Rev Pro headed to Portsmouth for the evening-after-the-night-before as Robbie X took on Will Ospreay in a non-title main event.
Quick Results
Michael Oku & Connor Mills submitted Kenneth Halfpenny & Shaun Jackson in 11:41 (***)
Dan Moloney pinned Brendan White in 11:41 (***)
Hyan pinned Clementine in 9:14 (***)
Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis pinned Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II in 13:08 (***½)
Shota Umino pinned Gideon Grey in 15:45 (***)
Ricky Knight Jr. pinned Lee Hunter in 13:56 (***¼)
Will Ospreay pinned Robbie X in 18:21 (***½)
One day after Rev Pro’s 9 Year Anniversary, the promotion headed back to their Portsmouth home base for their first show at the Guildhall in 18 months. Andy Quildan’s running solo on commentary, clearly having had enough of the Bobby Heenan to his Gorilla Monsoon.
T.E.A.M. (Kenneth Halfpenny & Shaun Jackson) vs. Destination Everywhere (Michael Oku & Connor Mills)
Obviously this was non-title…
Mills and Jackson start by working over the other’s arms, before standing switches dizzied everyone en route to a snapmare and a diving uppercut from Mills. Oku’s in to ‘rana out of a Jackson powerbomb, before Halfpenny came in to take a wheelbarrow/bulldog double team, then an assisted moonsault for a near-fall.
Jackson provides a distraction as Halfpenny then kicked Oku to the outside for Jackson to drop in the rails. Halfpenny tries to nick a pin back inside, but Oku kicks out as T.E.A.M. cheat behind the ref’s back. A sidewalk slam/elbow drop gets Halfpenny a two-count, before Halfpenny trapped Oku with his legs to keep T.E.A.M.’s erm, teamwork up.
A DDT to the leg from Jackson keeps the focus on Oku’s injured wheel from the night before. Oku finally gets free to tag out to Mills, despite Halfpenny pulling Mills off the apron (after the tag)… Mills gets up and clears house with a springboard uppercut, before hitting a springboard moonsault off the buckles to T.E.A.M. on the floor.
Back in the ring, a rebound lariat from Mills and a Millshot drops Jackson, while Oku’s springboard moonsault landed for a two-count. Mills gets thrown into the ring post by Jackson, as Oku’s left to fend for himself… Halfpenny breaks up a half crab as Jackson muscles Oku up for a swinging uranage, before Mills ate a gutwrench throw into an uppercut for another two-count.
Mills gets taken up top, but fought free as Halfpenny went in for the Big Guns Joe action, taking down the straps on his singlet, only for Mills to float over him into a ‘rana on Jackson. A Burning Cutter from Mills leaves Halfpenny down, while Oku returned for a half crab, and that’s the elementary win – a perfectly fine opener as the new champions pick up the win over the former contenders whose tricks didn’t quite work out for them. ***
Dan Moloney vs. Brendan White
Time for some big lads now, as Brendan White looks to get his second win after having shed those Contenders’ trunks…
White’s offer of a handshake is kicked away – so the crowd know to boo Moloney here – as we start with a big ol’ tie-up that took Moloney into the corner. After the break, Dan stalls, then shoves White as he baited him for a headlock takedown. Moloney keeps a grip on it, but White pushes free ahead of a shoulder tackle, before Moloney’s elbows and uppercuts took White down to a knee.
White manages to find a way back in with a Gorilla press slam, before a leaping shoulder tackle off the middle rope drew a two-count as Moloney rolled outside for respite. On the outside, Brendan’s caught and thrown into the rails as he’s then met with chops, before a snap suplex back inside landed for a two-count for Moloney.
Moloney pokes White in the eye, then met him on the mat with some kicks as the Welshman wasn’t allowed to get back to his feet. Some choking on the mat keeps White down, but sparked a fightback as he broke a side headlock with forearms, but we’re back on the mat with another headlock as a side suplex from White forces some separation.
Forearms and boots from White give him momentum, only for Moloney to jack-knife him with a cover for a two-count, before White kneed away a spear attempt. A spin-out butterfly suplex gets White a two-count, only for Moloney to slip back in with a crossface. White tries to lean back to turn the crossface into a pin, following up with a backslide too, before Moloney’s dropkick stopped him in his tracks.
A Drilla looks to follow, but White escaped, only to get rolled up as a spear proved to be enough for the win for Moloney. This was a good little scrap, but with Moloney seemingly back on a collision course for the title, there only seemed to be one result here. ***
Hyan vs. Clementine
It’s a return to Rev Pro for Clementine, whose appearance in the Queen of the Ring tournament at the end of July had highs and lows in one show.
After Hyan and Clementine hug at the start, we open with a lock-up, but Clementine pulls ahead early with armdrags and a drop toe hold into the ropes, before she hit a splash to Hyan’s back for a two-count.
Hyan escapes a slam, then caught Clementine’s floatover and turned it into a Wasteland, following with a legdrop for a two-count. Running knees to the gut lead to a back suplex from Hyan, before Clementine booted Hyan out of the corner ahead of a crossbody… which Hyan caught and turned into a slam.
