The last stop before Uprising sees the United Empire’s Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis take on Shota Umino, Connor Mills and Michael Oku.
Quick Results
Robbie X pinned Luke Jacobs in 11:39 (***)
Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper pinned Doug Williams & Brendan White in 13:21 (***)
Mike Bailey pinned Callum Newman in 11:44 (***½)
Alex Coughlin & Karl Fredericks submitted Kenneth Halfpenny & Shaun Jackson in 9:49 (***)
Ricky Knight Jr. pinned Lucian Phillips in 8:52 (***)
Shota Umino, Connor Mills & Michael Oku pinned Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis & Will Ospreay in 14:44 (***½)
We’re back at Commemoration Hall in Huntingdon as Rev Pro wrap up their second double-header there this year. Andy Quildan’s joined on commentary by Gideon Grey for this 100-minute special…
Luke Jacobs vs. Robbie X
We’ve a rematch from the British J-Cup, which saw Jacobs get past Robbie X to make it to the finals. “Luke Jacobs looks like he’s trying to shut out all the noise,” feels like a harsh verdict on Robbie X’s theme. Or at least, the intro!
Jacobs powered Robbie X to the mat early on, as the pair exchanged headlocks and escapes, before Jacobs looked to focus on Robbie’s arm. Robbie returns with a knee to the lower back, before an attempted hiptoss into a cartwheel dropkick was stopped with a slam from Jacobs.
An eye rake takes Robbie X into the corner, with chops following before Robbie X managed to hit the hiptoss and cartwheel dropkick. Another low dropkick takes Jacobs outside, but he’s brought back in for a standing moonsault, before Jacobs’ back body drop took Robbie onto the apron… before an attempt back in for a handspring was stopped with a low dropkick.
A uranage onto the edge of the ring keeps Jacobs ahead, as did some ground and pound, before Robbie X looked to respond… and gets elbowed down for his troubles. He returns with a series of chops, but Jacobs whips him hard into the corner, taking things outside as Jacobs stayed on top… throwing chops for a two-count.
Knees to the back of Robbie X keep him grounded, before a backslide almost nicked the win. He builds up with some kicks, a roundhouse and a running shooting star press for a near-fall, before a Spiral Tap was stopped as Jacobs caught him on the top rope. A crossbody from Robbie X is rolled through, as we end up with Robbie X taking a German suplex, then a powerbomb for a near-fall.
Second time’s the charm as Robbie X threw Jacobs into the ropes, then hit a handspring kick to take him outside. A sit-out powerbomb back inside nearly wins it for Robbie X, whose next handspring was countered… he flips out of a German suplex, only to run into a lariat, before an X-Claimation gets the win. Robbie gets his win back from Stevenage, and there’s an instant rematch booked for St. Neots in December afterwards. ***
Brendan White & Doug Williams vs. Sunshine Machine (Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper)
Gideon’s extra salty for this show for some reason…
Williams takes Mambo to the corner early as he worked the arm, then took Mambo down for some headscissors. They’re escaped as Mambo slipped out into a side headlock, coming back with a springboard armdrag before Williams tagged out to Brendan White. A pair of knee drops target White, who then caught a leg lariat from Cooper at the second attempt, before Mambo’s Macho Man stun gun hung up White ahead of a springboard moonsault from TK for a near-fall.
White’s cornered as TK and Mambo double-team him on the way to a neckbreaker for a two-count, before Mambo’s springboard back elbow was caught and turned into a backbreaker. Williams is tagged back in for back sentons, before some Figure Four headscissors were escaped, with Mambo’s back elbows out of the corner turning things around.
TK’s back… and runs into a backbreaker as a German suplex from White gets a two-count. Williams is back to help with a double shoulder tackle, while a knee drop gets Williams another two-count. Williams and White work over the limbs of TK, who replies with a dropkick as commentary bemoaned the lack of tape study…
Eventually TK rolls free to Mambo, who swung and missed at White before hitting a forearm. Mambo kicks Williams of the apron, then scored a Blockbuster off the middle rope before a dropkick through the ropes caught Williams and White at the same time. The Reef Break followed from Mambo, before the Gory Bomb/Cutter (the Gutterball, cheers lads) gets a near-fall, as TK and Mambo focus on White with the propelled wheelbarrow German suplex (“the German suplex turbocharged by the Power of Friendship”) before White powerbombed his way free.
