Hamilton’s Rev Pro Ten Year Anniversary – Night Two 08.21.2022 Review

Quick Results
Danny Jones & Michael Oku pinned Michael Oku & Connor Mills in 13:24 (***¼)
Kanji submitted Chantal Jordan in 14:46 to retain the Southside Women’s Championship (***)
Luke Jacobs submitted Tony Deppen in 18:21 to retain the Rev Pro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship (***¾)
Eddie Dennis pinned Gideon Grey in 5:30 (**¾)
Mike Bailey pinned Leon Slater in 15:28 (****)
TK Cooper & Chuck Mambo pinned Paris de Silva & Jude London in 25:14 to retain the Rev Pro Undisputed British Tag Team Championship (***½)
Ricky Knight Jr. pinned Will Ospreay in 32:46 to win the Rev Pro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship (****¾)

— 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.

— To watch this show, head over to RevProOnDemand.com – they’re currently running a two-week free trial…

We’re back at York Hall for this, with Andy Quildan alongside Rob Lias on commentary…

Destination Everywhere (Connor Mills & Michael Oku) vs. Greedy Souls (Brendan White & Danny Jones)
Oku was out first for this as Destination Everywhere were keeping up the split entrances…

Oku and Jones started this one off, but it’s a ‘rana and dropkick from Oku got drew first blood as Mills tagged in to trade uppercuts with White. Mills dropped down, holding his neck, which was clearly the weak link after two matches yesterday. A springboard uppercut got Mills back in, as he then tagged out to Oku for a half crab… which was easily kicked away.

A missile dropkick from Oku took White down, but another half crab’s kicked away as Mills tagged himself in as White got peppered with kicks. Danny Jones gets the tag in as the double-teams continued, finishing with springboard moonsaults for a two-count for Mills. Oku added a Fosbury flop to the Greedy Souls on the outside, before Mills climbed the buckles for a moonsault off the middle.

Mills stayed down on the outside, as Oku ends up taking an enziguiri from Jones… while a back suplex from Brendan White folded Mills on the apron. That left Oku on his own for a spell as the Greedy Souls double-teamed the former Cruiserweight champion, including a sweet pass-the-parcel back suplex that got White a near-fall.

A stalling suplex drops Oku for a two-count, before an Irish whip somehow sent Oku lawn-darting into the middle turnbuckle. Jones is back to chop Oku down, while big boots and a Magic Killer Backbreaker nearly put Oku away. Uppercuts follow, as Jones then threw in some chops at Oku on the floor… but back inside, a dropkick from Oku took Jones off the apron, before a ‘rana was blocked by White, who ends up eating a Pele.

Oku does a Mills with a rebound lariat to take down White, before he made the tag out to a fired up Mills… who turned around and booted Oku’s head off. FINALLY. After months and months, Connor Mills turned on Michael Oku once again. Mills soaked in the crowd’s disdain as he pushed Oku onto the apron, just so he could tag himself out one last time.

That left Oku as the sacrificial lamb for the remainder of the match as Mills did a Tony Deppen, emptying his nose onto Oku before leaving to the back. A slingshot Bossman slam’s all it takes for Danny Jones to get the win, and that’s a big win for the Greedy Souls… even if the spotlight was on Michael Oku being abandoned. ***¼

Southside Women’s Championship: Chantal Jordan vs. Kanji (c)
Jordan earned this shot by way of the win over Maya Matthews the previous night…

We open with a lock-up that was broken, then taken into the corner as they eventually broke in the ropes. Another lock-up ends with Kanji taking Jordan into the corner, before Jordan found a way through with running uppercuts and a running knee into the corner. Chantal tries to add a dropkick, but Kanji dropped down to slingshot her into the corner… following up with the step-up slicing legdrop for a two-count.

Kanji stayed on Jordan with forearms into the corner, but a running dropkick caught Kanji on the back foot, while a seated dropkick followed in the corner for a near-fall. A spinning back elbow’s next from Jordan, along with punts to the back that nearly put Kanji away. More kicks follow from Jordan, eventually forcing Kanji to roll outside for respite.

