We’re heading up to Sheffield for Rev Pro’s latest outing, featuring a no-DQ main event with Ricky Knight Jr. and Dan Moloney.
Quick Results
Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper pinned Will Kroos & Blake in 7:39 to retain the Rev Pro Undisputed British Tag Team Championships (**¾)
Yota Tsuji pinned Connor Mills in 15:09 (***¼)
Alex Windsor pinned Maya Matthews in 13:41 (***½)
Michael Oku pinned Shota Umino in 18:19 (***¾)
Robbie X pinned Lee Hunter in 14:21 (***½)
Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II pinned Mad Kurt & Dan Magee in 13:00 (***)
No Disqualification: Ricky Knight Jr. pinned Dan Moloney in 17:50 (***¾)
— This show’s available at RevProOnDemand.com – with a two-week trial currently available for new subscribers…
We’re at a new venue for Rev Pro, as the Network in Sheffield looks to be their new home in the Steel City. Gideon Grey missed the show due to covid protocols, so we’ve got Andy Quildan and Mad Kurt on commentary…
Rev Pro Undisputed British Tag Team Championship: Pure Beef (Blake & Will Kroos) vs. Sunshine Machine (Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper) (c)
They’ve built up to this since Kroos and Blake debuted in London a few weeks earlier…
The champions jump their challengers during the introductions, but end up getting run into each other before things spilled outside as both teams brawled around ringside. There’s a back rake from Mambo to Blake as the match officially gets going, but his early attempt at a springboard arm drag goes awry as Mambo slipped on the landing, with Blake being more than willing to slam him down after that.
Kroos tags in and chokes Mambo in the ropes, then in the corner, before Blake returned and clubbed Mambo in the back with some forearms. A slingshot sends Mambo into the corner as he struggled to take his shirt off… and when he did, Kroos was more than happy to choke Mambo with it. Blake tags back in, and caught a Blockbuster attempt… but Mambo countered the counter into a small package, before he ate a suplex for good measure.
A back senton from Blake squashes Mambo for a two-count, as quick tags from the challengers kept Mambo cut off. Mambo finds a way free with a springboard back elbow that helped clear the way as TK Cooper tagged in to light up Blake with chops. A front kick from Blake’s shrugged off as a headbutt and an Exploder from TK led to him catching Kroos with the Omelette Du Fromage springboard flip kick.
Blake takes another kick through the ropes ahead of a springboard Quebrada for a near-fall before Kroos and Blake accidentally charged into each other. The champions pick up with the Combo Meal (reverse DDT/froggy elbow) on Kroos for a near-fall, before Kroos swung Mambo into TK… then suplexed Cooper into his own man as the challengers turned it around.
Kroos is back for a piggy back’d cannonball as he and Blake crashed into Mambo in the corner, before the powerbomb/Sliced Bread combo was countered into a ‘rana from Mambo… and that’s enough for the win. Disappointingly short, but Mambo and TK sneaking out the win gives me hope for a return for the big lads down the line, who’ve impressed me in this short run. **¾
Post-match, TK took the mic and politely waited for his music to get faded down… he vowed that he and Mambo would prove themselves to be the best tag team in the world, so they’d enter themselves in the Great British Tag League to do just that.
Connor Mills vs. Yota Tsuji
There’s no Gideon Grey around today to distract Tsuji…
We open with a lock-up as Tsuji took Mills into the ropes for a clean break, before we went to the ground with a side headlock from Mills as commentary brought up the Mad Kurt/Jonathan Gresham beef. Tsuji gets free with an armbar on Mills, before a lucha roll-up from Mills looked to get a pinning attempt off.
Armdrags from Mills have Tsuji down, but Tsuji’s able to escape a Quebrada… before a Kitchen sink knee to the gut had him on the mat. A springboard uppercut from Mills gets him a two-count, as the pair begin to trade chops, only for some Sole Food from Tsuji and a kick to the arm to turn things around. A series of kicks in the ropes sees Mills nearly fall through the ropes to the floor. Snapmares and kicks between the pair build things up, going into some shades of Shibata before Tsuji just kicked Mills in the head. A slam lands next, before Tsuji took his time to fall back on the trapped arm of Mills.
