Revolution Pro Wrestling returned with yet another Live at the cockpit show on September 3rd. The show itself wasn't exactly "blow away" in terms of the card when it was announced. In fact, there was no Zack Sabre Jr the current RPW British Heavyweight Champion, no Josh Bodom the current RPW Undisputed British Cruiserweight Champion (are you noticing a trend here?) and no RPW British Tag Team Champions #CCK (Travis Banks & Chris Brookes), Will Ospreay or 'The Villain' Marty Scurll. They did, however, have Flip Gordan from ROH and NEW taking on Bubblegum. Also, Timothy Thatcher was scheduled to face Zack Gibson and our favourite loveable loser Eddie Dennis took on El Phantasmo.
The usual cold open with Andy Quildan in the ring introducing our first contest of the evening. On the plus side thankfully, RJ Singh is on commentary replacing the usually unbearable Andy Boy Simmons. Singles Match: Eddie Dennis Vs El Phantasmo So if your paying attention Eddie Dennis continues his losing gimmick in RPW as I've pointed out this gimmick is really working for him in RPW and he's getting more over as a lovable babyface because of it. No longer do fans pop for his Andrew WK theme - they pop for Eddie. Anyway, the losing gimmick was bound to continue as Rev Pro have announced that they will be holding their first event in Cardiff Wales on October and I would assume that will be his first big win and I can't wait to see the scenes when Eddie gets his first big win in Rev Pro. I have to wonder why Eddie was chosen to lose to El Phantasmo who, like I've said before, is nothing more than a cheap Poundland version of Angelico. Anyway, the win didn't really do anything for the Canadian as he wasn't any more over after his big win. Yep, I know I'm being negative but that was my take on it. and I want to like El Phantasmo, if he was to alter his look a little I would accept him more. The match was solid but nothing stood out as important. El Phantasmo won with an ankle lock and he didn't even work over Eddie's ankle in the match and Eddie tapped out clean. Winner: El Phantasmo Afterwards, the masked hooded man attacked El Phantasmo and sprayed a green strip down the middle of El Phantasmo hair. Andy Quildan said it looked like James Castle - a theory I pointed out on my last review. Singles Match: Zack Gibson Vs Timothy Thatcher So this one was rather good. I may take heat for this but I do enjoy Timothy Thatcher's grapple fuck contests and this didn't disappoint. As both men worked a very tight ground and pound style and exchanged hold for hold with one another. The only problem was the crowd was really quiet during this and seemed to switch off. It's disappointing but it's not everyone's cup of tea so I get it. The finish saw Gibson lock in the Shankley Gates and Thatcher was forced to tap out. The winning streak for Gibson continues and surely he's on course to a collision with either Will Ospreay or Zack Sabre Jr at either Global Wars or Uprising. Winner: Zack Gibson Singles Match: Dan Magee Vs Dave Mastiff This match existed basically to get Dave Mastiff's heat back up after months of losing on Cockpit and Live in Portsmouth shows. Magee had some nice hope spots but nothing came of it, of course. Dave won with his cannonball splash and now he heads into Global Wars facing Tomohiro Iishi or Minuro Suzuki hopefully. Winner: Dave Mastiff Singles Match: Ryan Smile Vs David Starr This was the fact back and forth match we needed after three storyline driven matches. There were lots of flips, dives and fast-paced action with plenty of near falls, which I enjoyed immensely. Both men slowed down towards the end but they needed to after going a 110mph the first ten minutes into the contest. Smile took Starr's head off with a spin kick and a double stomp. Then Starr nailed Ryan with a German into the corner. Starr followed it up with a spine shocking DDT onto the ring apron. Smile got a very near fall with a Revolution Kick but the fan base was just not behind him as a babyface hence why they barely reacted when Starr low blowed Smile and drilled him with the Tomorrow Driver to pick up the win. By far my favourite match of this entire card and it's not very often I'll put over Ryan Smile. Afterwards, Starr cut a promo but I could barely make out what he was saying as he didn't have a microphone. Winner: David Starr Sha Samuels came out to his wicked theme 'Sha Life' and cut a comical promo on the state of Rev Pro, Andy Quildan, and Rob Lias. Sha pointed out he deserved better in Rev Pro but Andy didn't agree so Sha grabbed him by the collar and got into Quildan's face. Rob Lias then jumped into the ring and attacked Sha. RICKY called Sha a joke and a fat piece shit and called himself the future. RICKY continued to beat down Sha but then Sha made his comeback. The two brawled until security came in and broke it up between the two. Tag Team Match: Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) Vs The Contenders (Josh Wall & Kurtis Chapman) Finally Aussie Open are in Rev Pro after tearing it up for most of the summer in ATTACK and Fight Club: Pro they deserved their chance to work for Revolution Pro Wrestling. Davis has a tremendous upside in my opinion as a heel main eventer but for now, he's just fine teaming with the Aussie Arrow Kyle Fletcher. Aussie open made the contenders look like legit threats early on then Davis began to chop the shit out of the beanpole Wall. Wall and Fletcher then exchanged some decent looking chops then Kyle drilled him with a reverse DVD. The contenders battled back and the match broke down. Expect me to complain about the legal man syndrome here but I'm not going to dammit. The Contenders did that fucked up gravity-defying assisted swinging DDT. Aussie Open drilled Chapman with the assisted cutter for a near fall. Wall nailed Fletcher with a lung blower then out of nowhere Sha and Ricky were back with security in tow. Chapman interjected themselves while back in the ring, Wall was nailed by Lord Gideon Grey out of nowhere with his cane. Kyle then went for a brainbuster to Wall but he countered it into a small package for a near fall. Kyle cut off the returning Chapman with a big boot then Davis nailed Chapman with his incredible looking spike piledriver for the three count. I really enjoyed this match but didn't enjoy the overbooked nonsense with Lord Gideon Grey, Sha Samuels, and Rob Lias. Considering it was Aussie Open's debut match in Rev Pro, maybe that silliness wasn't needed. Winners: Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) Singles Match: Jinny Vs Bea Priestley Jinny's strong heel push continues but now I'm starting to get a little bored with all of these meaningless wins. I think it's about time Rev Pro put together a women's title tournament. The match wasn't anything blow away but wasn't offensive at all. Bea is someone I think still needs a lot more work she can have an acceptable contest but isn't on the level of Jinny at this present moment in time. Jinny won clean with the Style Clash, like every other one of her matches in the Cockpit this year. Winner: Jinny MAIN EVENT Singles Match: Bubblegum Vs Flip Gordan This match may not have been a right match to headline this show. I'm sure Mr. Quildan stands by this choice to have Bubblegum replace Josh Bodom in this match who was apparently injured. Bubblegum a great in-ring worker and solid but he's not really a name who in this day and age is a draw in current BritWres. If it was me I would have chosen Dennis vs Mastiff as a headliner for this show instead and moved this further down the card or even had Aussie Open's debut in the headliner slot but I ain't the booker so I should probably shut up now. The match itself was a little bit of a letdown. I expected so much more from both considering what both can do in the ring. Yeah, they did some nice flippy stuff but nothing stood out as being amazing. Bubblegum countered an Alabama slam while flip countered a 619. The flip went for the 619 but bubblegum countered with a German. Then bubblegum finally nailed flip with an enziguri and a 619. Bubblegum then hocked up Flip into a Canadian Destroyer for the one, two and three. Afterwards Bubblegum cut a promo putting over Flip Gordon but then after he was done Dave Mastiff showed up and gave Bubblegum a big German suplex and nailed Flip with a big boot to end the show. Winner: Bubblegum Overall this was a rather disappointing Cockpit show. These shows have been so good this year that when one is a little disappointing you feel let down. Last year this show wouldn't have looked out of place in the Cockpit, but not this year. Probably the stand out match of the night was either Aussie Open vs the contenders or Starr vs Smile as both were genuinely exciting. It was slim pickings which doesn't really happen very often with these Cockpit shows. I'll wrap up there as I don't want to go off on one about this show. It's an easy watch but nothing really stood out as special (I think the title of this review should be that as I've used it quite a few times throughout this review). Thanks again for reading and head over to RPW on demand at Pivotshare and subscribe. I'll finish as always with thanks for reading and I'll see you at the matches.
