What a brilliant week for British wrestling! Last Wednesday saw the premiere of NXT UK featuring their signed talent and on Friday night it was the turn of Revolution Pro Wrestling on Freesports. We truly are living in a bubble right now.
These shows were all recorded over the course of just two nights at the York Hall in Bethnal Green and a few of us were fortunate to go to both shows, and I was able to make the second taping.
Tickets were an ultra affordable £15 and we had a great time - I am looking forward to seeing how it translates on screen!
We kick off with Kevin Kelly and Andy Simmonz ringside (unlike the NXT UK commentary team who were green screen) and they detail that the main event will be Zack Sabre Jr and KUSHIDA. They also hype Dominator Great O'Kharn who will be on show and the opening contest between Jushin 'Thunder' Liger and Chris Brookes.
Then we get a rundown of the rules of professional wrestling! I'm pretty sure I have never seen this before on a wrestling show!
JUSHIN 'THUNDER' LIGER v CHRIS BROOKES
- Commentary put over the legacy of Liger and the bright future of Brookes.
- Duelling chants for both competitors
- They shake hands
- Liger goes straight into the surfboard as commentary highlight the strapping on Brookes' shoulder.
- Liger turns the surfboard into a dragon sleeper.
- Brookes takes control outside the ring with chops as Liger almost falls through the barriers.
- Despite highlighting the count-out rule at the top of the show, Chris Roberts fails to apply it here - because he is Chris Roberts.
- Brookes places the ring apron over Liger's face and stamps on it! That garners boos from the crowd.
- Brookes keeps control with a chinlock back in the ring.
- Liger hits a frog splash!
- Kevin Kelly highlights just how innovative a wrestler Liger has been throughout his career.
- Liger sidesteps Brookes, who falls through the ropes allowing Jushin to hit Rolling Thunder on the outside!
- Knees up by Brookes on a second frog splash attempt!
- Rolling kick in the corner followed by a Liger Bomb that just about lands!
- BRAINBUSTER!
- Jushin Liger wins!
- Liger picks up Brookes and bows to him, then shakes his hand.
- Brookes low blows Liger!
- He tries to unmask Liger before El Phantasmo makes the save!
- Kevin Kelly rams home that Brookes has shown his true colours.
- I liked this a lot. The crowd were torn on who to cheer for until Brookes stamped on Liger's head and synched in a chinlock for a minute to firmly put the crowd on the Japanese legend's side. Then he fell to a loss, which doesn't hurt him at all and got plenty of heat back by fully turning post-match and setting up a future bout with El Phantasmo too. Lovely start to proceedings!
GREAT O'KHARN (W/ LORD GIDEON GREY) v HARRISON THOMPSON
Lord Gideon Grey is introduced and then introduces himself again in his upper class manner as Kevin Kelly tells us that he looks like someone is holding something sour under his top lip!
Grey tells the crowd to stay in their seats, shut their faces and pay their respects as he has acquired the services of the most terrifying man he has ever met - the Great O'Kharn.
It is explained to us that O'Kharn is on an unbeaten streak and Kelly ponders how much more damage can he inflict now he has the dastardly Grey by his side.
- O'Kharn dominates straight away with Mongolian chops
- Lawn dart across the top rope makes Thompson choke!
- Thompson gets a reversal in to HUGE cheers from the crowd!
- Strong style forearms have NO effect on O'Kharn however.
- Thompson tries to take out the knees of O'Kharn but he can't make him leave his feet.
- Flatliner from O'Kharn!
- Iron claw into a backbreaker with the claw still applied!
- Iron Claw Slam!
- O'Kharn pins Thompson by standing over him with his foot across his face.
- O'Kharn wins!
- Lord Gideon Grey announces his man as the winner.
- Get used to it folks, says Kevin Kelly!
- That was a great squash with O'Kharn looking utterly dominant and the crowd really wanting the plucky underdog to win. It was never in doubt though and the dastardly duo look a real threat to the rest of the roster.
DAN MCGEE INTERVIEW
Kevin Kelly asks how hard McGee has worked to reach the main roster from his contenders days. McGee says he has grown as a performer just getting a chance to be in the ring with some of the best Rev Pro have to offer.
Sha Samuels interrupts and says it has been a year since he has been in Rev Pro, which is a disgrace as he is the longest ever reigning British Heavyweight Champion in the company.
