David Starr’s quest to get “true independence” in Rev Pro was the big talking point on the promotion’s return to the Cockpit Theatre.
The two Andys are back on commentary as we’ve taken our sweet time to get onto the VOD of this. I guess the Portsmouth show from June is never coming…
Kenneth Halfpenny vs. James Mason
Mason’s been a bit of a regular on these Cockpit shows in 2019, and having initially burst onto the scene as an early challenger for Zack Sabre Jr., the well-traveled Mason has settled down into being a bit of a gatekeeper. Having pretty much exclusively faced Contenders past and present, Mason’s been a human proving ground early on in these Cockpit cards…
Mason looked to work over Halfpenny’s arm and shoulders early, but that just seemed to drag Halfpenny into Mason’s game, as we got the old World of Sport pinning attempts and the bridging up out of them. Halfpenny tries his luck with a leg lace, but Mason got free with a little bit of help from the ref, before they began to trade strangleholds and the like. In the end, it’s a jack-knife pin that gets Mason the win in a by-the-numbers outing that has become Rev Pro’s calling card at the Cockpit. **½
Dan Moloney & MK McKinnan vs. Dan Magee & Kurtis Chapman
It was a Rev Pro debut here for Moloney, who’s career has blossomed throughout the year with a PROGRESS debut and a highly-touted match against Will Ospreay at Fight Club Pro.
Here, the obvious pairing was between the heavy hitter Moloney, and the man who’s since asked us to call him a “rubber-boned pain sponge”, in Kurtis Chapman. And yes, there was a lot of pain for him to soak up here… not counting the bursts of static that came across the PA system before the bell. MK McKinnan started out with Chapman, quickly taking him into the ropes for a barrage of kicks before Dan Magee came in… and met a similar fate. A dropkick from Magee has MK down… so in tags Moloney, which prompted Chapman to scream for a tag too as he awaited his impending demise. He’s thrown and chopped around the ring with Moloney getting a heck of a sound out of Chapman, whose time in the ring could quite succinctly be described with one feeling: peril.
Chapman demands to keep facing Moloney, and to be fair he does try to fight back… but it’s the proverbial boys against men as a defiant Dan kept chopping away. A Codebreaker out of the corner gives Chapman a glimmer of hope, as we’re back to MK and Magee, with Dan landing Morning Glory on McKinnan as he forced his way back in. An awkward Sega Magee Driver gets a near-fall as the former Contenders’ opening quickly shut closed, despite Chapman’s crucifix pin on Moloney, as Dan just swatted him away and put away Chapman with a Dominator Piledriver. A dominating performance from Moloney, who gave Chapman what he asked for and more. ***¼
The next match was meant to have seen Rob Lias take on a returning Jaxon Stone. Problem was, Rob got a little too gobby before his match, and was oblivious to TK Cooper coming through the crowd to attack him. Cue a pull-apart… and a tear-away, as TK ripped Lias’ “every colour in the world” jacket in half.
So, that left Jaxon Stone with no opponent… and he wasn’t exactly happy with flying over here for no match. The search for an opponent led to him trash-talking Shaun Jackson, before Gabriel Kidd stood up and took the proverbial bullet.
Jaxon Stone vs. Gabriel Kidd
Stone slapped Kidd to start the match, as this was a t-shirt and trainers special.
After weathering an early storm, Stone clotheslines Kidd for a quick two-count, but Kidd quickly fought back with some forearms before Jaxon kicked him down… then pulled him up for a bit of an Attitude Adjustment. There’s still plenty of fight in the Contender though, despite getting caught with a stomp in the ropes as he fought out of a powerbomb and replied with a brainbuster.
Kidd tries to follow up with a Boston crab, but Stone gets out and looked for a brainbuster of his own. A Blackheart Buster lands instead for a near-fall, before Stone tried to steal it with his feet on the ropes. The ref spots it, and as Stone argued with the ref, Kidd charges in with a clothesline and a Boston crab for the submission. An unexpected outing and win for Kidd, who’s seemingly the pick of this bunch of Contenders with that trip to the LA Dojo looming. ***
There’s a telling bit of disgruntled head shaking from Kenneth Halfpenny as Gabriel Kidd went to the back – perhaps the Contenders are unhappy that there’s an alpha among the Young Lions?
Josh Bodom vs. Kyle Fletcher
The feud between Aussie Open and the new tag team champions got split into two singles matches here.
Fletcher charges into Bodom at the bell, as the Aussie Arrow had Bodom on the back foot from the off. A quick superkick and a Bodom breaker turns it around as the pair were continuing to throw bombs at each other. I mean, if they’re effective… why not? It gave Bodom enough time to shoehorn “Bro” into words like he was a promoter coming up with show titles, before another strike exchange led to Fletcher coming back in with a Michinoku driver for a near-fall. A Miz-like clothesline into the corner has Bodom on his backside, ahead of a big knee, but a back body drop gives Bodom another opening… which he took advantage of as a bicycle knee sent Fletcher outside for an Orihara moonsault.
