By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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West Coast Pro Wrestling “West Coast 5”
Replay available via IndependentWrestling.TV
October 14, 2023 in San Francisco, California at United Irish Cultural Center
As the title of the show suggests, this is the fifth anniversary show. Veda Scott started solo on commentary, and Kevin Blackwood joined her in the booth. Blackwood vented about being there and not being on the show.
1. Alpha Zo defeated Mike Bailey at 11:42. Zo is the thick Black man with long dreadlocks; I noted this before, but when he faced Jeff Cobb recently, I was struck at how they appear to be the same height and body thickness. They traded standing switches at the bell and had a standoff at 1:00. Zo removed medical tape around his waist, and they traded kicks. Zo hit a forearm that dropped Bailey. Bailey hit a baseball slide dropkick to the floor, and they brawled on the floor. In a fun spot, he put (wife!) Veda Scott on his shoulders and hit a double kneedrop to Zo’s chest. In the ring, Bailey hit another double kneedrop for a nearfall at 4:30.
Bailey hit a Vader Bomb-style kneedrop to the chest for another nearfall. Bailey charged at him, but Zo hit a Samoa Joe-style uranage. Zo hit a backbreaker over his knee, then an Exploder Suplex. Bailey hit a series of kicks, but he missed a running Shooting Star Press. Zo nailed a decapitating clothesline. Bailey hit a standing moonsault kneedrop at 8:00. They traded kicks and Zo hit a diving forearm, and they were both down, and the crowd chanted, “West Coast!” Bailey hit his Triangle Moonsault to the floor, drawing a “Holy shit!” chant.
Bailey hit his moonsault kneedrop to the chest on the ring apron at 10:30. Ouch! In the ring, Bailey missed the Ultima Weapon. Zo hit a running knee. Bailey hit some superkicks, then the Tornado Kick in the corner. He again set up for Ultima Weapon, but Zo got up and avoided it. Zo hit a Sidewinder (Cobb’s Spin Cycle!) swinging back suplex for the clean pin! A very good match, and Zo continues to impress when given a chance against the top indy stars.
2. Bryan Keith defeated Jiah Jewell at 10:28. Jiah is the scrawny hillbilly “crazy Cajun” who reminds me of WWF’s Skinner mixed with WCW’s Lash Leroux, and he is a recent graduate of their wrestling school. They shook hands and traded mat holds. They traded chops at 3:30. Keith hit a headbutt. Jiah did a Gator Roll on the mat, then a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall. Jiah came off the ropes but Keith caught him with a punch to the face for a nearfall at 5:00. Jiah hit a dropkick but it didn’t knock Keith down. Keith hit his own dropkick. Jiah hit a second-rope clothesline and they were both down at 7:30.
Jiah hit a diving headbutt to the chest, then a headscissors takedown. Keith hit an Exploder Suplex, then a spin kick to the head in the corner. Jiah tied Keith in the Tree of Woe and hit some punches to the face. Jiah hit a top-rope Coast-to-Coast dropkick and he was fired up. Jiah hit a Tiger Driver but Keith popped up. Keith hit a kick to the chest, then the Tiger Driver powerbomb for the pin. Good match; the winner was never in doubt but Keith gave him some good hope spots.
* Kevin Blackwood stood up from the commentary team and he jeered Jiah Jewell. He was fuming throughout both matches so far that he’s not on the show. He walked to ringside and confronted Jiah Jewell, slapping the kid in his face and getting loudly booed for it.
* The West Coast Wrecking Crew came to the ring; they have issued an open challenge tonight! Veda said they haven’t lost in West Coast Pro since July 2022 against the Motor City Machine Guns.
3. Calvin Tankman and “Big Beef” Gnarls Garvin defeated “West Coast Wrecking Crew” Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson at 6:31. Good to see Tankman back; he’s missed a few weeks of action with an injury. They all immediately brawled to the floor, as Veda noted that Beef and Tankman just fought each other but apparently have put aside their feud. Tankman fought Jorel while Beef fought Royce. Tankman (who is easily 350+ pounds!) dove through the ropes at 2:00, earning a “holy shit!” chant.
They finally got in the ring; the ref rang the bell to officially start as Calvin hit some forearms on Royce. Beef it a missile dropkick on Royce, with Calvin making the cover for a nearfall. Beef hit a senton on Royce at 4:30. Isaacs finally hit a back suplex and both were down. Jorel entered and tried a flying shoulder tackle but he just ricocheted off Calvin. Calvin hit his pop-up spinning back fist on Jorel. Beef hit a frogsplash for the pin! Wow, I didn’t expect that to end so quickly. Really good for the time given. Keep in mind, “official” time is closer to 4:20, but I start my stopwatch at first contact or the bell, whichever is first.
* Veda did the third match solo; Mike Bailey joined her on commentary before this next match.
