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LAS VEGAS – Las Vegas will be transformed into a haven for pro wrestling fans for a few days, with WrestleMania 42 being the main course for most of the people flying into the city from around the world.
WWE will share the spotlight.
Dozens of professional wrestling companies will perform throughout the week at various venues around the city. Imagine as if each college football conference hosted its championship game every day, Wednesday through Sunday, with the NFL Super Bowl happening last. It’s the same feeling that will encapsulate pro wrestling fans throughout the week.
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A West Coast wrestling show takes place outside the Chase Center in San Francisco. (West Coast Pro)
West Coast Pro will be one of the promotions presenting a show with several wrestlers on their roster who will also participate in multiple matches for other companies.
In a sea of independent shows, West Coast Pro owner Scott Bregante told Pak Gazette Digital that his promotion offers fans a chance to see the sport in its purest form.
“I think what separates West Coast Pro is that we have an identity, we’re very proud to be from the Bay Area. We’re very proud to continue to show pro wrestling for what pro wrestling is and not what it could be,” he explained. “I think a lot of people want to come and reinvent the wheel. I think wrestling is beautiful in its rawest form and that is telling stories, putting the spotlight on promising people, involving people emotionally, just in the basics.
“I think we started very far from this as an industry where now you have to have an influencer or someone who is famous connected to it. For us, we’ve never abandoned that. It’s always been, like, we have very, very good wrestling. We have very good stories. Our audience is incredible. The vibe is there. All the things that would make any company great, we’ve leaned into them and never lost what it made us.”
Bregante said some of the industry’s top stars have come through West Coast Pro, including WWE’s Royce Keyes and Jacob Fatu, while others have appeared on All Elite Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action and also in Japan.
“We have people all over the place who come from the West Coast, Pro, or who had a footprint here,” he continued. “And I think that stands the test of time… And I really think that’s what makes us. And I think that’s really what makes us a step away from everyone else. We’re just professional wrestling, you know? We’re not sports entertainment, we’re not influencers, none of that. We’re professional wrestling at the core.”
One of West Coast Pro’s rising stars is the company’s Women’s World Champion Johnnie Robbie.
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Danny Orion enters the ring for West Coast Pro. (West Coast Pro)
A Los Angeles native, Robbie has leaned on her Latin American background and brought her own flavor to the ring, making a resounding impact on pro wrestling fans.
Bregante told Pak Gazette Digital that Robbie’s ability to relate to fans has made her incredibly popular. Add to that his in-ring skills and the industry has a rising star to contend with.
“She’s incredibly relatable, but not to the point where people see her as an equal, but as someone to look up to,” he said of Robbie. “I think there are a lot of things that are lost within professional wrestling, where a lot of wrestlers resonate with fans for being fans, where Johnny Robbie is a step above.”
Bregante said Robbie’s career was almost over due to a serious neck injury, but his ability to recover, keep his momentum with the fans and be able to put on one great match after another. It’s that part of Robbie’s journey, Bregante said, that makes it even more special.
Johnnie Robbie hits Persephone with a crossbody off the top rope. (Courtesy of Marc Blair/Instagram @punchesandpins)
“I think it’s a very, very important part that people forget because, you know, if you’re just hearing who Johnnie Robbie is but you hear everyone who’s been here for a while say, ‘Yes, Johnnie Robbie,’ these are very important details of a journey with someone, and their work in the ring speaks for itself,” he said. “She’s one of the most sought-after wrestlers, male or female or not. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, the best unsigned talent,’ but I don’t see it that way. I think Johnnie Robbie, if you put her pound for pound, is in the top 20 in the world.
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“You can’t really go and say, ‘Hey, I saw the Johnnie Robbie match. That was good.’ 99.9% of the time, every time you see the Johnnie Robbie match, you’re like, ‘Okay, well, I think this woman is redefining what women’s wrestling could be.’ the passion, she has the look. She has the effort, the skills and the overall entertainment value to be the main event of any show that comes out of West Coast Pro. And the West Coast pro has a standard and for her to be at the top of that standard should say enough.”
West Coast Pro will play a show in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 16. (West Coast Pro)
West Coast Pro’s “West Coast vs. The World” card looks like this:
- Johnnie Robbie (c) vs. Mio Momono for the West Coast Pro Women’s Championship
- Vinnie Massaro (c) against Thomas Shire for the West Coast Pro Championship
- Senka Akatsuki against Dani Luna in a singles match.
- Alan Angels and Aaron Solo (c) vs. Cajun Catch Revival for the West Coast Pro Tag Team Championships.
- Miko Alana against Aja Kong in a singles match.
- Andrew Cass (c) vs. Adam Brooks for the Golden Gate Pro West Coast Championship.
- Alpa Zo vs. LaBron Kozone in a singles match
- Starboy Charlie against Adam Priest in an individual fight.
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The event will take place Thursday night at 7 pm PT at the Bizarre Bar in Las Vegas.