Back inside, Bodom landed a senton for a near-fall, before his charge got turned into an overhead belly-to-belly into the turnbuckles. The pair head up top next, with Bodom landing a cutter off the middle rope, before the pair trade superkicks back-and-forth on the way to Fletcher eating a Destroyer… before his spinning tombstone and Ligerbomb nearly led to the win. Undeterred, Bodom fought back and looked for a Bliss Buster, but Fletcher clung onto the ropes and jack-knifed Bodom for the pin… even though Bodom leapt in for some more after the pin was counted. This was fine – a heated match, but on VOD a lot of the atmosphere seemed to be lost compared to live in the venue… ***¼
Seleziya Sparx vs. Shazza McKenzie
Sparx was coming into this on the back of a win over Gisele Shaw in Manchester – as the Rev Pro women’s division was seemingly meandering again.
They go straight into pinning attempts as McKenzie rolled Sparx to the mat for some near-falls, before a knee to the face of Sparx led to a fake out as Seleziya got low-bridged to the outside. McKenzie followed her outside, but a crossbody’s caught as the Aussie’s walked into the ring post. A superplex back into the ring keeps Shazza on the back foot, as do some running forearms as Sparx almost got the win with a standing side slam. Sparx misses a shoulder charge into the corner as Shazza tried to make a comeback… eventually landing a powerbomb out of the corner. McKenzie takes it onto the apron as a barrage of kicks trapped Sparx in the ropes, following up with a crossbody off the top for a near-fall.
Sparx comes straight back in with a Widow’s Peak for a near-fall, before McKenzie was forced to roll out of an Air Raid Crash, before her Splits Stunner was shoved off… and in the end, McKenzie just runs into the Air Raid Crash as Sparx took the win. This was fine, but with Zoe Lucas away in Japan, these women’s matches struggle to connect with the crowd as the goodwill perhaps isn’t there for these to pay off in even a title shot. **¾
Sha Samuels vs. Mark Davis
Calling this a “horrible rivalry” is certainly a phrase that can be taken many ways…
Much like earlier, both men were out without their tag partners, as Sha Samuels quickly powdered to the outside to stop Davis from dictating any of the pace. When we got going, Davis took Samuels in the corner, before Sha powdered again after landing a slap. There’s that phrase, poking the bear… The two bulls lock up into the ropes, but this time Davis replies with a slap and some chops as he began to wear down Samuels. A slam and a back senton followed, taking Sha outside for a tope… but Sha turns it around, shooing away the front row… only to get slammed onto the seating decks. Ow.
Back in the ring, Sha sidesteps a shoulder charge as he’d removed a turnbuckle pad – meaning Davis went straight into the ring post – as Sha worked over that left arm some more. Removing and loosening wrist tape didn’t help Davis much, as Sha kept on the arm, while throwing off his braces, catching the referee in the eyes as Davis finally forced an opening. A cartwheel and a big boot stops Samuels, while a snapping German suplex and a sliding D into the corner looked to have the Aussie back on top… but then he leapt into a spinebuster and we’re almost back to square one.
Samuels looked to finish off Davis with a Butcher’s Hook, but Davis back bumps his way out as the match descended into a lot of clubbering. A Gold Coast Waterslide ends with Samuels grabbing the referee, before Sha’s dropkick wiped out Roberts… giving the champion a chance to go outside and hunt for his belt. When it finally arrived, Davis intercepted the belt, but didn’t have a chance to use it as Josh Bodom came out… and then all hell broke loose as the locker room emptied to break it up and have a scrap with each other. A memorable finish to a match that was getting good… but “this feud must continue” as Rev Pro’s managed to make this feel real, at least to the live crowd. ***
Team WhiteWolf (A-Kid & Carlos Romo) vs. Bullet Club (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo)
There was some sense of annoyance live as El Phantasmo – making his first Cockpit appearance since his New Japan debut – returned as a bad guy along with the Bullet Club “young boy” Hikuleo. Or that could just as likely be “Kikuleo” based on the lower third’s font…
Phantasmo and A-Kid start on the mat with A-Kid looking to work over ELP’s arms before he stopped to flash a quick too-sweet on the way into a side headlock takedown. They counter in and out of the headlock, before Carlos Romo blind-tagged his way in, catching ELP with a dropkick for good measure. Things turned around when Hikuleo came in, as he dwarved Romo in the corner while teeing up for some chops. ELP throws one, but ends up stinging his own hand, so Hikuleo took over again as Whitewolf were suddenly on the defensive. A suplex keeps Romo in trouble, but he nearly upsets Phantasmo with a small package as the Bullet Club pair continued to isolate him.
A neck crank from Hikuleo set up for some more chops for poor Carlos, but he managed to get free, crawling through ELP’s legs before making a tag out. Except A-Kid just gets decked by a big boot from Hikuleo. Ah well. Remaining on the defensive, A-Kid was put in a Tree of Woe as ELP prepared for the gas pedal treatment, which didn’t help A-Kid any. Against Hikuleo, A-Kid finally fought back, landing dropkicks to try and even the odds before a DDT put Hikuleo down. Carlos Romo gets the tag back in, as he took ELP into the corner with a shotgun dropkick and a Busaiku knee… following up with a back suplex/facebuster for a near-fall.