Chops from Tsuji have Mills flailing in the corners, before Mills returned the favour… only to get thrown shoulder-first into the buckles. Tsuji fans himself as he pulled back on Mills arm, then followed up with some arm wringers that Mills tried to punch out of. Eventually doing so, a Quebrada from Mills took Tsuji down, as did a rebound lariat, before kicks from Tsuji reset things.
Mills fought out of a back suplex, but ran into a Blue Thunder Driver before a knee and a chicken wing looked to force the stoppage… but Mills breaks the hold, only to get hammerlock slammed to the mat. It’s back to the chicken wing from there, but Mills rolled to the ropes to force the break. The pair trade elbows, before duelling kicks connected at the same time. Corner-to-corner charges follow as the match remained even… until a Millshot took Tsuji outside ahead of a tope. Returning quickly to the ring, Mills lands a 450 splash for a near-fall, before he lifted up Tsuji for a Burning Cutter… it’s escaped as Tsuji grabbed the bad arm, then hit back with a Titanic for a near-fall.
Mills’ sunset flip nearly nicks a win, as did a roll-up, before Tsuji clubbed him with a lariat… it sent Mills into the ropes, but the rebound lariat’s cut-off with a spear, and that’s enough for the win, despite Tsuji having his feet under the ropes while making the pin. A nice, even match that got Tsuji back on the board. ***¼
Maya Matthews vs. Alex Windsor
Originally scheduled to be Windsor defending vs. Rhia O’Reilly, covid protocols forced Rhia out of the match… so in comes Rev Pro trainee Maya Matthews for apparently only her second match.
Opening with a handshake, Matthews is backed up into the ropes by Windsor… but fought back as she pushed off, then forced the break as Windsor was taken into the ropes. A waistlock from Windsor’s countered in kind, as hammerlocks and side headlocks from Matthews looked to get thrown off… but she clung on as Windsor tried to break free.
Some headscissors get the champion free, but Matthews manages to get free and back in with a side headlock. Windsor slips free and traps Maya with a pair of body scissors, rolling her towards the mat for a pinning attempt, but Matthews continued rolling to avoid the pin. Eventually, Windsor just rolled her around the ring in the hold, stopping to pick up a two-count before Maya blocked an O’Connor roll. Matthews adds some forearms before she hit a dropkick… but Windsor ends up trying to calm things down, rolling Maya down ahead of a kick to the face for a two-count. A surfboard stretch from Windsor keeps Maya down, as does a sleeperhold, before a snap suplex drew a two-count for Windsor.
Windsor doesn’t follow through as much though, as Matthews manages to get some shots in, then a mounted sleeperhold that Windsor eventually pushed off… a crossbody’s caught and turned into a fallaway slam by Windsor, who then stretched Matthews ahead of another pinning attempt. An Irish whip takes Matthews back into the corner, ahead of a charge… but Windsor catches a kick and pulled the rookie down to the mat ahead of a bow-and-arrow hold.
Matthews tries to fight back with forearms, then caught Windsor with a kick in the corner before scoring with a cutter. A Slingblade’s next for a near-fall, before Matthews missed a follow-up clothesline… and took one in return. She kips up and continued to push on with forearms, before a headbutt from Windsor earned her that clothesline seconds later… but Matthews couldn’t get to Windsor to make the cover.
From there, Windsor comes right back with a Sharpshooter though, only for Matthews to drag her way to the rope to force the break. An inside cradle nearly caught the champion, as Matthews found her second wind with a Fisherman suplex… rolling it up for another one… and another, bridging it for a near-fall. In return, Windsor hits a Blue Thunder Bomb, then ragdolled Maya with a powerbomb for a near-fall. A spear from Matthews kept her hopes up, but she couldn’t hook the leg as Windsor kicked out at two.
