Two weeks out from Global Wars, the Revolution tag match returned to London on what was a stacked show at the 229.
Quick Results
Connor Mills submitted Maverick Mayhew in 10:20 (***)
Alex Windsor & Mercedes Blaze defeated Aluna & Lucia Lee via referee stoppage in 11:47 (**¾)
Sha Samuels pinned Goldenboy Santos in 8:37 (***)
Lio Rush pinned Leon Slater in 16:09 (****)
Jay Joshua pinned Zozaya in 10:49 (***¼)
Danny Black & Joe Lando pinned Brendan White & Danny Jones in 12:34 (***¼)
Lizzy Evo pinned Dani Luna in 13:32 (***½)
Luke Jacobs & Ricky Knight Jr. won a Revolution Tag Match in 23:47 (***¾)
— To watch this show, head over to RevProOnDemand.com
We’re one week removed from the British J Cup – but Rev Pro continues to hurtle towards this month’s Global Wars… we’re back in the 229 in London, albeit via on-demand for me this time. Commentary’s from Andy Quildan and Gideon Grey. Just don’t take a drink every time they say “Doncaster”…
Connor Mills vs. Maverick Mayhew
Those of us with long memories will remember when these two teamed together.
Mills enjoyed the best of the early going, keeping Mayhew grounded… but Mayhew’s able to sneak in a ‘rana as Mills began to falter, leading to a standing crossbody for a two-count. A Dragon screw through the ropes put Mills back in control though, as he proceeded to work a toe hold… with some biting thrown into the mix.
Palm strikes from Mills rock Mayhew en route to a bridging deathlock, but Mayhew had plenty of strikes in him as well before he jarred his ankle coming off the top rope. That opened the door for Mills… who manages to clobber Mayhew with a lariat before he got met with an over-the-knee brainbuster.
Mills powders outside and got dived on, but a missed senton bomb back inside from Mayhew proved to be the end as Mills tied him up in knots for the submission to close out a solid opener – and one which Mayhew got more in than you’d expect. ***
Post-match, Mills acknowledged his past with Mayhew – and said that he’d asked for this match to try and give Mayhew a shot. Except he then turned on Mayhew, saying he’d disappointed him again, which meant Mayhew wasn’t going to be a part of Mills’ team in a six-man tag at Global Wars.
Cut Throat Collective (Alex Windsor & Mercedez Blaze) vs. Aluna & Lucia Lee
The Cut Throat Collective’s been a little MIA since the Copperbox – and against Lucia Lee and a debuting Aluna, things might be pretty straightforward for them.
Lee refused a handshake to start and enjoyed a bright start against Mercedez Blaze, but Alex Windsor got the tag in and looked to make inroads, only to get caught with a dropkick. Aluna gets the tag in and lays into Windsor, landing some surprising offence as the Collective were having issues getting going.
Eventually finding their way in, Blaze uses a boot choke on Aluna ahead of a suplex into the buckles, but Lee’s able to make it back in and clear house, dumping Blaze with a Saito suplex. Windsor gets one too, only to return with one of her own. A hip attack out of the corner from Blaze, then a spear off the middle rope nearly puts Aluna away, before Lucia Lee came in and got powerbombed almost out of the match.
Aluna’s able to recover, but a lariat from Blaze put the Collective back in it before tags got us back to Lee and Windsor. A head kick from Lee just earns her a headbutt as Aluna returned to eat a DDT, before a Windsor Sharpshooter had Aluna trapped as a Blaze curb stomp forced the stoppage. **¾
Post-match, Blaze took the mic and called out Millie McKenzie – as she’d not heard back from Millie after last month’s offer to join the Collective.
Goldenboy Santos vs. Sha Samuels
Next week we’ve got David Francisco taking on Sha in a “Respect match” – so here’s the natural prelude. Joshua James tried to accompany Sha to ringside, but he was shooed to the back, despite David Francisco being out in Santos’ corner.
Sha offered Francisco a handshake – and to cancel next week’s match – if Santos got the win… but if Santos lost, he’d be barred from Southampton next week. That offer was accepted with aplomb as Santos threw Sha around the ring to start, before a spear cut off Sha’s attempt to return with a volley.
Chops from Santos wore down Sha ahead of a suplex as things were looking pretty one-sided in the Portuguese’s favour. Another comeback from Sha ended with a missed elbow drop as Santos came right back in with a gutwrench suplex.
