By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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West Coast Pro, Deadlock Pro, and Prestige Wrestling “Untouchable”
Streamed on YouTube.com
July 20, 2024 in San Francisco, California at United Irish Cultural Center
This show aired live and free on youtube. West Coast Pro, Prestige and Deadlock Pro Wrestling are working together now, and titles from all three promotions will be defended here. This ballroom has a high ceiling. Lighting is decent and the crowd is maybe 300. Jason Kincaid provided commentary.
1. Alpha Zo defeated Alex Shelley at 11:54. Zo has trimmed down a lot in the past two years and he’s a big babyface here. A big pop for Shelley, too. They shook hands at the bell and traded standing switches early. Shelley gave Zo a quick swat on the butt and he was immediately booed. Shelley grounded Zo with a headlock. He applied a Trailer Hitch leg lock at 5:00, but Zo reached the ropes, and the crowd was fully behind Alpha Zo. He stomped on the left knee and got more loud boos. He hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip at 7:30, then a second one, and this time he applied a Figure Four, with Zo again reaching the ropes.
Shelley kicked out the left elbow. Zo fired back with an enzuigiri, then a flying forearm and running boot. Shelley responded with a chop block on the damaged knee at 10:00. Shelley hit the Flatliner into the middle turnbuckle, and he locked in the Border City Stretch. He snapped Zo’s arm across the shoulder. Shelley blocked a move and again applied a Border City Stretch. However, Zo escaped, popped to his feet and nailed a clothesline for the pin! Good match. Kincaid called it an “incredible, come-from-behind victory.” They shook hands afterwards.
* Zo left the ring, leaving Shelley to get a nice pop and he got on the mic. “Anyone heard any interesting rumors lately?” he said and that got a pop. He said West Coast Pro is the top indy in California. He said Titus Alexander is the future of the industry. He said Starboy Charlie is right at the top, too. He added that Alpha Zo is also the future of the industry. “Spoiler alert: I might not come back here.” If he doesn’t come back, he knows the future of pro wrestling is in good hands. A nice promo, with more indications he may be WWE-bound.
* Kevin Blackwood carried his West Coast Pro title belt to the ring and he said Robbie Eagles is not here, and the crowd booed this news. So, he issued an open challenge! (I checked Robbie’s Twitter/X feed, and he said the flight cancellations Saturday caused him to miss the show.)
2. Kevin Blackwood defeated “Beef” Gnarls Garvin to retain the West Coast Pro Heavyweight title at 14:42. Beef has the size advantage and he hit some loud chops early on. He hit a Thesz Press and some punches at 2:00. They brawled to the floor and traded chops in front of the fans. Beef charged, but Kevin moved, and Beef crashed into a chair at 4:00. In the ring, Kevin was in charge and he hit a variety of kicks, including a stiff kick to the spine and some Yes Kicks. Beef leapt off the top rope, but Blackwood caught him with a spin kick to the gut at 6:30. Kevin hit some Irish Whips and remained in charge, until Beef hit a rebound lariat out of the corner, and they were both down at 9:00.
Beef nailed a Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall. Blackwood hit a running knee and a Samoan Drop for a nearfall at 11:30. Beef hit a butt splash, dropping all his weight down on Blackwood’s chest and got a nearfall. They stood up and traded forearm strikes. Beef nailed a powerbomb for a nearfall at 14:00, then a crossbody block against the ropes. Blackwood hit a Helluva Kick, then a top-rope doublestomp to the chest for the clean pin. An exceptionally hard-hitting matchup.
3. Sandra Moone defeated Zara Zakher at 10:03. Zara’s dreadlocks are now red and she’s a powerhouse; I’ve seen maybe three-four matches from her this year and she’s still fairly new. Quick reversals to open and a standoff. They shook hands but then hit some hard forearm strikes. Zara hit an enzuigiri for a nearfall at 4:30. She nailed a spinebuster for a nearfall. Moone hit her mule kick to the face at 6:30 and a clothesline for a nearfall. Zakher hit a stunner for a believable nearfall, and we got a “this is awesome!” chant. Zara nailed a buzzsaw kick. Moone fired back with a Blue Thunder Bomb, then the Moone’s Landing gut-wrench powerbomb for the pin. Good action.
* Moone celebrated on the stage, when Johnny Robbie (a woman!) attacked her. Robbie wore her street clothes; she was loudly booed. She has been out of action for months with an injury, so hopefully this means she is ready to return.
