By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.web Contributor (@chrisvetter73)

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Santino Bros Wrestling presents “California Love”
Replay obtainable by way of FITE.TV
March 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California at Ukrainian Cultural Heart

“The Collective” is a collection of ten wrestling reveals, led by Recreation Changer Wrestling, held over WrestleMania weekend, with all of the occasions on the Ukrainian Cultural Heart in Los Angeles. A lot of the reveals have a selected theme (there’s a lucha present, a present highlighting Black wrestlers, and one other that includes the LGBTQ group.) This venue can in all probability maintain 600, and I believe almost each one of many 10 reveals are sellouts.

“The Santino Brothers Wrestling presents California Love” is the primary present of the Collective, and it came about at 1 p.m. CST Thursday, March 30. I’m assuming that everybody on this card is a California-based wrestler. Slice Boogie, who we’ve seen in Main League Wrestling, is on commentary.

1. Kidd Bandit defeated Eli Everfly at 7:31. Everfly is a high-flyer who wears a bug masks to the ring however he takes it off as he enters; I’ve seen him in GCW scrambles on prior West Coast reveals. Bandit is dressed like a scary youngsters’ doll, advert they’re a hero within the LGBTQ group and makes use of they/their pronouns. Eli instantly attacked and he hit a moonsault to the ground. The commentary workforce mentioned Everfly taught Bandit, however they’ve by no means had a match earlier than. Everfly butterflied the arms and hit a Canadian Destroyer at 6:00 for a nearfall. Bandit put Eli on their shoulders and hit a One-Winged Angel transfer over their knee for the pin; the referee awkwardly stopped at two, then counted to 3. Ref blew the end nevertheless it was an alright opener.

2. Ray Rosas defeated Huge Dick Hoss, Koto Hiro, El Premohenio, Alec Tomas, Richie Coy in a six-way scramble at 7:58. I’ve by no means seen any of those six guys earlier than. Hoss is a imply cowboy with a cowbell; he’s primarily “Outlaw” Ron Bass for these sufficiently old to recollect him, and he’s 300+ kilos, and he’s constructed like A-Prepare. HIro wore a white Lucha outfit; he’s from Japan. Premohenio is from Spain; he has lengthy black hair. Tomas is Armenian, with brief black hair and he had an Armenian flag over his shoulders. Richie is flamboyant and jogs my memory of Influence’s Jai Vidal. Ray Rosas is older and has lengthy black hair and an extended beard. Tomas hit a pleasant Tiger Bomb for a nearfall at 6:00.

Hoss nailed a standing powerbomb. Koto hit Hoss with a Kendo Stick, as everybody started working collectively to take down Hoss, hitting 5 simultaneous kneestrikes to his head. Tomas hit a Blue Thunder Bomb. Rosas hit an Asai Moonsault onto a number of opponents. Rosas nailed a top-rope elbow drop to pin Premohenio. First rate scramble; I’d prefer to see extra of all six.

3. Tyler Bateman defeated Raunchy Rico (w/Damian Arsenic) at 8:52. Rico wore a Mexican flag over his shoulders; he’s thick with lengthy curly hair, somebody like Santos Escobar. Arsenic, his heel supervisor, advised followers to make use of cleaning soap. Rico bought on the mic and went backwards and forwards in English and Spanish. Bateman, after all, has had runs in ROH and New Japan Robust and appears like a deranged carnival employee. Arsenic interfered early on, permitting Rico to take management. A bizarre match as a result of Bateman seems to be so deranged, it’s laborious for him to get babyface sympathy, and the group was undoubtedly quiet right here, as this match moved at a slower, methodical tempo. Rico hit a Loss of life Valley Driver for a nearfall at 8:00. Bateman nailed a Tombstone Piledriver for the pin. So-so match.

4. Lucas Riley and Dom Kubrick defeated Cameron Gates and The DKC at 14:29. I solely know DKC from his New Japan Robust run. Gates has lengthy blond hair pulled again in a ponytail and he has a large tattoo on his again; he jogs my memory of Dolph Ziggler. Riley and Kubrick wore an identical metallic blue & black pants and are of common dimension. Kubric has a beard; Kubrick seems to be a bit youthful and is clean-shaven. Dom and DKC opened with fast mat reversals, and this seems to be extra like the fashionable indy type I like to observe. Riley hit a working Taking pictures Star Press on Gates at 2:30.

Gates hit a pleasant faceplant transfer on Kubrick and bought a nearfall. Dom hit a pleasant spinning neckbreaker on DKC for a nearfall at 6:00. Dom hit a pleasant German suplex for a nearfall. DKC and Dom Kubrick traded chops at 10:00. Dom missed a moonsault and over-rotated, touchdown laborious on his again and butt. Gates made the recent tag and hit a slam on Riley for a nearfall, and all of a sudden everybody was down at 11:30.

In a pleasant spot, Riley gave DKC a monkeyflip, with Dom catching DKC and hitting a powerbomb, and the transfer popped the group. We bought our first “That is superior!” chant of the present. DKC hit a Doomsday legdrop on Riley for a plausible nearfall. Dom and Riley hit superkicks on DKC, and Riley hit a stunner on DKC for the pin. This was so far-and-away higher than the prior matches on the present.

* After the match, Cam was clearly furious at DKC for having gotten pinned. They hugged. Huge Dick Hoss returned to the ring. Cam attacked DKC from behind, and Hoss joined in beating down DKC, as the group booed the heel flip.