1 Comment
Rev Pro was back yet again to round out its third show this month with its family-friendly Portsmouth Guildhall show which they have dubbed 'Live in Portsmouth'. This time out they had announced a fairly decent lineup as Zack Sabre Jr would face Will Ospreay in a non-title match. Also, Sha Samuels would face RICKY aka Rob Lias in a big grudge match, Jeff Cobb was in action against DDT regular 'Speedball' Mike Bailey and ex-WWE Superstar Jack Swagger would tangle with Dave Mastiff.
It was your usual cold open with Andy Quildan in the middle of the ring introducing our first match. Something that bothered me here was how poorly lit this show was but then the building did look half empty. So it wasn't off to a great start. Tag Team Match: All Day Swerve (Ryan Smile & Shane Strickland) vs. The Contenders (Josh Wall & Kurtis Chapman) I'll save my criticism and own personal opinions on Ryan Smile not for this review and speak about how much I enjoyed this opener. I'm not surprised as both teams are more than capable of putting together a solid match. It was all go early on as The Contenders got two very near falls on All Day Swerve. The match then slowed down and Shane Strickland had a good exchange with Kurtis Chapman. It was also good to see Chapman making the hot tag to Wall as it's usually the other way around and Chapman proved to this reviewer he's just as good at selling as Wall. The finish was hot as well as the contenders did a neat looking swinging DDT as Wall spun around Chapman and he launched him off and Wall caught smile with a swinging DDT (a sick fucking double team move). After lots of more back and forth it was time to go home as Smile hoisted up Wall into a powerbomb position. Meanwhile, Chapman went up top and flow off but Smile saw him and dropped Wall and gave Chapman an RKO in mid-air out of nowhere. Smile then hoisted Wall back up into the powerbomb position while Strickland headed up top. Shane came off the top and landed on Wall with his knees then Smile snapped him down onto the mat with a sit-down powerbomb to pick up the win for his team. Winners: All Day Swerve (Shane Strickland & Ryan Smile) Singles Match: 'Speedball' Mike Bailey vs. Jeff Cobb This was a match I was really looking forward to when Rev Pro announced this card last month and in a surprise to no-one, it delivered. Both men told a simple story of the big man vs. the little man. Early on 'Speedball' tried his best to take down Cobb but he was not going down and overpowered the smaller Bailey. Cobb began to overpower Bailey and beat him down with a slow and methodical beat down. Speedball came back with a number of kicks and his standing twisting Shooting Star Press for a near fall. Cobb sold all of 'Speedball's' kick like death and was then on the receiving end of a spin back kick which hit so hard that his shin guard went flying! 'Speedball' nailed Cobb with a standing moonsualt knee drop for another near fall. Cobb made his comeback with a number of big suplexes and then a bear hug. Bailey tried to make a comeback but Jeff nailed him with a German, standing moonsualt and standing shooting star for a near fall. 'Speedball' countered a deadlift German and nailed Cobb with a roundhouse kick. Cobb again came back this time nailing 'Speedball' with the deadlift German for a two Count. 'Speedball' Missed his shooting star knee drop and Cobb nailed him with the Tour of the Islands for the three count. Winner: Jeff Cobb Singles Match: Jack Swagger vs. Dave Mastiff This match was a long, boring and dull match up which existed to only put over the ex-WWE star in front of the crowd made up mostly of families and children here to see Jack Swagger. You'll know if you've read my previous reviews of these Portsmouth shows they are not aimed at me and I get why they do it. There was far too much stalling and working of the crowd and cheap pops which made this reviewer roll his eyes. Dave Mastiff is actually perfect in this role but at times I do wish they would do something different with him. Anyway, after what seemed like a lifetime, Jack made Dave tap out to the Ankle Lock. It was the most obvious finish to this entire card. The only highlight of this match was a joke Andy Quildan made on commentary about the World of Sport. Winner: Jack Swagger RPW Undisputed British Cruiserweight Title Three Way Match: Josh Bodom (Champion) vs. David Starr vs. Bubblegum I'm still puzzled as to why this match was booked as Bodom had beaten both previously on singles matches with the belt on the line but then I guess this crowd wouldn't know that. So why not and at least? It got the most improved wrestler in Rev Pro in Josh Bodom on the card! Early on the two babyfaces teamed up on Bodom but then eventually it all broke down and Bubblegum and Starr began exchanging with one another. BritWres vet Bubblegum got a bit sloppy with his springboards early on but then who cares? Not many people see these Portsmouth cards anyway. Bodom singled out Starr while continually knocking Bubblegum to the outside as Andy Quildan reminded us Bubblegum pinned Bodom clean a couple of months back but he must have forgotten Bodom also pinned Bubblegum clean in the Cockpit a few months back. Bodom went for the Bliss Buster but Bubblegum countered and sent Bodom out onto Starr. Bodom battled back with a superkick and then a moonsualt to the outside onto both Bubblegum and Starr. Bodom looked like a star in this match and I didn't think I would ever say that at the beginning of the year! Both babyfaces exchanged some sweet looking strikes then Bubblegum got drilled with a Flatliner by Starr. Starr pinned Bubblegum but Bodom broke up the count at two with a shooting star press. Bodom nailed Bubblegum with a Revolution Kick and a hurricanrana for a near fall. Starr nailed Bodom with a superkick and a big knee smash. Bubblegum gave Starr a drop toe hold and a 619. Starr battled back with the tomorrow driver but Bodom rolled in and rolled up Starr for the three count with a handful of Starr's tights. This was far better than Cobb vs. Bailey and so far is going down as my match of the night. Winner: Josh Bodom (And Still RPW Undisputed British Cruiserweight Champion) Singles Match: Rob Lias Vs Sha Samuels Up next was the big grudge match which has been building most of the summer. Let's forget both men being outclassed and made to look like mugs against Bully Ray because Rev Pro is trying to forget it by omitting it from the Summer Sizzler VOD which dropped last month. Early on both men were all over one another and brawled all over the venue. Sha got vicious by pounding on a downed Lias, the ref stepped in and Sha nailed the ref but it didn't lead to a DQ. Sha and Rob continued to brawl and Sha took off his braces and began to whip lias over and over but still no DQ. Rob low blowed Sha and nailed him with a DDT for the win. Afterwards, an irate Sha chased rob to the back. This match was short but sweet outing but it really wasn't the kind of grudge match I was expecting between the two. Maybe they will work a more important match at York Hall at either Global Wars or Uprising - but then I would be surprised if their big grudge match makes it onto either show. Winner: Rob Lias MAIN EVENT Non-Title Match: Zack Sabre Jr vs. Will Ospreay When I heard about this match headlining this show my thinking was maybe they do something where Sabre Jr. just beats Will to set up a rematch but then they announced it would be non-title and the finish was kind of telegraphed although I can't say I'm against a Sabre Jr vs Will Ospreay RPW British Heavyweight title match at either Global Wars or Uprising. As you would expect vicious Sabre worked over Ospreay's arm throughout in a number of brutal and vicious ways. Will's selling was spot on as he screamed out in pain and his facial expressions were better than anyone else on this show. Will's comeback was timed perfectly for maximum crowd reaction. Ospreay battled back with a cheeky Nandos and Revolution kick but Sabre Jr battled back with a rear naked choke and octopus stretch. Will went for the os cutter but Sabre Jr caught him with an armbar but somehow Will made it to the ropes to break the hold. Ospreay got a near fall with a Rainmaker then nailed Sabre Jr with an Os-Cutter for the one, two and three. Afterwards, Will grabbed the RPW British Heavyweight title and signaled what he wanted next as Andy Quildan lost his mind on commentary. Winner: Will Ospreay Overall this was actually a decent show but nothing really stands out to mind as being important. Ospreay, Cobb, Speedball, Sabre Jr, Bodom and Starr all delivered and seemed to go out of their way to make this show seem more important than it was but as always with 'Live in Portsmouth' it wasn't the best of shows but nothing was stand out but then nothing offensive happened either. I'd give the match of the night to the three-way but also a lot of credit need to go to Sabre Jr vs. Ospreay and Bailey vs. Cobb. Well, that's it folks and thanks for reading and as always if you enjoyed reading this then head on over to RPW on demand on Pivotshare to relive this show in all its glory. As always I'll end with my Bill Apter ripped off line - I'll see you at the matches. Rev Pro was back after another show after an eventful cockpit show earlier on in the month. This time they were back at the world famous York Hall in Bethnal Green. The show was another sell out at the 1,500 seat theatre in London. The main event was a dream match (we'll sort of) as the villain Marty Scrull faced the master of 619 and bonafide WWE hall of Famer Rey Mysterio. Also scheduled for the card was Zack Sabre Jr. Taking on Chris Brooke's with the British heavyweight title one line. Shane Strickland teamed with Ryan Smile to face The Briscoes, Martin Stone clashed with Sami Callihan and Josh Bodom defended the British Junior Cruiserweight Weight Title against Puro legend Jushin Thunder Liger plus much more.
