Hamilton’s Rev Pro Live in Southampton 27 12.10.2023 Review

Quick Results
JJ Gale pinned Nathan Cruz in 12:11 (***¼)
Connor Mills pinned Kelly Sixx in 14:09 (***½)
Robert Dreissker defeated Robbie X via disqualification in 11:28 (***¼)
Leon Slater pinned Jet Martial in 12:09 (***¾)
David Francisco defeated Spike Trivet via disqualification in 13:55 (***)
Michael Oku submitted Mark Trew in 10:31 (***¼)
Brendan White & Danny Jones pinned Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper and Dani Luna & Flash Morgan Webster to win the Great British Tag League B Block Play-Off in 17:19 (***½)

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— To watch this show, head over to RevProOnDemand.com

We’re back at the 1865 in Southampton for the final time in 2023 – as we’re less than a week away from Uprising at Crystal Palace. Andy Quildan’s on commentary alongside Gideon Grey… and he’s causing trouble from the off.

Nathan Cruz vs. JJ Gale
Cruz starts by trapping Gale in a cravat, taking him down to the mat… Gal escapes and manages to come in with a backslide for a two-count.

Gale manages to break through with a dropkick to take Cruz outside. Cruz avoids a dive, but is thrown right back outside as JJ soared with a flip senton into the aisle. Back inside, Gale gets hot shotted into the ropes as Cruz turned things around, adding a leaping knee for a two-count, before he hurled Gale repeatedly into the buckles ahead of the Thanks, Tully slingshot back suplex.

Cruz chokes Gale in the ropes, then shot him off the ropes for a clothesline… with some ground and pound following. Eventually, Gale found a way back in with a crossbody, then a spinning heel kick as Gale built up to a Slingblade as he came out of the corner. It’s good enough for a two-count, as Cruz grabbed a handful of tights on a roll-up… before he caught a Gale Force cutter, countering with a Codebreaker for a near-fall of his own.

A crossface follows from Cruz, but Gale’s right back with a Gory Bomb Knee… only to get propelled as he ran into Cruz in the corner. Cruz’s attempt to add to that just earned him a Side Effect from Gale, then a Falcon arrow for a near-fall, before Cruz caught Gale up top with some chops.

Gale’s front superplex got rid of Cruz, but a follow-up 450 splash was rolled through as Cruz ended up going for a Showstealer… only for Cruz to counter with a roll-up for the win. ***¼

Connor Mills vs. Kelly Sixx
Mills is a week away from defending his title against Leon Slater… and it’s good to know someone’s kept hold of Kelly Sixx’s WCPW music. Bring on the wall!

Sixx gets caught in a cravat early on as Mills took him to the mat, only to get rolled up in response for an early one-count. Mills returns with a toe hold, but Sixx countered out with a chinlock, then an armbar before Mills took him into the corner for a break. Body blows keep Sixx there, but a big boot’s pushed away as Sixx tried his luck with some pinning attempts, racking up the two-counts as he went.

Sixx heads outside, but Mills slingshots him into the path of a kick, knocking him outside for an elbow suicida. Back inside, a missile dropkick keeps Sixx down for a two-count, before the pair traded chops… that pushes Sixx ahead for a brief moment, but Mills is right back on him with a diving knee to the side of the head.

A Dragon screw yanks Sixx down to the mat again as Mills proceed to tie him up in an Indian deathlock. Mills roughs up Sixx some more as the hold’s kept on, before Sixx eventually chopped his way out of the hold… throwing in a back body drop seconds later, only for the Kitchen Sink to turn it right back around for Mills.

Sixx offers his back as Mills looked to volley his spine out, before he returned the favour, punting Mills ahead of a crucifix pin for a near-fall. Mills has had enough of this, booting Sixx for a near-fall before Sixx baited in Mills, eventually scoring with a suplex after some back-and-forth.

Sixx’s dropkick has Mills down on his knees, before Mills’ rebound lariat was caught and turned into a spinning capture suplex for a near-fall. Mills avoids a springboard moonsault out of the corner, but gets caught with an up-kick… before turning that into a rebound lariat for a near-fall as Mills was having to dig deep. An attempt at the Burning Cutter’s blocked, but Mills just peppers Sixx with kicks… only to get caught with a backslide for another near-fall.

