By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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West Coast Pro “Marvelous Coast”
Streamed on YouTube.com
March 23, 2023 in San Francisco, California at United Irish Cultural Center
As the show title suggests, this show features a lot of the top female talent from Japanese promotion Marvelous. This is a good-sized room and attendance is perhaps 400. The ring is lit okay; the fans are in the shadows. We have no commentary, which I certainly didn’t expect. I’m watching live, and it shows only about 400 people are watching live with me.
1. Titus Alexander defeated Alpha Zo at 15:02. I’ve noted before that Black rising star Alpha Zo is roughly the same body type as Jeff Cobb, but he’s dropped some weight and that no longer appears to be true. Standing switches to open and a feeling-out process. They hit double shoulder tackles at 4:00 and both went down. Zo hit a backbreaker over his knee, then a gut-wrench suplex. Titus nailed a dive through the ropes at 6:30 onto Zo on the floor. In the ring, Zo nailed a uranage. COMMENTARY KICKED IN AT 8:30 with Jason Kincaid on the call! This is a first-time-ever singles match; I agree with Kincaid that is a bit surprising. Titus hit a Lethal Injection, then a brainbuster for a nearfall and we got a “this is awesome!” chant.
They stood and traded punches, and Zo hit a half-nelson suplex. Titus hit a superkick. Zo hit a Hidden Blade, then a Doctor Bomb powerbomb for a believable nearfall at 11:30. Zo hit a clothesline. Titus hit a backbreaker over his knee and a running knee but only got a one-count. Titus nailed the Chaos Theory rolling German Suplex for a one-count. The crowd rallied for Zo. Zo nailed his swinging back suplex, then a decapitating clothesline for a believable nearfall at 14:00; I thought that was it. The crowd now chanted “West Coast!” They traded rollups. Titus hit a running knee, then another Chaos Theory for the clean pin. That was a really, really good match; I felt that could have gone either way.
2. Trish Adora defeated Yuu at 9:47. I’ve seen Yuu once before in Deadlock Pro; the Asian wrestler is similar to Piper Niven in size and overall build; she is listed online at 5’2″ and 242 pounds, which both seem accurate. Trish tried a shoulder tackle that didn’t budge the bigger Yuu. Trish began working the left arm. Yuu hit a hard clothesline as Trish was against the ropes, and she stood on Trish’s chest. Trish applied a leglock around Yuu’s neck at 4:00. Yuu hit a spinning sidewalk slam, then a senton (with the crowd really reacting to that blow.) She rolled out of the ring onto Adora on the floor.
Yuu hit some LOUD chops; Trish fired back with her own chops. Trish hit a hard back-hand to the face. Yuu nailed a crossbody block for a neafall at 7:00. I’m loving this. Yuu pushed Adora into the corner and shoved her butt in Trish’s face, then she nailed a rolling cannonball for a nearfall. Yuu nailed a second-rope frogsplash to flatten Trish! Trish hit a Mafia Kick and a German Suplex for a nearfall, and we got another “This is awesome!” chant. They hit simultaneous clotheslines. Trish hit the Lariat Tubman clothesline, then she tied up the left arm behind Yuu’s back, and Yuu tapped out! That was fun.
3. “Magenta” Maria and Riko Kawahata defeated Sadie Gibbs and Tomoko Watanabe at 14:18. British star Gibbs is an AEW original who vanished when the pandemic began. I don’t know Watanabe; she’s listed online at 52. Magenta do a dance routine in the ring before the bell. Gibbs and RIko opened. (To me, Maria and RIko look fairly identical with similar reddish hair, and their gear is identical.) Kincaid said Watanabe competed in the 1995 WWF Survivor Series! (Yep, a quick check showed she was on Bertha Faye’s team, taking on Alundra “Madusa” Blayze’s team!) Watanabe applied a Boston Crab. Sadie hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall on Maria at 6:00.
Maria hit a dropkick on Watanabe for a nearfall, but she was selling some blows to the shin from Watanabe. Maria hit a top-rope missile dropkick on Tomoko at 9:00. Watanabe hit a springboard double crossbody block. Gibbs got the hot tag and hit a Rolling Thunder senton for a nearfall. Magenta hit a team Gory Bomb move at 11:00. Gibbs and Watanabe hit stereo second-rope frog splashes for nearfalls. Sadie hit a Sasuke Special; I’ve never seen a woman do that, and it rightfully earned a “holy shit!” chant. In the ring, Watanabe accidentally hit a clothesline on Gibbs! Riko hit a Buzzsaw Kick on Sadie for a believable nearfall. Gibbs got an O’Connor Roll with an awesome bridge for a believable neafall. Riko got a jackknife cover for the pin. That was fun. I came away highly impressed with Gibbs.
* Unagi Sayaka holds the DDT Ironman Heavyeight Championship, which is a “24/7 title.” Kincaid said there have now been more than 1,600 champions.