I decided to change up this review doing from a live perspective as well from the VOD perspective as my notes got deleted due to my own buffoonery. As usual with every BritWres show the doors were late opening by over 30 minutes. So obviously people were late getting in. This really grinds my gears about BritWres; if you say 6 pm doors then open at 6 pm not past 6.30pm. This obviously had a knock on effect to the show starting on time (which again is a norm in BritWres) but this was a Thursday night show so it meant people having to leave before the main event as the show started late and trains, buses etc never run as late as they do on Friday or Saturday night. Anyway, rant over let's move onto the review she'll we. On arrival inside, I noticed how bloody hot it was inside York Hall. I had been in there for last June's Angle vs Sabre and a Lucha show back in June this year and it was hot both evenings but this was uncomfortably hot. Thank god for the awesome graps that took that place that night to forget about the heat. Singles Match: Martin Stone vs Eddie Dennis Unfortunately, Sami Callihan no showed his appearance for his long awaited singles match with The Governor here after 3 months of build. It's believed that Sami has signed with NJPW and was carrying an injury; hence why he pulled out with two days notice. Sami's replacement was actually a lot better if I'm honest as it was the pride of Wales Eddie Dennis who's losing streak gimmick is really starting to get over huge in rev pro. As expected both guys had a solid match which the crowd really seemed to enjoy. The two had a good back and forth early on, then the match went into higher gear as Eddie got a near fall after giving the Governor a black hole slam onto the ring apron. Back in the ring, Martin battled back with a German and an RKO for a near fall. Eddie battled back from another German by stone with a lariat for a near fall. Martin rolled up Eddie for a two count then applied a crossface but Eddie somehow countered it into a pin for a two count. Stone nailed Eddie with a powerbomb then a cheeky low blow. Stone headbutted Eddie and then nailed him with the London Bridge for the win. Winner: Martin Stone Stone cut a promo afterwards mentioning Sami 'I'm a twat' Callihan, his first win in NXT and Eddie Dennis stepping up with two days notice to wrestle him. Stone also put over Eddie's sacrifice of him leaving his job as a headmaster and trying to pursue his dream as full-time wrestler. It was A classy promo by a classy man and afterwards both men hugged and shook each other's hands. London Street Fight: Sha Samuels vs Bully Ray This match was omitted from the VOD. RPW owner and Booker Andy Quildan mentioned on Twitter vaguely hinting that bully didn't really want to do business. The match itself was rather lacklustre and was overshadowed by the match ending angle. Sha was out first and rather strangely he received a heel reception even though he had only recently turned face back in July, but then it's to be expected as most York Hall fans rarely keep up to date with recent Cockpit shows. It didn't stop Quildan taking to Twitter and venting his frustration over this. Anyway, Bully started the match by coming through the crowd which got a cheap pop. Once Bully got in the ring he basically made this a London street fight getting the customary "E-C-Dub" chant going for some reason and it wasn't the last time this chant would be heard that night. The two basically did a walking brawl hitting one another with a variety of objects and brawling in the crowd. This went on for what seemed like forever then but was getting a reaction. To be honest I can't remember the finish but bully beat Sha clean with a bully Bomb. Afterwards RICKY I mean Rob Lias hit the ring and attacked both bully and Sha. Most of the York Hall crowd chanted "who are ya?" again enforcing the fact a majority of York hall show fans do not watch every RPW show. Bully and Sha ended up teaming up and putting Lias through the table to end the match. Winner: Bully Ray Singles Match: Dalton Castle/with The Boys Vs Zack Gibson Zack got a superstar style entrance as his "mates" eight lads dressed in Gibson shirts and hoodies sang 'You'll Never Walk Alone' as he came out. Zack grabbed the microphone and as usual was booed very heavily during his Liverpool's Number One promo. It's a simple yet effective promo which always gets a great reaction. Dalton was the perfect face for Gibson to do his thing against. They did some solid work early on then Dalton took Zack to the outside and encouraged some child to chop Gibson over and over. Back in the ring Gibson, as solid as ever, worked over Dalton's left arm to set him up for the Shankley Gates. Dalton battled back with a Saito suplex, German and gut wrench suplex. Dalton got a near fall with a dead lift German suplex which he couldn't believe didn't put away Gibson. The two brawled on the outside and Zack threw Castle into the ring post and Castle landed on his bad arm. Back in the ring, Zack locked on the Shankley Gates and Castle tapped out clean. This was a far superior use of Gibson after a disappointing loss to Hiroki Goto at Epic Encounter and he went over clean thankfully. The strong push of Gibson continues and let's hope his big grudge match with Ospreay actually happens at Uprising. Winner: Zack Gibson Tag Team Match: The Briscoes (Mark & Jay) vs Ryan Smile and Shane Strickland 'The All Day Star' got a very mixed reaction coming out here. I would assume some knew of his Twitter outburst only a few weeks earlier and like myself couldn't help but boo him. Shane was very much over as well as The Briscoes. So what did Rev Pro do? They had The Briscoes get heat on Smile by having them beat him down for a prolonged period before the hot tag. I've got to admit it felt a bit strange seeing two people in Jay Briscoe and Smile go back and forth knowing their less than stellar real life opinions and Twitter outbursts, but most of the crowd didn't care while I couldn't get past it. If you see me on VOD I barely made a reaction until Mark and Shane were in the ring. Anyway, rant over. These two teams actually had a really good match watching it back on VOD. They built up the hot tag nicely and did some very innovative things with one another in there which many others couldn't pull off or do. All day Swerve pulled off a near looking Devastation Device cutter spot which could have gone horribly wrong but thankfully didn't. Jay killed Strickland with a DVD onto the ring apron and back in the ring Mark hoisted up Smile into a reverse DVD position while Jay climbed up top. Jay came off the top with a double foot stomp and landed on Ryan and then Mark drilled Ryan with a reverse DVD to finish off Smile and pick up the win. Winners: The Briscoes (Mark & Jay) Intermission was up next it was brief thankfully and gave me a chance to go and cool off and get out of that sweaty building. Singles Match: Travis Banks vs Jay White This was the kind of match I love as both men beat the living shit out of one another with stiff strikes throughout. I referred to it as a beautiful massacre on Twitter and stand by that tweet I made following the show. These two I could watch do this kind of match all day. Early on both men went back and forth with stiff strikes. Jay then did the three amigos for a near fall. Travis tipped Jay and