Hamilton’s Rev Pro Uprising 2022 12.17.2022 Review

Quick Results
Robbie X defeated Will Kaven, Dan Moloney & Luke Jacobs in 17:03 to win the Rev Pro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship (***¼)
Dani Luna pinned Kanji in 11:32 to win the Southside Women’s Championship (***)
Street Fight: Brendan White & Danny Jones defeated Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper via referee stoppage in 16:09 to retain the Rev Pro Undisputed British Tag Team Championship (***½)
Zack Sabre Jr. submitted Leon Slater in 17:26 (****)
Great O-Khan pinned Zak Knight in 15:42 to win the Rev Pro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship (***¼)
Michael Oku pinned Connor Mills in 23:50 (****¼)
Will Ospreay pinned Tomohiro Ishii in 20:32 (****¼)

— If you’re on Twitter, give me a follow over on @IanWrestling. I’m also over on Mastodon, for those of you preparing for a post-Twitter world… catch me here… 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 at York Hall in London for Rev Pro’s final showcase event of the year – one that had some changes in the days beforehand. Ricky Knight Jr.’s broken wrist meant that his advertised title defence against Great O-Khan was changed, with Zak Knight filling in as a proxy… meanwhile, injury also sidelined Alex Windsor, so the much-delayed women’s title unification match is punted back some more, as Kanji ended up defending her Southside women’s title against Dani Luna instead.

Commentary comes from Andy Quildan and Kelly Marshall – with a bigger-than-expected crowd at York Hall given that there’d been train strikes that day…

Elimination Match for Rev Pro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship: Will Kaven vs. Robbie X vs. Luke Jacobs (c) vs. Dan Moloney
Dan Moloney had a ringside seat for this one, having been told he wasn’t welcome… and then got himself added to the match after causing a scene. At least he didn’t go from Drilla to Seat Filla…

We got going with Moloney and Jacobs teeing off on each other, following with chops as Moloney drew first blood on the champion. Robbie X couldn’t capitalise as he literally ran into a back body drop, while Will Kaven got kicked off the apron by a dominant Moloney. A wild running forearm from Jacobs took himself and Moloney to the outside, as Kaven and Robbie X took to the ring… and it wasn’t good going for Kaven at first.

Kaven scored a rebound Saito suplex off the ropes to Robbie X, who fought back… only to have his handspring caught as things spilled outside, where Robbie X ended up nailing a springboard Molly Go Round into the pile. Back inside, Kaven ate a sit-out side slam from Jacobs, who got blindsided by Moloney’s sunset flip stomp as Jacobs and Moloney continued to go back-and-forth.

Jacobs manages to roll in an ankle lock, then sat down on Moloney’s attempt to roll free… and there’s the first elimination! Moloney tries a cheapshot, but got superkicked to the outside as Kaven pounces on Jacobs. Robbie X cuts off Kaven, but gets sent flying to the outside as Kaven’s teardrop suplex sent Jacobs down. We’ve a springboard dropkick from Robbie X as he brought himself back in, while the Three Amigos left Kaven down for a running shooting star press that almost won it.

A handspring cutter from Robbie X took care of Kaven, but Kaven rolls outside as Robbie X went after Jacobs instead, trading forearms off the ropes until Robbie floated out of a German suplex, and returned with an enziguiri. The tit-for-tat continues until Jacobs waffled Robbie X with a lariat and a powerbomb for a near-fall.

Kaven slides back in and went for Jacobs’ hair, only to get sent outside… Dan Moloney rushes back in to hit a spear and a Drilla on Jacobs, planting the champion as Will Kaven then got shoved into the ring to score the easy pin. We’re down to Robbie X and Will Kaven, as we’re now guaranteed a new champion.

Hobbling, Robbie X ends up getting sent outside via Kaven’s Cactus Clothesline… he’s then sent into the railings before a dropkick stopped Kaven in his tracks. Back inside, Robbie X scored with a Spiral Tap for a near-fall, before Kaven snapped in with a Dragon suplex… then a second one onto the side of the ring.

Robbie X’s held on the ropes for a flying knee from Kaven… but he ends up catching Kaven with a Pele kick as Kaven was up top. Kaven grabs the referee to block an X-Clamation, then tried to snatch a win with a low blow and inside cradle, getting a near-fall out of it, before a spike piledriver forced another near-fall on the British J Cup winner.

