Stevenage hosted the eighth British J-Cup, where the next challenger for Will Kaven’s Undisputed British Cruiserweight title was decided.
Quick Results
British J Cup 2025 Semi-Final: Nino Bryant pinned Ethan Allen in 12:00 (***)
British J Cup 2025 Semi-Final: Chris Ridgeway pinned Ender Kara in 12:05 (***)
British J Cup 2025 Semi-Final: Cameron Khai pinned Ace Austin in 16:21 (***)
British J Cup 2025 Semi-Final: Adam Priest submitted Kid Lykos II in 14:28 (***¼)
TK Cooper pinned Luke Jacobs in 12:42 (***)
Joshua James pinned Owen Swain in 1:47
Serena Deeb pinned Lizzy Evo in 11:50 (**¾)
British J Cup 2025 Final: Nino Bryant pinned Chris Ridgeway, Adam Priest and Cameron Khai in 17:35 (***½)
— To watch this show, head over to RevProOnDemand.com
We’re back in Stevenage as the Gordon Craig Theatre hosts its fifth British J Cup, and the eighth instalment of the tournament itself. The winner of this year’s tournament gets a shot at Will Kaven next Sunday at the Revolution Rumble – so we’re going to have a quick turnaround this year!
Commentary comes from the omnipresent Dave Bradshaw and Andy Quildan. Well, we are north of the M25…
British J Cup 2025 Semi-Final: Ethan Allen vs. Nino Bryant
Ethan Allen could be double-booking himself next Sunday if he wins the tournament here.
We eventually get going with Ethan Allen going outside to spit on a fan’s pro-Nino Bryant sign, before Nino tried to strike… but he aborts a dive before he got thrown from the apron onto a handrail by Allen. Bryant beats the count-out, but Allen instantly pounces on him to maintain control, landing a backbreaker for a two-count at the five-minute mark.
Bryant battles to avoid a double underhook suplex, but to no avail as Allen pushed on, following up with a cobra clutch, before a tornado DDT from Bryant finally created an opening. Nino followed that up with some clotheslines, then a dropkick into the corner before a diving kick caught out Allen.
Things head outside as Allen’s met with a tope… but back inside a Randy Orton-ish backbreaker gets Allen back in it as an Allen Slam and a buzzsaw kick almost won it. A flash inside cradle nearly steals the win for Nino… Allen borrows that idea as a jack-knife pin got him close to the win, before an Argentine facebuster from Nino laid out Allen.
Nino’s follow-up splash goes nowhere, but Allen’s attempt to put him out with a rear naked choke goes away as Nino rolled back… and the spin on the Bret Hart finish got Nino the upset win. You know, it’d have been nice for Nino to get the win here with that facebuster, rather than a roll-up, but you take what you get here. ***
British J Cup 2025 Semi-Final: Chris Ridgeway vs. Ender Kara
This was Ender’s Rev Pro debut – and it’s about damned time… he even gets pyro!
Ridgeway lays into Ender Kara with kicks at the bell, before Ender makes everything to blurry, hitting the ropes with a clothesline in return. A springboard dropkick from Kara cuts off Ridgeway’s attempted response, before an arm whip hung up Ender on the ropes as things spilled outside.
Ridgeway charges Ender shoulder-first into the ring post, playing up his recent shoulder injuries. Ender makes it back inside after that, but Ridgeway pounces with an armdrag as that left arm and shoulder became the obvious focal point. A stomp to the elbow exacerbates things for Kara, who quickly had to defend a bridging hammerlock – eventually doing so as Ender slid into the ropes for a break.
Ender Kara’s kick helps him get back into it, following up with a hesitation dropkick into the corner for a two-count. A PK gets Ender a couple of two-counts, but Ridgeway snapped back into it with some German suplexes, bridging one for a near-fall, before a Fujiwara armbar ended in the ropes.
Some measured kicks from Ridgeway almost get laughed off by Ender, who invited some more before returning the favours. A dropkick from Ender Kara catches out Ridgeway, as did a rebound German suplex as the phrase “more haste, less speed” sprang to mind…
A flash roll-up from Ridgeway gets a two-count, before an arm whip dumped Ender on the left arm ahead of a brainbuster for the win. Kara started out hot, but the crowd seemingly cooled off midway through – but Ender should have shown enough here to get invited back. ***
British J Cup 2025 Semi-Final: Cameron Khai vs. Ace Austin
Cameron Khai’s yet to pick up a win in Rev Pro this year – he’ll need to find two of them in one day to win the tournament…
Liam Slater appeared at ringside before the bell to help coach Khai, but that threatened to be a distraction more than anything else. Some standing switches early on helped Austin take control in the opening minutes, before things spilled outside with Slater’s presence being a hindrance for Khai.
Back inside, Khai just about connects with a neckbreaker before Austin forced his way back into it, wearing down Khai with knees and chops to the back. Austin keeps going with a snap suplex, but he misses an eventual dropkick before rolling up Khai for a near-fall. An attempt at the Pingshot cutter from Khai ends with him getting kicked off the apron… my feed drops out, but returns with Khai connecting with some palm strikes on Austin, before some rolling Northern Lights suplexes were eventually fought out of.
