Alright, this one is late, I’ll go as far as saying very late seeing as it happened over a month ago. I’ve got it in my head that I can’t miss out on reviewing RevPro shows, so I’m going to do it even if no-one cares. Let’s get on with it.
Flash Morgan Webster defeated Rob Lias
A pretty straightforward rookie vs veteran tale. Lias started well, even mocking Flash (which got a surprisingly positive reaction from the crowd) as he floored the Modfather. However, things didn’t really get going until Flash’s comeback at which point the pace picked up and we all started to have a bit more fun.
The problem is that Lias still isn’t clicking with me. He’s all sizzle and no steak as while he presents himself well, he’s not doing it in the ring. Too often The Gob is a bit boring. There’s every chance it will come – he’s still young – he’ll just have to rely on people like Webster to carry him until it does.
Verdict: Two And Three Quarter Stars
Jamie Hayter defeated Sierra Loxton
We got a promo from Jinny beforehand and you were left with the feeling that RevPro value that more than the in-ring action. With Jinny’s injury, the women’s division is floating along doing nothing. They make sure and have one bout per a show, but we’re never given any incentive to care about it. It’s left to the wrestlers to try and grab people’s attention.
A job to which Hayter and Loxton were obviously up to. While they’re not wrestlers I’m that aware of, they’re both clearly talented. Hayter worked hard as she sold for Loxton. At one point it looked like she was done for as she ate a whole barrage of hip attacks. She somehow survived and hit a moonsault shortly after for the win.
Afterwards, Hayter got face to face with Jinny, a moment that I felt was hurt by the crowd. They were so busy taunting the champ that they didn’t give Hayter any credit. It felt like they were joining RevPro in seeing her as the be all and end all of the division.
Still, none of those things is the fault of the women in the ring. They had a solid match which should be the most important thing.
Verdict: Three And A Quarter Stars
Legion of Lords (Rishi Ghosh and Los Federales Santos Jr) defeated Team White Wolf (A-Kid and Adam Chase)
The team of Rishi Ghosh and Santos are too endearing to be kept heel. They have a pure and simple love that I think we’re all going to want to cheer for. Also, they’re hilarious with Santos playing his role perfectly. It’s hard to hate people who make you laugh.
White Wolf continues to impress in a completely different way. They were the perfect foil for Ghosh and Santos as they embraced the comedic and also sold for the big men’s attacks. Plus, you get that A-Kid hot tag which is like a firework being set off in the ring. If these two keep up the performances they’ve been putting in for RevPro I can’t see them becoming anything except regulars on the UK scene.
It was a perfect match-up for both teams. The new look Legion of Lords continues to impress while Team White Wolf doesn’t need wins to get people on their side. In fact, they could well benefit from going on a bit of a losing streak, gaining sympathy as they go. Either way, this was the best thing on the show so far.
Verdict: Three And Three Quarter Stars
Josh Bodom defeated Jordan Devlin
In a surprising turn of events, Josh Bodom seemed to be quite popular in Southampton. I didn’t think Josh Bodom was popular anywhere. In saying that, he’s done enough to earn himself a shot with All Japan. I’ll be intrigued to see how that goes as his ability to rub people the wrong way has definitely hurt his career in the UK.
As for the match itself, it was a natural pairing. Bodom could play his cocky heel while Devlin was the hard working babyface. Devlin came in with his right leg strapped and Bodom quickly went after it as they started quite slowly. Rather than taking to the air, these two focused on having a stiff, back and forth fight. Bodom is clearly transitioning away from his cruiserweight run and adapting his style accordingly. It worked well, which is no surprise when you consider how talented they both are.
In the end, Bodom got the win with a Tombstone which is a much better finisher than the weird Pedigree thing he used to do in the ropes. With a bit more time this could have been a show stealer. We had to settle for it being good.