Kaven heads up top for a superplex, but Robbie X fought free and countered with a Del Rio-ish stomp for a near-fall… before an X-Clamation was countered with a roll-up. Second time’s the charm, and that’s enough for just a one-count?! Instead, Robbie X moves to a package tombstone piledriver, and that’s enough for Robbie X to leave with the win… and the title. ***¼

Southside Women’s Championship: Dani Luna vs. Kanji (c)
Alex Windsor joined commentary for this, after injury curtailed the planned title unification match…

Luna’s the early aggressor, ragdolling Kanji to the mat with a waistlock before Kanji found her wristlock getting punched away. On the mat, Kanji opts to throw some kicks to Dani, who ended up getting taken down as some palm strikes picked up a two-count for Kanji. A Tiger Feint kick in the corner from Kanji misses, as standing switches ended with Kanji getting charged throat-first into the ropes.

Kanji’s whipped corner-to-corner into the buckles as Luna picked up another two-count, before Kanji began to fight back with chops and a whip into the corner of her own… but Dani snapped right back with a sliding Flatliner for a near-fall. A superkick helped Kanji back in it, as did a series of forearms to the lower back as Luna was kept by the ropes.

A springboard forearm helps Kanji on the way to a two-count, before she pulled Luna into the triangle armbar… but Dani rolled over to get a two-count and break the hold. Luna’s slingshot Blue Thunder bomb nearly wins it, but Kanji resumes her focus on the back of Luna, before she missed a back elbow… and instead ‘rana’d Luna and herself to the outside.

Kanji and Luna trade blows on the floor, but Luna gets posted as both women narrowly beat the count-out… while Kanji’s slingshot spear almost took her to the win. A triangle armbar follows, but Luna manages to pull her way free and break the hold with a Darkness Falls… which was enough to get the win and end Kanji’s three-year-plus reign with the Southside women’s title. A clean-cut win as Dani Luna derails those Windsor/Kanji unification ideas… and continued Luna’s dominance on her return to Rev Pro. ***

Post-match, Alex Windsor went to the ring to console Kanji… who pushed away the offer of a handshake. There’s still an issue there then?

Street Fight for Rev Pro Undisputed British Tag Team Championship: Sunshine Machine (Chuck Mambo & TK Cooper) vs. Greedy Souls (Brendan White & Danny Jones) (c)
Sod the regular ring gear – there’s a lot of Street Fight Jeans and belts (except from Mambo, who came in… Zubaz?!) There’d been some consternation ahead of this match, with the streetfight having been built to with cheap count-out and DQ losses…

White and Jones sling the title belts at TK and Mambo before the bell, as we start with other belt shots as the champions took off their leather belts and whipped the challengers with them. TK takes his belt, while Mambo snatched one from Jones as the champions got a taste of their medicine.

Cooper spears Brendan White off the apron, while Mambo’s flip dive took out the champions as the two teams fought around ringside, with Mambo clocking Jones with a title belt shot. White disconnects a barrier and used it to charge TK into the ring post, before Mambo made the save and smashed into a ring light as they flipped the barrier into White. A bloodied Danny Jones gets chopped around ringside as the challengers slowly took things towards the stage, but a back body drop from Jones saw TK crash into the walkway.

Up on the stage, the Greedy Souls get shoved into each other, before a low blow from White stopped a Designated Driver off the stage… and allowed the champions to bounce Mambo onto the ramp with a bodyslam. Back at ringside, Mambo’s smashed in the back with a chair, as a Kendo stick then came into play… which Mambo snatched as he proceeded to go all Sandman on the Greedy Souls.

Jones cut off Mambo with a Snake Eyes onto the guard rails, before Chuck took a Kendo stick shot to the back for a two-count back inside. We’re back into the crowd as Danny Jones threw Mambo into the wall, joined by Brendan White as they brawled back towards the stage… where TK Cooper popped up out of nowhere as he dove over the commentary team to wipe out the champions.

Back at ringside, White’s got a chair for TK… but something something he’s Samoan. Mambo’s back as White’s double-teamed en route to a Coast to Coast through a chair. A Parade of Stuff breaks out as all four were in the ring, leading to Mambo hooking White in the ropes so TK could whale him with a Kendo stick to the midsection. Add that to the list of wrestling-related stuff you wanna avoid…

Jones saves his partner with a chairshot to TK, before he just flung the chair at an airborne Mambo. The Greedy Souls slingshot Mambo into a chairshot after that, as TK found himself isolated for a spell. It led to Jones teasing a piledriver through a chair, but a Reef Break from Mambo puts Danny through it for a two-count instead as all four men brawled some more.

