Rev Pro’s monthly visit to the Cockpit saw a rather changed line-up as injuries and other shows bit.
With King of Trios and Battle of Los Angeles robbing Rev Pro of some talent, most notably, CCK. We have a slight change in commentary as RJ Singh joins Andy Quildan behind the mic, whilst there’s changes to the card as an injury to Josh Bodom means that Bubblegum moves into the main event against Flip Gordon, whilst Dave Mastiff now faces Dan Magee.
El Phantasmo vs. Eddie Dennis
We’ve got a lengthy wait for the Canadian, who seemed to have been caught out still putting on his last few bits of gear… this was a battle of the losing streaks as neither Phantasmo or Dennis had been able to get their hands raised under the Rev Pro banner. Barring some interference, that’s going to change for someone!
There’s a lot of swinging and missing early as Phantasmo takes Eddie into the corner with some headscissors before he pulls off a long rope-walk into a ‘rana. Given how loose those ropes have been, ELP was bloody brave in even trying that! His next aerial move, a slingshot to the outside, just sees him land into a forearm from Eddie, who relishes delivering several more of those as well as some chops.
Phantasmo hits back with a low dropkick as the Canadian starts to target Eddie’s leg – thinking that the big man can’t throw him around if he can’t stand up! The ring post comes to good use as Phantasmo wraps Eddie’s leg around the ring post before grabbing a toe-hold. Eddie’s still not down though, and he’s able to catch a leaping Phantasmo and send him overhead with an Exploder suplex!
Chops and forearms from Eddie leave Phantasmo reeling, as does an atomic drop that “leaves you right on your dick, son”. The leaping clothesline puts Phantasmo into the corner, ahead of a swinging side slam that gets a near-fall… so Eddie follows up by climbing the ropes, only to get caught with an enziguiri. He manages to counter a superplex with a swinging superplex of his own, but the Next Stop Driver’s stuffed and turned into a roll-up for a near-fall.
Phantasmo keeps on top of Eddie after the kick-out with an ankle lock, before lifting up Eddie into a whirlibird neckbreaker. A frog splash connects, but is still only good for a near-fall, before Eddie tries to sneak a win with a small package. Instead, ELP kicks out and lands a couple of kicks for another two-count, before a DDT plants Eddie in the middle of the ring.
After mocking the crowd’s boo boo face, Phantasmo connects with a senton bomb and a double jump moonsault… but still, Eddie isn’t put away! Dennis fires back with a forearm, before pulling Phantasmo out of the corner for a lofty crucifix bomb! The Severn Bridge bucklebomb follows, as does a clothesline, but the winless streak stays intact for now…
In the end, Eddie tries for a Next Stop Driver, but it’s turned into an O’Connor Roll before Phantasmo goes back to the ankle lock, scissoring Eddie’s leg for the shock submission. ELP gets his first win, whilst Eddie Dennis is still looking for that elusive W. An incredible match to kick off things, and still we wonder… what’s it going to take to break the streak? ***
As he was celebrating, El Phantasmo’s jumped by the masked hoodlum who sprays a line of paint in his hair. Andy Quildan flat out suggests it’s James Castle… who still can’t get a noticeable line of spray paint in anyone’s hair!
Zack Gibson vs. Timothy Thatcher
During his pre-match promos, Gibson thanks management for finally putting him against someone who was “my kind of wrestler” (wasn’t that a Michael Barrymore show?), before deriding Rev Pro for promoting foreigners over Brits. He also took shots at fans for “enjoying wrestling ironically”… Oof.
As you’d expect for someone on a quest for more serious wrestling, Gibson had a very technical match as the pair stayed on the ground early, as both men worked over the other’s arm. It’s not very flashy, but the war of attrition is effective, with the odd strike being thrown in in a bid to get the arm extended. Things descend into a striking battle as Thatcher’s got Gibson’s guard, before they roll over and end up trading slaps whilst upside down!