4. Chikayo Nagashima, Johnnie Robbie, Rachael Ellering, and Unagi Sayaka defeated Maria, and Riko Kawahata, Mio Momono, and Sandra Moone at 14:55. I admittedly don’t know the Asian talents in this match, although I just watched Momono wrestle on the Deadlock Pro Show (which took place a day after this event.) Chikayo wore yellow, and Veda said she has been wrestling for nearly 30 years. Sayaka has her hair in two ponytails; Veda reminded me that I saw her in a WCPW women’s tournament a few months ago. Maria and Riko (known collectively as “Magenta”) wore identical outfits and they did a dance routine in the ring. Moone has been competing in Japan in recent months; I don’t think I’ve seen her since spring. This really has an auroa to it, as everyone had separate entrances, then a nice ring introduction. (A long build-up to start the match, too!)
All eight charged and fought at the bell. Once it settled down into a regular match, Robbie and Maria battled in the ring. Unagi hit a Lungblower move to the jaw at 4:00. Maria tied Unagi in an Octopus. Riko and Unagi traded forearm strikes at 6:30. Chikayo tagged in but was kicked in the back by someone on the ring apron, and Riko’s team began working Chikayo over. Chikayo and Robbie stomped on fingers of opponents. Chikayo hit a top-rope doublestomp for a nearfall at 8:30. Riko hit a swinging neckbreaker on Chikayo for a nearfall. Mio hit a top-rope crossbody block for a nearfall.
Mio hit a double basement dropkick. Rachael tagged in at 10:30 and hit some hard chops and a senton. Ellering worked over Momono, who is significantly smaller and lighter than Rachael. However, Mio hit a frogsplash for a nearfall. Moone hit a top-rope missile dropkick on Ellering, then a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall at 13:30. Robbie hit a backbreaker over her knee. Ellering hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall on Moone and she sat up in disbelief. Ellering hit a Boss Woman Slam. However, Robbie made a blind tag, jumped in the ring, and ‘stole’ the pin from Ellering.
* Before the next match started, WCPW matchmaker Chris Hero said there was a special stipulation for the next match. This match will now be no-disqualifications!
5. Vinnie Massaro defeated Masato Tanaka in a no-DQ match at 14:08. Masato, the ECW legend, has been in the U.S. of late, as he just competed in an AIW tournament I recently reviewed. Massaro is the rotund over-the-top stereotypical Italian gimmick; I always compare him to Hugh Morrus for his singlet trying to hide his massive gut. They immediately traded chops. They went to the floor, where Tanaka hit him with a chairshot to the head at 3:00. They brawled over to the bar against a wall, and Tanaka dove off the bar onto Vinnie. They got back in the ring with Masato in charge. Vinnie hit a running suplex at 7:00 ad they were both down. Tanaka hit a top-rope superplex, but Massaro rolled through and hit a suplex.
They hit simultaneous clotheslines and were both down at 8:30, with the fans chanting “West Coast!” They each got chairs from under the ring. Vinnie hit an unprotected chairshot to the head, and I really hate to see that. The fans chanted “Holy shit!” Masato hit an unprotected chairshot on Massaro. They dropped the chairs and traded forearm shots until they finally collapsed at 11:30. Vinnie went for a Burning Hammer but Tanaka escaped. Tanaka nailed a tornado DDT onto a folded chair for a nearfall. Vinnie hit a T-Bone Suplex and a swinging powerbomb for a nearfall. Massaro hit a Snoring Elbow onto a chair in front of Tanaka’s face, then a second Snoring Elbow to the jaw for the clean pin. Good match; hard-hitting but not too violent (we don’t need those chairshots to the head, though.)
* Intermission was edited out. As we return, the special guest for the evening, Kenta Kobashi, was introduced. He wore a suit and made his way to the ring. He said a few sentences in English, saying it was nice to be here. He switched to Japanese, with an interpreter in the ring, talking about his kidney cancer and how he battled back. He said he’s been retired now for 10 years with no regrets. The crowd LOVED this segment, and he got a hero’s treatment.
6. Ultimo Dragon and “Motor City Machine Guns” Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley defeated Adrian Quest and “Los Suavicitos” Danny Rose and Ricky Gee at 15:30. Los Suavicitos came out first and were loudly booed, and the San Francisco crowd chanted “F— L.A.!” The Guns carried their respective Impact title belts. Dragon and Quest opened. Sabin and the shorter Rose entered at 3:00; Sabin offered a knucklelock and the crowd taunted Rose with a “you can’t reach!” chant, and Danny was livid. Funny. Gee entered and grounded Shelley. Shelley hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip in the ropes on Gee at 7:00. Dragon re-entered and tied up Gee’s legs on the mat in a Navarro Special, and Gee teased tapping out at 9:00.