Brendan’s thrown into a chair that’d been wedged in the corner, with a frog splash and a TK shooting star press almost leading to a third title change of the night… but White kicked out at two. Danny Jones returns to block another crack at the Designated Driver as he hit TK with a turnbuckle hook, before Mambo took another shot with it for a near-fall. The turnbuckle’s used to stretch Mambo in a crossface, with Jones using the hook to stretch Mambo’s mouth…

TK went to make a save with a Kendo stick, but Jones stopped him with a piledriver… before Jones used the back of a chair to choke out TK until both TK and Mambo passed out. That’s the ref stoppage, and that’s a successful defence in what was a wild street fight – something Rev Pro’s had a bit of a record of pulling off at York Hall in the past. This was the outing the Greedy Souls needed after a rocky start, particularly elsewhere in London, and now it ought to be onto the next challengers. ***½

Leon Slater vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
…and now for something completely different.

This was Zack Sabre Jr’s first appearance in Rev Pro since he lost the Undisputed British Heavyweight title back in February 2020, and he wasted no time getting in Leon Slater’s face beforehand. We start with grappling as Slater instantly played Sabre’s game, only to get taken into the ropes as Sabre broke cleanly.

A wristlock takes Slater to the mat, but he’s able to get free and trade armdrags with Sabre, who countered then stopped him with headscissors on the mat. Kipping up, Slater takes Sabre outside with a dropkick, but Zack moves away from Slater’s teased dives, hiding behind the lighting rig as Slater then baited Sabre back into the ring.

Uppercuts and forearms from Sabre took Slater to the corner, where he then stood on Slater’s head. An arm whip keeps Sabre in control as he went back to the wrist, then stomped on the elbow as Leon was forced to fight back, eventually cracking Sabre with an enziguiri.

Slater’s caught in the ropes as Sabre scissored him with a Dragon sleeper, but obviously that wasn’t going to get the win… Slater’s dropped to the outside, before he rolled right back into Sabre, who grounded the 18-year old with more headscissors, adding a half crab-like stretch to the mix. Getting back to his feet, Slater’s chops lulled him into a false sense of security as Sabre stuck back… before some front kicks from Slater left Zack on his arse.

A handspring back elbow keeps Slater ahead, but his attempt to pull up Sabre earned him a front chancery… which Slater countered out of with a Twister suplex. Leon added a high crossbody for a two-count, before he caught Sabre with an Octopus hold… which ended as well as you’d think. Zack powers out, then stomped Slater’s knees into the mat, before a Boston crab looked to force a humiliating finish.

Hand-walking to the ropes, Slater forces a break as he came back with a Tim Thatcher-esque thunderous slap… which Sabre tries to come back from, only to eat a dropkick in the corner for a near-fall. The swanton 450 follows, but Sabre’s up at two… and took another PK as Slater looked to be on course for an unlikely win.

Sabre caught a PK from Slater, then returned that palms trike from earlier as a Dragon suplex nearly put Slater away… as did a PK… before Slater tried his luck with a Euro clutch. Sabre kicks out and throttles Slater into a scissored Dragon sleeper, then a cross armbar as Slater was forced to submit. A hell of a showing again from Leon, with Zack giving him a LOT… but it’s another loss as Slater is mirroring the tough start to Rev Pro that Michael Oku had back in the day. ****

Post-match, Sabre took the mic and announced that he’s back…

The second half of the show’s upstaged by Gideon Grey, making his return to Rev Pro after a spell in Japan. He’s not exactly getting the same responses he was getting over there, and we’re getting a reshuffling as Great O-Khan’s getting his title shot now.

Rev Pro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship: Great O-Khan vs. Zak Knight
Zak’s defending the title in RKJ’s stead here…

The opening lock-up takes O-Khan into the ropes, where he played with his braid as Zak broke cleanly. Knight scuttles out as O-Khan went to take things to the mat, before another lock-up into the ropes ended with Zak chopping on the break. Knight tries to chase O-Khan to the outside, but gets trapped in the ring apron as O-Khan choked Zak with his braid.

RKJ grabs the ring bell as O-Khan went to work on Zak’s left arm, before a return to the ring allowed O-Khan to choke Zak with the braid. A splash to the left arm sees O-Khan continue to mock RKJ, while Mongolian chops in the corner kept things going in the challenger’s favour.

