jiah Jewel hit a tornado DDT out of the corner for the pin. Alright match.
* We have a short break, as it is clear the first match was a pre-show match.
2. Kevin Blackwood and Alan Angels defeated “Creature Feature” Lazarus and El Chupacabra at 9:47. I have seen Lazarus before; his green outfit looks like what Mortis wore. Chupacabra is a Mexican werewolf character, so they are very gimmicky spooky wrestlers. CF hit a team Russian Legsweep move on Angels. Blackwood and Angels began working over Chupacabra in their corner. Lazarus made the hot tag at 7:00, and he dropkicked one into the other.
Blackwood hit a German Suplex for a believable nearfall. Chupacabra hit a top-rope missile dropkick on both of them. Chupacabra hit a Sabin-style Cradle Shock powerbomb. Angels hit a second-rope German Suplex, then a frogsplash on Chupacabra; Blackwood made the cover for the pin. An alright match; the right, more experienced team definitely won.
3. Abigail Warren defeated Allie Katch at 12:21. Katch wore her lime green. My first time seeing Warren, who has pink hair and she wore a shiny, red singlet; she’s heavy, perhaps a bit lighter than Piper Niven or Jessika Havok, but she’s definitely got the size advantage on Allie. Katch hit a mid-ring buttbump. Warren hit a stunner at 4:00. They brawled up an aisle of the auditorium, and we can see the crowd is much bigger than what is shown by the hard camera.
Back in the ring, Abigail worked the left arm, and she twisted it around the bottom ring rope at 7:00. Allie hit a Pele Kick, but she couldn’t hit a piledriver. Katch hit her buttbump in the corner, then her rolling cannonball for a nearfall. Abigail hit a chokeslam move for a believable nearfall at 10:00, then some Moxley-style elbows to the side of the head. Katch hit a DDT. They fought on the ropes in the corner, but Katch got underneath her and hit a running powerbomb for a nearfall. Abigail nailed a running boot to the side of the head to pin Katch. I wasn’t expecting that; Veda Scott agreed, calling it “an upset.”
4. Superbeast defeated Jordan Cruz at 7:53. I’ve seen Cruz several times now between here, GCW and New Japan Strong; he’s got a great physique, but he’s wearing a dorky emperor robe gimmick today. Superbeast wears a mask that looks like the face on Punisher’s black T-shirt, and he’s also quite muscular. Superbeast hit a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall and he dominated early on. Cruz hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall at 3:00. Cruz choked him in the ropes and is definitely a heel here, jawing at the ref for a slow count. Cruz hit a second-rope superplex for a nearfall at 7:00. However, Superbeast hit a backbreaker over his shoulder and scored the pin. Good big-man matchup.
5. Vinnie Massaro and Bret the Threat defeated Cucuy and Primohenio at 14:19. Vinnie is shorter, chubby and wore a red singlet. Bret is taller and has a shoot-fighter look. Cucuy his short, heavy and masked; in his yellow and black outfit, he looks like a scary beetle. An internet search says “Cucuy” is Spanish for a boogeyman who scares children. Primohenio, with long black hair, has a passing resemblance to Mustafa Ali. Primohenio and Bret started. Cucuy and Vinnie, the heavier guys, got in and traded some unintentionally funny-looking offense, as neither are in great shape.
Cucuy’s team began working over Vinnie and this is, as Jim Ross would say, ‘bowling shoe ugly.’ Bret finally made the hot tag at 10:00 and he hit a German release suplex on Primohenio, then a second-rope legdrop. Vinnie re-entered and hit an Exploder Suplex. Bret hit a back suplex on the hefty Cucuy, and suddenly everyone was down. They all got up and traded blows as the ref has lost control. Primohenio hit a stunner on Bret. Vinnie hit a roaring elbow on the back of Primohenio’s head. Bret immediately slapped on an armlock on Primohenio, who tapped out. Unnecessarily long and not good at all when Vinnie and Cucuy were in the ring.
6. Masha Slamovich defeated Brooke Havok at 8:17. I recall Brooke is a graduate from Cody Rhodes/QT Marshall’s Monster Factory and had at least one match on AEW Dark. Masha charged at Brooke at the bell. They brawled to the floor seconds into the match. In the ring, Masha tied Brooke up on the mat and gouged at her eyes. Masha hit a nice Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall at 3:30. Masha hit a back suplex for a nearfall, then a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 7:00. Brooke hit a bulldog out of the corner for a nearfall. Masha nailed a Jay Driller butterfly piledriver for the pin. Solid match.
7. Lee Moriarty and “The Conglomerate” Alpha Zo and D-Rogue defeated Starboy Charlie and Jack Cartwright and Kevin Knight at 15:16. Charlie, the impressive teen, is still wearing his awful bib overalls. I noted this after my GCW review last week, but Cartwheel has let his hair grow out, and it is a startling different look for him. Knight is wearing his orange warmup pants. Alpha Zo and D-Rogue are Black men; Zo is a bit shorter and heavier and a powerhouse. Knight and Moriarty opened with some good mat wrestling. Knight hit a soaring second-rope crossbody block that got a pop. Blackwood and Alpha Zo entered at 3:00.