Phantasmo’s able to get back in, with a big-boot version of a whirlbird neckbreaker, before A-Kid went back after Hikuleo with a triangle armbar. A-Kid keeps up the pressure, escaping a chokeslam before going up top for a crossbody… which lands for a near-fall, and we’ve another tag as Romo held Hikuleo up for a High/Low that almost ended things. Instead, Hikuleo comes back with a stacked up Samoan drop, in spite of all the kicks he’d taken to the leg, before ELP looked to finish Romo off with a CR2. Romo counters with a small package, then with a cutter for some near-falls, as Whitewolf looked to push forward, stringing together a Spanish fly/moonsault combo, before A-Kid’s Octopus didn’t exactly give Romo anything to work with… he’s taken off the top rope and chokeslammed by Hikuleo, as ELP’s CR2 finally gets the win. They shoehorned in the “dissension in Whitewolf” at the end after a match that gave Hikuleo just enough to establish him as a new big man in Rev Pro… without overshadowing ELP in the slightest. ***
After the match, A-Kid and Carlos Romo got into a shoving match over how the match ended, before a snarling Romo ended up walking off. The proverbial touchpaper has been lit…
David Starr vs. PAC
Our main event would be the last time PAC’d be at the Cockpit with the Open the Dream Gate championship…
The early exchanges didn’t draw a clear advantage, as Starr shrugged off some forearms early on before he began to taunt “Adrian”. PAC found the same kid he’s terrorized last time out, and played towards him while he began to dismantle Starr with Irish whips in the corners. A discus back elbow from Starr looked to give him an opening, but it’s just as quickly shut down by PAC, who hits a German suplex and a hanging missile dropkick as Starr defiantly demanded that PAC show up rather than “Neville”. That attempt to rile up PAC worked too, as Starr sidesteps a kick and knocked PAC down to his knees, before a Violence Party of chops and forearms awaited PAC in the corner.
The cartwheel kick cracks PAC, who replied with a small package before a backbreaker put Starr back on top. A superplex swung the tide as Starr rolls away to avoid a Black Arrow… but PAC just switches up and lands a 450 splash instead for a near-fall. From there, the pair headed outside, as Starr lands a suplex on the floor, which led to a count-out tease – even with a clunky bit that should have led to the count being restarted. Back inside, Starr runs into a superkick as PAC’s search for a Black Arrow ended when Starr shoved Chris Roberts into the ropes. PAC demanded that he be awarded a win via DQ, but Roberts didn’t want to cause a second riot in a year… and instead Starr came up with a belly-to-belly superplex as he proceeded to dump PAC with a Blackheart Buster for a near-fall. A crossface follows, but PAC got to the ropes as we reset with more forearms.
Starr upgrades those to Han Stansen lariats, but PAC resists and ends up accidentally superkicking the referee as Chris Roberts earned his danger money for the night. A Han Stansen from Starr connects seconds later, but there’s nobody to make the count as Tom Scarborough didn’t appear. Did he bugger off home early?! Starr berates Andy Quildan from the ring, but that just gave PAC an opening to grab his belt… and tease an Eddie Guerrero moment as the referee looked to be getting back to his feet.
Except Chris Roberts wasn’t anywhere near ready, as Starr instead laid out PAC with it before a Kaepernick powerbomb drew a near-fall. We’ve more callbacks as Starr went back to that Open the Dream Gate title, and threatened to stomp on it – a la the WWE UK title – but Chris Roberts dove in to pull the belt out of harm’s way, denying Starr more Twitter pixels for belt stamping. With Roberts otherwise distracted, PAC hits a low blow and a Black Arrow… and that’s enough to get PAC the win. This was a pretty decent main event, although the references to belt stomping will perhaps have grated with some – while others were perhaps unable to get overly invested because of the PAC effect. ***½
After the match, Starr stayed back in the ring and called Andy Quildan down for a fireside chat, irate at how he’s been cheated again. Instead, Andy brought up how he’d improved the working conditions with things like having paramedics on hand before promotions “were forced to”, while he then waved away Starr’s demand to have that last decision reversed. Starr noted that Quildan hadn’t replied to his suggestion of a match for control of the company… so we got the rejection. Until Starr offered to put his own career on the line too, and that was enough of a blow-away offer to get our match for Summer Sizzler. As to whom the mystery man is… we’ll have to wait and see.
While this was another solid Cockpit show, which built up the key storylines (Aussie Open vs. Bodom/Samuels, Starr vs. Rev Pro, and I guess the Whitewolf implosion), you could argue there’s little outside of there to drag the casual fans in to the product. As Rev Pro’s next big weekender’s coming in conjunction with New Japan’s Copper Box show, it’s going to be a tough ask to get fans to fill York Hall when they’ve already coughed up for New Japan on the next day. Is the lure of “David Starr controlling Rev Pro” strong enough? I’m not sure – but a lot of it will depend on who’s opposite the ring from him on August 30.