By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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Rev Pro Ten Year Anniversary night two
August 21, 2022 in London, England at York Hall
Available via RevProOnDemand.vhx.tv
A quick recap: 24 hours earlier, Will Ospreay retained his Rev Pro Title by defeating “Speedball” Mike Bailey. He and the other United Empire members present then assaulted Ricky Knight Jr., his opponent for this show. This is the same venue as a night earlier, with a crowd of maybe 600 to 800. This is an ornate building with the airplane hangar-style curved roof, and a couple rows of seating in an upper deck. The biggest drawback here is the mic is almost inaudible, and the thick British accents didn’t help my ability to pick up what was being said.
1. “The Greedy Souls” Brendan White and Danny Jones defeated Michael Oku and Connor Mills at 13:22. Again, Oku is the slender Black man who had a fantastic match versus Ospreay earlier this year. Last night after Oku and Mills lost, I felt they planted the seeds for one of these guys turning on each other, and the commentators are talking about them being best friends, setting off alarm bells in my head. I don’t know the heels; I think Jones had a handful of NXT-UK matches. White is bald and thick. The babyfaces hit a lot of fast moves early. Oku hit an impressive flip dive to the floor at 4:00. Mills immediately hit a second-rope moonsault from the corner to the floor on the heels.
The heels began working over Oku in the ring. White and Oku traded intense, mid-ring forearm shots. Mills finally made the hot tag at 11:30, took a step into the ring, but turned around and hit a Helluva Kick on Oku! The crowd immediately, loudly booed. Like I said, the seeds were planted a night earlier in the way they left the ring together. Mills then “tagged” Oku back in and flipped his prone body to the mat. He then sneezed on him and left. White hit a Boss Man sidewalk slam to pin Oku.
2. Kanji defeated Chantal Jordan to retain the Rev Pro Women’s Title at 14:45. Jordan beat Maya Matthews a day earlier to earn this match. I don’t know Kanji; she has her hair in tight braids on her head and her general demeanor makes me think of Mercedes Martinez, and she displayed the mat skills of Deonna Purrazzo or Sereena Deeb. Jordan hit a shotgun dropkick in the corner at 3:00. Kanji worked the left arm, tying Chantal in a knot on the mat. Kanji tied her in a full nelson as they were in the ropes at 12:30, then she hit an elbow strike to the back of the head for a nearfall. Kanji applied a Triangle Choke, and Chantal tapped out. Good match.
3. Luke Jacobs defeated Tony Deppen to retain the British Cruiserweight Title at 18:22. Deppen gave middle fingers to the fans as he walked to ringside, making clear he’s the heel here. Jacobs is in black trunks today but worth reiterating he wore maroon Danielson-style gear a day earlier, and he definitely has that mat style. The crowd chanted, “wanker!” at Deppen, and he soaked in the boos and taunts. They opened by trading mat reversals while in a knuckle lock. Jacobs hit a shoulder tackle at 3:00 and Deppen bailed to the floor to regroup.
In the ring, Jacobs hit a bodyslam and senton. and Deppen bailed again. They fought on the floor in front of the fans. In the ring, Jacobs hit a series of chops. Deppen applied an anklelock at 6:00. He took charge with some strikes and forearm shots, and this is stiff stuff. Jacobs fired back with a shotgun dropkick and a northern lights suplex for a nearfall at 9:00. Deppen hit a headbutt and got a backslide for a nearfall. He did a double stomp on Jacobs’ ankle. Deppen nailed a flip dive through the ropes, and they were both down on the floor.
They traded forearm shots from on their knees, then the standing position. Jacobs hit a sit-out powerbomb for a nearfall at 12:30, then a clothesline for another nearfall. Deppen applied a modified STF, while also applying a full nelson on the mat. They traded more forearm shots and Jacobs dropped him with a leg lariat at 15:30. Jacobs nailed a coast-to-coast missile dropkick. Deppen tied him up on the mat and applied a modified Rings of Saturn double armbar. Out of nowhere, Jacobs applied a rear-naked choke on the mat, and Deppen immediately tapped out. This may not be everyone’s speed, but if you like a good Regal or Danielson mat-based match, you’d like this one.