Kanji avoids a dive, then caught an apron PK before she hit an electric chair drop onto the edge of the apron. A swinging 619 from the ring to the floor led to a ‘rana from Kanji, before an armdrag back inside put the defending champion ahead. An armbar’s next, but Jordan held on…

Kanji whips Jordan into the ropes repeatedly for some shots to the lower back, but a front kick caught Kanji by surprise, as did a series of chest kicks and a Meteora off the middle rope. Jordan gets a near-fall out of that, before Kanji down her down for a series of hammer-blow elbows to the back of the neck. Reversed Irish whips take Jordan between the ropes as a backfist led to some kicks across the turnbuckles.

A slingshot knee drop on the apron keeps the focus going, but Jordan finds a second wind of her own, landing a backfist before she was caught between the ropes with a full nelson. Kanji hits another backfist after the break before the pair traded strikes, leading to a hockey fight before a pump kick from Kanji led to a superkick from Jordan.

Clotheslines from Kanji keep her ahead, as did a Magistral cradle which led to some see-saw pins, ending with Kanji going for a triangle armbar that eventually got the submission. This was good, if not a little long given the York Hall crowd’s lack of familiarity, as Kanji continues to build her win/loss record in Rev Pro. ***

Rev Pro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship: Tony Deppen vs. Luke Jacobs (c)
Luke made this a title match before the bell – making it two impromptu title matches for Tony Deppen here this year, as he continues to fight the British accent amid chants.

Jacobs stuffs a takedown early, throwing Deppen through the ropes before a takedown from the champion saw him take Deppen’s back. Deppen went for the feet, so Jacobs rolled to the ropes to avoid anything being applied. Deppen makes fans on the balcony before he emptied his nose on Jacobs… which led to shoulder tackles as Luke spun Deppen down.

Deppen looked for a leapfrog, but gets slammed down and squashed with a back senton, before Jacobs swatted him with a chop. More chops follow on the outside as Jacobs ground Deppen’s forehead against the guard rails, dazing Deppen who found himself able to duck a chop as Jacobs hit the post. A stomp to the hand followed on the apron, but Jacobs chops him anyway, then took some retaliatory ones followed by an eye rake.

Deppen dragged Jacobs down in the ring as he went for a Regal Stretch, breaking it so he could land a knee drop before he stretched Jacobs’ arms around the ropes. A clothesline and more stomps keep Jacobs down, before Luke invited some strikes… then knocked Deppen down with a forearm. Going back to the arm gives Deppen a way through, only for a suplex throw to end all that, while a series of charges into the corner led to a shotgun dropkick from Luke.

An overhead belly-to-belly’s good for a near-fall, before Deppen escaped a powerbomb and hit a headbutt. A backslide nearly snatched the title for Deppen, who then stomped on the back of Jacobs’ leg… only for Luke to shrug it off with a German suplex and a clothesline. There’s a switcheroo as Deppen hits a tope con giro to the outside, almost leading to a double count-out… but Deppen got in before the referee could finish saying “ten.”

The pair swing for each other, leading to Deppen trapping Jacobs in an Octopus hold, but Jacobs escaped… and got rolled down. More clotheslines follow before Luke slapped Deppen, then pulled him into the rear naked choke… a Ligerbomb’s next, but Deppen’s out at two. A clothesline garners another two-count, before a roll-up from Deppen ends reversals… while another Regal Stretch turned into a Regal Full Nelson on the mat.

Jacobs makes it to the ropes, but Deppen’s right on him with stomps before palm strikes just pissed off Luke. We’re back to the hockey fighting, ending with kicks and forearms before a single-leg dropkick took Deppen to the corner… the perfect place for a Coast to Coast. From there, a brainbuster gets a near-fall, before a wacky cravat suplex off the top rope nearly saw Deppen take the win.

