By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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West Coast Pro “Chris Hero’s Pro Wres Mixtape”
Streamed on YouTube.com
April 14, 2024 in Los Angeles, California at Don Quixote Event Center
This show aired live and free on YouTube. Once again, they have placed the hard camera in the upper deck, looking over one of the turnbuckles; I’m just not a fan of this view as I’d prefer the traditional straight-one view. James Kincaid provided commentary. We have maybe 150-200 fans in attendance.
* Chris Hero came to the ring; he’s WCPW’s “matchmaker” and he welcomed fans to the show. He said he’s been stressed putting together the show. He’s so stressed — he left the ring and got a pink shirt (the one he wore in the Punk-Perry footage) and put it on! The crowd loved this. Hero announced that Red Velvet and JT Dunn and Black Taurus (Mortos) all couldn’t make the show. Just to be clear.. I have no idea who is on this show and what matches are lined up!
1. Aramis and Viajero and Lee Moriarty defeated Matt Makowski and Jigsaw and Hallowicked at 13:34. I know Jigsaw wrote not too long ago that he was more-or-less retired, so this is a pleasant surprise. I don’t know Viajero, but with his long, wet black hair coming from under his mask, it reminds me of a young Juventud. Hallowicked and Aramis opened. Jigsaw and Viajero entered at 3:00 and traded more standing switches and mat-based reversals. Makowski and Moriarty entered at 6:30, and they traded Octopus stretches. Aramis hit a flying crossbody block on two opponents.
Viajero hit a corkscrew crossbody block on Makowski. Matt hit some hard kneelifts and a butterfly suplex at 10:00 on Viajero, and his team worked Viajero over. Viajero hit a superkick on Hallowicked. Aramis made the hot tag at 12:30. Aramis hit a huracanrana on Hallowicked. Aramis hit a sit-out powerbomb on Hallowicked for the pin; a diving attempt to break it up was a step too late. Good action to open this show.
2. Rachael Ellering defeated Sandra Moone and Heather Reckless in a three-way at 9:08. Reckless is the 4’9″ blonde from the Chicago area so we have wrestlers coming from all over for this show. Kincaid said this was supposed to be a tag match. Reckless hit a chop that Ellering no-sold; there is a signficant size difference there. Rachael dropped Heather with a single hard chop at 1:30. Moone dove through the ropes onto both women. In the ring, Heather hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip on Moone, then she applied a half-crab. Ellering hit a running back elbow on Reckless at 5:00.
Rachael hit a bodyslam and senton on Moone. Moone hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Ellering for a nearfall. Reckless hit a second-rope crossbody block on both opponents, and they were all down at 7:00. Heather hit a second-rope Spanish Fly on Moone, but Ellering hit another senton to break up a pinfall. Ellering nailed the Boss Woman Slam (Black Hole Slam) on Reckless for the pin! Good action. I really like that this show is clearly bringing together wrestlers who probably haven’t touched before.
3. Adrian Quest and “Los Suavacitos” Danny Rose and Ricky Gee defeated Titus Alexander and Starboy Charlie and Vinnie Massaro at 13:11. This is “SoCal vs. North Cal.” Quest’s team are from Los Angeles. Titus’ team are from San Francisco, and they attacked from behind and got booed, and they all brawled on the floor. In the ring, Gee and Rose worked over Titus. Titus hit an impressive dropkick at 4:30 and the heels from S.F. began working over Rose. (Production started having problems like on another recent show where it because a choppy feed, but luckily it cleared up in under a minute.)
Vinnie hit a dropkick and celebrated at 7:30 and was loudly booed. Charlie hit a moonsault off of Vinnie’s back. Charlie pulled down the straps of his bib overalls. Quest made the hot tag at 10:00 and he hit a corkscrew press on Charlie. Charlie hit a Poison Rana. Massaro hit a decapitating clothesline for a believable nearfall. Quest hit a top-rope 450 Splash. Titus and Charlie hit stereo dives to the floor at 13:00. In the ring, Quest hit Massaro with a weapon from behind. The ref didn’t see the cheap shot and counted to three! Good action by all six, although I’m admittedly not a fan of “these wrestlers are heels because we’re in a certain city, but faces when they are in a different city.” It’s inconsistent for TV viewers.
4. Oni El Bendito defeated Coheta Maya and Radioactivo in a three-way at 10:17. I have compared Bendito’s size and overall look to WCW-era La Parka, and he’s been a regular of late in GCW. My first time seeing Maya; he is a luchador with a green mask and long black hair. Radioactivo wore a green mask that covers his whole head. The two smaller guys briefly worked together to beat on Bendito, then they traded quick lucha reversals and had a standoff at 2:00. Maya hit a satellite head-scissors on Bendito. Radioactivo hit a headscissors takedown. Radioactivo hit a flip dive to the floor on Bendito at 4:00. Maya and Radioactivo traded forearm strikes; Bendito got between them and hit LOUD chops on each of them!