did his running cannonball splash for a near fall. Jay did a nasty looking double underhook suplex sending Travis hard into the corner for a two count. Both men were going at 100mph and rarely slowed down throughout which is a testament to both men's Cardo. The crowd was very much behind Travis here and I really hope we don't lose him here in the UK once his visa runs out which has been speculated to run out at the end of the year. Jay follows up with a Flatliner and German but Travis pops right back up and knocks Jay out of the ring with a Buzzsaw Kick and does a big dive out onto Jay. Back in the ring, Travis nails Jay with a Kiwi Krusher for a near fall. Jay battled back with a double underhook front slam then locks Travis in the Boston crab and Travis has no chance escape and is forced to tap out. This was a tremendous match and yet again Travis Banks is killing it with another stand out performance, but let's not forget Jay who more than held his own here. I'm still wondering what is next for the undefeated Jay in Rev pro. Andy Q hinted at a heavyweight title shot but I hope they go in a different direction and have him lose his undefeated streak to Josh Bodom Winner: Jay White Rev Pro Undisputed Cruiser Weight Title Match: Josh Bodom (Champion) Vs Jushin 'Thunder' Liger This was probably the match with the most obvious result heading in with Bodom going over the legend clean but dammit on this night I refused to believe it and thought maybe just maybe Liger would win the title even if it was for a short caretakers regain but Andy Q probably made the right decision by having Bodom go over clean. I wasn't the only one who thought Liger might pick up the big win as the crowd really did bite for the near falls. Especially after they did the spot that saw Liger beat Bodom with at the British J Cup as Liger nailed Bodom with a palm strike, Liger Bomb and brain buster but somehow Bodom kicked out at two. Bodom, who I've been critical of, really put in a stand out performance here like he did with Will Ospreay, Ashley Dunn and David Starr. He is really starting to live up to his push in Rev Pro at long last. Bodom teased getting a count out win which was a great call back spot to the British J Cup yet again. Liger got the crowd biting when he came close to getting a three count with another Palm strike. Bodom went for the Bliss Buster but Liger countered. Liger chopped Bodom on the outside and then rolled him into the ring. Roberts was distracted on the outside as Liger climbed into the ring, Bodom kicked the middle rope and it went into Liger's nether region. Bodom then drilled Liger with the Bliss Buster for the three and the fairy tale liger story was over. Afterwards, Liger received a standing ovation. Winner: Josh Bodom (And still Rev Pro Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion) Rev Pro British Heavyweight Title Match: Zack Sabre Jr. (Champion) Vs Chris Brookes Almost immediately Brooke's is all over sabre jr taking the fight to the champ. The champ quickly settled in by working over the challenger by targeting his long legs. Both men slap the hell out of one another before Zack takes down Brookes and begins to apply a leg lock but Brookes reaches the ropes. Aggressive Sabre stomps on Brookes in the corner and again targets the legs. Sabre decides to channel Minuro Suzuki with some bulky boy tactics but Brookes fires up and nails Sabre with a German suplex for a two count. Sabre again works over Brookes with elbow smashes and hits Sabre with a big top rope suplex. Brookes follows it up with a big dropkick for a two count. Zack drives Brookes down with a dragon style bridging suplex for a two count. Sabre goes for a dragon sleeper but Brookes counters out. The two trade strikes again which looked very vicious indeed but then Sabre locks Brookes into an octopus stretch but Brookes counters with a suplex. Brooke's then applies the octopus stretch - the move Brookes made Zack say I quit to back in June. Zack begins to target the arm and applies a number of different arm bars but Brookes continues to be able to reach the ropes with his long legs. Brookes catches Zack with a big knee lift but Zack comes back with a penalty kick. Brookes catches the leg on the third attempt at the penalty kick and nails sabre with a Michinoku driver and a springboard cutter for a near fall. Zack battles back and applies another octopus stretch and then begins to stomp on the back of Brookes' head. Brookes is forced to say I quit and Sabre Jr's big push as heel champion continues. Winner: Zack Sabre Jr. (And Still Rev Pro British Heavyweight Champion) This was another quality scrap and maybe my favourite Chris Brooke's single match this year. Hell, I'd even say it was better than his outing with Nixon Newell back at Fight Club: PRO's Rise Against show. Sabre Jr is excelling in his role as vicious heel champion and long may it continue in this reviewers opinion. MAIN EVENT Singles Match: The Villain Marty Scurll vs Rey Mysterio Jr You know what, Rey could have shown up and phoned it in as long as he did his signature spots similar to what Angle did with Sabre Jr last year. I'm sure no one would have minded but Rey didn't do that as he was professional and Gave Marty the match he and owner Andy Q probably really wanted. Rey did everything that was expected of a man with a pair of surgically repaired knees. He did everything and a lot more by doing all of his big moves and selling everything Marty gave to Rey. Mysterio even let the villain pull off his mask which lead to a near fall. Rey did his crowd pleasing 619 big splash combo for the near fall but after 15 minutes or so of pure spectacle, Marty got his knees up after Rey went up top and went for a Frog Splash. Marty then did a reverse Bird of Pray to pick up the big win. Winner: The Villain Marty Scurll Overall this was yet another good York Hall show. Revolution Pro really does deliver with these York Hall shows. I can't say there wasn't much I didn't like on this card. Everything was booked with a finish that made the most sense and continued to build the right people going forward. The main event was good but had no chance of following Brookes vs Sabre. It was great to see Mysterio live for the first time since 2006 and at least he showed up and put on a hell of a show with The Villain. It was a spectacle, not a lot else, but I match I enjoyed. I paid £33 to see this live. My match of the night goes to Travis Banks and Jay White. Again, I'll say it was a beautiful massacre that any fan of BritWres or the Puro style needs to go out of their way to see. Go to RPW on demand on Pivotshare and pay your $8.49 to see that match you won't regret it. Anyway thanks for reading my review and as always I'll end with I'll see you at the matches. @Billy_Jay83 Rev Pro was back after its hugely successful British J Cup show with the 19th instalment of its monthly Cockpit shows. The main event was going to see #CCK defend their tag team titles against Former ROH Tag Team Champions and current IWGP Tag Team Champions War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe). Kid Lykos was scheduled to make his long awaited in ring debut in Rev Pro defending the tag titles along with Trav but due to an injury sustained at Riptide wrestling. There was also going to be Eddie Dennis Vs Chris Brooke's along with a whole lot more on the card.