A back body drop from Sha saves himself as he mounted a comeback, coming close with a Michinoku driver, before another back body drop put Santos back in it briefly. Francisco helped Santos out of the ring after a spinebuster, but Sha stayed on them with a dive… Francisco intervened again, tripping up Sha as a Midas Touch and a tombstone almost got Santos the win.
Francisco’s found a Kendo stick from somewhere, and of course gives it to Santos… but it distracts the ref as Francisco came in with a second one. Joshua James made the save as he beat Francisco to the back, before Sha landed a second spinebuster to Santos for the win. ***
Leon Slater vs. Lio Rush
A battle of the last two British J Cup winners here, and a rematch from the first round of 2022’s tournament, which saw Leon get an upset win.
A tentative start quickly gave way as Rush got charged into the ropes, but a quick switcheroo sees Leon scarper as Lio teased a dive to the outside. Back inside, Slater begins to carve an opening with some chops, before a strong Irish whip sent Lio through the ropes to the outside.
Leon remained the aggressor, dumping Rush onto the side of the ring with a suplex, before some misdirection from Lio allowed him to land a clothesline. That helps pick up the pace as Rush’s evasiveness saw Leon send himself outside for an eventual low-pe, only for a charging front kick from Leon to turn things back on their head.
Lio’s stunner looked to buy him time, but Slater’s right back on Lio with a standing Blue Thunder bomb for a near-fall as Leon was again in the driver’s seat. A singular superkick knocked Lio through the ropes to the floor, almost leading to a count-out as Rush barely beat the ten-count, sparking another comeback… and this time it was the deciding factor as a standing Spanish fly and the Final Hour frog splash got Lio Rush the win. Lio’s got Mascara Dorada at Global Wars – and he’s going in strong. ****
Jay Joshua vs. Zozaya
After the break, we’ve Jay Joshua looking for his maiden win in Rev Pro…
Zozaya had trouble getting going as Joshua matched him hold for hold early on, and it was Joshua who hit the first blow with a big back senton. Using his speed advantage, Zozaya’s able to stem the tide, albeit briefly as Joshua’s power ensured he was able to launch the Spaniard with a gutwrench suplex… before a pull-up back suplex out of the corner a la Jeff Cobb drew a two-count.
Retaliating with a suplex, Zozaya’s able to buy himself some time, following up with a roll-through dropkick… before the sliding charge into the corner was stopped with a forearm. Zozaya’s able to evade a Gotch piledriver, but his shoulder begins to cause issues as he got caught with a roundhouse kick.
A diving leg lariat resets things for Zozaya, but his leap off the top led to nothing as Joshua’s death valley driver with a kick… and a folding powerbomb almost put away the Spaniard. In return, Zozaya’s Destroyer and a double stomp off the top were followed by a springboard moonsault, but it’s not enough.
Joshua’s diving headbutt cuts of a springboard dropkick as Zozaya looked to get the win – before a Gotch piledriver sent him rolling towards the outside. A teased Gotch piledriver on the side of the ring ended with Zozaya landing de Madrid al Cielo instead onto the apron, before Connor Mills ran out and cracked Zozaya with a head kick as the referee was checking on Joshua.
From there, Joshua returned to the ring to land a Gotch piledriver… and that’s your lot. A maiden win for Joshua, albeit with the asterisk, as I suspect Connor Mills has found his first partner for Doncaster. ***¼
Post-match, Mills confirmed Joshua for his Global Wars team, having said Joshua was like him – overlooked. Leon Slater made the save as Zozaya was about to be assaulted, but Mills announced his third man: Gabe Kidd. We weren’t done though – Zozaya one-upped them with his own third man: Hiroshi Tanahashi. That went from 0-100 real quick, huh?
Greedy Souls (Brendan White & Danny Jones) vs. CPF (Danny Black & Joe Lando)
A rematch of sorts from last year’s Great British Tag League, albeit this time with Joe Lando in place of Mayhew.
Lando, buoyed by a recent win over KENTA, started brightly, but things turned when Danny Black came in as the former tag champions had their way. Black’s barrage of forearms looked to create an opening, but Jones just waffles him with a single shot in return before Brendan White came in to keep up the offence.
Trapped in the wrong corner, Black’s able to fight past the Greedy Souls, landing a tornado DDT to Jones before tagging Lando back in. A hesitation dropkick from Lando crashes into Jones in the corner, before a stomp-assisted DDT almost put Jones down for the count. Returning with a Saito suplex, Jones tags out to Brendan, whose powerbomb completed the turnaround.