4. Adam Priest defeated Vinnie Massaro to retain the DPW National Title at 12:28. Priest just won that vacant belt, after Bryan Keith was stripped due to his “AEW injury.” I always compare Massaro to Hugh Morrus in size, with his singlet covering his ample gut. He has the size and clear strength advantage over Priest, who I always compare to Jaime Noble. Massaro hit some LOUD chops early on. Priest tied up Massaro’s legs and kept him grounded. Massaro hit some more loud chops and a running brainbuster at 7:00. Massaro hit a release Exploder Suplex.
Priest fired back with a dropkick, but Massaro caught him and hit an Air Raid Crash and they were both down at 10:00. They traded forearm strikes on the ring apron, and they collapsed to the floor. In the ring, Priest hit an enzuigiri. Massaro hit a clothesline. Massaro set up for the Snoring Elbow, but Priest ducked it. Priest applied a half-crab, and Massaro tapped out. Good action. Priest just won the 16-person Scenic City Invitational in Tennessee two weeks ago and he’s on a roll.
5. Calvin Tankman (w/Beef) defeated Jiah Jewell to retain the DPW Heavyweight Title at 9:33. Jiah is the crazy Cajun who is a mix between Lash LeRoux and WWF’s Skinner; he’s still fairly green. Jiah attacked at the bell but his blows had no effect. Calvin hit some LOUD chops that caved in the rookie’s chest. Tankman hit a backbreaker over his knee at 3:00, then a clothesline. They brawled to the floor, where Tankman tossed Jiah like a lawn dart into the ring post at 5:00. Jiah crawled back into the ring but was bleeding from the forehead.
Calvin hit another hard chop that dropped Jiah. Jewell fired up and hit some chops, but Calvin barely sold them. Jiah hit a basement dropkick on the knee at 7:30. He leapt off the ropes, but Calvin caught him with a hard back elbow. Calvin hit a standing powerbomb, then a hard back elbow to the back of the head for a nearfall at 9:00, and the crowd popped for the kickout. Calvin hit a Rikishi Driver piledriver for the pin. As one-sided of a match as you’ll see on the indies, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and Jiah gets credit for taking one heck of a beating. Tankman remains one of my favorites to watch on the indies, and I’m baffled he wasn’t scooped up to a deal when his MLW contract expired.
* Tankman kept beating on Jiah after the match! The crowd booed him! Beef had to peel Tankman off of Jiah. Calvin went back to striking the prone Jiah. Beef was perplexed, unsure what to do! They eventually headed to the back, with Beef throwing his hands in the air, clearly exasperated at what just transpired.
Intermission match from an April 5th show: “Los Suavicitos” Danny Rose & Ricky Gee defeated Titus Alexander & Starboy Charlie to retain the West Coast Pro Tag Team titles at 15:08. Charlie wore his denim overalls that I hate so much. LS are from Los Angeles and are always heavily booed in these shows in San Francisco. Charlie and Rose — the shorter of the duo — opened the match. Charlie hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 1:30. Titus and Gee battled, with Titus hitting a basement dropkick. The heels grounded Charlie and began working him over. Rose put him in a front guillotine choke, and the crowd rallied for Charlie. Charlie hit a Pele Kick at 7:30 and he made a hot tag.
Titus hit a top-rope crossbody block. He nailed a Lethal Injection for a nearfall, then a German Suplex for a nearfall. LS hit front-and-back kicks on Titus at 9:30, then they hit stereo dives to the floor on Charlie and Titus. Titus hit a flip dive while Charlie hit an Asai Moonsault at 11:00 and that earned a “holy shit!” chant. In the ring, Titus got a nearfall on Rose. Charlie hit a second-rope superplex on Rose at 12:30. Rose hit a spinebuster on Titus, and LS slammed Charlie onto Titus for a nearfall. All four began trading forearm strikes. Gee hit a low blow uppercut on Charlie while the ref was distracted for the cheap victory. Lame finish to a very good match. (NOTE: I left in this match review from a prior show because it shows the hatred between these two teams, with more of that to come.)
6. “Los Suavicitos” Danny Rose and Ricky Gee (w/Adrian Quest) defeated Lucas Riley and Alonso Alvarez to retain the West Coast Pro Tag Team titles at 11:36. Lucas and Alonso came out to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” which is just an absurd choice, but the fans kept singing, even after the music stopped. The fans loudly chanted “F— L.A.!” at Los Suavicitos. Riley, who has short, dark hair, opened against Gee. I haven’t seen Alvarez before as he is a fill-in for this match; he wore a pink singlet and he hit a springboard crossbody block for a nearfall at 3:00.