4. Unagi Sayaka defeated Hyan at 9:55. Unagi has blonde hair with some purple tips. I always compare Latina Hyan to Deonna Purrazzo for her length of hair, ring gear and overall presentation and in-ring style. Unagi hit a chop as Hyan was in the ropes, so Hyan hit a harder chop. They brawled to the floor and fought at ringside, and Unagi hit a snap suplex onto the bare floor at 2:30. In the ring,, Unagi hit an X-Factor faceplant, then a Hogan Legdrop for a nearfall, and she applied a Front Guillotine Choke; Hyan powered out and hit a suplex at 4:30. Hyan hit a spear. She nailed a dive through the ropes to the floor onto Unagi.
In the ring, Hyan nailed a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall, then a scoop bodyslam for a nearfall, and they were both down at 6:30. Unagi accidentally bumped the ref! She hit a Lungblower to the chest, then a sliding forearm to the jaw for a believable nearfall at 8:00, and she jawed at the referee. However, the ref rolled up Unagi to win the DDT Ironman Heavyweight Champion! The crowd went nuts for the silliness of this title change. A different ref rolled up that ref to win the championship! Hyan speared the second ref and scored the pin at 9:20 to win the title. However, Unagi hit a Shellshock swinging faceplant to pin Hyan and she left with the title to end the chicanery.
5. “Los Suavicitos” Danny Rose and Ricky Gee (w/ Adrian Quest) defeated Calvin Tankman and “Beef” Gnarls Garvin to become the inaugural WCPW Tag Team Champions at 15:35. Tankman is 354 pounds and Beef is listed at 251 pounds; these are two big boys. The Los Angeles-based Suavicitos are hated by the SF fans. Rose and Gee are MUCH smaller than these two. Tankman and Gee opened. Tankman hit a bodyslam. Beef hit a slingshot senton, then a double-underhook suplex at 2:30 on Gee. LS began working over Beef, and they hit some elbow drops. Beef hit a butt splash drop on Rose at 7:00. Tankman got the hot tag and he hit some clotheslines. He hit a backbody drop on one, sending one opponent onto the other.
Beef nailed a decapitating clothesline and a senton. Rose hit some forearm strikes on each of the bigger opponents, who no-sold the blows. LS hit basement dropkicks on Calvin’s knees. Rose hit a spin kick then a DDT on Calvin. Rose hit a double-jump Swanton Bomb. Tankman chopped both men. LS hit superkicks on him. LS dove through the ropes onto Tankman and Beef, who caught them at 11:00. All four brawled on the floor, and Tankman powerbombed one of them into rows of emtpy chairs.
They brawled over to a bar. Beef bodyslammed Rose onto the floor; he climbed onto the bar, but Ricky Gee grabbed his ankle and shoved him through a table! Back in the ring, Tankman fought both LS. He nailed a pop-up back-elbow on Rose at 14:30, then the Rikishi Driver on Gee for a believable nearfall, but Rose made the save. The 15:00 call is spot-on. Adrian Quest distracted the referee as one of LS hit Tankman with a baseball bat! Rose covered the knocked-out Tankman for the cheap pin! Kincaid called them “Los Suava-cheat-os” for stealing the vacant titles.
* Intermission
6. Ishmael Vaughn defeated Jack Banning, Jiah Jewell, and Vinnie Massaro in a four-way at 11:21. My first time seeing Banning; he’s tall and a bit scary, giving off NXT Dijek vibes. Jewell is the scrawny Cajun who is Lash Leroux-meets-Ducky Dynasty. Vaughn is the tall, Black muscular rookie; think former NXT wrestler EJ Nduka. Massaro is the heavyset overly-stereotypical Italian gimmick. Jewell and Banning worked together early on, but of course, Banning attacked him. Banning hit a Lungbower on Vaughn at 2:30 then a senton. He applied a Front Guillotine Choke on Jewell.
Massaro hit a dropkick on Banning. Jiah hit a tornado DDT on Massaro and did a Gator Roll on the mat at 5:00. Ishmael hit a Helluva Kick on Jiah, then a running Stinger Splash, then a rolling cannonball and a snap suplex. Vaughn bodyslammed Banning onto Jewell at 7:00. They did a tower spot out of the corner with Ishmael on top, and they were all down on the mat. The crowd was fairly quiet in this one. Jiah was bleeding by his left eye. They got up and traded punches. The rookies all hit kicks on Massaro.
Banning and Jiah hit a Team 3D on Vaughn. Massaro got both Jewell and Banning on his shoulders and he hit a double Death Valley Driver at 10:00! Vaughn hit a flip dive to the floor. Banning hit a top-rope corkscrew dive onto all three opponents. In the ring, Vaughn hit a spear on Banning for the pin. Okay action; you can see how green these guys are (except trainer Massaro) but the right guy won. I see the potential in Banning in my first time seeing him.
