West Coast Pro Wrestling
Evil Empire
February 27, 2025
The Dirt Dog
Commerce, CA
Watch: YouTube (FREE)
Aaron Solo def. Gabe Roka
This is Roka’s first match outside of the Iron Sharpens Iron series, and he is paired with a veteran in Aaron Solo. Roka is only eight months into his career, so most of the match was carried by Solo, and they didn’t try to tear the house down. Roka is young, but you can see the potential. **
West Coast Pro Golden Gate Title
Andrew Cass def. Alan Angels (c) and G. Sharpe
After losing the Golden Gate title to Alan Angels, Andrew Cass gets a rematch in the form of a three-way. Angels was the heel in this match and got taken to the outside by Cass and Sharpe very quickly. The early portion of this match was a lot of one-on-one with the extra man hanging out on the floor, but as the match progressed, all three guys were incorporated more, and you can tell they put a lot of thought into the layout. Cass wins with a 450 and is a name you’ll want to mark going forward. He’s only in his very early 20s and is getting better fast. ***¼
Royce Isaacs def. Stephen Wolf
In the early going, it was all Isaacs until an eye rake from Wolf allowed him to take control and work the arm. Wolf controlled the majority of the match after the eye rake, but the arm work was undone when the finish was Isaacs catching Wolf out of the air and delivering a Tombstone. **½
Jiah Jewell def. Gary Jay
I love a match where you can reasonably assume the conversation planning took less than 10 seconds.
“Do you just want to beat the hell out of each other?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Gary Jay brought the intensity in this match early with striking (notably some sick chops), but Jiah stepped up and met the moment with throws. Jiah wins with a Later Gator on the concrete. A Dudes Rock Special. ***½
Alpha Zo def. Bret The Threat
This was billed as a grudge match and got started early with an Alpha Zo dive to Bret the Threat while he was making his entrance. Zo controlled it early until Bret was able to get a hold of the leg, and he made Zo pay. I was really impressed with Bret’s legwork in this one. It felt mean ,and it was constant, cutting off every Alpha Zo comeback except for one. Zo gets the win with a couple of lariats into the Sidewinder. ***½
Miko Alana def. Billie Starkz
Miko Alana entered this match on a three-match winning streak and was rewarded with a step up in competition with Billie Starkz. As the 21-year-old, Starkz is somehow the veteran in this match; she led. Alana started hot, and a missed cannonball into the corner provided Starkz with an opening to control the rest of the match until Alana was able to roll Billie up and give her the biggest win of her West Coast career. Alana is very good for her experience level and another one to mark as a potential cornerstone of West Coast in the future. ***
Lee Moriarty def. Adrian Quest
I appreciated the variety in how the matches were worked on this show. This was the most technical of the bunch, but not necessarily a Pure Rules match. The contrast in styles is what made this match work. Apart from an arm submission attempt from Quest, Moriarty controlled this match when it was a grappling contest, while Quest had to fly or strike to gain an advantage. Good finishing stretch as Quest can’t get the win with a pair of La Magistrals and falls victim to Moriarty’s European Clutch. ***¼
West Coast Pro Women’s Title Match
Johnnie Robbie (c) def. Laynie Luck
Johnnie Robbie entered this match with a 343-day title reign and was looking to make her 12th successful defense. This started a little slow but really picked up for the closing stretch. I hadn’t seen Luck before, but she impressed me with some good offense. Robbie wins with the TYK and is only three weeks away from hitting one year in her Women’s Title reign. ***¼
West Coast Pro Tag Team Title Match
The Crush Boys (Starboy Charlie & Titus Alexander) (c) def. New Fever (Danny Orion & Shimbashi)
The Crush Boys look to make their fifth defense of the West Coast Pro Tag Titles. Orion and Shimbashi jumped the Crush Boys during their ring introduction to get this one off to a quick start. Alan Angels walked to the ramp during the match to do guest commentary, and while it wasn’t playing entrance music during the match level, it was a distraction spot that was unnecessary. The Crush Boys worked from underneath for most of this on,e which suits them. Their explosive offense works really well for hope spots. Orion and Shimbashi were good in this one, they saw an opportunity and they didn’t let up, but the Crush Boys were the better team on this night as they picked up the win with a Shooting Starboy Press. ***½
West Coast Pro Heavyweight Title Match
Vinnie Massaro (c) def. LaBron Kozone
Massaro has held this title for only a short time, but he has maximized his minutes, making four successful defenses in just over three months. He aimed to make his fifth against the last DPW World Champion, LaBron Kozone. Kozone always jumps off the page, but while he and Vinnie worked a solid match here, it didn’t reach the next level. In fairness to them, I think there was some card shuffling, and this match may have gone over better with me if it hadn’t been the main event. Massaro wins with a Snoring Elbow into the Guardian Driver. ***
Final Thoughts
This show was a very easy watch and I had a great time with it. A great introduction to West Coast Pro, with the promotion’s most important wrestlers for now and the future front and center.