He feels disrespected that Kelly is interviewing a 'mug' like Dan McGee and not him. He is clutching his Rev Pro contract and says that he is the highest paid wrestler here because he is the wrestler that took the company from what it was to where it is today.
Sha Samuels gets a little physical with Kelly, so McGee steps in and the pair brawl before being pulled apart by security.
- Sha Samuels came across like a star here, showing no nerves on the mic and having a genuine reason to be upset, which is when heels are at their best. McGee was nervous on the mic but showed good fire once things got physical and there will be a match later between these two for sure.
COLT CABANA VT
Andy Boy Simmonz asks Colt Cabana where his love of the UK wrestling scene began and we hear how Colt first arrived in 2003 and fell in love with the place, the style of wrestling and it feels like a second home to him.
His history at the York Hall is then brought up as he recites that his first ever UK show was at the York Hall, and that in the first show that the company ran here, he was British Champion - and he believes he can be again.
It is important to him that he is on British television and he wants to be the champion now, just like he was when Rev Pro first booked the famous York Hall.
- This was great. How can you not love Colt Cabana? He has a true love of the traditional British wrestling style, probably more than most modern British wrestling fans now and you simply have to root for the guy. His passion and charisma comes off the screen - but can he claim back his championship?
ZACK SABRE JR v KUSHIDA
Kevin Kelly waxes lyrical about ZSJ's year in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he won the New Japan Cup and came joint second in Group B of the G1 Climax. KUSHIDA is given a big backing too but even during his entrance they go back to building up how good Sabre is!
- Grappling to start - of course!
- Sabre shoves his hand in KUSHIDA's face avoiding a clean break as Simmonz points out ZSJ is about bad language and bad manners now that he is associated with Suzuki Gun.
- KUSHIDA proves he is no slouch when it comes to his grappling game getting the better of Sabre on a few occasions.
- ZSJ avoids a buzzsaw kick and rolls to the outside.
- KUSHIDA flaunts his ease that he ties up ZSJ in knots infuriating the former British Champion.
- Cartwheel dropkick by KUSHIDA!
- Boston crab in the ropes by ZSJ!
- Chris Ridgeway is on the ramp taking in the action close-up!
- ZSJ puts on a savage half crab chinlock but KUSHIDA reaches the ropes.
- Springboard missile dropkick by KUSHIDA!
- HOVERBOARD LOCK!
- Sabre reaches the ropes almost immediately.
- Penalty kick! Bugger taking that from ZSJ!
- Roll through DDT by KUSHIDA SPIKES Sabre Jr!!
- Moonsault by KUSHIDA is reversed into a triangle!
- Dragon Suplex for 2 by KUSHIDA!
- KUSHIDA crawls to the ropes in a kneebar, breaking the hold.
- The pair exchange strikes. Cheers for KUSHIDA. Boos for ZSJ.
- SLAPS TO KUSHIDA'S FACE!
- KUSHIDA HITS A SPANISH FLY WHILST APPLYING THE HOVERBOARD LOCK OFF THE TOP ROPE!!
- The crowd chant for ZSJ to tap!
- ZSJ reverses into the ORIENTEERING WITH NAPALM DEATH submission!
- KUSHIDA TAPS!
- Kevin Kelly lists Ibushi, SANADA, Naito and Tanahashi as impressive wrestlers who have tapped to that manoeuvre from Sabre Jr.
- Ridgeway and Sabre Jr exchange words on the ramp post-match.
- That was a brilliant match, with ZSJ positioned as a bit of a kingpin. KUSHIDA never truly was treated as a threat here, but in doing so it just made Sabre Jr look even more of a bad ass. Plus we got a preview of what is to come with the Ridgeway confrontation.
This is easily as good a show in terms of in-ring entertainment compared with the WWE NXT UK effort this week. The fact we have both in the space of two days is incredibly exciting and makes you proud to be part of our scene.
It is interesting that both featured a post match attack in the first, a squash second and stellar main events. The only difference is that WWE featured a fourth match featuring women - not one women's match was booked in the two days of tapings by Rev Pro which was met with condemnation by some.
This was an excellent start to their programming on Freesports, a huge improvement on 5 Star Wrestling, which aired on the same channel. The commentary is on point, the action is great and the production values are decent. If you don't have the network, make sure you catch these shows for FREE!
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