Now that I’m done weeping about AJ Styles’ retirement, let’s take a look at a show that West Coat Pro recently uploaded to their YouTube channel from April 15, 2022 in San Francisco, CA. From The State Room, West Coast Pro presents, Game Related.

The announcers are Jay Rudo, James Kincaid and Veda Scott.

Opening Contest: AJ Gray vs. Levi Shapiro

AJ Gray is a former West Coast Pro champion and immediately impresses me by wearing a Seattle SuperSonics Shawn Kemp jersey to the ring. Levi Shapiro wears a black glove on his right hand like Ted DiBiase in Mid-South. Gray hammers away to start and tries a Thesz Press but gets powerslammed. Levi then does a flying clothesline from the top to the floor. After some fighting on the floor, AJ hits a running shoulderblock off the apron. Back in, Gray lands some kicks to the chest and drops an elbow for a one count. AJ grazes Levi with an enzuigiri and a spinning heel kick for two. Shapiro fires up and hits a double axe and a middle-rope fistdrop for two. He heads up top and is met there by Gray who gets the superplex for a close two. To the opposite corner where Shapiro gets a boot and drives the knee down onto the neck of Gray. AJ comes right back with a buzzsaw kick and brainbuster. Lariat misses and Shapiro catches him with a right hand. Gray reverses an Irish Whip and hits a big lariat which only gets a one count again. Shapiro locks in the Claw but manages to escapes quickly, and hit another lariat to win it. **¼

Match Two: Gringo Loco, Arez & ASF vs. The Conglomerate (Alpha Zo, D-Rogue & Midas Kreed)

Gringo begins with D-Rogue. Some quick reversals and a simultaneous dropkick get nowhere, which leads to Zo and Arez tagging in. Arez gets a lucha armdrag and single-leg dropkick, then tags ASF. Kreed is also in now as the pace gets even quicker as he hits a dropkick. ASF comes back with some strikes and a rana forcing Kreed to tag back out to Zo. Triple team by the babyfaces as Arez gets an assisted running dropkick in the corner. Springboard moonsault gets two on Kreed. They pause to play to the fans and the Conglomerate has had enough with D-Rogue hitting a big Sky High. Zo hits a brainbuster for two. Sitout powerbomb to ASF but Arez jumps in hitting a tornado DDT and ASF gets a destroyer. Spanish Fly from Gringo on Kreed gets two. Loco hits a springboard moonsault for two. Assisted Code Red by ASF and Zo and Rogue come in getting a package piledriver on Arez for two. ASF with a diving sunseet flip that he can’t quite get all the way, and Loco gets a cutter. Doublestomp from Arez gets two on Zo. Gringo misses a superkick, hitting ASF. Kreed gets a Midas Touch on Gringo as the Conglomerate isolates ASF. Rogue hits s Swanton Bomb and Zo gets the pin on ASF to finish things. This was ok with some cool spots. **¾

Match Three: Akira vs. Vinnie Massaro

Vinnie Massaro wearing “Snug Life” on his tights is tremendous. Some mat-based wrestling starts us off and that goes pretty evenly. Big back elbow from Massaro knocks Akira down. Akira comes back with LEG KICKS and a side suplex, then works on the left arm of Vinnie. Running senton gets two, and a running big boot sends Massaro out to the floor. Akira grabs a security guard and uses him to run into Vinnie on the floor. Inside the arm work continues. Running knee in the corner and hesitation dropkick. Suplex with a bridge gets two. Vinnie rallies with a lariat putting both guys down. Running elbow by Massaro and a Liger Bomb gets two. Snoring Elbow is blocked with some more kicks and a flatliner from Akira. German suplex gets two and Akira locks in a stretch off that. Akira charges but winds up on the apron. Vinnie brings him back in and hits a half-nelson suplex for two. Akira right back with a cradle suplex for two. He heads up and misses a doublestomp then gets lariato’d down. Massaro hits the DCD (Daniel Cormier Driver) impressively for the win. This was a well worked match that had some solid wrestling. No crazy highspots needed. ***

Match Four: West Coast Wrecking Crew vs. Reno SCUM

WCWC is Jorel Nelson and Royce Isaacs here. Reno SCUM attacks during the entrances. This match has immediate heat to it as the Crew has been dogging Reno SCUM for months. The fight continues on the floor for a bit and then more SCUM beatdown inside the ring with Luster laying in the clotheslines. Nelson avoids a Razor’s Edge and WCWC take over on Thornstowe. Backbreaker from Isaacs on Luster gets two. Isaacs chops down Luster with several strikes and the Crew remains in control. Nelson hits a kneelift, but Luster sneaks in a DDT and gets the tag to Thornstowe. He runs wild and gets a pescado to the floor, and a dropkick on Nelson for two. He tags Luster back in, even after all the damage he took, and then hit a doubleteam curb stomp for two. Isaacs dives in to save and the Crew stomp away, then look for stereo Germans but SCUM break that up. On the top, Thornstowe gets pulled to the group and the Crew hit a modified Doomsday Device on Luster for two. German suplex and a cutter to Luster gets another two. Nelson Germans Thornstowe, who comes back and knocks Nelson to the floor and they hit the SCUM Stomp on Isaacs to win. **¼