Windsor picks up from there, teasing a suplex… Matthews tries to counter, only to get hit with a standing Ki Krusher… and that’s enough for Windsor to get the W. I’d heard a lot of buzz out of this match, and for just two matches in, there’s an awful lot of potential in Matthews on this showing alone. Remember that name! Windsor gave her plenty of offence, including a few moments where she almost got upset, but in the end the champion was made to work hard for that win. ***½
Shota Umino vs. Michael Oku
The battle of those who took a wrong turn coming out…
We’ve got some background to this, mostly caused by Gideon Grey being a muck raker, as we open with Umino forcing Oku to the ropes from a wristlock. Standing switches end with Umino grabbing a headlock takedown, but Oku’s quickly out for a stand-off.
A side headlock’s pushed off by Oku, but Umino charged him down before Oku returned with headscissors… that led to him calling for the half crab way too early, as Umino kicked away. Back elbows and a low dropkick have Umino ahead, as did a cravat, before a low dropkick knocked Oku down for a two-count after a lackadaisical cover. Shots to the midsection keep Umino ahead, as did a forearm smash as Oku was in the familiar defensive role. A snap suplex gets Umino a two-count, so he looks to one-up things with a superplex… but Oku powers out and shoved Shota down ahead of a missile dropkick. Oku beats Shota to the punch as he built up a head of steam, snapping Shota down with a DDT for a near-fall, before another half crab was pushed off.
Oku rebounds with a PK, but missed a Quebrada… tweaking his knee on the way as Umino returned with an uppercut instead. More of those follow ahead of a Fisherman suplex that bridged for a near-fall. Oku fought out of a reverse DDT, but gets knocked loopy with some endless forearms… before he levelled Shota with a head kick.
Shota returned with a DDT and a brainbuster, but again the lateral press was his undoing as Oku kicked out at two, before Oku slipped out of a reverse suplex and hit the misdirection knee strike. Wait, is it really called the 404 Brain Not Found? Umino rolls outside, but can’t avoid the Fosbury flop, nor a springboard moonsault back inside that nearly won it. Heading up top, Oku aborts a frog splash, but then got cradled as he went for the half crab. A pop-up knee from Umino earned him an overhead kick, before Oku hit a powerbomb and rolled Umino into a half crab… dragging him away from the ropes before Umino finally made the ropes.
Umino charges Oku to the corner to avoid a double-arm DDT, before a tornado reverse DDT nearly won it for Shooter. A Death Rider looks to follow, but Oku back body drops free, then sat down on Umino as we nearly got the SummerSlam 92 finish… as a superkick dropped Shota to his knees. Umino stops Oku on the top rope and looked for an avalanche Death Rider… but it’s Oku who hits the DDT off the middle rope, before a frog splash drew a near-fall.
A second frog splash followed, and that’s enough for Oku to just get it over the line, eking out the three-count from a spent Umino. This was just starting to feel a little long, but was a cracking match that saw Oku in that familiar “on the ropes” position… only to push back and leave with the W. ***¾
After the match, Oku took the mic and put over Maya Matthews for her debut (plus one) outing. Like I said, keep that name in your mind!
Lee Hunter vs. Robbie X
This one started when Hunter turned on Robbie X earlier in the year…
Robbie X went at Hunter early with strikes, knocking him down with a clothesline and a leaping forearm that drew an early one-count. In the corner, Hunter’s chopped, but returned with a neckbreaker as he began to club away on Robbie X. A back suplex gets a one-count for Hunter, before a hiptoss and cartwheel dropkick had Robbie ahead.
A handspring kick knocks Hunter off the apron, while a dropkick through the ropes kept him staggered ahead of a leaping forearm off the top that gets Robbie a two-count. Chops keep Hunter on the back foot, but Hunter knew his former tag partner well enough to have scouted a standing moonsault… pushing Robbie X away mid-flip.
That took Robbie X outside as he’s met with more chops around ringside, with Hunter heading back inside so he could hit a dive. Back inside, a missed enziguiri from Hunter led to Robbie X backflipping over him for a deadlift sit-out powerbomb that gets a near-fall. Hunter rolls outside and catches Robbie’s dive with a kick in the ropes, following up with a back suplex that dropped him against the edge of the ring.