Mills absorbs a rolling forearm, but finds a way through with a lariat before a diving knee into the corner and a Burning Cutter for the win. I’ve not seen much of Sixx lately, but he really impressed here – hopefully he’ll be more of a regular in the new year… ***½

Robert Dreissker vs. Robbie X
They didn’t dare risk AMBASS at the 1865, as we had a Rev Pro debut for Dreissker.

Dreissker shoved Robbie X aside from the off, before a shoulder tackle saw X bounce back up… only to get BOUNCED away at the second time of asking. Ah well. A sit-down splash from Dreissker misses, as Robbie X looked to capitalise, landing a standing shooting star press for a two-count.

A low bridge takes Dreissker outside… he catches a moonsault off the apron, dumping X onto the apron, folding the former Cruiserweight champion high up on the second time of asking. Back inside, a suplex drops X, while a knee to the midsection and another suplex kept X on the back foot.

Robbie’s kept on the deck with a chinlock, but he fought free as I was Googling Carl Conroy. A bearhug slows down X, but he’s able to get free and nail Dreissker with clotheslines, while an enziguiri took Dreissker into the corner. Robbie X ducks a springboard crossbody out of the corner, then added a moonsault of his own for a two-count.

Robbie X looks to pull up Dreissker, but it’s stopped as a Biel throw launched X across the ring. Recovering, the Beyblade kick took down Dreissker, as did a missile dropkick off the top, but Dreissker’s able to kick out at two and hit back with a ripcord clothesline. A death valley driver’s next for another near-fall for Dreissker, but Robbie X is able to find a way in with a Pele kick, before he hauled up Dreissker for a squatting Finlay roll.

A trip up top afterwards led to a Spiral Tap, but Dreissker kicks out at two before he blocked an X-Clamation… and came back with an old-school Boulder Dash. A back senton and big splash follows for a near-fall, before Dreissker connected with that murderous springboard crossbody out of the corner.

Dreissker rolls outside, looking for plunder… he grabs a chair from the crowd, but Robbie X ducks a chair shot, then hit the X-Clamation. Robbie tries to grab the chair, only to be stopped by the ref… Robbie manages to get the chair anyway, and smashes it on Dreissker’s back for the DQ, following up with more and more chairshots after the bell as he used Dreissker as a message going into Uprising. This was as good a debut as you’d get here for Dreissker, given how he’d been slotted into existing storylines. ***¼

Jet Martial vs. Leon Slater
We’ve another debut here, with the Yorkshireman Martial taking on Leon Slater…

Martial’s all over Slater early on, but Leon’s able to evade and take out Jet with a dropkick. A kick to the back, then a seated dropkick from Jet has Slater down though, before Leon responded with a running kick… taking Martial out for a plancha seconds later. Following up, Slater stomps Martial back in the ring, leading to a standing splash for another two-count.

Chops follow as Martial’s taken into the corner, but Jet fought back with some live rounds, prompting Slater to hit back in kind. Jet adds some chops of his own in the corner, taking Slater down briefly before a Koppo kick knocked Leon back down to a knee.

A springboard enziguiri gets Martial another two-count… while a back elbow led to Slater returning with a misdirection cutter for a near-fall. Slater adds a running dropkick to Martial in the corner, but Jet’s right back with a leaping knee and a Saito suplex as he kept catching Leon unawares.

Slater tries to hit back with a torture rack, but Martial rakes the eyes to get free, before Slater’s twisting brainbuster almost ended things. Martial’s running dropkick wipes out Slater as he was on the top rope, while a goddamn cannonball through the ropes caught Leon in the aisle. Jesus, Jet…

Martial continues to go after Slater with a sliding forearm back inside, while a series of Kawada-ish kicks kept Slater on the defensive. Jet took too long to follow up though, and eats a Blue Thunder Bomb, then some leg lariats in return, before the rack bomb got the win. This one took me by surprise, with the debuting Martial hopefully earning his stripes with this one match… but Leon was always likely to win this given he’s days away from his title match. ***¾

Post-match, Connor Mills confronted Leon at ringside… Leon grabbed the belt and posed with it, only to get low blowed as Mills left with his belt going into the interval.