A chinlock from Hyan stretches Clementine next, before some cravat knees were caught, with Clementine returning with a legdrop for a two-count. Hyan flips Clementine over her back for a low dropkick to keep the near-falls coming, before a grounded abdominal stretch wore down Clementine some more.
Clementine clings onto the ropes from an Irish whip, then looked to mount a comeback with a splash and a bulldog out of the corner, before a hammerlock’d, grounded Octopus of sorts looked to have Hyan in trouble. The ropes save Hyan, who returned with a slingshot sunset flip, then a running STO of sorts before a spinning rack bomb almost ended the match.
Hyan looks for the Glam Slam, but Clementine wheelbarrowed through for a two-count, then hit an Angle Slam for another, before Hyan countered a wheelbarrow into the Glam Slam for the win. A good “babyface match”, with these two working really well together – Clementine looked to gel a little more with the more kid-oriented Portsmouth crowd, and looked good in defeat here. ***
Lykos Gym (Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II) vs. Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher)
What’s that word, finding joy in the misery of others? Oh yeah, this was a sorta-Schadenfreude reunion…
We’ve a jump start as the Lykii attacked Davis before the bell, then hit Fletcher with the Asai DDT onto the knees. The match formally starts with Lykos II kicking Fletcher’s legs in the ropes, before Kyle was taken into the Lykii’s corner as the wolves looked to control the pace. Mark Davis hits the ring to protest, as the wolves attacked behind the ref’s back, while the focus stayed on Fletcher’s legs.
Fletcher counters a double-team suplex, breaking free with one of his own before Lykos knocked Davis off the apron to keep the isolation going. A Dragon screw through the ropes keeps Davis down as the Lykii wanted no part of him… a Lo Mein pain from Lykos II and a Casanova from Lykos led to a two-count on Fletcher.
Eventually Fletcher manages to evade the wolves and tags in a pissed-off Davis, but the two-on-one is quickly squashed as Davis slammed both of the Lykii in one go. Chops keep Lykos II down, while Lykos II slips under Davis for a kick to the face. A roundhouse enziguiri has Davis down, before a roll-up nearly put the big man away… as did a lucha roll-up.
Lykos II goes back to the chops, but has more luck with a satellite DDT before Davis just punched him out. A double-team powerbomb’s escaped by Lykos II, who found a way in with an Octopus on Fletcher, while Davis just carried Lykos back in – while wearing his Octopus hold – before throwing the Lykii into each other to save Fletcher.
Fletcher’s back in to hit a pair of powerbombs on Lykos II, before Lykos came in with a knee… only to get spiked with a Michinoku driver. Davis is back in as Lykos punches out of Fidget Spinner, then ‘rana’d Davis before a Euro clutch nearly nicked the win. Davis returns as Lykos II gets destroyed off the apron, before a sliding punch leaves Lykos I laying, ahead of a Fidget Spinner for the win. This was a good little tag match, with the Lykii breaking out more than just cheating – but with Aussie Open already destined for a title match, the result wasn’t in too much doubt. ***½
Post-match, Kyle got the mic and reiterated Aussie Open’s challenge for Destination Everywhere…
Gideon Grey vs. Shota Umino
Grey’d left his nan’s robe at home as Lucian Phillips seconded him to ringside.
Umino’s clearly the crowd favourite, and gets frustrated early as Grey backed into the ropes before Shota’s armbar ended in the ropes, with Grey winding up the crowd as he went. Headscissors end with Gideon headstanding his way free… then offered a handshake to Umino, who ended up having his eyes raked.
He’ll learn those tricks.
Umino forearms Gideon down from there, but Grey takes things to the corner for some mounted punches as Umino eventually broke free by dropping him down into the buckles. Shota returns the favour, dishing out all ten punches as Gideon pratfalls out of the corner too, before taking a forearm as Umino pulled ahead.
A backbreaker and a back senton lands for a two-count, before dropkicks and a chinlock keep Grey down. Grey tries to elbow free, before he pulled Umino by the hair… Shota tries to return the favour, but nothing’s going, so Shota just gives him a wedgie. A back suplex breaks that as Umino drew a two-count, because the ref’s pulled to the outside to save the match.
Phillips popped up on the apron to distract Umino, and it worked too as Grey attacks from behind and began to focus on the legs. A Figure Four leglock has Umino in trouble, but Shota slaps his way free, only for Grey to go back to the leg. The Figure Four follows again, this time with Phillips assisting Grey from the floor, but finally Phillips gets caught and ejected from ringside.
After that, Umino wallops Gideon with uppercuts in the corner, then a low dropkick, leading to a Fisherman suplex that almost gets the win… but Grey’s out at two. Shota calls for a Death Rider, but Grey chops out the knee to break free, before he cartwheeled into an eye rake on Shota in the corner. He telegraphs a second one, but Shota turns it into a knuckle lock, before he pulled Grey into the Death Rider for the win. Portsmouth’s known as being a more “casual” crowd – as opposed to the “work-rate” fascinated crowd. This match absolutely worked for the crowd, and there’s not much more you can ask for than that. ***
Post-match, Dan Moloney attacks Shota Umino on the stage…
Lee Hunter vs. Ricky Knight Jr.