Thatcher manages to work into a single-leg crab, but they’re too close to the ropes, and Gibson ends up using those ropes to snap into Thatcher’s eyes after the break, before going back to the arm. Gibson sneaks in some punches out of sight of the ever-blind Chris Roberts, before hitting Thatcher with uppercuts and cross chops for a near-fall.
A belly-to-belly off the ropes helps Thatcher get free, but Gibson quickly comes back with a double-knee gutbuster… only for his follow up Ticket to Ride to miss as Timmy grabs an ankle lock instead. Gibson thought he’s escaped into the Shankly Gates, but Thatcher counters the counter into an armbar that Gibson broke via the ropes, before being pulled into a butterfly suplex for another two-count.
A missed corner charge from Thatcher nearly sets up for a Helter Skelter… but Thatcher gets an armbar that Gibson again countered out of, finally wrenching in the Shankly Gates for the win. Your milage may vary, but I thoroughly enjoyed this match – and pretty much all of Thatcher’s European tour so far! ***¾
Dave Mastiff vs. Dan Magee
Mastiff was absolutely taking this match lightly, expecting this to be a walkover against the latest of Rev Pro’s contenders to get their own music. Magee lights into Mastiff after he spat at him… but Mastiff doesn’t go down, and easily shoves Magee away whenever there’s an opening.
One of Mastiff’s clubbing blows seem to be as good as at least a dozen of Magee’s, and with the size difference in mind, it’s hard to see any way Magee could find a way to win. A release German suplex from Mastiff doesn’t improve his chances, not does Mastiff just walking through his comeback of forearms.
A stiff slap knocked Magee into the corner, where he was in perfect place for a cannonball for the win. The nearest thing you’ll see to a squash match in Rev Pro – and exactly what they should have done given the disparity in experience. **
David Starr vs. Ryan Smile
Before the show, Starr bragged on Twitter that he’d had a week full of “match of the nights”. He left this show arguably extending that record.
Starr starts out by grounding Smile, looking for an early submission, but Smile’s even to it, going from a pushed-away leap over into a Billy Goat’s Curse/inverted Crab as he looked to keep Starr on the back foot. After kipping up, Smile challenges Starr to do the same… but of course he can’t… only for it to be a ruse as he tried to catch Smile with a clothesline after he’d offered a hand up.
Smile’s offence ends when he’s dropkicked to the outside, before Starr landed the Product Recall Flatliner in the ropes – and it’s those ropes that Starr uses to good effect, working over Smile’s leg, tying them up in the corners for targeted dropkicks. Starr declares he’s a good guy, but Smile tells him where they finish as he tried a fightback… only to get caught with the inverted slam.
Starr mocks the prone Smile, then chops him into a Flair flop, before unleashing with the Violence Party in the corner. A missile dropkick gets Smile back in, as does a Meteora off the top as Starr falls to the outside from a big boot… but it’s into the aisle, and if you know Ryan Smile in the Cockpit, you know where he likes to dive…
Except Starr avoids it and ends up eating a massive PK off the apron instead as Smile managed to get the tope con hilo off, clipping part of the stands in the process!
That’s only enough for a two-count when Smile rolled Starr back into the ring, but the match remains incredibly even, with Starr catching a handspring from Smile… only for it to get turned into a wheelbarrow roll-up. Stiff backfists and kicks somehow leave Starr down but Smile standing… at least momentarily as a DDT through the ropes onto the apron left Smile loopy.
Just like that though, an Ace crusher from Smile left both men back at square one, as the punch-drunk duo fought over a suplex. Smile fights out, but his OsCutter is blocked… and we end up with a ref bump as Smile spun Starr in a Fireman’s carry. A swift low blow behind Chris Roberts’ back and a Blackheart Buster is enough, and the Product gets the win in an entertaining back-and-forth match. ****
After the match, Starr yells to the crowd that he’s no longer going to play by the rules because he’s fed up of being screwed in title matches. He rattles off his nicknames (without a mobile phone or supporting list, which is doubly impressive) as Ryan Smile recovered on the mat.