D-Rogue and Charlie squared off, with Charlie hitting a mid-ring Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Knight hit a running splash on D-Rogue for a nearfall at 6:30. D-Rogue hit a running cannonball in the corner on Charlie, and the heels began working Charlie over. Lee tied up Charlie on the mat and cranked on his fingers at 10:00. Cartwheel got in and hit his catapult splash on Zo for a nearfall. Zo hit a headbutt, and they were both down.
Charlie hit a baseball slide to the floor on the heels. Cartwheel hit a stellar flip dive to the floor on the heels. In the ring, Charlie hit a corkscrew press. Cartwheel then hit a top-rope Phoenix Splash for a believable nearfall at 14:00, and we have a “this is awesome!” chant. Zo hit an elbow strike to the back of Cartwheel’s head for a believable nearfall. Lee dove through the ropes. D-Rogue hit a Swanton Bomb on Cartwheel for the clean pin. A really entertaining match.
8. Mike Bailey defeated El Viento at 15:06. I have never seen Viento; he’s a thin high-flyer with really long, curly black hair coming from under his mask, reminding me of a young, masked Psychosis. “Viento” means “wind.” They traded quick offense and had a standoff. Viento hit a huracanrana that sent Bailey to the floor at 2:30. Bailey hit a kneedrop on Viento, who was lying across the top rope. Bailey grounded him with an anklelock, but Viento eventually reached the ropes. They traded chops, and Bailey let Viento chop his back. Bailey kicked him from behind rather than chop him. Bailey hit a running Shooting Star Press at 7:30.
Viento fired back with a Lungblower. They locked knuckles and traded kicks and chops. Viento hit a step-up flip dive to the floor, and they were both down at 10:30. Bailey nailed his Triangle Moonsault to the floor. Bailey set up for the Flamingo Driver, but Viento escaped and got a rollup for a nearfall. Bailey hit a standing moonsault and went back to the anklelock at 12:00. Bailey missed the Ultimo Weapon. Bailey nailed his tornado kick into the corner. Viento hit a Scorpion Death Drop/reverse DDT. Bailey nailed the Flamingo Driver/modified One-Winged Angel for the pin. Another stellar match from Bailey.
9. Titus Alexander vs. Nick Wayne went to a 30-minute time-limit draw at 28:51. I know I write this all the time, but Titus reminds me of Ethan Page, both in looks and heel mannerisms. Wayne charged him at the bell. Wayne might be slightly taller but I think Titus has more of a muscle mass. They brawled onto the stage next to the ring; there were two rows of seats on the stage, but those fans scampered away. They got back in the ring at 4:00. However, they brawled onto the floor and up the aisle between fans seated in the chairs. Wayne hit a flip dive off the stage to the floor.
In the ring, Titus hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee and got a nearfall at 7:00, and he took control, hitting a snap suplex. Wayne hit a jump-up European Uppercut in the corner, then a second-rope Spanish Fly, and they were both down at 11:00. Wayne hit a Northern Lights Suplex with a bridge for a believable nearfall, and he was now in control of the offense. He went for a handspring-back-elbow, but Titus caught him with a dropkick to the back. Titus hit a brainbuster for a nearfall at 14:30.
Titus hit some forearms and was keeping Wayne grounded. Wayne hit a spin kick in the corner. He went for a stunner but Titus blocked it. Wayne finally hit a handspring-back-stunner. Titus hit a stunner, and they were both down at 18:00. They traded punches while on their knees. They fought on the ring apron. Wayne hit a Canadian Destroyer on the ring apron, with Titus falling to the floor; he dove back in the ring moments before being counted out. Wayne went for a Clout Cutter but Titus caught him and nailed a German Suplex. Wayne hit a Superkick. Titus nailed a high knee to the jaw, and they were both down at 23:30.
They traded mid-ring forearm shots. Titus got a jackknife rollup for a believable nearfall. They fought on the top rope, and Wayne hit a Frankensteiner and a Canadian Destroyer for a believable nearfall. They brawled back onto the stage. Wayne hit a roaring forearm to the back of the head, then a Clout Cutter onto the stage. In the ring, Wayne hit a Clout Cutter, but Titus rolled away before Wayne could make the cover. Wayne hit a superkick and another Clout Cutter; he crawled toward Titus, but the bell sounded, and the ring announcer said we had a time limit draw. The crowd loudlly booed this outcome. (My clock is accurate that this match was more than a minute shy of 30 minutes.)
Final Thoughts: A fantastic final match. Set aside that the match was shy of 30 minutes, they had a heckuva fight with both staying strong. Titus is a good heel and is getting more and more opportunities, and of course, Nick Wayne has criss-crossed the nation in the past year. It earns best match, just ahead of a really, really good Bailey-Viento match. The six-man tag earns third place.
I really do rarely comment on ring gear, but Starboy Charlie and Kevin Knight were in the same match and have some of the worst ring gear. Charlie wrestles in bib overalls, and Knight’s pants look off-the-rack basketball warmups. I think so highly of both competitors, but they both need gear that matches the quality of their skills.
None of the first six matches stood out, although I continue to like what I’m seeing of Masha Slamovich, Alan Angels and Kevin Blackwood. Despite taking a loss here, I’d still put Jordan Cruz on a “one to watch” list.
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