It's back to a VOD review this time as I wasn't able to attend live. To open the show #CCK came out to the ring and addressed the Lykos injury and announced Brooke's would be replacing Lykos in the main event. It brought out Eddie Dennis who cut another class quality promo saying that if he had beaten Brooke's tonight he would have beaten the number one contender to the RPW British heavyweight title. Eddie reminded us that yeah he may not have won in Rev pro but there was still a chance he could have beaten Brooke's. Brooke's agreed with Dennis but then TK Coopers music hit and we had our opening match. Singles Match: TK Cooper Vs Eddie Dennis Both men had a hot opener as they both started going 100mph early on which made sense with the story there were trying to tell. TK nailed Eddie with a pair of dives and a big lariat. Eddie battled back with a big German suplex and swinging black hole slam to the side of the ring. Remember that's the hardest part of the ring. They traded some stiff strikes with one another then TK nailed Eddie with a Yakuza kick and a Swanton Bomb for the near fall. The crowd was really behind Eddie as he battled back with a serious of forearm shots but TK cut him off with a headbutt. Eddie came back again with another forearm then Eddie drove TK into the corner with the Mount Splashmore. Eddie went for an electric chair but TK rolled him through and up for the huge win. Winner: TK Cooper Singles Match: Cara Noir Vs RJ Singh with Dan Magee Another decent scrap between these two. Cara Noir is becoming a character I've grown to really enjoy in this setting as his heel work and shtick is highly entertaining. Noir heel work was on point here and he couldn't have hoped for a better babyface to have worked against in his biggest singles match to date in Rev Pro. In the closing stages, it saw Singh walk into a big German a Superkick for a near fall. Noir went to finish off Noir but began to lick Singh who grabbed Noir tongue. Noir then countered the tongue hold into a swinging neckbreaker for another near fall. Noir went for a piledriver off the top but Singh countered and gave Noir an RKO off the top rope. Singh failed to make the cover. Singh went up top but Noir got up and kissed Chris Roberts before Noir nailed RJ with a low blow and package Piledriver for the three count. Afterwards, a mask and hooded man attacked Dan Magee. Some assumed it was RICKY, aka Rob Lias, but I'm under the impression the mask hooded man is James Castle who's disappeared as of late from Rev Pro shows and this may be a good way to reintroduce him. Winner: Cara Noir Andy Quinlan was out to announce the next match but out came Rishi Ghosh who seemed a little upset. Rishi explained he was worried about his best friend Lord Gideon Grey. He said he had been acting so strangely ever since he wrestled Ryback last year. He said he got beaten up so bad he believed he had won the match. He said he had gone crazy and he wasn't the man, the great man he once knew. Rishi then said Gideon went to America and lost to Swoggle which affected him really badly. He won't respond to him at all. Some smart fan shouted contact him on Twitter and Rishi shouted I tried it all. So that was why he came here to tonight to talk to his best Friend, tag team partner and brother. Grey came out and Rishi spoke to him and asked "Gideon are you there?" to no response. Rishi tried to reason with Gideon but it didn't seem to register with him. Rishi hugged Grey but he was not giving it back to his tag team partner. Gray grabbed the microphone and said he was an evil genius. Grey said all he wanted was for all of these idiots to shut up and sit down and watch his matches in silence. He said he fooled everyone and his best friend which Rishi agreed with me. He said now has the easiest match of his career. Well, I don't know why that happened. It basically brought an end to nine months of booking and development of the Gideon Gray character for the character to basically go back to what it was. Maybe Gray and Quilan fill they have gone as far as they could with it. Whatever it is, it made no sense to me whatsoever. Singles Match: Lord Gideon Grey Vs Kurtis Chapman I thought this match may have been over in seconds but it actually wasn't. In fact, the two had a competitive back and forth match that may have well gone too long in this reviewers opinion. The crowd enjoyed it so that was the main thing. Beanpole Chapman was one step ahead of Gray throughout the match proving Gray wasn't such an evil genius after all but then that was the point of the match. Rishi tried to interfere which brought out Chapman's team mate Josh Wall but back in the ring Gray nailed Chapman with his cane for a near fall. Rishi and Josh brawled to the back while back in the ring Chapman caught Chapman with a guillotine but Rishi returned to break the hold. Wall came back and the two brawled to the outside. Back in the ring, Gideon Grey nailed Chapman with another cane shot to pick up the win. Passable match but utter nonsense in my opinion not really worth your time. Winner: Lord Gideon Grey Singles Match: Mark Davis Vs Kyle Fletcher So these two have been killing it all over the country in almost every top UK indy promotion since coming to the UK. So Rev Pro got in on the act by booking these two and it made sense as everyone else is. Early on both men worked one another over with some stiff looking strikes. Davis offered his hand but Kyle kicked it away. It's good to see Rev pro possibly going with Kyle as a heel as he seems to be a babyface everywhere else. Davis worked over Kyle with more strikes and nailed him with fall away slam for a near fall. Kyle battled back with more strikes like a valiant underdog babyface. Davis gave a Kyle a snapmare for a near fall and suddenly it seemed as if they changed the dynamic of the match and now Andy boy Simmons on commentary was praising Davis while Kyle was fighting from underneath. Kyle gave Davis a Michinoku driver for a near fall. Then both men traded strikes again and Kyle nailed Davis with a Saito Suplex and a superkick for a near fall. Kyle had a bloody nose by now but continued to go head on at Davis. Davis caught Kyle with an Alabama Slam into the corner and a Lariat for a near fall. Kyle battled back and nailed Davis with a springboard double foot stomp. Davis rolled to the outside and Kyle went up top and did a cannonball splash out onto Davis. Back in the ring, Kyle got a near fall with a big running knee and boot. Kyle got caught and Davis finished him off with his fucked up reverse DVD piledriver for the three. Really did you expect anything else these two have been having class matches all over the country and again delivered here and clearly impressed Andy Q on commentary. I would assume both will be back in RPW sooner rather than later. Winner: Mark Davis Six Man Tag: Zack Gibson, Rob Lias and Josh Bodom Vs Sha Samuels, Ryan Smile and Luke Phoenix Before the bell, Gibson tried to cut his promo but he was cut off by Sha who told him to 'SHUT IT YOU TART. Overall this six man was not really memorable or offensive. It just existed to get all six men a spot on the card. Nothing really stands out for this reviewer when it came to this match. Lias excelled with the time he was given to get his shit in during this match especially in his exchange with Luke Phoenix. The heels cornered Phoenix who was the right man to sell the heels beating to get maximum heat. When Sha made the hot tag he got a timed reaction at best but once he got his hands on that mug RICKY. They did some dives which brought the crowd up which ended up with Sha teasing his moonsualt to the outside but Lias cut him off. Back in the ring, everyone hit one another with their finishers then it came down to Sha and RICKY. Sha nailed Lias with a Canadian destroyer then tried to do the same to Bodom but Bodom sent him to the outside. Back in the ring the incredibly offensive and all day douche Ryan Smile nailed Bodom with a Liger Bomb for the three count. Winners: Ryan Smile, Sha Samuels and Luke Phoenix Women's Match: Jinny Vs Dahlia Black Another decent Jinny Match which continues her strong push in the so called Rev Pro women's division. Hopefully, Rev Pro get it right and book Jinny to become their first women's champion whenever that will be. Jinny and Dalhia worked really well together and hopefully, both are booked in another match in Rev pro in the future. Hell, a serious between these two would be really good stuff but now the division is all about establishing Jinny as its top star and I would say she's on course to being there already. After 10 minutes or so of solid wrestling loaded with plenty of near falls, Jinny went over with the Stylist Clash (get it). Winner: Jinny Singles Match: El Phantasmo Vs Jay White Up next was two men I want to really like but for some reason just can't get into either at the moment. Jay White's winning streak gimmick is having the opposite effect on me to the Eddie Dennis losing streak as