A leg sweep and low superkick keeps Khai ahead as a Falcon Arrow almost does the deal, before Austin blocked a Pingshot cutter… only to miss with a whisper in the wind-type dive. Khai capitalises with an over-the-knee brainbuster… but again Liam Slater’s barking orders at ringside, which led to Khai charging into an Austin kick, before a corkscrew kick out of the corner and a gutwrench powerbomb almost put Khai away.
Frustrated, Austin tees up for something, but Khai bails into the corner… only for Ace to catch him there with a clothesline before lifting Khai up top for a wacky running headscissors takedown off the top rope. From there, Khai tries to steal the win with a roll-up, before Austin launched Khai from the ring to the floor. Austin follows up with a tope, but Liam Slater took the impact for Khai… who came right back out with a triangle moonsault before the Pingshot cutter finally got Cameron his first win of the year! This finished strongly, but did have some moments that didn’t quite land – and the post-match which saw Khai take all of the credit while shoving away Liam Slater may well lead to something. ***
After Khai exited stage left, Liam Slater tried apologising to Ace Austin… but ends up getting caught with Austin’s Fold running neckbreaker.
British J Cup 2025 Semi-Final: Kid Lykos II vs. Adam Priest
It’s a Rev Pro debut for Priest, and a return for Kid Lykos II – who’s not been around here since last year’s British J Cup. Adam Priest flew over here from an ACTION Wrestling show on Friday, and is going straight back to the States after this. Air Miles.
Headlock takedowns from Lykos II looked to confound Priest… with a hiptoss and armdrag keeping Priest annoyed after he’d gone into the crowd for a breather. After a rope break, Priest offers a handshake, which had the kids in the crowd screaming at Lykos II to be smart over…
Priest finally begins to make some inroads, but he’s taken outside with a ‘rana before Lykos II’s apron PK connected. Back inside, Adam Priest’s kick to the abdomen looked a little low and had Lykos II on the back foot, with some snap suplexes seeing Priest take control as he continued to wear down the young wolf.
Lykos II has to fight out of a grounded chinlock as he finally hit back with a dropkick off the middle rope. Building momentum with forearms, Lykos just about connected with a springboard moonsault out of the corner, before his Lo Mein Pain was blocked by Priest. Nevertheless, Lykos II keeps going, knocking Priest down for a moonsault off the middle rope… adding a tornado DDT seconds later for a near-fall.
Priest gets taken back up top as Lykos II lands the Lo Mein Pain for a near-fall, prompting Priest to bail outside again. Some biting from Priest looked to help, but he’s knocked to the floor for a tope con giro that looked to catch him on the top of the head. Lykos II sends him back inside, only to get caught with a dropkick in the ropes… that’s shrugged off as Lykos II tries for an avalanche Saito suplex, only for Priest to go for the eyes to stop it all.
Staying in the corner, Priest tries for an avalanche side suplex of his own, before he dropped Lykos II back-first across the buckles. A half crab followed, and that’s enough to force the submission in a smartly-worked outing for the debuting Priest. ***¼
Luke Jacobs vs. TK Cooper
TK’s looking to knock off a former champion before he faces Michael Oku next week – but with Ethan Allen joining Luke at ringside, I suspect a few were keeping an eye out for some CPF-flavoured interference. Meanwhile, TK “not wanting to be seen as a tag team wrestler” still comes out to his tag team’s music.
Jacobs controlled the pace from the get go, keeping Cooper on the defensive in the opening minutes ahead of a Dragon screw in the ropes… then a DDT onto the side of the ring. Back inside, a suplex keeps Luke ahead, as did a spinebuster as things were looking decidedly one-direction here.
TK’s thrown outside, and into the hands of Ethan Allen, who got his shots in behind the ref’s back. Back inside, a roll-up gave TK some hope as he then began to trade shots with Jacobs, leading to a Samoan drop that put some space between the two of them. An Exploder followed from TK, then a Tiger Feint kick as he finally was able to chain some offence together, leading to the Omelette du Fromage springboard scissor kick for a two-count.
A second scissor kick misses as Jacobs’ DDT puts a pin in things, only for TK to surprise Jacobs with a jacknife cover out of a powerbomb attempt. It’s good for a near-fall as TK then ends up eating a wild lariat from Jacobs as the match swung back and forth. TK kips up after getting kicked in the head… then cracked Luke with a headbutt for a near-fall as that head almost won it for the future title challenger.
Cooper’s caught up top as Jacobs looks for a superplex, instead opting to bite TK’s ear before press slamming him down. TK ducks a lariat before hitting an Air Raid Crash… before a scissor kick spiked Jacobs ahead of a missed shooting star press. From there, TK goes for a waistlock, but Jacobs charges into the corner so he could unsight the referee. A low blow connects, but the referee shoves Jacobs – like they never do – allowing TK to snatch the win with a roll-up. Yeah, I’m absolutely not a fan of that finish, particularly because it flies in the face of any kind of consistency with the refs, but you’re taking what you get here. ***
Post-match, Luke Jacobs beat the tar out of Lee Dawson, who I feel is taking more bumps in situations like this than he ever has done as a contender in Rev Pro.
