Hamilton’s Rev Pro Live in Southampton 17 04.10.2022 Review

Quick Results
Joshua James pinned David Francisco in 10:09 (***)
Kid Lykos II defeated Dan Magee via disqualification in 11:05 (**¾)
Will Kroos pinned TK Cooper in 11:50 (***¼)
Michael Oku & Connor Mills pinned Lucian Phillips & Yota Tsuji in 12:27 (***¼)
Blake pinned Chuck Mambo in 10:53 (***¼)
Rhia O’Reilly pinned Laura di Matteo in 11:24 (***)
Ricky Knight Jr. & Robbie X vs. Dan Moloney & Lee Hunter ended in a double count-out at 18:57 (***½)

— If you’re on Twitter, give me a follow over on @IanWrestling – and check out the GoFundMe that’s still open for Larry’s family.

— This show’s available at RevProOnDemand.com – with a two-week trial currently available for new subscribers…

For some reason the big Rev Pro content drop’s skipped the evening show in Huntingdon from April 9, so instead we head down to the south coast of England for this show from the 1865 in Southampton. Andy Quildan and Gideon Grey are back on commentary… with Gideon calling Andy a dirty old man just before a bell even rang…

Joshua James vs. David Francisco
It’s a battle of the two contenders to start us off, with lock-ups into the ropes and corners in the early going.

A cravat from James is escaped as Francisco tries a wristlock… but ends up on the deck for a chinlock as we then broke into shoulder tackles. A crossbody from Francisco’s countered into a slam and a splash from James for a two-count, whose bodyscissors were quickly broken up as Francisco went for a toe-hold.

James pushes free, but took a jawbreaker as Francisco found a way in with a diving kick. An uppercut from Francisco has James on jelly legs as things headed into the corners, while a double underhook suplex threw James down for a two-count. Joshua hits back with a shotgun dropkick, before he POUNCE’d Francisco down ahead of a splash off the middle rope for a near-fall.

Francisco manages to fight back with an Exploder and a TKO, but James kicks out at two, before he chopped Francisco away. Eventually Francisco ducks a clothesline and hits one of his own, as the pair descended into chops and forearms. A double chop from James led to Francisco hitting some elbows, knocking James down into a crossface… which ends with James dragging himself to the ropes for a break.

James countered an “indie Rock Bottom”, then came back with a spinebuster for a near-fall, before he hit the ropes for a lariat, knocking Francisco down for the winning three-count. A decent opener, with James really coming into his own after that match against Alex Coughlin earlier this year. Keep an eye on him – as hopefully he’s not too long for this division… ***

Dan Magee vs. Kid Lykos II
Mad Kurt’s out after doing commentary the previous night… he’s gotten a keyboard and a mallet, testing how sturdy the new Rev Pro ring is. Apparently Kid Lykos can’t be here, so we’re changing the advertised tag to Kid Lykos II vs. Dan Magee…

Opening with a lock-up, Magee takes down Lykos II before they headed into the ropes, with Lykos II going for the hair. A headlock takedown and headscissors escape leads to Magee returning with an armdrag as he looked to work the wolf’s left limb. A slam lands, but Lykos II kicks out before a one-count, before he chop blocked Magee’s knee and began to home in on that left leg.

A grounded Dragon Screw followed, but Magee returns with a Side Effect and a leg drop for a two-count as Mad Kurt popped up to offer help. Lykos II goes back to the knee as Magee was distracted, following up with a Trailer Hitch that ended in the ropes. On the outside, Mad Kurt gets in Kid Lykos II’s face… and shrieks away as Lykos swung for him.

Back inside, an inside cradle nearly nicks it for Magee, but Lykos goes back to the leg with a low dropkick. Calling – and going – for brainbusters proved to be Lykos II’s undoing as Magee hit back with a snap suplex, before a crossbody out of the corner smashed Lykos for a near-fall.

After scoring with a roll-up, Lykos II hits a Mistica and a PK for a near-fall, before a diving kick from Magee cut off the wolf. Lykos returned with a dropkick and a stranglehold crossface, before switching to a Calf Slicer after Mad Kurt told Magee to go for the ropes. Magee gets there anyway, then swatted Lykos II with a palm strike as a pair of Flatliners nearly won it for him.

