By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
We are looking for reports on all WWE, AEW, NXT, Impact Wrestling, MLW, ROH, GCW, and other notable live events. If you attend a show, you are encouraged to send a report or even basic results to dotnetjason@gmail.com
1PW “Devil’s Due”
Streamed on FITE TV
June 10, 2023 in Lincolnshire, England at The Engine Shed
This show was released worldwide Wednesday afternoon. The past two 1PW shows have felt PPV-quality with a nice mix of top U.S. talent heading to England to face top UK talent. Joe Dombrowski provided solo commentary. The lights were low so it’s hard to see how big the crowd is. Unfortunately, the lighting is also so low that wrestlers vanish into the shadows in a couple of the corners, but the center of the ring is well-lit.
* Backstage, “Sub Culture” Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster vowed to regain their tag titles. We then saw footage of “Boisterous Behavior” Leon Slater & Man Like Dereiss celebrating with their title belts.
1. “Boisterous Behavior” Man Like Dereiss and Leon Slater defeated “Subculture” Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster (w/Dani Luna) at 17:32. Slater is 18 now and he reminds me of a taller Lio Rush. Both Dereiss and Slater are young, thin, athletic Black men; think Street Profits. Sub Culture, of course, just had a stellar showing on some recent Impact Wrestling shows. Sub Culture attacked before the bell and were booed. Dereiss hit a fallaway slam for a nearfall at 3:30. Sub Culture began working over Dereiss. Dereiss finally hit a stunner at 7:30 and he made the hot tag to Slater.
Webster hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall, then a flipping senton, and Sub Culture began working over Slater. Slater hit a flying back elbow and he made the hot tag to Dereiss at 12:00. Dereiss hit a powerslam and was fired up. He hit a sit-out spinebuster for a nearfall. Andrews hit a Stundog Millionaire stunner, and Webster immediately hit a Swanton Bomb for a nearfall at 15:00. Andrews hit a Poison Rana for a believable nearfall, and we got a “This is awesome!” chant going. Slater hit a twisting suplex.
Leon hit a team Blockbuster move. Dani Luna hopped on the ring apron and argued with the ref, drawing the ire of the crowd. BB hit a slam on Luna, getting a pop. Boisterous Behavior then nailed a Team 3D stunner on Andrews for the pin. That was a fantastic opener.
* We saw backstage footage of Lance Archer beating people up. I know he’s been in the UK for a few weeks now.
2. Lance Archer defeated Amir Jordan at 6:48. Amir had a decent run in NXT-UK, but Archer towers over him. Amir dove onto him as Lance approached ringside. Archer backed him into the corner and hit his chops with those bear claws. Jordan tried some chops that had no effect whatsoever. Archer hit some running elbows into the corner, then a fallaway slam at 3:30. He suplexed Jordan into a corner and was dominating the match.
Jordan hit an enzuigiri, and he went to the corner. However, Archer caught him with a knee strike to the jaw in the corner. He set up for Blackout, but Amir escaped. Amir hit a rolling neckbreaker move, then a top-rope Swanton Bomb for a nearfall at 5:30. Archer hit a chokeslam for a nearfall, then a short-arm clothesline for the pin. Exactly what I like to see; a dominant Archer controlling most of the match, with a few fun hope spots for the under-sized challenger.
3. Luke Jacobs defeated Shigehiro Irie at 14:02. Jacobs is the Bryan Danielson/William Regal-style mat technician, and he’s thick, not fat. Irie is the Japanese star I always compare to EVIL or Shingo Takagi in size. They traded hard slaps to the face. Irie hit his slingshot splash for a nearfall at 3:00. Jacobs hit a senton for a nearfall, then a running dropkick in the corner. They brawled to the floor at 5:30. Back in the ring, Jacobs was in charge. Irie hit his crossbody block in the ropes at 8:30, with them both crashing to the floor.
In the ring, Irie hit his running cannonball splash in the corner for a nearfall. Jacobs hit a series of chops. Irie hit a headbutt and a whoopee cushion buttsplash for a nearfall. Jacobs hit a twisting brainbuster for a nearfall. Irie hit a second-rope superplex for a nearfall at 12:00. They hit simultaneous headbutts (plural!) Jacobs hit two powerbombs and got a nearfall, and they were both down. “Man, what a fight,” Dombrowski said. Irie hit his cannonball against the ropes. Irie hit a decapitating clothesline for a nearfall. Jacobs hit a pair of stiff clotheslines and got the pin. That was fantastic.