David Francisco vs. Spike Trivet
This one’s been built up since Spike debuted… and apparently Francisco was a hand-picked opponent for Spike by Robbie X.

We’ve a cheapshot from Spike before the bell, chucking his mask at Francisco… who caught it, then got mauled. Things got going with Francisco scoring with a Thesz press, but Spike’s headbutt and slaps in return just earn him a shoulder tackle to take him to the outside.

Francisco misses a dropkick through the ropes, but Spike capitalises with a shot to the face, then a slingshot stomp onto the apron. Back inside, Spike continues to wear down Francisco, chopping him into the corner before Spike wrenched back on Francisco’s wrist. Suplexes fling Francisco across the ring as an almost-nonchalant Spike picked up a two-count, before things spilled back outside with the pair trading shots.

Spike DDTs Francisco on the floor from there, stopping to mock Robbie X’s mannerisms after commentary had told us he’d left the building earlier. Francisco’s still left on the floor as we’ve got the world’s longest count-out… but Francisco pops up at 9 and sprints back into the ring, only to get caught with a Codebreaker off the middle rope from Trivet for a near-fall.

A palm strike to the face wakes up Francisco, as he came back with an enziguiri to Trivet, then a series of clotheslines that eventually took down Spike. Trivet bites his way out of a uranage, but Francisco’s able to recover with a flying clothesline for a near-fall. Forearms from Trivet keep Spike on the back foot, only for a Saito suplex and a running knee from Trivet to turn it around.

Trivet’s knocked over the top rope with a clothesline as Francisco followed up with the dropkick through the ropes… back inside, Francisco hauls up Spike for a Blue Thunder bomb for a near-fall, following up with a crossface. Spike escapes as we go back to the strikes, with Trivet slapping Francisco down into a heap.

Heading up top, Spike scores with almost a Meteora… then a piledriver, only to stop his own pin. Instead, he pulls up Francisco for a Birthright – an over-the-knee Pedigree – but he again breaks his own pin… then headed outside for a chair. Rather than take the win, Trivet grabs the chair and uses it on Francisco… and still, Spike’s winless in Rev Pro. ***

Post-match, Spike jams the chair into Francisco’s throat… then spat on the Rev Pro logo on the canvas. He took the mic and talked about being winless – DESPITE LITERALLY JUST THROWING AWAY A WIN. He bemoaned being seen as an outsider despite almost everyone else in the locker room working the same places he does… and vowed to crush everyone in his way to the top. Spike says he’ll get his first win next week against Robbie X, because what he just did was deliberate, as Spike then promised to wipe the floor with all the faces of Rev Pro…

Mark Trew vs. Michael Oku
Trew asked for this match after Kieron Lacey tapped to Oku at the 229 last week… but we’re interrupted by Zack Gibson again via video promo. Trew tried to capitalise with a sneak attack, but Oku low bridged Trew to the outside… and followed him outside with a Fosbury flop.

The pair fight into the crowd as we still waited for the bell to sound… Oku bounces a full bin into Trew, who tried to crawl under the video screen to get away from Oku. He’s pulled out as they fought on the stage, ending with Oku getting bounced by Trew with a suplex instead. Finally we head into the ring as the bell goes… with Trew adding his springboard torpedo headbutt to the back of Oku for a near-fall inside the opening 20 seconds.

Trew adds a dropkick for another two-count, then a slingshot splash into the ring as the champion Oku was struggling to get going. A back elbow gets a two-count from a tight cover for Trew, who followed up by hurling Trew into the corners. Oku fought back with a dropkick as he began to make a comeback, beating Trew to the punch with a series of forearms before a DDT earned Oku a two-count.

A PK from Oku leads to a missed springboard moonsault as Trew came back with a wild kick… then a wrecking ball spear for a near-fall. Trew mouthed off as he went for a half crab… and of course Oku fired up, beating Trew into the corner before he press slammed Trew off the top rope.