Bendito hit a top-rope moonsault to the floor on both at 5:30, drawing a loud “holy shit!” chant. Maya hit a flip dive to the floor on Bendito. Radiactivo hit a dive through the ropes onto both men! In the ring, Bendito hit a buzzsaw kick on Radioactivo, then a sit-out powerbomb on Maya at 7:30. Maya hit an Arabian Press-style Spanish Fly out of the corner on Bendito. Maya hit a Poison Rana on Bendito. Radioactivo hit a moonsault on Bendito for a nearfall at 9:30. Bendito spun Maya in the air, spinning him for a 450 before hitting a powerbomb! (This spot is easily found on Twitter/X today.) He then slammed Radiactivo on Maya and pinned them both. We got a “that was awesome!” chant and fans threw money at them.
* Biff Wiff, an elderly man, was introduced. I don’t know who he is, but apparently this show is a benefit for him as he’s battling cancer. He joined commentary but didn’t seem to know too much about who anyone involved is.
5. “Beef” Gnarls Garvin won the “Biff Wiff Cosmic Gumbo Rumble” at 37:18. Eliminations come from pinfall, submission and being thrown over the top rope to the floor. ROH’s Cheeseburger drew No. 1 and Midwest veteran Trik Davis is No. 2. Eli Isom is No. 3 at 2:30; that is a LONG first interval. Jon Cruz is No. 4 at 5:00. I don’t know how many guys are in this, but this match could go a while with this length of intervals. Cruz threw everyone to the floor… but through the ropes! He apparently didn’t understand the rules. The other three got back in and beat him down. Tracy Williams is No. 5. Tracy and Cheeseburger traded good mat reversals and Cheeseburger escaped a crossface hold.
Cheeseburger and Williams then tied up two others; Isom tapped out, and Trik Davis also tapped out. The masked Zokre is No. 6 at 10:30. He hit a moonsault on Cruz. Colin Delaney is No. 7. Quite a lot of East Coast-based talent already. We have five in the ring. Zokre tossed Tracy Williams at 15:00. Jimmy Jacobs is No. 8. Delaney pinned Zokre, so we’re down to three. Nope, here comes Jiah Jewell as No. 9 at 16:30… six full minutes since the last entrant. Jewell did a Gator Roll on Delaney. Ren Jones, a guy I’m used to seeing in Chicago indies, is No. 10 at 19:30. He quickly pinned Jewell, then he whipped Delaney over the top rope to the floor. He hit a pump-handle sit-out powerbomb and pinned Cheeseburger at 21:30.
Just like that, it appears it is Ren Jones vs. Jon Cruz. They shook hands but Jones wouldn’t let go of it, even as Cruz tried to eliminate himself! Cruz hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall, but he ordered the ref to stop counting! He then tossed Cruz, and we were briefly just at Ren and Jacobs in the match. Dak Draper is No. 11 at 24:00, and they traded chops. Serpentico is No. 12 at 28:00, mere minutes after Jon Cruz was tossed! Derek Dillinger is No. 13, and he flipped Ren into a corner. We are back up to five in the ring.
Dillinger lined up three guys, went for a moonsault, but they all moved and he crashed to the mat. “Beef” Gnarls Garvin is No. 14, and the crowd was behind him. We are told he’s the final entrant. Jacobs hit a Sliced Bread on Jones. Jacobs applied a front guillotine choke, and the ref determined that Dillinger had passed out! Draper hit a sit-out powerbomb to pin Jacobs at 33:30. We have Beef, Ren and Draper in the ring. Ren tossed Draper. Beef tossed Ren, and it appears he won, but Serpentico slid back in and nearly tossed him! Beef hit a top-rope frogsplash to flatten and pin Serpentico to win the match. That was a really long match for just 14 participants.
* Intermission is still on the feed but hey, it’s youtube, and it was easy to zip over.
6. Chris Hero defeated Kazusada Higuchi via DQ at 11:45. I don’t know Higuchi. Basic standing switches to open. Hero dropped him with a shoulder tackle and hit a senton at 4:00. He hit a release suplex for a nearfall. They brawled to the floor and traded chops, and Higuchi hit a headbutt at 7:00 that sent Hero flying. They got back in the ring and traded punches, then more headbutts. HIguchi backed Hero into a corner and hit a series of chops at 11:30; he pushed the ref aside and kept hitting Hero. The ref was able to separate them, but Higuchi intentionally clotheslined the ref, causing the DQ.
* Higuchi kept beating up Hero. Out of the back came Bryan Keith! Keith slid into the ring and he traded forearm strikes and chops HIguchi. Hero and Keith worked together to beat up Higuchi. “Mecha Mummy,” a cartoonish character with an oversized fist, jumped in the match, and this was now a tag match!
