By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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1PW “All or Nothing”
Streamed on FITE TV
April 22, 2023 in Doncaster, England at Doncaster Dome
The show streamed for the first time on Fite+ on Saturday. The show features Will Ospreay, Lance Archer, and eight former NXT-UK wrestlers. Joe Dombrowski provided in-person, solo commentary. The lights are low, the ring is well lit, and this crowd is maybe 2,000 or more. Because this show happened two weeks ago, we seem to have really good editing here, including the use of replays; this feels like a very professional production.
This event features an eight-man tournament for the 1PW Championship: four singles matches and a four-way finale.
In a pre-show match not included here, former NXT-UK wrestler Amir Jordan & Will Kroos defeated Myles Kayman & Vusyk.
1. Will Ospreay defeated Bobby Fish in a 1PW Title tournament match at 11:49. This is Ospreay’s first match in more than a month, after getting injured in the New Japan Cup and forfeiting, and he has some tape on his right shoulder. Ospreay attacked at the bell and he hit a springboard forearm. They traded forearm shots. Fish began working over the left leg and kicked at it, and he hit a slingshot senton for a nearfall at 5:00.
Ospreay hit a spin kick and a Helluva Kick in the corner, then a top-rope flying forearm to the back of the neck for a believable nearfall. Ospreay hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall at 7:30; this crowd is totally behind Ospreay. Ospreay went for the Hidden Blade, but Fish ducked it, and Fish hit a dragon screw leg whip. Fish hit a T-Bone suplex into the turnbuckles at 10:00. Fish slammed Ospreay to the mat and immediately locked in an anklelock on the mat.
Ospreay went for a springboard cutter, but Fish blocked it. Ospreay successfully hit the springboard cutter for a believable nearfall. He then nailed the Hidden Blade running forearm to the back of the head for the pin. Really good match. Dombrowski said any doubts about Ospreay’s health have been answered.
* Ospreay was interviewed at ringside. He put over Fish but vowed he would win the title later tonight.
* Backstage, Mark Haskins cut a heel promo, saying he just learned his tournament match will be no-disqualification. He called himself the extreme legend killer.
2. Mark Haskins (w/Vicky Haskins) defeated Ulf Herman in a 1PW Title tournament match at 8:51. This is my first time seeing Haskins since the end of the ROH Sinclair era. Haskins attacked at the bell; as soon as Ulf got the advantage, Haskins bailed to the floor and stalled. A quick internet search shows the white-haired Herman is age 57. They brawled on the floor. Back in the ring, Ulf hit a snap suplex at 5:00, and he hit a side slam onto a chair. Vicky pulled on Ulf’s ankle, allowing Mark to take control.
Ulf hit a top-rope superplex onto a folded chair for a believable nearfall at 7:00. Ulf got a table and brought it into the ring. Vicky hopped in the ring and sprayed Ulf with a fire extinguisher. This allowed Mark to hit a running knee to the back of the head for the pin. The crowd booed the outcome. Ulf got on the mic and vowed he would come back in the future.
3. Lance Archer defeated Nathan Cruz in a 1PW Title tournament match at 10:21. Cruz has a short, full beard and he’s a heel, and he has decent size. That said, Archer is a full head taller and more muscular. The ref confiscated brass knuckles from Cruz. Cruz through a punch that had no effect; Archer dropped him with a running body block. Archer hit some running elbows into the corner and was in total control. They brawled to the floor, where Archer hit some hard chops in front of the fans. (You can see here that fans are seated all the way the bleachers; this building is packed.)
Cruz hit a plancha to the floor at 4:00, and he slammed Archer head-first into the ring post. Archer barely got back into the ring before being counted out. Cruz hit a top-rope flying headbutt but Archer popped up at the one-count at 6:00. The ref got bumped; Cruz smiled and retrieved the brass knuckles. However, Archer hit a chokeslam for a visual pin at 8:00, but we had no ref! Cruz hit Archer with the brass knuckles! He dragged the referee over and as the ref was about to drop his arm for the third time, D’Lo Brown hit the ring! D’Lo is some sort of commissioner here.
D’Lo and Cruz argued nose-to-nose. D’Lo reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a ref shirt. Archer hit a big boot and a clothesline, with D’Lo counting the pin. (D’Lo didn’t even have time to put the ref shirt over his head.) Solid match.
4. “The Black Swan” Cara Noir defeated Martin Stone in a 1PW Title tournament match at 13:02. Cara paints his face and is flamboyant; he’s a fascinating cross between Darby Allin and Dalton Castle and the Phantom of the Opera. I’ve only seen him a handful of times but he’s impressive. Stone is bald and a brawler. They shook hands at the bell. Stone caught the left leg and slammed Noir to the mat. Stone dominated the action; he ‘forced’ a shoe onto the barefoot Noir at 8:30 and the crowd popped for that silliness.
