With WrestleMania week in Southern California on the horizon at the end of March, we first head up to Northern California to kick the month off with AEW Revolution 2023 week. This is the first time AEW will be running in NorCal, and wisely, multiple Bay Area promotions have decided to run that week.
Upstart promotion Oasis Pro will be running on Thursday in Berkeley, Hoodslam is running after Rampage on Saturday in Oakland, and West Coast Pro will run on Saturday in San Francisco.
I will cover Oasis Pro and West Coast Pro in this preview. Not only is this one of the strongest lineups West Coast Pro has ever put on, but also arguably the most important, as there will be traveling fans in town checking out the promotion for the first time.
This is by far their most important and high-profile show for Oasis Pro.
Oasis Pro Wrestling
the BAY vs. the WRLD
March 2, 2023
Gilman Brewing Company
Berkeley, CA 94710
“Speedball” Mike Bailey, Jack Cartwheel & Alpha Zo vs. The South Pacific Savages (Jacob Fatu, Journey Fatu & Juicy Finau)
This show wasn’t even a blip on my radar until Mike Bailey was announced. Oasis Pro is a lower-level indie, and to this point their cards have been made up of almost exclusively Northern California-based wrestlers with a few SoCal and Las Vegas workers sprinkled in. Oasis Pro is likely taking advantage of West Coast Pro bringing Speedball in on Saturday, and it’s a great move with the fans reaping the benefits. I hoped to see Bailey and Jack Cartwheel taking on local prospects like Dom Cirrus, Jayson Xavier, or Olumide, who could benefit from sharing the ring with them. My preference aside, putting them in the ring with local favorites like Jacob, Journey, Juicy, and Alpha Zo makes sense to give it a uniquely NorCal experience. Prediction: South Pacific Savages
Starboy Charlie vs. G. Sharpe
This might be a hot take, but Starboy Charlie might be NorCal’s most consistently good wrestler over the past six months, including people like Titus Alexander and Jack Cartwheel. Since late last summer, Charlie has been on a huge roll, having good to great matches with Titus, Alan Angels, Kevin Blackwood, and The Conglomerate. Sharpe is someone I haven’t seen much of but who has been around for over a decade and wrestled in places like OTT, OWE, and NJPW Strong. I don’t expect this to blow the roof off, but I think will be another Starboy Charlie special and be in the ***1/2 range. Prediction: Starboy Charlie
Ugly Dojo (Titus Alexander & “LA Bruja” Abigail Warren) w/ Big Ugly vs. Emo Night (Brooke Havok & Alan Angels)
Unlike West Coast Pro, where Alan Angels plays a shitbag heel, here we see him as a babyface teaming with his girlfriend, Brooke Havok. Since returning from her second devastating leg injury, Brooke has hit the ground running, getting booked all over Northern California. Her perseverance and toughness have made her a cult favorite in this part of the country. In West Coast P,ro Titus works as a detestable heel, and I expect him, his sister, and their father to turn that way up here. Prediction: Emo Night
Big Fonz vs. Jordan Cruz
I discussed Fonz in my most recent “NorCal wrestlers to keep an eye on” article. He’s still new to this point and wrestles like a mid-2000s WWE trainee, but has done a nice job traveling (even making an AEW Dark Elevation appearance, actually teaming with Jordan Cruz) and working to improve. What Fonz lacks in wrestling skill, he makes up for in presence, size, look, and charisma. Jordan Cruz, on the other hand, is very solid in the ring but has very little charisma. These are two big muscular dudes, and I’m hoping they beat the shit out of each other. Prediction: Big Fonz
Also on the card:
- El Mago (formerly Draztick Boy) vs. Koto Hiro
- “The Last Spinebender” Kenny K vs. Matt Vandagriff
West Coast Pro
West Coast Best Coast
March 4, 2023
United Irish Cultural Center
San Francisco, California
Watch: IWTV
“Submission Gangsta” Brett The Threat vs. “The Crazy Cajun” Jiah Jewell
Brett and Jiah are coming off victories in their West Coast Pro debuts last month at “Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge” in Sacramento. Jiah is a West Coast Pro training academy student, defeating fellow graduate JT Thorne. Brett debuted as a last-minute replacement for Adam Thornstowe, teaming with Vinnie Massaro and getting a submission victory over El Primohenio. Brett is a real prospect, with an amateur wrestling look and offense based around technical wrestling, throws, and submissions. Everything he does feels dangerous and looks like it hurts. This match should be a showcase for the “Double Leg Don,” and I expect him to destroy Jiah in five minutes or less. Prediction: Brett The Threat
“Young Fuego” Adrian Quest & Los Suavecitos (Ricky Gee/Danny Rose) vs. The Conglomerate (Alpha Zo/D-Rogue) & TBD
Oh hey! Actual stories being told on the indies, refreshing, isn’t it? This is the first of several matches I’m covering on this show with an actual build. Los Suavecitos made their debut last year in Santa Cruz, not only impressing, but were such effective chicken shit heels they somehow managed to get the West Coast Wrecking Crew over as babyfaces. They returned to West Coast Pro attacking The Conglomerate a couple of months ago as a new unnamed unit led by Adrian Quest, injuring Midas Kreed and taking him out of the promotion for good(in reality, WCP and Midas have parted ways). There are a lot of questions going into this match; who’s the mystery partner? How will Suavecitos get over? Will Quest be effective in leading a unit (a role he’s never really been in)? Prediction: Powerhouse Hobbs is the mystery partner, but Quest/Suavecitos get the win
No Disqualification