A Regal Bomb from Magee keeps him ahead, before Mad Kurt pulled Kid Lykos II outside… so he could shatter a keyboard over his head… and that’s the obvious DQ. Thank God it wasn’t a mechanical keyboard, those would have left more of a mark! Dan Magee’s far from happy with proceedings, and they continue to sow the seeds between those two. **¾.

Will Kroos vs. TK Cooper
We’re building up to that eventual tag title challenge from Will Kroos and Blake, and the match starts with TK hitting a missile dropkick to take Kroos to the outside.

TK follows him outside and threw Kroos into the men’s room… the camera crew tries to follow as we have to send for the man on commentary. Back inside, TK’s leaping kick’s caught as Kroos countered back with a STO for an early two-count. A big slam out of the corner dumps TK ahead of some choking in the ropes.

Chops follow from Kroos, who grounded TK with a chinlock on the mat. TK fought out, but got charged back down for a two-count, as another bodyslam just saw Kroos manhandle the tag champion down for another two-count. A grounded abdominal stretch followed, which TK gutted through… so Kroos just battered him with elbows as a chinlock looked to force a stoppage.

TK manages to get free, but his attempted crossbody’s turned into a slam for a two-count as TK ends up spilling to the floor. Back inside, TK’s met with forearms… but those seem to wake him back up, only for Kroos to lift him onto the apron for an elbow. TK drops to the floor to trip up Kroos, then came back inside with a springboard moonsault for a near-fall.

Kroos swings for Cooper, but misses as a series of Dusty punches have Will in the corner. TK charges at Kroos, but gets pancaked before he caught Kroos on the top rope with a gamengiri. A Spanish Fly tries to put a dent in the new ring for a near-fall, before Kroos attempted to get back in, missing a splash but finding form with a lariat that spun TK to the mat.

From there, Kroos went for a death valley driver, but TK floats out of it and hits a couple of headbutts. There’s a flying Kokeshi-like headbutt off the top rope that knocked Kroos down for a near-fall, but a cannonball catches TK in the corner before a death valley driver sealed the win. Not entirely one-sided, but Kroos had more than enough to make you think that he was a tangible threat to the tag titles – just what you want when you’re bringing in a new team. ***¼

Kroos left with TK’s tag title belt as TK was pulling himself back to his feet…

The Legion (Lucian Phillips & Yota Tsuji) vs. Destination Everywhere (Michael Oku & Connor Mills)
Oku and Mills charged the ring – with this match having been set up as a result of what happened on the (as yet, unreleased) Huntingdon evening show 24 hours earlier.

Oku goes for Tsuji, beating him around ringside, whale Lucian Phillips focused on Mills. Tsuji came in and almost kicked Phillips by mistake, but they calmed down and hit a double shoulder tackle to Mills. Oku saved Mills from a double-team suplex, as dropkicks sent the Legion lads into each other as planchas then wiped them out on the floor.

The fight continued around ringside with Mills offering Tsuji to the fans for chops… it backfires though as Tsuji got free and hit some of his own, while Oku marched Phillips around ringside… Phillips manages to gain the upper hand as he popped Oku against the side of the ring, while Mills gets slammed on the floor by Tsuji.

Returning to the ring, the match finally gets going after those few minutes around ringside, with Tsuji charging down Oku, before he cartwheeled out of an Oku ‘rana. Oku returns the favour, but get armdragged and kicked in the ribs ahead of the Mount Tsuji splash off the ropes for a two-count. Phillips is back in with clubbing blows, while Tsuji returned and laid into Oku’s lower back with some forearms.

A suplex gets Tsuji a two-count, while Phillips added one of his own as Oku continued to take a beating. Phillips demanded Tsuji put a boot up into the corner so Oku could be thrown in, but he refuses… Phillips tagged out and choked Oku from the floor, which drew in Mills to try and assist, before Oku found a way through with a missile dropkick.

