Rev Pro returned to their new London home of the 229, as the Young Guns faced off with Aussie Open again – this time for the tag team titles.
Quick Results
TK Cooper & Chuck Mambo pinned Brendan White & Doug Williams in 14:55 (**½)
Debbie Keitel pinned Amira Blair 8:18 (**)
Michael Oku pinned Chris Ridgeway in 22:47 to retain the Rev Pro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship (***¾)
Akira Francesco pinned Robbie X in 15:03 (****)
Ricky Knight Jr. pinned Yota Tsuji in 16:29 (***½)
Luke Jacobs & Ethan Allen defeat Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis via disqualification in 24:39 – Aussie Open retain the Rev Pro Undisputed British Tag Team Championships (****)
It’s better late than never as the VOD for the latest not-the-Cockpit show dropped… Andy Quildan and Gideon Grey are on commentary once again, bickering about their eating habits and what not…
Brendan White & Doug Williams vs. Sunshine Machine (Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper)
Gideon’s taken to confusing Brendan and Doug, as we start with some headscissors from Mambo on Williams, before Mambo tried to neutralise Williams with some back rakes.
Williams gets free and tags in Brendan as they work around Mambo’s limbs with submission attempts, before Mambo’s springboard armdrag survived White’s attempt to break it up. A log roll nearly trips Doug, who came back in with an uppercut before Brendan White tagged in to work over Mambo’s wrist.
A second springboard armdrag’s blocked as White resists, only to get pulled into an armbar as TK Cooper tagged into proceedings. A leaping leg lariat from TK has White down, while Mambo’s swinging side slam nearly put Brendan away. White evades a leaping TK Cooper and manages to tag out to Williams, who ends up taking the Macho Man hot shot as TK picked up a two-count in the process.
TK and Mambo drop knees on Williams’ arm from there, before a drop toe hold set up Mambo, who eventually grabbed a front facelock on Williams. A slam from TK, then a fist drop gets a two-count, as TK and Mambo continue to focus on Williams, who has to kick out at two after a roll-up.
Mambo goes back to back rakes, but finally gets caught with a belly-to-belly from Williams, who made the tag out to Brendan White… who looked to clear house. A slingshot from Mambo sent TK into Mambo, with a roll-up following for a near-fall as the row boat had TK and Mambo in more bother.
Back sentons followed on TK and Mambo, but Brendan misses a moonsault and ends up getting cornered by TK and Mambo, leading up to a propelled wheelbarrow German suplex for a near-fall. Williams comes in to spike Mambo with a piledriver for a near-fall, before White hits a German and belly-to-belly suplex as he took down the Sunshine Machine in one go.
White’s backbreaker keeps Mambo down, as did a Bossman slam… but Mambo’s not legal. TK slides in to capitalise with almost a Torpedo Moscau, before a scissors kick gets the win. A loss of focus at the end costs White and Williams, in an opener that gave them plenty to think about. **½
Debbie Keitel vs. Amira Blair
Keitel’s looking for a shot at Gisele Shaw’s Women’s championship – but here she’s taking on a newcomer in Amira Blair.
Keitel was in rare form from the off, effing at Blair before throwing some cravat knees… only for a low dropkick from Blair to level things. A big boot from Keitel drops Blair, who got chants of “we want tea” and, bizarrely, “not out fault.” Something on the cutting room floor there!
Heading outside, Keitel ties up Blair’s legs around the ring post, only to miss a charge that saw her catch a chair knee-first. Back inside, a dropkick and some crossface punches continue to rough up Blair, who’s then choked in the ropes. A Northern Lights suplex nearly puts Blair away, but Amira’s able to fight back with a big boot for a near-fall, only for a Stroke from Keitel and a running knee to turn things back around.
Blair tries her luck with a backslide, but Keitel’s up at one and puts Blair away with a sit-out Pedigree for the win. **
Post-match, Keitel continued to put a beating to Blair, drawing out Gisele Shaw to make the save as the pair had a pull-apart before Shaw chewed out Keitel on the mic. Keitel made the air blue in her response, but Shaw’s similarly X-rated in her retorts as Shaw gave her the title match…
RevPro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship: Chris Ridgeway vs. Michael Oku (c)
This one finally came to being after weeks of Gideon Grey complaining that Ridgeway had never had his fair one-on-one title shot…
It’s a very anti-Ridgeway crowd here, and a fairly tentative start that snapped as Ridgeway swung for a kick. Oku looks to take things ot the mat, but Ridgeway escaped headlock takedowns just as quick as he was taken down, before Ridgeway started to sting Oku with some kicks. Oku checks one, and ends up hobbling to the outside. Back inside, Ridgeway helicopters to escape a hammerlock, returning with one of his own, before a pair of duelling leg locks ended in the ropes.