Oku misses a frog splash as Trew ran in with a Meteora to the back of the head… then a package powerbomb for another near-fall. A misdirection knee sees Oku get back in it after Trew mouthed off to the crowd… before a frog splash off the top almost got Oku the win. The half crab followed, with Oku leaning all the way back on the hold… and Trew’s left with no choice but to tap. Close, but no cigar, as Oku was pushed hard by the Rev Pro newcomer. ***¼

Great British Tag League Block B Play-Off: Greedy Souls (Brendan White & Danny Jones) vs. Sunshine Machine (TK Cooper & Chuck Mambo) vs. Subculture (Dani Luna & Flash Morgan Webster)
We’ve got a play-off here after block B of the Great British Tag League ended in a three-way tie last week. Dani Luna was subbing for Mark Andrews – who’s on the shelf for at least three months after injuries culminated in a tendon tear at the 229 last week. What that means though, is if Subculture won this play-off, she’ll be doing double duty at Uprising next week, as the winner of this take on Ricky Knight Jr. and Anthony Ogogo in the Great British Tag League finals.

Webster and Mambo take out the Greedy Souls before the bell, as those two start us off with armdrags. Danny Jones come in, but took a low dropkick as he was sent packing, while Mambo’s slams led him to a two-count over Webster. Heading outside, TK Cooper dives into Danny Jones as we’re told this was going to be a revolving triple-threat match.

Brendan tags in to charge through TK, then elbowed away Webster as Dani Luna tagged herself in. Dani’s diving kick took care of Brendan, while a fallaway slam chucked TK… before Brendan took one of his own. Webster’s back as Subculture double-team TK for a near-fall… but lost track of TK, who’s able to tag in Mambo ahead of a springboard armdrag takedown.

The Combo Meal followed on Webster , as the reverse DDT/elbow drop garnered a near-fall, before Brendan stormed the ring. Dani Luna tries to intervene, but she’s thrown into the ring post before Mambo’s springboard was shoved away by Brendan. A double-team powerslam wipes out Webster before things spilled outside with Dani hitting the wall, while Mambo ate the ring post.

Webster’s isolated as the Greedy Souls continued to control the pace, before Webster baited them into a double Mambo dropkick. TK tags in and took out his frustrations on the Greedy Souls, dumping Brendan with an Exploder before a standing shooting star press came up short.

TK recovers to hit the Omelette du Fromage as Flash Morgan had to break up an ensuing pin… Dani’s back to suplex fools again, wiping out TK, then Brendan, before Jones’ enziguiri stopped her in her tracks. That sparks a Parade of Stuff, with everyone spilling into the crowd once more with Jones getting thrown into the bins.

Dives keep Sunshine Machine ahead, but Dani Luna adds to it as she went up top and launched into the pile on the floor. Webster completes the set with a tope to TK, then one to Mambo, and finally one to Jones… Brendan slides in to avoid his, as he pulls Webster into a a backbreaker, before he… of course he’s not diving. He is getting rolled up though, with Webster getting a two-count before a suplex throw dumped Flash into the crowd. Bloody hell, Brendan…

Back inside, a Samoan drop from TK lands as we’re back into the Parade of Stuff, ending with a Bad Burrito to Dani Luna. Jones hits the ring for a Go 2 Sleep, while Webster’s Eton Rifle and Brendan’s Bossman slam finally led to us having a breather. The Hospital Pass keeps the Greedy Souls ahead as Dani Luna tried to force an opening, shoving the Souls into each other as Flash Morgan almost became the benefactor of all that chaos.

The video screen’s gone again as Mambo’s headed up to the balcony… diving off it with a crossbody into the pile. From there, a top rope splash from Mambo, then a senton bomb from TK crushes Brendan for a near-fall, before Danny Jones laid waste to TK and Mambo with their own GWF tag title belts.

Dani Luna’s met with a Rev Pro tag title belt shot to the back of the head, before Mambo mounted a comeback… only to get wiped out with a Soul Destroyer for the win. Mambo’s shoulder looked to be up, plus he kicked out at 3.01… which caused some confusion, but the Greedy Souls were ruled the winners here and go on to face RKJ and Anthony Ogogo next weekend after a manic car crash of a tag team main event. ***½

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

A strong go-home show for Rev Pro ahead of Uprising next weekend - with some solid debuts and promising signs for the year ahead…