A superplex off of Mambo’s back dumps TK off the top rope as Williams then returned, landing a Tiger Driver for a near-fall. TK blocks a Chaos Theory, then countered a slingshot Bossman slam into a Destroyer. A blind tag has Mambo back in as TK’s scissors kick and a Mambo splash gets the win in a match that I swear I’m getting trolled in… ***
Callum Newman vs. Mike Bailey
It’s Mike Bailey’s last warm-up match for Uprising…
After he kneeled to shake hands with Newman, Bailey charges at Newman at the bell as we open with strikes. Newman looked shaken early, but goes back to the strikes as Bailey eventually knocked him into the ropes. Newman picks up the pace and hits a dropkick as Bailey was sent outside, but a baseball slide misses the Canadian as Speedball struck on the floor.
They brawl through the doors as both Andy and Gideon were proven right – yes, the camera does reach there, but it was unwatchable because of the lighting. We head back to the ring, which is better lit, as Bailey kicks Newman to the mat, before the pair trade chops… at least until Bailey snapped back with kicks, prompting Newman to respond with a springboard dropkick.
Newman stays a step ahead with a springboard uppercut to Bailey, then with a running shooting star press for a two-count, before Bailey caught him on the top rope. A Flamingo driver’s blocked as Newman elbows free, only to get caught with a gamengiri as the pair fought it out, with more kicks from Bailey eventually leading to both men coming off the top… only for Newman to get kicked away as he’d hooked himself in the ropes.
On the apron, the moonsault double knees crush Newman, who popped up to kick Bailey off the top rope before an exchange of dives saw Newman take a triangle moonsault… before Newman’s Sasuke special wiped out Speedball. Back inside, Newman rolls through a Shooting Star press, as did Bailey, before Newman caught out Bailey with a swinging Flatliner.
Bailey catches Newman on the top rope, but gets shoved down for a shooting star press… Bailey blocks it with his knees, then sprinted up top for the Ultima Weapon before a Flamingo Driver put Newman away. Another lovely sprint of a match from Bailey today, giving Newman just enough to show a threat, before decisively finishing him off. ***½
Two Extremely Athletic Men (Kenneth Halfpenny & Shaun Jackson) vs. Alex Coughlin & Karl Fredericks
Halfpenny and Jackson had a go at Joshua James before the match, as Team TEAM had a crack at New Japan’s LA Dojo lads.
Team TEAM (WCTAQ) jump their opponents at the bell as Fredericks and Halfpenny went outside… with Fredericks getting thrown into the wall. Coughlin’s left in there with Jackson, who knocks Fredericks off the apron before indulging in some choking. Jackson elbows out of a gutwrench suplex, then came back with a Fireman’s carry backbreaker for a two-count.
A double-team sidewalk slam/elbow drop gets a two-count on Coughlin, as that move’s apparently branded after another tourist attraction. Halfpenny winds up the ref and Fredericks as Jackson attacks Coughlin on the outside, as TEAM were coasting here. An obvious distraction from Jackson unsights the ref as Halfpenny again intervenes, before he tagged in to indulge on a chained-up abdominal stretch. On the third attempt, the ref caught it, as Coughlin hiptosses free before Fredericks made the hot tag.
A backbreaker from Fredericks takes down Jackson as he cleared house, dropping Halfpenny with a back suplex before the leaping fist drop gets a near-fall. Halfpenny trips Fredericks off the ropes, then hit a suplex for a two-count, before tags bring us back to Coughlin and Jackson.
Forearms from Coughlin are met with a shoulder tackle from Jackson, then another, before Jackson fell to a lariat. Now we get the gutwrench suplex to throw Jackson across the ring. Halfpenny returns to help with a side Russian legsweep/STO combo that sounded a lot ruder with the name Gideon gave it. That gets Halfpenny a near-fall, as did the Coventry Gardens double-team slam as Halfpenny and Jackson put the boots to Fredericks…
Halfpenny orders Jackson outside for a chair, but Joshua James runs out to retrieve it as Fredericks booted Jackson in the ropes… Coughlin frees himself from Halfpenny before rolling him into a brutally scissored Boston crab, and there’s the submission. ***
Lucian Phillips vs. Ricky Knight Jr.