Sabin entered and applied a Figure Four, and the babyfaces all had a heel tied in a knot. Rose hit a superkick on Shelley at 11:30. Shelley hit his Flatliner into the second turnbuckle on Rose. Sabin made the hot tag, but Rose hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Los Suavicitos hit some quick team moves on Sabin, then on Shelley, and they were loudly booed. Dragon made the hot tag at 14:00 and he hit spin kicks to the thighs and a backbody drop; he posed and got a nice applause. Sabin hit a running stunner and the MCMG hit their team offense sequence. Dragon grabbed Quest’s left arm, got the inside cradle, and scored the pin. Fun match.
** Storyline update: At the last WCPW show, matchmaker Chris Hero rewarded JT Thorne by informing him he will have a singles match against Timothy Thatcher. That leads to what all happened next…
7. Timothy Thatcher defeated JT Thorne at 9:44. Thorne, like Jiah, is a graduate of the school. I admittedly haven’t been too impressed with what I’ve seen so far, but this is a big opportunity for him. The crowd chanted “Thatcher’s gonna kill you!” Thatcher immediately tied up the left arm on the smaller Thorne. He switched to twisting the left ankle, then back to twisting the left wrist and fingers. He leveled Thorne with a European Uppercut at 4:00 and switched to a modified Camel Clutch. Thorne has gotten zero offense. Thatcher tied him in a bow-and-arrow. Thorne hit some chops but Thatcher dropped him with a headbutt at 6:30. Thorne hit a spinebuster for a nearfall. He applied a Fujiwara Armbar, but Thatcher reached the ropes at 8:30. Thatcher applied his own Fujiwar Armbar and Thorne tapped out. This felt like watching an NJPW getting the crap beat out of him with just a few offense moves.
* Thatcher started to leave the ring, but he climbed back in and re-applied the Fujiwara Armbar. The crowd seemingly approved of this heelish tactic. A couple of refs hit the ring to break it up, but Thatcher hit a ref, and some other officials who came out. Jiah Jewell hit the ring too but Thatcher clocked him too. Chris Hero got in the ring and shoved Thatcher and got between Thatcher and Thorne. Thatcher went to the floor, but then he snuck back in and hit a bak suplex on Hero! The crowd popped for this. The promoter, Scott, hit the ring and yelled at Thatcher. Thatcher shouted at Rachael Ellering as he left the ring, too. Other babyfaces rushed into the ring to check on Hero. Hero charged to the back! Wrestlers separated Thatcher and Hero!
Hero got back in the ring and grabbed a mic. “Get your ass back in the ring, motherf—-er,” Hero said. He reiterated that he’s the WCPW matchmaker. He was livid that Thatcher was taking advantage of a kid. “Hey Tim, what are you doing Nov. 17?” The crowd POPPED for this question. “Bring your ass back to San Francisco. Because you’re not getting matchmaker Chris Hero. It’s going to be Timothy Thatcher vs. ‘knock-out artist.’ And Tim, I’m going to hurt you. I’m going to hurt you real bad.” I liked everything about this segment. The crowd did too, chanting “West Coast!”
8. Takumi Iroha defeated Masha Slamovich to retain the West Coast Pro Women’s Title at 14:41. Iroha, dressed in a shiny red one-piece, got a nice ovation. She has short reddish hair similar in style to Asuka. Standing switches to open. Iroha hit a stiff kick to the spine at 2:00. They brawled to the floor, where Iroha whipped Masha into the empty chairs. Veda reminded viewers that Masha wrestled in a main event death match in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo just days ago. Masha awkwardly dove through the ropes and crashed on the floor but she was okay. In the ring, Masha hit a Helluva Kick and a spin kick for a nearfall at 4:00. She applied a Camel Clutch, then hit a running kick for a nearfall.
Iroha hit a running kick and she was fired up. She hit a snap suplex for a nearfall at 6:00. Masha hit a spinning back fist and some kicks for a nearfall. Masha applied a sleeper, then she hit a pumphandle back suplex for a nearfall at 8:00. Iroha fired back with a rolling elbow and a spin kick to the side of the head for a nearfall. Masha hit a second-rope Falcon Arrow for a nearfall at 10:00; the announced time is right on. Iroha nailed a standing powerbomb. Masha hit a Trash Compactor piledriver along her back for a nearfall. The crowd is really into this. Iroha set up for a Razor’s Edge but Masha escaped. Instead, Iroha nailed another spin kick that dropped Masha. Iroha nailed the running Razor’s Edge for a believable nearfall at 12:00, and Iroha was shocked.