I just can't see it leading anymore and feel Jay is less over today than when this winning streak started. As for El Phantasmo, I still feel there is something missing with him and I still can't stand the cheap Angelico Kimo know off look. Anyway, this was a good match but nothing special but both men worked hard and put in a good effort which this reviewer always appreciates. This match also went on far too long as both men went over 15 minutes. Considering El Phantasmo lost his last Rev pro appearance. He was given far too much here as he battled out of the Boston crab on numerous occasions a move that has put away a number of more high profile wrestlers than him. Anyway, Jay picked up the win yet again with his third attempt at the Boston crab. Winner: Jay White MAIN EVENT RPW British Tag Team Title No DQ Match: #CCK (Chris Brookes & Travis Banks) (Champions) Vs War Machine (Hanson & Rowe) Before the bell, Rowe grabbed a microphone and said we came to London to fuck someone up and challenged Banks and Brooke's to a No DQ Match. Rowe then asked #CCK to follow the code of honour and shake their hands. Brookes and Banks thought about it and then attacked War Machine. This was a perfectly fine main event but then it would be as it featured four very good workers who excel in any environment they are put into. War machine are very good at No DQ matches and, well, Banks and Brookes can work any stipulation match very well indeed. The two teams brawled all over the Cockpit Theatre and one spot saw Lykos come out and dive out onto War Machine but they caught him and then put him down gently. Lykos kept tapping Rowe on the shoulder but was told him to go and sit down like a good little wolf. Back in the ring #CCK worked over Hanson but then got double powerbombed by Rowe as Hanson dived off the top with Superfly splash for a near fall. Other highlights saw a big double superkick lead to a near fall. This match again suffered from legal man syndrome which I've just gotten used to now when it comes to a #CCK. Banks got a near fall on Rowe with a Kiwi Krusher. Rowe got a near fall on banks with a running powerslam but it wasn't enough as Lykos interfered and tossed the RPW tag strap to Brookes who low blowed Rowe and levelled him with the strap for the one, two and three. Winners: #CCK (Chris Brookes & Travis Banks) (And Still RPW British Tag Team Champions) Yet again RPW delivered with its cockpit show monthly show. There was a lot of good things happening on this card including a fun main event courtesy of #CCK yet again. Jinny strong push continued which is another plus for this show. Zack Gibson was less featured this time but they hid him in a six man tag which meant he didn't have to get beat but it did nothing for his momentum heading into summer sizzler. Eddie Dennis continues his popular losing streak and had a strong outing here with TK Cooper. My match of the night went to the two Aussies as yet again Kyle and Mark had a great contest even if at the start it made no sense character wise. This doesn't happen very often with cockpit shows but there was some stuff on this show I didn't like. I think it's obvious what I didn't like the horrible swerve with Lord Gideon Grey which made no sense and the resulting match with Josh Wall. Also, the Jay White Vs El Phantasmo match wasn't a match I particularly enjoyed. Overall this is a show worth my $8.49 a month to subscribe to RPW on demand. So yeah what you waiting for head on over to Pivotshare now and subscribe to RPW on demand. As always I'll finish with I'll see you at the matches. @Billy_Jay83 Rev Pro returned on Saturday, July the 8th with its sort of brand new tournament called the British J Cup. I mean new, well, sort of due to the fact in 1994 Jushin 'Thunder' Liger devised the original J Cup tournament. It would host a number of dream matches showcasing a number of different talents from all over the world and many different promotions including NJPW, WAR, FMW, Michinoku Pro and CMLL (known as EMLL at the time) to compete in the one-night tournament.
The tournament hosted a number of dream matches at the time for long time fans and the tape trading community including Hayabusa facing Liger, Black Tiger (Eddie Guerrero, the second Black Tiger as the first was renowned British grappler Mark Rollerball Rocco) taking on Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit) in a thriller and Super Delfin taking on Shinjiro Otani. The Great Sasuke performances were the highlight of the tournament as he worked a number of outstanding matches including masterpiece with Liger and a gripping final with Chris Benoit which was eventually won by the Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit). The J Cup was promoted by WAR in 1995 which was won by Liger, Michinoku Pro in 2000 and again liger won the cup. 2004 was hosted by Osaka Pro which was won by Pro Wrestling NOAH stand out Naomichi Marufuji. In 2009 NJPW hosted the tournament again and Prince Devitt (Finn Balor) ended up winning the whole thing, last beating the 2004 winner Marufuji and then NJPW hosted it yet again this time in 2016 which was won by KUSHIDA. The J cup has quite a history and its creator, Liger, would be competing in the British version of the J cup. OK, OK, before you tweet angry things at me I know this isn't the actual J Cup, and it's only a British version, but still, I thought I would give you, the dear reader who perhaps isn't in the know, a little history lesson before I delved into the show. Eight cruiserweights had been chosen to take part, which included RPW Undisputed British Cruiserweight Champion Josh Bodom, Mr J Cup himself Jushin 'Thunder' Liger and record holder for most IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title reigns, a former multi time IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion and IWGP Jnr Tag Team Champion (with Prince Devitt/Finn Balor) Rysuke Taguchi, former NJPW BOTSJ winner and former two time RPW British Cruiserweight champion Will Ospreay, the triple crown RPW Champion 'The Villain' Marty Scurll, the Ace of NJPW Junior division, KUSHIDA, former multi time IWGP Jnr Heavyweight tag team champion, multi time ROH World Tag Team Champion and World Champion Kyle O'Reilly and Tiger Mask IV a former 6 time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and 2 time BOTSJ winner. So it was quite a stacked line up for a first British J Cup Tournament, but could it be as history making as the 94/95 versions? Well, obviously not but for this show promoter and booker Andy Quildan also announced two other big contests as King of Bros and then Progress Atlas champion Matt Riddle faced Tomohiro Ishii in a dream match (well it was for me damn it) and #CCK (Chris Brookes and Travis Banks) took on LIJ (Los Ingobernables de Japon) duo of Hiromu Takahashi and BUSHI. This was a show I wish I had seen live but, alas, work commitments got in the way and I had to miss this show. Anyway, I think I've hyped this enough so let's get into the action. It's your usual open to open the show with Andy Quildan in mid ring introducing the competitors for the first match of the evening. British J Cup 1st Round Match: 'The Villain' Marty Scurll vs. Tiger Mask Marty Scurll is the go to go last year to open up Rev pro shows and here he was chosen to face the incredibly grumpy Tiger Mask in the opener. It wasn't on par with Scurll's previous good opening matches, but the crowd more than made up for it and grumpy Tiger Mask seemed to be motivated to have a good match as well, something you could say he isn't when wrestling multi man openers in NJPW. Anyway, both men had some solid action but it didn't really pick up until the closing stages of the matches but then you could argue why would these guys go out there and work a five star classic (not that Tiger could anymore) when they would have to work the main event later on in the night. When it was time to go home both men stepped it up a gear as Tiger got a near fall with a double underhook sit down powerbomb. Tiger and then followed it up with a double underhook suplex from the top rope for another near fall. Marty battled back and did the finger snapping spot then went for the chicken wing but Tiger countered out of the hold then Marty rolled up tiger for the three count. Winner: 'The Villain' Marty Scurll British J Cup 1st Round Match: Josh Bodom vs. Jushin 'Thunder' Liger This was the match I was most excited for in the tournament as I really wanted to see Josh test his skills against Someone of Ligers calibre to see how far he had come since putting in a number of great performances of late in Rev pro. Before the bell, Bodom jumped Liger and nailed him with a big superkick for a near fall. Bodom disrespected the legend by slapping him then gave a double stomp to the back of the head. Bodom got caught out going up top and liger battled back with a super plex. It seemed as if Bodom had awakened a legend and Liger nailed Bodom with a palm strike and a Liger Bomb for a