The heels began working over Alvarez on the floor. Lucas finally got a hot tag at 7:30 and hit some forearm strikes on the heels. ARiley hit an impressive flip dive to the floor on the heels, then a stunner in the ring for a nearfall at 11:00. Riley went to the top rope, but was shoved off to the floor. LS hit a team doublestomp move and pinned Alvarez. Solid match.
7. Aaron Solo defeated Jaguar Montoya at 00:51. Jaguar is bigger and thicker and has a crazed look with messy hair. Solo locked in an ankle lock and Montoya tapped out! I didn’t expect this to be so short.
8. Starboy Charlie defeated Alan Angels to win the Prestige Wrestling Heavyweight Title at 11:15. Charlie hit a shotgun dropkick at the bell, then a corkscrew splash for a nearfall! They fought to the floor, and Charlie hit a flip dive off the stage onto Angels at 2:00. In the ring, Angels hit a half-nelson suplex for a nearfall. He hit a fisherman’s brainbuster for a nearfall and was in charge. He went for another half-nelson suplex, but Charlie landed on his feet, and Charlie hit a Pele Kick at 5:30, and they were both down. Charlie hit a Thesz Press and some punches, then a dropkick, then a corkscrew splash for a nearfall.
Charlie hit a dropkick but he missed a running Shooting Star Press. Angels hit a frogsplash for a nearfall at 8:00. Charlie hit a Pele Kick in the corner, and he yanked down the straps of his bib overalls, and he nailed his Poison Rana, then a brainbuster for a believable nearfall. Angels hit his Halo spin kick to the head for a believable nearfall at 10:00. Charlie hit a spin kick onto a chair in Angels’ hands, then he nailed a top-rope Shooting Star Press for the pin! New champion! That was really good for the time given.
9. Shelton Benjamin defeated Titus Alexander at 17:24. Again, Shelton just turned 49 and looks fantastic; he comes to the ring to his “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Me Now!” music. The bell rang and the crowd was LOUD and hot, cheering for both men, and they shook hands before locking up. Titus stalled on the floor to regroup. Back in the ring, Shelton hit a shoulder tackle at 4:00 but Titus kipped up to his feet. They did that sequence again. Titus hit some deep armdrags. Titus went for a Lethal Injection but Shelton blocked it. Shelton hit a bodyslam at 7:30 and a hard Irish Whip, with Titus doing a great job selling the pain of the move. This crowd remains hot and split.
Shelton hit some loud chops in the corner at 10:30, so Titus hit his own hard chops. Titus hit a top-rope crossbody block at 12:30. He hit a huracanrana but again couldn’t hit a Lethal Injection, as Shelton caught him, and Shelton hit a release German Suplex. Titus got a rollup for a nearfall. Shelton hit a Samoan Drop, and they were both down again. Titus finally nailed the Lethal Injection for a nearfall and we got a “this is awesome!” chant.
Shelton hit a spin kick to the head. Titus hit a jumping knee to the jaw, then a tornado DDT at 15:00, then a plancha onto Shelton on the floor. In the ring, Shelton flipped Titus off the second rope to the mat, and they were both down again. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Shelton nailed the Paydirt/leaping Flatliner to score the pin. Another exceptional match from Shelton in his post-WWE run.
* Shelton left so Titus could get appreciation from the crowd. Los Suavicitos attacked Titus from behind and got loudly booed. Adrian Quest dragged a beat-up Starboy Charlie to the ring, too, and the heels all began beating up the babyfaces. Charlie’s mom (probably in her early 40s, as he’s just 21) jumped in the ring to save her son! However, Los Suavicitos hit her and got loudly booed! Chris Hero and Levi Shapiro ran into the ring to chase off the heels. “I can’t believe what I just saw!” Kincaid said.
Final Thoughts: This was one heckuva good show to give away for free on youtube. Titus has been busy this year competing in Japan, and he just had a couple matches in Deadlock Pro in North Carolina, too; he’s a top 10 indy talent right now. Main event takes best match, and I’ll go with that Shelley-Zo match, just ahead of Charlie-Angels for third. For a last-minute replacement, Blackwood-Beef was really good for honorable mention, too, and Priest continues to impress, even when facing bigger opponents. This show had very good wrestling. I would have liked a bit better lighting and perhaps another person in the booth with Kincaid.
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