* Backstage, Lance Archer beat up some stage hands. He vowed he would keep up the assault until he gets a title shot.
4. Nathan Cruz (w/Matt Myers) defeated Mark Haskins (w/Vicki Haskins) and Will Kroos in a three-way at 17:13. Haskins, of course, had a nice run at the end of the ROH Sinclair era. Kroos is a big, thick man; think Abyss but no mask. (Yes, Kroos and Cruz sound identical.) Cruz attacked Kroos, but his shoulder tackles had no effect. Cruz reminds me of Colby Corino or Drew Gulak. Cruz and Haskins took turns beating on the big Kroos but he no-sold much of their offense. Cruz hit a crossbody block on Haskins.
Kroos hit a Stinger Splash in the corner, then a Black Hole Slam on Haskins for a nearfall at 9:00. (I swear I typed the Abyss comparison before he hit that move!) Haskins nailed a dive through the ropes on Cruz. In the ring, Haskins hit a top-rope doublestomp to Cruz’ chest for a nearfall. Cruz and Haskins hit superkicks on Kroos; Kroos hit a double clothesline and everyone was down at 11:30. Cruz nailed Kroos with brass knuckles punch for a nearfall, but Vickie pulled the ref out of the ring! Cruz hit a low blow; Myers hopped in the ring and hit a stunner on Haskins, and Cruz got a nearfall on Haskins. Haskins applied a Sharpshooter on Cruz and dragged him to the center of the ring; he let go of the move to chase Myers to the back.
Cruz got a chair (this isn’t a folding chair) and he swung it at Kroos; Kroos ducked it, hit a Spinebuster and a Rikishi Driver for a nearfall, but Miles Davis hopped in the ring and attacked Kroos. Rampage Brown then hopped in the ring and hit a piledriver on Kroos. Rampage Brown pulled a prone Cruz onto an equally prone Kroos for the pin.
* Backstage, Nathan Cruz and his friends celebrated his victory. Cruz said he wants a title shot against Will Ospreay.
5. Zachary Wentz defeated Scotty Rawk at 10:56. Rawk is heavily tattooed; he has black hair and is similar to Alex Reynolds. Standing switches to start. Rawk hit an airplane spin huracanrana. Wentz applied a Muta Lock at 6:00. Rawk hit a German Suplex. Wentz hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Rawk nailed a Best Moonsault Ever for a believable nearfall at 10:00. Wentz nailed a jumping knee to the chin for the pin. A very good match.
* Lance Archer ran into the ring and beat up Rawk, and he hit the Blackout/flipping Razor’s Edge. He shoved the referee too; Dombrowski said Archer will definitely be fined. Nathan Black walked to ringside and talked to Archer. Black announced he is now majority owner of 1PW! He told Archer “I can get you some gold. If you’ve got money like me, you can do whatever you want.” Archer and Black seemed to reach an agreement; Dombrowski was not pleased with this development.
* A backstage promo with Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander. Cardona is upset because his “merch bag” isn’t here, and that’s costing him money. He had his internet championship on his shoulder, but he said it isn’t on the line. He vowed to beat Will Ospreay and win the title.
6. Robbie X defeated Rampage Brown to retain the 1PW Openweight Championship at 10:42. Rampage also had a nice run in NXT-UK, and he towers over the smaller, bald, high-flying Robbie X. Rampage hit a shoulder tackle in the first minute that leveled Robbie. He caught Robbie charging him and hit a swinging powerslam. They brawled to the floor and Rampage was in control. He hip-tossed Robbie over the guardrail and into the first row at 2:30. They got back in the ring with Rampage dominating the offense. Robbie dove through the ropes onto Rampage at 6:30.
In the ring, Robbie hit a top-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall. Robbie hit a running Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Rampage nailed a top-rope superplex, then a Dr. Bomb/gut-wrench powerbomb for a nearfall at 9:00. Robbie fired back with a superkick; he put Rampage on his shoulders, but Rampage hit some elbow strikes to the side of the head. Robbie still hit a Finlay Roll, then a top-rope corkscrew press for a believable nearfall. He went for a handspring-back-move, but Rampage caught him a clothesline to the back of the head. Robbie got a rollup out of nowhere for the pin! Good big man/little man matchup.
* Rampage and his friends beat up Robbie after the match. Will Kroos returned to the ring, chair in his hand, and chased them off.
* A backstage skit with Session Moth Martina tending bar, and James Storm is having a drink. Lizzy Evo and Charles Crowley came up and made fun of them. Storm, of course, said he’s there to drink some beer and kick some ass! In another short interview, Kroos said he and Robbie are coming for the tag titles.