near fall. Liger then picked up Bodom and drilled him with a brainbuster for a three count. Bodom was irate and sold it perfectly. Bodom pushed around Quildan, Roberts and some poor unsuspecting security guard. The crowd mocked Bodom for losing so quickly as he walked off to the back. This was a short but sweet match with a surprising finish. It protected liger from wrestling a long match because he wasn't doing two long matches now was he as its something can't really do at his age. Bodom played up the lose perfectly and has a ready made rematch set up as well due too it. Winner: Jushin 'Thunder' Liger British J Cup 1st Round Match: KUSHIDA Vs Kyle O'Reilly This was another match I was really looking forward to going in after they stole the show at NJPW Best of the Super Juniors final in 2015 and again at Rev Pro Uprising later on in the year. Unfortunately, this did not live up to the hype due to it being overhyped in my mind. We, as wrestling fans, expect so much even if the performers put on a great match we feel as if they have short changed us. Maybe I had built their previous matches up in my head as being better than they were when I saw them in 2015, but whatever it was this felt like it under delivered and should have been far better. It was the weakest of their series is what I'm trying to say. Early on both man exchanged some chain Wrestling holds on the mat. Sleazy Kyle and sleazy KUSHIDA wiggled their hips to the delight of this crowd and reviewer. Kyle does what he does best, and worked over KUSHIDA's knee at a slower and more deliberate pace than normal while KUSHIDA did what he did best and sold the beating perfectly. Kyle sat KUSHIDA on a punters chair at ringside but it backfired as KUSHIDA gave him the drop toe hold onto the chair. KUSHIDA then put Kyle on the chair and set up in front of it and took a run up and launched himself off the empty chair and came down onto Kyle's chest with an almighty dropkick. KUSHIDA began to target Kyle's arm before attempting a moonsault but Kyle caught him in a Hells Gate. Kyle transitioned from the hold into the ankle lock but somehow KUSHIDA made it to the ropes. Both men exchanged strikes and Kyle nearly K.O'd KUSHIDA with a running knee smash. Kyle sold his knee and shoulder just as well as KUSHIDA when he couldn't drill him with a brainbuster. Kyle countered the back to the future into a guillotine choke hold but KUSHIDA battled out applied the hover board lock. Kyle countered that with a sleeper then picked up KUSHIDA and drove him into the mat with a suplex while still holding onto the sleeper. Both men squared up to one another and exchanged strikes again. Kyle swung with all his might with a big round house kick for a near fall. KUSHIDA nailed Kyle with a sloppy looking sliced bread number two for a near fall. They were really stepping it up a gear now and beginning to go home. KUSHIDA applied the hover board lock on the top rope Kyle tried to counter it and both came off the top rope slamming to the mat below. Again somehow Kyle battled out even though KUSHIDA had the hover board lock locked in very tight indeed. Kyle got back up to his feet but KUSHIDA caught him in the back to the future to pick up the win. Afterwards, both men bowed to one another and shook hands as the crowd cheered. This was a really good match but kind of fell short of my expectations for it. Maybe it was the crowd or it was just me who knows but by far the match of the British J Cup so far. Winner: KUSHIDA British J Cup 1st Round Match: Rysuke Taguchi Vs Will Ospreay Now, this really was nothing like their outstanding match they had last year in the best of the Super Junior finals. Both men seemed to rely on comedy which may not have worked in front of this crowd. But then I guess they were assuming there would be no chance either would be able to follow KUSHIDA and Kyle O'Reilly, so both men relied on comedy heavily. There were some fun spots involving Ospreay having Taguchi run the ropes over and over again until he passed out. Ospreay facial expression made this funny as he pondered what to do with an exhausted Taguchi. Ospreay went under the ring and pulled out a can of red bull and poured it down Taguchi's throat. Taguchi fired up after feeling the effects of the red bull and run the ropes over and over again until he passed out again. Then they did lots of ass based offence as Taguchi's 'Funky Weapon' fell out of his tights! This lead to Taguchi sitting on Ospreay's face (Yep I just wrote that). Afterwards, Ospreay sold it like he pulled a hair out of his mouth, which is sickening. They stepped it up a gear towards the end but all of the comedy had taken it out of the crowd. Taguchi came close with a tilt-a-whirl DDT and spring board hip attack, getting a near fall both times. Ospreay came close with hurricanrana and a Revolution DDT and then finished off Taguchi with an Os-Cutter for the win. Winner: Will Ospreay Non-Tournament Matches Tag Team Match: Tempura Boys (Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu) vs. The Contenders (Kurtis Chapman & Josh Wall) It was good to see the Sho and Yohei back on the tv screen after being in Mexico for most of 2016 and 17 on a learning excursion. Both have transformed their looks and developed their characters, obviously like most young boys do during their learning excursion. Both look like CIMA (Komatsu) and Masato Yoshino (Tanaka) and could go far in new Japan's Junior division. As for Wall and Chapman (Rev Pro's young boys), they didn't look out of place here and didn't look out place on this big show. This match was actually quite decent and was a good way to bring the crowd back up after a break and before we moved into the serious end of things on this card. The finish saw Chapman get drilled with a 3D but Wall just broke up the pinfall at two. Chapman continued to fight, living up to his underdog "never give up" attitude by kicking out of a Magic Killer. Chapman was eventually finished off with a cross arm package piledriver. Winners: The Tempura Boys (Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu) RPW British Tag Team Title Match: #CCK (Travis Banks & Chris Brookes) vs. LIJ (BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi)/With Darryl This wasn't my favourite match on the card and I was expecting to really like this one. The action was overshadowed by the angle at the end. Both teams didn't exactly go through the motions but something seemed to be lacking. Maybe it was the same problem that happened with KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O'Reilly where I expected so much from both teams that my expectations were going to be dashed if they didn't go out there and give us 4 to 5 star level of match. After plenty of sick double team moves and this match suffering from the legal man syndrome. Takahashi low blowed Travis Banks right in front of referee Chris Roberts. Roberts wasn't happy but allowed the match to continue as BUSHI sprayed Brookes with the evil green mist and referee Chris Roberts had seen enough and called for the bell and Los Ingobernables de Japon had been disqualified. Afterwards, Kid Lykos hit the ring and took out Hiromu with a springboard knee smash and took BUSHI to the outside. So Kid Lykos has arrived in Revolution Pro Wrestling and now I'm starting to believe and hope that #CCK will now do the Freebird gimmick where any three of the members can defend the titles at any time in Rev Pro. Winners: #CCK (Travis Banks & Chris Brookes) Via DQ (And Still RPW British Tag Team Champions) Singles Match: Matt Riddle vs. Tomohiro Ishii Early on both men traded chops with one another then out of nowhere both men drilled one another with a pair of German suplexes. Both men got up and exchange strikes. Riddle struck Ishii with a knee strike then a dead lift suplex for a two count (I would have really popped if it was a one count). Both men exchanged strikes again and this time Riddle nailed Ishii with a powerslam for another two count. Ishii worked over Riddle in the corner with chops then gave Riddle two headbutts. Ishii pulled up and Riddle and the two traded chops again. Ishii continued to headbutt Riddle over and over again but Riddle fired up and nailed Ishii with a Bro-to-Sleep and another dead lift for a two count. The crowd was hot for this one and so was this reviewer! Again both men traded stiff and hard-hitting strikes. Ishii nailed Riddle again with a brainbuster for a near fall and followed it up with a Saito suplex and then both men went up top. They traded strikes on the top rope and Ishii fell to the mat below but wasn't out as he got back up and head butted Riddle in the chest over and over again. Ishii went back up top and this time drilled Riddle with a big superplex for a near fall. Riddle fired up and both men exchanged hard hitting strikes again. Riddle caught Ishii with a clothesline and now both men were down. Riddle again nails Ishii with a big knee strike but Ishii no sells it and takes Riddle's head off