One week out from the British J Cup, Rev Pro hit Southampton as Michael Oku finally got his hands on his next challenger, TK Cooper.
Quick Results
Will Kaven pinned Zander Bryant in 10:18 (***)
Anita Vaughan pinned Safire Reed in 11:37 (***)
Joe Lando pinned Cameron Khai in 13:52 (***¼)
JJ Gale & David Francisco pinned Kieron Lacey & Mark Trew in 11:00 (***)
Joshua James pinned Harry Milligan in 5:42 (**¾)
Connor Mills submitted Danny Black in 11:24 (***)
TK Cooper & Chris Ridgeway pinned Michael Oku & Nino Bryant in 16:47 (***½)
— To watch this show, head over to RevProOnDemand.com
With less than a week to go before the British J Cup, we’re back at the 1865 in Southampton as Rev Pro return to a venue that hasn’t exactly seen my favourite strand of shows in 2025. Let’s hope that streak snaps…
Commentary comes from Dave Bradshaw and Gideon Grey, who shared one of my thoughts just before we got going.
Will Kaven vs. Zander Bryant
This is a non-title outing – but Will Kaven could be facing another Bryant for the title in two weeks if Nino wins the British J Cup next week.
Zander pulled ahead early on with a dropkick to Kaven’s knee, before he hung on with a monkey flip into a stomp for an early two-count. In response, Kaven dumped Zander with a German suplex before simply throttling him, before Zander began to fight his way back in.
Kaven cuts him off, but a tombstone attempt is blocked as Bryant hit back with a Chaos Theory instead. Zander pushes on with a clothesline and a pair of Quebradas, only for a follow-up splash off the top to be aborted as Zander eventually added a powerbomb for a near-fall. In return, Kaven’s diving knee gets a near-fall before he hung up Zander in the ropes… a diving knee misses as Zander’s big splash off the top just did enough to send Kaven powdering to the outside.
Zander tees up for a dive from there, going through Kaven and into the front row, before a second big splash back inside saw him land squarely in Will’s knees. With Zander rocked, Kaven’s able to pick his spots, only for Zander to break right back in with a calf slicer… which Kaven bit his way free of.
From there, some paintbrushing strikes to the back of the head open it up for Kaven to add a snap piledriver… then a tombstone for the win. Zander looked real good in defeat here, and should be one of those next in line in this division. ***
Safire Reed vs. Anita Vaughan
This one could get, erm, hyperactive as the Cut Throat Collective threaten to be cut adrift in Rev Pro after the recent announcement that Alex Windsor’s headed to AEW. Of course, ins storyline here, they’ve been playing up Safire Reed going soft, with Reed and Vaughan a team elsewhere on the indies.
Reed shoves first as the match quickly went to the mat, before a stomp to the foot from Reed barely fazed Anita. Going back to the mat, the pair couldn’t create an opening before Vaughan trapped Reed in the corner for an uppercut. Things remained keenly-fought as Vaughan’s dropkick took Reed down for a two-count, before things spilled outside as Reed hit a dropkick through the ropes. Back inside, Safire stomps a proverbial mudhole in Anita in the corner as Reed finally began to chain some offence together.
A short-distance whip into the ropes opened up Vaughan for a diving elbow at point-blank range as Vaughan struggled to make any kind of opening. Keeping Vaughan at arm’s length, Reed pulls her up for some chops… they’re eventually caught and returned though, before a front kick caught Reed ahead of a fallaway slam.
From there, Reed armdrags her way out of a Gunnslinger, but Vaughan’s able to catch her out again with a rebound German suplex… then with a spinebuster for a near-fall. Missing a diving clothesline looked to have Vaughan in trouble, not helped with a double stomp of the middle rope as Reed again piled on the pressure, only to get caught with a Gunnslinger.
Reed rolls to the apron, clutching the bottom rope to avoid being pinned… but Vaughan just suplexes her back into the ring, only to get caught out of nowhere with a crossface. Vaughan backs up into the ropes to force the break, and while Reed stayed on Vaughan with some stomps, she had second thoughts while going for a Shining Wizard and ended up getting rolled up for the win. This was pretty good stuff, and didn’t go too overboard on the “we’re friends elsewhere” trope that could easily have overrun this. ***
Cameron Khai vs. Joe Lando
This is a bit of an odd match – given that Cameron Khai’s one of the “home” favourites for next week’s British J Cup… while Joe Lando’s got a tag title match in a fortnight.
An early exchange led to Khai getting dumped with an uppercut before a corkscrew standing moonsault put Lando ahead, before he followed up with an Octopus stretch and a mouse-trap pin for another two-count.