Both men tag out as Mills had to contend with Phillips, scoring with an up-kick before he missed a charge at Tsuji in the corner. Tsuji’s taken outside for a dive, while another one awaited Phillips on the other side, before a springboard uppercut back into the ring kept Mills ahead.

Boots and dropkicks in the corner from Destination Everything lead to moonsaults onto Phillips for a two-count, before Oku went for a frog splash. It’s blocked, as was a follow-up half crab attempt, before Oku spiked Tsuji with a DDT for a near-fall. Tsuji returned with a tiltawhirl backbreaker and a wheelbarrow Tsuji slam for a near-fall, before Phillips waffled Oku with a clothesline for another two-count as Mills broke it up.

Elbows from Mills are returned in kind by Tsuji as a Parade of Stuff broke out. It led to an attempted stomp off the top from Mills, who’s then met with a choke bomb from Phillips for a near-fall, then an assisted Flatliner as the pressure continued to mount. A rebound lariat from Mills changes things, as he then went for a Burning Cutter… Oku’s frog splash looks to follow as Tsuji refused to intervene, so Oku hits it, and that’s enough for the win. All’s clearly not well in the Legion, and that’s a win for the former tag champions. ***¼

Blake vs. Chuck Mambo
“The Arsenal Special” is on the cards, apparently…

Blake derides Mambo at the bell, calling him out for not taking things seriously, as we open with a lock-up that took Mambo into the corner. A tornado DDT doesn’t come off, as Blake tried to rough-house Mambo back to the corner ahead of a running forearm from the tag champion… who then low bridges Blake to the outside.

Mambo followed up with a dropkick to knock Blake back down ahead of a double sledge. Back inside, a uranage-like armdrag from Blake turned things around. A boot to the face keeps Mambo down, as did some clubbering blows, before bodyslams and a standing splash added another two-count.

Mambo positions himself to try and escape a chinlock, then tried his luck with a crucifix… it’s blocked as Blake ended up catching Mambo’s springboard, only to get caught with a Code Red-like sunset flip for a near-fall. The sit-down splash out of the corner stops Chuck in his tracks though, as a front facelock and a Muta lock had Chuck in trouble.

Mambo counters a stalling suplex into an inside cradle for a two-count, but Blake’s right back on him, only for Blake to miss a charge, sending him outside as Mambo pounced with a dive. Back inside, Mambo catches Blake with back elbows in the corner ahead of a Blockbuster, then a springboard back elbow before a satellite reverse DDT nearly won it for Mambo.

Blake forces a way back in with a slam though as he began to get frustrated at Mambo’s resilience… a superplex is escaped as Mambo powerbombed Blake out of the corner, following up with a springboard frog splash for a near-fall. A second frog splash off the top misses through, as Blake got his knees up, then hauled up Mambo for a Border Toss for the win. A good outing for Blake as he persisted through a stubborn Mambo… and that’s a pair of singles losses for the current tag champions. ***¼

Post-match, Will Kroos runs out and gives Mambo’s tag title to Blake, as the beatdown continued… TK Cooper tried to make a save, but got bundled outside, only to send Pure Beef packing in the end.

Rhia O’Reilly vs. Laura di Matteo
It’s a rare singles outing for di Matteo in Rev Pro, and she started by looking for a waistlock, only for O’Reilly to quickly counter out into a wristlock.

Di Matteo’s able to escape, working her way into a front facelock, only for Rhia to get free and wallop her with a forearm. A series of armdrags has di Matteo back in it, ahead of a dropkick and a sliding clothesline that forced Rhia to kick out at two. Missing a charge into the corner, Rhia manages to level di Matteo with a knee strike, before some clubbing blows in the ropes left Laura winded.

O’Reilly pushes on with a suplex for a two-count, then with a clothesline after she’d caught a kick from di Matteo. A chinlock follows as di Matteo gets taken into the corner for some forearms, while another whip bounced the Italian against the buckles for a two-count. Laura finds a way back in with a Codebreaker for a near-fall, but a jawbreaker from O’Reilly and a curb stomp left Laura laying.

Di Matteo kicks out at two from a cover, then mounted a comeback with clothesline and headscissors. An enziguiri takes O’Reilly down to a knee, with a DDT laying her out for a two-count. Rhia blocks a uranage and turned it into a powerbomb as the momentum continued to shift, only for a release Fisherman buster to nearly win it for di Matteo.

