wrestling / TV Reports
Hamilton’s Rev Pro Epic Encounters Ten 04.24.2021 Review
Loading...Quick Results
Connor Mills pinned Shaun Jackson in 8:50 (***)
Chris Ridgeway defeated Callum Newman via referee stoppage in 14:02 (**¾)
Lee Hunter pinned Kid Lykos II in 12:23 (***)
Screwface Ahmed pinned Dan Magee in 9:32 (***)
Southside Championship Tournament – Bracket B Final: Ricky Knight Jr. defeated Charlie Sterling in 21:59 via referee stoppage (***¾)
Kanji pinned Aleah James in 9:46 to retain the Southside Women’s Championship (***¼)
— If you’re on Twitter, give me a follow over on @IanWrestling – and check out the GoFundMe that’s still around for Larry’s family. https://www.gofundme.com/f/larrymania-living-on-in-his-girls
Last time out, we saw Dan Moloney book his spot in the overall Southside championship tournament final – which’ll be an Iron Fist match (30-minute iron man match which can also end via KO). Since he won block A, Moloney will be going into that match 1-0 up… but first, he needs to know who he’s facing, which we’ll find out tonight.
We open with news on the Rev Pro tag titles – Andy Quildan tells Stephanie Chase that since the Legion are unable to defend their titles, Great-O-Khan and Rampage Brown have been stripped. Quildan announces the “Great British Tag League” to crown new tag champions, as Gideon Grey claims the Legion hold the belts – not any two wrestlers… Quildan tells Grey that the Legion will have participation in the tournament as we’re told that this’ll be an two-block, eight-team tournament held over the Back to Business tour… culminating on August 21 in Manchester.
After that, Andy Q’s actually well lit at ringside as he talks about how the world’s slowly getting back to normal. James Castle’s back to help with commentary, as the pair run down tonight’s card.
Shaun Jackson vs. Connor Mills
It’s a first match in quite a while for Jackson, as commentary tells us Connor Mills and Michael Oku are apparently looking to enter the tag league.
Mills looked to control things from the off, working wristlocks on Jackson. Shaun tries to go for a cheapshot in the corner, but just got grounded by Mills before a back body drop out of the corner gets Mills a two-count. Jackson pulls Mills to the outside, before he dropped to a knee as Mills’ slingshot back in effectively saw Mills throw himself into a backbreaker.
Jackson capitalises, taking Mills into the corner for shoulder charges to the back, before a pair of backbreakers almost got the upset win. Mills gets stretched on the mat, but came in with a roll-up only to get knocked loopy by Jackson. A rebound lariat knocks both men down, with Mills looking to follow up… eventually springboarding in with an uppercut for a two-count.
Mills tries for his Burning Cutter, but Jackson elbows free and returned with an ushigoroshi before he rolled Mills through for a Fisherman suplex that almost wins it. From there, Jackson goes for a pumphandle slam, only for Mills to counter back with a rear hook kick, before a Burning Cutter gets the win. A really good opening match with Jackson almost fluking the change of pace – but he capitalised on it well only for Mills to find enough in him to sneak out the win. ***
Ken Halfpenny’s loudly whinging at ringside after the match, as he and Jackson talked their way into a tag match with Mills and Oku… with a spot in the Great British Tag League on the line.
Promo time with Mad Kurt now. We get clips of Mad Kurt upsetting Dan Moloney six months ago to the day. They cut Kurt’s music early, as Kurt talks about a Twitch chat… that sadly wasn’t around because they weren’t streaming there this time. Kurt gloats about his win over Dan Moloney, which he reckons should qualify him for a spot in the Southside title tournament.
Moloney’s out before Andy can reply, with Kurt then reiterating his request. Dan takes the piss, saying he’s fed up of having to deal with lockdown AND Mad Kurt. That prompts Kurt to try and waffle Dan with a keyboard, but it has no effect as Kurt’s chased away with his USB cable between his legs. Dan then had a pop at Andy Q for “funding this bullshit,” before telling Kurt he’s got his match: Mad Kurt vs. Dan Moloney for the spot in the finals.
Callum Newman vs. Chris Ridgeway
Last time out, Ridgeway beat Newman’s sorta-regular tag partner JJ Gale… and he’s here to complete the job tonight.
Both men charge at each other at the bell, but Ridgeway’s search for an early stoppage with a bulldog choke ends in the ropes. Back inside, Ridgeway aims for Newman’s ribs, but Newman returns with a dropkick for a two-count before an exchange of strikes provided a natural opening for Ridgeway.
Ridgeway measures up Newman’s kick, catching it before firing off some more punches to the gut, following up with a deathlock’d STF. After a break, a snapmare and a kick to the back drops Newman for another two-count, but out of nowhere Newman’s back with a dropkick before a springboard diving uppercut created another opening.