Gideon sprints from the announce desk to introduce Lucian here…
After the crowd got their “shave your back” out of their systems, Phillips gets taken to the corner as RKJ looked to dictate the pace of things. Phillips takes RKJ to the corner for a chop, then stopped a receipt before Knight hit the ropes for the leapfrogs, dropdowns and the high speed dropkick. That sequence always impresses, live and on tape…
Another chop sinks Phillips as Gideon Grey popped up onto the apron… he slid his cane to Phillips, who jammed RKJ with it for a near-fall. A backbreaker drops RKJ for another two-count, before RKJ elbowed Phillips away ahead of a death valley driver into the corner.
A running dropkick crashes into Phillips in the corner, while a second one had more impact as Phillips was seated… with a draping DDT planting Phillips for a near-fall. RKJ leaps off the top rope but into a goozle as RKJ manages to superkick his way free. The Fire Thunder Driver’s escaped, with Phillips returning with a clothesline for a near-fall.
Phillips adds a chokeslam to the mix, but still can only get a two-count before chops woke up RKJ, who peppered him with more chops before a hook kick led to Gideon sprinting back down to ringside. In comes the cane again, but this time RKJ blocks it, then punts Phillips low ahead of the Kishi Driver for the win. RKJ had some scares, but in the end it’s another decisive victory as the Legion stuttered going into their reckoning tomorrow. ***
Post-match, Gideon tries to clock RKJ with the cane, but gets punted right in the Greys.
United Empire (Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis & Will Ospreay) vs. Destination Everywhere (Connor Mills & Michael Oku) & Shota Umino
Gideon’s back on commentary for the main event, but not until he’d slumped over the desk like he’d put his foot through a spike. Alan Partridge.
The United Empire trio wind up the crowd, with one guy going from his seat to ringside… then got shooed away. When the match finally gets going, Ospreay and Umino locked up into the ropes, with Umino breaking cleanly… only to have to duck a hook kick as Ospreay went for an early OsCutter, before a Death Rider’s pushed away as both men tagged out.
Davis and Mills tag in, with Mills escaping a slam before he elbowed Davis away. Headscissors are cartwheeled out of by Davis, who misses a back senton, before the Empire pulled ahead with a double-team stomp to Mills off the apron, while Shota and Oku were sent into the crowd.
Ospreay and Umino brawl in the unlit crowd, where live reports noted an incident with a fan (the same one from earlier in the match) going nose-to-nose Ospreay… the lighting was too dark to even catch it, but we do see the fan getting escorted out of the room as the match returned to the ring.
Mills lights up Ospreay with uppercuts, but gets met with a back elbow for a two-count, before Fletcher slammed Mills as Oku and Umino made their way back to the ring. A double-team powerbomb, not unlike the Spirit Squad’s old move, dropped Mills ahead of a Boston crab from Davis, who got to the ropes as the Empire continued to antagonise everyone.
A chop from Davis spins Mills back down for a two-count, before Mills clotheslines Fletcher away and finally made the tag out to Oku. Right hands from Oku have Fletcher on the back foot ahead of a DDT, while a springboard moonsault gets a near-fall for the Cruiserweight champion.
Fletcher kicks away a half crab, then spiked Oku with a brainbuster before tags get us back to Ospreay and Umino, who wheel away on each other with right hands. Uppercuts from Ospreay lead to him getting a back elbow off the middle rope from Umino, whose lifting reverse DDT almost got the win. A Death Rider’s escaped by Ospreay, who spins Umino down with a low dropkick as a springboard forearm nearly ends things.
Fletcher and Davis storm the ring for the inverted Razor’s Edge thing, before a standing moonsault from Ospreay drew a near-fall. The assisted OsCutter looks to follow, but Oku trips Ospreay in the corner as Destination Everywhere looked to make a comeback… but Mills eats a reverse slam amid a wild Parade of Moves.
A sitout powerbomb from Fletcher earns him an Umino shotgun dropkick, while he got the knees up to stop a shooting star from Ospreay as the match turns around again. Topes con giro take out Davis and Ospreay, leaving Umino in there with Fletcher, who nearly won with a backslide… before a pumphandle powerslam gets Shota a near-fall. From there, Umino hits the Death Rider on Fletcher, and that’s enough to put away the Aussie as the United Empire taste a rare defeat in what was a good trios match to wrap up the show. ***½
This was a solid show from Rev Pro that did just enough to heat things up for the next day’s York Hall event – for the few who were doing both shows – while keeping things brisk for those watching live as well.