7. Lizzy Evo and Charles Crowley defeated “Cowboy” James Storm and Session Moth Martina in an intergender match at 12:24. Everyone got their own entrance. Session Moth Martina is the sorority party girl; she appeared a few times in the ROH Sinclair era. Evo is slender and she’s the top heel here. Crowley is a goofball, dancing his way to the ring; he has the floppy curly hair of Charles Dempsey. Storm came out last; quite frankly I didn’t know he was still active. Neither heel wanted to start. Lizzy slapped Storm to open; he no-sold it and just looked annoyed as he tagged in SMM. She hit a huracanrana on Crowley, then a senton, and the heels bailed to the floor.
Crowley snuck back in the ring and attacked Storm. Storm went to work on the left arm. Crowley hit a swinging sideslam on Martina for a nearfall at 4:30; that’s the first blow a man had hit on a woman. Lizzy immediately tagged in and chopped SMM and choked her in the ropes and Lizzy remained in charge. Storm made the hot tag at 8:00 and he hit a flying forearm on Crowley, then a running neckbreaker. Martina got back in and she speared Evo, then hit a swinging suplex. Martina hit a tornado DDT on Crowley for a nearfall at 10:00.
Evo hit a German Suplex on Martina for a nearfall. Evo got a beer bottle, so Storm grabbed two! Storm slammed a beer bottle on Evo’s head, then he superkicked Crowley! Martina immediately hit a top-rope Lungblower move to Crowley’s chin for the pin! Solid action; I don’t care for intergender action, so I really didn’t like seeing Storm hit Evo with the beer bottle. The crowd partied with Martina and Storm.
8. Will Ospreay (w/Burich) defeated Matt Cardona (w/Steph De Lander) to retain the 1PW Heavyweight Title at 15:33. Cardona and SDL came out first, and Cardona’s robe looks like he stole from Davey Boy Smith’s collection. Ospreay got the massive hero’s welcome. The bell sounded and Cardona immediately hit behind the ref in the corner. Funny. They finally locked up at 1:30, but Cardona immediately bailed to the floor to regroup. Ospreay hit a plancha to the floor. In the ring, Ospreay hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 4:30.
Ospreay went for a handspring-back-elbow, but SDL grabbed Will’s wrists! It allowed Cardona to seize control of the action. Steph choked Will in the ropes; the crowd was hot and singing for Ospreay. Ospreay finally hit a handspring-back-enzuigiri at 8:00, then a springboard flying forearm for a nearfall. Cardona hit a second-rope missile dropkick for a nearfall. Ospreay went for a springboard move, but Cardona caught him with a Lungblower for a nearfall at 10:00. Ospreay trapped Cardona’s head in the corner and kicked him in the face. However, Cardona shoved the ref into the ropes, causing Ospreay to fall from the corner and get crotched. Cardona hit a running boot in the corner, then a Tiger Driver powerbomb for a nearfall at 11:30.
Ospreay caught Cardona with a spin kick to the face; he set up for a Hidden Blade, but Cardona hit a clothesline. Ospreay hit a standing powerbomb and a springboard stunner for a nearfall at 13:00, but Steph pulled the ref from the ring and punched him! Cardona hit a low blow uppercut on Will! Steph rolled into the ring with the title belt. Burich got in the ring to stop SDL but Ospreay accidentally superkicked him! Cardona hit the Radio Silence leaping Fameasser for a believable nearfall at 15:00. Cardona accidentally hit Steph with the title belt. Ospreay hit the Hidden Blade diving forearm to score the pin. That was fun.
* Ospreay got on the mic, putting himself over while also taunting some fans who dared boo him. A pretty entertaining post-match promo. However, Burich hit a clothesline on Ospreay after the match, and got loudly booed. He spoke on the mic, but it was hard for me to comprehend.
Final Thoughts: Ospreay/Cardona earns best match. Sure, Cardona’s matches start a bit slow, but he has the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand as he gets them riled up with his early stalling. And Ospreay may be the best in-ring entertainer going today. The show-opener tag earns second best, with Jacobs-Irie coming in third. I don’t mind a show released a week or two later if it means they can insert short backstage videos between matches. So great to have a professional like Dombrowski providing commentary.
The three 1PW shows over the past four months are all available on Fite+ and are strongly recommended. But quite frankly, any Will Ospreay match should be watched.
Be the first to comment