Noir hit a German Suplex for a nearfall, then a shotgun dropkick. Stone pulled Noir off the top rope and hit a clothesline at 12:00. Noir jumped on Stone’s back and applied a rear-naked choke, and Stone tapped out. A bit slow and a bit disappointing.
* Quick backstage promo with Zachary Wentz, who informed us that Trey Miguel couldn’t make it to the show, but Wentz will still represent the Rascalz by himself in the tag team ladder match coming up next!
5. “Boisterous Behavior” Man Like Dereiss & Leon Slater defeated “The Bullet Club” Ace Austin & Chris Bey and “The Rascalz” Zachary Wentz and “Sub Culture” Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster (w/Dani Luna) in a four-way tag match to win the 1PW Tag Team Titles at 19:50. The Bullet Club wore their Impact Wrestling tag title belts. I’ve seen Dereiss and Slater about five times each now; they are talented, thin Black wrestlers. I think Slater is still just 17. Dereiss and Flash fought over the ladder early on. Wentz kicked a ladder into Dereiss’ groin at 4:00.
Slater hit a nice dropkick in the corner. Everyone took turns trying to climb the ladder. Bey hit a stunner on Wentz at 9:30 and we have a “this is awesome!” chant going. Ace got his fingers on the title belts, but Dereiss stopped him from pulling them down. Slater and Dereiss hit a 3D-style stunner move at 12:00. Nice. Mark Andrews hit a Poison Rana on Slater. Andrews hit a Stun Gun Millionaire. Bey stood on the very top of a ladder on the floor and tried to jump into the ring but he fell short at 15:30; the crowd went quiet and Dombrowski said he “may be seriously hurt.” The crowd gave a polite applause as Bey was helped out of the ring.
Wentz hit a flip dive to the floor on several opponents. Wentz rode a ladder down onto Slater’s gut at 17:30. He tried to get the belts, but Dani Luna climbed the ladder and pushed Wentz off! Luna remained in the ring to help Andrews and Morgan. They almost got the titles, but Dereiss pushed them off. Dereiss then hit a stunner on Dani Luna at 19:30. Leon hit a flip dive over the top rope to the floor. Leon and Dereiss climbed the ladder together and pulled down the titles from the rafters to win. Very good match. (Note that Bey never returned to the match.)
6. Robbie X defeated Frankie Kazarian, Lio Rush, Callum Newman, Scotty Rawk, and Luke Jacobs in a six-way scramble for the 1PW Openweight Title at 20:00. So, apparently the match must go at least 20 minutes before anyone can win, but you can score pinfalls before the 20-minute mark. I’ve seen Callum just a few times; he’s young with short black hair. I think this is my first time seeing Rawk; he has long, wet black hair and a passing resemblance to Alex Reynolds. Jacobs always reminds me of Bryan Danielson, but he’s really thick; not fat, just thick. Robbie X is the bald, talented high-flyer. A count-down clock was on the screen above the entrance ramp. Everyone missed their big spots early on.
Everyone began beating on Luke Jacobs. Jacobs hit German Suplexes on several guys, then he hit running dropkicks into the corner on his stacked-up opponents. Jacobs pinned Rawx at 4:47. Dombrowski said the goal is to be the the champion at the end of the 20-minute mark, so Jacobs just needs to avoid having anyone else score a pin for the next 15 minutes. Lio hit his dive through the ropes to the floor. Callum hit a top-rope doublestomp. Calum hit a standing moonsault on Lio Rush for a believable nearfall at 7:30.
Kazarian applied a Figure Four Leglock on Robbie X, earning Flair “wooo!!” Kazarian scored a pin at 9:42 on Rawx, so he now would be champion. Lio hit a Final Hour frogsplash to pin Rawx at 12:06. Robbie X hit a Poison Rana. Rawx got a pin on Robbie X at 13:12. Kazarian hit a double DDT. Lio hit an Asai Moonsault to the floor. Robbie X hit a second-rope moonsault to the floor on everyone at 15:00. Callum hit a flip dive to the floor. In the ring, Callum hit a powerbomb on Rawx for a believable nearfall, then a brainbuster for a pin at 16:21.
Lio and Callum immediately traded forearm shots. Callum hit a knee strike to the chin. Lio hit another Final Hour frogsplash, but Kazarian immediately applied a cross-face chickenwing on Rush, and Lio tapped out at 17:56. Jacobs immediately began brawling with Frankie. Jacobs rolled up Frankie for a pin at 18:55. Robbie X hit a stunner on Jacobs, but Jacobs rolled to the floor before Robbie could make the cover! Robbie hit a stunner on Kazarian to pin him at 19:45! Everyone piled on top of each other, but the time limit expired before another pinfall. Robbie X held on to win.
* Video was shown of Joe Dombrowski at a pre-show press conference with all the female wrestlers seated at a table. It quickly broke down with everyone yelling at each other. Our next match is a “gauntlet for the gold.” It begins as a seven-woman Royal Rumble, but the final two women will compete in a regular singles match for the 1PW women’s title.