Zak fights back, chopping down O-Khan ahead of a whip into the ropes and a follow-up dropkick… he then beat O-Khan to the punch before a missed chop allowed O-Khan back in with the Sheep Killer. A Judo throw has Zak down afterwards, as O-Khan then offered himself up for strikes, with the pair trading clotheslines back-and-forth.

A throat thrust from Zak led to a hanging clothesline from O-Khan in return, before O-Khan went back to the arm of Knight. Zak’s repeatedly bounced into the top turnbuckle as O-Khan worked the wrist some more, which the ropes saving Zak after some help from RKJ. Knight’s backhand and shotgun dropkick looked to turn it around, sending O-Khan outside for a dive, with RKJ throwing in a shot at O-Khan that drew in security… and gave Zak a chance to moonsault off the top into the pile.

A diving headbutt – almost a Torpedo Moscau – from Zak looked to get a visual pin, but Gideon Grey distracted the referee as everyone looked to eject RKJ from ringside. With the ref still distracted, Zak called for a crucifix bomb, but O-Khan slipped out and hit a face-claw spin-out slam for a near-fall.

O-Khan goes back to the arm as he bit away on Zak’s wrist, before RKJ wandered back out. The one time York Hall’s security is lax… RKJ tried to bait the ref into DQing Zak, if only because it’d save him the title, but the match continued with Zak hitting a spear for another near-fall. O-Khan sidesteps a leap off the top rope from Knight, but couldn’t get an Eliminator off… but did manage to hit a pumphandle’d version of it seconds later as Great O-Khan brought the Rev Pro title back to the Empire. This match felt a little flat, with the crowd perhaps sensing the title change given the lengths taken to keep the match on – and it’s not like the bulk of the Rev Pro crowd took to O-Khan during his excursion! ***¼

Post-match, Gideon Grey demanded that RKJ hand Great O-Khan the title… but instead RKJ pulled Gideon into a headbutt before Lucian Phillips joined in. Zak Knight makes the save with a Kendo stick, as the Legion/Empire lot left with their tails between their legs.

Connor Mills vs. Michael Oku
Best friends, better enemies and all that, especially after Oku had to be baited into having this match… which they noted was going to be their one and only meeting. Let’s see how long that lasts, eh? Wrestling and all that…

Oku and Mills met on the entrance way, fighting before Oku’d made it to the ring. When we got going, the scrap continued until Oku blocked Mills’ rebound lariat by turning it into a half crab in the ropes. That’s added to with a Fosbury flop as Oku wiped out Mills on the floor, but staying out there led to Oku hitting a Cactus clothesline, sending he and Mills into the crowd.

Moving around the crowd barriers, Oku went for a springboard… but Mills caught him and suplexed him across the rails. Kicks followed as Oku then hit the ring and tope’d into the back of Oku, which sent him crashing into the crowd, wiping out Joshua James in the process.

Back in the ring, Oku’s caught with a missile dropkick for a two-count, before Mills began to pepper Oku with kicks. An Irish whip bounces Oku upside-down into the corner after that, while uppercuts, clotheslines and kicks sank Oku to the mat for a one-count. Avoiding a stomp to the ankle, Oku fights back to his feet and took Mills into the corner for some forearms, then some stomps as Mills avoided a half crab.

A trip to the top rope sees Oku go for a superplex, but Mills fights free… only to get cough twitch… an avalanche jackhammer?! Those mid-00s Goldberg trunks are certainly going to someone’s head! Oku adds a pair of running dropkicks to take down Mills, then a springboard moonsault for a two-count, before Mills pushed out of a half crab.

Missed kicks from Mills led to the pair clobbering each other with clotheslines, but it’s Mills who pushes ahead before a Pele kick took Mills into the ropes for the misdirection knee. Mills keeps on with the rebound attempts, and finally hits a rebound lariat for a two-count before a Millshot drew a near-fall on Oku.

Mills heads up top as he teases a 450 splash… Oku rolls away, but couldn’t avoid a frog splash, nor some ground and pound as Mills headed outside and began to look for something. Eventually he finds it: a towel, so he could give it to Amira at ringside so she could give up for Oku.