Match Five: Titus Alexander vs. Speedball Mike Bailey

Titus Alexander attacks before the bell but Mike Bailey quickly recovers and kicks Titus down and outside. Alexander runs to avoid another and pushes Speedball back first into the apron. Well executed backbreaker gets a two count. Half-nelson backbreaker gets another two. Titus catches a kick but Bailey is too quick and hits the next one, then gets a corkscrew moonsault for two. Alexander hits a German and a Lethal Injection for two. They exchange forearms and Speedball gets the running kicks, but Titus counters with a doublestomp and German suplex with a bridge for two. He sends Bailey outside and charges, but Speedball avoids and hits an Asai Moonsault. They both beat the ten count and Alexander crotches Speedball on the rope, then hits a tope con hilo. He goes for Chaos Theory but can’t get it and Bailey gets a running PK and moonsault double knees. Speedball charges but runs into a dropkick and this time Chaos Theory hits for two. They do a Collision Course spot which almost goes very poorly, and Titus tries a pin with his feet on the ropes but the ref catches him. Low blow, but Bailey small packages him for two. Ultimo Weapon connects but only for two. Speedball looks for the Flamingo Driver but Alexander rakes the eyes and hits a brainbuster. Sweet Time Driver gives Alexander the win. Really good match that could have gone even longer. ***½

Match Six: Davey Richards vs. Yuji Nagata

Definitely did not realize this happened in 2022. Richards gets a wristlock and stomps on the left elbow. Davey goes after the left knee next and Nagata rolls to the floor. He heads back in and immediately gets put in a figure-four. Yuji eventually turns it over to reverse the pressure and Davey get the ropes and immediately DDT’s the left knee of Nagata. Another leglock is applied and Nagata breaks that, but more damage done to the leg. They trade strikes and Yuji goes for a kneelift but just rams into Davey’s head. Blue Justice gets a boot in the corner and a butterfly suplex for two. A boot misses and Richards gets a dragonscrew legwhip on the ropes. Up top Davey misses a doublestomp and he goes back to the leg submission again, and again Yuji makes the ropes. More strikes exchanged as Nagata lands a kick to the chest, but another is caught and Davey puts on an anklelock. PK connects and a top-rope doublestomp gets two. Richards charges right into an exploder suplex. Enzuigiri and a Saito suplex into a pinning combination wins it for Blue Justice. Solid work. **½

Match Seven: Kevin Blackwood vs. Minoru Suzuki

Minoru Suzuki gets the early advantage and gives Kevin Blackwood a clean break. Minoru grabs a leglock which gets reversed, so he heads outside for a respite. He catches Blackwood coming back in with an armbar over the ropes, then pulls him outside and tosses him into some chairs. Blackwood tries a chop which has no effect, so Suzuki hits one and Kevin goes down. We head back in with Suzuki running through some submissions. Blackwood finally manages to escape and hits a kick and an exploder suplex for two. Suzuki reverses an Irish whip into the corner and kicks Kevin down. Forearm shot puts him down again. More strikes, but Blackwood powers up and backdrops Suzuki and then hits a DVD for two. Clothesline misses so Suzuki locks in a sleeper then hits the Gotch Piledriver for the victory. **¼

Match Eight: Debbie Malenko vs. Masha Slamovich

They trade German suplexes and Masha Slamovich boots Debbie Malenko and gets a lariat for two. PK is caught and countered into an anklelock. Malenko goes to work on the right leg, then transitions to a crossface, but Masha bites her arm to break. Slamovich misses a Helluva Kick and they go up top where Masha misses a missile dropkick and winds up in a single-leg crab hold. Now a full Boston Crab is on but Masha makes the ropes. Slamovich gets a running knee and corner kick for two. Clothesline misses leading to Malenko hitting a Rock Bottom for two. Malenko misses a back elbow allowing Masha to lock in a rear-naked choke. She tries a Michinoku Driver but Debbie counters out and hits a cutter. Masha gets a spinning back kick and package piledriver to end it. Not much to this one. *½

Main Event: West Coast Pro Heavyweight Championship – Jacob Fatu (c) vs. Bandido

Dueling chants from the crowd for this one. Bandido gets a headscissor take down followed by Fatu landing a rana and they both kip up and face off. Superkick in the corner by the champion and he whips Bandido into the buckle. Back elbow puts the challenger down again. Big back bodydrop and Fatu puts on the Vulcan Neck Pinch. Clothesline is ducked and Bandido gets a superkick and corkscrew crossbody. Tope suicida out to the floor but Fatu comes back with one of his own. Now Bandido hits a tornillo and tries a cutter back inside but Fatu avoids it and gets a superkick and Shape Shifter for two. Fatu tries a pop-up Samoan drop, but Bandido turns it into a crucifix bomb for two. Bandido charges right into a Spanish Fly, but then comes back with a pop-up cutter and both are out. Bandido gets an impressive press slam and poison rana for a very close two count. To the top rope where Fatu pushes off Bandido and goes for a Swanton Bomb but hits knees. Springboard rana with a pin for Bandido gets two. 21-Plex but Fatu flips out of it and drills Bandido with a superkick. He hits the SST and springboard moonsault to retain the title. That got really good in a hurry. ***¾

Final Thoughts: The main event was excellent as you’d expect. Bailey vs. Alexander was also a fun watch. There’s some other unique matchups to check out with guys from NJPW as well.