Oku looks for a ‘rana, but Ridgeway countered it into an ankle lock, which Oku manages to roll out of, before landing a flying ‘rana. In the corner, Oku puts the boots to Ridgeway, then followed up with some chops before a shot to the midsection, then a Kitchen sink knee winded Oku. More kicks to the back follow, as did a series of Kitchen sinks for a near-fall, as Ridgeway proceeded to decimate Oku with ever more devastating-sounding kicks.
Ridgeway ties up Oku as we get a rope break, but a dropkick just opens Oku up for more kicks… which he cut-off with a roll-up for a surprise two-count. Oku’s dropkick takes Ridgeway outside, but he followed up with a Fosbury flop onto his challenger, before a frog splash and a springboard moonsault nearly put Ridgeway down.
Another frog splash is rolled away from as a bridging German suplex nearly wins it for Ridgeway. He tries for it again on the apron, but Oku blocks it… only to get booted down as Ridgeway folded him onto the apron anyways. A third German suplex back in the ring somehow doesn’t put Oku away, before Oku popped up from a fourth… and got wrecked with a thrust kick.
Oku pops up again as he looked for superkicks and small packages, before a springboard moonsault landed into a triangle armbar as Ridgeway proceeded to maneuver back to the ankle lock. Oku looked to tap, but gets to the ropes as Ridgeway continued to bully him with kicks. Heading up, Oku kicks Ridgeway off the buckles ahead of a frog splash that nearly won it… before Oku telegraphed the half crab. It gives Ridgeway another opening as he elbows Oku into the corner, shoving away the referee’s attempts to break it up as a DQ loomed…
Instead though, Oku fought back, only to see his leaping knee countered into a spike tombstone, with a follow-up crossface ending in the ropes. Another series of superkicks from Oku dropped Ridgeway to his knees, setting up for a frog splash to the back… Oku rolls over Ridgeway and looks for a second, but he lands in the knees as Ridgeway unloads again, leading to a brainbuster for a near-fall… before Oku cradled Ridgeway after taking a PK, and that’s enough to sneak out the win! I suspect something else hit the cutting room floor here as Gideon Grey was, shall we say, not too pleased with the result. Oku took a hell of a beating here, but escaped by the skin of his teeth. Oku’s a master of these underdog matches, as he now waits for next month’s British J Cup to perhaps identify a future challenger. ***¾
Akira Francesco vs. Robbie X
This was Francesco’s Rev Pro debut – and he’s been putting himself around Europe lately following a successful stint in All Japan. He’s also the subject of a lot of grief on commentary as Gideon’s mad that Akira’s gotten into the British J Cup without qualifying. I hear that Rio de Janeiro tournament is lost in the famous Rev Pro ether, alongside the “She’s All That” show from March 2020…
Francesco takes Robbie X into the ropes for a clean break, then came back with an armdrag before Robbie X went for a quick pinning attempt. Akira’s quickly back with a leg lariat, then a low-pe into the front row, before Robbie X’s cartwheel and low dropkick turned things back around.
A senton atomico squishes Francesco for a two-count, before Robbie X worked a wrlstlock and armbar on the Italian, levering back the arm in the process. Forearms follow, before Akira popped up from a chop and beat Robbie X into the corner. A shotgun dropkick bounces Robbie X back into the corner, following up with clothesline and uppercuts, before Robbie X trapped him in the corner for an enziguiri that leads to a running shooting star press that nearly ended things.
Francesco blocks a powerbomb, then an X-Clamation, taking Robbie X down for a Border City Stretch (or his name for it!), as Robbie X rolled into the ropes to break the hold. An overhead kick knocks Akira loopy and onto the apron, while a handspring kick took him onto the floor. Heading onto the apron, Francesco snuck in with a Slingblade to Robbie X, then a Meteora to the back of the head for a near-fall…
Robbie X returns with chops, which sparked a rapid-fire exchange that left both men down. They keep going with elbows and uppercuts in the corners, before Akira’s chucked overhead into the turnbuckles, with a Spiral Tap next from Robbie X for a near-fall, while a sit-out powerbomb gets him ever-so closer…
Akira’s back with a Destroyer, then a running Meteora, before he followed in with more knees to Robbie X in the corner, as Angel’s Wings finally get the win. A heck of a debut here for Akira, who got his spot in the British J Cup as this was retrospectively made a qualifier. Get this on your watchlists, folks… ****
Yota Tsuji vs. Ricky Knight Jr.
