A new town and a new concept for Rev Pro here, as they held an all-women’s matinee show in Huntingdon.
It’s another of the old Southside towns, as Huntingdon’s Commemoration Hall played host to a cursed card – one that lost Bobbi Tyler, Maddison Miles and Seleziya Sparx in the run-up. They’ve left the Christmas lights up in Huntingdon it seems… isn’t that bad luck? Commentary’s from Andy Quildan and a debuting JK Roberts… we’ll have a lot of debuts here, I reckon.
Chakara vs. Kasey Owens
It’s a Rev Pro debut for both women here – Chakara in for Seleziya Sparx – with Kasey playing the good guy in this opener.
Chakara’s the early aggressor, laying into Kasey with a forearm, only for the Belfast native to hit straight back with clotheslines and a springboard crossbody for a one-count. A dive’s swatted away with a forearm as Chakara put the boots to Kasey back in the ring, following up with some crossface punches in the ropes for good measure. A draping neckbreaker in the ropes follows as Chakara pushes on, using a camel clutch before she pushed Kasey into a Gedo clutch for a near-fall. Exploder suplexes keep Kasey on the back foot, but a pump kick and some running knees from Kasey turn it around, ahead of a neckbreaker for a near-fall.
Chakara’s back with a headbutt and a snap Dragon suplex as she looked for the win, but in the end Chakara ended up getting caught with a sit-out uranage and a PK as Kasey took the win. A little on the brief side, with Chakara getting the lion’s share of offence here, but in the end it was experience that won out here. **½
Jayde vs. Lana Austin
Curiously, Jayde came out with the entrance video for Sanitarium – a group that’s together in Wrestling Resurgence. Signs for the future?
Lana’s the overwhelming favourite here, and she’s suckered att he bell as Jayde ran in with a front kick, but a Thesz press from Austin and a low dropkick has Jayde on the defensive. They fight for a German suplex, but Austin instead replies with a clothesline for a two-count, only to get caught in the corner as Jayde busted out a Kevin Nash-like boot choke. A snap suplex helps Jayde to a two-count, before she caught Lana with a forearm and a running knee in the corner. It’s only enough for a two-count though, so Jayde pulls Lana into a camel clutch and teases a wet willie… but it’s blocked as Lana turned it on her. More clotheslines from Austin follow as she made a comeback, only to get stopped by Eat Defeat from Jayde.
After a spear, Jayde’s able to dump Austin with a Saito suplex, before another running knee got her a two-count by the ropes. They roll onto the apron, where Jayde teases a piledriver, but instead she’s met with a headbutt before a draping DDT gets Lana the win. A nice, competitive match which got some time, with Jayde looking good in defeat here. **¾
Shanna vs. Debbie Keitel
They’re doing their damndest to keep the Southside lineage going here with these women’s shows, mentioning Queen of the Ring tournament wins and such like.
Shanna and Keitel trade wristlocks early on, ending in the ropes as Keitel ended up getting into it with someone in the crowd. When they engage again, it’s Shanna who uses knuckle locks, only for Keitel to kick it away, going back to work on the arm. Keitel works up into a full nelson, but Shanna slips out before she hits a spin kick at the second attempt en route to a neckbreaker for a near-fall.
Keitel powders to the outside as Shanna was looking for one more big move, but her arms’ dropped across the top rope as Debbie eventually followed up with a grounded camel clutch. Some pinning attempts followed as Keitel looked to get frustrated, which opened the door for Shanna to return with some forearms in the corner. Going back to the arm gives Keitel another shot, as did a Northern Lights suplex, before Shanna snatched a near-fall with a roll-up. Another spin kick catches Keitel, as Shanna followed up with Angel’s Wings… and that’s enough for the win, despite Keitel’s foot being suspiciously under the rope. Decent enough, but otherwise this felt like a match that wasn’t building to anything. **½
Nightshade vs. Charli Evans
Charli was replacing Maddison Miles, and we start with her being taken into the corner, before she returned to take down Nightshade for what almost looked like Konnan’s old Tequila Sunrise.
Nightshade scrambles to the ropes to avoid any further punishment… then again when Charli went for a full nelson. A knuckle lock helps Nightshade pin down Evans, but she shows off a neck bridge to break the cover as we’re back up as Evans misses a PK… then began to kick away at Nightshade’s leg. More kicks follow along with a diving crossbody, but Nightshade’s able to retaliate with a hanging backcracker in the ropes. Some choking in the ropes follows as Nightshade kept up the pressure, holding Charli by the throat ahead of a forearm… then some more after trapping the Aussie in a hammerlock.