7. Lizzy Evo won the “Gauntlet for the Gold” to become 1PW Women’s champion at 17:43. Lizzy Evo is first; she has short blonde hair and she apparently is the heel. Xia Brookside (one of four former NXT-UK talents in this match) drew #2. Dombrowski talked about her becoming a regular in Stardom in Japan. Xia hit a running double knees to the back. Millie McKenzie joined at #3 at 2:30. D’Lo Brown joined Dombrowski on commentary. Amale was #4 at 4:00. Lizzy rolled on the mat, clutching her right ankle, and the commentators talked about her having an ongoing foot injury. The refs checked on Evo.
Taonga is #5; she is a Black woman with long hair in braids; she looks a lot like Queen Aminata. D’Lo said medics are checking on Lizzy Evo. Dani Luna is #6 at 7:30. Luna showed off her strength by hitting a fallaway slam on Taonga. Session Moth Martina is the final entrant at 10:00. (That means Alex Windsor and Nina Samuels were announced but not here.) SMM is the party girl who had a nice pre-COVID run in ROH. Brookside was tossed. Amale was tossed seconds later at 11:30. McKenzie hit a spear and she tossed Taonga. Millie hit a German Suplex on Luna. However, Millie got flipped over the ring and out. So, we have just SMMartina and Luna left (plus Evo.)
Luna hit a standing powerbomb and a short-arm clothesline. Luna got flipped at 14:55, leaving just Session Moth Martina! Dombrowski said they need an official ruling from the medics if Evo can continue. Evo got in the ring and they brawled, but Lizzy could barely stand, and she was crying on the mat. A tall female medic hopped in the ring and attacked Session Moth Martina! Lizzy Evo ran over and jumped on Session Moth Martina and scored the pin. Dombrowski said the mystery woman is Bo Herman, Ulf Herman’s daughter. She is very tall and thick. Evo hopped around, showing that there was nothing wrong with her ankle.
* Evo got on the mic and belittled the crowd.
8. Will Ospreay defeated Mark Haskins (w/Vicky), Lance Archer, and Cara Noir in a four-way to win the 1PW Heavyweight Title at 14:42. Ospreay has re-applied the tape on his shoulder, and he immediately kicked at Archer’s leg, but it just angered Lance. Noir tried shoulder tackles on Lance that also didn’t work. Archer hit a chop that leveled Haskins at 2:30, and the crowd popped; Noir and Ospreay grabbed their own chests in sympathy pain. Ospreay went for a handspring-back-move, but his weak right arm gave out, and Haskins immediately began working it over.
In a neat spot, Haskins applied both a Boston Crab AND a Camel Cluth on two stacked competitors. Archer hit running back elbows in the corner on each opponent at 6:00. Noir tried forearm shots on Archer that had no effect. Ospreay hit a stunner on Noir. Archer applied a claw on Noir at 8:30. Haskins hit a Falcon Arrow on Noir for a nearfall. Ospreay hit a springboard doublecutter. Archer hit a chokeslam on Ospreay for a believable nearfall at 10:00, and he immediately barked at the referee.
Archer went under the ring and got a table and he set it up in the ring. Vicky Haskins got in the ring and slapped Archer in the back. Archer set up for a chokeslam, but Mark hit a low blow to stop Lance. All the smaller men began beating up on Archer, and together, they slammed Archer through the table at 12:00. Haskins hit a top-rope doublestomp on Noir’s chest for a nearfall, but Ospreay made the save. Haskins and Ospreay traded forearm shots. Ospreay hit a Spanish Fly for a nearfall.
Vicky hopped on the ring apron and grabbed Ospreay’s ankle. Noir applied a rear-naked choke on Haskins at 14:30 and Haskins tapped out, but the ref was distracted by Ospreay and didn’t see it! Ospreay immediately hit the Hidden Blade on Noir for the pin. Our new champion, Will Ospreay!!
* Ospreay got on the mic and proclaimed himself “the greatest wrestler alive today.”
Final Thoughts: This was pay-per-view quality good, not just in the wrestling, but the overall presentation. Lots of good things here. I will go with the main event for best match, followed by the four-team tag ladder match, and the six-way scramble for third, with Ospreay-Fish for honorable mention. While I was confused initially about the rules of the six-way, it became clear as it went along.
The only thing that didn’t click for me was Noir-Stone, and I think that was just a clash of styles. The women’s match was okay, but I hoped for even more. Not bad, though.
Anyone who has read enough of my reviews know I hate the “you f—ed up” chant. It is so disrespectful to these athletes who are risking injury to entertain you. I bring this up after watching Chris Bey come up dangerously short on a move off the top of a ladder. (This is a case where someone really should have been holding the ladder for him so when he pushed off, he would have actually gotten some lift. If someone was holding the ladder and I didn’t see it… they didn’t do a good job!) Luckily, Bey wasn’t seriously injured.
1PW has already booked Will Ospreay vs. Matt Cardona for their next show. An on-screen ad said Shigehiro Irie and James Storm also will be here on June 10.
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