Khai hit back with a neckbreaker as he looked to force his way in, adding a pair of kicks and a standing moonsault, before a side suplex and another kick to the back had Lando rocked. An Irish whip from Khai sent Joe Lando crashing through the turnbuckles to the outside via the ring post, but Lando’s able to get back inside and mount a comeback with some clotheslines.
Lando keeps going with a hesitation dropkick into the corner, before a running shooting star press almost got the win. A shooting star press misses as Khai tried to get back into it… but he’s forced to block a satellite DDT out of the corner as Khai instead retaliated with rolling Northern Lights suplexes. Those get turned into a Falcon arrow for a near-fall, as the pair then began to trade forearm smashes as they fought back to their feet.
Again, Lando looks to push ahead, but a rebound lariat from Khai just earns him a Matrix cutter that took things outside… with a tope con giro connecting ahead of a shooting star press back inside for a near-fall. Rather than follow up, Lando plays to the crowd as Khai looked to have been rocked by the landing there… and it almost backfired as Khai returned with a powerbomb, a knee strike and an over-the-knee brainbuster for a close two-count. From there, Khai heads outside for a Pingshot Cutter, but Lando beats him with a cutter of his own… only to dive into a knee strike from Khai.
We’re back outside again as Lando rolled outside into the path of a Triangle Moonsault… back inside, Lando wins another battle of cutters, and that’s your lot as Khai’s insistence on going for the Pingshot Cutter ended up costing him the win here. ***¼
We’ve got an interrupting video package ahead of the first half main event, and boy howdy, this crowd’s going to be insufferable…
Mark Trew & Kieron Lacey vs. Sons of Southampton (David Francisco & JJ Gale)
Trew and Lacey were booed out of the building here, but what else did you expect?
After last season, Southampton just want a winning team, so the crowd were all over this debuting tandem. We start with Francisco knocking Mark Trew off the apron before catching Kieron Lacey with a sunset flip out of the corner before JJ Gale came in to crack Lacey with a diving uppercut.
Trew charges in to blindside Gale, but JJ outlasts them as another uppercut out of the corner almost put Lacey away. Another turnaround sees Trew and Lacey score with a neckbreaker/Dominator combo for a two-count, before Trew’s side chinlock wrenched Gale down to the mat.
Gale’s kept isolated as Trew and Lacey exchanged frequent tags… and unsighted the referee often as chicanery almost led to the win. A second Dominator/neckbreaker’s avoided as Gale broke free, before Gale’s back body drop would have led to a tag… but Trew’s Ralph Wiggum headbutt seconds earlier had knocked Francisco down.
Nevermind, Francisco’s back up as tags bring in him and Lacey… Francisco clears house, before a spin-out butterfly suplex to Lacey, then a powerbomb on Trew almost got the win. A blind tag brings Gale in as he sent Lacey packing… but there’s dissension because Francisco wanted to do it all on his own. They quickly calm things down as Francisco’s dropkick through the ropes led to a tope con giro from Gale, before Lacey avoided duelling superkicks.
A springboard Wiggum from Trew wipes out Franciscio as another turnaround had Gale on the back foot… things go haywire here as Mark Trew’s shooting star press just about landed, before a Black Flag was saved by Francisco as a Gale Force flipped Trew inside out. Front here, Francisco’s Ruckus and a senton bomb from Gale picked up a relatively rare Southampton win in a match that certainly had the crowd going, even if this whole thing doesn’t feel like it’s got legs away from the South Coast. ***
Harry Milligan vs. Joshua James
They dusted-off Martin Stone’s old music for Joshua James – if you know, you know!
Harry’s pounced early on, after throwing a flurry of “east” punches to James… a swinging chop takes Harry into the corner from there, with a follow-up Irish whip bouncing the young’un seconds later.
James is all over Harry, whose response was a meek series of forearms that barely registered, before a retort led to some mudhole stomping from James in the corner. Harry’s able to catch Josh with a Codebreaker as he was pulled out of the corner, before a missile dropkick to the knee took James down for a knee trembler… that barely even got a one-count.
Somehow, Harry manages to get James up for a spinebuster for a near-fall, before a trip up top ended with Harry getting chokeslammed down… with Josh pulling up the pin. Harry tries to fight back, but he can’t avoid a splash off the top, as Harry was mercifully put out of his misery. **¾
Post-match, James continued to put a beating to Harry… only to be stopped by Sha Samuels. Sha tries a spinebuster, but James avoids it as he clotheslined Sha, before a follow-up splash off the top was avoided, with Sha clotheslining him to the outside instead. With James being held back, Sha took the mic and vowed to win the Rumble… and take his title back in the end.