Stomps from Mills baited a stoppage, as he then mocked Oku’s half-crab setup… forcing Oku to crawl towards the rope for the break. Mills stops him for some stomps to the head, prompting Amira up onto the apron. She refuses to throw in the towel as a distracted Mills wandered into an inside cradle for a near-fall, as Oku then put the half crab on… but Mills crawls over to the corner and grabbed hold of Amira by the hair.

Oku pulls Mills away from the ropes, which unknowingly to him also dragged Amira in… letting go of the hold opened up Oku for a low blow from Mills, who followed up with a Burning Cutter for a near-fall as Amira just about pulled the referee out of the ring in time. Frustrated, Mills lashes out as he hit a dropkick through the ropes to send Amira into the guard rails… and was quickly sent there himself as a wild torpedo from Oku sent Mills there too.

Oku sees red and took Mills towards the ring post as he made Mills go all Nigel McGuinness, pulling his foe into the post. Mills comes up red, and got rolled back into the ring… he rolls onto the apron, looking to avoid a frog splash, but Oku lands it anyways. Mills narrowly beats a count-out after that, then pled for mercy as Oku loomed over him. Of course, it led to a sucker punch, which Oku ducked as a Yakuza kick in the corner wipes out Mills before the frog splash led to the definite win. A fight from start to finish, and with this being billed as a one-time-only affair, the question now is: what’s next for both men? ****¼

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Will Ospreay
Will Ospreay wasn’t meant to be here… but the reshuffle caused by RKJ’s injury saw him added to the show, and ultimately the main event, with his IWGP US title not on the line. These two have met once before in singles action, with Ospreay winning during 2020’s G1 Climax – but Ishii has won more than he’s lost at York Hall, having been a former Rev Pro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion.

We got going with a lock-up as Ospreay and Ishii opted to eschew that and pelt each other with forearms in the opening stages. Front kicks from Ospreay earn him a shoulder tackle, but some headscissors take Ishii outside for a plancha. Back inside, Ishii’s knocked into the corner with some elbow strikes, before the turnbuckles proved to be no match for Ishii’s head.

Ishii switches around with chops and forearms to Ospreay in the corner, then with some headbutts as the US champion found himself very much on the defensive. Breaking free, Ospreay’s able to hit a handspring enziguiri to take Ishii down, while a springboard forearm put Ishii down for a two-count.

Ospreay’s able to chop down Ishii, but a slam from Ishii turns the tables the other way as Ishii went back to the strikes… only to get caught with a wall-flip enziguiri. A slam is next from Ospreay, but his trip up top was stopped by Ishii, who eventually cracked Ospreay on the top rope with an uprising headbutt. Ishii adds a stalling superplex to the mix, bouncing Ospreay off the mat for a two-count.

A hook kick from Ospreay looked to give him some hope, but a lariat and a powerbomb folded Ospreay for a near-fall, before a sit-out powerbomb moments later bought Ospreay some time. Headbutts and elbows became the order of the day afterwards, then chops before Kawada kicks from Ospreay continued the barrage. Ishii finds a response as a singular forearm knocked Ospreay back into the buckles.

Snapping back, a Cheeky Nando’s catches Ishii off-guard, but a follow-up OsCutter’s blocked. A springboard stunner lands, but Ishii’s right back with a sliding lariat as the tempo rose. Ospreay’s standing Spanish Fly keeps it going, before an OsCutter finally took down Ishii… for a near-fall!

Ishii lariats away a Hidden Blade, but Ospreay kicks out and nails it anyway as we’re trading one-counts. A less-Hidden Blade is ducked, before Ishii got the knees up to block an OsCutter off the top… following up with a wild lariat that drew another near-fall. A reverse ‘rana gets Ospreay some more time, before the Chelsea Kiss and a pop-up forearm left Ishii prone for a not-Hidden Blade for a near-fall, as it’s time to go for a Storm Breaker.

Ishii escaped the Storm Breaker and hit a headbutt, but a leaping Hidden Blade stopped him again, before the Storm Breaker proved to be the suitable crescendo as Ospreay took home the win. Pretty much the match you’d expect here, even if the finishing stretch is probably not going to land well in some quarters… but as a final warm-up before Ospreay/Omega in the New Year, this was a pretty great main event. ****¼

8.5

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

You can typically rely on Rev Pro for having a stormer of a show at York Hall - and this was no exception. With just one show left on the books for 2022, the obligatory Seasons Beatings Christmas show, Rev Pro will be gearing up for 2023, with a lot of open questions and perhaps open roster spots after several definitive results.