Curiously, they’ve started to mention the Hunter Brothers in Rev Pro again… Lee’s wanted to be a singles wrestler thus far, so let’s see.
Hunter was looking for backing from the crowd early on, as we opened up with RKJ surprising Hunter with a hiptoss. In return, Hunter gets a hiptoss, before landing a slam off the ropes and a sidewalk slam out of the corner as RKJ tried to charge at the veteran.
RKJ turns up the tempo as Hunter was having no luck getting the crowd on board, as a dropkick from Knight lands flush following some quick rope-running, before a stalling suplex has Hunter down for a two-count. Hunter’s crossbody lands for a two-count as he proceeds to clothesline RKJ to the outside… but a plancha misses as RKJ came back with a superkick.
A back suplex drops Hunter on the edge of the ring, before a senton back inside drew a two-count for RKJ. The pair trade strikes before a back suplex took Hunter down for another two-count, before a scissored cobra clutch on the mat looked to force a stoppage. Eventually the ref does the arm drop gimmick, but Hunter clings on and fought free with a back body drop.
Hunter keeps going as both men clatter into each other with dualling crossbodies. They beat the standing ten-count and resume with right hands, only for a diving knee from Hunter to stop the momentum. A superkick’s next for a two-count, before Hunter’s suplex was countered into a death valley driver into the corner.
RKJ throws a diving dropkick to Hunter in the corner, then a London Bridge draping DDT for a near-fall, before RKJ went for a Fire Thunder Driver. It’s blocked as Hunter came back with a Blockbuster instead for a two-count as the match remained finely poised… A Side Effect from Hunter looks to put him ahead, as did a tornado DDT, but Hunter misses a moonsault and ends up taking a spin kick, then a Fire Thunder Driver as RKJ leaves Portsmouth with the win. ***¼
Robbie X vs. Will Ospreay
This one’s non-title as we focus on Ospreay vs. RKJ to unify the Rev Pro titles in September…
Ospreay heels on the Portsmouth crowd, saying “if I’m in Portsmouth, I know my stuff’s getting robbed.” It got cheered. Ospreay rolls outside at the bell and gets the crowd on Robbie X’s side, before he headed back inside and got tied up into the ropes by Robbie X.
A cheapshot’s ducked as Robbie X grabs a side headlock, before Ospreay pushed off and mugged the crowd after a shoulder block. The pair trade their springboard cutter attempts early as Ospreay bails into the crowd, looking to take the sting out of things. His luck didn’t instantly change, as Robbie X’s snapmare and dropkick led to a standing moonsault for a two-count, before the pair began to trade chops.
Robbie X’s taken outside with a chop, with Ospreay following him into the rails as he went for some choking. Just to upset a kid, Ospreay punches Robbie back in the ring, before he outsmarted Robbie’s cartwheel dropkick to hit one of his own for a two-count. A backbreaker’s next for another two-count, before a backflip kick caught Ospreay off-guard.
A kick to the thigh, then an enziguiri in the corner has Ospreay down for a running shooting star press that nearly nicks it, before we went back to the chops. Robbie X is down by the ropes, but low bridges Ospreay onto the apron for a handspring kick, then a PK off the apron, before a missile dropkick landed for a near-fall.
Ospreay cuts off Robbie X with a flapjack, following in with a European uppercut into the corner. A dropkick and a springboard forearm’s next for a two-count, before Robbie X countered out of a neckbreaker, only for his wheelbarrow attempt to get countered into a German suplex for another near-fall.
Robbie X elbows away an Chelsea Grin, then hits a DDT out of a Storm Breaker, which looked to have gotten rid of one of Ospreay’s teeth… the pair trade elbows as they fight from their knees, but it’s Ospreay who’s pulling ahead… only to mouth off to Robbie X, who absorbs some Kawada-style kicks before he chopped back.
Ospreay’s lifted up top, but escapes as his attempt at a Cheeky Nando’s gets countered with a leaping reverse ‘rana out of the corner. Robbie X tries to finish off Ospreay with a sit-out powerbomb, but it’s not enough as Robbie X comes in with a knee strike… only to get forearm’d away as he tried to add the X-Clamation springboard cutter.
A hook kick from Ospreay had Robbie X down, with a second one leading to an OsCutter… but Robbie X backslides out of it for a near-fall. Robbie throws in a diving enziguiri into the corner, before a slam lands… a Spiral Tap misses, with Ospreay then throwing in a bicycle knee for a near-fall. From there, the OsCutter plants Robbie X for a near-fall, before a Chelsea Grin and a Hidden Blade led to the win. A cracker of a main event, with Ospreay coming out on top… and however much a molar weighs lighter! ***½
This was a solid, consistent outing from Rev Pro – but with the sights already set on York Hall in September, this was always going to be a little “after the Lord Mayor’s show”, especially coming the night after the Manchester anniversary show.