* Heel manager Gideon Grey hit the ring. He was really hard to understand on the mic — everyone was here — but the loud boos didn’t help. (Note: Grey is currently wrestling in New Japan, eating losses as a member of the United Empire.) The nerdy Mad Kurt hit the ring; if you put glasses on him, he could audition for Where’s Waldo. I truly have no idea what either man was talking about here. Eddie Dennis (recently released by NXT-UK) hit the ring to a massive babyface pop! “What’s he doing here?” a commentator shouted. He’s had a haircut and is barely recognizable, even though we just saw him a few weeks ago.
4. Eddie Dennis defeated Gideon Grey at 5:33. Grey, dressed in a button-down shirt and blue jeans, attacked him from behind, but Dennis dropped him with a punch for a nearfall just seconds into the match. They brawled at ringside. “I don’t like him, Vince McMahon sure didn’t like him” the heel commentator said. In the ring, Dennis hit a swinging sideslam for a nearfall at 4:00. Grey hit a low blow uppercut behind the ref’s back, then he nailed a cane to the face for a nearfall. Mad Kurt hit Grey over the head with a wood board. Dennis hit a Razor’s Edge overhead powerbomb into the turnbuckles, then a sideslam for the pin. I can’t stress enough how I feel like I barely recognize this Eddie Dennis; just a whole different look and demeanor from what we’ve seen the past 2-3 years.
5. “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Leon Slater at 15:26. My first time seeing 17-year-old Leon; he’s a slender Black man looking similar to Wes Lee, and he has the slight height advantage. Quick reversals out of the gate and a standoff, then a handshake. They went to the floor with neither man able to hit any big moves, and Leon leaping over the guardrail at 2:30. When he tried to climb back to ringside, Bailey caught him with a kick to the jaw. In the ring, Bailey hit a double kneedrop for a nearfall, and he was in charge.
They traded chops, but suddenly Bailey hit a series of kicks and a corkscrew senton at 7:00. Slater caught him with a dropkick in the corner and a handspring-back-elbow. They did the suplex spot where they both went over the top rope to the floor, then Leon slammed Bailey onto the ring apron, and they were both down at 9:00. Slater hit a summersault off the apron the floor, then a dive through the ropes. Bailey countered with his triangle moonsault to the floor. Slater hit an impressive summersault dive over the turnbuckle onto Bailey on the floor.
In the ring, Slater hit a leg lariat. Bailey hit a kneedrop to Slater’s back as Slater was hanging over the top rope, to get a nearfall at 12:00. Bailey hit a moonsault kneedrop. Slater caught his leg and hit a Blue Thunder Bomb, then a twisting brainbuster for a nearfall. Nice. Bailey hit a moonsault kneedrop on the apron. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Slater hit an impressive 450 splash for a believable nearfall. Bailey hit his spin kicks into the corner, then his Flamingo Driver/modified One-winged Angel for the pin. That was great.
6. “Sunshine Machine” TK Cooper and Chuck Mambo defeated “The Velocities” Paris de Silva and Jude London to retain the British Tag Team Titles at 25:13. I don’t know any of these four. Sunshine Machine are the babyfaces and they high-fived fans at ringside. Unfortunately, they didn’t put the wrestlers’ names on the screen, just their team name. Jude London is a mix of Paul London and Mike Bailey. The Sunshine Machine worked over their opponents, but this feels like a face-face matchup. Cooper hit a running Samoan Drop late in the match, and Mambo followed it up with a frogsplash for a believable nearfall. They hit a team washing machine spin slam for a nearfall.
London hit a handspring-back-double stunner on the Sunshine Machine. London hit a Poison Rana on TK Cooper. The Velocities hit simultaneous Shooting Star Presses from opposite corners for nearfalls at 15:30. Cooper dropped de Silva with a headbutt. London hit a Canadian Destroyer on the ring apron. TK Cooper hit a running Shooting Star Press from the apron to the floor. Cooper went for a top-rope 450, but his opponent got a knee up. London hit a top-rope double stomp to the chest for a believable nearfall at 19:00. London hit a top-rope Blockbuster for a nearfall. De Silva hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press, catching a head into a DDT upon landing.