5. Dangerous Dude Tito defeated Matt Vandegriff at 8:34. I’ve seen Vandegriff simply as soon as, towards Mike Bailey, in one of many Las Vegas reveals that came about round final yr’s AEW PPV that weekend, and he’s an honest high-flyer with a glance much like Nick Jackson. Tito after all has competed in New Japan, and I recall some commentators have aptly in contrast him to Dr. Loss of life Steve Williams; he has a couple of inches of top benefit however a major muscle mass benefit. They opened with good mat reversals. Matt hit a flip dive to the ground at 2:30.

Nonetheless, Matt injured his leg as he re-entered the ring, and Tito instantly focused it. Vandegriff hit a missile dropkick at 6:00, then a flip dive to the ground on Tito. Within the ring, Vandegriff got here off the ropes however Tito minimize him in half with a spear for a nearfall. Vandegriff hit a sideslam for a nearfall. Tito hit a German Suplex, then a dive by way of the ropes. He dragged Matt again into the ring and hit a tough clothesline, then a top-rope frogsplash for the clear win. The ultimate two minutes have been fairly decisive. Good match.

6. Delilah Doom defeated Heather Monroe and Johnnie Robbie in a three-way girls’s match at 12:58. Monroe is a blonde lady and wore a fur jacket much like Taya Valkyrie. Johnnie has lengthy, curly black hair and a purple outfit; I haven’t seen her earlier than. Delilah has darkish black hair and he or she’s the Interior Metropolis Champion and he or she seems to be like she simply stepped out of a Nineteen Seventies cardio exercise videotape. Early within the match, Heather utilized a Camel Clutch within the ropes on Delilah. Robbie hit some strikes and a working knee on Doom for a nearfall at 2:30. The commentary workforce mentioned Robbie simply began in 2021, however has appeared within the WOW promotion.

Johnnie hit a Loss of life Valley Driver transfer at 5:30. Monroe hit a pleasant Tiger Suplex on Johnnie. Johnnie hit a lungblower on Doom, and all three girls have been down. Doom hit roaring elbows on every lady, then a double stunner at 7:30, then a double 619, and he or she was fired up. Doom hit a dive by way of the ropes. Within the ring, Doom nailed a Widow’s Peak neckbreaker on Monroe. Johnnie hit a butterfly backbreaker over her knee, then a German Suplex for a nearfall on Monroe.

We had a tower spot out of the nook. Monroe bodyslammed Robbie onto Doom and bought a nearfall at 11:00. Doom bought a modified Victory Roll to pin Johnnie Robbie. First rate girls’s motion. Ray Rosas (who gained the scramble within the second match) bought within the ring and beat up Delilah Doom! He bought on the mic and he blamed the group for why he selected to beat her up. He mentioned he took a well-deserved break to heal his physique, and the group forgot all about him. He then put a full nelson on Doom on the mat till referees got here in and compelled him to interrupt the maintain.

7. Che Cabrera (w/Damian Arsenic) defeated Willie Mack to retain the Santino Bros Title at 16:31. Cabrera had a handful of NJPW Robust matches as effectively, and he’s bought a superb physique, and he’s carrying a young-Scott Steiner type singlet. I assure I’ve seen extra Willie Mack matches than everybody else on this present mixed. An intense lockup to start. Willie hit a head-scissors takedown at 3:30, then a working leg lariat, and Che bailed to the ground to regroup. Mack hit a tough chop as Che was seated on a fan. Within the ring, Che hit a flying shoulder sort out for a nearfall, and he took management of the offense.

Che hit a missile dropkick for a nearfall at 7:30. Che hit a collection of forearm photographs, nevertheless it bought Mack fired up. Mack nailed a spin kick to the pinnacle, and so they have been each down at 10:00. Mack hit a flying again elbow, a Mafia Kick, and his working cannonball within the nook, then a Samoan Drop. Mack nailed his standing moonsault for a plausible nearfall at 12:30. Che fired again with a Loss of life Valley Driver. He put Mack’s ft on the highest rope and hit a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall.

Mack hit a pop-up forearm and an Exploder Suplex, then a flip dive to the ground, and so they have been each down on the ground at 15:00. Mack climbed the ropes, however Damian Arsenic sprayed him with water to distract him. It allowed Che to hit a Frankensteiner, then a working knee. Che hit a Jackhammer for the pin. Good big-man match.

* Raunchy Rico returned to the ring and helped Che in a post-match beatdown. Bateman made the save, however Damian Arsenic hit a low blow kick on Bateman. Slice Boogie left the commentary desk and hit Arsenic with a chairshot to the again and a piledriver.

Last Ideas: Quite a lot of model new faces to me, and there was extra good than dangerous. The primary occasion was actually good, not nice, however good, and I’ll give {that a} slight edge for greatest match. I actually preferred the DKC tag match, and was actually impressed with Riley and Kubrick. I’ll give Vandegriff-Tito third greatest.

The scramble was the enjoyable mess I’ve come to like, however I’d actually wish to see extra of everybody in that match in common singles matches. Bandit remains to be comparatively new to wrestling; they’ve such nice persona and the form of look that individuals wish to cheer. The in-ring work nonetheless wants enchancment, however wow, what a babyface. Bateman-Rico was the one misfire, not as a result of it was dangerous, however as a result of I didn’t purchase Bateman as a babyface, and neither did this crowd.

The present clocked in at about 2 hours, 20 minutes. Study extra about this promotion at santinobros.net