A handspring in the ropes is rudely stopped with a dropkick from Ridgeway… he follows that with a German suplex for a near-fall, before a series of elbows stopped a threatened comeback. Newman tries his luck with uppercuts, but Ridgeway leans into them as Newman throws off the tape on his ribs ahead of a hook kick.
Newman nearly gets the win with that, then hits an over-the-knee brainbuster for a near-fall, which prompted Ridgeway to throw more strikes. A right hand from Newman drops Ridgeway, with a standing shooting star press nearly getting the unlikeliest of wins after a delayed cover, before Ridgeway knocked the ref into the ropes as Newman prepared to fly again.
With Newman crashing to the mat, Ridgeway runs in with a PK for a near-fall, before he rained down headbutts, before a punt kick forced the ref stoppage. Except Ridgeway stayed on Newman afterwards until help came in. Another underdog match for Chris Ridgeway this weekend – and another threat of an upset averted, but this perhaps took longer than I’d have expected as Ridgeway “played with his prey” a little long for my tastes. **¾
Lee Hunter vs. Kid Lykos II
Lee’s not been in Rev Pro since January 2019, when Rev Pro were (once again) looking for new tag team champions. He’s back in to prove himself as a singles wrestler.
Lykos II goes for a respect handshake with Hunter, but mugs him off to start. Hunter takes him down to the mat with an armdrag, but cant get more than a one-count out of the early offence. Deadweighting on a suplex helps Lykos II briefly, but Hunter stays on him before Lykos II started to kick at Hunter’s previously-injured knee.
Hunter has his leg wrapped around the ropes as the match turned around, with Lykos II staying on the knee, yanking it over his shoulder for a near-fall. Lykos II stays on Hunter with kicks to the knee, before a Deathlock looked to exacerbate things further.
A calf slicer from Lykos II ends with Hunter clawing his way to the ropes. Punches to the knee wear down Hunter some more, but he manages to sneak back in with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two-count. Forearms to the back of Lykos II has Hunter ahead, but his reverse DDT attempt is blocked as Lykos II went back to the knee with kicks. Lykos II’s slingshot Code Red nearly wins it, before Hunter returned with a powerslam as the tide continued to turn.
Interference from Kid Lykos helps Lykos II hit a Lo Mein Pain, then a death valley driver for a near-fall… before he went back to the legs, wrapping Hunter around the ring post. Back inside, Lykos II’s brainbuster is countered as the pace rises again, before a knee to the head stopped Lykos II ahead of a reverse DDT that gets the win. A solid match as Hunter tries his hand in the singles ranks – and outlasted the Lykii’s questionable tactics. ***
After the match, Hunter’s interrupted in his promo by Kid Lykos (the original)… who had an irony-laden promo because Hunter wanted a title shot. Hunter got mad at Lykos I calling him an “old boy,” which leads to Lykos I vs. Lee Hunter down the line.
Screwface Ahmed vs. Dan Magee
Screwface gets a very brief promo during his entrance, as he’s looking to rebound from his Southside tournament exit.
Screwface tries to bully Magee early on, closing in with a side headlock before Magee charged him down with a shoulder tackle. Magee returns with a side headlock and a dropkick as he faked out Screwface, catching him off the middle rope with a uranage, before a legdrop gets a two-count.
An arm whip dumps Magee, who’s then dropped into the ropes with a front suplex. A lariat follows for a two-count, then a sit-down splash, before he just tossed Magee to the outside… where we get a solitary cheapshot from Gideon Grey. There’s more of those as Screwface lands a suplex for another two-count, then a rebound lariat as Magee just keeps kicking out.
Magee shrugs off some slaps as he looked to respond, throwing some forearms and a clothesline. An enziguiri and a Flatliner takes Ahmed into a Koji clutch, with Magee looking for a win, but Grey pushes the rope towards Screwface to help with the break. Uppercuts keep Screwface down, then a Slingblade as Ahmed tried to keep Magee close… but ends up missing a head kick.
A trip from Grey distracts Magee though, allowing Screwface to come close with a roll-up, before a Pedigree gets another two-count. From there, Screwface rolls the dice, and that’s enough to make move nerds smile – and get Screwface the win. A hard-fought win, with Magee not looking to have lost too many steps in his injury and lockdown-enforced time off. ***
Promo time with Skye Smitson and Gideon Grey now… they replay the finish of the women’s title match last time out as that ended in a double count-out. I have a feeling there’s a rematch in the future… Andy Quildan quizzes Smitson, but gets interrupted as Grey says she got screwed out of the title, claiming bias against women’s wrestling in Rev Pro, citing other matches where lots of crowd brawling didn’t lead to count-outs.
Jamie Hayter comes out to demand they have the match now, but Quildan instead wants to build it up. The audio’s a little spotty here, but it leads to Hayter decking Grey with a belt shot, prompting Smitson to attack as she kicked Hayter into the corner as officials came out to separate the pair.
Southside Championship Tournament – Bracket B Final: Charlie Sterling vs. Ricky Knight Jr.