Masha avoided a second Razor’s Edge and she applied a rear-naked choke, then she hit a Northern Lights Bomb for a nearfall. Adrian Quest suddenly appeared at ringside and distracted the ref. Johnnie Robbie snuck in and hit Masha with a title belt! Veda stressed that Iroha didn’t see what happened. Iroha hit a Shining Wizard, then a running Dominator faceplant for the pin! Veda said Iroha was “confused as to what just happened.”
9. Starboy Charlie defeated Titus Alexander to win the West Coast Pro Heavyweight Title at 34:20. Titus carried his oversized West Coast Cup, and he has new bib overall ring gear. Levi Shapiro took over commentary. (Veda, Bailey, and five others had to bail to make their flight to New Jersey for the Deadlock Pro show on Sunday.) Good reversals early and a standoff at 4:00; these two have fought many times now and it shows. Charlie hit a huracanrana and a dropkick. He went for a running Shooting Star Press but Titus got his knees up. Titus hit a snap suplex; he went for a slingshot senton but Charlie got his knees up at 6:00.
Charlie nailed the running Shooting Star Press, then a basement dropkick for a nearfall, and he applied a single-leg crab but Titus reached the ropes. Titus nailed a Death Valley Driver onto the ring apron, and Starboy Charlie rolled to the floor at 8:30. Titus took control; in the ring, he hit a backbreaker over his knee, then a back suplex. Charlie hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip in the ropes at 12:00. Titus dove through the ropes onto Charlie. Charlie nearly got counted out but made it back in at 15:30. Charlie hit a Sliced Bread and a standing corkscrew press for a nearfall and he was fired up. Charlie went for a Gotch-style piledriver but TItus fought free.
Charlie hit a rolling DDT for a nearfall at 18:00 but Titus reached the ropes. Titus fired back with a Lethal Injection handspring-back-stunner, then a brainbuster. (Side note: I’m really liking Levi on commentary.) They traded forearm shots, then kicks. Titus nailed a release German Suplelx and they were both down at 21:30. Titus went for the belt but the ref confiscated it. Charlie hit some dropkicks and a second-rope corkscrew splash, then he applied a heel hook leglock and Titus teased tapping out. Titus nailed the Gotch-style piledriver for a nearfall at 24:00. Charlie hit an enzuigiri then his handspring Poison Rana, but Titus rolled to the floor to avoid being pinned.
They fought on the ring apron ad traded slaps and forearms, and Charlie nailed the Sliced Bread on the apron, and they were both down at 28:00. In the ring, Charlie hit a 450 Splash and he peeled down his straps. He hit a Gotch-style Piledriver but Titus’ father, Bishop, pulled the ref from the ring! Titus hit a moonsault onto Bishop and the referee! (Earlier in the match, Levi had referenced that Titus’ father had been a pro wrestler. Good planting of seeds I didn’t pick up on at the time.) In the ring, Titus hit a low blow and a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall at 30:30 and this crowd was HOT. Charlie hit a Pele Kick, then a second-rope Gotch-style Piledriver for a believable nearfall at 32:00, and now it was Charlie who was shocked.
Charlie went to the corner and got the title belt. (Why?) Titus invited him to hit him. Charlie set it down, and Titus immediately got a rollup for a nearfall. Charlie applied a crossface in the center of the ring, but Titus rolled him over for a nearfall. Titus hit the Chaos Theory rolling German Suplex for a believable nearfall. Charlie hit a second Poison Rana. He hit a spin kick to the head, then another Gotch-style piledriver, then he re-applied the crossface, and Titus tapped out!!! New champion!! The crowd popped for the title change.
* Kenta Kobashi entered the ring and put the title belt around Charlie’s waist.
Final Thoughts: An absolutely superb main event from two guys who know each other well. Some times, a match that long will drag in the middle. Not this one. They stayed at a high pace throughout. Charlie is maybe 20 now and Titus is in his early 20s and they put together a stellar match. All that said … as good as that match was … WCPW has told a story over the past couple of months that Charlie had shown heelish tendencies and stormed off. None of that was present tonight. So, from a storyline point of view, this felt disjointed. But the match itself was fantastic.
I’ll go with Zo-Bailey for second best, with the really good Tanaka-Massaro match third, and keep in mind, I’m not the biggest Massaro fan but that was really good. The eight-woman tag felt really special even though I barely knew half the competitors, and that earns honorable mention. The MCMGuns/Ultimo Dragon match was fine. It wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t a mind-blowing match, either. The Thatcher angle with Chris Hero was a blast and well set-up, and I’m sure those plans go back a month to when Hero rewarded Thorne with the match against Thatcher.
I’ve said it before, but the travel schedule for the top indy talent is just mind-blowing. I’ll reiterate that Veda Scott, Mike Bailey, Mio Momono, Takumi Iroha, Masha Slamovich, Kevin Blackwood and Bryan Keith were all on this show in San Francisco on a Saturday, and competed in New Jersey on Sunday night. There was a lot to like here.
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