Deppen stays on Jacobs with a Kimura, then a Zack Sabre Jr-ish Young Boy Killer, before Deppen’s search for a new hold was turned into a inside cradle. Kicking out, Deppen stays on Jacobs, but his O’Connor roll’s kicked out of before a rear naked choke led to the insta-tap. Some wonderful stuff here as Deppen came agonisingly close to returning to the US with some new hardware… but it’s a third successive defence for Luke Jacobs, who’s building his legacy quickly here. ***¾

Gideon Grey interrupted the start of the second half cueing a temper tantrum from Francesca the ring announcer… referee Chris Hatch is in tow, which makes you think “a match is happening,” and sure enough, we’ve an open challenge from Gideon… after he mocked Michael Oku a little. The open challenge was answered by… Mad Kurt’s music?

Kurt quickly tells us he’s not here to wrestle, but rather poke fun at Gideon, whose tongue lashing in return earned him a stern “not the way,” as apparently its time to party hard?

Gideon Grey vs. Eddie Dennis
If you had Eddie Dennis down as the first person to return to Rev Pro after NXT UK’s closure, then you’ve won the sweepstakes. I think you can just about catch me in the crowd mouthing “what the f…”

So, a fun fact here… Eddie’s prior run with Rev Pro saw him win zero matches, with the closest to a win coming in his last match in January 2018… when he lost via DQ (Eddie Guerrero style, with the ref assuming) to… Gideon Grey. Hmm.

Gideon attacked Eddie from behind but a forearm in return gets Eddie a two-count. Gideon powders outside, but sidesteps a dive as Eddie lands on his feet… and cracked Gideon with a big boot. Heading back to the ring, Gideon kicks the ropes into Eddie’s crotch, then choked Eddie by the ropes.

Stomps follow as Gideon chewed out Chris Hatch as “the worst referee,” throwing a punch right in front of him. Eddie returns with forearms and chops, then an atomic drop and a clothesline, before a swinging side slam nearly put away Gideon. Eddie tries for a Severn Bridge, but Gideon slips out and shoved Eddie towards the referee… then hit a low blow.

Mad Kurt distracts the referee as Gideon went for the cane, drilling it into Eddie for a near-fall. Should have Eddie Guerrero’d it again. Especially when Gideon lost his mind and called for a moonsault. He avoids the nosebleed as Mad Kurt hopped up on the apron, while the referee remembered to get rid of the cane.

Cue a keyboard shot, allowing Eddie to hit a Severn Bridge buckle bomb and a Next Stop Driver… and just like that, Gideon Grey is the 1 in 1-20. **¾

Eddie Dennis and Mad Kurt celebrated afterwards, along with… Shota Umino in Tweetie Pie slippers? I swear to God, an AI script didn’t just write that… as the Contenders once again carried Gideon to the back. Well, almost, Joshua James dropped Gideon on the stage, then dragged him through the curtain…

Leon Slater vs. Mike Bailey
A swift York Hall debut for Leon Slater, who blew away the crowd at the 229 in London earlier in the month on his debut against Luke Jacobs.

Slater tries to get the jump as the opening exchanges ended even, while Slater flipped out of a wristlock to reverse the hold. A big dropkick takes Bailey down, as the pair ended up on the outside, flipping over each other before Slater vaulted over the guard rails, following with a springboard into a Bailey superkick back in.

Chops from Bailey wear down Slater as they headed back into the ring, before some Vader Bomb Knees from Bailey drew a two-count. A front kick knocks Slater into the corner ahead of a half crab, but it’s right by the ropes as Slater quickly got the break. Speedball’s having fun picking his spots against the Rev Pro newcomer, but Slater struck back with chops, prompting Bailey to throw some of his own.