Vinnie Massaro vs. Rickey Shane Page
I like Vinnie a lot. I don’t love RSP. This was set up at the last show in South City. It’s not for me. Prediction: Vinnie Massaro
Miracle Generation vs. West Coast Wrecking Crew
I have a rule. If I can see a wrestler(s) in person I’ve never seen before, I avoid watching anything of theirs at all costs. So I can’t say if Miracle Generation are good or even what style they utilize, but I’m always excited to see new talent. West Coast Pro is trying to bring in East Coast talent this year, with Alec Price even main eventing against Titus a couple of months ago. West Coast Wrecking Crew are solid as hell, but their matches tend to be at the level of their opponents. If they’re wrestling someone exciting, they will have exciting matches. If they wrestle someone bland, they’re matches end up as solid professional wrestling matches. Prediction: WCWC
Bryan Keith & Starboy Charlie vs. Alan Angels & Kevin Blackwood
I’m enjoying this character Angels is doing, where he tries way too hard to act cool but comes off like a complete douchebag. Like most matches on this show, this was set up a few months ago. Unlike those matches, this was set up with carrots. Angles and Starboy Charlie have been feuding for months, with Charlie beating Alan in decisive fashion in a super fun no-DQ match at the anniversary show last year. Since then, Angels has been obsessed with Charlie, deciding to get a close-up view of his match with Kevin Blackwood in January. During that match, Angels sat in the front row eating a comically large amount of mini carrots out of a bowl to show how casual and unbothered he was, before launching them into the ring at Charlie, causing him to snap. As the two were brawling, Blackwood turned heel and joined Angels to give Charlie a beatdown before Bryan Keith made the save and set this match up. This feud has been a lot of fun, with Angels mentoring Blackwood to be his douchebag apprentice. West Coast Pro has also created two potentially really exciting tag teams. Prediction: Bryan Keith/Starboy Charlie
“Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Timothy Thatcher
I understand that Thatcher has a big following, and he is from NorCal, but I find him incredibly dull. Speedball is the exact opposite, having exciting matches with seemingly everybody. Thatcher and Bailey have completely different philosophies regarding wrestling, and I can’t picture what this will look like. Prediction: Mike Bailey
Black Taurus, Toxin & Latigo vs Rey Horus, Aramis & Viento
We have all seen a million of these lucha six-man matches on the indies in the past few years, and I’m not complaining. Give me a million more. What makes this one interesting is the way the teams are split up. This is bases vs. flyers, giving it almost a David vs. Goliath feel. Each side has a regular team, with the bases team having the debuting Los Vipers (Toxin and Latigo) and the flyers team having Aramis and Rey Horus, a team in PWG. This is another huge match for Bay Area luchador Viento, who I’m hoping goes wild and does a bunch of crazy shit. Toxin is one of my favorite luchadors and someone I’ve been begging West Coast Pro to bring in. This is the match I’m most excited about. Prediction: Taurus/Toxin/Latigo
West Coast Pro Wrestling Women’s Title Tournament Final
Masha Slamovich vs. Sandra Moone
Many promotions like to grandstand about how much they care about women’s wrestling, but West Coast Pro has let their actions do the talking for them. From bringing in All Japan Women’s legends, to contemporary Joshi wrestlers, to finding the best wrestlers on the indies, women’s wrestling is a major part of the fabric of West Coast Pro, so it makes sense to introduce a women’s championship. Both competitors have connections to Marvelous, with Masha spending months in the Marvelous dojo in 2020 and Moone set to tour as part of a talent exchange with West Coast Pro.
The obvious story here is Masha defeating Sandra, with Moone taking a beating. It’s predictable but it’s also likely the right move, as I think it’s too early for Sandra at this point in her career, and her winning might result in some backlash from the fans. Prediction: Masha Slamovich
West Coast Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title – Tables, Ladders & Chairs
Titus Alexander (c) vs. Nick Wayne
This is the second show in a row that Nick Wayne is challenging Titus Alexander for the West Coast Pro championship, with their previous match going to a 30-minute time limit. I won’t try to sugarcoat it; that match was REALLY bad. They tried hard to force it to be an epic, loaded with Shawn Michaels NXT tropes like cutting mid-match promos, shocked faces, and head grabbing after kick-outs, standing around wondering what they could do to beat their opponents. In between the NXT melodrama was Will Ospreay/Ricochet-esque spots teasing the OsCutter, and a Kazuchika Okada wrist control spot. It just didn’t work, but I also understand it was two extremely talented but extremely young prospects given an incredibly tough task having to fill a half hour.
That said, all their other matches have ranged from fun to great. Their first singles match in West Coast Pro was one of the highlights of the inaugural West Coast Cup last summer. Without having to worry about a time limit, I’m confident this will be much better than their most recent encounter, and with the TLC stipulation, I’m sure they will do a ton of wild stuff. Another interesting wrinkle is with Wayne turning 18 in July and likely heading to AEW soon after, this will likely be the final match of importance at The Coast, if not his last match in the promotion as a regular. Prediction: Titus Alexander