Back inside, Hunter keeps going for Robbie X’s head and neck, grounding him with a chinlock, but Robbie escaped and came in with chops… only for Hunter to trip him down and go for a Figure Four… but Robbie X kips up for a ‘rana, then absorbed a bunch of elbows ahead of a squatting death valley driver. Superkicks from Hunter looked to bloody up Robbie’s ear again, but Robbie kicks out at one and fired back up… into another superkick. He’s right back up to hit an overhead kick that left both men laying. Robbie X’s second wind continues with a standing shooting star press for a two-count, before Hunter dragged him off the top rope with an avalanche German suplex… following up with a piledriver for a near-fall.
Robbie X gets back in it as he throws Hunter across the ropes for a Coast to Coast dropkick… that’s instantly followed up with a Spiral Tap for a near-fall, before Hunter pulled the referee into the way of an X-Clamation attempt. Robbie’s able to stop himself from hitting it, but in the ensuing mess, Hunter punts Robbie X low, then hit a falling reverse DDT for another near-fall.
Hunter takes Robbie up top for some chops, but a superplex is thwarted as Robbie X repositioned himself for an avalanche reverse ‘rana. The X-Clamation followed, and that’s finally enough for Robbie X to get the win – a fantastic outing over a game and stubborn Hunter, but it’s a big win for a battered Robbie here. ***½
Great British Tag League 2022 Qualifier: Lykos Gym (Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II) vs. Dan Magee & Mad Kurt
Mad Kurt, who’d been doing commentary up until the end of the last match, of course left the desk for this… and took some digs at Lykos Gym before the match. Unfortunately, Lykos II’s a somewhat local lad, so Mad Kurt took some pelters from the crowd, who cheered when Kurt revealed he wasn’t medically cleared.
So this threatened to be a kind-of a handicap match as Mad Kurt tagged out at the bell… Dan Magee and Lykos II start, but the young wolf wants the ref to check Magee’s gear before a side headlock was pushed away by Magee. Lykos II gets Biel’d across the ring, then was taken down with a headlock before shoulder tackles took out both Lykii.
Lykos I tagged in but had his arm wrung ahead of an armbar and wristlock… turning into a side headlock as Mad Kurt blind-tagged himself in to nick a one-count from Magee’s shoulder tackle. Magee’s upset, so he powerbombed Kurt onto Lykos before he got tagged right back in. A cheapshot from Lykos II ends with Magee knocking him off the apron, but the almost-handicap match took over as the wolves double-teamed Magee.
Lykos II’s in to rip off Dan Magee’s belt and choked him with it as Mad Kurt accidentally distracted the ref. Eventually the referee spots it, but Lykos II uses his own belt as the ref got rid of Dan’s… Kid Lykos tags in and uses his shirt to keep the choking going, then the ropes, before a brainbuster was countered… only for Lykos II to come in and stop Magee from making the tag out as a sunset flip got Lykos a two-count.
A stomp from Lykos keeps Magee down, before another brainbuster was telegraphed… a repeat of the sunset flip save sees Lykos II take a back body drop, while Lykos I took a leg drop as Mad Kurt finally came in… and tweaked his knee. He tags Magee back in, forcing Dan to make his own comeback as he slammed the wolves onto each other.
A back body drop from Magee takes Lykos II outside, before an elevated Flatliner led to a Koji clutch on Lykos II. Lykos breaks it up, but gets taken outside as Lykos II kept going for the brainbuster… standing switches take them into the corner as the referee gets unsighted, allowing Lykos to snap a resistance band into Magee. From there, a diving boot from Lykos II drops Dan, while a standing corkscrew senton from Lykos nearly gets the wolves the win.
Kid Lykos distracts the ref with an injury, but the referee is wise to it as he stops Lykos II with a baking tray. A low blow’s blocked as Mad Kurt tagged in, smuggling in the keyboard… but Magee takes the ref as a low blow from Lykos led to him smashing the keyboard over Mad Kurt’s head, and that’s enough for Kid Lykos to get the win that got the wolves into the Great British Tag League. ***
No Disqualification: Dan Moloney vs. Ricky Knight Jr.