Apparently Gideon grey was a real fan-boy on commentary… and I’d imagine had his life flash in front of his eyes as Andy Q told tales on him.
We open with shoulder tackles, before RKJ hit the ropes and hit a dropkick after leapfrogs and dropdowns, taking Tsuji outside. After a chop, RKJ throws Tsuji back in, then hits a stalling suplex, before Tsuji began to drive Knight’s knee into the mat. A toe hold follows, as an Indian death lock led to Tsuji just splashing on RKJ’s leg.
An enziguiri to the back looked to give RKJ an opening, but a low dropkick to the knee keeps the former Southside champion down as Tsuji began to dictate the pace. Tsuji heads up top, but his crossbody’s caught and turned into a death valley driver back into the corner from RKJ, who followed up with his through-the-ropes dropkick and a draping DDT.
Some stomps keep Tsuji down as RKJ headed up top, but Tsuji gets up… and runs into a scoop slam as RKJ landed a moonsault seconds later for a near-fall. Elbows from Tsuji were caught as he ends up taking a Tiger suplex, only to pop back up and land a clothesline, as the pair proceeded to trade blows, with RKJ’s punches rocking Tsuji some more.
A hook kick stuns Tsuji ahead of a sunset flip for a near-fall, before a half crab looked to have RKJ in bother. Knight’s able to get free and return with a clothesline, then a spinning powerbomb which dumped Tsuji awkwardly on his left shoulder on the landing for a near-fall. Tsuji wriggles out of a Fire Thunder Driver, but ends up getting tripped for a double stomp to the gut as a Fisherman Driver almost got RKJ the win.
Tsuji’s dropkick bought him some time, as did a series of kicks to the chest that RKJ mostly blocked, before the ante was upped with chops. The pair head up top as Tsuji surprises with a Spanish Fly, following up with a spear for a near-fall, before he looked for his Vertebreaker-ish move… but RKJ escapes. The pair trade hook kicks, before RKJ scooped up Tsuji for a Fire Thunder Driver… and that’s enough for RKJ to leave with the win. ***½
Tsuji needed treatment after the match for the bad landing to his shoulder… Knight cut a promo as he apologised to the London crowd for letting everyone down. It led to him then calling out “the rest of the United Empire” for a scrap, in the form of Aussie Open. They gladly came out and had a fight with RKJ, who tried to hold his own, but got overwhelmed and thrown outside.
RKJ tries to come back with a wet floor sign as a weapon, but the Young Guns come out to help… and with RKJ being escorted to the back, our main event gets going in earnest.
RevPro Undisputed British Tag Team Championship: Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) (c) vs. Young Guns (Ethan Allen & Luke Jacobs)
The Young Guns and Aussie Open pick up on the same path they were on at York Hall…
A pair of hesitation dropkicks and topes before the bell looked to have the Young Guns ahead. Ring_Bell.mp3 gets us underway as Jacobs and Allen had their way with Kyle Fletcher… but Allen’s attempt to boot Mark Davis off the apron came up short as Davis sidestepped him. That sparks a change of direction as a PK and a back senton quickly put the champions ahead, who got those “you sold out” chants from the crowd.
Allen fires back with a slap to Davis, sparking snapmares and kicks as Davis just yawned back at him. Oh, then chopped him down like a tree. Fletcher popped Allen into an uppercut as Davis continued to ragdoll the Young Gun, while Kyle’s slams led to a nonchalant cover attempt. There’s a thrown bodyslam from Davis to Allen as Gideon Grey nearly wet himself on commentary, while an Irish whip simply bounced Allen out of the corner as this was getting dangerously one-sided.
Forearms to Allen in the corner lead to a swinging slam from Fletcher, who then knocked Luke Jacobs off the apron. Allen tries to fight back with big boots, before he sent Davis to the outside… but Davis manages to get to Luke Jacobs in the corner and pull him off the apron just in time to stop the tag. So close, yet so far…
The mauling continued as Allen’s bounced with a brainbuster for a near-fall, but Ethan again fights back with a series of forearms, before he back body dropped out of a powerbomb attempt. An enziguiri gets rid of Davis, as Luke Jacobs tags in… and ran into a lariat. That’s so damn cruel, that “hot tag” snuffed out in a second!