* Special guests Madusa and Dump Matsumoto and Bull Nakano were introduced. This is being billed as the final match of Chigusa Nagayo’s career, which is why we have these legends. “I’m getting goosebumps,” Kincaid said. Chigusa came out last; she’s 59 and heavier. She looked in awe and humbled to be in the ring not just with the five other women in the match, but the three honorary legends, and she shook hands with each of them. Several people handed Chigusa bouquets of flowers, including head matchmaker Chris Hero. Madusa got on the mic and thanked the fans and West Coast for making this happen. Madusa said Chigusa was her first Japanese match “and she kicked my ass.”
7. Takumi Iroha, Chigusa Nagayo, and Queen Aminata defeated Sandra Moone, Masha Slamovich, and Mio Momono at 12:17. I’m a bit surprised Masha is available, being as TNA had a taping Saturday. Iroha has a similar haircut to Asuka and she’s the WCPW Women’s champion. Momono opened against the much taller Aminata. Moone and Iroha entered at 1:30 and they traded strikes. Chigusa entered at 3:00 and squared off with Masha and they had an intense lockup. Masha’s teammates jumped Chigusa and they were loudly booed. Aminata re-entered and she traded chops with Masha in some AEW vs. TNA action. Aminata nailed a running knee to the jaw at 5:30, then a snap suplex for a nearfall.
Moone tagged in and hit some blows on Aminata and kept her grounded. Aminata hit a release German Suplex. Momono and Iroha entered at 9:30 and they traded rollups. Iroha hit a spin kick to the head. Mio hit a German Suplex for a nearfall, but she missed a frogsplash. Aminata hit a running kick in the corner on Mio. Iroha hit a sit-out powerbomb on Mio for a nearfall. Chigusa entered and hit a Death Valley Driver on Mio, and she applied a Sharpshooter, and Mio immediately tapped out. Fun match. Chigusa really didn’t do much but it was fine.
* Everyone hit some fun and silly offense in the corner on Chigusa, or they paused to hug her. She got on the mic and thanked the fans.
8. Kevin Blackwood defeated Starboy Charlie to win the WCPW Heavyweight Title at 18:03. Intense standing switches and a feeling-out process. Blackwood rolled to the floor at 1:30 to regroup. In the ring, Charlie hit a dropkick and a running Shooting Star Press. Blackwood hit a DDT at 4:30, then a double stomp on the back. He hit a back suplex and was in charge. Charlie hit a Thesz Press at 8:00 and some punches to the face, and he was fired up. He hit a standing corkscrew press for a nearfall. He nailed a Pele Kick at 9:30. He went for a Poison Rana but Blackwood blocked it and dropped him awkwardly in the corner. I jumped as this looked rather scary.
They traded chops on the corner. Blackwood hit a Brainbuster on the ring apron at 12:00, and Charlie collapsed to the floor. Kevin rolled him into the ring and hit a rolling forearm to the back of the head for a nearfall. Charlie hit a Sliced Bread in the corner, then a top-rope Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 13:30. Blackwood hit an Exploder Suplex. Charlie hit a German Suplex; Blackwood hit another Exploder Suplex; Charlie hit another German Suplex. Charlie nailed the Poison Rana; he went for a mid-ring Sliced Bread, but Blackwood caught him and hit a Tombstone Piledriver, and they were both down at 15:30.
Blackwood hit a Helluva Kick in the corner, but he missed a top-rope doublestomp. Charlie hit the second-rope corkscrew splash, then the Gotch-style Piledriver for a believable nearfall. He immediately applied a crossface. (A 15-minute call is a full two minutes late!) Blackwood hit a brainbuster and they were both down. Blackwood hit a top-rope doublestomp on a standing Charlie to score the pin! New champion! The crowd looked shocked! Even Blackwood looked shocked that he won the match!
* Blackwood got on the mic and he started to cut a babyface promo about moving out here two years ago and betting on himself, but then he told the crowd they “can go f— themselves.” He said he worked hard to get to the top of this company. The mic cut out on him. He said he didn’t plan to come back out here again, as he just moved back to Buffalo, but now he has a reason to come back. Kincaid said it was a “disrespectful and disgraceful” promo to end the show.
Final Thoughts: A great main event; if I was ranking my top 20 indy talents, these two would be on the list. They mesh well and put together a great match. That said, the move where Blackwood blocked the Poison Rana should never be attempted again. Luckily, Charlie is just 21 and he appears uninjured, but that move looked like it near bent his back backward. The show-opening Titus-Zo takes second. I’ll go with the Magenta-Gibbs/Watanabe match for third, with Yuu/Adora for honorable mention. Again, this aired for free on youtube, but WCPW tends to pull these shows down shortly after they air and repost them at IWTV. Definitely one to check out.
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