Both men have already lost to Dan Moloney – hence their position in bracket B…
We start hot with a lock-up into the ropes as neither Sterling nor RKJ looked to give an inch. A front facelock from RKJ has Sterling down, but a floatover suplex gave Sterling an opening as commentary brought up his PROGRESS debut that aired barely 24 hours earlier. Sterling thought he’d found a way in, but RKJ goes back to the front facelock, building up for a short elbow drop, only for Sterling to return with a toe hold.
A monkey flip from RKJ leads to some back-and-forth pins, but Sterling finds a way back in with a dropkick, only for the pin to end in the ropes. RKJ low bridges Sterling to the apron, then joins him as they fought around ringside, leading to Sterling having to block a piledriver attempt by hooking the ropes. Instead, a back body drop dumps RKJ against the edge of the ring, with a backbreaker following on the outside.
Back inside, Sterling drives a knee into RKJ’s back, before he caught a kick and launched a sit-down splash to RKJ’s lower back. A tiltawhirl backbreaker keeps Sterling ahead, as did a standing moonsault, then a pendulum backbreaker as the laser-focus remained on RKJ’s lower back. Out of nowhere, a rear spin kick clocks Sterling, with dropkicks following as RKJ… KICKED STERLING’S LEG OUT OF HIS LEG.
A baseball slide dropkick cracks into Sterling ahead of a hanging DDT for a near-fall. RKJ looks for a Fire Thunder driver, but Sterling targets the back again to free himself, following through with a diving kick. Both men get back to their feet to trade strikes, but it’s Sterling who pushes ahead with a pop-up powerbomb for a near-fall, before Knight came right back with a sit-out powerbomb in the corner.
RKJ goes for a Fire Thunder driver, but Sterling slipped out and tries a Cloverleaf… it’s countered with a cradle, but a gutwrench powerbomb allows Sterling to reapply the hold, only for RKJ to drag his way to the ropes. Somehow, RKJ finds enough in him to hit a German suplex, then a rolling death valley driver, but it’s not enough.
Sterling rakes RKJ’s eyes and sets up for a cutter, but RKJ’s up at two… so Sterling goes to a crossface… but Knight bites free. It’s reapplied, but RKJ slips out and comes back with aheadbitt before he scooped Sterling up. Sterling escapes the Fire Thunder driver and unsights the referee as a mule kick stops RKJ… but a piledriver doesn’t do it either! RKJ gets back up and fights back with some right hands, and just like that we have a stoppage as RKJ makes it to the finals. A rather different stoppage, and one that showed just how close that bracket finals was. ***¾
Sterling tried to take down the referee afterwards as Knight was doing his post-match interview… so he breaks away to make sure Sterling’s fine. Knight returns to the interview, putting over Sterling as his toughest opponent in the company – and threw in the “if I do that because it’s business, imagine what I can do when it’s personal.” Sounds familiar.
Southside Women’s Championship: Aleah James vs. Kanji (c)
I’ve said this before with Aleah James in Rev Pro on these shows, but something tells me this title isn’t changing hands… but those pre-match promos before this were good enough to make you care about a title that’s barely been around.
We start with another lock-up around the ropes, but there’s a break as Kanji then sees her side headlock escaped. It’s an even start, with both women having scouted the other, but Kanji pulls James out of the corner for a diving clothesline to the back of the head for a two-count, before grounding her challenger with a chinlock.
Staying on the mat, Kanji looks to work over James’ leg as she keeps James on the back foot. An armdrag leads to an armbar, then a front chancery as Kanji just had her way with James on the mat. A bridging leg grapevine keeps James in trouble as commentary pondered what would be in her future if she lost. Enfield?
Kanji keeps going with a step-up legdrop for a two-count, before James nearly snuck a win with an inside cradle. A dropkick takes Kanji to the corner ahead of a scorpion kick and a springboard crossbody for a near-fall, but Kanji’s 619 in the ropes led to a roll-up that quickly turned the tide.
James gets caught in the ropes for some clotheslines, hanging her up for a flying elbow that gets a near-fall. James tries to fight back with chops, before an exchange of thrust kicks ended with a satellite DDT from the challenger. Rather than go for a pin, Kanji drags James into the corner, but she’s quickly crotched as she went for a moonsault.
Kanji pulls James down to the mat, following up with a springboard stunner and a roll-up for the emphatic win. A nice sprint of a main event, with Kanji mostly dominating to send Aleah packing. ***¼
After the match, Zoe Lucas is out to mock Aleah James for losing… and she gets kicked out of the ring for it as they brawled to the back… with the show closing recaps then ending the show.
Rev Pro returns on May 16 for Epic Encounters 11, featuring Mad Kurt vs. Dan Moloney – with Moloney’s Southside championship tournament final spot on the line; plus Michael Oku & Connor Mills vs. Kenneth Halfpenny & Shaun Jackson with the Great British Tag League spot up for grabs there.