7. Bryan Keith and Chris Hero defeated Kazusada Higuchi and Mecha Mummy at 13:45. The heels worked over Keith. Mummy gave Keith an Atomic Drop onto the oversized fist, which Keith hilariously oversold. (This is all-out silliness now.) Mummy used his drill on the referee, then he beat up Keith with it. They all brawled to the floor. Hero and Mummy went to the upper level at 8:30, and Hero teased tossing Mummy over the railing. Mummy threw his cartoonish fist from the balcony and it stuck Keith directly in the ring; Mummy got down there and covered Keith for a nearfall.
Hero grabbed the oversized fist weapon and hit each heel with it. Hero and Keith hit stereo piledrivers! However, Mummy and Higuchi popped up to their feet. Mummy hit Keith in the chest with this cartoonish drill for a nearfall at 12:30. Keith and Mummy traded clotheslines. Keith finally hit the Emerald Tiger Driver to pin Mecha Mummy. This match was all cartoonish over-selling and fun with Mummy’s weapons. Not really my preferred style.
The next match is a “Masterclass Challenge,” which is a pretty way of saying a best-of-three-falls match.
8a. Arez defeated Angelico (w/Serpentico) at 4:52. Standing switches to open. Angelico shoved fingers into Arez’s throat at 3:00. Arez applied a modified Texas Cloverleaf while standing, and he dropped to the mat, with Angelico’s legs tied up. Neat visual. Arez then spread Angelico’s arms apart and stretched him, and Angelico submitted!
8b. Angelico (w/Serpentico) defeated Arez at 4:48. Arez switched to a bow-and-arrow move. The action became pixelated and a frozen screen again. Angelico tied up Arez on the mat, and Arez quickly tapped out. That finish truly came out of nowhere.
8c. Angelico defeated Arez at 3:31. Arez immediately tied up Angelico upside down and over his knee. Arez tied up Angelico’s legs and leaned back for pressure at 2:30. Angelico applied a Trailer Hitch leglock, and Arez tapped out. These were more mat-based, submission-based, than I expected. Not saying that’s a bad thing, just surprising, as obviously Angelico can fly but he didn’t do much of that here.
9. Alpha Zo defeated Jason Kincaid and AR Fox in a three-way at 15:12. I don’t know Kincaid; he’s thin, older, with a long frizzy beard. They all traded chops early on. Zo hit a backbreaker over his knee on Fox, then he tossed Fox across the ring at 3:00. Kincaid hit a flying elbow on Zo as Zo was on the ring apron. Fox hit a dive to the floor. He set up for another, but Kincaid caught him with a stunner at 6:30. Fox hit a running summersault onto both guys as they continued to fight on the floor. In the ring. Kincaid tied Fox up in a submission hold, but Zo broke it up. Kincaid tied up both opponents’ left arms in a nice submission spot. Kincaid hit a slingshot Stroke face plant on Zo for a nearfall at 10:00. Unique move.
Kincaid hit an enzuigiri on Zo. Fox hit a kip-up into an enzuigiri. Kincaid hit a missile dropkick and everyone was down at 12:00, and we had a “this is awesome!” chant. They got up, all hit stereo roundhouse kicks on the guy on their right, and all went down again. Fox hit a flip dive over a turnbuckle onto Zo, got back in the ring, and hit one on Kincaid in the opposite corner. Fox hit a top-rope 450 Splash on Kincaid for a believable nearfall at 14:00. Fox and Kincaid traded rollups for nearfalls. Zo snuck in, hit a double back suplex, and pinned Kincaid. That was pretty good.
* The roster filled the ring. Chris Hero got back on the mic and talked about how many of the guys in the ring have been competing for decades.
Final Thoughts: This show started strong. I liked the lucha three-way for best match, and the must-see Bendito-Maya spot where Bendito flips him entirely before hitting a powerbomb. I liked the six-man tag, too, and that gets second. The main event was fun and I’ll give that third.
Yes, I felt the show started strong, but then that Royal Rumble was just a killer with slow pacing and too long between entrants. Biff Wiff on commentary during that Royal Rumble was painfully bad. I admittedly don’t like comedy from main event wrestlers; I don’t need to see a badass like Bryan Keith in a goofball match. I’ve seen people comment online how much they loved the Mecha Mummy silliness, but it just wasn’t for me.
I couldn’t help but think of some of the IWA-Mid South shows I attended 2004-06 while watching this show, and not just because Trik Davis and Chris Hero were on this show. No, I was thinking about the extraordinary cost of putting this show on, with a huge roster of talent but competing before a rather small audience. Here, we had a total of 40 different wrestlers, including several from the Midwest and East Coast that were undoubtedly flown in. This was a large roster… and I don’t know how a crowd of just 200 fans covers those costs. I try not to think about the financial aspect and just enjoy the show… but wow this had to have been a pricey roster, just in terms of travel expenses.
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