We’ve got some bad blood here between these two, and we’ve got STREET FIGHT JEANS from Dan! Sadly, there’s no arrow on the stage, so we add more names to those taking wrong turns…
RKJ grabbed a chair on his way to the ring, but Moloney knocks it away as we have a pre-match staredown. Moloney strikes the first blow, but things quickly escalate as they trade German suplexes, before it’s back to a straight up fight as they swap elbow strikes. A front kick from RKJ takes Moloney outside, where Dan’s crotched on the guard rails before they spill into the crowd.
We lose picture as this becomes a radio commentary of chops for a moment, returning with a RKJ punch as Moloney gets a can of something pelted at him. Heading back to ringside, Dan swings a chair, but ends up hitting the ring post before we headed back into the crowd as Dan’s back suplexed onto the bar. RKJ joins him up there and teases a suplex, but thankfully there’s no new bill from the venue as Moloney kicks RKJ down as they headed back to the ring.
Another back suplex drops Moloney onto the apron, before he returned with a chair shot that took Knight down. RKJ’s tended to, and comes up red… aided with some punches from Dan back inside. Bloody chops follow from Dan, then a headbutt, as Moloney looked to take control. RKJ responds with chops, but gets decked with a back elbow in short order for a two-count. Moloney wedges a chair between the buckles as he prepared for more… but you know what that means in wrestling. Yep, RKJ puts the brakes on as he was sent into the chair, but ended up taking an enziguiri before he sidestepped a spear as Moloney got pulled into the chair. A Fire Thunder Driver looks to follow, but Moloney slipped out as the pair land duelling clotheslines after that.
Back outside, both men grab some weaponry in the form of homemade Kendo sticks. They duel with them, before RKJ offered his back… and Moloney gladly took it with a swipe. The receipt follows as RKJ then asked for a shot to the head… but RKJ sidesteps and Moloney ends up smashing himself on the rebound. I cackled.
RKJ continues the assault as he rode Moloney with the cane, then whacked it over his back, before using the cane for a camel clutch. Dan pleads for a time-out, but its a ruse to sweep the legs before he drove the cane into RKJ’s throat. A superplex is blocked by RKJ, who knocked Moloney into a chair, then knocked him out of it with a crossbody off the top for a near-fall – the first pinning attempt in the match so far.
Another chair comes out as Moloney’s piledriven onto it, before RKJ heads out for a bag of pins. YEP. They’re scattered across the ring as RKJ teases a suplex… they jockey for position, but Moloney rakes the eyes, only to eat a Rainmaker away from the pins. RKJ spotted that, then went for a powerbomb… but Lee Hunter runs out to stop it. Oh dear. Hunter tries to scarper, but gets scooped up… Moloney hits a low blow, allowing Hunter to hit that reverse DDT into the pins, and boy, that’s to bare backs that suddenly became pin cushions.
From there, Hunter gave RKJ to Moloney to get a two-count, before an errant chair shot from Moloney took out Hunter. RKJ dumps Lee with a Fire Thunder driver onto a chair, then went back for Moloney, throwing him throat-first into the guard rails, then the turnbuckle irons, before a trip up top ended with Moloney taking a powerbomb out of the corner onto the pins… then a death valley driver and a Fire Thunder driver into the tacks for the win. Perhaps not quite a feud-ender, given they’ve since gone back to some form of this match, but a big statement win for Ricky Knight Jr. here as he keeps his title hopes simmering – while Dan Moloney put on a heck of a showing in defeat here. ***¾
After the match, there’s a respectful pat on the back from RKJ in victory as the show came to a close…
One of the brighter shows from Rev Pro’s recent content drop saw them continue their usual consistent levels in the ring – and had them make lemonade out of proverbial lemons with Maya Matthews’ blowaway debut. They may not be perfect (or glamorous), but there’s a reason Rev Pro’s getting their plaudits among those keeping track of the British scene.