Sha’s Life
Following intermission, Andy Quildan’s cut-off as he prepared to announce the next match. Sha Samuels heads out to pick a bone with him after the shambles that was the edited-off-VOD Bully Ray match. He wants a British heavyweight title match at York Hall, rather than that go to an import.
So much shade was thrown here, as were F bombs, before Sha asked Andy to “give him matches that mean something”. In the end, Sha gets a look in his eye and really begins to intimidate Andy before Rob Lias comes out and fights with Sha to the back.
Kurtis Chapman & Josh Wall vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis)
Kurtis has gotten a second N to his name it seems, whilst Kyle Fletcher seems to have been having the same cupping treatment to his back as a slew of guys out of the Midlands.
The Contenders flew out of the gates as Wall threw Chapman into the corner in an assisted cannonball for an early near-fall, before Kurtis’ standing surfboard was nearly broken when Fletcher stood up… before Chapman was powerbombed back onto Fletcher to send the Aussie back down.
Things swap around when Mark Davis comes in to forearm Chapman’s face off, as the Aussies isolated Chapman away from the stockier Josh Wall. Just as I say that, commentary actually took shots at Wall’s cardio… jesus, Andy’s in the shade business tonight! Massive chops from Davis just wipes down Chapman again and again, and it’s fair to say that tonight’s a bad night to be small, skinny, and in the same ring as Dunkzilla.
As is pretty much every night.
Chapman mounts a comeback against Fletcher, who instantly responds with a back suplex for a near-fall, before Chapman counters a tombstone with a move that I can only describe as a ‘rana/DDT/Destroyer hybrid. Finally Wall tags in and goes to work with forearms and chops on Davis, before flying out of the middle rope with a double stomp.
Fletcher comes in and tries to help, but eats a pop-up dropkick before kicking Kyle back off the apron in preparation for a springboard cannonball to the floor. Chapman is used as a weapon again as he bulldogs Davis for a near-fall, before he runs into a massive big boot from Mark Davis.
Things turn into a parade of moves for a spell, as Davis plants Chapman with a Bossman slam, before a Code Red from Wall and a step-up DDT from Chapman ends the flurry – and draws an ovation. Davis catches a crossbody from Chapman, who eats an assisted cutter from Fletcher for a near-fall, before the Fidget Spinner gets another two-count.
Wall tries another fightback, but runs into a double superkick before catching Davis with a lungblower in the ropes. That’s the cue for Sha Samuels and Rob Lias to spill into the ringside area again, distracting everyone from Gideon Grey, who slid into the ring and nailed Wall with his cane! Chapman nearly snatches the win with a small package as Fletcher tried to capitalise… but in the end a brainbuster from Fletcher and a pull-up piledriver from Davis wiped out Kurtis for the win. I popped. Aussie Open are always entertaining, especially if you put them against a team that has a smaller guy in it. It got a little spotty in the middle, and that finish was a bit on the rough side, but it did what it needed to. As to where Aussie Open go though… could a tag title shot be in their not-too-distant future? ***½
Jinny vs. Bea Priestley
Fun fact – the first indy show I went to in the UK (after a long while) featured Bea… in a brief loss to the future Laura di Matteo. There’s a weird connection to this, huh? The “Jinny versus” division continued here with Bea Priestley being her latest challenger to her undefeated streak.
Jinny dropkicked Priestley off the apron as she made her entrance… but Bea hits back with a dropkick of her own, and a running kick as she looked to cause an upset. A leg sweep takes Jinny into the ropes for an elbow to the back, but Jinny easily edges back in with a kick to the head.
Suplexes keep Jinny in front, as she chokes away on Bea in the corner, and it’s fair to say that after that initial flurry, this was pretty one-sided. More stomps keep Bea down, as do some forearms, which just had Bea demanding that Jinny hit her harder. Out of nowhere, an Exploder takes Jinny into the corner as Bea fought back with a Yakuza kick, only for Jinny to follow back with a kick of her own.