Splashes in the corner follow from Nightshade, then a hip attack, before Evans escaped a cannonball and began a comeback, landing a diving clothesline for a two-count before an Exploder from Nightshade restored order. Another knee from Charli gets her a near-fall, before following up with a superkick that left both women down. A roll-through from Charli looked to build up to another Gedo clutch, but instead she went for an ankle lock. That again ends in the ropes as Nightshade came back with a Flatliner into the buckles, following up with double knees and a German suplex. A cannonball follows for a near-fall, before Charli hit back, tripping Nightshade into another ankle lock… but Jayde runs out to distract everyone, allowing Nightshade to get the win with a tree slam. A solid debut for Nightshade, but there’ll be retribution coming from Evans… It looks like Sanitarium’s definitely a thing in Rev Pro – although how that’ll play out with the rest of the division of course remains to be seen. **¾
Debbie Keitel comes out next, with a coffee in hand as she’s still trying to tell the crowd how to say her name. She took a shot at Shanna for not being “on the Jericho cruise”, and then told the crowd she was willing to wrestle “anyone”. Cue Sandstorm.
Debbie Keitel vs. Session Moth Martina
This was Martina’s first outing in Rev Pro in over two years, but we start with both Debbie and Martina getting sick at each other’s beverage… which gave way to some caffeine-fuelled rope running.
Once Keitel’d gotten tired, she was easy prey for Martina, going for a roll-up before missing a dropkick. That let Martina back in with a clothesline, but Keitel hits her dropkick for a near-fall as Martina was staggering around. Even more so than usual. Another grounded cobra clutch has Martina down, as did a right hand from Keitel. Martina tries to crawl towards her can, but Keitel gets hold of it first and pours it on the floor. That’s enough to fire up Martina, who came back with an enziguiri and a suplex for a near-fall, before she trapped Keitel in the ropes for some kicks and knees. A Northern Lights from Keitel gets another two-count… but the momentum began to swing as Martina hit a running Meteora that nearly ended things.
The pair struggle over a backslide, but instead Keitel flips back and lands a sit-out Pedigree for a two-count, before stealing the win with a roll-up after kicking out of a Seshbreaker. A solid enough outing, with Keitel getting a win after her earlier loss… although that finish was a little abrupt. **½
After the match, Martina spat what was left of her beer at Keitel, who replied with some ground and pound until Shanna returned to make the save. Literally, in fact, as she had to give Martina some CPR before a beer did the trick. Multiple storylines. In the Rev Pro women’s division? What is this sorcery?!
Zoe Lucas & Zan Phoenix vs. Gisele Shaw & Millie McKenzie
Phoenix was filling in for Bobbi Tyler here, as Rev Pro seem to be sticking with the Shaw/Lucas feud.
Tagging with Shaw here was Millie McKenzie, who’d had her old Defiant entrance video dug up for her. Remember that run as “the first 21st century bad ass”? We get going as Lucas instantly tags out to avoid facing Gisele Shaw, which gave us a repeat of sorts of Seasons Beatings as Shaw worked over Zan Phoenix, taking her down to the mat as she teased the armbar early on. Shaw keeps going with a Muta lock, then a front headlock before two ‘ranas had Phoenix on the back foot. Gisele keeps going with a ropewalk Thesz press for a near-fall, before Millie McKenzie came in for a brief spell as they made sure to isolate Phoenix… although she’s able to tag in Lucas, who instantly got caught with some armdrags and a spinning neckbreaker.
Phoenix distracts McKenzie on the apron, which gets Lucas in as she choked on Millie in the corner. A sidewalk slam from Zan gets a near-fall, as Lucas returned to try and pick apart the fallen McKenzie. A hair-mare takes Millie back into the corner, from where she fights back with a series of forearms… until Zan lands a standing spinebuster for a near-fall. Millie’s back with a German suplex, giving her time to tag in Shaw… and Lucas is back in too, quickly getting caught with a Dragon suplex. Phoenix takes a half-nelson suplex too, before Zoe’s kicked en route to another near-fall. Phoenix is still in there though, and helps Lucas with a double-team front suplex for a two-count, before Shaw unleashed with a flurry of shots…
Another tag brings McKenzie in for a German suplex, but instead she spikes Lucas with a cutter for a near-fall. Zan Phoenix tries to make a save, but she’s met with a spear from Millie, who then took the pin on Zoe after a head kick from Shaw put the champion down. Gisele looked annoyed to not have gotten the win, but she was at least on the winning team after somewhat of a sprint in the main event. ***
A solid first run for “GRLZ” – a show that, following that Southside acquisition, looks to be taking the old Southside model of being matinee shows. While the idea itself isn’t new for those venues, it is especially jarring to see Rev Pro going from the “token” women’s match per show, to these shows with actual storylines. Of course, if the GRLZ brand (horrible name, by the way – unless the main shows become, LADZ) is kept as a self-contained universe, then all this will be is a sterile version of EVE, with not much scope for expansion. It’s just ironic that they’ve decided to brand their women’s show this way at exactly the same time WWE’s moving away from gendering their titles…