In the ring, Mambo tied de Silva in a Gory Bomb, while Cooper chopped de Silva’s exposed chest. TK hit a doublestomp move for a believable nearfall, but his opponent got a foot on the ropes at 22:30. Cooper hit a Lungblower on de Silva. London accidentally hit a top-rope double stomp on his partner, de Silva! The Sunshine Machine hit a team slam on de Silva to pin him. I decent match, but it lacked a sense of build, and it just kept going and going. This might have been better if they stayed in the 15- to 18-minute window.
7. Ricky Knight Jr. defeated Will Ospreay to win the Rev Pro Title at 32:46. They charged at each other and immediately traded forearm shots, and Knight hit a backbody drop, then he clotheslined Ospreay to the floor. They brawled on the floor, and this crowd is hot. Ospreay took control in the ring, applying a leglock around the waist at 6:00. Knight fired back with a suplex and a running dropkick in the corner at 8:00, then a flip dive to the floor. Knight hit a DDT on the floor; no thin mats here. In the ring, Knight hit a Razor’s Edge overhead powerbomb for a nearfall.
Ospreay hit a top-rope flying forearm for a nearfall at 10:30. Knight hit a running Death Valley Driver into the corner. In a cool spot, Ospreay pulled Knight off the ring apron and hit a running powerbomb onto the rampway to the back. Ospreay was back in charge in the ring, with the fans chanting the soccer “Ole!” song for Knight, who had a blood trickle on his forehead. Knight fired up with a series of chops and open-hand slaps at 19:00, then an impressive Poison Rana. However, Ospreay immediately hit the Hidden Blade running forearm. Ospreay hit another Hidden Blade, this one to the jaw, for a nearfall. Ospreay hit a series of forearm shots to the back of the head as Knight was lying facedown on the mat.
Ospreay hit his hook kick to the jaw, and the crowd was loudly booing him. Ospreay went for another Hidden Blade, but Knight ducked it, and Ospreay hit the referee! Knight hit a jumping piledriver, and they were both down at 22:00, as a new referee hopped in the ring. They traded multiple headbutts in the middle of the ring. Knight caugh him with a loud superkick, then a Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall at 24:00. Ospreay hit a mid-ring Spanish Fly. Knight blocked an OsCutter. Ospreay dropkicked Knight, who crashed into the new ref, knocking him out, too.
Ospreay got his title belt, but Knight avoided being hit by it, and he hit a spin kick to Ospreay’s jaw. Knight then hit Ospreay with the title belt! Knight tried to hide the evidence, and eventually was able to toss it to the floor. A table was set up on the floor, and they fought on the ring apron. Ospreay powerslammed both of them through the table at 28:30, with the fans loudly chanting, “holy shit!” In the ring, Ospreay hit a srpingboard missile dropkick, then a springboard flying forearm, then the Oscutter for a believable nearfall at 30:30.
Knight got a rollup for a nearfall. Ospreay hit a tombstone piledriver, then a Rainmaker clothesline for a nearfall, then a Hidden Blade to the face for another nearfall, and Ospreay was stunned that didn’t get the pin. Ospreay hit a (Kenny Omega) V-Trigger, and he set up for a One-winged Angel. However, Knight escaped, hit his own One-Winged Angel, a running knee strike to the jaw, then a Rikishi Driver/sit-out piledriver for the pin. That was a tremendous match, particularly the last five minutes.
Final Thoughts: First, I must marvel at the week Will Ospreay had. He fought in singles matches on the last three nights of New Japan’s G1 Climax tournament, then flew half-way around the world, where he held off Mike Bailey on night 1, then lost here… then headed to the United States to compete in AEW.
Obviously, the main event was the best match. I like how Ospreay lost because he let his opponents get into his head. He didn’t go for Stormbreaker; instead, he hit Okada’s Rainmaker, then Omega’s V-Trigger, and going for Omega’s One-winged Angel did him in. I didn’t know Knight before this match, but he held up his half quite well.
I will give Bailey-Slater second best. At age 17, I’ll call Slater the British version of Nick Wayne. There is a lot to like about him, and I’m sure there are others who can make similar comparisons between the two teens. Jacobs-Deppen earned third-best of the show.
I admittedly liked the first night of this double-header more. I was saddened this show didn’t include matches for Aussie Open or Shota Umino. Maybe I would have liked that tag match more if I knew the players involved. I really struggled to figure out who each man was early on, and the lack of on-screen names, and the announcers didn’t help me much early on, either.
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