Jacobs almost gets chopped out of the ring as Davis invited the offence… Fletcher slams Jacobs on the floor, then rolled him back in for a two-count. Allen tries to kick apart a Boston crab from Davis… who just lets go to chop him, before Luke Jacobs rared back in with clotheslines. Double clotheslines rock the two big men, before Fletcher just tripped up Jacobs in the ropes, allowing Davis to lariat Luke in the back of the head.
Aussie Open resumed with a big boot… but Kyle threw Jacobs towards Davis, only for Luke to throw a lariat as as Ethan Allen tagged in and hit a moonsault to the champions on the floor. A series of kicks trap Kyle in the corner, following up with a clothesline and a butterfly suplex for a near-fall.
Mid-kicks from Allen eventually were caught as the champions hit their double-team Go 2 Sleep, then a double-team cutter for a near-fall. The double-teams continue with a double underhook hand-off powerbomb, but Allen kicks out at two again, before he ‘rana’d out of a Coriolis attempt (what used to be the Fidget Spinner).
Luke Jacobs tags in as the Aussies were quickly battered with a flurry of lariats and German suplexes, leading to a Doomsday Device on Fletcher for a near-fall. All four men hit the ring as the pendulum of the match swung wildly, eventually leaving everyone laying. Recovering, tags take us back to Allen and Davis, with the former landing a Mistica into a crossface… while Jacobs restrained Kyle Fletcher on the apron with an ankle lock.
Davis manages to roll free of the crossface, as the Aussies nail a pair of powerbombs, then a pair of Boston crabs as the Young Guns looked to be staring defeat in the face… only to roll through into the ropes to force a break.
“I have long been an advocate of a referee inside the ring and a referee outside the ring… I applied to the British Wrestling Council to make it happen, and it turns out (it’s) just an armband.” How’s that for a deep cut?
We resume with Davis dumping Allen with forearms again, as Ethan found himself back in the unwelcomingly-familiar position of being on defence, with Davis blistering him with chops before another fightback was quickly quelled, until Allen turned Davis’ pop-up into a dropkick on Fletcher. Heading up top, Allen and Jacobs fought over a superplex, eventually ending with a butterfly superplex from Allen for a near-fall.
Jacobs tags right back in to lariat Kyle’s head off, before Chasing the Dragon forced Davis to dive in to break up the cover. Davis grabs a title belt, as does Kyle, as the champions look for the blatant DQ… but they can’t avoid a kick-assisted piledriver as Mark Davis had to pull out the referee to save the match. He pleads ignorance as Ethan Allen came out and almost PK’d the ref off the apron, before Kyle just swatted Jacobs with a title belt for that blatant DQ.
While the Young Guns were undoubtedly on the defensive for large swathes of the match, this didn’t feel too much like one of those “ah, they’re not switching the titles here” matches. I loved how this didn’t fall into the usual patterns we seem to get in tag team matches in 2021 – with the “Luke Jacobs gets the hot tag and immediately got shut down with a clothesline” part being particularly subversive. Another good Young Guns match to add to their CV, and one for your burgeoning watch-lists. ****
The champions continue to beat down Jacobs after the match, while Kyle grabbed a chair from ringside… putting it face-down as they teased throwing Jacobs through the chair legs with the Coriolis. Ethan Allen makes the save in the nick of time, while Jacobs grabbed the mic and demanded another match, this time at York Hall.
But first… Jacobs wanted to bite off more of the United Empire, in the form of Will Ospreay. He was in the States for this show, so instead Jacobs challenged the United Empire to the Young Guns and Ricky Knight Jr. Out comes RKJ to deal with the invitation… which he rejected because of what the Young Guns did to him in the past. Just as well someone else has unfinished business with Will Ospreay – in the form of Shota Umino, who kept up the show-long theme of working blue as he offered himself as a tag partner, with he and the Young Guns standing tall to end the night as commentary confirmed the match for the British J Cup show in November.
Once we got past the slow start, the latest monthly London show really got going – only being a six-match card means that everything’s under more pressure to deliver, and certainly the spotlight matches did that. The British J Cup is the next “feature” show from Rev Pro next month, and this show did plenty to set up for that tournament.