Bailey tees up a chop, but fakes out for some kicks instead, as a corkscrew press earned him a two-count. Slater’s right back with a crossbody, then a corner dropkick before he found a way through with a handspring back elbow. The pair jockey for a suplex, but they spill over the top rope to the floor… landing on their feet as Slater quickly hit an X-Plex onto the apron. Bloody hell, lads…

The pair trade forearms on the outside, but Slater’s 619 from the floor doesn’t break the count… so he breaks the count properly and hits a cannonball off the apron, before a tope took Bailey down. A quick return to the ring ends with a Golden Triangle moonsault from Bailey to the outside… only for Speedball to celebrate too much as Slater took to the air again with an over-the-post tope con giro.

Slater heads up top, but stops a 450 splash… then caught a roundhouse in the corner as he levelled Speedball with a leg lariat. A stomp’s next, but Bailey takes Slater into the ropes for a double kneedrop across the back for a near-fall. A PK and some moonsault knees crush Slater, who blocked another kick before he pulled Bailey into a Blue Thunder Bomb… then added a twisting brainbruster for a pair of two-counts.

Heading to the apron, Slater measures up Bailey, but gets his legs swept as Bailey met him with more moonsault knees on the outside. A buzzsaw kick’s next for a near-fall for Bailey, who tries a Flamingo Driver… but Slater escaped, only to get caught with a gamengiri on the top rope. Speedball ends up eating an avalanche twisting brainbuster from there, then a 450 splash… but a crucifix on the kick-out nearly stole the win.

Bailey goes back to the kicks, cracking into Slater with a roundhouse in the corner as the Flamingo Driver ended up putting Slater away. Bloody hell, lads, even in defeat, Leon Slater announced his arrival in style here – and barring any kind of upset, this should just be the start of a fantastic run here for the 17 year old. Way to make me feel old there, by the way… ****

Rev Pro Undisputed British Tag Team Championship: The VeloCities (Jude London & Paris De Silva) vs. Sunshine Machine (Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper) (c)
The VeloCities earned this shot by winning the Great British Tag League, and I’m going to be harsh but fair here – the various matches between these teams (singles and tags) just haven’t done it for me.

TK Cooper came in with a little more aggression than usual, blocking Jude London’s early efforts before a snap wheelbarrow roll-up almost ended this one in the opening minute. Mambo’s in, but the German Suplex Turbo Charged By The Power of Friendship is blocked as Paris de Silva came in… avoided a Gutterball, then hit dropkicks to clear the ring.

London’s back to double-team Mambo, who headed outside as TK took over absorbing the offence, eating a spinning heel kick that sent him to the outside too. Duelling dives from the Aussies find their mark, before a second Poetry in Motion from the VeloCities ended with Mambo blocking London, dumping him onto de Silva with a uranage.

The Macho Man hot shot and springboard moonsault combo gets TK a two-count as de Silva was getting isolated. Paris thought he’d found a way through, but Mambo floats over as a reverse DDT/elbow drop combo got the champions a near-fall, before a Mambo slam set up for the Romero special into a Flatliner… except de Silva broke free and got in a rear naked choke while still in the Romero special. TK shakes it off to hit the Flatliner anyway as London ran in to break up the pin.

An armdrag from TK takes de Silva into the buckles, as frequent tags keep the champions fresh. We’ve a snap suplex from TK for a two-count as Jude London ran in… and got levelled with a forearm. Mambo tagged in to let TK cool down, but Mambo’s instantly caught with a satellite DDT as the challengers found a way in.

Tags bring is back to London and TK, with TK eating a Slingblade, while Mambo took his share of corner-to-corner attacks. A springboard armdrag/headscissors takes the champions outside, while a flip senton from London knocked them down. Back inside, a springboard reverse Slingblade and a double stomp almost put TK away.

A missed moonsault from London nearly created an opening, but he’s able to fend it away as Mambo ended up knocking him across the buckles ahead of a wacky back senton across the buckles… then a running Samoan drop out of the corner from TK. Mambo’s frog splash adds a near-fall, before the German Suplex Turbo Charged By The Power of Friendship, then a B-Roll kept London on the back foot.