Verdict: Three And A Half Stars
El Phantasmo defeated Kip Sabian
El Phantasmo is slowly (and deservedly) getting over as a top guy in RevPro. He came into this off his win/defeat to Zack Sabre Jr which seemed to cement his place as a man on the rise. Every show sees him improve and there is nothing to stop him going right to the top.
On the other side of the ring, Kip Sabian was making his RevPro debut. You have to bear that in mind when looking at this because he was working to get his character over. He kicked things off with a bit of comedy which ended with the ref (Chris Robertson) doing an absolutely atrocious forward roll. That comedy would then present him with an opportunity to cheap shot Phantasmo and go to work. Thankfully, he did a good job of getting his gimmick in and still putting on a decent match.
It was all about Phantasmo, though, and he picked up the win after a series of lovely sequences in the closing stretch. I’m not sure what the limit on his potential is, but this year has undoubtedly seen it expand.
Verdict: Three And A Half Stars
Kurtis Chapman defeated Wild Boar to retain the British Cruiserweight Title
I am baffled as to what RevPro’s definition of a cruiserweight is. With Wild Boar and David Starr in the division, it’s apparently not the classic one.
We can argue about that on another day because Wild Boar was impressive here. He throws people around with style. Up against someone like Chapman he flourished. Kurtis’s lanky frame makes him the perfect candidate for being chucked around the ring. The champ’s bumping quickly got Boar over with the crowd.
Of course, there’s a recurring theme with Chapman’s defences, and that’s that it doesn’t matter how much offence he takes, he always sneaks out with the win. I’ve spoken before of my worries about the long-term damage that could do to his character. He’s a great wrestler with a ton of potential, but people don’t like their underdogs to win every week. If they do, they quickly become, well, dogs. There were a few noticeable boos when he picked up the win and RevPro better hope that doesn’t become the norm.
Anyway, it was still an enjoyable match. Boar and Chapman were a tremendous pairing right from the way they look (Boar’s short and broad frame against Chapman’s long and slender one) to the way they wrestled. I’d happily watch them do it again.
Verdict: Three And A Half Stars
Will Ospreay and Jody Fleisch defeated Adam Brooks and Sean Kustom
Has the Kustom Brooks relationship been explained and I’ve missed it? Kustom helped him out on the last show, and now they’re a team? Is that all there is to it? Fair enough, I know nothing about the big man, so we’ll have to see how good he is.
Someone who we know is excellent is Jody Fleisch. I know its a cliche at this point, but the man doesn’t age. If anything he keeps getting better. Everything he does is so incredibly natural looking, it’s kind of beautiful. He sold his ass off during the heat section here, as Brooks and Kustom worked to keep Ospreay out on the apron.
Will did eventually get a hot tag and as you’d expect with Ospreay, it was spicy. He and Brooks have fantastic chemistry, and even I can tell they love working with each other. They’re doing it in enough promotions that it’s probably fair to claim it as the latest in Ospreay’s long line of travelling feuds.
The final section kicked things up a gear as Fleisch hit a double reverse ‘rana which was better than most people’s single ones. Will then connected with the Spanish Fly (thankfully in the ring) and maintained wrist control in a clear Okada tribute, although it must be said that he doesn’t have Wee Kazu’s subtlety. He literally lifted Brooks’ arm into the air so everyone could see.
Brooks managed to block the initial attempt at the Rainmaker, blasting Will with some kicks. However, Ospreay battled through and connected with gusto, he then followed up with an Oscutter for the win. Sadly, while he won the battle, he didn’t win the war, and the heels went after him post-match forcing Fleisch to make the save.
This was all very enjoyable. I don’t think you can call it special, with Kustom definitely standing out as the bland man in with three exciting wrestlers. That didn’t stop it being fun, though, and I have faith that the singles match between Ospreay and Brooks will blow it away.
Verdict: Three And Three Quarter Stars
Afterwards, Phantasmo came down to get in Will’s face. That’s another big step for him and a natural one at that.
Overall Show
A decent if unspectacular show. Nothing on it was particularly bad, it just failed to crank things up to the level where anything felt great. It was the definition of a three-star show.
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