Connor Mills vs. Danny Black
Much like Joe Lando/Cameron Khai earlier, this is a weird match on paper – given CPF already called their shot for a tag title match. They aren’t about to have cashed in a trophy to end up as part of a three-way, are they?
A frenetic start led to a stand-off in the opening 15-seconds, before a leaping victory roll and a standing moonsault got Black a pair of two-counts. Retaliating, a low dropkick from Mills got nothing but Black’s face as things eventually spilled outside… with Mills blocking an Out of the Black as he instead targeted Black’s shin and knee.
Back inside, Mills’ powerbomb keeps him ahead, as did a British Figure Four, which morphed into a roll-up as Black tried to fight free. A Koppo kick from Black stuns Mills briefly, whose attempt to go for a Dragon screw between the ropes proved fruitless as Black baited him in.
A tope atomico into a stunner from Black keeps him ahead, as did a DDT, before Mills began to kick his way back into proceedings. An ankle lock from Mills is kicked away, but an Orange Crush allowed Mills to go back to that hold… my feed drops, returning with Danny Black taking Mills into the front row with an Out of the Black, before he countered a rebound lariat into a Spanish Fly back inside for another near-fall. Black takes too long going up top, which allowed Mills to get up as he got back in with a rebound lariat, before a bridging ankle lock forced the quick submission. ***
So… Mills stormed off afterwards, but does that open the door for Mills and Joshua to stomp into the tag title match?
TK Cooper & Chris Ridgeway vs. Michael Oku & Nino Bryant
TK’s still needing a new theme, and Michael Oku again sets off Gideon Grey on commentary as this’d be the final face-to-face appearance between TK and Oku before the Revolution Rumble.
A jump start saw TK launch himself into Oku as the champion had to evade some double-teaming before the bell. We eventually started off with Oku and Ridgeway, before a quick tag brought in Nino Bryant to keep Ridgeway grounded. Ridgeway escapes, bringing TK Cooper in… but Bryant’s able to make a blind tag as a spear/neckbreaker combo ended up putting TK on the deck.
Ridgeway kicks Bryant away from a half crab as they went for the cute double pose… and with Oku distracted, he’s left open for TK Cooper to attack him from behind as the Kiwi took charge. Oku’s bounced with a backbreaker before Ridgeway’s kitchen sink knees kept Oku on the back foot.
Almost a Haas of Pain from Ridgeway’s transitioned out of as the ropes force a break… TK keeps the pressure up, before Ridgeway got his hands on Oku with a back suplex onto the side of the ring. A bow-and-arrow stretch follows back inside as Ridgeway tying Oku up in knots, before TK returned to kick Oku back into the corner.
Eventually Oku created an opening for himself with a missile dropkick to Ridgeway, which bought him enough time to make the tag out to Nino Bryant, who was more than rareing to go. Unfortunately, a missed backflip out of the corner from Nino threatened to turn the tide, but Nino shook it off and hit a moonsault off the top into a DDT for a near-fall.
Oku blind-tags himself in mid victory roll from Bryant, allowing him to moonsault in for a two-count on TK… attempts for duelling splashes off the top go awry as Nino lands in TK’s knees before a lofty pop-up Samoan drop almost won it. From there, TK mocks Oku with a half crab on Bryant… but Oku’s able to break free of Ridgeway on the floor to break up the hold with a superkick.
TK’s back to his feet as Oku tagged in… we eventually get to a tornado DDT that Ridgeway PK’s away the cover on. An exchange between Ridgeway and Bryant cleared them both to the outside before Oku’s missed dropkick in the corner almost led to TK snatching the win with his feet on the ropes. From the kick-out, Oku ducks a torpedo headbutt and rolled TK into a half crab, only to rake the eyes to get free.
A Dodon knee lift from TK lays out Oku from there, but Ridgeway’s tagged in to pick at the pieces. He’s forced to cradle Oku’s half crab attempt before a dropkick cleared Ridgeway and TK off the apron. Problem was, TK had made a blind tag in just before that, and TK’s able to wipe out Oku with another torpedo headbutt before a ripcord headbutt ended things. An “unexpected” win for TK Cooper sees him get the last laugh before his match with Oku in two weeks – and given the direction of travel, a repeat in York Hall wouldn’t be deemed an upset, right? ***½
After a hideous main event last time in Southampton, Rev Pro’s June sojourn was much better on paper – but after the Sons of Southampton tag headlined the first half, the crowd noticeably quietened into the second half. There’s work to be done, but with two big shows left in June, we’ll have to wait til next month before getting the lay of the land once more.