Quicker tags led to a tease of Captain Midnight’s Revenge, but London escaped… then managed to get tagged out as he was mid-handspring. Something about dubious refereeing, but Gideon Grey’s already laboured that point here. Paris de Silva’s caught, but countered a Gory stretch into a Destroyer, before Mambo caught him with a swinging side slam. We’re going tornadoes as tags just seem to be a novelty in this stretch, with Mambo eating a reverse ‘rana from London, before he caught a head kick and eventually took Jude down with superkicks.

Dualling shooting star presses crash into TK and de Silva as those two resume trading strikes, ending with Paris hitting the ropes as he crashed into a TK headbutt. The VeloCities catch TK in the corner, but he fought them both off ahead of the Omelette du Fromage… which London shrugged off to hit a Destroyer onto the apron. TK shrugged THAT off and charged off the apron with a shooting star headbutt, before we headed back inside as TK’s 450 landed in the knees as de Silva almost stole a win.

Double-teams pepper TK on the way to a big stomp off the top from London. A pair of front kicks into the corner, then a Blockbuster/leg sweep added another close call from the challengers, before Paris busted out that goddamned Shooting Star DDT for a near-fall. Mambo dragged TK to the corner for an easier tag, coming in with a Reef Break to de Silva before a Gory Special eventually was countered out of as an inside cradle kept the near-falls coming.

TK powerbombs London’s springboard ‘rana away, while a reverse Gory Special from Mambo gets broken up via a Victory roll as London was held in a TK Sharpshooter. A Designated Driver sees the champions bounce back for a near-fall… so they tease an avalanche one, which London broke up.

A sunset bomb/Slingblade combo swings it back for the VeloCities for another near-fall… a double Blockbuster from London led to a double shooting star DDT attempt… but it’s caught and turnd into Captain Midnight’s Revenge for a near-fall… with London accidentally stomping onto his own man as the champions sensed a break-up. Jude eats a Captain Midnight’s Revenge there, before an avalanche Designated Driver crashed de Silva to the canvas for the win.

This was pretty wild, but had a hard time getting the crowd onside given what it followed… and what it came before as Sunshine Machine needed to dig super deep to get the win when it mattered. ***½

Promo package time as we’ve footage of young Will Ospreay (including a sneaky bit of PROGRESS), alongside RKJ’s earlier years as they recapped both men’s stories in Rev Pro… building up to tonight’s last chance saloon for RKJ.

Rev Pro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship: Ricky Knight Jr. vs. Will Ospreay (c)
Having lost to Will Ospreay in 2020 – on Epic Encounters 5 (remember those shows?) – and last September in the Rev Pro & Southside title unification match… this was win or bust for Ricky Knight Jr., whom at one point seemed to have put his entire Rev Pro career on the line here.

That list o’ accolades entrance video for Ospreay, coupled with this being slap bang in the middle of that murderous week of G1 matches, Rev Pro main events and an AEW trios main event, helped make this more of a split crowd than you’d perhaps expect, and with both men revving up during the entrances, this one started out HOT.

Front kicks back-and-forth, back body drops, then a clothesline took Ospreay to the outside as RKJ dropped Ospreay crotch-first over a chair, before a lap of honour ended with Ospreay meeting RKJ with a boot. An attempt to hit back sees Ospreay get crotched in the rails, as RKJ hit a step-up clothesline off a chair to knock Ospreay down to the floor… before he headbutted the chair away.

Back inside, RKJ stays on Ospreay, only to get lifted up top and chopped to the floor as he went for a charge into the corner. On the outside, Ospreay chopped RKJ by the rails, then took things back inside as bodyscissors grounded the challenger. Headbutts from Ospreay stagger RKJ, who then tried to scratch his way out of a chinlock as Ospreay then went for a suplex, only for Knight to counter in kind.

A running dropkick caught Ospreay in the corner, while a second dropkick through the ropes went through Ospreay – and almost the cameraman – before a London Bridge DDT was escaped. Ospreay’s kicked to the outside as a tope con giro ensured RKJ stayed on him… adding a draping DDT off the apron for good measure. Back inside, a Razor’s Edge drew a two-count, before Ospreay launched himself back into things with a handspring enziguiri.