with a big lariat. Both men are down and struggle to get to their feet but pull themselves up and again trade strikes. Both men square up to one another and Riddle nails Ishii with a number of big kicks. Riddle nails Ishii with a tombstone and a penalty kick for a near fall. Both men get up and battle over brainbusters before Ishii hoists up Riddle and drops him with the brainbuster to pick up the win. Well that was bloody good, wasn't it? It was very similar to the match Riddle had with Kieth Lee. This was a proper strong style battle with both men beating the holy hell out of one another. Seriously this lived up to the hype and like the Kieth Lee match has made it onto my MOTY shortlist. If you haven't seen this match go out of your way now and go and watch it already. Winner: Tomohiro Ishii Before the main event, Andy Q introduces the guest of honour for the night the one and only WOS legend Marty Jones. Marty comes out and soaks up the applause then cuts a promo talking about his battles with fit finally he puts over today's British talent, Rev Pro and the British J Cup. MAIN EVENT British J Cup Final Four Man Elimination Match: The Villain Marty Scurll Vs Jushin 'Thunder' Liger Vs KUSHIDA Vs Will Ospreay It's a hot start as Marty gets in the grills of all three babyfaces then poses. Will sends Marty to the outside and gives him a baseball slide sending Marty into the front row. Back in the ring, Liger gives KUSHIDA a tilt-a-whirl slam and Ospreay then rolls up Liger for a two count. Liger kicks out with such force he sends Ospreay into referee Chris Roberts (a ref bump this early into the match). Marty introduces his umbrella and hits Liger with it in the gut. Marty then throws the umbrella at Ospreay who catches it. KUSHIDA comes in and starts to get angry at Ospreay and accuses him of hitting Liger. Marty comes in and he and KUSHIDA double team Will. KUSHIDA does his best Chicken Wing pose then both men apply the hover board lock to Will who battles out but they take him down and stomp on him. Will battles back with a jaw breaker to Marty and then a handspring moonsault to KUSHIDA and Marty. Will works over both men as both Andys argue on commentary. Will gives KUSHIDA a standing shooting star then goes for an Os-Cutter but KUSHIDA catches him in an armbar. Will fights out of the hold but gets dropped with a big elbow smash. Marty is back and he attacks KUSHIDA from behind (obviously). KUSHIDA rolls up Marty then gets ahold of Will and German suplexes him. KUSHIDA has both men covered for a near fall. Marty goes up top but KUSHIDA cuts him off. Will then sunset flip powerbombs KUSHIDA while he's holding onto Marty and KUSHIDA sends Marty flying at the same time with a superplex. Liger meanwhile is still selling on the outside. Ospreay nails KUSHIDA with an Os-Cutter and Marty is back. Marty then tosses Will to the outside and rolls up KUSHIDA for the three count. KUSHIDA is Eliminated Marty mocks KUSHIDA then Ospreay slowly comes into the ring. Meanwhile, liger slowly pulls himself to his feet on the outside and Marty spots this so hoops over the top rope and lands on the ring apron. Marty then nails liger with a superkick. Ospreay is back in the ring now and dives out into Marty. Back in the ring, Ospreay nails Marty with a phenomenal forearm and a hesitation dropkick. Will heads up top but Marty cuts him off by grabbing his nose and racking his eyes. Marty heads up top but Will slips out and nails Marty with the cheeky Nandos kick for a two count. Marty nails Ospreay with an inverted DDT for a near fall then notices liger is getting back up on the outside so hoops over the ropes and nails liger with another superkick. Marty clears his nosal passage onto Liger then hits the ropes but gets cut off with a big bicycle kick by will. Will counters the superkick just kidding spot with a flip and nails Marty with the dropsault (dropkick moonsault). Both men hit the ropes and Marty nails will with a big clothes line. Marty goes for the chicken wing but will counters that with a stunner. That was one hell of an incredible sequence. Meanwhile, Liger continues to sell on the outside and Andy Q mentions how these two remind him of Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm. Liger somehow pulls himself to his feet again, however, Marty is wise to this and hoops the top rope and does his ring apron superkick. Back in the ring will and Marty trade strikes then marty grabs the fingers but will counters with a big spin kick. Will goes for a rainmaker but marty counters that into a cross rhodes for a nearfall. Marty copies will next by giving will a essex destroyer then nails will with a os cutter for a nearfall. Meanwhile the crowd rally behind liger who makes it to the ring apron this time before marty kicks him off the ring apron. The crowd are really getting into this story with liger now and boo the villain for his dirty tactics. Marty signals for the chicken wing but will cuts him off with a pele kick and a rainmaker. Will covers marty for the 1,2 no as somehow marty kicks out. Will goes for the os cutter but marty catches him and pushes will off into referee Chris Roberts for another referee bump. Marty grans his umbrella but will cuts him off with a enzigiri. Will stalks marty who backs up as liger pulls himself up onto the ring apron (yay he's finally made it) but marty sends will into liger and liger is back on the floor again (that was a tremendous spot and deserved a better reaction). The villian rolls up will and gets the one, two and three. Will Ospreay is Eliminated Will gets on the outside and urges live to get up as marty flips off the crowd. Marty rolls liger into the ring then pulls liger into the middle of the ring. Marty applies ligers own surfboard against him. Marty stomps on liger Over and over again. Marty senses victory but liger fires up and nails Marty with two Palm strikes then a top rope hauncanrana for a nearfall. The crowd is right behind liger now as he puts marty up top and drills marty with a top rope super plex for another nearfall. Liger stalks marty and goes for a palm strike but Marty cuts him off and breaks liger fingers. Marty rolls up liger with the same roll up he had beaten Tiger Mask, KUSHIDA and Will Ospreay with for a 1, 2 but no somehow Liger kicks out at two. Marty now stalks liger and signals for the chicken wing and he successfully applies it to liger but liger battles out. Marty nails with a brainbuster and covers him but liger kicks out at one. Liger palm strikes and gives him a liger Bomb and a brainbuster for the three count. Jushin 'Thunder' Liger wins, liger wins oh my days im marking out big time for that. Afterwards Marty Jones hands Liger the trophy as this crowd give him a standing ovation but then Josh Bodom hits the ring and attacks liger from behind. The crowd is enraged as Bodom throws down the trophy and decks liger. This doesn't sit well with Marty Jones either who stands up to Josh but Josh kicks marty in the chest. It brings out the entire lockeroom who chase off that disrespectful punk Josh Bodom. Josh walks off laughing to himself. Then liger celebrates with his trophy and bow to the lockeroom but I bow to you sir that was incredible. We cut to black as liger and the rest of lockeroom pose for final photo opportunity of the night. Well what don't say about that. That was by far one of the best story driven matches I've seen in BritWres this year it may very well be better than Chris Brooke's Vs Nixon Newell. It really was that good. If you've seen that match and don't fill the urge to cheer for liger then you have no emotions whatsoever. Seriously I've said this before but go out of your way to watch this match it made me make noises out of my body that I've never made before. It really was that good and yes dear reader it's making my MOTY shortlist. Winner: Jushin 'Thunder' Liger Well what do you say about a show like that well there is only one word incredible. Yeah I may still be feeling the hype from Liger's emotional win but that show really did deliver from top to bottom. Some of the matches in the first round lacked something special but it was all paid off in a special way in the end. This show took me on a emotional roller coaster throughout and peaked with a satisfying pay off with the last two matches. I can't say I've seen too many people rave about this main event and they really should be as well as the semi main event. Seriously head on over to RPW on demand now through pivot share and check it out you won't regret it. How Rev pro tip that at the next cockpit show is yet to be seen but I now cannot wait to boo Josh Bodom at summer sizzler and call him some names that aren't PG at summer sizzler when he faces liger with the let on the line. I'll sign off with as always with thanking you the dear reader and adding my Bill Apter ripped off line with "I'll see you at the matches". |
Billy Johnson25+ years as a graps fan Archives
October 2017
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