A leg-trapped German suplex is promptly shrugged off as Bea hits a Saito suplex in response, as we go back to kicks and knees, one of which caught Bea flush on the nose. That’s followed by a running knee into the corner, which leads to a superplex attempt… but Bea flips over and turns it into a Cheeky Nando’s!
Another kick leaves Jinny perched in the corner for a double stomp… but she gets a boot up to unsettle Bea, ahead of a Rainmaker as a Style Clash gets the win. This was a lot better on-demand than I remember it being live, but the big problem with this division is that, aside from Jinny, nobody else is established… so you’re getting a lot of “one shotters” who get varying reactions. Eventually this may change, especially as the list of potential candidates starts to run dry. **¼
Bubblegum vs. Flip Gordon
With no Josh Bodom, this obviously isn’t a title match… but it gives Flip Gordon perhaps his biggest exposure in the UK in his two-and-a-half year career so far (with no disrespect intended to LDN).
Before the bell, Andy Quildan references that, saying it’s “unbelievable that Sanjay Bagga (LDN promoter) got him first”. So much shade in one show… yet it’s still hot in the Cockpit!
There’s a lot of playing to the crowd, as Flip had some extremely vocal fans which threw Bubblegum in the opening moments, once we’d had some rather uncharacteristic mat wrestling out of Gordon. Flip gets flashy as he kips up from a shoulder tackle, before doing some cossack dancing on his hands as duelling dropkicks led to a stand-off.
One fan labelled Flip as “the most prestigious wrestler this country’s ever seen”… I can think of one guy who’ll instantly take umbrage at that!
Gordon comes back with some see-saw kip ups to escape a wristlock, then bamboozle Bubblegum, before diving through the ropes to superkick Bubblegum on the floor. A springboard 450’s aborted as Bubblegum comes back with a low dropkick, then a leg sweep and a slingshot stomp onto the apron as Gordon was on the back foot against the veteran.
Back inside, Gordon handsprings into a dropkick as he tries to fight back, connecting with a handspring back elbow, then a standing moonsault for a near-fall. Bubblegum lands a handspring back elbow of his own, before getting caught on the top rope… but comes out with a tornado DDT anyways for a two-count.
Bubblegum keeps up with a diving dropkick into the corner for a near-fall, before grounding Flip with an abdominal stretch… but Gordon breaks free and the pair exchange running boots at the same time to take both men down. Once they’re back to their feet, they trade forearms, before Flip flies in with springboarded Slingblade!
More back and forth ends with the pair trading kicks, ahead of a fireman’s carry that turned into a reverse Finlay roll, and a moonsault for a near-fall for Gordon. Another 450’s aborted, but Bubblegum capitalises with a running kick, only to get caught up top by Gordon… who goes for a superplex, only to get knocked down.
Bubblegum takes too long to capitalise on that, and eats a springboard back heel kick to get knocked down for a Gordon 450 splash… but that only gets a near-fall too! Flip springboards into a superkick, before he’s taken into the ropes for a 619… which he catches! Gordon tries to counter into an Alabama Slam, but instead he rolls through to give Bubblegum a knee strike, before he 619’s into a knee strike as Bubblegum gets his 619 in the end, ahead of the Ice Cream Headache Destroyer for the win! A heck of a match on second watch, with Gordon perhaps able to be accused of relying on the fancy stuff… and whilst it worked, it still wasn’t enough to unseat the veteran. ***¾
After the match we had promos from Bubblegum, who put over Gordon before demanding a title shot against Josh Bodom… claiming that he pinned Bodom last time he was at the Cockpit. Yeah, Bubblegum lost a three-way a week before this show, but he wasn’t pinned… so there’s the explanation!
Once Bubblegum and Gordon finished glad handing each other, Dave Mastiff came out to flatten the pair of them and end the show standing over the cruiser’s bodies.
All in all, this was a really solid show for Rev Pro, who came in with a roster that had been depleted by other shows going on that weekend… but that just shows the incredible strength in depth that exists in Rev Pro, and the British scene in general. For those live, Rev Pro’s Cockpit series represents good value for money, and with the odd storyline dotted in, it’s good episodic stuff as well!