Backbreakers took Lando to the corner as the Greedy Souls pushed on, landing the Line Out on Lando before things went wild… a low-pe Stunner from Black took care of Jones on the outside, leaving Brendan alone as he had to reverse a double-team suplex, before an attempt at the Hospital Pass ended with Black scoring a crucifix pin on Brendan White for the win. A big upset for CPF, which will surely push them further away from title contention. ***¼
Lizzy Evo vs. Dani Luna
Lizzy won the GWF Women’s title on the Rev Pro shows in Berlin a few weeks ago – and you’d think a win here would put her in line for a shot at Mina Shirakawa’s titles. Mind you, Dani Luna also wants a crack at the belts she lost just over a month ago…
After shrugging off some early cheapshots, Dani Luna’s able to go for the rolling suplexes before a dropkick to the knee took her out. An attempted response saw Evo go for the hair to avoid a Luna Landing, before a front kick took Dani back down.
Chops from Evo keep her in control, but a sly kick from Luna knocked Evo off the apron after some choking. An attempt to post Evo ended with Luna getting thrown into the side of the ring, before a camel clutch back inside ended with Dani powering up and backing Evo into the corner.
Another crack at the Luna Landing’s escaped, but Dani’s back with a diving boot instead, before a delayed rebound Blue Thunder Bomb took Dani close to the win. In return, a spear caught out Luna, but the back-and-forth continued with a powerbomb for a near-fall… seconds later, Evo blocks a deadlift German suplex from the outside in, before the Virgil Van Strike knee proved to be enough to get the clean win. A good, competitive outing that didn’t get all tropey with ringside interference – you love to see it. ***½
After the match, Evo declared that her win meant she usurped Dani as number one contender… and called her shot at Mina Shirakawa in Doncaster.
Revolution Match: Luke Jacobs, Ricky Knight Jr., Will Kaven, Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey vs. Michael Oku, Cameron Khai, JJ Gale & Sunshine Machine (TK Cooper & Chuck Mambo)
You know the deal with these – it’s pinfall, submission and eliminations by going over the top, but there’s no DQs.
Usually, these things have about quarter of an hour before there’s eliminations. We finally got going with Mark Trew tagging himself in to have a pop at Oku, but Oku was able to breeze past him with a dropkick before Trew went for the eyes as we began to see pretty frequent tags to keep everyone fresh.
Eventually we got to Khai and Kaven as their early exchanges break down to back-and-forth suplexes, before a flying knee from Khai sent him over the top rope. Kaven didn’t join him, but his time in the match was short lived as TK Cooper came in and tidied up things by chucking the Cruiserweight champion out.
RKJ and Oku square up, but Luke Jacobs jumps Oku from behind as all hell broke loose with Gale getting dumped onto the side of the ring before he returned the favour, dropping RKJ onto a merch table. Gale adds a springboard corkscrew senton from the apron – so not accusing an elimination – as Mambo and Trew returned to the ring… TK’s in to help with a German Suplex Turbo Charged By The Power of Friendship, before Lacey took a Gutterball.
Luke Jacobs got in on the act, taking the Cagna Marta double-team, but things switch up with RKJ coming in as his diving knee laid out Mambo, with Mark Trew tagging in to snare the pin. Trew and Lacey isolate Michael Oku for a spell, before TK Cooper got the tag back in… he’s able to take Trew over the top rope before booting him to the floor, before a shooting star press got rid of Lacey moments later.
The rapid-ish fire eliminations continued with RKJ’s Fire Thunder driver taking out Cooper as we were left with Jacobs and RKJ against Gale and Oku. Breaking down, Gale’s Side Effect only earns him a suplex from Jacobs as the pair continued to go back and forth… a Falcon arrow nearly puts Luke out, while a follow-up Gale Force ended with Luke bundling him over the top rope for the next elimination.
That leaves Oku on his own, but despite his best efforts to make inroads, he wasn’t able to knock off either of his opponents. A wild lariat from Jacobs spins Oku down, before RKJ tagged himself in, causing some fresh aggravation between the two… Oku couldn’t capitalise though, which led to RKJ offering himself up for shots. It ends badly for Oku as he ran into a lariat, before a couple of powerbombs and a wild Fire Thunder driver ended up putting the former champion away. Ricky Knight Jr. and Luke Jacobs are your survivors here – a result that sent a shot across the bows to Oku, and perhaps put Luke on notice for the rest of the year? ***¾
This month’s trip to the 229 proved to be another strong outing for Rev Pro – living up to the strong card that they’d lined up. Next up is the final show before Global Wars as Rev Pro head to Southampton as we’re back in the thick of things.