Kicks from di Matteo seemed to be building to something, but Rhia ducks one and snapped back in with a double-arm DDT to grab the win out of nowhere. ***

Dan Moloney & Lee Hunter vs. Ricky Knight Jr. & Robbie X
A main event that’d built off the last few shows – and a rematch from March’s show at the 229 – we start with RKJ and Hunter.

Hunter tries a cheapshot, then bailed to the outside we opened with some stalling. The baddies look to dictate the pace, but Hunter’s clubbing blows led to an attempted crossbody that got caught as RKJ went for a gorilla press slam. Hunter slips out, but gets slapped down as RKJ broke out some chops.

Tags bring in Robbie X and Dan Moloney, with the pair trading right hands at first before Moloney kneed Robbie in the midsection. Moloney drops down to try and trip up Robbie, but gets caught with a standing shooting star press instead as Lee Hunter ended up running into a hiptoss and a cartwheel dropkick. There’s an enziguiri for Moloney too as Robbie X was raging, but it’s only enough for a one-count as Hunter tagged back in.

RKJ goes for Hunter with a stalling suplex, which ended with Hunter getting dropped in the ropes as a double sledge followed from a returning Robbie X. A back elbow and a standing moonsault awaited Hunter for another two-count. More chops keep Lee in the ropes, before Dan Moloney caught a handspring attempt… then pulled Robbie X outside so he could run him into the wall.

Back inside, Moloney tags in and continued the assault, chopping Robbie X to the outside. Moloney stayed on Robbie X with a front facelock, but it’s powered out of as Robbie muscled Moloney into a back body drop… but couldn’t get to RKJ for a tag as Lee Hunter tagged in and sprinted across to knock Knight off the apron. Some choking in the ropes followed, before Moloney hauled up Robbie X for a suplex that drew a near-fall.

Moloney and Hunter combine for a senton atomico on Robbie X that keeps the momentum their way, as a chinlock from Hunter was eventually fought out of, as a back suplex ended up getting him close to a tag… but it’s a jawbreaker that Robbie needed to hit before he could win a tug of war… only for Hunter to pull RKJ off the apron.

Eventually the hot tag’s made as Knight chopped Moloney, then press slammed Hunter into him, before corner-to-corner charges kept Knight on the front foot. Front kicks wreck Hunter as RKJ stacked up both opponents for a Samoan drop. A back body drop followed as I’m glad I don’t have a swear jar on that move… while Robbie X’s handspring kick knocked Moloney off the apron… Hunter’s powerbombed by RKJ, then hit with a Spiral Tap from Robbie X for a near-fall as things looked to be heading to a crescendo.

RKJ looks for a Fire Thunder Driver, but Hunter escaped as he and Moloney hit dualling tombstones… which RKJ kicked out of, but Robbie X did not seem to. We continue anyway after that wacky mis-matched pin, and we’re back in the toilets… this time the cameras don’t follow them as Robbie X and Dan Moloney brawled to the bar… while Hunter comes out of the toilets, erm, wearing a bin?

RKJ throws the bin at Hunter, which wasn’t a DQ for… reasons. Seeing that, RKJ goes to suplex Moloney onto the merch table, then ran things back into the ring for an eye poke and some ground and pound. Hunter breaks it up as things broke down into a double-team on RKJ… but RKJ chops free as Robbie X emerged on the balcony, diving onto everyone in the ring before things spilled back outside, this time ending in a double count-out as they all lost track of the referee’s count. ***½

Post-match, RKJ powerbombed Hunter into a wall, while Moloney got thrown into chairs… the locker room empties to help separate everyone, as Southampton ended with a lovely pier sixer… and a challenge from RKJ for a no-DQ match with Dan Moloney next time out.

7.1

The final score: review Good

The 411

Coming in at a tidy two hours, Rev Pro’s latest trip to Southampton continued to keep storylines chugging along without feeling like wearing down familiar paths - impressive given the number of shows Rev Pro’s been running (and continue to run).