Owen Swain vs. Joshua James
Speaking of… hey, a new Contender! Swain has more than a passing resemblance to Jungle Boy, which is absolutely turning into a chant.
Swain charges into a POUNCE at the bell, then got launched back into the ring as James’ double chops wore down the debutant. A crossbody from Swain’s caught and turned into a slam, before a lariat and a pair of splashes off the top… led to James pulling up the cover at two.
From there, a powerbomb finishes off Swain, and that’s your lot in under two minutes. Exactly what this needed to be.
Lizzy Evo vs. Serena Deeb
This was set up via a pre-tape segment after April’s High Stakes where Deeb chased away the Cut Throat Collective.
Deeb took things to the mat pretty early on, but it’s not long before Deeb threw the game plan out of the window and launched in with some uppercuts. We quickly transition into a seated surfboard a la Liger, ahead of a manjigatame and a Paradise Lock for good measure. A low dropkick breaks that up as I ponder who’s going to bring back a good looking Dragon sleeper…
Evo stays outside as she tried to bait Deeb to join her, eventually catching Deeb in the ropes for a dropkick to the side of the head. Staying on the floor, Deeb’s run into the posts, before Evo pulled at Deeb’s hair while setting up for a camel clutch. Despite breaking free, Deeb’s quickly taken back down as Evo dove onto her with a rear naked choke… only for Deeb to fight free and return with a clothesline.
A kick from Deeb sets up for a neckbreaker in the ropes before a back body drop from Evo saw her break free. Deeb returns with a full nelson, then with a rebound German suplex before a hammerlock’d clothesline almost got the win. Evo charges into the corner to break free again… but Dragon screws between the ropes allowed Deb back in before the Death By Deeb facebuster took the win. It’s another Cut Throat Collective loss, and that group’s looking rather blunted lately… **¾
Post-match, Deeb offered a handshake to Evo, who responded by pulling her in for a headbutt before Evo was chased to the back.
British J Cup 2025 Final: Nino Bryant vs. Chris Ridgeway vs. Cameron Khai vs. Adam Priest
We’re running under elimination rules for this one – as is the norm in this tournament.
Starting out as a four-way, Priest tried to calm things down, but he got booted in the head as things started out as a Parade of Stuff. Khai’s rolling Northern Lights take down Priest and Bryant early on, before Khai headed up top for an Orihara moonsault into his three opponents.
Priest grabs a drink from the crowd and spits it in Khai’s face, while Ridgeway took Bryant into the crowd as they made use of the no count-out stipulations. Bryant’s forced to block a teased suplex as he instead suplexed Ridgeway onto the stairway, while Priest took a Khai suplex on the floor.
Liam Slater takes that as a cue to make it to ringside to help “coach” Khai, but Khai instead bailed on the match to tell Slater to bugger off. Priest capitalised with a tope that sent Khai – and himself – into the stairway, before a piledriver back inside eliminated Khai at 4:27. Things continue with Nino Bryant hitting a diving kick to Priest for a near-fall, before Priest’s superplex took things the other way for a near-fall. Ridgeway eventually joins in on Priest’s fun, but that alliance quickly implodes as Ridgeway tried to roll-up Priest.
Bryant capitalises on the implosion as he rolled up Priest at 7:32… and with Bryant celebrating that for too long, he’s caught with a diving knee to the back of the head from Ridgeway for a near-fall. Ridgeway stays on Bryant with a jarring Dragon screw, before he pulled Nino towards the ring post so he could wrap his legs around it.
Ridgeway removes Bryant’s boots and punts them into the crowd as he looked to isolate Nino’s ankle as the crowd sensed that they were getting the underdog story with Nino Bryant here. A shin breaker onto the edge of the ring certainly exacerbated that, but Nino’s forced into flash pin attempts… only for Ridgeway to block one and trap Nino with a bare-footed ankle lock.
Dropping down to scissor the leg, Ridgeway has Bryant in trouble, with a Figure Four leg lock increasing the pressure before Nino rolled over to reverse the hold. The ropes quickly break it for Ridgeway though, before he caught Nino in the corner with another Dragon screw.
The work done by Ridgeway looked to pay off as Nino jarred his leg mid-springboard, but Nino bites his way out of a suplex before a springboard twisting headscissors off the top rope took down Ridgeway. From there, a big splash lands in Ridgeway’s knees for a near-fall, before Ridgeway ate a dropkick and almost a Burning Hammer for another near-fall.
Bryant heads back up top for another splash, recoiling off of Ridgeway with the impact so he could add one more… and that’s enough to get the win. A solid main event, but one that perhaps felt a little too rushed in before it became one-on-one in the end. ***½
The skeptics could point out that Nino’s been seen as Leon Cage’s understudy from day one in Rev Pro – and winning the British J Cup only seems to be elevating him to the title shot ahead of Cage due to injury. Of course we close out with Will Kaven on the stage for the obligatory staredown ahead of their title match.