Kawada-ish kicks from Ospreay followed, as a chop sank RKJ, who chopped back as a death valley driver spiked Ospreay towards the corner. RKJ heads up top, but Ospreay rolls onto the apron… so he gets pulled across the middle turnbuckle, only for Ospreay to escape and score a sunset bomb, walking RKJ across ringside before he dumped him onto the entrance ramp.

Ospreay targets RKJ’s lower back with forearms as they returned to the ring. RKJ finds a way through with right hands that had Ospreay on jelly legs, before a handspring’s caught… then a hook kick… as RKJ’s knee strike and clothesline left both men laying. Knight’s on the front foot though, as he took Ospreay up top… only to get dropped into the turnbuckles, which led to RKJ coming up red.

Ospreay targets the cut with punches, then launched RKJ into the buckles with an Irish whip. That fired up RKJ, who cornered Ospreay, then windmilled away on him before they traded clotheslines… ending with a reverse ‘rana from RKJ, and a Hidden Blade out of nowhere from Ospreay. That’s good for a near-fall as Ospreay rained down hammer elbows to the back of RKJ’s head.

More shots target the back of Knight’s head, while a series of superkicks ended with referee Oscar Harding pushing Ospreay away so he could check RKJ… only to get wiped out with a Hidden Blade. If the elbow didn’t suck, the landing into the ropes sure as hell did.

With no ref, RKJ hits a Fire Thunder Driver as referee Chris Hatch headed down to the ring. Both men trade headbutts as they fought back to their feet, then forearms, before Ospreay countered a clothesline… only to get met with a Destroyer for a near-fall. RKJ teases a Hidden Blade, but eats a Spanish Fly instead as it seemed that RKJ’s finisher trolling would bite him in the arse.

An OsCutter’s caught as we tease another ref bump… only for Ospreay to shotgun dropkick RKJ into the ref. With no other officials around, Ospreay grabbed his Rev Pro title and went for a belt shot, only for RKJ to kick it away. Knight hits one instead, then fell on top of the belt after realising he’d not gotten rid of it.

Ospreay motioned to the referee that there’d been a belt shot, but RKJ shoves it out of the ring after Ospreay’d inadvertently distracted him. RKJ follows Ospreay outside as they headed over to the conveniently-larger timekeeper’s table than yesterday, dragging it towards the ring as Ospreay ended up teasing an OsCutter through it, before he instead drove RKJ through the wood with a Fire Thunder Driver.

Ospreay demanded a count-out, but RKJ beats it at nine… only to get caught with a springboard dropkick, then a springboard forearm to the back of the head. An OsCutter followed, but RKJ kicked out at two, then countered a Hidden Blade into a backslide for a near-fall. Ospreay caught a superkick and turned it into a tombstone, but his own finisher trolling saw him nail a Rainmaker… which RKJ kicked out from.

A Hidden Blade to the face adds another near-fall, so Ospreay trolls more wrestlers. Here comes a V-Trigger… then a One Winged Angel, but RKJ slipped out and hit one of his own! A punt to the face, then a Fire Thunder Driver followed, and that’s enough to end the reign of Will Ospreay! See, the One Winged Angel (and the rest) works, you’ve just got to hit it! This was a fantastic passing of the torch as the mostly-unbeatable Ospreay lost in York Hall for the first time since April 2017 – another outing that saw him lose a championship. It’s a big moment for RKJ, who’s now tasked with leading Rev Pro as champion. ****¾

8.9

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

A spectacular finale for Rev Pro’s 10 Year Anniversary - and one that seemed to mark the end of an era in the promotion. Will Ospreay flat out saying that he’s stepping away for a while, coupled with Aussie Open dialling up their independent bookings in the US, and it looks like the United Empire aren’t going to be around for a while - leaving a few high-profile spots ready for the taking.